bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Statistics on Deliveries of Mothers with Epilepsy at Yokohama City University Hospital
Authors: Endo Seiji , Hagimoto Hiroshi , Yamazawa Hiroshi , Kajihara Satoshi , Kubota Shinji , Kamijo Atsushi , Nakajima Kaori , Furusho Ryo , Miyauchi Toshiro , Endo Masaya 
Published: December 2004

Summary:  Purpose: To survey and summarize the treatment of pregnant women with epilepsy and to obtain data for the improvement of daily treatment regimens. Methods: We reviewed medical records of 36 deliveries of 25 mothers with epilepsy at Yokohama City University Hospital from September 1991 to December 2000 and statistically compared the differences in drug‐taking profiles, complications during pregnancy, types of delivery, and complications at delivery between the epilepsy group and a control group (656 total deliveries after 22 weeks except for epilepsy cases in 1991 and 1992 at Yokohama City University Hospital). Results: Of the 25 mothers with epilepsy, three with idiopathic generalized epilepsy, 12 were symptomatic for partial epilepsy. Their mean age at delivery was 29.0 years. The mean age at onset of epilepsy was 13.9 years. Of the 36 pregnancies, 30 (83.3%) cases continued antiepileptic drug (AED) taking throughout the pregnancies; 23 (63.9%) cases received monotherapy. Phenobarbital was the most frequently used drug in monotherapies. Seven (19.4%) cases received polytherapy. Seven (19.4%) patients experienced epileptic seizures during pregnancy. One case showed a low serum AED level. No statistically significant difference was found in complications during pregnancy, types of delivery, or complications at delivery, excluding abnormal rotation in the birth canal. Congenital malformation (cleft lip with palate) was observed in one (2.9%) case. The mother was 39 years old at delivery and had myoma uteri. Onset of epilepsy was at 14 years. She had been taking three kinds of AEDs: 1,400 mg/day of sodium valproate (VPA), 1.5 mg/day of clonazepam (CZP), and 200 mg/day of zonisamide (ZNS). Serum concentrations at pregnancy week 10 were 85.3 μg/ml VPA, 18.1 μg/L CZP, and 10.5 μg/ml ZNS. She also had been taking folic acid, 5 mg/day, but the serum concentration was not measured. Conclusions: The method of treatment and the management of pregnancy were left to the discretion of each doctor. However, in most cases, monotherapy was selected; and the frequency of complications was not significantly different from that of the control group, excluding the frequency of abnormal rotation in the birth canal. However, we could have been more proactive in calculating the risks of pregnancy for women with epilepsy and adjusted treatment in anticipation of a planned pregnancy, before the patient actually became pregnant. Additionally, a closer working relationship between the obstetrician and the physician who treats the epilepsy would seem to be a further requirement for the patient's well‐being, as well as her child's, during pregnancy.
Marital Status of Patients with Epilepsy with Special Reference to the Influence of Epileptic Seizures on the Patient's Married Life
Authors: Wada Kazumaru , Iwasa Hiroto , Okada Motohiro , Kawata Yuko , Murakami Takuya , Kamata Akihisa , Zhu Gang , Osanai Takao , Kato Takuhiko , Kaneko Sunao 
Published: December 2004

Summary:  Purpose: We investigated the marital status of the patients with epilepsy to clarify the clinical factors impeding improvement of the quality of life in adults with epilepsy. Methods: We examined the marital status of adult patients with epilepsy who did not have mental retardation and had been treated at Hirosaki University Hospital, Hirosaki, Japan, for >5 years. The present study included 278 patients (142 men and 136 women) ranging from age 20 to 60 years. Results: Sixty‐six men and 52 women were single. Seventy‐six males and 84 females had been married. The present study investigated the proportion of patients in whom seizures were controlled at the time of marriage. Percentages were only 30% for men and 22% for women. This result showed that in many patients, seizures were not controlled when they were married, which suggests that seizures themselves may not markedly inhibit marriage. Thirteen men and 16 women (total, 29 patients) had experienced divorce. Epilepsy was the cause of divorce in seven of the 29 patients who had been divorced. Of these seven patients, only one patient had informed the spouse of the disease before marriage. In the remaining six patients, seizures were witnessed after marriage or the disease was revealed by medication, which resulted in divorces. Conclusions: Concerning the association between marriage and the job, a close relation was found between the presence or absence of marriage and the presence or absence of a job among male patients.
Using ecological restoration to constrain biological invasion
Authors: BAKKER JONATHAN D. , WILSON SCOTT D. 
Published: December 2004

Summary

Biological invasion can permanently alter ecosystem structure and function. Invasive species are difficult to eradicate, so methods for constraining invasions would be ecologically valuable. We examined the potential of ecological restoration to constrain invasion of an old field by Agropyron cristatum, an introduced C3 grass.
A field experiment was conducted in the northern Great Plains of North America. One‐hundred and forty restored plots were planted in 1994–96 with a mixture of C3 and C4 native grass seed, while 100 unrestored plots were not. Vegetation on the plots was measured periodically between 1994 and 2002.
Agropyron cristatum invaded the old field between 1994 and 2002, occurring in 5% of plots in 1994 and 66% of plots in 2002, and increasing in mean cover from 0·2% in 1994 to 17·1% in 2002. However, A. cristatum invaded one‐third fewer restored than unrestored plots between 1997 and 2002, suggesting that restoration constrained invasion. Further, A. cristatum cover in restored plots decreased with increasing planted grass cover. Stepwise regression indicated that A. cristatum cover was more strongly correlated with planted grass cover than with distance from the A. cristatum source, species richness, percentage bare ground or percentage litter.
The strength of the negative relationship between A. cristatum and planted native grasses varied among functional groups: the correlation was stronger with species with phenology and physiology similar to A. cristatum (i.e. C3 grasses) than with dissimilar species (C4 grasses).
Richness and cover of naturally establishing native species decreased with increasing A. cristatum cover. In contrast, restoration had little effect on the establishment and colonization of naturally establishing native species. Thus, A. cristatum hindered colonization by native species while planted native grasses did not.
Synthesis and applications. To our knowledge, this study provides the first indication that restoration can act as a filter, constraining invasive species while allowing colonization by native species. These results suggest that resistance to invasion depends on the identity of species in the community and that restoration seed mixes might be tailored to constrain selected invaders. Restoring areas before invasive species become established can reduce the magnitude of biological invasion.
The role of industrial fisheries and oceanographic change in the decline of North Sea black‐legged kittiwakes
Authors: FREDERIKSEN MORTEN , WANLESS SARAH , HARRIS MICHAEL P. , ROTHERY PETER , WILSON LINDA J. 
Published: December 2004

SummaryMarine predators can be adversely affected by human activities in several potentially interacting ways. Industrial fisheries can affect predator populations adversely through competition for shared prey, and marine environmental change has also been implicated in population declines. In the North Sea, black‐legged kittiwakesRissa tridactylahave declined by > 50% since 1990, a period during which a lesser sandeelAmmodytes marinusfishery was active and profound oceanographic changes occurred. We studied the role of fisheries and oceanography in kittiwake declines on the Isle of May, south‐east Scotland, where sandeels are the main prey.Demographic data were collected from 1986 to 2002. We examined changes over time and correlations between population parameters, the local sandeel fishery and environmental factors, and incorporated the results in a deterministic and a stochastic matrix population model.Breeding success and adult survival were low when the sandeel fishery was active (1991–98) and were also negatively correlated with winter sea temperature, with a 1‐year lag for breeding success. Modelling showed that the observed changes in population parameters could explain the change in population growth rate from +8% year−1in the late 1980s to −11% year−1in the late 1990s. An observed improvement in breeding success from 2000 onwards has been insufficient to arrest the population decline. To stabilize the population, breeding success must increase to unprecedented levels or survival needs to increase substantially. Stochastic modelling indicated that the population was unlikely to increase if the fishery was active or sea temperature increased, and that the population was almost certain to decrease if both occurred.Sandeel recruitment is reduced in warm winters, and we propose that this explains the temperature effects on kittiwake survival and breeding success. The fishery also had a strong effect on demographic performance, although the exact mechanism is unclear as kittiwakes and fishermen target different sandeel age groups.Synthesis and applications. Poor breeding success of kittiwakes was associated with warm winters and the presence of a local sandeel fishery. Reversing the trend towards warmer winters may be impossible and, at best, would be a very slow process. Therefore, to safeguard kittiwake populations we recommend that the current closure of the commercial sandeel fishery remain in place indefinitely. This study shows that adequate monitoring of the effect of a fishery or of environmental change on seabird populations needs to include survival as well as breeding success.
Predation by great skuas at a large Shetland seabird colony
Authors: VOTIER STEPHEN C. , BEARHOP STUART , RATCLIFFE NORMAN , PHILLIPS RICHARD A. , FURNESS ROBERT W. 
Published: December 2004

Summary

Skuas are top predators in marine ecosystems and may have detrimental effects on seabird communities they prey upon. However, predation rates are poorly understood and poorly quantified. Using a bio‐energetics model we estimate seabird predation by great skuas, Stercorarius skua, at a large UK colony (Hermaness, Shetland). We investigate the influence of dietary specialization and fishery management on predation and explore the effect of experimental removal of specialist bird predators.
Great skuas at Hermaness required 491·5 × 106 kJ and 546·6 × 106 kJ of energy in each of two breeding seasons. Breeding skuas fell into one of two groups: a small proportion (5%) of specialist bird predators or the vast majority (95%) that fed opportunistically on birds or specialized on fishery discards. During 1999, great skuas consumed ≈80 000 kg of fish, which increased to over 90 000 kg in 2001. About 13 000 seabirds were consumed by great skuas each year, with 26–29% being consumed by specialist bird predators.
Although it is difficult to assess, great skuas appear to be having a negative impact on seabird populations. Altering model inputs to test differing scenarios revealed that reductions in fishery discards would result in increased seabird predation rates. However, proposed changes in fishery management over the period of the study did not reduce discarding rates, which instead increased.
Synthesis and applications. The use of a bioenergetics model reveals that great skua predation may negatively affect seabird populations. Availability of fishery discards is an important factor influencing seabird predation rates, but predicting the effect of changes in fishery management may be difficult in the short term. Specialist bird predators consume large quantities of seabird prey, but this is less significant at the population level. Although experimental removal of specialist bird predators may reduce predation at a minimal loss of skuas, it is unclear whether conspecifics may replace them and retain high rates of predation.
Conservation of European hares Lepus europaeus in Britain: is increasing habitat heterogeneity in farmland the answer?
Authors: SMITH REBECCA K. , JENNINGS NANCY VAUGHAN , ROBINSON ANTHONY , HARRIS STEPHEN 
Published: December 2004

Summary

Agricultural intensification has had dramatic effects on farmland biodiversity and has caused declines in many taxa. Habitat changes are thought to be the main cause of the decline in numbers of European hares, Lepus europaeus, throughout Europe. In Britain there is greater potential to increase hare numbers in pastural landscapes than in arable landscape. Hares in pasture have lower population densities, poorer body condition and participate less in breeding than in arable habitats. We aimed to investigate habitat selection and home range size in a mainly pastural area in order to reveal why the habitat is suboptimal, and how it could be managed to benefit the species.
A seasonal radio‐tracking study was used to determine the importance of heterogeneity at the between‐ and within‐habitat scales. Habitat selection by active and resting hares was quantified. Selection was investigated by categorizing habitats by type, and by structure in terms of vegetation height.
Mean home range size was 34 ha. Winter and spring ranges were larger than summer and autumn ranges. Hares selected fallow land and pasture grazed by cattle in preference to arable crops throughout the year, except during the winter when crops were suitable as forage. Pasture grazed by sheep was avoided in all seasons but winter. Heterogeneity at the between‐habitat scale was less important to hares than heterogeneity at the within‐habitat scale in the pastural landscape studied.
Hares selected habitats with taller vegetation during the spring and summer. Many of the habitats selected were heterogeneous in structure mainly due to cattle grazing, and hares avoided short homogeneous vegetation in all seasons. Hares are more likely to be limited by habitat in terms of cover than food in these landscapes.
Synthesis and applications. Increasing habitat heterogeneity at the farm scale may benefit hares, especially in highly homogeneous, intensively managed landscapes. However, managers of pastural farmland should aim to increase habitat heterogeneity at the within‐habitat (or within‐field) scale in particular, to provide better cover throughout the year. Agri‐environment schemes should target the regeneration of heterogeneity in pastural landscapes, by encouraging changes such as an increase in fallow land and a reduction in livestock density. Such shifts in management are likely to benefit both hares and farmland biodiversity in general.
American Society of Diagnostic and Interventional Nephrology Section Editor: Stephen Ash: Cutting Balloon Angioplasty for Resistant Venous Anastomotic Stenoses
Authors: Sreenarasimhaiah Vijay P. , Margassery Suresh K. , Martin Kevin J. , Bander Steven J. 
Published: December 2004

ABSTRACTConventional angioplasty of stenoses at the venous anastomosis has been demonstrated to be an important endovascular adjunct to mechanical thrombectomy of clotted arteriovenous dialysis grafts. In some cases, however, severe venous anastomosis stenosis is resistant to angioplasty. Cutting balloon angioplasty may have an advantageous role in these difficult situations in order to avoid surgical revision. In this series of 350 patients receiving percutaneous, endovascular declotting procedures, 9 patients had high‐grade venous anastomotic stenoses (opening less than 2 mm) that could not be remedied with either conventional or high‐pressure noncompliant peripheral angioplasty balloons. These nine patients had the lesions opened with the use of 4 mm × 10 mm cutting balloons and placement of self‐expanding nitinol stents at the venous anastomosis during the same angiography procedure. Patients were followed for patency and functionality of the graft. In all cases, immediate technical success occurred. Among these patients, the vessels have remained patent for as long as 20 months of follow‐up and grafts have remained functional. Cutting balloon angioplasty may have a potential therapeutic role in resistant venous anastomotic stenoses.
POOR NUTRITIONAL STATUS AND INFLAMMATION: Ultrapure Dialysate
Authors: Ward Richard A. 
Published: December 2004

AbstractTo prevent pyrogenic reactions during hemodialysis, it is recommended that bacteria and endotoxin in dialysate not exceed 100–200 colony forming units (CFU)/ml and 0.25–2 endotoxin units (EU)/ml, respectively. While these limits are adequate to prevent acute pyrogenic reactions, data are accumulating to suggest they may not prevent stimulation of chronic inflammation in hemodialysis patients. Fragments of endotoxin and other bacterial products capable of stimulating immune cells cross low‐flux and high‐flux membranes in vitro. In clinical studies, use of ultrapure dialysate (bacteria < 0.1 CFU/ml and endotoxin < 0.03 EU/ml) is associated with lower concentrations of inflammatory markers and acute phase reactants than are observed with dialysate meeting current quality recommendations. Moreover, observational studies suggest a link between clinical outcomes and dialysate purity. Treatment of patients with ultrapure dialysate is reported to improve nutritional status, increase responsiveness to erythropoietin, slow the decline in residual renal function, lessen cardiovascular morbidity, and decrease the incidence of β2‐microglobulin amyloidosis. To date, however, none of these studies has shown a cause‐and‐effect relationship between dialysate purity and outcome. Further, there are no data defining the concentration dependence of outcomes on dialysate purity and the relative importance of dialysate purity as a trigger of inflammation remains unclear. While the technology exists to routinely provide ultrapure dialysate, controlled clinical trials are still needed to answer the question of whether or not introducing ultrapure dialysate into routine clinical practice represents an efficient use of limited resources in terms of decreasing inflammation and improving outcomes in hemodialysis patients.
Nutrients Released by Gastric Epithelial Cells Enhance Helicobacter pylori Growth
Authors: Van Amsterdam Karin , Van Der Ende Arie 
Published: December 2004

ABSTRACTBackground.  Helicobacter pylori survives and proliferates in the human gastric mucosa. In this niche, H. pylori adheres to the gastric epithelial cells near the tight junctions. In vitro, H. pylori proliferated well in tissue‐culture medium near gastric epithelial cells. However, in the absence of epithelial cells, growth of H. pylori could only be established in tissue‐culture medium when, prior to the experiment, it was preincubated near gastric epithelial cells. Therefore, we aimed to determine whether diffusion of nutrients derived from epithelial cells was required for H. pylori growth in Dulbecco's modified Eagle's minimal essential medium (DMEM) cell culture medium.Materials and Methods.  Cell culture conditions essential for H. pylori growth in vitro were determined with gastric epithelial HM02 cells.Results.  Deprivation of iron in cell‐culture‐conditioned DMEM resulted in a growth arrest of H. pylori. However, near gastric epithelial cells, growth of H. pylori was resistant to iron deprivation. Evidently, when residing close to epithelial cells, H. pylori was able to fulfil its iron requirements, even when the DMEM was deprived of iron. Nevertheless, supplementation with iron alone did not restore H. pylori growth in DMEM, hence other nutrients were deficient as well in the absence of epithelial cells. Growth of H. pylori in DMEM was restored when hypoxanthine, l‐alanine and l‐proline were added to the DMEM.Conclusions  Diffusion of (precursors of) these nutrients from the gastric epithelial cells is essential for H. pylori growth in vitro. We hypothesize that in vivo, H. pylori favors colonization near the tight junctions, to gain maximal access to the nutrient(s) released by gastric epithelial cells.
Organ‐Specific Autoantibodies in Children with Helicobacter pylori Infection
Authors: Guariso Graziella , Brotto Francesca , Basso Daniela , Alaggio Rita , Betterle Corrado 
Published: December 2004

ABSTRACTBackground.  We compared the prevalence of organ‐specific autoantibodies in a group of Helicobacter pylori infected children and a group of uninfected children and investigated the relationship between the presence of relevant autoantibodies and the status of the target organs.Patients and Methods.  One hundred and twenty‐four children with dyspepsia (54 boys, 70 girls; mean age 10.5 years; range 4–19) underwent gastroscopy: 56 had H. pylori infection (31 girls, 25 boys), while 68 (37 girls and 31 boys), were H. pylori‐negative. All sera were tested for the presence of: parietal cell autoantibodies (PCA), intrinsic factor autoantibodies (IFA), microsomial autoantibodies, thyroglobulin autoantibodies, islet cell autoantibodies, glutamic acid decarboxylase autoantibodies, adrenal cortex autoantibodies, steroid‐producing cell autoantibodies; gastrin, pepsinogen A, pepsinogen C and anti‐H. pylori antibodies. The histological features and the ureA and cagA genes were also considered.Results.  The frequency of organ‐specific autoantibodies was higher in patients with H. pylori infection than in uninfected patients (χ2‐test p < .0001). Specifically gastric autoantibodies were significantly higher: seven of the 56 H. pylori‐positive children were PCA‐positive and one was IFA‐positive (χ2‐test p = .0004). The presence of autoantibodies was not associated with any clinical or biohumoral signs of disease.Conclusions.  Our study detected a relationship between H. pylori infection in childhood and the presence of organ‐specific autoantibodies unassociated with any clinical or biohumoral signs of disease. Helicobacter pylori infection in childhood could trigger the onset of clinical autoimmune gastritis, and/or other clinical autoimmune diseases.
Resolution of Gastrointestinal Protein Loss after Helicobacter pylori Eradication in a Patient with Hypertrophic Lymphocytic Gastritis
Authors: Madisch Ahmed , Aust Daniela , Morgner Andrea , Grossmann Dana , Schmelz Renate , Kropp Joachim , Ehninger Gerhard , Baretton Gustavo , Miehlke Stephan 
Published: December 2004

AbstractBackground.  Lymphocytic gastritis is a rare condition found in approximately 1% of dyspeptic patients. An association with Helicobacter pylori infection has been described. Hypertrophic lymphocytic gastritis is a rare cause of gastrointestinal protein loss. Here, we describe a patient with hypertrophic lymphocytic gastritis, in whom gastrointestinal protein loss resolved completely following H. pylori eradication.Case Report.  A 38‐year old obese man without gastrointestinal symptoms showed a markedly decreased serum protein (53 g/l, normal 66–85 g/l), a decreased serum albumin (33 g/l, normal 35–52 g/l) and decreased serum immunoglobulin G and immunoglobulin M levels. A renal cause for protein loss was excluded, liver function was normal. Endoscopy of the upper gastrointestinal tract revealed enlarged rigid gastric folds, and an H. pylori‐associated lymphocytic gastritis. 99mTc‐labelled albumin scintigraphy showed an increased activity in the upper left abdomen compatible with protein secretion in the stomach, and tracer pooling in the upper small bowel. Push enteroscopy with histology demonstrated a normal upper small bowel. Two months after eradication therapy, cure of H. pylori infection was documented and serum protein (71 g/l) and albumin (41 g/l) had returned to normal, while lymphocytic gastritis was still present. One year after eradication therapy endoscopy of the upper gastrointestinal tract and histology and laboratory values were normal.Conclusion.  Protein‐losing gastropathy caused by H. pylori‐associated hypertrophic lymphocytic gastritis can be cured solely by H. pylori eradication therapy.