bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Ability of Fat and Fat‐Free Mass Percentages to Predict Functional Disability in Older Men and Women
Authors: Broadwin Julie , Goodman‐Gruen Deborah , Slymen Don 
Published: February 2005

OBJECTIVES: Previous studies suggest an association between body composition and declining functional ability in older people. This study examined the relation between functional disability and percentage of fat mass (FM) and percentage of fat‐free mass (FFM) in older men and women.DESIGN: Cross‐sectional and prospective.SETTING: Rancho Bernardo, California.PARTICIPANTS: Subjects consisted of 1,051 ambulatory, community‐dwelling Caucasian men and women, age 55 to 92, who attended a clinic visit between 1988 and 1992 and a subsequent clinic visit between 1992 and 1996.MEASUREMENTS: Measured at both visits, percentage of fat mass and percentage of lean body mass were estimated by bioelectric impedance analysis and functional disability was ascertained by self‐administered questionnaire. Functional disability was dichotomized into those having any difficulty with a set of tasks versus those having no difficulty with the tasks. Two measures of functional disability were used: “lower body” disability, consisting of two lower motor tasks (walking 2–3 blocks and climbing up 10 stairs) and “overall” disability, consisting of nine tasks representing upper and lower body function and mobility.RESULTS: Compared with men, women were more likely to report both lower body and overall functional disability (P = .001). Cross‐sectionally, a significant positive association was shown between fat mass and overall functional disability and a significant negative association was shown between FFM and overall functional disability in both men and women. Prospectively, increased percentage of body fat and decreased percentage of FFM were significantly associated with decreased functional ability in both women and men. All results were adjusted for age, smoking, alcohol use, physical activity, current estrogen use, depression, chronic disease, and education.CONCLUSION: Increased percentage of fat mass and decreased percentage of FFM are associated with greater functional disability in older men and women. Further research is needed to assess the relative importance of decreasing fat percentage or increasing fat‐free percentage to preserve or improve functional ability in older people.
The Impact of Supraventricular Tachycardias on Driving Ability in Patients Referred for Radiofrequency Catheter Ablation
Authors: WALFRIDSSON ULLA , WALFRIDSSON HÅKAN 
Published: February 2005

Aim: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the occurrence of arrhythmia‐related symptoms in patients with supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) referred for radiofrequency catheter ablation (RF ablation) with special focus on driving ability.
Methods and Results: Of the 301 patients referred for RF ablation between November 1998 and December 2000 due to SVT 226 were active drivers. The present study is an interview study with structured questions. Hemodynamic symptoms were frequently encountered during tachycardia. The symptoms occurred irrespective of driving. In the 226 active drivers, fatigue was reported in 77%, dizziness in 47%, breaking into a cold sweat in 52%, near‐syncope in 50%, and syncope in 14%. Women experienced all symptoms more frequently than men: fatigue (P < 0.05), dizziness (P < 0.01), cold sweat (P < 0.05), near‐syncope (P < 0.001), and syncope (P < 0.01). Fifty‐seven percent of the patients had experienced tachycardia while driving, and 42% of those patients had to stop because of it. Twenty‐four of all patients considered their tachycardia as an obstacle to driving. There was a significant correlation (P < 0.001) between having experienced near‐syncope and considering the risk for tachycardia as an obstacle.
Conclusions: SVT frequently occurs during driving and is often associated with hemodynamic symptoms including near‐syncope and syncope. Women reported tachycardia‐related hemodynamic symptoms more often than men. There is a correlation between having experienced near‐syncope and considering tachycardia as an obstacle to driving. The risk for serious tachycardia‐related symptoms should be considered, especially in occupational drivers.
Improved Extraction of ePTFE and Medical Adhesive Modified Defibrillation Leads from the Coronary Sinus and Great Cardiac Vein
Authors: WILKOFF BRUCE L. , BELOTT PETER H. , LOVE CHARLES J. , SCHEINER AVRAM , WESTLUND RANDY , RIPPY MARIAN , KRISHNAN MOHAN , NORLANDER BARRY E. , STEINHAUS BRUCE , EMMANUEL JANSON , ZELLER PETER J. 
Published: February 2005

Background: Permanent leads with shocking coils for defibrillation therapy are sometimes implanted in the coronary sinus (CS) and great cardiac vein (GCV). These shocking coils, as documented by pathologic examination of animal investigations, often become tightly encapsulated by fibrosis and can be very difficult to remove.
Methods: One of three configurations of the Guidant model 7109 Perimeter® coronary sinus shocking lead was implanted into the distal portion of the GCV of 24 sheep for up to 14 months. Group 1 had unmodified coils (control), group 2 had coils backfilled with medical adhesive (MA), and Group 3 had coils coated with expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE). Eighteen leads, three from each group at 6 and 14 months were transvenously extracted from the left jugular vein. The remaining six animals were not subject to extraction. All animals were euthanized for pathological and microscopic examination.
Results: All six of the control, three of the MA, and one of the ePTFE leads required the use of an electrosurgical dissection sheath (EDS) for extraction. Five control, two MA, and none of the ePTFE leads had significant fibrotic attachments to the shocking coils. Significant trauma was observed at necropsy for those leads requiring the use of the EDS for extraction.
Conclusions: Tissue ingrowth is a major impediment to the removal of defibrillation leads implanted in the CS and GCV of sheep. Reduction of tissue ingrowth by coating the shocking coils with ePTFE or by backfilling with MA facilitates transvenous lead removal with reduced tissue trauma.
Development of a quantitative assay for SARS coronavirus and correlation of GAPDH mRNA with SARS coronavirus in clinical specimens
Authors: Wong S C C , Chan J K C , Lee K C , Lo E S F , Tsang D N C 
Published: February 2005

Aims:To develop a quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (Q-RT-PCR) for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) detection and explore the potential of using glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) mRNA as an internal control to exclude false negative results.Methods:SARS-CoV and GAPDH mRNA were both measured in 26 specimens from 16 patients with SARS, 40 follow up specimens from the same batch of patients, and appropriate control subjects. The relation between SARS positivity and GAPDH mRNA concentration was investigated using the χ2test. Increasing the sensitivity for SARS-CoV and GAPDH mRNA detection was investigated in follow up specimens in which SARS-CoV and GAPDH mRNA were not detected initially.Results:Varying amounts of SARS-CoV were found in the 26 SARS-CoV positive specimens and SARS-CoV was not detected in the 40 follow up specimens and controls. In addition, concentrations of GAPDH mRNA were significantly different between the patients with SARS, follow up specimens, and healthy controls (Kruskal-Wallis test, p<0.05). Moreover, GAPDH mRNA concentrations were highly correlated with SARS-CoV positivity (χ2 = 5.43; p<0.05). Finally, SARS-CoV and GAPDH mRNA were both detected in three follow up urine specimens that were initially negative when the amount of cDNA used was increased from 5 μl to 10 and 15 μl.Conclusions:This Q-RT-PCR assay can be used to detect SARS-CoV. Moreover, GAPDH mRNA may be useful to rule out false negative results in SARS-CoV detection, and the current extraction method for urine may not be sensitive enough to detect low titres of SARS-CoV.
Is endomyometrial injury during termination of pregnancy or curettage following miscarriage the precursor to placenta accreta?: Table 1
Authors: Beuker J M , Erwich J J H M , Khong T Y 
Published: February 2005

Aims:To determine the frequency with which myometrium is removed during vacuum terminations of pregnancy or dilatation and curettage after miscarriage, and to relate these findings to subsequent placenta accreta or its proxies.Methods:Archival tissues from vacuum termination of pregnancy or dilatation and blunt curettage after miscarriage were examined for the presence of myometrium. The subsequent obstetric histories were scrutinised for manual removal of placenta, postpartum haemorrhage, or retained placenta. A retrospective study comparing the frequency of miscarriage and termination in women who had or did not have a manual removal was also performed.Results:Myometrium was seen in the products of conception in 44% and 35% of termination and miscarriage tissues, respectively. One of nine women with myometrium at miscarriage had a postpartum haemorrhage in a subsequent pregnancy whereas, of the 21 women without myometrium at miscarriage, three required manual removal and seven had a postpartum haemorrhage afterwards. A past history of termination and/or miscarriage was more frequent in multigravid women who had a manual removal than those who did not.Conclusions:Endomyometrial injury is frequent at termination or dilatation and curettage after miscarriage, but the relation to subsequent placenta accreta remains unclear. Women requiring a manual removal of the placenta were likely to have had a past history of termination and/or miscarriage.
Self-monitoring of Blood Glucose in a Multiethnic Population of Rural Older Adults With Diabetes
Authors: Skelly Anne H. , Arcury Thomas A. , Snively Beverly M. , Bell Ronny A. , Smith Shannon L. , Wetmore Lindsay K. , Quandt Sara A. 
Published: February 2005

Purpose The purpose of the study was to describe self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) practices of 698 older adults with type 2 diabetes in the rural Southeast, to identify characteristics differentiating testers from nontesters, and to identify personal and support-related predictors of monitoring frequency. Methods The ELDER (Evaluating Long-term Diabetes Selfmanagement Among Elderly Rural Adults) study was a population-based, cross-sectional survey of African American, Native American, and white Medicare recipients = 65 years with diagnosed diabetes. Data were obtained through in-home interviews. Multiple logistic regression models were used to identify factors associated with SMBG and frequency of monitoring. Results Seventy-seven percent of respondents practiced SMBG in the previous week; 40% tested every day in that week. No ethnic differences were seen. Significant independent predictors of any SMBG were medication regimen (taking oral agents or insulin with or without oral agents) and health care provider (HCP) recommendation to test. Among those monitoring, significant independent predictors of SMBG frequency were medication regimen, HCP recommendation to test, duration of diabetes, and receiving help with testing, which was negatively associated with monitoring frequency. Conclusions Among rural older persons with diabetes, HCP recommendation significantly affected practicing SMBG and SMBG frequency. These findings suggest points of intervention by diabetes educators with this vulnerable population. Further research is needed to determine how older adults use SMBG data in their self-care regimen.
Developing a New Generation of Ongoing Diabetes Self-management Support Interventions
Authors: Tang Tricia S. , Gillard Mary Lou , Funnell Martha M. , Nwankwo Robin , Parker Ebony , Spurlock David , Anderson Robert M. 
Published: February 2005

Purpose The study examined the feasibility, acceptability, and potential impact of an innovative, community-based, ongoing self-management intervention aimed at enhancing and sustaining self-care behaviors over the long term among urban African Americans with type 2 diabetes. Methods Sixty-two African American men and women completed the study. Participants were invited to attend 24 weekly, consecutive, diabetes self-management support/ education groups. The flow of the weekly group sessions was guided by questions and concerns of the patients. Baseline and 6-month follow-up metabolic functioning, lipid profiles, cardiovascular functioning, and self-care behaviors were assessed. Results Ninety percent (n = 56) of the sample attended at least 1 session; 40% attended at least 12 or more sessions. Paired t tests found significant improvements in body mass index (P< .001), total cholesterol (P< .01), high density lipoprotein (P< .05), and low-density lipoprotein (P< .001). Significant increases were also found for self-care behaviors (P< .05). Conclusions Preliminary evidence suggests that participation in this weekly problem-based, self-management support intervention can yield diabetes-related health benefits.
Plenty of Sickness
Authors: Wenzel Jennifer , Utz Sharon W. , Steeves Richard , Hinton Ivy , Jones Randy A. 
Published: February 2005

Purpose The purposes of this study were to (1) describe facilitators and barriers to self-care for African Americans with type 2 diabetes living in a rural community, (2) compare experiences of men and women, and (3) solicit recommendations for programs of care. Methods Focus groups with small numbers of men and women (n = 7) were held to explore facilitators and barriers to self-management. Groups were led by moderators of the same gender and race as participants. Data from these information-rich cases were analyzed thematically using Folio Views ® and Inspiration ®software. Results Final categories included “being diagnosed,” “diabetes as betrayal by the body,” “provider-individual-family relationship,” “self-management,” and “difficulty getting help.” Although limited by sample size and methodology, results indicate differences by gender that require additional investigation. Conclusions Knowledge of self-care patterns is foundational to designing culturally appropriate interventions and programs of care for rural African Americans living with diabetes.
Cloning and Characterization of a 5′ Regulatory Region of the Prolactin Receptor-Associated Protein/17β Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase 7 Gene
Authors: Risk Michael , Shehu Aurora , Mao Jifang , Stocco Carlos O. , Goldsmith Laura T. , Bowen-Shauver Jennifer M. , Gibori Geula 
Published: February 2005

AbstractProlactin receptor-associated protein (PRAP) originally cloned in our laboratory was shown to be a novel, luteal isoform of 17β hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 7 (17βHSD7). In this study, we cloned the promoter region of rat PRAP/17βHSD7 and investigated the mechanisms regulating both basal activity and LH-induced repression of this promoter. Truncated and site-specific mutants of PRAP/17βHSD7 promoter identified two enhancer regions that contained highly conserved Sp1 binding site and bound Sp1 from nuclear extracts of both corpora lutea and a rat luteal cell line. Repression of PRAP/17βHSD7 expression and promoter activity by human chorionic gonadotropin/forskolin was localized to a −52-bp proximal segment of the promoter. This region contained a conserved CCAAT site and bound nuclear factor Y; binding of this transcription factor was inhibited by human chorionic gonadotropin in vivo. Furthermore, mutation of the nuclear factor Y site in the −52-bp promoter-reporter construct abolished forskolin-mediated inhibition of the promoter in a rat luteal cell line. In summary, we have identified the promoter elements involved in the basal expression of PRAP/17βHSD7. We have also found that LH-mediated repression of this gene is at the level of transcription and involves inhibition of nuclear factor YA binding to the CCAAT site within the proximal promoter.
Modeling of non‐linear systems by FWNNs and their intelligent control
Authors: Srivastava Smriti , Singh Madhusudan , Hanmandlu M. , Jha A. N. 
Published: February 2005

AbstractBy utilizing some of the important properties of wavelets like denoising, compression, multiresolution along with the concepts of fuzzy logic and neural network, two fuzzy wavelet neural networks (FWNNs) are proposed for approximating any arbitrary non‐linear function, hence, identifying a non‐linear system. We have fuzzified the output of DWT block, which receives the given inputs, in the proposed two methods: one using compression property and other using multiresolution property. We present a new type of fuzzy neuron model, each non‐linear synapse of which is characterized by a set of fuzzy implication rules with singleton weights in their consequents.It is shown that noise and disturbance in the reference signal are reduced with wavelets and also the variation of somatic gain, the parameter that controls the slope of the activation function in the neural network, leads to more accurate output. Identification results are found to be accurate and speed of their convergence is fast.Next, we simulate a control system for keeping output at a desired level by using the identified models. Two self‐learning controllers are designed in this simulation. One is a self‐learning fuzzy PI controller and other is a NN controller. Simulation results show that the NN controller is more adaptive and fast. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Amish brittle hair syndrome gene maps to 7p14.1
Authors: Seboun Eric , Lemainque Arnaud , Jackson Charles E. 
Published: February 2005

AbstractThe brittle hair syndrome (BHS) is characterized by short stature, intellectual impairment, brittle hair, and decreased fertility in 20 members from a large Amish consanguineous kindred previously reported affected with this syndrome. We mapped the BHS gene by genome scan to chromosome 7p14.1. Evidence of linkage was supported by a maximum multipoint LOD score of 6 obtained with GENEHUNTER for the linkage interval defined by markers D7S484‐D7S2422 distant by 17.2 cM. Two‐point linkage analysis performed with SUPERLINK yielded a LOD score of 9.02 at θ = 0 for marker D7S2497 located within that interval. Analysis of haplotypes homozygous‐by‐descent allowed fine mapping of the BHS gene within a 4.81 cM interval delimited by markers D7S2497 and D7S691, a region that spreads over 3.42 Mb. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Improved molecular diagnosis of dystrophinopathies in an unselected clinical cohort
Authors: Dent K.M. , Dunn D.M. , von Niederhausern A.C. , Aoyagi A.T. , Kerr L. , Bromberg M.B. , Hart K.J. , Tuohy T. , White S. , den Dunnen J.T. , Weiss R.B. , Flanigan K.M. 
Published: February 2005

AbstractMutations in the DMD gene result in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) and Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD). Readily available clinical tests detect only deletions of one exon or greater, which are found in approximately 60% of cases. Mutational analysis of other types of DMD mutations, such as premature stop codons and small frameshifting insertions or deletions, has historically been hampered by the large size of the gene. We have recently reported a method that allows the rapid and economical sequencing of the entire coding region of the DMD gene, and that is more sensitive than methods based on single‐strand conformational polymorphism (SSCP) screening or other preliminary screening steps. Here we use single condition amplification/internal primer (SCAIP) sequencing analysis, in combination with multiplex amplifiable probe hybridization (MAPH) analysis of duplications, to report the frequency of mutations in a large cohort of unselected dystrophinopathy patients from a single clinic. Our results indicate that 7% of dystrophinopathy patients do not have coding region mutations, suggesting that intronic mutations are not uncommon. The availability of rapid and thorough mutation analysis from peripheral blood samples, along with an improved estimate of the percentage of non‐coding region mutations, will be of benefit for improved genetic counseling and in identification of cohorts for clinical trials. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Is multicenter collaborative research in clinical genetics dead and, if so, what killed it?
Authors: Hunter Alasdair G.W. 
Published: February 2005

AbstractThis study describes the course of a clinical trial designed to investigate the possible role of thrombophilic factors in limb reduction defects, which was abandoned after 1 year because lack of progress of the project through ethics review and the failure to make significant inroads in patient recruitment. Factors that are thought to have contributed to the failure are discussed, in the hope that others can avoid some of the pitfalls. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Use of targeted array‐based CGH for the clinical diagnosis of chromosomal imbalance: Is less more?
Authors: Bejjani Bassem A. , Saleki Reza , Ballif Blake C. , Rorem Emily A. , Sundin Kyle , Theisen Aaron , Kashork Catherine D. , Shaffer Lisa G. 
Published: February 2005

AbstractChromosome analysis is an important component to the diagnosis of congenital anomalies, developmental delay, and mental retardation. Routine chromosome analysis identifies aneuploidy and structural rearrangements greater than 5 Mb but cannot identify abnormalities of the telomeric regions or microdeletions reliably. Molecular cytogenetic techniques were developed to overcome these limitations. High‐resolution comparative genomic hybridization (CGH)‐based microarrays (array CGH) were developed to increase the resolution of chromosomal studies and to provide a comprehensive assay by using large‐insert clones as the target for analysis. We constructed a microarray for the clinical diagnosis of medically significant and relatively common chromosomal alterations. Nine hundred six bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) clones were chosen, the chromosomal locations of which were confirmed by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). FISH‐testing showed that 7% of the clones were mismapped based on map locations obtained from two publicly available databases (58 mapped to the wrong chromosome and three mapped to a different locus on the same chromosome), 16% cross‐hybridized to other chromosomes, and 12% did not hybridize or showed poor hybridization signals under uniform FISH conditions. Thus, from a total of 906 BAC clones that were evaluated, only 589 (65%) were deemed adequate for arraying on this clinical device. The performance of this array was tested in a set of blinded experiments on a cohort of phenotypically normal individuals and on individuals with known chromosome abnormalities. The array identified deletion/duplication polymorphisms not seen by FISH in the phenotypically normal individuals and detected single copy dosage differences in all of the cases with known chromosomal abnormalities. All abnormalities detected by the array were confirmed by FISH with BACs from the appropriate loci. Our data demonstrate that the rigorous assessment of BACs and their use in array CGH is especially important when the microarray is used for clinical diagnosis. In addition, this study illustrates that when constructed carefully with proper attention to the quality of the BACs that are arrayed, array CGH is an effective and efficient tool for delineating chromosomal aberrations and an important adjunct to FISH and conventional cytogenetics. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.