bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Hypoglycaemic effect of Opuntia lindheimeri Englem. in a diabetic pig model
Authors: Laurenz Jamie C. , Collier Chad C. , Kuti Joseph O. 
Published: January 2003

AbstractThe hypoglycaemic activity of Opuntia lindheimeri Englem. was investigated in non‐diabetic (control pigs) and streptozotocin‐induced diabetic pigs using an enteral (oral) route of administration. Following the administration of O. lindheimeri extract (0, 250 or 500 mg/kg body weight), blood glucose concentrations in control pigs fluctuated around initial baseline concentrations, but were not consistently affected by either the dose of O. lindheimeri or by the time following administration. In contrast, administration of O. lindheimeri extract to STZ‐treated pigs resulted in both a dose‐ (p < 0.001) and time‐dependent (p < 0.001) decrease in blood glucose concentrations. The hypoglycaemic effect of the extract was apparent within 1 h of administration, with maximal effects occurring at 4 h after administration. These results confirm the hypoglycaemic effect of O. lindheimeri extract in a diabetic pig model. In addition, given the physiological similarities of the pig to humans, this model will be of tremendous use in assessing the long‐term effects of Opuntia administration on the secondary problems associated with diabetes. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Antioxidant effect of polyamines on erythrocyte cell membrane lipoperoxidation after free‐radical damage
Authors: Farriol Mireia , Segovia‐Silvestre Toni , Venereo Yusimy , Orta Xavi 
Published: January 2003

AbstractThis in vitro study determined the effect of three doses each (100, 500 and 1000 μm) of putrescine, spermidine and spermine on malondialdehyde (MDA) release in red blood cells (RBCs) from healthy individuals after hydrogen peroxide stimulation (10 mM). Twenty‐two volunteers, 9 males and 13 females, aged 41.5 ± 16.4 years, were studied. MDA was measured by thiobarbituric reaction (TBARs) and the results were calculated using ϵ = 1.56 × 105. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) demonstrated a statistically significant overall decrease in MDA release in the polyamine‐exposed cells (p < 0.0001) when compared with unexposed cells. Individual analysis of each polyamine separately showed a 52% decrease in MDA release with added spermine and a 39.5% decrease with added spermidine (p < 0.001). No evaluable effect was found for putrescine. There was no correlation between the effect produced and the three doses of spermidine or spermine added, indicating a non dose‐dependent action. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Pharmacological activity of South American plants: effects on spontaneous in vivo lipid peroxidation
Authors: Desmarchelier Cristian J. , de Moraes Barros Silvia B. 
Published: January 2003

AbstractThe in vivo protective effects of methanol extracts of eight South American medicinal plants traditionally used as antiinflammatory were determined by means of spontaneous lipid peroxidation of liver tissue in rats. The production of TBARS was reduced in a dose dependent manner for A. macrocarpa (IC50 = 132 mg/kg), A. urundeuva (IC50 = 176 mg/kg), C. reticulata (IC50 = 561mg/kg) and S. obtusifolium (IC50 = 918 mg/kg). The extracts of P. peltata and U. tomentosa were only effective at a high concentration (300 mg/kg), although these values were not significant. The lyophilized latex of C. lechleri decreased the production of TBARS at a 200 mg/kg dose, although pro‐oxidant effects were observed at lower doses (50 mg/kg). The extract of H. pallida was pro‐oxidant at lower concentrations (50 mg/kg). Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Effect of combination of Capsicum frutescens and Citrullus colocynthis on growth, haematological and pathophysiological parameters of rats
Authors: AL‐Qarawi A. A. , Adam S. E. I. 
Published: January 2003

AbstractThe toxicity of diet containing 10% of Capsicum frutescens or 10% of Citrullus colocynthis fruits or their 1:1 mixture (5% + 5%) to rats treated for 6 weeks was evaluated. Body weight loss, inefficiency of feed utilization, diarrhoea, and enterohepatonephropathy characterized C. colocynthis toxicosis in rats. Despite impairment of rat's growth neither nephropathy nor diarrhoea was detected in rats fed the 10% C. frutescens diet. Feeding the mixture of C. frutescens and C. colocynthis caused more pronounced effects and death of rats. Vital organ lesions accompanied by anaemia and leucopenia were correlated with changes in serum ALP, AST and ALT activities with alterations in concentrations of total protein, albumin, urea and other serum constituents. Serum bilirubin concentration did not change. Copyright ­© 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Pycnogenol® inhibits the release of histamine from mast cells
Authors: Sharma S. C. , Sharma S. , Gulati O. P. 
Published: January 2003

AbstractOxygen derived free radicals are now increasingly regarded as a primary force of tissue destruction and also have the ability to release histamine from mast cells. Pycnogenol® is an extract of the bark of French maritime pine (Pinus pinaster) containing bioflavonoids with a potent ability to scavenge free radicals. Therefore Pycnogenol® was investigated for inhibition of histamine release from rat peritoneal mast cells. In addition, its effects were compared with sodium cromoglycate, a known inhibitor of histamine release from the mast cell. Rat peritoneal mast cells were isolated and purified by differential centrifugation and cells pooled from 3–4 animals were suspended at approximately 106 cells/mL buffered salt solution. Histamine release was induced by compound 48/80 or the calcium ionophore A‐23187 and estimated from supernatant following extraction and by fluorimetric methods. Pycnogenol® produced a concentration dependent inhibition of histamine release induced by the two secretagogues. Its inhibitory effect on mast cell histamine release was favourably comparable to sodium cromoglycate. Copyright ­© 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Self‐assessment for improving safety performance in the nuclear industry
Authors: Beckmerhagen I.A. , Berg H.P. , Karapetrovic S.V. , Willborn W.O. 
Published: January 2003

AbstractDue to the possibility of catastrophic accidents when operating a nuclear plant, ensuring the highest level of safety and continuously improving safety‐related performance are imperative in the nuclear industry. One of the prerequisites for such assurance and improvement is a structured program for the assessment of safety performance, consisting of both internal and external evaluation of existing systems and achieved results. This paper discusses a comprehensive program for the self‐assessment of safety performance enablers and safety performance outcomes. The main self‐assessment concepts are presented, including the framework, objectives, and scope of a self‐assessment, a set of main principles and prerequisites for conducting it, and the resulting benefits. An illustration of a self‐assessment program currently under development in the International Atomic Energy Agency is also provided. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
FDA requirements for clinical investigations of medical devices: A review for European manufacturers
Authors: Ediger Autumn Dawn , Limbach Birgit , Dannhorn Dieter 
Published: January 2003

AbstractThe purpose of this article is to provide European manufacturers with a review of the USA's requirements for clinical investigations of medical devices. It is an introductory guide to what European manufacturers need to plan for and what is expected from them when conducting a clinical investigation in the USA. The Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) process is outlined and specific FDA and other web pages are listed to enable the reader to obtain official documentation that provides more detailed information on the IDE process. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
What's New?
Authors: Bohaychuk Wendy , Broughton Steve 
Published: January 2003

AbstractThe What's New? section in the Quality Assurance Journal aims to draw attention to items of importance to QA professionals. There is a three‐month interval between final submission of manuscripts and distribution of the journal. For this issue, the entries in the What's New? section arise from the period of 01 September 2002 to 30 November 2002. If you feel that there is any other new information that should be brought to the attention of readers, please let us know by emailing wbohaychuk@gcrpc.com Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Interference suppression techniques: a twenty‐year survey
Authors: Stavroulakis Peter 
Published: January 2003

AbstractIn this paper, an attempt has been made to provide an exposition of the results on interference suppression techniques developed at least over the last twenty years. Most of the relevant work over this period is included in Stavroulakis (Stavroulakis,Interference Analysis of Communication Systems. IEEE: New York, 1980; Stavroulakis,Wireless Local Loops. Wiley: London, 2001; Stavroulakis,Third Generation Mobile Telecommunication Systems. Springer: Berlin, 2001; Stavroulakis,Interference Analysis and Reduction for Wireless Communications. Artech House: London, 2002; Stavroulakis, Moorthy,Conference Records NTC '79, vol. 3, Washington, DC, 1979; 52.3.1–52.3.5). Interference suppression/cancelling techniques have followed exactly the path of the field of wireless communications over the years. The decade of the 1980s concentrated on techniques applicable mainly to satellite communications whereas the decade of the 1990s concentrated on techniques that provided solutions to mobile communication interference/fading problems. This survey will point out and explain the most fundamental contributions, which opened new directions in the field of interference suppression, and undoubtedly will provide a basis for new researchers for further contributions. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Interference rejection in non‐Gaussian noise for satellite communications using non‐linear beamforming
Authors: Qing Xu Chang , Look Law Choi , Yoshida Susumu 
Published: January 2003

AbstractIn this paper, non‐linear beamforming based on the method of radial basis functions (RBF) is proposed to combine with constant modulus algorithm (CMA) for interference cancellation in non‐Gaussian noise. First, a signal space is constructed from the input array data vectors utilizing RBF. A set of exponential functions is used to transform the Euclidean norm of the input array data vectors into the signal space. Then, CMA is employed to eliminate the interference. Both Gaussian and non‐Gaussian noise are considered in the experiment. The numerical results indicate that this scheme is effective and robust in terms of interference cancellation. A deep null can be formed to the direction of interference for both Gaussian and non‐Gaussian noise. Furthermore, these results are compared with that of DBF with CMA based on FFT technique, a widely used linear beamforming technique. The comparison shows that a DBF array antenna with CMA based on the method of RBF outperforms its counterpart based on FFT technique. The most interesting result is that the proposed method has a robust interference cancellation performance in non‐Gaussian noise whereas the FFT technique fails to do so. This observation can be very useful in satellite communications because that non‐Gaussian noise such as atmospheric and man‐made noise are often encountered in satellite communications. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Successive interference cancellation in a low‐earth orbit satellite system
Authors: Andrews Jeffrey G. , Meng Teresa H. Y. 
Published: January 2003

AbstractSuccessive interference cancellation is a promising technique for increasing the capacity of uplink CDMA channels. In this paper, the technique is extended to a low‐earth orbit satellite channel. Unlike terrestrial cellular channels, satellite channels typically have a limited multipath profile, but significant closed‐loop power control error due to the round‐trip delay incurred in communicating with an orbiting satellite. In this paper, a recently developed power control algorithm with considerable robustness to channel estimation and power control error is applied to an architecture capable of multiple‐access interference cancellation and multipath combining. Even in the presence of large channel estimation and power control error, it will be shown that performance is increased significantly over previous research on interference cancellation for multipath fading channels, provided that the number of multipath components is small, as is the case for satellite communication systems. In addition, the proposed scheme has a low complexity relative to competing interference cancellation schemes. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
MMSE‐based groupwise successive interference cancellation scheme for multirate CDMA systems
Authors: Ma Jinwen , Ge Hongya 
Published: January 2003

AbstractIn this work, group‐wise successive interference cancellation (GSIC) scheme for multi‐rate CDMA systems is proposed. A multi‐rate CDMA system is a CDMA system that can support voice users together with data users which may have different data rates. In the proposed group‐wise detection, users with the same information rate are grouped and detected together. Users with the highest information rate are detected first, neglecting the presence of the other users in the system. Interference between the groups is cancelled in a successive order. The proposed scheme is based on the minimum mean square error (MMSE) criterion. We also studied the decision feedback interference cancellation for multi‐rate CDMA systems. The performance of the proposed detection scheme is compared with that of conventional detector, the decorrelating detector, and the linear MMSE detector for multi‐rate CDMA systems. The proposed scheme achieves better performance than the above‐mentioned detectors. The proposed scheme also provides significantly high spectral efficiency under certain conditions. The algorithms in the proposed scheme are suitable for both terrestrial and satellite applications of multi‐rate CDMA systems. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Selegiline potentiates cocaine‐induced increases in rodent nucleus accumbens dopamine
Authors: Schiffer Wynne K. , Azmoodeh Manijeh , Gerasimov Madina , Volkow Nora D. , Fowler Joanna S. , Dewey Stephen L. 
Published: January 2003

AbstractSelegiline has been proposed as a treatment for cocaine addiction and studies in humans suggest that it attenuates cocaine's reinforcing effects. Here we assessed the effects of selegiline treatment on cocaine‐induced increases in nucleus accumbens (NAc) dopamine (DA) in freely moving rodents. Chronic treatment with selegiline (L‐deprenyl, 0.25/mg/kg, 24 days) potentiated cocaine‐induced increases in NAc DA from 350–600%. However, this enhanced response was abolished when animals were treated chronically with both cocaine and selegiline. Inasmuch as increases in NAc DA are associated with the reinforcing effects of cocaine, these results obtained in rodents suggest that MAO‐A and ‐B inhibition may not be a suitable strategy to antagonize cocaine's reinforcing effects during cocaine detoxification. On the other hand, chronic selegiline treatment may improve DA deficits, which are thought to contribute to relapse through a decreased response to natural rewards. Synapse 48:35–38, 2003. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Identification of a triacylglycerol lipase gene family in Candida deformans: molecular cloning and functional expression
Authors: Bigey Frédéric , Tuery Karine , Bougard Daisy , Nicaud Jean‐Marc , Moulin Guy 
Published: January 2003

AbstractThe yeast Candida deformans CBS 2071 produces an extracellular lipase which was shown to catalyse the production of various esters by the esterification of free fatty acids, even in the presence of a large molar excess of water. To clone the gene encoding this extracellular lipase, Saccharomyces cerevisiae was transformed with C. deformans genomic libraries and screened for lipolytic activity on a medium containing rapeseed oil emulsion and rhodamine B. Three members of a lipase gene family (CdLIP1, CdLIP2 and CdLIP3) were cloned and characterized. Each deduced lipase sequence has a Gly–His–Ser–Leu–Gly–(Gly/Ala)–Ala conserved motif, eight cysteine residues and encodes an N‐terminal signal sequence. MALDI–TOF mass spectrometry analysis of a proteolytic digest of the lipase produced was used to obtain experimental evidence that the CdLIP1 gene encoded the extracellular lipase. Recombinant expression studies confirmed that the cloned genes encoded functional lipases. The three lipases are very similar to lipases from the related species Yarrowia lipolytica. Significant homologies were also found with several yeast and fungal lipases. As C. deformans CBS 2071 was previously considered to be synonymous with Y. lipolytica, the strains were compared for the extent of nucleotide divergence in the variable regions (D1/D2) at the 5′‐end of the large‐subunit (26S) ribosomal DNA (rDNA) gene. This rDNA region has diverged sufficiently to suggest that C. deformans is a separate species. The nucleotide sequences of the CdLIP1, CdLIP2 and CdLIP3 genes will appear in the EMBL nucleotide sequence database under Accession Nos AJ428393, AJ428394 and AJ428395, respectively. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Prosocial behaviours of young adolescents: a focus group study
Authors: Bergin Christi , Talley Susan , Hamer Lynne 
Published: January 2003

AbstractThis study investigated young adolescents’ perceptions of their peers’ prosocial behaviours. In eight focus groups, 53 11‐ to 13‐year olds described specific prosocial acts of their peers. Results suggest that traditional research has not addressed the diversity of prosocial behaviours that youth enact, nor emphasized behaviours that are salient to young adolescents. Such behaviours included standing up for others, encouraging others, helping others develop skills, including others who are left out, and being humorous. Facilitating emotional regulation of others emerged as an important component of prosocial behaviour. These data can help guide future research on prosocial development to include a broader array of authentic behaviours of young adolescents.
The role of father involvement in children's later mental health
Authors: Flouri Eirini , Buchanan Ann 
Published: January 2003

AbstractData on 8441 cohort members of the National Child Development Study were used to explore links between father involvement at age 7 and emotional and behavioural problems at age 16, and between father involvement at age 16 and psychological distress at age 33, controlling for mother involvement and known confounds. Father involvement at age 7 protected against psychological maladjustment in adolescents from non‐intact families, and father involvement at age 16 protected against adult psychological distress in women. There was no evidence suggesting that the impact of father involvement in adolescence on children's later mental health in adult life varies with the level of mother involvement.
Residual symptoms and comorbidity in panic disorder
Authors: Corominas Antoni , Guerrero Tina , Vallejo Julio 
Published: January 2003

SummaryBackgroundThe aim of this study was to assess the outcome of the comorbid conditions of panic disorder after 1 year of treatment, emphasizing the detection of residual symptoms and their relationship to other clinical variables.MethodsSubjects (N=64) were assessed by the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R and the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire. Comorbidity with other disorders, scores on Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale and Hamilton Depression Rating Scale were assessed at baseline and after 12 months. Criteria for residual anxiety/somatic symptoms were defined.ResultsReduction in generalized anxiety disorder rates accounted for a significant decrease in comorbidity at 1-year follow-up, with regard to baseline assessment.When the more severe symptoms of the disorder had remitted, a third of the patients referred physical symptoms with some concern over a fluctuating state of anxiety. The said symptoms were neither a recurrence of panic disorder nor did they account for other anxiety or somatoform disorders. Lower scores on extraversion predict higher risk of residual symptoms.DiscussionThe persistence of residual anxiety/somatic symptoms in a third of the patients who apparently achieved a good response to treatment of panic disorder might characterize a minor form of chronic persistence of this condition.ConclusionThe subgroup of patients with residual symptoms would not be detectable by follow-up studies, which focus on the assessment of relapse of panic disorder by means of strictly defined diagnostic criteria.
Psychotropic prescription in non-psychiatric hospital settings
Authors: Gasquet Isabelle , Medioni J. , Lellouch J. , Guelfi J.D. 
Published: January 2003

SummaryA study was conducted to assess differences in psychotropic prescription (PP) in various non-psychiatric hospital settings. After adjustment for demographic, medical and psychological status, rates of PP were significantly lower for surgical, intensive care and outpatients and higher for geriatric patients than for patients in other settings, suggesting inadequate consideration of psychiatric problems in certain contexts, in particular intensive care units.
Temperament in schizophrenia: a study of the tridimensional personality questionnaire (TPQ)
Authors: Szöke Andrei , Schürhoff Franck , Ferhadian Nathalie , Bellivier Frank , Rouillon Frédéric , Leboyer Marion 
Published: January 2003

SummaryPurposeThe aim of this study was to assess dimensions of temperament as defined by Cloninger’s neurobiological model using the tridimensional personality questionnaire (TPQ) in a sample of consecutively recruited schizophrenic patients.Subjects and methodsWe used the French version of the TPQ to compare 45 stable, euthymic schizophrenic patients with 126 controls with no personal or familial history of psychiatric disorder. After comparison of TPQ scores between groups, we also performed a multivariate analysis to avoid the confounding effects of age, gender, and alcohol and substance use disorder comorbidity.ResultsHarm avoidance (HA) was higher in schizophrenic patients than in controls.Discussion and conclusionThis replicates and extends the results of previous studies suggesting that schizophrenic patients have high HA and that HA might be a marker for underlying genetic vulnerability to schizophrenia.