bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Catechol functionalized aminopropyl silica gel: synthesis, characterization and preconcentrative separation of uranium(VI) from thorium(IV)
Authors: Metilda P. , Gladis J. Mary , Rao T. Prasada 
Published: May 2005

Summary
A novel solid phase extractant is prepared by chemically immobilizing catechol with diazotized aminopropyl silica gel. The resulting catechol functionalized silica gel (CASG) was characterized by FTIR, and microanalysis and was used for selective enrichment of uranium(VI) from other inorganic ions. The optimum pH range for maximum sorption of uranium(VI) and thorium(IV) was found to be in the range 3.5–6.0. The above actinides were eluted with 10 cm3 of 1.0 mol dm−3 HCl and determined by using an Arsenazo III spectrophotometric procedure. The calibration graph was rectilinear over the uranium(VI) concentration in the range 2–100 μg dm−3 with a relative standard deviation of 2.15% (for 25 μg of uranium(VI) present in 1.0 dm3 of sample). The validation of the developed preconcentration procedure was carried out by analyzing marine sediment (MESS-3, NRC, Canada) and soil (IAEA soil-7, Austria) reference materials. The developed preconcentration method enables a simple instruments like a spectrophotometer gave comparable values of uranium(VI) to that of standard inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometric values during the analysis of real soil and sediment samples.
Semi-remote production of [64Cu]CuCl2 and preparation of high specific activity [64Cu]Cu-ATSM for PET studies
Authors: Szajek Lawrence P. , Meyer W. , Plascjak P. , Eckelman W. C. 
Published: May 2005

Summary
The PET radionuclide Cu-64 (t
1/2 = 12.7 h) can be easily produced utilizing the nuclear reaction 64Ni(p,n)64Cu. A high Cu-64 production rate was obtained using high-purity enriched nickel metal on the internal tangential target of the CS-30 cyclotron. Radio-copper was isolated after column chromatography using a semi-remote apparatus. Use of reagents with little or no carrier copper yields high specific activity Cu-64 pharmaceuticals prepared from the isolated [64Cu]CuCl2. [64Cu]Cu-ATSM was prepared in greater than 1.21±0.40 Ci/mmol (45±15 GBq/mmol) at EOB.
Empirical relation between the adsorption properties of elements on gold surfaces and their volatility
Authors: Eichler R. 
Published: May 2005

Summary
A correlation is established between thermodynamic data for hypothetical macroscopic amounts of elements and experimentally accessible data on gold surfaces. The correlation between the experimentally determined standard adsorption enthalpies of elements on gold surfaces and their standard sublimation enthalpies is shown to be valid over a broad data range for various elements from light noble gases (Kr) up to heavy metals (Pb, Bi). This type of correlation is indispensable to derive thermodynamic data for macroscopic amounts of elements from results of adsorption chromatographic experiments with single atom amounts. It is also necessary to predict the behavior of single atoms from given or estimated thermochemical data. The conditions under which this correlation is valid are elaborated. Finally, predicted data for the elements 112 and 114 are used to link them to the corresponding sublimation or adsorption data. The obtained prediction intervals are of exceptional importance for the design of sophisticated experimental setups for the chemical investigation of transactinide elements on a single atom scale.
Diffusion and sorption of U(VI) in compacted bentonite studied by a capillary method
Authors: Wang X. K. , Chen C. L. , Zhou X. , Tan X. L. , Hu W. P. 
Published: May 2005

SummaryDiffusion and sorption of U(VI) in compacted bentonite were studied using a capillary method. The experiments were carried out at room temperature in 0.1 M NaClO4solutions at pH 7.0±0.1. Effects of contact time, solution concentration and bentonite bulk density on diffusion were also investigated. The results fit the Fick's second law very well and are in good agreement with the literature data for similar bentonite dry densities [3]. TheKdvalues from capillary method are in most cases lower than those from batch experiments. The interlaminary space of the compacted bentonite contributes significantly to the sorption of uranium. The apparent diffusion coefficientDaof diffusion derived from the experiments are used to simulate its diffusion in compacted bentonite and the results indicate that several meters of compacted bentonite is enough to prevent the diffusion of from the repository to the environment.
The effect of water treatment on the presence of particle-bound210Po and210Pb in groundwater
Authors: Vesterbacka P. , Hämäläinen K. , Lehto J. 
Published: May 2005

SummaryThe distribution of210Po and210Pb in various particle-size fractions in Finnish groundwater was studied at five private homes. Each site had water treatment equipment comprising either an ion exchange unit or a granular activated carbon filter. Samples of both raw and treated water were filtered using pore sizes ranging from 450 nm to 100 kDa and the activity concentration of210Po and210Pb in the filtrate was determined. In untreated groundwater 86% of210Pb, on average, was found in the large particle fraction (>450 nm). However, in Fe- and Mn-rich water with a high Fe/Mn ratio and in organic-rich water, the majority of210Pb was found in either the intermediate particle (100 kDa–450 nm) or small particle (<100 kDa) fractions. Compared to210Pb,210Po was bound more to the intermediate and small particle fraction. After water treatment,210Pb was found most frequently in the large particle fraction. The size distribution of particle-bound210Po was not as clear as that for210Pb, and in treated water,210Po was more evenly distributed among fractions. The ion exchange unit removed210Pb and210Po bound to the intermediate or small particle fraction, whereas the efficiency of the activated carbon filters in removing210Pb and210Po was independent of the particle size.
On the transport and speciation of ruthenium in high temperature oxidising conditions
Authors: Backman Ulrika , Lipponen Maija , Auvinen Ari , Tapper Unto , Zilliacus Riitta , Jokiniemi Jorma K. 
Published: May 2005

Summary
In this paper, the transport and speciation of ruthenium under conditions simulating an air ingress accident was studied. Ruthenium dioxide was exposed to an oxidising environment at high temperatures (>1200 °C) in a tubular flow furnace. At these conditions, volatile ruthenium species were formed. A major part of the released ruthenium was deposited in the tube as RuO2. Depending on the experimental conditions, 12–35 wt. % of the released ruthenium was trapped in the outlet filter as RuO2 particles. At completely dry conditions using stainless steel tubes, only 0.1–0.2 wt. % of the released ruthenium reached the trapping bottle as gaseous RuO4. However, when alumina was applied as tube material or the atmosphere contained some water vapour and silver seed particles, the fraction of gaseous ruthenium reaching the trapping bottle increased to 5 wt. % which is close to thermodynamic equilibrium. This indicates that RuO2 does not catalyse the decomposition of RuO4.
Discontinuation of estrogen replacement therapy in GH-treated hypopituitary women alters androgen status and IGF-I
Authors: Christiansen Jens Juel , Fisker Sanne , Gravholt Claus Højbjerg , Bennett Paul , Svenstrup Birgit , Andersen Marianne , Feldt-Rasmussen Ulla , Christiansen Jens Sandahl , Jørgensen Jens Otto Lunde 
Published: May 2005

Objective and design: Compared with their male counterparts, healthy females secrete more growth hormone (GH) and those with GH-deficiency have lower insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) levels and are less responsive to GH substitution. To test whether this gender difference is related to sex hormones we measured androgen status and IGF-I related parameters in 38 hypopituitary women (mean (range) age 41.5 (20–58) years) during continued GH substitution as compared with a control group of 38 healthy women matched for age and menopausal status. Twenty six patients were studied twice: with estrogen replacement and after 28 days of estrogen discontinuation in a randomised design.
Results: The patients were androgen deficient compared with controls (median, range), dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHEAS): 185 (99–7800) nmol/l vs 4400 (820–13 000) nmol/l, P = < 0.001; androstenedione: 0.5 (0.1–7.1) nmol/l vs 4.3 (1.6–8.8) nmol/l, P = < 0.001; dihydrotestosterone (DHT): 0.13 (0.09–0.54) nmol/l vs 0.55 (0.09–0.89) nmol/l, P = < 0.001; testosterone: 0.28 (0.09–1.56) nmol/l vs 1.1 (0.71–2.24) nmol/l, (P = < 0.001); free testosterone: 0.004 (0.001–0.030) nmol/l vs 0.016 (0.001–0.030) nmol/l, P = < 0.001. The circulating levels of IGF-I, IGF-II, IGF-binding protein 1 (IGFBP-1), and IGFBP-3 did not differ between patients and controls. The subgroup of patients receiving hydrocortisone (HC) replacement (n = 24) had significantly lower levels of androgens (suppressed by 80–100%) as well as IGF-I and IGFBP-3 as compared with the patients not receiving HC. IGF-I was correlated to free testosterone in patients (r = 0.57, P = 0.0005) as well as controls (r = 0.43, P = 0.008), and free testosterone was a significant positive predictor of IGF-I. Estrogen discontinuation induced an increase in IGF-I (167 ± 15 vs 206 ± 14 μg/l, P = 0.005 and IGFBP-3 (3887 ± 139 vs 4309 ± 138 μg/l, P = 0.0005). Estrogen discontinuation was associated with a significant increase in median (range) free testosterone (0.004 (0–0.02) vs 0.0065 (0–0.03) nmol/l, P = 0.001) and a significant decrease in median (range) sex-hormone binding globulin (SHBG; 93 (11–278) vs 55.5 (20–142) nmol/l, P = 0.001). ΔIGF-I correlated with ΔSHBG (r = −0.45 P = 0.033) and ΔIGFBP-3 (r = 0.67 P = < 0.001). In a regression model ΔE2, Δtestosterone, ΔSHBG and ΔIGFBP-3 explained 93% of the variation in ΔIGF-I.
Conclusions: Androgen levels are low in hypopituitary women and free testosterone correlates with IGF-I. Discontinuation of estrogen replacement in these patients induces elevations in IGF-I as well as free testosterone, and ΔIGF-I correlated positively with Δfree testosterone. These effects may contribute to the gender differences observed in the GH–IGF axis in healthy adults as well as in the responsiveness of hypopituitary patients to GH substitution.
Evidence for protein and mRNA TSHr expression in fibroblasts from patients with thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy (TAO) after adipocytic differentiation
Authors: Agretti Patrizia , De Marco Giuseppina , De Servi Melissa , Marcocci Claudio , Vitti Paolo , Pinchera Aldo , Tonacchera Massimo 
Published: May 2005

Objective: Thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy (TAO) is a chronic autoimmune disorder characterized by an increased volume of adipose/connective tissue in the human orbit.Design: The aim of this study was to investigate the thyrotropin receptor (TSHr) expression in orbital fibroblasts from TAO patients undergoing adipocytic differentiation.Methods: Retro-ocular tissue and skin were obtained from five patients undergoing orbital decompression surgery for TAO and placed in culture. Proliferating fibroblasts were subjected to adipocytic differentiation for 10 days. Total RNA was isolated from fibroblasts and was reverse transcribed. TSHr mRNA levels were determined by real-time PCR. cAMP was determined by radioimmunoassay (RIA) after fibroblast incubation with the substances to test.Results: Orbital differentiated fibroblasts became rounded and acquired lipid droplets. The amount of TSHr mRNA in these fibroblasts was higher than fibroblasts not subjected to adipocytic differentiation. Immunocytochemical analysis showed TSHr protein in differentiated orbital fibroblasts. Differentiated orbital fibroblasts stimulated with bovine (b) TSH showed a cAMP production greater than that in paired undifferentiated cultures. A specific thyroid-inhibiting antibody (TBAb) inhibited cAMP production after bTSH challenge, and a thyroid-stimulating antibody (TSAb) stimulated cAMP production in differentiated fibroblasts.Conclusions: We suggest that orbital fibroblasts subjected to adipocytic differentiation increase TSHr expression that responds specifically to bTSH and TSAb stimulation, and to TBAb inhibition.
Octreotide in insulinoma patients: efficacy on hypoglycemia, relationships with Octreoscan scintigraphy and immunostaining with anti-sst2A and anti-sst5 antibodies
Authors: Vezzosi Delphine , Bennet Antoine , Rochaix Philippe , Courbon Frédéric , Selves Jannick , Pradere Bernard , Buscail Louis , Susini Christiane , Caron Philippe 
Published: May 2005

Objective: We studied the efficacy of octreotide treatment on hypoglycaemia in patients with insulinoma and its relationships with Octreoscan scintigraphy and the presence of tumoral somatostatin receptors sst2A and sst5.
Design and methods: 17 patients with insulinoma were evaluated using (i) evaluation of blood glucose, insulin and C-peptide during a short 100 μg octreotide test in fasting patients and/or treatment over 8 days–8 months with octreotide, (ii) Octreoscan scintigraphy and (iii) immunostaining of the tumor with anti-sst2A and anti-sst5.
Results: Octreotide was effective on hypoglycaemia in 10/17 patients. Octreoscan scintigraphy detected 4/17 insulinomas. sst2A receptor was detected in 7/17 insulinomas and sst5 in 15/17 insulinomas. Octreotide was effective on hypoglycaemia in those seven patients with sst2A receptor-expressing insulinoma, and in three patients with undetectable sst2A receptor and detectable sst5; it was ineffective in six patients whose tumor expressed the sst5 receptor with undetectable sst2A and in one patient with undetectable sst2A and sst5 receptor.
Conclusions: Octreotide is an effective treatment of hypoglycaemia in more than 50% of patients with insulinoma. Detection of responsive patients was better based on a positive short test with subcutaneous octreotide than on the results of Octreoscan scintigraphy. Positive anti-sst2 receptor immunostaining is associated with efficacy of octreotide treatment, but does not account for all cases of responsiveness to octreotide. Expression of sst5 receptor does not appear to explain per se the efficacy of octreotide on sst2A-negative insulinomas.
Inhibitory effect of alcohol on ghrelin secretion in normal man
Authors: Calissendorff Jan , Danielsson Olle , Brismar Kerstin , Röjdmark Sven 
Published: May 2005

Background: Human appetite is stimulated by alcohol but the underlying mechanism is unknown. It is possible that hunger-stimulating hormones are mediators of this effect of alcohol. Ghrelin stimulates hunger, but how alcohol affects human ghrelin secretion has never been studied before.
Objective: To investigate whether alcohol ingestion exerts an acute influence on serum ghrelin concentrations in healthy subjects.
Subjects and design: Eight healthy non-obese subjects participated in the study. All were investigated on two occasions (experiments A and B). Alcohol (0.55 g ethanol/kg body weight) was ingested in experiment A, and drinking-water in experiment B. Venous blood was collected before, and 30 and 60 min after consumption of the drinks. Serum concentrations of ghrelin, cortisol and ethanol were determined and neuropeptide Y (NPY) concentrations were determined in plasma.
Results: Alcohol lowered the ghrelin level by 13.9±5.0% at 30 min and by 17.5±2.6% at 60 min, in contrast to drinking-water which was without significant effect. Serum levels of cortisol and insulin were similar after alcohol and water as was plasma NPY.
Conclusion: Alcohol has an acute inhibitory influence on human ghrelin secretion but no measurable effect on the secretion of NPY and cortisol. Hence, none of these hormones mediate the orexigenic effect of the drug.
Clinical and molecular evidence for DAX-1 inhibition of steroidogenic factor-1-dependent ACTH receptor gene expression
Authors: Zwermann Oliver , Beuschlein Felix , Lalli Enzo , Klink Albrecht , Sassone-Corsi Paolo , Reincke Martin 
Published: May 2005

Background: The ACTH receptor (ACTH-R) is a member of the seven transmembrane domain receptor super-family. In non-functional adrenal adenomas and adrenocortical carcinomas, ACTH-R expression is low. However, no inhibitory factor for ACTH-R expression has been defined to date. DAX-1 (dosage-sensitive sex reversal, adrenal hypoplasia congenita, critical region on the X chromosome, gene-1) is a general repressor of steroid production, inhibiting steroidogenic factor-1 (SF-1)-dependent expression of multiple steroidogenic enzymes. The aim of this study was to investigate whether ACTH-R gene transcription is affected by DAX-1 and whether this mechanism is involved in down-regulation of ACTH-R expression in adrenocortical tumors.
Methods: We screened 22 adrenocortical tumors for ACTH-R and DAX-1 mRNA expression by Northern blot. For in vitro analyses we co-transfected mouse Y1 adrenocortical carcinoma cells with the luciferase reporter gene vector pGL3 containing full-length constructs of human (h) or mouse (m) ACTH-R promoter together with a DAX-1 expression plasmid. These experiments were also performed using ACTH-R promoter 5′-deletion constructs and constructs mutated at the SF-1-binding sites.
Results: We found a negative correlation between DAX-1 and ACTH-R mRNA expression (R = −0.47, P < 0.02). Accordingly, in vitro expression of DAX-1 significantly reduced hACTH-R and mACTH-R promoter activity by 89 and 55% respectively. DAX-1 inhibition was also present in the shortest construct of a series of 5′-deletion constructs of the human promoter extending from −64 to +40 bp relative to the transcription start site. Mutation of the SF-1-binding sites within the hACTH-R promoter resulted in reduced or abolished DAX-1 inhibition, arguing for a mechanism that involves SF-1 for DAX-1 inhibition.
Conclusions: These data support the concept that DAX-1 is a major repressor of ACTH-R gene expression in vitro and in vivo.
Evaluation of insulin-like growth factor II, cyclooxygenase-2, ets-1 and thyroid-specific thyroglobulin mRNA expression in benign and malignant thyroid tumours
Authors: Fuhrer D , Eszlinger M , Karger S , Krause K , Engelhardt C , Hasenclever D , Dralle H , Paschke R 
Published: May 2005

Objective: We evaluated three markers (insulin-like growth factor II (IGF-II), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and ets-1) of thyroid growth stimulation and cell transformation together with a thyroid-specific marker (thyroglobulin (Tg)) for their potential to differentiate benign and malignant follicular thyroid neoplasia (FN).
Design and methods: mRNA expression levels were determined by real-time PCR in 100 snap-frozen thyroid samples: 36 benign thyroid nodules with different histology and function (19 cold (CTN) and 17 toxic thyroid nodules (TTN)), 36 corresponding normal thyroid tissues of the same patients, eight Graves’ disease (GD) thyroids, 10 follicular thyroid carcinomas (FTC) and 10 papillary thyroid carcinomas (PTC).
Results: Mean IGF-II and COX-2 levels were not significantly altered between benign and malignant thyroid nodules (IGF-II) or nodular (FTC, TTN, CTN) and normal thyroid tissues (COX-2). In contrast, eight- to tenfold upregulation of ets-1 was observed in PTC and three- to fourfold upregulation of ets-1 was observed in FTC (and GD) compared with benign thyroid nodules and normal thyroid tissues. In addition, thyroglobulin mRNA expression was markedly downregulated (50- to 100-fold) in FTC, PTC and GD samples compared with benign nodular and normal thyroid tissues. Hence an ets-1/Tg ratio >20 distinguished differentiated thyroid cancer from benign nodular or normal thyroid tissue. We then studied ets1- and Tg mRNA expression levels in fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) samples. However, in a consecutive series of 40 FNAC samples only equivocal results were obtained on 38 benign and two malignant (FTC) thyroid tumour samples.
Conclusions: Upregulation of ets-1 and downregulation of Tg mRNA expression occur in differentiated thyroid cancer and may facilitate pre-operative identification of thyroid malignancy depending on further evaluation of these potentially promising markers in a larger series of benign and malignant thyroid tumours and their FNAC samples.
Quality of Evidence-Based Pediatric Guidelines
Authors: Boluyt Nicole , Lincke Carsten R. , Offringa Martin 
Published: May 2005

Objective. To identify evidence-based pediatric guidelines and to assess their quality.Methods. We searched Medline, Embase, and relevant Web sites of guideline development programs and national pediatric societies to identify evidence-based pediatric guidelines. A list with titles of identified guidelines was sent to 51 leading pediatricians in the Netherlands, who were asked to select the 5 most urgent topics for guideline development. Three pediatrician reviewers appraised the available guidelines on the 10 most frequently mentioned topics with the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation (AGREE) instrument.Results. A total of 215 evidence-based pediatric guidelines were identified; of these, 17 guidelines on the 10 most frequently mentioned topics were appraised. The AGREE instrument rates guidelines among 6 domains. For the scope and purpose domain, the mean score was 84% of the maximal mark. For stakeholder involvement, the mean score was 42%, with 12 guidelines (71%) scoring &lt;50%. For rigor of development, the mean score was 54%, with 5 guidelines (29%) scoring &lt;50%. For clarity and presentation, the mean score was 78%, with 4 guidelines (24%) scoring &lt;50%. For applicability and editorial independence, performance was poor, with mean scores of 19% and 40%, respectively. Low scores were partly attributable to poor reporting. After considering all domain scores, the reviewers recommended 14 of 17 guidelines (82%) to be used in local practice.Conclusions. The current volume of pediatric guidelines categorized as evidence based in popular databases is large. Overall, these guidelines scored well, compared with other studies on guideline quality in fields outside pediatrics, when assessed for quality with the AGREE instrument. This holds especially for guidelines published or endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics or registered in the National Guideline Clearinghouse.
Completeness and Complexity of Information Available to Parents From Newborn-Screening Programs
Authors: Fant Kathryn E. , Clark Sarah J. , Kemper Alex R. 
Published: May 2005

Background. In 2000, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Task Force on Newborn Screening published a blueprint for the future of newborn screening that included recommendations for information provided to parents about screening.Objectives. To evaluate the completeness of educational material provided by newborn-screening programs and to measure the reading level and complexity of the material.Methods. Telephone survey of newborn-screening programs (n = 51) followed by content analysis of educational material.Results. All 51 programs responded (response rate: 100%); 47 of these programs made educational material available. None of the material included all elements recommended in the blueprint. Benefits of screening (98%) and how parents would be notified of results (87%) were included more often than the risks of screening (19%), possibility of a false-positive result (13%), importance of (34%) and how to respond to (28%) a positive result, and the storage and use of residual samples (11%). The median readability grade level was 10. Grade-level complexity of the material was not associated with completeness according to the AAP criteria.Conclusions. Parent educational materials for newborn-screening programs do not meet the standard recommended by the AAP, and there are important variations between programs in the information provided to parents. Continuing research is needed to measure progress toward the goals outlined within the blueprint and to assess how these changes impact the care provided through newborn-screening programs.