bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Does pT2b prostate carcinoma exist? Critical appraisal of the 2002 TNM classification of prostate carcinoma
Authors: Eichelberger Lori E. , Cheng Liang 
Published: April 2004

AbstractBACKGROUNDClinicopathologic staging of prostate adenocarcinoma provides a method for assessing the extent of tumor and predicting patient prognosis. The American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) TNM staging system has undergone recent revisions for T2 prostate tumors. T2 tumors currently are subclassified as T2a (less than one‐half of one lobe involvement), T2b (greater than one‐half of one lobe involvement), and T2c (bilateral involvement). Despite general acceptance of the system, controversy and uncertainty still exist with regard to the application of the TNM staging system, particularly the use of the T2 staging subclassification.METHODSThe study population was comprised of 369 patients with prostate carcinoma who were treated with radical retropubic prostatectomy. Radical prostatectomy specimens were evaluated histologically by complete embedding and whole‐mount processing. Tumor specimens were staged initially using the 1998 AJCC TNM system and then reevaluated according to the 2002 TNM staging guidelines.RESULTSThe weights of the prostate specimens ranged from 14–149 g (median, 38 g). Prostate tumor specimens were multifocal in 312 patients (85%). The majority of the specimens were classified pathologically as T2 (n = 276 [75%]). Using the 2002 TNM staging criteria, 54 of the tumor specimens (15%) were classified as pT2a, 222 (60%) were pT2c, 75 (20%) were pT3a, and 18 (5%) were pT3b. No pathologic T2b tumor specimens were identified.CONCLUSIONSTaking into consideration the average weight of the prostate specimens (38 g), as well as the predominance of tumor multifocality, it would be unusual to identify tumors involving greater than one‐half of 1 lobe (approximately an 8‐cm3 tumor) without involving the other lobe. The authors question the existence of a true pT2b tumor. Cancer 2004. © 2004 American Cancer Society.
Sonographic assessment of clubfoot
Authors: Gigante Cosimo , Talenti E. , Turra S. 
Published: April 2004

AbstractPurposeThis study was performed to develop a standardized methodology for the sonographic assessment of clubfoot at birth and at the end of both conservative treatment and surgical correction.MethodsForty‐two congenital clubfeet and 42 normal feet were examined sonographically in the position of spontaneous alignment and during passive manual correction. Scans along 4 planes provided information relevant to the assessment: sagittal posterior, sagittal anterior, coronal lateral, and transverse.ResultsSagittal posterior sonograms demonstrated the progressive gain of dorsiflexion ability during the different steps of treatment for clubfoot. Sagittal anterior sonograms could not demonstrate the normal alignment of the navicular in clubfeet because of the bone's medial displacement. On transverse sonograms, the talar head and the medially displaced navicular may lie on the same plane, depending on the severity of the deformity. Coronal lateral sonograms provided for estimation of the relationships between the calcaneus and cuboid, which were described by the calcaneal‐cuboid angle.ConclusionsSonography is a promising technique for assessment and monitoring of clubfoot during treatment. The method described here yields accurate and reproducible information about the anatomy of the nonossified clubfoot, helping the orthopedic team decide on appropriate treatment steps. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Ultrasound 32:235–242, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI: 10.1002/jcu.20022
B‐flow imaging of internal carotid artery stenosis: Comparison with power Doppler imaging and digital subtraction angiography
Authors: Yurdakul Mehmet , Tola Muharrem , Cumhur Turhan 
Published: April 2004

AbstractPurposeDigital subtraction angiography (DSA) is the gold standard in the diagnosis of carotid artery stenosis, but it has a relatively high complication rate. We evaluated the efficacy of B‐flow imaging (BFI) in examining internal carotid artery stenosis (ICAS) compared with power Doppler imaging (PDI) and DSA.MethodsWe performed BFI, PDI, and DSA on 56 consecutive patients with suspected ICAS. The degree of stenosis was calculated for each technique, and results of BFI and PDI were then correlated with those of DSA.ResultsMeasurements of the percentage of stenosis made using both sonographic techniques were significantly correlated with those of DSA (p < 0.0001). However, the coefficient of correlation between DSA and BFI (r = 0.94) was higher than that between DSA and PDI (r = 0.87). The mean difference between ICAS measurements with BFI and DSA was −1.3% (95% confidence interval [CI], –2.5 to 0). The mean difference between ICAS measurements with PDI and DSA was −6.5% (95% CI, –8.2 to –4.7). ICAS was graded significantly lower on PDI than on DSA, whereas BFI findings were similar to those of DSA.ConclusionBFI shows high correlation with DSA and provides a more accurate planimetric evaluation of ICAS than PDI does. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Clin Ultrasound 32:243–248, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI: 10.1002/jcu.20024
Comparison of transperineal and transvaginal sonography in predicting preterm delivery
Authors: Yazici Gurkan , Yildiz Akgun , Tiras M. Bulent , Arslan Murat , Kanik Arzu , Oz Utku 
Published: April 2004

AbstractPurposeA major advantage of transperineal sonography (TPUS) is its ability to evaluate the cervix without causing any distortion. This study was performed to compare transvaginal sonography (TVUS) and TPUS at 24 weeks of gestation in predicting preterm delivery in low‐risk pregnancy.MethodsThree hundred fifty‐seven pregnant women underwent TVUS and TPUS at 24 weeks of gestation. The relationship between cervical length and preterm delivery was assessed. Accuracy values of TVUS and TPUS at 24 weeks of gestation were compared in predicting preterm delivery.ResultsPreterm delivery (before 36 weeks of gestation) occurred in 22 pregnancies (6.2%). Mean cervical lengths measured by TVUS and TPUS were significantly different in preterm and term delivery groups (P < 0.05). Areas under the curves were 0.801 and 0.857 for the transvaginal and transperineal measurements, respectively. The coefficient of correlation between the transvaginal and transperineal cervical length measurements was 0.83. TPUS had a sensitivity of 77% in predicting preterm delivery, with a false‐positive rate of 17% and a relative risk of 4.5 at the 32.5‐mm cutoff value.ConclusionsWhen the cervix is well visualized, TPUS can predict preterm delivery as accurately as TVUS. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Ultrasound 32:225–230, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI: 10.1002/jcu. 20027
Nitrate content in lettuce (Lactuca sativa L) heads in relation to plant spacing, nitrogen form and irrigation level
Authors: Abu‐Rayyan Azmi , Kharawish Basel H , Al‐Ismail Khalid 
Published: April 2004

AbstractA field study was conducted at two locations (Jordan valley and Al‐Jubeiha) with different rainfall levels, altitudes and temperature ranges. The study was established to evaluate the optimum planting density, nitrogen (N) form and irrigation level to attain the best quality of lettuce crop in terms of minimum nitrate (NO3) content and to minimise the impact on the environment. Seeds of ‘Amar’ lettuce were sown 1 month before transplanting. Three forms of N fertiliser (Ca(NO3)2, (NH4)2SO4 and CO(NH2)2) were applied at three times at a total rate of 100 kg N ha−1. Three in‐row spacings (15, 20 and 25 cm) were assigned. Two irrigation levels were applied: level 1 had twice the amount of irrigation water as level 2, which was achieved by doubling the number of irrigation lines. The results indicated that N form significantly increased both N and NO3 contents. Ca(NO3)2 was the most effective in increasing the N and NO3 contents in lettuce leaf tissues, followed by CO(NH2)2 and then (NH4)2SO4. The outer leaves (green colour) had about five times the NO3 content of the inner leaves (pale yellow colour). However, the effect of N form on production, total N absorption and N recovery was significant in the following order: (NH4)2SO4 > Ca(NO3)2 > CO(NH2)2. Increasing the plant spacing resulted in a significant increase in N and NO3 contents in the lettuce leaves. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry
Physical scoring function based on AMBER force field and Poisson–Boltzmann implicit solvent for protein structure prediction
Authors: Hsieh Meng‐Juei , Luo Ray 
Published: April 2004

AbstractA well‐behaved physics‐based all‐atom scoring function for protein structure prediction is analyzed with several widely used all‐atom decoy sets. The scoring function, termed AMBER/Poisson–Boltzmann (PB), is based on a refined AMBER force field for intramolecular interactions and an efficient PB model for solvation interactions. Testing on the chosen decoy sets shows that the scoring function, which is designed to consider detailed chemical environments, is able to consistently discriminate all 62 native crystal structures after considering the heteroatom groups, disulfide bonds, and crystal packing effects that are not included in the decoy structures. When NMR structures are considered in the testing, the scoring function is able to discriminate 8 out of 10 targets. In the more challenging test of selecting near‐native structures, the scoring function also performs very well: for the majority of the targets studied, the scoring function is able to select decoys that are close to the corresponding native structures as evaluated by ranking numbers and backbone Cα root mean square deviations. Various important components of the scoring function are also studied to understand their discriminative contributions toward the rankings of native and near‐native structures. It is found that neither the nonpolar solvation energy as modeled by the surface area model nor a higher protein dielectric constant improves its discriminative power. The terms remaining to be improved are related to 1‐4 interactions. The most troublesome term is found to be the large and highly fluctuating 1‐4 electrostatics term, not the dihedral‐angle term. These data support ongoing efforts in the community to develop protein structure prediction methods with physics‐based potentials that are competitive with knowledge‐based potentials. Proteins 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Identifying acetylated lignin units in non‐wood fibers using pyrolysis‐gas chromatography/mass spectrometry
Authors: del Río José C. , Gutiérrez Ana , Martínez Ángel T. 
Published: April 2004

AbstractA series of non‐wood plant fibers, namely kenaf, jute, sisal and abaca, have been analyzed upon pyrolysis‐gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py‐GC/MS) of the whole material. The pyrolysis products mainly arise from the carbohydrate and lignin moieties of the fibers. The lignin‐derived phenols belonged to the p‐hydroxyphenylpropanoid (H), guaiacylpropanoid (G) and syringylpropanoid (S) structures, and showed a high S/G ratio of between 2.0 and 5.4, the highest corresponding to kenaf. Among the lignin‐derived phenols released, small amounts of sinapyl and coniferyl acetates (in both cis‐ and trans‐forms) were identified for the first time upon Py‐GC/MS of lignocellulosic materials. Acetylation of the sinapyl and coniferyl alcohols was at the γ‐position of the side chain. The release of these alcohols derived from intact acetylated lignin units upon pyrolysis seems to indicate that the native lignin in the fibers selected for this study is at least partially acetylated. Sinapyl (and coniferyl) acetates have recently been suggested to be authentic lignin precursors involved in the polymerization of lignin along with the normal sinapyl and coniferyl alcohols. Py‐GC/MS will offer a convenient and rapid tool for analyzing naturally acetylated lignins, as well as to screen plant materials for the presence of acetylated units in lignin. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Electrospray sample deposition for matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) and atmospheric pressure MALDI mass spectrometry with attomole detection limits
Authors: Wei Hui , Nolkrantz Kerstin , Powell David H. , Woods James H. , Ko Mei‐Chuan , Kennedy Robert T. 
Published: April 2004

AbstractElectrospray sample deposition was explored for matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry (MALDI‐TOFMS). In this method, nanoliter volumes of matrix/analyte mixture were electrosprayed from a high voltage biased (1–2 kV) fused‐silica capillary onto a grounded MALDI plate mounted 100–500 μm from the capillary outlet. Electrospray deposition with these conditions produced sample spots 200–300 μm in diameter thus matching the laser spot size. Varying spray voltage and distance resulted in different crystal sizes and volatilization rates for α‐cyano‐4‐hydroxycinnamic acid matrix. Best results were obtained when the sample was deposited as wet droplets as opposed to deposition as dried solid. Under ‘wet‐spray’ conditions, 2–4 μm diameter crystals were formed and detection limits for several neuropeptides were 0.7–25 amol. Samples could be pre‐concentrated on the plate by spraying continuously and allowing sample to evaporate in a small spot. Sample volumes as large as 580 nL were deposited yielding a detection limit of 35 pM for neurotensin 1‐11. Electrospray sample deposition yielded similar results when using atmospheric pressure‐MALDI coupled with a quadrupole ion trap mass spectrometer, except that the sensitivity was ∼seven‐fold worse. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Study of the photoinduced degradation of polycyclic musk compounds by solid‐phase microextraction and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry
Authors: Sanchez‐Prado Lucía , Lourido Mercedes , Lores Marta , Llompart Maria , Garcia‐Jares Carmen , Cela Rafael 
Published: April 2004

AbstractPolycyclic musks are widely used synthetic fragrances that have been identified during the last few years in biota samples and environmental matrices. Nevertheless, there is a lack of information concerning the photodegradation behavior of these compounds. In this work, the photoinduced degradation of six polycyclic musk compounds (Cashmeran, Celestolide, Phantolide, Galaxolide, Traseolide and Tonalide) was studied using a solid‐phase microextraction (SPME) fiber as support. Musk fragrances were extracted from aqueous solutions using SPME fibers that were subsequently exposed to ultraviolet (UV) irradiation for different times. To study the degradation kinetics and to tentatively identify the photoproducts generated, gas chromatography coupled to ion trap mass spectrometry was used. Aqueous photodegradation studies were also performed. The on‐fiber photodegradation approach avoids the need for further extraction processes and makes the identification of photoproducts easier, due to their higher concentration on the fibers. All musk compounds were easily photodegraded, suggesting that UV irradiation could work as a decontamination tool for these musks. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Distinct expression and distribution of vesicular proteins in the hippocampus of TNFa‐deficient mice during development
Authors: Golan Hava , Levav Tamar , Huleihel Mahmoud 
Published: April 2004

AbstractTumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFa) is a cytokine produced mainly by cells of the immune system. It is also expressed by brain neurons and glia. In the brain, TNFa governs synaptic plasticity, such as long‐term potentiation and learning. Using TNFa‐deficient mice (TNFa‐KO) and immunohistochemical techniques, we resolved the spatio‐temporal effect of TNFa on the expression of vesicular soluble N‐ethylmaleimide‐sensitive factor attachment protein receptor (v‐SNARE) in the presynaptic terminals of the hippocampus during the first month of development. During postnatal days 1–14, the levels of Synaptotagmin I and VAMP II were similar in the hippocampus of TNFa‐KO and wild type (wt) mice. However, the levels of Syntaptotagmin II were reduced in the pyramidal cell layer of the CA1 region in TNFa‐KO. At postnatal day 21, both proteins accomplished comparable levels in the hippocampus of TNFa‐KO and wt mice. In addition, TNFa deficiency impairs the correlation of expression of Synaptotagmin I and II in CA1 region. The expression of those proteins in the CA1 stratum radiatum was uniform during development and similar in both mice groups. Higher expression of all examined proteins was demonstrated in dendritic fields of the CA3 region in TNFa‐KO as compared to wt mice. We suggest that the impairment of synaptic plasticity by TNFa may be related to its modulation of synaptic vesicle proteins. Synapse 53:6–10, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Effect of early life stress on serotonin responses in the hippocampus of young adult rats
Authors: Van Riel Els , Van Gemert Neeltje G. , Meijer Onno C. , Joëls Marian 
Published: April 2004

AbstractIn this study, we investigated the effects of early life stress on several aspects of serotonin (5‐HT) transmission in hippocampus, later on in life. Three‐day‐old rats were subjected to 24‐hour maternal deprivation or control treatment. Maternal deprivation is known to activate the hypothalamo‐pituitary‐adrenal axis, resulting in increased corticosterone levels at a time‐point in life when the axis is particularly insensitive to most stressful stimuli. When these animals had matured to 3 months of age, functional responses to 5‐HT as well as 5‐HT1A‐receptor mRNA expression were examined. Also, indices for hypothalamo‐pituitary‐adrenal function were studied in the adult state, including hippocampal mRNA expression for the mineralocorticoid and the glucocorticoid receptor. Resting membrane potential of CA1 pyramidal neurons was significantly depolarized in animals earlier subjected to maternal deprivation compared to the controls. Despite this depolarized resting potential, hyperpolarizing responses induced by 5‐HT in CA1 pyramidal neurons from deprived compared to non‐deprived rats were attenuated. This attenuation in 5‐HT response was not accompanied by changes in mRNA expression of the 5‐HT1A‐receptor. Maternal deprivation was not found to change any of the neuroendocrine parameters investigated once animals had matured. We conclude that maternal deprivation can alter specific aspects of hippocampal 5‐HT transmission later on in life, possibly by post‐translational modification of the 5‐HT1A‐receptor or changes in the 5‐HT1A‐receptor signal transduction pathway. Synapse 53:11–19, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Erosive form of lichen planus
Authors: Kyrmizakis Dionysios E. , Papadakis Chariton E. 
Published: April 2004

A 55‐year‐old edentulous man was referred to Venizelion Hospital with a long‐standing symptom of burning and painful mouth, particularly while eating. During the previous 10 months he had seen several physicians and had been treated with many different medications, without resolution of his symptoms. He was otherwise healthy and denied a history of smoking or excessive alcohol intake.
Hearing ability by telephone of patients with cochlear implants
Authors: Ito Juichi , Nakatake Mitsuko , Fujita Shuji 
Published: April 2004

We investigated the telephone communication ability of patients with cochlear implants who could understand conversations in natural voice without difficulty. The hearing ability of those patients with telephone adapters, which usually are used to reduce noise level in the telephone and to record into a tape recorder, was also investigated. Vowel‐confusion, consonant‐confusion, and speech‐tracking test results of patients listening to voices by telephone and by telephone adapter were compared with those of patients listening to natural, nontelephone voices. The average score of the speech‐tracking test with natural voice was 111.5 phrases per 5 minutes. This score dropped to 62.4 by telephone. However, with a telephone adapter, the score of the speech‐tracking test was 109.3 phrases per 5 minutes. This was almost the same score as that of the natural voice. So, generally speaking, the telephone communication ability of cochlear implant patients was not good enough. However, hearing ability with a telephone adapter came close to hearing ability during natural speech.
Molecular analysis of the major Phytophthora species on cocoa
Authors: Appiah A. A. , Flood J. , Archer S. A. , Bridge P. D. 
Published: April 2004

The internally transcribed spacer (ITS) regions of the ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene cluster of 161 isolates of Phytophthora species involved in pod rot, stem canker and leaf blight of cocoa were analysed to determine inter‐ and intraspecific variation in this disease complex. The species P. palmivora, P. megakarya, P. capsici, P. citrophthora and P. nicotianae could all be clearly distinguished by PCR amplification of the ITS region followed by restriction analysis with HaeIII, HinfI, PvuII and AluI. This method provided a relatively rapid identification procedure for these species, and was able to distinguish isolates that had previously been misidentified by morphological methods. Sequence analysis showed that the four main cocoa‐associated species formed two distinct groups, one comprising P. capsici and P. citrophthora, and the other P. palmivora and P. megakarya. Detailed sequence analysis and comparison with published literature suggested that P. capsici isolates from cocoa may be closely related to P. tropicalis, a species recently described from Cyclamen and Dianthus.
If Your Mother Were an Animal, What Animal Would She Be? Creating Play‐Stories in Family Therapy: The Animal Attribution Story‐Telling Technique (AASTT)
Authors: Arad Diana 
Published: April 2004

In this article, I describe a therapeutic story‐telling technique that requires family members to attribute an animal counterpart to each member of the family and then tell a short story—with a beginning, a middle, and an end—about the animal protagonists. The technique was applied in private practice to numerous families with a presenting problem of one or more children referred by the local school system labeled as suffering from conduct disorders and/or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).This story‐telling technique offers a predictable structure to sessions, thus facilitating the engagement and participation of children of all ages in the therapeutic process. The animal name attribution to family members creates a fun, nonthreatening atmosphere that helps to promote the description of personality traits and interpersonal relationships through the various animal counterparts. The ensuing story allows each family member to describe situations, feelings, wishes, and more as belonging to the animals and not to themselves. This is an active process. It enables the expression of conflictual feelings, the clarification of erroneous beliefs about the self and others, and the externalization of wishes, fears, aggressive feelings, and fantasies within a safe context.The combined use of animal selves and creative narrative takes into consideration children's developmental capabilities and utilizes their spontaneous pleasure in the world of make‐believe to minimize anxiety. In adults, this combination helps to overcome resistance and uncovers issues that are otherwise seldom verbalized. Further, play‐stories facilitate dialogue between family members and provide working metaphors that later become an integral part of the therapy sessions and of family lore.