bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Gaining Competitive Advantage From Integrating Enterprise Resource Planning and Total Quality Management
Authors: Laframboise Kevin , Reyes Felipe 
Published: July 2005

SummaryUsing the complex aerospace industry as a backdrop, this exploratory study examines the coexistence of enterprise resource planning (ERP) applications and quality management initiatives, as they relate to competitive advantage and supplier influence. Using a qualitative methodology, the results support the following: (a) a resource‐based view that ERP implementation influences competitive position and performance only indirectly through interactions with other resources; (b) that ERP applications do not adequately address the procedural and system complexities of the existing quality programs used by aerospace manufacture; and (c) that ERP implementation increases the influence of the focal firm over the suppliers' quality improvement system.
Diagnostic criteria for monoclonal B‐cell lymphocytosis
Authors: Marti Gerald E. , Rawstron Andy C. , Ghia Paolo , Hillmen Peter , Houlston Richard S. , Kay Neil , Schleinitz Thérèse A. , Caporaso Neil ,   The International Familial CLL Consortium
Published: July 2005

SummaryVery low levels of circulating monoclonal B‐cell subpopulations can now be detected in apparently healthy individuals using flow cytometry. We propose the term ‘monoclonal B‐cell lymphocytosis’ (MBL) to describe this finding. The aim of this document is to provide a working definition of MBL for future clinical, epidemiological and laboratory studies. We propose that the detection of a monoclonal B‐cell population by light chain restriction is sufficient to define this condition in individuals not meeting the diagnostic criteria for other B‐lymphoproliferative disorders. The majority of individuals with MBL will have cells that are indistinguishable from chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL). However, this blood cell clonal expansion of CD5+ or CD5− B‐lymphocytes is age‐dependent and immunophenotypic heterogeneity is common. Longitudinal studies are required to determine whether MBL is a precursor state to CLL or other B‐lymphoproliferative disease in a situation analogous to a monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance and myeloma. Future studies of MBL should be directed towards determining its relationship to clinical disease, particularly in individuals from families with a genetic predisposition to developing CLL.
Transient familial haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis reactivation post‐CD34 haematopoietic stem cell transplantation
Authors: Almousa H. , Ouachée‐Chardin M. , Picard C. , Radford‐Weiss I. , Caillat‐Zucman S. , Cavazzana‐Calvo M. , Blanche S. , de Saint Basile G. , Le Deist F. , Fischer A. 
Published: July 2005

SummaryFamilial haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (FHLH) is a genetic disorder caused by defective lymphocyte cytotoxicity, resulting in impaired lymphocyte homeostasis and macrophage infiltration of solid tissues and bone marrow, with extensive haemophagocytosis. It is invariably fatal unless treated by allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). In a retrospective analysis of 11 cases of FHLH, transplanted in one centre between January 1999 and December 2003, it was found that host T cell expansion occurred early after HSCT in a setting of a viral infection (cytomegalovirus and Epstein–Barr virus respectively) in two cases who received T cell‐depleted HSCT. Transient recurrence of clinical and biological manifestations of FHLH was observed, despite evidence for donor cell engraftment. Secondary development of donor T cells led to stable mixed chimaerism and sustained remission of FHLH. Detection of host‐derived T cells soon after HSCT in a patient with FHLH should thus not mistakenly be taken as a manifestation of graft rejection.
Intracytoplasmic sperm injection as a complement to gonadotrophin treatment in infertile men with hypogonadotrophic hypogonadism
Authors: ZORN BRANKO , PFEIFER MARIJA , VIRANT‐KLUN IRMA , MEDEN‐VRTOVEC HELENA 
Published: July 2005

SummaryIn this study we sought to determine whether intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) could improve the efficacy of treatment with gonadotrophins in gonadotrophin‐deficient men in terms of pregnancy. A series of six adult men (aged 26–47 years) with hypogonadotrophic hypogonadism (HH) is reported: four men with prepubertal isolated idiopathic HH (IIHH) and two adult‐onset HH, as part of hypopituitarism secondary to surgical treatment of a pituitary tumour. All were azoospermic. To restore spermatogenesis, all received hormonal treatment with intramuscular human menopausal gonadotrophins (HMG) and human chorionic gonadotrophin (HCG) for 2 to 23 months. High basal serum inhibin B was predictive of rapid and complete recovery of spermatogenesis. In the two adult‐onset HH, a natural pregnancy was achieved within 3 months. The four men with IIHH underwent ICSI because of poor sperm quality. ICSI using fresh or frozen‐thawed ejaculated spermatozoa was performed after 6–23 months of gonadotrophin treatment. ICSI provided good clinical results in terms of fertilization and embryo quality, and resulted in three pregnancies that ended in three term deliveries. In men with oligozoospermia related to prepubertal IIHH, ICSI shortens the hormonal treatment and enhances the chances of pregnancy.
Sperm concentration in Latvian military conscripts as compared with other countries in the Nordic–Baltic area
Authors: TSAREV IGOR , GAGONIN VALERIJ , GIWERCMAN ALEKSANDER , ERENPREISS JURIS 
Published: July 2005

SummaryRecent studies of semen quality in men from the general population gave rise to the hypothesis of an East–West gradient in semen quality in the Nordic–Baltic area, with the highest sperm counts in Estonia, Lithuania and Finland, and the lowest in Denmark (30% difference in mean concentration). Genetic, lifestyle‐related and environmental factors – alone or in combination – were suggested to be responsible for these differences. The aim of this study was to assess sperm concentration in men from the general population in Latvia and to investigate the impact of ethnic and lifestyle‐related factors on this marker of male reproductive health. A total of 133 military conscripts from Latvia were investigated. We found that sperm counts among Latvian adolescents were at the same level (mean 74, median 63 × 106/mL) as those previously reported from Estonia, Lithuania and Finland. Sperm concentration was somewhat higher than in Sweden without reaching the level of statistical significance (mean difference 3 × 106/mL; 95% CI: −10, 16 × 106/mL), and statistically significantly higher that in Denmark (mean difference: 17 × 106/mL; 95% CI: 5, 2 × 106/mL). The study also revealed an impact of ethnic factors on sperm numbers. Sperm concentration was significantly higher in men with both parents born in Latvia (77 ± 60 × 106/mL), compared with men with both parents born outside Latvia (55 ± 45 × 106/mL, p = 0.03).
Sites of residual spermatozoa after irrigation of the distal vas deferens using normal saline solution during vasectomy in a rat model
Authors: SUKAPIRIYA CHAWIN , CHANPALAKORN NIRAMOL , CHALERMSANYAKORN PANAS , LEUNGWATTANAKIJ SOMBOON 
Published: July 2005

SummaryWe have previously reported that irrigation of the distal vas deferens using a normal saline solution (NSS) is successful in removing a large amount of spermatozoa from the tract. However, this technique does not completely remove all the motile spermatozoa from the ejaculate. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the location of the residual spermatozoa after distally irrigating the vas deferens. Twenty male Sprague‐Dawley rats (400–450 g) constitute our study population. The animals were divided into two groups: group 1, control group (n = 10), rats that undergo only vasectomy and group 2, experimented group (n = 10), rats that undergo vasectomy and distal irrigation of the vas deferens using 3 mL of NSS. In both groups, the middle and terminal parts of the vas deferens including the seminal vesicles are removed and sent for spermatozoa count. The post‐vasectomy urine samples containing spermatozoa are obtained by mid‐ventral cystocentesis and the concentration is determined using a haemocytometer. More spermatozoa was found in the urine samples of the experimented group than the control (21.3 ± 10.61 vs. 0.2 ± 0.20 million/ml, p‐value = 0.068), and lesser residual sperms reside at both the middle and the terminal parts of the vas deferens (0.5 ± 0.31 vs. 3.0 ± 0.00; p = 0.008 and 1.1 ± 0.99 vs. 2.0 ± 0.00; p = 0.036 respectively). No sperms were present in the seminal vesicles of the control group, but two of 10 rats in the experimented group had few to moderate amount of sperms in their seminal vesicles (p = 0.180). After the distal irrigation of the vas deferens using NSS, some residual sperms resided in the middle and more at the distal part of the vas with a few that escaped into the seminal vesicles.
The chromatoid body in spermatogenesis
Authors: PARVINEN MARTTI 
Published: July 2005

SummaryAll germ cells throughout the animal kingdom contain cytoplasmic cloud‐like accumulations of material called nuage. Polar bodies in Drosophila oocytes are probably the best known forms of nuage. In spermatogenic cells, the nuage is called chromatoid body (CB). In early spermatids of the rat, it has a diameter of 1–1.5 μm and a finely filamentous lobular structure. Typically, it is associated with a multitude of vesicles. It is first clearly seen in mid‐ and late pachytene spermatocytes as an intermitochondrial dense material. During early spermiogenesis it is seen near the Golgi complex and frequently connected by material continuities through nuclear pore complexes with intranuclear particles. In living cells, the CB moves around the Golgi complex and has frequent contacts with it. The CB also moves perpendicularly to the nuclear envelope, and even through cytoplasmic bridges to the neighbour spermatids. One of the major components of the CB is a DEAD‐box RNA helicase VASA that belongs to a class of proteins thought to act as RNA chaperones. It is a general marker of all germ cells and best characterized in Drosophila. The mouse VASA homologue was recently used as a marker of sperm formation from embryonic stem cells. It becomes generally accepted that the CB with its associated structures constitute a mechanism of post‐transcriptional processing and storage of several mRNA species that are shared between neighbour cells and used for translation when the genome of the spermatids becomes inactive.
Intracellular Calcium Involvement in Pituitary Adenylate Cyclase‐Activating Polypeptide Stimulation of Growth Hormone and Gonadotrophin Secretion in Goldfish Pituitary Cells
Authors: Sawisky G. R. , Chang J. P. 
Published: July 2005

AbstractThe involvement of intracellular Ca2+ stores and their regulatory mechanisms in mediating pituitary adenylate cyclase‐activating polypeptide (PACAP) stimulation of growth hormone (GH) and maturational gonadotrophin (GTH‐II) secretion from goldfish pituitary cells was investigated using a cell column perifusion system. Pretreatment with caffeine abolished the GH and GTH‐II responses to PACAP. Dantrolene attenuated PACAP‐elicited GTH‐II release but did not affect the GH response, whereas ryanodine and 8‐bromo‐cADP ribose did not alter PACAP‐induced GH and GTH‐II release. Two endoplasmic/sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ ATPase (SERCA) inhibitors, thapsigargin and cyclopiazonic acid, augmented PACAP‐induced GTH‐II release; similarly, thapsigargin elevated GH responses to PACAP. Treatment with carbonyl cyanide m‐chlorophenylhydrazone, a mitochondrial uncoupler, reduced PACAP‐stimulated GH release; however, inhibition of the mitochondrial Ca2+ uniport by Ru360 did not affect GH and GTH‐II responses. The phosphatidyl inositol (PI)‐specific phospholipase C (PLC) inhibitor ET‐18‐OCH3 inhibited, whereas the phosphatidyl‐choline (PC)‐specific PLC inhibitor D609 enhanced, PACAP‐stimulated GH and GTH‐II responses. On the other hand, the IP3 receptor blocker xestospongin D had no effect on PACAP‐induced GTH‐II response and potentiated the GH response. These results suggest that, despite some differences between GH and GTH‐II cells, PACAP actions in both cell types generally rely on a caffeine‐sensitive, but a largely ryanodine receptor‐independent, mechanism. PC‐PLC and some SERCA negatively modulate PACAP actions but mitochondrial Ca2+ stores per se are not important. A novel PI‐PLC mechanism, which does not involve the traditional IP3/Ca2+ pathway, is also suggested.
Stimulation and Inhibition of Prolactin Release by Prolactin‐Releasing Peptide in Rat Anterior Pituitary Cell Aggregates
Authors: Swinnen E. , Boussemaere M. , Denef C. 
Published: July 2005

AbstractAlthough the G‐protein coupled receptor GPR10 is highly expressed in the anterior pituitary, the action of its ligand prolactin‐releasing peptide‐31 (PrRP) in this tissue is controversial. The present study examined the acute effect of this peptide on prolactin secretion in perifused rat pituitary reaggregate cell cultures from adult male rats. PrRP readily and dose‐dependently stimulated prolactin release at concentrations of 10 and 100 nM, although with a magnitude several times lower than that of thyrotropin‐releasing hormone. Surprisingly, PrRP inhibited prolactin release at 0.1 and 1 nm in a pertussis toxin‐sensitive manner. Inhibition was markedly favoured by long‐term culture. Stimulation and inhibition were differentially affected by the presence of hormones during culture: dexamethasone favoured the inhibitory effect and decreased the magnitude of the stimulatory effect, while oestradiol and triiodothyronine strongly reduced stimulation, as well as inhibition. PrRP, even at 1 nm, counteracted the inhibition of prolactin release by dopamine. There was no effect of PrRP on growth hormone release in aggregates cultured either in the absence or presence of hormones. The present results confirm the prolactin‐releasing capacity of PrRP at nanomolar doses and reveal a hitherto unrecognized inhibitory activity of this peptide. Furthermore, dopamine inhibition of prolactin release is antagonized by PrRP, irrespective of the PrRP dose.
Importance of secondary inoculum of Plasmopara viticola to epidemics of grapevine downy mildew
Authors: Gobbin D. , Jermini M. , Loskill B. , Pertot I. , Raynal M. , Gessler C. 
Published: July 2005

To quantify the magnitude and the spatial spread of grapevine downy mildew secondary sporangia, 4685 Plasmopara viticola single lesion samples were collected from 18 plots spread across central Europe. Disease symptoms were collected on two to 22 sampling dates per plot between 2000 and 2002. Four multiallelic microsatellite markers were used for genotypic identification of pathogen samples. Genetic analysis showed more than 2300 site‐specific P. viticola genotypes, indicating that populations are genetically rich demographic units. Approximately 70% of the genotypes were sampled once and 14% were sampled twice throughout the various epidemics. In the 18 populations only seven genotypes (0.3%) were identified more than 50 times. Three genotypes particularly successful in causing disease through secondary cycles showed mainly a clustered distribution. The distance of sporangial migration per secondary cycle was less than 20 m and their plot colonization rate was calculated at around 1–2 m2 day−1. Downy mildew epidemics of grapevine are therefore the result of the interaction of a multitude of genotypes, each causing limited (or a few) lesions, and of a dominant genotype able to spread stepwise at plot‐scale. These findings contrast with current theories about grapevine downy mildew epidemiology, which postulate that there is massive vineyard colonization by one genotype and long‐distance migration of sporangia.
The Oxaya anticline (northern Chile): a buckle enhanced by river incision?
Authors: Zeilinger Gerold , Schlunegger Fritz , Simpson Guy 
Published: July 2005

AbstractA prominent structure in the Western Escarpment of the Andes of northern Chile is the Oxaya anticline, dissected at the culmination by >1500 m deep valleys. The distribution of fault and fold structures indicates that the anticline could represent a simple buckle. Buckling thus appears to have accommodated crustal shortening in the plate overriding the subducting plate, between the trench and the Western Cordillera. Cross‐cutting relationships between structures and dated strata indicated that the time interval of enhanced buckling coincides with the period when rates of valley formation were enhanced. We thus propose that the formation of this anticline was enhanced by fluvial incision, which is consistent with the results of published theoretical models.
Neoproterozoic cap carbonates: a critical appraisal of existing models and the plumeworld hypothesis
Authors: Shields Graham A. 
Published: July 2005

AbstractEvidence for glaciation during the mid‐late Neoproterozoic is widespread on Earth, reflecting three or more ice ages between 730 Ma and 580 Ma. Of these, the late Neoproterozoic Marinoan glaciation of approximately 635 Ma stands out because of its ubiquitous association with a characteristic, microcrystalline cap dolostone that drapes glacially influenced rock units worldwide. The Marinoan glaciation is also peculiar in that evidence for low altitude glaciation at equatorial latitudes is compelling. Three models have been proposed linking abrupt deglaciation with this global carbonate precipitation event: (i) overturn of an anoxic deep ocean; (ii) catastrophically accelerated rates of chemical weathering because of supergreenhouse conditions following global glaciation (Snowball Earth Hypothesis); and (iii) massive release of carbonate alkalinity from destabilized methane clathrates. All three models invoke extreme alkalinity fluxes into seawater during deglaciation but none explains how such alkalinity excess from point sources could be distributed homogeneously around the globe. In addition, none explains the consistent sequence of precipitation events observed within cap carbonate successions, specifically: (i) the global blanketing of carbonate powder in shallow marine environments during deglaciation; (ii) widespread and disruptive precipitation of dolomite cement; followed by (iii) localized barite precipitation and seafloor cementation by aragonite. The conceptual model presented here proposes that low latitude deglaciation was so massive and abrupt that the resultant meltwater plume could extend worldwide, physically separating the surface and deep ocean reservoirs for ≥103 years. It is proposed that cap dolostones formed primarily by microbially mediated precipitation of carbonate whitings during algal blooms within this low salinity plumeworld rather than by abiotic precipitation from normal salinity seawater. Many of the disruption features that are characteristic of cap dolostones can be explained by microbially mediated, early diagenetic dolomitization and cementation. The re‐initiation of whole ocean circulation degassed CO2 into the atmosphere in areas of upwelling, triggering localized, abiotic CaCO3 precipitation in the form of aragonite fans that overlie cap dolostones in NW Canada and Namibia. The highly oxygenated shallow marine environments of the glacial and post‐glacial Neoproterozoic world provided consistently favourable conditions for the evolutionary development of animals and other oxygenophiles.
Molecular epidemiology of drug resistance markers of Plasmodium falciparum malaria in Thailand
Authors: Congpuong K. , Na Bangchang K. , Mungthin M. , Bualombai P. , Wernsdorfer W. H. 
Published: July 2005

SummaryTo determine differences in the distribution of drug resistance mutations in the Plasmodium falciparum chloroquine resistance transporter (pfcrt) and P. falciparum multi‐drug resistance 1 (pfmdr1) genes of P. falciparum isolates in Thailand, a study was conducted using polymerase chain reaction‐restriction fragment length polymorphism to detect mutations in P. falciparum isolates obtained from three areas with different levels of in vivo mefloquine (MQ) resistance. All isolates carried mutant allele T76 of the pfcrt gene and wild‐type allele D1246 of the pfmdr1 gene except for one isolate, which showed the wild‐type K76 allele. This isolate was obtained from Chanthaburi Province, an area with high MQ resistance. Relatively low rates of the mutant alleles D1042 and Y86 of the pfmdr1 gene were found among Thai isolates of P. falciparum. However, a statistically significant difference in the distribution was noted. Most of the mutant isolates were found among isolates from areas with moderate or low MQ resistance. Only one isolate with mixed mutant and wild‐type N1042 and D1042 and two mutants of Y86 were found among the isolates from areas with high MQ resistance. The findings provide limited support for the hypothesis that mutant alleles of pfmdr1 may be associated with increased sensitivity to MQ.
Does ICU length of stay influence quality of life?
Authors: Stricker K. H. , Cavegn R. , Takala J. , Rothen H. U. 
Published: July 2005

Background:  Patients with prolonged stay in the intensive care unit (ICU) use a disproportionate share of resources. However, it is not known if such treatment results in impaired quality of life (QOL) as compared to patients with a short length of stay (LOS) when taking into account the initial severity of illness.Methods:  Prospective, observational case–control study in a university hospital surgical and trauma adult ICU. All patients admitted to the ICU during a 1‐year period were included. Patients with a cumulative LOS in the ICU > 7 days, surviving up to 1 year after ICU admission and consenting were identified (group L, n = 75) and matched to individuals with a shorter stay (group S). Matching criteria were diagnostic group and severity of illness. Health‐related quality of life (HRQOL) was assessed 1 year after admission using the short‐form 36 (SF‐36) and was compared between groups and to the general population. Further, overall QOL was estimated using a visual analogue scale (VAS) and willingness to consent to future intensive care, and was compared between groups L and S.Results:  Based on ANCOVA, a significant difference between groups L and S was noted for two out of eight scales: role physical (P = 0.033) and vitality (P = 0.041). No differences were found for the physical component summary (P = 0.065), the mental component summary (P = 0.267) or the VAS (P = 0.316). Further, there was no difference in expectation to consent to future intensive care (P = 0.149). As compared to the general population, we found similar scores for the mental component summary and for three of eight scales in group L and five of eight scales in group S.Conclusions:  When taking into account severity of illness, HRQOL 1 year after intensive care is comparable between patients with a short and a long LOS in the ICU. Thus, prolonged stay in the ICU per se must not be taken as an indicator of future poorer HRQOL. However, as compared to the general population, significant differences, mostly in physical aspects of QOL, were found for both groups of patients.