bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Intersectoral coordination in Aedes aegypti control. A pilot project in Havana City, Cuba
Authors: Sanchez L. , Perez D. , Pérez T. , Sosa T. , Cruz G. , Kouri G. , Boelaert M. , Van der Stuyft P. 
Published: January 2005

SummaryBackground  The 55th World Health Assembly declared dengue prevention and control a priority and urged Member States to develop sustainable intersectoral strategies to this end. To provide evidence for the reorientation of the dengue prevention policy in Cuba, we launched an intervention study to document the effectiveness of a local‐level intersectoral approach.Methods  We used a quasi‐experimental design. Social scientists introduced participatory methods to facilitate dialogue in the biweekly meetings of the intersectoral Health Council of the intervention area. This council subsequently developed an intersectoral plan for dengue prevention, of which the core objective was to design and implement activities for communication and social mobilization. In the control area, routine dengue control activities continued without additional input. Knowledge, attitudes and perceptions of dengue, and entomological indices were compared inside and between the areas before and after the 1‐year intervention period.Results  In the intervention area the Health Council elaborated an intersectoral plan for dengue prevention focused on source reduction. The Aedes aegypti control methods consisted in eliminating useless containers in the houses and surroundings, covering tanks, and cleaning public and inhabited areas. It was implemented through communication and social mobilization. The Health Council in the control area occasionally discussed dengue issues but did not develop a coordinated action plan. Good knowledge about breeding sites and disease symptoms increased significantly (by 49.7% and 17.1% respectively) in the intervention area as well as the proportion of respondents eliminating containers in and around their houses (by 44%). No changes were observed in the control area. The House Index in the intervention area was 3.72% at baseline and decreased to 0.61% after 1 year. In the control area it remained stable throughout the study period (1.31% and 1.65% respectively).Conclusion  The introduction of a participatory approach by social scientists promotes changes in intersectoral management. This facilitates social mobilization which, in its turn, leads to significant changes in knowledge, attitudes and dengue‐related practices in the population and eventually to more effective control of Ae. aegypti.
Socioeconomic constraints to effective management of Burkitt's lymphoma in south‐eastern Nigeria
Authors: Meremikwu M. M. , Ehiri J. E. , Nkanga D. G. , Udoh E. E. , Ikpatt O. F. , Alaje E. O. 
Published: January 2005

SummaryThis paper presents health outcomes and associated socioeconomic factors of 41 children admitted to a tertiary care institution in south‐east Nigeria with Burkitt's lymphoma (BL) between 1987 and 2004. BL responds well to chemotherapy and does not pose a significant threat to health in industrialized nations. However, in resource‐poor settings where it is endemic, socioeconomic factors significantly affect access to care for affected children, making this readily treatable condition a cause of considerable distress and early death in affected children. Half of the children reported in this paper presented with late stage disease. Although laboratory facilities were available, they were not accessible to all the children. Nearly a quarter of parents of these children could not afford the cost of confirmatory tests, and about a fifth (n = 8; 19.5%) of the children received no chemotherapy because of their parents’ inability to pay. Only 21 of 41 children (51.2%) remained on treatment long enough (at least 12 weeks) to enable them to be confirmed either as short‐term cure (n = 9; 64.3%), or as early relapse (n = 2; 4.9%). Owing to financial constraint, 13 of the parents (31.7%) withdrew their children against medical advice (n = 7; 17.1%) or left the hospital (n = 6; 14.6%). To address the challenge posed by these factors, we call for the establishment of a regional BL programme in Africa to help establish a critical mass of resources (human and material) to facilitate the development of an effective and accessible control programme in the region.
Short communication: Comparison of the OptiMAL rapid test and microscopy for detection of malaria in pregnant women in Nigeria
Authors: VanderJagt T. A. , Ikeh E. I. , Ujah I. O. A. , Belmonte J. , Glew R. H. , VanderJagt D. J. 
Published: January 2005

SummaryMalaria during pregnancy causes anaemia in pregnant women and low birthweight in infants. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the OptiMAL rapid malaria test in comparison with standard microscopy for malaria diagnosis in 268 pregnant women attending antenatal clinics at the Jos University Teaching Hospital and the Federal Medical Centre‐Gombe in Nigeria. Positive results by either method were confirmed using a polymerase chain reaction assay for malaria. Although the OptiMAL assay did not detect malaria in the blood of pregnant women with low levels of parasitaemia, it may be useful for the detection of placental malaria which predisposes to low birthweight infants.
Self‐reported and observed female genital cutting in rural Tanzania: associated demographic factors, HIV and sexually transmitted infections
Authors: Klouman Elise , Manongi Rachel , Klepp Knut‐Inge 
Published: January 2005

SummaryObjectives To determine (i) the prevalence and type of female genital cutting (FGC) in a rural multi‐ethnic village in Tanzania, (ii) its associated demographic factors, (iii) its possible associations with HIV, sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and infertility and (iv) to assess the consistency between self‐reported and clinically observed FGC.Method The study was part of a larger community‐based, cross‐sectional survey with an eligible female population of 1993. All were human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)‐tested and asked whether they were circumcised (n = 1678; 84.2%). Participants aged 15–44 years were interviewed (n = 636; 79.7%), and 399 (50.0%) were gynaecologically examined to screen for STIs and determine the FGC status.Results At a mean age of 9.6 years, 45.2% reported being circumcised. In the age‐group 15–44 years, 65.5% reported being cut, while FGC was observed in 72.5% and categorized as clitoridectomy or excision. The strongest predictors of FGC were ethnicity and religion, i.e. being a Protestant or a Muslim. FGC was not associated with HIV infection, other STIs or infertility. A positive, non‐significant association between FGC and bacterial vaginosis was found with a crude odds ratio of 4.6. There was a significant decline of FGC over the last generation. An inconsistency between self‐reported and clinically determined FGC status was observed in more than one‐fifth of the women.Conclusion The data indicate that both women and clinicians might incorrectly report women's circumcision status. This reveals methodological problems in determining women's circumcision status in populations practising the most common type of FGC. The positive association between FGC and bacterial vaginosis warrants further investigation.
International Financial Rescues and Debtor‐Country Moral Hazard*
Authors: Gai Prasanna , Taylor Ashley 
Published: January 2005

AbstractThis paper examines whether recent international policy initiatives to facilitate financial rescues in emerging market countries have influenced debtors' incentives to access official sector resources. The paper highlights a country's systemic importance as a key characteristic that drives access to official sector finance. It estimates the effect of these financial rescue initiatives on IMF programme participation using a pooled probit model. The safety net permitting exceptional access is shown to have a greater marginal impact on official sector resource usage, the more systemically important the debtor country. The results can be interpreted as offering some support for the presence of debtor‐country moral hazard.
Incomes, Exchange Rates and the US Trade Deficit, Once Again*
Authors: Chinn Menzie D. 
Published: January 2005

AbstractThe chronic and expanding US trade deficit has refocused attention upon the responsiveness of trade flows to exchange rate and income changes. I estimate import and export equations over a period spanning the 1990s New Economy boom and the subsequent recession and dollar depreciation. The results indicate (1) a low responsiveness of imports to exchange rate changes, and (2) a diminution (but not disappearance) of the income elasticity asymmetry first noted by Houthakker and Magee. The combination of low price elasticity of imports with the present size of the trade deficit means that any reduction of the trade deficit will necessarily be accompanied by large exchange rate and income trend adjustments.
The Cost of Political Intervention in Monetary Policy*
Authors: Cobham David , Papadopoulos Athanasios , Zis George 
Published: January 2005

AbstractBetween 1994 and 1997, UK monetary policy decisions were taken by the Minister of Finance, but the advice of the central bank was published with a short delay. Thus, the financial markets could observe when the political authority took the same view as the monetary authority and when it did not, and could use evidence of disagreements as prima facie evidence of the pursuit by the political authority of objectives other than the explicit inflation target. This paper finds that the credibility of monetary policy as measured by the long‐term interest differential between the UK and Germany is systematically related to an index of agreement constructed from the agreements or disagreements between the two authorities. No such relationship is found for the yield differential against the US, probably because of the greater prevalence of country‐specific factors, notably inflation scares, over this period in the US. Partial corroboration is found for a subperiod ending in late 1996 from the relationship between the agreement index and the inflation forward rate.
Novel X‐chromosomal defect associated with abnormal ovarian function
Authors: Rao Lakshmi , Babu Arvind , Padmalatha Venkata , Kanakavalli Murthy , Deenadayal Mamata , Singh Lalji 
Published: January 2005

AbstractPremature ovarian failure (POF) may be idiopathic or may be associated with genetic or autoimmune disorders. It is well known that chromosomal defects can impair ovarian development and its function. It is estimated that X‐chromosome abnormalities occur in 10–25% of women with abnormal ovarian function. Of these, the common chromosome defects reported are either true Turner's karyotype or its variants. We describe a novel X‐chromosome aberration in a woman with primary amenorrhea. Cytogenetic and florescence in situ hybridization analysis revealed a short‐arm deletion of X‐chromosome as a Turner's variant [mos,45,XO/46,Xdel(X)(p11.1–p22.3)]. This interesting and rare case with unique X‐chromosome defect reveals an additional mechanism for the cause of POF.
Successful pregnancy outcome in Bernard–Soulier syndrome
Authors: Kriplani Alka , Singh Bhawna Malhotra , Sowbernika Ramamurti , Choudhry Ved Prakash 
Published: January 2005

AbstractBernard–Soulier syndrome is a rare bleeding disorder, and there is scant literature on the pregnancy outcome in  women  with  this  syndrome.  Due  to  the  bleeding  tendency  in  this  disease,  pregnant  woman  may  have  ante‐, intra‐ or postpartum complications. We report our experience of managing a pregnant woman with Bernard–Soulier syndrome who had a successful pregnancy outcome, and review the existing literature on pregnancy in women with this syndrome.
Low adjusted serum ionized calcium concentration shortly after birth predicts poor outcome in neonatal hypoxic–ischemic encephalopathy
Authors: Yoneda Satoshi , Ibara Satoshi , Kobayashi Kosuke , Kato Eiji , Maruyama Yuko , Maruyama Hideki , Sumida Yumi , Sunami Rei , Sakai Masatoshi , Ikenoue Tsuyomu , Saito Shigeru 
Published: January 2005

AbstractAim: Hypoxic–ischemic reperfusion injury causes either necrosis or apoptosis, and the influx of ionized calcium into cells is the major cause of both types of cell death. The aim of this study was to investigate whether or not the serum ionized calcium concentration in neonates with hypoxic–ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) could be used to predict their outcome.Methods: Serum samples were obtained shortly after birth from 20 HIE neonates who had not urinated or received treatment with calcium. Serum ionized calcium concentrations were adjusted for pH using a correction formula. Twelve neonates without any disease were selected as a control. The results were compared between nine HIE neonates who made a full recovery, 11 who died or had neurologic deficits, and 12 normal neonates.Results: Considered together, the two HIE groups had lower serum ionized calcium concentrations (1.05 ± 0.10 mmol/L) than the control group (1.22 ± 0.07 mmol/L; P < 0.0001). Moreover, serum ionized calcium concentrations in the group with the poor outcome (0.99 ± 0.07 mmol/L) were lower than those in the group that made a full recovery (1.13 ± 0.06 mmol/L; P = 0.0016).Conclusions: The serum ionized calcium concentrations shortly after birth were significantly lower in neonates with HIE who had a poor outcome. Low concentrations may reflect multiple organ damage, particularly involving the brain.
Changes in serum levels of heat shock protein 70 in preterm delivery and pre‐eclampsia
Authors: Fukushima Akimune , Kawahara Hisao , Isurugi Chizuko , Syoji Tadahiro , Oyama Rie , Sugiyama Toru , Horiuchi Saburo 
Published: January 2005

AbstractAim: The aim of this study was to investigate heat‐shock protein (Hsp)70 as a novel marker to evaluate the curative effects of treatment for preterm delivery high‐risk patients and pre‐eclampsia.Methods: After obtaining informed consent, serum samples were collected from 31 preterm delivery high‐risk patients with a tocolysis index of three points or above (A), seven pre‐eclampsia patients (P), 46 normal pregnant women (B), and seven non‐pregnant women (C). Of the 31 preterm delivery high‐risk patients, 15 had preterm delivery (Ap) and 16 had full‐term delivery (Af ). The levels of Hsp70 were measured using enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay.Results: The Hsp70 levels in normal pregnant women were 8.6 ± 1.9 ng/mL (first trimester), 5.5 ± 1.0 ng/mL (second trimester) and 5.5 ± 0.7 ng/mL (third trimester). There was no statistical difference in the Hsp70 levels between the three trimesters. The mean Hsp70 levels were 21.9 ± 5.3 ng/mL (A), 35.3 ± 9.6 ng/mL (Ap), 9.4 ± 2.2 ng/mL (Af), 24.4 ± 3.6 ng/mL (P), 6.1 ± 0.6 ng/mL (B), and 2.4 ± 0.6 ng/mL (C). Group Ap had significantly higher Hsp70 levels than group Af (P = 0.0112) and group B (P < 0.0001). The duration of pregnancy after hospitalization for group Ap was significantly shorter than that for group Af (P = 0.0088) and group B (P < 0.0001). Group P also had significantly higher Hsp70 levels than group B (P < 0.0001).Conclusion: Because Hsp70 levels were particularly high in treatment‐resistant preterm delivery cases, Hsp70 may prove to be a useful marker for evaluating the curative effects of treatment for preterm delivery.
Activation of extracellular signal‐regulated kinase– mitogen‐activated protein kinase cascade in the amygdala is required for memory reconsolidation of auditory fear conditioning
Authors: Duvarci Sevil , Nader Karim , LeDoux Joseph E. 
Published: January 2005

AbstractConsolidation of new fear memories has been shown to require de novo RNA and protein synthesis in the lateral nucleus of amygdala (LA). Recently we have demonstrated that consolidated fear memories, when reactivated, return to a labile state which is sensitive to disruption by the protein synthesis inhibitor anisomycin. The specific molecular mechanisms that underlie this reconsolidation of fear memories are still largely unknown. The activation of extracellular signal‐regulated kinase–mitogen‐activated protein kinase (ERK–MAPK) pathway in the LA is required for the consolidation of auditory fear memories. In the present study, we examined the role of ERK–MAPK cascade in the LA during reconsolidation of auditory fear conditioning. We show that intra‐LA infusions of the MAPK kinase (MEK) inhibitor U0126, a manipulation which inhibits activation of ERK–MAPK, impairs postreactivation long‐term memory (PR‐LTM) but leaves the postreactivation short‐term memory (PR‐STM) intact. The same treatment with U0126, in the absence of memory reactivation, has no effect. Furthermore, we verified that reconsolidation requires translation using a second protein synthesis inhibitor, cycloheximide. Post‐reactivation infusions of cycloheximide blocked PR‐LTM but not PR‐STM and, in the absence of reactivation, had no effect. Our data show that activation of ERK–MAPK signalling pathway and protein synthesis in the LA are required for reconsolidation of auditory fear memories.
Matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)‐12 expression has a negative impact on sensorimotor function following intracerebral haemorrhage in mice
Authors: Wells Jennifer E. A. , Biernaskie Jeff , Szymanska Aleksandra , Larsen Peter H. , Yong V. Wee , Corbett Dale 
Published: January 2005

AbstractWe investigated the role of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) in a mouse model of intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH). Transcripts encoding nine of the 23 known mammalian MMPs were measured. MMP‐12 levels were the most elevated. To evaluate the role of MMP‐12 in ICH, haemorrhages were induced in wild‐type (WT) and MMP‐12 null mice. The results show that MMP‐12 null mice exhibited significant functional recovery of forelimb reaching and reduced dependence on the ipsilateral forelimb compared to WT mice. There was also a trend for improved sensory function in the tape removal test. With respect to single pellet skilled reaching, MMP‐12 null mice recovered to a level that was not significantly different from sham at 14 and 28 days post‐ICH. In contrast, WT animals demonstrated a persistent impairment relative to sham controls throughout the survival period (P < 0.05). The cylinder task revealed a lesion‐induced reliance on the ipsilateral forelimb that was apparent at day 7 in both MMP‐12 null and WT mice (P < 0.05), but only persisted in WT mice at 14 days post‐ICH (P < 0.05). Differences in functional outcome could not be explained by tissue sparing. However, Iba1 immunostaining indicated that more cells bearing macrophage morphology were recruited to the lesion area in WT mice. This is the first study to profile the expression patterns of a number of the known MMPs following ICH in mice. The data indicate that MMP‐12 expression following haemorrhagic stroke is deleterious and contributes to the development of secondary injury in this disease.
Photoreceptor morphology is severely affected in the β,β‐carotene‐15,15′‐oxygenase (bcox) zebrafish morphant
Authors: Biehlmaier Oliver , Lampert Johanna M. , Lintig Johannes von , Kohler Konrad 
Published: January 2005

AbstractThe retinoic acid molecule, a vitamin A derivative, is of key importance for eye and photoreceptor development in vertebrates. Several studies have provided evidence that the ventral part of the retina is particularly susceptible to impairment in retinoid signalling during the period of its development. In zebrafish, targeted gene knockdown of β,β‐carotene‐15,15′‐oxygenase (bcox), the key enzyme for vitamin A formation, provokes a loss of retinoid signalling during early eye development that results in microphthalmia at larval stages. Using this model, we analysed the consequences of this for the retinal morphology of the fish larvae in structural details. Our analyses revealed that rods and cones do not express photoreceptor specific proteins (rhodopsin, peanut agglutinin, zpr1) in the peripheral retina. The photoreceptors in the central retina showed shortened outer segments, and electron dense debris in their intermembranal space. The number of phagosomes was increased, and cell death was frequently observed in the outer nuclear layer. Furthermore, the number of Müller cells was significantly reduced in the inner nuclear layer. Thus, we found that the lack of retinoid signalling strongly effects photoreceptor development in the ventral and dorsal retina. In addition, shortened outer segments and cell death of the remaining photoreceptors in the central retina indicate that there is an ongoing need for retinoid signalling for photoreceptor integrity and survival at later developmental stages.
Secretion of ATP from Schwann cells in response to uridine triphosphate
Authors: Liu Guo Jun , Werry Eryn L. , Bennett Max R. 
Published: January 2005

AbstractThe mechanisms by which uridine triphosphate (UTP) stimulates ATP release from Schwann cells cultured from the sciatic nerve were investigated using online bioluminescence techniques. UTP, a P2Y2 and P2Y4 receptor agonist, stimulated ATP release from Schwann cells in a dose‐dependent manner with an ED50 of 0.24 µm. UTP‐stimulated ATP release occurs through P2Y2 receptors as it was blocked by suramin which inhibits P2Y2 but not P2Y4 receptors. Furthermore, positive immunostaining of P2Y2 receptors on Schwann cells was revealed and GTP, an equipotent agonist with UTP at rat P2Y4 receptors, did not significantly stimulate ATP release. UTP‐stimulated ATP release involved second messenger pathways as it was attenuated by the phospholipase C inhibitor U73122, the protein kinase C inhibitor chelerytherine chloride, the IP3 formation inhibitor lithium chloride, the cell membrane‐permeable Ca2+ chelator BAPTA‐AM and the endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+‐dependent ATPase inhibitor thapsigargin. Evidence that ATP may be stored in vesicles that must be transported to the cell membrane for exocytosis was found as release was significantly reduced by the Golgi‐complex inhibitor brefeldin A, microtubule disruption with nocodazole, F‐actin disruption with cytochalasin D and the specific exocytosis inhibitor botulinum toxin A. ATP release from Schwann cells also involves anion transport as it was significantly reduced by cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator inhibitor glibencamide and anion transporter inhibitor furosemide. We suggest that UTP‐stimulated ATP release is mediated by activation of P2Y2 receptors that initiate an IP3–Ca2+ cascade and protein kinase C which promote exocytosis of ATP from vesicles as well as anion transport of ATP across the cell membrane.