bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
In vivo and in vitro evidence for a hepatic modulation of the leptin signal in rats
Authors: Brabant G. , Nave H. , Horn R. , Anderwald C. , Müller G. , Roden M. 
Published: December 2004

AbstractBackground  Leptin is primarily secreted by the adipose tissue. It binds not only to hypothalamic structures involved in energy regulation but also to many peripheral tissues including the liver. Leptin circulates in free and receptor‐bound forms. Both components are differentially regulated under various pathophysiological conditions and serve different physiological functions. They are released from adipose tissue but previous data suggest an additional formation outside the fat compartment. Here we tested the contribution of the liver in binding and modulating leptin in the circulation.Materials and methods  In vivo experiments were performed with radioactive labelled leptin with and without pretreatment with unlabelled leptin in freely moving, chronic intravenously cannulated male rats. Livers were investigated by immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization and immunoblotting was performed, followed by ex vivo liver perfusion studies with human recombinant leptin.Results  In in vivo experiments radioactively labelled leptin (at low concentrations) is avidly bound to rat liver (greater than 80% of basal serum values 90 min following i.v. infusion). Pre‐treatment with excess of unlabelled leptin in vivo revealed a rapid hepatic down‐regulation of leptin receptor isoforms when tested by in situ hybridization, immunoblotting or immunohistochemistry. Ex vivo perfusion of rat liver with human recombinant leptin induced a dose‐ and time‐dependent formation of receptor‐bound leptin in the perfusate.Conclusions  The present data support an active role of the liver in the modulation of the leptin signal through different regulation of the soluble leptin receptor, the bound and free forms of the hormone, which may have important implications for leptin's central efficacy and the development of ‘leptin resistance’.
Primary hyperparathyroidism: new concepts in clinical, densitometric and biochemical features
Authors: BILEZIKIAN J. P. , BRANDI M. L. , RUBIN M. , SILVERBERG S. J. 
Published: December 2004

Abstract.Primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) is characterized most commonly now as an asymptomatic disorder with hypercalcaemia and elevated levels of parathyroid hormone (PTH). The elevation in PTH is detected by both the standard immunoradiometric assays (IRMA) and a more recent IRMA that detects only the 1–84 full‐length PTH molecule. The serum calcium concentration is usually <1 mg dL−1 above normal. Recently, another variant of PHPT (normocalcaemic PHPT) has been described in which the serum calcium is normal but the serum PTH is elevated, in the absence of any secondary cause for PTH elevation. Although usually sporadic, PHPT also occurs in inherited syndromes. Skeletal manifestations are appreciated by densitometry showing a typical pattern in which cancellous bone of the lumbar spine is reasonably well preserved whilst the cortical bone of the distal third of the radius is preferentially reduced. Although reduced in incidence, renal stones remain the most common overt complication of PHPT. Other organs are theoretical targets of PHPT such as the neurobehavioural axis and the cardiovascular system. Vitamin D looms as an important determinant of the activity of the PHPT state. The 2002 NIH Workshop on asymptomatic PHPT has led to revised guidelines to help doctors determine who is best advised to have parathyroid surgery and who can be safely followed without surgery. New information about the natural history of PHPT in those who did not undergo surgery has helped to define more precisely who is at‐risk for complications. At the NIH workshop, a number of items were highlighted for further investigation such as pharmacological approaches to controlling hypercalcaemia, elevated PTH levels and maintaining bone density.
Biochemical diagnosis, localization and management of pheochromocytoma: focus on multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2 in relation to other hereditary syndromes and sporadic forms of the tumour
Authors: PACAK K. , ILIAS I. , ADAMS K. T. , EISENHOFER G. 
Published: December 2004

Abstract.Approximately 50% of patients with multiple endocrine neoplasia (MEN) 2A or 2B develop pheochromocytoma. These tumours are almost exclusively benign and localized in the adrenal glands. About one‐third are bilateral at initial diagnosis. Amongst patients with pheochromocytoma, those with MEN 2A have subtler symptoms compared to those with sporadic disease. Since pheochromocytomas in patients with MEN 2 often secrete catecholamines episodically (but metabolize them continuously to metanephrines), the first choice for biochemical diagnosis is the measurement of free metanephrines in plasma, with urinary fractionated metanephrines being the second choice. In patients with pheochromocytomas that produce exclusively normetanephrine, MEN 2 can be excluded. In patients with biochemically proven MEN 2‐related pheochromocytoma, anatomical imaging of the adrenals (with either computerized tomography or magnetic resonance) should be obtained next. Functional imaging with specific ligands (e.g. scintigraphy with [123I]‐metaiodobenzylguanidine or, if available, positron emission tomography with [18F]‐fluorodopamine, [18F]‐dihydroxyphenylalanine, [11C]‐adrenaline or [11C]‐hydroxyephedrine) may then be particularly useful in patients with distorted anatomy from previous surgery, in cases of equivocal biochemical data despite high clinical suspicion for a tumour, to rule out multifocal disease, or where there is suspicion of metastatic disease (e.g. tumours larger than 5 cm). Laparoscopic surgery is the treatment of choice and subtotal (cortical‐sparing) adrenalectomy is the procedure of choice in bilateral pheochromocytomas.
Nursing on the medical ward
Authors: Parker Judith M. 
Published: December 2004

This paper considers some issues confronting contemporary medical nursing and draws upon psychoanalytic theories to investigate some seemingly straightforward and taken‐for‐granted areas of medical nursing work. I am arguing that the everyday work of medical nurses in caring for patients is concerned with bringing order to and placing boundaries around inherently unsettled and destabilized circumstances. I am also arguing that how nurses manage and organize their work in this regard stems from traditional practices that tend to be taken for granted and not explicitly thought about. It is therefore difficult for nurses to consider changing these practices that often have negative consequences for the nurses.I want to examine the impact upon nurses of the consequences of three taken‐for‐granted nursing practices: (i) the tendency of nurses to confine their reactions to what is going on so as to present a caring self; (ii) the tendency of nurses in their everyday talk to patients to confine, limit and minimize meaning; and (iii) the tensions and ambiguities that emerge for nurses in the policing function they perform in confining patients to the bed or the ward. Negative consequences on nurses of these practices potentially include stress and confusion regarding their ability to care for patients; an undervaluing of nursing skills; and a deterioration in the nurse–patient relationship. Clinical supervision for medical nurses is proposed as a means of facilitating greater understanding of the nature of nurses’ relationships with patients and the complex dimensions of their medical nursing role.
Mating system of four inbreeding monkeyflower (Mimulus) species revealed using ‘progeny‐pair’ analysis of highly informative microsatellite markers
Authors: RITLAND KERMIT , LEBLANC MARISSA 
Published: December 2004

AbstractThe high variability of microsatellite markers has allowed more powerful and novel inferences regarding mating systems. We show that the many alleles at microsatellite loci allow a different approach for estimating a mating system that uses four‐gene coefficients of relationship; the four genes are those possessed by two progeny at a single locus. We estimated the mating system in four Mimulus taxa sampled from California, USA, all of which display inbreeding floral syndromes: Mimulus nasutus, Mimulus micranthus, Mimulus nudatus and Mimulus laciniatus. For each taxa, 20 progeny pairs were assayed for nine microsatellite loci. Substantial amounts of selfing were found, ranging from 64% to 92% across the taxa. Parent inbreeding coefficients were high (range 70%) in two taxa, and in these two taxa both facets of correlated matings (correlation of selfing and of outcrossed paternity) were also much higher (range 50–80%) than in the other two taxa. This association between correlated matings and levels of selfing has not been previously demonstrated. Microsatellites allow new approaches for mating system inference, but at the disadvantage of higher genotyping costs and potential biases resulting from null alleles.
Implications from seed traps for reproductive success, allocation and cost in a tall tree species Lindera erythrocarpa
Authors: HIRAYAMA DAISUKE , ITOH AKIRA , YAMAKURA TAKUO 
Published: December 2004

AbstractReproductive success of the tall tree species Lindera erythrocarpa Makino (Lauraceae) was examined on a per individual basis using the seed‐trap method and a new method of numerical analysis of seed dispersal. Female flower and seed production per tree were successfully estimated using the model, and the dependence of each variable on tree size was expressed using allometric equations. Although seed set was highest on medium‐sized trees (5% at 27 cm d.b.h.), seed production per tree was highest on the largest trees. Thus, a relative measure of reproductive success, such as seed set, was not a reliable predictor of individual variations in absolute seed production. Dry matter investment in reproduction was also expressed using an allometric equation. Reproductive investment increased as net production increased. Vegetative growth of the woody organs of individual trees reached a peak of 31.2 kg/year, at which point reproductive investment was 4.41 kg/year. The usefulness of the seed‐trap method and the allometric approach to evaluate differences in reproductive variables among individuals of a large tree species was confirmed.
Life history monographs of Japanese plants: A new series
Authors: KAWANO SHOICHI , OHARA MASASHI 
Published: December 2004

AbstractPlant Species Biologywill publish a continuing series of papers on the biology and life history characteristics of vascular plant species indigenous to, or well naturalized in, the flora of Japan. This paper sets forth the guidelines and format for contributors to this series. This new series attempts to establish a record as complete as possible concerning all aspects of the life history characteristics as well as significant biosystematic characteristics of the species under consideration. Keen attention will be given to species that are becoming very rare and endangered, particularly in lowland areas, aquatic habitats (e.g. rivers, ponds and wetlands), coastal habitats (e.g. sand dunes, salt marshes) and alpine zones (including serpentine and limestone habitats).
ARGON PLASMA COAGULATION: IN VIVO TISSUE DAMAGE TO THE ESOPHAGUS AND STOMACH AND CLINICAL EFFICACY FOR EARLY ESOPHAGEAL AND GASTRIC CANCER
Authors: Mitsufuji Shoji , Nagoshi Mariko , Tatsumi Yoichi , Sakai Miki , Shiomi Satoshi , Wakabayashi Naoki , Konishi Hideyuki , Okano Hitoshi , Kataoka Keisho , Okanoue Takeshi 
Published: December 2004

Background:  Argon plasma coagulation (APC) has been proven to be safe in vitro, and has been widely introduced to therapeutic endoscopy. We evaluated the thermal effects on esophageal or gastric wall in vivo, and its effectiveness as an adjunct to incomplete resection of early esophageal and gastric cancer after endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR).Methods:  Thermal injuries were made using endoscopic APC irradiation in porcine esophagus and stomach under various conditions during general anesthesia, and depth of tissue damage was determined histopathologically. Patients with early gastric cancer (n = 24) and early esophageal cancer (n = 5) were treated with additional APC following microscopically incomplete EMR. APC was applied to coagulate the entire edge of EMR‐induced ulcer 1 week after resection at power/gas settings of 50 W and 1.5 L/min in the stomach, and 40 W and 1.5 L/min in the esophagus for less than 5 s at each point.Results:  Depth of tissue damage was related to pulse duration and power output. At power/gas settings of 60 W and 2.0 L/min, thermal damage extended across the submucosal layer with 5‐s pulse duration in the stomach. Thermal damage with 5‐s pulse duration at power/gas settings of 40 W and 2.0 L/min extended to the muscularis propria in the esophagus. In the clinical study of additional APC therapy, the recurrence rate was 6.9% (two of 29 cases).Conclusion:  To avoid perforation, we recommend an APC power setting of 40–60 W for less than 5 s in the stomach and a lower power setting with shorter duration in the esophagus. APC seems to reduce recurrence of esophageal or gastric cancer after incomplete EMR.
DAI‐KENCHU‐TO, A HERBAL MEDICINE, IMPROVES PRECOLONOSCOPY BOWEL PREPARATION WITH POLYETHYLENE GLYCOL ELECTROLYTE LAVAGE: RESULTS OF A PROSPECTIVE RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL
Authors: Saida Yoshihisa , Sumiyama Yoshinobu , Nagao Jiro , Nakamura Yasushi , Nakamura Yoichi , Katagiri Miwa 
Published: December 2004

Background:  This prospective randomized controlled trial examines the effect of combination of Dai‐kenchu‐to (DKT), a traditional Japanese herbal medicine, and polyethylene glycol electrolyte (PEG) lavage in precolonoscopic preparation.Methods:  Two hundred and eight‐five colonoscopy patients from January to December 2001 were divided into two groups randomly; 144 patients into group A (with DKT) and 141 into group B (without DKT).Results:  Abdominal pain and nausea were observed in 17% and 24% of group A, and 15% and 21% of group B, respectively. Preparation scores were 0.28 ± 0.52 in group A and 0.81 ± 0.77 in group B. Times for reaching the cecum were 6.4 ± 3.6 min in group A and 7.3 ± 4.0 min in group B. Group A demonstrated significantly better preparation (P < 0.001) and shorter times (P = 0.04) than group B.Conclusion:  The present study indicates that DKT in combination with PEG is a safe and gentle method, improving precolonoscopic bowel preparation without increasing abdominal pain and nausea.
OBLIQUE‐VIEWING ENDOSCOPE FACILITATES ENDOSCOPIC RETROGRADE CHOLANGIOPANCREATOGRAPHY AND ASSOCIATED PROCEDURES IN POST‐BILLROTH II GASTRECTOMY PATIENTS
Authors: Kikuyama Masataka , Matsubayashi Yuji , Kageyama Fujito , Sumiyoshi Shinichi , Kobayashi Yoshimasa 
Published: December 2004

Background:  Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) and associated procedures have been reported to be difficult to perform in patients with Billroth II gastrectomy. We evaluated the feasibility of using an oblique‐viewing endoscope equipped with a cannula deflector for these procedures in such patients.Patients and Methods:  Twenty‐four patients with Billroth II gastrectomy were enrolled in the present study and underwent ERCP, endoscopic sphincterotomy, endoscopic nasobiliary drainage, expandable metal stent placement or tube stent placement. All procedures were performed with an oblique‐viewing endoscope equipped with a cannula deflector.Results:  In all patients, afferent loops were entered. Reaching the papilla of Vater was achieved in 22 (91.7%) patients, in whom all planned procedures were accomplished. One patient experienced acute pancreatitis, hemorrhage from the papilla of Vater after sphincterotomy, and intestinal perforation.Conclusions:  We believe an oblique‐viewing endoscope equipped with a cannula deflector to be useful in performing ERCP and associated procedures in many patients with Billroth II gastrectomy. However, one should be aware of major complications, such as perforation, that may occur.
CHARACTERISTICS AND ROLE OF ENDOSCOPIC MUCOSAL RESECTION USING CAP‐FITTED PANENDOSCOPE FOR EARLY GASTRIC CANCER
Authors: Tani Masao , Takeshita Kimiya , Kawano Tatsuyuki 
Published: December 2004

Background:  It is accepted in Japan and in the gastric cancer treatment guidelines that small gastric mucosal cancers without lymph node metastasis can be curatively treated by endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR). Various techniques of EMR for early gastric cancer have been reported, and in the present study, the results of EMR using cap‐fitted panendoscope (EMRC) for early gastric neoplastic lesions are examined, and the characteristics and the role of EMRC procedure are discussed.Methods:  From August 1992 to March 2003, 181 gastric neoplastic lesions in 155 patients were treated by EMRC at the Department of Surgery, Esophagogastric Division, Tokyo Medical and Dental University. The frequency of residue and the cause of residue following EMRC for 181 gastric neoplastic lesions were examined. Five‐year survival rates were calculated and compared according to the 49 patients who underwent en bloc resection and the 49 patients who underwent planned fractionated resection by EMRC for early gastric cancer.Results:  There was residue in nine (5%) of 181 lesions treated by EMRC. Residues from four elevated lesions resulted from muscular resection and insufficient additional resection; residues from five depressed lesions resulted from incorrect diagnosis of the spread of the lesions prior to resection and insufficient additional resection. In the EMRC patients, the survival rates for 49 patients treated by en bloc resection (93%) and 49 patients by planned fractionated resection (91%) were not significantly different.Conclusion:  The EMRC technique, that is en bloc and planned fractionated resection by EMRC procedure, has an important role as an easy and curative EMR method for almost all of the indicated early gastric cancers by the gastric cancer treatment guidelines with no limitations from the lesion sites.
FREQUENT K‐RAS MUTATIONS AMONG LATERALLY SPREADING TUMORS WITH GRANULAR COMPONENTS AND THEIR SIGNIFICANCE FOR RECTAL CARCINOMAS
Authors: Yokoyama Yuichi , Tamura Satoru , Onishi Saburo 
Published: December 2004

Background:  To clarify the genetic characteristics of superficial‐type colorectal tumors, we investigated gene mutations of K‐ras codon 12 of superficial‐type colorectal tumors.Methods:  We examined the endoscopic appearance of 72 specimens for K‐ras mutations.Results:  Laterally spreading tumors with granular components had a high incidence of K‐ras mutations (68%). As for tumor locations, the K‐ras mutation was detected in 13/19 (68.4%) tumors of the rectum, 10/36 (27.8%) tumors of the proximal colon and in 5/17 (29.4%) tumors of the distal colon.Conclusion:  ;Our results suggest that superficial‐type tumors with granular components and rectal ones may have a different genetic pathway for tumor progression compared with those without granular components and colonic ones, respectively.
Between the Hammer and the Anvil: lifestyles of Russian students in the years of permanent crisis
Authors: TOMUSK VOLDEMAR 
Published: December 2004

AbstractThis article attempts to look at Russian students in the broader social, economic and political context as it has developed over the past 13 years. While society needs higher education to consolidate its identity that was deeply wounded by the shock of the political and economic collapse of the early 1990s, it still lacks the means to maintain it. As a result of a complex interplay of various actors and their short‐term interests, Russian youth is being literally stored as students in higher education institutions, barely able to survive physically, with little hope for improvement in a foreseeable future.
Lunar cycles and reproductive activity in reef fishes with particular attention to rabbitfishes
Authors: Takemura Akihiro , Rahman Md. Saydur , Nakamura Sigeo , Park Young Ju , Takano Kazunori 
Published: December 2004

AbstractCues from the moon influence synchrony in growth, feeding, migration, behaviour and reproduction of many reef fishes. Compared with comprehensive studies on the annual and daily activities of fish, few physiological studies have paid attention to the importance of lunar cues in reproductive activities. We review mutual and interesting relationships between fish reproduction and environmental changes induced by the moon, with particular emphasis on the reproductive activity of the rabbitfishes (Siganidae). Rabbitfish species exhibit, in nature, a definitive reproductive season, which differs among the tropical areas. During the reproductive season, synchronous spawning of rabbitfish is associated with a particular lunar phase. The lunar phase used by the respective species is similar in different regions on the earth. Histological observations revealed that gonads develop synchronously towards a peak around the spawning lunar phase, after which the gonads return to spent condition. Concomitant with gonadal development, sex steroid hormones were produced under the influence of gonadotropin (GtH). Injections of human chronic gonadotropin (hCG) to the fish that are undergoing active spermatogenesis accelerated testicular maturation. These results suggest that hormonal response in maturing the gonads in rabbitfish is under the regulation of GtH, and that pituitary secretion of GtH according to the lunar cycle accounts for the lunar rhythm in gonadal development. We speculate that the cues from the moon can be recognized by the higher parts of the hypothalamus–pituitary–gonadal axis. Possible relationships between exogenous environmental factors and the lunar‐reproductive rhythm are also discussed.
Inflation‐Plus Targeting at the Reserve Bank of Australia
Authors: Bell Stephen 
Published: December 2004

AbstractThis article first outlines the dynamics of what appear to be increasingly prevalent cycles of asset price inflation in liberalised financial systems, as well as the difficulties entailed in successful monetary policy responses. The article then analyses the Reserve Bank of Australia's policy responses to recent rises in credit growth and asset price inflation in the property sector. The Bank's responses are characterized in terms of an inflation‐plus targeting framework which has subtly redefined the Bank's approach to inflation targeting to include vaguely defined factors such as mediumterm‘risks’, as well as extending the time frame of such risk assessment. The article explains why, for a variety of reasons, the Bank has been reticent to fully declare its hand.
Annuity Values in Defined Contribution Retirement Systems: Australia and Singapore Compared
Authors: Doyle Suzanne , Mitchell Olivia S. , Piggott John 
Published: December 2004

AbstractAnnuities promise to play an increasingly important role in countries with national defined contribution retirement systems. In this article we examine life annuities in two countries, Singapore and Australia, each of which has a national mandatory pension program. Exploiting data on annuity pricing and purchase behaviour, we compare the money's worth of life annuity products across these two nations. Our results indicate that, after controlling on administrative loadings, there are important differences in measured adverse selection. Part of the explanation may be due to the different structures of the two countries’retirement systems.