bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Periodontal infections and pre‐term low birth weight: a case‐control study
Authors: Buduneli Nurcan , Baylas Haluk , Buduneli Eralp , Türkoğlu Oya , Köse Timur , Dahlen Gunnar 
Published: February 2005

AbstractObjective: Pre‐term delivery of low‐birth‐weight infants [pre‐term low birth weight (PLBW)] remains a significant public health issue and a major cause of neonatal death and long‐term health problems. There is a growing consensus that infections remote from fetal–placental unit may influence PLBW infants. Recent studies have suggested that maternal periodontal disease may be an independent risk factor for PLBW. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the possible link between periodontal infections and PLBW by means of clinical and microbiological data in post‐partum women with low socioeconomic level.Methods: Clinical periodontal recordings comprising dental plaque, bleeding on probing, probing pocket depth and gingival recession were performed (six sites/tooth) in a total number of 181 women (53 cases and 128 controls) within 3 days post‐partum. Subgingival plaque samples from mesio–or disto–buccal aspect of randomly selected one first molar and one incisor tooth have been obtained by paperpoints and were analysed by checkerboard DNA–DNA hybridization with respect to 12 bacterial species. In all analyses, the individual subject was the computational unit. Thus, mean values for all clinical parameters were calculated and bacterial scores from each individual sample were averaged. Statistical methods included Student's t‐test, Fisher's exact test/χ2 test, and multiple logistic regression analysis.Results: The cases have gained significantly less weight during the pregnancy than did the controls (p<0.05). There were no statistically significant differences between the cases and controls with regard to the dental and periodontal parameters and the values of clinical periodontal recordings were found to be very similar (p>0.05). Mean and median scores (bacterial loads) of Porphyromonas gingivalis, Prevotella intermedia, Prevotella nigrescens, Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans, and Streptococcus intermedius in the subgingival plaque sampling sites were significantly higher in the controls than in the cases (p<0.05). The occurrence rates of P. intermedia, Fusobacterium nucleatum, Peptostreptococcus micros, Campylobacter rectus, Eikenella corrodens, Selenomonas noxia and S. intermedius were higher in the cases compared with the controls, but the differences were not statistically significant (p>0.05). According to the model created by the multiple logistic regression analysis, P. micros and C. rectus were found to significantly increase the risk of PLBW (p<0.01 and p<0.05 respectively), while P. nigrescens and A. actinomycetemcomitans decreased this risk (p<0.01).Conclusion: The present findings indicated that when subgingival bacteria were evaluated together, P. micros and C. rectus may have a role in increasing the risk for PLBW, although no single bacteria exhibited any relation with the risk of PLBW. Further studies are required to better clarify the possible relationship between periodontal diseases and PLBW.
The effect of systemic administration of ibuprofen in the experimental gingivitis model
Authors: Sekino Satoshi , Ramberg Per , Lindhe Jan 
Published: February 2005

AbstractBackground: Studies in humans have indicated that systemically administered flurbiprofen and ibuprofen may reduce gingivitis. De novo plaque formation is enhanced at tooth surfaces adjacent to inflamed gingivae.Objective: The aim of the present clinical trial was to evaluate the effect of systemic administration of ibuprofen on gingivitis and plaque build‐up.Material and Methods: Eleven subjects were recruited for the study and were given oral hygiene instruction, scaling and professional mechanical tooth cleaning (PTC). At the end of a preparatory period (Day 0), the participants were told to abstain from all mechanical plaque control measures during a 2‐week experimental period but to rinse with an assigned mouth rinse (positive control: 0.1% chlorhexidine digluconate; negative control: saline) or administer ibuprofen (tablets of 200 mg twice daily). Mouth rinsing was performed twice a day (after breakfast and in the evening), for 60 s with 10 ml. Re‐examination was performed after 14 days of experiment. After a 2‐week “wash‐out” period, the participants received a new PTC and a second 14‐day experimental period was initiated. The experimental and “wash‐out” periods were repeated until all volunteers had been involved in all three regimens. Dental plaque was scored using the Quigley & Hein Plaque Index system and gingivitis according to the Gingival Index (GI) system. Supragingival plaque was collected and prepared for dark‐field microscopy. One hundred bacterial cells were counted and classified into six different groups: coccoid cells, straight rods, filaments, fusiforms, spirochetes and motile rods. Gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) was collected from the same sites that were sampled for plaque. The volume of GCF collected in each strip was measured and analysed regarding content of lactoferrin and albumin.Results: During the period when the panelists rinsed with saline they accumulated large amounts of plaque and developed marked signs of gingivitis. When they rinsed with chlorhexidine digluconate, small amounts of plaque formed and few sites received GI score2. After the 2 weeks of ibuprofen administration, the panelists presented with significantly fewer sites that scored GI2 but had formed similar amounts of plaque as during the negative control period.Conclusion: It is suggested that ibuprofen administered via the systemic route has an effect on gingivitis but not on de novo plaque formation.
Inguinal hernia repair in Hospital Authority hospitals: The role of laparoscopic hernioplasty
Authors: Lam Chi‐Ming , Wai Andy Chun‐Kit , Yuen Albert Wai‐Cheung 
Published: February 2005

Objective:  Two major changes have occurred in inguinal hernia repair during the last two decades: (i) the use of tension‐free mesh repair; and (ii) the application of laparoscopic technique for repair. The aims of the present study were to study: (i) how inguinal hernia repair was carried out; and (ii) the outcome of inguinal hernia repair in Hospital Authority (HA) hospitals.Methodology:  This was a retrospective analysis on 8311 elective inguinal hernia repairs performed in 16 HA hospitals from January 2001 to December 2003. The mean age was 63.9 ± 14.2 years, and the male to female ratio was 22.0 : 1.0. Among these, 869 (10.5%) repairs were performed with the laparoscopic approach and 7442 (89.5%) repairs with the open approach. The proportion of laparoscopic hernia repair increased from 8.7% to 12.6%.Results:  For open repair, 39% of cases were carried out with regional anaesthesia, 32% with general anaesthesia and 29% with local anaesthesia (LA). Furthermore, mesh repair was used in 88% of the patients. For laparosocpic repair, 98.4% of cases were carried out under general anaesthesia, and all patients had mesh repair using the totally extraperitoneal approach. A significantly higher proportion of bilateral repair and recurrent hernia repair was performed with the laparoscopic approach (P = 0.000). For primary unilateral repair, there was no significant difference in the postoperative length of stay (LOS) and the total LOS between the laparoscopic and the open surgery groups. No difference in LOS was found in recurrent hernia repair between the two groups. With respect to bilateral repair, both the preoperative LOS (P = 0.036) and total LOS (P = 0.039) were shorter in the laparoscopic group. Furthermore, a significantly higher proportion of day‐surgery patients was observed in the laparoscopic group than the open surgery group (21.3%vs 16.9%, P = 0.001). Nevertheless, when only the results of 2003 were analyzed, the postoperative LOS (P = 0.000) and total LOS (P = 0.000) were significantly shorter in the laparoscopic group than the open surgery group. The LOS parameters were significantly shorter in the open surgery LA subgroup compared with the non‐LA subgroup (P = 0.000), and they were not different from those in the laparoscopic group.Conclusions:  The open mesh repair is the predominant approach for inguinal hernia repair in HA hospitals. The originally described local anaesthetic approach was under utilized, although it resulted in good outcome. The use of laparoscopic hernia repair is increasing and a learning curve was recently observed with improved outcome.
The abundance of Lyα emitters in hierarchical models
Authors: Le Delliou M. , Lacey C. , Baugh C. M. , Guiderdoni B. , Bacon R. , Courtois H. , Sousbie T. , Morris S. L. 
Published: February 2005

Abstract
We present predictions for the abundance of Lyα emitters in hierarchical structure formation models. We use the GALFORM semi-analytical model of galaxy formation to explore the impact on the predicted counts of varying assumptions about the escape fraction of Lyα photons, the redshift at which the Universe reionized and the cosmological density parameter. A model with a fixed escape fraction gives a remarkably good match to the observed counts over a wide redshift interval. The counts at bright fluxes are dominated by ongoing starbursts. We present predictions for the expected counts in a typical observation with the Multi-Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) instrument proposed for the Very Large Telescope.
Oscillations of thick accretion discs around black holes
Authors: Rubio-Herrera Eduardo , Lee William H. 
Published: February 2005

Abstract
We present a numerical study of the response of a thick accretion disc to a localized, external perturbation with the aim of exciting internal modes of oscillation. We find that the perturbations efficiently excite global modes recently identified as acoustic p-modes, and closely related to the epicyclic oscillations of test particles. The two strongest modes occur at eigenfrequencies which are in a 3:2 ratio. We have assumed a constant specific angular momentum distribution within the disc. Our models are in principle scale-free and can be used to simulate accretion tori around stellar or super-massive black holes.
A Chandra observation of the z= 2.285 galaxy FSC 10214+4724: evidence for a Compton-thick quasar?
Authors: Alexander D. M. , Chartas G. , Bauer F. E. , Brandt W. N. , Simpson C. , Vignali C. 
Published: February 2005

Abstract
We present a ≈20 ks Chandra ACIS-S observation of the strongly lensed z= 2.285 ultraluminous infrared galaxy FSC 10214 + 4724. Although this observation achieves the equivalent sensitivity of an up to ≈4 Ms Chandra exposure (when corrected for gravitational lensing), the rest-frame 1.6–26.3 keV emission from FSC 10214 + 4724 is weak (LX≈ 2 × 1042 erg s−1 for a lensing boost of ≈100); a significant fraction of this X-ray emission appears to be due to vigorous star formation activity. If FSC 10214 + 4724 hosts a quasar, as previously suggested, then it must be obscured by Compton-thick material. We compare FSC 10214 + 4724 to high-redshift SCUBA galaxies and discuss the X-ray identification of Compton-thick AGNs at high redshift.
Mapping substructures in dark matter haloes
Authors: Knebe Alexander , Gill Stuart P. D. , Kawata Daisuke , Gibson Brad K. 
Published: February 2005

Abstract
We present a detailed study of the real and integrals-of-motion space distributions of a disrupting satellite obtained from a fully self-consistent high-resolution cosmological simulation of a galaxy cluster. The satellite has been re-simulated using various analytical halo potentials, and we find that its debris appears as a coherent structure in integrals-of-motion space in all models (‘live’ and analytical potential), although the distribution is significantly smeared for the live host halo. The primary mechanism for the dispersion is the mass growth of the host. However, when quantitatively comparing the effects of ‘live’ and time-varying host potentials, we conclude that not all of the dispersion can be accounted for by the steady growth of the mass of the host. We ascribe the remaining discrepancies to additional effects in the ‘live’ halo such as non-sphericity of the host and interactions with other satellites which have not been modelled analytically.
FEEDING LOW CALCIUM AND ZINC MOLT DIETS SUSTAINS GASTROINTESTINAL FERMENTATION AND LIMITS SALMONELLA ENTERICA SEROVAR ENTERITIDIS COLONIZATION IN LAYING HENS
Authors: RICKE S.C. , PARK S.Y. , MOORE R.W. , KWON Y.M. , WOODWARD C.L. , BYRD J.A. , NISBET D.J. , KUBENA L.F. 
Published: February 2005

ABSTRACT The objective of these experiments was to determine whether alternative molting diets would minimize Salmonella enterica serovar Entertitidis (S. Enteritidis) colonization in molting hens. Hens were randomly assigned to four treatment groups of 12 hens either full‐fed (nonmolt, NM), molted by feed withdrawal (molt, M), a low calcium (LC containing 800 mg calcium), or LC diet supplemented with 110 mg zinc/ kg of diet (LC‐ZN) in two trials. All hens were challenged orally with 10 5SE on day 4 of experiment. Hen body weight loss was significantly (P < 0.05) increased and ovarian weight was significantly (P < 0.05) decreased in hens fed the LC or LC‐ZN diets compared to NM. Cecal lactic acid concentrations were significantly (P < 0.05) increased in hens fed alternative molting diets. Feed withdrawal molted hens exhibited significantly (P < 0.05) more S. Enteritidis positive and S. Enteritidis crop, cecal, and organ colonization than NM, LC and LC‐ZN hens. Alternative molt diets retain sufficient fermentative activity to limit S. Enteritidis colonization and therefore may have potential to avoid the risk of increasing S. Enteritidis colonization associated with feed withdrawal.
COMPARISON OF REVERSE PASSIVE LATEX AGGLUTINATION TEST AND IMMUNOBLOTTING FOR DETECTION OF STAPHYLOCOCCAL ENTEROTOXIN A AND B
Authors: DI PINTO A. , FORTE V.T. , CICCARESE G. , CONVERSANO M.C. , TANTILLO G.M. 
Published: February 2005

ABSTRACT Staphylococcal foodborne diseases resulting from consumption of food contaminated with staphylococcal enterotoxins (SEs) produced by certain strains of Staphylococcus aureus are the second most common foodborne illnesses in the world. Analytical methods are essential for routine monitoring purposes and safeguard public health. Different methods for SE detection have been proposed although their use in a complex matrix is often limited by the presence of substances that interfere with tests. In this article reverse passive latex agglutination (RPLA) and immunoblotting methods based on specific antibodies and currently available for SE detection have been compared. Culture filtrates from enterotoxin S. aureus strains isolated from cheese samples were identified by SET‐RPLA. Then the culture filtrates identified as staphylococcal enterotoxin A and staphylococcal enterotoxin B by RPLA test were analyzed with immunoblotting. The results obtained suggest that either SET‐RPLA or immunoblotting may be applied to culture filtrates for the detection of SEs with good correspondence of results. Although SET‐RPLA represents a simple method for routine monitoring purposes, a positive result by a rapid method (RPLA) is only regarded as presumptive and must be confirmed by standard methods (Feng 1996), such as immunoblotting method.
DETECTION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF VEROTOXIN‐PRODUCINGESCHERICHIA COLI(VTEC) ISOLATED FROM BUFFALO MEAT
Authors: HAZARIKA R.A. , SINGH D.K. , KAPOOR K.N. , AGARWAL R.K. , PANDEY A.B. , RAJKUMAR D.N. 
Published: February 2005

ABSTRACTThe emergence of Verotoxin‐producingEscherichia coli(VTEC) as zoonotic foodborne pathogens in recent years has become a public health concern because of its life threatening human diseases. In the present investigation, out of 87 strains ofE. coli, 22 (25%) belonging to 13 different serotypes isolated from raw buffalo meat and its products were found to be verotoxic as tested by Vero cell cytotoxic assay. Serotype O26 followed by O153 and O157 were the predominant VTEC. All the VTEC strains were found positive forvtgenes by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Among thevtgenotypes,vt2(77%) was most predominant followed byvt1(14%) and bothvt1andvt2(9%). Production of enterohaemolysin on washed sheep blood agar supplemented with CaCl2showed 19 (86%) VTEC strains to be positive. Presence of VTEC in cooked buffalo meat products, namely shami kabab and kabab, appears to be a matter of concern and a potential threat to public health. VTEC detection by different methods suggests that PCR can be useful to evaluate the distribution of virulence genes (vt1orvt2or both) inE. coliisolates from buffalo meat and its products.
EVALUATION OF THE TOXICITY OF LACTOBACILLUS ACIDOPHILUS LAP5 IN A 28‐DAY FEEDING STUDY IN WISTAR RATS
Authors: TSAI CHENG‐CHIH , CHEN MING‐HUI , LIU TSENG‐HUANG , CHAU CHIN‐GIN , CHANG LI‐TUNG , TSAI CHIN‐CHUAN , TSEN HAU‐YANG 
Published: February 2005

ABSTRACT We have previously screened lactic acid bacteria strains from porcine intestine and evaluated their functional properties. We found a strain of Lactobacillus acidophilus LAP5 is with potential for use as human and animal probiotics. However, the safety of the strain in consideration must be evaluated. The present study was conducted to evaluate the toxicity of strain L. acidophilus LAP5 in Wistar rats by dietary administration at concentrations of 2.1 × 1011, 1.05 × 1011 and 4.2 × 109 CFU per kg body weight of rat per day for 28 days. There were no adverse effects on the general condition and behavior, growth, feed and water consumption, hematology, clinical chemistry indexes, organ weights and histopathologic analysis. Results of this study demonstrated that consumption of strain L. acidophilus LAP5 was not associated with any signs of toxicity in Wistar rats even following consumption of large quantities.
CONTROL OF BACILLUS CEREUS IN HIGH‐pH CRUMPETS
Authors: KOUKOUTSIS JOHN , SMITH JAMES P. , DAIFAS DAPHNE PHILLIPS , YAYALAN VAROUJAN , CAYOUETTE BERNARD , NGADI MICHAEL , EL‐KHOURY WASSIM 
Published: February 2005

ABSTRACT Studies were performed to determine the effects of sorbic hydroxamic acid (SHA) and mastic oil–ethanol (ME) or water‐ethanol (WE) emitters on the growth of Bacillus cereus in high‐moisture, high‐pH (∼8.9) English‐style crumpets stored at ambient temperature (25C). While SHA (3000 p.p.m.), alone or in combination with ME emitters, was effective in inhibiting the growth of B. cereus for 14 days in high‐pH crumpets, only SHA formulated crumpets packaged in air had acceptable sensory scores at the end of storage. However, ME emitters alone were ineffective in controlling the growth of this pathogen. This lack of inhibition in crumpets was attributed to the poor absorption of mastic volatiles from the package headspace into the food matrix. Whatever the reason, these preliminary studies showed that SHA has the potential to control the growth of B. cereus in high‐moisture, high‐pH crumpets without compromising product quality.
Pyogenic Liver Abscess Due to
Rhodococcus equi
in an Immunocompetent Host
Authors: Napoleão Fátima , Vieira Damasco Paulo , Ferreira Camello Thereza Cristina , Damasceno do Vale Márcio , Braga de Andrade Arnaldo Feitosa , Hirata Raphael , de Mattos-Guaraldi Ana Luíza 
Published: February 2005

ABSTRACT

A case of pyogenic liver abscess (PLA) due to
Rhodococcus equi
in an immunocompetent individual was successfully treated by combining surgery and antibiotics. The
R. equi
-targeted antimicrobial agents erythromycin and rifampin were used only after surgical resection of the lesion and identification of the infective organism.
Multiple Genetically Distinct Groups Revealed among Clinical Isolates Identified as Atypical
Aspergillus fumigatus
Authors: Katz Margaret E. , Dougall Annette M. , Weeks Kerry , Cheetham Brian F. 
Published: February 2005

ABSTRACT

To investigate whether genetic variants of
A. fumigatus
are found among clinical isolates, four isolates that were originally identified as poorly sporulating strains of
Aspergillus fumigatus
were subjected to molecular analysis. DNA sequence analysis of the alkaline protease genes of these isolates showed that each is genetically distinct and each shows substantial variation (7 to 11%) from the
A. fumigatus
nucleotide sequence. Subsequent morphological examination suggested that all of the isolates could be classified as
Aspergillus viridinutans
. To clarify the taxonomic status of these four clinical isolates and of two previously identified as atypical
A. fumigatus
isolates, partial β-tubulin and 18S rRNA gene sequences were determined. Each of the six atypical strains had a unique β-tubulin sequence, whereas the sequences of three standard isolates of
A. fumigatus
, which were included as controls, were identical to the published
A. fumigatus
β-tubulin sequence. The very low level of DNA sequence variation detected in standard isolates of
A. fumigatus
compared with other isolates from members of
Aspergillus
section
Fumigati
suggests that it may be a relatively recently evolved species. The 18S rRNA gene of two of the atypical isolates differed from that of
A. fumigatus
at a single nucleotide position. Phylogenetic analyses do not support the classification of all of these isolates as
A. viridinutans
. Thus, some of these isolates represent new species which are potential opportunistic pathogens.
The Pneumoplex Assays, a Multiplex PCR-Enzyme Hybridization Assay That Allows Simultaneous Detection of Five Organisms,
Mycoplasma pneumoniae
,
Chlamydia
(
Chlamydophila
)
pneumoniae
,
Legionella pneumophila
,
Legionella micdadei
, and
Bordetella pertussis
, and Its Real-Time Counterpart
Authors: Khanna M. , Fan J. , Pehler-Harrington K. , Waters C. , Douglass P. , Stallock J. , Kehl S. , Henrickson K. J. 
Published: February 2005

ABSTRACT

Respiratory disease caused by atypical bacteria remains an important cause of morbidity and mortality for adults and children, despite the widespread use of effective antimicrobials agents. Culture remains the “gold standard” for the detection of these agents. However, culture is labor-intensive, takes several days to weeks for growth, and can be very insensitive for the detection of some of these organisms. Newer singleplex PCR diagnostic tests are sensitive and specific, but multiple assays would be needed to detect all of the common pathogens. Therefore, we developed the Pneumoplex assays, a multiplex PCR-enzyme hybridization assay (the standard assay) and a multiplex real-time assay to detect the most common atypical pathogens in a single test. Primer and probe sequences were designed from conserved regions of specific genes for each of these organisms. The limits of detection were as follows: for
Bordetella pertussis
, 2 CFU/ml; for
Legionella pneumophila
(serotypes 1 to 15) and
Legionella micdadei
, 9 and 80 CFU/ml, respectively; for
Mycoplasma pneumoniae
, 5 CFU/ml; and for
Chlamydia
(
Chlamydophila
)
pneumoniae
, 0.01 50% tissue culture infective doses. Recombinant DNA controls for each of these organisms were constructed, and the number of copies for each DNA control was calculated. The Pneumoplex could detect each DNA control down to 10 copies/ml. The analytical specificity demonstrated no cross-reactivity between 23 common respiratory pathogens. One hundred twenty-five clinical bronchoalveolar lavage fluid samples tested by the standard assay demonstrated that the Pneumoplex yielded a sensitivity and a specificity of 100 and 98.5%, respectively. This test has the potential to assist clinicians in establishing a specific etiologic diagnosis before initiating therapy, to decrease hospital costs, and to prevent inappropriate antimicrobial therapy.