bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The efficacy of cystatin C assay in the prediction of glomerular filtration rate. Is it a more reliable marker for renal failure?
Authors: Bicik Zerrin , Bahcebasi Talat , Kulaksızoglu Sevsen , Yavuz Ozlem 
Published: August 2005

AbstractWe determined the sensitivity, specificity, receiver operating characteristics and correlation between cystatin C (cysC) and two widely used markers of renal function, creatinine clearance and serum creatinine, in 244 patients (84 diabetics, 84 hypertensive and 76 healthy subjects). Renal failure was defined as creatinine clearance of less than either 80 or 60mL/min. Variables were evaluated for two definitions of renal failure and compared between patient groups. Correlation coefficients with cysC were −0.87 for creatinine clearance and 0.92 for creatinine in patients with hypertension; −0.90 for creatinine clearance and 0.97 for creatinine in diabetics; and −0.61 for creatinine clearance and 0.94 for creatinine in the control group. The receiver operating characteristic curves with a cut-off value of 60mL/min were similar for creatinine and cysC, while at 80mL/min they were 0.626 for creatinine and 0.813 for cysC levels. We classified the patients into three groups with respect to creatinine clearance (1, >80mL/min; 2, 60–80mL/min; 3, <60mL/min). Mean creatinine (p<0.0001) and cysC (p<0.0001) levels were significantly different between all the groups. Sensitivity, specificity and predictive values were higher for cysC levels, particularly in diabetics and hypertensive patients. The current study suggests that cysC is preferable for detecting temporal changes in renal function in the early stages of renal insufficiency.
Educational intervention together with an on-line quality control program achieve recommended analytical goals for bedside blood glucose monitoring in a 1200-bed university hospital
Authors: Sánchez-Margalet Víctor , Rodriguez-Oliva Manuel , Sánchez-Pozo Cristina , Fernández-Gallardo María Francisca , Goberna Raimundo 
Published: August 2005

AbstractPortable meters for blood glucose concentrations are used at the patients bedside, as well as by patients for self-monitoring of blood glucose. Even though most devices have important technological advances that decrease operator error, the analytical goals proposed for the performance of glucose meters have been recently changed by the American Diabetes Association (ADA) to reach <5% analytical error and <7.9% total error. We studied 80meters throughout the Virgen Macarena Hospital and we found most devices with performance error higher than 10%. The aim of the present study was to establish a new system to control portable glucose meters together with an educational program for nurses in a 1200-bed University Hospital to achieve recommended analytical goals, so that we could improve the quality of diabetes care. We used portable glucose meters connected on-line to the laboratory after an educational program for nurses with responsibilities in point-of-care testing. We evaluated the system by assessing total error of the glucometers using high- and low-level glucose control solutions. In a period of 6months, we collected data from 5642 control samples obtained by 14 devices (Precision PCx) directly from the control program (QC manager). The average total error for the low-level glucose control (2.77mmol/l) was 6.3% (range 5.5–7.6%), and even lower for the high-level glucose control (16.66mmol/l), at 4.8% (range 4.1–6.5%). In conclusion, the performance of glucose meters used in our University Hospital with more than 1000 beds not only improved after the intervention, but the meters achieved the analytical goals of the suggested ADA/National Academy of Clinical Biochemistry criteria for total error (<7.9% in the range 2.77–16.66mmol/l glucose) and optimal total error for high glucose concentrations of <5%, which will improve the quality of care of our patients.
The reliability of calculated laboratory results
Authors: Coskun Abdurrahman 
Published: August 2005

AbstractIn clinical laboratories, patient results can be obtained in two ways: (i) by direct determination of requested tests using various chemical methods, (ii) by calculation of unknown test results, based on relationships between measured tests. The reliability of measured tests can be checked by various quality control rules. However, no test is performed to check the reliability of calculated data. In this study we develop a method using Taylor series expansion and an alternative equation to obtain the standard deviation of calculated laboratory tests and discuss the reliability of calculated data. To obtain reliable test results by calculation instead of being measured by chemical methods, the standard deviation of each measured component of the equation must be thoroughly analyzed and then the standard deviation of the equation must be determined. We conclude that the analytical coefficient of variation of any measured component must be lower so as to obtain an acceptable analytical coefficient of variation for calculated tests. Otherwise we should measure the concentration of requested tests by chemical methods instead of calculation by equation using specified components.
Treatment of Senile Osteoporosis in SAMP6 Mice by Intra–Bone Marrow Injection of Allogeneic Bone Marrow Cells
Authors: Takada Keizo , Inaba Muneo , Ichioka Naoya , Ueda Yusuke , Taira Mitsuru , Baba Susumu , Mizokami Tomomi , Wang Xiaoli , Hisha Hiroko , Iida Hirokazu , Ikehara Susumu 
Published: August 2005

AbstractA substrain of the senescence-accelerated mouse, SAMP6 (senescence-accelerated mouse prone 6), spontaneously develops osteoporosis early in life. Therefore, this strain is a useful animal model for developing new strategies for the treatment of osteoporosis in humans. We succeeded in treating osteoporosis in SAMP6 mice after the onset of this disease, using a newly developed method of bone marrow transplantation (BMT): Allogeneic bone marrow cells obtained from normal mouse strains were directly injected into the bone marrow cavity of irradiated SAMP6 mice (intra–bone marrow BMT [IBM-BMT]). After the treatment with IBM-BMT, hematolymphoid cells were completely reconstituted by donor-derived cells, and bone marrow stromal cells were also found to be of donor origin. The treated SAMP6 mice showed histologically-normal trabecular bone. In addition, bone mineral density and urinary deoxypiridinoline, a hallmark of bone destruction, were normalized. When the message levels of cytokines (tumor necrosis factor α, interleukin-6 [IL-6], IL-11, and receptor activator of nuclear factor–κ B ligand [RANKL]) were examined, IL-11, RANKL (from bone marrow stromal cells), and IL-6 (from osteoclasts), which regulate bone remodeling, were restored to levels similar to those in normal B6 mice. These findings indicate that not only the hemopoietic system but also the bone marrow microenvironment were normalized after IBM-BMT, resulting in an amelioration of the imbalance between bone absorption and formation.
Cytokine-Dependent Proliferation of Human CD34+ Progenitor Cells in the Absence of Serum Is Suppressed by Their Progeny's Production of Serine Proteinases
Authors: Goselink Henriette M. , Hiemstra Pieter S. , van Noort Peter , Barge Renée M.Y. , Willemze Roel , Falkenburg J.H. Frederik 
Published: August 2005

AbstractIn this study, we demonstrate that the synthesis and release of serine proteinases by hematopoietic cells affects the in vitro proliferation of hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPCs) in response to proteins, including hematopoietic growth factors (HGFs), transferrin, insulin, and albumin in serum-free cultures. In serum-free cultures, bone marrow mononuclear cells or the CD34− progeny of the CD34+ cells were shown to release the serine proteinases human neutrophil elastase (HNE), cathepsin G (Cath G), and proteinase 3 (Pr3). In the absence of serum, we showed that HNE, Cath G, and Pr3 rapidly and dose-dependently degraded HGF and other proteins present in the medium, resulting in decreased proliferation of HPCs. Addition of the serine proteinase inhibitors α1–proteinase inhibitor (α1-PI) or the secretory leukocyte proteinase inhibitor (SLPI), but not leupeptin, aprotinin, or AEBSF (4-[2-aminoethyl]-benzenesulfonylfluoride hydrochloride), could completely prevent the degradation of proteins relevant to the growth of hematopoietic cells. Thus, the addition of serine proteinase inhibitors like α1-PI or SLPI may be critical for the expansion of CD34+ cells or gene transfer into CD34+ cells or other hematopoietic cells in vitro using serum-free media under good manufacturing practice conditions.
Testicular Cell Conditioned Medium Supports Differentiation of Embryonic Stem Cells into Ovarian Structures Containing Oocytes
Authors: Lacham-Kaplan Orly , Chy Hun , Trounson Alan 
Published: August 2005

AbstractPrevious reports and the current study have found that germ cell precursor cells appear in embryoid bodies (EBs) formed from mouse embryonic stem cells as identified by positive expression of specific germ cell markers such as Oct-3/4, Mvh, c-kit, Stella, and DAZL. We hypothesized that if exposed to appropriate growth factors, the germ cell precursor cells within the EBs would differentiate into gametes. The source for growth factors used in the present study is conditioned medium collected from testicular cell cultures prepared from the testes of newborn males. Testes at this stage of development contain most growth factors required for the transformation of germ stem cells into differentiated gametes. When EBs were cultured in the conditioned medium, they developed into ovarian structures, which contained putative oocytes. The oocytes were surrounded by one to two layers of flattened cells and did not have a visible zona pellucida. However, oocyte-specific markers such as Fig-α and ZP3 were found expressed by the ovarian structures. The production of oocytes using this method is repeatable and reliable and may be applicable to other mammalian species, including the human.
Genotoxicity of industrial solid waste leachates in Drosophila melanogaster
Authors: Siddique Hifzur R. , Gupta Subash C. , Dhawan Alok , Murthy R.C. , Saxena D.K. , Chowdhuri D. Kar 
Published: August 2005

AbstractThe potential toxicity of industrial solid wastes is a major environmental concern. The present study evaluated the genotoxicity of industrial waste leachates on the gut cells of Drosophila melanogaster (Oregon R+), using a modified alkaline comet assay. Leachates were prepared from control soil and solid wastes generated by a flashlight battery factory, a pigment plant, and a tannery, using different pHs (7.0, 4.93, and 2.88). Newly emerged first instar Drosophila larvae (22 ± 2 hr) were transferred to standard Drosophila diet containing 0.05%, 0.1%, 0.5%, 1.0%, and 2.0% of the leachates, and allowed to grow. At 96 ± 2 hr, the anterior midgut of control and treated larvae was dissected out; single cell suspensions were prepared; and the comet assay was performed on the cells. All the leachates produced significant (P < 0.05), dose‐dependent increases in DNA damage, in the gut cells. Leachates prepared at pH 7.0 were significantly less genotoxic than leachates prepared at pH 4.93 or 2.88. A comparison of the comet parameters among the exposed groups indicated that leachates of the pigment plant solid waste produced the least DNA damage, while leachates prepared from the flashlight battery factory solid waste were the most genotoxic. The present study indicates that leachates of solid wastes from flashlight battery factories, pigment plants, and tanneries possess genotoxic activity and that D. melanogaster is a useful in vivo model for assessing the genotoxicity of these potential environmental contaminants. Environ. Mol. Mutagen., 2005. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Comparative Study of Factor Xa Inhibitors Using Molecular Docking/SVM/HQSAR/3D‐QSAR Methods
Authors: Sun Jing , Chen Hai Feng , Xia Hai Rong , Yao Jian Hua , Fan Bo Tao 
Published: August 2005

AbstractThe binding modes of a group of Factor Xa (fXa) inhibitors were studied using FlexX. CoMFA, CoMSIA, HQSAR and SVM models for inhibition potency were constructed with the conformers obtained from the molecular docking. 3D‐QSAR models for oral biovailability were also constructed with the subset inhibitors. The results show that these models possess good prediction ability. The influence of substituents for the activity and oral bioavailability were explored by comparing the constructed 3D‐QSAR models. We found that some substituents have consistent effects on inhibition potency and oral bioavailablity, but some have inconsistent effects. We observed equally that the different methods involved in this study, such as molecular docking, SVM, HQSAR and 3D‐QSAR models, could be used not only for the prediction, but they are also complementary each to other. They are helpful for better understanding the interaction mechanism between inhibitors and fXa receptor.
Simulation analyses of weighted fair bandwidth‐on‐demand (WFBoD) process for broadband multimedia geostationary satellite systems
Authors: Açar Güray , Rosenberg Catherine 
Published: August 2005

AbstractAdvanced resource management schemes are required for broadband multimedia satellite networks to provide efficient and fair resource allocation while delivering guaranteed quality of service (QoS) to a potentially very large number of users. Such resource management schemes must provide well‐defined service segregation to the different traffic flows of the satellite network, and they must be integrated with some connection admission control (CAC) process at least for the flows requiring QoS guarantees. Weighted fair bandwidth‐on‐demand (WFBoD) is a resource management process for broadband multimedia geostationary (GEO) satellite systems that provides fair and efficient resource allocation coupled with a well‐defined MAC‐level QoS framework (compatible with ATM and IP QoS frameworks) and a multi‐level service segregation to a large number of users with diverse characteristics. WFBoD is also integrated with the CAC process. In this paper, we analyse via extensive simulations the WFBoD process in a bent‐pipe satellite network. Our results show that WFBoD can be used to provide guaranteed QoS for both non‐real‐time and real‐time variable bit rate (VBR) flows. Our results also show how to choose the main parameters of the WFBoD process depending on the system parameters and on the traffic characteristics of the flows. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A derivation of the isothermal quantum hydrodynamic equations using entropy minimization
Authors: Jüngel A. , Matthes D. 
Published: August 2005

AbstractDedicated to Prof. Herbert Gajewski in occasion of his 65th birthday
Isothermal quantum hydrodynamic equations of order 𝒪($\hbar$2) using the quantum entropy minimization method recently developed by Degond and Ringhofer are derived. The equations have the form of the usual quantum hydrodynamic model including a correction term of order 𝒪($\hbar$2 which involves the vorticity. If the initial vorticity is of order 𝒪($\hbar$4, the standard model is obtained up to order . The derivation is based on a careful expansion of the quantum equilibrium obtained from the entropy minimization in powers of $\hbar$2.
Simulation of longitudinal instabilities in filamentary current flow during low‐temperature impurity breakdown in semiconductors
Authors: Murawski J. , Schwarz G. , Novák V. , Prettl W. , Schöll E. 
Published: August 2005

AbstractNonlinear semiconductor transport simulations based on the WIAS‐TeSCA code are presented. Various regimes of low‐temperature breakdown and current filamentation in n‐GaAs are investigated using a drift‐diffusion model with nonlinear generation‐recombination kinetics. Nonlinear charge density waves are found in two‐dimensional simulations of a point contact geometry with and without an additional perpendicular magnetic field. The numerical simulations of the nonlinear spatio‐temporal dynamics are complemented by a linear stability analysis which reveals the possibility of undamped longitudinal fluctuations in the filamentary regime.
Detection of Severe Human Metapneumovirus Infection by Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction and Histopathological Assessment
Authors: Sumino Kaharu C. , Agapov Eugene , Pierce Richard A. , Trulock Elbert P. , Pfeifer John D. , Ritter Jon H. , Gaudreault-Keener Monique , Storch Gregory A. , Holtzman Michael J. 
Published: August 2005

AbstractBackgroundInfections with common respiratory tract viruses can cause high mortality, especially in immunocompromised hosts, but the impact of human metapneumovirus (hMPV) in this setting was previously unknownMethodsWe evaluated consecutive bronchoalveolar lavage and bronchial wash fluid samples from 688 patients—72% were immunocompromised and were predominantly lung transplant recipients—for hMPV by use of quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and positive results were correlated with clinical outcome and results of viral cultures, in situ hybridization, and lung histopathological assessmentResultsSix cases of hMPV infection were identified, and they had a similar frequency and occurred in a similar age range as other paramyxoviral infections. Four of 6 infections occurred in immunocompromised patients. Infection was confirmed by in situ hybridization for the viral nucleocapsid gene. Histopathological assessment of lung tissue samples showed acute and organizing injury, and smudge cell formation was distinct from findings in infections with other paramyxoviruses. Each patient with high titers of hMPV exhibited a complicated clinical course requiring prolonged hospitalizationConclusionsOur results provide in situ evidence of hMPV infection in humans and suggest that hMPV is a cause of clinically severe lower respiratory tract infection that can be detected during bronchoscopy by use of real-time PCR and routine histopathological assessment
Three Eyes for the Journey
Authors: Stewart Dianne M. 
Published: August 2005

AbstractStudies of African-derived religious traditions have generally focused on their retention of African elements. This emphasis slights the ways in which communities in the African diaspora have created and formed new religious meaning. In this fieldwork-based study, this book shows that African people have been agents of their own religious, ritual, and theological formation. The book examines the African-derived and African-centered traditions in historical and contemporary Jamaica: Myal, Obeah, Native Baptist, Revival/Zion, Kumina, and Rastafari, drawing on them to forge a new womanist liberation theology for the Caribbean.
Divination
Authors: Stewart Dianne M. 
Published: August 2005

AbstractThis chapter begins with a discussion of Christian theology. It then describes the purpose of this study, which is to offer a new paradigm in Caribbean theology, which will reflect the prophetic insights and liberative traditions in the African-derived religions of the region, focusing on the island of Jamaica. Relevant comparisons are also made between Jamaica and other islands in the Caribbean. An overview of the chapters included in this volume is presented.
Epistemology and the Psychology of Human Judgment
Authors: Bishop Michael A , Trout J. D. 
Published: August 2005

AbstractThis book presents a new approach to epistemology (the theory of human knowledge and reasoning). Its approach aims to liberate epistemology from the scholastic debates of standard analytic epistemology, and treat it as a branch of the philosophy of science. The approach is novel in its use of cost-benefit analysis to guide people facing real reasoning problems and in its framework for resolving normative disputes in psychology. Based on empirical data, the book shows how people can improve their reasoning by relying on Statistical Prediction Rules (SPRs). It then develops and articulates the positive core of the book. The view presented — Strategic Reliabilism — claims that epistemic excellence consists in the efficient allocation of cognitive resources to reliable reasoning strategies, applied to significant problems. The last third of the book develops the implications of this view for standard analytic epistemology; for resolving normative disputes in psychology; and for offering practical, concrete advice on how this theory can improve real people's reasoning.
The Amazing Success of Statistical Prediction Rules
Authors: Bishop Michael A , Trout J. D. 
Published: August 2005

AbstractThis chapter discusses Statistical Prediction Rules (SPRs) and provides an explanation for their success. SPRs are simple, formal rules that have been shown to be typically more reliable, than the predictions of human experts on a wide variety of problems. Based on testable results, psychology can make normative recommendations about how we ought to reason. The branches of psychology that provide normative recommendations are dubbed as ‘Ameliorative Psychology’. Two central lessons of Ameliorative Psychology are that when it comes to social judgment, (a) proper unit weight models outperform humans in terms of reliability and (b) improper unit weight models often perform nearly as well as proper models and therefore better than humans. It is argued that the reason people resist this ‘practical conclusion’ is partly because the SPR results are noxious to our conception of ourselves as good reasoners. Further, they undermine our hope — so evident in the a priorism of so much contemporary epistemology — that we can be experts at recognizing good reasoning without massive empirical aid.
Strategic Reliabilism: Robust Reliability
Authors: Bishop Michael A , Trout J. D. 
Published: August 2005

AbstractThis chapter discusses Strategic Reliabilism. The epistemological theory underlying Ameliorative Psychology is a view called Strategic Reliabilism: Epistemic excellence involves the efficient allocation of cognitive resources to robustly reliable reasoning strategies applied to significant problems. Strategic Reliabilism gives a systematic voice and a theoretical foundation to the long-standing success of SPRs while at the same time avoiding the most serious objections to traditional process reliabilism.
Strategic Reliabilism: Epistemic Significance
Authors: Bishop Michael A , Trout J. D. 
Published: August 2005

AbstractThis chapter offers a framework for understanding significance that tolerates our incomplete knowledge of the conditions for human well-being. Topics discussed include the role of significance in Strategic Reliabilism, a reason-based approach to significance, and the potential unavailability of objective reasons. It is argued that a proper understanding of the notion of epistemic significance is a core problem for any epistemological theory that claims to be able to guide reason, and that any epistemological view that gives a central place to the notion of significance is bound to be deeply empirical.
Putting Epistemology into Practice: Normative Disputes in Psychology
Authors: Bishop Michael A , Trout J. D. 
Published: August 2005

AbstractThis chapter uses Strategic Reliabilism to resolve two debates about whether certain experimental findings demonstrate deep and systematic failures of human reasoning. It illustrates one of the main benefits of the current approach to epistemology: it can be used to adjudicate disputes that arise in psychology that are, at bottom, normative epistemological disputes about the nature of good reasoning.
Putting Epistemology into Practice: Positive Advice
Authors: Bishop Michael A , Trout J. D. 
Published: August 2005

AbstractThis chapter attempts to consolidate some of the lessons of Ameliorative Psychology with some handy heuristics and illustrative injunctions. It explores the empirical research that shows how to enhance the accuracy of diagnostic reasoning, reduce overconfidence, avoid the regression fallacy, improve policy assessments, and restrain the unbridled story-telling surrounding rare or unusual events. For problems tractable to voluntary reasoning strategies, the simple strategies recommended in the chapter can improve reasoning at low cost and high fidelity.