bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Duloxetine vs placebo in the treatment of stress urinary incontinence: a four‐continent randomized clinical trial
Authors: Millard R.J. , Moore K. , Rencken R. , Yalcin I. , Bump R.C. ,   for the Duloxetine UI Study Group
Published: February 2004

OBJECTIVESTo further assess, in a phase 3 study, treatment with duloxetine for women with stress urinary incontinence (SUI) in other geographical regions, including Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Finland, Poland, South Africa and Spain, as previous trials in North America and Europe provided evidence for the safety and efficacy of duloxetine as a pharmacological treatment for SUI in women.PATIENTS AND METHODSThe study included 458 women aged 27–79 years enrolled in a double‐blind, placebo‐controlled trial. The patients with predominantly SUI were identified using a validated clinical algorithm. They were randomly assigned to receive placebo (231) or duloxetine 40 mg twice daily (227) for 12 weeks. The primary outcome variables included the incontinence episode frequency (IEF) and the Incontinence Quality of Life (I‐QOL) questionnaire. Van Elteren's test was used to analyse the percentage changes in IEF where the stratification variable was weekly baseline IEF (IEF <14 and ≥14). Analysis of covariance was used to analyse I‐QOL scores.RESULTSThe mean baseline IEF was 18.4/week; 55% of patients had a baseline IEF of ≥ 14. There was a significantly greater median decrease in IEF with duloxetine with placebo (54% vs 40%, P = 0.05), with comparable significant improvements in quality of life (I‐QOL score increases of 10.3 vs 6.4, P = 0.007). The improvements with duloxetine were associated with significantly greater increases in voiding intervals than with placebo (20.4 vs 8.5 min, P < 0.001). The placebo response was 10.7% and 12.5% higher than those reported in two European and North American phase 3 trials. This may have been related to more patients being naïve for incontinence management in the current trial. Discontinuation rates for adverse events were 1.7% for placebo and 17.2% for duloxetine (P < 0.001), with nausea being the most common reason for discontinuation (3.1%); it was the most common adverse event with duloxetine, but was mild or moderate in most (81%), did not worsen in any patient and resolved within 7 days in 60% and within 1 month in 86% of continuing patients; 88% of women who experienced nausea while taking duloxetine completed the trial.CONCLUSIONSThese results show improvements in incontinence and quality of life with duloxetine 40 mg twice daily for 12 weeks that are in keeping with those reported in two other recently completed phase 3 trials in Europe and North America.
Transvaginal electrical stimulation in the treatment of urinary incontinence
Authors: Barroso J.C.V. , Ramos J.G.L. , Martins‐Costa S. , Sanches P.R.S. , Muller A.F. 
Published: February 2004

OBJECTIVETo determine the effectiveness of transvaginal electrical stimulation (TES) in treating urinary incontinence, and to assess the clinical improvement 6 months after ending the treatment.PATIENTS AND METHODSIn a double‐blind randomized controlled clinical trial, 36 women (24 patients and 12 controls) with stress, urge or mixed urinary incontinence were chosen to use TES or placebo (identical equipment but with no electrical current). The patients had their treatment at home twice a day (20‐min sessions) for 12 weeks. They completed a voiding diary and had a urodynamic study at the beginning and end of treatment. They were clinically re‐evaluated after 6 months.RESULTSThe mean time of use of TES was similar in both groups (≈ 40 h); the treatment group had a significant increase in maximum bladder capacity (P < 0.02), a significant reduction in the total number of voids (over 24 h; P < 0.02), in the number of episodes of voiding urgency (P < 0.001) and, importantly, in the number of episodes of urinary incontinence (P < 0.001). At the first evaluation, after ending the treatment, 88% of the patients had a significant reduction in symptoms or went into remission. At the 6‐month re‐evaluation, a third of the patients required another therapeutic approach.CONCLUSIONTES is a practical alternative with few side‐effects, and is effective for treating the main forms of female urinary incontinence.
The
lgtABCDE
Gene Cluster, Involved in Lipooligosaccharide Biosynthesis in
Neisseria gonorrhoeae
, Contains Multiple Promoter Sequences
Authors: Braun Derek C. , Stein Daniel C. 
Published: February 2004

ABSTRACT

Biosynthesis of the variable core domain of lipooligosaccharide (LOS) in
Neisseria gonorrhoeae
is mediated by glycosyl transferases encoded by
lgtABCDE
. Changes within homopolymeric runs within
lgtA
,
lgtC
, and
lgtD
affect the expression state of these genes, with the nature of the LOS expressed determined by the functionality of these genes. However, the mechanism for modulating the amount of multiple LOS chemotypes expressed in a single cell is not understood. Using mutants containing polar disruptions within the
lgtABCDE
locus, we determined that the expression of this locus is mediated by multiple promoters and that disruption of transcription from these promoters alters the relative levels of simultaneously expressed LOS chemotypes. Expression of the
lgtABCDE
locus was quantified by using
xylE
transcriptional fusions, and the data indicate that this locus is transcribed in trace amounts and that subtle changes in transcription result in phenotypic changes. By using rapid amplification of 5′ cDNA ends, transcriptional start sites and promoter sequences were identified within
lgtABCDE
. Most of these promoters possessed 50 to 67% homology with the consensus gearbox promoter sequence of
Escherichia coli
.
Interactions among CotB, CotG, and CotH during Assembly of the
Bacillus subtilis
Spore Coat
Authors: Zilhão Rita , Serrano Mónica , Isticato Rachele , Ricca Ezio , Moran Charles P. , Henriques Adriano O. 
Published: February 2004

ABSTRACT

Spores formed by wild-type
Bacillus subtilis
are encased in a multilayered protein structure (called the coat) formed by the ordered assembly of over 30 polypeptides. One polypeptide (CotB) is a surface-exposed coat component that has been used as a vehicle for the display of heterologous antigens at the spore surface. The
cotB
gene was initially identified by reverse genetics as encoding an abundant coat component.
cotB
is predicted to code for a 43-kDa polypeptide, but the form that prevails in the spore coat has a molecular mass of about 66 kDa (herein designated CotB-66). Here we show that in good agreement with its predicted size, expression of
cotB
in
Escherichia coli
results in the accumulation of a 46-kDa protein (CotB-46). Expression of
cotB
in sporulating cells of
B. subtilis
also results in a 46-kDa polypeptide which appears to be rapidly converted into CotB-66. These results suggest that soon after synthesis, CotB undergoes a posttranslational modification. Assembly of CotB-66 has been shown to depend on expression of both the
cotH
and
cotG
loci. We found that CotB-46 is the predominant form found in extracts prepared from sporulating cells or in spore coat preparations of
cotH
or
cotG
mutants. Therefore, both
cotH
and
cotG
are required for the efficient conversion of CotB-46 into CotB-66 but are dispensable for the association of CotB-46 with the spore coat. We also show that CotG does not accumulate in sporulating cells of a
cotH
mutant, suggesting that CotH (or a CotH-controlled factor) stabilizes the otherwise unstable CotG. Thus, the need for CotH for formation of CotB-66 results in part from its role in the stabilization of CotG. We also found that CotB-46 is present in complexes with CotG at the time when formation of CotB-66 is detected. Moreover, using a yeast two-hybrid system, we found evidence that CotB directly interacts with CotG and that both CotB and CotG self-interact. We suggest that an interaction between CotG and CotB is required for the formation of CotB-66, which may represent a multimeric form of CotB.
Surface-Associated Flagellum Formation and Swarming Differentiation inBacillus subtilisAre Controlled by theifmLocus
Authors: Senesi Sonia , Ghelardi Emilia , Celandroni Francesco , Salvetti Sara , Parisio Eva , Galizzi Alessandro 
Published: February 2004

ABSTRACTKnowledge of the highly regulated processes governing the production of flagella inBacillus subtilisis the result of several observations obtained from growing this microorganism in liquid cultures. No information is available regarding the regulation of flagellar formation inB. subtilisin response to contact with a solid surface. One of the best-characterized responses of flagellated eubacteria to surfaces is swarming motility, a coordinate cell differentiation process that allows collective movement of bacteria over solid substrates. This study describes the swarming ability of aB. subtilishypermotile mutant harboring a mutation in theifmlocus that has long been known to affect the degree of flagellation and motility in liquid media. On solid media, the mutant produces elongated and hyperflagellated cells displaying a 10-fold increase in extracellular flagellin. In contrast to the mutant, the parental strain, as well as other laboratory strains carrying a wild-typeifmlocus, fails to activate a swarm response. Furthermore, it stops to produce flagella when transferred from liquid to solid medium. Evidence is provided that the absence of flagella is due to the lack of flagellin gene expression. However, restoration of flagellin synthesis in cells overexpressing σDor carrying a deletion offlgMdoes not recover the ability to assemble flagella. Thus, theifmgene plays a determinantal role in the ability ofB. subtilisto contact with solid surfaces.
PriA Is Essential for Viability of the
Escherichia coli
Topoisomerase IV
parE10
(Ts) Mutant
Authors: Grompone Gianfranco , Bidnenko Vladimir , Ehrlich S. Dusko , Michel Bénédicte 
Published: February 2004

ABSTRACT

The
parE10
(Ts) mutation, which renders
Escherichia coli
thermosensitive for growth by inactivation of the essential
E. coli
topoisomerase topo IV, is lethal at all temperatures when PriA, the main replication restart protein, is absent. This lethality is suppressed by the activation of a PriA-independent replication restart pathway (
dnaC809
mutation). This result suggests that topo IV acts prior to full-chromosome replication completion.
H-NS Represses
Salmonella enterica
Serovar Typhimurium
dsbA
Expression during Exponential Growth
Authors: Gallant C. V. , Ponnampalam T. , Spencer H. , Hinton J. C. D. , Martin N. L. 
Published: February 2004

ABSTRACT

Disulfide bond formation catalyzed by disulfide oxidoreductases occurs in the periplasm and plays a major role in the proper folding and integrity of many proteins. In this study, we were interested in elucidating factors that influence the regulation of
dsbA
, a gene coding for the primary disulfide oxidoreductase found in
Salmonella enterica
serovar Typhimurium. Strains with mutations created by transposon mutagenesis were screened for strains with altered expression of
dsbA
. A mutant (NLM2173) was found where maximal expression of a
dsbA
::
lacZ
transcriptional fusion occurred in the exponential growth phase in contrast to that observed in the wild type where maximal expression occurs in stationary phase. Sequence analysis of NLM2173 demonstrated that the transposon had inserted upstream of the gene encoding H-NS. Western immunoblot analysis using H-NS and StpA antibodies showed decreased amounts of H-NS protein in NLM2173, and this reduction in H-NS correlated with an increase of StpA protein. Northern blot analysis with a
dsbA
-specific probe showed an increase in
dsbA
transcript during exponential phase of growth. Direct binding of H-NS to the
dsbA
promoter region was verified using purified H-NS in electrophoretic mobility shift assays. Thus, a reduction in H-NS protein is correlated with a derepression of
dsbA
in NLM2173, suggesting that H-NS normally plays a role in suppressing the expression of
dsbA
during exponential phase growth.
Soil temperature and egg mass formation by Meloidogyne arenaria on oriental melon (Cucumis melo L.)
Authors: Park So Deuk , Kim Dong Geun , Yeon Il Kweon 
Published: February 2004

AbstractEgg masses of Meloidogyne arenaria race 2 were observed on the second planting of oriental melon by the time of its first harvest under glasshouse conditions in Korea. Time and degree-days above 5°C (DD5) for egg mass formation after April were about 24.5 days and 500 DD5. Higher mean soil temperature shortened the days required for egg mass formation. A threshold temperature for degree-days accumulation of 12.2°C was selected on the basis of lowest coefficient of variation among data sets of time to egg mass formation. We propose the use of DD12.2 for predicting the time to egg mass formation of M. arenaria under these glasshouse conditions.
Greek Grammarians and Roman Society during the Early Empire: Statius' Father and his Contemporaries
Authors: McNelis Charles 
Published: February 2004

Statius' Silvae 5.3 is a poem written in honor of the poet's dead father. In the course of the poem, Statius recounts his father's life and achievements. Prominent among these accomplishments are the years the elder Statius spent as a teacher of Greek poetry—a grammarian—in Naples. Statius tells us which Greek poets his father taught and to whom. The content and audience of Statius' father's instruction form the basis of this paper.A number of the Greek poets taught by Statius' father are not obvious candidates for inclusion in a course of instruction in Greek poetry. Lycophron, Corinna or Epicharmus, for instance, are not commonly found in other accounts of Greek education in Roman Italy during the early empire. The elder Statius' pedagogical activity has thus been viewed as a Neapolitan peculiarity. Yet, I argue, the same authors taught by Statius' father were the focus of grammarians who were working in Rome itself. The curriculum of Statius' father is thus representative of Greek intellectual activity in early imperial Rome.The pedagogical activity of Statius senior is relevant to Roman intellectual history in a second way. His students consisted of aristocrats from around the Bay of Naples and southern Italy. Some of these students were likely Roman. So too the students of the Greek grammarians working in Rome likely encountered young Romans. How did the study of some mainstream and some recondite Greek poets fit into the élite discourse of the early empire? I argue that knowledge of the poets taught by the elder Statius was geared towards marking off the élite from the non-élite. Students of grammarians such as Statius' father were given the tools to engage in aristocratic discourse, which constituted a claim for prestige and honor in early imperial Rome.
Cheesecakes, Junkets, and Syllabubs
Authors: Wilson Carol 
Published: February 2004

Milk, cream, butter and cheese were known as "white meats" in medieval England. During the Tudor era the cow became the favorite animal for milking, mostly, but not entirely, replacing goats and ewes. It was much easier and less time consuming to milk one cow than, say, ten or twelve sheep.
White meats were used to produce rich, smooth cheesecakes and cool silky syllabubs and junkets. Tart de Bry, made with soft rich cheese, cream, sugar and spices was a favorite dish at the medieval feasts of the wealthy nobility, as was junket, a very rich delicacy of pure cream curdled with rennet, sweetened with sugar and flavoured with rosewater,which was enjoyed at the end of the meal. Syllabub, a frothy confection of cream or milk, white wine, cider or ale sweetened with sugar was originally a favorite drink in the Tudor and Stuart periods.
In the Elizabethan era, junket was flavoured with spices as well as sugar and was accompanied with fresh cream. Syllabubs came into vogue in the Tudor and Stuart eras;the clear liquid was drunk from the spout of a syllabub pot and the frothy cream eaten with a spoon. By the eighteenth century the proportion of cream had increased and was worked through a chocolate mill, (which had just come into general use) to produce thicker syllabubs, which soon became fashionable desserts. Syllabubs, along with other unrenetted creams and custards ousted junket from banqueting tables and junket became an everyday dish sold in the London streets.
These elegant confections provided a feast for the eyes as well as the palate and are an important part of the great heritage of English culinary history.
Josquin Desprez in Ferrara
Authors: Merkley Paul 
Published: February 2004

The recovery of two notarial documents prepared in Ferrara on behalf of Josquin Desprez soon after his arrival in that city in the spring of 1503 demonstrates his intentions at that time to obtain the provosty of Notre Dame of Condé and reveals the complicated exchange of benefices that brought about that result. The documents name Loyset Compère and Pierre Duwez as respondents to Desprez in a quadrangular exchange of positions. In this transaction Josquin appointed the dean of the chapter of Condé to resign the benefice he held in the collegiate church of Saint-Quentin. Since this was a position over which the King of France enjoyed full legal rights of collation, Josquin ordered the position to be surrendered to that monarch or his confessor, rather than to the pope. Accordingly these documents provide a very strong indication that Louis XII of France was the composer's patron before he came to Ferrara and that the king approved of this benefice exchange.In light of these implications, aspects of the composer's career before and after his Ferrarese service are reconsidered, including occasions on which he composed works for patrons in the French and imperial networks, such as Margaret of Austria, and his collaboration with the poet Jean Lemaire de Belges. Repertoire from Josquin's year in Ferrara is discussed, along with the Hercules Mass. Sections of his setting of the psalm Miserere mei deus are commented on, in connection both to a Biblical passage concordant with a verse of the psalm and to remarks by the theorist Glareanus. The expressive qualities of the Miserere are related to the devotional and ceremonial of duke Ercole, especially in the context of the outbreak of the plague in Ferrara.
Economic Crisis and the Mexican State: Toward a New Institutional Interpretation
Authors: Flores-Quiroga Aldo R. 
Published: February 2004

This article proposes an institutional interpretation of Mexico's long economic crisis of the end of the twentieth century. It argues that the inability of the Mexican government to commit credibly to protecting property rights is largely responsible for the stagnation of private investment levels between 1982 and 1995. This inability is similar to that of the English Crown in the seventeenth century, which resorted to property rights assaults to confront recurrent fiscal crises. The English solution to this problem came in the form of the Glorious Revolution and its associated reforms that stabilized the property rights regime by constraining the Crown's discretion. England's economic growth increased substantially afterwards. Mexicans have attempted a similar reform, through the adoption of domestic and international mechanisms that, as discussed in this article, stabilize the property rights regime. The reform is still unfinished, and it still faces considerable challenges, but if they are surmounted, a return to sustained economic growth is very likely.
Este artículo propone una interpretación institucional de la extensa crisis económica de México a finales del siglo XX. Aquí se establece que la ineptitud delgovierno mexicano paracomprometerse verazmente aprotegerlos derechos de propiedad es laresponsible delestancamiento de los niveles de las inversiones privadas entre 1982 y 1995. Esta ineptitud es similar a la de la Corona inglesa en el siglo XVII, la cual recurrió a atropellos a los derechos de propiedad para confrontar las reiteradas crisis fiscals. La solución inglesa a dicho problema fue la Revolución Gloriosa y sus reformas que estabilizaron elregimen de los derechos de propiedad limitando el poder de la Corona. Posteriormente, Inglaterra tuvo un crecimiento económico sustancial. Los mexicanos han intentado hacer una reforma similar a través de la adopción de mecanismos domésticos e internacionales que,como se arguye en este artículo, estabilizan el regimen de los derechos de propiedad. La reforma aún no ha terminado, y todavía se enfrenta a desafíos considerables, pero si éstos se superan, es probable el retorno a un crecimiento económico sostenido.
Exiliados de la Revolución mexicana: El caso de los villistas (1915–1921)
Authors: Lerner Victoria 
Published: February 2004

As a result of the Mexican Revolution, many politicians from various factions were forced into exile between 1906 and 1940, particularly between 1910 and 1920. The subject has merited little attention until the present despite the fact that its study can provide another perspective on the Mexican Revolution, the one of the opponents who were defeated. This study focuses on the exile of the villistas that began in the autumn of 1915 and ended at the beginning of the 1920s. The article considers who were the villista exiles, how they escaped from Mexico, how they adapted economically in the United States, and when they returned to their country. It also examines certain political tendencies and their later activities between 1920 and 1940. Four political activities in the United States intended to change the political situation in Mexico are considered. Finally, the article examines how U.S. authorities, closely involved with their Mexican counterparts, treated the exiles.
LaRevolución mexicanacausó elexilio de muchos políticos de distintas facciones entre 1906 y 1940, sobre todo entre 1910 y 1920. Este tema ha merecido muy pocaatención hasta elmomento presente,a pesarde que através de élpodemos aproximarnos desde otra perpectiva a la Revolución mexicana, desde el punto de vista de los opositores que muchas veces fueron los vencidos. Este estudio se centra en el exilio de los villistas que empezó en el otoño de 1915 y terminó a principios de la década de 1920. En este artículo se analiza quiénes fueron los exiliados villistas, cómo escaparon de México, su acomodo económico y laboral en Estados Unidos y el retorno a su patria, dejando ver ciertas tendencias políticas de su actuaciónpolítica ulterior entre 1920y 1940.Se desmenuzan cuatro actividades políticas que emprendieron en Estados Unidos para cambiar la situación mexicana. Finalmente se abarca la forma en que fueron tratados durante su exilio en los Estados Unidos, por las autoridades de este país que estaban estrechamente vinculadas con las mexicanas.
Indigenism, Mestizaje, and National Identity in Mexico during the 1940s and the 1950s
Authors: Doremus Anne 
Published: February 2004

In the 1940s the Mexican state stepped up its efforts to integrate the Indian into mainstream society, hoping to stimulate racial mixing or mestizaje, which it viewed as key to the nation's social and economic welfare. This article explores the diverse ways that some of Mexico's most renowned artists and intellectuals aided the state's efforts to promote mestizaje during the 1940s and the 1950s. It also reveals the contradictions in their works, and shows how film's attempts to promote mestizaje hindered those of writers and anthropologists.Durante los años 40 el Estado mexicano doblegó sus esfuerzos para integrar al indio, esperando estimular el mestizaje, lo cual consideró como de primordial importancia para el bienestar social y económico del país. Este artículo examina las diversas maneras en que algunos de los artistas e intelectuales mexicanos más conocidos ayudaron al estado a promover el mestizaje durante los años 40 y 50. También revela las contradicciones en sus obras, y demuestra cómo los intentos del cine para promover el mestizaje entorpecieron los de los escritores y antropólogos.