bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
5-HT<sub>1A </sub>and β-Adrenergic Receptors Regulate Proliferation of Rat Blood Lymphocytes
Authors: Sempere Telésfora , Urbina Mary , Lima Lucimey 
Published: August 2004

Lymphocytes possess serotonin 5-HT<sub>1A</sub> and β-adrenergic receptors, which have been related to cell proliferation. In the present report, lymphocytes of rat blood were isolated by Ficoll-Hypaque gradients and differential adhesion to plastic. They were cultured in RPMI medium for 72 h in the presence of the mitogens lipopolysaccharide concanavalin A and anti-CD3 antibody. The latter two stimulated the proliferation of lymphocytes, but not the first. Serotonin (0.1–100 µ<i>M</i>) was added alone or in the presence of suboptimal concentrations of concanavalin A (2 µg/ml) or anti-CD3 antibody (0.4 µg/ml). The 5-HT<sub>1A</sub> receptor agonists, 8-hydroxy-2-(di-<i>n</i>-propylamino)tetralin and buspirone (0.1–100 µ<i>M</i>) were also tested in the cultures. Serotonin, 8-hydroxy-2-(di-<i>n</i>-propylamino)tetralin and buspirone neither had any effect by themselves, nor modified the proliferation induced by the mitogens. Noradrenaline (25–1,000 µ<i>M</i>) and the β-adrenergic receptor agonist, isoproterenol (5–100 µ<i>M</i>), produced a reduction of the activation induced by concanavalin A or anti-CD3 antibody in a dose-dependent manner. Increasing serotonin concentrations reduced the inhibitory effect of noradrenaline (300 µ<i>M</i>). Variable concentrations of 8-hydroxy-2-(di-<i>n</i>-propylamino)tetralin or buspirone also reduced the inhibition produced by isoproterenol (100 µ<i>M</i>). The antagonist of 5-HT<sub>1A</sub> receptors, WAY-100,478 (0.1–100 µ<i>M</i>), inhibited concanavalin A- or anti-CD3 antibody-induced proliferation. Serotonin (0.1–100 µ<i>M</i>) impaired the inhibitory effect of the 5-HT<sub>1A</sub> antagonist (10 µ<i>M</i>). The inhibitor of tryptophan hydroxylase, <i>p</i>-chlorophenylalanine (50–1,000 µ<i>M</i>), decreased the stimulatory effect of concanavalin A, serotonin (0.5–100 µ<i>M</i>) and 8-hydroxy-2-(di-<i>n</i>-propylamino)tetralin (1–100 µ<i>M</i>) reverted the effect of <i>p</i>-chlorophenylalanine (1,000 µ<i>M</i>). The serotonin reuptake blockers zimelidine, imipramine and clomipramine decreased concanavalin A-induced proliferation. The concentrations of serotonin and noradrenaline increased in lymphocytes cultured in the presence of concanavalin A, probably as a mechanism for modifying the final effect on proliferation. The present results indicate that 5-HT<sub>1A</sub> receptors play a stimulatory role on rat blood lymphocytes, and they interact in a parallel and opposite manner with β-adrenergic receptors. Furthermore, endogenous serotonin is relevant in displaying its stimulatory effect.
Physician-Related Barriers to Hypertension Management
Authors: Wang Lexin 
Published: August 2004

<i>Objective:</i> To investigate the levels of understanding and implementation of current hypertension guidelines among specialist physicians. <i>Subjects and</i><i>Methods:</i> A survey of the understanding and practice in the management of hypertension was conducted among 56 physicians who individually had managed more than 150 new hypertensive patients annually. <i>Results:</i> All respondents were familiar with the current hypertension guidelines and 51.8% always or usually followed these guidelines in treating their patients. Most believed that the lowest blood pressure where pharmacological therapy should be initiated was 155/95 mm Hg. Forty-five (80.4%) physicians considered a blood pressure of less than 140/ 90 mm Hg should be achieved in hypertensive patients. Only 12 (21.4%) respondents provided routine advice on lifestyle modification to their patients. Fifty-four (96.4%) respondents ranked poor adherence to antihypertensive drugs as the major patient barrier to blood pressure control. <i>Conclusions:</i> Most physicians are familiar with the current hypertension guidelines but the implementation of these guidelines in clinical practice is inadequate. Systematic educational programs are needed to enhance physicians’ awareness of the optimal goals of blood pressure control.
Isolation of Fungi, Especially <i>Exophiala dermatitidis</i>, in Patients Suffering from Cystic Fibrosis
Authors: Horré R. , Schaal K.P. , Siekmeier R. , Sterzik B. , de Hoog G.S. , Schnitzler N. 
Published: August 2004

<i>Background:</i> Patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) are at an increased risk of pulmonary colonisation by opportunistic micro-organisms. Using specialised methods, the black yeast <i>Exophiala dermatitidis</i> could consistently be cultured from CF patients. Isolation rates from sputum samples ranged between 1.8 and 15.7%. Occasionally, infection could be recognised. <i>Objectives:</i> This study aimed at investigating the isolation rates of <i>E. dermatitidis</i> in samples taken from CF patients at the University of Bonn, Germany. <i>Methods:</i> Altogether, 439 respiratory specimens taken from 81 CF patients were screened for the occurrence of <i>E. dermatitidis</i> over a period of 18 months. For the selective isolation of this fungus erythritol-chloramphenicol agar (ECA) produced in house was applied. <i>Results:</i> The isolation rate of <i>E. dermatitidis </i>was 1.1% from all specimens, 1.6% from all sputum samples and 6.2% in all patients examined. <i>Conclusions:</i> Prior to the introduction of ECA, <i>E. dermatitidis</i> had never been isolated in our laboratory, either from CF, or from any other patient. During this study, <i>E. dermatitidis</i> was found to colonise the respiratory tract of some CF patients. The use of additional selective culture media is necessary for the recognition of uncommon fungi, e.g. <i>E. dermatitidis</i>, in CF patients.
30-MINUTES-TUMT
Authors: Dicuio Mauro , Knutson Tomas , Vesely Stepan , Damber Jan-Erik , Dahlstrand Christer 
Published: August 2004

<i>Introduction:</i> Primary objective: to investigate if 30-MINUTES-TUMT can be performed under topical anesthesia and analgesics. Secondary objectives: to evaluate retrospectively analgesics and to study parameters connected with pain. <i>Materials and Methods:</i> Eighty-nine patients underwent TUMT. Patients were divided into four groups with different medications. Paracetamol and tolterodin-<i>L</i>-tartrate were administered in all groups. The first group was also given hydromorphone hydrochloride and atropine sulphate, the second group dextropropoxyphene, the third group morphine and diclofenac, and the fourth group morphine and dextropropoxyphene. Pain during TUMT was registered using the VAS scale. <i>Results:</i> Pain during TUMT was (VAS in mm), respectively, total-first-second-third-fourth group: at 5 min –30, 31, 12, 28, 35; at 15 min –30, 23, 16, 25, 34; at 25 min –30, 28, 18, 25, 35. All patients accepted the treatment. No significant difference between the different drug schedules was noticed. <i>Conclusions:</i> It is possible to treat patients with 30-MINUTES-TUMT with local anesthesia and analgesics. The pain can be accepted by all patients.
Percutaneous Drainage of Simple Cysts of the Kidney: A New Method
Authors: Touloupidis S. , Fatles G. , Rombis V. , Papathanasiou A. , Balaxis E. 
Published: August 2004

<i>Objective:</i> The experience of our department on the treatment of solitary simple kidney cysts with continuous percutaneous drainage for 24 h and instillation of pure alcohol as a sclerotic agent is reported. The results are compared with those of previous years when the treatment consisted of percutaneous drainage and injection of pure alcohol. <i>Patients and Methods:</i> During the period 1992–2001, 252 patients (136 male, 116 female; aged 22–74 years) were treated at our department, and all had a solitary kidney cyst. They were treated by percutaneous drainage and then injection of pure alcohol for 20 min via a nephrostomy tube (which remained in position for 24 h). The mean follow-up period was 5 years. This cohort of patients was compared to another one of 238 patients who were treated with a previous method (126 male, 124 female; aged 28–79 years, mean 59 years). <i>Results:</i> In 71% of the patients the symptoms and the cyst both disappeared, in 22% there was no significant recurrence (i.e. cyst diameter <5 cm), and the remaining 7% presented significant recurrence (i.e. cyst diameter >5 cm). Most of the latter cases were treated again using the same method. Of the 73 patients with impaired kidney function, in 61 (83%) this appeared to have improved as a result of our treatment. Of the 61 patients with hypertension, in 29 (47%) this appeared to have improved. There was only 1 case with complications, which presented purulence of the cyst that required open surgery. In previous case series, which were treated with percutaneous drainage and injection of pure alcohol just after the puncture of the cyst – without continuous drainage of the cyst for 24 h – only 10% of the patients had no recurrence, 30% had no significant recurrence (volume of the cyst <20% of the pre-operative volume), and 60% of the patients had significant recurrence (volume of the cyst >20% of the pre-operative volume). <i>Conclusions:</i> Percutaneous drainage of solitary kidney cysts for 24 h followed by injection of pure alcohol, as a sclerotic agent, is an effective therapeutic method with only a few complications. It was therefore considered being the proffered method for the treatment of solitary kidney cysts.
Comparative Antimicrobial Susceptibility of Respiratory Tract Pathogens
Authors: Felmingham David 
Published: August 2004

Bacterial respiratory tract infections (RTIs), whether primary or subsequent to viral infection, are a frequent cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Treatment of these infections is most often empirical. Therefore, an antimicrobial’s antibacterial spectrum must include the most likely pathogens: <i>Streptococcus pneumoniae, </i>the most frequent cause of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), <i>Haemophilus influenzae</i>, <i>Moraxella catarrhalis</i>, and <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i>, as well as atypicals such as <i>Mycoplasma pneumoniae</i>, <i>Legionella pneumophila</i> and <i>Chlamydophila (Chlamydia) pneumoniae</i>. In addition, knowledge of antimicrobial resistance among these key pathogens is imperative for physicians to choose the most appropriate therapeutic agent. The latest data from global surveillance studies indicates that high-level resistance to penicillin (MIC ≧2 mg/l) among isolates of <i>S. pneumoniae</i> varies widely by geographic location. Rates exceed 20% in the USA, Mexico, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Spain, France, Greece, Hungary, and the Slovak Republic. In South Africa, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and South Korea rates exceed 50%. Penicillin non-susceptibility – including isolates exhibiting high-level resistance and intermediate susceptibility (MIC 0.12–1 mg/l) – is frequently found in association with macrolide resistance, which is found at a prevalence of 70–80% in some Asian countries. Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX) and tetracycline resistance, either individually or combined with macrolide resistance as multiple resistance, is also associated with reduced susceptibility to penicillin. Another concern about antimicrobial resistance in respiratory tract pathogens is β-lactamase production among isolates of <i>H. influenzae </i>and <i>M. catarrhalis</i>. However, respiratory fluoroquinolones, of which levofloxacin has been available for the longest time, currently remain active against the great majority of common bacterial respiratory pathogens, including atypicals.
Oxidation of mudstone in a tunnel (Tournemire, France): consequences for the mineralogy and crystal chemistry of clay minerals
Authors: Charpentier D. , Mosser-Ruck R. , Cathelineau M. , Guillaume D. 
Published: August 2004

AbstractThe excavation of a tunnel through a mudstone formation provides an opportunity to examine the effects of the modification of the physical and chemical environment on the rock. The mineralogical and chemical consequences of hydration-dehydration cycles and of oxidation have been evaluated in the case of the Toarcian mudstone formation at the Tournemire experimental site (France). Studies by X-ray diffraction and tansmission electron microscopy of both altered and preserved samples show that the introduction of air and condensed water causes the oxidation of pyrite and the subsequent generation of acid and sulphate-rich waters at the micron scale, in the local environment of pyrites. The fluid-clay particle interactions around the oxidized pyrites induce: (1) a statistical enrichment in Si of the I-S clay minerals; (2) an increase in the Fe(III)/Fe total ratio in some of the I-S particles; and (3) the dissolution of illite layers in mixed-layer I-S. These evolutions are consistent with the results of numerical modelling which reproduced the interaction between the clay particles and the acid water.
Significance of K-Ar dating of very low-grade metamorphism in Triassic-Jurassic pelites from the Coastal Range of central Chile
Authors: Belmar M. , Morata D. , Munizaga F. , Pérez de Arce C. , Morales S. , Carrillo F. J. 
Published: August 2004

AbstractK-Ar isotopic dating of very low-grade metamorphism affecting Triassic-Jurassic rocks in the Coastal Range of central Chile was carried out on whole rocks and their <2 mm size fractions. In the study area, a regional-burial low-grade metamorphism at anchizone conditions (T≤190°C) and low-pressure conditions (P≥1.3 kbar) has been described. The highest observed temperatures are related to a contact metamorphism produced by nearby Jurassic intrusions, with aP-Testimate at the immediate contact zone of ~650–690°C and 4 kbar.The whole-rock K-Ar age of 174±5 Ma is interpreted as belonging to the contact metamorphism due to the intrusion of Jurassic plutons (165±5 Ma to 175±5 Ma). A time-interval of ~20 Ma between the diagenesis (206 Ma) and the anchizonal very low-grade metamorphism (181–184 Ma) is obtained, and a rate of subsidence of ~120 m/Ma is proposed for these Triassic-Jurassic basins. A thermal influence on the burial, very low-grade, regional metamorphism is invoked.
Time trends in personnel certification and turnover in the Collaborative Ocular Melanoma Study
Authors: Mobley Reńe Y , Moy Claudia S , Reynolds Sandra M , Diener-West Marie , Newhouse M Marvin , Kerman Jonathan S , Hawkins Barbara S ,   Collaborative Ocular Melanoma Study Group
Published: August 2004

Background The purpose of this analysis was to examine and quantify the coordinating center workload in regard to certification and turnover of clinical personnel who participated in the Collaborative Ocular Melanoma Study (COMS). Methods The COMS was a set of multicenter, multidisciplinary randomized clinical trials conducted to evaluate radiotherapy for initial treatment of choroidal melanoma, a primary eye cancer. Patients were screened, enrolled, treated, and followed for mortality and clinical outcomes at 43 clinical centers in the United States and Canada, beginning late in 1986. Clinical centers were added to the COMS during three calendar periods. Training and certification of clinical personnel was performed by five resource centers and coordinated at the COMS coordinating center. A personnel database was maintained at the coordinating center for tracking certification progress, recertification, transfers and resignations. Certification records were analyzed for the period 1986 through 1998 when patient accrual and treatment were completed. Results Clinical personnel (929 individuals) were certified for one or more of nine distinct roles in the COMS, resulting in 1342 certifications; 26% were certified for two or more positions. The total number certified for each role ranged from 114 to 208. Certifications per year ranged from 260 in 1987 to 35 in 1997. The certification workload at the coordinating center rose following addition of each group of new clinical centers. It also increased in 1995 as a result of recertification of current personnel mandated by the external data monitoring committee. Conclusions This analysis documented that training and certification were continuing tasks, and not limited to initiation of the study. Resignations and reassignments of certified personnel were responsible for 642 decertifications.
Meta-Analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials Comparing Cisplatin to Carboplatin in Patients With Advanced Non–Small-Cell Lung Cancer
Authors: Hotta Katsuyuki , Matsuo Keitaro , Ueoka Hiroshi , Kiura Katsuyuki , Tabata Masahiro , Tanimoto Mitsune 
Published: August 2004

Purpose It remains undetermined whether cisplatin and carboplatin are equally effective for advanced non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We therefore did a meta-analysis of trials that compared cisplatin-based chemotherapy with carboplatin-based chemotherapy. Methods We performed a literature search to identify trials that had investigated the substitution of carboplatin for cisplatin in the treatment of advanced NSCLC. We evaluated these trials for inclusion, rated methodologic quality, and abstracted relevant data. Results Of 1,191 reports, eight trials (2,948 patients) were identified, five of which investigated drug regimens containing platinum plus a new agent. Cisplatin-based chemotherapy produced a higher response rate, but the survival advantage was not significant (hazard ratio = 1.050; 95% CI, 0.907 to 1.216; P = .515). Subgroup analysis revealed that combination chemotherapy consisting of cisplatin plus a new agent yields 11% longer survival than carboplatin plus the same new agent (hazard ratio = 1.106; 95% CI, 1.005 to 1.218; P = .039). Patients on cisplatin-based chemotherapy frequently developed nausea and vomiting; thrombocytopenia was more frequent during carboplatin-based chemotherapy. No significant difference in treatment-related mortality was observed. Conclusion We found that combination chemotherapy consisting of cisplatin plus a new agent yields a substantial survival advantage compared with carboplatin plus a new agent in patients with advanced NSCLC, although we failed to find any survival difference in an analysis that included both new and old agents. The strength of our conclusion is limited because we used abstracted data, and careful interpretation is thus required. Nevertheless, our results raise a critical point that needs to be evaluated in future studies.
Intraspecific divergence of ionoregulatory physiology in the euryhaline teleostFundulus heteroclitus: possible mechanisms of freshwater adaptation
Authors: Scott Graham R. , Rogers Joseph T. , Richards Jeff G. , Wood Chris M. , Schulte Patricia M. 
Published: August 2004

SUMMARYWe examined intraspecific variation in ionoregulatory physiology within euryhaline killifish, Fundulus heteroclitus, to understand possible mechanisms of freshwater adaptation in fish. Pronounced differences in freshwater tolerance existed between northern (2% mortality) and southern (19%mortality) killifish populations after transfer from brackish water (10 g l-1) to freshwater. Differences in Na+ regulation between each population might partially account for this difference in tolerance, because plasma Na+ was decreased for a longer period in southern survivors than in northerns. Furthermore, northern fish increased Na+/K+-ATPase mRNA expression and activity in their gills to a greater extent 1-14 days after transfer than did southerns, which preceded higher whole-body net flux and unidirectional influx of Na+ at 14 days. All observed differences in Na+regulation were small, however, and probably cannot account for the large differences in mortality. Differences in Cl- regulation also existed between populations. Plasma Cl- was maintained in northern fish, but in southerns, plasma Cl- decreased rapidly and remained low for the duration of the experiment. Correspondingly, net Cl-loss from southern fish remained high after transfer, while northerns eliminated Cl- loss altogether. Elevated Cl- loss from southern fish in freshwater was possibly due to a persistence of seawater gill morphology, as paracellular permeability (indicated by extrarenal clearance rate of PEG-4000) and apical crypt density in the gills (detected using scanning electron microscopy) were both higher than in northern fish. These large differences in the regulation of Cl- balance probably contributed to the marked differences in mortality after freshwater transfer. Glomerular filtration rate and urination frequency were also lower in southerns. Taken together, these data suggest that northern killifish are better adapted to freshwater environments and that minimizing Cl-imbalance appears to be the key physiological difference accounting for their greater freshwater tolerance.
Molecular biology of ion motive proteins in comparative models
Authors: Wheatly Michele G. , Gao Yongping 
Published: August 2004

SUMMARYThis article will review the utility of comparative animal models in understanding the molecular biology of ion transport. Due to the breadth of this field some `disclaimers' need to be established up front. `Comparative'will be defined as non-mammalian. `Genetic species' will be defined as organisms that have been selected as models for genetic studies and for which the genome has been largely sequenced. `Non-genetic species' will include other non-mammalian organisms. The review will be limited to ions that play a major role in extracellular (EC) ionoregulation (Na/K/Ca/Cl) and not to micronutrients (Fe) or heavy metals (Cd, Zn). The review will focus only on ion motive proteins that have been associated with vectorial transfer at epithelial tissues. The review is therefore intended as a guidepost to researchers new to the field as well as to inform biologists of the power of comparative genomics.
The hydrodynamics of eel swimming II. Effect of swimming speed
Authors: Tytell Eric D. 
Published: August 2004

SUMMARYSimultaneous swimming kinematics and hydrodynamics are presented for American eels, Anguilla rostrata, swimming at speeds from 0.5 to 2 L s-1. Body outlines and particle image velocimetry (PIV)data were collected using two synchronized high-speed cameras, and an empirical relationship between swimming motions and fluid flow is described. Lateral impulse in the wake is estimated assuming that the flow field represents a slice through small core vortex rings and is shown to be significantly larger than forces estimated from the kinematics viaelongated body theory (EBT) and via quasi-steady resistive drag forces. These simple kinematic models predict only 50% of the measured wake impulse, indicating that unsteady effects are important in undulatory force production. EBT does, however, correctly predict both the magnitude and time course of the power shed into the wake. Other wake flow structures are also examined relative to the swimming motions. At all speeds, the wake contains almost entirely lateral jets of fluid, separated by an unstable shear layer that rapidly breaks down into two vortices. The jet's mean velocity grows with swimming speed, but jet diameter varies only weakly with swimming speed. Instead, it follows the body wavelength, which changes more among individuals than at different speeds. Circulation of the stop-start vortex, shed each time the tail changes direction, can also be predicted at low speeds by the integral of squared tail velocity over half of a tail beat. At high speeds,these kinematics predict more circulation than is actually present in the stop-start vortex. Finally, the cost of producing the wake, one component of the total cost of transport, increases with swimming speed to the 1.48 power,lower than would be expected if the power coefficient remained constant over the speed range examined.