bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Lung Function Values in Healthy Non-Smoking Urban Adults in Iran
Authors: Boskabady M.H. , Keshmiri M. , Banihashemi B. , Anvary K. 
Published: April 2003

<i>Background:</i> The values of lung function tests (LFTs) are dependent on height, age, and sex. In addition, there is evidence of LFT variation in different ethnic groups. <i>Objective:</i> We have therefore derived prediction equations for LFTs from a healthy, non-smoking, urban adult population in the city of Mashhad (northeast Iran). <i>Methods:</i> Predicted equations for normal lung function have been derived from 572 healthy, non-smoking subjects including 326 men (height 154–195 cm) and 246 women (height 144–174 cm) aged 18–65 years. The subjects underwent measurement of spirometric flow and volume. The following variables were measured: forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV<sub>1</sub>), maximal mid-expiratory flow (MMEF), peak expiratory flow (PEF) and maximal expiratory flow at 75, 50 and 25% of the FVC (MEF<sub>75</sub>, MEF<sub>50</sub>, and MEF<sub>25</sub>, respectively). Regression analysis using height and age as independent variables was applied to provide predicted values for both sexes. <i>Results:</i> There was a negative correlation between each lung function and age. The largest negative correlations were found for FEV<sub>1</sub> and FVC in men and women, respectively. All parameters correlated positively with height; the largest positive correlation was observed for FVC in both sexes. Comparison of LFTs derived from the equations of the present study showed significant differences with those of several previous studies. <i>Conclusion:</i> In this study, a set of LFT reference values and prediction equations for both sexes have been derived using a relatively large, healthy, non-smoking Iranian, adult population which was different from several other prediction equations.
Effect of Beta-Blockade on Heart Rate and VO<sub>2</sub> Kinetics during Recovery in Patients with Coronary Artery Disease
Authors: Pavia Leandro , Myers Jonathan , Rusconi Cesare 
Published: April 2003

<i>Background:</i> Recently, there has been heightened interest in the functional and prognostic applications of VO<sub>2</sub> and heart rate kinetics during the early recovery phase from exercise in patients with cardiovascular disease. However, the effect of beta-blockade on these responses is unknown. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of beta-blockade on VO<sub>2</sub> and heart rate kinetics during recovery from exercise in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD), and compare these responses to those of normal individuals and patients with chronic heart failure (CHF). <i>Methods:</i> A cardiopulmonary exercise test using a ramp protocol was performed in 18 healthy subjects, 18 patients with CAD not taking a beta-blocker, 19 patients with CAD taking a cardioselective beta-blocker (metoprolol), 19 patients with mild or moderate CHF, and 19 patients with moderately severe CHF. The kinetics of oxygen uptake and heart rate were calculated and expressed as a single exponential relation between heart rate or VO<sub>2</sub> and time during the first 3 min of recovery. <i>Results:</i> No differences in time of recovery of VO<sub>2</sub> were found between normal subjects and CAD patients, whether or not they were taking a beta-blocker; VO<sub>2</sub> in recovery was slowed only among patients with moderately severe CHF. The slope of the decline in heart rate during recovery was steeper in patients with CAD taking a beta-blocker compared with the other groups (p < 0.05). <i>Conclusion:</i> In patients with CAD, cardioselective beta-blockade causes a faster decline in heart rate during the early recovery period without any effect on VO<sub>2</sub> recovery kinetics. The effect of beta-blockade should be accounted for when considering the prognostic utility of heart rate recovery.
A Preliminary Study on the Prevention of Posterior Capsule Opacification by Photodynamic Therapy with Bacteriochlorin <i>A</i> in Rabbits
Authors: van Tenten Yasmine , Schuitmaker Hans J. , De Groot Veva , Willekens Ben , Vrensen Gijs F.J.M. , Tassignon Marie-José 
Published: April 2003

<i>Purpose:</i> Photodynamic therapy (PDT) with bacteriochlorin <i>a</i> (BCA) has proven to be successful in the treatment of cancers and to be cytocidal for lens epithelial cells (LECs) in culture. The present study aimed to determine whether PDT with BCA is also effective in destroying LECs in the capsular bag in vivo and could therefore be a strategy for prevention of posterior capsule opacification (PCO). <i>Materials and Methods:</i> BCA was obtained by saponification and acid hydrolysis of bacteriochlorophyll <i>a</i> and was formulated in 30% polyethylene glycol, 20% ethanol and 50% water. Nine albino rabbits were anesthesized and both pupils dilated. Extracapsular lens extraction by phacoemulsification was performed on both eyes. One eye of each animal served as control. In the other eye, 1.5 ml BCA (10 or 50 µg/ml) was injected in the capsular bag and after 10 min, the eye was illuminated with a diode laser (wavelength 760 nm) for 10 or 15 min. Six weeks after surgery, the rabbits were sacrificed and the globes were enucleated, the capsular bags and the corneas removed, fixed and examined using stereomicroscopy and light microscopy. <i>Results:</i> In the control capsular bags, extensive proliferation of LECs and formation of a complete ring of Soemmering was found, while in the PDT-treated capsular bags, LEC proliferation was markedly diminished and an incomplete irregular and much thinner ring of Soemmering was formed. Using the presently described application, the corneas of the PDT-treated animals were opaque and swollen and had lost their endothelial lining. <i>Conclusion:</i> PDT with BCA induces cell death in LECs and greatly reduces the formation of a ring of Soemmering. Therefore, it could be a promising novel means of prevention of PCO, provided the total length of the treatment can be substantially reduced and the negative effects on corneal transparency avoided.
Natural Course of Experimental Choroidal Neovascularization: Three-Dimensional Study with Corrosion Cast and Scanning Electron Microscope
Authors: Kuroki Akiko Mera , Bhutto Imran Ahmed , Kitaoka Takashi , Amemiya Tsugio 
Published: April 2003

<i>Objectives:</i> The details of the morphological features of choroidal neovascularization (CNV) remain unclear. The purpose of this study was to establish a CNV rat model and study the natural course of CNV using vascular casts and a scanning electron microscope (SEM). <i>Methods:</i> Focal laser photocoagulation (argon green 50 mW, 0.04 s, 200 µm) was applied to Brown Norway pigmented rats. Choroidal vascular casts were prepared 1 and 3 days, 1 and 2 weeks, and 1, 3 and 6 months after laser photocoagulation. The choroidal casts were examined with a SEM. <i>Results:</i> One day after photocoagulation, corrosion casts and SEM revealed complete defects of the choriocapillaris at the laser shot sites. One week after photocoagulation, small vascular buds originating from the damaged choriocapillaris were observed. Two weeks after photocoagulation, newly formed CNV originating from an individual laser burn was observed. One to three months after photocoagulation, these new vessels were connected to each other to form CNV networks. Six months later, some thin and atrophic vessels were observed in the CNV network. <i>Conclusions:</i> We succeeded in making fine corrosion casts of CNV formed by photocoagulation in pigmented rats and in demonstrating the details of CNV formation and regression. It is hoped that the results of this study will contribute to the development of a drug therapy for CNV and to the interpretation of diagnostic imaging of CNV in humans.
Chymase Inhibitor Ameliorates Eosinophilia in Mice Infected with <i>Nippostrongylus brasiliensis</i>
Authors: Watanabe Naohiro , Miura Kenju , Fukuda Yoshiaki 
Published: April 2003

<i>Background:</i> Chymase is a chymotrypsin-like serine protease primarily stored in mast cells. Infection with helminth parasites is known to increase the level of mast cell chymase in the jejunum and serum in mice. The aim of the present study is to elucidate the role of chymase in helminth infection. <i>Methods:</i> Chymase inhibitor SUN-C8257 was administered to mice infected with the nematode <i>Nippostrongylus brasiliensis</i>, and the number of eosinophils in the blood, serum IgE levels and fecal egg counts were determined. <i>Results:</i> Administration of SUN-C8257 significantly inhibited blood eosinophilia in BALB/c mice infected with <i>N. brasiliensis</i>. The effect of SUN-C8257 was specific for eosinophils, in that it affected neither the number of total leukocytes nor serum IgE levels. SUN-C8257 did not alter the fecal egg counts in this model, showing that SUN-C8257 has no effect on infectivity and expulsion of the nematode. <i>N. brasiliensis</i> infection induced eosinophilia in mast cell-deficient mice (W/W<sup>v</sup>) as well as their littermates (+/+), and SUN-C8257 inhibited the eosinophilia in +/+ mice but not in W/W<sup>v</sup> mice. These results suggest that the eosinophil number may be regulated by different mechanisms in W/W<sup>v</sup> and +/+ mice, and that the effect of SUN-C8257 on nematode-induced eosinophilia is probably due to chymase inhibition. <i>Conclusions:</i> Chymase released by activated mast cells may play a role in helminth-induced eosinophilia.
Renal Tubular Dysfunction in a Patient with Beta-Thalassemia Minor
Authors: Oktenli Cagatay , Bulucu Fatih 
Published: April 2003

β-Thalassemia minor is a hemoglobinopathy which has been known as a symptomless carrier state. Although there are many causes leading to renal tubular dysfunction, β-thalassemia minor has not been reported among them in reviewing the literature. In a 20-year-old male patient referred to us because of glucosuria detected with dipstick, there was also anemia (hemoglobin, 11.5 g/dl; mean cell volume, 60 fl; and mean cell hemoglobin concentration, 19.5 pg). The 24-hour urinary glucose excretion rate was 5 g and, additionally, he had tubular proteinuria (albumin/β<sub>2</sub>-microglobulin ratio in urine was 17.32). Based upon the detailed evaluation for both asymptomatic urinary abnormality and anemia, he was diagnosed as having renal tubular dysfunction and β-thalassemia minor (hemoglobin A<sub>1 </sub>was 91%, and hemoglobin A<sub>2 </sub>was 9%). In conclusion, further reports are needed to reveal whether there is an association between these two distinct disorders.
Assessment of Haemostatic Risk Factors in Patients with Acute Renal Failure Associated with Severe Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome
Authors: García-Fernández Nuria , Lavilla Francisco Javier , Rocha Eduardo , Purroy Andrés 
Published: April 2003

<i>Background/Aim:</i> The prognosis of acute renal failure (ARF) in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) is variable and depends mainly on the underlying disease. Consequently, the outcome prediction is difficult. The majority of the prognostic measures used include clinical parameters and routine laboratory tests but not no study has considered the prognostic value of haemostatic disturbances. These disturbances play a key role in the evolution of multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) in patients with ARF, which occurs as part of systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS). The aim of the present study was to search for early significant predictive factors among a group of haemostatic parameters in these patients. <i>Methods:</i> Forty patients (age: 60.1 ± 14.1 years) with ARF (requiring renal replacement therapy) associated with SIRS and haemodynamic instability (systolic blood pressure <90 mm Hg and/or vasopressor drugs) were included. The plasmatic levels of the following haemostatic factors were measured within the first 6 h of the SIRS evolution: von Willebrand Factor (vWF), thrombomodulin, plasminogen activity inhibitor type 1 (PAI-1 antigen), tissue type plasminogen activator (t-PA antigen), prothrombin fragment 1 + 2 (F1 + 2), thrombin-antithrombin complexes (TAT) and D-dimer. Age, sex, medical or surgical disease, septic status or not, type of ARF (prerenal or acute tubular necrosis, oliguric or nonoliguric), and requirement for inotropics and mechanical ventilation were also considered. Univariate and multivariate logistic regressions were used to identify the risk factors for death and to develop a possible mortality prediction model on this basis. <i>Results:</i> By univariate analysis, high levels of PAI-1 antigen (≧60 ng/ml) and F1 + 2 (>2.5 nmol/l) at early phases of ARF-severe SIRS were found to be independent risk factors for death (odds ratio (OR) = 6.37, p = 0.0181 and OR = 5.49, p = 0.0238, respectively). Age over 61 years and requirement of mechanical ventilation were independent death risk factors (OR = 4.33, p = 0.0251 and OR = 2.4, p = 0.0078, respectively). A possible mortality prediction model was obtained including the age and the PAI-1 antigen and F1 + 2 variables. <i>Conclusion:</i> In patients with ARF associated with severe SIRS, the independent risk factors from the early phases of the process are not only the known variables such as advanced age, but also high levels of PAI-1 antigen and F1 + 2. In the future, the individual probability of death could be calculated by a prediction model which includes these variables.
Mesothelial Dysplastic Changes and Lipid Peroxidation Induced by 7.5% Icodextrin
Authors: Gotloib Lazaro , Wajsbrot Valeri , Shostak Avshalom 
Published: April 2003

<i>Background:</i> The issue of icodextrin biocompatibility is somehow ambiguous. Whereas some experimental data point at better bicompatibility of icodextrin compared with high glucose concentration fluid, other reports showed substantial cytotoxic effects upon monocytes and cultured mesothelial cells. The present investigation exposes the first attempt to investigate the biocompatibility issue in an in vivo and in situ setup. <i>Methods:</i> Mice were intraperitoneally injected once a day with the 7.5% icodextrin solution, during 30 consecutive days. Imprints of the mesothelial monolayer covering the anterior liver surface were taken after 2 h, 15 and 30 injections, as well as after recovery periods of 7, 30 and 60 days. Changes on the cell population were evaluated as a function of: density, cell surface area, cell radius, nuclear surface area, number of nucleoli per nucleus, nuclear cytoplasmic index, as well as for prevalence of multinucleation, mitosis, non-viable cells and apoptotic bodies. Additionally, peritoneal dialysis was performed in 3 groups of rats exposed to 4.25% glucose dialysis fluid, 1.1% amino acids solution, or to 7.5% icodextrin. Samples were taken for thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) from each group. <i>Results: </i>Mesothelial cell populations of mice exposed to 7.5% icodextrin displayed significantly reduced density, increased cell size, higher increased nuclear/cytoplasmic index, increased numbers of heterogeneous nucleoli, extremely low prevalence of mitosis, atypical mitosis, micronuclei, reduced cell viability as well as a significantly higher prevalence of apoptosis. Rats exposed to the same experimental solution showed significantly higher levels of TBARS (basically malondialdehyde), testifying for an undergoing process of lipid peroxidation. <i>Conclusions:</i> Overall, these results suggest that the 7.5% icodextrin dialysis solution induced, through a mechanism of lipid peroxidation, substantial DNA injury, leading the exposed monolayer to commit protective cellular suicide. Consequently, this information raises some doubts about the safety of 7.5% icodextrin solution in peritoneal dialysis patients.
Maternal Adrenalectomy Abrogates the Effect of Fetal Alcohol Exposure on the Interleukin-1β-Induced Febrile Response: Gender Differences
Authors: Taylor Anna N. , Tritt Susan H. , Tio Delia L. , Romeo Horacio E. , Yirmiya Raz 
Published: April 2003

Fetal alcohol exposure (FAE) has been shown to blunt the febrile component of the primary host-defense response to infection induced experimentally by systemic administration of interleukin (IL)-1β. Given that maternal adrenalectomy (ADX) can prevent various postnatal effects of FAE, the present experiments were designed to determine whether maternal ADX would prevent the blunted IL-1β-induced febrile response of fetal alcohol-exposed offspring and whether the effects of maternal ADX would be gender related. Timed-pregnant rats underwent ADX or were sham-operated on gestation day (GD) 7, or remained intact (without any surgery), and were fed ethanol-containing (E) or pair-fed (PF) liquid diets or normal (N) rat chow and water from GD 8 to GD 21. As adults, male and female E, PF and N offspring were injected with saline on day 1 and with IL-1β (2 µg/kg, i.p.) on day 2 at 09.00 h and the body temperature was recorded biotelemetrically for 8.5 h. IL-1β produced significantly lower febrile responses in female than in male offspring of intact dams, irrespective of prenatal diet. Furthermore, prenatal surgical stress differentially affected the IL-1β-induced febrile response of male and female normally fed offspring. Additionally, in both male and female offspring of intact dams, FAE significantly attenuated the IL-1β-induced febrile response. In males, FAE also attenuated the febrile response in the offspring of maternal sham-operated dams, and this effect was completely reversed by maternal ADX. In females, both maternal sham surgery and ADX reversed the effect of FAE on the febrile response. These findings suggest that maternal adrenal mediators are essential for the long-term effect of FAE on the febrile response in male offspring. In females, early prenatal surgical stress is sufficient to reverse the effects of FAE, possibly via adrenal-independent mechanisms that affect the thermoregulatory system.
Extravesical Foreign Body Presenting as a Bladder Tumor
Authors: Kyriakou George , Kalahanis Nikolaos , Kyroudi-Voulgari Aspasia , Zervas Anastasios , Mitropoulos Dionisios 
Published: April 2003

Although foreign bodies left in the abdominal cavity may remain asymptomatic for long periods, they may also cause serious complications. We present a case of gauze forgotten in the lower abdomen which remained asymptomatic for almost 1 year. When a granuloma had formed, it infiltrated the bladder wall giving the clinical and imaging appearance of an invasive bladder tumor.
Multisensory Contributions to the Shelter-Seeking Behavior of a Mormyrid Fish, <i>Gnathonemus petersii</i> Günther (Mormyridae, Teleostei): The Role of Vision, and the Passive and Active Electrosenses
Authors: Rojas Roland , Moller Peter 
Published: April 2003

This study examined how weakly electric fish, <i>Gnathonemus petersii</i>, integrate multiple sensory modalities (passive and active electrosenses, and vision) to maintain proximity to tubular structures, serving as the fish’s hiding place or shelter during the daytime. By moving the shelter along a linear 2-meter path, causing a mechanical disturbance, we challenged the fish’s shelter-seeking behavior and used the length of travel that shelter proximity was maintained (contact distance) as an indicator of how well the animal maintained its shelter. In order to determine the contribution of vision and electrosense to this behavior, four groups of fish were tested in which: (1) all three modalities were intact; (2) vision alone was eliminated by optic nerve transection; (3) the active electrosense was silenced by spinal cord transection rendering the electric organ inoperative; and (4) both vision and active electrosense were deactivated. Further elimination or minimization of various sensory cues was achieved by testing the fish with optically transparent, acrylic shelters (Plexiglas) that stimulate active, but not passive, electrosense, and aluminum shelters that theoretically stimulate all three modalities. As expected, performance was optimal when all three modalities were operating, but better than expected from quantitative models based on additive processes alone. Although the absence of one sense (vision or active electrosense) caused initial deficits, these were fully compensated for over repeated daily exposure to the task, suggesting that learning might generate sensory substitution and/or the formation of sensory expectation. Finally, environmental conditions, such as shelter opacity, also affected shelter-seeking performance, sometimes in a negative direction. These results demonstrate that: (1) the integration of multiple sensory inputs in <i>G. petersii</i> can be synergistic, additive, redundant, or even inhibitory, and (2) multisensory processes also take into account the respective sensory cues; i.e. (a) the prevailing ambient light intensity and optical qualities of the object; (b) the geometry and strength of the DC potential emanating from the object (‘battery effect’); and (c) the complex perceived impedance differential with the surrounding medium.
Multiple-Dose Pharmacokinetics and Excretion Balance of Gatifloxacin, a New Fluoroquinolone Antibiotic, following Oral Administration to Healthy Caucasian Volunteers
Authors: Mignot Alain , Guillaume Michel , Brault Muriel , Gualano Virginie , Millérioux Laurette , Göhler Karin , Stahlberg Hans-Juergen 
Published: April 2003

The multiple-dose pharmacokinetics and excretion balance of gatifloxacin were evaluated in 42 healthy Caucasian volunteers. Following multiple oral doses of 400 and 600 mg, the pharmacokinetics of gatifloxacin were similar on days 1 and 15, suggesting no therapeutically relevant time-dependent changes in the pharmacokinetics of gatifloxacin at the doses and duration of dosing studied. Gatifloxacin was rapidly absorbed and a favourable elimination half-life of 7–8 h was evaluated. Saliva concentrations were similar to plasma concentrations. The main route of excretion is the urine. After a single dose of 400 mg of gatifloxacin, the recovery in urine was 83% and 5.2% in faeces. Following multiple doses of 400 or 600 mg, the renal excretion was 80 and 77%, respectively. The drug was well tolerated.
Infectious Endocarditis due to <i>Yersinia enterocolitica</i>
Authors: Karachalios G. , Bablekos G. , Karachaliou G. , Charalabopoulos A.K. , Charalabopoulos K. 
Published: April 2003

<i>Yersinia enterocolitica</i> is a gram-negative coccobacillus. <i>Y. enterocolitica</i> infection is acquired by humans via the oral route. Infection due to <i>Y. enterocolitica</i> was first observed in 1933 in New York. <i>Y. enterocolitica</i> septicemia has been increasingly recognized in recent years, whereas endocarditis due to <i>Y. enterocolitica</i> is a rare manifestation. We herein describe a patient who developed <i>Y. enterocolitica</i> endocarditis and was successfully treated with a combination of drugs consisting of a quinolone (ofloxacin) and an aminoglycoside (netilmicin).