bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The mycotoxins citrinin and gliotoxin differentially affect production of the pro‐inflammatory cytokines tumour necrosis factor‐α and interleukin‐6, and the anti‐inflammatory cytokine interleukin‐10
Authors: Johannessen L. N. , Nilsen A. M. , Løvik M. 
Published: June 2005

SummaryBackground
Microbial growth is considered one of the major causes of indoor air problems. Moulds have been associated with asthma, allergy and a wide range of diffuse indoor air‐related symptoms. However, mechanisms of the adverse health effects are not well understood.Objective
We hypothesized that the mycotoxins citrinin and gliotoxin could cause an imbalance between the secretion of the pro‐inflammatory cytokines TNF‐α and IL‐6 and the anti‐inflammatory cytokine IL‐10.Methods
We investigated the influence of citrinin and gliotoxin on the human monocytic cell line Mono‐Mac‐6 (MM6) with and without lipopolysaccharide ‐stimulation. The levels of IL‐10, IL‐6 and TNF‐α were analysed in cell culture supernatants by ELISA. Cell viability and cell apoptosis were measured by flow cytometry.Results
The strongest inhibition of cytokine secretion was found for IL‐10. IL‐6 levels were found to decrease in a dose‐dependent manner along with reduced cell viability. TNF‐α levels increased with low gliotoxin exposure (less than 100 ng/mL), but decreased significantly at 375 ng/mL and higher along with increased cell apoptosis and reduced cell viability. TNF‐α levels were not reduced by citrinin exposure.Conclusion
We observed a cytokine imbalance with a more pronounced reduction of IL‐10 concentrations compared with those of TNF‐α and IL‐6. We suggest that low exposure doses of citrinin and gliotoxin (corresponding to less than 100 ng/mL gliotoxin and less than 10 μg/mL citrinin) may inhibit IL‐10 and lead to increased risk of an inflammatory response with relative overproduction of TNF‐α and IL‐6. The findings and their clinical implications must be verified by human studies. However, we speculate that the observed biological effects may be of importance as they may partly explain the occurrence of diffuse general indoor air‐related symptoms as well as the worsening of asthmatic inflammatory reactions experienced in mouldy environments.
Increased risk of asthma attacks and emergency visits among asthma patients with allergic rhinitis: a subgroup analysis of the improving asthma control trial
Authors: Bousquet J. , Gaugris S. , Kocevar V. Sazonov , Zhang Q. , Yin D. D. , Polos P. G. , Bjermer L. 
Published: June 2005

SummaryBackground
Inadequately controlled allergic rhinitis (AR) in asthmatic patients can contribute towards increased asthma exacerbations and poorer symptom control, which may increase medical resource use. We assessed asthma‐related medical resource use and attacks in asthmatic patients who did and did not have concomitant AR and were adding montelukast or salmeterol to baseline treatment with inhaled fluticasone.Methods
A post hoc resource use analysis of a 52‐week, double‐blind multicentre clinical trial (IMPACT: IMProving Asthma Control Trial) including 1490 adults with chronic asthma, aged 15–72 years, with FEV1 50–90% of predicted and 12% increase in FEV1 after salbutamol administration, treated with either montelukast 10 mg daily or salmeterol 50 μg twice daily in addition to fluticasone 200 μg, was undertaken. Asthma‐related medical resource use included medical visits (defined as either an unscheduled visit [to a general practitioner, a specialist or a non‐medical provider] or a specialist visit), emergency room visits and hospitalizations during follow‐up. Asthma attacks were defined as the worsening of asthma requiring unscheduled visit, emergency visit, hospitalization or oral/intravenous/intramuscular corticosteroids.Results
A self‐reported history of concomitant AR was identified in 60% of the patients (n=893). Univariate analysis suggests that significantly more patients with concomitant AR experienced emergency room visits (3.6% vs. 1.7%, P=0.029) and asthma attacks (21.3% vs. 17.1%, P=0.046). Multivariate analysis adjusting for treatment group, age and baseline asthma severity confirmed these results since the presence of concomitant AR in patients with asthma increases the likelihood of emergency room visit (odds ratio (OR)=2.35, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.12–4.80) and asthma attack (OR=1.35, 95% CI=1.03–1.77). Patients with asthma alone compared with patients with both conditions did not differ in terms of unscheduled or specialist visits and hospitalizations.Conclusions
Presence of self‐reported concomitant AR in patients with asthma resulted in a higher rate of asthma attacks and more emergency room visits compared with asthma patients without concomitant AR.
The novel use of the human nasal epithelial cell line RPMI 2650 as an in vitro model to study the influence of allergens and cytokines on transforming growth factor‐β gene expression and protein release
Authors: Salib R. J. , Lau L. C. , Howarth P. H. 
Published: June 2005

SummaryBackground
The epithelial accumulation of mast cells is a feature of allergic rhinitis and this has been linked to the expression of the known mast cell chemoattractant transforming growth factor‐β (TGF‐β) at this site. Little is known concerning the regulation of TGF‐β gene expression or protein release by nasal epithelial cells. To address this we have utilized the RPMI 2650 human nasal epithelial cell line, which has some features that closely resemble normal nasal epithelium and has been reported to secrete a TGF‐β‐like molecule.Objectives
To investigate the regulation of TGF‐β gene expression and protein secretion in RPMI 2650 nasal epithelial cells following exposure to allergens (house dust mite (HDM) and grass pollen) and mast cell associated T‐helper type 2 (Th2) cytokines (IL‐4, IL‐13, and TNF‐α).Methods
Light and scanning electron microscopy was used to evaluate the morphology of RPMI 2650 cells in culture, enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay was used to investigate their TGF‐β secretory capacity and the identification of the TGF‐β isotype(s) involved, flow cytometry was used to demonstrate the presence of TGF‐β receptors on the RPMI 2650 cells, and the quantitative real‐time TaqMan PCR was used to measure TGF‐β gene expression.Results
TGF‐β2 was identified as the main isotype secreted by the RPMI 2650 cells. HDM allergens and TNF‐α increased both TGF‐β gene expression and protein release from these cells, whereas grass pollen, IL‐4, and IL‐13 were without effect.Conclusions
The RPMI 2650 nasal epithelial cell line represents a valid in vitro model to evaluate the regulation of TGF‐β biology. In this system HDM allergens have stimulatory activity that is fundamentally different from that of grass pollen allergens, and the Th2 cytokines IL‐4 and IL‐13 are without effect. The ability of TNF‐α to up‐regulate both TGF‐β gene expression and protein release indicates that mast cell–epithelial interactions concerning TGF‐β are bi‐directional and this may be fundamental to epithelial immunoregulation. The availability of a model system, such as the RPMI 2650 cells, will enable the early evaluation of future novel and targeted interventions directed toward the aberrant responses of upper airway structural cells.
Haplotype analysis of a 100 kb region spanning TNF–LTA identifies a polymorphism in the LTA promoter region that is associated with atopic asthma susceptibility in Japan
Authors: Migita O. , Noguchi E. , Koga M. , Jian Z. , Shibasaki M. , Migita T. , Ito S. , Ichikawa K. , Matsui A. , Arinami T. 
Published: June 2005

SummaryBackground
The tumour necrosis factor (TNF) gene family, which includes TNF, LTA, and LTB, is located consecutively on human chromosome 6p21 region, which has been linked to asthma by several genome‐wide screens. (LTA, lymphotoxin‐α; LTB, lymphotoxin‐β).Objective
The aim of the present study was to determine whether genes on 6q21 are related to development of atopic asthma.Methods
We screened for mutations in the coding and promoter regions of genes in the TNF–LTA region, including BAT1, NFKBIL1, LTA, TNF, LTB, AIF, and BAT2, and conducted a transmission disequilibrium test of 41 polymorphisms in 137 families identified through pro‐bands with childhood‐onset atopic asthma. (BAT1, HLA‐B‐associated transcript 1; NFKBIL1, nuclear factor of κ light polypeptide gene enhancer in B cells inhibitor‐like 1; AIF, allograft inflammatory factor 1).Results
Haplotypes of the LTA/TNF linkage disequilibrium block were associated significantly with asthma (global P=0.0097). Transmission patterns of the common haplotypes to asthmatic offspring were predicted by a single‐nucleotide polymorphism in the LTA promoter region. The G allele of the LTA−753G/A polymorphism was transmitted preferentially to asthma‐affected individuals (P=0.001). Luciferase reporter assays with constructs containing the 5′ and 3′ flanking regions of the LTA gene showed 30–50% lower transcriptional activity when the −753A allele was present than that of other haplotypes.Conclusion
Our results suggest that LTA is one of the genes that contributes to susceptibility to atopic asthma, and that the association of the TNF/LTA haplotypes to asthma may be defined by the polymorphism in the LTA promoter region in the Japanese population.
Characteristics of intermittent and persistent allergic rhinitis: DREAMS study group
Authors: Bousquet J. , Annesi‐Maesano I. , Carat F. , Léger D. , Rugina M. , Pribil C. , El Hasnaoui A. , Chanal I. 
Published: June 2005

SummaryBackground
In the Allergic Rhinitis and its Impact on Asthma (ARIA) classification, intermittent and persistent rhinitis were proposed to replace seasonal and perennial allergic rhinitis (AR).Aim
To better understand the ARIA classification of rhinitis.Methods
A cross‐sectional study was carried out in 591 patients consulting ENT or allergy specialists for AR and 502 control subjects. The diagnosis of AR was based on a score for allergic rhinitis (SFAR) 7. Patients were classified according to the four ARIA classes (mild intermittent, mild persistent, moderate/severe intermittent and moderate/severe persistent). Allergen sensitization (skin prick tests (SPTs) or specific IgE) and co‐morbidities were examined according to the ARIA classes.Results
Ten percent of patients had mild intermittent rhinitis, 14% mild persistent rhinitis, 17% moderate/severe intermittent rhinitis and 59% moderate/severe persistent rhinitis. Most patients with intermittent rhinitis had a pollen sensitivity, but 5% had a single house dust mite (HDM) sensitization. Over 50% of patients with persistent rhinitis were allergic to pollens or HDM. Asthma was present in 24% of rhinitis patients and in only 2% of the control population (P<0.0001). Patients with moderate/severe persistent rhinitis had the highest asthma prevalence (33%).Discussion
Intermittent and persistent rhinitis are not synonymous of seasonal and perennial rhinitis. Most patients consulting specialists have severe rhinitis. Asthma prevalence increases with duration and severity of rhinitis supporting the ARIA major recommendation that patients with persistent rhinitis should be evaluated for asthma.
The influence of channelisation on riparian plant assemblages
Authors: BAATTRUP‐PEDERSEN ANNETTE , FRIBERG NIKOLAI , LARSEN SØREN E. , RIIS TENNA 
Published: June 2005

Summary1. A comparative study of species diversity and assemblage patterns of herbaceous ground‐flora communities in riparian areas was performed along natural mid‐sized lowland streams and their channelised counterparts. The areas had open vegetation and were positioned along 18 similar‐sized third to fourth order stream reaches.2. Alpha diversity was significantly higher along natural streams both at the sample plot and reach scale. Sample plot diversity peaked at intermediate distance from the natural stream reaches, whereas it increased with increasing distance from the channelised reaches. Both gamma diversity, measured and estimated from species‐area curves, and beta diversity, which is a measure of the change in diversity between areas, was similar along the two types of streams.3. Alpha diversity correlated with several of the measured and calibrated environmental variables. The positive correlation between bank slope and alpha diversity indicates that flooding plays a key role in maintaining high levels of diversity along natural streams.4. Species composition varied significantly between the two stream types. A cluster analysis identified four clusters of which two clusters (one and three) primarily included species associated with sample plots in areas along natural streams. Most cluster one and three species were also identified as indicator species for this stream type.5. Canonical correspondence analysis revealed that cluster one species were less productive species associated with high total soil carbon and nitrogen contents, whereas cluster three species were highly productive species associated with high soil moisture levels, probably partly resulting from flooding. Our results suggest that distance from the stream channel imposes a probabilistic gradient that sustains co‐occurrence of these two communities in riparian areas along natural mid‐sized lowland streams.
How protective are refuges? Quantifying algal protection in rock crevices
Authors: BERGEY ELIZABETH A. 
Published: June 2005

Summary1. Refuges can be functionally important if they harbour sufficient organisms during disturbance to augment population recovery. I quantified the protection of stream algae in crevice refuges using the applied, severe disturbance of scrubbing. Scrubbing effectively removed visible surface algae, and algae remaining on stones were considered protected.2. In a field experiment, substrata with different quantities of crevice (glass bottles; greywacke; schist; pumice) were incubated in a channelised stream. The possible influence of growth conditions was investigated concurrently; half of the substrata were suspended in the water column, the rest were placed on the bottom (providing differential access to grazers and exposing them to different flow conditions).3. Rougher substrata had greater total algal biomass than smoother substrata; this pattern resulted from more algal biomass in crevices of the rougher substrata. Protection from scrubbing ranged from about 5% of total algal biomass on glass and greywacke to 80% on pumice. In contrast, algal biomass removed by scrubbing was similar among the experimental substrata. Suspended substrata had more chironomid grazers than those on the bottom, and also greater algal biomass, possibly because of high algal concentrations in the chironomid retreats.4. A survey of stones from three rivers supported the experimental results; namely, rough pumice protected more algae from scrubbing than did smoother greywacke.5. In a separate experimental assay, there was no difference in algal growth on agar plates with and without added powdered rock substrata, suggesting that crevice characteristics and not substratum chemistry produced the differences in algal assemblages between rough and smooth surfaces.6. Results indicate that rough stream stones may protect sufficient algae to augment their recovery in streams following disturbance.
Low dissolved oxygen levels reduce anti‐predation behaviours of the freshwater clam Corbicula fluminea
Authors: SALOOM MANERA E. , SCOT DUNCAN R. 
Published: June 2005

Summary1. When dissolved oxygen levels decline in aquatic systems, prey may be unable to maintain behaviours protecting them from predators. We examined how oxygen availability affected anti‐predator responses in the freshwater clam, Corbicula fluminea.2. When attacked, bivalves protect their soft tissues by closing their protective valves. This reduces vulnerability to small predators, but ventilation and oxygen uptake are suspended. We found that after a simulated attack, clams under low oxygen conditions reopened their valves sooner than clams under high oxygen conditions, suggesting that hypoxia increases vulnerability to predation.3. Bivalves may also evade predators through burial into the substratum. Deeper burial confers greater refuge from predators, but increases the costs of ventilation. In a second experiment, we studied how burial depth of C. fluminea is affected by oxygen availability. Additionally, we examined whether clams changed burial depth following a simulated attack by a small predator, and whether this response was affected by oxygen availability. Our results offered partial support for the hypothesis that burial depth is reduced under hypoxic conditions, but the simulated attack did not affect burial depth in any oxygen treatments.
Reliability of pressure ulcer classification and diagnosis
Authors: Nixon Jane , Thorpe Helen , Barrow Helen , Phillips Angela , Andrea Nelson E. , Mason Susan A. , Cullum Nicky 
Published: June 2005

Aim.  To assess the inter‐rater reliability of the PRESSURE Trial pressure ulcer diagnosis (≥Grade 2) and skin classification for all grades between the clinical research nurse (CRN) team leader and CRNs working across different hospital sites; and CRNs and ward‐based nurses.Background.  The United Kingdom National Health Service Health Technology Assessment Programme has funded a multi‐centre, randomized controlled trial to compare the clinical and cost‐effectiveness of alternating pressure mattress overlays and mattress replacements – PRESSURE Trial. Outcome skin assessments were recorded by qualified ward‐based nurses daily, and expert CRNs twice weekly.Method.  Paired assessments were undertaken and skin assessed on seven body sites. The per cent agreement between nurses in the diagnosis of a pressure ulcer was determined and the Kappa statistic and confidence intervals calculated. Per cent agreement between nurses in classifying skin for all grades was also determined.Results.  Assessments were undertaken by 378 pairs: 16 paired patient assessments (107 site comparisons) by the CRN team leader and CRNs, and 362 paired patient assessments (2396 site comparisons) between CRNs and ward‐based nurses. There was 100% agreement between the CRN team leader and CRNs in the diagnosis of a pressure ulcer, and the Kappa statistics indicated ‘very good’ agreement. There were only two (1·9%) disagreements in classifying skin for all grades between these nurses. The agreement in the diagnosis of a pressure ulcer between CRNs and ward‐based nurses varied by skin site, ranging from 93·6% to 100%, with the Kappa statistics indicating ‘good’ and ‘very good’ agreement. However, there were 508 (21·2%) disagreements in classifying skin for all grades.Conclusions.  Overall agreement and Kappa statistics indicated ‘very good’ and ‘good’ agreement between expert nurses, and between expert nurses and qualified ward‐based staff, respectively. However, the high prevalence of normal skin concealed clinically important disagreements in both the diagnosis of pressure ulcers and skin classification for all grades.
The continuum of care: a concept development study
Authors: McBryde‐Foster Merry , Allen Toni 
Published: June 2005

Aims.  The aim of this paper is to communicate attributes, antecedents, and consequences identified within the ‘continuum of care’ using the process of concept development.Background.  The term ‘continuum of care’ is embedded in health care experience and is consistently taken for granted in health care literature without adequate analysis or definition.Methods.  Using EndNote and MS Excel software, a sample of 153 articles from 638 nursing and allied health journal articles retrieved by electronic search were reviewed; keywords descriptive of the concept were manually extracted. An electronic library was created and searched for keyword frequencies and words were ranked and sorted into unifying categories.Findings.  Four major unifying categories of attributes: people, environment, events and time, were identified, described and encorporated into a definition of the concept. An exemplar case was identified.Conclusions.  The continuum of care was identified as a concept with specific, describable attributes evidenced in an exemplar case.
The reliability and validity of general psychotic rating scales with people with mild and moderate intellectual disabilities: an empirical investigation
Authors: Hatton C. , Haddock G. , Taylor J. L. , Coldwell J. , Crossley R. , Peckham N. 
Published: June 2005

AbstractBackground  Whilst assessment tools have been developed to diagnose schizophrenia in people with mild intellectual disabilities (IDs), little attention has been paid to developing reliable and valid dimensional measures of psychotic experiences with this population. This study investigates the reliability and validity of two such measures developed for the general adult psychiatric population, the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and the Psychotic Symptom Rating Scales (PSYRATS), with a population of adults with mild IDs.Method  Sixty‐two adults with mild IDs were interviewed using the PANSS and PSYRATS, and independently interviewed using the Psychiatric Assessment Schedule – Adults with Developmental Disability (PAS‐ADD) to obtain psychiatric diagnoses to the criteria of the International Classification of Diseases – Tenth Revision (ICD‐10). On the basis of ICD‐10 diagnosis, participants were divided into three groups: psychosis (n = 11); other mental health problem (n = 14); no mental health problem (n = 37). PANSS and PSYRATS subscale scores were compared across these three groups and were correlated with PAS‐ADD symptom scores across a number of PAS‐ADD symptom domains.Results  All PANSS and PSYRATS subscales showed adequate internal reliability, largely good test‐retest reliability, and logical inter‐correlations between subscales. The PANSS positive symptoms and the PSYRATS auditory hallucinations subscales differentiated between the psychosis group and the other groups; the PANSS general symptoms subscale differentiated between the psychosis and no mental health problem groups; and the PANSS negative symptoms and the PSYRATS delusions subscales did not differentiate between the three groups.Conclusions  The PANSS and PSYRATS are promising measures for use with people with mild IDs and psychotic experiences, although further investigation of items relating to negative symptoms and delusions is warranted.
A review of the emotional, psychiatric and behavioural responses to bereavement in people with intellectual disabilities
Authors: Dodd P. , Dowling S. , Hollins S. 
Published: June 2005

AbstractBackground  Our knowledge and understanding of grief and its consequences have grown rapidly in recent years. There is a growing understanding that bereavement and loss represent a very significant event in the lives of people with intellectual disabilities (IDs). To date, there is no systematic review of the literature on the emotional, psychiatric and behavioural responses to bereavement in people with IDs.Method  This comprehensive literature review firstly examines the current opinion regarding the phenomenology of pathological grief in the general population. Research examining the ability of people with IDs to understand the concept of death is explored. In addition, a systematic review of the literature looking at the emotional, behavioural and psychiatric responses to bereavement is carried out.Results  Bereavement and loss have distinct effects on the mental health, behaviour and emotional lives of people with IDs. Following a bereavement, symptoms of depression and anxiety increase, and general behaviour is altered. Traumatic grief symptoms have not yet been specifically studied and quantified.Conclusions  Particular difficulties are associated with researching the effects of bereavement on people with IDs. Further work needs to be done to more accurately describe the nature, time‐scale, severity and frequency of the symptoms of traumatic grief in people with IDs, in order to improve assessment and treatment of affected individuals.