bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Autonomic responses to heartburn induced by esophageal acid infusion
Authors: CHEN CHIEN‐LIN , ORR WILLIAM C 
Published: December 2004

AbstractBackground and Aim:  Studies have shown that altered visceral perception and lower pain thresholds in patients with symptomatic gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and non‐cardiac chest pain. Autonomic changes associated with the perception of heartburn in patients with GERD are poorly understood.Methods:  A total of 12 GERD patients (six male, six female; mean age 37.2 ± 2.7 years) and 12 controls (five male, seven female; mean age 32.8 ± 2.2 years) were studied. The study protocol included a 20‐min water infusion (6 mL/min), and 20‐min acid infusion (0.1 N HCl, 6 mL/min). Spectral analysis of heart‐rate variability (HRV) was used to assess autonomic functioning. The measured HRV indices included the power in the low‐frequency (LF) band (0.04–0.15 Hz) reflecting sympathetic tone, and power in the high‐frequency (HF) band (0.15–0.5 Hz) reflecting vagal tone, and the LF/HF ratio as an indicator of sympathovagal balance.Results:  The GERD group experienced more heartburn than controls with acid infusion. Between‐group comparisons showed no significant changes in LF band power in any period. The HF band power was significantly lower in GERD patients during all infusion periods. The LF/HF ratio was significantly larger in GERD patients.Conclusions:  The perception of heartburn induced by esophageal acid infusion is associated with a simultaneous increase in sympathetic modulation in patients with GERD. The autonomic responses with esophageal acid infusion are significantly different between healthy subjects and GERD patients.© 2004 Blackwell Publishing Asia Pty Ltd
Induction of cholestasis in the perfused rat liver by 2‐aminoethyl diphenylborate, an inhibitor of the hepatocyte plasma membrane Ca2+ channels
Authors: GREGORY ROLAND B , HUGHES RACHAEL , BARRITT GREGORY J 
Published: December 2004

AbstractBackground and Aims:  An increase in the cytoplasmic free Ca2+ concentration in hepatocytes as a result of the release of Ca2+ from intracellular stores and Ca2+ inflow from the extracellular space is a necessary part of the mechanism by which bile acids are moved along the bile cannaliculus by contraction of the cannaliculus. 2‐Aminoethyl diphenylborate (2‐APB) is a recently discovered inhibitor of store‐operated plasma membrane Ca2+ channels in hepatocytes. The aim of the present study was to test the ability of 2‐APB to inhibit bile flow.Methods:  Bile flow was measured in the isolated perfused rat liver using cannulation of the common bile duct. Measurements were carried out in the presence or absence of 2‐APB in either the presence of taurocholic acid (to enhance basal bile flow) or in the absence of taurocholic acid and in the presence of the hormones vasopressin and glucagon, which are known to stimulate bile flow.Results:  In livers perfused in the presence of taurocholic acid, 2‐APB reversibly inhibited bile flow with a slow time of onset. The time of onset of inhibition was reduced by prior addition of the endoplasmic reticulum (Ca2+ + Mg2+)adenosine triphosphatase inhibitor, 2,5‐di‐t‐butylhydroquinone. In livers perfused in the absence of taurocholate, 2‐APB had little effect on the basal rate of bile flow, but inhibited the ability of vasopressin and glucagon to stimulate bile flow.Conclusions:  It is concluded that an inhibitor of hepatocyte plasma membrane Ca2+ channels can induce cholestasis. The results provide evidence that suggests that, over a period of time, the normal function of hepatocyte store‐operated Ca2+ channels is required to maintain bile flow. Future strategies directed at the regulation of bile flow might include pharmacological or other interventions that modulate Ca2+ inflow to hepatocytes.
Distribution of type V secretory phospholipase A2 expression in human hepatocytes damaged by liver disease
Authors: ITO MASAMICHI , ISHIKAWA YUKIO , KIGUCHI HIDEKO , KOMIYAMA KAZUO , MURAKAMI MAKOTO , KUDO ICHIRO , AKASAKA YOSHIKIYO , ISHII TOSHIHARU 
Published: December 2004

AbstractBackground and Aim:  Type V secretory phospholipase A2 (sPLA2‐V) is a key enzyme in the arachidonate cascade. However, the distribution of sPLA2‐V in human liver has not yet been investigated. In this study, the significance of sPLA2‐V expression in human hepatocytes damaged by liver disease was investigated.Methods:  Samples of liver tissue from patients with chronic hepatitis B and C, hepatitis virus‐related liver cirrhosis, and congestive hepatocyte injury were immunostained with antibodies against sPLA2‐V, cyclooxygenase (COX)‐2, hepatitis viral antigens, transforming growth factor (TGF)‐β1, interleukin (IL)‐1β and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)‐α.Results:  In chronic hepatitis patients, sPLA2‐V‐positive hepatocytes were scattered in the liver lobules, while cyclooxygenase‐2, IL‐1β, and TNF‐α were diffusely expressed. Hepatocytes around necroinflammatory lesions were strongly positive for sPLA2‐V. Some sPLA2‐V‐positive hepatocytes were also positive for viral antigens. TGF‐β1 was expressed only in fibrotic lesions. The pattern of distribution of these proteins in liver cirrhosis patients was similar to that in chronic hepatitis patients, but sPLA2‐V expression tended to be more intense than in chronic hepatitis. In the congestive liver, sPLA2‐V, COX‐2, and the two cytokines were diffusely expressed in surviving hepatocytes.Conclusions:  sPLA2‐V expression in hepatocytes is induced by viral infection, fibrosis, and circulatory disturbance. Immunostaining using sPLA2‐V antibody is useful for the detection of injured hepatocytes in patients with liver diseases.
Helicobacter pylori density and cagA status in cirrhotic patients: A case–control study
Authors: ZULLO ANGELO , SANCHEZ‐METE LUPE , HASSAN CESARE , DIANA FABIO , FESTUCCIA FEDERICA , ATTILI ADOLFO FRANCESCO , MORINI SERGIO 
Published: December 2004

AbstractBackground and Aim:  Despite a similar Helicobacter pylori prevalence, peptic ulcer is more frequent in cirrhotic patients than in controls. We evaluated whether cirrhotic patients had an increased bacterial density and/or a higher prevalence of H. pylori cagA‐positive strains than controls.Methods:  A total of 36 dyspeptic cirrhotic patients with H. pylori infection and 72 matched controls were enrolled. H. pylori infection was detected at histology on Giemsa staining, bacterial density was assessed using difference over baseline (DOB) values at 13C urea breath test, and cagA status was established at serology.Results:  Overall, both DOB values and prevalence of cagA did not significantly differ between cirrhotic patients and controls. However, peptic ulcer controls showed significantly higher DOB value (27.9 ± 17.4 vs 19.4 ± 9.3, respectively; P = 0.009) and cagA positive rate (85%vs 48%; P = 0.01) than non‐ulcer dyspepsia patients. Although not statistically significant, a similar trend was observed in cirrhotic patients with peptic ulcer for DOB values (26.5 ± 16.3 vs 18.3/1000 ± 9.2, respectively; P = 0.07), whereas the cagA‐positive rate was similar between peptic ulcer and non‐ulcer dyspepsia patients (60%vs 50%; P = 0.30).Conclusions:  The present data showed that both bacterial density and cagA prevalence did not differ between cirrhotic patients and controls.
Quantitative analysis of endosonographic parenchymal echogenicity in patients with chronic pancreatitis
Authors: IRISAWA ATSUSHI , MISHRA GIRISH , HERNANDEZ LYNDON V , BHUTANI MANOOP S 
Published: December 2004

AbstractBackground and Aim:  The aim of the study was to develop a method of quantitation of endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) changes of chronic pancreatitis (CP).Methods:  Twenty‐three patients with chronic pancreatitis by EUS were compared with nine normal subjects. Hyperechogenicity was evaluated as the size of the hyperechoic area that was over a threshold echogenicity level. Mean echo density was expressed using the average gray‐scale value within the region of interest. The quantitative data were compared with the diagnosis using conventional EUS criteria.Results:  The size of the hyperechoic area over the threshold level was 0.86 ± 0.67 mm2 (mean ± SD) in the normal pancreas using EUS criteria. In chronic pancreatitis, the size of the hyperechoic area was 7.28 ± 2.98 mm2 in patients with mild CP, 18.12 ± 2.56 mm2 in patients with moderate CP, and 18.02 ± 10.81 mm2 in patients with severe CP, respectively. These changes in hyperechoic size area were statistically significant in all patients having mild to severe CP when compared with normal controls.Conclusion:  Computer analysis of EUS images may provide objective information for the diagnosis of CP and may be useful in quantitating the severity of disease and overcoming interobserver variability in analyzing individual echo features supporting the diagnosis of CP.
FALLIBILISM, FAITH AND THEOLOGY: PUTTING NICHOLAS RESCHER TO THEOLOGICAL WORK1
Authors: MURRAY PAUL D. 
Published: December 2004

AbstractThis essay explores the possible theological relevance of Nicholas Rescher's pragmatic‐idealist account of human reason. An initial case is made for the prospective hospitality of Christian theology to Rescher's thought, contrary to his early misgivings. The intrinsic relationship between Christian faith and a fallibilist self‐regard is then explored. Next Rescher's more recent constructive reflections are considered and their limitations identified. Finally the lineaments of a thoroughgoing Trinitarian appropriation of Rescher's thought are traced together with its implications for the character of Christian theology and ecclesial reality.
“SIN IS BEHOVELY” IN JULIAN OF NORWICH's REVELATIONS OF DIVINE LOVE1
Authors: TURNER DENYS 
Published: December 2004

AbstractJulian, showing no inclination to accept the ‘free‐will’ defence nonetheless says that “sin is behovely”. She cannot mean by this that sin is necessary within the created order nor can she mean that it is completely contingent and outside the remit of divine providence. Sin's being behovely means, I argue, that it is conveniens, in a sense recognisable within some standard medieval scholastic theologies. This is to say that sin ‘fits’ with some story which God wills, a story of salvation history, in the way that events in any narrative can be said to ‘fit’ with the narrative they are events within. That for Julian we do not and cannot know the story shows her commitment to a negative theology.
The Causal and Unification Approaches to Explanation Unified—Causally
Authors: Strevens Michael 
Published: December 2004

AbstractTwo major modern accounts of explanation are the causal and the unification accounts. My aim in this paper is to provide a kind of unification of the two, by using the central technical apparatus of the unification account to solve a central problem faced by the causal account, namely, the problem of determining which parts of a causal network are explanatorily relevant to the occurrence of an explanandum. The result is a causal account of explanation that has many of the advantages of the unification account.
Simultaneous continuous recording of accommodation and pupil size using the modified Shin‐Nippon SRW‐5000 autorefractor
Authors: Wolffsohn J. S. , O'Donnell C. , Charman W. N. , Gilmartin B. 
Published: December 2004

AbstractThe internal optics of the recent models of the Shin‐Nippon SRW‐5000 autorefractor (also marketed as the Grand Seiko WV‐500) have been modified by the manufacturer so that the infrared measurement ring has been replaced by pairs of horizontal and vertical infrared bars, on either side of fixation. The binocular, open field‐of‐view, allowing the accommodative state to be objectively monitored while a natural environment is viewed, has made the SRW‐5000 a valuable tool in further understanding the nature of the oculomotor response. It is shown that the root‐mean‐square of model eye measures was least (0.017 ± 0.002D) when the separation of the horizontal measurement bars were averaged twice. The separation of the horizontal bars changes by 3.59 pixels/dioptre (r2 = 0.99), allowing continuous on‐line analysis of the refractive state at up to 60 Hz temporal resolution to an accuracy of <0.001D, with pupils >3 mm. The pupil edge is not obscured in the diagonal axis by the measurement bars, unlike the ring of the original optics, so in the newer model pupil size can be measured simultaneously at the same rate with a resolution of <0.001 mm. The measurements of accommodation and pupil size are relatively unaffected by eccentricity of viewing up to ±10° from the visual axis and instrument focusing inaccuracies over a range of 10 mm towards the eye and 5 mm away from the eye. The resolution and temporal properties of the analysis are therefore ideal for the simultaneous measurement of dynamic accommodation and pupil responses.
Hormone Use and Cognitive Performance in Women of Advanced Age
Authors: Galen buckwalter J. , Crooks Valerie C. , Robins Sean B. , Petitti Diana B. 
Published: December 2004

Objectives: To explore the association between hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and cognitive performance in a group of elderly women (≥75) using a battery of well‐standardized neuropsychological instruments.Design: Equivalent samples from existing cohort.Setting: Healthcare provider organization.Participants: All women enrolled were participants in an ongoing study of the association between HRT and the prevalence and incidence of dementia. Prescription records were used to establish HRT status. Fifty‐eight users and 47 nonusers of HRT participated in this substudy.Measurements: Given previous reports that HRT has a positive effect on verbal memory, the California Verbal Learning Test and the Logical Memory Test were used as primary outcomes. A range of validated tests that assess other cognitive domains was also included.Results: There were no significant differences between users and nonusers of HRT on any cognitive measures.Conclusion: Given equivalent groups of users and nonusers of HRT no support was found for the hypothesis that use of HRT improves cognitive performance in older women.
Older Adults' Views of “Successful Aging”—How Do They Compare with Researchers' Definitions?
Authors: Phelan Elizabeth A. , Anderson Lynda A. , Lacroix Andrea Z. , Larson Eric B. 
Published: December 2004

Objectives: To determine whether older adults have thought about aging and aging successfully and to compare their perceptions of successful aging with attributes of successful aging identified in the published literature.Design: A cross‐sectional, mailed survey.Setting: King County, Washington.Participants: Nondemented participants from two cohorts. The first cohort, referred to as Kame, which means turtle, a symbol of longevity for Japanese, enrolled 1,985 Japanese Americans aged 65 and older and was established in 1992–94. The second cohort, Adult Changes in Thought, enrolled 2,581 white men and women aged 65 and older from a health maintenance organization and was established in 1994–96.Measurements: Respondents were asked whether they had ever thought about aging and aging successfully and whether these thoughts had changed over the previous 20 years and about how important specific attributes, originating from the published literature, were in characterizing successful aging.Results: Overall, 90% had previously thought about aging and aging successfully, and approximately 60% said their thoughts had changed over the previous 20 years. The Japanese‐American group rated 13 attributes as important to successful aging; the white group rated the same 13 as important and added one additional attribute, learning new things.Conclusion: Older adults' definition of successful aging is multidimensional, encompassing physical, functional, psychological, and social health. In contrast, none of the published work describing attributes of successful aging includes all four dimensions. Future work would benefit from an expanded definition to adequately reflect the perceptions of older adults.
Incidence and Prevalence of Dementia in the Cardiovascular Health Study
Authors: Fitzpatrick Annette L. , Kuller Lewis H. , Ives Diane G. , Lopez Oscar L. , Jagust William , Breitner John C. S. , Jones Beverly , Lyketsos Constantine , Dulberg Corinne 
Published: December 2004

Objectives: To estimate the incidence and prevalence of dementia, Alzheimer's disease (AD), and vascular dementia (VaD) in the Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS) cohort.Design: Longitudinal cohort study using prospectively and retrospectively collected data to evaluate dementia.Setting: Four U.S. communities.Participants: There were 3,602 CHS participants, including 2,865 white and 492 African‐American participants free of dementia, who completed a cranial magnetic resonance image between 1992 and 1994 and were followed for an average of 5.4 years.Measurements: Dementia was classified by neurologist/psychiatrist committee review using neuropsychological tests, neurological examinations, medical records, physician questionnaires, and proxy/informant interviews. Demographics and apolipoprotein E (APOE) genotype were collected at baseline. Incidence by type of dementia was determined using National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke‐Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Association criteria for AD and Alzheimer's Disease Diagnostic and Treatment Center's State of California criteria for VaD.Results: Classification resulted in 227 persons with prevalent dementia at entry into the study and 480 incident cases during follow‐up. Incidence rates of dementia scaled to age 80 were 34.7 per 1,000 person‐years for white women, 35.3 for white men, 58.8 for African‐American women, and 53.0 for African‐American men. Sex differences were not significant within race. Adjusted for age and education, racial differences were only of borderline significance and may have been influenced by ascertainment methodology. Rates differed substantially by educational attainment but were only significant for whites. Those with the APOE ɛ4 allele had an incidence rate at age 80 of 56.4, compared with 29.6 for those without this allele (P<.001). In whites, type‐specific incidence at age 80 was 19.2 for AD versus 14.6 for VaD. These rates were 34.7 and 27.2 for African Americans. At termination of observation, women had only a slightly higher prevalence of dementia (16.0%) than men (14.7%).Conclusion: Sex and racial differences were not found, and VaD was higher than reported in other studies. These data provide new estimates of dementia incidence in a community sample for projection of future burden.
Radiographic Resolution of Community‐Acquired Bacterial Pneumonia in the Elderly
Authors: El Solh Ali A. , Aquilina Alan T. , Gunen Hakan , Ramadan Fadi 
Published: December 2004

Objectives: To investigate the radiographic clearance of proven community‐acquired nontuberculous bacterial pneumonia in nonimmunocompromised older patients to provide working estimates of the rate of radiographic resolution as a function of the patient cumulative comorbidities, extent of initial radiographic involvement, functional status, and causative pathogens.Design: A prospective study.Participants: Seventy‐four patients aged 70 and older, consecutively admitted to a hospital for community‐acquired bacterial pneumonia.Setting: A university‐affiliated teaching hospital.Measurements: Chest radiographs were performed every 3 weeks from the date of admission for a total period of 12 weeks or until all radiographic abnormalities had resolved or returned to baseline.Results: Sixty‐four patients (86%) completed the study. The rate of radiographic clearance was estimated at 35.1% within 3 weeks, 60.2% within 6 weeks, and 84.2% within 12 weeks. Radiographic resolution was significantly slower for those with high comorbidity index, bacteremia, multilobar involvement, and enteric gram‐negative bacilli pneumonias. Multivariate regression analysis demonstrated that the comorbidity index (relative risk for clearance=0.67 per class index, P<.001) and multilobar disease (relative risk for clearance=0.24 for more than one lobe, P<.001) had independent predictive value (Cox proportional hazards regression model) on the rate of resolution.Conclusion: The radiographic resolution of nontuberculous bacterial pneumonia in the elderly should take into account the extent of lobar disease and the burden of underlying illnesses. A waiting period of 12 to 14 weeks is recommended for slowly resolving pneumonia to be considered nonresolving.
Alfacalcidol Reduces the Number of Fallers in a Community‐Dwelling Elderly Population with a Minimum Calcium Intake of More Than 500 Mg Daily
Authors: Dukas Laurent , Bischoff Heike A. , Lindpaintner Lyn S. , Schacht Erich , Birkner‐binder Dagmar , Damm Thomas N. , Thalmann Beat , Stähelin Hannes B. 
Published: December 2004

Objectives: To study the effect of alfacalcidol (1α(OH)D3) on fall risk in community‐dwelling elderly men and women.Design: Randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled intervention trial.Setting: Basel, Switzerland.Participants: Three hundred seventy‐eight community‐dwelling elderly (191 women/187 men).Intervention: Participants were randomly assigned to receive 1 μg of alfacalcidol or matched placebo daily for 36 weeks.Measurements: Serum 25‐hydoxyvitamin D3 (25(OH) D,1,25‐dihydroxyvitamin D3 (D‐hormone), and intact parathormone (iPTH) levels were measured using radioimmunoassay at baseline and every 12 weeks. Numbers of fallers and falls were assessed using a questionnaire during each study site visit. Dietary calcium intake was assessed at baseline using a food frequency questionnaire.Results: At baseline, participants had, on average, normal vitamin D and D‐hormone serum levels. Over 36 weeks, alfacalcidol treatment was associated with fewer fallers (odds ratio (OR)=0.69, 95% confidence interval (CI)=0.41–1.16) than placebo. In a post hoc subgroups analysis by medians of total calcium intake, this reduction reached significance in alfacalcidol‐treated subjects with a total calcium intake of more than 512 mg/d (OR=0.45, 95% CI=0.21–0.97, P=.042) but not in those who consumed less than 512 mg/d (OR=1.00, 95% CI= 0.47–2.11, P=.998). Alfacalcidol treatment was also, independent of total calcium intake, associated with a significant 37.9% reduction in iPTH serum levels (P<.0001). No cases of clinically relevant hypercalcemia were observed.Conclusion: Provided a minimal calcium intake of more than 512 mg/d, alfacalcidol treatment significantly and safely reduces number of fallers in an elderly community dwelling population.