bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effects of Surgical Menopause and Estrogen Replacement Therapy on Serum Paraoxonase Activity and Plasma Malondialdehyde Concentration
Authors: Kumru Selahattin , Aydin Suleyman , Aras Azer , Gursu M.F. , Gulcu Funda 
Published: December 2004

<i>Background:</i> We have investigated the effects of surgical menopause and estrogen replacement therapy (ERT) on serum paraoxonase 1 (PON1) activity and plasma malondialdehyde (MDA) levels in surgically postmenopausal women. <i>Methods:</i> Thirty-six healthy perimenopausal women who underwent total abdominal hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oopherectomy for uterine myoma were enrolled in this study. Blood samples were taken from the subjects 1 day before surgery, 1 day before starting ERT (30 days after the operation) and on the 30th day after the start of therapy. <i>Results:</i> After surgical menopause, there were significant increases in plasma MDA levels (p < 0.05) and a decrease in serum PON1 activity (p < 0.05). ERT significantly increased the PON1 activity (p < 0.05) and reduced MDA levels (p < 0.05). There was a positive correlation between serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and PON1 activity (r = 0.7, p < 0.001, n = 36) and a negative correlation between serum PON1 activity and plasma MDA levels (r = –0.63, p < 0.006, n = 36). <i>Conclusions:</i> The present study suggests that postmenopausal women tend to have high levels of plasma MDA and reduced PON1 activity, and ERT reverses these effects. The effect of ERT on lipid peroxidation seems to be associated with serum PON1 activity.
Subcutaneous Implantation of Pure Crystalline Estradiol Pellets for Conception Control
Authors: Oettinger Moshe , Oettinger Moshe , Barak Shlomi , Barak Shlomi , Oettinger-Barak Orit , Oettinger-Barak Orit , Ophir Ella , Ophir Ella 
Published: December 2004

<i>Objectives: </i>Assessment of the contraceptive effectiveness of pure estradiol pellets implanted annually under the skin, thus avoiding the ‘first passage phenomenon’ through the liver, using a modification of Emperaire and Greenblatt’s method. <i>Study Design: </i>228 women wishing birth control for 1 year or more were included. 5 pellets of estradiol (25 mg each) were implanted initially. At each subsequent annual treatment, 4 pellets were implanted. Withdrawal bleeding was induced monthly with oral norethindrone acetate 5 mg taken for 7 days. Our experience encompassed 8,136 cycles, or 678 women years. The study obtained approval of the local Ethical Committee. <i>Results: </i>Annual continuation rates were 51 per 100 women in the second year, 65 in the third, 72 in the fourth and 84 ± 10.1 annually over the next 6 years. Through 12 years of our study, 2 accidental pregnancies occurred. The annual net cumulative pregnancy rates were 0.44 and 0.48 per 100 women at 1 and 2 years, and reduced to 0.29 at the end of 10 years. Return of fecundity after discontinuing treatment was 53% after 12 months, 81% after 24 months and 89% after 36 months. The mean estradiol levels were 1,413 ± 161 pmol/l one week following the pellet installation. The mean serum estradiol level of the 43 women who were assayed arbitrarily or a year following last insertion was 1,207 pmol/l (range 462–2,904 pmol/l); 22% had serum estradiol levels <1,000 pmol/l and 6.3% (3 women) had levels >1,750 pmol/l. A total of 28 endometrial biopsies were obtained –19 were proliferative, 6 showed slight simple hyperplasia, and three, benign cystic glandular hyperplasia. <i>Conclusion: </i>Subcutaneous implantation of pure estradiol pellets offers excellent birth control, has minimal untoward effects, is simple to insert and can serve as a possible alternative for conception control. It could be considered for 3 indications: for women who have completed family planning; for women in older age group (above 35 years) who are approaching the climacteric; and for women at any age, who need prolonged periods of contraception.
Walking the Talk: Philosophy of Conservation On The Isle of Rum
Authors: Brady Emily , Rawles Kate , Holland Alan 
Published: December 2004

AbstractThis paper describes our experience of teaching environmental ethics as part of a Philosophy of Conservation field trip to Rum, off the West coast of Scotland. The field trip was formalised into an M. A. Module in 1999. After outlining the educational aims of the module, and how these are implemented in this setting, we indicate some of the key issues in ethics and aesthetics that emerge as we explore two specific conservation sites. We close with a reflection on the value of experiential education in this area, and the importance of combining experiential, emotional and intellectual engagement in any exploration of normative issues.
Implementation of an Urban Canopy Parameterization in a Mesoscale Meteorological Model
Authors: Otte Tanya L. , Lacser Avraham , Dupont Sylvain , Ching Jason K. S. 
Published: December 2004

Abstract
An urban canopy parameterization (UCP) is implemented into the fifth-generation Pennsylvania State University–National Center for Atmospheric Research Mesoscale Model (MM5) to improve meteorological fields in the urban boundary layer for finescale (∼1-km horizontal grid spacing) simulations. The UCP uses the drag-force approach for dynamics and a simple treatment of the urban thermodynamics to account for the effects of the urban environment. The UCP is evaluated using a real-data application for Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The simulations show that the UCP produces profiles of wind speed, friction velocity, turbulent kinetic energy, and potential temperature that are more consistent with the observations taken in urban areas and data from idealized wind tunnel studies of urban areas than do simulations that use the roughness approach. In addition, comparisons with meteorological measurements show that the UCP simulations are superior to those that use the roughness approach. This improvement of the treatment of the urban areas in the meteorological model could have implications for simulating air chemistry processes at this scale.
Rapid Second-Tier Molecular Genetic Analysis for Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia Attributable to Steroid 21-Hydroxylase Deficiency
Authors: Kösel Siegfried , Burggraf Siegfried , Fingerhut Ralph , Dörr Helmut G , Roscher Adelbert A , Olgemöller Bernhard 
Published: December 2004

Abstract
Background: Neonatal screening for steroid 21-hydroxylase (CYP21) deficiency is performed to identify congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH). The immunologic assay for 17α-hydroxyprogesterone (17-OHP) has a high rate of false positives. We assessed the potential for increasing the specificity for CAH by use of a second step involving analysis of the CYP21 gene.
Methods: Between January 1999 and December 2003, a total of 810 000 newborns were screened. Of these, 7920 had to be retested because their 17-OHP values were above the cutoff of the assay. Sixty-one had positive 17-OHP values in their recall samples and were diagnosed as having CAH. We used a rapid assay for common mutations of the CYP21 gene to analyze these 61 samples. In a prospective study, 198 consecutive samples that had increased 17-OHP and 100 samples that had normal 17-OHP concentrations were genotyped.
Results: Fifty-nine of 61 cases diagnosed as having CAH were confirmed genetically as CYP21 deficiencies. One patient had a 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase deficiency, and one patient carried no CYP21 mutations. The 198 increased 17-OHP results were designated as false positives after immunologic testing of recall samples. None of these samples exhibited the genetic pattern consistent with CYP21 deficiency.
Conclusions: If samples with increased 17-OHP values were screened genetically, the number of retests would decrease by ∼90%, but the overall sensitivity of CAH screening would remain the same. Adding a second-tier genetic step would require a modest increase in costs, but is counterbalanced by fewer recalls, less clinical follow-up, and a reduction in unnecessary worry for families.
Neuroendocrine regulation of salivary IgA synthesis and secretion: implications for oral health
Authors: Teeuw Wijnand , Bosch Jos A. , Veerman Enno C.I. , Nieuw Amerongen Arie V. 
Published: December 2004

AbstractSecretory immunoglobulin A (S-IgA) represents the main adaptive immune mechanism in the oral cavity. The regulation of secretion and synthesis of S-IgA is not only dependent on prior antigenic stimulation, but is also under strong neuroendocrine control. Thus, alterations in neuroendocrine functioning (such as induced by stress, exercise, pregnancy, menstrual cycle, and pharmacological interventions) may affect salivary IgA levels. This review deals with the neuroendocrine regulation of synthesis and secretion of salivary IgA and its potential role in the maintenance of oral health.
Headhunters: Matchmaking in the Labor Market/ In Transit: The Transport Workers Union in New York City, 1933–1966/ The Human Cost of Food: Farmworkers' Lives, Labor, and Advocacy/ The Trouble with Community: Anthropological Reflections on Movement, Identity and Collectivity
Authors: Lane Carrie M. , Gamst Frederick C. , Letkemann Paul G. , Benson Judith 
Published: December 2004

Headhunters: Matchmaking in the Labor Market. William Finlay and James E. Coverdill. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 2002.In Transit: The Transport Workers Union in New York City, 1933–1966. Joshua B. Freeman. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2001 [1989].The Human Cost of Food: Farmworkers' Lives, Labor, and Advocacy. Charles D. Thompson, Jr. and Melinda F. Wiggins, eds. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2002.The Trouble with Community: Anthropological Reflections on Movement, Identity and Collectivity. Vered Amit and Nigel Rapport. London: Pluto Press, 2002.
Book Reviews
Authors: Lindstrom Lamont 
Published: December 2004

Beyond the Lavender Lexicon: Authenticity, Imagination, and Appropriation in Lesbian and Gay Languages. William L. Leap. ed. Luxembourg. Gordon and Breach, 1995. 360pp.Queerly Phrased: Language, Gender, and Sexuality. Anna Livia and Kira Hall. eds. Oxford Studies in Sociolinguistics. New York & Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1997. 460pp.
Is the cart pushing the horse? the effects of child characteristics on children's and adults' interview behaviours
Authors: Gilstrap Livia L. , Papierno Paul B. 
Published: December 2004

AbstractIn the current study we examine the influence of child individual differences on children's and adults' behaviours in unstructured forensic interviews. Thirty‐eight interviews conducted by actual forensic interviewers with 3‐ to 7‐year‐old children were analysed for child reporting behaviours (assent, denial, acquiescence, accurate and inaccurate details, verbosity and cooperation) and adult behaviours (leading vs. neutral questions). Consistent with our predictions, child individual differences that were visible (marked, e.g. sociability) more often predicted child and adult behaviours than those that were not as apparent (unmarked, e.g. source monitoring). In addition to direct influences of the child individual differences on child behaviours, for some variables the influence of the child individual difference was mediated by differential responses by an interviewer (i.e. indirect effects) which then, in turn, influence the child. The ability to examine indirect influences by using unstructured interviews is emphasized. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A comparison of the effectiveness of two suggestibility paradigms in predicting preschoolers' tendency to report a non‐experienced event
Authors: Miles Katie L. , Powell Martine B. , Stokes Mark A. 
Published: December 2004

AbstractThis study compared the effectiveness of two standardized suggestibility paradigms in predicting preschoolers' tendency to report an independent, non‐experienced event. Ninety‐three children, aged 47 to 64 months, were given a description of a non‐experienced event and were subsequently asked to recall that event in response to cued‐recall questions. Four weeks later, half the children were administered the Video Suggestibility Scale for Children (VSSC; Scullin & Ceci, 2001), which consists of yes/no questions, whilst the other half were administered a modified version of the VSSC, which consists of misinformation followed by cued‐recall questions. The results revealed a positive relationship between errors on both the Standard and Modified VSSC and the number of details reported about the non‐experienced event, provided that the child‐generated errors were false‐new details. No significant relationships were revealed when the errors being measured were interviewer‐suggested details. Further, the strength of the relationships did not differ depending on the version of the VSSC adopted. The implications of these findings, and directions for future research, are discussed. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Bayesian Methods for Regression Using Surrogate Variables
Authors: Manner David , Seaman John W. , Young Dean M. 
Published: December 2004

AbstractIf a dependent variable in a regression analysis is exceptionally expensive or hard to obtain the overall sample size used to fit the model may be limited. To avoid this one may use a cheaper or more easily collected “surrogate” variable to supplement the expensive variable. The regression analysis will be enhanced to the degree the surrogate is associated with the costly dependent variable. We develop a Bayesian approach incorporating surrogate variables in regression based on a two‐stage experiment. Illustrative examples are given, along with comparisons to an existing frequentist method. (© 2004 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Testing Equality between Two Diagnostic Procedures in Paired‐Sample Ordinal Data
Authors: Lui Kung‐Jong , Zhou Xiao‐Hua , Lin Chii‐Dean 
Published: December 2004

AbstractWhen a new diagnostic procedure is developed, it is important to assess whether the diagnostic accuracy of the new procedure is different from that of the standard procedure. For paired‐sample ordinal data, this paper develops two test statistics for testing equality of the diagnostic accuracy between two procedures without assuming any parametric models. One is derived on the basis of the probability of correctly identifying the case for a randomly selected pair of a case and a non‐case over all possible cutoff points, and the other is derived on the basis of the sensitivity and specificity directly. To illustrate the practical use of the proposed test procedures, this paper includes an example regarding the use of digitized and plain films for screening breast cancer. This paper also applies Monte Carlo simulation to evaluate the finite sample performance of the two statistics developed here and notes that they can perform well in a variety of situations. (© 2004 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Exact Confidence Bounds for Comparing Two Regression Lines with a Control Regression Line on a Fixed Interval
Authors: Bhargava Parul , Spurrier John D. 
Published: December 2004

AbstractThe problem of finding exact simultaneous confidence bounds for comparing simple linear regression lines for two treatments with a simple linear regression line for the control over a fixed interval is considered. The assumption that errors are iid normal random is considered. It is assumed that the design matrices for the two treatments are equal and the design matrix for the control has the same number of copies of each distinct row of the design matrix for the treatments. The method is based on a pivotal quantity that can be expressed as a function of four t variables. The probability point depends on the size of an angle associated with the interval. We present probability points for various sample sizes and angles. (© 2004 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Microsatellite instability and gene mutations in transforming growth factor‐beta type II receptor are absent in small bowel carcinoid tumors
Authors: Kidd Mark , Eick Geeta , Shapiro Michael D. , Camp Robert L. , Mane Shrikant M. , Modlin Irvin M. 
Published: December 2004

AbstractBACKGROUNDMicrosatellite instability (MSI) with concomitant mutations in the coding region of transforming growth factor‐beta type II receptor (TGFβRII) results in an aberrant growth‐regulatory phenotype in colorectal carcinomas. The authors postulated that a similar mechanism occurred during the malignant evolution of small bowel carcinoid tumors.METHODSMutational analysis of two coding regions in the TGFβRII gene associated with MSI and BAT‐26 within intron 5 of the mismatch repair gene, hMSH2, was undertaken in small bowel carcinoids (n = 14), lymph node metasasis (n = 1) and liver metastases (n = 5). Quantitative PCR analysis [TAQMAN, Applied Biosystems, Foster City, CA] was then undertaken to examine gene alterations in mismatch repair genes (hMLH1 and hMSH2) in small bowel carcinoids (n = 7) and matched normal mucosa (n = 5). Staining was then analyzed using quantitative tissue array profiling (AQUA analysis) in a small bowel EC carcinoid tissue microarray (n = 55 tumors) with immunostaining against TGFβRII and MSH2.RESULTSMutational examination of the TFGβRII gene and BAT‐26 demonstrated that MSI was not present in any carcinoid material. Q RT‐PCR analysis demonstrated statistically significant increased message levels of hMSH2 but not hMLH1 in carcinoid tumors. Quantitative analysis of membrane TGFβRII immunostaining using AQUA demonstrated that TGFβRII expression was down‐regulated (P < 0.0002) in thirty‐three primary small bowel carcinoids that exhibited lymph node and liver metastases compared to normal mucosa. AQUA analysis of nuclear MSH2 immunostaining demonstrated no differences for MSH2 between normal tissue and carcinoid tumor metastasis. Small bowel carcinoids characterized by variable expression of TGFβRII, did not exhibit MSI and had no differences in MSH2 expression.CONCLUSIONSThe molecular events leading to the formation of carcinoid tumors in the small bowel were different from those resulting in epithelial carcinomas. The usually slow‐growing and relatively nonaggressive carcinoid tumors had variable expression of TGFβRII but were associated with the retention of mismatch repair protein function and a microsatellite‐stable phenotype. Cancer 2005. © 2004 American Cancer Society.
Estimating the optimal utilization rates of radiotherapy for hematologic malignancies from a review of the evidence
Authors: Featherstone Carolyn , Delaney Geoff , Jacob Susannah , Barton Michael 
Published: December 2004

AbstractBACKGROUNDThe objective of this study was to estimate the ideal proportion of new patients with lymphoma who should receive radiotherapy at some time during the course of their illness, based on the best evidence.METHODSAvailable evidence of the efficacy of radiotherapy in most clinical situations for lymphoma were identified through extensive literature reviews and treatment guideline searches. Epidemiologic data concerning the distribution of histologic type, disease stage, and other factors that influence the use of radiotherapy were identified. Decision trees were constructed to merge the evidence‐based recommendations with the epidemiologic data to calculate the optimal proportion of patients who should receive radiotherapy according to the best available evidence. Actual radiotherapy utilization rates also were identified.RESULTSThe proportion of patients with lymphoma in Australia that should receive radiotherapy at some point in their management, according to the best available evidence, was calculated at 65.0%. Multivariate analysis with a Monte Carlo simulation yielded a radiotherapy utilization rate of 64.4%. The actual utilization rates of radiotherapy for lymphoma reported in clinical practice were 22–29%, substantially lower than the optimal rate calculated in this project.CONCLUSIONSFurther research will be required to identify why more patients who are diagnosed with lymphoma are not treated with radiotherapy. Cancer 2005. © 2004 American Cancer Society.
Reduced expression of transforming growth factor β1 exacerbates pathology in an experimental asthma model
Authors: Scherf Wiebke , Burdach Stefan , Hansen Gesine 
Published: December 2004

AbstractAllergic asthma is characterized by airway hyperreactivity (AHR), eosinophilic airway inflammation and elevated serum IgE levels. T‐helper 2 (Th2) cells play a critical role in the pathogenesis of asthma, but the immunological mechanisms that inhibit Th2 cell function in vivo are not well understood. Conflicting results regarding the protective role of Th1 cytokines and TGF‐β in asthma have been reported. To further investigate the role of TGF‐β1 in asthma, we examined mice heterozygous for deletion of the TGF‐β1 gene (TGF‐β1+/– mice) in a murine asthma model. While TGF‐β1+/– mice seem phenotypically normal, they express only about 30% of wild type TGF‐β1 protein levels as shown before. The reduced expression of TGF‐β1 is accompanied by a strikingly increased eosinophilic inflammation and mucus secretion in response to ovalbumin (OVA) sensitization. Moreover, TGF‐β1+/– mice develop significantly enhanced Th2‐cytokine levels, decreased IFN‐γ production and increased levels of OVA‐specific IgE in serum. In contrast, AHR in response to methacholine is not altered significantly. Our data demonstrate that reduced expression of TGF‐β1 exacerbates pathology in an experimental asthma model and support the view that the elevated levels of TGF‐β1 in asthmatic airways might be, at least in part, a result of anti‐inflammatory compensation by this cytokine.
Predominant role of IgM‐dependent activation of the classical pathway in the clearance of dying cells by murine bone marrow‐derived macrophages in vitro
Authors: Quartier Pierre , Potter Paul K. , Ehrenstein Michael R. , Walport Mark J. , Botto Marina 
Published: December 2004

AbstractSoluble molecules including complement components have been shown to facilitate the clearance of dying cells by phagocytes, a process that is important in preventing tissue damage and autoimmunity. However, the extent to which complement is involved in this process and the relative contribution of each of the complement activation pathways is not fully understood. We examined the role of complement in the recognition/uptake of apoptotic thymocytes by murine bone marrow‐derived macrophages (BMDM) in vitro using sera from gene‐targeted mice. We found this process to be IgM‐ and complement‐dependent, especially when the apoptotic cell‐to‐BMDM ratio was low, and the level of C3 deposition on apoptotic cells correlated closely with their uptake. The addition of C1q rectified the phagocytic defect seen in the presence of C1q‐deficient serum in vitro but had no effect on the phagocytic defect observed with serum deficient in both IgM antibodies and C1q. Similarly, complement activation by IgM antibodies was essential for in vivo C3 deposition on apoptotic cells and their uptake by peritoneal macrophages. Hence, the efficient uptake of dying cells by BMDM requires IgM antibodies and complement.