julilili42/papers huggingface dataset:
Low-Dose Botulinum Toxin-A Treatment of Cervical Dystonia – A Double-Blind, Randomized Pilot Study
2002-01-01

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the clinical efficacy of low-dose botulinum toxin (BTX) treatment of cervical dystonia in a double-blind, randomized pilot study. Thirty-one patients with cervical dystonia and a minimum of 2 previous Dysport&lt;sup&gt;®&lt;/sup&gt; treatments received either a mean total target dose of 547 ± 113 mouse units (MU) (group A, 500 MU Dysport/ml) or a 4-times-diluted preparation 130 ± 32 MU (group B, 125 MU Dysport/ml). Assessment was made before and 4 weeks after the injection using Toronto Western Spasmodic Torticollis Rating Scales (TWSTRS). Additionally, a self-response scale evaluated the patients’ subjective condition for 12 weeks after injection. TWST rating before and after injection revealed comparable clinical improvement in both groups. The severity of cervical dystonia at study entry had no effects on therapeutic effects of either preparation. Self-rating revealed comparable subjective improvement in both groups; however, 3 patients of group B received reinjections due to insufficient effects of the injection. Our findings suggest that low-dose treatment of cervical dystonia with Dysport may be clinically effective during maintenance therapy, at least for a limited period of time. Long-lasting effects of previous Dysport treatments at conventional doses and possibly improved diffusion of a highly diluted toxin preparation may have contributed to the effects of the low-dose regimen. Our data emphasize the need for further studies in order to clearly identify optimal toxin preparations for therapeutic uses of BTX-A in neurologic disorders.
Pfmdr1 Alleles and Response to Ultralow-Dose Mefloquine Treatment in Gabonese Patients
2002-01-01

ABSTRACT The identification of parasite molecular markers involved in resistance to antimalarial compounds is of great interest for monitoring the development and spread of resistance in the field. Polymorphisms in Plasmodium falciparum multidrug resistance gene 1 ( pfmdr1 ) have been associated with chloroquine resistance and mefloquine susceptibility. In the present study, carried out in Lambaréné, Gabon, we investigated the relationship between the presence of mutations at codons 86, 184, 1034, 1042, and 1246 in the pfmdr1 gene and the success of ultralow-dose mefloquine treatment (1.1 mg/kg of body weight). Sixty-nine patients were included in the study, and depending on the level of in vivo resistance to mefloquine, they were classified as sensitive responders (S), patients with low-grade resistance (RI), and nonresponders (NR). We found that the prevalences of the Tyr-86 mutation among isolates from patients in groups S, RI, and NR were 100, 96, and 90%, respectively, and that the prevalence of the Phe-184 mutation among the isolates was 80% in each group. A prevalence of about 10% point mutations at codons 1042 and 1246 was detected only in isolates from patients in groups RI and NR. There was no statistically significant association between the presence of the Tyr-86 mutation and the in vivo response ( P = 0.79). Among the parasite isolates from patients with drug-resistant infections, 83% had the wild-type pfmdr1 genotype (S 1034 -N 1042 -D 1246 ). No link between the presence of this genotype and parasite resistance was detected ( P = 0.42). Among the isolates analyzed, 85 had double mutations (Y 86 -F 184 or Y 86 -Y 1246 ) and 11 had triple mutations (Y 86 -D 1042 -Y 1246 , Y 86 -F 184 -Y 1246 , or Y 86 -F 184 -D 1042 ). These findings are not consistent with those of previous in vitro studies and suggest that further evaluation of pfmdr1 gene polymorphism and in vivo mefloquine sensitivity are needed.
Tissue factor-dependent pathway is not involved in exercise-induced formation of thrombin and fibrin
2002-01-01

In healthy individuals, prolonged intensive physical exercise leads to an activation of blood coagulation that results in the formation of thrombin and fibrin. This study investigated whether oxidative stress during intensive physical exercise induces tissue factor (TF) via activation of the redox-responsive transcription factor nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB). Twelve young men performed a standardized 1-h maximal run on a treadmill that gave rise to significant increases of markers of thrombin and fibrin formation. The ratio of intracellular reduced to oxidized glutathione as measured by HPLC decreased from 23.3 ± 10.7 to 14.2 ± 6.5 ( P &lt; 0.05), indicating the generation of free radicals during exercise. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays from nuclear extracts of peripheral blood mononuclear cells revealed that exercise testing increased NF-κB (p50/p65) binding activity to a NF-κB consensus sequence by 105 ± 68% ( P &lt; 0.01) but did not affect NF-κB (p65/c-Rel) binding to a nonconsensus-κB-like site present in the TF promoter. Consistently, there was no exercise-induced increase in TF expression as demonstrated by TF-specific immunofluorescence staining and ELISA. Thus selective activation of NF-κB (p50/p65) during intensive physical exercise does not result in the expression of TF, suggesting that the TF-dependent pathway in peripheral blood mononuclear cells does not account for exercise-induced formation of thrombin and fibrin.
Toric Residues and Mirror Symmetry
2002-01-01

We develop some ideas of Morrison and Plesser and formulate a precise mathematical conjecture which has close relations to toric mirror symmetry.Our conjecture, we call it Toric Residue Mirror Conjecture, claims that the generating functions of intersection numbers of divisors on a special sequence of simplicial toric varieties are power series expansions of some rational functions obtained as toric residues.We expect that this conjecture holds true for all Gorenstein toric Fano varieties associated with reflexive polytopes and give some evidences for that.The proposed conjecture suggests a simple method for computing Yukawa couplings for toric mirror Calabi-Yau hypersurfaces without solving systems of differential equations.We make several explicit computations for Calabi-Yau hypersurfaces in weighted projective spaces and in products of projective spaces.
Endothelial Accumulation of Hydroxyethyl Starch and Functional Consequences on Leukocyte-Endothelial Interactions
2002-01-01

To date, accumulation of hydroxyethyl starch (HES) has been studied mainly in skin specimens, but there are no detailed reports available regarding starch accumulation in the endothelium. Because endothelial cells play an essential role during shock, we studied the accumulation of HES in human umbilical venous endothelial cells (HUVEC). HUVEC (n = 9) were incubated with a fluorescein-conjugated HES 200/0.5 (FITC-HES) at 0.5–20 mg/ml for 1–72 h. FITC-HES was internalized dose- and time-dependently by pinocytosis into secondary lysosomes. Asymptotic elimination curves showed that 50% of the formerly ingested molecules could not be eliminated. Despite accumulation, starch molecules did not attenuate the expression of E-selectin, ICAM-1 or VCAM-1 on TNF-α-activated HUVEC. However, apart from adhesion molecule expression, perfusion studies showed that HES reduced neutrophil adhesion by direct inhibition of integrin-mediated interactions.
Neuroendoscopic Treatment of Idiopathic Occlusion of the Foramen of Monro in Adults. Two Case Reports.
2002-01-01

Two adults presented with hydrocephalus due to idiopathic obstruction of the bilateral foramina of Monro, manifesting as clinical signs of chronically elevated intracranial pressure. No inflammation was present. The primary surgical treatment was neuroendoscopic reconstruction of the right foramen of Monro. A 37-year-old man had a spontaneous perforation of the septum pellucidum. The patient required a ventriculoperitoneal shunt, although postoperative ventriculography proved free passage of cerebrospinal fluid from the lateral ventricle into the third ventricle. A 62-year-old man underwent additional septostomy and third ventriculostomy, and the neuroendoscopic intervention relieved the presenting symptoms without additional treatment. The biopsy specimens showed no evidence of malignancy in either case. Neuroendoscopic intervention is an alternative treatment in the management of hydrocephalus due to idiopathic obstruction of the foramen of Monor. The procedure is less invasive than open microsurgical reconstruction and can even avoid ventriculoperitoneal or ventriculoatrial shunting.
Assessment of the Efficacy of a Cognitive-Behavioural Group Psychotherapy Programme for HIV-Infected Patients Referred to a Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry Department
2002-01-01

&lt;i&gt;Background:&lt;/i&gt; Most HIV-infected patients attending a consultation-liaison psychiatry service show symptoms of anxiety and depression. The present study sought to evaluate the immediate and long-term efficacy of a structured cognitive-behavioural group therapy reducing anxiety and depression in HIV-infected patients referred to a consultation-liaison psychiatry department, and to identify baseline variables predictive of greater improvement. &lt;i&gt;Methods:&lt;/i&gt; Repeated-measures ANOVA was used to analyse changes in the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the state subscale of the State/Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) administered to 39 participants at 4 time points: T1 (1 month before beginning the therapy), T2 (during the first session), T3 (during the last session) and T4 (3 months after the last session). The therapy consisted of 16 weekly 2-hour sessions following a structured time-limited cognitive-behavioural group psychotherapy programme. &lt;i&gt;Results:&lt;/i&gt; During the intervention time (between T2 and T3) an improvement was observed in depression and anxiety, which persisted after the 3-month follow-up period (between T3 and T4). No changes were observed during baseline (between T1 and T2). Patients with higher levels of anxiety at baseline showed greater improvement in STAI state subscale scores. Transmission of HIV infection through intravenous drug use was associated with less improvement on the BDI. &lt;i&gt;Conclusions:&lt;/i&gt; This is the first report of an ongoing study which suggests long-lasting efficacy of a structured cognitive-behavioural group psychotherapy programme in a heterogeneous sample of HIV-1-infected patients referred to a consultation-liaison psychiatry unit.
The feeding behavior of the snail-eating snake Pareas carinatus Wagler 1830 (Squamata: Colubridae)
2002-01-01

Abstract The behavior of captive Pareas carinatus feeding on European round-shelled snails is described. The snake bites into the snail's body and lifts it from the ground. With alternate retraction movements of the mandibles, it pulls the body out of the shell while the upper jaw rests on the outside of the shell. There are only slight differences to dipsadine snakes: Pareas never followed a mucus track and did not coil around the snail's shell. There seemed to be a preference to catch the snails from behind. Extraction time (24-390 s) and number of mandibular movements (22-98) were similar to the data on the dipsadines.
Application of wavelet transform to uterine electromyographic signals recorded using abdominal surface electrodes
2002-01-01

This study showed that the wavelet transform could be a useful tool to study the uterine EMG activity. Continued studies on frequency content, amplitude and origin of uterine EMG activity could be helpful in understanding uterine contraction.
Bioethical conflicts between Muslim patients and German physicians and the principles of biomedical ethics.
2002-01-01

In the age of globalisation, more and more people who are members of different religions and cultures live in the same society. This situation tends to create many conflicts in different areas of life and not least in the health care system, a fact which raises a number of bioethical issues. The cultural and religious differences between patient and physician can be a cause of bioethical conflicts and therefore represent a challenge for biomedical ethics. The confrontation between Turkish Muslin patients and the German health care system is a convenient example of this situation. The Muslim Turks came to Germany 40 years ago as industrial workers. Their value system had been shaped by traditional and Islamic parameters in Turkey. With this value system, they now found themselves in the German modern health care system. In many fields of modern medicine there are areas of potential conflict of values, where a Muslin patient will argue differently from a secular or Christian person. In an ethical conflict between two individuals who are members of different cultures, it is necessary to make sure that the ethical concept which is to be used for resolving the problem is relevant. In this particular case, both the Islamic legal responses (fatwa) and the classical theories of biomedical ethics are often insufficient. This paper tries to give a brief outline of these bioethical conflicts and discuss these conflicts with regard to the principle of respect for autonomy in the concept of "principilism," as introduced by T.L. Beauchamp and J.F. Childress. The central question is whether this bioethical concept is able to analyse and to help solve the kinds of ethical conflicts which involve transcultural dimensions. This question is discussed with some consideration of the ongoing debate about universalism versus relativism in biomedical ethics.
Do Event-Related Brain Potentials Reflect Mental (Cognitive) Operations?
2002-01-01

Abstract Most cognitive psychophysiological studies assume (1) that there is a chain of (partially overlapping) cognitive processes (processing stages, mechanisms, operators) leading from stimulus to response, and (2) that components of event-related brain potentials (ERPs) may be regarded as manifestations of these processing stages. What is usually discussed is which particular processing mechanisms are related to some particular component, but not whether such a relationship exists at all. Alternatively, from the point of view of noncognitive (e. g., “naturalistic”) theories of perception ERP components might be conceived of as correlates of extraction of the information from the experimental environment. In a series of experiments, the author attempted to separate these two accounts, i. e., internal variables like mental operations or cognitive parameters versus external variables like information content of stimulation. Whenever this separation could be performed, the latter factor proved to significantly affect ERP amplitudes, whereas the former did not. These data indicate that ERPs cannot be unequivocally linked to processing mechanisms postulated by cognitive models of perception. Therefore, they cannot be regarded as support for these models.
A Non-Heart-Beating Donor Model to Evaluate Functional and Morphologic Outcomes in Resuscitated Pig Hearts
2002-01-01

A non-heart-beating donor model was considered to examine whether pig hearts from the abattoir could be resuscitated by whole blood reperfusion. For preservation, machine perfusion using University of Wisconsin (UW) solution was compared with storage on ice. Nineteen hearts from abattoir pigs, harvested 25 +/- 3 min after exsanguination, were harvested and transported to the laboratory. Controls (n = 7) were immediately reperfused with homologous whole pig blood in an isolated heart model for 60 min with monitoring of left ventricular developed pressure (LVDP), contractility, and coronary flow. UW solution hearts (UW, n = 6) were perfused for 4 h with 10 degrees C cold UW solution before blood reperfusion. In the cold storage group (CS, n = 6), the organs were stored for an additional 4 h on ice before blood reperfusion. In all hearts, histology was performed after 60 min of blood reperfusion to evaluate myocardial reperfusion injury. All three groups showed significant increases in LVDP (p <.001), although this functional recovery was earliest in the control group and latest in the UW group. Significant declines were observed for both LVDP and contractility from the peak values in each group to the end of blood reperfusion. Coronary flow increased steadily over the time course for the UW group, whereas in the control and CS groups flow increased during the first 15 min of blood reperfusion and then decreased. In the UW and CS groups, there were significant positive correlations between coronary flow and LVDP (p <.001). Microscopic examination revealed no differences between the three groups. Thus, hearts from an abattoir with 25 min of warm ischemic time can be resuscitated. For storage of these organs, continuous machine perfusion with UW solution is superior to cold storage on ice.
Cement Furrows in the Dentition of Mammuthus primigenius and the Question of their Etiology
2002-01-01

Linear furrows have been documented in the crown cement of Mammuthus primigenius molars from the late Pleistocene archaeological sites of Krakow Spadzista Street (B), Poland and Vogelherd, Germany. The high frequency of cement defects on these assemblages, 50% and 74% of the molars respectively, and on other fossil probos- cidean teeth from Eurasia warrants investigation into their etiology. One possible cause of the furrows is a developmental defect such as hypoplasia, due to periodic physiological stress; such a causal factor could have broad implications for the life history of woolly mammoths. Other potential origins of the furrows include cement decay from infection or impaction of material in the gums and resorption of tooth cement. Apart from cause, the morphology of the cement furrows reflects regular rhythms of seasonal or annual forma- tion.
New Cortinarius Species from Nothofagus Forests in South Chile
2002-01-01

Four new Cortinarius species are described from Nothofagus forests in South Chile. Cortinarius aurantiorufus and C. punctatisporus, subgenus Phlegmacium, stirps Inflatipes, are mainly characterized by a viscid to glutinous pileus and a bulbous whitish stipe. They differ in the color of the pileus, and shape, ornamentation, and size of the basidiospores. Futhermore, C. punctatisporus has a translucently striate pileus. Cortinarius rubrivelatus and C. parahumilis belong to subgenus Telamonia, stirps Brunneivelatus and Scabrisporus, respectively. Cortinarius rubrivelatus has a reddish veil, a viscid pileus, and large, ellipsoid to amygdaliform basidiospores. Cortinarius parahumilis has small, subglobose to broadly elliptical, minutely verrucose basidiospores and a viscid pileus.
Expression of the Serine/Threonine Kinase hSGK1 in Chronic Viral Hepatitis
2002-01-01

The human serine/threonine kinase hSGK1 is expressed ubiquitously with highest transcript levels in pancreas and liver. This study has been performed to determine the hSGK1 distribution in normal liver and its putative role in fibrosing liver disease. HSGK1-localization was determined by in situ hybridization, regulation of hSGK1-transcription by Northern blotting, fibronectin synthesis and hSGK1 phosphorylation by Western blotting. In normal liver hSGK1 was mainly transcribed by Kupffer cells. In liver tissue from patients with chronic viral hepatitis, hSGK1 transcript levels were excessively high in numerous activated Kupffer cells and inflammatory cells localized within fibrous septum formations. HSGK1 transcripts were also detected in activated hepatic stellate cells. Accordingly, Western blotting revealed that tissue from fibrotic liver expresses excessive hSGK1 protein as compared to normal liver. TGF-beta1 (2 ng/ml) increases hSGK1 transcription in both human U937 macro-phages and HepG2 hepatoma cells. H(2)O(2) (0.3 mM) activated hSGK1 and increased fibronectin formation in HepG2 cells overexpressing hSGK1 but not in HepG2 cells expressing the inactive mutant hSGK1(K127R). In conclusion hSGK1 is upregulated by TGF-beta1 during hepatitis and may contribute to enhanced matrix formation during fibrosing liver disease.
Magnetic oscillatory responses to lateralization changes of natural and artificial sounds in humans
2002-01-01

Abstract Oscillatory signals in human magnetoencephalogram were investigated as correlates of cortical network activity in response to sound lateralization changes. Previously, we found lateralized presentations of a monosyllabic word to elicit posterior temporo‐parietal gamma‐band activity, possibly reflecting synchronization of neuronal assemblies in putative auditory dorsal stream areas. In addition, beta activity was decreased over sensorimotor regions, suggesting the activation of motor networks involved in orientating. The present study investigated responses to lateralization changes of both a barking dog sound and a distorted noise to test whether beta desynchronization would depend on the sound's relevance for orientating. Eighteen adults listened passively to 900 samples of each sound in separate location mismatch paradigms with midline standards and both right‐ and left‐lateralized deviants. Lateralized distorted noises were accompanied by enhanced spectral amplitude at 58–73 Hz over right temporo‐parietal cortex. Left‐lateralized barking dog sounds elicited right and right‐lateralized sounds elicited bilateral temporo‐parietal spectral amplitude increases at ≈ 77 Hz. This replicated the involvement of posterior temporo‐parietal areas in auditory spatial processing. Only barking dog sounds, but not distorted noises, gave rise to 30 Hz desynchronization over contralateral sensorimotor areas, parieto‐frontal gamma coherence increases and beta coherence reductions between sensorimotor and prefrontal sensors. Apparently passive listening to lateralized natural sounds with a potential biological relevance led to an activation of motor networks involved in the automatic preparation for orientating. Parieto‐frontal coherence increases may reflect enhanced coupling of networks involved in the integration of auditory spatial and motor processes.
CD95‐mediated Apoptosis of Human Glioma Cells: Modulation by Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Activity
2002-01-01

The death ligands CD95L and Apo2L/TRAIL are promising investigational agents for the treatment of malignant glioma. EGFR is overexpressed in a significant proportion of malignant gliomas in vivo. Here, we report that CD95L‐induced cell death is enhanced by EGFR inhibition using tyrphostine AG1478 in 7 of 12 human malignant glioma cell lines. Conversely, CD95‐mediated and Apo2L‐induced cell death are both inhibited by overexpression of EGFR in LN‐229 cells. CD95L‐induced cell death augmented by AG1478 is accompanied by enhanced processing of caspase 8. LN‐229 cells overexpressing the viral caspase inhibitor, crm‐A, are not sensitized to CD95L‐induced cell death by AG1478, indicating that EGFR exerts its antiapoptotic properties through a caspase 8‐dependent pathway. These data define a modulatory effect of EGFR‐activity on death ligand‐induced apoptosis and indicate that EGFR inhibition is likely to improve the efficacy of death ligand‐based cancer therapies. Furthermore, it is tempting to speculate that EGFR amplification protects tumor cells from death ligand‐mediated host immune responses in vivo and that EGFR's effects on death receptor‐mediated apoptosis may explain the anti‐tumor effects of non‐cytotoxic, unarmed anti‐EGFR family antibodies.