bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Cosmetic Rhinoseptoplasty in Acute Nasal Bone Fracture
Authors: Kim Ji Heui , Lee Jung Woo , Park Chan Hum
Published: May 2013

Objective

Traditionally, rhinoseptoplasty for nasal bone fracture is only considered after an unsatisfactory outcome from initial closed reduction. However, better surgical outcomes may be achieved if rhinoseptoplasty is performed at the same time as the nasal bone fracture reduction. This study investigated the surgical outcomes of patients who underwent rhinoseptoplasty concomitantly with nasal bone fracture reduction according to their computed tomography image‐based nasal bone fracture classifications.

Study Design

Case series with chart review.

Setting

Academic tertiary care medical center.

Subjects and Methods

Fifty‐six patients who underwent rhinoseptoplasty concomitantly with nasal bone fracture reduction were enrolled in this study. Nasal bone fractures were classified into 6 types by computed tomography scans. Two independent facial plastic surgeons evaluated the outcomes 6 months postoperatively using a visual analog scale. The nasal tip projection and rotation were measured using the pre‐ and postoperative profile views.

Results

The satisfaction scores of type I, IIo, and IIIo fractures without septal fracture were significantly higher than those of type II, III, and IV fractures with septal fractures. Among the patients, 82.1% underwent lower vault surgery. The nasal tip projection and rotation were increased after surgery in patients without septal fractures, whereas the tip rotation was elevated but the projection was unchanged postoperatively in patients with septal fractures.

Conclusion

Rhinoseptoplasty for acute nasal bone fractures can be performed at the same time as nasal bone fracture reduction. However, nasal bone fracture with septal fracture should be managed carefully.
Antibiotics for Otitis Media with Effusion in Children
Authors: Schilder Anne G. M. , Darrow David H. , Rosenfeld Richard M.
Published: May 2013

The “Cochrane Corner” is a quarterly section in the journal that highlights systematic reviews relevant to otolaryngology–head and neck surgery, with invited commentary to aid clinical decision making. This installment features a Cochrane Review, “Antibiotics for Otitis Media with Effusion in Children,” that does not support the routine use of antibiotics for treating otitis media with effusion in children. Although children treated with antibiotics had higher rates of effusion resolution, there was no impact on hearing levels or the need for tympanostomy tubes.
Is Montgomery Tracheal Safe‐T‐Tube Clinical Failure Induced by Biofilm?
Authors: Fusconi Massimo , Lo Vasco Vincenza Rita , Delfini Andrea , De Virgilio Armando , Taddei Anna Rita , Vassalli Carlo , Conte Michela , Del Sette Fausto , Benincasa Anna Teresa , de Vincentiis Marco
Published: May 2013

Objectives

Montgomery Safe‐T‐Tube deterioration and early biofilm colonization may explain the discomfort claimed by many patients and clinical failures. The aim of the study was to analyze the deterioration of Montgomery Safe‐T‐Tube morphological and mechanical properties in vivo in 16 patients by using microbiological methods, optical and electron microscopy, and engineering tests.

Study Design

Prospective controlled study at a single medical center.

Setting

University hospital.

Subjects and Methods

The study, conducted from April 2007 to February 2012 at the “Sapienza” University of Rome, was designed to collect 2 Montgomery Safe‐T‐Tubes from each patient. The first was removed 3 to 15 days after insertion (group A) and the second at least 90 days after (group B). Specimens underwent microbiologic assays, electron microscopic analysis, immunocytologic analysis, and mechanical tests.

Results

Microorganisms were not isolated in 2 group A cases (12%), whereas they were in all group B cases. Biofilm was identified in 11 of 16 (69%) group A samples and in 16 of 16 (100%) group B samples (P =. 0149) using scanning electron microscopy. Immunohistochemistry showed monocyte‐granulocyte line cells producing interleukin‐1β on the external surfaces of Montgomery Safe‐T‐Tubes. The tensile test showed that the wear related to the longer period of use makes Montgomery Safe‐T‐Tubes more rigid than newer ones.

Conclusion

Early biofilm colonization takes place in Montgomery Safe‐T‐Tubes in most cases. The mechanical decay could be justified in part by the destructive biofilm activity and by the release of inflammatory effectors and enzymes.
Reconstituting protein interaction networks using parameter-dependent domain-domain interactions
Authors: Memišević Vesna , Wallqvist Anders , Reifman Jaques
Published: May 2013

Background

We can describe protein-protein interactions (PPIs) as sets of distinct domain-domain interactions (DDIs) that mediate the physical interactions between proteins. Experimental data confirm that DDIs are more consistent than their corresponding PPIs, lending support to the notion that analyses of DDIs may improve our understanding of PPIs and lead to further insights into cellular function, disease, and evolution. However, currently available experimental DDI data cover only a small fraction of all existing PPIs and, in the absence of structural data, determining which particular DDI mediates any given PPI is a challenge.

Results

We present two contributions to the field of domain interaction analysis. First, we introduce a novel computational strategy to merge domain annotation data from multiple databases. We show that when we merged yeast domain annotations from six annotation databases we increased the average number of domains per protein from 1.05 to 2.44, bringing it closer to the estimated average value of 3. Second, we introduce a novel computational method, parameter-dependent DDI selection (PADDS), which, given a set of PPIs, extracts a small set of domain pairs that can reconstruct the original set of protein interactions, while attempting to minimize false positives. Based on a set of PPIs from multiple organisms, our method extracted 27% more experimentally detected DDIs than existing computational approaches.

Conclusions

We have provided a method to merge domain annotation data from multiple sources, ensuring large and consistent domain annotation for any given organism. Moreover, we provided a method to extract a small set of DDIs from the underlying set of PPIs and we showed that, in contrast to existing approaches, our method was not biased towards DDIs with low or high occurrence counts. Finally, we used these two methods to highlight the influence of the underlying annotation density on the characteristics of extracted DDIs. Although increased annotations greatly expanded the possible DDIs, the lack of knowledge of the true biological false positive interactions still prevents an unambiguous assignment of domain interactions responsible for all protein network interactions.

Executable files and examples are given at: http://www.bhsai.org/downloads/padds/
Assessment of bacterial diversity during composting of agricultural byproducts
Authors: Chandna Piyush , Nain Lata , Singh Surender , Kuhad Ramesh Chander
Published: May 2013

Background

Composting is microbial decomposition of biodegradable materials and it is governed by physicochemical, physiological and microbiological factors. The importance of microbial communities (bacteria, actinomycetes and fungi) during composting is well established. However, the microbial diversity during composting may vary with the variety of composting materials and nutrient supplements. Therefore, it is necessary to study the diversity of microorganisms during composting of different agricultural byproducts like wheat bran, rice bran, rice husk, along with grass clippings and bulking agents. Here it has been attempted to assess the diversity of culturable bacteria during composting of agricultural byproducts.

Results

The culturable bacterial diversity was assessed during the process by isolating the most prominent bacteria. Bacterial population was found to be maximum during the mesophilic phase, but decreased during the thermophilic phase and declined further in the cooling and maturation phase of composting. The bacterial population ranged from 105 to 109 cfu g-1 compost. The predominant bacteria were characterized biochemically, followed by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The isolated strains, both Gram-positive and Gram-negative groups belonged to the order Burkholderiales, Enterobacteriales, Actinobacteriales and Bacillales, which includes genera e.g. Staphylococcus, Serratia, Klebsiella, Enterobacter, Terribacillus, Lysinibacillus Kocuria, Microbacterium, Acidovorax and Comamonas. Genera like Kocuria, Microbacterium, Acidovorax, Comamonas and some new species of Bacillus were also identified for the first time from the compost made from agricultural byproducts.

Conclusion

The use of appropriate nitrogen amendments and bulking agents in composting resulted in good quality compost. The culture based strategy enabled us to isolate some novel bacterial isolates like Kocuria, Microbacterium, Acidovorax and Comamonas first time from agro-byproducts compost. These bacteria can be used as potential compost inoculants for accelerating composting process.
Effectiveness of national evidence-based medicine competition in Taiwan
Authors: Weng Yi-Hao , Kuo Ken N , Yang Chun-Yuh , Liao Hsun-Hsiang , Chen Chiehfeng , Lo Heng-Lien , Lee Wui-Chiang , Chiu Ya-Wen
Published: May 2013

Background

Competition and education are intimately related and can be combined in many ways. The role of competition in medical education of evidence-based medicine (EBM) has not been investigated. In order to enhance the dissemination and implementation of EBM in Taiwan, EBM competitions have been established among healthcare professionals. This study was to evaluate the impact of competition in EBM learning.

Methods

The EBM competition used PICO (patient, intervention, comparison, and outcome) queries to examine participants’ skills in framing an answerable question, literature search, critical appraisal and clinical application among interdisciplinary teams. A structured questionnaire survey was conducted to investigate EBM among participants in the years of 2009 and 2011. Participants completed a baseline questionnaire survey at three months prior to the competition and finished the same questionnaire right after the competition.

Results

Valid questionnaires were collected from 358 participants, included 162 physicians, 71 nurses, 101 pharmacists, and 24 other allied healthcare professionals. There were significant increases in participants’ knowledge of and skills in EBM (p < 0.001). Their barriers to literature searching and forming answerable questions significantly decreased (p < 0.01). Furthermore, there were significant increases in their access to the evidence-based retrieval databases, including the Cochrane Library (p < 0.001), MD Consult (p < 0.001), ProQuest (p < 0.001), UpToDate (p = 0.001), CINAHL (p = 0.001), and MicroMedex (p = 0.024).

Conclusions

The current study demonstrates a method that successfully enhanced the knowledge of, skills in, and behavior of EBM. The data suggest competition using PICO queries may serve as an effective way to facilitate the learning of EBM.
Experimental evidence for direct insulator-quantum Hall transition in multi-layer graphene
Authors: Chuang Chiashain , Lin Li-Hung , Aoki Nobuyuki , Ouchi Takahiro , Mahjoub Akram M , Woo Tak-Pong , Bird Jonathan P , Ochiai Yuichi , Lo Shun-Tsung , Liang Chi-Te
Published: May 2013

We have performed magnetotransport measurements on a multi-layer graphene flake. At the crossing magnetic field B
c, an approximately temperature-independent point in the measured longitudinal resistivity ρ

xx
, which is ascribed to the direct insulator-quantum Hall (I-QH) transition, is observed. By analyzing the amplitudes of the magnetoresistivity oscillations, we are able to measure the quantum mobility μ
q of our device. It is found that at the direct I-QH transition, μ
q
B
c ≈ 0.37 which is considerably smaller than 1. In contrast, at B
c, ρ

xx
is close to the Hall resistivity ρ

xy
, i.e., the classical mobility μB
c is ≈ 1. Therefore, our results suggest that different mobilities need to be introduced for the direct I-QH transition observed in multi-layered graphene. Combined with existing experimental results obtained in various material systems, our data obtained on graphene suggest that the direct I-QH transition is a universal effect in 2D.
P268S in NOD2 associates with susceptibility to Parkinson’s disease in Chinese population
Authors: Ma Qilin , An Xingkai , Li Zhiming , Zhang Huanjing , Huang Wenqing , Cai Liangliang , Hu Peng , Lin Qing , Tzeng Chi-Meng
Published: May 2013

Background

The cause of almost all cases of Parkinson’s disease (PD) remains unknown. Recent years have seen an explosion in the rate of discovery of genetic defects linked to PD. Different racial and geographical populations may have different distributions of genetic variants.

Methods

In the current study, we screened the following genetic variants, including some rare mutations and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), in a pedigree and cases-controls. To best of our knowledge, we first screened these variants known to be associated with neurodegeneration disease, E46K (rs104893875) inSNCA, A1442P inLRRK2, IVS9 inPARK2, A350V inSLC41A1, P268S (rs2066842), R702W (rs2066844), G908R (rs2066845), 1007fs (rs2066847) inNOD2and G2385R (rs34778348) inLRRK2from southern China population. Genotyping was performed by jointly using primers overlapping polymerase chain reaction (PCR) site-directed mutagenesis, restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP), and capillary electrophoresis (CE).

Results

We didn’t discover above 9 variants in the family members of the pedigree. Furthermore, of 237 patients with sporadic Parkinson’s disease and 190 controls, no heterozygosity or homozygosity were found from E46K, A1442P, A350V, R702W, G908R, or 1007fs but heterozygosity onto G2385R, IVS9, and P268S. No significant difference between cases and controls was found in both allele frequency (P = 0.572) and genotype frequency (P = 0.348) of IVS9. However, significant differences in genotype frequency (P = 0.009) of G2385R were consistent with prior observation. Eight patients with Parkinson’s disease (2 women and 6 men are over the age of 50 years at onset of PD) carried the P268S heterozygous variation inNOD2. There was no heterozygosity or homozygosity of P268S in the controls. Genotype frequency of P268S (P = 0.0450) had significant differences.

Conclusions

Our results suggested that the P268S variant inNOD2might be a risk factor for susceptibility to sporadic Parkinson’s disease in Chinese populations. It also implied that the inflammatory response may play a role in PD.
The effect of introducing IGRA to screen French healthcare workers for tuberculosis and potential conclusions for the work organisation
Authors: Moucaut Adrien , Nienhaus Albert , Courtois Benedicte , Nael Virginie , Longuenesse Claire , Ripault Bruno , Rucay Pierre , Moisan Stéphanie , Roquelaure Yves , Tripodi Dominique
Published: May 2013

Introduction

In France, pre-employment screening for tuberculosis (TB) is performed for healthcare workers (HCW). Screening is repeated when exposure to TB patients or infectious material occurs. The results of these TB screenings were analysed in a retrospective analysis.

Method

Tuberculin skin tests (TST) and interferon-gamma release assays (QuantiFERON® Gold In-Tube – QFT) were used to perform the TB screenings. The screening results of 637 HCWs on whom QFT was performed were taken from the records of the University Hospital of Nantes.

Results

In three (0.5%) HCW, the QFT was indeterminate. In 22.2%, the QFT was positive. A second QFT was performed in 118 HCWs. The reversion rate was 42% (5 out of 17). The conversion rate was 6% (6 out of 98). A TST was performed on 466 (73.5%) of the HCWs. Results for TST > 10 mm were 77.4%. In those with a TST < 10 mm, QFT was positive in 14% and in those with a TST ≥ 10 mm, QFT was positive in 26.7%. Depending on the definition for conversion in the QFT, the annual attack rate was 4.1% or 7.3%. X-ray and pneumology consultation was based on positive QFT rather than TST alone (52 out of 56). No active TB was detected.

Conclusion

The TST overestimated the prevalence of LTBI in this cohort. The decision about X-ray and consultation regarding preventive treatment should be based on the QFT rather than the TST results. The high reversion rate should be taken into consideration when consulting with HCWs regarding preventive treatment. The high conversion rate seems to indicate that preventive measures such as wearing masks should be improved.
Evidence of effective scrapie transmission via colostrum and milk in sheep
Authors: Konold Timm , Moore S Jo , Bellworthy Susan J , Terry Linda A , Thorne Leigh , Ramsay Andrew , Salguero F Javier , Simmons Marion M , Simmons Hugh A
Published: May 2013

Background

Evidence for scrapie transmission from VRQ/VRQ ewes to lambs via milk was first reported in 2008 but in that study there were concerns that lateral transmission may have contributed to the high transmission rate observed since five control lambs housed with the milk recipients also became infected. This report provides further information obtained from two follow-up studies, one where milk recipients were housed separately after milk consumption to confirm the validity of the high scrapie transmission rate via milk and the second to assess any difference in infectivity from colostrum and subsequent milk. Protein misfolding cyclic amplification (PMCA) was also used to detect prion protein in milk samples as a comparison with the infectivity data and extended to milk samples from ewes without a VRQ allele.

Results

Seven pairs of lambs fed colostrum and milk individually from seven scrapie-affected sheep (pre-clinical or clinical) presented with disease-associated prion protein, PrPd, in rectal lymphoid tissue at 4–5 months of age. Five further pairs of lambs fed either colostrum or subsequent milk from five pre-clinical scrapie-affected sheep equally presented with PrPd in lymphoid tissue by 9 months of age. Nine sheep were lost due to intercurrent diseases but all remaining milk or colostrum recipients, including those in the original study with the lateral transmission controls, developed clinical signs of scrapie from 19 months of age and scrapie was confirmed by brain examination. Unexposed control sheep totalling 19 across all three studies showed no evidence of infection.

Scrapie PrP was amplified repeatedly by PMCA in all tested milk samples from scrapie-affected VRQ/VRQ sheep, and in one scrapie-affected ARQ/ARQ sheep. By contrast, milk samples from five VRQ/VRQ and 11 ARQ/ARQ scrapie-free sheep did not have detectable scrapie PrP on repeated tests.

Conclusions

Feeding of milk from scrapie-affected sheep results in a high transmission rate in VRQ/VRQ sheep and both colostrum and milk transmit scrapie. Detection of scrapie prion protein in individual milk samples from scrapie-affected ewes confirms PMCA as a valuable in vitro test.
Epicardial unipolar radiofrequency ablation for left ventricular aneurysm related ventricular arrhythmia
Authors: Yu Yang , Gao Ming-xin , Gu Cheng-xiong
Published: May 2013

We report a case of a 62-year-old Chinese man with typical triple-vessel lesions and apical left ventricular aneurysm accompanied with ventricular tachycardia. Off-pump coronary artery bypass (OPCAB) grafting was performed in combination with epicardial unipolar radiofrequency ablation and linear closure of left ventricular aneurysm. The patient recovered well without postoperative complications. Holter monitoring showed no recurrence of the ventricular arrhythmia and the attack frequency of arrhythmia decreased significantly. The patient has been angina-free for 25 months since the operation and shows increasing exercise tolerance. Thus, left ventricular aneurysm plication combined with epicardial unipolar radiofrequency ablation during OPCAB may be beneficial for patients with ventricular aneurysm and preoperative malignant ventricular arrhythmia.
Investigation of ginkgo biloba leave extracts as corrosion and Oil field microorganism inhibitors
Authors: Chen Gang , Zhang Min , Zhao Jingrui , Zhou Rui , Meng Zuchao , Zhang Jie
Published: May 2013

Ginkgo biloba (Ginkgoaceae), originating from China, now distributes all over the world. Wide application of Ginkgo biloba extracts is determined by the main active substances, flavonoids and terpenoids, which indicates its extracts suitable to be used as an effective corrosion inhibitor. The extracts of Ginkgo biloba leave have been investigated on the corrosion inhibition of Q235A steel with weight loss and potentiodynamic polarisation techniques. The inhibition efficiency of the extracts varies with extract concentration. The extracts inhibit corrosion mainly by adsorption mechanism. Potentiodynamic polarisation studies show that extracts are mixed type inhibitors. The antibacterial activity of the extracts against oil field microorganism (SRB, IB and TGB) was also investigated.
Dieselzymes: development of a stable and methanol tolerant lipase for biodiesel production by directed evolution
Authors: Korman Tyler P , Sahachartsiri Bobby , Charbonneau David M , Huang Grace L , Beauregard Marc , Bowie James U
Published: May 2013

Background

Biodiesels are methyl esters of fatty acids that are usually produced by base catalyzed transesterification of triacylglyerol with methanol. Some lipase enzymes are effective catalysts for biodiesel synthesis and have many potential advantages over traditional base or acid catalyzed transesterification. Natural lipases are often rapidly inactivated by the high methanol concentrations used for biodiesel synthesis, however, limiting their practical use. The lipase from Proteus mirabilis is a particularly promising catalyst for biodiesel synthesis as it produces high yields of methyl esters even in the presence of large amounts of water and expresses very well in Escherichia coli. However, since the Proteus mirabilis lipase is only moderately stable and methanol tolerant, these properties need to be improved before the enzyme can be used industrially.

Results

We employed directed evolution, resulting in a Proteus mirabilis lipase variant with 13 mutations, which we call Dieselzyme 4. Dieselzyme 4 has greatly improved thermal stability, with a 30-fold increase in the half-inactivation time at 50°C relative to the wild-type enzyme. The evolved enzyme also has dramatically increased methanol tolerance, showing a 50-fold longer half-inactivation time in 50% aqueous methanol. The immobilized Dieselzyme 4 enzyme retains the ability to synthesize biodiesel and has improved longevity over wild-type or the industrially used Brukholderia cepacia lipase during many cycles of biodiesel synthesis. A crystal structure of Dieselzyme 4 reveals additional hydrogen bonds and salt bridges in Dieselzyme 4 compared to the wild-type enzyme, suggesting that polar interactions may become particularly stabilizing in the reduced dielectric environment of the oil and methanol mixture used for biodiesel synthesis.

Conclusions

Directed evolution was used to produce a stable lipase, Dieselzyme 4, which could be immobilized and re-used for biodiesel synthesis. Dieselzyme 4 outperforms the industrially used lipase from Burkholderia cepacia and provides a platform for still further evolution of desirable biodiesel production properties.
Compensating for literature annotation bias when predicting novel drug-disease relationships through Medical Subject Heading Over-representation Profile (MeSHOP) similarity
Authors: Cheung Warren A , Ouellette BF Francis , Wasserman Wyeth W
Published: May 2013

Background

Using annotations to the articles in MEDLINE®/PubMed®, over six thousand chemical compounds with pharmacological actions have been tracked since 1996. Medical Subject Heading Over-representation Profiles (MeSHOPs) quantitatively leverage the literature associated with biological entities such as diseases or drugs, providing the opportunity to reposition known compounds towards novel disease applications.

Methods

A MeSHOP is constructed by counting the number of times each medical subject term is assigned to an entity-related research publication in the MEDLINE database and calculating the significance of the count by comparing against the count of the term in a background set of publications. Based on the expectation that drugs suitable for treatment of a disease (or disease symptom) will have similar annotation properties to the disease, we successfully predict drug-disease associations by comparing MeSHOPs of diseases and drugs.

Results

The MeSHOP comparison approach delivers an 11% improvement over bibliometric baselines. However, novel drug-disease associations are observed to be biased towards drugs and diseases with more publications. To account for the annotation biases, a correction procedure is introduced and evaluated.

Conclusions

By explicitly accounting for the annotation bias, unexpectedly similar drug-disease pairs are highlighted as candidates for drug repositioning research. MeSHOPs are shown to provide a literature-supported perspective for discovery of new links between drugs and diseases based on pre-existing knowledge.
Prevalence of Excessive Tearing in Women With Early Breast Cancer Receiving Adjuvant Docetaxel-Based Chemotherapy
Authors: Chan Arlene , Su Charles , de Boer Richard H. , Gajdatsy Adam
Published: May 2013

Purpose

To define the incidence and impact of tearing in patients receiving adjuvant docetaxel-based chemotherapy and assess for lacrimal duct obstruction (LDO) as a causative factor.

Patients and Methods

Consecutive patients with early breast cancer recommended for docetaxel-based chemotherapy with no prior ocular symptoms were included. Before and after completion of chemotherapy, patients underwent lacrimal drainage evaluation by computed tomographic dacrocystography (CT-DCG) and ophthalmic assessment. Eye symptoms were assessed at baseline, during, and after completion of chemotherapy.

Results

Over a 22-month period, 100 patients were recruited. Asymptomatic LDO was present at baseline in 17% and 18% of patients, as assessed by ophthalmic review and CT-DCG, respectively. Overall, 86% of patients developed tearing, with no significant difference between those who did and did not have LDO (94% v 84%; P = .45). Blepharitis occurred in 37% and minor corneal epitheliopathy in 22% of patients, with neither condition predicting for the development of tearing. Impairment of visual activities was greatest after cycle one (70% of patients) but had decreased to < 5% by 4 months after treatment.

Conclusion

Tearing occurs in the majority of patients receiving adjuvant docetaxel-based chemotherapy regimens and occurred similarly in patients with and without LDO. There was poor concordance between CT-DCG and ophthalmic examination in the detection of LDO. Tearing and other eye symptoms impaired visual activities, but in nearly all patients, both symptoms and functional impairment were mild and had resolved by 4 months after chemotherapy. Our study demonstrates docetaxel-related tearing is not caused by LDO, and as such, evaluation or stenting of the duct is not considered necessary.
Genetic Mediators of Neurocognitive Outcomes in Survivors of Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
Authors: Krull Kevin R. , Bhojwani Deepa , Conklin Heather M. , Pei Deqing , Cheng Cheng , Reddick Wilburn E. , Sandlund John T. , Pui Ching-Hon
Published: May 2013

Purpose

Survivors of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) are at increased risk for neurocognitive problems, with significant interindividual variability in outcome. This study examined genetic polymorphisms associated with variability in neurocognitive outcome.

Patients and Methods

Neurocognitive outcomes were evaluated at the end of therapy in 243 survivors treated on an institutional protocol featuring risk-adapted chemotherapy without prophylactic cranial irradiation. Polymorphisms in genes related to pharmacokinetics or pharmacodynamics of antileukemic agents, drug metabolism, oxidative stress, and attention problems in noncancer populations were examined as predictors of outcome, using multiple general linear models and controlling for age at diagnosis, sex, race, and treatment intensity.

Results

Compared with national norms, the cohort demonstrated significantly higher rates of problems on direct assessment of sustained attention (P = .01) and on parent ratings of attention problems (P = .02). Children with the A2756G polymorphism in methionine synthase (MS) were more likely to demonstrate deficits in attentiveness (P = .03) and response speed (P = .02), whereas those with various polymorphisms in glutathione S-transferase demonstrated increased performance variability (P = .01) and reduced attentiveness (P = .003). Polymorphisms in monoamine oxidase (T1460CA) were associated with increased attention variability (P = .03). Parent-reported attention problems were more common in children with the Cys112Arg polymorphism in apoliopoprotein E4 (P = .01).

Conclusion

These results are consistent with our previous report of association between attention problems and MS in an independent cohort of long-term survivors of childhood ALL treated with chemotherapy only. The results also raise the possibility of an impact from genetic predispositions related to oxidative stress and CNS integrity.
Validity of Heavy-Traffic Steady-State Approximations in Multiclass Queueing Networks: The Case of Queue-Ratio Disciplines
Authors: Gurvich Itai
Published: May 2013

A class of stochastic processes known as semi-martingale reflecting Brownian motions (SRBMs) is often used to approximate the dynamics of heavily loaded queueing networks. In two influential papers, Bramson [Bramson M (1998) State space collapse with applications to heavy-traffic limits for multiclass queueing networks. Queueing Systems 30:89–148] and Williams [Williams RJ (1998b) Diffusion approximations for open multiclass queueuing networks: Sufficient conditions involving state space collapse. Queueing Systems 30:27–88] laid out a general and structured approach for proving the validity of such heavy-traffic approximations, in which an SRBM is obtained as a diffusion limit from a sequence of suitably normalized workload processes. However, for multiclass networks it is still not known in general whether the steady-state distribution of the SRBM provides a valid approximation for the steady-state distribution of the original network. In this paper we study the case of queue-ratio disciplines and provide a set of sufficient conditions under which the above question can be answered in the affirmative. In addition to standard assumptions made in the literature towards the stability of the pre- and post-limit processes and the existence of diffusion limits, we add a requirement that solutions to the fluid model are attracted to the invariant manifold at a linear rate. For the special case of static-priority networks such linear attraction is known to hold under certain conditions on the network primitives. The analysis elucidates interesting connections between stability of the pre- and post-limit processes, their respective fluid models and state-space collapse, and identifies the respective roles played by all of the above in establishing validity of heavy-traffic steady-state approximations.
Optimal Dynamic Auctions and Simple Index Rules
Authors: Pai Mallesh M. , Vohra Rakesh
Published: May 2013

A monopolist seller has multiple units of an indivisible good to sell over a discrete, finite time horizon. Buyers with unit demand arrive over time and each buyer privately knows her arrival time, her value for a unit, and her deadline. We study whether the seller's optimal allocation rule is a simple index rule. Each buyer is assigned an index and the allocation rule is calculated by a dynamic knapsack algorithm using those indices. “Simple” indicates that the index of a buyer depends only on “local” information, i.e., the distribution information for that time period. If buyer deadlines are public, such simple index rules are optimal if the standard increasing hazard rate condition on the distribution of valuations holds, and, given two buyers with the same deadline, the later-arriving one has a lower hazard rate (implying stochastically higher valuations). When buyer deadlines are private, this condition is neither sufficient nor necessary. If the rule we identify is not feasible, then the optimal allocation rule is not a simple index rule and cannot be calculated by backward induction.
An Approximation Algorithm for the Bipartite Traveling Tournament Problem
Authors: Hoshino Richard , Kawarabayashi Ken-ichi
Published: May 2013

The bipartite traveling tournament problem (BTTP) is an NP-complete scheduling problem whose solution is a double round-robin inter-league tournament with minimum total travel distance. The 2n-team BTTP is a variant of the well-known traveling salesman problem (TSP), albeit much harder as it involves the simultaneous coordination of 2n teams playing a sequence of home and away games under fixed constraints, rather than a single entity passing through the locations corresponding to the teams' home venues. As the BTTP requires a distance-optimal schedule linking venues in close proximity, we provide an approximation algorithm for the BTTP based on an approximate solution to the corresponding TSP.

We prove that our polynomial-time algorithm generates a 2n-team inter-league tournament schedule whose total distance is at most 1 + 2c/3 + (3 − c)/(3n) times the total distance of the optimal BTTP solution, where c is the approximation factor of the TSP. In practice, the actual approximation factor is far better; we provide a specific example by generating a nearly-optimal inter-league tournament for the 30-team National Basketball Association, with total travel distance just 1.06 times the trivial theoretical lower bound.
Regret in Online Combinatorial Optimization
Authors: Audibert Jean-Yves , Bubeck Sébastien , Lugosi Gábor
Published: May 2013

We address online linear optimization problems when the possible actions of the decision maker are represented by binary vectors. The regret of the decision maker is the difference between her realized loss and the minimal loss she would have achieved by picking, in hindsight, the best possible action. Our goal is to understand the magnitude of the best possible (minimax) regret. We study the problem under three different assumptions for the feedback the decision maker receives: full information, and the partial information models of the so-called “semi-bandit” and “bandit” problems. In the full information case we show that the standard exponentially weighted average forecaster is a provably suboptimal strategy. For the semi-bandit model, by combining the Mirror Descent algorithm and the INF (Implicitely Normalized Forecaster) strategy, we are able to prove the first optimal bounds. Finally, in the bandit case we discuss existing results in light of a new lower bound, and suggest a conjecture on the optimal regret in that case.
Coress feedback
Authors: Smith Frank CT
Published: May 2013

CORESS is a confidential reporting system for surgery. The purpose of CORESS is to promote safety in surgical practice, both within the NHS and in the independent sector.
The diagnostic value of fine needle aspiration in parotid lumps
Authors: Mallon DH , Kostalas M , MacPherson FJ , Parmar A , Drysdale A , Chisholm E
Published: May 2013

Introduction

Fine needle aspiration (FNA) is a safe and quick method of diagnosing superficial lumps, which aids preoperative planning. However, FNA of the parotid gland has not gained the widespread acceptance noted in other head and neck lumps. The aim of this study was to determine the ability of FNA of the parotid gland to differentiate benign and malignant disease, and to determine the impact on surgical outcome.

Methods

A retrospective analysis of 201 consecutive parotid operations with preoperative FNA in a large district hospital in the UK was performed. The diagnostic characteristics were calculated for benign and malignant disease, and the impact on surgical procedure was determined.

Results

In identifying benign disease, FNA has a sensitivity of 85% and a specificity of 76%. In detecting malignant disease, FNA has a sensitivity and specificity of 52% and 92% respectively. A false positive on FNA was associated with a higher incidence of neck dissection.

Conclusions

FNA is a useful diagnostic test. However, owing to low sensitivity, it is necessary to interpret it in the context of all other clinical information.
Choosing alternatives: Using Bayesian Networks and memory-based learning to study the dative alternation
Authors: Theijssen Daphne , ten Bosch Louis , Boves Lou , Cranen Bert , van Halteren Hans
Published: May 2013

In existing research on syntactic alternations such as the dative alternation, (give her the apple vs. give the apple to her), the linguistic data is often analysed with the help of logistic regression models. In this article, we evaluate the use of logistic regression for this type of research, and present two different approaches: Bayesian Networks and Memory-based learning. For the Bayesian Network, we use the higher-level semantic features suggested in the literature, while we limit ourselves to lexical items in the memory-based approach. We evaluate the suitability of the three approaches by applying them to a large data set (>11,000 instances) extracted from the British National Corpus, and comparing their quality in terms of classification accuracy, their interpretability in the context of linguistic research, and their actual classification of individual cases. Our main finding is that the classifications are very similar across the three approaches, also when employing lexical items instead of the higher-level features, because most of the alternation is determined by the verb and the length of the two objects (here: her and the apple).
Voices of Innovation: Building a Model for Curriculum Transformation
Authors: Phillips Janet M. , Resnick Jerelyn , Boni Mary Sharon , Bradley Patricia , Grady Janet L. , Ruland Judith P. , Stuever Nancy L.
Published: May 2013

Innovation in nursing education curriculum is critically needed to meet the demands of nursing leadership and practice while facing the complexities of today’s health care environment. International nursing organizations, the Institute of Medicine, and; our health care practice partners have called for curriculum reform to ensure the quality and safety of patient care. While innovation is occurring in schools of nursing, little is being researched or disseminated. The purposes of this qualitative study were to (a) describe what innovative curricula were being implemented, (b) identify challenges faced by the faculty, and (c) explore how the curricula were evaluated. Interviews were conducted with 15 exemplar schools from a variety of nursing programs throughout the United States. Exemplar innovative curricula were identified, and a model for approaching innovation was developed based on the findings related to conceptualizing, designing, delivering, evaluating, and supporting the curriculum. The results suggest implications for nursing education, research, and practice.
(A)symmetry, (Non)linearity and Hysteresis of Pricing-To-Market: Evidence from German Sugar Confectionery Exports
Authors: Fedoseeva Svetlana
Published: May 2013

Abstract: Pricing-to-market (PTM) is often reported to be adopted by exporters, who have invested in their presence on international markets and are interested in keeping and developing their market shares. Then, a markup adjustment is used to partially offset changes of the exchange rate, which are unfavorable for their foreign customers, in order to keep the price level in the importer’s currency relatively unchanged. With only few exceptions, empirical literature often considers PTM adjustments to be linear and symmetric. If asymmetry is allowed, PTM is often regarded as contemporaneous, which is a very simplifying assumption, given the goals pursued by exporters employing PTM strategies. This paper applies the dynamic autoregressive distributed lag (ADRL) approach popularized by Pesaran, Shin, and Smith (2001) and its nonlinear extension by Shin, Yu, and Greenwood-Nimmo (2011) to the data of German sugar confectionery exports to various destination markets. It turns out that in the long-run PTM is neither linear nor symmetric.
Tetrahydrobiopterin attenuates ischemia-reperfusion injury following organ transplantation by targeting the nitric oxide synthase: investigations in an animal model
Authors: Cardini Benno , Oberhuber Rupert , Hein Sven R. , Watschinger Katrin , Hermann Martin , Obrist Peter , Werner-Felmayer Gabriele , Brandacher Gerald , Pratschke Johann , Werner Ernst R. , Maglione Manuel
Published: May 2013

Ischemia-reperfusion injury is a primarily non-allospecific event leading to the depletion of the essential nitric oxide synthase cofactor and potent antioxidant tetrahydrobiopterin. Suboptimal concentrations of tetrahydrobiopterin result in a reduced biosynthesis of nitric oxide leading to vascular endothelial dysfunction. Tetrahydrobiopterin supplementation has been shown to protect from this pathological state in a plethora of cardiovascular diseases including transplant-related ischemia-reperfusion injury. Even though still controversially discussed, there is increasing evidence emerging from both human as well as animal studies that tetrahydrobiopterin-mediated actions rely on its nitric oxide synthase cofactor activity rather than on its antioxidative properties. Herein, we review the current literature regarding the role of tetrahydrobiopterin in ischemia-reperfusion injury including our experience acquired in a murine pancreas transplantation model.
Ethical Challenges and Lessons Learned from Inuulluataarneq — “Having the Good Life” Study: A Community-Based Participatory Research Project in Greenland
Authors: Rink Elizabeth , Montgomery-Andersen Ruth , Koch Anders , Mulvad Gert , Gesink Dionne
Published: May 2013

We present the ethical challenges and lessons learned over the course of a four-year community-based participatory research (CBPR) project conducted on sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in Greenland. Specifically discussed is Inuulluataarneq—the “Having the Good Life” study. Inuulluataarneq is an interdisciplinary international, collaborative CBPR study involving the University of Toronto in Canada, the Greenlandic Medical Research Council, the Centre for Primary Care in Nuuk, the University of Greenland, local health partners and communities in Greenland, the Statens Serum Institut in Denmark, and Montana State University in the United States. Inuulluataarneq is the first CBPR project implemented in Greenland. Ethical issues discussed are: (1) the complexity of working with multiple institutional review boards on an international health research project using a CBPR framework; (2) unexpected influences on health policy; and (3) the dynamic of balancing community decision making and practices with academic research requirements and expectations. Inuulluataarneq‘s primary contribution to understanding ethical issues when conducting research in the Arctic involves an acceptance of the time, patience, and dedication of researchers and community partners it takes to discuss, understand, and process differing ethical viewpoints and procedures.
Inconsolable Infant Crying and Maternal Postpartum Depressive Symptoms
Authors: Radesky Jenny S. , Zuckerman Barry , Silverstein Michael , Rivara Frederick P. , Barr Marilyn , Taylor James A. , Lengua Liliana J. , Barr Ronald G.
Published: May 2013

OBJECTIVE:

To quantify the extent to which maternal report of inconsolable infant crying, rather than colic (defined by Wessel’s criteria of daily duration of fussing and crying >3 hours), is associated with maternal postpartum depressive symptoms.

METHODS:

Participants were 587 mothers who were recruited shortly before or after delivery and followed longitudinally. At 5 to 6 weeks postpartum, mothers recorded the duration and mode (fussing, crying, or inconsolable crying) of their infant’s distress by using the Baby’s Day Diary. The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) was administered at enrollment and at 8 weeks postpartum. Using regression models that included baseline EPDS scores and multiple confounders, we examined associations of colic and inconsolable crying with later maternal EPDS scores at 8 weeks postpartum.

RESULTS:

Sixty mothers (10%) met the EPDS threshold for “possible depression” (score ≥9) at 8 weeks postpartum. For mothers reporting >20 minutes of inconsolable crying per day, the adjusted odds ratio for an EPDS score ≥9 was 4.0 (95% confidence interval: 2.0–8.1), whereas the adjusted odds ratio for possible depression in mothers whose infants had colic was 2.0 (95% confidence interval: 1.1–3.7). These associations persisted after adjusting for baseline depression symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS:

Maternal report of inconsolable infant crying may have a stronger association with postpartum depressive symptoms than infant colic. Asking a mother about her ability to soothe her infant may be more relevant for potential intervention than questions about crying and fussing duration alone.
Joint attention: Development and impairments
Authors: Lábadi Beatrix , Varró-Horváth Diána
Published: May 2013

A közös figyelem kialakulása jelentős mérföldkő a csecsemő társas kapcsolatainak világában. Az utóbbi évtized intenzív kutatása feltárta a közös figyelem csecsemő- és kisgyermekkori fejlődési szakaszait és szerepét a később kibontakozó társas kompetencia területén. Jelen tanulmánynak kettős célja van; egyrészt összefoglalást kíván adni a közös figyelmi képesség fejlődéséről és szerepéről a társas képességek kialakulásában, másrészt áttekintjük a közös figyelem tipikustól eltérő fejlődésmenetét. A kora gyermekkorban megmutatkozó közös figyelemi zavar több, később manifesztálódó pszichopatológiai állapot előzményének tekinthető. Legpregnánsabban az autizmusspektrum-zavarban jelentkezik, de más szociális kommunikációs zavarnál és kapcsolati problémáknál is megfigyelhető az elvárttól eltérő megjelenési forma.
False memories in children. Trauma and suggestibility
Authors: Halász Erna , Király Ildikó
Published: May 2013

A traumatikus eseményekre való emlékezés központi kérdése, hogy kisgyermekek képesek-e pontos emlékbeszámolókat adni az általuk átélt kora gyermekkori traumatikus eseményekről. Jelen tanulmány e problémakörrel foglalkozik. E probléma vonatkozásai két kérdés közelebbi tárgyalásán keresztül közelíthetőek meg. Az első kérdés az, hogy a fejlődő, kibontakozásban lévő emlékező rendszer adott jellemzői (a felnőtt emlékezettől való eltérése) miként hatnak, hogyan alakítják a fennmaradó emlékeket, különös tekintettel, ha azok mélyebb érzelmeket tartalmaznak. A terület kutatási eredményei arra világítanak rá, hogy a fejlődésben lévő emlékezeti rendszer alapvető sajátosságai rányomják a bélyegüket a korai emlékek, így a traumatikus emlékek jellegére is: kisgyerekek emlékmegőrzése az általánosítás irányában torzít, a szokatlan, egyedi eseményeket pontosabban őrzik meg, mint az ismétlődőeket. Ugyanakkor mindkét esetben az esemény célszerkezetébe illő lépésekre koncentrálnak, és az ebbe nem illőeket elhagyják. A kisgyermekkori traumatikus emlékek előhívásának megbízhatóságához kapcsolódó másik kérdés pedig az, hogy az előhívás kontextusa mennyire befolyásolja a kisgyermekeket az emlékformálásban. E kérdés tanulmányozása arra az általános eredményre vezet, hogy kisgyermekek, amiatt, hogy kevésbé képesek az emlékeik tudatos szervezésére, jobban befolyásolhatóak a kikérdezés által.