bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An Empirical Study on Outpatients’ Health Education Needs and the Effectiveness of E-learning
Authors: Chou Hsin-Kai , Lin I-Chun , Woung Lin-Chung , Tsai Ming-Tsu
Published: December 2010

Health education is an important component in disease management. This study sought to understand outpatients’ health education needs and explored the effectiveness of e-learning applications. A cross-section of 281 outpatients was surveyed over 2 months. First, the concept of health education and the application of e-learning technology were introduced. Second, outpatients were interviewed to learn about their perceptions, experiences, and health education needs (such as the perceptions of the importance of health education, the experience of received health education and, in their opinion, the best approach to health education). Finally, their willingness to use an e-learning technology and their satisfaction with it were investigated. It was found that gender, age, and level of education have a significant influence on patients’ health education needs. Only 29.5% of outpatients felt satisfied with the traditional learning modalities. Most outpatients (72.2%) gave positive feedback about e-learning for health education. It can be concluded that there are different needs among a diverse patient population. Although some still favor health education sessions, TV programs, or posters as their source of learning, e-learning, as this study suggested, is an excellent approach to the promotion of outpatients’ health.
What Do We Know, How Much, and Why It Matters: Organizational Culture and AHRD Research 1994-2009
Authors: Plakhotnik Maria S. , Rocco Tonette S.
Published: December 2010

The purpose of this structured literature review was to find out how organizational culture has been studied within the Academy of Human Resource Development. We reviewed articles published in the Academy Proceedings from 1994 to 2009 to examine how authors defined organizational culture, what research purposes led their studies, what implications for practice were suggested, and how the research has evolved in the 16-year span.
Endovascular Treatment of an Innominate Artery Iatrogenic Pseudoaneurysm Following Subclavian Vein Catheterization
Authors: de Troia Alessandro , Tecchio Tiziano , Azzarone Matteo , Biasi Lukla , Piazza Paolo , Franco Salcuni Pier
Published: December 2010

Central venous catheterization is routinely required in a wide range of clinical situations such as hemodynamic monitoring, delivery of blood products and drugs, hemodialysis, total parental nutrition, and management of perioperative fluids. Pseudoaneurysms account for 4% of all innominate artery aneurysms. Clinical presentation may include airway and neurological compression, chest pain, mediastinal syndrome, upper limb ischemia, and hemodynamic instability. We report what we believe is the first documented case of a successful endovascular stent-graft repair of an innominate artery iatrogenic pseudoaneurysm.
Using JCEL Case Studies to Meet ELCC Standards
Authors: Bass Lisa , Garn Gregg , Monroe Lisa
Published: December 2010

The purpose of this article is to discuss the value of Journal of Cases in Educational Leadership ( JCEL) in teaching the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) standards. In this article, the authors discuss the process of how a department of educational leadership developed an appreciation for the journal by aligning JCEL cases to NCATE standards for the purpose of the instruction of educational leadership. Next, a faculty member shares her experience with employing case studies in her teaching, and finally, the table (including cases through 2009) that is distributed to faculty members of the department is included.
Male and Female Juvenile Homicide Offenders: An Empirical Analysis of U.S. Arrests by Offender Age
Authors: Heide Kathleen M. , Solomon Eldra P. , Sellers Brian G. , Heng Choon Chan
Published: December 2010

Most studies on juvenile homicide offenders (JHOs) have used small samples and concentrated on male teenage offenders. No large scale research has analyzed victim, offender, and offense correlates among younger and older JHOs. Supplementary Homicide Research (SHR) data (1976-2007) are used to explore gender and age differences among JHOs. Male and female JHOs were divided into younger (below age 13) and older (age 13-17 years) groups. Gender differences previously found with respect to victim age, victim gender, victim offender relationship, weapon, and circumstance remained when the effect of offender age was controlled. The implications of these findings are discussed.
Norwood-Sano Operation Using a Stentless Pulmonary Valved Conduit
Authors: Ginestar Andrés Castelló , Martinez F. Serrano , Argudo J. A. Montero , Calvar J. M. Caffarena
Published: December 2010

The Sano modification of Norwood’s operation has the potential to generate an excess volume load on the single right ventricle as a consequence of diastolic reversal of flow through the conduit. This article describes the use of a new, small, biological conduit with a porcine valve inside. This new conduit has been used in modified Norwood procedures. It is interposed between the right ventricle and the confluence of the pulmonary arteries. The use of a valved conduit should prevent the retrograde diastolic blood flow observed with use of nonvalved conduits and may improve postoperative hemodynamics. The use of a new stentless valved conduit in 3 recent Norwood procedures is reported herein.
IL-29 and IFNα differ in their ability to modulate IL-12 production by TLR-activated human macrophages and exhibit differential regulation of the IFNγ receptor expression
Authors: Liu Bi-Sheng , Janssen Harry L. A. , Boonstra André
Published: December 2010

The interferon-λ (IFNλ) family of cytokines, consisting of interleukin-28A (IFNλ2), IL-28B (IFNλ3), and IL-29 (IFNλ1), have been extensively studied for their antiviral activities. However, little is known about the effect of IFNλ on antigen-presenting cells. In the present study, we show for the first time that IL-29 can increase Toll-like receptor (TLR)–induced IL-12p40 production by human monocyte-derived macrophages. In contrast, IL-29 did not affect monocytes or monocyte-derived dendritic cells (DCs) because of restricted IL-28 receptor α chain expression by macrophages. Furthermore, IL-29–treated macrophages were more responsive to IFNγ, because IL-29 enhanced IFNγ-induced IL-12p40 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) production by macrophages on R848 stimulation. However, IFNα suppressed IFNγ-induced IL-12p40 and tumor necrosis factor TNF production by human macrophages. The differential effects of IL-29 and IFNα on the responsiveness of macrophages to IFNγ could not be explained by an effect on TLR7 or TLR8 mRNA expression or by altered IL-10 signaling. However, we demonstrated that IL-29 up-regulated, whereas IFNα down-regulated, the surface expression of the IFNγ receptor 1 chain on macrophages, thereby resulting in differential responsiveness of TLR-challenged macrophages to IFNγ. Our findings on the differences between IFNα and IL-29 in modulating TLR-induced cytokine production by macrophages may contribute to understanding the role of IFNs in regulating immunity to pathogens.
Neisseria meningitidis capsular polysaccharides induce inflammatory responses via TLR2 and TLR4-MD-2
Authors: Zughaier Susu M
Published: December 2010

CPS are major virulence factors in infections caused by Neisseria meningitidis and form the basis for meningococcal serogroup designation and protective meningococcal vaccines. CPS polymers are anchored in the meningococcal outer membrane through a 1,2-diacylglycerol moiety, but the innate immunostimulatory activity of CPS is largely unexplored. Well-established human and murine macrophage cell lines and HEK/TLR stably transfected cells were stimulated with CPS, purified from an endotoxin-deficient meningococcal serogroup B NMB-lpxA mutant. CPS induced inflammatory responses via TLR2- and TLR4-MD-2. Meningococcal CPS induced a dose-dependent release of cytokines (TNF-α, IL-6, IL-8, and CXCL10) and NO from human and murine macrophages, respectively. CPS induced IL-8 release from HEK cells stably transfected with TLR2/6, TLR2, TLR2/CD14, and TLR4/MD-2/CD14 but not HEK cells alone. mAb to TLR2 but not an isotype control antibody blocked CPS-induced IL-8 release from HEK-TLR2/6-transfected cells. A significant reduction in TNF-α and IL-8 release was seen when THP-1- and HEK-TLR4/MD-2-CD14- but not HEK-TLR2- or HEK-TLR2/6-transfected cells were stimulated with CPS in the presence of Eritoran (E5564), a lipid A antagonist that binds to MD-2, and a similar reduction in NO and TNF-α release was also seen in RAW 264.7 cells in the presence of Eritoran. CD14 and LBP enhanced CPS bioactivity, and NF-κB was, as anticipated, the major signaling pathway. Thus, these data suggest that innate immune recognition of meningococcal CPS by macrophages can occur via TLR2- and TLR4-MD-2 pathways.
Data reconstruction with shot-profile least-squares migration
Authors: Kaplan Sam T. , Naghizadeh Mostafa , Sacchi Mauricio D.
Published: December 2010

We introduce shot-profile migration data reconstruction (SPDR). SPDR constructs a least-squares migrated shot gather using shot-profile migration and demigration operators. Both operators are constructed with a constant migration velocity model for efficiency and so that SPDR requires minimal information about the underlying geology. Applying the demigration operator to the least-squares migrated shot gather gives the reconstructed data gather. SPDR can reconstruct a shot gather from observed data that are spatially aliased. Given a constraint on the geological dips in an approximate model of the earth’s reflector, signal and aliased energy that interfere in the common shot data gather are disjoint in the migrated shot gather. In the least-squares migration algorithm, we construct weights to take advantage of this separation, suppressing the aliased energy while retaining the signal, and allowing SPDR to reconstruct a shot gather from aliased data. SPDR is illustrated with synthetic data examples and one real data example.
3D symmetric sampling of sparse acquisition geometries
Authors: Vermeer Gijs J.
Published: December 2010

3D symmetric sampling introduced in the 1990s is characterized by dense sampling of two of the four spatial coordinates. The two sparsely sampled coordinates determine the periodicity of the geometry and the dimension of the offset-vector tiles that can be used to generate pseudocommon-offset-vector gathers. These gathers turn out to be useful for prestack processing applications, such as regularization, migration velocity analysis, and azimuthal anisotropy analysis. Although single-point acquisition is the ideal acquisition method, it is not necessarily better than array-based acquisition. Field arrays are still useful in suppressing noise and need not harm signal in most practical cases. In hybrid geometries three spatial coordinates are sampled densely. In all published cases at least two of the three are sampled quite coarsely and may not provide the best quality for the given trace density. Coil geometry (sailing in circles) is a special case of wide-azimuth towed streamer acquisition. It is essentially a random geometry that should be modifiable into a geometry with regularly sampled midpoints, absolute offsets and azimuths. Despite recent technological developments, the basic idea of 3D symmetric sampling still is a highly useful principle for the design of land and marine 3D seismic surveys.
Interpolation with Fourier-radial adaptive thresholding
Authors: Curry William
Published: December 2010

Many interpolation methods are effective with regularly sampled or randomly sampled data, whereas the spatial sampling of seismic reflectivity data is typically neither regular nor random. Fourier-radial adaptive thresholding (FRAT) is a sparsity-promoting method in which the interpolated result is sparse in the frequency-wavenumber domain and is coherent in a manner consistent with that of a collection of unaliased plane waves. The sparsity and the desired pattern in the [Formula: see text] domain are promoted by iterative soft thresholding and adaptive weighting; data in the [Formula: see text] domain are transformed to polar coordinates and then low-pass filtered along the radial axis to generate the nonlinear weight. FRAT interpolates data that are randomly sampled and aliased; i.e., where the minimum distance between adjacent traces is greater than the Nyquist sampling interval. A conventional approach to solving this problem is to apply a cascade of two procedures: first a sparsity-based method, such as projection onto convex sets (POCS) to interpolate the data onto a regularly sampled but aliased grid, followed by a “beyond aliasing” approach such as Gülünay [Formula: see text] interpolation to further interpolate the regularly sampled POCS result. In a simple synthetic example of two dipping plane waves with irregular, aliased sampling, FRAT outperformed this cascaded approach. In another experiment, the Sigsbee2A prestack synthetic data set was sampled using the source geometry from a 3D offshore survey where POCS will have difficulty with the semiregularity of this sampling pattern. FRAT produced results superior to those of POCS before and after the data were migrated.
5D seismic data regularization by a damped least-norm Fourier inversion
Authors: Jin Side
Published: December 2010

Regularizing inadequate and irregularly sampled seismic data is one of important problems in seismic data processing. An improvement to existing methods to solve this problem is proposed by applying a 5D regularization/interpolation scheme with a damped least-norm Fourier inversion. Under the assumption of planar seismic events within small data windows, the spatial spectrum of regularized data for a fixed frequency should be sparse and have minimum damped norm. The inversion scheme consists in finding a set of regularly spaced spatial Fourier coefficients by minimizing its damped norm for each frequency, subject to the condition that the resulting spatial Fourier coefficients also faithfully reconstruct the original data. The damping factors are automatically derived from the amplitude spectra of the regularized low-frequency data. With the guidance of the damping factors and automatic adjustment of wavenumber ranges according to the Nyquist sampling theory, the proposed inversion algorithm naturally yields a one-step solution for both stabilization and antialiasing of the interpolation problem. A distinctive feature of the method is that it uses high-dimensional nonuniform fast Fourier transforms to evaluate expensive discrete Fourier transforms involved in conjugate gradient iterations. This improves the computational efficiency. The results of applying this algorithm to synthetic and field data demonstrate that it performs well when applied to highly irregular data and outperforms lower dimensional interpolation schemes.
Model-based interferometric interpolation method
Authors: Wang Yibo , Dong Shuqian , Luo Yi
Published: December 2010

We have proposed a two-stage model-based interferometric interpolation method for filling in gaps in marine seismic data. The first stage is creating virtual traces and the second stage is utilizing modified virtual traces for interpolation. There are three steps for creating a virtual trace. First, set the virtual trace’s source and receiver coordinates and retrieve two common-receiver gathers (CRG) from existing data. At least one CRG should be obtained, otherwise, our method cannot be performed. Second, if only one CRG is obtained, then a synthetic CRG should be generated using known velocity model (e.g., water-layer model). Third, the virtual trace is created by summing correlated trace pairs over all identical source positions in two CRGs. When all virtual traces are created, a least-squares matching filter or a nonstationary prediction error filter (PEF) should be used together with virtual traces to do the interpolation. If the trace gap is small or the subsurface geology is simple, the local matching filter is preferred for the improvement of signal-to-noise ratio, otherwise, we need to estimate a PEF from virtual traces and then use this PEF for interpolation. A simple velocity model and Sigsbee2b velocity model are used to validate the effectiveness of our method. Results show that the trace gaps can be kinematically interpolated, but there are still artifacts that are due to the approximations made in our theory.
Randomized sampling and sparsity: Getting more information from fewer samples
Authors: Herrmann Felix J.
Published: December 2010

Many seismic exploration techniques rely on the collection of massive data volumes that are subsequently mined for information during processing. Although this approach has been extremely successful in the past, current efforts toward higher-resolution images in increasingly complicated regions of the earth continue to reveal fundamental shortcomings in our workflows. Chiefly among these is the so-called “curse of dimensionality” exemplified by Nyquist’s sampling criterion, which disproportionately strains current acquisition and processing systems as the size and desired resolution of our survey areas continue to increase. We offer an alternative sampling method leveraging recent insights from compressive sensing toward seismic acquisition and processing for data that are traditionally considered to be undersampled. The main outcome of this approach is a new technology where acquisition and processing related costs are no longer determined by overly stringent sampling criteria, such asNyquist. At the heart of our approach lies randomized incoherent sampling that breaks subsampling related interferences by turning them into harmless noise, which we subsequently remove by promoting transform-domain sparsity. Now, costs no longer grow significantly with resolution and dimensionality of the survey area, but instead depend only on transform-domain sparsity. Our contribution is twofold. First, we demonstrate by means of carefully designed numerical experiments that compressive sensing can successfully be adapted to seismic exploration. Second, we show that accurate recovery can be accomplished for compressively sampled data volumes sizes that exceed the size of conventional transform-domain data volumes by only a small factor. Because compressive sensing combines transformation and encoding by a single linear encoding step, this technology is directly applicable to acquisition and to dimensionality reduction during processing. In either case, sampling, storage, and processing costs scale with transform-domain sparsity. We illustrate this principle by means of number of case studies.
Beyond alias hierarchical scale curvelet interpolation of regularly and irregularly sampled seismic data
Authors: Naghizadeh Mostafa , Sacchi Mauricio D.
Published: December 2010

We propose a robust interpolation scheme for aliased regularly sampled seismic data that uses the curvelet transform. In a first pass, the curvelet transform is used to compute the curvelet coefficients of the aliased seismic data. The aforementioned coefficients are divided into two groups of scales: alias-free and alias-contaminated scales. The alias-free curvelet coefficients are upscaled to estimate a mask function that is used to constrain the inversion of the alias-contaminated scale coefficients. The mask function is incorporated into the inversion via a minimum norm least-squares algorithm that determines the curvelet coefficients of the desired alias-free data. Once the alias-free coefficients are determined, the curvelet synthesis operator is used to reconstruct seismograms at new spatial positions. The proposed method can be used to reconstruct regularly and irregularly sampled seismic data. We believe that our exposition leads to a clear unifying thread between [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] beyond-alias interpolation methods and curvelet reconstruction. As in [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] interpolation, we stress the necessity of examining seismic data at different scales (frequency bands) to come up with viable and robust interpolation schemes. Synthetic and real data examples are used to illustrate the performance of the proposed curvelet interpolation method.
Respiratory Syncytial Virus Represses Glucocorticoid Receptor-Mediated Gene Activation
Authors: Hinzey Adam , Alexander Jacob , Corry Jacqueline , Adams Kathleen M. , Claggett Amanda M. , Traylor Zachary P. , Davis Ian C. , Webster Marketon Jeanette I.
Published: December 2010

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a common cause of bronchiolitis in infants. Although antiinflammatory in nature, glucocorticoids have been shown to be ineffective in the treatment of RSV-induced bronchiolitis and wheezing. In addition, the effectiveness of glucocorticoids at inhibiting RSV-induced proinflammatory cytokine production in cell culture has been questioned. In this study, we have investigated the effect of RSV infection on glucocorticoid-induced gene activation in lung epithelium-derived cells. We show that RSV infection inhibits dexamethasone induction of three glucocorticoid receptor (GR)-regulated genes (glucocorticoid-inducible leucine zipper, FK506 binding protein, and MAPK phosphatase 1) in A549, BEAS-2B cells, and primary small airway epithelial cells. UV irradiation of the virus prevents this repression, suggesting that viral replication is required. RSV is known to activate the nuclear factor κB (NFκB) pathway, which is mutually antagonistic towards the GR pathway. However, specific inhibition of NFκB had no effect on the repression of GR-induced genes by RSV infection, indicating that RSV repression of GR is independent of NFκB. RSV infection of A549 cells does not alter GR protein levels or GR nuclear translocation but does reduce GR binding to the promoters of the glucocorticoid responsive genes analyzed in this study. Repression of GR by RSV infection may account for the apparent clinical ineffectiveness of glucocorticoids in RSV bronchiolitis therapy. In addition, this data adds to our previously published data suggesting that GR may be a general target for infectious agents. Identifying the mechanisms through which this suppression occurs may lead to the development of novel therapeutics.
Integrin α3, But Not β1, Regulates Islet Cell Survival and Function via PI3K/Akt Signaling Pathways
Authors: Krishnamurthy Mansa , Li Jinming , Fellows George F. , Rosenberg Lawrence , Goodyer Cynthia G. , Wang Rennian
Published: December 2010

β1-Integrin is a well-established regulator of β-cell activities; however, the role of its associated α-subunits is relatively unknown. Previously, we have shown that human fetal islet and INS-1 cells highly express α3β1-integrin and that collagens I and IV significantly enhance their survival and function; in addition, blocking β1 function in the fetal islet cells decreased adhesion on collagen I and increased apoptosis. The present study investigates the effect of blocking α3. Using α3 blocking antibody or small interfering RNA, the effects of α3-integrin blockade were examined in isolated human fetal or adult islet cells or INS-1 cells, cultured on collagens I or IV. In parallel, β1 blockade was analyzed in INS-1 cells. Perturbing α3 function in human islet or INS-1 cells resulted in significant decreases in cell function (adhesion, spreading, proliferation and Pdx1 and insulin expression/secretion), primarily on collagen IV. A significant decrease in focal adhesion kinase and ERK1/2 phosphorylation and increased caspase3 cleavage were observed on both collagens. These effects were similar to changes after β1 blockade. Interestingly, only α3 blockade reduced expression of phospho-Akt and members of its downstream signaling cascades (glycogen synthase kinase β and X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis), demonstrating a specific effect of α3 on the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt pathway. These results suggest that α3- as well as β1-integrin-extracellular matrix interactions are critical for modulating β-cell survival and function through specialized signaling cascades and enhance our understanding of how to improve islet microenvironments for cell-based treatments of diabetes.
Nebivolol Attenuates Redox-Sensitive Glomerular and Tubular Mediated Proteinuria in Obese Rats
Authors: Habibi Javad , Hayden Melvin R. , Sowers James R. , Pulakat Lakshmi , Tilmon Roger D. , Manrique Camila , Lastra Guido , DeMarco Vincent G. , Whaley-Connell Adam
Published: December 2010

Obesity and insulin resistance-related proteinuria is associated with oxidative stress and impaired tissue bioavailable nitric oxide. Recent data suggest that nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase-mediated oxidative injury to the proximal tubule, like that seen in the glomerulus, contributes to proteinuria in insulin-resistant states. The vasodilator β-blocker nebivolol reduces nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase activity, increases bioavailable nitric oxide, and improves insulin sensitivity. To test the hypothesis that a treatment strategy that reduces oxidative stress and attenuates obesity-associated increases in glomerular and proximal tubule derived protein, we treated young Zucker obese (ZO) and age-matched Zucker lean male rats with nebivolol (10 mg · kg−1 · d−1) for 21 d. Compared with Zucker lean, ZO controls exhibited increased proteinuria and γ-glutamyl transpeptidase, reductions in systemic insulin sensitivity in association with increased renal renin, (pro)renin receptor, angiotensin II type 1 receptor, and mineralocorticoid receptor immunostaining, oxidative stress, and glomerular tubular structural abnormalities that were substantially improved with in vivo nebivolol treatment. Nebivolol treatment also led to improvements in glomerular podocyte foot-process effacement and improvement in podocyte-specific proteins (nephrin and synaptopodin) as well as proximal tubule-specific proteins (megalin and lysosomal-associated membrane protein-2) and proximal tubule ultrastructural remodeling in the ZO kidney. Our findings support the notion that obesity and insulin resistance lead to increased glomerulotubular oxidative stress and resultant glomerular and tubular sources of excess urine protein. Furthermore, the results of this study suggest the beneficial effect of nebivolol on proteinuria was derived from improvements in weight and insulin sensitivity and reductions in renal oxidative stress in a state of obesity and insulin resistance.
Is the Vitamin D Receptor Found in Muscle?
Authors: Wang Yongji , DeLuca Hector F.
Published: December 2010

The active form of vitamin D, 1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3, is critical for the regulation of serum calcium and phosphorus levels that in turn support bone mineralization and neuromuscular activity. It is well known that vitamin D deficiency causes rachitic/osteomalacic myopathy and cardiac disorder and the provision of vitamin D can reverse the symptoms. However, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. The question of whether the vitamin D receptor is found in muscle has been debated but not settled. We recently studied all available antibodies against the vitamin D receptor and found that most antibodies used detect proteins other than the vitamin D receptor, and therefore, the utility of these antibodies may generate the false-positive results. Using antibodies that do not detect proteins in tissues from vitamin D receptor null mice, we have developed a specific and sensitive immunohistochemical assay. The results from this investigation show that the vitamin D receptor is undetectable in skeletal, cardiac, and smooth muscle, suggesting that the function of vitamin D on muscle is either of an indirect nature or does not involve the known receptor.
Prognostic Factors of Disease-Free Survival after Thyroidectomy in 170 Young Patients with a RET Germline Mutation: A Multicenter Study of the Groupe Français d'Etude des Tumeurs Endocrines
Authors: Rohmer V. , Vidal-Trecan G. , Bourdelot A. , Niccoli P. , Murat A. , Wemeau J. L. , Borson-Chazot F. , Schvartz C. , Tabarin A. , Chabre O. , Chabrier G. , Caron P. , Rodien P. , Schlumberger M. , Baudin E. ,   for the Groupe Français des Tumeurs Endocrines
Published: December 2010

Background:

In hereditary medullary thyroid carcinoma (HMTC), prophylactic surgery is the only curative option, which should be properly defined both in time and extent.

Objectives:

To identify and characterize prognostic factors associated with disease-free survival (DFS) in children from HMTC families.

Design:

We conducted a retrospective analysis of a multi-center cohort of 170 patients below age 21 at surgery. Demographic, clinical, genetic, biological data [basal and pentagastrine-stimulated calcitonin (CT and CT/Pg, respectively)], and tumor node metastasis (TNM) status were collected. DFS was assessed based on basal CT levels. Kaplan–Meier curves, Cox regression, and logistic regression models were used to determine factors associated with DFS and TNM staging.

Results:

No patients with a preoperative basal CT <31 ng/ml had persistent or recurrent disease. Medullary thyroid carcinoma defined by a diameter ≥10 mm [hazard ratio (HR): 6.0; 95% confidence interval (95% CI): 1.8–19.8] and N1 status (HR: 20.8; 95% CI: 3.9–109.8) were independently associated with DFS. Class D genotype [odds ratio (OR): 48.5, 95% CI: 10.6–225.1], preoperative basal CT >30 ng/liter (OR: 43.4, 95% CI: 5.2–359.8), and age >10 (OR: 5.5, 95% CI: 1.4–21.8) were associated with medullary thyroid carcinoma ≥10 mm. No patient with a preoperative basal CT <31 ng/ml had a N1 status. Class D genotype (OR: 48.6, 95% CI: 8.6–274.1), and age >10 (OR: 4.6, 95% CI: 1.1–19.0) were associated with N1 status.

Conclusion:

In HMTC patients, DFS is best predicted by TNM staging and preoperative basal CT level below 30 pg/ml. Basal CT, class D genotype, and age constitute key determinants to decide preoperatively timely surgery.
Metformin Treatment Exerts Antiinvasive and Antimetastatic Effects in Human Endometrial Carcinoma Cells
Authors: Tan Bee K. , Adya Raghu , Chen Jing , Lehnert Hendrik , Cassia Louis J. Sant , Randeva Harpal S.
Published: December 2010

Context:

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrinopathy in women associated with an increased risk of endometrial hyperplasia. We sought to study the effects of metformin treatment (widely used in the management of PCOS women) on human endometrial adenocarcinoma cells.

Objectives:

To study the effects of metformin treatment on in vitro invasion and metastasis in human endometrial adenocarcinoma cells. Also, given the link between inflammation with endometrial cancer invasion and metastasis, we explored the roles of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB), matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) as well as v-akt murine thymoma viral oncogene homolog 1 (Akt) and extracellular signal-regulated kinases (Erk1/2) signaling pathways.

Design:

Sera were obtained from PCOS and control subjects. In vitro invasion were assessed in human endometrial cells (ECC-1 cells) by wound-healing motility and migration assays. NF-κB was studied by stably transfecting ECC-1 cells with a cis-reporter plasmid containing luciferase reporter gene linked to five repeats of NF-κB binding sites. The gelatinolytic activities of secreted MMP-2/9 in conditioned media were measured by gelatin zymography. Akt and Erk1/2 phosphorylation were assessed by Western blotting.

Results:

In vitro invasion in ECC-1 cells was significantly attenuated by sera from PCOS women after 6 months of metformin treatment (850 mg twice daily) compared to matched controls (P < 0.01). These effects appear to be associated with NF-κB, MMP-2/9, as well as Akt and Erk1/2 pathways that are known to be important regulators of inflammation, tumor invasion and metastasis.

Conclusions:

Metformin, potentially, may serve as adjuvant treatment in the management of patients with endometrial cancer.
Photography at Tiananmen: Pictorial Frames, Spatial Borders, and Ideological Matrixes
Authors: Braester Yomi
Published: December 2010

The essay examines photography at Tiananmen from 1949 to the present. Personal mementos are placed within personal narratives and used as scaffolding for memory work. Documentary films juxtapose photography with other social practices at the square. Photography both conveys and shapes the relation between Tiananmen's two functions, as an emblem of the state and as a cement-covered recreational park. Through the overlap of multiple frames—pictorial, spatial, and ideological—images and social practices define the relationship between photographed subject and prevailing values and iterate the link between culture and politics.
The aminoglycoside resistance methyltransferases from the ArmA/Rmt family operate late in the 30S ribosomal biogenesis pathway
Authors: Zarubica Tamara , Baker Matthew R. , Wright H. Tonie , Rife Jason P.
Published: December 2010

Bacterial resistance to 4,6-type aminoglycoside antibiotics, which target the ribosome, has been traced to the ArmA/RmtA family of rRNA methyltransferases. These plasmid-encoded enzymes transfer a methyl group from S-adenosyl-L-methionine to N7 of the buried G1405 in the aminoglycoside binding site of 16S rRNA of the 30S ribosomal subunit. ArmA methylates mature 30S subunits but not 16S rRNA, 50S, or 70S ribosomal subunits or isolated Helix 44 of the 30S subunit. To more fully characterize this family of enzymes, we have investigated the substrate requirements of ArmA and to a lesser extent its ortholog RmtA. We determined the Mg+2 dependence of ArmA activity toward the 30S ribosomal subunits and found that the enzyme recognizes both low Mg+2 (translationally inactive) and high Mg+2 (translationally active) forms of this substrate. We tested the effects of LiCl pretreatment of the 30S subunits, initiation factor 3 (IF3), and gentamicin/kasugamycin resistance methyltransferase (KsgA) on ArmA activity and determined whether in vivo derived pre-30S ribosomal subunits are ArmA methylation substrates. ArmA failed to methylate the 30S subunits generated from LiCl washes above 0.75 M, despite the apparent retention of ribosomal proteins and a fully mature 16S rRNA. From our experiments, we conclude that ArmA is most active toward the 30S ribosomal subunits that are at or very near full maturity, but that it can also recognize more than one form of the 30S subunit.
Sensitivity Estimates from Characteristic Functions
Authors: Glasserman Paul , Liu Zongjian
Published: December 2010

The likelihood ratio method (LRM) is a technique for estimating derivatives of expectations through simulation. LRM estimators are constructed from the derivatives of probability densities of inputs to a simulation. We investigate the application of the likelihood ratio method for sensitivity estimation when the relevant densities for the underlying model are known only through their characteristic functions or Laplace transforms. This problem arises in financial applications, where sensitivities are used for managing risk and where a substantial class of models have transition densities known only through their transforms. We quantify various sources of errors arising when numerical transform inversion is used to sample through the characteristic function and to evaluate the density and its derivative, as required in LRM. This analysis provides guidance for setting parameters in the method to accelerate convergence.
Dynamic Assortment Optimization with a Multinomial Logit Choice Model and Capacity Constraint
Authors: Rusmevichientong Paat , Shen Zuo-Jun Max , Shmoys David B.
Published: December 2010

We consider an assortment optimization problem where a retailer chooses an assortment of products that maximizes the profit subject to a capacity constraint. The demand is represented by a multinomial logit choice model. We consider both the static and dynamic optimization problems. In the static problem, we assume that the parameters of the logit model are known in advance; we then develop a simple algorithm for computing a profit-maximizing assortment based on the geometry of lines in the plane and derive structural properties of the optimal assortment. For the dynamic problem, the parameters of the logit model are unknown and must be estimated from data. By exploiting the structural properties found for the static problem, we develop an adaptive policy that learns the unknown parameters from past data and at the same time optimizes the profit. Numerical experiments based on sales data from an online retailer indicate that our policy performs well.
Optimization Services: A Framework for Distributed Optimization
Authors: Fourer Robert , Ma Jun , Martin Kipp
Published: December 2010

We describe a research project to design a distributed optimization environment in which solvers, modeling languages, registries, analyzers, and simulation engines can be implemented as services and utilities under a unified framework. Our work, which we call optimization services or OS, defines standards for all activities necessary to support decentralized optimization on the Internet: representation of optimization instances, results, and solver options; communication between clients and solvers; and discovery and registration of optimization-related software using the concept of Web services. In this paper we place emphasis on issues in distributed computing that are posed by the special character of optimization. We also describe a reference implementation that is freely available as an open-source project of COIN-OR.
Dentists’ and Specialists’ Knowledge of Chronic Orofacial Pain: Results from a Continuing Professional Development Survey
Authors: Aggarwal Vishal R , Joughin Amy , Zakrzewska Joanna M , Crawford Fiona J , Tickle Martin
Published: December 2010

Aim

To explore the knowledge of chronic orofacial pain within general dental practitioners (GDPs) and dental specialists.

Methods

Following a recent national survey of GDPs and specialists on the diagnosis of facial pain, all those who responded were asked to answer four multiple-choice questions on chronic orofacial pain as part of a continuing professional development exercise. The questions were formulated using a review of the literature and consultation with a facial pain expert and were administered by post.

Results

Of the 380 subjects who completed the original survey, 212 (56%) returned completed multiple-choice questionnaires. Specialists correctly answered significantly more questions than GDPs ( P<0.001). The majority of specialists—49/83 (59%)—obtained a score of three or more, compared to 39/129 (30%) GDPs. This was due to variation in answering one question. Significantly more specialists—50 (60%)—correctly selected trigeminal neuralgia (TN) as a condition that is not associated with COFP, whereas only 41 (32%) GDPs chose this answer. Both specialists and GDPs grossly underestimated the prevalence of COFP in secondary care clinics.

Conclusions

The results suggest that specialists and GDPs may have sufficient knowledge to make an appropriate diagnosis of COFP, but they also highlight the knowledge gaps and perhaps the need for more extensive inclusion of COFP in the dental undergraduate curriculum.
Age-related macular degeneration: genetic and clinical findings
Authors: Kokotas Haris , Grigoriadou Maria , Petersen Michael B.
Published: December 2010

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a sight threatening eye disease that affects millions of humans over the age of 65 years. It is considered to be the major cause of irreversible blindness in the elderly population in the developed world. The disease is prevalent in Europe and the United States, which has a large number of individuals of European descent. AMD is characterized by a progressive loss of central vision attributable to degenerative and neovascular changes that occur in the interface between the neural retina and the underlying choroid. This location contains the retinal photoreceptors, the retinal pigmented epithelium, a basement membrane complex known as Bruch’s membrane and a network of choroidal capillaries. AMD is increasingly recognized as a complex genetic disorder where one or more genes contribute to an individual’s susceptibility to development of the condition, while the prevailing view is that the disease stems from the interaction of multiple genetic and environmental factors. Although it has been proposed that a threshold event occurs during normal aging, the sequelae of biochemical, cellular, and molecular events leading to AMD are not fully understood. Here, we review the clinical aspects of AMD and summarize the genes which have been reported to have a positive association with the disease.
Response Behavior of Asphalt Mixtures at Low Temperatures Under Varying Indirect Tensile Test Loading Conditions
Authors: Li Xinjun , Marasteanu Mihai O. , Labuz Joseph F. , Williams R. Christopher
Published: December 2010

This paper investigates the effect of loading level and loading rate on the damage development and strength of asphalt mixtures. Indirect tensile creep tests with different loading levels and strength tests with three loading rates were performed at three low temperatures for ten mixtures. An acoustic emission (AE) system with eight recording channels was used to monitor the development of micro cracking in the specimens for both tests for one mixture. The experimental results show that test temperature has a significant effect on the behavior of the material. Data analysis from the creep test indicates that the creep loading level significantly affects the response of the tested material. The AE rate analysis shows that no actual damage develops when a creep load is less than 20 % of the strength and significant micro damage accumulates when the applied creep load is more than 30 % of the strength value. The loading rate was found to have a significant effect on the measured tensile strength even at a relatively low temperature, and the measured tensile strength increases with the increase of the loading rate for all the test temperatures considered in this study. However, this effect was found to be diluted with the decrease of the test temperature. The AE analysis indicates that a damage zone develops in both the creep and strength tests. The damage zone decreases with temperature decrease and increases with the increase of the loading level applied during the creep test. The damage zone obtained from the strength test was approximately equal to that from the creep testing with a loading level about 25–50 % of the strength value.
Surgical challenges of chest wall and intra-thoracic desmoid tumors
Authors: Mátrai Zoltán , Tóth László , Szentirmay Zoltán , Papp János , Antal Imre , Vadász Pál , Bartal Alexandra , Kásler Miklós
Published: December 2010

Chest wall desmoids are rare, borderline tumors. Radical surgical excision is considered to be the primary treatment. Tendency of desmoids to infiltrate the chest wall, the shoulder girdle, lung parenchyma, brachial plexus and vital components of the mediastinum provides a difficult surgical challenge in the efforts of achieving microscopically negative margins. Implantation of synthetic meshes and reconstructive plastic surgical techniques might be necessary to perform in order to preserve stability of the thorax, and to achieve optimal functional and aesthetic results. Multidisciplinary surgeries may result in a high rate of morbidity even in specialized centers. Within the framework of a retrospective multicenter review, authors assessed surgical techniques implemented in the case of patients who underwent surgical management for sporadically appearing chest-wall and intra-thoracic desmoids, and reviewed the relevant literature. Orv. Hetil., 2011, 152, 3–13.
Gerlits and function spaces
Authors: Scheepers Marion
Published: December 2010

János Gerlits died unexpectedly in 2008. In this paper we attempt to make a small tribute to his very powerful mathematical legacy by describing the emerging impact of two ideas, γ-spaces and Gerlits-Nagy spaces, from [19] and [20].
Key Articles and Guidelines in the Management of Arrhythmias, 2004–2010
Authors: Cheng Judy W. M. , Dopp Anna Legreid , Kalus James S. , Rogers Kelly C. , Sanoski Cynthia A. , White C. Michael
Published: December 2010

The volume of medical literature in the management of cardiovascular diseases has continued to grow exponentially. It is important for clinical practitioners to keep informed in order to provide optimal patient care. We compiled a list of pertinent clinical trials, as well as well‐written, up‐to‐date review articles and important treatment guidelines, that focus on the management of cardiac arrhythmias. This list is an update to a previous list published in Pharmacotherapy in 2004. This article should be useful not only to practitioners and trainees in cardiovascular pharmacotherapy, but to other clinicians as well.
Effectiveness of a Hypertension Care Management Program Provided by Clinical Pharmacists for Veterans
Authors: Bex Susan D. , Boldt Amy S. , Needham Sarah B. , Bolf Stacy M. , Walston Cassandra M. , Ramsey Darin C. , Schmelz Andrew N. , Zillich Alan J.
Published: December 2010

Study Objective. To evaluate the effectiveness of a hypertension care management program provided by clinical pharmacists.

Design. Pre‐ and postintervention design with retrospective medical record review.

Setting. Tertiary care Veterans Affairs medical center and affiliated primary care clinics.

Patients. Five hundred seventy‐three veterans with hypertension who were referred to the program between June 1, 2007, and May 31, 2008.

Intervention. Participation in the hypertension care management program provided by clinical pharmacists who met individually with patients, orchestrated drug therapy, and provided patient counseling.

Measurements and Main Results. The following data were collected from patients' medical records: demographics, date of program referral, dates of pharmacist visits, blood pressure at each visit, concurrent antihypertensive drugs and their dosages, drug changesat each visit, as wellas patient education topics discussed during a visit. To ensure a minimum of 6 months of follow‐up data for all patients, data collection continued through November 30, 2008, for a total study duration of 18 months. The primary study outcome was the difference between systolic and diastolic blood pressure measurements at the final pharmacist care management visit and those measurements at the initial pharmacist visit. Systolic blood pressure decreased from a mean ± SD of 141.3 ± 18.5 mm Hg at the initial pharmacist visit to 130.1 ± 13.8 mm Hg at the final pharmacist visit, and diastolic blood pressure decreased from 79.1 ± 12.2 to 74.5 ± 10.3 mm Hg (p<0.001 for both comparisons). The secondary outcome was the proportion of patients reaching blood pressure treatment goals at the final visit compared with the initial pharmacist visit. Of the 573 patients, 431 (75.2%) reached blood pressure treatment goals at the final visit (p≤0.001) compared with 221 (38.6%) at the initial visit. The study patients had several comorbid diseases, including diabetes mellitus (196 patients [34.2%]) and chronic kidney disease (43 patients [7.5%]). Both study outcomes were also assessed for these subgroups.

Conclusion. Patients referred to the hypertension care management program had a significant reduction in blood pressure, and most met their blood pressure treatment goals. This pharmacist‐managed program may be an efficient method of care delivery to improve patient outcomes.