bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Assessing and conceptualizing orgasm after a spinal cord injury
Authors: Courtois Frédérique , Charvier Kathleen , Vézina Jean‐Guy , Morel Journel Nicolas , Carrier Serge , Jacquemin Géraldine , Côté Isabelle
Published: April 2011

Study Type – Aetiology (individual cohort)

Level of Evidence 2b

What’s known on the subject? and What does the study add?

This study provides the first questionnaire on the specific bodily sensations that can be perceived at orgasm thereby complementing the subjective phenomenological experience of orgasm.

OBJECTIVES

To provide a questionnaire for assessing the sensations characterizing orgasm.

To test the hypothesis that orgasm is related to autonomic hyperreflexia (AHR) in individuals with a spinal cord injury (SCI).

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

A total of 97 men with SCI, of whom 50 showed AHR at ejaculation and 39 showed no AHR, were compared.

Ejaculation was obtained through natural stimulation, vibrostimulation or vibrostimulation combined with midodrine (5–25 mg).

Cardiovascular measures were recorded before, at, and after each test.

Responses to the questionnaire were divided into four categories: cardiovascular, muscular, autonomic and dysreflexic sensations.

RESULTS

Significantly more sensations were described at ejaculation than with sexual stimulation alone.

Men with SCI who experienced AHR at ejaculation reported significantly more cardiovascular, muscular, autonomic and dysreflexic responses than those who did not.

There was no difference between men with complete and those with incomplete lesions.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings show that the questionnaire is a useful tool to assess orgasm and to guide patients in identifying the bodily sensations that accompany or build up to orgasm.

The findings also support the hypothesis that orgasm may be related to the presence of AHR in individuals with SCI. Data from able‐bodied men also suggest that AHR could be related to orgasm, as increases in blood pressure are observed at ejaculation along with cardiovascular, autonomic and muscular sensations.
Dramatic increase in prostate cancer cases by 2021
Authors: Quon Harvey , Loblaw Andrew , Nam Robert
Published: April 2011

Study Type – Health forecast analysis (based on trend prediction with sensitivity analysis)

Level of Evidence 2a

OBJECTIVE

• To estimate the magnitude of increase in prostate cancer cases diagnosed in Canada by the year 2021.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

• Using available evidence, the number of new prostate cancer cases expected in 2021 was estimated based on the effects of four major factors: aging population, increased prevalence of PSA screening, lowered PSA cutoff to recommend biopsy, and improved sensitivity of prostate biopsy.

• These effects were combined with population data from Statistics Canada and the Canadian Cancer Statistics to estimate new prostate cancer cases.

RESULTS

• The two factors with the largest effect on estimated new prostate cancers in 2021 compared with 2009 were: aging population (increase of 39%), and lowering the PSA threshold to 2.6 ng/mL before prostate biopsy (increase of 200%).

• In the ‘best‐case’ scenario, the number of new prostate cancers will only be affected by the aging population and will increase by 39% to 35 121 new cases.

• In the ‘most‐likely’ scenario, all four factors will have a combined effect to increase new cases by 201% to 76 379.

CONCLUSIONS

• The aging population and lowering PSA threshold to 2.6 ng/mL have the most significant impact on estimated new prostate cancer cases in 2021. At that time, the number of new cases may triple to 76 379 cases in Canada.

• Significant planning will be required to manage this considerable increase in new prostate cancers.

What’s known on the subject? and What does the study add?

Estimates of prostate cancer cases are often based solely on changes in the age distribution of the population or on historical trends. This study also incorporates changes in screening prevalence, sensitivity screening maneuvers and lowering threshold for biopsies.
Clinical and histopathological characteristics of familial prostate cancer in Finland
Authors: Pakkanen Sanna , Kujala Paula M. , Ha Nati , Matikainen Mika P. , Schleutker Johanna , Tammela Teuvo L.J.
Published: April 2011

Study Type – Aetiology (cohort)

Level of Evidence 2b

OBJECTIVE

• To describe clinical and histopathological characteristics of Finnish familial prostate cancer (PCa) through a detailed analysis of cases in families.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

• In total, 202 Finnish families with 617 histopathologically confirmed PCa cases of confirmed genealogy were collected.

• Complete clinical data, including age and prostate‐specific antigen (PSA) at diagnosis, stage, grade and primary treatment, were gathered. The mean (range) number of affected men per family was 3 (2–8).

• All the available diagnostic biopsy samples (n= 323) were collected and regraded by the same uropathologist.

• A population‐based cohort of 3011 hospital district Pirkanmaa PCa patients was used as a control group.

RESULTS

• The mean (range) year of diagnosis of PCa was 1993 (1962–2006) and the mean (range) age at diagnosis was 68 (43–98 years).

• The median (range) primary PSA level was 12.0 (0.8–11 000) ng/mL. After regrading, the Gleason score was ≤6 in 38%, 7 in 37% and ≥8 in 25% of men.

• The subset of familial PCa men diagnosed after 1995 had higher PSA levels (P= 9.9 × 10−6) and an earlier age of onset (P= 1.7 × 10−6) than men in the control group, although there were no differences in cancer‐specific survival.

CONCLUSIONS

• We observed an earlier age of onset and higher PSA in familial PCa.

• However, differences between sporadic and familial or hereditary PCa cannot be truly solved until genetic testing of high‐risk genes in addition to family history is used to define PCa families.

• We also emphasize that, when histological samples are collected over a longer study period, reanalysis of the samples by the same experienced uropathologist should be considered.

What’s known on the subject? and What does the study add?

Previous hospital‐ or population‐based cross‐sectional studies comparing the clinical and histopathological features of hereditary, familial and sporadic PCa either reported weak trends or no differences in features measured except the age of onset.

In present study we observed higher PSA and earlier age of onset in the subset of 257 familial PCa menin Finnish PCa families.
Patient acceptance of active surveillance as a treatment option for low‐risk prostate cancer
Authors: Davison B. Joyce , Goldenberg S. Larry
Published: April 2011

Study Type – Decision analysis (lacking sensitivity analysis)

Level of Evidence 4

What’s known on the subject? and What does the study add?

Active surveillance is a management strategy that offers patients the hope of avoiding the side effects associated with unnecessary treatment. This study identifies the resources required by men who choose to be on active surveillance to support them in their treatment decision.

OBJECTIVES

To examine the decision‐making processes of men on active surveillance (AS).

To identify the resources that men want to access to make, support and sustain them while on AS.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Three‐part survey developed for this study based on a qualitative study of 25 men on AS.

Survey items explored: role men assumed with their physician in treatment decision‐making, factors influencing decision to go on AS, and resources required while on AS.

Surveys mailed out to cross‐sectional sample of men on AS for less than 10 years.

RESULTS

27% of the 73 men reported assuming an active role in treatment decision‐making with their urologist, 41% a shared role and 32% a passive role.

82% of men reported being comfortable and 90% being satisfied with their decision to be on AS.

55% reported not being anxious about the cancer progressing while on AS.

Urologist’s opinion, current age, and impact of treatment on urinary function were main factors influencing treatment decision.

Information on future treatment options, non‐traditional treatments and diet considered most important resources.

CONCLUSIONS

Results suggest that once men make a decision to go on AS, they are satisfied with their decision and few report being anxious about progression of cancer.

Men are strongly influenced by the treating specialist in taking up AS.

Additional information and psychological support resources are required for men on AS.
Endourological procedures and sexual dysfunction: a prospective multivariate analysis
Authors: Sofer Mario , Yehiely Ravit , Greenstein Alexander , Bar‐Yosef Yuval , Matzkin Haim , Chen Juza
Published: April 2011

Study Type – Therapy (case series)

Level of Evidence 4

What’s known on the subject? and What does the study add?

Our knowledge of surgical casualty in the context of sexual function is limited to few oncological operations. We assessed whether transurethral endoscopic surgery may impair sexual function and we found that these operations cause temporary postoperative sexual dysfunction, which recovers within 3 months. These findings are important in preoperative patient counseling.

OBJECTIVE

• To investigate whether endourological interventions are associated with postoperative sexual dysfunction.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

• The study comprises a consecutive and prospective series of patients, referred for endourological procedures.

• General anaesthesia was used and JJ stents were placed when required.

• Changes in sexual function, as assessed by the International Index of Erectile Function questionnaire that the participants filled in the day before the procedure and 1 month and up to 3 months afterwards, were analysed.

RESULTS

• The study group consisted of 50 men aged (mean ±sd) 45 ± 13 years, of whom 25 underwent ureteroscopy, 9 underwent retrograde intrarenal surgery (RIRS) and 16 underwent combined RIRS and percutaneous nephrolithotomy. JJ stents were postoperatively placed in 33 patients (66%).

• The study cohort self‐reported a significant decrease in erectile function (P= 0.007), intercourse satisfaction (P < 0.001), orgasmic function (P= 0.001), sexual desire (P < 0.001) and overall satisfaction (P= 0.002) at 1 month following endourological procedures.

• This dysfunction was not related to chronic disease, age, smoking, preoperative or postoperative stenting, type of procedure, operative duration or surgeon expertise.

• The sexual function of all subjects returned to baseline within 3 months (P < 0.005). Postoperative erectile function in the stented group revealed a negative tendency that did not reach statistical significance.

CONCLUSIONS

• Endourological procedures are associated with temporary postoperative sexual dysfunction, which completely recovers within 3 months.

• The impact of postoperative stenting on sexual function was not significant.

• These findings contribute to enhanced preoperative patient counselling.
Good clinical practice guidelines for care home residents with diabetes: an executive summary
Authors: Sinclair A. J. ,   on behalf of the Task and Finish Group of Diabetes UK
Published: April 2011

Diabet. Med. 28, 772–777 (2011)

A Task and Finish Group of Diabetes UK was convened over 14 months to undertake a systematic review of the original 1999 British Diabetic Association guidance on care home diabetes, incorporate new research findings and produce a set of recommendations that are evidenced‐based, practical and implementable within UK care home settings. The anticipation of Diabetes UK is that these guidelines will represent a national policy of good clinical practice for diabetes care within care homes.

This executive summary demonstrates how the full guidelines should provide a framework of assessment of the quality of diabetes care within care homes, for use by regulatory bodies who have responsibility for this provision of diabetes care. This document is primarily based on recommendations for adults living within British care home environments and its focus, by virtue of the nature and characteristics of residents, is on older adults.

Improvements in diabetes care within residential and nursing homes are likely to follow a sustained commitment by health and social care professionals to ensure that the well‐being of residents with diabetes is paramount, that high‐quality policies of diabetes care are implemented and monitored and effective diabetes education is a mandatory and integral part of care home staff training.
Validation of an abbreviated adherence measure for young people with Type 1 diabetes
Authors: Markowitz J. T. , Laffel L. M. B. , Volkening L. K. , Anderson B. J. , Nansel T. R. , Weissberg‐Benchell J. , Wysocki T.
Published: April 2011

Diabet. Med. 28, 1113–1117 (2011)

Aims  Adherence to diabetes‐related tasks is an important construct. The Diabetes Self‐Management Profile is a validated, semi‐structured interview assessing adherence in paediatric patients with Type 1 diabetes. We created and validated a brief questionnaire version of the Diabetes Self‐Management Profile called the Diabetes Self‐Management Questionnaire.

Methods  Young people with Type 1 diabetes, ages 9–15 years (n = 338) and their parents provided data from chart review, interview and questionnaires.

Results  Diabetes Self‐Management Questionnaire scores correlated significantly with Diabetes Self‐Management Profile scores, HbA1c, blood glucose monitoring frequency and other measures associated with adherence and/or glycaemic control (P ≤ 0.01 for all). Young people and parent scores were correlated (r = 0.55, P < 0.0001). The Diabetes Self‐Management Questionnaire demonstrated modest internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = 0.59), adequate for a brief measure of multidimensional adherence. In addition, factor analysis confirmed one factor.

Conclusions  This brief adherence questionnaire demonstrated construct validity in young people 9–15 years old and their parents and may have utility in clinical and research settings.
An exploration of the shapes and stability of population–selection curves
Authors: Sampson David B , Scott Robert D
Published: April 2011

Fishing operations on any given stock rarely generate fishing mortality that is uniform across all ages and sizes. Population‐selectivity refers to a scaled version of the age‐ or size‐specific fishing mortality experienced by a fish population. Although it is common to apply a sigmoid logistic curve for the selectivity produced by many kinds of fishing gear, the general characteristics of population–selection curves have not been well examined. In this study, generalized additive models were fit to sets of selection coefficients taken from 15 recent stock assessments conducted using the virtual population analysis approach. The selection coefficients predicted by the models provided smoothed representations of the shapes and temporal dynamics of selectivity. Four broad types of selectivity were found: increasing, asymptotic, domed, and having a saddle. Four specific cases, each dominated by one type of selection curve, were examined in detail. For all 15 stocks, the population–selection curves were not stable through time but underwent changes in shape, which in some cases were quite radical. Temporal variation in population‐selectivity has important implications for the conduct of fisheries modelling activities such as evaluating management strategies and forecasting catch and stock size.
Investigating the individual difference antecedents of perceived enjoyment in students' use of blogging
Authors: Wang Yi‐Shun , Lin Hsin‐Hui , Liao Yi‐Wen
Published: April 2011

With the proliferation of weblogs (blogs) used in educational contexts, gaining a better understanding of why students are willing to blog has become an important topic for practitioners and academics. The main purpose of this study is to explore the individual difference antecedents of perceived enjoyment and examine how they influence blogging intention through the mediation of perceived enjoyment. Based on previous literature, the Big Five personality traits (ie, extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism and openness to experience), as well as computer self‐efficacy and personal innovation in information technology, are hypothesised as potential antecedents of perceived enjoyment in the acceptance of blogging. Data collected from a sample of 358 students at seven universities in Taiwan were tested against the research model using the structural equation modelling approach. The results indicate that extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness and personal innovation in information technology have a significant influence on perceived enjoyment, which in turn significantly influences blogging intention. The findings of this study provide several theoretical and practical implications for educational uses of blogging.
Purpose and preference in educational podcasting
Authors: Van Zanten Rob , Somogyi Simon , Curro Gina
Published: April 2011

The application of podcasting for educational purposes is growing fast in universities. There are several benefits of this asynchronous, direct communication and interaction between teacher and student. Nonetheless, the benefits, the pedagogical value of podcasting the traditional lecture format, have come into question. Furthermore, issues have been raised regarding lengthy and costly download times, and the fact that students need to make time to listen to them. For these reasons, using short 3–5‐minute podcasts that summarise the lecture have been suggested. This paper explores how students interact with different types of podcasts. The study compares download and course evaluation data of a series of short‐summary podcasts with full‐lecture podcasts produced for the same university course. The findings show that students value full‐lecture podcasts as highly as the short‐summary podcasts, despite the fact that full‐lecture podcasts are downloaded to a markedly lesser degree. The cause of this anomaly appears to lie in the different purposes that dictate podcast use. The paper concludes by noting that both full‐lecture and short‐summary podcasts serve as useful tools for student learning in university contexts.
Governing through time: preparing for future threats to health and security
Authors: Samimian‐Darash Limor
Published: April 2011

During preparations for the Second Gulf War, Israel considered universal smallpox vaccination. In doing so, it faced a problem: how to legitimise carrying out a security action against an uncertain future danger (smallpox pandemic), when this action carried specific, known risks (vaccine complications). To solve this problem, the Israeli preparedness system created a new domain through which the security action could reach its goal with minimum risk: first responders (a group of medical personnel and security forces). First‐responder vaccination represents a shift in the form of ‘securing health’ and in the governmental technology applied to this goal, in which past, present, and future occurrences are governed to enable the execution of a security action. Through this practice, risks are not located in the present or in the future but in a ‘shared’ temporal space and thus can be seen as existing simultaneously. Preparedness for emerging future biological events, then, involves more than questioning how the future is contingent on the present and how the present is contingent on the future’s perception; it also recognises the need for a new time positioning that allows operating on both present and future risks simultaneously. Governing these risks, then, means governing through time.
Enterprising or altruistic selves? Making up research subjects in genetics research
Authors: Tutton Richard , Prainsack Barbara
Published: April 2011

The emergence of direct‐to‐consumer (DTC) personal genomics companies in 2007 was accompanied by considerable media attention and criticism from clinical geneticists and other health professionals, regulators, policy advisors, and ethicists. As well as offering genetic testing services, some firms are also engaged in building their own databases and conducting research with the data obtained from their customers. In this paper, we examine how one of these companies, 23andMe, is creating a certain kind of ‘research subject’ in opposition to that constituted in conventional forms of disease research. Drawing on debates about neoliberalism, contemporary health discourses and subjectivity, we consider two kinds of subjectivities produced through the discursive and material practices of 23andMe and UK Biobank, namely, ‘enterprising’ and ‘altruistic’ selves. We argue that the 23andMe model promotes the idea that curiosity about one’s genome on the one hand, and participation in research on the other, are not only compatible but complementary aspects of being an entrepreneurial subject of contemporary health and medicine framed by the technologies of web 2.0.
‘European Governance’ or Governmentality? The European Commission and the Future of Democratic Government
Authors: Shore Cris
Published: April 2011

The word ‘governance’ has become an increasingly central policy motif in the European Union and elsewhere yet its meanings are ambiguous and often poorly understood. This article examines the genealogy of that concept focusing in particular on the European Commission's claim to have developed a new, more open and progressive model of ‘European governance’. The paper is set out in four steps. The first analyses the European Commission's claims for ‘governance’ as a concept integral to its new vision for Europe. The second interrogates some of the conflicting definitions and meanings inherent in the term and examines the highly selective paradigm of governance that has been developed in official Commission discourse. The third addresses two specific areas where the Commission's governance model has been applied: the Green paper on The Future of Parliamentary Democracy and the Open Method of Coordination. The fourth turns to analyse these findings using critical social theory. I conclude that far from laying the grounds for a more inclusive, participatory and democratic political order, the Commission's model to governance represents a form of neoliberal governmentality that is actually undermining democratic government and promoting a politics of exclusion.
Double Nationality in the EU: An Argument for Tolerance
Authors: Kochenov Dimitry
Published: April 2011

Currently the Member States' nationalities, short of being abolished in the legal sense, mostly serve as access points to the status of EU citizenship. Besides, they provide their owners with a limited number of specific rights in deviation from the general principle of non‐discrimination on the basis of nationality, and—what is probably more important for the majority of their owners—trigger legalised discrimination in the wholly internal situations. Viewed in this light, the requirement to have only one Member State's nationality enforced in national law by 10 Member States seems totally outdated and misplaced. This paper focuses on the legal analysis of this controversial requirement.
Interests, Instruments and Institutional Preferences in the EU Comitology System: The 2006 Comitology Reform
Authors: Blom‐Hansen Jens
Published: April 2011

This paper seeks to reveal the institutional interests of the Council of Ministers, the European Parliament and the Commission in the comitology system. This is done by an investigation of the 2006 comitology reform, which introduced the regulatory procedure with scrutiny. This reform was the result of developments in four areas: the Lamfalussy reform in the area of financial regulation; the controversial use of comitology in the area of GMOs, food safety and the environment; the failed Constitutional Treaty; and the amending of the 1999 comitology decision. The analysis shows that the reform was the result of a two‐dimensional constitutional struggle. The first dimension concerns the relative supervisory position of the two legislative actors, the Council and the European Parliament. The second dimension concerns the relationship between the legislative and the executive branch of the EU system. In theoretical terms, the analysis demonstrates an example of T.M. Moe's ‘politics of structural choice’. The paper ends by drawing lessons for the negotiations on the new comitology system following the Lisbon Treaty.
A Shift in Focus: Systematisation in European Private Law through EU Law
Authors: Mak Vanessa
Published: April 2011

The discourse on the Europeanisation of private law appears gradually to be moving into new territory in which the central debate on convergence of private laws in Europe makes place for structural questions on private law development in a multi‐level European legal order. With the realisation that private law is and will remain complementary regulated at EU level and in national laws, a re‐orientation is called for that, in the words of Micklitz, ‘allows one to determine which norms shall be elaborated and enforced at what level and by whom’. This article accepts that such a re‐orientation is needed in relation to substance, process, instruments and enforcement; a more fundamental question needs to be addressed, however, in order to ensure coherence in the development of private law in Europe. As can be gleaned from existing practice in EU consumer law, competition law, and financial market regulation, a deeply engrained tension between market integration and protectionist policies in Community law has resulted in incoherent regulation at EU level, which filters through into national legal systems. This puts at risk fundamental values of private law, such as certainty and fairness. A solution for this is proposed by shifting the focus from national private laws to the political and doctrinal structure of EU private law, and the normative framework it provides. General principles of EU private law, it is argued, could and should provide a counterweight to the problem of conflicting policies and set out a guideline for the future development of European private law.
Serum adiponectin levels inversely correlate with the activity of progressive skin sclerosis in patients with diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis
Authors: Masui Y. , Asano Y. , Shibata S. , Noda S. , Aozasa N. , Akamata K. , Yamada D. , Tamaki Z. , Tada Y. , Sugaya M. , Sato S. , Kadono T.
Published: April 2011

Backgrounds  Adiponectin has been demonstrated to be one of anti‐inflammatory and anti‐fibrotic factors, suggesting the potential of this cytokine to be involved in the developmental process of systemic sclerosis (SSc).

Objective  The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical significance of serum adiponectin levels in patients with SSc.

Methods  Serum adiponectin levels were determined using enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in 32 patients with diffuse cutaneous SSc (dcSSc), 28 with limited cutaneous SSc (lcSSc) and 27 healthy controls. No significant difference between these groups existed in terms of gender, age and body mass index.

Results  Serum adiponectin levels in dcSSc patients (4.93 ± 6.48 μg/mL) were significantly lower than those in lcSSc patients (9.69 ± 7.61 μg/mL, P < 0.01) and healthy controls (9.36 ± 5.57 μg/mL, P < 0.01). dcSSc patients with disease duration of ≤5 years had significantly decreased serum adiponectin levels (2.15 ± 1.69 μg/mL) than those with disease duration of >5 years (13.29 ± 8.36 μg/mL, P < 0.01), lcSSc patients with disease duration of ≤5 years (8.07 ± 7.98μg/mL, P < 0.05), lcSSc patients with disease duration of >5 years (10.9 ± 7.34 μg/mL, P < 0.01) and healthy controls (9.36 ± 5.57 μg/mL, P < 0.01). Longitudinal studies in five patients with early dcSSc treated with oral prednisone demonstrated that serum adiponectin levels inversely correlate with the activity of progressive skin sclerosis in dcSSc patients.

Conclusion  Serum levels of adiponectin may serve as a useful marker to evaluate the activity of progressive skin sclerosis in dcSSc.
Patient acceptance and diagnostic utility of automated digital image analysis of pigmented skin lesions
Authors: Frühauf J. , Leinweber B. , Fink‐Puches R. , Ahlgrimm‐Siess V. , Richtig E. , Wolf I.H. , Niederkorn A. , Quehenberger F. , Hofmann‐Wellenhof R.
Published: April 2011

Background  Computerized analysis of pigmented skin lesions may help to increase diagnostic accuracy for melanoma, help to avoid unnecessary procedures and reduce health care costs.

Objectives  We evaluated both the patient acceptance and diagnostic utility of such an analysis tool in a real clinical setting.

Methods  Two hundred nine consecutive patients (median age: 34 years, range: 2–73 years), who were concerned about a pigmented skin lesion, answered a questionnaire about their attitude towards computerized analysis and their confidence in the resulting findings. Using a dermoscopy analyser, their skin lesions (n = 219) were then grouped into the categories, benign, suspicious and malignant, and results were compared with those obtained by in‐person examination of dermato‐oncologic experts.

Results  More than half of the patients (n = 114) would accept the use of computer analysis for melanoma screening; although 16 (14.0%) patients would accept this method solely, 98 (86.0%) patients would prefer an additional in‐person examination by a dermatologist. Of the 219 pigmented skin lesions, the dermoscopic experts rated 171 (78.1%) as benign, 36 (16.4%) as suspicious and 12 (5.5%) as malignant, whereas computer analysis revealed 102 (46.6%) benign, 78 (35.6%) suspicious and 39 (17.8%) malignant lesions. At the expense of specificity (48.8%), the sensitivity of computerized analysis was excellent (100%) and equal to that of in‐person examination.

Conclusions  Most patients would accept computer analysis for melanoma screening, some of them even without reservations. However, due to a high rate of false positive computer assessments, it cannot be recommended as a screening tool at this time.
Application of Elastic Image Registration and Refraction Correction for Non‐Contact Underwater Strain Measurement
Authors: Haile M. A. , Ifju P. G.
Published: April 2011

Abstract:  The refraction‐induced image distortion introduces large errors in the deformation measurement of fluid submerged specimens using digital image correlation (DIC). This study provides a review of the nature of the refraction‐induced image distortion, assesses experimental conditions that interact with refraction and proposes an elastic image registration technique to correct the refraction distortion of underwater images. In the elastic image registration technique, control points are selected on reference and refracted images of a template object and locally sensitive transformation functions that overlay the two images are obtained. The transformation functions so obtained are then used to reconstruct undistorted images from underwater images and the former are used as input to a DIC system. The proposed approach has shown to improve the refraction error in the order of 5–8% for typical material test samples undergoing deformation inside a water‐filled glass chamber.
Reciprocal modulation of anti‐IgE induced histamine release from human mast cells by A1 and A2B adenosine receptors
Authors: Yip KH , Lau HYA , Wise H
Published: April 2011

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Adenosine is believed to participate in the pathological development of asthma through a mast cell‐dependent mechanism. Our study aimed to pharmacologically characterize the functions of adenosine receptor (AR) subtypes (A1, A2A, A2B and A3) in primary human cultured mast cells (HCMC).

EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH HCMC were derived from progenitor stem cells in buffy coat and the effects of adenosine receptor ligands on basal and IgE‐dependent histamine release were evaluated.

KEY RESULTS Adenosine and analogues alone did not induce HCMC degranulation. When HCMC were activated by anti‐IgE after 10 min pre‐incubation with adenosine, a biphasic effect on histamine release was observed with enhancement of HCMC activation at low concentrations of adenosine (10−9–10−7 mol·L−1) and inhibition at higher concentrations (10−6–10−4 mol·L−1). The potentiating action was mimicked by A1 AR agonists CCPA and 2'MeCCPA, and inhibited by the A1 AR antagonist PSB36. In contrast, the inhibitory action of adenosine was mimicked by the non‐specific A2 AR agonist CV1808 and attenuated by A2B AR antagonists PSB1115 and MRS1760. The non‐selective AR antagonist CGS15943 attenuated both the potentiating and inhibitory actions.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS We have defined for the first time the contribution of A1 and A2B ARs, respectively, to the potentiating and inhibitory action of adenosine on human mast cell activation. With reference to the current trend of developing novel anti‐asthmatic agents from AR ligands, our results suggest that inhibition of human mast cell activation would be a mechanism for A1 AR antagonists, but not A2B AR antagonists.
Documentation of Impaired Epidermal Barrier in Mild and Moderate Diaper Dermatitis In Vivo Using Noninvasive Methods
Authors: Stamatas Georgios N. , Zerweck Charles , Grove Gary , Martin Katharine M.
Published: April 2011

Abstract:  The presence of irritants from feces and urine with the concurrent mechanical friction and occlusion creates an environment in the diapered area that renders the skin prone to diaper dermatitis. Besides being a source of discomfort to the infant, these skin irritations pose a risk of secondary infections. In this study, we used noninvasive in vivo techniques to define measurable parameters that correlate with diaper dermatitis pathophysiology. In 35 infants (16 with mild or moderate and 19 without diaper dermatitis) we compared skin of diapered areas afflicted with diaper dermatitis to lesion‐free diapered sites and to skin outside the diapered area (thigh). Our findings show significantly elevated cutaneous erythema, pH, and hydration, with significantly compromised water barrier function in involved areas compared to nonlesional sites both within and outside the diapered area. Furthermore, skin pH in nonlesional diapered skin for the diaper dermatitis cohort was significantly higher compared to the nondiapered sites. These observations are consistent with the current understanding of pathological skin changes in diaper dermatitis. In this study, we demonstrate that noninvasive methods can document relevant parameters to diaper dermatitis in vivo.
Repigmentation of Vitiligo Lesions in a Child with Celiac Disease after a Gluten‐Free Diet
Authors: RODRÍGUEZ‐GARCÍA CRISTINA , GONZÁLEZ‐HERNÁNDEZ S. , PÉREZ‐ROBAYNA N. , GUIMERÁ F. , FAGUNDO E. , SÁNCHEZ R.
Published: April 2011

Abstract:  There is a well‐established association of vitiligo with autoimmune conditions, and circulating autoantibodies to melanocytes have been demonstrated in the serum of patients with vitiligo. We present a case of repigmentation of vitiligo lesions in a girl with celiac disease after initiating a gluten‐free diet, which to our knowledge has not been reported.
Superficial Angiomyxoma on the Scrotum of a Child
Authors: NAKAMURA MOTONOBU , TOKURA YOSHIKI
Published: April 2011

Abstract:  Superficial angiomyxoma is a rare benign multilobulated cutaneous tumor, comprising a prominent myxoid matrix and numerous blood vessels. The tumor usually presents with a nodular lesion on the trunk, head, and neck. We describe a case of superficial angiomyxoma unusually located on the scrotum of a 4‐year‐old boy.
An Unusual Clinical Presentation of Tinea Faciei Caused by Trichophyton mentagrophytes var. erinacei
Authors: LEE DEOK‐WOO , YANG JI‐HYE , CHOI SEOK‐JOO , WON CHONG‐HYUN , CHANG SUNG‐EUN , LEE MI‐WOO , CHOI JEE‐HO , MOON KEE‐CHAN , KIM MI‐NA
Published: April 2011

Abstract:  Trichophyton mentagrophytes var. erinacei, the natural host of which is the hedgehog, has been found to cause highly inflammatory and pruritic eruptions, including tinea manuum, tinea corporis, nail infection, kerion, scalp infection, and tinea barbae. To our knowledge, however, no reports have been made of tinea faciei caused by Trichophyton mentagrophytes var. erinacei in the English language literature. We provide here the case of tinea faciei caused by Trichophyton mentagrophytes var. erinacei.
Peripheral neuropathy in myotonic dystrophy type 1
Authors: Hermans Mieke C. E. , Faber Catharina G. , Vanhoutte Els K. , Bakkers Mayienne , De Baets Marc H. , de Die‐Smulders Christine E. M. , Merkies Ingemar S. J.
Published: April 2011

Myotonic dystrophy 1 (DM1) is characterized by a wide range of clinical features. We aimed to verify the presence of peripheral nerve involvement in a large cohort of DM1 patients and to determine clinical consequences. A total of 93 patients underwent detailed neurological examination and nerve conduction studies. Additionally, balance impairment was assessed with the Berg Balance Scale and health status was evaluated with the SF‐36 health survey. Sensory symptoms were not reported and mild sensory signs were found in six patients. Electrophysiological abnormalities consistent with a diagnosis of neuropathy were found in 16 patients (17%). Peripheral nerve involvement was significantly associated with decreased muscle strength (p = 0.001) and absence of Achilles‐tendon reflexes (p = 0.003), but not with age or duration of neuromuscular symptoms. It had no significant effect on balance, mental or physical health. In conclusion, peripheral nerve involvement may be one of the multisystemic manifestations of DM1, but is usually subclinical. Other causes should be excluded when sensory symptoms or signs are severe.
Axonal conduction block at intermediate nerve segments in pure motor Guillain‐Barré syndrome
Authors: Hong Yoon‐Ho , Sung Jung‐Joon , Oh Mi‐Young , Moon Hye‐Jin , Park Kyung‐Seok , Lee Kwang‐Woo
Published: April 2011

The pathophysiology of axonal Guillain‐Barré syndrome (GBS) is not simple axonal degeneration, but includes reversible conduction failure. Acute motor axonal neuropathy (AMAN) and acute motor conduction block (CB) neuropathy are the two subtypes of pure motor axonal GBS, but their nosologic boundary is still in debate. We investigated clinical and electrophysiological features of 21 consecutive patients with GBS in Korea. Analysis was focused on the presence of CB at intermediate nerve segments (iCB) in pure motor GBS, and its serial changes during the acute phase of disease. Pure motor GBS was common (81%), and iCB was observed in 12 patients with pure motor GBS. Clinical features of pure motor GBS with iCB were distinct from sensorimotor GBS, but similar to pure motor GBS without iCB, characterized by frequent preceding diarrhea, uncommon cranial nerve palsy, and fast recovery. The iCB was not restricted to common entrapment sites, and the distal segments were also commonly involved in the nerves with iCB. The temporal course of iCB was marked by a rapid and often disproportionate increase of proximal and distal amplitudes without remyelinating slow components. Clinical and electrophysiological features of pure motor GBS in patients with iCB suggest that acute motor CB neuropathy may constitute a spectrum of axonal GBS, sharing a common pathomechanism with AMAN.
CIDP – the relevance of recent advances in Schwann cell/axonal neurobiology
Authors: Pollard John D. , Armati Patricia J.
Published: April 2011

Early pathological studies in patients with acute and chronic inflammatory demyelinating neuropathies, and the animal model experimental autoimmune neuritis (EAN) showed similarities in the process of demyelination. These studies focused on compact myelin proteins and peptides as targets of immune attack in Guillain‐Barré syndrome (GBS), chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP), and EAN. However, serological studies in patients with subsets of GBS highlighted the importance of gangliosides – glycolipids enriched in non‐compact Schwann cell regions and the node, paranodal, and internodal axolemma. In the acute motor axonal neuropathy (AMAN) rabbit model, antibodies to the ganglioside GM1 bind in the nodal region, impair Na channel clustering and disturb Schwann cell/axon organisation. Schwann cell neurobiological studies now highlight the importance of adhesion molecules, including neurofascins, gliomedin, contactins, and NrCAM to Schwann cell/axon integrity. Changes to nodal fine structure by immune responses against such molecules may provide a mechanism for reversible conduction failure or block. Recovery of patients with CIDP or multifocal motor neuropathy (MMN) following treatment may sometimes be better explained by reversal of conduction failure than remyelination or regeneration. This review considers the importance of the intricate molecular arrangements at the nodal and paranodal regions in inflammatory neuropathies such as CIDP. Early images of compact myelin stripping and phagocytosis, may have diverted the research focus away from these vital non‐compact myelin Schwann cell areas.
Capital Structure and Regulation: Do Ownership and Regulatory Independence Matter?
Authors: Bortolotti Bernardo , Cambini Carlo , Rondi Laura , Spiegel Yossi
Published: April 2011

We study the effect of ownership structure and regulatory independence on the interaction between capital structure and regulated prices using a comprehensive panel data of publicly traded European utilities. We find that firms in our sample tend to have a higher leverage if they are privately controlled and regulated by an independent regulatory agency. Moreover, the leverage of these firms has a positive and significant effect on their regulated prices, but not vice versa. Our results are consistent with the theory that privately controlled regulated firms use leverage strategically to obtain better regulatory outcomes.
Getting Away with Robbery? Patenting Behavior with the Threat of Infringement
Authors: Yiannaka Amalia , Fulton Murray
Published: April 2011

The paper examines how an innovator's ability to enforce her patent rights affects (and is affected by) her decision to patent her innovation and her patent breadth decision. Specifically, the paper shows that the innovator may find it optimal to patent her innovation even if litigation is not pursued in the event of patent imitation. The patent is valuable because it can be used to influence the entrant's location decision in a way that is profitable for the incumbent. In addition to showing that a patent need not be legally enforced to be valuable, the paper shows that the lower is the entrant's R&D cost, the smaller is the innovator's incentive to patent her product. If patenting occurs, however, the lower is the R&D cost, the greater is the patent breadth that could be chosen without triggering imitation.
Preclinical pharmacokinetic and toxicology assessment of red blood cells prepared with S‐303 pathogen inactivation treatment
Authors: North Anne , Ciaravino Vic , Mufti Nina , Corash Laurence
Published: April 2011

BACKGROUND: A system has been developed to inactivate a wide spectrum of blood‐borne pathogens in red blood cells (RBCs) before transfusion. The system utilizes S‐303 to target nucleic acids of pathogens and white blood cells. The safety of pathogen inactivated RBC was assessed using S‐303–treated RBCs (S‐303 RBCs) and S‐300, the primary degradation product of S‐303.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: As part of a preclinical safety evaluation program, intravenous toxicity, safety pharmacology, toxicokinetic, and pharmacokinetic studies were conducted in rats and dogs with S‐303 RBCs and S‐300.

RESULTS: Single and repeated transfusions of S‐303 RBCs were well tolerated in rats and dogs at S‐303 concentrations up to five times higher than that used to prepare RBCs for clinical use. For S‐300, the doses ranged from the lowest level representative of a clinical exposure from transfusion of 1 unit (0.052 mg/kg/day) to up to the amount of S‐300 that would result from exposure to more than 1900 units of RBCs (100 mg/kg/day). There were no related effects of S‐303 RBCs or S‐300 on mortality, clinical status, body weight, or clinical laboratory assessments and no evidence of organ toxicity. S‐300 did not accumulate in the plasma of rats and dogs after repeated transfusions. For all the studies, plasma S‐303 was consistently below the limit of quantitation.

CONCLUSION: The level of residual S‐303 and S‐300 in the treated blood component is well below that at which no adverse effects were observed. These results support further clinical development of S‐303 RBCs for prevention of transfusion‐transmitted infections.
Association of admission hematocrit with 6‐month and 1‐year mortality in intensive care unit patients
Authors: Mudumbai Seshadri C. , Cronkite Ruth , Hu Kirsten U. , Wagner Todd , Hayashi Ko , Ozanne Gerard M. , Davies M. Frances , Heidenreich Paul , Bertaccini Edward
Published: April 2011

BACKGROUND: This study examined the association of hematocrit (Hct) levels measured upon intensive care unit (ICU) admission and red blood cell transfusions to long‐term (1‐year or 180‐day) mortality for both surgical and medical patients.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Administrative and laboratory data were collected retrospectively on 2393 consecutive medical and surgical male patients admitted to the ICU between 2003 and 2009. We stratified patients based on their median Hct level during the first 24 hours of their ICU stay (Hct < 25.0%, 25% ≤ Hct < 30%, 30% ≤ Hct < 39%, and 39.0% and higher). An extended Cox regression analysis was conducted to identify the time period after ICU admission (0 to <180, 180 to 365 days) when low Hct (<25.0) was most strongly associated with mortality. The unadjusted and adjusted relationship between admission Hct level, receipt of a transfusion, and 180‐day mortality was assessed using Cox proportional hazards regression modeling.

RESULTS: Patients with an Hct level of less than 25% who were not transfused had the worst mortality risk overall (hazard ratio [HR], 6.26; 95% confidence interval [CI], 3.05‐12.85; p < 0.001) during the 6 months after ICU admission than patients with a Hct level of 39.0% or more who were not transfused. Within the subgroup of patients with a Hct level of less than 25% only, receipt of a transfusion was associated with a significant reduction in the risk of mortality (HR, 0.40; 95% CI, 0.19‐0.85; p = 0.017).

CONCLUSION: Anemia of a Hct level of less than 25% upon admission to the ICU, in the absence of a transfusion, is associated with long‐term mortality. Our study suggests that there may be Hct levels below which the transfusion risk‐to‐benefit imbalance reverses.
Bifocal Stimulation in Patient with Congenitally Corrected Transposition of Great Vessels
Authors: COPPOLA GIUSEPPE , VISCONTI CLAUDIA L. , CASALICCHIO CALOGERO , LICATA PAMELA , CORRADO EGLE , CIARAMITARO GIANFRANCO , NAVARRA EMILIANO , FATTOUCH KHALIL , ASSENNATO PASQUALE , NOVO SALVATORE
Published: April 2011

Congenitally corrected transposition of the great vessels (CCTGV) is a rare congenital heart defect associated with multiple cardiac morphological abnormalities and conduction defects. Complete atrioventricular (AV) block occurs in 30% of patients and it may be present at birth or develop later with a rate of 2% per year; moreover, a systemic right ventricle is frequently characterized by heart failure in adult life. We used a bifocal cardiac stimulation for a young woman affected by CCTGV and atrioventricular Mobitz 2 and 2:1 block, considering structural, anatomic condition, and the high rate of pacing she underwent. (PACE 2012; 35:e296–e298)