bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Advanced maternal age and obstetric morbidity for women giving birth in Victoria, Australia: A population‐based study
Authors: Biro Mary Anne , Davey Mary‐Ann , Carolan Mary , Kealy Michelle
Published: April 2012

Background

As the proportions of older women giving birth increase, there is a growing body of evidence on the increased risks of poorer maternal and perinatal outcomes for this group. However, the associations are not completely understood. This study aimed to establish the prevalence of selected maternal morbidities and examine whether advanced maternal age is associated with a higher risk of morbidity for women giving birth in Victoria.

Method

Data on all births over 20 weeks‧ gestation for 2005 and 2006 were obtained from the Victorian Perinatal Data Collection. Unadjusted and adjusted analyses were undertaken using logistic regression to examine and quantify the association between advanced maternal age (35 years and older) and selected obstetric morbidities and complications.

Results

There was evidence of an association between older maternal age and selected morbidities and complications. Older nulliparous women were at highest odds of gestational diabetes (AdjOR, 1.83; 95% CI, 1.67–2.02), placenta praevia (AdjOR, 2.02; 95% CI, 1.68–2.44), multiple birth (AdjOR, 1.80; 95% CI, 1.58–2.06) and caesarean delivery (AdjOR, 1.93; 95% CI, 1.84–2.02). Older multiparous women were at highest odds of gestational diabetes (AdjOR, 2.01; 95% CI, 1.88–2.15) and placenta praevia (AdjOR, 2.11; 95% CI, 1.83–2.44).

Conclusions

Older women giving birth in Victoria are at an increased risk of a range of obstetric morbidities. Delayed childbearing for an increasing number of women has societal and public health ramifications and will potentially place greater demand on healthcare services.
Do women notice the effect of childbirth‐related pelvic floor trauma?
Authors: Dietz Hans P. , Shek Ka Lai , Chantarasorn Varisara , Langer Susanne E.M.
Published: April 2012

Introduction

In 10–30% of women, vaginal birth results in levator ani tears (‘avulsion’) that are associated with pelvic floor dysfunction in later life. We hypothesised that women notice reduced pelvic floor muscle strength after childbirth, especially those with avulsion.

Methods

This is a secondary analysis of two perinatal studies. At 3–6 months postpartum, women were asked to estimate pelvic floor muscle strength relative to antepartum strength. Translabial ultrasound was performed to determine pelvic floor structure and function.

Results

Five hundred and thirteen primiparous women were seen at a median of 129 days after delivery of a singleton at a mean gestation of 40 weeks. At follow‐up, 481 were able to rate pelvic floor strength (mean 89%). This reduction was associated with delivery mode (P < 0.001), episiotomy (P = 0.01), perineal tears (P = 0.025) and avulsion (n = 45, P = 0.04).

Conclusion

After the birth of a first child, women notice a significant reduction in pelvic floor muscle strength, which is associated with delivery mode as well as perineal and pelvic floor muscle trauma.

Many women notice reduced pelvic floor function after childbirth, especially those who have suffered an avulsion of the puborectalis muscle.
Left Ventricular Remodeling in Human Heart Failure: Quantitative Echocardiographic Assessment of 1,794 Patients
Authors: Ky Bonnie , Plappert Ted , Kirkpatrick James , Silvestry Frank E. , Ferrari Victor A. , Keane Martin G. , Wiegers Susan E. , Chirinos Julio A. , St. John Sutton Martin
Published: April 2012

Background: The left ventricle (LV) undergoes significant architectural remodeling in heart failure (HF). However, the fundamental associations between cardiac function and LV size and performance have not been thoroughly characterized in this population. We sought to define the adaptive remodeling that occurs in chronic human HF through the detailed analyses of a large quantitative echocardiography database. Methods: Baseline echocardiograms were performed in 1,794 patients with HF across a broad range of ejection fraction (EF), from less than 10% to greater than 70%. Core lab measurements of LV volumes and length were made, from which EF, mass, sphericity indices, stroke volume (SV), and stroke work were derived. Spearman correlation coefficients and linear regression methods were used to determine the relationships between remodeling parameters. Results: The median EF was 28.6% (IQR 21.9–37.0). Across a multitude of parameters of cardiac structure and function, indexed end‐systolic volumes (ESVs) explained the greatest proportion of the variance in EF (R =−0.87, P < 0.0001). Systolic sphericity index and LV mass were also strongly correlated with EF (R =−0.62 and −0.63, P < 0.0001), reflective of the alterations in LV shape and size that occur as EF declines. SV was rigorously maintained across a broad spectrum of EF, until the EF fell below 20%, at which point SV decreased significantly (P < 0.0001). Conclusions: In chronic HF, the LV undergoes extensive structural adaptive remodeling in order to maintain SV across a broad range of EF. However, when the EF falls below 20%, further modulation of SV is no longer possible through alterations in ventricular architecture.
POK/ZBTB proteins: an emerging family of proteins that regulate lymphoid development and function
Authors: Lee Sung‐Uk , Maeda Takahiro
Published: April 2012

Summary:  The germinal center (GC) is a unique histological structure found in peripheral lymphoid organs. GCs provide an important source of humoral immunity by generating high affinity antibodies against a pathogen. The GC response is tightly regulated during clonal expansion, immunoglobulin modification, and affinity maturation, whereas its deregulation has a detrimental effect on immune function, leading to development of diseases, such as lymphoma and autoimmunity. LRF (lymphoma/leukemia‐related factor), encoded by the ZBTB7A gene, is a transcriptional repressor belonging to the POK (POZ and Krüppel)/ZBTB (zing finger and BTB) protein family. LRF was originally identified as a PLZF (promyelocytic leukemia zinc finger) homolog that physically interacts with BCL6 (B‐cell lymphoma 6), whose expression is required for GC formation and associated with non‐Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Recently, our group demonstrated that LRF plays critical roles in regulating lymphoid lineage commitment, mature B‐cell development, and the GC response via distinct mechanisms. Herein, we review POK/ZBTB protein function in lymphoid development, with particular emphasis on the role of LRF in GC B cells.
Affinity‐based selection and the germinal center response
Authors: Chan Tyani D. , Brink Robert
Published: April 2012

Summary:  Interactions between B‐cell antigen receptors (BCRs) and their ligands have a complexity and variability that is unparalleled within known biology. Each developing B cell undergoes gene rearrangements to generate a BCR encoded by a unique pair of immunoglobulin (Ig) variable region genes, which serves to make the antigen‐binding capabilities of primary BCRs incredibly diverse. Further diversification of the BCR repertoire takes place when antigen‐activated B cells enter the germinal center (GC) response and undergo somatic hypermutation (SHM) of their Ig variable region genes. To develop optimal antibody responses against foreign antigens, the key B‐cell survival and differentiation decisions made in the GC are based primarily on the affinity of the BCR (and therefore subsequent antibodies) for foreign antigen. However, the secondary diversification of BCRs by SHM also carries the risk of generating new self‐reactive specificities and thus autoantibody production. Herein, we review the role of antigen affinity/avidity in controlling pivotal events both leading up to and during the GC response. The emergence of self‐reactivity during the GC response is also examined, with particular focus on the threat posed by cross‐reactive GC B cells that bind both self and foreign antigen.
The Presidential Ranking Game: Critical Review and Some New Discoveries
Authors: NICHOLS CURT
Published: April 2012

This study provides critical analysis of ranking surveys, leading to regression analysis that provides fresh insight into the factors that structure presidential rating scores. Results demonstrate that rating scores can be predicted with relative ease. Furthermore, new measures are found to be significant—two operationalizing the latest extension of Stephen Skowronek's “political time” thesis and one controlling for cultural level preferences favoring “progressive” presidents. This suggests that expert evaluators take note of presidential performance within context. It also suggests that experts of all political stripes are influenced by the milieu in which their evaluation takes place. In the end, while no claim is made that the popular expert surveys used in this study provide a true measure of presidential greatness, it is argued that ranking polls may tell us more than critics admit.
The Law: The Framers and Executive Prerogative: A Constitutional and Historical Rebuke
Authors: ADLER DAVID GRAY
Published: April 2012

Continued assertions of a presidential prerogative power, broad enough, in the literary tradition of the Lockean Prerogative to permit the president in an emergency to act in the absence or violation of law, raises anew the question of the existence, source, and scope of such extraordinary authority. This article explains that the framers of the Constitution delivered a constitutional and historical rebuke to the concept of executive prerogative. As Justice Jackson observed in the Steel Seizure Case, the framers recognized that the possession of an emergency power would “tend to kindle emergencies.” Presidential violation of the Constitution is illegal, and can be made legal only through congressional passage of retroactive ratification.
The Historical Presidency: Looking before Watergate: Foundations in the Development of the Constitutional Challenges within Signing Statements, FDR–Nixon
Authors: EVANS KEVIN A.
Published: April 2012

How did the signing statements of the modern presidency before Watergate shape the development of the tool and contribute to its institutionalization? A content analysis of the 626 signing statements from 1933 to 1974 shows that the Eisenhower, Johnson, and Nixon administrations set important precedents for the modern constitutional use of the tool by protecting the institution from legislative vetoes and perceived encroachments in regard to foreign affairs and executive privilege. The results reveal that the constitutional logic required for the growth of challenges is rooted in this era and that Watergate served to amplify a trend that was already in motion.
PREDICTION OF HEATING LENGTH TO OBTAIN A DEFINITE F VALUE DURING PASTEURIZATION OF CANNED FOOD
Authors: DEROSSI A. , DE PILLI T. , LA PENNA M.P. , SEVERINI C.
Published: April 2012

An empirical mathematical method to predict the heating length necessary to reach a desired F value during pasteurization treatments of canned food was developed. The method was based on (1) the fitting of heat penetration curve previously subdivided into three subsets of data and (2) the prediction of new heat penetration curves able to obtain the desired F value. The method was validated at laboratory and industrial scales by performing experimental tests on gherkins in vinegar, mushrooms in maize oil and semidried tomatoes in glass pots and tin cans. In all cases, the model well fitted the experimental data, obtaining r and E values lower than 0.990 and 3.66, respectively. The comparison between predicted and experimental heating times stated the accuracy of the method; in fact, at laboratory scale, the relative deviation values ranged between 0.622 and −5.644; instead, in a continuous pasteurizer tunnel, the values were lower than −3.898.

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

Pasteurization is the most important technology applied at industrial scale to reach safety of acidified canned foods. Although it is widely used and known, often the small medium enterprises are unable to optimize the process basing the definition of operative conditions on empirical information; for these reasons and with the aim to assure the safety, heating time is often overestimated, leading to several drawbacks such as the increase of the energy consumption, heat degradation and the decrease of productivity. In this way, the mathematical method developed in this work, which is a user‐friendly tool to calculate with high accuracy, and on the basis of few experiments, the heating time necessary to reach the F value desired, is very important to the canned food industry.
What Does It Mean to Control Migration? Soviet Mobility Policies in Comparative Perspective
Authors: Light Matthew A.
Published: April 2012

The migration policies of the former Soviet Union (or USSR) included a virtual abolition of emigration and immigration, an effective ban on private travel abroad, and pervasive bureaucratic controls on internal migration. This article outlines this Soviet package of migration controls and assesses its historical and international distinctiveness through comparison with a liberal state, the United States, and an authoritarian capitalist state, Apartheid South Africa. Soviet limitations onexternalmigration were more restrictive than those of contemporary capitalist states, and Soviet regulation ofinternalmigration was unusual in its direct bureaucratic supervision of the individual. However, Soviet policy did not aim at the suppression of internal migration, but at its complete regularization. The ultimate goal was “regime adherence”: the full integration of the citizen into the Soviet political order. In contrast to the USSR, migration in the contemporary world is marked by “irregularization”: policies that lead to the proliferation of insecure and unauthorized migration.
Globalization through the Lens of Palace Wars: What Elite Lawyers' Careers Can and Cannot Tell Us about Globalization of Law
Authors: Munger Frank
Published: April 2012

Yves Dezalay and Bryant Garth's three studies—Dealing in Virtue (1996), The Internationalization of Palace Wars (2002), Asian Legal Revivals (2010)—trace the globalization of law through “palace wars” among elites for positions in the “fields of state power.” They conclude that globalization occurs through links among elites engaged in their domestic palace wars, which independently establish the symbolic power of law in each state. The article argues that while Dezalay and Garth provide an invaluable new starting point for further research, they do not adequately consider an emerging field of research documenting alternative pathways of legal development pursued by local activists inside and outside the new states of the Global South.
Fliegeruntersuchungen
Authors: Christcnsen E. Hohwü , Krogh August
Published: April 2012

Ein modifiziertes Rebreather‐Verfahren zur Prüfung von Hochfliegern wird beschrieben. Statt des ursprünglich verwendeten Volumens von etwa 50 L. enthält das Rebreather‐System 200 L. Hierdurch wird erreicht, daß der Abfall in O2‐Druck sehr verzögert wird und die Prüflinge längere Zeit bei niedrigem O2‐Druck zur Beobachtung gelangen können. Es ist bei diesem Verfahren ohne wesentliche Bedeutung für das Endresultat, ob die Prüfung einige Minuten früher oder später beendet wird.

Das in der Unterdruckkammer verwendete Prüfungsverfahren wird kurz beschrieben. Es wird verlangt, daß der Prüfling ohne größere psychische, motorische oder zirkulatorische Störungen einen Druckabfall bis auf 360 mm Hg., was einer Höhe von etwa 6 km entspricht, für etwa 10 Minuten vertragen kann.
Das Vorkommen von Fumarase im Samen gewisser Cucurbitacéen1
Authors: Thunberg T.
Published: April 2012

Setzt man in Abwesenheit von Sauerstoff einem methylenblauhaltigen Phosphatextrakt von Cucumis sativus‐ oder Echinocystis lobata‐Samen Alkalifumarat zu, so wird die Entfärbungsgeschwindigkeit des Systems wesentlich gesteigert. Eine Analyse der Versuchsbedingungen zeigt, daß die Fumarsäure selbst hierbei nicht als Wasserstoffdonator auftreten kann. Die Fumarsäure muß erst in 1‐Apfelsäure umgewandelt werden, die dann unter dem Einfluß der Malicode‐hydrogenase als Wasserstoffdonator wirkt. Die Versuche zeigen also, daß die betreffenden Samenarten teils Malicodehydrogenase enthalten, was schon bekannt war, teils Fumarase. Von den bisher auf Fumarase untersuchten Samenarten scheinen die genannten Samen die aktivsten zu sein.
Die Verteilung und der Umsatz des Methylalkohols beim Hund1
Authors: Neymark Math
Published: April 2012

. Widmarks Methode ist zur Bestimmung von Methylalkohol geeignet, wenn gewisse Modifikationen vorgenommen werden.

. Methylalkohol verteilt sich im Körper in gleicher Weise wie Äthylalkohol; der Konzentrationsabfall im Blute pro Zeiteinheit ist jedoch für Methylalkohol ca. um das Zehnfache geringer als für Äthylalkohol.

. Gaben von 1–2–4 Dinitrophenol per os steigern den Konzentrationsabfall des Methylalkohols im Blute in hohem Grade.

. Wird Nahrung gleichzeitig mit Methylalkohol eingenommen, beobachtet man keine Senkung der Alkoholkonzentration im Blute oder jedenfalls nur einen geringen Effekt im Vergleich zu dem bei Äthylalkohol erhaltenen.
Der Einfluß von Neutralfett, Fettsäure und Glycerin auf den Aethylalkoholumsatz1
Authors: Neymark Mark , Widmark Erik M. P.
Published: April 2012

. Die freie Fettsäure entzieht einen gewissen mäßigen Teil des eingegebenen Äthylalkohols dem gewöhnlichen Umsatz.

. Das Glycerinester der Fettsäure in Form von Arachisöl hat diesen Effekt nicht.

. Gibt man Glycerin zusammen mit Ölsäure, so wird der Effekt der letzteren hochgradig aktiviert.

. Glycerin allein hat indessen keinen feststellbaren Einfluß auf den Alkoholumsatz.

. Auch erhöht Glycerin nicht die Wirkung von Glykokoll und Citronensäure.

. Glycerinphosphat allein hat keinen Einfluß auf den Alkoholumsatz, und gibt man es zusammen mit Ölsäure, wird die Aktivität der Säure nicht gesteigert.
Die Bedeutung der Methämoglobinbildung bei der Entgiftung von Blausäure mittels Methylenblau und Natriumnitrit1
Authors: Møller Knud O.
Published: April 2012

. Intravenöse Injektion von Methylenblau an blausäurevergifteten Kaninchen ruft im Laufe weniger Minuten eine starke Steigerung des herabgesetzten Sauerstoffverbrauchs bis auf Werte, die den Normalwert erheblich überschreiten, hervor, wobei gleichzeitig in sämtlichen Fällen eine erhebliche Herabsetzung der Sauerstoffkapazität des Blutes nachgewiesen wurde. Es ist anzunehmen, daß die Herabsetzung der Sauerstoffkapazität des Blutes auf eine Umwandlung des Hämoglobins in eine inaktive Verbindung — wahrscheinlich Zyanhämoglobin mit Methämoglobin als Zwischenstufe — beruht.

. Bei intravenöser Injektion von Natriumnitrit an blausäurevergifteten Kaninchen steigert sich der herabgesetzte Sauerstoffverbrauch mit gleicher. Schnelligkeit wie in den Methylenblauversuchen, ohne jedoch, wie bei diesen, die Normalwerte völlig zu erreichen. Gleichzeitig tritt eine erhebliche Herabsetzung der Sauerstoffkapazität des Blutes ein, die in ähnlicher Weise wie bei den Methylenblauversuchen zu erklären ist.

. Injektion von Methylenblau wie von Natriumnitrit ruft an Kaninchen nur eine geringfügige Bildung von inaktivem Hämoglobin hervor. Bei gleichzeitiger Injektion von Zyanid wird eine bei weitem größere Bildung von inaktivem Hämoglobin — wahrscheinlich Zyanhämoglobin mit Methämoglobin als Zwischenstufe — hervorgerufen, welches die Blutbahn verläßt beinahe ebenso schnell, wie es gebildet wird.

. Bei gleichzeitiger Injektion von Methylenblau und Blausäure ist die gebildete Menge von inaktivem Hämoglobin, in Äquivalenten ausgedrückt, von gleicher Größe wie die der Blutbahn zugeführtc Blausäuremenge, wogegen, bei gleichzeitiger Injektion von Natriumnitrit und Blausäure die Umbildung von Hämoglobin recht häufig erheblich größer ist.
Zur Frage der Kinetik des Aethylalkoholumsatzes im Organismus1
Authors: Neymark Marit , Widmark Erik M. P.
Published: April 2012

. Die Verfasser nehmen eine kritische Prüfung der von Haggard und Greenberg vertretenen Auffassung vor. Nach H. und G. geschieht der Umsatz des Äthylalkohols im Organismus exponentiell; im Gegensatz hierzu steht die ursprünglich von Mellanby vertretene und von uns näher ausgearbeitete Theorie, daß der Umsatz geradlinig verläuft.

. Als Resultat der Überprüfung ergibt sich, daß keine hinreichende Ursache vorliegt, die Auffassung, der wir uns früher angeschlossen haben, aufzugeben.

. Die von uns vorgelegten Richtlinien für die Berechnung der Beziehung zwischen dem konsumertien Alkohol, bzw. dem im Organismus befindlichen und der Konzentration im Blute bedürfen keiner Korrektion.
Elektromyographische Registrierung der sog. Sekundärwelle. Ein Beitrag zur Frage vom Aktionsstrom des Muskels1
Authors: Myhrman Gustaf
Published: April 2012

. Verf. hat die sog. Sekundärwelle auf elektromyographischem Wege registriert als eine die Kontraktionswelle begleitende Negativitätswelle.

. Diese elektrische Veränderung ist im Myogramm durchaus verschieden von den gewöhnlich als Aktionsstrom bezeichneten Potentialveränderungen, ein Umstand, welcher den Verf. dazu veranlaßt, anzunehmen, daß die gewöhnliche Muskelkontraktion und die Sekundärwelle verschiedenartig entstandene Kontraktionen sind.
Die Bindung von Heparin an lebende Zellen1
Authors: Fischer Albert
Published: April 2012

Heparin wird an die Oberflächen von intakten lebenden Leukozyten gebunden und hebt dadurch ihre thromboplastische Wirkung auf.

Das Heparin konkurriert dabei mit dem Plasmaeiweiß in der Besetzung der basischen Gruppen an den Zelloberflächen.

Die Heparinbindung an Zellen erfolgt praktisch momentan, und stellt sich auf ein bestimmtes Gleichgewicht mit den vorhandenen Mengen an freiem Heparin ein.

Eine Verletzung der Zellen nach Zusatz von verschiedenen Stoffen in kleinen Mengen hat ein plötzliches Verschwinden von Heparin aus der Lösung zur Folge.
Zur Frage des Vorkommens einer Glycerophosphat‐Dehydrogenase in Pflanzensamen1
Authors: Thunberg T.
Published: April 2012

Verf. hat eine größere Anzahl von Pflanzensamen auf das Vorhandensein einer Dehydrogenase hin untersucht, die Glycerophosphat als Substrat verwendet. Die weitaus meisten untersuchten Samenarten zeigten keine oder eine unsichere Wirkung gegenüber diesem Substrat. Eine Ausnahme bilden Samen von Cucumis sativus sowie auch Samen von Echinocystis lobata. Doch ist auch die dehydrogenisierende Wirkung dieser Samenarten auf Glycerophosphat von geringer Stärke. Gegenüber der Alpha‐Form dieser Substanz ist die Wirkung wesentlich stärker als gegenüber der Beta‐Form. Es wird die Frage aufgeworfen, ob das Glycerophosphat möglicherweise gespalten wird, bevor es dehydrogenisiert wird. Dagegen spricht der Umstand, daß Glycerin eine um ein Vielfaches schwächere Wirkung auf die Indikatorentfärbung ausübt als Glycerinphosphorsäure. Einen deutlichen Entfärbungseffekt zeigt Glycerin erst in Konzentrationen von 1% und darüber. Eine Untersuchung darüber, wie Glycerin in starken Konzentrationen, bis zu 75% der Reaktionsmischung, die Indikatorentfärbung beeinflußt, zeigt die große Indifferenz dieses Stoffes.

Johan och Therese Anderssons Minnesford sage ich für die Bereitstellung von Mitteln für die Durchführung dieser Untersuchungen meinen Dank.
Heparin und experimentelle Glomerulonephritis1
Authors: Silfverskiöld B. P.
Published: April 2012

Es wurde der Versuch gemacht, mit Hilfe von Heparin der Entstehung von allergischen Nierenschädigungen entgegenzuwirken und mithin die Möglichkeit, durch Heparin eine Glomerulonephritis günstig zu beeinflussen, zu studieren.

Es stellte sich heraus, daß die pathologischen Harnbefunde (pos. Eiweißreaktion, rote Blutkörperchen und Zylinder), die nach wiederholter intravenöser Injektion von Pferdeserum bei Kaninchen auftraten, ausblieben, wenn die Tiere mit Heparin behandelt wurden.

Dagegen konnte eine derartige Einwirkung auf den Harn von Ratten, die mit Nephrotoxin behandelt worden waren, nicht beobachtet werden.

Als ein interessanter Nebenbefund wurde beobachtet, daß das Heparin eine hemmende Wirkung auf die Entstehung des anaphylaktischen Schocks zu besitzen scheint. Diese letztere Wirkung wurde bisher von mehreren Autoren bestritten.
Proteolytic profile in the larval midgut of Chilo suppressalis Walker (Lepidoptera: Crambidae)
Authors: ZIBAEE Arash
Published: April 2012

Chilo suppressalis is a key constraint on production of rice. The current research was conducted to study the types of digestive proteases in the larval midgut of C. suppressalis. It was found that activity of total digestive proteases increased from the first to the fifth larval instars, which showed different nutritional requirements. Four types of proteinases and two types of exopeptidase were identified so that their activities from the highest to the lowest activities is trypsin‐like, chymotrypsin‐like and elastase for proteinases, and amino and carboxypeptidases for exopeptidases. Meanwhile, just one type of cysteine protease, cathepsin D, was determined in the fourth and fifth instar larvae. The optimal pH for activity of total protease was found to be pH 9–10 and optimal temperature was observed to be 35–40°C, where there was the highest proteolytic activity. Some specific inhibitors of proteases including PMSF, TLCK, TPCK, DTT, E‐64, cystatin, phenanthroline and EDTA were used to confirm the types of proteases in the midgut of C. suppressalis.
Efficacy of transient elastography in screening for large esophageal varices in patients with suspicious or proven liver cirrhosis
Authors: WANG Huay‐Min , LO Gin‐Ho , CHEN Wen‐Chi , HSU Ping‐I , YU Hsien‐Chung , LIN Chiun‐Ku , CHAN Hoi‐Hung , TSAI Wei‐Lun , TSAY Feng‐Woei , LIU Tsan‐Ping , WANG E‐Ming , LAI Kwok‐Hung
Published: April 2012

OBJECTIVE:  To evaluate the liver stiffness measurement (LSM) using transient elastography (TE) to predict the risk of esophageal varices (EVs) in Chinese patients.

METHODS:  In total, 46 patients with suspicious or proven liver cirrhosis underwent TE and liver biopsy. All participants were endoscopically screened for the presence of EVs and large EVs by two endoscopists who were blinded to the LSM status. Large EVs were defined as more than 5 mm in diameter. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves for both TE and the platelet count/spleen diameter (PC/SD) ratio in predicting the presence of EVs or large EVs were calculated.

RESULTS:  Of the 46 patients, 30 (65%) had EVs including 19 (41%) with large EVs. The area under the ROC curve (AUROC) of LSM was 0.85 for the presence of EVs and 0.83 for large EVs, respectively. The cut‐off values of LSM were ≥13.4 kPa for the presence of EVs and ≥14.6 kPa for large EVs. Notably, the AUROC of the PC/SD ratio was 0.92 for the presence of EVs but only 0.69 for large EVs.

CONCLUSION:  LSM using TE can predict the presence of EVs or large EVs in Chinese patients with suspicious or proven cirrhosis and may identify patients who require endoscopic surveillance.
Dental care plan assessment using the CAHPS Dental Plan Survey
Authors: Bader James D. , Shugars Daniel A.
Published: April 2012

Objectives: The performance of a recently developed survey instrument that inquires about patients' experiences with the receipt of dental care was examined to evaluate its potential utility as a patient‐reported outcome measure for dental care plans.

Methods: Individuals with dental insurance (n = 1,216) were surveyed using the Consumer Assessment of Health Care Providers and Systems (CAHPS) Dental Plan Survey. The instrument's pre‐established composite and rating scores were compared across dental insurance carriers (6 most common and all others combined) using ANOVA. In addition, each score was analyzed separately using multivariate regression with respondent and plan characteristics as independent variables.

Results: There was significant differentiation among dental insurance carriers for three of the six scores (dental care composite, access to care composite, and dentist rating). Several respondent characteristics were associated with higher scores, including age, race, income level, and oral health self‐rating. Having a choice of dental plans, and years with one's dental plan were associated with higher dental plan ratings, while having to find a new dentist to use the plan tended to lower all scores except the cost and services composite.

Conclusions: The results reported here reflect differences among dental insurance carriers, rather than among the many different dental plans offered by those carriers. Nevertheless, the CAHPS instrument scores reflected differences among patients' experiences (composite scores) and ratings (rating scores) across carriers, suggesting both that the instrument should be a useful tool for assessing patient‐reported outcomes, and that comparisons of these outcomes should control for respondent characteristics as well as specific plan characteristics.
Advantages of blood pool contrast agents in MR angiography: A pictorial review
Authors: Lewis Mark , Yanny Sarah , Malcolm Paul N
Published: April 2012

Gadofosveset trisodium (Ablavar®, formerly Vasovist®) is the first intravascular contrast agent approved for clinical use in peripheral vascular disease. The purpose of this review is to illustrate the clinical uses of gadofosveset‐enhanced magnetic resonance angiography in patients referred for assessment of arteriovenous disease.

Superior T1 shortening enables first pass renal and peripheral arteriography of quality comparable with larger doses of extracellular agents. In applications such as thoracic outlet syndrome, there may be other advantages such as superior venous imaging and need for only one injection. Steady‐state delayed imaging provides high resolution mapping of both arterial and venous systems and imaging of multiple territories. A combination of dynamic and delayed steady‐state imaging can provide detailed anatomy and flow characteristics of vascular malformations and mapping for percutaneous sclerotherapy at one investigation. The ability to image in the steady state can provide minimally invasive imaging of thrombo‐occlusive disease of central veins.
Low‐lying placenta: Who should be recalled for a follow‐up scan?
Authors: Copland Jacqueline A , Craw Susan M , Herbison Peter
Published: April 2012

Introduction: The incidence of low‐lying placenta or placenta praevia in the second trimester has been reported at 1–5%; however, recent unpublished audits suggest our recall rates are higher. We wanted to assess our recall rates in a large sample size and determine whether we could reduce the placenta–os distance for recalling women with low‐lying placenta, while still identifying all cases of placenta praevia at delivery.

Methods: We undertook a retrospective analysis from March 2005 to March 2008 of women attending for 18–20‐week obstetric ultrasounds. Patients with a singleton pregnancy and a placenta ≤2 cm from the internal cervical os were included. Follow‐up scan results and delivery data were collected.

Results: Four hundred eight women were identified as having a low‐lying placenta at the 18–20‐week scan (107 (9%) at Dunedin Hospital and 301 (5%) at Otago Radiology). Fifty‐eight women (14%) were excluded, leaving 350 women included in the analysis. Three hundred seventeen (91%) had a placenta clear of the internal os on their follow‐up scan while 33 women (9%) had persistent placenta praevia.

At a distance of ≥1.9 cm, there was 100% sensitivity for detection of placenta praevia on the 18–20‐week scan. As the placenta–os distance decreases the sensitivity for detection of placenta praevia reduces.

Conclusions: Placenta praevia at term can occur where the placenta is up to 1.9 cm from the internal cervical os on the 18–20‐week anatomy scan. Consequently, we will continue to recall women for a follow‐up scan where the placenta is ≤2 cm from the internal os.
Uncommon pulmonary metastasis presenting as pulmonary infarction with tumour emboli in two cases
Authors: Lee Ju Won , Lee Kyung Hee , Kim Lucia , Yoon Yong Han , Kim Youn Jeong , Kim Yeo Ju
Published: April 2012

We report two cases of pathologically proven pulmonary metastases presenting as pulmonary infarction with tumour emboli. In two cases, high‐resolution CT showed multiple small subpleural consolidations in both lungs. The patients had breast cancer and uterine cervix cancer, respectively. Although various pulmonary diseases show subpleural consolidations on CT, pulmonary metastases by tumour emboli should be primarily considered in differential diagnosis especially when the patient has known malignancy.
Study of patients with intravenous contrast extravasation on CT studies, with radiology staff and ward staff cannulations
Authors: Kingston Roger J , Young Noel , Sindhusake Doungkamol Poppy , Truong Minh
Published: April 2012

Introduction: Intravenous (IV) contrast extravasation is an adverse outcome of computed tomography (CT) studies. This study evaluates for any differences in rates of extravasation between radiology (radiographer) staff and ward medical staff cannulations, and secondarily by cannula size and study type.

Method: A prospective study of 26 854 studies in adults between September 2004 and April 2008 accumulated 119 extravasations. Patients were divided into two groups, those cannulated by radiology staff and those cannulated by non‐radiology staff. Patients with extravasations were followed for treatment outcomes. Statistical analysis between our groups was undertaken.

Results: The total extravasation rate was 0.44%. The extravasation rate for those patients cannulated by radiology staff was 0.34% (n = 11 470 cannulations) and those cannulated by non‐radiology staff was 0.52% (n = 15 384 cannulations). This was not statistically significantly different.

The site where most extravasations occurred was at the elbow (71.4%). The injection rate where most extravasations occurred was in the 1–2 mL/s range (42%). No patient required surgical intervention or had any significant morbidity.

Conclusion: Radiology radiographer staff can provide safe administration of IV contrast in CT scanning with low rates of extravasation. Extravasation may occur with high or low injection rates and when small or large size cannulas are used.
Treatment strategies for hepatocellular carcinoma in Japan
Authors: Yamashita Tatsuya , Kaneko Shuichi
Published: April 2012

The main methods of treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in Japan are hepatic resection, radiofrequency ablation (RFA) and transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE). Meticulous follow up is then undertaken to check for recurrence, which is treated using repeated RFA or TACE. Hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy has been introduced as treatment for advanced HCC, and the molecular‐targeted drug sorafenib is also now available. Rigorous medical care using these treatment methods and early diagnosis mean that the prognosis for HCC in Japan is the best in the world. This paper reviews the treatment strategies for HCC in Japan.
Political Leaders' Preferences and Trade Policy: Comparing FTA Politics in Japan and South Korea
Authors: Yoshimatsu Hidetaka
Published: April 2012

This article examines Japan's and South Korea's free trade agreement (FTA) policies in the new millennium, seeking to address the question of why significant differences in FTA commitments emerged by 2010 in the two countries. In addressing the question, it highlights, as an independent variable, executive leaders' policy preferences and concrete actions to realize them. Japanese chief executives had weak preferences for promoting FTAs and thereby did not show decisiveness to set up a new administrative institution and to persuade the people of promoting difficult but necessary FTAs. In contrast, Korean executive leaders had strong preferences for linking the growth of the Korean industry to the external markets through FTA promotion, and they sought to strengthen administrative institutions to propel FTA policy and to make the people accept FTAs as indispensable for sustaining the export‐oriented Korean economy.
Neck circumference: a useful screening tool of cardiovascular risk in children
Authors: Androutsos O. , Grammatikaki E. , Moschonis G. , Roma‐Giannikou E. , Chrousos G. P. , Manios Y. , Kanaka‐Gantenbein C.
Published: April 2012

Objective

Early identification of cardiovascular risk factors consists an essential target for public health. The current study aims to examine the association between neck circumference and several cardiovascular risk factors and to compare it with well‐established anthropometric indices.

Methods

Demographic, anthropometric (body weight and height, waist, hip and neck circumference [WC, HC and NC, respectively]), biochemical (total cholesterol, high‐density lipoprotein [HDL] cholesterol, low‐density lipoprotein [LDL] cholesterol, triglycerides [TG], fasting plasma glucose and serum insulin), clinical (pubertal stage, systolic and diastolic blood pressure [SBP and DBP, respectively]) and lifestyle (dietary intake, physical activity level) data were collected from 324 children (51.5% boys; 48.5% girls) aged 9–13 in Greece. Body mass index z‐score (BMI z‐score), waist‐to‐hip ratio (WHR), waist‐to‐height ratio (WHtR), homeostasis model assessment (HOMA‐IR), quantitative insulin sensitivity check index (QUICKI) and fasting glucose to insulin ratio (FGIR) were calculated.

Results

All indices (BMI z‐score, NC, WC, HC, WHR and WHtR) were correlated with SBP, HDL and insulin‐related indices (insulin, HOMA‐IR, QUICKI and FGIR) and all indices except WHR with TG. LDL was correlated with BMI z‐score, WC, WHR and WHtR, whereas DBP was correlated with BMI z‐score, WC, HC and WHtR. In multivariate analysis, HDL, TG, SBP, insulin, HOMA‐IR, QUICKI and FGIR were associated with all anthropometric indices; DBP with WC, HC, NC and WHtR; LDL with BMI z‐score, WC, HC and WHtR.

Conclusions

NC is associated with most cardiovascular disease risk factors. These associations are comparable with those observed for BMI z‐score, WC, HC, WHR and WHtR. NC could be a simple, alternative screening tool of cardiovascular risk in children.
Effect of Diamond Nanolubricant on R134a Pool Boiling Heat Transfer
Authors: Kedzierski M. A.
Published: April 2012

This paper quantifies the influence of diamond nanoparticles on the pool boiling performance of R134a/polyolester mixtures on a roughened, horizontal, and flat surface. Nanofluids are liquids that contain dispersed nanosize particles. A lubricant based nanofluid (nanolubricant) was made by suspending 10 nm diameter diamond particles in a synthetic ester to roughly a 2.6% volume fraction. For the 0.5% nanolubricant mass fraction, the nanoparticles caused a heat transfer enhancement relative to the heat transfer of pure R134a/polyolester (99.5/0.5) up to 129%. A similar enhancement was observed for the R134a/nanolubricant (99/1) mixture, which had a heat flux that was on average 91% larger than that of the R134a/polyolester (99/1) mixture. Further increase in the nanolubricant mass fraction to 2% resulted in boiling heat transfer degradation of approximately 19% for the best performing tests. It was speculated that the poor quality of the nanolubricant suspension caused the performance of the (99.5/0.5), and the (98/2) nanolubricant mixtures to decay over time to, on average, 36% and 76% of the of pure R134a/polyolester performance, respectively. Thermal conductivity and viscosity measurements and a refrigerant\lubricant mixture pool-boiling model were used to suggest that increases in thermal conductivity and lubricant viscosity are mainly responsible for the heat transfer enhancement due to nanoparticles. Particle size measurements were used to suggest that particle agglomeration induced a lack of performance repeatability for the (99.5/0.5) and the (98/2) mixtures. From the results of the present study, it is speculated that if a good dispersion of nanoparticles in the lubricant is not obtained, then the agglomerated nanoparticles will not provide interaction with bubbles, which is favorable for heat transfer. Further research with nanolubricants and refrigerants are required to establish a fundamental understanding of the mechanisms that control nanofluid heat transfer.
Precursor Film Formation Process Ahead Macroscopic Contact Line of Spreading Droplet on Smooth Substrate
Authors: Ueno Ichiro , Hirose Kanji , Kizaki Yusuke , Kisara Yoshiaki , Fukuhara Yoshizumi
Published: April 2012

The authors pay their special attention to formation process of wafer-thin liquid film, known as “precursor film,” ahead moving macroscopic contact line of a droplet spreading on a solid substrate. The spreading droplet on the solid substrate is accompanied with the movement of a visible boundary line so-called “macroscopic contact line.” Existing studies have indicated there exits a thin liquid film known as precursor film ahead the macroscopic contact line of the droplet. The present author’s group has dedicated their special effort to detect the formation process of the precursor film by applying a convectional laser interferometry and a high-speed camera, and to evaluate the spreading rate of the precursor film. In the present study, existing length of the precursor film at a very early stage of the droplet spreading is evaluated by applying a Brewster-angle microscopy as well as the interferometer. The authors extend their attention to the advancing process of the precursor film on inclined substrate.
Transient Characteristics of Pool Boiling Heat Transfer in Nanofluids
Authors: Kwark Sang M. , Kumar Ratan , Moreno Gilberto , You Seung M.
Published: April 2012

This study shows the transient characteristics of the pool boiling curves using nanofluid as the boiling fluid. This time-dependency is in sharp contrast to a unique steady-state pool boiling curve that is typically obtained for a pure fluid. Past nanofluids research has provided interesting information about the thermal characteristics for this potentially promising cooling fluid. Results from these studies have shown some extraordinary critical heat flux (CHF) values and thermal conductivity enhancement that is yet to be explained by existing theories and correlations. The nature of the pool boiling curve for a nanofluid is dependent on the nanoparticle concentration in the base fluid. Higher concentration nanofluids show a perceptible degradation in the boiling heat transfer (BHT) coefficient but have exhibited an enhanced CHF value (up to ∼80%) when compared to the CHF value of the base fluid (water). Another key observation has been in the significant deposition of nanoparticles on the heater surface. This fouling of the heater surface by nanoparticles is widely viewed as a main contributor that modifies the pool boiling curve of the base liquid. The deposition of the nanoparticles on the heater surface is dynamic and this in turn makes the nanofluid pool boiling curve exhibit transient characteristics.
Structure Effects on Electro-Osmosis in Microporous Media
Authors: Wang Moran
Published: April 2012

The structure effects on electro-osmosis in microporous media have been studied by modeling the multiphysical transport using our numerical framework. The three-dimensional microstructures of porous media are reproduced by a random generation-growth method, and then the nonlinear governing equations for the electrokinetic transport are solved by a highly efficient lattice Poisson–Boltzmann method. The simulation results indicate that the porous structure type (granular, fibrous, or network) influences the electro-osmotic permeability significantly. At the low porosity regime (<0.4), the network structure exhibits the highest electro-osmotic permeability because of its highest surface–volume ratio among the three types of structure at the same porosity. When the porosity is high (>0.5), the granular structure leads to the highest electro-osmotic permeability due to its lower shape resistance characteristics. The present modeling results improve our understanding of hydrodynamic and electrokinetic transport in geophysical systems, and help guide the design of porous electrodes in micro-energy systems.
Particle Migration by Optical Scattering Force in Microfluidic System With Light-Absorbing Liquid
Authors: Motosuke Masahiro , Shimakawa Jun , Akutsu Dai , Honami Shinji
Published: April 2012

Optical force offers a promise of being applied as a noninvasive manipulation tool for microscopic objects without physical contact. Particle control in a microfluidic system is achieved by optics showing advantages over electric or the other methods. With optics, the fluid need not to be contamination free and there is no need for electrode fabrication. Particles can experience different forces depending on the optical configuration. The scattering force is predominant under parallel or gently focused irradiation, while the gradient force is predominant in tightly focused irradiation. This paper reports the experimental and theoretical investigations of the potential of optical scattering force for particle control technique in a microfluidic system with a light-absorbing liquid. The light-absorption of the incident laser beam in the liquid causes a temperature rise and induces the corresponding property changes of liquid and particles. The experiments were presented for particle migration using the scattering force exerted by a compact diode laser with a wavelength of 635 nm. The absorption of the light in the liquid was controlled by the concentration of dye substance added in a buffer solution. The velocities of polystyrene particles with a diameter of 1.9 μm and the temperature distributions of the liquid under laser irradiation were measured by tracking their movement and by temperature-sensitive fluorophore, respectively. When there is no light absorption in the liquid, the migration velocity of particles under the laser beam is linearly increased with the increase of the laser power, in agreement with the calculations based on ray optics theory. In the case of light-absorbing liquid, the migration speed of particles experiencing the optical force indicates a nonlinear increase as the laser power increases. This enhancement mainly attributes to the temperature-sensitive change of liquid viscosity resulting in a reduction of viscous drag for migrating particles. An appropriate arrangement of light absorption leads to an enhancement in the photophoretic velocity of particles, and eventual performance promotion of particle separation and/or sorting using the optical force.
In-Flight Isolation of Degraded Engine Components by Shape Comparison of Transient Outputs
Authors: Simmons Jeffrey C. , Danai Kourosh
Published: April 2012

A direct method of aircraft engine health monitoring is introduced that can isolate a degraded engine component in-flight. The method utilizes continuous wavelet transformations of transient engine sensory data to represent their shape attributes in the time scale domain. This enables contrasting the shapes of the current engine outputs with those previously collected from the engine. Continuous wavelet transforms also provide enhanced delineation of the engine transients in the time scale domain. This enables identification of minute differences between the outputs affected by component degradations and between the sensitivities of modeled outputs with respect to the health parameters or components. The presence of these differences is used in this method as evidence of degradation effects on the outputs and/or parameters or components effects on the outputs. The effectiveness of the proposed method is evaluated in engine simulations. The results indicate that with the suite of outputs currently available on-board 70% to 96% of the degraded components simulated can be isolated for new and older engines.