bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
COX‐2 mRNA is increased in oesophageal mucosal cells by a proton pump inhibitor
Authors: Mayne George C. , Watson David I. , Hussey Damian J.
Published: July 2012

Background:  Barrett's oesophagus develops in some individuals with gastro‐oesophageal reflux and is the precursor to oesophageal adenocarcinoma. Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) suppress gastric acid production and are used to treat reflux. Clinical trials suggest that cyclooxygenase (COX) inhibitors might prevent oesophageal cancer, although PPIs could offset this by increasing COX‐2 expression in Barrett's oesophagus. To investigate this, we evaluated the impact of a PPI on COX expression in oesophageal mucosal cells.

Methods:  The effect of the PPI esomeprazole on COX‐1 and COX‐2 mRNA levels in oesophageal cells was determined. Oesophageal cell lines OE33 (adenocarcinoma‐derived) and HET‐1A (immortalized squamous cells) and a control intestinal cell line HT29 (colon carcinoma) were treated for 24 h, with increasing concentrations of the esomeprazole.

Results:  COX‐2, but not COX‐1, mRNA levels dose‐dependently increased in OE33 and HET‐1A cells versus esomeprazole concentration. COX‐2 mRNA levels did not increase in HT29 cells.

Conclusions:  Exposure to esomeprazole increases COX‐2 mRNA in oesophageal cells. This might contribute to the lack of benefit for COX inhibitors for oesophageal cancer prevention in recent clinical studies.
Management of ductal carcinoma in situ according to Van Nuys Prognostic Index in Australia and New Zealand
Authors: Whitfield Robert , Kollias James , de Silva Primali , Turner Jenna , Maddern Guy
Published: July 2012

Introduction:  Clinicians often use the Van Nuys Prognostic Index (VNPI) to determine management of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). The VNPI uses age, extent of DCIS, pathological grade and resection margins to stratify patients into three groups pertaining to risk of local recurrence: low‐risk (where breast‐conserving surgery – BCS – alone appears adequate), intermediate‐risk (where BCS plus radiotherapy is recommended) and high‐risk (where mastectomy may be the safest option). The purpose of this study was to determine patterns of management of DCIS in Australia and New Zealand according to the VNPI.

Methods:  Using the National Breast Cancer Audit for the period 2004–2009, 4578 cases of DCIS were identified where complete data were available. Patterns of management according to the VNPI were determined. The chi‐squared test was used for statistical analysis.

Results:  In VNPI group 1, 77% of patients were treated with BCS compared with 63% in group 2 and 32% in group 3. Of patients in group 1 who underwent BCS, 58% also received adjuvant radiotherapy, compared with 80% in group 2. In group 3, 68% were treated with mastectomy, and of those who underwent BCS, 86% received radiotherapy. Overall, 23% of DCIS cases did not conform to best practice according to individual VNPI prognostic groupings.

Conclusions:  Significant differences in the management of DCIS according to VNPI groups were observed. The results suggest the possibility that some patients in the low‐risk group were over‐treated, while a proportion of patients in the intermediate‐ and high‐risk groups were under‐treated.
Sociality, density‐dependence and microclimates determine the persistence of populations suffering from a novel fungal disease, white‐nose syndrome
Authors: Langwig Kate E. , Frick Winifred F. , Bried Jason T. , Hicks Alan C. , Kunz Thomas H. , Marm Kilpatrick A.
Published: July 2012

Disease has caused striking declines in wildlife and threatens numerous species with extinction. Theory suggests that the ecology and density‐dependence of transmission dynamics can determine the probability of disease‐caused extinction, but few empirical studies have simultaneously examined multiple factors influencing disease impact. We show, in hibernating bats infected withGeomyces destructans, that impacts of disease on solitary species were lower in smaller populations, whereas in socially gregarious species declines were equally severe in populations spanning four orders of magnitude. However, as these gregarious species declined, we observed decreases in social group size that reduced the likelihood of extinction. In addition, disease impacts in these species increased with humidity and temperature such that the coldest and driest roosts provided initial refuge from disease. These results expand our theoretical framework and provide an empirical basis for determining which host species are likely to be driven extinct while management action is still possible.
Ecological interactions drive evolutionary loss of traits
Authors: Ellers Jacintha , Toby Kiers E. , Currie Cameron R. , McDonald Bradon R. , Visser Bertanne
Published: July 2012

Loss of traits can dramatically alter the fate of species. Evidence is rapidly accumulating that the prevalence of trait loss is grossly underestimated. New findings demonstrate that traits can be lost without affecting the external phenotype, provided the lost function is compensated for by species interactions. This is important because trait loss can tighten the ecological relationship between partners, affecting the maintenance of species interactions. Here, we develop a new perspective on so‐called ˋcompensated trait loss' and how this type of trait loss may affect the evolutionary dynamics between interacting organisms. We argue that: (1) the frequency of compensated trait loss is currently underestimated because it can go unnoticed as long as ecological interactions are maintained; (2) by analysing known cases of trait loss, specific factors promoting compensated trait loss can be identified and (3) genomic sequencing is a key way forwards in detecting compensated trait loss. We present a comprehensive literature survey showing that compensated trait loss is taxonomically widespread, can involve essential traits, and often occurs as replicated evolutionary events. Despite its hidden nature, compensated trait loss is important in directing evolutionary dynamics of ecological relationships and has the potential to change facultative ecological interactions into obligatory ones.
Drivers of cyanobacterial diversity and community composition in mangrove soils in south‐east Brazil
Authors: Rigonato Janaina , Kent Angela D. , Alvarenga Danillo O. , Andreote Fernando D. , Beirigo Raphael M. , Vidal‐Torrado Pablo , Fiore Marli F.
Published: July 2012

Cyanobacteria act as primary producers of carbon and nitrogen in nutrient‐poor ecosystems such as mangroves. This important group of microorganisms plays a critical role in sustaining the productivity of mangrove ecosystems, but the structure and function of cyanobacteria assemblages can be perturbed by anthropogenic influences. The aim of this work was to assess the community structure and ecological drivers that influence the cyanobacterial community harboured in two Brazilian mangrove soils, and examine the long‐term effects of oil contamination on these keystone species. Community fingerprinting results showed that, although cyanobacterial communities are distinct between the two mangroves, the structure and diversity of the assemblages exhibit similar responses to environmental gradients. In each ecosystem, cyanobacteria occupying near‐shore areas were similar in composition, indicating importance of marine influences for structuring the community. Analysis of 16S rRNA sequences revealed the presence of diverse cyanobacterial communities in mangrove sediments, with clear differences among mangrove habitats along a transect from shore to forest. While near‐shore sites in both mangroves were mainly occupied by Prochlorococcus and Synechococcus genera, sequences retrieved from other mangrove niches were mainly affiliated with uncultured cyanobacterial 16S rRNA. The most intriguing finding was the large number of potentially novel cyanobacteria 16S rRNA sequences obtained from a previously oil‐contaminated site. The abundance of cyanobacterial 16S rRNA sequences observed in sites with a history of oil contamination was significantly lower than in the unimpacted areas. This study emphasized the role of environmental drivers in determining the structure of cyanobacterial communities in mangrove soils, and suggests that anthropogenic impacts may also act as ecological filters that select cyanobacterial taxa. These results are an important contribution to our understanding of the composition and relative abundance of previously poorly described cyanobacterial assemblages in mangrove ecosystems.
Mollicutes‐related endobacteria thrive inside liverwort‐associated arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi
Authors: Desirò Alessandro , Naumann Maria , Epis Sara , Novero Mara , Bandi Claudio , Genre Andrea , Bonfante Paola
Published: July 2012

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) can host Gram‐positive endobacteria (BLOs) in their cytoplasm. These have been identified as Mollicutes‐related microbes based on an inventory of AMF spores from fungal collections. Bacteria‐like organisms (BLOs) of unknown identity have also been reported in the cytoplasm of AMF associated with liverworts, the earliest‐diverged extant lineage of land plants. A combination of morphological, molecular and phylogenetic analyses revealed that three samples of two liverwort species (Conocephalum conicum and Lunularia cruciata) growing spontaneously in a botanical garden harboured AMF belonging to Glomerales, and these, in turn, hosted coccoid BLOs. 16S rDNA sequences from these BLOs clustered with the Mollicutes sequences identified from the spore collections but revealed the presence of novel phylotypes. Electron microscopy and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) confirmed the presence of BLOs inside the cytoplasm of AMF hyphae colonizing the liverwort thalli. The high genetic variability of BLOs in liverwort–AMF associations thriving in the same ecological niche raises questions about the mechanisms underlying such diversity.
Birds as reservoirs for Borrelia burgdorferi s.l. in Western Europe: circulation of B. turdi and other genospecies in bird–tick cycles in Portugal
Authors: Norte A. C. , Ramos J. A. , Gern L. , Núncio M. S. , Lopes de Carvalho I.
Published: July 2012

Birds are important in the ecology of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.) because they are important hosts for vector tick immature stages and are known reservoirs for some Borrelia genospecies. The aim of our study was to assess the role of common passerine bird species as reservoirs for B. burgdorferi s.l. in Western Europe. We surveyed birds in enzootic areas in Portugal, where no information is available for birds as reservoirs for this aetiologic agent and where B. lusitaniae, for which few reservoirs have been identified, is the dominant genospecies. Twenty‐three birds (2.9%), including Turdus merula, T. philomelos, Parus major and Fringilla coelebs harboured infected ticks, but only Turdus sp. harboured infected tick larvae. In one study area, although B. lusitaniae was dominant in questing Ixodes ricinus, no ticks feeding on birds were infected with this genospecies, and B. valaisiana was the dominant genospecies in I. ricinus larvae feeding on birds. In the other area ticks collected from birds were mainly I. frontalis which were infected with B. turdi. Two skin biopsies (4.2%) from two T. merula were positive, one for B. valaisiana and the other for B. turdi. This is the first report for B. turdi in Western Europe.
Postoperative recurrence of Crohn’s disease: impact of endoscopic monitoring and treatment step‐up
Authors: De Cruz P. , Bernardi M.‐P. , Kamm M. A. , Allen P. B. , Prideaux L. , Williams J. , Johnston M. J. , Keck J. , Brouwer R. , Heriot A. , Woods R. , Brown S. , Bell S. J. , Elliott R. , Connell W. R. , Desmond P. V.
Published: July 2012

Aim  Eighty per cent of patients with Crohn’s disease require surgery, of whom 70% will require a further operation. Recurrence occurs at the anastomosis. Although often recommended, the impact of postoperative colonoscopy and treatment adjustment is unknown.

Method  Patients with a bowel resection over a 10‐year period were reviewed and comparison made between those who did and did not have a postoperative colonoscopy within 1 year of surgery, and those who did or did not have a step‐up in drug therapy.

Results  Of 222 patients operated on, 136 (65 men, mean age 33 years, mean disease duration 8 years, median follow‐up 4 years) were studied. Of 70 patients with and 66 without postoperative colonoscopy, clinical recurrence occurred in 49% and 48% (NS) and further surgery in 9% and 5% (NS). Eighty‐nine per cent of colonoscoped patients had a decision based on the colonoscopic findings: of these, 24% had a step‐up of drug therapy [antibiotics (n = 10), aminosalicylates (n = 2), thiopurine (n = 5), methotrexate (n = 1)] and 76% had no step‐up in drug therapy. In colonoscoped patients clinical recurrence occurred in 9 (60%) of 15 patients with, and 23 (49%) of 47 without step‐up and surgical recurrence in 2 (13%) of 15 and 4 (9%) of 47 (NS).

Conclusion  Clinical recurrence occurs in a majority of patients soon after surgery. In this cohort, there was no clinical benefit from colonoscopy or increased drug therapy within 1 year after operation. However, the response to the endoscopic findings was not standardized and immunosuppressive therapy was uncommon. Standardizing timing of colonoscopy and drug therapy, including more intense therapy, may improve outcome, although this remains to be proven.
Reproductive morphology of the male Tuatara, Sphenodon punctatus
Authors: Rheubert Justin L. , Cree Alison , Downes Matthew , Sever David M.
Published: July 2012

Over the past decade, studies on reproductive morphology in the Squamata (snakes and lizards) have expanded tremendously. With the accumulation of these studies and revisions of the terminology based on structural similarities and differences, it is imperative to review the work on tuataras to determine whether the structural organization fits the revised terminology of vertebrates. We investigated the morphology of the male reproductive system in the Tuatara, Sphenodon punctatus (Rhynchocephalia), the sister taxon to the Squamata. Previous studies on the Tuatara used a nomenclature for the testicular ducts different from the current terminology for amniotes. The reproductive system in the Tuatara is consistent with reports in the Squamata. Two rete testis tubules exit the testis within a connective tissue sheath similar to that shown in other squamate species and the protherian Echidna. Each rete testis divides into multiple ductuli efferentes that fuse with the epididymis. The epididymis transitions into the ductus deferens where the sperm become more concentrated into spherical bundles. The ductus deferens enters the cloacal urodeum separately from the ureter. An ampulla ureter or ampulla urogenital papilla was not observed, which differs from previous studies of lepidosaurians. Furthermore, a sexual segment of the kidney (SSK) was not observed, consistent with previous studies on the Tuatara.
Effect of long‐term injection of dopamine on the ovarian growth of Cherax quadricarinatus juvenile females (Parastacidae, Decapoda)
Authors: Tropea Carolina , López Greco Laura S.
Published: July 2012

The neurotransmitter dopamine (DA) modulates many physiological processes in decapod crustaceans, including reproduction. This study was aimed at evaluating whether the long‐term injection of DA affects ovarian growth in the freshwater crayfish Cherax quadricarinatus. Three experiments were performed with females of different mean initial size: 4.15 g (Group A); 9.65 g (Group B); and 13.98 g (Group C). Treated females were injected with DA and control females with physiological saline twice a week for 90 (Group B), 105 (Group A) and 120 (Group C) days. At the end of the experiments, the animals were killed, and the stage of ovarian development, gonadosomatic index, and mean oocyte diameter were determined. DA had a differential effect according to female size: it negatively affected ovarian growth of females in a weight range of 4–14 g and had no effect on ovarian maturation when injected to females with an initial weight of 14 g. The results are compared with previous reports in freshwater decapod crustaceans.
Importance of citrate and the calcium : citrate ratio in patients with calcium renal lithiasis and severe lithogenesis
Authors: Arrabal‐Polo Miguel Angel , Arrabal‐Martin Miguel , Arias‐Santiago Salvador , Garrido‐Gomez Juan , Poyatos‐Andujar Antonio , Zuluaga‐Gomez Armando
Published: July 2012

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

Different studies have shown the importance of citrate in the formation of calcium stones. It has further been shown that the states of metabolic acidosis result in an increase in bone resorption and lower urinary citrate levels. Increasing the intake of citrate in these patients can reduce the lithogenic risk and improve bone mineral density (BMD), contributing to control of both diseases.

The study shows the importance of citrate in patients with calcium stones and BMD loss. The deficit in citrate excretion is associated with a decrease in bone mineralization and increased β‐crosslaps. A calcium : citrate ratio >0.25 in patients with calcium stones and loss of mineral density may predict severe lithogenic activity.

Objective

To analyse the importance of urinary citrate and the urinary calcium : citrate ratio in patients with calcium renal lithiasis and severe lithogenesis compared with a control group of patients without lithiasis.

Material and Methods

A cross‐sectional study of 115 patients in eastern Andalusia, Spain was conducted.

The patients were divided into two groups: Group A: 56 patients aged 25–60 years without calcium renal lithiasis; Group B: 59 patients aged 25–60 years, presenting with calcium renal lithiasis and severe lithogenesis.

The citrate levels and the calcium : citrate ratio in the patients’ urine and the relationship of these two factors to lithiasic activity were analysed and compared.

Results

In Group B, 32.2% of the patients presented with hypocitraturia, compared with 14.3% of the patients in Group A (P = 0.02).

The urinary citrate levels were lower in Group B than in Group A (P = 0.001) and the calcium : citrate ratio was higher in Group B than in Group A (P = 0.005).

The results suggest that a patient urinary calcium : citrate ratio > 0.25 indicates severe lithogenesis (with a sensitivity of 89% and a specificity of 57%).

After linear regression analysis, we found that the urinary citrate level is an independent factor associated with the changes in bone densitometry T‐score values of patients.

Conclusions

The patients with severe lithogenesis presented with hypocitraturia, which was associated with lower bone mineral density.

The calcium : citrate ratio, which is linearly related to the bone resorption marker β‐crosslaps, could be useful in evaluating the risk of severe lithogenesis when this ratio is >0.25.
Treatment with curative intent and survival in men with high‐risk prostate cancer. A population‐based study of 11 380 men with serum PSA level 20–100 ng/mL
Authors: Ladjevardi Sam , Berglund Anders , Varenhorst Eberhard , Bratt Ola , Widmark Anders , Sandblom Gabriel
Published: July 2012

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

There are two randomized controlled trials showing that radiotherapy can be beneficial for men with locally advanced prostate cancer. The present study confirms the importance of curative treatment for men with high‐risk prostate cancer.

Objective

To investigate the influence of curative treatment on cause‐specific mortality in men diagnosed with prostate cancer (PCa) with serum prostate‐specific antigen (PSA) levels between 20 and 100 ng/mL.

Materials and Methods

Patients with PCa (T1–4, N0/N1/NX, M0/MX), PSA 20–100 ng/mL and age ≤75 years were identified in the National Prostate Cancer Register of Sweden.

Data on co‐morbidity diagnoses were obtained from the National Patient Register and cause of death from the Cause of Death Register.

Following adjustment for age at diagnosis, co‐morbidity burden, Gleason score, T‐category, PSA level and cause‐specific mortality in relation to treatment were estimated using Cox regression analysis.

Result

A total of 11 380 men were diagnosed with PCa between 1996 and 2008 and fulfilled the inclusion criteria.

The cumulative 10‐year PCa‐specific mortality was 36% for patients receiving only palliative treatment and 13% for those treated with curative intent.

For the 8462 (74%) patients with PSA levels from 20 to 50 ng/mL at diagnosis, the hazard ratio for death from PCa was 0.23 (95% confidence interval 0.19–0.27) for those treated with curative intent compared with those given palliative treatment after adjusting for age, co‐morbidity, T category, PSA level and Gleason score. The corresponding hazard ratio was 0.22 (95% confidence interval 0.17–0.30) for patients with PSA levels from 51 to 100 ng/mL.

Conclusion

Treatment with curative intent for men with high‐risk PCa was associated with reduced cause‐specific mortality and should be considered even when serum PSA exceeds 20 ng/mL.
Short (≤1 mm) positive surgical margin and risk of biochemical recurrence after radical prostatectomy
Authors: Shikanov Sergey , Marchetti Pablo , Desai Vikas , Razmaria Aria , Antic Tatjana , Al‐Ahmadie Hikmat , Zagaja Gregory , Eggener Scott , Brendler Charles , Shalhav Arieh
Published: July 2012

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

It has been suggested that a very short positive margin does not confer additional risk of BCR after radical prostatectomy.

This study shows that even very short PSM is associated with increased risk of BCR.

Objective

To re‐evaluate, in a larger cohort with longer follow‐up, our previously reported finding that a positive surgical margin (PSM) ≤1 mm may not confer an additional risk for biochemical recurrence (BCR) compared with a negative surgical margin (NSM).

Patients and Methods

Margin status and length were evaluated in 2866 men treated with radical prostatectomy (RP) for clinically localized prostate cancer at our institution from 1994 to 2009.

We compared the BCR‐free survival probability of men with NSMs, a PSM ≤ 1 mm, and a PSM < 1 mm using the Kaplan–Meier method and a Cox regression model adjusted for preoperative prostate‐specific antigen (PSA) level, age, pathological stage and pathological Gleason score (GS).

Results

Compared with a NSM, a PSM ≤ 1 mm was associated with 17% lower 3‐year BCR‐free survival for men with pT3 and GS ≥ 7 tumours and a 6% lower 3‐year BCR‐free survival for men with pT2 and GS ≤ 6 tumours (log‐rank P < 0.001 for all).

In the multivariate model, a PSM ≤ 1 mm was associated with a probability of BCR twice as high as that for a NSM (hazard ratio [HR] 2.2), as were a higher PSA level (HR 1.04), higher pathological stage (HR 2.7) and higher pathological GS (HR 3.7 [all P < 0.001]).

Conclusion

In men with non‐organ‐confined or high grade prostate cancer, a PSM ≤ 1 mm has a significant adverse impact on BCR rates.
Outcomes after laparoscopic living donor nephrectomy: comparison of two laparoscopic surgeons with different levels of expertise
Authors: Friedersdorff Frank , Werthemann Peter , Cash Hannes , Kempkensteffen Carsten , Magheli Ahmed , Hinz Stefan , Waiser Johannes , Liefeldt Lutz , Miller Kurt , Deger Serdar , Fuller T. Florian
Published: July 2012

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

Laparoscopic living donor nephrectomy has evolved as the procurement method of choice for living kidney donation. Given that this is a technically challenging procedure with potential risks for the healthy donor, skills transfer from an experienced laparoscopist to a novice is critical.

The present study investigates donor and recipient outcomes during a novice's early experience with this procedure. Previous training in laparoscopic renal surgery and mentoring by the expert helps the novice to generate acceptable outcomes. However, longer warm ischaemia times during the learning phase may affect short‐term graft function.

Objective

To test the effect of surgeon experience on donor and recipient outcomes after laparoscopic living donor nephrectomy (LLDN). Results of a LLDN expert were compared with those of an LLDN novice.

Patients and Methods

Between October 2008 and October 2010 the last 20 cases of a series of 130 consecutive LLDNs, performed by an expert (EXP) were compared with the first 20 cases of an LLDN novice (NOV).

Donor and recipient outcomes were evaluated.

The novice was mentored by the expert during his initial four LLDN cases.

Results

Donor and recipient demographics were not different between the two surgeon groups.

Total operating time and warm ischaemia time during LLDN was significantly longer in the NOV group compared with the EXP group (273 min vs 147 min and 213 s vs 162 s, respectively).

The incidence of donor complications was low in both groups. Length of hospital stay among donors did not differ between groups.

Although delayed graft function, rejection rates and postoperative serum creatinine levels indicated slightly poorer recipient outcomes in the NOV group, differences did not reach statistical significance.

Conclusions

Mentoring by an experienced urological laparoscopist may help an LLDN novice to generate acceptable donor and recipient outcomes.

Whether or not prolonged operating times and warm ischaemia times during the early phase of an LLDN experience are risk factors for impaired graft function needs further evaluation.
Early detection of high‐grade prostate cancer using digital rectal examination (DRE) in men with a prostate‐specific antigen level of <2.5 ng/mL and the risk of death
Authors: Hattangadi Jona A. , Chen Ming‐Hui , D'Amico Anthony V.
Published: July 2012

Study Type – Prognosis (inception cohort)

Level of Evidence 2a

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

There is little data on the utility of digital rectal examination (DRE) as a diagnostic tool in the era of prostate‐specific antigen (PSA) testing. Using a population‐based database, we found that detection of prostate cancer while still localized among men with high‐grade PSA‐occult disease may result in survival benefit.

OBJECTIVE

To determine whether detection of high‐grade prostate cancer while still clinically localised on digital rectal examination (DRE) can improve survival in men with a normal prostate‐specific antigen (PSA) level.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

From the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results database, 166 104 men with prostate cancer diagnosed between 2004 and 2007 were identified.

Logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with the occurrence of palpable, PSA‐occult (PSA level of <2.5 ng/mL), Gleason score 8–10 prostate cancer.

Fine and Gray's and Cox multivariable regressions were used to analyse whether demographic, treatment, and clinicopathological factors were associated with the risk of prostate cancer‐specific mortality (PCSM) and all‐cause mortality (ACM), respectively.

RESULTS

Both increasing age (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.02, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.01–1.03; P < 0.001) and White race (aOR 1.26, 95% CI 1.03–1.54; P= 0.027) were associated with palpable, Gleason 8–10 prostate cancer. Of 166 104 men, 685 (0.4%) had this subset of prostate cancer.

Significant factors associated with risk of PCSM included PSA level (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 0.71, 95% CI 0.51–0.99; P= 0.04), higher Gleason score (aHR 2.20, 95% CI 1.25–3.87; P= 0.006), and T3–T4 vs T2 disease (aHR 3.11, 95% CI 1.79–5.41; P < 0.001).

Significant factors associated with risk of ACM included age (aHR 1.03, 95% CI 1.01–1.06; P= 0.006), higher Gleason score (aHR 2.05, 95% CI 1.36–3.09; P < 0.001), and T3–T4 vs T2 disease (aHR 2.11, 95% CI 1.38–3.25, P < 0.001)

CONCLUSIONS

Clinically localised disease on DRE among men with PSA‐occult high‐grade prostate cancer was associated with improved PCSM and ACM, suggesting that DRE in this cohort (older age and White race) may have the potential to improve survival.
Consistent and Transparent? The Problem of Longitudinal Poverty Records
Authors: Walters Bernard , Marshall Richard , Nixson Frederick
Published: July 2012

The World Bank and leading donors have emphasized the importance of evidence‐based policy making in addressing entrenched poverty. Adoption of Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers has also required establishing and updating poverty baselines, typically through Living Standards Measurement Surveys. Although the conceptual basis of these surveys has been questioned, little attention has been paid to whether frequent revisions to the longitudinal record have undermined their value. This article argues that changes to the poverty record have been sufficiently frequent and often sufficiently large to compromise the creation of a sound longitudinal poverty record. The lack of transparency also weakens national debate and ownership and undermines the construction of evidence‐based policy.
The Expansion of Industrial Tree Plantations and Dispossession in Brazil
Authors: Kröger Markus
Published: July 2012

The recent expansion of tree plantations is the most important agrarian change in many parts of Brazil. This article uses the results of extensive field research to analyse the different ways paper and pulp companies assure their land base for eucalyptus plantations. The mechanisms of land access have changed little over the decades, amounting to a process of primitive accumulation which seems to be controlled by the ways the pulp industry influences land markets and prices, the strength of any resistance, and particularly the government support enjoyed by industry. Many paper and steel companies, either directly or indirectly, are increasingly relying on eucalyptus plantations, with negative impacts in many places. The expansion of tree monocultures with rural exclusion is characteristic of the wider phenomenon of land grab which is driven by the dominating financial logic of current capitalism.
THE RISK‐FREE RATE IN A FINITE HORIZON MODEL WITH BEQUESTS
Authors: Cui Xiaoyong , Gong Liutang
Published: July 2012

This paper studies the risk‐free rate in an overlapping generations economy with bequests. It is shown that the risk‐free rate depends on risk aversion, the elasticity of intertemporal substitution, the share of wealth invested in human wealth, life expectancy, and the preference for bequests. In a standard life‐cycle context, mortality increases the subjective time rate of discount, and thus increases the compensation required to postpone consumption. This latter effect is offset in a bequest‐driven model of the type considered here, leading to much more powerful income effects. In this sense, the model provides a bequest‐motive explanation for the risk‐free rate puzzle put forward by Weil in 1989.
TESTING FOR STATIONARITY WITH A BREAK IN PANELS WHERE THE TIME DIMENSION IS FINITE
Authors: Hadri Kaddour , Larsson Rolf , Rao Yao
Published: July 2012

In this paper, we consider the case of finite time dimension in the panel stationarity tests with structural breaks. By fixing T, the finite sample properties of the tests for both micro (T small and N large) and macro (both T and N large) panel data are generally greatly improved. More importantly, the derivation of the tests for finite T and , as opposed to joint asymptotic where N and simultaneously, avoids the imposition of the rate condition  making the test valid for any (T, N) blend. Four models corresponding to the usual combination of breaks are considered. The asymptotic distributions of the test are derived under the null hypothesis and are shown to be normally distributed. Their moments for T fixed are derived analytically employing Ghazal’s corollary 1. The case with unknown breaks is also considered. The proposed tests have generally empirical sizes that are very close to the nominal size. The Monte Carlo simulations show that the power of the test statistics increases substantially with N and  T.
ENDOGENOUS FLEXIBILITY IN THE FLEXIBLE MANUFACTURING SYSTEM
Authors: Matsumura Toshihiro , Shimizu Daisuke
Published: July 2012

We investigate the flexible manufacturing system (FMS) by using the spatial price discrimination framework of Pal. The degree of flexibility when producing variants can be increased by increasing the investment or production cost and is endogenously determined. Our result is that private incentives for increasing flexibility are excessive from a social welfare perspective.
SUBSIDIES AS OPTIMAL FISCAL STIMULI
Authors: Molana Hassan , Montagna Catia , Kwan Chang Yee
Published: July 2012

Theoretical macroeconomic models typically take fiscal policy to mean tax‐and‐spend by a ‘benevolent government’ that exploits potential aggregate demand externalities inherent in the imperfectly competitive nature of goods markets. Whilst shown to raise aggregate output and employment, these policies crowd‐out private consumption and typically reduce welfare. On account of their widespread use to stimulate economic activity, we consider the use of ‘tax‐and‐subsidize’ instead of ‘tax‐and‐spend’ policies. Within a static general equilibrium macro‐model with imperfectly competitive goods markets, we examine the effects of wage and output subsidies and show that, for a small open economy, positive tax and subsidy rates exist which maximize welfare, rendering no intervention suboptimal. We also show that, within a two‐country setting, a Nash non‐cooperative symmetric equilibrium with positive tax and subsidy rates exists, and that cooperation between governments in setting these rates is more expansionary and leads to an improvement upon the non‐cooperative solution.
Institutional Reforms and Voluntary Associations
Authors: Levinsen Klaus , Thøgersen Malene , Ibsen Bjarne
Published: July 2012

This article explores the changing relationship between the public and voluntary sectors. In 2007, a local government reform reduced the number of Danish municipalities from 271 to 98 and assigned new tasks to these. Consequently, the reform resulted in major local political and administrative changes, thereby giving a unique opportunity to examine how institutional changes affect the voluntary sector. Based on data from qualitative case studies and two questionnaire surveys (2004 and 2010) the article examines how the local government reform affects the relationship between the two sectors. The findings indicate that the political and administrative changes in the local political system have influenced municipality collaboration, contact and interaction with local associations. While some associations experience a decline in personal contact, there is an increase in formalization of the relationship and an increased degree of collaboration between the voluntary and public sectors.
Three Forms of Interpersonal Trust: Evidence from Swedish Municipalities
Authors: Wollebæk Dag , Lundåsen Susanne Wallman , Trägårdh Lars
Published: July 2012

Social trust is usually treated as a dichotomy between particularized and generalized trust. In this article it is argued that a third distinct form, community trust, is neither particularized nor generalized and bounded in space rather than persons. Factor analysis of survey data from 33 Swedish municipalities (N = 6,453) distinguishes between particularized, generalized and community trust. Furthermore, regression analyses show that the three trust forms have partly distinct antecedents and linked to different types of behaviours. While generalized trust best predicts leaps of faith in relation to strangers, community trust is the only trust form significantly predicting taking part in local problem solving. Finally, multilevel analysis shows that community trust is the trust form most vulnerable to changes with respect to ethnic diversity and socioeconomic equality.
BEYOND COPPER: COMMODITIES AND VALUES IN MIDDLE BRONZE CYPRO‐LEVANTINE EXCHANGES
Authors: CREWE LINDY
Published: July 2012

During the transition from the Middle to Late Bronze Age, Cyprus became a full participant in the Levantine maritime interaction sphere. This is reflected in the archaeological record by a dramatic increase in the Cypriot pottery found in the surrounding region, widely assumed to be the by‐product of an (archaeologically invisible) external demand for Cypriot copper. On the receiving end of this relationship, small numbers of imported ‘luxury’ goods appear on Cyprus. This paper discusses one aspect of exchange that has received little attention in the literature, the presence and significance of quantities of imported transport amphorae (Canaanite jars). These vessels have only rarely been recognized from excavations on Cyprus but recent examination of material from several sites reveals that they are more common than previously assumed. The Canaanite jar evidence may go some way towards redressing the apparent imbalance in goods exchanged and also to illuminate the processes through which Cypriot populations first engaged with the materiality of urban ways of ordering the world.
ROUTINE MAGIC, MUNDANE RITUAL: TOWARDS A UNIFIED NOTION OF DEPOSITIONAL PRACTICE
Authors: CHADWICK ADRIAN M.
Published: July 2012

This article seeks to advance ongoing discussions within archaeology concerning the relationship between ritual and depositional practices. Previous researchers have argued that ‘structured’ or ‘placed’ deposits are the result of ritual activities, but also that in many societies the disposal of refuse is governed by social ‘rules’. Distinguishing ‘technical’ actions such as rubbish disposal from deliberately ‘placed’ deposits is extremely difficult, however, and reinforces modern dualistic thought. Instead, this article argues that there was a continuum of practices from formal and ritualized events through to small‐scale, informal acts undertaken on a routine basis, including everyday refuse discard. It also questions purely utilitarian interpretations of storage structures. Drawing on ethnographic and ethnohistorical examples, it explores case studies from the later prehistoric and Romano‐British periods of north central England, and concludes by proposing methodologies through which these practices can be explored more fully in the future.
Childhood and child labour in the British industrial revolution1
Authors: HUMPHRIES JANE
Published: July 2012

Quantitative and qualitative analysis of a large number of autobiographies by working men who lived through the industrial revolution has demonstrated that there was an upsurge in child labour in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries with children's work entrenched in traditional sectors as well as spreading in newly mechanized factories and workshops. I have interpreted this rise in terms of the appearance of a new equilibrium in the early industrial economy with more and younger children at work. The new equilibrium, in turn, was related to a number of co‐incidental developments including: an increase in the relative productivity of children as a result of mechanization, new divisions of labour, and changes in the organization of work; the dynamics of competitive dependence linking labour market and families; high dependency ratios within families; stumbling male wages and pockets of poverty; family instability; and breadwinner frailty. The establishment of these links forges a new synchronization between revised views of the industrial revolution and a revisionist history of child labour.
Admission hyperglycemia causes infarct volume expansion in patients with ICA or MCA occlusion: association of collateral grade on conventional angiography
Authors: Shimoyama T. , Shibazaki K. , Kimura K. , Uemura J. , Shiromoto T. , Watanabe M. , Inoue T. , Iguchi Y. , Mochio S.
Published: July 2012

Background and purpose

Hyperglycemia (HG) is associated with infarct volume expansion in acute ischaemic stroke patients. However, collateral circulation can sustain the ischaemic penumbra and limit the growth of infarct volume. The aim of this study was to determine whether the association between HG and infarct volume expansion is dependent on collateral circulation.

Methods

We performed a retrospective analysis of 93 acute ischaemic stroke patients with internal carotid artery or middle cerebral artery occlusion within 24 h of onset were retrospectively studied. HG was diagnosed in patients with an admitting blood glucose value ≥140 mg/dl. Angiographic collateral grade 0–1 was designated as poor collateral circulation and grade 2–4 as good collateral circulation. Infarct volume was measured at admission and at again within 7 days using diffusion‐weighted magnetic resonance images.

Results

Among 34 patients with poor collateral grade, the change in infarct volume was significantly greater in the HG group than in the non‐HG group (106.0 ml vs. 22.7 ml, P = 0.002). Among the 59 patients with good collateral circulation, the change in infarct volume was greater in the HG group than in the non‐HG group (53.3 ml vs. 10.9 ml, P = 0.047). Multiple regression analysis indicated that admission HG (P = 0.004), baseline National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score (P = 0.018), and poor collateral circulation (P = 0.040) were independently associated with infarct volume expansion.

Conclusions

Infarct volume expansion was greater in individuals with HG on admission regardless of collateral circulation status.
The retrenchment of second‐tier pensions in Hungary and Poland: A precautionary tale
Authors: Fultz Elaine
Published: July 2012

In 1997, Hungary and Poland led Central Europe in partially privatizing their national pension systems, diverting a portion of public pension contributions to privately‐managed individual investment accounts. In the aftermath of the global economic crisis, both governments retrenched these second‐tier schemes: Hungary (December 2010), by ceasing to fund the accounts and recouping most workers' existing balances; and Poland (April 2011), by reducing the diversion of contributions to the second tier. The factors that drove these retrenchments are traced to the original 1997 second‐tier designs, which omitted key specifications related to financing the accounts, private benefit design, and the regulation of private management fees. While both governments tried to compensate for the missing design specifications during implementation, the results were limited. By reducing investment returns and raising borrowing costs, the global economic crisis brought the problems to a head. The conclusion highlights some outstanding issues whose resolution will shape the retrenchments' long‐term impacts.
The redistributive effect of social transfer programmes and taxes: A decomposition across countries
Authors: Wang Chen , Caminada Koen , Goudswaard Kees
Published: July 2012

The aim of this article is to offer detailed information of the redistributive impact of social transfer programmes and taxes in 28 Member countries of the Organisation for Economic Co‐operation and Development, employing data that have been computed from the Luxembourg Income Study's micro‐level database. We find that welfare states on average reduce inequality by 35 per cent. Social benefits have a much stronger redistributive impact than taxes. As far as social programmes are concerned, public pensions account for the largest reduction in income inequality, although the pattern is diverse across countries. To a lesser extent, social assistance, disability and family benefits also contribute to smaller income disparities.
The decline of substitute pathways into retirement: Empirical evidence from the Dutch health care sector
Authors: Euwals Rob , van Vuren Annemiek , van Vuuren Daniel
Published: July 2012

Early retirement schemes and disability insurance in the Netherlands have undergone several reforms in recent decades. The reforms have increased incentives for older workers to continue working and have decreased the roles of “substitute pathways” into retirement. This article gives an overview of the reforms and, using administrative data for workers in the health care sector, tests a number of hypotheses about the labour market participation of older workers. The results offer two main findings: i) that the Dutch reforms have indeed been effective, as the labour force participation rate of older workers has increased; and ii) the concept of “substitute pathways” has become less relevant as the use of disability insurance has been closed off as an exit route to early retirement. Nevertheless, caution is required before generalizing the implications of these Dutch findings to other OECD countries.
Is ‘class effect’ relevant when assessing the benefit/risk profile of a biologic agent?
Authors: Sterry W. , van de Kerkhof P.
Published: July 2012

Psoriasis is a chronic, genetically predisposed skin disorder, characterised by thickened scaly plaques. Although no therapy is recognised as curative, therapies aimed at symptom control include biologic agents that are generally designed to block molecular activation of cellular pathways of a pathogenic immune response. Although biologics are often described as a class, they can be further sub‐classified according to properties including structure and molecular target. For example, the two main groups of biologics for the treatment of psoriasis are those targeting cytokines and those targeting T‐cells or antigen‐presenting cells. Agents that inhibit cytokines can be broadly split into anti‐p40 agents, which target the p40 subunit of IL‐12 and IL‐23 (such as ustekinumab), and anti‐TNF agents. Anti‐TNF agents may then be further divided into soluble receptors (etanercept) and monoclonal antibodies (adalimumab and infliximab). Even within the same subclass, agents may display variations in structure, function, route of administration and pharmacokinetics, which are reflected in their clinical profiles. For example, of the TNF antagonists, infliximab, provides a rapid onset of response, high efficacy, high peak serum concentrations, anti‐granulomatous activity, potential for tuberculosis reactivation and frequent antibody formation; adalimumab provides a fast response, high efficacy, potential for tuberculosis reactivation and the possibility of antibody formation; and etanercept provides a slower response, good efficacy, rare antibody formation and is rarely linked to tuberculosis cases. This suggests that biologic agents exhibit unique properties, which appear to be more relevant than a ‘class effect’ in assessing risk‐benefit profiles for this diverse group of drugs. With a range of agents available, studying the immunogenesis of psoriasis is likely to be useful in profiling individuals best suited to the characteristics of particular drugs. It should also be noted that because differences between agents may affect safety profiles, long‐term patient registries are an important tool to assess tolerability and develop guidelines for the most effective use of these drugs.
Treatment of severe psoriasis
Authors: Puig L.
Published: July 2012

Despite the great advances brought about by biologic therapies, treatment of moderate‐to‐severe psoriasis often represents a challenge. Associated comorbidities may hamper the use of ciclosporin or methotrexate at effective doses, and obesity or heavy weight reduce the therapeutic expectations of systemic treatments, especially with regard to optimal response, which should be the ultimate goal of therapy.

Combination therapy has been recognized to be an effective way of improving therapeutic response, and methotrexate at low doses seems especially well suited for combination with biologics, by improving response rates and reducing drug clearance and development of anti‐drug antibodies. Secondary lack of response to biologics does occur in a small percentage of patients, and accounts in part for reduced drug survival in dermatology patients. In some cases, especially when the presence of anti‐drug antibodies can be demonstrated, switching to another biologic agent in the same class may be effective, but some patients appear to be prone to developing anti‐drug antibodies against several agents. In some cases, switching to another class of biologics (e.g. anti‐p40 antibodies) can prove to be a very effective alternative, with an excellent safety profile.

The present case report illustrates the optimization of therapeutic response to biologics using combination therapy and achieving long‐lasting clearance of psoriasis following switching to ustekinumab in a patient who had shown secondary loss of response to several biologics.