bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Primary repair of colon injuries: clinical study of nonselective approach
Authors: Lazovic Ranko G , Barisic Goran I , Krivokapic Zoran V
Published: December 2010

Background

This study was designed to determine the role of primary repair and to investigate the possibility of expanding indications for primary repair of colon injuries using nonselective approach.

Methods

Two groups of patients were analyzed. Retrospective (RS) group included 30 patients managed by primary repair or two stage surgical procedure according to criteria published by Stone (S/F) and Flint (Fl). In this group 18 patients were managed by primary repair. Prospective (PR) group included 33 patients with primary repair as a first choice procedure. In this group, primary repair was performed in 30 cases.

Results

Groups were comparable regarding age, sex, and indexes of trauma severity. Time between injury and surgery was shorter in PR group, (1.3 vs. 3.1 hours). Stab wounds were more frequent in PR group (9:2), and iatrogenic lesions in RS group (6:2). Associated injuries were similar, as well as segmental distribution of colon injuries. S/F criteria and Flint grading were similar.

In RS group 15 primary repairs were successful, while in two cases relaparotomy and colostomy was performed due to anastomotic leakage. One patient died. In PR group, 25 primary repairs were successful, with 2 immediate and 3 postoperative (7-10 days) deaths, with no evidence of anastomotic leakage.

Conclusions

Results of this study justify more liberal use of primary repair in early management of colon injuries.

Trial registration

Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN94682396
The invasive lobular carcinoma as a prototype luminal A breast cancer: A retrospective cohort study
Authors: Jung So-Youn , Jeong Junsoo , Shin Seung-Ho , Kwon Youngmee , Kim Eun-A , Ko Kyoung Lan , Shin Kyung Hwan , Lee Keun Seok , Park In Hae , Lee Seeyoun , Kim Seok Won , Kang Han-Sung , Ro Jungsil
Published: December 2010

Background

Although the invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC) is the second most frequent histologic subtype in Western countries, its incidence is much lower in Asia, and its characteristics are less well known.

Methods

We assessed the clinical characteristics and outcomes of 83 Korean patients (2.8%) with ILC for comparison with 2,833 (97.2%) with the invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC), including 1,088 (37.3%) with the luminal A subtype (LA-IDC).

Results

The mean age of all patients was 48.2 years, with no significant differences among the groups. Compared to IDC, ILC showed a larger tumor size (≥T2, 59.8% vs. 38.8%, P = 0.001), a lower histologic grade (HG 1/2, 90.4% vs. 64.4%, P < 0.001), more frequent estrogen receptor positive (90.4% vs. 64.4%, P < 0.001), progesterone receptor positive (71.1% vs. 50.1%, P < 0.001) and HER2 negative (97.5% vs. 74.6%, P < 0.001) status, and lower Ki-67 expression (10.3% ± 10.6% vs. 20.6% ± 19.8%, P < 0.001), as well as being more likely to be of the luminal A subtype (91.4% vs. 51.2%, P < 0.001). Six (7.2%) ILC and 359 (12.7%) IDC patients developed disease recurrence, with a median follow-up of 56.4 (range 4.9-136.6) months. The outcome of ILC was close to LA-IDC (HR 0.77 for recurrence, 95% CI 0.31-1.90, P = 0.57; HR 0.75 for death, 95% CI 0.18-3.09, P = 0.70) and significantly better than for the non-LA-IDC (HR 1.69 for recurrence, 95% CI 1.23-2.33, P = 0.001; HR 1.50 for death, 95% CI 0.97-2.33, P = 0.07).

Conclusions

ILC, a rare histologic type of breast cancer in Korea, has distinctive clinicopathological characteristics similar to those of LA-IDC.
Study of TLR3, TLR4 and TLR9 in breast carcinomas and their association with metastasis
Authors: González-Reyes Salomé , Marín Laura , González Lucía , González Luis O , del Casar José M , Lamelas Maria L , González-Quintana José M , Vizoso Francisco J
Published: December 2010

Background

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) have garnered an extraordinary amount of interest in cancer research due to their role in tumor progression. By activating the production of several biological factors, TLRs induce type I interferons and other cytokines, which drive an inflammatory response and activate the adaptive immune system. The aim of this study was to investigate the expression and clinical relevance of TLR3, 4 and 9 in breast cancer.

Methods

The expression levels of TLR3, TLR4 and TLR9 were analyzed on tumors from 74 patients with breast cancer. The analysis was performed by immunohistochemistry.

Results

Samples of carcinomas with recurrence exhibited a significant increase in the mRNA levels of TLR3, TLR4 and TLR9. Tumors showed high expression of TLRs expression levels by cancer cells, especially TLR4 and 9. Nevertheless, a significant percentage of tumors also showed TLR4 expression by mononuclear inflammatory cells (21.6%) and TLR9 expression by fibroblast-like cells (57.5%). Tumors with high TLR3 expression by tumor cell or with high TLR4 expression by mononuclear inflammatory cells were significantly associated with higher probability of metastasis. However, tumours with high TLR9 expression by fibroblast-like cells were associated with low probability of metastasis.

Conclusions

The expression levels of TLR3, TLR4 and TLR9 have clinical interest as indicators of tumor aggressiveness in breast cancer. TLRs may represent therapeutic targets in breast cancer.
Impact of maximum Standardized Uptake Value (SUVmax) evaluated by 18-Fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (18F-FDG-PET/CT) on survival for patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma: a preliminary report
Authors: Namura Kazuhiro , Minamimoto Ryogo , Yao Masahiro , Makiyama Kazuhide , Murakami Takayuki , Sano Futoshi , Hayashi Narihiko , Tateishi Ukihide , Ishigaki Hanako , Kishida Takeshi , Miura Takeshi , Kobayashi Kazuki , Noguchi Sumio , Inoue Tomio , Kubota Yoshinobu , Nakaigawa Noboru
Published: December 2010

Background

In this era of molecular targeting therapy when various systematic treatments can be selected, prognostic biomarkers are required for the purpose of risk-directed therapy selection. Numerous reports of various malignancies have revealed that 18-Fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (18F-FDG) accumulation, as evaluated by positron emission tomography, can be used to predict the prognosis of patients. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of the maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) from 18-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (18F-FDG PET/CT) on survival for patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC).

Methods

A total of 26 patients with advanced or metastatic RCC were enrolled in this study. The FDG uptake of all RCC lesions diagnosed by conventional CT was evaluated by 18F-FDG PET/CT. The impact of SUVmax on patient survival was analyzed prospectively.

Results

FDG uptake was detected in 230 of 243 lesions (94.7%) excluding lung or liver metastases with diameters of less than 1 cm. The SUVmax of 26 patients ranged between 1.4 and 16.6 (mean 8.8 ± 4.0). The patients with RCC tumors showing high SUVmax demonstrated poor prognosis (P = 0.005 hazard ratio 1.326, 95% CI 1.089-1.614). The survival between patients with SUVmax equal to the mean of SUVmax, 8.8 or more and patients with SUVmax less than 8.8 were statistically different (P = 0.0012). This is the first report to evaluate the impact of SUVmax on advanced RCC patient survival. However, the number of patients and the follow-up period were still not extensive enough to settle this important question conclusively.

Conclusions

The survival of patients with advanced RCC can be predicted by evaluating their SUVmax using 18F-FDG-PET/CT. 18F-FDG-PET/CT has potency as an "imaging biomarker" to provide helpful information for the clinical decision-making.
1,1-Bis(3'-indolyl)-1-(p-substituted phenyl)methanes induce autophagic cell death in estrogen receptor negative breast cancer
Authors: Vanderlaag Kathy , Su Yunpeng , Frankel Arthur E , Burghardt Robert C , Barhoumi Rola , Chadalapaka Gayathri , Jutooru Indira , Safe Stephen
Published: December 2010

Background

A novel series of methylene-substituted DIMs (C-DIMs), namely 1,1-bis(3'-indolyl)-1-(p-substituted phenyl)methanes containing t-butyl (DIM-C-pPhtBu) and phenyl (DIM-C-pPhC6H5) groups inhibit proliferation of invasive estrogen receptor-negative MDA-MB-231 and MDA-MB-453 human breast cancer cell lines with IC50 values between 1-5 uM. The main purpose of this study was to investigate the pathways of C-DIM-induced cell death.

Methods

The effects of the C-DIMs on apoptotic, necrotic and autophagic cell death were determined using caspase inhibitors, measurement of lactate dehydrogenase release, and several markers of autophagy including Beclin and light chain associated protein 3 expression (LC3).

Results

The C-DIM compounds did not induce apoptosis and only DIM-C-pPhCF3exhibited necrotic effects. However, treatment of MDA-MB-231 and MDA-MB-453 cells with C-DIMs resulted in accumulation of LC3-II compared to LC3-I protein, a characteristic marker of autophagy, and transient transfection of green fluorescent protein-LC3 also revealed that treatment with C-DIMs induced a redistribution of LC3 to autophagosomes after C-DIM treatment. In addition, the autofluorescent drug monodansylcadaverine (MDC), a specific autophagolysosome marker, accumulated in vacuoles after C-DIM treatment, and western blot analysis of lysates from cells treated with C-DIMs showed that the Beclin 1/Bcl-2 protein ratio increased.

Conclusion

The results suggest that C-DIM compounds may represent a new mechanism-based agent for treating drug-resistant ER-negative breast tumors through induction of autophagy.
The influence of persistent pathogens on circulating levels of inflammatory markers: a cross-sectional analysis from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis
Authors: Nazmi Aydin , Diez-Roux Ana V , Jenny Nancy S , Tsai Michael Y , Szklo Moyses , Aiello Allison E
Published: December 2010

Background

Systemic inflammation is linked to cardiovascular risk, but the influence of persistent pathogens, which are conventionally dichotomously categorized, on circulating levels of inflammatory markers is not clear. Antibody levels of pathogens have not been examined in relation to inflammation.

Methods

Using data from a subsample of the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis, we examined circulating levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6), C-reactive protein (CRP) and fibrinogen in relation to five common persistent pathogens: cytomegalovirus, herpes simplex virus-1, Hepatitis A virus, Helicobacter pylori and Chlamydia pneumoniae. We tested the hypothesis that the number of seropositive pathogens (based on conventional cut-off points) would not be as sensitive a marker of inflammation as immune response measured by antibody levels to pathogens.

Results

High antibody response to multiple pathogens showed graded and significant associations with IL-6 (p < 0.001), CRP (p = 0.04) and fibrinogen (p = 0.001), whereas seropositive pathogen burden did not. In multiple linear regression models, high antibody response to multiple pathogens maintained a positive association only with IL-6 (4.4% per pathogen exhibiting high antibody response, 95% CI 0.0-8.9).

Conclusions

High antibody response to pathogens was a more consistent marker of inflammatory outcomes compared to seropositivity alone and high antibody response to multiple pathogens was a stronger marker compared to any single pathogen.
Perceptions and attitudes of clinicians in Spain toward clinical practice guidelines and grading systems: a protocol for a qualitative study and a national survey
Authors: Kotzeva Anna , Solà Ivan , Carrasco José Miguel , del Campo Petra Díaz , Gracia Francisco Javier , Calderón Enrique , de Gaminde Idoia , Estrada Maria Dolors , Martínez Flora , Orrego Carola , Rotaeche Rafael , Salcedo Flavia , Velázquez Paola , Alonso-Coello Pablo
Published: December 2010

Background

Clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) have become a very popular tool for decision making in healthcare. While there is some evidence that CPGs improve outcomes, there are numerous factors that influence their acceptability and use by healthcare providers. While evidence of clinicians' knowledge, perceptions and attitudes toward CPGs is extensive, results are still disperse and not conclusive. Our study will evaluate these issues in a large and representative sample of clinicians in Spain.

Methods/Design

A mixed-method design combining qualitative and quantitative research techniques will evaluate general practitioners (GPs) and hospital-based specialists in Spain with the objective of exploring attitudes and perceptions about CPGs and evidence grading systems. The project will consist of two phases: during the first phase, group discussions will be carried out to gain insight into perceptions and attitudes of the participants, and during the second phase, this information will be completed by means of a survey, reaching a greater number of clinicians. We will explore these issues in GPs and hospital-based practitioners, with or without previous experience in guideline development.

Discussion

Our study will identify and gain insight into the perceived problems and barriers of Spanish practitioners in relation to guideline knowledge and use. The study will also explore beliefs and attitudes of clinicians towards CPGs and evidence grading systems used to rate the quality of the evidence and the strength of recommendations. Our results will provide guidance to healthcare researchers and healthcare decision makers to improve the use of guidelines in Spain and elsewhere.
Human papillomavirus infection in women with and without cervical cancer in Ibadan, Nigeria
Authors: Okolo Clement , Franceschi Silvia , Adewole Isaac , Thomas Jaiye O , Follen Michele , Snijders Peter JF , Meijer Chris JLM , Clifford Gary M
Published: December 2010

Background

Concerns have been raised that the proportion of cervical cancer preventable by human papillomavirus (HPV) 16/18 vaccines might be lower in sub-Saharan Africa than elsewhere.

Method

In order to study the relative carcinogenicity of HPV types in Nigeria, as well as to estimate the vaccine-preventable proportion of invasive cervical cancer (ICC) in the Country, we compared HPV type prevalence among 932 women from the general population of Ibadan, Nigeria, with that among a series of 75 ICC cases diagnosed in the same city. For all samples, a GP5+/6+ PCR based assay was used for the detection of 44 genital HPV types.

Results

In the general population, 245 (26.3%, 95% confidence interval (CI) 23.5% - 29.2%) women were HPV-positive, among whom the prevalence of HPV35 and HPV16 were equally frequent (12.2%, 95% CI 8.4% - 17.0%). In ICC, however, HPV16 predominated strongly (67.6% of 68 HPV-positive cases), with the next most common types being 18 (10.3%, 95% CI 4.2% - 20.1%), 35, 45 and 56 (each 5.9%, 95% CI 1.6% - 14.4%). Comparing among HPV-positive women only, HPV16 and 18 were over-represented in ICC versus the general population (prevalence ratios 5.52, 95% CI 3.7 - 8.3 and 1.4, 95% CI 0.6 - 3.3, respectively). Other high-risk HPV types, as well as low-risk and multiple HPV infections were less common in HPV-positive women with ICC than from the general population.

Conclusions

Our study confirms that in Nigeria, as elsewhere, women infected with HPV16 and 18 are at higher risk of developing ICC than those infected with other high-risk types, and that current HPV16/18 vaccines have enormous potential to reduce cervical cancer in the region.
The revised Bethesda guidelines: extent of utilization in a university hospital medical center with a cancer genetics program
Authors: Mukherjee Aparna , McGarrity Thomas J , Ruggiero Francesca , Koltun Walter , McKenna Kevin , Poritz Lisa , Baker Maria J
Published: December 2010

Background

In 1996, the National Cancer Institute hosted an international workshop to develop criteria to identify patients with colorectal cancer who should be offered microsatellite instability (MSI) testing due to an increased risk for Hereditary Nonpolyposis Colorectal Cancer (HNPCC). These criteria were further modified in 2004 and became known as the revised Bethesda Guidelines. Our study aimed to retrospectively evaluate the percentage of patients diagnosed with HNPCC tumors in 2004 who met revised Bethesda criteria for MSI testing, who were referred for genetic counseling within our institution.

Methods

All HNPCC tumors diagnosed in 2004 were identified by accessing CoPath, an internal database. Both the Tumor Registry and patients' electronic medical records were accessed to collect all relevant family history information. The list of patients who met at least one of the revised Bethesda criteria, who were candidates for MSI testing, was then cross-referenced with the database of patients referred for genetic counseling within our institution.

Results

A total of 380 HNPCC-associated tumors were diagnosed at our institution during 2004 of which 41 (10.7%) met at least one of the revised Bethesda criteria. Eight (19.5%) of these patients were referred for cancer genetic counseling of which 2 (25%) were seen by a genetics professional. Ultimately, only 4.9% of patients eligible for MSI testing in 2004 were seen for genetic counseling.

Conclusion

This retrospective study identified a number of barriers, both internal and external, which hindered the identification of individuals with HNPCC, thus limiting the ability to appropriately manage these high risk families.
Low-frequency fluid waves in fractures and pipes
Authors: Korneev Valeri
Published: December 2010

Low-frequency analytical solutions have been obtained for phase velocities of symmetrical fluid waves within both an infinite fracture and a pipe filled with a viscous fluid. Three different fluid wave regimes can exist in such objects, depending on the various combinations of parameters, such as fluid density, fluid viscosity, walls shear modulus, channel thickness, and frequency. Equations for velocities of all these regimes have explicit forms and are verified by comparisons with the exact solutions. The dominant role of fractures in rock permeability at field scales and the strong amplitude and frequency effects of Stoneley guided waves suggest the importance of including these wave effects into poroelastic theories.
The Globalization of the Novel and the Novelization of the Global. A Critique of World Literature
Authors: Siskind Mariano
Published: December 2010

In this essay I propose two different but complementary models with which to think about the relation between the novel and the historical process of globalization. The first—the globalization of the novel—works not with particular textual formations, but with the historical expansion of the novel form hand-in-hand with the colonial enterprise of Western Europe. With this interpretative concept, I review the historical and theoretical parameters that have been used to study both the historical spread of the novel from Europe to the peripheries and the constitution, at the end of the nineteenth and throughout the twentieth century, of a global system of production, reception, and translation of novels. The second model—the novelization of the global—focuses on the production of images of a globalized world as they are constructed in specific novels. My examples are novels by Jules Verne and Eduardo Ladislao Holmberg. While both writers create images of travelers spreading modern bourgeois culture throughout the world and beyond, as might be expected, Verne's images differ significantly from Holmberg's. My claim here is that the particular geopolitical determinations that marked each of these writers produced dissimilar imaginaries of the global reach of their bourgeois characters and plots. Finally, in a coda to this double hypothesis, I connect the interpretative models of the globalization of the novel and the novelization of the global with the rentrée of the concept of world literature. Recently re-introduced to academic debate by Franco Moretti, Pascale Casanova, and David Damrosch, among others, this restored notion of world literature can be understood as an attempt to conceptualize the global ubiquity of the novel since the mid-twentieth century. Here I analyze what could be called the cultural politics of world literature and the critical and pedagogical practices that are derived from this concept. I also examine its underlying claim to address, in academic practices, cosmopolitan expectations related to the production of a discourse about the world based on respect for cultural difference. In other words, my question is whether world literature, as a concept and as a practice, is capable of becoming an effective cosmopolitan discourse.
Toward World Literary Knowledges: Theory in the Age of Globalization
Authors: Krishnaswamy Revathi
Published: December 2010

While the literatures of the (third) world are being rapidly curricularized in revamped Comparative/World or Postcolonial literature classes, the theories and methodologies used to interpret and evaluate these texts are still drawn primarily from the Western tradition. The field of literary theory remains a resolutely Eurocentric high ground relatively untouched by the rising tide of globalization reshaping American academia. Neither the marginalized subdiscipline of Comparative Poetics nor the more influential field of Postcolonial Studies has managed to challenge effectively the assumption that theory is the product of a uniquely Western philosophical tradition. This essay argues for the need to globalize the field of literary theory beyond inducting a few non-Western greats into theory's hall of fame toward radically redefining theory itself in ways that include not only dominant, formal, explicit high textual traditions of poetics, but also subaltern and popular epistemologies that may be “emergent” or “latent” in praxis. Toward this end, the essay proposes an alternative in the form of “world literary knowledges” and presents three examples of “literary knowledge” from the (pre- and post-colonial) Indian context.
Macroeconomic Performance and Collective Bargaining: An International Perspective
Authors: Flanagan Robert J
Published: December 2010

This paper critically reviews the research on how collective bargaining systems influence macroeconomic performance in industrialized countries. The review considers effects of bargaining level, coordination, and corporatist institutional arrangements. Key empirical results turn out to be quite fragile, and much of the paper explores issues of measurement and specification that account for the fragility. The paper concludes that complementarities between key institutions and between institutions and the economic environment may be more important for macroeconomic performance than the effects of individual institutions, and it suggests research strategies.
A Review of O'Rourke and Williamson's Globalization and History: The Evolution of a Nineteenth Century Atlantic Economy
Authors: Harley C. Knick
Published: December 2010

Much of the comparative economic history of the nineteenth century focuses on the spread of the Industrial Revolution from Britain. Incomes converged, in this view, as the transfer of superior technology raised incomes in the periphery. In Globalization and History, Kevin O'Rourke and Jeffrey Williamson challenge this technological approach, arguing that neoclassical effects of trade and factor supply changes provide more insight. Increased trade, stimulated by falling transportation costs, and factor movements caused prices of locally scarce factors to fall and promoted factor price convergence.
A Review of Monetary Policy Rules
Authors: Sims Christopher A
Published: December 2010

This article reviews Monetary Policy Rules, edited by John Taylor. The book evaluates the Taylor rule, a policy rule that specifies changes in the central bank's interest rate according to what is happening to two variables, real output and inflation. Questions are raised about (a) how well the models fit the data; (b) the validity of the assumption that there has been clear improvement in monetary policy; and (c) the rule's microfoundations.
The Reliable Facility Location Problem: Formulations, Heuristics, and Approximation Algorithms
Authors: Shen Zuo-Jun Max , Zhan Roger Lezhou , Zhang Jiawei
Published: December 2010

We study a reliable facility location problem wherein some facilities are subject to failure from time to time. If a facility fails, customers originally assigned to it have to be reassigned to other (operational) facilities. We formulate this problem as a two-stage stochastic program and then as a nonlinear integer program. Several heuristics that can produce near-optimal solutions are proposed for this NP-hard problem. For the special case where the probability that a facility fails is a constant (independent of the facility), we provide an approximation algorithm with a worst-case bound of 4. The effectiveness of our heuristics is tested by extensive computational studies, which also lead to some managerial insights.
An Improved Primal Simplex Algorithm for Degenerate Linear Programs
Authors: Elhallaoui Issmail , Metrane Abdelmoutalib , Desaulniers Guy , Soumis François
Published: December 2010

Since its appearance in 1947, the primal simplex algorithm has been one of the most popular algorithms for solving linear programs. It is often very efficient when there is very little degeneracy, but it often struggles in the presence of high degeneracy, executing many pivots without improving the objective function value. In this paper, we propose an improved primal simplex algorithm that deals with this issue. This algorithm is based on new theoretical results that shed light on how to reduce the negative impact of degeneracy. In particular, we show that, from a nonoptimal basic solution with p positive-valued variables, there exists a sequence of at most m - p + 1 simplex pivots that guarantee the improvement of the objective value, where m is the number of constraints in the linear program. These pivots can be identified by solving an auxiliary linear program. Finally, we briefly summarize computational results that show the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm on degenerate linear programs.
Indigenous Participation in Sentencing Young Offenders: Findings from an Evaluation of the Children's Koori Court of Victoria
Authors: Borowski Allan
Published: December 2010

This article reports on some of the major findings of the evaluation of the Children's Koori Court of Victoria—the first legislated effort to involve the Indigenous community in the sentencing of young people as a strategy of reducing their overrepresentation in the juvenile justice system. This court is presided over by a Magistrate sitting with two Koori Elders or Respected Persons in what is solely a sentencing court. The outcome component of the evaluation focussed on the 62 Koori defendants who appeared before the court in the first two years of its operation (2005–07) and who were tracked for between 6 and 30 months. The evaluation found low rates of failure-to-appear and breaches of court orders. Just under 60 per cent subsequently reappeared in a court and had their charges proven. In most cases, however, the principal re-offence was either less serious or no more serious than the one that had brought them before the Children's Koori Court. This recidivism rate was within the realm of what was expected given the highly disadvantaged background of the defendants and their established offending histories. Significant reductions in Indigenous juvenile crime will require major structural change.
Police Torture in China and its Causes: A Review of Literature
Authors: Wu Wei , Vander Beken Tom
Published: December 2010

This study reviews a selection of research articles on police torture in China, published in Chinese language academic journals between 1994 and 2008 as well as recent literature on Chinese policing and criminal procedure in English. The study shows that Chinese legal scholars have devoted considerable attention to the subject of police interrogational torture and have presented evidence that interrogational torture is a pervasive problem in criminal investigations in China. While the mainstream legal scholarship treats the gaps or ambiguities in the law as the major cause of police torture, others relate it to the organisation and structure of the Chinese criminal justice system. Some studies conclude that traditional and cultural Chinese values account for the tolerance and acceptance of police torture. The article concludes that answers about how to protect suspects’ rights and reduce interrogational torture in criminal proceedings in China can be found in adaptations of structural elements of the legal landscape, but also in practices and traditions with strong cultural connections.
Global Fears, Local Anxiety: Policing, Counterterrorism and Moral Panic Over ‘Bikie Gang Wars’ in New South Wales
Authors: Morgan George , Dagistanli Selda , Martin Greg
Published: December 2010

This article proceeds in three main parts. First, it provides an account of a moral panic that unfolded during a short period in the Australian state of New South Wales over warring motorbike or ‘bikie’ gangs. Second, it sketches a recent history of laws in New South Wales that have expanded police powers, including ‘anti-bikie’ gang laws. The article shows how policing and crime control has become politicised since 9/11 and, accordingly, the extension of police powers has entailed the blurring of the functions of police and security services. This, in turn, raises serious concerns about civil liberties and the rule of law. Third, the article interprets

the events surrounding the ‘bikie gang wars’ using classic and more recent moral panic theory as well as ideas around the ‘new penology’. The article concludes by considering the utility of applying the concept of moral panic to the bikie case.
Hydride Platelet Reorientation in Zircaloy Studied with Synchrotron Radiation Diffraction
Authors: Colas Kimberly B. , Motta Arthur T. , Daymond Mark R. , Kerr Matthew , Almer Jonathan D.
Published: December 2010

Hydrogen ingress into zirconium alloy fuel cladding in light water reactors can degrade cladding performance as a result of the formation of brittle hydrides. In service, hydrides normally precipitate in the circumferential direction and are homogeneously distributed through the cladding thickness in ideal cases. However, temperature and stress gradients in the cladding can promote hydrogen redistribution. This hydrogen redistribution is responsible for the formation of hydride rims, dissolution, and reorientation of hydride precipitates and for the formation of brittle hydrides at stress concentration locations, all of which can reduce cladding resistance to failure. Thus, it is crucial to understand the kinetics of hydride dissolution and precipitation under load and at temperature. Studies of hydrogen behavior in zirconium alloys are normally performed post facto, which causes them to suffer both from a scarcity of data points and from the confounding effects of studying hydrides at room temperature that might be dissolved at higher temperature. In the current study, we have used synchrotron radiation diffraction to study the kinetics of hydride precipitation and dissolution in situ (under load and at temperature). Samples of hydrided Zircaloy-4 were examined in transmission by using 80 keV synchrotron radiation while undergoing heating and cooling in a furnace. Temperatures ranged from 20 to 550°C, and loads from 75 to 100 MPa were applied. The hydrides dissolved and reprecipitated in a different orientation when sufficiently high loads were applied. Through careful study of the intensities and full-width half maxima of the diffraction peaks as a function of time, load, and temperature, it was possible to identify the characteristic diffraction patterns for the reoriented hydrides so that the kinetics of dissolution, reprecipitation, and orientation of the hydrides could be followed. The analysis of the diffraction patterns allowed a detailed understanding of the kinetics of hydride evolution under temperature and stress, as presented in this work.
Der angebliche Bericht über die Umschiffung Afrikas. Eine wissenschaftsgeschichtliche Einordnung
Authors: Gertzen Thomas L.
Published: December 2010

Based on the examination of archival material from the Erman correspondence, stored at the State and University Library Bremen and the Royal Museums of Art and History in Brussels, as well as on contemporary and recent publications, this article is to present the affair of the forged scarabs of Necho relating to the alleged circumnavigation of Africa, discredited by the representatives of the 'Berlin School′, on the basis of a thorough linguistic analysis and thereby constituting a 'paradigm′ in Egyptology.
Small forbidden configurations V: Exact bounds for 4 × 2 cases
Authors: Anstee Richard , Barekat Farzin , Sali Attila
Published: December 2010

The present paper continues the work begun by Anstee, Ferguson, Griggs, Kamoosi and Sali on small forbidden configurations. We define a matrix to besimpleif it is a (0, 1)-matrix with no repeated columns. LetFbe ak× (0, 1)-matrix (the forbidden configuration). AssumeAis anm×nsimple matrix which has no submatrix which is a row and column permutation ofF. We define forb (m, F) as the largestn, which would depend onmandF, so that such anAexists.DefineFabcdas the (a+b+c+d) × 2 matrix consisting ofarows of [11],brows of [10],crows of [01] anddrows of [00]. With the exception ofF2110, we compute forb (m; Fabcd) for all 4 × 2Fabcd. A number of cases follow easily from previous results and general observations. A number follow by clever inductions based on a single column such as forb (m; F1111) = 4m− 4 and forb (m; F1210) = forb (m; F1201) = forb (m; F0310) = (2m)+m+ 2 (proofs are different). A different idea proves forb (m; F0220) = (2m) + 2m− 1 with the forbidden configuration being related to a result of Kleitman. Our results suggest that determining forb (m; F2110) is heavily related to designs and we offer some constructions of matrices avoidingF2110using existing designs.
Precision of Implant Placement With Stereolithographic Templates: A Pilot In Vitro Study
Authors: Bilhan Hakan , Arat Selda , Mumcu Emre , Geckili Onur , Şakar Olcay
Published: December 2010

This pilot study assesses the accuracy of 2 bone-supported stereolithographic surgical templates with respect to placement of implants in originally planned positions, and it tests the precision of dental volumetric tomography planning. Two mandibles retrieved from formalin-fixed human cadavers were scanned by dental volumetric tomography for planning of the implant positions, leading to stereolithographic models and fabrication of surgical guides. The situation immediately following drilling and implant insertion by an experienced surgeon was scanned and the outcome compared with the initial planning. The 3-dimensional discrepancies were then analyzed and determined. The results show deviations of the placed implants from the original planning, especially in the vertical direction, making the seating of a prefabricated denture impossible. At present, the flapless surgery technique based on stereolithographic surgical templates appears unsafe; further improvement is required.
Implant Installation With Bone Augmentation and Transmucosal Healing With Demineralized Human Cortical Bone in the Maxillary Anterior Region: Report of 3 Cases
Authors: Park Jun-Beom
Published: December 2010

It is well known that a decrease in vertical height and in horizontal width is seen after tooth extraction. Immediate implant placement, originally thought to prevent buccal wall resorption, showed little or no evident decrease of the resorption rate or pattern in animal experiments or clinical studies. Thus, the need for bone augmentation with immediate implantation has been suggested. However, until recently, simultaneous bone augmentation with immediate implant placement was thought to be possible only in a submerged environment. In this report, the harmony of soft and hard tissue was achieved in 3 patients by immediate implant placement and bone augmentation with transmucosal healing in esthetically challenging situations. Further evaluation is needed to monitor hard- and soft-tissue changes on a long-term basis. Implant placement and bone augmentation with transmucosal healing using demineralized bone matrix may be an option in the treatment of the loss of anterior teeth.
Morphofunctional malignancy grading is a valuable prognostic factor for colorectal cancer
Authors: Priolli Denise Gonçalves , Martinez Carlos Augusto Real , Piovesan Helenice , Cardinalli Izilda Aparecida , Margarido Nelson Fontana , Waisberg Jaques
Published: December 2010

CONTEXT: Novel strategies are needed to identify more efficient biomarkers to accurately diagnose prognose and improve the treatment outcome of colorectal cancer. OBJECTIVES: To analyze the functional and morphological features of colorectal cancer to identify the neoplastic patterns that affect patient survival. METHODS: Forty-five patients with colorectal cancer were followed for a minimum of 3 years. Blood levels of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) were measured by chemiluminescence and immunohistochemical analysis of tissue expression followed by computer-assisted image processing. Tumors were assigned to three morphofunctional classes. The morphofunctional classification was based on combination between histological differentiation and cell polarization. The functional characterization was based on the CEA cell polarization. The tissue polarization of CEA was classified in well-polarized, moderately polarized or nonpolarized cells. Morphofunctional staging was defined by the association between morphofunctional class (polarization and histological differentiation) and TNM by score given to each one classification. RESULTS: There was an association between increased CEA tissue expression and loss of histological differentiation (P = 0.01) or loss of polarization capacity (P = 0.03). There was a progressive increase in tissue CEA quantities in accordance with the proposed morphofunctional grading system. Plasma levels of CEA were increased in advanced tumor stages. Blood levels of CEA were increased in advanced morphofunctional stages (P = 0.001). There was a relationship between survival outcome and morphofunctional staging (P = 0.005). CONCLUSION: Morphofunctional staging is a valuable prognostic factor for colorectal cancer and it correlates with plasma CEA levels.
The impact of the model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) on liver transplantation in one center in Brazil
Authors: Freitas Alexandre Coutinho Teixeira de , Itikawa William Massami , Kurogi Adriana Sayuri , Stadnik Lucinei G , Parolin Mônica Beatriz , Coelho Júlio Cezar Uili
Published: December 2010

CONTEXT: Presently the MELD score is used as the waiting list criterion for liver transplantation in Brazil. In this method more critical patients are considered priority to transplantation. OBJECTIVE: To compare the results of liver transplantation when the chronologic waiting list was the criterion for organ allocation (pre-MELD era) with MELD score period (MELD era) in one liver transplantation unit in Brazil. METHODS: The charts of the patients subjected to liver transplantation at the Hospital de Clínicas da Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, PR, Brazil, were reviewed from January of 2001 to August of 2008. Patients were divided into two groups: pre-MELD era and MELD era. They were compared in relation to demographics of donors and receptors, etiology of cirrhosis, cold and warm ischemia time, presence of hepatocellular carcinoma, MELD score and Child-Pugh score and classification at the time of transplantation, units of red blood cells transfused during the transplantation, intensive care unit stay, total hospital stay and 3 month and 1 year survival. RESULTS: Initially, 205 liver transplantations were analyzed. Ninety four were excluded and 111 were included: 71 on the pre-MELD era and 40 on the MELD era. The two groups were comparable in relation to donors and receptors age and sex, etiology of cirrhosis and cold and warm ischemia time. The receptors of the MELD era had more hepatocellular carcinoma than those of the pre-MELD era (37.5% vs 16.9%). Patients with hepatocellular carcinoma had less advanced cirrhosis on both eras. The MELD score was the same on both eras. Excluding the cases of hepatocellular carcinoma, MELD era score was higher than pre-MELD score (18.2 vs 15.8). There were an increased number of transplants on Child-Pugh A and C and a decreased number on Child-Pugh B receptors on MELD era. Both eras had the same need of red blood cells transfusion, intensive care unit stay and hospital stay. Also, 3 month and 1 year survival were the same: 76% and 74.6% on pre-MELD era and 75% and 70.9% on MELD era. CONCLUSION: In our center, after the introduction of MELD score as the priority criterion for liver transplantation there were an increased number of transplants with hepatocellular carcinoma. Excluding these patients, the receptors were operated upon with more advanced cirrhosis. Nevertheless the patients had the same need for red blood cells transfusion, intensive care unit and hospital stay and 3 months and 1 year survival.
Antibodies anti-Saccharomyces cerevisiae (ASCA) do not differentiate Crohn's disease from celiac disease
Authors: Kotze Lorete Maria da Silva , Nisihara Renato Mitsunori , Utiyama Shirley Ramos da Rosa , Kotze Paulo Gustavo , Theiss Petra Mirella , Olandoski Márcia
Published: December 2010

CONTEXT: Anti-Saccharomyces cerevisiae antibodies (ASCA), considered serologic markers for Crohn's disease, were described in patients with celiac disease, disappearing after a gluten-free diet. OBJECTIVES: Evaluation of ASCA positivity in patients with Crohn's disease and celiac disease in relation to healthy individuals. METHODS: A total of 145 individuals were studied: 36 with Crohn's disease and 52 with celiac disease, that fulfilled the diagnostic criteria for both affections, and 57 healthy individuals for control. The celiac patients were divided as follow: group CeD I at diagnosis (n = 34), group CeD II with gluten-free diet compliance (n = 13) and group CeD III with transgressions to the diet (n = 5). ASCA IgA and IgG were determined by ELISA. RESULTS: With statistical significance, ASCA IgA were positive in Crohn's disease, celiac disease at diagnosis and celiac disease with diet transgressions; ASCA IgG in Crohn's disease and in all groups with celiac disease. CONCLUSIONS: The detection of ASCA in patients with celiac disease allows to suggest that ASCA is not a specific marker for Crohn's disease, but was associated with the inflammation of the small intestine. The increased levels of positive ASCA may be due to genetic factors and increased intestinal permeability.
Platelet count/spleen diameter ratio: analysis of its capacity as a predictor of the existence of esophageal varices
Authors: Mattos Ângelo Zambam de , Mattos Angelo Alves de , Vianna Fernanda Farias , Musskopf Maiara Isabel , Pereira-Lima Júlio Carlos , Maciel Antônio Carlos
Published: December 2010

CONTEXT: Upper gastrointestinal bleeding associated to esophageal varices is the most dramatic complication of cirrhosis. It is recommended screening every cirrhotic for esophageal varices with endoscopy. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the capacity of the platelet count/spleen diameter ratio in non-invasively predicting esophageal varices in a population of cirrhotics originated in an independent center from the one in which it was developed. METHODS: The study included patients from the ambulatory care clinic of cirrhosis of a Brazilian hospital and studied platelet count, spleen diameter and presence of esophageal varices, as well as Child and MELD scores. It used a cutoff value of 909 for the platelet count/spleen diameter ratio, as previously published. A sample of 139 patients was needed to grant results a 95% confidence level. RESULTS: The study included 164 cirrhotics, 56.7% male, with a mean age of 56.6 ± 11.6 years. In the univariate analysis, platelet count, spleen diameter, presence of ascites, Child and MELD scores and the platelet count/spleen diameter ratio were related to esophageal varices (P<0.05). The platelet count/spleen diameter ratio had sensitivity of 77.5% (95% CI = 0.700-0.850), specificity of 45.5% (95% CI = 0.307-0.602), positive predictive value of 79.5% (95% CI = 0.722-0.868), negative predictive value of 42.6% (95% CI = 0.284-0.567) and accuracy of 68.9% (95% CI = 0.618-0.760). In the multivariate analysis, platelet count was the only variable which related to esophageal varices (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Platelet count/ spleen diameter ratio is not adequate to predict esophageal varices in cirrhotics.
Aging and its impact onthe quality of grafts: an experimental study in rats livers
Authors: Mota Stela Maria , Gasperin Glauber , Cerski Carlos Thadeu , Oliveira Jarbas Rodrigues de , Álvares-da-Silva Mário Reis
Published: December 2010

CONTEXT: There are consistent clues of worse results with grafts from older donors, especially in hepatitis C. University of Wisconsin (UW) solution is adopted for liver preservation, but other solutions are being studied, as fructose-1,6-bisphosphate (FBP). OBJECTIVE: To determinate the impact of aging of the donor on the cold ischemia injury in rat livers and compare UW and FBP. METHODS: Twenty male Wistar rats were studied - 10, aging 20 weeks: 5 to preservation with UW (C-UW) and 5, FBP (C-FBP); and other 10, aging 50 weeks: 5 to UW (E-UW) and 5 to FBP (E-FBP). Rats were anesthesized, submitted to hepatectomy, and graft was kept under 2-4ºC for 8 hours. Liquid samples were taken at 2, 4, 6, and 8 hours, to determine AST and LDH. At the end, in the liver tissue thiobarbituric acid reactive substances and catalase were determined. RESULTS: Average liver weight was similar between controls and the others (12.5 g ± 1.8 and 13.4 g ± 2.0). AST and LDH levels were higher in C-UW group (P<0.05). In the older group, there was a difference between UW and FBP preserved livers related to LDH, but not to AST. Thiobarbituric acid reactive substances were superior in control group than in the older one (P = 0.001). Catalase activity was similar between these groups (P = 0.11), but it was superior in UW preserved animals (P = 0.02). CONCLUSION: Livers from older rats were similar to the controls regarding cold ischemia injury in FBP group. Surprisingly, with UW solution there was less cold ischemia injury in the elderly group. When comparing both solutions, FBP provided significantly more protection than UW in the controls. There was a trend to FBP to being better than UW in the elderly group. Further studies with liver from older donors and ischemia and reperfusion are needed.
Interesses profissionais de jovens de ensino médio: estudo correlacional entre a escala de aconselhamento profissional e o self-directed search carrier explorer
Authors: Sartori Fernanda Argentini , Noronha Ana Paula Porto , Godoy Silvia , Ambiel Rodolfo Augusto Matteo
Published: December 2010

O estudo de instrumentos de avaliação psicológica no contexto de orientação profissional é de fundamental importância, pois favorece maior confiabilidade e enriquecimento da interpretação dos resultados. A presente pesquisa objetivou explorar as correlações entre as dimensões da Escala de Aconselhamento Profissional e as seções Competências, Carreiras e Habilidades do Self-Directed Search Career Explorer. A Escala de Aconselhamento Profissional é um instrumento que avalia as preferências por atividades profissionais e o Self-Directed Search Career Explorer traça o perfil tipológico dos interesses dos indivíduos. Participaram do estudo 132 estudantes (54,5% mulheres), com idade média de 15,9 anos, que cursavam o ensino médio de escolas particulares do interior paulista. Os resultados apresentaram correlações significativas (p<0,05) entre alguns tipos do Self-Directed Search Career Explorer e dimensões da Escala de Aconselhamento Profissional teoricamente relacionadas, tais como tipo Artístico com a dimensão Artes e Comunicação. Outras pesquisas devem ser desenvolvidas a fim de contribuir com estudos de outros instrumentos.