bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Clinical characteristics and outcomes for a modern series of primary gliosarcoma patients
Authors: Han Seunggu J. , Yang Isaac , Ahn Brian J. , Otero Jose J. , Tihan Tarik , McDermott Michael W. , Berger Mitchel S. , Prados Michael D. , Parsa Andrew T.
Published: January 2010

BACKGROUND:

Primary gliosarcoma (PGS) is a rare central nervous system tumor with limited experience reported in the literature. In the current study, the authors present a modern series of confirmed PGS cases treated in the era of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), after the accepted glioblastoma management of resection, radiation, and temozolomide.

METHODS:

Using a retrospective review, patients with confirmed PGS were identified (1996‐2008). Cases were determined to be PGS by central pathology review using the 2007 World Health Organization criteria. Extensive chart review was performed to gather clinical and pathologic data on these cases.

RESULTS:

All but 1 patient had undergone a preoperative MRI, with 1 patient receiving a computed tomography scan due to a cardiac pacemaker. A total of 10 patients received radiotherapy with concurrent and adjuvant temozolomide chemotherapy, and 8 patients received radiotherapy alone or in combination with other chemotherapeutic agents. In 2 patients, the history of adjuvant treatment could not be confirmed. The overall median survival was 13.9 months (range, 2.2‐22.9 months). Patients with gliosarcomas resembling meningioma were found to have a significantly prolonged median survival compared with patients harboring gliosarcoma resembling glioblastoma multiforme (16 months vs 9.6 months; P = .011). However, no difference in survival was noted between patients who received concurrent radiotherapy and temozolomide compared with those who did not (10.4 months vs 13.9 months; P = .946).

CONCLUSIONS:

The results of the current study support previous hypotheses that there are 2 distinct types of PGS. The type mimicking the appearance of a meningioma appears to carry a significantly more favorable prognosis, most likely due to an increased chance at achieving macroscopic total resection. Cancer 2010. © 2010 American Cancer Society.
Antiangiogenesis agents in the treatment of soft tissue sarcomas
Authors: Ganjoo Kristen , Jacobs Charlotte
Published: January 2010

Soft tissue sarcomas (STSs) are a heterogeneous group of malignancies that includes >50 different subtypes, each with unique clinical and pathologic qualities. In general, there is a 50% cure rate, and most cures are achieved with complete surgical resection with or without radiation therapy. The results from chemotherapeutic agents for unresectable or metastatic disease have been disappointing with minimal long‐term benefit. New targeted and novel agents are needed to improve response and survival. Tumor angiogenesis has been an intense focus in cancer therapy over the past decade. Several of numerous antiangiogenesis agents have been developed, and many already have been approved for the treatment of both solid and liquid tumors. Certain STSs are highly vascular tumors that often demonstrate angiogenesis markers. The objective of this review was to evaluate these angiogenesis markers in defining the role of angiogenesis in the treatment of patients with STS. In addition, the authors conducted an in‐depth review of the results from using key antiangiogenesis agents in the treatment of STS. Cancer 2010. © 2010 American Cancer Society.
Ethnic and racial differences in patients with Ewing sarcoma
Authors: Worch Jennifer , Matthay Katherine K. , Neuhaus John , Goldsby Robert , DuBois Steven G.
Published: January 2010

BACKGROUND:

Ewing sarcoma (ES) was a malignant tumor of bone or soft tissue. One of the few risk factors for developing ES is race, with a higher incidence noted in populations of European rather than African or Asian ancestry. The goal of the current study was to evaluate racial and ethnic differences in presentation and overall survival (OS) among patients diagnosed with ES before age 40 years.

METHODS:

Data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database identified 1715 patients aged <40 years who were diagnosed with ES between 1973 and 2005. Racial and ethnic group differences were compared using chi‐square tests. OS was estimated by Kaplan‐Meier analysis and compared using log‐rank tests and Cox models.

RESULTS:

Black patients had significantly more soft‐tissue tumors compared with white non‐Hispanic patients (P <.0001). Asian and white Hispanic patients were found to have an intermediate frequency of soft‐tissue tumors that also differed from white non‐Hispanic patients (P <.0001). White Hispanic patients presented with a higher proportion of larger tumors compared with white non‐Hispanic patients (P = .042). Black patients tended to be older than white non‐Hispanic patients (P = .012). Sex, frequency of pelvic tumors, and metastatic status did not appear to differ by ethnicity or race. OS was found to differ according to race and ethnicity. Even after controlling for known confounders, OS was significantly worse for black, Asian, and white Hispanic patients compared with white non‐Hispanic patients (P = .0031, P = .0182, and P = .0051, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS:

Ethnic and racial differences in characteristics and outcomes of patients with ES do exist. Understanding the etiology of these differences will require further study. Cancer 2010. © 2010 American Cancer Society.
Prevalence of mental disorders and service utilization in seniors: results from the Canadian community health survey cycle 1.2.
Authors: Mosier Karen E. , Vasiliadis Helen‐Maria , Lepnurm Marje , Puchala Chassidy , Pekrul Chris , Tempier Raymond
Published: January 2010

Objective

This paper examined the 12‐month rate of mental disorders and subsequent service use among Canadian seniors aged 65–79 and 80 and over and adults aged 20–49 and 50–64.

Methods

This is a secondary analysis of data [n = 33 695] of the population‐based Canadian Community Health survey, Cycle 1.2 (CCHS 1.2). Major Depressive Episodes (MDEs), specific Anxiety Disorders (AD) and Alcohol Abuse/Dependence rates were assessed.

Results

The 12‐month rates for the two senior groups aged 65–79 and 80+ for MDEs, ADs, and Substance Dependence (SD) are 1.7% and 1.6%; 1.4% and 0.8%; and 0.1% and 0.0%, respectively. Seniors aged 65–79 and 80+ had significantly lower rates than adults aged 20–49 and 50–64 for all mental disorders and SD. Among the total sample, seniors aged 65–79 and 80+ had significantly lower utilization rates than adults aged 20–49 and 50–64 for all three provider categories (GP only, GP and Other Health Professional, Any Other Health Professional but GP). Females aged 65–79 and 80+ were less likely to have reported service use for mental health reasons as opposed to those females aged 20–49 and 50–64. Males aged 65–79 and 80+ were more likely to have reported having used mental health services in the past 12 months as opposed to males aged 20–49 and 50–64.

Conclusions

The presence of common mental disorders is lower in seniors as compared to younger adults. Age and gender influence mental health service utilization rates. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The influence of semen‐derived enhancer of virus infection on the efficiency of retroviral gene transfer
Authors: Wurm Melanie , Schambach Axel , Lindemann Dirk , Hanenberg Helmut , Ständker Ludger , Forssmann Wolf‐Georg , Blasczyk Rainer , Horn Peter A.
Published: January 2010

Background

An improvement of retroviral infection has been postulated using a naturally occurring fragment of the abundant semen marker prostatic acidic phosphatase. This peptide, termed semen‐derived enhancer of virus infection (SEVI), promotes HIV attachment to the target cells.

Methods

In the present study, we examined whether SEVI would also enhance the infectivity of other viruses with different envelope proteins. We focused on retroviruses pseudotyped with envelopes that are commonly used for the genetic modification of cells, in particular, T cells and hematopoietic progenitor cells. Because the effect of SEVI is considered to be a result of its cationic properties, we compared SEVI with other cationic agents such as protamine sulfate and Polybrene.

Results

We found that SEVI increases the efficiency of gene transfer for lentiviral and gammaretroviral vector constructs pseudotyped with VSV‐G, GALV, RD114 or foamy viral envelopes on hematopoietic and nonhematopoietic cell lines. On T cells, the transduction efficiency of GALV and RD114 pseudotyped vectors was significantly increased by SEVI. A significant increase of the gene transfer rate was also detected for foamy virally pseudotyped lentivirus on murine hematopoietic progenitor cells. No toxic effect of SEVI treatment was detected on any cell type tested, including human and murine hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells. When directly comparing the effect of SEVI with Polybrene or protamine sulfate, we show that the semen‐derived protein is more efficient in increasing the gene transfer rate.

Conclusions

SEVI is a promising agent for promoting and improving gene transfer and may also be useful for clinical gene therapy studies. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Synthesis and fungicidal activity of 2‐substituted‐3‐(4‐fluorophenyl)‐benzofuro [3,2‐d] pyrimidin‐4(3H)‐ones
Authors: Hu Yang‐Gen , Xu Jing , Gao Hai‐Tao , Ma Zuan
Published: January 2010

magnified image

Carbodiimide, obtained from aza‐Wittig reaction of iminophosphorane with 4‐fluorophenyl isocyanate, reacted with various nucleophiles under mild conditions to give a series of 2‐substituted‐3‐(4‐fluorophenyl)‐benzofuro [3,2‐d] pyrimidin‐4(3H)‐ones in satisfactory yield. Their structures were confirmed using NMR, EI‐Ms, IR, and elementary analysis, and compound 7b was further analyzed by single‐crystal. The preliminary bioassays indicated that these compounds showed moderate fungicidal activities against six kinds of fungi at a concentration of 50 mg/L. J. Heterocyclic Chem., 2010.
Tip‐enhanced Raman spectroscopy using single‐crystalline Ag nanowire as tip
Authors: You Yumeng , Purnawirman N. A. , Hu Hailong , Kasim Johnson , Yang Huanping , Du Chaoling , Yu Ting , Shen Zexiang
Published: January 2010

We report the surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) effect from the apex of single‐crystalline Ag nanowires (NWs). We also fabricated tip‐enhanced Raman spectroscopy (TERS) tips by attaching individual Ag NWs to W wires by using the alternating current dielectrophoresis (AC‐DEP) method. The single‐crystalline Ag NW tips could overcome many of the shortcomings of conventional TERS tips. Most importantly, the results obtained from TERS using single‐crystalline metal NWs are very reproducible, and the tips are also reusable. This development represents a significant progress in making TERS a reliable optical characterization technique with nanometer spatial resolution. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Detection and analysis of cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine (RDX) in environmental samples by surface‐enhanced Raman spectroscopy
Authors: Hatab Nahla A. , Eres Gyula , Hatzinger Paul B. , Gu Baohua
Published: January 2010

Techniques for rapid and sensitive detection of energetics such as cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine (RDX) are needed both for environmental and security screening applications. Here we report the use of surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectroscopy to detect traces of RDX with good sensitivity and reproducibility. Using gold (Au) nanoparticles (∼90–100 nm in diameter) as SERS substrates, RDX was detectable at concentrations as low as 0.15 mg/l in a contaminated groundwater sample. This detection limit is about two orders of magnitude lower than those reported previously using SERS techniques. A surface enhancement factor of ∼6 × 104 was obtained. This research further demonstrates the potential for using SERS as a rapid, in situ field screening tool for energetics detection when coupled with a portable Raman spectrometer. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Stiffening of Polycarbonate by Addition of a Highly Dispersed and Fibrillated Amorphous Polyamide‐Based Nanocomposite
Authors: Goitisolo Izaro , Eguiazábal José Ignacio , Nazabal Jon
Published: January 2010

Ternary systems consisting of blends of polycarbonate (PC) from bisphenol A and minority amounts of an amorphous polyamide reinforced with organically modified nanoclay (naPA), were obtained in the melt state. The nanoclay was widely exfoliated inside the dispersed naPA phase. The dispersed phase exhibited a very fine size (up to 0.36 µm), indicating compatibilization. Compatibilization was attributed to interactions between the aPA and the PC. The nanocomposite showed a lower compatibility than their corresponding blends. This lower compatibility of the nanocomposite was attributed to a hindrance of the interaction by the migrated surfactant of the organoclay. The presence of fibrillation in conjunction with a dispersed nanoclay resulted in additive enhancing effects on the modulus and yield stress. This led to modulus increases up to 46% with respect to that of the neat matrix upon the addition of 25% naPA‐10. Besides exhibiting these remarkable modulus values, these systems show an elongation at break similar to that of the neat PC matrix.

magnified image
Combination therapy with sulfonylureas and metformin and the prevention of death in type 2 diabetes: a nested case‐control study
Authors: Azoulay Laurent , Schneider‐Lindner Verena , Dell'Aniello Sophie , Schiffrin Alicia , Suissa Samy
Published: January 2010

Purpose

To determine whether combination of sulfonylureas and metformin increases the risk of death from any cause in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Methods

A nested case‐control study was conducted within a population‐based cohort from the UK General Practice Research Database (GPRD). The cohort included patients over the age of 40 who were prescribed a first oral hypoglycaemic agent between 1 January 1988 and 30 June 2008. Cases included all patients who deceased during follow‐up. Up to 10 controls were matched to each case on year of birth, date of cohort entry (±1 year) and duration of follow‐up. Conditional logistic regression was used to estimate rate ratios (RRs) of death from any cause associated with the use of combination of sulfonylureas and metformin, relative to sulfonylurea monotherapy.

Results

The cohort comprised 84 231 users of oral hypoglycaemic agents, of whom 14 996 died from any cause during a mean of 4.3 years of follow‐up (mortality rate 4.1 per 100 per year). Patients currently exposed to a combination of sulfonylureas and metformin were at a decreased risk of death from any cause compared to patients exposed to sulfonylurea monotherapy (adjusted RR: 0.77, 95%CI: 0.70, 0.85). Similar results were obtained for patients currently exposed to metformin monotherapy (adjusted RR: 0.70, 95%CI: 0.64, 0.75) when compared to sulfonylurea monotherapy. Patients had to be exposed to the combination therapy for at least 4 months prior to index date to experience a lower risk of mortality compared to sulfonylurea monotherapy.

Conclusions

The combination of sulfonylureas and metformin does not increase the risk of death. In contrast, it may moderately reduce this risk compared to sulfonylurea monotherapy. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Six minute walk distance or stair negotiation? Choice of activity assessment following total knee replacement
Authors: Crosbie Jack , Naylor Justine M. , Harmer Alison R.
Published: January 2010

Background and Purpose. Physiotherapists evaluating changing functional performance in patients who have undergone total knee replacement (TKR) will often measure a number of gait‐related activities, including six‐minute walk distance (6MWD) and the capacity to ascend and descend stairs. In this report, we investigated the correlations between the 6MWD and stair ascent and descent power in a group of patients who had participated in a clinical trial at 2, 8 and 26 weeks post‐TKR to establish whether there is redundancy in conducting all three tests. Methods. Retrospective analysis of data from a clinical trial was used. One hundred patients (57 female, 43 male) were tested on their 6MWD and power generated and absorbed during stair ascent and descent, respectively. Linear regression modelling was used to determine correlations between pairs of variables at the three measurement intervals. Results. There were consistent relationships between each pair of variables at each measurement interval (r > 0.70; p < 0.001) and also a consistency in the regressions between measurements. Conclusion. The findings indicate that there is no particular benefit to the therapist in measuring more than one of the three variables if the purpose of the measurement is to serve as an indicator of ambulatory functional status for routine clinical assessment. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Refined carbothermal reduction approach for large scale, uniform growth of vertically aligned ZnO nanowires
Authors: Lee Ji‐Seung , Lee Dong‐Kyoon , Kim Jaehyun , Kim Junghan , Yang Heesun
Published: January 2010

For a large scale, uniform growth of vertically well‐aligned zinc oxide (ZnO) nanowires (NWs), a carbothermal reduction process was refined. Depending on how ZnO and graphite powders are loaded, i.e., stacked versus mixed states, the NWs show strikingly different growth behaviors. A newly introduced ZnO/graphite stacked source was found to be superior to a conventional mixed source with respect to the degree of vertical alignment and uniformity presumably due to the controlled (steady, slow) generation of Zn species at the ZnO/graphite boundaries. Effects of growth temperature, Ar gas flow, and weight of source materials on growth behaviors of ZnO NWs are investigated, and their optical and structural properties are characterized.
Superconducting and microstructural properties of Mg1−xAgxB2
Authors: Singh Kiran , Mohan Rajneesh , Kumar Naresh , Bhattacharya Shovit , Rayaprol Sudhindra , Gaur N. K. , Singh Ram K.
Published: January 2010

A systematic study on the effect of silver (Ag) doping in magnesium diboride (MgB2) superconductor has been undertaken. A series of polycrystalline samples with composition Mg1−xAgxB2 (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.20) were synthesized by using the “in situ” solid state reaction method. All the samples were sintered at 850 °C for 2 h under the high purity argon flow. The room temperature X‐ray diffraction (XRD), low temperature resistivity (ρ‐T) measurements and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE‐SEM) were performed to explore the phase purity, superconducting transition temperature, and microstructural properties, respectively.

The XRD patterns show that Ag doping leads to the formation of MgAg phase. The relative intensity of MgAg phase increases with increasing Ag content. The ρ–T measurement shows that superconducting transition temperature (Tc) decreases slightly with Ag doping. All the samples have Tc between 38.5 K (x = 0.00) and 37 K (x = 0.20). The FE‐SEM images have revealed hexagonal shaped grains with an average grain size between 0.20 and 0.50 µm.
Simulation of the influence of thermal quenching on thermoluminescence glow‐peaks
Authors: Subedi B. , Kitis G. , Pagonis V.
Published: January 2010

The thermal quenching of luminescence efficiency is an effect which is present in many thermoluminescent (TL) materials. It causes a significant decrease of the luminescence signal and disturbs the shape of the glow‐peaks. Therefore, in principle, the thermoluminescence kinetics theory cannot describe TL glow‐peaks influenced by thermal quenching. In the present work a detailed simulation of the influence of the thermal quenching effect on thermoluminescence glow‐peaks is presented. Specifically we study the shift of the quenched glow‐peak with heating rate and the effect on the various heating rate methods, the influence on the symmetry factor and the kinetic order of the glow‐peak, and the effect of thermal quenching on the initial rise and peak shape methods for evaluating kinetic parameters. Furthermore, the evaluation of the thermal quenching parameters using the quenched glow‐peak and the possibility of using the conventional expression describing a single glow‐peak to fit the quenched glow peaks are also investigated.
DFT study on the second‐order nonlinear optical property of 12‐vertex close‐carborane derivatives
Authors: Fan Min , Sun Shi‐Ling , Qiu Yong‐Qing , Liu Xiao‐Dong , Su Zhong‐Min
Published: January 2010

Density functional theory (DFT) BHandHLYP method based on the 6‐31G(d) level was employed to optimize the structures of 12‐vertex substituted carboranes. The finite field (FF) method was adopted to study their second‐order nonlinear optical coefficients. Moreover, the electron spectra of systems were analyzed. The results show carboranes with alkali‐metal substituted have considerably large first hyperpolarizability (βtot) values which is 2–3 order of magnitude larger than that of unsubstituted carborane (14.5 a.u). For halogen and organic group substituted systems, however, the βtot values are only enhanced by one order of magnitude. The β values of carboranes obviously enhance after alkali‐metal substitution. This study may evoke the possibility to explore a new thriving area, i.e., alkali‐metal substituted carboranes for NLO application. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2011
RNA secondary structure alignment based on an extended binary coding method
Authors: Cao Zhi , Liao Bo , Li Renfa , Luo Jiawei , Zhu Wen
Published: January 2010

Recently, we proposed a three‐dimensional cube representation of RNA secondary structure. An efficient method for mutation analysis has been proposed based on the introduced representation. According to the proposed three‐dimensional cube representations, we will introduce an extended binary coding method for RNA secondary structure alignment by converting the structure alignment to sequence alignment. Using our method, the result of structure alignment can be obtained quickly. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2011
Adaptive smearing for Brillouin zone integration
Authors: Björkman Torbjörn , Grånäs Oscar
Published: January 2010

We suggest a simple scheme for automatically determining the width parameter of smearing methods of the Brillouin zone integration in electronic structure calculation. The scheme retains one free parameter that at any time can be eliminated by choosing a denser k‐space mesh until the desired accuracy is obtained. The tests are carried out in the context of Methfessel‐Paxton smearing. This adaptive Gaussian smearing (AGS) is easily implemented, variational with respect to partial occupancies and free from spurious occupancies that are negative or larger than one. Its convergence properties are similar to those obtained with the modified tetrahedron method for energy resolution of ≥0.1 meV. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2011
Comparison of first‐trimester contingent screening strategies for Down syndrome
Authors: Sahota D. S. , Leung T. Y. , Chan L. W. , Law L. W. , Fung T. Y. , Chen M. , Lau T. K.
Published: January 2010

Objective

To assess the relative performance of a multi‐stage first‐trimester screening protocol for fetal Down syndrome.

Methods

Data from 10 767 women who underwent combined ultrasound and biochemistry (BC) screening in the first trimester were reanalyzed using a contingent model approach. Amongst the 10 854 fetuses with known outcome, 32 had Down syndrome, 232 had other abnormalities and 10 590 were unaffected. Nuchal transluceny (NT), BC and combined (NT‐BC) gestational age‐specific risks were calculated for each individual using The Fetal Medicine Foundation risk calculation algorithms (Mixture Model and Biochemistry). Individual patients were categorized as at low, high or intermediate risk according to one of the following three strategies. In ‘Strategy‐NT‐BC’ initial screening was performed using both NT and BC. In ‘Strategy‐BC’ initial screening was undertaken using maternal serum markers followed by NT assessment in those with an intermediate risk (1 : 51 < risk $\leq 1:1000$) while in ‘Strategy‐NT’ initial screening was undertaken using NT followed by serum marker assessment in those with an intermediate risk (1 : 51 < risk $\leq 1:1000$). The nasal bone was assessed in those with an intermediate risk as the final stage in each of the three strategies. Those with an adjusted risk of 1 in 100 or higher after nasal bone assessment were reclassified as high risk. Detection and false‐positive rates were compared between differing strategies in our local population, and this analysis was also performed with the maternal age for our population standardized to the distribution found in England and Wales.

Results

In our local population the detection rate for a 5% false‐positive rate using a combined screening policy (NT‐BC) was 88% (95% CI, 75.3–98.9%), and 2.3% had an absent nasal bone. The respective detection rate and false‐positive rate of the three multi‐stage screening strategies were: Strategy‐NT‐BC: 87.5 and 2.5%; Strategy‐BC: 87.5 and 5%; Strategy‐NT: 84.4 and 2.9%. In the contingent Strategy‐BC only 29% of those initially screened using serum markers required an NT scan. If the model were applied to a hypothetical obstetric population standardized to the maternal age distribution in England and Wales, the detection and false‐positive rates of the same three screening strategies would be: Strategy‐NT‐BC: 86.2 and 1.9%; Strategy‐BC: 82.8 and 4%; Strategy‐NT: 75.8 and 2.3%, respectively.

Conclusion

First‐trimester contingent screening provides detection and false‐positive rates comparable to those achieved using combined screening, but could be used to significantly reduce the number of scans performed. Copyright © 2010 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Structured Ultrasonography Workshop for Breast Surgeons: Is It An Effective Training Tool?
Authors: Law Michael T. , Bennett Ian C.
Published: January 2010

Background

Effective training is essential to ensure satisfactory performance in surgeon‐performed ultrasonography (US) and guided breast needle biopsies (USGBB). This study aimed to determine the efficacy of conducting a structured workshop in the teaching of breast US application and in guided biopsy techniques.

Methods

Consenting participants of the US for Surgeons Workshop at the General Surgeons Australia 2008 Annual Scientific Meeting were recruited. The workshop was divided into theoretical and practical components. For the theoretical component, brief pretests were administered, followed by lecture series, and then posttests. For the practical component, preinstructional USGBBs performed on breast phantoms and turkey breasts implanted with simulated lesions were assessed, followed by tutorials; it was concluded with postinstructional biopsy assessment. Points were deducted for simulated chest wall hits (complications). Previous experience and training in USBGG were recorded. Pre‐ and postlecture/instructional results were compared and the correlation tested using Student’s t‐test (p < 0.05).

Results

In all, 14 participants were recruited: 71% had no to moderate experience with USGBB. For the theoretical component, 33% improvement over the pretest (p < 0.001) was seen across all levels of experience. For the practical component, there was 56% improvement after instruction (p = 0.001), which was most marked in the moderate experience group (83%, p = 0.03). Two complications were recorded for the least experienced group prior to instructions, but no complications were seen following instructions.

Conclusions

Structured workshops are effective for training surgeons in US application and USGBB and should be considered as part of standardized training guidelines and credentialing. Theory and practical components demonstrated similar efficacy and should be considered integral components in training programs. Formal training decreases complication rates, especially among the inexperienced.
Papillary Thyroid Microcarcinoma: Extrathyroidal Extension, Lymph Node Metastases, and Risk Factors for Recurrence in a High Prevalence of Goiter Area
Authors: Lombardi Celestino P. , Bellantone Rocco , De Crea Carmela , Paladino Nunzia C. , Fadda Guido , Salvatori Massimo , Raffaelli Marco
Published: January 2010

Background

Although papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC) is diagnosed with increasing frequency, the best therapeutic option and follow‐up protocol have not been established yet, especially in the case of incidental diagnosis. We reviewed our series of patients with PTMC to determine risk factors for recurrence in an area where there is a high prevalence of goiter.

Methods

The medical records of all patients who underwent thyroidectomy with a final pathology report of PTMC between October 2002 and June 2007 were reviewed. PTMC was defined as a papillary thyroid carcinoma 10 mm or less in diameter. Follow‐up evaluation was obtained by outpatient consultation and/or telephone interview.

Results

In a series of 2,220 patients who underwent thyroidectomy for a thyroid carcinoma, 933 had a PTMC. Diagnosis was incidental in 704 patients (75.5%). Upon multivariate analysis, tumor size, nonincidental diagnosis, and neck node metastases at diagnosis were independent risk factors for extracapsular spread (ECS), while ECS, multifocal disease, and number of removed lymph nodes were independent risk factors for lymph node metastases at diagnosis. Follow‐up evaluation was completed in 287 patients, 9 (3.1%) of whom experienced recurrence. The number of removed and metastasized nodes at first operation and the length of the follow‐up were independent risk factors for recurrent disease.

Conclusions

Incidental diagnosis of PTMC is frequent in a high prevalence of goiter area. PTMC shows a variable degree of aggressiveness. Management protocols should be based on patient‐ and tumor‐related prognostic factors, as for larger tumors.
Vitamin D3 Deficiency is Associated with Late‐Onset Hypocalcemia After Minimally Invasive Parathyroidectomy in a Vitamin D Borderline Area
Authors: Lang Brian Hung‐Hin , Lo Chung‐Yau
Published: January 2010

Background

Concurrent vitamin D3 deficiency is common in primary hyperparathyroidism (pHPT). We aimed to examine the clinicopathologic features and short‐term outcomes of vitamin D3‐deficient patients after minimally invasive parathyroidectomy (MIP).

Methods

Over 2‐year period, 80 consecutive MIP patients had preoperative‐fasting 25‐hydroxyvitamin D3 (25OHD3) checked. Forty‐five patients had a 25OHD3 level <20 ng/ml and were defined as deficient. Intraoperative parathyroid hormone (IOPTH) assay was used for all MIP. Postoperative adjusted calcium (Ca) was checked at 6, 16 (with intact PTH), and 24 h. Oral calcium and vitamin D supplements were given if hypocalcemic symptoms developed or Ca < 2.00 mmol/l. Late‐onset hypocalcemia (LOH) was defined as symptoms developed after 24 h.

Results

Both deficient and nondeficient groups had similar demographic data and bone density scores. The deficient group had significantly higher PTH (190 vs. 121 pg/ml, p = 0.015). Although IOPTH in the deficient group were higher at induction and 0 min after excision, the percentage drop from induction to 10 min after excision was similar. Ca was similar at 6 and 16 h in the two groups but was significantly lower in the deficient group at 24 h (2.10 vs. 2.45 mmol/l, p = 0.033). At 1 week, the proportion of LOH was significantly higher in the deficient group (12/42 vs. 3/34, p = 0.043) and in those with preoperative PTH > 100 pg/ml (15/57 vs. 0/19, p = 0.013).

Conclusions

Vitamin D3 deficiency was associated with a higher preoperative PTH level and a greater risk of LOH after MIP. However, the likely cause of LOH remains unclear as both low preoperative vitamin D3 and high PTH levels could be responsible.
The Plackett–Burman Design for Evaluating the Production of Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids by Physcomitrella patens
Authors: Chodok Pichit , Kanjana‐Opas Akkharawit , Kaewsuwan Songsri
Published: January 2010

Identification of the parameters that had significant effects on polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and biomass production by the moss Physcomitrella patens was performed using nine culture variables (temperature, agitation speed, pH, sucrose, di‐ammonium tartrate, CaCl2·2H2O, MgSO4·7H2O, KH2PO4 and KNO3) with the statistical design technique of Plackett–Burman. Statistical analysis revealed that two physical variables (pH and temperature) had significant effects on the production of both biomass and PUFAs (linoleic acid, LA; γ‐linolenic acid, GLA; α‐linolenic acid, ALA; eicosadienoic acid, EDA; di‐homo‐γ‐linolenic acid, DHGLA; arachidonic acid, ARA; eicosapentaenoic acid, EPA). Three nutritional variables (sucrose, CaCl2 and MgSO4) had an influence only on the production of some of the PUFAs. Of the two levels used in this study, higher concentrations of sucrose had a positive effect on LA, ARA and EPA production, whereas higher concentrations of metal ions (CaCl2 and MgSO4) had a negative effect only on ARA and EPA production. After adjustment by multiple linear regression, it can be concluded that pH, temperature, sucrose, CaCl2 and MgSO4 were the most statistically significant parameters for the growth of P. patens and for PUFA production by this moss.
Chemical Composition and Oxidative Stability of Selected Plant Oils
Authors: Szterk Arkadiusz , Roszko M. , Sosińska E. , Derewiaka D. , Lewicki P. P.
Published: January 2010

Scientific data on the oxidative stability of borage oil, Camelina sativa oil, linseed oil, evening primrose oil and pumpkin seed oil are scarce. Chemiluminescence (CL) methods most commonly used to determine the oxidative stability of oils include measurement of hydroperoxide, intensity of light emitted during the accelerated oxidation process performed at high (>100 °C) temperatures or assisted by forced flow of air/oxygen through the sample. The aim of this study was to investigate the chemical composition and oxidative stability of selected vegetable oils available on the Polish market. Oxidative stability was determined using a fast, novel chemiluminescence‐based method, in which light emitted during oxidation process conducted at 70 °C in the presence of some catalyzing Fe2+ ions is measured. A reaction of the applied type has not been reported so far. High contents of tocopherols and phytosterols were found in the analyzed oil samples. Oxidative stability of the samples was in most cases higher than the stability of refined rapeseed oil, a relatively stable substance from the oxidation point of view.
Predicting metabolisable energy in commercial rat diets: physiological fuel values may be misleading
Authors: Bielohuby Maximilian , Bodendorf Karin , Brandstetter Heinz , Bidlingmaier Martin , Kienzle Ellen
Published: January 2010

Knowledge about metabolisable energy (ME) intake is crucial for various experimental settings in rodent studies. ME considers faecal and renal energy losses. In particular, faecal energy excretion can vary considerably between differentially composed diets. Thus determination of faecal energy losses, i.e. apparent energy digestibility, is the most important experimental approach to determine ME. Predictive equations for ME such as Atwater factors or an equation for pigs, which are frequently employed for rodent feed, consider an average energy digestibility for nutrients and average renal losses for protein. Both equations, however, were never validated for rat feed. We therefore determined experimentally the digestibility of energy (experimentally determined digestible energy − 5·2 kJ/g digestible protein) and nutrients of eleven natural and five purified rat diets and compared the present results with the predicted values. Compared with natural diets, digestibility of gross energy (GE) and nutrients was higher by about 20 % in the purified diets (P < 0·0001). Mean GE digestibility in natural diets amounted to 71·4 % (range 53·3–83·5 %;n11). Atwater factors predicted ME with satisfactory accuracy in purified diets. In contrast, for natural diets, only the equation for pig feed gave acceptable estimates of ME. Choosing an inappropriate predictive equation for ME resulted in considerable error. For prediction of ME in mixed rat feed, we propose to use the equation for pig feed for natural diets and Atwater factors for purified diets. If the equation for pig feed cannot be applied we suggest using the lower modified Atwater factors instead of the ‘original’ Atwater factors to estimate the ME of a diet.
New repositioning techniques for benign paroxysmal positional vertigo: the Li repositioning manoeuvres
Authors: Li J , Li H
Published: January 2010

Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo can be treated by repositioning manoeuvres. Current manoeuvres can be cumbersome to perform and require determination of the canal affected, usually by assessing nystagmus direction on provocation. We developed a new series of manoeuvres to manage benign paroxysmal positional vertigo of each semicircular canal. The canal affected, and thus the manoeuvre used in each case, was determined by the patient's subjective report of vertigo on provocative head positioning. The reported manoeuvres were utilised in 216 patients, with an excellent rate of symptom resolution (96.7 per cent). The Li particle repositioning manoeuvres are effective, reliable and simply performed alternatives for the management of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo.
Endoscopic Caldwell–Luc technique
Authors: Masterson L , Al Gargaz W , Bath A P
Published: January 2010

This report describes a combined approach to the maxillary sinus, used to deal with mucosal pathology. The technique uses a powered microdebrider with angled endoscopes and is minimally invasive. It is cost-effective and offers the potential for decreased surgical time, reduced post-operative healing time and reduced post-operative morbidity.
The Nyayacastra of Medhatithi
Authors: Keith A. Berriedale
Published: January 2010

One point only in Dr. Barnett's vivacious article in the last number of this Bulletin (pp. 519–22) seems to merit further examination, because it deals with an issue which is capable of definitely objective treatment, namely the reference in the Pratimānāṭaka to the Nyāyaçāstra of Medhātithi. Dr. Barnett, despite the brief refutation of his view given by me above (Vol. III, Pt. II, p. 295), still insists that the Nyāyaçāstra can only mean the Manubhāṣya, a work of the tenth century a.d.
Oriental Studies in Petrograd between 1918 and 1922
Authors: Kasanin M.
Published: January 2010

The following is a brief digest of a pamphlet published by the Committee of Orientalists in Petrograd early in 1924. The publication was by order of the Academy of Sciences and is compiled and edited by M. V. Kotvich.
CT 58, no. 70. A Middle Babylonian eršahunga
Authors: Geller M. J.
Published: January 2010

Stefan Maul has presented Assyriology with a model study of an important genre of liturgical texts, the so-called eršahunga-prayers designed to still the heart of an angry god. The texts appear in autograph copies and transliterations, with lucid translations, useful philological notes, and a comprehensive glossary. The present reviewer has not checked the copies, since M.-C. Ludwig has collated the British Museum tablets for her own review of this volume.

Maul's introduction to the eršahunga-prayers offers a brief survey of the genre, although the discussion is somewhat too specialized for the general reader unfamiliar with Assyriology. There is a need for a review of both Sumerian and Akkadian prayer which addresses the relationship between prayer and incantation, since both genres can appear together in certain types of apotropaic rituals. The problem of appeasing an angry god, for instance, was a theme common to both liturgy and incantations. The eršahunga, ‘lament to still the heart’, is paralleled by incantations known as dingir-šà-dib-ba gur-ru-da ‘(incantations) to appease the angry god’, composed as a confessional of unwitting sins. It is not clear when one would recite an eršahunga-prayer or a dingir-šà-dib-ba incantation, since both types of texts attempt to appease a god who is angered by some unspecified or unknown transgression. The eršahunga is typically composed in the Emesal dialect of Sumerian associated primarily (but not exclusively) with prayer and cultic texts, while exorcistic incantations are composed in the main Sumerian dialect (Emegir) of literary texts; both of these genres appear in the first millennium with Akkadian translations. It is possible that the distinction between prayer and incantation simply represents professional divisions between the kalû (lamentation priest) and the āšipu (exorcist), but it is not easy to define the conditions in which the various types of prayers and incantations were employed.
A suggestion for romanizing the Abkhaz alphabet (based on Monika Höhlig's Adiĝe Alfabet)
Authors: Hewitt B. G.
Published: January 2010

In 1983 Monika Höhlig published a pamphlet (reprinted in 1990) setting out her ideas for producing a romanized script for (North-West Caucasian) Circassian. Since the bulk of the Circassian community lives not in the Caucasus but in Turkey (or elsewhere in the Near East), her basic tenet was that, where necessary, the roman characters should have the same values that obtain for the purpose of representing Turkish—so that, for example, the letter c would represent the voiced palato-alveolar affricate []. Two further principles which guided the creation of this script were: (a) that any attempt to provide one totally independent character for each phoneme of the language would lead to an unwieldy number of new letter-shapes, and (b) that no diacritic should be employed that is not available on a Turkish typewriter.
Fire and rain: a look at Shen Nung the Divine Farmer) and his ties with Yen Ti (the .
Authors: Henricks Robert G.
Published: January 2010

Up to this point I have attempted to show how Shen Nung was portrayed in late Warring States and early Han texts. I have also reviewed what we know about Nung (or Chu) and Lieh Shan shih, Keng-fu (Plough Father), and T'ien-tsu (Field Ancestor), since it may be one or all four of these figures that comes to be known as Shen Nung.

We can argue nothing for certain on this, and certainly T'ien-tsu in the Shih, was, we assume, a god of the Chou. But that point aside, there seems to be good reason to think that Shen Nung was originally a farming god of the Shang people. He is the hero who invented the plough, and the god to whom they turned when they needed rain. Ultimately, this may have been Hsieh, the first-born of the Shang people, known to us in our texts as Shu-chün or Yi-chün. That Shen Nung would become prominent only in texts that date from the late Chou should be no surprise; we should expect him to be overshadowed in early Chou times by their hero Hou Chi.

It is important to keep in mind as we proceed that in the materials we have examined so far, we have seen repeated references to ‘fire’ and ‘rain’ and ‘drought’. Ritual ways of producing rainfall and combating the drought could involve fire (yen-huo, in Shih, 211); they might also involve ‘invocations’, charging the drought demon to ‘Go to the north!’ (Shan-hai ching).
Some further material from the Eugen Mittwoch Nachlass
Authors: Ullendorff Edward
Published: January 2010

The controversy as regards the genuineness of the allegedly seventeenth-century Ethiopian philosophers Zär'a Ya‘qob an Waldä Haywät and their two opuscula, known as hatäta ‘examination, inquiry’, has for close on a century generated scholarly discussion. In the footsteps of C. Conti Rossini (RAL, vm, 1899, 43 and RAL, xxix, 1920, 213—23) Mittwoch has adduced weighty arguments against the authenticity of the two tracts, and in his Amharische Version der Soirées de Carthage (Berlinand Leipzig, 1934) he has cited the relevant literature. I do not propose, in the present context, to traverse the same ground once again. The Ga‘az texts of the two hatäta were edited and translated by E. Littmann (CSCO, Scriptores Aethiopici, vols. 1 and 2, Leipzig 1904) and rendered from Ga‘sz into Amharic by Zämänfäs Qaddus Abraha (Asmara, 1955).

In the 1920s Eugen Mittwoch's pupil, Dr. Hans Schlobies,2 wrote to Alaqa Dästa,3 who was considered a notable student of Ethiopic literature, to enquire about indigenous knowledge of those two works. Part of the learned Aläqa's reply was published by Mittwoch in the Soirées de Carthage, 3–4, but Mittwoch's Ethiopian Nachlass (now in my possession) contains the original of Alaqa Dästa's letter which I propose to set out here in its entirety:

To the honoured Dr. Yohannes Schlobies. While I say ‘let my respectful greetings be to you and your entire family’, I present the compliments appropriate to your distinction. Honoured Sir, so far from being-as you wrote to me-' famous
A note on expressions of involuntary experience in the Shina of Skardu
Authors: Hook Peter Edwin
Published: January 2010

Sixty-five years ago, in brief remarks devoted to the Shina of Dras, Bailey noted an unusual construction associated with the verb lezhonu ‘to get’:
The fall and rise of the phoneme /r/ in Eastern Kiranti: sound change in Tibeto-Burman
Authors: van Driem George
Published: January 2010

The Kiranti languages are spoken in eastern Nepal and western Sikkim. What I call Eastern Kiranti in this article includes the languages Limbu, Yakkha, Yamphe, Yamphu, Lohorung and Mewahang. Further study will probably demonstrate that other languages spoken to the east of the SĀlpĀ watershed, such as Sam, underwent the same developments described here and must also be included in Eastern Kiranti. The autonyms used by the Limbus, Yakkha, Yamphe, Yamphu and Lohorung are indicative of a close historical relationship between them. The Limbu call themselves Yakthuŋba; the Yakkha call themselves Yakkha; and the Yamphe, Yamphu and Lohorung refer to their language as Yakkhaba.
Some observations on the sub-group Tamil-Malayalam: differential realizations of the cluster *ṉt
Authors: Menon A. Govindankutty
Published: January 2010

The languages belonging to the South-Dravidian sub-group of the Dravidian languages exhibit various degrees of genetic relationship. Though the common retentions and the later innovations have led to an indisputable consensus on broad issues, details regarding the finer genetic relationship remain to be worked out. This paper tries to analyse the genetic relationship between Tamil and Malayalam in the light of some sound changes, and also discusses the problems involved in the interpretation of the linguistic material.

All the comparative evidence points to a closer relationship between Tamil and Malayalam. They preserve alike some of the Proto-South-Dravidian features such as *ḻ, *ṛṛ besides innovating sound changes such as *k– > c–. On the basis of a number of common phonological and morphological features, scholars concluded that at the stage known as late Old and early Middle Tamil, Tamil and Malayalam were most probably basically one language with pre- Malayalam as a diverging western dialect of the spoken form of that common language. The innovations which appeared in the ninth- and tenth-century West Coast inscriptions were linked with the similar tendencies observed in colloquial Tamil. The oldest Malayalam inscriptions and literary texts are not earlier than about the ninth century A.D. Since this period is contemporaneous with Middle Tamil, it was argued that the development of a separate language had to be dated to that period.
Kumayt and the wolf
Authors: Beeston A. F. L.
Published: January 2010

A passage in one of the poems of al-Kumayt describes how the poet encountered a ḏi'b (in this context undoubtedly a wolf) dying of thirst, and out of pity for the beast gave it the remnants of his own water; the first hemistich of the concluding line runs: fa Ǧubba lahŪ sawlun mina'l-mā'i ǵābirun ‘so there was poured out for him a scanty boon of water'. The second hemistich bihī kaffa 'anhu 'l-ḥībata 'l-mutaḥawwibu was interpreted by M. Ullmann in his Das Gespräch mit dem Wolf as meaning,‘ (just so much as that) wherewith a man by his ablution washes away his sin'. In my review of that work (BSOAS XLVI, l, 1983, 144) I expressed doubts about this, and proposed that the poet's meaning was the much simpler and more straightforward ‘wherewith the tormented beast relieved his anguish'.