bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Incidence of Foot and Ankle Injuries in West Point Cadets with Pes Planus Compared to the General Cadet Population
Authors: Levy Jonathan C. , Mizel Mark S. , Wilson L. Samuel , Fox William , McHale Kathleen , Taylor Dean C. , Temple H. Thomas
Published: January 2017

Background:

The relationship between pes planus and injuries of the lower extremity is controversial. However, few studies have used standardized means of evaluating and defining pes planus, and none have had a controlled patient population. The objective of this study was to evaluate an ideal population of physically active individuals to establish a potential correlation between pes planus, as defined by a standardized method, and injuries to the lower extremity.

Methods:

A standardized technique for evaluating arch height, based on a midfoot ratio established by Harris mat print calculations, was used to assess a consecutive series of 512 newly entered West Point cadets. Pes planus was defined as more than 2 standard deviations above the mean midfoot ratio of the population. After 46 months, a retrospective chart review was done to identify lower extremity injuries sustained in this group of young healthy patients. The results of the footprint analysis were correlated with the medical record findings.

Results:

Thirty-three cadets were found to have pes planus; 13 had only left foot involvement, 15 had right foot only involvement, and five had bilateral pes planus. There were no cavus feet. Statistically significant relationships were seen between the degree of pes planus and total number of injuries sustained ( p = 0.007), the overall size of the foot and total number of injuries ( p = 0.041), left flat feet and left midfoot injuries ( p = 0.028), left pes planus and right midfoot injuries ( p = 0.008), left pes planus and left knee injuries ( p = 0.038), and right pes planus and right knee injuries ( p = 0.027). Women had smaller feet ( p = 0.000), smaller midfoot ratios (right, p = 0.013; left p = 0.003), yet they had an increased number of injuries (Pearson's coefficient −0.119; p = 0.007).

Conclusions:

The current study found significant relationships between pes planus and number of injuries sustained over a 4-year period at West Point. While women were found to have smaller feet and lesser degrees of pes planus, they sustained more injuries than men.
Diabetic Foot Complications in a Northern Canadian Aboriginal Community
Authors: Reid Kristin S. , Martin Bruce D. , Duerksen Frank , Nicolle Lindsay E. , Garrett Mark , Simonsen J. Neil , Trepman Elly , Embil John M.
Published: January 2017

Background:

Limited access to basic foot care and protective footwear may contribute to diabetic foot complications. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of foot complications, ongoing foot care, and footwear use in diabetic subjects in a remote northern Canadian Aboriginal community.

Methods:

This was a cross-sectional cohort study of 169 diabetic people, including interview, physical examination, and retrospective chart review.

Results:

The mean age of the 169 diabetic individuals in the study was 56 ± 12 years and their duration of diabetes 10 ± 7 years. There were 139 (82%) individuals who had 418 diabetic foot complications (average, 3.0 complications per subject with complications), including toenail pathology, foot and ankle deformities, calluses, impaired pulses, neuropathy, past or present ulcer, amputation, and Charcot arthropathy. Risk classification showed that 69 (41%) individuals were at risk for future ulceration. Fifty-five (33%) individuals had inadequate footwear for their foot risk category, and only 11 (17%) of 66 individuals in the higher risk categories (categories 2 and 3) had suitable footwear. In a 7-year period, only 0.7 screening foot examinations per diabetic subject per year were documented. However, during this period, foot problems accounted for 498 (18%) local emergency room visits, 359 (16%) hospitalization days, 109 (11%) nonemergency transfers, and 4 (6%) emergency transfers to a tertiary care hospital.

Conclusions:

Foot and ankle complications of diabetes in this remote Aboriginal community were common and associated with substantial morbidity. Preventive diabetic foot screening examinations and footwear were inadequate. The results suggest that programs for prevention and early detection of complications are needed, including foot screening, provision of appropriate footwear, and foot care.
Differences in the Mechanical Properties of Calcaneal Artificial Specimens, Fresh Frozen Specimens, and Embalmed Specimens in Experimental Testing
Authors: Zech Stefan , Goesling Thomas , Hankemeier Stefan , Knobloch Karsten , Geerling Jens , Schultz-Brunn Kristof , Krettek Christian , Richter Martinus
Published: January 2017

Background.

Artificial calcanei, fresh-frozen cadaver specimens, and embalmed cadaver specimens were compared in experimental testing under biocompatible loading to clarify the biocompatibility of artificial calcaneal specimens for implant testing.

Methods.

Two different artificial calcaneal bone models (Sawbone™, Pacific Research Laboratories, Vashon, WA, and Synbone™, Synbone Inc., Davos, Switzerland), embalmed cadaver calcaneal specimens (bone density, 313.1 ± 40.9 g/cm 2 age, 43.8 ± 7.9 years), and fresh-frozen cadaver calcanei (bone density, 238.5 ± 30.0 g/cm 2 age, 44.4 ± 8.2 years) were used for testing. Seven specimens of each model or cadaver type were tested. A mechanical testing machine (Zwick Inc., Ulm, Germany) was used for loading and measurements. Cyclic loading (preload 20 N, load was increased every 100 cycles by 100 N from 1,000 to 2,500 N, 0.5 mm/s) and load to failure (0.5 mm/s) were performed. The loads were applied through an artificial talus in a physiological loading direction. The displacement of the posterior facet in the primary loading direction was measured.

Results.

The four different specimen groups showed different stability and different displacement in the primary loading direction during cyclic loading. The variation of the maximal displacement in the primary loading direction for the entire cyclic loading was higher in artificial specimens than in the cadaver specimens.

Conclusions.

Artificial calcanei (Sawbone™, Synbone™) showed different biomechanical characteristics than cadaver bones (embalmed and fresh-frozen) in this experimental setup with biocompatible cyclic loading. These results do not support the use of artificial calcanei for biomechanical implant testing. Fresh-frozen and embalmed specimens seem to be equally adequate for mechanical testing. The low variation of mechanical strength in the unpaired cadaver specimens suggests that the use of paired specimens is not necessary.
Expanding the NCI Health Information National Trends Survey From the United States to China and Beyond: Examining the Influences of Consumer Health Information Needs and Practices on Local and Global Health
Authors: Kreps Gary L. , Yu Guoming , Zhao Xiaoquan , Chou Sylvia Wen-Ying , Hesse Bradford
Published: January 2017

The Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS) is a major source for data about the U.S. public’s access to and use of health information. A collaboration has been established between the United States and China to conduct the HINTS survey in China, under the auspices of the Chinese Ministry of Health. Pilot data have been collected in two major Chinese cities. The HINTS-China research will guide evidence-based health promotion interventions across China. This exciting international research program opens the door to expanding the HINTS research program to many other countries around the world to help promote global health.
Flexural behaviour of fibre-reinforced polymer–aluminium sandwich curtain walls
Authors: Liu Yang , Kuang JS , Chan BYB
Published: January 2017

A new type of fibre-reinforced polymer–aluminium sandwich curtain wall panel, which consists of layers of aluminium plate, fibre-reinforced polymer plate, foam core and gypsum board, was proposed to achieve high strength and stiffness, efficient energy saving and good fire resistance for the modern curtain wall systems in buildings. An experimental study was conducted to investigate the flexural behaviour of the fibre-reinforced polymer–aluminium composite curtain wall panels. Three groups of large-scale specimens with different thickness of foam core with and without a phase change material layer were tested under uniformly distributed loads. The test results showed that due to the asymmetric arrangement of sandwich layers, the loading directions had a significant effect on the flexural behaviour of the panels with and without a phase change material layer. It was also shown that with the increase of the foam core thickness, the flexural behaviour of panels was significantly improved. In addition, the phase change material layer had little effect on the flexural behaviour of the sandwich panels under and beyond the serviceability conditions, but significantly reduced the serviceability strength.
Make me authentic, but not here: Reflexive struggles with academic identity and authentic leadership
Authors: Tomkins Leah , Nicholds Alyson
Published: January 2017

This article presents a reflexive auto-ethnography of the experience of teaching authentic leadership to MBA students. It traces parallels between the challenges of authentic leadership and the challenges of academic identity work, grounded specifically in the experience of having to teach something one does not fully endorse. Both authentic leadership and academic identity work emerge as struggle – riddled with false starts, best intentions and self-deception, and entwined in the politics of pragmatism, idealism, ambition and survival. The subject position of the mature entrant to academia who is also an ‘early career scholar’ is likened to an awkward adolescent, experimenting with shades of independence/dependence, resistance/compliance and voice/silence. Based on these reflections, having authentic leadership on the curriculum involves a particular kind of identity regulation for students and academics alike, running counter to philosophical notions of authenticity as striving for one’s own way in the world. Authentic leadership will only flourish in the business school if academics muster the courage to acknowledge its relevance for our own role as teacher-leaders, rather than simply teaching or writing to its abstract, ideological appeal.
Assessing long-term prognosis improvement as a consequence of treatment pattern changes in MS
Authors: Capra Ruggero , Cordioli Cinzia , Rasia Sarah , Gallo Fabio , Signori Alessio , Sormani Maria Pia
Published: January 2017

Objective:

To assess whether the age at which multiple sclerosis (MS) patients reach Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) milestones changed as long as new drugs for the treatment of MS became available.

Methods:

We evaluated the long-term impact of therapies on disability progression assessing whether there is a detectable delay in the age at which patients reached EDSS milestones in more recent years. We used data collected over more than 30 years in the Center of Brescia, Italy. We compared the age at EDSS = 6 among patients diagnosed with relapsing-remitting MS in different time periods, adjusting for age at diagnosis and median interval among EDSS visits, by a multivariate Cox model.

Results:

A total of 1324 MS patients were included. Patients diagnosed in more recent periods reached EDSS = 6 at an older age: the rate at which patients reached EDSS = 6 in those diagnosed in 1991–1995 was similar to those diagnosed in 1980–1990 (hazard ratio ( HR) = 1.09, p = 0.68) and to those diagnosed in 1996–2000 ( HR = 0.85, p = 0.44), it was reduced by 37% in patients diagnosed in 2001–2005 ( HR = 0.63, p = 0.05), by 46% in patients diagnosed in 2006–2010 ( HR = 0.54, p < 0.02).

Conclusion:

A clear modification of MS course is observed after 2000; among other causes, this can be associated to the changes in the treatment patterns experienced in those years.
Taking the pressure: Unpacking the relation between norms, social hierarchies, and social pressures on states
Authors: Towns Ann E. , Rumelili Bahar
Published: January 2017

This article advances a hierarchy-centered approach to the study of international social pressure on states. Prior scholarship has centered on the exposure of a gap between word and deed as key for social pressure. We argue that the scholarship on social pressure would benefit from paying more attention to the centrality of social hierarchies in the dynamics and effects of social pressure on states. It is through comparative assessments — the normative ordering of states as superior and inferior and placement in a social hierarchy — that social pressure is exerted and states are prodded into action. States positioned at the top or in the middle of normative hierarchies may be subjected to different social pressure than states positioned at the bottom. Developing this claim, we contend that normative hierarchies come in several forms. Reflecting on the dynamics of these normative hierarchies is important in and of itself, in our view, as it provides a deeper understanding of how norms generate shame, embarrassment, or status anxiety. That said, understanding normative hierarchies also gives us added purchase on explaining how states manage the social pressure of being ranked.
Role of Digital Artery Adrenoceptors in Raynaud's Disease
Authors: Cooke John P , Creager Shelly J , Scales Kathleen M , Ren Christine , Tsapatsaris Nicholas P , Beetham William P , Creager Mark A
Published: January 2017

Raynaud's disease is characterized by excessive cutaneous vasoconstriction in response to ambient cold. A functional disturbance in the local regulation of digital vasomotion has been proposed. The purpose of this study was to determine whether there is an alteration in the postjunctional adrenergic receptors in the digital circulation of patients with Raynaud's disease. Furthermore, we sought to determine whether this abnormality was responsible for the excessive cold-induced vasoconstriction in these patients.

Finger blood flow was measured by strain-gauge venous occlusion plethysmography in 10 patients with Raynaud's disease and in 10 normal volunteers in a 22 °C room. Measurements of finger blood flow and mean systemic arterial pressure were made during intra-arterial infusions of the alpha1-adrenergic antagonist, prazosjn, or the alpha2-adrenergic antagonist, yohimbine, at room temperature and during local cooling of the hand. Basal finger blood flow in normal subjects was significantly greater than that of patients (8.6 ± 2.7 vs 1.7 ± 0.5 ml/100 ml per min; normal vs Raynaud's subjects; p < 0.05). In normal subjects, either prazosin or yohimbine induced dose-dependent increases in finger blood flow. The maximal increase in finger blood flow induced by prazosin was significantly greater than that in response to yohimbine (29.2 ± 10.1 vs 2.8 ± 2.1 ml/100 ml per min; prazosin vs yohimbine; p < 0.05). By contrast, in the Raynaud's patients, prazosin or yohimbine induced maximal increases in finger blood flow that were not significant (7.1 ± 1.8 vs 5.0 ± 2.2 ml/100 ml per min; prazosin vs yohimbine; p = NS). The response to prazosin in Raynaud's patients was significantly less than that of the normal volunteers ( p < 0.05). In normal subjects, during intra-arterial infusion of vehicle alone, cooling induced a 52.6 ± 5.8% reduction in finger blood flow. This cold-induced vasoconstriction was blunted, but not qualitatively altered, by either adrenergic antagonist. In the Raynaud's patients, during the intra-arterial infusion of the vehicle, cooling induced a 68.2 ± 7.8% reduction in finger blood flow. Infusion of either adrenergic antagonist blunted, but did not qualitatively alter, the response to cold.

Finger blood flow is less in patients with Raynaud's disease than in normal subjects when studied in a 22 °C room. In normal subjects, postjunctional alpha1-adrenergic receptors appear to predominate in the control of digital vasoconstriction. Postjunctional alpha1- and alpha2- adrenoceptors play an equal role in adrenergic regulation of finger blood flow in patients with Raynaud's disease. In both normal and Raynaud's subjects, selective antagonism of alpha1- or alpha2-adrenergic receptors does not abolish local cold-induced vasoconstriction. Therefore, it is likely that a nonadrenergic mechanism contributes to local cold-induced vasoconstriction.
Effect of Felodipine on Regional Blood Supply and Collateral Vascular Resistance in Patients with Peripheral Arterial Occlusive Disease
Authors: Liu Yuefei , Opitz-Gress Alexandra , Rott Albert , Liewald Florian , Sunder-Plassmann Ludger , Lehmann Manfred , Stauch Martin , Steinacker Jürgen M
Published: January 2017

This double-blinded, randomized, placebo-controlled study was designed to investigate the acute effect of felodipine on regional blood supply and collateral vascular resistance in patients with peripheral arterial occlusive disease (PAOD). Thirty men with PAOD were treated with a single dose of 5 mg felodipine or placebo. Systolic blood pressure (SBP), Doppler ankle pressure (DAP), calf blood flow (CBF) by venous occlusion plethysmography and calf transcutaneous oxygen tension (tc pO2) were measured during a cycle ergometry. Felodipine reduced SBP significantly (from 149 to 136 mmHg, p < 0.05), while placebo did not. DAP increased slightly but not significantly in both groups. The pressure gradient between SBP and DAP fell significantly in the felodipine group (60 vs 39 mmHg, p < 0.01) but not in the placebo group (59 vs 56 mmHg). There was a trend for lower velocity in tc pO2 decrease during the stress test and higher velocity of tc pO2 increase during recovery from exercise in the felodipine group although the differences between both groups were not significant. In the felodipine group, CBF increased by 35.6% ( p < 0.05) whereas it did not change in the placebo group. In conclusion, while lowering SBP, felodipine increased slightly, or at least maintained, the blood supply to the calves in PAOD patients, which probably results from reducing collateral vascular resistance.
The Endothelin System in Cardiovascular Physiology and Pathophysiology
Authors: Parris Richard J , Webb David J
Published: January 2017

Endothelin-1, a member of a novel family of regulatory peptides, is the most potent vasoconstrictor and pressor substance known. Endothelin-1 is a 21-amino-acid endothelium-derived peptide causing uniquely sustained vasoconstriction. In addition, endothelin-1 has pronounced effects on the coronary, renal and cerebral circulations, enhances responses to other vasoconstrictors, and is comitogenic. Recent studies have shown that the endothelins are essential for normal fetal development, and that endothelin-1 plays an important physiological role in the regulation of basal vascular tone and blood pressure in healthy humans.

There is now also a wealth of evidence suggesting that endothelin-1 is a key mediator in a range of cardiovascular diseases associated with sustained vasoconstriction, such as chronic heart failure, and with vasospasm, such as subarachnoid haemorrhage. In addition, endothelin-1 appears to act in opposition to nitric oxide to promote the atherosclerotic process. There are a large number of oral and intravenously active endothelin antagonists entering clinical development and a number of clinical studies, particularly with endothelin receptor antagonists, are now under way. Such studies are beginning to define the role of the endothelins in cardiovascular disease and to confirm the potential of the endothelin system as an important new therapeutic target.
Physiologic Aspects of Drug Therapy and Large Artery Elastic Properties
Authors: Bank Alan J
Published: January 2017

Vasoactive drugs alter smooth muscle tone not only in arterial resistance vessels, but also in large conduit arteries. The resultant changes in smooth muscle tone alter both conduit vessel size and stiffness and hence influence pulsatile components of left ventricular afterload. The effects of smooth muscle relaxation and contraction on arterial elastic properties are complex and have not been fully characterized. Several recent studies have utilized a new intravascular ultrasound technique to study the effects of changes in smooth muscle tone on brachial artery elastic mechanics in normal human subjects in vivo. Smooth muscle relaxation with nitroglycerin improves isobaric brachial artery compliance without significantly altering arterial wall stiffness as measured by incremental elastic modulus ( Einc). The improvement in compliance with smooth muscle relaxation is the net result of factors that: (1) increase wall stiffness (increased tension in parallel elastin and collagen fibers); (2) decrease wall stiffness (decreased tension in the smooth muscle and its associated series elastic component); and (3) increase vessel lumen size. Using a modified Maxwell model for the arterial wall, smooth muscle relaxation is also shown to shift the predominant elements contributing to wall stress and EInc from smooth muscle and the collagen fibers in series with the smooth muscle to collagen fibers in parallel with the smooth muscle. A better understanding of the mechanisms contributing to changes in arterial elastic mechanics following alterations in smooth muscle tone will help in developing pharmacologic therapies aimed at reducing pulsatile components of left ventricular afterload.
Producing global media memories: Media events and the power dynamics of transnational television history
Authors: Lundgren Lars , Evans Christine E
Published: January 2017

The 1960s witnessed the emergence of television as a global medium. One way of demonstrating the powers and possibilities of television was the production and airing of transnational broadcast events. In order to produce these, national broadcast organizations had to engage in joint production of such events. The article examines two such events: Gagarin’s return to Moscow after orbiting the earth in April 1961 and the more well-known ‘Our World’ broadcast 6 years later. At the time of their production, these broadcasts were seen as crucial moments in television history, as prototypes of what could be expected of television in the future. They also relied on extensive cooperation between broadcast organizations in socialist and Western countries, organizations that to a large extent shared the same production values but also had to negotiate competing visions of the geography of modern communications networks. The broadcasts discussed in this article thus provide the opportunity to reflect upon the shaping of television history and global media memories. Based on case studies of the planning and production of the broadcasts, the article argues that global power relations have shaped the remembered history of television and therefore must be part of our understanding of it.
Performing hardness: Punk and self-defense in Mexico City
Authors: Tatro Kelley
Published: January 2017

Even before the ‘drug war’ put Mexico in the international spotlight for episodes of extreme violence, Mexico City had developed a reputation for violence and insecurity. For young city dwellers, the multiple forms of violence they experience have often included police repression of youth culture. Over the decades since the arrival of punk rock in 1970s Mexico City, punk scene participants have developed a discourse of self-defense as part of their response to the various acts and threats of violence that inform their daily existence. Based on ethnographic fieldwork in Mexico City, this article details how punk scene participants use practices around musical performance as tools for the constitution of ‘hard’ subjects, performing violence as a means of protecting themselves from the difficulties of contemporary life in urban Mexico.
Uncovering cognitive and affective sources of satisfaction homogeneity in work teams
Authors: Haarhaus Benjamin
Published: January 2017

Shared satisfaction in teams is crucial for team functioning and performance. However, it is still unclear how and why team members’ job satisfaction transforms into a shared team property. Based on affective events theory, I test hypotheses about situational, dispositional, and social antecedents of satisfaction homogeneity with a comprehensive model. Path analyses based on data from 415 team members working in 110 teams suggest that job satisfaction homogeneity primarily depends on characteristics of the working environment. Experiencing similar affective job events increased the likelihood of shared satisfaction by inducing shared affect. Team members’ personality traits (core self-evaluations) had indirect and small effects on satisfaction homogeneity. Unlike earlier studies, there was no evidence that social interaction leads to agreement in job satisfaction. Additionally, I partly replicated the finding that satisfaction homogeneity moderates the team-level satisfaction–team performance relationship.
Surgery and Refugee Populations
Authors: Kushner A. L. , Groen R. S. , Kingham T. P.
Published: January 2017

Although infectious diseases, malnutrition and diarrhea account for the vast majority of deaths in many crisis situations, many individuals also suffer from traumatic injuries and other surgically treatable conditions. Understanding the determinants involved in surgical interventions is facilitated by defining baseline, emergent and chronic phases for refugees and internally displaced populations. International aid organizations often expend vast resources on surgical interventions. More detailed assessments and further study may help provide insight into optimizing the success and minimizing the cost of such interventions. This article is a review of the surgical and disaster literature and defines issues for further study.
Multiple Small Bowel Ligation Compared to Conventional Primary Repair after Abdominal Gunshot Wound with Haemorrhagic Shock
Authors: Olofsson P. , Vikström T. , Nagelkerke N. , Wang J. , Abu-Zidan F. M.
Published: January 2017

Aims:

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of early rapid control of multiple bowel perforations on cardiovascular function in combined abdominal missile trauma and haemorrhagic shock compared with conventional surgery.

Methods:

Eighteen anesthetised pigs were injured with a standardised abdominal missile trauma. The animals were bled to a mean arterial pressure of 50 mm Hg for 30 minutes, after which they were resuscitated and had laparotomy. They were divided into conventional surgery group (n=9) with primary resection and anastomosis of bowel injuries and early rapid multiple bowel ligation group (n=9). Repeated measurement analysis of variance was used for analysis.

Results:

There was profound hypotension, reduced cardiac output, increased vascular resistance and lactic acidaemia in both groups. Lactic acidaemia persisted longer in the early rapid multiple bowel ligation group. There were no significant differences in mean arterial pressure, cardiac output, stroke volume or systemic vascular resistance between the groups. The mean operation time was significantly shorter in the early rapid multiple bowel ligation group (13.3 (1.5) (SEM) minutes, compared with 116.4 (1.74) (SEM) minutes in the conventional surgery group, p =<0.001).

Conclusions:

Damage control principles have shortened the operating time in our model but did not improve the cardiovascular function and caused more lactic acidaemia than conventional repair.
Combination of Paracetamol, Codeine and Lidocaine for Pain Relief during Transrectal Ultrasound Guided Biopsy of the Prostate
Authors: Visapää H. , Taari K.
Published: January 2017

Background and Aim:

Transrectal ultrasound (TRUS)-guided prostate biopsy is often a painful procedure. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of combining oral paracetamol and codeine with periprostatic nerve block in relieving prostate biopsy-related pain.

Material and Methods:

In this prospective study we compared the pain associated with prostate biopsy between two groups of patients. Group 1 consists of 25 men who were given paracetamol 500 mg and codeine 30 mg orally before the biopsy, and group 2 consists of 25 men who received no oral analgesics. All patients received periprostatic nerve block with 1% lidocaine before the biopsy. The pain associated with the biopsy procedure was evaluated on a visual analogue scale.

Results and Conclusions:

The mean pain score ± SD in group 1 was 1.4 ± 0.80 on the scale of 0 to 10, and the mean pain score ± SD in group 2 was 2.4 ± 1.69. The difference in the pain scores between the two groups was statistically significant (p = 0.01). The combination of oral paracetamol, codeine and periprostatic nerve block before TRUS-guided prostate biopsy is an effective method for relieving biopsy-related pain.
Inadequate Preoperative Colonic Evaluation for Synchronous Colorctal Cancer
Authors: Achiam M. P. , Burgdorf S. K. , Wilhelmsen M. , Alamili M. , Rosenberg J.
Published: January 2017

Background and Aims:

Synchronous cancers (SC) are well known (2–11%) in patients with colorectal carcinoma (CRC). One study has shown that intraoperative palpation can miss up to 69% of the SC while other studies have shown altered planned surgical procedure due to preoperatively diagnosed synchronous lesions in 11–44%. The purpose of this study was to review all patients having surgery for CRC in our department since 2001, and to evaluate the extent of the perioperative colonic evaluation.

Materials and Methods:

The records of all patients operated for CRC between Jan. 2001 and Dec. 2007 in our department were reviewed. Only patients with CRC were included. Information regarding pre-, per- and postoperative colonic evaluation were obtained and occurrences of SC were evaluated.

Results:

Of the 534 patients included 124 (23%) patients had an impassable stenosis. Full preoperative colonic evaluation (FPCE) were done in 305 (26%) patients without stenosis. In 36 patients 39 SC were diagnosed. Seven SC were diagnosed postoperatively, of which five patients never had a FPCE. Three of these five patients had an inoperable SC, one patient died due to anastomosis leakage following re-operation and one patient had pulmonary embolism as a complication to re-operation.

Conclusions:

The results show that many patients (78%) never underwent FPCE, but also that many of these patients never had a full postoperative colonic evaluation. SC being overlooked can lead to increased morbidity and the possibility of advanced staging of the cancer which is also exemplified in this study.
Vigilance: The lived experience of women in recovery
Authors: Lay Kathy , Larimer Susan G
Published: January 2017

Recovery from addiction is an individualized process and necessitates understanding the phenomenon from the perspective of the individual living the experience. This qualitative study seeks to understand women’s lived experience of recovery. Data were collected through participant interviews of women self-identifying as in recovery and interpreted from a phenomenological lens. The overarching theme is vigilance—a way to maintain recovery from addiction through remembering, being careful, and seeking community.
Development of a laser-powered wireless ultrasonic device for aircraft structural health monitoring
Authors: Choi Mijin , Shrestha Manish Man , Lee Jung-Ryul , Park Chan-Yik
Published: January 2017

In recent years, wireless sensor networks have emerged as a reliable method for structural health monitoring. The powering methods for these wireless sensors have become an important factor. In several applications, wireless sensors must be operated in locations that are difficult or even impossible to access, and these systems often have a desired operational life span that exceeds conventional batteries lifetime. Replacing the batteries is labor intensive and time consuming. It is very difficult or even impossible to replace batteries of embedded sensors in concrete or composite structures. Therefore, novel powering methods such as energy harvesting or wireless power transmission are necessary to guarantee long life spans for wireless sensors. This article presents a laser-powered wireless ultrasonic device, which is a wireless active sensor with wireless laser power transmission that provides long-lasting structural health monitoring. The laser beam is captured by a GaInP photovoltaic cell. The cell has a high spectral responsivity for the 532-nm laser beam. A supercapacitor is used to store and supply power to the device. Furthermore, to solve the line-of-sight issue, a smart component called the fiber optic bolt is also developed using a large-core hard polymer-clad fiber. The wireless ultrasonic device includes the actuator and the sensor interface to evaluate the structural damages. To demonstrate the feasibility of the device, we carried out the basic Lamb wave pitch-catch test to detect the structural damage (such as cracks and artificial corrosion) in an aircraft lug (which is an example of an inaccessible aircraft structure). Our investigations show that the results of the proposed wireless sensing system are in accordance with those of the wired system. This indicates the feasibility for implementing the proposed system for wireless structural health monitoring.
Making Data Flow for the Climate Risk Market
Authors: Bates Jo , Goodale Paula
Published: January 2017

In 2011, the U.K. government announced that the national meteorological agency would be releasing a significant volume of data as part of its Open Data policy agenda. This article explores the interrelationship between this announcement and efforts to boost the competitiveness of the United Kingdom’s weather derivatives industry. Primary qualitative data are analyzed to produce a genealogical account of these policy developments, and Braman’s concept of “informational power” is used to frame a critical narrative of the broader dynamics of power at play. We argue that although there have been significant tensions around efforts to open the United Kingdom’s weather data, these have largely been absorbed by and, ultimately, contained within the hegemonic structures of the United Kingdom’s neoliberal state. We conclude by arguing that this struggle needs to be broadened and externalized beyond the state so that critical questions about the deepening data-driven financialization of climate change can be addressed.
Using Adapted Dialectical Behavioral Therapy to Treat Challenging Behaviors, Emotional Dysregulation, and Generalized Anxiety Disorder in an Individual With Mild Intellectual Disability
Authors: Florez Ivonne Andrea , Bethay J. Scott
Published: January 2017

Individuals with intellectual disability (ID) are at increased risk of presenting challenging behaviors and comorbid mental illness. Preliminary findings show decreased challenging behaviors and overall increased functioning in individuals with ID and mental health problems who receive adapted dialectical behavior therapy (DBT). However, more research and documentation on how to adapt DBT in this population is warranted given that DBT is a promising intervention in individuals with ID. This article presents the case of an individual with mild ID who received adapted DBT for the treatment of challenging behaviors, emotional dysregulation, and generalized anxiety disorder. Treatment lasted 1 year and was conducted in a residential facility for individuals with ID. Improvement of symptoms and decrease in frequency of challenging behaviors were observed throughout the case. This case study demonstrates the potential utility of adapted DBT for individuals with ID and underscores the importance of teaching skills to clients with ID to help them become agents of their own change.
Percutaneous Removal of a Tiny Needle Fracture From the Right Ventricle of the Heart in a Drug Abuser
Authors: Bompotis Georgios , Karkanis Georgios , Chatziavramidis Angelos , Konstantinidis Iordanis , Dokopoulos Petros , Pyriochos Panagiotis , Lazaridis Ioannis
Published: January 2017

Purpose:

To demonstrate the successful percutaneous removal of a tiny needle fracture from the heart with the use of a guide wire with a magnet at its distal end and two snares through both femoral veins.

Case Report:

We report a rare case of a tiny needle fracture in the apex of the right ventricle of the heart in a drug abuser after its migration from the neck through the lumen of the right internal jugular vein. The procedure of the percutaneous approach and removal of this tiny foreign body was extremely difficult and dangerous due to its location and tiny size.

Conclusion:

This percutaneous technique for the removal of a tiny foreign body from the heart was proven to be both effective and safe for the patient, and it provides a good therapeutic option for removal of intracardiac foreign bodies.
Treatment of Traumatic Carotid-Cavernous Fistula
Authors: Wu Z. , Zhang Y. , Wang C. , Yang X. , Li Y.
Published: January 2017

From 1986 to the end of 1998, 482 cases of traumatic carotid-cavernous fistula (TCCF) were treated by means of intravascular embolisation technique. The experience is overviewed in this article.

Many kinds of detachable balloon catheters (including Chinese made detachable balloon catheters), coils and cyanoacrylate were used as embolic materials. Transcervical, transfemoral, anterior communicating artery, posterior communicating artery approach, or transvenous approach were selected according to conditions. A combination of different approaches or materials was used for complex TCCF.

We found that the special sign, named “bileakage sign”, indicated multileakage of TCCF and was not mentioned before. All 482 cases of TCCF were embolised successfully, of which 405 cases maintained the patency of internal carotid artery (ICA). No death related to the treatment occurred in our group and the symptoms or signs in 462 cases were relieved after embolisation. Emergency embolisation was needed in some conditions such as serious epistaxis, delayed or repeatedly subdural haematoma and rapid visual impairment.

Endovascular treatment of TCCF is a safe and efficient method. The time of operation, approach, and materials for embolisation must be carefully selected in order to obtain the best result.
GDC Embolisation of Cavernous Internal Carotid Artery Aneurysms with Parent Artery Preservation
Authors: Kim S.J. , Choi I.S.
Published: January 2017

We evaluated the clinical and angiographic results of endosaccular treatment with Guglielmi detachable coils (GDCs) in 19 cases of cavernous internal carotid artery (ICA) aneurysms. The size of the aneurysms ranged from 10 to 30 mm (mean 18.4 mm) and neck size ranged from 2 to 15 mm (mean 6.7 mm). Intraluminal thrombosis was found in ten cases. Main presenting symptoms were related to mass effect in 17 cases including cranial nerve palsy, headache and vomiting.

On initial GDC embolisation, total occlusion was obtained in two cases, subtotal in eight, and incomplete in nine. In two cases with incomplete occlusion, parent arteries were occluded with balloons or GDCs during or just after the procedure because of underlying diseases. A higher rate of initial occlusion was obtained in smaller and non-thrombosed aneurysms. Symptoms resolved or improved in all cases except one after initial treatment. No complication occurred related to the procedure. Follow-up angiography was obtained in 15 cases among which ten cases (66.7%) showed luminal recanalisation. Symptoms recurred in one case with luminal recanalisation. Incidence of recanalisation was similar in both large and giant aneurysms but higher in the thrombosed than non-thrombosed group. Retreatment was done in five cases with success.

In conclusion, although embolisation of cavernous ICA aneurysms with GDCs was safe and effective in relieving symptoms, the incidences of initial incomplete occlusion and follow-up recanalisation were high. Therefore, we think judicious selection of the cases is necessary for endosaccular GDC embolisation in cavernous ICA aneurysms.
Arteriovenous Malformation Model in Swine: A Natural History Study
Authors: Klisch J. , Yin L. , Requejo F. , Schumacher M.
Published: January 2017

The well-known porcine arteriovenous malformation (AVM) model introduced by Massoud et al has been widely used as an acute-phase model. However, there are no data available on the patency rate in long-term follow-up. Therefore this study is dedicated to the natural history of porcine AVM model after creation.

Three piglets (Yucatan micropigs, aged 12 to 14 months) were used in this study. The model was created by microsurgical anastomosis in an end-to-end fashion between the common carotid artery (CCA) and external jugular vein (EJV) on the left side, and by direct ligation of the left external carotid artery (ECA). Angiography was performed before and immediately after model creation, as well as at 44, 103, 188 and 245 days in all animals.

A successful high-flow brain AVM model was established in all animals. The fistula created by end-to-end anastomosis remained intact and thus the successful AVM model maintained in all models over a follow-up period as long as more than eight months.

The AVM-model in swine could be used as a chronic model to test the neurointerventional techniques of AVM treatment. We re-created the well known AVM-model by a terminal anastomosis between CCA and EJV and we hypothesize that the good long-term patency of the model is related to the type of anastomosis performed between CCA and EJV.
Serum Amyloid A Activation of Inflammatory and Adhesion Molecules in Human Coronary Artery and Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells
Authors: Lakota K. , Mrak-Poljšak K. , Rozman B. , Kveder T. , Tomšič M. , Sodin-Semrl S.
Published: January 2017

Inflammation is considered to be the driving force leading to atherogenic and atherosclerotic mechanisms. Increased levels of SAA predict the risk of coronary artery disease and even mortality from cardiovascular disease in humans. Recent animal and human studies have indicated that SAA plays a causal role in atherogenesis, although it is largely unclear how this occurs. The objectives of this study are to understand the role of SAA in activating possible atherogenic inflammatory responses in human coronary artery endothelial cells (HCAEC) and to compare them with human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC). Our hypothesis is that vein and artery endothelial cells have different expression patterns and levels, leading to differential inflammatory responses. HUVEC and HCAEC were grown in order to analyze the effects of SAA on endothelial expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as IL-6, chemokines, such as IL-8, and adhesion molecules (s-ICAM, s-VCAM, E-selectin) by reverse transcription-PCR and ELISAs. We compared the dose responses of SAA between HUVEC and HCAEC. SAA activated both HUVEC and HCAEC pro-inflammatory factors in a dose-dependent manner. In comparison however, HCAEC showed a strikingly greater sensitivity to SAA, with a higher level of expression of all pro-inflammatory markers at much lower concentrations of SAA, and their much greater stimulation at higher SAA concentrations. SAA also generated a dose-dependent positive feedback response on its own mRNA expression in HCAEC as compared to HUVEC. In summary, there are distinct significant differences in the levels of inflammatory markers and adhesion molecules between HUVEC and HCAEC SAA induced dose responses that could potentially account for HCAEC greater susceptibility to inflammation and atherogenesis.
Modulation of Gro-α and Tnf-α Production by Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells Treated with Killed Helicobacter Pylori
Authors: Stassi G. , Cascio A. , Iaria C. , Gazzara D. , Costa G.B. , Iannello D. , Arena A.
Published: January 2017

GRO-alpha seems to play an important role in recruiting and activating neutrophils during Helicobacter pylori infection. In the present study, we examined how treatment with killed H. pylori or/and live H. pylori may differentially influence the in vitro GRO-alpha and TNF-alpha release by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). The amounts of TNF-alpha and GRO-alpha produced by PBMC after stimulation with live H. pylori were higher than those produced after stimulation with a combination of killed and live H. pylori and the latter were higher than those produced after stimulation with killed H. pylori. In conclusion, the treatment of peripheral blood mononuclear cells with killed H. pylori down-regulates the production of GRO-alpha. Taken together, our data demonstrate that treatment with killed H. pylori could represent an innovative approach during gastric infection supported by H. pylori.
Treatment of Mild to Moderate Plaque Psoriasis with Calcitriol Ointment Applied with or without a Dosing Device
Authors: Vena G.A. , Cassano N. , Alessandrini G. , Fai D. , Gabellone M. , Ligori P. , Malvindi C. , Mancino A. , Pellè S. , Rinaldi F. , Sodo M.R.
Published: January 2017

Results of topical treatments can be influenced by several factors, including accurate dosing based on the affected skin area. The aim of this open-labelled multicenter study is to evaluate if correct dosing of calcitriol ointment has an impact on the clinical response of plaque psoriasis. For this purpose, patients with plaque psoriasis eligible to be treated with calcitriol ointment were randomized to treatment with a ‘standardized dose’ method, using a dosing device (N. 100), or treatment without the device (N. 101), for 12 weeks. Regardless of the use of the dosing device, calcitriol ointment caused a significant reduction of both the severity of signs and symptoms and the extent of body surface area affected after both 4 weeks and 12 weeks. Clinical response was not significantly different between the two groups. Local adverse events occurred in 12 subjects (of whom five treated with the device) and were mild and transient in most cases.
Carvedilol Increases Atrial Natriuretic Peptide Plasma Levels in Hypertensive Patients
Authors: Papadopoulos P.C. , Kotridis P. , Kokkas B. , Koutsimanis V. , Aidonidis G. , Dadoush G. , Gouli O. , Karamouzis M. , Kouyoumtzis A. , Sakantamis G. , Hatseras D. , Papadopoulos C.L.
Published: January 2017

Twenty five patients with moderate essential hypertension were studied for 30 days in order to evaluate the medium term effects of carvedilol on atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) levels. This drug blocks the β1 and β2 adrenenergic receptors as well as α1 adrenergic receptors. In addition, it has strong antioxidative and antiproliferative properties. The drug was given orally at a dose of 12.5 mg b.i.d. Quantitative determination of human ANP was made by radioimmunoassay procedure (RIA). At the end of this clinical trial, mean plasma levels of ANP had risen during treatment by 21.18% (from 37.60 pg/ml to 45.83 pg/ml) while both systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) blood pressure as well as diameters of the left cardiac cavities had decreased in a statistically significant way. The ratio ANP/SBP was also increased by 46.6% in a statistically significant way. These findings support the suggestion that the increase in plasma ANP following the administration of β-adrenergic blockers to hypertensive patients is a primary effect of beta blockade and not a mechanical one secondary to a negative inotropic action on the left ventricle and obviously contributes to the anti-hypertensive action.