bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Diagnosis and management of a case of retroperitoneal eosinophilic sclerosing fibroplasia in a cat
Authors: Thieme Maureen E , Olsen Anastasia M , Woolcock Andrew D , Miller Margaret A , Simons Micha C 
Published: August 2019

Case summary A 4-year-old neutered male cat was presented with a 2-month history of intermittent constipation that progressed to obstipation. Primary clinical findings included a large, multi lobulated mass in the caudodorsal abdomen, peripheral eosinophilia and hyperglobulinemia. Abdominal imaging revealed a multilobulated, cavitated mass in the sublumbar region. Exploratory celiotomy revealed multiple firm masses in the sublumbar retroperitoneal space causing ventral displacement and compression of the descending colon with extension of the masses into the pelvic canal. Histopathology was consistent with feline gastrointestinal eosinophilic sclerosing fibroplasia (FGESF). Aerobic culture was positive for Staphylococcus aureus. The cat was treated with prednisolone (2 mg/kg PO q24h), lactulose (0.5 g/kg PO q8h), amoxicillin/clavulanic acid (62.5 mg/cat PO q12h for 1 month) and fenbendazole (50 mg/kg PO q24h for 5 days). Six months postoperatively, the cat had no recurrence of clinical signs. Repeat evaluation and imaging at day 732 postoperatively revealed marked improvement of the abdominal mass, resolution of peripheral eosinophilia and no clinical signs with continued prednisolone therapy (0.5 mg/kg PO q24h). Relevance and novel information This is a report of a primary extramural FGESF lesion, and the first description of characteristics of FGESF on CT. Previous evidence suggests that the most favorable outcomes require immunosuppressive therapy and complete surgical excision; however, this case demonstrates a favorable outcome with medical management alone.
Comparison of laparoscopy-assisted vaginal hysterectomy as endoscopic single-station surgery and conventional laparoscopic hysterectomy—surgical effects on safety and quality of life
Authors: Mustea Alexander , Holthaus Bernd , Elmeligy Haytham , Krüger-Rehberg Stefanie , Trojnarska Dominika , Alwafai Zaher , Sternberg Juliane , Stope Matthias B. , Kohlmann Thomas , Meinhold-Heerlein Ivo , Koensgen Dominique 
Published: August 2019

Abstract
Background
To extend the benefits of minimally invasive surgery, an increasing enthusiasm has emerged for the laparo-endoscopic single-site surgery (LESS). The idea of LESS is to allow inserting multiple laparoscopic instruments through only one umbilical incision instead of multiple abdominal incisions.

Methods
Sixty patients from three different centers in Germany were randomized (1:1) to conventional laparoscopic hysterectomy (n = 31) or LESS hysterectomy (n = 29). The study focused in particular on the safety and efficacy of both techniques.

Results
The mean operative time was comparable in both groups (68.2 vs 73.6 min., p = 0.409; 95% CI − 18.69–7.12). No differences were seen regarding estimated blood loss (p = 0.915; 95% CI − 21.02–18.88), intra- and postoperative complications (p = 0.944), and wound infection rates (p = 0.944). Patients within the LESS group experienced significantly less pain in the first 24 h postoperatively (p = 0.006); the pain scores at 3, 5, 7 days and 2 months postoperatively were comparable.

Conclusion
LESS hysterectomy is a reliable and safe option in gynecologic surgery. Compared to conventional laparoscopic hysterectomy, LESS surgery demonstrated comparable surgical properties in regard to blood loss, duration of surgery, and intra-/postoperative complications. Notably, patients undergoing LESS hysterectomy experienced some less pain postoperatively.
Prenatal Testosterone Exposure Alters GABAergic Synaptic Inputs to GnRH and KNDy Neurons in a Sheep Model of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome
Authors: Porter Danielle T , Moore Aleisha M , Cobern Jade A , Padmanabhan Vasantha , Goodman Robert L , Coolen Lique M , Lehman Michael N 
Published: August 2019

Abstract
Prenatal testosterone (T)-treated female sheep display reproductive deficits similar to women with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), including an increase in LH pulse frequency due to actions of the central GnRH pulse generator. In this study, we used multiple-label immunocytochemistry to investigate the possibility of changes in the γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) neurotransmitter system at two key components of the GnRH pulse generator in prenatal T-treated sheep: kisspeptin/neurokinin B/dynorphin (KNDy) neurons of the arcuate nucleus, and GnRH neurons in the preoptic area (POA) and mediobasal hypothalamus (MBH). We observed a significant decrease and increase, respectively, in the number of GABAergic synapses onto POA and MBH GnRH neurons in prenatal T-treated ewes; additionally, there was a significant increase in the number of GABAergic inputs onto KNDy neurons. To determine the actions of GABA on GnRH and KNDy neurons, we examined colocalization with the chloride transporters NKCC1 and KCC2, which indicate stimulatory or inhibitory activation of neurons by GABA, respectively. Most GnRH neurons in both POA and MBH colocalized NKCC1 cotransporter whereas none contained the KCC2 cotransporter. Most KNDy neurons colocalized either NKCC1 or KCC2, and 28% of the KNDy population contained NKCC1 alone. Therefore, we suggest that, as in the mouse, GABA in the sheep is stimulatory to GnRH neurons, as well as to a subset of KNDy neurons. Increased numbers of stimulatory GABAergic inputs to both MBH GnRH and KNDy neurons in prenatal T-treated animals may contribute to alterations in steroid feedback control and increased GnRH/LH pulse frequency seen in this animal model of PCOS.
Treatment of Menopausal Vasomotor Symptoms With Fezolinetant, a Neurokinin 3 Receptor Antagonist: A Phase 2a Trial
Authors: Depypere Herman , Timmerman Dirk , Donders Gilbert , Sieprath Peter , Ramael Steven , Combalbert Jean , Hoveyda Hamid R , Fraser Graeme L 
Published: August 2019

Abstract

Context
The thermoregulatory center in the hypothalamus is stimulated by neurokinin 3 receptor (NK3R) activation and inhibited by estrogen-negative feedback. This balance is disrupted in menopause, producing vasomotor symptoms (VMSs).

Objective
To evaluate safety and efficacy of the NK3R antagonist fezolinetant in menopausal VMSs.

Design
Twelve-week, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study.

Setting
Eight Belgian centers from September 2015 to October 2016.

Participants
Generally healthy menopausal women aged 40 to 65 years with moderate/severe VMSs.

Interventions
Subjects were randomized (1:1) to 90 mg of fezolinetant twice daily or placebo for 12 weeks.

Main Outcome Measures
Subjects captured VMS severity and frequency using an electronic diary. The primary outcome was change from baseline to week 12 in total VMS score with fezolinetant vs placebo. Secondary outcomes included timing of changes in frequency and severity of moderate/severe VMSs and quality-of-life assessments at weeks 4, 8, and 12. Pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic effects were assessed, as were safety and tolerability.

Results
Of 122 subjects screened, 87 were randomized and 80 (92%) completed the study. At week 12, fezolinetant significantly reduced total VMS score vs placebo (−26.5 vs −12.2, P < 0.001) and decreased mean frequency of moderate/severe VMSs by five episodes per day vs placebo. Severity and frequency of moderate/severe VMSs were reduced from the first day of treatment. Improvements were achieved in all quality-of-life measures. Fezolinetant was well tolerated. The most common fezolinetant-related adverse event was gastrointestinal disorder (n = 6).

Conclusions
Fezolinetant rapidly and significantly reduced moderate/severe VMSs, supporting its potential as an effective nonhormonal treatment option for menopausal women.
Factors Associated With Diagnosis and Treatment of Thyroid Microcarcinomas
Authors: Esfandiari Nazanene H , Hughes David T , Reyes-Gastelum David , Ward Kevin C , Hamilton Ann S , Haymart Megan R 
Published: August 2019

Abstract

Context
Nearly one-third of all thyroid cancers are ≤1 cm.

Objective
To determine diagnostic pathways for microcarcinomas vs larger cancers.

Design/Setting/Participants
Patients from Georgia and Los Angeles Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) registries with differentiated thyroid cancer diagnosed in 2014 or 2015 were surveyed. Survey data were linked to SEER data on tumor and treatment characteristics. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed.

Main Outcome Measures
Method of nodule discovery; reason for thyroid surgery.

Results
Of patients who underwent surgery, 975 (38.2%) had cancers ≤1 cm, and 1588 cancers (61.8%) were >1 cm. The reported method of nodule discovery differed significantly between patients with cancers ≤1 cm and those with cancers >1 cm (P < 0.001). Cancer ≤1 cm was associated with nodule discovery on thyroid ultrasound (compared with other imaging, OR, 1.59; 95% CI, 1.21 to 2.10), older patient age (45 to 54 years vs ≤44, OR, 1.45; 95% CI, 1.16 to 1.82), and female sex (OR, 1.51; 95% CI, 1.22 to 1.87). Hispanic ethnicity (OR, 0.71; 95% CI, 0.57 to 0.89) and Asian race (OR, 0.67; 95% CI, 0.49 to 0.92) were negative correlates. Cancers ≤1 cm were associated with lower likelihood of surgery for a nodule suspicious or consistent with cancer (OR, 0.48; 95% CI, 0.40 to 0.57).

Conclusion
Thyroid microcarcinomas are more likely to be detected by ultrasound and less likely to be associated with surgery scheduled for known thyroid cancer. Understanding diagnostic pathways allows for targeted interventions to decrease overdiagnosis and overtreatment.
Baroco: The Logic of English Baroque Poetics
Authors: Vincent Robert Hudson 
Published: August 2019

Abstract
As many scholars, including the editors of the Oxford English Dictionary, continue to cite false etymologies of the baroque, this article returns to a Scholastic syllogism called baroco to demonstrate the relevance of medieval logic to the history of aesthetics. The syllogism is connected to early modern art forms that Enlightenment critics considered excessively complicated or absurdly confusing. Focusing on the emergence of baroque logic in Neo-Latin rhetoric and English poetics, this article traces the development of increasingly outlandish rhetorical practices of copia during the sixteenth century that led to similarly far-fetched poetic practices during the seventeenth century. John Stockwood’s Progymnasma scholasticum (1597) is read alongside Richard Crashaw’s Epigrammatum sacrorum liber (1634) and Steps to the Temple (1646) to reveal the effects of Erasmian rhetorical exercises on English educational practices and the production of English baroque poetry. In the end, the article demonstrates the conceptual unity of the baroque by showing the consistency between critiques of baroco, critiques of English metaphysical poetry, and critiques of baroque art during the Enlightenment.
Risk factors and patterns of recurrence after curative resection in Gastroesophageal Junction Adenocarcinoma
Authors: Batool Sadaf , Khan Misbah , Akbar Sana Amir , Ashraf Ijaz 
Published: August 2019

Objectives: We looked at risk factors and patterns of recurrence following surgical treatment of Gastro-Oesophageal Junction carcinoma (GOJC).
Methods: Electronic medical records of patients with GOJC undergoing resection with curative intent between Jan 2009 and June 2017 at Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital were reviewed. GOJ cancer was classified as per Siewert classification. Clinical and operative details were studied and data was analysed using SPSS 20.
Results: During the study period, we identified 78 patients with GOJ adenocarcinoma (38 patients with GOJ Type-I, 16 with Type-II tumors and 24 patients with GOJ Type-III tumors). Median age was 56 years ± 1.1. Male to female distribution was 72 versus 28%. Carbo-Pacli /5-FU based XRT verses Magic protocol (p<0.015) and advanced pathological T.-stage (p-value<0.032) were found to be statistically significant risk factors for recurrence. After a median follow up of 17.8 months+/- 1.5, 20 patients developed recurrence of which five had local recurrence, three had regional recurrence, eight had distant metastases and four had both local and distant metastases.
Conclusion: The incidence of recurrence following curative resection of GOJC is 25%. Type of neoadjuvant treatment, waiting time for surgery and advanced T-stage are a risk factor for recurrence.
doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.35.5.963
How to cite this:Batool S, Khan M, Akbar SA, Ashraf I. Risk factors and patterns of recurrence after curative resection in Gastroesophageal Junction Adenocarcinoma. Pak J Med Sci. 2019;35(5):1276-1283. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.35.5.963
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Delegating Pricing Authority to Sales Agents: The Impact of Kickbacks
Authors: Kräkel Matthias , Schöttner Anja 
Published: August 2019

We investigate a situation where a firm employing a sales agent faces moral hazard with respect to prospecting effort and the threat of collusion between agent and customer. We show that the firm should offer more pricing authority to the agent the more severe the moral hazard problem, although doing so further expands the agent’s discretion. Nevertheless, restricting the agent’s pricing authority such that he cannot sell to low-valuation customers is typically optimal to prevent collusion. We derive optimal collusion-proof contracts, describe conditions under which collusion arises in equilibrium, and study the optimal interaction between delegation, incentive pay, and the firm’s installed auditing technology. This paper was accepted by Juanjuan Zhang, marketing.
Dynamic Prudential Regulation
Authors: Subramanian Ajay , Yang Baozhong 
Published: August 2019

We analyze the design and impact of bank regulation using a dynamic structural framework. The optimal regulatory policy combines a target capital requirement, the mitigation of underinvestment, an intervention capital requirement to control inefficient risk taking, and recapitalization of distressed banks. The optimal target and intervention capital requirements from our structural estimation are consistent with the substantially higher capital requirements proposed in Basel III and together achieve most of the regulatory benefits by alleviating underinvestment and asset substitution. They are interdependent and respond differently to banks’ asset characteristics, thereby suggesting that regulatory policies should be carefully tuned to the economic environment. This paper was accepted by Kay Giesecke, finance.
Measurement and Analysis of the Vertical Stress Distribution within a Cultivated Soil Volume under Static Conditions
Authors: Jiang Chunxia , Lu Zhixiong , Upadhyaya Shrinivasa K. , Memon Muhammad Sohail 
Published: August 2019

Abstract. One of the important considerations of soil-tire interaction research is the stress distribution in the topsoil and within the cultivated soil volume due to tires. This stress distribution influences trafficability, ride performance, and tractive performance. In this study, a two-wheel-drive tractor and a group of piezoelectric pressure sensors were used at different tire loads and inflation pressures to (1) measure the vertical stress under three tire loads with three inflation pressures and determine the influence of these two parameters on the vertical stress in the topsoil, as measured by sensors with their upper surfaces at an initial depth of 50 mm within the soil volume; (2) develop an empirical relationship between the vertical stress and the depth beneath the soil surface, the tire load, the inflation pressure, and the lateral sensor distance from the tire centerline using multiple linear regression; and (3) analyze the effects of tire load and inflation pressure on vertical stress to contribute to the understanding of soil compaction processes based on the equation we developed. All vertical stress measurements were conducted when traffic was applied to the soil by the left front tire of the tractor, with forward motion of the tractor stopped before the left rear tire reached the sensors. The results indicated that (1) when the inflation pressure decreased, the soil-tire interface stress curve became smooth and the peak value of stress gradually moved to a point near the edge of the tire, whereas when the inflation pressure was higher, the peak stress value occurred in the center of the tire; (2) low inflation pressure significantly reduced the maximum vertical stress; (3) the vertical stress was influenced by all four factors investigated in this study; and (4) the stress within the soil volume varied as a quadratic function of the inflation pressure at a given tire load, and it varied as a linear function of tire load at a given inflation pressure. Keywords: Stress distribution, Tire load, Tire inflation pressure.
Agricultural Best Management Practice Sensitivity to Changing Air Temperature and Precipitation
Authors: Schmidt Michelle L. , Sarkar Saumya , Butcher Jonathan B. , Johnson Thomas E. , Julius Susan H. 
Published: August 2019

Abstract.Agricultural best management practices (BMPs) reduce nonpoint-source pollution from cropland. Goals for BMP adoption and expected pollutant load reductions are often specified in water quality management plans to protect and restore waterbodies; however, estimates of the needed load reductions and pollutant removal performance of BMPs are generally based on historic climate. Increasing air temperatures and changes in precipitation patterns and intensity are anticipated throughout the U.S. over the 21st century. The effects of such changes on agricultural pollutant loads have been addressed by several studies, but how these changes will affect the performance of widely promoted BMPs has received limited attention. We used the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) to investigate potential changes in the effectiveness of conservation tillage, no-till, vegetated filter strips, grassed waterways, nutrient management, winter cover crops, and drainage water management practices under potential future temperature and precipitation patterns. We simulated two agricultural watersheds in the Minnesota Corn Belt and the Georgia Coastal Plain with different hydroclimatic settings under recent conditions (1950-2005) and multiple potential future mid-century (2030-2059) and late-century (2070-2099) climate scenarios. Results suggest future increases in agricultural source loads of sediment, nitrogen, and phosphorous. Most BMPs continue to reduce loads, but removal efficiencies generally decline due to more intense runoff events, biological responses to changes in soil moisture and temperature, and exacerbated upland loading. The coupled effects of higher upland loading and reduced BMP efficiencies suggest that wider adoption, resizing, and/or combining practices may be needed in the future to meet water quality goals for agricultural lands. Keywords: Agricultural management, Best management practices, Climate change, Conservation tillage, Cover crops, Drainage water management, Hydrologic and water quality modeling, Nutrient management, Pollutant removal efficiency, Soil conservation, Vegetated buffer
Analisa Intact Stability dan Damage Stability pada Kapal Ro-Ro Ukuran Besar di Perairan Indonesia Berdasarkan IS CODE 2008
Authors: Rizaldo M. Fikry , Chrismianto Deddy , Manik Parlindungan 
Published: August 2019

Kapal penumpang feri Ro-Ro merupakan moda transportasi yang cukup efisien dan efektif. Karena bisa mengangkut manusia, kendaraan, dan muatan secara bersamaan. Akan tetapi kapal jenis ini masih banyak memiliki kekurangan berupa kondisi kapal feri Ro-Ro yang saat ini beroperasi di indonesia, di mana kebanyakan geladak kendaraan tidak kedap air karena banyaknya bukaan yang ada di sekeliling kapal sehingga apabila dihitung stabilitasnya baik intact maupun damage akan berpengaruh dalam memenuhi kriteria sesuai ketentuan IMO. Metode yang digunakan untuk penelitian ini adalah menggunakan software komputasi numerik yaitu maxsurf. Kriteria yang digunakan dalam analisa stabilitas intact dan damage menggunakan IS CODE 2008 MSC.267(85) Code on intacts stability Part B For Passengers dan SOLAS 2009 Chapter II-1 Resolution MSC.281 (85) (based on the probabilistic concept). Hasil analisa intact stability untuk kapal Ro-Ro 1000 GT (61.30 m), dan 5000 GT (109.40 m) telah memenuhi kriteria pada 3 kondisi dengan max GZ melebihi dari 250. Analisa damage stability yang menggunakan konsep problabilistik dengan perhitungan indek subdivisi R (required subdivision index), dan A (attained subdivison index), di mana nilai indeks A harus lebih besar atau sama dengan nilai indeks R (A≥R). Nilai indeks R dipengaruhi oleh jumlah penumpang kapal dan panjang ls, sedangkan nilai indeks A dipengaruhi oleh faktor pi dan si. Hasil perhitungan pada kedua kapal yaitu, kapal Ro-Ro 1000 GT dengan indek R = 0,69405 dan indek A= 0,7207, dan kapal Ro-Ro 5000 GT dengan indek R = 0,71449 dan indek A = 0,8679. Hasil Problabilistic Damage Stability untuk kedua kapal telah memenuhi kriteria (A ≥ R).
Developing Students’ Critical Thinking and Discourse Level Writing Skill Through Teachers’ Questions: A Sociocultural Approach
Authors: Chen Yaping 
Published: August 2019

AbstractThe present study adopts a quantitative design to explore the effects of pre-designed teachers’ questions as the mediation tool to scaffold the development of students’ critical thinking and their discourse level writing skills in English from a sociocultural perspective. The participants were 39 sophomores from two classes. The results showed that: (1) teachers’ questions targeting specific critical thinking skill in the classroom and in after-class conferences, as well as in written homework feedback were effective; (2) students backslid a little while internalizing teachers’ questions concerning critical thinking; (3) students improved reliably in terms of local and global coherence in their written production with the help of teachers’ questions. The findings indicate that teachers’ questions facilitate students’ development of critical thinking and enhance their discourse level writing skill.
Chinese University EFL Teachers’ and Students’ Beliefs About EFL Writing: Differences, Influences, and Pedagogical Implications
Authors: Ding Yan , Zhao Ting 
Published: August 2019

Abstract
This study investigates Chinese university EFL teachers’ and students’ beliefs about what determines the text quality of EFL writing via a mixed-method analysis of data collected by questionnaire, interview, and diagnostic and self-diagnostic feedback on students’ essays. The results indicate that: First, both the teachers and students attached much importance to language, but the teachers put significantly more emphasis on organization and content whereas the students put significantly more emphasis on vocabulary; Second, the beliefs of students were heavily influenced by their conceptions of the purposes of EFL writing tasks and the assessment criteria adopted to mark their writing; Third, the disparity between teachers’ and students’ beliefs caused them to emphasize different aspects of an essay when giving feedback; Finally, students’ beliefs had a negative impact on the development of effective writing strategies. Pedagogical implications are suggested.