bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Hand‐assisted laparoscopic retroperitoneal donor nephrectomy: A single‐institution experience of over 500 cases—Operative technique and clinical outcomes
Authors: Kumar Sanjaya , Witt Russell G. , Tullius Stefan G. , Malek Sayeed K. 
Published: April 2018

AbstractObjectiveAlthough there are several variations of laparoscopic living‐donor nephrectomies, there is no consensus as to the best technique. Our objective was to describe our technique and assess the outcomes of our approach to hand‐assisted laparoscopic retroperitoneal donor nephrectomies.MethodsFrom July 2001 to October 2015, 507 consecutive hand‐assisted laparoscopic retroperitoneal donor nephrectomies were performed. Their clinical information was retrospectively reviewed including warm ischemia time, skin incision to kidney ready time, estimated blood loss, adverse intraoperative events, and postoperative complications.ResultsMean incision time to kidney removal was 135 minutes (55‐260), mean warm ischemia time was 125 seconds (30‐390), and mean blood loss was 83 mL (20‐500). Average length of stay was 3 days (1‐6). There were no significant differences between left and right kidney donors based on demographics, length of hospital stay, or warm ischemia time. There were no conversions to open surgery. Complications occurred in 4.9% of patients (25/507), including 4 cases of perioperative bleeding.ConclusionsThis is a single‐center series describing the safety and efficacy of the hand‐assisted laparoscopic retroperitoneal donor nephrectomy for both right and left sides. It does not require intraperitoneal manipulation and allows for safe extraction of either kidney with minimal warm ischemia time.
Macroeconomic Effects of 21st Century Trade and Investment Agreements: The Case of the Trans‐Pacific Partnership
Authors: Capaldo Jeronim , Izurieta Alex 
Published: April 2018

ABSTRACTFollowing United States withdrawal, the Trans‐Pacific Partnership agreement (TPP) is likely to be replaced or complemented by a series of bilateral deals between the US and TPP partners. In this case, TPP will shape trade, finance and public policy globally even without formal US participation. Proponents of TPP emphasize its prospective economic benefits, with economic growth increasing due to rising trade volumes and investment. Widely cited projections suggest modest GDP gains after 10 years, varying from less than half a percentage point in the USA to 13 per cent in Vietnam. However, these projections assume full employment and constant income distribution in all countries, excluding some of the major risks of trade liberalization. This article provides alternative projections of the TPP's economic effects using the United Nations Global Policy Model, which allows for changes in employment and income distribution. Using this model, the authors obtain very different results. They find that the benefits to economic growth are even smaller than those projected with full‐employment models, and are negative for Japan and the USA. More importantly, they find that the TPP will likely lead to losses in employment and increases in inequality.
LGBT Advocacy and Transnational Funding in Singapore and Malaysia
Authors: Ng Eve 
Published: April 2018

ABSTRACTLGBT advocacy is an emergent site attracting transnational funding from an expanded set of donor types that now include private corporations, national governments, NGOs, intergovernmental organizations and public–private partnerships. This article discusses LGBT advocacy as involving an expanded range of issues that go beyond a traditional focus on HIV/AIDS prevention. The geographical focus is on Singapore and Malaysia, two Southeast Asian countries where homosexuality is officially illegal. Alongside the global politics of LGBT rights, previous critiques about external funding and North/South asymmetries in transnational aid raise questions about its effectiveness for transformative socio‐political change, and its political and theoretical implications. Three case studies are examined: Pink Dot Singapore, and the PT Foundation and Kuala Lumpur activist workshops in Malaysia. The data demonstrate the capacity for transnational support to contribute to grassroots activism and coalitional politics. However, significant observable outcomes are currently limited, partly because most of the grants are modest, and Singapore and Malaysia's high‐ and middle‐income status excludes them from various funding bodies. Furthermore, domestic resistance to transnational funding has emerged, constituting more widespread discourses in which anti‐LGBT sentiment is framed in terms of opposing Western encroachments and the dominance of the global North.
On the relationship between intermediate input imports and export quality in China
Authors: Xu Jiayun , Mao Qilin 
Published: April 2018

AbstractThis paper studies the connection between intermediate input imports and firms’ export quality using firm‐level data from 2000 to 2007. Our regression results show that intermediate input imports promote manufacturing firms’ export quality through ‘variety effects’ and ‘innovation effects’, though the effects are significantly different among firms with different characteristics, and the magnitude of these effects differs across import sources and the quality of imported intermediate inputs themselves. Moreover, we find that a good institutional environment is conducive to the strengthening of the positive influence of intermediate input imports on export quality. Furthermore, the dynamic decomposition demonstrates that the reallocation effect is the key force through which imported inputs boost industrial aggregate quality growth. Taken together, these results suggest that product upgrading facilitated by quality embedded in imported intermediate inputs, a good institutional environment and market share reallocation help Chinese firms to improve the quality of their export products.
Effect of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid and hyaluronic acid on the viability and cytokine expression of periodontal ligament fibroblasts
Authors: França Monique Costa Moreira , da Silva Tânia Mara , Silva Gleyce Oliveira , Valera Márcia Carneiro , Camargo Carlos Henrique Ribeiro 
Published: April 2018

AbstractBackground/AimsDental root cell proliferation following tooth avulsion has not been well researched. Understanding the effects of dry time and dentin treatment influences on cell proliferation is essential to provide evidence‐based guidelines for tooth replantation. The study evaluated the viability of periodontal ligament fibroblasts (PLF) in contact with roots, submitted to surface treatments with ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) and hyaluronic acid (HA) at different times, including to quantify inflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL)‐6, IL‐8, IL‐1β and TNF‐α expressed by PLF. The adhesion of fibroblasts to treated root surfaces was also evaluated.Material and MethodsOne hundred and eight cementum discs from bovine teeth were randomly divided into groups according to time periods of being dry (n = 12) as follows: (i) fresh discs that were not kept dry, (WD); (ii) dry for 1 hour (1 hd); and (iii) dry for 24 hours (24 hd). The discs were subdivided into 3 subgroups (n = 12) according to surface treatments: (iv) no treatment, (v) treatment with EDTA, (vi) treatment with HA. The discs were placed in 96‐well plates, and PLF were seeded and kept in contact with the discs for 48 hours. Cell viability on the surface of the discs was assessed by XTT, and PLF adhesion was evaluated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Quantification of cytokines was performed using enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Data were submitted to ANOVA and Tukey's test (α = .05).ResultsSurface treatment had a statistically significant effect on the cell viability in groups WD (P = .03), 1 hd (P = .01) and 24 hd (P = .048). PLF in contact with dried root surfaces expressed more cytokines without treatment with IL‐6 decreasing the expression when treated with HA for 24 hours. SEM also showed adhesion of PLF to the surface of all discs at all time periods.ConclusionEDTA + HA is an alternative treatment for cases of avulsed teeth as it promoted adhesion and increased viability of PLF.
Malignant lymphoma in the HIV‐positive patient
Authors: Meister Anne , Hentrich Marcus , Wyen Christoph , Hübel Kai 
Published: April 2018

AbstractThe introduction of combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) drastically improved performance status, immune function, and life expectancy of HIV‐infected individuals. In addition, incidence of opportunistic infections and of AIDS‐defining malignancies declined. Nevertheless, aggressive non‐Hodgkin’s lymphoma still remains the leading cause of AIDS‐related deaths. The availability of cART, however, significantly improved the therapeutic options for HIV‐positive patients with lymphomas. Diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma, Burkitt’s lymphoma, or Hodgkin lymphoma has increasingly become curable diseases. In light of these favorable developments in the treatment of HIV and HIV‐associated lymphomas, reduction in treatment‐associated toxicities and further improvement of outcome of patients with advanced immune suppression are major requirements for future clinical trials. This review summarizes the current treatment landscape and gives an overview on future needs in HIV‐positive patients with lymphoma.
Hume's distinction between impressions and ideas
Authors: Rickless Samuel C. 
Published: April 2018

AbstractAn important part of Hume's philosophy is grounded in a fundamental distinction between two kinds of perceptions: impressions and ideas. Existing views of the distinction are that the former are livelier than the latter, that the former are causally prior to the latter, that the latter are copies of the former, that the former but not the latter are perceptions of an objective realm, and that the former are feelings whereas the latter are thoughts. I argue that all of these views of the distinction are problematic and should be replaced by the Reflection view, according to which (simple) ideas are, while impressions are not, the direct products of reflection on other perceptions.
Long‐term efficacy of add‐on lacosamide treatment in children and adolescents with refractory epilepsies: A single‐center observational study
Authors: Rosati Anna , Ilvento Lucrezia , Rizzi Riccardo , Doccini Viola , Leo Maria Carmela , Pugi Alessandra , De Masi Salvatore , Guerrini Renzo 
Published: April 2018

SummaryObjectiveTo assess long‐term efficacy and tolerability of lacosamide (LCM) as adjunctive treatment through a retrospective study in children and adolescents with refractory epilepsies.MethodsAll patients consecutively treated with LCM as add‐on for refractory focal and generalized epilepsy and followed at the Neuroscience Center of Excellence of the Meyer Children's Hospital of Florence between January 2011 and September 2015 were included in the study. Responder rate, relapse‐free survival, and retention rate were calculated. Tolerability was assessed by reporting adverse events.ResultsA total of 88 individuals (41 female) aged 4 months to 18 years (median 10.5 years; mean ± SD 10.6 ± 4.8 years) received add‐on LCM treatment for refractory epilepsy. Thirty‐four patients (38.6%) were responders with a median time to relapse of 48 months. Nine (26.4%) of the 34 responders were seizure‐free. For all 88 patients, the probability of remaining on LCM without additional therapy was 74.4% at 6 months, 47.7% at 12 months, 27.9% at 24 months, 18.0% at 48 months, and 8.2% at 72 months of follow‐up. No statistically significant differences in relapse and retention time were observed with regard to epilepsy and seizure types, duration and course of epilepsy, number and type of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs; sodium channel blockers vs others) used in add‐on. The most frequent adverse events were dermatological (4/11) and behavioral (3/11).SignificanceThis study documents a real‐world progressive and significant loss of LCM efficacy over time in a pediatric population. Further prospective studies on larger populations are required to confirm the remarkable loss of LCM efficacy over time.
Circumstances of SUDEP: A nationwide population‐based case series
Authors: Sveinsson Olafur , Andersson Tomas , Carlsson Sofia , Tomson Torbjörn 
Published: April 2018

SummaryObjectiveGiven the increasing attention being paid to potential strategies for sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) prevention, we analyzed the circumstances of SUDEP and its incidence in relation to time of year, week, and day.MethodsProspective case‐series based on persons with an International Classification of Diseases (ICD‐10) code for epilepsy in the Swedish Patient Registry 1998‐2005, who were alive on June 30, 2006 (n = 60 952). Linkage to the National Cause‐of‐Death Registry identified all deaths from July 2006 through December 2011, with epilepsy mentioned on death certificate, together with all deaths during 2008 (n = 3166). Death certificates, medical charts, autopsy, and police reports were reviewed to identify SUDEP cases and related circumstances. Autopsied non‐SUDEP deaths (n = 60) from the study population served as a reference.ResultsThere were 329 SUDEPs (63% men) of which 167 were definite, 89 probable, and 73 possible. SUDEP cases were younger at death (50.8 years) than non‐SUDEP deaths (73.3 years) (P < .001) and more likely to be male (63% vs 55%, P = .0079). Most SUDEP cases died at night (58%), at home (91%), and 65% were found dead in bed. When documented, 70% were found in prone position. In 17%, death was witnessed and in 88% of these, a seizure was observed. Of the 329 SUDEP cases, 71% were living alone and 14% shared a bedroom. Compared to an autopsied non‐SUDEP reference group, definite SUDEPs were more likely to die at home, during the night, unwitnessed, in the prone position, to live alone, and more often with a preceding seizure.SignificanceSUDEP cases live alone, die unwitnessed at home at night, with indication of a preceding seizure, supporting the critical role of lack of supervision. These facts need to be considered in the development of preventive strategies.
The role of AMPA receptors and their antagonists in status epilepticus
Authors: Leo Antonio , Giovannini Giada , Russo Emilio , Meletti Stefano 
Published: April 2018

SummaryStatus epilepticus (SE) is typically defined as a prolonged self‐sustaining seizure or repeated seizures showing an incomplete recovery between them. SE represents a medical emergency often associated with significant disability, morbidity, and mortality. Despite the clinical impact, the mechanisms underlying the transition from self‐limited seizures to protracted, medically refractory seizures are not completely understood. About 40% of patients in established SE are refractory to antiepileptic drugs (first‐line treatment); therefore, there is a need for more efficacious drugs. In this review, we focused on the current knowledge about the involvement of alpha‐amino‐3‐hydroxy‐5‐methyl‐4‐isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) receptors during SE, the preclinical efficacy of its antagonists, and the currently published clinical studies involving drugs with this mechanism of action. We carried out an extensive literature search to recognize experimental and clinical articles both on AMPA receptors and AMPA antagonists and SE. Recently, the role of AMPA receptors during and after SE has become clearer, and it is now widely accepted that early changes occur in the initial stages and probably contribute both to the maintenance of SE and to its refractoriness to treatment. The therapeutic potential of AMPA receptor inhibition has been sustained by studies in which AMPA receptor antagonists have been shown to terminate seizures in several SE animal models. To date, promising, but limited, data in humans support the use of AMPA receptor antagonists in patients with SE. AMPA receptor antagonists could become a new therapeutic option in patients with established SE when the first trials with second‐line agents have failed or probably even better after failure of benzodiazepines as a second‐line option.
Publication outlets for healthcare financial research: A study of journal quality perceptions
Authors: Forgione Dana A. , Liu Hanni , Smith Pamela C. , Liu H. Harrison 
Published: April 2018

AbstractPublications in high quality journals often serve to indicate research productivity. However, many top‐rated journals infrequently publish cross‐disciplinary topics such as healthcare financial management (HFM). So, academic administrators and HFM researchers find it challenging to evaluate the quality of the work. Journals open to publishing HFM articles are distributed across multiple disciplines. Each field has its own journal rankings typically focused on their primary subject area. Starting with prior literature, we form a cross‐disciplinary journal list and solicit preliminary input from editors, associated editors, reviewers, and authors. We then solicit confirmatory ranking input from independent researchers in a holdout sample.
Consequences of dam‐altered thermal regimes for a riverine herbivore's digestive efficiency, growth and vulnerability to predation
Authors: Catenazzi Alessandro , Kupferberg Sarah J. 
Published: April 2018

Abstract

Rivers around the world are undergoing shifts in thermal regime due to climate change and human appropriation of water resources. The local impacts of thermal regime change are challenging to predict because water temperature can influence aquatic organisms and communities at multiple levels simultaneously. For example, thermal change can influence the phenology of periphyton blooms, primary consumer physiology and behaviour, and interspecific interactions with predators.

Using tadpoles of the threatened river‐breeding foothill yellow‐legged frog (Rana boylii, Ranidae), their algal foods and their invertebrate predators, we mimicked dam‐induced changes in temperature and observed the outcome of consumer–resource interactions. In stream enclosures, we reared tadpoles across a gradient of cold to warm conditions, quantified the ash content of diet, digestive efficiency and growth rate, and assessed their vulnerability to hemipteran and odonate predators.

Tadpoles reared in a cool stream (15.5°C daily mean) digested epilithic periphyton poorly (6.6 ± 0.4% assimilation efficiency). In contrast, average assimilation efficiency of tadpoles reared at 19°C was 11.6 ± 0.1%. Access to nutritious diatoms (i.e. dinitrogen‐fixing Epithemia spp., Rhopalodiaceae) increased assimilation efficiency to 10.1 ± 0.1% and 13.8 ± 0.1% in the cool and warm treatments, respectively. Assimilation efficiency correlated positively with tadpole growth rate (R = 0.66, p < .001).

The effect of temperature on mortality due to predation was mediated by low tadpole growth rates at cool temperatures and not by the temperature of predator exposure. Non‐lethal effects of predators on tadpole growth and tail injury, however, depended on both rearing temperature and exposure temperature. Contrary to the expectation that the cost of predator avoidance behaviours may be greater at warmer exposure temperatures because basal metabolic rates are higher, our results indicated that the energetic cost of foraging less was amplified at cool temperatures.

Our results show that when thermal conditions impair digestion in a species’ early life stages, recruitment bottlenecks are likely to arise due to the combined negative effects of cool temperatures on assimilation efficiency and growth, and increased predation by invertebrates.
Detrimental effects of a novel flow regime on the functional trajectory of an aquatic invertebrate metacommunity
Authors: Ruhi Albert , Dong Xiaoli , McDaniel Courtney H. , Batzer Darold P. , Sabo John L. 
Published: April 2018

AbstractNovel flow regimes resulting from dam operations and overallocation of freshwater resources are an emerging consequence of global change. Yet, anticipating how freshwater biodiversity will respond to surging flow regime alteration requires overcoming two challenges in environmental flow science: shifting from local to riverscape‐level understanding of biodiversity dynamics, and from static to time‐varying characterizations of the flow regime. Here, we used time‐series methods (wavelets and multivariate autoregressive models) to quantify flow‐regime alteration and to link time‐varying flow regimes to the dynamics of multiple local communities potentially connected by dispersal (i.e., a metacommunity). We studied the Chattahoochee River below Buford dam (Georgia, U.S.A.), and asked how flow regime alteration by a large hydropower dam may control the long‐term functional trajectory of the downstream invertebrate metacommunity. We found that seasonal variation in hydropeaking synchronized temporal fluctuations in trait abundance among the flow‐altered sites. Three biological trait states describing adaptation to fast flows benefitted from flow management for hydropower, but did not compensate for declines in 16 “loser” traits. Accordingly, metacommunity‐wide functional diversity responded negatively to hydropeaking intensity, and stochastic simulations showed that the risk of functional diversity collapse within the next 4 years would decrease by 17% if hydropeaking was ameliorated, or by 9% if it was applied every other season. Finally, an analysis of 97 reference and 23 dam‐affected river sites across the U.S. Southeast suggested that flow variation at extraneous, human‐relevant scales (12‐hr, 24‐hr, 1‐week) is relatively common in rivers affected by hydropower dams. This study advances the notion that novel flow regimes are widespread, and simplify the functional structure of riverine communities by filtering out taxa with nonadaptive traits and by spatially synchronizing their dynamics. This is relevant in the light of ongoing and future hydrologic alteration due to climate non‐stationarity and the new wave of dams planned globally.
Dominant regions and drivers of the variability of the global land carbon sink across timescales
Authors: Zhang Xuanze , Wang Ying‐Ping , Peng Shushi , Rayner Peter J. , Ciais Philippe , Silver Jeremy D. , Piao Shilong , Zhu Zaichun , Lu Xingjie , Zheng Xiaogu 
Published: April 2018

AbstractNet biome productivity (NBP) dominates the observed large variation of atmospheric CO2 annual increase over the last five decades. However, the dominant regions controlling inter‐annual to multi‐decadal variability of global NBP are still controversial (semi‐arid regions vs. temperate or tropical forests). By developing a theory for partitioning the variance of NBP into the contributions of net primary production (NPP) and heterotrophic respiration (Rh) at different timescales, and using both observation‐based atmospheric CO2 inversion product and the outputs of 10 process‐based terrestrial ecosystem models forced by 110‐year observational climate, we tried to reconcile the controversy by showing that semi‐arid lands dominate the variability of global NBP at inter‐annual (<10 years) and tropical forests dominate at multi‐decadal scales (>30 years). Results further indicate that global NBP variability is dominated by the NPP component at inter‐annual timescales, and is progressively controlled by Rh with increasing timescale. Multi‐decadal NBP variations of tropical rainforests are modulated by the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) through its significant influences on both temperature and precipitation. This study calls for long‐term observations for the decadal or longer fluctuations in carbon fluxes to gain insights on the future evolution of global NBP, particularly in the tropical forests that dominate the decadal variability of land carbon uptake and are more effective for climate mitigation.