bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Diabetic Macular Edema at the time of Cataract Surgery trial: a prospective, randomized clinical trial of intravitreous bevacizumab versus triamcinolone in patients with diabetic macular oedema at the time of cataract surgery – preliminary 6 month results
Authors: Lim Lyndell L , Morrison Julie L , Constantinou Marios , Rogers Sophie , Sandhu Sukhpal S , Wickremasinghe Sanjeewa S , Kawasaki Ryo , Al‐Qureshi Salmaan 
Published: February 2016

AbstractBackgroundTo compare visual and anatomical outcomes between intravitreous bevacizumab (BVB, Avastin) and triamcinolone (TA, Triesence) when administered at the time of cataract surgery in patients with diabetic macular oedema (DME).DesignProspective, single‐masked, randomized clinical trial at The Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital, Melbourne.ParticipantsPatients with clinically significant cataract and either centre‐involving DME or DME treated within the previous 24 months.MethodsParticipants were randomized 1:1 to receive intravitreous BVB 1.25 mg or TA 4 mg during cataract surgery, and at subsequent review if required over 6 months.Main Outcome MeasuresChange in central macular thickness (CMT) and best corrected visual acuity at 6 months.ResultsForty‐one patients (mean age 66.4 years, 73.2% male) were recruited. Visual acuity and CMT were similar between groups at baseline (P > 0.2).After six months, both groups gained vision (mean +21.4 letters in TA group P < 0.0001, +12.5 letters in BVB, P = 0.002), with no significant difference between groups (P = 0.085). In addition, 60.9% of eyes receiving TA achieved a VA of ≥6/12 compared to 73.3% in the BVB group (P = 0.501). However, only TA was associated with a sustained reduction in CMT (−43.8‐µm reduction TA vs. +37.3‐µm increase BVB, P = 0.006 over 6 months). Following surgery, additional injections were required in 70.6% of participants in the BVB group, compared to 16.7% in the TA group (P < 0.0001). Three patients in the TA group experienced a rise of IOP over 21 mmHg (12.5%) during the 6‐month follow‐up; BVB had no cases (P = 0.130). There were no cases of endophthalmitis in either group.ConclusionsWhen administered at the time of cataract surgery in patients with DME, at 6 months both TA and BVB improve visual acuity; however, only TA results in a sustained reduction in CMT. Further follow‐up will determine whether this translates into better long‐term visual outcomes in the TA group.
Grading of follicular lymphoma in cytological samples
Authors: Klopčič U. , Lavrenčak J. , Gašljević G. , Bračko M. , Pohar‐Marinšek Ž. , Kloboves‐Prevodnik V. 
Published: February 2016

ObjectiveThe treatment of follicular lymphoma (FL) depends on its grade. The current World Health Organization (WHO) 2008 Classification of Tumours of Haematopoietic and Lymphoid Tissues recommends the grading of FL on histological samples according to the Mann and Berard method, taking into consideration the number of centroblasts. There is no generally accepted method for the grading of FL in fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) samples. The aim of the present study was to devise a grading system for FL in cytological samples.MethodsFlow cytometry (FC) was performed on 60 FNAB samples of patients with primary FL. We assumed that FL cells larger than reactive T lymphocytes on FC histograms corresponded to centroblasts. The percentage of large cells was calculated and compared with histological grade, proliferative activity and number of centroblasts per high‐power field (HPF) on histological slides, and with survival.ResultsThe histological analysis of lymph nodes revealed 20 patients with high‐grade and 40 patients with low‐grade FL. The percentage of large cells in FNAB samples correlated significantly with histological grade (P = 0.02), MIB1 status (P < 0.001) and the number of centroblasts per HPF (P < 0.001). An age over 60 years and a percentage of large cells over 50% in FNAB samples were found to have a statistically significant impact on survival by univariate analysis (P = 0.001 and P = 0.006, respectively).ConclusionsThe percentage of large lymphoma cells in FNAB samples of FL determined by FC can be used as a reliable method for FL grading, as it is comparable with the histological grading system.
Factors Affecting Women's Autonomous Decision Making In Research Participation Amongst Yoruba Women Of Western Nigeria
Authors: Princewill Chitu Womehoma , Jegede Ayodele S. , Nordström Karin , Lanre‐Abass Bolatito , Elger Bernice Simone 
Published: February 2016

AbstractResearch is a global enterprise requiring participation of both genders for generalizable knowledge; advancement of science and evidence based medical treatment. Participation of women in research is necessary to reduce the current bias that most empirical evidence is obtained from studies with men to inform health care and related policy interventions. Various factors are assumed to limit autonomy amongst the Yoruba women of western Nigeria. This paper seeks to explore the experience and understanding of autonomy by the Yoruba women in relation to research participation. Focus is on factors that affect women's autonomous decision making in research participation.An exploratory qualitative approach comprising four focus group discussions, 42 in‐depth interviews and 14 key informant interviews was used. The study permits a significant amount of triangulation, as opinions of husbands and religious leaders are also explored. Interviews and discussions were audiotaped and transcribed verbatim. Content analysis was employed for data analysis.Findings show that concepts of autonomy varied amongst the Yoruba women. Patriarchy, religion and culture are conceived to have negative impact on the autonomy of women in respect to research participation. Among the important findings are: 1) male dominance is strongly emphasized by religious leaders who should teach equality, 2) while men feel that by making decisions for women, they are protecting them, the women on the other hand see this protection as a way of limiting their autonomy. We recommend further studies to develop culturally appropriate and workable recruitment methods to increase women's participation in research.
Diversity and specificity of host‐natural enemy interactions in an urban‐rural interface
Authors: PEREIRA‐PEIXOTO MARIA HELENA , PUFAL GESINE , STAAB MICHAEL , FEITOSA MARTINS CELSO , KLEIN ALEXANDRA‐MARIA 
Published: February 2016

1. Urbanisation and agricultural intensification cause the replacement of natural ecosystems but might also create novel habitats in urban and rural ecosystems promoting some insect communities by providing food and nesting resources.2. This study investigated how host–natural enemy communities change in urban and rural landscapes and their transitional zone, the urban–rural interface, by using trap nests for cavity‐nesting Hymenoptera in gardens and rapeseed fields that were either isolated or paired in the urban–rural interface.3. Host dynamics were important for natural enemy occurrence, species richness and parasitism rates, and landscape effects were evident for natural enemy variables except for the richness of bee natural enemies. The number of parasitised brood cells was at its highest in the urban–rural interface, but the highest parasitism rates of bees were observed in isolated gardens. Parasitism rates of bees were negatively affected by host abundance, while parasitism rates of wasps were positively affected.4. Higher specialisation and lower connectivity of host–natural enemy interactions were found in paired habitats than in isolated habitats. This indicates that paired habitats comprise more specific natural enemies and vulnerable interactions, while isolated habitats comprise more generalist natural enemies, and thus interactions appear more stable.5. These results confirm that host dynamics play an essential role in the abundance and richness of natural enemies and drive parasitism. However, high habitat heterogeneity found in the urban–rural interface can also have an effect on host–natural enemy communities. This highlights that the provisioning of resources in the urban–rural interface can benefit insect communities in these areas.
Host range of braconid species (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) that attack Asphondyliini (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) in Japan
Authors: Matsuo Kazunori , Uechi Nami , Tokuda Makoto , Maeto Kaoru , Yukawa Junichi 
Published: February 2016

AbstractWe reared six idiobiont braconids, Bracon asphondyliae, B. sunosei, B. tamabae, Simplicibracon curticaudis, Testudobracon longicaudis and T. pleuralis from 22 identified species and 11 unidentified segregates of Asphondyliini (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) in Japan. A total of 22 cecidomyiid species and segregates were newly recorded as hosts of the braconids. Analysis of cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) did not show any evidence of host races among the braconids. Bracon sunosei, which was synonymized with B. asphondyliae, is restored to a valid species. The host range of the braconid species seemed to be related to the lineage of host genera within Asphondyliini.
Small sweat bees (Hymenoptera: Halictidae) as potential major pollinators of melon (Cucumis melo) in the Mediterranean
Authors: Rodrigo Gómez Sara , Ornosa Concepción , Selfa Jesús , Guara Miguel , Polidori Carlo 
Published: February 2016

AbstractIn the current scenario of a general decline of the honeybee worldwide, studies on the potential of alternative bee species in pollinating cultivated plants are important. Although melon,Cucumis melo, is a crop with great commercial importance, there is very little information on its pollinating fauna in Europe, and none from the southern Mediterranean area. In a locality in central Spain, using both pan‐traps and net collections, we found that melon flowers are visited by 31 species of bees spanning four families, though only four were both dominant and constant. These four species belonged to the family Halictidae (sweat bees) and mostly (three species) to the genusLasioglossum. Five other species could be defined as accessory: honeybee,Apis mellifera, and four other halictids. Individuals of the dominant species were smaller, on average, than those from all the other species. Observations on the frequency of pollen and nectar foraging and on flower visit duration further suggestedL. malachurumas the potential key pollinator. Females of this species started to forage on melon early in the flowering season and exhibited two activity peaks in summer, thus covering the whole season. Although in other sites across continents melon seems to be more heavily pollinated by honeybees, this seems to be not the case in the Mediterranean, where sweat bees seem to be the major pollinators of this crop.
Fatigue induced deformation and thermodynamics evolution in a nano particle strengthened nickel base superalloy
Authors: Huang E‐W. , Chang C.‐K. , Liaw P. K. , Suei T.‐R. 
Published: February 2016

AbstractIn‐situ neutron‐diffraction and temperature measurements were simultaneously applied to investigate low‐cycle‐fatigue behaviour of a nano‐precipitate strengthened nickel‐based superalloy. Two transitions in the temperature‐evolution are observed subjected to cyclic loading. Two models are compared with the measured temperature evolution. One is based on bulk stress, and the other is based on lattice‐strain evolution. The calculated thermoelastic responses in both models qualitatively agree with the measured bulk‐temperature evolution for the first transition. The in‐situ neutron‐diffraction results reveal that the first transition is associated with the cyclic hardening/softening dislocation‐structural transformation. However, the second transition, which is observed at larger number of fatigue cycles during the steady cycles, does not correlate with the dislocation evolution. A phenomenological model is applied to describe the second temperature‐transition stages. The energy dissipation evolutions in the second fatigue stage indicate the initiation and the growth activities of fatigue microcrack. The data reported here may be useful for cohesive zone model.
University Students' Perceptions of Integrated Performance Assessment and the Connection Between Classroom Learning and Assessment
Authors: Zapata Gabriela C. 
Published: February 2016

AbstractIn 2013, Integrated Performance Assessment (IPA) was adopted at all levels of instruction at a private university in southern California. The study reports the opinions of 1,236 Novice, Intermediate Low, and Intermediate Mid Spanish students concerning IPA and their perceptions of the way in which classroom instruction was reflected in the content of those assessments. As a group, participants offered positive opinions of IPAs, although these varied somewhat depending on participants' proficiency level, previous assessment experiences, and reasons for taking Spanish, and the characteristics of the students' individual instructors and classes. Pedagogical issues that may influence IPA implementation in second language classes are also considered.
Group affiliation in self‐management: support or threat to identity?
Authors: Bossy Dagmara , Knutsen Ingrid Ruud , Rogers Anne , Foss Christina 
Published: February 2016

AbstractBackgroundSelf‐management is considered important in chronic illness, and contemporary health policy recommends participation in support groups for individuals with chronic conditions. Although withdrawal from or non‐participation in support groups is an important problem, there is limited knowledge about individuals' own motivation for participation in or withdrawal from self‐management support groups.ObjectivesTo investigate how individuals with type 2 diabetes perceive participation in group‐based self‐management support.DesignThis is a qualitative focus group study using a semi‐structured interview guide.Setting and participantsSixteen participants diagnosed with type 2 diabetes were included in the study. Individuals with and without group affiliations were mixed in three focus groups to trigger discussions. In the analysis, reoccurring themes of engagement and discussions between participants were focused within a theoretical frame of institutional logic. The focus groups are seen as social spaces where participants construct identity.ResultsBoth participation and non‐participation in group‐based self‐management support are associated with dealing with the stigma of having type 2 diabetes. Negotiations contribute to constructing an illness dignity as a response to the logic of moral responsibility for the disease.Discussion and conclusionContemporary policy contributes to societal understandings of individuals with type 2 diabetes as morally inadequate. Our study shows that group‐based self‐management support may counteract blame and contribute in negotiations of identity for individuals with type 2 diabetes. This mechanism makes participation in groups beneficial for some but stigma inducing for others.
Prebreeding survival of Roseate Terns Sterna dougallii varies with sex, hatching order and hatching date
Authors: Nisbet Ian C. T. , Monticelli David , Spendelow Jeffrey A. , Szczys Patricia 
Published: February 2016

Unequal sex ratios can reduce the productivity of animal populations and are especially prevalent among endangered species. A cohort of 333 Roseate Tern Sterna dougallii chicks at a site where the adult sex ratio was skewed towards females was sexed at hatching and followed through fledging and return to the breeding area, and subsequently during adulthood. The entire regional metapopulation was sampled for returning birds. Prebreeding survival (from fledging to age 3 years) was lower in males than in females, but only among B‐chicks (second in hatching order). Prebreeding survival also declined with hatching date. The proportion of females in this cohort increased from 54.6% at hatching to 56.2% at fledging and to an estimated 58.0% among survivors at age 3 years. This was more than sufficient to explain the degree of skew in the sex ratio of the adult population, but changes in this degree of skew during the study period make it difficult to identify the influence of a single cohort of recruits. Many studies of prebreeding survival in other bird species have identified effects of sex, hatching order or hatching date, but no previous study has tested for effects of all three factors simultaneously.
The use of public health e-learning resources by pharmacists in Wales: a quantitative evaluation
Authors: Evans Andrew , Evans Sian , Roberts Debra 
Published: February 2016

Abstract

Objective
The aim of this study was to examine how communicable disease e-learning resources were utilised by pharmacy professionals and to identify whether uptake of the resources was influenced by disease outbreaks.

Method
Retrospective analysis of routine data regarding the number of individuals completing e-learning resources and statutory notifications of communicable disease.

Results
A high proportion of pharmacy professionals in Wales (38.8%, n = 915/2357) accessed the resources; around one in six completed multiple resources (n = 156). The most commonly accessed were those where there had been a disease outbreak during the study period. There was a strong positive correlation between e-learning uptake and number of disease cases; this was observed both for measles and scarlet fever.

Conclusions
Communicable disease e-learning appears to be an acceptable method for providing communicable disease information to pharmacy professionals. Study findings suggest that e-learning uptake is positively influenced by disease outbreaks this reflects well both on pharmacy professionals and on the e-learning resources themselves.
Exploring the process of professional socialisation and development during pharmacy pre-registration training in England
Authors: Jee Samuel D , Schafheutle Ellen I , Noyce Peter R 
Published: February 2016

AbstractObjectivesTo explore the process of professional socialisation in pharmacy trainees during pre-registration training.MethodsA prospective, longitudinal qualitative design was used. A purposive sample of 20 trainees from community and hospital pharmacy in North West England was recruited. A total of 79 semi-structured interviews were conducted with trainees on three occasions during training and once four months after training. Data were analysed thematically using template analysis.Key findingsEarly on in training, non-pharmacists played a significant role in socialising trainees into the work setting; pharmacists played the stronger role towards the end. Pre-registration tutors were strong role models throughout training. Training experiences differed between settings, where services provided and patient mix varied. Hospital trainees learnt about specialist medicines on ward rotations. Community trainees developed knowledge of over-the-counter, and less complex, medicines. In hospital, trainees were exposed to a range of role models in comparison to community where this was generally limited to a small pharmacy team. Newly qualified pharmacists were challenged by having full responsibility and accountability.ConclusionThis study showed the experiences encountered by trainees that affect their professional socialisation. More standardisation across training sites may reduce the variation in experiences and professional socialisation and development. Formal training for pre-registration tutors and support staff that play a key role in supporting trainees could be considered. Support for newly qualified pharmacists may allay the challenging transition they face when entering practice.
Critical role of CCL22/CCR4 axis in the maintenance of immune homeostasis during apoptotic cell clearance by splenic CD8α+CD103+ dendritic cells
Authors: Hao Shengyu , Han Xiaolei , Wang Dan , Yang Yang , Li Qiuting , Li Xiangzhi , Qiu Chun‐Hong 
Published: February 2016

SummaryMacrophages and dendritic cells (DCs) in murine spleen are essential for the maintenance of immune homeostasis by elimination of blood‐borne foreign particles and organisms. It has been reported that splenic DCs, especially CD8α+ CD103+ DCs, are responsible for tolerance to apoptosis‐associated antigens. However, the molecular mechanism by which these DCs maintain immune homeostasis by blood‐borne apoptotic cell clearance remains elusive. Here, we found that the CCL22/CCR4 axis played a critical role in the maintenance of immune homeostasis during apoptotic cell clearance by splenic CD8α+ CD103+ DCs. The present results revealed that systemic administration of apoptotic cells rapidly induced a large number of CCL22 and CCR4+ regulatory T (Treg) cells in the spleen of C57BL/6J mice. Further study demonstrated that CD8α+ CD103+ DCs dominantly produce much higher CCL22 than CD8α+ CD103− DCs. Moreover, the transient deletion of CD8α+ CD103+ DCs caused a decrease in CCL22 levels together with CCR4+ Treg cell percentage. Subsequently, the levels of some pro‐inflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin‐17 and interferon‐γ in the spleen with the absence of CD8α+ CD103+ DCs increased in response to the administration of apoptotic cells. Hence, intravenous injection of apoptotic cells induced a subsequent increase in CCL22 expression and CCR4+ Treg cells, which contribute to the maintenance of immune homeostasis at least partially by splenic CD8α+ CD103+ DCs.
Looking back, looking forward: Recovery journeys in a high secure hospital
Authors: McKeown Mick , Jones Fiona , Foy Paul , Wright Karen , Paxton Tracey , Blackmon Mike 
Published: February 2016

AbstractA qualitative study of staff and service users’ views of recovery was undertaken in a UK high secure hospital working to implement recovery practices. 30 staff and 25 service users participated in semi‐structured interviews or focus groups. Thematic analysis identified four broad accounts of how recovery was made sense of in the high secure environment: the importance of meaningful occupation; valuing relationships; recovery journeys and dialogue with the past; and recovery as personal responsibility. These themes are discussed with an emphasis on service user strategies of cooperation or resistance, respectively advancing or impeding progress through the system. In this context the notion of cooperation is, for many, commensurate with compliance with a dominant medical model. The policy framing of recovery opens up contemplation of treatment alternatives, more participatory approaches to risk management, and emphasise the value of relational skills, but may not elude the overarching bio‐psychiatric episteme.