bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Endoscopic ultrasonography is not required for staging malignant esophageal strictures that preclude the passage of a diagnostic gastroscope
Authors: Bang Ji Young , Ramesh Jayapal , Hasan Muhammad , Navaneethan Udayakumar , Holt Bronte A. , Hawes Robert , Varadarajulu Shyam 
Published: March 2016

Background and AimEndoscopic ultrasound (EUS) is considered the most sensitive modality for local staging of esophageal cancer (ECA) and current guidelines recommend EUS in all patients with non‐metastatic disease. Our aim was to identify a subset of patients with stenotic, non‐metastatic ECA who will not benefit from staging EUS.MethodsThis multicenter study evaluated consecutive patients with newly diagnosed non‐metastatic ECA referred for local staging by EUS. All patients had endoscopic evaluation of malignant strictures with 9.8/9.9‐mm diagnostic gastroscope prior to EUS. Main outcome measure was to evaluate the relationship between degree of malignant stenosis and tumor staging by EUS.ResultsOf 100 patients (median age, 65 years; male 81%), gastroscope could not be advanced past the stricture in 46, all of whom (100%) had locally advanced disease at EUS: T3N0/N+ in 39 and T4N0/N+ in seven. Echoendoscope could not traverse the stricture in any of these patients. Gastroscope could be advanced through the stricture in 54 patients in whom EUS staging was T1N0 in five, T2N0/N+ in eight and T3N0/N+ in 41; echoendoscope could not pass through the stricture in 24 of these 54 (44.4%) patients, all of whom had T3N0/N+ disease. On logistic regression analysis, inability to pass a gastroscope through the stricture was significantly associated with advanced (T3/4) tumor stage (OR = 28.7, 95% CI = 1.64–501.2; P = 0.021).ConclusionRoutine EUS examination may not be required in all patients with ECA as the inability to advance a diagnostic gastroscope past a malignant stricture correlates 100% with locally advanced disease on EUS.
Prediction of disease-free survival using relative change in FDG-uptake early during neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy for potentially curable esophageal cancer: A prospective cohort study
Authors: Hagen P. v. , Heijl M. v. , van Berge Henegouwen Mark. I. , Boellaard R. , Bossuyt P. M. M. , Kate F. J. W. t. , Dekken H. v. , Hoekstra O. S. , Sloof G. W. , Lanschot J. J. B. v. 
Published: March 2016

SUMMARY
18F-Fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) has been investigated as a tool for monitoring response to neoadjuvant chemo- and chemoradiotherapy (CT and CRT, respectively) and as a predictor for survival in patients with esophageal cancer. In contrast to patients who undergo neoadjuvant CT, it is not known whether patients who are clinically identified as responders after neoadjuvant CRT show better disease-free survival (DFS) than patients identified as nonresponders. The aim of the study was to determine the predictive value of FDG-uptake measured prior to and early during neoadjuvant CRT. Patients treated with neoadjuvant CRT between 2004 and 2009 within a randomized trial were included. FDG-uptake was measured at baseline and after 14 days of CRT. According to the PERCIST-criteria, patients were allocated to have metabolic response, stable disease, or progression. Patients were followed until recurrence of disease or death. The predictive value of FDG-PET was determined with univariable and multivariable analysis in patients who underwent potentially curative surgery. One-hundred and six patients were included in the analysis. Minimal follow-up for surviving patients was 60 months. No significant differences in DFS were found between patients with metabolic response, stable disease, or progression, with 5-year DFS rates of 66%, 53%, and 67%, respectively (P = 0.39). Relative change in FDG uptake after 14 days of CRT is not associated with DFS in patients with esophageal cancer undergoing neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy followed by surgery. These measurements should not be used for prognostication in this specific group of patients.
Upregulated thymic stromal lymphopoietin receptor expression in children with asthma
Authors: Lin Sheng‐Chieh , Huang Jian‐Jhang , Wang Jiu‐Yao , Chuang Hsiao‐Chi , Chiang Bor‐Luen , Ye Yi‐Ling 
Published: March 2016

AbstractBackgroundThymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) plays an important role in pathogenesis in patients with asthma. However, the role of thymic stromal lymphopoietin receptor (TSLPR) and correlation with IL‐7Rα and clinical severity in asthmatic or nonasthmatic children remain unclear. We investigated TSLPR and IL‐7Rα mRΝΑ levels in asthma and nonasthma and assessed TSLPR expression in children who were sensitive to mites.Materials and methodsWe enrolled asthmatic and nonasthmatic children. To minimize the influence of allergy, we also divided participants into following 4 groups: nonallergic and nonasthmatic group (NN) (healthy children), allergic but nonasthmatic group (AN), nonallergic but asthmatic group (NA) and allergic asthmatic group (AA). We drew blood samples to check total IgE, allergen‐specific IgE and TSLP and measured the expression of the TSLPR and IL‐7Rα genes using reverse‐transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR) and real‐time PCR. Asthma symptom score was also recorded.ResultsThymic stromal lymphopoietin and TSLPR levels were found to be significantly higher in asthmatic than in nonasthmatic children. The levels of TSLP were found to be significantly different between AA and NN groups (P < 0·05). TSLPR expression in NA and AA groups was found to be significantly higher than in NN group (P < 0·05). TSLPR did not differ significantly between NA and AA groups. The TSLPR expression correlated strongly with IL‐7Rα and weakly with mite‐specific IgE. Clinical asthmatic severity of children was found to exert no influence on TSLPR level.ConclusionThymic stromal lymphopoietin receptor might be a significant disease biomarker for asthma. The levels of TSLPR were found to be higher in asthmatic patients than in healthy children, but were found to be not different between allergic and nonallergic asthmatic patients.
Behavioural evidence for separate mechanisms of audiovisual temporal binding as a function of leading sensory modality
Authors: Cecere Roberto , Gross Joachim , Thut Gregor 
Published: March 2016

AbstractThe ability to integrate auditory and visual information is critical for effective perception and interaction with the environment, and is thought to be abnormal in some clinical populations. Several studies have investigated the time window over which audiovisual events are integrated, also called the temporal binding window, and revealed asymmetries depending on the order of audiovisual input (i.e. the leading sense). When judging audiovisual simultaneity, the binding window appears narrower and non‐malleable for auditory‐leading stimulus pairs and wider and trainable for visual‐leading pairs. Here we specifically examined the level of independence of binding mechanisms when auditory‐before‐visual vs. visual‐before‐auditory input is bound. Three groups of healthy participants practiced audiovisual simultaneity detection with feedback, selectively training on auditory‐leading stimulus pairs (group 1), visual‐leading stimulus pairs (group 2) or both (group 3). Subsequently, we tested for learning transfer (crossover) from trained stimulus pairs to non‐trained pairs with opposite audiovisual input. Our data confirmed the known asymmetry in size and trainability for auditory–visual vs. visual–auditory binding windows. More importantly, practicing one type of audiovisual integration (e.g. auditory–visual) did not affect the other type (e.g. visual–auditory), even if trainable by within‐condition practice. Together, these results provide crucial evidence that audiovisual temporal binding for auditory‐leading vs. visual‐leading stimulus pairs are independent, possibly tapping into different circuits for audiovisual integration due to engagement of different multisensory sampling mechanisms depending on leading sense. Our results have implications for informing the study of multisensory interactions in healthy participants and clinical populations with dysfunctional multisensory integration.
Effect of natalizumab on brain atrophy and disability progression in multiple sclerosis patients over 5 years
Authors: Zivadinov R. , Hojnacki D. , Bergsland N. , Kennedy C. , Hagemeier J. , Melia R. , Ramasamy D. P. , Durfee J. , Carl E. , Dwyer M. G. , Weinstock‐Guttman B. 
Published: March 2016

Background and purposeThe long‐term benefit of natalizumab on brain atrophy progression in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients is unknown. Our aim was to investigate its effect over 5 years.MethodsThis prospective study included 60 relapsing MS patients who started natalizumab treatment in years 2006−2007.ResultsAt the 5‐year follow‐up, 20 patients discontinued natalizumab after an average of 29.5 cycles, 27 continued natalizumab treatment with some periods of honeymoon (average of 38.4 infusions) and 13 never stopped natalizumab (average of 60.6 infusions). In multiple linear regression analysis, adjusted for age, sex and baseline magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) status, the number of natalizumab infusions was associated with decrease of relapse rate (adjusted P = 0.037), but no association was found with the progression of disability, accumulation of lesion burden or brain volume loss. However, only one (8%) patient in the continuous monthly group experienced disability progression compared to 10 (37%) in the non‐continuous and seven (35%) in the discontinuation natalizumab groups. At the follow‐up, two patients had died [one from a fatal case of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) and one from a car accident] and 15 patients were lost to follow‐up. There was another case of non‐fatal PML over the follow‐up.ConclusionsIn line with previous reports, MS patients with longer and continuous use of natalizumab had fewer relapses and remained stable in their disability status. No difference in lesion burden accumulation or brain atrophy development was found in relation to the duration of natalizumab use. PML occurred in 2.5% of patients in this small sample cohort. Given the increased risk of PML and uncertain benefit of prolonged natalizumab use on clinical and MRI outcomes of disease progression found in this study, a careful risk−benefit therapeutic assessment is mandatory.
Restless legs syndrome in migraine patients: prevalence and severity
Authors: van Oosterhout W. P. J. , van Someren E. J. W. , Louter M. A. , Schoonman G. G. , Lammers G. J. , Rijsman R. M. , Ferrari M. D. , Terwindt G. M. 
Published: March 2016

Background and purposeOur aim was to study not only the prevalence but more importantly the severity and the correlation between sleep quality and restless legs syndrome (RLS) in a large population of well‐defined migraine patients as poor sleep presumably triggers migraine attacks.MethodsIn a large cross‐sectional and observational study, data on migraine and RLS were collected from 2385 migraine patients (according to the International Classification of Headache Disorders ICHD‐IIIb) and 332 non‐headache controls. RLS severity (International RLS Study Group severity scale) and sleep quality (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index) were assessed. Risk factors for RLS and RLS severity were calculated using multivariable‐adjusted regression models.ResultsRestless legs syndrome prevalence in migraine was higher than in controls (16.9% vs. 8.7%; multivariable‐adjusted odds ratio 1.83; 95% confidence interval 1.18–2.86; P = 0.008) and more severe (adjusted severity score 14.5 ± 0.5 vs. 12.0 ± 1.1; P = 0.036). Poor sleepers were overrepresented amongst migraineurs (50.1% vs. 25.6%; P < 0.001). Poorer sleep quality was independently associated with RLS occurrence (odds ratio 1.08; P < 0.001) and RLS severity (P < 0.001) in migraine patients.ConclusionRestless legs syndrome is not only twice as prevalent but also more severe in migraine patients, and associated with decreased sleep quality.
Family Socioeconomic Status, Immigration, and Children's Transitions into School
Authors: Crosnoe Robert , Ansari Arya 
Published: March 2016

AbstractFamily scholars have contributed a great deal to the growing literature documenting how children's transitions into elementary school serve as a critical period in their educational careers and, more broadly, in socioeconomic and demographic disparities in long‐term educational attainment. The purpose of this review is to describe how this school transition works, why it has short‐ and long‐term ramifications for educational inequality, and how it may be amenable to policy intervention. The review then elucidates how research that looks inside children—including neuroscience—may deepen and build on what is already known in meaningful ways. Throughout, the discussion focuses on children from low‐income families and children from Latin American immigrant families, two groups of children who are central to child‐ and family‐focused efforts to understand and remedy educational inequality.
Neurobiological, Neuroimaging, and Neuropsychological Studies of Children and Adolescents with Disruptive Behavior Disorders
Authors: Puzzo Ignazio , Smaragdi Areti , Gonzalez Karen , Martin‐Key Nayra , Fairchild Graeme 
Published: March 2016

AbstractThe aim of this article is to review findings from the neurobiological, neuroimaging, and neuropsychological literature that have contributed to our understanding of the etiology and development of disruptive behavior disorders, with particular reference to conduct disorder. This review focuses on neurobiological systems such as the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis and neuroimaging evidence linking disruptive behavior disorders to changes in brain functioning or structure. Overall, this research suggests that brain areas involved in emotional processing and regulation are particularly compromised in children and adolescents with disruptive behavior disorder, which fits with evidence obtained from neuropsychological studies. This review highlights the importance of neuroscientific research in characterizing reliable brain‐based functional and structural biomarkers that may contribute to an increased understanding of, and the development of new treatments for, antisocial and aggressive behavior in children and adolescents.
The Impact of Formal and Informal Support on Health in the Context of Caregiving Stress
Authors: Gouin Jean‐Philippe , da Estrela Chelsea , Desmarais Kim , Barker Erin T. 
Published: March 2016

AbstractCaregiving stress increases risk for poor health. The overproduction of inflammatory markers is a core process contributing to this effect. In this study the authors investigated whether formal and informal social support act as protective factors against stress‐induced immune dysregulation. Fifty‐six parents of children with an autism spectrum disorder completed questionnaires on formal support services, informal social support, self‐rated health, and daily somatic symptoms, and they provided a blood sample for analysis of C‐reactive protein (CRP), a biomarker of inflammation. The results indicated that greater informal social support was associated with lower CRP and that a higher number of formal support services received by the family was related to better self‐rated health, fewer daily somatic symptoms, and lower CRP. Moreover, the impact of support services on the parents' CRP levels increased with child age. These findings highlight the role of formal and informal support in protecting the health of individuals facing caregiving stress across the life course.
Influence of self‐care advice on patient satisfaction and healthcare utilization
Authors: Gustafsson Silje , Martinsson Jesper , Wälivaara Britt‐Marie , Vikman Irene , Sävenstedt Stefan 
Published: March 2016

AbstractAimThe aim of this study is to explore the influence of nurse‐led self‐care advice on healthcare utilization and patients' satisfaction with telephone nursing.BackgroundMany consultations in high‐cost settings are for conditions that are manageable through self‐care and callers with greater satisfaction with the nurse interaction are nearly four times more likely to engage in self‐care.DesignCross‐sectional study.MethodsQuestionnaires were sent out to 500 randomly selected callers to the Swedish Healthcare Direct in Northern Sweden during March 2014. Callers were asked about their satisfaction with the consultation, their intended actions prior to consultation, the recommendation given by the nurse and the action undertaken after the call.ResultsYoung callers and persons recommended watchful waiting or recurrence if no improvements were significantly less satisfied with their care. When calling on their own behalf, both men and women rated the severity of their symptoms equally and were advised to self‐care to the same extent. Self‐care advice had a constricting influence on self‐reported healthcare utilization, with 66·1% of cases resulting in a lower level of care than first intended. Feeling reassured after the call was the aspect of nursing care that influenced satisfaction the most.ConclusionReceiving self‐care advice rather than referral to a general practitioner influences patient satisfaction negatively. Feeling reassured after consultation is strongly related to satisfaction, which in turn has been found to increase the likelihood of engaging in self‐care behaviour.
Fiduciary Duties and the Ethics of Public Apology
Authors: MacLachlan Alice 
Published: March 2016

AbstractThe practice of official apology has a fairly poor reputation. Dismissed as ‘crocodile tears’ or cheap grace, such apologies are often seen by the public as an easy alternative to more punitive or expensive ways of taking real responsibility. I focus on what I call the role‐playing criticism: the argument that someone who offers an apology in public cannot be appropriately apologetic precisely because they are only playing a role. I offer a qualified defence of official apologies against this objection, considering them through the lens of fiduciary duties. This focus draws our attention to formal or impersonal relationships that are nevertheless normatively rich, capable of sustaining trust, concern, and care. At the same time, I highlight several pitfalls for fiduciary apologisers, including the tension between apology as a mode of truth telling and the duty of confidentiality. I consider whether the fiduciary apologiser, in reflecting on her fiduciary obligations, has ‘one thought too many’ for genuine apology, and argue that the issue of mixed motives is not limited to fiduciary contexts, cautioning against excessive idealism in our conception of apology. I conclude with some reflections on possible conflicts between fiduciary obligations and the conscientious desire to apologise.
Association between interleukin‐19 and angiopoietin‐2 with vascular complications in type 2 diabetes
Authors: Li Li , ZHeng‐Qing Yu , Juan‐Yu Hu , Jian‐Yong Xu , Fan Liu , Guang‐Chun Zhao , Lei Zhang , Hui‐Ming Gu , Si‐Jing Zhang , Meng Jin 
Published: March 2016

AbstractAims/IntroductionThe aim of the present study was to investigate the role of interleukin‐19 (IL‐19) in angiogenesis of type 2 diabetes mellitus with complications, and to assess the relationship of serum IL‐19 and angiopoietin‐2 (Ang‐2) in type 2 diabetes mellitus.Materials and MethodsThe group studied comprised of 240 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (132 men and 108 women), and included macrovascular complications, microvascular complications and type 2 diabetes mellitus without vascular complications. The control group consisted of 50 healthy blood donors. All participants were evaluated for: IL‐19, Ang‐2, fasting plasma glucose, fasting insulin and glycosylated hemoglobin.ResultsThe serum IL‐19 levels of type 2 diabetes mellitus patients with angiopathy were found to be significantly higher compared with patients without angiopathy. IL‐19 levels were significantly positively correlated with Ang‐2, homeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance and glycosylated hemoglobin (r = 0.769, 0.523 and 0.491, respectively, P < 0.01). In multivariable logistic regression analysis, IL‐19 levels (P = 0.01) were found to be independently associated with patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus complications.ConclusionsThese data are the first to implicate the association between the IL‐19 and type 2 diabetes mellitus with vascular complications. IL‐19 is significantly positively correlated with Ang‐2. The potential role of IL‐19 and Ang‐2 in the pathogenesis of vascular complications in type 2 diabetes could warrant further study.
Care‐Delivery Interventions to Manage Agitation and Aggression in Dementia Nursing Home and Assisted Living Residents: A Systematic Review and Meta‐analysis
Authors: Jutkowitz Eric , Brasure Michelle , Fuchs Erika , Shippee Tetyana , Kane Rosalie A. , Fink Howard A. , Butler Mary , Sylvanus Tonye , Kane Robert L. 
Published: March 2016

ObjectivesTo evaluate the efficacy of nonpharmacological care‐delivery interventions (staff training, care‐delivery models, changes to the environment) to reduce and manage agitation and aggression in nursing home and assisted living residents.DesignThree bibliographic databases, references of systematic reviews, ClincalTrials.gov, and the International Controlled Trials Registry Platform were systematically searched for randomized controlled trials reporting behavioral outcomes for nonpharmacological care‐delivery interventions in nursing homes and assisted living facilities. Five investigators independently assessed study eligibility, extracted data, rated risk of bias, and graded strength of evidence. Inclusion was limited to studies with low to moderate risk of bias.SettingNursing homes and assisted living facilities.ParticipantsFacility caregiving staff.MeasurementsAgitation, aggression, antipsychotic and other psychotropic use, general behavior.ResultsNineteen unique studies met entry criteria, addressing several categories of facility caregiver training interventions: dementia care mapping (DCM; n = 3), person‐centered care (PCC; n = 3), clinical protocols to reduce the use of antipsychotic and other psychotropic drugs (n = 3), and emotion‐oriented care (n = 2). Eleven additional studies evaluated other unique interventions. Results were pooled for the effect of each type of intervention on agitation and aggression: DCM (standardized mean difference −0.12, 95% confidence interval (CI) = −0.66 to 0.42), PCC (standardized mean difference −0.15, 95% CI = −0.67 to 0.38), and protocols to reduce antipsychotic and other psychotropic use (Cohen‐Mansfield Agitation Inventory mean difference −4.5, 95% C = −38.84 to 29.93). Strength of evidence was generally insufficient to draw conclusions regarding efficacy or comparative effectiveness.ConclusionEvidence was insufficient regarding the efficacy of nonpharmacological care‐delivery interventions to reduce agitation or aggression in nursing home and assisted living facility residents with dementia.