bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Prospective Use of a Standardized Nonoperative Early Weightbearing Protocol for Achilles Tendon Rupture
Authors: Ecker Timo M. , Bremer Anne K. , Krause Fabian G. , Müller Thorsten , Weber Martin 
Published: January 2016

Background: Acute traumatic rupture of the Achilles tendon can be treated operatively or nonoperatively. Throughout the literature, there is no consensus regarding the optimal treatment protocol. Purpose: To report on 17 years of experience with treating this injury with a standardized nonoperative treatment protocol. Study Design: Case Series; Level of evidence, 4. Methods: The treatment protocol was based on a combination of an equinus cast and rehabilitation boot, which promoted immediate full weightbearing and early functional rehabilitation. A total of 171 patients were consecutively treated and prospectively followed from 1996 to 2013. Assessed were subjective parameters such as pain, loss of strength, return to previous activity level, meteosensitivity, and general satisfaction with the treatment outcome. Clinical assessment included testing of plantar flexion strength and endurance, calf circumference, and tendon length. Subjective and clinical parameters were then used to calculate a modified Thermann score. The correlation between tendon lengthening and function was calculated using the Pearson correlation coefficient. Results: A total of 114 patients were followed for a minimum of 12 months (mean, 27 ± 20 months; range, 12-88 months). The mean Thermann score was 82 ± 13 (range, 41-100), and subjective satisfaction was rated “very good” and “good” in 90%. An inverse correlation was found between tendon length and muscle strength ( R = −0.3). There were 11 reruptures (8 with and 3 without an adequate trauma). General complications were 5 deep venous thromboses, 1 complex regional pain syndrome, and minor problems such as transient heel pain (n = 3), heel numbness (n = 1), and cast-associated skin abrasions (n = 4). Conclusion: Seventeen years of experience with a nonoperative treatment protocol for acute rupture of the Achilles tendon confirmed good functional outcome and patient satisfaction. Reruptures mostly occurred with new traumatic events in the vulnerable phase from 6 to 12 weeks after the initial injury. Muscle strength correlated to tendon length, making its assessment a crucial follow-up parameter. The protective equinus cast and boot can protect against excessive tendon lengthening during the healing process.
Revision Meniscal Surgery in Children and Adolescents
Authors: Shieh Alvin K. , Edmonds Eric W. , Pennock Andrew T. 
Published: January 2016

Background: The mechanisms of failure and risk factors for failed meniscal surgery in children and adolescents have not been well described. Purpose: To investigate the risk factors, mechanisms of failure, and subsequent operative management for revision meniscal surgery in a pediatric population, as well as to identify the local incidence of failed meniscal surgery. Study Design: Case-control study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: All patients younger than 20 years who had arthroscopic management for meniscal injuries at a single institution between 2008 and 2012 underwent retrospective review. Demographic data and intraoperative findings at the time of the initial surgery were documented. All patients undergoing a second procedure on the same meniscus were further analyzed. Multivariate logistic regression with purposeful selection was performed to identify independent risk factors for revision meniscal surgery. Results: Arthroscopic knee surgery was performed on 293 patients and 324 menisci, including 129 primary repairs, 149 primary partial meniscectomies, and 46 discoid saucerizations ± stabilization. At a mean of 40 months (range, 19-62 months) after surgery, 13% of all menisci required a revision procedure. The primary repair cohort had the highest failure rate (18%), followed by the primary discoid saucerization cohort (15%) and the partial meniscectomy cohort (7%). Multivariate analysis indicated that meniscal repair was predictive of retear (odds ratio, 2.04 [95% CI, 1.01-4.1]; P = .046), and children with an open physis and a bucket-handle tear had the highest retear rate of 46% ( P = .039). Independent variables shown to have no significant relationship to revision meniscal surgery included age, sex, body mass index, extremity side, laterality (medial-lateral), time to repair, tear location, and associated ligament reconstruction. The most common indication for revision surgery was an acute reinjury during intense physical activity. Revision procedures were performed at a mean of 14 months after the index procedure, and the majority of failures (83%) were identified within 1 year. Of patients undergoing a revision surgery, 44% underwent a further debridement, whereas 56% underwent a repair. Conclusion: The success rate of meniscal surgery is 87% in children and adolescents. The revision rate was higher when repair was attempted in the index procedure, particularly in those children with open physes and bucket-handle tears. Most failures are the result of an acute reinjury within 1 year, and nearly half will require debridement of the retorn meniscus.
Antipsychotic prescribing and its correlates in New Zealand
Authors: Dey Sangeeta , Menkes David B , Obertova Zuzana , Chaudhuri Sreemanti , Mellsop Graham 
Published: January 2016

Objectives: Antipsychotics are the cornerstone of schizophrenia management. There is substantial literature on their efficacy and optimal use. Doubts remain, however, regarding the translation of this knowledge into day-to-day practice. This study aimed to investigate antipsychotic prescribing in three New Zealand regions and its relationship to clinical guidelines and patient characteristics. Methods: We studied 451 patients discharged from inpatient units with a diagnosis of schizophrenia or a related disorder (International Classification of Disease, version 10) between July 2009 and December 2011. Available information included patient demography, legal status, prescribed medications, duration of index admission and prescriber’s country of postgraduate training and years of postgraduate experience. Results: There was a high rate (33.7%) of multiple antipsychotic prescription, and lower than expected clozapine use (20%); Maori were prescribed clozapine more frequently than non-Maori (24% vs. 13%, respectively). Compulsory treatment was associated with more use of injectable medication and increased length of stay in hospital. Clinician characteristics did not significantly influence prescribing. Conclusions: Observed prescribing practice aligned with existing guidelines except for antipsychotic polypharmacy and clozapine under-utilisation.
A critical interpretive synthesis of the most commonly used self-report measures in Australian mental health research
Authors: Bibb Jennifer , Baker Felicity A , Skewes McFerran Katrina 
Published: January 2016

Objective: To critically examine the self-report measures most commonly used in Australian mental health research in the last 10 years. Method: A critical interpretive synthesis was conducted using seven outcome measures that were identified as most popular in 43 studies from three mental health journals. Results: Results suggest that the amount and type of language used in outcome measures is important in both increasing the accuracy of the data collected and fostering positive experiences of data collection for participants. Conclusions: Results indicate that many of the measures most often used in Australian mental health research may not align with the current contemporary philosophy of mental health clinical practice in Australia.
Customized Tool for the Validation of Optical Coherence Tomography in Differentiation of Prostate Cancer
Authors: Muller B. G. , Swaan A. , de Bruin D. M. , van den Bos W. , Schreurs A. W. , Faber D. J. , Zwartkruis E. C. H. , Rozendaal L. , Vis A. N. , Nieuwenhuijzen J. A. , van Moorselaar R. J. A. , van Leeuwen T. G. , de la Rosette J. J. M. C. H. 
Published: January 2016

Objective: To design and demonstrate a customized tool to generate histologic sections of the prostate that directly correlate with needle-based optical coherence tomography pullback measurements. Materials and Methods: A customized tool was created to hold the prostatectomy specimens during optical coherence tomography measurements and formalin fixation. Using the tool, the prostate could be sliced into slices of 4 mm thickness through the optical coherence tomography measurement trajectory. In this way, whole-mount pathology slides were produced in exactly the same location as the optical coherence tomography measurements were performed. Full 3-dimensional optical coherence tomography pullbacks were fused with the histopathology slides using the 3-dimensional imaging software AMIRA, and images were compared. Results: A radical prostatectomy was performed in a patient (age: 68 years, prostate-specific antigen: 6.0 ng/mL) with Gleason score 3 + 4 = 7 in 2/5 biopsy cores on the left side (15%) and Gleason score 3 + 4 = 7 in 1/5 biopsy cores on the right side (5%). Histopathology after radical prostatectomy showed an anterior located pT2cNx adenocarcinoma (Gleason score 3 + 4 = 7). Histopathological prostate slides were produced using the customized tool for optical coherence tomography measurements, fixation, and slicing of the prostate specimens. These slides correlated exactly with the optical coherence tomography images. Various structures, for example, Gleason 3 + 4 prostate cancer, stroma, healthy glands, and cystic atrophy with septae, could be identified both on optical coherence tomography and on the histopathological prostate slides. Conclusion: We successfully designed and applied a customized tool to process radical prostatectomy specimens to improve the coregistration of whole mount histology sections to fresh tissue optical coherence tomography pullback measurements. This technique will be crucial in validating the results of optical coherence tomography imaging studies with histology and can easily be applied in other solid tissues as well, for example, lung, kidney, breast, and liver. This will help improve the efficacy of optical coherence tomography in cancer detection and staging in solid organs.
The Lhotsampa in Australia: Their Spirituality for Coping and Resilience
Authors: Pulla Venkat , Woods Jennifer 
Published: January 2016

The Lhotsampa are one of the three main ethnic groups that make up the population of Bhutan, a nation of immigrants. Despite having been granted full citizenship following the promulgation of the Citizenship Act of 1958, a period of instability for the Lhotsampa ensued with the rise of power and status of the Lhotsampa coupled with the ascension to the throne of the fourth monarch, King Jigme Singye Wangchuck, who instituted policies ostensibly aimed at retaining ‘Bhutanese’ culture (Evans, R. 2010. ‘The Perils of being a Borderland People: On the Lhotshampas of Bhutan’. Contemporary South Asia, Vol. 18 (1): 26). This instability, marked by oppressive policies and overt discrimination, eventually resulted in either the expulsion or the flight of over 100,000 Lhotsampa people. Following more than 20 years in refugee camps in Nepal, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) commenced the resettlement of the Lhotsampa in 2007 in host countries throughout the world including Australia, the US, the Netherlands, Canada, Denmark, New Zealand, Norway and the UK ( Benson, G. O., F. Sun, D. R. Hodge and D. K. Androff. 2011. ‘Religious Coping and Acculturation Stress among Hindu Bhutanese: A Study of Newly-resettled Refugees in the United States’. International Social Work, Vol. 55 (4):: 539). This study examines the spiritual coping and subsequent resilience that the Lhotsampa refugees have succeeded in developing, not only at the loss of their homeland, the lack of citizenship and the adverse effects of refugee existence but also the difficult process of third country resettlement. Facing the difficulties of rebuilding lives in vastly differing Western cultures, this article examines the role(s) that spirituality plays in the development of resilience that facilitates positive outcomes, which the Lhotsampa are demonstrating. Themes of spirituality are identified and the way in which the Lhotsampa utilises their spirituality within these themes are also explored. Finally, the implications for contemporary social work practice will be considered. In particular, this article considers the strengths perspective for culturally competent, spiritually inclusive practice.
Reducing the hospital burden of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia: impact of an avoid-heparin program
Authors: McGowan Kelly E. , Makari Joy , Diamantouros Artemis , Bucci Claudia , Rempel Peter , Selby Rita , Geerts William 
Published: January 2016

Key Points
Use of LMWH is associated with a lower risk of HIT and HITT compared with use of UFH. The Avoid-Heparin Initiative resulted in a dramatic reduction in the burden of suspected HIT, adjudicated HIT, HITT, and associated costs.
Strategies that delay or prevent the timely availability of affordable generic drugs in the United States
Authors: Jones Gregory H. , Carrier Michael A. , Silver Richard T. , Kantarjian Hagop 
Published: January 2016

Abstract
High cancer drug prices are influenced by the availability of generic cancer drugs in a timely manner. Several strategies have been used to delay the availability of affordable generic drugs into the United States and world markets. These include reverse payment or pay-for-delay patent settlements, authorized generics, product hopping, lobbying against cross-border drug importation, buying out the competition, and others. In this forum, we detail these strategies and how they can be prevented.
Risk factors predictive of occult cancer detection in patients with unprovoked venous thromboembolism
Authors: Ihaddadene Ryma , Corsi Daniel J. , Lazo-Langner Alejandro , Shivakumar Sudeep , Zarychanski Ryan , Tagalakis Vicky , Solymoss Susan , Routhier Nathalie , Douketis James , Le Gal Gregoire , Carrier Marc 
Published: January 2016

Key PointsIt remains unclear whether a subgroup of high-risk patients could potentially benefit from a more extensive screening strategy. Age, prior provoked VTE, and smoking status may be important predictors of occult cancer detection in patients with first unprovoked VTE.
Ethnopharmacobotanical study on the medicinal plants used by herbalists in Sulaymaniyah Province, Kurdistan, Iraq
Authors: Ahmed Hiwa M. 
Published: January 2016

Abstract
Background
Medicinal plants still play an important role in the Kurdish community. Sulaymaniyah Province in South Kurdistan (Iraq) has a great diversity of plants, including medicinal plants, yet very few scattered ethnobotanical studies conducted in Kurdistan are available in the scientific literature. Thus the study of Kurdish ethnobotany may be crucial for understanding local medicinal plant uses and their relationships to surrounding areas. Therefore, the objective of this investigation was to document traditional medicinal plant uses among healers of southern Kurdistan.

Methods
An ethnobotanical survey was conducted to document traditional knowledge on medicinal plants uses among traditional healers in the Province of Sulaymaniyah during 2014 and 2015. The data were collected by interviewing 45 traditional healers (36 males and 9 females between the ages of 25 and 80 years) who retain traditional knowledge on medicinal plants. Furthermore, the use value (UV) of taxa was determined and informant consensus factor (ICF) was calculated for the medicinal plants included in the study. Further analysis was carried out to compare the field data with the Kurdish ethnobotanical literature.

Results
The present study found a total of sixty-six plant species, belonging to sixty-three genera within thirty-four plant families, used to treat ninghty-nine different types of ailments and diseases. The most important family was Lamiaceae (7 species), followed by Apiaceae, Asteraceae, and Fabaceae (6 species each). The most frequently used parts were leaves (46 %), followed by flowers (15 %), and seeds (10 %). The most common preparation method was decoction (68 %), whereas few taxa were consumed as a vegetable (13 %) or ingested in powder form (10 %). The respiratory issues category had the highest ICF value (0.68), followed by inflammations and women’s diseases (0.58 and 0.54, respectively). The highest UVs were recorded for the species Zingiber officinale (0.48), Matricaria chamomilla (0.37), Adiantum capillus-veneris (0.31), Thymus vulgaris (0.31) and Pimpinella anisum (0.31).
A comparison with previous ethnobotanical studies conducted in Kurdistan (especially within the territory of present-day Turkey) and surrounding areas showed that several medicinal plant reports recorded in the current investigation are new to Kurdish ethnomedicine, and that they have possibly been influenced by other scholarly medical traditions.

Conclusions
The present study demonstrates that the area is rich in medicinal plant knowledge. The information reported by the traditional healers of this region is invaluable for further research in the field of cross-cultural ethnobotany and ethnopharmacology.
An integrative genome-wide transcriptome reveals that candesartan is neuroprotective and a candidate therapeutic for Alzheimer’s disease
Authors: Elkahloun Abdel G. , Hafko Roman , Saavedra Juan M. 
Published: January 2016

Abstract
Background
Alzheimer’s disease is the most frequent age-related dementia, and is currently without treatment. To identify possible targets for early therapeutic intervention we focused on glutamate excitotoxicity, a major early pathogenic factor, and the effects of candesartan, an angiotensin receptor blocker of neuroprotective efficacy in cell cultures and rodent models of Alzheimer’s disease. The overall goal of the study was to determine whether gene analysis of drug effects in a primary neuronal culture correlate with alterations in gene expression in Alzheimer’s disease, thus providing further preclinical evidence of beneficial therapeutic effects.

Methods
Primary neuronal cultures were treated with candesartan at neuroprotective concentrations followed by excitotoxic glutamate amounts. We performed genome-wide expression profile analysis and data evaluation by ingenuity pathway analysis and gene set enrichment analysis, compared with alterations in gene expression from two independent published datasets identified by microarray analysis of postmortem hippocampus from Alzheimer’s disease patients. Preferential expression in cerebrovascular endothelial cells or neurons was analyzed by comparison to published gene expression in these cells isolated from human cortex by laser capture microdissection.

Results
Candesartan prevented glutamate upregulation or downregulation of several hundred genes in our cultures. Ingenuity pathway analysis and gene set enrichment analysis revealed that inflammation, cardiovascular disease and diabetes signal transduction pathways and amyloid β metabolism were major components of the neuronal response to glutamate excitotoxicity. Further analysis showed associations of glutamate-induced changes in the expression of several hundred genes, normalized by candesartan, with similar alterations observed in hippocampus from Alzheimer’s disease patients. Gene analysis of neurons and cerebrovascular endothelial cells obtained by laser capture microdissection revealed that genes up- and downregulated by glutamate were preferentially expressed in endothelial cells and neurons, respectively.

Conclusions
Our data may be interpreted as evidence of direct candesartan neuroprotection beyond its effects on blood pressure, revealing common and novel disease mechanisms that may underlie the in vitro gene alterations reported here and glutamate-induced cell injury in Alzheimer’s disease. Our observations provide novel evidence for candesartan neuroprotection through early molecular mechanisms of injury in Alzheimer’s disease, supporting testing this compound in controlled clinical studies in the early stages of the illness.
On the fixed point theory of soft metric spaces
Authors: Abbas Mujahid , Murtaza Ghulam , Romaguera Salvador 
Published: January 2016

AbstractThe aim of this paper is to show that a soft metric induces a compatible metric on the collection of all soft points of the absolute soft set, when the set of parameters is a finite set. We then show that soft metric extensions of several important fixed point theorems for metric spaces can be directly deduced from comparable existing results. We also present some examples to validate and illustrate our approach.
De novo construction of an expanded transcriptome assembly for the western tarnished plant bug, Lygus hesperus
Authors: Tassone Erica E , Geib Scott M , Hall Brian , Brent Colin S , Fabrick Jeffrey A , Brent Colin S , Hull J Joe 
Published: January 2016

Abstract

Background:
The plant bug Lygus hesperus Knight is a polyphagous pest of many economically important crops. Despite its pest status, little is known about the molecular mechanisms responsible for much of the biology of this species. Earlier Lygus transcriptome assemblies were limited by low read depth, or because they focused on specific conditions. To generate a more comprehensive transcriptome, we supplemented previous datasets with new reads corresponding to specific tissues (heads, antennae, and male reproductive tissues). This transcriptome augments current Lygus molecular resources and provides the foundational knowledge critical for future comparative studies.

Findings:
An expanded, Trinity-based de novo transcriptome assembly for L. hesperus was generated using previously published whole body Illumina data, supplemented with 293 million bp of new raw sequencing data corresponding to five tissue-specific cDNA libraries and 11 Illumina sequencing runs. The updated transcriptome consists of 22,022 transcripts (average length of 2075 nt), 62 % of which contain complete open reading frames. Significant coverage of the BUSCO (benchmarking universal single-copy orthologs) dataset and robust metrics indicate that the transcriptome is a quality assembly with a high degree of completeness. Initial assessment of the new assembly's utility revealed that the length and abundance of transcripts predicted to regulate insect physiology and chemosensation have improved, compared with previous L. hesperus assemblies.

Conclusions:
This transcriptome represents a significant expansion of Lygus transcriptome data, and improves foundational knowledge about the molecular mechanisms underlying L. hesperus biology. The dataset is publically available in NCBI and GigaDB as a resource for researchers.