bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Swallowing outcomes for patients with oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma treated with primary (chemo)radiation therapy receiving either prophylactic gastrostomy or reactive nasogastric tube: A prospective cohort study
Authors: Goff D. , Coward S. , Fitzgerald A. , Paleri V. , Moor J.W. , Patterson J.M. 
Published: January 2017

ObjectivesThere is currently no consensus on the optimal feeding route for an oropharyngeal squamous cell cancer (OPSCC) patient without pre‐existing dysphagia undergoing chemoradiotherapy. This study aimed to compare the swallowing outcomes for OPSCC patients fed via either prophylactic RIG (pRIG) or reactive nasogastric tube (rNGT).DesignA prospective cohort study.SettingFour head and neck cancer centres in the North of England Cancer Network.ParticipantsFifty‐three participants with OPSCC, on a normal diet pre‐(chemo) radiotherapy.Main outcome measureSwallowing outcomes for patients with rNGT and pRIG were compared using the following outcome measures administered prospectively at pre‐treatment, three and 12 months post‐treatment: MD Anderson Dysphagia Inventory (MDADI), Performance Status Scales (Normalcy of Diet), timed water swallow test.ResultsTwenty‐three patients received pRIG while 30 were planned for a rNGT. No differences in demographics were found between the groups. The rNGT group had a clinically significant higher score on MDADI at 12 months post‐treatment. No significant difference was found on a timed water swallow test or diet texture scale.ConclusionsThere is no statistical difference for swallowing outcomes in either group. However, patients’ in the rNGT group reported a clinically meaningful difference at 1 year, with a trend for them to do better across all measures. Neither group returned to their baseline swallowing function. Further research with a larger sample size is indicated.
An institutional perspective on corruption in transition economies
Authors: Alon Anna , Hageman Amy M. 
Published: January 2017

AbstractManuscript TypeEmpiricalResearch Question/IssueCompanies operating in transition economies encounter a broad range of potential challenges. In the area of tax, firms make direct tax payments but may also encounter unofficial tax costs in the form of bribery or extortion. We focus on institutional determinants, including formal rules, informal rules, and enforcement, to examine conditions under which firms are more likely to encounter these transactions. We operationalize formal rules as rule‐based trust and informal rules as dispositional trust.Research Findings/InsightsBased on a sample of over 5000 firms representing 20 transition economies, we show that when rule‐based trust is high, the presence of tax enforcement activities in the form of visits and inspections by tax officials does not change the relationship between rule‐based trust and unofficial payments. However, when dispositional trust is low, unofficial payments are more likely if verification activities occur.Theoretical/Academic ImplicationsWe adopt a more holistic view and focus on the joint consideration of different institutional determinants and firm outcomes. In doing so, the article demonstrates the complexity of firms’ tax environments where enforcement mechanisms can have unwelcome consequences, and, under certain conditions, create conditions for the persistence of corruption.Practitioner/Policy ImplicationsThis paper highlights the importance of the institutional landscape, especially considering the history of institutional voids in many transition economies. The results have implications for corporate governance and caution regulators and practitioners to consider institutional complexities when implementing reforms or establishing businesses in transition economies.
Diagnostic value of soluble B7‐H4 and carcinoembryonic antigen in distinguishing malignant from benign pleural effusion
Authors: Jing Xiaogang , Wei Fei , Li Jing , Dai Lingling , Wang Xi , Jia Liuqun , Wang Huan , An Lin , Yang Yuanjian , Zhang Guojun , Cheng Zhe 
Published: January 2017

AbstractObjectiveTo explore the diagnostic value of joint detection of soluble B7‐H4 (sB7‐H4) and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) in identifying malignant pleural effusion (MPE) from benign pleural effusion (BPE).MethodsA total of 97 patients with pleural effusion specimens were enrolled from The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University between June 2014 and December 2015. All cases were categorized into malignant pleural effusion group (n = 55) and benign pleural effusion group (n = 42) according to etiologies. Enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay was applied to examine the levels of sB7‐H4 in pleural effusion and meanwhile CEA concentrations were detected by electro‐chemiluminescence immunoassays. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was established to assess the diagnostic value of sB7‐H4 and CEA in pleural effusion. The correlation between sB7‐H4 and CEA levels was analyzed by Pearson's product‐moment.ResultsThe concentrations of sB7‐H4 and CEA in MPE exhibited obviously higher than those of BPE ([60.08 ± 35.04] vs. [27.26 ± 9.55] ng/ml, P = .000; [41.49 ± 37.16] vs. [2.41 ± 0.94] ng/ml, P = .000). The AUC area under ROC curve of sB7‐H4 and CEA was 0.884 and 0.954, respectively. Two cutoff values by ROC curve analysis of sB7‐H4 36.5 ng/ml and CEA 4.18 ng/ml were obtained, with a corresponding sensitivity (81.82%, 87.28%), specificity (90.48%, 95.24%), accuracy (85.57%, 90.72%), positive predictive value (PPV) (91.84%, 96.0%), negative predictive value (NPV) (79.17%, 85.11%), positive likelihood ratio (PLR) (8.614, 18.327), and negative likelihood ratio (NLR) (0.201, 0.134). When sB7‐H4 and CEA were combined to detect pleural effusion, it obtained a higher sensitivity 90.91% and specificity 97.62%. Furthermore, correlation analysis result showed that the level of sB7‐H4 was correlated with CEA level (r = .770, P = .000).ConclusionssB7‐H4 was a potentially valuable tumor marker in the differentiation between BPE and MPE. The combined detection of sB7‐H4 and CEA could improve the diagnostic sensitivity and specificity for MPE.
Urbanization may limit impacts of an invasive predator on native mammal diversity
Authors: Reichert Brian E. , Sovie Adia R. , Udell Brad J. , Hart Kristen M. , Borkhataria Rena R. , Bonneau Mathieu , Reed Robert , McCleery Robert 
Published: January 2017

AbstractAimOur understanding of the effects of invasive species on faunal diversity is limited in part because invasions often occur in modified landscapes where other drivers of community diversity can exacerbate or reduce the net impacts of an invader. Furthermore, rigorous assessments of the effects of invasive species on native communities that account for variation in sampling, species‐specific detection and occurrence of rare species are lacking. Invasive Burmese pythons (Python molurus bivittatus) may be causing declines in medium‐ to large‐sized mammals throughout the Greater Everglades Ecosystem (GEE); however, other factors such as urbanization, habitat changes and drastic alteration in water flow may also be influential in structuring mammal communities. The aim of this study was to gain an understanding of how mammal communities simultaneously facing invasive predators and intensively human‐altered landscapes are influenced by these drivers and their interactions.LocationFlorida, USA.MethodsWe used data from trail cameras and scat searches with a hierarchical community model that accounts for undetected species to determine the relative influence of introduced Burmese pythons, urbanization, local hydrology, habitat types and interactive effects between pythons and urbanization on mammal species occurrence, site‐level species richness, and turnover.ResultsPython density had significant negative effects on all species except coyotes. Despite these negative effects, occurrence of some generalist species increased significantly near urban areas. At the community level, pythons had the greatest impact on species richness, while turnover was greatest along the urbanization gradient where communities were increasingly similar as distance to urbanization decreased.Main conclusionsWe found evidence for an antagonistic interaction between pythons and urbanization where the impacts of pythons were reduced near urban development. Python‐induced changes to mammal communities may be mediated near urban development, but elsewhere in the GEE, pythons are likely causing a fundamental restructuring of the food web, declines in ecosystem function, and creating complex and unpredictable cascading effects.
Comparison of clinicopathological characteristics between T‐cell prolymphocytic leukemia and peripheral T‐cell lymphoma, not otherwise specified
Authors: Kawamoto Keisuke , Miyoshi Hiroaki , Yanagida Eriko , Yoshida Noriaki , Kiyasu Junichi , Kozai Yasuji , Morikita Tatsuma , Kato Takeharu , Suzushima Hitoshi , Tamura Shinobu , Muta Tsuyoshi , Kato Koji , Eto Tetsuya , Seki Ritsuko , Nagafuji Koji , Sone Hirohito , Takizawa Jun , Seto Masao , Ohshima Koichi 
Published: January 2017

AbstractObjectivesT‐cell prolymphocytic leukemia (T‐PLL) is a very rare, aggressive T‐cell neoplasm. Peripheral T‐cell lymphoma, not otherwise specified (PTCL‐NOS) is also a highly aggressive lymphoma. These two diseases can often be confused with each other; therefore, we aimed to determine the clinical and pathological differences between T‐PLLandPTCL‐NOS.MethodsWe analyzed 15 T‐PLLand 91PTCL‐NOSpatients and also compared clinical features between T‐PLLandPTCL‐NOSwith leukemic presentation. Peripheral blood images and biopsy specimens were analyzed, and treatment responses were determined via imaging modalities. The clinicopathological characteristics were statistically compared.ResultsT‐PLL cells were smaller in size than those ofPTCL‐NOSwith leukemic presentation (P=.0068); moreover,PTCL‐NOScells with leukemic presentation were smaller than those ofPTCL‐NOSwithout leukemic presentation (P=.0017). Immunophenotypic patterns in T‐PLLandPTCL‐NOSwere similar. Five‐year overall survival rates of T‐PLLand allPTCL‐NOSpatients were 57.5% and 36.8%, respectively. No significant differences were found in clinical manifestations or prognoses; T‐PLLandPTCL‐NOSwith leukemic presentation had essentially equivalent characteristics.ConclusionT‐PLL andPTCL‐NOSmay share common biological and clinical characteristics in Japanese patients.
Tumor suppressor gene methylation on the short arm of chromosome 1 in chronic myelogenous leukemia
Authors: Mori Naoki , Ohwashi‐Miyazaki Mari , Yoshinaga Kentaro , Okada Michiko , Shiseki Masayuki , Motoji Toshiko , Tanaka Junji 
Published: January 2017

AbstractObjectivesWe previously reported loss of heterozygosity on 1p in chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML). We analyzed promoter methylation and mutation of tumor suppressor genes on 1p36 in CML.MethodsWe performed methylation‐specific PCR (MS‐PCR) analysis of the PRDM2, RUNX3, and TP73 genes in 61 patients with CML (43 chronic phase, CP; two accelerated phase; and 16 blast crisis, BC). Oxidative MS‐PCR, PCR‐single‐strand conformation polymorphism, and real‐time reverse transcriptase PCR were also analyzed. K‐562 cells were grown in the presence of 5‐Aza‐dC and trichostatin A.ResultsMethylation of the PRDM2, RUNX3, and TP73 genes was detected in 24/60 (40%), 21/61 (34%), and 28/60 (47%) patients, respectively. Methylation of all three genes was detected in 19/59 (32%) patients. Methylation was more frequent in BC than in CP. Oxidative MS‐PCR analysis detected 5‐mC in the PRDM2, RUNX3, and TP73 genes in 10/22 (45%), 15/21 (71%), and 16/26 (62%) samples with methylation detected by MS‐PCR, respectively. Decreased expression was observed in several samples with methylation, while no mutations were found in the genes. Treatment of K‐562 cells induced growth suppression, demethylation, and reexpression of the PRDM2 and RUNX3 genes.ConclusionMultiple tumor suppressor genes on 1p were inactivated in CML by methylation.
Screening for hemosiderosis in patients receiving multiple red blood cell transfusions
Authors: de Jongh Adriaan D. , van Beers Eduard J. , de Vooght Karen M. K. , Schutgens Roger E. G. 
Published: January 2017

AbstractBackgroundThe dramatic impact of hemosiderosis on survival in chronically transfused patients with hereditary anemia is well known. We evaluated whether patients receiving multiple red blood cell (RBC) transfusions are adequately screened for hemosiderosis.MethodsWe retrospectively assessed hemosiderosis screening and prevalence in adult patients that received over twenty RBC units in the University Medical Centre Utrecht from 2010 till 2015. Hemosiderosis was defined as ferritin ≥1000 μg/L. Adequate screening for chronically transfused patients was defined as any ferritin determined up to 3 months before or any moment after the last transfusion, while for patients that received all transfusions within 3 months (bulk transfusion), ferritin had to be determined after at least twenty transfusions.ResultsOf 471 patients, only 38.6% was adequately screened and hemosiderosis prevalence was 46.7%. Hemosiderosis prevalence was 47% in the chronic transfusion group and 12% in the bulk transfusion group. In patients transfused because of hematological malignancy or cardiothoracic surgery, respectively, 74% and 31% were adequately screened and hemosiderosis prevalence was 53% and 13%, respectively.ConclusionHemosiderosis screening in our routine practice is suboptimal. Hemosiderosis is not an exclusive complication of multiple transfusions in the hematology ward. We recommend screening for hemosiderosis in all patients receiving multiple transfusions.
Between Regulatory and Autonomy‐Based Private Law
Authors: Dagan Hanoch 
Published: January 2017

AbstractThe emergent European Regulatory Private Law (ERPL) can be interpreted as a set of instruments in the service of collectivist aims and thus a radical departure of EU law from private law; but it need not. This article offers a competing interpretation of the three core pillars of ERPL: its reliance on the notion of regulated autonomy, its endorsement of access justice as a normative basis and its critique of the public/private distinction as it relates to EU law. ERPL in my reconstruction is a model for a private law system that embraces the liberal commitments to self‐determination, and thus, substantive equality, as its underlying normative infrastructure, is not overly embedded in the adjudicatory model and is sensitive to public concerns. Regulated autonomy and access justice, in this view, are local manifestations of the prescription of relational justice, which stands at the core of an autonomy‐based private law, properly interpreted. This understanding, I claim, is both normatively and jurisprudentially attractive; it is also particularly befitting to our transnational era, because it provides a non‐statist foundation for the prescriptions of non‐discrimination and accommodation.
The Transformation of Private Law Through Competition
Authors: Micklitz Hans‐W. 
Published: January 2017

AbstractThis paper traces the changing role of competition and its effects on private law in three different stages of the Internal Market project: (1) the promotion of competition in the original Internal Market both via contracts (competitive contract law) and through competition among legal orders (Common European Sales Law); (2) the suspension of competition in the face of financial crisis; and (3) the revitalisation of competition in the Digital Single Market. Private law—broadly understood as regulatory private law—is being deployed to achieve competing, if not conflicting, policy goals. At this stage, it is not possible, nor would it be desirable, to provide a coherent account of these phenomena. Clear‐cut overarching values cannot be identified either. Transformation through competition is just another take on European experimentalism.
The Perils of ‘As If’ European Constitutionalism
Authors: Lindseth Peter L. 
Published: January 2017

AbstractThis review article offers thoughts on Kaarlo Tuori's recent book, European Constitutionalism, and more particularly on what he calls the ‘disciplinary contest over the legal characterisation of the EU and its law’. As the book's title suggests, Tuori privileges the constitutional perspective in that contest, so much so—he freely admits—that his analysis ‘predetermine[s] how the EU and its law will be portrayed’. And therein also lies the book's main weakness. Tuori's predetermined ‘constitutional’ interpretation, like so much of the dominant legal discourse in the EU today, ultimately obscures the core contradiction in EU public law. National institutions are increasingly constrained in the exercise of their own constitutional authority but supranational institutions are unable to fill the void because Europeans refuse to endow them with the sine qua non of genuine constitutionalism: the autonomous capacity to mobilise fiscal and human resources in a compulsory fashion. The EU's lack of constitutional power in this robust sense derives from the absence of the necessary socio‐political underpinnings for genuine constitutional legitimacy—what we can call the power‐legitimacy nexus in EU public law. To borrow Tuori's own evocative phrase, the EU possesses at best a ‘parasitic legitimacy’ derived from the more robust constitutionalism of the Member States as well as from the positive connotations that using ‘constitutional’ terminology evokes regardless of its ultimate aptness. The result is an ‘as if’ constitutionalism, the core feature of which is an increasingly untenable principal‐agent inversion between the EU and the Member States, one with profound consequences for the democratic life of Europeans. The sustainability of integration over the long term depends on confronting these adverse features of ‘European constitutionalism’ directly, something that legal elites—whether EU judges, lawyers, or legal scholars—ignore at their peril.
Modelling the effect of race surface and racehorse limb parameters on in silico fetlock motion and propensity for injury
Authors: Symons J. E. , Hawkins D. A. , Fyhrie D. P. , Upadhyaya S. K. , Stover S. M. 
Published: January 2017

SummaryBackgroundThe metacarpophalangeal joint (fetlock) is the most commonly affected site of racehorse injury, with multiple observed pathologies consistent with extreme fetlock dorsiflexion. Race surface mechanics affect musculoskeletal structure loading and injury risk because surface forces applied to the hoof affect limb motions. Race surface mechanics are a function of controllable factors. Thus, race surface design has the potential to reduce the incidence of musculoskeletal injury through modulation of limb motions. However, the relationship between race surface mechanics and racehorse limb motions is unknown.ObjectiveTo determine the effect of changing race surface and racehorse limb model parameters on distal limb motions.Study designSensitivity analysis of in silico fetlock motion to changes in race surface and racehorse limb parameters using a validated, integrated racehorse and race surface computational model.MethodsFetlock motions were determined during gallop stance from simulations on virtual surfaces with differing average vertical stiffness, upper layer (e.g. cushion) depth and linear stiffness, horizontal friction, tendon and ligament mechanics, as well as fetlock position at heel strike.ResultsUpper layer depth produced the greatest change in fetlock motion, with lesser depths yielding greater fetlock dorsiflexion. Lesser fetlock changes were observed for changes in lower layer (e.g. base or pad) mechanics (nonlinear), as well as palmar ligament and tendon stiffness. Horizontal friction and fetlock position contributed less than 1° change in fetlock motion.Main limitationsSimulated fetlock motions are specific to one horse's anatomy reflected in the computational model. Anatomical differences among horses may affect the magnitude of limb flexion, but will likely have similar limb motion responses to varied surface mechanics.ConclusionsRace surface parameters affected by maintenance produced greater changes in fetlock motion than other parameters studied. Simulations can provide evidence to inform race surface design and management to reduce the incidence of injury.
Winning the SDG battle in cities: how an integrated information ecosystem can contribute to the achievement of the 2030 sustainable development goals
Authors: Corbett Jacqueline , Mellouli Sehl 
Published: January 2017

AbstractIn 2015, the United Nations adopted an ambitious development agenda composed of 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs), which are to be reached by 2030. Beyond SDG 11 concerning the development of sustainable cities, many of the SDGs target activities falling within the responsibility of local governments. Thus, cities will play a leading role in the achievement of these goals, and we argue that the information systems (IS) community must be an active partner in these efforts. This paper aims to contribute to the achievement of the SDGs by developing a conceptual model to explain the role of IS in building smart sustainable cities and providing a framework of action for IS researchers and city managers. To this end, we conduct grounded theory studies of two green IS used by an internationally recognized smart city to manage water quality and green space. Based on these findings, we articulate a model explaining how an integrated information ecosystem enables the interactions between three interrelated spheres – administrative, political and sustainability – to support the development of smart sustainable cities. Moving from theory to practice, we use two real‐world scenarios to demonstrate the applicability of the model. Finally, we define an action framework outlining key actions for cities and suggest corresponding questions for future research. Beyond a simple call‐to‐action, this work provides a much‐needed foundation for future research and practice leading to a sustainable future for all.
TBL1XR1 predicts isolated tumor cells and micrometastasis in patients with TNM stage I/II colorectal cancer
Authors: Liu Hongda , Liu Zhaochen , Li Kangshuai , Li Shuo , Song Lei , Gong Zheng , Shi Weichen , Yang Hui , Xu Yunfei , Ning Shanglei , Ismail Sayed , Chen Yuxin 
Published: January 2017

AbstractBackground and AimA considerable number of early‐stage colorectal cancer (CRC) patients may develop cancer relapse or metastasis after curative surgery. Isolated tumor cells (ITC) and micrometastasis in lymph nodes (LNMM), which are undetectable by conventional pathological examination, may be one primary reason. Detection of ITC/LNMM is time‐consuming and cost‐ineffective; we aimed to find biomarkers in primary CRC tissues to help predicting ITC/LNMM status.MethodsWe enrolled 137 node‐negative patients with early‐stage CRC in this study. Existence of ITC/LNMM was identified by immunohistological staining with cytokeratin 20 in resected lymph nodes. Expression of transducin (β)‐like 1 X‐linked receptor 1 (TBL1XR1) in primary CRC tissues was also investigated. Chi‐squared test was performed to reveal the correlations between ITC/LNMM and clinicopathological characteristics. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to determine independent prognostic factors. Knockdown experiment together with proliferation and invasion assays were carried out to explore molecular mechanisms between TBL1XR1 and ITC/LNMM.ResultsAbout 29.2% (40/137) patients were identified as ITC/LNMM positive, and most of them (32/40 cases, 80%) showed high TBL1XR1 expression in primary CRC tissues. Both ITC/LNMM and TBL1XR1 expression were independent prognostic factors for disease relapse or metastasis. In vitro experiments demonstrated that TBL1XR1 can regulate the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor C and epithelial‐mesenchymal transition proteins, thus mediate the process of lymph node metastasis.ConclusionsIdentification of ITC/LNMM is significant in evaluating clinical outcome and guiding adjuvant chemotherapy for early‐stage CRC patients. TBL1XR1 overexpression in CRC tissues can serve as an efficient biomarker to predict the status of ITC/LNMM.