bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Pediatric Cancer Patients' Treatment-Related Distress and Longer-Term Anxiety: An Individual Differences Perspective
Authors: Trentacosta Christopher J. , Harper Felicity W. K. , Albrecht Terrance L. , Taub Jeffrey W. , Phipps Sean , Penner Louis A. 
Published: August 2016

ABSTRACT:

Objective:
Although distress during treatment procedures and longer-term treatment-related anxiety are among the most common cancer-related stressors for children and their families, they are not invariant. This study examined whether individual differences in temperament and personality play a role in how children respond to treatment procedures. Attention control, a facet of the effortful control dimension of temperament, and the personality attribute ego-resilience were hypothesized to predict lower levels of distress during procedures. Moreover, ego-resilience and distress during procedures were hypothesized to account for indirect associations between attention control and longer-term treatment-related anxiety. Child gender was examined as a potential moderator of these relationships.

Method:
Participants were 147 children undergoing treatment for pediatric cancer and their parents. At baseline, parents reported on children's effortful control and ego-resilience. Multiple raters assessed children's distress during multiple cancer-related procedures. Treatment-related anxiety was measured 3 and 9 months after the last assessed treatment procedure.

Results:
Attention control was linked to ego-resilience and lower levels of distress, and these variables, in turn, accounted for indirect associations between attention control and treatment-related anxiety. Associations involving ego-resilience were stronger for boys than girls.

Conclusion:
Attention control plays an important role in children's immediate and longer-term responses to cancer-related medical procedures. Medical staff should consider individual differences in child temperament and personality when considering the nature and extent of support to provide to pediatric cancer patients and their families.
Posaconazole Therapeutic Drug Monitoring in a Regional Hospital Setting
Authors: Lindsay Patrick J. , Bond Stuart E. , Norris Ross , Marriott Deborah J. E. , Miyakis Spiros 
Published: August 2016

Background:
Posaconazole therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) is recommended to promote effective antifungal prophylaxis, but its utility has yet to be optimized. Breakthrough invasive fungal infections have been reported with serum concentrations <700 mcg/L, but there is little evidence to determine the optimal serum concentration for efficacy or concentrations associated with toxicity. Challenges for effective monitoring are greater in settings without posaconazole TDM facilities because of the long turnaround time before receipt of results.

Methods:
Thirty-eight TDM episodes were performed on 18 patients in a regional center in Australia during a 30-month period. Australian guidelines recommend a trough serum concentration of ≥700 mcg/L. The response to concentrations below the recommendation threshold (700 mcg/L), the final serum plasma concentration for each patient, and the appropriateness of TDM were evaluated.

Results:
A total of 19 (50%) concentrations were recorded to be < 700 mcg/L. Of these 19 concentrations, the drug dose was increased on only 4 occasions. Eleven of 18 patients (61%) had initial concentrations <700 mcg/L, with only 3 (27%) among those achieving final concentration ≥ 700 mcg/L; 5 patients with initial concentrations <700 mcg/L did not have any further TDM testing. Nine of the 18 (50%) patients had a final concentration <700 mcg/L. Five of 7 (71%) patients with initial concentrations ≥700 mcg/L had further TDM with no reasoning documented.

Conclusions:
The results demonstrate a lack of confidence and consistency in ordering, interpreting, and following up posaconazole concentrations. Therefore, the use of TDM should be carefully considered, especially in regional centers. Such settings should consider the practicalities of posaconazole TDM and try to improve the process to ensure consistency and optimization of patient care.
SEVERE BILATERAL RETINAL VASCULAR OCCLUSION AS FIRST PRESENTATION OF SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS AND ANTIPHOSPHOLIPID SYNDROME
Authors: Storey Philip , Ter-Zakarian Anna , Rao Narsing , Rodger Damien 
Published: August 2016

Purpose:
To describe a patient with undiagnosed systemic lupus erythematosus and secondary antiphospholipid syndrome presenting with bilateral severe retinal vaso-occlusion on first presentation.

Methods:
Retrospective case report. A 42-year-old Hispanic female with no medical history presented with 2 weeks of bilateral decreased vision.

Results:
At initial presentation, the patient's best-corrected visual acuity was 2 ft/200 and 20/400 in the right and left eyes, respectively. Dilated fundus examination revealed diffuse, confluent cotton-wool spots, and severe vascular occlusions in both eyes. Fluorescein angiography confirmed that the patient had both arterial and venous vascular occlusions and retinal vasculitis. A thorough work-up revealed that the patient had systemic lupus erythematosus and APS with positive antibodies to anticardiolipin, beta-2-glycoprotein, and lupus anticoagulant. The patient was treated with steroids, immunosuppression agents, anticoagulation, and extensive panretinal photocoagulation. One month later, best-corrected visual acuity had improved to 20/200 and 20/40, the vasculitis had substantially improved, and no neovascularization was present.

Conclusion:
Severe retinal vaso-occlusion may be the first presenting signs for patients with systemic lupus erythematosus and APS.
Sedation and Afternoon Placement of the 48-Hour Wireless Ambulatory pH Capsule Results in More Reflux on the First Day
Authors: Patel Rupal , Chae Soojong , Kumar Ambuj , Richter Joel E. 
Published: August 2016

Background:
A 48-hour wireless capsule results often vary from the first to second day. Previous investigations comparing discrepant acid reflux readings have yielded variable results. In this study we investigated differences in data obtained on day 1 versus day 2, and the effect of time of capsule placement on discrepancies.

Methods:
We performed a retrospective cohort study. Patients undergoing a 48-hour wireless capsule study between January 2012 through November 2013 were eligible for inclusion. We collected reflux data for each patient and calculated the proportion of patients in four groups based on abnormal DeMeester score groups (+/+, −/+, +/−, −/−). We placed patients into morning placement or afternoon placement categories and calculated the proportions of patients with various DeMeester score discrepancies.

Key Results:
This study evaluated 229 patients. The mean day 1 DeMeester score was 28.38 and the mean day 2 DeMeester score was 23.24 (P<0.0001). The mean day 1 DeMeester score in the morning group was 24.9 and 31.7 in the afternoon group (P<0.05). The mean total DeMeester score in the morning placement group was 23.1 and 30.6 in the afternoon group (P<0.05). Twenty-five percent of afternoon patients had a +day 1/−day 2 DeMeester discordance, whereas only 12% of morning placement patients had this discordance (P=0.26).

Conclusions:
Afternoon capsule placement is associated with a significantly increased amount of acid reflux on day 1. Approximately 10% of 48-hour esophageal wireless monitoring studies may falsely overestimate reflux when the capsule is placed in the afternoon. Capsule placement should ideally be performed in the morning.
Disease-specific Pay-for-Performance Programs
Authors: Huang Yu-Chin , Lee Miaw-Chwen , Chou Yiing-Jenq , Huang Nicole 
Published: August 2016

Background:
Several studies have investigated the effects of pay-for-performance (P4P) initiatives. However, little is known about whether patients with multiple chronic conditions (MCC) would benefit from P4P initiatives similarly to patients without MCC.

Objectives:
The objective of this study was to compare the effects of the diabetes mellitus pay-for-performance (DM-P4P) program on the quality of diabetic care between type 2 diabetic patients with and without MCC.

Methods:
This study used data from Taiwan’s Longitudinal Health Insurance Database 2005. Of this cohort, 52,276 diabetic patients were identified. To address potential selection bias between the intervention and comparison groups, the propensity score matching method was used. Generalized estimating equations were applied to analyze the difference-in-difference model to examine the effect of the intervention, the DM-P4P program.

Results:
The disease-specific DM-P4P program had positive impacts on process and outcome indicators of health care quality regardless of patients’ MCC status. Diabetic patients with MCC experienced a significantly larger decrease in the admission rate of diabetes-related ambulatory care sensitive conditions after the P4P enrollment over time compared with patients without MCC.

Conclusions:
The positive impacts on use of diabetes-related services were comparable between diabetic patients with and without MCC. Most importantly, for MCC patients, the disease-specific DM-P4P program had a stronger positive impact on health outcomes. Hence, the commonly observed phenomenon of “cherry picking” in implementing P4P strategies may lead to disparities in the quality of diabetic care between diabetic patients with and without MCC.
Benchmarks for Reducing Emergency Department Visits and Hospitalizations Through Community Health Workers Integrated Into Primary Care
Authors: Basu Sanjay , Jack Helen E. , Arabadjis Sophia D. , Phillips Russell S. 
Published: August 2016

Background:
Uncertainty about the financial costs and benefits of community health worker (CHW) programs remains a barrier to their adoption.

Objectives:
To determine how much CHWs would need to reduce emergency department (ED) visits and associated hospitalizations among their assigned patients to be cost-neutral from a payer’s perspective.

Research Design:
Using a microsimulation of patient health care utilization, costs, and revenues, we estimated what portion of ED visits and hospitalizations for different conditions would need to be prevented by a CHW program to fully pay for the program’s expenses. The model simulated CHW programs enrolling patients with a history of at least 1 ED visit for a chronic condition in the prior year, utilizing data on utilization and cost from national sources.

Results:
CHWs assigned to patients with uncontrolled hypertension and congestive heart failure, as compared with other common conditions, achieve cost-neutrality with the lowest number of averted visits to the ED. To achieve cost-neutrality, 4–5 visits to the ED would need to be averted per year by a CHW assigned a panel of 70 patients with uncontrolled hypertension or congestive heart failure—approximately 3%–4% of typical ED visits among such patients, respectively. Most other chronic conditions would require between 7% and 12% of ED visits to be averted to achieve cost-savings.

Conclusion:
Offsetting costs of a CHW program is theoretically feasible for many common conditions. Yet the benchmark for reducing ED visits and associated hospitalizations varies substantially by a patient’s primary diagnosis.
Alcohol Use and Associations With Biological Markers and Self-Reported Indicators of Unprotected Sex in Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Positive Female Sex Workers in Mombasa, Kenya
Authors: White Darcy , Wilson Kate S. , Masese Linnet N. , Wanje George , Jaoko Walter , Mandaliya Kishorchandra , Richardson Barbra A. , Kinuthia John , Simoni Jane M. , McClelland R. Scott 
Published: August 2016

Background
Studies of alcohol use and sexual behavior in African populations have primarily been cross-sectional, used nonvalidated measures of alcohol use, or relied on self-reported sexual risk endpoints. Few have focused on human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive women.

Methods
Longitudinal data were collected from a cohort of HIV-positive Kenyan female sex workers. At enrollment and annual visits, participants were asked about past-year alcohol use using the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT). The primary endpoint was detection of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in vaginal secretions at quarterly examinations. Associations between hazardous/harmful alcohol use (AUDIT score ≥7), PSA detection, and secondary measures of sexual risk were evaluated using generalized estimating equations with a log binomial regression model.

Results
A total of 405 women contributed 2750 vaginal samples over 606 person-years of follow-up. Hazardous/harmful alcohol use was reported at 16.6% of AUDIT assessments and was associated with higher risk of PSA detection (relative risk 1.50; 95% confidence interval, 1.11–2.01) relative to no alcohol use. This association was attenuated and no longer statistically significant, after adjusting for age, work venue, intimate partner violence, depression, and partnership status (adjusted relative risk, 1.13; 95% confidence interval, 0.82–1.56). In exploratory analyses, alcohol use was associated with self-report of unprotected sex and with sexually transmitted infection acquisition.

Conclusions
Although hazardous/harmful alcohol use was not associated with detection of PSA in adjusted analysis, associations with secondary outcomes suggest that alcohol use is at least a marker of sexual risk behavior.
Differentiation of Osteophytes and Disc Herniations in Spinal Radiculopathy Using Susceptibility-Weighted Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Authors: Bender Yvonne Yi-Na , Diederichs Gerd , Walter Thula Cannon , Wagner Moritz , Liebig Thomas , Rickert Marcus , Hermann Kay-Geert , Hamm Bernd , Makowski Marcus Richard 
Published: August 2016

Objective
The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic performance of susceptibility-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (SW-MRI) for the differentiation of osteophytes and disc herniations of the spine compared with that of conventional spine MR sequences and radiography.

Materials and Methods
This study was approved by the local ethics review board; written consent was obtained from all subjects. Eighty-one patients with suspected radiculopathy of the spine were included prospectively. Radiography, T1/T2, and SW-MRI of the cervical/lumbar spine were performed. As reference standard, 93 osteophytes (n = 48 patients) were identified on radiographs in combination with conventional T1/T2 images. One hundred fourteen posterior disc herniations (n = 60 patients) were identified on T1/T2 in combination with radiography excluding osteophytes. For this study, 2 observers independently assessed the presence of osteophytes and disc herniations on T1/T2 and SW-MRI, with radiographs excluded from the analysis. In a subgroup of patients (n = 19), additional computed tomography images were evaluated. Sensitivity, specificity, and interobserver agreement were calculated.

Results
Most osteophytes (n = 92 of 93) and disc herniations (n = 113 of 114) could be identified and differentiated on SW-MRI magnitude/phase images, if radiographs were excluded from analysis. Susceptibility-weighted magnetic resonance imaging achieved a sensitivity of 98.9% and specificity of 99.1% for the identification of osteophytes. Conventional T1/T2 spine MR sequences achieved a sensitivity and specificity of 68.6% and 86.5%, respectively, if radiographs were excluded from analysis. Regarding the size of osteophytes, SW-MRI showed a strong correlation with computed tomography (R
2 = 0.96) and radiography (R
2 = 0.95). In addition, SW-MRI achieved a higher interobserver agreement compared with conventional MR.

Conclusions
Susceptibility-weighted magnetic resonance imaging enables the reliable differentiation of osteophytes and disc herniations in patients with spinal radiculopathy with a higher sensitivity and specificity compared with conventional T1/T2 MR sequences.
Virtual Global Transplant Laboratory Standard Operating Procedures for Blood Collection, PBMC Isolation, and Storage
Authors: Higdon Lauren E. , Lee Karim , Tang Qizhi , Maltzman Jonathan S. 
Published: August 2016

Abstract
Research on human immune responses frequently involves the use of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) immediately, or at significantly delayed timepoints, after collection. This requires PBMC isolation from whole blood and cryopreservation for some applications. It is important to standardize protocols for blood collection, PBMC isolation, cryopreservation, and thawing that maximize survival and functionality of PBMC at the time of analysis. This resource includes detailed protocols describing blood collection tubes, isolation of PBMC using a density gradient, cryopreservation of PBMC, and thawing of cells as well as preparation for functional assays. For each protocol, we include important considerations, such as timing, storage temperatures, and freezing rate. In addition, we provide alternatives so that researchers can make informed decisions in determining the optimal protocol for their application.
StarBEAST2 brings faster species tree inference and accurate estimates of substitution rates
Authors: Ogilvie Huw A. , Bouckaert Remco R. , Drummond Alexei J. 
Published: August 2016

AbstractFully Bayesian multispecies coalescent (MSC) methods like *BEAST estimate species trees from multiple sequence alignments. Today thousands of genes can be sequenced for a given study, but using that many genes with *BEAST is intractably slow. An alternative is to use heuristic methods which compromise accuracy or completeness in return for speed. A common heuristic is concatenation, which assumes that the evolutionary history of each gene tree is identical to the species tree. This is an inconsistent estimator of species tree topology, a worse estimator of divergence times, and induces spurious substitution rate variation when incomplete lineage sorting is present. Another class of heuristics directly motivated by the MSC avoids many of the pitfalls of concatenation but cannot be used to estimate divergence times. To enable fuller use of available data and more accurate inference of species tree topologies, divergence times, and substitution rates, we have developed a new version of *BEAST called StarBEAST2. To improve convergence rates we add analytical integration of population sizes, novel MCMC operators and other optimisations. Computational performance improved by 13.5× to 13.8× when analysing empirical data sets, and an average of 33.1 × across 30 simulated data sets. To enable accurate estimates of per-species substitution rates we introduce species tree relaxed clocks, and show that StarBEAST2 is a more powerful and robust estimator of rate variation than concatenation. StarBEAST2 is available through the BEAUTi package manager in BEAST 2.4 and above.
A gene for genetic background inZea mays: fine-mappingenhancer of teosinte branched1.2(etb1.2) to a YABBY class transcription factor
Authors: Yang Chin Jian , Kursel Lisa E. , Studer Anthony J. , Bartlett Madelaine E. , Whipple Clinton J. , Doebley John F. 
Published: August 2016

ABSTRACTThe effects of an allelic substitution at a gene often depend critically on genetic background, the genotype at other genes in the genome. During the domestication of maize from its wild ancestor (teosinte), an allelic substitution atteosinte branched(tb1) caused changes in both plant and ear architecture. The effects oftb1on phenotype were shown to depend on multiple background loci including one called enhancer oftb1.2 (etb1.2).We mappedetb1.2to a YABBY class transcription factor (ZmYAB2.1) and showed that the maize alleles ofZmYAB2.1are either expressed at a lower level than teosinte alleles or disrupted by insertions in the sequences.tb1andetb1.2interact epistatically to control the length of internodes within the maize ear which affects how densely the kernels are packed on the ear. The interaction effect is also observed at the level of gene expression withtb1acting as a repressor ofZmYAB2.1expression. Curiously,ZmYAB2.1was previously identified as a candidate gene for another domestication trait in maize, non-shattering ears. Consistent with this proposed role,ZmYAB2.1is expressed in a narrow band of cells in immature ears that appears to represent a vestigial abscission (shattering) zone. Expression in this band of cells may also underlie the effect on internode elongation. The identification ofZmYAB2.1as a background factor interacting withtb1is a first step toward a gene-level understanding of howtb1and the background within which it works evolved in concert during maize domestication.
Societal culture and the changing role of school principals in the post-Soviet era
Authors: Yakavets Natallia 
Published: August 2016

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the impact of societal and cultural factors on the practices and perceptions of school principals in Kazakhstan.

Design/methodology/approach
The paper draws on empirical data collected in Kazakhstan over two years in the course of an international, collaborative, multi-stranded project.

Findings
The findings support the claim that educational policies and practice are deeply embedded in the national culture, which is an evolving mixture of traditional Kazakh, Russian and diverse ethnic, Soviet and paternalistic cultures. These various societal characteristics exemplify various aspects of the tensions between traditional forms of social organisation, the Soviet legacy, and the sort of educational development promoted by Western educational and international organisations, which now plays an important role in Kazakhstan.

Research limitations/implications
The analysis, though limited in scope, has nevertheless yielded insights into important differences and similarities amongst rural and urban schools and explored the effects of societal cultural factors that shape the practices of school leaders on the periphery of the system.

Originality/value
The paper provides an empirically grounded illustration of the way in which societal culture and cultural norms shape the role of school principals, and how schools cope with a top-down policy in Kazakhstan. By contrasting the norms that shape both existing practice and the reform agenda, the paper offers some explanations for how cultural norms represent both strengths and weaknesses when applied to the process of change in a post-Soviet context.
Factors influencing students’ learning approaches in auditing
Authors: Barac Karin , Kirstein Marina , Kunz Rolien , Beukes Bernice 
Published: August 2016

Purpose
This paper aims to report on an investigation to understand factors influencing students learning approaches in the discipline of auditing.

Design/methodology/approach
By using the Approaches and Study Skills Inventory for Students research instrument the learning approaches of students in auditing at a South African residential university were measured on both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. This was followed by focus group discussions to obtain a deeper understanding of the factors that influenced the ways their audit studies were approached.

Findings
The results revealed a contrasting view with that presented in the literature, in that senior students were more inclined to adopt a surface approach. This could be attributed to learning environment dimensions such as the teaching and assessment practices as well as students’ perceptions of the workload. Further statistical analysis revealed that gender and race influenced students’ learning approaches at specific levels.

Research limitations/implications
The data are drawn from audit students at a residential university in South Africa; the findings of the study may thus not be generalisable beyond that context.

Originality/value
The study extends the existing student learning literature by adding perspectives from the discipline auditing. It could stimulate educators’ scholarly interest in pedagogic research which could contribute to curriculum and teaching method changes that equip audit educators to promote deep learning.