bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Preoperative Nutritional Status as an Adjunct Predictor of Major Postoperative Complications Following Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion
Authors: Fu Michael C. , Buerba Rafael A. , Grauer Jonathan N. 
Published: October 2014

Study Design:
Retrospective analysis of the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP), a prospectively collected multicenter surgical outcomes database.

Objective:
To determine the effect of preoperative nutritional status, as measured by serum albumin concentration, on outcomes following anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF).

Summary of Background Data:
Nutritional status has been shown to be an important predictor of postoperative recovery and outcomes. Serum albumin concentration is an established marker of overall nutrition and systemic disease, however, its correlation to outcomes following ACDF is unknown.

Methods:
ACDF cases from 2005 to 2010 were identified in the NSQIP and categorized by preoperative serum albumin: normal (≥3.5 g/dL), hypoalbuminemic (<3.5 g/dL), or not measured. Independent demographic and comorbidity variables were assessed, including American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) classification. Risk factors for major postoperative complications were identified, including preoperative hypoalbuminemia, and incorporated into a multivariable logistic regression model to determine the strength of preoperative hypoalbuminemia as an adjusted predictor of major postoperative complications.

Results:
There were 3671 ACDF cases, of which 1382 (37.6%) had preoperative albumin measurements. Patients with albumin measurements were older and more likely to have higher ASA class, hypertension, and diabetes. Hypoalbuminemic patients had higher rates of having any major postoperative complication(s), specifically pulmonary complications, cardiac complications, and reoperation, relative to those with normal albumin (all P<0.01). These patients also had longer lengths of stay (5.0 vs. 1.9 d). With multivariable regression, preoperative hypoalbuminemia was a strong independent predictor of major postoperative complications, with an adjusted odds ratio of 3.37 (P=0.003).

Conclusions:
In this analysis of a prospective surgical outcomes database, preoperative serum hypoalbuminemia was an important adjunct predictor of major complications following ACDF. In high-risk patients with multiple medical comorbidities, we recommend that clinicians consider nutritional screening and optimization as part of preoperative risk assessment.
Is Total Disk Replacement a Cost-effective Treatment for Cervical Degenerative Disk Disease?
Authors: Wiedenhöfer Bernd , Nacke Joachim , Stephan Mike , Richter Wiltrud , Carstens Claus , Eichler Markus 
Published: October 2014

Study Design:
A retrospective study.

Objective:
The objective of this study was to assess the cost-effectiveness and clinical outcome of motion-preserving versus fusion procedures in cervical spine surgery.

Summary of Background Data:
During the last decade there has been a huge growth in spine surgery with a concurrent increase in the economic burden. Currently, there appear to be no differences in clinical outcome between cervical total disk replacement (TDR) and spinal fusion (SF). For this reason it seems useful to know within the decision-making process whether there is a difference in actual cost between motion-preserving and fusion surgery. So far data that describe expenses involved in these procedures have not been available. This study offers a comparison of economic factors that should be considered in TDR and SF.

Materials and Methods:
The German statutory general healthcare insurance (GHI) provides anonymized patient-related data of their customers. A retrospective query using the codes of surgery of all TDR and SF surgery was performed from January 2003 to June 2008. A total of 467 cases with monosegmental or bisegmental surgery for degenerative disk pathologies were included.

Results:
Both groups showed significant differences in independent variables such as age and sex (P<0.0001), but not in revision rates. Cost weight of diagnosis-related groups and length of hospitalization had a significant effect on total costs. Both groups obtained less pain medication postoperatively than preoperatively without a significant difference between each group. Postoperative absenteeism from work was significantly higher in the TDR group;however, patients with TDR underwent less rehabilitation covered by the GHI. Both groups had the same amount of preoperative and postoperative physiotherapy covered by the GHI.

Conclusions:
According to the collected data, there are no differences between the medical outcomes of cervical TDR in comparison with cervical SF. At the same time, while generating clinical results comparable with spinal fusion, TDR incurred significantly lower costs. Therefore, both from the medical and from the financial point of view, TDR is a viable choice in the treatment of degenerative disk pathology.
Correlates of Adiponectin in Hepatitis C–Infected Children
Authors: Delgado‐Borrego Aymin , Gonzalez‐Peralta Regino P. , Raza Roshan , Negre Betania , Goodman Zachary D. , Jonas Maureen M. , Chung Raymond T. , Ludwig David A. ,   PEDS‐C Clinical Research Network
Published: October 2014

ABSTRACTObjectives:Adiponectin is a regulator of cytokines that, in turn, play a vital role in inflammatory and immune responses. Adiponectin is therefore likely to have a contributory role in hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. We sought to characterize adiponectin levels and examine correlates in a pediatric HCV‐infected cohort.Methods:We performed a cross‐sectional study in children (5–17 years of age, n = 86) in the Pediatric Study of Hepatitis C (PEDS‐C) trial. Adiponectin levels were univariately correlated with patient demographics, anthropometrics, and viral and histological measures. Multivariate regression models were used to identify the unique (ie, nonconfounded) associations with adiponectin concentrations.Results:Body mass index (BMI) had the highest univariate inverse correlation with loge adiponectin (r = −0.5, P < 0.0001). In multivariate analysis, BMI remained inversely correlated with loge adiponectin after accounting for age and route of HCV transmission (r = −0.38, P = 0.0003). Steatosis and fibrosis were inversely related to loge adiponectin in univariate analysis, but these associations were not statistically significant after multivariate adjustments (P ≥ 0.1827).Conclusions:High BMI among HCV‐infected children is associated with lower adiponectin levels. Practitioners should be cognizant of the possible risks of low adiponectin when managing HCV‐infected children who are overweight. Further studies are indicated to determine the impact of having low adiponectin on HCV infection in youth.
Facilitating change in primary education: the role of existing school facilities in ICT initiatives
Authors: Cardellino Paula , Leiringer Roine 
Published: October 2014

Purpose
– The aim of this paper is to illuminate the impact that the implementation of the Plan Ceibal imposes on the existing school infrastructure and how the use and upkeep of available facilities might need to be altered and changed to accommodate the new technology. Uruguay is, through the Plan Ceibal, the first country to provide every public primary school child with a laptop free of charge. The Plan represents a major investment to promote digital literacy and improve the quality of education.

Design/methodology/approach
– Empirical data are drawn from a multiple case study of five public primary schools. Particular attention is given to how school facilities and their immediate surroundings mediate the successful introduction and adoption of individual laptops.

Findings
– Plan Ceibal has the potential to change traditional teaching methods and behavioural patterns, which will in turn have an impact on how facilities and spaces are used. Questions are raised regarding the ultimate effectiveness of the initiative and if the aspired to improvements might be curtailed by a lack of investment in other areas, such as the school infrastructure. We argue for a context-sensitive view on research that not only considers the technology and potential changes in pedagogical approaches but also the physical environment in which these changes are to take place.

Originality/value
– Research into facilities and asset management has an important role to play in the achievement of effective learning environments and the successful uptake of information communication technology (ICT) initiatives.
Y in the workplace: comparative analysis of values, skills and perceptions of government communication amongst university students and government staff
Authors: Berry Jeremy 
Published: October 2014

Purpose
– This article aims to advance understanding of the various and differing aspects of government communication as a means to determine where the various generations’ values converge and diverge and to forecast the future implications of the findings by analyzing similarities and differences between the Generation Y public relations (PR) student sample at a Western Canadian university and the working generations of a communications branch within a provincial government, specifically Generation Y.

Design/methodology/approach
– This comparative study uses data from two previous studies to identify and analyze trends among Generation Y communicators – both those in the university setting and those already working within government – specific to values, skills and perceptions of the government communication function. It asks: how do the values and opinions of Generation Y university PR students compare and contrast with values and opinions from Generation Y communication staff within a provincial government?

Findings
– Along with supporting some of the assumptions and previous findings relating to Generation Y, the findings from this purposive survey and subsequent comparative analysis offer a new and deeper understanding of the workplace needs and wants of those represented by the particular sample. The findings also provide a glimpse into what the future of government communications might look like and the skills the next generation of employees will need to have.

Research limitations/implications
– The sample size used in this article is small and purposive, and should not be read as representative. The intent is not to generalize broad populations and generations, but to add to knowledge in a very specific area.

Practical implications
– The results of this study directly inform the practice of government communication by addressing current and future recruitment challenges.

Originality/value
– A study of generational values within Canadian Government communication has not been conducted previously by scholars and academics. This study fills a gap in the research and offers valuable insight for future research.
The Spare Heirs and Henriksen resort at Surprise lake
Authors: Pratt Catherine 
Published: October 2014

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to explore family business, leadership development, family dynamics, succession, and governance. It is appropriate for undergraduate and graduate family business and leadership courses; and to facilitate dialogue among members of family enterprises to introduce the need to address family dynamics and leadership issues.

Design/methodology/approach
– This case blends issues arising out of several family firms known to the author. Events, people, details, and location have been merged and adapted into this one case. The case method is used for the purposes of identifying key issues and provoking discussion on areas critical to multi-generational family enterprises.

Findings
– The case study method allows readers to explore and dialogue possible options for dealing with issues of unexpected family business leadership transition.

Practical implications
– Every family enterprise generation has unique challenges and opportunities. This case facilitates discussion that helps explore leadership succession issues and leadership development. For family business members, it is vehicle for neutral exploration of possible issues in their own organizations.

Originality/value
– This is an original case study based on the blending of issues and adaptation from several family firms.
Four essential dimensions of workplace learning
Authors: Hopwood Nick 
Published: October 2014

Purpose– This conceptual paper aims to argue that times, spaces, bodies and things constitute four essential dimensions of workplace learning. It examines how practices relate or hang together, taking Gherardi’s texture of practices or connectedness in action as the foundation for making visible essential but often overlooked dimensions of workplace learning.Design/methodology/approach– This framework is located within and adds to contemporary sociomaterial- or practice-based approaches, in which learning is understood as an emergent requirement and product of ongoing practice that cannot be specified in advance.Findings– The four dimensions are essential in two senses: they are the constitutive essence of textures of practices: what they are made of and they are non-optional; it is not possible to conceive a texture of practices without all of these dimensions present. Although the conceptual terrains to which they point overlap considerably, they remain useful as analytic points of departure. Each reveals something that is less clear in the others.Research limitations/implications– This innovative framework responds to calls to better understand how practices hang together, and offers a toolkit that reflects the multifaceted nature of practice. It presents a distinctive basis for making sense of connectedness in action, and thus for understanding learning in work.Originality/value– The paper offers a novel conceptual framework, expanding the texture of practices through dimensions of times, spaces, bodies and things, rendering visible aspects that might otherwise be ignored.
Characterizing the degree of amplitude‐variation‐with‐offset nonlinearity in seismic physical modelling reflection data
Authors: Innanen Kristopher A. , Mahmoudian Faranak 
Published: October 2014

ABSTRACTThe nonlinearity of the seismic amplitude‐variation‐with‐offset response is investigated with physical modelling data. Nonlinearity in amplitude‐variation‐with‐offset becomes important in the presence of large relative changes in acoustic and elastic medium properties. A procedure for pre‐processing physical modelling reflection data is enacted on the reflection from a water‐plexiglas boundary. The resulting picked and processed amplitudes are compared with the exact solutions of the plane‐wave Zoeppritz equations, as well as approximations that are first, second, and third order in , , and . In the low angle range of 0°–20°, the third‐order plane‐wave approximation is sufficient to capture the nonlinearity of the amplitude‐variation‐with‐offset response of a liquid‐solid boundary with , , and ρ contrasts of 1485–2745 m/s, 0–1380 m/s, and 1.00–1.19 gm/cc respectively, to an accuracy value of roughly 1%. This is in contrast to the linear Aki–Richards approximation, which is in error by as much as 25% in the same angle range. Even‐order nonlinear corrective terms are observed to be primarily involved in correcting the angle dependence of , whereas the odd‐order nonlinear terms are involved in determining the absolute amplitude‐variation‐with‐offset magnitudes.
Do intraspecific or interspecific interactions determine responses to predators feeding on a shared size‐structured prey community?
Authors: ten Brink Hanna , Mazumdar Abul Kalam Azad , Huddart Joseph , Persson Lennart , Cameron Tom C. 
Published: October 2014

Summary

Coexistence of predators that share the same prey is common. This is still the case in size‐structured predator communities where predators consume prey species of different sizes (interspecific prey responses) or consume different size classes of the same species of prey (intraspecific prey responses).

A mechanism has recently been proposed to explain coexistence between predators that differ in size but share the same prey species, emergent facilitation, which is dependent on strong intraspecific responses from one or more prey species. Under emergent facilitation, predators can depend on each other for invasion, persistence or success in a size‐structured prey community.

Experimental evidence for intraspecific size‐structured responses in prey populations remains rare, and further questions remain about direct interactions between predators that could prevent or limit any positive effects between predators [e.g. intraguild predation (IGP)].

Here, we provide a community‐wide experiment on emergent facilitation including natural predators. We investigate both the direct interactions between two predators that differ in body size (fish vs. invertebrate predator), and the indirect interaction between them via their shared prey community (zooplankton).

Our evidence supports the most likely expectation of interactions between differently sized predators that IGP rates are high, and interspecific interactions in the shared prey community dominate the response to predation (i.e. predator‐mediated competition). The question of whether emergent facilitation occurs frequently in nature requires more empirical and theoretical attention, specifically to address the likelihood that its pre‐conditions may co‐occur with high rates of IGP.
Minocycline can delay the development of morphine tolerance, but cannot reverse existing tolerance in the maintenance period of neuropathic pain in rats
Authors: Zhang Xin , Wang Jing , Yu Tingting , Du Dongping , Jiang Wei 
Published: October 2014

SummaryNeuropathic pain is a challenge for physicians and basic science researchers, because it often does not respond to routine treatment. The administration of morphine has been considered one of the effective recommended treatments, but its wide application is limited because of the development of antinociceptive tolerance. In general, basic science studies focus on neuropathic pain and morphine tolerance separately. However, we tried to investigate the effect of microglial activation on morphine tolerance in spinal nerve ligation (SNL) rats during the maintenance period of neuropathic pain. This study produced the following results. The morphine tolerance model in neuropathic pain was established by repeated administration of morphine twice daily (10 mg/kg s.c) in the maintenance period of SNL rats. Minocycline, the microglial activation inhibitor, was given once daily (30 mg/kg, i.p.) at different time‐points. The CD11b protein level was measured by western blot to monitor microglial activation. Rats’ mechanical allodynia was assessed using the 50% paw withdrawal threshold, and the tail antinociception was determined using the percentage of the maximal possible antinociceptive effect. First, the repeated administration of morphine induced the development of antinociceptive tolerance during the maintenance period of neuropathic pain. Second, during the development of morphine tolerance, microglial activation, which is related to the analgesic effect of morphine, decreased in the first few days, but this pattern was reversed in the following days with the development of morphine tolerance. Third, the repeated administration of minocycline, a microglial activation inhibitor, did not influence the antinociceptive effect of a single dose of morphine. Fourth, the pre‐administration of minocycline can delay the development of morphine tolerance, but repeated minocycline administration cannot reverse existing morphine tolerance. We concluded that microglial activation contributes to the morphine tolerance of SNL rats in the maintenance period of neuropathic pain, and that minocycline delays the development of morphine tolerance, but does not reverse existing morphine tolerance during the maintenance period of neuropathic pain in rats. These findings might be useful for clinical pain management.
Pharmacology of manipulating lean body mass
Authors: Sepulveda Patricio V , Bush Ernest D , Baar Keith 
Published: October 2014

SummaryDysfunction and wasting of skeletal muscle as a consequence of illness decreases the length and quality of life. Currently, there are few, if any, effective treatments available to address these conditions. Hence, the existence of this unmet medical need has fuelled large scientific efforts. Fortunately, these efforts have shown many of the underlying mechanisms adversely affecting skeletal muscle health. With increased understanding have come breakthrough disease‐specific and broad spectrum interventions, some progressing through clinical development. The present review focuses its attention on the role of the antagonistic process regulating skeletal muscle mass before branching into prospective promising therapeutic targets and interventions. Special attention is given to therapies in development against cancer cachexia and Duchenne muscular dystrophy before closing remarks on design and conceptualization of future therapies are presented to the reader.
High‐fat diet and chronic stress reduce central pressor and tachycardic effects of apelin in Sprague–Dawley rats
Authors: Cudnoch‐Jedrzejewska Agnieszka , Gomolka Ryszard , Szczepanska‐Sadowska Ewa , Czarzasta Katarzyna , Wrzesien Robert , Koperski Lukasz , Puchalska Liana , Wsol Agnieszka 
Published: October 2014

Summary
Central application of apelin elevates blood pressure and influences neuroendocrine responses to stress and food consumption. However, it is not known whether the central cardiovascular effects of apelin depend also on caloric intake or chronic stress. The purpose of the present study was to determine the effects of intracerebroventricular administration of apelin on blood pressure (mean arterial blood pressure) and heart rate in conscious Sprague–Dawley rats consuming either a normal‐fat diet (NFD) or high‐fat diet (HFD) for 12 weeks. During the last 4 weeks of the food regime, the rats were exposed (NFDS and HFDS groups) or not exposed (NFDNS and HFDNS groups) to chronic stress. Each group was divided into two subgroups receiving intracerebroventricular infusions of either vehicle or apelin. Apelin elicited significant increase of mean arterial blood pressure and heart rate in the NFDNS rats. This effect was abolished in the HFDNS, HFDS and NFDS groups. HFD resulted in a significant elevation of blood concentrations of total cholesterol, triglycerides glucose and insulin. Chronic stress reduced plasma concentration of total and high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol, and increased plasma corticosterone concentration and APJ receptor mRNA expression in the hypothalamus, whereas a combination of a HFD with chronic stress resulted in the elevation of plasma triglycerides, total cholesterol and low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol, and in increased plasma corticosterone concentration, apelin concentration and APJ receptor mRNA expression in the hypothalamus. It is concluded that a HFD and chronic stress result in significant suppression of the central pressor action of apelin, and cause significant though not unidirectional changes of metabolic and endocrine parameters.
Subxyphoid single‐incision thoracoscopic pulmonary metastasectomy
Authors: Liu Chia‐Chuan , Wang Bing‐Yen , Shih Chih‐Shiun , Lin Wei‐Cheng 
Published: October 2014

AbstractSingle‐incision thoracoscopic surgery has increasingly attracted public interest and been applied in numerous thoracic procedures. However, single‐incision thoracoscopic surgery is associated with requiring subsequent procedures, such as intercostal neuralgia. Herein, we extend the single‐port technique of pulmonary metastasectomy through a single subxiphoid approach, and report the first two cases of this procedure to date.