bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Unplanned extubation in critically ill adults: clinical review
Authors: Kiekkas Panagiotis , Aretha Diamanto , Panteli Eleftheria , Baltopoulos George I , Filos Kriton S 
Published: November 2012

Aims and objectives: To investigate and synthesize the evidence on the incidence and consequences of unplanned extubation (UE) in intensive care unit (ICU) patients, and on risk factors for UE.Background: ICU patients generally spend considerable time being intubated via the endotracheal route. Non‐planned endotracheal tube removal, either deliberate or accidental, may pose significant safety risks for them. As UE is among the most studied critical incidents in the ICU, evaluation and summary of existing findings could provide important implications for clinical practice.Search strategies, inclusion and exclusion criteria: Observational studies published between 1990 and 2012 in English‐language journals indexed by Cumulative Index for Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), PubMed, Web of Science and the Cochrane Library were searched for studies on UE of critically ill adults. Thirty‐three articles were considered eligible for inclusion.Conclusions: UE incidence varies considerably among reports, with self‐extubation representing the majority of cases. Agitation, especially when combined with inadequate sedation, and decreased patient surveillance are the major risk factors for UE. Inexperienced personnel and improper tube fixation may also be important, while physical restraint use remains controversial. UE can be followed by serious complications, mainly aspiration, laryngeal oedema and increased risk for pneumonia. Need for re‐intubation is a major determinant of patient outcomes. Implementation of educational or quality improvement programs is expected to advance personnel's knowledge about risk factors for UE, promote skills on safe, standardized procedures for patient care and increase compliance with them.Relevance to clinical practice: Identifying risk factors for UE and minimizing UE incidence through appropriate preventive strategies are prerequisites for improving nursing care quality and patient safety in the ICU.
Integrated Economic Equilibrium and Life Cycle Assessment Modeling for Policy‐based Consequential LCA
Authors: Earles J. Mason , Halog Anthony , Ince Peter , Skog Kenneth 
Published: November 2012

SummaryConsequential life cycle assessment (CLCA) has emerged as a tool for estimating environmental impacts of changes in product systems that go beyond physical relationships accounted for in attributional LCA (ALCA). This study builds on recent efforts to use more complex economic models for policy‐based CLCA. A partial market equilibrium (PME) model, called the U.S. Forest Products Module (USFPM), is combined with LCA to analyze an energy demand scenario in which wood use increases 400 million cubic meters in the United States for ethanol production. Several types of indirect economic and environmental impacts are identified and estimated using USFPM‐LCA. A key finding is that if wood use for biofuels increases to high levels and mill residue is used for biofuels and replaced by natural gas for heat and power in forest products mills, then the increased greenhouse gas emissions from natural gas could offset reductions obtained by substituting biofuels for gasoline. Such high levels of biofuel demand, however, appear to have relatively low environmental impacts across related forest product sectors.
HLA‐DPB POLYMORPHISMS: Glu 69 ASSOCIATION WITH SARCOIDOSIS
Authors: Lympany P. A. , Petrek M. , Southcott A. M. , Taylor A. J. Newman , Welsh K. I. , Bois R. M. du 
Published: November 2012

SUMMARYSarcoidosis is a chronic granulomatous disorder, which is characterized by the accumulation of activated CD4+ T lymphocytes (T cells) at disease sites. There is up‐regulation of cell surface expression of MHC molecules in sarcoidosis, and it has been suggested that specific MHC class II alleles are associated with the disease. A study of chronic beryllium disease (CBD), a granulomatous disorder which is pathologically similar to sarcoidosis, has identified an association between this disease and the presence of a glutamine residue at position 69 (Glu 69+) of the B1 chain of the HLA‐DPB molecule. A further study also suggested the importance of Glu at position 55 of the same chain. The aims of the present study were to attempt to define MHC class II alleles associated with sarcoidosis by comparison of their frequency in two groups of subjects and to compare the frequency of HLA‐DPB1 Glu 69+/– and Glu 55+/– alleles in the same subjects. Forty‐one subjects with sarcoidosis and 76 normal subjects were studied. The polymorphic regions of the class II MHC were identified by PCR in association with sequence‐specific oligonucleotide probes. There were no significant differences in the phenotype frequencies of MHC class II or Glu 55+ alleles between the two groups of subjects. However, there was a significant increase (P = 0.02) in the frequency of HLA‐DPB1* Glu 69+ alleles compared with the control population. We therefore suggest that the presence of a Glu residue at position 69 on the DPB1 chain may play an important role in antigen presentation and recognition in chronic granulomatous diseases.
Hypoxia‐inducible factor‐1 as a therapeutic target in cancer
Authors: Tang Ceen‐Ming , Yu Jun 
Published: November 2012

AbstractHypoxia‐inducible factor‐1 (HIF‐1) is a transcription factor that immortalizes tumors by inducing key genes in cancer biology, including angiogenesis, glycolysis, invasion, and metastasis. Overexpression of HIF‐1α is thus associated with resistance to cancer chemotherapy and increased patient mortality in several cancer phenotypes. In the present review, we summarize the role of intratumoral hypoxia and bioactive lipids in enhancing HIF‐1 activity, critically discussing the potential for HIF‐1α inhibitors in cancer chemotherapy. Considering preclinical studies, HIF‐1 inhibitors appear to have antitumor effects and thus represent a novel therapeutic strategy.
Assessing the cost‐effectiveness of treating chronic hepatitis C virus in people who inject drugs in Australia
Authors: Visconti Adam J , Doyle Joseph S , Weir Amanda , Shiell Alan M , Hellard Margaret E 
Published: November 2012

AbstractBackground and AimTo assess the cost‐effectiveness of hepatitis C virus treatment with pegylated interferon alfa‐2a and ribavirin in current and former people who inject drugs (PWID).MethodsA decision analytic model simulated the lifetime costs and outcomes of four treatment options: early treatment with mild fibrosis, standard treatment with moderate fibrosis, late treatment with compensated cirrhosis, and no treatment. Treatment modalities were simulated across current, former, and never‐injector cohorts of 1000 hypothetical patients with chronic hepatitis C virus. The main outcome measures were incremental costs ($AUD) per quality‐adjusted life years (QALYs) gained, and incremental cost‐effectiveness ratios (ICERs) were calculated for each cohort.ResultsTreatment of current PWID during mild fibrosis resulted in a discounted average gain of 1.60 QALYs (95% confidence interval 0.93–2.26) for an added cost of $12 723 ($11 153–$14 396) compared with no treatment, yielding an ICER of $7941 per QALY gained ($6347–$12 017). Former PWID gained 1.80 QALYs (1.29–2.33) for $10 441 ($8843–$12 074) for early treatment compared with no treatment, resulting in an ICER of $5808 per QALY gained ($5189–$6849). Never‐injectors gained 2.33 QALYs (1.87–2.80) for $9290 ($7642–$10 912) compared with no treatment—an ICER of $3985 per QALY gained ($3896–$4080). Early treatment was more cost‐effective than late treatment in all cohorts.ConclusionsDespite comorbidities, increased mortality, and reduced adherence, treatment of both current and former PWID is cost‐effective. Our estimates fall below the unofficial Australian cost‐effectiveness threshold of $AUD 50 000 per QALY for public subsidies. Scaling up treatment for PWID can be justified on purely economic grounds.
Advanced glycation end products augment experimental hepatic fibrosis
Authors: Goodwin Michelle , Herath Chandana , Jia Zhiyuan , Leung Chris , Coughlan Melinda T , Forbes Josephine , Angus Peter 
Published: November 2012

AbstractBackground and AimsAdvanced glycation end products (AGEs) are nonenzymatic modifications of proteins by reducing sugars. These compounds accumulate in a number of chronic disease states, contributing to tissue injury via several mechanisms, including activation of the receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE). We aimed to investigate whether AGEs can exacerbate chronic liver injury and contribute to hepatic fibrosis.MethodsWe initially studied the effects of chronic hepatic exposure to high levels of AGEs given intraperitoneally as AGE‐rat serum albumin. In a separate experiment, we examined the impact of high AGE exposure in rats following bile duct ligation (BDL).ResultsIn normal rats, chronic AGE‐rat serum albumin administration induced significant increases in α‐smooth muscle actin gene and protein expression but did not induce fibrosis or biochemical evidence of liver injury. However, in BDL animals, AGE‐bovine serum albumin administration significantly increased hepatic fibrosis as evidenced by increased collagen content and α‐smooth muscle actin expression, compared with BDL alone. Furthermore, AGEs increased hepatic oxidative stress and receptor for advanced glycation end products gene expression.ConclusionsThese findings suggest that AGEs may contribute to the pathogenesis of chronic liver injury and fibrosis.
Evaluation of the odour of Aminoleban® EN, taste-masked with flavoured powders, by human and electronic noses
Authors: Haraguchi Tamami , Yoshida Miyako , Uchida Takahiro 
Published: November 2012

Abstract

Objectives
Aminoleban® EN is a bitter total enteral nutrient product with an unpleasant odour. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the odour of Aminoleban® EN, taste-masked with various flavoured powders, by human testing and by using an electronic nose system (Alpha M.O.S.).

Methods
Initially, the odour of Aminoleban® EN alone at various concentrations was evaluated. Secondly, the odour of Aminoleban® EN with the addition of various flavoured powders was evaluated; the evaluation included data on odour intensity, preference levels and evoked taste image.

Key findings
With the human nose, a concentration of 0.43 g/100 ml seemed to be the taste threshold for Aminoleban® EN. In the electronic nose system, principal component analysis revealed that concentrations over 0.39 g/100 ml Aminoleban® EN could be distinguished from water. It was clear from both human testing and using the electronic nose system that the unpleasant odour of Aminoleban® EN could be masked by pineapple- and plum-flavoured powders, both of which contain not only sweet but also sour components.

Conclusions
The electronic nose system may be useful for detecting odours at or below the level detectable by the human olfactory system and for classifying the quality of different odours, thus reducing the amount of human testing required.
Minimally invasive monitoring of skeletal muscle hypermetabolism induced by the phosphodiesterase-III-inhibitor milrinone and sodium fluoride
Authors: Schuster Frank , Johannsen Stephan , Roewer Norbert , Anetseder Martin 
Published: November 2012

Abstract

Objectives
We hypothesized that the phosphodiesterase-III-inhibitor milrinone and the non-specific G-protein activator sodium fluoride increase the skeletal muscular lactate levels as a sign of a hypermetabolic response.

Methods
With approval of the local animal care committee Sprague–Dawley rats were killed and artificially perfused either with Ringer's solution or sodium fluoride 110 mm, while milrinone 1.32 mm or Ringer's solution at 1 μl/min was applied via microdialysis probes in both hind limbs. Lactate was measured spectrophotometrically in the dialysate.

Key findings
Baseline lactate levels before drug application did not differ between hind limbs. Local infusion of milrinone via microdialysis did not significantly increase intramuscular lactate concentrations compared with the Ringer control group. Muscular perfusion with sodium fluoride resulted in a significant increase of lactate and was potentiated by combination with local milrinone.

Conclusions
Phosphodiesterase-III-inhibition alone does not significantly influence the lactate levels in skeletal muscle of sacrificed rats. Sodium fluoride infusion leads to an intramuscular lactate increase, which was further potentiated by local inhibition of phosphodiesterase-III. The fluoride-mediated hypermetabolic response following sodium fluoride could be a possible explanation for the observed myotoxic adverse effects in individuals treated by fluoride-containing agents.
Prevalence of oral lesions of autoimmune etiology in patients with primary Sjogren's syndrome
Authors: Likar‐Manookin K , Stewart C , Al‐Hashimi I , Curtis W , Berg K , Cherian K , Lockhart PB , Brennan MT 
Published: November 2012

ObjectiveThe primary objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of oral lesions of autoimmune etiology (OLAIE) in a cohort of patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS).Materials and methodsA multi‐center retrospective cohort study was conducted at the oral medicine practices of Carolinas Medical Center (CMC), Baylor College of Dentistry (BCD), and the University of Florida (UF). Each site performed a chart review of patients with well‐characterized pSS. Clinical variables such as OLAIE, traumatic lesions, and medical conditions were compiled at each site. The association between clinical variables and the presence of OLAIE was then assessed for significance.ResultsWe evaluated 155 patients diagnosed with pSS. Nineteen patients with pSS (12.3%) had an OLAIE. CMC reported 11 (21.2%) patients with OLAIE, while BCD and UF reported 4 (7.3%) and 4 (8.3%), respectively. Eleven of the 19 (58%) patients with OLAIE had lichen planus, 6 (32%) had aphthous stomatitis, 1 (5%) had chronic ulcerative stomatitis, and 1 (5%) had lesions of systemic connective tissue disease by immunofluorescence.ConclusionThe results of our analysis suggest that patients with pSS have a 12% prevalence of OLAIE with a wide range (7.3–21.2%) found between practices. This difference is likely related to the different screening protocols for oral dryness between sites.
Hermansky–Pudlak syndrome: pigmentary and non‐pigmentary defects and their pathogenesis
Authors: Wei Ai‐Hua , Li Wei 
Published: November 2012

SummaryHermansky–Pudlak syndrome (HPS) is an autosomal recessive and genetically heterogeneous disorder characterized by oculocutaneous albinism, bleeding tendency, and ceroid deposition, which likely leads to deleterious lesions in lungs, heart, and other organs. Currently, nine genes have been identified as causative for HPS in humans. Their pathological effects are attributable to the disrupted biogenesis of lysosome‐related organelles (LROs) existing in multiple cell types or tissues, causing the pigmentory and non‐pigmentory defects. This review focuses on the functional aspects of HPS genes in regulating LRO biogenesis and signal transduction. The understanding of these mechanisms expands our knowledge about the involvement of lysosomal trafficking in the targeting of cargoes for constitutive transport, degradation, and secretion. This opens an avenue to the pathogenesis of lysosomal trafficking disorders at the cellular and developmental levels.
Recruitment and Retention of African American and Hispanic Girls and Women in Research
Authors: Wallace Debra C. , Bartlett Robin 
Published: November 2012

AbstractRecruiting women and girls into research studies, especially minority women, continues to be a major challenge that impacts health policy and delivery systems. This article discusses various strategies to recruit and retain African American and Hispanic girls and women in studies. Strategies for successful recruitment focus on trust, familiarity and visibility, racial and ethnic similarities, environmental context, and convenience. Retention strategies include issues of transportation, language, literacy, cultural appropriateness, safety, flexibility, incentives, communication, and veracity. All strategies assist in meeting the challenge of engaging minority women in research to decrease health disparities.
Using the VS‐Fast methodology for soil degradation assessment: a case study from Senegal
Authors: Sonneveld B. G. J. S. , McGarry D. , Ndiaye D. 
Published: November 2012

AbstractSoil degradation threatens sustainable food production and accelerates global warming. Poorer countries, whose agricultural sectors are highly dependent on their natural resource bases, are hit particularly hard by declining soil productivity. Calls for soil‐quality monitoring are therefore, justified and this could inform decision‐makers on the preparation of appropriate interventions. However, the provision of monitoring methodologies is not an easy task. Soil degradation affects several soil characteristics that at larger scales cannot be evaluated with models or remote‐sensing techniques. Therefore, this study focuses on investigating the use of field‐based soil assessment methodologies to differentiate degrees of soil degradation. Specifically, we test the Visual Soil Field Assessment Tool (VS‐Fast) for detecting and monitoring soil degradation using a cross‐section of 71 sites in Senegal, the soil quality of which were classed by local experts. We found low correlation between VS‐Fast classes and expert assessments. By using an ordered logit model to quantify class boundaries, we show that experts categorized areas as ‘degraded’ for a wider range and higher VS‐Fast scores than the corresponding VS‐Fast class. Yet, from general linear models and analysis of variance procedures we found that areas classed by experts as ‘degraded’ had statistically significant lower VS‐Fast scores compared to those that were judged as ‘normal’ and ‘good’, while differences of the VS‐Fast scores between the latter two were negligible. It is remarkable that the visual assessment, the cheaper component of the VS‐Fast score, performs better in differentiating degradation status than its measured counterpart. The results support the need to investigate the applicability of other VSA methodologies that only use field observations and tactile methods.
The potential for Scottish cultivated topsoils to lose or gain soil organic carbon
Authors: Lilly A. , Baggaley N. J. 
Published: November 2012

AbstractScotland's cultivated topsoils are rich in carbon with a median soil organic carbon (SOC) content of ca. 3.65%. The storage of carbon in soil is a means to offset GHG emissions, but equally carbon losses from soils can add to these emissions. We estimate the amount of carbon stored in Scottish cultivated mineral topsoils (246 ± 9 Mt), the potential carbon loss (112 ± 12 Mt) and the carbon storage potential of between 150 and 215 Mt based on national‐scale legacy data with uncertainty around the estimate due to error terms in predicting bulk densities for stock calculations. We calculate that Scotland's mineral cultivated topsoils hold the carbon equivalent of around 18 years of GHG emissions (based on 2009 emissions from all sources). We also derive a theoretical carbon saturation potential using a published, linear relationship with the <20‐μm mineral fraction (116 ± 14 Mt). Although the calculated uncertainties are quite small, care needs to be taken when using the results of such analyses as a policy instrument, and while the potential storage capacity seems large, it is unlikely to be achieved while still maintaining current land use patterns in Scotland. The methodology relies on legacy data (which may not reflect the current status of Scottish cultivated topsoils) and on summary statistics calculated from national‐scale data; however, those land management strategies that may mitigate GHG emissions are likely to be implemented at the field scale.
Systemic analysis of inducible target of rapamycin mutants reveal a general metabolic switch controlling growth in Arabidopsis thaliana
Authors: Caldana Camila , Li Yan , Leisse Andrea , Zhang Yi , Bartholomaeus Lisa , Fernie Alisdair R. , Willmitzer Lothar , Giavalisco Patrick 
Published: November 2012

SummaryThe target of rapamycin (TOR) pathway is a major regulator of growth in all eukaryotes, integrating energy, nutrient and stress signals into molecular decisions. By using large‐scale MS‐based metabolite profiling of primary, secondary and lipid compounds in combination with array‐based transcript profiling, we show that the TOR protein not only regulates growth but also influences nutrient partitioning and central energy metabolism. The study was performed on plants exhibiting conditional down‐regulation of AtTOR expression, revealing strong regulation of genes involved in pathways such as the cell cycle, cell‐wall modifications and senescence, together with major changes in transcripts and metabolites of the primary and secondary metabolism. In agreement with these results, our morphological and metabolic analyses disclosed major metabolic changes leading to massive accumulations of storage lipids and starch. The implications of these data in the context of the general role of TOR in eukaryotic systems are discussed in parallel with the plant‐specific aspects of TOR function. Finally, we propose a role for harnessing the plant TOR pathway by utilizing it as a potent metabolic switch, offering a possible route for biotechnological optimization of plant energy content and carbon partitioning for the production of bioenergy.
Water use attitudes in the UK pharmaceutical industry
Authors: Jenkins James O. , Oram Scot 
Published: November 2012

AbstractThis paper presents the findings of a small‐scale pilot study that sought to identify and explore attitudes toward water use in the pharmaceutical industry based in the United Kingdom. As a result of a series of in‐depth semi‐structured interviews, it is established that because water use is viewed as a comparatively inexpensive resource, this undermines investment in water efficient technologies. However, the study also reveals such attitudes to sit alongside largely positive attitudes toward the need for increased water efficiency on a global organisational level. The paper concludes by arguing that greater attention should be accorded to the geographical location in which views toward water use are ascertained. In particular, it is highlighted that the geographical location of individuals, and organisations, can affect views toward water use. These differences are then argued to have the potential to undermine global initiatives on water use because individuals and organisations, in particular locations, may not see water use as an issue worthy of a response.
Understanding embodied greenhouse gas emissions in the water and sewerage sectors
Authors: Keil Michael , Perry Howard , Humphrey Julia , Holdway Robert 
Published: November 2012

AbstractEmbodied (or embedded) greenhouse gas emissions are commonly overlooked in corporate carbon accounting, although they can represent a large proportion of overall emissions. In this paper, we utilise embodied emission data submitted to Ofwat, the economic regulator of water and sewerage companies in England and Wales, as part of their review of price limits. This is the first time that water and sewerage companies have presented embodied emissions associated with their capital programmes. In total, embodied emissions add an extra 50% on top of companies' operational greenhouse gas emissions. We consider the drivers for embodied emissions and show that capital maintenance programmes are the largest source. We highlight the relationship between capital expenditure and embodied emissions, and discuss why there are significant differences in embodied emission intensities between companies. Many of the differences arise from the way the common methodology for estimating embodied emissions is applied.