bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Health‐Related Quality of Life After Robot‐Assisted Distal Gastrectomy in Early Gastric Cancer
Authors: Park Ji Yeon , Eom Bang Wool , Jo Min Jung , Yoon Hong Man , Ryu Keun Won , Kim Young‐Woo , Nam Byung‐Ho , Lee Jun Ho 
Published: December 2013

AbstractPurposeThis study was designed to assess the chronological change in health‐related quality of life (HRQOL) following robot‐assisted distal gastrectomy (RADG) for early gastric cancer (EGC) and to compare the HRQOL of the patients undergoing RADG with that of the general population.MethodsPatients undergoing RADG for EGC between March 2010 and May 2011 were enrolled. The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) core questionnaire (QLQ‐C30) and the gastric cancer‐specific module (QLQ‐STO22) were completed before the operation and at 1 week as well as 1, 3, 6, and 12 months postsurgery. HRQOL data of the enrolled patients were compared to reference values obtained from the general population.ResultsA total of 30 patients were enrolled, and the overall compliance for questionnaire response was 94.4 %. The worst scores for most of the domains were observed at 1 week postsurgery and usually returned to baseline levels within 3 months, except for fatigue, dysphagia, pain, and eating restriction. Diarrhea was the only symptom that did not recovered after 1 year. Before surgery, patients reported significantly worse social function and financial difficulties compared to the general population, which persisted for 1 year postsurgery.ConclusionsThe immediate deterioration of HRQOL after RADG was restored to baseline levels within 3 months postsurgery in the majority of the patients. Robotic assistance might aid in the rapid recovery of global health status after surgery in EGC patients. Prolonged impairment in social function compared with the general population suggests that psychological support is necessary even for EGC patients.
Surgical Treatment of 144 Cases of Hilar Cholangiocarcinoma Without Liver‐Related Mortality
Authors: Furusawa Norihiko , Kobayashi Akira , Yokoyama Takahide , Shimizu Akira , Motoyama Hiroaki , Miyagawa Sin‐ichi 
Published: December 2013

AbstractBackgroundThe present study evaluated whether the short‐ and long‐term outcomes improved during our 23 years of experience treating 144 consecutive patients with hilar cholangiocarcinoma.MethodsPatients treated between 1990 and 2000 (period 1; n = 70) were retrospectively compared with those treated between 2001 and 2012 (period 2; n = 74). Mortality and major complications were defined as any death occurring within 90 days of surgery and a grade III–IV complication according to the Clavien classification, respectively.ResultsThe mortality and major complication rates decreased from 1.2 and 34 % during period 1–0 and 24 % during period 2, respectively. Although the surgical procedure was comparable between the two periods, the median blood loss was significantly reduced from 1,020 mL during period 1–745 mL during period 2 (P = 0.003), and blood loss was the only significant predictor of postoperative morbidity in a multivariable analysis. The R0 resection rate (70 vs. 78 %, P = 0.250) and the 5‐year survival rate (33 vs. 35 %, P = 0.529) were similar for the two periods. A multivariable analysis identified positive nodal involvement and R1–2 resection as independent prognostic factors for survival.ConclusionsThe perioperative outcomes after surgical treatment for hilar cholangiocarcinoma have steadily improved through the accumulation of experience and meticulous surgical techniques to reduce blood loss. Further improvement of the R0 resection rate could prolong patient survival.
Quantile Lower Bounds to Reliability Based on Locally Optimal Splits
Authors: Hunt Tyler D. , Bentler Peter M. 
Published: December 2013

Extending the theory of lower bounds to reliability based on splits given by Guttman (in Psychometrika 53, 63–70, 1945), this paper introduces quantile lower bound coefficients λ4(Q) that refer to cumulative proportions of potential locally optimal “split-half” coefficients that are below a particular point Q in the distribution of split-halves based on different partitions of variables into two sets. Interesting quantile values are Q=0.05,0.50,0.95,1.00 with λ4(0.05)≤λ4(0.50)≤λ4(0.95)≤λ4(1.0). Only the global optimum λ4(1.0), Guttman’s maximal λ4, has previously been considered to be interesting, but in small samples it substantially overestimates population reliability ρ. The three coefficients λ4(0.05), λ4(0.50), and λ4(0.95) provide new lower bounds to reliability. The smallest, λ4(0.05), provides the most protection against capitalizing on chance associations, and thus overestimation, λ4(0.50) is the median of these coefficients, while λ4(0.95) tends to overestimate reliability, but also exhibits less bias than previous estimators. Computational theory, algorithm, and publicly available code based in R are provided to compute these coefficients. Simulation studies evaluate the performance of these coefficients and compare them to coefficient alpha and the greatest lower bound under several population reliability structures.
Surgical Treatment of Isolated Patellofemoral Osteoarthritis
Authors: Rodriguez-Merchan E. Carlos 
Published: December 2013

Background Isolated patellofemoral (PF) osteoarthritis (OA) affects 9% of persons older than 40 years. Nonoperative treatment should be exhausted fully before surgical treatment. Questions/Purposes The purpose of this article is to review the literature after 2008 with the aim of answering the following question: Which of the following surgical procedures has the highest survival rate and the lowest revision rate in advanced isolated PF OA: patellofemoral arthroplasty (PFA), total knee arthroplasty (TKA) or lateral facetectomy. Methods The search engine was MedLine. The keywords used were: PF OA and PFA. Three hundred and fifty-three articles were found between 2008 and 25 July 2013. Of those, only 23 were selected and reviewed because they were strictly focused on the topic and the question of this article. Results The types of studies reported so far have a low level of evidence (levels III and IV). Most of them are prospective case series (level IV). Some are systematic reviews of level III studies. Reported survival rate of lateral facetectomy is 85% at 5 years, 67% at 10 years and 47% at 20 years. Reported failure rate of lateral facetectomy is 26% at 10 years and 16% at 12 years. The reported average time of reoperation is 8 years and 37% of such procedures fail. Survival rate of PFA has been reported to be 87.5% on average (range, 60–100%). The revision rate of PFA is 20%. Recent improvements in PFA design have resulted in improvements in short-and medium-term results, similar to those of TKA. Conclusions There is still no gold standard for the surgical treatment of isolated PF OA. However, PFA or TKA appear to be the most recommendable treatment in cases that do not respond to conservative treatment.
MCP Arthrodesis Using an Intramedullary Interlocking Device
Authors: Vanderzanden Jacqueline C. , Adams Brian D. , Guan Justin J. 
Published: December 2013

Background A variety of metacarpophalangeal joint (MCPJ) arthrodesis techniques have been described for the treatment of symptomatic arthritis and instability of the thumb MCPJ including K wire fixation, tension-band arthrodesis, plate fixation, intramedullary screw, and other intramedullary devices. This study presents a retrospective review of one surgeon's initial series of patients undergoing thumb MCP arthrodesis using an intramedullary compression device with a fixed angle of 25°. Methods A retrospective chart and radiographic review of patients treated for thumb MCP arthrodesis using the intramedullary device was performed. Final radiographs were evaluated for arthrodesis angle, bony fusion, and implant fixation. Any complication found during surgery or the follow-up period was noted. Results In this study, 17 patients were reviewed. Indications for surgery were osteoarthritis (five patients), rheumatoid arthritis (three patients), MCP instability alone (seven patients), and post-traumatic conditions (two patients). Of these, 12 patients had a simultaneous trapeziometacarpal (TMC) soft tissue arthroplasty. Mean follow-up was 4.9 months. All 17 patients had clinical and radiographic evidence of fusion at an average of 7.9 weeks, with an average fusion angle of 24.4°. There were no hardware complications, no infections, no revisions, and no indications for hardware removal. Discussion Our study results indicate the technique promotes rapid union at a precise angle, provides strong fixation that does not require prolonged immobilization, does not cause hardware irritation, and can be used in conjunction with other procedures including TMC arthroplasty when MCP arthrodesis is indicated for joint instability.
Identification of Vegetable Oil or Biodiesel Added to Diesel Using Fluorescence Spectroscopy and Principal Component Analysis
Authors: Tomazzoni Giancarlo , Meira Marilena , Quintella Cristina M. , Zagonel Giuliano Fernandes , Costa Bill Jorge , de Oliveira Paulo Roberto , Pepe Iuri Muniz , da Costa Neto Pedro Ramos 
Published: December 2013

AbstractIn order to identify possible adulteration of onroad diesel with vegetable oil, fluorescence spectroscopy was used as the analytical technique to differentiate between vegetable oil and biodiesel in diesel blends. Diesel/oil and diesel/biodiesel blends made with different proportions of soy, canola or waste cooking oil were analyzed. The reduced cost of analysis using fluorescence spectroscopy together with the reliability of the results suggest that this technique could be of great use in differentiating between diesel, biodiesel and vegetable oil and could therefore be used for rapid identification or confirmation of adulterated diesel. Furthermore, a compact fluorescence spectrophotometer with an LED excitation source could be used in gas stations or fuel distributors for diesel quality control because of its practicality, low cost and reliability.
Training of Transversus Abdominis Activation in the Supine Position With Ultrasound Biofeedback Translated to Increased Transversus Abdominis Activation During Upright Loaded Functional Tasks
Authors: McPherson Sue L. , Watson Todd 
Published: December 2013

ObjectiveTo determine whether healthy adults successfully completing transversus abdominis (TrA) muscle activation training in the supine position with clinician and ultrasound (US) imaging feedback increase their TrA activation during lifting and reaching tasks performed in the standing position.DesignProspective longitudinal within‐subject, repeated‐measures (RM) study.SettingUniversity laboratory.ParticipantsA total of 19 of 24 asymptomatic adult volunteers met inclusion criteria.MethodsEach adult performed 3 trials of 5 functional tasks before receiving any training. They were then briefed on the abdominal draw‐in maneuver via educational materials. Next, each adult received individualized TrA activation training while in the supine position with clinician and US feedback of TrA activation. At 5 minutes after TrA activation training, each adult who met the criterion during training performed 3 trials of these same 5 functional tasks. Tasks were randomized during these test sessions. Adults who returned 5 months later (n = 10) were tested again on 3 trials of 3 of these tasks. No feedback was provided during test sessions. Recorded cine loop images were obtained via US per trial and masked for TrA measurement.Main Outcome MeasurementsResting state (minimum thickness) and contraction state (maximum thickness) of TrA were measured per recorded trial by a clinician who was shown to have high reliability. The percentage of change in TrA thickness {[(thicknessmax – thicknessmin)/ thicknessmin] × (100)} was the primary outcome measure. Trial averages were formed per measure per task per test session per adult.ResultsA 2‐test sessions (pretraining, 5‐minutes post‐training) × 5 tasks RM analysis of variance (N = 19) indicated a significant and large effect for test sessions (P < .001, η2 = 0.808) and moderate effect for tasks (P = .011; η2 = 0.164). Likewise, a 3‐test sessions (pretraining, 5‐minutes posttraining, 5 months post‐training) × 3 tasks RM analysis of variance (n = 10) indicated a significant and large test sessions effect (P < .001, η2 = 0.57) and no task effect. Overall, the percent change in TrA thickness increased after the TrA activation training program and was maintained at 5 months; similar patterns of improvement were noted across test sessions and tasks.ConclusionAsymptomatic adults successfully completing a short session of TrA activation training in the supine position with US feedback of TrA activation were able to increase their TrA activation during loaded lifting and reaching tasks for at least 5 months.
Effects of dietary macronutrient composition and feeding frequency on fasting and postprandial hormone response in domestic cats
Authors: Deng Ping , Ridge Tonya K. , Graves Thomas K. , Spears Julie K. , Swanson Kelly S. 
Published: December 2013

AbstractThe objective was to evaluate the effects of dietary macronutrients and feeding frequency on blood glucose, insulin, total ghrelin and leptin. A total of twelve adult lean neutered male cats were used in three tests, all cross-over studies composed of a 15 d adaptation and blood sampling on day 16. In trial 1, differences between two- and four-meal feeding were tested. On day 16, blood samples were collected every 2 h for 24 h. In trial 2, macronutrient boluses were tested. Instead of the control diet, the morning meal on day 16 was replaced with an isoenergetic bolus of carbohydrate (maltodextrin), protein (chicken meat), fat or water. Fasted and ten postprandial blood samples were collected. In trial 3, diets high in fat (HF), protein (HP), carbohydrate (HC) or a control diet were tested. On day 16, fasted and ten postprandial blood samples were collected. Data were analysed to identify baseline and AUC changes. Cats fed four meals daily had greater (P = 0·03) leptin incremental AUC0–24 hcompared with cats fed twice daily. The carbohydrate bolus increased glucose (P < 0·001) and insulin (P < 0·001) incremental AUC0–6 hand tended to increase (P = 0·09) leptin net AUC0–6 h. Cats fed the control and HC diets had greater (P = 0·03) glucose incremental AUC compared with the HF and HP conditions. Circulating hormone data were highly variable and indicated changes due to dietary macronutrients and feeding frequency, but further study is needed to identify impacts on appetite and contributing mechanisms.
AUGE Y OCASO DEL CARBÓN MINERAL EN URUGUAY. UN ANÁLISIS HISTÓRICO DESDE FINES DEL SIGLO XIX HASTA LA ACTUALIDAD
Authors: Bertoni Reto , Román Carolina 
Published: December 2013

ABSTRACTThe study of the rise and fall of mineral coal as an energy source can shed light on the characteristics of energy transition in Uruguay. This article presents historical series of coal consumption for Uruguay since the last decades of the 19th century until nowadays (1879-2011). The “coal era” can be placed in the first decades of the 20th century. The use of this mineral in four sectors may explain the dynamic of the coal consumption as a result of different trajectories that characterize the Uruguayan energy transition pattern of stops and goes. In addition, the article put forward three factors to explain the decisions to shift from coal to other energy sources: relative prices and freights, technological innovations and institutional aspects.
Life Recovery After Disasters: A Qualitative Study in the Iranian Context
Authors: Khankeh Hamidreza , Nakhaei Maryam , Masoumi Gholamreza , Hosseini Mohammadali , Parsa-Yekta Zohreh , Kurland Lisa , Castren Maaret 
Published: December 2013

AbstractIntroductionPlanned and organized long-term rehabilitation services should be provided to victims of a disaster for social integration, economic self-sufficiency, and psychological health. There are few studies on recovery and rehabilitation issues in disaster situations. This study explores the disaster-related rehabilitation process.MethodThis study was based on qualitative analysis. Participants included 18 individuals (eight male and ten female) with experience providing or receiving disaster health care or services. Participants were selected using purposeful sampling. Data were collected through in-depth and semi-structured interviews. All interviews were transcribed and content analysis was performed based on qualitative content analysis.ResultsThe study explored three main concepts of recovery and rehabilitation after a disaster: 1) needs for health recovery; 2) intent to delegate responsibility; and 3) desire for a wide scope of social support. The participants of this study indicated that to provide comprehensive recovery services, important basic needs should be considered, including the need for physical rehabilitation, social rehabilitation, and livelihood health; the need for continuity of mental health care; and the need for family re-unification services. Providing social activation can help reintegrate affected people into the community.ConclusionEffective rehabilitation care for disaster victims requires a clear definition of the rehabilitation process at different levels of the community. Involving a wide set of those most likely to be affected by the process provides a comprehensive, continuous, culturally sensitive, and family-centered plan.KhankehH,NakhaeiM,MasoumiG,HosseiniM,Parsa-YektaZ,KurlandL,CastrenM.Life recovery after disasters: a qualitative study in the Iranian context.Prehosp Disaster Med.2013;28(6):573-579.
Accuracy of food portion size estimation from digital pictures acquired by a chest-worn camera
Authors: Jia Wenyan , Chen Hsin-Chen , Yue Yaofeng , Li Zhaoxin , Fernstrom John , Bai Yicheng , Li Chengliu , Sun Mingui 
Published: December 2013

AbstractObjectiveAccurate estimation of food portion size is of paramount importance in dietary studies. We have developed a small, chest-worn electronic device called eButton which automatically takes pictures of consumed foods for objective dietary assessment. From the acquired pictures, the food portion size can be calculated semi-automatically with the help of computer software. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the accuracy of the calculated food portion size (volumes) from eButton pictures.DesignParticipants wore an eButton during their lunch. The volume of food in each eButton picture was calculated using software. For comparison, three raters estimated the food volume by viewing the same picture. The actual volume was determined by physical measurement using seed displacement.SettingDining room and offices in a research laboratory.SubjectsSeven lab member volunteers.ResultsImages of 100 food samples (fifty Western and fifty Asian foods) were collected and each food volume was estimated from these images using software. The mean relative error between the estimated volume and the actual volume over all the samples was −2·8 % (95 % CI −6·8 %, 1·2 %) withsdof 20·4 %. For eighty-five samples, the food volumes determined by computer differed by no more than 30 % from the results of actual physical measurements. When the volume estimates by the computer and raters were compared, the computer estimates showed much less bias and variability.ConclusionsFrom the same eButton pictures, the computer-based method provides more objective and accurate estimates of food volume than the visual estimation method.
PirB regulates a structural substrate for cortical plasticity
Authors: Djurisic Maja , Vidal George S. , Mann Miriam , Aharon Adam , Kim Taeho , Ferrao Santos Alexandre , Zuo Yi , Hübener Mark , Shatz Carla J. 
Published: December 2013

Significance
Learning and memory are mediated by changes in synaptic structure and circuit connectivity; these changes are known as “synaptic plasticity.” In the normal brain, the amount of plasticity is fine tuned by regulating a balance between synaptic strengthening and weakening, both in a positive and a negative direction. Here we report that paired immunoglobulin-like receptor B (PirB), an innate immune receptor expressed by neurons, acts as a robust negative regulator of structural substrates for plasticity in visual cortex. Without PirB, there are excessive numbers of spines, accompanied by a shift in Hebbian plasticity favoring synaptic strengthening. These results suggest that PirB regulates spine density in cortex and imply that blocking PirB function could enhance cognition or recovery from injury.
ISRNA: an integrative online toolkit for short reads from high-throughput sequencing data
Authors: Luo Guan-Zheng , Yang Wei , Ma Ying-Ke , Wang Xiu-Jie 
Published: December 2013

Abstract
Summary: Integrative Short Reads NAvigator (ISRNA) is an online toolkit for analyzing high-throughput small RNA sequencing data. Besides the high-speed genome mapping function, ISRNA provides statistics for genomic location, length distribution and nucleotide composition bias analysis of sequence reads. Number of reads mapped to known microRNAs and other classes of short non-coding RNAs, coverage of short reads on genes, expression abundance of sequence reads as well as some other analysis functions are also supported. The versatile search functions enable users to select sequence reads according to their sub-sequences, expression abundance, genomic location, relationship to genes, etc. A specialized genome browser is integrated to visualize the genomic distribution of short reads. ISRNA also supports management and comparison among multiple datasets.
Availability: ISRNA is implemented in Java/C++/Perl/MySQL and can be freely accessed at http://omicslab.genetics.ac.cn/ISRNA/.
Contact: xjwang@genetics.ac.cn
Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Measuring Care Continuity
Authors: Pollack Craig E. , Hussey Peter S. , Rudin Robert S. , Fox D. Steven , Lai Julie , Schneider Eric C. 
Published: December 2013

Background:
Assessing care continuity is important in evaluating the impact of health care reform and changes to health care delivery. Multiple measures of care continuity have been developed for use with claims data.

Objective:
This study examined whether alternative continuity measures provide distinct assessments of coordination within predefined episodes of care.

Research Design and Subjects:
This was a retrospective cohort study using 2008–2009 claims files for a national 5% sample of beneficiaries with congestive heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and diabetes mellitus.

Measures:
Correlations among 4 measures of care continuity—the Bice-Boxerman Continuity of Care Index, Herfindahl Index, usual provider of care, and Sequential Continuity of Care Index—were derived at the provider- and practice-levels.

Results:
Across the 3 conditions, results on 4 claims-based care coordination measures were highly correlated at the provider-level (Pearson correlation coefficient r=0.87–0.98) and practice-level (r=0.75–0.98). Correlation of the results was also high for the same measures between the provider- and practice-levels (r=0.65–0.92).

Conclusions:
Claims-based care continuity measures are all highly correlated with one another within episodes of care.