bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Age and sex distribution in malignant and tuberculous serous effusions: A study of 127 patients and review of the literature
Authors: Das Dilip K 
Published: November 2014

AimTuberculosis and carcinomatosis are the two most frequent causes of pleural effusion and exudative ascites, and both are characterized by lymphocyte‐rich effusion. We attempted to discover if there is any significant difference in the age and sex distribution between patients presenting with these two conditions.MethodsA total of 161 serous effusion samples from 127 patients (89 with pleural effusion and 38 with ascites) having follow‐up biopsy and histopathological examination were included in the present study. Three groups – malignancy (47 patients), tuberculosis (47) and non‐tuberculous benign lesions (26) as per histopathological diagnoses – were compared in respect to age and sex distribution.ResultsA total of 29 (61.7%) patients with malignancy were aged ≥50 years as compared with three (6.4%) tuberculosis patients with serous effusions (P = 0.00000). A similar trend was observed in the ≥60 years age group (18 or 38.3% malignancy vs none with tuberculosis, P = 0.00000). A total of 36 (76.6%) tuberculous effusion patients were aged less than 40 years as opposed to eight (17.0%) patients with malignant effusions (P = 0.00000). There was also s significant difference between tuberculous and non‐tuberculous benign lesions in the ≥50 years age group (6.4% vs 69.2%, P = 0.00000), but no significant difference between malignancy and non‐tuberculous benign lesions (P = 0.61385). There were 31 female (66.0%) patients with malignancy, which was significantly higher than that of patients with tuberculosis (16, [34%], P = 0.00365) and non‐specific inflammation/benign lesions (23.1%, P = 0.00059). However, the difference between tuberculosis and non‐tuberculous benign lesions was not significant (P = 0.42756).ConclusionWhereas malignancy in serous effusions is found in older and middle‐aged people, tuberculous effusion is a disease of younger people. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2015; 15: 1143–1150.
Decrease in blood pressure and improved psychological aspects through meditation training in hypertensive older adults: A randomized control study
Authors: de Fátima Rosas Marchiori Márcia , Kozasa Elisa Harumi , Miranda Roberto Dischinger , Monezi Andrade André Luiz , Perrotti Tatiana Caccese , Leite José Roberto 
Published: November 2014

AimThe present study aimed to evaluate the effects of Zen meditation on blood pressure (BP) and quality of life in elderly subjects.MethodsA total of 59 volunteers (21 men and 38 women), aged ≥60 years with systolic BP between 130 and 159 mmHg and diastolic BP between 85 and 99 mmHg, were randomly divided into a meditation group (MG), n = 28 and a control group (CG), n = 31. The MG meditated twice a day for 20 min for 3 months, and the CG remained on a waiting list. The BP levels were measured monthly in both groups. The volunteers' medication was kept stable. A quality of life assessment instrument was applied at the beginning and end of the study.ResultsFor systolic BP, analysis of variance showed the influence of time (F(4,228) = 4.74, P < 0.01, β = 0.98) and the interaction group × time (F(4,228) = 3.07, P < 0.01, β = 0.89). The MG showed a significant decrease in systolic BP levels in the second measurement after 1 month of meditation practice when compared with the CG (Newman–Keuls test, P < 0.05). Starting at the second measurement, systolic BP levels in the MG were lower than the baseline and first measurement levels; however, the systolic BP levels were similar to those observed in the CG. In the quality of life assessment evaluation, a significant improvement in psychological aspects and overall quality of life in the MG compared with the CG was observed.ConclusionThese results suggest that Zen meditation is an interesting tool as a complementary treatment for hypertension in elderly subjects. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2015; 15: 1158–1164.
A mapping review of the literature on UK‐focused health and social care databases
Authors: Cooper Chris , Rogers Morwenna , Bethel Alison , Briscoe Simon , Lowe Jenny 
Published: November 2014

AbstractBackgroundBibliographic databases are a day‐to‐day tool of the researcher: they offer the researcher easy and organised access to knowledge, but how much is actually known about the databases on offer? The focus of this paper is UK health and social care databases. These databases are often small, specialised by topic, and provide a complementary literature to the large, international databases. There is, however, good evidence that these databases are overlooked in systematic reviews, perhaps because little is known about what they can offer.ObjectivesTo systematically locate and map, published and unpublished literature on the key UK health and social care bibliographic databases.MethodsSystematic searching and mapping.ResultsTwo hundred and forty‐two items were identified which specifically related to the 24 of the 34 databases under review.ConclusionThere is little published or unpublished literature specifically analysing the key UK health and social care databases. Since several UK databases have closed, others are at risk, and some are overlooked in reviews, better information is required to enhance our knowledge. Further research on UK health and social care databases is required. This paper suggests the need to develop the evidence base through a series of case studies on each of the databases.
Metastases to the kidney: a clinicopathological study of 43 cases with an emphasis on deceptive features
Authors: Wu Angela J , Mehra Rohit , Hafez Khaled , Wolf J Stuart , Kunju Lakshmi P 
Published: November 2014

AimsTo review our experience with metastases to the kidney in surgical pathology material.Methods and resultsThe clinicopathological features of all metastases to the kidney in surgical pathology cases between May 1987 and May 2013 at our institution were reviewed. Autopsy cases were excluded. Forty‐three cases (16 nephrectomies, 25 biopsies, and two fine needle aspirations) were included; the primary malignancy was diagnosed prior to/concurrently with the metastasis in nearly all cases. Common primary sites included the lung, breast, female genital tract, and head and neck; the majority were carcinomas. A primary renal tumour was suspected prior to the pathological diagnosis in 35% of cases. Unusual features included: common unilateral (77%) and unifocal (70%) involvement, lack of other distant organ metastases (37%), >10 years between primary and metastasis diagnoses (19%), lack of a discrete mass (5%), and renal vein extension (19% of resections). The most common dilemma was excluding urothelial or high‐grade renal cell carcinoma; however, metastases from the thyroid commonly mimicked low‐grade renal cell carcinomas.ConclusionsIn surgical pathology material, metastases to the kidney most commonly present as solitary unilateral masses, and in a substantial subset of cases mimic a primary renal tumour.
Toxic‐Free Aqueous Gelcasting of Alumina Ceramics Using Alumina Sol Binder
Authors: Manivannan Ramalingam , Kumar Anil , Jain Rajnish Kumar , Subrahmanyam Challapalli 
Published: November 2014

An eco‐friendly gelcasting system has been developed for the fabrication of alumina ceramics using alumina sol as a binder. 0.5 wt% of ammonium polymethacrylate dispersant was used based on total alumina solid loading to obtain completely dispersed slurry with high solid loading. Ceramic slurries having different volume percentage of alumina loading from 46 to 52 vol% in alumina sol were made, and the rheological properties were evaluated. 51 vol% of alumina slurry having viscosity 0.73 Pa.s with 2 wt% of alumina sol binder content per weight of alumina was optimized. The gelling behavior of concentrated slurry was evaluated by measuring storage modulus, and the consolidated green sample is homogeneous and exhibiting the bending strength of 4 MPa and 55% theoretical density. On sintering the sample at 1550°C for 2 h, the flexural strength was found to be 317 ± 30 MPa, and the corresponding theoretical density was 98%.
International Migration, Immigration Policy and Welfare Spending
Authors: Gaston Noel 
Published: November 2014

AbstractIncreasing immigration is often linked with the public pressure for lower levels of publicly funded social expenditures. However, the empirical evidence on the effects of increasing immigration on social expenditures is discordant and depends on which countries are studied. This article argues that the employability of new immigrants as well as their entitlement to public benefits explains the observed impacts of immigration on social expenditures. Moreover, these same features can help to explain the increasing stringency of immigration policies.
Genotypic Variation for Tolerance to Transient Drought During the Reproductive Phase of Brassica rapa
Authors: Guo Y. M. , Turner N. C. , Chen S. , Nelson M. N. , Siddique K. H. M. , Cowling W. A. 
Published: November 2014

AbstractBrassica rapa L. is a genetically diverse parent species of the allotetraploid species, oilseed rape (B. napus) and a potential source of drought tolerance for B. napus. We examined the effect of a 13‐day drought stress period during the early reproductive phase, relative to a well‐watered (WW) control, on subsequent growth and development in nine accessions of B. rapa and one accession of Brassica juncea selected for their wide morphological and genetic diversity. We measured leaf water potential, stomatal conductance, water use, and leaf and bud temperatures during the stress period and aboveground dry weight of total biomass at maturity. Dry weight of seeds and reproductive tissue were not useful measures of drought tolerance due to self‐incompatibility in B. rapa. The relative total biomass (used as the measure of drought tolerance in this study) of the 10 accessions exposed to drought stress ranged from 47 % to 117 % of the WW treatment and was negatively correlated with leaf‐to‐air and bud‐to‐air temperature difference when averaged across the 13‐day stress period. Two wild‐type (B. rapa ssp. sylvestris) accessions had higher relative total and non‐reproductive biomass at maturity and cooler leaves and buds than other types. We conclude that considerable genotypic variation for drought tolerance exists in B. rapa and cooler leaves and buds during a transient drought stress in the early reproductive phase may be a useful screening tool for drought tolerance.
Educating Britain? Political Literacy and the Construction of National History
Authors: Brocklehurst Helen 
Published: November 2014

AbstractDespite the reflexive nature of historical enquiry and the degree of national interconnectness now theorized by historians in the United Kingdom, education debates over history teaching in Britain often yield a comforting defence of Britain's ‘island story’. The singular ‘island story’ is an economical narrative device favoured by politicians and further mediated through newspapers which profit from such national cryogenics. Maintenance of a currency, or crisis, of Britishness can also be contrasted with the relative absence of longitudinal or comparative enquiry into identity and school curricula. In addition, the teaching of states, connections and post‐sovereign communities is largely under‐theorized, potentially contributing to the sterility of future debates about citizenship, agency and Britain's wider political reach. It is argued here that the public framing of history as nationhood and the underdevelopment of children's political literacy are mutually reinforcing conditions by which the state has constructed a stabilizing, yet shifting presence of the ‘national’.
Genetic diversity, virulence and fitness evolution in an obligate fungal parasite of bees
Authors: Evison S. E. F. , Foley K. , Jensen A. B. , Hughes W. O. H. 
Published: November 2014

AbstractWithin‐host competition is predicted to drive the evolution of virulence in parasites, but the precise outcomes of such interactions are often unpredictable due to many factors including the biology of the host and the parasite, stochastic events and co‐evolutionary interactions. Here, we use a serial passage experiment (SPE) with three strains of a heterothallic fungal parasite (Ascosphaera apis) of the Honey bee (Apis mellifera) to assess how evolving under increasing competitive pressure affects parasite virulence and fitness evolution. The results show an increase in virulence after successive generations of selection and consequently faster production of spores. This faster sporulation, however, did not translate into more spores being produced during this longer window of sporulation; rather, it appeared to induce a loss of fitness in terms of total spore production. There was no evidence to suggest that a greater diversity of competing strains was a driver of this increased virulence and subsequent fitness cost, but rather that strain‐specific competitive interactions influenced the evolutionary outcomes of mixed infections. It is possible that the parasite may have evolved to avoid competition with multiple strains because of its heterothallic mode of reproduction, which highlights the importance of understanding parasite biology when predicting disease dynamics.
Literature review of pain management for people with chronic pain
Authors: Takai Yukari , Yamamoto‐Mitani Noriko , Abe Yoshiki , Suzuki Mizue 
Published: November 2014

AbstractAimMultimodal approaches toward relieving pain, patients' participation, and improving self‐efficacy are important for chronic pain management. The aims of this review were to identify possible options of nursing strategies for pain management in individuals with chronic pain and to determine the effectiveness of these strategies for pain relief/pain‐related problems; therefore, nurses and researchers could consider and/or adopt multimodal chronic pain management strategies.MethodsA Systematic Integrated Literature Review was conducted. Published work related to pain management in individuals with chronic pain was identified by searching databases and reviewed.ResultsAmong the studies reviewed, we identified 35 studies that focused on pain management strategies. In 10 studies, interventions such as integrated and multidisciplinary pain management programs were associated with significant decreases in pain intensity. However, they reported that the long‐term effectiveness of pain relief was not satisfactory. Individuals with chronic pain reported that strategies including pharmacotherapy, physical activity, social support from friends and family, acupuncture, heating, rest, diets, or life‐style changes helped them to effectively manage their pain.ConclusionWe identified possible options of pain management strategies and explored effectiveness of chronic pain interventions. The long‐term effects of pain relief interventions and social support for individuals with chronic pain require further investigation.
Exploring the biomechanics of taurodontism
Authors: Benazzi Stefano , Nguyen Huynh N. , Kullmer Ottmar , Hublin Jean‐Jacques 
Published: November 2014

AbstractTaurodontism (i.e. enlarged pulp chamber with concomitant apical displacement of the root bi/trifurcation) is considered a dental anomaly with relatively low incidence in contemporary societies, but it represents a typical trait frequently found in Neandertal teeth. Four hypotheses can be envisioned to explain the high frequency in Neandertals: adaptation to a specific occlusal loading regime (biomechanical advantage), adaptation to a high attrition diet, pleiotropic or genetic drift effects. In this contribution we used finite element analysis (FEA) and advanced loading concepts based on macrowear information to evaluate whether taurodontism supplies some dental biomechanical advantages. Loads were applied to the digital model of the lower right first molar (RM1) of the Neandertal specimen Le Moustier 1, as well as to the digital models of both a shortened and a hyper‐taurodontic version of Le Moustier RM1. Moreover, we simulated a scenario where an object is held between teeth and pulled in different directions to investigate whether taurodontism might be useful for para‐masticatory activities. Our results do not show any meaningful difference among all the simulations, pointing out that taurodontism does not improve the functional biomechanics of the tooth and does not favour para‐masticatory pulling activities. Therefore, taurodontism should be considered either an adaptation to a high attrition diet or most likely the result of pleiotropic or genetic drift effects. Finally, our results have important implications for modern dentistry during endodontic treatments, as we observed that filling the pulp chamber with dentine‐like material increases tooth stiffness, and ultimately tensile stresses in the crown, thus favouring tooth failure.
Application of Survival Analysis to Estimate Equivalent Sweet Concentration of Low‐Calorie Sweeteners in Orange Juice
Authors: Alcaire Florencia , Zorn Shari , Silva Cadena Rafael , AntÚnez LucÍa , Vidal Leticia , Giménez Ana , Ares Gastón 
Published: November 2014

AbstractThe aim of the present work was to apply survival analysis to estimate equivalent sweet concentration of low‐calorie sweeteners in orange juice. Five low‐calorie sweeteners were considered: sucralose and four samples of stevia. For each sweetener, a series of six orange juice samples with different sweetener concentration were prepared. Groups of 34 consumers evaluated the series of six pairs of samples, each composed of one reference sample (sweetened with 10% sucrose) and one sample with low‐calorie sweetener. Consumers were asked to complete a paired‐comparison test and to indicate which of the samples was sweeter. The elicited data were analyzed using survival analysis. For each sweetener, the percentage of assessors perceiving the sample with the low‐calorie sweetener as sweeter than the sample with sucrose as a function of sweetener concentration was determined. Equivalent sweet concentrations were determined for each sweetener and compared with estimations obtained using logistic regression and published data.Practical ApplicationsEquivalent sweet concentration of low‐calorie sweeteners can be estimated by applying survival analysis to the data obtained from paired‐comparison tests. This approach is based on a simple sensory methodology. Its main advantage is the consideration of individual differences among assessors, which may lead to more accurate estimations than those obtained with other methodologies.
The importance of mental health monitoring during transfer to adult care settings as examined among paediatric transplant recipients
Authors: Annunziato Rachel A , Arrato Nicole , Rubes Melissa , Arnon Ronen 
Published: November 2014

AimAlthough the transfer out of paediatrics is established as a dangerous time for transplant recipients, the reasons for this are not well understood. One possible explanation is that in general, young adulthood is a period of vulnerability to psychological distress, which could impact self‐management. The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether psychological distress is associated with medication non‐adherence after transfer.MethodsTwenty paediatric liver transplant recipients (mean age = 22.42, standard deviation (SD) = 1.64) have been followed prospectively at our site for a year after they transferred from paediatrics. At their last visit in paediatrics, they completed the Symptom Checklist‐90, a measure of psychological distress. Additionally, patients’ medication adherence was tracked 1 year after transfer, using a validated measure, SDs of tacrolimus blood levels.ResultsPsychological distress and medication non‐adherence after transfer were significantly correlated, r = 0.50, P = 0.04. Furthermore, there was a significant interaction between adherence status and changes in mental health after transfer.ConclusionPsychological distress may be one factor behind deteriorating medical outcomes when transplant recipients transfer out of paediatric settings. It is important to consider mental health screening as a part of the transition process. Further research is needed to determine if identified patients may require services in addition to transitional interventions.
Liposomal melatonin rescues methamphetamine‐elicited mitochondrial burdens, pro‐apoptosis, and dopaminergic degeneration through the inhibition PKCδ gene
Authors: Nguyen Xuan‐Khanh Thi , Lee Jaehwi , Shin Eun‐Joo , Dang Duy‐Khanh , Jeong Ji Hoon , Nguyen Thuy‐Ty Lan , Nam Yunsung , Cho Hyun‐Jong , Lee Jae‐Chul , Park Dae Hun , Jang Choon‐Gon , Hong Jau‐Shyong , Nabeshima Toshitaka , Kim Hyoung‐Chun 
Published: November 2014

AbstractWe have demonstrated that mitochondrial oxidative damage and PKCδ overexpression contribute to methamphetamine‐induced dopaminergic degeneration. Although it is recognized that antioxidant melatonin is effective in preventing neurotoxicity induced by methamphetamine, its precise mechanism remains elusive. C57BL/6J wild‐type mice exhibited a similar degree of dopaminergic deficit when methamphetamine was administered during light and dark phases. Furthermore, dopaminergic neuroprotection by genetic inhibition of PKCδ during the light phase was comparable to that during the dark phase. Thus, we have focused on the light phase to examine whether melatonin modulates PKCδ‐mediated neurotoxic signaling after multiple high doses of methamphetamine. To enhance the bioavailability of melatonin, we applied liposomal melatonin. Treatment with methamphetamine resulted in hyperthermia, mitochondrial translocation of PKCδ, oxidative damage (mitochondria > cytosol), mitochondrial dysfunction, pro‐apoptotic changes, ultrastructural mitochondrial degeneration, dopaminergic degeneration, and behavioral impairment in wild‐type mice. Treatment with liposomal melatonin resulted in a dose‐dependent attenuation against degenerative changes induced by methamphetamine in wild‐type mice. Attenuation by liposomal melatonin might be comparable to that by genetic inhibition (using PKCδ(−/−) mice or PKCδ antisense oligonucleotide). However, liposomal melatonin did not show any additional protective effects on the attenuation by genetic inhibition of PKCδ. Our results suggest that the circadian cycle cannot be a key factor in modulating methamphetamine toxicity under the current experimental condition and that PKCδ is one of the critical target genes for melatonin‐mediated protective effects against mitochondrial burdens (dysfunction), oxidative stress, pro‐apoptosis, and dopaminergic degeneration induced by methamphetamine.