bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Survey of the therapeutic approach and efficacy of pentosan polysulfate for the prevention and treatment of equine osteoarthritis in veterinary practice inAustralia
Authors: Kramer CM , Tsang AS , Koenig T , Jeffcott LB , Dart CM , Dart AJ 
Published: November 2014

ObjectiveTo survey veterinary practitioners inAustralia on how they administer pentosan polysulfate (PPS) to horses and their perceptions of the efficacy ofPPSfor: the prevention and treatment of osteoarthritis (OA), the treatment ofOAwhenPPSis combined with other drugs, and the efficacy ofPPScompared with other disease‐modifying osteoarthritic drugs.DesignPractitioners were contacted by email, which contained a link to an online survey.ResultsA total of 76 responses (34.5%) to the survey were received. Respondents most commonly usedPPSas prophylactic therapy prior to competition (80.3%). As a prophylactic agent,PPSwas considered by 48.2% of respondents to have high efficacy. The most common dose regimen for prevention and treatment ofOAwas 3 mg/kg, intramuscularly, once weekly for 4 weeks followed by monthly injections. Most respondents (78%) combinedPPSwith other drugs for treatment ofOA. Intra‐articular corticosteroids and hyaluronate (HA) was the most common drug combination used withPPS.PPSwas preferred as a prophylactic agent when compared withHA(88.7% vs 11.3%). For treatingOA, 83% of respondents considered a combination ofPPS,HAand glucosamine to be more efficacious thanPPSalone. However, the most common reason not to use this combination was cost (79.1%).ConclusionAll respondents usedPPSfor prophylaxis and/or treatment ofOAdespite limited published scientific evidence proving its efficacy in horses. Further research is necessary to provide evidence of the clinical efficacy ofPPSfor the prevention and treatment ofOAin horses.
Effect of an immunomodulatory feed additive on markers of immunity in pasture‐fed dairy cows
Authors: Playford MC , Dawson K , Playford SE , Smith AN , Page SW , Collins K , Forsberg N 
Published: November 2014

BackgroundInfectious diseases in dairy cows often follow a time of nutritional or physiological stress and the subsequent altered immune system function. This study aimed to determine if the immunomodulatory effects of a feed additive previously observed in experimental animals and housed cattle fed total mixed rations could be reproduced in pasture‐fed dairy cattle under Australian conditions.MethodsThe study included 34 pasture‐fed dairy cattle given the treatment (n = 17) or placebo (bentonite, n = 17) for an acclimation period of 15 days followed by 60 days of supplementation. Blood tests were taken pre‐trial and then 30, 60 and 90 days after acclimation. Blood samples were extracted and preserved in Trizol and analysed for immune markers.ResultsPasture‐fed dairy cows in the treatment group had significantly higher levels of the immune markers interleukin‐8R and L‐selectin in comparison with placebo‐fed cows at 60 days after the start of supplementation.ConclusionThe immunomodulatory effects of the additive observed in the current study and the associated enhanced neutrophil function demonstrated by other studies suggest a role in decreasing the rates of mastitis and other infectious diseases of dairy cattle, particularly during times of nutritional or physiological stress.
The association between waiting for psychological therapy and therapy outcomes as measured by the CORE‐OM
Authors: Beck Alison , Burdett Mark , Lewis Helen 
Published: November 2014

ObjectivesTo investigate the impact of waiting for psychological therapy on client well‐being as measured by the Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation‐Outcome Measure (CORE‐OM) global distress (GD) score.MethodGlobal distress scores were retrieved for all clients referred for psychological therapy in a secondary care mental health service between November 2006 and May 2013 and who had completed a CORE‐OM at assessment and first session. GD scores for a subgroup of 103 clients who had completed a CORE‐OM during the last therapy session were also reviewed.ResultsThe study sample experienced a median wait of 41.14 weeks between assessment and first session. The relationship between wait time from referral acceptance to assessment, and assessment GD score was not significant. During the period between assessment and first session no significant difference in GD score was observed. Nevertheless 29.1% of the sample experienced reliable change; 16.0% of clients reliably improved and 13.1% reliably deteriorated whilst waiting for therapy. Demographic factors were not found to have a significant effect on the change in GD score between assessment and first session. Waiting time was associated with post‐therapy outcomes but not to a degree which was meaningful. The majority of individuals (54.4%), regardless of whether they improved or deteriorated whilst waiting for therapy, showed reliable improvement at end of therapy as measured by the CORE‐OM.ConclusionThe majority of GD scores remained stable while waiting for therapy; however, 29.1% of secondary care clients experienced either reliable improvement or deterioration. Irrespective of whether they improved, deteriorated or remained unchanged whilst waiting for therapy, most individuals who had a complete end of therapy assessment showed reliable improvements following therapy.Practitioner points

There was no significant difference in GD score between assessment and first session recordings.

A proportion of clients (29.1%) showed reliable change, either improvement or deterioration, as measured by the GD score while waiting for therapy.

Of the individuals with last session CORE‐OMs (54.4%) showed significant improvement following therapy regardless of whether or not they experienced change while waiting for therapy.

Limitations include

Problems of data quality, the data were from a routine data set and data were lost at each stage of the analysis.

A focus on the CORE‐OM limits exploration of the subjective experience of waiting for psychotherapy and the impact this has on psychological well‐being.
Developmental co‐ordination disorder in socially disadvantaged Brazilian children
Authors: Valentini N. C. , Clark J. E. , Whitall J. 
Published: November 2014

AbstractBackgroundThe consequences of developmental co‐ordination disorder (DCD) indicate a need for identification in order to provide adequate intervention. The goals of the study were to investigate DCD prevalence across age bands, gender, race and school performance; the motor difficulties of children with DCD, at‐risk and typically developing children in the Movement Assessment Battery for Children (MABC) sub‐tests across age bands and gender; and the relationship between motor outcomes, age, gender and socio‐economic status (SES) in socially disadvantaged Brazilian children.MethodsThe MABC was administered to 1056 Brazilian children from 4 to 10 years old.ResultsEighteen per cent of the children were screened as probable DCD (≤5th percentile) and a further 15% as at risk for DCD (>5th and ≤15th percentile). Significantly more children were screened with probable DCD at age 9–10 years (AB3: P = 0.00), whereas at risk classification was equally distributed across age bands (P = 0.12). Boys showed lower prevalence than girls of probable DCD and at risk for DCD (P = 0.04). Children (9–10 years) showed higher motor impairment in the manual dexterity test results. Children with probable DCD and at risk of DCD showed, in general, poor performance in balance and manual dexterity tasks. SES was the strongest predictor of motor outcomes, accounting for 21% of the variance in the MABC percentile scores.ConclusionsThe prevalence of probable and at‐risk DCD cases as well as the percentage of female were higher than those found in the previous studies, and low SES enhances the risk of poor motor development.
Accurate Computation of Single Scattering in Participating Media with Refractive Boundaries
Authors: Holzschuch N. 
Published: November 2014

AbstractVolume caustics are high‐frequency effects appearing in participating media with low opacity, when refractive interfaces are focusing the light rays. Refractions make them hard to compute, since screen locality does not correlate with spatial locality in the medium. In this paper, we give a new method for accurate computation of single scattering effects in a participating media enclosed by refractive interfaces. Our algorithm is based on the observation that although radiance along each camera ray is irregular, contributions from individual triangles are smooth. Our method gives more accurate results than existing methods, faster. It uses minimal information and requires no pre‐computation or additional data structures.
zTrust: Adaptive Decentralized Trust Model for Quality of Service Selection in Electronic Marketplaces
Authors: Noorian Zeinab , Marsh Stephen , Fleming Michael 
Published: November 2014

We present an adaptive decentralized trust formalization well suited for electronic commerce. Our model, called zTrust, constitutes two essential elements. The first is the adviser modeling mechanism that enables consumer agents to merge the cognitive and the probabilistic views of trust and adaptively calculate the trustworthiness of advisers according to environmental conditions, information availability, and participants' behavioral dispositions. Using this mechanism, consumers are able to form their social network consisting of the most reliable advisers. The second element is a trust‐oriented service selection framework that models the qualification and trustworthiness of providers in delivering the multiattribute products and adopts a procurement auction model to choose the most pertinent provider that meets a consumer's quality of service requirements.We give a formal description of our approach and validate it with simulations demonstrating that our solution yields high‐quality results under various realistic conditions. Experimental results indicate that the zTrust model can be effectively employed in dynamic agent‐oriented e‐commerce applications.
Initial combination therapy with metformin, pioglitazone and exenatide is more effective than sequential add‐on therapy in subjects with new‐onset diabetes. Results from the Efficacy and Durability of Initial Combination Therapy for Type 2 Diabetes (EDICT): a randomized trial
Authors: Abdul‐Ghani M. A. , Puckett C. , Triplitt C. , Maggs D. , Adams J. , Cersosimo E. , DeFronzo R. A 
Published: November 2014

AimTo test our hypothesis that initiating therapy with a combination of agents known to improve insulin secretion and insulin sensitivity in subjects with new‐onset diabetes would produce greater, more durable reduction in glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) levels, while avoiding hypoglycaemia and weight gain, compared with sequential addition of agents that lower plasma glucose but do not correct established pathophysiological abnormalities.MethodsDrug‐naïve, recently diagnosed subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) were randomized in an open‐fashion design in a single‐centre study to metformin/pioglitazone/exenatide (triple therapy; n = 106) or an escalating dose of metformin followed by sequential addition of sulfonylurea and glargine insulin (conventional therapy; n = 115) to maintain HbA1c levels at <6.5% for 2 years.ResultsParticipants receiving triple therapy experienced a significantly greater reduction in HbA1c level than those receiving conventional therapy (5.95 vs. 6.50%; p < 0.001). Despite lower HbA1c values, participants receiving triple therapy experienced a 7.5‐fold lower rate of hypoglycaemia compared with participants receiving conventional therapy. Participants receiving triple therapy experienced a mean weight loss of 1.2 kg versus a mean weight gain of 4.1 kg (p < 0.01) in those receiving conventional therapy.ConclusionThe results of this exploratory study show that combination therapy with metformin/pioglitazone/exenatide in patients with newly diagnosed T2DM is more effective and results in fewer hypoglycaemic events than sequential add‐on therapy with metformin, sulfonylurea and then basal insulin.
Epidemiology and outcomes of dental trauma cases from an urban pediatric emergency department
Authors: Ritwik Priyanshi , Massey Christen , Hagan Joseph 
Published: November 2014

AbstractAimThe purpose of this retrospective study was to determine the outcomes of traumatized teeth treated in a pediatric emergency department.Methods and materialsThe records of pediatric patients presenting to the pediatric emergency department of a pediatric hospital over a 56‐month period were reviewed and pertinent data were extracted. Treatment outcomes and contributing factors were analyzed for cases with greater than 6 months of follow up.ResultsA total of 264 patient records (548 traumatized teeth) were investigated. The mean age of the children was 8.2 years and 62% were boys. The most common ages for dental trauma were between 2–4 years and 8–10 years. Permanent dentition comprised 53% of the traumatized teeth. Extrusive and lateral luxations (29.5%) were the most common injuries encountered. Two hundred and thirty seven teeth (43%) presented for follow‐up visits, and the mean duration of follow up was 55.6 days. The number of cases with more than 6 months of follow up decreased to 122 (22%). Of these, 31 (6%) teeth were extracted at the time of injury. Outcomes were ascertained for the remaining 91 (17%) teeth. Emergency dental treatment led to uncomplicated retention of teeth beyond 6 months in 58% of these cases. Luxation injuries had a higher success rate than avulsions (P = 0.046).ConclusionsAfter receiving emergency dental care in the emergency department, 43% of the teeth presented for follow‐up dental care and only 22% were followed up for greater than 6 months. Emergency department treatment translated to successful retention of teeth in 58% of the cases with documented follow up. Severe periodontal injuries resulted in treatment complications.
Investigations of the efficacy of diphenylcyclopropenone immunotherapy for the treatment of warts
Authors: Suh Dong‐Woo , Lew Bark‐Lynn , Sim Woo‐Young 
Published: November 2014

AbstractBackgroundDiphenylcyclopropenone (DPCP) immunotherapy has been used to treat warts, particularly in patients, such as children, who cannot endure treatment‐related pain and in patients with large numbers of warts. However, the efficacy of DPCP immunotherapy remains subject to much controversy. Specifically, cure rates and treatment durations have varied across reports, primarily because of the lack of large‐scale studies.MethodsWe performed an uncontrolled, open‐label study to investigate the efficacy of DPCP immunotherapy for the treatment of cutaneous warts. A total of 170 patients with warts were enrolled in this uncontrolled, open‐label study from 2006 to 2012. Each patient was sensitized with 0.1% DPCP. Two weeks after sensitization, DPCP was applied to warts once per week.ResultsWe achieved high clearance rates in 141 of 170 patients (82.9%) and 434 of 511 lesions (84.9%). Immunotherapy with DPCP was much more effective when the lesions were located on the hands and when the patient was aged < 20 years. The mean ± standard deviation number of applications was 9.02 ± 2.59. At the end of treatment, the most common final concentration was 0.1%, and most (77.0%) patients used a final concentration of > 0.005%. Side effects occurred in 36 patients, but no serious adverse effects occurred, and blistering at the sensitized site was the most common adverse effect.ConclusionsImmunotherapy with DPCP is an effective and well‐tolerated option for the treatment of recalcitrant warts.
Electrophysiologic Characteristics of Ventricular Arrhythmias Arising from the Aortic Mitral Continuity—Potential Role of the Conduction System
Authors: HAI JO JO , CHAHAL ANWAR A. , FRIEDMAN PAUL A. , VAIDYA VAIBHAV R. , SYED FAISAL F. , DeSIMONE CHRISTOPHER V. , NANDA SUDIP , BRADY PETER A. , MADHAVAN MALINI , CHA YONG‐MEI , McLEOD CHRISTOPHER J. , MULPURU SIVA , MUNGER THOMAS M. , PACKER DOUGLAS L. , ASIRVATHAM SAMUEL J. 
Published: November 2014

Arrhythmogenic Substrate of Ventricular Arrhythmias at the AMCIntroductionCatheter ablation of ventricular arrhythmia (VA) at the fibrous aortic mitral continuity (AMC) has been described, yet the nature of the arrhythmogenic substrate remains unknown.MethodsProcedural records of 528 consecutive patients undergoing ablation of VA at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, were reviewed. The electrocardiographic and electrophysiologic characteristics of patients with successful ablation at the AMC were analyzed to characterize the underlying arrhythmogenic substrate.ResultsOf the 21 patients (mean age 53.2 ± 13.4 years, 47.6% male) who underwent ablation of VA at the AMC with acute success, prepotentials (PPs) were found at the ablation sites preceding the ventricular electrogram (VEGM) during arrhythmias in 13 (61.9%) patients and during sinus rhythm in 7 (53.8%) patients. VAs with PPs were associated with a significantly higher burden of premature ventricular complexes (PVCs; 26.1 ± 10.9% vs. 14.9 ± 10.1%, P = 0.03), shorter VEGM to QRS intervals (9.0 ± 28.5 milliseconds vs. 33.1 ± 8.8 milliseconds, P = 0.03), lower pace map scores (8.7 ± 1.6 vs. 11.4 ± 0.8, P = 0.001), and a trend toward shorter V‐H intervals during VA (32.1 ± 38.6 milliseconds vs. 76.3 ± 11.1 milliseconds, P = 0.06) as compared to those without PP. A strong and positive correlation was found between V‐H interval and QRS duration during arrhythmia in those with PPs (B = 2.11, R2 = 0.97, t = 13.7, P < 0.001) but not in those without PPs.ConclusionLocal EGM characteristics and relative activation time of the His bundle suggest the possibility of conduction tissue as the origin for VA arising from the fibrous AMC. Specific identification and targeting of PPs when ablating VAs at this location may improve procedural success.
Optimization of traps for live trapping of Pine Wood Nematode vector Monochamus galloprovincialis
Authors: Álvarez G. , Etxebeste I. , Gallego D. , David G. , Bonifacio L. , Jactel H. , Sousa E. , Pajares J. A. 
Published: November 2014

AbstractThe pine sawyer beetle Monochamus galloprovincialis, a secondary pest of pines in Europe and North Africa, has become important as it was identified as the vector in Europe of Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, the causal agent of pine wilt disease (PWD). An effective trapping system is needed, not only for monitoring the insect vector but also for direct control of its population. Trapping may also provide key information on the nematode load carried by the beetles, allowing early detection of infections, provided that captured beetles remain alive within the trap. Highly effective attractants have been developed in recent years that are commonly used in combination with diverse standard trap designs. In this study, several trap designs were developed and compared to commercial standard models in order to determine which designs maximized the number of attracted insects actually caught and the proportion of them remaining alive. In total, 12 trap designs were evaluated in five field experiments carried out in France, Spain and Portugal. Teflon coating applied to the whole trap and extended, ventilated collecting cups resulted in a significant improvement of trap performance. These modifications led to significant increases of pine sawyer catches, up to 275%, when applied to multiple‐funnel or black cross‐vane traps, compared to standard designs. Furthermore, a significant proportion of the captured beetles remained alive within the trap. These findings have been used to develop new commercial traps (Econex Multifunnel‐12® and Crosstrap®; Econex, Murcia, Spain) available to forest managers. A model for insect survival within the trap was also fitted. Elapsed time between consecutive samplings, mean relative humidity and maximum radiation were the three most significant variables. Thus, traps should provide a suitable sample of live insects if sun exposure of the trap is minimized and a reasonable sampling schedule is implemented.
Interlaboratory Identification of Black Seabream (Spondyliosoma cantharus) as a Model Species on Basis of Polymerase Chain Reaction Targeting the Second Intron of the Parvalbumin Gene
Authors: Laknerová Ivana , Zdeňková Kamila , Purkrtová Sabina , Piknová Ľubica , Vyroubalová Šárka , Hanák Petr 
Published: November 2014

AbstractAn end‐point polymerase chain reaction (PCR) targeting the second intron in the protein‐coding region of the parvalbumin gene of black seabream (Spondyliosoma cantharus) was used to identify this fish species. The reproducibility of the method was tested by a collaborative study in which four laboratories participated. Twenty‐eight samples of isolated DNA from fish meat were tested in participating laboratories by the presented identification method. Nine samples were from black seabream and the remaining 19 were fish flesh from the reference panel. In parallel, six frozen samples of fish meat, where three were of black seabream and remaining three from the reference panel, were tested in the laboratories by this method after various DNA isolation procedures. The PCR‐based method for species determination of black seabream presented in this study proved to be a reliable and independent on method of DNA isolation from meat among the isolation techniques used.Practical ApplicationsThis work deals with the interlaboratory assessment of a previously described end‐point polymerase chain reaction‐based method for fish species determination from fish flesh devoid of anatomical traits. The end‐point form of the test is simple enough to be broadly used by laboratories in the field. This novel approach based on species‐independent degenerate primers makes it possible, through the use of obtained amplicons, to design species‐specific primers, such as the ones tested here, in a quite straightforward manner. Therefore, the presented assay represents the first practical employment of a broader and more versatile approach capable of reacting in a relatively short time to fish species first emerging as new commodities on the market.