bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Visual activity and its association with myopia stabilisation
Authors: Scheiman Mitchell , Zhang Qinghua , Gwiazda Jane , Hyman Leslie , Harb Elise , Weissberg Erik , Weise Katherine K. , Dias Lynette ,   the COMET Study Group
Published: December 2013

AbstractPurposeTo evaluate the association between outdoor and nearwork activities at baseline and myopia stabilisation by age 15 in the Correction of Myopia Evaluation Trial (COMET).MethodsCorrection of Myopia Evaluation Trial enrolled 469 children (ages: 6–11 years) with spherical equivalent myopia between −1.25 and −4.50 D, who were randomised to progressive addition or single vision lenses and followed for 5 years in their original lenses. At baseline, families recorded the child's outdoor and nearwork activities for 3 days within a week. Weekly hours spent in nearwork and outdoor activities were calculated for each participant. Refractions collected over 11 years were fit using the Gompertz function to determine each participant's myopia stabilisation age. Myopia for each child was then categorized as stable/not stable by age 15.ResultsHalf (233/469) of participants had usable baseline activity diaries and refraction data that could be fit with the Gompertz function, 59.7% (139/233) had stable myopia by age 15 and 40.3% had myopia that was not yet stable. The frequency of stable myopia was similar for the two categories (median split) of outdoor activities: 60% (71/118) for ≤9.0 hours/week−1 and 59% (68/115) for >9.0 hours/week−1. 56% (64/114) of children reporting >21.0 h of baseline weekly nearwork activity had stable myopia by age 15 compared to 63% (75/119) with ≤21.0 h of near work (adjusted OR = 0.74; 95% CI: 0.43–1.29). Using baseline nearwork as a continuous variable, the multivariable odds ratio for the association between baseline nearwork hours and stabilisation by age 15 is 0.98: 95% CI: 0.96–1.00, a result trending towards significance.ConclusionWhile time spent in outdoor activities in childhood does not appear to be related to myopia stabilisation by age 15, less near work activity might potentially be associated with myopia stabilisation by that age.
Actions That We Ought, But Can't
Authors: King Alex 
Published: December 2013

AbstractIt is commonly assumed that ‘ought’ implies ‘can’, that is, that if we ought to do something, then it must be the case that we can do it. It is a frequent quip about this thesis that any account must specify three things: what is meant by the ‘ought’, what is meant by the ‘implies’, and what is meant by the ‘can’. Something is missed, though, when we state the thesis in its shortened, three‐word form. We overlook what it means to do something. It is, I think, not mere coincidence that nobody has discussed this issue: It is very difficult to specify what it means to do something in the relevant sense. This paper is devoted to fleshing out one way of doing something that is a problem for the thesis.
Transportation Costs and US Manufacturing FDI
Authors: Daniels Joseph P. , von der Ruhr Marc 
Published: December 2013

AbstractIn empirical models of foreign direct investment (FDI), distance is most often used to proxy for transportation costs and other pure‐trade costs. Given that distance is time invariant but transportation costs are not, this approach is less than satisfactory when actual transportation costs rise and fall over time.The contribution of this work is to explicitly control for transportation costs and thereby better understand their impact on FDI. We explore the impact of shipping costs on total US FDI stocks abroad, manufacturing stocks and service stocks using measures of sea‐shipping and air‐shipping costs in a Hausman–Taylor model that controls for endogeneity and allows for time‐invariant variables such as distance. We find that transportation costs have a positive and statistically significant relationship with US total and manufacturing FDI, suggesting a substitute relationship between FDI and trade flows consistent with horizontal MNE activity. As one would expect, these costs are insignificant for service stocks.
Income Convergence in African Countries: Evidence from a Stationary Test With Multiple Structural Breaks
Authors: Ranjbar Omid , Lee Chien‐Chiang , Chang Tsangyao , Chen Mei‐Ping 
Published: December 2013

AbstractThis paper examines the catching‐up (stochastic convergence in real per capita income) hypothesis for 52 African countries with respect to the USA. over the 1969‐2011 period, using a highly flexible stationarity test. The empirical results show (i) that all African countries experienced at least one break, switching between catching‐up and divergence paths during the sample period; (ii) that structural breaks tend to coincide with political instability, trade liberalisation policies and terms of trade shocks; (iii) that among the 52 African countries studied, only five lie on the catching‐up path, while the remaining 47 diverge from the USA. Our results show that the economic performance of African countries fall far behind those of the USA and that the economic growth tragedy of Africa continues.
Nebulised furosemide in the palliation of dyspnoea in cancer: a systematic review
Authors: Jeba Jenifer , George Reena , Pease Nikki 
Published: December 2013

BackgroundDyspnoea is experienced by approximately two-thirds of cancer patients at the end-of-life. Despite the use and assessment of various interventions, palliation of dyspnoea poses a clinical challenge. The benefit of nebulised furosemide in the palliation of dyspnoea among cancer patients remains uncertain. This systematic review was conducted to study the effectiveness of nebulised furosemide for dyspnoea in cancer, to ascertain the most appropriate dose and adverse effects, and to quantify the effects on respiratory rate, oxygenation status, observer-rated dyspnoea and opioid dose.MethodsA systematic literature search of four databases (Ovid MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials database and CINAHL) was carried out to identify randomised controlled trials (RCTs) on the effectiveness of nebulised furosemide for dyspnoea in cancer patients.ResultsThe review identified 91 articles of which two RCTs met the inclusion criteria. The included RCTs had sample sizes of 7 and 15, respectively. Neither of the RCTs showed an improvement in dyspnoea with nebulised furosemide. Meta-analysis was not possible as the RCTs measured different domains of dyspnoea using different tools. Neither RCT highlighted significant adverse effects. Other outcomes of interest were not studied in the RCTs.ConclusionsEvidence from this review, which is limited by the small number of RCTs and small sample size, does not show benefit with nebulised furosemide for the alleviation of dyspnoea in cancer. Adequately powered multicentre double-blinded RCTs are warranted to further define the potential role of this drug in the palliation of dyspnoea in advanced cancer.
Left Atrial Volume and the Benefit of Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy in the MADIT-CRT Trial
Authors: Kuperstein Rafael , Goldenberg Ilan , Moss Arthur J. , Solomon Scott , Bourgoun Mikhail , Shah Amil , McNitt Scott , Zareba Wojciech , Klempfner Robert 
Published: December 2013

Background—
Left atrial volume (LAV) is an important marker of heart failure (HF) severity. We hypothesized that LAV independently correlates with clinical outcomes in patients who receive cardiac resynchronization therapy with a defibrillator (CRT-D) and can be used for improved risk assessment in this population.

Methods and Results—

The benefit of CRT-D versus defibrillator-only therapy in reducing the risk of HF or death was assessed by LAV (dichotomized at the upper quartile >52 mL/m
2
) among 1785 patients enrolled in the Multicenter Automatic Defibrillator Implantation Trial with Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy (MADIT-CRT) study. Landmark analysis was used to evaluate the relationship between LAV response to CRT-D and subsequent clinical outcomes. Multivariable analysis showed that patients with a higher baseline LAV experienced 69% (
P
<0.001) and 59% (
P
=0.02) increased hazard for HF or death and for all-cause mortality, respectively, independently of baseline left ventricular volume. CRT-D was associated with a significant reduction in LAV compared with defibrillator-only therapy (−28% versus −10%, respectively;
P
<0.001). Landmark analysis showed that after CRT-D implantation each 1% reduction in LAV was independently associated with a corresponding 4% reduction in the hazard of subsequent HF or death (
P
<0.001). The assessment of LAV change after CRT implantation improved prediction of clinical response to the device compared with assessment of the corresponding changes in left ventricular volume.

Conclusions—
LAV is an independent correlate of clinical outcomes in mildly symptomatic HF patients treated with CRT-D. CRT exerts pronounced reverse remodeling effects on the left atrium that independently correlate with improved clinical outcomes after device implantation.

Clinical Trial Registration—

URL:
http://www.clinicaltrials.gov
. Unique identifier: NCT00180271.
Discordance of Low-Density Lipoprotein (LDL) Cholesterol With Alternative LDL-Related Measures and Future Coronary Events
Authors: Mora Samia , Buring Julie E. , Ridker Paul M 
Published: December 2013

Background—
Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) is the traditional measure of risk attributable to LDL. Non–high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (NHDL-C), apolipoprotein B (apoB), and LDL particle number (LDL-P) are alternative measures of LDL-related risk. However, the clinical utility of these measures may only become apparent among individuals for whom levels are inconsistent (discordant) with LDL-C.

Methods and Results—

LDL-C was measured directly, NHDL-C was calculated, apoB was measured with immunoassay, and LDL-P was measured with nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy among 27 533 healthy women (median follow-up 17.2 years; 1070 incident coronary events). Participants were grouped by median LDL-C (121 mg/dL) and each of NHDL-C, apoB, and LDL-P. Discordance was defined as LDL-C greater than or equal to the median and the alternative measure less than the median, or vice versa. Despite high LDL-C correlations with NHDL-C, apoB, and LDL-P (
r
=0.910, 0.785, and 0.692; all
P
<0.0001), prevalence of LDL-C discordance as defined by median cut points was 11.6%, 18.9%, and 24.3% for NHDL-C, apoB, and LDL-P, respectively. Among women with LDL-C less than the median, coronary risk was underestimated for women with discordant (greater than or equal to the median) NHDL-C (age-adjusted hazard ratio, 2.92; 95% confidence interval, 2.33–3.67), apoB (2.48, 2.01–3.07), or LDL-P (2.32, 1.88–2.85) compared with women with concordant levels. Conversely, among women with LDL-C greater than or equal to the median, risk was overestimated for women with discordant (less than the median) NHDL-C (0.40, 0.29–0.57), apoB (0.34, 0.26–0.46), or LDL-P (0.42, 0.33–0.53). After multivariable adjustment for potentially mediating factors, including HDL cholesterol and triglycerides, coronary risk remained underestimated or overestimated by ≈20% to 50% for women with discordant levels.

Conclusions—
For women with discordant LDL-related measures, coronary risk may be underestimated or overestimated when LDL-C alone is used.

Clinical Trial Registration—

URL:
http://www.clinicaltrials.gov
. Unique identifier: NCT00000479.
Loneliness mediates the relationship between internalised stigma and depression among patients with psychotic disorders
Authors: Świtaj Piotr , Grygiel Paweł , Anczewska Marta , Wciórka Jacek 
Published: December 2013

Background: Stigmatisation is a source of chronic stress and a major barrier to recovery for people with mental illnesses. The internalisation of stigma can have a negative impact on an individual’s social relations and lead to feelings of loneliness and depression. Aim: This research is aimed at testing the hypothesis that the internalised stigma of mental illness contributes to the intensification of depressive symptoms indirectly, through its impact on feelings of loneliness. Methods: A total of 110 individuals with diagnoses of psychotic disorders ( International Classification of Diseases–10th Revision (ICD-10): F20–F29) were assessed with measures of internalised stigma, loneliness, depression, positive and negative symptoms and global functioning. The ordinary least squares regression was used for data analysis. Results: After adding loneliness to the regression model, the initially significant impact of internalised stigma on depressive symptoms disappeared. As expected, loneliness proved to be a full mediator in the relationship between stigma and depression. Conclusion: The study findings provide useful insights into the mechanisms of the harmful effects of stigma on people with mental illness. Internalised stigma and loneliness should be considered important targets for interventions aiming to promote recovery.
Surgical safety checklist is associated with improved operating room safety culture, reduced wound complications, and unplanned readmissions in a pilot study in neurosurgery
Authors: Lepänluoma M. , Takala R. , Kotkansalo A. , Rahi M. , Ikonen T. S. 
Published: December 2013

Background and Aims: The World Health Organization’s surgical safety checklist is designed to improve adherence to operating room safety standards, and its use has been shown to reduce complications among surgical patients. The objective of our study was to assess the impact of the implementation of the checklist on safety-related issues in the operating room and on postoperative adverse events in neurosurgery. Material and Methods: From structured questionnaires delivered to operating room personnel, answers were analyzed to evaluate communication and safety-related issues during 89 and 73 neurosurgical operations before and after the checklist implementation, respectively. From the analyzed operations, 83 and 67 patients, respectively, were included in a retrospective analysis of electronic patient records to compare the length of hospital stay, reported adverse events, and readmissions. In addition, the consistency of operating room documentation and patient records was assessed. Results and Conclusions: Communication between the surgeon and the anesthesiologist was enhanced, and safety-related issues were better covered when the checklist was used. Unplanned readmissions fell from 25% to 10% after the checklist implementation ( p = 0.02). Wound complications decreased from 19% to 8% ( p = 0.04). The consistency of documentation of the diagnosis and the procedure improved. The use of the checklist improved safety-related performance and, contemporarily, reduced numbers of wound complications, and readmissions were observed.
Surgical management of gynecomastia: 20 years’ experience
Authors: Lapid O. , Jolink F. 
Published: December 2013

Background: Gynecomastia, breast hypertrophy in men, is a common finding. The diagnosis is clinical, and ancillary tests may be performed; however, there is no unanimity in the literature about their use or utility. The mainstay of management is conservative, with a minority of patients being operated on. The surgical treatment of gynecomastia is not restricted to one discipline and is performed by plastic, general, and pediatric surgeons. The aim of this study was to assess the experience treating gynecomastia in a university hospital and the practices of the different surgical disciplines in the diagnosis and surgical treatment of gynecomastia; this knowledge could be used for the formulation of guidelines and the allocation of health-care resources. Methods: Setting: a university medical center. Design: A retrospective cohort study in which all records of patients operated on for gynecomastia over a 20-year period were retrieved. Data were obtained concerning patient demographics, responsible surgical discipline, the workup and etiology found, the surgical technique used, the occurrence of reoperations and revisions, and the use of pathological examination and its results. Results: A total of 179 patients were treated. There was a difference between the patient groups operated on by the different disciplines regarding the indication, the workup, as well as in the operative techniques used. Plastic surgeons performed more bilateral operations than the other disciplines. Surgeons used more radiology and cytology testing. Conclusion: These results most probably represent differences in the population and pathologies treated. This is possibly due to a bias in the referrals by primary care physicians.
Clinical and Health Outcomes Initiative in Comparative Effectiveness for Bipolar Disorder (Bipolar CHOICE): A pragmatic trial of complex treatment for a complex disorder
Authors: Nierenberg Andrew A , Sylvia Louisa G , Leon Andrew C , Reilly-Harrington Noreen A , Shesler Leah W , McElroy Susan L , Friedman Edward S , Thase Michael E , Shelton Richard C , Bowden Charles L , Tohen Mauricio , Singh Vivek , Deckersbach Thilo , Ketter Terence A , Kocsis James H , McInnis Melvin G , Schoenfeld David , Bobo William V , Calabrese Joseph R ,   the Bipolar CHOICE Study Group
Published: December 2013

Background Classic and second-generation antipsychotic mood stabilizers are recommended for treatment of bipolar disorder, yet there are no randomized comparative effectiveness studies that have examined the ‘real-world’ advantages and disadvantages of these medications. Purpose We describe the strategic decisions in the design of the Clinical and Health Outcomes Initiative in Comparative Effectiveness for Bipolar Disorder (Bipolar CHOICE). This article outlines the key issues and solutions the investigators faced in designing a clinical trial that would maximize generalizability and inform real-world clinical treatment of bipolar disorder. Methods Bipolar CHOICE was a 6-month, multi-site, prospective, randomized clinical trial of outpatients with bipolar disorder. This study compares the effectiveness of quetiapine versus lithium, each with adjunctive personalized treatments (APTs). The co-primary outcomes selected are the overall benefits and harms of the study medications (as measured by the Clinical Global Impression-Efficacy Index) and the Necessary Clinical Adjustments (a measure of the number of medication changes). Secondary outcomes are continuous measures of mood, the Framingham General Cardiovascular Risk Score, and the Longitudinal Interval Follow up Evaluation Range of Impaired Functioning Tool (LIFE-RIFT). Results The final study design consisted of a single-blind, randomized comparative effectiveness trial of quetiapine versus lithium, plus APT, across 10 sites. Other important study considerations included limited exclusion criteria to maximize generalizability, flexible dosing of APT medications to mimic real-world treatment, and an intent-to-treat analysis plan. In all, 482 participants were randomized to the study, and 364 completed the study. Limitations The potential limitations of the study include the heterogeneity of APT, selection of study medications, lack of a placebo-control group, and participants’ ability to pay for study medications. Conclusion We expect that this study will inform our understanding of the benefits and harms of lithium, a classic mood stabilizer, compared to quetiapine, a second-generation antipsychotic with broad-spectrum activity in bipolar disorder, and will provide an example of a well-designed and well-conducted randomized comparative effectiveness clinical trial.
A Retrospective Comparison of Cost and Efficiency of the Medial Double and Dual Incision Triple Arthrodeses
Authors: Galli Melissa M. , Scott Ryan T. , Bussewitz Bradly W. , Hyer Christopher F. 
Published: December 2013

While the medial double arthrodesis has gained significant popularity for hindfoot arthrodesis in recent years, much has been touted about the efficiency and cost savings of the procedure in comparison to its triple counterpart without any literature to reinforce this claim. The purpose of this retrospective study was to compare the hardware costs and operative time between the medial double and triple arthrodeses. A total of 276 patients (277 feet) were identified via CPT codes with 47 hindfoot cases (47 feet) meeting the inclusion criteria consisting of 21 medial double (6 males, 15 females) and 26 triple (8 males, 18 females) arthrodeses. No significant difference was noted in age, body mass index, gendr, chronic steroid use, preoperative osteopenia/osteoporosis, tobacco abuse, surgical side, presence of diabetes, immune compromised state, kidney disease, rheumatoid arthritis, or liver disease. Mean medial double operative (OR) time 106 ± 31 minutes (range = 73-201 minutes) with a procedure time of 84 ± 29 minutes (range = 44-163 minutes) was identified versus an OR time of 127 ± 23 minutes (range = 91-200 minutes) and procedure time of 104 ± 23 minutes (range = 50-169 minutes) for the triple arthrodesis group. The mean fixation cost for the triple arthrodesis was found to be higher with the mean triple hardware cost $2932.75 ± $736.60 (range = $1434.00 to $3980.00) against the medial double’s $1197.59 ± $635.57 (range = $463.20 to $2019.00). Both efficiency and cost were found to favor the medial double for hindfoot arthrodesis at a level of statistical significance level ( P = .0028 for OR time, P = .0033 for procedure time, and P < .0001 for cost). Levels of Evidence: Therapeutic, Level III, a retrospective comparative series
Monoclonal B-cell lymphocytosis in healthy blood donors: an unexpectedly common finding
Authors: Shim Youn K. , Rachel Jane M. , Ghia Paolo , Boren Jeff , Abbasi Fatima , Dagklis Antonis , Venable Geri , Kang Jiyeon , Degheidy Heba , Plapp Fred V. , Vogt Robert F. , Menitove Jay E. , Marti Gerald E. 
Published: December 2013

Key Points
The prevalence of MBL among blood donors is much higher than previously reported. Although uncommon, higher-risk MBL phenotypes and genotypes were observed.
Human mesenchymal stromal cells deliver systemic oncolytic measles virus to treat acute lymphoblastic leukemia in the presence of humoral immunity
Authors: Castleton Anna , Dey Aditi , Beaton Brendan , Patel Bella , Aucher Anne , Davis Daniel M. , Fielding Adele K. 
Published: December 2013

Key Points
Human BM-MSCs can be used to successfully deliver systemic oncolytic measles virotherapy to ALL tumor targets. This approach permits circumvention of preexisting anti-measles humoral immunity and enhanced therapeutic outcomes.