bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Phase II randomized trial of neoadjuvant metformin plus letrozole versus placebo plus letrozole for estrogen receptor positive postmenopausal breast cancer (METEOR)
Authors: Kim Jisun , Lim Woosung , Kim Eun-Kyu , Kim Min-Kyoon , Paik Nam-Sun , Jeong Sang-Seol , Yoon Jung-han , Park Chan Heun , Ahn Sei Hyun , Kim Lee Su , Han Sehwan , Nam Seok Jin , Kang Han-Sung , Kim Seung Il , Yoo Young Bum , Jeong Joon , Kim Tae Hyun , Kang Taewoo , Kim Sung-Won , Jung Yongsik , Lee Jeong Eon , Kim Ku Sang , Yu Jong-Han , Chae Byung Joo , Jung So-Youn , Kang Eunyoung , Choi Su Yun , Moon Hyeong-Gon , Noh Dong-Young , Han Wonshik 
Published: March 2014

Abstract

Background
Neoadjuvant endocrine therapy with an aromatase inhibitor has shown efficacy comparable to that of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients with postmenopausal breast cancer. Preclinical and clinical studies have shown that the antidiabetic drug metformin has anti-tumor activity. This prospective, multicenter, phase II randomized, placebo controlled trial was designed to evaluate the direct anti-tumor effect of metformin in non-diabetic postmenopausal women with estrogen-receptor (ER) positive breast cancer.

Methods/Design
Patients meeting the inclusion criteria and providing written informed consent will be randomized to 24 weeks of neoadjuvant treatment with letrozole (2.5 mg/day) and either metformin (2000 mg/day) or placebo. Target accrual number is 104 patients per arm. The primary endpoint will be clinical response rate, as measured by calipers. Secondary endpoints include pathologic complete response rate, breast conserving rate, change in Ki67 expression, breast density change, and toxicity profile. Molecular assays will be performed using samples obtained before treatment, at week 4, and postoperatively.

Discussion
This study will provide direct evidence of the anti-tumor effect of metformin in non-diabetic, postmenopausal patients with ER-positive breast cancer.

Trial registration
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier NCT01589367
The associations between ADHD and asthma in Korean children
Authors: Kwon Ho Jang , Lee Mi Young , Ha Mina , Yoo Seung Jin , Paik Ki Chung , Lim Jong-Han , Sakong June , Lee Chul-Gab , Kang Dong-Muk , Hong Soo Jong , Cho Hwan Il , Lim Myung Ho 
Published: March 2014

AbstractBackgroundThe aim of this study was to investigate the associations between attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), the most common neuropsychiatric disorder in school children, and childhood allergic disease by evaluating their respective prevalence.MethodsSubjects were comprised of first and second grade students in twenty two elementary schools in a city in the Republic of Korea. The mode of measurement for ADHD was based on DSM-IV from clinical interviews conducted by child psychiatrists. Along with the diagnostic interviews, we also used the epidemiological questionnaires, Computerized Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder Diagnostic System, the abbreviated Conner’s Parent Rating Scale (CPRS), and DuPaul’s ADHD Rating Scales. Allergic conditions, such as asthma, have been separately evaluated based on the questionnaire items whose validity and reliability were proved by the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Children (ISAAC). All questionnaires were completed by the subjects’ parents.ResultsThe lifetime prevalence rate of asthma in ADHD patients was 36.6%, compared to a prevalence of 24.3% in control subjects. The lifetime prevalence rate of allergic rhinitis in ADHD patients was 59.0%, compared to a prevalence of 47.0% in control subjects. Statistically significant difference has been found between the two groups. In the logistic regression model of the ADHD and the control group, the relative risk of asthma was 1.60 times higher (confidence interval 1.301-1.964), the relative risk of allergic rhinitis was 1.38 times higher (confidence interval 1.124-1.681), which showed statistical significance.ConclusionsThe findings of this study suggest significant association between ADHD and childhood asthma and allergic rhinitis. Therefore, appropriate evaluation and treatment are needed for asthmatic children with attention-deficit symptoms, or allergic rhinitis with ADHD. Besides, further research is needed to determine the etiological approach towards ADHD, asthma, and allergic rhinitis.
Chronic oral or intraarticular administration of docosahexaenoic acid reduces nociception and knee edema and improves functional outcomes in a mouse model of Complete Freund’s Adjuvant–induced knee arthritis
Authors: Torres-Guzman Ana M , Morado-Urbina Carlos E , Alvarado-Vazquez Perla A , Acosta-Gonzalez Rosa I , Chávez-Piña Aracely E , Montiel-Ruiz Rosa M , Jimenez-Andrade Juan M 
Published: March 2014

Abstract
Introduction
Clinical and preclinical studies have shown that supplementation with ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (ω-3 PUFAs) reduce joint destruction and inflammation present in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, the effects of individual ω-3 PUFAs on chronic arthritic pain have not been evaluated to date. Thus, our aim in this study was to examine whether purified docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, an ω-3 PUFA) reduces spontaneous pain-related behavior and knee edema and improves functional outcomes in a mouse model of knee arthritis.

Methods
Unilateral arthritis was induced by multiple injections of Complete Freund’s Adjuvant (CFA) into the right knee joints of male ICR adult mice. Mice that received CFA injections were then chronically treated from day 15 until day 25 post–initial CFA injection with oral DHA (10, 30 and 100 mg/kg daily) or intraarticular DHA (25 and 50 μg/joint twice weekly). Spontaneous flinching of the injected extremity (considered as spontaneous pain-related behavior), vertical rearing and horizontal exploratory activity (considered as functional outcomes) and knee edema were assessed. To determine whether an endogenous opioid mechanism was involved in the therapeutic effect of DHA, naloxone (NLX, an opioid receptor antagonist, 3 mg/kg subcutaneously) was administered in arthritic mice chronically treated with DHA (30 mg/kg by mouth) at day 25 post–CFA injection.

Results
The intraarticular CFA injections resulted in increasing spontaneous flinching and knee edema of the ipsilateral extremity as well as worsening functional outcomes as time progressed. Chronic administration of DHA, given either orally or intraarticularly, significantly improved horizontal exploratory activity and reduced flinching behavior and knee edema in a dose-dependent manner. Administration of NLX did not reverse the antinociceptive effect of DHA.

Conclusions
To the best of our knowledge, this report is the first to demonstrate DHA’s antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory effects as individual ω-3 PUFAs following sustained systemic and intraarticular administration in a mouse model of CFA-induced knee arthritis. The results suggest that DHA treatment may offer a new therapeutic approach to alleviate inflammation as well as a beneficial effect on pain-related functional disabilities in RA patients.
Negative Association Between Serum Perfluorooctane Sulfate Concentration and Bone Mineral Density in US Premenopausal Women: NHANES, 2005–2008
Authors: Lin Lian-Yu , Wen Li-Li , Su Ta-Chen , Chen Pau-Chung , Lin Chien-Yu 
Published: March 2014

Context:
Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfate (PFOS) are used in a variety of products worldwide. However, the relationship among serum PFOA, PFOS concentration, bone mineral density (BMD), and the risk of fractures has never been addressed.

Objectives:
The study examined the association among serum PFOA, PFOS concentration, and lumbar spine and total hip BMD in the general US population.

Design and Participants:
We analyzed data on 2339 adults (aged ≧20 y) from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey conducted in 2005–2006 and 2007–2008 to determine the relationship among serum PFOA, PFOS concentration, and total lumbar spine and total hip BMD measured by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry and history of fractures cross-sectionally.

Results:
After weighting for sampling strategy, a 1-U increase in the natural log-transformed serum PFOS level was associated with a decrease in total lumbar spine BMD by 0.022 g/cm2 (95% confidence interval −0.038, −0.007; P = .006) in women not in menopause. There was no association among PFOA, PFOS concentration, and self-reported fracture in adults.

Conclusion:
Serum PFOS concentration is associated with decreased total lumbar spine BMD in women not in menopause. However, the potential biological significance of this effect is marginal and subclinical in the general US population. Further studies are warranted to clarify the causal relationship between perfluorinated chemical exposure and BMD.
Metformin Improves Glucose Effectiveness, Not Insulin Sensitivity: Predicting Treatment Response in Women With Polycystic Ovary Syndrome in an Open-Label, Interventional Study
Authors: Pau Cindy T. , Keefe Candace , Duran Jessica , Welt Corrine K. 
Published: March 2014

Context:
Although metformin is widely used to improve insulin resistance in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), its mechanism of action is complex, with inconsistent effects on insulin sensitivity and variability in treatment response.

Objective:
The aim of the study was to delineate the effect of metformin on glucose and insulin parameters, determine additional treatment outcomes, and predict patients with PCOS who will respond to treatment.

Design and Setting:
We conducted an open-label, interventional study at an academic medical center.

Subjects:
Women with PCOS (n = 36) diagnosed by the National Institutes of Health criteria participated in the study.

Interventions:
Subjects underwent fasting blood sampling, an IV glucose tolerance test, dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry scan, transvaginal ultrasound, and measurement of human chorionic gonadotropin-stimulated androgen levels before and after 12 weeks of treatment with metformin extended release 1500 mg/d. Interval visits were performed to monitor anthropometric measurements and menstrual cycle parameters.

Main Outcome Measures:
Changes in glucose and insulin parameters, androgen levels, anthropometric measurements, and ovulatory menstrual cycles were evaluated.

Results:
Insulin sensitivity did not change despite weight loss. Glucose effectiveness (P = .002) and the acute insulin response to glucose (P = .002) increased, and basal glucose levels (P = .001) decreased after metformin treatment. T levels also decreased. Women with improved ovulatory function (61%) had lower baseline T levels and lower baseline and stimulated T and androstenedione levels after metformin treatment (all P &lt; .05).

Conclusions:
Using an IV glucose tolerance test, which distinguishes improvements in glucose effectiveness and insulin sensitivity, metformin does not improve insulin sensitivity in women with PCOS but does improve glucose effectiveness. The improvement in glucose effectiveness may be partially mediated by decreased glucose levels. T levels also decreased with metformin treatment. Ovulation during metformin treatment was associated with lower baseline T levels and greater T and androstenedione decreases during treatment, but not with insulin or LH levels. Thus, the action of metformin in PCOS primarily affects glucose levels and steroidogenesis, which may be mediated by mechanisms that affect both pathways, such as inhibition of mitochondrial complex I.
Visually Recognizable Anion Exchange of a Three-dimensional Copper-based Interpenetrated Porous Coordination Polymer
Authors: Kotani Ryosuke , Kondo Atsushi , Maeda Kazuyuki 
Published: March 2014

Abstract
A new three-dimensional copper-based interpenetrated porous coordination polymer (PCP) was synthesized using 1,2-di(4-pyridyl)ethylene (bpe), which is an N-donor neutral organic linker. The PCP has a cationic framework because all counter BF4− anions present as guest species to compensate the positive charge of the framework. The PCP shows anion-exchange properties for halogen ions, which can be recognized visually.
From the Editor in Chief
Authors: Doğanay Ahmet 
Published: March 2014

Değerli bilgi üretici ve tüketicileri,

Yeni bir yılda Pegem Eğitim ve Öğretim Dergisi'nin (PEGEGOG) yeni bir cildi ve sayısıyla daha birlikte olmanın sevinciyle herkese merhaba. Yeni sayımızı bazı yeniliklerle sunuyoruz. Daha önceki sayımızda belirttiğim gibi Doi ve Cross Reference uygulamalarını başlattık. Artık dergimiz basıma girmeden doi numarası verdiğimiz makaleleri sizlerle paylaşma olanağına kavuştuk. Bu arada dergimiz için elektronik ISSN numarası aldığımızı da belirtmeliyim. Hakem değerlendirme süreci tamamlanan makalelere doi numarası vererek elektronik ortamda ulaşılmasını sağlıyoruz. Bu sayı ile dergimizin formatında yaptığımız diğer bir değişiklik ise, İngilizce uzun özet. Hızla gelişen ve ülkemizde saygın bir konumda bulunan dergimizin saygın uluslararası indekslerde de yer alabilmesi için "abstract" dışında daha uzun bir İngilizce özete ihtiyacı vardı. Bu yeni kararımızı anlayışla karşılayan siz değerli yazarlarımıza teşekkür ediyorum. Bu yeniliklerle derginin sayfa düzeni de doğal olarak değişti. Yeni sayfa düzenimizi beğeneceğinizi umuyoruz. Bu arada Ulakbim dergimizle ilgili ilk değerlendirmesini yaptı ve bizden geçmiş sayılarımıza ilişkin bazı hakem raporlarını istedi. Kısa sürede Ulakbim değerlendirmesinin sonuçlanacağını umuyoruz.

Değerli araştırmacılar, her sayıda yapmaya çalıştığım gibi, dergimize gönderilen makalelerin incelenmesi sonucunda ortaya çıkan bazı ortak sorunların giderilmesi yönündeki önerilerime bu sayıda da devam etmek istiyorum. Dergiye gelen makalelerin sorunlu bölümlerinden biri de genellikle tartışma bölümü olmaktadır. Bilim sadece bir bilgi toplama ve onları sunma yolu değil, aynı zamanda analiz sonucunda ortaya çıkan bulguları anlamlandırma ve yorumlamadır. Tartışılmayan bulgular dağınık, ilişkisiz ve havada kalmış bir görünümdedir. Bilimin birikimli bir etkinlik olması, araştırma sonucunda ortaya çıkan bulguların o konudaki mevcut bilgi birikimiyle sentezlenerek yeniden oluşturulmasını gerektirir. Bu nedenle araştırmada ulaşılan bulgular konuyla ilgili kuramsal bilgilerle ve önceki araştırma sonuçlarıyla ilişkilendirilerek tartışılmalıdır. Araştırmada önceki bulgulardan farklı bir sonuca ulaşılmışsa mutlaka bunun olası nedenleri de yorumlanmalıdır. Bulguların tartışılması sürecinde üzerinde önemle durulması gereken bir konu da, aşırı genellemelerden kaçınılmasıdır. Bazen küçük bir örneklemden elde edilen bulgu aşırı genellenerek sunulmaktadır. Bu da makalenin sadece sonuç ve tartışma kısmını okuyan bilgi tüketicilerini ve diğer araştırmacıları yanıltmaktadır. Bu bağlamda bulguların tartışılması sürecinde kesinlik bildiren ifadelerden kaçınılmalıdır.

Bu sayıda hakem değerlendirme süreci tamamlanarak uzun İngilizce özetlerini gönderen ve daha önce doi numarası verdiğimiz altı değerli araştırmacıya ait altı çalışmayı yayımlıyoruz. Eğitim bilimlerinin çeşitli alanlarında yapılan bu çalışmaların siz değerli bilgi üretici ve tüketicilerine yararlı olması diliyor, gelecek sayıda buluşmak dileğiyle saygılarımı sunuyorum.
Characterizations for fractional Hardy inequality
Authors: Dyda Bartłomiej , Vähäkangas Antti V. 
Published: March 2014

Abstract
We provide a Maz'ya-type characterization
for a fractional Hardy inequality.
As an application,
we show that a bounded open set G admits a fractional Hardy inequality if and only if
the associated fractional capacity is quasiadditive with respect to Whitney cubes of G
and the zero extension operator acting on C

c
(G) is bounded in an appropriate manner.
The Determinants of the Use of Derivatives in the Japanese Insurance Companies
Authors: Lantara I Wayan Nuka , Takao Atsushi 
Published: March 2014

Abstract
This paper examines the firm-specific factors determining the use of derivatives by the sample of Japanese life and non-life Japanese insurance companies during the period of 2001–2011. We find that the participation rate for the use of derivatives by insurance companies in Japan is 73.2%, much higher than those found in the US, the UK, or Australia. Using the Probit and Tobit regression models, we provide evidence that the decision to use derivatives of Japanese insurance companies is positively related to firm size, leverage, organizational form, and proportion of assets invested in stocks and bonds, but negatively associated with reinsurance dependence. We also find that the decision of Japanese insurance companies to extend their markets by operating globally increases the need for derivatives contracts.
Effectiveness of a Poverty Simulation in Second Life®: Changing Nursing Student Attitudes toward Poor People
Authors: Menzel Nancy , Willson Laura Helen , Doolen Jessica 
Published: March 2014

AbstractSocial justice is a fundamental value of the nursing profession, challenging educators to instill this professional value when caring for the poor. This randomized controlled trial examined whether an interactive virtual poverty simulation created in Second Life® would improve nursing students’ empathy with and attributions for people living in poverty, compared to a self-study module. We created a multi-user virtual environment populated with families and individual avatars that represented the demographics contributing to poverty and vulnerability. Participants (N = 51 baccalaureate nursing students) were randomly assigned to either Intervention or Control groups and completed the modified Attitudes toward Poverty Scale pre- and post-intervention. The 2.5-hour simulation was delivered three times over a 1-year period to students in successive community health nursing classes. The investigators conducted post-simulation debriefings following a script. While participants in the virtual poverty simulation developed significantly more favorable attitudes on five questions than the Control group, the total scores did not differ significantly. Whereas students readily learned how to navigate inside Second Life®, faculty facilitators required periodic coaching and guidance to be competent. While poverty simulations, whether virtual or face-to-face, have some ability to transform nursing student attitudes, faculty must incorporate social justice concepts throughout the curriculum to produce lasting change.
Voices of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Parents: The Case of Korean-American Parents
Authors: Koh Myung-Sook , Shin Sunwoo , Reeves Kay C. 
Published: March 2014

Abstract
The purpose of this study is to investigate attitudes and perspectives of Korean immigrant parents in rearing and educating their children in the United States. One hundred nineteen Korean parents from three cities in the United States were surveyed using the Korean Parent Questionnaire. The responses of the questionnaire were analyzed using Chi-square test, one-way ANOVA, and content analysis. Major findings of this study were (1) Korean parents’ limited English skills prevented them from communicating effectively with their children’s school personnel or getting actively involved in their children’s schooling, (2) the parents believe that rearing a child in America had its benefits, and (3) the parents spoke only Korean in the home and did not become immersed in the American culture.
Preliminary Results on Clinicopathological and Immunohistochemical Features of Malignant Melanomas
Authors: Diana Ciortea Carmen , Simona Gurzu , Maria Zdrob Simona , I Jung 
Published: March 2014

Abstract Objective: To perform a retrospective clinico-pathological and immunohistochemical analysis of malignant melanomas. Methods: One-hundred sixty consecutive cases diagnosed in the Department of Pathology of the County Emergency Clinical Hospital of Tîrgu Mureș, Romania, between January 2000 - December 2009, were used. Of these, 47 cases were melanoma metastases that were excluded from the study; this research was focused on the study of 113 primary melanomas (PMs). In 20 cases of PMs (11 cutaneous, 5 choroidal, and 4 melanomas of the anal canal) immunohistochemical stains were performed using the antibodies p53, Ki67, ER (estrogen receptor), CD8 and CD31. Results: Cutaneous PMs prevailed (83%) followed by choroidal (11%), digestive tract (4%) and nasal mucosa PMs (2%). Independent of their location, PMs predominantly affected females (58%) over age 50. Regarding cutaneous cases, lower limbs (49%) were more affected, followed by the head and neck (18%) and the trunk (18%). We noted negativity or low p53-nuclear positivity in cutaneous and digestive tract PMs; p53 was overexpressed in choroidal melanomas. On the other hand, although the proliferative index Ki67 was also quite low in cutaneous PMs, its percentage increased in choroidal and digestive tract PMs. CD8 was positive in cutaneous PMs and negative in choroidal and digestive tract cases. While in cutaneous PMs we noted a predominated angiogenesis by intussusception, in digestive tract melanomas there was a predominance of sprouting and pseudoglomeruloid mechanisms. Conclusions: Choroidal PMs display the highest p53 and Ki-67 expression, compared to cutaneous MMs. Tumor angiogenesis seems to present a specific pathway in cutaneous PMS compared to the gastrointestinal cases
Phytotoxicity Assessment of Certain Phytochemical Products Containing Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids
Authors: Cristina Șeremet Oana , Ot Olaru , Mihaela Ilie , Simona Negreș , D Bălălău 
Published: March 2014

AbstractIntroduction: Tussilago farfara (coltsfoot), Petasites hybridus (common butterbur), Senecio vernalis (eastern groundsel) and Symphytum officinale (comfrey) are species traditionally used in phytotherapy that besides the therapeutic compounds contain toxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs). The aim of the paper is to determine the total PAs content and the phytotoxicity of the above species. Material and methods: The quantitative determination of pyrrolizidine alkaloids is based on the stoichiometric reaction of protonated alkaloids with methyl orange. In acidic conditions the dye is released from the complex and its color is assessed spectrophotometrically using a linear regression curve of senecionine as a standard. The phytotoxicity was assessed by Triticum bioassay that studies the effect of the extracts (0.001-5.00%, w/v) upon root elongation (inhibitory concentration - IC50) and on the karyokinetic film. Results: The highest amount of total PAs was found in Senecio vernalis (654.8 ± 35.96 μg/g dry plant) and the lowest in Petasites hybridus. The lowest IC50 was found for Tussilago farfara followed by Petasites hybridus, Senecio vernalis, and Symphytum officinale. The results were supported by microscopic examination. Conclusions: The results of the spectrophotometric assay are consistent with the ones found in the literature. All extracts inhibited the elongation of the main root of wheat caryopses, however, no correlation between phytotoxicity and the PAs concentration could be emphasized
The Role of Liver Transplantation in the Treatment of Hepatocellular Carcinoma – a Single Center Experience from Budapest
Authors: L Piros , D Görög , I Fehérvári , B Nemes , R Langer , L Kóbori 
Published: March 2014

AbstractBackground: Liver transplantation for hepatic tumours is known as a proven treatment opportunity. The outcome has improved over the past decades because of the appropriate recipient selection. Materials and methods: In a single-institution study of 29 consecutive adult patients underwent orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) between 1 January 2004 and 1 January 2011 in the Semmelweis University, Budapest with the indication of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Results: The 1-year survival was 85.7% and the 3-year survival was 71.7%. Conclusions: Further investigations are needed on the field of histological and biological attributes of the hepatocellular carcinoma. Our aim is to find a better and individualized immunosuppressive protocol, which is also protective against malignant tumours