bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Combination of oral vinorelbine and capecitabine in the treatment of metastatic breast cancer patients previously exposed to anthracyclines
Authors: Hassan Mohammad , Osman Mahmoud M. 
Published: July 2014

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES:
Vinorelbine and capecitabine are both active in breast cancer with moderate toxicity.

DESIGN AND SETTING:
A pilot study conducted from December 2007 to January 2010 in patients with metastatic breast cancer (MBC) to the evaluate efficacy and safety of combination therapy with vinorelbine and capecitabine.

PATIENTS AND METHODS:
The study included patients with MBC who were previously treated by anthracyclines either during the adjuvant phase or the metastatic phase. Patients were treated with oral vinorelbine (60 mg/m2) on day 1+8 and capecitabine (1000 mg/m2) twice daily (VC) from day 1 to day 14 with both repeated every 3 weeks until progression, refusal or for a maximum of 8 cycles. A dose reduction was made in case of grade 3 and 4 toxicities.

RESULTS:
Of 31 women (median age, 51 years), 12 cases were first-line therapy and 19 cases were second-line therapy or greater, and 30 were evaluable for response. Two patients (6.4%) achieved complete response and 15 patients (48.4%) had a partial response giving an overall response rate of 54.8% (95% CI, 42%-68%). Time-todisease progression was 7.8 months for patients receiving VC as first-line therapy versus 6 months for patients receiving VC as second-line therapy or more, while median survival time was 22 months and 10 months for the two groups, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS:
The oral VC regimen is effective and safe in patients with MBC previously exposed to anthracycclines, and offers a promising alternative to the intravenous route. Its role as a salvage therapy following anthracyccline failure or as first-line chemotherapy requires further study.
Retinoblastoma in Jordan
Authors: Alnawaiseh Ibrahim , Jaradat Imad , Yousef Yacoub A. , Mehyar Mustafa , Sultan Iyad , Khurma Samer , Al-Rawashded Khalil , Wilson Matt , Qaddoumi Ibrahim , Salem Ahmed 
Published: July 2014

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE:
The epidemiological characteristics of retinoblastoma have been extensively studied in developed countries, however epidemiological data is scarce in the Middle East. We present a detailed epidemiological analysis of retinoblastoma in Jordan in an attempt to aid national and regional strategies for improved cancer surveillance and control.

DESIGN AND SETTING:
Retrospective review of retinoblastoma cases presenting to the sole and exclusive ocular oncology referral center in Jordan.

PATIENTS AND METHODS:
Forty children (59 eyes) presenting with clinically and/or histologically confirmed retinoblastomas were treated at King Hussein Cancer Center (Amman, Jordan) between January 2006 and December 2010. This case series included 28 boys and 12 girls. Data relating to age at diagnosis, laterality, gender, treatment modality and survival were recorded.

RESULTS:
The mean age-adjusted incidence of retinoblastoma in Jordan was 9.32 cases per million children per year for children aged 0-5 years. The male: female ratio was 2.3:1. Bilateral cases were encountered in 19 patients (47.5%) while 21 patients (52.5%) harbored unilateral retinoblastoma. At the time of follow-up, 38 patients (95%) were alive. overall, 40 eyes (67.8%) were successfully preserved without the need for enucleation.

CONCLUSIONS:
The national epidemiological data gathered in this study indicates that the incidence of retinoblastoma in Jordan is similar to that reported in various countries of the world. Jordanian boys, however, are at significantly higher risk for developing retinoblastoma than age-matched girls. Furthermore, Jordanian patients are more likely to harbor bilateral retinoblastoma.
Preliminary experience with the use of bendamustine
Authors: Malipatil Baswantrao , Ganesan Prasanth , Sundersingh Shirley , Gnana Sagar Tenali 
Published: July 2014

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES:
Bendamustine has been recently approved for the treatment of low-grade lymphoproliferative disorders. There is little data on the effectiveness or toxicity of this drug outside the trial setting. This is the first report on the use of bendamustine from the Indian subcontinent.

SETTINGS AND DESIGN:
Retrospective descriptive analysis of response and side effects of bendamustine in eight patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia and eight patients with follicular lymphoma.

METHODS:
Data was collated from a review of case records. We examined any association between side effects and clinical parameters.

RESULTS:
The median age of patients was 52 years and three-quarters had received prior treatment with alkyl -ators or fludarabine. Three different protocols of bendamustine were used (single agent, in combination with rituximab or in combination with vincristine and prednisolone). The overall response rate was 80% (47% complete response, 33% partial response, and 20% progressive disease). The drug was well tolerated with very few grade 3/4 toxicities. More than half the patients (9/16) developed a characteristic erythematous, papular skin rash that resolved after completion of chemotherapy.

CONCLUSION:
Bendamustine is a safe and useful addition to the drug arsenal against lymphoproliferative disorders. A peculiar skin rash was the commonest side effect noted in Indian patients treated with this drug.
Cytomegalovirus infections in unrelated cord blood transplantation in pediatric patients
Authors: Hajjar Sami Al , Seraihi Amal Al , Muhsen Saleh Al , Ayas Mouhab , Jumaah Suliman Al , Jefri Abdullah Al , Shoukri Mohamed , Solh Hassan El 
Published: July 2014

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES:
Stem cells from umbilical cord blood (CB) have increasingly become a viable alternate source of progenitor cells for hematopoietic cell transplantation (HSCT). Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is thought to contribute significantly to HSCT morbidity and mortality.

DESIGN AND SETTING:
Retrospective case-control study in patients at tertiary care center.

PATIENTS AND METHODS:
We determined the incidence, risk factors and outcomes for CMV infection and disease after unrelated cord blood transplantation (UCBT) in children.

RESULTS:
Between 2003 and 2007, 73 pediatric patients underwent UCBT and 68% of recipients were CMV seropositive. The overall incidence of CMV infection, early and late CMV infection was 58.9% (43/73), 62.8% (27/43), and 37.4% (16/43), respectively. In patients with early CMV infection, 6 of 27 (22%) patients progressed to develop CMV end-organ disease including pneumonitis and retinitis. High levels CMV antigenemia ≥70 infected cells by pp65 antigenemia assay + PMNs, P=.237) were associated with a higher risk of progression to CMV disease. The development of CMV infections was higher in CMV-seropositive recipients (P<.001) and in those who developed graft-versus-host-diseases (GVHD) (P<.001). Other risk factors for CMV infection include the use of high-dose corticosteroids (P<.001) and older age of the recipient at the time of transplant (P<.002). Late CMV infection was strongly associated with a previous history of early CMV infection (P<.001).

CONCLUSION:
CMV infection is a significant complication in UCBT recipients in pediatric patients and is associated with an increase in transplant-related morbidity and mortality. Risk factors for CMV infections after UCBT include GVHD, use of corticosteroids, underlying diseases (hematologic malignancies) and older age. Late CMV infection was strongly associated with a previous history of CMV infection.
High-dose chemotherapy followed by stem cell transplantation in the management of retinoblastoma
Authors: Jaradat Imad , Mubiden Rasmi , Salem Ahmed , Abdel-Rahman Fawzi , Al-Ahmad Iyad , Almousa Abdelatief 
Published: July 2014

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES:
In recent years, there has been an increasing role for stem cell transplantation In the management of retinoblastoma. The aim of this study was to systematically review the role high-dose chemotherapy followed by stem cell transplantation in the treatment of patients with metastatic or relapsed, trilateral or bilateral advanced retinoblastoma, and in patients with tumor at the surgical margin of the optic nerve and/or extrascleral extension.

DESIGN:
systematic literature review.

METHODS:
We performed an extensive PubMed database search on 25 February 2012 for studies describing the use of high-dose chemotherapy followed by stem cell transplantation in the management of patients with retinoblastoma.

RESULTS:
We located 1 5 studies that met the inclusion criteria and that included 101 patients. Following treatment for metastatic and relapsed disease, 44 of 77 patients (57.1 %) were alive with no evidence of disease at the time of follow-up. However, a higher rate of local relapse developed in patients with CNS metastases (73.1%), which dropped to 47.1 % in patients who received thiotepa. In patients with trilateral or bilateral advanced retinoblastoma, 5 of 7 (71.4%) with reported outcome data were alive with no evidence of disease at the time of follow-up. in patients with tumor at the surgical margin of the optic nerve and/or extrascleral extension, 6 of 7 patients (85.7%) were alive with no evidence of disease at the time of follow-up.

CONCLUSIONS:
Durable tumor control is possible in patients with non-CNS metastases, trilateral or bilateral advanced retinoblastoma, and in patients with tumor at the surgical margin of the optic nerve and/or extrascleral extension. Patients with CNS metastases require thiotepa to improve tumor control.
Mechanism of paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria clonal dominance
Authors: Kunyaboon Rajita , Wanachiwanawin Wanchai , U-Pratya Yaowalak , Thedsawad Anchalee , Taka Orathai 
Published: July 2014

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES:
Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH), a clonal hematopoietic stem cell disorder, manifests when the PNH clone populates in the hematopoietic compartment. We explored the roles of different apoptosis of GPI+ and GPI- (glycosylphosphatidylinositol) cells and CD8+ lymphocytes in a selection of PNH clones.

PATIENTS AND METHODS:
Granulocytes from PNH patients and normal controls were subjected to an apoptosis assay using annexin V. Hematopoietic cell in semisolid media were cultured with or without CD8+ lymphocytes.

RESULTS:
In PNH, CD59+ granulocytes exhibited more apoptosis than their CD59- counterparts, after 0 or 4 hours in liquid growth culture system (mean [standard error of mean]: 2.1 (0.5) vs 1.2 (0.2), P=.01 at 0 hour and 3.4 [0.7] vs 1.8 [0.3], P=.03 at 4 hour, respectively). The presence of mononuclear cells (MNCs) rendered a greater difference in apoptosis. The percentages of apoptotic CD59+ granulocytes measured at 4 hours with or without MNC fraction were correlated with the sizes of PNH clones (r=0.633, P=.011; and r=0.648, P=.009; respectively). The autologous CD8+ lymphocytes inhibited CFU-GM and BFU-E colony formation in PNH patients when compared with normal controls (mean [SEM] of percentages of inhibition: 61.7 (10.4) vs 11.9 (2.0), P=.008 for CFU-GM and 26.1 (6.9) vs 4.9 (1.0), P=.037 for BFU-E).

CONCLUSIONS:
Increased apoptosis of GPI+ blood cells is likely to be responsible in selection and expansion of PNH clones. MNCs or possibly CD8+ lymphocytes may play a role in this phenomenon.
“Wise as serpents and harmless as doves”: The Contributions of the Female Prison Association of Friends in Philadelphia, 1823–1870
Authors: Scheffler Judith 
Published: July 2014

ABSTRACT
In 1823 a group of Orthodox Quaker women in Philadelphia formed the Female Prison Association of Friends in Philadelphia, a female auxiliary of the Philadelphia Society for Alleviating the Miseries of Public Prisons (later known as the Pennsylvania Prison Society). For approximately the next fifty years they engaged in organized prison visiting in Philadelphia at Arch Street and Moyamensing prisons and the Eastern State Penitentiary. As visitors they became subtle, understated allies in the operation of the Pennsylvania System of separate confinement with labor. Their work was reformist in nature, in that they pressed for practical measures they deemed significant to improve the condition of female inmates: the institution of matrons and the founding of the Howard Institution, a sort of halfway house for released prisoners. Their main goal, however, was spiritual, and the salvation they sought was their own as well as that of the imprisoned women they aided. As a Quaker women's group that worked quietly in the background during a period usually associated with the more public work of activist Hicksite Quaker women, they were barely officially recognized by the male society in their own day and are almost entirely unknown today. Their story suggests that the spiritual motivation of some nineteenth-century women may be a significant but little-noted force behind their contributions to the history of social reform.
Proposition pour l’induction en analyse du discours
Authors: Normand Ariane 
Published: July 2014

L’analyse du discours intéresse des chercheurs d’horizons divers. Comme les nombreuses influences disciplinaires de l’analyse du discours s’entrelacent de plus en plus, les choix méthodologiques se multiplient. Comprendre les choix méthodologiques possibles, sélectionner le plus adapté et trouver des références devient ainsi parfois ardu.Cet article constitue une réflexion sur les choix méthodologiques qui s’offrent aux analystes du discours et propose une méthodologie qui pourrait convenir à ceux dont les travaux sont de nature inductive. Nous montrons ainsi que l’approche de la MTE constitue une avenue intéressante car elle s’enracine dans les données, ce qui permet au chercheur de mettre le discours au centre de sa démarche. Le retour réflexif que nous faisons sur un projet de recherche terminé permet également de réfléchir de manière plus concrète aux problèmes que peuvent rencontrer les chercheurs durant leurs travaux de recherche.
« Chantez au Seigneur un chant nouveau… » (Ps.95.1) : le portrait de la musique rock chrétienne
Authors: Falardeau Marie-Chantal , Perreault Stéphane 
Published: July 2014

Le but de cet article est de présenter les raisons du choix d’une approche inductive, plutôt qu’une approche déductive, afin d’étudier la musique rock chrétienne. Cette étude dresse un portrait des chansons les plus populaires de la musique rock chrétienne tout en décrivant quantitativement les éléments structurels de ces dernières. Afin de réaliser ce projet, nous avons répertorié tous les numéros un du palmarès américainChristian Songsdepuis sa création en 2003 jusqu’à la fin de l’année 2011, soit 65 chansons. Le portrait de la musique rock chrétienne se décline en onze catégories dont les plus récurrentes sont la dévotion, la présence de Dieu et l’espoir. Cette musique est aussi chantée majoritairement par des hommes et se caractérise par un rythme lent.
Diagnosis of Lysosomal Storage Disorders: Gaucher Disease
Authors: Johnson Britt A. , Dajnoki Angela , Bodamer Olaf 
Published: July 2014

AbstractGaucher Disease (GD) is a progressive lysosomal storage disorder caused by deficiency of glucocerebrosidase (GBA). The clinical phenotype follows a spectrum ranging from severe early‐onset to milder late‐onset disease. The absence of neurological involvement defines GD type I, whereas neuronopathic features define GD type II and III. Early diagnosis may be important for timely initiation of enzyme replacement therapy to prevent disease complications, although the enzyme does not cross the blood brain barrier. Diagnosis of GD can be readily achieved by analysis of GBA in leukocytes, fibroblasts, and/or dried blood spots using fluorometric, microfluidic or mass spectrometry‐based assays. Low GBA activities are typically confirmed through molecular analysis of the GBA gene. GBA analysis in dried blood spots may be attractive for high‐throughput screening of at‐risk individuals and/or newborn infants. The method detailed in this unit is based on GBA analysis by tandem mass spectrometry following incubation of dried blood spots with the GBA‐specific substrate D‐glucosyl‐β1‐1′‐N‐dodecanoyl‐D‐erythro‐sphingosine [C12‐glucocerebroside (C36H69NO8)] and internal standard N‐myristoyl‐D‐erythro‐sphingosine [C14‐ceramide (C32H63NO3)]. GBA activities in more than 2,000 newborn infants showed a mean of 22.0 ± 13.8 μmol/hr/liter (median: 19.9 μmol/hr/liter; 95% CI: 21.41‐22.59 μmol/hr/liter). GBA activities in an adult population (n >1,200) showed generally lower enzyme activities than newborns, with a mean of 9.87 ± 9.35 μmol/hr/liter (median: 8.06 μmol/hr/liter). GBA activities in ten adult patients with confirmed GD were less than 4.2 μmol/hr/liter and in seven infants and children with GD less than 1.24 μmol/hr/liter. This method is robust, sensitive, and suitable for high‐throughput analysis of hundreds of samples. Curr. Protoc. Hum. Genet. 82:17.15.1‐17.15.6. © 2014 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
On the seawater temperature dependence of the sea spray aerosol generated by a continuous plunging jet
Authors: Salter M. E. , Nilsson E. D. , Butcher A. , Bilde M. 
Published: July 2014

AbstractBreaking waves on the ocean surface produce bubbles which, upon bursting, deliver seawater constituents into the atmosphere as sea spray aerosol particles. One way of investigating this process in the laboratory is to generate a bubble plume by a continuous plunging jet. We performed a series of laboratory experiments to elucidate the role of seawater temperature on aerosol production from artificial seawater free from organic contamination using a plunging jet. The seawater temperature was varied from −1.3°C to 30.1°C, while the volume of air entrained by the jet, surface bubble size distributions, and size distribution of the aerosol particles produced was monitored. We observed that the volume of air entrained decreased as the seawater temperature was increased. The number of surface bubbles with film radius smaller than 2 mm decreased nonlinearly with seawater temperature. This decrease was coincident with a substantial reduction in particle production. The number concentrations of particles with dry diameter less than ∼1 μm decreased substantially as the seawater temperature was increased from −1.3°C to ∼9°C. With further increase in seawater temperature (up to 30°C), a small increase in the number concentration of larger particles (dry diameter >∼0.3 μm) was observed. Based on these observations, we infer that as seawater temperature increases, the process of bubble fragmentation changes, resulting in decreased air entrainment by the plunging jet, as well as the number of bubbles with film radius smaller than 2 mm. This again results in decreased particle production with increasing seawater temperature.
Constraining the carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) budget using its global trend and inter‐hemispheric gradient
Authors: Liang Qing , Newman Paul A. , Daniel John S. , Reimann Stefan , Hall Bradley D. , Dutton Geoff , Kuijpers Lambert J. M. 
Published: July 2014

AbstractCarbon tetrachloride (CCl4) is a major anthropogenic ozone‐depleting substance and greenhouse gas and has been regulated under the Montreal Protocol. However, the near‐zero 2007–2012 emissions estimate based on the UNEP reported production and feedstock usage cannot be reconciled with the observed slow decline of atmospheric concentrations and the inter‐hemispheric gradient (IHG) for CCl4. Our 3‐D model simulations suggest that the observed IHG (1.5 ± 0.2 ppt for 2000–2012) is primarily caused by ongoing current emissions, while ocean and soil losses and stratosphere‐troposphere exchange together contribute a small negative gradient (~0 – −0.3 ppt). Using the observed CCl4 global trend and IHG, we deduce that the mean global emissions for the 2000–2012 period are  Gg/yr (~30% of the peak 1980s emissions) and a corresponding total lifetime of  years.
The “footloose” mechanism: Iceberg decay from hydrostatic stresses
Authors: Wagner Till J. W. , Wadhams Peter , Bates Richard , Elosegui Pedro , Stern Alon , Vella Dominic , Abrahamsen E. Povl , Crawford Anna , Nicholls Keith W. 
Published: July 2014

AbstractWe study a mechanism of iceberg breakup that may act together with the recognized melt and wave‐induced decay processes. Our proposal is based on observations from a recent field experiment on a large ice island in Baffin Bay, East Canada. We observed that successive collapses of the overburden from above an unsupported wavecut at the iceberg waterline created a submerged foot fringing the berg. The buoyancy stresses induced by such a foot may be sufficient to cause moderate‐sized bergs to break off from the main berg. A mathematical model is developed to test the feasibility of this mechanism. The results suggest that once the foot reaches a critical length, the induced stresses are sufficient to cause calving. The theoretically predicted maximum stable foot length compares well to the data collected in situ. Further, the model provides analytical expressions for the previously observed “rampart‐moat” iceberg surface profiles.
Experimental study of sealing performance: Effects of particle size and particle‐packing state on threshold pressure of sintered compacts
Authors: Sorai Masao , Fujii Takashi , Kano Yuki , Uehara Shinichi , Honda Katsuya 
Published: July 2014

AbstractThreshold pressure Pcth (kPa), a parameter controlling rock's sealing performance in cases of CO2 geological sequestration, was studied in a supercritical CO2‐water system under conditions of 1000 m depth (10 MPa and 40°C). With respect to correlation between Pcth and another important parameter of permeability, k (mdarcy), the closest‐packing structure of spherical particles is defined theoretically as a line having slope of −0.5 on a double logarithmic plot. This study found this line by measuring Pcth of a capillary plate with known throat diameter as Pcth = 188.8 k– 0.5. This function is directly applicable to different depth and salinity conditions, although it requires minor correction at some temperature conditions. As a first step in determining the range of variation of rocks' Pcth and k from internal particle structures, we used sintered compacts of uniform spherical silica particles with diameters of 0.1–10 µm. Results show that measured values of sintered compacts were scattered around the closest‐packing line, with the difference of packing state depending on different sintered additives and sintering temperatures. The change of packing state, occurring independently of resultant changes of porosity, varied sensitively according to Pcth. Therefore, Pcth is inferred to depend strongly on the local structure within rocks. The Knudsen number estimated for supercritical CO2 at 1000 m depth indicated that CO2 transmuted into a noncontinuum at k < 0.1 µdarcy in the closest‐packing structure. Future studies should consider whether the concept of Pcth is applicable in this situation.