bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Hormone Whodunit: Clues for Solving the Case of Intratumor Androgen Production
Authors: Knudsen Karen E. 
Published: August 2014

Abstract
One of the key mechanisms by which prostate cancer cells evade hormone therapy is through intratumor testosterone production. New evidence points toward androstenedione as a potential precursor of intratumor androgen production and furthers nomination of AKR1C3 as a therapeutic target in advanced disease. Clin Cancer Res; 20(21); 5343–5. ©2014 AACR.
Prevalence of human papillomavirus and Epstein–Barr virus in salivary gland diseases
Authors: Lin Frank Cheau-Feng , Chen Pei-Liang , Tsao Tang-Yi , Li Chia-Ru , Jeng Kee-Ching , Tsai Stella Chin-Shaw 
Published: August 2014

Objective The roles of human papillomavirus (HPV) and Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) in head and neck neoplasms have been well reported, but little is known about their relationship with salivary gland tumours. This study investigated the presence of HPV and EBV in salivary gland diseases. Methods The presence of HPV 16/18 and EBV was analysed in archival pathological specimens collected from patients who had undergone surgery for salivary gland diseases. HPV 16/18 DNA was detected using nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and further confirmed with immunohistochemistry. EBV DNA was detected using real-time PCR. Results A total of 61 pathological specimens were examined: 39.5% (15/38) of pleomorphic adenomas, 33.3% (3/9) of Warthin’s tumours, 33.3% (one of 3) of mucoepidermoid carcinomas, and 25.0% (one of 4) of benign lymphoepithelial lesions were positive for high-risk HPV 16/18. Only two Warthin’s tumours were positive for EBV. Conclusion The infectious nature of salivary gland neoplasms was revealed by the high prevalence of HPV infection, and the specific presence of EBV in Warthin’s tumours, suggesting a potential role for HPV and EBV in salivary gland diseases.
Interobserver and Intraobserver Reliability of the Radiographic Analysis of Femoroacetabular Impingement and Dysplasia Using Computer-Assisted Measurements
Authors: Nepple Jeffrey J. , Martell John M. , Kim Young-Jo , Zaltz Ira , Millis Michael B. , Podeszwa David A. , Sucato Daniel J. , Sink Ernest L. , Clohisy John C. ,   for the ANCHOR Study Group
Published: August 2014

Background: A comprehensive evaluation of hip radiographs in the young adult with hip pain has become increasingly complex and time consuming. The interobserver reliability of manually performed measurements of femoroacetabular impingement, including the alpha angle, has been questioned. Methods to improve the reliability of a radiographic evaluation may increase the clinical utility of these parameters. Purpose: To determine the interobserver and intraobserver reliability of a computer-assisted radiographic analysis of the young adult hip in a clinically relevant setting. Study Design: Cohort study (diagnosis); Level of evidence, 3. Methods: A reliability study of a comprehensive computer-assisted radiographic evaluation was performed, which included 25 radiographic parameters of proximal femoral morphology, acetabular morphology, hip osteoarthritis, and pelvic tilt/rotation. Anteroposterior pelvis and 45° Dunn lateral radiographs of 70 consecutive patients undergoing hip preservation surgery were included. Each radiograph was analyzed by 4 experienced hip surgeons. The reliability of continuous measurements was analyzed using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs), while categorical parameters were analyzed using κ values and percentages of agreement. Results: The interobserver reliability of the parameters of proximal femoral morphology, acetabular morphology, and osteoarthritis was generally substantial to excellent. Parameters with lesser interobserver reliability included the alpha angle (ICC, 0.43), Tönnis osteoarthritis classification (κ = 0.22), and classification of pelvic tilt (using the coccyx or sacrococcygeal joint) (κ = 0.43 and 0.61, respectively). Conclusion: A computer-assisted analysis of young adult hip radiographs generally demonstrates substantial to excellent levels of interobserver reliability for most parameters. However, alpha angle measurements demonstrated only moderate interobserver reliability, despite excellent intraobserver reliability. Measurements of the joint space width appear to be significantly more reliable than the use of the Tönnis osteoarthritis classification in this population. The classification of pelvic tilt utilizing the coccyx or sacrococcygeal joint is only moderately reliable.
Medicalisation by non-medical personnel in English literature
Authors: Pridmore Saxby , Garcia Juan 
Published: August 2014

Objective: To determine whether English literature contains depictions of medicalisation by non-medical people. Method: English literature was examined by us and skilled readers. Results: We identified four examples: two from Macbeth and two from Vanity Fair. Not only were non-medical people the instigators, but in each publication there is one example of the advice of a medical professional (whom denied the existence of a medical problem) opinion being rejected. Conclusions: Evidence from the work of respected authors indicates that medicalisation was practiced long before it was described in the 1970s, that it may be instigated by non-medical people, and that it may continue after medical professionals deny the existence of medical problems.
Endotoxin-induced lung alveolar cell injury causes brain cell damage
Authors: Rodríguez-González Raquel , Ramos-Nuez Ángela , Martín-Barrasa José Luis , López-Aguilar Josefina , Baluja Aurora , Álvarez Julián , Rocco Patricia RM , Pelosi Paolo , Villar Jesús 
Published: August 2014

Sepsis is the most common cause of acute respiratory distress syndrome, a severe lung inflammatory disorder with an elevated morbidity and mortality. Sepsis and acute respiratory distress syndrome involve the release of inflammatory mediators to the systemic circulation, propagating the cellular and molecular response and affecting distal organs, including the brain. Since it has been reported that sepsis and acute respiratory distress syndrome contribute to brain dysfunction, we investigated the brain-lung crosstalk using a combined experimental in vitro airway epithelial and brain cell injury model. Conditioned medium collected from an in vitro lipopolysaccharide-induced airway epithelial cell injury model using human A549 alveolar cells was subsequently added at increasing concentrations (no conditioned, 2%, 5%, 10%, 15%, 25%, and 50%) to a rat mixed brain cell culture containing both astrocytes and neurons. Samples from culture media and cells from mixed brain cultures were collected before treatment, and at 6 and 24 h for analysis. Conditioned medium at 15% significantly increased apoptosis in brain cell cultures 24 h after treatment, whereas 25% and 50% significantly increased both necrosis and apoptosis. Levels of brain damage markers S100 calcium binding protein B and neuron-specific enolase, interleukin-6, macrophage inflammatory protein-2, as well as matrix metalloproteinase-9 increased significantly after treating brain cells with ≥2% conditioned medium. Our findings demonstrated that human epithelial pulmonary cells stimulated with bacterial lipopolysaccharide release inflammatory mediators that are able to induce a translational clinically relevant and harmful response in brain cells. These results support a brain-lung crosstalk during sepsis and sepsis-induced acute respiratory distress syndrome.
How well informed is the informed consent for cancer clinical trials?
Authors: Malik Laeeq , Kuo James , Yip Desmond , Mejia Alex 
Published: August 2014

Aims: The purpose of this study was to analyze the content of informed consent forms for clinical trials in medical oncology to assess readability, determine their completeness, and identify any shortcomings. Methods: Informed consent forms for Phase I–III studies that were conducted at two tertiary care cancer centers over a 3-year period were reviewed. Information pertaining to length of the informed consent form, research regimen/methods, treatment agent, potential risks, and benefits was extracted. The reading level was assessed by Flesch–Kincaid and Gunning-Fog index readability tests. Results: All of the 112 informed consent forms clearly stated the voluntary nature of participation. Nearly one half of the forms (51.8%) were of Phase I studies. The median length of informed consent form was 20 pages (range: 8–28). A detailed estimation of the frequency or intensity of risks (range: 3–8 pages) was provided. The average reading level of the informed consent forms was high (Flesch–Kincaid Grade Level of 9.8), which corresponds roughly to 10th-grade reading level. Less than 15% of all consent forms were written at the recommended eighth-grade reading level. A substantial number of forms did not report a potential risk to pregnant/lactating women (16.9%), mechanism of action of the investigational agent (34.8%), study schema (77.6%), a possibility of receiving sub-therapeutic dose (37%), or death (12.5%). Nearly one half of the forms (49.1%) stated clearly that individual participants may not benefit. Conclusion: Overall, these informed consent forms provided a detailed description of the trials in accordance to international guidelines. However, there remains room for improvement, particularly in areas of readability and document length.
Extension of Jensen’s inequality to affine combinations
Authors: Pavić Zlatko 
Published: August 2014

Abstract
The article provides the generalization of Jensen’s inequality for convex functions on the line segments. The main and preliminary inequalities are expressed in discrete form using affine combinations that can be reduced to convex combinations. The resulting quasi-arithmetic means are used to extend the two well-known inequalities.

MSC:26A51, 26D15.
Nonoscillatory solutions for higher-order nonlinear neutral delay differential equations
Authors: Liu Zeqing , Jia Ming , Ume Jeong Sheok , Kang Shin Min 
Published: August 2014

AbstractThis paper deals with the solvability of the higher-order nonlinear neutral delay differential equationdndtn[x(t)+p(t)x(t−τ)]+(−1)n+1∑i=1mqi(t)x(αi(t))+(−1)n+1f(t,x(β1(t)),…,x(βl(t)))=r(t),t≥t0, whereτ>0,n,m,l∈N,p,r,qi,αi,βj∈C([t0,+∞),R), andf∈C([t0,+∞)×Rl,R)satisfyinglimt→+∞αi(t)=limt→+∞βj(t)=+∞,i∈{1,2,…,m},j∈{1,2,…,l}. With respect to various ranges of the functionp, we investigate the existence of uncountably many bounded nonoscillatory solutions for the equation. The main tools used in this paper are the Krasnoselskii and Schauder fixed point theorems together with some new techniques. Six nontrivial examples are given to illustrate the superiority of the results presented in this paper.MSC:39A10, 39A20, 39A22.
Measurements of elastic constants in anisotropic media
Authors: Abell Bradley C. , Shao Siyi , Pyrak-Nolte Laura J. 
Published: August 2014

Simulation of elastic-wave propagation in rock requires knowledge of the elastic constants of the medium. The number of elastic constants required to describe a rock depends on the symmetry class. For example, isotropic symmetry requires only two elastic constants, whereas transversely isotropic symmetry requires five unique elastic constants. The off-diagonal elastic constant depends on a wave velocity measured along a nonsymmetry axis. The most difficult barrier when measuring these elastic constants is the ambiguity between the phase and group velocity in experimental measurements. Several methods to eliminate this difficulty have been previously proposed, but they typically require several samples, difficult machining, or complicated computational analysis. Another approach is to use the surface (Rayleigh) wave velocity to obtain the off-diagonal elastic constant. Rayleigh waves propagated along symmetry axes have phase and group velocities that are equal for materials with no frequency dispersion, thereby eliminating the ambiguity. Using a theoretical secular equation that relates the Rayleigh velocity to the elastic constants enable determination of the off-diagonal elastic constant. Laboratory measurements of the elastic constants in isotropic and anisotropic materials were made using ultrasonic transducers (central frequency of 1 MHz) for the Rayleigh-wave method and a wavefront-imaging method. The two methods indicated agreement within 1% and 3% for isotropic and transversely isotropic samples, respectively, demonstrating the ability of the Rayleigh-wave method to measure the off-diagonal elastic constant. The surface-wave approach eliminates the need for multiple samples, expensive computational calculations, and most importantly, it removes the ambiguity between the phase and group velocity in the measured data for materials with no frequency dispersion because all measurements are made along symmetry axes.
Vitamin D Deficiency Impairs Rituximab-Mediated Cellular Cytotoxicity and Outcome of Patients With Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma Treated With but Not Without Rituximab
Authors: Bittenbring Jörg Thomas , Neumann Frank , Altmann Bettina , Achenbach Marina , Reichrath Jörg , Ziepert Marita , Geisel Jürgen , Regitz Evi , Held Gerhard , Pfreundschuh Michael 
Published: August 2014

Purpose To investigate the impact and mechanisms of vitamin D deficiency (VDD) on the outcome of elderly patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Patients and Methods Three hundred fifty-nine pretreatment 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 (25[OH]D3) serum levels from the RICOVER-60 study (Six Versus Eight Cycles of Biweekly CHOP-14 With or Without Rituximab in Elderly Patients With Aggressive CD20+ B-Cell Lymphomas) and 63 from the RICOVER-noRTh study (an amendment to the RICOVER-60 study in which patients received six cycles of cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone administered at an interval of 2 weeks plus two cycles of rituximab [R-CHOP-14], but without radiotherapy) were determined by chemoluminescent immunoassay. Rituximab-mediated cellular cytotoxicity (RMCC) was assessed by lactate dehydrogenase release assay of CD20+ Daudi cells. Results RICOVER-60 patients with VDD (≤ 8 ng/mL) and vitamin D levels more than 8 ng/mL treated with rituximab had 3-year event-free survival (EFS) of 59% and 79% and 3-year overall survival (OS) of 70% and 82%, respectively. These differences were significant in a multivariable analysis adjusting for International Prognostic Index risk factors with a hazard ratio (HR) of 2.1 (P = .008) for EFS and 1.9 (P = .040) for OS. EFS was not significantly different in patients with vitamin D levels ≤ 8 or more than 8 ng/mL (HR, 1.2; P = .388) treated without rituximab. This was confirmed in an independent validation set of 63 RICOVER-noRTh patients. RMCC increased significantly (P < .001) in seven of seven individuals with VDD after substitution and normalization of their vitamin D levels. Conclusion VDD is a risk factor for elderly patients with DLBCL treated with R-CHOP. That VDD impairs RMCC and substitution improves RMCC strongly suggests that vitamin D substitution enhances rituximab efficacy, which must be confirmed in appropriately designed prospective trials addressing VDD and substitution not only in DLBCL, but also in malignancies treated with other antibodies, of which the major mechanism of action is antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (eg, trastuzumab in breast cancer and cetuximab in colorectal cancer).
Serum Androgen Levels in Elite Female Athletes
Authors: Bermon Stéphane , Garnier Pierre Yves , Hirschberg Angelica Lindén , Robinson Neil , Giraud Sylvain , Nicoli Raul , Baume Norbert , Saugy Martial , Fénichel Patrick , Bruce Stephen J. , Henry Hugues , Dollé Gabriel , Ritzen Martin 
Published: August 2014

Objective:
Prior to the implementation of the blood steroidal module of the Athlete Biological Passport, we measured the serum androgen levels among a large population of high-level female athletes as well as the prevalence of biochemical hyperandrogenism and some disorders of sex development (DSD).

Methods and Results:
In 849 elite female athletes, serum T, dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate, androstenedione, SHBG, and gonadotrophins were measured by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry high resolution or immunoassay. Free T was calculated. The sampling hour, age, and type of athletic event only had a small influence on T concentration, whereas ethnicity had not. Among the 85.5% that did not use oral contraceptives, 168 of 717 athletes were oligo- or amenorrhoic. The oral contraceptive users showed the lowest serum androgen and gonadotrophin and the highest SHBG concentrations. After having removed five doped athletes and five DSD women from our population, median T and free T values were close to those reported in sedentary young women. The 99th percentile for T concentration was calculated at 3.08 nmol/L, which is below the 10 nmol/L threshold used for competition eligibility of hyperandrogenic women with normal androgen sensitivity. Prevalence of hyperandrogenic 46 XY DSD in our athletic population is approximately 7 per 1000, which is 140 times higher than expected in the general population.

Conclusion:
This is the first study to establish normative serum androgens values in elite female athletes, while taking into account the possible influence of menstrual status, oral contraceptive use, type of athletic event, and ethnicity. These findings should help to develop the blood steroidal module of the Athlete Biological Passport and to refine more evidence-based fair policies and recommendations concerning hyperandrogenism in female athletes.
Parathyroid Hormone 1–84 Alters Circulating Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Levels in Hypoparathyroidism
Authors: Cusano Natalie E. , Rubin Mishaela R. , Zhang Chiyuan , Anderson Laura , Levy Elizabeth , Costa Aline G. , Irani Dinaz , Bilezikian John P. 
Published: August 2014

AbstractContext:We previously reported on four patients treated with PTH(1–84) who recovered from postoperative hypoparathyroidism many years after onset. Because vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) has been shown to be necessary for the induction of PTH-mediated angiogenesis, we postulated a possible role for VEGF in the recovery of parathyroid function in these subjects.Objective:Our objective was to measure VEGF levels in subjects with hypoparathyroidism who regained parathyroid gland function and matched controls.Setting and Design:Subjects with hypoparathyroidism who regained parathyroid gland function were each matched to two hypoparathyroid controls by postoperative etiology, age (within 5 y), menopausal status, and duration of hypoparathyroidism. We measured serum VEGF levels at baseline and through 48 months of PTH(1–84) therapy.Results:VEGF levels increased after the initiation of PTH(1–84) therapy for the entire cohort, from 309.7 ± 162 pg/ml at baseline to 380.2 ± 178 pg/ml at 12 months (P = .03). Levels trended downward thereafter. There were no significant differences in VEGF levels between the subjects with recovery of parathyroid function and the matched controls.Conclusions:PTH(1–84) alters serum VEGF levels in subjects with hypoparathyroidism. Additional investigation is necessary to understand the mechanisms by which some subjects with postoperative hypoparathyroidism recover parathyroid gland function.
Causes of elective surgery cancellation and theatre throughput efficiency in an Australian urology unit
Authors: Keller Andrew , Ashrafi Akbar , Ali Ahmad 
Published: August 2014

Objective:To evaluate our unit’s theatre throughput efficiency, to identify where inefficiencies existed and consequently where the greatest improvement might be made.To identify the causes of day of surgery cancellations and how they might be avoided. Patients and Methods:A prospective audit of theatre utilisation was undertaken over a 6 month period between 05/02//2013 and 02/08/2013 at Ipswich General Hospital, QLD, Australia.Times collected were: time of patient arrival in anaesthetic bay, start time of operative procedure, end time of operative procedure, and time of patient leaving theatre.The causative factors for any delays or day of surgery cancellations were identified and recorded where possible. Results:In the six month period 26,850 sessional minutes were available for elective operating over 100 operating sessions.304 elective cases were performed, split between 21 major and 283 minor proceduresThe sessions ran overtime a cumulative 2114 minutes.Total non-operative minutes totalled 13,209 (50.3% of all available time), split between late starts 499 minutes (1.8%), early list finishes 1894 minutes (7.05%), changeover time 1869 minutes (6.9%) and anaesthetic time, 8974 minutes (33.4%)Actual operating time only compromised 50.7% of all available elective operating session time (13,614 minutes)Theatre utilisation was 91.8%.51 procedures were cancelled on the day of surgery during the audit period, representing 14.3% of all scheduled procedures.The most common reason for cancellation was lack of surgical fitness, followed by inadequate operative time. Conclusion: A significant proportion of all elective operative time was consumed by non-operative minutes.Inefficiencies existed in turnover of patients as well as over as well as underbooking of patients on elective lists.An excessive number of cases were cancelled on the day of surgery, wasting valuable operative time.A multi-parametric approach must be taken to improve operation list utilisation.
The Carbon Impacts of Wood Products
Authors: Bergman Richard D. , Puettmann Maureen , Taylor Adam , Skog Kenneth E. 
Published: August 2014

Abstract
Wood products have many environmental advantages over nonwood alternatives. Documenting and publicizing these merits helps the future competitiveness of wood when climate change impacts are being considered. The manufacture of wood products requires less fossil fuel than nonwood alternative building materials such as concrete, metals, or plastics. By nature, wood is composed of carbon that is captured from the atmosphere during tree growth. These two effects—substitution and sequestration—are why the carbon impact of wood products is favorable. This article shows greenhouse gas emission savings for a range of wood products by comparing (1) net wood product carbon emissions from forest cradle–to–mill output gate minus carbon storage over product use life with (2) cradle-to-gate carbon emissions for substitute nonwood products. The study assumes sustainable forest management practices will be used for the duration of the time for the forest to regrow completely from when the wood was removed for product production during harvesting. The article describes how the carbon impact factors were developed for wood products such as framing lumber, flooring, moulding, and utility poles. Estimates of carbon emissions saved per unit of wood product used are based on the following: (1) gross carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from wood product production, (2) CO2 from biofuels combusted and used for energy during manufacturing, (3) carbon stored in the final product, and (4) fossil CO2 emissions from the production of nonwood alternatives. The results show notable carbon emissions savings when wood products are used in constructing buildings in place of nonwood alternatives.