bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Anatomical Variations of the Flexor Hallucis Longus and Flexor Digitorum Longus in the Chiasma Plantare
Authors: Plaass Christian , Abuharbid Ghassan , Waizy Hazibullah , Ochs Matthias , Stukenborg-Colsman Christina , Schmiedl Andreas 
Published: June 2013

Background: The flexor hallucis longus (FHL) and flexor digitorum longus (FDL) tendon are routinely used in reconstructive foot and ankle surgery. The tendons cross in the chiasma plantare and show variable interconnections. This can complicate harvesting of the tendons. Previous anatomical studies were inconclusive and did not reference the connections to surgically relevant landmarks. The purpose of this study was to integrate these conflicting results, introduce a thorough classification system, and analyze the position of the interconnections relative to the surgically relevant bone landmarks. Methods: Sixty embalmed feet of 30 cadavers were analyzed anatomically with respect to the individual cross-links in the planta pedis. All feet were photo documented. The interconnections were classified in a modified classification system and distances to surgically relevant anatomic landmarks measured. Results: A proximal to distal connection from the FHL to the FDL was found in 95% of the feet (types I and III), in 3% there was a proximal to distal connection from the FDL to the FHL (type II) tendon only, and in 30% a crossed connection (type III) was found. The average point of branching of the FHL and FDL tendon was 5.3 and 4.6 cm distal to the medial malleolus, respectively. Conclusion: Our modified classification system accommodated all found variations. In over 90% of the feet, a proximal to distal connection from the FHL to the FDL was found, which might contribute to the residual function of the lesser toes after FDL transfer. Clinical Relevance: The exact knowledge of the anatomy of the crossing of FDL and FHL in the plantar foot is essential to facilitate tendon harvesting, reduce morbidity and explain possible postoperative functional loss.
The experience of chronic illness among a group of Irish patients: a qualitative study
Authors: Mahon Grainne , O’Brien Brid , O’Conor Larry 
Published: June 2013

Aim This paper reports a study that explored the experience of people living with chronic illness among a group of Irish patients. Background Chronic conditions affect the lives of millions of people around the world. Understanding their experience and how they cope with chronic illness can help nurses develop appropriate plans for their patients. To date no study on the experience of chronic illness in Ireland was found. Design A qualitative descriptive design using focus group interviews was used in this study. Method Two focus group interviews with a convenient sample of 19 people with chronic illness were carried out and data collection took place in 2008. Findings/results Although the participants’ chronic conditions were varied, a number of common themes were evident from their narratives. These were: ‘a sense of loss’, ‘feelings of anger and frustration’, ‘uncertainty and stress’ and ‘adapting to a new life’. Financial loss and the fragmented nature of health care for people with chronic illness were particularly felt by this group of Irish participants. Conclusion It was clear that chronic illness affected their physical, psychological and social lives. They identified a number of personal losses, but felt strongly that they had to continue to make changes in their lives as they struggled to adapt to a new life. The contribution of partners and family members were crucial in this process of adaptation. Service providers need to assess the extent to which their services meet the needs of people with chronic illness in an integrated way.
Functional Outcome of Percutaneous Achilles Repair
Authors: Carmont Michael R. , Silbernagel Karin Grävare , Edge Antonia , Mei-Dan Omer , Karlsson Jón , Maffulli Nicola 
Published: June 2013

Background: Randomized studies have so far failed to show a difference in outcome between operative and nonoperative management of Achilles tendon rupture, provided that no rerupture occurs. Percutaneous Achilles repair has been suggested to result in superior patient satisfaction compared with open repair in patients with an acute Achilles tendon rupture, but there are no outcome data available with validated methods describing the progression of recovery during the first year. Purpose: To evaluate the outcome of patients with a ruptured Achilles tendon, managed by percutaneous repair, during the first year following repair with a valid, reliable, and responsive outcome measure. Furthermore, the effects of time between injury and surgery, age, and complications on outcome were also evaluated. Study design: Case series. Methods: A total of 73 patients (60 males and 13 females) with a mean age of 45.5 years were included. Patient age, length of time between injury and surgery, and complications were documented. Patients were evaluated using the Achilles tendon Total Rupture Score (ATRS) at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months following repair. Results: The median ATRS results at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months were 42.5, 73, 83, and 89, respectively. The number of patients who reported excellent or good scores (ATRS >84) at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months were 3%, 36%, 57%, and 69%, respectively. There were no significant differences in outcome at each time point for those patients undergoing early (≤48 hours) compared with late surgery or between those <65 and those >65 years of age. The complication rate was 13.5%. Patients who had a complication had a lower ATRS result at 3 months following surgery, but there were no differences after that time point. Conclusion: The patients in the present study reported marked improvement in function between 3 and 6 months following surgery, with continuing but less steep improvement up to 1 year following surgery. The presence of a complication other than rerupture did not affect the end-stage outcome but did affect that at 3 months following surgery. Clinical Relevance: This study demonstrates improving scores with time over the first year following surgery, against which other treatment methods can be compared.
The supernatural protector of Constantinople: the Virgin and her icons in the tradition of the Avar siege
Authors: Pentcheva Bissera V. 
Published: June 2013

AbstractPrevious scholarship has maintained that icons of the Virgin were carried in procession during the Avar siege of Constantinople in A.D. 626. Based on a close reading of the primary sources from the seventh to the fourteenth centuries, this paper will argue in contrast that a tight linkage between Marian icons and protection of the Byzantine capital did not occur until after Iconoclasm. The larger implications of this conclusion concern the evolution of the cult of the Virgin in Constantinople from its initial focus on relics to a cult centered on icons and icon processions as it emerged in the second half of the tenth century.
Dünya Güzeli: Cavafy’s folkloric Odalisque
Authors: Jeffreys Peter 
Published: June 2013

AbstractCavafy’s overlooked poem ‘Dünya Güzeli’ reflects the seminal influence of folklore on the early writings of the poet, an influence which significantly shaped the contours of the Cavafy canon. The poem is a sophisticated attempt to synthesize the flourishing discourse of λαογραφία with the fashionable literary and painterly trends of Orientalism. It thus warrants a fuller appreciation as a complex text that documents Cavafy’s emerging craft and anticipates his poetic hybridisation of East and West which finds its fullest expression in Cavafy’s Orientalising Hellenism.
Two Cambridge Orientalists on Athos
Authors: Martin Michael E. 
Published: June 2013

AbstractThis essay considers the accounts of Athos by Joseph Dacre Carlyle, who visited Athos in 1801, and by John Palmer who was there four years later. The men were successive holders of the chair of Arabic at Cambridge. The study examines some of their impressions of Athos and compares their experiences with the well-known account of Philip Hunt who was Carlyle’s travelling companion. Appendices give tables of the numbers of monks in the Athonite houses; Palmer’s expenses; and a brief discussion of some related documents.
Folklore: An Obituary?
Authors: Alexiou Margaret 
Published: June 2013

“As the archaeology of our thought easily shows, man is an invention of recent date. And one perhaps nearing its end” (M. FOUCAULT).With the minor substitution of ‘folk’ for ‘man’, Foucault’s comment on the discipline of anthropology, which concludes his Order of Things (1970: 387), provides an appropriate starting-point for a reappraisal of the present state and future prospects of Greek folklore studies. Kyriakidou-Nestoros (1978) and Herzfeld (1982) have already charted, from different perspectives, the major developments since the turn of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. It is the intention of this paper to raise a series of questions relevant to folklore as an academic discipline in order to clarify some of the central issues, both theoretical and practical. First, what is folklore, and who are the folk? Why has it occupied such a prominent place in both the intellectual life and the educational system of Greece? Second, what factors have shaped its direction? Which features does Greek folklore share with European folklore, and which are peculiar? Third, what role can it play during the last decades of the twentieth century, when the very foundation of traditional life — the village community — is being rapidly eroded by the process of urbanisation and by the mechanisation of agriculture? Will it cease to exist except as an antiquarian pastime, just as in the many centuries prior to its ‘invention’? And finally, how can the relationship between ‘folk’ and ‘art’ culture be defined in the present Greek context? How can folklore be related to other disciplines, such as mythology, anthropology, literary history and criticism, history and sociology?
Flt-1 in colorectal cancer cells is required for the tumor invasive effect of placental growth factor through a p38-MMP9 pathway
Authors: Wei Shu-Chen , Tsao Po-Nien , Weng Meng-Tzu , Cao Zhifang , Wong Jau-Min 
Published: June 2013

Abstract

Background
Placenta growth factor (PlGF), a dimeric glycoprotein with 53% homology to VEGF, binds to VEGF receptor-1 (Flt-1), but not to VEGF receptor-2 (Flk-1), and may function by modulating VEGF activity. We previously have showed that PlGF displays prognostic value in colorectal cancer (CRC) but the mechanism remains elucidated.

Results
Overexpression of PlGF increased the invasive/migration ability and decreased apoptosis in CRC cells showing Flt-1 expression. Increased migration was associated with increasing MMP9 via p38 MAPK activation. Tumors grew faster, larger; with higher vascularity from PlGF over-expression cells in xenograft assay. In two independent human CRC tissue cohorts, PlGF, MMP9, and Flt-1 expressions were higher in the advanced than the localized disease group. PlGF expression correlated with MMP9, and Flt-1 expression. CRC patients with high PlGF and high Flt-1 expression in tissue had poor prognosis.

Conclusion
PlGF/Flt-1 signaling plays an important role in CRC progression, blocking PlGF/Flt-1 signaling maybe an alternative therapy for CRC.
The relationship between training status, blood pressure and uric acid in adults and elderly
Authors: Trapé Atila Alexandre , Jacomini André Mourão , Muniz Jaqueline Jóice , Sertorio Jonas Tadeu Cau , Tanus-Santos José Eduardo , do Amaral Sandra Lia , Zago Anderson Saranz 
Published: June 2013

Abstract

Background
Hypertension can be generated by a great number of mechanisms including elevated uric acid (UA) that contribute to the anion superoxide production. However, physical exercise is recommended to prevent and/or control high blood pressure (BP). The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between BP and UA and whether this relationship may be mediated by the functional fitness index.

Methods
All participants (n = 123) performed the following tests: indirect maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max), AAHPERD Functional Fitness Battery Test to determine the general fitness functional index (GFFI), systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP and DBP), body mass index (BMI) and blood sample collection to evaluate the total-cholesterol (CHOL), LDL-cholesterol (LDL-c), HDL-cholesterol (HDL-c), triglycerides (TG), uric acid (UA), nitrite (NO2) and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (T-BARS). After the physical, hemodynamic and metabolic evaluations, all participants were allocated into three groups according to their GFFI: G1 (regular), G2 (good) and G3 (very good).

Results
Baseline blood pressure was higher in G1 when compared to G3 (+12% and +11%, for SBP and DBP, respectively, p<0.05) and the subjects who had higher values of BP also presented higher values of UA. Although UA was not different among GFFI groups, it presented a significant correlation with GFFI and VO2max. Also, nitrite concentration was elevated in G3 compared to G1 (140±29 μM vs 111± 29 μM, for G3 and G1, respectively, p<0.0001). As far as the lipid profile, participants in G3 presented better values of CHOL and TG when compared to those in G1.

Conclusions
Taking together the findings that subjects with higher BP had elevated values of UA and lower values of nitrite, it can be suggested that the relationship between blood pressure and the oxidative stress produced by acid uric may be mediated by training status.
Question-writing as a learning tool for students – outcomes from curricular exams
Authors: Jobs Alexander , Twesten Christoph , Göbel Anna , Bonnemeier Hendrik , Lehnert Hendrik , Weitz Gunther 
Published: June 2013

AbstractBackgroundWriting exam questions can be a valuable learning tool. We asked students to construct multiple choice questions for curricular exams in Internal Medicine. The questions for the particular exams were chosen from a pool of at least 300 student-written questions. The uncorrected pool was accessible to all students. We studied the influence of this approach on the students’ learning habits and their test results. We hypothesized that creating a pool of their own questions for the exams could encourage students to discuss the learning material.MethodsAll students had to pass 4 exams in 7 fields of Internal Medicine. Three exams were comprised of 20 questions, and we applied the new method in one of these exams. The fourth exam was comprised of 30 questions, 15 of which were chosen from a students’ pool. After all exams had been completed we asked the students to fill in a web-based questionnaire on their learning habits and their views on the new approach. The test-results were compared to the results of the lecturers’ questions that defined high and low performing students.ResultsA total of 102 students completed all four exams in a row, 68 of whom filled in the questionnaire. Low performing students achieved significantly better results in the students’ questions. There was no difference in the number of constructed questions between both groups of students. The new method did not promote group work significantly. However, high performing students stated a stronger wish to be rewarded by good performance.ConclusionsCreating a curricular exam by choosing questions from a pool constructed by students did not influence the learning habits significantly and favored low performing students. Since the high performing students sought to be rewarded for their efforts, we do not consider the approach applied in our study to be appropriate.
Id4 deficiency attenuates prostate development and promotes PIN-like lesions by regulating androgen receptor activity and expression of NKX3.1 and PTEN
Authors: Sharma Pankaj , Knowell Ashley Evans , Chinaranagari Swathi , Komaragiri Shravan , Nagappan Peri , Patel Divya , Havrda Mathew C , Chaudhary Jaideep 
Published: June 2013

Abstract

Background
Inhibitor of differentiation 4 (Id4), a member of the helix-loop-helix family of transcriptional regulators has emerged as a tumor suppressor in prostate cancer. Id4 is expressed in the normal prostate where its expression is also regulated by androgens. In this study we investigated the effect of loss of Id4 (Id4-/-) on adult prostate morphology.

Methods
Histological analysis was performed on prostates from 6-8 weeks old Id4-/-, Id4+/- and Id4+/+ mice. Expression of Id1, Sox9, Myc, androgen receptor, Akt, p-Akt, Pten and Nkx3.1 was investigated by immunohistochemistry. Androgen receptor binding on NKX3.1 promoter was studied by chromatin immuno-precipitation. Id4 was either over-expressed or silenced in prostate cancer cell lines DU145 and LNCaP respectively followed by analysis of PTEN, NKX3.1 and Sox9 expression.

Results
Id4-/- mice had smaller prostates with fewer tubules, smaller tubule diameters and subtle mPIN like lesions. Levels of androgen receptor were similar between wild type and Id4-/- prostate. Decreased NKX3.1 expression was in part due to decreased androgen receptor binding on NKX3.1 promoter in Id4-/- mice. The increase in the expression of Myc, Sox9, Id1, Ki67 and decrease in the expression of PTEN, Akt and phospho-AKT was associated with subtle mPIN like lesions in Id4-/- prostates. Finally, prostate cancer cell line models in which Id4 was either silenced or over-expressed confirmed that Id4 regulates NKX3.1, Sox9 and PTEN.

Conclusions
Our results suggest that loss of Id4 attenuates normal prostate development and promotes hyperplasia/dysplasia with subtle mPIN like lesions characterized by gain of Myc and Id1 and loss of Nkx3.1 and Pten expression. One of the mechanisms by which Id4 may regulate normal prostate development is through regulating androgen receptor binding to respective response elements such as those on NKX3.1 promoter. In spite of these complex alterations, large neoplastic lesions in Id4-/- prostates were not observed suggesting the possibility of mechanisms/pathways such as loss of Akt that could restrain the formation of significant pre-cancerous lesions.
GSM: gateway selection mechanism for strengthening inter-cluster coordination in cognitive radio ad hoc networks
Authors: ul Hasan Najam , Ejaz Waleed , Manzoor Kamran , Kim Hyung Seok 
Published: June 2013

Abstract
In the open access spectrum paradigm, the dynamics of the available spectrum heterogeneity due to the geographical location of various cognitive radio/secondary users (SUs) and primary users (PUs) prevent the assignment of a single common control channel to every SU. Thus, depending on channel availability, SUs are forced to form clusters to solve the problem of control channel assignment. However, the sudden appearance of a PU may lead to loss of intra-cluster or inter-cluster connectivity among SUs. This problem can be resolved by improving the cluster formation process and selecting suitable gateway nodes for inter-cluster coordination. In this paper, our goal is to improve inter-cluster connectivity by selecting more appropriate gateway nodes for inter-cluster coordination. We therefore propose an inter-cluster gateway node selection mechanism that strengthens inter-cluster coordination. Our scheme shows significant improvement in terms of inter-cluster connectivity compared with related work.
Live-virus exposure of vaccine-protected macaques alters the anti-HIV-1 antibody repertoire in the absence of viremia
Authors: Bachler Barbara C , Humbert Michael , Lakhashe Samir K , Rasmussen Robert A , Ruprecht Ruth M 
Published: June 2013

AbstractBackgroundWe addressed the question whether live-virus challenges could alter vaccine-induced antibody (Ab) responses in vaccinated rhesus macaques (RMs) that completely resisted repeated exposures to R5-tropic simian-human immunodeficiency viruses encoding heterologous HIV clade C envelopes (SHIV-Cs).ResultsWe examined the Ab responses in aviremic RMs that had been immunized with a multi-component protein vaccine (multimeric HIV-1 gp160, HIV-1 Tat and SIV Gag-Pol particles) and compared anti-Env plasma Ab titers before and after repeated live-virus exposures. Although no viremia was ever detected in these animals, they showed significant increases in anti-gp140 Ab titers after they had encountered live SHIVs. When we investigated the dynamics of anti-Env Ab titers during the immunization and challenge phases further, we detected the expected, vaccine-induced increases of Ab responses about two weeks after the last protein immunization. Remarkably, these titers kept rising during the repeated virus challenges, although no viremia resulted. In contrast, in vaccinated RMs that were not exposed to virus, anti-gp140 Ab titers declined after the peak seen two weeks after the last immunization. These data suggest boosting of pre-existing, vaccine-induced Ab responses as a consequence of repeated live-virus exposures. Next, we screened polyclonal plasma samples from two of the completely protected vaccinees by peptide phage display and designed a strategy that selects for recombinant phages recognized only by Abs presentafter– but not before – any SHIV challenge. With this “subtractive biopanning” approach, we isolated V3 mimotopes that were only recognized after the animals had been exposed to live virus. By detailed epitope mapping of such anti-V3 Ab responses, we showed that the challenges not only boosted pre-existing binding and neutralizing Ab titers, but also induced Abs targeting neo-antigens presented by the heterologous challenge virus.ConclusionsAnti-Env Ab responses induced by recombinant protein vaccination were altered by the multiple, live SHIV challenges in vaccinees that had no detectable viral loads. These data may have implications for the interpretation of “vaccine only” responses in clinical vaccine trials.