bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Reduced port laparoscopic gastrectomy: A review, techniques, and perspective
Authors: Inaki Noriyuki 
Published: December 2014

AbstractReduced port laparoscopic surgery has been used increasingly. It is a concept that has grown out of the various efforts aimed at minimally invasive surgery, with SILS being the ultimate reduced port technique. Reduced port laparoscopic surgery has been used to perform sleeve gastrectomy in bariatric surgery and excision of benign gastric submucosal tumor, applications that generally do not require lymph node dissection or complicated reconstruction. It can be done safely, result in a permanent cure, and offer good cosmetic outcomes. Reduced port laparoscopic surgery for gastric cancer has a short history, and its usefulness has not yet been fully established. This review describes the present situation and challenges faced as well as standardized procedures and the future prospects of reduced port laparoscopic gastrectomy for gastric cancer, which my team performs almost daily. These aspects of reduced port laparoscopic surgery are presented in light of the literature.
Huntington's Disease (HD): Neurodegeneration of Brodmann's Primary Visual Area 17 (BA17)
Authors: Rüb Udo , Seidel Kay , Vonsattel Jean Paul , Lange Herwig W. , Eisenmenger Wolfgang , Götz Monika , Del Turco Domenico , Bouzrou Mohamed , Korf Horst‐Werner , Heinsen Helmut 
Published: December 2014

AbstractHuntington's disease (HD), an autosomal dominantly inherited polyglutamine or CAG repeat disease along with somatomotor, oculomotor, psychiatric and cognitive symptoms, presents clinically with impairments of elementary and complex visual functions as well as altered visual‐evoked potentials (VEPs). Previous volumetric and pathoanatomical post‐mortem investigations pointed to an involvement of Brodmann's primary visual area 17 (BA17) in HD. Because the involvement of BA17 could be interpreted as an early onset brain neurodegeneration, we further characterized this potential primary cortical site of HD‐related neurodegeneration neuropathologically and performed an unbiased estimation of the absolute nerve cell number in thick gallocyanin‐stained frontoparallel tissue sections through the striate area of seven control individuals and seven HD patients using Cavalieri's principle for volume and the optical disector for nerve and glial cell density estimations. This investigation showed a reduction of the estimated absolute nerve cell number of BA17 in the HD patients (71 044 037 ± 12 740 515 nerve cells) of 32% in comparison with the control individuals (104 075 067 ± 9 424 491 nerve cells) (Mann–Whitney U‐test; P < 0.001). Additional pathoanatomical studies showed that nerve cell loss was most prominent in the outer pyramidal layer III, the inner granular layers IVa and IVc as well as in the multiform layer VI of BA17 of the HD patients. Our neuropathological results in BA17 confirm and extend previous post‐mortem, biochemical and in vivo neuroradiological HD findings and offer suitable explanations for the elementary and complex visual dysfunctions, as well as for the altered VEP observed in HD patients.
Evolving structure of governments: Portfolio adoption across the Canadian provinces from 1867–2012
Authors: Lawlor Andrea , Lewis J.P. 
Published: December 2014

AbstractBased on work by Moon and Sayers on the assignment of ministerial portfolios in Australia, we use a new dataset on portfolio adoption across all ten Canadian provinces and the federal government from 1867–2012. This data set when analyzed shows four distinct patterns of portfolio adoption that point to key motivations behind the development of new portfolios. We show that much of the common wisdom fails to explain portfolio creation but that patterns of development may be better explained by a new typology. The work attempts to fill a gap in the understudied area of Canadian ministerial portfolios and comparative provincial politics.
Asymmetric decentralization of the administration of public safety in the Canadian federal political system
Authors: Hataley Todd , Leuprecht Christian 
Published: December 2014

AbstractCanada's federal political system has to reconcile differences over the balance between shared rule and self‐rule concerning two bedrock principles of the constitutional government: the rule of law and democratic oversight of the exercise of the power of the state to ensure that it is not usurped. The hallmark of the administration of multilevel security governance in Canada is horizontal and vertical differentiation of diverse territorial and non‐territorial community values, preferences, interests and values has given rise to the asymmetric decentralization. This article maps the historical and constitutional roots, and then draws on examples in a survey of its institutional structure across three levels of government. It concludes by discussing the governance challenges that shared sovereignty and mismatched jurisdictional authorities pose for the effective and efficient provision of public safety in Canada.
Endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy and obstructive sleep apnoea: the effects and outcomes of continuous positive airway pressure therapy
Authors: Ali Mohammad J , Psaltis Alkis J , Murphy Jae , Wormald Peter John 
Published: December 2014

AbstractBackgroundThis study aims to assess the effects and outcomes of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy for obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) in patients who have undergone endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy (DCR).DesignRetrospective series in a university setting.ParticipantsA total of 205 consecutive patients were included in this study.MethodsA 10‐year retrospective review was performed of 205 consecutive patients who had undergone powered endoscopic DCR for nasolacrimal duct obstruction. Patient notes were reviewed for demographic, clinical and surgical information. In addition, all patients were contacted and asked to complete a standardized telephone survey relating to OSA, CPAP use and associated symptoms.Main Outcome MeasureEffects of CPAP following DCR.ResultsTen of the 205 patients undergoing DCR were identified to use CPAP for obstructive sleep apnoea. Eight patients were initiated on a nasal device, while two used a full‐face mask. The mean CPAP pressures were 8 cm H20 (range: 6–10 cm H20). Eighty per cent (8/10) of patients complained of symptoms from the use of their CPAP following DCR. The most commonly described symptom was that of air regurgitation in 70% of patients followed by ophthalmic symptoms in 60% (6/10). 50% (5/10) of patients discontinued their CPAP as a consequence of their symptoms with 20% (2/10) discontinuing because of intolerable ophthalmic symptoms.ConclusionSymptoms from CPAP use post‐endoscopic DCR are a common occurrence and may contribute to poor compliance with CPAP therapy. Detailed preoperative counseling with regards to CPAP use and its effects should be mandatory in known or at risk OSA patients undergoing DCR.
Adventures in Infrastructure: Making an African Hub in Paris
Authors: KLEINMAN JULIE 
Published: December 2014

AbstractBased on ethnographic research at one of the largest transit hubs in the world—Paris's Gare du Nord railway station—this article examines how the practices of West African migrants transform the French urban environment. I argue that migrants create social ties outside of kin and village networks by rerouting and combining the channels of two types of infrastructures: French transportation systems and West African systems of exchange and obligation. While this infrastructural practice relies on a shared cultural repertoire, it also helps create new channels that circumvent the pathways for social becoming prescribed by either the French state or their home communities. The Gare du Nord as a social environment shapes these practices but is also reshaped by them, a process I illuminate by examining how the station becomes an African hub: not an enclave of “Little Africa” but rather a node of communication and exchange. This process sheds light on how strategies for creating relations across difference and through infrastructure form transnational communities in urban spaces. [West Africa, Paris, migration, railway, transnationalism]
Kriolu Scenes in Lisbon: Where Migration Experiences and Housing Policy Meet
Authors: PARDUE DEREK 
Published: December 2014

AbstractSince the early 1990s, the Lisbon housing authorities have targeted “improvised” neighborhoods (e.g., poorly serviced neighborhoods with limited infrastructure) for removal or renewal into housing projects called “social” neighborhoods. Many of the neighborhoods undergoing transition are inhabited by Kriolu‐speaking Portuguese of Cape Verdean descent. I analyze residents' responses to these changes, particularly the responses of young male rappers. My analysis reveals that rap music in these transforming neighborhoods is a means for making “Kriolu scenes”—expressions highlighting Cape Verdeans' experiences of Portuguese colonialism, postcolonialism, marginalization due to language and race, and now urban displacement. They are also expressions of belonging and cultural citizenship, and exercises of emplacement within the changing city. Kriolu scenes highlight an important but underappreciated role that language plays in shaping urban space. Methodologically, I draw from archival research, fieldwork in Lisbon neighborhoods, and interviews with local rappers of Cape Verdean descent.
Impact of placement and restoration timing on single‐implant esthetic outcome – a randomized clinical trial
Authors: Rieder Dominik , Eggert Jochen , Krafft Tim , Weber Hans‐Peter , Wichmann Manfred G. , Heckmann Siegfried M. 
Published: December 2014

AbstractAimThe objective of this randomized clinical trial was to investigate the influence of the time of implant placement (immediate vs. early) and the time of restoration (immediate vs. early) on esthetic outcome in maxillary anterior single implants.Material and methodsForty‐eight patients with a single failing incisor in the maxilla and a natural contralateral site were randomly distributed into four groups. Treatment variations affected the time of implant placement (immediate or early) as well as the time of restoration (immediate or early) – in detail, group 1a with immediate implant placement and immediate temporary restoration, group 1b with immediate implant placement and early restoration, group 2a with early implant placement and immediate temporary restoration, and group 2b with early implant placement and early restoration. All patients received the final prosthetic restoration 10–12 weeks after implant placement. Standardized photographs were taken eight months after tooth extraction. Five competent observers analyzed the esthetic outcome according to the PES after Fürhauser. For statistical analysis, the Kruskal–Wallis test and Dunn's post hoc test were applied. Interobserver reliability was evaluated by Krippendorff's alpha.ResultsThe overall scores of the four treatment groups revealed PES values of 8.47 (SD 2.08, group 1a), 7.93 (SD 3.21, group 1b), 6.62 (SD 3.24, group 2a), and 8.10 (SD 3.25, group 2b). The differences between groups 2a and 1a and between groups 2a and 2b were statistically significant (P = 0.015 and P = 0.047). The single parameter analysis displayed a certain range of fluctuation and heterogeneity.ConclusionsImmediate implant placement and restoration appear to be a viable alternative to early implant placement if an experienced surgeon is entrusted with the implantation procedure.
Riluzole is a Promising Pharmacological Inhibitor of Bilirubin‐Induced Excitotoxicity in the Ventral Cochlear Nucleus
Authors: Han Guo‐Ying , Li Chun‐Yan , Shi Hai‐Bo , Wang Ji‐Ping , Su Kai‐Ming , Yin Xin‐Lu , Yin Shan‐Kai 
Published: December 2014

SummaryBackground and purposeBilirubin encephalopathy as a result of hyperbilirubinemia is a devastating neurological disorder that occurs mostly in the neonatal period. To date, no effective drug treatment is available. Glutamate‐mediated excitotoxicity is likely an important factor causing bilirubin encephalopathy. Thus, drugs suppressing the overrelease of glutamate may protect the brain against bilirubin excitotoxicity. Riluzole is a prescription drug known for its antiglutamatergic function. This study was conducted in the rat's ventral cochlear nucleus, a structure highly sensitive to bilirubin toxicity, to find whether riluzole can be used to inhibit bilirubin toxicity.Experimental approachElectrophysiology changes were detected by perforated patch clamp technique. Calcium imaging using Rhod‐2‐AM as an indicator was used to study the intracellular calcium. Cell apoptosis and necrosis were measured by PI/Hoechst staining.Key resultsIn the absence of bilirubin, riluzole effectively decreased the frequency of spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic currents (sEPSCs) and suppressed neuronal firing but did not change the amplitude of sEPSC and glutamate‐activated currents (IGlu). Moreover, riluzole inhibited bilirubin‐induced increases in the frequency of sEPSC and neuronal firing. Riluzole could prevent the bilirubin‐induced increase in intracellular calcium, mediated by AMPA and NMDA receptors. Furthermore, riluzole significantly reduced bilirubin‐induced cell death.Conclusions and implicationsThese data suggest that riluzole can protect neurons in the ventral cochlear nucleus from bilirubin‐induced hyperexcitation and excitotoxicity through reducing presynaptic glutamate release.
Emergency management of traumatic dental injuries in 42 countries
Authors: Alnaggar Doaa , Andersson Lars 
Published: December 2014

AbstractAvailability and quality of emergency services for traumatic dental injuries (TDI) are important as the prognosis of TDI is decided at the place of accident or during the first hours after the injury has occurred.AimTo report how emergency services for TDI are provided in some places around the world.Subjects and methodsThis is a preliminary observational study of descriptive character. One‐hundred and three participants from 83 cities in 42 countries described the emergency services in their city by answering a questionnaire related to: (1) availability of advice per telephone at the place of the accident; (2) availability of emergency treatment resources at different times of the day; and; (3) assessment of competence level of the person carrying out the service. Answers and comments were scored with regard to availability and level of competence.Results62% of the participants were not satisfied with their current emergency services. 50% reported organized emergency telephone service always available. 43% of the advice given by phone was from professionals with dental training. An organized on‐call 24/7 service was available in 33%. Treatment of TDI within the first hour was available in 53%. A competent dentist was available in 40%. 56% reported compromised competency outside office hours. Places with a well‐organized system built on a well‐developed first‐line care managed by trauma‐trained general dentists, ideally on a 24/7 basis, supported by on‐call specialists outside office working hours, achieved the highest scores.ConclusionsWith all the limitations of a preliminary questionnaire study, we can conclude that there is a need to perform more comprehensive well‐designed studies in this field to understand more of the varying quality of emergency services worldwide. The major problem today seems to be related to limited availability and competence, especially outside office working hours.
A meta‐analysis of leaf‐cutting ant nest effects on soil fertility and plant performance
Authors: FARJI‐BRENER ALEJANDRO G. , WERENKRAUT VICTORIA 
Published: December 2014

1. Leaf‐cutting ants (LCAs) are considered as one of the most important agents of soil disturbances that affect vegetation patterns, but these assertions are based on isolated studies or anecdotal data. In this study, meta‐analysis techniques were used to quantitatively analyse the generality of these effects and determine some of their sources of variation.2. The results reveal the following: (i) LCA nest sites showed higher levels of soil fertility than control sites, but the key source of these nutrients is the refuse material rather than the nest soil itself; (ii) refuse material from external piles tended to be richer in nutrient content than refuse material from internal refuse chambers; (iii) nest sites from temperate habitats showed higher cation content than those located in tropical/subtropical habitats; and (iv) nest sites showed higher plant growth than adjacent non‐nest sites (especially if plants have access to the refuse) but similar plant density and plant richness.3. As LCAs improve nutrient availability in nest sites through the accumulation of refuse material, the location of the refuse will have a relevant role affecting vegetation. LCA species with external refuse dumps could benefit herbs, early vegetation stages and short‐living plants, whereas those with internal refuse chambers could benefit long‐living, large trees. However, the positive effect on individual plants does not extend to population and community levels. The foraging preferences of ants and the changes in microclimatic conditions around nests could act as selective ecological filters.4. As refuse material from external piles and nest sites in temperate habitats tend to show higher fertility than refuse material from internal nest chambers and nest sites in tropical/subtropical habitats, LCA species with external refuse dumps in temperate regions could be of particular relevance for nutrient cycling and vegetation patterns.
Small spermatophore size and reduced female fitness in an isolated butterfly population
Authors: DUPLOUY ANNE , HANSKI ILKKA 
Published: December 2014

1. The Glanville fritillary butterfly (Melitaea cinxiaL.) has a small population (Ne∼ 100) on the small island of Pikku Tytärsaari (PT) in the Gulf of Finland. The population has remained completely isolated for ∼100 generations, which has resulted in greatly reduced genetic variation and high genetic load (low fitness). In particular, females lay small egg clutches with a low egg‐hatching rate in comparison with a large reference population in the Åland Islands (ÅL).2. In the present study, to what extent egg clutch size and egg‐hatching rate are influenced by male population and spermatophore size was analysed.3. Spermatophore size increases with male body size, is smaller after the first mating, and is smaller in the small PT population. In the ÅL population but not in the PT population, the egg‐hatching rate increases with spermatophore size. The egg‐hatching rate of PT females is higher when mated with ÅL males than when mated with PT males (heterosis), but there is no such effect on clutch size. The clutch size of ÅL females is, however, reduced when mated with PT males.4. These results indicate that both male and female traits contribute to reduced reproductive fitness in the small isolated population.
A transcranial magnetic stimulation study on response activation and selection in spatial conflict
Authors: Bardi Lara , Schiff Sami , Basso Demis , Mapelli Daniela 
Published: December 2014

AbstractIn choice reaction tasks, subjects typically respond faster when the relative spatial positions of stimulus and response correspond than when they do not, even when spatial information is irrelevant to the task (e.g. in the Simon task). Cognitive models attribute the Simon effect to automatic response activation elicited by spatial information, which facilitates or competes with the controlled selection of the correct response as required by task demands. In the present study, we investigated the role of the dorsal premotor cortex (PMd) in response activation and selection during spatial conflict. We applied single‐pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to the PMd of the right and left hemispheres during the execution of a Simon task, at different times after the onset of the visual stimulus. The results showed that TMS produced a different effect on subjects' performance in two separate time windows. When TMS was applied at an early time [160‐ms stimulus onset asynchrony (SOA)], we observed suppression of the Simon effect, resulting from a delay of corresponding trials. When TMS was applied at a late time (220 and 250‐ms SOA), we observed an increase in the Simon effect, resulting from a delay of non‐corresponding trials. These outcomes revealed that the PMd is involved both in the activation of the spatially triggered response and in response selection during spatial conflict.
Genetic differentiation and recombination among geographic populations of the fungal pathogen Colletotrichum truncatum from chili peppers in China
Authors: Diao Yongzhao , Zhang Can , Xu Jianping , Lin Dong , Liu Li , Mtung'e Olivo G. , Liu Xili 
Published: December 2014

AbstractColletotrichum truncatum is an extremely important fungal pathogen. It can cause diseases both in humans and in over 460 plant species. However, little is known about its genetic diversity within and among populations. One of the major plant hosts of C. truncatum is pepper, and China is one of the main pepper‐producing countries in the world. Here, we propose the hypotheses that geography has a major influence on the relationships among populations of C. truncatum in China and that infections in different populations need to be managed differently. To test these hypotheses, we obtained and analyzed 266 C. truncatum isolates from 13 regions representing the main pepper‐growing areas throughout China. The analysis based on nine microsatellite markers identified high intrapopulation genetic diversity, evidence of sexual recombination, and geographic differentiation. The genetic differentiation was positively correlated with geographic distance, with the southern and northern China populations grouped in two distinct clusters. Interestingly, isolates collected from the pepper‐breeding center harbored the most private alleles. The results suggest that the geographic populations of C. truncatum on peppers in China are genetically differentiated and should be managed accordingly. Our study also provides a solid foundation from which to further explore the global genetic epidemiology of C. truncatum in both plants and humans.
Epidermal polymeric immunoglobulin receptors: leads from intraepidermal neutrophilic IgA dermatosis‐type IgA pemphigus
Authors: Tsuchisaka Atsunari , Ishii Norito , Hamada Takahiro , Teye Kwesi , Sogame Ryosuke , Koga Hiroshi , Tsuruta Daisuke , Ohata Chika , Furumura Minao , Hashimoto Takashi 
Published: December 2014

AbstractIn this study, we attempted to identify unknown autoantigen for intraepidermal neutrophilic IgA dermatosis‐type IgA pemphigus by novel IgA‐specific immunoprecipitation. Mass‐spectrometry study identified polymeric immunoglobulin receptor (PIGR) as the candidate protein, and we confirmed that PIGR expressed in both epidermis and cultured keratinocytes. Eukaryotic recombinant protein of PIGR expressed in COS7 cells was reacted with both patient and normal sera, indicating that PIGR binds physiologically to IgA. To detect antigen‐specific binding by IgA autoantibodies, we performed several experiments using deglycosylated PIGR and F(ab)2 fragments from patient sera. However, these analyses suggested that patient IgA bound physiologically, but not immunologically, to PIGR. Nevertheless, our study provided two important insights. Newly developed IgA‐immunoprecipitation system should be a useful tool in the future study of identification of antigens for IgA autoantibodies. Detection of epidermal PIGR in this study confirmed previous results and indicated possible immunological role of PIGR in epidermis.