bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Individual Patient Data Analysis of Progression-Free Survival Versus Overall Survival As a First-Line End Point for Metastatic Colorectal Cancer in Modern Randomized Trials: Findings From the Analysis and Research in Cancers of the Digestive System Database
Authors: Shi Qian , de Gramont Aimery , Grothey Axel , Zalcberg John , Chibaudel Benoist , Schmoll Hans-Joachim , Seymour Matthew T. , Adams Richard , Saltz Leonard , Goldberg Richard M. , Punt Cornelis J.A. , Douillard Jean-Yves , Hoff Paulo M. , Hecht Joel Randolph , Hurwitz Herbert , Díaz-Rubio Eduardo , Porschen Rainer , Tebbutt Niall C. , Fuchs Charles , Souglakos John , Falcone Alfredo , Tournigand Christophe , Kabbinavar Fairooz F. , Heinemann Volker , Van Cutsem Eric , Bokemeyer Carsten , Buyse Marc , Sargent Daniel J. 
Published: November 2014

PurposeProgression-free survival (PFS) has previously been established as a surrogate for overall survival (OS) for first-line metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). Because mCRC treatment has advanced in the last decade with extended OS, this surrogacy requires re-examination.MethodsIndividual patient data from 16,762 patients were available from 22 first-line mCRC studies conducted from 1997 to 2006; 12 of those studies tested antiangiogenic and/or anti–epidermal growth factor receptor agents. The relationship between PFS (first event of progression or death) and OS was evaluated by using R2statistics (the closer the value is to 1, the stronger the correlation) from weighted least squares regression of trial-specific hazard ratios estimated by using Cox and Copula models.ResultsForty-four percent of patients received a regimen that included biologic agents. Median first-line PFS was 8.3 months, and median OS was 18.2 months. The correlation between PFS and OS was modest (R2, 0.45 to 0.69). Analyses limited to trials that tested treatments with biologic agents, nonstrategy trials, or superiority trials did not improve surrogacy.ConclusionIn modern mCRC trials, in which survival after the first progression exceeds time to first progression, a positive but modest correlation was observed between OS and PFS at both the patient and trial levels. This finding demonstrates the substantial variability in OS introduced by the number of lines of therapy and types of effective subsequent treatments and the associated challenge to the use of OS as an end point to assess the benefit attributable to a single line of therapy. PFS remains an appropriate primary end point for first-line mCRC trials to detect the direct treatment effect of new agents.
Evaluation of 30-Day Hospital Readmission After Surgery for Advanced-Stage Ovarian Cancer in a Medicare Population
Authors: Eskander Ramez N. , Chang Jenny , Ziogas Argyrios , Anton-Culver Hoda , Bristow Robert E. 
Published: November 2014

Purpose To analyze rate, risk factors, and costs associated with 30-day readmission after ovarian cancer surgery. Patients and Methods The SEER-Medicare linked database (1992 to 2010) was used to evaluate readmission rates within 30 days of index surgery in patients with stage IIIC/IV ovarian, primary peritoneal, or fallopian tube cancer. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with readmission. Results Of 5,152 eligible patients, 1,003 (19.5%) were readmitted within 30 days of discharge. Mean patient age was 75 years. Diagnoses associated with readmission included infection (34.7%), dehydration (34.3%), ileus/obstruction (26.2%), metabolic/electrolyte derangements (23.1%), and anemia (12.3%). In multivariable analysis, year of discharge was significantly associated with 30-day readmission (1996 to 2000: odds ratio [OR], 1.32; 95% CI, 1.01 to 1.71; 2001 to 2005: OR, 1.58; 95% CI, 1.24 to 2.0; 2006 to 2010: OR, 1.73; 95% CI, 1.35 to 2.21; referent years 1992 to 1995), as were length of index hospital stay more than 8 days (OR, 1.39; 95% CI, 1.18 to 1.64) and discharge to a skilled nursing facility (OR, 1.3; 95% CI, 1.04 to 1.63). Patients readmitted within 30 days had a significantly greater 1-year mortality rate compared with patients not readmitted (41.1% v 25.1%, respectively; P < .001). The median cost of readmission hospital stay was $9,220 in year 2010 dollars, with a total cost of $9.3 million over the study period. Conclusion Early readmission after surgery for ovarian cancer is common. There is a significant association between 30-day readmission and 1-year mortality. These findings may catalyze development of targeted interventions to decrease early readmission, improve patient outcomes, and control health care costs.
Cigarette Smoking Prior to First Cancer and Risk of Second Smoking-Associated Cancers Among Survivors of Bladder, Kidney, Head and Neck, and Stage I Lung Cancers
Authors: Shiels Meredith S. , Gibson Todd , Sampson Joshua , Albanes Demetrius , Andreotti Gabriella , Beane Freeman Laura , Berrington de Gonzalez Amy , Caporaso Neil , Curtis Rochelle E. , Elena Joanne , Freedman Neal D. , Robien Kim , Black Amanda , Morton Lindsay M. 
Published: November 2014

Purpose Data on smoking and second cancer risk among cancer survivors are limited. We assessed associations between smoking before first cancer diagnosis and risk of second primary smoking-associated cancers among survivors of lung (stage I), bladder, kidney, and head/neck cancers. Methods Data were pooled from 2,552 patients with stage I lung cancer, 6,386 with bladder cancer, 3,179 with kidney cancer, and 2,967 with head/neck cancer from five cohort studies. We assessed the association between prediagnostic smoking and second smoking-associated cancer risk with proportional hazards regression, and compared these estimates to those for first smoking-associated cancers in all cohort participants. Results Compared with never smoking, current smoking of ≥ 20 cigarettes per day was associated with increased second smoking-associated cancer risk among survivors of stage I lung (hazard ratio [HR] = 3.26; 95% CI, 0.92 to 11.6), bladder (HR = 3.67; 95% CI, 2.25 to 5.99), head/neck (HR = 4.45; 95% CI, 2.56 to 7.73), and kidney cancers (HR = 5.33; 95% CI, 2.55 to 11.1). These estimates were similar to those for first smoking-associated cancer among all cohort participants (HR = 5.41; 95% CI, 5.23 to 5.61). The 5-year cumulative incidence of second smoking-associated cancers ranged from 3% to 8% in this group of cancer survivors. Conclusion Understanding risk factors for second cancers among cancer survivors is crucial. Our data indicate that cigarette smoking before first cancer diagnosis increases second cancer risk among cancer survivors, and elevated cancer risk in these survivors is likely due to increased smoking prevalence. The high 5-year cumulative risks of smoking-associated cancers among current smoking survivors of stage I lung, bladder, kidney, and head/neck cancers highlight the importance of smoking cessation in patients with cancer.
Changes in Cortical Volumetric Bone Mineral Density and Thickness, and Trabecular Thickness in Lactating Women Postpartum
Authors: Brembeck P. , Lorentzon M. , Ohlsson C. , Winkvist A. , Augustin H. 
Published: November 2014

Abstract

Context:
Lactation is associated with decreased areal bone mineral density (aBMD). Replenishment occurs especially after ceased lactation. Changes in volumetric bone mineral density (vBMD), microstructure, and dimensional parameters are unknown and may clarify the role of lactation for skeletal health.

Objective and Main Outcomes:
The objective of the study was to test the hypothesis that lactation is associated with changes in aBMD, vBMD, microstructure, and dimensional parameters.

Design:
At baseline (0.5 mo after delivery) and 4, 12, and 18 months thereafter, bone was assessed using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry and high-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography.

Participants and Setting:
Eighty-one fair-skinned postpartum women and 21 controls aged 25–40 years were recruited. The completion ratio was 73%. Postpartum women were categorized depending on duration of lactation: 0–3.9, 4–8.9, and 9 months or longer.

Results:
During the first 4 months, aBMD decreased at several sites (geometric mean ± SE; −0.73% ± 0.21% to −3.98% ± 0.76%) in women lactating at least 4 months. During the same time, cortical vBMD at the ultradistal tibia decreased in women lactating 4–8.9 months (−0.26% ± 0.08%) and 9 months or longer (−0.49% ± 0.10%). At 12 months postpartum, cortical thickness (≥9 mo, −2.48% ± 0.41%) and trabecular thickness (4–8.9 mo, −2.14% ± 0.92%; ≥ 9 mo, −2.56% ± 1.21%) also were lower than baseline. No decreases were found in women lactating less than 4 months or in controls in these parameters. At 18 months postpartum, both cortical vBMD (≥9 mo, −0.77% ± 0.17%) and trabecular thickness (4–8.9 mo, −2.25% ± 1.25%; ≥ 9 mo, −3.21% ± 1.41%) were lower in women with long lactation.

Conclusions:
Decreases in cortical vBMD, thickness, and trabecular thickness at the ultradistal tibia were found in women lactating 4 months or longer. Longer follow-up is needed to confirm whether women with extended lactation recover fully or whether the changes could potentially lead to an increased risk of fracture in later life.
Ligand-Acceleration by a Chiral Modifier in the Enantioselective Hydrogenation of Methyl Acetoacetate on a Raney Nickel Catalyst: Effect of a Modifier Configuration
Authors: Sugimura Takashi , Nakagawa Satoshi , Kamata Naoya , Tei Takahiro , Tajiri Takashi , Tsukiyama Ryo-ichi , Okuyama Tadashi , Okamoto Yasuaki 
Published: November 2014

Abstract
Reaction rate and enantioselectivity of asymmetric hydrogenation of methyl acetoacetate were studied over Raney nickel catalysts modified with (R,R)-tartaric acid, malic acid, or succinic acid to reveal the impacts of the modifier configuration. Catalysts comodified with two different acids were also examined to confirm the conclusions. From analysis of the enantiomer ratio of the hydrogenation product and initial reaction rate, tartaric acid (TA) was found to have dual functions as the modifier during the hydrogenation; effective suppression of the racemic catalysis on bare Ni surface and extensive enantiodifferentiating ligand acceleration by adsorbed TA. It was demonstrated that each adsorbed chiral modifier molecule independently takes part in the enantiospecific hydrogenation.
p16INK4a Immunohistochemistry in Cervical Biopsy Specimens
Authors: Reuschenbach Miriam , Wentzensen Nicolas , Dijkstra Maaike G. , von Knebel Doeberitz Magnus , Arbyn Marc 
Published: November 2014

Abstract

Objectives:
The interpretation of cervical biopsy specimens guides management of women with suspected cervical cancer precursors. However, morphologic evaluation is subjective and has low interobserver agreement. Addition of p16INK4a immunohistochemistry may improve interpretation.

Methods:
We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of published data on interobserver agreement of p16INK4a positivity using p16INK4a immunohistochemistry and of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 2 (CIN2+) and CIN grade 3 (CIN3+) classification using H&E morphology in conjunction with p16INK4a in comparison with H&E morphology alone.

Results:
The literature search revealed five eligible articles. The results show strong agreement of pathologists’ interpretation of cervical biopsy specimens as p16INK4a positive or negative (pooled κ = 0.90; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.88–0.92) and significantly higher agreement for a CIN2+ diagnosis with H&E morphology in conjunction with p16INK4a (κ = 0.73; 95% CI, 0.67–0.79) compared with H&E morphology alone (κ = 0.41; 95% CI, 0.17–0.65). Also, a slightly higher agreement for CIN3+ can be observed (κ = 0.66; 95% CI, 0.39–0.94 for H&E morphology in conjunction with p16INK4a and κ = 0.61; 95% CI, 0.44–0.78 for H&E morphology alone), but this difference was not statistically significant.

Conclusions:
The published literature indicates improved interobserver agreement of the diagnosis of CIN2+ with the conjunctive use of H&E morphology with p16INK4a immunohistochemistry compared with H&E morphology alone.
The Next Chapter in Patient Blood Management
Authors: Goodnough Lawrence Tim , Shah Neil 
Published: November 2014

Abstract

Objectives:
Blood transfusion was identified by the American Medical Association as one of the top five most frequently overused therapies. Utilization review has been required by accreditation agencies, but retrospective review has been ineffective due to labor-intense resources applied to only a sampling of transfusion events. Electronic medical records have allowed clinical decision support (CDS) to occur via a best practices alert at the critical decision point concurrently with physician order entry.

Methods:
We review emerging strategies for improving blood utilization.

Results:
Implementation of CDS at our institution decreased the percentage of transfusions in patients with a hemoglobin level of more than 8 g/dL from 60% to less than 30%. Annual RBC transfusions were reduced by 24%, despite concurrent increases in patient discharge volumes and case mix complexity. This resulted in acquisition costs savings (direct blood product purchase costs) of $6.4 million over 4 years.

Conclusions:
We have been able to significantly reduce inappropriate blood transfusions and related costs through an educational initiative coupled with real-time CDS. In deriving increased value out of health care, CDS can be applied to a number of overuse measures in laboratory testing, radiology, and therapy such as antibiotics, as outlined by the American Board of Internal Medicine’s Choosing Wisely campaign.
Circulating Donor-Specific Anti–Human Leukocyte Antigen Antibodies and Complement C4d Deposition Are Associated With the Development of Cardiac Allograft Vasculopathy
Authors: Frank Renee , Molina Maria R. , Goldberg Lee R. , Wald Joyce W. , Kamoun Malek , Lal Priti 
Published: November 2014

Abstract

Background:
Cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV) continues to be a limiting factor in long-term survival of heart transplant recipients (HTRs). Pathophysiologic and immunologic factors affecting CAV are complex, and criteria for early diagnosis remain elusive.

Methods:
We performed a retrospective analysis of the relationship between donor-specific antibody (DSA), C4d immunofluorescence, and the development of CAV.

Results:
We evaluated 330 endomyocardial biopsy (EMB) specimens from 112 cardiac grafts. Twenty-four (21%) of 112 grafts developed CAV, and 18 (75%) of 24 were positive for C4d. Patients with DSA (n = 51) against human leukocyte antigen class I (n = 5), II (n = 26), or both (n = 20) developed CAV at a rate of 40%, 38%, and 20% and a mean time to CAV of 89, 47, and 25 months, respectively. Of 61 grafts without DSA, only 13% developed CAV, with a mean time to CAV of 116 months.

Conclusions:
Compared with the general HTR population, patients with graft dysfunction and DSA or positive C4d on EMB show a statistically significant increased incidence of CAV and allograft failure, suggesting an antibody-mediated injury. The presence of pre- and posttransplant DSA, even in the absence of positive C4d immunofluorescence, may identify a group of HTRs at increased risk of developing CAV.
Idolatry and sacrilege: Offenbach’s operetta in nineteenth-century Athens
Authors: Xepapadakou Avra 
Published: November 2014

Abstract
The ‘descent’ of the heroes of Greek mythology, Orpheus and Helen, to the modern Greek-speaking world took place secretly between the decades 1860 and 1870, when French troupes first started visiting Athens in order to perform at the Winter Theatre of the city, provoking a storm of reactions. This article aims to examine the impact of French light music on the newly formed urban Athenian society of the mid-nineteenth century, highlighting the dichotomy between the West and the Orient that characterizes modern Greek history. Their performances rekindled the controversy raging in the musical life of the new Greek state throughout the nineteenth century and became the bone of contention for the duel between European opera troupes – which enjoy the financial and moral support of the court, the government and ‘high society’ in general – and local drama troupes fighting hard to become established.
Sondheim’s A Little Night Music: Reconciling the comic and the sublime
Authors: Wolfe Graham 
Published: November 2014

Abstract
This article draws on Alenka Zupančič’s and Slavoj Žižek’s recent theorizations of comedy to examine Stephen Sondheim’s highly successful 1973 musical A Little Night Music. Zupančič and Žižek argue that by ‘looking awry’ on popular modes like comedy we can explore how our relation to reality is still structured by fantasy and by passionate attachments to sublime objects – indeed, we can discover in comedy new modes of configuring the sublime. To explore A Little Night Music as a ‘reconciliation’ of comedy and sublimity is to open a consideration of Sondheim’s contributions towards the very debates and deadlocks that Zupančič and Žižek identify and to suggest ways of extending their own psychoanalytic philosophy into the realms of musical theatre, a mode that they leave largely uninvestigated. In the process, the article aims to move beyond more traditional ‘applications’ of Lacanian psychoanalysis, arguing that Sondheim’s musical encourages us to think differently about Lacanian theory per se and to look in new (and comic) ways at enigmatic terms like the ‘Real’.
Framing The Bridges of Madison County
Authors: Accetta Valerie 
Published: November 2014

Abstract
The novel The Bridges of Madison County (1992) by Robert James Waller sold over 50 million copies and was made into a film that garnered an Academy Award nomination for Meryl Streep. Composer Jason Robert Brown and writer Marsha Norman, the creators of the musical The Bridges of Madison County, reframed the original love story for the Broadway stage using traditional musical theatre conventions such as the addition of a secondary comedic couple, the use of an ensemble and a linear plot structure. This article explores the function of these conventions and the critical reception of this adaptation, questioning the adherence to the traditional musical theatre forms in the telling of a non-traditional love story.
Extraterritorial Discovery in Aid of Execution and State Immunity: Case Comment on Republic of Argentina v. NML Capital, Ltd., 573 U.S. ___ (2014)
Authors: Ishikawa Tomoko 
Published: November 2014

Abstract
On 16 June 2014, the Supreme Court of the United States rejected the petition for a writ of certiorari stemming from the dispute over the meaning of the pari passu clause in the Argentine sovereign bonds. This decision had a dramatic impact on Argentina’s sovereign debt restructurings (SDR) – indeed, it arguably led to Argentina’s second default in 13 years on 30 July 2014. On the same day that the petition for certiorari was rejected, the Supreme Court rendered a judgment on the issue of the relationship between discovery in aid of execution against the debtor state’s extraterritorial assets and the law of state immunity. In Republic of Argentina v. NML Capital, Ltd., judgment of 16 June 2014, the Supreme Court affirmed the Second Circuit’s conclusion that the extraterritorial assets discovery against two non-party banks in aid of executing the judgments stemming from Argentina’s default of its external debt did not offend Argentina’s sovereign immunity. This comment addresses this judgment on extraterritorial discovery which, although less headline grabbing than the decisions on the pari passu clause, also marks a victory for holdout creditors. It first provides a summary of the background of the case and the judgment, and then considers its implications on the future SDR. Regarding the implications of the case on the future SDR, this comment also describes the developments of law concerning the relationship between the law on foreign investment and SDR (in investment arbitration) and the relationship between investment arbitration awards and sovereign immunity (in US courts). First, it examines the recent decisions in ICSID arbitration concerning the disputes arising from the Argentina’s default and subsequent SDR (Abaclat v. Argentina (decision on jurisdiction and admissibility of 4 August 2011) and Ambiente v. Argentina (decision on jurisdiction and admissibility of 8 February 2013)). In essence, these decisions opened the door to investment treaty arbitration for holdout creditors of international sovereign bonds, for the first time in the history of investment arbitration. It then describes the Second Circuit’s recent decision in Blue Ridge v. Argentina (judgment of 19 August 2013) in which the court concluded that the defendant state in an ICSID arbitration was considered to have waived its jurisdictional immunity under the Foreign State Immunity Act of 1976 (FSIA). It argues that the combination of: (a) Argentina v. NML, (b) Blue Ridge v. Argentina, and (c) the openness of ICSID arbitration to disputes arising from SDR will have potentially serious consequences for future SDR.
Radial solutions of inhomogeneous fourth order elliptic equations and
weighted Sobolev embeddings
Authors: Demarque Reginaldo , Miyagaki Olimpio H. 
Published: November 2014

Abstract
We deal with a class of inhomogeneous elliptic problems involving the biharmonic operator
Δ2
u + V(|x|)|u|
q-2
u = Q(|x|)f(u), u ∈ D
0
2,2(ℝ
N
),
where Δ2 is the biharmonic operator and V, Q are singular continuous functions. Compact embedding results are established and by using these facts some existence results are obtained.
Preparation of spherical calcium phosphate granulates suitable for the biofunctionalization of active brazed titanium alloy coatings
Authors: Schickle Karolina , Gerardo-Nava Jose L. , Puidokas Sabrina , Anavar Sharareh Samadian , Bergmann Christian , Gingter Philipp , Schickle Benjamin , Bobzin Kirsten , Fischer Horst 
Published: November 2014

AbstractTitanium-based alloys can be actively brazed onto bio-inert ceramics and potentially be used as biocompatible coatings. To further improve their bioactivity
Measurement of the axial and circumferential mechanical properties of rat skin tissue at different anatomical locations
Authors: Karimi Alireza , Haghighatnama Maedeh , Navidbakhsh Mahdi , Haghi Afsaneh Motevalli 
Published: November 2014

AbstractSkin tissue is not only responsible for thermoregulation but also for protecting the human body from mechanical, bacterial, and viral insults. The mechanical properties of skin tissue may vary according to the anatomical locations in the body. However, the linear elastic and nonlinear hyperelastic mechanical properties of the skin in different anatomical regions and at different loading directions (axial and circumferential) so far have not been determined. In this study, the mechanical properties during tension of the rat abdomen and back were calculated at different loading directions using linear elastic and nonlinear hyperelastic material models. The skin samples were subjected to a series of tensile tests. The elastic modulus and maximum stress of the skin tissues were measured before the incidence of failure. The nonlinear mechanical behavior of the skin tissues was also computationally investigated through a constitutive equation. Hyperelastic strain energy density function was calibrated using the experimental data. The results revealed the anisotropic mechanical behavior of the abdomen and the isotropic mechanical response of the back skin. The highest elastic modulus was observed in the abdomen skin under the axial direction (10 MPa), while the lowest one was seen in the back skin under axial loading (5 MPa). The Mooney-Rivlin material model closely addressed the nonlinear mechanical behavior of the skin at different loading directions, which can be implemented in the future biomechanical models of skin tissue. The results might have implications not only for understanding of the isotropic and anisotropic mechanical behavior of skin tissue at different anatomical locations but also for providing more information for a diversity of disciplines, including dermatology, cosmetics industry, clinical decision making, and clinical intervention.