bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Organizational structures during SOA implementation: the case of a Greek healthcare organization
Authors: Koumaditis Konstantinos , Themistocleous Marinos 
Published: July 2015

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to investigate service-oriented architecture organizational studies (SOA OS) in healthcare through a rigorous literature review, development and testing in an eGovernment health-care setting. The application of SOA paradigm to integrate information systems has been pursued mainly by private organizations. However, SOA starts to appear in the public agenda and specifically in health-care reengineering, as well. Recently, government strategies for eHealth have been slowly incorporating the SOA paradigm to integrate isolated systems, provide cost-effective solutions and expand the capabilities of their health-care information system. Yet, literature indicates that eHealth government strategies, including SOA, require the support of SOA OS to be successfully implemented.

Design/methodology/approach
– To investigate the less acknowledged phenomena like SOA OS in healthcare, the authors incorporate an interpretive, qualitative case study approach to conduct this research. This method will assist in examining the phenomenon in its natural setting, examine the in-depth complexities and health-care processes and provide rich qualitative data during interviews and observations.

Findings
– The authors critically review the literature and synthesize a SOA OS with specific attributes, sub-elements, guidelines and healthcare-specific parameters. This conceptual structure was tested in the practical arena leading to an evaluated SOA OS blueprint.

Research limitations/implications
– As the outcome of the research was based on a single case, the paper concludes that the SOA OS in health-care research needs to broaden its perspective with more empirical data.

Practical implications
– This research revealed empirical insights that can help practitioners and researchers focus their attention to the significant role that the SOA OS plays during SOA implementations.

Originality/value
– This paper focuses on critical success factors related to SOA implementations in health-care organizations and can be considered as novel as it identifies and structures a SOA OS element that can be part of a SOA governance approach in the area of healthcare.
Plant trait characteristics vary with size and eutrophication in European lowland streams
Authors: Baattrup‐Pedersen Annette , Göthe Emma , Larsen Søren E. , O'Hare Matthew , Birk Sebastian , Riis Tenna , Friberg Nikolai 
Published: July 2015

Summary

Previous studies investigating community‐level relationships between plant functional trait characteristics and stream environmental characteristics remain scarce. Here, we used community‐weighted means to identify how plant traits link to lowland stream typology and how agricultural intensity in the catchment affects trait composition.

We analysed plant trait characteristics in 772 European lowland streams to test the following two hypotheses: (i) trait characteristics differ between plant communities in small and medium‐sized streams, reflecting adaptations to different habitat characteristics, and (ii) trait characteristics vary with the intensity of agricultural land use in the stream catchment, mediated either directly by an increase in productive species or indirectly by an increase in species that efficiently intercept and utilize light.

We found that the communities in small streams were characterized by a higher abundance of light‐demanding species growing from single apical meristems, reproducing by seeds and rooted to the bottom with floating and/or heterophyllous leaves, whereas the community in medium‐sized streams was characterized by a higher abundance of productive species growing from multi‐apical and basal growth meristems forming large canopies.

We also found indications that community trait characteristics were affected by eutrophication. We did not find enhanced abundance of productive species with an increasing proportion of agriculture in the catchments. Instead, we found an increase in the abundance of species growing from apical and multi‐apical growth meristems as well as in the abundance of species tolerant of low light availability. The increase in the abundance of species possessing these traits likely reflects different strategies to obtain greater efficiency in light interception and utilization in nutrient‐enriched environments.

Synthesis and applications. Our findings challenge the general assumption of the EU Water Framework Directive compliant assessment systems that plant community patterns in streams reflect the nutrient preference of the community. Instead, light availability and the ability to improve interception and utilization appeared to be of key importance for community composition in agricultural lowland streams. We therefore suggest moving from existing approaches building on species‐specific preference values for nutrients to determine the level of nutrient impairment to trait‐based approaches that provide insight into the biological mechanisms underlying the changes. We recommend that existing systems are critically appraised in the context of the findings of this study.
Multipotent bone marrow stromal cell therapy promotes endogenous cell proliferation following ischemic stroke
Authors: Pirzad Jahromi Gila , Shabanzadeh Pirsaraei Alireza , Sadr Seyed Shahabeddin , Kaka Golamreza , Jafari Mahvash , Seidi Sadegh , Charish Jason 
Published: July 2015

SummaryDespite extensive research over the years, there still exists some debate as to what constitutes the optimal therapeutic strategy to promote recovery following stroke. Due to the complexity of injured brain pathophysiology, treatment approaches should ideally address numerous factors, ultimately aiming to promote tissue protection, axonal regrowth and functional recovery. This study extends the understanding of the effects of bone marrow stromal cell (BMSC) treatment following experimentally induced ischemic stroke in rats. Focal ischemic brain injury was experimentally induced in rats by placing a preformed clot into the middle cerebral artery. Animals were injected intravenously with BMSCs at 24 h after stroke and were killed 7 days post injury. When administered BMSCs following stroke, the neurological outcome was significantly improved relative to controls. There was an increase in the number of BMSCs labelled with BrdU present in the injured hemisphere of the brain compared to the non‐injured side. Furthermore, administration of BMSCs also led to increases in astrocytosis, vascularization and endogenous proliferation. These findings provide insight into the mechanisms of action of BMSC treatment and further argue for the therapeutic potential of BMSCs as an effective treatment following cerebral stroke.
An update on the clinical pharmacology of the dipeptidyl peptidase 4 inhibitor alogliptin used for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus
Authors: Chen Xiao‐Wu , He Zhi‐Xu , Zhou Zhi‐Wei , Yang Tianxin , Zhang Xueji , Yang Yin‐Xue , Duan Wei , Zhou Shu‐Feng 
Published: July 2015

SummaryAlogliptin, a dipeptidyl peptidase‐4 (DPP‐4) inhibitor that is a class of relatively new oral hypoglycaemic drugs used in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM), can be used as monotherapy or in combination with other anti‐diabetic agents, including metformin, pioglitazone, sulfonylureas and insulin with a considerable therapeutic effect. Alogliptin exhibits favorable pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic profiles in humans. Alogliptin is mainly metabolized by cytochrome P450 (CYP2D6) and CYP3A4. Dose reduction is recommended for patients with moderate or worse renal impairment. Side effects of alogliptin include nasopharyngitis, upper‐respiratory tract infections and headache. Hypoglycaemia is seen in about 1.5% of the T2DM patients. Rare but severe adverse reactions such as acute pancreatitis, serious hypersensitivity including anaphylaxis, angioedema and severe cutaneous reactions such as Stevens‐Johnson syndrome have been reported from post‐marketing monitoring. Pharmacokinetic interactions have not been observed between alogliptin and other drugs including glyburide, metformin, pioglitazone, insulin and warfarin. The present review aimed to update the clinical information on pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics, adverse effects and drug interactions, and to discuss the future directions of alogliptin.
The Growing Power and Autonomy of House of Commons Select Committees: Causes and Effects
Authors: Fisher Lucy 
Published: July 2015

AbstractThis article is an examination of the rising prominence of House of Commons select committees during the 2010–2015 Parliament, which takes into account the impact of the Wright reforms. The new system of electing committee chairs and members is explored as a central reform that has burnished the autonomy, independence and credibility of the committees. In addition, the characteristics of the coalition government and circumstances entailed by a two‐party executive are seen as factors that have made more robust the neutrality of the committees, which have been looked to ever more urgently as impartial scrutineers of government policy and personnel. As the system has been strengthened and received greater attention from the government, the public and the media, select committees have also come to present a platform upon which certain members and chairs have grown their profile. This phenomenon in turn has added to the desirability of roles on committees, which now present an alternative career route to the ministerial ladder.
Response Surface Optimization of Process Parameters and Fuzzy Analysis of Sensory Data of High Pressure–Temperature Treated Pineapple Puree
Authors: Chakraborty Snehasis , Rao Pavuluri Srinivasa , Mishra Hari Niwas 
Published: July 2015

AbstractThe high‐pressure processing conditions were optimized for pineapple puree within the domain of 400‐600 MPa, 40‐60 °C, and 10‐20 min using the response surface methodology (RSM). The target was to maximize the inactivation of polyphenoloxidase (PPO) along with a minimal loss in beneficial bromelain (BRM) activity, ascorbic acid (AA) content, antioxidant capacity, and color in the sample. The optimum condition was 600 MPa, 50 °C, and 13 min, having the highest desirability of 0.604, which resulted in 44% PPO and 47% BRM activities. However, 93% antioxidant activity and 85% AA were retained in optimized sample with a total color change (∆E*) value less than 2.5. A 10‐fold reduction in PPO activity was obtained at 600 MPa/70 °C/20 min; however, the thermal degradation of nutrients was severe at this condition. Fuzzy mathematical approach confirmed that sensory acceptance of the optimized sample was close to the fresh sample; whereas, the thermally pasteurized sample (treated at 0.1 MPa, 95 °C for 12 min) had the least sensory score as compared to others.
Characterization of the genome and transcriptome of the blue tit Cyanistes caeruleus: polymorphisms, sex‐biased expression and selection signals
Authors: Mueller Jakob C. , Kuhl Heiner , Timmermann Bernd , Kempenaers Bart 
Published: July 2015

AbstractDecoding genomic sequences and determining their variation within populations has potential to reveal adaptive processes and unravel the genetic basis of ecologically relevant trait variation within a species. The blue tit Cyanistes caeruleus – a long‐time ecological model species – has been used to investigate fitness consequences of variation in mating and reproductive behaviour. However, very little is known about the underlying genetic changes due to natural and sexual selection in the genome of this songbird. As a step to bridge this gap, we assembled the first draft genome of a single blue tit, mapped the transcriptome of five females and five males to this reference, identified genomewide variants and performed sex‐differential expression analysis in the gonads, brain and other tissues. In the gonads, we found a high number of sex‐biased genes, and of those, a similar proportion were sex‐limited (genes only expressed in one sex) in males and females. However, in the brain, the proportion of female‐limited genes within the female‐biased gene category (82%) was substantially higher than the proportion of male‐limited genes within the male‐biased category (6%). This suggests a predominant on‐off switching mechanism for the female‐limited genes. In addition, most male‐biased genes were located on the Z‐chromosome, indicating incomplete dosage compensation for the male‐biased genes. We called more than 500 000 SNPs from the RNA‐seq data. Heterozygote detection in the single reference individual was highly congruent between DNA‐seq and RNA‐seq calling. Using information from these polymorphisms, we identified potential selection signals in the genome. We list candidate genes which can be used for further sequencing and detailed selection studies, including genes potentially related to meiotic drive evolution. A public genome browser of the blue tit with the described information is available at http://public-genomes-ngs.molgen.mpg.de.
Efficacy and safety of recombinant human tumor necrosis factor application for the treatment of malignant pleural effusion caused by lung cancer
Authors: Li Qian , Sun Wenkui , Yuan Dongmei , Lv Tangfeng , Yin Jie , Cao Ehong , Xiao Xinwu , Song Yong 
Published: July 2015

AbstractMalignant pleural effusion (MPE) signifies a poor prognosis for patients with lung cancer. For treating physicians, the primary goals are to achieve sufficient control of MPE and minimize invasive intervention. Recombinant human mutant tumor necrosis factor‐alpha (rhu‐TNF) has been used in the treatment of MPE. The aim of our research was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of rhu‐TNF application via ultrasound‐guided chest tube for the treatment of MPE. rhu‐TNF was administered as a single dose to 102 patients with MPE caused by lung cancer, and dexamethasone (Dxm, 5 mg) was administered 30 minutes before rhu‐TNF in 35 randomly selected patients in order test its ability to prevent side effects. The primary endpoint was the efficacy of the rhu‐TNF treatment (disease response rate) and side effects (pain, fever, and flu‐like symptoms), evaluated four weeks after instillation. The disease response rate of rhu‐TNF treatment was 81.37%. Side effects included 13 (12.75%) patients complaining of flu‐like symptoms, 15 (14.71%) with fever/chill, and 14 (13.73%) with chest pain. A significantly higher efficacy was observed for treatment with 3 MU versus 2 MU of rhu‐TNF (P = 0.036), while the adverse effects were similar. There was no significant association between the dose of rhu‐TNF and progression‐free survival (P = 0.752). In conclusion, our study shows that intra‐pleural instillation of rhu‐TNF achieves sufficient control of MPE and minimizes invasive intervention.
After 30 years of dissemination, have we achieved sustained practice change in motivational interviewing?
Authors: Hall Kate , Staiger Petra K. , Simpson Angela , Best David , Lubman Dan I. 
Published: July 2015

AbstractAimsMotivational interviewing (MI) is the most successfully disseminated evidence‐based practice in the substance use disorder (SUD) treatment field. This systematic review considers two questions relevant to policymakers and service providers: (1) does training in MI achieve sustained practice change in clinicians delivering SUD treatment; and (2) do clinicians achieve a level of competence after training in MI that impacts upon client outcomes?MethodsA systematic review was conducted and reported in line with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses (PRISMA) statement, examining training outcomes for MI in the SUD treatment sector, and for clinicians working in a SUD treatment role. We determined a training method to have resulted in sustained practice change when over 75% of participants met beginning proficiency in MI spirit at a follow‐up time‐point.ResultsOf the 20 studies identified, 15 measured training at a follow‐up time‐point using standard fidelity measures. The proportion of clinicians who reached beginning proficiency was either reported or calculated for 11 of these studies. Only two studies met our criterion of 75% of clinicians achieving beginning proficiency in MI spirit after training. Of the 20 studies identified, two measured client substance use outcomes with mixed results.ConclusionsA broad range of training studies failed to achieve sustained practice change in MI according to our criteria. It is unlikely that 75% of clinicians can achieve beginning proficiency in MI spirit after training unless competency is benchmarked and monitored and training is ongoing. The impact of training on client outcomes requires future examination.
Laparoscopic skill improvement after virtual reality simulator training in medical students as assessed by augmented reality simulator
Authors: Nomura Tsutomu , Mamada Yasuhiro , Nakamura Yoshiharu , Matsutani Takeshi , Hagiwara Nobutoshi , Fujita Isturo , Mizuguchi Yoshiaki , Fujikura Terumichi , Miyashita Masao , Uchida Eiji 
Published: July 2015

AbstractIntroductionDefinitive assessment of laparoscopic skill improvement after virtual reality simulator training is best obtained during an actual operation. However, this is impossible in medical students. Therefore, we developed an alternative assessment technique using an augmented reality simulator.MethodsNineteen medical students completed a 6‐week training program using a virtual reality simulator (LapSim). The pretest and post‐test were performed using an object‐positioning module and cholecystectomy on an augmented reality simulator(ProMIS). The mean performance measures between pre‐ and post‐training on the LapSim were compared with a paired t‐test.ResultsIn the object‐positioning module, the execution time of the task (P < 0.001), left and right instrument path length (P = 0.001), and left and right instrument economy of movement (P < 0.001) were significantly shorter after than before the LapSim training. With respect to improvement in laparoscopic cholecystectomy using a gallbladder model, the execution time to identify, clip, and cut the cystic duct and cystic artery as well as the execution time to dissect the gallbladder away from the liver bed were both significantly shorter after than before the LapSim training (P = 0.01).ConclusionsOur training curriculum using a virtual reality simulator improved the operative skills of medical students as objectively evaluated by assessment using an augmented reality simulator instead of an actual operation. We hope that these findings help to establish an effective training program for medical students.
Continuous inhibition of 11β‐hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type I in adipose tissue leads to tachyphylaxis in humans and rats but not in mice
Authors: Morentin Gutierrez P , Gyte A , deSchoolmeester J , Ceuppens P , Swales J , Stacey C , Eriksson J W , Sjöstrand M , Nilsson C , Leighton B 
Published: July 2015

Background and Purpose11β‐hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type I (11β‐HSD1), a target for Type 2 diabetes mellitus, converts inactive glucocorticoids into bioactive forms, increasing tissue concentrations. We have compared the pharmacokinetic‐pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) relationship of target inhibition after acute and repeat administration of inhibitors of 11β‐HSD1 activity in human, rat and mouse adipose tissue (AT).Experimental ApproachStudies included abdominally obese human volunteers, rats and mice. Two specific 11β‐HSD1 inhibitors (AZD8329 and COMPOUND‐20) were administered as single oral doses or repeat daily doses for 7–9 days. 11β‐HSD1 activity in AT was measured ex vivo by conversion of 3H‐cortisone to 3H‐cortisol.Key ResultsIn human and rat AT, inhibition of 11β‐HSD1 activity was lost after repeat dosing of AZD8329, compared with acute administration. Similarly, in rat AT, there was loss of inhibition of 11β‐HSD1 activity after repeat dosing with COMPOUND‐20 with continuous drug cover, but effects were substantially reduced if a ‘drug holiday’ period was maintained daily. Inhibition of 11β‐HSD1 activity was not lost in mouse AT after continuous cover with COMPOUND‐20 for 7 days.Conclusions and ImplicationsHuman and rat AT, but not mouse AT, exhibited tachyphylaxis for inhibition of 11β‐HSD1 activity after repeat dosing. Translation of observed efficacy in murine disease models to human for 11β‐HSD1 inhibitors may be misleading. Investigators of the effects of 11β‐HSD1 inhibitors should confirm that desired levels of enzyme inhibition in AT can be maintained over time after repeat dosing and not rely on results following a single dose.
Pathogenesis of IgE‐mediated food allergy
Authors: Berin M. C. 
Published: July 2015

SummaryFood allergy is a prevalent disease for which there is no current treatment beyond careful food avoidance. Accidental exposure to foods causes reactions in allergic individuals that can range in severity from mild skin reactions to severe and life‐threatening anaphylaxis, and there are no validated tools to predict severity of reactions. A greater understanding of the pathogenesis of food allergy is needed to develop prevention and treatment strategies for food allergy. In the last few years, there have been significant developments in the field of food allergy that have led to new ideas about food allergy prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. This review will discuss these recent advances in the food allergy field as well as identify gaps in our knowledge about the immune mechanisms of allergy and tolerance to foods.
Higher methylation of the IGF1 P2 promoter is associated with idiopathic short stature
Authors: Ouni Meriem , Castell Anne‐Laure , Rothenbuhler Anya , Linglart Agnès , Bougnères Pierre 
Published: July 2015

SummaryBackgroundIdiopathic short stature (ISS) has a strong familial component, but genetics explains only part of it. Indeed, environmental factors act on human growth either directly or through epigenetic factors that remain to be determined. Given the importance of the GH/IGF1 axis for child growth, we suspected that such epigenetic factors could involve the CG methylation at the IGF1 gene P2 promoter, which was recently shown to be a transcriptional regulator for IGF1 gene and a major contributor to GH sensitivity.ObjectiveExplore whether the methylation of the two IGF1 low‐CG‐rich promoters (P1 and P2) is associated with ISS.Subjects and methodsA total of 94 children with ISS were compared with 119 age‐matched children of normal height for the methylation of CGs located within the IGF1 promoters measured with bisulphite PCR pyrosequencing.ResultsThe methylation of 5 CGs of the P2 promoter was higher in ISS children, notably CG‐137 (49 ± 4% in ISS vs 46 ± 4 % in control children, P = 9 × 10−5). This was also true for CG‐611 of the P1 promoter (93 ± 3% vs 91 ± 3% P = 10−4). The CG methylation of the IGF1 promoters thus takes place among the multifactorial factors that are associated with ISS.