bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Use and valuation of native and introduced medicinal plant species in Campo Hermoso and Zetaquira, Boyacá, Colombia
Authors: Cadena-González Ana Lucía , Sørensen Marten , Theilade Ida 
Published: April 2013

AbstractBackgroundMedicinal plant species contribute significantly to folk medicine in Colombia. However, few local studies have investigated whether species used are introduced or native and whether there is a difference in importance of native and introduced medicinal plant species. The aim of the present study was to describe the use of medicinal plants within two municipalities, Campo Hermoso and Zetaquira, both in the department of Boyacá, Colombia and to assess the importance of native and introduced plants to healers, amateur healers and local people. As local healers including amateur healers have no history of introduced species our working hypotheses (H1-2) were that H1: native and introduced medicinal plant species are of equal importance and H2: healers and amateur healers do not differentiate in their preferences between native and introduced medicinal plant species.MethodsTen villages were included in the study. A combination of quantitative and qualitative methods was used including questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, in- depth interviews, and open talks. Voucher specimens were collected in home gardens and during field walks. For data analysis, we calculated use value indices and Jaccard index and tested for the above hypothesis using Spearman rank-correlation coefficients and Wilcoxon-Mann–Whitney tests.ResultsEighty medicinal plant species were described by locals as the most frequently used. Of these, 78 species were taxonomically identified, distributed within 41 families and 74 genera, which included 35 native species and 43 introduced. The highest valued families were: Asteraceae, Lamiaceae, Apiaceae, Rutaceae and Verbenaceae. The species ranked highest according to their Use Values, in both municipalities, wereMentha suaveolensEhrh.,Ambrosia cumanensisKunth, andVerbena littoralisKunth. Introduced species were more important than native ones in Zetaquira, while there was no difference in importance in Campo Hermoso. While healers relied most on the uses of native species, amateur healers were inclined to rely on introduced species. Medicinal plant administration in both municipalities follow the usual pattern: Leaves are used most commonly prepared by decoction or infusion and administrated orally.ConclusionsThe high proportion of introduced plant species used in the local traditional medicines is similar to the results of a number of other ethnobotanical studies and emphasise the need for efforts to record and maintain traditional knowledge on native species.
Surgical management for acute type A aortic dissection in patients over 70 years-old
Authors: Zheng Jiayu , Lu Shuyang , Sun Xiaoning , Hong Tao , Yang Shouguo , Lai Hao , Wang Chunsheng 
Published: April 2013

Abstract

Background
This study aimed to retrospectively investigate our experience of surgical treatment for acute type A aortic dissection in patients older than 70 years.

Methods
From September 2005 to January 2012, eleven patients who were older than 70 years underwent surgical treatment for type A aortic dissection at our center and were included in this study. Total arch replacement was performed in three patients, seven patients underwent subtotal arch replacement and one with single-branched stent graft implantation. One patient underwent a valve-sparing (David) procedure while another underwent a concomitant aortic valve replacement (Wheat procedure). One patient required coronary artery bypass grafting. All operations were performed under deep hypothermic circulatory arrest and selective antegrade cerebral perfusion.

Results
There was one in-hospital death (9.1%) and no operative mortality within 30 days. Cardiopulmonary bypass time, myocardial ischemic time and antegrade cerebral perfusion time accounted for 151.4±33.5 minutes, 68.5±41.4 minutes and 30.3±12.9 minutes, respectively. Overall in-hospital duration, intensive care unit (ICU) time and mean ventilation time were 40.9±40.3 days, 16.5±22.5 days and 90.5±139.4 hours, respectively. New postoperative permanent neurological dysfunction and temporary neurological dysfunction were observed in one patient (9.1%) and in three patients (27.3%), respectively. Mean follow-up was 49.0±19.9 months and nine patients are still alive, one patient died of cancer after 24 months postoperation.

Conclusions
Surgical management for acute type A dissection in patients older than 70 years is a safe alternative with acceptable risk of death and the early and late results are satisfactory.
Treatment of hepatitis C virus infection in the future
Authors: Kanda Tatsuo , Yokosuka Osamu , Omata Masao 
Published: April 2013

AbstractTwo direct‐acting antivirals (DAAs) against hepatitis C virus (HCV): telaprevir and boceprevir, are now available in combination with peginterferon plus ribavirin for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C infection. Although these drugs are potent inhibitors of HCV replication, they occasionally result in severe adverse events. In the present clinical trials, in their stead, several second‐generation DAAs are being investigated. Most of them are being viewed with high expectations, but they also require the combination with peginterferon plus ribavirin. In the near future, we might be using all‐oral DAAs and interferon‐free regimens for the treatment of HCV‐infected patients, and these would be potent inhibitors of HCV and have less adverse events.
Using Bayesian-PBPK modeling for assessment of inter-individual variability and subgroup stratification
Authors: Krauss Markus , Burghaus Rolf , Lippert Jörg , Niemi Mikko , Neuvonen Pertti , Schuppert Andreas , Willmann Stefan , Kuepfer Lars , Görlitz Linus 
Published: April 2013

AbstractPurposeInter-individual variability in clinical endpoints and occurrence of potentially severe adverse effects represent an enormous challenge in drug development at all phases of (pre-)clinical research. To ensure patient safety it is important to identify adverse events or critical subgroups within the population as early as possible. Hence, a comprehensive understanding of the processes governing pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics is of utmost importance. In this paper we combine Bayesian statistics with detailed mechanistic physiologically-based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) models. On the example of pravastatin we demonstrate that this combination provides a powerful tool to investigate inter-individual variability in groups of patients and to identify clinically relevant homogenous subgroups in an unsupervised approach. Since PBPK models allow the identification of physiological, drug-specific and genotype-specific knowledge separately, our approach supports knowledge-based extrapolation to other drugs or populations.MethodsPBPK models are based on generic distribution models and extensive collections of physiological parameters and allow a mechanistic investigation of drug distribution and drug action. To systematically account for parameter variability within patient populations, a Bayesian-PBPK approach is developed rigorously quantifying the probability of a parameter given the amount of information contained in the measured data. Since these parameter distributions are high-dimensional, a Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithm is used, where the physiological and drug-specific parameters are considered in separate blocks.ResultsConsidering pravastatin pharmacokinetics as an application example, Bayesian-PBPK is used to investigate inter-individual variability in a cohort of 10 patients. Correlation analyses infer structural information about the PBPK model. Moreover, homogeneous subpopulations are identifieda posterioriby examining the parameter distributions, which can even be assigned to a polymorphism in the hepatic organ anion transporter OATP1B1.ConclusionsThe presented Bayesian-PBPK approach systematically characterizes inter-individual variability within a population by updating prior knowledge about physiological parameters with new experimental data. Moreover, clinically relevant homogeneous subpopulations can be mechanistically identified. The large scale PBPK model separates physiological and drug-specific knowledge which allows, in combination with Bayesian approaches, the iterative assessment of specific populations by integrating information from several drugs.
“Black Rage” And “Useless Pain”: Affect, Ambivalence, and Identity After King
Authors: Hussen Aida 
Published: April 2013

This essay explores the psychic dimensions of post-civil rights black representation. I ask, what kinds of desire and identification, what vision of history and futurity, and what lost objects and forms of grief, drive nationalist approaches to black literature? In turn, what affective forces animate black literary and critical texts that are positioned, by will or by force, outside or against the contemporary black canon?
I address these questions through analyses of two divergent narratives of the civil rights era loss of black leadership. I contend that this loss—marked most explicitly by the sixties’ infamous succession of political assassinations— functions as a crisis moment for black representation in both politics and culture. The stories that are told about this moment of rupture in turn work to imagine and concretize vying representational possibilities for a black present and future. In this essay, I juxtapose black nationalist responses to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination alongside Andrea Lee’s controversial novella Sarah Phillips, to explore how contemporary representations of blackness, imbued with the civil rights movement’s revenants of political longing and loss, are achieved, invoked, and disputed in late twentieth-century African American literature.
Damage to Pig Bile Duct Caused by Intraluminal Brachytherapy Using a 125i Ribbon
Authors: Chen Yi , Wang Xiao-Lin , Yan Zhi-Ping , Wang Jian-Hua , Cheng Jie-Min , Gong Gao-Quan , Li Guo-Ping 
Published: April 2013

Background Stent occlusion by tumor ingrowth or overgrowth is the main cause of jaundice recurrence after metal stent insertion in patients with malignant obstructive jaundice (MOJ). The application of intraluminal brachytherapy (ILBT) in patients with MOJ results in local control of malignant tumors, which prolong stent patency. Purpose To evaluate the safety of ILBT in pig bile ducts using ribbons of iodine-125 (125I) seeds. Material and Methods Sixteen healthy pigs were randomly assigned to four groups of four pigs each. A 125I seed ribbon was implanted into the common bile duct of each animal through an incision in the duct wall, and was fixed by suturing. The four groups of animals were sacrificed at 15, 30, 60, and 120 days after ribbon implantation, respectively. Serum bilirubin concentrations, alanine aminotransferase concentrations, and white blood cell counts before and after implantation were compared within each group. Pathological changes to the bile duct wall were observed using a light microscope. Morphological changes in biliary epithelial cells and organelles were observed with electron microscopy. Results 125I ribbons were successfully implanted in all animals without surgery-related death. We found no significant difference in pre- and post-implant serum bilirubin, alanine aminotransferase, or white blood cell counts. Light and electron microscopy showed that the most severe bile duct damage occurred in the 15-day group, which exhibited necrosis and detachment of numerous epithelial cells, and infiltration of inflammatory cells. Repair and proliferation of the bile duct epithelium began 30 days after implantation and was nearly complete at 60 days. Conclusion This study demonstrated the safety of ILBT using a 125I ribbon in the pig bile duct. 125I seed ribbons may be used in the treatment of MOJ in humans.
Relationship between the use of new or used computed tomography scanners and image retake rates in South Korea
Authors: Hong Jae-Seok , Kang Hee-Chung 
Published: April 2013

Background The use of high-cost imaging has increased worldwide, contributing to increased healthcare expenditures. Without proper quality verification, the installation of used imaging equipment may lead to wasteful increases in cost due to ineffective and poor-quality imaging that requires repeat scans. Purpose To examine the relationship between the use of new or used computed tomography (CT) scanners and image retake rates to evaluate the comparative quality of used and new CT scanners. Material and Methods This was a retrospective cohort study of patients who first underwent CT from January 1 to June 30, 2008 ( n = 258,572). Data were obtained by linking the Health Care Institution Registration Data with the Korean National Health Insurance Claims Database. Image retake rates within 30, 60, 90, and 180 days after the first CT scan were calculated, and differences in the image retake rate by new versus used CT scanners were assessed. Results After adjusting for confounders, use of a used CT scanner for the first scan increased the odds of retake within 30 days (odds ratio [OR]: 1.34, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.22–1.48), 60 days (OR: 1.59, 95% CI: 1.47–1.72), 90 days (OR: 1.48, 95% CI: 1.38–1.59), and 180 days (OR: 1.38, 95% CI: 1.30–1.46) compared with use of a new CT scanner. Such results were evident in scans of the spine, abdomen, chest, and face or skull base. Conclusion The quality control associated with import of used CT scanners should be improved. Moreover, regular and detailed quality inspections of used CT scanners currently operating in healthcare institutions are necessary.
The NIE Intermittent High-Intensity Running Test: A Reliable and Valid Test for Assessment of Soccer-Specific Fitness
Authors: Mukherjee Swarup , Chia Michael 
Published: April 2013

The overall activity pattern of soccer is that of intermittent high-intensity (Int-HINT) type and elite players have a greater repeated high-intensity running capability. Since soccer involves rapidly changing work intensities in an unpredictable manner, tests simulating overall activity pattern in a cyclical sequence have limited practical usefulness in testing of soccer fitness. The primary aim of this study was to develop a laboratory-based protocol to specifically assess the Int-HINT running capability in soccer players. University team games athletes (n=8, Mean ± SD; age 22.30 ± 1.65 years, stature 1.73 ± 0.04 m, body mass 69.36 ± 6.04 kg) participated in the reliability study and male youth professional soccer players (n=20, Mean ± SD age, 17.5 ± 0.3 yrs; stature, 1.73 ± 0.04 m; body mass, 67.2 ± 7.5 kg) participated in the validity study. The players performed on the NIE Intermittent High-intensity (NIE Int-HINT) Running Test during the preseason, early in-season and end mid-season phases of the soccer season. Performance was measured as total distance covered on the treadmill. The participants also performed the YoYo Intermittent Recovery Test Level 2 (YoYo IRT L2) during each phase of the competition season. The NIE Int-HINT test was found to be of high reliability (ICC, 0.98; CV, 2.1%; ratio limits of agreement (rLOA) 0.99 ×/÷ 1.03). A positive and significant correlation (p< 0.05) was found between the performance in the NIE Int-HINT test and the YoYo IRT L2 performance (r = 0.68-0.77) during different phases of the soccer season. The NIE Int-HINT test provided a reliable measure of intermittent high-intensity running capability and a valid and sensitive method of estimating soccer-specific fitness in youth professional soccer players. Further studies are needed to evaluate the applicability of this test in adult elite soccer players and other intermittent team game athletes.
Reviews Books
Authors: Playle Jade , Boyle Brendan , Miles Melinda 
Published: April 2013

Heritage Film: Nation, Genre and Representation, Belén Vidal, (2012) New York: Columbia University Press, 150pp., ISBN: 9780231162036 (pbk), $20.00
Urban Cinematics: Understanding Urban Phenomena Through the Moving Image, Francois Penz and Andong Lu (eds.), (2011) Bristol:
Intellect, 324pp., ISBN: 9781841504285 (pbk), $40.00
Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Maria del Mar Azcona and Celestino Deleyto, (2010) Champagne, IL: University of Illinois Press, 153 pp., ISBN: 9780252077616 (pbk), $22.00.
Toward Development of a New Thermal Cracking Test Using the Dynamic Shear Rheometer
Authors: Wen Haifang , Bhusal Sushanta 
Published: April 2013

Abstract
Thermal cracking is one of the primary distresses in asphalt pavements. Asphalt binder, an important component of asphaltic concrete, plays a significant role in the thermal cracking performance of asphalt pavement and should be characterized accurately for proper binder selection. The current Superpave binder specifications for low-temperature cracking, based on creep stiffness and m-values, are not applicable to modified binders. Fracture-based tests are most promising for the prediction of low-temperature cracking of binders, especially modified binders. This study develops a new performance indicator for low-temperature cracking using properties from monotonic testing at a semi-low temperature, 5°C, based on the dynamic shear rheometer (DSR). It is found that the complex shear modulus of binders does not correlate with field thermal cracking performance. Fracture energy shows a moderate correlation with field thermal cracking performance. The correlation is improved when the shear rate is increased. However, failure strain at 5°C correlates very well with field thermal cracking. In addition, failure strain is not sensitive to the shear rate at 5°C. This new test could significantly reduce the costs associated with the purchase of various types of equipment, such as that needed to conduct bending beam rheometer (BBR) or direct tension tests, and could also reduce the amount of testing time. Further study is needed to validate the findings in this study.
A Study on the Residual Fatigue Strain and Damage of Steel Fiber Reinforced Recycled Concrete Under Constant Amplitude Flexural Fatigue Loading
Authors: Runnian Yang , Demin Wei 
Published: April 2013

Abstract
Flexural fatigue tests under constant amplitude fatigue loading were carried out in order to obtain the residual fatigue strain of two kinds of steel fiber reinforced concrete (SFRC): steel fiber reinforced recycled concrete (SFRRC) and steel fiber reinforced pebble concrete (SFRPC). The experimental results show that the residual fatigue strain of SFRC follows the three-stage law, and the residual fatigue strain of SFRRC develops more slowly than that of SFRPC at the same stress level. A residual fatigue strain equation is suggested. The fatigue damage of SFRC has also been studied. A fatigue damage evolution equation is proposed, and comparisons are made with other expressions, showing that the suggested model is in the best agreement with the experimental results.
Statistical Analysis of the Stress-Energy Methodology Applied to Cushion Curve Determination
Authors: Paulin Kendalyn , Batt Gregory , Daum Matthew 
Published: April 2013

Abstract
The stress-energy method is a proposed alternative to ASTM D1596 that reduces all drop height, thickness, and static load combinations into a single equation that can be used to generate any reasonable cushion curve for a particular material. There remains a question as to how accurately the stress-energy method can predict deceleration values and whether it is statistically comparable to the method described in ASTM D1596. There are three phases to this research that attempt to determine the accuracy of the stress-energy method: gathering data using the stress-energy method and analyzing the goodness of fit of the stress-energy equation, predicting a cushion curve and observing the upper and lower bounds for a given drop height and thickness, and using ASTM D1596 to create a cushion curve with the same drop height and thickness and comparing it to the predicted cushion curve. Analyzing ten stress-energy data sets using the root mean square error in addition to the coefficient of determination provided a more thorough goodness of fit analysis. Utilizing the stress-energy method to predict cushion curves produced minimal errors and similar decelerations when compared to six actual cushion curve data sets.
Validating Computational Models from Laser Scanning Data for Historic Facades
Authors: Truong-Hong Linh , Laefer Debra F. 
Published: April 2013

Abstract
Increasingly, remote sensing is being used as the basis for computational models. With new approaches rapidly emerging, questions arise as to how to validate and assess the resulting models, as they tend to include at least some level of geometric inexactitude. This paper proposes a set of parameters and procedures for evaluating the usefulness of computational models for structural analysis of historic facades subjected to adjacent construction work. To test the usability of such an approach, three brick buildings were scanned with a terrestrial laser scanner. The data were processed with a recently proposed set of algorithms, and the reliability of the resulting solid models was evaluated by comparing finite-element results from auto-generated solid models versus those based on measured drawings. The proposed validation process considers overall response, as well as local behavior. The results show the importance of using both conventional values and project specific parameters.
Molecular and Therapeutic Advances in the Diagnosis and Management of Malignant Pheochromocytomas and Paragangliomas
Authors: Lowery Aoife J. , Walsh Siun , McDermott Enda W. , Prichard Ruth S. 
Published: April 2013

Abstract

Learning Objectives
Discuss the advances in molecular genetics which have uncovered new hereditary and germline mutations contributing to the development of pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma and identify the genotype/phenotype patterns which facilitate more accurate determination of malignant potential. Describe the current imaging modalities used in the diagnosis of pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma and evaluate the efficacy of functional imaging modalities according to tumor genotype. Evaluate the current preclinical molecular research contributing to the selection of targeted therapies for malignant pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma.
Pheochromocytomas (PCCs) and paragangliomas (PGLs) are rare catecholamine-secreting tumors derived from chromaffin cells originating in the neural crest. These tumors represent a significant diagnostic and therapeutic challenge because the diagnosis of malignancy is frequently made in retrospect by the development of metastatic or recurrent disease. Complete surgical resection offers the only potential for cure; however, recurrence can occur even after apparently successful resection of the primary tumor. The prognosis for malignant disease is poor because traditional treatment modalities have been limited. The last decade has witnessed exciting discoveries in the study of PCCs and PGLs; advances in molecular genetics have uncovered hereditary and germline mutations of at least 10 genes that contribute to the development of these tumors, and increasing knowledge of genotype-phenotype interactions has facilitated more accurate determination of malignant potential. Elucidating the molecular mechanisms responsible for malignant transformation in these tumors has opened avenues of investigation into targeted therapeutics that show promising results. There have also been significant advances in functional and radiological imaging and in the surgical approach to adrenalectomy, which remains the mainstay of treatment for PCC. In this review, we discuss the currently available diagnostic and therapeutic options for patients with malignant PCCs and PGLs and detail the molecular rationale and clinical evidence for novel and emerging diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.