bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Percutaneous Endocardial Occlusion of Incompletely Surgically Ligated Left Atrial Appendage
Authors: ARYANA ARASH , CAVACO DIOGO , ARTHUR ARVIN , O'NEILL PADRAIG GEAROID , ADRAGÃO PEDRO , D'AVILA ANDRÉ 
Published: May 2013

Percutaneous Endocardial Occlusion of ISLLIntroductionSurgical ligation of the left atrial appendage is considered standard of care in patients who undergo mitral valve surgery or as an adjunct to a surgical Maze procedure for treatment of atrial fibrillation (AF). However, several studies have demonstrated that this can result in incompletely surgically ligated left atrial appendage (ISLL) in a significant number of patients. It is believed that ISLL may in turn promote thrombus formation and lead to clinically relevant thromboembolic events. A novel approach for percutaneous endocardial occlusion of ISLL is described.Methods and ResultsSeven patients with AF and ISLL following prior open‐chest, surgical suture ligation in the absence of rheumatic heart disease, underwent percutaneous endocardial ISLL occlusion using an Amplatzer Septal Occluder device guided by fluoroscopy and transesophageal echocardiography through a novel approach. Three patients were diagnosed in the setting of acute embolic stroke, 2 at the time of cardiac arrhythmia ablation and 2 by elective precardioversion transesophageal echocardiography. All patients were treated with oral anticoagulation therapy. Acute and long‐term ISLL occlusion was successfully achieved in 6 patients, in whom oral anticoagulation was eventually discontinued without any embolic events during 10 ± 2 months of follow‐up.ConclusionPercutaneous endocardial occlusion of ISLL is feasible using an Amplatzer Septal Occluder device. Additional studies are required to evaluate the long‐term safety and efficacy of this therapeutic treatment strategy in patients with ISLL.
Pain and pain‐related situations surrounding community‐dwelling older persons
Authors: Tse Mimi , Wan Vanessa TC , Wong Alex MH 
Published: May 2013

Aims and objectivesTo examine the pain prevalence in community‐dwelling older adults and to explore the relationships between pain and physical and psychological parameters.BackgroundUncontrolled chronic pain is one of the barriers preventing older people from achieving active ageing. Effective pain management can enhance their mobility, increasing the happiness level and thus the quality of life.DesignExploratory cross‐sectional study.MethodCognitively intact community‐dwelling older persons aged over 60 in Hong Kong were invited for a 20–25‐minute interview.ResultsA total of 173 participants were recruited, with a mean age of 73·2. The average pain intensity was 3·97 ± 1·80. Oral analgesic drugs were used by 47·1% of participants, and 86·0% used nonpharmacological methods to relieve pain. Compared with participants free of chronic pain, participants with pain had lower happiness levels (p < 0·05). In addition, levels of mobility (p < 0·05) and physical quality of life (p < 0·05) were lower for older people with pain. Pain intensity was negatively correlated with physical quality of life (p < 0·05) and self‐efficacy (p < 0·05), and positively correlated with mystery (p < 0·05), permanence (p < 0·05) and self‐blame (p < 0·05) in pain belief.ConclusionIt was noted that nonpharmacological methods were commonly used by older persons as pain relief and that older persons with pain were less happy, less mobile and had a poorer quality of life as compared to their counterparts without pain.Relevance to clinical practiceIt is important to educate community‐dwelling older persons on methods of pain management and to maintain their physical and psychological well‐being in order to engage them in the community and lead a healthy and happy ageing.
SKYSCRAPERS AND SKYLINES: NEW YORK AND CHICAGO, 1885–2007
Authors: Barr Jason 
Published: May 2013

ABSTRACTThis paper investigates skyscraper competition between New York City and Chicago. The urban economics literature is generally silent on strategic interaction between cities, yet skyscraper rivalry between these cities is a part of U.S. historiography. This paper tests whether there is, in fact, strategic interaction across cities. First, I find that each city has positive reaction functions with respect to the other city, suggesting strategic complementarity. In regard to zoning, I find that height regulations negatively impacted each city, but produced positive responses by the other city, providing evidence for strategic substitutability.
Studying the effect of lipid chain length on the precipitation of a poorly water soluble drug from self-emulsifying drug delivery system on dispersion into aqueous medium
Authors: Prasad Dev , Chauhan Harsh , Atef Eman 
Published: May 2013

Abstract

Objective
The lipid excipients of the self-emulsifying drug delivery systems (SEDDS) could play a role in interfering with the drug precipitation to maintain its supersaturation, a step with possible major significance on the SEDDS. Thus, the effect of lipid chain length on indomethacin precipitation rate from SEDDS upon dilution was studied.

Method
Indomethacin SEDDS were prepared using medium and long chain lipids at 5% and 13% (w/w) drug load. Two medium chain lipids Lauroglycol and Capryol, and two long chain lipids Labrafil and castor oil, were studied. The 13% w/w SEDDS were evaluated for drug release, and the physicochemical properties of the precipitated drug were characterized by PXRD, DSC, IR and Raman.

Key findings
The final optimized SEDDS consisted of Lauroglycol (lipid): Transcutol (co-solvent): Labrasol (surfactant). No precipitate was observed with long chain lipids SEDDS, whereas medium chain lipids SEDDS showed precipitation within 30 min of drug release from 13% w/w formulations. Precipitation studies showed that the medium chain lipids resulted in a modified indomethacin form possibly an ester. The ester formation signifies the interaction between indomethacin and medium chain length lipids.

Conclusions
The study emphasizes the importance of lipids chain length of excipients in successful SEDDS formulations. The study provides insight into the underlying drug lipid interactions in SEDDS formulations.
Elevated expression of tumour necrosis factor‐α‐induced protein 8 (TNFAIP8)‐like 2 mRNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells is associated with disease progression of acute‐on‐chronic hepatitis B liver failure
Authors: Wang L.‐Y. , Fan Y.‐C. , Zhao J. , Gao S. , Sun F.‐K. , Han J. , Yang Y. , Wang K. 
Published: May 2013

SummaryAberrant immunity response contributes to the pathogenesis of acute‐on‐chronic hepatitis B liver failure. Tumour necrosis factor‐α‐induced protein‐8 like‐2 (TIPE2) is a recently identified molecular to maintain immune homoeostasis, but its role in acute‐on‐chronic hepatitis B liver failure (ACHBLF) is unknown. We detected TIPE2 mRNA levels in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from 56 patients with ACHBLF, 60 chronic hepatitis B patients, 24 healthy controls and analysed its role in disease severity and prognosis. TIPE2 mRNA expression in patients with ACHBLF was higher than that of patients with chronic infection or healthy controls. In patients with ACHBLF, TIPE2 mRNA level was positively correlated with serum total bilirubin, international normalized ratio and model for end‐stage liver disease scores. Furthermore, the level of TIPE2 mRNA was significantly higher in nonsurvivors than survivors in patients with ACHBLF. The mRNA level of TIPE2 gradually decreased week by week in survivors accompanied by recovery from patients with ACHBLF, while its expression sustained at high levels in nonsurvivors. TIPE2 mRNA level after lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation ex vivo in patients with ACHBLF was higher compared with controls and patients with chronic infection. Meanwhile, cytokines ex vivo secreted were measured as a marker of immune activation. After LPS stimulation, interleukin (IL)‐6 and tumour necrosis factor (TNF)‐α mRNA expression were reduced in patients with ACHBLF, and a significantly negative correlation was found between TIPE2 and TNF‐α mRNA levels. In conclusion, our results identified the potential role of TIPE2 in predicting disease progression and prognosis in patients with ACHBLF by negative regulating of cell‐mediated immunity.
Treatment for bovineEscherichia colimastitis – an evidence‐based approach
Authors: Suojala L. , Kaartinen L. , Pyörälä S. 
Published: May 2013

Bovine mastitis caused byEscherichia colican range from being a subclinical infection of the mammary gland to a severe systemic disease. Cow‐dependent factors such as lactation stage and age affect the severity of coliform mastitis. Evidence for the efficacy of antimicrobial treatment forE. colimastitis is very limited. Antimicrobial resistance is generally not a limiting factor for treatment, but it should be monitored to detect changes in resistance profiles. The only antimicrobials for which there is some scientific evidence of beneficial effects in the treatment forE. colimastitis are fluoroquinolones and cephalosporins. Both are critically important drugs, the use of which in animals destined for food should be limited to specific indications and should be based on bacteriological diagnosis. The suggested routine protocol in dairy herds could target the primary antimicrobial treatment for mastitis, specifically infections caused by gram‐positive bacteria. InE. colimastitis with mild to moderate clinical signs, a non‐antimicrobial approach (anti‐inflammatory treatment, frequent milking and fluid therapy) should be the first option. In cases of severeE. colimastitis, parenteral administration of fluoroquinolones, or third‐ or fourth‐generation cephalosporins, is recommended due to the risk of unlimited growth of bacteria in the mammary gland and ensuing bacteremia. Evidence for the efficacy of intramammary‐administered antimicrobial treatment forE. colimastitis is so limited that it cannot be recommended. Nonsteroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs have documented the efficacy in the treatment forE. colimastitis and are recommended for supportive treatment for clinical mastitis.
Depletion of melamine and cyanuric acid in kidney of catfish Ictalurus punctatus and trout Oncorhynchus mykiss
Authors: Stine C. B. , Nochetto C. , Gieseker C. M. , Evans E. R. , Hasbrouck N. R. , Mayer T. D. , Girard L. , Reimschuessel R. 
Published: May 2013

A risk assessment conducted in 2007 identified significant knowledge gaps about tissue residues of melamine and related triazine analogs such as cyanuric acid in animals that had eaten contaminated food. The USFDA subsequently designed studies to determine residue levels in muscle, serum, and kidneys of catfish and trout given a single gavage dose of 20 mg/kg body weight (BW) of melamine, cyanuric acid, or 20 mg/kg BW of both compounds simultaneously. Renal triazines were determined by LC‐MS/MS at postdose days 1, 3, 7, 14, 28 (and day 42 for trout). When dosed individually, melamine and cyanuric acid kidney residues depleted much faster than those in fish given both compounds together. Combined dose residue depletion was punctuated by extreme outliers due to the formation of persistent renal melamine cyanurate crystals.
Shrub encroachment shifts the bioclimatic limit between marcescent and sclerophyllous oaks along an elevation gradient in west‐central Spain
Authors: Madrigal‐González Jaime , García‐Rodríguez José A. , Zavala Miguel A. 
Published: May 2013

AbstractQuestions(1) Does shrub encroachment affect the regeneration of two contrasting species of oak along an elevation gradient in the west‐central Iberian Peninsula? (2) Do different nurse shrubs have any relevant species‐specific effects along the gradient? (3) Does shrub encroachment affect the location of the bioclimatic limit between these two oak species along the elevation gradient?LocationTwelve sites distributed from the Arribes del Duero plains to the Sistema Central mountains (Salamanca province, Spain).MethodsWe measured the regeneration of two contrasting oak tree species (Quercus ilex subsp. ballota Samp – sclerophyllous, Q. pyrenaica Willd – marcescent) as the relative percentage cover of seedlings and saplings (<1.3‐m high) in plots 10 m in diameter distributed in stands of different age. We fixed the bioclimatic limit at 50% relative proportion of species in each plot, i.e. whether one species was more abundant than the other in a plot. Shrub stand age was estimated by counting growth rings in the principal stems of the oldest shrubs in a plot. We fitted generalized linear mixed models to analyse the effects of elevation, specific nurse shrub and shrub stand age on regeneration and the probability of one species being more abundant than the other.ResultsThe regeneration and relative proportion of Q. ilex (sclerophyllous) decreased with elevation. Regeneration did not vary with shrub encroachment, although the relative proportion increased notably in the youngest stands. In turn, regeneration and relative proportion of Q. pyrenaica (deciduous) significantly increased towards the upper sites and mature shrub stands. We found no evidence of specific nurse shrub effects on regeneration or the probability of one species being more abundant than the other in either of the two species of oak.ConclusionsThe bioclimatic limit between the two contrasting species of oak shifted with shrub stand age along the elevation gradient. Land practices preventing shrub encroachment can thus indirectly shift this limit towards higher elevations. The effects of shrubs may be critical in resolving the climatic and land‐use effects on elevation shifts of species under changing conditions in bioclimatic transitions.
Characterization of hepatitis B virus genotypes and quantitative hepatitis B surface antigen titres in North American tertiary referral liver centres
Authors: Congly Stephen E. , Wong Philip , Al‐Busafi Said A. , Doucette Karen , Fung Scott K. , Ghali Peter , Fonseca Kevin , Myers Robert P. , Osiowy Carla , Coffin Carla S. 
Published: May 2013

AbstractBackground & AimsHepatitis B virus (HBV) genotype and quantitative hepatitis B surface antigen (qHBsAg) have been related to clinical outcome. In this nationwide cross‐sectional study, we aimed to investigate the epidemiology and clinical significance of HBV genotype and qHBsAg in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB).MethodsSix hundred and thirty patients with CHB were seen in four urban tertiary referral centres in Canada. HBV genotype was determined by line probe assay (INNO‐LIPA) and HBV DNA quantified by commercial PCR (Roche TaqMan, sensitivity <55 IU/ml or AMPLICOR, sensitivity <60 IU/ml). Titres of qHBsAg were determined by an in‐house assay based on the WHO standard (calibration range 0.24–62.5 IU/ml).ResultsIn 630 patients (57% male, 69% Asian, median age 42 years), 21% were hepatitis B e antigen positive and the median alanine aminotransferase was 29 U/L. The HBV genotype distribution was A (16%), B (29%), C (31%), D (16%), E (6%). HBV genotype was strongly associated with ethnicity, but neither genotype nor qHBsAg correlated with the degree of fibrosis. In the treatment‐naïve patients, the baseline qHBsAg levels correlated with HBV DNA (r = 0.2517, P < 0.0008). The median qHBsAg levels were lowest in patients with genotype B (P < 0.0001), but no significant correlation was noted with all other HBV genotypes.ConclusionsIn this large North American HBV epidemiological study, genotypes B and C were the most common; however, all genotypes (A–E) were observed with varied distribution nationwide. Baseline qHBsAg significantly correlated with HBV DNA and with HBV genotype B, but not with liver fibrosis.
Educating to Build Bridges
Authors: Goldin Andrea Paula , Calero Cecilia Inés , Peña Marcela , Ribeiro Sidarta , Sigman Mariano 
Published: May 2013

ABSTRACTIn March 2012, 30 faculty and 49 students from all over the world met in El Calafate, Argentina, during two intense weeks. It was the second Latin American School for Education, Cognitive, and Neural Sciences (LASchool), sponsored by the James S. McDonnell Foundation. The LA School seeks to critically examine research findings potentially relevant to the development, design, and implementation of effective educational practices, and to foster a new generation of researchers able to operate at the interface between education and science. Here we introduce a special issue which brings together theory, experiments, and educational interventions which emerged from ideas presented and discussed during the 2012 LASchool.
Guided Play: Where Curricular Goals Meet a Playful Pedagogy
Authors: Weisberg Deena Skolnick , Hirsh‐Pasek Kathy , Golinkoff Roberta Michnick 
Published: May 2013

ABSTRACTDecades of research demonstrate that a strong curricular approach to preschool education is important for later developmental outcomes. Although these findings have often been used to support the implementation of educational programs based on direct instruction, we argue that guided play approaches can be equally effective at delivering content and are more developmentally appropriate in their focus on child‐centered exploration. Guided play lies midway between direct instruction and free play, presenting a learning goal, and scaffolding the environment while allowing children to maintain a large degree of control over their learning. The evidence suggests that such approaches often outperform direct‐instruction approaches in encouraging a variety of positive academic outcomes. We argue that guided play approaches are effective because they create learning situations that encourage children to become active and engaged partners in the learning process.
A Rhythmic Musical Intervention for Poor Readers: A Comparison of Efficacy With a Letter‐Based Intervention
Authors: Bhide Adeetee , Power Alan , Goswami Usha 
Published: May 2013

ABSTRACTThere is growing evidence that children with reading difficulties show impaired auditory rhythm perception and impairments in musical beat perception tasks. Rhythmic musical interventions with poorer readers may thus improve rhythmic entrainment and consequently improve reading and phonological skills. Here we compare the effects of a musical intervention for poor readers with a software intervention of known efficacy based on rhyme training and phoneme‐grapheme learning. The research question was whether the musical intervention would produce gains of comparable effect sizes to the phoneme‐grapheme intervention for children who were falling behind in reading development. Broadly, the two interventions had similar benefits for literacy, with large effect sizes.
Educating to Use Evidence in Thinking About Education
Authors: Newcombe Nora S. 
Published: May 2013

ABSTRACTThere is an increasing emphasis on evidence‐based education, and the sciences of learning are progressing rapidly. But are reports, guidelines, and outreach enough to disseminate this knowledge and affect educational practice? In fact, policy makers and the public often resist evidence‐based recommendations about education. This article suggests that some of the problems lie in well‐known difficulties in everyday reasoning and decision making, especially in situations that involve probability and uncertainty. We should communicate and educate so as to address these difficulties.
Training Planning and Working Memory in Third Graders
Authors: Goldin Andrea Paula , Segretin María Soledad , Hermida María Julia , Paz Luciano , Lipina Sebastián Javier , Sigman Mariano 
Published: May 2013

ABSTRACTWorking memory and planning are fundamental cognitive skills supporting fluid reasoning. We show that 2 games that train working memory and planning skills in school‐aged children promote transfer to 2 different tasks: an attentional test and a fluid reasoning test. We also show long‐term improvement of planning and memory capacities in 8‐year‐old children after playing adaptive computer games specifically tailored to entrain these cognitive functions. Working memory capacity expanded from 5 to 7 items by using our games. Furthermore, steady progression in the task indicates that this capacity can be trained rapidly. Planning abilities persisted in a nonmarkovian form of play, where a move is highly influenced by previous moves, avoiding back‐ups. Here, we introduce a public and growing platform (http://www.matemarote.com.ar/) developed for this research which has the potential for wide use in educational research.
Patterns and processes in complex landscapes: testing alternative biogeographical hypotheses through integrated analysis of phylogeography and community ecology in Hawai'i
Authors: Eldon Jon , Price Jonathan P. , Magnacca Karl , Price Donald K. 
Published: May 2013

AbstractThe Island of Hawai'i is a dynamic assemblage of five volcanoes with wet forest habitat currently existing in four distinct natural regions that vary in area, age and geographical isolation. In this complex landscape, alternative assumptions of the relative importance of specific habitat characteristics on evolutionary and ecological processes predict strikingly different general patterns of local diversity and regional similarity. In this study, we compare alternative a priori hypotheses against observed patterns within two distinct biological systems and scales: community composition of wet forest vascular plant species and mitochondrial and nuclear genes of Drosophila sproati, a wet‐forest‐restricted endemic. All observed patterns display strong and similar regional structuring, with the greatest local diversity found in Kohala and the windward side of Mauna Loa, the least in Ka'ū and Kona, and a distinctive pattern of regional similarity that probably reflects the historical development of this habitat on the island. These observations largely corroborate a biogeographical model that integrates multiple lines of evidence, including climatic reconstruction, over those relying on single measures, such as current habitat configuration or substrate age. This method of testing alternative hypotheses across biological systems and scales is an innovative approach for understanding complex landscapes and should prove valuable in diverse biogeographical systems.
The impact of paternity on male–infant association in a primate with low paternity certainty
Authors: Langos Doreen , Kulik Lars , Mundry Roger , Widdig Anja 
Published: May 2013

AbstractIn multimale groups where females mate promiscuously, male–infant associations have rarely been studied. However, recent studies have shown that males selectively support their offspring during agonistic conflicts with other juveniles and that father's presence accelerates offspring maturation. Furthermore, it was shown that males invest in unrelated infants to enhance future mating success with the infant's mother. Hence, infant care might provide fitness gain for males. Here, we investigate male–infant associations in rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta), a primate with low paternity certainty as females mate with multiple partners and males ensure paternity less efficiently through mate‐guarding. We combined behavioural data with genetic paternity analyses of one cohort of the semi‐free‐ranging population of Cayo Santiago (Puerto Rico) and recorded affiliative and aggressive interactions between focal subjects and adult males from birth to sexual maturation (0–4 years) of focal subjects. Our results revealed that 9.6% of all interactions of focal subjects involved an adult male and 94% of all male–infant interactions were affiliative, indicating the rareness of male–infant aggression. Second and most interestingly, sires were more likely to affiliate with their offspring than nonsires with unrelated infants. This preference was independent of mother's proximity and emphasized during early infancy. Male–infant affiliation rose with infant age and was pronounced between adult males and male rather than female focal subjects. Overall, our results suggest that male–infant affiliation is also an important component in structuring primate societies and affiliation directed towards own offspring presumably represent low‐cost paternal care.