bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Endoscopic assessment of the dacryocystorhinostomy ostium after powered endoscopic surgery: behaviour beyond 4 weeks
Authors: Ali Mohammad J , Psaltis Alkis J , Ali Md H , Wormald Peter J 
Published: July 2014

AbstractBackgroundThis study aims to assess the shrinkage of dacryocystorhinostomy (DCR) ostium beyond 4 weeks.DesignProspective series in a University setting.ParticipantsSixty consecutive patients.MethodsProspectively collected data of 60 consecutive powered endoscopic DCRs performed in 57 patients over a period of 10 years from 2002 to 2011. All patients had regular follow‐up of 2 years post‐surgery. The ostium size at 4 weeks, 6 months, 1 year and 2 years were evaluated. Analysis of variance was used to compare the differences.Main Outcome MeasureChanges in ostium measurements.ResultsThe ostium measured 11.25 mm (standard deviation [SD] = 1.7; 95% confidence intervals [CI] = 10.80–11.69) × 7.07 (SD = 1.4; 95% CI = 6.71–7.42) at 4 weeks. It measured 10.48 mm (SD = 1.6; 95% CI = 10.06–10.90) × 6.65 mm (SD = 1.2; 95% CI = 6.34–6.95) at 6 months, 10.22 mm (SD = 1.5; 95% CI = 9.81–10.61) × 6.52 mm (SD = 1.2; 95% CI = 6.20–6.80) at 1 year and 10.15 mm (SD = 1.5; 95% CI = 9.76–10.53) × 6.45 mm (SD = 1.2; 95% CI = 6.14–6.75). There was no statistically significant decrease in either the ostium size or the area up to 2 years following surgery.ConclusionThe ostium achieved using the powered endoscopic DCR technique remains stable in size from 4 weeks to 2 years post‐surgery. This likely reflects the advantages of this technique which facilitates healing by primary intention.
Evaluation of the chorioretinal thickness changes in Alzheimer's disease using spectral‐domain optical coherence tomography
Authors: Bayhan Hasan Ali , Aslan Bayhan Seray , Celikbilek Asuman , Tanık Nermin , Gürdal Canan 
Published: July 2014

AbstractBackgroundTo assess the chorioretinal thickness changes using spectral‐domain optical coherence tomography (SD‐OCT) and to evaluate the association between these structural changes and cognitive impairment in Alzheimer's disease (AD).DesignProspective, cross‐sectional studyParticipantsThirty‐one eyes of 31 consecutive patients with AD and 30 eyes of 30 cognitively healthy age‐matched control subjects were recruitedMethodsSD‐OCT (RTVue‐100) was used to measure the macular ganglion cell complex thickness (mGCC), outer retinal thickness (ORL), and the choroidal thickness (CT). Cognitive function was evaluated by Mini‐Mental State examination (MMSE) on the same day of the optical examination.Main Outcome MeasuresChorioretinal thickness.ResultsThe mGCC average, mGCC superior and mGCC inferior thicknesses of the AD group were significantly thinner than those of the controls (all, P < 0.05). No significant difference was found in the ORL thickness measurements between the two groups. Compared with control subjects, the CT measurements at all regions were significantly thinner in patients with AD than controls except CT measurement at 3.0 mm temporal to the fovea (P = 0.067). Significant correlations between the mGCC thickness measurements of the AD group and MMSE scores were observed. There was no significant correlation between the MMSE scores and the CT measurements (P > 0.05).ConclusionsPatients with AD had chorioretinal structural alterations. Retinal structural alterations were seen only in the inner layers. The reduction in mGCC thickness parameters were related to the severity of cognitive impairment in AD.
Judgments About Fact and Fiction by Children From Religious and Nonreligious Backgrounds
Authors: Corriveau Kathleen H. , Chen Eva E. , Harris Paul L. 
Published: July 2014

AbstractIn two studies, 5‐ and 6‐year‐old children were questioned about the status of the protagonist embedded in three different types of stories. In realistic stories that only included ordinary events, all children, irrespective of family background and schooling, claimed that the protagonist was a real person. In religious stories that included ordinarily impossible events brought about by divine intervention, claims about the status of the protagonist varied sharply with exposure to religion. Children who went to church or were enrolled in a parochial school, or both, judged the protagonist in religious stories to be a real person, whereas secular children with no such exposure to religion judged the protagonist in religious stories to be fictional. Children's upbringing was also related to their judgment about the protagonist in fantastical stories that included ordinarily impossible events whether brought about by magic (Study 1) or without reference to magic (Study 2). Secular children were more likely than religious children to judge the protagonist in such fantastical stories to be fictional. The results suggest that exposure to religious ideas has a powerful impact on children's differentiation between reality and fiction, not just for religious stories but also for fantastical stories.
Evaluation of discomfort during colonoscopy with conventional and ultrathin colonoscopes in ulcerative colitis patients
Authors: Ogawa Tomohiro , Ohda Yoshio , Nagase Kazuko , Kono Tomoaki , Tozawa Katsuyuki , Tomita Toshihiko , Iimuro Masaki , Hida Nobuyuki , Oshima Tadayuki , Fukui Hirokazu , Hori Kazutoshi , Watari Jiro , Nakamura Shiro , Miwa Hiroto 
Published: July 2014

Background and AimIn patients with ulcerative colitis (UC), colonoscopy is an essential procedure for evaluating mucosal damage, and treatment outcomes. A new flexible ultrathin colonoscope (PCF‐PQ260) has been developed to readily pass through tortuous and narrow lesions of the colon and cause minimum patient discomfort. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the comfort and performance of this new type of scope in UC patients who underwent colonoscopy for estimation of mucosal inflammation, basically without sedation.MethodsIn a prospective, single‐center setting, among 107 UC patients who were to undergo colonoscopy, 84 eligible cases were randomly assigned to the new ultrathin flexible colonoscope, PCF‐PQ260 (n = 42) or to a conventional colonoscope, PCF‐Q260A (n = 42). Main outcome measure was patient pain level determined by visual analogue scale (VAS) with 0 = none, and 100 = extremely painful. Other outcomes were cecal intubation time, rate of complete intubation (to reach the cecum) and rate of procedural complications.ResultsVAS score was significantly lower in the new‐scope group as compared with the conventional‐scope group: mean ± SD, median (range): 19.3 ± 16.9, 14 (0–62) vs 32.0 ± 21.6, 31.8 (0–100, P = 0.005). However, cecal intubation rate (97.6%) and time (4 min) were similar in the two groups. There was no procedure‐related serious complication in either group.ConclusionThe findings indicated that the flexible ultrathin colonoscope PCF‐PQ260 has significantly better tolerability in UC patients compared to a conventional colonoscope.
Echocardiography Detects Elevated Left Ventricular Filling Pressures in Heart Transplant Recipients
Authors: Bech‐Hanssen Odd , Al‐Habeeb Waleed , Ahmed Waqas , Di Salvo Giovanni , Pergola Valeria , Al‐Admawi Mohammed , Al‐Amri Mohammed , Al‐Shahid Maie , Al‐Buraiki Jehad , Fadel Bahaa M. 
Published: July 2014

Diastolic dysfunction is a recognized complication in heart transplant (HTx) recipients that limits exercise capacity and is a risk factor for mortality. We investigated the ability of echocardiography to detect elevated pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (mean PCWP>15 mmHg) in HTx recipients. This retrospective study comprised HTx recipients with echocardiography and right heart catheterization within 24 hours (n = 100, 113 investigations). Echocardiographic assessment was performed using mitral inflow (E/A ratio, deceleration time [DT], isovolumic relaxation time [IVRT]), tissue Doppler (E/E′ lateral) parameters, and the Doppler‐estimated pulmonary artery systolic pressure (Doppler PASP). The right atrial pressure (RAP) was estimated based on size and the effect of respiration or sniffing on the inferior vena cava diameter. Cutoff values were determined from a derivation group (n = 57, receiver operator characteristic curve analysis) and evaluated in a test group (n = 56). Elevated PCWP were found in 38%. The RAP and PCWP were both normal in 58 investigations and elevated in 39 investigations (concordance rate of 86.6%). The presence of signs of increased RAP by echocardiography or with three of five parameters (E/A, DT, IVRT, E/E′ lateral, and Doppler PASP) reaching the cutoff values ruled in elevated PCWP with positive likelihood ratios ranging from 15.3 to 9. With normal RAP by echocardiography or none of the other parameters reaching cutoff values elevated PCWP can be ruled out with negative likelihood ratios ranging from 0.07 to 0.19. In conclusion, elevated PCWP in HTx recipients can be assessed using echocardiography.
Deficits in motor performance after pedunculopontine lesions in rats – impairment depends on demands of task
Authors: MacLaren Duncan A. A. , Santini Joseph A. , Russell Ashley L. , Markovic Tamara , Clark Stewart D. 
Published: July 2014

AbstractAnatomically and functionally located between basal ganglia and brainstem circuitry, the pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus (PPTg) is in a pivotal position to contribute to motor behavior. Studies in primates have reported akinesia and postural instability following destruction of the PPTg. In humans, the PPTg partially degenerates in Parkinson's disease and stimulation of this region is under investigation as a possible therapeutic. Studies in rats report no crude motor impairment following PPTg lesion, although a detailed assessment of the role of the PPTg in rat motor function has not been reported. Our studies applied motor tests generally used in rodent models of Parkinson's disease to rats bearing either excitotoxic damage to all neuronal populations within PPTg, or selective destruction of the cholinergic subpopulation created with the toxin Dtx‐UII. Neither lesion type altered baseline locomotion. On the rotarod, excitotoxic lesions produced a persistent impairment on the accelerating, but not fixed speed, conditions. In the vermicelli handling task (a quantitative measure of fine motor control and effective behavioral sequencing) excitotoxic lesions produced no single impairment, but globally increased the number of normal and abnormal behaviors. In contrast, depletion of cholinergic PPTg neurons produced impairment on the accelerating rotarod but no changes in vermicelli handling. Together, these results show that while PPTg lesions produce no impairment in the execution of individual motor actions, impairments emerge when the demands of the task increase. Results are discussed in terms of PPTg acting as part of a rapid action selection system, which integrates sensory information into motor output.
Value of Egy‐Score in diagnosis of significant, advanced hepatic fibrosis and cirrhosis compared to aspartate aminotransferase‐to‐platelet ratio index, FIB‐4 and Forns' index in chronic hepatitis C virus
Authors: Alboraie Mohamed , Khairy Marwa , Elsharkawy Marwa , Asem Noha , Elsharkawy Aisha , Esmat Gamal 
Published: July 2014

AimSerum markers and developed scores are of rising importance in non‐invasive diagnosis of hepatic fibrosis. Aspartate aminotransferase‐to‐platelet ratio index (APRI), FIB‐4 and Forns' index are validated scores used for diagnosis of liver fibrosis. The Egy‐Score is a newly developed score for detection of hepatic fibrosis with promising results. We aimed to assess the accuracy of the Egy‐Score in the diagnosis of significant fibrosis, advanced fibrosis and cirrhosis compared to APRI, FIB‐4 and Forns' in chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) patients.MethodsA retrospective study including 100 chronic hepatitis C naïve Egyptian patients was performed. Patients were classified according to stages of fibrosis into three groups: significant fibrosis (≥ F2), advanced fibrosis (≥ F3) and cirrhosis (F4). Egy‐Score, APRI, FIB‐4 and Forns' index were calculated. Regression analysis and receiver–operator curves were plotted to assess the sensitivity, specificity and predictive values for the significant scores with the best cut‐off for diagnosis.ResultsAn Egy‐Score of 3.28 or more was superior to APRI, FIB‐4 and Forns' index for detecting advanced fibrosis with a sensitivity of 91% and specificity of 78%. An Egy‐Score of 3.67 or more was superior to APRI, FIB‐4 and Forns' index for detecting cirrhosis with a sensitivity of 82% and specificity of 87%. Forns' index was superior to Egy‐Score, FIB‐4 and APRI for detecting significant fibrosis.ConclusionThe Egy‐Score is a promising, accurate, easily calculated, cost‐effective score in the prediction of hepatic fibrosis in chronic HCV patients with superiority over APRI, FIB‐4 and Forns' index in advanced hepatic fibrosis and cirrhosis.
Medication and the patient–doctor relationship: a qualitative study with patients suffering from fibromyalgia
Authors: Durif‐Bruckert Christine , Roux Pauline , Rousset Hugues 
Published: July 2014

AbstractBackgroundFibromyalgia is characterized by a diffuse and predominantly axial and chronic pain, for which there is no explicit rationale for treatment options.ObjectiveThis qualitative study aims to understand the medication experience of patients with fibromyalgia and their relationship with the doctors derived from treatment negotiation.DesignA qualitative approach was used, based on interviews with patients.Setting and participantsSemi‐structured interviews were held in a public hospital, with 35 patients diagnosed with fibromyalgia. Qualitative content analysis was performed.ResultsThe first axis is centred on the unsuccessful quest for an effective treatment for pain and the feeling of dismissal of patients, who are in search of validation and recognition. The second part of the accounts explains the medication adjustments and the search for collaboration. Developing a model of partnership with the doctor enables the patients to shape their own illness, through the medication.DiscussionIt is by mediating their relationship with medication that patients gain access to this state of co‐expertise and that they put sense into the collaboration they develop with their doctors. Through this collaboration, useful drugs are identified and adjusted to treat the pain.
Water sustainability: environmental attitude, drought attitude and motivation
Authors: Dascher Erin D. , Kang Jiyun , Hustvedt Gwendolyn 
Published: July 2014

AbstractOne impact of climate change being felt by households is the increasing unpredictability of the availability and quality of water supplies. Given the critical circumstance and timely needs created by droughts, this research aimed to explore the relationships among US consumers' perceptions of drought severity, perceived importance of water conservation drivers, participation in water/energy conscious consumption and perceived consumer effectiveness (PCE) in general environmental issues as well as specifically in drought. A survey of 273 consumers in the US state of Texas was conducted during the most severe single‐year drought in the region's history. Exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling were used for data analysis. The results of this study support the importance of PCE in sustainable consumer behaviour and suggest that PCE for a specific issue has a more direct impact on relevant consumer behaviour than PCE for a generalized issue. Further, the results of this study lead to the suggestion that policy makers focus upon water restrictions and educational campaigns as part of their demand side management of water resources, as opposed to providing incentives for water conservation technologies. Lastly, the exploratory variable used to measure water/energy conscious consumption has been validated in this study and suggests that at least a partial percentage of consumers are consciously making water/energy purchase decisions within a larger framework of reduced resource availability.
Method to Stop Geopolymer Reaction
Authors: Chen Xu , Meawad Amr , Struble Leslie J. 
Published: July 2014

The objective of this study was to develop a method to stop geopolymer reaction at early ages so that the molecular structure can be determined and its link to setting behavior probed. Solvent extraction, using a mixture of alcohol and acetone to remove water, was seen to suspend reaction up to at least 53 h, allowing enough time for nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) tests to determine structure. However, this method caused precipitation of soluble species present at early ages, confounding interpretation of the spectra and thus making it suitable only for mature geopolymers. A combination of water treatment to extract soluble species and solvent treatment to extract water was seen to stop the geopolymer reaction long enough (> 1 week) forNMRtests in specimens with and without calcium.
Silicon Carbide Oxidation in Steam up to 2 MPa
Authors: Terrani Kurt A. , Pint Bruce A. , Parish Chad M. , Silva Chinthaka M. , Snead Lance L. , Katoh Yutai 
Published: July 2014

Growth and microstructure of a protective or nonprotective SiO2 scale and the subsequent volatilization of scale formed on high‐purity chemical vapor deposited (CVD) SiC and nuclear‐grade SiC/SiC composites have been studied during high‐temperature 100% steam exposure. The environmental parameters of interest were temperature from 1200°C to 1700°C, pressure of 0.1 to 2 MPa and flow velocities of 0.23 to 145 cm/s. Scale microstructure was characterized via electron microscopy and X‐ray diffractometry. The Arrhenius dependence of the parabolic oxidation and linear volatilization rate constants were determined. The linear volatilization rate exhibited a strong dependence on steam partial pressure with a weaker dependence on flow velocity. At high steam pressures, the oxide scale developed substantial porosity, which significantly accelerated material recession. The dominant oxide phase for the conditions studied was cristobalite. The oxidation behavior of SiC/SiC composite was strongly dependent on the state of the surface, specifically whether steam could find easy entry into the material via surface‐exposed interface layers. For the case where these as‐machined interfaces were surface coated with matrix CVD SiC, composite recession was found to be essentially that of high‐purity CVD SiC.
Interpreting chronic disorders of consciousness: medical science and family experience
Authors: Edgar Andrew , Kitzinger Celia , Kitzinger Jenny 
Published: July 2014

AbstractRationale, aims and objectivesChronic disorders of consciousness (CDoC) pose significant problems of understanding for both medical professionals and the relatives and friends of the patient. This paper explores the tensions between the different interpretative resources that are drawn upon by lay people and professionals in their response to CDoC.MethodsA philosophical analysis of data from 51 interviews with people who have relatives who are (or have been) in a vegetative or minimally conscious state.ResultsThe medical specialist and the lay person tend to draw on two different interpretative frameworks: a medical science framework, which tends to construct the patient in terms of measurable physical parameters, and an interpretative framework that encompasses the uniqueness of the patient and the relative's relationship to them as a social being.ConclusionsThese differences potentially lead to ruptures in communication between medical professionals and relatives such that that an increased self‐consciousness of the framing assumptions being made will facilitate communication and enrich understanding of CDoCs.
Picoeukaryote Plankton Composition off West Spitsbergen at the Entrance to the Arctic Ocean
Authors: Kilias Estelle S. , Nöthig Eva‐Maria , Wolf Christian , Metfies Katja 
Published: July 2014

AbstractInvestigation of marine eukaryotic picoplankton composition is limited by missing morphological features for appropriate identification. Consequently, molecular methods are required. In this study, we used 454‐pyrosequencing to study picoplankton communities at four stations in the West Spitsbergen Current (WSC; Fram Strait). High abundances of Micromonas pusilla were detected in the station situated closest to Spitsbergen, as seen in surveys of picoplankton assemblages in the Beaufort Sea. At the other three stations, other phylotypes, affiliating with Phaeocystis pouchetii and Syndiniales in the phylogenetic tree, were present in high numbers, dominating most of them. The picoplankton community structures at three of the stations, all with similar salinity and temperature, were alike. At the fourth station, the influence of the East Spitsbergen Current, transporting cold water from the Barents Sea around Spitsbergen, causes different abiotic parameters that result in a significantly different picoeukaryote community composition, which is dominated by M. pusilla. This observation is particularly interesting with regard to ongoing environmental changes in the Arctic. Ongoing warming of the WSC could convey a new picoplankton assemblage into the Arctic Ocean, which may come to affect the dominance of M. pusilla.
First Characterization in China of Encephalitozoon cuniculi in the Blue Fox (Alopex lagopus)
Authors: Meng Xiangchun , Zheng Jun , He Xijun , Jia Honglin , Zhang Yanlong 
Published: July 2014

AbstractEncephalitozoon cuniculi is a microsporidian parasite that infects a wide range of vertebrates, including primates. It has recently emerged as an opportunistic parasite of patients infected with the human immunodeficiency virus. The blue fox (Alopex lagopus; also known as the arctic fox) is one of the most susceptible species for encephalitozoonosis. Here, we report an outbreak of encephalitozoonosis at a fox farm in China. The isolated parasites displayed the typical morphology of E. cuniculi as assessed by Masson's trichrome staining. Analysis of the internal transcribed spacer sequence indicated that the isolated parasite is a genotype III strain of E. cuniculi. Furthermore, phylogenetic analysis of the PTP1 gene verifies classification of this new strain (termed LN‐1) with other genotype III E. cuniculi strains, though the PTP3 and SWP1 sequences diverge from the reference strain. This is the first report of encephalitozoonosis in farmed blue foxes in China.
Discrimination of Defective (Full Black, Full Sour and Immature) and Nondefective Coffee Beans by Their Physical Properties
Authors: Belay Abebe , Bekele Yirgalem , Abraha Ataklti , Comen Dagne , Kim Hyung Kook , Hwang Yoon‐Hwae 
Published: July 2014

AbstractIn this research the physical properties of defective and nondefective coffee beans were investigated. The study results show that there are highly significant differences (P < 0.001) in the physical properties (true and bulk volume, true and bulk density, mass) and (P < 0.05) in sphericity and porosity of green coffee beans, respectively. Higher and lower values of mass and dimensional parameters were obtained in full sour and full black coffee beans, respectively. On the other hand, the physical properties of the beans investigated as the function of moisture content (%db) were found to be a linear relation with volume, mass and equivalent diameter, and an inverse relation with density of the beans. Generally, the moisture content (% dry basis [d.b.]) of defective beans (full sour 12.87%, immature 11.34%, full black 10.41%) is higher than nondefective beans (10.22%) for sample kept at oven temperature (105C) for 48 h. The results of the study indicated that the physical properties alone can successfully separate defective and nondefective beans prior and after roasting.Practical ApplicationsThe physical properties of defective and nondefective coffee beans were investigated. The determined physical properties of beans have useful applications in coffee quality control. In addition, these properties have significant importance for machinery and process equipment design. The methods are simple, fast and inexpensive as compared with the chemical methods that need high‐cost equipment and solvents.