bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Wet work and hand eczema in apprentice nurses; part I of a prospective cohort study
Authors: Visser Maaike J. , Verberk Maarten M. , van Dijk Frank J. H. , Bakker Jan G. , Bos Jan D. , Kezic Sanja 
Published: October 2013

SummaryBackground /objectivesEnvironmental exposure and personal susceptibility both contribute to the development of hand eczema. Here, we report an investigation on wet work exposure and its influence on the risk of developing hand eczema in apprentice nurses.MethodsA prospective cohort study was performed among 721 Dutch apprentice nurses. Participants recorded wet work exposure and symptoms of hand eczema using specially designed diary cards.ResultsFor 533 apprentice nurses, a follow‐up time of 1–3 years was completed. Diary cards were supplied by 383 students. The 1‐year period prevalence of hand eczema was 23% in the first year, 25% in the second year and 31% in the third year of follow‐up. Eighty‐one new cases of hand eczema developed, most of which occurred during the first year of follow‐up. In approximately one‐third of the participants, wet work exposure exceeded the national guidelines. Frequent hand washing during traineeships [odds ratio (OR) 1.5; 90% confidence interval (CI) 1.0–2.3], frequent hand washing at home (OR 2.3; 90% CI 1.5–3.7) and having a side job involving wet work (OR 1.6; 90% CI 1.0–2.4) were independent risk factors for hand eczema.ConclusionAs a considerable number of apprentice nurses had already developed hand eczema during traineeships, more attention should be paid to skin protection in vocational education.
Comparison of the long‐term outcome of two therapeutic strategies for the management of abdominal abscess complicating Crohn's disease: percutaneous drainage or immediate surgical treatment
Authors: Lobatón T. , Guardiola J. , Rodriguez‐Moranta F. , Millán‐Scheiding M. , Peñalva M. , De Oca J. , Biondo S. 
Published: October 2013

AbstractAimThe management of abdominal abscesses complicating Crohn's disease is complex and involves a difficult choice between medical, radiological and surgical procedures. The long‐term outcome was compared for two strategies for the management of abdominal abscess: percutaneous drainage (PD) followed by rescue surgery in the case of failure vs direct immediate surgery (IS). We also compared the results of IS with surgery performed after PD failure.MethodsWe retrospectively identified 44 patients with Crohn's disease with an abdominal abscess from January 2000 to December 2009. Therapeutic success was defined as abscess resolution and no reappearance within 1 year of follow‐up.ResultsThe first therapeutic approach was PD in 22 cases and IS in the other 22 cases. IS had a higher therapeutic success rate than PD (95.5% vs 27.2% respectively; P < 0.001). PD was the only independent variable related to treatment failure in the multivariate analysis after adjustment for possible confounders such as abscess size, multilocularity, presence of fistula and corticosteroid use (OR 88.26, 95% CI 7.38–1055.36; P < 0.001). Surgery after failure of PD (n = 16) was associated with longer total hospitalization (56.12 ± 35.89 vs 27.52 ± 15.11 days; P = 0.017) and longer postoperative stay (44.0 ± 83.7 vs 14.3 ± 30 days; P = 0.179) and needed a second operation more often (5/16, 31% vs 1/22, 4.5%; P = 0.065) than IS.ConclusionsPercutaneous drainage provided durable abscess resolution in only one‐third of the patients compared with more than 90% of those treated with IS. In addition, surgery performed after PD failure results in a poorer outcome than IS.
Two‐week wait symptoms are prevalent in screened patients with a positive faecal occult blood test but do not predict cancer
Authors: Vaughan‐Shaw P. G. , Cutting J. , Borley N. , Brooklyn T. , Wheeler J. M. D. 
Published: October 2013

AbstractAimLower gastrointestinal (LGI) symptoms are prevalent in patients screened for bowel cancer yet do not predict a finding of cancer. This study evaluates symptoms in patients with these characteristics against the 2‐week wait (2ww) criteria to determine whether they predicted cancer in these patients.MethodA prospective cohort study was performed. Patients with a positive faecal occult blood (FOB) test attending our unit over a 7‐month period were included. Data on symptom prevalence, frequency and duration were collected and assessed against the 2ww criteria. Associations between symptom prevalence and patient outcome were investigated using the χ2 test.ResultsThree hundred and ninety‐seven patients were included and 37 (9%) were found to have colorectal cancer (CRC). The prevalence of undefined LGI symptoms was 71% and appeared comparable between those with and without CRC (65 vs 72%, P = 0.385). 2ww symptoms were reported in 147 (37%), with 2ww change in bowel habit in 10% and 2ww rectal bleeding in 31%. 2ww symptom prevalence was similar in those with and without cancer (38 vs 37%, P = 0.915). No significant differences in overall 2ww prevalence or prevalence of individual 2ww symptoms were demonstrated between those with a normal colonoscopy or one showing cancer, polyps or other pathology. Twenty nine per cent of patients with 2ww symptoms had reported these to their GP.ConclusionUndefined LGI symptoms are prevalent in FOB‐positive patients but do not predict CRC. 2ww symptoms are also highly prevalent, yet similarly fail to predict cancer. Further efforts to increase public awareness of cancer symptoms are required, whilst false reassurance from a negative FOB result should be discouraged.
Obesity as a barrier to living kidney donation: a center‐based analysis
Authors: Sachdeva Mala , Sunday Suzanne , Israel Ezra , Varghese Jeny , Rosen Lisa , Bhaskaran Madhu , Molmenti Ernesto P. , Mattana Joseph 
Published: October 2013

AbstractBackgroundObesity is a major epidemic and may present a significant barrier to living kidney donation. The purpose of our study was to determine the frequency of obesity as an exclusion factor and assess how often these donors lose weight and donate.MethodsA single center, retrospective analysis of 104 potential living kidney donors between 2008 and 2012.ResultsOf the 104 donors, 19 (18%) had a normal body mass index (BMI) of <25. Eighty‐five of the 104 (82%) donors spanned the overweight to morbidly obese classifications. Thirty‐eight (37%) were overweight (BMI 25–29.9). Twenty‐four (23%) were categorized as class I obesity (BMI 30–34.9), 17 (16%) as class II obesity (BMI 35–39.9), and six (6%) as class III obesity (BMI >40). There were a total of 23 donors (22%) who were considered moderately and morbidly obese (BMI >35). Of these, only three (13%) succeeded at losing weight and donating.ConclusionsObesity may be a frequent barrier to living kidney donation, directly leading to exclusion as a potential kidney donor in about one in five instances. Successful weight loss leading to donation appears to be infrequent, suggesting need to address obesity in the donor population.
Adolescents let sufficient evidence accumulate before making a decision when large incentives are at stake
Authors: Teslovich Theresa , Mulder Martijn , Franklin Nicholas T. , Ruberry Erika J. , Millner Alex , Somerville Leah H. , Simen Patrick , Durston Sarah , Casey B. J. 
Published: October 2013

AbstractAdolescent decision‐making has been described as impulsive and suboptimal in the presence of incentives. In this study we examined the neural substrates of adolescent decision‐making using a perceptual discrimination task for which small and large rewards were associated with correctly detecting the direction of motion of a cloud of moving dots. Adults showed a reward bias of faster reaction times on trials for which the direction of motion was associated with a large reward. Adolescents, in contrast, were slower to make decisions on trials associated with large rewards. This behavioral pattern in adolescents was paralleled by greater recruitment of fronto‐parietal regions important in representing the accumulation of evidence sufficient for selecting one choice over its alternative and the certainty of that choice. The findings suggest that when large incentives are dependent on performance, adolescents may require more evidence to accumulate prior to responding, to be certain to maximize their gains. Adults, in contrast, appear to be quicker in evaluating the evidence for a decision when primed by rewards. Overall these findings suggest that rather than reacting hastily, adolescents can be incentivized to take more time to make decisions when large rewards are at stake.A video abstract of this article can be viewed at http://youtu.be/1g4F5vzFDl0
Urinary type IV collagen as a predictor for the incidence of microalbuminuria in young patients with Type 1 diabetes
Authors: Morita M. , Hanai K. , Uchigata Y. 
Published: October 2013

AbstractAimsTo clarify whether urinary type IV collagen‐to‐creatinine ratio is a predictor for the incidence of microalbuminuria in patients with Type 1 diabetes.MethodsA longitudinal observational cohort study was conducted; the subjects included normoalbuminuric patients diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes before the age of 30 years and who were less than 40 years old at the start of the observation. In total, 225 patients were enrolled (age, mean ± SD: 25 ± 5 years; male: 32.9%). The endpoint was the incidence of microalbuminuria, defined as 30 mg/g Cr ≤ urinary albumin‐to‐creatinine ratio < 300 mg/g Cr. Patients were divided into two groups based on the median of urinary type IV collagen‐to‐creatinine ratio levels.ResultsDuring the median follow‐up period of 8.8 years (range 1.0–12.8 years), 13 patients with high urinary type IV collagen‐to‐creatinine ratio progressed to microalbuminuria. Meanwhile, only one patient with low urinary type IV collagen‐to‐creatinine ratio reached the endpoint. Kaplan–Meier estimates for the time to reach the endpoint were significantly faster for patients with a high ratio than for those with a low ratio (log‐rank test, P < 0.001). In the multivariate Cox hazard analysis, the hazard ratio for patients with high vs. low urinary type IV collagen‐to‐creatinine ratio was 13.51 (95% CI 1.59–115.02, P = 0.017). When urinary type IV collagen‐to‐creatinine ratio was treated as a continuous variable, logarithmically transformed urinary type IV collagen‐to‐creatinine ratio, but not baseline albumin‐to‐creatinine ratio, was independently associated with reaching the endpoint (hazard ratio 19.23, 95% CI 1.53–242.30, P = 0.022).ConclusionsUrinary type IV collagen may be an important predictor for the incidence of microalbuminuria in young patients with Type 1 diabetes.
Bite the Bullet
Authors: Hoekman Bernard M. , Mavroidis Petros C. 
Published: October 2013

AbstractThis paper discusses the Fedon case‐law of the European Court of Justice (Court of Justice), which involved a claim for compensation by Fedon (an Italian producer of eyeglass cases) from the EU for the imposition of World Trade Organization (WTO)‐authorised retaliatory trade barriers by the USA following the failure by the EU to comply with an adverse ruling by the WTO regarding its import regime for bananas. As a result of the EU non‐compliance, European banana distributors and some bananas producers benefited from WTO‐illegal protection, at the expense of a set of EU exporters, including Fedon, that were hit by US countermeasures. Fedon contested the non‐compliance by the EU before the Court of Justice and sought compensation. This paper assesses the ruling of the Court of Justice against Fedon and argues that the Court got it wrong, both in terms of legal principle and as a matter of legal technicalities.
Flow intermittency decreases nestedness and specialisation of diatom communities in Mediterranean rivers
Authors: Tornés Elisabet , Ruhí Albert 
Published: October 2013

Summary

Due to their ubiquity and highly efficient passive dispersal, benthic diatoms are an ideal group in which to explore the drivers of community spatial structure and the ultimate links between such patterns and species autoecology. However, studies addressing these issues have largely overlooked unicellular taxa to date.

We examined the spatial order (i.e. nestedness) of a diatom meta‐community of 122 lotic sites in the north‐east Iberian Peninsula and the relationship between the contributions of individual species to nestedness and their niche breadths [measured using outlying mean index (OMI) analyses].

We observed a significantly nested pattern in the meta‐community (T = 14.05, NODF = 22.57), although idiosyncratic species accounted for a substantial fraction (34%) of the global species pool. Hydrological stability was identified as the main driver of nestedness. Highly stable, moderately stable and intermittent sites differed in nestedness and in alpha diversity, with intermittent sites being the most species poor and the least nested.

We also observed a significant association between nestedness and niche attributes, with idiosyncratic species exhibiting wider distributions and larger niche breadths compared with nested species. Overall, our results indicate that diatom communities inhabiting hydrologically stable rivers present a higher level of order in community spatial pattern and a higher proportion of specialist taxa than communities in intermittent streams.

Because recent hydroclimatic models predict an increase in stream intermittency in the Mediterranean region, our findings may help anticipate future diatom biodiversity patterns resulting from global change. We suggest that the current need to protect a diverse network of sites (as opposed to a few species‐rich sites) will be even greater in the near future because local communities are not only probably to become taxonomically and functionally poorer but also less predictable, making it more difficult to implement efficient programmes for biodiversity conservation at the regional scale.
A Background Color Scheme for Piper Plots to Spatially Visualize Hydrochemical Patterns
Authors: Peeters Luk 
Published: October 2013

AbstractThe combination of ternary diagrams of cations and anions with a central diamond graph make the Piper plot very useful in visualizing groundwater chemistry datasets. One of the major drawbacks is that it is hard to link spatial attributes of the dataset to the plot. In this study, we propose a background color scheme of the Piper plot so that spatial representations of these data can be colored according to their location in the Piper plot. The color scheme is chosen to have maximum resolution while still being perceptually uniform. The linking between Piper plot and maps through this color scheme allows the interpretation of the trends and processes deduced from the Piper plot in terms of the location in the aquifer, the geology, and the groundwater flow dynamics. The colored Piper plot is applied to a groundwater quality dataset of the Condamine Alluvium in Queensland, Australia.
Potential of a no‐touch pincer ablation procedure for small hepatocellular carcinoma that uses a multipolar radiofrequency ablation system: An experimental animal study
Authors: Kawamura Yusuke , Ikeda Kenji , Fukushima Taito , Hara Tasuku , Hosaka Tetsuya , Kobayashi Masahiro , Saitoh Satoshi , Sezaki Hitomi , Akuta Norio , Suzuki Fumitaka , Suzuki Yoshiyuki , Arase Yasuji , Kumada Hiromitsu 
Published: October 2013

AimTreatment of hepatocellular carcinoma located on the liver surface is frequently difficult because direct puncture of the tumor must be avoided during needle insertion. The aim of this study was to investigate the utility of a no‐touch pincer ablation procedure that uses a multipolar radiofrequency ablation (RFA) system for a tumor located on the liver surface.MethodsThe experimental animals were three pigs, and RFA was performed with two internally cooled bipolar electrodes. Three ablative procedures were compared: linear insertion at regular 13‐mm intervals (pattern 1; virtual target tumor size, <10 mm); fan‐shape insertion, maximum interval 20 mm (pattern 2; virtual target tumor size, <15 mm); and 25 mm (pattern 3; virtual target tumor size, <20 mm). All electrodes were inserted at a 30‐mm depth. For patterns 1 and 2, ablation was performed on three other parts of the liver, and for pattern 3, ablation was performed on two other parts.ResultsFor the median transverse and longitudinal diameter to the shaft, with the pattern 1 procedure, the ablative areas were 32 mm × 30 mm, and with the pattern 2 procedure, the ablative areas were 27 mm × 30 mm with carbonization of the liver surface. In contrast, with the pattern 3 procedure, the ablative areas were 45 mm × 26 mm; however, the ablative margin did not reach the surface, and carbonization was not apparent.ConclusionThe no‐touch pincer ablation procedure (with an electrode interval of ≤20 mm) may be useful when performed with two internally cooled bipolar electrodes for small nodules that protrude from the liver surface.
The Consumer Quality Index in an accident and emergency department: internal consistency, validity and discriminative capacity
Authors: Bos Nanne , Sturms Leontien M. , Stellato Rebecca K. , Schrijvers Augustinus J.P. , van Stel Henk F. 
Published: October 2013

AbstractBackgroundPatients’ experiences are an indicator of health‐care performance in the accident and emergency department (A&E). The Consumer Quality Index for the Accident and Emergency department (CQI A&E), a questionnaire to assess the quality of care as experienced by patients, was investigated. The internal consistency, construct validity and discriminative capacity of the questionnaire were examined.MethodsIn the Netherlands, twenty‐one A&Es participated in a cross‐sectional survey, covering 4883 patients. The questionnaire consisted of 78 questions. Principal components analysis determined underlying domains. Internal consistency was determined by Cronbach's alpha coefficients, construct validity by Pearson's correlation coefficients and the discriminative capacity by intraclass correlation coefficients and reliability of A&E‐level mean scores (G‐coefficient).ResultsSeven quality domains emerged from the principal components analysis: information before treatment, timeliness, attitude of health‐care professionals, professionalism of received care, information during treatment, environment and facilities, and discharge management. Domains were internally consistent (range: 0.67–0.84). Five domains and the ‘global quality rating’ had the capacity to discriminate among A&Es (significant intraclass correlation coefficient). Four domains and the ‘global quality rating’ were close to or above the threshold for reliably demonstrating differences among A&Es. The patients’ experiences score on the domain timeliness showed the largest range between the worst‐ and best‐performing A&E.ConclusionsThe CQI A&E is a validated survey to measure health‐care performance in the A&E from patients’ perspective. Five domains regarding quality of care aspects and the ‘global quality rating’ had the capacity to discriminate among A&Es.
Acid adaptation to improve viability and X‐prolyl dipeptidyl aminopeptidase activity of the probiotic bacterium Lactobacillus fermentum HA6 exposed to simulated gastrointestinal tract conditions
Authors: Chu‐Ky Son , Bui Thi‐Khanh , Nguyen Tien‐Long , Ho Phu‐Ha 
Published: October 2013

SummaryIn this work, the viability of the probiotic bacterium Lactobacillus fermentum HA6 isolated from naturally fermented vegetables in Vietnam was improved by growing the bacterium into a mild acid condition (pH 4.0). Viability and probiotic functionality [X‐prolyl dipeptidyl aminopeptidase (PepX) activity] of the acid‐adapted bacterium exposed to simulated gastrointestinal conditions were investigated. After 180 min in the simulated gastric juice (0.3 g/L pepsin, pH 2.0), the viability of acid‐adapted L. fermentum HA6 (11.5%) was higher than that of control L. fermentum HA6 (2.2%). Specific PepX activity of acid‐adapted cells (24.5 U/mg) was higher than that of control cells (17.8 U/mg). After 180‐min exposure to the simulated small intestinal medium (0.3 g/L bile salts, 0.1 g/L pancreatin, pH 8.0), the viability of acid‐adapted L. fermentum HA6 (13.5%) was twofold as high as that of control L fermentum HA6 (8.0%). Our results suggested that acid adaptation has a key role in acquiring cross‐protection mechanism, which in this study resulted in higher survival of L. fermentum HA6 after simulated gastrointestinal stresses. The strategy of acid adaptation could be valuable for the production of robust probiotics.
Drying kinetics and thermal degradation of phenolic compounds and anthocyanins in pomegranate arils dried under vacuum conditions
Authors: Karaaslan Mehmet , Yilmaz Fatih Mehmet , Cesur Özge , Vardin Hasan , Ikinci Ali , Dalgiç Ali Coşkun 
Published: October 2013

SummaryThe effects of temperature and pretreatment on drying kinetics and thermal degradation of phytonutrients present in pomegranate arils were investigated. The arils were divided into two groups, and half of the samples were pretreated by dipping into 80 °C hot water for 2 min. The drying process was conducted in the vacuum drier at the temperatures of 55, 65 and 75 °C. The fastest drying was completed at 75 °C after pretreatment of the samples. The highest anthocyanin–phenolic compound contents and antioxidant capacity were detected in the arils dried at 55 °C. Seven thin‐layer drying models were used to predict drying curves, and Arrhenius and Eyring–Polanyi models were employed to predict phytonutrient degradation kinetics. Activation energy for drying was 24.26 kJ mol−1 for pretreated samples and 31.54 kJ mol−1 for untreated samples. Effective moisture diffusivities were ranged from 1.43 × 10−9 to 6.03 × 10−9 m2 s−1.
Four novel HLA alleles, DRB1*04:11:03, DRB1*10:05, DRB1*15:94 and DRB1*16:22, identified in Brazilian individuals
Authors: Fabreti‐Oliveira R. A. , Nascimento E. , Oliveira C. K. F. , Vale E. M. G. , Vilela B. , Santos M. A. 
Published: October 2013

SummaryFour novel human leucocyte antigen (HLA) class II alleles were identified by sequencing‐based typing (SBT) and analysis of the closest‐matching alleles from volunteer subjects from the Brazilian Bone Marrow Donor Register (REDOME, Brazil). The new HLA alleles discovered include DRB1*04:11:03, DRB1*10:05, DRB1*15:94 and DRB1*16:22. Three of the novel alleles had single‐nucleotide substitution polymorphisms when compared to their most homologous allele. Of these, one harboured a single‐nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) identified as a silent substitution.