bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Development of the Post Cardiac Surgery (POCAS) prognostic score
Authors: Tamayo Eduardo , Fierro Inma , Bustamante-Munguira Juan , Heredia-Rodríguez María , Jorge-Monjas Pablo , Maroto Laura , Gómez-Sánchez Esther , Bermejo-Martín Francisco Jesús , Álvarez Francisco Javier , Gómez-Herreras José Ignacio 
Published: September 2013

Abstract
Introduction
The risk of mortality in cardiac surgery is generally evaluated using preoperative risk-scale models. However, intraoperative factors may change the risk factors of patients, and the organism functionality parameters determined upon ICU admittance could therefore be more relevant in deciding operative mortality. The goals of this study were to find associations between the general parameters of organism functionality upon ICU admission and the operative mortality following cardiac operations, to develop a Post Cardiac Surgery (POCAS) Scale to define operative risk categories and to validate an operative mortality risk score.

Methods
We conducted a prospective study, including 920 patients who had undergone cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass. Several parameters recorded on their ICU admission were explored, looking for a univariate and multivariate association with in-hospital mortality (90 days). In-hospital mortality was 9%. Four independent factors were included in the POCAS mortality risk model: mean arterial pressure, bicarbonate, lactate and the International Normalized Ratio (INR). The POCAS scale was compared with four other risk scores in the validation series.

Results
In-hospital mortality (90 days) was 9%. Four independent factors were included in the POCAS mortality risk model: mean arterial pressure, bicarbonate ratio, lactate ratio and the INR. The POCAS scale was compared with four other risk scores in the validation series. Discriminatory power (accuracy) was defined with a receiver-operating characteristics (ROC) analysis. The best accuracy in predicting in-hospital mortality (90 days) was achieved by POCAS. The areas under the ROC curves of the different systems analyzed were 0.890 (POCAS), followed by 0.847 (Simplified Acute Physiology Score (SAP II)), 0.825 (Sepsis-related Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA)), 0.768 (Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE II)), 0.754 (logistic EuroSCORE), 0.714 (standard EuroSCORE) and 0.699 (Age, Creatinine, Ejection Fraction (ACEF) score).

Conclusions
Our new system to predict the operative mortality risk of patients undergoing cardiac surgery is better than others used for this purpose (SAP II, SOFA, APACHE II, logistic EuroSCORE, standard EuroSCORE, and ACEF score). Moreover, it is an easy-to-use tool since it only requires four risk factors for its calculation.
A prospective longitudinal multicentre study of health related quality of life in ICU survivors with COPD
Authors: Berkius Johan , Engerström Lars , Orwelius Lotti , Nordlund Peter , Sjöberg Folke , Fredrikson Mats , Walther Sten M 
Published: September 2013

Abstract
Introduction
Mortality amongst COPD patients treated on the ICU is high. Health-related quality of life (HRQL) after intensive care is a relevant concern for COPD patients, their families and providers of health care. Still, there are few HRQL studies after intensive care of this patient group. Our hypothesis was that HRQL of COPD patients treated on the ICU declines rapidly with time.

Methods
Fifty-one COPD patients (COPD-ICU group) with an ICU stay longer than 24 hours received a questionnaire at 6, 12 and 24 months after discharge from ICU. HRQL was measured using two generic instruments: the EuroQoL instrument (EQ-5D and EQ-VAS) and the Short Form 36 Health Survey (SF-36). The results were compared to HRQL of two reference groups from the general population; an age- and sex-adjusted reference population (Non-COPD reference) and a reference group with COPD (COPD reference).

Results
HRQL of the COPD-ICU group at 6 months after discharge from ICU was lower compared to the COPD reference group: Median EQ-5D was 0.66 vs. 0.73, P = 0.08 and median EQ-VAS was 50 vs.55, P < 0.05. There were no significant differences in the SF-36 dimensions between the COPD-ICU and COPD-reference groups, although the difference in physical functioning (PF) approached statistical significance (P = 0.059). Patients in the COPD-ICU group who were lost to follow-up after 6 months had low HRQL scores at 6 months. Scores for patients who died were generally lower compared to patients who failed to respond to the questionnaire. The PF and social functioning (SF) scores in those who died were significantly lower compared to patients with a complete follow up. HRQL of patients in the COPD-ICU group that survived a complete 24 months follow up was low but stable with no statistically significant decline from 6 to 24 months after ICU discharge. Their HRQL at 24 months was not significantly different from HRQL in the COPD reference group.

Conclusions
HRQL in COPD survivors after intensive care was low but did not decline from 6 to 24 months after discharge from ICU. Furthermore, HRQL at 24 months was similar to patients with COPD who had not received ICU treatment.
Genome-wide signatures of differential DNA methylation in pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia
Authors: Nordlund Jessica , Bäcklin Christofer L , Wahlberg Per , Busche Stephan , Berglund Eva C , Eloranta Maija-Leena , Flaegstad Trond , Forestier Erik , Frost Britt-Marie , Harila-Saari Arja , Heyman Mats , Jónsson Ólafur G , Larsson Rolf , Palle Josefine , Rönnblom Lars , Schmiegelow Kjeld , Sinnett Daniel , Söderhäll Stefan , Pastinen Tomi , Gustafsson Mats G , Lönnerholm Gudmar , Syvänen Ann-Christine 
Published: September 2013

Abstract
Background
Although aberrant DNA methylation has been observed previously in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), the patterns of differential methylation have not been comprehensively determined in all subtypes of ALL on a genome-wide scale. The relationship between DNA methylation, cytogenetic background, drug resistance and relapse in ALL is poorly understood.

Results
We surveyed the DNA methylation levels of 435,941 CpG sites in samples from 764 children at diagnosis of ALL and from 27 children at relapse. This survey uncovered four characteristic methylation signatures. First, compared with control blood cells, the methylomes of ALL cells shared 9,406 predominantly hypermethylated CpG sites, independent of cytogenetic background. Second, each cytogenetic subtype of ALL displayed a unique set of hyper- and hypomethylated CpG sites. The CpG sites that constituted these two signatures differed in their functional genomic enrichment to regions with marks of active or repressed chromatin. Third, we identified subtype-specific differential methylation in promoter and enhancer regions that were strongly correlated with gene expression. Fourth, a set of 6,612 CpG sites was predominantly hypermethylated in ALL cells at relapse, compared with matched samples at diagnosis. Analysis of relapse-free survival identified CpG sites with subtype-specific differential methylation that divided the patients into different risk groups, depending on their methylation status.

Conclusions
Our results suggest an important biological role for DNA methylation in the differences between ALL subtypes and in their clinical outcome after treatment.
The mutational landscape of chromatin regulatory factors across 4,623 tumor samples
Authors: Gonzalez-Perez Abel , Jene-Sanz Alba , Lopez-Bigas Nuria 
Published: September 2013

Abstract
Background
Chromatin regulatory factors are emerging as important genes in cancer development and are regarded as interesting candidates for novel targets for cancer treatment. However, we lack a comprehensive understanding of the role of this group of genes in different cancer types.

Results
We have analyzed 4,623 tumor samples from thirteen anatomical sites to determine which chromatin regulatory factors are candidate drivers in these different sites. We identify 34 chromatin regulatory factors that are likely drivers in tumors from at least one site, all with relatively low mutational frequency. We also analyze the relative importance of mutations in this group of genes for the development of tumorigenesis in each site, and in different tumor types from the same site.

Conclusions
We find that, although tumors from all thirteen sites show mutations in likely driver chromatin regulatory factors, these are more prevalent in tumors arising from certain tissues. With the exception of hematopoietic, liver and kidney tumors, as a median, the mutated factors are less than one fifth of all mutated drivers across all sites analyzed. We also show that mutations in two of these genes, MLL and EP300, correlate with broad expression changes across cancer cell lines, thus presenting at least one mechanism through which these mutations could contribute to tumorigenesis in cells of the corresponding tissues.
Prognostic Relevance of Treatment Response Measured by Flow Cytometric Residual Disease Detection in Older Patients With Acute Myeloid Leukemia
Authors: Freeman Sylvie D. , Virgo Paul , Couzens Steve , Grimwade David , Russell Nigel , Hills Robert K. , Burnett Alan K. 
Published: September 2013

Purpose Older patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) have a high relapse rate after standard chemotherapy. We investigated whether measuring chemotherapy sensitivity by multiparameter flow cytometric minimal residual disease (MFC-MRD) detection has prognostic value in patients older than age 60 years or is simply a surrogate for known age-related risk factors. Patient and Methods Eight hundred ninety-two unselected patients treated intensively in the United Kingdom National Cancer Research Institute AML16 Trial were assessed prospectively for MFC-MRD during treatment. Eight hundred thirty-three patients had leukemia-associated immunophenotypes (LAIPs) identified by pretreatment screening. Four hundred twenty-seven patients entered complete remission (CR) after one or two courses (designated C1 and C2, respectively) and were MFC-MRD assessable by LAIP detection in CR bone marrow for at least one of these time points. MRD positivity was defined as residual disease detectable by LAIP. Results MFC-MRD negativity, which was achieved in 51% of patients after C1 (n = 286) and 64% of patients after C2 (n = 279), conferred significantly better 3-year survival from CR (C1: 42% v 26% in MRD-positive patients, P < .001; C2: 38% v 18%, respectively; P < .001) and reduced relapse (C1: 71% v 83% in MRD-positive patients, P < .001; C2: 79% v 91%, respectively; P < .001), with higher risk of early relapse in MRD-positive patients (median time to relapse, 8.5 v 17.1 months, respectively). In multivariable analysis, MRD status at the post-C1 time point independently predicted survival, identifying a subgroup of intermediate-risk patients with particularly poor outcome. However, survival benefit from gemtuzumab ozogamicin was not associated with MFC-MRD chemotherapy sensitivity. Conclusion Early assessment of treatment response using flow cytometry provides powerful independent prognostic information in older adults with AML, lending support to the incorporation of MRD detection to refine risk stratification and inform clinical trial design in this challenging group of patients.
Frequency of Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation Among Patients With High- or Intermediate-Risk Acute Myeloid Leukemia in First Complete Remission
Authors: Mawad Raya , Gooley Ted A. , Sandhu Vicky , Lionberger Jack , Scott Bart , Sandmaier Brenda M. , O'Donnell Paul , Becker Pamela S. , Petersdorf Stephen , Dorcy Kathleen Shannon , Hendrie Paul , Sorror Mohamed L. , Walter Roland B. , Deeg H. Joachim , Appelbaum Frederick R. , Estey Elihu H. , Pagel John M. 
Published: September 2013

Purpose To determine the frequency of allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) for patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in first complete remission (CR1). Patients and Methods Between January 1, 2008, and March 1, 2011, 212 newly diagnosed patients with AML received treatment at our center. Ninety-five patients age less than 75 years with intermediate- or high-risk AML achieved a complete remission, and 21 patients achieved a morphologic remission with incomplete blood count recovery. Results Seventy-eight (67%; 95% CI, 58% to 76%) of 116 patients received HCT at a median of 2.8 months (range, 0.5 to 19 months) from their CR1 date. The median age was 57 years in both the HCT patient group (range, 18 to 75 years) and the non-HCT patient group (range, 24 to 70 years; P = .514). Between the HCT patients and the non-HCT patients, the mean Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status was 1.1 compared with 1.5, respectively (P = .005), and the average HCT comorbidity score within 60 days of CR1 was 1.7 and 2.1, respectively (P = .68). Twenty-nine (76%) of 38 non-HCT patients were HLA typed, and matched donors were found for 13 of these 29 patients (34% of all non-HCT patients). The most common causes for patients not receiving transplantation in CR1 were early relapse (within 6 months) in 12 patients (32%), poor performance status in eight patients (21%), and physician decision in five patients (13%). Conclusion HCT can be performed in CR1 in the majority of patients with AML for whom it is currently recommended. The main barriers to HCT were early relapse and poor performance status, highlighting the need for improved therapies for patients with AML of all ages.
Digital Droplet PCR for Rapid Quantification of Donor DNA in the Circulation of Transplant Recipients as a Potential Universal Biomarker of Graft Injury
Authors: Beck Julia , Bierau Sarah , Balzer Stefan , Andag Reiner , Kanzow Philipp , Schmitz Jessica , Gaedcke Jochen , Moerer Onnen , Slotta Jan E , Walson Philip , Kollmar Otto , Oellerich Michael , Schütz Ekkehard 
Published: September 2013

BACKGROUND
Cell-free DNA (cfDNA) from grafts in the circulation of transplant recipients is a potential biomarker of rejection. Its usefulness was investigated after heart transplantation during the maintenance phase by use of microarrays and massive parallel sequencing of donor and recipient DNA. Disadvantages of these methods are high costs, long turnaround times, and need for donor DNA. Therefore, we sought to develop a rapid and cost-effective method using digital droplet PCR (ddPCR).

METHODS
Plasma samples were collected from stable recipients after liver (LTx, n = 10), kidney (KTx, n = 9), and heart (HTx, n = 8) transplantation as well as from 7 additional patients directly after LTx. Known single-nucleotide polymorphisms were selected for high minor allelic frequencies, of which 41 hydrolysis probe assays were established. Plasma cfDNA was preamplified, followed by conventional real-time PCR to define informative (heterologous) SNPs, which were then used for quantification (percentage) of graft-derived cfDNA (GcfDNA) using ddPCR.

RESULTS
Mean recovery was 94% (SD, 13%) with an imprecision of 4%–14% with the use of controls with 2% minor allele. GcfDNA in stable patients was &lt;6.8% (LTx), &lt;2.5% (KTx), and &lt;3.4% (HTx). On the day of LTx, GcfDNA was approximately 90% and by day 10 it was &lt;15% in complication-free LTx recipients. In 2 patients with biopsy-proven rejection, GcfDNA increased to &gt;60%, whereas in 1 patient with cholestasis no increase was found.

CONCLUSIONS
A novel, cost-effective, rapid technique was developed to quantify GcfDNA in transplant recipients. This technique embodies a promising, potentially universal biomarker for early detection of rejection, which could enable more effective therapeutic interventions.
Of motors, martians and jazz age cities : The stereoscopic inventions of Laurens Hammond
Authors: Chapman Owen , Loader Alison Reiko 
Published: September 2013

Abstract
Our article focuses on Laurens Hammond’s stereoscopic inventions of the 1920s. The ‘Teleview’ system, an early example of S3D cinema, synchronized projectors and seat-mounted viewing apparatuses with the a/c motor that would later drive his musical instruments. Shortly after its acclaimed New York premiere in 1922 (mere months after the similarly ill-fated S3D Fairall system), Hammond reconfigured his invention into a live vaudeville act using his competitor’s simpler but less effective anaglyph technique. Patented and licensed to the Ziegfeld Follies, his largely forgotten ‘Shadowgraph’ astonished audiences with live stereoscopy. Our article postulates that this apparent regression from electromechanical cinema spectacles to disposable theatre glasses was due less to the technical and economic challenges of Hammond’s initial system, and more to its construction as a form of Tom Gunning’s so-called ‘cinema of the attractions’.
Beyond cheap thrills: 3D cinema today, the parallax debates and the ‘Pop-Out’
Authors: Klinger Barbara 
Published: September 2013

Abstract

One of the most debated aspects of contemporary 3D cinema is its use of the illusion of depth that extends from the screen into the audience’s space. This is known in technical terms as negative parallax and by audiences as the ‘pop-out’. Critics often equate negative parallax with low-budget 1950s 3D films, such as Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954), wherein the amphibious claw of the title monster as it reaches for the viewer seems to exploit 3D technology for cheap thrills and quick profits. In discussions today about how 3D should be used, commentators wish for a more mature and artistic 3D cinema; this cinema would mine the depth behind the screen, using, in technical terms, positive parallax. This article investigates negative parallax in live-action films of the last two years to question the typical terms by which it is appraised within the parallax debates. I argue that negative parallax’s dismissal as gimmickry has obscured the vital functions it serves in film. The objects that appear to enter the theatre’s space help to identify essential aspects of a film’s style and genre, as well as its relationship to other media that play a role in adaptation. While, because of its hypervisuality – it breaks the fourth wall – the pop-out seems anomalous in relation to the invisible style usually associated with classical Hollywood film, it has significant ties to cinematic techniques that have previously been deployed for the purposes of visual emphasis. My goal is to suspend aesthetic arguments about negative parallax to shed light on the textual roles this key element of the 3D style and experience plays in a variety of films, including superhero blockbusters, horror and fantasy films, comedies, and art-house documentaries, while situating it in the context of past visually arresting techniques used in mainstream cinema.
Transitions, images and stereoscopic 3D cinema
Authors: Burnett Ron 
Published: September 2013

Abstract
All media are undergoing a major shift from traditional modes of production to new digital forms. The reemergence of 3D stereoscopic films is the product of a large number of cultural and technological changes that have come into play over the last decade. Games, graphic simulations and the web are all to varying degrees implicated in the interest that creators and viewers are showing in new forms of interactions with images as well as new production models. And, since computers of varying sorts and sizes drive all of these technologies, it is pretty clear that the age of analogue images has passed.
On the idea of the model
Authors: Cramerotti Alfredo 
Published: September 2013

Abstract
The 2012 Alternativa artistic project in Gdánsk emphasized the need for the return to material stability, approaching the field of the political from the perspective of a tactile and concrete point of view. Rather than absorbing the artistic positions, or the theories underpinning them, one could approach the exhibition as a process for the appraisal of a model. Alfredo Cramerotti’s response takes the form of delineating four types of models that correspond to four artistic positions that struck him as the most compelling: Partizan Publik and Arne Hendricks, Mateusz Herczka, Hiwa K and Lawrence Abu Hamdan.
Study on Nonlinear Oscillations of Gear Systems with Parametric Excitation Solved by Homotopy Analysis Method
Authors: Wen Jianmin , Zhao Iijun , Huang Qianqian , Li Yumeng , Li Liang 
Published: September 2013

Abstract
An analytical technique, namely the homotopy analysis method (HAM), is applied to solve periodic solutions for nonlinear oscillations with parametric excitation in a gear system, in which the periodically time-varying mesh stiffness and gear backlash by using a nonlinear displacement function are included. In this paper, periodic analytic approximations for nonlinear oscillations with parametric excitation are obtained by using HAM, and the results are validated by numerical simulations. Thus the frequency-response curves are obtained by using HAM. Unlike perturbation methods, HAM does not depend on any small physical parameters at all; besides, it is valid for both weakly and strongly nonlinear problems. Moreover, different from all other analytic techniques, the HAM provides us a simple way to adjust and control the convergence region of the series solution by means of an auxiliary parameter ħ.
Irisin mRNA and circulating levels in relation to other myokines in healthy and morbidly obese humans
Authors: Vamvini Maria T , Aronis Konstantinos N , Panagiotou Grigorios , Huh Joo Young , Chamberland John P , Brinkoetter Mary T , Petrou Michael , Christophi Costas A , Kales Stefanos N , Christiani David C , Mantzoros Christos S 
Published: September 2013

ObjectiveSkeletal muscle is considered to be an endocrine organ that secretes a number of myokines including follistatin (FST), myostatin (MSTN), activin A, and the newly identified irisin. Irisin's biology and function exhibit similarities with the functions of the FST–MSTN–activin A axis. It remains unknown whether there is any interplay among these molecules. The aim of this study is to examine potential associations of irisin with the FST, MSTN, and activin A axis.MethodsTwo observational studies were performed to evaluate the associations of irisin with the other three peptides. Study A included 150 healthy males aged 18.48±0.16 years with BMI 23.18±3.75 kg/m2. Fasting serum samples were used to measure the levels of the molecules of interest. Study B included 14 morbidly obese individuals, candidates for bariatric surgery, aged 53.14±8.93 years with BMI 50.18±10.63 kg/m2. Blood samples were obtained after an overnight fast. Eight out of the 14 participants consented to an optional thigh biopsy during their bariatric surgery. Using the above blood and tissue samples, we measured circulating levels and muscle mRNA of irisin, FST, MSTN, and activin A.ResultsWe report that FNDC5 mRNA in muscle is positively correlated with FST mRNA expression in morbidly obese subjects (ρ=0.93, P<0.001). We also found that circulating irisin is positively correlated with FST circulating levels among lean subjects (ρ=0.17, P=0.05) while this association was suggestive among the obese (ρ=0.56, P=0.07).ConclusionThe newly identified myokine irisin may be positively associated with FST at both the mRNA and circulating protein level.