bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Clinical relevance of CD157 for rapid and cost‐effective simultaneous evaluation of PNH granulocytes and monocytes by flow cytometry
Authors: Marinov I. , Kohoutová M. , Tkáčová V. , Pešek A. , Čermák J. , Cetkovský P. 
Published: June 2014

SummaryIntroductionCD157 has been reported as a potentially useful marker for paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) testing by flow cytometry (FCM).MethodsWe determined the performance characteristics of a CD157‐based five‐color assay and compared results from patient analysis with results obtained with a previously validated CD14/CD24‐based six‐color protocol.ResultsCoefficient of variation (CV) for intra‐/interassay precision analysis of granulocytes ranged from 0.88/0.09% to 3.02/3.71% and from 0.20/0.08% to 8.83/4.04% for the five‐ and six‐color protocol, respectively. For monocyte, CV ranged from 0.42/0.49% to 8.13/4.80% for the five‐color protocol and from 0.28/0.70% to 5.41/3.19% for the six‐color protocol within various PNH clones. Coefficient of determination (r2) for linear regression analysis of PNH clones ranging from 0.3 to 99.8% was >0.99 in all cases, Wilcoxon ranks test showed no statistically significant differences (P > 0.05), and Bland–Altman analysis demonstrated agreement with mean bias ranging from −0.02 to 0.38.ConclusionOur results confirm very good performance characteristics for both intra‐ and interassay precision analyses, excellent correlation, and agreement between approaches. In agreement with recently published data, our experience supports the clinical relevance of CD157 for a rapid and cost‐effective simultaneous evaluation of PNH leukocytes by flow cytometry.
Time‐dependent change of blood flow in the prostate treated with high‐intensity focused ultrasound
Authors: Shoji Sunao , Tonooka Akiko , Hashimoto Akio , Nakamoto Masahiko , Tomonaga Tetsuro , Nakano Mayura , Sato Haruhiro , Terachi Toshiro , Koike Junki , Uchida Toyoaki 
Published: June 2014

AbstractAvascular areas on contrast‐enhanced magnetic resonance imaging have been considered to be areas of localized prostate cancer successfully treated by high‐intensity focused ultrasound. However, the optimal timing of magnetic resonance imaging has not been discussed. The thermal effect of high‐intensity focused ultrasound is degraded by regional prostatic blood flow. Conversely, the mechanical effect of high‐intensity focused ultrasound (cavitation) is not affected by blood flow, and can induce vessel damage. In this series, the longitudinal change of blood flow on contrast‐enhanced magnetic resonance imaging was observed from postoperative day 1 to postoperative day 14 in 10 patients treated with high‐intensity focused ultrasound. The median rates of increase in the non‐enhanced volume of the whole gland, transition zone and peripheral zone from postoperative day 1 to postoperative day 14 were 36%, 39%, and 34%, respectively. In another pathological analysis of the prostate tissue of 17 patients immediately after high‐intensity focused ultrasound without neoadjuvant hormonal therapy, we observed diffuse coagulative degeneration and partial non‐coagulative prostate tissue around arteries with vascular endothelial cell detachment. These observations on contrast‐enhanced magnetic resonance imaging support a time‐dependent change of the blood flow in the prostate treated with high‐intensity focused ultrasound. Additionally, our pathological findings support the longitudinal changes of these magnetic resonance imaging findings. Further large‐scale studies will investigate the most appropriate timing of contrast‐enhanced magnetic resonance imaging for evaluation of the effectiveness of high‐intensity focused ultrasound for localized prostate cancer.
Generation, Displacement, and Deservedness among Karen Refugees in California
Authors: Yarris Kristin E. , Stasiun Jillian C. , Musigdilok Visanee V. , Win Cho C. 
Published: June 2014

AbstractIn this article, we draw on ethnographic interviews with sixteen Karen refugees living in San Diego, California to explore how experiences of exile, displacement, and resettlement differ along generational lines and complicate straightforward dichotomies between “involuntary refugees” and “economic migrants”. While older‐generation Karen experienced political violence and displacement first‐hand, younger‐generation Karen were born in refugee camps in Thailand and usually experienced violence and displacement through its impacts on extended families. Across both generations, Karen exerted agency in exile, displacement, and diaspora. The older generation used stays in refugee camps strategically as a means of economically supporting family members in Burma, while the younger generation view resettlement in the US as a way of achieving educational aspirations. This research points to the importance of generation as a dimension of refugee experience and to the problem of reinforcing victimhood within refugee communities rather than acknowledging refugee agency and resilience.
Enhanced protective efficacy against Mycobacterium tuberculosis afforded by BCG prime‐DNA boost regimen in an early challenge mouse model is associated with increased splenic interleukin‐2‐producing CD4 T‐cell frequency post‐vaccination
Authors: Kang Han , Yuan Qin , Ma Hui , Hu Zhi‐Dong , Han De‐Ping , Wu Kang , Lowrie Douglas B. , Fan Xiao‐Yong 
Published: June 2014

SummaryThe development of improved vaccines and vaccination strategies against Mycobacterium tuberculosis has been hindered by a limited understanding of the immune correlates of anti‐tuberculosis protective immunity. Simple measurement of interferon‐γ frequency or production per se does not provide adequate prediction of immune protection. In this study, we examined the relationship between T‐cell immune responses and protective efficacy conferred by the heterologous vaccination strategy, bacillus Calmette–Guérin (BCG) prime‐Ag85A DNA boost (B/D), in an early challenge mouse model of pulmonary tuberculosis. The results demonstrated that mice vaccinated with the B/D regimen had a significantly reduced bacillary load compared with BCG‐vaccinated mice, and the reduction in colony‐forming units was associated with decreased pathology and lower levels of inflammatory cytokines in the infected lungs. Further analysis of immunogenicity showed that the superior protection afforded by the B/D regimen was associated with significantly increased frequency of splenic interleukin‐2 (IL‐2) ‐producing CD4 T cells and increased IL‐2 production when measured as integrated mean fluorescence intensity post‐vaccination as well. These data suggest that measurement of elevated frequency of IL‐2‐producing CD4 T cells or IL‐2 production in the spleens of vaccinated mice can predict vaccine efficacy, at least in the B/D strategy, and add to the accumulating body of evidence suggesting that BCG prime‐boost strategies may be a useful approach to the control of M. tuberclosis infection.
Right‐lateralization of N2‐amplitudes in depressive adolescents: an emotional go/no‐go study
Authors: Trinkl Monika , Greimel Ellen , Bartling Jürgen , Grünewald Barbara , Schulte‐Körne Gerd , Grossheinrich Nicola 
Published: June 2014

BackgroundRecent studies have proposed the process of emotion regulation as a promising target to study the neurophysiological basis of adolescent depression. Emotion regulation has repeatedly been studied with emotional go/no‐go paradigms. To date, no study has examined if the left‐frontal hypoactivation associated with depression generalizes to active tasks. The aim of this study was therefore to investigate the hemispheric asymmetry of the N2 component in depressed adolescents in an emotion regulation paradigm.MethodsTwenty‐four adolescents diagnosed with major depression (age 11–18) and 30 healthy controls (age 11–18) performed two emotional go/no‐go tasks exhibiting negative faces as go trials and positive faces as no‐go trials and vice versa.ResultsOn the behavioral level, no significant group differences emerged. On the neural level, we found a more right‐lateralized N2‐amplitude in depressed subjects, while it was more left‐lateralized in controls. Furthermore, both groups showed a less negative N2‐amplitude to positive no‐go stimuli.ConclusionThis study provides strong support for a general left‐frontal hypoactivity in adolescent depression, which also applies to active emotional go/no‐go paradigms. Furthermore, the less negative N2 to positive stimuli is consistent with a generally enhanced impulsivity of adolescents toward appetitive stimuli, which is possibly the base of the differential clinical pattern of adolescent in contrast to adult depression.
Medicine is not science: guessing the future, predicting the past
Authors: Miller Clifford 
Published: June 2014

AbstractRationale, aims and objectivesIrregularity limits human ability to know, understand and predict. A better understanding of irregularity may improve the reliability of knowledge.MethodIrregularity and its consequences for knowledge are considered.ResultsReliable predictive empirical knowledge of the physical world has always been obtained by observation of regularities, without needing science or theory. Prediction from observational knowledge can remain reliable despite some theories based on it proving false. A naïve theory of irregularity is outlined. Reducing irregularity and/or increasing regularity can increase the reliability of knowledge. Beyond long experience and specialization, improvements include implementing supporting knowledge systems of libraries of appropriately classified prior cases and clinical histories and education about expertise, intuition and professional judgement.ConclusionsA consequence of irregularity and complexity is that classical reductionist science cannot provide reliable predictions of the behaviour of complex systems found in nature, including of the human body. Expertise, expert judgement and their exercise appear overarching. Diagnosis involves predicting the past will recur in the current patient applying expertise and intuition from knowledge and experience of previous cases and probabilistic medical theory. Treatment decisions are an educated guess about the future (prognosis). Benefits of the improvements suggested here are likely in fields where paucity of feedback for practitioners limits development of reliable expert diagnostic intuition. Further analysis, definition and classification of irregularity is appropriate. Observing and recording irregularities are initial steps in developing irregularity theory to improve the reliability and extent of knowledge, albeit some forms of irregularity present inherent difficulties.
Effectiveness of involving pharmacists in the process of ambulatory health care to improve drug treatment adherence and disease control
Authors: Mino‐León Dolores , Reyes‐Morales Hortensia , Flores‐Hernández Sergio 
Published: June 2014

AbstractRationale, aims and objectivesTo evaluate the effectiveness of incorporating the pharmacist into the ambulatory health care team to increase the proportion of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and/or hypertension who adhere to their drug regimen and to improve disease control.MethodsA non‐randomized clinical trial was carried out in patients with T2DM and/or hypertension from two primary care clinics. Patients from one of the clinics comprised the intervention group (IG) who received ‘counselling’ from the pharmacist. The control group (CG) was comprised of patients who attended another clinic and received the usual care. Adherence was measured by counting pills; hypertension control was evaluated by blood pressure and diabetes control by blood glucose. Statistical analysis was carried out by intention to treat using generalized linear models.ResultsThere were 440 patients included. There was no difference in the proportion of IG and CG patients who adhered to treatment according to baseline measurements. An increase in the proportion of adherence at baseline and final determination was observed in both groups (IG 71–80%, P = 0.006 and CG 72–87%, P = 0.000). Generalized linear models showed a 55% or higher probability of IG patients achieving control of hypertension in comparison with the CG. Patients from the IG with T2DM have 13% more possibility of achieving glycaemic control than those of the CG.ConclusionCounselling offered by the pharmacist proved to be effective for improving drug adherence of diabetic and hypertensive patients in ambulatory health care.
General practitioners' preferences for interventions to improve guideline adherence
Authors: Lugtenberg Marjolein , Burgers Jako S. , Han Dolly , Westert Gert P. 
Published: June 2014

AbstractRationale, aims and objectivesInterventions aimed at improving guideline adherence should take into account the specific features of the target users; however, it is unclear how general practitioners (GPs) evaluate the different types of interventions. The aim of this paper was to identify GPs' preferences for interventions to improve guideline adherence in practice and whether these differ across key guideline recommendations.MethodAn electronic survey was conducted among 703 GPs working in the south‐western part of the Netherlands. Each survey focused on two of four guidelines: cerebrovascular accident, eye inflammation, thyroid disorders and urinary tract infection. GPs were asked to rate potential interventions in terms of their usefulness in improving guideline adherence in general and for specific key guideline recommendations.Results264 GPs (38%) completed the questionnaire. In general, GPs preferred interactive small group meetings (84% rated this as much or very much encouraging), audit and feedback (53%), organizational interventions (50%) and the use of local opinion leaders (50%) as methods for improving guideline adherence. Financial interventions (24%), distribution of educational materials (22%) and big group educational meetings (21%) were of least interest. Some interventions were preferred by GPs irrespective of the specific key recommendations (e.g. audit and feedback), while ratings for other interventions differed across key recommendations (reminders/computer support).ConclusionsTo implement guidelines, interventions need to be identified that are acceptable and appealing to the target group. GPs seem to have general and recommendation‐specific preferences regarding interventions, these should be taken into account when developing plans for guideline implementation to encourage the uptake of guidelines in practice.
The effectiveness of computer reminders versus postal reminders for improving quality assessment for point‐of‐care testing in primary care: a randomized controlled trial
Authors: Siersma Volkert , Kousgaard Marius Brostrøm , Reventlow Susanne , Ertmann Ruth , Felding Peter , Waldorff Frans Boch 
Published: June 2014

AbstractRationale, aims and objectivesThis study aimed to evaluate the relative effectiveness of electronic and postal reminders for increasing adherence to the quality assurance programme for the international normalized ratio (INR) point‐of‐care testing (POCT) device in primary care.MethodsAll 213 family practices that use the Elective Laboratory of the Capital Region, Denmark, and regularly conduct INR POCT were randomly allocated into two similarly sized groups. During the 4‐month intervention, these practices were sent either computer reminders (ComRem) or computer‐generated postal reminders (Postal) if they did not perform a split test to check the quality of their INR POCT for each calendar month. The adherence of the practices was tracked during the subsequent 8 months subdivided into two 4‐month periods both without intervention. Outcomes were measures of split test procedure adherence.ResultsBoth interventions were associated with an increase in adherence to the split test procedure – a factor 6.00 [95% confidence interval (CI) 4.46–7.72] and 8.22 [95% CI 5.87–11.52] for ComRem and Postal, respectively – but there is no evidence that one of the interventions was more effective than the other. In the ComRem group, the expected number of split tests (out of four) was 2.54 (95% CI 2.33–2.76) versus 2.44 (95% CI 2.24–2.65) in the Postal group, P = 0.14. There was a slight decrease in adherence over the two follow‐ups, but neither intervention was better than the other in achieving a lasting improvement in adherence.ConclusionComputer reminders are as efficient as postal reminders in increasing adherence to a quality assurance programme for the INR POCT device in primary care.
What's Not There: Odd Lots and Market Data
Authors: O'HARA MAUREEN , YAO CHEN , YE MAO 
Published: June 2014

ABSTRACTWe investigate odd‐lot trades in equity markets. Odd lots are increasingly used in algorithmic and high‐frequency trading, but are not reported to the consolidated tape or in databases such as TAQ. In our sample, the median number of odd‐lot trades is 24% but in some stocks odd lots are 60% or more of trading. Odd‐lot trades contribute 35% of price discovery, consistent with informed traders using odd lots to avoid detection. Omitting odd‐lot trades leads to inaccuracies in order imbalance measures and makes sentiment measures unreliable. Excluding odd lots from the consolidated tape raises important regulatory issues.
Assessing the contribution of the dental care delivery system to oral health care disparities
Authors: Pourat Nadereh , Andersen Ronald M , Marcus Marvin 
Published: June 2014

AbstractObjectivesExisting studies of disparities in access to oral health care for underserved populations often focus on supply measures such as number of dentists. This approach overlooks the importance of other aspects of the dental care delivery system, such as personal and practice characteristics of dentists, that determine the capacity to provide care. This study aims to assess the role of such characteristics in access to care of underserved populations.MethodsWe merged data from the 2003 California Health Interview Survey and a 2003 survey of California dentists in their Medical Study Service Areas (MSSAs). We examined the role of overall supply and other characteristics of dentists in income and racial/ethnic disparities in access, which was measured by annual dental visits and unmet need for dental care due to costs.ResultsWe found that some characteristics of MSSAs, including higher proportions of dentists who were older, white, busy or overworked, and did not accept public insurance or discounted fees, inhibited access for low‐income and minority populations.ConclusionsThese findings highlight the importance of monitoring characteristics of dentists in addition to traditional measures of supply such as licensed‐dentist‐to‐population ratios. The findings identify specific aspects of the delivery system such as dentists' participation in Medicaid, provision of discounted care, busyness, age, race/ethnicity, and gender that should be regularly monitored. These data will provide a better understanding of how the dental care delivery system is organized and how this knowledge can be used to develop more narrowly targeted policies to alleviate disparities.
Dental procedures among children age birth to 20, United States, 1999 and 2009
Authors: Manski Richard J. , Vargas Clemencia M. , Brown Erwin , Carper Kelly V. , Macek Mark D. , Cohen Leonard A. 
Published: June 2014

AbstractObjectiveTo describe dental procedures received by US children and adolescents by poverty status and dental insurance coverage.MethodsData for this analysis came from the 1999 and 2009 Medical Expenditure Panel Surveys. The primary outcome variable represented the types of dental procedures that were received during dental visits in the preceding year. Descriptive variables included dental insurance and poverty status. Analysis was restricted to children from birth to 20 years.ResultsOverall, diagnostic (41.2 percent) and preventive (35.8 percent) procedures accounted for most of the procedures received by children from birth to 20 years of age, while restorative procedures accounted for just 5 percent. Children from low‐income families received a higher proportion of restorative procedures than children in higher‐income families. The proportion of diagnostic and preventive services was lower among uninsured children than among publicly insured children. Orthodontic services, on the other hand, represented a greater percentage of these procedures among uninsured children than among publicly insured children.DiscussionThe vast majority of procedures received by children from birth to 20 years were diagnostic and preventive. Most children with at least one dental visit received a diagnostic or preventive service. Between 1999 and 2009, the proportion of all services received accounted for by diagnostic or preventive services increased. However, the proportion in which each type of procedure was received by children who made at least one visit who received did not change.
Taxonomic and evolutionary implications of spore ornamentation in Davalliaceae
Authors: WANG Fa‐Guo , LIU Hong‐Mei , HE Chun‐Mei , YANG Dong‐Mei , XING Fu‐Wu 
Published: June 2014

AbstractDavalliaceae is a small family of derived ferns that grow epiphytic or occasionally epilithic in the tropics and subtropics of the Old World. Despite recent taxonomic and phylogenetic achievements, some aspects of its classification remain controversial. In this study, we provided new spore observations on Davalliaceae by using scanning electron microscopy. The newly generated data were integrated together with previously reported spore evidence of this group. The evolution of spore ornamentation and taxonomic implications of spore characters was optimized onto a phylogenetic tree based on plastid sequences. Verrucate colliculate spore ornamentation was identified as plesiomorphic character state within Davalliaceae. The Humata clade was characterized by the transition from verrucate colliculate to fused verrucate ornamentation. Several species complexes subject to taxonomic controversy were found to show informative variation in the spore ornamentation. In conclusion, our observations support the utility of spores as a morphological taxonomic trait in ferns, as long as the evolution of spore morphology is considered.