bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Quality of Female Sexual Function After Conventional Abdominal Hysterectomy - Three Month' Observation
Authors: Briedite Ieva , Ancane Gunta , Rogovska Irena , Lietuviete Nellija 
Published: November 2014

Summary

Introduction. Many medical and conservative surgical treatment options are available but still hysterectomy remains the most common gynecological procedure performed worldwide. These procedures are performed because of actual and possible malignant diseases, and benign conditions including pelvic pain, dyspareunia, uterine myomas, adenomyosis, endometriosis, and menometrorrhagia. The impact of hysterectomy on sexual function has always been a great concern to women and is a major source of preoperative anxiety. Data regarding the impact of hysterectomy on women's sexual functioning are not clear and consistent, many women report improvement of sexual functioning after hysterectomy, which may be due to relief of symptoms, while others complain of sexual dysfunction as a result of hysterectomy. Also discussion about advantages of cervix sparing operations is still controversial.

Aim of the study. Aim was to assess and compare pre- and post-operative quality of sexual life of gynecological patients undergoing planned hysterectomy, and to find out opinions of patients and their partners about expected impact of operation and changes after surgery.

Material and methods. Questionnaire method was used to survey gynecologic patients undergoing planned subtotal / total hysterectomy due to benign indication. Sexual Quality of Life Questionnaire – Female (SQoL-F) was used to assess quality of sexual life before and after surgery. Questions about other influencing factors and patients' opinions before and after operation were added. 38 completed questionnaires were used for data analysis.

Results. Only 55% of subtotal hysterectomy group and 38.9% of total hysterectomy group told their partners completely about planned surgery. Mean period of beginning sexual activities after operation was 5.15 weeks after surgery in subtotal hysterectomy and 5.78 weeks in total hysterectomy group. SQoL-F after three months post-operation period was 6.50 points less in total hysterectomy group, which was not statistically significant. There was a slight statistically insignificant decrease of SQoL-F points within each group after three months observation period: -0.44 points in subtotal hysterectomy group and -2.47 points in total hysterectomy group. Although patients of total hysterectomy more frequently (22.2% vs. 5%) indicated negative impact on sexual function after operation, differences were not statistically significant. There were no differences in co-morbidities, concomitant medications, hormone use history and post-operative complications between groups.

Conclusions. Patients before hysterectomy are worried about possible negative impact of surgery on their sexual function, they do not talk to their partners candidly about planned surgery. There were no statistically significant changes of sexual quality of life found after subtotal and total abdominal hysterectomy operation after three months observation period.
Pulmonary Endometriosis - a Rare Differential Diagnosis of Lung Cancer
Authors: Jukna Agita , Strumfa Ilze , Drike Inese , Vanags Andrejs , Gardovskis Janis 
Published: November 2014

Summary
Endometriosis is characterised by the presence of ectopic functional endometrial tissue outside the uterus. The disease most frequently affects pelvic tissues and organs but any site can be involved including gastrointestinal tract, lungs and other organs. Extra-pelvic endometriosis mostly occurs in females aged 35–40 years. Here we report a well-documented, morphologically proved and surgically treated case of pulmonary endometriosis in a 50-year-old woman in order to heighten the awareness of endometriosis as the differential diagnosis for nodular lung lesions.
Deciduosis of the Appendix Manifesting as Acute Abdomen in Pregnancy
Authors: Balta Anita , Lubgane Maija , Orube Ineta , Ziemele Guna , Vanags Andrejs , Gardovskis Janis , Strumfa Ilze 
Published: November 2014

Summary
Acute appendicitis is one of the most common surgical diseases during pregnancy. In rare cases, ectopic decidual tissues (deciduosis) can develop in the appendix and cause inflammation. Here we report a well-documented case of appendicular deciduosis presenting with acute abdominal pain and resulting in gangrenous appendicitis.
“And You Were There”: A Trip Down the Yellow Brick Road with the Academic Study of Religion
Authors: Zwissler Laurel 
Published: November 2014

Abstract: In a world of proliferating entertainment options and increasingly fragmented fandoms, The Wizard of Oz (1939) remains a rare touchstone of shared cultural familiarity. Yet, while film scholars and historians have examined the movie extensively, not so scholars interested in what relevance it holds for the academic study of religion. This paper serves as an introduction to a roundtable designed to begin redressing that omission. I argue, as the contributions that come next skillfully demonstrate, that following the Yellow Brick Road with Dorothy and her friends reveals productive opportunities to explore the North American religious experience.
“There’s No Place Like Home”: An American Koan
Authors: Smith David L. 
Published: November 2014

Abstract:I use the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz as an occasion to reflect on the various ways a desire for ultimate fulfillment is configured in religion. Typically, the film’s climactic motto—“There’s no place like home”—is taken as a straightforward expression of the familiar view that fulfillment is the result of a quest, the yearning that takes Dorothy to Oz and back again. There is another religious paradigm, however, that presents fulfillment as a matter of “non-attainment,” or a quality that is inalienably immanent. My argument is that the film as a whole (and this motto in particular) contains a sophisticated critique of its own surface meaning, in which the desire for “real life elsewhere” is brought into tension with the intuition of a meaning that can never be lost.
“Like You Could Read What Was Inside of Me”: Genocide, Hermeneutics, and Religion in The Wizard of Oz
Authors: Derry Ken 
Published: November 2014

Abstract: Ten years before he wrote The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, L. Frank Baum produced two editorials calling for the death of all Native American people. These editorials have affected how both Baum’s novel and its 1939 MGM adaptation are interpreted. For some, the tale is a utopian vision that vindicates its author, while for others it clearly embodies Baum’s genocidal impulses. This essay explores this hermeneutical issue, arguing that The Wizard of Oz—like “religion” itself—can support opposing interpretations because the world it depicts is complex and contradictory.
“Twisted Paths of Civilization”: Saint Sara and the Romani
Authors: Petersen Zina 
Published: November 2014

Abstract:In conjunction with veneration for their onomastic patron saints, the Mediterranean town of Les-Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer hosts a yearly festival for a unique saint, Sara. Her effigy housed in the church crypt, Sara is a draw for the Romani (aka “Gypsies”) who venerate her and for the tourist industry, which relies on festival revenue. This article explores Sara’s mythic and historic association with the Romani. It considers how racist thinking has infected Sara’s story; it considers similarities between the Romani’s ancestral Indian rites and today’s Sara festivities. Finally, it suggests an indigenous Camarguaise tradition, pagan, then Christian, similar enough to Roma traditions to provide a framework for the Sara festival as it happens today. The festival may be as recent as the nineteenth century, but it is also as old as archetype.
iReligion: Religious Elements of the Apple Phenomenon
Authors: Pogačnik Anja , Črnič Aleš 
Published: November 2014

Abstract: This article utilizes Durkheim’s definition of religion to demonstrate the religious dimensions of the Apple phenomenon and by doing that aims to assert the presence of religiosity outside of its conventional sphere. The analysis of Apple consists of four elements of Durkheim’s definition—community, beliefs, sacred, and rituals. The devotees of Apple’s community base their beliefs on notions of individuality, creativity, and counterculture, and this system of beliefs is supported by a mythos surrounding Apple’s history and Steve Jobs’s life. The Apple brand itself is the most sacred symbol of the community, protected by the taboo of criticism. The products act as religious fetishes to Apple devotees, and Apple stores function as temples. Followers perform public pilgrimages to store openings and Apple conferences, and private rituals of product unboxing.
Synthesis and Properties of Guerbet Hexadecyl Sulfate
Authors: Huang Chengbin , Li Qiuxiao , Li Ming , Niu Jinpin , Song Yongbo 
Published: November 2014

Abstract
Guerbet hexadecyl sulfate (C16GS) was synthesized by sulfating Guerbet hexadecyl alcohol (C16GA) with SO3 as the sulfating agent and dichloroethane as the solvent. The structure of C16GS and C16GA was confirmed by IR and NMR. Their surface tension, wetting, emulsifying and foaming properties were tested and compared with that of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). It is found that C16GS shows better surface activity than SDS, with both the critical micelle concentration (CMC) and surface tension at CMC (γCMC) of C16GS lower than that of SDS. Contact angle data demonstrated that C16GS exhibits better wetting ability on Teflon surface than SDS. As concentration increases, both the contact angle of C16GS and SDS decreases first and then remains constant. The only exception is the 0 s contact angle of C16GS decreases first and then increases. The contact angle of SDS becomes the smallest and reaches a plateau at the concentration of CMC. However, the contact angle of C16GS reaches the smallest and levels off at the concentration of 2.5 g/L which is much higher than the CMC of C16GS. C16GS also has a better performance of emulsifying soybean oil and paraffin than SDS. As for the foaming property, C16GS has a similar foamability to SDS, but shows worse foam stability than SDS.
Percolative Behavior Models Based on Artificial Neural Networks for Electrical Percolation of AOT Microemulsions in the Presence of Crown Ethers as Additives
Authors: Moldes Óscar A. , Cid Antonio , Astray Gonzalo , Mejuto Juan C. 
Published: November 2014

Abstract
A series of models, based on artificial neural networks, of the percolative behaviour of AOT microemulsions in the presence of crown ethers as additives have been developed. Input variables, related to the chemical structure of crown ethers and their packing with surfactant film, have been selected. As a result, a model has been chosen with a good forecast capability for percolation threshold of such microemulsions.
A treatment paradigm for high-grade brain arteriovenous malformations: volume-staged radiosurgical downgrading followed by microsurgical resection
Authors: Abla Adib A. , Rutledge William Caleb , Seymour Zachary A. , Guo Diana , Kim Helen , Gupta Nalin , Sneed Penny K. , Barani Igor J. , Larson David , McDermott Michael W. , Lawton Michael T. 
Published: November 2014

OBJECT
The surgical treatment of many large arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) is associated with substantial risks, and many are considered inoperable. Furthermore, AVMs larger than 3 cm in diameter are not usually treated with conventional single-session radiosurgery encompassing the entire AVM volume. Volume-staged stereotactic radiosurgery (VS-SRS) is an option for large AVMs, but it has mixed results. The authors report on a series of patients with high-grade AVMs who underwent multiple VS-SRS sessions with resultant downgrading of the AVMs, followed by resection.

METHODS
A cohort of patients was retrieved from a single-institution AVM patient registry consisting of prospectively collected data. VS-SRS was performed as a planned intentional treatment. Surgery was considered as salvage therapy in select patients.

RESULTS
Sixteen AVMs underwent VS-SRS followed by surgery. Four AVMs presented with rupture. The mean patient age was 25.3 years (range 13–54 years). The average initial Spetzler-Martin grade before any treatment was 4, while the average supplemented Spetzler-Martin grade (Spetzler-Martin plus Lawton-Young) was 7.1. The average AVM size in maximum dimension was 5.9 cm (range 3.3–10 cm). All AVMs were supratentorial in location and all except one were in eloquent areas of the brain, with 7 involving primary motor cortex. The mean number of VS-SRS sessions was 2.7 (range 2–5 sessions). The mean interval between first VS-SRS session and resection was 5.7 years. There were 4 hemorrhages that occurred after VS-SRS. The average Spetzler-Martin grade was reduced to 2.5 (downgrade, −1.5) and the average supplemented Spetzler-Martin grade was reduced to 5.6 (downgrade, −1.5). The maximum AVM size was reduced to an average of 3.0 cm (downsize = −2.9 cm). The mean modified Rankin Scale (mRS) scores were 1.2, 2.3, and 2.2 before VS-SRS, before surgery, and at last follow-up, respectively (mean follow-up, 6.9 years). Fifteen AVMs were cured after surgery. Ten patients had good outcomes at last follow-up (7 with mRS Score 0 or 1, and 3 with mRS Score 2). There were 2 deaths (both mRS Score 1 before treatment) and 4 patients with mRS Score 3 outcome (from mRS Scores 0, 1, and 2 [n = 2]).

CONCLUSIONS
Volume-staged SRS can downgrade AVMs, transforming high-grade AVMs (initially considered inoperable) into operable AVMs with acceptable surgical risks. This treatment paradigm offers an alternative to conservative observation for young patients with unruptured AVMs and long life expectancy, where the risk of hemorrhage is substantial. Difficult AVMs were cured in 15 patients. Surgical morbidity associated with downgraded AVMs is reduced to that of postradiosurgical/preoperative supplemented Spetzler-Martin grades, not their initial AVM grades.
Percent reduction of growth hormone levels correlates closely with percent resected tumor volume in acromegaly
Authors: Schwyzer Lucia , Starke Robert M. , Jane John A. , Oldfield Edward H. 
Published: November 2014

OBJECT
Correlation between tumor volume and hormone levels in individual patients would permit calculation of the fraction of tumor removed by surgery, by measuring postoperative hormone levels. The goals of this study were to examine the relationship between tumor volume, growth hormone (GH), and insulin-like growth factor–1 (IGF-1) levels, and to assess the correlation between percent tumor removal and the reduction in plasma GH and IGF-1 in patients with acromegaly.

METHODS
The 3D region of interest–based volumetric method was used to measure tumor volume via MRI before and after surgery in 11 patients with GH-secreting adenomas. The volume of residual tumor as a fraction of preoperative tumor volume was correlated with GH levels before and after surgery. Examination of this potential correlation required selection of patients with acromegaly who 1) had incomplete tumor removal, 2) had precise measurements of initial and residual tumor, and 3) were not on medical therapy.

RESULTS
Densely granulated tumors produced more peripheral GH per mass of tumor than sparsely granulated tumors (p = 0.04). There was a correlation between GH and IGF-1 levels (p = 0.001). Although there was no close correlation between tumor size and peripheral GH levels, after normalizing each tumor to its own plasma GH level and tumor volume, a comparison of percent tumor resection with percent drop in plasma GH yielded a high correlation coefficient (p = 0.006).

CONCLUSIONS
Densely granulated somatotropinomas produce more GH per mass of tumor than do sparsely granulated tumors. Each GH-secreting tumor has its own intrinsic level of GH production per mass of tumor, which is homogeneous over the tumor mass, and which varies greatly between tumors. In most patients the fraction of a GH-secreting tumor removed by surgery can be accurately estimated by simply comparing plasma GH levels after surgery to those before surgery.
Improbables mais fécondes : les rencontres entre scientifiques critiques et syndicalistes dans les « années 1968 »
Authors: Bécot Renaud , Pessis Céline 
Published: November 2014

Ce qu’il est convenu d’appeler le « consensus fordiste » désigne un régime économique reposant notamment sur une forte croissance, obtenue au moyen de « la science », générant des gains de productivité qui étaient largement partagés avec les travailleurs. Comme le présentent d’autres articles dans ce numéro cet arrangement institutionnel a joui d’une forte légitimité, engendrant ainsi une grande stabilité. Les années 1968 sont en France et dans d’autres pays industrialisés le moment d’une remise en cause qui à certains égards pouvait être jugée salutaire. Les formes concrètes prises par les mouvements sociaux ont conduit des populations habituellement séparées à se rencontrer et à échanger. Renaud Bécot et Céline Pessis examinent le cas des scientifiques critiques et des syndicalistes et exposent l’existence de différents lieux de rencontre, de la santé au travail aux alternatives rurales.
OCT Angiography in Healthy Human Subjects
Authors: Matsunaga Douglas , Yi Jack , Puliafito Carmen A. , Kashani Amir H. 
Published: November 2014

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE:
To noninvasively evaluate the retinal microvasculature in healthy human subjects with optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA).

PATIENTS AND METHODS:

Cross-sectional, observational study of five healthy subjects. OCTA was performed on 3 × 3 mm
2
sections centered on the fovea, nasal macula, and temporal macula. Retinal vasculature was assessed within three horizontal slabs consisting of the inner, middle, and outer retina. The vasculature within each retinal slab was reconstructed using phase-based and intensity contrast-based algorithms and visualized as separate en face images.

RESULTS:
OCTA in healthy subjects demonstrates capillary networks consistent with previous histological studies. No retinal vessels were found in the outer retina. OCT angiography of the inner and middle retinal layers showed region-specific vascular patterns that consistently corroborated qualitative findings from past histological studies.

CONCLUSION:
OCTA generates high-resolution, noninvasive angiograms qualitatively similar to conventional fluorescein angiography. OCTA may serve as a bridge to assess some features of the retinal microvasculature between conventionally performed angiograms.

[
Ophthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging Retina
. 2014;45:510–515.]
Reduced-Fluence Photodynamic Therapy in Polypoidal Choroidal Vasculopathy Nonresponsive to Ranibizumab
Authors: Byon Ik Soo , Kwon Han Jo , Kim Sung Il , Shin Min Kyu , Park Sung Who , Lee Ji Eun 
Published: November 2014

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE:
To evaluate the effect of reduced-fluence photodynamic therapy (PDT) on polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV) unresponsive to intravitreal ranibizumab.

PATIENTS AND METHODS:
Patients with PCV unresponsive to ranibizumab administered 3 months consecutively who then received reduced-fluence PDT were retrospectively surveyed. Nonresponders were defined as patients having no reduction in intraretinal and/or subretinal fluid after 3 consecutive treatments.

RESULTS:
In total, 22 of 104 eyes (21.2%) were non-responders, and 16 of 22 nonresponders received reduced-fluence PDT. Nine eyes achieved complete fluid resolution, and six had reduced but persistent fluid. In one eye, fluid persisted at 6 months despite an additional anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) injection after reduced-fluence PDT. Mean macular thickness decreased significantly at 3 and 6 months after PDT, but the mean visual acuity was worse than baseline.

CONCLUSION:
Reduced-fluence PDT in nonresponders gradually decreased intraretinal and/or subretinal fluid over several months but did not maintain visual acuity.

[
Ophthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging Retina
. 2014;45:534–541.]
Adaptive Optics Imaging of Cone Mosaic Abnormalities in Acute Macular Neuroretinopathy
Authors: Mrejen Sarah , Pang Claudine E. , Sarraf David , Goldberg Naomi R. , Gallego-Pinazo Roberto , Klancnik James M. , Sorenson John A. , Yannuzzi Lawrence A. , Freund K. Bailey 
Published: November 2014

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE:
To assess the cone photoreceptor mosaic in acute macular neuroretinopathy (AMN) using adaptive optics (AO) imaging.

PATIENTS AND METHODS:
Four patients with AMN were evaluated retrospectively by near-infrared reflectance (IR) confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (SLO), spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT), and a flood-illuminated retinal AO camera. Microperimetry was performed in one patient.

RESULTS:
The cone photoreceptor density was decreased at the level of the AMN lesions. The cone mosaic disruption appeared heterogeneous and more widespread than the lesion detected in the IR-SLO and SD-OCT images. The areas of cone loss correlated with SD-OCT and microperimetry. After resolution of the AMN lesion on IR-SLO, there was incomplete recovery of the cone photoreceptor mosaic.

CONCLUSION:
Cone photoreceptor damage and reconstitution were documented in vivo at the cellular level in AMN using AO imaging. AO imaging appeared more sensitive than combined IR-SLO and SD-OCT to detect and follow photoreceptor damage in patients with AMN.

[
Ophthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging Retina
. 2014;45:562–569.]
Loss of Lymph Node Fibroblastic Reticular Cells and High Endothelial Cells Is Associated with Humoral Immunodeficiency in Mouse Graft-versus-Host Disease
Authors: Suenaga Fumiko , Ueha Satoshi , Abe Jun , Kosugi-Kanaya Mizuha , Wang Yong , Yokoyama Akihiro , Shono Yusuke , Shand Francis H. W. , Morishita Yasuyuki , Kunisawa Jun , Sato Shintaro , Kiyono Hiroshi , Matsushima Kouji 
Published: November 2014

Abstract
Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) is a major risk factor for prolonged humoral immunodeficiency and vaccine unresponsiveness after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). However, the underlying mechanisms for this immunodeficiency are poorly understood. In this article, we describe previously overlooked impacts of GVHD on lymph node (LN) stromal cells involved in humoral immune responses. In major- and minor-mismatched mouse allo-HSCT models, recipients with CD8+ T cell–mediated GVHD suffered severe and irreversible damage to LN structure. These mice were susceptible to pathogenic infection and failed to mount humoral immune responses despite the presence of peripheral T and B cells. These humoral immune defects were associated with the early loss of fibroblastic reticular cells, most notably the CD157+ cell subset, as well as structural defects in high endothelial venules. The disruption to these LN stromal cells was dependent on alloantigens expressed by nonhematopoietic cells. Blockade of the Fas-FasL pathway prevented damage to CD157+ fibroblastic reticular cells and ameliorated LN GVHD. However, blockade of CD62L- or CCR7-dependent migration of CD8+ T cells to the LN was insufficient to prevent stromal cell injury. Overall, our results highlight GVHD-associated loss of functional stromal cells and LN GVHD as a possible explanation for the prolonged susceptibility to infectious disease that is experienced by allo-HSCT patients.