bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Systematic Review and Metaanalysis of Middle Meatal Packing after Endoscopic Sinus Surgery
Authors: Hobson Candace E. , Choby Garret W. , Wang Eric W. , Morton Sally C. , Lee Stella 
Published: March 2015

Objective The objective of this systematic review was to evaluate synechiae formation in patients who underwent packing in the middle meatus at the completion of endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) for chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) or recurrent acute rhinosinusitis. Data Sources PubMed and Ovid. Review Methods Prospective randomized controlled studies of ESS with the placement of middle meatal packing were reviewed and included for analysis. Metaanalysis of the pooled data was performed. Results Eighteen prospective, randomized, controlled trials met inclusion criteria, resulting in a total of 925 subjects. Although there was a trend toward decreased risk of synechiae formation in the patients who underwent placement of middle meatal packing postoperatively (RR = 0.544), this did not achieve statistical significance on metaanalysis (p = 0.052). Conclusions This systematic review and metaanalysis suggests that use of middle meatal packing does not significantly reduce the risk of synechiae formation after ESS. There was, however, significant heterogeneity of the data analyzed, and the difference between groups was just short of statistical significance in our metaanalysis. Additional prospective randomized studies on this topic will further elucidate the utility of middle meatal packing.
Superoxide Dismutase Reduces the Inflammatory Response to Aspergillus and Alternaria in Human Sinonasal Epithelial Cells Derived from Patients with Chronic Rhinosinusitis
Authors: Lawrence Lauren A. , Mulligan Jennifer K. , Roach Catherine , Pasquini Whitney N. , Soler Zachary M. , Banglawala Sarfaraz M. , Karnezis Tom T. , Gudis David A. , Schlosser Rodney J. 
Published: March 2015

Background Aspergillus fumigatus and Alternaría alternata are ubiquitous environmental fungal allergens that can exacerbate airway inflammation and contribute to the disease process in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS). These antigens have been shown to induce human sinonasal epithelial cells (HSNECs) to promote a proinflammatory response, but what is unclear is a means by which to reduce these effects. Inhaled pathogens can induce HSNECs to produce reactive oxygen species (ROS) that trigger cytokine production. Objective This study aimed to determine whether the free radical scavenger superoxide dismutase (SOD) could reduce HSNEC-derived inflammation, as measured by interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-8 production, in response to Aspergillus or Alternaria exposure. Methods Sinus tissue explants were collected at the time of surgery from control patients (n = 7) and patients with CRS with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) (n = 9). HSNECs were cultured from the explants and treated with Aspergillus, Aternaria, and SOD for 24 hours. Cell supernatants and lysates were collected, and IL-6 and IL-8 concentrations were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results In control and CRSwNP HSNECs, Aspergillus and Aternaria both increased cytokine production (p < 0.05), as measured by IL-6 and IL-8 concentration. SOD treatment reduced the inflammatory response to fungal antigen exposure from CRSwNP HSNECs but not control HSNECs. In CRSwNP patients, SOD significantly decreased IL-6 and IL-8 production after Alternaria exposure and IL-8 after Aspergillus exposure (p < 0.05). Conclusions When HSNECs from CRSwNP patients are treated with SOD concurrently with Aspergillus or Alternaria, SOD treatment decreases the fungal antigen-induced inflammatory response. The ability to attenuate inflammation induced by common fungal allergens with SOD treatment could provide a novel therapeutic or preventative approach for patients with CRS or other allergic inflammatory airway diseases.
The association between Chiari malformation Type I, spinal syrinx, and scoliosis
Authors: Strahle Jennifer , Smith Brandon W. , Martinez Melaine , Bapuraj J. Rajiv , Muraszko Karin M. , Garton Hugh J. L. , Maher Cormac O. 
Published: March 2015

OBJECT
Chiari malformation Type I (CM-I) is often found in patients with scoliosis. Most previous reports of CM-I and scoliosis have focused on patients with CM-I and a spinal syrinx. The relationship between CM-I and scoliosis in the absence of a syrinx has never been defined clearly. The authors sought to determine if there is an independent association between CM-I and scoliosis when controlling for syrinx status.

METHODS
The medical records of 14,118 consecutive patients aged ≤ 18 years who underwent brain or cervical spine MRI at a single institution in an 11-year span were reviewed to identify patients with CM-I, scoliosis, and/or syrinx. The relationship between CM-I and scoliosis was analyzed by using multivariate regression analysis and controlling for age, sex, CM-I status, and syrinx status.

RESULTS
In this cohort, 509 patients had CM-I, 1740 patients had scoliosis, and 243 patients had a spinal syrinx. The presence of CM-I, the presence of syrinx, older age, and female sex were each significantly associated with scoliosis in the univariate analysis. In the multivariate regression analysis, older age (OR 1.02 [95% CI 1.01–1.03]; p < 0.0001), female sex (OR 1.71 [95% CI 1.54–1.90]; p < 0.0001), and syrinx (OR 9.08 [95% CI 6.82–12.10]; p < 0.0001) were each independently associated with scoliosis. CM-I was not independently associated with scoliosis when controlling for these other variables (OR 0.99 [95% CI 0.79–1.29]; p = 0.9).

CONCLUSIONS
A syrinx was independently associated with scoliosis in a large pediatric population undergoing MRI. CM-I was not independently associated with scoliosis when controlling for age, sex, and syrinx status. Because CM-I is not independently associated with scoliosis, scoliosis should not necessarily be considered a symptom of low cerebellar tonsil position in patients without a syrinx.
Congenital spinal dermal tract: how accurate is clinical and radiological evaluation?
Authors: Tisdall Martin M. , Hayward Richard D. , Thompson Dominic N. P. 
Published: March 2015

OBJECT
A dermal sinus tract is a common form of occult spinal dysraphism. The presumed etiology relates to a focal failure of disjunction resulting in a persistent adhesion between the neural and cutaneous ectoderm. Clinical and radiological features can appear innocuous, leading to delayed diagnosis and failure to appreciate the implications or extent of the abnormality. If it is left untreated, complications can include meningitis, spinal abscess, and inclusion cyst formation. The authors present their experience in 74 pediatric cases of spinal dermal tract in an attempt to identify which clinical and radiological factors are associated with an infective presentation and to assess the reliability of MRI in evaluating this entity.

METHODS
Consecutive cases of spinal dermal tract treated with resection between 1998 and 2010 were identified from the departmental surgical database. Demographics, clinical history, and radiological and operative findings were collected from the patient records. The presence or absence of active infection (abscess, meningitis) at the time of neurosurgical presentation and any history of local sinus discharge or infection was assessed. Magnetic resonance images were reviewed to evaluate the extent of the sinus tract and determine the presence of an inclusion cyst. Radiological and operative findings were compared.

RESULTS
The surgical course was uncomplicated in 90% of 74 cases eligible for analysis. Magnetic resonance imaging underreported the presence of both an intradural tract (MRI 46%, operative finding 86%) and an intraspinal inclusion cyst (MRI 15%, operative finding 24%). A history of sinus discharge (OR 12.8, p = 0.0003) and the intraoperative identification of intraspinal inclusion cysts (OR 5.6, p = 0.023) were associated with an infective presentation. There was no significant association between the presence of an intradural tract discovered at surgery and an infective presentation.

CONCLUSIONS
Surgery for the treatment of spinal dermal tract carries a low morbidity. While it seems intuitive that tracts without intradural extension carry a low risk of spinal cord tethering, it is not possible to reliably detect these cases using MRI. Similarly, intraspinal dermoid cannot be reliably excluded using MRI and carries an increased risk of infection. These points justify excision together with intradural exploration of all spinal dermal sinus tracts.
Assessing polarimetric SAR sea-ice classifications using consecutive day images
Authors: Moen M.-A.N. , Anfinsen S.N. , Doulgeris A.P. , Renner A.H.H. , S. Gerland  
Published: March 2015

AbstractThis paper investigates automatic segmentation and classification of C-band, polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite images of Arctic sea ice under freezing conditions prior to melt. The objective is to investigate the robustness of the results obtained under slightly varying environmental conditions and different viewing geometries. Initially, three geographically overlapping SAR images from consecutive days are incidence-angle corrected and segmented into unknown classes. The segmentation is performed by an unsupervised mixture-of-Gaussian segmentation algorithm utilizing six features extracted from the polarimetric data. After segmentation, the segments are contextually smoothed. One segmented image is manually labelled based on in situ data and expert knowledge. Using this scene as reference, we consider two strategies for class labelling of the other scenes. The first manually labels the classes based on visual inspection of the reference; the second utilizes various statistical distance measures to automatically assign each unknown class to the statistically nearest reference class. These two scenes are also classified pixel-wise by a supervised classification algorithm based on the reference data. Poor classification results are obtained when the incidence angle is very different from the reference scene. Similar viewing geometries reveal good classification and labelling results, the latter regardless of the distance measure used.
Prevalence of restless legs syndrome in somatoform pain disorder and its effect on quality of life
Authors: Chatterjee Seshadri Sekhar , Mitra Sayantanava , Guha Prathama , Chakraborty Kaustav 
Published: March 2015

ABSTRACT
Background: Persistent somatoform pain disorder (SPD) is a condition in which the patient suffers from persistent, severe and distressing pain; and from associated physical and psychological distress. While presence of restless leg syndrome (RLS) in SPD is understudied, their association might have an impact on general well-being and quality of life (QoL) in SPD. Aims and Objectives: Present study aimed at evaluating the prevalence of RLS in SPD patients attending outpatient department services at a tertiary care institute in eastern India. Materials and Methods: Two hundred and forty consecutive patients with SPD were screened initially and after applying appropriate inclusion and exclusion criteria, 192 subjects (male = 85, female = 107) were included in the study. Severity of RLS was assessed using a questionnaire of the International Restless Legs Syndrome Study Group and QoL was measured on QoL Enjoyment and Satisfaction Questionnaire-Short Form (Q-LES-Q-SF). Results: Revealed a 28% prevalence of RLS is in patients with SPD, which is much higher than its estimated population prevalence. A larger proportion of those with RLS had continuous course of SPD, longer duration of SPD, and higher daytime sleepiness. They also had poorer scores on Q-LES-Q-SF, indicating a poorer QoL overall. Discussion and Conclusion: This is the first report, to the best of our knowledge, on this aspect from India. While this association between RLS and SPD may have biological explanation based on abnormal monoaminergic neurotransmission system, the findings call for more vigilant approach to SPD patients in order to improve their QoL and add to their well-being.
Socio demography of mental retardation: A community-based study from a goitre zone in rural sub-Himalayan India
Authors: Sharma Shailja , Raina Sunil Kumar , Bhardwaj Ashok Kumar , Chaudhary Sanjeev , Kashyap Vipasha , Chander Vishav 
Published: March 2015

ABSTRACT
Introduction: Mental retardation is one of the most common disabilities of childhood which can be prevented by timely identification of the causative agent and an adequate management accordingly. District Kangra lies in the sub-Himalayan belt and forms a part of the 2400 km long goitre belt along the southern slopes of the Himalayas. Objective: To study the prevalence of mental retardation among children (1-10) years of age. Materials and Methods: A two-phase cross-sectional study was conducted in the rural area of district Kangra. A 30-cluster sampling technique was used to screen a population of children 1-10 years of age from five randomly selected panchayats (village government units) of district Kangra. The screening was based on a modified version of the ten questions screen, adapted to the local population. In the first phase a door to door survey was done to identify suspects of mental retardation. In the second phase, the children found positive in the first phase were called for examination by the pediatrician to confirm mental retardation. Results: A total of 2420 children were screened in the first phase of which 95 tested positive. About 52 of these children were found to be mentally retarded in the second phase giving a prevalence of 2.15%. The 69% of these children belonged to the lower middle class and 28.3% belonged to middle class families using the Uday Parekh scale for assessment of the socio-economic status. Conclusion: Prevalence of mental retardation is high in district Kangra of Himachal Pradesh in comparison to other states of India. This could be attributed to the good primary health care in Himachal Pradesh where institutional deliveries are about 70%. This may have led to better survival of children with congenital disorders and those that suffer perinatal trauma.
Pupil to limbus ratio: Introducing a simple objective measure using two-box method for measuring early nisocoria and progress of pupillary change in the ICU
Authors: Mojumder Deb Kumar , Patel Saumil , Nugent Kenneth , Detoledo John , Kim Jongyeol , Dar Nabeel , Wilms Henrik 
Published: March 2015

ABSTRACT
Introduction: Measurement of static pupillary size in the ICU is of importance in cases of acutely expanding intracranial mass lesions. The inaccuracies with subjective assessment of pupillary size by medical personnel preclude its use in emergent neurological situations. Objective: To determine if the ratio of pupil to limbus diameter (PLD ratio) measured by a two-box method is a reliable measure of pupil size for detecting early anisocoria and measuring pupillary changes. Materials and Methods: The PLD ratio was defined as the ratio of the pupillary diameter measured at a para-horizontal axial plane with the limbus diameter measured at the same or parallel axial plane. A two-box method was used to estimate the diameters of imaged pupils. Eyes were imaged using an iPhone 4S cellphone camera. Background illumination was measured and kept constant. The pupils of a 78-year-old woman, who presented with a large intra-axial parenchymal hemorrhage, were imaged. The patient had left pupillary miosis in dark but not in bright light. After presenting this case along with the images of the pupillary examination, a group of 21 medical staff were asked several questions on the pupillary examination. Reliability of PLD ratio were assessed via standard error of mean (S.E.M) of PLD ratios for 3 different subjects each imaged under constant illumination and fixation but from different angles to the optical axis. Results: Analysis of questionnaire data together with PLD ratios revealed that ~ 14% and 10% of participants could estimate the pupillary size in darkness and bright light respectively but none were simultaneously accurate indicating that subjective assessment of pupillary size was unreliable. The approach towards a systematic pupillary examination was inconsistent among the participants. The PLD ratio was found to be a reliable measure of pupillary size with standard error of mean below 0.1 mm for the three subjects tested. Conclusion: Static pupillary sizes can be objectively and consistently evaluated using PLD ratios using a two-box method. PLD ratios are resistant, within limits, to changes in imaging angle or choice of para-horizontal axes for measurement.
Prenatal Development of the Human Central Nervous System, Normal and Abnormal
Authors: Shiota Kohei 
Published: March 2015

ABSTRACTThe organogenesis of the central nervous system (CNS) begins during the third week of development, but its maturation requires a considerably long period of time until after birth. Therefore the developing nervous system is vulnerable to the deleterious effects of environmental factors during the pre- and perinatal periods. In addition, molecular studies have revealed various gene mutations that are responsible for congenital CNS disorders. This chapter provides an overview of the prenatal development of the human brain and spinal cord.How to cite this articleShiota K. Prenatal Development of the Human Central Nervous System, Normal and Abnormal. Donald School J Ultrasound Obstet Gynecol 2015;9(1):61-66.
Antenatal and Postnatal Assessment of Neurobehavior: Which One should be used?
Authors: Stanojevic Milan 
Published: March 2015

ABSTRACTIt is obvious that this environment is quite different from one man is experiencing after birth, but, although different, intrauterine environment is ideal at that stage of human development. There is a question of the environmental discontinuity between intrauterine conditions characterized by existence of microgravity (baby astronaut hypothesis), and extrauterine life with gravity as developmental condition sine qua non. The human brain is one of the organs which is very sensitive to environmental changes affecting its growth and development. The brain of very tiny prematurely born babies is unable to follow the genetically determined growth pattern in extrauterine environment, even when postnatal nutrition and nurturing of the babies according to our best knowledge are appropriate. Is this fact of any significance to make distinction between normal and abnormal neurodevelopment pre- and postnatally is still unclear?Kurjak antenatal neurodevelopmental test (KANET) using four-dimensional ultrasound (4D US) has been introduced using ten parameters and after attempt of standardization only eight parameters remained for neurodevelopmental assessment of low- and high-risk fetuses. We believe that at present level of knowledge, KANET test could be considered as a good test for the detection of fetuses with high neurological risk, without the possibility to define reliable long-term neurodevelopmental outcome. This is also hardly possible based on postnatal neurological assessment with 27 different postnatal tests. They were primarily neurobehavioral or neuromotor assessments that were suitable for use with preterm infants, and were discriminative, predictive or evaluative.There was a high willingness of clinician to find postnatal neurodevelopmental test which could be predictive for short- term and long-term outcome of low and high-risk infants.Although, there are many tests available for prenatal and postnatal assessment of neurodevelopment, none of them is reliable in the prediction of neurodevelopmental outcome in low-risk population, while many could be used with fairly acceptable predictivity in high-risk population. Although, many studies have been conducted in order to solve this problem, still there is a space for improvement. In postnatal period we are dealing with infant in front of the clinician with direct observation, while pretnatally we are dealing with quite different environment and less mature brain.How to cite this articleStanojevic M. Antenatal and Postnatal Assessment of Neurobehavior: Which One should be used? Donald School J Ultrasound Obstet Gynecol 2015;9(1):67-74.
Fetal Isolated Ventriculomegaly: Is There any Neonatal Consequences?
Authors: Vladareanu Radu , Andrei Traistaru Vlad 
Published: March 2015

ABSTRACT
Isolated fetal ventriculomegaly is the most common cerebral anomaly encountered in utero during a routine pregnancy scan. Ultrasonography remains the most easy to access tool in the examination of the fetal brain, although fetal MRI is a more accurate method of evaluating fetal ventriculomegaly— associated brain anomalies are found in 17% of the cases after performing fetal MRI. Amniocentesis with chromosomal evaluation must be performed, because kariotype anomalies are more frequently encountered in fetuses with enlargement of the ventricular atrium, but the ventriculomegaly can be a cosequence of congenital infection with CMV, Toxoplasma or Rubella. Fetal isolated ventriculomegaly is a significant risk factor for developmental delay in children.

How to cite this article
Vladareanu S, Traistaru VA, Vladareanu R. Fetal Isolated Ventriculomegaly: Is There any Neonatal Consequences? Donald School J Ultrasound Obstet Gynecol 2015;9(1):75-79.
Het postcontractuele non-concurrentiebeding in de franchiseovereenkomst: een update
Authors: Kolenbrander J.H. 
Published: March 2015

Het postcontractuele non-concurrentiebeding in de franchiseovereenkomst: een update
In ‘Het postcontractuele non-concurrentiebeding in de franchiseovereenkomst: Een update’ wordt door Jan-Willem Kolenbrander ingegaan op recente jurisprudentie terzake van het postcontractuele non-concurrentiebeding in de franchiseovereenkomst. Het artikel vormt hiermee een aanvulling op een eerder artikel van Kolenbrander in het tijdschrift ‘Contracteren’. De uitspraken worden thematisch behandeld en hopen de lezer een zo compleet mogelijk beeld te geven van de rechtspraak op dat gebied.
Water‐Lean Inner Helmholtz Plane Enabled by Tetrahydropyran for Highly Reversible Zinc Metal Anode
Authors: Fu Kai , Liu Tingting , Xie Meilan , Wu Yurou , Li Zhendong , Xin Yuxuan , Liao Yaqi , Liu Cailing , Huang Hongbo , Ma Dui , Zeng Fanyan , Liang Xiao 
Published: August 2024

AbstractThe reversibility and stability of zinc (Zn) metal anode are closely related to inner Helmholtz plane (IHP) chemistry. The H2O‐rich IHP raises severe parasitic reactions and irregular Zn deposition, impeding the practical utility of Zn anode in aqueous Zn‐ion batteries (AZIBs). In this study, tetrahydropyran (THP), a five‐carbon heterocyclic ether with permanent dipole moment and hydrophobic characteristic, is introduced as a self‐adsorptive additive to reshape the IHP. It squeezes out partial H2O molecules and forms a H2O‐lean IHP, benefitting for alleviating active H2O decomposition and improving the stability of Zn anode. Moreover, the adsorbed THP induces the preferential nucleation of Zn (002) plane, facilitating dendrite‐free growth and improving the reversibility of Zn anode. Consequently, the Zn||Zn symmetric cell enables to cycle over 3600 h at 5 mA cm−2@ 1 mAh cm−2. The Zn||Cu half‐cell can stably cycle over 400 cycles with 99.9% coulombic efficiency even under harsh test conditions (10 mA cm−2@5 mAh cm−2) with 30 µm Zn foil. The Zn||NH4V4O10 full cell maintains 92.6% capacity retention after 800 cycles at 1 A g−1 and the Zn||I2 full cell enables to perform steadily over 10000 cycles with a capacity decay rate of merely 0.003% per cycle at 5 C.