bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A prognostic model for survival after palliative urinary diversion for malignant ureteric obstruction: a prospective study of 208 patients
Authors: Cordeiro Maurício D. , Coelho Rafael F. , Chade Daher C. , Pessoa Rodrigo R. , Chaib Mateus S. , Colombo‐Júnior José R. , Pontes‐Júnior José , Guglielmetti Giuliano B. , Srougi Miguel 
Published: October 2014

ObjectiveTo identify factors associated with survival after palliative urinary diversion (UD) for patients with malignant ureteric obstruction (MUO) and create a risk‐stratification model for treatment decisions.Patients and MethodsWe prospectively collected clinical and laboratory data for patients who underwent palliative UD by ureteric stenting or percutaneous nephrostomy (PCN) between 1 January 2009 and 1 November 2011 in two tertiary care university hospitals, with a minimum 6‐month follow‐up. Inclusion criteria were age >18 years and MUO confirmed by computed tomography, ultrasonography or magnetic resonance imaging. Factors related to poor prognosis were identified by Cox univariable and multivariable regression analyses, and a risk stratification model was created by Kaplan–Meier survival estimates at 1, 6 and 12 months, and log‐rank tests.ResultsThe median (range) survival was 144 (0–1084) days for the 208 patients included after UD (58 ureteric stenting, 150 PCN); 164 patients died, 44 (21.2%) during hospitalisation. Overall survival did not differ by UD type (P = 0.216). The number of events related to malignancy (≥4) and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) index (≥2) were associated with short survival on multivariable analysis. These two risk factors were used to divide patients into three groups by survival type: favourable (no factors), intermediate (one factor) and unfavourable (two factors). The median survival at 1, 6, and 12 months was 94.4%, 57.3% and 44.9% in the favourable group; 78.0%, 36.3%, and 15.5% in the intermediate group; and 46.4%, 14.3%, and 7.1% in the unfavourable group (P < 0.001).ConclusionsOur stratification model may be useful to determine whether UD is indicated for patients with MUO.
Risk of acute myocardial infarction after androgen‐deprivation therapy for prostate cancer in a Chinese population
Authors: Teoh Jeremy Y.C. , Chan Samson Y.S. , Chiu Peter K.F. , Poon Darren M.C. , Cheung Ho‐Yuen , Hou Simon S.M. , Ng Chi‐Fai 
Published: October 2014

ObjectiveTo investigate the risk of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) after androgen‐deprivation therapy (ADT) for prostate cancer in a Chinese population.Patients and methodsAll Chinese patients with prostate cancer who were treated primarily with radical prostatectomy or radiotherapy, with or without further ADT at our hospital from the year 2000 to 2009 were retrospectively reviewed. We compared the risk of AMI in the patients who were given further ADT (ADT group) with those who were not given any ADT (non‐ADT group). Potential risk factors of AMI including age, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, hyperlipidaemia, history of stroke, ischaemic heart disease, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Performance Status (ECOG PS) and duration of ADT were reviewed. The risk of AMI after ADT was first analysed using the Kaplan–Meier method, followed by Cox regression analyses including the potential risk factors mentioned.ResultsIn all, 452 patients were included, with 200 patients in the non‐ADT group and 252 patients in the ADT group. The mean (sd) age was 68.2 (5.9) years in the non‐ADT group and 69.5 (6.5) years in the ADT group, and the difference was statistically significant (P = 0.031). There were no significant differences in their pre‐existing medical conditions or ECOG PS. The ADT group was associated with an increased risk of AMI when compared with the non‐ADT group (P = 0.004) upon Kaplan‐Meier analysis. Upon multivariate Cox regression analysis, hyperlipidaemia, poor ECOG PS and the use of ADT were the only three significant factors that were associated with increased risk of developing new AMI.ConclusionsThere was increased risk of AMI after ADT for prostate cancer in a Chinese population. Hyperlipidaemia and poor ECOG PS were also significant risk factors for developing AMI. The risk of AMI should be considered when deciding on ADT, especially in patients with history of hyperlipidaemia and relatively poor ECOG PS.
Derivatives Form Better Lipoxygenase Inhibitors than Piperine: In Vitro and In Silico Study
Authors: Tomy Muringayil J. , Sharanya Chelankara S. , Dileep Kalarickal V. , Prasanth Shankar , Sabu Abudulhameed , Sadasivan Chittalakkottu , Haridas Madathilkovilakathu 
Published: October 2014

Piperine is a secondary metabolite of black pepper. Its uses in medicine were already studied. However, its derivatives have not gained considerable attention. In the presented study, the Lipoxygenase (LOX) inhibitory activity of piperine and its derivatives, piperonylic acid, piperic acid, and piperonal have been assessed and compared by enzyme kinetics, ITC and molecular modeling experiments. The presented investigations expressed that all the studied compounds inhibited LOX by binding at its active site. The IC50 values of these compounds were deduced from the kinetics data and found to be 85.79, 43.065, 45.17, and 50.78 μm for piperine, piperonylic acid, piperic acid, and piperonal, respectively. The binding free energies obtained from ITC experiments were −7.47, −8.33, −8.09, and −7.86 kcal/mol for piperine, piperonylic acid, piperic acid, and piperonal, respectively. Similarly, the glide scores obtained for piperine, piperonylic acid, piperic acid, and piperonal were −7.28, −10.32, −10.72, and −9.57 kcal/mol, respectively. The results of ITC and molecular modeling experiments suggested that piperonylic acid and piperonal exhibit stronger binding at the active site than piperine does. From the presented studies, it could be concluded that derivatives of piperine may be of higher significance than piperine for certain medicinal applications, implicating (Ayurvedic) fermented herbal drugs with piperine in them.
How Do Children Perceive and Act on Dynamic Affordances in Crossing Traffic‐Filled Roads?
Authors: Plumert Jodie M. , Kearney Joseph K. 
Published: October 2014

AbstractSuccessfully perceiving and acting on dynamic affordances is critical for children and adults to function. In our work, we look at how children cross roads as a model for understanding how they learn to perceive and act on dynamic affordances. Ten‐ to 14‐year‐old children and adults ride an interactive bicycling simulator through an immersive virtual environment where they cross intersections with continuous cross traffic. We consistently find developmental and individual differences in children's ability to tightly time their entry into the roadway relative to the lead car in the gap. Given that children do not adjust their gap choices to match their less precise timing abilities, children take more risks when crossing roads than adults. We conclude by discussing possible reasons for these developmental differences in movement timing.
Purkinje Images: Conveying Different Content for Different Luminance Adaptations in a Single Image
Authors: Arpa Sami , Ritschel Tobias , Myszkowski Karol , Çapın Tolga , Seidel Hans‐Peter 
Published: October 2014

AbstractProviding multiple meanings in a single piece of art has always been intriguing to both artists and observers. We present Purkinje images, which have different interpretations depending on the luminance adaptation of the observer. Finding such images is an optimization that minimizes the sum of the distance to one reference image in photopic conditions and the distance to another reference image in scotopic conditions. To model the shift of image perception between day and night vision, we decompose the input images into a Laplacian pyramid. Distances under different observation conditions in this representation are independent between pyramid levels and pixel positions and become matrix multiplications. The optimal pixel colour can be found by inverting a small, per‐pixel linear system in real time on a GPU. Finally, two user studies analyze our results in terms of the recognition performance and fidelity with respect to the reference images.
Effect of risk aversion on prioritizing conservation projects
Authors: Tulloch Ayesha I.T. , Maloney Richard F. , Joseph Liana N. , Bennett Joseph R. , Di Fonzo Martina M.I. , Probert William J.M. , O'Connor Shaun M. , Densem Jodie P. , Possingham Hugh P. 
Published: October 2014

AbstractConservation outcomes are uncertain. Agencies making decisions about what threat mitigation actions to take to save which species frequently face the dilemma of whether to invest in actions with high probability of success and guaranteed benefits or to choose projects with a greater risk of failure that might provide higher benefits if they succeed. The answer to this dilemma lies in the decision maker's aversion to risk—their unwillingness to accept uncertain outcomes. Little guidance exists on how risk preferences affect conservation investment priorities. Using a prioritization approach based on cost effectiveness, we compared 2 approaches: a conservative probability threshold approach that excludes investment in projects with a risk of management failure greater than a fixed level, and a variance‐discounting heuristic used in economics that explicitly accounts for risk tolerance and the probabilities of management success and failure. We applied both approaches to prioritizing projects for 700 of New Zealand's threatened species across 8303 management actions. Both decision makers’ risk tolerance and our choice of approach to dealing with risk preferences drove the prioritization solution (i.e., the species selected for management). Use of a probability threshold minimized uncertainty, but more expensive projects were selected than with variance discounting, which maximized expected benefits by selecting the management of species with higher extinction risk and higher conservation value. Explicitly incorporating risk preferences within the decision making process reduced the number of species expected to be safe from extinction because lower risk tolerance resulted in more species being excluded from management, but the approach allowed decision makers to choose a level of acceptable risk that fit with their ability to accommodate failure. We argue for transparency in risk tolerance and recommend that decision makers accept risk in an adaptive management framework to maximize benefits and avoid potential extinctions due to inefficient allocation of limited resources.El Efecto de la Aversión de Riesgo sobre la Priorización de Proyectos de Conservación
Simple psoas cross‐sectional area measurement is a quick and easy method to assess sarcopenia and predicts major surgical complications
Authors: Jones K. I. , Doleman B. , Scott S. , Lund J. N. , Williams J. P. 
Published: October 2014

AbstractAimRadiologically assessed muscle mass has been suggested as a surrogate marker of functional status and frailty and may predict patients at risk of postoperative complications. We hypothesize that sarcopenia negatively impacts on postoperative recovery and is predictive of complications.MethodOne hundred patients undergoing elective resection for colorectal carcinoma were included in this study. Lean muscle mass was estimated by measuring the cross‐sectional area of the psoas muscle at the level of the third lumbar vertebra identified on a preoperative CT scan, normalizing for patient height. Perioperative morbidity was scored according to the Clavien–Dindo classification. All statistical data analyses were carried out using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20.0.ResultsFifteen per cent of patients were identified as sarcopenic. There were no deaths in the study group. Sarcopenia was associated with a significantly increased risk of developing major complications (Grade 3 or greater, OR = 5.41, 95% CI: 1.45–20.15, P = 0.01). Sarcopenia did not predict length of stay, critical care dependency or time to mobilization.ConclusionSarcopenia, as a marker of frailty, is an important risk factor in surgical patients but difficult to estimate using bedside testing. CT scans, performed for preoperative staging, provide an opportunity to quantify lean muscle mass without additional cost or exposure to radiation and eliminate the inconvenience of further investigations.
Renal outcomes of simultaneous liver–kidney transplantation compared to liver transplant alone for candidates with renal dysfunction
Authors: Brennan Todd V. , Lunsford Keri E. , Vagefi Parsia A. , Bostrom Alan , Ma Michael , Feng Sandy 
Published: October 2014

AbstractIt is unclear whether a concomitant kidney transplant grants survival benefit to liver transplant (LT) candidates with renal dysfunction (RD). We retrospectively studied LT candidates without RD (n = 714) and LT candidates with RD who underwent either liver transplant alone (RD‐LTA; n = 103) or simultaneous liver–kidney transplant (RD‐SLKT; n = 68). RD was defined as renal replacement therapy (RRT) requirement or modification of diet in renal disease (MDRD)–glomerular filtration rate (GFR) <25 mL/min/1.73 m2. RD‐LTAs had worse one‐yr post‐transplant survival compared to RD‐SLKTs (79.6% vs. 91.2%, p = 0.05). However, RD‐LTA recipients more often had hepatitis C (60.2% vs. 41.2%, p = 0.004) and more severe liver disease (MELD 37.9 ± 8.1 vs. 32.7 ± 9.1, p = 0.0001). Twenty RD‐LTA recipients died in the first post‐transplant year. Evaluation of the cause and timing of death relative to native renal recovery revealed that only four RD‐LTA recipients might have derived survival benefit from RD‐SLKT. Overall, 87% of RD‐LTA patients recovered renal function within one month of transplant. One yr after RD‐LTA or RD‐SLKT, serum creatinine (1.5 ± 1.2 mg/dL vs. 1.4 ± 0.5 mg/dL, p = 0.63) and prevalence of stage 4 or 5 chronic kidney disease (CKD; 5.9% vs. 6.8%, p = 0.11) were comparable. Our series provides little evidence that RD‐SLKT would have yielded substantial short‐term survival benefit to RD‐LTA recipients.
Quantification of Mitral Regurgitation by Real Time Three‐Dimensional Color Doppler Flow Echocardiography Pre– and Post–Percutaneous Mitral Valve Repair
Authors: Gruner Christiane , Herzog Bernhard , Bettex Dominique , Felix Christian , Datta Saurabh , Greutmann Matthias , Gaemperli Oliver , Müggler Simon A. , Tanner Felix C. , Gruenenfelder Juerg , Corti Roberto , Biaggi Patric 
Published: October 2014

BackgroundEchocardiographic quantification of mitral regurgitation (MR) can be challenging if the valve geometry is significantly altered. Our aim was to compare the quantification of MR by the recently developed real time three‐dimensional (3D) volume color flow Doppler (RT‐VCFD) method to the conventional two‐dimensional (2D) echocardiographic methods during the MitraClip procedure.MethodsTwenty‐seven patients (mean age 76 ± 8 years, 56% male) were prospectively enrolled and severity of MR was assessed before and after the MitraClip procedure in the operating room by 3 different methods: (1) by integrative visual approach by transesophageal echocardiography, (2) by transthoracic 2D pulsed‐wave Doppler–based calculation of aortic stroke volumes (SV) and mitral inflow allowing calculation of regurgitant volume, and (3) by transthoracic 3D RT‐VCFD–based calculation of regurgitant volume.ResultsWe found moderate agreement between the integrative visual approach and the 3D RT‐VCFD method for assessment of MR severity before (κ = 0.4, P < 0.05) and after MitraClip (κ = 0.5, P < 0.05). Relevant MR (3+ and 4+) was detected by visual approach in 27/27 and by 3D‐VCFD method in 24/27 patients before and in 1 patient by both methods after the MitraClip procedure. In contrast, MR quantification by 2D SV method did not agree with the integrative visual approach or with the 3D RT‐VCFD method.ConclusionsQuantification of MR before and after percutaneous MV repair by 3D RT‐VCFD is comparable to the integrative visual assessment and more reliable than the 2D SV method in this small study population. Further automation of 3D RT‐VCFD is needed to improve the accuracy of peri‐interventional MR quantification.
Right Ventricular Strain before and after Pulmonary Thromboendarterectomy in Patients with Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension
Authors: Marston Nicholas , Brown Jason P. , Olson Nicholas , Auger William R. , Madani Michael M. , Wong Darrin , Raisinghani Ajit B. , DeMaria Anthony N. , Blanchard Daniel G. 
Published: October 2014

BackgroundRight ventricular (RV) function is significantly impaired in patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH). Two‐dimensional speckle tracking RV strain and strain rate are novel methods to assess regional RV systolic function in CTEPH patients before and after pulmonary thromboendarterectomy (PTE). Our goal was to (1) assess baseline longitudinal strain and strain rate of the basal RV free wall in CTEPH and (2) measure early changes in RV strain and strain rate after PTE.MethodsWe performed echocardiography on 30 consecutive patients with CTEPH referred for PTE with adequate pre‐ and post‐PTE strain imaging. Strain and strain rate were assessed 6.4 ± 4.5 days before and 9.1 ± 3.9 after PTE.ResultsBasal RV free wall strain and time to peak strain—but not basal RV strain rate and time to peak strain rate—changed significantly after PTE. Unexpectedly, basal RV strain became less negative, from −24.3% to −18.9% after PTE (P = 0.005). Time to peak strain decreased from 356 to 287 msec after PTE (P < 0.001). Preoperatively, RV strain correlated with pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) and mean pulmonary artery pressure (mPAP) but this relationship was not evident postoperatively. Furthermore, the change in RV strain did not correlate with the change in mPAP or PVR.ConclusionsIn patients with CTEPH, RV basal strain paradoxically became less negative (i.e., relative systolic shortening decreased) following PTE. This change in RV strain could be due to intraoperative RV ischemia and/or postoperative stunning. Thus, RV basal strain cannot be used as a surrogate marker for surgical success early after PTE.
Breaking constraint: axial patterning in Trichechus (Mammalia: Sirenia)
Authors: Buchholtz Emily A. , Wayrynen Kaisa L. , Lin Iris W. 
Published: October 2014

SUMMARYMeristic variation is often limited in serially homologous systems with high internal differentiation and high developmental modularity. The mammalian neck, an extreme example, has a fixed (at seven) count of diversely specialized segments. Imposition of the mammalian cervical constraint has been tentatively linked to the origin of the diaphragm, which is muscularized by cells that migrate from cervical somites during development. With six cervical vertebrae, the genus Trichechus (manatee) has apparently broken this constraint, although the mechanism of constraint escape is unknown. Hypotheses for the developmental origin of Trichechus cervical morphology include cervical rib 7 repatterning, a primaxial/abaxial patterning shift, and local homeosis at the cervical/thoracic boundary. We tested predictions of these hypotheses by documenting vertebral morphology, axial ossification patterns, regionalization of the postcranial skeleton, and the relationship of thoracic ribs to sternal subunits in a large data set of fetal and adult Trichechus and Dugong specimens. These observations forced rejection of all three hypotheses. We propose alternatively that a global slowing of the rate of somitogenesis reduced somite count and disrupted alignment of Hox‐generated anatomical markers relative to somite (and vertebral) boundaries throughout the Trichechus column. This hypothesis is consistent with observations of the full range of traditional cervical morphologies in the six cervical vertebrae, conserved postcranial proportions, and column‐wide reduction in count relative to its sister taxon, Dugong. It also suggests that the origin of the mammalian cervical constraint lies in patterning, not in count, and that Trichechus and the tree sloths have broken the constraint using different developmental mechanisms.
Effects of environmental enrichment on ERK1/2 phosphorylation in the rat prefrontal cortex following nicotine‐induced sensitization or nicotine self‐administration
Authors: Gomez Adrian M. , Sun Wei‐Lun , Midde Narasimha M. , Harrod Steven B. , Zhu Jun 
Published: October 2014

AbstractRats raised in an enriched condition (EC) exhibit alterations in the neurobiological and behavioral response to nicotine compared with rats reared in an impoverished condition (IC) or a standard condition (SC). The current study determined whether environmental enrichment differentially regulates extracellular signal‐regulated kinase1/2 (ERK1/2) activity in the prefrontal cortex in rats following nicotine sensitization or nicotine self‐administration. Under the saline control condition, EC rats displayed diminished baseline activity and greater sensitization to repeated administration of nicotine compared with IC and SC rats. After repeated saline injections, the basal levels of phosphorylated ERK1/2 (pERK1/2) were higher in EC compared with IC and SC rats, which was negatively correlated with their respective baseline activities. Repeated nicotine (0.35 mg/kg) injections induced pERK1/2 to similar levels in SC and IC rats; however, the induction of pERK1/2 in EC rats by nicotine was not significantly different from saline controls, owing to their high baseline. In the self‐administration paradigm, EC rats self‐administered less nicotine (0.03 mg/kg/infusion) relative to IC or SC rats on a fixed ratio‐1 schedule of reinforcement. Accordingly, no differences in pERK1/2 were found between EC and IC rats self‐administering saline, whereas nicotine self‐administration resulted in an increase in pERK1/2 in IC rats but not in EC rats. Furthermore, the levels of pERK1/2 in EC and IC rats were positively correlated with their respective total number of nicotine infusions. Thus, these findings suggest that environmental enrichment alters the basal and nicotine‐mediated pERK1/2, which may contribute to enrichment‐induced behavioral alterations in response to nicotine.
The effect of exercise on depressive symptoms in multiple sclerosis based on a meta‐analysis and critical review of the literature
Authors: Dalgas U. , Stenager E. , Sloth M. , Stenager E. 
Published: October 2014

Background and purposeThe purpose of this study was to perform a systematic review of the literature on the effects of exercise on depressive symptoms in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), as well as to apply meta‐analytical procedures to the results.MethodsA systematic search covering eight databases was conducted. The included studies were randomized controlled trials applied to people with definite MS who completed a structured exercise intervention which were compared to any comparator, including other forms of exercise. The outcomes included a primary measure of depression/depressive symptoms or an instrument with a clearly defined depression subscale.ResultsFifteen randomized controlled trial studies were identified including a total of 331 exercising subjects and 260 controls. The average Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) score was 5.6 ± 1.3 points. Only one study applied depressive symptoms as the primary outcome. Four studies showed positive effects of exercise on depressive symptoms. An in‐depth analysis of the studies revealed that the baseline level of depressive symptoms, patient disability level, choice of depression instrument and exercise intensity may influence the results. The meta‐analysis included 12 studies reflecting a total of 476 subjects. The standardized mean difference across studies was g = −0.37, 95% confidence interval (−0.56; −0.17), and the null hypothesis of homogeneity within the sample could not be rejected (Q = 12.05, df = 11, P = 0.36).DiscussionExercise may be a potential treatment to prevent or reduce depressive symptoms in individuals with MS, but existing studies do not allow solid conclusions. Future well‐designed studies evaluating the effects of exercise on depressive symptoms and major depression disorder in MS are highly warranted.