bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
18F‐fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography–computed tomography for preoperative lymph node staging in patients undergoing radical cystectomy for bladder cancer: A prospective study
Authors: Hitier‐Berthault Maryam , Ansquer Catherine , Branchereau Julien , Renaudin Karine , Bodere Françoise , Bouchot Olivier , Rigaud Jérôme 
Published: December 2012

ObjectivesThe objective of our study was to analyze the diagnostic performance of 18F‐fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography–computed tomography for lymph node staging in patients with bladder cancer before radical cystectomy and to compare it with that of computed tomography.MethodsA total of 52 patients operated on between 2005 and 2010 were prospectively included in this prospective, mono‐institutional, open, non‐randomized pilot study. Patients who had received neoadjuvant chemotherapy or radiotherapy were excluded. 18F‐fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography–computed tomography in addition to computed tomography was carried out for lymph node staging of bladder cancer before radical cystectomy. Lymph node dissection during radical cystectomy was carried out. Findings from 18F‐fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography–computed tomography and computed tomography were compared with the results of definitive histological examination of the lymph node dissection. The diagnostic performance of the two imaging modalities was assessed and compared.ResultsThe mean number of lymph nodes removed during lymph node dissection was 16.5 ± 10.9. Lymph node metastasis was confirmed on histological examination in 22 cases (42.3%). This had been suspected in five cases (9.6%) on computed tomography and in 12 cases (23.1%) on 18F‐fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography–computed tomography. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, relative risk and accuracy were 9.1%, 90%, 40%, 57.4%, 0.91 and 55.7%, respectively, for computed tomography, and 36.4%, 86.7%, 66.7%, 65%, 2.72, 65.4%, respectively, for 18F‐fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography–computed tomography.Conclusions18F‐fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography–computed tomography is more reliable than computed tomography for preoperative lymph node staging in patients with invasive bladder carcinoma undergoing radical cystectomy.
The establishment of the plasma cell survival niche in the bone marrow
Authors: Chu Van T. , Berek Claudia 
Published: December 2012

SummaryAntibodies continuously secreted by plasma cells play a central role in humoral immune protection of the organism. These plasma cells are generated during the germinal center reaction, and it is likely that they here acquire the potential to develop into long‐lived cells. To achieve longevity, these cells require factors provided by the microenvironment. Indeed, only a few of the plasmablasts arising during an immune response will differentiate into mature plasma cells, which may survive for decades in specialized survival niches in the bone marrow. Here, we discuss how the survival niche in the bone marrow is established and what is known about the cell–cell interactions needed to support the long‐term survival of plasma cells. A particular emphasis is put on the role of eosinophils, which have been shown to be key providers of plasma cell survival factors. The data suggest that the reticulum of bone marrow stromal cells supports a dynamic survival niche, in which long‐lived plasma cells are provided with essential factors by a continuously turning over population of eosinophils and other cells.
Transfer of extracellular vesicles during immune cell‐cell interactions
Authors: Gutiérrez‐Vázquez Cristina , Villarroya‐Beltri Carolina , Mittelbrunn María , Sánchez‐Madrid Francisco 
Published: December 2012

SummaryThe transfer of molecules between cells during cognate immune cell interactions has been reported, and recently a novel mechanism of transfer of proteins and genetic material such as small RNA between T cells and antigen‐presenting cells (APCs) has been described, involving exchange of extracellular vesicles (EVs) during the formation of the immunological synapse (IS). EVs, a term that encompasses exosomes and microvesicles, has been implicated in cell‐cell communication during immune responses associated with tumors, pathogens, allergies, and autoimmune diseases. This review focuses on EV transfer as a mechanism for the exchange of molecules during immune cell‐cell interactions.
Dynamics of NK cell interactions in vivo
Authors: Deguine Jacques , Bousso Philippe 
Published: December 2012

SummaryNatural killer (NK) cells are innate lymphocytes endowed with the capacity to survey and eliminate infected and transformed cells. Like T cells and B cells, NK cells fulfill their task by responding to soluble factors and to signals exchanged during cell‐cell contacts. In this respect, cellular interactions established by NK cells are critical at every stage of their life. They regulate their survival and tune their responsiveness in the periphery. They are also important during their activation and for the targeted delivery of their cytotoxic granules. With the help of two‐photon imaging, the occurrence and dynamics of these interactions as they occur in vivo are being uncovered. Interestingly, several of these initial observations were not predicted by in vitro studies and revealed the transient nature of many NK cell interactions. We review here our recent understanding of NK cell interactions in vivo at steady state, during inflammation, and during tumor elimination, emphasizing the similarities and differences with T cells.
Organization of the resting TCR in nanoscale oligomers
Authors: Schamel Wolfgang W. A. , Alarcón Balbino 
Published: December 2012

SummaryDespite the low affinity of the T‐cell antigen receptor (TCR) for its peptide/major histocompatibility complex (pMHC) ligand, T cells are very sensitive to their antigens. This paradox can be resolved if we consider that the TCR may be organized into pre‐existing oligomers or nanoclusters. Such structures could improve antigen recognition by increasing the functional affinity (avidity) of the TCR–pMHC interaction and by allowing cooperativity between individual TCRs. Up to approximately 20 TCRs become tightly apposed in these nanoclusters, often in a linear manner, and such structures could reflect a relatively generalized phenomenon: the non‐random concentration of membrane receptors in specific areas of the plasma membrane known as protein islands. The association of TCRs into nanoclusters can explain the enhanced kinetics of the pMHC–TCR interaction in two dimensional versus three dimensional systems, but also their existence calls for a revision of the TCR triggering models based on pMHC‐induced TCR clustering. Interestingly, the B‐cell receptor and the FcεRI have also been shown to form nanoclusters, suggesting that the formation of pre‐existing receptor oligomers could be widely used in the immune system.
Is a computer‐based measurement method superior to a recommended manual method by the ROHO® Group to assess pressure in the sitting position?
Authors: Andreasen Jane , Olesen Christian Gammelgaard , Rasmussen John , Nielsen Susanne Kaasgaard , Nguyen Lone , Larsen Peter 
Published: December 2012

BackgroundIn clinical practice, a manual‐based assessment is standard procedure to adjust the air pressure in the ROHO® cushion in seated position. Recently, a computerized pressure system method was developed to support the clinical adjustment of air in the ROHO® cushion to reduce the pressure in the seated position. To our knowledge, no studies have investigated the reliability between the manual method mostly used in clinical practice and the alternative computer‐based assessment of the pressure in the seated position.AimThe objective was to test intra‐tester and inter‐tester reliability and evaluate if a computer‐based measurement method is superior to a manual method to reduce pressure in the seated position. The cushion used was a Roho Quadtro select® high profile.MethodsAn intra‐tester and inter‐tester reliability study was conducted in 2010 at the Department of Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy, Aalborg Hospital, Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark. Subjects included were two occupational therapists and 20 healthy subjects. The outcome measures were obtained using a pressure imaging system that could register pressure distribution in the sitting area.ResultsThe study did not show high intra‐class correlation coefficients neither in the intra‐tester nor in the inter‐tester reliability for manual or computer‐based methods in reducing pressure in the seating position.ConclusionsThe current company‐recommended air pressure adjustment procedure seems unreliable. The technical superiority of the computer‐based method over the manual method has not been established.
Relations between Temperament and Anger Regulation over Early Childhood
Authors: Tan Patricia Z. , Armstrong Laura Marie , Cole Pamela M. 
Published: December 2012

AbstractTheory suggests temperamental reactivity [negative affectivity (NA)] and regulation [effortful control (EC)] predict variation in the development of emotion regulation (ER). However, few studies report such relations, particularly studies utilizing observational measures of children's ER behaviors in longitudinal designs. Using multilevel modeling, the present study tested whether (1) between‐person differences in mean levels of mother‐reported child NA and EC (aggregated across age) and (2) within‐person changes in NA and EC from the ages of 18 to 42 months predicted subsequent improvements in laboratory‐based observations of children's anger regulation from the ages of 24 to 48 months. As expected, mean level of EC (aggregated across age) predicted longer latency to anger; however, no other temperament variables predicted anger expression. Mean level of EC also predicted the latency to a child's use of one regulatory strategy, distraction. Finally, decreases in NA were associated with age‐related changes in how long children used distractions and how quickly they bid calmly to their mother. Implications for relations between temperament and anger regulation are discussed in terms of both conceptual and methodological issues.
Interviewer Speech and the Success of Survey Invitations
Authors: Conrad Frederick G. , Broome Jessica S. , Benkí José R. , Kreuter Frauke , Groves Robert M. , Vannette David , McClain Colleen 
Published: December 2012

SummaryWhen potential survey respondents decide whether or not to participate in a telephone interview, they may consider what it would be like to converse with the interviewer who is currently inviting them to respond, e.g. how he or she sounds, speaks and interacts. In the study that is reported here, we examine the effect of three interactional speech behaviours on the outcome of survey invitations: interviewer fillers (e.g. ‘um’ and ‘uh’), householders’ backchannels (e.g. ‘uh huh’ and ‘I see’) and simultaneous speech or ‘overspeech’ between interviewer and householder. We examine how these behaviours are related to householders’ decisions to participate (agree), to decline the invitation (refusal) or to defer the decision (scheduled call-back) in a corpus of 1380 audiorecorded survey invitations (contacts). Agreement was highest when interviewers were moderately disfluent—neither robotic nor so disfluent as to appear incompetent. Further, household members produced more backchannels, a behaviour which is often assumed to reflect a listener’s engagement, when they ultimately agreed to participate than when they refused. Finally, there was more simultaneous speech in contacts where householders ultimately refused to participate; however, interviewers interrupted household members more when they ultimately scheduled a call-back, seeming to pre-empt householders’ attempts to refuse. We discuss implications for hiring and training interviewers, as well as the development of automated speech interviewing systems.
Assessing the Measurement Error Properties of Interviewer Observations of Neighbourhood Characteristics
Authors: Casas-Cordero C. , Kreuter F. , Wang Y. , Babey S. 
Published: December 2012

SummaryInterviewer observations made during the process of data collection are currently used to inform responsive design decisions, to expand the set of covariates for non-response adjustments, to explain participation in surveys and to assess non-response bias. However, little effort has been made to assess the quality of such interviewer observations. Using data from the Los Angeles Family and Neighborhood Survey, the paper examines measurement error properties of interviewer observations of neighbourhood characteristics. Block level and interviewer covariates are used in multilevel models to explain interviewer variation in the observations of neighbourhood features.
Fairness and the Changing Fortunes of People in Britain
Authors: Dorling Danny 
Published: December 2012

SummaryDifferent people have different definitions of fairness, some of which may be fairer than others. The paper considers how some key life chances have changed in Britain from the time when William Beveridge was a young man, to when his research assistant, Harold Wilson, was Prime Minister, and then to today. The emphasis is on inequalities in critical outcomes between different groups that have been defined geographically. How have income and wealth inequalities altered over the course of the last century and few decades and how have rates of mortality varied? How do the geographies of school examination passes, university entry, employment or even changing rates of imprisonment influence our lives today? To understand changes in fairness and our fortunes better these trends sometimes must be put in a longer historical and a wider geographical context. Sometimes it is necessary to look back a century in time to find comparable inequality with that of today. And to know that such inequality is not universal the changing levels of income inequalities within Britain need to be compared with trends in otherwise very similar nation states. Such comparison is essential if the argument that rising inequality is inevitable is to be countered. Precisely how fairness and fortune are measured alters whether we find them to be rising or falling. Thousands of statistics can also be dull and so graphics and some more unusual visualizations which open up the map are used to illustrate the trends that are discussed here.
Spinal muscular atrophy, John Griffin, and mentorship
Authors: Sumner Charlotte J. 
Published: December 2012

AbstractHereditary canine spinal muscular atrophy is an inherited motor neuron disease that occurs in Brittany Spaniels and has remarkable similarities with human spinal muscular atrophy. Both disorders are characterized by proximal limb and truncal muscle weakness of variable severity. Detailed pathological studies indicate that there is early dysfunction of motor neuron synapses, particularly the neuromuscular junction synapse, prior to motor neuron death. This period of synaptic dysfunction may define a critical window of opportunity for disease reversibility in motor neuron disease.
A Less Invasive Technique for Spaying Pet Pigs
Authors: Biedrzycki Adam , Brounts Sabrina H. 
Published: December 2012

ObjectivesTo determine if ovariectomy (OVE) by electrothermal bipolar vessel sealing (EBVS) is a safe alternative to ovariohysterectomy (OVH) by hand‐tied ligatures as a method of spaying in pigs.Study DesignRetrospective case series.AnimalsIntact female pigs (n = 14).MethodsMedical records (2001–2010) of pigs admitted for sterilization were reviewed for signalment, surgical technique, intra‐ and postoperative complications, length of hospitalization, and outcome. Long‐term follow‐up was obtained by owner questionnaire.ResultsMean ± SD age and mean weight was 131 ± 86 days and 13.0 ± 6.2 kg, respectively. There were 5 OVH pigs and 9 OVE pigs; age and weight were not significantly different between groups. When comparing OVE to OVH, mean incisional length was less (12 ± 6 cm OVE; 22 ± 6 cm OVH;P< .01) and surgical time was short (50 ± 9 min OVE; 103 ± 15 min OVH;P< .01). Intraoperative hemorrhage occurred in 1 OVH pig. Postoperative complications included hemorrhage (n = 1), fever (3), hypothermia (2), surgical site infection (1), and inappetence (3). Return to normal behavior and appetite was significantly shorter for OVE pigs (1.10 ± 0.93 days; 4.30 ± 0.94 days OVH;P< .01). After a mean follow‐up of 36 months, no difference between groups could be observed.ConclusionOVE using EBVS is a faster surgical technique with less perioperative complications when compared to OVH with ligatures. OVE can potentially replace OVH as a spaying method in pigs.
A theoretical model of efficacy beliefs, functional status and quality of life for older people during rehabilitation: testing causal relationships
Authors: Tung Yi‐Chen , Cooke Marie , Moyle Wendy 
Published: December 2012

AbstractAimsStructural equation modelling tested hypothesized causal relationships between age, gender, pain, depression, self‐efficacy, outcome expectations, functional status and quality of life in older Australians postorthopaedics surgery across three stages of their rehabilitation.BackgroundSelf‐efficacy is important in forming personal beliefs about capabilities to perform functional activities, which is believed to maintain individual's quality of life. Research examining how efficacy beliefs influence functional status in older people following orthopaedic events is limited.DesignA descriptive, longitudinal method was used for this study.MethodsA convenience sample of 101 older people with orthopaedic surgery to lower extremities was recruited from private rehabilitation units in Brisbane, Australia. Data were collected from September 2008–November 2009. Standardized questionnaires were used to measure efficacy beliefs, functional status, and quality of life.ResultsStructural equation modelling revealed that depression, efficacy beliefs, age, and gender significantly influenced quality of life, as self‐efficacy and gender have a direct relationship on functional status. Across three stages in the model, outcome expectation at stage 2 was the most significant predictor of functional recovery after discharge. Older men with higher quality of life at admission was positively related to self‐efficacy and negatively associated with depression at stage 2: quality of life influenced outcome expectations and pain positively at stage 3.ConclusionRehabilitation programmes play a significant role in assisting older people in resuming functional activities and quality of life following orthopaedic surgery. Enhancing self‐efficacy may facilitate older people's participation and adher‐ence to rehabilitation programmes during hospitalization and following discharge.
Smoking in pregnancy: a systematic review of qualitative research of women who commence pregnancy as smokers
Authors: Flemming Kate , Graham Hilary , Heirs Morag , Fox Dave , Sowden Amanda 
Published: December 2012

AbstractAimTo provide evidence on how women's circumstances and experiences influence their smoking behaviour in pregnancy, including their attempts to quit.BackgroundWomen in disadvantaged circumstances are more likely to smoke prior to pregnancy; they are also less likely to quit in pregnancy and, among those who quit, more likely to resume smoking after birth. Although there is a rich seam of qualitative research on their experiences, it has yet to be bought together and synthesized.DesignThe synthesis was conducted using meta‐ethnography.Data sourcesA comprehensive search of five electronic databases (inception to May 2012) was completed to identify qualitative research exploring pregnant women's experiences of smoking in pregnancy.Review methodsFollowing critical appraisal, 26 studies reported in 29 papers were included in the review. Over 640 pregnant women were represented, the majority drawn from disadvantaged groups. We carried out the synthesis using meta‐ethnography.ResultsFour dimensions of women's circumstances and experiences of smoking in pregnancy were highlighted: the embeddedness of smoking in women's lives, questioned only because of pregnancy; quitting for pregnancy rather than for good; quitting had significant costs for the woman and cutting down was a positive alternative; the role of partners and the broader dynamics of the couple's relationship in influencing women's smoking habits.ConclusionSyntheses of qualitative research have an important role to play in producing the evidence base for midwifery, nursing, and public health policy and practice. The four dimensions identified in this review have implications for the design and delivery of interventions to support women to quit smoking in pregnancy.
Novel neuroprotective action of prothymosin alpha‐derived peptide against retinal and brain ischemic damages
Authors: Halder Sebok Kumar , Matsunaga Hayato , Yamaguchi Haruka , Ueda Hiroshi 
Published: December 2012

AbstractProthymosin alpha (ProTα), a nuclear protein, is implicated in the inhibition of ischemia‐induced necrosis as well as apoptosis in the brain and retina. Although ProTα has multiple biological functions through distinct regions in its sequence, it has remained which region is involved in this neuroprotection. This study reported that the active core peptide sequence P30 (amino acids 49–78) of ProTα exerts its full survival effect in cultured cortical neurons against ischemic stress. Our in vivo study revealed that intravitreous administration of P30 at 24 h after retinal ischemia significantly blocks the ischemia‐induced functional damages of retina at day 7. In addition, P30 completely rescued the retinal ischemia‐induced ganglion cell damages at day 7 after the ischemic stress, along with partial blockade of the loss of bipolar, amacrine, and photoreceptor cells. On the other hand, intracerebroventricular (3 nmol) or systemic (1 mg/kg; i.v.) injection of P30 at 1 h after cerebral ischemia (1 h tMCAO) significantly blocked the ischemia‐induced brain damages and disruption of blood vessels. Systemic P30 delivery (1 mg/kg; i.v.) also significantly ameliorated the ischemic brain caused by photochemically induced thrombosis. Taken together, this study confers a precise demonstration about the novel protective activity of ProTα‐derived small peptide P30 against the ischemic damages in vitro and in vivo.