bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Health economic impact of high‐dose versus standard‐dose cytarabine induction chemotherapy for acute myeloid leukaemia
Authors: Fedele P. L. , Avery S. , Patil S. , Spencer A. , Haas M. , Wei A. 
Published: May 2014

AbstractBackgroundInduction chemotherapy for acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) is one of the most resource‐intensive cancer therapies delivered in hospitals.AimsTo assess the health resource impact of different chemotherapy approaches for AML commonly used in Australia.MethodsA retrospective analysis was undertaken in 63 patients aged 18–55 years with AML given induction with either 7 + 3 (cytarabine 100 mg/m2 days 1–7 and idarubicin 12 mg/m2 days 1–3) or HiDAC‐3 (high‐dose cytarabine 3 g/m2 twice daily days 1, 3, 5 and 7 and idarubicin 12 mg/m2 days 1–3) chemotherapy. Average costs of hospitalisation, pathology, radiology, chemotherapy and ancillary drugs were calculated and compared with current Victorian casemix funding. Two consolidation approaches, HiDAC (cytarabine 3 g/m2 twice daily days 1, 3, 5 and 7) × either three or four cycles (following 7 + 3) and IcE (idarubicin 12 mg/m2 days 1–2, cytarabine 100 mg/m2 × 5 days and etoposide 75 mg/m2 × 5 days) × 2 cycles (following HiDAC‐3) were modelled, using a policy of discharge following completion of chemotherapy with outpatient monitoring.ResultsThe cost (in AUD) of induction was similar between 7 + 3 ($58 037) and HiDAC‐3 ($56 902), with bed day costs accounting for 61–62% of the total expense. Blood bank costs ranked second, accounting for 15%. Accumulated costs for HiDAC consolidation were $44 289 for a three‐cycle protocol and $59 052 for four cycles ($14 763 per cycle) versus $31 456 for two cycles of IcE consolidation ($15 728 per cycle). Overall, the classical 7 + 3 → HiDAC approach ($102 326/$117 089 for three or four consolidation cycles) incurs a greater cost than a HiDAC‐3 → IcE × 2 approach ($88 358). For patients requiring complete hospitalisation until neutrophil recovery, the estimated costs of treatment will be even higher, ranging between $122 282 for HiDAC‐3 → IcE × 2, $153 212 for 7 + 3 → HiDAC × 3 and $184 937 for 7 + 3 → HiDAC × 4. State‐based casemix funding for non‐complicated AML therapy is currently $74 013 for 7 + 3 → HiDAC × 4, $64 177 for 7 + 3 → HiDAC × 3 and $54 340 for HiDAC‐3 → IcE × 2 based on outpatient recovery after consolidation chemotherapy. These calculations do not take into account additional resource implications associated with complications of consolidation chemotherapy or reinduction for treatment failure.ConclusionRegimens minimising the total number of chemotherapy cycles may represent the most efficient use of limited health resources for the treatment of AML.
Effect of endurance training on expiratory flow limitation and dynamic hyperinflation in patients with stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Authors: Chen R. , Chen R. , Chen X. , Chen L. 
Published: May 2014

AbstractBackgroundExpiratory flow limitation (EFL) is the primary pathophysiological hallmark of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, the effect of lower‐extremity endurance training alone on EFL in patients with COPD remains largely unknown.AimThis study aims to determine the effects of endurance training on EFL and dynamic hyperinflation in patients with stable COPD.MethodsThis was a prospective, single‐blinded, non‐randomised controlled 12‐week study recruiting Chinese patients with stable COPD in an endurance training group (n = 15) or a control group (n = 13). Before and at the end of the study, we measured the EFL, pulmonary function, peak inspiratory flow (PIF) and maximum inspiratory pressure (MIP); moreover, the patients underwent a constant work rate exercise test in which Borg dyspnoea scale, tidal breathing flow volume curves and inspiratory capacity (IC) were determined every other minute.ResultsExercise training significantly improved the exercise endurance time (7.00 ± 3.05 vs 18.13 ± 6.44 min, P < 0.001), MIP (69.49 ± 16.03 vs 80.18 ± 15.97 cmH2O, P < 0.001) and PIF (3.96 ± 1.01 vs 4.51 ± 1.13 L/s, P = 0.014), but not EFL (3.33 ± 0.49 vs 3.40 ± 0.51, P = 0.334). Subjects on training had decreased breathing frequency (26.26 ± 7.13 vs 23.15 ± 5.34 breaths/min, P = 0.002), minute ventilation (30.28 ± 7.52 vs 26.85 ± 4.17 L, P = 0.013), tidal peak expiratory flow (1.53 ± 0.22 vs 1.32 ± 0.20 L/s, P = 0.006), mean expiratory flow (0.87 ± 0.19 vs 0.68 ± 0.15 L/s, P = 0.011) and Borg dyspnoea score (7.20 ± 1.15 vs 3.93 ± 1.39, P < 0.001), as well as increased IC (1.50 ± 0.34 vs 1.67 ± 0.45 L, P = 0.002), expiratory time (1.47 ± 0.62 vs 1.72 ± 0.62 s, P = 0.004) and inspiratory flow reserve (2.05 ± 1.10 vs 2.95 ± 1.19 L/s, P = 0.002) at isotime. These changes were not observed in the control group.ConclusionEndurance training may benefit stable COPD patients in improving exercise endurance, inspiratory muscle strength, ventilatory requirements, exercise‐induced hyperinflation and exertional dyspnoea.
How the environment determines banking efficiency: a comparison of banking firms in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Mainland China
Authors: Shyu Jonchi , Lieu Pang‐Tien , Chang Wei 
Published: May 2014

AbstractThis study uses the three‐stage data envelopment analysis (DEA) model to explore the true managerial efficiency of the banking firms in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Mainland China. The empirical results indicate that the environmental conditions have a significant impact on banking efficiency. When the country‐specific situations are important factors in explaining efficiency difference, the common frontier estimates obtained by neglecting those factors can generate biased and overestimated inefficiency levels. With findings obtained from the slack variable analyses, the current study can provide inefficient banks with ways to reduce their input waste through the adjustment of input allocations. The findings also confirm the importance of the three‐stage DEA and its applications in determining the true managerial efficiencies of banks. Without the three‐stage DEA, the management could be misguided when making strategic decisions and conducting inappropriate resource allocation.
A new forecasting scheme for evaluating long‐term prediction performances in supply chain management
Authors: Hwang Wook‐Yeon , Lee Jong‐Seok 
Published: May 2014

AbstractSupply chain management (SCM) practitioners in inventory sites are often required to predict the future sales of products in order to meet customer demands and reduce inventory costs simultaneously. Although a variety of forecasting methods have been developed, many of them may not be used in practice for various reasons, such as insufficient viable information about sales and oversophisticated methods. In this paper, we provide a new forecasting scheme to evaluate long‐term prediction performances in SCM. Three well‐known forecasting methods for time series data—moving average (MA), autoregressive integrated MA, and smoothing spline—are considered. We also focus on two representative sales patterns, each of which is with and without a growth pattern, respectively. By applying the proposed scheme to various simulated and real datasets, this research aims to provide SCM practitioners with a general guideline for time series sales forecasting, so that they can easily understand what prediction performance measures and which forecasting method can be considered.
Platform switching minimises crestal bone loss around dental implants: truth or myth?
Authors: Romanos G. E. , Javed F. 
Published: May 2014

SummaryThe aim was to assess the role of platform switching (PS) in minimising crestal bone loss around dental implants through a systematic review of the currently available clinical evidence. To address the focused question ‘Does PS minimise crestal bone loss compared with non‐platform‐switched (NPS) implants?’, PubMed/Medline and Google Scholar databases were explored from 1986 up to and including December 2013 using the following key words in different combinations: ‘bone loss’, ‘dental implant’, ‘diameter’, ‘mandible’, ‘maxilla’ and ‘platform switching’. Letters to the Editor, unpublished data, historical reviews, case reports and articles published in languages other than English were excluded. Fifteen clinical studies were included. In seven studies, PS and NPS implants were placed in both the maxilla and mandible. In 13 studies, implants were placed at crestal bone levels whereas in one study, implants were placed supracrestally. Three studies reported the bucco‐lingual (or transversal) width of the alveolar ridge which ranged between 7–8 mm. Seven studies reported that implants placed according to the PS concept did not minimise crestal bone loss as compared with NPS implants. 3D‐Implant positioning, width of alveolar ridge and control of micromotion at the implant‐abutment interface are the more critical factors that influence crestal bone levels than PS.
Melatonin and its metabolites ameliorate ultraviolet B‐induced damage in human epidermal keratinocytes
Authors: Janjetovic Zorica , Nahmias Zachary P. , Hanna Sherie , Jarrett Stuart G. , Kim Tae‐Kang , Reiter Russel J. , Slominski Adrzej T. 
Published: May 2014

AbstractWe investigated the protective effects of melatonin and its metabolites: 6‐hydroxymelatonin (6‐OHM), N1‐acetyl‐N2‐formyl‐5‐methoxykynuramine (AFMK), N‐acetylserotonin (NAS), and 5‐methoxytryptamine (5‐MT) in human keratinocytes against a range of doses (25, 50, and 75 mJ/cm2) of ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation. There was significant reduction in the generation of reactive oxygen species (50–60%) when UVB‐exposed keratinocytes were treated with melatonin or its derivatives. Similarly, melatonin and its metabolites reduced the nitrite and hydrogen peroxide levels that were induced by UVB as early as 30 min after the exposure. Moreover, melatonin and its metabolites enhanced levels of reduced glutathione in keratinocytes within 1 hr after UVB exposure in comparison with control cells. Using proliferation assay, we observed a dose‐dependent increase in viability of UVB‐irradiated keratinocytes that were treated with melatonin or its derivatives after 48 hr. Using the dot‐blot technique and immunofluorescent staining we also observed that melatonin and its metabolites enhanced the DNA repair capacity of UVB‐induced pyrimidine photoproducts (6‐4)or cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers generation in human keratinocytes. Additional evidence for induction of DNA repair in cells exposed to UVB and treated with the indole compounds was shown using the Comet assay. Finally, melatonin and its metabolites further enhanced expression of p53 phosphorylated at Ser‐15 but not at Ser‐46 or its nonphosphorylated form. In conclusion, melatonin, its precursor NAS, and its metabolites 6‐OHM, AFMK, 5‐MT, which are endogenously produced in keratinocytes, protect these cells against UVB‐induced oxidative stress and DNA damage.
Forest disturbance and regeneration: a mosaic of discrete gap dynamics and open matrix regimes?
Authors: Blackburn George Alan , Abd Latif Zulkiflee , Boyd Doreen Sandra 
Published: May 2014

AbstractQuestionRecent research in boreal forest suggests that an ‘open matrix’ model may be more appropriate than the traditional model of spatially discrete gap dynamics for describing forest disturbance and regeneration, but what is the evidence from temperate broad‐leaved deciduous forests concerning the prevalence of these alternative models?LocationSemi‐natural temperate broad‐leaved deciduous forest in southernEngland.MethodsMulti‐temporal LiDARdata were used to monitor the changes in tree canopy height and canopy gaps over a 10‐yr period for a 130‐ha area of forest. Gap dynamics were characterized by quantifying gap creation, expansion, contraction and closure. By identifying the types and rates of canopy height transitions, areas of gap contraction and closure were attributed to the processes of lateral crown growth or vertical regeneration.ResultsAcross the study site there was a zonation in canopy and gap properties and their dynamics. Many areas of the forest had the characteristics of open wood‐pasture dominated by large, complex gaps being maintained under a regime of chronic disturbance. In these areas, several characteristics of the gap dynamics indicated that regeneration was restricted and this may be attributable to spatially‐focused overgrazing by large herbivores. In contrast, other areas were characterized by high, closed canopy forest with small, discrete gaps where gap creation and infill were balanced.ConclusionsAt the landscape‐scale broad‐leaved deciduous forests contain a spatial mosaic of zones, which conform to different models of disturbance and regeneration dynamics; discrete gap dynamics and open matrix regimes are juxtaposed. It is now important to elucidate the abiotic factors and biotic interactions that determine the spatio‐temporal distribution of the different regimes and to examine whether such a ‘regime mosaic’ model is applicable in other forest types.
Application of glycerol as a foliar spray activates the defence response and enhances disease resistance of Theobroma cacao
Authors: Zhang Yufan , Smith Philip , Maximova Siela N. , Guiltinan Mark J. 
Published: May 2014

SummaryPrevious work has implicated glycerol‐3‐phosphate (G3P) as a mobile inducer of systemic immunity in plants. We tested the hypothesis that the exogenous application of glycerol as a foliar spray might enhance the disease resistance of Theobroma cacao through the modulation of endogenous G3P levels. We found that exogenous application of glycerol to cacao leaves over a period of 4 days increased the endogenous level of G3P and decreased the level of oleic acid (18:1). Reactive oxygen species (ROS) were produced (a marker of defence activation) and the expression of many pathogenesis‐related genes was induced. Notably, the effects of glycerol application on G3P and 18:1 fatty acid content, and gene expression levels, in cacao leaves were dosage dependent. A 100 mm glycerol spray application was sufficient to stimulate the defence response without causing any observable damage, and resulted in a significantly decreased lesion formation by the cacao pathogen Phytophthora capsici; however, a 500 mm glycerol treatment led to chlorosis and cell death. The effects of glycerol treatment on the level of 18:1 and ROS were constrained to the locally treated leaves without affecting distal tissues. The mechanism of the glycerol‐mediated defence response in cacao and its potential use as part of a sustainable farming system are discussed.
The type VI protein secretion system contributes to biofilm formation and seed‐to‐seedling transmission of Acidovorax citrulli on melon
Authors: Tian Yanli , Zhao Yuqiang , Wu Xinrong , Liu Fengquan , Hu Baishi , Walcott Ronald R. 
Published: May 2014

SummaryThe type VI protein secretion system (T6SS) is essential for the virulence of several Gram‐negative bacteria. In this study, we identified a T6SS gene cluster in Acidovorax citrulli, a plant‐pathogenic bacterium that causes bacterial fruit blotch (BFB) of cucurbits. One T6SS cluster, of approximately 25 kb in length and comprising 17 genes, was found in the A. citrulli AAC00‐1 genome. Seventeen A. citrulli mutants were generated, each with a deletion of a single T6SS core gene. There were significant differences in BFB seed‐to‐seedling transmission between wild‐type A. citrulli strain, xjl12, and ΔvasD, ΔimpK, ΔimpJ and ΔimpF mutants (71.71%, 9.83%, 8.41%, 7.15% and 5.99% BFB disease index, respectively). In addition, we observed that these four mutants were reduced in melon seed colonization and biofilm formation; however, they were not affected in virulence when infiltrated into melon seedling tissues. There were no significant differences in BFB seed‐to‐seedling transmission, melon tissue colonization and biofilm formation between xjl12 and the other 13 T6SS mutants. Overall, our results indicate that T6SS plays a role in seed‐to‐seedling transmission of BFB on melon.
No interaction between tau and TDP‐43 pathologies in either frontotemporal lobar degeneration or motor neurone disease
Authors: Robinson Andrew C. , Thompson Jennifer C. , Weedon Lindsey , Rollinson Sara , Pickering‐Brown Stuart , Snowden Julie S. , Davidson Yvonne S. , Mann David M. A. 
Published: May 2014

IntroductionFrontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) is classified mainly into FTLD‐tau and FTLD‐TDP according to the protein present within inclusion bodies. While such a classification implies only a single type of protein should be present, recent studies have demonstrated dual tau and TDP‐43 proteinopathy can occur, particularly in inherited FTLD.MethodsWe therefore investigated 33 patients with FTLD‐tau (including 9 with MAPT mutation) for TDP‐43 pathological changes, and 45 patients with FTLD‐TDP (including 12 with hexanucleotide expansion in C9ORF72 and 12 with GRN mutation), and 23 patients with motor neurone disease (3 with hexanucleotide expansion in C9ORF72), for tauopathy.ResultsTDP‐43 pathological changes, of the kind seen in many elderly individuals with Alzheimer's disease, were seen in only two FTLD‐tau cases – a 70‐year‐old male with exon 10 + 13 mutation in MAPT, and a 73‐year‐old female with corticobasal degeneration. Such changes were considered to be secondary and probably reflective of advanced age. Conversely, there was generally only scant tau pathology, usually only within hippocampus and/or entorhinal cortex, in most patients with FTLD‐TDP or MND. The extent of tau pathology in FTLD‐TDP and MND, as with amyloid β protein, may relate to increased age and possession of Apolipoprotein ε4 allele.ConclusionWe find no predilection or predisposition towards an accompanying TDP‐43 pathology in patients with FTLD‐tau, irrespective of presence or absence of MAPT mutation, or that genetic changes associated with FTLD‐TDP predispose towards excessive tauopathy. Where the two processes coexist, this is limited and probably causatively independent of each other.
Xylem formation can be modeled statistically as a function of primary growth and cambium activity
Authors: Huang Jian‐Guo , Deslauriers Annie , Rossi Sergio 
Published: May 2014

Summary

Primary (budburst, foliage and shoot) growth and secondary (cambium and xylem) growth of plants play a vital role in sequestering atmospheric carbon. However, their potential relationships have never been mathematically quantified and the underlying physiological mechanisms are unclear. We monitored primary and secondary growth in Picea mariana and Abies balsamea on a weekly basis from 2010 to 2013 at four sites over an altitudinal gradient (25–900 m) in the eastern Canadian boreal forest.

We determined the timings of onset and termination through the fitted functions and their first derivative. We quantified the potential relationships between primary growth and secondary growth using the mixed‐effects model.

We found that xylem formation of boreal conifers can be modeled as a function of cambium activity, bud phenology, and shoot and needle growth, as well as species‐ and site‐specific factors.

Our model reveals that there may be an optimal mechanism to simultaneously allocate the photosynthetic products and stored nonstructural carbon to growth of different organs at different times in the growing season. This mathematical link can bridge phenological modeling, forest ecosystem productivity and carbon cycle modeling, which will certainly contribute to an improved prediction of ecosystem productivity and carbon equilibrium.
Virtue ethics and nursing: on what grounds?
Authors: Newham Roger A. 
Published: May 2014

AbstractWithin the nursing ethics literature, there has for some time now been a focus on the role and importance of character for nursing. An overarching rationale for this is the need to examine the sort of person one must be if one is to nurse well or be a good nurse. How one should be to live well or live a/the good life and to nurse well or be a good nurse seems to necessitate a focus on an agent's character as well as actions because character is (for the most part) expressed in action (e.g. seeLaird). This paper will give an overview of the reasons for the role and importance of character in nursing practice and explain its relation to nursing's frequent use of virtue ethics in order to recommend caution. While the paper agrees that the role of character is important in nursing caution is needed in both how much moral and thus normative, emphasis is being placed on the psychology of character and on the drift to virtue ethics. The psychological which may be explanatory needs to be linked with the normative, and a justification for the normative is needed. A justification as virtue ethics is contested, and nursing practice does not need to take on this explanatory and justificatory burden.A tentative proposal raised but not discussed in depth in this paper is that when an ultimate explanation or explanatory ground is needed, nursing practice leads quite naturally to a form of consequentialism as well as a realist metaethic. On this account, there are two levels of moral thinking, and nursing practice entails the virtues at one level and leads quite naturally to moral thinking at another more critical level of the criterion of what makes something right and good independently of character.
Immune hemolytic anemia with drug‐induced antibodies to carboplatin and vincristine in a pediatric patient with an optic pathway glioma
Authors: Betensky Marisol , Witmer Char , Fisher Michael J. , Nance Sandra , Weiss Mitchell J. , Sesok‐Pizzini Deborah A. 
Published: May 2014

BackgroundDrug‐induced immune hemolytic anemia (DIIHA) is a rare, but important condition requiring specialized laboratory testing for diagnosis. We report a case of DIIHA with antibodies against carboplatin and vincristine (VCR) in a child with an optic pathway glioma. Platinum‐based drugs are established to cause DIIHA; to our knowledge, this is the first report implicating VCR.Study Design and MethodsA 35‐month‐old girl with an optic pathway glioma developed hemolytic anemia while receiving carboplatin and VCR. Specialized blood bank testing was performed to determine the presence of drug‐dependent antibodies and thus DIIHA.ResultsInitial direct antiglobulin test (DAT) was negative. A repeat DAT 3 days later was positive, 3+ with polyspecific‐antiglobulin sera, weak+ with anti‐immunoglobulin (Ig)G, and 2+ with anti‐C3d. An eluate from the DAT‐positive red blood cells (RBCs) was nonreactive. The patient's serum reacted without specificity to all RBC tested using papain‐IgG‐antiglobulin test (AGT) and polyethylene glycol‐IgG‐AGT. No alloantibodies to common RBC antigens were detected. When the serum was evaluated for the presence of drug‐specific antibody, reactivity was shown with VCR and carboplatin using the drug addition solution method, but only with carboplatin using the drug‐coating method.ConclusionThe patient developed hemolytic anemia during chemotherapy. Initial detection of a panagglutinin suggested a warm‐type autoimmune process. However, since DIIHA could not be excluded, chemotherapy was discontinued and further work‐up was initiated. The findings confirmed the presence of antibodies to carboplatin and VCR. This case highlights the importance for clinicians to maintain a high index of suspicion for DIIHA in patients with unexplained hemolysis and the importance of specialized serologic testing.