bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Positive attitudes towards psychiatry among Chinese medical students
Authors: Williams Joshua A , Liu Ni , Afzal Khalid , Cooper Brian , Sherer Renslow , Morgan Ivy , Dong Hongmei 
Published: January 2013

Background and aims: Increasingly positive attitudes have been reported among young people in China towards mental illness, but little is known about Chinese medical students’ attitudes towards psychiatry, psychiatric services and patients. Methods: We administered a bilingual survey to Wuhan University medical students in the final years of their clinical training. Primary outcomes were composite scores on a 21-item attitudes toward psychiatry (ATP) survey and the number of correct responses to diagnostic questions following a series of three clinical case vignettes. Results: Mean composite score on the ATP items was 78/105 (SD = 9.6), representing overall positive attitudes among the students. Female gender and having learned about more psychiatric disorders were positively associated with a higher mean ATP score and remained so after adjustment for relevant covariates. Conclusions: Chinese medical students reported positive attitudes towards psychiatry, openness with regard to psychiatric services, and respect for psychiatric patients. Learning about a broad spectrum of psychiatric diagnoses and greater clinical contact with patients may improve overall attitudes of Chinese medical students towards psychiatry and their ability to make accurate diagnoses.
Surgical Site Infections in Ear Surgery
Authors: Kattipattanapong Woraya , Isaradisaikul Suwicha , Hanprasertpong Charuk 
Published: January 2013

Objective(1) To compare the rate of surgical site infections in ear surgery between groups with and without hair removal and (2) to study factors associated with surgical site infections.Study DesignA preliminary, randomized, controlled trial.SettingUniversity hospital.Subjects and MethodsThe study was conducted in a group of 136 patients who underwent surgery for external or middle ear disease via the post‐auricular approach at Chiang Mai University Hospital from May 2010 to May 2011. Demographic data, surgical site infection within 30 days postoperatively, and associated factors were recorded.ResultsFifty‐eight cases were men and 78 cases women. Demographic data between the 2 groups were compared. Age, gender, the side of operated ear, types of anesthesia, emergency or elective setting, body mass index, history of alcohol and/or tobacco use, underlying diseases, operative time, and the length of hospital stay revealed no significant differences. A postoperative surgical site infection developed in 5 patients: 3 in the group with hair removal (4.5%) and 2 in the group without hair removal (2.8%) (P value = 0.674, Fisher’s exact test). All infected cases had undergone mastoidectomy.ConclusionsSurgical site infection rates between the 2 groups (with and without hair removal) demonstrated no difference. Hair removal prior to ear surgery via post‐auricular incision had no effect on the rate of surgical site infection.
An analysis of adaptive design variations on the sequential parallel comparison design for clinical trials
Authors: Mi Michael Y , Betensky Rebecca A 
Published: January 2013

Background Currently, a growing placebo response rate has been observed in clinical trials for antidepressant drugs, a phenomenon that has made it increasingly difficult to demonstrate efficacy. The sequential parallel comparison design (SPCD) is a clinical trial design that was proposed to address this issue. The SPCD theoretically has the potential to reduce the sample-size requirement for a clinical trial and to simultaneously enrich the study population to be less responsive to the placebo. Purpose Because the basic SPCD already reduces the placebo response by removing placebo responders between the first and second phases of a trial, the purpose of this study was to examine whether we can further improve the efficiency of the basic SPCD and whether we can do so when the projected underlying drug and placebo response rates differ considerably from the actual ones. Methods Three adaptive designs that used interim analyses to readjust the length of study duration for individual patients were tested to reduce the sample-size requirement or increase the statistical power of the SPCD. Various simulations of clinical trials using the SPCD with interim analyses were conducted to test these designs through calculations of empirical power. Results From the simulations, we found that the adaptive designs can recover unnecessary resources spent in the traditional SPCD trial format with overestimated initial sample sizes and provide moderate gains in power. Under the first design, results showed up to a 25% reduction in person-days, with most power losses below 5%. In the second design, results showed up to a 8% reduction in person-days with negligible loss of power. In the third design using sample-size re-estimation, up to 25% power was recovered from underestimated sample-size scenarios. Limitations Given the numerous possible test parameters that could have been chosen for the simulations, the study’s results are limited to situations described by the parameters that were used and may not generalize to all possible scenarios. Furthermore, dropout of patients is not considered in this study. Conclusions It is possible to make an already complex design such as the SPCD adaptive, and thus more efficient, potentially overcoming the problem of placebo response at lower cost. Ultimately, such a design may expedite the approval of future effective treatments.
Community terminal restriction fragment length polymorphisms reveal insights into the diversity and dynamics of leaf endophytic bacteria
Authors: Ding Tao , Palmer Michael W , Melcher Ulrich 
Published: January 2013

Abstract

Background
Plant endophytic bacteria play an important role benefiting plant growth or being pathogenic to plants or organisms that consume those plants. Multiple species of bacteria have been found co-inhabiting plants, both cultivated and wild, with viruses and fungi. For these reasons, a general understanding of plant endophytic microbial communities and their diversity is necessary. A key issue is how the distributions of these bacteria vary with location, with plant species, with individual plants and with plant growing season.

Results
Five common plant species were collected monthly for four months in the summer of 2010, with replicates from four different sampling sites in the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve in Osage County, Oklahoma, USA. Metagenomic DNA was extracted from ground, washed plant leaf samples, and fragments of the bacterial 16S rDNA genes were amplified for analysis of terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP). We performed mono-digestion T-RFLP with restriction endonuclease DdeI, to reveal the structures of leaf endophytic bacterial communities, to identify the differences between plant-associated bacterial communities in different plant species or environments, and to explore factors affecting the bacterial distribution. We tested the impacts of three major factors on the leaf endophytic bacterial communities, including host plant species, sampling dates and sampling locations.

Conclusions
Results indicated that all of the three factors were significantly related (α = 0.05) to the distribution of leaf endophytic bacteria, with host species being the most important, followed by sampling dates and sampling locations.
Partial functional conservation of IRX10 homologs in physcomitrella patens and Arabidopsis thalianaindicates an evolutionary step contributing to vascular formation in land plants
Authors: Hörnblad Emma , Ulfstedt Mikael , Ronne Hans , Marchant Alan 
Published: January 2013

Abstract

Background
Plant cell walls are complex multicomponent structures that have evolved to fulfil an essential function in providing strength and protection to cells. Hemicelluloses constitute a key component of the cell wall and recently a number of the genes thought to encode the enzymes required for its synthesis have been identified in Arabidopsis. The acquisition of hemicellulose synthesis capability is hypothesised to have been an important step in the evolution of higher plants.

Results
Analysis of the Physcomitrella patens genome has revealed the presence of homologs for all of the Arabidopsis glycosyltransferases including IRX9, IRX10 and IRX14 required for the synthesis of the glucuronoxylan backbone. The Physcomitrella IRX10 homolog is expressed in a variety of moss tissues which were newly formed or undergoing expansion. There is a high degree of sequence conservation between the Physcomitrella IRX10 and Arabidopsis IRX10 and IRX10-L. Despite this sequence similarity, the Physcomitrella IRX10 gene is only able to partially rescue the Arabidopsis irx10 irx10-L double mutant indicating that there has been a neo- or sub-functionalisation during the evolution of higher plants. Analysis of the monosaccharide composition of stems from the partially rescued Arabidopsis plants does not show any significant change in xylose content compared to the irx10 irx10-L double mutant. Likewise, knockout mutants of the Physcomitrella IRX10 gene do not result in any visible phenotype and there is no significant change in monosaccharide composition of the cell walls.

Conclusions
The fact that the Physcomitrella IRX10 (PpGT47A) protein can partially complement an Arabidopsis irx10 irx10-L double mutant suggests that it shares some function with the Arabidopsis proteins, but the lack of a phenotype in knockout lines shows that the function is not required for growth or development under normal conditions in Physcomitrella. In contrast, the Arabidopsis irx10 and irx10 irx10-L mutants have strong phenotypes indicating an important function in growth and development. We conclude that the evolution of vascular plants has been associated with a significant change or adaptation in the function of the IRX10 gene family.
Lipid management in the prevention of stroke: a meta-analysis of fibrates for stroke prevention
Authors: Zhou Yu-Hao , Ye Xiao-Fei , Yu Fei-Fei , Zhang Xiao , Qin Ying-Yi , Lu Jian , He Jia 
Published: January 2013

Abstract

Background
Fibrates has been extensively used to improve plasma lipid levels and prevent adverse cardiovascular outcomes. However, the effect of fibrates on stroke is unclear at the present time. We therefore carried out a comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the effects of fibrates on stroke.

Methods
We systematically searched Medline, Embase, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, reference lists of articles, and proceedings of major meetings to identify studies for our analysis. We included randomized placebo controlled trials which reported the effects of fibrates on stroke. Relative risk (RR) was used to measure the effect of fibrates on the risk of stroke under random effect model. The analysis was further stratified by factors that could affect the treatment effects.

Results
Overall, fibrate therapy was not associated with a significant reduction on the risk of stroke (RR, 1.02, 95% CI, 0.90 to 1.16, P = 0.78). In the subgroup analyses, we observed that gemfibrozil therapy showed a beneficial effect on stroke (RR, 0.72, 95% CI, 0.53 to 0.98, P = 0.04). Similarly, fibrate therapy comparing to placebo had no effect on the incidence of fatal stroke. Subgroup analysis suggested that fibrate therapy showed an effect on fatal stroke when the Jadad score more than 3 (RR, 0.41, 95% CI, 0.17 to 1.00, P = 0.049). Furthermore, a sensitivity analysis indicated that fibrate therapy may play a role in fatal stroke (RR, 0.49, 95% CI, 0.26 to 0.93, P = 0.03) for patients with previous diabetes, cardiovascular disease or stroke.

Conclusions
Our study indicated that fibrate therapy might play an important role in reducing the risk of fatal stroke in patients with previous diabetes, cardiovascular disease or stroke. However, it did not have an effect on the incidence of stroke.
A simplified counter-selection recombineering protocol for creating fluorescent protein reporter constructs directly from C. elegans fosmid genomic clones
Authors: Hirani Nisha , Westenberg Marcel , Gami Minaxi S , Davis Paul , Hope Ian A , Dolphin Colin T 
Published: January 2013

Abstract

Background
Recombineering is a genetic engineering tool that enables facile modification of large episomal clones, e.g. BACs, fosmids. We have previously adapted this technology to generate, directly from fosmid-based genomic clones, fusion gene reporter constructs designed to investigate gene expression patterns in C. elegans. In our adaptation a rpsL-tet(A) positive/negative-selection cassette (RT-cassette) is first inserted and then, under negative selection, seamlessly replaced with the desired sequence. We report here on the generation and application of a resource comprising two sets of constructs designed to facilitate this particular recombineering approach.

Results
Two complementary sets of constructs were generated. The first contains different fluorescent protein reporter coding sequences and derivatives while the second set of constructs, based in the copy-number inducible vector pCC1Fos, provide a resource designed to simplify RT-cassette-based recombineering. These latter constructs are used in pairs the first member of which provides a template for PCR-amplification of an RT-cassette while the second provides, as an excised restriction fragment, the desired fluorescent protein reporter sequence. As the RT-cassette is flanked by approximately 200 bp from the ends of the reporter sequence the subsequent negative selection replacement step is highly efficient. Furthermore, use of a restriction fragment minimizes artefacts negating the need for final clone sequencing. Utilizing this resource we generated single-, double- and triple-tagged fosmid-based reporters to investigate expression patterns of three C. elegans genes located on a single genomic clone.

Conclusions
We describe the generation and application of a resource designed to facilitate counter-selection recombineering of fosmid-based C. elegans genomic clones. By choosing the appropriate pair of ‘insertion’ and ‘replacement’ constructs recombineered products, devoid of artefacts, are generated at high efficiency. Gene expression patterns for three genes located on the same genomic clone were investigated via a set of fosmid-based reporter constructs generated with the modified protocol.
Analysis of colorectal cancers in British Bangladeshi identifies early onset, frequent mucinous histotype and a high prevalence of RBFOX1 deletion
Authors: Sengupta Neel , Yau Christopher , Sakthianandeswaren Anuratha , Mouradov Dmitri , Gibbs Peter , Suraweera Nirosha , Cazier Jean-Baptiste , Polanco-Echeverry Guadalupe , Ghosh Anil , Thaha Mohamed , Ahmed Shafi , Feakins Roger , Propper David , Dorudi Sina , Sieber Oliver , Silver Andrew , Lai Cecilia 
Published: January 2013

Abstract

Background
Prevalence of colorectal cancer (CRC) in the British Bangladeshi population (BAN) is low compared to British Caucasians (CAU). Genetic background may influence mutations and disease features.

Methods
We characterized the clinicopathological features of BAN CRCs and interrogated their genomes using mutation profiling and high-density single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) arrays and compared findings to CAU CRCs.

Results
Age of onset of BAN CRC was significantly lower than for CAU patients (p=3.0 x 10-5) and this difference was not due to Lynch syndrome or the polyposis syndromes. KRAS mutations in BAN microsatellite stable (MSS) CRCs were comparatively rare (5.4%) compared to CAU MSS CRCs (25%; p=0.04), which correlates with the high percentage of mucinous histotype observed (31%) in the BAN samples. No BRAF mutations was seen in our BAN MSS CRCs (CAU CRCs, 12%; p=0.08). Array data revealed similar patterns of gains (chromosome 7 and 8q), losses (8p, 17p and 18q) and LOH (4q, 17p and 18q) in BAN and CAU CRCs. A small deletion on chromosome 16p13.2 involving the alternative splicing factor RBFOX1 only was found in significantly more BAN (50%) than CAU CRCs (15%) cases (p=0.04). Focal deletions targeting the 5’ end of the gene were also identified. Novel RBFOX1 mutations were found in CRC cell lines and tumours; mRNA and protein expression was reduced in tumours.

Conclusions

KRAS mutations were rare in BAN MSS CRC and a mucinous histotype common. Loss of RBFOX1 may explain the anomalous splicing activity associated with CRC.
Expression of tissue levels of matrix metalloproteinases and tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases in renal cell carcinoma
Authors: Qiao Zhen-kui , Li Yan-long , Lu Hong-tao , Wang Ke-liang , Xu Wan-hai 
Published: January 2013

Abstract

Background
Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are one of the major classes of proteolytic enzymes involved in tumor invasion and metastasis and are inhibited by naturally occurring tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs). {AU Query: Please verify that corrections made to previous sentence did not alter intended meaning}. In this study, we examined the expression of MMP-2, MMP-9, membrane-type 1 (MT1)-MMP, TIMP-1, and TIMP-2 in renal tissue samples of renal cell cancer and examined the correlation between their expression and clinicopathological parameters.

Methods
Renal tissue samples from 76 patients with renal cell carcinoma were available for this study. To determine the expression of MMP-2, MMP-9, MT1-MMP, TIMP-1, and TIMP-2, semi-quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was carried out on tumor and normal tissues.

Results
Mean MMP-2, MMP-9, MT1-MMP, TIMP-1, and TIMP-2 mRNA expression in the renal cell carcinomas was significantly higher than in the normal renal tissue (P <0.05). The RT-PCR data of MMP-2, MMP-9, MT1-MMP, TIMP-1, and TIMP-2 did not show any significant correlation with tumor type or pathologic grade of renal cell carcinoma. MMP-2, MMP-9 and MT1-MMP mRNA expression increased significantly with the TNM stage of the tumor.

Conclusions
Mean MMP-2, MMP-9, MT1-MMP, TIMP-1, and TIMP-2 mRNA expression in the renal cell carcinomas was significantly higher than in the normal renal tissue.
Randomized Phase II trial of paclitaxel and carboplatin followed by gemcitabine switch-maintenance therapy versus gemcitabine and carboplatin followed by gemcitabine continuation-maintenance therapy in previously untreated advanced non-small cell lung cancer
Authors: Minami Seigo , Kijima Takashi , Shiroyama Takayuki , Okafuji Kohei , Hirashima Tomonori , Uchida Junji , Imamura Fumio , Osaki Tadashi , Nakatani Takeshi , Ogata Yoshitaka , Yamamoto Suguru , Namba Yoshinobu , Otsuka Tomoyuki , Tachibana Isao , Komuta Kiyoshi , Kawase Ichiro 
Published: January 2013

Abstract

Background
In recent years, maintenance chemotherapy is increasingly being recognized as a new treatment strategy to improve the outcome of advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, the optimal maintenance strategy is still controversial. Gemcitabine is a promising candidate for single-agent maintenance therapy because of little toxicity and good tolerability. We have conducted a randomized phase II study to evaluate the validity of single-agent maintenance chemotherapy of gemcitabine and to compare continuation- and switch-maintenance.

Methods
Chemonaïve patients with stage IIIB/IV NSCLC were randomly assigned 1:1 to either arm A or B. Patients received paclitaxel (200 mg/m2, day 1) plus carboplatin (AUC 6 mg/mL/min, day 1) every 3 weeks in arm A, or gemcitabine (1000 mg/m2, days 1 and 8) plus carboplatin (AUC 5 mg/mL/min, day1) every 3 weeks in arm B. Non-progressive patients following 3 cycles of induction chemotherapy received maintenance gemcitabine (1000 mg/m2, days 1 and 8) every 3 weeks. (Trial registration: UMIN000008252)

Results
The study was stopped because of delayed accrual at interim analysis. Of the randomly assigned 50 patients, 49 except for one in arm B were evaluable. Median progression-free survival (PFS) was 4.6 months for arm A vs. 3.5 months for arm B (HR = 1.03; 95% CI, 0.45–2.27; p = 0.95) and median overall survival (OS) was 15.0 months for arm A vs. 14.8 months for arm B (HR = 0.79; 95% CI, 0.40–1.51; p = 0.60), showing no difference between the two arms. The response rate, disease control rate, and the transit rate to maintenance phase were 36.0% (9/25), 64.0% (16/25), and 48% (12/25) for arm A vs. 16.7% (4/24), 50.0% (12/24), and 33% (8/24) for arm B, which were also statistically similar between the two arms (p = 0.13, p = 0.32, and p = 0.30, respectively). Both induction regimens were tolerable, except that more patients experienced peripheral neuropathy in arm A. Toxicities during the maintenance phase were also minimal.

Conclusion
Survival and overall response were not significantly different between the two arms. Gemcitabine may be well-tolerable and feasible for maintenance therapy.
The interaction of genetic variants and DNA methylation of the interleukin-4 receptor gene increase the risk of asthma at age 18 years
Authors: Soto-Ramírez Nelís , Arshad Syed Hasan , Holloway John W , Zhang Hongmei , Schauberger Eric , Ewart Susan , Patil Veeresh , Karmaus Wilfried 
Published: January 2013

AbstractBackgroundThe occurrence of asthma is weakly explained by known genetic variants. Epigenetic marks, DNA methylation (DNA-M) in particular, are considered to add to the explanation of asthma. However, no etiological model has yet been developed that integrates genetic variants and DNA-M. To explore a new model, we focused on one asthma candidate gene, the IL-4 receptor (IL4R). We hypothesized that genetic variants ofIL4Rin interaction with DNA-M at cytosine-phosphate-guanine (CpG) sites jointly alter the risk of asthma during adolescence. Blood samples were collected at age 18 years from 245 female cohort participants randomly selected for methylation analysis from a birth cohort (n = 1,456, Isle of Wight, UK). Genome-wide DNA-M was assessed using the Illumina Infinium HumanMethylation450 BeadChip.ResultsThirteen single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and twelve CpG sites ofIL4Rgene were analyzed. Based on linkage disequilibrium and association with asthma, eight SNPs and one CpG site were selected for further analyses. Of the twelve CpG sites in theIL4Rgene, only methylation levels of cg09791102 showed an association with asthma at age 18 years (Wilcoxon test:P= 0.01). Log-linear models were used to estimate risk ratios (RRs) for asthma adjusting for uncorrelated SNPs within theIL4Rgene and covariates. Testing for interaction between the eight SNPs and the methylation levels of cg09791102 on the risk for asthma at age 18 years, we identified the statistically significant interaction term of SNP rs3024685 × methylation levels of cg09791102 (P= 0.002; after adjusting for false discovery rate). A total of 84 participants had methylation levels ≤0.88, 112 participants between 0.89 and 0.90, and 35 between 0.91 and 0.92. For the SNP rs3024685 (‘CC’ vs. ‘TT’) at methylation levels of ≤0.85, 0.86, 0.90, 0.91, and 0.92, the RRs were 0.01, 0.04, 4.65, 14.76, 14.90, respectively (interaction effect,P= 0.0003).ConclusionsAdjusting for multiple testing, our results suggest that DNA-M modulates the risk of asthma related to genetic variants in theIL4Rgene. The strong interaction of one SNP and DNA-M is encouraging and provides a novel model of how a joint effect of genetic variants and DNA-M can explain occurrence of asthma.