bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Prognosis is deteriorating for upper tract urothelial cancer: data for England 1985–2010
Authors: Eylert Maike F. , Hounsome Luke , Verne Julia , Bahl Amit , Jefferies Edward R. , Persad Raj A. 
Published: March 2013

Objective
To ascertain current trends in the incidence and mortality rates for upper tract urothelial cancer (UTUC) and identify any relationship with age, stage at presentation, social deprivation and treatment method.
Patients and Methods
We used national databases to collect the data: incidence, stage and survival data from the National Cancer Data Repository (NCDR) and British Association of Urological Surgeons (BAUS) audit database; mortality data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS); and treatment method data from the Hospital Episodes Statistics (HES).
Results
The incidence of UTUC is increasing (from 1985 to 2009 it increased by 38% in men and 77% in women). It affects mainly those aged >60 years, and diagnoses are increasingly made in those aged >80 years. Diagnoses at advanced stage have increased from 45 to 80%.
Mortality has risen faster than incidence; the overall 5‐year survival rate has dropped from 60 to 48%. Survival is worst in stage IV disease and in patients aged ≥80 years; when analysed by age or stage group, survival rates are unchanged. Nephroureterectomy has increased by 75%, but endoscopic treatment, which only became available part way through the study period, now accounts for 11% of surgical interventions for UTUC, mainly in stage I disease and in the elderly.
Conclusions
Despite sharing its risk factors with bladder cancer, current incidence and mortality trends for UTUC contrast with those in bladder cancer. Increasing use of cross‐sectional imaging may explain some of the identified increased incidence. Higher incidence specifically in people >80 years, together with stage migration to more advanced cancers, are likely to have caused at least some of the observed increased mortality.
Further study is required to answer the questions of whether there are other hitherto unidentified aetiological or prognostic factors; whether less aggressive treatment of UTUCs in the elderly is always justified; and whether the rising frequency of minimally invasive treatment means suboptimum oncological management.
Comparative assessment of three standardized robotic surgery training methods
Authors: Hung Andrew J. , Jayaratna Isuru S. , Teruya Kara , Desai Mihir M. , Gill Inderbir S. , Goh Alvin C. 
Published: March 2013

Objectives
To evaluate three standardized robotic surgery training methods, inanimate, virtual reality and in vivo, for their construct validity.
To explore the concept of cross‐method validity, where the relative performance of each method is compared.
Materials and Methods
Robotic surgical skills were prospectively assessed in 49 participating surgeons who were classified as follows: ‘novice/trainee’: urology residents, previous experience <30 cases (n = 38) and ‘experts’: faculty surgeons, previous experience ≥30 cases (n = 11).
Three standardized, validated training methods were used: (i) structured inanimate tasks; (ii) virtual reality exercises on the da Vinci Skills Simulator (Intuitive Surgical, Sunnyvale, CA, USA); and (iii) a standardized robotic surgical task in a live porcine model with performance graded by the Global Evaluative Assessment of Robotic Skills (GEARS) tool.
A Kruskal–Wallis test was used to evaluate performance differences between novices and experts (construct validity).
Spearman's correlation coefficient (ρ) was used to measure the association of performance across inanimate, simulation and in vivo methods (cross‐method validity).
Results
Novice and expert surgeons had previously performed a median (range) of 0 (0–20) and 300 (30–2000) robotic cases, respectively (P < 0.001).
Construct validity: experts consistently outperformed residents with all three methods (P < 0.001).
Cross‐method validity: overall performance of inanimate tasks significantly correlated with virtual reality robotic performance (ρ = −0.7, P < 0.001) and in vivo robotic performance based on GEARS (ρ = −0.8, P < 0.0001).
Virtual reality performance and in vivo tissue performance were also found to be strongly correlated (ρ = 0.6, P < 0.001).
Conclusions
We propose the novel concept of cross‐method validity, which may provide a method of evaluating the relative value of various forms of skills education and assessment.
We externally confirmed the construct validity of each featured training tool.
ON THE PRICE EFFECTS OF HORIZONTAL MERGERS: A THEORETICAL INTERPRETATION
Authors: Dargaud Emilie , Reggiani Carlo 
Published: March 2013

ABSTRACTHorizontal mergers are usually under the scrutiny of antitrust authorities due to their potential undesirable effects on prices and consumer surplus. Ex‐post evidence, however, suggests that these effects do not always take place and even relevant mergers may end up having negligible price effects. The analysis of mergers in the context of non‐localized spatial competition may offer a further interpretation to the ones proposed in the literature: in this framework both positive and zero price effects are possible outcomes of the merger activity.
Does the Bananaquit Benefit Commensally from Parrot Frugivory? An Assessment Using Habitat Quality
Authors: Douglas Leo R. , Winkel Gary , Sherry Thomas W. 
Published: March 2013

AbstractHow strong‐beaked frugivores such as parrots affect other frugivores is poorly understood. This study quantitated six indices of habitat quality for the facultatively frugivorous Bananaquit (Coereba flaveola) using two habitat types and three treatments of habitat quality, namely old growth forest versus citrus orchards in Dominica, the latter habitat type with and without parrot frugivory. The study also controlled for elevation, rainfall and citrus fruit maturity. The results indicate that both the quantity of parrot frugivory and fruit maturity at the time of frugivory influenced the habitat quality for Bananaquits. Their abundance was higher, individuals stored more fat, and parasite loads were lower on farms with more parrot frugivory. Fruit quality mediated the influence of the quantity of parrot frugivory insofar as Bananaquit body condition was tightly correlated with the fruit chemistry at the time of frugivory or harvest. This study provides empirical evidence of a commensal association and underscores the important ecological role of Neotropical psittacines as mediators of habitat quality for other animal. The findings further suggest that loss of these apex consumers may have triggered previously unappreciated trophic cascades, particularly in island ecosystems lacking large mammalian canopy frugivores.
Subcutaneous immunoglobulin (16 or 20%) therapy in obese patients with primary immunodeficiency: a retrospective analysis of administration by infusion pump or subcutaneous rapid push
Authors: Shapiro R 
Published: March 2013

Summary
A retrospective chart review was conducted at a single centre, capturing data on 173 primary immunodeficiency disease (PIDD) patients, including 40 obese patients, using subcutaneous administration of immunoglobulin (Ig) (SCIG) (16 or 20%) delivered by infusion pump or subcutaneous (s.c.) rapid push. Patients previously using Ig administered as intravenous (i.v.) infusions (IVIG) were converted to SCIG dosing on a 1:1 basis. In both obese and non-obese patients, mean serum Ig levels were higher during SCIG administration (steady state) compared with IVIG administration (trough values). Similar SCIG dose : serum IgG level relationships were observed between obese and non-obese patients, suggesting the consistent bioavailability of SCIG regardless of body mass index (BMI). The mean SCIG volume per dosing site and the mean number of dosing days per week were greater with s.c. rapid push compared with infusion pump in this cohort, but the mean number of sites per infusion session was lower with s.c. rapid push. Both methods were well tolerated. The use of 20 versus 16% SCIG in obese patients improved dosing efficiency, resulting in smaller weekly volumes (54·7 versus 74·5 ml/week) and dosing on fewer days per week (2·3 versus 3·4 days). These data do not suggest a need for SCIG dosing adjustments in obese individuals relative to non-obese patients. The administration of SCIG using either infusion pump or s.c. rapid push is a practical and well-tolerated alternative to IVIG in obese patients. Offering various administration techniques provides a greater opportunity for treatment satisfaction and patient empowerment, which may support high levels of patient compliance.
Repair of critical‐size bone defects using bone marrow stromal cells: a histomorphometric study in rabbit calvaria. Part I: Use of fresh bone marrow or bone marrow mononuclear fraction
Authors: Pelegrine André Antonio , Aloise Antonio Carlos , Zimmermann Allan , de Mello e Oliveira Rafael , Ferreira Lydia Masako 
Published: March 2013

AbstractObjectivesThe aim of this study was to compare the bone healing observed after the use of (1) a scaffold enriched with fresh bone marrow, (2) a scaffold enriched with bone marrow mononuclear fraction, and (3) a scaffold alone.Material and methodsTwenty one rabbits were randomly divided into three groups of six animals and 1 group of 3 animals. Bilateral 12‐mm diameter defects were created in the animals' parietal bones. In Control Group, the defects were filled with a xenograft alone (n = 6); in Group 1, with a xenograft enriched with fresh bone marrow (n = 6); in Group 2, with a xenograft enriched with bone marrow mononuclear fraction (n = 6) and in Unfilled Group, nothing was grafted (n = 3). In Groups 1, 2, and Control, one of the calvarial defects was randomly covered with a barrier membrane. The rabbits were sacrificed 8 weeks after surgery, and their parietal bones were harvested and analyzed histomorphometrically.ResultsThe histomorphometric analysis showed no difference between Group 1 and the Control Group regarding non‐vital mineralized tissue area, but Group 2 showed a statistically significant higher percentage than the Control Group (P < 0.05) for both situations, with membrane (21.24 ± 3.78% and 13.52 ± 3.00%, respectively) and without membrane (20.91 ± 2.01% and 13.08 ± 1.72%, respectively). Group 2 showed the highest percentage of vital mineralized tissue area, followed by Group 1 and the Control Group (P < 0.05) for both situations, with membrane (28.17 ± 3.19%; 21.14 ± 7.38% and 13.06 ± 5.24%, respectively) and without membrane (21.13 ± 0.55%; 12.45 ± 6.34% and 6.56 ± 1.20%, respectively). Group 2 showed the lowest percentage of non‐mineralized tissue area, followed by Group 1 and Control Group (P < 0.05) for both situations, with membrane (50.59 ± 6.64%; 58.75 ± 7.14% and 73.41 ± 6.87%, respectively) and without membrane (57.97 ± 1.91%; 71.74 ± 6.63% and 80.37 ± 2.67%, respectively). The sides in which the defects were covered with the barrier membrane showed better bone healing compared with the uncovered sides, in all groups (intragroup comparison, P < 0.05). The Unfilled Group specimens showed no bone formation.ConclusionsBoth methods using bone marrow stromal cells contributed to enhancing bone healing, especially that using the bone marrow mononuclear fraction. The use of a barrier membrane seemed to have a synergistic effect.
The impact of anorectal malformations on anorectal function and social integration in adulthood: report from a national database
Authors: Mantoo S. , Meurette G. , Wyart V. , Hardouin J. , Cretolle C. , Capito C. , Sarnacki S. , Podevin G. , Lehur P.‐A. 
Published: March 2013

AbstractAimThe impact of anorectal malformation (ARM) on bowel function and social, educational and occupational end‐points was investigated in adult patients entered on a national database.MethodData from a national database of adult patients operated on between 1962 and 1999 for ARM were analysed. The database Malformations Ano‐rectales et Pelviennes rares (MAREP) was part of a common information system, CEMARA, on rare congenital disorders. A self‐administered questionnaire regarding bowel function, academic qualifications, employment and family status was mailed to patients. The type of ARM, subsequent follow‐up and management including surgical interventions were retrospectively retrieved from medical records.ResultsOf 210 adult patients on the registry since 2008, 68 were included in this study. Only three (8.5%) had had regular follow‐up. All reported some disturbance in bowel function. The fertility rate of 1.5 children per woman did not differ from the general population.ConclusionAnorectal malformation ARM often leads to suboptimal bowel function in adulthood. This has an impact on social integration.
Influence of exercise order on upper body maximum and submaximal strength gains in trained men
Authors: Assumpção Claudio O. , Tibana Ramires A. , Viana Luan C. , Willardson Jeffrey M. , Prestes Jonato 
Published: March 2013

SummaryThe purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of exercise order on one‐repetition maximum (1‐RM) and ten‐repetition maximum (10‐RM) strength gains after 6 weeks of resistance training (RT) in trained men. Sixteen men were randomly assigned into two groups based on the order of exercises performed during training sessions: a group that performed large muscle group exercises first and progressed to small muscle group exercises (LG‐SM); while a second group performed the opposite sequence and started with small muscle group exercises and progressed to large muscle group exercises (SM‐LG). Four sessions of RT were conducted per week; all exercises were performed for three sets of 8–12 repetitions with 1‐min rest intervals between sets. Maximal and submaximal strength were assessed at baseline and after 6 weeks of RT with 1‐RM and 10‐RM testing for the bench press (BP), lat pulldown (LPD), triceps pulley extension (TE) and biceps curl (BC), respectively. Two‐way ANOVA for the 1‐RM and 10‐RM tests indicated a significant group x time interaction. The 1‐RM values significantly increased for all exercises in both groups (P<0.05), but were not significantly different between groups. However, effect size (ES) data indicated that the LG‐SM group exhibited a greater magnitude of gains (1‐RM and 10‐RM) for the BP and LPD exercises. Conversely, ES indicated that the SM‐LG group exhibited a greater magnitude of gains (1‐RM and 10‐RM) for the TE and BC exercises. In conclusion, the results suggest that upper body movements should be prioritized and performed according to individual needs to maximize maximal and submaximal strength.
High response rate to low‐dose rituximab plus high‐dose dexamethasone as frontline therapy in adult patients with primary immune thrombocytopenia
Authors: Gómez‐Almaguer David , Tarín‐Arzaga Luz , Moreno‐Jaime Brizio , Jaime‐Pérez José Carlos , Ceballos‐López Adrián Alejandro , Ruiz‐Argüelles Guillermo J. , Ruiz‐Delgado Guillermo J. , Cantú‐Rodríguez Olga Graciela , Gutiérrez‐Aguirre Cesar Homero , Sánchez‐Cárdenas Mónica 
Published: March 2013

AbstractCorticosteroids as initial therapy for primary immune thrombocytopenia achieve a low rate of sustained remission.MethodsWe prospectively evaluated the efficacy, safety, and response duration of low‐dose rituximab plus high‐dose dexamethasone as frontline therapy in newly diagnosed primary immune thrombocytopenia patients. One cycle of dexamethasone, 40 mg/d/intravenously for four consecutive days, plus weekly intravenous rituximab, 100 mg for four doses, was delivered.ResultsTwenty‐one consecutive adults were enrolled. The overall response at day +28 was 90.5%. Complete sustained response at 6 months and relapse rate were 76.2% and 15.8%, respectively, compared with 30% and 62.5% for a historical group who had received standard treatment with prednisone (P = 0.005 and P = 0.004). There was a 9.5% incidence of adverse effects.ConclusionsThe combination of low‐dose rituximab and high‐dose dexamethasone as frontline therapy for adults with primary immune thrombocytopenia was effective and had a high overall response rate and a low incidence of relapse.
The influence of static eye and head position on the ventriloquist effect
Authors: Van Barneveld Denise C. P. B. M. , Van Wanrooij Marc M. 
Published: March 2013

AbstractOrienting responses to audiovisual events have shorter reaction times and better accuracy and precision when images and sounds in the environment are aligned in space and time. How the brain constructs an integrated audiovisual percept is a computational puzzle because the auditory and visual senses are represented in different reference frames: the retina encodes visual locations with respect to the eyes; whereas the sound localisation cues are referenced to the head. In the well‐known ventriloquist effect, the auditory spatial percept of the ventriloquist's voice is attracted toward the synchronous visual image of the dummy, but does this visual bias on sound localisation operate in a common reference frame by correctly taking into account eye and head position? Here we studied this question by independently varying initial eye and head orientations, and the amount of audiovisual spatial mismatch. Human subjects pointed head and/or gaze to auditory targets in elevation, and were instructed to ignore co‐occurring visual distracters. Results demonstrate that different initial head and eye orientations are accurately and appropriately incorporated into an audiovisual response. Effectively, sounds and images are perceptually fused according to their physical locations in space independent of an observer's point of view. Implications for neurophysiological findings and modelling efforts that aim to reconcile sensory and motor signals for goal‐directed behaviour are discussed.
Color and Spatial Frequency Are Related to Visual Pattern Sensitivity in Migraine
Authors: Shepherd Alex J. , Hine Trevor J. , Beaumont Heidi M. 
Published: March 2013

ObjectiveTo assess the potential for particular colors to alleviate visual discomfort when people with migraine view repetitive geometric or striped patterns.BackgroundVisual stimuli, such as flicker, glare, or stripes, can trigger migraine and headache. They can also elicit feelings of discomfort and aversion. There are reports that color can be used to decrease the experience of discomfort and reduce migraine frequency.Design/MethodsFive sets of striped patterns (3, 12 cycles per degree [cpd]) were created using cardinal colors tailored to selectively stimulate the early visual pathways: achromatic (black/white), tritan (black/purple, black/yellow), protan/deutan (black/red, black/green). All had the same high luminance contrast (0.9 Michelson contrast). Twenty‐eight migraine (14 migraine with aura, 14 migraine without aura) and 14 control participants rated the discomfort and described the distortions seen in these patterns. They were also assessed for visual migraine/headache triggers, contrast sensitivity, color vision, acuity, stereopsis, visual discomfort from reading, and dyslexia.ResultsIn the migraine groups, a comparable number of illusions were seen with the 3 and 12 cpd achromatic gratings, whereas in the control group the greatest number was seen with the 3 cpd grating. In the migraine groups only, all 4 colors reduced, to some extent, the number of illusions and 2 decreased the discomfort, particularly for the 12 cpd gratings. There were significant group differences for contrast sensitivity, reported visual migraine/headache triggers, and the visual discomfort scale. There were a few significant correlations between the different measures, notably between the achromatic visual discomfort measures and reports of visual migraine triggers.ConclusionsColor, independent of luminance or particular color contrasts, can have therapeutic effects for people with visually triggered migraine as it can reduce the number of perceived illusions when viewing stripes or text. The effect was not color‐specific and was greatest for the 12 cpd gratings. Given the significant associations between the achromatic discomfort measures and reports of visual triggers, and the lack of significant associations between the chromatic discomfort measures and reports of visual triggers, further research is recommended to explore the potential to reduce the number of visually triggered migraines with color in addition to alleviating visual discomfort.
Petrographic study of the Miocene Mizunami Group, Central Japan: Detection of unrecognized volcanic activity in the Setouchi Province
Authors: Sasao Eiji 
Published: March 2013

AbstractA petrographic study of sandstones from the Miocene Mizunami Group in Central Japan has been performed on core samples from a single borehole, in order to evaluate the provenance of the sedimentary rock. Evaluation of the provenance is based on bulk mineral, heavy mineral and plagioclase contents and on whole rock chemical compositions. The sandstones studied are divisible into three types; the first type is characterized by the occurrence of biotite and plagioclase ranging from albite to oligoclase, the second type is characterized by the dominance of amphibole and labradorite with pyroxene (clinopyroxene > orthopyroxene), and the third type is characterized by the dominance of pyroxene (orthopyroxene > clinopyroxene) and andesine with lesser labradorite, bytownite and anorthite. The first type is interpreted to be derived from the basement granite, whereas the others were derived mostly from volcanic ash, judging from their mineral compositions. The volcanic activity that supplied the volcanic ash to the Mizunami Basin occurred in two phases, distinguishable by variations in their mineralogical and geochemical compositions, an indication of change in character of the volcanic activity. This petrographic study of the sandstones in the Mizunami Group suggests that unrecognized volcanic activity occurred around the Mizunami Basin, even though potential provenance of the volcanic ash has not yet been identified.
Poverty, Preference or Pensioners? Measuring Material Deprivation in the UK*
Authors: Hick Rod 
Published: March 2013

AbstractIndicators of material deprivation are typically based on a two‐part question, asking, first, whether respondents possess a series of deprivation items and, second – if they do not – whether this is because of a lack of resources or is by choice. This second subquestion, or ‘enforced lack’ criterion, is ubiquitous but its efficacy has been questioned by a number of authors. In an important critique published in Fiscal Studies, McKay (2004) claimed that older people were more likely than younger respondents to report that they did not want the items they lacked, despite their lower incomes, and also that the enforced lack criterion introduced a subjectivity which, in effect, required respondents to feel poor in order to be classified as such. This critique has potentially profound implications for poverty measurement.In this paper, we seek to address the question of whether, if we are to employ indicators of material deprivation for poverty measurement, we should include the enforced lack criterion or not. In seeking to answer this question, we draw on data from the British Household Panel Survey (BHPS) and present tests of reliability and validity on indices of material deprivation, with and without the enforced lack criterion. Using odds ratio and analysis of variance methods, we find that the inclusion of the enforced lack criterion provides a measure of material deprivation which is both more reliable, and more valid based on a subjective measure of deprivation as well as on a majority of more objective forms of deprivation. Amongst the remaining minority (ill health for both methods and income quintile for the analysis of variance method), the divergent results can be explained, at least in part, by the older age profile of respondents in poor health and on low incomes. Thus, while there are legitimate concerns about the performance of such deprivation indicators amongst certain subgroups – in particular, amongst older people – on aggregate the enforced lack criterion helps to distinguish between poverty and preference.