bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Assessment of Liver Function in Patients With Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A New Evidence-Based Approach—The ALBI Grade
Authors: Johnson Philip J. , Berhane Sarah , Kagebayashi Chiaki , Satomura Shinji , Teng Mabel , Reeves Helen L. , O'Beirne James , Fox Richard , Skowronska Anna , Palmer Daniel , Yeo Winnie , Mo Frankie , Lai Paul , Iñarrairaegui Mercedes , Chan Stephen L. , Sangro Bruno , Miksad Rebecca , Tada Toshifumi , Kumada Takashi , Toyoda Hidenori 
Published: December 2014

Purpose Most patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) have associated chronic liver disease, the severity of which is currently assessed by the Child-Pugh (C-P) grade. In this international collaboration, we identify objective measures of liver function/dysfunction that independently influence survival in patients with HCC and then combine these into a model that could be compared with the conventional C-P grade. Patients and Methods We developed a simple model to assess liver function, based on 1,313 patients with HCC of all stages from Japan, that involved only serum bilirubin and albumin levels. We then tested the model using similar cohorts from other geographical regions (n = 5,097) and other clinical situations (patients undergoing resection [n = 525] or sorafenib treatment for advanced HCC [n = 1,132]). The specificity of the model for liver (dys)function was tested in patients with chronic liver disease but without HCC (n = 501). Results The model, the Albumin-Bilirubin (ALBI) grade, performed at least as well as the C-P grade in all geographic regions. The majority of patients with HCC had C-P grade A disease at presentation, and within this C-P grade, ALBI revealed two classes with clearly different prognoses. Its utility in patients with chronic liver disease alone supported the contention that the ALBI grade was indeed an index of liver (dys)function. Conclusion The ALBI grade offers a simple, evidence-based, objective, and discriminatory method of assessing liver function in HCC that has been extensively tested in an international setting. This new model eliminates the need for subjective variables such as ascites and encephalopathy, a requirement in the conventional C-P grade.
Differential Responses to Steroid Hormones in Fibroblasts From the Vocal Fold, Trachea, and Esophagus
Authors: Mukudai Shigeyuki , Matsuda Ken Ichi , Nishio Takeshi , Sugiyama Yoichiro , Bando Hideki , Hirota Ryuichi , Sakaguchi Hirofumi , Hisa Yasuo , Kawata Mitsuhiro 
Published: December 2014

AbstractThere is accumulating evidence that fibroblasts are target cells for steroids such as sex hormones and corticoids. The characteristics of fibroblasts vary among tissues and organs. Our aim in this study is to examine differences in responses to steroid hormones among fibroblasts from different cervicothoracic regions. We compared the actions of steroid hormones on cultured fibroblasts from the vocal folds, which are considered to be the primary target of steroid hormones, and the trachea and esophagus in adult male rats. Expression of steroid hormone receptors (androgen receptor, estrogen receptor α, and glucocorticoid receptor) was identified by immunofluorescence histochemistry. Androgen receptor was much more frequently expressed in fibroblasts from the vocal fold than in those from the trachea and esophagus. Cell proliferation analysis showed that administration of testosterone, estradiol, or corticosterone suppressed growth of all 3 types of fibroblasts. However, mRNA expression for extracellular matrix–associated genes, including procollagen I and III and elastin, and hyaluronic acid synthase I was elevated only by addition of testosterone to fibroblasts from the vocal fold. These results indicate that each steroid hormone exerts region-specific effects on cervicothoracic fibroblasts with different properties through binding to specific receptors.
Adrenal Androgen Excess and Body Mass Index in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
Authors: Moran Carlos , Arriaga Monica , Arechavaleta-Velasco Fabian , Moran Segundo 
Published: December 2014

Context:
Adrenal hyperandrogenism affects approximately 25% of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) patients but its relation to obesity is not totally understood.

Objective:
This study aimed to assess dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) levels in relation to body mass index (BMI) in PCOS.

Design and Setting:
This was a prospective observational study at an institutional practice at an obstetrics/gynecology hospital.

Participants:
The study included 136 PCOS patients, 20–35 years old, and 42 age-matched control women. The participants were classified with the BMI cutoff value of 27 kg/m2 as follows: 1) high-BMI PCOS patients; 2) low-BMI PCOS patients; 3) high-BMI control women; and 4) low-BMI control women. The data were reanalyzed with the BMI cutoff value of 30 kg/m2 to corroborate the findings in obese and nonobese patients.

Main Outcome Measure(s):
Blood samples were taken and LH, FSH, insulin, T, androstenedione (A4), DHEA, DHEAS, and glucose levels were determined. Homeostatic model assessment was calculated. Pelvic and abdominal ultrasound for ovarian morphology and adipose tissue, respectively, were performed.

Results:
Obese PCOS patients presented significantly more insulin resistance than nonobese PCOS patients. The LH levels and LH/FSH ratio were significantly higher in low-BMI than in high-BMI PCOS patients. The A4 and DHEAS levels were significantly higher in nonobese than in obese PCOS patients. A significant correlation between LH and A4 in nonobese PCOS patients was observed. The frequency of hyperandrogenism by increased A4, and DHEA along with DHEAS was significantly higher in low-BMI PCOS patients compared with high-BMI PCOS patients. Some findings observed with the BMI cutoff value of 27 kg/m2 changed with the cutoff value of 30 kg/m2.

Conclusions:
Low BMI more so than high BMI is associated with increased LH, high A4, DHEA, and DHEAS levels in PCOS patients. The BMI cutoff value of 27 kg/m2 classified better than 30 kg/m2 for hormonal and metabolic characteristics.
Information status and English relative constructions: A corpus-based study of Japanese learners in spoken language
Authors: Okugiri Megumi 
Published: December 2014

AbstractThis study investigates Japanese learners’ production of English relative constructions, focusing on the information preference of noun phrases in spoken discourse. The constructions of Japanese learners and of native speakers of English were extracted from a spoken corpus according to learners’ English proficiency levels. The information status (New, Given, and Identifiable) of head noun phrases modified by relative clauses were also examined. The results found that, in an attempt to keep spoken communication coherent, native speakers and learners of all levels prefer general grammatical and pragmatic configurations in their production of English relative constructions. This preference is called the Preferred Argument Structure (Du Bois 1987). However, Japanese learners and native speakers did not share the same preference of language-specific information status. The results suggest that first language information preference plays a crucial role in second language acquisition, especially during the early stages of acquisition. They also suggest that discoursal properties affect the mechanisms and motivations of relative clause constructions in second language acquisition.
German es – a Construction Grammar approach
Authors: Miyashita Hiroyuki 
Published: December 2014

AbstractIn German, neutral pronoun, es which corresponds to English it, is said to be used in addition to pronominal uses without any reference. In the tradition of German linguistics, non-referential es has been treated as a formal subject or an expletive that has only syntactic function and no meaning. In this paper, this view is challenged and es is regarded as a construction as a pair of syntactic form and meaning in the sense of Goldberg’s Construction Grammar. According to syntactic differences, non-referential es is classified into three types. In the analysis the semantic characteristics of these types are discussed. Type 1 expresses an objective indication of the existence/occurrence of a spontaneous event, Type 2 expresses an objective indication of the existence/occurrence of a spontaneous event for the experiencer expressed by dative, and Type 3 expresses an indication of the existence/occurrence of a new subject referent in a single episodic event. These constructions are sometimes extended to creative uses. Finally, a unitary account of these constructions is proposed and the correlation is summarized. German es with no specific reference is thus understood as a construction family which shares an objective construal.
Variation between singular and plural subject-verb agreement in German: A usage-based approach
Authors: Goschler Juliana 
Published: December 2014

AbstractAt first glance, subject-verb-agreement seems to be straightforward in German: In the case of simplex NPs, the subject always agrees with the verb syntactically in person and number. However, with coordinated NPs in subject position, there is considerable variation in usage. If both conjuncts are singular NPs, the verb may display singular agreement - as would be expected, since coordinated structures inherit their syntactic properties from their individual components - but much more frequently, the verb displays plural agreement. On the basis of the LIMAS-corpus, a one-million-word corpus of written German, I will show that there is systematic variation between the two options. Among the determining factors are the position of the verb (preceding or following the subject), the type of NP (pronoun, proper name, lexical NP) and the internal syntactic structure of the subject (coordination of full NPs vs. coordination of partial NPs sharing a determiner, and definiteness vs. indefiniteness of the coordinated parts of the subject). I will discuss the results from the perspective of usage-based approaches and argue for an integration of semantic, pragmatic, and frequency factors in any theoretical approach to grammar.
Idiosyncrasies and generalizations: Argument structure, semantic roles and the valency realization principle
Authors: Herbst Thomas 
Published: December 2014

AbstractThis article argues in favour of dealing with valency phenomena and collocations in terms of constructions. An attempt is made to combine Goldberg’s model of argument structure constructions with item-specific valency constructions. It is argued that it may be appropriate to distinguish not only between verb-specific participant roles and argument roles, but to introduce a further level of clausal roles to account for AGENTIVITY and AFFECTEDNESS typically associated with subjects and traditional direct objects. Finally, the issue of to what extent the syntactic behaviour of verbs can be predicted from their meaning is taken up and it is shown that Goldberg’s Semantic Coherence Principle and Correspondence Principle have to be supplemented by a Valency Realisation Principle.
Innovation aus Kontinuität. Hans-Ulrich Wehler (1931–2014) in der deutschen Geschichtswissenschaft
Authors: Nolte Paul 
Published: December 2014

Zusammenfassung
Mit dem Tod Hans-Ulrich Wehlers beginnt der Versuch, Motive, Werk und Wirkung des vermutlich einflussreichsten deutschen Historikers des letzten halben Jahrhunderts zu analysieren. Während Wehler selber den Gegensatz zu den Traditionen der deutschen Geschichtswissenschaft scharf betonte und performativ inszenierte, stand er doch in deutlicher Kontinuität zu vielen ihrer klassischen Fragestellungen und Darstellungsformen. Seinem Selbstverständnis nach wollte er das Fach weder spalten noch aus den Angeln heben, sondern sein Koordinatensystem ein Stück weit verschieben – bis zu Grenzen, die er oft ebenso polemisch markierte: nach politischer Position und intellektuellen Strömungen, in den Methoden und den Formen der Geschichtsschreibung. Mit der von ihm mitbeeinflussten, aber auch generations- und zeitbedingten Umprägung der Geschichtswissenschaft wurde er in den 1980er Jahren vom Außenseiter zum „Mainstreamer“, der sich dieser Rolle gleichwohl, nicht zuletzt im „Historikerstreit“, wieder verweigerte. Erst mit der „Deutschen Gesellschaftsgeschichte“ wandelte sich der Politikhistoriker Wehler zum Sozialhistoriker, doch auch mit diesem Hauptwerk schrieb er Traditionen fort: die Tradition des gelehrten Hauptwerks, die nationalgeschichtliche Rahmung, das syntheseorientierte „master narrative“, und überhaupt den „auktorialen“ Gestus von Geschichtswissenschaft. In seiner Kampfansage an die neue Kulturgeschichte verteidigte er weniger ein spezifisches sozialgeschichtliches Programm als solche allgemeineren Muster des Faches, die weiterhin zur Debatte stehen.
Historische Erkenntnis und juristische Bewertung. Die Berücksichtigung fachfremder Forschungsergebnisse durch die Sozial- und Verwaltungsgerichte am Beispiel der Rolle der Wehrmachtsgerichte im nationalsozialistischen System
Authors: Dietz Andreas 
Published: December 2014

Zusammenfassung
Mit ihrer Rechtsprechung zu Renten- und Entschädigungs­ansprüchen leisten deutsche Sozial- und Verwaltungsgerichte aller Instanzen auch fast siebzig Jahre nach Ende des nationalsozialistischen Unrechtsregimes noch wertvolle Beiträge zur Aufarbeitung der Verstrickung damaliger Personen und Organisationen in diese Diktatur. Sie wenden einen juristisch anerkannten zeitlosen Maßstab für die heutige Bewertung eines in der Vergangenheit weit zurückliegenden Ver­haltens an. Damaliges Verhalten wird nur soweit als rechtmäßig angesehen, als es nicht zu bereits zu jener Zeit anerkannten elementaren Rechtsprinzipien in Widerspruch stand, also in so unerträglichem Maß den Grundsät­zen formeller und materieller Gerechtigkeit widersprach, dass es nur als Unrecht bezeichnet werden kann.[89] Gerade den Wehrmachtsgerichten kann ungeachtet der zeitgenössischen Gesetzeslage[90] vielfach – aber ausnahmslos und typischerweise – ein Verstoß gegen die Grundsätze der Menschlichkeit und Rechtsstaatlichkeit vorgeworfen werden. Offen ist, ob sie diesen Widerspruch zu höherrangigen Prinzipen erkannten und billigend in Kauf nahmen, oder erkennen konnten, aber ignorierten. Gerade hierzu kann die historische Forschung noch wichtige Beiträge durch Auswertung von Archivalien und Aktenbeständen liefern. Aufgabe der Gerichte ist es dann, nicht nur das zeitgenössische Strafrecht, sondern auch die tatsächliche Strafzumessung und Strafvollstreckung der Wehrmachtsgerichte zu würdigen[91] und die individuelle Vorwerfbarkeit oder generelle Vermutungen im Einzelfall auf ihre sachliche Richtigkeit hin zu überprüfen und nötigenfalls ihre Rechtsprechung an neue Erkenntnisse anzupassen. Diese Erkenntnisse kann nur die historische Forschung liefern und so einen wertvollen Beitrag zur Weiterentwicklung des juristischen Blicks auf die Vergangenheit leisten.
An adolescent with asthma presenting with worsening cough
Authors: Brickner Joshua P. , Muenster Joseph E. , Pancoast Taylor H. , Tosh Aneesh K. 
Published: December 2014

AbstractThe diagnosis of systemic histoplasmosis may be delayed due to underlying pulmonary conditions in patients from an endemic area. An adolescent White male from the Midwestern United States with a history of moderate persistent asthma presented to the pulmonary clinic with a 10-day’s history of cough. The patient had no response to modifications of his asthma treatment regimen and proceeded to experience worsening symptoms, including pleuritic chest pain and dysphagia. Chest imaging revealed multiple pulmonary nodules, right mainstem bronchus narrowing, bilateral hilar adenopathy, and esophageal thickening. Ophthalmologic examination revealed an ocular “histo spot”, but the patient denied any ocular symptoms. Despite negative initial histoplasmosis antibody testing, the patient began oral itraconazole therapy for presumed histoplasmosis infection. Follow-up histoplasmosis antibody titers were positive, and the patient responded well to itraconazole. Disseminated histoplasmosis can have a wide range of presenting symptoms, which may delay its diagnosis among patients with pre-existing asthma.
Morphological changes in the pancreas and glucose reduction of the aqueous extract of Costus afer leaf on alloxan-induced diabetic rats
Authors: Ezejiofor Anthoneth Ndidi , Orish Chinna Nneka , Orisakwe Orish Ebere 
Published: December 2014

Abstract

Background: Considering the antihyperglycemic and antioxidant activities of herbs, this study has evaluated the morphological changes, hypoglycemic effect, and comparative ameliorating effects of Costus afer Ker Gawl leaf and glibenclamide on pancreatic injury induced by alloxan.

Methods: Thirty adult male albino rats that were divided into six groups of five weight-matched animals each were used in the study. Groups 1 and 2 served as controls, whereas groups 3–6 were alloxan-induced diabetic groups treated with different doses of the extract (375, 750, and 1125 mg/kg C. afer) and glibenclamide, respectively. The glucose level was measured daily, whereas the weight of the animal was monitored on a weekly basis for 21 days. The oral glucose tolerance test was measured on overnight fasted rats after glucose load at 0, 30, 60, 90, and 120 min. The histopathology of the pancreas was also investigated.

Results: The phytoconstituents of C. afer Ker Gawl leaves include glycosides, tannins, saponins, terpenoid, phenolic compound, flavonoids, and alkaloids. Costus afer possessed significant hypoglycemic (p<0.05) effect and reversed the histopathologic damage of pancreases in alloxan-induced diabetic rats comparable to those of glibenclamide.

Conclusions:
Costus afer leaves possess both antidiabetic and tissue protective properties on pancreases of investigated rats.
Determining abdominal obesity cut-offs and relevant risk factors for anthropometric indices in Turkish children and adolescents
Authors: Ozturk Ahmet , Cicek Betul , Mazicioglu M. Mumtaz , Kurtoglu Selim 
Published: December 2014

AbstractTo determine the ≥90th percentile values of waist circumference (WC) to calculate anthropometric measures, indices and relevant risk factors in 5358 Turkish children and adolescents.This cross-sectional study was conducted in Kayseri, Turkey, from February to April 2005. Cut-offs for body weight, height, mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC), triceps skinfold thickness, body mass index (BMI), and fat percentages were calculated for ≥90th percentile of WC.According to the results of binary multiple logistic regression analysis (the backward stepwise procedure), sleep duration (boys), maternal education (boys), elevator use (boys), and appetite (boys and girls) were revealed as significant predictors of abdominal obesity, adjusted for age. Appetite was the strongest variable to be associated with abdominal obesity for both genders.According to receiver operating characteristic analysis, for all age groups within both genders, the best predictors to explain abdominal obesity were BMI and MUAC, respectively.
Effects of T3 treatment on brown adipose tissue and energy expenditure in a patient with craniopharyngioma and hypothalamic obesity
Authors: van Santen Hanneke M. , Schouten-Meeteren Antoinette Y. , Serlie Mireille , Meijneke Ruud W.H. , van Trotsenburg A.S. , Verberne Hein , Holleman Frits , Fliers Eric 
Published: December 2014

AbstractPatients treated for childhood craniopharyngioma often develop hypothalamic obesity (HO), which has a huge impact on the physical condition and quality of life of these patients. Treatment for HO thus far has been disappointing, and although several different strategies have been attempted, all interventions had only transient effects. Since thyroid hormones increase energy expenditure metabolism (thyroid hormone induced thermogenesis), it was speculated that treatment with tri-iodothyronine (T3) may be beneficial. In 2002, a case report was published on reduction of body weight after T3 treatment for HO. No studies have been reported since. Recent experimental studies in rodents showed that T3 increases brown adipose tissue (BAT) activity via (pre)sympathetic pathways between the hypothalamus and BAT. Our aim was to investigate whether T3 treatment increases BAT activity in a patient with HO resulting from (treatment of) childhood craniopharyngioma.Thyroxine treatment for central hypothyroidism was switched to T3 monotherapy. Serum T3 and free thyroxine (FT4) concentrations were measured twice weekly for 2 months.No change in sympathetic and metabolic BAT activity, energy expenditure, or BMI was seen during T3 treatment despite the expected changes in thyroid hormone plasma concentrations.We conclude that T3 monotherapy does not seem to be effective in decreasing HO in childhood craniopharyngioma.
Carathéodory solutions of Sturm-Liouville dynamic equation with a measure of noncompactness in Banach spaces
Authors: Yantir Ahmet , Kubiaczyk Ireneusz , Sikorska-Nowak Aneta 
Published: December 2014

Abstract
In this paper, we present the existence result for Carathéodory type solutions for the nonlinear Sturm- Liouville boundary value problem (SLBVP) in Banach spaces on an arbitrary time scale. For this purpose, we introduce an equivalent integral operator to the SLBVP by means of Green’s function on an appropriate set. By imposing the regularity conditions expressed in terms of Kuratowski measure of noncompactness, we prove the existence of the fixed points of the equivalent integral operator. Mönch’s fixed point theorem is used to prove the main result. Finally, we also remark that it is straightforward to guarantee the existence of Carathéodory solutions for the SLBVP if Kuratowski measure of noncompactness is replaced by any axiomatic measure of noncompactness.
Set-valued and fuzzy stochastic integral equations driven by semimartingales under Osgood condition
Authors: Malinowski Marek T. 
Published: December 2014

Abstract
We analyze the set-valued stochastic integral equations driven by continuous semimartingales and prove the existence and uniqueness of solutions to such equations in the framework of the hyperspace of nonempty, bounded, convex and closed subsets of the Hilbert space L2 (consisting of square integrable random vectors). The coefficients of the equations are assumed to satisfy the Osgood type condition that is a generalization of the Lipschitz condition. Continuous dependence of solutions with respect to data of the equation is also presented. We consider equations driven by semimartingale Z and equations driven by processes A;M from decomposition of Z, where A is a process of finite variation and M is a local martingale. These equations are not equivalent. Finally, we show that the analysis of the set-valued stochastic integral equations can be extended to a case of fuzzy stochastic integral equations driven by semimartingales under Osgood type condition. To obtain our results we use the set-valued and fuzzy Maruyama type approximations and Bihari’s inequality.