bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Elevated Preoperative Carcinoembryonic Antigen (CEA) and Ki67 Is Predictor of Decreased Survival in IIA Stage Colon Cancer
Authors: Peng Yifan , Wang Lin , Gu Jin 
Published: October 2012

AbstractBackgroundThe present study was designed to investigate the prognostic factors of stage IIA (pT3N0M0) colon cancer.MethodsWe retrospectively reviewed consecutive patients with stage IIA colon cancer treated with curative surgery alone from January 2004 to June 2008 in Peking University Cancer Hospital. Patient demographics, and clinical, histopathologic, and laboratory data were analyzed. Univariate and multivariate analyses were carried out to identify prognostic factors associated with 3‐year disease‐free survival (DFS).ResultsFor the 84 valid cases reviewed in this study, the 3‐year DFS was 88.1 %. That for a group with elevated CEA was 77.1 % and for a group with a normal CEA level, it was 95.9 %, with statistical difference (p = 0.007). Multivariate analysis demonstrated that CEA level (p = 0.012, OR = 8.013, 1.573–40.817), expression of Ki67 (p = 0.099, OR = 3.298, 0.799–3.610), male gender (p = 0.024, OR = 7.212, 1.293–40.237), and anemia (p = 0.011, OR = 6.461, 1.537–27.151) were the independent prognostic factors for 3‐year DFS. Stratified analysis revealed that an elevated CEA level combined with high expression of Ki67 was associated with poorer prognosis (3‐year DFS 70 %).ConclusionsAn elevated preoperative serum level of CEA and high expression of Ki67 in tumor tissue were predictors of poor prognosis for patients with stage IIA colon cancer. These patients should therefore be considered candidates for receiving intensive surveillance. Future clinical trials using multicenter patient cohorts should be prospectively performed to evaluate whether these high‐risk patients could benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy to improve prognosis.
Community‐based newborn resuscitation among frontline providers in a low‐resource country
Authors: Olson Kristian R. , Caldwell Aya , Sihombing Melva , Guarino Anthony J. , Nelson Brett D. 
Published: October 2012

AbstractObjectiveTo evaluate a birth asphyxia management program among community midwives in a low‐resource rural setting.MethodsConcise training with provision of positive‐pressure ventilation devices was implemented in Indonesia in 2005. The effectiveness of the intervention among community‐based midwives between October 2007 and September 2008 was evaluated. The intervention cohort was compared with a neighboring control cohort.ResultsOverall, 242 intervention and 106 control midwives were surveyed. In total, 3116 births were attended, 84.0% of deliveries occurred at home, and 97.4% of midwives had not previously owned a resuscitation device. When positive‐pressure ventilation was administered, newborn survival on day 1 was equivalent in the 2 cohorts (88.4% versus 84.4%; P = 0.66). However, significantly more newborns in the intervention group underwent ventilation (risk ratio 2.3; 95% confidence interval, 1.4–8.0). The intervention group had significantly greater scores on both knowledge (t[144.35] = 10.52; P < 0.001) and confidence (t[134.17] = 11.66; P < 0.001).ConclusionFocused community‐based resuscitation training and device delivery resulted in a significantly increased proportion of newborns receiving life‐saving positive‐pressure breaths, in addition to improved provider knowledge and confidence. Furthermore, the program demonstrated the establishment of an effective training infrastructure within a disrupted health system.
Divergent streamlines and free vortices in Newtonian fluid flows in microfluidic flow-focusing devices
Authors: Oliveira M. S. N. , Pinho F. T. , Alves M. A. 
Published: October 2012

AbstractThe appearance of divergent streamlines and subsequent formation of free vortices in Newtonian fluid flows through microfluidic flow-focusing geometries is discussed in this work. The micro-geometries are shaped like a cross-slot but comprise three entrances and one exit. The divergent flow and subsequent symmetric vortical structures arising near the centreline of the main inlet channel are promoted even under creeping flow conditions, and are observed experimentally and predicted numerically above a critical value of the ratio of inlet velocities (VR). As VR is further increased these free vortices continue to grow until a maximum size is reached due to geometrical constraints. The numerical calculations are in good agreement with the experimental observations and we probe numerically the effects of the geometric parameters and of inertia on the flow patterns. In particular, we observe that the appearance of the central recirculations depends non-monotonically on the relative width of the entrance branches and we show that inertia enhances the appearance of the free vortices. On the contrary, the presence of the walls in three-dimensional geometries has a stabilizing effect for low Reynolds numbers, delaying the onset of these secondary flows to higher VR. The linearity of the governing equations for creeping flow of Newtonian fluids was invoked to determine the flow field for any VR as a linear combination of the results of three other independent solutions in the same geometry.
Information Content of Earnings Announcements: Evidence from After-Hours Trading
Authors: Jiang Christine X. , Likitapiwat Tanakorn , McInish Thomas H. 
Published: October 2012

AbstractWe study after-hours trading (AHT), price contributions, and price discovery following quarterly earnings announcements released outside of the normal trading hours. For Standard & Poor’s (S&P) 500 index stocks from 2004–2008, AHT is heightened on announcement days. A significant portion of the price change and price discovery occurs immediately after the earnings releases. Prices in AHT show a large degree of informational efficiency, further demonstrating the importance of price discovery in AHT. We also provide evidence suggesting that firms prefer after-hours earnings announcements, as trades are mainly from informed traders, and those trades are relied upon to convey information to the general public.
Structure–function relationships in calpains
Authors: Campbell Robert L. , Davies Peter L. 
Published: October 2012

Calpains are a family of complex multi-domain intracellular enzymes that share a calcium-dependent cysteine protease core. These are not degradative enzymes, but instead carry out limited cleavage of target proteins in response to calcium signalling. Selective cutting of cytoskeletal proteins to facilitate cell migration is one such function. The two most abundant and extensively studied members of this family in mammals, calpains 1 and 2, are heterodimers of an isoform-specific 80 kDa large subunit and a common 28 kDa small subunit. Structures of calpain-2, both Ca2+-free and bound to calpastatin in the activated Ca2+-bound state, have provided a wealth of information about the enzyme's structure–function relationships and activation. The main association between the subunits is the pairing of their C-terminal penta-EF-hand domains through extensive intimate hydrophobic contacts. A lesser contact is made between the N-terminal anchor helix of the large subunit and the penta-EF-hand domain of the small subunit. Up to ten Ca2+ ions are co-operatively bound during activation. The anchor helix is released and individual domains change their positions relative to each other to properly align the active site. Because calpains 1 and 2 require ~30 and ~350 μM Ca2+ ions for half-maximal activation respectively, it has long been argued that autoproteolysis, subunit dissociation, post-translational modifications or auxiliary proteins are needed to activate the enzymes in the cell, where Ca2+ levels are in the nanomolar range. In the absence of robust support for these mechanisms, it is possible that under normal conditions calpains are transiently activated by high Ca2+ concentrations in the microenvironment of a Ca2+ influx, and then return to an inactive state ready for reactivation.
Globalization of food production and implications for nutrition.
Authors: Huneault L. , Raine K. , Tremblay A. 
Published: October 2012

Abstract
In this review, we propose that agricultural changes experienced in recent years can be explained by globalization, a contemporary reality that ultimately leads to changes in food consumption and negative implications for health. Our main hypothesis is that agricultural traditions, perverted by globalization, play an important part in the decline of food quality and natural environments, thereby resulting in short- and long-term nutritional implications, affecting consumption habits and influencing the health of individuals, particularly those already disadvantaged. While globalization affects many determinants of health, this review focuses on agricultural changes. We argue that altered farming practices, in particular, contribute to deteriorating population health.
Empirical Antimicrobial Prescriptions in Patients withClostridium difficileInfection at Hospital Admission and Impact on Clinical Outcome
Authors: Pop-Vicas Aurora , Shaban Eman , Letourneau Cecile , Pechie Angel 
Published: October 2012

Objective.To determine, among patients withClostridium difficileinfection (CDI) at hospital admission, the impact of concurrent use of systemic, non-CDI-related antimicrobials on clinical outcomes and the risk factors associated with unnecessary antimicrobial prescribing.Design.Retrospective cohort study.Setting.University-affiliated community hospital.Methods.We reviewed computerized medical records for all patients with CDI at hospital admission during a 24-month period (January 1, 2008, through December 31, 2009). Colectomy, discharge to hospice, and in-hospital mortality were considered to be adverse outcomes. Antimicrobial use was considered unnecessary in the absence of physical signs and laboratory or radiological findings suggestive of an infection other than CDI or in the absence of antimicrobial activity against the organism(s) recovered from clinical cultures.Results.Among the 94 patients with CDI at hospital admission, 62% received at least one non-CDI-related antimicrobial during their hospitalization for CDI. Severe complicated CDI (odds ratio [OR], 7.1 [95% confidence interval {CI}, 1.8–28.5];P= .005), duration of non-CDI-related antimicrobial exposure (OR, 1.2 [95% CI, 1.03–1.36];P= .016), and age (OR, 1.1 [95% CI, 1.0–1.1];P= .043) were independent risk factors for adverse clinical outcomes. One-third of the patients received unnecessary antimicrobial therapy. Sepsis at hospital admission (OR, 5.3 [95% CI, 1.8–15.8];P= .003) and clinical suspicion of urinary tract infection (OR, 9.7 [95% CI, 2.9–32.3];P< .001) were independently associated with unnecessary antimicrobial prescriptions.Conclusions.Empirical use of non-CDI-related antimicrobials was common. Prolonged exposure to non-CDI-related antimicrobials was associated with adverse clinical outcomes, including increased in-hospital mortality. Minimizing non-CDI-related antimicrobial exposure in patients with CDI seems warranted.
Effect of Hospital-Wide Chlorhexidine Patient Bathing on Healthcare-Associated Infections
Authors: Rupp Mark E. , Cavalieri R. Jennifer , Lyden Elizabeth , Kucera Jennifer , Martin MaryAnn , Fitzgerald Teresa , Tyner Kate , Anderson James R. , VanSchooneveld Trevor C. 
Published: October 2012

Background.Chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG) bathing has been used primarily in critical care to prevent central line-associated bloodstream infections and infections due to multidrug-resistant organisms. The objective was to determine the effect of hospital-wide CHG patient bathing on healthcare-associated infections (HAIs).Design.Quasi-experimental, staged, dose-escalation study for 19 months followed by a 4-month washout period, in 3 cohorts.Setting.Academic medical center.Patients.All patients except neonates and infants.Intervention and Measurements.CHG bathing in the form of bed basin baths or showers administered 3 days per week or daily. CHG bathing compliance was monitored, and the rate of HAIs was measured.Results.Over 188,859 patient-days, 68,302 CHG baths were administered. Adherence to CHG bathing in the adult critical care units (90%) was better than that observed in other units (57.7%, P< .001). A significant decrease in infections due to Clostridium difficile was observed in all cohorts of patients during the intervention period, followed by a significant rise during the washout period. For all cohorts, the relative risk of C. difficile infection compared to baseline was 0.71 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.57–0.89; P = .003) for 3-days-per-week CHG bathing and 0.41 (95% CI, 0.29–0.59; P < .001) for daily CHG bathing. During the washout period, the relative risk of infection was 1.85 (95% CI, 1.38–2.53; P =< .001), compared to that with daily CHG bathing. A consistent effect of CHG bathing on other HAIs was not observed. No adverse events related to CHG bathing were reported.Conclusions.CHG bathing was well tolerated and was associated with a significant decrease in C. difficile infections in hospitalized patients.
The Epidemiology of Methicillin-ResistantStaphylococcus aureuson a Burn Trauma Unit
Authors: Schweizer Marin , Ward Melissa , Cobb Sandra , McDanel Jennifer , Leder Laurie , Wibbenmeyer Lucy , Latenser Barbara , Diekema Daniel , Herwaldt Loreen 
Published: October 2012

Objective.We assessed the frequency and relatedness of methicillin-resistantStaphylococcus aureus(MRSA) isolates to determine whether healthcare workers, the environment, or admitted patients could be a reservoir for MRSA on a burn trauma unit (BTU). We also assessed risk factors for MRSA colonization among BTU patients.Design.Prospective cohort study and surveillance for MRSA carriage.Setting.BTU of a Midwestern academic medical center.Patients and Participants.Patients admitted to a BTU from February 2009 through January 2010 and healthcare workers on this unit during the same time period.Methods.Samples for MRSA culture were collected on admission from the nares and wounds of all BTU patients. We also had collected culture samples from the throat, axilla, antecubital fossa, groin, and perianal area of 12 patients per month. Samples collected from healthcare workers' nares and from environmental sites were cultured quarterly. MRSA isolates were typed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis.Results.Of 144 patients, 24 (17%) carried MRSA in their nares on admission. Male sex (odds ratio [OR], 5.51; 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 1.25–24.30), admission for necrotizing fasciitis (OR, 7.66; 95% CI, 1.64–35.81), and MRSA colonization of a site other than the nares (OR, 23.40; 95% CI, 6.93–79.01) were independent predictors of MRSA nasal carriage. Cultures of samples collected from 4 healthcare workers and 4 environmental cultures had positive results. Two patients were colonized with strains that were indistinguishable from strains collected from a healthcare worker or the environment.Conclusions.Patients were a major reservoir for MRSA. Infection control efforts should focus on preventing transmission of MRSA from patients who are MRSA carriers to other patients on the unit.
Reputation with Analogical Reasoning*
Authors: Jehiel Philippe , Samuelson Larry 
Published: October 2012

Abstract
We consider a repeated interaction between a long-run player and a sequence of short-run players, in which the long-run player may either be rational or may be a mechanical type who plays the same (possibly mixed) action in every stage game. We depart from the classical model in assuming that the short-run players make inferences by analogical reasoning, meaning that they correctly identify the average strategy of each type of long-run player, but do not recognize how this play varies across histories. Concentrating on 2 × 2 games, we provide a characterization of equilibrium payoffs, establishing a payoff bound for the rational long-run player that can be strictly larger than the familiar “Stackelberg” bound. We also provide a characterization of equilibrium behavior, showing that play begins with either a reputation-building or a reputation-spending stage (depending on parameters), followed by a reputation-manipulation stage.
BILATERAL DIFFUSE UVEAL MELANOCYTIC PROLIFERATION ASSOCIATED WITH RENAL CELL CARCINOMA
Authors: Verdaguer Juan , Oporto Jorge 
Published: October 2012

Purpose:
To report a case of bilateral diffuse uveal melanocytic proliferation associated with an asymptomatic renal cell carcinoma.

Design:
Clinical case report.

Methods:
A 70-year-old man presented with a 7-month history of bilateral visual loss. Ophthalmoscopic examination, fluorescein angiography, ocular coherence tomography, and a search for underlying systemic malignancy were performed.

Results:
Examination revealed multiple melanocytic uveal proliferations in both eyes. Fluorescein angiography revealed a pattern of multiple areas of early hyperfluorescence, and ocular coherence tomography showed serous detachment of the central retina. Abdominal computerized tomography scans showed a large tumor in the left kidney and nodular involvement in the right kidney. Pathologic examination revealed a clear cell carcinoma of the kidney.

Conclusion:
A literature review revealed a total of 40 cases of bilateral diffuse uveal melanocytic proliferation. To our knowledge, this is the first case to be associated with renal cell carcinoma.
The Cell Wall of the Arabidopsis Pollen Tube—Spatial Distribution, Recycling, and Network Formation of Polysaccharides
Authors: Chebli Youssef , Kaneda Minako , Zerzour Rabah , Geitmann Anja 
Published: October 2012

AbstractThe pollen tube is a cellular protuberance formed by the pollen grain, or male gametophyte, in flowering plants. Its principal metabolic activity is the synthesis and assembly of cell wall material, which must be precisely coordinated to sustain the characteristic rapid growth rate and to ensure geometrically correct and efficient cellular morphogenesis. Unlike other model species, the cell wall of the Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) pollen tube has not been described in detail. We used immunohistochemistry and quantitative image analysis to provide a detailed profile of the spatial distribution of the major cell wall polymers composing the Arabidopsis pollen tube cell wall. Comparison with predictions made by a mechanical model for pollen tube growth revealed the importance of pectin deesterification in determining the cell diameter. Scanning electron microscopy demonstrated that cellulose microfibrils are oriented in near longitudinal orientation in the Arabidopsis pollen tube cell wall, consistent with a linear arrangement of cellulose synthase CESA6 in the plasma membrane. The cellulose label was also found inside cytoplasmic vesicles and might originate from an early activation of cellulose synthases prior to their insertion into the plasma membrane or from recycling of short cellulose polymers by endocytosis. A series of strategic enzymatic treatments also suggests that pectins, cellulose, and callose are highly cross linked to each other.
Endocarditis prophylaxis and congenital heart defects in the Norwegian Public Dental Service
Authors: Sivertsen Tine B , Åstrøm Anne N , Greve Gottfried , Aßmus Jörg , Skeie Marit S 
Published: October 2012

AbstractAimsThe aims of this study are (i) to assess how dental health workers of the Public Dental Service, PDS, carry out endocarditis prophylaxis related to dental treatment for children and adolescents with congenital heart defects (CHD) and to identify factors influencing their appropriate use of guidelines and (ii) to assess how dental health workers perceive any characteristics of patients with CHD.MethodsThis cross‐sectional study was based on self‐administered questionnaires mailed to all dentists and hygienists in the PDS in three Norwegian counties.ResultsThe response rates among dentists (n = 130) and dental hygienists (n = 54) were, respectively, 63% and 68%. The findings revealed an over‐prescription of endocarditis antibiotics to patients with CHD. Most of the background variables investigated did not influence the responders' prescription decision for appropriate use of the current guidelines on the topic. The only significant factor was whether or not the respondent considered that the endocarditis prophylaxis guidelines were consistent and easy to follow. Compared with healthy children, dental healthcare workers felt less confident when providing dental treatment to children with CHD.ConclusionThere is room for improved education about children with CHD in dentistry and dental education.
Building Social Work Education and the Profession in a Transition Country: Case of Nepal
Authors: Nikku Bala Raju 
Published: October 2012

Drawing on interviews and personal accounts of the author working in Nepal for the last 7 years, this paper discusses the evolution of social work education and challenges for its growth in Nepal, a country that is going through a series of transitions and is emerging from a recent decade‐long armed conflict. Due to a lack of formal recognition and commitment from state and non‐state actors, the future of social work in Nepal is in the hands of university‐affiliated colleges and the few social work graduates and educators. Their commitment, strategies, and passion are crucial to the survival and growth of social work in conflict‐stricken, transition Nepal in South Asia.
The Effect of Socioeconomic Status and Family Structure on Parental Warmth and Parental Control in aChinese Context: Implications for Social Work Practice
Authors: Ma Joyce L.C. , Wong Timothy K.Y. , Lau Yuk K. , Lai Lok Y. 
Published: October 2012

We report the results of a telephone survey conducted in 2008 inHongKong, which aimed to identifyChinese parents' parental warmth and parental control (guan) and to explore their relationship with the sociodemographic characteristics of the parents. The respondents perceived themselves to be warm (mean = 3.44) and educating their child (mean = 3.46). The results of multiple regression analysis showed that the five sociodemographic characteristics explained 15.8% and 8.2% of the variance in parental warmth andguanrespectively. The mothers were warmer than the fathers; parents with higher monthly household income, higher educational attainment and with their smallest child young in age were warmer than parents of lower household income, lower educational attainment and with their smallest child older in age. However, parentalguandid not vary among the five sociodemographic characteristics except educational attainment. Implications of the study for social work practice are discussed.
Development of a fuzzy decision support framework for complex multi‐attribute decision problems: A case study for the selection of skilful basketball players
Authors: Ballı Serkan , Korukoğlu Serdar 
Published: October 2012

AbstractThe selection of skilful players is a complicated process due to the problem criteria consisting of both qualitative and quantitative attributes as well as vague linguistic terms. This study seeks to develop a decision support framework for the selection of candidates eligible to become basketball players through the use of a fuzzy multi‐attribute decision making (MADM) algorithm. The proposed model is based on fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP) and Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) methods. The model was employed in the Youth and Sports Center of Mugla, Turkey, with the participation of seven junior basketball players aged between 7 and 14. In the present study, physical fitness measurement values and observation values of technical skills were utilized. FAHP was used to determine the weights of the criteria and the observation values of technical skills by decision makers. Physical fitness measurement values were converted to fuzzy values by using a fuzzy set approach. Subsequently, the overall ranking of the candidate players was determined by the TOPSIS method. Results were compared with human experts’ opinions. It is observed that the developed model is more reliable to be used in decision making. The model architecture and experimental results along with illustrative examples are further demonstrated in the study.