bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The Value of “Liver Windows” Settings in the Detection of Small Renal Cell Carcinomas on Unenhanced Computed Tomography
Authors: Sahi Kamal , Jackson Stuart , Wiebe Edward , Armstrong Gavin , Winters Sean , Moore Ronald , Low Gavin 
Published: May 2013

Objective To assess if “liver window” settings improve the conspicuity of small renal cell carcinomas (RCC). Methods Patients were analysed from our institution's pathology-confirmed RCC database that included the following: (1) stage T1a RCCs, (2) an unenhanced computed tomography (CT) abdomen performed ≤ 6 months before histologic diagnosis, and (3) age ≥ 17 years. Patients with multiple tumours, prior nephrectomy, von Hippel-Lindau disease, and polycystic kidney disease were excluded. The unenhanced CT was analysed, and the tumour locations were confirmed by using corresponding contrast-enhanced CT or magnetic resonance imaging studies. Representative single-slice axial, coronal, and sagittal unenhanced CT images were acquired in “soft tissue windows” (width, 400 Hounsfield unit (HU); level, 40 HU) and liver windows (width, 150 HU; level, 88 HU). In addition, single-slice axial, coronal, and sagittal unenhanced CT images of nontumourous renal tissue (obtained from the same cases) were acquired in soft tissue windows and liver windows. These data sets were randomized, unpaired, and were presented independently to 3 blinded radiologists for analysis. The presence or absence of suspicious findings for tumour was scored on a 5-point confidence scale. Results Eighty-three of 415 patients met the study criteria. Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) analysis, t test analysis, and kappa analysis were used. ROC analysis showed statistically superior diagnostic performance for liver windows compared with soft tissue windows (area under the curve of 0.923 vs 0.879; P = .0002). Kappa statistics showed “good” vs “moderate” agreement between readers for liver windows compared with soft tissue windows. Conclusion Use of liver windows settings improves the detection of small RCCs on the unenhanced CT.
Granitoid magmatism of Early Paleozoic orogens
Authors: Distanova A.N. 
Published: May 2013

Abstract
Global manifestations of Early Paleozoic granite formation in the Central Asian Mobile Belt and some other orogenic areas worldwide are considered. The work is based on the author’s studies of Early Paleozoic granitoids from the Altai–Sayan and West Transbaikalian orogenic areas as well as abundant literature data on other world provinces. Special attention is paid to the scales of granitoid magmatism in the Early Paleozoic, its geodynamic settings, periods, and stages, compositional evolution over time, lateral variability in structures of different types, relationship with LIPs, and, correspondingly, connection with mantle plumes and superplumes..
Testing the Efficacy of Homemade Masks: Would They Protect in an Influenza Pandemic?
Authors: Davies Anna , Thompson Katy-Anne , Giri Karthika , Kafatos George , Walker Jimmy , Bennett Allan 
Published: May 2013

AbstractObjectiveThis study examined homemade masks as an alternative to commercial face masks.MethodsSeveral household materials were evaluated for the capacity to block bacterial and viral aerosols. Twenty-one healthy volunteers made their own face masks from cotton t-shirts; the masks were then tested for fit. The number of microorganisms isolated from coughs of healthy volunteers wearing their homemade mask, a surgical mask, or no mask was compared using several air-sampling techniques.ResultsThe median-fit factor of the homemade masks was one-half that of the surgical masks. Both masks significantly reduced the number of microorganisms expelled by volunteers, although the surgical mask was 3 times more effective in blocking transmission than the homemade mask.ConclusionOur findings suggest that a homemade mask should only be considered as a last resort to prevent droplet transmission from infected individuals, but it would be better than no protection. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2013;0:1–6)
Sexual victimization and anxiety and mood disorders: a case–control study based on the Danish registry system
Authors: Elklit A. , Shevlin M. 
Published: May 2013

AimsThis study aimed to examine the relationship between rape and the subsequent psychiatric diagnosis of any anxiety or mood disorder.MethodData from the Danish Civil Registration System and the Danish Psychiatric Central Register were used to identify a sample of female victims who had visited a centre for rape victims during an index year and their subsequent psychiatric records were compared with a matched control group.ResultsWhile controlling for demographic variables and previous psychiatric disorders, the effect of sexual victimization increased the likelihood of a subsequent diagnosis of an anxiety disorder but not a mood disorder.ConclusionSexual victimization significantly increases the likelihood of experiencing an anxiety disorder, and therefore victims require post-assault information and support.
The contiguity between churches and mosques in early Islamic Bilād al-Shām
Authors: Guidetti Mattia 
Published: May 2013

AbstractThis article examines the transformation of the sacred landscape in the cities of Syria and Palestine from late antiquity to early Islam. This phase of urban and architectural history, often obscured by the changes brought in during the medieval period, is investigated through a close comparison of textual and material evidence related to the main urban religious complexes. It is suggested that the new Friday mosques were frequently built contiguous to Christian great churches, creating a sort of shared sacred area within the cities. Legal issues related to the Islamic conquest and the status of minorities are considered in order to explain the rationale behind such a choice by Muslims.
Oscillation of a class of differential equations with generalized phi-Laplacian
Authors: Cecchi Mariella , Došlá Zuzana , Marini Mauro 
Published: May 2013

The oscillation of the nonlinear differential equationwhere Φ is an increasing odd homeomorphism, is considered when the weight b is not summable near infinity. We extend previous results, stated for equations with the classical p-Laplacian, by obtaining necessary and sufficient conditions of integral type for the oscillation. The role of the boundedness of Im Φ [Dom Φ] is analysed in detail. Our results includes the case Φ* ◦ F linear near zero or near infinity, where Φ* is the inverse of Φ. Several examples, concerning the curvature or relativity operator, illustrate our results.
Short- and mid-term results of xenograft–bovine pericardial patch in the repair of intracardiac defects: final results of a single-centre study
Authors: Yaliniz Hafize , Salih Orhan K. , Atalay Atakan , Keklik Vecih , Gocen Ugur , Topcuoglu Mehmet S. , Guzel Yasin , Basturk Yuksel , Aslan Mehmet , Erdem Sevcan , Poyrazoglu Hakan 
Published: May 2013

AbstractIntroduction: A variety of patch materials have been used in the repair of intracardiac defects. We evaluated the short- and mid-term clinical and echocardiography results of glutaraldehyde-preserved bovine pericardium patches used to repair intracardiac defects in our clinic.Methods and results: This study examines the short- (up to 30 days post-operatively) and mid-term (up to 24 months post-operatively) results of 533 patients with intracardiac defects who underwent surgical correction with glutaraldehyde-preserved bovine pericardium patches between 2004 and 2010 at a university clinic. Short- and mid-term post-operative echocardiographic studies showed no evidence of calcification, thrombus, or aneurysmal dilatation on the patch. Vegetation developed in two (0.37%) of the 533 patients.Conclusion: These results that have been obtained from a group of large number of patients imply that the glutaraldehyde-preserved bovine pericardium patches may be preferable in the closure of cardiac defects because of their low complication rates and ease of use.
Scanning Confocal Electron Energy-Loss Microscopy Using Valence-Loss Signals
Authors: Xin Huolin L. , Dwyer Christian , Muller David A. , Zheng Haimei , Ercius Peter 
Published: May 2013

AbstractFinding a faster alternative to tilt-series electron tomography is critical for rapidly evolving fields such as the semiconductor industry, where failure analysis could greatly benefit from higher throughput. We present a theoretical and experimental evaluation of scanning confocal electron energy-loss microscopy (SCEELM) using valence-loss signals, which is a promising technique for the reliable reconstruction of materials with sub-10-nm resolution. Such a confocal geometry transfers information from the focused portion of the electron beam and enables rapid three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction by depth sectioning. SCEELM can minimize or eliminate the missing-information cone and the elongation problem that are associated with other depth-sectioning image techniques in a transmission electron microscope. Valence-loss SCEELM data acquisition is an order of magnitude faster and requires little postprocessing compared with tilt-series electron tomography. With postspecimen chromatic aberration (Cc) correction, SCEELM signals can be acquired in parallel in the direction of energy dispersion with the aid of a physical pinhole. This increases the efficiency by 10×–100×, and can provide 3D resolved chemical information for multiple core-loss signals simultaneously.
Analysing the visible conformational substates of the FK506-binding protein FKBP12
Authors: Mustafi Sourajit M. , Chen Hui , Li Hongmin , LeMaster David M. , Hernández Griselda 
Published: May 2013

The 1H-15N 2D NMR correlation spectrum of the widely studied FK506-binding protein FKBP12 (FK506-binding protein of 12 kDa) contains previously unreported peak doublings for at least 31 residues that arise from a minor conformational state (12% of total) which exchanges with the major conformation with a time constant of 3.0 s at 43°C. The largest differences in chemical shift occur for the 80′s loop that forms critical recognition interactions with many of the protein partners for the FKBP family. The residues exhibiting doubling extend into the adjacent strands of the β-sheet, across the active site to the α-helix and into the 50′s loop. Each of the seven proline residues adopts a trans-peptide linkage in both the major and minor conformations, indicating that this slow transition is not the result of prolyl isomerization. Many of the residues exhibiting resonance doubling also participate in conformational line-broadening transition(s) that occur ~105-fold more rapidly, proposed previously to arise from a single global process. The 1.70 Å (1 Å=0.1 nm) resolution X-ray structure of the H87V variant is strikingly similar to that of FKBP12, yet this substitution quenches the slow conformational transition throughout the protein while quenching the line-broadening transition for residues near the 80′s loop. Line-broadening was also decreased for the residues in the α-helix and 50′s loop, whereas line-broadening in the 40′s loop was unaffected. The K44V mutation selectively reduces the line-broadening in the 40′s loop, verifying that at least three distinct conformational transitions underlie the line-broadening processes of FKBP12.
Physiological Changes in the Red Drum after Long‐Term Freshwater Acclimation
Authors: Gullian‐Klanian Mariel 
Published: May 2013

AbstractThe effect of long‐term freshwater acclimation on the blood and plasma ion composition of Red Drum Sciaenops ocellatus was investigated with the goal of elucidating the necessity of ion remediation. Four replicates (n = 50) of freshwater‐acclimated (FW) fish (1.6 ± 0.2 g) were raised in 25‐m3 tanks supported by 140,000 L of recirculating water. Four replicates (n = 50) of seawater (SW) fish groups were placed in 40‐m3 offshore cages at 32–35 psu. Blood was collected from 100 fish (FW = 578 ± 50 g; SW = 686 ± 45 g) of each group (FW, SW) after 8 months of rearing. During the grow‐out phase, the survival of FW and SW fish was 57.5% and 92.2%, respectively. The water ion composition (mainly the Ca2+/K+ [43%] and Ca2+/Mg2+ ratios [1%]) explained 56.6% of the plasmatic ion variability in the fish groups. Freshwater exposure produced significant reductions in osmolality and in several plasma indicators (Na+, Cl−, and Mg2+); the K+ levels from FW fish were the most compromised parameter. The water Ca2+/Na+ ratio had a greater influence (44%) on the plasma chemistry parameters, mainly glucose and creatinine. Freshwater‐acclimated fish had a higher percentage of hematocrit, hemoglobin, and red blood cells than SW fish, but the water quality explained only 12.5% of the blood parameter variability between the FW and SW groups. The results support the conclusion that Red Drum tolerates salinity variations and can adopt a relatively stable condition for short periods; however, the data suggest that Red Drum have only a limited ability to withstand a hyposmotic environment for long periods due to their limited ability in maintaining K+ concentrations without external supplementation. Freshwater environments with high Ca2+/Na+, Ca2+/K+, and Ca2+/Mg2+ ratios appear to be a chronic stress factor that should be considered in future experiments.Received June 11, 2012; accepted March 17, 2013
The Epidemiology of Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia in a Network of Community Hospitals: A Prospective Multicenter Study
Authors: Lee Mi Suk , Walker Vanessa , Chen Luke F. , Sexton Daniel J. , Anderson Deverick J. 
Published: May 2013

Objective.To describe the epidemiology of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) in community hospitals.Design and Setting.Prospective study in 31 community hospitals from 2007 to 2011.Methods.VAP surveillance was performed by infection preventionists using the National Healthcare Safety Network protocol. VAP incidence was reported as number of events per 1,000 ventilator-days. We categorized hospitals into small (<30,000 patient-days/year), medium (30,000–60,000 patient-days/year), and large (>60,000 patient-days/year) groups and compared VAP incidence by hospital size.Results.The median VAP incidence was 1.4 (interquartile range, 0.4–2.4), and ventilator utilization ratio (VUR) was 0.33 (0.25–0.47). VAP incidence was higher in small hospitals (2.1) than medium (0.85) or large (0.69) hospitals (P = .03) despite a lower VUR in small hospitals (0.29 vs 0.31 vs 0.44, respectively; P = .01). The median age of 247 VAP cases was 64 (53-73); 136 (55.1%) were female; 142 (57.5%) were Caucasian; 170 (68.8%) were admitted from home. The length of stay and duration of ventilation were 26 (14–42) and 12 (4–21) days, respectively. The pre- and postinfection hospital stays were 8 (3–13) days and 14 (8–30) days, respectively. Data on outcomes were available in 214 cases (86.6%), and 75 (35.0%) cases died during hospitalization. The top 3 pathogens were methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA; n = 70, 27.9%), Pseudomonas species (n = 40, 16.3%), and Klebsiella species (n = 34, 13.3%).Conclusions.VAP incidence was inversely associated with size of hospital. VAP in community hospitals was frequently caused by MRSA. Importantly, predictors of VAP incidence in tertiary care hospitals such as VUR may not be predictive in community hospitals with few ventilated patients.
Impact of Electronic Surveillance on Isolation Practices
Authors: Larson Elaine , Behta Maryam , Cohen Bevin , Jia Haomiao , Furuya E. Yoko , Ross Barbara , Chaudhry Rohit , Vawdrey David K. , Ellingson Katherine 
Published: May 2013

Objective.To assess the impact of an electronic surveillance system on isolation practices and rates of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).Design.A pre-post test intervention.Setting.Inpatient units (except psychiatry and labor and delivery) in 4 New York City hospitals.Patients.All patients for whom isolation precautions were indicated, May 2009–December 2011.Methods.Trained observers assessed isolation sign postings, availability of isolation carts, and staff use of personal protective equipment (PPE). Infection rates were obtained from the infection control department. Regression analyses were used to examine the association between the surveillance system, infection prevention practices, and MRSA infection rates.Results.A total of 54,159 isolation days and 7,628 staff opportunities for donning PPE were observed over a 31-month period. Odds of having an appropriate sign posted were significantly higher after intervention than before intervention (odds ratio [OR], 1.10 [95% confidence interval {CI}, 1.01–1.20]). Relative to baseline, postintervention sign posting improved significantly for airborne and droplet precautions but not for contact precautions. Sign posting improved for vancomycin-resistant enterococci (OR, 1.51 [95% CI, 1.23–1.86]; P = .0001), Clostridium difficile (OR, 1.59 [95% CI, 1.27–2.02]; P = .00005), and Acinetobacter baumannii (OR, 1.41 [95% CI, 1.21–1.64]; P = .00001) precautions but not for MRSA precautions (OR, 1.11 [95% CI, 0.89–1.39]; P = .36). Staff and visitor adherence to PPE remained low throughout the study but improved from 29.1% to 37.0% after the intervention (OR, 1.14 [95% CI, 1.01–1.29]). MRSA infection rates were not significantly different after the intervention.Conclusions.An electronic surveillance system resulted in small but statistically significant improvements in isolation practices but no reductions in infection rates over the short term. Such innovations likely require considerable uptake time.
NETAL: a new graph-based method for global alignment of protein–protein interaction networks
Authors: Neyshabur Behnam , Khadem Ahmadreza , Hashemifar Somaye , Arab Seyed Shahriar 
Published: May 2013

Abstract
Motivation: The interactions among proteins and the resulting networks of such interactions have a central role in cell biology. Aligning these networks gives us important information, such as conserved complexes and evolutionary relationships. Although there have been several publications on the global alignment of protein networks; however, none of proposed methods are able to produce a highly conserved and meaningful alignment. Moreover, time complexity of current algorithms makes them impossible to use for multiple alignment of several large networks together.
Results: We present a novel algorithm for the global alignment of protein–protein interaction networks. It uses a greedy method, based on the alignment scoring matrix, which is derived from both biological and topological information of input networks to find the best global network alignment. NETAL outperforms other global alignment methods in terms of several measurements, such as Edge Correctness, Largest Common Connected Subgraphs and the number of common Gene Ontology terms between aligned proteins. As the running time of NETAL is much less than other available methods, NETAL can be easily expanded to multiple alignment algorithm. Furthermore, NETAL overpowers all other existing algorithms in term of performance so that the short running time of NETAL allowed us to implement it as the first server for global alignment of protein–protein interaction networks.
Availability: Binaries supported on linux are freely available for download at http://www.bioinf.cs.ipm.ir/software/netal.
Contact: sh.arab@modares.ac.ir
Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Increased catabolic activity in adipose tissue of patients with chronic heart failure
Authors: Szabó Tibor , Postrach Elisa , Mähler Anja , Kung Thomas , Turhan Guelistan , von Haehling Stephan , Anker Stefan D. , Boschmann Michael , Doehner Wolfram 
Published: May 2013

AimsPatients with chronic heart failure (CHF) have an increased catabolic state that affects both muscle and adipose tissue (AT), and may ultimately result in cardiac cachexia. Increased plasma levels of ANP might contribute to increased lipid mobilization and oxidation in CHF. We tested the hypothesis that increased plasma ANP levels are associated with an increased catabolic (lipolytic) state of white AT in patients with CHF.Methods and resultsAfter an overnight fast, AT metabolism was studied by microdialysis in patients with CHF and healthy controls of a similar age and body composition (both n = 8). AT glycolytic and lipolytic activities were assessed at rest (fasting) and after an oral glucose load (oGL). Fasting and post‐prandial profiles of serum glucose, insulin, and free fatty acids and of dialysate glucose did not differ significantly between patients and controls. In contrast, fasting dialysate lactate and glycerol levels were two‐fold higher in patients vs. controls (lactate, 0.51 ± 0.10 and 0.26 ± 0.06 mmol/L, P < 0.01; glycerol, 116 ± 18 and 50 ± 8 µmol/L, P < 0.001), indicating increased AT glycolytic and lipolytic rates in patients. After an oGL, dialysate lactate increased ∼2‐ and 2.5‐fold, whereas dialysate glycerol decreased by ∼60% and 50% in patients vs. controls, but metabolite levels were always significantly higher in patients vs. controls (all P < 0.05). Plasma ANP levels were increased in patients and significantly correlated with adipose tissue dialysate glycerol.ConclusionIn patients wiuth CHF, there is a direct correlation between plasma ANP levels and increased AT catabolic (lipolytic) state. This might contribute to AT wasting and the development of cardiac cachexia in patients with CHF.
Circulating microRNAs as candidate markers to distinguish heart failure in breathless patients
Authors: Ellis Katrina L. , Cameron Vicky A. , Troughton Richard W. , Frampton Chris M. , Ellmers Leigh J. , Richards A. Mark 
Published: May 2013

AimsSince their identification in the circulation, microRNAs have received considerable interest as putative biomarkers of cardiovascular disease. We have investigated the diagnostic utility of microRNAs in differentiating between patients with heart failure (HF) and non‐HF‐related breathlessness, and between HF with reduced (HF‐REF) and preserved (HF‐PEF) EF.Methods and resultsMicroRNA profiling was performed on plasma from 32 HF and 15 COPD patients, as well as 14 healthy controls. Seventeen microRNAs were selected for validation in 44 HF, 32 COPD, 59 other breathless, and 15 controls. Cases of HF were split evenly between HF‐REF and HF‐PEF. Diagnostic utility was compared with NT‐proBNP and high sensitivity troponin T (hs‐troponin T). MiR‐103 [area under the curve (AUC) = 0.642, P = 0.007], miR‐142‐3p (AUC = 0.668, P = 0.002), miR‐199a‐3p (AUC = 0.668, P = 0.002), miR‐23a (AUC = 0.637, P = 0.010), miR‐27b (AUC = 0.642, P = 0.008), miR‐324‐5p (AUC = 0.621, P = 0.023), and miR‐342‐3p (AUC = 0.644, P = 0.007) were associated with HF diagnosis in regression and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses. Individually, NT‐proBNP (AUC = 0.896, P = 9.68 × 10−14) and hs‐troponin T (AUC = 0.750, P = 2.50 × 10−6) exhibited greater sensitivity and specificity. However, combining significantly associated microRNAs with NT‐proBNP improved the AUC of NT‐proBNP by 4.6% (P = 0.013). Four microRNAs, miR‐103, miR‐142‐3p, miR‐30b, and miR‐342‐3p, were differentially expressed between HF and controls, COPD, and other breathless patients (P = 0.002–0.030). Eight microRNAs that distinguished between HF‐REF and HF‐PEF in screening (P = 0.017–0.049) were not replicated in the validation.ConclusionsFour microRNAs distinguished between HF and exacerbation of COPD, other causes of dyspnoea, and controls. Seven were associated with HF diagnosis in regression and ROC analysis. Although individually NT‐proBNP was far superior in predicting HF, combining microRNA levels with NT‐proBNP may add diagnostic value.