bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Bronchial injuries in children: Single-center experience
Authors: Dib Osama Saber El , Kasem Ehab Mohammed 
Published: April 2014

Objective To present our experience of the management of bronchial injuries in children. Methods Between 2001 and 2012, we diagnosed 11 cases of bronchial injuries in children and reviewed their records. Results The age range was 3–12 years. Etiologies were passenger traffic accidents in 55%, pedestrian traffic accidents in 27%, and a fall from a height in 18%. Clinical manifestations were pneumothorax with continuous air leak in 81%, subcutaneous emphysema in 55%, and failure of lung expansion in 64%. Three (27%) cases were diagnosed late. All patients were operated on through a posterolateral thoracotomy. Main stem bronchial rupture was identified in the right side in 72% and in the left side in 28%. Bronchial repair was feasible in 7 (64%) cases, but resection was inevitable in 4 cases (3 pneumonectomies and one lobectomy). Two of the patients who required resection died; they had associated intraabdominal injuries. All survivors were discharged in stable condition without complications. Conclusion Bronchial injuries in children are rare and challenging. Clinical, radiological, and bronchoscopic examinations facilitate the diagnosis. Early diagnosis and bronchial repair offers favorable results. Delayed diagnosis, lung resection, and associated injuries adversely affect the outcome.
Is microplegia really superior to standard blood cardioplegia? The results from a meta-analysis
Authors: Gong B , Ji B , Sun Y , Wang G , Liu J , Zheng Z 
Published: April 2014

Background: Microplegia (whole blood cardioplegia with reduced volume) retains all the advantages of blood cardioplegia (such as superior oxygen-carrying capacity, better osmotic properties and antioxidant capability, etc.) without the potential disadvantages of hemodilution (such as myocardial edema). We sought to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis to compare microplegia and standard blood cardioplegia on the cardioprotective effects for patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Methods: MEDLINE, EMBASE and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were searched for relevant controlled trials published in English, from their inception up to May 15th, 2013. Data on low output syndrome, spontaneous return to sinus rhythm, volume of cardioplegia and perioperative myocardial infarction were analyzed. Results: Five studies, totaling 296 patients, were included out of 77 retrieved citations. The microplegia group used less volume of cardioplegia (WMD, -514.79 ml, 95%CI: -705.37 ml to -324.21 ml) when compared with the standard blood cardioplegia group. There were no statistical differences in the incidence of low output syndrome (RR, 0.95, 95%CI: 0.55 to 1.62), spontaneous return to sinus rhythm (RR, 1.64, 95%CI: 0.61 to 4.41) and perioperative myocardial infarction (RR, 0.62, 95%CI: 0.19 to 2.08). Conclusions: Microplegia was associated with less volume of cardioplegia, whereas the incidence of spontaneous return to sinus rhythm and perioperative myocardial infarction were similar, but large controlled randomized trials are still needed to confirm this.
Haemorrhoids are associated with internal iliac vein reflux in up to one-third of women presenting with varicose veins associated with pelvic vein reflux
Authors: Holdstock JM , Dos Santos SJ , Harrison CC , Price BA , Whiteley MS 
Published: April 2014

Objectives: To determine the prevalence of haemorrhoids in women with pelvic vein reflux, identify which pelvic veins are associated with haemorrhoids and assess if extent of pelvic vein reflux influences the prevalence of haemorrhoids. Methods: Females presenting with leg varicose veins undergo duplex ultrasonography to assess all sources of venous reflux. Those with significant reflux arising from the pelvis are offered transvaginal duplex ultrasound (TVS) to evaluate reflux in the ovarian veins and internal Iliac veins and associated pelvic varices in the adnexa, vulvar/labial veins and haemorrhoids. Patterns and severity of reflux were evaluated. Results: Between January 2010 and December 2012, 419 female patients with leg or vulvar varicose vein patterns arising from the pelvis underwent TVS. Haemorrhoids were identified on TVS via direct tributaries from the internal Iliac veins in 152/419 patients (36.3%) and absent in 267/419 (63.7%). The prevalence of the condition increased with the number of pelvic trunks involved. Conclusion: There is a strong association between haemorrhoids and internal Iliac vein reflux. Untreated reflux may be a cause of subsequent symptomatic haemorrhoids. Treatment with methods proven to work in conditions caused by pelvic vein incompetence, such as pelvic vein embolisation and foam sclerotherapy, could be considered.
Pulmonary cryptococcosis: comparison of CT findings in immunocompetent and immunocompromised patients
Authors: Xie Li-xuan , Chen You-san , Liu Shi-yuan , Shi Yu-xin 
Published: April 2014

Background Computed tomography (CT) findings in patients with pulmonary cryptococcosis have been reported, however, many reports were limited by the small number of patients, and not taken into account the distinction between immunocompetent and immunocompromised patients. Purpose To retrospectively evaluate thoracic CT findings in patients with pulmonary cryptococcosis whose immune status ranged from normal to severely compromised, and determine characteristic imaging features of pulmonary cryptococcosis between patients with different immune status. Material and Methods CT scan findings of 29 immunocompetent and 43 immunocompromised patients with clinically proven pulmonary cryptococcosis were reviewed retrospectively. Different patterns of CT scan abnormalities between immunocompromised and immunocompetent patients, AIDS and non-AIDS immunocompromised patients were compared by Fisher’s exact test. Results Pulmonary nodules/masses, either solitary or multiple, were the most common CT finding, present in 65 (90.3%) of the 72 patients; associated findings included CT halo sign ( n = 24), cavitation ( n = 23), and air bronchogram ( n = 17). Areas of consolidation ( n = 14), areas of GGO ( n = 13), linear opacities ( n = 11), lymphadenopathy ( n = 5), and pleural effusion ( n = 8) were uncommon. The parenchymal abnormalities were peripherally located in 47 (65.2%) of the cases. Cavitations within nodules/masses were more frequently present in immunocompromised patients than in immunocompetent patients ( P = 0.009), and in AIDS patients than in non-AIDS immunocompromised patients ( P = 0.002). Air bronchograms within nodules/masses were more frequent present in immunocompetent patients than in immunocompromised patients ( P = 0.005). Nodules/masses with halo sign were less frequent in AIDS patients than those in non-AIDS immunocompromised patients ( P = 0.027). Conclusion Pulmonary cryptococcosis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of solitary or multiple pulmonary nodules. Cavitations within nodules/masses were more commonly seen in immunocompromised patients, especially AIDS patients, while air bronchograms were more commonly seen in immunocompetent patients.
Delving into the Social Unconscious. A Response to Ravit Raufman and Haim Weinberg’s Article ‘Two Forms of Blindness in the Social Unconscious as Expressed in Literary Texts’
Authors: Tubert-Oklander Juan 
Published: April 2014

Raufman and Weinberg’s article is a novel and valuable contribution to the group-analytic enquiry of human affairs. Their central argument is that literary texts such as short stories and fairy tales may be taken as an expression of collective unconscious conflicts. Their focus is the blindness theme as a metaphor for denial, while ‘seeing’ represents the human need to know, which is in constant conflict with the wish of not knowing. The article is divided in two clearly distinct parts that represent a dual approach, which combines two methodologies. The first one is an exercise in applied analysis, in which they discuss the nature and function of fairy tales, mainly in Freudian terms. The second is a group analytic experience that studies the group and the group members’ reactions to a story told by one of them, in a group of Israeli students studying bibliotherapy. The analysis of this episode opens the way for a study of the Israeli social unconscious, as compared to the German social unconscious, in terms of the use of the mechanisms of repression and denial (‘blindness’) and the attempt to overcome them. The present author discusses these two methodologies, which he considers to be complementary for the study of the social unconscious, and the examples presented in the article. He elaborates a conceptual analysis of the type of idiomatic expressions used in both texts, and expresses his disagreement with some of the Freudian assumptions that underlie the authors’ theoretical understanding of their findings, in the case of fairy tales, since he considers these assumptions to be unduly restrictive and contradictory with their main contribution.
Prevalence of Ventilatory Conditions for Dynamic Fluid Responsiveness Prediction in 2 Tertiary Intensive Care Units
Authors: Mendes Pedro V. , Rodrigues Bruno N. , Miranda Leandro C. , Zampieri Fernando G. , Queiroz Eduardo L. , Schettino Guilherme , Azevedo Luciano C. , Park Marcelo , Taniguchi Leandro U. 
Published: April 2014

Background: Dynamic parameters for fluid responsiveness obtained from heart–lung interaction during invasive mechanical ventilation require specific conditions not always present in intensive care unit (ICU) patients. The aim of this study was to examine the prevalence of these conditions in critically ill patients. Methods: We conducted a prospective observational study in 2 medical–surgical ICUs. We evaluated whether it would be possible to measure dynamic indices of fluid responsiveness when fluid expansion was administered. We recorded whether the patients were in controlled invasive mechanical ventilation with tidal volume >8 mL/kg and without arrhythmias. The proportion of patients who fulfilled these conditions was recorded. A post hoc subgroup analyses by terciles of Simplified Acute Physiology Score 3 (SAPS3) were performed. Results: A total of 826 fluid challenges were undertaken in 424 patients during the study. The use of controlled mechanical ventilation with tidal volume > 8 mL/kg and without arrhythmias occurred in only 2.9% of the patients at the time of fluid challenge episodes. There was an increase in the prevalence of these conditions as the severity of the patients also increased: lower tercile of SAPS3 (0%), intermediate tercile (2%), and higher tercile (6.9%; P < .01 Pearson chi-square test). Conclusions: Respiratory-dependent dynamic parameters for predicting fluid responsiveness in ICU may have restricted applicability in daily practice, even in more severe patients, due to low prevalence of required conditions.
A Comparative Effectiveness Analysis of Three Continuous Glucose Monitors
Authors: Damiano Edward R. , McKeon Katherine , El-Khatib Firas H. , Zheng Hui , Nathan David M. , Russell Steven J. 
Published: April 2014

Background: The effectiveness and safety of continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) is dependent on their accuracy and reliability. The objective of this study was to compare 3 CGMs in adult and pediatric subjects with type 1 diabetes under closed-loop blood-glucose (BG) control. Twenty-four subjects (12 adults) with type 1 diabetes each participated in one 48-hour closed-loop BG control experiment. Methods: Venous plasma glucose (PG) measurements obtained every 15 minutes (4657 values) were paired in time with corresponding CGM glucose (CGMG) measurements obtained from 3 CGMs (FreeStyle Navigator, Abbott Diabetes Care; G4 Platinum, Dexcom; Enlite, Medtronic) worn simultaneously by each subject. Results: The Navigator and G4 Platinum (G4) had the best overall accuracy, with an aggregate mean absolute relative difference (MARD) of all paired points of 12.3 ± 12.1% and 10.8 ± 9.9%, respectively. Both had lower MARDs of all paired points than Enlite (17.9 ± 15.8%, P < .005). Very large errors (MARD > 50%) were less common with the G4 (0.5%) than with the Enlite (4.3%, P = .0001) while the number of very large errors with the Navigator (1.4%) was intermediate between the G4 and Enlite ( P = .1 and P = .06, respectively). The average MARD for experiments in adolescent subjects were lower than in adult subjects for the Navigator and G4, while there was no difference for Enlite. All 3 devices had similar reliability. Conclusions: A comprehensive head-to-head-to-head comparison of 3 CGMs revealed marked differences in both accuracy and precision. The Navigator and G4 were found to outperform the Enlite in these areas.
Neutrophil–lymphocyte ratio is associated with low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol in healthy young men
Authors: Tok Duran , Iscen Sinan , Ozenc Salim 
Published: April 2014

Objective: It has been reported that the neutrophil–lymphocyte ratio is significantly elevated in patients with low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (<35 mg/dL). But in this study, some patients had hypertension that may have affected the neutrophil–lymphocyte ratio. This study consisted of 1274 asymptomatic healthy young men. In contrast with the previous study, we investigated the neutrophil–lymphocyte ratio in healthy young men with low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol compared with controls. Methods: We studied 1274 asymptomatic young males (military personnel screening) who underwent routine health check-up. Of them, 102 subjects had low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Results: The neutrophil–lymphocyte ratio was significantly higher among the men with low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol than that of the control group (P < 0.001). Conclusion: We conclude that the neutrophil–lymphocyte ratio is significantly elevated in asymptomatic healthy young men with low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol compared with control participants.
Changes in Health-Related Quality of Life and Knee Function After Knee Injury in Young Female Athletes
Authors: McGuine Timothy A. , Winterstein Andrew P. , Carr Kathleen , Hetzel Scott 
Published: April 2014

Background: Recent literature has called for greater attention to evidence-based practice in sports medicine with the documentation of overall status and impairments following injury. The prospective documentation of impairments associated with knee injuries in female athletes regarding their health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and knee function (KF) of high school and collegiate athletes is limited. Assessing the effect knee injuries have on young female athletes may allow clinicians to better understand the perspectives of the athletes who sustain these injuries. Purpose: To document the changes over 12 months in self-reported HRQoL and KF in young females who have sustained a knee injury. Study Design: Case series; Level of evidence, 4. Methods: A convenience sample of 242 females (mean age, 17.4 ± 2.4 years) who injured their knee participating in sport or recreational activities was utilized. Injuries were categorized as anterior cruciate ligament tears (ACL), anterior knee pain (AKP), patellar instability (PAT), meniscus tear (MNT), iliotibial band syndrome (ITB), collateral ligament sprain (COL), and other (OTH). HRQoL was assessed with the Short Form–12 v 2.0 survey (SF-12) physical component summary (PCS) and mental component summary (MCS). KF was assessed with the 2000 International Knee Documentation Committee survey (IKDC). Dependent variables included the paired differences in the 2000 IKDC as well as SF-12 composite scores from preinjury through 12 months postdiagnosis. Paired differences were assessed with repeated-measures analyses of variance ( P ≤ .05). Results: IKDC scores were lower through 12 months for ACL, AKP, and PAT; through 6 months for MNT; and through 3 months for COL and OTH. HRQoL PCS and MCS scores were lower through 3 to 12 months depending on the type of injury classification. Conclusion: Knee injuries can negatively affect KF and HRQoL for up to 12 months in young females. Sports medicine providers need to be aware of these impacts as they work to effectively treat individuals with these injuries.
The representation of visual depth perception based on the plenoptic function in the retina and its neural computation in visual cortex V1
Authors: Songnian Zhao , Qi Zou , Chang Liu , Xuemin Liu , Shousi Sun , Jun Qiu 
Published: April 2014

AbstractBackgroundHow it is possible to “faithfully” represent a three-dimensional stereoscopic scene using Cartesian coordinates on a plane, and how three-dimensional perceptions differ between an actual scene and an image of the same scene are questions that have not yet been explored in depth. They seem like commonplace phenomena, but in fact, they are important and difficult issues for visual information processing, neural computation, physics, psychology, cognitive psychology, and neuroscience.ResultsThe results of this study show that the use of plenoptic (or all-optical) functions and their dual plane parameterizations can not only explain the nature of information processing from the retina to the primary visual cortex and, in particular, the characteristics of the visual pathway’s optical system and its affine transformation, but they can also clarify the reason why the vanishing point and line exist in a visual image. In addition, they can better explain the reasons why a three-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system can be introduced into the two-dimensional plane to express a real three-dimensional scene.Conclusions1. We introduce two different mathematical expressions of the plenoptic functions,PwandPvthat can describe the objective world. We also analyze the differences between these two functions when describing visual depth perception, that is, the difference between how these two functions obtain the depth information of an external scene.2. The main results include a basic method for introducing a three-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system into a two-dimensional plane to express the depth of a scene, its constraints, and algorithmic implementation. In particular, we include a method to separate the plenoptic function and proceed with the corresponding transformation in the retina and visual cortex.3. We propose that size constancy, the vanishing point, and vanishing line form the basis of visual perception of the outside world, and that the introduction of a three-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system into a two dimensional plane reveals a corresponding mapping between a retinal image and the vanishing point and line.
Solitary lateral neck node metastasis in papillary thyroid carcinoma
Authors: Kim Seok-Mo , Chun Ki Won , Chang Ho Jin , Kim Bup-Woo , Lee Yong Sang , Chang Hang-Seok , Park Cheong Soo 
Published: April 2014

Abstract

Background
Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is associated with a high incidence of regional node metastasis, but the patterns of lateral neck node metastasis (LNM) vary. Occasionally, a solitary LNM (SLNM) is seen in PTC patients. We therefore assessed whether selective single level node dissection is appropriate in PTC patients with SLNM.

Methods
We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 241 PTC patients who underwent total thyroidectomy with central neck dissection plus ipsilateral internal jugular node dissection (level II to IV) between January 2010 and December 2011. Of these patients, 51 had SLNM and 190 had multiple LNM (MLNM). The clinicopathologic characteristics of the two groups were compared.

Results
Age, gender ratio, and numbers of lateral neck nodes harvested (29.4 ± 11.0 versus 30.3 ± 9.5; P = 0.574) were similar in the SLNM and MLNM groups. Mean primary tumor size was significantly smaller in the SLNM than in the MNLM group (1.03 cm versus 1.35 cm; P = 0.037). The proportion of patients with primary tumor ≤ 1 cm was significantly greater in the SLNM group (60.8% versus 38.4%; P = 0.006), whereas the proportion with maximal node size ≤ 0.7 cm (28.9% versus 73.3%; P <0.001) and the proportion with capsular invasion (62.7% versus 83.7%, P = 0.002) were significantly lower in the SLNM than in the MLNM group.

Conclusions
Selective single level neck dissection can be considered as an alternative to systemic lateral neck dissection in PTC patients with SLNM, maximal metastatic node size ≤ 0.7 cm, and no extrathyroidal invasion.
Essential roles of zebrafish rtn4/Nogo paralogues in embryonic development
Authors: Pinzón-Olejua Alejandro , Welte Cornelia , Abdesselem Houari , Málaga-Trillo Edward , Stuermer Claudia AO 
Published: April 2014

Abstract

Background
As a consequence of gene/genome duplication, the RTN4/Nogo gene has two counterparts in zebrafish: rtn4a and rtn4b. The shared presence of four specific amino acid motifs—M1 to M4—in the N-terminal region of mammalian RTN4, and zebrafish Rtn4b suggests that Rtn4b is the closest homologue of mammalian Nogo-A.

Results
To explore their combined roles in zebrafish development, we characterized the expression patterns of rtn4a and rtn4b in a comparative manner and performed morpholino-mediated knockdowns. Although both genes were coexpressed in the neural tube and developing brain at early stages, they progressively acquired distinct expression domains such as the spinal cord (rtn4b) and somites (rtn4a). Downregulation of rtn4a and rtn4b caused severe brain abnormalities, with rtn4b knockdown severely affecting the spinal cord and leading to immobility. In addition, the retinotectal projection was severely affected in both morphants, as the retina and optic tectum appeared smaller and only few retinal axons reached the abnormally reduced tectal neuropil. The neuronal defects were more persistent in rtn4b morphants. Moreover, the latter often lacked pectoral fins and lower jaws and had malformed branchial arches. Notably, these defects led to larval death in rtn4b, but not in rtn4a morphants.

Conclusions
In contrast to mammalian Nogo-A, its zebrafish homologues, rtn4a and particularly rtn4b, are essential for embryonic development and patterning of the nervous system.