bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Statin use and thyroid cancer: a population‐based case–control study
Authors: Hung Shih‐Han , Lin Herng‐Ching , Chung Shiu‐Dong 
Published: July 2014

SummaryObjectiveSeveral observational studies raised the possibility that the use of statins may decrease the overall risk of cancer and of specific cancers. This study aimed to evaluate the association of statin use with thyroid cancer based on a population‐based data set.DesignThe data for this case–control study were sourced from the Taiwan Longitudinal Health Insurance Database 2000. We included 500 subjects with thyroid cancer as cases and 2500 gender‐ and age‐matched subjects without thyroid cancer as controls. We used a conditional logistic regression to calculate the odds ratio (OR) and its corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI) for having previously used statins between cases and controls.ResultsThe OR of prior statin use for cases was 1·39 (95% CI = 1·08–1·78) compared to controls, and thyroid cancer was significantly associated with previous regular statin use (OR = 1·40, 95% CI = 1·05–1·86). However, thyroid cancer was not significantly associated with previous irregular statin use (OR = 1·35; 95% CI = 0·88–2·07). Furthermore, the significant association between thyroid cancer and previous statin use only existed for females (OR: 1·43; 95% CI: 1·07–1·90) but not for males (OR: 1·28; 95% CI: 0·75–2·17).ConclusionsWe concluded that statin use was associated with thyroid cancer in female patients.
Maximizing Return on Investment for Island Restoration and Species Conservation
Authors: Donlan C. Josh , Luque Gloria M. , Wilcox Chris 
Published: July 2014

AbstractConservation practitioners are increasingly embracing evidence‐based and return on investment (ROI) approaches. Much evidence now exists that documents island biodiversity impacts by invasive mammals. The technical ability to eradicate invasive mammals from islands has increased exponentially; consequently, strategic planning focused on maximizing the ROI is now a limiting factor for island restoration. We use a regional ROI approach to prioritize eradications on islands for seabird conservation in British Columbia, Canada. We do so by integrating economic costs of interventions and applying a resource allocation approach. We estimate the optimal set of islands for eradication under two conservation objectives each with a series of increasing thresholds of population sizes and breeding locations. Our approach (1) identified the most cost‐effective interventions, (2) determined whether or not those interventions were nested with increasing thresholds, and (3) helped justify larger investments when appropriate. More often than not, conservation decisions are made at a regional scale, and decision‐makers often must make choices on how to allocate funds across a number of potential conservation actions. A regional, ROI framework can serve as a decision‐support tool for organizations engaging in discrete interventions in order to maximize benefits for the minimum cost.
Analysis of protein–protein interaction between late cornified envelope proteins and corneodesmosin
Authors: Bergboer Judith G. M. , Dulak Maria G. , van Vlijmen‐Willems Ivonne M. J. J. , Jonca Nathalie , van Wijk Erwin , Hendriks Wiljan J. A. J. , Zeeuwen Patrick L. J. M. , Schalkwijk Joost 
Published: July 2014

AbstractDeletion of two members of the late cornified envelope (LCE) family, LCE3B and LCE3C (LCE3C_LCE3B‐del), has been identified as risk factor for psoriasis with a possible role in skin barrier function. Moreover, genetic interaction between LCE3C_LCE3B‐del and HLA‐C*06, located in the psoriasis susceptibility regions 4 and 1 (PSORS4 and 1), has been reported in several populations. Because of high linkage disequilibrium between the PSORS1 genes HLA‐C*06 and corneodesmosin (CDSN), both genes are potentially involved in psoriasis. As corneodesmosin and LCE proteins are both constituents of the stratum corneum, we investigated potential direct protein–protein interactions between six LCE proteins and two corneodesmosin sequence variants. Partial colocalization of LCE2 and CDSN was observed in normal and psoriasis skin using immunofluorescence microscopy. Co‐expression of eCFP‐LCE and mRFP‐CDSN proteins in COS‐1 cells and human adult keratinocytes, and GST pull‐down results did not provide evidence for direct interactions between LCE proteins and CDSN variants.
Geographical comparisons of information and support needs of Australian women following the primary treatment of breast cancer: a 10‐year replication study
Authors: Ahern Tracey , Gardner Anne , Courtney Mary 
Published: July 2014

AbstractBackgroundIn 2002, Raupach and Hiller examined the use of and satisfaction with information and support following treatment of breast cancer from a sample of participants in South Australia. In 2013 this study was replicated to include participants Australia wide and analyse comparisons based on geographical location. Statistical comparisons with the original study were also conducted.DesignA 10 year replication study using a cross‐sectional needs analysis survey.Setting and participantsWomen aged 18+ years diagnosed with breast cancer between 6 and 30 months ago were sourced from two national databases of women diagnosed with breast cancer.ResultsA total of 325 participants completed the survey. The Internet was the most commonly used source of information with 70% (n = 229 of 325) of women using the internet for information, a statistically significantly higher percentage compared with the 2002 study. The study found the top four information issues rated as moderately/extremely important by women in 2013 were identical in 2002. A comparison of sources of support used showed that women in outer regional, remote and very remote areas were statistically more likely to use the breast care nurse (BCN) for support (P = 0.044).ConclusionsThe study provides useful, up‐to‐date data about information and support services used by Australian women with breast cancer. Comparisons with the earlier study show some of the needs of women have changed over time, but others have remained the same. Geographic comparisons overall, demonstrate many consistent findings regardless of location, however, the important work of the breast care nurse is an area in need of further research.
The detection of periapical pathoses in root filled teeth using single and parallax periapical radiographs versus cone beam computed tomography – a clinical study
Authors: Davies A. , Mannocci F. , Mitchell P. , Andiappan M. , Patel S. 
Published: July 2014

AbstractAimTo clinically assess the diagnostic yield from single parallel periapical, two parallax radiographs and cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) by comparing the prevalence of periapical lesions associated with individual roots, and the total number of root canals in root‐treated teeth in patients referred for root canal retreatment.MethodologySingle and parallax periapical radiographs, and CBCT scans, were taken of 100 teeth in 78 patients who had been referred for root canal retreatment. The presence of a periapical lesion associated with each specific root and the number of identifiable root canals were assessed using each imaging modality by a consensus panel of two examiners. The number of root canals was confirmed using the dental‐operating microscope during treatment. In addition, the panel was asked to decide whether they felt they had adequate information to manage each case.ResultsA total of 209 paired roots were assessed for periapical lesions. Lesions were identified in 41%, 38% and 68% of paired roots when using single radiographs, two parallax radiographs and CBCT respectively. The number of root canals identified were 186, 218, 242 and 239 when using parallel, parallax, CBCT and the dental‐operating microscope, respectively.ConclusionsCBCT detected significantly more periapical lesions and root canals than both single and parallax periapical radiographs. There was no significant difference between CBCT and the clinical microscope in the identification of root canals. Whilst two parallax radiographs detect significantly more root canals than a single radiograph, they did not increase detection of periapical lesions when compared to a single periapical radiograph.
External validation of European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer and Spanish Urological Club for Oncological Treatment scoring models to predict recurrence and progression in Japanese patients with non‐muscle invasive bladder cancer treated with bacillus Calmette–Guérin
Authors: Kohjimoto Yasuo , Kusumoto Hiroki , Nishizawa Satoshi , Kikkawa Kazuro , Kodama Yoshiki , Ko Motohiro , Matsumura Nagahide , Hara Isao 
Published: July 2014

ObjectiveTo validate two prediction models (European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer and Spanish Urological Club for Oncological Treatment) for recurrence and progression of non‐muscle invasive bladder cancer in Japanese patients who underwent bacillus Calmette–Guérin instillation therapy.MethodsFrom March 1985 to April 2007, data were analyzed from 366 patients who underwent transurethral resection of bladder tumor followed by bacillus Calmette–Guérin instillation therapy. The ability of two scoring models to predict recurrence and progression was assessed by concordance index.ResultsFor recurrence probability, the concordance index of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer and Spanish Urological Club for Oncological Treatment models was 0.514 and 0.576, respectively, which was lower than that (0.604) of a selected single prognostic factor (age) by our multivariate analysis. For progression probability, the concordance index of European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer and Spanish Urological Club for Oncological Treatment models was 0.693 and 0.764, respectively, which was higher than that (0.633) of a selected single factor (T stage) by our multivariate analysis. The Spanish Urological Club for Oncological Treatment scoring system resulted in better stratification of tumor recurrence and progression when compared with the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer model, probably because more patients underwent bacillus Calmette–Guérin treatment in the Spanish Urological Club for Oncological Treatment cohort than in the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer cohort.ConclusionsThe Spanish Urological Club for Oncological Treatment scoring system is a good predictor of tumor recurrence and progression in Japanese patients who underwent bacillus Calmette–Guérin immunotherapy. A large prospective study is warranted to confirm the efficacy of this system.
Endogenous interleukin‐6 amplifies interleukin‐17 production and corticoid‐resistance in peripheral T cells from patients with multiple sclerosis
Authors: Ferreira Thais B. , Hygino Joana , Barros Priscila O. , Teixeira Bruna , Kasahara Taissa M. , Linhares Ulisses C. , Lopes Lana Márcia F. , Vasconcelos Claudia Cristina F. , Alvarenga Regina , Wing Ana Cristina , Andrade Regis M. , Andrade Arnaldo F. B. , Bento Cleonice A. M. 
Published: July 2014

SummaryInterleukin‐6 (IL‐6) has been implicated in the induction of pathogenic IL‐17‐producing T cells in autoimmune diseases, and studies evaluating the role of this cytokine in T‐cell function in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) are lacking. Our objective was to evaluate the role of IL‐6 receptor (IL‐6R) signalling on in vitro functional status of T cells from patients with relapsing–remitting MS during clinical remission. Our results demonstrated that, even during the remission phase, activated T cells from patients produce higher levels of IL‐17, and this cytokine was positively correlated with disease severity, as determined by Expanded Disability Status Scale score. In the MS group, the blockade of IL‐6R signalling by anti‐IL‐6R monoclonal antibody reduced IL‐17 production and elevated IL‐10 release by activated CD4+ T cells, but it did not alter the production of these cytokines by activated CD8+ T cells. Blockade of IL‐6R signalling also reduced the ability of monocytes to up‐regulate T helper type 17 phenotype in patients with MS. Finally, both cell proliferation and IL‐17 release by CD4+ and, mainly, CD8+ T cells from patients with MS were less sensitive to hydrocortisone inhibition than control group. Interestingly, IL‐6R signalling blockade restored the ability of hydrocortisone to inhibit both T‐cell proliferation and IL‐17 production. Collectively, these results suggest that IL‐6 might be involved in MS pathogenesis by enhancing IL‐17 production and reducing corticoid inhibitory effects on activated T cells.
Evaluation of the length of competitive life in Hungarian sport horses
Authors: Posta J. , Rudiné Mezei A. , Mihók S. , Mészáros G. 
Published: July 2014

SummaryThe aim of this study was to analyse the duration of the competitive life of jumping horses in Hungary to assess the potential for genetic evaluation and to get information about the risk factors affecting jumping performance of sport horses. The data set included lifetime performance in jumping competitions for 8475 horses born from 1992 onwards with records between 1996 and 2011 (32.7% were right‐censored). Longevity was measured as the number of years spent in the competition. Discrete time survival model included fixed effects of gender, age at first competition, and the time‐dependent effect of competition level. All fixed effects were highly significant (p < 0.001). The highest risk of ending the race career was estimated for horses competing in the lowest level (category 1) events. The smallest risk was found in horses competing in the highest category. The culling risk for stallions was 15% higher, for geldings 20% lower when compared to mares. As the age at the first competition result increased, the risk ratio also increased. Risk ratios of horses starting as 8 years old or older were 56% higher than those of 5‐year‐old horses. The longest time in sport tracks belonged to horses starting their career as 4 years old. Their culling risk was 20% lower than those of 5‐year‐old horses. The heritability of the length of competitive life was 0.17. Breeding values were predicted for each animals, and 47 showed an accuracy greater than 0.60. The clear benefit of the analysis was shown by comparison of offspring to extreme stallion groups.
Risk of complications due to anticoagulation during dermatosurgical procedures: a systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Nast A. , Ernst H. , Rosumeck S. , Erdmann R. , Jacobs A. , Sporbeck B. 
Published: July 2014

AbstractBackground Management of anticoagulation and anti‐platelet drugs during cutaneous surgery is still a challenge for many dermatologists and standards of care with respect to stopping, continuing or bridging vary widely. Methods We performed a systematic review (Medline, Cochrane Library, until August 27th, 2013) of studies assessing the risk of complications due to anticoagulation during cutaneous surgery. Primary outcomes were mild‐moderate and severe postsurgical bleeding. The secondary outcomes were excessive and uncontrollable intraoperative bleeding and other postsurgical complications as wound dehiscence, erythema, wound infection. Results 1.287 publications were identified and 10 studies were included into the review. The frequencies of bleeding in the control groups in general were low (about 1%). In patients on aspirin, increased risks were seen neither with respect to mild‐moderate postoperative bleeding (RR 1.1, CI 0.5–2.3), nor with respect to severe bleeding (RR 0.9, CI 0.2–4.6). The studies with patients on warfarin showed a risk for mild‐moderate bleeding that was three times as high as in controls (RR 3.2, CI 1.4–7.1) and for severe bleeding that was 15 times higher (RR 14.8, CI 2.7–80.4). In general the study sizes were small and the methodological quality low. Conclusion The risk of bleeding due to a medication with aspirin seems to be negligible. With warfarin, the risk is increased; an exact estimate of the risk increase is difficult to give, because of the lack of sufficient high quality studies. A two‐fold increase appears likely, the 15‐fold increase is most likely due to statistical reasons arising from the rareness of the event in the small number of included patients. Stopping, bridging or continuing a medication should always be an individual decision. In accordance with guidelines from internal medicine for most patients it will be recommendable to continue with the medication.
Environmental factors in benign migratory glossitis and psoriasis: Retrospective study of the association of emotional stress and alcohol and tobacco consumption with benign migratory glossitis and cutaneous psoriasis
Authors: Gonzaga H.F.S. , Chaves M.D. , Gonzaga L.H.S. , Picciani B.L.S. , Jorge M.A. , Dias E.P. , Tomimori J. 
Published: July 2014

AbstractBackgroundThe association between benign migratory glossitis (BMG) and psoriasis (PS) has been reported in the literature.ObjectiveThis study aimed to determinate the environmental factors related to BMG and PS and to investigate their interactions.MethodsThe study population included 129 patients with PS, 399 patients with BMG and a control group (CG) of 5472 individuals with neither PS nor BMG. The environmental factors evaluated in this study included alcohol and tobacco consumption and emotional stress. The Pearson's chi‐squared test was used for analysing the association of the environmental factors with PS and BMG.ResultsThe prevalence of alcohol consumption in the PS group was significantly higher than that in the CG. Tobacco consumption had a weak negative association with the BMG group. With respect to the PS group, no statistically significant association was observed. Emotional stress was the most important factor in the two study groups. Emotional stress and alcohol use together presented a higher incidence in the study groups than in the CG. Emotional stress and tobacco consumption together had a three times higher incidence in the PS group than in the BMG group. The association of emotional stress, alcohol and tobacco consumption in the PS group was four times higher than that in the CG.LimitationsThis study was limited by the lack of the information about frequency, type and length time of use of tobacco and alcohol, and by difficult to measure stress thought self‐report questionnaire.ConclusionThe interactions between PS and environmental factors differ from those between BMG and environmental factors. These differences among interactions may be responsible for different forms of manifestations of these diseases, considering being both the same disease.
Narrowband ultraviolet B phototherapy in combination with other therapies for vitiligo: mechanisms and efficacies
Authors: Yazdani Abyaneh M. , Griffith R.D. , Falto‐Aizpurua L. , Nouri K. 
Published: July 2014

AbstractVitiligo is a disorder of pigmentation affecting about 1% of the global population. It is a psychologically devastating disease with suboptimal treatment options. Narrowband ultraviolet B (NB‐UVB) phototherapy has become a first‐line choice for treating generalized disease. In recent years, topical calcineurin inhibitors, vitamin D analogues, antioxidant agents and other therapies have been combined with NB‐UVB to improve its efficacy. This article will address what is known about the mechanisms of action of these treatments and how they may complement NB‐UVB on a cellular level, as well as offer a comprehensive, evidence‐based review of clinical outcomes with combination therapies.
Sex ratio variation in a eusocial mammal, the Damaraland mole‐rat, Fukomys damarensis
Authors: Lutermann H. , Cameron E. Z. , Raihani N. J. , Bennett N. C. 
Published: July 2014

AbstractSex allocation theory predicts that mothers benefit from adjusting the sex ratio of their offspring in relation to their offspring's future reproductive success. In cooperative breeders, parents are expected to bias the sex ratio in relation to their current need for help and the benefit received from helpers of each sex as proposed by the local resource enhancement (LRE) and helper repayment hypotheses (HR). Consequently, as group size increases, sex ratios are expected to be biased towards the sex that is more likely to disperse to avoid competition as proposed in the local resource competition hypothesis (LRC). The current study aimed to investigate helper effects on breeder fecundity and offspring sex ratio adjustments in a eusocial mammal the Damaraland mole‐rat Fukomys damarensis. Both sexes equally contribute to helping in this species, but breeding dispersal is male biased. We found no evidence for helper effects on maternal body mass and litter size. Offspring sex ratio was not affected by maternal mass or litter size. However, the probability of male pups to be born increased with the number of female helpers and decreased with the number of male helpers. In addition, the number of male pups in a litter increased significantly with the number of female but not male helpers, while no helper effects were apparent for the number of female pups born. Hence, our data suggest that the mechanisms underlying the LRE, HR and LRC may operate simultaneously in the study species.
Effects of FlrBC on flagellar biosynthesis of Shewanella oneidensis
Authors: Shi Miaomiao , Gao Tong , Ju Lili , Yao Yanlai , Gao Haichun 
Published: July 2014

SummaryAs a most conserved complex molecular machine made up of a large number of structural subunits, the flagellum is under tight regulation by hierarchical arrangements. Although variations in polar flagellar systems are found, most of them are restricted to multiple‐copy components, such as flagellins and stators. Therefore, these features are regarded to be peripheral relative to the comprehensive conservation. In this study, however, we present evidence to show that the difference in highly conserved polar flagellar systems can be surprisingly profound, even at the heart of the classical regulatory hierarchy. In Gram‐negative Shewanella oneidensis, two‐component system FlrBC, whose counterpart is essential for flagellar biosynthesis and motility by directly controlling expression of class III genes in polarly flagellated bacteria such as Vibrio cholerae, is dispensable for the process. The system directly controls expression of the flaA gene, encoding a flagellin of weak motility. We further show that the ratio of two flagellins, FlaA and FlaB, determines motility of a flagellum. More strikingly, overproduction of FlrC results in a peritrichously multi‐flagellated phenotype, and FlrC is likely to function as an activator in its unphosphorylated form for transcription of the flaA gene, contrasting the previously characterized counterpart.