bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The first five years: a mixed methods study investigating reflections on working as a hospital consultant
Authors: Brown Jeremy M , Shaw Nigel J , Graham David R 
Published: May 2013

Objectives This paper revisits the same cohort of hospital consultants approximately five years after they were first appointed to investigate their reflections on establishing themselves in their role. Design Mixed methods using a short survey and in-depth semistructured interviews. Setting The study was conducted within one Deanery in the North of England. Participants The same 45 hospital consultants who were invited to participate in the study in 2007 were asked to take part in the second stage of the project in February 2011. These 45 consultants started their appointments no earlier than May 2006 within 12 National Health Service (NHS) Trusts in one Deanery. A total of 16 consultants participated. Six consultants who took part in semistructured interviews in 2007–2008 were invited to be interviewed again. Four consented and participated in a further interview in 2011. Main outcome measures Do consultants feel they have completed their transition into their senior clinical posts? Yes, although the ever changing nature of the consultant role means new challenges are always having to be being addressed. What support mechanisms are valued by consultants? Informal support mechanisms are greatly valued by consultants and these are built up over time. Are consultants satisfied that they made the correct specialty choice? Yes, all respondents reported satisfaction in their specialty choice. Results After reflecting on five years in post, all agreed that Specialist training prepared them well for the clinical aspects of their role. Ten (62%) felt they were not prepared for dealing with Trust Management issues and 13 (81%) felt unprepared for financial management. Conclusions consultants learn on the job and eventually fulfil their potential in the role over time. However, the role is regularly changing so informal support mechanisms are valued to help deal with a highly complex role.
Injuries associated with recreational horse riding and changes over the last 20 years: a review
Authors: Sandiford Nemandra , Buckle Christopher , Alao Uthman , Davidson Jerome , Ritchie James 
Published: May 2013

Objective To assess the incidence and distribution of recreational equestrian injuries seen in the Kent and Sussex region and review the available literature on this subject. Design This is a retrospective case series with historical controls. Setting Kent and Sussex region, England. Main outcome measurement Injuries related to horses in the recreational setting. Methods Subjects were selected from our acute injury database. Notes of all patients presenting with horse riding-related injuries between January and December 2010 were reviewed. Skeletal injuries were confirmed using our Picture Archiving and Communications Systems (PACS) system. Data were tabulated and grouped using Microsoft Excel software. Statistics were calculated using Graph Pad software. Results During the study period, 155 patients presented with a total of 199 injuries related to horses, accounting for 0.3% of all presentations; 69% were soft tissue injuries. The most commonly affected areas were the extremities (77 patients, 49.7%) followed by injuries to the head (38 patients, 24.5%) and trunk (36 patients, 23.2%). Seventeen patients (11%) were admitted. Patients presenting with head injuries suffered significantly more injuries compared to other groups (1.65 compared to 1.4 injuries, p < 0.0002). Conclusion A larger number of persons were riding for a longer period of the year compared to previous studies in the United Kingdom. There was also a shift in the patterns of injury seen in this population over the last two to three decades.
Germline genetic variations in methotrexate candidate genes are associated with pharmacokinetics, toxicity, and outcome in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia
Authors: Radtke Susanne , Zolk Oliver , Renner Bertold , Paulides Marios , Zimmermann Martin , Möricke Anja , Stanulla Martin , Schrappe Martin , Langer Thorsten 
Published: May 2013

Key Points
Polymorphisms in the MTX pathway genes substantially influence the kinetics and response to high-dose MTX therapy in childhood ALL. Germline variants in SLCO1B1, thymidylate synthase, and methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase are significantly associated with kinetics, toxicity, and outcome.
The microenvironment of AIDS-related diffuse large B-cell lymphoma provides insight into the pathophysiology and indicates possible therapeutic strategies
Authors: Liapis Konstantinos , Clear Andrew , Owen Andrew , Coutinho Rita , Greaves Paul , Lee Abigail M. , Montoto Silvia , Calaminici Maria , Gribben John G. 
Published: May 2013

Key Points
AIDS-related DLBCL is highly angiogenic with markedly higher blood-vessel density than sporadic cases. Infiltration by activated cytotoxic cells in AIDS-related DLBCL is determined by the presence of LMP1 and/or p24 viral antigens.
Some new generalized Gronwall-Bellman-type integral inequalities in two independent variables on time scales
Authors: Wang Yulu , Feng Qinghua , Zhou Shixiang , Xu Feng 
Published: May 2013

Abstract
In this paper, some new Gronwall-Bellman-type integral inequalities in two independent variables on time scales are established, which can be used as a handy tool in the research of qualitative and quantitative properties of solutions of dynamic equations on time scales. The inequalities established unify some of the integral inequalities for continuous functions in (Meng and Li in Appl. Math. Comput. 148:381-392, 2004) and their discrete analysis in (Meng and Li in J. Comput. Appl. Math. 158:407-417, 2003).

MSC:26E70, 26D15, 26D10.
Discovering chromatin motifs using FAIRE sequencing and the human diploid genome
Authors: Yang Chia-Chun , Buck Michael J , Chen Min-Hsuan , Chen Yun-Fan , Lan Hsin-Chi , Chen Jeremy JW , Cheng Chao , Liu Chun-Chi 
Published: May 2013

Abstract

Background
Specific chromatin structures are associated with active or inactive gene transcription. The gene regulatory elements are intrinsically dynamic and alternate between inactive and active states through the recruitment of DNA binding proteins, such as chromatin-remodeling proteins.

Results
We developed a unique genome-wide method to discover DNA motifs associated with chromatin accessibility using formaldehyde-assisted isolation of regulatory elements with high-throughput sequencing (FAIRE-seq). We aligned the FAIRE-seq reads to the GM12878 diploid genome and subsequently identified differential chromatin-state regions (DCSRs) using heterozygous SNPs. The DCSR pairs represent the locations of imbalances of chromatin accessibility between alleles and are ideal to reveal chromatin motifs that may directly modulate chromatin accessibility. In this study, we used DNA 6-10mer sequences to interrogate all DCSRs, and subsequently discovered conserved chromatin motifs with significant changes in the occurrence frequency. To investigate their likely roles in biology, we studied the annotated protein associated with each of the top ten chromatin motifs genome-wide, in the intergenic regions and in genes, respectively. As a result, we found that most of these annotated motifs are associated with chromatin remodeling, reflecting their significance in biology.

Conclusions
Our method is the first one using fully phased diploid genome and FAIRE-seq to discover motifs associated with chromatin accessibility. Our results were collected to construct the first chromatin motif database (CMD), providing the potential DNA motifs recognized by chromatin-remodeling proteins and is freely available at http://syslab.nchu.edu.tw/chromatin.
The impact of polymorphisms in STAT6 on treatment outcome in HCV infected Taiwanese Chinese
Authors: Lim Yun-Ping , Hsu Yu-An , Tsai Kun-Hsi , Tsai Fuu-Jen , Peng Cheng-Yuan , Liao Wen-Ling , Hung Dong-Zong , Tien Ni , Lin Chien-Yih , Wan Lei 
Published: May 2013

Abstract
Genetic polymorphisms observed in various disease states associated with sensitivity or resistance to specific treatments have been a robust area of investigation for decades, with the potential to allow clinicians to make evidence-based decisions on the appropriate course of treatment. This study aimed to evaluate whether genetic polymorphisms of the signal transducer and activator of transcription 6 gene (STAT6) could be associated with a sustained virological response (SVR) among patients infected with hepatitis C virus genotypes 1 and 2 (HCV-1 and HCV-2) who were treated with peginterferon plus ribavirin (PEG-IFNα-RBV). We analyzed the associations between SVR to PEG-IFNα-RBV therapy and 4 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in STAT6. This study included Taiwanese Chinese patients infected with either HCV-1 (n = 265) or HCV-2 (n = 195) in the presence or absence of an SVR. Among the STAT6 SNPs examined, the dosage effect of the A allele and allele frequency in rs1059513 were inversely correlated with SVR in patients infected with HCV-1 (P = 0.0179 and P = 0.0235, respectively). This effect was not observed in patients infected with HCV-2. The GG, GGG, and GGGC STAT6 haplotypes comprising 2, 3, and 4 SNPs (rs1059513, rs703817, rs324015, and rs3024974) were found to be associated with SVR, and their presence may increase the probability of a successful treatment outcome in patients infected with HCV-1 (P = 0.0273, 0.0352, and 0.0368, respectively). Moreover, a multivariate logistic regression model for predicting an SVR revealed that the presence of the GGGC haplotype carriers mutually affected the outcome of PEG-IFNα-RBV treatment. The presence of STAT6 SNPs and the association with SVR demonstrated that STAT6 polymorphisms might influence the therapeutic outcomes of patients infected with HCV-1 under standard-of-care (SOC) treatment.
The outcomes of hip resurfacing compared to standard primary total hip arthroplasty in Men
Authors: Issa Kimona , Palich Amanda , Tatevossian Tiffany , Kapadia Bhaveen H , Naziri Qais , Mont Michael A 
Published: May 2013

Abstract

Background
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical and radiographic outcomes of hip resurfacing patients and compare them to standard primary total hip arthroplasty procedures performed during the same period of time.

Methods
One hundred and fourteen consecutive men who had a mean age of 50 years (range, 20 to 85 years) and who had undergone 120 hip resurfacing arthroplasties between 2007 and 2009 were compared to 117 consecutive men (120 hips) who had undergone a standard total hip arthroplasty during the same time period. The mean follow-up was 42 months (range, 24 to 55 months) for both groups. Outcomes evaluated included implant survivorship, hip scores, activity levels, and complication rates.

Results
In the resurfacing hip arthroplasty cohort, implant survivorship was 98% with two patients requiring a revision surgery one for femoral neck fracture and another for femoral head loosening. In comparison, implant survivorship was 99% in the standard total hip arthroplasty cohort, with 1 revision due to peri-prosthetic fracture which was successfully treated with a femoral component revision. In the resurfacing and standard hip arthroplasty cohorts, the mean post-operative Harris hip scores had improved to 96 and 94 points, respectively and were statistically similar. The resurfacing cohort had achieved a significantly higher mean post-operative University of California Activity Score (6.7 versus 5 points). There were no differences in the complication rates between the two cohorts.

Conclusion
When patients meet the appropriate selection criteria in the hands of experienced and high-volume arthroplasty surgeons, hip resurfacing provides excellent results at short- to mid-term follow-up.
A Case of simultaneous occurrence of Marine – Lenhart syndrome and a papillary thyroid microcarcinoma
Authors: Scherer Thomas , Wohlschlaeger-Krenn Evelyne , Bayerle-Eder Michaela , Passler Christian , Reiner-Concin Angelika , Krebs Michael , Gessl Alois 
Published: May 2013

Abstract

Background
Marine-Lenhart syndrome is defined as the co-occurrence of Graves’ disease and functional nodules. The vast majority of autonomous adenomas are benign, whereas functional thyroid carcinomas are considered to be rare. Here, we describe a case of simultaneous occurrence of Marine-Lenhart syndrome and a papillary microcarcinoma embedded in a functional nodule.

Case presentation
A 55 year-old, caucasian man presented with overt hyperthyroidism (thyrotropin (TSH) <0.01 μIU/L; free thyroxine (FT4) 3.03 ng/dL), negative thyroid peroxidase and thyroglobulin autoantibodies, but elevated thyroid stimulating hormone receptor antibodies (TSH-RAb 2.6 IU/L). Ultrasound showed a highly vascularized hypoechoic nodule (1.1 × 0.9 × 2 cm) in the right lobe, which projected onto a hot area detected in the 99mtechnetium thyroid nuclear scan. Overall uptake was increased (4.29%), while the left lobe showed lower tracer uptake with no visible background-activity, supporting the notion that both Graves’ disease and a toxic adenoma were present. After normal thyroid function was reinstalled with methimazole, the patient underwent thyroidectomy. Histological work up revealed a unifocal papillary microcarcinoma (9 mm, pT1a, R0), positively tested for the BRAF V600E mutation, embedded into the hyperfunctional nodular goiter.

Conclusions
Neither the finding of an autonomously functioning thyroid nodule nor the presence of Graves’ disease rule out papillary thyroid carcinoma.
Psychometric evaluation of a Swedish version of Minneapolis-Manchester quality of life-youth form and adolescent form
Authors: Einberg Eva-Lena , Kadrija Ibadete , Brunt David , Nygren Jens M , Svedberg Petra 
Published: May 2013

Abstract

Background
It has become important to measure long-term effects and quality of life in survivors of childhood cancer. The Minneapolis- Manchester Quality of Life (MMQL) instrument has been proven to better capture the quality of life (QoL) perspective of health than other instruments. The instrument has age appropriate versions and is therefore favourable for longitudinal studies of QoL of children surviving from cancer. The aim of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Swedish version of MMQL-Youth Form and the Adolescent Form focusing on: 1) face and content validity 2) the internal consistency and 3) the test-retest reliability.

Methods
The sample consisted of 950 pupils (11–16 years old) from 7 schools in the western Sweden who completed the questionnaire. For the test-retest evaluation 230 respondents completed the questionnaire two weeks later.

Results
Face and content validity was supported and internal consistency was found to be acceptable for the total scale for both the MMQL-Youth Form (8–12 years of age) and the Adolescent Form (13–20 years of age). Test-retest reliability for the MMQL-Youth Form was moderate for 50% of the items and good for the remaining. For the MMQL-Adolescent Form the test-retest showed moderate or good agreement for 80% of the items and fair for 20%.

Conclusions
The result indicated that the Swedish version of the MMQLYouth Form and Adolescent Form was valid and reliable in a sample of healthy children in a Swedish context. It is recommended to test the instrument among diverse samples of children such as survivors of childhood cancer in order to validate its usefulness in research and clinical settings.
The role of globular heads of the C1q receptor in HPV 16 E2-induced human cervical squamous carcinoma cell apoptosis is associated with p38 MAPK/JNK activation
Authors: Gao Ling-juan , Gu Ping-qing , Zhao Wei , Ding Wen-yan , Zhao Xue-qing , Guo Shu-yu , Zhong Tian-ying 
Published: May 2013

Abstract

Background
Human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV 16) E2 protein is a multifunctional DNA-binding protein. HPV 16 E2 regulates many biological responses, including DNA replication, gene expression, and apoptosis. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship among the receptor for globular heads of the human C1q (gC1qR) gene expression, HPV 16 E2 transfection and apoptosis regulation in human cervical squamous carcinoma cells (C33a and SiHa).

Methods
gC1qR expression was examined in C33a and SiHa cells using real-time PCR and Western blot analysis. Apoptosis of C33a and SiHa cells was assessed by flow cytometry. C33a and SiHa cell viability, migration and proliferation were detected using the water-soluble tetrazolium salt (WST-1) assay, a transwell assay and 3H-thymidine incorporation into DNA (3H-TdR), respectively.

Results
C33a and SiHa cells that were transfected with a vector encoding HPV 16 E2 displayed significantly increased gC1qR gene expression and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK)/ c-jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) activation as well as up-regulation of cellular apoptosis, which was abrogated by the addition of gC1qR small interfering RNA (siRNA). Furthermore, the changes in C33a and SiHa cell viability, migration and proliferation that were observed upon HPV 16 E2 transfection were abrogated by SB203580 (a p38 MAPK inhibitor) or SP600125 (a JNK inhibitor) treatment.

Conclusion
These data support a mechanism whereby HPV 16 E2 induces apoptosis by silencing the gC1qR gene or inhibiting p38 MAPK/JNK signalling in cervical squamous cell carcinoma.
Resistive switching memory characteristics of Ge/GeO
x
nanowires and evidence of oxygen ion migration
Authors: Prakash Amit , Maikap Siddheswar , Rahaman Sheikh Ziaur , Majumdar Sandip , Manna Santanu , Ray Samit K 
Published: May 2013

Abstract
The resistive switching memory of Ge nanowires (NWs) in an IrO
x
/Al2O3/Ge NWs/SiO2/p-Si structure is investigated. Ge NWs with an average diameter of approximately 100 nm are grown by the vapor–liquid-solid technique. The core-shell structure of the Ge/GeO
x
NWs is confirmed by both scanning electron microscopy and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. Defects in the Ge/GeO
x
NWs are observed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Broad photoluminescence spectra from 10 to 300 K are observed because of defects in the Ge/GeO
x
NWs, which are also useful for nanoscale resistive switching memory. The resistive switching mechanism in an IrO
x
/GeO
x
/W structure involves migration of oxygen ions under external bias, which is also confirmed by real-time observation of the surface of the device. The porous IrO
x
top electrode readily allows the evolved O2 gas to escape from the device. The annealed device has a low operating voltage (<4 V), low RESET current (approximately 22 μA), large resistance ratio (>103), long pulse read endurance of >105 cycles, and good data retention of >104 s. Its performance is better than that of the as-deposited device because the GeO
x
film in the annealed device contains more oxygen vacancies. Under SET operation, Ge/GeO
x
nanofilaments (or NWs) form in the GeO
x
film. The diameter of the conducting nanofilament is approximately 40 nm, which is calculated using a new method.
Fault diagnosis of induction motors utilizing local binary pattern-based texture analysis
Authors: Shahriar Md Rifat , Ahsan Tanveer , Chong UiPil 
Published: May 2013

Abstract
Fault diagnosis of induction motors in the practical industrial fields is always a challenging task due to the difficulty that lies in exact identification of fault signatures at various motor operating conditions in the presence of background noise produced by other mechanical subsystems. Several signal processing approaches have been adopted so far to mitigate the effect of this background noise in the acquired sensor signal so that fault-related features can be extracted effectively. Addressing this issue, this paper proposes a new approach for fault diagnosis of induction motors utilizing two-dimensional texture analysis based on local binary patterns (LBPs). Firstly, time domain vibration signals acquired from the operating motor are converted into two-dimensional gray-scale images. Then, discriminating texture features are extracted from these images employing LBP operator. These local feature descriptors are later utilized by multi-class support vector machine to identify faults of induction motors. The efficient texture analysis capability as well as the gray-scale invariance property of the LBP operators enables the proposed system to achieve impressive diagnostic performance even in the presence of high background noise. Comparative analysis reveals that LBP8,1 is the most suitable texture analysis operator for the proposed system due to its perfect classification performance along with the lowest degree of computational complexity.
An innovative pay-for-performance (P4P) strategy for improving malaria management in rural Kenya: protocol for a cluster randomized controlled trial
Authors: Menya Diana , Logedi John , Manji Imran , Armstrong Janice , Neelon Brian , O’Meara Wendy Prudhomme 
Published: May 2013

Abstract

Background
In high-resource settings, ‘pay-for-performance’ (P4P) programs have generated interest as a potential mechanism to improve health service delivery and accountability. However, there has been little or no experimental evidence to guide the development or assess the effectiveness of P4P incentive programs in developing countries. In the developing world, P4P programs are likely to rely, at least initially, on external funding from donors. Under these circumstances, the sustainability of such programs is in doubt and needs assessment.

Methods/design
We describe a cluster-randomized controlled trial underway in 18 health centers in western Kenya that is testing an innovative incentive strategy to improve management of an epidemiologically and economically important problem—diagnosis and treatment of malaria. The incentive scheme in this trial promotes adherence to Ministry of Health guidelines for laboratory confirmation of malaria before treatment, a priority area for the Ministry of Health. There are three important innovations that are unique to this study among those from other resource-constrained settings: the behavior being incentivized is quality of care rather than volume of service delivery; the incentives are applied at the facility-level rather than the individual level, thus benefiting facility infrastructure and performance overall; and the incentives are designed to be budget-neutral if effective.

Discussion
Linking appropriate case management for malaria to financial incentives has the potential to improve patient care and reduce wastage of expensive antimalarials. In our study facilities, on average only 25% of reported malaria cases were confirmed by laboratory diagnosis prior to the intervention, and the total treatment courses of antimalarials dispensed did not correspond to the number of cases reported. This study will demonstrate whether facility rather than individual incentives are compelling enough to improve case management, and whether these incentives lead to offsetting cost-savings as a result of reduced drug consumption.

Trial registration
ClinicalTrials.gov Registration Number NCT01809873