bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Blood transfusion, embolisation and nephrectomy after percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL)
Authors: Keoghane Stephen R. , Cetti Richard J. , Rogers Ann E. , Walmsley Byron H. 
Published: September 2012

What's known on the subject? and What does the study add?
Percutaneous treatment for renal stone disease is associated with a risk of significant morbidity.
Our large UK series provides contemporary data on the risk of vascular complications and admission to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) after PCNL. When compared with recent international databases, these data support the current evidence that better outcomes can be achieved in centres performing large numbers of procedures. These data add to the debate for the centralisation of specialist stone surgery.
Objective
To audit the outcome of percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) at a UK stone centre over a 10‐year period, and provide patients with understandable contemporary data on blood loss and vascular risk.
Patients and Methods
A single centre retrospective analysis of all PCNLs undertaken between April 2000 and December 2010.
The association between transfusion and patient age, operative duration and positive preoperative mid‐stream urine (MSU) sample was subject to statistical analysis.
Results
Data on 568 patients was analysed. 21 were paediatric cases with a mean (range) age of 8 (2–16) years; 547 were adult cases with a mean (range) age of 55 (17–84) years.
3.8% of adult patients (21/547) received a blood transfusion; mean age 60 years (55 years in those not transfused) with a mean operative duration of 119 min (103 min in those not transfused).
23.8% of patients transfused had a confirmed preoperative urinary tract infection compared with 16.1% of those not transfused.
Seven patients underwent angiography, with five having selective arterial embolisation (0.9%).
There were no deaths in this series although one patient (0.2%) required an urgent nephrectomy due to cardiovascular instability from bleeding.
Conclusions
Large UK series that provides contemporary data for consent on vascular risk at PCNL.
The risk of transfusion is associated with increased patient age, operative duration and the presence of a positive preoperative MSU sample.
Data compares favourably with other large published series, and supports the argument for centralisation of percutaneous stone management.
Enuresis in South African children: prevalence, associated factors and parental perception of treatment
Authors: Fockema Margaret W. , Candy Geoffrey P. , Kruger Deirdré , Haffejee Mohamed 
Published: September 2012

Study Type – Symptom Prevalence (prospective cohort)Level of Evidence 2aWhat's known on the subject? and What does the study add?Nocturnal enuresis is a common childhood problem. Although its prevalence is known in many countries, no data are available from South Africa and it is difficult to extrapolate data from developed countries to a population with such diverse conditions and resource‐poor settings.This study is the first to report on the 16% prevalence rate and the low level of parental knowledge of enuresis in South African children aged between 5 and 10 years.OBJECTIVES
To establish the prevalence of NE in 5–10 year old South African children in a cross‐sectional study using a parent‐completed questionnaire.
To establish the parental perception and associated factors of mono‐symptomatic nocturnal enuresis (MNE) treatment and treatment success rates in 5–10 year old children from South Africa.
PATIENTS AND METHODS
A total of 4700 questionnaires were distributed to children at 37 selected schools willing to participate from South Africa. Parents anonymously filled out the questionnaire.
Data were reported as frequencies and percentages of NE in tables according to different gender and age groups.
The Chi‐square test compared proportions between groups and Fisher's Exact test corrected for small numbers of observations (n ≤ 5). Age differences were determined using Student's t‐test. A P‐value ≤0.5 was considered to be statistically significant.
RESULTS
The questionnaire's response rate was 72.1%, with 3389 children included in the study.
The overall prevalence of NE was 16.0%–14.4% of children suffered from mono‐symptomatic NE (MNE). The prevalence of NE in boys was double that in that in girls.
Only 28.3% had received some form of treatment, whereas 13.5% had been medically treated by a doctor. Parents’ awareness of treatment modalities available is outdated and most of the management of MNE was done by parents themselves, albeit with low success rates.
A positive family history was found in 50.5% of children suffering from MNE.
Constipation was a problem in 15.8% of children with enuresis.
CONCLUSIONS
This is the first study to estimate the prevalence of NE and report on the parental perception and possible associated factors of enuresis in children from South Africa. The study showed that South African children have a similar prevalence rate of NE (16%) when compared with other countries.
The possible associated factors with MNE in South Africa include constipation and a family history of enuresis.
Finally, there are low levels of parental knowledge of treatment modalities of MNE, leaving many children untreated.
Angiogenesis in prostate cancer: onset, progression and imaging
Authors: Russo Giovanna , Mischi Massimo , Scheepens Wout , De la Rosette Jean J. , Wijkstra Hessel 
Published: September 2012

What's known on the subject? and What does the study add?Today, angiogenesis is known to play a key role in cancer growth and development. Emerging cancer treatments are based on the suppression of angiogenesis, and modern imaging techniques investigate changes in the microvasculature that are caused by angiogenesis. As for other forms of cancers, angiogenesis is well recognised as a fundamental process in the development of prostate cancer.The novelty of this extensive report on angiogenesis in cancer, with particular attention on prostate cancer and the imaging techniques able to detect it, is the new prospective to the subject. In contrast with the other available reviews, this report goes from ‘theory’ to ‘practice’, establishing a clear link between angiogenesis development and imaged angiogenesis features. Once the key role of angiogenesis in the development of cancer and in particular prostate cancer has been fully described, attention is turned to the current imaging methods with the potential to assess the angiogenesis process and, as a consequence, to detect and localise prostate cancer.
As confirmed by all available statistics, cancer represents a major clinical and societal problem in the developed world. The form of cancer with the highest incidence in men is prostate cancer. For prostate cancer, as well as for most forms of cancer, detection of the disease at an early stage is critical to reduce mortality and morbidity.
Today, it is well known that pathological angiogenesis represents a crucial step in cancer development and progression. Comparable with most forms of cancer, angiogenesis also plays a fundamental role for prostate cancer growth.
As a consequence, angiogenesis is an ideal target not only for novel anti‐angiogenic therapies, but also for modern imaging techniques that aim at cancer localisation by detection of angiogenic microvascular changes.
These techniques are mainly based on magnetic resonance, ultrasound, and nuclear imaging.
This paper provides a comprehensive review of the available studies on angiogenesis in prostate cancer and its use by modern and emerging imaging techniques for prostate cancer localisation.
Regulation of ripening and opportunities for control in tomato and other fruits
Authors: Seymour Graham B. , Chapman Natalie H. , Chew Bee L. , Rose Jocelyn K. C. 
Published: September 2012

SummaryFruits are an important part of a healthy diet. They provide essential vitamins and minerals, and their consumption is associated with a reduced risk of heart disease and certain cancers. These important plant products can, however, be expensive to purchase, may be of disappointing quality and often have a short shelf life. A major challenge for crop improvement in fleshy fruit species is the enhancement of their health‐promoting attributes while improving quality and reducing postharvest waste. To achieve these aims, a sound mechanistic understanding of the processes involved in fruit development and ripening is needed. In recent years, substantial insights have been made into the mechanistic basis of ethylene biosynthesis, perception and signalling and the identity of master regulators of ripening that operate upstream of, or in concert with a regulatory pathway mediated by this plant hormone. The role of other plant hormones in the ripening process has, however, remained elusive, and the links between regulators and downstream processes are still poorly understood. In this review, we focus on tomato as a model for fleshy fruit and provide an overview of the molecular circuits known to be involved in ripening, especially those controlling pigment accumulation and texture changes. We then discuss how this information can be used to understand ripening in other fleshy fruit‐bearing species. Recent developments in comparative genomics and systems biology approaches are discussed. The potential role of epigenetic changes in generating useful variation is highlighted along with opportunities for enhancing the level of metabolites that have a beneficial effect on human health.
Sliding Doors Cost Measurement: The Net Economic Cost of Lax Regulation of the Irish Banking Sector
Authors: Connor Gregory , O’Kelly Brian 
Published: September 2012

AbstractThis paper develops a restrictive procedure for evaluating economic policy decisions, by comparing actual economic history with a simulated history where a specific policy decision is replaced with a counterfactual, but credible, alternative. We apply the procedure to the mistaken decision to impose excessively lax banking sector risk regulation in Ireland during the period 2003–08. We measure the differences in banking sector stability and national income that would have occurred if the stricter regulatory approach enforced in Ireland in 2009 had been put in place six years earlier. We find that a few simple, reasonably prudent regulatory controls on the Irish banking sector would have greatly limited the vulnerability of the domestic sector to the 2008 global credit freeze and almost certainly prevented the 2008–09 collapse of the domestic banking sector and the consequent deep Irish recession of 2009–10. On the other hand, the risky and unsustainable inflow of foreign capital mediated by the domestic banks accounts for a substantial part of Irish economic growth during the 2003–07 period. Without this net foreign borrowing inflow, cumulative gross domestic product over the early period would have been substantially lower.
Inward Investment and Irish Exports over the Recession and Beyond
Authors: Barry Frank , Bergin Adele 
Published: September 2012

AbstractWith the collapse in domestic demand, the performance of Ireland’s export sectors will remain key to the stabilisation of the economy. The paper analyses the performance of Irish exports in internationally comparative terms and assesses the contributions of both foreign‐affiliate and indigenous firms across both manufacturing and services. Since almost 80 per cent of Irish exports are generated by foreign affiliates, medium‐term export prospects are highly dependent on trends and developments in global market conditions for foreign direct investment. The paper discusses the likely impact on the country’s medium‐term prospects of technological developments in key sectors and possible changes in the international regulatory and corporation tax landscapes.
Reforming Health Production in Ireland
Authors: O’Shea Eamon , Connolly Sheelah 
Published: September 2012

AbstractThe importance of socioeconomic conditions for health status has long since been recognised internationally, and there is general agreement that maximising health production requires action on all social, economic and environmental factors potentially influencing health status. In Ireland too, the multifaceted nature of health production has been acknowledged, but this has not led to real policy change in respect of prioritisation and consequent resource allocation. The emphasis in Ireland remains narrowly focused on access to acute health care services as the core strategy for equalising health opportunities across the population. While equal access for equal need is an essential component in ensuring better, and more equal, health outcomes, particularly in relation to accessing new technologies, it is insufficient in its own right to deal with many of the economic and social determinants associated with health production. This paper argues for a comprehensive health reform programme to encompass the many determinants of population health; such an approach would provide the opportunity for all citizens to maximise their health potential.
Maximizing the success of assisted colonizations
Authors: Chauvenet A. L. M. , Ewen J. G. , Armstrong D. P. , Blackburn T. M. , Pettorelli N. 
Published: September 2012

AbstractClimate change is causing spatio‐temporal shifts in environmental conditions, and species that are not able to track suitable environments may face increased risks of extinction. Assisted colonization, a form of translocation, has been proposed as a tool to help species survive the impacts of climate change. Unfortunately, translocations generally have a low success rate, a well‐documented fact that is not considered in most of the recent literature on assisted colonization. One of the main impediments to translocation success is inadequate planning. In this review, we argue that by using well‐known analytical tools such as species distribution models and population dynamics modelling we can maximize the success of assisted colonization. In particular, we present guidelines as to which questions should be investigated when planning assisted colonization and suggest methods for answering them. Finally, we also highlight further implementation and research issues that remain to be solved for assisted colonizations to be efficient climate change adaptation tools.
Pharmacokinetics and hematotoxicity of a novel copper‐based anticancer agent: Casiopeina III‐Ea, after a single intravenous dose in rats
Authors: Vértiz Guadalupe , García‐Ortuño Luis Enrique , Bernal Juan Pablo , Bravo‐Gómez María Elena , Lounejeva Elena , Huerta Amada , Ruiz‐Azuara Lena 
Published: September 2012

AbstractCasiopeina III‐Ea is a mixed chelate copper (II) complex that has shown cytotoxic and antitumor activity in vitro and in vivo. The aim of this study was to investigate the pharmacokinetics of total copper derived from casiopeina III‐Ea administered by intravenous bolus injection to Wistar rats. Other objective was to evaluate the hematotoxicity produced by this compound in those animals. Wistar rats received a single intravenous dose of 4 mg/kg of casiopeina III‐Ea. Blood samples were taken and pharmacokinetics evaluated. Furthermore, erythrocyte copper levels were determined to identify a potential target and Zn levels were analyzed to determine a possible change. For the evaluation of hematotoxicity, both blood and urine samples were collected for hematological and biochemical analyses; moreover, Fe determination was performed. Blood copper and zinc levels, red blood cell copper levels as well as copper, zinc, and iron amounts excreted into urine were analyzed by ICP‐MS. The blood concentration–time profile of copper derived from casiopeina III‐Ea was fitted to a two‐compartment model with a zero‐order input. Cumulative amounts of Cu, Zn, and Fe excreted into rat urine after administration of casiopeina III‐Ea were different with respect to control. Hematological and biochemical data indicated a hemolytic toxicity. Pharmacokinetic analysis of total copper derived from casiopeina III‐Ea provided a general knowledge about distribution and elimination process of this compound. Additionally, the systemic exposure of the copper derived from casiopeina III‐Ea accounts for the hematotoxicity of this complex at test dose.
VA LOVIT II: a protocol to compare low vision rehabilitation and basic low vision
Authors: Stelmack Joan A , Tang Xiaoyin C , Reda Domenic J , Stroupe Kevin T , Rinne Stephen , Massof Robert W ,   for the LOVIT II Study Group
Published: September 2012

Citation information: Stelmack JA, Tang XC, Reda DJ, Stroupe KT, Rinne S & Massof RW. VA LOVIT II: a protocol to compare low vision rehabilitation and basic low vision. Ophthalmic Physiol Opt 2012, 32, 461–471. doi: 10.1111/j.1475‐1313.2012.00933.xAbstractPurpose:  To compare the effectiveness of low vision rehabilitation (LVR) and basic low vision (LV) in a single masked multicentre randomised controlled trial (RCT).Methods:  Three hundred and thirty patients eligible for US. Veterans Affairs (VA) healthcare services with primary eye diagnosis (better‐seeing eye) of macular disease and best‐corrected distance visual acuity of 0.40–1.00 logMAR (6/15 to 6/60 or 20/50 to 20/200 Snellen) are being enrolled at seven VA facilities. All participants receive an optometric LV examination; and they are eligible to receive the same LV devices that are provided without charge. In LVR, a LV therapist dispenses devices and provides 2 or 3 (1½ to 2½ h) therapy sessions with assigned homework to teach effective use of remaining vision and LV devices. Contact time with the therapist depends upon the devices prescribed and the patient’s progress in learning the skills that are taught. In basic LV, devices are dispensed by the optometrist without LV therapy. Contact time for dispensing is one hour or less depending on LV devices prescribed. The primary outcome measure is a comparison of the changes in visual reading ability (estimated from patients’ difficulty ratings of reading items on the VA LV VFQ‐48 questionnaire) between the treatment and control arms from pre‐intervention baseline to 4 months (2 months after completion of treatment). Secondary outcome measures are changes in overall visual ability, visual ability domain scores calculated from subsets of items (mobility, visual information processing and visual motor skills), Short Form‐36, and Minnesota Low Vision Reading Test scores. Cost‐effectiveness analysis will be conducted using VA LV VFQ‐48 scores and QALYS computed from EuroQol scores.Results:  A total of 137 patients representing 41.5% of the study target of 330 patients were randomised from October 2010 to March 2012. Among those 137 patients, mean age was 80.2 (S.D. ± 9.9) years at enrollment; 97.1% of the patients were males; 94.2% were white. Mean best corrected VA was 0.65 (S.D. ± 0.3) logMAR (approximately Snellen 6/27 or 20/90) at baseline.Conclusions:  LOVIT II is the first multicentre RCT comparing the effectiveness and cost‐effectiveness of LVR and basic LV for patients with macular diseases and near normal or moderate levels of visual impairment.
Multireceptor analysis in human neocortex reveals complex alterations of receptor ligand binding in focal epilepsies
Authors: Palomero‐Gallagher Nicola , Schleicher Axel , Bidmon Hans‐J. , Pannek Heinz‐W. , Hans Volkmar , Gorji Ali , Speckmann Erwin‐J. , Zilles Karl 
Published: September 2012

SummaryPurpose:  A disturbed balance between excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmission underlies epileptic activity, although reports concerning neurotransmitter systems involved remain controversial.Methods:  We quantified densities of 15 receptors in neocortical biopsies from patients with pharmacoresistant focal temporal lobe epilepsy and autopsy controls, and searched for correlations between density alterations and clinical factors or the occurrence of spontaneous synaptic potentials in vitro.Key Findings:  α‐amino‐3‐hydroxy‐5‐methyl‐4‐isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA), kainate, N‐methyl‐d‐aspartate (NMDA), peripheral benzodiazepine, muscarinic (M)1, M2, nicotinic, α1, α2h, serotonin (5‐HT)1A, and adenosine (A)1 receptor densities were significantly altered in biopsies. The epileptic cohort was subdivided based on clinical (febrile seizures, hippocampal sclerosis, neocortical pathologies, surgery outcome) or electrophysiologic (spontaneous field potentials) criteria, resulting in different patterns of significantly altered receptor types when comparing a given epileptic group with controls. Only AMPA, kainate, M2, and 5‐HT1A receptors were always significantly altered. γ‐Aminobutyric acid (GABA)A, GABAB, and 5‐HT2 receptor alterations were never significant. Correlation patterns between receptor alterations and illness duration or seizure frequency varied depending on whether the epileptic cohort was considered as a whole or subdivided.Significance:  Neocortical temporal lobe epilepsy is associated with a generalized receptor imbalance resulting in a net potentiation of excitatory neurotransmission. Peripheral benzodiazepine receptor alterations highlight that astrocytes are also impaired by seizure activity.
Aggressive behavior and epilepsy: A multicenter study
Authors: Piazzini Ada , Bravi Francesca , Edefonti Valeria , Turner Katherine , Vignoli Aglaia , Ferraroni Monica , Canevini Maria Paola 
Published: September 2012

SummaryThe aim of this study is to describe aggressiveness in the epilepsy population and to identify possible relationships between this type of behavior and clinical and sociodemographic variables. Aggressive responses were measured by the Aggression Questionnaire (AQ), a standardized and validated instrument, which was administered to 503 patients from nine Italian centers for the care of epilepsy. Aggressive behavior in patients with epilepsy was different from that in the normal Italian population. After adjustment for age and sex, when appropriate, the following variables significantly affected aggressiveness: presence of compromised intellectual functioning, psychiatric disturbances, disability status, number of medications, geographic distribution, education, chronologic age, and disease duration. Our study offers a starting point for further investigations aimed at better understanding the mechanisms connecting aggression and epilepsy.
Contact Mechanics and Three‐Dimensional Alignment of Normal Dog Elbows
Authors: Cuddy Laura C. , Lewis Daniel D. , Kim Stanley E. , Conrad Bryan P. , Banks Scott A. , Horodyski MaryBeth , Fitzpatrick Noel , Pozzi Antonio 
Published: September 2012

ObjectiveTo evaluate the effects of antebrachial rotation at 3 elbow flexion angles on contact mechanics and 3‐dimensional (3D) alignment of normal dog elbows.Study DesignEx vivobiomechanical study.AnimalsUnpaired thoracic limbs from 18 dogs (mean ± SD weight, 27 ± 4 kg).MethodsWith the limb under 200 N axial load, digital pressure sensors measured contact area (CA), mean contact pressure (MCP), peak contact pressure (PCP), and PCP location in the medial and lateral elbow compartments, and 3D static poses of the elbow were obtained. Each specimen was tested at 115°, 135°, and 155° elbow flexion, with the antebrachium in a neutral position, in 28° supination, and in 16° pronation. Repeated measure ANOVAs with post‐hoc Bonferroni (P≤ .0167) were performed.ResultsBoth pronation and supination decreasedCAby 16% and 8% and increasedPCPby 5% and 10% in the medial and lateral compartments, respectively.PCPlocation moved 2.3 mm (1.8–3.2 mm) closer to the apex of the medial coronoid process in pronation and 2.0 mm (1.8–2.2 mm) farther away in supination. The radial head and medial coronoid process rotated 5.4° and 1.9° internally during pronation and 7.2° and 1.2° externally during supination.ConclusionsContact mechanics and 3D alignment of normal dog elbows varied significantly at different elbow poses.