bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Accuracy of endodontic working length determination using cone beam computed tomography
Authors: Connert T. , Hülber‐J M. , Godt A. , Löst C. , ElAyouti A. 
Published: October 2013

AbstractAimTo evaluate the accuracy of endodontic working length (WL) measurements by cone beam computed tomography (CBCT).MethodologyForty‐two extracted human teeth were placed into three full jaw models. Preoperatively, CBCT scans of the models were performed (voxel size: 0.2 mm). Endodontic access cavities were prepared, and the coronal third of 70 root canals were pre‐flared. The real WL was measured by inserting a K‐file into the root canal until the tip was visible at the foramen, a silicon stopper was adjusted to the corresponding cusp tip, and the length was measured using a micrometer. CBCT WL was simply measured by tracing a line between the apical foramen and the corresponding cusp tip. When the foramen and cusp tip were not visible in one plane, the measurement was taken in two planes. To quantify measurement error, real and CBCT WLs were repeated four times by two experienced operators. Paired analysis for each variable was performed, and the mean of absolute differences and the corresponding 99% confidence intervals were calculated. The t‐test was used for comparison.ResultsThe coefficient of repeatability, reproducibility and interoperator agreement were <0.5 mm. CBCT measurements were accurate; the mean of absolute differences between CBCT and real WL was 0.41 mm (99% CI 0.31–0.52 mm).ConclusionUsing a simplified method, CBCT images of 0.2 mm voxel size can be used to accurately determine endodontic WL.
CutaneousT‐cell lymphoma in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia: clinical characteristics, temporal relationships, and survival data in a series of 14 patients atMayoClinic
Authors: Chang Michael B. , Weaver Amy L. , Brewer Jerry D. 
Published: October 2013

AbstractBackgroundWe examined the course of cutaneous T‐cell lymphoma (CTCL), which has been associated with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) in patients withCLL.Materials and methodsA search was conducted of the master diagnosis index at our institution to identify patients with bothCLLandCTCLfrom 1980 to 2010. A retrospective chart review was then conducted.ResultsOf the 14 patients withCTCLandCLL, eight had mycosis fungoides (MF; two with patch stage, two with plaque stage, two with tumor stage, and two with erythrodermic stage), four had Sézary syndrome, one had natural killer cell lymphoma involving the skin, and one had peripheral T‐cell lymphoma involving the skin. Eight had concurrent diagnoses, five received aCLLdiagnosis first, and one received aCTCLdiagnosis first. Ten patients were deceased at the time of data abstraction due to unknown causes (n = 4), lymphoma (n = 2), pneumonia (n = 2),MF(n = 1), or respiratory failure (n = 1). Of the nine patients with concurrent or priorCTCL, seven were deceased, with a median time to death of 10.2 months (range, 6–89 months). Of the five patients withCLLprior toCTCL, three were deceased at 18, 27, and 47 months, respectively, after theCTCLdiagnosis. The median survival for the two groups was 12 and 47 months, respectively.ConclusionsPatients withCTCLconcurrent with or prior toCLLhave a worse overall survival than patients withCLLin whomCTCLlater develops. Larger studies are needed.
Skin cancer prevention in annual performance of total skin examination, photoprotection counseling, and patient instruction of self‐skin examination
Authors: Yiannias James A. , Laman Susan D. , Stevens Ryan , Rkein Ali M. , Nelson Evan , Noble Brie N. 
Published: October 2013

AbstractBackgroundPrevention of skin cancer includes early diagnosis and photoprotection, such as by physician‐performed total skin examination (TSE) and patient‐performed self‐skin examination (SSE). Hypothesizing that 90% of our patients receive an annual TSE, photoprotection counseling, and SSE instruction, we assessed the extent to which this was documented in patients' records. We also sought to identify differences in documentation of TSE, photoprotection counseling, and instruction on SSE with or without use of a dictation template prompting documentation.Materials and methodsRetrospective review of a random sample of 400 patients in an outpatient dermatology practice of a tertiary care academic medical center for any dermatology appointment between May 1 and July 31, 2007. Exclusion criteria included refusal to undergo TSE, lack of access to skin (e.g. wheelchair‐bound or in cast), or inappropriate visit type (e.g. for acne, psoriasis, or lupus).ResultsOf 400 randomly selected patients, 313 met inclusion criteria. The dictation template was used in 133; of these, 89% (119/133) had documentation in their clinical note of a TSE (exclusive of the buttocks or groin area), and 98% (130/133) had documentation of instruction on sun protection and SSE. Without use of the dictation template, these percentages dropped to 78% (140/180) and 20% (36/180), respectively. Physicians using a dictation template were more likely to document having conducted a TSE and instructed patients on photoprotection and SSE.ConclusionsA dictation template aids documentation of annual TSE and patient education efforts on photoprotection and SSE.
Prevalence of vitiligo among type 2 diabetic patients in an Iranian population
Authors: Afkhami‐Ardekani Mohammad , Ghadiri‐Anari Akram , Ebrahimzadeh‐Ardakani Mohammad , Zaji Neda 
Published: October 2013

AbstractBackgroundVitiligo is one of many diseases that can be found with diabetes mellitus. Diabetic patients have a high incidence of vitiligo compared to the general population. This study assesses prevalence of vitiligo in type 2 diabetic patients in Iran.MethodsOne thousand one hundred type 2 diabetic patients and 1100 healthy adults were recruited in this cross‐sectional study. Patients were evaluated for vitiligo by a dermatologist both clinically and by Wood's lamp. Data were analyzed using SPSS. P value ≤0.05 was considered statistically significant.ResultsThere was a significant difference between groups with respect to presence of vitiligo; 4.9% of diabetic patients had vitiligo versus 1.8% of control group (P = 0.001). In the female group with diabetes, 5.8% had vitiligo, and in male diabetic patients, 3.9% had vitiligo (P = 0.057). In the control group, 1.8% of females and 1.8% of males had vitiligo that was equal.ConclusionVitiligo and diabetes may have a causal relationship. Vitiligo may coexist with type 2 diabetes. Therefore it is reasonable to investigate each patient periodically.
Rare atypical presentations in Type 2 lepra reaction: a case series
Authors: Vijendran Pragasam , Verma Rajesh , Vasudevan Biju , Mitra Debdeep , Badad Ambresh , Neema Shekhar 
Published: October 2013

AbstractObjectivesType 2 lepra reaction is a Th2‐mediated type III hypersensitivity reaction in leprosy, with a characteristic cutaneous manifestation in the form of erythema nodosum leprosum (ENL). We describe unusual presentations of Type 2 lepra reaction in five patients.MethodsPatient data and dermatological findings were analyzed in three men and two women diagnosed with Hansen's disease.ResultsFindings included multiple tender, polycyclic, necrotic lesions distributed over the face in one patient, and painful, fluid‐filled lesions on both arms and lower limbs in another. The third patient showed erythematous, tender nodules, bullae, and necrotic ulcers over the back and upper and lower limbs. The fourth showed erythematous tender nodules over the face, neck, back, and extremities, predominantly in sun‐exposed areas. The fifth revealed multiple erythematous, severely tender nodules and urticarial plaques mimicking those of Sweet's syndrome. Diagnosis of borderline or lepromatous leprosy with atypical Type 2 reaction were made in all cases.ConclusionsType 2 lepra reactions are antigen antibody‐mediated immune complex reactions that present with constitutional symptoms and ENL characterized by tender, erythematous, evanescent nodules mainly on the face, arms, and legs. Over 50% of lepromatous leprosy patients and 25% of borderline lepromatous leprosy patients experienced type 2 lepra reactions prior to the advent of multi‐drug therapy. Thalidomide is the drug of choice for severe atypical lepra reactions because of its anti‐tumor necrosis factor‐α action. Awareness of these atypical variants and prompt diagnosis and treatment are essential to prevent mortality and morbidity in potentially treatable patients.
Functional bowel symptoms and diet
Authors: Gibson P. R. , Barrett J. S. , Muir J. G. 
Published: October 2013

AbstractIt is well recognised that ingestion of food is a trigger for functional bowel symptoms, particularly those associated with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Patients often use manipulation of diet as a means of controlling symptoms. Despite description of multiple dietary methods, few have scientific backing or quality evidence of efficacy. One approach is to define how specific food components influence the pathophysiology of IBS and then rationally design dietary approaches. For example, short‐chain poorly absorbed carbohydrates (fermentable oligo‐, di‐ and mono‐saccharides and polyols (FODMAP)) cause luminal distension, which is a major stimulus for the development of symptoms in patients with visceral hypersensitivity. By determining food content of FODMAP, a diet in which foods low in FODMAP are favoured over those high in FODMAP can be designed. Observational, comparative and randomised controlled treatment and rechallenge studies have shown that such an approach is efficacious in the majority of patients with IBS. The low FODMAP diet is now the primary dietary therapy for such patients. Similar approaches can be applied to other food components, including proteins (such as gluten), fats and natural bioactive food chemicals. Such approaches have suggestions of efficacy, but the evidence base remains underdeveloped. An additional and important consideration for any dietary therapy is its nutritional adequacy and potential adverse health effects. Dietary manipulation is now a key management strategy in patients with functional bowel symptoms. Future well‐designed interventional studies will lead to refinement of dietary approaches taken and to a better understanding of their long‐term safety.
Are doctors the structural weakness in the e‐health building?
Authors: Hannan T. J. , Celia C. 
Published: October 2013

AbstractProgressive evaluations by the Organization for Economic Co‐operation and Development (OECD) demonstrate that health care is now or becoming unaffordable. This means nations must change the way they manage health care. The costly nature of health care in most nations, as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) seems independent of the national funding models. Increasing evidence is demonstrating that the lack of involvement by clinicians (doctors, nurses, pharmacists, ancillary care and patients) in e‐health projects is a major factor for the costly failures of many of these projects.The essential change in focus required to improve healthcare delivery using e‐health technologies has to be on clinical care. To achieve this change clinicians must be involved at all stages of e‐health implementations.From a clinicians perspective medicine is not a business. Our business is clinical medicine and e‐health must be focussed on clinical decision making. This paper views the roles of physicians in e‐health structural reforms.
Pricing strategies with reference effects in competitive industries
Authors: Coulter Brian , Krishnamoorthy Srini 
Published: October 2013

AbstractThis paper examines the effect of reference prices on companies operating within competitive industries. We confirm that even with competition, firms optimally price high in the short term to generate a high reference price and then decrease this price over time. Competitors' prices converge toward each other over time, emphasizing the short‐term nature of reference prices. We then show that pricing optimally to take advantage of reference prices generates a positive externality for other firms in an industry, such that competitors may generate higher profit. The longer the focus of a given firm, the more profit the firm generates, but less relative to its competitors. This arises because the externalities created through pricing high to increase reference prices outweigh the benefits of the higher reference prices themselves. If pricing managers are compensated relative to their competition, this suggests that short‐termism may be implicitly encouraged to the detriment of profit.
Better Government
Authors: O'DONNELL GUS 
Published: October 2013

The decline in future trend economic growth coupled with the ever increasing demands of an ageing population mean the public sector will need to deliver better for less. This will require a smarter bureaucracy using the latest behavioural advances and using wellbeing as a measure of success. Spending will need to be directed more to prevention rather than cure. Radical tax and benefit reform is needed to make work pay and offset the rise in inequality.Decision making could be improved by attracting more diverse, experienced people into politics by, for example, more use of open primaries, a level playing field for independent candidates and better training. Ministers could be set proper objectives and have constructive appraisals.A proposed Office of Taxpayer Responsibility could screen policies to avoid the worst ones, backed by no evidence, from being introduced as it is very hard to abolish bad policies.
Enhanced 2.0 μm Emission and Lowered Upconversion Emission in Fluorogermanate Glass‐Ceramic Containing LaF3:Ho3+/Yb3+ by Codoping Ce3+ Ions
Authors: Zhang Jia‐Peng , Zhang Wei‐Juan , Yuan Jian , Qian Qi , Zhang Qin‐Yuan 
Published: October 2013

Intense 2.0 μm emission of Ho3+ has been achieved through Yb3+ sensitization in fluorogermanate glass‐ceramic (GC) containing LaF3 pumped with 980 nm laser diode (LD). The observation of concurrent emissions at 538, 650, and 1192 nm points to the additional deexcitation routes based on infrared‐to‐visible upconversion processes and Ho3+:5I6 → 5I8 radiative transition. Comparative investigations of photoluminescent spectra and decay curves have indicated the effective role of Ce3+ ions in enhancing the 2.0 μm fluorescence along with suppressing the occurrence of these concurrent emissions. This would offer a promising approach to develop compact and efficient 2.0‐μm laser systems.
Engineering academic performance with selective retrieval: the benefits of implied ability
Authors: Fuller Eric W. , McIntyre Rusty B. , Oberleitner David E. 
Published: October 2013

AbstractResearch on retrieval fluency suggests that, under different recall constraints, recalling past failures might be as effective as past successes for engineering task performance. In the current study, students recalling three instances of academic success correctly answered more items on a knowledge task than those recalling nine instances. Other students, asked to recall nine instances of failure, answered more items correctly than those recalling three failures and more than those recalling nine successes. This pattern was partially mediated by the assessments of one's ability as compared with other students. The results are interpreted as extending previous research in retrieval fluency by suggesting that the ease of retrieving task‐related instances informs individuals about their comparative ability that, in turn, influences performance.
What does it mean to be an ally?: The perception of allies from the perspective of people of color
Authors: Brown Kendrick T. , Ostrove Joan M. 
Published: October 2013

AbstractAllies are frequently studied from the viewpoint of dominant group members. Three studies took a different perspective by investigating how people of color perceive both White allies and allies of color. Study 1 used content analysis of qualitative data from 80 people of color to describe eight major themes of ally perception. With samples of 182 and 195 people of color, Studies 2 and 3 employed exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis to identify two subscales, informed action and affirmation, based on the themes. Both independent and paired samples t tests showed that people of color rating a White ally versus an ally of color perceived significantly less willingness to engage racial issues. Findings are discussed in relation to existing allies research.
Seeing is believing: communication modality, anger, and support for action on behalf of out‐groups
Authors: Glasford Demis E. 
Published: October 2013

AbstractRelatively few studies have investigated the impact of communication modality (e.g., video vs. print) on political action intentions, as well as what motivates external observers to act when both the victim and perpetrator of injustice are out‐group members. The present research experimentally investigated the influence of communication modality of an injustice (text vs. video), where all parties were out‐group members, on observers' sympathy, anger, social cohesion to victims, and political action intentions. Participants reported greater intentions to politically act in the video condition, relative to print, which was explained by increased anger in the video condition. In addition, both sympathy and anger were positively related to social cohesion to the out‐group, but only anger was associated with political action intentions.
On the motivation of quid pro quo sexual harassment in men: relation to masculine gender role stress
Authors: Mellon Robert C. 
Published: October 2013

AbstractMale office workers reported levels of distress elicited by personal violations of a range of masculine gender role expectations, as well as their proclivities to coerce sexual favors from “attractive” subordinate women via bribery or extortion. Sexual harassment proclivity levels were directly correlated with levels of distress related to four dimensions of masculine gender role violations, including acts of subordination to women, public expression of emotional behavior, inadequate heterosexual prowess, and inferiority in athletic and intellectual domains. These findings accord with an interpretation that men's quid pro quo sexual harassment may be motivated by the social punishment of their own failures to conform to masculine gender role expectations, including, but importantly, not limited to the expectation that men should punish women's violations of feminine gender role norms.
Assessing the impact of genomic selection against hip dysplasia in theLabradorRetriever dog
Authors: Sánchez‐Molano E. , Woolliams J.A. , Blott S.C. , Wiener P. 
Published: October 2013

SummaryMany purebred dogs exhibit a higher prevalence of inherited diseases compared with non‐purebred dogs. One of the most popular breeds in theUKis the Labrador Retriever, which has a high prevalence of hip dysplasia resulting in high costs for surgical operations and impaired animal welfare. Considering the many complications of highly managed populations, mainly due to breeder's conventions and the resulting population structure, is of great importance for the proper development of a strategy against the disease. In this study, we have compared the utilities and performances of both genomic and phenotypic selection against hip dysplasia in a simulated population with the characteristics of theBritishVeterinaryAssociation andKennelClub (BVA/KC) hip dysplasia scheme. The results confirm the potential benefits of genomic selection by showing a moderate increase of 1.15‐fold (assuming a realistic accuracy ofr2 = 0.5) in response to selection due to the higher accuracy (between 0.96‐ and 1.32‐fold, considering 0.35 ≤ r2 ≤ 0.7) and more than a threefold increase when all the offspring in each litter are tested (between 3.25‐ and 4.55‐fold, again considering 0.35 ≤ r2 ≤ 0.7).
Chronic disease influences over 40 major life‐changing decisions (MLCDs): a qualitative study in dermatology and general medicine
Authors: Bhatti Z.U. , Finlay A.Y. , Bolton C.E. , George L. , Halcox J.P. , Jones S.M. , Ketchell R.I. , Moore R.H. , Salek M.S. 
Published: October 2013

AbstractBackgroundChronic disease not only impairs patients' psycho‐social well‐being but also influences major life‐changing decisions (MLCDs). There is little information about the types of MLCDs affected and the long‐term consequences.ObjectivesThe aims were to identify the MLCDs influenced by chronic disease, to define ‘MLCD’ and to suggest support strategies for patients taking MLCDs.MethodsAdult dermatology patients explained how their chronic disease had influenced MLCDs in individual interviews. Adult patients from other medical specialities gave similar information by postal survey. NVivo8 software was used for qualitative analysis of data. Themes were categorized through a coding–recoding iterative process.ResultsThere were 308 evaluable responses (male 55.2%; mean age = 51.8 years, mean disease duration = 19 years) from the 365 (55.7%) responses to the 655 patient invitations. These were used to generate themes to conceptualize ‘MLCDs’. The most frequently reported MLCDs in the dermatology interviews concerned career choice (66%), job (58%), choice of clothing (54%), relationships (52%), education (44%), stopping swimming (34%), moving abroad (32%), not socializing (34%), wearing make‐up (22%) and having children (22%). In the postal survey early retirement (40.6%), impact on job (29.4%), having children (24.8%), career choice (22.4%) and relationships (15.5%) were most commonly reported. The number of MLCDs reported by individuals was inversely related to age. Forty‐one affected MLCD themes were grouped into 18 MLCD categories. A definition of MLCD was developed and strategies suggested to support patients.ConclusionsChronic diseases influence a wide range of MLCDs. MLCDs are a novel domain in disease burden assessment. Clinicians' knowledge about this is important in patient management.
Causal knowledge in evidence‐based medicine. In reply to Kerry et al.'s causation and evidence‐based practice: an ontological review
Authors: Strand Anders , Parkkinen Veli‐Pekka 
Published: October 2013

AbstractIn Causation and evidence‐based practice: an ontological review, Kerry et al. argue that evidence‐based practice (EBP) should revise its understanding of causation, and take on board a dispositionalist ontology. We point out that the challenges from complexity discussed by Kerry et al., are not properly addressed by their proposed ontology. Rather, the difference making views of causation Kerry et al. criticize, spell out the relevant aspects of causation, and have a range of advantages compared to dispositionalist accounts. We explore some of these here, with a special focus on the role of causal assumptions in inferences from scientific evidence to clinical decisions. A philosophical account should help us explicate the assumptions that go into causal inference in EBM. In doing so, it enables an understanding of the various ways in which these assumptions might fail, and of how they can be justified.