bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Incidence and Outcomes of Surgical Resection for Giant Pulmonary Bullae — A Population-Based Study
Authors: Gunnarsson S. I. , Johannesson K. B. , Gudjonsdottir M. , Magnusson B. , Jonsson S. , Gudbjartsson T. 
Published: March 2013

Background: Giant pulmonary bullae (GPB) are rare and there is little information on incidence, long-term prognosis, and outcome of treatment. Objectives: To assess the incidence of GPB in the Icelandic population and to evaluate the outcome of surgical treatment. Methods: Twelve consecutive patients (11 males; mean age 60 ± 15.7 years) underwent resection for GPBin Iceland between 1992 and 2009. All were heavy smokers and had bullae occupying > 30% of the involved lung. There were 8 bilateral and 3 unilateral bullectomies and one lobectomy. Pulmonary function tests were performed preoperatively, and at one month and 5.4 years postoperatively. Age-standardized incidence rate (ASR) was calculated, complications and operative mortality were registered, and overall survival was estimated. Mean follow-up time was 8.2 years. Results: The ASR for GPB was 0.40 and 0.03 per 100,000 per year for men and women, respectively. There was no operative mortality, but prolonged air leakage (75%) and pneumonia (17%) were the most common postoperative complications. One month postoperatively, mean FEV1 increased from 1.0 ± 0.48 L (33% predicted) to 1.75 ± 0.75 L (57.5% predicted) (p < 0.01), but FVC remained unchanged. RV decreased from 3.9 ± 0.8 L (177% predicted) to 3.0 ± 1.0 L (128% predicted) (p < 0.05), but TLC and DLCO did not change after operation. At long-term follow-up the FEV1 and FVC had declined to near-baseline values. Five-year and 10-year survival were 100% and 60%, respectively. Conclusions: The ASR of GPB in Iceland was 0.21 per 100,000 per year. In this small series, bullectomy was found to be a safe procedure that significantly improved pulmonary function. The functional improvement then declined over time. Prolonged air leakage was a common postoperative complication that prolonged hospital stay.
Endoscopic Stapled Marsupialisation of Chronic Presacral Sinus following Low Anterior Resection: A Simple Option in Selected Cases
Authors: Abild N. , Bulut O. , Nielsen C. B. 
Published: March 2013

Background and Aims: Chronic presacral sinus (CPS) following anastomose leakage is one of the most serious complications after restorative colorectal surgery. CPS is associated with long course of treatments and can prevent stoma closure. We present our experience with endoscopic stapled marsupialisation (ESM) of CPS. Materials and Methods: Seven patients underwent ESM. All patients had developed a CPS after clinical anastomotic leakage following low anterior resection with diverting ileostomy. Initially the patients were treated conservatively and with endoscopic vacuum-assisted closure (Endo-VAC). Results and Conclusion: ESM procedure was successful for six patients, resulted in good healing in four patients and no sinus recurrence of the CPS. In two patients the stoma was reversed. Two patients were treated with neo-adjuvant chemoradiotherapy, who also developed small bowel fistulae. ESM is a simple treatment for CPS and can accelerate healing of chronic presacral cavity, reduce complications and enable to reverse the stoma in selected cases.
Exploring the role of independent organisations in care coordination for older people in England
Authors: Xie Chengqiu , Hughes Jane , Chester Helen , Sutcliffe Caroline , Challis David 
Published: March 2013

Summary Social care policies advocate the provision of coordinated care and the involvement of the independent sector in service planning and delivery. This study explores the characteristics of the independent organisations involved in care coordination for older people, the tasks undertaken, and management of the interface between the commissioning authorities and these organisations. The findings are based on semistructured telephone interviews conducted in 2009 with representatives from 25 local authorities in England regarding 40 organisations. Findings All organisations identified are voluntary in nature. They were diverse in terms of size, staffing, and history, typically undertaking care coordination for discrete user groups but few exclusively for older people. A range of care coordination activities were reported: assessment, brokerage, support planning, and monitoring and review. The extent of their involvement in these activities varied markedly. Commissioning and contracting arrangements differed; most organisations had short-term contracts. The main mechanism of contract monitoring was activity data returns; there was a lack of more detailed service evaluation. Both opportunities and challenges exist with regard to the future role of voluntary organisations in care coordination. Applications This study highlights the potential for voluntary organisations to undertake care coordination activities. To achieve this, partnership working between service commissioners and these organisations is required, and funding and support are essential for provider organisations to develop appropriate infrastructures. Information governance arrangements are required to facilitate information sharing. The potential expansion of the role of voluntary organisations and the implications for practitioners with respect to their employment prospects are explored.
Megakaryocyte-specific deletion of the protein-tyrosine phosphatases Shp1 and Shp2 causes abnormal megakaryocyte development, platelet production, and function
Authors: Mazharian Alexandra , Mori Jun , Wang Ying-Jie , Heising Silke , Neel Benjamin G. , Watson Steve P. , Senis Yotis A. 
Published: March 2013

Key Points
The protein-tyrosine phosphatases Shp1 and Shp2 are critical regulators of megakaryocyte development, platelet production, and function. Shp1 and Shp2 perform mainly distinct functions in megakaryocytes and platelets, with little functional overlap.
Neutrophil myeloperoxidase regulates T-cell−driven tissue inflammation in mice by inhibiting dendritic cell function
Authors: Odobasic Dragana , Kitching A. Richard , Yang Yuan , O’Sullivan Kim M. , Muljadi Ruth C. M. , Edgtton Kristy L. , Tan Diana S. Y. , Summers Shaun A. , Morand Eric F. , Holdsworth Stephen R. 
Published: March 2013

Key PointsMPO, via its catalytic activity, inhibits the generation of adaptive immunity by suppressing DC function. MPO-mediated inhibition of adaptive immunity attenuates T cell-driven tissue inflammation.
β2 integrin–derived signals induce cell survival and proliferation of AML blasts by activating a Syk/STAT signaling axis
Authors: Oellerich Thomas , Oellerich Mark F. , Engelke Michael , Münch Silvia , Mohr Sebastian , Nimz Marika , Hsiao He-Hsuan , Corso Jasmin , Zhang Jing , Bohnenberger Hanibal , Berg Tobias , Rieger Michael A. , Wienands Jürgen , Bug Gesine , Brandts Christian , Urlaub Henning , Serve Hubert 
Published: March 2013

Key PointsIntegrin signaling promotes proliferative signals in AML cells that are mediated by the kinase Syk and the transcription factors STAT3 and STAT5.
α-admissible mappings and related fixed point theorems
Authors: Hussain Nawab , Karapınar Erdal , Salimi Peyman , Akbar Farhana 
Published: March 2013

AbstractIn this paper, we prove the existence and uniqueness of a fixed point for certainα-admissible contraction mappings. Our results generalize and extend some well-known results on the topic in the literature. We consider some examples to illustrate the usability of our results.MSC:46N40, 47H10, 54H25, 46T99.
Plasticity-related gene 3 promotes neurite shaft protrusion
Authors: Velmans Tanja , Battefeld Arne , Geist Beate , Farrés Anna Soriguera , Strauss Ulf , Bräuer Anja U 
Published: March 2013

Abstract

Background
Recently, we and others proposed plasticity-related gene 3 (PRG3) as a novel molecule in neuritogenesis based on PRG3 overexpression experiments in neuronal and non-neuronal cell lines. However, direct information on PRG3 effects in neuronal development and, in particular, its putative spatio-temporal distribution and conditions of action, is sparse.

Results
We demonstrate here that PRG3 induces filopodia formation in HEK293 cells depending on its N-glycosylation status. The PRG3 protein was strongly expressed during mouse brain development in vivo from embryonic day 16 to postnatal day 5 (E16 – P5). From P5 on, expression declined. Furthermore, in early, not yet polarized hippocampal cultured neurons, PRG3 was expressed along the neurite shaft. Knock-down of PRG3 in these neurons led to a decreased number of neurites. This phenotype is rescued by expression of an shRNA-resistant PRG3 construct in PRG3 knock-down neurons. After polarization, endogenous PRG3 expression shifted mainly to axons, specifically to the plasma membrane along the neurite shaft. These PRG3 pattern changes appeared temporally and spatially related to ongoing synaptogenesis. Therefore we tested (i) whether dendritic PRG3 re-enhancement influences synaptic currents and (ii) whether synaptic inputs contribute to the PRG3 shift. Our results rendered both scenarios unlikely: (i) PRG3 over-expression had no influence on miniature excitatory postsynaptic currents (mEPSC) and (ii) blocking of incoming signals did not alter PRG3 distribution dynamics. In addition, PRG3 levels did not interfere with intrinsic neuronal properties.

Conclusion
Taken together, our data indicate that endogenous PRG3 promotes neurite shaft protrusion and therefore contributes to regulating filopodia formation in immature neurons. PRG3 expression in more mature neurons, however, is predominantly localized in the axon. Changes in PRG3 levels did not influence intrinsic or synaptic neuronal properties.
Acinetobacter baumannii nosocomial pneumonia: is the outcome more favorable in non-ventilated than ventilated patients?
Authors: Yang Ya-Sung , Lee Yi-Tzu , Huang Tsai-Wang , Sun Jun-Ren , Kuo Shu-Chen , Yang Chin-Hsuan , Chen Te-Li , Lin Jung-Chung , Fung Chang-Phone , Chang Feng-Yee 
Published: March 2013

Abstract

Background

Acinetobacter baumannii hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP) is associated with a high mortality worldwide. Non-ventilated patients with HAP (NVHAP) caused by nosocomial pathogens are reported to have a more favorable outcome than those with ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP). The current study was designed to determine whether bacteremic patients with A. baumannii NVHAP also have a lower mortality than those receiving assisted ventilation.

Methods
This retrospective 10-year study was conducted at a 2900-bed teaching hospital located in Northern Taiwan. The population consisted of 144 patients with A. baumannii bacteremia and HAP. Of these 96 had VAP and 48 had NVHAP. Charts were reviewed for demographic characteristics, comorbidities, clinical manifestations, antimicrobial susceptibility, and 14-day mortality. Clonal relationships were determined by molecular typing.

Results
There were no significant differences between the two groups in comorbidities (Charlson scores). Patients with NVHAP were more likely to have developed bacteremia earlier, outside the ICU and undergone fewer invasive procedures. They had significantly lower APACHE II scores, fewer bilateral pneumonias and lower rates of antimicrobial resistance. No specific clones were identified in either group. The unadjusted (crude) 14-day mortality rates were not significantly different between the groups (NVHAP 43.8% vs. VAP 31.3%, p = 0.196). The adjusted 14-day mortality risk was significantly lower in ventilator-assisted patients (odds ratio = 0.201; 95% confidence interval = 0.075-0.538; p = 0.001).

Conclusions
Patients with bacteremic NVHAP and VAP caused by A. baumannii had similar crude mortality rates, but on logistic regression analysis those receiving ventilator assistance had a significantly lower mortality. This may have been due to better airway protection, more intensive monitoring with earlier diagnosis and treatment in patients with VAP, greater innate susceptibility to infection in those with NVHAP and differences in the virulence of A. baumannii.
The correlation between extracellular resistance by electrical biopsy and the ratio of optical low staining area in irradiated intestinal tissues of rats
Authors: Huang Yu-Jie , Huang Eng-Yen , Cheng Kuo-Sheng 
Published: March 2013

Abstract

Background
Electrical biopsy illustrates a tissue’s electrical properties by electrical impedance spectroscopy. However, electrical biopsy parameters are different from conventional morphological-based examinations. The correlation between electrical biopsy and the morphological observation has not been checked. Considering the tissue responses to injury, extracellular resistance should be most sensitive with the accumulation of fluid in tissue, and it is expected to increase the ratio of optical low staining area on histological images. In this study, we calculated the ratio of optical low staining area of sampled histological images and compared with the results of electrical biopsy to verify the hypothesis of that the extracellular resistance of electrical biopsy most highly correlates with the ratio of optical low staining area on histological images.

Methods
The irradiated intestinal tissues of rats after different latent period were used for study. The sampled tissues were measured by electrical impedance spectroscopy for electrical biopsy and the microscopic images were acquired. The sampled histological images were transformed into the Hue-Saturation-Density (HSD) colour model to decouple the stain density. The ratio of optical low staining area on histological images was computed to quantify the morphological changes. The results were related to the parameters from electrical biopsy according to three element circuit model by Spearman’s rank correlation test.

Results
The ratio of optical low staining area varied as well as the tissue’s electrical parameters. The extracellular resistance (Re) and intracellular resistance (Ri) by electrical biopsy tended to increase with the ratio of low staining area decreasing. The membrane capacitance (Cm) by electrical biopsy tended to increase with the ratio of optical low staining area increasing. The extracellular resistance (Re) of electrical biopsy was the parameter most highly correlated with the ratio of optical low staining area with a correlation coefficient of −0.757 (p < 0.001).

Conclusions
The results of this report confirm the hypothesis and support the idea that electrical biopsy results reflect the changes in tissues seen in conventional histological findings in a sense of conventional histological knowledge, and this approach may have a great potential for augmenting the pathological diagnosis of tissues.
Effect of Echium oil compared with marine oils on lipid profile and inhibition of hepatic steatosis in LDLr knockout mice
Authors: Botelho Patrícia Borges , Mariano Karina da Rocha , Rogero Marcelo Macedo , de Castro Inar Alves 
Published: March 2013

Abstract

Background
In an effort to identify new alternatives for long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC n-3 PUFA) supplementation, the effect of three sources of omega 3 fatty acids (algae, fish and Echium oils) on lipid profile and inflammation biomarkers was evaluated in LDL receptor knockout mice.

Methods
The animals received a high fat diet and were supplemented by gavage with an emulsion containing water (CON), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 42.89%) from algae oil (ALG), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 19.97%) plus DHA (11.51%) from fish oil (FIS), and alpha-linolenic acid (ALA, 26.75%) plus stearidonic acid (SDA, 11.13%) from Echium oil (ECH) for 4 weeks.

Results
Animals supplemented with Echium oil presented lower cholesterol total and triacylglycerol concentrations than control group (CON) and lower VLDL than all of the other groups, constituting the best lipoprotein profile observed in our study. Moreover, the Echium oil attenuated the hepatic steatosis caused by the high fat diet. However, in contrast to the marine oils, Echium oil did not affect the levels of transcription factors involved in lipid metabolism, such as Peroxisome Proliferator Activated Receptor α (PPAR α) and Liver X Receptor α (LXR α), suggesting that it exerts its beneficial effects by a mechanism other than those observed to EPA and DHA. Echium oil also reduced N-6/N-3 FA ratio in hepatic tissue, which can have been responsible for the attenuation of steatosis hepatic observed in ECH group. None of the supplemented oils reduced the inflammation biomarkers.

Conclusion
Our results suggest that Echium oil represents an alternative as natural ingredient to be applied in functional foods to reduce cardiovascular disease risk factors.
Chemistry of conjugation to gold nanoparticles affects G-protein activity differently
Authors: Singh Vibha , Nair Santhosh P Nagappan , Aradhyam Gopala Krishna 
Published: March 2013

Abstract

Background
Gold nanoparticles (AuNP) are extensively used as biophysical tools in the area of medicine and technology due to their distinct properties. However, vivid understanding of the consequences of biomolecule-nanomaterial interactions is still lacking. In this context, we explore the affect of conjugation of Gαi1 subunit (of heterotrimeric G-proteins) to AuNP and examine its consequences. We consider two bio-conjugation strategies covalent and non-covalent binding.

Results
Affinity of the AuNP to the Gαi1 is 7.58 × 10 12 M-1. AuNP conjugated Gαi1 exhibits altered kinetics of activation, non-covalent bio-conjugates displays retarded kinetics, up to 0.88 fold when GTPγS was used as ligand, of protein activation contrary to covalent conjugates which accelerates it to ~ 5 fold. Conjugation influence intrinsic Gαi1 GTPase function in conflicting modes. Non-covalent conjugation inhibits GTPase function (decrease in activity upto 0.8 fold) whilst covalent conjugation drastically accelerates it (12 fold increase in activity). Altered basal nucleotide uptake in both types of conjugates and GTPase function in non-covalent conjugate are almost comparable except for GTPase property of covalent conjugate. The effect is despite the fact that conjugation does not change global conformation of the protein.

Conclusion
These findings provide clear evidence that nanoparticles, in addition to ‘passive interaction’ with protein (biomolecule), can interact “actively” with biomolecule and modify its function. This concept should be considered while engineering nanoparticle based delivery systems in medicine.
NBP: light-weight Narrow Band Protection for ZigBee and Wi-Fi coexistence
Authors: Lim Sangsoon , Lee Suchul , Yoo Joon , Kim Chong-Kwon 
Published: March 2013

Abstract
The recent development of various wireless technologies in the 2.4GHz ISM band has led to the co-channel coexistence of heterogeneous wireless devices, such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and ZigBee. This sharing of the common channel results in the challenging problem of cross-technology interference, since the wireless devices generally use diverse PHY/MAC specifications. In particular, the less capable ZigBee device may often experience unpredictably low throughput due to the interference from the powerful Wi-Fi. The ZigBee protector is an attractive solution, since it can reserve the channel on behalf of the weak ZigBee devices. The protector method, however, has a few limitations; (i) it may cause significant overhead to both ZigBee and Wi-Fi, and (ii) the ZigBee control packets are still vulnerable to the Wi-Fi interference. In this paper, we propose a novel time reservation scheme called Narrow Band Protection (NBP), that uses a protector to guard the ongoing ZigBee transmission. The key contributions are threefold: First, NBP autonomously detects any ongoing ZigBee transmissions by cross-correlating the ZigBee’s packets with the pre-defined Pseudo-random Noise (PN) sequences. By using this cross-correlation, it significantly reduces the control overhead. Second, due to the reliable cross-correlation, NBP is robust from the control packet collisions, which typically wastes channel time for both ZigBee and Wi-Fi. Third, NBP protects the burst of ZigBee packets by estimating the size of the burst, in turn, giving a semantic to the PN codebook. This is important because ZigBee is typically battery-powered and thus the long burst is advantageous for the low duty cycle operations. We first show the feasibility of NBP by implementing it on the real USRP/GNURadio platform. Then, we evaluate the performance of NBP through mathematical analysis and NS-2 simulations. The results show that NBP enhances the ZigBee throughput by up to 1.77x compared to the existing scheme.
Modeling and performance evaluations of Alamouti technique in a single frequency network for DVB-T2
Authors: Tormos Mokhtar , Tanougast Camel , Dandache Abbas , Masse Denis , Kasser Pierre 
Published: March 2013

Abstract
Alamouti space–frequency coding provides additional frequency diversity, especially in multipath propagation environments. This article addresses a new modeling of the Alamouti code multiple input single output (MISO) in a single frequency network(SFN) for two, three, and four transmitters, and different types of coding and modulations in the DVB-T2 (Digital Video Broadcasting Terrestrial second generation). Classical SFN, Alamouti MISO, and combined SFN with Alamouti MISO (called SFN-2x1 Alamouti MISO) are compared and analyzed. Performance evaluations are made for two, three, or four transmission antennas through 0-dB Echo profile, TU6 mobile channel, unbalanced received power and rotated constellation. The obtained results show clearly that the performance of an SFN network using 0-dB Echo profile with Alamouti MISO is only better than a pure SFN for two and three antennas. Moreover, an SFN based on four antennas (receiving from four antennas) has almost the same performance as SFN-2x1 Alamouti MISO.
Treatment of T1b glottic SCC: Laser vs. radiation- a Canadian multicenter study
Authors: Taylor S Mark , Kerr Paul , Fung Kevin , Aneeshkumar Mankavil K , Wilke Derek , Jiang Yida , Scott John , Phillips Judith , Hart Robert D , Trites Jonathan RB , Rigby Matthew H 
Published: March 2013

Objective To assess the oncological and functional outcomes of T1b squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the glottic larynx treated with laser in comparison with radiation. Design A Canadian multicenter cohort study. Setting Three tertiary referral centers for head and neck cancer- Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Western University in London, Ontario and the University of Manitoba, Winnipeg. Methods Patients with T1b glottic SCC who underwent transoral laser resection or radiation as the primary modality of treatment. Outcome measures Oncological outcomes were evaluated using local control, laryngeal preservation, disease free survival and disease specific survival. Voice outcomes were assessed using the Voice Handicap Index-10 (VHI-10). Results 63 patients met study criteria. 21 were treated with laser and 42 with radiation. Oncologic outcomes at 2 years for laser and radiation demonstrated local control of 95% and 85.9%; laryngeal preservation of 100% and 85.9%; disease free survival of 88.7% and 85.9% and overall survival of 94.1% and 94.8% respectively. VHI-10 data was available for 23/63 patients. During the last follow up visit VHI-10 ranged from 0 to 11 (median 6) in the laser group and 0 to 34 (median 7) in the radiation group. Conclusion T1b SCC of the glottis can be effectively treated with transoral laser microsurgery with oncological outcomes that are at least equivalent to radiation. For patients with VHI scores, voice quality was similar between the two groups. To our knowledge this is the first study directly comparing the oncologic and voice outcomes with laser and radiation for the treatment of glottic cancer involving the anterior commissure.