bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Prostate cancers detected by saturation repeat biopsy impairs the Partin tables’ accuracy to predict final pathological stage
Authors: Augustin Herbert , Auprich Marco , Mannweiler Sebastian , Pachernegg Oliver , Al‐Ali Badereddin Mohamad , Pummer Karl 
Published: November 2011

Study Type – Diagnostic (exploratory cohort)Level of Evidence 2bWhat's known on the subject? and What does the study add?The Partin tables represent a widely used tool to predict final pathologic stage in men with localized prostate cancer.The study provides a validity assessment of the current Partin tables’ version, and compares data sets from patients with prostate cancers detected by different biopsy schedules for potential differences in predictive accuracy.OBJECTIVE
To analyse the overall accuracy of Partin tables, with special emphasis to potential limitations resulting from differences between prostate cancers detected by different biopsy schedules.
PATIENTS AND METHODS
Clinical characteristics from 599 patients treated with radical prostatectomy defined the 2007 Partin probabilities of organ confinement (OC), seminal vesicle invasion (SVI) and extracapsular extension (ECE). Prostate cancers were detected by initial biopsy (IBx) with ≤12 cores in 405 patients (67.6%), by conventional repeat biopsy (CRBx) with ≤12 cores in 99 (16.5%) and by saturation repeat biopsy (SRBx) with ≥20 cores in 95 patients (15.9%).
The area under the curve (AUC) estimated by the receiver operating characteristic curve, assessed the predictive accuracy of the 2007 Partin tables.
RESULTS
The Partin tables AUC of the IBx, CRBx and the SRBx groups were 0.730 vs 0.701 vs 0.585 for OC, 0.631 vs 0.689 vs 0.547 for ECE, and 0.775 vs 0.755 vs 0.641 for SVI, respectively.
CONCLUSIONS
The overall accuracy of the 2007 Partin tables was clearly inferior in patients with prostate cancers detected by SRBx.
Prostate cancers detected by SRBx undermine the Partin tables’ overall accuracy, and this group of patients may be miscounselled by vague predictions.
MORAL ENHANCEMENT VIA DIRECT EMOTION MODULATION: A REPLY TO JOHN HARRIS
Authors: DOUGLAS THOMAS 
Published: November 2011

ABSTRACTSome argue that humans should enhance their moral capacities by adopting institutions that facilitate morally good motives and behaviour. I have defended a parallel claim: that we could permissibly use biomedical technologies to enhance our moral capacities, for example by attenuating certain counter‐moral emotions. John Harris has recently responded to my argument by raising three concerns about the direct modulation of emotions as a means to moral enhancement. He argues (1) that such means will be relatively ineffective in bringing about moral improvements, (2) that direct modulation of emotions would invariably come at an unacceptable cost to our freedom, and (3) that we might end up modulating emotions in ways that actually lead to moral decline. In this article I outline some counter‐intuitive potential implications of Harris' claims. I then respond individually to his three concerns, arguing that they license only the very weak conclusion that moral enhancement via direct emotion modulation is sometimes impermissible. However I acknowledge that his third concern might, with further argument, be developed into a more troubling objection to such enhancements.
THE COST OF SOCIAL PACTS
Authors: Acocella Nicola , Di Bartolomeo Giovanni 
Published: November 2011

ABSTRACTThe paper deals with the various institutions capable of improving the macroeconomic performance in a situation of conflict between unions and the government. In particular, we discuss the difficulty of agreeing with a cooperative solution and the need for some kind of explicit or implicit compensation for unions in signing a social pact. A cooperative solution encapsulating the operation of the different mechanisms designed to cope with the conflict and including the various elements of compensation is presented. The model shows that the amount of the explicit compensation depends on the extent of the strategic conflict between the parties as well as on the factors that determine the implicit compensation (i.e., unions’ inflation aversion, partisanship) or are partial substitutes for it (i.e., the conservative central banker). Finally, the role played by external anticipated and unanticipated shocks is also discussed.
A NOTE ON THE PROPERTY RIGHTS THEORY AND THE EX ANTE VALUE OF INFORMATION
Authors: Mohan Vijay 
Published: November 2011

ABSTRACTThis paper examines the ex ante value of information in the property rights model where the possibility exists that an investing agent can be provided with relevant information before investments are undertaken. When contracts are incomplete, from an ex ante perspective, informing the investing agent does not necessarily increase the expected surplus resulting from a relationship between two economic agents. The paper highlights the fact that the second‐best nature of the problem that arises from contractual incompleteness can ensure this.
The effects of marital status on episodic and semantic memory in healthy middle‐aged and old individuals
Authors: MOUSAVI‐NASAB S.‐M.‐HOSSEIN , KORMI‐NOURI REZA , SUNDSTRÖM ANNA , NILSSON LARS‐GÖRAN 
Published: November 2011

Mousavi‐Nasab, S.‐M.‐H., Kormi‐Nouri, R., Sundström, A. & Nilsson, L.‐G. (2012). The effects of marital status on episodic and semantic memory in healthy middle‐aged and old individuals. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology 53, 1–8.The present study examined the influences of marital status on different episodic and semantic memory tasks. A total of 1882 adult men and women participated in a longitudinal project (Betula) on memory, health and aging. The participants were grouped into two age cohorts, 35–60 and 65–85, and studied over a period of 5 years. Episodic memory tasks concerned recognition and recall, whereas semantic memory tasks concerned knowledge and fluency. The results showed, after controlling for education, some diseases, chronological age and leisure activity as covariates, that there were significant differences between married and single individuals in episodic memory, but not in semantic memory. Married people showed significantly better memory performances than singles in both subsystems of episodic memory, that is, recall and recognition. Also, the rate of decline in episodic memory was significantly larger for singles and widowed than other groups over the 5‐year time period in both age groups. The findings demonstrate that the positive relation found between marriage and health can be extended to the relation between marriage and cognitive performance. This effect might be explained by the role played by cognitive stimulation in memory and cognition.
Neuropsychological function and past exposure to metallic mercury in female dental workers
Authors: SLETVOLD HELGE , SVENDSEN KRISTIN , AAS ODDFRID , SYVERSEN TORE , HILT BJØRN 
Published: November 2011

Sletvold, H., Svendsen, K., Aas, O., Syversen, T. & Hilt, B. (2012). Neuropsychological function and past exposure to metallic mercury in female dental workers. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology 53, 136–143.The aim of this study was to see if dental personnel with previous exposure to metallic mercury have later developed disturbances in cognitive function. Ninety‐one female participants who had been selected from a previous health survey of dental personnel were investigated neuropsychologically within the following domains: motor function, short‐term memory, working memory, executive function, mental flexibility, and visual and verbal long‐term memory. The scores were mainly within normal ranges. Relationships between an exposure score, the duration of employment before 1990, and previously measured mercury in urine as independent variables and the neuropsychological findings as dependent variables, were analyzed by multiple linear regression controlling for age, general ability, length of education, alcohol consumption, and previous head injuries. The only relationship that was statistically significant in the hypothesized direction was between the previously measured urine mercury values and visual long‐term memory, where the urine values explained 30% of the variability. As the study had a low statistical power and also some other methodological limitations, the results have to be interpreted with caution. Even so, we think it is right to conclude that neuropsychological findings indicative of subsequent cognitive injuries are difficult to find in groups of otherwise healthy dental personnel with previous occupational exposure to mercury.
Rethinking Conceptions of Unity: Schubert'sMoment musicalin A♭major, D. 780 (Op. 94) No. 2
Authors: RUSCH RENÉ 
Published: November 2011

ABSTRACTA number of scholars have suggested that the sudden harmonic shifts, remote tonal regions and discontinuity of gestures in Schubert's works can be rationalised through certain conceptions of musical unity. Yet what if we were to entertain the possibility that these musical gestures do not coalesce in a greater whole? What other options are available to us for understanding part‐whole relationships? In this article, I suggest that the notion of Romantic irony might transform our understanding of the composer's music by providing an alternative to an aesthetic of unity. Using the Moment musical in A♭ major, D. 780 (Op. 94) No. 2, as a test case, this paper offers a view which resists the pressure to explain idiosyncratic musical events as contributing to a greater whole, demonstrating that conceptions of unity need not accompany tonal hierarchical systems; it also shows how Schubert's use of tonality and large‐scale organisation can coexist with notions of conventional diatonicism and form and need not be understood either as derivative of these customary procedures or as independent of them, inviting us to reflect on larger issues of historical continuity with regard to tonal and formal practice.
Temporal 3D Lagrangian strain from 2D slice‐followed cine DENSE MRI
Authors: Kindberg Katarina , Haraldsson Henrik , Sigfridsson Andreas , Sakuma Hajime , Ebbers Tino , Karlsson Matts 
Published: November 2011

SummaryA quantitative analysis of myocardial mechanics is fundamental to the understanding of cardiac function, diagnosis of heart disease and assessment of therapeutic intervention. In clinical practice, most cardiac imaging analyses are performed in 2D because of the limited scan time available. However, the obtained information from a 2D measurement is limited. This study presents a method to obtain temporal evolutions of transmural 3D Lagrangian strains from two intersecting 2D planes of slice‐followed cine displacement encoding with stimulated echoes (DENSE) data using a bilinear‐cubic polynomial element to resolve strain from the displaced myocardial positions. The method was validated against an analytical standard and has been applied to in vivo data acquired on a 3 T magnetic resonance system from a healthy volunteer to quantify systolic strains at the anterior‐basal region of left ventricular myocardium. The method demonstrates accurate results when validated in the analytical model, and the in vivo results agree within experimental accuracy with values reported in the literature. Even with a short scan time, this method provides the full 3D Lagrangian strain tensor from two 2D DENSE measurements.
Laparotomy versus laparoscopy for the treatment of adnexal masses during pregnancy
Authors: KOO Yu‐Jin , KIM Hyun Ja , LIM Kyung‐Taek , LEE In‐Ho , LEE Ki‐Heon , SHIM Jae‐Uk , YOON Seok‐Nam , KIM Ju Ree , KIM Tae‐Jin 
Published: November 2011

Background:  Laparoscopy has been highlighted as an effective surgical modality for diverse pelvic organ diseases. However, its surgical and obstetric efficacy has not been fully confirmed in pregnant women because of the absence of a large comparative study. The objective of this study was to compare outcomes between laparotomy and laparoscopic surgery for adnexal masses during pregnancy.
Methods:  A retrospective analysis of 262 pregnant women who underwent laparotomy or laparoscopic surgery for adnexal masses between 2000 and 2009 was performed.
Results:  Of the 262 women, 174 (66.4%) underwent laparotomy and 88 (33.6%) underwent laparoscopic surgery for adnexal masses. The laparoscopy group had a significantly shorter mean operative time (60.7 ± 27.1 vs 69.7 ± 24.4 min, P = 0.002) and mean hospital stay (4.7 ± 1.7 vs 6.6 ± 1.3 days, P < 0.001) than the laparotomy group. In multivariate analysis, there was no significant difference between laparoscopy and laparotomy group in obstetric outcomes, including preterm delivery and miscarriage rate, after adjusting for confounding factors, such as gestational age at surgery, emergency surgery and mass size.
Conclusions:  The laparoscopic approach appears to offer a suitable alternative to laparotomy, which, in our setting, was associated with shorter operative times and hospital stays than laparotomy.
The influence of oral VPA on the required dose of propofol for sedation during dental treatment in patients with mental retardation: A prospective observer‐blinded cohort study
Authors: Ishii Minako , Higuchi Hitoshi , Maeda Shigeru , Tomoyasu Yumiko , Egusa Masahiko , Miyawaki Takuya 
Published: November 2011

SummaryIn sedation of dental patients with moderate or severe mental retardation, it is difficult to identify the optimum sedation level and to maintain it appropriately. Moreover, many patients have concomitant epilepsy and are medicated with oral antiepileptic drugs (AEDs), which influence the drug‐metabolizing enzymes. In particular, valproate (VPA) has been demonstrated to inhibit propofol metabolism in vitro. Therefore, the objective of the present study was to investigate the clinical influence of oral VPA on the required dose of propofol for sedation, with use of a prospective cohort study design. We studied 45 patients with moderate or severe mental retardation who underwent dental treatment under sedation. Propofol was infused, and sedation was maintained at the same level in all patients using a bispectral index (BIS) monitor. After the completion of treatment for the scheduled patients, patients were divided into those with oral VPA treatment (VPA group: 20 patients) and without any oral antiepileptic treatment (control group: 25 patients). The propofol dose required for sedation and times to the recovery of the eyelash reflex and spontaneous eye opening were evaluated. The median required propofol doses in the VPA and control groups were 4.15 (range 1.97–5.88) and 5.67 (2.92–7.17) mg/kg/h, respectively. We observed a statistically significant difference between the two patient groups with respect to median VPA dose (p < 0.01). However, no statistically significant differences were noted in the time until eyelash reflex recovery or spontaneous eye opening between the two groups. The results suggest that oral VPA reduces the dose of propofol required for sedation during dental treatment in patients with moderate or severe mental retardation.
Beyond seizures and medications: Normal activity limitations, social support, and mental health in epilepsy
Authors: Lu Bo , Elliott John O. 
Published: November 2011

SummaryAlthough seizure control is a critical goal for persons with epilepsy (PWE) from the biomedical perspective, there is growing support for approaches that take into account the effect of epilepsy on the whole person (the biopsychosocial perspective). We hypothesized that PWE who report normal activity limitations due to epilepsy and poor social/emotional support would report poor mental health regardless of whether they report having seizures in the past 3 months or currently taking medication for their epilepsy. In 2005 and 2006, twenty‐two states asked about epilepsy in the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). A set of survey weight‐adjusted logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine self‐reported poor mental health. Our findings reveal that both normal activity limitations due to epilepsy and poor social/emotional support are significant predictors of reporting poor mental health. After controlling for social support, demographics, comorbidities, and health behaviors we determined that those reporting normal activity limitations due to epilepsy are more likely to report poor mental health (odds ratio [OR] 3.05, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.41–6.58). Similarly, after controlling for the same factors, PWE with poor social/emotional support are more likely to report poor mental health (OR 3.22, 95% CI 1.84–5.61). In contrast, reported seizures in the past 3 months (OR 1.12, 95% CI 0.56–2.25) or current use of medication (OR 0.58, 95% CI 0.30–1.10) were not significantly associated with poor mental health. These population‐based findings support the need for clinical approaches that address psychosocial issues in addition to seizure control and treatment.
Validation of a Medical Record‐Based Delirium Risk Assessment
Authors: Rudolph James L. , Harrington Mary Beth , Lucatorto Michelle A. , Chester Jennifer G. , Francis Joseph , Shay Kenneth J. ,   on behalf of the Veterans Affairs and Delirium Working Group
Published: November 2011

ObjectivesTo improve identification of patients at high risk for delirium, this study developed a chart abstraction tool for delirium risk and validated the tool against clinical expert diagnosis of delirium.DesignProspective cohort study.SettingTertiary Veterans Affairs hospital in New England.ParticipantsOne hundred veterans admitted to the medical service.MeasurementsWhile admitted, each participant underwent serial assessments for delirium by a clinical expert. Using the four criteria of a validated delirium prediction rule (cognitive impairment, sensory deficit, severe illness, and dehydration), chart review terms were selected for each criterion, and delirium risk was the sum of criteria present (range: 0–4; 4 = worst). After discharge, a nurse blinded to the expert's diagnosis completed the chart tool.ResultsThe participants were mostly male (94%) and older (mean age 81 ± 7), and 23% developed overall delirium (14% incident). The rate of overall delirium was 11% in participants with zero risk factors, 18% in those with one or two, and 50% in those with three or four (P = .01; c‐statistic 0.65, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.54–0.76). For incident delirium, the rates were 11%, 13%, and 25%, respectively (P = .53; c‐statistic 0.56, 95% CI = 0.42–0.74). Discharge to a rehabilitation center or nursing home increased with increasing delirium risk (0%, 18%, 60%, P = .02).ConclusionA chart abstraction tool was effective at identifying overall delirium risk but not incident delirium risk. Although the tool cannot replace clinical assessment and diagnosis of delirium, the use of this tool as an educational, clinical, or quality measurement aid warrants additional study.
Association of XRCC1, XRCC3, and NAT2 polymorphisms with the risk of oral submucous fibrosis among eastern Indian population
Authors: Mukherjee Sanjit , Bhowmik Aneek Das , Roychoudhury Paromita , Mukhopadhyay Kanchan , Ray Jay Gopal , Chaudhuri Keya 
Published: November 2011

J Oral Pathol Med (2012) 41: 292–302Background:  Arecanut and smokeless tobacco usage is a major cause for oral submucous fibrosis (OSF) and its subsequent development to oral squamous cell carcinoma in South‐east Asian population. Polymorphisms at N‐acetyltransferase 2 locus, coding for an enzyme catalyzing acetylation of aromatic amines, might cause DNA adduct formation because of improper acetylation of these polyaromatic hydrocarbons. DNA repair enzymes remove these adduct to prevent malignancy.Methods:  In this hospital‐based study, 100 controls and 88 OSF patients were genotyped at four polymorphic sites on NAT2 481 (C > T; silent), 590 (G > A; Arg197 > Gln), 803 (A > G; Lys268 > Arg), 857 (G > A; Gly286 > Glu) and two on XRCC1 18067 (C > T Arg 194 > Trp), 28152 (G > A Arg 399 > Gln), and one of XRCC3 26304 (C > T Thr 241 > Met) loci by PCR‐RFLP to determine the risk of the disease.Results:  Heterozygous XRCC3 codon 241 [OR 2.07 (1.05–4.06)], homozygous variant of NAT C481T [OR 2.81 (1.09–7.21)], and both heterozygous and homozygous variants of NAT codon 268 and 286 [OR 2.31 (1.20–4.45) and 4.98 (1.87–13.14), and 6.12 (2.75–13.62) and 2.65 (1.04–6.72)] individually influenced susceptibility to OSF in the population.Conclusion:  Gene–gene interaction analysis by multifactor dimensionality reduction (MDR) revealed that XRCC3 Thr 241 Met had the largest univariate effect followed by XRCC3 Thr 241 Met – NAT2 A857G in men that presents a highly synergistic interaction as one of the potential combinations of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) to increase the risk of OSF in men if exposed to arecanut or smokeless tobacco usage. These observations can speculate the impact of the studied SNPs on the etiology of OSF.
Histopathology of panniculitis – aspects of biopsy techniques and difficulties in diagnosis
Authors: Rose Christian , Leverkus Martin , Fleischer Mariella , Shimanovich Iakov 
Published: November 2011

SummaryBackground: Clinical and histologic diagnosis of panniculitis may be difficult. The patients usually present with erythematous subcutaneous nodules with or without additional symptoms. If a skin biopsy does not include enough subcutaneous fat, histopathologic assessment is limited and the correct diagnosis may be delayed and require further sampling.Patients and Methods: To illustrate the difficulties in the diagnosis of panniculitis, we performed a retrospective examination of four patients with different forms of panniculitis.Results: In two patients with subcutaneous panniculitis‐like T cell lymphoma and lupus panniculitis, the correct diagnosis could only be ascertained after a delay of several months because repeated biopsies had to be obtained throughout the course of disease. In two further patients with cold panniculitis and pancreatic panniculitis, clinicians did not even suspect an inflammatory process in the subcutaneous tissue. The correct diagnosis was made with a deep punch biopsy that included subcutaneous fat.Conclusions: On the one hand, these examples demonstrate the importance of sampling subcutaneous tissue when obtaining routine punch biopsies. On the other hand, in cases where the diagnosis is uncertain, it is necessary to perform large and deep incisional biopsies.
Effects of different fermented soy protein and apparent ileal digestible lysine levels on weaning pigs fed fermented soy protein‐amended diets
Authors: YAN Lei , WANG Jian P. , KIM In H. 
Published: November 2011

ABSTRACTTwo experiments were conducted to evaluate the effect of different fermented soybean proteins and the apparent ileal digestible lysine levels on weaning pigs fed fermented soy protein (FSP)‐amended diets. In Exp. 1, 70 crossed piglets (6.25 ± 0.40 kg) were used in a 5‐week trial to evaluate two different FSP. In Exp. 2, 20 weaning barrows (6.15 ± 0.45 kg) were used in a metabolism trial to determine the effects of the apparent ileal digestible (1.2, 1.3, 1.4 and 1.5%) lysine levels in weaning pigs fed FSP (5%) diet. In Exp. 1, pigs fed the diet containing Lactobacillus spp. FSP showed higher nitrogen (N) digestibility (P < 0.05), lower blood urea nitrogen and serum creatinine levels (P < 0.05) than those fed the Aspergillus oryzae FSP diet. In Exp. 2, increasing dietary lysine levels increased the average daily gain, apparent dry matter, N digestibility, N retention and essential amino acids in the current study (P < 0.05), with the 1.5% showing the highest value. In conclusion, pigs fed Lactobacillus spp. FSP had a higher N digestibility than those fed A. oryzae FSP. The optimal apparent ileal digestibility lysine level in fermented soy protein diets (3550 kcal/kg metabolizable energy) for maximizing growth performance and N utilization in the first 7 days (6.25 kg) was 1.5%.