bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Masitinib as an adjunct therapy for mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease: a randomised, placebo-controlled phase 2 trial
Authors: Piette François , Belmin Joël , Vincent Hélène , Schmidt Nicolas , Pariel Sylvie , Verny Marc , Marquis Caroline , Mely Jean , Hugonot-Diener Laurence , Kinet Jean-Pierre , Dubreuil Patrice , Moussy Alain , Hermine Olivier 
Published: April 2011

Abstract
Introduction
Neuroinflammation is thought to be important in Alzheimer's disease pathogenesis. Mast cells are a key component of the inflammatory network and participate in the regulation of the blood-brain barrier's permeability. Masitinib, a selective oral tyrosine kinase inhibitor, effectively inhibits the survival, migration and activity of mast cells. As the brain is rich in mast cells, the therapeutic potential of masitinib as an adjunct therapy to standard care was investigated.

Methods
A randomised, placebo-controlled, phase 2 study was performed in patients with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease, receiving masitinib as an adjunct to cholinesterase inhibitor and/or memantine. Patients were randomly assigned to receive masitinib (n = 26) (starting dose of 3 or 6 mg/kg/day) or placebo (n = 8), administered twice daily for 24 weeks. The primary endpoint was change from baseline in the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale - cognitive subscale (ADAS-Cog) to assess cognitive function and the related patient response rate.

Results
The rate of clinically relevant cognitive decline according to the ADAS-Cog response (increase >4 points) after 12 and 24 weeks was significantly lower with masitinib adjunctive treatment compared with placebo (6% vs. 50% for both time points; P = 0.040 and P = 0.046, respectively). Moreover, whilst the placebo treatment arm showed worsening mean ADAS-Cog, Alzheimer's Disease Cooperative Study Activities of Daily Living Inventory, and Mini-Mental State Examination scores, the masitinib treatment arm reported improvements, with statistical significance between treatment arms at week 12 and/or week 24 (respectively, P = 0.016 and 0.030; P = 0.035 and 0.128; and P = 0.047 and 0.031). The mean treatment effect according to change in ADAS-Cog score relative to baseline at weeks 12 and 24 was 6.8 and 7.6, respectively. Adverse events occurred more frequently with masitinib treatment (65% vs. 38% of patients); however, the majority of events were of mild or moderate intensity and transitory. Severe adverse events occurred at a similar frequency in the masitinib and placebo arms (15% vs. 13% of patients, respectively). Masitinib-associated events included gastrointestinal disorders, oedema, and rash.

Conclusions
Masitinib administered as add-on therapy to standard care during 24 weeks was associated with slower cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease, with an acceptable tolerance profile. Masitinib may therefore represent an innovative avenue of treatment in Alzheimer's disease. This trial provides evidence that may support a larger placebo-controlled investigation.

Trial registration
Clinicaltrials.gov NCT00976118
Analysis of the Wilms' Tumor Suppressor Gene (WT1) in Patients 46,XY Disorders of Sex Development
Authors: Köhler B. , Biebermann H. , Friedsam V. , Gellermann J. , Maier R. F. , Pohl M. , Wieacker P. , Hiort O. , Grüters A. , Krude H. 
Published: April 2011

AbstractContext:The Wilms' tumor suppressor gene (WT1) is one of the major regulators of early gonadal and kidney development. WT1 mutations have been identified in 46,XY disorders of sex development (DSD) with associated kidney disease and in few isolated forms of 46,XY DSD.Objective:The objective of the study was the evaluation of WT1 mutations in different phenotypes of isolated 46,XY DSD and clinical consequences.Design:The design of the study was: 1) sequencing of the WT1 gene in 210 patients with 46,XY DSD from the German DSD network, consisting of 150 males with severe hypospadias (70 without cryptorchidism, 80 with at least one cryptorchid testis), 10 males with vanishing testes syndrome, and 50 raised females with partial to complete 46,XY gonadal dysgenesis; and 2) genotype-phenotype correlation of our and all published patients with 46,XY DSD and WT1 mutations.Results:We have detected WT1 mutations in six of 80 patients with severe hypospadias (7.5%) and at least one cryptorchid testis and in one of 10 patients with vanishing testes syndrome (10%). All patients except one developed Wilms' tumor and/or nephropathy in childhood or adolescence.Conclusion:WT1 analysis should be performed in newborns with complex hypospadias with at least one cryptorchid testis and in isolated 46,XY partial to complete gonadal dysgenesis. Kidney disease might not develop until later life in these cases. WT1 analysis is mandatory in all 46,XY DSD with associated kidney disease. WT1 analysis is not indicated in newborns with isolated hypospadias without cryptorchidism. Patients with WT1 mutations should be followed up closely because the risk of developing a Wilms' tumor, nephropathy, and/or gonadal tumor is very high.
Anticipatory Sorting and Gender Segregation in Temporary Employment
Authors: Fernandez-Mateo Isabel , King Zella 
Published: April 2011

We examine the roots of gender segregation in the screening process by using a longitudinal data set of candidates considered for temporary projects at a staffing firm and following their progress through the hiring pipeline. Theories invoked to explain gender segregation across jobs traditionally rely on firm-specific human capital and expectations of future commitment to explain this phenomenon. These do not apply in this setting. Yet we find that the staffing firm is more likely to shortlist women for low-paid projects and less likely to do so for high-paid ones. These effects are due to women being considered for different projects than men, and associated at least partially to the level of competition within vacancies. Although client companies also exhibit some gender-sorting behavior in the later steps of the hiring process, they are more likely to prefer women and less likely to sort them into lower-paid projects. Our findings are consistent with “anticipatory gender-sorting” mechanisms, by which first screeners generate segregation when narrowing down the pool of candidates for later decision makers. We discuss the implications of this case for theories of gender stratification and workplace inequality, especially in mediated labor markets. This paper was accepted by Jesper Sørensen, organizations.
Trust in Forecast Information Sharing
Authors: Özer Özalp , Zheng Yanchong , Chen Kay-Yut 
Published: April 2011

This paper investigates the capacity investment decision of a supplier who solicits private forecast information from a manufacturer. To ensure abundant supply, the manufacturer has an incentive to inflate her forecast in a costless, nonbinding, and nonverifiable type of communication known as “cheap talk.” According to standard game theory, parties do not cooperate and the only equilibrium is uninformative—the manufacturer's report is independent of her forecast and the supplier does not use the report to determine capacity. However, we observe in controlled laboratory experiments that parties cooperate even in the absence of reputation-building mechanisms and complex contracts. We argue that the underlying reason for cooperation is trust and trustworthiness. The extant literature on forecast sharing and supply chain coordination implicitly assumes that supply chain members either absolutely trust each other and cooperate when sharing forecast information, or do not trust each other at all. Contrary to this all-or-nothing view, we determine that a continuum exists between these two extremes. In addition, we determine (i) when trust is important in forecast information sharing, (ii) how trust is affected by changes in the supply chain environment, and (iii) how trust affects related operational decisions. To explain and better understand the observed behavioral regularities, we also develop an analytical model of trust to incorporate both pecuniary and nonpecuniary incentives in the game-theoretic analysis of cheap-talk forecast communication. The model identifies and quantifies how trust and trustworthiness induce effective cheap-talk forecast sharing under the wholesale price contract. We also determine the impact of repeated interactions and information feedback on trust and cooperation in forecast sharing. We conclude with a discussion on the implications of our results for developing effective forecast management policies. This paper was accepted by Ananth Iyer, operations and supply chain management.
Optimal Preorder Strategy with Endogenous Information Control
Authors: Chu Leon Yang , Zhang Hao 
Published: April 2011

In this paper, we investigate the integrated information and pricing strategy for a seller who can take customer preorders before the release of a product. The preorder option enables the seller to sell a product at an early stage when consumers are less certain about their valuations. We find that the optimal pricing strategy may be highly dependent on the amount of information available at preorder and that a small change in the latter may cause a dramatic change in the proportion of consumers who preorder under optimal pricing. Furthermore, the seller's optimal information strategy depends on a key measure, the normalized margin, which is the ratio between the expected profit margin and the standard deviation of consumer valuation. Although the seller may want to release some information or none, she should never release all information. Finally, under the optimal information and pricing strategy, the benefit of preorder is most pronounced when the normalized margin is in a medium range. This paper was accepted by Martin Lariviere, operations management.
Dynamic Price Competition with Fixed Capacities
Authors: Martínez-de-Albéniz Victor , Talluri Kalyan 
Published: April 2011

In this paper, we study price competition for an oligopoly in a dynamic setting, where each of the sellers has a fixed number of units available for sale over a fixed number of periods. Demand is stochastic, and depending on how it evolves, sellers may change their prices at any time. This reflects the fact that firms constantly, and almost costlessly, change their prices, reacting to updates in their estimates of market demand, competitor prices, or inventory levels. In a setting with demand uncertainty, we show that there is a unique subgame-perfect equilibrium for a duopoly, in which all states sellers engage in Bertrand competition and the seller with the lower equilibrium reservation value sells a unit at a price equal to the competitor's equilibrium reservation value. This structure therefore extends the marginal-value concept of bid-price control, used in many revenue management implementations, to a competitive model. We give a closed-form solution to the equilibrium price paths for a duopoly and extend all the results to an n-firm oligopoly. We then study extensions to multiple customer types, uncertain valuations, and differentiated products. This paper was accepted by Martin Lariviere, operations management.
Mandatory Fair Value Accounting and Information Asymmetry: Evidence from the European Real Estate Industry
Authors: Muller Karl A. , Riedl Edward J. , Sellhorn Thorsten 
Published: April 2011

We examine the effects of mandating the provision of fair value information for long-lived tangible assets on firms' information asymmetry. Specifically, we investigate whether European real estate firms' compulsory adoption of International Accounting Standard 40 (IAS 40; Investment Property), which mandated the provision of investment property fair values in 2005, resulted in reduced information asymmetry across market participants. Using as a control group firms that voluntarily provided these fair values prior to the mandatory adoption of IAS 40, we find that mandatory adoption firms exhibit a larger decline in information asymmetry, as reflected in lower bid–ask spreads. However, we also find that mandatory adoption firms continue to have higher information asymmetry than voluntary adoption firms, which appears partially attributable to the lower reliability of fair values reported by the mandatory adoption firms. Together, this evidence adds to the debate on fair value accounting by demonstrating that common adoption of fair value, even for long-lived tangible assets, under a mandatory reporting regime can reduce, but not necessarily eliminate, information asymmetry differences across firms.This paper was accepted by Stefan Reichelstein, accounting.
High failure rates with a large-diameter hybrid metal-on-metal total hip replacement
Authors: Bolland B. J. R. F. , Culliford D. J. , Langton D. J. , Millington J. P. S. , Arden N. K. , Latham J. M. 
Published: April 2011

This study reports the mid-term results of a large-bearing hybrid metal-on-metal total hip replacement in 199 hips (185 patients) with a mean follow-up of 62 months (32 to 83). Two patients died of unrelated causes and 13 were lost to follow-up. In all, 17 hips (8.5%) have undergone revision, and a further 14 are awaiting surgery. All revisions were symptomatic. Of the revision cases, 14 hips showed evidence of adverse reactions to metal debris. The patients revised or awaiting revision had significantly higher whole blood cobalt ion levels (p = 0.001), but no significant difference in acetabular component size or position compared with the unrevised patients. Wear analysis (n = 5) showed increased wear at the trunnion-head interface, normal levels of wear at the articulating surfaces and evidence of corrosion on the surface of the stem. The cumulative survival rate, with revision for any reason, was 92.4% (95% confidence interval 87.4 to 95.4) at five years. Including those awaiting surgery, the revision rate would be 15.1% with a cumulative survival at five years of 89.6% (95% confidence interval 83.9 to 93.4). This hybrid metal-on-metal total hip replacement series has shown an unacceptably high rate of failure, with evidence of high wear at the trunnion-head interface and passive corrosion of the stem surface. This raises concerns about the use of large heads on conventional 12/14 tapers.
Glycemic Control and Survival in Peritoneal Dialysis Patients with Diabetes Mellitus
Authors: Duong Uyen , Mehrotra Rajnish , Molnar Miklos Z. , Noori Nazanin , Kovesdy Csaba P. , Nissenson Allen R. , Kalantar-Zadeh Kamyar 
Published: April 2011

Summary

Background and objectives
The optimal target for glycemic control has not been established for diabetic peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients.

Design, setting, participants, & measurements
We examined mortality-predictability of hemoglobin A1c random serum glucose in a contemporary cohort of diabetic PD patients treated in DaVita dialysis clinics July 2001 through June 2006 with follow-up through June 2007.

Results
We identified 2798 diabetic PD patients with A1c data. Serum glucose correlated with A1C (r = 0.51). Adjusted all-cause death hazard ratio and 95% confidence interval for baseline A1c increments of 7.0 to 7.9%, 8.0 to 8.9%, 9.0 to 9.9%, and ≥10%, compared with 6.0 to 6.9% (reference), were 1.13 (0.97 to 1.32), 1.05 (0.88 to 1.27), 1.06 (0.84 to 1.34), and 1.48 (1.18 to 1.86); and for time-averaged A1c values were 1.10 (0.96 to 1.27), 1.28 (1.07 to 1.53), 1.34 (1.05 to 1.70), and 1.81 (1.33 to 2.46), respectively. The A1c-mortality association was modified by hemoglobin level such that higher all-cause mortality was evident only in nonanemic patients. Similar but non-significant trends in cardiovascular death risk was found across A1c increments. Adjusted all-cause death HR for time-averaged blood glucose 150 to 199, 200 to 249, 250 to 299, and ≥300 mg/dl, compared with 60 to 99 mg/dl (reference), were 1.02 (0.70 to 1.47), 1.12 (0.77 to 1.63), 1.45 (0.97 to 2.18), and 2.10 (1.37 to 3.20), respectively.

Conclusions
Poor glycemic control appears associated incrementally with higher mortality in PD patients. Moderate to severe hyperglycemia is associated with higher death risk especially in certain subgroups.
Complex basilar artery aneurysms treated using surgical basilar occlusion: a modern case series
Authors: Kellner Christopher P. , Haque Raqeeb M. , Meyers Philip M. , Lavine Sean D. , Connolly E. Sander , Solomon Robert A. 
Published: April 2011

Object
Complex aneurysms of the basilar artery (BA) apex can be successfully treated using surgical occlusion of the proximal BA. Since the introduction of the Guglielmi detachable coil in 1991, the focus on treating BA aneurysms has been on using endovascular techniques. Outcomes with endovascular techniques have been less than optimal for large and complex aneurysms. The authors therefore report on their current 22-year experience with surgical BA occlusion for complex BA aneurysms and long-term outcome.

Methods
Fifteen patients underwent surgical BA occlusion at Columbia University Medical Center for complex basilar apex aneurysms between 1987 and 2009. The clinical records of each patient were reviewed for details of presentation, hospital course, operative intervention, and outcome.

Results
Postoperatively, all patient encounters were recorded at discharge, at the 1-month and 1-year follow-up evaluations, and at long-term outcome. Twelve (80%) of 15 patients experienced no new postoperative neurological deficits. Three patients presenting with severe neurological impairment (modified Rankin Scale [mRS] score > 3) made excellent recoveries (mRS Scores 1–2) at long-term follow-up. One patient died, 1 suffered a stroke during the postoperative angiogram which resulted in hemiparesis, and 1 suffered internuclear ophthalmoplegia which resolved by the 1-month follow-up. Long-term follow-up occurred at an average of 3 ± 4.5 years, ranging from 2 months (for a recently treated patient) to 18 years. The average mRS score at long-term follow-up was 1 ± 1.5. No patient experienced postoperative hemorrhage, rebleeding, or delayed neurological deterioration.

Conclusions
Surgical occlusion of the BA is an effective treatment option offering a high rate of angiographic cure in a single procedure for patients with complex BA aneurysms. The ability to surgically perform point occlusion of the BA without impairment of brainstem perforators, while maintaining collateral blood flow to the posterior circulation branch vessels, may provide an advantage compared with endovascular treatments.
L'œil du souverain ? Rôle et pouvoirs des représentants du souverain (főispánok) à la tête des comitats hongrois au XVIIIe siècle
Authors: Vajda Marie-Françoise 
Published: April 2011

Dans l’organigramme des comitats, le f?ispán est l’homme du souverain, « le roi dans la province ». Mais le f?ispán hongrois dispose de compétences bien plus larges que le gouverneur français. Chef du comitat, il doit en surveiller tout le fonctionnement, et constituer un appui pour le souverain. Mais le f?ispán est un aristocrate, et il peut être originaire du comitat, où il a sa clientèle, et l’ispanat perpétuel bloque le renouvellement d’une partie du groupe. À la fois noble hongrois et représentant du souverain, le f?ispán est pour le comitat à la fois un chef et un médiateur. Lié au roi par la fidélité et les obligations de sa charge, il est aussi attaché au comitat par les relations personnelles, et les vestiges de la traditionnelle familiaritas. Longtemps, les historiens hongrois ont considéré que le f?ispán vivait loin du comitat dont il ne s’occupait guère. En réalité, cependant, les relations entretenues entre les f?ispán et les administrateurs du comitat semblent bien plaider en faveur d’une implication parfois forte du f?ispán dans l’administration locale. Néanmoins, le rôle du f?ispán pose des questions bien plus larges que le simple fonctionnement de l’administration locale. En transformant les f?ispánok de comitat en commissaires ( f?ispánok ) de district, et en les dotant d’instructions qui modifient à la fois le système des comitats et leur rôle à leur tête, Joseph II met fin à cet équilibre certes fragile mais efficace qui fait du f?ispán l’homme du roi et le protecteur du comitat. Or cette situation n’est pas seulement le fruit de la prudence de ses prédécesseurs, on peut en réalité y voir un résumé de l’institution des comitats où convergent pouvoir politique de la noblesse, pouvoir social de l’aristocratie et autorité royale. Plus qu’un représentant de l’autorité, il faut peut-être voir dans le f?ispán l’une des clefs de voûte du système, permettant de moduler la pression et d’atténuer les tensions qui peuvent s’exprimer de part et d’autre. La présence d’un f?ispán n’est pas ressentie par le comitat comme une exposition directe à l’autorité royale – qui éveillerait systématiquement la suspicion et susciterait sinon le rejet du moins de fermes réserves – mais au contraire, comme une instance de médiation, un recours extérieur et influent en cas de problème au sein du comitat ou avec les instances supérieures. Elle permet aussi aux administrateurs de comitat de se décharger d’une partie des responsabilités.
Les catégories d'odeurs en sont-elles vraiment ?
Authors: Candau Joël , Wathelet Olivier 
Published: April 2011

Le langage naturel des odeurs est souvent imprécis et profus. À ce titre, il constitue un défi pour l’étude des processus de catégorisation des stimuli olfactifs. Après un rappel de la théorie roschienne de la catégorisation, nous évaluons sa pertinence dans la manière dont la catégorisation des expériences sensibles est exprimée en langue. Si la catégorisation des couleurs s’accorde assez bien avec cette théorie, nos données ethnographiques ruinent l’idée selon laquelle les « catégories » olfactives sont ce qu’elles prétendent être : elles ne sont pas des catégories du point de vue de la théorie classique et encore moins du point de vue de la théorie des prototypes. Cependant, les stimuli olfactifs sont l’objet de jugements perceptifs qui permettent de construire des pseudo-prototypes, i.e. qui se donnent à voir dans le langage comme des prototypes alors qu’ils n’en sont pas du strict point de vue de leur traitement cognitif. Nous concluons par quelques considérations générales sur les causes possibles de ce « relâchement » catégoriel.
Odeurs, exclamation et haut degré
Authors: Tamba Irène 
Published: April 2011

Cet article étudie deux types d’exclamatives, ça pue ! et qu’est-ce que ça pue ! qui servent à exprimer une sensation olfactive immédiate. On observe tout d’abord que ces exclamatives servent à intensifier de manière indistincte à la fois le stimulus odorant et la sensation éprouvée, en raison de la qualification hédonique (positive ou négative) qu’impose le sémantisme lexical des verbes olfactifs. Puis, on montre que l’exclamation est un mode d’expression emphatique qui amplifie la réaction immédiate du locuteur face à une odeur tandis que le quantificateur de tête extrait la composante intensive d’une odeur et indique, par son indéfinition, qu’il s’agit d’une intensité exceptionnelle qui échappe à toute gradation.
Loi organique des C.P.A.S. et loi accueil : quels enjeux pour les C.P.A.S. ?
Authors: Soumoy Hubert 
Published: April 2011

Résumé La loi accueil et la loi organique des C.P.A.S. reposent sur le même droit créance que l’on retrouve à l’Article 1 de la loi organique : « toute personne a droit à l’aide sociale ; celle-ci a pour but de mener une vie conforme à la dignité humaine » et qui constitue également l’Article 23 de la Constitution belge. Toutefois, la mise en œuvre de cette disposition par l’État ou par les communes (et les C.P.A.S. en particulier) diverge complètement dans ces deux législations tant au niveau de l’interprétation de ce droit créance qu’au niveau des moyens financiers consentis. Le texte se propose d’analyser ces divergences.