bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Attenuation of aortic calcification with lanthanum carbonate versus calcium‐based phosphate binders in haemodialysis: A pilot randomized controlled trial
Authors: TOUSSAINT NIGEL D , LAU KENNETH K , POLKINGHORNE KEVAN R , KERR PETER G 
Published: October 2010

ABSTRACTBackground:  Vascular calcification (VC) contributes to cardiovascular disease in haemodialysis (HD) patients. Few controlled studies have addressed interventions to reduce VC but non‐calcium‐based phosphate binders may be beneficial. No published randomized study to date has assessed the effect of lanthanum carbonate (LC) on VC progression.Methods:  We conducted a pilot randomized controlled trial to determine the effect of LC on VC. Forty‐five HD patients were randomized to either LC or calcium carbonate (CC). Primary outcome was change in aortic VC after 18 months. Secondary outcomes included superficial femoral artery (SFA) VC, bone mineral density (BMD) of lumbar spine and serum markers of mineral metabolism. At baseline, 6 and 18 month computed tomography was performed to measure VC and BMD. A random effect linear regression model was performed to assess differences.Results:  Thirty patients completed the study (17 LC, 13 CC); baseline median age 58 years, 38% diabetic, 64% male. Ninety‐three per cent had aortic VC at commencement and 87% showed progression. At 18 months, there was significantly less aortic VC progression with LC than CC (adjusted difference −98.1 (−149.4, −46.8) Hounsfield units (HU), P < 0.001). There was also a non‐significant reduction with LC in left SFA VC (−25.8 (−67.7, 16.1) HU, P = 0.2) and right SFA VC (−35.9 (−77.8, 5.9) HU, P = 0.09). There was no difference in lumbar spine BMD and serum phosphate, calcium and parathyroid hormone levels between groups. Limitations to the study include small sample size and loss to follow up.Conclusions:  Lanthanum carbonate was associated with reduced progression of aortic calcification compared with CC in HD patients over 18 months.
Slow vs standard up‐titration of paroxetine in the treatment of panic disorder: A prospective randomized trial
Authors: Buoli Massimiliano , Dell'Osso Bernardo , Bosi Monica Francesca , Altamura Carlo 
Published: October 2010

Aim:  Patients with panic disorder (PD) might be sensitive to the stimulating effects of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI), thus requiring low dosages at treatment initiation. The aim of the present study was to assess eventual differences in terms of effectiveness and tolerability between a slow up‐titration with paroxetine and a standard one.Methods:  In an open randomized, multicenter, primary‐care study, 60 patients (44 women and 16 men) with PD with or without agoraphobia were enrolled and randomized to receive a slow up‐titration with paroxetine (increments of 2.5 mg/day every 2 days) or a standard one (increments of 10 mg/day every week) up to a maximum daily dose of 20 mg. Repeated‐measures anova on sub‐items scores of the Panic Attack Anticipatory Anxiety Scale (PAAS) and Dosage Record and Treatment Emergent Symptom Scale (DOTES), respectively, used as outcome measures of effectiveness and tolerability, were performed. Significance level was set at 0.05 and it was not corrected.Results:  anova showed no differences between the two treatments in terms of effectiveness and tolerability. Post hoc analysis found only one significant difference in the intensity of spontaneous panic attacks (Panic and Anticipatory Anxiety Scale) in the first 9 days of treatment between the two treatment groups, which was that this item was less intense in the slow‐titration group (treatment effect: F = 4.89, P = 0.03, effect size = 0.1).Conclusion:  Present findings suggest only a small superiority for a slow up‐titration regimen of paroxetine compared to a standard one in the first 9 days of treatment but no differences at end‐point.
Hyperinsulinemia associated with overweight medicated bipolar patients during full remission
Authors: Chung Kuo‐Hsuan , Tsai Shang‐Ying 
Published: October 2010

Aims:  Insulin resistance, quantified by hyperinsulinemia, has been identified as a preclinical state for metabolic syndrome. Acute medicated bipolar patients are vulnerable to hyperinsulinemia in early remission. We examined the proportion of fasting serum insulin levels in remitted bipolar patients and considered what factors may contribute to hyperinsulinemia.Methods:  Measurements taken in this study included the fasting plasma levels of insulin, glucose, triglycerides, total cholesterol, high‐density‐lipoprotein‐cholesterol, low‐density‐lipoprotein‐cholesterol, and the body mass index (BMI) among 56 bipolar I manic patients in full remission. We examined serum insulin levels in order to explore the correlation between and within the hyperinsulinemia and non‐hyperinsulinemia groups.Results:  A total of 15 patients (26.8%) were identified as having hyperinsulinemia. Among all factors, only BMI was associated with higher serum insulin level (BMI ≥ 24: odds ratio of 8.57; P < 0.01; 95% confidence interval, 1.65–44.43).Conclusion:  Hyperinsulinemia was not more prevalent in medicated euthymic bipolar patients compared with the general population. However, increasing bodyweight may make these patients more vulnerable to hyperinsulinemia, irrespective of their mood stabilizers or antipsychotics. Weight management should not be ignored in euthymic bipolar patients to prevent the preclinical state for metabolic syndrome.
Clinical characteristics of children with 2009 pandemic H1N1 influenza virus infections
Authors: Dubnov‐Raz Gal , Somech Raz , Warschawski Yaniv , Eisenberg Gilad , Bujanover Yoram 
Published: October 2010

AbstractBackground:  Further understanding of the clinical manifestations, hospital course and treatment options of the 2009 pandemic H1N1 influenza virus (H1N1) is needed in preparation for future outbreaks.Methods:  Seventy‐three children with polymerase‐chain‐reaction‐confirmed infections with H1N1 treated in a tertiary care medical center in Israel were included in the study. Clinical data were extracted from medical records, and analyzed by hospitalization status or the presence of underlying chronic medical conditions.Results:  Prevalent symptoms were fever, cough and shortness of breath, with additional findings of conjunctivitis, seizures, chills, dizziness, purpuric rash and chest pain. Hospitalized patients were more likely to have shortness of breath (OR 26.7, 95%CI: 3.5–1150), abnormal lung auscultation (OR 11.6, 95%CI: 2.8–67), abnormal X‐ray (OR 3.3, 95%CI: 1.1–9.6), and a chronic illness (OR 5.4, 95%CI: 1.8–17), compared with non‐hospitalized ones. Disease manifestations were similar between children with or without chronic diseases. Only two (2.7%) children required intensive care, and no deaths were recorded. A high rate (18%) of thrombocytopenia was found. One child had rapid symptom resolution after intravenous immunoglobulin treatment.Conclusion:  H1N1 infection follows a mild course, even in the presence of severe underlying diseases. Abnormal respiratory findings and the presence of a chronic disease probably contributed to the decision to hospitalize patients. A rapid resolution of H1N1 symptoms after intravenous immunoglobulin treatment warrants further study, and could be a possible therapeutic option for severe cases.
A short course for surgical supervisors and trainers: effecting behavioural change
Authors: Copertino Nicolas , Blackham Ruth , Hamdorf Jeffrey M. 
Published: October 2010

AbstractBackground:  The Supervisors and Trainers for the Surgical Education and Training (SAT SET) course was developed to assist surgical trainers in Australia and New Zealand with the transition to the new Surgical Education and Training framework. The aim of this study was to assess whether attendance at the course translated into behavioural change in surgical trainers and supervisors.Methods:  An online survey tool was distributed to registered participants in the SAT SET Course. Demographic data, attitudes towards the course and perceived behavioural change since attendance was measured. Data was collected using a 5‐point Likert Scale with room for occasional free text comments.Results:  A 35% response rate was achieved for the study. Most thought the course was well designed, easy to follow and met its key aims. The majority felt more comfortable with the use of the new in‐training assessment tools and had gained a more structured approach to analyse their trainees' performance. Most felt their roles as supervisors had been improved by attending the SAT SET course. Informal feedback to trainees had increased; however, structured feedback rates remained low. Fears that the new system would increase the workload on supervisors did not seem to have materialized. Of the respondents, 43% considered that objective assessment of trainees had improved without fear of legal implications.Conclusions:  The SAT SET course appears to have been well received and has helped better inform participants of their roles and has resulted in an appreciable positive behavioural change in their practice as surgical supervisors.
The surgical art of Barbara Hepworth and the Garnett Passe and Rodney Williams foundation
Authors: Kane Kevin 
Published: October 2010

AbstractThe Garnett Passe and Rodney Williams Foundation, a major medical research foundation in Melbourne, holds two paintings by the celebrated British sculptor and artist Dame Barbara Hepworth. It recently acquired the second painting by her depicting the Foundation's nominal patron, Garnett Passe, performing a tonsillectomy. These works are two of a large series of surgical paintings she made in the years 1947 to 1949.This article gives an account of Barbara Hepworth and the surgical series of paintings and her relationship to Garnett Passe, the Australian ENT surgeon and Norman Capener, the British orthopaedic surgeon who introduced her into this subject.Barbara Hepworth's meeting with these two surgeons produced one of the most remarkable series of surgical paintings and drawings ever produced in Western Art.
A guide to multi‐centre ethics for surgical research in Australia and New Zealand
Authors: Boult Maggi , Fitzpatrick Kate , Maddern Guy , Fitridge Robert 
Published: October 2010

AbstractBackground:  This paper describes existing inconsistencies as well as the disparate processes and logistics required when obtaining ethics approval in Australia and New Zealand in order to initiate a multi‐centre bi‐national surgical trial.Methods:  The endovascular aortic aneurysm repair trial is a large multi‐centre trial that aims to obtain pre‐ and post‐operative data from patients in hospitals across Australia and New Zealand. As the trial was research based, ethics applications were submitted to all hospitals where surgeons wished to be involved in the trial.Results:  Few ethics committees have embraced attempts to simplify the application process for multi‐centre trials. There was limited mutual review between Human Research Ethics Committees necessitating the submission of multiple applications. Though the use of the National Ethics Application Form in ethical review is increasing, some Human Research Ethics Committees do not accept it in its entirety; many require site‐specific applications or sections of the Common Application Form modules.Conclusions:  Queensland, New South Wales and New Zealand were the easiest systems to prepare, submit and lodge ethics applications because of their understanding and accommodation of reviewing multi‐centred trials. The time, expense and complexity of obtaining ethics approval for multi‐centre research projects are impediments to their establishment and reduce the time available for research. Australia is working to implement a system named the Harmonisation of Multi‐centre Ethical Review to ease the process of obtaining multi‐centre ethics clearance. Our experience suggests there will be some teething problems with implementation and acceptance.
Randomized, crossover study evaluating patient preference and the impact on quality of life of urisheaths vs absorbent products in incontinent men
Authors: Chartier‐Kastler Emmanuel , Ballanger Philippe , Petit Jacques , Fourmarier Marc , Bart Stéphane , Ragni‐Ghazarossian Evelyne , Ruffion Alain , Le Normand Loïc , Costa Pierre 
Published: October 2010

Study Type – Therapy (RCT)Level of Evidence 1bOBJECTIVE

To evaluate the impact of urisheaths vs absorbent products (APs) on quality of life (QoL) in men with moderate to severe urinary incontinence (UI).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A randomized, controlled, crossover trial in 61 outpatient adult men with stable, moderate to severe UI, with no concomitant faecal incontinence, was conducted from June 2007 to February 2009 in 14 urology centres.
Participants tested Conveen Optima urisheaths (Coloplast, Humlebaek, Denmark) with collecting bags and their usual AP in random order for 2 weeks each.
The impact of each on QoL was measured using the King’s Health Questionnaire (KHQ) and the short form‐12 acute questionnaire, and each patient’s preference was recorded.
A 10‐item patient questionnaire was also used to assess the product main advantages on an 11‐point scale (0: worst; 10: best). A 72‐h leakage diary was used to record the number and severity of leaks and daily product consumption. Safety was measured as the number of local adverse events.

RESULTS

All dimensions of the KHQ were scored lower with urisheaths, indicating an improvement in QoL. The greatest mean score reductions were in Limitations of Daily Activities (−10.24, P= 0.01) and Incontinence Impact (−7.05, P= 0.045).
The majority (69%) of patients preferred Conveen Optima urisheaths to their usual AP (P = 0.002).
Urisheaths scored significantly higher for all categories in the patient questionnaire (efficacy, self‐image, odour management, discretion, skin integrity) except ease of use.
Safety was considered to be good.

CONCLUSIONS

Conveen Optima urisheaths showed a positive impact on QoL (according to the KHQ results) in moderate to severe incontinent men, who were long‐term users of APs, and participants largely preferred urisheaths.
Conveen Optima urisheaths should be recommended to incontinent men in preference to APs.
Bayesian Non-Parametric Hidden Markov Models with Applications in Genomics
Authors: Yau C. , Papaspiliopoulos O. , Roberts G. O. , Holmes C. 
Published: October 2010

SummaryWe propose a flexible non-parametric specification of the emission distribution in hidden Markov models and we introduce a novel methodology for carrying out the computations. Whereas current approaches use a finite mixture model, we argue in favour of an infinite mixture model given by a mixture of Dirichlet processes. The computational framework is based on auxiliary variable representations of the Dirichlet process and consists of a forward–backward Gibbs sampling algorithm of similar complexity to that used in the analysis of parametric hidden Markov models. The algorithm involves analytic marginalizations of latent variables to improve the mixing, facilitated by exchangeability properties of the Dirichlet process that we uncover in the paper. A by-product of this work is an efficient Gibbs sampler for learning Dirichlet process hierarchical models. We test the Monte Carlo algorithm proposed against a wide variety of alternatives and find significant advantages. We also investigate by simulations the sensitivity of the proposed model to prior specification and data-generating mechanisms. We apply our methodology to the analysis of genomic copy number variation. Analysing various real data sets we find significantly more accurate inference compared with state of the art hidden Markov models which use finite mixture emission distributions.
Inference on the Primary Parameter of Interest with the Aid of Dimension Reduction Estimation
Authors: Li Lexin , Zhu Liping , Zhu Lixing 
Published: October 2010

SummaryAs high dimensional data become routinely available in applied sciences, sufficient dimension reduction has been widely employed and its research has received considerable attention. However, with the majority of sufficient dimension reduction methodology focusing on the dimension reduction step, complete analysis and inference after dimension reduction have yet to receive much attention. We couple the strategy of sufficient dimension reduction with a flexible semiparametric model. We concentrate on inference with respect to the primary variables of interest, and we employ sufficient dimension reduction to bring down the dimension of the regression effectively. Extensive simulations demonstrate the efficacy of the method proposed, and a real data analysis is presented for illustration.
UVB 308‐nm excimer light and bath PUVA: combination therapy is very effective in the treatment of prurigo nodularis
Authors: Hammes S. , Hermann J. , Roos S. , Ockenfels H.M. 
Published: October 2010

AbstractBackground  Prurigo nodularis (PN) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease with nodular itching lesions. UV therapy – both PUVA and NUVB – are known to clear up PN temporarily due to the antipruritic effect of UV light. However, relapse after treatment is common in PN, which means that either long‐term therapy is necessary or the treatment protocols have to be optimized to minimize side‐effects.Objective  The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect that combining bath PUVA and targeted UVB 308 nm excimer radiation has on recalcitrant nodular prurigo.Methods  In a prospective trial, 22 patients with PN were treated with either PUVA alone or with a combination of PUVA and excimer UVB. The end point was complete or almost complete remission of PN.Results  Adding a 308‐nm excimer UVB to the treatment of the pruritic nodules sped up the healing process; 30% less PUVA radiation was needed.Conclusion  The combination of PUVA and excimer UVB in PN appears to be very efficacious. Reducing psoralen UVA doses by 30% offered long‐term benefits in phototherapy of chronic recalcitrant diseases like PN.
Human microvascular lymphatic and blood endothelial cells produce fibrillin: deposition patterns and quantitative analysis
Authors: Rossi Antonella , Gabbrielli Erica , Villano Marilisa , Messina Mario , Ferrara Francesco , Weber Elisabetta 
Published: October 2010

AbstractFibrillin microfibrils constitute a scaffold for elastin deposition in the wall of arteries and form the anchoring filaments that connect the lymphatic endothelium to surrounding elastic fibers. We previously reported that fibrillin is deposited in a honeycomb pattern in bovine arterial endothelial cells, which also deposit microfibril‐associated glycoprotein (MAGP)‐1, whereas thoracic duct endothelial cells form an irregular web. The present immunohistochemical study was designed to verify whether lymphatic and blood human dermal microvascular endothelial cells (HDMECs) isolated from human foreskin by the sequential use of a pan‐endothelial marker, CD31, and the lymphatic specific marker, D2‐40, deposit fibrillin and MAGP‐1. In both cell types, fibrillin and MAGP‐1 co‐localized and were deposited with different patterns of increasing complexity co‐existing in the same culture. Fibrillin microfibrils formed a wide‐mesh honeycomb leaving fibrillin‐free spaces that were gradually filled. This modality of fibrillin deposition, similar to that of bovine large artery endothelial cells, was basically the same in blood and lymphatic HDMECs. In some lymphatic HDMECs, fibrillin was initially deposited as uniformly scattered short fibrillin strands probably as a result of anchoring filaments carried over from the vessels of origin. Our findings show that blood and lymphatic endothelial cells participate in fibrillin deposition in human skin.
Distribution of VGF peptides in the human cortex and their selective changes in Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases
Authors: Cocco Cristina , D’Amato Filomena , Noli Barbara , Ledda Antonella , Brancia Carla , Bongioanni Paolo , Ferri Gian‐Luca 
Published: October 2010

AbstractVGF mRNA and its precursor‐derived products are selectively expressed in certain neurons and promptly respond to neurotrophins and to neural/electrical activity. Proteomic studies have previously revealed a reduction in some VGF peptides in the cerebrospinal fluid of patients affected by Alzheimer’s disease and other conditions, suggesting their potential diagnostic and clinical significance. As the presence of VGF peptides within the human cortex has been somewhat elucidated, they were studied postmortem in the frontal, parietal, and temporal cortex areas of control subjects and patients affected by Parkinson’s disease, and in parietal cortex samples from patients with Alzheimer’s disease. We raised antibodies to the C‐/N‐terminal portions of the proVGF precursor protein, to the TPGH and TLQP sequences and to the neuroendocrine regulatory peptide (NERP)‐1, all used for enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay coupled with gel chromatography and for immunohistochemistry. In the control brain samples, the levels of TPGH and C‐terminus peptides were about 130–200 and 700–2000 pmol g−1, respectively, the N‐terminus and NERP‐1 peptides were less represented (about 10–30 and 4–20 pmol g−1, respectively), and the TLQP peptides were below detection limits. Upon gel chromatography, the VGF antisera mainly revealed small molecular weight forms (i.e. about 0.8–1.3 kDa), whereas VGF immunolocalisation was found within different types of neuron in rat and bovine brain cortices. In the Parkinson’s disease samples, a clear‐cut decrease was revealed in the parietal cortex only, exclusively for TPGH and NERP‐1 peptides, whereas in the Alzheimer’s disease samples, a reduction in all of the VGF peptides was shown. The results suggest the involvement of VGF in the physiological or pathophysiological mechanisms occurring in the parietal cortex of patients with Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases.
Astrocytes in injury states rapidly produce anti‐inflammatory factors and attenuate microglial inflammatory responses
Authors: Kim Jong‐hyeon , Min Kyoung‐Jin , Seol Wongi , Jou Ilo , Joe Eun‐hye 
Published: October 2010

J. Neurochem. (2010) 115, 1161–1171.AbstractMicroglia are known to be a primary inflammatory cell type in the brain. However, microglial inflammatory responses are attenuated in the injured brain compared to those in cultured pure microglia. In the present study, we found that astrocytes challenged by oxygen–glucose deprivation (OGD) or H2O2 released soluble factor(s) and attenuated microglial inflammatory responses. Conditioned medium prepared from astrocytes treated with OGD (OGD‐ACM) or H2O2 (H2O2‐ACM) significantly reduced the levels of interferon‐γ (IFN‐γ)‐induced microglial inflammatory mediators, including inducible nitric oxide synthase, at both the mRNA and protein levels. The anti‐inflammatory effect of astrocytes appeared very rapidly (within 5 min), but was not closely correlated with the extent of astrocyte damage. Both OGD‐ACM and H2O2‐ACM inhibited STAT nuclear signaling, as evidenced by a reduction in both STAT‐1/3 binding to the IFN‐γ‐activated site and IFN‐γ‐activated site promoter activity. However, both phosphorylation and nuclear translocation of STAT‐1/3 was unchanged in IFN‐γ‐treated microglia. The active component(s) in OGD‐ACM were smaller than 3 kDa, and displayed anti‐inflammatory effects independent of protein synthesis. These results suggest that, in the injured brain, astrocytes may act as a controller to rapidly suppress microglial activation.