bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Accuracy of preoperative ultrasound and ultrasound‐guided fine needle aspiration cytology for axillary staging in breast cancer
Authors: Jung Jinhyang , Park Hoyong , Park Jiyoung , Kim Hyejung 
Published: November 2009

AbstractBackground:  The aims of this study were to evaluate the accuracy of preoperative ultrasound and ultrasound‐guided fine needle aspiration (FNA) cytology (US‐FNAC) for detecting axillary metastases, and to assess how often sentinel node biopsy could be avoided.Methods:  Axillary ultrasound, as a part of routine preoperative staging, was performed in 189 patients with histologically proven breast cancer. US‐FNAC was performed on all lymph nodes (LNs) with features suggestive of metastatic disease on ultrasound characteristics and LNs larger than 1 cm regardless of whether the nodes appear normal or abnormal. The cytologic results were compared with the final histological diagnosis.Results:  The sensitivity, specificity and positive and negative predictive values of the ultrasound alone of axillary LNs for metastatic breast cancer were 54, 91, 75 and 81%, retrospectively. For the US‐FNAC, the respective values were 80, 98, 97 and 84%.Conclusions:  Preoperative axillary ultrasound in combination with US‐FNAC provides a simple, minimally invasive and reliable approach to the initial determination of the axillary LN status. Those who are US‐FNAC positive can be referred for axillary LN dissection without sentinel LN biopsy.
Asexual endophytes and associated alkaloids alter arthropod community structure and increase herbivore abundances on a native grass
Authors: Jani Andrea J. , Faeth Stanley H. , Gardner Dale 
Published: November 2009

AbstractDespite their minute biomass, microbial symbionts of plants potentially alter herbivory, diversity and community structure. Infection of grasses by asexual endophytic fungi often decreases herbivore loads and alters arthropod diversity. However, most studies to date have involved agronomic grasses and often consider only infection status (infected vs. uninfected), without explicitly measuring endophyte‐produced alkaloids, which vary among endophyte isolates and may impact consumers. We combined field experiments and population surveys to investigate how endophyte infection and associated alkaloids influence abundances, species richness, evenness and guild structure of arthropod communities on a native grass, Achnatherum robustum (sleepygrass). Surprisingly, we found that endophyte‐produced alkaloids were associated with increased herbivore abundances and species richness. Our results suggest that, unlike what has been found in agronomic grass systems, high alkaloid levels in native grasses may not protect host grasses from arthropod herbivores, and may instead more negatively affect natural enemies of herbivores. Ecology Letters (2010) 13: 106–117
Minimally invasive percutaneous cystolithotomy: an effective treatment for bladder stones in infants aged <1 year
Authors: Gan Weidong , Guo Hongqian , Yang Rong , Lian Huibo , Yao Linfang 
Published: November 2009

Study Type – Therapy (case series) Level of Evidence 4OBJECTIVETo present our experience with minimally invasive percutaneous cystolithotomy (MPCCL) for the treatment of bladder stones in infants aged <1 year.PATIENTS AND METHODSFrom 1 January 2003 to 31 October 2008, 15 boys with a mean (range) age of 8.2  (3.0–11.5) months underwent MPCCL. The mean (range) stone diameter was 1.4 (0.9–2.2) cm. Ten infants had a solitary stone while five had more than one stone. MPCCLs were performed under general anaesthesia. A 16 F peel‐away sheath was introduced as a working tract after dilatation with percutaneous nephrolithotomy dilators (8–16 F) under fluoroscopic control. After dilatation, an 8–9.8 F ureteroscope was introduced into the bladder, and the stones were fragmented with a shock wave lithotriptor. After the MPCCL, a 14 F suprapubic catheter was left in situ and fixed to the skin, and removed 1 or 2 days after MPCCL. The urethral catheter was removed 2 or 3 days after MPCCL. The absence of stone fragments on plain X‐ray/ultrasonography was considered as a ‘stone‐free’ status.RESULTSAll infants were stone‐free after one MPCCL; no recurrent stones developed. The mean MPCCL procedure time was 25 min and intraoperative blood loss was scant. Perioperative complications were few. The mean hospital stay was 2.8 days.CONCLUSIONMPCCL is a safe and effective treatment option for bladder stones in infants, reducing postoperative complications and shortening hospital stay.
Predictors of discontinuing overactive bladder medications
Authors: Brubaker Linda , Fanning Kristina , Goldberg Erica L. , Benner Joshua S. , Trocio Jeffrey N. , Bavendam Tamara , Jumadilova Zhanna 
Published: November 2009

Study Type – Symptom prevalence (prospective cohort) Level of Evidence 1bOBJECTIVETo identify predictors of self‐reported discontinuation of overactive bladder (OAB) medication using a three‐phase survey.PATIENTS AND METHODSIn January 2005, a phase 1 survey was sent to 260 000 households in the USA to assess the prevalence of OAB symptom bother, treatment patterns and healthcare consulting behaviour. In July 2005, a detailed phase 2 follow‐up survey was sent to 6577 phase 1 respondents who had used one or more OAB medications within the 12 months before phase 1; the phase 2 survey included questions about respondents’ sociodemographic characteristics, general health status, OAB symptom bother, healthcare consulting behaviour, beliefs about OAB and treatment options, and medication usage. Six months later, a phase 3 survey was sent to 3387 phase‐2 respondents who were persistent with OAB medication or had discontinued within <18 months of phase 2; the phase 3 survey measured the same variables as phase 2. Only phase 3 respondents who were persistent with OAB medication at phase 2 were included in the analyses reported here. Assessed were the proportions of respondents who were still persistent with OAB medication at phase 3 and who discontinued OAB medication between phases 2 and 3. The variables measured during the phase 2 survey were screened as potential predictors of discontinuation at phase 3 using univariate analysis and then assessed using multivariate logistic regression.RESULTSAmong 2838 respondents at phase 3 (84% response rate), 1194 had recently discontinued and 1644 were persistent with medication at phase 2. Among phase‐3 respondents who were persistent at phase 2, 1040 (66%) continued to be persistent at phase 3, 280 (18%) had discontinued between phases 2 and 3, and 261 (17%) had switched medication between phases 2 and 3; 63 respondents had missing prescription information at phase 3. Predictors of discontinuing at phase 3 included smoking (odds ratio 1.80; 95% confidence interval 1.15–2.83; P = 0.010), not knowing whether treating bladder problems requires multiple daily doses of medication (1.71, 1.10–2.67; P = 0.018), believing (2.11, 1.34–3.33; P = 0.001) or not knowing (1.76, 1.23–2.52; P = 0.002) whether adverse effects of OAB medications are often severe, and being bothered ‘quite a bit or more’ by a sudden urge to urinate (1.54, 1.05–2.26; P = 0.028). Respondents taking two or more medications were less likely to discontinue (odds ratio 0.45–0.58; P < 0.05).CONCLUSIONPersistence with OAB medications might be improved by addressing predictors of discontinuation in the management of OAB, by proactively informing patients about the severity of antimuscarinic adverse effects, and dosing regimens. Bother associated with the key OAB symptom, urgency, is a predictor of discontinuation of treatment.
Suppressed tumour growth and enhanced chemosensitivity by RNA interference targeting Aurora‐A in the PC3 human prostate cancer model
Authors: Kumano Masafumi , Miyake Hideaki , Terakawa Tomoaki , Furukawa Junya , Fujisawa Masato 
Published: November 2009

OBJECTIVESTo investigate the inhibitory effects of Aurora‐A expression in prostate cancer cells on their growth and chemosensitivity.PATIENTS AND METHODSAurora‐A expression in radical prostatectomy specimens obtained from 193 patients were evaluated by immunohistochemical staining. We then established PC3 cells in which the expression vector containing short‐hairpin RNA (shRNA) targeting Aurora‐A was introduced (PC3/sh‐A). The growth and the sensitivity to docetaxel in PC3/sh‐A were compared with those in PC3 transfected with control vector alone (PC3/C).RESULTSImmunohistochemistry showed that there were various levels of Aurora‐A expression in most prostate cancer tissues, and the expression levels of Aurora‐A in prostate cancer were significantly related to Gleason score. Expression levels of both Aurora‐A mRNA and protein in PC3/sh‐A were ≈20% of those in PC3/C. In vitro growth of PC3/sh‐A was significantly worse than that of PC3/C, and the proportion of PC3/sh‐A in the G2‐M phase was significantly greater than that of PC3/C. The 50% inhibitory concentration of docetaxel in PC3/sh‐A decreased by 67% compared with that in PC3/C. Tumour volume in nude mice injected with PC3/sh‐A was significantly smaller than that with PC3/C. Furthermore, treatment of nude mice bearing PC3/sh‐A tumour with docetaxel (10 mg/kg, once weekly for 4 weeks) achieved a synergistic cytotoxic effect, despite the lack of an enhanced antitumour effect of docetaxel on PC3/C tumours.CONCLUSIONSThe suppression of Aurora‐A using shRNA could be a useful therapeutic strategy against androgen‐independent prostate cancer, through growth inhibition as well as enhanced chemosensitivity.
Transfer of cysto‐urethroscopy skills from a virtual‐reality simulator to the operating room: a randomized controlled trial
Authors: Schout Barbara M.A. , Ananias Hildo J.K. , Bemelmans Bart L.H. , D’Ancona Frank C.H. , Muijtjens Arno M.M. , Dolmans Valerie E.M.G. , Scherpbier Albert J.J.A. , Hendrikx Ad J.M. 
Published: November 2009

Study Type – Therapy (RCT)  Level of Evidence 1bOBJECTIVETo assess whether real‐time cysto‐urethroscopy (CUS) performance improves by simulator‐based training (criterion or predictive validity), addressing the research question ‘Does practical skills training on the URO Mentor (UM, Simbionix USA Corp., Cleveland, OH, USA) virtual‐reality simulator improve the performance of flexible CUS in patients’.SUBJECTS AND METHODSParticipants (71 interns from Catharina Hospital Eindhoven, CHE, and 29 from University Medical Centre Groningen, UMCG) were randomized to carry out CUS in a patient after training on the UM (UM‐trained, 50) or without training on UM (control, 50). The assessment of real‐time performance consisted of scoring on a Global Rating Scale (GRS) by supervisors unaware of training status. Data were analysed using stepwise multiple linear regression. The effect size (ES) indication for correlations was used to interpret the magnitude of a standard regression coefficient (β); an ES of 0.10, 0.30 and 0.50 were considered small, moderate and large, respectively. The study was approved by the Medical Review Ethics Committees of the participating hospitals.RESULTSOverall, the group that received training performed significantly better than the controls (P ≤ 0.003, β range 0.30–0.47). There was no effect of training for participants with a specific preference for a surgical speciality in two of five GRS scores. Participants from CHE obtained higher GRS 3 scores than those from UMCG. Significantly more UMCG trainees indicated having had stress than those from CHE (P < 0.001).CONCLUSIONSThe results showed that interns who had trained on UM outperformed controls for a CUS procedure in a patient. Training for CUS on the UM is to be recommended for learning to respect tissue, procedural knowledge, flow of procedure and forward planning. Use of the UM to train interns with a specific interest in a surgical speciality in handling instruments, and time and motion, seems to be of limited value.
Prognostic factors for and outcome of locally advanced prostate cancer after radical prostatectomy
Authors: Hsu Chao‐Yu , Wildhagen Mark F. , Van Poppel Hein , Bangma Chris H. 
Published: November 2009

Study Type – Therapy (case series) Level of Evidence 2bOBJECTIVETo present the outcomes of cT3N0M0 prostate cancer after radical prostatectomy (RP) and determine the prognostic factors in biochemical progression‐free survival (BPFS), clinical progression‐free survival (CPFS), cancer‐specific survival (CSS) and overall survival (OS) after long‐term follow‐up of 10 years.PATIENTS AND METHODSIn all, 164 patients who were assessed as clinical T3 prostate cancer by digital rectal examination (DRE), underwent RP and bilateral pelvic lymphadenectomy at Erasmus MC between 1977 and 2004 without neoadjuvant treatment. Preoperative staging computed tomography showed no signs of metastasis. Kaplan–Meier curves were constructed to show BPFS, CPFS, CSS and OS. Cox proportional hazard analysis was used to determine prognostic indicators of disease progression.RESULTSThe mean (range) follow‐up was 100 (1–291) months. At 5, 10 and 15 years, BPFS was 50.4%, 43.0% and 38.3%, respectively, CPFS was 79.7%, 68.7% and 63.5%, CSS was 93.4%, 80.3% and 66.3%, and OS was 87.1%, 67.2% and 37.4%. Multivariate Cox proportional hazard analysis showed that surgical tumour grade, margin and node status were significant factors in CPFS and CSS. Surgical tumour grade, node status and preoperative PSA level were significant factors in BPFSCONCLUSIONRP for clinically locally advanced prostate cancer may produce acceptable long‐term BPFS, which is comparable with published results of radiotherapy with adjuvant endocrine therapy. Pathological tumour grade and node status were significant predicting factors in BPFS and CPFS, as well as tumour‐specific survival after 100 months follow‐up.
Synergies between processing and memory in children’s reading span
Authors: Towse John N. , Hitch Graham J. , Horton Neil , Harvey Katarina 
Published: November 2009

AbstractPrevious research has established the relevance of working memory for cognitive development. Yet the factors responsible for shaping performance in the complex span tasks used to assess working memory capacity are not fully understood. We report a study of reading span in 7‐ to 11‐year‐old children that addresses several contemporary theoretical issues. We demonstrate that both the timing and the accuracy of recall are affected by the presence or absence of a semantic connection between the processing requirement and the memoranda. Evidence that there can be synergies between processing and memory argues against the view that complex span simply measures the competition between these activities. We also demonstrate a consistent relationship between the rate of completing processing operations (sentence reading) and recall accuracy. At the same time, the shape and strength of this function varies with the task configuration. Taken together, these results demonstrate the potential for reconstructive influences to shape working memory performance among children.
Immigration and its Imperatives
Authors: Chia Joyce 
Published: November 2009

AbstractConflict and compromise have marked domestic immigration and asylum law in many countries. In examining whether these patterns will be replicated at the level of the EU, this article proposes an alternative method for analysing immigration law and its politics, framing them within the complex interaction of the interpretations by key actors of the imperatives of the State, the EU, and the legal sphere. An account of the functional, normative and polity legitimating imperatives, their specific manifestations in different spheres, and their interaction in the field of immigration and asylum is sketched. This politically‐grounded analysis explains more clearly the structure of conflict and compromise that characterises this sphere, illuminates the judicial strategies in this field and enables us to speculate upon the probable future of EU immigration and asylum law.
Race Equality and TCNs, or How to Fight Discrimination with A Discriminatory Law
Authors: Lahuerta Sara Benedí 
Published: November 2009

AbstractTwo subjects often fit with difficulty in ‘Fortress Europe’: Equality and Third Country Nationals (TCNs). EC Law presents fundamental weaknesses with regard to TCNs in the intersections between race, religion and nationality discrimination. In particular for non‐EU nationals, these three grounds of discrimination can be closely related, and difficult to distinguish. However, they are of great importance for the integration and fair treatment of migrants, which was one of the objectives of the Tampere Programme. This article analyses the extent to which the Race Equality Directive (43/2000/EC) and the Framework Equality Directive (78/2000/EC) provide an effective protection against ‘racial related discrimination’. It suggests that the loopholes of both Directives, together with the current interpretation of Article 12 EC, have institutionalised not only a hierarchy of equalities, but also a hierarchy of peoples, and it explores possible interpretative solutions.
The Scope of Article 12 of the Treaty of the European Communities vis‐à‐vis Third‐Country Nationals: Evolution at Last?
Authors: Hublet Chloé 
Published: November 2009

AbstractThis article will critically examine the traditional interpretation of Article 12 EC—prohibiting discrimination on the basis of nationality—as not applying to third country nationals (TCNs). Different arguments, both for and against this ‘classic’ interpretation, will be considered. Analysing the question of the ‘scope of application of the EC Treaty’, with a view to determining the scope of application of Article 12 EC, it will be emphasised that this is not restricted to the right of free movement, in that the latter's restricted personal scope of application does not determine that of Article 12 EC. This is all the more true following the Treaty of Amsterdam's partial ‘Communitarisation’ of policies on visas, asylum and immigration, which tend to apply principally to TCNs. In extending the material scope of application of the EC Treaty, this ‘Communitarisation’ simultaneously leads to an extension of the specific scope of application of Article 12 EC. Working from the hypothesis that Article 12 EC could indeed apply to TCNs, we will then examine the eventual consequences of such an application.
Trafficking in Human Beings: The EU Approach between Border Control, Law Enforcement and Human Rights
Authors: Krieg Sarah H. 
Published: November 2009

AbstractThe fight against trafficking in human beings has been high on the political agenda of international organisations, regional organisations and states for more than a decade. The European Union (EU) and the international community continuously reaffirm their commitment to work jointly in countering the phenomenon. After years of arguing over a common definition and approach that culminated in the first international definition in 2000, it could be assumed that the international and European definitions solve the issue of how to define and counter trafficking in human beings. Still, the debate on how to understand and approach the problem has not ceased to exist. In particular, the dominant opposition between a rights‐based and a law enforcement approach has not been dissolved by calls for holistic or multi‐faceted approaches. The aim of this article is to identify the approach taken by the EU, looking out for conceptual (in‐)consistencies, underlying assumptions and convictions. The rationale guiding EU action is extracted and questioned by disclosing silenced aspects and contrasting them to their reappearance in other legal instruments. It is argued that the humanitarian intentions of victim protection are overshadowed by general anti‐immigration conveniences. The approach taken by the EU not only provokes the somewhat artificial opposition between innocent victim and guilty migrant, but it can easily fall prey to deeply entrenched gender and racial stereotypes.
Free Movement of Third Country Nationals in the European Union? Main Features, Deficiencies and Challenges of the new Mobility Rights in the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice
Authors: Iglesias Sánchez Sara 
Published: November 2009

AbstractThe adoption of European Community (EC) Directives in the field of legal migration has been accompanied by the introduction of intra‐community mobility rights. This new kind of right is characterised by specific features with regard to free movement rights enjoyed by European Union (EU) citizens. Besides, existing mobility rights for third country nationals (TCNs) raise some important problems with regard to their legal configuration and to their relationship with other fields of Community law. After having addressed these issues, it will be argued that the current regulation of mobility rights for TCNs does not fulfil the requirements of systematic coherence, and does no meet the need to grant a level of free movement that encompasses the evolution of harmonisation in the field of the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice.
A novel presenilin1 mutation (Q223R) associated with early onset Alzheimer’s disease, dysarthria and spastic paraparesis and decreased Abeta levels in CSF
Authors: Uttner I. , Kirchheiner J. , Tumani H. , Mottaghy F. M. , Lebedeva E. , Özer E. , Ludolph A. C. , Huber R. , Von Arnim C. A. F. 
Published: November 2009

Background and purpose:  A novel presenilin1 (PSEN1) mutation associated with dementia and spastic paraplegia in a family with five affected individuals is described. The index patient was a 35‐year‐old man presenting with cognitive decline, behavioural symptoms, dysarthria, and gait disorder due to spasticity.Methods and results:  Genetic analysis revealed a missense mutation Gln223Arg in exon 7. Initial CSF analysis revealed drastically decreased Abeta42 level despite marginally decreased FDG metabolism.Conclusion:  Cerebrospinal fluid biomarker analysis might point towards genetic analysis of PSEN1 in patients with positive family history and age of onset below 60 years.
Assessing autonomic symptoms of Parkinson’s disease with the SCOPA‐AUT: a new perspective from Rasch analysis
Authors: Forjaz M. J. , Ayala A. , Rodriguez‐Blazquez C. , Frades‐Payo B. , Martinez‐Martin P. ,   on behalf of the Longitudinal Parkinson’s Disease Patient Study (Estudio longitudinal de pacientes con enfermedad de Parkinson – ELEP) Group
Published: November 2009

Background: The Scale for Outcomes in Parkinson’s disease (PD) for Autonomic Symptoms (SCOPA‐AUT) is a specific scale to assess autonomic dysfunction in PD patients. It was developed and validated under the classic test theory approach. This study sought to test whether the SCOPA‐AUT meets item response theory standards for reliability, internal construct validity, response category ordering, and differential item functioning by gender and age group.Method: The Rasch measurement model was applied to a sample of 385 PD patients.Results: Model fit was obtained after the response categories were rescored and item 10‐Incomplete emptying deleted because of redundancy. Person separation index, a reliability measure, was 0.82. All but two items (2‐Sialorrhea and 13‐Nocturia) were free of gender‐ and age‐related bias. The strict tests of unidimensionality were met, indicating the validity of the total sumscore. Scale targeting suggested the need for items representing milder autonomic symptoms.Conclusions: Suggestions for improving the SCOPA‐AUT include a shorter scale with a simpler response scheme and a combination of sexual items for men and women. The resulting SCOPA‐AUT is a reliable scale, with good internal construct validity, providing Rasch transformed results on a linear metric scale.