bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Symblepharon secondary to ophthalmomyiasis externa in a dog
Authors: Delgado Esmeralda 
Published: October 2011

AbstractA 4‐month‐old crossbred female dog presented with complaints of poor vision and odd appearance of the eyes. At the age of a month, the animal was found lying in a railway road in a very bad condition and was rescued from death. At that time, the patient was presented with severe bilateral ocular discharge, and from both eyes, dipterous fly larvae were extracted. The dog was given symptomatic treatment (deworming, topical and systemic antibiotics, nutritional support) but never regained a normal eye appearance. At the time of the initial presentation, it had severe vision impairment because of bilateral cicatricial symblepharon, total in the left eye and occupying 3/4 of the cornea in the right eye. Surgery was proposed to attempt a resolution. Superficial keratectomy was performed in both eyes. After a midline incision in the cornea, the conjunctiva was dissected away. The conjunctiva was apposed to and sutured to the limbus and secured in the upper and lower conjunctival fornix. Additionally, in the left eye, a lateral canthotomy and canthoplasty were performed to enlarge the size of the eyelid opening. The corneal epithelium healed without complications, the patient regained vision, and after 36 months of follow‐up, no recurrences were observed. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first report of symblepharon secondary to ophthalmomyiasis externa in a dog.
Effects of intravenous administration of dexmedetomidine on intraocular pressure and pupil size in clinically normal dogs
Authors: Artigas Cristina , Redondo José I. , López‐Murcia María M. 
Published: October 2011

AbstractObjective To evaluate the effects of the intravenous administration of dexmedetomidine on the intraocular pressure (IOP) and pupil size (PS) in normal dogs.Animals studied Forty‐two animals with no ocular abnormalities were included in this study.Procedure Following initial readings (T0) of IOP and PS, the dogs received an intravenous injection of dexmedetomidine (5 μg/kg). Both measurements were repeated 10 min (T10) and 20 min (T20) later.Results There were no significant differences in IOP measurements betweenT0andT10, although a significant decrease was observed atT20. A significant miosis was found in the first 10 min after sedation. AtT20, the PS slightly increased, resulting in no statistical differences withT0andT10.Conclusion Dexmedetomidine is an excellent option for surgery or diagnostic ocular procedures in dogs when a specific control of IOP is required. However, it must be used in combination with mydriatics in ophthalmic surgical or diagnostic procedures, which require complete dilation of the pupil.
Computational Plenoptic Imaging
Authors: Wetzstein Gordon , Ihrke Ivo , Lanman Douglas , Heidrich Wolfgang 
Published: October 2011

AbstractThe plenoptic function is a ray‐based model for light that includes the colour spectrum as well as spatial, temporal and directional variation. Although digital light sensors have greatly evolved in the last years, one fundamental limitation remains: all standard CCD and CMOS sensors integrate over the dimensions of the plenoptic function as they convert photons into electrons; in the process, all visual information is irreversibly lost, except for a two‐dimensional, spatially varying subset—the common photograph. In this state‐of‐the‐art report, we review approaches that optically encode the dimensions of the plenoptic function transcending those captured by traditional photography and reconstruct the recorded information computationally.
Functional MRI and motor behavioral changes obtained with constraint‐induced movement therapy in chronic stroke
Authors: Könönen M. , Tarkka I. M. , Niskanen E. , Pihlajamäki M. , Mervaala E. , Pitkänen K. , Vanninen R. 
Published: October 2011

Background:  The clinical benefits of intensive stroke rehabilitation vary individually. We used multimodal functional imaging to assess the relationship of clinical gain and imaging changes in patients with chronic stroke whose voluntary motor control improved after constraint‐induced movement therapy (CIMT).Methods:  Eleven patients (37.6 ± 36.8 months from stroke) were studied by functional MRI (fMRI), transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), and behavioral assessment of hand motor control (Wolf Motor Function Test) before and after 2 weeks of CIMT. Individual and group‐level changes in imaging and behavioral parameters were investigated.Results:  Increase in fMRI activation in the sensorimotor areas was greater amongst those subjects who had poor hand motor behavior before therapy and/or whose motor behavior improved notably because of therapy than amongst subjects with relatively good motor behavior already before therapy. The magnitude of CIMT‐induced changes in task‐related fMRI activation differed between lesioned and non‐lesioned hemispheres, and the fMRI laterality index was different for paretic and non‐paretic hand tasks. The corticospinal conduction time in TMS was significantly decreased after CIM therapy.Conclusions:  Alterations in sensorimotor cortical activations (fMRI) and corticospinal conductivity (TMS) were observed after intensive rehabilitation in patients with chronic stroke. Activation and functional changes in fMRI and TMS correlated significantly with the degree of clinical improvement in hand motor behavior. The present data advance the understanding of the functional underpinnings of motor recovery, which may be obtained even years after the stroke.
Melanoma patients receive more follow‐up care than current guideline recommendations: a study of 546 patients from the general Dutch population
Authors: Holterhues C. , van de Poll‐Franse L.V. , de Vries E. , Neumann H.A.M. , Nijsten T.E.C. 
Published: October 2011

AbstractBackground  Follow‐up of melanoma patients has been a continuing issue for discussion in the past years partly due to ever increasing incidence of this disease, as well as the lack of agreement regarding the reasons for, and the frequency of follow‐up. Patients’ perspectives are often not included in this continuing discussion on follow‐up of melanoma patients.Objective  To examine to what extent follow‐up was experienced, according to the guideline of 2005, by physicians and melanoma patients in a Dutch population from the south‐east area of the Netherlands. The patient’s perspective and satisfaction over said follow‐up shall also be taken into account.Methods  Follow‐up among melanoma survivors was investigated and compared with the recommendations of the current Dutch national guideline. All 699 melanoma patients registered at the Eindhoven Cancer Registry (between 1998 and 2008), and treated in 3 regional hospitals, were contacted via postal mail. The survey questioned about treatment, symptoms, impact on daily life and follow‐up. Patients with multiple melanomas (n = 16) were excluded.Results  Response rate was 80%, 418 patients were still under surveillance for their melanoma. The average time since diagnoses was 4 years, 71% had stage I melanoma. Almost 80% of patients with a Breslow thickness <1 mm, reported more frequent follow‐up visits than the guideline recommends. Only 5% of the patients wanted to reduce their follow‐up frequency. Eighty percent of patients were under supervision of a dermatologist: physical examination (25%), lymph node palpation (11%) and/or scar inspection (20%) did not regularly occur. These proportions were significantly higher among other specialism.Conclusion  Follow‐up frequency was higher than recommended by the current melanoma guideline in a large group of patients, mainly those with lower Breslow thickness.
Self‐reported health outcomes in patients with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis randomized to two etanercept regimens
Authors: Gniadecki R. , Robertson D. , Molta C.T. , Freundlich B. , Pedersen R. , Li W. , Boggs R. , Zbrozek A.S. 
Published: October 2011

AbstractBackground  Moderate/severe psoriasis combined with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) impairs health‐related quality of life (QoL). Etanercept, a fully human tumour necrosis factor‐α receptor fusion protein, is approved for treatment of both diseases.Objective  To compare patient‐reported health outcomes (PROs) of two etanercept regimens in patients with moderate/severe psoriasis and PsA.Methods  In this randomized, double‐blind, multicenter study, participants received etanercept 50 mg twice weekly (BIW; n = 379) or 50 mg weekly (QW; n = 373) for 12 weeks and open‐label etanercept 50 mg QW for 12 additional weeks. PROs included: the EuroQOL‐5D (EQ‐5D), which measures general health status and consists of the utility index measuring five dimensions of health, and a visual analogue scale (VAS) allowing patients to assess health status; the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI), which measures the impact of skin disease on QoL; the Health Assessment Questionnaire‐Disability Index (HAQ‐DI), an assessment of physical function; the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), which screens for anxiety and depression symptoms; and individual questions on general health, disease activity, fatigue, itching, joint pain and morning stiffness.Results  At baseline, patients reported QoL worse than that seen in many chronic medical conditions. Significant within‐group improvements in each PRO occurred from baseline to Week 12 (P < 0.001) in both groups and were maintained at Week 24; DLQI, EQ‐5D, HAQ‐DI and self assessments improved significantly (P < 0.001) from baseline as early as Week 3. At Week 12, but not Week 24, improvement in DLQI, itching and psoriasis activity was greater in the BIW arm (P ≤ 0.004). Improvements in other PROs were always similar between groups.Conclusions  Greater improvements in PROs specific to skin disorders were seen with etanercept BIW than QW at Week 12, but not at Week 24. Both etanercept regimens led to sustained PRO improvements, starting as early as Week 3.
Testing Rare Variants for Association with Diseases: A Bayesian Marker Selection Approach
Authors: Zhang Lei , Pei Yu‐Fang , Hai Rong , Lin Yong , Deng Hong‐Wen 
Published: October 2011

SummaryIt has been a research focus to uncover the genetic determination of complex diseases caused by rare variants. As the vast majority of genomic variants represent background variation, highlighting potentially causal mutations through a weighting scheme is critical to the success of association studies aimed at identifying rare variants. In this study, we propose a novel Bayesian marker selection approach to perform a weighting‐based association test. In this approach, an individual association signal and its direction are used to weight variants. In addition, the predicted biological function of variants is taken as prior information to direct the selection of likely causal variants. Simulation studies show that the proposed method has improved power over several existing methods in certain conditions. Analyses of two empirical datasets demonstrate its applicability.
Grain dormancy and light quality effects on germination in the model grass Brachypodium distachyon
Authors: Barrero José M. , Jacobsen John V. , Talbot Mark J. , White Rosemary G. , Swain Stephen M. , Garvin David F. , Gubler Frank 
Published: October 2011

Summary
Lack of grain dormancy in cereal crops such as barley and wheat is a common problem affecting farming areas around the world, causing losses in yield and quality because of preharvest sprouting. Control of seed or grain dormancy has been investigated extensively using various approaches in different species, including Arabidopsis and cereals. However, the use of a monocot model plant such as Brachypodium distachyon presents opportunities for the discovery of new genes related to grain dormancy that are not present in modern commercial crops.
In this work we present an anatomical description of the Brachypodium caryopsis, and we describe the dormancy behaviour of six common diploid Brachypodium inbred genotypes. We also study the effect of light quality (blue, red and far‐red) on germination, and analyse changes in abscisic acid levels and gene expression between a dormant and a non‐dormant Brachypodium genotype.
Our results indicate that different genotypes display high natural variability in grain dormancy and that the characteristics of dormancy and germination are similar to those found in other cereals.
We propose that Brachypodium is an ideal model for studies of grain dormancy in grasses and can be used to identify new strategies for increasing grain dormancy in crop species.
Psychological sweating from glabrous and nonglabrous skin surfaces under thermoneutral conditions
Authors: Machado‐Moreira Christiano A. , Taylor Nigel A. S. 
Published: October 2011

AbstractRecent experiments revealed psychological sweating to be a ubiquitous phenomenon in passively heated individuals. Since heating potentiates sweating, and since most research into psychological sweating was not conducted in this thermal state, these observations required thermoneutral verification. Thermoneutral subjects performed mental arithmetic (at 26oC) with psychological sweating evaluated from nine sites (ventilated capsules, skin conductance). Discharged sweating was evident from three glabrous sites (P < .05). However, significant sweating was evident from two nonglabrous surfaces (P < .05), and skin conductance increased at the volar and dorsal finger surfaces (P < .05). Each of these changes occurred while core and skin temperatures remained stable (P > .05). These thermoneutral observations further refute the proposition that psychological sweating in humans is restricted to the glabrous skin surfaces.
Governing the transnational organic cotton network from Benin
Authors: GLIN LAURENT C. , MOL ARTHUR P. J. , OOSTERVEER PETER , VODOUHÊ SIMPLICE D. 
Published: October 2011

AbstractIn this article, we attempt to conceptualize the historical development and the governance structure of the transnational organic cotton network from Benin. We aim to discover how the organic cotton production‐consumption network is governed locally and internationally. Existing bodies of literature on international agricultural production networks, in particular the Global Value Chains (GVC) perspective, focus on economic dimensions, but find it difficult to incorporate the sustainability dimension. We favour widening the concept of GVCs beyond economics by acknowledging and including environmental rationalities and the representatives of their interests, not as external elements, but rather as co‐governing or co‐structuring factors (or actors) of sustainable value chains. Our findings reveal that beyond the traditional producer versus buyer dualism, intermediate stakeholders, namely transnational and local environmental NGO networks, are instrumental in the construction, maintenance and transformation of the organic cotton network. It is also apparent that farmers' leaders play an important role in mediating and (re)building trust among organic farmers, though they exert insufficient vertical power in the organic cotton network to control it.
Serious gaming in women’s health care
Authors: de Wit‐Zuurendonk LD , Oei SG 
Published: October 2011

Please cite this paper as: de Wit‐Zuurendonk L, Oei S. Serious gaming in women’s health care. BJOG 2011;118 (Suppl. 3): 17–21.Computer‐based (serious) gaming is a new field in medical education, which has the potential to become an important tool for healthcare professionals for learning a range of clinical skills. To evaluate the current status of serious gaming in medicine, we performed a systematic literature review. In June 2011, we undertook a search in PubMed and Embase databases with the MeSH terms video games, education, training, gaming and healthcare. Thirty relevant papers were identified, reviewed and summarised. The studies showed that serious gaming is a stimulating learning method and that students are enthusiastic about its use. Studies have shown that previous recreational gaming is associated with greater surgical skill, especially for laparoscopy. In addition to surgical skills, serious gaming is potentially a good method for learning clinical decision‐making and patient interaction. Games are already being developed for teaching specific clinical skills, for example in cardiology and orthopaedics for example. Initial studies suggest that serious gaming is likely to be an effective training method; however, there is a paucity of studies showing the conclusive clinical benefit of serious gaming. Future studies should focus on demonstrating the clinical effectiveness of serious gaming on skills used in patient care.
Sustaining simulation training programmes – experience from maternity care
Authors: Ayres‐de‐Campos D , Deering S , Siassakos D 
Published: October 2011

Please cite this paper as: Ayres‐de‐Campos D, Deering S, Siassakos D. Sustaining simulation training programmes – experience from maternity care. BJOG 2011;118 (Suppl. 3): 22–26.There is little scientific evidence to support the majority of simulation‐based maternity training programmes, but some characteristics appear to be associated with sustainability. Among these are a clear institutional‐level commitment to the course, strong leadership in course organisation, a curriculum relevant to clinical practice, a nonthreatening learning environment, the establishment of multiprofessional training and the use of simulators appropriate to the learning objectives. There is still some debate on whether simulation‐based sessions should be carried out in dedicated training time outside normal working hours or in ad‐hoc drills that are run during clinical sessions, whether they should be located in clinical areas, simulation centres, or both, and whether or not they should include standardised generic teamwork training sessions. In this review, we discuss the main characteristics that appear to make a simulation‐based training programme a sustainable initiative.
How ecological neighbourhoods influence the structure of the scavenger guild in low arctic tundra
Authors: Killengreen Siw T. , Strømseng Elise , Yoccoz Nigel G. , Ims Rolf A. 
Published: October 2011

AbstractAim  How the ecological neighbourhoods of coast and forest affect arctic tundra ecosystems is a pressing question as the circumpolar tundra belt is shrinking under global warming. Mobile facultative scavengers are likely to negatively impact tundra biodiversity as dominant competitors or predators, if they spill over into tundra. Here, we provide the first quantitative assessments of the structure of a scavenger guild in low arctic tundra with emphasis on how it changes along spatial gradients from neighbouring ecosystems (i.e. forest and coast) and with altitude (i.e. productivity gradients). We also assess the likelihood of interactions between guild members that may negatively impact vulnerable tundra species.Location  North‐eastern part of Norway.Methods  Extensive records of scavenger prevalence were obtained by deploying automatic digital cameras at experimental carcasses in tundra regions covering several thousand square kilometres and three winters in northern Norway.Main conclusions  We found short‐range neighbourhood effects of forest and coast within the tundra scavenger guild. Species richness declined steeply with decreasing distance from the neighbouring ecosystems, in particular subarctic forest, and with increasing altitude. Bird species with strongholds in forest (golden eagle Aquila chrysaetos and hooded crow Corvus cornix) or along the coast (white‐tailed eagle Haliaeetus albicilla) were mostly responsible for short‐range neighbourhood effects on guild structure. However, the two most abundant guild members, the common raven Corvus corax and the red fox Vulpes vulpes, exhibited no spatial patterns within the range of neighbourhoods and altitudes examined. There was a clear diurnal segregation in the use of carcasses between birds and mammals reducing the likelihood of direct interactions between these two taxa. Presence of red fox appeared to exclude the arctic fox Vulpes lagopus, the only endemic tundra species within the guild, from carcasses.
Predicting Nursing Home Adherence to a Clinical Trial Intervention: Lessons for the Conduct of Cluster Randomized Trials
Authors: Tjia Jennifer , Mazor Kathleen M. , Field Terry , Doherty Peter , Spenard Ann , Gurwitz Jerry H. 
Published: October 2011

ObjectivesTo describe factors predictive of nursing home (NH) adherence to a clinical trial intervention.DesignPost hoc analysis of a cluster randomized trial (CRT) evaluating a structured communication intervention to improve nurse–physician telephone communication in NHs.SettingNH.ParticipantsAll eligible licensed nursing staff in all participating NHs.MeasurementsAdherence was defined as active participation for at least 3 months of the 12‐month trial. NH characteristics hypothesized to affect trial outcomes (profit status, bed size, nursing staff time, NH quality, and leadership turnover) were measured a priori. The association between intervention adherence, NH characteristics and preintervention questionnaire response rate was examined.ResultsOf 13 intervention NHs, seven adhered to the intervention. Three factors differentiated adherent from nonadherent NHs: director of nursing turnover (nonadherent NHs 50% vs adherent NHs 0%, P = .03); Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) nurse staffing rating (range: 1–5) (nonadherent NHs mean 3.7 ± 0.5 vs adherent NHs mean 4.3 ± 0.5), P = .048); and questionnaire response rate (nonadherent NHs 15.6 ± 10.0% vs adherent NHs 34.2 ± 12.1%, P = .02). Profit status, bed size, and number of NH deficiencies on state surveys were not significantly associated with intervention adherence.ConclusionCMS nurse staffing rating, leadership turnover, and questionnaire response rate are associated with adherence to a CRT intervention. Pretrial evaluation of NH staffing rating by CMS and of response to a questionnaire can help investigators improve trial efficiency by screening for NHs likely to adhere to a CRT intervention.
Absence of Influenza A(H1N1) During Seasonal and Pandemic Seasons in a Sentinel Nursing Home Surveillance Network in the Netherlands
Authors: Enserink Remko , Meijer Adam , Dijkstra Frederika , van Benthem Birgit , van der Steen Jenny T. , Haenen Anja , van Delden Hans , Cools Herman , van der Sande Marianne , Veldman‐Ariesen Marie‐Jose ,    on behalf of the Sentinel Surveillance Network on Infectious Diseases in Nursing Homes Study Group
Published: October 2011

ObjectivesTo describe the epidemiological, virological, and institutional characteristics of influenza‐like illness (ILI) in nursing homes (NHs).DesignContinuous clinical surveillance of ILI and virological surveillance of ILI and other acute respiratory infections (ARIs) during four influenza seasons.SettingNational sentinel NH surveillance network.ParticipantsNational sentinel residents.MeasurementsWeekly registration of ILI cases (influenza seasons 2008/09–2009/10), influenza virus detection (influenza seasons 2006/07–2009/10), and collection of institutional characteristics of NHs at start of participation.ResultsDuring the 2008/09 influenza season, ILI incidence started to rise in Week 49 of 2008, peaked in Week 3 of 2009 (158 cases per 10,000 resident weeks), and flattened out by Week 16 of 2009 (mean ILI incidence during epidemic: 73 cases per 10,000 resident weeks). During the 2009/10 influenza pandemic, there was no epidemic peak. Influenza virus type and subtype varied throughout virological surveillance but was limited to influenza A(H3N2) and B viruses. Higher staff vaccination coverage (>15%) was associated with lower ILI‐incidence in the 2008/09 influenza season in a univariate negative binomial regression analysis (incidence rate ratio = 0.3, 95% confidence interval = 0.1–0.8)).ConclusionNeither seasonal nor pandemic influenza A(H1N1) viruses were detected in the network, despite widespread community transmission of seasonal and influenza A(H1N1) virus. ILI incidence trends corresponded to virological trends. Sentinel surveillance of ILI combining clinical and virological data in NHs increases understanding of transmission risks in this specific vulnerable population.