bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Radiation, chemotherapy and biological therapy in the curative treatment of locally advanced rectal cancer
Authors: Gollins S. 
Published: July 2010

AbstractObjective  To review the published evidence relating to the use of radiotherapy (RT), chemotherapy and biological therapy as adjuncts to surgery in the curative treatment of rectal cancer.Methods  Searches were carried out of the MEDLINE and CANCERLIT databases together with conference abstracts from key meetings including the American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting and Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium and the ECCO/ESMO Multidisciplinary Congress.Results  RT reduces local pelvic recurrence when used as an adjunct to surgery, even when this is performed optimally by total mesorectal excision (TME). RT is usually given as short‐course preoperative radiotherapy (SCPRT) followed by immediate surgery which produces no or very little downstaging or long‐course concurrent chemoradiation (CRT) followed by a 6‐8 week gap prior to surgery which produces significant downstaging. The prognostic importance of achieving a clear histological circumferential resection margin is now well recognised and pathological assessment of the quality of surgery can predict long‐term outcomes. Internationally there is considerable heterogeneity in the staging modalities and criteria used in deciding which approach might be used, in the reporting of histological results and in RT parameters (time/dose/fractionation/volume). Attempts to increase the potency of CRT have included the addition of concurrent chemotherapeutic and biological agents to the standard fluoropyrimidine although there is little randomised data and none with regard to long‐term survival outcomes. Neither SCPRT nor downstaging CRT have been shown to reduce the rate of subsequent distant metastatic relapse which remains a significant clinical problem. The potential additional benefit of neoadjuvant or adjuvant chemotherapy in addition to SCPRT or long‐course CRT remains ill‐defined. Late morbidity can include bowel and sexual dysfunction, pelvic fractures and second malignancies with considerably more being known in relation to SCPRT than long‐course CRT.Conclusions  Improvements in imaging, pathology and surgical technique combined with multimodality treatment using RT and chemotherapy are leading to continuing improvements in the long term outcome for patients with rectal cancer although much remains to be learnt regarding the optimum strategy for use of these in different clinical contexts and their relationship to long‐term morbidity.
Association between alcohol consumption and diabetic retinopathy and visual acuity—the AdRem Study
Authors: Lee C. C. , Stolk R. P. , Adler A. I. , Patel A. , Chalmers J. , Neal B. , Poulter N. , Harrap S. , Woodward M. , Marre M. , Grobbee D. E. , Beulens J. W. ,   on behalf of the AdRem project team and ADVANCE management committee
Published: July 2010

Diabet. Med. 27, 1130–1137 (2010)AbstractAims  We investigated the association between alcohol consumption and diabetic retinopathy and deterioration of visual acuity in individuals with Type 2 diabetes.Methods  We conducted a cohort analysis of 1239 participants with Type 2 diabetes aged 55–81 years enrolled in the AdRem study, a sub‐study of the Action in Diabetes and Vascular Disease: Preterax and Diamicron MR Controlled Evaluation (ADVANCE) trial. Current and past consumption of wine, spirits and beer was measured by self‐report. Moderate and heavy alcohol consumption was defined as 1–14 and > 14 drinks/week, respectively. Diabetic retinopathy, measured by mydriatic stereoscopic seven‐field retinal photography, was defined by a 2‐step progression in the Early Treatment of Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) score or the presence of any retinal vascular lesions. Deterioration of visual acuity was defined by a decrease of two lines in best vision in either eye, measured corrected, or through a pinhole using a Snellen chart.Results  In a mean follow‐up of 5.5 years, we identified 182 participants with a 2‐step progression in the ETDRS score, 640 participants with the presence of any retinal vascular lesions and 693 participants with a deterioration of visual acuity. Current moderate consumption of alcohol, compared with no current consumption, was not associated with presence or progression of diabetic retinopathy; however, it was associated with higher risk of deterioration of visual acuity (multivariable‐adjusted OR 1.83; 95% CI 1.34–2.48; P < 0.001).Conclusions  Alcohol consumption is associated with increased risk of deterioration of visual acuity, but not with retinopathy in individuals with Type 2 diabetes.
Estimated costs of acute hospital care for people with diabetes in the United Kingdom: a routine record linkage study in a large region*
Authors: Morgan C. Ll. , Peters J. R. , Dixon S. , Currie C. J. 
Published: July 2010

Diabet. Med. 27, 1066–1073 (2010)AbstractAims  Diabetes represents a notable burden to health payers. The purpose of this study was to estimate acute hospital care costs of treating people with diabetes with reference to the costs of treating those without.Methods  This was a retrospective study. Data from routine hospital practice were available from a large health region (439 000 people), with an estimated prevalence of diabetes of 3.4%. Common records were identified using probabilistic record linkage. Cost estimates were attributed to admissions using healthcare resource group software. Outpatient costs were attributed using published values. Data described are for 2004, and prices in pounds sterling for 2005. Standardised cost ratios were estimated to compare the costs observed in the diabetes population with those expected from the non‐diabetic reference population.Results  The total annual cost of admissions was £28 944 811 per 100 000 people, of which £3 650 869 per 100 000 (12.6%) was diabetes related. The standardised cost rate of inpatient treatment was 2.9. The total cost of outpatient attendances was £6 589 971 per 100 000, of which £711 431 per 100 000 (10.8%) was diabetes related. The standardised cost ratio for outpatient care was 4.1. The total cost of hospital care for patients with diabetes was £11 206 986 per 100 000, or 12.3% of acute hospital expenditure. The combined standardised cost ratio was 3.1. Costs of care for inpatient treatment increased from 8.7% of revenue in 1994 to 12.3% in 2004.Conclusions  The costs of acute hospital care for treating people with diabetes increased markedly over a decade, and now exceed 12% of revenue.
Smoking cessation during pregnancy: A systematic literature review
Authors: SCHNEIDER SVEN , HUY CHRISTINA , SCHÜTZ JESSICA , DIEHL KATHARINA 
Published: July 2010

Abstract
Issues. Second‐hand smoke presents a health risk for a large group of entirely helpless nonsmokers: unborn children. Reliable data on women continuing to smoke during pregnancy are essential for effective preventive and interventional programs. The aim of this review is therefore to identify this risk group compared with spontaneous quitters of smoking. Approach. This systematic literature review is based solely on empirical original papers derived from samples of pregnant women smoking at the beginning of pregnancy. In accordance with the QUOROM Statement all population or clinic‐based samples were included. Collectives from intervention studies were not included. All studies were from developed nations and published between January 1997 and March 2008. Key Findings. A total of 19 studies were identified. The rate of quitters was between 4.0% and 69.7% for population‐based studies, and 26.5% and 47.0% for clinic‐based studies. A smoking partner, a large number of children, a high rate of tobacco consumption, as well as deficiencies in prenatal care were predictors of smoking during pregnancy. Implications. This study identifies risk factors and correlates and indicates common obstacles for women to quit smoking during pregnancy. Conclusion. The risk groups that can be defined based on our results are a key target population for preventive measures.[Schneider S, Huy C, Schütz J, Diehl K. Smoking cessation during pregnancy: A systematic literature review. Drug Alcohol Rev 2009]
Welfare Policy in the Presence of Unionised Labour and Internationally Mobile Firms*
Authors: Rocha‐Akis Silvia , Schöb Ronnie 
Published: July 2010

AbstractTo what extent does the welfare state exacerbate the loss of jobs due to offshoring? We consider a model with oligopolistic sectors that are exposed to offshoring, as well as a unionised labour force that is entitled to unemployment benefits. We find that deeper economic integration induces wage moderation to the point that wages become independent of workers' outside options. Because the entire incidence of redistribution falls on net wages, the unions' willingness to moderate wages is constrained by the level of redistribution. Beyond an upper limit of redistribution, extending the welfare state compels unions to oppose wage moderation at the cost of losing jobs to offshoring. Below that upper limit, however, redistribution becomes less rather than more distortive.
Stability Selection
Authors: Meinshausen Nicolai , Bühlmann Peter 
Published: July 2010

SummaryEstimation of structure, such as in variable selection, graphical modelling or cluster analysis, is notoriously difficult, especially for high dimensional data. We introduce stability selection. It is based on subsampling in combination with (high dimensional) selection algorithms. As such, the method is extremely general and has a very wide range of applicability. Stability selection provides finite sample control for some error rates of false discoveries and hence a transparent principle to choose a proper amount of regularization for structure estimation. Variable selection and structure estimation improve markedly for a range of selection methods if stability selection is applied. We prove for the randomized lasso that stability selection will be variable selection consistent even if the necessary conditions for consistency of the original lasso method are violated. We demonstrate stability selection for variable selection and Gaussian graphical modelling, using real and simulated data.
Explicit Estimating Equations for Semiparametric Generalized Linear Latent Variable Models
Authors: Ma Yanyuan , Genton Marc G. 
Published: July 2010

SummaryWe study generalized linear latent variable models without requiring a distributional assumption of the latent variables. Using a geometric approach, we derive consistent semiparametric estimators. We demonstrate that these models have a property which is similar to that of a sufficient complete statistic, which enables us to simplify the estimating procedure and explicitly to formulate the semiparametric estimating equations. We further show that the explicit estimators have the usual root n consistency and asymptotic normality. We explain the computational implementation of our method and illustrate the numerical performance of the estimators in finite sample situations via extensive simulation studies. The advantage of our estimators over the existing likelihood approach is also shown via numerical comparison. We employ the method to analyse a real data example from economics.
Non-Parametric Tests for Right-Censored Data with Biased Sampling
Authors: Ning Jing , Qin Jing , Shen Yu 
Published: July 2010

SummaryTesting the equality of two survival distributions can be difficult in a prevalent cohort study when non-random sampling of subjects is involved. Owing to the biased sampling scheme, the independent censoring assumption is often violated. Although the issues about biased inference caused by length-biased sampling have been widely recognized in the statistical, epidemiological and economical literature, there is no satisfactory solution for efficient two-sample testing. We propose an asymptotic most efficient non-parametric test by properly adjusting for length-biased sampling. The test statistic is derived from a full likelihood function and can be generalized from the two-sample test to a k-sample test. The asymptotic properties of the test statistic under the null hypothesis are derived by using its asymptotic independent and identically distributed representation. We conduct extensive Monte Carlo simulations to evaluate the performance of the test statistics proposed and compare them with the conditional test and the standard log-rank test for various biased sampling schemes and right-censoring mechanisms. For length-biased data, empirical studies demonstrated that the test proposed is substantially more powerful than the existing methods. For general left-truncated data, the test proposed is robust, still maintains accurate control of the type I error rate and is also more powerful than the existing methods, if the truncation patterns and right censoring patterns are the same between the groups. We illustrate the methods by using two real data examples.
High Dimensional Structured Additive Regression Models: Bayesian Regularization, Smoothing and Predictive Performance
Authors: Kneib Thomas , Konrath Susanne , Fahrmeir Ludwig 
Published: July 2010

SummaryData structures in modern applications frequently combine the necessity of flexible regression techniques handling, for example, non-linear and spatial effects with high dimensional covariate vectors. Whereas estimation of the former is typically achieved by supplementing the likelihood with a suitable smoothness penalty, the latter are usually assigned shrinkage penalties that enforce sparse models. We consider a Bayesian unifying perspective, where conditionally Gaussian priors can be assigned to all types of regression effects. Suitable hyperprior assumptions on the variances of the Gaussian distributions then induce the desired smoothness or sparseness properties. As a major advantage, general Markov chain Monte Carlo simulation algorithms can be developed that allow for the joint estimation of smooth and spatial effects and regularized coefficient vectors. Two applications demonstrate the usefulness of the procedure proposed: a geoadditive regression model for data from a rental guide in Munich and an additive probit model for the prediction of consumer credit defaults. In both cases, high dimensional vectors of categorical covariates will be included in the regression models. The predictive ability of the resulting high dimensional structured additive regression models compared with expert models is of particular relevance and will be evaluated on cross-validation test data.
On Seeing That Someone is Angry
Authors: McNeill W. E. S. 
Published: July 2010

Abstract: Some propose that the question of how you know that James is angry can be adequately answered with the claim that you see that James is angry. Call this the Perceptual Hypothesis. Here, I examine that hypothesis.I argue that there are two different ways in which the Perceptual Hypothesis could be made true. You might see that James is angry by seeing his bodily features. Alternatively, you might see that James is angry by seeing his anger. If you see that James is angry in the first way, your knowledge is inferential. If you see that James is angry in the second way, your knowledge is not inferential. These are different ways of knowing that James is angry. So the Perceptual Hypothesis alone does not adequately answer the question of how you know that fact. To ascertain how you know it, we need to decide whether or not you saw his anger.This is an epistemological argument. But it has consequences for a theory of perception. It implies that there is a determinate fact about which features of an object you see. This fact is made true independently of what you come to know by seeing.In the final section of the paper, I seek to undermine various ways in which the claim that you see James' anger may be thought implausible.
Association of ITGAM polymorphism with systemic lupus erythematosus: a meta‐analysis
Authors: Fan Y , Li L‐H , Pan H‐F , Tao J‐H , Sun Z‐Q , Ye D‐Q 
Published: July 2010

AbstractBackground  ITGAM is one of the major non‐human leucocyte antigen that has been implicated in the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The association of ITGAM polymorphism with SLE has been reported in several studies, but with inconclusive results.Objectives  The aim of this study was to assess whether combined evidence shows the association between ITGAM polymorphism and SLE.Methods  A meta‐analysis was performed to survey studies on the ITGAM polymorphism and SLE using comprehensive Medline search and review of the references. A total of five published studies including 12 123 patients with SLE and 17 016 controls were involved. Meta‐odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) based on fixed effects models or random effects models were depended on Cochran’s Q‐statistic and I2 values.Results  The overall ORs for the minor A‐allele (OR 1.795; 95%CI 1.676–1.921), AA vs. GG (OR 3.540; 95%CI 2.771–4.522), AG vs. GG (OR 1.750; 95%CI 1.617–1.895), dominant model (OR 1.857;95%CI 1.719–2.005), recessive model (OR 3.041; 95%CI 2.384–3.878) of ITGAM rs1143679 were significantly increased in SLE and fixed effects models were conducted. All controls were in Hardy–Weinberg (HW) proportion. Although this meta‐analysis showed significant association of rs1143683 (A vs. G, OR 1.534;95%CI 1.312–1.792), rs9888739 (T vs. C,OR 1.627;95%CI 1.380–1.918), rs1143678 (T vs. C, OR 1.543; 95%CI 1.330–1.790), rs9937837 (A vs. G, OR 0.466; 95%CI 0.227–0.957) with SLE; all of these were conducted in random effects model as heterogeneity was detected. No significant association was detected in the analysis between rs11574637 and SLE. No publication bias was presented.Conclusions  This meta‐analysis demonstrates a significant association between ITGAM gene polymorphism and SLE in multiple ethnic populations.
Complexities of conflict: the importance of considering social factors for effectively resolving human–wildlife conflict
Authors: Dickman A. J. 
Published: July 2010

AbstractHuman–wildlife conflict is one of the most critical threats facing many wildlife species today, and the topic is receiving increasing attention from conservation biologists. Direct wildlife damage is commonly cited as the main driver of conflict, and many tools exist for reducing such damage. However, significant conflict often remains even after damage has been reduced, suggesting that conflict requires novel, comprehensive approaches for long‐term resolution. Although most mitigation studies investigate only the technical aspects of conflict reduction, peoples' attitudes towards wildlife are complex, with social factors as diverse as religious affiliation, ethnicity and cultural beliefs all shaping conflict intensity. Moreover, human–wildlife conflicts are often manifestations of underlying human–human conflicts, such as between authorities and local people, or between people of different cultural backgrounds. Despite evidence that social factors can be more important in driving conflict than wildlife damage incurred, they are often ignored in conflict studies. Developing a broader awareness of conflict drivers will advance understanding of the patterns and underlying processes behind this critical conservation issue. In this paper, I review a wide variety of case studies to show how social factors strongly influence perceptions of human–wildlife conflict, and highlight how mitigation approaches should become increasingly innovative and interdisciplinary in order to enable people to move from conflict towards coexistence.
The presence of accessory cusps in chimpanzee lower molars is consistent with a patterning cascade model of development
Authors: Skinner Matthew M. , Gunz Philipp 
Published: July 2010

AbstractTooth crown morphology is of primary importance in fossil primate systematics and understanding the developmental basis of its variation facilitates phenotypic analyses of fossil teeth. Lower molars of species in the chimp/human clade (including fossil hominins) possess between four and seven cusps and this variability has been implicated in alpha taxonomy and phylogenetic systematics. What is known about the developmental basis of variation in cusp number – based primarily on experimental studies of rodent molars – suggests that cusps form under a morphodynamic, patterning cascade model involving the iterative formation of enamel knots. In this study we test whether variation in cusp 6 (C6) presence in common chimpanzee and bonobo lower molars (n = 55) is consistent with predictions derived from the patterning cascade model. Using microcomputed tomography we imaged the enamel‐dentine junction of lower molars and used geometric morphometrics to examine shape variation in the molar crown correlated with variation in C6 presence (in particular the size and spacing of the dentine horns). Results indicate that C6 presence is consistent with predictions of a patterning cascade model, with larger molars exhibiting a higher frequency of C6 and with the location and size of later‐forming cusps correlated with C6 variation. These results demonstrate that a patterning cascade model is appropriate for interpreting cusp variation in Pan and have implications for cusp nomenclature and the use of accessory cusp morphology in primate systematics.
Disentangling true shape differences and experimenter bias: are dextral and sinistral snail shells exact mirror images?
Authors: Schilthuizen M. , Haase M. 
Published: July 2010

AbstractIn theory, snails can come in two enantiomorphs: either dextral (coiling clockwise) or sinistral (coiling counter‐clockwise). In snail species where both forms are actually present, coiling direction is determined by a single gene with delayed maternal inheritance; there is no predictable relationship between a snail's own coiling genotype and its actual coiling direction. Because of this genetic decoupling, it might be expected that dextral and sinistral individuals would be exact mirror images of one another. However, indications exist that there is a subtle but detectable shape difference between dextral and sinistral individuals that derive from the same gene pool. In this paper, we attempt to detect such differences in 50 dextral and 50 sinistral individuals of Amphidromus inversus, a species of land snail that is consistently chirally dimorphic. Four out of 18 volunteers who measured the shells with Vernier calipers found that sinistrals are stouter to a significant degree. A similar result was found by one out of five volunteers who measured the shells from photographs. These results do not allow distinguishing between real shape differences and a handling bias of sinistral as compared with dextral shells. However, when the same set of shells was subjected to a geometric morphometric analysis, we were able to show that sinistrals indeed exhibit a slight but significant widening and twisting of the shell near the palatal and parietal apertural areas. This result is surprising because species of the subgenus Amphidromus s. str. share a long history of chiral dimorphism, and the species would be expected to have been purged from disadvantageous interactions between direction of coil and general shell shape. We conclude that selection on the shape differences is either very weak or constrained by the fact that the pleiotropic effects of the chirality gene are of importance very early in development only.