bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Liver resection: a regional hospital experience
Authors: Yong Tuck Leong , Bohmer Robert , Pande Girish Kumar , Birks Sarah Emily , Loh Damien Chee Kuen , Hewitt Peter MacDonald 
Published: March 2010

AbstractBackground:  Liver resection is a significant operation usually limited to large metropolitan hospitals. Liver resections were first performed at the Launceston General Hospital (LGH), a regional centre (bed capacity 280), in May 2000. This is a summary of liver resection at LGH.Methods:  Data of liver resections performed between May 2000 and March 2008 at LGH were collected retro‐prospectively and reviewed with attention to patient survival, post‐operative complications and mortality.Results:  There were 102 consecutive liver resections during the study period. Metastatic colorectal adenocarcinoma was the most frequent pathology (n = 61). Six patients had metastases from primaries other than colorectal cancer. There were 13 resections for primary liver malignancy, 2 from invasion by gallbladder carcinoma, 1 for contiguous invasion by gastric cancer and 19 were for benign conditions. Thirteen patients had post‐operative wound infections and six had significant bile leaks. There were five deaths in‐hospital (surgical mortality 4.9%). At the end of the study period, 51 cancer patients were still alive (14 with disease recurrences) and 30 have died (23 from recurrent diseases). Patients operated for colorectal cancer metastases achieved a 44% 5‐year survival rate (median survival = 46 months). Patients with hepatocellular carcinoma had 3‐year survival rate of 15% (median survival = 24 months).Conclusion:  Resection provides the best hope of cure for patients with primary or secondary hepatic malignancy. With adequate expertise, liver resections can be performed safely in a regional hospital.
PH‐Domain‐driven targeting of collybistin but not Cdc42 activation is required for synaptic gephyrin clustering
Authors: Reddy‐Alla Suneel , Schmitt Bertram , Birkenfeld Jörg , Eulenburg Volker , Dutertre Sebastien , Böhringer Christian , Götz Magdalena , Betz Heinrich , Papadopoulos Theofilos 
Published: March 2010

AbstractCollybistin (Cb) is a brain‐specific guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF) that is essential for the synaptic clustering of gephyrin and GABAA receptors in selected regions of the mammalian central nervous system. It has been previously proposed that Cb regulates gephyrin clustering by activating Cdc42, and thus acts as a signal transducer in a membrane activation process which labels postsynaptic membrane domains for inhibitory synapse formation. Here, we dissected the functional roles of the Dbl‐homology (DH) and pleckstrin homology (PH) domains of the constitutively active splice variant Cb II by substituting conserved amino acid residues that are required for GEF activity towards Cdc42 and phosphoinositide binding, respectively. A Cb II mutant lacking any detectable GEF activity towards Cdc42 was still fully active in inducing gephyrin scaffold formation, both in transfected NIH‐3T3 cells and in cultured hippocampal neurons. Furthermore, mice with a forebrain‐specific inactivation of the Cdc42 gene displayed normal densities of gephyrin and GABAA receptor clusters in the hippocampus. In contrast, substitution of Cb II PH‐domain residues essential for phosphoinositide binding abolished gephyrin recruitment to synaptic sites. Our results provide evidence that the formation of gephyrin scaffolds at inhibitory synapses requires an intact Cb II PH‐domain but is Cdc42‐independent.
Transient viral‐mediated overexpression of α‐calcium/calmodulin‐dependent protein kinase II in the nucleus accumbens shell leads to long‐lasting functional upregulation of α‐amino‐3‐hydroxyl‐5‐methyl‐4‐isoxazole‐propionate receptors: dopamine type‐1 receptor and protein kinase A dependence
Authors: Singer B. F. , Loweth J. A. , Neve R. L. , Vezina P. 
Published: March 2010

AbstractCalcium/calmodulin‐dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) activity is necessary for the long‐lasting expression of locomotor sensitization and enhanced drug‐taking observed in rats previously exposed to psychostimulants. Exposure to these drugs also transiently increases αCaMKII levels in the nucleus accumbens (NAcc), an effect that, when mimicked by transient viral‐mediated overexpression of αCaMKII in NAcc shell neurons, leads to long‐lasting enhancement in locomotor responding to amphetamine and NAcc α‐amino‐3‐hydroxyl‐5‐methyl‐4‐isoxazole‐propionate (AMPA). The present experiments characterized the dopamine (DA) dependence of the functional AMPA receptor upregulation observed long after transient overexpression of αCaMKII. Rats infected with herpes simplex virus‐αCaMKII in the NAcc shell showed a transient increase in αCaMKII levels that peaked at 4 days post‐infection and returned to baseline 8 days later. When challenged with AMPA (0.8 nmol/side) in the NAcc shell at 20 days post‐infection, these rats showed enhanced locomotion compared with controls. This sensitized locomotor response was blocked when AMPA was coinfused with either the DA type‐1 receptor antagonist SCH23390 (0.8 nmol/side) or the protein kinase A inhibitor Rp‐cAMPS (80 nmol/side). Neither SCH23390 nor Rp‐cAMPS produced locomotor effects when infused by itself into the NAcc shell. Furthermore, these antagonists did not block the acute non‐sensitized locomotor response to AMPA observed in control rats. These findings show that transient viral‐mediated overexpression of αCaMKII in neurons of the NAcc shell leads to long‐lasting functional upregulation of AMPA receptors that is DA type‐1 receptor and protein kinase A dependent. Thus, transient increases in levels of αCaMKII in the NAcc shell produce long‐lasting changes in the way that DA and glutamate interact in this site to generate locomotor behavior.
Substance P modulation of TRPC3/ 7 channels improves respiratory rhythm regularity and ICAN‐dependent pacemaker activity
Authors: Ben‐Mabrouk Faiza , Tryba Andrew K. 
Published: March 2010

AbstractNeuromodulators, such as substance P (SubP), play an important role in modulating many rhythmic activities driven by central pattern generators (e.g. locomotion, respiration). However, the mechanism by which SubP enhances breathing regularity has not been determined. Here, we used mouse brainstem slices containing the pre‐Bötzinger complex to demonstrate, for the first time, that SubP activates transient receptor protein canonical (TRPC) channels to enhance respiratory rhythm regularity. Moreover, SubP enhancement of network regularity is accomplished via selective enhancement of ICAN (inward non‐specific cation current)‐dependent intrinsic bursting properties. In contrast to INaP (persistent sodium current)‐dependent pacemakers, ICAN‐dependent pacemaker bursting activity is TRPC‐dependent. Western Blots reveal TRPC3 and TRPC7 channels are expressed in rhythmically active ventral respiratory group island preparations. Taken together, these data suggest that SubP‐mediated activation of TRPC3/7 channels underlies rhythmic ICAN‐dependent pacemaker activity and enhances the regularity of respiratory rhythm activity.
Community heterogeneity and single‐cell digestive activity of estuarine heterotrophic nanoflagellates assessed using lysotracker and flow cytometry
Authors: Sintes Eva , Del Giorgio Paul A. 
Published: March 2010

SummaryHeterotrophic nanoflagellates (HNFs) are an essential component of all aquatic microbial food webs, and yet the exploration of the numerical and single‐cell responses of these organisms in mixed assemblages still represents a major technical challenge. LysoTracker Green staining combined with flow cytometry was recently proposed for the enumeration of aquatic HNFs. Here we show that LysoTracker Green not only allows the enumeration of HNFs in estuarine samples with a wide range of HNF abundances, but also allows the discrimination of distinct HNF populations in mixed assemblages. In addition, the resulting cytometric parameters can be used to characterize cell size and the level of activity of the cells in the different populations that are detected. LysoTracker Green accumulates preferentially in lysosomes, and we demonstrate that the green fluorescence emission from HNF cells stained with LysoTracker strongly correlates with cell‐specific β‐glucosaminidase (β‐Gam) activity, a key digestive enzyme of lysosomal origin in eukaryotic cells. Our results further show that different populations that develop in estuarine regrowth cultures are characterized by different intrinsic ranges of size and of feeding activity, and that there is a wide range of single‐cell responses within these HNF populations. We found a large degree of uncoupling between cell size and feeding activity, both between and within HNF populations, and there appears to be no clear allometric scaling of feeding activity. We were able to reconstruct the succession of distinct HNF populations that developed during the regrowth experiments, and explore the complex interactions that occurred between numerical (change in abundance of the cytometric populations) and single‐cell HNF responses.
Effect of pioglitazone on endothelial function in impaired glucose tolerance
Authors: Quinn C. E. , Lockhart C. J. , Hamilton P. K. , Loughrey C. M. , McVeigh G. E. 
Published: March 2010

Aim: Flow‐mediated dilation (FMD) is a surrogate marker of endothelial function, which has been proposed as a barometer of vascular health. Impaired microvascular response to reactive hyperaemia is thought to be the mechanism behind reduced shear stress and subsequently impaired FMD, which has been associated with cardiovascular events. This study aims to assess the effect of pioglitazone on the vasculature of patients with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT). Materials and Methods: Forty IGT patients with no cardiovascular disease were compared with 24 healthy age‐ and sex‐matched controls. Endothelial function was assessed using FMD of the brachial artery. Adiponectin (ADN) levels were measured and insulin sensitivity was calculated using homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA‐IR). A randomised double‐blind placebo‐controlled trial of the IGT subjects was then performed, with subjects receiving either pioglitazone 30 mg od or matched placebo for 12 weeks before the measurements were repeated. Results: The IGT subjects had a significantly impaired FMD compared with the controls (p < 0.001). Diastolic shear stress (DSS) was also significantly reduced in IGT (p = 0.04). High molecular weight (HMW) ADN was significantly lower in the IGT group than in controls (p = 0.03). On analysis of the IGT group after 12 weeks treatment, FMD was significantly increased in the pioglitazone group compared with placebo (p = 0.03) as was endothelium‐independent dilation (EID) (p = 0.03). A significant increase in total ADN (p < 0.001), HMW ADN (p < 0.001) and HMW/total ratio (p = 0.001) occurred in the pioglitazone group compared with placebo. Conclusions: Pioglitazone improved endothelial function in IGT. Treatment with pioglitazone may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease in this patient group.
In vivo microwave‐induced porcine kidney thermoablation: results and perspectives from a pilot study of a new probe
Authors: Bartoletti Riccardo , Cai Tommaso , Tosoratti Nevio , Amabile Claudio , Crisci Alfonso , Tinacci Galliano , Mondaini Nicola , Gontero Paolo , Gelsomino Sandro , Nesi Gabriella 
Published: March 2010

OBJECTIVETo test the in vivo effects (toxicity, completeness of necrosis, dimensions of the lesion) of microwave thermoablation on porcine kidneys, using the Amica Probe v3 (Hospital Service SpA, Aprilia, Italy), in a refrigerated 17‐G microwave applicator, that can be used to induce a spherical necrotic area.PATIENTS AND METHODSSix pigs were used; each kidney was treated, with no kidney pedicle clamping, by microwave thermoablation at least in three different zones with different exposure times and power, during open surgery. Twelve kidneys had 32 microwave thermoablations overall. The kidneys were then surgically removed, and necrotic lesions measured and evaluated microscopically. The sphericity index (SI) was also calculated to evaluate lesion reproducibility. Areas of renal tissue that were missed were then microscopically evaluated by NADH in vivo staining.RESULTSIn all, 32 thermoablations were applied; the mean (sd) lesion diameter ranged from 1.2 (0.3) to 4.2 (0.1) cm and changed in relation to both power and time of exposure. The 50‐W power particularly induced necrotic renal lesions ranging from 1.9 (0.2) to 4.2 (0.1) cm as a function of the time of exposure and the optimal SI (1.04). Pathological evaluation showed no skipped areas in the context of the lesion, or healthy kidney tissue damage close to necrotic lesions.CONCLUSIONSThermoablation with the Amica probe is safe and showed excellent in vivo effects in this porcine model. Increasing the exposure time at 50 W power could be a useful percutaneous minimally invasive treatment for small solid masses (<4.2 cm), avoiding the risk of missing tumour areas or kidney parenchymal damage from microwave treatment.
New Italian guidelines on bladder cancer, based on the World Health Organization 2004 classification
Authors: Puppo Paolo , Conti Giario , Francesca Francesco , Mandressi Alberto , Naselli Angelo ,   the AURO.it guideline committee
Published: March 2010

OBJECTIVETo provide evidence‐based recommendations on bladder cancer managementMETHODSA multidisciplinary guideline panel composed of urologists, medical oncologists, radiotherapists, general practitioners, radiologists, epidemiologists and methodologists conducted a structured review of previous reports, searching the Medline database from 1 January 2004 to 31 December 2008. The milestone papers published before January 2004 were accepted for analysis. The level of evidence and the grade of the recommendations were established using the GRADE system.RESULTSIn all, 15 806 references were identified, 1940 retrieved, 1712 eliminated (specifying the reason for their elimination) and 971 included in the analysis, as well as 241 milestone reports. A consensus conference held to discuss the discrepancies between the scientific evidence and the clinical practice was then attended by 122 delegates of various specialities.CONCLUSIONRecommendations on bladder cancer management are provided.
Phylogenetic, spatial and environmental components of extinction risk in carnivores
Authors: Safi Kamran , Pettorelli Nathalie 
Published: March 2010

ABSTRACTAim Extinction risk is non‐randomly distributed across phylogeny and space and is influenced by environmental conditions. We quantified the relative contribution of these factors to extinction risk to unveil the underlying macroecological processes and derive predictive models.Location Global.Methods Based on the IUCN global assessments, we divided 192 carnivore species into two dichotomous classes representing different levels of extinction risk. We used spatial proximity, phylogenetic relationship and environmental variables together with phylogenetic eigenvector regression and spatial eigenvector filters to model and predict threat status.Results Our full models explained between 57% and 96% of the variance in extinction risk. Phylogeny and spatial proximity roughly explained between 21% and 70% of the total variation in all analyses, while the explanatory power of environmental conditions was relatively weaker (up to 15%). Phylogeny and spatial proximity contributed equally to the explained variance in the lower threat level, while spatial proximity was the most important factor in the models of the higher threat level. Prediction of threat status achieved 97% correct assignments.Main conclusions Our approach differs fundamentally from current studies of extinction risk because it does not necessarily rely on life‐history information. We clearly show that instead of treating phylogenetic inertia and spatial signal as statistical nuisances, space and phylogeny should be viewed as very useful in explaining a wide range of phenomena in comparative studies.
The Effect of Insider Control and Global Benchmarks on Chinese Executive Compensation
Authors: Chen Jean J. , Liu Xuguang , Li Weian 
Published: March 2010

ABSTRACTManuscript Type: EmpiricalResearch Question/Issue: We investigate the effect of insider control from the managerial power perspective and the global pay benchmarks from the behavioral approach on Chinese executive compensation.Research Findings: Based on a balanced panel sample of 502 Chinese listed firms between 2001 and 2006, we find that both CEO duality and CEO ownership exert significant influence on Chinese executive compensation contracting and they contribute to the high level of executive compensation. We support the managerial power hypothesis by arguing that CEO duality and CEO shareholding tend to entrench insider managers further to collude with government officials and extract a firm's assets. Shareholdings appear to actively restrain managers from serving their self‐interests as to their pay levels, including on the board independence and the supervisory board levels. However, private institutional shareholdings perform actively in restraining managerial influence on the executive pay setting. There is an upward increase in the executive pay levels due to the global pay benchmark effects introduced by foreign investment. The compensation committees' decisions on executive pay levels are largely influenced by the global peer group's pay levels, rather than linking to firm performance as predicted by the optimal contracting model.Theoretical Implications: We extend the optimal contracting model by incorporating the managerial power hypothesis to demonstrate how insider control affects the Chinese executive pay setting. We also add a behavioral approach to reflect how the global pay benchmarks affect the Chinese executive compensation setting via the negotiation between a firm's compensation committee and its managers.Practitioner/Policy Implications: The Chinese government should consider exerting rigorous restrictions on executive shareholding and management buy‐out as an incentive for managers. In addition, the Chinese Code of Corporate Governance should explicitly restrict CEO duality. The government should be aware of the potential influence of behavioral bias in human decisions departing from rational economical criteria, and set policies to balance the benefits of introduction of foreign investment against the costs of resultant excessive executive compensation, and the benefits of setting a compensation committee as a corporate governance control device against the costs of the compensation committees working with the executives together to increase the executive pay level.
Second‐line treatment in the Malawi antiretroviral programme: high early mortality, but good outcomes in survivors, despite extensive drug resistance at baseline*
Authors: Hosseinipour MC , Kumwenda JJ , Weigel R , Brown LB , Mzinganjira D , Mhango B , Eron JJ , Phiri S , Van Oosterhout JJ 
Published: March 2010

ObjectivesThe Malawi antiretroviral therapy (ART) programme uses the public health approach to identify ART failure. Advanced disease progression may occur before switching to second‐line ART. We report outcomes for patients evaluated and initiated on second‐line treatment in Malawi.MethodsPatients meeting Malawi immunological or clinical criteria for ART failure in two large urban ART clinics were evaluated for virological failure (viral load >400 HIV‐1 RNA copies/mL) and, if failure was confirmed, initiated on second‐line ART (zidovudine/lamivudine/tenofovir/lopinavir/ritonavir). Patients were seen monthly and laboratory evaluations were performed quarterly and as needed. We performed logistic regression modelling to identify factors associated with mortality, mortality or new HIV illnesses, and virological suppression at 12 months.ResultsOf the 109 patients with confirmed virological failure, five patients died prior to initiation, three declined switching and 101 patients initiated second‐line treatment. Over 12 months, 10 additional patients died, 34 patients experienced 45 HIV‐related events, and 19 patients experienced grade 3 or 4 toxicities. Among survivors, 85.2% had HIV‐1 RNA<400 copies/mL at 12 months. While power to distinguish differences was limited, response rates were similar regardless of baseline resistance level. The median CD4 count increase was 142 cells/μL. World Health Organization clinical failure at baseline [odds ratio (OR) 3.47; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.14–10.59] and body mass index <18.5 (OR 4.43; 95% CI 1.15–17.12) were risk factors for death. Baseline CD4 count <50 cells/μL was associated with increased risk for death or morbidity at 12 months (OR 2.57; 95% CI 1.01–6.52).ConclusionsSecond‐line treatment in Malawi was associated with substantial mortality, morbidity and toxicity but, among survivors, virological outcomes were favourable.
Immigrant Suburban Settlement and the “Threat” to Middle Class Status and Identity: The Case of Farmers Branch, Texas
Authors: Brettell Caroline B. , Nibbs Faith G. 
Published: March 2010

AbstractIn the United States, the failure to achieve immigration reform at the national level has resulted in numerous responses in local communities that have been most impacted by the settlement of new immigrants. Some of these responses have emerged in suburban communities that have experienced a rapid rise in the foreign‐born population during the last twenty years. This essay offers an in‐depth analysis of one such community, Farmers Branch, Texas, covered nationally for a series of anti‐immigrant ordinances passed by its City Council. Following a description of the history of this community, the growth of its foreign‐born population, and the legal manoeuvres to control unauthorized immigration, the essay argues that anti‐immigrant legislation in local places like Farmers Branch is at its core a reflection of a debate about and anxiety over American identity ‐‐ how it is defined and how it is changing. In particular, these responses are about a perceived threat to middle class status and identity. This is discussed first in relationship to issues of home ownership and income and then, in relation to cultural dimensions of class, including matters of taste and the spatializations of middle class identity. Finally, the paper unpacks the concept of “rule of law”. By invoking the claim that Americans are law abiding while unauthorized immigrants have broken the law, lawfulness becomes an exclusionary tool and gives those who support anti‐immigrant ordinances a platform for legislating a certain quality of life, and de‐Americanizing those who do not fit their conceptualization of what it means to be American. Rule of law becomes a weapon in the fight for middle class status and the status quo.
Human midsagittal brain shape variation: patterns, allometry and integration
Authors: Bruner Emiliano , Martin‐Loeches Manuel , Colom Roberto 
Published: March 2010

AbstractMidsagittal cerebral morphology provides a homologous geometrical reference for brain shape and cortical vs. subcortical spatial relationships. In this study, midsagittal brain shape variation is investigated in a sample of 102 humans, in order to describe and quantify the major patterns of correlation between morphological features, the effect of size and sex on general anatomy, and the degree of integration between different cortical and subcortical areas. The only evident pattern of covariation was associated with fronto‐parietal cortical bulging. The allometric component was weak for the cortical profile, but more robust for the posterior subcortical areas. Apparent sex differences were evidenced in size but not in brain shape. Cortical and subcortical elements displayed scarcely integrated changes, suggesting a modular separation between these two areas. However, a certain correlation was found between posterior subcortical and parietal cortical variations. These results should be directly integrated with information ranging from functional craniology to wiring organization, and with hypotheses linking brain shape and the mechanical properties of neurons during morphogenesis.