bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Retention of dental sealants placed on sound teeth and incipient caries lesions as part of a service‐learning programme in rural areas in Mexico
Authors: SOTO‐ROJAS ARMANDO E. , ESCOFFIÉ‐RAMÍREZ MAURICIO , PÉREZ‐FERRERA GLORIANA , GUIDO JOSEPH A. , MANTILLA‐RODRIGUEZ ANDRES A. , MARTINEZ‐MIER ESPERANZA A. 
Published: February 2012

International Journal of Paediatric Dentistry 2012; 22: 451–458Background.  Dental sealants are an effective treatment for the prevention and management of caries.Objective.  To determine the retention of sealants placed in a rural setting in Mexico as part of an international service‐learning (ISL) programme and to determine associations between dental sealant’s retention and caries diagnosis at the time of sealant placement.Methods.  Children aged 6–15 were examined for dental caries, received sealants by dental students as part of an ISL programme, and were re‐examined 4, 2, or 1 years after placement to assess sealant survival. Sealants were placed on permanent sound surfaces and enamel caries lesions [International Caries Assessment and Detection System (ICDAS) criteria]. Sealant survival was explored using Cochran–Mantel–Haenszel tests and multivariate prediction models.Results.  219 (46%) of 478 (mean age = 10.53 SD = 5.11) children who had received sealants returned for a recall examination (mean age = 10.89 SD = 3.11). After 1–4 years, 96.4% to 60.6% of the sealants placed on sound teeth had survived, and for sealants placed on surfaces with enamel caries lesions (ICDAS 1–3), 94.2% to 55.6% had survived. Differences were not statistically significant.Conclusions.  Sealants had survival rates comparable to those previously reported in the literature. Sealants placed on sound and enamel caries lesions had similar survival rates.
GP cooperative and emergency department: an exploration of patient flows
Authors: Huibers Linda , Thijssen Wendy , Koetsenruijter Jan , Giesen Paul , Grol Richard , Wensing Michel 
Published: February 2012

AbstractRationale, aims and objectives  In most countries, different health care providers are involved in emergency care. In the Netherlands, out‐of‐hours care is provided by general practitioner cooperatives (GPCs) and emergency departments (EDs). Our aim was to describe the flow of patients attending emergency care in these settings.Method  A retrospective record review was performed, concerning patients who had visited a GPC or ED. Recorded information included urgency, diagnostic tests, and follow‐up contacts. Descriptive figures were determined for patient flows in GPC and ED for urgent contacts and non‐urgent contacts.Results  We included 319 GPC contacts and 356 ED contacts, of which 78% were non‐urgent. The majority of GPC contacts were completed at the GPC without follow‐up; 37% of non‐urgent patients had a follow‐up contact, usually with primary care. Only 5% of non‐urgent GPC patients received diagnostic tests compared to 63% of non‐urgent ED patients (mostly X‐rays). The majority of non‐urgent ED patients (88%) had a follow‐up contact, usually at an outpatient clinic (67%). Most non‐urgent ED patients (83%) who received a diagnostic test also had an outpatient clinic follow‐up contact. Of urgent ED patients, the majority had a follow‐up contact (85%), mostly with an outpatient clinic (74%).Conclusion  Although most out‐of‐hours care patients present non‐urgent health problems, at the ED they are more likely to receive diagnostic tests and follow‐up contacts. This may reflect differences in patient populations between the ED and GPC or suggest opportunities for improving efficiency of planning follow‐up contacts.
A structural motif is the recognition site for a new family of bacterial protein O‐glycosyltransferases
Authors: Charbonneau Marie‐Ève , Côté Jean‐Philippe , Haurat M. Florencia , Reiz Bela , Crépin Sébastien , Berthiaume Frédéric , Dozois Charles M. , Feldman Mario F. , Mourez Michael 
Published: February 2012

SummaryThe Escherichia coli Adhesin Involved in Diffuse Adherence (AIDA‐I) is a multifunctional protein that belongs to the family of monomeric autotransporters. This adhesin can be glycosylated by the AIDA‐associated heptosyltransferase (Aah). Glycosylation appears to be restricted to the extracellular domain of AIDA‐I, which comprises imperfect repeats of a 19‐amino‐acid consensus sequence and is predicted to form a β‐helix. Here, we show that Aah homologues can be found in many Gram‐negative bacteria, including Citrobacter rodentium. We demonstrated that an AIDA‐like protein is glycosylated in this species by the Aah homologue. We then investigated the substrate recognition mechanism of the E. coli Aah heptosyltransferase. We found that a peptide corresponding to one repeat of the 19‐amino‐acid consensus is sufficient for recognition and glycosylation by Aah. Mutagenesis studies suggested that, unexpectedly, Aah recognizes a structural motif typical of β‐helices, but not a specific sequence. In agreement with this finding, we observed that the extracellular domain of the Bordetella pertussis pertactin, a β‐helical polypeptide lacking the 19‐amino‐acid consensus sequence, could be glycosylated by Aah. Overall, our findings suggest that Aah represents the prototype of a new large family of bacterial protein O‐glycosyltransferases that modify various substrates recognized through a structural motif.
PPI therapy is equally effective in well‐defined non‐erosive reflux disease and in reflux esophagitis: a meta‐analysis
Authors: Weijenborg P. W. , Cremonini F. , Smout A. J. P. M. , Bredenoord A. J. 
Published: February 2012

AbstractBackground  Symptomatic response to proton pump inhibitor (PPI) therapy in patients with non‐erosive reflux disease (NERD) is often reported as lower than in patients with erosive reflux disease (ERD). However, the definition of NERD differs across clinical trials. This meta‐analysis aims to estimate the rate of symptom relief in response to PPI in NERD patients.Methods  MEDLINE (1966–2010), Cochrane Comprehensive Trial Register (1997–2010) and EMBASE (1985–2010) databases were searched and manual searches from studies’ references were performed. Randomized clinical trials were selected that included patients with heartburn, and analyzed the effect of short‐term PPI treatment. The primary outcome of selected studies was defined as complete or partial heartburn relief. Two reviewers independently extracted data and assessed study quality of selected articles. Random effects models and meta‐regression were used to combine and analyze results.Key Results  The pooled estimate of complete relief of heartburn after 4 weeks of PPI therapy in patients with ERD was 0.72 (95% CI 0.69–0.74) (32 studies), vs 0.50 (0.43–0.57) (eight studies) in empirically treated patients, 0.49 (0.44–0.55) (12 studies) in patients defined as non‐erosive by negative endoscopy, and 0.73 (0.69–0.77) (two studies) in patients defined as non‐erosive by both negative endoscopy and a positive pH‐test.Conclusions & Inferences  In well‐defined NERD patients, the estimated complete symptom response rate after PPI therapy is comparable to the response rate in patients with ERD. The previously reported low response rate in studies with patients classified as NERD is likely the result of inclusion of patients with upper gastrointestinal symptoms that do not have reflux disease.
Assessing the potential of candidate DNA barcodes for identifying non‐flowering seed plants
Authors: Pang X. , Luo H. , Sun C. 
Published: February 2012

AbstractIn plants, matK and rbcL have been selected as core barcodes by the Consortium for the Barcode of Life (CBOL) Plant Working Group (PWG), and ITS/ITS2 and psbA‐trnH were suggested as supplementary loci. Yet, research on DNA barcoding of non‐flowering seed plants has been less extensive, and the evaluation of DNA barcodes in this division has been limited thus far. Here, we evaluated seven markers (psbA‐trnH, matK, rbcL, rpoB, rpoC1, ITS and ITS2) from non‐flowering seed plants. The usefulness of each region was assessed using four criteria: the success rate of PCR amplification, the differential intra‐ and inter‐specific divergences, the DNA barcoding gap and the ability to discriminate species. Among the seven loci tested, ITS2 produced the best results in the barcoding of non‐flowering seed plants. In addition, we compared the abilities of the five most‐recommended markers (psbA‐trnH, matK, rbcL, ITS and ITS2) to identify additional species using a large database of gymnosperms from GenBank. ITS2 remained effective for species identification in a wide range of non‐flowering seed plants: for the 1531 samples from 608 species of 80 diverse genera, ITS2 correctly authenticated 66% of them at the species level. In conclusion, the ITS2 region can serve as a useful barcode to discriminate non‐flowering seed plants, and this study will contribute valuable information for the barcoding of plant species.
Energy balance‐related behaviours associated with overweight and obesity in preschool children: a systematic review of prospective studies
Authors: te Velde S. J. , van Nassau F. , Uijtdewilligen L. , van Stralen M. M. , Cardon G. , De Craemer M. , Manios Y. , Brug J. , Chinapaw M. J. M. ,   ToyBox‐study group
Published: February 2012

SummaryThe current review aimed to systematically identify dietary, physical activity and sedentary behaviours in preschool children (4–6 years of age) that are prospectively related to overweight or obesity later in childhood. Prospective studies published between January 1990 and June 2010 were selected from searches in PubMed, EMBASE, PsycINFO, CINAHL and Cochrane Library. Studies examining the prospective association between at least one relevant behaviour measured during preschool period (children aged 4–6 years at baseline) in relation to at least one anthropometric measurement at follow‐up (age <18 years) were included. Harvest plots were used to summarize the results and draw conclusions from the evidence.Of the 8,718 retrieved papers, 23 papers reporting on 15 different study samples were included in this review. Strong evidence was found for an inverse association between total physical activity and overweight. Moderate evidence was observed for a positive association between television viewing and overweight. Because of the heterogeneity in the assessed dietary behaviours, insufficient evidence was found for an association between dietary intake or specific dietary behaviours and overweight. These results suggest that interventions aiming to prevent overweight among preschool children should focus on promotion of total physical activity and limitation of screen time and that further research is needed to establish whether and which dietary behaviours are important for obesity prevention in this age group. However, despite the lack of evidence for dietary behaviours from the present review, future interventions may already target specific dietary behaviours that are highly prevalent and for which there a clear rationale as well as preliminary evidence that these behaviours are associated with overweight.
Existing policies, regulation, legislation and ongoing health promotion activities related to physical activity and nutrition in pre‐primary education settings: an overview
Authors: Nethe A. , Dorgelo A. , Kugelberg S. , van Assche J. , Buijs G. , Yngve A. , de Henauw S. , Boskou G. , Manios Y. ,   ToyBox‐study group
Published: February 2012

SummaryObesity prevention efforts for school‐aged children and adolescents are increasing in number. However, little has been done to address the problem in the preschool age. To address this age group, an evidence‐based preschool programme on physical activity (PA) and nutrition is developed within the ToyBox project. Environmental influencing factors such as policies and competitive health promotion activities could inhibit or induce a successful health promotion programme. This paper describes an overview of existing policies, legislation and/or regulations and health promotion activities in the preschool setting. Method: data were gathered on policies and activities aiming to improve healthy eating and PA of young children (age group 4–6 years) in Belgium‐Flanders, Bulgaria, Germany, Greece, Poland and Spain. A limited number of influencing policies, regulations and/or legislation exists; agenda setting of health promotion and policy evaluations in all relevant policy areas was lacking. Also, health promotion activities in preschool the setting did not exist in all six European countries and high‐quality preschool‐based health interventions existed in three of the six ToyBox countries.
THE RESCUE DEFENCE OF CAPITAL PUNISHMENT
Authors: Aspenson Steve 
Published: February 2012

AbstractMany political philosophers today think of justice as fundamentally about fairness, while those who defend capital punishment typically hold that justice is fundamentally about desert. In this paper I show that justice as fairness calls for capital punishment because the continued existence of murderers increases unfairness between themselves and their victims, increasing the harm to murdered persons. Rescuing murdered persons from increasing harm is prima facie morally required, and so capital punishment is a prima facie duty of society and sentencing judges.1
Automated 3D MRI volumetry reveals regional atrophy differences in Rasmussen encephalitis
Authors: Wagner Jan , Schoene‐Bake Jan‐Christoph , Bien Christian G. , Urbach Horst , Elger Christian E. , Weber Bernd 
Published: February 2012

SummaryPurpose:  Rasmussen encephalitis is a chronic immune‐mediated disease leading to unilateral atrophy on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and progressive neurologic deficits. Until now, quantitative parameters describing the course of the disease on MRI require manual intervention and are, therefore, time‐consuming and observer‐dependent. Furthermore, regional atrophy differences cannot be evaluated with the previously published methods. In this study we present a fully automated volumetric approach applied to serial MRI scans of 12 patients with Rasmussen encephalitis.Methods:  We retrospectively analyzed 12 patients with Rasmussen encephalitis with a disease onset between 2001 and 2008. All patients underwent a total of 66 serial MRI scans including a three‐dimensional T1 data set. The volumetric analysis was based on standard procedures of the freely available software FMRIB Software Library (FSL) and required about 45 min per scan. Furthermore, planimetric analyses were performed on 51 scans as described previously.Key Findings:  The relative and absolute volume loss of the affected hemisphere was significantly higher compared to the unaffected hemisphere. Referring to regional atrophy differences our results show that the frontal lobe and the insula were preferentially involved in the atrophic process. The degree of hemispheric, parietal, and occipital atrophy was negatively correlated with the age at disease onset, indicating a more aggressive and outspread disease in young children compared to adolescents. Volumetric hemispheric ratio and planimetric hemispheric ratio correlated significantly, but planimetric hemispheric ratio underestimated the real degree of hemiatrophy, especially in patients with predominant affections outside the frontoinsular region.Significance:  The volumetric analysis presented here offers a precise assessment of the disease progression in Rasmussen encephalitis in an observer‐independent and time‐efficient manner and gives an interesting insight into the course of the disease on MRI. The degree of atrophy evaluated with this method correlates with clinical parameters and is comparable to atrophy rates in patients receiving immunotherapy in preceding planimetric MRI studies.
Evaluation of Direct In Vivo Gene Transfer in an Equine Metacarpal IV Ostectomy Model Using an Adenoviral Vector Encoding the Bone Morphogenetic Protein‐2 and Protein‐7 Gene
Authors: Southwood Louise L. , Kawcak Christopher E. , Hidaka Chisa , Mcilwraith C. Wayne , Werpy Natasha , Macleay Jennifer , Frisbie David D. 
Published: February 2012

ObjectiveTo evaluate gene transfer in an equine metacarpal IV (MCIV) ostectomy model using adenoviral vectors encoding the human bone morphogenetic protein‐2 and protein‐7 gene (Ad‐BMP‐2/‐7).Study DesignExperimentalAnimalsHealthy adult horses (n = 15).MethodsA plate stabilized, critical size 1.5 cm ostectomy was created in left and right MCIV. The ostectomy site was injected with either Ad‐green fluorescent protein (Ad‐GFP) or Ad‐hBMP‐2/‐7 at completion of surgery; the same treatment was assigned to both the left and right forelimb of each horse (n = 5 horses/group). Bone healing was evaluated radiographically every 2 weeks for 16 weeks. Horses in a pilot study (n = 5) were used as untreated controls for radiographic evaluation to 8 weeks. After euthanasia at 16 weeks bone healing was evaluated using dual energy X‐ray absorptiometry (DEXA) and histomorphometry. Data were analyzed using an ANOVA or Kruskal–Wallis test. Level of significance was P < .05.ResultsAt 4 and 6 weeks, the Ad‐GFP group had a significantly lower percentage defect ossification compared with the untreated control group. There was no significant difference between untreated and Ad‐hBMP‐2/‐7 groups at any time point and no significant difference in bone healing radiographically, histologically, or using DEXA between any groups at 16 weeks.ConclusionsAd‐hBMP‐2/‐7 did not improve bone healing in horses at 16 weeks.
An assessment of thromboelastometry to monitor blood coagulation and guide transfusion support in liver transplantation
Authors: Blasi Annabel , Beltran Joan , Pereira Arturo , Martinez‐Palli Graciela , Torrents Abiguei , Balust Jaume , Zavala Elizabeth , Taura Pilar , Garcia‐Valdecasas Juan‐Carlos 
Published: February 2012

BACKGROUND: Rotation thromboelastometry (TEM) has been proposed as a convenient alternative to standard coagulation tests in guiding the treatment of coagulopathy during orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT). This study was aimed at assessing the value of TEM in monitoring blood coagulation and guide transfusion support in OLT.STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Standard coagulation and TEM (EXTEM and FIBTEM) tests were performed at four preestablished intraoperative time points in 236 OLTs and prospectively recorded in a dedicated database together with the main operative and transfusion data. Transfusion thresholds were based on standard coagulation tests. Spearman's rank correlation (ρ), linear regression, and receiver operating characteristic curves were used when appropriate.RESULTS: EXTEM maximum clot firmness (MCFEXTEM) was the TEM variable that best correlated with the platelet (PLT) and fibrinogen levels (ρ = 0.62 and ρ = 0.69, respectively). MCFFIBTEM correlated with fibrinogen level (ρ = 0.70). EXTEM clot amplitude at 10 minutes (A10EXTEM) was a good linear predictor of MCFEXTEM (R2 = 0.93). The cutoff values that best predicted the transfusion threshold for PLTs and fibrinogen were A10EXTEM = 35 mm and A10FIBTEM = 8 mm. At these values, the negative and positive predictive accuracies of TEM to predict the transfusion thresholds were 95 and 27%, respectively.CONCLUSION: A10EXTEM is an adequate TEM variable to guide therapeutic decisions during OLT. Patients with A10EXTEM of greater than 35 mm are unlikely to bleed because of coagulation deficiencies, but using A10EXTEM of not more than 35 mm as the sole transfusion criterion can lead to unnecessary utilization of PLTs and fibrinogen‐rich products.
Preparation and Characterization of Porous Bioglass® and PLLA Scaffolds for Tissue Engineering Applications
Authors: Mallick Kajal K. , Winnett James 
Published: February 2012

Three‐dimensional porous scaffold network structures of Bioglass® and poly‐l‐lactide (PLLA) have been fabricated using camphene‐based freeze cast reticulation technique using polyurethane foam templates of appropriate structures and solvent extraction methods. Sublimation of camphene was controlled during freeze casting of Bioglass® slurries at −78°C. PLLA scaffolds were prepared by solvent extraction at temperatures between 25°C and −196°C. Both methods produced open, uniform and interconnected porous structures with 180–1100 μm and porosities of 80%–90% for Bioglass® and wide pore size ranges 150–600 μm with porosities up to 90% for PLLA scaffolds. PLLA scaffolds exhibited a strong dependence on freezing temperature and type of the solvent used. Camphene sublimation resulted in micropores of 1–10 μm, known to facilitate cell adhesion and proliferation. Compressive yield strength of 0.8 MPa close to the upper range of cancellous bone was achieved. The mean compressive strength of Bioglass® scaffolds compared favorably with the theoretical model of porosity variation with strength and was higher than reported values. A maximum of 25% shrinkage resulted, but the original foam template structure was accurately replicated within 4% experimental limit and the conformity was maintained even at high temperatures. The strut sizes of both type of scaffolds varied between 4‐10 μm. Surface crystallization up to 5 μm was evident at 900°C.
Contribution of High‐b‐Value Diffusion‐Weighted Imaging in Determination of Brain Ischemia in Transient Ischemic Attack Patients
Authors: Purroy Francisco , Begue Robert , Quílez Alejandro , Sanahuja Jordi , Gil Maria Isabel 
Published: February 2012

ABSTRACTBACKGROUND AND PURPOSEHigh‐b‐value diffusion‐weighted imaging (DWI) (b= 2,000 and b= 3,000 second/mm2) offers theoretical advantages over DWI examinations at b= 1,000 second/mm2 for detection of acute ischemic stroke. The purpose of this study was to determine whether high‐b‐value DWI are better than b= 1,000 images in TIA patients.METHODSWe compared DWI obtained with 3 different b‐values (1,000, 2,000, and 3,000 second/mm2) and fluid‐attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) sequences in 75 consecutive TIA patients. DWI examinations were performed within 3.25 ± 1.5 days after the onset of symptoms. Presence of ischemic lesion, volume, lesion conspicuity, and lesion distinction were determined.RESULTSA total of 40 (53.3%) patients revealed ischemic acute lesions with b= 1,000 while 34 (45.3%) were positive on FLAIR. High‐b‐value DWI did not increase the sensitivity for the detection of acute brain ischemia. The median lesion value increased as the b‐value did: .17 mL (interquartile range [IQR] .12‐.78) at b= 1,000; .19 mL (IQR .13‐1.00) at b= 2,000; .29 mL (IQR .14‐1.02) at b= 3,000; and .12 mL (IQR .04‐.62 mL) on FLAIR (P < .001). As b‐value increased, we observed hyperintensities in white matter that could erroneously be considered as acute ischemia.CONCLUSIONHigh‐b‐value DWI did not improve the conspicuity and distinction of the ischemic lesions.