bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Use of biological disease‐modifying anti‐rheumatic drugs in patients with concurrent rheumatic disease and hepatitis B
Authors: King L. K. , Lee A. , Anandacoomarasamy A. 
Published: July 2011

AbstractBackground:  Biological disease‐modifying anti‐rheumatic drugs (bDMARDs) are effective in the management of inflammatory arthritides. Reactivation of hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a potential adverse outcome in patients treated with bDMARDs. There is currently no consensus on the approach to identifying and treating these patients with underlying HBV infection.Aim:  The aims of this study were to assess the risk of HBV reactivation in patients treated with bDMARDs, and to determine whether HBV screening should be carried out in all patients prior to commencing bDMARDs.Methods:  A literature search was undertaken to identify all reports of patients with inflammatory arthritides and concurrent HBV infection being treated with bDMARDs.Results:  Forty‐three patients with HBV infection were identified, of whom eight patients developed HBV reactivation after exposure to bDMARDs. Of the patients who experienced reactivation, two had unknown infection that surfaced during bDMARD therapy. Patients who experienced reactivation were promptly treated with antiviral therapy and saw clinical improvement. There are no long‐term data on these patients.Conclusions:  HBV reactivation may result in serious consequences, including death. Tuberculosis screening prior to bDMARD treatment is already standard practice, as is HBV screening for patients undergoing cancer chemotherapy. Implementing HBV screening for all patients prior to bDMARD treatment can identify patients with chronic HBV who may require antiviral therapy.
Rare case of spina bifida in both twins with possible genetic basis
Authors: Lembet Arda , Uğurlu Evin Nil , Toprak Taner , Bastu Ercan 
Published: July 2011

AbstractNeural tube defects (NTD) are a group of congenital malformations of the brain and spine, the etiology of which is still debated. Although presumed to be the consequence of interactions between genetic and environmental factors, so far, it is not known which genes are involved in the pathogenesis of these malformations. NTD affecting both fetuses in a twin gestation is a rare event. In view of this rarity, we present a case of dichorionic diamniotic twin pregnancy with spina bifida in both fetuses concordantly. This gestation was preceeded by another dichorionic diamniotic twin pregnancy that was complicated by placental abruption.
A framework for studying transient dynamics of population projection matrix models
Authors: Stott Iain , Townley Stuart , Hodgson David James 
Published: July 2011

Ecology Letters (2011) 14: 959–970AbstractEmpirical models are central to effective conservation and population management, and should be predictive of real‐world dynamics. Available modelling methods are diverse, but analysis usually focuses on long‐term dynamics that are unable to describe the complicated short‐term time series that can arise even from simple models following ecological disturbances or perturbations. Recent interest in such transient dynamics has led to diverse methodologies for their quantification in density‐independent, time‐invariant population projection matrix (PPM) models, but the fragmented nature of this literature has stifled the widespread analysis of transients. We review the literature on transient analyses of linear PPM models and synthesise a coherent framework. We promote the use of standardised indices, and categorise indices according to their focus on either convergence times or transient population density, and on either transient bounds or case‐specific transient dynamics. We use a large database of empirical PPM models to explore relationships between indices of transient dynamics. This analysis promotes the use of population inertia as a simple, versatile and informative predictor of transient population density, but criticises the utility of established indices of convergence times. Our findings should guide further development of analyses of transient population dynamics using PPMs or other empirical modelling techniques.
The ecological causes of individual specialisation
Authors: Araújo Márcio S. , Bolnick Daniel I. , Layman Craig A. 
Published: July 2011

Ecology Letters (2011) 14: 948–958AbstractMany generalist populations are composed of specialised individuals, whose niches are small subsets of the population niche. This ‘individual specialisation’ is a widespread phenomenon in natural populations, but until recently few studies quantified the magnitude of individual specialisation and how this magnitude varies among populations or contexts. Such quantitative approaches are necessary for us to understand how ecological interactions influence the amount of among‐individual variation, and how the amount of variation might affect ecological dynamics. Herein, we review recent studies of individual specialisation, emphasising the novel insights arising from quantitative measures of diet variation. Experimental and comparative studies have confirmed long‐standing theoretical expectations that the magnitude of among‐individual diet variation depends on the level of intra and interspecific competition, ecological opportunity and predation. In contrast, there is little empirical information as to how individual specialisation affects community dynamics. We discuss some emerging methodological issues as guidelines for researchers studying individual specialisation, and make specific recommendations regarding avenues for future research.
Response to technical comment on `meta‐analysis reveals negative yet variable effects of ocean acidification on marine organisms'
Authors: Kroeker Kristy J. , Kordas Rebecca L. , Crim Ryan N. , Singh Gerald G. 
Published: July 2011

Ecology Letters (2011) 14: E1–E2AbstractIt has been proposed that crustaceans should be excluded from a comparison of biological responses to ocean acidification among organisms with different calcium carbonate (CaCO3) forms in their calcified structures. We re‐analysed our data without crustaceans and found high variation in organismal responses within CaCO3 categories. We conclude that the CaCO3 polymorph alone does not predict sensitivity, and a consideration of functional differences among organisms is necessary for predicting variation in response to acidification.
Evolution of acoustic communication in the Gomphocerinae (Orthoptera: Caelifera: Acrididae)
Authors: Nattier Romain , Robillard Tony , Amedegnato Christiane , Couloux Arnaud , Cruaud Corinne , Desutter‐Grandcolas Laure 
Published: July 2011

Nattier, R., Robillard, T., Amedegnato, C., Couloux, A., Cruaud, C. & Desutter‐Grandcolas, L. (2011) Evolution of acoustic communication in the Gomphocerinae (Orthoptera: Caelifera: Acrididae). —Zoologica Scripta, 40, 479–497.We used a phylogenetic analysis to study the communication behaviour in the Gomphocerinae (Insecta, Orthoptera, Acrididae), which are characterised by their stridulatory apparatus and a diversified acoustic repertoire. Song‐emitting behaviour, together with the general description, temporal dimension and amplitude of signals were used to describe the calling song of 34 species, resulting in a matrix of 39 acoustic characters. A phylogeny using 59 gomphocerine species and two outgroups was built based on four mitochondrial markers and the acoustic characters. Based on acoustic character optimisations, ancestral calling song was reconstructed and the evolution of calling song is discussed, with a comparison to courtship behaviours. Our results show a dynamic process of calling song evolution and underline a balance between calling and courtship diversity leading to two mating strategies corresponding to two major clades in the phylogeny.
MAPPING OUT STRUCTURAL FEATURES IN CLINICAL CARE CALLING FOR ETHICAL SENSITIVITY: A THEORETICAL APPROACH TO PROMOTE ETHICAL COMPETENCE IN HEALTHCARE PERSONNEL AND CLINICAL ETHICAL SUPPORT SERVICES (CESS)
Authors: BÆRØE KRISTINE , NORHEIM OLE FRITHJOF 
Published: July 2011

ABSTRACTClinical ethical support services (CESS) represent a multifaceted field of aims, consultancy models, and methodologies. Nevertheless, the overall aim of CESS can be summed up as contributing to healthcare of high ethical standards by improving ethically competent decision‐making in clinical healthcare. In order to support clinical care adequately, CESS must pay systematic attention to all real‐life ethical issues, including those which do not fall within the ‘favourite’ ethical issues of the day. In this paper we attempt to capture a comprehensive overview of categories of ethical tensions in clinical care. We present an analytical exposition of ethical structural features in judgement‐based clinical care predicated on the assumption of the moral equality of human beings and the assessment of where healthcare contexts pose a challenge to achieving moral equality. The account and the emerging overview is worked out so that it can be easily contextualized with regards to national healthcare systems and specific branches of healthcare, as well as local healthcare institutions. By considering how the account and the overview can be applied to i) improve the ethical competence of healthcare personnel and consultants by broadening their sensitivity to ethical tensions, ii) identify neglected areas for ethical research, and iii) clarify the ethical responsibility of healthcare institutions' leadership, as well as specifying required institutionalized administration, we conclude that the proposed account should be considered useful for CESS.
RESPONSIBILITY AFTER THE APPARENT END: ‘FOLLOWING‐UP’ IN CLINICAL ETHICS CONSULTATION
Authors: FINDER STUART G. , BLITON MARK J. 
Published: July 2011

ABSTRACTClinical ethics literature typically presents ethics consultations as having clear beginnings and clear ends. Experience in actual clinical ethics practice, however, reflects a different characterization, particularly when the moral experiences of ethics consultants are included in the discussion. In response, this article emphasizes listening and learning about moral experience as core activities associated with clinical ethics consultation. This focus reveals that responsibility in actual clinical ethics practice is generated within the moral scope of an ethics consultant's activities as she or he encounters the unique and specific features that emerge from interactions with a specific patient, or family, or practitioner within a given situation and over time. A long‐form narrative about an ethics consultant's interactions is interwoven with a more didactic discussion to highlight the theme of responsibility and to probe questions that arise regarding follow‐up within the practice of clinical ethics consultation.
WHO ARE WE WHEN WE ARE DOING WHAT WE ARE DOING? THE CASE FOR MINDFUL EMBODIMENT IN ETHICS CASE CONSULTATION
Authors: FROLIC ANDREA 
Published: July 2011

ABSTRACTThis paper explores the theory and practice of embodied epistemology or mindful embodiment in ethics case consultation. I argue that not only is this epistemology an ethical imperative to safeguard the integrity of this emerging profession, but that it has the potential to improve the quality of ethics consultation (EC). It also has implications for how ethics consultants are trained and how consultation services are organized. My viewpoint is informed by ethnographic research and by my experimental application of mindful embodiment to the development of an ethics consultation service. My argument proceeds in four phases. First I explore the notion of ‘situatedness’ in the bioethics literature, identifying gaps in the field's theories as they apply to EC. I then describe my theoretical approach to embodiment grounded in critical‐interpretive medical anthropology and autoethnography. I use embodiment to refer to a moral epistemology grounded in the body, comprised of the interplay of physical, symbolic, intersubjective and political elements. Third, I describe how mindful embodiment can inform the role of the ethics consultant and the development of effective training techniques, vocabularies and processes for EC. I also discuss the benefits of this orientation, and the potential harms of ignoring the embodied dimensions of EC. My goals are to expose the fallacy of the ‘theory‐practice gap’, to demonstrate how my own EC practice is deeply informed by this theoretical orientation, and to argue for a wider definition of what ‘counts’ as relevant theory for ethics consultation.
A fistful of euros: Is the German one‐euro job workfare scheme effective for participants?
Authors: Hohmeyer Katrin , Wolff Joachim 
Published: July 2011

Hohmeyer K, Wolff J. A fistful of euros: is the German one‐euro job workfare scheme effective for participants?Welfare reforms have constituted a major policy issue in many OECD countries in recent decades. In Germany, a major reform in 2005 emphasised the activation of welfare recipients and introduced a workfare programme –‘One‐Euro Jobs’– on a large scale. In the present study, the impact of one‐euro jobs on the employment prospects of different groups of participants was estimated. The analysis was conducted on a large sample of welfare recipients using propensity score matching. The sample of one‐euro job participants and other welfare recipients was drawn from administrative records comprising all those who started their participation in the programme in early 2005. Our results showed that participation slightly improved the medium‐term employment prospects for women but not for men. Participation reduced the employment rate of participants younger than 25 years but raised it for some of the older participant groups. In conclusion, one‐euro jobs are effective for participants who have been jobless for several years but ineffective for participants who were recently employed.
NB‐UVB (311–312 nm)‐induced lentigines in patients with mycosis fungoides: a new adverse effect of phototherapy
Authors: Friedland R. , David M. , Feinmesser M. , Barzilai A. , Hodak E. 
Published: July 2011

AbstractBackground  Lentigines are a common pigmentary disorder in adults and in patients treated by psoralen and ultraviolet A (PUVA) radiation. Their appearance following treatment with narrow‐band ultraviolet B (NB‐UVB) radiation has been reported in only two patients.Objective  To describe the clinical and histological features of NB‐UVB‐induced lentigines their relation to dosimetry and the course of the eruption in patients with mycosis fungoides (MF).Methods  The files of all patients with MF treated in our department in 2003–2010 were searched to identify those in whom lentigines appeared following monotherapy with NB‐UVB radiation.Results  Of the 73 patients with early stage MF identified, 10 met the study criteria. Lentigines were detected in skin previously involved by MF in seven patients, and in both involved and uninvolved skin in three patients. They appeared during therapy in three patients, after a mean of 56 exposures (range 50–61), and several months (mean 7.8) following completion of treatment in seven patients, after a mean of 69 exposures (range 32–157). Histopathological study of lesions from five patients revealed basal hyperpigmentation relative to adjacent normal‐looking skin. Two lesions had a slight increased number of normal‐looking melanocytes on immunohistochemical staining with melanoma cocktail. One lesion had elongated rete ridges. The lesions persisted throughout follow‐up (mean 26.7 months) in 8 patients.Conclusions  Patients with MF treated with NB‐UVB may acquire lentigines. As opposed to PUVA‐induced lentigines which are a known common side‐effect of long‐term treatment, NB‐UVB‐induced lentigines are uncommon but appear earlier, even after a few months of treatment.
Substitutions of amino acids in the pore domain of homomeric α7 nicotinic receptors for analogous residues present in heteromeric receptors modify gating, rectification and binding properties
Authors: Criado Manuel , Svobodová Lucie , Mulet José , Sala Francisco , Sala Salvador 
Published: July 2011

J. Neurochem. (2011) 119, 40–49.AbstractWe have studied the role of different amino acids in the M2 transmembrane domain of the α7 neuronal nicotinic receptor by mutating residues that differ from the ones located at the same positions in other α (α2–α10) or β (β2–β4) subunits. Our aim was to investigate the contribution of these amino acids to the peculiar kinetic and inward rectification properties that differentiate the homomeric α7 receptor from other nicotinic receptors. Mutations of several residues strongly modified receptor function. We found that Thr245 had the most profound effect when mutated to serine, an amino acid present in all heteromeric receptors composed of α and β subunits, by dramatically increasing the maximal current, decreasing the decaying rate of the currents and decreasing receptor rectification. Some mutants also showed altered agonist‐binding properties as revealed by shifts in the dose–response curves for acetylcholine. We conclude that residues in the M2 segment and flanking regions contribute to the unusual properties of the α7 receptor, especially to its characteristic fast kinetic behavior and strong inward rectification and furthermore to the potency of agonists.
The Relationship between Physician Compensation Strategies and the Intensity of Care Delivered to Medicare Beneficiaries
Authors: Landon Bruce E. , Reschovsky James D. , O'Malley A. James , Pham Hoangmai H. , Hadley Jack 
Published: July 2011

Objective. To examine the relationship between primary care physicians' (PCPs) payment arrangements and the total costs and intensity of care for specific episodes of care for Medicare beneficiaries.
Data Sources/Study Setting. We combined data from the 2004 to 2005 Community Tracking Study Physician Survey on PCP compensation methods with administrative data from the Medicare program for beneficiaries to whom these physicians provided services over the time period 2004–2006.
Study Design. Cross‐sectional analysis of physician survey data linked to Medicare claims.
Principal Findings. The 2,211 PCP respondents included 937 internists and 1,274 family or general physicians who were linked to more than 250,000 Medicare enrollees. Most physicians (62 percent) had been in practice for 11 or more years and 87 percent were board certified. The total spending models show that for both employed physicians and owners, those in highly capitated practice environments had the lowest risk adjusted spending per beneficiary, whereas those receiving just productivity payments had the highest spending. These physicians also had lower intensity of care for episodes of care.
Conclusions. Physicians in highly capitated practices had the lowest total costs and intensity of care, suggesting that these physicians develop an overall approach to care that also applies to their FFS patients.
Hospital Standardized Mortality Ratios: Sensitivity Analyses on the Impact of Coding
Authors: Bottle Alex , Jarman Brian , Aylin Paul 
Published: July 2011

Introduction. Hospital standardized mortality ratios (HSMRs) are derived from administrative databases and cover 80 percent of in‐hospital deaths with adjustment for available case mix variables. They have been criticized for being sensitive to issues such as clinical coding but on the basis of limited quantitative evidence.
Methods. In a set of sensitivity analyses, we compared regular HSMRs with HSMRs resulting from a variety of changes, such as a patient‐based measure, not adjusting for comorbidity, not adjusting for palliative care, excluding unplanned zero‐day stays ending in live discharge, and using more or fewer diagnoses.
Results. Overall, regular and variant HSMRs were highly correlated (ρ>0.8), but differences of up to 10 points were common. Two hospitals were particularly affected when palliative care was excluded from the risk models. Excluding unplanned stays ending in same‐day live discharge had the least impact despite their high frequency. The largest impacts were seen when capturing postdischarge deaths and using just five high‐mortality diagnosis groups.
Conclusions. HSMRs in most hospitals changed by only small amounts from the various adjustment methods tried here, though small‐to‐medium changes were not uncommon. However, the position relative to funnel plot control limits could move in a significant minority even with modest changes in the HSMR.
Abandonment of High‐Dose Chemotherapy/Hematopoietic Cell Transplants for Breast Cancer Following Negative Trial Results
Authors: Howard David H. , Kenline Carolyn , Lazarus Hillard M. , LeMaistre Charles F. , Maziarz Richard T. , McCarthy Jr. Philip L. , Parsons Susan K. , Szwajcer David , Douglas Rizzo James , Majhail Navneet S. 
Published: July 2011

Objective.In 1999, three randomized controlled trials concluded that high‐dose chemotherapy followed by autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HDC/HCT) is no better than conventional chemotherapy for women with breast cancer. This study documents the impact of the trials on use of HDC/HCT and describes how hospitals reacted to the trials.Data Source.We used patient‐level data on 15,847 HDC/HCTs reported to the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research between 1994 and 2005.Study Design.We report trends in total HDC/HCT procedure volume, compare the time to hospitals' exit from the HDC/HCT market between research and nonresearch hospitals, and document trends in hospital‐specific volumes in the 2 years before exit.Principal Findings.HDC/HCT volume declined from 3,108 in 1998 to 1,363 the year after trial results were released. In 2002, only 76 procedures were performed. Teaching hospitals and the hospitals that participated in the trials were no slower to discontinue the procedure compared with nonteaching, nonparticipating hospitals. At the hospital level, volume declined steadily in the months before abandonment.Conclusion.The results suggest that comparative effectiveness research studies that report negative results can reduce spending, but specialists may be reluctant to relinquish cutting‐edge technologies.
Molecular and functional characterization of the human platelet Na+/Ca2+ exchangers
Authors: Roberts Diane E , Matsuda Toshio , Bose Ratna 
Published: July 2011

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The Na+/Ca2+ exchanger is a bi‐directional transporter that plays an important role in maintaining the concentration of cytosolic Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i) of quiescent platelets and increasing it during activation with some, but not all, agonists. There are two classes of Na+/Ca2+ exchangers: K+‐independent Na+/Ca2+ exchanger (NCX) and K+‐dependent Na+/Ca2+ exchanger (NCKX). Platelets have previously been shown to express NCKX1. However, initial studies from our laboratory suggest that NCX may also play a role in platelet activation. The objective of this study was to determine if the human platelet expresses functional NCXs.EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH RT‐PCR, DNA sequencing and Western blot analysis were utilized to characterize the human platelet Na+/Ca2+ exchangers. Their function during quiescence and collagen‐induced activation was determined by measuring [Ca2+]i with calcium‐green/fura‐red in response to: changes in the Na+ and K+ gradient, NCX pharmacological inhibitors (CBDMB, KB‐R7943 and SEA0400) and antibodies specific to extracellular epitopes of the exchangers.KEY RESULTS Human platelets express NCX1.3, NCX3.2 and NCX3.4. The NCXs operate in the Ca2+ efflux mode in resting platelets and also during their activation with thrombin but not collagen. Collagen‐induced increase in [Ca2+]i was reduced with the pharmacological inhibitors of NCX (CBDMB, KB‐R7943 or SEA0400), anti‐NCX1 and anti‐NCX3. In contrast, anti‐NCKX1 enhanced the collagen‐induced increase in [Ca2+]i.CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS Human platelets express K+‐independent Na+/Ca2+ exchangers NCX1.3, NCX3.2 and NCX3.4. During collagen activation, NCX1 and NCX3 transiently reverse to promote Ca2+ influx, whereas NCKX1 continues to operate in the Ca2+ efflux mode to reduce [Ca2+]i.