bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Urinary cystatin C is diagnostic of acute kidney injury and sepsis, and predicts mortality in the intensive care unit
Authors: Nejat Maryam , Pickering John W , Walker Robert J , Westhuyzen Justin , Shaw Geoffrey M , Frampton Christopher M , Endre Zoltán H 
Published: May 2010

Abstract
Introduction
To evaluate the utility of urinary cystatin C (uCysC) as a diagnostic marker of acute kidney injury (AKI) and sepsis, and predictor of mortality in critically ill patients.

Methods
This was a two-center, prospective AKI observational study and post hoc sepsis subgroup analysis of 444 general intensive care unit (ICU) patients. uCysC and plasma creatinine were measured at entry to the ICU. AKI was defined as a 50% or 0.3-mg/dL increase in plasma creatinine above baseline. Sepsis was defined clinically. Mortality data were collected up to 30 days. The diagnostic and predictive performances of uCysC were assessed from the area under the receiver operator characteristic curve (AUC) and the odds ratio (OR). Multivariate logistic regression was used to adjust for covariates.

Results
Eighty-one (18%) patients had sepsis, 198 (45%) had AKI, and 64 (14%) died within 30 days. AUCs for diagnosis by using uCysC were as follows: sepsis, 0.80, (95% confidence interval (CI), 0.74 to 0.87); AKI, 0.70 (CI, 0.64 to 0.75); and death within 30 days, 0.64 (CI, 0.56 to 0.72). After adjustment for covariates, uCysC remained independently associated with sepsis, AKI, and mortality with odds ratios (CI) of 3.43 (2.46 to 4.78), 1.49 (1.14 to 1.95), and 1.60 (1.16 to 2.21), respectively. Concentrations of uCysC were significantly higher in the presence of sepsis (P < 0.0001) or AKI (P < 0.0001). No interaction was found between sepsis and AKI on the uCysC concentrations (P = 0.53).

Conclusions
Urinary cystatin C was independently associated with AKI, sepsis, and death within 30 days.

Trial registration
Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN012606000032550.
Beneficial effects of loxapine on agitation and breathing patterns during weaning from mechanical ventilation
Authors: Sztrymf Benjamin , Chevrel Guillaume , Bertrand Fabrice , Margetis Dimitri , Hurel Dominique , Ricard Jean-Damien , Dreyfuss Didier 
Published: May 2010

Abstract
Introduction
Interruption of sedation during weaning from mechanical ventilation often leads to patient agitation because of withdrawal syndrome. We tested the short-term efficacy and tolerance of loxapine in this situation.

Methods
Nineteen mechanically ventilated patients with marked agitation after sedation withdrawal were included. Three agitation scales, the Richmond Agitation Sedation Scale (RASS), the Motor Activity Assessment Scale (MAAS), and the Ramsay and physiological variables (respiratory rate, airway occlusion pressure during the first 0.1 second of inspiration (P0.1), heart rate and systolic arterial blood pressure) were recorded before and after loxapine administration.

Results
Loxapine dramatically improved all agitation scores (RASS and MASS decreased from 2 ± 0 to -1.1 ± 2.3, and 5.4 ± 0.5 to 2.7 ± 1.6, respectively; Ramsay increased from 1.0 ± 0 to 3.5 ± 1.5, 60 minutes after loxapine administration, P < 0.05 for all scores) as well as P0.1 (6 ± 4.2 to 1.8 ± 1.8 cm H2O; P < 0.05) and respiratory rate (from 31.2 ± 7.2 to 23.4 ± 7.8; P < 0.05) without hemodynamic adverse events. No side effects occurred. Sixteen (84%) patients were successfully managed with loxapine, sedation was resumed in two others, and one patient self-extubated without having to be reintubated.

Conclusions
Loxapine was safe and effective in treating agitation in a small group of mechanically ventilated patients and improved respiratory physiologic parameters, enabling the weaning process to be pursued. A multicenter trial is under way to confirm these promising results.
Nucleosome rotational setting is associated with transcriptional regulation in promoters of tissue-specific human genes
Authors: Hebert Charles , Roest Crollius Hugues 
Published: May 2010

Abstract
Background
The position of a nucleosome, both translational along the DNA molecule and rotational between the histone core and the DNA, is controlled by many factors, including the regular occurrence of specific dinucleotides with a period of approximately 10 bp, important for the rotational setting of the DNA around the histone octamer.

Results
We show that such a 10 bp periodic signal of purine-purine dinucleotides occurs in phase with the transcription start site (TSS) of human genes and is centered on the position of the first (+1) nucleosome downstream of the TSS. These data support a direct link between transcription and the rotational setting of the nucleosome. The periodic signal is most prevalent in genes that contain CpG islands that are expressed at low levels in a tissue-specific manner and are involved in the control of transcription.

Conclusions
These results, together with several lines of evidence from the recent literature, support a new model whereby the +1 nucleosome could be more efficiently disassembled from gene promoters by H3K56 acetylation marks if the periodic signal specifies an optimal rotational setting.
The influence of rape myth acceptance, sexual attitudes, and belief in a just world on attributions of responsibility in a date rape scenario
Authors: Hammond Elizabeth M. , Berry Melissa A. , Rodriguez Dario N. 
Published: May 2010

Purpose. The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of rape myth acceptance, belief in a just world, and sexual attitudes on attributions of responsibility in a date rape scenario. We predicted that people higher in rape myth acceptance and those who more strongly believed in a just world, as well as those who held more conservative sexual attitudes, would attribute greater blame to the accuser than to the accused. Methods. One hundred seventy‐two undergraduates from a medium‐sized, Catholic university in the USA read a hypothetical date rape scenario and completed the Rape Myth Acceptance Scale, the Just World Scale, the Sexual Attitudes Scale, and a Judgment Questionnaire constructed for the current study. Results. Rape myth acceptance mediated the relationship between gender and judgments of responsibility for the accused and the accuser. Men were more likely to endorse rape myths and, consequently, assign less responsibility to the accused and more responsibility to the accuser than women. Conclusions. Pre‐existing beliefs regarding the nature of rape and the circumstances surrounding it may bias attributions of responsibility in date rape cases. There may be utility in addressing whether jurors hold such beliefs prior to the start of a trial.
SKML-Quality Mark for point-of-care test (POCT) glucose meters and glucose meters for home-use
Authors: Jansen Rob T.P. , Slingerland Robbert J. 
Published: May 2010

Abstract

Background: Point-of-care glucose meters are used increasingly in semi- and non-professional context. The quality of glucose measurements depends on the quality of the equipment, the quality of use, and the pre-analytical conditions. In this article, a External Quality Assessment Scheme (SKML)-Quality Mark for point-of-care test (POCT) and self-test glucose meters is proposed, assessing analytical quality and technical quality. The analytical requirements are based on the biological variation concept, and a system to assess meters for the SKML-Quality Mark is described. Using the proposed system as an example, 14 meters were tested.

Methods: The analytical quality of the POCT and self-test equipment was assessed for plasma calibrated glucose values by comparison with a trueness verified method traceable to the IFCC reference method in an accredited clinical laboratory. The concept is based on the biological variation system. The SKML-Quality Mark comprises the following criteria for blood glucose equipment: 1) Fulfilment of compliance with ISO 15197 and/or TNO guideline criterion; 2) Fulfilment of the total allowable error (TAE) criterion; 3) Fulfilment of the total allowable linearity bias criterion; 4) Fulfilment of the total allowable interfering substances bias criterion; and 5) Fulfilment of the haematocrit criterion.

Results: The proposed SKML-Quality Mark system was tested on 14 commercial home-use meters. The TAE criterion is violated by two meters. The main reason for the violation is bias. For the majority of meters, the Passing and Bablok regression confidence interval does not include the intercept of 0.0 and slope of 1.0. In addition, Syx indicates dispersion around the line or non-linearity. The bias and total error at three different concentrations were investigated as part of the quality mark, resulting in disapproval of the Dicomed Sensocard Plus meter. The bias was significant for the Wellion Linus. With respect to interfering substances, bias of the same magnitude and sign as the bias without additive was seen for all meters for acetaminophen, indicating no additional interference. For ascorbic acid, an additional bias was seen for several meters. However, significant bias was demonstrated for the Sensocard Plus and Glucocard X-meter.

Conclusions: The biological variation concept offers a scientific basis for assessment of acceptable deviation. The concept is extended in the SKML-Quality Mark correcting for the limited number of measurements that can be performed while assessing home-use or POCT meters. The results show that three out of 14 meters fail the proposed quality mark.
Clin Chem Lab Med 2010;48:1021–7.
History's Lobbyist: An Interview with Page Putnam Miller
Authors: Miller Page Putnam , Ritchie Donald 
Published: May 2010

Abstract
From 1980 to 2000, Page Putnam Miller headed the National Coordinating Committee for the Promotion of History (NCC) and served as the liaison between the federal government and the NCC's member associations. Beginning in 1995, her electronic newsletter, NCC Washington Update, kept historians informed about developments in the legislative, judicial, and executive branches and rallied their support behind such pressing issues as freedom of information, an independent National Archives, and the preservation of historical sites in the national parks. She reflected on the personal experiences that she brought to the job, and the challenges that she faced, in an interview with Donald A. Ritchie on December 22, 2008.
Sculpted Radicals: The Problem of Sacco and Vanzetti in Boston's Public Memory
Authors: Yuhl Stephanie E. 
Published: May 2010

Abstract
On August 23, 1927, Italian anarchists Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti were executed for robbery and murder in Massachusetts. This essay examines the echoes of that event in Boston's commemorative landscape as a means to discuss the relationship between official and vernacular expressions of public memory as well as some of the limitations that interpreting ideological radicalism reveals in public historical practice. It examines the history and discourses surrounding the Sacco and Vanzetti Memorial at the Boston Public Library, the Sacco and Vanzetti Memorial Day Proclamation (1977), and a 2007 anarchist/radical parade and rally in Boston commemorating the eightieth anniversary of the executions.
The diagnosis of GH deficiency in obese patients: a reappraisal with GHRH plus arginine testing after pharmacological blockade of lipolysis
Authors: Scacchi Massimo , Orsini Federica , Cattaneo Agnese , Grasso Alice , Filippini Barbara , Pecori Giraldi Francesca , Fatti Letizia Maria , Moro Mirella , Cavagnini Francesco 
Published: May 2010

BackgroundThe diagnosis of GH deficiency (GHD) in obese patients is complicated by the reduced GH secretion associated with overweight. A GH response to GHRH+arginine lower than 4.2 μg/l is currently considered indicative of GHD in obesity. The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of acute pharmacological blockade of lipolysis on the GH response to GHRH+arginine in obese patients.Patients and methodsTwo groups of patients were studied: 12 obese patients with proven GHD and 14 patients with essential obesity. On separate occasions, two tests were carried out in each patient: GHRH+arginine and GHRH+arginine preceded by acipimox.ResultsThe mean GH peak after GHRH+arginine was significantly lower in hypopituitary patients than in subjects with essential obesity. Acipimox significantly increased the mean GH response in patients with essential obesity, but not in hypopituitary subjects. All hypopituitary patients and 7/14 patients with essential obesity displayed GH peaks lower than 4.2 μg/l after GHRH+arginine: the GH response to the test increased after acipimox pretreatment in five of these seven essentially obese subjects. After acipimox administration, free fatty acids (FFAs) significantly fell in both groups with comparable mean absolute decreases. All IGF1 values were normal in both groups of subjects.ConclusionsOur study has demonstrated that the acipimox-induced acute reduction of circulating FFA levels increases mean somatotropin response to GHRH+arginine in patients with essential obesity, whereas it has no effect in hypopituitary subjects. The current criterion for the diagnosis of GHD in obese patients may be misleading. Indeed, subjects affected by third degree obesity, like most of our patients, may be erroneously classified as really GH-deficient and started on an expensive unjustified treatment. It appears therefore that the current criteria for the diagnosis of GHD in obesity should be reconsidered in the light of further studies also taking into account different body mass index groups.
Intraepidermal nerve fiber density reduction as a marker of preclinical asymptomatic small-fiber sensory neuropathy in hypothyroid patients
Authors: Magri Flavia , Buonocore Michelangelo , Oliviero Antonio , Rotondi Mario , Gatti Anna , Accornero Silvia , Camera Antonella , Chiovato Luca 
Published: May 2010

AimTo evaluate, by using skin biopsy technique, the intraepidermal nerve fiber (IENF) density in a group of untreated patients with hypothyroidism, either overt (OH) or subclinical (SH), who did not complain of neurologic symptoms.MethodsWe evaluated 18 neurologically asymptomatic patients newly diagnosed with OH or SH. Fifteen healthy, age-matched, controls were also studied. A nerve conduction study was performed. Skin biopsy was carried out from the skin of upper thigh and distal leg. Nerve fiber density was measured using an immunofluorescence technique. The density of innervation was calculated by counting only fibers crossing the basement membrane.ResultsElectroneurographic parameters were similar in patients and controls. When compared with healthy controls, patients with OH or SH showed a significantly lower IENF density. As assessed by the proximal/distal fiber density ratio, the hypothyroid neuropathy was length dependent. When individually considered, an abnormally reduced IENF was observed in 60% of patients with OH at the distal leg and in 20% at the proximal site. In patients with SH, an abnormal IENF density was found at the distal leg in 25% of cases and at the proximal thigh in 12.5% of cases.ConclusionsOur study provides the first direct demonstration of reduced IENF density in patients with OH or SH. In all patients, the IENF density reduction was length dependent. These findings suggest that a considerable number of untreated hypothyroid patients may have preclinical asymptomatic small-fiber sensory neuropathy.
Long-Term Pancreas Allograft Survival in Simultaneous Pancreas-Kidney Transplantation by Era
Authors: Waki Kayo , Terasaki Paul I. , Kadowaki Takashi 
Published: May 2010

OBJECTIVE
To determine whether short-term improvement in pancreas graft survival with simultaneous pancreas-kidney (SPK) transplants translated into improved long-term survival, then to examine the implications of that determination.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS
We analyzed data for 14,311 diabetic patients who received a first SPK transplant between October 1987 and November 2007, using Kaplan-Meier analysis for graft survival rates and Cox regression analysis for year-of-transplant effect.

RESULTS
Overall, from 1995 to 2004, 5-year pancreas graft survival stayed about the same (70–71%). Limiting analysis to grafts that survived more than 1 year, 5-year survival from 1987 to 2004 ranged from 80 to 84%. With 1987–1989 as reference, the adjusted hazard ratio for graft failure by year of transplant increased to 1.49 (95% CI 0.97–2.30) in 2000–2004.

CONCLUSIONS
Long-term pancreas graft survival has remained unchanged despite the dramatic decreases in technical failures and early acute rejection rates that have contributed to prolonged SPK graft survival.
Associations of Visceral and Subcutaneous Fat Areas With the Prevalence of Metabolic Risk Factor Clustering in 6,292 Japanese Individuals
Authors: Matsushita Yumi , Nakagawa Toru , Yamamoto Shuichiro , Takahashi Yoshihiko , Yokoyama Tetsuji , Noda Mitsuhiko , Mizoue Tetsuya 
Published: May 2010

OBJECTIVE
We examined the relationships of visceral fat area (VFA), subcutaneous fat area, and waist circumference, determined using computed tomography (CT), and BMI with metabolic risk factors in a large Japanese population.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS
Study subjects comprised 6,292 men and women who participated in the Hitachi Health Study and received CT examinations in 2007 and 2008.

RESULTS
Regarding the clustering of metabolic risk factors, the odds ratios (ORs) for the VFA quintiles were 1.0 (ref.), 2.4, 3.4, 5.0, and 9.7 for men and 1.0 (ref.), 1.5, 2.6, 4.6, and 10.0 for women (P &lt; 0.001 for trends in both sexes). For the highest quintiles, the OR for VFA was 1.5 to 2 times higher than those of the other anthropometric indexes in both sexes.

CONCLUSIONS
We demonstrated a superior performance of VFA to predict the clustering of metabolic risk factors compared with other anthropometric indexes.
Layer and unlayer solutions for some singularly perturbed semilinear elliptic systems
Authors: Duan Zhi-Wen 
Published: May 2010

Abstract
In this paper the existence of a transition layer and unlayer solution for the stationary system ɛ
2Δu = f(u, υ), Δυ = g(u, υ) with x ∈ Ω ⊂ RN (N ≥ 2) is studied by using the degree-theoretical argument.
Oscillation of higher order neutral functional difference equations with positive and negative coefficients
Authors: Rath R. , Barik B. , Rath S. 
Published: May 2010

Abstract
Sufficient conditions are obtained so that every solution of the neutral functional difference equation $$
\Delta ^m (y_n - p_n y_{\tau (n)} ) + q_n G(y_{\sigma (n)} ) - u_n H(y_{\alpha (n)} ) = f_n ,
$$ oscillates or tends to zero or ±∞ as n → ∞, where Δ is the forward difference operator given by Δx
n = x
n+1 − x
n, p
n, q
n, u
n, f
n are infinite sequences of real numbers with q
n > 0, u
n ≥ 0, G,H ∈ C(ℝ,ℝ) and m ≥ 2 is any positive integer. Various ranges of {p
n} are considered. The results hold for G(u) ≡ u, and f
n ≡ 0. This paper corrects, improves and generalizes some recent results.
Some topological and geometric properties of generalized Euler sequence space
Authors: Kara Emrah , Öztürk Mahpeyker , Bašarir Metin 
Published: May 2010

Abstract
In this paper, we introduce the Euler sequence space e
r(p) of nonabsolute type and prove that the spaces e
r(p) and l(p) are linearly isomorphic. Besides this, we compute the α-, β- and γ-duals of the space e
r(p). The results proved herein are analogous to those in [ALTAY, B.—BASŠAR, F.: On the paranormed Riesz sequence spaces of non-absolute type, Southeast Asian Bull. Math. 26 (2002), 701–715] for the Riesz sequence space r
q(p). Finally, we define a modular on the Euler sequence space e
r(p) and consider it equipped with the Luxemburg norm. We give some relationships between the modular and Luxemburg norm on this space and show that the space e
r(p) has property (H) but it is not rotund (R).
Conflict Management and Resolution among Beja Pastoralists: Elements and Procedures of the (Salif) Customary Law
Authors: Ati Hassan Abdel 
Published: May 2010

Abstract
Sudan has recently been plagued with conflicts, particularly in pastoral areas, mostly due to competition over resources. Many of these conflicts have developed into civil wars, resulting in the disintegration of the social fabric and disruption of the coexistence among those societies. Peace agreements were signed, reconciliation conferences held and models for conflict transformation tried, but all failed. This paper provides a model for the indigenous patterns of conflict prevention, management and resolution. Despite the scarcity of natural resources, the adverse environmental conditions and the heterogeneity of the inhabitants of Eastern Sudan, the frequency of conflict was the lowest in the country. The main reason seems to be the commitment to the salif (code of behaviour), which constitutes the reference for settling disputes and is the measure for belonging to the group. The merits of the Beja customary system and the reasons for its success in preventing and resolving conflicts is, unlike the formal justice system, its valuing of human life, its preference for compensation as opposed to revenge and retaliation, and its acceptance by all pastoral Beja communities.
Transformed Livelihoods in the Lower Atbara Area: Pastoral Rashâyda Responses to Crisis
Authors: Calkins Sandra 
Published: May 2010

Abstract
External dynamics and processes have long affected the Lower Atbara area of Sudan, and have irreversibly transformed nomadic pastoral livelihood systems. In the context of resource scarcity and recurring conflicts, this paper analyses how Rashâyda pastoralists from Um Sayâla responded to challenges to their pastoral production. As relative newcomers to Sudan, the Rashâyda represent a peculiar case because their access to pastoral resources has been challenged since their arrival in Sudan. But in times of crisis, such as the drought of 1985, their traditionally strong ties to the Gulf States served them as a buffer, mitigating the negative effects of the crisis. This paper highlights five biographies, which reveal individual responses to the catastrophic drought and their outcomes. It concludes by discussing how the Rashâyda tackled the competition for sparse resources and resource contractions in times of crisis, and reveals some internal and external consequences for the group.
Transforming Pastoralism: A Case Study of the Rufa'a Al-Hoi Ethnic Group in the Blue Nile State of Sudan
Authors: Ahmed Abdel Ghaffar M. 
Published: May 2010

Abstract
The pastoral sector in the Blue Nile State (Sudan) has been marginalized and impoverished as a result of detrimental state policies, deteriorating environmental conditions and an encroaching civil war. To survive these assaults, poor households among the Rufa'a Al-Hoi group had to settle and engage in activities remotely related to the pastoral sector. However, they found that their circumstances actually improved by gaining access to a number of social and other types of services previously unavailable. Contrary to conventional wisdom, these particular Rufa'a households found their quality of life improving under their new circumstances and did not attempt to return to pastoralism. Recently, such choices attracted other well-to-do pastoral households from the same ethnic group to settle, engage in agriculture and small business and keep some of their livestock on the move with herders, thus transforming their system of livelihood in order to both cope and reap the benefits from the changing situation.