bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Increased liver stiffness denotes hepatic dysfunction and mortality risk in critically ill non-cirrhotic patients at a medical ICU
Authors: Koch Alexander , Horn Andreas , Dückers Hanna , Yagmur Eray , Sanson Edouard , Bruensing Jan , Buendgens Lukas , Voigt Sebastian , Trautwein Christian , Tacke Frank 
Published: November 2011

Abstract
Introduction
Hepatic dysfunction is a common finding in critically ill patients on the ICU and directly influences survival. Liver stiffness can be measured by the novel method of transient elastography (fibroscan) and is closely associated with hepatic fibrosis in patients with chronic liver disease, but also is increased in patients with acute hepatitis, acute liver failure and cholestasis. We investigated liver stiffness as a potentially useful tool for early detection of patients with hepatic deterioration and risk stratification with respect to short- and long-term mortality.

Methods
We prospectively evaluated 108 consecutive critically ill patients at our medical intensive care unit (ICU) with subsequent longitudinal liver stiffness measurements (admission, Day 3, Day 7 and weekly thereafter) during the course of ICU treatment. Outcome was followed after discharge (median observation time 237 days).

Results
Liver stiffness could be reliably measured in 71% of ICU patients at admission (65% at Day 3, 63% at Day 7). Critically ill patients (n = 108) had significantly increased liver stiffness compared to sex- and age-matched standard care patients (n = 25). ICU patients with decompensated cirrhosis showed highest liver stiffness, whereas other critical diseases (for example, sepsis) and comorbidities (for example, diabetes, obesity) did not impact stiffness values. At admission to the ICU, liver stiffness is closely related to hepatic damage (liver synthesis, cholestasis, fibrosis markers). During the course of ICU treatment, fluid overload (renal failure, volume therapy) and increased central venous pressure (mechanical ventilation, heart failure) were major factors determining liver stiffness. Liver stiffness values > 18 kilopascal (kPa) at ICU admission were associated with increased ICU and long-term mortality, even in non-cirrhotic patients.

Conclusions
Considering that liver stiffness cannot be validly measured in about 30% of ICU patients, transient elastography performed at ICU admission might be a useful tool to early identify liver dysfunction and predict mortality in critically ill patients at a medical ICU.
Identifying critically ill patients who benefit the most from nutrition therapy: the development and initial validation of a novel risk assessment tool
Authors: Heyland Daren K , Dhaliwal Rupinder , Jiang Xuran , Day Andrew G 
Published: November 2011

Abstract
Introduction
To develop a scoring method for quantifying nutrition risk in the intensive care unit (ICU).

Methods
A prospective, observational study of patients expected to stay > 24 hours. We collected data for key variables considered for inclusion in the score which included: age, baseline APACHE II, baseline SOFA score, number of comorbidities, days from hospital admission to ICU admission, Body Mass Index (BMI) < 20, estimated % oral intake in the week prior, weight loss in the last 3 months and serum interleukin-6 (IL-6), procalcitonin (PCT), and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels. Approximate quintiles of each variable were assigned points based on the strength of their association with 28 day mortality.

Results
A total of 597 patients were enrolled in this study. Based on the statistical significance in the multivariable model, the final score used all candidate variables except BMI, CRP, PCT, estimated percentage oral intake and weight loss. As the score increased, so did mortality rate and duration of mechanical ventilation. Logistic regression demonstrated that nutritional adequacy modifies the association between the score and 28 day mortality (p = 0.01).

Conclusions
This scoring algorithm may be helpful in identifying critically ill patients most likely to benefit from aggressive nutrition therapy.
The Australian Safe-n-Sound Baby Safety Capsule and Its Effect on Oxygen Saturation Values in Infants Ready for Discharge Home
Authors: Dawson Jennifer Anne , Stainton M. Colleen 
Published: November 2011

Purpose:To examine the effect of the Australian Safe-n- Sound Baby Safety Capsule (BSC) on oxygen saturation (SpO2) values of preterm and term infants ready for discharge home.Design:A two-group pretest/posttest quasi-experimental study compared the effect of the BSC on SpO2.Sample:Thirty-nine low birth weight premature newborn infants and 19 term newborn infants ready for discharge home.Main outcome variable:Mean oxygen saturation values and the number of oxygen desaturation events below 90 percent.Results:The mean SpO2values for both preterm and term infants were within the normal range (>90–100 percent) for each phase of data collection (baseline, capsule, and recovery). However, mean SpO2values decreased from baseline during the 60 minutes spent in the BSC for the preterm infants.
Human-Milk Feeding after NICU Discharge
Authors: Wheeler Barbara 
Published: November 2011

Purpose:Difficulty with breastfeeding is common, and challenges are particularly pronounced for mothers of ill or preterm infants. This study explores the breastfeeding experiences of mothers of these at-risk infants to determine their breastfeeding patterns and to better understand reasons they prematurely stop breastfeeding and/or human-milk feeding (HMF).Design:A qualitative, longitudinal, descriptive design was used.Sample:The sample consisted of 144 mothers whose preterm or ill infants were cared for in either an NICU or an intermediate care nursery in a large central Canadian city; 112 mothers completed data collection to six weeks after their infants were discharged from the hospital.Main Outcome Variable:The main outcome variable was continued breastfeeding or HMF of formerly ill or preterm infants at one and six weeks after their discharge from the hospital.Results:Of infants who were being fed mother’s milk when discharged from the hospital, 71 percent continued to receive at least some mother’s milk at six weeks after discharge. Mothers reported that their own physical and emotional problems, infant health concerns, and lack of time and support were reasons for discontinuing provision of human milk.
NICU Procedures Are Getting Sweeter: Development of a Sucrose Protocol for Neonatal Procedural Pain
Authors: Mokhnach Larisa , Anderson Marilyn , Glorioso Rachelle , Loeffler Katie , Shinabarger Kelly , Thorngate Lauren , Yates Marna , Diercks Kristi , Berkan Maureen , Hou Shwu-Shin , Millar April , Thomas Karen , Walker Wendy , Zbirun Ilona 
Published: November 2011

Neonates in the neonatal intensive care nursery experience multiple, painful, tissue-damaging procedures daily. Pain among neonates is often underestimated and untreated, producing untoward consequences. A literature review established strong evidence supporting the use of sucrose as an analgesic for minor procedural pain among neonates. A review of unit practices and nurses’ experiential evidence initiated the production of a standardized protocol in our unit at the University of Washington Medical Center NICU in Seattle.Nursing practices surrounding sucrose use differed widely in dose, timing, and patient application. We carefully evaluated evidence documenting the effectiveness as well as the safety of sucrose administration and wrote a protocol and practice standards for our primarily premature patient population. This article describes the development and execution of a standardized, nurse-implemented, sucrose protocol to reduce procedural pain.
Induced Hypothermia for Neonatal Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy: Pathophysiology, Current Treatment, and Nursing Considerations
Authors: Cooper DeLinda Jo 
Published: November 2011

AbstractHypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) can lead to devastating neurodevelopmental consequences such as cerebral palsy, seizure disorders, and significant developmental delays. HIE in the newborn is often the result of a hypoxic event, such as uterine rupture, placental abruption, or cord prolapse. Biphasic brain injury occurs in HIE. The first phase involves activation of the sympathetic nervous system as a compensatory mechanism. The second phase, known as reperfusion brain injury, occurs hours later. Induced hypothermia, a neuroprotective strategy for treating HIE, targets the second phase to prevent reperfusion injury. NICU nurses are in a unique position to detect patient instability and to maintain the therapeutic interventions that contribute to the healing process. This article highlights the significant role nurses play in the management of infants diagnosed with HIE who are treated with induced hypothermia.
Implicit a posteriori error estimation using patch recovery techniques
Authors: Horváth Tamás , Izsák Ferenc 
Published: November 2011

Abstract
We develop implicit a posteriori error estimators for elliptic boundary value problems. Local problems are formulated for the error and the corresponding Neumann type boundary conditions are approximated using a new family of gradient averaging procedures. Convergence properties of the implicit error estimator are discussed independently of residual type error estimators, and this gives a freedom in the choice of boundary conditions. General assumptions are elaborated for the gradient averaging which define a family of implicit a posteriori error estimators. We will demonstrate the performance and the favor of the method through numerical experiments.
Isolated primary extranodal lymphoma of the oral cavity: A series of 15 cases and review of literature from a tertiary care cancer centre in India
Authors: Shah Gunjan H , Panwar Sajid Khan , Chaturvedi Pankaj P , Kane Shubhada N 
Published: November 2011

Abstract
Background: Non-Hodgkin′s lymphomas (NHL) have a great tendency to affect organs and tissues that do not ordinarily contain lymphoid cells. Involvement of the oral cavity by NHL is very rare. Materials and Methods: Retrospective analysis was carried out by chart review of patients who presented to our hospital between 1990 and 2008. All those patients whose histopathology at our hospital was confirmed as lymphoma were included. Results: Although we register nearly 2000 new oral cancers every year, most of which are squamous cell cancers, we could trace only 15 cases of oral lymphoma in the last 18 years. Of these, hard palate and alveolus were most common sites (5 each). The median age at presentation was 42.6 years. A vast majority (12/15) were NHL. Most patients (70%) reported with painless progressive swelling without systemic signs, such as fever, weight loss, and so on. Only 2 patients were HIV positive. Nearly two thirds received combinations of CT and RT. Cyclophosphamide, hydroxydaunorubicin, oncovin (vincristine), prednisolone regime was the most common regime offered (12/15). Most of them (67%) had good response to 6 cycles of CT that was followed by RT. 10/15 patients completed treatment. Follow-up data of more than 2 years of follow-up was present in 11/15 patients. With median follow-up of 27 months, 5 were disease free, 5 died, and 1 controlled following 2nd line of CT, 2 were lost to follow-up and 2 were alive with disease. Discussion: Head and neck lymphoma is the second most common region for extranodal lymphoma. The nasopharynx, tonsils, and base tongue are most often involved. Unlike the western world, oral cavity involvement is extremely rare. Interestingly, only 2 patients tested positive for HIV and most were young patients. Oral lymphoma may mimic benign oral conditions that often lead to misdiagnosis. Conclusion: Although oral cavity may be the preferred site of NHL in immunocompromised patients it does occur in immunocompetent patients as well. Isolated oral lymphoma is extremely rare and from our data we can say that oral NHL in Indian sub population is more aggressive compared with western literature.
Changing trends of chronic myeloid leukemia in greater Mumbai, India over a period of 30 years
Authors: Dikshit Rajesh P , Nagrani Rajini , Yeole Balkrishna , Koyande Shravani , Banawali Shripad 
Published: November 2011

Abstract
Background: Little is known about burden of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) in India. There is a recent interest to observe incidence and mortality because of advent of new diagnostic and treatment policies for CML. Materials and Methods: We extracted data from the oldest population-based cancer registry of Mumbai for 30 years period from 1976−2005 to observe incidence and mortality rates of CML. We classified the data into four age groups 0−14, 15−29, 30−54 and 55−74 to observe incidence rates in the respective age groups. Results: The age specific rates were highest for the age group of 55−74 years. No significant change in trends of CML was observed for 30 years period. However, there was a significant reduction in incidence rate for recent 15-years period (Estimated average annual percentage change=-3.9). No significant reduction in mortality rate was observed till 2005. Conclusion: The study demonstrates that age-specific rates for CML are highest in age group of 55-74 years, although they are lower compared to western populations. Significant reduction in incidence of CML in recent periods might be because of reduced misclassification of leukemias. The data of CML has to be observed for another decade to witness reduction in mortality because of changes in treatment management.
Tracing the Evolution of American Health Care through Medicare
Authors: Garner Craig Boyd , Berry Judith M. , McCabe David A. 
Published: November 2011

With President Obama’s health care reform currently under intense partisan scrutiny in the United States, this article is an objective resource for understanding the ways in which Medicare has historically served as a weather vane for charting the changes to the American health care system. During its nearly fifty-year tenure as the standard for the provision of medical care in the U.S., Medicare has evolved in fits and spurts, with its core structure shifting over time as the result of each decade’s economic and political climate. It is only by understanding these past revisions, both independently and in the context of the concurrent changes in other nations around the world, that we can fully comprehend the state of America’s health care system today, and make the necessary allowances to ensure that the nation’s health care will survive to provide for its constituents in the years to come.
Effects of the Reactive Compatibilizer CPE‐g‐GMA on Water‐Absorbing Ability and Mechanical Property of Blending‐Type Water‐Swellable Rubber
Authors: Zhang Yuhong , Gong Feng , Zhang Xingning , He Peixin 
Published: November 2011

AbstractA water‐swellable rubber (WSR) compatibilized by a functional graft copolymer, CPE‐g‐GMA, has been prepared by blending chlorinated polyethylene (CPE) with a superabsorbent resin (SAR) poly(acrylic acid‐co‐acrylamide) [P(AA–AM)]. The dependence of the WSR's water‐absorbent properties on the SAR and the CPE‐g‐GMA contents was investigated, such as two cycles of swelling and drying by weight, and the weight percentage loss. The mechanical behavior of WSR was also studied. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Adv Polym Techn 32: E83–E89, 2013; View this article online at wileyonlinelibrary.com. DOI 10.1002/adv.20272
Die Harnstoff‐Renaissance
Authors: Volz Nicole , Clayden Jonathan 
Published: November 2011

AbstractIm letzten Jahrzehnt hat die Verwendung von Harnstoffderivaten als wertvolle Reagentien, Katalysatoren und Struktureinheiten in der organischen Chemie rasch zugenommen. Sie finden nun Verwendung als Wasserstoffbrückendonoren in Organokatalysatoren und Anionentransportern, als wichtige Struktureinheit in der supramolekularen Chemie, für die Steuerung von Lithiierungen, als Aminierungssubstrate, für die Vermittlung von Metallierungen und als Substrate für neuartige Umlagerungen. In diesem Aufsatz wird die bemerkenswert rasche aktuelle Entwicklung der Chemie des Harnstoffs hervorgehoben, der für viele Jahre als unreaktiv, schwer zu handhaben und vergleichsweise wertlos betrachtet wurde.
The Urea Renaissance
Authors: Volz Nicole , Clayden Jonathan 
Published: November 2011

AbstractOver the last decade the use of urea derivatives as useful reagents, catalysts, and structural features in organic chemistry has increased rapidly. They now find utility as hydrogen‐bond donors in organocatalysts and anion transporters, as important scaffolds in supramolecular chemistry, as lithiation directors, amination substrates, and promoters of metalation, and as substrates for novel rearrangement reactions. Highlighted herein is the remarkably rapid and recent development of the chemistry of ureas, which for many years had been considered unreactive, intractable, and of little value.
User models as revealed in web‐based research services
Authors: Bodoff David , Raban Daphne 
Published: November 2011

AbstractThe user‐centered approach to information retrieval emphasizes the importance of a user model in determining what information will be most useful to a particular user, given their context. Mediated search provides an opportunity to elaborate on this idea, as an intermediary's elicitations reveal what aspects of the user model they think are worth inquiring about. However, empirical evidence is divided over whether intermediaries actually work to develop a broadly conceived user model. Our research revisits the issue in a web research services setting, whose characteristics are expected to result in more thorough user modeling on the part of intermediaries. Our empirical study confirms that intermediaries engage in rich user modeling. While intermediaries behave differently across settings, our interpretation is that the underlying user model characteristics that intermediaries inquire about in our setting are applicable to other settings as well.
Enhancing the Sustainability of Household Fe0/Sand Filters by Using Bimetallics and MnO2
Authors: Noubactep Chicgoua , Caré Sabine , Btatkeu K. Brice Donald , Nanseu‐Njiki Charles Péguy 
Published: November 2011

AbstractFiltration systems containing metallic iron as reactive medium (Fe0 beds) have been intensively used for water treatment during the last two decades. The sustainability of Fe0 beds is severely confined by two major factors: (i) reactivity loss as result of the formation of an oxide scale on Fe0 and (ii) permeability loss due to pore filling by generated iron corrosion products. Both factors are inherent to iron corrosion at pH > 4.5 and are common during the lifespan of a Fe0 bed. It is of great practical significance to improve the performance of Fe0 beds by properly addressing these key factors. Recent studies have shown that both reactivity loss and permeability loss could be addressed by mixing Fe0 and inert materials. For a non‐porous additive like quartz, the threshold value for the Fe0 volumetric proportion is 51%. Using the Fe0/quartz system as reference, this study theoretically discusses the possibility of (i) replacing Fe0 by bimetallic systems (e.g., Fe0/Cu0), or (ii) partially replacing quartz by a reactive metal oxide (MnO2 or TiO2) to improve the efficiency of Fe0 beds. Results confirmed the suitability of both tools for sustaining Fe0 bed performance. It is shown that using a Fe0:MnO2 system with the volumetric proportion 51:49 will yield a filter with 40% residual porosity at Fe0 depletion (MnO2 porosity 62%). This study improves Fe0 bed design and can be considered as a basis for further refinement and detailed research for efficient Fe0 filters.
Epidermal growth factor receptor and insulinlike growth factor 1 receptor expression predict poor survival in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma
Authors: Valsecchi Matias E. , McDonald Mary , Brody Jonathan R. , Hyslop Terry , Freydin Boris , Yeo Charles J. , Solomides Charalambos , Peiper Stephen C. , Witkiewicz Agnieszka K. 
Published: November 2011

AbstractBACKGROUND:The aim of this study was to evaluate the expression of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and insulinlike growth factor 1 receptor (IGF‐1R) proteins and IGF‐1R gene copy numbers in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma in relation to patients' characteristics and prognosis.METHODS:Immunohistochemical staining was performed on formalin‐fixed paraffin‐embedded tissue derived from tumor specimens recovered during surgery. Slides were evaluated for membranous EGFR and IGF‐1R staining using both the HercepTest and the semiquantitative H‐score systems. Chromogenic in situ hybridization was performed to quantify IGF‐1R gene copy number. The primary outcome was the association between EGFR expression, IGF‐1R expression—in both neoplastic epithelial and stromal cells—or IGF‐1R gene copy number and overall survival. Secondary outcomes included associations between EFGR and IGF‐1R expression and pathologic variables.RESULTS:A total of 105 patients were included. EGFR expression was present in 30.4% of cases and was associated with lymph node metastasis (P = .038). IGF‐1R was overexpressed in 53% of tumors and correlated with higher tumor grade (P = .033). High membranous expression of EGFR (P < .001) and/or IGF‐1R (P = .004), the cytoplasmic detection of EGFR (P = .027), and high expression levels of IGF‐1R in the tumoral stroma (P < .001) were all associated with shorter overall survival, being significantly better in patients who simultaneously do not express membranous EGFR or stromal IGF‐1R.CONCLUSIONS:EGFR and IGF‐1R expression, in neoplastic and stromal cells, seems to be an important prognostic factor. Cancer 2012;3484–3493. © 2011 American Cancer Society.
Arago’s Best Paper
Authors: Kahr Bart , Arteaga Oriol 
Published: November 2011

AbstractThe year 2011 is the bicentennial of François Arago’s discovery of optical rotation. The immediate usurpation of the study of optical activity by Jean‐Baptiste Biot led to the first well‐known judgments of the arrangements of atoms in space. Scientists are less aware that Arago achieved something far greater than his contributions to optics, by signing the 1848 decree that abolished slavery throughout the French Empire. Opposing attitudes of Arago and Biot toward abolition, foreshadowed in their early rift over optical rotation, were surprisingly exposed in mid‐century developments in chiroptics. As shown in a recent book by Levitt, Arago sought a reinvention of the whole colonial plantation system consistent with Republican principles, while Biot tried to place the cane sugar industry and slave‐based economy on the quantitative foundation of saccharimetry. A reevaluation of the circumstances of abolition can celebrate both societal evolution and optical rotation on the 200th birthday of the latter. Episodes from Arago’s life that arguably created his predisposition toward abolition are emphasized: He was imprisoned several times as a young man and knew the loss of liberty, his brother Jacques witnessed slavery in Brazil and advocated abolition in travel books prepared with François, and finally, in writing the biography of the Marquis de Condorcet, the spirit behind the first, albeit impermanent French abolition of slavery in 1794, Arago found proof of concept for his comparable challenge. Curiously, the measurement of the optical rotation of crystals and sugar, the foci of Arago and Biot, respectively, remain among the greatest challenges in polarimetry. Current developments are reviewed with respect to chiroptical anisotropy and in vivo glucose detection driven by the pandemic of diabetes, a disease diagnosed polarimetrically by Biot that claimed the life of Arago.