bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Classification of R1 resections for pancreatic cancer: the prognostic relevance of tumour involvement within 1 mm of a resection margin
Authors: Campbell Fiona , Smith Richard A , Whelan Philip , Sutton Robert , Raraty Michael , Neoptolemos John P , Ghaneh Paula 
Published: August 2009

Aims:  The current Royal College of Pathologists guidelines for pancreatoduodenectomy specimen reporting recommend that microscopic evidence of tumour within 1 mm of a resection margin (RM) should be classified as R1. No clinical evidence exists to justify this classification. The aim of this study was to identify the proportion of pancreatoduodenectomy specimens in which ‘equivocal’ RMs are present (tumour involvement within 1 mm of, but not directly reaching, one or more resection margins) and whether the survival of these patients was similar to that of patients with ‘unequivocal’ RM involvement.Methods and results:  Patients with histologically confirmed pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma undergoing pancreatoduodenectomy between 1997 and 2007 (n = 163) were identified from a prospective database. One hundred and twenty‐eight cases (79%) were classified as R1. Of these, 57 (45% of all R1 cases) were based on ‘equivocal’ margin involvement. There was no significant difference in overall survival between equivocal and unequivocal R1 resections (log rank, P = 0.102). All R1 resections had a poorer survival on univariate (log rank, P = 0.013), but not multivariate, analysis (Cox, P = 0.132).Conclusions:  Our results indicate that cases with microscopic tumour involvement within 1 mm of a resection margin should be considered synonymous with incomplete excision for resected pancreatic cancer.
Cancer stem cell marker CD133+ tumour cells and clinical outcome in rectal cancer
Authors: Wang Qi , Chen Zhi‐Guo , Du Chang‐Zheng , Wang Hong‐Wei , Yan Li , Gu Jin 
Published: August 2009

Aims:  The CD133 antigen has been identified as a putative stem cell marker in colorectal cancer tissues. According to the cancer stem cell hypothesis, CD133+ cells determine long‐term tumour growth and are therefore suspected of influencing clinical outcome. The aim was to investigate the prognostic value of CD133 expression in rectal cancer patients after preoperative radiation and curative resection.Methods and results:  The expression of the CD133 stem cell antigen in a series of 73 patients with rectal cancer of various ypTNM stages was analysed by immunohistochemistry on formalin‐fixed paraffin‐embedded sections. The prognostic value of CD133 expression and other clinicopathological factors was evaluated. On multivariate survival analysis, the proportion of CD133+ cells was a significant (P < 0.05) prognostic factor for adverse disease‐free survival and overall survival independent of ypTNM stage, tumour differentiation or lymphovascular invasion.Conclusions:  CD133 stem cell antigen expression correlates with patient survival in rectal cancer, lending support to the current cancer stem cell hypothesis.
Lizard community structure along environmental gradients
Authors: Buckley Lauren B. , Jetz Walter 
Published: August 2009

Summary 1.  How the total number of individuals in a community is divided among its species is governed by both the distribution of species along landscape‐scale environmental gradients and by local resource partitioning. In vertebrate ectotherms, abiotic environmental conditions may constrain geographic distributions more strongly than local population densities due to thermal constraints on resource acquisition and due to behavioural thermoregulation. 2.  We investigate whether local density and species richness are decoupled for lizard communities within the Southwest US by comparing 18 species‐abundance distributions. 3.  While species richness decreases strongly with decreasing temperature, there is no significant relationship between temperature or resource availability (net primary productivity) and the total number of individuals within a community. Consequently, in more species‐rich communities species have lower mean abundances. 4.  This suggestion that lizard species richness is not a function of an area’s capacity to support more individuals questions for this group species diversity theories based on this assumption.
Atom probe tomography analysis of poly(3‐alkylthiophene)s
Authors: PROSA T.J. , KEENEY S. KOSTRNA , KELLY T.F. 
Published: August 2009

SummaryPulsed‐laser atom‐probe tomography is used to compare the field‐evaporation mass spectrum and spatial distribution of molecular fragments from various poly(3‐alkylthiophene) films deposited on sharpened aluminium specimen carriers using two different deposition methods. Films deposited via a modified solution‐cast methodology yield small fragments with a uniform structural morphology whereas films deposited via an electrospray ionization methodology yield a wide range of fragments with a very non‐uniform structural morphology. The main field‐evaporated chemical species identified for both deposition types were, in order of typical relative abundance, C2H5+, CH3+, C2H4+, followed by C3H7,8+/SC+and SCH+. Thick electrospray depositions allowed investigation of the influence of laser‐pulse energy on the analysis. Evidence is presented supporting the presence of a critical laser‐pulse energy whereby changes in film morphology are signalled by the appearance of a new mass fragment at 190 Da.
Streptomyces coelicolor Dps‐like proteins: differential dual roles in response to stress during vegetative growth and in nucleoid condensation during reproductive cell division
Authors: Facey P. D. , Hitchings M. D. , Saavedra‐Garcia P. , Fernandez‐Martinez L. , Dyson P. J. , Del Sol R. 
Published: August 2009

SummaryThe Dps protein, a member of the ferritin family, contributes to DNA protection during oxidative stress and plays a central role in nucleoid condensation during stationary phase in unicellular eubacteria. Genome searches revealed the presence of three Dps‐like orthologues within the genome of the Gram‐positive bacterium Streptomyces coelicolor. Disruption of the S. coelicolor dpsA, dpsB and dpsC genes resulted in irregular condensation of spore nucleoids in a gene‐specific manner. These irregularities are correlated with changes to the spacing between sporulation septa. This is the first example of these proteins playing a role in bacterial cell division. Translational fusions provided evidence for both developmental control of DpsA and DpsC expression and their localization to sporogenic compartments of aerial hyphae. In addition, various stress conditions induced expression of the Dps proteins in a stimulus‐dependent manner in vegetative hyphae, suggesting stress‐induced, protein‐specific protective functions in addition to their role during reproductive cell division. Unlike in other bacteria, the S. coelicolor Dps proteins are not induced in response to oxidative stress.
Effect of behaviour change communication on qualified medical care‐seeking for sick neonates among urban poor in Lucknow, northern India: a before and after intervention study
Authors: Awasthi Shally , Srivastava Neeraj M. , Agarwal Girdhar G. , Pant Shubha , Ahluwalia Tej P. 
Published: August 2009

SummaryObjective  To assess the impact of a behaviour change communication (BCC) intervention on qualified medical care‐seeking for sick newborns in urban Lucknow, northern India.Methods  Before and after intervention study conducted at two urban public hospitals at Lucknow. Neonates who did not have any morbidity or congenital malformation and were residents of Lucknow were enrolled within 48 h of birth and followed once between 6 and 8 weeks at the outpatients’ clinic or home to assess the primary outcome measure which was qualified medical care‐seeking for any neonatal illness. Mothers in the after‐intervention phase received BCC intervention at enrolment, targeted at identification of danger signs of neonatal illnesses and promotion of qualified medical care‐seeking. Analysis was by intention to treat.Results  In the before‐intervention phase, 510 neonates were enrolled (from March 2007 to August 2007) and 481 (94.3%) were followed up. In the after‐intervention phase, 510 neonates were enrolled (September 2007–April 2008) and 490 (96.1%) were followed up. Neonatal morbidity was 50.3% (242/481) and 44.3% (217/490) in before and after intervention phases, respectively. Qualified medical care‐seeking for neonatal illnesses was significantly higher among mothers after‐intervention (OR = 2.12; 95% CI = 1.42–3.16; P = 0.0001).Conclusion  Since the behaviour change intervention package led to significant improvement in qualified medical care‐seeking for sick newborns, this may be tested for effectiveness in other settings and considered for scaling up here, with rising proportion of institutional deliveries.
Relationship between a validated molecular cardiac transplant rejection classifier and routine organ function parameters
Authors: Cadeiras Martin , Shahzad Khurram , John Manju M. , Gruber Dorota , Bayern Manuel von , Auerbach Scott , Sinha Anshu , Latif Farhana , Unniachan Sreevalsa , Memon Sarfaraz , Mital Seema , Restaino Susan , Marboe Charles C. , Addonizio Linda J. , Deng Mario C. 
Published: August 2009

Cadeiras M, Shahzad K, John MM, Gruber D, von Bayern M, Auerbach S, Sinha A, Latif F, Unniachan S, Memon S, Mital S, Restaino S, Marboe CC, Addonizio LJ, Deng MC. Relationship between a validated molecular cardiac transplant rejection classifier and routine organ function parameters. Clin Transplant 2010: 24: 321–327. © 2009 John Wiley & Sons A/S.Abstract: Background:  As acute cellular cardiac allograft rejection is a systemic process affecting the entire organism, we hypothesized that scores of a peripheral blood mononuclear cell gene expression profiling (GEP) test developed and validated to rule out International Society of Heart and Lung Transplantation (ISHLT) grade ≥3A/2R acute cellular cardiac allograft rejection also reflects biologically plausible changes of the routinely assessed clinical parameters.Methods:  We retrospectively analyzed 76 patients who underwent GEP testing, at the time of their routine clinical follow‐up in our Institution between February 1, 2006 and January 31, 2007. Data were analyzed with t‐test, nonparametric tests, bivariate Spearman’s correlation, and multivariate linear regression modeling.Results:  More activated GEP‐score correlated with longer corrected QT (QTc)‐interval (r = 0.377, p = 0.001, n = 63), longer QRS duration (r = 0.231, p = 0.03, n = 66), higher heart rate (r = 0.221, p = 0.037, n = 66), higher serum creatinine (r = 0.26, p = 0.01, n = 75), higher gamma‐glutamyl transferase (GGT) GGT (r = 0.266, p = 0.037, n = 46), lower pulmonary artery oxygen saturation (r = −0.313, p = 0.003, n = 76), lower platelet count (r = −0.372, p = 0.001, n = 74), lower monocyte count (r = −0.208, p = 0.040, n = 72), and lower high‐density lipoprotein (HDL) HDL level (r = −0.242, p = 0.041, n = 53). Multivariate analysis showed a significant amount of variance in the GEP score independently explained by the variability of QTc‐interval (β = 1.998, p = 0.001) and platelet count (β = −1.540, p = 0.017). Post hoc analysis of the 11 individual GEP‐classifier genes showed WDRA40 (p = 0.02) and ras homolog gene family, member U (RHOU) RHOU (p = 0.01) independently related to mixed venous O2Sat%.Conclusion:  A GEP test developed and validated to detect the absence of cardiac rejection correlates with electrocardiographic and hemodynamic cardiac parameters as well as renal, hepatic, bone marrow, and lipid metabolism parameters suggesting a complex relationship between rejection, leukocytes, and organ function within the continuum between alloimmunological quiescence and rejection.
Fungi isolated from Picea abies infested by the bark beetle Ips typographus in the Białowieża forest in north‐eastern Poland
Authors: Kirisits T. 
Published: August 2009

SummaryThe assemblage of fungi occurring in the sapwood of Norway spruce (Picea abies) and in bark beetle galleries following attack by the Eurasian spruce bark beetle Ips typographus was investigated in the Białowieża forest in north‐eastern Poland. Fungi were isolated from blue‐stained sapwood of beetle‐infested spruce trees in June 2002, and a few isolates were also obtained from ascospores and conidia taken from perithecia and asexual structures occurring in the gallery systems of the insects. The mycobiota of I. typographus in the Białowieża forest was dominated by ophiostomatoid fungi, which were represented by seven species. Four species, including Ceratocystis polonica, Grosmannia penicillata, Ophiostoma ainoae and Ophiostoma bicolor were isolated at high frequencies, whereas three other taxa, Ceratocystiopsis minuta, Ceratocystiopsis alba and a Pesotum sp. were rare. The anamorphic fungus Graphium fimbriisporum and yeasts also occurred occasionally. In addition, the basidiomycete Gloeocystidium ipidophilum was relatively common. The pathogenic blue‐stain fungus C. polonica was the dominant fungal associate of I. typographus in the Białowieża forest, which is consistent with a previous study at this area in the 1930s. Ceratocystis polonica was the most frequently isolated species at the leading edge of fungal colonization in the sapwood and had on an average penetrated deeper into the wood than other fungal associates. This suggests that it acts as a primary invader into the sapwood after attack by I. typographus in the Białowieża forest, followed by O. bicolor, O. ainoae, G. ipidophilum and G. penicillata. Thus far, the Białowieża forest is one of the few areas in Europe, where C. polonica has been reported as a dominate fungal associate of I. typographus.
Modelling cost‐effectiveness of high‐dose chemotherapy as treatment for relapsed aggressive non‐Hodgkin lymphoma in an Australian setting
Authors: Prajogo J. , Neil A. , Duke J. , Zhang H. , Stokes B. , Rowlings P. 
Published: August 2009

AbstractBackground: Since 1995 patients with relapsed aggressive non‐Hodgkin lymphoma have been treated with high‐dose chemotherapy (HDC) instead of standard dose chemotherapy (SC) because of superior survival shown in the ‘Parma study’. As HDC involves hospital admission and intensive supportive care, the cost of HDC would be predicted to be higher than for SC. The aim of this study was to calculate the incremental cost‐effectiveness ratio for HDC compared with SC using Australian costs.Methods: Cost of treatment was determined on 21 patients receiving HDC with characteristics similar to the Parma study from the HDC database of the Calvary Mater Newcastle Hospital. Drug, transfusion, inpatient and outpatient attendance and additional relevant data from start of treatment for relapse and up to 100 days following HDC were obtained and costed. SC costs required modelling as all suitable patients are planned to receive HDC if possible; therefore there are no concurrent SC arms. A lifetime estimate of patient years gained by HDC versus SC was calculated from the area under survival curves (AUC) of HDC and SC. The incremental cost‐effectiveness ratio was calculated according to the following formula:
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Results: Costs for HDC and SC were A$37 490 and A$33 360, respectively, and the AUC0‐infinity were 4.09 and 3.5 patient life years, respectively, giving an incremental cost‐effectiveness ratio of A$7070 per discounted life year gained.Conclusion: Compared with published studies in multiple myeloma and solid organ transplant, these results support HDC as a cost‐effective treatment in relapsed aggressive non‐Hodgkin lymphoma.
Storage and secretion of β‐NAD, ATP and dopamine in NGF‐differentiated rat pheochromocytoma PC12 cells
Authors: Yamboliev Ilia A. , Smyth Lisa M. , Durnin Leonie , Dai Yanping , Mutafova‐Yambolieva Violeta N. 
Published: August 2009

AbstractIn nerve–smooth muscle preparations β‐nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (β‐NAD) has emerged as a novel extracellular substance with putative neurotransmitter and neuromodulator functions. β‐NAD is released, along with noradrenaline and adenosine 5′‐triphosphate (ATP), upon firing of action potentials in blood vessels, urinary bladder and large intestine. At present it is unclear whether noradrenaline, ATP and β‐NAD are stored in and released from common populations of synaptic vesicles. The answer is unattainable in complex systems such as nerve–smooth muscle preparations. Adrenal chromaffin cells are thus used here as a single‐cell model to examine mechanisms of concomitant neurosecretion. Using high‐performance liquid chromatography techniques with electrochemical and fluorescence detection we simultaneously evaluated secretion of dopamine (DA), ATP, adenosine 5′‐diphosphate, adenosine 5′‐monophosphate, adenosine, β‐NAD and its immediate metabolites ADP‐ribose and cyclic ADP‐ribose in superfused nerve growth factor‐differentiated rat pheochromocytoma PC12 cells. β‐NAD, DA and ATP were released constitutively and upon stimulation with high‐K+ solution or nicotine. Botulinum neurotoxin A tended to increase the spontaneous secretion of all substances and abolished the high‐K+‐evoked release of β‐NAD and DA but not of ATP. Subcellular fractionation by continuous glycerol and sucrose gradients along with immunoblot analysis of the vesicular marker proteins synaptophysin and secretogranin II revealed that β‐NAD, ATP and DA are stored in both small synaptic‐like vesicles and large dense‐core‐like vesicles. However, the three substances appear to have different preferential sites of release upon membrane depolarization including sites associated with SNAP‐25 and sites not associated with SNAP‐25.
IGF‐I promotes neuronal migration and positioning in the olfactory bulb and the exit of neuroblasts from the subventricular zone
Authors: Hurtado‐Chong Anahí , Yusta‐Boyo María J. , Vergaño‐Vera Eva , Bulfone Alessandro , De Pablo Flora , Vicario‐Abejón Carlos 
Published: August 2009

AbstractWhile insulin‐like growth factor‐I (IGF‐I) supports neuronal and glial differentiation in the CNS, it is largely unknown whether IGF‐I also influences neuronal migration and positioning. We show here that the pattern of olfactory bulb (OB) layering is altered in Igf‐I −/− mice. In these animals, Tbr1+‐glutamatergic neurons are misplaced in the mitral cell layer (ML) and the external plexiform layer (EPL). In addition, there are fewer interneurons in the glomerular layer and the EPL of the Igf‐I −/− mice, and fewer newborn neurons are incorporated into the OB from the forebrain subventricular zone (SVZ). Indeed, neuroblasts accumulate in the postnatal/adult SVZ of Igf‐I −/− mice. Significantly, the positioning of Tbr1+‐cells in a primitive ML is stimulated by IGF‐I in cultured embryonic OB slices, an effect that is partially repressed by the phosphoinositide 3‐kinase (PI3K) inhibitor. In OB cell cultures, IGF‐I increases the phosphorylation of disabled1 (P‐Dab1), an adaptor protein that is a target of Src family kinases (SFK) in the reelin signalling pathway, whereas reduced P‐Dab1 levels were found in Igf‐I −/− mice. Neuroblast migration from the rostral migratory stream (RMS) explants of postnatal Igf‐I −/− was similar to that from Igf‐I +/+ explants. However, cell migration was significantly enhanced by IGF‐I added to the explants, an effect that was repressed by PI3K and SFK inhibitors. These findings suggest that IGF‐I promotes neuronal positioning in the OB and support a role for IGF‐I in stimulating neuroblast exit from the SVZ into the RMS, thereby promoting the incorporation of newly formed neurons into the OB.
Wrinkles in the rare biosphere: pyrosequencing errors can lead to artificial inflation of diversity estimates
Authors: Kunin Victor , Engelbrektson Anna , Ochman Howard , Hugenholtz Philip 
Published: August 2009

SummaryMassively parallel pyrosequencing of the small subunit (16S) ribosomal RNA gene has revealed that the extent of rare microbial populations in several environments, the ‘rare biosphere’, is orders of magnitude higher than previously thought. One important caveat with this method is that sequencing error could artificially inflate diversity estimates. Although the per‐base error of 16S rDNA amplicon pyrosequencing has been shown to be as good as or lower than Sanger sequencing, no direct assessments of pyrosequencing errors on diversity estimates have been reported. Using only Escherichia coli MG1655 as a reference template, we find that 16S rDNA diversity is grossly overestimated unless relatively stringent read quality filtering and low clustering thresholds are applied. In particular, the common practice of removing reads with unresolved bases and anomalous read lengths is insufficient to ensure accurate estimates of microbial diversity. Furthermore, common and reproducible homopolymer length errors can result in relatively abundant spurious phylotypes further confounding data interpretation. We suggest that stringent quality‐based trimming of 16S pyrotags and clustering thresholds no greater than 97% identity should be used to avoid overestimates of the rare biosphere.
Testosterone levels in patients with metastatic prostate cancer treated with luteinizing hormone‐releasing hormone therapy: prognostic significance?
Authors: Perachino Massimo , Cavalli Valerio , Bravi Fabio 
Published: August 2009

Study Type – Prognosis (case series) Level of Evidence 4OBJECTIVETo determine if the testosterone level achieved with androgen‐deprivation therapy (ADT) is directly related to survival and risk of death in men with metastatic prostate cancer, as agonistic analogues of luteinizing hormone‐releasing hormones (LHRH) are indicated for palliative treatment of these patients, but there is no consensus about the utility of serum testosterone measurements during the follow‐up, and their possible prognostic value.PATIENTS AND METHODSWe retrospectively reviewed 129 consecutive patients with a histological diagnosis of metastatic bony‐only prostate cancer and previously untreated with ADT. They were treated with 3 months of goserelin. Testosterone and prostate‐specific antigen (PSA) levels were measured in all patients every 3 months for the duration of the follow‐up. The following variables were recorded: age, stage, Gleason score, basal PSA level, basal testosterone level, PSA nadir, time to PSA nadir, testosterone after 6 months, testosterone nadir and time to testosterone nadir. Data were analysed using Cox’s proportional hazards models, with the primary endpoint being cancer‐specific survival.RESULTSThe mean (sd) basal PSA level was 185.8 (344.1) ng/mL, and the mean nadir PSA level 2.7 (8.6) ng/mL. The mean testosterone levels at baseline, 6 months and the nadir were 440 (200), 40 (40) and 21 (15) ng/dL. With a mean follow‐up of 47.5 (29.7) months, 71 patients were dead (55%) and 78 were alive (45%) at the time of analysis. Statistical analysis using Cox’s model showed that in these patients the risk of death was directly correlated not only to Gleason score (P < 0.01) and to the 6‐month PSA level (P < 0.01), but also to the 6‐month serum testosterone level (hazard ratio 1.32, P < 0.05).CONCLUSIONThese results suggest a direct correlation between the risk of death and testosterone levels achieved during ADT. Based on the present results, lowering the testosterone level as much as possible should be the goal of ADT in patients with metastatic prostate cancer, as this might affect patient survival.
FDI Liberalization as a Source of Comparative Advantage in China
Authors: Claro Sebastian 
Published: August 2009

AbstractTwo features of China's trade patterns suggest that elements beyond factor abundance explain its export performance. The high penetration in world markets of labor‐intensive products has been accompanied by: (i) a high share in exports of productivity‐advanced foreign‐invested enterprises (FIEs) and (ii) a high penetration of FIEs in labor‐intensive sectors. We show that FDI liberalization endogenously introduces Ricardian features to an otherwise standard endowment‐based trade model, strengthening China's natural comparative advantage in labor‐intensive products. We discuss how capital accumulation, productivity growth, rural–urban migration, incentives for foreign investment, and distortions in financial markets affect this bias.