bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Baseline and salt‐stimulated paraoxonase and arylesterase activities in patients with chronic liver disease: relation to disease severity
Authors: Keskin M. , Dolar E. , Dirican M. , Kiyici M. , Yilmaz Y. , Gurel S. , Nak S. G. , Erdinc S. , Gulten M. 
Published: April 2009

AbstractBackground: It has been recently reported that serum paraoxonase (PON1) and arylesterase (ARE) activities may be significantly reduced in patients with chronic liver disease. The aim of the study was to investigate the relations between serum PON1 and ARE activities and the degree of liver damage in patients with chronic liver injury.Methods: We studied a total of 75 patients with chronic liver disease (50 patients with cirrhosis and 25 patients with chronic hepatitis) and 25 healthy comparison subjects. Baseline and salt‐stimulated PON1 and ARE activities were determined in all study participants.Results: Baseline and stimulated PON1 and ARE activities were significantly lower in patients with chronic liver disease than in controls. Cirrhotic patients in Child–Pugh classes B and C subgroups had significantly reduced PON1 and ARE activities compared with Child–Pugh class A patients (both P‐values <0.01). Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that serum ARE activity was the most efficient test for identifying the presence and severity of chronic liver injury.Conclusion: Baseline and stimulated PON1 and ARE activities are reduced in patients with chronic liver disease. Serum ARE activity could be a suitable biomarker for the evaluation of the presence and severity of chronic liver damage.
Medical malpractice experience of Taiwan: 2005 versus 1991
Authors: Wu C.‐Y. , Lai H.‐J. , Chen R.‐C. 
Published: April 2009

AbstractBackground: Medical malpractice litigation has become an important issue worldwide. Although many epidemiological studies have been carried out, most studies were conducted cross‐sectionally in developed countries and focused on malpractice litigation. We conducted nationwide surveys to investigate physicians' experiences associated with malpractice in 1991 and 2005, respectively.Methods: By stratified systemic sampling, questionnaires were mailed to physicians in 1991 and 2005. Physicians were asked about the experience of medical malpractice and outcomes of malpractice. The outcomes of the malpractice were classified as resolution, settlement and lawsuit. We also collected physicians' demographic and professional characteristics.Results: The prevalence of malpractice experience decreased from 44.1% in 1991 to 36.0% in 2005 (P = 0.004). The estimated annual malpractice claims decreased from 0.14 to 0.10 per physician in 1991 and 2005, respectively (P < 0.001). Physicians 45–64 years of age, obstetrician/gynaecologists and surgeons had significantly higher risk of malpractice. Compared with 1991, malpractice claims in 2005 were more likely to be brought into courts (23.1% in 2005 vs 15.7% in 1991, odds ratio (OR) = 1.48, P = 0.020). In litigation cases, malpractice events in 2005 had more than triple the risk of 1991 to be sued in both civil and criminal courts (12.4% in 2005 vs 4.1% in 1991, OR = 3.31, P < 0.001).Conclusion: Compared with 1991, medical malpractice experiences were decreasing in prevalence, but increasing in severity in 2005. Additional studies, especially among different legal systems, are necessary to confirm these observations.
Are guidelines on use of colony‐stimulating factors in solid cancers flawed?
Authors: Haines I. E. , Olver I. 
Published: April 2009

AbstractIn cancer care in Australia, we are very reliant on an array of expensive pharmaceuticals. Our use of these treatments is often based on multinational or foreign clinical studies. Oncologists are, to varying degrees, reliant on how the studies are interpreted by the writers of journal editorials, clinical guidelines and opinion pieces. Therefore it is important that these guidelines are balanced and evidence based.We have examined in detail one of the most influential and wide ranging clinical guidelines used in oncology, The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) 2006 Update of Recommendations for the use of White Blood Cell Factors: An Evidence‐Based Clinical Practice Guideline. We have discussed in detail some of the controversial recommendations in this guideline and have exposed what we believe are some flaws in these recommendations.We would urge that we continue to be rigorous in our oversight of international research agendas and international clinical guidelines in the future.
Body mass index determines sunbathing habits: implications on vitamin D levels
Authors: Kull M. , Kallikorm R. , Lember M. 
Published: April 2009

AbstractVitamin D is crucial for calcium and bone metabolism. Overweight people have been found to have lower levels of this vitamin. The aim of the paper was to test if sun exposure habits might differ according to weight and body fat per cent in a random population‐based sample, and have an impact on vitamin D levels. The analysis of 367 persons showed that, among other established factors, differences in sunbathing also explain the lower vitamin D levels in overweight and elderly individuals.
Metagenomic analysis of stressed coral holobionts
Authors: Thurber Rebecca Vega , Willner‐Hall Dana , Rodriguez‐Mueller Beltran , Desnues Christelle , Edwards Robert A. , Angly Florent , Dinsdale Elizabeth , Kelly Linda , Rohwer Forest 
Published: April 2009

SummaryThe coral holobiont is the community of metazoans, protists and microbes associated with scleractinian corals. Disruptions in these associations have been correlated with coral disease, but little is known about the series of events involved in the shift from mutualism to pathogenesis. To evaluate structural and functional changes in coral microbial communities, Porites compressa was exposed to four stressors: increased temperature, elevated nutrients, dissolved organic carbon loading and reduced pH. Microbial metagenomic samples were collected and pyrosequenced. Functional gene analysis demonstrated that stressors increased the abundance of microbial genes involved in virulence, stress resistance, sulfur and nitrogen metabolism, motility and chemotaxis, fatty acid and lipid utilization, and secondary metabolism. Relative changes in taxonomy also demonstrated that coral‐associated microbiota (Archaea, Bacteria, protists) shifted from a healthy‐associated coral community (e.g. Cyanobacteria, Proteobacteria and the zooxanthellae Symbiodinium) to a community (e.g. Bacteriodetes, Fusobacteria and Fungi) of microbes often found on diseased corals. Additionally, low‐abundance Vibrio spp. were found to significantly alter microbiome metabolism, suggesting that the contribution of a just a few members of a community can profoundly shift the health status of the coral holobiont.
Brucella canisendophthalmitis in 3 dogs: clinical features, diagnosis, and treatment
Authors: Ledbetter Eric C. , Landry Matthew P. , Stokol Tracy , Kern Thomas J. , Messick Joanne B. 
Published: April 2009

AbstractObjective To describe historical, clinical and diagnostic features of dogs withBrucella canisendophthalmitis and the response to medical therapy.Animals studied Three dogs with naturally acquiredB. canisendophthalmitis.Procedure Dogs were treated symptomatically with topical ophthalmic anti‐inflammatories and a novel antimicrobial protocol that included doxycycline, enrofloxacin, rifampin and streptomycin.Results All dogs presented with chronic or recurrent uveitis in the absence of overt systemic disease. Clinical ophthalmologic abnormalities were unilateral in each dog and included mild‐to‐moderate anterior uveitis, iris hyperpigmentation, marked vitreal infiltrates, and multifocal chorioretinitis. Dogs were diagnosed with canine brucellosis serologically and by blood culture (n = 2 dogs) or polymerase chain reaction of aqueous humor and blood (n = 1 dog). Active ocular inflammation resolved in all dogs during treatment, with preservation of vision in 2 dogs. Following treatment,B. caniscould not be cultured from blood samples and serological values declined with seronegativity achieved in all dogs after a median of 96 weeks (range: 36–112 weeks) of therapy.Conclusions Brucella canisinfection should be included in the differential diagnosis for dogs with intraocular inflammation, regardless of previous history or neuter status. This is the first report of apparently successful medical therapy of canine brucellosis with ocular involvement.
Comparison of orbital prosthesis motility following enucleation or evisceration with sclerotomy with or without a motility coupling post in dogs
Authors: Yi Na Young , Park Shin Ae , Jeong Man Bok , Kim Won Tae , Kim Se Eun , Kim Ji Youn , Chae Je Min , Jang Kyoung Jin , Seong Je Kyung , Seo Kang Moon 
Published: April 2009

AbstractObjective To evaluate motility of silicone orbital implants and corneoscleral prostheses, with and without use of a motility coupling post (MCP) in dogs.Animals studied Eighteen mixed‐breed dogs.Procedures The motility of an orbital silicone implant and corneoscleral prosthesis after enucleation (n = 6), evisceration (n = 6), or use of a MCP with evisceration (n = 6) in dogs were compared. One eye from each dog had surgery whereas the opposite eye was used as a control. Clinical evaluations were performed three times a week. Histopathology of the orbital tissues was performed 8 and 12 weeks after surgery.Results Implant motility in dogs with evisceration (vertical movement [VM] 8.04 ± 2.13; horizontal movement [HM] 11 ± 3.05) and evisceration with MCP (VM 9.61 ± 1.59); HM was significantly greater than the enucleation group (VM 0.51 ± 0.5; HM 1.22 ± 0.68) (P < 0.01). Prosthetic motility in dogs with evisceration with MCP was significantly greater than in dogs with evisceration; dogs with evisceration had significantly greater motility than dogs with enucleation (P < 0.01). No postoperative complications were observed in any of the groups. No significant abnormalities were noted on histopathology.Conclusions MCP placement in silicone orbital implants significantly enhanced the prosthetic motility in dogs. This study supports the use of MCP in silicone orbital implants to enhance corneoscleral prosthesis motility and cosmetics in dogs.
Functional and structural assessment of retinal sheet allograft transplantation in feline hereditary retinal degeneration
Authors: Seiler Magdalene J. , Aramant Robert B. , Seeliger Mathias W. , Bragadottir Ragnheidur , Mahoney Melissa , Narfstrom Kristina 
Published: April 2009

AbstractPurpose  To investigate whether sheets of fetal retinal allografts can integrate into the dystrophic Abyssinian cat retina with progressive rod cone degeneration.Methods  Fetal retinal sheets (cat gestational day 42), incubated with BDNF microspheres, were transplanted to the subretinal space of four cats at an early disease stage. Cats were studied by fundus examinations, bilateral full‐field flash ERGs, and indocyanine green and fluorescein angiograms up to 4 months following surgery. E42 donor and transplanted eyes were analyzed by histology and immunohistochemistry for retinal markers.Results  Funduscopy and angiography showed good integration of the transplants in two of four cats, including extension of host blood vessels into the transplant and some scarring in the host. In these two, transplants were found in the subretinal space with laminated areas, with photoreceptor outer segments in normal contacts with the host retinal pigment epithelium. In some areas, transplants appeared to be well‐integrated within the host neural retina. Neither of these two cats showed functional improvement in ERGs. In the other two cats, only remnants of donor tissue were left. Transplants stained for all investigated cellular markers. No PKC immunoreactivity was detected in the fetal donor retina at E42, but developed in the 4‐month‐old grafts.Conclusions  Fetal sheet transplants can integrate well within a degenerating cat retina and develop good lamination of photoreceptors. Functional improvement was not demonstrated by ERG in cats with well‐laminated grafts. Transplants need to be further evaluated in cat host retinas with a more advanced retinal degeneration using longer follow‐up times.
Basic fibroblast growth factor stimulates epithelial cell growth and epithelial wound healing in canine corneas
Authors: Hu Changmin , Ding Yi , Chen Jianguo , Liu Dongming , Zhang Yuxia , Ding Mingxing , Wang Guibo 
Published: April 2009

AbstractObjective  To evaluate the effect of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) on the proliferation of canine corneal epithelial cells and epithelial wound healing.Animal studied  Canine corneal epithelial cells from the corneas of euthanized dogs and corneal epithelial wounds on one eye from each of 24 dogs.Procedures  The proliferation of corneal epithelial cells in vitro was measured using the methylthiazolyl‐tetrazolium (MTT) assay. A corneal wound on one eye of each dog was made with a corneal trephine (6 mm diameter). Four concentrations of bFGF, 0, 100, 500, and 1000 ng/mL, were applied to the affected eyes of dogs, t.i.d. Fluorescein staining was used to assess closure of the corneal epithelial wound.Results  The addition of bFGF resulted in a significant increase in epithelial proliferation at 24 h after culture, except 1 ng/mL bFGF. Cells with all bFGF treatments proliferated significantly at 48 and 96 h compared to those in the non‐bFGF group. bFGF at a concentration of 10 ng/mL promoted cell proliferation maximally. The wound healing rate in the bFGF‐treated groups was greater than that in the control. All corneal wounds in bFGF‐treated corneas closed by day 7, whereas two of six corneal wounds in the control showed poor healing. None of the eyes developed corneal clouding or neovascularization during the experiment.Conclusions  Basic fibroblast growth factor accelerated the proliferation of canine epithelial cells and effectively promoted corneal epithelial wound healing.
High‐intensity focused ultrasound for prostate cancer: comparative definitions of biochemical failure
Authors: Blana Andreas , Brown Stephen C.W. , Chaussy Christian , Conti Giario N. , Eastham James A. , Ganzer Roman , Murat Francois J. , Pasticier Gilles , Rebillard Xavier , Rewcastle John C. , Robertson Cary N. , Thuroff Stefan , Ward John F. 
Published: April 2009

OBJECTIVESTo compare the specificity and sensitivity of different definitions of biochemical failure in patients treated with high‐intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) for prostate cancer, to identify the most accurate predictor of clinical failure after HIFU.PATIENTS AND METHODSConsecutively treated patients who underwent HIFU between October 1997 and July 2006 at two centres (Lyon, France; and Regensburg, Germany) were prospectively maintained within a central database and retrospectively reviewed for this study. Clinical failure was defined as a positive prostate biopsy after treatment, radiographic evidence of lymphatic or bony metastatic disease, or salvage treatment for prostate cancer (surgery, radiation, hormonal therapy or second HIFU). The serum prostate‐specific antigen (PSA) values after HIFU were assessed as a biochemical surrogate of a therapeutic success or failure. PSA threshold values, ‘PSA nadir plus’, PSA velocity, PSA doubling time and the American Society or Therapeutic Radiotherapy and Oncology and Phoenix definition of biochemical failure were all considered. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of each biochemical definition for predicting clinical failure were determined.RESULTSThe data from 285 patients (stage ≤ T2, PSA <15 ng/mL, Gleason score ≤7) were analysed. The median (range) follow‐up was 4.7 (2–10.9) years. The median PSA nadir was 0.13 ng/mL, which occurred at a median of 12.9 weeks after HIFU, and the median PSA at the last follow‐up was 0.76 (1.6–2.7) ng/mL. Clinical failure occurred in 71 patients (25%); 24 due to a positive biopsy and 47 through the use of an additional therapy. Biochemical events that best predicted clinical failure were ‘PSA nadir plus’ values of 1.1–1.3 ng/mL, PSA velocities of <0.3 ng/mL/year and PSA doubling times of 1.25–1.75 years.CONCLUSIONA new definition of biochemical failure that is specific to patients treated with HIFU therapy is established, i.e. the ‘Stuttgart definition’, the ‘PSA nadir plus 1.2 ng/mL’.
Quantitative and qualitative analysis of the recovery of potency after radical prostatectomy: effect of unilateral vs bilateral nerve sparing
Authors: Finley David S. , Rodriguez Jr Esequiel , Skarecky Douglas W. , Ahlering Thomas E. 
Published: April 2009

OBJECTIVESTo analyse the impact of a ≈50% reduction of cavernous nervous tissue on the qualitative and quantitative recovery of sexual function after unilateral (UNS) and bilateral (BNS) nerve‐sparing robotic radical prostatectomy (RALP), by evaluating these differences in two groups treated with cautery and a cautery‐free technique (CFT).PATIENTS AND METHODSUNS was defined as wide‐excision of one neurovascular bundle (NVB). Only men aged ≤65 years with preoperative International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF‐5) scores of ≥22 were included. The cautery group comprised 42 men (of case numbers 1–125) undergoing RALP with cautery, and the CFT group (62 men of cases 151–350) had a cautery‐free technique along the NVB. Data were collected prospectively using validated self‐administered questionnaires. Potency was defined as two affirmative answers to: do you have erections ‘adequate for vaginal penetration?’ and ‘Are they satisfactory?’. Patient‐reported IIEF‐5 scores and quality of erections (i.e. an estimate of erection as 0%, 25%, 50%, 75% or 100% of preoperative fullness) were obtained after surgery.RESULTSIn the cautery group, doubling the nerve volume increased potency by 1.36 times (UNS 50% vs BNS 68%). The results were similar in the CFT group as doubling nerve tissue increased potency by 1.15 times (UNS 80% and BNS 93%). At 24 months, comparing IIEF‐5 scores, there was no difference between UNS and BNS for the cautery group, at 19.6 (95% confidence interval 15.7–23.5) vs 18.9 (16.6–21.0), or the CFT group, at 22.0 (20.2–23.8) vs 21.0 (19.8–22.1).CONCLUSIONSDoubling the nerve volume only increased potency by 1.15–1.36 times for both the CFT and cautery groups. Furthermore, the quality of erections and IIEF‐5 scores did not vary appreciably with doubling of nerve tissue.
Fish stress and mortality can be predicted using reflex impairment
Authors: Davis Michael W. 
Published: April 2009

AbstractFish stress and mortality can be significant problems in both capture and culture operations. In addition to inexpensive and real‐time metrics, ones that are simple to use are also desirable for measuring fish stress and predicting mortality. Current methods to define stress rely on expensive, laboratory‐based measurements of changes in fish pathology such as disease, necropsy and histology, in physiology such as plasma cortisol, lactate, glucose and ions and in complex behaviour determined from swimming, feeding and predator evasion. All of these methods are often not rigorously linked to fitness outcomes. An alternative is to observe reflex impairment as a direct sign of stress which can be easily and rapidly measured in free swimming or restrained fish responding to peripheral stimuli such as gravity, light, sound and touch. Reflex impairment is correlated with stress and mortality outcomes, eliminating the need for prolonged holding or monitoring of fish. A few examples of reflexes that may be impaired include orientation, startle responses, fin erection, body flex upon restraint, operculum and mouth clamping or gaping, gag response and vestibular–ocular response. Reflex impairment combines the effects of stressors and their interactions and is not dependent on fish size, motivation states and acclimation which make it a consistent sign of stress across a wide range of stressor types and fish ages. Use of reflex impairment to measure stress and predict mortality would significantly improve monitoring of fish health and welfare in many types of field operations such as commercial and recreational fishing, aquaculture, live transport, stock enhancement and tagging.
Capital Budgeting and Political Risk: Empirical Evidence
Authors: Holmén Martin , Pramborg Bengt 
Published: April 2009

AbstractThis paper surveys and investigates Swedish firms' use of capital budgeting techniques for foreign direct investments. We document that the use of the theoretically correct net present value method decreases with the political risk in the host country, and that the use of the Payback method increases with the political risk. We conclude that in the presence of capital market imperfections, unsystematic and country‐specific political risks are important. Because these risks are difficult to estimate (rendering high deliberation costs) managers are inclined to use simple rules of thumb for their capital budgeting decisions. Our results can partly explain why surveys find that alternative methods such as the Payback method are frequently used despite their theoretical drawbacks.
Value Relevance of IAS 27 (2003) Revision on Presentation of Non‐Controlling Interest: Evidence From Hong Kong
Authors: So Stella , Smith Malcolm 
Published: April 2009

AbstractThis study investigates the value relevance of the IAS 27 Consolidated and Separate Financial Statements (2003) revision, which requires the presentation of non‐controlling interest as components of equity and earnings. The investigation is carried out in the context of companies publicly listed in Hong Kong during 2004–2006 where IAS 27 (2003) is replaced by the local but word‐for‐word equivalent standard of HKAS 27 (2004). The results of this study provide strong evidence that the revision has significant value relevance in changing investors' perception about non‐controlling interest, which is no longer perceived as liabilities. Investors have apparently not been confused by the revised presentation of non‐controlling interest within equity and continue to associate company values only with the equity amount actually owned by the parent company's shareholders. The results of this study give support for the accounting regulator's first move towards the economic unit theory of consolidated financial statements.
Valuation Accuracy and Infinity Horizon Forecast: Empirical Evidence from Europe
Authors: Cassia Lucio , Vismara Silvio 
Published: April 2009

AbstractThis paper focuses on the assumptions of infinite‐horizon forecasting in the field of firm valuation. The estimate of long‐run continuing values is based on the hypothesis that companies should have reached the steady state at the end of the period of explicit forecasts. It is argued that the equivalence between cash accounting and accrual accounting is the way of verifying the steady‐state assumption, defined as the state when a firm earns exactly its cost of capital, i.e., what we would expect in pure‐competition settings. From this definition, we derive that the “ideal” growth rate to use in steady state is equal to the reinvestment rate times Weighted Average Cost of Capital. To validate our approach, we collect a sample of 784 analyst valuations and compare how the implied target prices deviate from what the target prices would have been using the “ideal” steady‐state growth rates. Using Logit and Cox regression models, we find that this deviation has predictive value over the probability that actual market price reaches the target price over the following 12‐month period—the smaller the deviation the greater is the likelihood that the market price reaches the target price.