bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effect of Lanthanum Carbonate Treatment on Bone in Japanese Dialysis Patients With Hyperphosphatemia
Authors: Shigematsu Takashi , Tokumoto Akihide , Nakaoka Akihisa , Arisaka Hiroaki 
Published: March 2011

AbstractLanthanum carbonate (LC), a newly developed non‐calcium‐containing phosphate binder, has been shown to possess high phosphate‐binding capacity and safety when used for hyperphosphatemia in patients with chronic kidney disease undergoing dialysis. The effects of LC on bone metabolism in Japanese dialysis patients have not been investigated; therefore, we performed histomorphometric analysis on bone from dialysis patients with hyperphosphatemia. This was a prospective, open‐label study in Japanese chronic kidney disease patients on dialysis, with a flexible daily dosage of 750–4500 mg to achieve target phosphorus levels of 3.5–5.5 mg/dL (1.10–1.78 mmol/L). Bone biopsy samples for histomorphometric analysis were obtained at baseline and after treatment with LC. The median bone lanthanum level increased during the LC treatment from 54.1 µg/kg at baseline to 4270.9 µg/kg at three years. After one year of treatment with LC, two cases with an initial classification of osteitis fibrosa improved toward normal bone turnover. The diagnosis of normal remained the same for up to three years. We also noted that two cases with a baseline classification of adynamic bone disease improved after one year, and was maintained for three years. Our data suggest that LC is effective not only for treating hyperphosphatemia, but also for improving renal osteodystrophy in Japanese dialysis patients.
Wnt signalling and its role in stem cell‐driven intestinal regeneration and hyperplasia
Authors: Cordero J. B. , Sansom O. J. 
Published: March 2011

AbstractAdult stem cells are crucial for normal tissue homeostasis and regeneration upon damage. Deregulated stem cell proliferation and/or differentiation have been linked to the formation and progression of tumours. Due to its high regenerative potential, the adult intestinal epithelium is an excellent system to study the mechanisms that underpin regeneration and transformation. Since the discovery of stem cell markers in the mammalian intestine – such as Lgr5 – and the presence of Drosophila intestinal stem cells there have been field‐changing discoveries that have revolutionized our understanding of intestinal homeostasis, stem cells and transformation. We will thus present a brief overview of these advances with an emphasis on the role of canonical Wnt signalling and the lessons learned from genetic tractable model systems.
Process choice
Authors: Coglianese Cary 
Published: March 2011

AbstractRegulation scholars have long searched for the best tools to use to achieve public policy goals, generating an extensive body of research on what has become known as instrument choice. By contrast, analysis of options for structuring how officials make regulatory decisions – process choice – remains in relative infancy. Notwithstanding the emphasis legal scholars and political economists have placed on administrative procedures, surprisingly little research has investigated why regulators choose among different process options or what value they and the public receive from different choices. In their book, Regulation by Litigation, Andrew Morriss, Bruce Yandle, and Andrew Dorchak make a significant contribution by empirically and normatively examining regulators' choices between notice‐and‐comment rulemaking, negotiated rulemaking, and what they call “regulation by litigation.” This review article considers three central questions about regulation by litigation. First, how if at all does regulation by litigation differ from other uses of litigation to achieve policy goals? Second, why do regulators choose litigation over other process options? Third, is regulation by litigation as bad as Morriss, Yandle, and Dorchak say it is? By addressing these conceptual, empirical, and normative questions, this review article not only reveals the specific strengths and limitations of the book, Regulation by Litigation, but also highlights more general opportunities and challenges for future research on process choice.
Gastroesophageal and laryngopharyngeal reflux detected by 24‐hour combined impedance and pH monitoring in healthy Chinese volunteers
Authors: WANG An Jiang , LIANG Mao Jin , JIANG Ai Yun , LIN Jin Kun , XIAO Ying Lian , PENG Sui , CHEN Jie , WEN Wei Ping , CHEN Min Hu 
Published: March 2011

OBJECTIVE:  To define the normative data of gastroesophageal reflux (GER) and laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) in healthy Chinese volunteers.METHODS:  Healthy volunteers without gastrointestinal and throat disease and symptoms were enrolled and underwent 24‐hour impedance‐pH monitoring.RESULTS:  A total of 37 healthy volunteers completed all the tests (female 54.1%; age 38.0 ± 15.2 years). Of 1862 GER, 49.6% were mixed, 40.9% were liquid and 9.5% were gas. More than half (54.9%) were acid. The median and 95th percentile numbers of GER were 52 and 71, respectively. The number of LPR was eight, of which two were mixed and the others were liquid. Only one episode of reflux was classified as acid LPR. The median and 95th percentile numbers of LPR were 0 and 2, respectively. More liquid reflux were associated with LPR (P = 0.02). Age had no influence on GER and LPR reflux profiles.CONCLUSIONS:  Few LPR occurred in healthy Chinese volunteers and they were rarely acid when they reached the larynx. LPR was mostly associated with liquid reflux.
Liver stiffness in extrahepatic cholestasis correlates positively with bilirubin and negatively with alanine aminotransferase
Authors: Harata Masao , Hashimoto Senju , Kawabe Naoto , Nitta Yoshifumi , Murao Michihito , Nakano Takuji , Arima Yuko , Shimazaki Hiroaki , Ishikawa Tetsuya , Okumura Akihiko , Ichino Naohiro , Osakabe Keisuke , Nishikawa Toru , Yoshioka Kentaro 
Published: March 2011

Aim:  Transient elastography is a non‐invasive tool to measure liver stiffness (LS), which has been reported to correlate with stage of liver fibrosis. Extrahepatic cholestasis was reported to cause elevated LS, which is considered to be attributed to the increased hydrostatic pressure in the liver. In the present study, the correlation of LS with laboratory data was investigated in extrahepatic cholestasis. The change of LS after biliary drainage was also assessed.Methods:  LS was measured in 29 patients with extrahepatic cholestasis due to carcinomas in 12 and non‐neoplastic diseases of biliary tract or pancreas in 17.Results:  In 15 patients, LS was 11.4 kPa or higher which suggested liver cirrhosis in chronic infection of hepatitis C virus. LS significantly correlated positively with serum bilirubin levels (r = 0.726, P < 0.0001) and negatively with serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels (r = −0.481, P = 0.0082) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels (r = −0.631, P = 0.0002). Biliary drainage led to a reduction of bilirubin by 13.5 to 0.9 mg/dL which was significantly correlated with a reduction of LS by 14.3 to 0.5 kPa (r = 0.524, P = 0.0257).Conclusion:  In extrahepatic cholestasis, the elevation of LS which is probably attributed to the increased hydrostatic pressure in the liver, correlates positively with the accumulation of bilirubin but negatively with damage of hepatocytes indicated by ALT levels. Further studies on the mechanism underlying the elevation of LS should be helpful to elucidate the pathogenesis of extrahepatic cholestasis.
Challenging or Reshaping Heteronormativity with Public Policies? A Case Study from Bogotá, Colombia
Authors: Serrano Amaya José Fernando 
Published: March 2011

SummaryOn 28 December 2007 the then Mayor of Bogotá signed a Decree which established the guidelines of the public policy for the full guarantee of the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in the city. This legal measure was the end point of a long lobbying and advocacy strategy implemented by activists and organisations working on gender and sexual diversity. This Working Paper presents that experience as part of the process in which subordinated social sectors, such as gender diverse and sexually diverse people make themselves political subjects. In spite of the novelty in Colombia and in Latin America of this kind of public policy targeting LGBT people as subjects of rights, it is also an opportunity for normative systems to readjust and to create new ways to normalise people. The promotion of certain queer people as proper citizens, the regulation of ways to interact with the state, the co‐option of social mobilisations and the transformation of grassroots organisations into private service providers, are just some of the risks that a scheme like this faces. The author was part of the social mobilisation that motivated this particular public policy scheme in the early 2000s and was involved in its design, planning and initial implementation between 2007 and 2010. This paper is situated in a problematic position between political activism, consultancy work and construction of knowledge based on the practice. It is a contribution to the memory of a rich, and in many ways unique, experience.
Heating up the forest: open‐top chamber warming manipulation of arthropod communities at Harvard and Duke Forests
Authors: Pelini Shannon L. , Bowles Francis P. , Ellison Aaron M. , Gotelli Nicholas J. , Sanders Nathan J. , Dunn Robert R. 
Published: March 2011

Summary1. Recent observations indicate that climatic change is altering biodiversity, and models suggest that the consequences of climate change will differ across latitude. However, long‐term experimental field manipulations that directly test the predictions about organisms’ responses to climate change across latitude are lacking. Such experiments could provide a more mechanistic understanding of the consequences of climate change on ecological communities and subsequent changes in ecosystem processes, facilitating better predictions of the effects of future climate change.2. This field experiment uses octagonal, 5‐m‐diameter (c. 22 m3) open‐top chambers to simulate warming at northern (Harvard Forest, Massachusetts) and southern (Duke Forest, North Carolina) hardwood forest sites to determine the effects of warming on ant and other arthropod populations and communities near the edges of their ranges. Each site has 12 plots containing open‐top chambers that manipulate air temperature incrementally from ambient to 6 °C above ambient. Because the focus of this study is on mobile, litter‐ and soil‐dwelling arthropods, standard methods for warming chambers (e.g. soil‐warming cables or infrared heaters applied to relatively small areas) were inappropriate and new technological approaches using hydronic heating and forced air movement were developed.3. We monitor population dynamics, species composition, phenology and behaviour of ants and other arthropods occupying these experimental chambers. Microclimatic measurements in each chamber include the following: air temperature (three), soil temperatures (two each in organic and mineral soil), photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), relative humidity and soil moisture (one each). In two chambers, we are also measuring soil heat flux, associated soil temperatures at 2 and 6 cm and volumetric water content. To assess the composition, phenology and abundance of arthropod communities within the experiment, we use monthly pitfall trapping and annual Winkler sampling. We also census artificial and natural ant nests to monitor changes in ant colony size and productivity across the temperature treatments.4. This experiment is a long‐term ecological study that provides opportunities for collaborations across a broad spectrum of ecologists, including those studying biogeochemical, microbial and plant responses to warming. Future studies also may include implementation of multifactorial climate manipulations, examination of interactions across trophic levels and quantification of changes in ecosystem processes.
Estimating survival in photographic capture–recapture studies: overcoming misidentification error
Authors: Morrison Thomas A. , Yoshizaki Jun , Nichols James D. , Bolger Douglas T. 
Published: March 2011

Summary1. For many species, noninvasive photographic identification offers a powerful and cost–effective method for estimating demographic parameters and testing ecological hypotheses in large populations. However, this technique is prone to misidentification errors that can severely bias capture–recapture estimates.2. We present a simple ad hoc data conditioning technique that minimizes bias in survival estimates across all rates of misidentification. We use simulated data sets to characterize trade‐offs in bias, precision and accuracy of survival estimators for a range of misidentification probabilities, sampling intensities, survival rates and population sizes using this conditional approach.3. Misidentification errors resulted in mean survival estimates that were negatively biased by as much as −24·9% when errors were ignored. Applying the conditional approach resulted in very low levels of bias across parameter space. However, the main cost of conditioning is a loss of precision, which was particularly severe at low sampling intensities. Overall, the conditional approach was superior to the nonconditional approach [in terms of root mean square error (RMSE) of survival estimates] in 51% of the parameter combinations that we explored.4. We apply the data conditioning technique to a 3‐sample capture–recapture data set compiled from 2551 images of a migratory wildebeest, Connochaetes taurinus, population in northern Tanzania. We estimate the false rejection rate (i.e., the probability of failing to match two photographs of the same individual) using a test set of ‘known‐identity’ individuals. With this information, we compare survival estimates derived from conditioned data ( = 0·698 ± 0·176), unconditioned data ( = 0·706 ± 0·121) and simulated data to illustrate some of the key considerations for deciding whether to apply a conditional approach to a photographic data set.5. These analyses demonstrate that ignoring misidentification error can lead to substantial bias in survival estimates. When sampling intensity and misclassification error rates are both relatively high, use of our conditioned data approach is preferred and yields survival estimates with lower RMSE. However, when sampling intensity and misclassification error are both small, the standard approach using unconditioned data yields smaller RMSE.
Microplane Model for Fracturing Damage of Triaxially Braided Fiber-Polymer Composites
Authors: Caner Ferhun C. , Bažant Zdeněk P. , Hoover Christian G. , Waas Anthony M. , Shahwan Khaled W. 
Published: March 2011

AbstractA material model for the fracturing behavior for braided composites is developed and implemented in a material subroutine for use in the commercial explicit finite element code ABAQUS. The subroutine is based on the microplane model in which the constitutive behavior is defined not in terms of stress and strain tensors and their invariants but in terms of stress and strain vectors in the material mesostructure called the “microplanes.” This is a semi-multiscale model, which captures the interactions between inelastic phenomena such as cracking, splitting, and frictional slipping occurring on planes of various orientations though not the interactions at a distance. To avoid spurious mesh sensitivity due to softening, the crack band model is adopted. Its band width, related to the material characteristic length, serves as the localization limiter. It is shown that the model can realistically predict the orthotropic elastic constants and the strength limits. More importantly, the present model can also fit the tests of size effect on the strength of notched specimens and the post-peak behavior, which have been conducted for this purpose. When used in the ABAQUS software, the model gives a realistic picture of the axial crushing of a braided tube by a divergent plug.
Population attributable risk for chlamydia infection in a cohort of young international travellers (backpackers) and residents in Australia
Authors: Wand Handan , Guy Rebecca , Donovan Basil , McNulty Anna 
Published: March 2011

AimTo estimate the population attributable risk (PAR) forChlamydia trachomatisinfection in young men and women in Sydney, Australia.MethodMultivariate logistic regression was used to examine the association between demographic, sexual behaviour and other potential risk factors and chlamydia positivity in young (≤30 years) heterosexual international travellers (backpackers) and Australian residents attending a sexual health clinic. Point and interval estimates of PAR were calculated to quantify the proportion of chlamydia infections that can theoretically be prevented if a combination of risk factors is eliminated from a target population.ResultsIn males, the PAR associated with inconsistent condom use in the past 3 months was 65% (95% CI 56% to 71%) in backpackers compared to 50% (95% CI 41% to 56%) in non-backpackers and the PAR associated with reporting three or more female sexual partners in the past 3 months was similar between male backpackers and non-backpackers (33% (95% CI 28% to 40%) and 36% (95% CI 32% to 41%), respectively). In females, the PAR associated with inconsistent condom use in the past 3 months was 51% (95% CI 42% to 59%) in backpackers compared to 41% (95% CI 31% to 51%) in non-backpackers, and the PAR associated with reporting three or more male sexual partners in the past 3 months was 14% (95% CI 11% to 18%) in backpackers compared to 30% (95% CI 25% to 37%) in non-backpackers.ConclusionThese findings suggest that the largest number of chlamydia infections could be avoided by increasing condom use, particularly in backpackers. Reporting multiple partners was also associated with a large proportion of infections and the risk associated with this behaviour should be considered in health promotion strategies.
The NOTA study: non-operative treatment for acute appendicitis: prospective study on the efficacy and safety of antibiotic treatment (amoxicillin and clavulanic acid) in patients with right sided lower abdominal pain
Authors: Tugnoli Gregorio , Giorgini Eleonora , Biscardi Andrea , Villani Silvia , Clemente Nicola , Senatore Gianluca , Filicori Filippo , Antonacci Nicola , Baldoni Franco , De Werra Carlo , Di Saverio Salomone 
Published: March 2011

BackgroundCase control studies that randomly assign patients with diagnosis of acute appendicitis to either surgical or non-surgical treatment yield a relapse rate of approximately 14% at one year. It would be useful to know the relapse rate of patients who have, instead, been selected for a given treatment based on a thorough clinical evaluation, including physical examination and laboratory results (Alvarado Score) as well as radiological exams if needed or deemed helpful. If this clinical evaluation is useful, the investigators would expect patient selection to be better than chance, and relapse rate to be lower than 14%. Once the investigators have established the utility of this evaluation, the investigators can begin to identify those components that have predictive value (such as blood analysis, or US/CT findings). This is the first step toward developing an accurate diagnostic-therapeutic algorithm which will avoid risks and costs of needless surgery.Methods/designThis will be a single-cohort prospective observational study. It will not interfere with the usual pathway, consisting of clinical examination in the Emergency Department (ED) and execution of the following exams at the physician's discretion: full blood count with differential, C reactive protein, abdominal ultrasound, abdominal CT. Patients admitted to an ED with lower abdominal pain and suspicion of acute appendicitis and not needing immediate surgery, are requested by informed consent to undergo observation and non operative treatment with antibiotic therapy (Amoxicillin and Clavulanic Acid). The patients by protocol should not have received any previous antibiotic treatment during the same clinical episode. Patients not undergoing surgery will be physically examined 5 days later. Further follow-up will be conducted at 7, 15 days, 6 months and 12 months. The study will conform to clinical practice guidelines and will follow the recommendations of the Declaration of Helsinki. The protocol was approved on November 2009 by Maggiore Hospital Ethical Review Board (ID CE09079).Trial RegistrationClinicalTrials.gov identifier:NCT01096927.
The effect of distant reiki on pain in women after elective Caesarean section: a double-blinded randomised controlled trial
Authors: vanderVaart Sondra , Berger Howard , Tam Carolyn , Goh Y Ingrid , Gijsen Violette M G J , de Wildt Saskia N , Taddio Anna , Koren Gideon 
Published: March 2011

IntroductionApproximately 25% of all babies in North America are delivered via Caesarean section (C-section). Though a common surgical procedure, C-section recovery can be painful. Opioids, specifically codeine, are commonly used to ease pain; however, its active metabolite, morphine, passes into breast milk, and may produce unwanted side effects in neonates; therefore, alternatives to opioids are being sought. Reiki is an ancient Japanese form of healing where practitioners transfer healing energy through light touch and positive healing intention. Although 1.2 million Americans use reiki to reduce pain or depression, there is a lack of strong evidence supporting its effectiveness. A recent systematic review showed existing studies to be of poor methodological quality, with the common limitation of lack of blinding. To overcome this issue, the authors used distant reiki to assess its effectiveness in reducing pain following an elective C-section.MethodsIn this randomised, double-blinded study, women who underwent an elective C-section were allocated to either usual care (control, n=40) or three distant reiki sessions in addition to usual care (n=40). Pain was assessed using a visual analogue scale (VAS). The primary endpoint was the Area Under the VAS-Time Curve (AUC) for days 1–3. Secondary measures included: the proportion of women who required opioid medications and dose consumed, rate of healing and vital signs.ResultsAUC for pain was not significantly different in the distant reiki and control groups (mean±SD; 212.1±104.7 vs 223.1±117.8; p=0.96). There were no significant differences in opioid consumption or rate of healing; however, the distant reiki group had a significantly lower heart rate (74.3±8.1 bpm vs 79.8±7.9 bpm, p=0.003) and blood pressure (106.4±9.7 mm Hg vs 111.9±11.0 mm Hg, p=0.02) post surgery.ConclusionDistant reiki had no significant effect on pain following an elective C-section.Clinical Trial Registration NumberISRCTN79265996.