bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Electrical Cardioversion of Persistent Atrial Fibrillation: Acute and Long‐Term Results Stratified According to Arrhythmia Duration
Authors: TOSO ELISABETTA , BLANDINO ALESSANDRO , SARDI DAVIDE , BATTAGLIA ALBERTO , GARBEROGLIO LUCIA , MICELI SALVATORE , AZZARO GIUSEPPE , CAPELLO ATTILIO LUCA , GAITA FIORENZO 
Published: July 2012

Background: Current definition of persistent atrial fibrillation (PAF) enrolls a heterogeneous population with different atrial fibrillation (AF) exposure and degree of atrial substrate. Study aims were to evaluate acute and long‐term results of electrical cardioversion (ECV) and to identify temporal cutoff of previous AF exposure to reclassify PAF in subgroups with different chance of sinus rhythm (SR) maintenance.
Methods: Five hundred twenty‐one patients (66% men; age 69 ± 10 years) with PAF undergoing ECV, were divided in four groups according to AF duration at the time of ECV: group A with AF ≤2 months (141 patients); group B with AF >2 and ≤4 months (176 patients); group C with AF >4 and ≤6 months (89 patients); and group D with AF >6 months and <1 year (115 patients).
Results: There was no difference in term of acute success among groups (98.5% vs 97.1% vs 98.9% vs 96.5%, respectively, P = 0.95). At 5‐year follow‐up, 198 (41%) patients were in SR: 50% in group A, 44% in group B, 42% in group C, and 25% in group D (P < 0.001). At the multivariate analysis, previous ECV (hazard ratio [HR] 1.55, P < 0.001), left atrium enlargement (HR 1.39, P = 0.013), and AF duration >6 months at time of procedure (HR 1.59, P = 0.001) independently predict ECV failure.
Conclusion: ECV is associated with high acute success rate and low complications rate. Long‐term results are strongly related with AF duration at time of ECV: a cutoff of >6 months helps in selecting patients that can take greater advantage of the procedure. (PACE 2012; 35:1126–1134)
Biofuel Investments in Sub‐Saharan Africa: A Review of the Early Legal and Institutional Framework in Zambia
Authors: German Laura A. , Schoneveld George 
Published: July 2012

AbstractConcerns about domestic energy security and global climate change mitigation have led the European Union, the United States, and others to introduce policies to enhance the use of biofuels in the transport sector fuel mix. While countries throughout the global South are positioning themselves to capture the economic benefits of this fuel transition, their capacity to do so is highly variable. This paper reviews the early evolution of the biofuel sector in Zambia to explore the extent to which the country is positioned to leverage future benefits of the emerging industry while forestalling negative social and environmental costs. In doing so, it sheds light on an under‐researched dimension of the ongoing debate over large‐scale land acquisitions and foreign investment: the role of legal and institutional frameworks in host countries in shaping outcomes. The analysis draws on the following: policy documents; stakeholder interviews with government departments, investors, and civil society stakeholders; and published and reported data on investments. Findings suggest that while existing and incipient policies and legislation provide an important foundation for attracting investors and achieving diverse sector aims, a number of gaps remain that are likely to hinder efforts to leverage meaningful benefits while minimizing negative impacts.
The Role of Policy Brokers: The Case of Biotechnology in Kenya
Authors: Kingiri Ann N. , Hall Andy 
Published: July 2012

AbstractDebates about biotechnology continue to be polarized despite its potential to improve the living standards of the poor in Sub‐Saharan Africa. In the backdrop of this polarized scenario, this paper asked, is there a place for brokers in bringing about a productive debate that is pro‐development? The paper argued that if potential intermediaries are analyzed from the perspective of understanding their role and stakeholding in the regulatory change process, this may help breakout the current polarized anti‐ and pro‐biotechnology debates and thereby focus on how to enable productive biotechnology development. Informed by insights from innovation brokering, the functions of brokers in biotechnology regulation are analyzed through the lens of organizations involved in agricultural biotechnology debates in Kenya. The analysis found that policy brokering function attracts varying opportunities and challenges appropriate for informing relevant policy. The paper drew lessons from Kenya's experience to inform a productive policy brokering model for biotechnology regulation.
Characterization of Rare‐Earth Oxide Photoactivated Calcium Phosphate Minerals for Resurfacing Teeth
Authors: Elmadani Esam , Jha Animesh , Perali Tejaswini , Jappy Christine , Walsh David , Leburn Christopher , Brown Tom , Sibbett Wilson , Duggal Monty , Toumba Jack 
Published: July 2012

Calcium phosphate (CaP) minerals were synthesized with photo‐active erbium oxide (Er2O3), and acid‐resistant phase mixture of aluminum phosphate (AlPO4) and calcium fluoride (CaF2) at room temperature via precipitation from the aqueous solution of hydrated calcium nitrate Ca(NO3)2·4H2O and ammonium hydrogen phosphate (NH4)2HPO4. The dominant precipitated phases, characterized by X‐ray powder diffraction, confirmed the presence of monetite (CaHPO4) and brushite (CaHPO4·2H2O) at room temperature. The microstructural analysis showed the presence of platelet‐like features of monetite and brushite, which were tested for occlusion of dentinal tubules via irradiation with a 100 fs pulse duration laser, operating at 1520 nm at 2.5 GHz repetition rate. The SEM analysis of dentinal tubule over the occluded surface showed a continuum of 10 µm layer, which covered several 100s of micrometer surface. The results open the opportunity for dentinal tubule occlusion via ultrafast laser sintering using acid‐resistant minerals.
Structural Modification and Large Piezoelectricity of Strained (Na,Bi) TiO3–BaTiO3 Epitaxial Thin Films
Authors: Tanaka Yoshiaki , Harigai Takakiyo , Ueda Michihito , Adachi Hideaki , Fujii Eiji 
Published: July 2012

The crystal structure and ferroelectric and piezoelectric properties of the (1−x)(Na0.5Bi0.5)TiO3–xBaTiO3 (NBT−BT) thin films grown on Pt/MgO(100), (111), and (110) substrates were systematically investigated around the morphotropic phase boundary (MPB) composition (x = 0.05–0.15). X‐ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy revealed the successful epitaxial growth of high‐quality thin films of NBT–BT with a thickness of 3 μm. Due to compressive thermal strain caused by the difference in thermal expansion between NBT–BT and MgO planes, all the NBT–BT thin films grown on MgO(100), (111), and (110) substrates were distorted to form single‐crystal lattices with tetragonal, rhombohedral, and orthorhombic symmetries, respectively. This is quite different from the case of free bulk NBT–BT in which rhombohedral‐to‐tetragonal transformation of the crystal lattice occurs at MPB compositions of x = 0.06–0.07. Nonetheless, the piezoelectric coefficient, −e31*, of the present NBT–BT thin films was largest when x = 0.07 for tetragonal and rhombohedral thin films and 0.09 for orthorhombic ones, with values as high as 18.1, 15.0, and 20.6 C/m2, respectively. These −e31* values are the highest found for lead‐free piezoelectric thin films to date, and larger than those of Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 thin films.
Drought stress drives intraspecific choice of food plants by Atta leaf‐cutting ants
Authors: Ribeiro Neto José Domingos , Pinho Bruno Ximenes , Meyer Sebastian Tobias , Wirth Rainer , Leal Inara Roberta 
Published: July 2012

AbstractLeaf‐cutting ants (LCA) are polyphagous and dominant herbivores throughout the Neotropics that carefully select plant individuals or plant parts to feed their symbiotic fungus. Although many species‐specific leaf traits have been identified as criteria for the choice of food plants, the factors driving intraspecific herbivory patterns in LCA are less well studied. Herein, we evaluate whether or not drought‐stressed native plants are a preferred food source using free‐living colonies of two leaf‐cutting ants, Atta sexdens L. (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Attini), in combination with five plant species, Ocotea glomerata Nees (Lauraceae), Lecythis lurida S. A. Mori (Lecythidaceae), Miconia prasina DC (Melastomataceae), Tovomita brevistaminea Engl. (Clusiaceae), and Tapirira guianensis Aubl. (Anacardiaceae), and Atta cephalotes L., in combination with two plant species, O. glomerata and Licania tomentosa Benth. (Chrysobalanaceae). In dual‐choice bioassays, ants removed about three times more leaf area from drought‐stressed plants compared to control plants. Both leaf‐cutting ant species consistently preferred drought‐stressed plants for all species tested, except T. guianensis. The mean acceptability index – expressing the preference for one of two options on a scale of 0 to 1 – of drought‐stressed plants ranged from 0.65 to 0.86 across plant species, and the preference did not differ significantly among the tested plant species. Our results suggest that selection of drought‐stressed individuals is a general feature of food plant choice by leaf‐cutting ants irrespective of ant or plant species. As human‐modified forest assemblages across the Neotropics are increasingly prone to drought stress, the documented preference of Atta for drought‐stressed plants may have tangible ecological implications.
EBV+ cutaneous B‐cell lymphoproliferation of the leg in an elderly patient with mycosis fungoides and methotrexate treatment
Authors: Rausch Thierry , Cairoli Anne , Benhattar Jean , Spring Philipp , Hohl Daniel , de Leval Laurence 
Published: July 2012

A 77‐year‐old man with a 5‐year history of mycosis fungoides (MF) who had received several lines of therapy, including intravenous courses of Methotrexate (MTX) for the past 2 years, went on to develop several ulcerated cutaneous nodules on the left leg. Biopsy revealed diffuse sheets of EBV‐positive large B cells (CD20+ CD30 ± IgM Lambda), with an angiocentric distribution and a monoclonal
IGH
gene rearrangement. Although the pathological features were diagnostic for an EBV‐positive diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma (DLBCL), several possibilities could be considered for assignment to a specific entity: EBV‐positive DLBCL of the elderly, methotrexate‐induced lymphoproliferative disorder (LPD), lymphomatoid granulomatosis, or the more recently described EBV‐positive mucocutaneous ulcer. The development of EBV+ lymphoproliferations has been reported in two other patients with MF under MTX, and occurred as skin lesions of the leg in one of these and in the current case, which may question the relatedness to primary cutaneous DLCBL, leg‐type.
Relationships between oral diseases and impacts on Thai schoolchildren's quality of life: Evidence from a Thai national oral health survey of 12‐ and 15‐year‐olds
Authors: Krisdapong Sudaduang , Prasertsom Piyada , Rattanarangsima Khanit , Sheiham Aubrey 
Published: July 2012

AbstractObjectivesTo assess the associations between oral disease and oral health‐related quality of life (OHRQoL) in a nationally representative sample of 12‐ and 15‐year‐old Thai populations.MethodsThe study was part of Thailand National Oral Health Survey. Data on oral diseases using WHO criteria and OHRQoL using the Child‐Oral Impacts on Daily Performances (Child‐OIDP) for 12‐year‐olds and Oral Impacts on Daily Performances (OIDP) indexes for 15‐year‐olds were collected from 1063 12‐year‐olds and 811 15‐year‐olds. The associations of oral diseases and OHRQoL and perceived dental need were investigated using logistic regression models.ResultsOf 81.7% of 12‐year‐olds and 83.2% of 15‐year‐olds had impacts on OHRQoL. For both age groups, gingivitis was the most common oral disease (79.3% in 12‐year‐olds, 81.5% in 15‐year‐olds). Oral impacts were significantly associated with high levels of untreated decay. Perceived dental needs were significantly associated with untreated decay and extensive gingivitis for both age groups, and with calculus for 12‐year‐olds. Having decayed teeth was statistically associated with impacts on relaxing, emotion and study for both age groups. Gingivitis and calculus were significantly associated with impacts on smiling, study and social contact in 12‐year‐olds, and with impacts on smiling in 15‐year‐olds.ConclusionsGingivitis was the most common oral disease whereas dental caries affected children's quality of life most. Dental caries impacted on various daily life performances while gingivitis and calculus related to psychosocial aspects in 12‐year‐olds.
Innate immunity and the regulation and mobilization of keratinocyte stem cells: are the old players playing a new game?
Authors: Singh Ashok , Morris Rebecca J. 
Published: July 2012

AbstractThe skin provides an anatomical barrier to physical, chemical and biological agents. Hence, it is not surprising that it has well‐developed innate immunity. What we find surprising is that the CD49f+/CD34+ hair follicle stem cells should have an enriched expression profile of so many genes involved in innate immunity. Do these stem cells require extra protection from environmental insults? Or, could there be a new role for these genes? To probe these questions, we first summarize the roles of some key players in epidermal innate immunity. We next focus on their expression in CD49f+/CD34+ hair follicle stem cells. Then, we consider recent data suggesting a new role for these ‘old players’ in the regulation and mobilization of haematopoietic and mesenchymal stem cells. Finally, we hypothesize that the ‘old players’ in these hair follicle stem cells may be playing a ‘new game’.
Children diagnosed with type 1 diabetes: a randomized controlled trial comparing hospital versus home‐based care
Authors: Tiberg Irén , Katarina Steen Carlsson , Carlsson Annelie , Hallström Inger 
Published: July 2012

AbstractAim:  To compare two different regimens for children diagnosed with type 1 diabetes: hospital‐based care or hospital‐based home care (HBHC), referring to specialist care in a home‐based setting.Method:  The trial took place in Sweden with a randomized controlled design and included 60 children, aged 3–15 years. After 2–3 days with hospital‐based care, children were randomized to either continued hospital‐based care or to HBHC for 6 days. The primary outcome was the child’s metabolic control after 2 years. Secondary outcomes were set to evaluate the family and child situation as well as the healthcare services. This article presents data 6 months after diagnosis.Results:  Results showed equivalence between groups in terms of metabolic control, insulin dose, parents’ employment and working hours as well as parents’ and significant others’ absence from work related to the child’s diabetes. Parents in the HBHC were more satisfied with the received health care and showed less subsequent healthcare resource use. The level of risk for the family’s psychosocial distress assessed at diagnosis was associated with the subsequent use of resources, but not with metabolic control.Conclusion:  HBHC was found to be an equally safe and effective way of providing care as hospital‐based care at the onset of type 1 diabetes for children who are medically stable.
Association of food allergy with asthma severity and atopic diseases in Jewish and Arab adolescents
Authors: Graif Yael , German Larissa , Livne Irit , Shohat Tamy 
Published: July 2012

AbstractAim:  To investigate the prevalence of reported food allergy and its association with atopic diseases and asthma severity among Jewish and Arab adolescents.Subjects and methods:  The self‐report questionnaire of the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) was administered to adolescents aged 13–14 years from randomly selected junior high schools in Israel. Questions regarding food allergy were added.Results:  A total of 11 171 questionnaires were available for analysis. Food allergy was reported by 3.6% of participants: 1.9% milk, 0.6% egg, 0.6% peanut and 0.4% sesame. On multivariate analysis, food allergy was strongly associated with current asthma (OR, 2.5; 95% CI, 1.8–3.3), atopic eczema (OR, 3.2; 95% CI, 2.4–4.3) and allergic rhinitis (OR, 2.4; 95% CI, 1.8–3.1). Arabs were significantly more allergic to peanut (OR, 2.5; 95% CI, 1.5–4.1), egg (OR, 3.5; 95% CI, 2.1–5.9) and sesame (OR, 2.3; 95% CI, 1.2–4.5) than Jews, and less allergic to milk (OR, 0.6; 95% CI, 0.4–0.9). Asthmatic subjects with food allergy had significantly more parameters of severe asthma than those without food allergy (p < 0.001).Conclusions:  The prevalence of allergy to specific foods differs between Jews and Arabs. Asthmatic adolescents with food allergy report more severe asthma than those without food allergy.
A dose–response relationship between fish consumption and human milk DHA content among Filipino women in Cebu City, Philippines
Authors: Quinn EA , Kuzawa CW 
Published: July 2012

AbstractAims:  Human milk is the primary source of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) for most infants, an important fatty acid for neurological development. Milk DHA is largely incorporated from the maternal diet. Little is known about whether milk DHA varies within populations with differences in maternal fish consumption. Here, we investigate this association in a sample of marginally nourished Filipino women.Methods:  Milk samples were collected during in‐home interviews with 117 lactating Filipino mothers from Cebu City, Philippines, nursing infants <24 months of age. Anthropometric data and dietary recalls were also collected. Samples were analysed for total fatty acid composition using gas chromatography. Multivariate regression was used to test the association between fish consumption and milk DHA.Results:  Milk DHA showed a positive, dose–response relationship with maternal fish consumption (p < 0.011, r2 = 0.21). Milk DHA was also positively related to protein intake, likely reflecting the association between fish and protein intake (p < 0.009). Unlike prior studies, parity predicted increased milk DHA (p = 0.03).Conclusions:  Increasing fish consumption during lactation may be a cost‐effective means of maximizing DHA delivery to infants particularly in populations with marginal energy intakes during lactation. However, this must be weighed against the potential dangers of increasing exposure to fish‐based pollutants.
Inflatable Penile Prosthesis and Salvage Protocol for Mechanical Failure: Is it Really Necessary?
Authors: Bartley Jamie , Zimmerman W. Britt , Dhabuwala Chirpriya B. 
Published: July 2012

ABSTRACT

Introduction
Penile prosthesis patients with mechanical failure who wish continued treatment require device removal and replacement. Infection rates as high as 18% have been reported for procedures involving replacement of malfunctioning penile prosthesis compared with 2% for primary implantation.

Aim
The aim of this study is to compare the outcomes of patients who have had a penile prosthesis replacement for mechanical failure to determine if those who had a mini-salvage washout procedure had better outcomes than those who did not.

Methods
A retrospective chart review was performed of all patients undergoing inflatable penile prosthesis replacement for mechanical failure from 1997 to 2010. Demographics, past medical history, reason for device failure, type of device, time from original implantation to failure, operative details, culture results, and follow-up data were analyzed.

Main Outcome Measures
Infection rates for penile implant revisions with and without mini-salvage washout.

Results
Forty-two patients underwent a mini-salvage procedure for mechanical failure and 87 patients underwent standard sterile replacement. There were no infections in the mini-salvage group and two (2.3%) in the standard sterile group (P = 1.00). In patients with culture data available, two patients in each group had coagulase negative staphylococcus on culture, but none of these patients developed an infection. One patient who developed an infection had an intraoperative culture, which revealed no growth. The other patient with an infection did not undergo intraoperative culture testing. Operating room (OR) time was longer with the mini-salvage procedure (156 ± 36 minutes vs. 131 ± 31 minutes, P &lt; 0.001).

Conclusions
Performing a mini-salvage procedure for patients undergoing penile prosthesis replacement for mechanical failure adds to operative time but did not significantly change the infection rate and may not be indicated. Furthermore, intraoperative culture results were not predictive of postoperative infection.
The Therapeutic Role of VEGF-Expressing Muscle-Derived Stem Cells in Acute Penile Cavernosal Injury
Authors: An Geng , Ji Chenyang , Wei Zhe , Chen Hao , Zhang Jinming 
Published: July 2012

ABSTRACT

Introduction
Traumatic penile injury is one of the urological emergencies. Surgery and conservative management are major treatment methods but are always accompanied by many complications.

Aim
To investigate the feasibility of repairing cavernous tissues in acute rabbit penile cavernosal injury model with vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-expressing muscle-derived stem cells (MDSCs).

Methods
MDSCs were isolated and transfected with hVEGF165 lentiviral gene vector in vitro. The expression of VEGF was confirmed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), Western blot, and real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analyses. After animal models were constructed, animals were randomly divided into four groups, which were administrated with MDSCs/VEGF, MDSCs/vector, MDSCs, and normal saline, respectively. A month later, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and intracavernosal pressures (ICP) were performed on the animals. Then penile tissues were harvested and assayed with Western blot and immunohistochemistry.

Main Outcome Measures
Real-time PCR, Western blot, ELISA, immunohistochemistry, MRI, and ICP were performed in our experiments.

Results
The expression of VEGF significantly increased in the VEGF-expressing MDSCs group compared with those in the MDSCs/vector and MDSCs groups. VEGF protein expression in the injury sites of cavernous tissues were significantly higher in the MDSCs/VEGF group compared with those in other three groups. Immunohistochemical staining showed that α-smooth muscle actin-positive cells, von Willebrand factor-positive cells and capillary density markedly increased in the MDSCs/VEGF group. Animals receiving MDSCs/VEGF showed a significant improvement in cavernosal contractile function and structural repair.

Conclusions
The transplantation of VEGF-expressing MDSCs could repair the actuely injured cavernous tissue. We believed that it could be a novel therapeutic strategy for acute rabbit penile cavernosal injury.