bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Prevalence of gastroesophageal reflux disease in patients with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Authors: Bor Serhat , Kitapcioglu Gul , Solak Zeynep Aytemur , Ertilav Muhittin , Erdinc Munevver 
Published: October 2009

AbstractBackground and Aim:  It is speculated that the prevalence of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) might increase with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The aim of the present study was to evaluate the prevalence of GERD in patients with asthma and COPD in an area representative of developing countries.Methods:  A validated GERD questionnaire was conducted face‐to‐face with 308 consecutive asthma (240 women) and 133 COPD (35 women) patients in the tertiary referral pulmonary outpatient clinic, and 694 controls from the research area. Detailed histories of patients and pulmonary function tests were also recorded.Results:  The prevalence of GERD (heartburn/regurgitation once a week or more) was 25.4%, 17.0%, 19.4% and occasional symptoms (less than weekly) were 21.2%, 16.3% and 27.0% of patients with asthma, COPD and controls, respectively. The prevalence was higher in the asthma group compared with the controls and the COPD group. No significant difference was found between the COPD group and the controls. Heartburn started following pulmonary disease in 24.1% of the asthma group, and 26.4% of the COPD group. The majority of additional symptoms were significantly higher in asthmatics compared with the controls. No difference was found in the consumption of pulmonary medications in asthmatic patients in groups with different symptom frequency. Heartburn was increased 13.8% by the consumption of inhaler medications.Conclusions:  These results implicate that the prevalence of GERD in asthma and COPD are lower than in published reports in a tertiary referral center. These differences might be related to the characteristics of developing countries, increased consumption of powerful medications in GERD and pulmonary diseases, or methodological flaws in earlier studies.
The use of recombinant tissue plasminogen activator in the management of infective intracardiac thrombi in pre‐term infants with thrombocytopaenia
Authors: Anderson Ben , Urs Prasanth , Tudehope David , Ward Cameron 
Published: October 2009

AbstractBacterial endocarditis complicated by the development of intra‐cardiac thrombus presents a difficult management dilemma in the pre‐term infant. Here we present our experience with three infants who had this condition, all of whom were successfully managed using therapy with recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (r‐TPA). Therapy in one of the infants was particularly instructive, as the condition was further complicated by severe thrombocytopaenia, making the decision to treat using r‐TPA difficult.
Frequency of dosing and comparative doses of mometasone furoate: A meta‐analysis
Authors: HART Kelli , WEATHERALL Mark , SHIRTCLIFFE Philippa , BEASLEY Richard 
Published: October 2009

ABSTRACTBackground and objective:  To examine the evidence for the efficacy of once daily dosing of mometasone furoate (MF) and to establish the dose–response relationship for MF in asthma.Methods:  Meta‐analysis of double‐blind, randomized controlled clinical trials, identified through a Medline and EMBASE search, comparing once versus twice daily dosing with the same dose and/or comparing two different doses that presented data on measurements of clinical efficacy. Main outcome measures were FEV1 change from baseline, PEF, withdrawals for any reason and treatment failure as defined by the authors.Results:  Nine studies with 2533 subjects were identified, although not all had usable data for the different doses/schedules. There was no evidence of superiority of twice versus once daily dosing of MF with a pooled difference of 0.02 L (95% CI: −0.06–0.10) for FEV1 change from baseline. 400 µg was superior to 200 µg with a pooled difference of 0.09 L (95% CI: 0.04–0.13) for FEV1. Data on doses >400 µg/day were limited but did not support that 800 µg was superior to 400 µg.Conclusions:  For the outcome variables considered, once daily dosing of MF is as effective as twice daily dosing, which may be useful in improving compliance in the treatment of asthma. There was insufficient data to compute a dose–response curve for MF.
Anomalous isolated segmental pulmonary vein dilatation detected by computerized tomography of the chest
Authors: MIYAKE Hidetoshi , ORIBE Hiroshi 
Published: October 2009

ABSTRACTThis report presents findings detected on computerized tomography of the chest in three patients with dilatation of a segmental pulmonary vein and its branches. Each patient had dilatation of an isolated segmental pulmonary vein and its branches with a normal distribution, and no associated cardiovascular anomalies; in two patients, ground glass opacity corresponding to the distribution of the dilated pulmonary veins was observed. The CT features are consistent with a rare subtype of congenital pulmonary varix.
Role of ‘atypical pathogens’ among adult hospitalized patients with community‐acquired pneumonia
Authors: LUI Grace , IP Margaret , LEE Nelson , RAINER Timothy H. , MAN Shin Y. , COCKRAM Clive S. , ANTONIO Gregory E. , NG Margaret H.L. , CHAN Michael H.M. , CHAU Shirley S.L. , MAK Paulina , CHAN Paul K.S. , AHUJA Anil T. , SUNG Joseph J.Y. , HUI David S.C. 
Published: October 2009

ABSTRACTBackground and objective:  Agents such as Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Chlamydophila pneumoniae and Legionella pneumophila are recognized as important causes of community‐acquired pneumonia (CAP) worldwide. This study examined the role of these ‘atypical pathogens’ (AP) among adult hospitalized patients with CAP.Methods:  A prospective, observational study of consecutive adult CAP (clinico‐radiological diagnosis) patients hospitalized during 2004–2005 was conducted. Causal organisms were determined using cultures, antigen testing and paired serology. Clinical/laboratory/radiological variables and outcomes were compared between different aetiologies, and a clinical prediction rule for AP was constructed.Results:  There were 1193 patients studied (mean age 70.8 ± 18.0 years, men 59.3%). Causal organisms were identified in 468 (39.2%) patients: ‘bacterial’ (48.7%), ‘viral’ (26.9%), ‘AP’ (28.6%). The AP infections comprised Mycoplasma or Chlamydophila pneumoniae (97.8%) and co‐infection with bacteria/virus (30.6%). The majority of AP infections involved elderly patients (63.4%) with comorbidities (41.8%), and more than one‐third of patients were classified as ‘intermediate’ or ‘high’ risk CAP on presentation (pneumonia severity index IV–V (35.1%); CURB‐65 2–5 (42.5%)). Patients with AP infections had disease severities and outcomes similar to patients with CAP due to other organisms (oxygen therapy 29.1% vs 29.8%; non‐invasive ventilation 3.7% vs 3.3%; admission to the intensive care unit 4.5% vs 2.7%; length of hospitalization 6 day vs 7 day; 30‐day mortality: 2.2% vs 6.0%; overall P > 0.05). Age <65 years, female gender, fever ≥38.0°C, respiratory rate <25/min, pulse rate <100/min, serum sodium >130 mmol/L, leucocyte count <11 × 109/L and Hb < 11 g/dL were features associated with AP infection, but the derived prediction rule failed to reliably discriminate CAP caused by AP from bacterial CAP (area under the curve 0.75).Conclusions:  M. pneumoniae and C. pneumoniae as single/co‐pathogens are important causes of severe pneumonia among older adults. No reliable clinical indicators exist, so empirical antibiotic coverage for hospitalized CAP patients may need to be considered.
Health and aging in a Chinese population: urban and rural disparities
Authors: Dong XinQi , Simon Melissa Andrea 
Published: October 2009

Aim:  The objective of this study was to compare the rural and urban differences in sociodemographic, health and psychosocial factors in a Chinese aging population.Methods:  A cross‐sectional descriptive study of 135 rural and 269 urban subjects aged 60 years or greater was performed in a community‐dwelling Chinese population. Variables collected included sociodemographic, health‐related and psychosocial measures.Results:  Rural subjects, compared with urban subjects, were significantly younger, more likely to be women, have lower education and income, and more likely to be widowed. Rural subjects also reported significant lower overall health status, lower quality of life and worse change in recent health. In addition, rural subjects had a significantly higher proportion of depressive symptomatology, feelings of loneliness and lower levels of social support measures.Conclusion:  In this older Chinese population, rural subjects had significantly poorer characteristics of health and well‐being. These differences in characteristics were found across sociodemographic, health‐related quality of life and psychosocial measures.
Colonic mucosal lesions associated with long‐term or short‐term administration of nonsteroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs
Authors: Shibuya Tomoyoshi , Ohkusa Toshifumi , Yokoyama Tetsuji , Harada Akira , Beppu Kazuko , Sakamoto Naoto , Osada Taro , Nagahara Akihito , Terai Takeshi , Otaka Michiro , Ogihara Tatsuo , Watanabe Sumio 
Published: October 2009

AbstractAim  The effects of short‐ or long‐term administration of nonsteroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) on the colon have not been well characterized. We assessed the risk of developing colonic mucosal lesions according to the duration of exposure to NSAIDs: short‐term and/or long‐term use.Method  A case‐controlled study was performed by reviewing medical records for endoscopic findings, underlying disease, pre‐endoscopic symptoms, category of NSAIDs used and duration of use. The patients underwent colonoscopy between January and October 2004, and 75 colitis cases and 1801 non‐colitis controls were identified. The prevalence of NSAID use was compared between the cases and controls. The age‐ and sex‐ adjusted odds ratios (OR) were estimated using multiple logistic regression models.Results  NSAIDs had been used in colitis cases and non‐colitis controls for over six months in 20.0% and 12.7%, and for one week in 4.0% and 2.1%. Overall 76.0% and 85.2% had not received NSAIDs. The adjusted OR (95% confidence interval) for colonic mucosal lesions with short‐ and long term NSAID administration combined vs. non‐use was 2.04 (1.16–3.61). When determined separately for short‐ and long‐term NSAID users, the adjusted ORs were 1.48 (0.42–5.25) and 2.21 (1.19–4.11), compared to non‐users. These values signify a trend toward an increased frequency of colonic mucosal lesions with longer use of NSAIDs (P=0.011 for trend).Conclusion  Long‐term use of NSAIDs increased the risk of colonic mucosal lesions, suggesting that NSAIDs may contribute to the pathogenesis of colonic ulcer or colitis.
Short‐term outcomes of the prospective multicentre ‘Prostate Cancer Research International: Active Surveillance’ study
Authors: Van Den Bergh Roderick C.N. , Vasarainen Hanna , Van Der Poel Henk G. , Vis‐Maters Jenneke J. , Rietbergen John B. , Pickles Tom , Cornel Erik B. , Valdagni Riccardo , Jaspars Joris J. , Van Der Hoeven John , Staerman Frederic , Oomens Eric H.G.M. , Rannikko Antti , Roemeling Stijn , Steyerberg Ewout W. , Roobol Monique J. , Schröder Fritz H. , Bangma Chris H. 
Published: October 2009

Study Type – Therapy (prospective cohort) Level of Evidence 2bOBJECTIVETo evaluate the short‐term outcomes of the prospective international Prostate Cancer Research International: Active Surveillance (‘PRIAS’) study (Dutch Trial Register NTR1718), as active surveillance (AS) for early prostate cancer might provide a partial solution to the current overtreatment dilemma in this disease.PATIENTS AND METHODSThe first 500 (of >950) participants with asymptomatic T1c/T2 prostate cancer, with a prostate‐specific antigen (PSA) level of ≤10.0 ng/mL, a PSA density of <0.2 ng/mL/mL, a Gleason score of ≤3 + 3 = 6, and one or two positive biopsy cores, were analysed. The follow‐up protocol consisted of frequent PSA measurements, digital rectal examinations, and standard repeat biopsies (the first after 1 year). The primary outcome is survival free of active therapy; the secondary endpoints are reasons for stopping AS, findings in 1‐year repeat biopsies, and outcomes after radical prostatectomy (RP).RESULTSPatients were included between December 2006 and July 2008. The median (25–75th percentile) follow‐up after diagnosis was 1.02 (0.6–1.5) years. The 2‐year survival rate free from active therapy was 73%. Of the 82 men who changed to active therapy during the follow‐up, 68 (83%) did so based on the protocol. Of the 261 repeat biopsies available for analysis, 90 (34%) showed no cancer, while 57 (22%) showed a Gleason score of >6 or more than two positive biopsy cores. There was a relatively unfavourable PSA doubling time of 0–10 years in 53% (102/194) and 62% (33/53) of men with favourable and unfavourable re‐biopsy results, respectively. After RP, four of 24 (17%) men had T3 disease and 12 (50%) had a Gleason score of >6.CONCLUSIONAS seems feasible, but mortality outcomes are unknown. A strict follow‐up protocol including standard 1‐year repeat biopsies resulted in a quarter of men stopping AS after 2 years.
Characterization of the anatomical extension pattern of localized prostate cancer arising in the peripheral zone
Authors: Muramaki Mototsugu , Miyake Hideaki , Kurahashi Toshifumi , Takenaka Atsushi , Fujisawa Masato 
Published: October 2009

Study Type – Diagnostic (non‐consecutive series) Level of Evidence 3bOBJECTIVESTo characterize the anatomical extension pattern of prostate cancer arising in the peripheral zone (PZ) in radical prostatectomy (RP) specimens and to evaluate its prognostic significance.PATIENTS AND METHODSOf 174 consecutive patients undergoing RP, 128 diagnosed as having PZ cancer (PZC) were enrolled. The maximum tumour area (MTA) and maximum tumour volume (MTV) in RP specimens were measured using digital planimetry. A circle with an area equal to the MTA, in which the central point was the intersection of the longest line of the MTA and the line perpendicularly bisecting the first line, was defined as a hypothetical extension area, regardless of anatomical structure. The area within this circle that did not overlap the MTA was defined as ΔTA.RESULTSThere was a significant correlation between the MTV and ΔTA/MTA, introduced as a variable representing the degree of PZC extension along the anatomical shape of the PZ. The ΔTA/MTA in patients with a MTV of >5 mL was significantly greater than that in those with a MTV of ≤5 mL. Furthermore, ΔTA/MTA was significantly associated with several prognostic indicators, including extracapsular extension, surgical margin status and perineural invasion. Multivariate analysis identified ΔTA/MTA in addition to preoperative serum prostate‐specific antigen level, extracapsular extension and surgical margin status as independent predictors of biochemical recurrence after RP.CONCLUSIONSPZC tends to extend along the anatomical shape of the PZ during progression, resulting in higher ΔTA/MTA value in advanced PZC than that in early PZC.
INTENTIONALISM, INTENTIONALITY, AND REPORTING BELIEFS1
Authors: MITROVIĆ BRANKO 
Published: October 2009

ABSTRACTThe dominant view of twentieth‐century analytic philosophy has been that all thinking is always in a language, that languages are vehicles of thought. The same view has been widespread in continental philosophy as well. In recent decades, however, the opposite view—that languages serve merely to express language‐independent thought‐contents or propositions—has been more widely accepted. The debate has a direct equivalent in the philosophy of history: when historians report the beliefs of historical figures, do they report the sentences or propositions that these historical figures believed to be true or false? In this paper I argue in favor of the latter, intentionalist, view. My arguments center mostly on the problems with translation that are likely to arise when a historian reports the beliefs of historical figures who expressed them in a language other than the one in which the historian is writing. In discussing these problems the paper presents an application of John Searle's theory of intentionality to the philosophy of history.
2. THE VICTIM'S VOICE AND MELODRAMATIC AESTHETICS IN HISTORY1
Authors: GOLDBERG AMOS 
Published: October 2009

ABSTRACTSaul Friedländer's recent Nazi Germany and the Jews: The Years of Extermination offers a brilliant new literary mode for historical representation of extreme events such as the Holocaust. He has produced an authoritative historical narrative of the Holocaust, within which he integrates the victims' authentic voices, as recorded (mostly) in their contemporary writings. This article offers a comparative assessment of Friedländer's achievement with regard to the integration of Jewish sources into the historical account. It begins with a contextualization of Friedländer's book within a framework that compares the ways in which Jewish sources are addressed by different historiographical approaches. In the second part it seeks to contextualize analytically and critically Friedländer's concept of “disbelief”—a concept by which he defines the role of the “victims’ voices” in his narrative. I claim that in our current “era of the witness,” set within a culture addicted to the “excessive,” the voices of the victims and the witnesses appear to have lost their radical political and ethical force. They seem no longer to bear the excess of history, and can thus hardly claim to be the guardians of disbelief. Excess and disbelief have thus become the most commonplace cultural topos. In our current culture, I contend, the excessive voices of the victims have, to some extent, exchanged their epistemological, ontological, and ethical revolutionary function for an aesthetic one. They operate according to the pleasure principle in order to bring us, the consumers of Holocaust images, the most expected image of the “unimaginable,” which therefore generates a melancholic pleasure and involves the narrative in melodramatic aesthetics. The article concludes by briefly suggesting some guidelines for an alternative approach to the study of contemporary Jewish Holocaust sources.
The Role of the Business Press as an Information Intermediary
Authors: BUSHEE BRIAN J. , CORE JOHN E. , GUAY WAYNE , HAMM SOPHIA J.W. 
Published: October 2009

ABSTRACTThis paper investigates whether the business press serves as an information intermediary. The press potentially shapes firms' information environments by packaging and disseminating information, as well as by creating new information through journalism activities. We find that greater press coverage reduces information asymmetry (i.e., lower spreads and greater depth) around earnings announcements, with broad dissemination of information having a bigger impact than the quantity or quality of press‐generated information. These results are robust to controlling for firm‐initiated disclosures, market reactions to the announcement, and other information intermediaries. Our findings suggest that the press helps reduce information problems around earnings announcements.
Political Cost Incentives for Managing the Property‐Liability Insurer Loss Reserve
Authors: GRACE MARTIN F. , LEVERTY J. TYLER 
Published: October 2009

ABSTRACTThis paper examines the effect of rate regulation on the management of the property‐liability insurer loss reserve. The political cost hypothesis predicts that managers make accounting choices to reduce wealth transfers resulting from the regulatory process. Managers may under‐state reserves to justify lower rates to regulators. Alternatively, managers may have an incentive to report loss inflating discretionary reserves to reduce the cost of regulatory rate suppression. We find insurers over‐state reserves in the presence of stringent rate regulation. Investigating the impact along the conditional reserve error distribution, we discover that a majority of the response occurs from under‐reserving firms under‐reserving less because of stringent rate regulation.
Cloning and pharmacological characterization of the dog P2X7 receptor
Authors: Roman S , Cusdin FS , Fonfria E , Goodwin JA , Reeves J , Lappin SC , Chambers L , Walter DS , Clay WC , Michel AD 
Published: October 2009

Background and purpose:  Human and rodent P2X7 receptors exhibit differences in their sensitivity to antagonists. In this study we have cloned and characterized the dog P2X7 receptor to determine if its antagonist sensitivity more closely resembles the human or rodent orthologues.Experimental approach:  A cDNA encoding the dog P2X7 receptor was isolated from a dog heart cDNA library, expressed in U‐2 OS cells using the BacMam viral expression system and characterized in electrophysiological, ethidium accumulation and radioligand binding studies. Native P2X7 receptors were examined by measuring ATP‐stimulated interleukin‐1β release in dog and human whole blood.Key results:  The dog P2X7 receptor was 595 amino acids long and exhibited high homology (>70%) to the human and rodent orthologues although it contained an additional threonine at position 284 and an amino acid deletion at position 538. ATP possessed low millimolar potency at dog P2X7 receptors. 2′‐&3′‐O‐(4benzoylbenzoyl) ATP had slightly higher potency but was a partial agonist. Dog P2X7 receptors possessed relatively high affinity for a number of selective antagonists of the human P2X7 receptor although there were some differences in potency between the species. Compound affinities in human and dog blood exhibited a similar rank order of potency as observed in studies on the recombinant receptor although absolute potency was considerably lower.Conclusions and implications:  Dog recombinant and native P2X7 receptors display a number of pharmacological similarities to the human P2X7 receptor. Thus, dog may be a suitable species for assessing target‐related toxicity of antagonists intended for evaluation in the clinic.
Dysfunction of endothelial and smooth muscle cells in small arteries of a mouse model of Marfan syndrome
Authors: Syyong HT , Chung AWY , Yang HHC , van Breemen C 
Published: October 2009

Background and purpose:  Marfan syndrome, a connective tissue disorder caused by mutations in FBN1 encoding fibrillin‐1, results in life‐threatening complications in the aorta, but little is known about its effects in resistance vasculature.Experimental approach:  Second‐order mesenteric arteries from mice at 3, 6 and 10 months of age (n= 30) heterozygous for the Fbn1 allele encoding a cysteine substitution (Fbn1C1039G/+) were compared with those from age‐matched control littermates.Key results:  Stress–strain curves indicated that arterial stiffness was increased at 6 and 10 months of age in Marfan vessels. Isometric force measurement revealed that contraction in response to potassium (60 mM)‐induced membrane depolarization was decreased by at least 28% in Marfan vessels at all ages, while phenylephrine (3 µM)‐induced contraction was reduced by at least 40% from 6 months. Acetylcholine‐induced relaxation in Marfan vessels was reduced to 70% and 45% of control values, respectively, at 6 and 10 months. Sensitivity to sodium nitroprusside was reduced at 6 months (pEC50= 5.64 ± 0.11, control pEC50= 7.34 ± 0.04) and 10 months (pEC50= 5.99 ± 0.07, control pEC50= 6.99 ± 0.14). Pretreatment with Nω‐Nitro‐L‐arginine methyl ester (200 µM) had no effect on acetylcholine‐induced relaxation in Marfan vessels, but reduced vasorelaxation in control vessels to 57% of control values. Addition of indomethacin (10 µM) and catalase (1000 U·mL−1) further inhibited vasorelaxation in Marfan vessels to a greater degree compared with control vessels.Conclusions and implications:  Pathogenesis of Marfan syndrome in resistance‐sized arteries increases stiffness and impairs vasomotor function.