bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Fetal endoscopic myelomeningocele closure preserves segmental neurological function
Authors: VERBEEK RENATE J , HEEP AXEL , MAURITS NATALIA M , CREMER REINHOLD , HOVING EELCO W , BROUWER OEBELE F , VAN DER HOEVEN JOHANNES H , SIVAL DEBORAH A 
Published: November 2011

Aim  Our aim was to compare the effect of prenatal endoscopic with postnatal myelomeningocele closure (fetally operated spina bifida aperta [fSBA]) versus neonatally operated spina bifida aperta [nSBA]) on segmental neurological leg condition.Method  Between 2003 and 2009, the fetal surgical team (Department of Obstetrics, University of Bonn, Germany) performed 19 fetal endoscopic procedures. Three procedures resulted in fetal death, three procedures were interrupted by iatrogenic hemorrhages and 13 procedures were successful. We matched each successfully treated fSBA infant with another nSBA infant of the same age and level of lesion, resulting in 13 matched pairs (mean age 14mo; SD 16mo; f/m=1.6; female‐16, male‐10). Matched fSBA and nSBA pairs were compared in terms of segmental neurological function and leg muscle ultrasound density (MUD). We also determined intraindividual difference in MUD (dMUD) between myotomes caudal and cranial to the myelomeningocele (reflecting neuromuscular damage by the myelomeningocele) and compared dMUD between fSBA and nSBA infants. Finally, we correlated dMUD with segmental neurological function.Results  We found that, on average, the fSBA group were born at a lower gestational age than the nSBA group (median 32wks [range 25–34wks] vs 39wks [34–41wks]; p=0.001) and experienced more complications (chorioamnionitis, premature rupture of the amniotic membranes, oligohydramnios, and infant respiratory distress syndrome necessitating intermittent positive‐pressure ventilation). Neurological function was better preserved after fSBA than after nSBA (median motor and sensory gain of two segments; better preserved knee‐jerk [p=0.006] and anal [p=0.032] reflexes). The dMUD was smaller in fSBA than in nSBA infants (mean difference 24, 95% confidence interval [CI] 15–33; p<0.05), which was associated with better preserved segmental muscle function.Interpretation  Fetal endoscopic surgery is associated with spinal segmental neuroprotection, but it results in more complications. Before considering clinical implementation of fetal endoscopic myelomeningocele closure as standard care, the frequency of complications should be appropriately reduced and results assessed in larger groups over a longer period of time.
Thiocolchicoside a semi‐synthetic derivative of the Glory Lily: a new weapon to fight metastatic bone resorption?
Authors: Micheau Olivier , Dufour Florent , Walczak Henning 
Published: November 2011

Metastatic bone disease is a serious clinical complication for the treatment of patients with advanced cancer, but few therapeutic options are currently available. Bisphosphonates are an established standard care for these patients, but new treatments are now emerging, including the use of monoclonal antibodies targeting the RANK ligand. In this issue of the BJP, Reuter et al. provide evidence that thiocolchicoside, a semi‐synthetic derivative of the naturally occurring colchicoside, extracted from the seeds of Gloriosa superba (Liliaceae), prevented osteoclactogenesis by suppressing RANK ligand‐mediated NF‐κB activation. Thiolcolchicoside may thus represent an attractive therapeutic option for the management of bone metastatic disease.LINKED ARTICLE This article is a commentary on Reuter et al., pp. 2127–2139 of this issue. To view this paper visit http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1476‐5381.2011.01702.x
The electro‐mechanical window in anaesthetized guinea pigs: a new marker in screening for Torsade de Pointes risk
Authors: Guns P‐J , Johnson DM , Van Op den bosch J , Weltens E , Lissens J 
Published: November 2011

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE QT prolongation is commonly used as a surrogate marker for Torsade de Pointes (TdP) risk of non‐cardiovascular drugs. However, use of this indirect marker often leads to misinterpretation of the realistic TdP risk, as tested compounds may cause QT prolongation without evoking TdP in humans. A negative electro‐mechanical (E‐M) window has recently been proposed as an alternative risk marker for TdP in a canine LQT1 model. Here, we evaluated the E‐M window in anaesthetized guinea pigs as a screening marker for TdP in humans.EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH The effects of various reference drugs and changes in body temperature on the E‐M window were assessed in instrumented guinea pigs. The E‐M window was defined as the delay between the duration of the electrical (QT interval) and mechanical (QLVPend) systole.KEY RESULTS Drugs with known TdP liability (quinidine, haloperidol, domperidone, terfenadine, thioridazine and dofetilide), but not those with no TdP risk in humans (salbutamol and diltiazem) consistently decreased the E‐M window. Interestingly, drugs with known clinical QT prolongation, but with low risk for TdP (amiodarone, moxifloxacin and ciprofloxacin) did not decrease the E‐M window. Furthermore, the E‐M window was minimally affected by changes in heart rate or body temperature.CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS A decreased E‐M window was consistently observed with drugs already known to have high TdP risk, but not with drugs with low or no TdP risk. These results suggest that the E‐M window in anaesthetized guinea pigs is a risk marker for TdP in humans.
Presurgical language mapping in children with epilepsy: Clinical usefulness of functional magnetic resonance imaging for the planning of cortical stimulation
Authors: de Ribaupierre Sandrine , Fohlen Martine , Bulteau Christine , Dorfmüller Georg , Delalande Olivier , Dulac Olivier , Chiron Catherine , Hertz‐Pannier Lucie 
Published: November 2011

SummaryPurpose:  Presurgical language mapping in dominant hemisphere epilepsy to evaluate the risk of postoperative deficit is particularly difficult in children. Extraoperative invasive cortical stimulation can show some areas critical to language, but not all of them, due to scarce sampling, poor cooperation, cortical immaturity, or network reorganization, whereas functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) displays entire networks involved in, but not necessarily critical to, language. In a homogeneous series of children with epilepsy, we compared the contributions of language fMRI and depth electrode stimulations to optimize language mapping.Methods:  Eight children (7.5–15.5 years) with left frontal or temporal epilepsy underwent language fMRI and language stimulation with depth electrodes as part of their comprehensive presurgical workup. fMRI data collected during sentence generation were analyzed using statistical parametric mapping (SPM2) (false discovery rate [FDR] p < 0.05). Bipolar stimulations were performed during language production tasks. By coregistering fMRI and postimplantation computed tomography (CT) images, we were able to directly compare the cortical areas identified by both investigations.Key Findings:  fMRI during sentence generation robustly showed activation in the whole perisylvian regions with little reorganization (left hemisphere dominant in 7). Of the 184 electrode contacts tested for language, only 8 were positive (language disruption) in three of the seven patients with periictal language impairment and left language dominance. All of the positive contacts colocalized with an fMRI activated cluster, that is, fMRI did not miss any region critical to language (sensitivity = 100%). However, 54 of the 176 negative contacts were within activated clusters (low specificity).Significance:  In children with epilepsy, the sensitivity of fMRI during sentence generation allows for the detection of all critical regions displayed by cortical stimulation within the large perisylvian language network, but with a low specificity. It is, therefore, useful to optimize the placement of intracranial electrodes when language mapping is necessary. Systematic planning of the electrode placement according to language fMRI maps should increase the yield of extraoperative cortical stimulation, which appears rather low in children when compared to adults.
Short telomeres in an oral precancerous lesion: Q‐FISH analysis of leukoplakia
Authors: Aida Junko , Kobayashi Takanori , Saku Takashi , Yamaguchi Masatsune , Shimomura Naotaka , Nakamura Ken‐Ichi , Ishikawa Naoshi , Maruyama Satoshi , Cheng Jun , Poon Steven S. S. , Sawabe Motoji , Arai Tomio , Takubo Kaiyo 
Published: November 2011

J Oral Pathol Med (2012) 41: 372–378Objectives:  A precancerous condition is a lesion that, if left untreated, leads to cancer or can be induced to become malignant. In the oral region, leukoplakia is a lesion that has been regarded as precancerous. In cases of oral carcinoma, we have frequently noticed that a type of leukoplakia histologically demonstrating hyper‐orthokeratosis and mild atypia (ortho‐keratotic dysplasia; OKD) is often associated with carcinoma, either synchronously or metachronously. Therefore, we consider OKD‐type leukoplakia to be a true precancerous lesion.Materials and Methods:  In an attempt to clarify the relationship between OKD as a precancerous condition in the oral mucosa and telomere length, we estimated telomere lengths in this type of leukoplakia using quantitative fluorescence in situ hybridization, and also quantified the frequency of anaphase–telophase bridges (ATBs) in comparison with squamous cell carcinoma in situ (CIS) and the background tissues of CIS and OKD.Results:  Ortho‐keratotic dysplasia was frequently associated with squamous cell carcinoma (45.0%) and showed significantly shorter telomeres than normal control epithelium, CIS, or the background of CIS or OKD. The frequency of ATBs was much higher in OKD than in control epithelium or CIS.Conclusion:  Ortho‐keratotic dysplasia appears to be frequently associated with carcinoma, chromosomal instability, and excessively shortened telomeres, not only in the lesion itself but also in the surrounding background. Therefore, when this type of leukoplakia is recognized in the oral region, strict follow‐up for oral squamous cell carcinoma is necessary, focusing not only on the areas of leukoplakia, but also the surrounding background.
Progesterone Modulates the Expression of Interleukin‐6 in Cultured Term Human Uterine Cervical Fibroblasts
Authors: Kim Min‐Gyun , Shim Jae‐Yoon , Pak Jhang Ho , Jung Bok‐Kyung , Won Hye‐Sung , Lee Pil‐Ryang , Kim Ahm 
Published: November 2011

Citation Kim M‐G, Shim J‐Y, Pak JH, Jung B‐K, Won H‐S, Lee P‐R, Kim A. Progesterone modulates the expression of interleukin‐6 in cultured term human uterine cervical fibroblasts. Am J Reprod Immunol 2012; 67: 369–375Problem  The preventative value of progesterone in preterm labor has been recently recognized, especially when it is administered via vaginal suppository. This study was undertaken to evaluate the effect of progesterone on interleukin‐6 (IL‐6) production in human uterine cervical fibroblasts (UCFs) treated with lipopolysaccharides (LPS).Method of study  Human uterine cervical tissue was obtained at term, prior to the onset of labor, during the scheduled cesarean section or cesarean hysterectomy. Primary UCF cultures were established and confirmed by immunohistochemistry. IL‐6 mRNA and protein expressions were examined by reverse‐transcription polymerase chain reaction and enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay, respectively.Results  Lipopolysaccharides stimulation induced a clear time‐ and dose‐dependent increase in IL‐6 mRNA and protein levels in UCFs (P < 0.05). Progesterone treatment significantly attenuated LPS‐induced increases in IL‐6 mRNA and protein expressions in UCFs (P < 0.05). Estrogen exposure had no effect on LPS‐induced IL‐6 up‐regulation and did not modulate the effects of progesterone.Conclusion  Our preliminary results suggest that vaginal progesterone might prevent spontaneous preterm labor through a mechanism involving anti‐inflammatory effects on UCFs, particularly suppression of IL‐6 production.
Edinburgh 1910 and the Genesis of the IRM
Authors: Stanley Brian 
Published: November 2011

AbstractThe International Review of Missions broke new ground as a periodical designed for mission executives and missionaries throughout the English‐speaking world. It was intended to be a means of international exchange of ideas and information within the new discipline of “missionary science.” This article assesses three aspects of its intended role during its first decade: its purpose to make the study of missions a scientific and experimental discipline, its limits related to Edinburgh 1910's focus on Protestant work “among non‐Christian peoples,” and its function of promoting a new ecumenical spirit among different missionaries and thinkers of different nations. The formation of the International Missionary Council (IMC) can be interpreted as a fruit of the IRM's intent to create an ecumenical missionary outlook that was genuinely international in character.
For the Sun Heats Up Again
Authors: Chavez Quispe Maria 
Published: November 2011

AbstractMotivated by the centenary of the IRM, this article is a reflection from an indigenous perspective. Indigenous Peoples’ experience with mission movements is vast, complex and varied, depending on the context. The mission of God has always been in relation to the original peoples of the land, who have been part of the church even when these relations have been neither fair nor harmonious. Indigenous Peoples have been persecuted, demonized and excluded, as well as assimilated and westernized in order to survive, but now they are not only arising again as peoples but raising up the importance of indigenous spiritual perspectives and theological reflection. Dialogue with indigenous wisdom and theologies was mandated by the 2006 assembly of the WCC, but that necessitates recognizing and welcoming “otherness” and revisiting syncretism.
Toward a Missiology That Begins with Creation
Authors: Mor Coorilos Geevarghese 
Published: November 2011

AbstractIn the face of the environmental crises that threaten all of life, I first review how the WCC focus on creation emerged. I then explore what it would mean for mission theology to turn to God in creation, moving from a dominating to a kenotic “down to earth” missiology that is rooted in the earthliness of creation, there finding God's grace and healing. This is especially poignant for Dalit and Indigenous People in India who are considered of the earth (mud), and for the tilling and keeping of creation that is our biblical mandate.
Safety and efficacy of cetuximab combined with chemotherapy in Chinese patients with advanced non‐small cell lung cancer
Authors: Si Xiaoyan , Zhang Li 
Published: November 2011

AbstractBackground:  The aim of this study was to evaluate safety and efficacy of cetuximab combined with chemotherapy in Chinese patients with advanced non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).Methods:  A retrospective analysis of clinical data was conducted in patients who were given cetuximab combined with chemotherapy in the department of respiratory medicine, Peking Union Medical College Hospital between June 2008 and July 2011. All patients signed the informed consent, and consented to offer clinical information.Results:  Twenty‐two patients were enrolled in this study. Nine patients were alive up to analysis, and the longest survival was 28.9 months. The objective response rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR), median progression free survival (PFS), and estimated least median overall survival (OS) were 36.4%, 59.1%, 5.3 months and 10.1 months, respectively. Results for the 16 patients treated as first line setting were 50.0%, 62.5%, 6.0 months and 10.1 months, respectively. The common adverse events included skin toxicity (14, 63.6%), alanine aminotransferase elevation (7, 31.8%), hematological toxicity (5, 22.7%), allergy (1, 4.5%) and fever (5, 22.7%).Conclusion:  Cetuximab combined with chemotherapy for Chinese patients with advanced NSCLC had promising ORR, DCR, and PFS, especially in the first line subgroup. Serious adverse events had low incidence and were manageable.
An electromagnetic navigation system for transbronchial interventions with a novel approach to respiratory motion compensation
Authors: Gergel Ingmar , Hering Jan , Tetzlaff Ralf , Meinzer Hans‐Peter , Wegner Ingmar 
Published: November 2011

Purpose:Bronchoscopic interventions, such as transbronchial needle aspiration (TBNA), are commonly performed procedures to diagnose and stage lung cancer. However, due to the complex structure of the lung, one of the main challenges is to find the exact position to perform a biopsy and to actually hit the biopsy target (e.g., a lesion). Today, most interventions are accompanied by fluoroscopy to verify the position of the biopsy instrument, which means additional radiation exposure for the patient and the medical staff. Furthermore, the diagnostic yield of TBNA is particularly low for peripheral lesions.Methods:To overcome these problems the authors developed an image‐guided, electromagnetic navigation system for transbronchial interventions. The system provides real time positioning information for the bronchoscope and a transbronchial biopsy instrument with only one preoperatively acquired computed tomography image. A twofold respiratory motion compensation method based on a particle filtering approach allows for guidance through the entire respiratory cycle. In order to evaluate our system, 18 transbronchial interventions were performed in seven ventilated swine lungs using a thorax phantom.Results:All tracked bronchoscope positions were corrected to the inside of the tracheobronchial tree and 80.2% matched the correct bronchus. During regular respiratory motion, the mean overall targeting error for bronchoscope tracking and TBNA needle tracking was with compensation on 10.4 ± 1.7 and 10.8 ± 3.0 mm, compared to 14.4 ± 1.9 and 13.3 ± 2.7 mm with compensation off. The mean fiducial registration error (FRE) was 4.2 ± 1.1 mm.Conclusions:The navigation system with the proposed respiratory motion compensation method allows for real time guidance during bronchoscopic interventions, and thus could increase the diagnostic yield of transbronchial biopsy.
A new water‐equivalent 2D plastic scintillation detectors array for the dosimetry of megavoltage energy photon beams in radiation therapy
Authors: Guillot Mathieu , Beaulieu Luc , Archambault Louis , Beddar Sam , Gingras Luc 
Published: November 2011

Purpose:The objective of this work is to present a new 2D plastic scintillation detectors array (2D‐PSDA) designed for the dosimetry of megavoltage (MV) energy photon beams in radiation therapy and to characterize its basic performance.Methods:We developed a 2D detector array consisting of 781 plastic scintillation detectors (PSDs) inserted into a plane of a water‐equivalent phantom. The PSDs were distributed on a 26 × 26 cm2 grid, with an interdetector spacing of 10 mm, except for two perpendicular lines centered on the detection plane, where the spacing was 5 mm. Each PSD was made of a 1 mm diameter by 3 mm long cylindrical polystyrene scintillating fiber coupled to a clear nonscintillating plastic optical fiber. All of the light signals emitted by the PSDs were read simultaneously with an optical system at a rate of one measurement per second. We characterized the performance of the optical system, the angular dependency of the device, and the perturbation of dose distributions caused by the hundreds of PSDs inserted into the phantom. We also evaluated the capacity of the system to monitor complex multileaf collimator (MLC) sequences such as those encountered in step‐and‐shoot intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) plans. We compared our results with calculations performed by a treatment planning system and with measurements taken with a 2D ionization chamber array and with a radiochromic film.Results:The detector array that we developed allowed us to measure doses with an average precision of better than 1% for cumulated doses equal to or greater than 6.3 cGy. Our results showed that the dose distributions produced by the 6‐MV photon beam are not perturbed (within ±1.1%) by the presence of the hundreds of PSDs located into the phantom. The results also showed that the variations in the beam incidences have little effect on the dose response of the device. For all incidences tested, the passing rates of the gamma tests between the 2D‐PSDA and the treatment planning system were higher than 97.5% when the standard clinical tolerances of 3% or 3 mm were used. Excellent agreement was obtained between the doses measured and calculated when we used the 2D‐PSDA for monitoring a MLC sequence from a step‐and‐shoot IMRT plan.Conclusions:We demonstrated the feasibility of using a large number of PSDs in a new 2D‐PSDA for the dosimetry of MV energy photon beams in radiation therapy. The excellent precision, accuracy, and low angular dependence of the device indicate that such a prototype could potentially be used as a high‐accuracy quality assurance tool for IMRT and arc therapy patient plan verification. The homogeneity and water‐equivalence of the prototype we built suggest that this technology could be extended to multiple detection planes by arranging the fibers into more complex orientations, opening the possibility for 3D dosimetry with PSDs.
High Prevalence of Azole-Resistant Aspergillus fumigatus in Adults with Cystic Fibrosis Exposed to Itraconazole
Authors: Burgel Pierre-Régis , Baixench Marie-Thérèse , Amsellem Michaël , Audureau Etienne , Chapron Jeanne , Kanaan Reem , Honoré Isabelle , Dupouy-Camet Jean , Dusser Daniel , Klaassen Corné H. , Meis Jacques F. , Hubert Dominique , Paugam André 
Published: November 2011

ABSTRACT

Aspergillus fumigatus
is the most frequent fungus found in the sputum of cystic fibrosis (CF) subjects. Itraconazole is prescribed for allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA) or
Aspergillus
bronchitis in CF subjects. We hypothesized that
A. fumigatus
isolates in the sputum of CF subjects with previous exposure to itraconazole was associated with higher prevalence of azole resistance. From June 2010 to April 2011, sputum samples from adult CF subjects at Cochin University Hospital (France) were examined systematically for the detection of
A. fumigatus
. MICs of
A. fumigatus
isolates against azoles were screened using Etest, and reduced susceptibility to azoles was confirmed using the CLSI broth microdilution method.
A. fumigatus
was isolated from the sputum of 131/249 (52.6%) adult CF subjects, and 47/131 (35.9%) subjects had received previous treatment with itraconazole. Reduced
A. fumigatus
susceptibility to itraconazole (MIC, ≥2 mg/liter) was confirmed in 6/131 (4.6%) subjects. All 6 isolates also had reduced susceptibility to posaconazole (MIC, ≥0.5 mg/liter), and 3/6 isolates had reduced susceptibility to voriconazole (MIC, ≥2 mg/liter). Mutations in the
cyp51A
gene were detected at positions previously implicated to cause resistance in 5 isolates. Azole-resistant
A. fumigatus
isolates were found in 5/25 (20%) subjects exposed to itraconazole within the previous 3 years. High rates of azole-resistant
A. fumigatus
isolates were present in adult CF subjects and were associated with recent itraconazole exposure. Although the clinical implications of these findings will require further studies, the cautious use of itraconazole in adult CF subjects can be recommended.