bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Improved quality of Type 2 diabetes care following electronic feedback of treatment status to general practitioners: a cluster randomized controlled trial
Authors: Guldberg T. L. , Vedsted P. , Kristensen J. K. , Lauritzen T. 
Published: October 2010

Diabet. Med. 28, 325–332 (2011)AbstractAims To evaluate the effect of an electronic feedback system to general practitioners on quality of Type 2 diabetes care.Methods A cluster randomized, controlled trial with 15 months follow‐up. Eighty‐six general practices (158 general practioners) in a Danish county caring for 2458 people 40–70 years old with Type 2 diabetes were randomized to receive or not to receive electronic feedback on quality of care. People with Type 2 diabetes were identified using a validated algorithm. Primary end‐points were processes of care according to guidelines on prescriptions redeemed for Type 2 diabetes treatments, measuring of glycated haemoglobin and cholesterol and visits to ophthalmologists. Secondary end‐points were changes in level of glycated haemoglobin and serum cholesterol. Data were analysed using generalized linear models accounting for clustering at practice level.Results During follow‐up, people with Type 2 diabetes in the intervention group more often redeemed recommended prescriptions than people in the control group, respectively, as follows: oral antidiabetic treatment (32.8 vs. 12.0%,P = 0.002), insulin treatment (33.8 vs. 12.4%,P < 0.001), lipid‐lowering medication (38.3 vs. 18.6%,P = 0.004) and blood pressure medication (27.6 vs. 16.3%,P = 0.026). There were no differences in mean glycated haemoglobin and serum cholesterol between the two groups.Conclusions Electronic feedback to general practitioners on the quality of Type 2 diabetes care resulted in significantly improved quality regarding processes of care according to guidelines. It was not possible to demonstrate any effect on secondary end‐point measures within the follow‐up period. Electronic feedback on quality of diabetes care can be effective in improving adherence to treatment according to evidence‐based guidelines.
Profit Shifting and Measured Productivity of Multinational Firms*
Authors: Maffini Giorgia , Mokkas Socrates 
Published: October 2010

‘The global integration of production cuts costs and taps new sources of skills and knowledge’
(Samuel Palmisano (2006), IBM Chairman, President and CEO on the evolution of multinationals)AbstractThis article examines the differences in total factor productivity (TFP) between multinationals and domestic firms before and after tax rate changes. The aim is to investigate whether the host country corporate tax rate has a significant influence on the measured TFP advantage of multinational companies. Using a sample of approximately 16,000 European manufacturing firms (1998–2004), we find that a cut by 10 percentage points in the statutory corporate tax rate would increase multinationals’ measured TFP by about 10% relative to domestic firms, consistent with profit shifting by multinationals. At the sample mean, this would imply a 44% increase in the TFP advantage of multinationals.
Self‐Reported Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Immigrants and Swiss Nationals
Authors: Grossmann Florian F. , Leventhal Marcia E. , Auer‐Böer Bernhard , Wanner Philippe , Bischoff Alexander 
Published: October 2010

ABSTRACT
Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the prevalence of self‐reported cardiovascular risk factors differs between immigrants and Swiss nationals.Design and Sample: This study is a secondary data analysis of the Swiss Health Survey 2002, a cross‐sectional survey. In total, 19,249 individuals living in Switzerland were included.Measures: The prevalence of hypertension, high cholesterol level, smoking, diabetes, overweight, low fruit and vegetable intake, and physical inactivity were calculated for major immigrant groups and Swiss nationals. Demographic data were used to control for age and socioeconomic status.Results: Major immigrant groups were people from Italy, Germany, former Yugoslavia, Spain, Portugal, France, and Turkey. Compared with Swiss women, women from former Yugoslavia were more likely to have hypertension, and women from Germany were more likely to have high cholesterol levels. Women from Italy, former Yugoslavia, Spain, Portugal, and Turkey were more likely to show physical inactivity and (except Turkish women) to be overweight. Men from these countries (except Spanish men) were more likely to be overweight than Swiss men.Conclusions: Differences exist in the prevalence of modifiable cardiovascular risk factors between Swiss nationals and many of the immigrant groups. Age and socioeconomic status could only partly explain the differences.
Excision repair cross‐complementation group 1 (ERCC1) expression in advanced urothelial carcinoma patients receiving cisplatin‐based chemotherapy
Authors: KIM KYOUNG Ha , DO IN‐GU , KIM HYEONG SU , CHANG MYUNG HEE , KIM HYO SONG , JUN HYUN JUNG , UHM JIEUN , YI SEONG YOON , LIM DO HYOUNG , JI SANG HOON , PARK MIN JAE , LEE JEEYUN , PARK SE HOON , KWON GHEE YOUNG , LIM HO YEONG 
Published: October 2010

Kim KH, Do I‐G, Kim HS, Chang MH, Kim HS, Jun HJ, Uhm J, Yi SY, Lim DH, Ji SH, Park MJ, Lee J, Park SH, Kwon GY, Lim HY. Excision repair cross‐complementation group 1 (ERCC1) expression in advanced urothelial carcinoma patients receiving cisplatin‐based chemotherapy. APMIS 2010; 118: 941–8.Cisplatin has been the cornerstone of the chemotherapy regimen for urothelial carcinoma. Excision repair cross‐complementation group 1 (ERCC1) is a key component of the platinum‐DNA repair machinery responsible for nucleotide excision repair. Recent reports have suggested that ERCC1 is a predictive and prognostic marker in solid cancers treated with platinum‐based chemotherapy. We performed this study to determine whether or not immunohistochemical expression of ERCC1 can predict objective tumor response and cancer‐specific survival in patients with advanced urothelial carcinoma treated with cisplatin‐based chemotherapy. We performed a retrospective analysis of 89 patients with advanced or recurrent urothelial cancer, who had undergone treatment at Samsung Medical Center between May 2001 and August 2007. Pretherapeutic biopsy samples from 89 patients with a known tumor response were available. ERCC1 expression was assessed by immunohistochemistry. Of the 89 patients, ERCC1 expression was positive in 49 patients (55%). The overall response rate after chemotherapy was 68.5% (95% CI 54.8–74.8%). Among 61 patients who obtained a response, 27 were negative for ERCC‐1 expression and 34 were positive (p = 0.61). Median duration of follow‐up was 53.7 months (range 14.4–152.3 months). Progression‐free survival (PFS) was 10.6 months for ERCC‐1‐negative patients and 8.4 months for ERCC‐1‐positive patients (p = 0.03); the difference in overall survival between patients with ERCC‐1‐negative tumors and ERCC‐1‐positive tumors (p = 0.73) was not statistically significant. Other than ERCC1 expression, there was no independent prognostic factor for PFS. These results suggest a negative contribution by ERCC1expression to PFS in metastatic urothelial carcinoma patients treated with cisplatin‐based chemotherapy.
Evaluation of Dialyzer Jacket Structure and Hollow‐Fiber Dialysis Membranes to Achieve High Dialysis Performance
Authors: Hirano Ayaka , Yamamoto Ken‐ichiro , Matsuda Masato , Ogawa Takehito , Yakushiji Taiji , Miyasaka Takehiro , Sakai Kiyotaka 
Published: October 2010

AbstractThe objective of this study was to determine the optimum dialyzer jacket structure and hollow‐fiber dialysis membrane, both of which are indispensable factors for achieving high dialysis performance, by clarifying the relationship between the dialysis performance and the flow of dialysate and blood in a hollow‐fiber dialyzer. We evaluated the clearance, dialysate, and blood flow for four commercially available hollow‐fiber dialyzers, namely, the APS‐15S, APS‐15SA, TS‐1.6UL, and CX‐1.6U. To evaluate dialysate and blood flow, we measured the residence‐time distribution of dialysate and blood flow of these dialyzers by the pulse‐response method. We also determined the clearances of urea, creatinine, vitamin B12, and lysozyme to evaluate the dialysis performance of these dialyzers. While the baffle and taper structures allow effective supply of dialysate into the dialyzer jacket, the hollow‐fiber shape, inner diameter, and packing density significantly influence the dialysate flow. In dialyzers with long taper‐holding slits, the slit area is a key design parameter for achieving optimum dialysate flow. Similarly, the blood flow is significantly influenced by the structure of the inflowing and outflowing blood ports at the header of a dialyzer, and the shape and inner diameter of the hollow fibers. Hollow fibers with smaller inner diameters cause an increase in blood pressure, which causes blood to enter the hollow fibers more easily. The hollow‐fiber shape hardly affects the blood flow. While improved dialysate and blood flow cause higher clearance of low molecular‐weight substances, higher membrane area and pure‐water permeability accelerate internal filtration, thereby causing an increase in the clearance of large molecular‐weight substances.
Observational upper limits on the gravitational wave production of core collapse supernovae
Authors: Zhu Xing-Jiang , Howell E. , Blair D. 
Published: October 2010

Abstract
The upper limit on the energy density of a stochastic gravitational wave (GW) background obtained from the 2-yr science run (S5) of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) is used to constrain the average GW production of core collapse supernovae (ccSNe). We assume that the ccSNe rate tracks the star formation history of the Universe and show that the stochastic background energy density depends only weakly on the assumed average source spectrum. Using the ccSNe rate for z≤ 10, we scale the generic source spectrum to obtain an observation-based upper limit on the average GW emission. We show that the mean energy emitted in GWs can be constrained within &lt; (0.49–1.98) M⊙c2 depending on the average source spectrum. While these results are higher than the total available gravitational energy in a core collapse event, second- and third-generation GW detectors will enable tighter constraints to be set on the GW emission from such systems.
Antibacterial substantivity of a new antibiotic‐based endodontic irrigation solution
Authors: Mohammadi Zahed , Giardino Luciano , Mombeinipour Ali 
Published: October 2010

AbstractThe aim of this study was to evaluate the residual antibacterial activity of Tetraclean, MTAD and 5.25% sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) in bovine root dentin in vitro. One hundred and ten dentin tubes prepared from bovine incisor teeth were infected in vitro for 14 days with Enterococcus faecalis. Thereafter, the specimens were divided into five groups as follows: Tetraclean; MTAD; 5.25% NaOCl; infected dentin tubes (positive control); and sterile dentin tubes (negative control). Dentin chips were collected using round burs into tryptic soy broth and after culturing, the number of colony‐forming units (CFU) was counted. The number of CFU in all experimental groups was minimum after treatment, and the results obtained were significantly different from each other at any time period (P < 0.05). The Tetraclean group showed the most effective antibacterial action at all five experimental periods (P < 0.05). MTAD group showed the least antibacterial activity after treatment. However, at days 7, 14, 21 and 28 MTAD showed more effective antibacterial action than NaOCl. In each group, the number of CFU increased significantly by time‐lapse (P < 0.05). In conclusion, the residual antibacterial activity of Tetraclean was significantly greater than MTAD and 5.25% NaOCl.
Push‐out bond strength of two root‐end filling materials in root‐end cavities prepared by Er,Cr:YSGG laser or ultrasonic technique
Authors: Shokouhinejad Noushin , Razmi Hasan , Fekrazad Reza , Asgary Saeed , Neshati Ammar , Assadian Hadi , Kheirieh Sanam 
Published: October 2010

AbstractThis study compared the push‐out bond strength of mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) and a new endodontic cement (NEC) as root‐end filling materials in root‐end cavities prepared by ultrasonic technique (US) or Er,Cr:YSGG laser (L). Eighty single‐rooted extracted human teeth were endodontically treated, apicectomised and randomly divided into four following groups (n = 20): US/MTA, US/NEC, L/MTA and L/NEC. In US/MTA and US/NEC groups, root‐end cavities were prepared with ultrasonic retrotip and filled with MTA and NEC, respectively. In L/MTA and L/NEC groups, root‐end cavities were prepared using Er,Cr:YSGG laser and filled with MTA and NEC, respectively. Each root was cut apically to create a 2 mm‐thick root slice for measurement of bond strength using a universal testing machine. Then, all slices were examined to determine the mode of bond failure. Data were analysed using two‐way anova. Root‐end filling materials showed significantly higher bond strength in root‐end cavities prepared using ultrasonic technique (US/MTA and US/NEC) (P < 0.001). The bond strengths of MTA and NEC did not differ significantly. The failure modes were mainly adhesive for MTA, but cohesive for NEC. In conclusion, bond strengths of MTA and NEC to root‐end cavities were comparable and higher in ultrasonically prepared cavities.
Quality of root canal treatment performed by undergraduate dental students at the University of Khartoum, Sudan
Authors: Elsayed Randa Osman , Abu‐bakr Neamat H. , Ibrahim Yahia Eltayeb 
Published: October 2010

AbstractThe aim of the present study was to evaluate the quality of root canal treatment performed by undergraduate dental students at the University of Khartoum. Assessment was by examination of periapical radiographs of completed endodontically treated teeth, performed by undergraduate dental students. A total of 166 postoperative periapical radiographs compromising 265 roots were included. The quality of endodontic treatment was examined in relation to the length of the root filling in relation to the radiographic apex, the density of the obturation according to presence of voids and the taper of root canal fillings. Adequate length of the root filling was found in 34.7% of the maxillary teeth and in 10.9% of mandibular teeth in this study. Adequate density was found in 38.87% of maxillary and 16.98% of mandibular teeth and appropriate taper was found in 40% of maxillary and 16.6% of mandibular teeth. Overall 24.2% in all evaluated teeth were found to have a root filling of an acceptable quality. This result may be because of insufficient preclinical endodontic training of the students' operators or because of the introduction of students to endodontic clinical practice late in their program.
Comparison of the centring ability of the ProTaper™ and ProTaper Universal™ rotary systems for preparing curved root canals
Authors: Aguiar Carlos Menezes , Sobrinho Pamella Bezerra , Teles Fabíola , Câmara Andréa Cruz , de Figueiredo Jose Antonio Poli 
Published: October 2010

AbstractThe aim of this in vitro study was to compare the centring ability of the ProTaper™ and ProTaper Universal™ rotary systems for preparing curved root canals, by means of preoperative and postoperative imaging of a cross‐section of their coronal, middle and apical thirds. Twenty mesiobuccal root canals of human mandibular first molars with a degree of curvature ranging from 55° to 60° were randomly divided into two groups of 10 specimens each: Group 1, ProTaper™ rotary system; and Group 2, ProTaper Universal™ rotary system. The data were analysed statistically by Kruskal–Wallis and Student's t‐test at the 5% significance level. The results showed that the differences between the percentages of the presence of deviation observed were not statistically significant. Both systems showed the capacity for producing centred preparations in curved root canals with low proportions of deviation.
Microsurgical endodontic retreatment of post restored posterior teeth: A case series
Authors: Kahler Bill 
Published: October 2010

AbstractPost‐treatment apical periodontitis may persist due to biological factors as outlined by Nair or when treatment procedures have been ineffective in eliminating the intraradicular infection. This case series reports on the management of five posterior teeth restored with posts where microsurgical techniques were employed utilising the operating microscope, ultrasonics, micro‐instrumentation and mineral trioxide aggregate as a root‐end filling material. Healing was evident at 12‐month review appointments. Microsurgical techniques have significantly improved the outcomes for healing of periapical lesions when compared to traditional approaches to endodontic surgery. Success rates have been shown to be comparable with conventional orthograde treatment.
IMPORTANT LESSONS FROM STUDYING THE CHINESE ECONOMY
Authors: CHOW GREGORY C. 
Published: October 2010

In 1979 the United States and China established normal diplomatic relations, allowing me to visit China and study the Chinese economy. After doing so for 30 years since and advising the government of Taiwan in the 1960s and the 1970s and the government of the People's Republic of China in the 1980s and the 1990s, this is an opportune moment for me to summarize the important lessons I have learned. The lessons will be summarized in four parts: on economic science, on formulating economic policy and providing economic advice, on the special characteristics of the Chinese economy and on the experience of China's economic reform. At the beginning, I should comment on the quality of Chinese official data on which almost all quantitative studies referred to in this article were based. Chow (2006) has presented the view that by and large the official data are useful and fairly accurate. The main justification is that every time I tested an economic hypothesis or estimated an economic relation using the official data the result confirmed the well-established economic theory. It would be a miracle if I had the power to make the Chinese official statisticians fabricate data to support my hypotheses. Even if I had had the power, most of the data had already been published for years before I conceived the ideas of the studies reported in this article.
Children and Youth With Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders: Summary of Intervention Recommendations After Clinical Diagnosis
Authors: Jirikowic Tracy , Gelo Julie , Astley Susan 
Published: October 2010

AbstractChildren with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs) present with a wide range of developmental disabilities; however, clinical standards of care after a diagnosis are not well established. This retrospective review summarizes the types of intervention recommendations generated by an interdisciplinary FASD diagnostic team for 120 children ages 0.2 to 16.5 years receiving an FASD diagnosis at the University of Washington FAS Diagnostic & Prevention Network Clinic. Intervention recommendations documented in a FASD diagnostic summary report and submitted to each patient's medical record were subject to masked review and content analysis. Intervention recommendations were compared across 3 FASD diagnostic groups and selected demographic variables. The results show the type and frequency of services, supports, and resources recommended to a clinical sample of children with FASD.
Connecting to Community: What Do We Want in Our Special Education Graduates?
Authors: Hughes Stephen , George-Walker Linda De 
Published: October 2010

AbstractWith a commitment to establishing collaborative relationships with a local special education community, a consultation process was undertaken to ascertain what practising educators considered essential special education graduate characteristics. This consultation occurred against the backdrop of broad-scale university organisational restructure, faculty level program redesign, and the reported lack of an empirical basis for special education teacher attributes as distinct from general teacher education attributes. Special education professionals in a regional Australian city were invited to participate in two workshops to generate and analyse the qualities they considered essential for graduates of special education teacher preparation programs. The attributes identified by participants as essential were in agreement with many of those identified in the literature, yet behaviour support and resilience, which are typically subsumed within other categories in the literature, featured as stand-alone areas in this study. The processes and outcomes described in this article are discussed in relation to the potential value of special education teacher attributes for the field, and establishing a bridge across the perceived gap between the field and universities.
Development and validation of a combined method for the biomonitoring of omega-3/-6 fatty acids and conjugated linoleic acids in different matrices from human and nutritional sources
Authors: Böcking Christian , Nockher Wolfgang Andreas , Schreiner Matthias , Renz Harald , Pfefferle Petra Ina 
Published: October 2010

AbstractBackground:During the last decade, the contribution of omega-3 and -6 long chain-polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFA) and conjugated linoleic acids (CLA) to the prevention and development of many inflammatory and cardiovascular diseases has been of growing interest. In order to investigate the etiology of these diseases, rapid, combined and comparable methods are invaluable for monitoring both the intake and the incorporation of these fatty acids (FA).Methods:The fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) were analyzed using a gas chromatography/flame ionization detector (GC-FID) system and quantified with an internal standard (C18:0 iso).Results:An effective and rapid protocol for sample preparation and the analysis of FAME was developed and validated. The comparison of different extraction methods showed that the Hara and Radin method gave the best results for serum and erythrocyte membranes. Excellent mean within-day and day-to-day precisions for serum, erythrocytes and cow's milk LC-PUFAs demonstrated the high reproduci-bility of the method. Recovery rates for FAMEs in serum and milk were close to 100%. In addition, high mean method linearity (R2) (>0.99) was shown for serum, erythrocytes and cow's milk. The sensitivity for FA achieved by GC analysis was acceptable.Conclusion:With the newly adapted protocols, combined and rapid analyses of up to 46 FAMEs, including CLAs and omega-3/-6 LC-PUFAs, can be conducted with high reliability and reproducibility using serum, erythrocyte membranes or cow's milk. This provides a novel tool that can be easily implemented in epidemiological studies or clinical diagnostics.Clin Chem Lab Med 2010;48:1757–63.