bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Meta‐analysis of survival based on resection margin status following surgery for recurrent rectal cancer
Authors: Bhangu A. , Ali S. M. , Darzi A. , Brown G. , Tekkis P. 
Published: February 2012

AbstractAim  To determine the presence and duration of survival advantages was investigated for resection margin status (R0, R1 or R2) following surgery for locally recurrent rectal cancer (LRRC).Method  A systematic review of the literature was performed for studies comparing resection margin status for LRRC. Weighted mean differences and meta‐analysis of hazard ratios were used as a measure of median and overall cumulative survival.Results  Twenty‐two studies were included, providing outcome for 1460 patients undergoing surgery for LRRC. 57% underwent an R0 resection, 25% an R1 resection and 11% an R2 resection. The most commonly performed operations were abdominoperineal excision (35%), exenteration (23%) and anterior resection (21%). The range of median survival per resection margin was R0 28–92 months, R1 12–50 months, R2 6–17 months. Patients undergoing an R0 resection survived on average for 37.6 (95% confidence interval: 23.5–51.7) months longer than those undergoing R1 resection and 53.0 (31.2–74.8) months longer than those undergoing R2 resection. This correlated to a hazard ratio of 2.03 (1.73–2.38) for R0 vs R1 and 3.41 (2.21–5.25) for R0 vs R2. Patients undergoing R1 resection survived on average 13.3 (7.23–19.4) months longer than those undergoing R2 resection [hazard ratio of 1.68 (1.33–2.12)].Conclusion  Patients undergoing R0 resection have the greatest survival advantage following surgery for recurrent rectal cancer. There is a survival advantage for R1 over R2 resection, but there may be no benefit of R2 resection over palliative treatment.
Formalin dab, the effective way of treating haemorrhagic radiation proctitis: a randomized trial from a tertiary care hospital in South India
Authors: Nelamangala Ramakrishnaiah V. P. , Javali T. D. , Dharanipragada K. , Reddy K. S. , Krishnamachari S. 
Published: February 2012

AbstractAim  Chronic radiation proctitis with bleeding is a common problem encountered following radiotherapy for pelvic malignancy. Sucralfate‐steroid enema and formalin dab are two common nonsurgical treatments. A randomized trial was conducted to compare the efficacy of these two methods.Method  This was a prospective randomized controlled trial conducted in the Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education & Research (JIPMER) from August 2005 to May 2007. One‐hundred and two patients with chronic radiation proctitis, presenting as rectal bleeding after radiotherapy for carcinoma of the cervix, were recruited and randomly allocated into two treatment groups: Group 1, formalin dab; and Group 2, sucralfate‐steroid retention enema. The mean age of the patients was 51.3 ± 5.1 years. The mean interval between the end of radiotherapy and the onset of bleeding was 12.3  ± 3.5 months. Symptom score and sigmoidoscopic grade were assessed before, and at 1 month after, treatment.Results  Ninety per cent of patients in Group 1 and 74.5% of patients in Group 2 responded to treatment (P = 0.038). In spite of having a higher median symptom score before treatment, patients in Group 1 demonstrated a marked decrease in symptom score after treatment compared with patients in Group 2 and the difference once again was statistically significant (P = 0.000). Similarly, the median sigmoidoscopic grade was significantly lower for patients in Group 1 compared with patients in Group 2 after treatment (P = 0.000). There were no specific treatment‐related complications in either group.Conclusions  Formalin (4%) dab is superior to sucralfate‐steroid retention enema for treatment of chronic haemorrhagic radiation proctitis.
Insulinoma may mask the existence of Type 1 diabetes
Authors: Oikawa Y. , Katsuki T. , Kawasaki M. , Hashiguchi A. , Mukai K. , Handa K. , Tomita M. , Kabeya Y. , Asai Y. , Iwase K. , Hirose S. , Koyama K. , Atsumi Y. , Shimada A. 
Published: February 2012

Diabet. Med. 29, e138–e141 (2012)AbstractBackground  Insulinoma is a tumour of insulin‐producing cells of the pancreas and is known to be one of the causes of hypoglycaemia. Usually, appropriate removal of the insulinoma results in normalization of blood glucose levels. However, we found novel cases of insulinoma, in which hyperglycaemia developed soon after resection of the insulinoma.Case report  We encountered two patients with repeated hypoglycaemia caused by insulinoma. Following removal of the insulinoma, unanticipated hyperglycaemia was observed in both patients. Thereafter, their blood tests revealed low levels of serum C‐peptide and high titres of anti‐glutamic acid decarboxylase antibody, indicating concomitant Type 1 diabetes. Indeed, histological examination of the resected specimen revealed that one patient showed insulitis in non‐tumorous pancreatic tissue in which β‐cells had already disappeared. Moreover, inflammatory cells infiltrated the insulinoma, as if it were insulitis of Type 1 diabetes, suggesting the existence of anti‐islet autoimmunity.Conclusion  These are first cases of insulinoma associated with underlying Type 1 diabetes. Physicians should be aware of the possibility that insulinoma may mask Type 1 diabetes, and measurement of anti‐islet autoantibodies may be helpful to find underlying Type 1 diabetes, such as in these cases. It is pathologically interesting that the immune cell infiltration into insulinoma may be suggestive of anti‐islet autoimmunity.
Trends in the incidence of visual impairment certification secondary to diabetic retinopathy in the Leeds metropolitan area, 2005–2010
Authors: Arora S. , Kolb S. , Goyder E. , McKibbin M. 
Published: February 2012

Diabet. Med. 29, e112–e116 (2012)AbstractAim  This study reports the incidence of visual impairment certification due to diabetic retinopathy in Leeds between 2008 and 2010 and makes a comparison with data from 2005, immediately before the introduction of a comprehensive screening service.Methods  The primary causes of visual impairment certification between 2008 and 2010 were collected and reviewed. Mid‐year population estimates and a diabetes prevalence model were used to determine the incidence of certification secondary to diabetic retinopathy.Results  Diabetic retinopathy was the primary cause of visual impairment certification in 33 of 446 (7.4%) certificates in 2008, 34 of 410 (8.3%) certificates in 2009 and 24 of 392 (6.1%) in 2010. For the total population in 2008, 2009 and 2010, the combined incidence of either sight impairment or severe sight impairment due to diabetic retinopathy was 42.3, 43.2 and 30 per million per year, respectively. For the population with diagnosed diabetes mellitus, the combined incidence of either sight impairment or severe sight impairment secondary to diabetic retinopathy was 1227, 1192 and 796 per million per year, respectively. For each year, the incidence of visual impairment was lower than the corresponding figure for 2005.Conclusion  Following the introduction of a comprehensive retinal screening service, the incidence of visual impairment certification secondary to diabetic retinopathy in the Leeds Metropolitan area appears to be decreasing. However, a multifaceted approach, addressing all the avoidable risk factors, may be required to maintain this trend in view of the increasing prevalence of Type 2 diabetes.
Would sickle cell trait influence the metabolic control in sub‐Saharan individuals with type 2 diabetes?
Authors: Ama V. , Kengne A. P. , Nansseu N. J. R. , Nouthe B. , Sobngwi E. 
Published: February 2012

Diabet. Med. 29, e334–e337 (2012)AbstractAims  To determine the prevalence and effects of sickle cell trait on metabolic control in a Cameroonian diabetic population in a tertiary care setup.Methods  This was a cross‐sectional study involving 73 consecutive outpatients with Type 2 diabetes recruited from the Yaounde National Diabetes and Obesity Centre. Sickle cell trait status was based on haemoglobin electrophoresis. Metabolic control was assessed by plasma glucose and HbA1c, and comparisons made between participants with and without sickle cell trait, with adjustment for confounders through linear regressions modelsResults  The prevalence of sickle cell trait was 19%, without sex difference, and comparable with figures in individuals without diabetes in this setting. Participants with diabetes and sickle cell trait were older than the non‐trait participants (66 vs. 58 years, P = 0.02). Otherwise, clinical and biological profile including indicators of metabolic control were similarly distributed between trait and non‐trait participants (all P >0.08). After adjustment for confounders, sickle cell trait was unrelated to fasting glucose (β = 0.02; 95% confidence interval −37.68–43.30) and HbA1c (β = −0.03, 95% confidence interval −1.18–0.93), and did not affect the relationship between the two markers of diabetes control (β = −0.03, 95% confidence interval −1.18–0.89).Conclusions  Sickle cell trait was as frequent in this subgroup of patients with Type 2 diabetes as in the general population, suggesting no specific association with diabetes. It does not affect the metabolic control of diabetes. However, how this translates into long‐term outcome needs to be fully elucidated in this setting, with an increasing population with both sickle cell trait and diabetes mellitus.
Correctness and Cognitivism. Remarks on Robert Alexy's Argument from the Claim to Correctness*
Authors: PAVLAKOS GEORGE 
Published: February 2012

AbstractThe argument from the claim to correctness has been put forward by Robert Alexy to defend the view that normative utterances admit of objective answers. My purpose in this paper is to preserve this initial aspiration even at the cost of diverting from some of the original ideas in support of the argument. I begin by spelling out a full‐blooded version of normative cognitivism, against which I propose to reconstruct the argument from the claim to correctness. I argue that the context of uttering normative propositions points to the possibility of normative cognition, but does not constitute it. What constitutes the possibility of cognition is, as of necessity, the propositional structure of norms. I conclude that the argument from the claim to correctness ought to safeguard a distinction between the context of uttering a normative sentence and the proposition that individuates the content of the utterance.
Ways of Solving Conflicts of Constitutional Rights: Proportionalism and Specificationism*
Authors: MORESO JOSÉ JUAN 
Published: February 2012

AbstractThis paper deals with the question of the conflict of constitutional rights with regard to basic rights. Two extreme accounts are outlined: the subsumptive approach and the particularistic approach, that embody two main conceptions of practical rationality. Between the two approaches there is room for a range of options, two of which are examined: the proportionalist approach, which conserves the scope of rights restricting their stringency, and the specificationist approach, which preserves the stringency of rights restricting their scope. I will present arguments in defence of the latter.
The expression of podoplanin and classic cadherins in the mouse brain
Authors: Kaji Chiaki , Tomooka Miwa , Kato Yukinari , Kojima Hiroshi , Sawa Yoshihiko 
Published: February 2012

AbstractPodoplanin is a transmembrane glycoprotein indirectly linked to classic cadherins through ezrin‐actin networks. Recently, the overexpression of podoplanin in high‐grade malignancy brain tumors has been reported. The aim of this study was to investigate the expression of podoplanin and classic cadherins in the mouse brain. Immunohistochemistry showed that podoplanin was expressed on ependymal cells and choroid plexus epithelial cells at the ventricle side of the cell surface and at the cell–cell junctions, and on retinal pigment epithelial cells and in the pia mater; P‐cadherin between choroid plexus epithelial cells and endothelial cells at the basement membrane side of cell surface, and between retinal pigment epithelial cells; VE‐cadherin on the PECAM‐1 positive‐choroid plexus endothelial cells of the fibrovascular core; and N‐cadherin on the cell surface and at the cell–cell junctions of ependymal cells, and in the pia mater. The regions expressing podoplanin, P‐cadherin, and VE‐cadherin did not coincide. In real‐time PCR analysis, the amounts of podoplanin and P‐ and N‐cadherin mRNA were larger in the ventricular wall with choroid plexus than in the abdominal aorta and cerebrum. In the RT‐PCR analysis, the intensities of amplicon for VE‐cadherin mRNA were the same for the abdominal aorta, cerebrum, and ventricular wall with the choroid plexus, suggesting that mouse ependymal cells, choroid plexus epithelial cells, and glial cells under the pia mater have the ability to express podoplanin and P‐ and N‐cadherins. Glial cells and retinal pigment epithelial cells may create barriers by podoplanin and classic cadherins as a rate‐determining step for transmission of blood components.
Cascading biodiversity and functional consequences of a global change–induced biome switch
Authors: Parr Catherine L. , Gray Emma F. , Bond William J. 
Published: February 2012

AbstractAim  At a regional scale, across southern Africa, woody thickening of savannas is becoming increasingly widespread. Using coupled vegetation and faunal responses (ants), we explore whether major changes in woody cover in savannas represent an increase in the density of savanna trees (C4 grass layer remains intact) or a ‘regime shift’ in system state from savanna to thicket (=dry forest) where broad‐leaved, forest‐associated trees shade out C4 grasses.Location  Hluhluwe Game Reserve, South Africa.Methods  We sampled paired open (low woody cover) and closed (high cover that have undergone an increase in tree density) sites. Vegetation was sampled using belt transects, and a combination of pitfall trapping and Winkler sampling was used for ants.Results  Closed habitats did not simply contain a higher density of woody savanna species, but differed significantly in structure, functional composition (high prevalence of broad‐leaved trees, discontinuous C4 grasses) and system properties (e.g. low flammability). Ant assemblage composition reflected this difference in habitat. The trophic structure of ant assemblages in the two habitats revealed a functional shift with much higher abundances of predatory species in the closed habitat.Main conclusions  The predominance of species with forest‐associated traits and concomitant reduction of C4 grasses in closed sites indicate that vegetation has undergone a shift in fundamental system state (to thicket), rather than simply savanna thickening. This biome shift has cascading functional consequences and implications for biodiversity conservation. The potential loss of many specialist savanna plant species is especially concerning, given the spatial extent and speed of this vegetation switch. Although it is not clear how easily the habitat switch can be reversed and how stable the thicket habitats are, it is likely in the not‐too‐distant future that conservation managers will be forced to make decisions on whether to actively maintain savannas.
Smoking Cessation and Body Weight: Evidence from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey
Authors: Kasteridis Panagiotis , Yen Steven T. 
Published: February 2012

ObjectiveTo investigate the role of smoking cessation in body weight.Data Sources2004–2005 and 2009–2010 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Surveys (BRFSS) (N = 349,000), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Tax Burden on Tobacco (Orzechowski and Walker 2010).Study DesignThe Gaussian treatment effect model is estimated for three age categories by gender. Treatment effects of quitting smoking on body mass index (BMI) by quit length are calculated.Principal FindingsQuitting is found to be endogenous. Differentiated effects of quitting smoking on BMI are found among quitters by gender, between age groups, and by length of time since quitting smoking, and positive association between smoking cessation and body weight confirmed. Declining smoking rates have only a modest effect in the overweight population. The effects of quitting on BMI are considerably lower among younger men and women.ConclusionThe price that must be paid, in terms of weight gain, to enjoy the health benefits of smoking cessation is trivial even for the obese population.
A novel fluorescent histamine H1 receptor antagonist demonstrates the advantage of using fluorescence correlation spectroscopy to study the binding of lipophilic ligands
Authors: Rose Rachel H , Briddon Stephen J , Hill Stephen J 
Published: February 2012

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Fluorescent ligands facilitate the study of ligand–receptor interactions at the level of single cells and individual receptors. Here, we describe a novel fluorescent histamine H1 receptor antagonist (mepyramine‐BODIPY630‐650) and use it to monitor the membrane diffusion of the histamine H1 receptor.EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH The human histamine H1 receptor fused to yellow fluorescent protein (YFP) was transiently expressed in CHO‐K1 cells. The time course of binding of mepyramine‐BODIPY630‐650 to the H1 receptor was determined by confocal microscopy. Additionally, fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) was used to characterize the diffusion coefficient of the H1 receptor in cell membranes both directly (YFP fluorescence) and in its antagonist‐bound state (with mepyramine‐BODIPY630‐650).KEY RESULTS Mepyramine‐BODIPY630‐650 was a high‐affinity antagonist at the histamine H1 receptor. Specific membrane binding, in addition to significant intracellular uptake of the fluorescent ligand, was detected by confocal microscopy. However, FCS was able to quantify the receptor‐specific binding in the membrane, as well as the diffusion coefficient of the antagonist–H1 receptor–YFP complexes, which was significantly slower than when determined directly using YFP. FCS also detected specific binding of mepyramine‐BODIPY630‐650 to the endogenous H1 receptor in HeLa cells.CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS Mepyramine‐BODIPY630‐650 is a useful tool for localizing the H1 receptor using confocal microscopy. However, its use in conjunction with FCS allows quantification of ligand binding at the membrane, as well as determining receptor diffusion in the absence of significant bleaching effects. Finally, these methods can be successfully extended to endogenously expressed untagged receptors in HeLa cells.
Transvenous Cardiac Implantable Electronic Devices and Hemodialysis Catheters: Recommendations to Curtail a Potentially Lethal Combination
Authors: Asif Arif , Salman Loay , Lopera Gustavo , Haqqie Syed S. , Carrillo Roger 
Published: February 2012

AbstractAbnormal renal function is an independent risk factor for cardiac implantable electronic device (CIED) infection. The risk of CIED infection increases as the degree of renal dysfunction worsens with the highest risk observed in patients with stage V chronic kidney disease. A significant portion of these patients use a tunneled hemodialysis catheter (TDC) for dialysis therapy. These devices are associated with very high rates of catheter‐related bacteremia (1.6–5.5 episodes of bacteremia per 1000 catheter days), and have been known to cause infection of CIED indwelling in the bloodstream. In this context, the cardiac device is exposed to the risk of infection due to the presence of renal failure and episodes of bacteremia related to TDCs. Both increase the risk of CIED infection. Once infected, a cardiac rhythm device carries a marked increase in morbidity and mortality. In this context, the combination of a TDC and a CIED indwelling in the bloodstream becomes a potentially deadly combination. Recent data have emphasized that epicardial CIED implantation reduces cardiac device infection in TDC patients. This report highlights the risk of CIED infection in renal patients, presents TDC’s contribution to the cardiac device infection, and suggests recommendations to minimize the risk of CIED infection in chronic hemodialysis patients dialyzing with a TDC.
Complete Mucostatic Impression: A New Attempt
Authors: Bindhoo Y. A. , Thirumurthy V. R. , Kurien Anjana 
Published: February 2012

AbstractHypermobile ridges or flabby edentulous ridges are a common occurrence in edentulous patients. The literature reveals that the mucostatic impression technique is one of the treatment options in this scenario. Conventional mucostatic methods like employing a window tray technique, multiple relief holes, or double spacers can be employed when the flabby tissue is localized. But in cases of generalized flabbiness of the residual ridge, even the manual placement and manipulation of a custom tray may distort the tissues, violating the principle of mucostatics. This presentation is a clinical report of a patient with a generalized flabby maxillary edentulous ridge opposing a partially edentulous mandibular arch. A split two‐part special tray using the principle of magnetic attraction for self retention was fabricated. This self retention ruled out finger pressure during impression making, helping to achieve mucostatics.
Use of a Stud Attachment to Retain a Silicone Orbital Prosthesis: A Clinical Report
Authors: Guttal Satyabodh S. , Alva Babashankar , Nadiger Ramesh K. 
Published: February 2012

AbstractOrbital defects with total loss of eyelids and eyeball cannot be satisfactorily repaired by reconstructive surgery. Prosthetic replacement is the treatment of choice owing to its acceptable lifelike appearance. The use of semiprecision attachments in maxillofacial prostheses is limited to osseointegrated prostheses. Therefore, this article describes a conventional glasses frame technique, to retain the silicone orbital prosthesis using a Dalla Bona stud attachment.
Molecular profiling of oral microbiota in jawbone samples of bisphosphonate‐related osteonecrosis of the jaw
Authors: Wei X , Pushalkar S , Estilo C , Wong C , Farooki A , Fornier M , Bohle G , Huryn J , Li Y , Doty S , Saxena D 
Published: February 2012

Oral Diseases (2012) 18, 602–612Objective:  Infection has been hypothesized as a contributing factor to bisphosphonate (BP)‐related osteonecrosis of the jaw (BRONJ). The objective of this study was to determine the bacterial colonization of jawbone and identify the bacterial phylotypes associated with BRONJ.Materials and methods:  Culture‐independent 16S rRNA gene‐based molecular techniques were used to determine and compare the total bacterial diversity in bone samples collected from 12 patients with cancer (six, BRONJ with history of BP; six, controls without BRONJ, no history of BP but have infection).Results:  Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis profile and Dice coefficient displayed a statistically significant clustering of profiles, indicating different bacterial population in BRONJ subjects and control. The top three genera ranked among the BRONJ group were Streptococcus (29%), Eubacterium (9%), and Pseudoramibacter (8%), while in the control group were Parvimonas (17%), Streptococcus (15%), and Fusobacterium (15%). H&E sections of BRONJ bone revealed layers of bacteria along the surfaces and often are packed into the scalloped edges of the bone.Conclusion:  This study using limited sample size indicated that the jawbone associated with BRONJ was heavily colonized by specific oral bacteria and there were apparent differences between the microbiota of BRONJ and controls.