bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The prevalence of atherosclerosis in cirrhotic patients: assessment of two aspects of atherosis and sclerosis
Authors: Kawakami Manri , Koda Masahiko , Murawaki Yoshikazu 
Published: September 2010

Aim:  In general, cirrhotic patients are known to have a low prevalence of cardiovascular disease. Cirrhosis is often accompanied by diabetes mellitus, while blood pressure and serum cholesterol levels are low in liver cirrhosis. We examined the atherosclerosis of patients with chronic liver disease by two phases of atherosis “lipid deposition” and sclerosis “arterial fibrosis.”Methods:  Atherosis was assessed by carotid intima‐media thickness and the ratio of the systolic blood pressure at the ankle to the average systolic blood pressure at the right arm (ankle brachial pressure index), while sclerosis was evaluated by brachial ankle pulse wave velocity.Results:  There were no significant differences in intima‐media thickness and ankle brachial index among grades of cirrhosis. Brachial ankle pulse wave velocity decreased closely as the severity of cirrhosis progressed (F = 4.90, P < 0.05). In univariate analysis, brachial ankle pulse wave velocity was correlated with systolic blood pressure, age, total bilirubin, albumin, prothrombin time, retention rate of indocyanine green at 15 min, blood ammonia, branched chain amino acids/tyrosine molar rate and fasting blood sugar. Multiple regression analysis showed that systolic blood pressure and total bilirubin were independent factors for the inhibition of vascular sclerosis progression.Conclusion:  Although no difference in atherosis between cirrhotic patients and healthy controls was found, vascular sclerosis was decreased with the severity of cirrhosis through hypotension and hyperbilirubinemia.
Persistent infection of hepatitis E virus transmitted by blood transfusion in a patient with T‐cell lymphoma
Authors: Tamura Akinori , Shimizu Yohko K. , Tanaka Torahiko , Kuroda Kazumichi , Arakawa Yasuyuki , Takahashi Kazuaki , Mishiro Shunji , Shimizu Kazufumi , Moriyama Mitsuhiko 
Published: September 2010

Aim:  With advent of reverse‐transcription (RT)/polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for detection of the hepatitis E viral genome, we carried out retrospective examinations.Methods:  Serum samples collected from 68 patients diagnosed as viral hepatitis with unknown etiology were tested for viral markers of hepatitis virus.Results:  Two of them were found positive for hepatitis E viral RNA. While the clinical course of one patient (patient 1) was typical as acute hepatitis E, another patient (patient 2) was persistently infected with HEV. Patient 2 was infected with the virus via blood transfusion during chemotherapy against T‐cell lymphoma. The entire viral genome from the donor was identical with that from the serum of patient 2 obtained on day 170 after the transfusion of the implicated red blood cell (RBC) product, confirming the transmission of HEV by transfusion. The patient remained negative for anti‐HEV antibodies for the follow‐up period of six months, probably due to immune suppression by lymphoma and chemotherapy.Conclusion:  We report here an unusual case of long‐term HEV infection in a patient with T‐cell lymphoma. Persistent infection with HEV was probably due to the absence of anti‐HEV antibodies, which was caused by lymphoma and chemotherapy.
Drug-related problems at discharge: results on the Spanish pharmacy discharge programme CONSULTENOS
Authors: López MaÁngeles Pardo , Saliente Ma Teresa Aznar , Company Enrique Soler , Monsalve Ana Garcia , Cueva Marta Aparício , Domingo Elena Arroyo , Hernández Monica Montero , Carrión Carmen Carrión , Martí Monica Climente , Querejeta Nuria Bujaldón , Blasco Joaquín Borrás , Milá Amparo Rocher 
Published: September 2010

Abstract

Objectives
The aim of this study was to describe the most common drug-related problems (DRPs) found after discharge, pharmacist interventions and their results for the patients enrolled on the CONSULTENOS programme.

Methods
An observational, prospective, multicentre study was conducted to evaluate the results of a pharmaceutical care programme at discharge. Patients from 10 hospitals participating in the CONSULTENOS programme were enrolled. Pharmacists conducting this programme were newly graduated and worked under the supervision of a pharmacy staff member; only two pharmacists had previous hospital pharmacy experience. DRPs were identified and classified according to the Iaser methodology. Frequencies, types of DRP, interventions and outcomes were registered prospectively, at discharge and during a follow-up call 7 days after leaving the hospital.

Key findings
A total of 7711 patients were included in the study. DRPs were detected in 23.7% of the patients, with a total of 2120 DRPs (1788 at discharge and 332 in the follow-up). The most common problems identified at discharge were twofold: firstly the need of an additional treatment (34.1%) and secondly an unnecessary treatment (18.1%). In the follow-up phone call the most frequent DRPs were adverse effects (29.2%). Besides the standard educational interventions at discharge, 3313 extra interventions were performed, of which 85% were accepted. The outcomes for the patients were positive in 80% of the cases, although documentation with objective or subjective data was rare.

Conclusions
DRPs occur frequently after patient discharge. A pharmaceutical care programme can identify and solve DRPs in this scenario. The clinical impact of the pharmacists' interventions should be better addressed.
How do patients read, understand and use prescription labels? An exploratory study examining patient and pharmacist perspectives
Authors: Law Anandi V , Zargarzadeh Amir H 
Published: September 2010

Abstract

Objectives
The aim of the study was to investigate ease of reading, understanding and usefulness of prescription labels in a real-world setting from patients’ and pharmacists’ perspectives.

Methods
A prospective, cross-sectional, exploratory study was conducted by interviewing 179 patients and 40 pharmacists in selected community pharmacies.

Key findings
The average age of patients was 55 years, 65% were females, and 56.4% had a high-school education or more. Pharmacists’ mean age was 40.4 years with 12.8 years of experience. Self-reported ease of reading and understanding was rated as very or somewhat easy by 97.8 and 97.2%, respectively. Most of the patients correctly read (91.6%) and interpreted (89.4%) the label. A majority (90.5%) of patients found the label somewhat or very useful. About half of the pharmacist sample believed patients had difficulty reading or understanding the labels.

Conclusions
This study, conducted with a sample that approximated the US population in level of education, found that prescription labels were reported to be useful and easy to read and understand. These results deviated from previous studies that were conducted in specific populations. Current prescription labels are useful and easy to read and understand by those who have college or higher education but improvements may be needed for specific vulnerable populations.
Testing a trigger tool as a method of detecting harm from medication errors in a UK hospital: a pilot study
Authors: Franklin Bryony Dean , Birch Sylvia , Schachter Mike , Barber Nick 
Published: September 2010

Abstract

Objectives
The aim was to adapt a US adverse drug event (ADE) trigger tool for UK use, and to establish its positive predictive value (PPV) and sensitivity in comparison to retrospective health record review for the identification of preventable ADEs, in a pilot study on one hospital ward.

Methods
An established US trigger tool was adapted for UK use. We applied it retrospectively to 207 patients' health records, following up positive triggers to identify any ADEs (both preventable and non-preventable). We compared the preventable ADEs to those identified using full health record review.

Key findings
We identified 168 positive triggers in 127 (61%) of 207 patients. Seven ADEs were identified, representing an ADE in 3.4% of patients or 0.7 ADEs per 100 patient days. Five were non-preventable adverse drug reactions and two were due to preventable errors. The prevalence of preventable ADEs was 1.0% of patients, or 0.2 per 100 patient days. The overall PPV was 0.04 for all ADEs, and 0.01 for preventable ADEs. PPVs for individual triggers varied widely. Five preventable ADEs were identified using health record review. The sensitivity of the trigger tool for identifying preventable ADEs was 0.40, when compared to health record review.

Conclusions
Although we identified some ADEs using the trigger tool, more work is needed to further refine the trigger tool to reduce the false positives and increase sensitivity. To comprehensively identify preventable ADEs, retrospective health record review remains the gold standard and we found no efficiency gain in using the trigger tool.
ROUTING AWARE PLACEMENT ALGORITHM AND EFFICIENT FREE SPACE MANAGEMENT FOR RECONFIGURABLE SYSTEMS
Authors: ESMAEILDOUST MOHAMMAD , ZAKEROLHOSSEINI ALI 
Published: September 2010

In partially reconfigurable devices like FPGA, logic resources and communication channels can be reconfigured without affecting other section of the device. This allows parallel execution of multiple tasks on a FPGA. Due to limited resources on a FPGA, an effective management for efficient execution of tasks is required. We present a new approach for management of FPGA logic resources and also communication channels in an online task placement. The approach creates communication channels between the tasks and also tasks with I/O elements without requiring extra computation overhead. We present a fast algorithm for searching MERs for management of FPGA space. Then, we present a exact routing algorithm to find distance and create exact path between two set of tasks. A new fitting strategy based on the rate of communication between the tasks is also presented. The results indicate the proposed strategy and also its combination with some other known strategies can improve the quality of placement.
The Fourth Glossop Lecture
Authors: Hutchinson J. N. 
Published: September 2010

In this lecture, the process of reading the ground is explored, some of the necessary background is defined and ways of improving our present and future competence in this area are outlined. It acknowledges the world-wide scope of this activity, but employs mainly the narrower canvas of mass movements in NW European conditions to illustrate its nature.
Some basic tools which can assist in this process are first noted, good databases, the techniques of initial site appraisal, comprising desk study, site reconnaissance and mapping (with the aid of stereoscopic air photo interpretation and other remote sensing techniques), terrain modelling and the use of associated well-logged and sampled trial trenches. The importance of the classification of mass movements, not least to develop an agreed terminology, is touched upon and the great value, even at this early stage, of the influence line approach in assessing rapidly the effects of proposed cuts and fills is noted.
An attempt is then made to identify the relevant vocabulary for reading the ground, that is those physical phenomena which bear on site appraisal. These are divided into bedrock elements, of which lithology and tectonics are highlighted, and Quaternary elements, particularly those that occurred in areas of cold climate, i.e. past freezing and thawing, sea-level changes, hydrogeological features and glacial, periglacial, fluvial and marine erosional and depositional features. Abandoned cliffs and inland scarps in chalk and some clays are then identified as characteristic landforms, and their nature and development are also explored. Case records of successful and unsuccessful earthworks on clayey scarps are also reviewed, in relation to the quality of initial site appraisal undertaken.
In conclusion, significant weaknesses in our current education and training in this area are identified, specifically a near-absence of geomorphology and insufficient Quaternary geology, and proposals made to remedy these.
Physical and chemical properties of a DNAPL contaminated zone in a sand aquifer
Authors: Acworth R. I. 
Published: September 2010

Minimally disturbed cores were recovered from two boreholes 25 m apart in the Botany Sands aquifer in Sydney, Australia. Physical and chemical analyses of the core subsections demonstrate that the formation is comprised predominantly of fine to medium sand from the surface to a depth of approximately 21 m. A 200 mm silty sand layer at 21.6 m depth partially supports a DNAPL (dense non-aqueous phase liquid) pool of chlorinated hydrocarbons. DNAPL has penetrated through this zone into the underlying sands. A more extensive sandy silt layer at 23.4 m has prevented further local penetration of the DNAPL. Free phase DNAPL mixture was recovered from a core subsection immediately above the silty sand layer and from several cores in the sand zone above the sandy silt.

A prominent thin high TDS band is associated with the top of the zone containing DNAPL. This zone forms a sharp bulk electrical conductivity anomaly on geoelectric sections compiled from conductivity cone penetration logs and induction logs carried out in the bores after coring. The anomaly is directly related to fluid conductivity variations, which have been measured on pore fluids derived from the cores. The bulk electrical conductivity (complex) measured at a range (10
−2
–10
5
Hz) of frequencies provides further confirmation of the source of the conductivity anomaly. Lithological detail is provided by grain-size analysis and by radiographs of the cores.

The chemical analysis data carried out on pore fluids indicate that the zones containing free phase DNAPL have low pH (3–4) and sodium to chloride ratios (m mol/l) below 0.20. The inorganic chemical data for 4 cores in the DNAPL contaminated zone is shown graphically and exhibits systematic changes within the section that suggest either strong reverse ion-exchange reactions in an environment where chloride is conservative or, more probably, mineralization of DNAPL.
Relationship between Radiation Exposure and Risk of Second Primary Cancers among Atomic Bomb Survivors
Authors: Li Christopher I. , Nishi Nobuo , McDougall Jean A. , Semmens Erin O. , Sugiyama Hiromi , Soda Midori , Sakata Ritsu , Hayashi Mikiko , Kasagi Fumiyoshi , Suyama Akihiko , Mabuchi Kiyohiko , Davis Scott , Kodama Kazunori , Kopecky Kenneth J. 
Published: September 2010

AbstractRadiation exposure is related to risk of numerous types of cancer, but relatively little is known about its effect on risk of multiple primary cancers. Using follow-up data through 2002 from 77,752 Japanese atomic bomb survivors, we identified 14,048 participants diagnosed with a first primary cancer, of whom 1,088 were diagnosed with a second primary cancer. Relationships between radiation exposure and risks of first and second primary cancers were quantified using Poisson regression. There was a similar linear dose-response relationship between radiation exposure and risks of both first and second primary solid tumors [excess relative risk (ERR)/Gy = 0.65; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.57–0.74 and ERR/Gy = 0.56; 95% CI, 0.33–0.80, respectively] and risk of both first and second primary leukemias (ERR/Gy = 2.65; 95% CI, 1.78–3.78 and ERR/Gy = 3.65; 95% CI, 0.96–10.70, respectively). Background incidence rates were higher for second solid cancers, compared with first solid cancers, until about age 70 years for men and 80 years for women (P &lt; 0.0001), but radiation-related ERRs did not differ between first and second primary solid cancers (P = 0.70). Radiation dose was most strongly related to risk of solid tumors that are radiation-sensitive including second primary lung, colon, female breast, thyroid, and bladder cancers. Radiation exposure confers equally high relative risks of second primary cancers as first primary cancers. Radiation is a potent carcinogen and those with substantial exposures who are diagnosed with a first primary cancer should be carefully screened for second primary cancers, particularly for cancers that are radiation-sensitive. Cancer Res; 70(18); 7187–98. ©2010 AACR.
Nongenomic Effects of Cisplatin: Acute Inhibition of Mechanosensitive Transporters and Channels without Actin Remodeling
Authors: Milosavljevic Nina , Duranton Christophe , Djerbi Nadir , Puech Pierre Henri , Gounon Pierre , Lagadic-Gossmann Dominique , Dimanche-Boitrel Marie Thérèse , Rauch Cyril , Tauc Michel , Counillon Laurent , Poët Mallorie 
Published: September 2010

Abstract
Cisplatin is an antineoplastic drug, mostly documented to cause cell death through the formation of DNA adducts. In patients, it exhibits a range of short-term side effects that are unlikely to be related to its genomic action. As cisplatin has been shown to modify membrane properties in different cell systems, we investigated its effects on mechanosensitive ion transporters and channels. We show here that cisplatin is a noncompetitive inhibitor of the mechanosensitive Na+/H+ exchanger NHE-1, with a half-inhibition concentration of 30 μg/mL associated with a decrease in Vmax and Hill coefficient. We also showed that it blocks the Cl− and K+ mechanosensitive channels VSORC and TREK-1 at similar concentrations. In contrast, the nonmechanosensitive Cl− and K+ channels CFTR and TASK-1 and the Na+-coupled glucose transport, which share functional features with VSORC, TREK-1, and NHE-1, respectively, were insensitive to cisplatin. We next investigated whether cisplatin action was due to a direct effect on membrane or to cortical actin remodeling that would affect mechanosensors. Using scanning electron microscopy, in vivo actin labeling, and atomic force microscopy, we did not observe any modification of the Young's modulus and actin cytoskeleton for up to 60 and 120 μg/mL cisplatin, whereas these concentrations modified membrane morphology. Our results reveal a novel mechanism for cisplatin, which affects mechanosensitive channels and transporters involved in cell fate programs and/or expressed in mechanosensitive organs in which cisplatin elicits strong secondary effects, such as the inner ear or the peripheral nervous system. These results might constitute a common denominator to previously unrelated effects of this drug. Cancer Res; 70(19); 7514–22. ©2010 AACR.
A 28-Amino-Acid Peptide Fragment of the Cupredoxin Azurin Prevents Carcinogen-Induced Mouse Mammary Lesions
Authors: Mehta Rajeshwari R. , Hawthorne Michael , Peng Xinjian , Shilkaitis Ann , Mehta Rajendra G. , Beattie Craig W. , Das Gupta Tapas K. 
Published: September 2010

Abstract
Azurin, a member of the cupredoxin family of redox proteins, preferentially penetrates human cancer cells and exerts cytostatic and apoptotic effects. Azurin and amino acids 50-77 (p28) of azurin also produce a dose-dependent reduction in the proliferation of human mammary cancer by increasing the level of the tumor suppressor protein p53 in the cancer cell nucleus. We show that the development of 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene–induced hormone-dependent premalignant mammary ductal lesions and hormone-independent mammary alveolar lesions in mouse mammary gland organ culture is also significantly reduced by azurin and p28. The dose-dependent reduction in carcinogen-induced mammary cell proliferation by p28 was associated with an increase in the expression of p53. p28 also enhanced the inhibitory effect of a low dose of the antiestrogen tamoxifen on the development of hormone-dependent mammary ductal lesions, but did not enhance the inhibitory activity of fenretinide (N-4-hydroxyphenyl retinamide) on hormone-independent mammary alveolar lesions. These observations suggest that cupredoxins and fragments derived from them can exert a chemopreventive effect on carcinogen-induced mammary gland transformation, irrespective of hormonal environment, and enhance the inhibitory effects of tamoxifen in this model of preneoplastic mammary development. Cancer Prev Res; 3(10); 1351–60. ©2010 AACR.
Soil nematode community changes associated with compost amendments
Authors: Renčo Marek , Sasanelli Nicola , D'Addabbo Trifone , Papajová Ingrid 
Published: September 2010

Abstract
Five composts (C1: fresh olive pomace, straw, chicken manure, urea; C2: fresh olive pomace, lettuce residues, cow manure, straw, sawdust; C3: sewage sludge, municipal green residues; C4: grass, leaves, tree branches, soil; C5: by-product from penicillin production (mycelium), straw and sawdust) were tested in a pot experiment to investigate their short-term effect on the nematode community of a grassland soil. Composts were mixed with soil at the rates of 10, 25, 50 and 100 g (kg soil)–1 and barley was sown in each potting mixture after a 2-month decomposition period. Nematodes were extracted from each pot 5 months after barley sowing, identified at genus level and grouped into bacterial, fungal and root fungal feeders, predators, omnivores and plant parasites. Bacterial feeders, predators and omnivores were favoured by amendments with composted penicillin substrate and partly by compost from olive pomace, whereas composts from green wastes and sewage sludge suppressed these trophic groups except for predators. All compost treatments suppressed fungal feeders as well as significantly reducing the density of plant-parasitic nematodes compared with non-amended soil. The highest suppressiveness on plant-parasitic nematodes was found for the composts from urban green residues, penicillin substrate and olive pomace plus cow manure. Suppressive effect was hypothesised to be related to ammoniacal nitrogen content of the composts. Composts from fungal mycelium or olive pomace seem to be the most suitable for application in nematode management strategies due to their low impact on beneficial trophic groups.