bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Glomerular and tubulointerstitial miR‐638, miR‐198 and miR‐146a expression in lupus nephritis
Authors: LU JIANXIN , KWAN BONNIE CHING‐HA , LAI FERNAND MAC‐MOUNE , TAM LAI‐SHAN , LI EDMUND KWOK‐MING , CHOW KAI‐MING , WANG GANG , LI PHILIP KAM‐TAO , SZETO CHEUK‐CHUN 
Published: February 2012

ABSTRACTAim:  MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play important roles in the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases. We studied the intra‐renal expression of miRNA targets that were reported to be differentially expressed in peripheral blood or urine between lupus nephritis (LN) patients and normal controls.Methods:  We quantified the expression of in glomerulus and tubulointerstitium of miR‐146a, miR‐155, miR‐198 miR‐638 and miR‐663 in 42 patients with LN and 10 healthy controls.Results:  As compared with controls, LN patients had lower glomerular expression of miR‐638 (P < 0.001) but higher tubulointerstitial expression of this target (P = 0.001). Both glomerular and tubulointerstitial expression of miR‐198 were higher in LN patients than controls (P < 0.001). For miR‐146a, LN patients only had higher expression in glomerulus (P = 0.005) but not in tubulointerstitium. Tubulointerstitial miR‐638 expression was significantly correlated with proteinuria (r = 0.404; P = 0.022) and disease activity score (r = 0.454; P = 0.008), while glomerular miR‐146a expressions were correlated with estimated GFR (r = 0.453; P = 0.028) and histological activity index (r = 0.494; P = 0.027).Conclusion:  We found that intra‐renal expression of miR‐638, miR‐198 and miR‐146a are differentially expressed between LN patients and normal controls. Furthermore, the degree of change in glomerular miR‐146a and tubulointerstitial miR‐638 expression correlated with clinical disease severity. The results suggested that these miRNA targets may play a role in the pathogenesis of lupus nephritis.
Weight management issues and strategies for people with high cardiovascular risk undertaking an Australian weight loss program: A focus group study
Authors: Gallagher Robyn , Kirkness Ann , Armari Elizabeth , Davidson Patricia M. 
Published: February 2012

AbstractObesity is particularly hazardous for people with multiple cardiovascular risk factors and existing cardiovascular disease, although few studies investigate experiences and perceptions of weight loss in this population. This study provides an understanding of participants' knowledge, attitudes, and experiences of managing multiple risk factors and/or existing cardiovascular disease of participants who were undertaking a weight loss program. Thirty‐five participants were recruited from the first 50 completing a multicomponent group‐based weight loss intervention designed to follow cardiovascular disease and diabetes disease management programs. Four focus group interviews were conducted using a semistructured interview schedule. Data were analyzed using an inductive approach, and themes developed. Participants found the process of weight loss to be complex, dynamic, and challenging, as the conflicting needs of existing health conditions, social support, ambivalence, and time limitations required careful balance. In response, participants determinedly developed and tested strategies based on simplified principles, establishing routines for new health habits and portion control, and going back to basics in food selection. Therefore, weight loss programs for this population need to be specifically tailored to support patients' efforts and strategies.
Nursing students' time management, reducing stress and gaining satisfaction: a grounded theory study
Authors: Mirzaei Tayebeh , Oskouie Fatemeh , Rafii Forough 
Published: February 2012

AbstractIn the course of their studies, nursing students must learn many skills and acquire the knowledge required for their future profession. This study investigates how Iranian nursing students manage their time according to the circumstances and obstacles of their academic field. Research was conducted using the grounded theory method. Twenty‐one nursing students were purposefully chosen as participants. Data was collected through semi‐structured interviews and analyzed using the method suggested by Corbin and Strauss. One of the three processes that the nursing students used was “unidirectional time management.” This pattern consists of accepting the nursing field, overcoming uncertainty, assessing conditions, feeling stress, and trying to reduce stress and create satisfaction. It was found that students allotted most of their time to academic tasks in an attempt to overcome their stress. The findings of this study indicate the need for these students to have time for the extra‐curricular activities and responsibilities that are appropriate to their age.
The Size 1 ProSeal™ laryngeal mask airway in infants: a randomized, noncrossover study with the Classic™ laryngeal mask airway
Authors: López‐Gil Maite , Mantilla Ignacio , Blanco Teresa , Teigell Enrique , Hervias Mónica , Fernández‐López Rosa 
Published: February 2012

SummaryBackground:  In recent years, numerous scientific publications have endorsed the superiority of the ProSeal™ laryngeal mask airway (PLMA) over the Classic™ laryngeal mask airway (cLMA) in adults, children, and infants. The PLMA forms a better seal for both the respiratory and gastrointestinal tracts, provides easier access to the gastrointestinal tract, and exerts lower mucosal pressures for a given seal pressure. This study aims to determine whether this superiority can also be observed for the size 1 PLMA used in anesthetized neonates and infants with positive pressure ventilation.Methods:  Sixty consecutive neonates and infants undergoing elective surgical procedures were randomized to airway management with the size 1 PLMA or cLMA. For all patients, we recorded ease of insertion, effective airway time, number of placement attempts, oropharyngeal leak pressure, fiberoptic position, audible leaks, mask displacement, number of reinsertions during maintenance, gastric insufflation, and frequency of blood stain.Results:  Ease of insertion, successful insertion in <3 attempts, fiberoptic position of the airway tube, and frequency of blood stain were similar in both groups. Effective airway time was lower for the PLMA group (30.5 vs 35.6 s). Oropharyngeal leak pressure was higher with the PLMA (32.9 vs 22.2 cm H2O, P < 0.001) and gastric insufflation less common (0% vs 6%, P = 0.492). There were fewer mask displacements during maintenance of anesthesia with the PLMA (0% vs 26.7%, P < 0.001). Mask reinsertion was not necessary during maintenance of anesthesia with the PLMA, although it was necessary in 14 cases in the cLMA group (0% vs 46%, P < 0.001). Audible leaks were less common with the PLMA (0% vs 46%, P < 0.001).Conclusions:  We conclude that the size 1 PLMA is a stable, safe, and efficacious airway control device during neonatal and infant anesthesia, allowing higher peak airway pressure during positive pressure ventilation, with fewer mask displacements and gastric insufflations than the cLMA.
Attraction to monoterpenes and beetle‐produced compounds by syntopic Ips and Dendroctonus bark beetles and their predators
Authors: Hofstetter Richard W. , Gaylord Monica L. , Martinson Sharon , Wagner Michael R. 
Published: February 2012

Bark beetles are significant mortality agents of conifers. Four beetle species, the pine engraver Ips pini, the six‐spined pine engraver Ips calligraphus sub. ponderosae, the southern pine beetle Dendroctonus frontalis, and the western pine beetle Dendroctonus brevicomis, cohabitate pines in Arizona.
A pheromone trapping study in ponderosa forests of Arizona determined the attraction of beetles to conspecific and heterospecific pheromone components in the presence and absence of host volatiles, and tested whether predators differ in their attraction to combinations of pheromone components and tree monoterpenes.
All four bark beetle species differed in their responses to heterospecific lures and monoterpenes. Ips calligraphus was the only species that increased in trap catches when heterospecific lures were added. Heterospecific lures did not inhibit the attraction of either Dendroctonus or Ips species. The replacement of myrcene with α‐pinene increased the attraction of Dendroctonus, whereas the addition of α‐pinene had mixed results for Ips. The prominent predators Temnochila chlorodia and Enoclerus lecontei were more attracted to the I. pini lure than the D. brevicomis lure, and the combination of the two lures with α‐pinene was most attractive to both predator species.
Cross attraction and limited inhibition of bark beetles to heterospecific pheromones suggest that some of these species might use heterospecific compounds to increase successful location and colonization of trees. Predator responses to treatments suggest that tree volatiles are used to locate potential prey and predators are more responsive to Ips than to Dendroctonus pheromone components in Arizona.
Anaerobic benzene degradation under denitrifying conditions: Peptococcaceae as dominant benzene degraders and evidence for a syntrophic process
Authors: van der Zaan Bas M. , Saia Flávia Talarico , Stams Alfons J. M. , Plugge Caroline M. , de Vos Willem M. , Smidt Hauke , Langenhoff Alette A. M. , Gerritse Jan 
Published: February 2012

SummaryAn anaerobic microbial community was enriched in a chemostat that was operated for more than 8 years with benzene and nitrate as electron acceptor. The coexistence of multiple species in the chemostat and the presence of a biofilm, led to the hypothesis that benzene‐degrading species coexist in a syntrophic interaction, and that benzene can be degraded in syntrophy by consortia with various electron acceptors in the same culture. The benzene‐degrading microorganisms were identified by DNA‐stable isotope probing with [U‐13C]‐labelled benzene, and the effect of different electron donors and acceptors on benzene degradation was investigated. The degradation rate constant of benzene with nitrate (0.7 day−1) was higher than reported previously. In the absence of nitrate, the microbial community was able to use sulfate, chlorate or ferric iron as electron acceptor. Bacteria belonging to the Peptococcaceae were identified as dominant benzene consumers, but also those related to Rhodocyclaceae and Burkholderiaceae were found to be associated with the anaerobic benzene degradation process. The benzene degradation activity in the chemostat was associated with microbial growth in biofilms. This, together with the inhibiting effect of hydrogen and the ability to degrade benzene with different electron acceptors, suggests that benzene was degraded via a syntrophic process.
Prostate‐specific antigen velocity (PSAV) risk count improves the specificity of screening for clinically significant prostate cancer
Authors: Loeb Stacy , Metter E. Jeffrey , Kan Donghui , Roehl Kimberly A. , Catalona William J. 
Published: February 2012

Study Type – Prognosis (retrospective cohort analysis)Level of Evidence 2bWhat's known on the subject? and What does the study add?PSA screening reduces prostate cancer mortality but also may lead to unnecessary biopsies and overdiagnosis of insignificant tumours. PSA velocity (PSAV) risk count (number of serial PSAV exceeding 0.4 ng/ml/year) significantly improves the performance characteristics of screening for overall prostate cancer and high‐grade disease on biopsy. Risk count may be useful to reduce unnecessary biopsies and prostate cancer overdiagnosis compared to PSA alone.OBJECTIVE
To determine whether the prostate‐specific antigen velocity (PSAV) risk count (i.e. the number of times PSAV exceeds a specific threshold) could increase the specificity of screening for prostate cancer and potentially life‐threatening tumours.
PATIENTS AND METHODS
From 1989 to 2001, we calculated two serial PSAV measurements in 18 214 prostate cancer screening‐study participants, of whom 1125 (6.2%) were diagnosed with prostate cancer.
The PSAV risk count was determined as the number of PSAV measurements of >0.4 ng/mL/year (0, 1, or 2).
We used receiver operating characteristic (ROC) and reclassification analyses to examine the ability of PSAV risk count to predict screen‐detected and high‐grade prostate cancer.
RESULTS
The PSAV was >0.4 ng/mL/year twice (risk count 2) in 40% of prostate cancer cases compared with only 4% of those with no cancer (P < 0.001).
After adjusting for age and PSA level, a PSAV risk count of 2 was associated with an 8.2‐fold increased risk of prostate cancer (95% confidence interval 7.0–9.6, P < 0.001) and 5.4‐fold increased risk of Gleason score 8–10 prostate cancer on biopsy.
Compared with a model with age and PSA level, the addition of the PSAV risk count significantly improved discrimination (area under the ROC curve 0.625 vs 0.725, P= 0.031) and reclassified individuals for the risk of high‐grade prostate cancer (net reclassification, P < 0.001).
CONCLUSIONS
Sustained rises in PSA indicate a significantly greater risk of prostate cancer, particularly high‐grade disease.
Compared with men with a risk count of ≤1, those with two PSAV measurements of >0.4 ng/mL/year (risk count 2) had an 8‐fold increased risk of prostate cancer and 5.4‐fold increased risk of Gleason 8–10 disease on biopsy, adjusting for age and PSA level.
Compared to PSA alone, PSAV risk count may be useful in reducing unnecessary biopsies and the diagnosis of low‐risk prostate cancer.
The Shrinking Mining City: Urban Dynamics and Contested Territory
Authors: MARTINEZ‐FERNANDEZ CRISTINA , WU CHUNG‐TONG , SCHATZ LAURA K. , TAIRA NOBUHISA , VARGAS‐HERNÁNDEZ JOSÉ G. 
Published: February 2012

AbstractShrinking mining cities — once prosperous settlements servicing a mining site or a system of mining sites — are characterized by long‐term population and/or economic decline. Many of these towns experience periods of growth and shrinkage, mirroring the ebbs and flows of international mineral markets which determine the fortunes of the dominant mining corporation upon which each of these towns heavily depends. This dependence on one main industry produces a parallel development in the fluctuations of both workforce and population. Thus, the strategies of the main company in these towns can, to a great extent, determine future developments and have a great impact on urban management plans. Climate conditions, knowledge, education and health services, as well as transportation links, are important factors that have impacted on lifestyles in mining cities, but it is the parallel development with the private sector operators (often a single corporation) that constitutes the distinctive feature of these cities and that ultimately defines their shrinkage. This article discusses shrinking mining cities in capitalist economies, the factors underpinning their development, and some of the planning and community challenges faced by these cities in Australia, Canada, Japan and Mexico.RésuméLes villes minières en décroissance, localités autrefois prospères qui desservent un site ou un réseau de sites d'exploitation minière, se caractérisent par un long déclin de leur population et de leur économie. Beaucoup d'entre elles connaissent des périodes de croissance et de décroissance, à l'image des hauts et des bas des marchés miniers internationaux dont dépend la prospérité du groupe minier prépondérant dans chacune de ces villes. Cette dépendance vis‐à‐vis d'une seule activité industrielle génère une évolution parallèle de la main‐d'œuvre et de la population. Dans ces villes, les stratégies de l'entreprise principale peuvent donc très largement déterminer les aménagements futurs et influer sur les plans de gestion urbaine. Conditions climatiques, savoirs, éducation, services de santé et réseaux de transport sont des facteurs importants dans le mode de vie local, mais ce sont les transformations qui vont de pair avec l'évolution des opérateurs du secteur privé (souvent une seule grosse entreprise) qui constituent le trait distinctif de ces villes minières et détermine finalement le ‘rétrécissement’ urbain. Cet article analyse les villes minières en décroissance dans les économies capitalistes en s'attachant aux facteurs fondamentaux de leur développement et à certains enjeux, propres à l'aménagement et à la communauté, auxquels ces villes sont confrontées dans leur pays respectif (Australie, Canada, Japon et Mexique).
Urban shrinkage in Germany and the USA: A Comparison of Transformation Patterns and Local Strategies
Authors: WIECHMANN THORSTEN , PALLAGST KARINA M. 
Published: February 2012

AbstractMany American and European cities have to deal with demographic and economic trajectories leading to urban shrinkage. According to official data, 13% of urban regions in the US and 54% of those in the EU have lost population in recent years. However, the extent and spatial distribution of declining populations differ significantly between Europe and the US. In Germany, the situation is driven by falling birth rates and the effects of German reunification. In the US, shrinkage is basically related to long‐term industrial transformation. But the challenges of shrinking cities seldom appeared on the agendas of politicians and urban planners until recently. This article provides a critical overview of the development paths and local strategies of four shrinking cities: Schwedt and Dresden in eastern Germany; Youngstown and Pittsburgh in the US. A typology of urban growth and shrinkage, from economic and demographic perspectives, enables four types of city to be differentiated and the differences between the US and eastern Germany to be discussed. The article suggests that a new transatlantic debate on policy and planning strategies for restructuring shrinking cities is needed to overcome the dominant growth orientation that in most cases intensifies the negative consequences of shrinkage.RésuméDe nombreuses grandes villes américaines et européennes sont confrontées à des trajectoires démographiques et économiques conduisant à un ‘rétrécissement’ urbain. Selon des données officielles, 13% des régions métropolitaines aux États‐Unis et 54% dans l'UE ont vu leur population diminuer sur la période récente. Toutefois, l'ampleur et la répartition spatiale de ce déclin divergent nettement entre les deux zones géographiques. En Allemagne, la situation tient à la chute des taux de natalité et aux conséquences de la réunification. Aux États‐Unis, le ‘rétrécissement’ est surtout liéà une mutation industrielle sur le long terme. Or, les problèmes des villes en décroissance ont rarement figuré dans les programmes des hommes politiques ou des urbanistes, du moins jusqu’à ces dernières années. Cet article donne un aperçu critique des voies de développement et des stratégies locales de quatre villes en décroissance: Schwedt et Dresde dans l'est de l'Allemagne, Youngstown et Pittsburgh aux États‐Unis. Une typologie de la croissance et du ‘rétrécissement’ urbains, du point de vue économique et démographique, permet de distinguer quatre types de ville et d'analyser les différences entre les États‐Unis et l'Allemagne orientale. Un nouveau débat transatlantique sur les stratégies en matière de politiques publiques et d'aménagement concernant la restructuration des villes en décroissance semble nécessaire pour dominer l'orientation prépondérante en faveur de la croissance qui, le plus souvent, accentue les effets négatifs du ‘rétrécissement’.
Postoperative Headache Following Acoustic Neuroma Resection: Occipital Nerve Injuries Are Associated With a Treatable Occipital Neuralgia
Authors: Ducic Ivica , Felder III John M. , Endara Matthew 
Published: February 2012

Objective.— To demonstrate that occipital nerve injury is associated with chronic postoperative headache in patients who have undergone acoustic neuroma excision and to determine whether occipital nerve excision is an effective treatment for these headaches.Background.— Few previous reports have discussed the role of occipital nerve injury in the pathogenesis of the postoperative headache noted to commonly occur following the retrosigmoid approach to acoustic neuroma resection. No studies have supported a direct etiologic link between the two. The authors report on a series of acoustic neuroma patients with postoperative headache presenting as occipital neuralgia who were found to have occipital nerve injuries and were treated for chronic headache by excision of the injured nerves.Methods.— Records were reviewed to identify patients who had undergone surgical excision of the greater and lesser occipital nerves for refractory chronic postoperative headache following acoustic neuroma resection. Primary outcomes examined were change in migraine headache index, change in number of pain medications used, continued use of narcotics, patient satisfaction, and change in quality of life. Follow‐up was in clinic and via telephone interview.Results.— Seven patients underwent excision of the greater and lesser occipital nerves. All met diagnostic criteria for occipital neuralgia and failed conservative management. Six of 7 patients experienced pain reduction of greater than 80% on the migraine index. Average pain medication use decreased from 6 to 2 per patient; 3 of 5 patients achieved independence from narcotics. Six patients experienced 80% or greater improvement in quality of life at an average follow‐up of 32 months. There was one treatment failure. Occipital nerve neuroma or nerve entrapment was identified during surgery in all cases where treatment was successful but not in the treatment failure.Conclusion.— In contradistinction to previous reports, we have identified a subset of patients in whom the syndrome of postoperative headache appears directly related to the presence of occipital nerve injuries. In patients with postoperative headache meeting diagnostic criteria for occipital neuralgia, occipital nerve excision appears to provide relief of the headache syndrome and meaningful improvement in quality of life. Further studies are needed to confirm these results and to determine whether occipital nerve injury may present as headache types other than occipital neuralgia. These findings suggest that patients presenting with chronic postoperative headache should be screened for the presence of surgically treatable occipital nerve injuries.