bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Efficacy, Safety, and Potential Biomarkers of Sunitinib Monotherapy in Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Phase II Study
Authors: Zhu Andrew X. , Sahani Dushyant V. , Duda Dan G. , di Tomaso Emmanuelle , Ancukiewicz Marek , Catalano Onofrio A. , Sindhwani Vivek , Blaszkowsky Lawrence S. , Yoon Sam S. , Lahdenranta Johanna , Bhargava Pankaj , Meyerhardt Jeffrey , Clark Jeffrey W. , Kwak Eunice L. , Hezel Aram F. , Miksad Rebecca , Abrams Thomas A. , Enzinger Peter C. , Fuchs Charles S. , Ryan David P. , Jain Rakesh K. 
Published: May 2009

Purpose To assess the safety and efficacy of sunitinib in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and explore biomarkers for sunitinib response. Patients and Methods We conducted a multidisciplinary phase II study of sunitinib, an antivascular endothelial growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor, in advanced HCC. Patients received sunitinib 37.5 mg/d for 4 weeks followed by 2 weeks of rest per cycle. The primary end point was progression-free survival (PFS). We used functional magnetic resonance imaging to evaluate vascular changes in HCC after sunitinib treatment. Circulating molecular and cellular biomarkers were evaluated before and at six time points after sunitinib treatment. Results Thirty-four patients were enrolled. The objective response rate was 2.9%, and 50% of patients had stable disease. Median PFS was 3.9 months (95% CI, 2.6 to 6.9 months), and overall survival was 9.8 months (95% CI, 7.4 months to not available). Grade 3 or 4 toxicities included leukopenia/neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, elevation of aminotransferases, and fatigue. Sunitinib rapidly decreased vessel leakiness, and this effect was more pronounced in patients with delayed progression. When evaluated early (at baseline and day 14) as well as over three cycles of treatment, higher levels of inflammatory molecules (eg, interleukin-6, stromal-derived factor 1α, soluble c-KIT) and circulating progenitor cells were associated with a poor outcome. Conclusion Sunitinib shows evidence of modest antitumor activity in advanced HCC with manageable adverse effects. Rapid changes in tumor vascular permeability and circulating inflammatory biomarkers are potential determinants of response and resistance to sunitinib in HCC. Our study suggests that control of inflammation might be critical for improving treatment outcome in advanced HCC.
Efficacy, Safety, and Biomarkers of Neoadjuvant Bevacizumab, Radiation Therapy, and Fluorouracil in Rectal Cancer: A Multidisciplinary Phase II Study
Authors: Willett Christopher G. , Duda Dan G. , di Tomaso Emmanuelle , Boucher Yves , Ancukiewicz Marek , Sahani Dushyant V. , Lahdenranta Johanna , Chung Daniel C. , Fischman Alan J. , Lauwers Gregory Y. , Shellito Paul , Czito Brian G. , Wong Terence Z. , Paulson Erik , Poleski Martin , Vujaskovic Zeljko , Bentley Rex , Chen Helen X. , Clark Jeffrey W. , Jain Rakesh K. 
Published: May 2009

Purpose To assess the safety and efficacy of neoadjuvant bevacizumab with standard chemoradiotherapy in locally advanced rectal cancer and explore biomarkers for response. Patients and Methods In a phase I/II study, 32 patients received four cycles of therapy consisting of: bevacizumab infusion (5 or 10 mg/kg) on day 1 of each cycle; fluorouracil infusion (225 mg/m2/24 hours) during cycles 2 to 4; external-beam irradiation (50.4 Gy in 28 fractions over 5.5 weeks); and surgery 7 to 10 weeks after completion of all therapies. We measured molecular, cellular, and physiologic biomarkers before treatment, during bevacizumab monotherapy, and during and after combination therapy. Results Tumors regressed from a mass with mean size of 5 cm (range, 3 to 12 cm) to an ulcer/scar with mean size of 2.4 cm (range, 0.7 to 6.0 cm) in all 32 patients. Histologic examination revealed either no cancer or varying numbers of scattered cancer cells in a bed of fibrosis at the primary site. This treatment resulted in an actuarial 5-year local control and overall survival of 100%. Actuarial 5-year disease-free survival was 75% and five patients developed metastases postsurgery. Bevacizumab with chemoradiotherapy showed acceptable toxicity. Bevacizumab decreased tumor interstitial fluid pressure and blood flow. Baseline plasma soluble vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 1 (sVEGFR1), plasma vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), placental-derived growth factor (PlGF), and interleukin 6 (IL-6) during treatment, and circulating endothelial cells (CECs) after treatment showed significant correlations with outcome. Conclusion Bevacizumab with chemoradiotherapy appears safe and active and yields promising survival results in locally advanced rectal cancer. Plasma VEGF, PlGF, sVEGFR1, and IL-6 and CECs should be further evaluated as candidate biomarkers of response for this regimen.
Adiponectin Is Associated with Changes in Bone Markers during Glycemic Control in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
Authors: Kanazawa Ippei , Yamaguchi Toru , Yamauchi Mika , Yamamoto Masahiro , Kurioka Soichi , Yano Shozo , Sugimoto Toshitsugu 
Published: May 2009

Objective: Although several experiments show that adiponectin is associated with bone metabolism, a relationship between adiponectin and bone markers is still unclear. We monitored chronological changes in hyperglycemia, serum adiponectin, and bone markers during glycemic control in type 2 diabetes and analyzed relationships among these parameters.
Subjects and Results: A total of 50 Japanese patients with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes [initial hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) = 10.0 ± 2.5%] were recruited, and biochemical data were collected before and after glycemic control for a month. Of bone formation markers, bone-specific alkaline phosphatase was decreased with a mean change of −3.11 [95% confidence interval (CI), −5.03 to −1.20; P &lt; 0.01], whereas osteocalcin (OC) was increased with a mean change of 1.94 (95% CI, 1.45–2.42; P &lt; 0.001) and undercarboxylated OC (ucOC)/OC ratio was decreased with a mean change of −0.15 (95% CI, −0.27 to −0.03; P &lt; 0.01). Although adiponectin level was not significantly different before and after glycemic control, baseline adiponectin level, but not HbA1c, was positively correlated with changes in OC, ucOC, and urinary N-terminal cross-linked telopeptide of type I collagen (uNTX) (r = 0.30, P =0.04; r = 0.32, P = 0.03; and r = 0.36, P = 0.01, respectively). Changes in adiponectin were also negatively correlated with changes in OC and uNTX (r = −0.42, P &lt; 0.01; and r = −0.38, P &lt; 0.01, respectively). Changes in HbA1c were negatively correlated with changes in OC (r = −0.30, P = 0.03).
Conclusion: These findings show that treatments for hyperglycemia enhance OC level and suggest that serum adiponectin level before starting to compensate poorly controlled diabetics could predict the subsequent improvement of bone remodeling markers during glycemic control.
Hybrid Photoreactive Magnet Obtained from Fe3O4/TiO2 Composite Nanoparticles
Authors: Song Hyon Min , Ko Jang Myoun , Park Jeong Ho 
Published: May 2009

Abstract
Fe3O4/TiO2 composite nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized by a reverse micelle microemulsion method with Igepal CO-550 as a stabilizer. Annealed samples have distinct two stage band gap energies of 3.2 and 2.1 eV. In addition to the optical red-shift effect of absorption band, Fe3O4/TiO2 composite NPs maintain soft ferromagnetism with saturation magnetization of 36 emu g−1 at room temperature, which makes them heterogeneous catalysts for the photochemical reactions.
A Simple H2O2-assisted Method for the Synthesis of Intestine-like SnO2 Nanostructures at Room Temperature
Authors: Liu Shunqiang , Xie Mingjiang , Li Yanxing , Guo Xuefeng , Ji Weijie , Ding Weiping 
Published: May 2009

Abstract
Highly crystalline intestine-like SnO2 nanostructures with hollow interior have been synthesized by a one-step H2O2-assisted method at room temperature. A possible growth mechanism has been proposed. In the synthesis, H2O2 fulfills important functions in both forming the intestine-like morphology and promoting the formation of hollow structure.
The voice system of Estonian
Authors: Torn-Leesik Reeli 
Published: May 2009

Abstract
This article discusses the two main Estonian voice constructions, the impersonal and the 'resultative′ passive, and their status in the grammatical system of Estonian. Both constructions are subject-oriented; however, the passive is a valence-reducing operation, while the impersonal merely constrains argument realization. Both constructions are subject to distinctive lexical, syntactic and semantic constraints. A comparison of the role of these constructions in Estonian demonstrates that passive constructions need not be treated as universal and that languages can employ different grammatical means to achieve very similar communicative results. The fact that impersonals in Estonian and in other languages are frequently misclassified as passives shows how typological biases can distort grammatical descriptions. The comparison of impersonals and passives in Estonian also shows how constructions can differ in terms of whether they are sensitive to subjects at 'logical′ or 'grammatical′ levels of analysis.
Pronouns and reference in Estonian
Authors: Pajusalu Renate 
Published: May 2009

Abstract
The article gives an overview of functions of Estonian frequent pronouns (demonstratives, personal, indefinite and quantificational pronouns) from typological point of view. Both deictic and anaphoric usages are discussed. The main purpose of the article is to present categories which influence the choice of a pronoun for the particular point of ongoing discourse. These categories are: activation status and animacy of the referent, pragmatic contrast, type of syntactic construction, definiteness/indefiniteness of the noun phrase, the status of the referred person in the ongoing narrative and pragmatic plenitude (for quantificational pronouns).
Taboo intensifiers as polarity items: evidence from Estonian
Authors: Kehayov Petar 
Published: May 2009

Abstract
This paper discusses the development of expressions such as who/God knows wh into negative degree adverbs in Estonian. The study provides an answer to the question of how certain negative polarity items emerge in a language. This question is rarely answered in the literature focused on polarity; hence, the case-study at hand is an attempt to contribute to the general understanding of the grammaticalization/lexicalization of polarity items. Two issues are studied in detail: first, the pragmatic prerequisites, and second, the structural idiosyncrasies triggering the lexicalization of these types of expressions into NPIs. The insights obtained allow challenging the view (see VON BERGEN & VON BERGEN 1993: 130) according to which the historical change in the meaning of the linguistic elements is not relevant for the synchronic description of polarity items.
Nonalbuminuric Renal Impairment in Type 2 Diabetic Patients and in the General Population (National Evaluation of the Frequency of Renal Impairment cO-existing with NIDDM [NEFRON] 11)
Authors: Thomas Merlin C. , MacIsaac Richard J. , Jerums George , Weekes Andrew , Moran John , Shaw Jonathan E. , Atkins Robert C. 
Published: May 2009

OBJECTIVE
Most diabetic patients with impaired renal function have a urinary albumin excretion rate in the normal range. In these patients, the etiology of renal impairment is unclear, and it is also unclear whether this nonalbumunuric renal impairment is unique to diabetes.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS
In this study, we examined the frequency and predictors of nonalbumunuric renal impairment (estimated glomerular filtration rate [eGFR] &lt;60 ml/min per 1.73 m2) in a nationally representative cohort of 3,893 patients with type 2 diabetes and compared our findings with rates observed in the general population from the Australian Diabetes, Obesity and Lifestyle Study (AusDiab) survey (n = 11,247).

RESULTS
Of the 23.1% of individuals with type 2 diabetes who had eGFR &lt;60 ml/min per 1.73 m2 (95% CI 21.8–24.5%), more than half (55%) had a urinary albumin excretion rate that was persistently in the normal range. This rate of renal impairment was predictably higher than that observed in the general population (adjusted odds ratio 1.3, 95% CI 1.1–1.5, P &lt; 0.01) but was solely due to chronic kidney disease associated with albuminuria. In contrast, renal impairment in the absence of albuminuria was less common in those with diabetes than in the general population, independent of sex, ethnicity, and duration of diabetes (0.6, 0.5–0.7, P &lt; 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS
Nonalbuminuric renal impairment is not more common in those with diabetes. However, its impact may be more significant. New studies are required to address the pathogenesis, prevention, and treatment of nonalbuminuric renal disease.
Multiple congenital urogenital abnormalities in a Tennessee Walking Horse colt
Authors: Waldridge B. M. , Lenz S. D. , Hudson J. , Rodriguez‐Hurtado I. 
Published: May 2009

SummaryA 9‐month‐old, Tennessee Walking Horse colt was examined for urinary incontinence. Cystoscopy revealed a single identifiable ureter that appeared abnormal, and sabulous urolithiasis. Only the left kidney, which appeared lobulated and hydronephrotic, could be located using ultrasound. Results of serum chemistries were consistent with renal failure. Necropsy revealed unilateral agenesis of the right kidney and ureter with severe left ureterolithiasis, bilateral cryptorchidism and segmental aplasia of the ductus deferens. Histopathological examination revealed cystitis and diffuse interstitial fibrosis of the left kidney. Congenital malformations should be included as differential diagnoses for urinary incontinence and urogenital disease. Ultrasonography and cystoscopy can be useful to diagnose suspected agenesis of the urinary system in adult horses.
Surgical correction of a medial patellar luxation in a foal using a modified recession trochleoplasty technique
Authors: Hart J. C. A. , Jann H. W. , Moorman V. J. 
Published: May 2009

SummaryA 24‐hour‐old male Shetland pony was presented for evaluation of unilateral hindlimb lameness of unknown duration. Physical and radiographic findings confirmed a diagnosis of medial luxation of the patella. A traumatic or congenital aetiology was suspected but could not be confirmed. Surgical correction of the luxation, using a modified recession trochleoplasty technique, was carried out. At 6 months follow‐up, no discernbile lameness could be observed. In the literature, descriptions of medially luxated patellae in equids are rare. Published reports describing the use of peri‐ and intra‐articular surgical techiques for the correction of luxated patellae in equids are widely available. The modified recession trochleoplasty employed in this case may offer advantages over previously published techniques.
Computed tomography in the diagnosis of malignant sinonasal tumours in three horses
Authors: Veraa S. , Dijkman R. , Klein W. R. , van den Belt A. J. M. 
Published: May 2009

SummaryMalignant tumours are uncommon in horses, but when they do occur, they are most frequently found in the head. Clinical findings, such as facial swelling and nasal discharge, are frequently encountered but are nonspecific. To highlight the usefulness of a computed tomography (CT) examination in malignancy in the equine head, this Case Report describes the CT features of a leiomyosarcoma, an osteosarcoma and a sarcoma in 3 horses. CT of the equine head was able to provide more information about the extent and severity of lesions than conventional radiography in these cases.
Infection of cerebrospinal fluid shunts in infants: a study of etiological factors
Authors: Pople Ian K. , Bayston Roger , Hayward Richard D. 
Published: May 2009

✓ The aim of this study was to find reasons for the high incidence of cerebrospinal fluid shunt infections seen in neonates. Four-hundred sixty-six consecutive shunt operations were analyzed retrospectively in 294 children, and 60 children were studied prospectively by quantitative sampling of skin bacteria before surgery and by sampling open wounds, shunt catheters, surgical gloves, and airborne bacteria. In total, 110 strains of coagulase-negativeStaphylococcusisolated from the skin of 53 children before surgery were then tested for bacterial adherence.Retrospectively, the infection rate for infants younger than 6 months old was 15.7% (28 of 178 procedures), compared with 5.6% (16 of 288 procedures) for older children (p = 0.0005). Of all infections, 67% were due to coagulase-negativeStaphylococcus.Age was the only major factor influencing the infection rate. Three of the 60 children studied prospectively developed postoperative shunt infections. All were younger than 6 months and all had high skin bacterial densities before surgery. Contamination during surgery was generally low, but correlated with the preoperative skin bacterial density. Strains of coagulase-negativeStaphylococcuswith high bacterial adherence were more commonly found in neonates than in older children.High skin bacterial density in neonates before surgery was a risk factor for infection in this study. These results also suggest that there is selection of more virulent strains of coagulase-negativeStaphylococcuson the skin of neonates. Prevention of shunt infections in this high-risk group could be facilitated by the reduction of skin bacterial density before surgery using chlorhexidine shampoos and by the elimination of contamination by skin bacteria during surgery using packs soaked in an antiseptic agent to isolate wound edges and glove-changing before handling the shunt.
Moderate head injury: a guide to initial management
Authors: Stein Sherman C. , Ross Steven E. 
Published: May 2009

✓ The purpose of this study is to determine the initial treatment of patients who appear to have sustained moderate head injuries when first evaluated. The authors reviewed the records of 341 patients whose initial Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) scores ranged from 9 to 12, as well as another 106 patients with GCS scores of 13. All patients underwent cranial computerized tomography (CT) at the time of admission.
In 40.3% of these patients the CT scans were abnormal (30.6% had intracranial lesions), and 8.1 % required neurosurgical intervention (craniotomies for hematoma in 12, elevation of depressed fractures in five, and insertion of intracranial pressure monitors in 19). Four patients died of their intracranial injuries. A similar incidence of lesions found on CT and at surgery suggests that an initial GCS score of 13 be classified with the moderate head injury group. Skull fractures were found to be poor indicators of intracranial abnormalities.
These results suggest that all patients with head injury thought to be moderate on initial examination be admitted to the hospital and undergo urgent CT scanning. Patients with intracranial lesions require immediate neurosurgical consultation, surgery as needed, and admission to a critical-care unit. Scans should be repeated in patients whose recovery is less rapid than expected and in all patients with evidence of clinical deterioration; this was necessary in almost half of the patients in this group, and 32% were found to have progression of radiological abnormalities on serial CT scans.
Classic, atypical, and anaplastic meningioma: three histopathological subtypes of clinical relevance
Authors: Maier Hans , Öfner Dietmar , Hittmair Anton , Kitz Klaus , Budka Herbert 
Published: May 2009

✓ This study correlates the histopathological classification of meningiomas with clinicopathological features of biological activity. A retrospective evaluation of 1799 surgical specimens of meningiomas from 1582 patients was made. The classic histopathological type, atypical meningiomas defined by increased cellularity and at least five mitotic figures in 10 high-power fields, anaplastic (malignant) meningiomas, and hemangiopericytic or papillary meningiomas were seen in 87.6%, 7.2%, 2.4%, and 2.8% of operations, respectively. The rates of recurrence in surgically treated patients with classic, atypical, anaplastic, and hemangiopericytic or papillary meningiomas were 6.96%, 34.6%, 72.7%, and 68.2%, respectively. The extent of surgery and the tumor size and site were studied in detail in 252 tumors of all histopathological types. Recurrences were rare in classic meningiomas after complete resection, whereas atypical and anaplastic tumors recurred after complete resection much more frequently. Classic meningiomas, hemangiopericytomas, and papillary meningiomas were smaller at surgery than atypical and malignant meningiomas. Atypical and malignant tumors were operated on more often in falcine and lateral convexity regions than were classic meningiomas.
To support the authors' subjective categorization by a quantitative parameter related to proliferation, 112 meningiomas comprising all histopathological subtypes were investigated for staining of argyrophilic nucleolar organizer region proteins (Ag-NOR's). The Ag-NOR counts showed significant differences between classic, atypical, and anaplastic tumors but no significant differences between primary and recurrent tumors. Hemangiopericytomas and papillary meningiomas had lower Ag-NOR values than anaplastic meningiomas.
A correlation of Ag-NOR numbers with the authors' histopathological scale of malignancy supports the introduction of atypical meningiomas with intermediate biological behavior on the classification scale between classic and anaplastic meningiomas. Overlapping of Ag-NOR numbers among all groups of malignancy may restrict the prognostic value of Ag-NOR counting in the individual case.
Seizure control after surgery on cerebral arteriovenous malformations
Authors: Yeh Hwa-shain , Tew John M. , Gartner Maureen 
Published: May 2009

✓ Prediction of seizure control after surgery on cerebral arteriovenous malformations (AVM's) is currently unavailable. Between 1982 and 1990, 54 patients (30 males, 24 females) with epilepsy caused by a supratentorial cerebral AVM, without prior manifestation of intracranial hemorrhage, were surgically treated. Patients ranged in age from 11 to 59 years at seizure onset and from 13 to 70 years at surgery; the duration of seizure history ranged from several months to 27 years. The AVM's were located in the temporal (17 cases), frontal (15), parietal (10), rolandic (two), and occipital (two) regions; eight were multilobular. All patients underwent preoperative electroencephalography, intraoperative electrocorticography, and total excision of the AVM; additional cortical excision was performed in 25 cases. Remote seizure foci were identified in the ipsilateral mesial temporal structure in 10 patients with AVM's located in the lateral or posterior temporal lobe and in one with an AVM in the anterior frontal region. Two patients required a second operation to remove a remote seizure focus. Among the 54 patients, there were no operative deaths. After surgical treatment, two patients developed hemiparesis, one had contralateral paresthesia of limbs, two suffered partial visual field defects, and five experienced temporary speech disturbances.
Postoperative results of seizure control during follow-up study (mean duration 4.8 years) were excellent in 38 patients (70.4%), good in 10 (18.5%), fair in five (9.3%), and poor in one (1.9%). Results appear to correlate with age at seizure onset, duration of seizures, location of lesions, and cortical excision. Excellent results were shown in 18 (60%) of 30 patients whose age at seizure onset was 30 years or less and in 20 (83.3%) of 24 whose age at seizure onset was greater than 30 years. Eighteen (90%) of 20 patients had excellent results when seizure duration was 1 year or less; only 25% of these underwent cortical excision. Twelve (71%) of the 17 temporal AVM's were associated with demonstrable epileptic foci. Secondary epileptogenesis can occur in humans with supratentorial cerebral AVM's; cortical excision in selected patients can improve the outcome of seizure control. Early surgery of a cerebral AVM in young patients presenting with epilepsy is an important consideration.