bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Metabolic outcomes of matched patient populations initiating exenatide BID vs. insulin glargine in an ambulatory care setting
Authors: Pawaskar M. , Li Q. , Hoogwerf B. J. , Reynolds M. W. , Faries D. , Engelman W. , Bruhn D. , Bergenstal R. M. 
Published: February 2012

Aim: This observational study evaluated the clinical effectiveness of exenatide BID (exenatide) vs. insulin glargine (glargine) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus in ambulatory clinical practice.Methods: Retrospective analyses were conducted using an electronic medical record (EMR) database among adult patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus initiating exenatide or glargine between 1 November 2006 and 30 April 2009. The cohorts were propensity‐score matched to control baseline demographics, clinical measures, health status and medication use. The changes from baseline to a 12‐month follow‐up period for A1C (primary outcome), weight, body mass index (BMI), blood pressure and lipid levels were compared between the matched cohorts using paired tests.Results: Propensity‐score matching between the exenatide (n = 4494) and glargine (n = 5424) cohorts led to 2683 matched pairs with comparable characteristics, including age, gender and baseline clinical values. The exenatide cohort achieved a greater mean reduction in A1C (−0.6% vs. −0.4%, p < 0.01), weight (−2.6 kg vs. −0.2 kg, p < 0.01), BMI (−0.8 kg/m2 vs. −0.04 kg/m2, p < 0.01) and systolic blood pressure (SBP) (−1.8 mmHg vs. −0.1 mmHg, p < 0.01) in the follow‐up period. The changes in diastolic blood pressure and lipid levels were not significantly different between cohorts.Conclusions: Compared to glargine, exenatide‐treated patients experienced significant reductions in A1C, weight, BMI and SBP. Acknowledging the limitations of observational research, exenatide showed greater clinical effectiveness than glargine from a large EMR database in the ambulatory care setting.
Mesothelioma of tunica vaginalis testis and asbestos exposure
Authors: Mensi Carolina , Pellegatta Marco , Sieno Claudia , Consonni Dario , Riboldi Luciano , Bertazzi Pier Alberto 
Published: February 2012

Study Type – Therapy (case series)Level of Evidence 4What's known on the subject? and What does the study add?Mesothelioma of the tunica vaginalis testis is a rare tumour.From 2000 to 2010, 13 mesothelioma of the tunica vaginalis testis cases were reported in the most populated and industrialized region in Italy.Asbestos exposure was documented in two‐thirds of these cases.OBJECTIVE
To describe cases of mesothelioma of the tunica vaginalis testis (MTVT) recorded in the Lombardy Mesothelioma Registry between 2000 and 2010.
METHODS
The Lombardy Mesothelioma Registry, established in 2000, collects data regarding all incident cases of mesothelioma of the pleura, peritoneum, pericardium and tunica vaginalis testis that have been diagnosed in the population of the Lombardy region.
These data include a detailed clinical report and a complete occupational history for each MTVT patient, with the latter including details of the industrial sector involved, the patient's job, and the specific tasks performed. To address the potential for asbestos exposure outside the work environment, the residential history, lifestyle habits and hobbies of the patient, as well as job information for all subjects living with the patient, are also collected.
Records were reviewed and discussed by a panel of experts.
RESULTS
Thirteen cases of MTVT were reported between 2000 and 2010.
The age‐standardized incidence rate of MTVT for the Lombardy region of Italy is 0.2 cases per million individuals/year.
Asbestos exposure was documented in 8 of the 12 (67%) interviewed cases.
CONCLUSIONS
Asbestos exposure was associated with a higher proportion of MTVT cases than previously reported in the literature. These results confirm the aetiological role for asbestos in the pathogenesis of MTVT.
The results of this study also highlight the importance of obtaining detailed occupational histories and lifestyle habits from patients, particularly by trained interviewers.
Maladaptively High and Low Openness: The Case for Experiential Permeability
Authors: Piedmont Ralph L. , Sherman Martin F. , Sherman Nancy C. 
Published: February 2012

AbstractThe domain of Openness within the Five‐Factor Model (FFM) has received inconsistent support as a source for maladaptive personality functioning, at least when the latter is confined to the disorders of personality included within the American Psychiatric Association's (APA) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM‐IV‐TR; APA, ). However, an advantage of the FFM relative to the DSM‐IV‐TR is that the former was developed to provide a reasonably comprehensive description of general personality structure. Rather than suggest that the FFM is inadequate because the DSM‐IV‐TR lacks much representation of Openness, it might be just as reasonable to suggest that the DSM‐IV‐TR is inadequate because it lacks an adequate representation of maladaptive variants of both high and low Openness. This article discusses the development and validation of a measure of these maladaptive variants, the Experiential Permeability Inventory.
Tokyo at 10: establishing difference through the friendship networks of women executives in Japan
Authors: HO SWEE‐LIN 
Published: February 2012

Despite a significant increase in the number of white‐collar female workers in post‐war Japan, scant attention has been paid to the importance of Japanese women's social relations that are work‐related, and unconnected to the family or the local community. This article examines how two groups of Japanese women with professional careers innovatively mobilize their after‐work friendship networks as a strategic site for mitigating the disappointing gaps between their expectations and actual experiences, and for negotiating a greater sense of self‐worth and self‐esteem. It argues that work‐related relations for women can prove rewarding in their own right, and that work can also shape their understandings of self and of friendships, as women respond to transformations to the broader social, economic, and political conditions that shape their experiences.RésuméMalgré l’augmentation significative du nombre de femmes parmi les employés « en col blanc » dans le Japon de l’après‐guerre, l’importance des relations sociales liées au travail et non à la famille ou à la vie de quartier de celle‐ci n’a guère suscité d’intérêt. Le présent article étudie la manière dont deux groupes de femmes actives japonaises mobilisent de façon novatrice leurs réseaux d’amitiés « d’après le travail » pour en faire un site stratégique où elles peuvent atténuer l’écart décevant perçu entre leurs attentes et leur vécu et négocier un sentiment amélioré de valeur personnelle et d’estime de soi. L’auteur avance que les relations de travail des femmes peuvent s’avérer gratifiantes par elles‐mêmes et que le travail peut modeler leur perception d’elles‐mêmes et de leurs amitiés, au fil des transformations des conditions sociales, économies et politiques générales qui façonnent leur vécu.
Adopting a New Religion: The Case of Protestantism in 16th Century Germany
Authors: Cantoni Davide 
Published: February 2012

AbstractUsing a dataset of territories and cities of the Holy Roman Empire in the sixteenth century, this article investigates the determinants of adoption and diffusion of Protestantism as a state religion. A territory’s distance to Wittenberg, the city where Martin Luther taught, is a major determinant of adoption. This finding is consistent with a theory of strategic neighbourhood interactions: introducing the Reformation was a risky enterprise for territorial lords and had higher prospects of success if powerful neighbouring states committed to the new faith. The actual spatial and temporal patterns of expansion of Protestantism are analysed in a panel dataset.
Subsidiarity: A Political and Legal Analysis
Authors: CRAIG PAUL 
Published: February 2012

AbstractThe concept of subsidiarity was a notable addition to the Maastricht Treaty when it was first introduced. It continues to be of political and legal significance in the post‐Lisbon world. This article considers subsidiarity from a political and legal perspective. It analyses the diverse rationales behind its inclusion in the Treaty, and the reasons why it has proven difficult to realize the objectives of subsidiarity. The focus then shifts to the legal dimension and considers the role played by the EU courts in monitoring subsidiarity and suggestions that the EU courts should review subsidiarity through a form of competence‐proportionality control.
Can the Politicization of European Integration be Reversed?*
Authors: DE WILDE PIETER , ZÜRN MICHAEL 
Published: February 2012

AbstractFollowing the failure of the Constitutional Treaty, executives of European Union (EU) Member States and the European Commission tried to take European integration as a political issue as much off the agenda as possible and limit involvement of citizens in EU decision‐making. This article assesses the viability of this attempt to combat politicization of European integration and comes to the conclusion that it is unlikely to succeed in the long run. Politicization, it is argued, is a direct consequence of the increasing authority of the EU. The executive response to reverse this trend, however, does not address its cause, but rather the intermediating factors in the form of political opportunity structure. Since the cause of politicization remains intact and intermediating factors are unlikely to be controlled by executives, this attempt to reverse politicization is not viable.
Spatial organization of the Pampas fox in a grassland relict of central Argentina: a flexible system
Authors: Luengos Vidal E. M. , Sillero‐Zubiri C. , Marino J. , Casanave E. B. , Lucherini M. 
Published: February 2012

AbstractThe Pampas fox (Pseudalopex gymnocercus) is a generalist South American canid that adapts well to the human‐dominated landscape of the Argentine pampas, which is largely converted to agriculture and pastures. However, little is known about its ranging behaviour and spatial organization in relict native grasslands. We captured and tracked 13 radio‐tagged adult foxes between December 1998 and June 2005 in Ernesto Tornquist Provincial Park, a protected area with a dense population of wild horses, an important food item for foxes. The home range of 10 adult males averaged 1.40 ± 0.96 km2 (mean ± sd; 95% minimum convex polygon, MCP) and was not significantly larger than that of three adult females, 1.20 ± 1.07 km2 (95% MCP). Evidence of individual's site fidelity over the study period is indicative of locally abundant food resources all year round. It is likely that the availability of horse carcasses is a main driver of the spatial organization of Pampas foxes in this population. Our population density estimate of 1.1–1.5 foxes per km2 falls within the know range of population densities for Pampas foxes, and was close to the upper limit, as also expected from an abundant and aggregated food resource such as horse carrion. Reduced hunting pressures, however, may also contribute to explain the relatively high population densities of foxes in this protected area.
Strontium ranelate rebalances bone marrow adipogenesis and osteoblastogenesis in senescent osteopenic mice through NFATc/Maf and Wnt signaling
Authors: Saidak Zuzana , Haÿ Eric , Marty Caroline , Barbara Alain , Marie Pierre J. 
Published: February 2012

SummaryWith aging, bone marrow mesenchymal stromal cell (MSC) osteoblast differentiation decreases whereas MSC differentiation into adipocytes increases, resulting in increased adipogenesis and bone loss. Here, we investigated whether activation of cell signaling by strontium ranelate (SrRan) can reverse the excessive adipogenic differentiation associated with aging. In murine MSC cultures, SrRan increased Runx2 expression and matrix mineralization and decreased PPARγ2 expression and adipogenesis. This effect was associated with increased expression of the Wnt noncanonical representative Wnt5a and adipogenic modulator Maf and was abrogated by Wnt‐ and nuclear factor of activated T‐cells (NFAT)c antagonists, implying a role for Wnt and NFATc/Maf signaling in the switch in osteoblastogenesis to adipogenesis induced by SrRan. To confirm this finding, we investigated the effect of SrRan in SAMP6 senescent mice, which exhibit decreased osteoblastogenesis, increased adipogenesis, and osteopenia. SrRan administration at a clinically relevant dose level increased bone mineral density, bone volume, trabecular thickness and number, as shown by densitometric, microscanning, and histomorphometric analyses in long bones and vertebrae. This attenuation of bone loss was related to increased osteoblast surface and bone formation rate and decreased bone marrow adipocyte volume and size. The restoration of osteoblast and adipocyte balance induced by SrRan was linked to increased Wnt5a and Maf expression in the bone marrow. The results indicate that SrRan acts on lineage allocation of MSCs by antagonizing the age‐related switch in osteoblast to adipocyte differentiation via mechanisms involving NFATc/Maf and Wnt signaling, resulting in increased bone formation and attenuation of bone loss in senescent osteopenic mice.
Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy in an Infant with Double Outlet Right Ventricle and Mechanical Dyssynchrony
Authors: ORTEGA MARTA , MERINO JOSE LUIS L. , BLANCO FERNANDO V. , GUTIÉRREZ‐LARRAYA FEDERICO 
Published: February 2012

Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy in an Infant.Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) is commonly used in adults with heart failure, poor left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), and wide QRS complex. CRT has rarely been applied in young patients. We report the case of a 10‐month‐old infant with congenital heart disease, postsurgical complete atrioventricular block, and severe refractory heart failure. The patient showed a significant clinical improvement and was withdrawn from the heart transplant list 2 months after epicardially established CRT. (J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol, Vol. 23, pp. 781‐783, July 2012)
The Importance of Mode of Birth After Previous Cesarean: Success, Satisfaction, and Postnatal Health
Authors: Shorten Allison , Shorten Brett 
Published: February 2012

Introduction: The recent National Institutes of Health consensus conference on vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC) recommended a focus on strategies that increase women's opportunities to make informed choices about VBAC. This study aimed to expand knowledge of women's experiences of planned VBAC by focusing on postnatal experiences of women who participated in an Australian birth‐after‐cesarean study.Methods: At 6 to 8 weeks after birth, 165 women who experienced childbirth after a previous cesarean rated satisfaction with their birth experiences using a 10‐point visual analogue scale, reported on postnatal health problems, and indicated whether they would make the same birth choice again.Results: Significant differences were found in satisfaction scores by mode of birth. Mean scores out of a possible score of 10 ranged from 8.86 for spontaneous vaginal birth, 7.86 for elective repeat cesarean delivery, 6.71 for emergency cesarean delivery, to 6.15 for instrumental vaginal birth (F= 5.33; P= .002). Mean satisfaction scores for spontaneous vaginal birth and elective repeat cesarean delivery were statistically higher than for instrumental vaginal birth and emergency cesarean birth. Women who experienced instrumental vaginal birth and emergency cesarean birth also reported a higher number of postnatal health‐related problems and were least likely to agree that they would make the same birth choice again.Discussion: Mode of birth was the most important determinant of postnatal satisfaction, postnatal health, and whether women felt they would make the same birth choice again. Clinicians, researchers, and policymakers should identify effective labor management practices that enhance women's opportunities to achieve spontaneous vaginal birth during planned VBAC.
The Retrospective Pre–Post: A Practical Method to Evaluate Learning from an Educational Program
Authors: Bhanji Farhan , Gottesman Ronald , de Grave Willem , Steinert Yvonne , Winer Laura R. 
Published: February 2012

ACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE 2012; 19:189–194 © 2012 by the Society for Academic Emergency MedicineAbstractObjectives:  Program evaluation remains a critical but underutilized step in medical education. This study compared traditional and retrospective pre–post self‐assessment methods to objective learning measures to assess which correlated better to actual learning.Methods:  Forty‐seven medical students participated in a 4‐hour pediatric resuscitation course. They completed pre and post self‐assessments on pediatric resuscitation and two distracter topics. Postcourse, students also retrospectively rated their understanding as it was precourse (the “retrospective pre” instrument). Changes in traditional and retrospective pre‐ to postcourse self‐assessment measures were compared to an objectives‐based multiple‐choice exam.Results:  The traditional pre to post self‐assessment means showed an increase from 1.9 of 5 to 3.7 of 5 (p < 0.001); the retrospective pre to post scores also increased from 1.9 of 5 to 3.7 of 5 (p < 0.001). Although the group means were the same, individual participants demonstrated a response shift by either increasing or decreasing their traditional pre to retrospective pre scores. Scores on the 22‐item objective multiple choice test also increased, from a median score of 13.0 to 18.0 (p < 0.001). There was no correlation between the change in self‐assessments and objective measures as demonstrated by a Spearman correlation of −0.02 and −0.13 for the traditional and retrospective pre–post methods, respectively. Students reported fewer changes on the two distracters using the retrospective pre–post versus the traditional method (11 vs. 29).Conclusions:  Students were able to accurately identify, but not quantify, learning using either traditional or retrospective pre–post “self‐assessment” measures. Retrospective pre–post self‐assessment was more accurate in excluding perceived change in understanding of subject matter that was not taught.
Ground Emergency Medical Services Requests for Helicopter Transfer of ST‐segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction Patients Decrease Medical Contact to Balloon Times in Rural and Suburban Settings
Authors: McMullan Jason T. , Hinckley William , Bentley Jared , Davis Todd , Fermann Gregory J. , Gunderman Matthew , Hart Kimberly Ward , Knight William A. , Lindsell Christopher J. , Miller Chris , Shackleford April , Brian Gibler W. 
Published: February 2012

ACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE 2012; 19:153–160 © 2012 by the Society for Academic Emergency MedicineAbstractObjectives:  ST‐segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) care is time‐dependent. Many STEMI patients require interhospital helicopter transfer for percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) if ground emergency medical services (EMS) initially transport the patient to a non‐PCI center. This investigation models potential time savings of ground EMS requests for helicopter EMS (HEMS) transport of a STEMI patient directly to a PCI center, rather than usual transport to a local hospital with subsequent transfer.Methods:  Data from a multicenter retrospective chart review of STEMI patients transferred for primary PCI by a single HEMS agency over 12 months were used to model medical contact to balloon times (MCTB) for two scenarios: a direct‐to‐scene HEMS response and hospital rendezvous after ground EMS initiation of transfer.Results:  Actual MCTB median time for 36 hospital‐initiated transfers was 160 minutes (range = 116 to 321 minutes). Scene response MCTB median time was estimated as 112 minutes (range = 69 to 187 minutes). The difference in medians was 48 minutes (95% confidence interval [CI] = 33 to 62 minutes). Hospital rendezvous MCTB median time was estimated as 113 minutes (range = 74 to 187 minutes). The difference in medians was 47 minutes (95% CI = 32 to 62 minutes). No patient had an actual MCTB time of less than 90 minutes; in the scene response and hospital rendezvous scenarios, 2 of 36 (6%) and 3 of 36 (8%), respectively, would have had MCTB times under 90 minutes.Conclusions:  In this setting, ground EMS initiation of HEMS transfers for STEMI patients has the potential to reduce MCTB time, but most patients will still not achieve MCTB time of less than 90 minutes.
Incidence of Immediate Hypersensitivity Reaction and Serum Sickness Following Administration of Crotalidae Polyvalent Immune Fab Antivenom: A Meta‐analysis
Authors: Schaeffer Tammi H. , Khatri Vaishali , Reifler Liza M. , Lavonas Eric J. 
Published: February 2012

ACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE 2012; 19:121–131 © 2012 by the Society for Academic Emergency MedicineAbstractObjectives:  Crotalidae polyvalent immune Fab (ovine) (FabAV) is commonly used in the treatment of symptomatic North American crotaline snake envenomation. When approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2000, the incidences of immediate hypersensitivity reactions and serum sickness were reported as 0.14 and 0.18, respectively. The objective of this meta‐analysis was to evaluate the incidence of immediate hypersensitivity reactions and serum sickness reported in studies of patients treated with FabAV therapy after North American crotaline envenomation.Methods:  The authors searched PubMed, Ovid MEDLINE, and EMBASE from January 1, 1997, to September 20, 2010, for English‐language medical literature and cross‐referenced bibliographies of reviewed articles. The published abstracts of the major toxicology conferences were also searched. All prospective and retrospective cohort studies with patients receiving FabAV therapy for North American crotaline envenomations were eligible for data abstraction. Two content experts reviewed full‐text articles and extracted relevant study design and outcome data. Proportions of immediate hypersensitivity and serum sickness for each study were analyzed in a random‐effects model to produce an overall estimate of immediate hypersensitivity and serum sickness incidence associated with FabAV administration.Results:  The literature search revealed 11 unique studies of patients who received FabAV that contained information on immediate hypersensitivity reactions and serum sickness. The meta‐analysis produced a combined estimate of the incidence of immediate hypersensitivity of 0.08 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.05 to 0.11) and a combined estimate of the incidence of serum sickness of 0.13 (95% CI = 0.07 to 0.21).Conclusions:  In this systematic literature review and meta‐analysis, the combined estimates of the incidence of immediate hypersensitivity reactions and serum sickness from FabAV in the treatment of symptomatic North American crotaline envenomations appear to be lower than previously reported, at 0.08 and 0.13, respectively.