bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Usefulness of transverse fundal incision method of cesarean section for women with placentas widely covering the entire anterior uterine wall
Authors: Nishida Ryutaro , Yamada Takahiro , Akaishi Rina , Kojima Takashi , Ishikawa Satoshi , Takeda Masamitsu , Morikawa Mamoru , Yamada Takashi , Minakami Hisanori 
Published: June 2012

AbstractAim:  To assess the usefulness of a new method for cesarean section (CS) that is comprised of a transverse incision into the uterine fundus, developed for women with placentas covering the entire anterior uterine wall, and introduced in September 2006.Material and Methods:  Review of medical records of 12 and 29 women who underwent CS by the new and conventional methods, respectively, for placenta previa, placenta accreta (accreta, increta and percreta) or placenta widely covering the entire anterior uterine wall in which placenta accreta cannot be excluded, between June 2003 and March 2011.Results:  Placenta accreta (67% [8/12] vs 10% [3/29], P = 0.0006) and cesarean hysterectomy (67% vs 10%) were significantly more frequent in the group with the new compared with the conventional method. There were no significant differences between groups with the new and conventional methods in amount of blood loss (1732 ± 1067 vs 1847 ± 1279 g, respectively), prevalence of blood loss >3000 g (8.3% vs 17%, respectively) or blood transfusion (92% vs 72%, respectively), time required for cesarean hysterectomy (210 ± 58 vs 195 ± 41 min), or neonatal conditions at birth. The amount of blood loss for cesarean hysterectomy was significantly less for the new than conventional method (1959 ± 1025 g vs 4450 ± 1145 g, P = 0.041).Conclusion:  The new method was superior to the conventional method with respect to reduction of blood loss during cesarean hysterectomy. However, careful observations are mandatory in women with preserved uterus with respect to a possible increased risk of uterine rupture in future pregnancies.
Preoperative differentiation between tumor‐related ovarian torsion and rupture of ovarian cyst preoperatively diagnosed as benign: A retrospective study
Authors: Shiota Mitsuru , Kotani Yasushi , Umemoto Masahiko , Tobiume Takako , Hoshiai Hiroshi 
Published: June 2012

AbstractIntroduction:  Patients with ovarian cyst sometimes present with acute abdomen caused by ovarian torsion or rupture, which are difficult to differentiate preoperatively. The purpose of this study was to determine preoperative features of patients with ovarian cyst that could be used in differentiation.Material and Methods:  Among 1723 patients with a preoperative diagnosis of benign ovarian cyst who underwent surgery between 1995 and 2010, 77 patients with ovarian torsion and 21 patients with ruptured ovarian cyst were retrospectively evaluated. The mean preoperative age, serum C‐reactive protein (CRP) level, white blood cell count, body temperature, cyst size, and rate of acute abdomen were compared between the two groups, and postoperative pathological data were also collected.Results:  There were significant differences between the torsion and rupture groups in the mean preoperative CRP levels (0.9 mg/dL vs 6.6 mg/dL, respectively; P < 0.01) and in the mean ovarian cyst sizes (9.7 cm vs 6.7 cm, respectively; P = 0.04).Conclusion:  In this study, the patients with ruptured ovarian cyst had elevated CRP levels. Another study has demonstrated that there was risk for necrosis in torsion patients with elevated CRP levels who presented more than 10 h after the onset of acute abdomen. Therefore, preoperative differential diagnosis between ovarian torsion and rupture may be possible by combining the findings from preoperative imaging, data on the time from onset of acute abdomen, and CRP values.
Sertoli‐Leydig cell tumor of the ovary: Analysis of a single institution database
Authors: Bhat Rani Akhil , Lim Yong Kuei , Chia Yin Nin , Yam Kwai Lam 
Published: June 2012

AbstractAim:  To evaluate the clinicopathological features, management, survival and prognostic factors of patients with Sertoli‐Leydig cell tumors of the ovary (SLCT) managed at a single institution.Material and Methods:  The clinical records of patients with Sertoli‐Leydig cell tumors of the ovary managed at the KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore, between October 1998 and December 2008 were reviewed. Data of pathological features, treatment given and progress on follow‐up was studied.Results:  Sertoli‐Leydig cell tumor of the ovary accounted for 1.3% of malignant ovarian neoplasms. The median age of the patient was 30 years. The most common mode of presentation was with hormonal‐related symptoms (80%) in the form of secondary amenorrhea, irregular menses and features of virilization. Thirteen of the 15 patients underwent surgical staging and all were found to have stage‐I disease at the time of diagnosis. Ten patients with intermediate and poorly differentiated tumors received adjuvant bleomycin, etoposide and cisplatin (BEP) chemotherapy. Recurrent disease was detected in two patients (13.3%) during a median follow‐up of 63 months, both of whom had poorly differentiated type of tumor. Both these patients underwent optimal debulking surgery followed by postoperative chemotherapy (BEP regimen). There were no disease ‐elated deaths and all patients were under complete remission at the last follow‐up.Conclusion:  As most Sertoli‐Leydig cell tumors of the ovary are seen in young women and detected while still in the early stages, a favorable outcome can be achieved by conservative surgery. Patients with moderate and poorly differentiated types of tumors benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy. Recurrences tend to occur early and are commonly seen in patients with poorly differentiated tumors.
Dissipative aspects in thermographic methods
Authors: CURÀ F. , GALLINATTI A. E. , SESANA R. 
Published: June 2012

ABSTRACTObject of this paper is to emphasize some dissipative aspects of steels in high cycle fatigue from the thermographic point of view by relating anelastic and microplastic behaviours to loading levels respectively below and above the fatigue limit. To this aim, the Two Curves Thermographic Method has been modified by using both a parabola and a power curve as regression laws instead of the traditional linear ones. Two new thermal parameters have also been considered, the thermal increment and the subtended area by the thermal profile at a very low number of cycles. Experimental data referred to C45 standard and 25CrMo4 notched steel specimens have been processed using both original and modified Two Curves methodologies and both traditional and new thermographic parameters. All changes introduced in the present paper provide good results both in terms of fatigue limit values and for as concerns the rapidity of the fatigue tests.
Women and young adults suffer most from other people's drinking
Authors: Huhtanen Petri , Tigerstedt Christoffer 
Published: June 2012

AbstractIntroduction and AimsResearch on alcohol‐related harm has predominantly focused on harm suffered by the drinker and priority has been given to health‐related harms. In comparison, studies on alcohol's harms to others than the drinker are scarce. This study sought to examine the human sufferings from other people's drinking both in the public and in the private sphere.Design and MethodsThe data of our study come from the Finnish Drinking Habits Survey carried out by face‐to‐face interviews from two separate simple random samples among Finns aged 15–69. In 2000 the response rate was 78% (n = 1932) and in 2008 74% (n = 2725).ResultsWomen experience much more negative consequences from others' drinking than men do in both public and private spaces. Regarding public places, people under the age of 30 experience harm most frequently. In the private sphere, harms experienced by women were more prevalent and more serious in character.Discussion and ConclusionsWomen carry a notably heavier burden of problems related to other peoples' drinking.
A Novel mCAD for pediatric metabolic brain diseases incorporating DW imaging and MR spectroscopy
Authors: Zarei Mahmoodabadi Sina , Alirezaie Javad , Babyn Paul , Kassner Andrea , Widjaja Elysa 
Published: June 2012

AbstractWith the increase in the number of identified rare diseases and the intricacy involved in diagnosis, as exemplified by metabolic brain diseases, the need for computerized diagnostic systems is inevitable. We propose a pilot computer‐assisted medical decision support system (mCAD) which tries to identify and further categorize these diseases, utilizing the information available from magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) and diffusion‐weighted imaging (DWI). In this study, we have utilized wavelets, fuzzy relational classifiers and a collection of signal/image processing routines to extract and to classify disease features. The combined MRS+ DWI system achieved a sensitivity (Se) and positive predictivity (PP) of 65.00% and 72.22%, respectively, in detecting seven categories of metabolic brain diseases. The combined MRS+ DWI system exhibits a 10% and 3.47% increase in Se and PP, respectively, in comparison to the system using only DWI information. It also increases the Se and PP of the system using only the MRS information by 15% and 22.22%, respectively.
Histological differentiation between palmoplantar pustulosis and pompholyx
Authors: Yoon S.Y. , Park H.S. , Lee J.H. , Cho S. 
Published: June 2012

AbstractBackground  Palmoplantar pustulosis (PPP) is a chronic and intensely inflammatory skin disease with pustules, erythema and scaling localized to the palms and soles. Pompholyx is characterized by recurrent crops of vesicles on the lateral aspects of the fingers and the palms and soles. Because both PPP and pompholyx share similar clinical and histological features, it is difficult to differentiate between these two diseases even for dermatologists.Objective  To compare the histological features of PPP and pompholyx and to analyse their clinical characteristics.Methods  The clinical history from 45 patients with PPP and 42 with pompholyx was evaluated. Among these patients, the punch biopsies from acute lesions of 40 PPP patients and 35 pompholyx ones were analysed, blind to the clinical diagnosis.Results  There was no sexual predilection in either group, and 65.5% of PPP patients had smoking history. About half of the patients had concomitant palmoplantar lesions in PPP and pompholyx respectively. In histological evaluation, loss of granular layer, suprapapillary plates thinning, eosinophils in the pustules or vesicles, tortuous capillaries, capillaries touching the undersurface of epidermis and extravasated erythrocytes were statistically significant features of PPP. Confluent parakeratosis, psoriasiform epidermal hyperplasia, clubbing and anastomosing of the rete ridges favoured PPP. Meanwhile, multiple foci of parakeratosis, irregular epidermal hyperplasia and thinning of rete ridges were more often observed in pompholyx. However, dyskeratotic cells, papillary dermal oedema, dilated capillaries and acrosyringium were not significantly different between the two diseases.Conclusions  Several histological features could serve as useful ‘clues’ to differentiate between PPP and pompholyx.
Masticatory loadings and cranial deformation in Macaca fascicularis: a finite element analysis sensitivity study
Authors: Fitton L. C. , Shi J. F. , Fagan M. J. , O’Higgins P. 
Published: June 2012

AbstractBiomechanical analyses are commonly conducted to investigate how craniofacial form relates to function, particularly in relation to dietary adaptations. However, in the absence of corresponding muscle activation patterns, incomplete muscle data recorded experimentally for different individuals during different feeding tasks are frequently substituted. This study uses finite element analysis (FEA) to examine the sensitivity of the mechanical response of a Macaca fascicularis cranium to varying muscle activation patterns predicted via multibody dynamic analysis. Relative to the effects of varying bite location, the consequences of simulated variations in muscle activation patterns and of the inclusion/exclusion of whole muscle groups were investigated. The resulting cranial deformations were compared using two approaches; strain maps and geometric morphometric analyses. The results indicate that, with bite force magnitude controlled, the variations among the mechanical responses of the cranium to bite location far outweigh those observed as a consequence of varying muscle activations. However, zygomatic deformation was an exception, with the activation levels of superficial masseter being most influential in this regard. The anterior portion of temporalis deforms the cranial vault, but the remaining muscles have less profound effects. This study for the first time systematically quantifies the sensitivity of an FEA model of a primate skull to widely varying masticatory muscle activations and finds that, with the exception of the zygomatic arch, reasonable variants of muscle loading for a second molar bite have considerably less effect on cranial deformation and the resulting strain map than does varying molar bite point. The implication is that FEA models of biting crania will generally produce acceptable estimates of deformation under load as long as muscle activations and forces are reasonably approximated. In any one FEA study, the biological significance of the error in applied muscle forces is best judged against the magnitude of the effect that is being investigated.
AKAP79/150 interacts with the neuronal calcium‐binding protein caldendrin
Authors: Gorny Xenia , Mikhaylova Marina , Seeger Christian , Reddy Pasham Parameshwar , Reissner Carsten , Schott Björn H. , Helena Danielson U. , Kreutz Michael R. , Seidenbecher Constanze 
Published: June 2012

J. Neurochem. (2012) 122, 714–726.AbstractThe A kinase‐anchoring protein AKAP79/150 is a postsynaptic scaffold molecule and a key regulator of signaling events. At the postsynapse it coordinates phosphorylation and dephosphorylation of receptors via anchoring kinases and phosphatases near their substrates. Interactions between AKAP79 and two Ca2+ ‐binding proteins caldendrin and calmodulin have been investigated here. Calmodulin is a known interaction partner of AKAP79/150 that has been shown to regulate activity of the kinase PKC in a Ca2+‐dependent manner. Pull‐down experiments and surface plasmon resonance biosensor analyses have been used here to demonstrate that AKAP79 can also interact with caldendrin, a neuronal calcium‐binding protein implicated in regulation of Ca2+ ‐influx and release. We demonstrate that calmodulin and caldendrin compete for a partially overlapping binding site on AKAP79 and that their binding is differentially dependent on calcium. Therefore, this competition is regulated by calcium levels. Moreover, both proteins have different binding characteristics suggesting that the two proteins might play complementary roles. The postsynaptic enrichment, the complex binding mechanism, and the competition with calmodulin, makes caldendrin an interesting novel player in the signaling toolkit of the AKAP interactome.
Synaptic cell adhesion molecule‐2 and collapsin response mediator protein‐2 are novel members of the matrix metalloproteinase‐9 degradome
Authors: Bajor Malgorzata , Michaluk Piotr , Gulyassy Peter , Kekesi Adrienna Katalin , Juhasz Gabor , Kaczmarek Leszek 
Published: June 2012

J. Neurochem. (2012) 122, 775–788.AbstractThe elucidation of entire sets of protease substrates (“proteodegradomes”) is important for understanding proteolytic pathways, their networks, and their role in the regulation of cell function. Matrix metalloproteinase‐9 (MMP‐9) is an extracellularly operating protease that is expressed and released in the brain in response to enhanced neuronal activity. Under physiological conditions, MMP‐9 is involved in neuronal plasticity, including long‐term potentiation, learning, and memory. This function may be related to its activity at the synapse. Under pathological conditions (e.g., during excitotoxicity, stroke, and traumatic brain injury), when the concentration of glutamate is persistently increased, MMP‐9 is detrimental to brain tissue. To assess the MMP‐9 degradome, we used synaptoneurosomal fractions isolated from the hippocampus of wildtype and MMP‐9 knockout mice. To induce MMP‐9 activity, the synaptoneurosomal fractions were treated with 50 μM glutamate for 30 min at 37°C. To investigate MMP‐9 targets, two‐dimensional fluorescence difference gel electrophoresis was performed. This approach enabled the accurate analysis of differences in protein abundance between samples. The differential spots that contained potential MMP‐9 substrates were excised from the gel, and proteins of interest were identified using mass spectrometry. Two novel MMP‐9 targets were identified: synaptic cell adhesion molecule‐2 and collapsin response mediator protein‐2. The MMP‐9‐driven processing of the newly identified substrates was confirmed by western blot in primary hippocampal neurons after stimulation with either N‐methyl‐D‐aspartate or glutamate or incubation with recombinant autoactivating MMP‐9 and use of a specific inhibitor.
European integration and electoral democracy: How the European Union constrains party competition in the Member States
Authors: NANOU KYRIAKI , DORUSSEN HAN 
Published: June 2012

AbstractThe assignment of policy competencies to the European Union has reduced the divergence of party policy positions nationally, leaving the electorate with fewer policy options. Building upon insights from spatial proximity theories of party competition, the convergence argument predicts convergence particularly in policy domains with increasing EU competence. As the policy commitments that derive from EU membership increase, parties become more constrained in terms of the feasible policy alternative they can implement when in office. The analysis uses manifesto data at the country‐party system level for nine policy domains. It uses ordinary least squares (OLS) estimation with country fixed effects, a lagged dependent variable and country corrected standard errors. Controlling for other factors that could plausibly explain policy convergence, the models also assess whether the convergent effect of party positions varies across different types of parties. The main finding is that in policy domains where the involvement of the EU has increased, the distance between parties' positions tends to decrease. The constraining impact of EU policy decisions differs between Member and non‐Member States. This effect is more apparent for the policy agendas of larger, mainstream and pro‐EU parties in the Member States.
Evaluation of single‐nucleotide polymorphisms as internal controls in prenatal diagnosis of fetal blood groups
Authors: Doescher Andrea , Petershofen Eduard K. , Wagner Franz F. , Schunter Markus , Müller Thomas H. 
Published: June 2012

BACKGROUND: Determination of fetal blood groups in maternal plasma samples critically depends on adequate amplification of fetal DNA. We evaluated the routine inclusion of 52 single‐nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) as internal reference in our polymerase chain reaction (PCR) settings to obtain a positive internal control for fetal DNA.STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: DNA from 223 plasma samples of pregnant women was screened for RHD Exons 3, 4, 5, and 7 in a multiplex PCR including 52 SNPs divided into four primer pools. Amplicons were analyzed by single‐base extension and the GeneScan method in a genetic analyzer. Results of D screening were compared to standard RHD genotyping of amniotic fluid or real‐time PCR of fetal DNA from maternal plasma.RESULTS: The vast majority of all samples (97.8%) demonstrated differences in maternal and fetal SNP patterns when tested with four primer pools. These differences were not observed in less than 2.2% of the samples most probably due to an extraction failure for adequate amounts of fetal DNA. Comparison of the fetal genotypes with independent results did not reveal a single false‐negative case among samples (n = 42) with positive internal control and negative fetal RHD typing.CONCLUSION: Coamplification of 52 SNPs with RHD‐specific sequences for fetal blood group determination introduces a valid positive control for the amplification of fetal DNA to avoid false‐negative results. This new approach does not require a paternal blood sample. It may also be applicable to other assays for fetal genotyping in maternal blood samples.
Trends in prevalence, incidence, and residual risk of major transfusion‐transmissible viral infections in United Arab Emirates blood donors: impact of individual‐donation nucleic acid testing, 2004 through 2009
Authors: Al Shaer Laila , AbdulRahman Mahera , John Thomas J. , AlHashimi Ali 
Published: June 2012

BACKGROUND: United Arab Emirates (UAE) has a heterogeneous population consisting of more than 160 nationalities and 85% of the population being non‐UAE. In 2007, Dubai Blood Donation Centre (DBDC), the major local supplier of blood in the UAE, introduced six‐minipool nucleic acid test (NAT) for hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which in 2008 upgraded to individual‐donation (ID)‐NAT. The aim of this study was to analyze the efficacy of the donor screening program in the UAE and evaluate the impact of NAT on the yield and residual risk of transfusion‐transmissible viral infections (TTVIs).STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: A total of 169,781 blood donations collected at DBDC between 2004 and 2009 were screened for TTVIs. During the period 2008 through 2009, a total of 59,283 donations were tested with both ID‐NAT and serologic assays. The incidence, prevalence, and residual risk for each viral agent were estimated and analyzed.RESULTS: The individual prevalences of HBV, HCV, and HIV per 100,000 donation were 234.4, 110, and 4, respectively. Calculated residual risk per million donations for HBV was decreased from 1.41 in pre‐NAT period to 0.92 in post‐NAT period. These figures were decreased for HCV and HIV from 1.73 and 0.39 to 0 and 0.32, respectively.CONCLUSION: Incidence rates and estimated residual risk indicate that the current risk of TTVIs attributable to blood donation is relatively low in the UAE. The study recommends the parallel use of both serology and ID‐NAT TTVIs screening in blood donations and suggests the exclusion of antibody to hepatitis B core antigen–positive donations as this can eliminate the potential infectivity of these units with marginal effects on the blood stock in UAE.