bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Emphysematous pyelonephritis
Authors: Ubee Sarvpreet Singh , McGlynn Laura , Fordham Mark 
Published: September 2010

Study Type – Therapy (case series)  Level of Evidence 4 What’s known on the subject? and What does the study add? Emphysematous pyelonephritis (EPN) is a severe necrotizing infection of the renal parenchyma. The clinical course of EPN can be severe and life‐threatening if not recognized and treated promptly. Most of the information has been from case reports, a few large series have also been reported. Using an evidence‐based approach, this review describes the pathogenesis, classification, complications, and management of EPN.Emphysematous pyelonephritis (EPN) is an acute severe necrotizing infection of the renal parenchyma and its surrounding tissues that results in the presence of gas in the renal parenchyma, collecting system, or perinephric tissue. The cause for mortality in EPN is primarily due to septic complications. Up to 95% of the cases with EPN have underlying uncontrolled diabetes mellitus. The risk of developing EPN secondary to a urinary tract obstruction is about 25–40%. There are three classifications of EPN based on radiological findings. Acute renal failure, microscopic or macroscopic haematuria, severe proteinuria are other positive findings in EPN. Escherichia coli is the most common causative pathogen with the organism isolated on urine or pus cultures in nearly 70% of the reported cases.A plain radiograph shows an abnormal gas shadow in the renal bed raising the suspicion whereas an ultrasound scan or computed tomography (CT) will confirm the presence of intra‐renal gas thus supporting the diagnosis of EPN. Gas may extend beyond the site of inflammation to the sub capsular, perinephric and pararenal spaces. In some cases, gas was found to be extending into the scrotal sac and spermatic cord.Subsequent case studies have shown patients being successfully treated with PCD when used in addition to medical management, with significant reduction in the morality rates. PCD should be performed on patients who have localized areas of gas and functioning renal tissue is present. The treatment strategies include MM alone, PCD plus MM, MM plus emergency nephrectomy, and PCD plus MM plus emergency nephrectomy. In small proportion of patients managed with MM and PCD, subsequent nephrectomy will be required and in these patients the reported mortality is 6.6% Nephrectomy in patients with EPN can be simple, radical or laparoscopic.
Linagliptin (BI 1356), a potent and selective DPP‐4 inhibitor, is safe and efficacious in combination with metformin in patients with inadequately controlled Type 2 diabetes
Authors: Forst T. , Uhlig‐Laske B. , Ring A. , Graefe‐Mody U. , Friedrich C. , Herbach K. , Woerle H.‐J. , Dugi K. A. 
Published: September 2010

Diabet. Med. 27, 1409–1419 (2010)AbstractAims  The efficacy and safety of the dipeptidyl peptidase‐4 inhibitor, linagliptin, added to ongoing metformin therapy, were assessed in patients with Type 2 diabetes who had inadequate glycaemic control (HbA1c≥ 7.5 to ≤ 10%; ≥58.5 to ≤85.8 mmol/mol) with metformin alone.Methods  Patients (n = 333) were randomized to receive double‐blind linagliptin (1, 5 or 10 mg once daily) or placebo or open‐label glimepiride (1–3 mg once daily). The primary outcome measure was the change from baseline in HbA1c at week 12 in patients receiving combination therapy compared with metformin alone.Results  Twelve weeks of treatment resulted in a mean (sem) placebo‐corrected lowering in HbA1c levels of 0.40% (± 0.14); 4.4 mmol/mol (± 1.5) for 1 mg linagliptin, 0.73% (± 0.14); 8.0 mmol/mol (± 1.5) for 5 mg, and 0.67% (± 0.14); 7.3 mmol/mol (± 1.5) for 10 mg. Differences between linagliptin and placebo were statistically significant for all doses (1 mg, P = 0.01; 5 mg and 10 mg, P < 0.0001). The change in mean (sem) placebo‐corrected HbA1c from baseline was −0.90% (± 0.13); −9.8 mmol/mol (± 1.4) for glimepiride. Adjusted and placebo‐corrected mean changes in fasting plasma glucose were −1.1 mmol/l for linagliptin 1 mg (P = 0.002), −1.9 mmol/l for 5 mg and −1.6 mmol/l for 10 mg (both P < 0.0001). One hundred and six (43.1%) patients reported adverse events; the incidence was similar across all five groups. There were no hypoglycaemic events for linagliptin or placebo, whereas three patients (5%) receiving glimepiride experienced hypoglycaemia.Conclusions  The addition of linagliptin to ongoing metformin treatment in patients with Type 2 diabetes was well tolerated and resulted in significant and clinically relevant improvements in glycaemic control, with 5 mg linagliptin being the most effective dose.
Perceptions of discriminatory treatment by staff as predictors of drug treatment completion: Utility of a mixed methods approach
Authors: BRENER LOREN , VON HIPPEL WILLIAM , VON HIPPEL COURTNEY , RESNICK ILYSE , TRELOAR CARLA 
Published: September 2010

Abstract
Introduction and Aims. Staff interactions with their clients are an important factor in the quality of care that is provided to people in drug treatment. Yet there is very little research that addresses staff attitudes or clients' perceptions of discrimination and prejudice by staff with regard to treatment outcomes. This research aimed to assess whether perceptions of discrimination by staff predict drug treatment completion. Design and Methods. The study used a mixed methods approach. Ninety‐two clients in residential rehabilitation facilities in Sydney were administered a series of quantitative measures assessing drug history, severity of drug use, treatment history, perceptions of staff discrimination and treatment motivation. Clients were followed up regularly until an outcome (dropout or completion) was obtained for the full sample. Results. Perceptions of discrimination were a significant predictor of treatment completion, with greater perceived discrimination associated with increased dropout. Qualitative interviews with 13 clients and eight health‐care workers from these treatment services were then conducted to gain insight into how perceived discrimination may impact on treatment experiences. Clients and staff discussed how they would address the issue of perceived discrimination during the current treatment experience. Discussion and Conclusions. Adopting a mixed methods approach facilitated exploration of the impact of perceived discrimination on treatment from both clients' and health‐care workers' perspectives. This methodology may also enhance interpretation and utilisation of these findings in drug treatment.[Brener L, von Hippel W, von Hippel C, Resnick I, Treloar C. Perceptions of discriminatory treatment by staff as predictors of drug treatment completion: Utility of a mixed methods approach. Drug Alcohol Rev 2010;29;491–497]
Representing nursing knowledge on maternal and neonatal health: a study on the cultural suitability of ICNP®
Authors: Cardoso A. , Paiva e Silva A. 
Published: September 2010

Cardoso A. & Paiva e Silva A. (2010) Representing nursing knowledge on maternal and neonatal health: a study on cultural suitability of ICNP®. International Nursing ReviewPurpose:  The purpose of this study was to explore the representation of knowledge among nurses and midwives in a maternal and obstetrics setting, in a hospital in northern Portugal. The research had two main objectives: to contribute to the identification and definition of concepts that represent nursing knowledge in obstetrics and to participate in the validation of the International Classification for Nursing Practice (ICNP)®.Methods:  Using a qualitative approach, the study was designed in three phases. The first phase aimed to identify the terms and expressions used by nurses in nursing documentation and oral report, using document analysis, observation and interview as data collection methods. The second phase intended to determine which terms and expressions corresponded to ICNP® concepts. The third phase aimed to analyse the definition of some ICNP® concepts. In both the second and third phases, a consensus approach was used based on the Delphi Technique. ICNP® concepts were identified from the words and expressions used by nurses and midwives to describe their practice.Results:  The results of this study suggested modifications on some ICNP® concept definitions, namely burping, bonding, mother–child attachment, infant sucking, false labour pain, aborting, and uterine contraction; and the inclusion of specific characteristics in others, i.e. uterine expulsion, breast engorgement, colic, and hunger. New ICNP® concepts were also suggested, specifically mother–foetal attachment, uterine contraction after labour, pain after labour and foetal well‐being.Conclusion:  The study confirmed that ICNP® is an important instrument to identify the concepts needed to describe mother and child needs during the perinatal period.
Individualised care and the professional practice environment: nurses’ perceptions
Authors: Charalambous A. , Katajisto J. , Välimäki M. , Leino‐Kilpi H. , Suhonen R. 
Published: September 2010

CHARALAMBOUS A., KATAJISTO J., VÄLIMÄKI M., LEINO‐KILPI H. & SUHONEN R. (2010) Individualised care and the professional practice environment: nurses’ perceptions. International Nursing ReviewAim:  To describe individualised care and the professional practice environment from nurses’ point of view and to explore the associations between them.Background:  There is an increasing emphasis on individualised nursing care within the literature and the health‐care context. Preliminary evidence suggests that the implementation of individualised care is associated with the practice style of care, work organization and the practice environment.Methods:  An exploratory correlational survey was used. Data were collected using the Individualised Care Scale and Revised Professional Practice Environment instruments from nurses and nurse managers (n = 207, response rate 59%) working in in‐patient wards of three acute hospitals’ 13 different units in Finland in 2008. Data were analysed based on descriptive statistics and Spearman's rho correlations.Findings:  Nurses perceived that they generally support patient individuality and that the care they provided was individualised. Nurses’ perceptions about the support of individuality and views on individuality of care provided were associated with handling conflict, work motivation, control over practice, leadership and autonomy, relationships with physicians and cultural sensitivity.Discussion:  The findings support the perception that individualised care and the professional practice environment are associated. There is a need for further studies to examine these associations more closely. Manipulating aspects of the environment may possibly be used to increase the ability of the nurses to provide individualised care. Patient perspectives should be included in future studies. Because of the national data, the results are indicative only.Conclusions:  The recognition of the associations between individualised care and professional practice environment elements may help to develop individualised clinical nursing care.
Pricing of off‐balance sheet debt: how do bond market participants use the footnote disclosures on operating leases and postretirement benefit plans?
Authors: Sengupta Partha , Wang Zheng 
Published: September 2010

AbstractIn this study, we examine whether the public debt market prices information on off‐balance sheet debt arising from operating leases and postretirement plans. We find that bond‐rating agencies price off‐balance sheet debt arising from operating leases and the coefficient on off‐balance sheet debt measure of operating leases is similar to that of capital leases on the balance sheet. Regarding postretirement benefit plans, we find that bond‐rating agencies do price postretirement benefit obligations that are reported in balance sheet but do not price such obligations disclosed in footnotes. We find similar results when we examine corporate bond yields on new debt issues.
Rational early exercise of call options: Australian evidence
Authors: Phang Grace , Brown Rob 
Published: September 2010

Abstract Alpert (2010) develops a detailed analysis of the conditions for rational early exercise of call options in the presence of taxes. Using Alpert’s analysis as the theoretical framework, we examine the early exercise of call options in Australia over the period from 1 January 2001 to 30 June 2008. We find that exercises occurring on the last cum‐dividend trading day can be fully explained by non‐tax reasons, whilst taxation is a potential explanation for a large proportion of the early exercises that occur at other times.
A SEMIPARAMETRIC BAYESIAN APPROACH TO MULTIVARIATE LONGITUDINAL DATA
Authors: Ghosh Pulak , Hanson Timothy 
Published: September 2010

SummaryWe extend the standard multivariate mixed model by incorporating a smooth time effect and relaxing distributional assumptions. We propose a semiparametric Bayesian approach to multivariate longitudinal data using a mixture of Polya trees prior distribution. Usually, the distribution of random effects in a longitudinal data model is assumed to be Gaussian. However, the normality assumption may be suspect, particularly if the estimated longitudinal trajectory parameters exhibit multi‐modality and skewness. In this paper we propose a mixture of Polya trees prior density to address the limitations of the parametric random effects distribution. We illustrate the methodology by analysing data from a recent HIV‐AIDS study.
Debt Stabilizing Fiscal Rules
Authors: MICHEL PHILIPPE , VON THADDEN LEOPOLD , VIDAL JEAN‐PIERRE 
Published: September 2010

AbstractUnstable government debt dynamics can typically be stabilized around a certain target level of debt by adjustments in various fiscal instruments, like government spending, transfers, or taxes. This paper investigates properties of debt stabilizing rules which link the needed budgetary adjustments to the state of the economy. The paper establishes that the magnitude of the target level of long‐run debt is a key determinant of whether it is possible to find a rule of this type that can be implemented under all available fiscal instruments. Specifically, considering linear feedback rules, the paper demonstrates that there may well exist a critical target level of debt beyond which this is no longer possible. From an applied perspective, this finding is of particular relevance in the context of a monetary union with decentralized fiscal policies. Depending on the target level of debt, there might be a conflict between a common fiscal framework that tracks deficit developments as a function of the state of the economy and the unrestricted choice of fiscal policy instruments at the national level.
A Markov Process for Circular Data
Authors: Kato Shogo 
Published: September 2010

SummaryWe propose a discrete time Markov process which takes values on the unit circle. Some properties of the process, including the limiting behaviour and ergodicity, are investigated. Many computations associated with this process are shown to be greatly simplified if the variables and parameters of the model are represented in terms of complex numbers. A further discussion is given on some submodels, in particular on the stationary process. The proposed model is compared with some existing Markov processes for circular data. Some statistical issues of the model, such as statistical inference, model selection and diagnostic checks, are considered. Finally, an application of the model to wind direction data is provided.
EBION AT THE BARRICADES: MORAL NARRATIVE AND POST‐CHRISTIAN CATHOLIC THEOLOGY
Authors: BARNES MICHEL RENÉ 
Published: September 2010

AbstractMy task in this article is to explore the question of the “place” of moral questions—questions of good and evil—in Christian faith, “faith” here being considered particularly as the content or narrative of belief. The thesis I will argue is that Christianity offers no substantial account or explanation of the origin(s) and nature of evil, that in a fundamental way Christianity is not concerned with offering such accounts, and that when the task of supplying accounts of the origin(s) and nature of evil is made central to the content or narrative of Christian faith that faith is made false: it is misunderstood.
RECONSIDERING BARTH'S REJECTION OF PRZYWARA'S ANALOGIA ENTIS
Authors: JOHNSON KEITH L. 
Published: September 2010

AbstractMany interpreters argue that Barth's rejection of Erich Przywara's analogia entis is based upon a misinterpretation and that Barth actually incorporated a form of the analogia entis into his mature theology. Through an examination of records from Przywara's visit to Barth's seminar on Thomas Aquinas at the University of Münster in 1929 along with key texts from that period, I argue that Barth did not reject the analogia entis because he misinterpreted it. Rather, he did so on the basis of an accurate account of its meaning and content provided to him personally by Przywara. I also argue that, while Barth's response to the analogia entis did change over the course of his career, he never retracted, either explicitly or implicitly, his rejection of it—nor should he have done so.
PRIVATE POLICING AND PRIVATE ROADS: A COASIAN APPROACH TO DRUNK‐DRIVING POLICY
Authors: Benson Bruce L. 
Published: September 2010

Alcohol‐related traffic accidents are externalities, not because of drinking, but because of relatively free access to public roads. Access limits are Coasian (property‐rights) policies, but more effective limits will arise if road owners are liable for failing to provide safe roads. This can be achieved by privatising roads, thereby creating strong incentives to employ innovative private traffic policing.
The operation and management of agency workers in conditions of vulnerability
Authors: McKay Sonia , Markova Eugenia 
Published: September 2010

ABSTRACTThis article focuses on the operation and management of agency labour by employers and observes that there are strong contradictions between the employers' stated reasons for using agency labour and the employment agencies' perceptions of why such labour is utilised. While discussing agency labour generally, the article also takes account of the position of migrant workers within the agency sector, since agencies have represented a significant route into employment for migrant labour. It draws primarily on 22 in‐depth interviews with employers and employment agencies mainly in the food processing, cleaning and care sectors. The research revealed that while some employers were using agency staff to cover for specific peaks in production, others had used it as an alternative method of dealing with vacancies that otherwise might have resulted in permanent employment.
Novel biologic therapies in development targeting IL‐12/IL‐23
Authors: Van De Kerkhof PCM 
Published: September 2010

AbstractRecent research has identified the importance of interleukin 12 (IL)‐12 and IL‐23 in the immunopathogenesis of psoriasis. The p40 subunit common to IL‐12 and IL‐23 is an attractive target for selective therapy. Clinical study data are available for two anti‐IL‐12/23 therapies: ustekinumab (CNTO 1275, approved in 2009 for treatment of plaque psoriasis) and ABT‐874. The Phase 3 clinical trials PHOENIX 1 and PHOENIX 2 have shown significant benefit for ustekinumab in moderate‐to‐severe plaque psoriasis, with PASI 75 response rates ranging from 66% at week 12 (after two injections) and rising to 85% at week 24 (after three injections). Withdrawal of treatment led to a gradual return of psoriasis whereas continued therapy every 12 weeks with ustekinumab maintained PASI 75 response. Analysis of safety data demonstrated a safety profile similar to placebo at week 12 and did not reveal any major safety concerns in blocking IL‐12 and IL‐23 for periods as long as 18 months. Phase 2 data indicate that ABT‐874 is also efficacious in the treatment of moderate‐to‐severe plaque psoriasis across a range of dosing strategies.
Trends in the incidence of basal cell carcinoma by histopathological subtype
Authors: Arits AHMM , Schlangen MHJ , Nelemans PJ , Kelleners‐Smeets NWJ 
Published: September 2010

AbstractBackground  As a result of the high prevalence, basal cell carcinoma (BCC) causes a significant and expensive health care problem.Objective  In this study, we evaluate the proportional increase in BCC by histological subtype over the last two decades.Methods  We retrospectively reviewed all primary histological confirmed BCCs diagnosed in the Maastricht University Medical Centre in The Netherlands in the years 1991, 1999 and 2007.Results  An annual increase of the number of BCCs of 7% for both genders was shown. The age‐standardized incidence rates for BCC increased between 1991 and 2007 from 54.2 to 162.1 per 100 000 men and from 61.7 to 189.8 per 100 000 women. The proportion of superficial BCC increased significantly from 17.6% to 30.7%.Conclusion  The incidence of BCC is continuing to increase this century. The observed shift to the superficial histological subtype, which can be treated non‐surgically, might reduce the workload in the busy dermatologists practice.
Different phenotypes of segmental vitiligo based on a clinical observational study
Authors: van Geel N , De Lille S , Vandenhaute S , Gauthier Y , Mollet I , Brochez L , Lambert J 
Published: September 2010

AbstractBackground  Segmental vitiligo and generalized vitiligo are in general considered separate entities. However, clinico‐epidemiological data on segmental vitiligo are scarce compared with those of generalized vitiligo.Objective  To analyse the clinical profile and distribution pattern of lesions in segmental vitiligo patients.Methods  Segmental vitiligo patients were examined and questioned in a prospective and retrospective setting. The distribution and extent of the lesions were evaluated using clinical photographs.Results  Different phenotypes of segmental vitiligo were found, including the unilateral segmental type (124 patients; group 1), the bilateral segmental type (three patients; group 2) and the mixed segmental and generalized type (14 patients; group 3). Furthermore, lesions were present with (10%) or without associated halo naevi. The age of onset of segmental vitiligo (median 14 years) was significantly different between the three subgroups (P = 0.028). Extensive involvement of segmental vitiligo lesions on trunk and extremities was significantly (P = 0.031) more observed in patients with a lower age of onset, while the generalized vitiligo lesions in the mixed vitiligo group were mostly very mild. Associated autoimmune diseases were reported in 11%, whereas a positive family history for vitiligo was present in 14.9% of patients. Lesions were not strictly dermatomal nor Blaschkolinear, although a typical recurring pattern could be observed.Conclusion  Our data provide clinical evidence that segmental vitiligo and generalized vitiligo are parts of the same disease spectrum and that segmental vitiligo could have a polygenetic background as well. Whether different aetiopathological mechanisms underlie the different clinical phenotypes of segmental vitiligo remain to be elucidated.