bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Tumour length of the largest focus predicts prostate‐specific antigen‐based recurrence after radical prostatectomy in clinically localized prostate cancer
Authors: Mizuno Ryuichi , Nakashima Jun , Mukai Makio , Okita Hajime , Kosugi Michio , Kikuchi Eiji , Miyajima Akira , Nakagawa Ken , Ohigashi Takashi , Oya Mototsugu 
Published: April 2009

OBJECTIVETo investigate the possible significance of tumour dimensional variables, including maximum tumour diameter (MTD), maximum tumour area (MTA) and total tumour volume (TTV), with standard prognostic factors for predicting prostate‐specific antigen (PSA) recurrence after radical prostatectomy (RP).PATIENTS AND METHODSSerial whole sections of the prostate from 164 patients who had RP for localized prostate cancer were investigated. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used for univariate and multivariate analyses to test the relationships between biochemical failure and clinicopathological factors, including tumour dimensional variables. The results were analysed retrospectively to develop a prognostic factor‐based model for risk stratification.RESULTSIn the univariate Cox proportional hazard model, pathological T stage, Gleason score, perineural invasion, microvascular invasion, positive surgical margins, MTD, MTA and TTV were significantly associated with biochemical failure. In the multivariate Cox proportional hazard model using a stepwise inclusion of these factors, Gleason score, positive surgical margins and MTD were independent indices in association with biochemical failure. Using the three statistically significant variables, the relative risk of biochemical failure could be calculated.CONCLUSIONThese results imply that MTD is possibly one of the most important prognostic factors for predicting biochemical recurrence after RP. As calculating the MTD on the section a rapid, simple and objective method, it can be used instead of the TTV calculation. The prognostic factor‐ based risk stratification might help clinicians to predict biochemical failure after RP.
Impact of ethnicity on surgical margins at radical prostatectomy
Authors: Rabbani Farhang , Herran Yunis Luis , Vora Kinjal , Eastham James A. , Guillonneau Bertrand , Scardino Peter T. , Touijer Karim 
Published: April 2009

OBJECTIVETo determine if the rate of positive surgical margins (PSMs), and in particular apical PSMs, at radical prostatectomy (RP) for prostate cancer, is higher in African‐American (AA) than Caucasian men, given their often narrower and deeper pelvis.PATIENTS AND METHODSFrom 1999 to 2007, 3145 consecutive patients underwent RP, either open retropubic (RRP) or laparoscopic (LRP), with no previous treatment, by one of five surgeons. Multivariate logistic regression was used to determine the effect of ethnicity (AA vs Caucasian) on overall and site‐specific PSMs, adjusting for age, body mass index, RP approach (RRP vs LRP), surgeon, surgeon case number, year of surgery, preoperative serum prostate‐specific antigen level, specimen weight, estimated blood loss, pathological organ‐confined status, and pathological Gleason score.RESULTSIn all, 205 men were AA and 2940 Caucasian; PSMs were identified in 376 (12.0%) men, 35 (17.1%) in AA and 341 (11.6%) in Caucasian men. PSMs were identified at the apex in 148 (4.7%), the bladder neck in 29 (0.9%), posteriorly in 169 (5.4%), and anteriorly in 78 (2.5%) men. For apical PSM, ethnicity was a significant predictor, with an odds ratio of 1.76 (95% confidence interval 1.01–3.04, P = 0.045) for AA vs Caucasian, independent of pathological organ‐confined status and PSA level. Ethnicity was not a significant independent predictor of overall PSMs or PSMs at other sites (bladder neck, posteriorly, or anteriorly).CONCLUSIONSThe rate of apical PSMs, but not overall PSMs, at RP was higher in AA than Caucasian men, controlling for other covariates. Further investigation is necessary to determine if pelvic shape is responsible for this observation.
Outcomes of patients undergoing radical cystoprostatectomy for bladder cancer with prostatic involvement on final pathology
Authors: Barocas Daniel A. , Patel Sanjay G. , Chang Sam S. , Clark Peter E. , Smith Joseph A. , Cookson Michael S. 
Published: April 2009

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the impact of prostatic urothelial carcinoma (PUC) on survival of patients with bladder cancer undergoing radical cystoprostatectomy (RCP).PATIENTS AND METHODSFrom 1998 to 2005, 463 consecutive RCPs were performed for UC of the bladder. Patients with PUC at final pathology were grouped by route of prostatic invasion (bladder origin or prostatic urethral origin) and by depth of invasion (carcinoma in situ, ductal invasion, and stromal invasion). Univariate and multivariate survival analyses were performed.RESULTSIn all, 35% (162/463) of patients had PUC. The 3‐year overall survival (OS) was 58.2% for patients who did not have PUC, 59.2%, 51.7%, and 16.8% in order of increasing depth of prostatic invasion for patients with PUC of urethral origin, and 6.7% for patients with bladder‐origin PUC. Survival differed significantly between stromal and non‐stromal PUC (P < 0.001). Patients with PUC of bladder origin had a higher rate of positive lymph nodes (LNs) than patients with stromal PUC of prostate origin (74.3% vs 27.8%, P < 0.001), but survival was similar (P = 0.619). On multivariate analysis, age (P = 0.035), increasing bladder stage (P = 0.003), stromal invasion (P = 0.002) and positive LNs (P < 0.001) were predictors of poor OS.CONCLUSIONDepth of prostatic invasion correlates with outcome. While prostatic involvement originating in the bladder is associated with higher rates of positive LNs, survival is similar to patients with stromal involvement of urethral origin. Age, bladder tumour stage, prostatic stromal involvement and positive LNs predict adverse outcome. Our data support separate staging of the prostate in RCP specimens.
Vitamin D repletion does not alter urinary calcium excretion in healthy postmenopausal women
Authors: Penniston Kristina L. , Jones Andrea N. , Nakada Stephen Y. , Hansen Karen E. 
Published: April 2009

OBJECTIVETo evaluate, in a posthoc analysis of a previous study, whether vitamin D repletion in postmenopausal women with insufficient vitamin D increases urinary calcium excretion, as vitamin D therapy might contribute to hypercalciuria and calcium stones in susceptible individuals, and the effect of vitamin D on the risk of urolithiasis warrants attention.SUBJECTS AND METHODSWe recruited 18 women at ≥5 years after menopause who had vitamin D insufficiency (serum 25(OH)‐vitamin D, 16–24 mg/dL). We excluded women with a history of urolithiasis and kidney disease. Women had one calcium absorption study when vitamin D‐insufficient, received vitamin D therapy, and completed a second calcium absorption study when vitamin D‐replete. We fed subjects meals that mirrored the nutrient composition from self‐reported 7‐day diet diaries. To measure calcium absorption, we collected urine for 24 h during both visits.RESULTSWe achieved vitamin D repletion in all women (25(OH)‐vitamin D before and after treatment, 22 and 63 mg/dL, respectively; P < 0.001). The mean calcium intake was 832 mg/day. Residual urine specimens were available for 16 women, allowing a measurement of 24‐h urinary calcium. Calcium excretion did not change after vitamin D therapy (212 before vs 195 mg/day after; P = 0.60). Of four women with hypercalciuria (>247 mg/day), calcium excretion decreased in three (377–312 mg/day, not significant).CONCLUSIONVitamin D supplementation did not increase the urinary calcium excretion in healthy postmenopausal women. Many stone formers are at risk of premature bone loss, vitamin D insufficiency, or both. Based on the present results we suggest a study of patients with hypercalciuria and nephrolithiasis to determine the risks of vitamin D therapy.
Safety and efficacy of sildenafil citrate in treating erectile dysfunction in patients with combat‐related post‐traumatic stress disorder: a double‐blind, randomized and placebo‐controlled study
Authors: Safarinejad Mohammad Reza , Kolahi Ali Asgar , Ghaedi Gholamhossein 
Published: April 2009

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the safety and efficacy of sildenafil citrate for treating erectile dysfunction (ED) in patients with combat‐related post‐traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).PATIENTS AND METHODSIn all, 266 combat‐exposed war veterans with ED (aged 37–59 years) were recruited. They met the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders‐IV criteria for PTSD according to the Structured Clinical Interview for Patients, Investigator Version. The patients were also evaluated with the Clinician‐Administered PTSD Scale, both to establish the diagnosis of PTSD and to measure symptom severity. Only patients with psychogenic ED were included in the study. Patients with comorbid conditions (diabetes mellitus, hypercholesterolaemia, hypertension, Peyronie’s disease) and smokers of more than five cigarettes daily were excluded. The patients were randomly divided into a group of 133 who received 100 mg of on‐demand sildenafil 0.75–2 h before sexual stimulation, and 133 who received placebo. Patients were asked to use ≥16 doses or attempts at home. The efficacy of the treatments was assessed every four attempts during treatment, and at the end of the study, using responses to the 15‐question International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF), Sexual Encounter Profile diary questions 2 and 3, Erectile Dysfunction Inventory of Treatment Satisfaction questionnaire, patients’ event logs of sexual activity, and a Global Assessment Question about erections.RESULTSSildenafil did not produce significantly and substantially greater improvement than placebo in each of the primary and secondary outcome measures (P = 0.08). A normal EF domain score (≥26) at endpoint was reported by 13 (9.8%), and 11 (8.3%) of patients on the sildenafil and placebo regimens, respectively (P = 0.09). Patients treated with sildenafil had no statistically significantly greater improvement in the five sexual function domains of the IIEF questionnaire than those treated with placebo (P = 0.08). The incidences of treatment‐emergent adverse events were significantly greater in the sildenafil arm than in the placebo group (P = 0.01).CONCLUSIONSSildenafil is no better than placebo in treating PTSD‐emergent ED. Further randomized clinical trials are warranted in combat veterans and other populations with PTSD to better elucidate the role of phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors in treating PTSD‐emergent ED.
Longitudinal studies of time‐dependent changes in both bladder and erectile function after streptozotocin‐induced diabetes in Fischer 344 male rats
Authors: Melman Arnold , Zotova Elena , Kim Mimi , Arezzo Joseph , Davies Kelvin , DiSanto Michael , Tar Moses 
Published: April 2009

OBJECTIVESTo provide sensitive physiological endpoints for the onset and long‐term progression of deficits induced by diabetes mellitus (DM) in bladder and erectile function in male rats, and to evaluate parallel changes in urogenital and nerve function induced by hyperglycaemia over a protracted period as a model for chronic deficits in patients with diabetes.MATERIALS AND METHODSThe study comprised in 877 male, 3‐month‐old, Fischer 344 rats; 666 were injected intraperitoneally with 35 mg/kg streptozotocin (STZ) and divided into insulin‐treated and untreated diabetic groups. The rats were studied over 8 months and measurements made of both erectile and bladder function, as well as nerve conduction studies over the duration of the study.RESULTSThere was an early (first month) abnormality of both erectile and bladder function that persisted through the 8 months of the study. The erectile dysfunction was manifest as reduced intracavernous pressure/blood pressure ratio, and the bladder dysfunction as a persistent increase in detrusor overactivity with no detrusor decompensation. Insulin treatment prevented or modified the abnormality in each organ. Hyperglycaemia caused a progressive decrease in caudal nerve conduction velocity. The mean digital sensory and tibial motor nerve conduction velocity did not deteriorate over time. Correlation measurements of nerve and organ function were not consistent.CONCLUSIONSThe results of this extensive long‐term study show early and profound effects of hyperglycaemia on the smooth muscle of the penis and bladder, that were persistent and stable in surviving rats over the 8 months. The physiological changes did not correlate well with neurological measurements of those organs. Significantly, diverse smooth‐muscle cellular and subcellular events antedated the measured neurological manifestations of the hyperglycaemia by several months. Although autonomic diabetic neuropathy is a primary life‐threatening complication of long‐term diabetes in humans, this rat model of STZ‐induced diabetes showed that the rapid onset of physiological manifestations was based on many molecular changes in the smooth muscle cells in this model of type 1 DM.
Learning in virtual worlds: Using communities of practice to explain how people learn from play
Authors: Oliver Martin , Carr Diane 
Published: April 2009

AbstractAlthough there is interest in the educational potential of online multiplayer games and virtual worlds, there is still little evidence to explain specifically what and how people learn from these environments. This paper addresses this issue by exploring the experiences of couples that play World of Warcraft together. Learning outcomes were identified (involving the management of ludic, social and material resources) along with learning processes, which followed Wenger's model of participation in Communities of Practice. Comparing this with existing literature suggests that productive comparisons can be drawn with the experiences of distance education students and the social pressures that affect their participation.
Exploring the educational potential of virtual worlds—Some reflections from the SPP
Authors: Twining Peter 
Published: April 2009

AbstractThis paper describes and reflects on the development of the Schome Park Programme (SPP), which was established with the specific aim of extending our thinking about schome, which aims to be the optimal educational system for the 21st century.In an earlier stage of the Schome Initiative, it became clear that people find it almost impossible to break free from established conceptions of education. Open virtual worlds like Second Life® virtual world offer opportunities for people to have radically different ‘lived experiences’ of educational systems and thus seemed to be the ideal vehicle for exploring alternative models of education. The SPP therefore set out in late 2006 to use Teen Second Life® virtual world to support the development of the vision of schome, informed by current understandings about learning, pedagogy and the ‘tools’ available to us today.This paper provides an overview of the first three phases of the SPP and briefly outlines the research methodologies used within it. This leads into a discussion of the potential of virtual worlds to support pedagogical exploration, which in turn leads to consideration of three dimensions of practice that emerged from the SPP. These three dimensions, which correspond closely with a framework developed in post‐compulsory education, are illustrated by use of descriptions of activities and other data from the SPP. The paper concludes by raising questions about the extent to which pedagogical practices will change in the future as a result of the opportunities offered by virtual worlds.
Can Countries with Severe Labor Market Frictions Gain from Globalization?
Authors: Grieben Wolf‐Heimo 
Published: April 2009

AbstractThe interaction between increased Southern trade integration (globalization) and labor market frictions is analyzed in a dynamic general‐equilibrium North–South nonscale growth model with endogenous Northern innovation and endogenous Southern imitation. The qualitative employment, growth, and relative‐wage effects of globalization are shown to depend crucially on the degree of Northern labor market frictions. I demonstrate that only Northern countries with particularly large labor market adjustment costs for both firms and workers benefit from globalization in terms of permanently lower unemployment, temporarily faster growth, and permanently higher wages. This is because of the resulting general‐equilibrium feedback effects of Northern labor market frictions that deter Southern imitation incentives. The result does not imply the recommendation to increase Northern labor market rigidities, but it challenges the common belief that labor market flexibility helps Northern countries to better adjust to the “globalization threat” coming from the South.
THE WAGE–WAGE‐ . . . ‐WAGE–PROFIT RELATION IN A MULTISECTOR BARGAINING ECONOMY
Authors: Julius A. J. 
Published: April 2009

ABSTRACTThe equalization of profit rates across industries subject to firm‐level bargaining over wages generates an interindustry wage structure with higher wages in capital‐intensive sectors. The familiar inverse wage–profit relation gives way to a wage–wage‐ . . . ‐wage–profit surface on which the profit rate can vary directly with the wage paid in an individual industry. Institutional changes that decrease workers' bargaining power and increase the incomes of the unemployed tend to compress the wage distribution; these changes draw political support from cross‐class coalitions of low‐wage workers and capital‐intensive firms. Some capital‐using, labor‐saving technical changes that raise capitalists' profits in current prices lower the equilibrium profit rate.
COMPETITION IN PRODUCT DESIGN: AN EXPERIMENT EXPLORING INNOVATION BEHAVIOR
Authors: Cantner Uwe , Güth Werner , Nicklisch Andreas , Weiland Torsten 
Published: April 2009

ABSTRACTWe experimentally investigate competition for innovations in a patent race scenario. Pairs of subjects compete as seller firms on a duopoly market, investing in risky search. Successful innovations resulting thereof are rewarded via temporary monopoly rents. Classifying investor types reveals that most of them invest according to objective investment criteria, such as probability of search success and cash flow, as well as to non‐pecuniary criteria, such as intensity of competition and relative performance. For a minority, however, no such correlation is ascertained.
SCHLEIERMACHERIAN TRANSCENDENTAL SPIRITUALITY AND THE BOOK OF JOB
Authors: TURNBLOOM DAVID J. 
Published: April 2009

The Book of Job is certainly one of the most enigmatic and attractive books in all of the Hebrew Scriptures. As a masterfully written poem, Job utilizes imagery and metaphor in such a way as to leave even the secular reader in awe. It tells the story of a pious man who, through many sufferings, is tested by the Divine and sent on a spiritual journey which culminates in a face to face meeting with God. As a poem and as Scripture, Job has been the subject many interpretations over thousands of years. Often read as an insight into the mysteries of evil, innocent suffering, human nature, and the Divine, this piece of poetic Scripture has been the source of much debate and frustration among scholars and the faithful alike. It is not the purpose of this essay to attempt an overview of these various interpretations with the intention of settling upon one superior interpretation. Also, it is not the purpose of this essay to refute any previous interpretations. What I will offer is merely one interpretation among many – an interpretation which I hope might further, if only to the smallest degree, the significance of this great text for even one reader.This essay will take the theology of Friedrich Schleiermacher and, relying on an interpretation of Job given by Gustavo Gutierrez, offer a way of reading Job which leads to a transcendental spirituality. I will accomplish this in three parts: first, I will lay out certain Schleiermacherian concepts which advocate a form of transcendental spirituality; next, relying on Gutierrez's interpretation, I will draw parallels between Schleiermacher's concepts and the spiritual journey of Job; finally, I will show how the book of Job itself can be read as a tool for developing a transcendental spirituality within the reader. In the end, it will be clear that, without fear of ‘misinterpretation,’ the Book of Job can guide the reader to a transcendental spirituality.
Legal Tenure Security, Perceived Tenure Security and Housing Improvement in Buenos Aires: An Attempt towards Integration
Authors: VAN GELDER JEAN‐LOUIS 
Published: April 2009

AbstractThis article critically reviews several claims underlying different positions in the debate on tenure legalization and empirically investigates them in a low‐income settlement in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Even though both tenure legality, in the form of property titles, and perceived tenure security have separately been shown to influence housing improvement, most research has taken a relatively rudimentary approach to their measurement, and little work has been done to examine their interrelations. These issues are taken up in the present article in which the legal–illegal tenure dichotomy embedded in standard perspectives on legalization is broadened to include intermediate levels of legality and subsequently linked to a social psychological perspective on perceived tenure security. The question of to what extent property titles facilitate access to credit is also examined. The results show that tenure legality and perceived tenure security are in fact closely related in the settlement under study, as higher levels of legality also imply higher perceived tenure security. Furthermore, both tenure legality and perceived tenure security are significant predictors of housing improvement and, consequently, settlement development. There was, however, no relation between tenure legality and access to credit.RésuméCet article porte un œil critique sur plusieurs affirmations à la base d’opinions diverses dans le débat sur la légalisation du statut d’occupation, et les étudie de façon empirique dans le cas d’une implantation pour faibles revenus située à Buenos Aires. Même si on a montré indépendamment que la légalité de l’occupation, sous la forme de titres de propriété, et le sentiment de sécurité d’occupation ont influé sur l’amélioration des logements, la démarche adoptée pour mesurer ces deux aspects est restée relativement rudimentaire dans la plupart des recherches, l’examen de leurs interdépendances étant très largement ignoré. Ces aspects sont abordés ici en élargissant la dichotomie entre statut d’occupation légal‐illégal habituellement ancrée dans les points de vue sur la légalisation, afin d’inclure des niveaux intermédiaires de légalité, puis en l’associant à une perspective sociale psychologique sur le sentiment de sécurité d’occupation. Est aussi examinée la mesure dans laquelle la détention de titres de propriété facilite l’accès au crédit. Il en résulte que légalité et sentiment de sécurité d’occupation sont en fait étroitement liés dans l’habitat étudié, puisque des degrés de légalitéélevés impliquent un sentiment plus fort d’occupation sécurisée. En outre, légalité et sentiment de sécurité d’occupation sont deux indices importants d’amélioration de l’habitat et, par conséquent, d’aménagement du quartier. Toutefois, il n’est apparu aucun lien entre légalité d’occupation et accès au crédit.