bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Butterfly-Needle Video-Assisted Thoracoscopic Segmentectomy
Authors: Kamiyoshihara Mitsuhiro , Kakegawa Seiichi , Ibe Takashi , Takeyoshi Izumi 
Published: November 2009

Objective A pulmonary segmentectomy is requires the identification of the segmental planes, making it technically more difficult than a lobectomy. Therefore, we present a new method that uses a butterfly needle to distinguish the intersegmental plane under video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS). Methods From May 2005 to August 2008, 15 patients underwent anatomic segmentectomy using VATS. In this approach, a working port 4 to 7 cm in length was made in the fifth intercostal space. Additional 1.2-cm thoracic ports were made in the seventh intercostal space on the anterior axillary line and the ninth intercostal space on the posterior axillary line. Each segment was selectively isolated, and the targeted bronchovascular pedicle was divided. For the segmentectomy, the lung was deflated, and the pulmonary artery and vein to the involved segment were divided. The segmental bronchus was divided using a stapling device. Using a butterfly needle, oxygen/air (1–2 L) was used to inflate the involved segment, and the involved segment was severed and removed using electrocautery or a stapling device. The raw surface was covered with an absorbable sealing material such as polyglycolic acid to prevent air leaks. Results Using this method, apical segment of the right upper lobe (S1), apical posterior segment of the left upper lobe (S1 + 2), upper division, and posterior segment of the right upper lobe (S2), superior segment of the right or left lower lobe (S6), and basal segmentectomies could be performed with VATS. However, the technique did not work in one patient with severe emphysematous changes, because the plane was not readily identifiable. Conclusions Butterfly-needle video-assisted segmentectomy is a useful technique. Selective segmental inflation allows the intersegmental plane to be identified completely under the surgeon's control, eliminating the need for an anesthesiologist to pass a bronchoscope or insufflate the lung in a particular manner.
Clinical Results of Minimally Invasive Mitral Valve Surgery
Authors: Ius Fabio , Mazzaro Enzo , Tursi Vincenzo , Guzzi Giorgio , Spagna Enrico , Vetrugno Luigi , Bassi Flavio , Livi Ugolino 
Published: November 2009

Objective This study was carried out with the aim of presenting our experience with minimally invasive mitral surgery and compare the endoaortic clamp with the external aortic clamp (EAC) techniques. Methods Between December 2002 and May 2009, 139 patients (75 men, aged 63 ± 11 years) underwent video-assisted mitral valve surgery through right thoracotomy. Twelve (9%) patients were operated without clamping the aorta, 32 (23%) patients (group A) were operated on by using the endoaortic clamp, and 95 (68%) patients were operated on by using the EAC (group B). There was no significant difference between groups A and B regarding preoperative variables. Results Intraoperative procedure-associated problems were experienced in three group A patients (9.3%, two aortic dissections with conversion to sternotomy; one conversion due to bad exposure) and in two group B patients (2%, one conversion to sternotomy for bleeding and one for ascending aorta hematoma). At a mean follow-up of 32 months, 121 patients (97%) were in New York Heart Association class I–II, with satisfactory echocardiographic results. There was one in-hospital and six late deaths (three noncardiac, two cardiac, and one valve related). Five-year actuarial survival was 88% ± 8%. There were three reoperations, one early (<30 days) after complex mitral valve repair, with a 5-year freedom from reoperation of 97% ± 2%. Postoperative levels of myocardial cytonecrosis enzymes as well as the extracorporeal circulation time were significantly lower in group B patients (P < 0.05). Conclusions Intraoperative procedure-associated complications with endoclamping combined with an apparently better myocardial protection forced us to change our practice to the more simple and economic EAC technique.
No cardiac effects of therapeutic and supratherapeutic doses of rupatadine: results from a ‘thorough QT/QTc study’ performed according to ICH guidelines
Authors: Donado Ester , Izquierdo Iñaki , Pérez Iñaki , García Olga , Antonijoan Rosa Ma , Gich Ignaci , Solans Anna , Peña Juana , Morganroth Joel , Barbanoj Manuel J. 
Published: November 2009

WHAT IS ALREADY KNOWN ABOUT THIS SUBJECT • Drug‐induced prolongation of QTc interval on the ECG increases the risk of ventricular tachyarrhythmias.• This problem beset the antihistamine class of drugs in the 1990s and resulted in the withdrawal of two drugs, terfenadine and astemizole.• In 2005 the International Conference on Harmonization approved guideline E14, which has been termed a ‘thorough QT/QTc study’, for the routine clinical testing of the proarrhythmic potential of pharmacotherapy. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS • To our knowledge, this is one of the first published trials to evaluate multiple doses of antihistamine therapy using the new criteria and it confirms the cardiac safety of rupatadine, an anti‐H1 compound with activity on platelet‐activating factor.AIMS To evaluate the effects of therapeutic and supratherapeutic doses of rupatadine on cardiac repolarization in line with a ‘thorough QT/QTc study’ protocol performed according to International Conference on Harmonization guidelines.METHODS This was a randomized (gender‐balanced), parallel‐group study involving 160 healthy volunteers. Rupatadine, 10 and 100 mg day−1, and placebo were administered single‐blind for 5 days, whilst moxifloxacin 400 mg day−1 was given on days 1 and 5 in open‐label fashion. ECGs were recorded over a 23‐h period by continuous Holter monitoring at baseline and on treatment days 1 and 5. Three 10‐s ECG samples were downloaded at regular intervals and were analysed independently. The primary analysis of QTc was based on individually corrected QT (QTcI). Treatment effects on QTcI were assessed using the largest time‐matched mean difference between the drug and placebo (baseline‐subtracted) for the QTcI interval. A negative ‘thorough QT/QTc study’ is one where the main variable is around ≤5 ms, with a one‐sided 95% confidence interval that excludes an effect >10 ms.RESULTS The validity of the trial was confirmed by the fact that the moxifloxacin‐positive control group produced the expected change in QTcI duration (around 5 ms). The ECG data for rupatadine at both 10 and 100 mg showed no signal effects on the ECG, after neither single nor repeated administration. Furthermore, no pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic relationship, gender effects or clinically relevant changes in ECG waveform outliers were observed. No deaths or serious or unexpected adverse events were reported.CONCLUSIONS This ‘thorough QT/QTc study’ confirmed previous experience with rupatadine and demonstrated that it had no proarrhythmic potential and raised no concerns regarding its cardiac safety.
Association of childhood perennial allergic rhinitis with subclinical airflow limitation
Authors: Ciprandi G. , Capasso M. 
Published: November 2009

SummaryBackground
Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a relevant risk factor for the onset of asthma, and a close association exists between the nose and the bronchi. Recently, it has been evidenced that the duration of AR and mite allergy represent high risks for spirometric impairment in allergic adults.Aim
To evaluate a group of AR children, without bronchial symptoms, to investigate spirometric impairments.Methods
Two hundred children with moderate‐severe AR were consecutively evaluated. Clinical examination, skin prick test, and spirometry were performed in all children.Results
Thirty‐one percent of the children had forced expiratory flow at 25% and 75% of the pulmonary volume (FEF25–75%)<80% of the predicted values and 11% had both forced expiratory volume in 1 s and FEF25–75%<80% of the predicted values. Rhinitis duration and sensitization to house dust mites were significantly associated with impaired values of these spirometric parameters.Conclusion
This study highlights the close link between the upper and the lower airways and the role of some risk factors, such as long duration and mite sensitization, as early prognostic markers of bronchial involvement in children with ARand perceiving nasal symptoms alone. Cite this as: G. Ciprandi and M. Capasso, Clinical & Experimental Allergy, 2010 (40) 398–402.
The considerable adult size variability in wood feeders is optimal
Authors: WALCZYŃSKA ALEKSANDRA , DAŃKO MACIEJ , KOZŁOWSKI JAN 
Published: November 2009

1. The life history of wood feeders was modelled in order to explain the multiseasonality of development and the great variability of adult size in this group.2. The model was parameterised with experimental bioenergetic and reproductive data for the xylem feeder Aredolpona rubra (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae).3. The length of the developmental period, which together with food quality directly determines adult size and indirectly determines the number of eggs laid, was optimised.4. The results show that multi‐seasonal larval development maximises fitness under conditions of low food quality, relatively low predation pressure, and the presence of hostile periods during the year.5. The variability of the number of seasons needed to complete development within a wood‐feeder population is a consequence of development time optimisation and the unavoidable extension of the egg‐laying period. These insects have an evolutionary dilemma: to eclose late in a given season at smaller size, bringing about low egg production and low offspring value, or to grow bigger to the next season, jeopardising their lives.6. The results of the model predict wood‐feeder developmental patterns that depend on the tree tissue inhabited.
Ontogenetic shift in the scaling of dark respiration with whole‐plant mass in seven shrub species
Authors: Peng Youhong , Niklas Karl J. , Reich Peter B. , Sun Shucun 
Published: November 2009

Summary 1. Recent evidence suggests that metabolic scaling exponents should shift from ≈ 1 to ∼¾ as plants grow from seedlings to mature trees. This study examines whether there is an ontogenetic shift in the scaling exponent of dark respiration with whole‐plant biomass and whether the allometry of dark respiration vs. plant total nitrogen content is consistent with these metabolic scaling relationships. 2. We examined seedling mass, dark respiration, biomass allocation, water and nitrogen contents, and relative growth rates for 351 seedlings of seven shrub species that span three orders of magnitude in total plant mass (i.e. <1 mg to >1 g). 3. Dark respiration increased with increasing seedling mass in each of three growth stages for each species. The scaling exponents for dark respiration vs. plant mass were c. 1·0 during the earliest stage of seedling development (<60 days after germination) but declined in the later two growth stages (>90 and <120 days after seed germination) for five of the seven species studied. However, the metabolic scaling relationship was isometric when the data were pooled for each species across all size classes. 4. With increasing plant size, the biomass allocated by each species to the metabolically active organ (leaf) generally scaled against whole plant biomass with a slope smaller than 1·0 but significantly larger than ¾. 5. Water and nitrogen contents declined with increasing seedling mass and whole plant dark respiration increased disproportionally (i.e. scaling slope >1) with increasing total plant water or nitrogen content, possibly because small seedlings have a lower water and nutrient‐use efficiency compared to larger ones in water‐ and nutrient‐ unlimited habitats. 6. The change in relative growth rate paralleled the ontogenetic shift in the dark respiration vs. mass relationship, which may explain the isometric metabolic scaling relationship if growth efficiency is inversely proportional to seedling mass. 7. We therefore demonstrate an ontogenetic shift in the metabolic scaling during plant ontogeny. Although the proximate mechanisms underlying the shift are not fully understood, we speculate that a contributing factor is the accrual of less metabolically active tissues or organs with increasing total body mass in the form of secondary tissues with high cell wall volume fractions (e.g. wood and phellum).
Patients with dysphagia: experiences of taking medication
Authors: Kelly Jennifer , D’Cruz Gibson , Wright David 
Published: November 2009

kelly j., d’cruz g. & wright d. (2010) Patients with dysphagia: experiences of taking medication. Journal of Advanced Nursing66(1), 82–91.AbstractTitle.  Patients with dysphagia: experiences of taking medication.Aim.  This paper is a report of a study exploring the experiences of taking medication for older people with dysphagia.Background.  Dysphagia is a common problem, especially amongst older people, and affects ingestion of food, fluids and medicines. With the number of elders in the population increasing, and currently accounting for one‐third of prescribing volume in the United Kingdom, dysphagia is becoming a major problem in terms of medicine administration and therapy.Method.  In 2007, we carried out interviews with 11 patients in one county of England who had different degrees of dysphagia. The interview transcriptions were analysed using Colaizzi’s technique.Results.  Six inter‐related themes were identified from the data: (a) the wide spectrum and variability of dysphagia; (b) medication formulation; (c) information exchange between patients and healthcare professionals; (d) factors affecting medication adherence; (e) strategies used to improve swallowing; (f) the central function of swallowing as eating and drinking.Conclusion.  It is vital to ensure that each patient has an individualized medication regimen, and for patients with dysphagia the formulation of the medicine is as important as the active ingredients.
Gerontological care in nursing education programmes
Authors: Deschodt Mieke , de Casterlé Bernadette Dierckx , Milisen Koen 
Published: November 2009

deschodt m., dierckx de casterlé b. & milisen k. (2010) Gerontological care in nursing education programmes. Journal of Advanced Nursing66(1), 139–148.AbstractTitle.  Gerontological care in nursing education programmes.Aim.  This paper is a report of a study conducted to identify the coverage of gerontological care in baccalaureate nursing education programmes.Background.  Although in recent years the average age of patients has increased, nurses do not always have the knowledge, competencies, and attitudes necessary to care for older people. Its complexity is not recognized.Method.  A descriptive cross‐sectional mail survey of 17 baccalaureate nursing education programmes in Flanders, Belgium, was performed in 2007.Findings.  While there was great variability among nursing education programmes in terms of gerontology courses, clinical placements, and number of experts, it was encouraging that most programmes had integrated gerontology content into non‐gerontology courses, all programmes offered gerontology clinical placements, and many nursing educators were considered to be experts in gerontology. Lack of interest in care for older people in general, lack of gerontology‐related competencies within curricula, and a negative image of gerontological care were reported as the most frequently‐encountered barriers to incorporating gerontological care aspects into curricula.Conclusion.  Because a minority of nursing students choose the gerontology specialist option, gerontology content in basic nursing curricula should be increased. A minimum standard curriculum and specific competencies for care of older people should be formulated for all baccalaureate nursing education programmes. Strengthening educators’ expertise and investing in role models remain important priorities for the nursing profession.
Patch size effects on avian foraging behaviour: implications for tropical forest restoration design
Authors: Morrison Emily B. , Lindell Catherine A. , Holl Karen D. , Zahawi Rakan A. 
Published: November 2009

Summary 1. Active restoration to rehabilitate degraded tropical lands often involves planting tree seedlings, an effective but expensive approach if large areas are planted. Planting small patches of vegetation (tens to a few hundred square metres) has recently been suggested as a more economical restoration technique that mimics natural regeneration processes. However, few studies have examined the consequences of restoration patch size on animals, whose presence and activities are often key to successful ecosystem recovery. 2. We examined the effects of patch size on the foraging behaviour of four resident tropical bird species in a replicated forest restoration experiment in southern Costa Rica. We also measured arthropod abundance and anti‐predator vigilance behaviour to assess whether variation in food availability or predation risk could explain patch size effects on foraging behaviour. 3. Prey attack rates were highest, and the effort required to find prey was lowest, in larger patches for three of the four bird species. Arthropod density was approximately twice as great in larger patches (>3500 m2) compared with smaller patches (<350 m2). Evidence for patch size differences in predation risk was more limited but risk may be higher in smaller patches. The results indicate that food availability is the primary mechanism driving patch size effects on foraging behaviour, with predation risk being an additional influence for some species in some years. 4. Synthesis and applications. As demonstrated in this study, patches of tens to a few hundreds of metres squared are likely to provide fewer food resources and potentially less cover from predators for vertebrates that use woody habitat, compared with patches of a few thousand square metres. The more limited resources in smaller patches are likely to have short‐term and, potentially, long‐term consequences for the fitness of organisms. When considering restoration project design, the potential economic and other benefits of planting in smaller patches must be weighed with the potentially negative ecological effects on some taxonomic groups. To increase the probability that patches provide adequate habitat for the largest number of species, we recommend that when financial resources are available, patches of at least a few thousand square metres be planted.
Microstructural changes induced near crack tip during corrosion fatigue tests in austenitic‐ferritic steel
Authors: GOŁĘBIOWSKI B. , ŚWIĄTNICKI W. A. , GASPÉRINI M. 
Published: November 2009

SummaryMicrostructural changes occurring during fatigue tests of austenitic‐ferritic duplex stainless steel (DSS) in air and in hydrogen‐generating environment have been investigated. Hydrogen charging of steel samples during fatigue crack growth (FCG) tests was performed by cathodic polarization of specimens in 0.1M H2SO4 aqueous solution. Microstructural investigations of specimens after FCG tests were carried out using transmission electron microscopy to reveal the density and arrangement of dislocations formed near crack tip. To determine the way of crack propagation in the microstructure, electron backscatter diffraction investigations were performed on fatigue‐tested samples in both kinds of environment. To reveal hydrogen‐induced phase transformations the atomic force microscopy was used. The above investigations allowed us to define the character of fatigue crack propagation and microstructural changes near the crack tip. It was found that crack propagation after fatigue tests in air is accompanied with plastic deformation; a high density of dislocations is observed at large distance from the crack. After fatigue tests performed during hydrogen charging the deformed zone containing high density of dislocations is narrow compared to that after fatigue tests in air. It means that hydrogenation leads to brittle character of fatigue crack propagation. In air, fatigue cracks propagate mostly transgranularly, whereas in hydrogen‐generating environment the cracks have mixed transgranular/interfacial character.
CD4+ and CD8+ T cells mediated direct cytotoxic effect against Trichophyton rubrum and Trichophyton mentagrophytes
Authors: Waldman Arie , Segal Rina , Berdicevsky Israela , Gilhar Amos 
Published: November 2009

AbstractBackground  The cellular immune system is the most dominant factor in curing acute dermatophytosis. However, the exact immune mechanisms involved in generating this defense are complex and still obscure. The aim of this study was to investigate the fungicidal mechanism of T cells in the normal population versus patients with chronic fungal infections.Methods  Thirty patients were included in the study: 15 patients with chronic dermatophytosis and 15 normal healthy patients with a history of acute dermatophytosis. The procedures were performed as follows. 1) Proliferation and cytotoxic activity of lymphocytes cultured with various dermatophytes homogenate such as, Trichophyton rubrum, Trichophyton mentagrophytes and Microsporum gypseum. 2) CD4+ and CD8+ T cells were separated by magnetic beads before culture with fresh spores of either T. mentagrophytes or T. rubrum. 3) Routine histology and ultrastructural study were performed to illustrate the mode of activity of the T cells against the dermatophytes.Results  The study showed that both CD4 and CD8 possess cytotoxic activity against dermatophytes. However, the results demonstrated a suppression of lymphocyte proliferation response and a significant lower cytotoxic effect in chronic patients. Ultra structure and histological evaluation of the culture of hyphae with CD4+ or CD8+ T cells showed more prominently destructive effects in the culture of cells that had been obtained from normal population than those of patients with long‐lasting fungal infections.Conclusion  The study suggests a selective impairment of lymphocyte function against dermatophytes, in patients with chronic dermatophytoses.
Ciliary dysfunction and obesity
Authors: Mok CA , Héon E , Zhen M 
Published: November 2009

Mok CA, Héon E, Zhen M. Ciliary dysfunction and obesity.Obesity associates with increased health risks such as heart disease, stroke and diabetes. The steady rise in the obese population worldwide poses an increasing burden on health systems. Genetic factors contribute to the development of obesity, and the elucidation of their physiological functions helps to understand the cause, and improve the prevention, diagnosis and treatment for this disorder. Primary cilia are evolutionarily conserved organelles whose dysfunctions lead to human disorders now defined as ciliopathies. Human ciliopathies present pleiotropic and overlapping phenotypes that often include retinal degeneration, cystic renal anomalies and obesity. Increasing evidence implicates an intriguing involvement of cilia in lipid/energy homeostasis. Here we discuss recent studies in support of the key roles of ciliary genes in the development and pathology of obesity in various animal models. Genes affecting ciliary development and function may pose promising candidate underlying genetic factors that contribute to the development of common obesity.