bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Multi‐Plane Mechanical Dyssynchrony in Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy
Authors: Kaufman Christopher L. , Kaiser Daniel R. , Burns Kevin V. , Kelly Aaron S. , Bank Alan J. 
Published: December 2009

AbstractBackgroundThe aims of this study were to assess the ability of several echo measures of dyssynchrony to predict CRT response and to characterize the global effect of CRT.HypothesisWe hypothesized that after CRT there would be significant reductions in mechanical dyssynchrony in all 3 orthogonal planes of cardiac motion and that those patients with significant dyssynchrony prior to implant would have the best echocardiographic response.MethodsStandard echocardiograms were performed pre‐CRT and post‐CRT (138 ± 63d) in 70 heart failure patients. Longitudinal dyssynchrony was calculated as the standard deviation (SD) of time to peak systolic displacement and velocity of 12 segments from 3 apical views. Using midventricular short axis views and speckle‐tracking methods, the SD of time to peak radial and circumferential strain in 6 segments were calculated. Cardiac resynchronization therapy echo response was defined as ≥ 15% decrease in left ventricular end‐systolic volume.ResultsCardiac resynchronization therapy significantly improved systolic function in the longitudinal, radial, and circumferential planes. The CRT echo response rate was 57%. Echo responders (CRTR) had significantly (P < .05) more dyssynchrony at baseline as compared to nonresponders (CRTNR). Cardiac resynchronization therapy significantly (P < .05) reduced longitudinal and radial, but not circumferential, dyssynchrony in CRTR. Dyssynchrony was unchanged in CRTNR. Receiver‐operator characteristic (ROC) curve analysis indicated significant, but modest sensitivity and specificity for longitudinal and radial intraventricular dyssynchrony and for interventricular dyssynchrony. Combining radial and longitudinal dyssynchrony measures improved positive prediction of CRT response.ConclusionsCardiac resynchronization therapy improves left ventricular function in 3 orthogonal planes of motion. Longitudinal, radial, and interventricular dyssynchrony modestly predict reverse remodeling. Copyright © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Native Valve Brucella Endocarditis
Authors: Inan Mustafa Bahadir , Eyileten Zeynep Bastuzel , Ozcinar Evren , Yazicioglu Levent , Sirlak Mustafa , Eryilmaz Sadik , Akar Ruchan , Uysalel Adnan , Tasoz Refik , Eren Neyyir Tuncay , Aral Atilla , Kaya Bulent , Ucanok Kemalettin , Corapcioglu Tumer , Ozyurda Umit 
Published: December 2009

AbstractObjectiveBrucellosis is frequently seen in Mediterranean and Middle East countries, including Turkey. We report the medical and surgical management of 31 cases of native endocarditis.Material and MethodThirty‐one patients were admitted to our clinic with suspected Brucella Endocarditis. The diagnosis was established by either isolation of Brucella species, or the presence of antibodies. Following preoperative antibiotic therapy patients underwent valve replacement with excessive tissue debridment. Patients were followed up with Brucella titers, blood cultures, and echocardiography.ResultsOn admission all patients were febrile and mostly dyspneic (NYHA Class 3 or 4). The blood tests were normal except for elevated ESR, CRP and serological tests. The aortic valve was involved in 19 patients, mitral valve in 7 patients, and both valves in 5. After serological confirmation of BE, antibiotic therapy was maintained. Twenty‐five of the patients received rifampicine, doxycycline, and cotrimaxozole; 2 of them received a combination of rifampicine, streptomycin, and doxycycline; and 4 of them received rifampicine, tetracycline, and cotrimaxozole. Tissue loss in most of the affected leaflets and vegetations were presenting all patients. Valve replacements were performed with mechanical and biologic prostheses. All the patients were afebrile at discharge but received the antibiotics for 101, 2±16, 9 days. The follow‐up was 37, 1±9, 2 months.DiscussionIn our retrospective study, combination of adequate medical and surgical therapy resulted in declined morbidity and mortality rate. The valve replacement with aggressive debridement is the most important part of the treatment, which should be supported with efficient preoperative and long term postoperative medical treatment. Copyright © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Serum Cardiac Troponin I is Related to Increased Left Ventricular Wall Thickness, Left Ventricular Dysfunction, and Male Gender in Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy
Authors: Kubo Toru , Kitaoka Hiroaki , Okawa Makoto , Yamanaka Shigeo , Hirota Takayoshi , Hoshikawa Eri , Hayato Kayo , Yamasaki Naohito , Matsumura Yoshihisa , Yasuda Nobufumi , Sugiura Tetsuro , Doi Yoshinori L. 
Published: December 2009

AbstractBackgroundSerum cardiac troponin I (cTnI) is a sensitive and specific marker of myocardial injury. However, a systematic evaluation of cTnI in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) patients has not been performed.HypothesisThe purpose of this study is to evaluate cTnI and determine its relationship to clinical features in HCM.MethodsWe studied serum cTnI in 162 consecutive HCM patients.ResultsSerum cTnI ranged from 0.01 to 0.83 ng/mL (mean, 0.068 ± 0.100 ng/mL) and was higher in male patients (P < .001), those with atrial fibrillation (P = .033), and left ventricular (LV) systolic dysfunction (P = .046). Serum cTnI values were also correlated with maximum LV wall thickness (r = 0.30, P < .001), LV end‐systolic diameter (r = 0.20, P = .012), and E/Ea (peak early transmitral filling velocity/early diastolic mitral annulus velocity; r = 0.24, P = .004). Serum cTnI levels were not significantly different among New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class and there was no difference between patients with or without LV outflow tract obstruction; although B‐type natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels showed significant difference in those variables. Serum cTnI had very weak correlation with BNP values (r = 0.18, P = .023). Multivariate analysis revealed an independent relationship between cTnI and maximum LV wall thickness, E/Ea, and male gender.ConclusionsIn patients with HCM, serum cTnI was associated with important clinical indices such as maximum LV wall thickness, LV dysfunction, and male gender. Serum cTnI seemed to have clinical significance different from that of BNP and may not be reflecting cardiac load but the LV remodeling process in HCM. Copyright © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Exploring Chemical Modifications for siRNA Therapeutics: A Structural and Functional Outlook
Authors: Shukla Siddharth , Sumaria Chintan S. , Pradeepkumar P. I. 
Published: December 2009

AbstractRNA interference (RNAi) is a post‐transcriptional gene silencing mechanism induced by small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) and micro‐RNAs (miRNAs), and has proved to be one of the most important scientific discoveries made in the last century. The robustness of RNAi has opened up new avenues in the development of siRNAs as therapeutic agents against various diseases including cancer and HIV. However, there had remained a lack of a clear mechanistic understanding of messenger RNA (mRNA) cleavage mediated by Argonaute2 of the RNA‐induced silencing complex (RISC), due to inadequate structural data. The X‐ray crystal structures of the Argonaute (Ago)–DNA–RNA complexes reported recently have proven to be a breakthrough in this field, and the structural details can provide guidelines for the design of the next generation of siRNA therapeutics. To harness siRNAs as therapeutic agents, the prudent use of various chemical modifications is warranted to enhance nuclease resistance, prevent immune activation, decrease off‐target effects, and to improve pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties. The focus of this review is to interpret the tolerance of various chemical modifications employed in siRNAs toward RNAi by taking into account the crystal structures and biochemical studies of Ago–RNA complexes. Moreover, the challenges and recent progress in imparting druglike properties to siRNAs along with their delivery strategies are discussed.
Primary lymphoma of bone in adult patients
Authors: Jawad Muhammad U. , Schneiderbauer Michaela M. , Min Elijah S. , Cheung Michael C. , Koniaris Leonidas G. , Scully Sean P. 
Published: December 2009

AbstractBACKGROUND:The low incidence of primary lymphoma of bone (PLB) has led to discrepancies in classification as well as difficulty in prognostication. The authors of this report used the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database to analyze a large, population‐based cohort of adult patients with this disease. The database provides a standardized classification and documentation of outcomes and enables a meaningful evaluation of prognostic factors.METHODS:The SEER database was used to identify all patients who were diagnosed with PLB from 1973 through 2005. Survival was analyzed with the Kaplan‐Meier method, and the influence of clinical parameters on survival was analyzed with the log‐rank test. A Cox proportional hazards model was used for multivariate analysis.RESULTS:Fifteen hundred adult patients with PLB were analyzed. The 5‐year and 10‐year survival rates for adult patients were 58% and 45%, respectively. Multivariate analysis revealed that younger age and localized disease were independent predictors of survival. It is noteworthy that the incidence of disease, as determined by the annual percentage change, increased during the study period (P < .05).CONCLUSIONS:This analysis of a large cohort of adults with PLB indicated that the only identifiable prognostic indicators were localized disease and younger age. The authors concluded that future treatment for patients with PLB need to be based on strict staging criteria and adherence to successful published protocols using collaborative clinical trials. Cancer 2010. © 2010 American Cancer Society
HPCTOOLKIT: tools for performance analysis of optimized parallel programs
Authors: Adhianto L. , Banerjee S. , Fagan M. , Krentel M. , Marin G. , Mellor‐Crummey J. , Tallent N. R. 
Published: December 2009

AbstractHPCTOOLKIT is an integrated suite of tools that supports measurement, analysis, attribution, and presentation of application performance for both sequential and parallel programs. HPCTOOLKIT can pinpoint and quantify scalability bottlenecks in fully optimized parallel programs with a measurement overhead of only a few percent. Recently, new capabilities were added to HPCTOOLKIT for collecting call path profiles for fully optimized codes without any compiler support, pinpointing and quantifying bottlenecks in multithreaded programs, exploring performance information and source code using a new user interface, and displaying hierarchical space–time diagrams based on traces of asynchronous call path samples. This paper provides an overview of HPCTOOLKIT and illustrates its utility for performance analysis of parallel applications. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Fine‐needle aspiration of follicular patterned lesions of the thyroid: Diagnosis, management, and follow‐up according to National Cancer Institute (NCI) recommendations
Authors: Faquin William C. , Baloch Zubair W. 
Published: January 2010

AbstractThe National Cancer Institute (NCI) State of the Science Conference on thyroid fine‐needle aspiration (FNA) proposed that follicular patterned lesions can be divided into two diagnostic categories; follicular lesion of undetermined significance/Atypia of undetermined significance (FLUS/AUS) and suspicious for follicular neoplasm/follicular neoplasm (SFON/FON). The former group can benefit from repeat FNA (RFNA) to achieve a more definitive diagnosis and the latter should undergo surgical excision for histologic characterization (adenoma vs. carcinoma). In this study, we report the combined experience from our institutions with thyroid FNA cases that can be placed into NCI‐designated thyroid FNA diagnostic categories for follicular patterned lesions.The case cohort comprised of 857 cases in 645 females and 212 males; 509 cases could be classified as FLUS/AUS and 348 as SFON/FON. Histologic follow‐up was available in 273/509 (54%) cases diagnosed as FLUS/AUS and 251/348 (72%) cases diagnosed as SFON/FON.RFNA was performed in 203/509 (40%) patients classified as FLUS/AUS. RFNA diagnoses were: benign (125 cases), FLUS (46 cases), SFON/FON (20 cases), suspicious for papillary carcinoma (7 cases), papillary carcinoma (3 cases) and non‐diagnostic (2 cases). The malignancy rate on surgical excision in the FLUS/AUS group was 27 and 15% with and without RFNA, respectively; and 25% in cases diagnosed as SFON/FON.RFNA is effective in managing thyroid nodules diagnosed as FLUS/AUS since the malignancy rates are different in cases with or without RFNA (27% vs. 15%). The malignancy rate (25%) in cases diagnosed as SFON/FON is similar to reported by other authors. Diagn. Cytopathol. 2010;38:731–739. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Interobserver and intraobserver variability in the calculation of the lipid‐laden macrophage index: Implications for its use in the evaluation of aspiration in children
Authors: Reid‐Nicholson Michelle , Kulkarni Renuka , Adeagbo Bamidele , Looney Stephen , Crosby John 
Published: January 2010

AbstractThe lipid‐laden macrophage index (LLMI) is a semiquantitative test used to evaluate aspiration in children. We assessed the reliability and reproducibility of LLMI by calculating interobserver and intraobserver variability among pathologists, with and without expertise in cytopathology. Forty‐nine bronchoalveolar washes/lavages were blindly reviewed by four reviewers and assigned an LLMI. Three pathologists (two cytopathologists, one pathology fellow) reviewed slides twice and one cytotechnologist reviewed them once. Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) with 95% confidence interval (C.I.) was used to measure overall intraobserver and interobserver agreement. Interobserver agreement was also calculated separately for each pair of reviewers. ICC values did not indicate an acceptable level of interobserver agreement among pathologists, with (ICC = 0.67, 95% C.I.: 0.56–0.77) and without (ICC = 0.77, 95% C.I.: 0.61–0.84) the cytotechnologist included in the analysis. An ICC of 0.84 (95% C.I.: 0.78–0.89) indicated an acceptable level of intraobserver agreement among pathologists. When calculated separately for each pair of reviewers, all but two ICC values for interobserver agreement were less than 0.75 (the minimally acceptable value for a reliable clinical measurement), and the lower confidence limit of each of the 95% C.I. was far below the 0.75 cutoff. Using Lin's coefficient, intraobserver variability was only acceptable for two pathologists. Our study highlights the lack of precision and subjectivity of the LLMI, as well as the significant inter and intraobserver bias that may occur among experienced and inexperienced pathologists, and cytotechnologists. Clinicians and cytopathologists alike should be mindful of this potential pitfall and interpret LLMI scores with caution. Diagn. Cytopathol. 2010;38:861–865. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Asteroid bodies in lymph node cytology: Infrequently seen and still mysterious
Authors: Jorns Julie M. , Knoepp Stewart M. 
Published: January 2010

AbstractGranulomatous inflammation is a relatively common finding in routine aspiration cytology of lymph nodes. However, asteroid bodies are very rarely encountered in cytologic preparations, and most morphologic descriptions result from observations made in histologic tissue sections. This brief report describes the cytologic findings in paratracheal aspirate smears from a 74‐year‐old Caucasian woman with the history of squamous‐cell carcinoma of the right ankle metastasic to a right groin lymph node. At the time of removal of the metastatic tumor, the patient was noted to have multiple small, mildly FDG‐avid lymph nodes in the supraclavicular, paratracheal, precarinal, pulmonic hilar, and axillary regions. A transbronchial fine‐needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) of a paratracheal lymph node showed granulomatous inflammation and numerous multinucleated giant cells containing asteroid bodies. No evidence of malignancy was present in any of the smears. Additional patient history elicited at thetime of FNAB revealed a diagnosis 6 years previously of disseminated histoplasmosis infection. A concomitant workup for sarcoidosis was negative. Diagn. Cytopathol. 2011;39:35–36. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
New Cyclotrimerization of Aldehydes to Cyclopentenone or Tetrahydrofuran Induced by Dibromotriphenylphosphorane
Authors: Heck Marie‐Pierre , Matt Christophe , Wagner Alain , Toupet Loïc , Mioskowski Charles 
Published: January 2010

Abstractα‐Mono‐ or α‐dialkylated aldehydes undergo cyclotrimerization in the presence of dibromotriphenylphosphorane (PPh3Br2) to afford cyclopentenones or tetrasubstituted tetrahydrofurans in good yields. These transformations proceed by a tandem aldol dimerization/Nazarov reaction or a tandem aldol dimerization/Prins cyclization.
Control of greenhouse gas emissions by optimal DER technology investment and energy management in zero‐net‐energy buildings
Authors: Stadler Michael , Siddiqui Afzal , Marnay Chris , Aki Hirohisa , Lai Judy 
Published: January 2010

AbstractThe U.S. Department of Energy has launched the commercial building initiative (CBI) in pursuit of its research goal of achieving zero‐net‐energy commercial buildings (ZNEB), i.e., ones that produce as much energy as they use. Its objective is to make these buildings marketable by 2025 such that they minimize their energy use through cutting‐edge, energy‐efficiency technologies and meet their remaining energy needs through on‐site renewable energy generation. This paper examines how such buildings may be implemented within the context of a cost‐ or CO2‐minimizing microgrid that is able to adopt and operate various technologies: photovoltaic (PV) modules and other on‐site generation, heat exchangers, solar thermal collectors, absorption chillers, and passive/demand‐response technologies. A mixed‐integer linear program (MILP) that has a multi‐criteria objective function is used. The objective is minimization of a weighted average of the building's annual energy costs and CO2 emissions. The MILP's constraints ensure energy balance and capacity limits. In addition, constraining the building's energy consumed to equal its energy exports enables us to explore how energy sales and demand‐response measures may enable compliance with the ZNEB objective. Using a commercial test site in northern California with existing tariff rates and technology data, we find that a ZNEB requires ample PV capacity installed to ensure electricity sales during the day. This is complemented by investment in energy‐efficient combined heat and power (CHP) equipment, while occasional demand response saves energy consumption. A large amount of storage is also adopted, which may be impractical. Nevertheless, it shows the nature of the solutions and costs necessary to achieve a ZNEB. Additionally, the ZNEB approach does not necessary lead to zero‐carbon (ZC) buildings as is frequently argued. We also show a multi‐objective frontier for the CA example, which allows us to estimate the needed technologies and costs for achieving a ZC building or microgrid. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Forecast accuracy and economic gains from Bayesian model averaging using time‐varying weights
Authors: Hoogerheide Lennart , Kleijn Richard , Ravazzolo Francesco , Van Dijk Herman K. , Verbeek Marno 
Published: December 2009

AbstractSeveral Bayesian model combination schemes, including some novel approaches that simultaneously allow for parameter uncertainty, model uncertainty and robust time‐varying model weights, are compared in terms of forecast accuracy and economic gains using financial and macroeconomic time series. The results indicate that the proposed time‐varying model weight schemes outperform other combination schemes in terms of predictive and economic gains. In an empirical application using returns on the S&P 500 index, time‐varying model weights provide improved forecasts with substantial economic gains in an investment strategy including transaction costs. Another empirical example refers to forecasting US economic growth over the business cycle. It suggests that time‐varying combination schemes may be very useful in business cycle analysis and forecasting, as these may provide an early indicator for recessions. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A review comparing the safety and tolerability of memantine with the acetylcholinesterase inhibitors
Authors: Jones R. W. 
Published: January 2010

AbstractObjectiveAlzheimer's disease (AD) is prevalent among elderly people, who often have comorbid conditions, and may be prescribed multiple medications. Drug safety and tolerability is paramount in maximising efficacy and optimising patient and carer quality of life, as patients are vulnerable to adverse events (AEs) and/or compliance difficulties. The two principal categories of drug used in the treatment of AD are the acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (AChEIs) and the NMDA‐receptor antagonist, memantine. This paper reviews the most recent safety data for memantine in comparison with the AChEIs.DesignReview of most recent safety/tolerability data for memantine and AChEIs, derived from meta‐analyses, pooled analyses, European SPCs and EMEA publications.ResultsMemantine was found to have a favourable tolerability profile when used as monotherapy or in combination with other agents. AChEIs were found to be fairly well tolerated. All treatments commonly or very commonly produce dizziness and/or headache. AChEIs are associated with many more types of AEs than memantine, particularly in the gastrointestinal category. Agitation is a less common AE when comparing memantine treatment to placebo, but just as common when comparing AChEI treatment to placebo. Withdrawals in memantine‐treated groups are comparable to placebo, and more common in AChEI‐treated groups compared to placebo. Overall, drug–drug interactions, contraindications and warnings were fewer for memantine than AChEIs.ConclusionsIn both the clinical and naturalistic setting, memantine displays a safety and tolerability profile that is favourable and distinct from that of AChEIs. Safety and tolerability profiles should be given careful consideration when selecting treatment for AD patients. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Modelling opportunity in health under partial observability of circumstances
Authors: Rosa Dias Pedro 
Published: January 2010

AbstractThis paper proposes a behavioural model of inequality of opportunity in health that integrates John Roemer's framework of inequality of opportunity with the Grossman model of health capital and demand for health. The model generates a recursive system of equations for health and lifestyles, which is then jointly estimated by full information maximum likelihood with freely correlated error terms. The analysis innovates by accounting for the presence of unobserved heterogeneity, therefore addressing the partial‐circumstance problem, and by extending the examination of inequality of opportunity to health outcomes other than self‐assessed health, such as long‐standing illness, disability and mental health. The results provide evidence for the existence of third factors that simultaneously influence health outcomes and lifestyle choices, supporting the empirical relevance of the partial‐circumstance problem. Accounting for these factors, the paper corroborates that the effect of parental and early circumstances on adult health disparities is paramount. However, the particular set of circumstances that affect each of the analysed health outcomes differs substantially. The results also show that differences in educational opportunities, and in social development in childhood, are crucial determinants of lifestyles in adulthood, which, in turn, shape the observed health inequalities. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.