bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Assessing the impact of a school‐based water treatment, hygiene and sanitation programme on pupil absence in Nyanza Province, Kenya: a cluster‐randomized trial
Authors: Freeman Matthew C. , Greene Leslie E. , Dreibelbis Robert , Saboori Shadi , Muga Richard , Brumback Babette , Rheingans Richard 
Published: December 2011

AbstractObjectives  There has been increased attention to access to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) at schools in developing countries, but a dearth of empirical studies on the impact. We conducted a cluster‐randomized trial of school‐based WASH on pupil absence in Nyanza Province, Kenya, from 2007 to 2008.Methods  Public primary schools nested in three geographical strata were randomly assigned and allocated to one of three study arms [water treatment and hygiene promotion (WT & HP), additional sanitation improvement, or control] to assess the effects on pupil absence at 2‐year follow‐up.Results  We found no overall effect of the intervention on absence. However, among schools in two of the geographical areas not affected by post‐election violence, those that received WT and HP showed a 58% reduction in the odds of absence for girls (OR 0.42, CI 0.21–0.85). In the same strata, sanitation improvement in combination with WT and HP resulted in a comparable drop in absence, although results were marginally significant (OR 0.47, 0.21–1.05). Boys were not impacted by the intervention.Conclusion  School WASH improvements can improve school attendance for girls, and mechanisms for gendered impacts should be explored. Incomplete intervention compliance highlights the challenges of achieving consistent results across all settings.
Reliability, validity and clinical utility of a Japanese version of the Social Adaptation Self‐evaluation Scale as calibrated using the Beck Depression Inventory
Authors: Ueda Nobuhisa , Suda Akira , Nakagawa Makiko , Nakano Hideki , Umene‐Nakano Wakako , Ikenouchi‐Sugita Atsuko , Hori Hikaru , Yoshimura Reiji , Nakamura Jun 
Published: December 2011

Aim:  The Social Adaptation Self‐evaluation Scale (SASS) was developed to assess the social impairment caused by depression. The purposes of this study were to develop a Japanese version of the SASS (SASS‐J) and to evaluate its reliability and validity.Methods:  The SASS‐J and the 21‐item Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) were administered to 322 participants (95 working patients who were working while under treatment for depression, 99 non‐working patients who were absent from their work due to depression, and 128 healthy controls). The healthy controls underwent both questionnaires twice, at baseline and 2 weeks later, in order to assess test–retest reliability.Results:  Cronbach's alpha was 0.81. Significance correlations were found between SASS‐J scores at baseline and 2 weeks later in healthy controls (R = 0.845, P < 0.001). There were negative correlations between the SASS‐J and BDI scores (ρ = –0.683, P < 0.001). Mean SASS‐J scores differed significantly among the three groups (working patients: 33.7 ± 7.9; non‐working patients: 25.2 ± 7.8; healthy controls: 36.1 ± 6.0 [mean ± SD]). The best compromise between the true positive and the false negative rate in this study was at a cut‐off point of 25/26.Conclusion:  SASS‐J showed sufficient reliability and validity, and could be considered a suitable instrument to evaluate social functioning in depressive patients.
Bilateral dysgerminoma in a patient with a previous diagnosis of Swyer syndrome
Authors: Moreira Ana Isabel Duarte Mendonça , Silva José Carlos , Ferreira Maria Soledade , Lanhoso António 
Published: December 2011

AbstractA 16‐year‐old girl was referred to our center by her general physician because of primary amenorrhea. Her family history revealed an older sister with Swyer syndrome and gonadectomy at another institution. After thorough evaluation she received the same diagnosis, but unlike her sister, she refused gonadectomy. Four years later she presented with abdominal discomfort and a complex pelvic mass. She underwent exploratory laparotomy and histological examination revealed bilateral dysgerminoma without capsular invasion. The tumor was classified as stage IB. After surgery she underwent adjuvant chemotherapy with three cycles of BEP (bleomycin + etoposide + cisplatin). The present case emphasizes the importance of familial screening with a karyotype study in pure gonadal dysgenesis to prevent gonadal malignancy.
Carotid‐cavernous fistula in term pregnancy due to spontaneous rupture of carotid‐cavernous aneurysm
Authors: Doğan Selen , Salman Mehmet Coskun , Deren Ozgur , Geyik Serdar 
Published: December 2011

AbstractCarotid‐cavernous aneurysm accounts for 2–9% of all intracranial aneurysms. The rupture of carotid‐cavernous aneurysm is usually caused by a trauma. Nevertheless, spontaneous rupture may rarely be encountered. Here, we report a term pregnant woman who was diagnosed to have a spontaneous carotid‐cavernous fistula due to carotid‐cavernous aneurysm rupture and was managed with detachable balloon and coils immediately after cesarean section.
A case of serous endometrial intraepithelial carcinoma with p53 positivity for six years
Authors: Kaku Shoji , Moriya Takuya , Ushioda Norichika , Nakai Yuichiro , Shimoya Koichiro , Nakamura Takafumi 
Published: December 2011

AbstractA 69‐year‐old postmenopausal woman was referred because she had been taking tamoxifen for four years. Tissues obtained by endometrial curettage were immunopositive for p53, but there was no definite malignancy. At age 73, cytology again showed abnormalities, so we repeated complete endometrial curettage. Again, there was no malignancy, but p53 immunostaining was widely positive. At age 75, hysterectomy was performed because cytological examination showed increasingly abnormal findings and the patient opted for surgery. In the resected uterus, endometrial glands were replaced by malignant cells resembling papillary serous carcinoma cells with high‐grade nuclei, but there was no stromal or myometrial invasion. The pathological diagnosis was intraepithelial serous endometrial carcinoma. This is a rare case because we could follow the patient for 6 years by endometrial cytology or endometrial curettage and we observed gradual transformation into endometrial intraepithelial carcinoma.
Amniotic fluid volume in normal pregnancy: Comparison of two different normative datasets
Authors: Magann Everett F. , Chauhan Suneet P. , Sanderson Maureen , McKelvey Samantha , Dahlke Joshua D. , Morrison John C. 
Published: December 2011

AbstractAim:  The aim of the present study was to compare the two normative datasets of amniotic fluid volume (AFV).Material and Methods:  The similarity of the two datasets to classify AFV as oligohydramnios, normal, and polyhydramnios based on fixed cut‐offs, stratified by gestational ages (<24 weeks, 24–336/7, 34–366/7, and >37 weeks, and to identify oligohydramnios/small for gestational age (SGA) and polyhydramnios/large for gestational age (LGA) was evaluated.Results:  Of the 209 pregnancies assessed, the AFV was 94 ≤ 500 mL, 101 between 501 and 1999 mL, and 14 ≥ 2000 mL. The datasets were in agreement classifying the AFV as oligohydramnios, normal, and polyhydramnios in 76% of the pregnancies. Brace classified more overall patients with oligohydramnios (19%) versus Magann (3%) (P < 0.001). In term pregnancies (>37 weeks), Brace was more likely to classify pregnancies with oligohydramnios (15%) than Magann (3%) (P = 0.004). The likelihood ratio (LR) to detect oligohydramnios/SGA was greater with Magann (LR 12.9) versus Brace (LR 2.75).Conclusion:  The two datasets classify AFV differently in 24% of cases. Brace's dataset is more likely to categorize patients as having oligohydramnios and Magann's dataset is a more useful test for oligohydramnios/SGA identification.
Out of the ground: aerial and exotic habitats of the melioidosis bacterium Burkholderia pseudomallei in grasses in Australia
Authors: Kaestli Mirjam , Schmid Michael , Mayo Mark , Rothballer Michael , Harrington Glenda , Richardson Leisha , Hill Audrey , Hill Jason , Tuanyok Apichai , Keim Paul , Hartmann Anton , Currie Bart J. 
Published: December 2011

SummaryMelioidosis is an emerging infectious disease of humans and animals in the tropics caused by the soil bacterium Burkholderia pseudomallei. Despite high fatality rates, the ecology of B. pseudomallei remains unclear. We used a combination of field and laboratory studies to investigate B. pseudomallei colonization of native and exotic grasses in northern Australia. Multivariable and spatial analyses were performed to determine significant predictors for B. pseudomallei occurrence in plants and soil collected longitudinally from field sites. In plant inoculation experiments, the impact of B. pseudomallei upon these grasses was studied and the bacterial load semi‐quantified. Fluorescence in situ hybridization and confocal laser scanning microscopy were performed to localize the bacteria in plants. Burkholderia pseudomallei was found to inhabit not only the rhizosphere and roots but also aerial parts of specific grasses. This raises questions about the potential spread of B. pseudomallei by grazing animals whose droppings were found to be positive for these bacteria. In particular, B. pseudomallei readily colonized exotic grasses introduced to Australia for pasture. The ongoing spread of these introduced grasses creates new habitats suitable for B. pseudomallei survival and may be an important factor in the evolving epidemiology of melioidosis seen both in northern Australia and elsewhere globally.
Light utilization efficiency in photosynthetic microbial mats
Authors: Al‐Najjar Mohammad A. A. , de Beer Dirk , Kühl Michael , Polerecky Lubos 
Published: December 2011

SummaryBased on combined microsensor measurements of irradiance, temperature and O2, we compared light energy budgets in photosynthetic microbial mats, with a special focus on the efficiency of light energy conservation by photosynthesis. The euphotic zones in the three studied mats differed in their phototrophic community structure, pigment concentrations and thickness. In all mats, < 1% of the absorbed light energy was conserved via photosynthesis at high incident irradiance, while the rest was dissipated as heat. Under light‐limiting conditions, the photosynthetic efficiency reached a maximum, which varied among the studied mats between 4.5% and 16.2% and was significantly lower than the theoretical maximum of 27.7%. The maximum efficiency correlated linearly with the light attenuation coefficient and photopigment concentration in the euphotic zone. Higher photosynthetic efficiency was found in mats with a thinner and more densely populated euphotic zone. Microbial mats exhibit a lower photosynthetic efficiency compared with ecosystems with a more open canopy‐like organization of photosynthetic elements, where light propagation is not hindered to the same extent by photosynthetically inactive components; such components contributed about 40–80% to light absorption in the investigated microbial mats, which is in a similar range as in oceanic planktonic systems.
Altered expression level of Escherichia coli proteins in response to treatment with the antifouling agent zosteric acid sodium salt
Authors: Villa Federica , Remelli William , Forlani Fabio , Vitali Alberto , Cappitelli Francesca 
Published: December 2011

SummaryZosteric acid sodium salt is a powerful antifouling agent. However, the mode of its antifouling action has not yet been fully elucidated. Whole cell proteome of Escherichia coli was analysed to study the different protein patterns expressed by the surface‐exposed planktonic cells without and with sublethal concentrations of the zosteric acid sodium salt. Proteomic analysis revealed that at least 27 proteins showed a significant (19 upregulated and 8 downregulated, P < 0.001) altered expression level in response to the antifoulant. The proteomic signatures of zosteric acid sodium salt‐treated cells are characterized by stress‐associated (e.g. AhpC, OsmC, SodB, GroES, IscU, DnaK), motility‐related (FliC), quorum‐sensing‐associated (LuxS) and metabolism/biosynthesis‐related (e.g. PptA, AroA, FabD, FabB, GapA) proteins. Consistent with the overexpression of LuxS enzyme, the antifouling agent increased autoinducer‐2 (AI‐2) concentration by twofold. Moreover, treated cells experienced a statistically significant but modest increase of reactive oxygen species (+ 23%), tryptophanase (1.2‐fold) and indole (1.2‐fold) synthesis. Overall, our data suggest that zosteric acid sodium salt acts as environmental cue leading to global stress on E. coli cells, which favours the expression of various protective proteins, the AI‐2 production and the synthesis of flagella, to escape from adverse conditions.
Evaluation of the seventh edition of the tumour, node, metastasis (TNM) classification for colon cancer in two nationwide registries of the United States and Japan
Authors: Hashiguchi Y. , Hase K. , Kotake K. , Ueno H. , Shinto E. , Mochizuki H. , Yamamoto J. , Sugihara K. 
Published: December 2011

AbstractAim:  The new TNM classification is currently being implemented. We evaluated the TNM‐7 staging system based on the two nationwide colon cancer registries in the United States and Japan to clarify whether this system better stratifies patients’ prognoses than the TNM‐6 did and to determine whether stratification can be effectively simplified.Methods:  The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results population‐based data from 1988 to 2001 for 50 139 colon cancer patients and the multi‐institutional registry data from the Japanese Society for Cancer of the Colon and Rectum from 1984 to 1994 for 10 754 patients were analysed. We devised a modified version of the TNM‐7 staging system to allow simpler classification of the TN categories and compared the TNM‐6, TNM‐7, modified TNM‐7, and the Dukes staging system based on survival curves and objective statistical tests such as likelihood ratio χ2 tests, Akaike’s information criterion, and Harrell’s c‐index.Results:  The TNM‐7 was superior to the TNM‐6 in all objective statistical tests in the United States (c‐index; 0.700 vs 0.696, P < 0.001) as well as in the Japan data sets (0.732 vs 0.729, P = 0.035). The modified TNM‐7 is much simpler, but it nevertheless showed similar values to those of the original TNM‐7 (c‐index; the United States 0.702, Japan 0.733).Conclusions:  The new TNM‐7 is complicated but better at stratifying patients than the TNM‐6 in the United States and Japan, and could be effectively simplified.
Spermatophore formation and sperm ultrastructure of Sundathelphusa philippina (Crustacea: Brachyura: Gecarcinucidae)
Authors: Klaus Sebastian , Münzner Susann , Modenbach Anna‐Christina , Streit Bruno , Tudge Christopher C. 
Published: December 2011

AbstractWe investigated the morphology of spermatozoa, spermatophores and the anterior vas deferens (AVD) of the gecarcinucid freshwater crab Sundathelphusa philippina. The morphology of the acrosome (proportions, structure and arrangement of acrosomal layers) and the spermatophores complies with the known sperm and spermatophore morphology of the brachyuran family Gecarcinucidae. The sperm cells are packed within coenospermic spermatophores that are of a mucous type, lacking a complex spermatophore wall. Spermatophore formation takes place in the distal part of the AVD. The strongly proliferated inner epithelium of the vas deferens releases vesicles via apocrine secretion. These vesicles fuse with the incipient spermatophores that subsequently coalesce, thus forming the coenospermic aggregates that represent the mature spermatophores.
Smoking cessation among Australian methadone clients: Prevalence, characteristics and a need for action
Authors: BOWMAN JENNY , WIGGERS JOHN , COLYVAS KIM , WYE PAULA , WALSH RAOUL A. , BARTLEM KATE 
Published: December 2011

AbstractIntroduction and Aims. The aim of this study was to describe a sample of Australian methadone clients with respect to smoking and cessation‐related behaviours and motivations.Design and Methods. A cross‐sectional survey was completed by 103 methadone clients in the Hunter Region of New South Wales, Australia.Results. Characteristics of the sample included low socioeconomic status, and high polydrug use and nicotine dependence. Key findings were a high prevalence of smoking (84%) and low likelihood of quitting, including a quit ratio of less than 10%. Over half of smokers were classified as ‘Precontemplative’, and 34% as ‘hard‐core’ smokers.Discussion and Conclusions. The need for research to develop and test tailored interventions for this population is highlighted, as is the need for methadone services and staff to facilitate client smoking cessation.[Bowman J, Wiggers J, Colyvas K, Wye P, Walsh RA, Bartlem K. Smoking cessation among Australian methadone clients: Prevalence, characteristics and a need for action. Drug Alcohol Rev 2012;31:507–513]
Social justice and the Canadian Nurses Association: justifying equity
Authors: Wilmot Stephen 
Published: December 2011

AbstractThis paper considers the social justice initiative of the Canadian Nurses Association (CNA). It focuses mainly on the two editions of the CNA's discussion document on social justice, and particularly on its emphasis on the principle of equity. The paper considers whether a coherent justification can be made for the CNA's espousal of equity, and the discussion focuses in turn on the principle of equity itself and on the CNA's position in relation to equity. A body of arguments supporting an active moral role for professions, generally known as civic professionalism, provides a framework for exploring the CNA's role in this respect. Justifications for equity are explored in relation to the liberal‐contextualist spectrum, and civic professional arguments are subjected to the same structure of analysis. This is in turn related to evidence from the literature concerning nursing perceptions of equity. The paper concludes that contextualist justifications of equity and civic professionalism support one another more robustly than liberal justifications in relation to the CNA's initiative; and that they also sit more comfortably with the realities of the CNA's role in relation to nursing, and to the Canadian health care system.
Political Economy Aspects of Climate Change Mitigation Efforts
Authors: Mathys Nicole A. , de Melo Jaime 
Published: December 2011

AbstractRegardless of the policies used to mitigate climate change, a positive and relatively high price of carbon will have to be established, with slow convergence across regions, leading to huge rents up to capture, way beyond those that have been fought over in the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT)‐based international trading system. The paper explores the political‐economy, feasibility and desirability implications of the two main alternatives, a carbon tax and a cap‐and‐trade (CAT) system. Having the same concerns, CAT systems in the EU and the US have accounted for different outcomes in each case. Likely leakages under foreseeable carbon prices are estimated to be small and not of an order of magnitude justifying the special allowances sought across a wide spectrum of industries. The experience of the EU and US reviewed here suggests that mitigation is likely to continue to be carried out under a CAT, provided permits are distributed for free to the lobbies whose support is necessary to get adoption of mitigation policies. This quota mechanism, long‐used to allocate scarcity in the international trading system both nationally and internationally, would end up with the most powerful receiving the quotas rents, giving them the leverage and resources to maintain allocation schemes favourable to them.
The economic cost of brain disorders in Europe
Authors: Olesen J. , Gustavsson A. , Svensson M. , Wittchen H.‐U. , Jönsson B. ,   on behalf of the CDBE2010 study group,   the European Brain Council
Published: December 2011

Background and purpose:  In 2005, we presented for the first time overall estimates of annual costs for brain disorders (mental and neurologic disorders) in Europe. This new report presents updated, more accurate, and comprehensive 2010 estimates for 30 European countries.Methods:  One‐year prevalence and annual cost per person of 19 major groups of disorders are based on ‘best estimates’ derived from systematic literature reviews by panels of experts in epidemiology and health economics. Our cost estimation model was populated with national statistics from Eurostat to adjust to 2010 values, converting all local currencies to Euros (€), imputing cost for countries where no data were available, and aggregating country estimates to purchasing power parity–adjusted estimates of the total cost of brain disorders in Europe in 2010.Results:  Total European 2010 cost of brain disorders was €798 billion, of which direct health care cost 37%, direct non‐medical cost 23%, and indirect cost 40%. Average cost per inhabitant was €5.550. The European average cost per person with a disorder of the brain ranged between €285 for headache and €30 000 for neuromuscular disorders. Total annual cost per disorder (in billion € 2010) was as follows: addiction 65.7; anxiety disorders 74.4; brain tumor 5.2; child/adolescent disorders 21.3; dementia 105.2; eating disorders 0.8; epilepsy 13.8; headache 43.5; mental retardation 43.3; mood disorders 113.4; multiple sclerosis 14.6; neuromuscular disorders 7.7; Parkinson’s disease 13.9; personality disorders 27.3; psychotic disorders 93.9; sleep disorders 35.4; somatoform disorder 21.2; stroke 64.1; and traumatic brain injury 33.0.Conclusion:  Our cost model revealed that brain disorders overall are much more costly than previously estimated constituting a major health economic challenge for Europe. Our estimate should be regarded as conservative because many disorders or cost items could not be included because of lack of data.
Combined brain voxel‐based morphometry and diffusion tensor imaging study in idiopathic Restless Legs Syndrome patients
Authors: Rizzo G. , Manners D. , Vetrugno R. , Tonon C. , Malucelli E. , Plazzi G. , Marconi S. , Pizza F. , Testa C. , Provini F. , Montagna P. , Lodi R. 
Published: December 2011

Background and purpose:  The aim of this study was to evaluate the presence of abnormalities in the brain of patients with restless legs syndrome (RLS) using voxel‐based morphometry and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI).Methods:  Twenty patients and twenty controls were studied. Voxel‐based morphometry analysis was performed using statistical parametric mapping (SPM8) and FSL‐VBM software tools. For voxel‐wise analysis of DTI, tract‐based spatial statistics (TBSS) and SPM8 were used.Results:  Applying an appropriate threshold of probability, no significant results were found either in comparison or in correlation analyses.Conclusions:  Our data argue against clear structural or microstructural abnormalities in the brain of patients with idiopathic RLS, suggesting a prevalent role of functional or metabolic impairment.