bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Gastric cancer surgery: Billroth I or Billroth II for distal gastrectomy?
Authors: Sah Birendra K , Chen Ming-Min , Yan Min , Zhu Zheng-Gang 
Published: December 2009

AbstractBackgroundThe selection of an anastomosis method after a distal gastrectomy is a highly debatable topic; however, the available documentation lacks the necessary research based on a comparison of early postoperative complications. This study was conducted to investigate the difference of early postoperative complications between Billroth I and Billroth II types of anastomosis for distal gastrectomies.MethodsA total of 809 patients who underwent distal gastrectomies for gastric cancer during four years were included in the study. The only study endpoint was analysis of in-patients' postoperative complications. The risk adjusted complication rate was compared by POSSUM (Physiological and operative severity score for enumeration of morbidity and mortality) and the severity of complications was compared by Rui Jin Hospital classification of complication.ResultsComplication rate of Billroth II type of anastomosis was almost double of that in Billroth I (P = 0.000). Similarly, the risk adjusted complication rate was also higher in Billroth II group. More severe complications were observed and the postoperative duration was significantly longer in Billroth II type (P = 0.000). Overall expenditure was significantly higher in Billroth II type (P = 0.000).ConclusionBillroth II method of anastomosis was associated with higher rate of early postoperative complications. Therefore, we conclude that the Billroth I method should be the first choice after a distal gastrectomy as long as the anatomic and oncological environment of an individual patient allows us to perform it. However more prospective studies should be designed to compare the overall surgical outcomes of both anastomosis methods.
A survey on knowledge and self-reported formula handling practices of parents and child care workers in Palermo, Italy
Authors: Calamusa Giuseppe , Valenti Rosalia Maria , Guida Ivana , Mammina Caterina 
Published: December 2009

AbstractBackgroundPowdered infant formula (PIF) is not a sterile product, but this information appears to be poorly diffused among child caregivers. Parents and child care workers may behave in an unsafe manner when handling PIF.MethodsThis study involved parents and child care workers in the 24 municipal child care centres of Palermo. Knowledge and self-reported practices about PIF handling were investigated by a structured questionnaire. A Likert scale was used to measure the strength of the respondent's feelings. Association of knowledge and self-reported practices with demographic variables was also evaluated.Results42.4% of parents and 71.0% of child care workers filled in the questionnaire. Significant differences were found between parents and child care workers for age and education. 73.2% of parents and 84.4% of child care workers were confident in sterility of PIF. Generally, adherence to safe procedures when reconstituting and handling PIF was more frequently reported by child care workers who, according to the existing legislation, are regularly subjected to a periodic training on food safety principles and practices. Age and education significantly influenced the answers to the questionnaire of both parents and child care workers.ConclusionThe results of the study reveal that parents and child care workers are generally unaware that powdered formulas may contain viable microorganisms. However, child care workers consistently chose safer options than parents when answering the questions about adherence to hygienic practices.At present it seems unfeasible to produce sterile PIF, but the risk of growth of hazardous organisms in formula at the time of administration should be minimized by promoting safer behaviours among caregivers to infants in both institutional settings and home.
Evaluating the financial protection of patients with chronic disease by health insurance in rural China
Authors: Sun Qiang , Liu Xiaoyun , Meng Qingyue , Tang Shenglan , Yu Baorong , Tolhurst Rachel 
Published: December 2009

Abstract

Background
A growing number of developing countries are developing health insurance schemes that aim to protect households, particularly the poor, from financial catastrophe and impoverishment caused by unaffordable medical care. This paper investigates the extent to which patients suffering from chronic disease in rural China face catastrophic expenditure on healthcare, and how far the New Co-operative Medical Insurance Scheme (NCMS) offers them financial protection against this.

Methods
A household survey was conducted in six counties in Ningxia Autonomous Region and Shandong Province, with a total of 6,147 rural households, including 3944 individual chronic disease patients. Structured questionnaires were used with chronic disease patients to investigate: their basic social and economic characteristics, including income and expenditure levels and NCMS membership; and their health care utilization, associated healthcare costs and levels of reimbursement by NCMS. 'Catastrophic' expenditure was defined as healthcare expenditure of more than 40% of household non-food expenditure.

Results
Expenditure for chronic diseases accounted for an average of 27% of annual non-food per capita expenditure amongst NCMS members in Shandong and 35% in Ningxia. 14-15% of families in both provinces spent more than 40% of their non-food expenditure on chronic healthcare costs. Between 8 and 11% of non NCMS members and 13% of NCMS members did not seek any medical care for chronic illness. A greater proportion of NCMS members in the poorest quintile faced catastrophic expenditure as compared to those in the richest quintile in both study sites. A slightly higher proportion of non-NCMS members than NCMS member households faced catastrophic expenditure, but the difference was not statistically significant.

Conclusion
A significant proportion of patients with chronic diseases face catastrophic healthcare costs and these are especially heavy for the poor. The NCMS offers only a limited degree of financial protection. The heavy financial burden of healthcare for chronic disease poses an urgent challenge to the NCMS. There is an urgent need for a clear policy on how to offer financial protection to those with chronic disease.
Fecal bile acid excretion and messenger RNA expression levels of ileal transporters in high risk gallstone patients
Authors: Herrera Jorge , Amigo Ludwig , Husche Constanze , Benítez Carlos , Zanlungo Silvana , Lütjohann Dieter , Miquel Juan Francisco , Nervi Flavio 
Published: December 2009

Abstract

Background
Cholesterol gallstone disease (GS) is highly prevalent among Hispanics and American Indians. In GS, the pool of bile acids (BA) is decreased, suggesting that BA absorption is impaired. In Caucasian GS patients, mRNA levels for ileal BA transporters are decreased. We aimed to determine fecal BA excretion rates, mRNA levels for ileal BA transporter genes and of regulatory genes of BA synthesis in Hispanic GS patients.

Results
Excretion of fecal BA was measured in seven GS females and in ten GS-free individuals, all with a body mass index < 29. Participants ingested the stool marker Cr2O3 (300 mg/day) for 10 days, and fecal specimens were collected on the last 3 days. Chromium was measured by a colorimetric method, and BA was quantitated by gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy. Intake of calories, nutrients, fiber and cholesterol were similar in the GS and GS-free subjects. Mean BA excretion levels were 520 ± 80 mg/day for the GS-free group, and 461 ± 105 mg/day for the GS group. Messenger RNA expression levels were determined by RT-PCR on biopsy samples obtained from ileum during diagnostic colonoscopy (14 GS-free controls and 16 GS patients) and from liver during surgery performed at 8 and 10 AM (12 GS and 10 GS-free patients operated on for gastrointestinal malignancies), all with a body mass index < 29. Messenger RNA level of the BA transporter genes for ileal lipid binding protein, multidrug resistance-associated protein 3, organic solute transporter alpha, and organic solute transporter beta were similar in GS and GS-free subjects. Messenger RNA level of Cyp27A1, encoding the enzyme 27α-hydroxylase, the short heterodimer partner and farnesoid X receptor remained unchanged, whereas the mRNA level of Cyp7A1, the rate limiting step of BA synthesis, was increased more than 400% (p < 0.01) in the liver of GS compared to GS-free subjects.

Conclusion
Hispanics with GS have fecal BA excretion rates and mRNA levels of genes for ileal BA transporters that are similar to GS-free subjects. However, mRNA expression levels of Cyp7A1 are increased in GS, indicating that regulation of BA synthesis is abnormal in Hispanics with GS.
Aberrant expression and potency as a cancer immunotherapy target of alpha-methylacyl-coenzyme A racemase in prostate cancer
Authors: Honma Ichiya , Torigoe Toshihiko , Hirohashi Yoshihiko , Kitamura Hiroshi , Sato Eiji , Masumori Naoya , Tamura Yasuaki , Tsukamoto Taiji , Sato Noriyuki 
Published: December 2009

AbstractAlpha-methylacyl-CoA racemase (AMACR) is an enzyme playing an important role in the beta-oxidation of branched-chain fatty acids and fatty acid derivatives. High expression levels of AMACR have been described in various cancers, including prostate cancer, colorectal cancer and kidney cancer. Because of its cancer-specific and frequent expression, AMACR could be an attractive target for cytotoxic T-lymphocyte (CTL)-based immunotherapy for cancer. In the present study, we examined the induction of AMACR-specific CTLs from prostate cancer patients' peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and determined HLA-A24-restricted CTL epitopes.RT-PCR and immunohistochemical analysis revealed that AMACR was strongly expressed in prostate cancer cell lines and tissues as compared with benign or normal prostate tissues. Four AMACR-derived peptides carrying the HLA-A24-binding motif were synthesized from the amino acid sequence of this protein and analyzed to determine their binding affinities to HLA-A24. By stimulating patient's PBMCs with the peptides, specific CTLs were successfully induced in 6 of 11 patients. The peptide-specific CTLs exerted significant cytotoxic activity against AMACR-expressing prostate cancer cells in the context of HLA-A24. Our study demonstrates that AMACR could become a target antigen for prostate cancer immunotherapy, and that the AMACR-derived peptides might be good peptide vaccine candidates for HLA-A24-positive AMACR-expressing cancer patients.
In silico analysis of chimeric espA, eae and tir fragments of Escherichia coli O157:H7 for oral immunogenic applications
Authors: Amani Jafar , Mousavi S Latif , Rafati Sima , Salmanian Ali H 
Published: December 2009

Abstract

Background

In silico techniques are highly suited for both the discovery of new and development of existing vaccines. Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:H7 (EHEC) exhibits a pattern of localized adherence to host cells, with the formation of microcolonies, and induces a specific histopathological lesion (attaching/effacing). The genes encoding the products responsible for this phenotype are clustered on a 35-kb pathogenicity island. Among these proteins, Intimin, Tir, and EspA, which are expressed by attaching-effacing genes, are responsible for the attachment to epithelial cell that leads to lesions.

Results
We designed synthetic genes encoding the carboxy-terminal fragment of Intimin, the middle region of Tir and the carboxy-terminal part of EspA. These multi genes were synthesized with codon optimization for a plant host and were fused together by the application of four repeats of five hydrophobic amino acids as linkers. The structure of the synthetic construct gene, its mRNA and deduced protein and their stabilities were analyzed by bioinformatic software. Furthermore, the immunogenicity of this multimeric recombinant protein consisting of three different domains was predicted.

Conclusion
a structural model for a chimeric gene from LEE antigenic determinants of EHEC is presented. It may define accessibility, solubility and immunogenecity.
Interaction of influenza virus NS1 protein with growth arrest-specific protein 8
Authors: Zhao Lixia , Xu Long , Zhou Xiaowei , Zhu Qingyu , Yang Zhixin , Zhang Chuanfu , Zhu Xudong , Yu Mengbin , Zhang Yingying , Zhao Xinghui , Huang Peitang 
Published: December 2009

Abstract
NS1 protein is the only non-structural protein encoded by the influenza A virus, and it contributes significantly to disease pathogenesis by modulating many virus and host cell processes. A two-hybrid screen for proteins that interact with NS1 from influenza A yielded growth arrest-specific protein 8. Gas8 associated with NS1 in vitro and in vivo. Deletion analysis revealed that the N-terminal 260 amino acids of Gas8 were able to interact with NS1, and neither the RNA-binding domain nor the effector domain of NS1 was sufficient for the NS1 interaction. We also found that actin, myosin, and drebrin interact with Gas8. NS1 and β-actin proteins could be co-immunoprecipitated from extracts of transfected cells. Furthermore, actin and Gas8 co-localized at the plasma membrane. These results are discussed in relation to the possible functions of Gas8 protein and their relevance in influenza virus release.
Plasmacytoid urothelial carcinoma of the bladder: a case report
Authors: Aldousari Saad , Sircar Kanishka , Kassouf Wassim 
Published: December 2009

Abstract
Plasmacytoid bladder cancer is a rare variant of transitional cell carcinoma. A 57-year-old man was referred to our institution for management of invasive transitional cell carcinoma diagnosed at a peripheral hospital. His complaints were of vague lower abdominal pain with associated urgency and frequency requiring oxybutynin. Metastatic workup was negative and was subsequently scheduled for a radical cystectomy. Routine colonoscopy 3 weeks prior to surgery was negative. Intraoperatively, he was found to have metastatic urothelial cancer involving the cecum and multiple metastatic deposits within the mesentery of the small intestines. He underwent a palliative cystectomy with ileal conduit formation. Final pathology revealed metastatic plasmacytoid variant of urothelial cancer. Histology and immunohistochemistry were compatible with plasmacytoid variant of urothelial cancer. Here we present our case of this rare variant of urothelial cancer with a review of its characteristics.
HVEM/LIGHT/BTLA/CD160 cosignaling pathways as targets for immune regulation
Authors: del Rio M L , Lucas C L , Buhler L , Rayat G , Rodriguez-Barbosa J I 
Published: December 2009

Abstract
This review highlights how the blockade of the co-stimulatory HVEM/LIGHT interaction or agonist signaling through the inhibitory BTLA and CD160 receptors could contribute to the control of deleterious immune responses.
Immunosuppression is currently the treatment of choice to attenuate the chronic deterioration of tissue function as a result of the effector mechanisms of the immunological response in transplant rejection and autoimmune diseases. However, global immunosuppression greatly increases the risk of acquiring life-threatening infections and is associated with organ toxicity when used long-term. Thus, alternative approaches that inhibit only the unwanted immune responses and preserve general immunity are highly desirable. The receptor/ligand pairs involved in the cross-talk between DC and T cells have been the focus of intense and exciting research during the last decade. The HVEM/LIGHT/BTLA/CD160 costimulatory/coinhibitory pathway has emerged as a potential target for the development of immune therapeutic interventions. Herein, we will summarize and discuss how blockade of the costimulatory HVEM/LIGHT interaction or agonist signaling through the inhibitory BTLA and CD160 receptors could contribute to the control of deleterious immune responses.
A Multilingual Modernist: Avraham Shlonsky between Hebrew and Yiddish
Authors: BRENNER NAOMI 
Published: December 2009

From the early years of his long and prolific writing career, Hebrew poet Avraham Shlonsky continually wrote and rewrote himself into the early twentieth-century cultural scene as consummate artist and ideologue. Affiliating his artistic persona with a new Zionist language, ideology, and land, Shlonsky challenged the styles and themes of his Hebrew poetic predecessors. At the same time, he experimented with the modernist forms and aesthetics that held sway in European culture in the first decades of the twentieth century, mixing aspects of Symbolism, Futurism, Expressionism, and Imaginism to create his own idiosyncratic Hebrew modernism. At the center of his modernist poetry and manifestoes is a chameleon-like lyrical “I” that dominates the text as it unfolds.Shlonsky brilliantly used a new literary Hebrew to create himself as a revolutionary modernist poet. Like many of his fellow staunch Zionists, he argued passionately that Hebrew should be the language of the emerging national culture and that Yiddish, the language of Jewish life in Eastern Europe, should be abandoned to the Diaspora. But, strangely enough, Shlonsky's early poetry and manifestoes are infused with Yiddish influences and inflections, an implicit poetics that stands in opposition to his explicit pronouncements. Over the course of his long career, Shlonsky and his critics largely erased from his canonical image the Yiddish resonances and rhythms that surface in his early poetry, as well as the affiliations with contemporary Yiddish modernisms.In this article, I analyze the contradictions that emerge in Shlonsky's deft self-inventions during the 1920s in the context of contemporary modernist trends and the emerging Hebrew literary center in Palestine. I read his flamboyant authorial images as a particular kind of self-fashioning in and in-between languages. Recovering the traces of Yiddish in Shlonsky's early poetic self-inventions in his poetry, manifestos, and criticism, I argue, reveals the complex negotiations of language and identity that have been largely overlooked both in Shlonsky's canonical image and Hebrew literary history. Almost despite himself, Shlonsky demonstrates a multilingualism that exists within the national canon.
By Virtue of Marxism, Your Honor
Authors: Mahgoub Abdel Khaliq 
Published: December 2009

Allegations of engagement in disruptive activity and blasphemy that were widely disseminated in the Sudanese press and subsequent incidents against Sudanese Marxists led the formidable Abdel Khaliq Mahgoub to stand trial before a military court that was hurriedly put together by the administration of General Ibrahim Abboud and in which he opted to take the stand in defending himself.
This testimony is Mahgoub's explication of why and how he became a Marxist. The statement also powerfully reflects Mahgoub's frustration with the utter bankruptcy of the nationalist discourse, which he saw as unable to produce systematic visions on political transformation. While never losing sight of imperialism, Mahgoub rejected the idea of the struggle as a mere fight against colonizers, an idea that he rejected as not only reductive but intrinsically incapable of coming to terms with the meanings of national liberation. This text draws attention to the importance of the independent application of Marxism as an approach to development, rather than as a fixed or absolute text, and speaks poignantly to colonialism and post-independence politics and decadence and the major stumbling blocks on the path to emancipatory politics. The testimony was formulated around philosophical and practical elements in Mahgoub's thought. Political theory, democratic rights, Marxism's consistency, Islam, and tradition are all addressed.
Barbelo, on Dogs and Children
Authors: Srbljanović Biljana 
Published: December 2009

Translated by Alice Copple-Tošić
© 2006 Barbelo, O Psima I Deci [original Serbian title] by Biljana Srbljanović. English translation © 2006 by Alice Copple-Tox̌ić. All rights reserved. No part of this play may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, and information storage and retrieval systems, without permission from the author.
caution: Professionals and amateurs are hereby warned that, being fully protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America, the British Commonwealth, including the Dominion of Canada, and all other countries of the Copyright Union, this play is subject to royalty. All rights, including professional, amateur, motion picture, recitation, lecturing, public reading, radio and television broadcasting, and translation into foreign languages, are strictly reserved. Particular emphasis is laid on the questions of readings, permission for which must be secured from the author's agent: Peter Hagan, Gersh Agency, 41 Madison Avenue, 33rd floor, New York, NY 10010.
Do we need electronic support for pathways: the Spanish experience
Authors: Rosique Ricard 
Published: December 2009

Care pathways are excellent tools for quality management in health care concerning the standardization of care processes, as they promote organized and efficient patient care established on evidence-based practice. The implementation of a care pathway project at any health-care setting means a change of the organizational culture. E-pathways (electronic pathways) are strategic resources in order to get the successful implementation of a care pathway project. The concept of e-pathway is recent enough and there are some different experiences worldwide. In 2000, the first electronic pathways were implemented at Hospital de Mataró, in Barcelona, Spain. The benefits of using e-pathways (Eira Healthcare Server) are very clear at Hospital de Mataró: immediate records with no transcriptions, information in the palm of your hand, no prints, and rigour and reliability. Another recent and interesting experience is the development and introduction of e-pathways at Hospital General de l'Hospitalet, in Barcelona, Spain, using an SAP integrated health-care solution. The strategy planning of hospital managers should take into account the need and priority of any pathway project linked to e-pathways. Some experiences in Spain have proven that we do really need electronic support for pathways. Electronic pathways are a basic support and should not be postponed when implementing care pathways.
Protein-Based Multiplex Assays: Mock Presubmissions to the US Food and Drug Administration
Authors: Regnier Fred E , Skates Steven J , Mesri Mehdi , Rodriguez Henry , Težak Živana , Kondratovich Marina V , Alterman Michail A , Levin Joshua D , Roscoe Donna , Reilly Eugene , Callaghan James , Kelm Kellie , Brown David , Philip Reena , Carr Steven A , Liebler Daniel C , Fisher Susan J , Tempst Paul , Hiltke Tara , Kessler Larry G , Kinsinger Christopher R , Ransohoff David F , Mansfield Elizabeth , Anderson N Leigh 
Published: December 2009

Abstract
As a part of ongoing efforts of the NCI-FDA Interagency Oncology Task Force subcommittee on molecular diagnostics, members of the Clinical Proteomic Technology Assessment for Cancer program of the National Cancer Institute have submitted 2 protein-based multiplex assay descriptions to the Office of In Vitro Diagnostic Device Evaluation and Safety, US Food and Drug Administration. The objective was to evaluate the analytical measurement criteria and studies needed to validate protein-based multiplex assays. Each submission described a different protein-based platform: a multiplex immunoaffinity mass spectrometry platform for protein quantification, and an immunological array platform quantifying glycoprotein isoforms. Submissions provided a mutually beneficial way for members of the proteomics and regulatory communities to identify the analytical issues that the field should address when developing protein-based multiplex clinical assays.