bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Fibrin membrane pupillary-block glaucoma after uneventful cataract surgery treated with intracameral tissue plasminogen activator: a case report
Authors: Yoshino Hideaki , Seki Masaaki , Ueda Jun , Yoshino Takaiko , Fukuchi Takeo , Abe Haruki 
Published: March 2012

Abstract

Background
Fibrin pupillary-block glaucoma is a rare complication after cataract surgery. The treatment for this condition is still controversial, since Nd:YAG laser fibrin membranotomy tends to reocclude and laser peripheral iridotomy entails the risk of damaging the corneal endothelium in the presence of corneal edema associated with elevated intraocular pressure.

Case presentation
A 62-year-old man with diabetes mellitus developed acute elevation of intraocular pressure with a shallow anterior chamber five days after uneventful cataract surgery. Initially, slit lamp examination provided only limited information due to severe corneal edema. After resolution of corneal edema with systemic glaucoma therapy, a complete fibrin membrane was observed across the pupil by slit lamp examination. Anterior segment optic coherence tomography clearly revealed a thin fibrin membrane covering the entire pupillary space, a shallow anterior chamber, and a deep posterior chamber. The intraocular lens was not observed by anterior segment optic coherence tomography. In contrast, ultrasound biomicroscopy, which has superior penetration depth, was able to visualize the intraocular lens deep in the posterior chamber. Injection of tissue plasminogen activator into the anterior chamber resulted in complete fibrinolysis and released the pupillary block.

Conclusion
This case suggests that ocular anterior segment imaging modalities, especially ultrasound biomicroscopy, serve as powerful diagnostic tools to identify mechanisms of acute angle closure glaucoma, which is often accompanied by poor intraocular visibility. This is the first reported case of fibrin pupillary-block glaucoma after cataract surgery successfully treated with intracameral tissue plasminogen activator.
Cardiovascular inflammation in healthy women: multilevel associations with state-level prosperity, productivity and income inequality
Authors: Clark Cheryl R , Ridker Paul M , Ommerborn Mark J , Huisingh Carrie E , Coull Brent , Buring Julie E , Berkman Lisa F 
Published: March 2012

Abstract

Background
Cardiovascular inflammation is a key contributor to the development of atherosclerosis and the prediction of cardiovascular events among healthy women. An emerging literature suggests biomarkers of inflammation vary by geography of residence at the state-level, and are associated with individual-level socioeconomic status. Associations between cardiovascular inflammation and state-level socioeconomic conditions have not been evaluated. The study objective is to estimate whether there are independent associations between state-level socioeconomic conditions and individual-level biomarkers of inflammation, in excess of individual-level income and clinical covariates among healthy women.

Methods
The authors examined cross-sectional multilevel associations among state-level socioeconomic conditions, individual-level income, and biomarkers of inflammation among women (n = 26,029) in the Women's Health Study, a nation-wide cohort of healthy women free of cardiovascular diseases at enrollment. High sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1) and fibrinogen were measured between 1993 and 1996. Biomarker levels were examined among women within quartiles of state-level socioeconomic conditions and within categories of individual-level income.

Results
The authors found that favorable state-level socioeconomic conditions were correlated with lower hsCRP, in excess of individual-level income (e.g. state-level real per capital gross domestic product fixed effect standardized Βeta coefficient [Std B] -0.03, 95% CI -0.05, -0.004). Individual-level income was more closely associated with sICAM-1 (Std B -0.04, 95% CI -0.06, -0.03) and fibrinogen (Std B -0.05, 95% CI -0.06, -0.03) than state-level conditions.

Conclusions
We found associations between state-level socioeconomic conditions and hsCRP among healthy women. Personal household income was more closely associated with sICAM-1 and fibrinogen than state-level socioeconomic conditions. Additional research should examine these associations in other cohorts, and investigate what more-advantaged states do differently than less-advantaged states that may influence levels of cardiovascular inflammation among healthy women.
Influence of vitamin D supplementation on plasma lipid profiles: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
Authors: Wang Hao , Xia Ning , Yang Yang , Peng Dao-Quan 
Published: March 2012

Abstract
Observational studies have shown that low serum levels of vitamin D have been associated with an atherogenic lipid profile. However, the intervention studies gave divergent results. We conducted a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials that evaluated the effects of vitamin D supplementation on blood lipids. A systematic literature search was conducted via MEDLINE, Cochrane library, and EMBASE for randomized controlled clinical trials assessing the effects of vitamin D supplementation on lipids. The mean change in total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and triglycerides (TG) from baseline was treated as a continuous variable. In all, 12 clinical trials consisting of 1346 participants were included in the analysis. The pooled estimate of effect for vitamin D supplementation on LDL-C was 3.23 mg/dl (95% confidence interval, 0.55 to 5.90 mg/dl). No statistically significant effects for vitamin D supplementation were observed for TC, HDL-C and TG (differences in means were 1.52 mg/dl (-1.42 to 4.46 mg/dl), -0.14 mg/dl (-0.99 to 0.71 mg/dl) and -1.92 mg/dl (-7.72 to 3.88 mg/dl) respectively). The lipid modulating effects of vitamin D supplementation should be further investigated though large-scale, randomized trials with adequate doses which can effectively elevated the active form of vitamin D in plasma and with proper population which has hyperlipemia as an inclusion criterion.
Impulsive noise rejection method for compressed measurement signal in compressed sensing
Authors: Sermwuthisarn Parichat , Gansawat Duangrat , Patanavijit Vorapoj , Auethavekiat Supatana 
Published: March 2012

Abstract
The Lorentzian norm of robust statistics is often applied in the reconstruction of the sparse signal from a compressed measurement signal in an impulsive noise environment. The optimization of the robust statistic function is iterative and usually requires complex parameter adjustments. In this article, the impulsive noise rejection for the compressed measurement signal with the design for image reconstruction is proposed. It is used as the preprocessing for any compressed sensing reconstruction given that the sparsified version of the signal is obtained by utilizing octave-tree discrete wavelet transform with db8 as the mother wavelet. The presence of impulsive noise is detected from the energy distribution of the reconstructed sparse signal. After the noise removal, the noise corrupted coefficients are estimated. The proposed method requires neither complex optimization nor complex parameter adjustments. The performance of the proposed method was evaluated on 60 images. The experimental results indicated that the proposed method effectively rejected the impulsive noise. Furthermore, at the same impulsive noise corruption level, the reconstruction with the proposed method as the preprocessing required much lower measurement rate than the model-based Lorentzian iterative hard thresholding.
Multichannel adaptive signal detection in space-time colored compound-gaussian autoregressive processes
Authors: Xu Qi , Ma Xiaochuan , Yan Shefeng , Hao Chengpeng , Shi Bo 
Published: March 2012

Abstract
In this article, we consider the problem of adaptive detection for a multichannel signal in the presence of spatially and temporally colored compound-Gaussian disturbance. By modeling the disturbance as a multichannel autoregressive (AR) process, we first derive a parametric generalized likelihood ratio test against compound-Gaussian disturbance (CG-PGLRT) assuming that the true multichannel AR parameters are perfectly known. For the two-step GLRT design criterion, we combine the multichannel AR parameter estimation algorithm with three covariance matrix estimation strategies for compound-Gaussian environment, then obtain three adaptive CG-PGLRT detectors by replacing the ideal multichannel AR parameters with their estimates. Owing to treating the random texture components of disturbance as deterministic unknown parameters, all of the proposed detectors require no a priori knowledge about the disturbance statistics. The performance assessments are conducted by means of Monte Carlo trials. We focus on the issues of constant false alarm rate (CFAR) behavior, detection and false alarm probabilities. Numerical results show that the proposed adaptive CG-PGLRT detectors have dramatically ease the training and computational burden compared to the generalized likelihood ratio test-linear quadratic (GLRT-LQ) which is referred to as covariance matrix based detector and relies more heavily on training.
Survey of methadone-drug interactions among patients of methadone maintenance treatment program in Taiwan
Authors: Lee Hsin-Ya , Li Jih-Heng , Wu Li-Tzy , Wu Jin-Song , Yen Cheng-Fang , Tang Hsin-Pei 
Published: March 2012

Abstract

Background
Although methadone has been used for the maintenance treatment of opioid dependence for decades, it was not introduced in China or Taiwan until 2000s. Methadone-drug interactions (MDIs) have been shown to cause many adverse effects. However, such effects have not been scrutinized in the ethnic Chinese community.

Methods
The study was performed in two major hospitals in southern Taiwan. A total of 178 non-HIV patients aged ≥ 20 years who had participated in the Methadone Maintenance Treatment Program (MMTP) ≥ 1 month were recruited. An MDI is defined as concurrent use of drug(s) with methadone that may result in an increase or decrease of effectiveness and/or adverse effect of methadone. To determine the prevalence and clinical characteristics of MDIs, credible data sources, including the National Health Insurance (NHI) database, face-to-face interviews, medical records, and methadone computer databases, were linked for analysis. Socio-demographic and clinical factors associated with MDIs and co-medications were also examined.

Results
128 (72%) MMTP patients took at least one medication. Clinically significant MDIs included withdrawal symptoms, which were found among MMTP patients co-administered with buprenorphine or tramadol; severe QTc prolongation effect, which might be associated with use of haloperidol or droperidol; and additive CNS and respiratory depression, which could result from use of methadone in combination with chlorpromazine or thioridazine. Past amphetamine use, co-infection with hepatitis C, and a longer retention in the MMTP were associated with increased odds of co-medication. Among patients with co-medication use, significant correlates of MDIs included the male gender and length of co-medication in the MMTP.

Conclusions
The results demonstrate clinical evidence of significant MDIs among MMTP patients. Clinicians should check the past medical history of MMTP clients carefully before prescribing medicines. Because combinations of methadone with other psychotropic or opioid medications can affect treatment outcomes or precipitate withdrawal symptoms, clinicians should be cautious when prescribing these medications to MMTP patients and monitor the therapeutic effects and adverse drug reactions. Although it is difficult to interconnect medical data from different sources for the sake of privacy protection, the incumbent agency should develop pharmacovigilant measures to prevent the MDIs from occurring. Physicians are also advised to check more carefully on the medication history of their MMTP patients.
A simple method for construction of pir
+
Enterobacterial hosts for maintenance of R6K replicon plasmids
Authors: Kvitko Brian H , Bruckbauer Steven , Prucha John , McMillan Ian , Breland Erin J , Lehman Stephanie , Mladinich Katie , Choi Kyoung-Hee , Karkhoff-Schweizer RoxAnn , Schweizer Herbert P 
Published: March 2012

Abstract

Background
The R6K replicon is one of the best studied bacterial plasmid replicons. Replication of the R6K plasmid and derivatives harboring its γ origin of replication (ori
R6Kγ) is dependent on the pir gene-encoded π protein. Originally encoded by R6K, this protein is usually provided in trans in hosts engineered to support replication of plasmids harboring ori
R6Kγ. In Escherichia coli this is commonly achieved by chromosomal integration of pir either via lysogenization with a λpir phage or homologous recombination at a pre-determined locus.

Findings
Current methods for construction of host strains for ori
R6Kγ-containing plasmids involve procedures that do not allow selection for presence of the pir gene and require cumbersome and time-consuming screening steps. In this study, we established a mini-Tn7-based method for rapid and reliable construction of pir
+ host strains. Using a curable mini-Tn7 delivery plasmid, pir expressing derivatives of several commonly used E. coli cloning and mobilizer strains were isolated using both the wild-type pir

+
gene as well as the copy-up pir-116 allele. In addition, we isolated pir
+ and pir-116 expressing derivatives of a clinical isolate of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium. In both E. coli and S. enterica serovar Typhimurium, the presence of the pir

+
wild-type or pir-116 alleles allowed the replication of ori
R6Kγ-containing plasmids.

Conclusions
A mini-Tn7 system was employed for rapid and reliable engineering of E. coli and S. enterica serovar Typhimurium host strains for plasmids containing ori
R6Kγ. Since mini-Tn7 elements transpose in most, if not all, Gram negative bacteria, we anticipate that with relatively minor modifications this newly established method will for the first time allow engineering of other bacterial species to enable replication of plasmids with ori
R6Kγ.
The reliability of plantar pressure assessment during barefoot level walking in children aged 7‐11 years
Authors: Cousins Stephen D , Morrison Stewart C , Drechsler Wendy I 
Published: March 2012

AbstractBackgroundPlantar pressure assessment can provide information pertaining to the dynamic loading of the foot, as well as information specific to each region in contact with the ground. There have been few studies which have considered the reliability of plantar pressure data and therefore the purpose of this study was to investigate the reliability of assessing plantar pressure variables in a group of typically developing children, during barefoot level walking.MethodsForty‐five participants, aged 7 to 11 years, were recruited from local primary and secondary schools in East London. Data from three walking trials were collected at both an initial and re‐test session, taken one week apart, to determine both the within‐ and between‐session reliability of selected plantar pressure variables. The variables of peak pressure, peak force, pressure‐time and force‐time integrals were extracted for analysis in the following seven regions of the foot; lateral heel, medial heel, midfoot, 1st metatarsophalangeal joint, 2nd‐5th metatarsophalangeal joint, hallux and the lesser toes. Reliability of the data were explored using Intra Class Correlation Coefficients (ICC 3,1 and 3,2) and variability with Coefficients of Variation (CoV's).ResultsThe measurements demonstrated moderate to good levels of within‐session reliability across all segments of the foot (0.69‐0.93), except the lesser toes, which demonstrated poor reliability (0.17‐0.50). CoV's across the three repeated trials ranged from 10.12‐19.84% for each of the measured variables across all regions of the foot, except the lesser toes which demonstrated the greatest variability within trials (27.15‐56.08%). The between‐session results demonstrated good levels of reliability across all foot segments (0.79‐0.99) except the lesser toes; with moderate levels of reliability reported at this region of the foot (0.58‐0.68). The CoV's between‐sessions demonstrated that the midfoot (16.41‐36.23%) and lesser toe region (29.64‐56.61) demonstrated the greatest levels of variability across all the measured variables.ConclusionsThese findings indicate that using the reported protocols, reliable plantar pressure data can be collected in children, aged 7 to 11 years in all regions of the foot except the lesser toes which consistently reported poor‐to‐moderate levels of reliability and increased variability.
Functional characterization of the 19q12 amplicon in grade III breast cancers
Authors: Natrajan Rachael , Mackay Alan , Wilkerson Paul M , Lambros Maryou B , Wetterskog Daniel , Arnedos Monica , Shiu Kai-Keen , Geyer Felipe C , Langerød Anita , Kreike Bas , Reyal Fabien , Horlings Hugo M , van de Vijver Marc J , Palacios Jose , Weigelt Britta , Reis-Filho Jorge S 
Published: March 2012

Abstract
Introduction
The 19q12 locus is amplified in a subgroup of oestrogen receptor (ER)-negative grade III breast cancers. This amplicon comprises nine genes, including cyclin E1 (CCNE1), which has been proposed as its 'driver'. The aim of this study was to identify the genes within the 19q12 amplicon whose expression is required for the survival of cancer cells harbouring their amplification.

Methods
We investigated the presence of 19q12 amplification in a series of 313 frozen primary breast cancers and 56 breast cancer cell lines using microarray comparative genomic hybridisation (aCGH). The nine genes mapping to the smallest region of amplification on 19q12 were silenced using RNA interference in phenotypically matched breast cancer cell lines with (MDA-MB-157 and HCC1569) and without (Hs578T, MCF7, MDA-MB-231, ZR75.1, JIMT1 and BT474) amplification of this locus. Genes whose silencing was selectively lethal in amplified cells were taken forward for further validation. The effects of cyclin-dependent kinase 2 (CDK2) silencing and chemical inhibition were tested in cancer cells with and without CCNE1 amplification.

Results
19q12 amplification was identified in 7.8% of ER-negative grade III breast cancer. Of the nine genes mapping to this amplicon, UQCRFS1, POP4, PLEKHF1, C19ORF12, CCNE1 and C19ORF2 were significantly over-expressed when amplified in primary breast cancers and/or breast cancer cell lines. Silencing of POP4, PLEKHF1, CCNE1 and TSZH3 selectively reduced cell viability in cancer cells harbouring their amplification. Cancer cells with CCNE1 amplification were shown to be dependent on CDK2 expression and kinase activity for their survival.

Conclusions
The 19q12 amplicon may harbour more than a single 'driver', given that expression of POP4, PLEKHF1, CCNE1 and TSZH3 is required for the survival of cancer cells displaying their amplification. The observation that cancer cells harbouring CCNE1 gene amplification are sensitive to CDK2 inhibitors provides a rationale for the testing of these chemical inhibitors in a subgroup of patients with ER-negative grade III breast cancers.
Depression and Survival in Metastatic Non–Small-Cell Lung Cancer: Effects of Early Palliative Care
Authors: Pirl William F. , Greer Joseph A. , Traeger Lara , Jackson Vicki , Lennes Inga T. , Gallagher Emily R. , Perez-Cruz Pedro , Heist Rebecca S. , Temel Jennifer S. 
Published: March 2012

Purpose In a randomized trial, early palliative care (EPC) in patients with metastatic non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) was observed to improve survival. In a secondary analysis, we explored the hypothesis that the survival benefit resulted from improving depression. Patients and Methods In total, 151 patients with newly diagnosed metastatic NSCLC participated in a randomized trial of EPC integrated with standard oncology care versus standard oncology care alone. Depression was assessed at baseline and at 12 weeks with the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and was scored diagnostically by using Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition, criteria for major depression syndrome (MDS). Depression response was considered ≥ 50% reduction in PHQ-9 scores at 12 weeks. Survival differences were tested with log-rank and Cox proportional hazards models. Results At baseline, 21 patients (14%) met MDS criteria. MDS significantly predicted worse survival (hazard ratio, 1.82; P = .02). Patients assigned to EPC had greater improvements in PHQ-9 scores at 12 weeks (P < .001); among patients with MDS, those receiving EPC had greater rates of depression response at 12 weeks (P = .04). However, improvement in PHQ-9 scores was not associated with improved survival, except in a sensitivity analysis in which patients who died before 12 weeks were modeled to have worse depression. The group randomly assigned to EPC remained independently associated with survival after adding improvement in PHQ-9 scores to the survival model. Conclusion Depression predicted worse survival in patients with newly diagnosed metastatic NSCLC. Although EPC was associated with greater improvement in depression at 12 weeks, the data do not support the hypothesis that treatment of depression mediated the observed survival benefit from EPC.
Financial Relationships in Economic Analyses of Targeted Therapies in Oncology
Authors: Valachis Antonis , Polyzos Nikolaos P. , Nearchou Andreas , Lind Pehr , Mauri Davide 
Published: March 2012

PurposeA potential financial relationship between investigators and pharmaceutical manufacturers has been associated with an increased likelihood of reporting favorable conclusions about a sponsor's proprietary agent in pharmacoeconomic studies. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether there is an association between financial relationships and outcome in economic analyses of new targeted therapies in oncology.Materials and MethodsWe searched PubMed (last update June 2011) for economic analyses of targeted therapies (including monoclonal antibodies, tyrosine-kinase inhibitors, and mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitors) in oncology. The trials were qualitatively rated regarding the cost assessment as favorable, neutral, or unfavorable on the basis of prespecified criteria.ResultsOverall, 81 eligible studies were identified. Economic analyses that were funded by pharmaceutical companies were more likely to report favorable qualitative cost estimates (28 [82%] of 34 v 21 [45%] of 47; P = .003). The presence of an author affiliated with manufacturer was not associated with study outcome. Furthermore, if only studies including a conflict of interest statement were included (66 of 81), studies that reported any financial relationship with manufacturers (author affiliation and/or funding and/or other financial relationship) were more likely to report favorable results of targeted therapies compared with studies without financial relationship (32 [71%] of 45 v nine [43%] of 21; P = .025).ConclusionOur study reveals a potential threat for industry-related bias in economic analyses of targeted therapies in oncology in favor of analyses with financial relationships between authors and manufacturers. A more balanced funding of economic analyses from other sources may allow greater confidence in the interpretation of their results.