bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Human papillomavirus vaccine: What are women most concerned about?
Authors: Chan Karen K. L. , Kwan Tracy T. C. , Yao Tzy‐Jyun , Tam Kar Fai , Cheung Annie N. Y. , Ngan Hextan Y. S. 
Published: September 2011

AbstractAim:  This study aims to investigate the areas of concerns that women have regarding human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination.Material and Methods:  A cross‐sectional questionnaire survey was conducted in a convenience sample of 1450 women attending outpatient family planning clinics in Hong Kong to assess women's concerns regarding HPV vaccination. The associations between each demographic characteristics and the importance of various issues concerning the vaccine, such as short and long‐term side‐effects, side‐effect affecting appearance, number of women who have had it, effectiveness, effect duration and cost were explored using χ2 tests for comparison of proportions. Multiple binary logistic regression analysis was applied to further identify independent demographic characteristics which were significantly associated with each of these issues.Results:  The top three factors that most women felt very important were vaccine effectiveness (45.4%), effect duration (44.0%) and long‐term side‐effects (43.7%). Education level significantly affected the degree of concerns in these areas (OR = 1.15, P < 0.001, 1.14, P < 0.001 and 1.09, P = 0.006, respectively) while income was significantly inversely associated with the importance of cost (OR = 0.92, P < 0.001) and effectiveness (OR = 0.95, P = 0.047).Conclusion:  The above issues should be specifically addressed when vaccine information is given, bearing in mind the particular concerns in women with different socio‐economic backgrounds.
Inhibin‐A levels between 14 and 20 weeks of gestation in Thai women
Authors: Promsonthi Patama , Panburana Panyu , Kadegasem Praguywan , Chaemsaithong Piya , Preechapornprasert Domerudee , Chanrachakul Boonsri 
Published: September 2011

AbstractAim:  To construct a normal value for inhibin‐A concentrations at 14–20 weeks of gestation for a Thai population.Material and Methods:  Inhibin‐A concentrations from pregnant women without Down's syndrome at 14–20+6 weeks of gestation were measured. Maternal serum inhibin‐A levels were analyzed according to the gestational age.Results:  Serum specimens from 727 Thai women were analyzed. Inhibin‐A levels decreased from 14 to 17+4 weeks and then gradually rose thereafter, giving a U‐shape pattern.Conclusion:  The data of inhibin‐A concentration at 14–20 weeks of gestation for normal Thai pregnant women fitted well with quadratic regression.
Sticky predators: a comparative study of sticky glands in harpactorine assassin bugs (Insecta: Hemiptera: Reduviidae)
Authors: Zhang Guanyang , Weirauch Christiane 
Published: September 2011

AbstractZhang, G. and Weirauch, C. 2011. Sticky predators: a comparative study of sticky glands in harpactorine assassin bugs (Insecta: Hemiptera: Reduviidae). —Acta Zoologica (Stockholm) 00: 1–10.For more than 50 years, specialized dermal glands that secrete sticky substances and specialized setae have been known from the legs of New World assassin bugs in the genus Zelus Fabricius (Reduviidae: Harpactorinae). The gland secretions and specialized ‘sundew setae’ are involved in enhancing predation success. We here refer to this predation strategy as ‘sticky trap predation’ and the specialized dermal glands as ‘sticky glands’. To determine how widespread sticky trap predation is among Reduviidae, we investigated taxonomic distribution of sticky glands and sundew setae using compound light microscopical and scanning electron microscopical techniques and sampling 67 species of Reduviidae that represent 50 genera of Harpactorini. We found sticky glands in 12 genera of Harpactorini and thus show that sticky trap predation is much more widespread than previously suspected. The sticky glands vary in shape, size and density, but are always located in a dorsolateral position on the fore tibia. Sundew setae are present in all taxa with sticky glands with the exception of Heza that instead possesses unique lamellate setae. The sticky trap predation taxa are restricted to the New World, suggesting a New World origin of this unique predation strategy.
Monophyly, candidate species and vicariance in Biomphalaria snails (Mollusca: Planorbidae) from the Southern Andean Altiplano
Authors: Collado Gonzalo A. , Vila Irma , Méndez Marco A. 
Published: September 2011

Collado, G. A., Vila, I. & Méndez, M. A. (2011). Monophyly, candidate species and vicariance in Biomphalaria snails (Mollusca: Planorbidae) from the Southern Andean Altiplano. —Zoologica Scripta, 40, 613–622.The landscape of the Neotropical southern Andean Altiplano is characterized by a succession of closed basins originated from the Miocene to the Holocene. In this region, the number of species and phylogenetic relationships among freshwater snails of the genus Biomphalaria are uncertain. Here we obtained sequences of the mitochondrial gene cytochrome oxidase subunit I from 17 Altiplano populations, including topotypes of three nominal species, which were analyzed together with published sequences of the genus using different methods of phylogenetic reconstruction and a species of Helisoma as outgroup. The Altiplano populations conform a monophyletic group whose sister group is the Neotropical species Biomphalaria peregrina. Within this clade we recovered four main lineages well supported and congruent with geographical distributions. One clade includes topotypes restricted exclusively to the Ascotán basin, the type locality of the nominal species Biomphalaria crequii. A second clade includes sequences that correspond to topotypes restricted to the Isluga and Carcote basins, the type localities of the nominal species Biomphalaria aymara and Biomphalaria costata, respectively. Two monophyletic groups clustered snails restricted to several aquatic systems within the Caquena and Lauca basins, which may represent candidate species. The branching pattern of the sequences suggests that in the diversification of these snails, events of vicariance inferred in the Pleistocene have predominated over dispersal phenomena.
Surgical outcomes of robot‐assisted partial nephrectomy
Authors: Benway Brian M. , Bhayani Sam B. 
Published: September 2011

What's known on the subject? and What does the study add?Robot‐assisted partial nephrectomy has been established as a safe and effective approach for nephron‐sparing surgery. Early oncological and functional outcomes appear to be on a par with other established approaches.This review provides an up‐to‐date overview of contemporary experience with robot‐assisted partial nephrectomy. We also discuss techniques which may help to optimize outcomes of the procedure.
Robot‐assisted partial nephrectomy (RAPN) has emerged as a viable technique for nephron‐sparing surgery.
In this article, we review the outcomes of RAPN in its current iteration, with attention to operative, oncological, and functional outcomes. In addition, we highlight techniques that may serve to enhance outcomes.
Advances in urogynaecological robotic surgery
Authors: Swan Kimberly , Advincula Arnold P. 
Published: September 2011

What's known on the subject? and What does the study add?Robotic‐assisted laparoscopy is currently utilized in the treatment of urogynecological disorders. Multiple papers are available detailing the technique and outcomes of robotic‐assisted laparoscopic sacrocolpopexy. Recently robotic‐assisted laparoscopy has been used to treat pelvic fistulas.This paper is an overview of the currently published literature pertaining to robotic‐assisted laparoscopy in the treatment of urogynecologic disorders.
Urogynaecology is a subspecialty practiced by both urologists and gynaecologists specialised in treating women with pelvic floor disorders and urinary incontinence.
While urogynaecology covers a vast range of disorders, two disorders frequently managed by urogynaecologists are pelvic organ prolapse (POP) and pelvic fistulae.
Surgical intervention is often the treatment option for both POP and pelvic fistulae after all conservative options have been attempted. The daVinci Surgical System (Intuitive Surgical, Inc., Sunnyvale, CA, USA) has applications for the minimally invasive surgical management of POP and pelvic fistulas.
The following review will address the development and current state of robotic assistance in treating these disorders.
Automated identification of miscoded and misclassified cases of diabetes from computer records
Authors: Sadek A.‐R. , van Vlymen J. , Khunti K. , de Lusignan S. 
Published: September 2011

Diabet. Med. 29, 410–414 (2012)AbstractAims  To develop a computer processable algorithm, capable of running automated searches of routine data that flag miscoded and misclassified cases of diabetes for subsequent clinical review.Method  Anonymized computer data from the Quality Improvement in Chronic Kidney Disease (QICKD) trial (n = 942 031) were analysed using a binary method to assess the accuracy of data on diabetes diagnosis. Diagnostic codes were processed and stratified into: definite, probable and possible diagnosis of Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes. Diagnostic accuracy was improved by using prescription compatibility and temporally sequenced anthropomorphic and biochemical data. Bayesian false detection rate analysis was used to compare findings with those of an entirely independent and more complex manual sort of the first round QICKD study data (n = 760 588).Results  The prevalence of definite diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes and Type 2 diabetes were 0.32% and 3.27% respectively when using the binary search method. Up to 35% of Type 1 diabetes and 0.1% of Type 2 diabetes were miscoded or misclassified on the basis of age/BMI and coding. False detection rate analysis demonstrated a close correlation between the new method and the published hand‐crafted sort. Both methods had the highest false detection rate values when coding, therapeutic, anthropomorphic and biochemical filters were used (up to 90% for the new and 75% for the hand‐crafted search method).Conclusions  A simple computerized algorithm achieves very similar results to more complex search strategies to identify miscoded and misclassified cases of both Type 1 diabetes and Type 2 diabetes. It has the potential to be used as an automated audit instrument to improve quality of diabetes diagnosis.
Platelet activation in obesity and metabolic syndrome
Authors: Santilli F. , Vazzana N. , Liani R. , Guagnano M. T. , Davì G. 
Published: September 2011

SummaryObesity is associated with increased cardiovascular disease. Metabolic syndrome (MS) identifies substantial additional cardiovascular risk beyond the individual risk factors, and is a powerful predictor of cardiovascular events even regardless of body mass index, thus suggesting a common downstream pathway conferring increased cardiovascular risk. Platelet hyper‐reactivity/activation plays a central role to accelerate atherothrombosis and is the result of the interaction among the features clustering in obesity and MS: insulin resistance, inflammation, oxidative stress, endothelial dysfunction. Interestingly, the same pathogenic events largely account for the less‐than‐expected response to antiplatelet agents, namely low‐dose aspirin. The proposed explanations for this phenomenon, besides underdosing of drug and/or reduced bioavailability, subsequent to excess of adipose tissue, include enhanced platelet turnover, leading to unacetylated COX‐1 and COX‐2 in newly formed platelets as a source of aspirin‐escaping thromboxane formation; extraplatelet sources of thromboxane, driven by inflammatory triggers; and enhanced lipid peroxidation, activating platelets with a mechanism bypassing COX‐1 acetylation or limiting COX‐isozyme acetylation by aspirin. This review will address the complex interactions between platelets and the pathogenic events occurring in obesity and MS, trying to translate this body of mechanistic information into a clinically relevant read‐out, in order to establish novel strategies in the prevention/treatment of atherothrombosis.
Land reclamation using reservoir sediments in Tigray, northern Ethiopia
Authors: Girmay Gebreyohannes , Nyssen J. , Poesen J. , Bauer H. , Merckx R. , Haile M. , Deckers J. 
Published: September 2011

AbstractAccelerated soil erosion leads to sedimentation in reservoirs and a decline in their life span. As many reservoirs in northern Ethiopia are dry at the end of the dry season, we were able to evaluate the potential of using reservoir sediments for land reclamation. Stripped land from which construction material for the reservoirs had been excavated was covered with 0, 15 and 30 cm of sediment and planted with a local garlic cultivar (Allium sativum). The applied reservoir sediments had low to medium organic C and total N contents and were high in available P and exchangeable cations. The yield of garlic increased with additional available water and the application of sediments. The results show that total biomass and bulb yield were three times higher on the reclaimed plots than on the control ones (11.7 t/ha vs. 3.6 t/ha for the biomass; 7.7 t/ha vs. 2.0 t/ha for the yield). When sediment transport and labour costs were taken into account, plots with 15 cm of sediments had in the first cropping season a cost‐benefit ratio of 3, whilst those with 30 cm had a cost‐benefit ratio of 0.9. This study demonstrates that the use of relatively small quantities of reservoir sediments is an economically viable strategy for land reclamation. The result can be improvement in income for resource‐poor farmers by as much as 76%, and the life expectancy of the reservoirs is also increased.
Etyid crabs (Crustacea, Decapoda) from mid‐Cretaceous Reefal strata of Navarra, northern Spain
Authors: KLOMPMAKER ADIËL A. , ARTAL PEDRO , VAN BAKEL BARRY W. M. , FRAAIJE RENÉ H. B. , JAGT JOHN W. M. 
Published: September 2011

Abstract:  All known etyid crabs (Crustacea, Decapoda) from the upper Albian – lower Cenomanian Aldoirar coralgal‐dominated patch reef (Albeniz Unit, Eguino Formation), as exposed at the disused Koskobilo quarry in Navarra, northern Spain, are described, discussed and illustrated. A new species, Xanthosia koskobiloensis, the first member of the genus on record from southern Europe, is erected, and a variety that appears closely related to this, Xanthosia cf. X. koskobiloensis, is recognised. This new taxon could be a forerunner of the early Palaeocene (Danian) Xanthosia gracilis from Fakse (Sjælland, eastern Denmark), with which it shares a morphologically closely similar carapace. On the basis of a revised overview here of all species assigned to it, the genus Xanthosia may have evolved in an environment dominated by deposition of siliciclastics, rather than chalks. In addition, Etyxanthosia fossa has been collected at Koskobilo, and as the distribution of all known specimens demonstrates, E. fossa inhabited various environments. Another new species, Caloxanthus paraornatus, is closely similar as well to a species from Fakse, Caloxanthus ornatus, and constitutes the first record of the genus for southern Europe.
Ichthyosauria from the Upper Lias of Strawberry Bank, England
Authors: CAINE HANNAH , BENTON MICHAEL J. 
Published: September 2011

Abstract:  Eight remarkably preserved specimens of ichthyosaurs from the lower Toarcian (Lower Jurassic) of Strawberry Bank (Ilminster, Somerset, England) are described fully for the first time. Whereas previously these ichthyosaurs were assigned to one species, Stenopterygius hauffianus, our study shows there are two, Stenopterygius triscissus and Hauffiopteryx typicus. S. triscissus is a small‐ to medium‐sized ichthyosaur up to 3.5 m long, characterised by three apomorphies: long and slender rostrum, large elliptical supratemporal fenestra and bipartite pelvis. H. typicus is a small ichthyosaur up to 2.95 m long, with five apomorphies: short and extremely slender rostrum, very large orbit, small rounded supratemporal fenestra and tripartite pelvis, which is fused distally. Cladistic analysis is equivocal about their relationships, suggesting either that Hauffiopteryx and perhaps also Stenopterygius are members of a clade Eurhinosauria or that this clade does not exist, and both genera are members of a wider clade Thunnosauria. Further, the clade Stenopterygiidae, in which Hauffiopteryx had been located, is not identified. Most striking is that the specimens are all juveniles (five specimens) or infants (three specimens), ranging from one‐tenth to one‐half the normal adult length of the species.
Reduced Cortical Thickness in Abstinent Alcoholics and Association with Alcoholic Behavior
Authors: Fortier Catherine B. , Leritz Elizabeth C. , Salat David H. , Venne Jonathan R. , Maksimovskiy Arkadiy L. , Williams Victoria , Milberg William P. , McGlinchey Regina E. 
Published: September 2011

Background:  Chronic misuse of alcohol results in widespread damage to the brain. Prior morphometric studies have examined cortical atrophy in individuals with alcoholism; however, no previous studies have examined alcohol‐associated atrophy using cortical thickness measurements to obtain regional mapping of tissue loss across the full cortical surface.Methods:  We compared cortical thickness measures from 31 abstinent individuals with a history of prior alcohol abuse to 34 healthy nonalcoholic control participants (total sample size = 65). Cortical surface models were created from high‐resolution T1‐weighted images, and cortical thickness was then estimated as the distance between the gray matter/white matter boundary and the outer cortical surface.Results:  Abstinent alcoholics showed reduced whole‐brain thickness as compared to nonalcoholic participants. Decreases in thickness were found bilaterally in (i) superior frontal, (ii) precentral, (iii) postcentral, (iv) middle frontal, (v) middle/superior temporal, (vi) middle temporal, and (vii) lateral occipital cortical regions. Decreased cortical thickness in the alcoholic group was associated with severity of alcohol abuse.Conclusions:  These findings demonstrate widespread reduction in cortical thickness as a consequence of chronic alcoholism, with most severe reductions in frontal and temporal brain regions.
Prazosin Effects on Stress‐ and Cue‐Induced Craving and Stress Response in Alcohol‐Dependent Individuals: Preliminary Findings
Authors: Fox Helen C. , Anderson George M. , Tuit Keri , Hansen Julie , Kimmerling Anne , Siedlarz Kristen M. , Morgan Peter T. , Sinha Rajita 
Published: September 2011

Background:  Stress, alcohol cues, and dysregulated stress responses increase alcohol craving and relapse susceptibility, but few pharmacologic agents are known to decrease stress‐ and cue‐induced alcohol craving and associated stress dysregulation in humans. Here we report findings from a preliminary efficacy study of the alpha‐1 receptor antagonist, prazosin, in modulating these relapse‐relevant factors in alcohol‐dependent individuals.
Methods:  Seventeen early abstinent, treatment‐seeking alcohol‐dependent individuals (12 men and 5 women) were randomly assigned to receive either placebo or 16 mg daily prazosin in a double‐blind, placebo‐controlled manner over 4 weeks. During week 4, all patients participated in a 3‐day laboratory experiment involving 5‐minute guided imagery exposure to stress, alcohol cue, and neutral‐relaxing/control conditions, 1 exposure per day, on consecutive days in a random, counterbalanced order. Alcohol craving, anxiety, negative emotion, cardiovascular measures, and plasma hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA; cortisol, adenocorticotropic hormone) were assessed repeatedly in each session.
Results:  The prazosin group (n = 9) versus the placebo group (n = 8) showed significantly lower alcohol craving, anxiety, and negative emotion following stress exposure. The placebo group also showed significantly increased stress‐ and cue‐induced alcohol craving, anxiety, negative emotion, and blood pressure (BP), as well as a blunted HPA response relative to the neutral condition, while the prazosin group showed no such increases in craving, anxiety, negative emotion, and BP, and no blunted HPA response to stress and alcohol cue exposure.
Conclusions:  Prazosin appears efficacious in decreasing stress‐ and cue‐induced alcohol craving and may normalize the stress dysregulation associated with early recovery from alcoholism. Further research to assess the efficacy of prazosin in reducing alcohol craving and stress‐related relapse risk is warranted.
Tax Incentives and Household Investment in Complementary Pension Insurance: Some Recent Evidence From the Italian Experience
Authors: Marino Immacolata , Pericoli Filippo , Ventura Luigi 
Published: September 2011

AbstractWe show by a simple difference‐in‐difference methodology that, contrary to prior research, robustly raising the deductibility limit associated to pension fund holdings in Italy did not succeed in boosting households’ contributions to this form of savings. Some other empirical findings also suggest that this policy measure may have not even increased the average amount of first‐time contributors to such funds. In view of the specific features of the Italian market for complementary insurance (relatively young and less developed), these empirical results might be of interest to policymakers acting in countries with similar features (for instance, some of the more recent EU members).
The Practice of Waiting under Closure in Palestine
Authors: WICK LIVIA 
Published: September 2011

AbstractLand and space in Palestine, engineered as they were through occupation, have fundamentally shaped experiences of mobility, households, work, and support systems of urban and rural dwellers. Within the various spaces of the Occupied Territories, Palestinians encounter the problems of intensified closure, deteriorating economic conditions but also opportunities for countering their marginalization. Based on the oral histories of midwives, nurses and new mothers in the Central West Bank, this article focuses on the practices of waiting everyday under the changing regime of the closure and mounting poverty. Complementing the literature dealing with structures of control I show how, amidst their disillusionment with politics and the collapse of networks of community‐based solidarity, some women are able to make do amidst an increasingly difficult system of restrictions on mobility by forming shifting alliances and identities as workers, mothers and women.
Standing (K)in: Street Youth and Street Relatedness in South Africa
Authors: MARGARETTEN EMILY 
Published: September 2011

AbstractIn this article I examine the social attachments of youth living on the streets of Durban, South Africa. I investigate their interactions with one another as friends, kin, and conjugal lovers. As such, I draw attention to the variability and creativity of youth fellowships in the city. My analysis derives from the ethnographic case of Point Place, a condemned apartment complex located in the city center of Durban. Up to a hundred street youth reside here, males and females between the ages of 14 to 29 years. From their narratives of daily survival, I highlight the possible commensalities of the streets. I show how street youth, as articulated in isiZulu, “stand for each other” (ukumelana), not necessarily in violent or coercive formations but in supportive and cooperative companionships. I show how state officials, too, recognize the resourcefulness of these intra‐generational relations. For they allow the Point Place youth “to stand” (ukuma) not only as friends but also as kin, particularly in times of difficulty and distress. With this case study I highlight the critical linkages of belonging on the streets, framed by institutional forces yet also by the interpersonal subjectivities of youth who imaginatively negotiate their relatedness to one another and in the process, their standing in South African society.