bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Predictors of complications of free flap reconstruction in head and neck surgery: Analysis of 304 free flap reconstruction procedures
Authors: le Nobel Gavin J. , Higgins Kevin M. , Enepekides Danny J. 
Published: March 2012

AbstractObjectives:The objectives of this study were to classify and analyze perioperative complications following free flap reconstruction in the head and neck and investigate potential predictors of these complications.Methods:A retrospective chart analysis of 304 consecutive free flap reconstructions for defects in the head and neck were examined. Patient and operative characteristics as well as complications were recorded prospectively and analyzed using ordinal logistic regression.Results:The overall complication rate was 32.6% with a perioperative mortality rate of 0.3%. The flap loss rate was 2.0% and the partial flap necrosis rate was 1.0%. Multivariate analysis demonstrated a significant correlation between perioperative complication and tumor stage as well as reconstruction site.Conclusions:The rate and grade of complications with free flap reconstruction in the head and neck were found to be low. Higher tumor stage and pharyngoesophageal reconstruction were found to be associated with increased complication grades, whereas preoperative radiation alone and chemoradiation were not. Smoking and alcohol use, age, diabetes mellitus, peripheral vascular disease, and preoperative myocardial infarction as well as preoperative cerebrovascular accident were not found to be associated with increased complications. No statistically significant difference in complication grades was found with different flap types or indications for reconstruction.
Gas‐phase dissociation of glycosylated peptide ions
Authors: Dodds Eric D. 
Published: March 2012

AbstractAmong the myriad of protein post‐translational modifications (PTMs), glycosylation presents a singular analytical challenge. On account of the extraordinary diversity of protein‐linked carbohydrates and the great complexity with which they decorate glycoproteins, the rigorous establishment of glycan–protein connectivity is often an arduous experimental venture. Consequently, elaborating the interplay between structures of oligosaccharides and functions of proteins they modify is usually not a straightforward task. A more mature biochemical appreciation of carbohydrates as PTMs will significantly hinge upon analytical advances in the field of glycoproteomics. Undoubtedly, the analysis of glycosylated peptides by tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) will play a pivotal role in this regard. The goal of this review is to summarize, from an analytical and tutorial perspective, the present state of knowledge regarding the dissociation of glycopeptide ions as accomplished by various MS/MS methods. In addition, this review will endeavor to harmonize some seemingly disparate findings to provide a more complete and broadly applicable description of glycopeptide ion fragmentation. A fuller understanding of the rich variety of glycopeptide dissociation behaviors will allow glycoproteomic researchers to maximize the information yielded by MS/MS experiments, while also paving the way to new innovations in MS‐based glycoproteomics. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Mass Spec Rev 31:666–682, 2012
Calderon's preconditioning for periodic fast multipole method for elastodynamics in 3D
Authors: Isakari Hiroshi , Niino Kazuki , Yoshikawa Hitoshi , Nishimura Naoshi 
Published: March 2012

SUMMARYPreconditioning methods based on Calderon's formulae for the periodic fast multipole method for elastodynamics in 3D are investigated. Three different types of formulations are proposed. The first type is a preconditioning just by appropriately ordering the coefficient matrix without multiplying preconditioners. The other two types utilise preconditioners constructed using matrices needed in the main fast multipole method algorithms. We make several numerical experiments with proposed preconditioners to confirm the efficiency of these proposed methods. We also conclude that the preconditioning of the first type is faster with respect to the computational time than other preconditioning methods discussed in this article. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Direct evidence that PKCα positively regulates wound re‐epithelialization: correlation with changes in desmosomal adhesiveness
Authors: Thomason Helen A , Cooper Nichola H , Ansell David M , Chiu Maybo , Merrit Anita J , Hardman Matthew J , Garrod David R 
Published: March 2012

AbstractNon‐healing wounds cause considerable patient morbidity and represent a significant economic burden. Central to wound repair is re‐epithelialization, a crucial process involving the modulation of cell adhesion to allow keratinocyte migration to cover the exposed underlying tissues. The cellular mechanisms regulating the earliest stages of re‐epithelialization are unclear. We present the first direct evidence that protein kinase Cα (PKCα) plays an important role in regulating wound re‐epithelialization. In PKCα−/− mice re‐epithelialization is delayed, while in novel bitransgenic mice over‐expressing constitutively active PKCα it is accelerated. These effects are not due to changes in keratinocyte proliferation, apoptosis or intrinsic cell motility. Instead, they correlate with changes in desmosomal adhesiveness, delay being preceded by retained desmosomal hyper‐adhesiveness and acceleration with a rapid switch to desmosomal Ca2+‐dependence. We demonstrate mechanistic conservation in acute human wounds where PKCα localizes to wound edge desmosomes, which become Ca2+‐dependent. However, in chronic wounds PKCα remains cytoplasmic and desmosomes fail to switch from the hyper‐adhesive state. These results throw new mechanistic light on the earliest stages of wound re‐epithelialization and suggest activation of PKCα as a new therapeutic strategy for non‐healing wounds. Copyright © 2012 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Stem cell identification—in vivo lineage analysis versus in vitro isolation and clonal expansion
Authors: Wright Nicholas A 
Published: March 2012

AbstractRecently, a dispute has arisen concerning the operational definition and identification of epithelial stem cells. There is a current view which considers that epithelial stem cell identification depends solely on the in vitro isolation and expansion of cells from the putative stem cell. This article argues strongly that this is a perverse and erroneous view, and that lineage labelling, using genetic markers, remains the gold standard for identifying epithelial stem cells and for analysing their behaviour: in vitro methods show, at best, clonogenic potential but not fate, and constitute ancillary support for conclusions drawn from lineage analysis. Copyright © 2012 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
N‐terminal acetylation is critical for forming α‐helical oligomer of α‐synuclein
Authors: Trexler Adam J. , Rhoades Elizabeth 
Published: March 2012

AbstractThe aggregation of the protein α‐synuclein (AS) is critical to the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease. Although generally described as an unstructured monomer, recent evidence suggests that the native form of AS may be an α‐helical tetramer which resists aggregation. Here, we show that N‐terminal acetylation in combination with a mild purification protocol results in an oligomeric form of AS with partial α‐helical structure. N‐terminal acetylation of AS could have important implications for both the native and pathological structures and functions of AS. Through our demonstration of a recombinant expression system, our results represent an important step toward biochemical and biophysical characterization of this potentially important form of AS.
Ribavirin, a nucleoside with potential insecticidal activity
Authors: Liu Ying‐Qian , Zhang Jing , Feng Gang , Li Lin‐Hai , Yang Liu , Kou Liang 
Published: March 2012

AbstractBACKGROUND: The triazole‐based antiviral nucleoside ribavirin exhibited significant in vitro insecticidal effects against Spodoptera litura, a finding that has prompted further investigations into its in vivo insecticidal properties and mode of action against this insect pest.RESULTS: Ribavirin showed delayed insecticidal effects on third‐instar larvae of S. litura at a concentration of 1 mg mL−1. When incorporated into an artificial diet, ribavirin caused various effects, depending on the concentration used. Compared with controls, food intake was lower, larval growth was reduced and larval development prolonged. Pupae weight was reduced, and adult morphology was also affected. Relative to the untreated group, treated groups showed higher mortality at larval and pupal stages, which was generally caused by moult disruption. Results of this study with ribavirin resemble those found in treatment with insect growth regulators.CONCLUSION: This work shows that ribavirin merits further study as a lead compound in a novel class of potential insect control agents or for managing field populations of Lepidoptera pests on cruciferous crops. Copyright © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry
Two‐stage k‐sample designs for the ordered alternative problem
Authors: Shan Guogen , Hutson Alan D. , Wilding Gregory E. 
Published: March 2012

AbstractIn preclinical studies and clinical dose‐ranging trials, the Jonckheere–Terpstra test is widely used in the assessment of dose–response relationships. Hewett and Spurrier (1979) presented a two‐stage analog of the test in the context of large sample sizes. In this paper, we propose an exact test based on Simon's minimax and optimal design criteria originally used in one‐arm phase II designs based on binary endpoints. The convergence rate of the joint distribution of the first and second stage test statistics to the limiting distribution is studied, and design parameters are provided for a variety of assumed alternatives. The behavior of the test is also examined in the presence of ties, and the proposed designs are illustrated through application in the planning of a hypercholesterolemia clinical trial. The minimax and optimal two‐stage procedures are shown to be preferable as compared with the one‐stage procedure because of the associated reduction in expected sample size for given error constraints. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Estimated trichloroethene transformation rates due to naturally occurring biodegradation in a fractured rock aquifer
Authors: Chapelle Francis H. , Lacombe Pierre J. , Bradley Paul M. 
Published: March 2012

AbstractRates of trichloroethene (TCE) mass transformed by naturally occurring biodegradation processes in a fractured rock aquifer underlying a former Naval Air Warfare Center (NAWC) site in West Trenton, New Jersey, were estimated. The methodology included (1) dividing the site into eight elements of equal size and vertically integrating observed concentrations of two daughter products of TCE biodegradation—cis‐dichloroethene (cis‐DCE) and chloride—using water chemistry data from a network of 88 observation wells; (2) summing the molar mass of cis‐DCE, the first biodegradation product of TCE, to provide a probable underestimate of reductive biodegradation of TCE, (3) summing the molar mass of chloride, the final product of chlorinated ethene degradation, to provide a probable overestimate of overall biodegradation. Finally, lower and higher estimates of aquifer porosities and groundwater residence times were used to estimate a range of overall transformation rates. The highest TCE transformation rates estimated using this procedure for the combined overburden and bedrock aquifers was 945 kg/yr, and the lowest was 37 kg/yr. However, hydrologic considerations suggest that approximately 100 to 500 kg/yr is the probable range for overall TCE transformation rates in this system. Estimated rates of TCE transformation were much higher in shallow overburden sediments (approximately 100 to 500 kg/yr) than in the deeper bedrock aquifer (approximately 20 to 0.15 kg/yr), which reflects the higher porosity and higher contaminant mass present in the overburden. By way of comparison, pump‐and‐treat operations at the NAWC site are estimated to have removed between 1,073 and 1,565 kg/yr of TCE between 1996 and 2009. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.*
Remediating TCE‐contaminated groundwater in low‐permeability media using hydraulic fracturing to emplace zero‐valent iron/organic carbon amendment
Authors: Swift Dana , Rothermel Joe , Peterson Lance , Orr Brennon , Bures Gordon H. , Weidhaas Jennifer 
Published: March 2012

AbstractA field pilot test in which hydraulic fracturing was used to emplace granular remediation amendment (a mixture of zero‐valent iron [ZVI] and organic carbon) into fine‐grained sandstone to remediate dissolved trichloroethene (TCE)‐contaminated groundwater was performed at a former intercontinental ballistic missile site in Colorado. Hydraulic fracturing was used to enhance the permeability of the aquifer with concurrent emplacement of amendment that facilitates TCE degradation. Geophysical monitoring and inverse modeling show that the network of amendment‐filled fractures extends throughout the aquifer volume targeted in the pilot test zone. Two years of subsequent groundwater monitoring demonstrate that amendment addition resulted in development of geochemical conditions favorable to both abiotic and biological TCE degradation, that TCE concentrations were substantially reduced (i.e., greater than 90 percent reduction in TCE mass), and that the primary degradation processes are likely abiotic. The pilot‐test data aided in re‐evaluating the conceptual site model and in designing the full‐scale remedy to address a larger portion of the TCE‐contaminated groundwater plume. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
PREDICTING THE LIKELIHOOD OF ALTERED STREAMFLOWS AT UNGAUGED RIVERS ACROSS THE CONTERMINOUS UNITED STATES
Authors: Eng K. , Carlisle D. M. , Wolock D. M. , Falcone J. A. 
Published: March 2012

ABSTRACTAn approach is presented in this study to aid water‐resource managers in characterizing streamflow alteration at ungauged rivers. Such approaches can be used to take advantage of the substantial amounts of biological data collected at ungauged rivers to evaluate the potential ecological consequences of altered streamflows. National‐scale random forest statistical models are developed to predict the likelihood that ungauged rivers have altered streamflows (relative to expected natural condition) for five hydrologic metrics (HMs) representing different aspects of the streamflow regime. The models use human disturbance variables, such as number of dams and road density, to predict the likelihood of streamflow alteration. For each HM, separate models are derived to predict the likelihood that the observed metric is greater than (‘inflated’) or less than (‘diminished’) natural conditions. The utility of these models is demonstrated by applying them to all river segments in the South Platte River in Colorado, USA, and for all 10‐digit hydrologic units in the conterminous United States. In general, the models successfully predicted the likelihood of alteration to the five HMs at the national scale as well as in the South Platte River basin. However, the models predicting the likelihood of diminished HMs consistently outperformed models predicting inflated HMs, possibly because of fewer sites across the conterminous United States where HMs are inflated. The results of these analyses suggest that the primary predictors of altered streamflow regimes across the Nation are (i) the residence time of annual runoff held in storage in reservoirs, (ii) the degree of urbanization measured by road density and (iii) the extent of agricultural land cover in the river basin. Published 2012. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.
Risk Factors for Chronic Pain after Open Ventral Hernia Repair by Underlay Mesh Placement
Authors: Gronnier Caroline , Wattier Jean‐Michel , Favre Hugo , Piessen Guillaume , Mariette Christophe 
Published: March 2012

AbstractBackgroundIncisional hernia is a frequent complication following abdominal surgery. Repairs that include the use of mesh have been associated with decreased recurrence. The aim of the present study was to determine the outcomes and risk factors for chronic pain after ventral hernia repair with underlay placement of a composite polypropylene mesh.MethodsA retrospective study was conducted from September 2005 to June 2008. The study included consecutive patients who underwent elective incisional hernia repair with underlay composite mesh placement. Postoperative course, recurrence, pain, and patient satisfaction were assessed by an independent observer. Chronic pain was defined as significant pain persisting after 3 months as assessed using a 10‐point numeric scale (≥3: chronic pain, ≥7: severe pain).ResultsAfter a mean follow‐up period of 24.6 months, 109 of 121 patients operated on during the period were evaluated. No patients experienced small bowel obstructions, enterocutaneous fistulas, or mesh infections leading to the need for mesh removal. The recurrence rate was 6.1 % at the repair site and 10.5% at another site. Thirty‐one patients (28%) had chronic pain and seven patients (6.6%) had severe pain. Affective and nociceptive components were the majority of complaints. Chronic cough was the only variable independently associated with chronic pain in univariate and multivariate analyses (OR = 4.8; p = 0.007).ConclusionsIntraperitoneal composite mesh placement after ventral hernia repair is safe with regard to intra‐abdominal potential complications. Chronic pain is not uncommon, with chronic cough identified as the major independent predictor.
Cosmesis and Body Image after Minimally Invasive or Open Thyroid Surgery
Authors: Bokor Therezia , Kiffner Erhard , Kotrikova Bibiana , Billmann Franck 
Published: March 2012

AbstractBackgroundMinimally invasive techniques, such as laparoscopic appendectomy or minimally invasive thyroid surgery, are thought to produce better cosmetic results. However, cosmesis in thyroid surgery was rarely investigated using a standardized approach. The objectives of this study were to evaluate body image and cosmesis in patients who had either minimally invasive (MI) or conventional open (CO) thyroid surgery.MethodsTwo hundred fifty patients of 540 participated (46.3 %): 50 patients (20.0 %) had MI thyroid surgery and 200 (80.0 %) had CO thyroid surgery. The patients filled out a body image questionnaire that investigated body image, cosmesis, and self‐confidence. SPSS 19.0 software was used for statistical analysis.ResultsAlthough the mean incision size was significantly shorter in the MI group than in the CO group (2.8 vs. 3.5 cm), the mean scores from the body image questionnaire (body image score, cosmetic score, and self‐confidence score) were similar for both groups (p > 0.05). No significant differences in postoperative complications were observed in these groups (p > 0.05).ConclusionsStudies in the literature that evaluate body image and cosmesis in thyroid surgery using standardized methods are scarce. In our department, the results of a questionnaire showed that the MI approach has no advantage for body image and cosmesis over the CO approach. Further prospective randomized studies using different tools with a larger sample size are needed to investigate the use of MI procedures for thyroid surgery.
The clinical role of critical pathway implementation for pancreaticoduodenectomy in 179 patients
Authors: Yamaki So , Satoi Sohei , Toyokawa Hideyoshi , Yanagimoto Hiroaki , Yamamoto Tomohisa , Hirooka Satoshi , Yui Rintaro , Inoue Kentaro , Matsui Yoichi , Kwon A‐Hon 
Published: March 2012

AbstractBackground/purposeIn June 2004, a critical pathway for patients undergoing pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) was introduced. The objective of this study was to determine the clinical value of critical pathway implementation.Methods256 consecutive patients who underwent PD between 2000 and 2010 were divided into 4 groups by date of operation as follows; group A (n = 77), the pre‐pathway group; group B (n = 51), the CP implementation group who were managed according to departmental guidelines; group C (n = 78), the group who had no stenting in the reconstruction of PD; and group D (n = 50), the group who had reinforcement of the pancreaticojejunostomy. The success rates of clinical outcomes and post‐operative morbidity were compared between each group, year by year and every 50 patients.ResultsThe success rates of clinical outcomes, including the timings of nasogastric tube removal, discontinuation of prophylactic anti‐microbial agent, drain removal, starting oral intake, and patient discharge, were significantly improved in group B relative to group A, and in group C relative to group B. There were no significant differences in mortality and morbidity between any of the groups. All clinical outcomes reached a plateau at 2—3 years or 100—150 patients' operations after critical pathway implementation.ConclusionsLong‐term use of a critical pathway is associated with improved clinical outcomes. A certain period of time or volume of patients is needed for this improvement in clinical outcomes to reach a plateau, which indicates achieving standardization of peri‐operative management.
Understanding of Genetic Inheritance among Xhosa‐Speaking Caretakers of Children with Hemophilia
Authors: Solomon Gabriele , Greenberg Jacquie , Futter Merle , Vivian Lauraine , Penn Claire 
Published: March 2012

AbstractHemophilia A and B are X‐linked recessive inherited bleeding disorders that have a profound impact on the family of affected individuals. Education is vital to enable women to appreciate the implications of being a carrier and the implications for a prospective child. Prior research has shown that cultural, socio‐economic and linguistic issues in South Africa are major barriers to communication for first‐language Xhosa‐speakers. This exploratory study aimed to investigate the basic knowledge of genetic inheritance among this cultural group in order to promote culturally‐sensitive, effective genetic counseling. Ten in‐depth interviews were conducted with Xhosa‐speaking mothers or caregivers of boys with hemophilia. Results suggest that the participants had a very limited understanding of the clinical management, genetic consequences and cause of hemophilia. While treatment and care by health care service providers was fully accepted, several participants believed that traditional methods would provide them with more satisfactory explanations. These findings suggest that there is a critical need for socio‐culturally tailored, language‐specific education for families with hemophilia.