bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Very long half‐life plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 reduces bleeding in a mouse model
Authors: Jankun Jerzy , Selman Steven H. , Keck Rick W. , Łysiak‐Szydłowska Wiesława , Skrzypczak‐Jankun Ewa 
Published: November 2009

OBJECTIVETo investigate the potential for the future clinical use of a very long half‐life plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 (VLHL PAI‐1) as a haemostatic agent.MATERIALS AND METHODSWe developed a VLHL PAI‐1 (half‐life >700 h) recombinant mutant of PAI‐1 and assessed VLHL PAI‐1 for its ability to inhibit fibrinolysis in vitro using human, rabbit, mouse and rat blood. Fibrin clot lysis time, monitored by thromboelastometry, was determined at various concentrations of VLHL PAI‐1. Also, we determined total bleeding time and total blood loss of control, VLHL PAI‐1‐, tissue‐type plasminogen activator (tPA)‐ and tPA + VLHL PAI‐1‐treated mice.RESULTSUsing a thromboelastometer, mouse blood was most similar to human blood in its coagulation and fibrinolytic characteristics. We evaluated the affect of VLHL PAI‐1 on haemostasis using the mouse model and showed that VLHL PAI‐1 is an effective inhibitor of fibrin clot degradation. It reduced time of bleeding and total blood loss.CONCLUSIONVLHL PAI‐1 may provide an important physiological mechanism to protect clots from premature dissolution in surgical and trauma settings.
Bipolar transurethral resection of the prostate causes less bleeding than the monopolar technique: a single‐centre randomized trial of 202 patients
Authors: Fagerström Tim , Nyman Claes R. , Hahn Robert G. 
Published: November 2009

Study Type – Therapy (RCT) Level of Evidence 1bOBJECTIVETo compare bipolar with the conventional monopolar transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) for blood loss and speed of resection.PATIENTS AND METHODSIn all, 202 consecutive patients from the hospital waiting list were randomized to undergo TURP using either a bipolar system (Surgmaster TURis, Olympus, Tokyo, Japan) or a monopolar system (24 F, Storz, Tübingen, Germany). The blood loss during and after surgery was measured using a photometer. Other variables compared included indices of resection speed and transfusion rate.RESULTSThere were no statistically significant differences in operative duration, resection weight, resection speed or radicality of resection. However, the median blood loss was 235 mL for the bipolar and 350 mL for monopolar TURP (P < 0.001). The decrease in blood haemoglobin concentration during the day of surgery was smaller in the bipolar group (5.5% vs 9.6%P < 0.001). Fewer patients were transfused with erythrocytes (4% vs 11%, P < 0.01), which can be explained by the much lower 75th percentile for blood loss in the bipolar group (at 472 vs 855 mL, respectively).CONCLUSIONSBipolar TURP using the TURis system was performed with the same speed as monopolar TURP but caused 34% less bleeding, the difference being greatest (81%) for the largest blood losses. Bipolar TURP also required fewer erythrocyte transfusions than the conventional monopolar technique.
Advanced patient age is associated with inferior cancer‐specific survival after radical nephroureterectomy
Authors: Shariat Shahrokh F. , Godoy Guilherme , Lotan Yair , Droller Michael , Karakiewicz Pierre I. , Raman Jay D. , Isbarn Hendrik , Weizer Alon , Remzi Mesut , Roscigno Marco , Kikuchi Eiji , Bolenz Christian , Bensalah Karim , Koppie Theresa M. , Kassouf Wassim , Wheat Jeffrey C. , Zigeuner Richard , Langner Cord , Wood Christopher G. , Margulis Vitaly 
Published: November 2009

Study Type – Prognosis (case series) Level of Evidence 4OBJECTIVETo assess the impact of patient age on outcomes after radical nephroureterectomy (RNU) for upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC).PATIENTS AND METHODSData were collected on 1453 patients treated with RNU at 13 centres. Pathological slides were reviewed by dedicated genitourinary pathologists according to standardized criteria. Age at RNU was analysed both as a continuous and categorical variable (<50, n = 85; 50–59.9, n = 229; 60–69.9, n = 416; 70–79.9, n = 523; ≥80 years, n = 200).RESULTSPatients aged <50 years were less likely to have undergone previous ureteroscopy and to have a history of bladder cancer (P ≤ 0.026). Advanced age was associated with infiltrative architecture and female gender (P ≤ 0.003). Patients aged >70 years were less likely to undergo lymphadenectomy and to receive adjuvant chemotherapy (P ≤ 0.026). In multivariable analyses, being older was associated with decreased all‐cause (AC) survival (>60 years) and cancer‐specific survival (CSS; >80 years) after controlling for the effects of standard pathological features (P ≤ 0.006). However, addition of age did not improve the predictive accuracy of a base model that included standard pathological features for prediction of either disease recurrence, AC survival or CSS.CONCLUSIONSBeing older at the time of RNU was associated with decreased survival. This finding could be due to a change in the biological potential of the tumour cell, a decrease in the host’s defence mechanisms, or differences in care patterns. Further work is needed to improve our understanding of UTUC outcomes in this growing segment of the population and to develop strategies to improve cancer control in the elderly.
Measurement delay associated with the Guardian® RT continuous glucose monitoring system
Authors: Wei C. , Lunn D. J. , Acerini C. L. , Allen J. M. , Larsen A. M. , Wilinska M. E. , Dunger D. B. , Hovorka R. 
Published: November 2009

Diabet. Med.AbstractAims  Using compartment modelling, we assessed the time delay between blood glucose and sensor glucose measured by the Guardian® RT continuous glucose monitoring system in young subjects with Type 1 diabetes (T1D).Methods  Twelve children and adolescents with T1D treated by continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (male/female 7/5; age 13.1 ± 4.2 years; body mass index 21.9 ± 4.3 kg/m2; mean ± sd) were studied over 19 h in a Clinical Research Facility. Guardian® RT was calibrated every 6 h and sensor glucose measured every 5 min. Reference blood glucose was measured every 15 min using a YSI 2300 STAT Plus Analyser. A population compartment model of sensor glucose–blood glucose kinetics was adopted to estimate the time delay, the calibration scale and the calibration shift.Results  The population median of the time delay was 15.8 (interquartile range 15.2, 16.5) min, which was corroborated by correlation analysis between blood glucose and 15‐min delayed sensor glucose. The delay has a relatively low intersubject variability, with 95% of individuals predicted to have delays between 10.4 and 24.3 min. Population medians (interquartile range) for the scale and shift are 0.800 (0.777, 0.823) (unitless) and 1.66 (1.47, 1.84) mmol/l, respectively.Conclusions  In young subjects with T1D, the total time delay associated with the Guardian® RT system was approximately 15 min. This is twice that expected on physiological grounds, suggesting a 5‐ to 10‐min delay because of data processing. Delays above 25 min are rarely to be observed.
Determinants and Accounting Consequences of Forming a Governance Committee: Evidence from the United States
Authors: Huang Henry , Lobo Gerald J. , Zhou Jian 
Published: November 2009

ABSTRACTManuscript Type: EmpiricalResearch Question/Issue: This study examines the determinants of forming a governance committee and whether such a committee constrains managerial opportunism.Research Findings/Insights: This study examines a sample of S&P 1,500 firms over the period of 1996 to 2002. It finds that firms with a larger, more independent, and more active board, higher agency costs (as indicated by lower managerial ownership and lower takeover vulnerability), and past occurrence of class‐action lawsuits are more likely to voluntarily form a governance committee. This study also provides evidence that having a governance committee brings real consequences in that it constrains managerial opportunism by reducing aggressive financial reporting.Theoretical/Academic Implications: Consistent with substitution theory, this study documents that a firm is more likely to form a governance committee to compensate for its severe agency problems. It also demonstrates that delegating some corporate governance duties to a specific board committee could improve the effectiveness of board monitoring.Practitioner/Policy Implications: This study provides insights to regulators who are interested in regulating board structure. It suggests that whether a firm needs to form a governance committee is endogenously determined by the firm's characteristics when the firm has an independent board. In addition, this study documents that a voluntarily formed governance committee is able to mitigate agency costs in the form of constraining managerial accounting discretion.
Does the Team Leverage the Board's Decisions?
Authors: Castro Carmen Barroso , De La Concha Marta Dominguez , Gravel Julio Vecino , Periñan Ma Mar Villegas 
Published: November 2009

ABSTRACTManuscript Type:EmpiricalResearch Question/Issue:This study analyses the form of the board‐TMT interaction and the firm's level of strategic change. Relatedly, we explore the premise that there needs to be a good fit between the board of directors and the top management team to effectively bring about strategic change.Research Findings/Insights: Using archival data from a sample of 119 firms in the period 1993–2000, we found that when a synergy exists between the board and the TMT, there will be a greater inclination for strategic change. The results indicate that a board's inclination to contribute to strategic change increases as the board size increases. Equally, it is possible to accept that the relationship between board tenure and their inclination towards strategic change is not linear. Finally, the simultaneous analysis of board composition and the ratio of directors on the TMT, demonstrates that the interaction of both variables has effects on the firm's strategic change.Theoretical/Academic Implications: This study provides empirical support in favor of an active role of the board shaping the firm's strategic decisions. We have developed and tested a set of arguments regarding with the role of the board on the firm's change in strategy. We have investigated as well, the leveraging effect of one of the variables that define the composition of the management team on the relationship board‐change in strategy.Practitioner/Policy Implications: In order to create an effective board, a broader governance structure must be examined with a detailed study of aspects of the composition of the board and the TMT (previous research has only considered characteristics linked to the CEO). The dynamics of the relationships between both governance mechanisms are essential and leverage the board capability.
The Strategic Role of the Board: The Impact of Board Structure on Top Management Team Strategic Action Capability
Authors: Kim Bongjin , Burns Michael L. , Prescott John E. 
Published: November 2009

ABSTRACTManuscript Type:ConceptualResearch Question/Issue:Board reforms around the globe, corporate governance failures, and equivocal research findings provide the impetus for studying boards from a perspective different from the current emphasis on control and service roles. A board's strategic role is conceptualized and the impact of board diversity and leadership structure on the speed and breadth of top management team (TMT) strategic capabilities is explicated.Research Findings/Insights:Four board configurations are identified by examining the joint impact of diversity and leadership. Each configuration differentially influences TMT strategic action capabilities. We then propose that the nature of the competitive environment (dynamism and complexity) impacts the effectiveness of a particular configuration. Testable propositions applicable in communitarian, Anglo‐Saxon, and emerging markets are developed in a manner that leverages current theoretical insights and empirical findings.Theoretical/Academic Implications:Theorizing that board strategic control manifests in multiple forms and influences TMT strategic capabilities in nuanced ways highlights how particular board configurations differentially impact firm processes and outcomes. This approach links the board, TMT, and competitive rivalry literatures, providing a potential explanation for mixed research findings, and suggests directions for future research.Practitioner/Policy Implications:Universally prescribed board configurations may be harmful to firm and industry performance as well as national economies. Specific board configurations differentially impact TMT capabilities and should be properly aligned with environmental contexts. Those charged with governance design and board configuration should be cognizant of how the diversity and leadership of strategically involved boards influences the speed and breadth of TMT strategic action capabilities.
Karl Olivecrona on Judicial Law‐Making
Authors: SPAAK TORBEN 
Published: November 2009

AbstractThe Scandinavian Realist Karl Olivecrona did not pay much attention to questions of legal reasoning in his many works. He did, however, argue that courts necessarily create law when deciding a case. The reason, he explained, is that judges must evaluate issues of fact or law in order to decide a case, and that evaluations are not objective. Olivecrona's line of argument is problematic, however. The problem is that Olivecrona uses the term “evaluation” in a sense that is broad enough to cover not only evaluations, including moral evaluations, but also considerations that are not evaluations at all, and therefore his claim that judges must evaluate issues of law or fact in order to decide whether a case is false.
Habermas and Ackerman: A Synthesis Applied to the Legitimation and Codification of Legal Norms*
Authors: ABAD I NINET ANTONI , MOLAS JOSEP MONSERRAT 
Published: November 2009

AbstractIn this article we consider certain elements of the normative theory of Jürgen Habermas in the light of the proposals of Bruce Ackerman, with a view to strengthening a concept of deliberative democracy applied to the legitimation of juridical rules. We do not construct a hierarchy of the two positions, but seek to bring together certain elements to achieve a common project. As the starting point for examining the work of the two authors, we take the scheme proposed by Habermas in Faktizität und Geltung. In this connection, through the work of Ackerman, we intend to fill in some of the gaps that Habermas appears to have left in the theory of radical democracy applied to the law. The work of Ackerman can make a significant contribution to deliberative democracy, to the discourse principle that Habermas defines, and to the contractualist theories from a liberal perspective. The study of these contributions makes possible a critical judgment that enables the legitimation of juridical rules carried out by Habermas to acquire greater practicity. In examining the epistemological status of juridical science and law, we attempt to determine the weight and the performance of normative democracy. In Tarr's view, it is a matter for philosophers to examine direct democracy and its desirability.
Introgression of fitness genes across a ploidy barrier
Authors: Chapman Mark A. , Abbott Richard J. 
Published: November 2009

SummaryGene flow from diploid to polyploid species could have significant effects on the morphology and ecology of polyploids. The potential of such introgression for bringing about evolutionary change within polyploids has long been recognized, although there are few examples of the process in the wild. Here, we focus on introgression between the diploid species,Senecio squalidus, and the tetraploid,S. vulgaris, which resulted in the origin of a variant form ofS. vulgaristhat produces radiate rather than nonradiate flower heads. The radiate variant ofS. vulgarisis more attractive to pollinators and has a higher outcrossing rate. We review recent work that has isolated and characterized two regulatory genes,RAY1andRAY2, that control presence of ray florets in radiate flower heads, and which have been introgressed intoS. vulgarisfromS. squalidusin the recent past. We identify a copy ofRAY2inS. vulgaris(RAY2b) homeologous to the copy (RAY2a) previously isolated, thus providing further evidence thatS. vulgarisis allotetraploid. We also show that theRAY2a‐Rallele, which is fixed in radiateS. vulgaris, occurs at intermediate frequency inS. squalidus. Thus, based on this result, it is not possible to distinguish whether radiateS. vulgarisoriginated once or multiple times following hybridization between nonradiateS. vulgarisandS. squalidus.
Addiction – and rational choice theory
Authors: Vale Per Halvor 
Published: November 2009

AbstractBecker and Murphy's theory is a well‐known contribution to economists on the discussion of addiction. This class of rational choice theory is still the most important reference for economists studying addiction. In this paper, the model and the economist's rational choice theory were challenged by modern neurobiological theory. The paper suggested reconstruction work of the standard inter‐temporal choice model along four lines to reduce the gap between the theory and the clinical definition of addiction: (1) a discount rate that varies; (2) revision of the concept consumption capital; (3) the possibility for genetic predisposition to addiction (even if the research up to now has not identified such a gene); and (4) social mechanisms that influence our behaviour.
Studies on the immune response and preparation of antibodies against a large panel of conjugated neurotransmitters and biogenic amines: specific polyclonal antibody response and tolerance
Authors: Huisman Han , Wynveen Paul , Setter Peter W. 
Published: November 2009

J. Neurochem. (2010) 112, 840–852.AbstractWe described the production and characterization of antibodies against three important groups of neuro‐active haptens, e.g., neurotransmitters and biogenic amines. First, from the tryptophane metabolic pathway: tryptamine, serotonin, 5‐hydroxy‐indole acetic acid, and melatonin. Secondly, the tyrosine metabolic pathway: tyramine, dopamine, dihydroxyphenyl acetic acid, and norepinephrine. Thirdly, antibodies against excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters: glycine, glutamate, glutamine, and GABA. Immunogenic conjugates were prepared after linking haptens to carrier proteins. Most antibodies displayed high specificity against corresponding neuro‐active haptens conjugated in vitro and in situ in biological specimens, but not to closely related conjugated metabolites, precursors, pharmaceuticals, agonists, antagonists, or free neuro‐active haptens. Conjugated norepinephrine was highly tolerant in different animal species and produced incidentally a short specific antibody response.
TRAINING NEEDS ASSESSMENT IN RESEARCH ETHICS EVALUATION AMONG RESEARCH ETHICS COMMITTEE MEMBERS IN THREE AFRICAN COUNTRIES: CAMEROON, MALI AND TANZANIA
Authors: ATEUDJIEU JÉRÔME , WILLIAMS JOHN , HIRTLE MARIE , BAUME CÉDRIC , IKINGURA JOYCE , NIARÉ ALASSANE , SPRUMONT DOMINIQUE 
Published: November 2009

ABSTRACTBackground:  As actors with the key responsibility for the protection of human research participants, Research Ethics Committees (RECs) need to be competent and well‐resourced in order to fulfil their roles. Despite recent programs designed to strengthen RECs in Africa, much more needs to be accomplished before these committees can function optimally.Objective:  To assess training needs for biomedical research ethics evaluation among targeted countries.Methods:  Members of RECs operating in three targeted African countries were surveyed between August and November 2007. Before implementing the survey, ethical approvals were obtained from RECs in Switzerland, Cameroon, Mali and Tanzania. Data were collected using a semi‐structured questionnaire in English and in French.Results:  A total of 74 respondents participated in the study. The participation rate was 68%. Seventy one percent of respondents reported having received some training in research ethics evaluation. This training was given by national institutions (31%) and international institutions (69%). Researchers and REC members were ranked as the top target audiences to be trained. Of 32 topics, the top five training priorities were: basic ethical principles, coverage of applicable laws and regulations, how to conduct ethics review, evaluating informed consent processes and the role of the REC.Conclusion:  Although the majority of REC members in the targeted African countries had received training in ethics, they expressed a need for additional training. The results of this survey have been used to design a training program in research ethics evaluation that meets this need.
FAIRNESS AND EQUITY IN THE PROVISION OF ANTI‐RETROVIRAL THERAPY: SOME REFLECTIONS FROM LESOTHO
Authors: ARMSTRONG RUSSELL 
Published: November 2009

ABSTRACTThe number of people in immediate need of anti‐retroviral treatment (ART) in the southern African region continues to significantly exceed the capacity of health systems there to provide it. Approaches to this complex rationing dilemma have evolved in different directions. The ethical concepts of fairness and equity have been suggested as a basis to guide the development of approaches to select patients for ART. This article reports the results of a case study on patient selection at a rural ART clinic in Lesotho. The purpose of the study was to examine whether or not such concepts had relevance or operative value for a treatment team providing ART in rural Lesotho. The study found that while concepts of fairness and equity were relevant to the work of the treatment team, patient selection practices did not necessarily reflect what these concepts entail. The idea of fairness as a structured, formalized selection process did not figure in the approach to ART provision at the site. A less formal, ‘first‐come‐first‐served’ approach was adopted. While there was knowledge among some team members that social, economic or geographic conditions inhibit individuals and groups from gaining access to ART and that this was inequitable, it was felt that there was little they could do to try to mediate the impact of these conditions. The study's findings pose importance questions about the approach to ART programming in resource constrained settings. The findings also question the relevance of trying to achieve fairness and equity when the gap between need for care and capacity to provide it remains so large.