bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Transmission of pandemic influenza H1N1 (2009) in Vietnamese swine in 2009–2010
Authors: Trevennec Karen , Leger Lucas , Lyazrhi Faouzi , Baudon Eugénie , Cheung Chung Yan , Roger François , Peiris Malik , Garcia Jean‐Michel 
Published: December 2011

Please cite this paper as: Trevennec et al. (2012) Transmission of pandemic influenza H1N1 (2009) in Vietnamese swine in 2009–2010. Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses 6(5), 348–357.Background  The pandemic of 2009 was caused by an H1N1 (H1N1pdm) virus of swine origin. This pandemic virus has repeatedly infected swine through reverse zoonosis, although the extent of such infection in swine remains unclear.Objective  This study targets small and commercial pig producers in North Vietnam, in order to estimate the extent of H1N1pdm infection in swine and to identify the risk factors of infection.Methods  Virologic and serologic surveillance of swine was carried out in 2009–2010 in pig farms (38 swabs and 1732 sera) and at a pig slaughterhouse (710 swabs and 459 sera) in North Vietnam. The sera were screened using a influenza type A‐reactive ELISA assay, and positive sera were tested using hemagglutination inhibition tests for antibody to a panel of H1‐subtype viruses representing pandemic (H1N1) 2009 (H1N1pdm), triple reassortant (TRIG), classical swine (CS), and Eurasian avian‐like (EA) swine lineages. Farm‐level risk factors were identified using a zero‐inflated negative binomial model.Results  We found a maximal seroprevalence of H1N1pdm of 55·6% [95% CI: 38·1–72·1] in the slaughterhouse at the end of December 2009, 2 weeks after the peak of reported human fatalities with H1N1pdm. Farm‐level seroprevalence was 29% [95% CI: 23·2–35·7]. In seropositive farms, within‐herd seroprevalence ranged from 10 to 100%. We identified an increased risk of infection for farms that specialized in fattening and a decreased risk of infection in farms hiring external swine workers.Conclusions  Our findings suggest extensive reverse‐zoonotic transmission from humans to pigs with subsequent onward transmission within pig herds.
Seroprevalence of pandemic (H1N1) 2009 influenza and effectiveness of 2010/2011 influenza vaccine during 2010/2011 season in Beijing, China
Authors: Yang Peng , Zhang Li , Shi Weixian , Lu Guilan , Cui Shujuan , Peng Xiaomin , Zhang Daitao , Liu Yimeng , Liang Huijie , Pang Xinghuo , Wang Quanyi 
Published: December 2011

Please cite this paper as: Yang et al. (2011) Seroprevalence of pandemic (H1N1) 2009 influenza and effectiveness of 2010/2011 influenza vaccine during 2010/2011 season in Beijing, China. Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses 6(6), 381–388.Background  In the post‐pandemic period, pandemic (H1N1) 2009 virus was expected to circulate seasonally and was introduced into trivalent influenza vaccine during 2010/2011 season in the Northern Hemisphere.Objectives  The aim of this study was to examine the evolution of herd immunity against pandemic (H1N1) 2009 virus in Beijing, China, during 2010/2011 season and effectiveness of the 2010/2011 trivalent vaccine.Methods  Two serological surveys were conducted before and after 2010/2011 season in Beijing. A case–control study was used to investigate vaccine effectiveness against influenza‐like illness (ILI) and lower respiratory tract infection (LRI).Results  A total of 4509 and 4543 subjects participated in the pre‐ and post‐season surveys, respectively. The standardized seroprevalence of pandemic (H1N1) 2009 influenza increased from 22·1% pre‐season to 24·3% post‐season (P < 0·001). Significant elevation in seroprevalence appeared in the ≥60 years age‐group (P < 0·001), but not in others. The 2010/2011 trivalent vaccine contributed to the higher post‐seasonal seroprevalence in unvaccinated individuals (P = 0·024), but not in those vaccinated with monovalent pandemic vaccine (P = 0·205), as well as in those without prior immunity versus those with immunity. The adjusted effectiveness of the 2010/2011 trivalent vaccine was 79% protection against ILI (95% CI, 61–89%) and 95% against LRI (95% CI: 59–99%).Conclusions  A slight increase in herd immunity against pandemic (H1N1) 2009 influenza was observed in Beijing, China, during the 2010/2011 season. Prior vaccination and immunity had a suppressive impact on immune response toward this novel influenza virus, elicited by 2010/2011 trivalent vaccine. This trivalent vaccine conferred good protection against ILI and LRI.
Colony collapse disorder in Europe
Authors: Dainat Benjamin , vanEngelsdorp Dennis , Neumann Peter 
Published: December 2011

SummaryColony collapse disorder (CCD) is a condition of honey bees, which has contributed in part to the recent major losses of honey bee colonies in the USA. Here we report the first CCD case from outside of the USA. We suggest that more standardization is needed for the case definition to diagnose CCD and to compare data on a global scale.
Laparoscopic splenectomy using pneumoperitoneum or gasless abdominal wall lifting: A 15‐year single institution experience
Authors: Hyodo M , Sata N , Koizumi M , Sakuma Y , Kurihara K , Lefor AT , Ohki J , Nagai H , Yasuda Y 
Published: December 2011

AbstractIntroductionLaparoscopic splenectomy using pneumoperitoneum has been performed since 1992. The gasless abdominal wall‐lifting method for laparoscopic splenectomy was introduced as an alternative. This retrospective study was undertaken to compare results using the two techniques.MethodsBetween 1995 and 2010, 54 patients underwent laparoscopic splenectomy at a single institution; 30 underwent the procedure using the gasless technique and 24 using pneumoperitoneum. There were no significant differences between the two groups regarding age, sex or BMI, but more patients underwent concurrent operations in the pneumoperitoneum group. The abdominal wall‐lift system with subcutaneous K‐wires was used for the gasless method.ResultsIntraoperative blood loss was similar in the two groups (193.0 ± 196.7 mL gasless, 217.3 ± 296.6 mL pneumoperitoneum; P > 0.05), but operative time (182.1 ± 92.1 min, 135.1 ± 46.1 min; P < 0.05), and resected spleen weight (306.1 ± 297.7 g, 138 ± 81.0 g; P < 0.05) were significantly different. In the gasless group, additional procedures included conversion (n = 1), mini‐laparotomy (n = 2), and CO2 insufflation (n = 2). Excluding the concurrent living‐related kidney donor patients, hospital stay was similar (6.9 ± 2.5 days, 6.3 ± 2.0 days, P > 0.05).ConclusionAlthough gasless laparoscopic splenectomy is feasible, there are disadvantages, particularly the restricted operative working space in some patients. These results suggest that either technique may be used on an individual basis in patients undergoing laparoscopic splenectomy.
Prevalence, risk factors and survival of lung cancer in the idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis
Authors: Lee Kyung Jong , Chung Man Pyo , Kim Young Whan , Lee Jae Ho , Kim Kyu‐Sik , Ryu Jeong Seon , Lee Hong Lyeol , Park Sung Woo , Park Choon Sik , Uh Soo‐Tak , Lee Yong Chul , Park Seoung Ju , Kim Kwan Hyoung , Jeon Young June , Choi Won Il , Park Yong Bum , Kim Dong Soon , Jeong Sung Hwan , Lee Jin Hwa , Park Moo Suk 
Published: December 2011

AbstractBackground:  The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence, risk factors, and survival of lung cancer in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).Methods:  IPF with lung cancer from tertiary hospitals consisted of 1685 patients who had been diagnosed between 2003 and 2007. We reviewed their medical records retrospectively to evaluate the prevalence, risk factors and prognosis of lung cancer in IPF patients.Results:  Among all patients with IPF, 114 cases (6.8%) had lung cancer with IPF. The incidence of lung cancer in patients with IPF was 1.03 persons per 100 person‐year (25 patients/2408 years). Most cases of lung cancer (73/114, 68.9%) were located in IPF‐associated areas; the lung cancer typically developed in peripheral and lower lobe areas. The study revealed that forced vital capacity (% predicted) at the initial diagnosis and development of lung cancer were independent prognostic factors in patients with IPF.Conclusions:  Lung cancer in patients with IPF was significantly related with the IPF prognosis. An active evaluation should be performed in patients with IPF to detect lung cancer early.
Scintigraphic evaluation of intra‐arterial and intravenous regional limb perfusion of allogeneic bone marrow‐derived mesenchymal stem cells in the normal equine distal limb using99mTc‐HMPAO
Authors: SOLE A. , SPRIET M. , GALUPPO L. D. , PADGETT K. A. , BORJESSON D. L. , WISNER E. R. , BROSNAN R. J. , VIDAL M. A. 
Published: December 2011

SummaryReasons for performing study:Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are commonly injected intralesionally for treatment of soft tissue injuries in the horse. Alternative routes of administration would be beneficial for treatment of lesions that cannot be accessed directly or to limit needle‐induced iatrogenic damage to the surrounding tissue.Objectives:The purpose of our study was to evaluate MSC distribution after intra‐arterial (IA) and intravenous (IV) regional limb perfusions (RLP) using scintigraphy. We hypothesised that MSCs would persist in the distal limb after tourniquet removal and that both techniques would lead to diffuse MSC distribution.Methods:Six horses were used in the study. MSCs were labelled with hexamethyl propylene amine oxime (HMPAO) and technetium‐99m. RLP was performed through the median artery of one forelimb and the cephalic vein of the opposite limb under general anaesthesia. The tourniquet was left in place for 45 min. Scintigraphic images were obtained at 0, 45, 75 min, 6 h and 24 h post injection.Results:Distribution of labelled MSCs through the entire distal limb was achieved with all 6 IA RLP, but 3 out of 6 IV RLP showed poor or absent uptake distal to the metacarpus. Mesenchymal stem cell persistence was 39% (30–60%) and 28% (14–50%) (median [minimum–maximum]) at 6 h for IA and IV RLP, respectively. Severe arterial thrombosis occurred in one horse after IA RLP.Conclusions:Both IA and IV RLP of the distal limb result in MSC persistence in perfused tissues. The IA perfusion resulted in more reliable cell distribution to the pastern and foot area.Potential relevance:Regional limb perfusion of MSCs might be used in cases where intralesional injection is not possible or in order to avoid iatrogenic needle damage. Further work is needed to assess the safety of IA RLP before its clinical use.
Etoposide modulates the effects of oral morphine analgesia by targeting the intestinal P-glycoprotein
Authors: Fujita-Hamabe Wakako , Nishida Mikako , Nawa Ayaka , Kobori Takuro , Nakamoto Kazuo , Kishioka Shiroh , Tokuyama Shogo 
Published: December 2011

Abstract

Objectives
Opioids and anticancer compounds such as etoposide (ETP) are substrates of P-glycoprotein (P-gp), an ATP-dependent efflux pump. Chemotherapy compounds may impact on the analgesic effect of opioids such as morphine when the two drugs are co-administered. In this study, we used a mouse model to determine if there is a pharmacological interaction between ETP and morphine, focusing on the involvement of intestinal P-gp.

Methods
P-gp drug efflux activity was measured by an in-situ closed loop method with Rhodamine 123, a P-gp substrate. The analgesic effect of morphine was determined by the tail-flick test. Intestinal P-gp expression levels were determined by Western blot.

Key findings
ETP and morphine significantly decreased the intestinal Rhodamine 123 efflux activity of P-gp. Oral morphine analgesia was significantly enhanced when co-administered with ETP. However, repeated pretreatment (7 days) with oral ETP significantly decreased the oral morphine-induced analgesia, in a cyclosporine A (a P-gp inhibitor) reversible manner. Furthermore, repeated ETP significantly up-regulated intestinal P-gp expression.

Conclusions
It may be important to consider aspects of therapeutic design such as the administration route or scheduling of drugs in patients receiving concurrent chemotherapy and opioid therapy to avoid pharmacokinetic interactions between the two agents.
Novel interpenetrated polymer network microbeads of natural polysaccharides for modified release of water soluble drug: in-vitro and in-vivo evaluation
Authors: Kulkarni Raghavendra V , Mutalik Srinivas , Mangond Banappa S , Nayak Usha Y 
Published: December 2011

Abstract

Objectives
The objective of this work was to prepare novel interpenetrating polymer network (IPN) microbeads of tamarind seed polysaccharide and sodium alginate for controlled release of the water soluble drug, diltiazem hydrochloride.

Methods
The diltiazem-Indion 254® (a cation exchange resin) complex was prepared and the resulting complex was entrapped within IPN microbeads prepared by ionotropic gelation and covalent crosslinking. Microbeads were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis, X-ray diffraction and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analyses, and evaluated for swelling, in-vitro release and preclinical pharmacokinetics.

Key findings
The unformulated drug showed complete dissolution within 60 min, while drug release from diltiazem-ion-exchange resin complex was extended for 2.5 h but IPN microbeads extended the release for longer period. The ionically crosslinked microbeads released the drug for 6 h, while dual crosslinked microbeads extended the release for 9 h. The microbeads containing a higher amount of glutaraldehyde released the drug very slowly. The results of in-vivo pharmacokinetics of pure drug and drug-loaded IPN microbeads showed that the microbeads demonstrated prolonged release supporting the findings of in-vitro studies.

Conclusions
Prepared IPN microbeads showed prolonged in-vitro and in-vivo release for diltiazem, indicating that this IPN would be a versatile delivery system for water soluble drugs.
Absorption enhancement studies of clopidogrel hydrogen sulphate in rat everted gut sacs
Authors: Lassoued Mohamed Ali , Sfar Souad , Bouraoui Abderrahman , Khemiss Fathia 
Published: December 2011

Abstract

Objectives
Clopidogrel, a thienopyridine antiplatelet agent, is a poor aqueous soluble compound and a P-glycoprotein (P-gp) efflux pump substrate. These two factors are responsible for its incomplete intestinal absorption. In this study, we have attempted to enhance the absorption of clopidogrel by improving its solubility and by inhibiting intestinal P-gp activity.

Methods
Solubility enhancement was achieved by preparing solid dispersions. Quinidine and naringin were selected as P-gp inhibitors, whilst tartaric acid was selected as the intestinal absorption enhancer. Absorption studies were performed using the everted gut sac model prepared from rat jejunum. The determination of clopidogrel was performed by high performance liquid chromatography.

Key findings
We noticed an enhancement of clopidogrel absorption by improving its solubility or by inhibiting the P-gp activity. The greatest results were obtained for solid dispersions in the presence of P-gp inhibitors at their highest concentrations, with an absorption improvement of 3.41- and 3.91-fold for naringin (15 mg/kg) and quinidine (200 µm), respectively. However, no clopidogrel absorption enhancement occurred in the presence of tartaric acid.

Conclusions
Naringin, a natural compound which has no undesirable side effects as compared with quinidine, could be used as a pharmaceutical excipient in the presence of clopidogrel solid dispersions to increase clopidogrel intestinal absorption and therefore its oral bioavailability.
Effectiveness of Acupressure on Pruritus and Lichenification Associated with Atopic Dermatitis: A Pilot Trial
Authors: Lee Kachiu Cecilia , Keyes Ashley , Hensley Jennifer R , Gordon Jennifer R , Kwasny Mary J , West Dennis P , Lio Peter A 
Published: December 2011

Background Pruritus is a debilitating aspect of atopic dermatitis (AD). Acupuncture has been reported to diminish pruritus, but self-administered acupressure has not been previously evaluated. Objectives To evaluate the effectiveness of acupressure on the severity of eczema in a pilot trial. Methods Adult patients with AD were randomised to an intervention group (acupressure with standard of care) or a control group (standard of care alone). Subjects in the intervention group performed acupressure using a 1.2 mm acupellet at the LI11 point, applying pressure for 3 min three times per week for 4 weeks. The severity of itching and AD at baseline and at 4 weeks were measured on a visual analogue scale (VAS), the Investigator's Global Assessment (IGA) and the Eczema Area and Severity Index (EASI). Results Fifteen subjects were enrolled, 12 of whom completed the study between November 2009 and May 2011. There was no significant change between baseline and follow-up survey scores within the control group. In the investigation group there was a decrease in the VAS score (p=0.05) and EASI lichenification (p=0.03), although without significant change in the overall EASI score. Comparison of the scores between groups showed a greater decrease in VAS in the experimental group than in the control group (p=0.04), and a decrease in the IGA (p=0.03) and EASI lichenification score (p=0.03). The overall EASI scores were unchanged. Conclusion Subjects using acupressure at LI11 for 4 weeks had improvement in pruritus and lichenification. Acupressure may prove to be an easily administered alternative treatment, but larger-scale studies are needed to confirm these preliminary findings.
Towards predictable datacenter networks
Authors: Ballani Hitesh , Costa Paolo , Karagiannis Thomas , Rowstron Ant 
Published: December 2011

The shared nature of the network in today's multi-tenant datacenters implies that network performance for tenants can vary significantly. This applies to both production datacenters and cloud environments. Network performance variability hurts application performance which makes tenant costs unpredictable and causes provider revenue loss. Motivated by these factors, this paper makes the case for extending the tenant-provider interface to explicitly account for the network. We argue this can be achieved by providing tenants with a virtual network connecting their compute instances. To this effect, the key contribution of this paper is the design of virtual network abstractions that capture the trade-off between the performance guarantees offered to tenants, their costs and the provider revenue.
To illustrate the feasibility of virtual networks, we develop Oktopus, a system that implements the proposed abstractions. Using realistic, large-scale simulations and an Oktopus deployment on a 25-node two-tier testbed, we demonstrate that the use of virtual networks yields significantly better and more predictable tenant performance. Further, using a simple pricing model, we find that the our abstractions can reduce tenant costs by up to 74% while maintaining provider revenue neutrality.
Improving datacenter performance and robustness with multipath TCP
Authors: Raiciu Costin , Barre Sebastien , Pluntke Christopher , Greenhalgh Adam , Wischik Damon , Handley Mark 
Published: December 2011

The latest large-scale data centers offer higher aggregate bandwidth and robustness by creating multiple paths in the core of the net- work. To utilize this bandwidth requires different flows take different paths, which poses a challenge. In short, a single-path transport seems ill-suited to such networks.
We propose using Multipath TCP as a replacement for TCP in such data centers, as it can effectively and seamlessly use available bandwidth, giving improved throughput and better fairness on many topologies. We investigate what causes these benefits, teasing apart the contribution of each of the mechanisms used by MPTCP.
Using MPTCP lets us rethink data center networks, with a different mindset as to the relationship between transport protocols, rout- ing and topology. MPTCP enables topologies that single path TCP cannot utilize. As a proof-of-concept, we present a dual-homed variant of the FatTree topology. With MPTCP, this outperforms FatTree for a wide range of workloads, but costs the same.
In existing data centers, MPTCP is readily deployable leveraging widely deployed technologies such as ECMP. We have run MPTCP on Amazon EC2 and found that it outperforms TCP by a factor of three when there is path diversity. But the biggest benefits will come when data centers are designed for multipath transports.
Understanding the impact of video quality on user engagement
Authors: Dobrian Florin , Sekar Vyas , Awan Asad , Stoica Ion , Joseph Dilip , Ganjam Aditya , Zhan Jibin , Zhang Hui 
Published: December 2011

As the distribution of the video over the Internet becomes main- stream and its consumption moves from the computer to the TV screen, user expectation for high quality is constantly increasing. In this context, it is crucial for content providers to understand if and how video quality affects user engagement and how to best invest their resources to optimize video quality. This paper is a first step towards addressing these questions. We use a unique dataset that spans different content types, including short video on demand (VoD), long VoD, and live content from popular video con- tent providers. Using client-side instrumentation, we measure quality metrics such as the join time, buffering ratio, average bitrate, rendering quality, and rate of buffering events.
We quantify user engagement both at a per-video (or view) level and a per-user (or viewer) level. In particular, we find that the percentage of time spent in buffering (buffering ratio) has the largest impact on the user engagement across all types of content. However, the magnitude of this impact depends on the content type, with live content being the most impacted. For example, a 1% increase in buffering ratio can reduce user engagement by more than three minutes for a 90-minute live video event. We also see that the average bitrate plays a significantly more important role in the case of live content than VoD content.
netmap
Authors: Rizzo Luigi , Landi Matteo 
Published: December 2011

Recent papers have shown that wire-speed packet processing is feasible in software even at 10~Gbit/s, but the result has been achieved taking direct control of the network controllers to cut down OS and device driver overheads.
In this paper we show how to achieve similar performance in safer conditions on standard operating systems. As in some other proposals, our framework, called netmap, maps packet buffers into the process' memory space; but unlike other proposals, any operation that may affect the state of the hardware is filtered by the OS. This protects the system from crashes induced by misbehaving programs, and simplifies the use of the API.
Our tests show that netmap takes as little as 90 clock cycles to move one packet between the wire and the application, almost one order of magnitude less than using the standard OS path. A single core at 1.33~GHz can send or receive packets at wire speed on 10~Gbit/s links (14.8~Mpps), with very good scalability in the number of cores and clock speed.
At least three factors contribute to this performance: i) no overhead for encapsulation and metadata management; ii) no per-packet system calls and data copying (ioctl()s are still required, but involve no copying and their cost is amortized over a batch of packets); iii) much simpler device driver operation, because buffers have a plain and simple format that requires