bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Causation in occupational injury
Authors: Kennelly J. , Gorman D. 
Published: August 2009

AbstractAssessment for compensation of occupational injury forms is commonplace for occupational medicine specialists and less frequently for other health‐care providers. There is no specific training to understand the legal system that forms the basis of any compensation system. This paper sets out a process for judging medical scientific evidence in cases of suspected occupational injury or disease. The process is confusing for medical and legal professionals because of the lack of a common understanding. Understanding the concepts of balance of probabilities and scientific probability is essential for clarity of approach. There is an inevitable conclusion that cause of occupational injury or disease in each case will rest on a sequential consideration of general and specific cause.
Coexistence of B‐cell non‐Hodgkin lymphoma and cutaneous T‐cell lymphoma in a patient with chronic hepatitis C and cryoglobulinaemia
Authors: Girtovitis F. , Papadopoulos A. , Ntaios G. , Kaloutsi V. , Kotoula V. , Kaiafa G. 
Published: August 2009

AbstractThe coexistence of chronic active hepatitis C with cryoglobulinemia and B‐cell lymphoma has been presented in numerous case reports. However, the combination of these conditions with T‐cell lymphoma has never been described before. We present the case of a patient who suffered chronic active hepatitis C, cryoglobulinaemia and B‐cell lymphoma and was later complicated by cutaneous T‐cell lymphoma (CTCL).
Changes in cognitive functions of patients with dementia of the Alzheimer type following long‐term administration of donepezil hydrochloride: Relating to changes attributable to differences in apolipoprotein E phenotype
Authors: Kanaya Kiyoshi , Abe Shine , Sakai Minoru , Fujii Hiroko , Iwamoto Toshihiko 
Published: August 2009

Aim:  We conducted a study of changes in cognitive functions by long‐term monitoring of dementia of Alzheimer type (DAT) patients to investigate the relationship between the progression of DAT symptoms and the presence of apolipoprotein (ApoE)4.Methods:  The subjects consisted of 40 DAT patients who had been treated with donepezil for 3 years or more. The Mini‐Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale – Cognitive Subscale Japanese version (ADAS‐Jcog), were conducted annually. The patients were categorized into ApoE4+ and ApoE4‐ groups. Changes in initial cognitive function assessment score (0 years) were then studied longitudinally at each stage of the observation period (1, 2, 3 years) (Wilcoxon's signed‐rank test). Moreover, the scores at each time period were compared cross‐sectionally between the two groups (Mann–Whitney U‐test).Results:  Significant decreases in MMSE scores were observed at the three time periods in both groups (P < 0.01) in the cross‐sectional study. In the longitudinal study, the ApoE4+ group demonstrated a lower trend (P < 0.1) after 1 year only. Significantly poorer ADAS‐Jcog scores were observed in the ApoE4+ group at the 3‐year point both in the longitudinal and in the cross‐sectional study (P < 0.05). For ADAS‐Jcog sub‐items, in the longitudinal study, orientation was demonstrated to be significantly poorer in the ApoE4+ group in the third year (P < 0.05).Conclusion:  ApoE4 was suggested to not only be a risk factor for disease onset, but also a risk factor for exacerbation of symptoms with respect to long‐term prognosis.
Contrasting ability to take up leucine and thymidine among freshwater bacterial groups: implications for bacterial production measurements
Authors: Pérez María Teresa , Hörtnagl Paul , Sommaruga Ruben 
Published: August 2009

SummaryWe examined the ability of different freshwater bacterial groups to take up leucine and thymidine in two lakes. Utilization of both substrates by freshwater bacteria was examined at the community level by looking at bulk incorporation rates and at the single‐cell level by combining fluorescent in situ hybridization and signal amplification by catalysed reporter deposition with microautoradiography. Our results showed that leucine was taken up by 70–80% of Bacteria‐positive cells, whereas only 15–43% of Bacteria‐positive cells were able to take up thymidine. When a saturating substrate concentration in combination with a short incubation was used, 80–90% of Betaproteobacteria and 67–79% of Actinobacteria were positive for leucine uptake, whereas thymidine was taken up by < 10% of Betaproteobacteria and by < 1% of the R‐BT subgroup that dominated this bacterial group. Bacterial abundance was a good predictor of the relative contribution of bacterial groups to leucine uptake, whereas when thymidine was used Actinobacteria represented the large majority (> 80%) of the cells taking up this substrate. Increasing the substrate concentration to 100 nM did not affect the percentage of R‐BT cells taking up leucine (> 90% even at low concentrations), but moderately increased the fraction of thymidine‐positive R‐BT cells to a maximum of 35% of the hybridized cells. Our results show that even at very high concentrations, thymidine is not taken up by all, otherwise active, bacterial cells.
Penile rehabilitation protocol after robot‐assisted radical prostatectomy: assessment of compliance with phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitor therapy and effect on early potency
Authors: Lee Daniel J. , Cheetham Philippa , Badani Ketan K. 
Published: August 2009

Study Type – Therapy (case series) Level of Evidence 4OBJECTIVETo evaluate factors that affect compliance in men who enrol in a phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitor (PDE5I) protocol after nerve‐sparing robot‐assisted prostatectomy (RAP), and report on short‐term outcomes, as PDE5Is may help restore erectile function after RAP and patient adherence to the regimen is a factor that potentially can affect outcome.PATIENT AND METHODSWe prospectively followed 77 men who had nerve‐sparing RAP and enrolled in a postoperative penile rehabilitation protocol. The men received either sildenafil citrate or tadalafil three times weekly. The minimum follow‐up was 8 weeks. Potency was defined as erection adequate for penetration and complete intercourse. Compliance was defined as men adhering to the regimen for ≥2 months.RESULTSThe mean age of the cohort was 57.8 years and the median follow‐up was 8 months. In all, 32% of the men discontinued the therapy <2 months after RAP and were deemed noncompliant with an additional 39% discontinuing therapy by 6 months, with the high cost of medication being the primary reason (65%). Long‐term compliance and preoperative erectile dysfunction were independent predictors of potency return after adjusting for age and nerve sparing.CONCLUSIONSThe high cost of medication remains a significant barrier to maintaining therapy. Noncompliance to PDE5I therapy in a tertiary care centre was much higher than reported in clinical trial settings. With longer‐term follow‐up, we need to further define the factors that improve overall recovery of sexual function after RAP.
Mid‐urethral synthetic slings in the treatment of urodynamic female stress urinary incontinence without concomitant pelvic prolapse repair: 4‐year health‐related quality of life outcomes
Authors: Chung Eric , Tse Vincent , Chan Lewis 
Published: August 2009

Study Type – Therapy (outcomes research) Level of Evidence 2cOBJECTIVETo report 4‐year health‐related quality of life (HRQL) outcome data after retropubic mid‐urethral synthetic sling (MUS) surgery without concomitant prolapse repair for treating female stress urinary incontinence (SUI) in a single institution.PATIENTS AND METHODSThe data were prospectively collected, which yielded 21 consecutive patients with a mean (range) age of 67.6 (41–81) years who underwent retropubic MUS with ≥4 years follow‐up. Before surgery, all patients underwent history, examination, pad usage, and multichannel fluoroscopic urodynamics according to International Continence Society standards. In all, 19 patients had urethral hypermobility with an abdominal leak‐point pressure (ALPP) of >90 cmH20 and two had intrinsic sphincter deficiency with an ALPP of <60 cmH20. The MUS were all placed under no tension. All patients were cystoscoped with both 30 and 70° lens at the end of the procedure with a fully distended bladder to exclude bladder or urethral injury. The validated Kings Health Questionnaire (KHQ) was used both before and after surgery to assess HRQL measures. All patients were assessed at 3 months, and then at least three times thereafter.RESULTSThe paired Student’s t‐test was used on the mean KHQ scores before and after MUS surgery (4 years follow‐up). There were statistically significant improvements in all nine domains on the KHQ between preoperative and 3 months after MUS surgery (P < 0.01), with the most significant being in ‘General Health Perceptions’, ‘Incontinence Impact’, ‘Physical Limitations’, and ‘Role Limitations’. Improvement in HRQL persisted up to 4 years in all domains. Bladder perforation occurred in two patients with uneventful resolution. Two patients required very short‐term catheterization (<5 days). In the present series, there was no sling revision, division, infection or erosion. No patients developed de novo urgency or urge UI after MUS surgery. The pad‐free rate in the present series was 85.7%.CONCLUSIONIn our institution, HRQL improvement at 3 months after retropubic MUS surgery predicts persistence of improvement at 4 years. This is useful clinically in counselling our patients for treatment efficacy. Tension‐free placement is associated with minimal risk of postoperative retention or de novo overactive bladder. Although patient numbers are modest, these data contribute to the scarce longer term (≥4 years) HRQL data on the MUS, which is a safe and durable procedure with a minimal complication profile.
Structured Bellicosity: Was the Israeli‐Arab Conflict Originally Inevitable?
Authors: LEVY YAGIL 
Published: August 2009

AbstractSubsequent to its inception and the conclusion of the 1948 War, Israel stood at a crossroads. It could choose either to embark on belligerency vis‐à‐vis the surrounding Arab world or pursue peaceful solutions. Israel opted for bellocisty. Why? It is argued that the political structure that gave precedence to the use of force is traceable to the Israeli type of state building with regard to the strategy the state adopted to absorb the mass Mizrachi immigration from Arab countries. The challenge was absorption without jeopardizing the dominance of the veteran Ashkenazim. The chosen track inevitably created the conditions for bellicosity. Exclusionary arrangements in the labor market by forcibly distancing the cheap Palestinian laborforce, the empowerment of the military as a nation builder, and the enabling of a high level of resource mobilization by a centralized state were all mechanisms that made bellicosity possible and even preferable.
Analysing Democracy in Third‐Party Government: Business Improvement Districts in the US and UK
Authors: JUSTICE JONATHAN B. , SKELCHER CHRIS 
Published: August 2009

AbstractInstitutional designs for third‐party governance have proliferated in the US and Europe, but there has been little systematic analysis of their democratic performance. A comparative analysis of business improvement districts (BIDs) in the US and UK documents an approach to the democratic analysis of third‐party public governance institutions and finds variation in institutional designs and democratic performance within — as well as between — countries. BIDs accommodate the democratic imperatives for legitimacy, consent and accountability in different ways. In many ways, the democratic aspects of the BID design reflect those found in a private membership organization, but there is also evidence of actual and potential engagement with residents and local governments in BID governance. US BIDs continue a tradition of informally privileging business interests in local governance, but may potentially increase democratic purchase. UK BIDs may have the potential to increase the role of businesses in local governance at the cost of democratic performance.Résumé Les concepts institutionnels répondant à une third‐party governance ont proliféré aux États‐Unis et en Europe, mais rares ont été les analyses systématiques de leur performance démocratique. Une analyse comparative des Business Improvement Districts (BID) aux États‐Unis et au Royaume‐Uni présente une approche de l’analyse, sur le plan démocratique, des institutions de gouvernance publique ‘avec des tiers’, et dévoile des variantes dans les concepts institutionnels et la performance démocratique à l’intérieur des pays, et d’un pays à l’autre. Les BID adaptent de différentes manières les impératifs démocratiques de légitimité, consentement et responsabilité. De bien des façons, les aspects démocratiques du concept de BID correspondent à ceux d’une association privée de membres. Pourtant, dans une gouvernance de BID, se manifeste aussi un engagement réel et potentiel à l’égard des habitants et des gouvernements locaux. Les BID américains perpétuent une tendance informelle à privilégier les intérêts économiques dans une gouvernance locale, mais sont susceptibles d’accroître leur gain démocratique. Les BID anglais disposent éventuellement du potentiel de renforcer le rôle des entreprises dans la gouvernance locale aux dépens de la performance démocratique.
The UK Space Economy as Practised by Advanced Producer Service Firms: Identifying Two Distinctive Polycentric City‐Regional Processes in Contemporary Britain
Authors: TAYLOR PETER J. , EVANS DAVID M. , HOYLER MICHAEL , DERUDDER BEN , PAIN KATHY 
Published: August 2009

AbstractCities and city regions are back on the research agenda in the UK. Taking the world city literature as a guide, this article uses advanced producer service firms to study contemporary inter‐city relations in the UK space economy. We employ an interlocking network model, initially developed for global scale analysis, to assess signs that recent globalization is effecting a revival outside the London region, and to identify leading urban areas in the UK national economy. Two different analyses are presented: a connectivity analysis, which indicates how well cities and towns are linked into the UK space economy, and a fuzzy clustering analysis, which classifies the cities and towns in order to search out hierarchical and regional tendencies. From these findings, we identify two distinctive polycentric city‐regional processes in contemporary Britain: a Jacobs‐style polycentric mega‐city regional process out of London, which creates new important service centres and reaches selected smaller cities and towns; and a polycentric multi‐city regional process beyond London, which mainly enhances the service capacities of selected larger cities. A concluding section considers the implications of the two processes for spatial planning in the UK.Résumé Les villes et régions urbaines reviennent en force dans la recherche britannique. Orienté par les publications sur les villes mondiales, ce travail utilise les entreprises de services avancés à la production pour étudier les relations contemporaines entre villes dans l’économie spatiale britannique. À l’aide d’un modèle de maillage, mis au point à l’origine pour une analyse à l’échelon mondial, nous mesurons les signes indiquant que la récente mondialisation provoque une relance hors de la région de Londres et nous identifions les zones urbaines dominantes de l’économie nationale. Sont présentées deux analyses différentes: une analyse de la connectivité, montrant dans quelle mesure les villes et grandes villes sont reliées au sein de l’économie spatiale britannique, et une analyse des groupements flous qui classe villes et grandes villes afin de trouver les tendances hiérarchiques et régionales. À partir de ces résultats, sont identifiés deux processus distincts de région urbaine polycentrique dans la Grande‐Bretagne contemporaine: un processus de méga‐région urbaine polycentrique, proche de la description de Jacobs, à la périphérie de Londres, qui crée de nouveaux centres de services importants et atteint certaines villes et grandes villes plus petites; un processus de multi‐région urbaine polycentrique au‐delà de Londres, qui renforce principalement les capacités de services de certaines grandes villes. La conclusion étudie les implications des deux processus sur l’aménagement spatial au Royaume‐Uni.
Changes in collagen fibril network organization and proteoglycan distribution in equine articular cartilage during maturation and growth
Authors: Hyttinen Mika M. , Holopainen Jaakko , René van Weeren P. , Firth Elwyn C. , Helminen Heikki J. , Brama Pieter A. J. 
Published: August 2009

AbstractThe aim of this study was to record growth‐related changes in collagen network organization and proteoglycan distribution in intermittently peak‐loaded and continuously lower‐level‐loaded articular cartilage. Cartilage from the proximal phalangeal bone of the equine metacarpophalangeal joint at birth, at 5, 11 and 18 months, and at 6–10 years of age was collected from two sites. Site 1, at the joint margin, is unloaded at slow gaits but is subjected to high‐intensity loading during athletic activity; site 2 is a continuously but less intensively loaded site in the centre of the joint. The degree of collagen parallelism was determined with quantitative polarized light microscopy and the parallelism index for collagen fibrils was computed from the cartilage surface to the osteochondral junction. Concurrent changes in the proteoglycan distribution were quantified with digital densitometry. We found that the parallelism index increased significantly with age (up to 90%). At birth, site 2 exhibited a more organized collagen network than site 1. In adult horses this situation was reversed. The superficial and intermediate zones exhibited the greatest reorganization of collagen. Site 1 had a higher proteoglycan content than site 2 at birth but here too the situation was reversed in adult horses. We conclude that large changes in joint loading during growth and maturation in the period from birth to adulthood profoundly affect the architecture of the collagen network in equine cartilage. In addition, the distribution and content of proteoglycans are modified significantly by altered joint use. Intermittent peak‐loading with shear seems to induce higher collagen parallelism and a lower proteoglycan content in cartilage than more constant weight‐bearing. Therefore, we hypothesize that the formation of mature articular cartilage with a highly parallel collagen network and relatively low proteoglycan content in the peak‐loaded area of a joint is needed to withstand intermittent stress and shear, whereas a constantly weight‐bearing joint area benefits from lower collagen parallelism and a higher proteoglycan content.
Language lateralization in children using functional transcranial Doppler sonography
Authors: HAAG ANJA , MOELLER NICOLA , KNAKE SUSANNE , HERMSEN ANKE , OERTEL WOLFGANG H , ROSENOW FELIX , HAMER HAJO M 
Published: August 2009

Aim  Language lateralization with functional transcranial Doppler sonography (fTCD) and lexical word generation has been shown to have high concordance with the Wada test and functional magnetic resonance imaging in adults. We evaluated a nonlexical paradigm to determine language dominance in children.Method  In 23 right‐handed children (12 females, 11 males; age range 6–11y; mean age 8y 4mo, SD 1y 7mo) and in 22 adolescents (14 females, 8 males; age range 12–18y; mean age 14y 8mo, SD 2y 5 mo) cerebral blood flow velocity (CBFV) was measured in both middle cerebral arteries during picture description and in adolescents additionally during lexical word generation. For each individual/paradigm a lateralization index (LI; side difference in CBFV during mental activity) and its standard error of the mean (SEM; representing variability of the LI throughout task repetition) were computed.Results  Fourteen of 23 children (mean LI=0.74, SD 4.22; SEM 1.05, SD 0.51) and 14 of 21 adolescents (LI=2.35, SD 4.65; SEM 1.09, SD 0.61) showed left hemispheric dominance during picture description compared with 20 of 21 adolescents during word generation (LI=3.72 SD 1.93; SEM 0.99, SD 0.41). Indicated by similarity in mean SEM, variability of the LI throughout task repetition did not differ between age groups or paradigms.Interpretation  Functional TCD proved to be well tolerated in children, with similar data quality as in adolescents. However, the picture description paradigm failed to show left hemispheric dominance in a substantial number of participants. This emphasizes the need to evaluate further paradigms for fTCD language lateralization in children.
Editorial
Authors: Wainwright CL , McGrath JC 
Published: August 2009

A themed section in this issue of Br J Pharmacol, on ‘Advances in Nutritional Pharmacology’, provides a valuable and timely update on progress in this area.The value of dietary components to improvement in health and, particularly, to prevention of cardiovascular disease and cancer, is frequently reported in the media and therefore often captures the attention of the wider public. Understanding the pharmacological mechanisms by which nutritional elements confer their health benefits enables us to keep the public informed, but also aids in the identification of new targets for drug development. In recent years there has been significant progress in this field.Four rapidly developing areas are reviewed. Vosper (2009) covers the identification of a receptor for niacin and the subsequent development of selective agonists as lipid lowering agents. Wu‐Wong (2009) describes the development of new Vitamin D analogues for the treatment of cardiovascular disease. de Roos et al. (2009) provide detailed insight into how omega‐3 fatty acids, also known as longchain n‐3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) protect against cardiovascular disease. Zhou et al. (2009) cover the mechanisms underlying the beneficial effects of resveretrol in protection against cancer.These reviews are complimented by three key original articles focusing on endogenous mechanisms of weight control involving endocannabinoids (Izzo et al., 2009), a circulating protein, the soluble leptin receptor (Zhang & Scarpace, 2009) and a treatment, zinc plus cyclo‐(His‐Pro) (CHP), known to increase insulin metabolism (Song et al., 2009).
Mysterious PTH values after parathyroidectomy in a patient on maintenance dialysis
Authors: THOMPSON Marla , SCHILLER Brigitte 
Published: August 2009

AbstractA 25‐year‐old patient with end‐stage renal disease on maintenance peritoneal dialysis underwent parathyroidectomy when his secondary hyperparathyroidism did not respond to medical management. However, over the subsequent months he developed extremely raised parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels. When surgical removal of the autotransplant was considered, preoperative work‐up revealed a PTH level within the target range. It became apparent that the very high PTH values were due to the location of the blood draw close to the autotransplant, thus measuring a local rather than the systemic PTH value. The multiple causes of varying PTH measurements other than clinical and physiological reasons are reviewed.