bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Clinical outcome indicators, disease prevalence and test request variability in primary care
Authors: O'Kane Maurice J , Casey Lee , Lynch P L Mark , McGowan Noel , Corey John 
Published: February 2011

Aim To describe differences in biochemistry test request rates (adjusted for practice size) between general practices and to investigate whether differences in HbA1c and thyroid function test request rates are related either to the practice prevalence of hypothyroidism and diabetes or to Quality and Outcome Framework (QOF) scores. Methods Information on test request rates, prevalence of diabetes and hypothyroidism, and QOF data over a one-year period were obtained from 58 practices covering a population of 284,609 patients. Spearman's rank correlation tests were used to investigate relationships between adjusted test request rates. Results There was wide variability in adjusted test request rates (lowest for HbA1c and highest for immunoglobulins). The ranking of practices for different tests was highly correlated. There was no relationship between adjusted test request rates for HbA1c and thyroid function and the reported prevalence of diabetes and hypothyroidism, respectively, nor was there any relationship with QOF scores in diabetes and hypothyroidism. Conclusions There is wide variability in test request rates in general practice that do not appear to be related to disease prevalence or crude clinical outcome measures.
Genome Rearrangements in Maize Induced by Alternative Transposition of ReversedAc/DsTermini
Authors: Yu Chuanhe , Zhang Jianbo , Peterson Thomas 
Published: February 2011

AbstractAlternative transposition can induce genome rearrangements, including deletions, inverted duplications, inversions, and translocations. To investigate the types and frequency of the rearrangements elicited by a pair of reversed Ac/Ds termini, we isolated and analyzed 100 new mutant alleles derived from two parental alleles that both contain an intact Ac and a fractured Ac (fAc) structure at the maize p1 locus. Mutants were characterized by PCR and sequencing; the results show that nearly 90% (89/100) of the mutant alleles represent structural rearrangements including deletions, inversions, translocations, or rearrangement of the intertransposon sequence (ITS). Among 37 deletions obtained, 20 extend into the external flanking sequences, while 17 delete portions of the intertransposon sequence. Interestingly, one deletion allele that contains only a single nucleotide between the retained Ac and fAc termini is not competent for further alternative transposition events. We propose a new model for the formation of intertransposon deletions through insertion of reversed transposon termini into sister-chromatid sequences. These results document the types and frequencies of genome rearrangements induced by alternative transposition of reversed Ac/Ds termini in maize.
Effects of Ambient Particulate Matter and Fungal Spores on Lung Function in Schoolchildren
Authors: Chen Bing-Yu , Chao H. Jasmine , Chan Chang-Chuan , Lee Chung-Te , Wu Hung-Pin , Cheng Tsun-Jen , Chen Chu-Chih , Guo Yue Leon 
Published: February 2011

OBJECTIVES:
Studies examining the combined health effects of both have been relatively lacking. We conducted a longitudinal study to investigate whether exposure to air pollutants and fungal spores might exacerbate childhood respiratory health.

METHODS:
Study participants were 100 elementary and middle-school students in Taipei County, Taiwan. A structured respiratory health questionnaire was administered in September 2007, followed by monthly spirometry from October 2007 to June 2008. During the study period, complete daily monitoring data for criteria air pollutants were obtained from the Environmental Protection Administration monitoring station and Aerosol Supersite. Fungal spores were measured from Sunday to Saturday in the week when lung-function measurements were made for each study month. Lung-function measurements were compared with air pollutants and fungal spores using mixed-effects models with 1-day-lag modeling.

RESULTS:
The particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter of 2.5 μm or less level 1 day before the lung function measurements was negatively associated with forced vital capacity. The fungal spore level was negatively associated with both forced expiratory vital capacity and forced expiratory volume in 1 second. O3 level was negatively associated with forced expiratory flow at 25%, 50%, and 75% of forced vital capacity, and average expiratory flow over the middle half of forced vital capacity.

CONCLUSIONS:
This study suggested that exposure to particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter of 2.5 μm or less and fungal spores might cause adverse effects on the vital capacity of schoolchildren. Exposure to O3 adversely affected small airway function.
Ohio Statewide Quality-Improvement Collaborative to Reduce Late-Onset Sepsis in Preterm Infants
Authors: Kaplan Heather C. , Lannon Carole , Walsh Michele C. , Donovan Edward F. ,   for the Ohio Perinatal Quality Collaborative
Published: February 2011

OBJECTIVE:
We aimed to reduce late-onset bacterial infections in infants born at 22 to 29 weeks' gestation by using collaborative quality-improvement methods to implement evidence-based catheter care. We hypothesized that these methods would result in a 50% reduction in nosocomial infection.

PATIENTS AND METHODS:
We conducted an interrupted time-series study among 24 Ohio NICUs. The intervention began in September 2008 and continued through December 2009. Sites used the Institute for Healthcare Improvement Breakthrough Series quality-improvement model to facilitate implementation of evidence-based catheter care. Data were collected monthly for all catheter insertions and for at least 10 observations of indwelling catheter care. NICUs also submitted monthly data on catheter-days, patient-days, and episodes of infection. Data were analyzed by using statistical process control methods.

RESULTS:
During the intervention, NICUs submitted information on 1916 infants. Of the 242 infections reported, 69% were catheter associated. Compliance with catheter-insertion components was &gt;90% by April 2009. Compliance with components of evidence-based indwelling catheter care reached 80.4% by December 2009. There was a significant reduction in the proportion of infants with at least 1 late-onset infection from a baseline of 18.2% to 14.3%.

CONCLUSIONS:
There was a 20% reduction in the incidence of late-onset infection after the intervention, but the magnitude was less than hypothesized, perhaps because compliance with components of evidence-based care of indwelling catheters remained &lt;90%. Because nearly one-third of infections were not catheter associated, improvement may require attention to other aspects of care such as skin integrity and nutrition.
The Influence of Signal Complexity on Speaker Identification
Authors: Betancourt Kyna Sherman , Bahr Ruth Huntley 
Published: February 2011

Multiple factors may affect a listener’s ability to identify a particular voice. For example, speaker eff ects such as language and dialect have been shown to negatively impact speaker identifi cation accuracy (Bahr and Frisch 2002, Doty 1998). Mechanical eff ects such as communication channel (i.e. cell phone, land line) have also been shown to negatively impact voice identifi cation (Künzel 2001). However, the contribution of these factors to signal complexity as a whole has not been well-defi ned. Therefore, it is the purpose of this investigation to assess the effect of signal complexity on speaker identification. A paired comparison listening task was used to evaluate monolingual listeners’ performance when channel (lab quality, landline phone and cell phone transmissions), language (English vs. Spanish), and dialect (different dialects of Spanish) were varied. Accuracy, reaction time, and d-prime scores were use to measure the effect of signal complexity on speaker identifi cation accuracy. Results indicated that listeners were less accurate when the signal was most complex. These findings were across all three measures. The role of signal complexity in the forensic speaker identification process will be described.
Targeted Therapy in Advanced Well-Differentiated Neuroendocrine Tumors
Authors: Raut Chandrajit P. , Kulke Matthew H. 
Published: February 2011

Abstract
Treatments for advanced neuroendocrine tumors were, until recently, rather limited. Salvage surgery and liver-directed therapy both have relatively limited impact, and systemic cytotoxic chemotherapy has minimal efficacy. In the absence of other effective treatments, somatostatin analogs have been used for years to control disease and neuroendocrine symptoms, without cytotoxic intent. Advances in targeted therapy for neuroendocrine tumors have opened several potentially new treatment paradigms in the management of these otherwise relatively drug-resistant neoplasms. Promising results have emerged from studies evaluating radiolabeled somatostatin analogs and inhibitors of the vascular endothelial growth factor and mammalian target of rapamycin pathways. This article reviews several of the more encouraging developments in this field.
Reflections on the Knife Edge
Authors: Murphy John Patrick Michael 
Published: February 2011

Introduction
The accompanying article, written by John Murphy, a retired lawyer and lifelong outdoorsman from his beloved Colorado Rockies, draws the striking parallel between his experiences as a mountain climber and as a patient with metastatic melanoma facing the hope and uncertainty of experimental therapy. Both are life-threatening circumstances, demanding courage and hope, and challenging our soul in a way almost unique to human experience. Both involve a conscious choice to move forward into dangerous and uncertain territory, and require a determination to look death (John's “Reaper”) in the eye. Many remarkable books and films have been written about such experiences. I recall in particular the 2003 documentary film Touching the Void, about the incredible survival of a mountaineer who returned from a perilous fall in Peru. I highly recommend it to the reader. Another is Laura Hillenbrand's Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption (Random House, 2010), about the survival of a prisoner of war, the celebrated miler Louis Zamperini. Again, unbridled courage and undeniable hope turned futility into future.
John Murphy's reflections remind us of the daily heroism of our patients who are holding tight to the lifeline offered by clinical research. Good climbing, John. All of us are with you on that Knife Edge, waiting for our turn to ascend… and hoping to be as courageous as you were then on Capitol Peak and are again now on the Knife Edge of a clinical trial. For our turn will come.
The Use of Light/Chemically Hardened Polymethylmethacrylate, Polyhydroxyethylmethacrylate, and Calcium Hydroxide Graft Material in Combination With Polyanhydride Around Implants in Minipigs: Part I: Immediate Stability and Function
Authors: Hasturk Hatice , Kantarci Alpdogan , Ghattas Mazen , Schmidt Marcella , Giordano Russell A. , Ashman Arthur , Diekwisch Thomas G. , Van Dyke Thomas 
Published: February 2011

Background: The present study is designed as a proof‐of‐concept study to evaluate light/chemical hardening technology and a newly formulated polymethylmethacrylate, polyhydroxyethylmethacrylate, and calcium hydroxide (PPCH) plus polyanhydride (PA) (PPCH‐PA) composite graft material as a bone substitute compared to positive and negative controls in a minipig model.Methods: PPCH‐PA (composite graft); PPCH alone (positive control), PA alone (positive control), and no graft (negative control) were compared. Four mandibular premolar teeth per quadrant were extracted; a total of 48 implants were placed into sockets in three minipigs. Abutments were placed protruding into the oral cavity 4 mm in height for immediate loading. Crestal areas and intrabony spaces were filled with PPCH‐PA, PPCH, or PA using a three‐phase delivery system in which all graft materials were hardened by a light cure. In the negative control group, implant sites were left untreated. At 12 weeks, block sections containing implants were obtained. Evaluations included periodontal probing, pullout‐force load, and stability measurements to determine implant stability, radiographs to examine bone levels, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM)–energy‐dispersed spectroscopy to determine bone‐to‐implant contact.Results: Probing measurements did not reveal any pathologic pocket formation or bone loss. Radiographs revealed that immediate implant placement and loading resulted in bone at or slightly apical to the first thread of the implant in all groups at 12 weeks. Stability test values showed a relative clinical stability for all implants (range: −7 to +1); however, implants augmented with PPCH‐PA exhibited a statistically significantly greater stability compared to all other groups (P <0.05). The newly formed bone in PPCH‐PA–treated sites was well organized with less marrow spaces and well‐distributed osteocytes. SEM revealed a tighter implant–socket interface in the PPCH‐PA group compared to other groups with reduced microfissures and implant–bone interface fractures during pullout testing, whereas implants treated with PA or no graft showed ≈10‐μm microfissures between the implant and bone with fractures of the intrathread bone.Conclusions: The newly formulated chemically hardened graft material PPCH‐PA was useful in immediate implant placement after tooth extraction and resulted in greater stability and a well‐organized implant–bone interface with immediate loading, especially in those areas where cancellous bone was present. The results of this proof‐of‐concept study warranted further research investigating different healing times and longer durations.
The Effects of Low‐Intensity Pulsed Ultrasound Exposure on Gingival Cells
Authors: Shiraishi Ryutarou , Masaki Chihiro , Toshinaga Akihiro , Okinaga Toshinori , Nishihara Tatsuji , Yamanaka Nobuyasu , Nakamoto Tetsuji , Hosokawa Ryuji 
Published: February 2011

Background: Low‐intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) has been used in fracture treatment to shorten the time needed for biologic wound healing. Clinical trials applying LIPUS in implant dentistry have reported accelerated soft‐tissue healing and osseointegration. However, details of the clinical effects of LIPUS have not been well characterized. Connective tissue growth factor (CCN2/CTGF) plays an important role in wound healing and angiogenesis in periodontal tissue. In this study, we focus on the effect of LIPUS on gingival epithelial cells and the role of CCN2/CTGF therein.Methods: Gingival epithelial cells (GE1) were cultured in six‐well cell‐culture plates for 24 hours at 37°C with 5% CO2, and then exposed to LIPUS for 15 minutes at 3‐MHz frequency and 40‐mW/cm2 power. Total RNA was extracted after LIPUS exposure and analyzed by real‐time polymerase chain reaction to detect CCN2/CTGF. Additionally, total protein from each sample after LIPUS exposure was immunoblotted with anti‐CCN2/CTGF antibody.Results: LIPUS exposure increased the mRNA level of CCN2/CTGF on exposure, and the level was significantly greater at 0 and 15 minutes after LIPUS exposure compared to the control. Western blotting analysis showed intense staining of CCN2/CTGF for 60 minutes after LIPUS exposure. The results demonstrate that LIPUS exposure accelerates soft‐tissue healing by increasing CCN2/CTGF on exposure, in addition to its effects on bone formation.Conclusion: Our findings demonstrate that LIPUS exposure accelerates soft‐tissue healing by increasing connective tissue growth factors via a mitogen‐activated protein kinase signaling pathway on exposure.
Responses of Human Neutrophils to Nicotine and/or Porphyromonas gingivalis
Authors: Al‐Shibani Nouf K. , Labban Nawaf Y. , Kowolik Michael J. , Ruby John D. , Windsor L. Jack 
Published: February 2011

Background: Tobacco smoking is considered a major modifiable risk factor for periodontal disease. Nicotine is the addictive ingredient in tobacco and has been shown to affect multiple cellular processes. Neutrophils are the first line of host defense and are critical cells in the maintenance of periodontal health through their role in the control of bacteria, but they can also contribute to the progression of periodontal disease by the production and release of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Virulence factors from periodontal pathogens, such as Porphyromonas gingivalis (Pg), stimulate the respiratory burst of neutrophils. The objective of this study is to explore the oxidative activity of neutrophils when stimulated with Pg, nicotine, or both.Methods: Neutrophils were separated from buffy coats by the double dextran gradient method. The generation of ROS by neutrophils was determined using luminol‐dependent chemiluminescence assays. The reaction was followed for 90 minutes, and the neutrophil activation was recorded as the total integrated energy output.Results: The Pg and Pg plus nicotine groups had a significantly higher active and peak chemiluminescence than the nicotine group (all with P <0.0001). The Pg and Pg with nicotine groups were not significantly different (P = 0.90).Conclusion: In the presence of Pg, the nicotine did not further enhance the ROS release by the neutrophils, suggesting that the bacteria induced the maximum ROS release in this model system.
Thermal maturation and exhumation of a middle orogenic crust in the Livradois area (French Massif Central)
Authors: Gardien Véronique , Vanderhaeghe Olivier , Arnaud Nicolas , Cocherie Alain , Grange Marion , Lécuyer Christophe 
Published: February 2011

AbstractUpper Carboniferous heating and melting of the middle orogenic crust associated with the emplacement of syntectonic granitoids are documented in the Upper Gneissic Unit of the Livradois area (central part of the French Massif Central). Crustal melting post-dates peak metamorphism conditions (800-625°C, 10-8 kb) dated at 360 ± 4 Ma (U-Th-Pb on monazite). The P-T evolution of the metamorphic series indicates that Barrovian metamorphism was followed by a decompression (from 10 ± 1 kbar to 6 ± 1 kbar) associated with either a decrease in temperature in the southern part of the series or with an increase in temperature (of about 150°C) in the northern part of the series. This evolution records the first step of the exhumation of the series coeval with granitoids intrusion, of which the emplacements were dated at 315 ± 4 and 311 ± 18 Ma (U-Pb on zircon). The final stage of the exhumation is associated with an isobaric cooling of the whole series. Similarity of 40Ar/39Ar ages for biotite in the paragneisses (307-300 Ma) and K-feldspar in the granitoids (306-300 Ma) document rapid cooling for this stage. Moreover dextral reverse mylonites, at the border and the northern part of the metamorphic series indicate north-south compression coeval with the unroofing of the series. Youngest 40Ar-39Ar ages on K-feldspar (274.6 ± 5 Ma) combined with normal shearing in mylonites limiting the Carboniferous Brassac-les-Mines basin document the late Carboniferous-early Permian stage of extension coeval with the upwelling of the Velay granitic dome.
Leadership in Health & Safety Phase Two & Three: Leading to Workforce Engagement
Authors: Matkin Darren B , Scotti Davide 
Published: February 2011

Abstract
To break through the safety performance plateau Saipem recognised the necessity of safety leadership in achieving an accident-free workplace, and establishing a solid culture of safety.
After one year of research, a very innovative Leadership in Safety Workshop was developed, and deployed toward the end of 2007. This first phase of LiHS has already seen the participation of more than 6000 senior leaders worldwide.
To support and sustain this cultural change process Saipem believed that going beyond management levels and targeting an engagement of the workforce was critical.
This paper describes the second two phases of LiHS. Firstly, the support provided toward management levels in terms of their engagement of the workforce, and outlining the actions they took in leading the process. And secondly, the tools employed to foster workforce engagement.
Successful Installation and Operation of Downhole Isolation Valve Combined with Pressurized Mud Cap Drilling to Safely Develop Sour Gas, Fractured-Limestone Reservoir in Gundih Field, Indonesia
Authors: Darmawan Ganesha Rinku , Susilo Surjanto Djoko , Toralde Julmar Shaun 
Published: February 2011

AbstractThe development of a sour gas reservoir (7000 ppm H2S and 20–25% CO2) in the Kujung fractured-limestone formation in the Gundih Field, Java, Indonesia faced challenges related to drilling operations that are prone to kick - loss cycles. Well control incidents were experienced on previous wells drilled in the area and large amounts of cement and lost circulation materials were used to mitigate severe and total circulation losses, which consequently reduced the productivity of the wells.To further add to the complexity of the situation that the sour gas development project faced, the field's location is adjacent to a populated area, thereby increasing the requirement and need to prevent the release of sour gases during drilling operations. This condition ruled out the use of underbalanced drilling (UBD) to address circulation losses as bringing sour reservoir fluids to surface, even at a controlled condition, carried too much of a risk. In the process of finding a solution to these issues, the operator has identified that safety is the primary issue for the development of Gundih field, closely followed by the ability to drill these wells and maintaining reservoir performance. The solution developed involved the use of pressurized mud cap drilling (PMCD) techniques (along with a guaranteed and sufficient supply of sacrificial fluid, mostly water) and the installation of a downhole isolation valve (DIV), to isolate and prevent sour gas from the formation from reaching the surface, should severe losses and subsequent kicks be encountered.The PMCD+DIV system has allowed recent drilling operations to properly address the situation where severe, total and immediate circulation losses are encountered, thereby concurrently minimizing reservoir damage and the amount of sour reservoir fluid released at surface while penetrating deeper into the fracture limestone reservoir. In one instance, the DIV was able to keep sour reservoir fluids from reaching surface during PMCD operations, undergoing as much as 47 open/close cycles during drilling, tripping, fishing and well test operations, all of which were performed while experiencing total loss of circulation.The details of the PMCD+DIV system utilized will be presented in this paper, together with an assessment of how the system enhanced and improved the handling of health, safety and environment (HSE) issues during the drilling process, thereby assisting greatly in the accelerated development of the sour fractured-limestone gas reservoir in Gundih Field.