bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Circulating soluble urokinase plasminogen activator receptor predicts cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and mortality in the general population
Authors: Eugen‐Olsen J. , Andersen O. , Linneberg A. , Ladelund S. , Hansen T. W. , Langkilde A. , Petersen J. , Pielak T. , Møller L. N. , Jeppesen J. , Lyngbæk S. , Fenger M. , Olsen M. H. , Hildebrandt P. R. , Borch‐Johnsen K. , Jørgensen T. , Haugaard S. B. 
Published: May 2010

Abstract.  Eugen‐Olsen J, Andersen O, Linneberg A, Ladelund S, Hansen TW, Langkilde A, Petersen J, Pielak T, Møller LN, Jeppesen J, Lyngbæk S, Fenger M, Olsen MH, Hildebrandt PR, Borch‐Johnsen K, Jørgensen T, Haugaard SB (Copenhagen University, Hvidovre Hospital, Hvidovre; Copenhagen University Hospital, Glostrup; Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen; Copenhagen University Hospital, Glostrup; Copenhagen University, Hvidovre Hospital, Hvidovre; Steno Diabetes Center, Gentofte; University of Aarhus, Aarhus; University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen; Copenhagen University, Hvidovre Hospital, Hvidovre, Denmark). Circulating soluble urokinase plasminogen activator receptor predicts cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and mortality in the general population. J Intern Med 2010; 268: 296–308.Background.  Low‐grade inflammation is thought to contribute to the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD), type‐2 diabetes mellitus (T2D), cancer and mortality. Biomarkers of inflammation may aid in risk prediction and enable early intervention and prevention of disease.Objective.  The aim of this study was to investigate whether plasma levels of the inflammatory biomarker soluble urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR) are predictive of disease and mortality in the general population.Design.  This was an observational prospective cohort study. Cohort participants were included from June 1993 to December 1994 and followed until the end of 2006.Setting.  General adult Caucasian population.Participants.  The MONICA10 study, a population‐based cohort recruited from Copenhagen, Denmark, included 2602 individuals aged 41, 51, 61 or 71 years.Measurements.  Blood samples were analysed for suPAR levels using a commercially available enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay. Risk of cancer (n = 308), CVD (n = 301), T2D (n = 59) and mortality (n = 411) was assessed with a multivariate proportional hazards model using Cox regression.Results.  Elevated baseline suPAR level was associated with an increased risk of cancer, CVD, T2D and mortality during follow‐up. suPAR was more strongly associated with cancer, CVD and mortality in men than in women, and in younger compared with older individuals. suPAR remained significantly associated with the risk of negative outcome after adjustment for a number of relevant risk factors including C‐reactive protein levels.Limitation.  Further validation in ethnic populations other than Caucasians is needed.Conclusion.  The stable plasma protein suPAR may be a promising biomarker because of its independent association with incident cancer, CVD, T2D and mortality in the general population.
Evaluation of the presence of house dust mites in horse rugs
Authors: Wallace Jessica C. , Vogelnest Linda J. 
Published: May 2010

AbstractA sample of fourteen horse rugs and two saddle blankets stored in south western Sydney, Australia, an area of known high dust mite prevalence in the human environment, were analysed for the presence of house dust mites. Dust samples from the rugs, blankets and 16 control sites were collected using a vacuum cleaner with a modified attachment and filter. Dust mites were extracted using an adapted floatation technique. Eight rugs and all control samples were positive for mites, which were confirmed to be house dust mites of the genus Dermatophagoides. This study confirms that exposure to house dust mites from horse rugs can occur, indicating that house dust mite allergen reactivity on intradermal and serum allergy testing in atopic horses may represent true dust mite hypersensitivity. Nevertheless, quantification studies will be necessary to ensure that there is adequate mite exposure for development of hypersensitivity, and further evaluation of immunological responses, avoidance and provocation, and specific immunotherapy are required to confirm the clinical relevance. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to document the presence of house dust mites in the equine environment.
Orexin‐A and respiration in a rat model of smoke‐induced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Authors: Liu Zi‐Bing , Song Na‐Na , Geng Wen‐Ye , Jin Wei‐Zhong , Li Li , Cao Yin‐Xiang , Qian Yuan , Zhu Da‐Nian , Shen Lin‐Lin 
Published: May 2010

Summary1. Orexins are neuropeptides synthesized in the hypothalamus that regulate many physiological functions, including energy homeostasis, stress responses, sleep/wake states etc. It is now emerging that orexins may also regulate breathing, but little is known as to how they do this, particularly in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). In the present study, we used a rat model of cigarette smoke‐induced COPD to investigate orexin‐A expression in the hypothalamus and medulla and its effect on respiration.2. Sprague‐Dawley rats were exposed to cigarette smoke (1 h twice daily) for 12 weeks. Lung function and pathological changes associated with inflammation and emphysema were determined to confirm the validity of the COPD model.3. Hypothalamic and medullary orexin‐A levels, as determined by radioimmunoassay, were higher in smoke‐exposed than control rats. Furthermore, the expression of prepro‐orexin (PPO) mRNA in the hypothalamus and orexin OX1receptor mRNA in the medulla, as determined by real‐time quantitative polymerase chain reaction, was higher in smoke‐exposed than control rats.4. The number of orexin‐A‐positive neurons in the hypothalamus and OX1and OX2receptor‐positive neurons in the ventrolateral medulla was higher in smoke‐exposed than control rats.5. Microinjection of orexin‐A (1 μmol/L, 0.1 μL) into the pre‐Bötzinger complex enhanced phrenic nerve discharge to a greater extent in smoke‐exposed compared with control rats (61% vs 36%, respectively).6. The findings of the present study demonstrate that the increased respiratory activity in smoke‐exposed rats is due to an increase in orexin‐A as well as upregulation of orexin receptors in the ventrolateral medulla.
THE CHRISTIAN LIFE AS SLAVERY: PAUL'S SUBVERSIVE METAPHOR
Authors: TURNER GEOFFREY 
Published: May 2010

Recent scholarship has shown chattel slavery in the Roman Empire to have been a deeply oppressive experience. Paul knew that reality well and used the language of slavery metaphorically in Galatians and Romans to describe humanity's subjection to sin. However, he also made a remarkable shift in his use of the metaphor to indicate a new form of slavery to God which brings freedom, thereby subverting conventional ways of understanding slavery.In Paul's sense, slavery is an ineluctable part of human existence in which we have a choice of being a slave to sin or a slave to God. Becoming a slave means giving up all claims to status and relates to Christ's humble‐mindedness in Philippians. The slave is also a model of faithfulness, comparable with God's faithfulness to Israel and Christ's faithfulness to the mission given him by his Father. Being a slave (in Paul's sense) is at the heart of the Christian life, exemplifying the ‘obedience of faith’, for it is through this faithfulness that we become righteous.
The Relationship between Patients' Perception of Care and Measures of Hospital Quality and Safety
Authors: Isaac Thomas , Zaslavsky Alan M. , Cleary Paul D. , Landon Bruce E. 
Published: May 2010

Background. The extent to which patient experiences with hospital care are related to other measures of hospital quality and safety is unknown.Methods. We examined the relationship between Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems scores and technical measures of quality and safety using service‐line specific data in 927 hospitals. We used data from the Hospital Quality Alliance to assess technical performance in medical and surgical processes of care and calculated Patient Safety Indicators to measure medical and surgical complication rates.Results. The overall rating of the hospital and willingness to recommend the hospital had strong relationships with technical performance in all medical conditions and surgical care (correlation coefficients ranging from 0.15 to 0.63; p<.05 for all). Better patient experiences for each measure domain were associated with lower decubitus ulcer rates (correlations −0.17 to −0.35; p<.05 for all), and for at least some domains with each of the other assessed complications, such as infections due to medical care.Conclusions. Patient experiences of care were related to measures of technical quality of care, supporting their validity as summary measures of hospital quality. Further study may elucidate implications of these relationships for improving hospital care.
Health Savings Accounts and Health Care Spending
Authors: Lo Sasso Anthony T. , Shah Mona , Frogner Bianca K. 
Published: May 2010

Objective.The impact of consumer‐driven health plans (CDHPs) has primarily been studied in a small number of large, self‐insured employers, but this work may not generalize to the wide array of firms that make up the overall economy. The goal of our research is to examine effects of health savings accounts (HSAs) on total, medical, and pharmacy spending for a large number of small and midsized firms.Data Sources.Health plan administrative data from a national insurer were used to measure spending for 76,310 enrollees over 3 years in 709 employers. All employers began offering a HSA‐eligible plan either on a full‐replacement basis or alongside traditional plans in 2006 and 2007 after previously offering only traditional plans in 2005.Study Design.We employ difference‐in‐differences generalized linear regression models to examine the impact of switching to HSAs.Data Extraction Methods.Claims data were aggregated to enrollee‐years.Principal Findings.For total spending, HSA enrollees spent roughly 5–7 percent less than non‐HSA enrollees. For pharmacy spending, HSA enrollees spent 6–9 percent less than traditional plan enrollees. More of the spending decrease was observed in the first year of enrollment.Conclusions.Our findings are consistent with the notion that CDHP benefit designs affect decisions that are at the discretion of the consumer, such as whether to fill or refill a prescription, but have less effect on care decisions that are more at the discretion of the provider.
Agricultural Exports and Economic Growth in Developing Countries: A Panel Cointegration Approach
Authors: Sanjuán‐López Ana I. , Dawson P. J. 
Published: May 2010

AbstractThis paper quantifies the contribution of agricultural exports to economic growth in developing countries. We estimate the relationship between GDP and agricultural and non‐agricultural exports for 42 countries using panel cointegration methods. Results show that a long‐run relationship exists, the agricultural export elasticity of GDP is 0.07 whereas that of non‐agricultural exports is 0.13, and total exports Granger‐cause GDP, which supports the export‐led growth hypothesis. Structural differences exist in the relationship by broad income group. Balanced export‐promotion polices are implied for the poorest countries, but, for those with higher incomes, higher economic growth is achieved from non‐agricultural exports.
Accurate ECG Diagnosis of Atrial Tachyarrhythmias Using Quantitative Analysis: A Prospective Diagnostic and Cost‐Effectiveness Study
Authors: KRUMMEN DAVID E. , PATEL MITUL , NGUYEN HONG , HO GORDON , KAZI DHRUV S. , CLOPTON PAUL , HOLLAND MARIAN C. , GREENBERG SCOTT L. , FELD GREGORY K. , FADDIS MITCHELL N. , NARAYAN SANJIV M. 
Published: May 2010

Quantitative ECG Analysis. Introduction:Optimal atrial tachyarrhythmia management is facilitated by accurate electrocardiogram interpretation, yet typical atrial flutter (AFl) may present without sawtooth F‐waves or RR regularity, and atrial fibrillation (AF) may be difficult to separate from atypical AFl or rapid focal atrial tachycardia (AT). We analyzed whether improved diagnostic accuracy using a validated analysis tool significantly impacts costs and patient care.Methods and Results:We performed a prospective, blinded, multicenter study using a novel quantitative computerized algorithm to identify atrial tachyarrhythmia mechanism from the surface ECG in patients referred for electrophysiology study (EPS). In 122 consecutive patients (age 60 ± 12 years) referred for EPS, 91 sustained atrial tachyarrhythmias were studied. ECGs were also interpreted by 9 physicians from 3 specialties for comparison and to allow healthcare system modeling. Diagnostic accuracy was compared to the diagnosis at EPS. A Markov model was used to estimate the impact of improved arrhythmia diagnosis. We found 13% of typical AFl ECGs had neither sawtooth flutter waves nor RR regularity, and were misdiagnosed by the majority of clinicians (0/6 correctly diagnosed by consensus visual interpretation) but correctly by quantitative analysis in 83% (5/6, P = 0.03). AF diagnosis was also improved through use of the algorithm (92%) versus visual interpretation (primary care: 76%, P < 0.01). Economically, we found that these improvements in diagnostic accuracy resulted in an average cost‐savings of $1,303 and 0.007 quality‐adjusted‐life‐years per patient.Conclusions:Typical AFl and AF are frequently misdiagnosed using visual criteria. Quantitative analysis improves diagnostic accuracy and results in improved healthcare costs and patient outcomes.(J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol, Vol. 21, pp. 1251‐1259, November 2010)
Outbreak of CTX‐M‐15‐producing Klebsiella pneumoniae of sequence type 199 in a Latvian teaching hospital
Authors: DUMPIS UGA , IVERSEN AINA , BALODE ARTA , SAULE MĀRA , MIKLAŠEVIČS EDVĪNS , GISKE CHRISTIAN G. 
Published: May 2010

Dumpis U, Iversen A, Balode A, Saule M, Miklaševičs E, Giske CG. Outbreak of CTX‐M‐15‐producing Klebsiella pneumoniae of sequence type 199 in a Latvian teaching hospital. APMIS 2010; 118: 713–6.Previous studies on the epidemiology of extended‐spectrum β‐lactamase (ESBL)‐producing Enterobacteriaceae in Latvia are lacking. ESBL‐producing Klebsiella pneumoniae (n = 32) were subjected to pulsed‐field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and selected isolates to multi‐locus sequence typing (MLST). Species identification and susceptibility testing were performed using VITEK2, and sequencing of blaCTX‐M was performed in selected isolates. PFGE revealed one major clone (n = 23), with most of the isolates derived from the ICU. The clone harboured blaCTX‐M‐15, was sequence type 199 and comprised two ertapenem non‐susceptible isolates. This is the first report of an ESBL outbreak in Latvia, and calls for increased epidemiological typing of ESBL‐producing Enterobacteriaceae, as well as improved infection control routines.
Perinatal services and outcomes in Quang Ninh province, Vietnam
Authors: Nga Nguyen T , Målqvist Mats , Eriksson Leif , Hoa Dinh P , Johansson Annika , Wallin Lars , Persson Lars‐Åke , Ewald Uwe 
Published: May 2010

AbstractAim:  We report baseline results of a community‐based randomized trial for improved neonatal survival in Quang Ninh province, Vietnam (NeoKIP; ISRCTN44599712). The NeoKIP trial seeks to evaluate a method of knowledge implementation called facilitation through group meetings at local health centres with health staff and community key persons. Facilitation is a participatory enabling approach that, if successful, is well suited for scaling up within health systems. The aim of this baseline report is to describe perinatal services provided and neonatal outcomes.Methods:  Survey of all health facility registers of service utilization, maternal deaths, stillbirths and neonatal deaths during 2005 in the province. Systematic group interviews of village health workers from all communes. A Geographic Information System database was also established.Results:  Three quarters of pregnant women had ≥3 visits to antenatal care. Two hundred and five health facilities, including 18 hospitals, provided delivery care, ranging from 1 to 3258 deliveries/year. Totally there were 17 519 births and 284 neonatal deaths in the province. Neonatal mortality rate was 16/1000 live births, ranging from 10 to 44/1000 in the different districts, with highest rates in the mountainous parts of the province. Only 8% had home deliveries without skilled attendance, but those deliveries resulted in one‐fifth of the neonatal deaths.Conclusion:  A relatively good coverage of perinatal care was found in a Vietnamese province, but neonatal mortality varied markedly with geography and level of care. A remaining small proportion of home deliveries generated a substantial part of mortality.
Liver cirrhosis in an infant with Chanarin–Dorfman syndrome caused by a novel splice‐site mutation in ABHD5
Authors: Cakir M , Bruno C , Cansu A , Cobanoglu U , Erduran E 
Published: May 2010

AbstractWe described a Turkish girl with Chanarin–Dorfman syndrome who developed liver cirrhosis in the early infancy. She had all the clinical features of Chanarin–Dorfman syndrome such as ichthyosis, Jordan’s anomaly, fatty liver disease and mild ectropion. The diagnosis was confirmed with a novel ABHD5 mutation. Liver steatosis or steatohepatitis with or without hepatomegaly is the predominant finding of Chanarin–Dorfman syndrome. Cirrhosis has been reported in patients with long‐duration disease.Conclusion:  Local factors or dysfunction of local proteins such as mutations or polymorphisms in hepatic microsomal lipase and arylacetamide deacetylase may contribute the severity of liver involvement, and steatosis may progress to cirrhosis in the early infancy in Chanarin–Dorfman syndrome.
Reproducing Dominion: Emotional Apprenticeship in the 4-H Youth Livestock Program
Authors: Irvine Leslie , Ellis Colter 
Published: May 2010

AbstractThis paper examines young people’s socialization into the doctrine known as “dominionism,” which justifies the use of animals in the service of human beings. Using qualitative research, it focuses on the 4-H youth livestock program, in which boys and girls raise cattle, pigs, goats, and sheep for slaughter. The analysis portrays 4-H as an apprenticeship in which children learn to do cognitive emotion work, use distancing mechanisms, and create a “redemption” narrative to cope with contradictory ethical and emotional experiences. Although this paper focuses on young people’s relationships with animals, and particularly with types of animals that have received little scholarly attention, the conclusions have implications for understanding the reproduction of inequalities, more generally. An understanding of the means through which people learn to justify the treatment of the animals known as “livestock” can shed light on the mechanisms involved in generic processes of inequality.
Exploration of the MODIS Cloud-Top Property Products for the Investigation of Equatorial Wave Systems
Authors: Li Yue , North Gerald R. , Yang Ping , Baum Bryan A. 
Published: May 2010

Abstract
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) observations provide an unprecedented opportunity for studying cloud macrophysical (cloud-top pressure, temperature, height, and phase), microphysical (effective particle size), and optical (optical thickness) properties. Given the length of time these MODIS products have been available, it is found that the cloud products can provide a wealth of information about equatorial wave systems. In this study, more than six years of the MODIS cloud-top properties inferred from the Aqua MODIS observations are used to investigate equatorial waves. It is shown that the high-resolution daily gridded cloud-top temperature product can be used to quantitatively study convective clouds. Various modes of convectively coupled equatorial waves including Kelvin, n = 1 equatorial Rossby, mixed Rossby–gravity, n = 0 eastward inertial-gravity waves, and the Madden–Julian oscillation are identified on the basis of space–time spectral analysis. The application of spectral analysis to cirrus cloud optical thickness, retrieved from MODIS cirrus reflectance, confirms the convective signals at high altitudes. A cluster of Kelvin pulses is found to propagate eastward around the globe at a phase speed approximately 15 m s−1. The Madden–Julian oscillation propagates at a slower speed and is most prominent over the Indian–Pacific Oceans region. The consistency between the present results with those of previous studies demonstrates that the MODIS cloud-top property products are valuable for studying phenomena associated with atmospheric dynamics.
Evaporation–Precipitation Variability over the Mediterranean and the Black Seas from Satellite and Reanalysis Estimates
Authors: Romanou A. , Tselioudis G. , Zerefos C. S. , Clayson C-A. , Curry J. A. , Andersson A. 
Published: May 2010

Abstract
Satellite retrievals of surface evaporation and precipitation from the Hamburg Ocean Atmosphere Parameters and Fluxes from Satellite Data (HOAPS-3) dataset are used to document the distribution of evaporation, precipitation, and freshwater flux over the Mediterranean and Black Seas. An analysis is provided of the major scales of temporal and spatial variability of the freshwater budget and the atmospheric processes responsible for the water flux changes. The satellite evaporation fluxes are compared with fields from three different reanalysis datasets [40-yr ECMWF Re-Analysis (ERA-40), ERA-Interim, and NCEP].
The results show a water deficit in the Mediterranean region that averages to about 2.4 mm day−1 but with a significant east–west asymmetry ranging from 3.5 mm day−1 in the eastern part to about 1.1 mm day−1 in the western part of the basin. The zonal asymmetry in the water deficit is driven by evaporation differences that are in turn determined by variability in the air–sea humidity difference in the different parts of the Mediterranean basin. The Black Sea freshwater deficit is 0.5 mm day−1, with maxima off the northern coast (0.9 mm day−1) that are attributed to both evaporation maxima and precipitation minima there.
The trend analysis of the freshwater budget shows that the freshwater deficit increases in the 1988–2005 period. The prominent increase in the eastern part of the basin is present in the satellite and all three reanalysis datasets. The water deficit is due to increases in evaporation driven by increasing sea surface temperature, while precipitation does not show any consistent trends in the period. Similarly, in the Black Sea, trends in the freshwater deficit are mainly due to evaporation, although year-to-year variability is due to precipitation patterns.