bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Patient safety incidents associated with obesity: a review of reports to the National Patient Safety Agency and recommendations for hospital practice
Authors: Booth C M A , Moore C E , Eddleston J , Sharman M , Atkinson D , Moore J A 
Published: July 2011

ABSTRACT

Background
The incidence and prevalence of obesity are increasing world wide. In the UK, obesity governmental strategy has primarily focused on prevention measures, with less focus on the demands of treating obese patients in hospital. Increasing service demand by obese patients coupled with a lack of adequate provision for care of these patients may lead to an increase in patient safety incidents. By classifying patient safety incidents associated with obesity reported to the National Patient Safety Agency, this report aims to identify areas for improvement in the quality and safety of care of the obese patient

Methods
A search of the National Reporting and Learning System database was conducted for all incidents caused by or relating to obesity for the period 1 January 2005 to 31 August 2008. The keywords ‘obesity’, ‘overweight’, ‘BMI’ (body mass index), and ‘bariatric’ were used. The relevant free text fields of the resulting set of incidents were then searched for the terms designed to isolate incidents occurring in anaesthesia, critical care, and surgery. Reported incidents were analysed and subsequently categorised to identify incident themes. Levels of harm were also established.

Results
555 patient safety incidents were identified; 388 met inclusion criteria for analysis. 148 incidents were related to assessment, diagnosis or treatment, 213 related to infrastructure and 27 related to staffing. The majority of incidents were classified as no or low harm. Three deaths were reported, all within the domain of anaesthesia.

Conclusions
This report identifies that the majority of safety incidents associated with obesity were related to infrastructure, suggesting that there is inadequate provision in place for the care of obese patients. While levels of harm were mostly low, the occurrence of incidents resulting in severe harm or death highlights the specific dangers associated with the care of the obese patient. A global approach to improving the safety of care delivery for obese patients is recommended, including obesity specific training, management structures, care pathways, and equipment provisioning.Further planning and development of operation policies is needed to ensure the safe delivery of healthcare to obese patients in the future.
One-dimensional consolidation behavior of cement-treated organic soil
Authors: Bobet Antonio , Hwang Joonho , Johnston Cliff T. , Santagata Marika 
Published: July 2011

This paper addresses the effects of cement treatment on the one-dimensional (1D) consolidation behavior of a highly organic soil (LOI ∼ 40%–60%, where LOI is the loss on ignition), based on 1D constant rate of strain and incremental loading tests. The effects of Portland cement addition are evaluated for dosages ranging from 8% to 100% by dry mass of soil, corresponding to values of the cement factor of 24 and 296 kg of cement per cubic metre of untreated soil, within the range used in deep mixing practice. Additional parameters investigated are the impact of curing surcharge and duration. The most evident effect of the treatment is the development of a cementation-induced preconsolidation stress: the greater the cement dosage, the greater the preconsolidation stress and the greater the vertical effective stress that can be sustained at any void ratio. The results also provide a consistent picture of the effects of cement treatment on stiffness, hydraulic conductivity, coefficient of consolidation, and creep. Comparison to data obtained for the untreated soil demonstrates the “stable” nature of the structure generated as a result of treatment. The consolidation results are complemented by pH measurements, extraction tests, elemental analyses, and Fourier transform infra-red (FTIR) spectroscopy analyses, which provide insight into the interaction between soil organic matter and cement.
Links between biomass and tree demography in a northern hardwood forest: a decade of stability and change in Hubbard Brook Valley, New Hampshire
Authors: van Doorn Natalie S. , Battles John J. , Fahey Timothy J. , Siccama Thomas G. , Schwarz Paul A. 
Published: July 2011

We resurveyed a network of sampling plots (n = 371) 10 years after its establishment in Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest (New Hampshire, USA) to quantify recent trends in tree biomass and demography. We found no significant change in live-tree biomass during the decade. Total biomass was 246 Mg·ha–1 (95%CI = 235–258) in 1995–1996 and 245 Mg·ha–1 (95%CI = 234–256) in 2005–2006. Annual mortality during the period for trees ≥ 10 cm diameter at breast height (1.37 m) averaged 9.7 trees·ha–1·year–1 (95% CI of annual mortality rate = 1.36%–1.84%·year–1). Tree recruitment into the census pool was 8.4 trees⋅ha–1·year–1 (95% CI = 5.8–10.6). Although overall forest biomass remained constant, there were marked shifts in the relative dominance of the canopy species. For example, the live biomass of Betula alleghaniensis Britton declined by 7%, whereas the live biomass of Picea rubens Sarg. increased by 6% and that of Acer saccharum Marshall increased by 4%. There was no instance of recruitment significantly exceeding mortality for the major species. Relative growth rates ranged from 1.03%·year–1 for Betula papyrifera Marshall to 1.99%·year–1 for Abies balsamea (L.) Mill. Our results confirmed earlier reports that the forest at Hubbard Brook is no longer aggrading. Current live-tree biomass is lower than expected. Although effects of novel disturbances documented on a regional level have not led to directional changes in tree demography at Hubbard Brook, we suggest that these novel stressors are depressing the biomass potential of the forest.
Armillaria species distribution and site relationships in Pinus- and Tsuga-dominated forests in Massachusetts
Authors: Brazee Nicholas J. , Wick Robert L. 
Published: July 2011

The primary objective of this study was to determine the composition of Armillaria species in northeastern North American Pinus - and Tsuga -dominated forests. This was accomplished by sampling 32 plots at eight sites within pitch pine ( Pinus rigida Mill.), eastern white pine ( Pinus strobus L.), eastern white pine – mixed oak, and eastern hemlock ( Tsuga canadensis (L.) Carr.) forests. In total, 320 isolates were collected from 19 host tree species, with 207 of 320 (65%) of all isolations coming from Pinus and Tsuga. Armillaria solidipes Peck was the most abundant species, making up 188 of 320 (59%) of all isolations, which included 39 isolations from hardwoods. Meanwhile, Armillaria mellea (Vahl) P. Kumm. was collected a total of 27 times from eastern white and pitch pine. These two Armillaria species co-occurred at five of the eight sites sampled. Chi-square analyses showed that incidence of Armillaria species were significantly different by forest type. Pitch pine forests had a higher incidence of A. solidipes (p < 0.001), eastern white pine forests had a higher incidence of A. mellea (p = 0.001), and eastern hemlock forests had a higher incidence of Armillaria gallica Marxm. & Romagn. (p = 0.002) compared with expected values. The distribution of A. solidipes varied significantly by soil drainage and soil type, with a higher incidence on excessively drained (p < 0.001) and loamy sand (p < 0.001) soils.
The temporal development of old-growth structural attributes in second-growth stands: a chronosequence study in the Coastal Western Hemlock zone in British Columbia
Authors: Gerzon Michael , Seely Brad , MacKinnon Andy 
Published: July 2011

One of the key issues facing forest resource planners is the conservation and recruitment of old-growth characteristics in managed forests. The paucity of long-term data sets in many regions has limited our ability to project the temporal patterns of structural development in second-growth forests. Age-based thresholds have been employed in some jurisdictions, but these lack flexibility and are arbitrary in nature. Here we conduct a chronosequence study consisting of second-growth and old-growth stands in the coastal forests of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, to identify structural attributes that are suitable for quantifying and monitoring the progressive development of old-growth characteristics. The following structural attributes were identified and evaluated in the chronosequence analysis: volume and density of large live stems, standard deviation of stem DBH, density of large-diameter snags, volume of woody debris, and understory vegetation cover. The rate at which old-growth structural characteristics developed in second-growth stands varied considerably, with the earliest reaching levels observed in old-growth stands within 112 years, while most requiring 200 to greater than 250 years. The use of quantifiable measures of old-growth structure will help forest managers plan for the continued protection and recruitment of old-growth structure within managed forest landscapes.
Detection of red heartwood in paper birch (Betula papyrifera) using external stem characteristics
Authors: Belleville Benoît , Cloutier Alain , Achim Alexis 
Published: July 2011

Red heartwood, a dark nonhomogenous discolouration in paper birch trees ( Betula papyrifera Marsh.), limits the applications and uses of sawn boards to nonvisible low-value products, thus resulting in substantial value loss. The occurrence and distribution of red heartwood were investigated in 12 paper birch trees grown in the province of Quebec, Canada. The youngest tree was 62 years old at breast height and the oldest 86 years old for an average of 75 years old. In this study, 225 occurrences of external traits, relating to branch scars and forks, previously proposed as initiation points for red heartwood were identified and measured. The distribution of red heartwood was digitally mapped and the effect of these external traits on the red heartwood surface and shape inside each tree was examined. Results show that red heartwood initiates from an external trait and that multiple external traits can contribute to the development of a red heartwood column following the longitudinal axis of the stem. Red heartwood appeared to initiate mainly from external traits at the base of the tree. A modelling exercise indicated that the width of the red heartwood column inside a standing tree can be estimated from branch scar width and height from the ground. Tree vigour could not be linked to the proportion of red heartwood inside standing trees. A three-dimensional analysis of log shape could potentially be used to detect red heartwood presence in a log before processing to optimize the log sawing pattern.
Building volumetric appearance models of fabric using micro CT imaging
Authors: Zhao Shuang , Jakob Wenzel , Marschner Steve , Bala Kavita 
Published: July 2011

The appearance of complex, thick materials like textiles is determined by their 3D structure, and they are incompletely described by surface reflection models alone. While volume scattering can produce highly realistic images of such materials, creating the required volume density models is difficult. Procedural approaches require significant programmer effort and intuition to design specialpurpose algorithms for each material. Further, the resulting models lack the visual complexity of real materials with their naturally-arising irregularities.
This paper proposes a new approach to acquiring volume models, based on density data from X-ray computed tomography (CT) scans and appearance data from photographs under uncontrolled illumination. To model a material, a CT scan is made, resulting in a scalar density volume. This 3D data is processed to extract orientation information and remove noise. The resulting density and orientation fields are used in an appearance matching procedure to define scattering properties in the volume that, when rendered, produce images with texture statistics that match the photographs. As our results show, this approach can easily produce volume appearance models with extreme detail, and at larger scales the distinctive textures and highlights of a range of very different fabrics like satin and velvet emerge automatically---all based simply on having accurate mesoscale geometry.
Endothelial Cells Create a Stem Cell Niche in Glioblastoma by Providing NOTCH Ligands That Nurture Self-Renewal of Cancer Stem-Like Cells
Authors: Zhu Thant S. , Costello Mark A. , Talsma Caroline E. , Flack Callie G. , Crowley Jessica G. , Hamm Lisa L. , He Xiaobing , Hervey-Jumper Shawn L. , Heth Jason A. , Muraszko Karin M. , DiMeco Francesco , Vescovi Angelo L. , Fan Xing 
Published: July 2011

Abstract
One important function of endothelial cells in glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is to create a niche that helps promote self-renewal of cancer stem-like cells (CSLC). However, the underlying molecular mechanism for this endothelial function is not known. Since activation of NOTCH signaling has been found to be required for propagation of GBM CSLCs, we hypothesized that the GBM endothelium may provide the source of NOTCH ligands. Here, we report a corroboration of this concept with a demonstration that NOTCH ligands are expressed in endothelial cells adjacent to NESTIN and NOTCH receptor-positive cancer cells in primary GBMs. Coculturing human brain microvascular endothelial cells (hBMEC) or NOTCH ligand with GBM neurospheres promoted GBM cell growth and increased CSLC self-renewal. Notably, RNAi-mediated knockdown of NOTCH ligands in hBMECs abrogated their ability to induce CSLC self-renewal and GBM tumor growth, both in vitro and in vivo. Thus, our findings establish that NOTCH activation in GBM CSLCs is driven by juxtacrine signaling between tumor cells and their surrounding endothelial cells in the tumor microenvironment, suggesting that targeting both CSLCs and their niche may provide a novel strategy to deplete CSLCs and improve GBM treatment. Cancer Res; 71(18); 6061–72. ©2011 AACR.
Randomized Phase II Trial of Custirsen (OGX-011) in Combination with Docetaxel or Mitoxantrone as Second-line Therapy in Patients with Metastatic Castrate-Resistant Prostate Cancer Progressing after First-line Docetaxel: CUOG Trial P-06c
Authors: Saad Fred , Hotte Sebastien , North Scott , Eigl Bernie , Chi Kim , Czaykowski Piotr , Wood Lori , Pollak Michael , Berry Scott , Lattouf Jean-Baptiste , Mukherjee Som D. , Gleave Martin , Winquist Eric 
Published: July 2011

Abstract
Purpose: Clusterin (CLU) is an antiapoptotic, stress-induced protein conferring treatment resistance when overexpressed. This study tested custirsen, a CLU inhibitor, in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) progressing during or within 6 months of initial docetaxel therapy.
Patients and Methods: Men were randomized to receive either docetaxel + prednisone + custirsen (DPC) or mitoxantrone + prednisone + custirsen (MPC).
Results: Forty-two patients received study treatment. Toxicity was similar in both arms. Twenty patients treated with DPC received a median of 8 cycles; overall survival (OS) was 15.8 months. Median time to pain progression (TTPP) was 10.0 months; 10 of 13 (77%) evaluable patients had pain responses. Three of 13 (23%) evaluable patients had objective partial responses. Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) declines of 90% or more, 50% or more, and 30% or more occurred in 4 (20%), 8 (40%), and 11 (55%) patients, respectively.
Twenty-two patients treated with MPC received a median of 6 cycles; OS was 11.5 months. The median TTPP was 5.2 months; 6 of 13 (46%) evaluable patients had pain responses. No objective responses were observed. PSA declines of 50% or more and 30% or more occurred in 6 (27%) and 7 (32%) patients, respectively.
Low serum CLU levels during treatment showed superior survival for patients based on modeling with proportional hazard regression with a time-dependent covariate and different landmarks.
Conclusions: Custirsen plus either docetaxel or mitoxantrone was feasible in patients with progressive mCRPC following first-line docetaxel therapy. Pain relief was higher than expected, with interesting correlations between serum CLU and survival. A phase III trial evaluating the pain palliation benefit of custirsen with taxane therapy is ongoing. Clin Cancer Res; 17(17); 5765–73. ©2011 AACR.
Status of RASSF1A in Uveal Melanocytes and Melanoma Cells
Authors: Calipel Armelle , Abonnet Véronique , Nicole Olivier , Mascarelli Frédéric , Coupland Sarah E. , Damato Bertil , Mouriaux Frédéric 
Published: July 2011

AbstractRASSF1A gene, found at the 3p21.3 locus, is a tumor suppressor gene frequently hypermethylated in human cancers. In this study, we report that compared with melanocytes in normal choroid, RASSF1A is downregulated in uveal melanoma samples and in uveal melanoma cell lines. LOH at 3p21.3 was detected in 50% of uveal melanoma. Moreover, methylation of the RASSF1A promoter was detected in 35 of 42 tumors (83%) and RASSF1A was also weakly expressed at the mRNA level. These data indicate that LOH at the RASSF1A locus or RASSF1A promoter methylation may partly account for the suppression of RASSF1A expression observed in uveal melanoma. Furthermore, following ectopic expression in three RASSF1A-deficient melanoma cell lines (OCM-1, Mel270, and 92.1), RASSF1A weakly reduces cell proliferation and anchorage-independent growth of uveal melanoma cells without effect on ERK1/2 activation, cyclin D1 and p27Kip1 expression. This study explored biological functions and underlying mechanisms of RASSF1A in the ERK1/2 pathway in normal uveal melanocytes. We showed that siRNA-mediated depletion of RASSF1A increased ERK1/2 activation, cyclin D1 expression, and also decreased p27Kip1 expression in normal uveal melanocytes. Moreover, that the depletion of RASSF1A induced senescence-associated β-galactosidase activity and increased p21Cip1 expression suggests that RASSF1A plays a role in the escape of cellular senescence in normal uveal melanocytes. Interestingly, we found that RASSF1A was epigenetically inactivated in long-term culture of uveal melanocytes. Taken together, these data show that depletion of RASSF1A could be an early event observed during senescence of normal uveal melanocytes and that additional alterations are acquired during malignant transformation to uveal melanoma. Mol Cancer Res; 9(9); 1187–98. ©2011 AACR.
Risks of thromboembolism and bleeding with thromboprophylaxis in patients with atrial fibrillation: A net clinical benefit analysis using a ‘real world’ nationwide cohort study
Authors: Lip Gregory , Lindhardsen Jesper , Lane Deirdre , Ahlehoff Ole , Hansen Morten , Raunsø Jakob , Tolstrup Janne , Hansen Peter , Gislason Gunnar , Torp-Pedersen Christian , Olesen Jonas 
Published: July 2011

SummaryIt was the aim of this study to determine the efficacy and safety of vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) and acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (AF), with separate analyses according to predicted thromboembolic and bleeding risk. By individual levellinkage of nationwide registries, we identified all patients discharged with non-valvular AF in Denmark (n=132,372). For every patient, the risk of stroke and bleeding was calculated by CHADS2, CHA2DS2-VASc, and HAS-BLED. During follow-up, treatment with VKA and ASA was determined time-dependently. VKA consistently lowered the risk of thromboembolism compared to ASA and no treatment; the combination of VKA+ASA did not yield any additional benefit. In patients at high thromboembolic risk, hazard ratios (95% confidence interval) for thromboembolism were: 1.81 (1.73–1.90), 1.14 (1.06–1.23), and 1.86 (1.78–1.95) for ASA, VKA+ASA, and no treatment, respectively, compared to VKA. The risk of bleeding was increased with VKA, ASA, and VKA+ASA compared to no treatment, the hazard ratios were: 1.0 (VKA; reference), 0.93 (ASA; 0.89–0.97), 1.64 (VKA+ASA; 1.55–1.74), and 0.84 (no treatment; 0.81–0.88), respectively. There was a neutral or positive net clinical benefit (ischaemic stroke vs. intracranial haemorrhage) with VKA alone in patients with a CHADS2 score of ≥ 0, and CHA2DS2-VASc score of ≥ 1. This large cohort study confirms the efficacy of VKA and no effect of ASA treatment on the risk of stroke/thromboembolism. Also, the risk of bleeding was increased with both VKA and ASA treatment, but the net clinical benefit was clearly positive, in favour of VKA in patients with increased risk of stroke/thromboembolism.
Competing Risks for Death and Cardiac Transplantation in Children With Dilated Cardiomyopathy
Authors: Alvarez Jorge A. , Orav E. John , Wilkinson James D. , Fleming Lora E. , Lee David J. , Sleeper Lynn A. , Rusconi Paolo G. , Colan Steven D. , Hsu Daphne T. , Canter Charles E. , Webber Steven A. , Cox Gerald F. , Jefferies John L. , Towbin Jeffrey A. , Lipshultz Steven E. ,   for the Pediatric Cardiomyopathy Registry Investigators
Published: July 2011

Background
Pediatric dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is the leading indication for heart transplantation after 1 year of age. Risk factors by etiology at clinical presentation have not been determined separately for death and transplantation in population-based studies. Competing risks analysis may inform patient prioritization for transplantation listing.

Methods and Results

The Pediatric Cardiomyopathy Registry enrolled 1731 children diagnosed with DCM from 1990 to 2007. Etiologic, demographic, and echocardiographic data collected at diagnosis were analyzed with competing risks methods stratified by DCM etiology to identify predictors of death and transplantation. For idiopathic DCM (n=1192), diagnosis after 6 years of age, congestive heart failure, and lower left ventricular (LV) fractional shortening
z
score were independently associated with both death and transplantation equally. In contrast, increased LV end-diastolic dimension
z
score was associated only with transplantation, whereas lower height-for-age
z
score was associated only with death. For neuromuscular disease (n=139), lower LV fractional shortening was associated equally with both end points, but increased LV end-diastolic dimension was associated only with transplantation. The risks of death and transplantation were increased equally for older age at diagnosis, congestive heart failure, and increased LV end-diastolic dimension among those with myocarditis (n=272) and for congestive heart failure and decreased LV fractional shortening among those with familial DCM (n=79).

Conclusions
Risk factors for death and transplantation in children varied by DCM etiology. For idiopathic DCM, increased LV end-diastolic dimension was associated with increased transplantation risk but not mortality. Conversely, short stature was significantly related to death but not transplantation. These findings may present an opportunity to improve the transplantation selection algorithm.