bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The application of pelvic osteotomy in adult female patients with exstrophy: applications and outcomes
Authors: Ansari Mohd S. , Gearhart John P. , Cervellione Raimondo Maximilian , Sponseller Paul D. 
Published: February 2011

Study Type – Therapy (case series)Level of Evidence 4OBJECTIVE• To apply the technique of pelvic osteotomy to a select group of adult female patients with exstrophy, in view of the low complication rate and acceptable success rate of the technique.PATIENTS AND METHODS• We applied this technique as an adjunct to uterovaginal suspension and abdominal wall repair after our prior success in treating patients with extreme pelvic diastasis.• Bilateral innominate (transverse) and vertical iliac osteotomies were done from an anterior approach and an external fixator was placed. The fixator and pelvic bones were gradually cranked together over a period of 2–3 weeks until the diastasis was less than 4 cm.• Then sacrocolpopexy was performed with revision of the abdominal wall and revision genitoplasty along with the placement of an intrasymphyseal titanium plate.RESULTS• Six patients presented with uterine/vaginal prolapse and concerns about the appearance of their abdominal wall and genitalia. Three patients had undergone uterine suspension before and one patient had had five prior attempts at suspension, which failed. The mean (range) age was 22.3 (18–26) years.• All the patients underwent staged reduction of pubic diastasis and sacrocolpopexy along with revision of the abdominal wall and in four cases revision genitoplasty was also performed. The mean (range) diastasis was 12.8 (8–18) cm and 2.8 (3–4) cm before and after staged reduction respectively.• Complications included transient femoral nerve palsy (two) and foot drop secondary to sciatic nerve stretch (one), which resolved with time. The symphyseal plate needed to be removed in three patients: secondary to persistent pain at the site (one), persistent discharge from the lower abdominal wound (one) and erosion into the anterior wall of the vagina (one).• At a mean (range) follow‐up of 60.7 (2–137) months the cosmetic and functional outcome of the abdominal wall reconstruction and genitoplasty was good with all the patients being satisfied. Five patients are currently sexually active and none has had a recurrence of their prolapse. None has become pregnant yet.CONCLUSIONS• Although the morbidity of this procedure in the adult is not insignificant, it is a valuable adjunct to pelvic floor reconstruction in young women of childbearing age even in those who have had prior suspension procedures.• In addition, it allows the movement of lateral previously unoperated skin into the midline, allowing scar and skin replacement with healthier more vascularized tissue.
Co‐administration of intravesical bacillus Calmette‐Guérin and interferon α‐2B as first line in treating superficial transitional cell carcinoma of the urinary bladdera
Authors: Bazarbashi Shouki , Soudy Hussein , Abdelsalam Mahmoud , Al‐Jubran Ali , Akhtar Saad , Memon Muhammad , Aslam Muhammad , Kattan Said , Shoukri Mohamed 
Published: February 2011

Study Type – Therapy (individual cohort)Level of Evidence 2bWhat’s known on the subject? and What does the study add?BCG is the standard treatment for superficial bladder cancer. The combination of BCG and interferon‐alfa may be more effective and less toxic than BCG alone.With long term follow up the efficacy and toxicity of combined intravesical BCG and interferon‐α and BCG alone seems to be equal in treatment of superficial bladder cancer.OBJECTIVE• To evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of the combination of bacillus Calmette‐Guérin (BCG) and interferon α‐2B (IFNα‐2B) in treating superficial bladder cancer (SBC). The mentioned combination has shown synergism in pre‐clinical studies.PATIENTS AND METHODS• The present study is a single‐arm, open‐label, single‐institution prospective trial. Patients with Ta, T1 or in situ carcinoma and no previous intravesical therapy were included between July 2002 and June 2009.• Patients were treated with weekly intravesical instillation of 27 mg of BCG mixed with 10 million units (MU) of IFNα‐2B for six consecutive weeks followed by 3‐weekly booster instillations at 3 months if there was no recurrence.• The primary endpoint was disease recurrence. Secondary endpoints were disease progression and toxicity.• Patients were followed‐up with cystoscopy and urine cytology every 3 months.RESULTS• In all, 50 patients were included.• At a median follow‐up of 55.8 months, 31 (62%) patients were recurrence‐free.• Progression to muscle invasion occurred in two (4%) and metastasis occurred in two (4%) patients.• Treatment was well tolerated, with grade III dysuria and frequency occurring in 18 and 14% of patients, respectively, and with 74% of patients being able to complete the maintenance dosage.CONCLUSION• The combination of BCG and IFNα‐2B in the patient population with SBC has similar efficacy and toxicity to BCG monotherapy.
Transperineal bulbo‐prostatic anastomosis for posterior urethral stricture associated with false passage: a single‐centre experience
Authors: Fu Qiang , Zhang Jiong , Sa Ying‐long , Jin San‐bao , Xu Yue‐min 
Published: February 2011

Study Type – Therapy (case series)Level of Evidence 4What’s known on the subject? and What does the study add?The emergency treatment of patients with PFUDD in developing countries is not currently codified and the majority of these patients have been treated using incorrect procedures that add iatrogenic damage to the trauma. Sometimes urethral dilatation gruffly and repeatedly wound lead to formation of urethral false passage which results in infection and incontinence. The treatment of urethral false passage is still a major challenge for urologists. False passage can lead to prolonged unhealed infections, increase the scar around the urethra, increasing stricture significantly. If preoperative examination was careless, it leads to identify false passage difficultly intra‐operative, the variation of direction when the curved sound was used as internal guidance, anastomosis between distal urethra and bladder wall near the orificium urethrae internum, leading to surgical failure.Cystourethrogram, flexible cystocopy pre‐operatively and dissect urethral bulb carefully are key points of urethroplasty for posterior urethral stricture with false passage. Then to pass a curved sound via the suprapubic tract into the posterior urethra to act as a guide for subsequent excision of all scar tissue.OBJECTIVE• To evaluate the management of traumatic posterior urethral stricture associated with false passage, as this remains a challenge for urologists.PATIENTS AND METHODS• From January 2000 to February 2010, 19 patients (mean (range) age 34 [25–52] years) with traumatic posterior urethral obliteration associated with false passage were evaluated and treated at our centre.• All patients underwent perineal excision and primary anastomotic urethroplasty using cystoscopy by the suprapubic route to insert a guidewire into the original bladder neck, allowing exposure of the normal posterior urethra.• Patients underwent voiding cysto‐urethrography 1 month after the procedure. When symptoms of decreased force of stream were present and uroflowmetry was <15 mL/s, urethrography and urethroscopy were repeated.• Clinical outcome was considered a failure when any postoperative instrumentation was needed, including dilatation.RESULTS• The mean (range) follow‐up was 12 (9–14) months. The overall success rate was 84%.• Three patients (16%) with persistent voiding difficulty developed a short anastomotic stricture 1–3 months after surgery.• The mean maximum urinary flow rate after surgery was 20.01 mL/s and no patient had urinary incontinence.CONCLUSION• The preoperative use of flexible cystoscopy via the suprapubic route represented a successful key point of urethroplasty for posterior urethral stricture associated with false passage.
Optimization of the expression of the HIV fusion inhibitor cyanovirin‐N from the tobacco plastid genome
Authors: Elghabi Zouhair , Karcher Daniel , Zhou Fei , Ruf Stephanie , Bock Ralph 
Published: February 2011

SummaryPlants with transgenic plastid (chloroplast) genomes represent a promising production platform in molecular farming, mainly because of the plastids’ potential to accumulate foreign proteins to very high levels and the increased biosafety conferred by the maternal mode of plastid inheritance. Although some transgenes can be expressed to extraordinarily high levels, the expression of others has been unsuccessful. Lack of detectable transgene expression is usually attributable to either RNA instability or protein instability. Here, we have investigated the possibilities to improve the production of a pharmaceutical protein that is difficult to express in chloroplasts: the HIV‐1 fusion inhibitor cyanovirin‐N (CV‐N). Testing various N‐terminal and C‐terminal fusions to peptide sequences from two proteins known to accumulate to high levels in transgenic plastids (GFP and the protein antibiotic PlyGBS), we show that both low mRNA stability and low protein stability contribute to the lack of detectable CV‐N expression in chloroplasts. Both problems can be alleviated by N‐terminal fusions to the CV‐N coding region, thus highlighting a suitable strategy for optimization of plastid transgene expression.
Factor structure of the Children’s Revised Impact of Event Scale among children and adolescents who survived the 2008 Sichuan earthquake in China
Authors: ZHANG NING , ZHANG YUQING , WU KANKAN , ZHU ZHUOHONG , DYREGROV ATLE 
Published: February 2011

Zhang, N., Zhang, Y., Wu, K., Zhu, Z. & Dyregrov, A. (2011). Factor structure of the Children’s Revised Impact of Event Scale among children and adolescents who survived the 2008 Sichuan earthquake in China. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology52, 236–241.To evaluate the psychometric properties of the Chinese version of Children’s Revised Impact of Event Scale (CRIES) and its applicability among Chinese children and adolescents, a study was conducted on two samples, the first, 1 month after the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, the second, 7 months after the earthquake. High levels of posttraumatic stress symptoms were found among both groups of children. The results also showed a decline of intrusion and arousal symptoms in accordance with the different periods of time elapsed since the earthquake; however, no difference was found in the avoidance symptoms between the two samples. Both the subscales and the CRIES total showed moderate to good reliability. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) of CRIES supported the presumed three inter‐correlated factors model. However, the results of the second sample (with more than 6 months elapsed subsequent to the earthquake) are more likely to support this model than those of the first sample. This study generally justifies the use of CRIES as a screening instrument for probable PTSD victims among children and adolescents exposed to horrible natural disasters in China. Limitations of the present study and directions for future research are also discussed.
Family and School Psychosocial Environment (FSPE): Development of a brief questionnaire measuring perceived psychosocial environments in children/siblings
Authors: PERSSON BERTIL 
Published: February 2011

Persson, B. (2011). Family and School Psychosocial Environment (FSPE): Development of a brief questionnaire measuring perceived psychosocial environments in children/siblings. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology52, 303–307.The aim of the study was to develop a short Swedish standardized, factor analyzed and cross‐validated, family and school psychosocial environment questionnaire (FSPE). The study was based on 244 Swedish girls and boys, 10–19 years old, who filled in the FSPE. Maximum likelihood factor analysis, promax rotation, yielded six primary factors, based on absolute ratings. Since the factors were somewhat correlated, two broader secondary factors, with satisfactory reliabilities, were also included in the form, named Warmth, support and openness from parents, siblings and peers, and Family conflicts and school discipline, respectively. Means and standard deviations for girls and boys showed sex differences in most of the factors. Because the children participated anonymously they could report about spanking without negative consequences. Indeed, 8.1% of the children had been spanked by their parents. Based on relative ratings, two factors were identified, covering environmental questions about “more than, the same as or less than” a sibling. Only 6.6% of the children rated their environment exactly the same on the Family Psychosocial Environment (FPE) factors, compared to a sibling within the family. Thus the majority reported environmental differences. Further research is proposed to evaluate such differences and relations to personality, genotype‐environment correlation and genetic mediation.
A longitudinal study of early reading difficulties and subsequent problem behaviors
Authors: KEMPE CAMILLA , GUSTAFSON STEFAN , SAMUELSSON STEFAN 
Published: February 2011

Kempe, C., Gustafson, S. & Samuelsson, S. (2011). A longitudinal study of early reading difficulties and subsequent problem behaviors. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology52, 242–250.It is generally believed that early academic failure in school develops into a downward spiral of negative motivational and behavioral consequences. In this study, children with reading difficulties were compared with typical readers on questionnaires measuring ADHD symptoms and other behavior problems such as withdrawn symptoms, somatic complaints, anxiety/depression, social problems, and aggression. The results revealed that reading difficulties and problem behaviors appear more independent of each other rather than problem behaviors being a consequence of reading failure. In addition, gender differences were negligible when examining the relationship between reading difficulties and subsequent problem behavior. Some implications for special education and intervention are suggested.
EMPLOYMENT PROTECTION AND THE NON‐LINEAR RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE WAGE‐PRODUCTIVITY GAP AND UNEMPLOYMENT
Authors: López‐Villavicencio Antonia , Silva José Ignacio 
Published: February 2011

ABSTRACTThis paper studies the relationship between the wage‐productivity gap and the unemployment rate in OECD countries between 1985 and 2007. In particular, we investigate whether differences in the employment protection across countries affect the link between these two variables. We show that the elasticity of unemployment with respect to the wage‐productivity gap is non‐linear and that it switches from a positive to a negative value with stricter employment legislation. From a theoretical point of view, we argue that this result is related to a set of labor market reforms introduced in many OECD countries, which affected the relative strictness of institutions.
ENDOGENOUS POLICY AND CROSS‐COUNTRY GROWTH EMPIRICS
Authors: Rehme Günther 
Published: February 2011

ABSTRACTIn this paper, it is shown that it matters a lot for empirical research whether policy is taken to be exogenously set or to be endogenous. In the model investment depends on policy that depends on economically important fundamentals and is, thus, endogenous. The paper analyzes what might be concluded when treating policies as randomly assigned, when in fact they are not. When policy is endogenous, the measured effects of policy on growth will generally be biased. Based on the model and OECD data, the signs of the biases for tax variables and for redistribution are derived. Based on these signed biases, the paper discusses some empirical results that seem puzzling from a theoretical viewpoint. The paper argues that regressing growth on policy can still yield important information if policy endogeneity is taken into account.
The making of a risk object: AIDS, gay citizenship and the meaning of blood donation in Sweden in the early 1980s
Authors: Berner Boel 
Published: February 2011

AbstractIn the early 1980s acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) presented a danger to the blood supply, the extent of which was difficult to ascertain before a reliable test became available in 1985. In a situation of uncertainty, the major Swedish gay organisation in early 1983 recommended voluntary exclusion from blood donation by their members, while internationally gay organisations protested and Swedish medical authorities hesitated about the appropriate action to take. At stake were definitions of gay citizenship, risk and the gift of blood. The article uses three sociological approaches to understand the controversies around blood from men‐who‐have‐sex‐with‐men as a risk to public health. An institutional approach is used to situate the symbolic meaning of blood donation within the specific Swedish blood collection regime, and thus the possible stigma of exclusion from donation practices. The article then details the evolution of different risk objects, based on different actors’ situated knowledge of the danger, and discusses the different framing conditions influencing decision‐making by the various actors involved. The analysis uses extensive archival and secondary material to trace decisions taken in the gay movement, medical authorities and blood centres, and to assess their outcome on the spread of AIDS via the blood supply.
Desperately seeking cancer drugs: explaining the emergence and outcomes of accelerated pharmaceutical regulation
Authors: Davis Courtney , Abraham John 
Published: February 2011

AbstractGovernment regulators have increasingly accelerated new cancer drugs on to the market by granting them approval based on less clinical data supporting drug efficacy than permitted under standard regulations. With more lenient regulatory standards, pharmaceutical companies have keenly sought to develop cancer drugs. Focusing on the US, this article examines how the emergence and implementation of such accelerated approvals should be understood, particularly in relation to corporate bias and disease‐politics theories. Drawing on longitudinal and case study data analysis, it is argued that the emergence of accelerated approval regulations for cancer drugs should be regarded primarily as part of a deregulatory regime driven by the interests of the pharmaceutical industry in partnership with all major aspects of the state, rather than as a response to patient activism in the aftermath of AIDS. Furthermore, even in cases when some patients successfully demand accelerated marketing approval of cancer drugs, such approval by regulators, while in manufacturers’ interests, may not be in the interests of patients’ health because the political culture of the regulatory agency is reluctant to uphold its own techno‐regulatory standards of public‐health protection when that would challenge the agenda‐setting influence of manufacturers, including industry collaborations with patients and the medical profession.
Healthcare identities at the crossroads of service modernisation: the transfer of NHS clinicians to the independent sector?
Authors: Waring Justin , Bishop Simon 
Published: February 2011

AbstractHealth policies increasingly support private businesses to take an active role in the organisation and delivery of public healthcare services. For the English NHS, this is exemplified by the introduction of Independent Sector Treatment Centres. A number of these facilities involve the wholesale secondment of NHS clinicians to the private sector which, we suggest, raises important questions about the identities of healthcare professionals accustomed to working in the public sector. Our paper investigates this transition highlighting three prominent discontinuities in clinical work: the ethos of private sector ownership, new lines of authority and fragmented relationships. Drawing on Giddens, we examine how clinicians experience and interpret these changes and how they keep their biographical ‘narrative going’. The ‘pioneers’ interpreted the independent sector as an opportunity to re‐invigorate their practice through new roles, relationships and higher quality care; the ‘guardians’ as an opportunity to replicate and protect the customs and standards of the NHS in the private sector; whilst the ‘marooned’ longed to return to the NHS. Our study illustrates how the sectoral context can shape healthcare identities, and how contemporary reforms aimed at promoting partnerships across public and private sectors can have profound implications for clinicians.
The Analysis of Real Data Using a Multiscale Stochastic Volatility Model
Authors: Fatone Lorella , Mariani Francesca , Recchioni Maria Cristina , Zirilli Francesco 
Published: February 2011

AbstractIn this paper we use filtering and maximum likelihood methods to solve a calibration problem for a multiscale stochastic volatility model. The multiscale stochastic volatility model considered has been introduced in Fatone et al. (2009), generalises the Heston model and describes the dynamics of the asset price using as auxiliary variables two stochastic variances on two different time scales. The aim of this paper is to estimate the parameters of this multiscale model (including the risk premium parameters when necessary) and its two initial stochastic variances from the knowledge, at discrete times, of the asset price and, eventually, of the prices of call and/or put European options on the asset. This problem is translated into a maximum likelihood problem with the likelihood function defined through the solution of a filtering problem. Furthermore we develop a tracking procedure that is able to track the asset price and the values of its two stochastic variances for time values where there are no data available. Numerical examples of the solution of the calibration problem and of the performance of the tracking procedure using high frequency synthetic data and daily real data are presented. The real data studied are two time series of electric power price data taken from the US electricity market and the 2005 data relative to the US S&P 500 index and to the prices of a call and a put European option on the US S&P 500 index. The calibration procedure is applied to these data and the results of the calibration are used in the tracking procedure to forecast the asset and option prices. The forecasts of the asset prices and of the option prices are compared with the prices actually observed. This comparison shows that the forecasts are of very high quality even when we consider ‘spiky’ electric power price data. The website: http://www.econ.univpm.it/recchioni/finance/w9 contains some auxiliary material including animations that help with the understanding of this paper. A more general reference to the work of the authors and of their coauthors in mathematical finance is the website: http://www.econ.univpm.it/recchioni/finance.
Are Private Equity Investors Boon or Bane for an Economy?–A Theoretical Analysis
Authors: Ernst Sebastian , Koziol Christian , Schweizer Denis 
Published: February 2011

AbstractIn this paper, we provide a theoretical foundation for the controversial debate on the investment behaviour of private equity investors. We separately consider six major characteristics that typically distinguish private equity investors from standard investors. Applying a simple model framework, we compare both the maximum acquisition prices paid by private equity and standard investors for the takeover of a target firm, as well as the subsequent optimal investment volumes. This analysis intends to uncover why private equity investors do (or do not) acquire a company even though they later invest less than standard investors would. We find that most of the usual arguments against private equity transactions, such as higher target return, short‐term investment perspective, lower risk aversion, and operational improvements, cannot explain lower investment volume following a successful takeover by private equity firms, in contrast to other arguments, such as high level of leverage and informational advantages.