bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Prevalence and prognosis of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction and elevated N‐terminal pro brain natriuretic peptide: a 10‐year analysis from the Copenhagen Hospital Heart Failure Study
Authors: Carlsen Christian Malchau , Bay Morten , Kirk Vibeke , Gøtze Jens Peter , Køber Lars , Nielsen Olav Wendelboe 
Published: February 2012

AimsThe aim of this study was to assess the epidemiological features and prognosis of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFPEF) and to compare these findings with those from patients with reduced ejection fraction. Furthermore the effects of N‐terminal pro brain natriuretic peptide (NT‐proBNP) requirement in the heart failure diagnosis were assessed by repeating the analyses in the subgroup of patients with elevated NT‐proBNP.Methods and resultsIn 1844 patients admitted, a clinical diagnosis of heart failure was made in 433; amongst these 61% had HFPEF. An elevated NT‐proBNP applied to the heart failure diagnosis reduced the number of heart failure patients to 191, and amongst these 29% had preserved ejection fraction. Use of NT‐proBNP reduced clinical differences between heart failure patients with preserved and reduced ejection fraction. When not using NT‐proBNP, patients with reduced ejection fraction had higher mortality [hazard ratio (HR) 1.24, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.01–1.52; P = 0.04], even after adjustment for other significant predictors of mortality, except NT‐proBNP (HR 1.29, 95% CI 1.04–1.59; P = 0.02). However, no difference in mortality was observed when NT‐proBNP was adjusted for (HR 0.90, 95% CI 0.71–1.15; P = 0.4), or used for the heart failure diagnosis (HR 0.96; 95% CI 0.71–1.29; P = 0.8).ConclusionUsing a heart failure diagnosis requiring elevated NT‐proBNP reduces the prevalence of HFPEF and results in a survival similar to that of heart failure with reduced ejection fraction. In contrast, when NT‐proBNP is not used for the heart failure diagnosis or adjusted for, HFPEF is associated with a lower mortality in both univariate and multivariate analysis.
Using Process Analysis to Assess the Impact of Medical Education on the Delivery of Pain Services
Authors: Williams Kayode A. , Chambers Chester G. , Dada Maqbool , Hough Douglas , Aron Ravi , Ulatowski John A. 
Published: February 2012

Background
The medical, social, and economic effects of the teaching mission on delivery of care at an academic medical center (AMC) are not fully understood. When a free-standing private practice ambulatory clinic with no teaching mission was merged into an AMC, a natural experiment was created. The authors compared process measures across the two settings to observe the differences in system performance introduced by the added steps and resources of the AMC's teaching mission.

Methods
After creating process maps based on activity times realized in both settings, the authors developed discrete-event simulations of the two environments. The two settings were comparable in the levels of key resources, but the AMC process flow included three residents/fellows. Simulation enabled the authors to consider an identical schedule across the two settings.

Results
Under identical schedules, the average accumulated processing time per patient was higher in the AMC. However, the use of residents allowed simultaneous processing of multiple patients. Consequently, the AMC had higher throughput (3.5 vs. 2.7 patients per hour), higher room utilization (82.2% vs. 75.5%), reduced utilization of the attending physician (79.0% vs. 93.4%), and a shorter average waiting time (30.0 vs. 83.9 min). In addition, the average completion time for the final patient scheduled was 97.9 min less, and the average number of patients treated before incurring overtime was 37.9% greater.

Conclusions
Although the teaching mission of the AMC adds processing steps and costs, the use of trainees within the process serves to increase throughput while decreasing waiting times and the use of overtime.
Gastrointestinal and Nutritional Problems Occur Frequently Throughout Life in Girls and Women With Rett Syndrome
Authors: Motil Kathleen J. , Caeg Erwin , Barrish Judy O. , Geerts Suzanne , Lane Jane B. , Percy Alan K. , Annese Fran , McNair Lauren , Skinner Steven A. , Lee Hye‐Seung , Neul Jeffrey L. , Glaze Daniel G. 
Published: February 2012

ABSTRACTObjective:We conducted a nationwide survey to determine the prevalence of common gastrointestinal and nutritional disorders in Rett syndrome (RTT) based on parental reporting and related the occurrence of these problems to age and methyl‐CpG‐binding protein 2 (MECP2) gene status.Methods:We designed a questionnaire that probed symptoms, diagnoses, diagnostic tests, and treatment interventions related to gastrointestinal and nutritional problems in RTT. The International Rett Syndrome Foundation distributed the questionnaire to 1666 family‐based members and forwarded their responses for our review. We interrogated the Rare Disease Clinical Research Network database to supplement findings related to medications used to treat gastrointestinal problems in RTT.Results:Parents of 983 female patients with RTT (59%) responded and identified symptoms and diagnoses associated with gastrointestinal dysmotility (92%), chewing and swallowing difficulties (81%), weight deficits or excess (47%), growth deficits (45%), low bone mineral content or fractures (37%), and biliary tract disorders (3%). Height‐for‐age, weight‐for‐age, and body mass index z scores decreased significantly with age; height‐ and weight‐, but not body mass index‐for‐age z scores were significantly lower in female subjects with MECP2 mutations than in those without. Vomiting, nighttime awakening, gastroesophageal reflux, chewing difficulty, and choking with feeding were significantly less likely to occur with increasing age. Short stature, low bone mineral content, fractures, and gastrostomy placement were significantly more likely to occur with increasing age. Chewing difficulty, choking with feeding, and nighttime awakening were significantly less likely to occur, whereas short stature was significantly more likely to occur, in female subjects with MECP2 mutations than in those without. Diagnostic evaluations and therapeutic interventions were used less frequently than the occurrence of symptoms or diagnoses in the RTT cohort.Conclusions:Gastrointestinal and nutritional problems perceived by parents are prevalent throughout life in girls and women with RTT and may pose a substantial medical burden for their caregivers. Physician awareness of these features of RTT may improve the health and quality of life of individuals affected with this disorder.
Risk of Infection and Prevention in Pediatric Patients With IBD
Authors: Veereman‐Wauters Gigi , de Ridder Lissy , Veres Gábor , Kolacek Sanja , Fell John , Malmborg Petter , Koletzko Sibylle , Dias Jorge Amil , Misak Zrinjka , Rahier Jean‐François , Escher Johanna C. ,   ESPGHAN IBD Porto Group
Published: February 2012

ABSTRACTCombined immunosuppression by immunomodulators and biological therapy has become standard in the medical management of moderate‐to‐severe inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) because of clearly demonstrated efficacy. Clinical studies, registries, and case reports warn of the increased risk of infections, particularly opportunistic infections; however, already in the steroid monotherapy era, patients are at risk because it is accepted that a patient should be considered immunosuppressed when receiving a daily dose of 20 mg of prednisone for 2 weeks. Prescriptions increasingly involve azathioprine, methotrexate, and various biological agents. The TREAT registry evaluated safety in >6000 adult patients, half of them treated with infliximab (IFX) for about 1.9 years. IFX‐treated patients had an increased risk of infections and this was associated with disease severity and concomitant prednisone use. The REACH study, evaluating the efficacy of IFX in children with moderate‐to‐severe Crohn disease, refractory to immunomodulatory treatment, reports serious infections as the major adverse events and their frequency is higher with shorter treatment intervals. The combination of immunosuppressive medications is a risk factor for opportunistic infections. Exhaustive guidelines on prophylaxis, diagnosis, and management of opportunistic infections in adult patients with IBD have been published by a European Crohn's and Colitis Organization working group, including clear evidence‐based statements. We have reviewed the literature on infections in pediatric IBD as well as the European Crohn's and Colitis Organization guidelines to present a commentary on infection prophylaxis for the pediatric age group.
One‐step Percutaneous Gastrojejunostomy in Early Infancy
Authors: Michaud Laurent , Robert‐Dehault Amélie , Coopman Stéphanie , Guimber Dominique , Turck Dominique , Gottrand Frédéric 
Published: February 2012

ABSTRACTIn certain conditions that obviate the use of gastric feedings, the insertion of a jejunal feeding tube via gastrostomy constitutes an alternative to jejunostomy but requires a preexisting gastrostomy. Our aim was to assess a new technique of 1‐step gastrojejunal tube insertion through a de novo gastrostomy. A total of 3 infants between 3 and 7 months old and weighing between 4.1 and 5.4 kg had a gastrojejunal feeding tube inserted using a 16‐CH French introducer percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy kit and a transgastric‐jejunal feeding tube. No technical difficulties occurred and the gastrojejunal feeding tube was placed successfully in the 3 patients, the total procedure lasting 15 to 20 minutes. Enteral feeding was started within 4 to 6 hours of the procedure. Neither immediate (<24 hours) nor late complications related to the gastrojejunostomy occurred. Nissen fundoplication was performed in 2 of our patients at 12 and 15 months of age, respectively. The gastrojejunostomy tube was still in place in the third patient at age 15 months. Our first experience suggests that 1‐step endoscopic placement of a transgastric‐jejunal feeding tube without a preexisting gastrostomy tract is feasible in young and low‐weight infants.
A Peroxidase-Dependent Apoplastic Oxidative Burst in Cultured Arabidopsis Cells Functions in MAMP-Elicited Defense
Authors: O’Brien Jose A. , Daudi Arsalan , Finch Paul , Butt Vernon S. , Whitelegge Julian P. , Souda Puneet , Ausubel Frederick M. , Bolwell G. Paul 
Published: February 2012

Abstract
Perception by plants of so-called microbe-associated molecular patterns (MAMPs) such as bacterial flagellin, referred to as pattern-triggered immunity, triggers a rapid transient accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). We previously identified two cell wall peroxidases, PRX33 and PRX34, involved in apoplastic hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) production in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). Here, we describe the generation of Arabidopsis tissue culture lines in which the expression of PRX33 and PRX34 is knocked down by antisense expression of a heterologous French bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) peroxidase cDNA construct. Using these tissue culture lines and two inhibitors of ROS generation, azide and diphenylene iodonium, we found that perxoxidases generate about half of the H2O2 that accumulated in response to MAMP treatment and that NADPH oxidases and other sources such as mitochondria account for the remainder of the ROS. Knockdown of PRX33/PRX34 resulted in decreased expression of several MAMP-elicited genes, including MYB51, CYP79B2, and CYP81F2. Similarly, proteomic analysis showed that knockdown of PRX33/PRX34 led to the depletion of various MAMP-elicited defense-related proteins, including the two cysteine-rich peptides PDF2.2 and PDF2.3. Knockdown of PRX33/PRX34 also led to changes in the cell wall proteome, including increases in enzymes involved in cell wall remodeling, which may reflect enhanced cell wall expansion as a consequence of reduced H2O2-mediated cell wall cross-linking. Comparative metabolite profiling of a CaCl2 extract of the PRX33/PRX34 knockdown lines showed significant changes in amino acids, aldehydes, and keto acids but not fatty acids and sugars. Overall, these data suggest that PRX33/PRX34-generated ROS production is involved in the orchestration of pattern-triggered immunity in tissue culture cells.
Tweeting the friendly skies
Authors: Dharmavaram Sreenivasan Nirupama , Sian Lee Chei , Hoe‐Lian Goh Dion 
Published: February 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to investigate airline users' microblog postings pertaining to their travel‐related information exchange so as to assess their wants, preferences and feedback about airline products and services. Examining such real‐time information exchange is important as users rely on this for various purposes such as seeking help and evaluating the airline services before purchasing.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses Twitter, a popular microblog service. An analysis of 8,978 postings that mention three specific airlines – i.e. Malaysia Airlines, Jet Blue and Southwest – as well as 260 airline postings on their official Twitter accounts is undertaken. The types of postings were ascertained via content analysis. Additionally, the postings were also analyzed to uncover types of communication exchanges between airlines and their users.FindingsThe findings suggest that microblogs were primarily used to share compliments, while airlines used microblogs mainly for marketing. Other uses such as sharing general information, asking questions and providing personal updates were also uncovered. Additionally, a high number of attention‐seeking postings were found that highlighted user issues and concerns. Further, the airlines being studied did not appear to be as responsive to users' postings as expected.Originality/valueThe findings broaden the understanding of what users frequently discuss on microblogs when they communicate about airlines. Next, this study indicates that users adopt microblogs to offer recommendations and share their concerns so that their communication can reach airlines in near real‐time. Moreover, this study also suggests that airlines could incorporate this medium for customer relationship management to better meet the needs of their customers.
Evaluating and recommending Greek newspapers' websites using clustering
Authors: Kanellopoulos Dimitris , Kotsiantis Sotiris 
Published: February 2012

PurposeThe aim of this work is to evaluate Greek newspaper websites using clustering and a number of criteria obtained from the Alexa search engine. Furthermore, a recommendation approach is proposed for matching Greek online newspapers with the profiles of potential readers. The paper presents the implementation and validation of a recommender tool that suggests to a user (based on age, education and income) an optional Greek newspaper's website to read.Design/methodology/approachA total of 25 newspaper websites were selected from the Greek information bank http://edoellada.gr. After investigating these websites one by one, this number was decreased to 16 websites due to their printing prevention, cessation or no coverage by Alexa.FindingsBased on data obtained from Alexa, the Naftemporiki newspaper has the highest traffic rank and the Eleftherotypia newspaper the largest number of links among others. The Macedonia newspaper has the largest number of foreign users. The results of the study also show that most newspaper websites' visitors come from the UK. The expectation‐maximisation (EM) clustering algorithm classifies the 16 websites into two groups based on some common characteristics.Research limitations/implicationsThe proposed recommendation approach is generic because it can be applied as a recommendation solution on various types of website, such as educational or commercial. However, slight adjustments are needed depending on the nature of recommending websites.Practical implicationsA website administrator of an online newspaper can adapt the newspaper's features such as content and layout according to the prevailing user profile of the online newspaper. For example, a website administrator of an online newspaper whose dominant user education is “no‐college” should enable the writing style of this newspaper in a more naive way. The administrator can also add advertisements that are more suitable to readers aged between 35 and 55 years, if the most frequent age of users of this online newspaper is between 35 and 55.Originality/valueThe results of this research will be important not only to administrators of Greek newspaper websites but also to anyone with a need to increase the usage of a website.
An online information system to support blended training of rural SMEs on e‐government
Authors: Tzikopoulos Argiris , Manouselis Nikos , Kastrantas Kostas , Costopoulou Constantina 
Published: February 2012

PurposeAway from central public authorities, regional (also called rural) enterprises do not have direct, physical access to all the services that governmental or public agencies offer. Very often, these services are essential for enterprises, mostly small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs), in such areas, in order to perform their business operations. This paper aims to present an example of how such types of information management and use took place in the case of familiarizing rural SMEs with the use of e‐government.Design/methodology/approachThis paper is a case study of how a practical application is designed and developed for the blended training of rural SMEs. First of all, an identification of the main information resources that will be stored, annotated, shared and accessed through the system took place. Then, an outline of the general architecture and user roles involved was developed. System analysis and specification using Unified Modeling Language (UML) then took place. This was accompanied by design and specification of the database, based on appropriate metadata schemas for describing the information resources. The whole process was completed by the design and prototype development of the interface, which was put into public operation and testing with a sample set of real users.FindingsAlthough there are several information management systems focusing on the education and training of rural stakeholders, their learning resources are not directly relevant to SMEs' needs. The main finding of this paper is that it shows a complete case study of designing, developing and evaluating an information technology application for rural businesses.Originality/valueThe value of the approach presented here is the combination of training resources in an information system with a blended training approach, so that it better matches the learning needs of SMEs. Through this web‐based environment, rural SMEs are able to find information on the e‐government services offered in their region, as well as gaining access to e‐learning content on how they can use such services.
Service innovation and performance in SMEs
Authors: McDermott Christopher M. , Prajogo Daniel I. 
Published: February 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between exploration and exploitation innovation, and business performance in small and medium enterprise (SME) service firms. Furthermore, the paper also examines the interaction between the two innovation orientations in predicting business performance, and the influence of size in the effectiveness of each of them in enhancing business performance.Design/methodology/approachUsing empirical data drawn from 180 managers in Australian service organisations, this study also compares the effect of ambidextrous innovation on business performance within these SMEs.FindingsThe findings show that, controlled for size, neither of the innovation orientations show significant, direct relationships with firms' performance. However, ambidextrous innovation was positively associated with business performance, indicating a synergy between exploration and exploitation. Further examination indicates the relationship between exploration/exploitation innovation and performance is moderated by size within the authors' sample of small firms.Research limitations/implicationsTaken together, the results point to an interesting and complex relationship within SMEs relating to innovation orientation, size, and performance. This relationship suggests that service SMEs are best served by the simultaneous pursuit of both exploitive and exploratory innovation.Originality/valueThis research is original in that it deliberately focuses on innovation in service SMEs, an area that has not seen significant research previously. As such, the authors' insights into the relationship between ambidextrous innovation and performance suggest the need for creating balance and synergy between the two innovation types.
The buyer‐supplier social contract: information sharing as a deterrent to unethical behaviors
Authors: Eckerd Stephanie , Hill James A. 
Published: February 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to focus on the role of information sharing as a deterrent to unethical behavior in a buyer‐supplier relationship. The authors investigate the broader supplier network, examining information sharing as it occurs through both the buyer‐supplier structure as well as supplier‐supplier structures. The authors propose that buyer‐supplier and supplier‐supplier information sharing serve to reduce perceived buying firm unethical behavior while at the same time fostering increased commitment and satisfaction in long‐term buyer‐supplier relationships.Design/methodology/approachThe relational model presented is grounded in the theory of social contract. The authors' hypotheses are tested using structural equation modeling with survey data collected from supplier firms from a wide range of industries and that have been involved long‐term (minimum of five years) in the provision of goods and/or services with their buying firm.FindingsThe authors demonstrate that perceived buying firm unethical behavior goes beyond the nature of the dyadic buyer‐supplier relationship; the supplier's entire structure of contacts facilitates the flow of information regarding a buying firm.Originality/valueThis research contributes to the operations and supply chain management literatures by adopting a more comprehensive view of the networks involved in relationship management efforts than what has typically been evaluated in these literatures.