bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Psychosocial barriers to active surveillance for the management of early prostate cancer and a strategy for increased acceptance
Authors: Pickles Tom , Ruether J. Dean , Weir Lorna , Carlson Linda , Jakulj Fabijana ,   the SCRN Communication Team
Published: May 2007

OBJECTIVESTo review the psychosocial needs of men undergoing active surveillance (AS, the monitoring of early prostate cancer, with curative intervention only if the disease significantly progresses) for prostate cancer, and barriers to its uptake.METHODSThe introduction of screening for prostate‐specific antigen (PSA) has led to more men diagnosed with early and nonlife‐threatening forms of prostate cancer; about half of men diagnosed as a result of PSA testing have cancers that would never cause symptoms if left untreated and yet up to 90% of such men receive curative therapy, then living with the toxicity of treatment but with no benefit. Thus AS is increasingly being promoted, but if such a strategy is to succeed, the psychosocial barriers that discourage men from adopting AS must be addressed. We reviewed and assessed reports on this topic, published in English since 1994.RESULTSThere is relatively little research on AS, as most published reports refer to watchful waiting (which is a palliative management approach). Men with prostate cancer generally have lower levels of psychological disturbance than for other cancers, but the psychosocial issues identified include anxiety in response to no intervention, uncertainty related to loss of control, and lack of patient education and support, particularly around the time of initial treatment planning. Approaches that were identified to improve uptake of AS include increased education and improved communication, interventions to reduce anxiety and uncertainty, and the empowerment of patients by the development of a sense of control and meaning. Physicians attitudes are influential and the education of physicians about AS as an appropriate option is to be encouraged. Peer‐support groups were also identified as being of particular value.CONCLUSIONSThere are several strategies that should be developed if AS is to become more widely adopted. Increased education and good communication can alleviate anxiety and uncertainty, as can interventions for cognitive re‐framing. Inviting patients to become active participants in their management might enhance the patients’ sense of control, and the involvement of peer‐support groups might be beneficial.
Elastin expression and elastic fibre width in the anterior vaginal wall of postmenopausal women with and without prolapse
Authors: Karam Jose A. , Vazquez Dolores V. , Lin Victor K. , Zimmern Philippe E. 
Published: May 2007

OBJECTIVESTo compare elastin expression and elastic fibre width in the anterior vaginal wall of postmenopausal women with and with no bladder prolapse.PATIENTS AND METHODSFull‐thickness specimens were obtained from the upper lateral anterior vaginal wall of women having a large cystocele repaired (stage III or IV; prolapse group, 33) and the same location in patients with no prolapse having radical cystectomy (control group, 10). The percentage of elastin‐positive tissue and elastic fibre width were measured by immunohistochemistry on 6 µm thick tissue sections from 10 random field readings per sample using image analysis software. The examiner was unaware of sample identity and the patients’ clinical history.RESULTSThe age was comparable between the control and prolapse groups (median 70.5 years), and the parity, vaginal deliveries, hormone replacement use, cigarette smokers and body mass index were no different between the groups. Immunohistochemical staining and morphometric analysis indicated that elastin expression in the prolapse group was 10.6%, vs 14.4% in the control group (P = 0.049). The median width of elastic fibres was 0.9 µm in the prolapse and 1.8 µm in the control groups (P < 0.001). Elastin expression and elastic fibre width appeared to be stable with increasing age in the prolapse group.CONCLUSIONSIn this case‐control study investigating elastin changes in postmenopausal women with prolapse, the elastin expression and fibre width were significantly lower in the vaginal wall of patients with a large cystocele than in controls of a similar age.
Robotic Anderson‐Hynes pyeloplasty: 5‐year experience of one centre
Authors: Schwentner Christian , Pelzer Alexandre , Neururer Richard , Springer Brigitte , Horninger Wolfgang , Bartsch Georg , Peschel Reinhard 
Published: May 2007

OBJECTIVETo present our 5‐year experience with robotically assisted laparoscopic pyeloplasty (RALP), as LP has been shown to have similar success rates as open surgery, but standard LP requires high operative skills and a correspondingly long period of training, limiting its widespread availability, and RALP is easier and quicker to learn due to facilitated intracorporeal suturing.PATIENTS AND METHODSIn all, 92 patients had transperitoneal RALP for pelvi‐ureteric junction obstruction (PUJO) using the daVinci system (Intuitive Surgical, Sunnyvale, CA, USA). A transperitoneal dismembered Anderson‐Hynes procedure was used in all cases. Three robotic ports and one assistant port were used in all cases while a JJ stent was left indwelling for 6 weeks. Both primary PUJO (including horseshoe kidneys in 80 cases) and secondary (in 12 cases) were considered eligible. The follow‐up included ultrasonography, excretory urography and renal scintigraphy.RESULTSThe mean follow‐up was 39.1 months; PUJO was successfully resolved in 89 patients (96.7%) while three required additional procedures. Haemorrhage into the collecting system and urine extravasation occurring early after surgery were the causes of failure. The mean (range) operative duration, including the set‐up of the robot, was 108.34 (72–215) min; the mean duration of docking and surgery significantly decreased with experience (P < 0.001). The mean hospital stay was 4.57 days. Split renal function improved from 37.6% to 41.9%. No cases of secondary PUJO were recorded during extended follow‐up.CONCLUSIONSRALP using the daVinci system is safe and effective, achieving similar long‐term success rates to open surgery. The three‐dimensional versatility of the robot enables the surgeon to recapitulate the open procedure. The results were durable with no cases of late complications, corroborating the accuracy of robot‐assisted intracorporeal suturing and the subsequent quality of the pelvi‐ureteric anastomosis. Moreover, the robotic approach was easy and quick to learn for both the surgical and the technical staff. Therefore, RALP is our preferred technique to treat PUJO.
Evidence for distinct effects of GH and IGF‐I in the metabolic syndrome
Authors: Maison P. , Balkau B. , Souberbielle J.‐C. , Cunin P. , Vol S. , Macquin‐Mavier I. , Eschwège E. ,   the D. E. S. I. R. Study Group
Published: May 2007

AbstractAims  The metabolic syndrome is a cluster of cardiovascular risk factors which include central obesity, dyslipidaemia, glucose intolerance and hypertension. These risk factors are common in patients with growth hormone (GH) deficiency, suggesting a role for the somatotropic axis in the development of metabolic syndrome.Methods  We used factor analysis to investigate the relationships linking serum levels of GH and insulin‐like growth factor I (IGF‐I) to metabolic syndrome variables (high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, fasting glucose, blood pressure and waist circumference). We studied 359 men and 388 women from the Data from an Epidemiological Study on the Insulin Resistance syndrome (DESIR). Their age range was 30–64 years.Results  Three independent latent factors explained 61% of the total variance in women and four factors explained 73% in men. In both men and women, IGF‐I showed a strong positive correlation with the lipid factor and a negative correlation with the obesity/glucose factor. In women, GH showed a strong negative correlation with the obesity/glucose factor but not the lipid factor. In men, GH was unrelated to the lipid and obesity/glucose factors. The blood pressure factor was not related to GH or IGF‐I. In contrast with IGF‐I, GH was significantly lower in women with metabolic syndrome (1575 ± 449 pg/ml) than in the other women (2121 ± 520 pg/ml, P = 0.002). No significant difference was observed in men for GH or IGF‐I.Conclusion  Our results support a link between the somatotropic axis and several features of the metabolic syndrome, and suggest distinct effects of GH and IGF‐I on these parameters.
Highly accurate SNP genotyping from historical and low‐quality samples
Authors: MORIN PHILLIP A. , MCCARTHY MELISSA 
Published: May 2007

AbstractHistorical and other poor‐quality samples are often necessary for population genetics, conservation, and forensics studies. Although there is a long history of using mtDNA from such samples, obtaining and genotyping nuclear loci have been considered difficult and error‐prone at best, and impossible at worst. The primary issues are the amount of nuclear DNA available for genotyping, and the degradation of the DNA into small fragments. Single nucleotide polymorphisms offer potential advantages for assaying nuclear variation in historical and poor‐quality samples, because the amplified fragments can be very small, varying little or not at all in size between alleles, and can be amplified efficiently by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). We present a method for highly multiplexed PCR of SNP loci, followed by dual‐fluorescence genotyping that is very effective for genotyping poor‐quality samples, and can potentially use very little template DNA, regardless of the number of loci to be genotyped. We genotyped 19 SNP loci from DNA extracted from modern and historical bowhead whale tissue, bone and baleen samples. The PCR failure rate was < 1.5%, and the genotyping error rate was 0.1% when DNA samples contained > 10 copies/µL of a 51‐bp nuclear sequence. Among samples with ≤ 10 copies/µL DNA, samples could still be genotyped confidently with appropriate levels of replication from independent multiplex PCRs.
Utility of Atrial and Ventricular Cycle Length Variability in Determining the Mechanism of Paroxysmal Supraventricular Tachycardia
Authors: CRAWFORD THOMAS C. , MUKERJI SIDDHARTH , GOOD ERIC , CHUGH AMAN , BOGUN FRANK , PELOSI FRANK , ORAL HAKAN , MORADY FRED , JONGNARANGSIN KRIT 
Published: May 2007

Introduction: No prior studies have systematically investigated the diagnostic value of cycle length (CL) variability in differentiating the mechanism of paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia (PSVT). Methods and Results: We studied 173 consecutive patients with PSVT; 86 typical atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia (AVNRT), 11 atypical AVNRT, 47 orthodromic reciprocating tachycardia (ORT), and 29 with atrial tachycardia (AT). Two consecutive atrial cycles that displayed the most CL variability were selected for analysis. One hundred and twenty‐six patients (73%) had ≥15 msec variability in tachycardia CL. The change in atrial CL predicted the change in subsequent ventricular CL in six of eight patients (75%) with atypical AVNRT, 18 of 21 patients (86%) with AT, in none of 66 patients with typical AVNRT, and in 32 patients with ORT. The change in atrial CL was predicted by the change in preceding ventricular CL in 55 of 66 patients (83%) with typical AVNRT, no patient with atypical AVNRT, 27 of 31 patients (87%) with ORT, and one of 21 patients (5%) with AT. The sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of a change in atrial CL predicting the change in ventricular CL for AT or atypical AVNRT were 83%, 100%, 100%, and 95%, respectively. The corresponding values for the change in atrial CL being predicted by the change in the preceding ventricular CL for typical AVNRT or ORT were 85%, 97%, 99%, and 65%, respectively. Conclusion: Tachycardia CL variability ≥15 msec is common in PSVT. A change in atrial CL that predicts the change in subsequent ventricular CL strongly favors AT or atypical AVNRT. A change in atrial CL that is predicted by the change in the preceding ventricular CL favors typical AVNRT or ORT.
Combined Bowen disease and extramammary Paget disease
Authors: Matsumoto Masaaki , Ishiguro Mayuko , Ikeno Fuminori , Ikeda Mitsunori , Kamijima Reiko , Hirata Yasuhiko , Saruta Takao , Kodama Hajime 
Published: May 2007

Background:  The histological resemblance between extramammary Paget disease and Bowen disease has been described since Bowen’s original article was published in 1912.Methods:  We herein describe a case of vulval primary extramammary Paget disease in a 61‐year‐old women with the histological features of Bowen disease.Results:  Histological examination of a biopsy specimen showed acanthosis with full‐thickness cellular atypia, focal hyperkeratosis and parakeratosis in the epidermis, and no characteristic Paget cells were observed. However, histological examination of an operative specimen revealed areas characteristic of Paget disease and Bowen disease. Overall, the areas characteristic of Bowen disease and Paget disease occupied 6% and 32% of the total operative specimen, respectively. The two areas were sharply separated. Immunohistochemical findings showed carcinoembryonic antigen to be expressed in areas containing Paget cells, but not in the areas characteristic of Bowen disease. Cytokeratin 7 (CK7) (OV‐TL 12/30) and CK8 (35βH11) were strongly expressed in both of these areas. The staining for high‐molecular‐weight cytokeratins was negative in both of these areas.Conclusions:  Our findings indicated that primary extramammary Paget disease and squamous cell carcinoma in situ arose multifocally from a common cell in the epidermis.
Establishing a water information system for Europe: constraints from spatial data heterogeneity
Authors: Hannerz Fredrik , Langaas Sindre 
Published: May 2007

AbstractWater information systems (WIS) are being developed for countries, international river basins and the European Union (EU), partly as a result of the requirements specified in the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD). The issue of whether and how these information systems should be integrated into the European Commission's water information system for Europe (WISE) is currently an open one. We present a discussion with regard to the challenges facing WISE development, with particular focus on the heterogeneity of spatial base data. In addition, an assessment of this heterogeneity is presented based on Swedish and English WFD reporting data, and on WISE‐relevant small‐scale European base datasets. Results show that WFD reporting data are based on incomparable methods and spatial analysis units, and that small‐scale data are transborder heterogeneous. Interpretation and international comparison of WFD results as well as their combination into a common WISE may therefore be largely constrained by spatial data heterogeneity.
Efficacy of low dose long‐term interferon monotherapy in aged patients with chronic hepatitis C genotype 1 and its relation to alpha‐fetoprotein: A pilot study
Authors: Nomura Hideyuki , Kashiwagi Yoichiro , Hirano Ryouko , Tanimoto Hironori , Tsutsumi Nobuo , Higashi Masashi , Ishibashi Hiromi 
Published: May 2007

Aim:  The objective of this study was to examine the efficacy and safety of low dose long‐term interferon (IFN) therapy in aged patients with chronic hepatitis C genotype 1.Methods:  The IFN therapy was performed in Shin‐Kokura Hospital on 44 patients aged 60 or older with chronic hepatitis C. All patients had high viral loads of genotype 1. Three million units of natural IFN‐α was administered intramuscularly or intrasubcutaneously, three times a week for three years. A control group of 44 subjects not treated with IFN, matched for age, gender and hepatic histology, was formed.Results:  Two of the 44 patients showed a sustained virological response. Alanine aminotransferase was below the upper limit of normal in 59% (23/39) of the patients and alpha‐fetoprotein was less than 40 ng/mL in 97% (38/39) on the completion of treatment. Sustained biochemical response was observed in 53% (19/36) of the patients. In the liver cirrhosis group, serum albumin values and platelet counts increased in 38% (6/16) and 33% (6/18) of patients, respectively. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) appeared in three patients by 13 months after the start of treatment, but no cases were reported thereafter. The cumulative non‐carcinogenesis rate of HCC in the liver cirrhosis group was significantly higher in the IFN treatment group compared to the control group (log–rank test, P = 0.046).Conclusion:  Low dose long‐term interferon monotherapy to prevent carcinogenesis of HCC was considered useful in aged patients for whom peg‐interferon and ribavirin combination therapy is difficult.
Simulation of the Distortion of Long Steel Profiles During
Cooling
Authors: Pietzsch Robert , Brzoza Miroslaw , Kaymak Yalçin , Specht Eckehard , Bertram Albrecht 
Published: May 2007

Abstract
A complex thermomechanical model for simulating the transient fields of the temperature, microstructure, stress, strain, and displacement during quenching of steel profiles is introduced. The thermoplastic material model is formulated on the basis of J2-plasticity theory with a temperature- and phase fraction-dependent yield limit. Coupling effects such as dissipation, phase transformation enthalpy, and transformation-induced plasticity are considered. The validity of the model is verified by comparing the simulation results with available experimental measurements. The introduced model serves as a basis for optimizing the cooling conditions for reducing residual stresses and distortions. The simulation results for T and L profiles of two different types of steel are described.
Promising Clinical Efficacy of Streptomycin-Rifampin Combination for Treatment of Buruli Ulcer (
Mycobacterium ulcerans
Disease)
Authors: Chauty Annick , Ardant Marie-Françoise , Adeye Ambroise , Euverte Hélène , Guédénon Augustin , Johnson Christian , Aubry Jacques , Nuermberger Eric , Grosset Jacques 
Published: May 2007

ABSTRACT

According to recommendations of the 6th WHO Advisory Committee on Buruli ulcer, directly observed treatment with the combination of rifampin and streptomycin, administered daily for 8 weeks, was recommended to 310 patients diagnosed with Buruli ulcer in Pobè, Bénin. Among the 224 (72%) eligible patients for whom treatment was initiated, 215 (96%) were categorized as treatment successes, and 9, including 1 death and 8 losses to follow-up, were treatment failures. Of the 215 successfully treated patients, 102 (47%) were treated exclusively with antibiotics and 113 (53%) were treated with antibiotics plus surgical excision and skin grafting. The size of lesions at treatment initiation was the major factor associated with surgical intervention: 73% of patients with lesions of >15 cm in diameter underwent surgery, whereas only 17% of patients with lesions of <5 cm had surgery. No patient discontinued therapy for side effects from the antibiotic treatment. One year after stopping treatment, 208 of the 215 patients were actively retrieved to assess the long-term therapeutic results: 3 (1.44%) of the 208 retrieved patients had recurrence of
Mycobacterium ulcerans
disease, 2 among the 107 patients treated only with antibiotics and 1 among the 108 patients treated with antibiotics plus surgery. We conclude that the WHO-recommended streptomycin-rifampin combination is highly efficacious for treating
M. ulcerans
disease. Chemotherapy alone was successful in achieving cure in 47% of cases and was particularly effective against ulcers of less than 5 cm in diameter.
In Situ Activity and Spatial Organization of Anaerobic Ammonium-Oxidizing (Anammox) Bacteria in Biofilms
Authors: Kindaichi Tomonori , Tsushima Ikuo , Ogasawara Yuji , Shimokawa Masaki , Ozaki Noriatsu , Satoh Hisashi , Okabe Satoshi 
Published: May 2007

ABSTRACT

We investigated autotrophic anaerobic ammonium-oxidizing (anammox) biofilms for their spatial organization, community composition, and in situ activities by using molecular biological techniques combined with microelectrodes. Results of phylogenetic analysis and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) revealed that “
Brocadia
”-like anammox bacteria that hybridized with the Amx820 probe dominated, with 60 to 92% of total bacteria in the upper part (<1,000 μm) of the biofilm, where high anammox activity was mainly detected with microelectrodes. The relative abundance of anammox bacteria decreased along the flow direction of the reactor. FISH results also indicated that
Nitrosomonas
-,
Nitrosospira
-, and
Nitrosococcus
-like aerobic ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and
Nitrospira
-like nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB) coexisted with anammox bacteria and accounted for 13 to 21% of total bacteria in the biofilms. Microelectrode measurements at three points along the anammox reactor revealed that the NH
4
+
and NO
2
−
consumption rates decreased from 0.68 and 0.64 μmol cm
−2
h
−1
at P2 (the second port, 170 mm from the inlet port) to 0.30 and 0.35 μmol cm
−2
h
−1
at P3 (the third port, 205 mm from the inlet port), respectively. No anammox activity was detected at P4 (the fourth port, 240 mm from the inlet port), even though sufficient amounts of NH
4
+
and NO
2
−
and a high abundance of anammox bacteria were still present. This result could be explained by the inhibitory effect of organic compounds derived from biomass decay and/or produced by anammox and coexisting bacteria in the upper parts of the biofilm and in the upstream part of the reactor. The anammox activities in the biofilm determined by microelectrodes reflected the overall reactor performance. The several groups of aerobic AOB lineages,
Nitrospira
-like NOB, and
Betaproteobacteria
coexisting in the anammox biofilm might consume a trace amount of O
2
or organic compounds, which consequently established suitable microenvironments for anammox bacteria.
Mixed-Species Biofilm Formation by Lactic Acid Bacteria and Rice Wine Yeasts
Authors: Kawarai Taketo , Furukawa Soichi , Ogihara Hirokazu , Yamasaki Makari 
Published: May 2007

ABSTRACT

We found that species combinations such as
Lactobacillus casei
subsp.
rhamnosus
IFO3831 and
Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Kyokai-10 can form a mixed-species biofilm in coculture. Moreover, the Kyokai-10 yeast strain can form a biofilm in monoculture in the presence of conditioned medium (CM) from
L. casei
IFO3831. The active substance(s) in bacterial CM is heat sensitive and has a molecular mass of between 3 and 5 kDa. In biofilms from cocultures or CM monocultures, yeast cells had a distinct morphology, with many hill-like protrusions on the cell surface.