bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Is the routine pressure dressing after thyroidectomy necessary? A prospective randomized controlled study
Authors: Piromchai Patorn , Vatanasapt Patravoot , Reechaipichitkul Wisoot , Phuttharak Warinthorn , Thanaviratananich Sanguansak 
Published: March 2008

Abstract

Background
An acute complication of thyroidectomy is fatal hematoma, which can produce an upper airway obstruction needing immediate intubation or tracheostomy. After neck surgery, we usually apply a pressure dressing with a non-woven, adhesive fabric to reduce bleeding and fluid collection at the operative bed. We conducted a prospective, randomized, controlled study to evaluate a pressure vs. a non-pressure dressing after thyroid surgery by monitoring blood and serum in the operative bed.

Methods
We studied 108 patients who underwent 116 thyroid surgeries at Srinagarind Hospital, Khon Kaen University, between December 2006 and September 2007. The patients were randomized to either the pressure dressing or non-pressure dressing group. Ultrasound of the neck was performed 24 ± 3 hours after surgery. The volume of fluid collection in the operative bed was calculated. All patients were observed for any post-operative respiratory distress, wound complications, tingling sensation or tetany.

Results
The distributions of age, sex, surgical indications and approaches were similar between the two groups. There was no statistically significant difference in the volume of fluid collection in the operative bed (p = 0.150) and the collected drained content (p = 0.798). The average time a drain was retained was 3 days. One patient in the pressure dressing group suffered cutaneous bruising while one patient in the non-pressure dressing group developed immediate hemorrhage after the skin sutures.

Conclusion
Pressure dressing after thyroidectomy does not have any significant impact on decreasing fluid collection at the operative bed. The use of pressure dressing after thyroidectomy may not therefore be justified.

Trial Registration
NCT00400465, ISRCTN52660978
Clinical utility of tissue Doppler imaging in patients with acute myocardial infarction complicated by cardiogenic shock
Authors: Hameed Adnan K , Gosal Tirath , Fang Tielan , Ahmadie Roien , Lytwyn Matthew , Barac Ivan , Zieroth Shelley , Hussain Farrukh , Jassal Davinder S 
Published: March 2008

Abstract

Background
Echocardiography is widely used in the management of patients with cardiogenic shock (CS). Left ventricular ejection fraction (EF) has been shown to be an independent predictor of survival in CS. Tissue Doppler Imaging (TDI) is a sensitive echocardiographic technique that allows for the early quantitative assessment of regional left ventricular dysfunction. TDI derived indices, including systolic velocity (S'), early (E') and late (A') diastolic velocities of the lateral mitral annulus, are reduced in heart failure patients (EF < 30%) and portend a poor prognosis. In CS patients, the application of TDI prior to revascularization remains unknown.

Objective
To characterize TDI derived indices in CS patients as compared to patients with chronic CHF.

Methods
Between 2006 and 2007, 100 patients were retrospectively evaluated who underwent echocardiography for assessment of LV systolic function. This population included: Group I) 50 patients (30 males, 57 ± 13 years) with chronic CHF as controls; and Group II) 50 patients (29 males, 58 ± 10 years) with CS. Spectral Doppler indices including peak early (E) and late (A) transmitral velocities, E/A ratio, and E-wave deceleration time were determined. Tissue Doppler indices including S', E' and A' velocities of the lateral annulus were measured.

Results
Of the entire cohort, the mean LVEF was 25 ± 5%. Cardiogenic shock patients demonstrated significantly lower lateral S', E' and a higher E/E' ratio (p < 0.01), as compared to CHF patients. The in-hospital mortality in the CHF cohort was 5% as compared to the CS group with an in hospital mortality of 40%. In the subset of CS patients (n = 30) who survived, the mean S' at presentation was higher as compared to those patients who died in hospital (3.5 ± 0.5 vs. 1.8 ± 0.5 cm/s).

Conclusion
Despite similar reduction in LV systolic function, CS patients have reduced myocardial velocities and higher filling pressures using TDI, as compared to CHF patients. Whether TDI could be a reliable tool to determine CS patients with the best chance of recovery following revascularization is yet to be determined.
Biomarkers of inflammation, coagulation and fibrinolysis predict mortality in acute lung injury
Authors: McClintock Dana , Zhuo Hanjing , Wickersham Nancy , Matthay Michael A , Ware Lorraine B 
Published: March 2008

Abstract
Background
Acute lung injury (ALI) is a major cause of acute respiratory failure with high mortality despite lung-protective ventilation. Prior work has shown disordered inflammation and coagulation in ALI, with strong correlations between biomarker abnormalities and worse clinical outcomes. We measured plasma markers of inflammation, coagulation and fibrinolysis simultaneously to assess whether these markers remain predictive in the era of lung-protective ventilation.

Methods
Plasma samples and ventilator data were prospectively collected from 50 patients with early ALI. Plasma biomarkers of inflammation (IL-6, IL-8, intercellular adhesion molecule 1), of coagulation (thrombomodulin, protein C) and of fibrinolysis (plasminogen activator inhibitor 1) were measured by ELISA. Biomarker levels were compared between survivors (n = 29) and non-survivors (n = 21) using Mann–Whitney analysis.

Results
The tidal volume for the study group was 6.6 ± 1.1 ml/kg predicted body weight and the plateau pressure was 25 ± 7 cmH2O (mean ± standard deviation), consistent with lung-protective ventilation. All markers except IL-6 were significantly different between survivors and nonsurvivors. Nonsurvivors had more abnormal values. Three biomarkers – IL-8, intercellular adhesion molecule 1 and protein C – remained significantly different by multivariate analysis that included age, gender, Simplified Acute Physiology Score II and all biomarkers that were significant on bivariate analysis. Higher levels of IL-8 and intercellular adhesion molecule 1 were independently predictive of worse outcomes (odds ratio = 2.0 and 5.8, respectively; P = 0.04 for both). Lower levels of protein C were independently associated with an increased risk of death (odds ratio = 0.5), a result that nearly reached statistical significance (P = 0.06).

Conclusion
Despite lung-protective ventilation, abnormalities in plasma levels of markers of inflammation, coagulation and fibrinolysis predict mortality in ALI patients, indicating more severe activation of these biologic pathways in nonsurvivors.
Design of notches and grooves by means of elliptic shapes
Authors: Pedersen N L , Pedersen P 
Published: March 2008

For machine elements that must also be designed with respect to fatigue, the stress concentration factor for notches and grooves is an important quantity. Traditional designs with circular shapes are not advantageous and, in the present paper, it is shown that stress concentration factors can be reduced significantly without the need for complicated shapes. To keep the shape simple, the circular shapes are modified into elliptic shapes with only one design parameter: the ratio of the ellipse half‐axes. Comparisons with classical results are performed for notches in two‐dimensional flat tensile bars and for grooves in axisymmetric tensile shafts. In general, the detailed finite element analyses agree well with these results and this gives confidence in the improved designs. Shapes are obtained with constant maximum stress along a major part of the elliptic shape, and the stress concentration factors are reduced considerably.
Improvement in numerical reconstruction for vehicle—pedestrian accidents
Authors: Shen J , Jin X-L 
Published: March 2008

A full-scale vehicle—pedestrian crash simulation has been applied to pedestrian accident reconstruction worldwide in the past decade. Considering that the optimization method and pedestrian human model play an important role in this simulation, this study makes some improvements in them according to the characteristics of real-world pedestrian accidents. On the one hand, the sequential linear programming method replaces classical manual optimization for pedestrian accident reconstruction which can automatically vary pre-impact parameters to minimize the error between simulation and real data. On the other hand, new anthropometry results and coupled finite element (FE)—multi-body (MB) modelling technology are applied to pedestrian human modelling. A Chinese pedestrian model generator is developed in order to avoid using the Western human population in China, and an FE leg model is combined into the MB pedestrian model to perform a more detailed analysis of long bone fracture. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the capability of and necessity for the above improvements. The evaluation is conducted by the reconstruction of three fatal pedestrian accidents. The first two cases are mathematically reconstructed on the basis of the rest position and pedestrian injury respectively. The influence of the anthropometry parameters is illustrated by the reconstruction of the last case.
Synthesis and Stereochemical Assignment of Angucycline Antibiotic, PD-116740
Authors: Mori Keiji , Tanaka Yuuya , Ohmori Ken , Suzuki Keisuke 
Published: March 2008

Abstract
The first total synthesis and absolute structure assignment of PD-116740 (2) was achieved by exploiting two key steps: 1) a thermal ring expansion of a benzocyclobutene derivative, and 2) pinacol cyclization of biaryl dialdehyde.
Stereoselectivity of the Petasis reaction with various chiral amines and styrenylboronic acids
Authors: Churches Quentin I. , Stewart Helen E. , Cohen Scott B. , Shröder Adam , Turner Peter , Hutton Craig A. 
Published: March 2008

Abstract
Several chiral amines were investigated for the stereoselective preparation of homophenylalanine derivatives using the Petasis reaction. Chiral secondary amines such as N,α-dimethylbenzylamine and N-benzylphenylglycinol gave the best results in terms of both yield and diastereoselectivity. The use of N-benzylphenylglycinol leads directly to 3-alkenyl-4-benzyl-5-phenyloxazin-2-one products. Intriguing variation was observed in the stereoselectivity of reactions employing para-substituted styrenylboronic acid substrates, where presumably only electronic factors are involved.
Schoenberg's Interior Designs
Authors: Watkins Holly 
Published: March 2008

AbstractFamiliar accounts of fin-de-siècle Vienna tend to view Arnold Schoenberg's atonal works and Adolf Loos's anti-ornamental polemics as expressions of similar modernist principles. But although the two friends were equally determined to challenge bourgeois standards of beauty, the calm appearance of Loos's buildings, whose denuded facades shielded plush yet refined interiors, is hard to reconcile with Schoenberg's radically dissonant and expressive music circa 1910. This divergence can be understood in terms of contrasting responses to urban modernity. While Loos's architecture facilitated a retreat inward, Schoenberg's release of unconscious impulses into the compositional process mimicked the psychological breakdown Georg Simmel believed to threaten city dwellers—a breakdown in which inner and outer realms were no longer distinguishable. Situating Schoenberg's music in relation to the problem of interiority in modern metropolitan life, I argue that the composer's creative aesthetics began to converge with those of Loos only later in his career. By incorporating concealment into the very fabric of twelve-tone music, Schoenberg took an “inward turn” resembling Loos's architectural efforts to protect subjectivity from needless exposure. The increasing emphasis on multidimensionality in Schoenberg's discussions of twelve-tone musical space also betrays the influence of Loos's innovations in interior space planning in the 1920s and 1930s. Harnessing the psychological and sociological aims of Loos's designs as tools of interpretation, I propose that the twelve-tone method represents a renewed commitment to privacy and interiority in the face of the externalizing impulses of urban modernity.
Selection Against Undifferentiated Human Embryonic Stem Cells by a Cytotoxic Antibody Recognizing Podocalyxin-Like Protein-1
Authors: Choo Andre B. , Tan Heng Liang , Ang Sheu Ngo , Fong Wey Jia , Chin Angela , Lo Jennifer , Zheng Lu , Hentze Hannes , Philp Robin J. , Oh Steve K.W. , Yap Miranda 
Published: March 2008

AbstractFuture therapeutic applications of differentiated human embryonic stem cells (hESC) carry a risk of teratoma formation by contaminating undifferentiated hESC. We generated 10 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against surface antigens of undifferentiated hESC, showing strong reactivity against undifferentiated, but not differentiated hESC. The mAbs did not cross react with mouse fibroblasts and showed weak to no reactivity against human embryonal carcinoma cells. Notably, one antibody (mAb 84) is cytotoxic to undifferentiated hESC and NCCIT cells in a concentration-dependent, complement-independent manner. mAb 84 induced cell death of undifferentiated, but not differentiated hESC within 30 minutes of incubation, and immunoprecipitation of the mAb-antigen complex revealed that the antigen is podocalyxin-like protein-1. Importantly, we observed absence of tumor formation when hESC and NCCIT cells were treated with mAb 84 prior to transplantation into severe combined immunodeficiency mice. Our data indicate that mAb 84 may be useful in eliminating residual hESC from differentiated cells populations for clinical applications.Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest is found at the end of this article.
A Putative Role for RHAMM/HMMR as a Negative Marker of Stem Cell-Containing Population of Human Limbal Epithelial Cells
Authors: Ahmad Sajjad , Kolli Sai , Li De-Quan , de Paiva Cintia S. , Pryzborski Stefan , Dimmick Ian , Armstrong Lyle , Figueiredo Francisco C. , Lako Majlinda 
Published: March 2008

Abstract
The corneal epithelium is maintained by stem cells located at the periphery of the cornea in a region known as the limbus. Depletion of limbal stem cells (LSCs) results in limbal stem cell deficiency. Treatments for this disease are based on limbal replacement or transplantation of ex vivo expanded LSCs. It is, therefore, crucial to identify cell surface markers for LSCs that can be used for their enrichment and characterization. Aldehyde dehydrogenases (ALDHs) are enzymes which protect cells from the toxic effects of peroxidic aldehydes. In this manuscript, we show for the first time that ALDH1 is absent from the basal cells of the limbal and corneal epithelium. We separated limbal epithelial cells on the basis of ALDH activity and showed that ALDHdim cells expressed significantly higher levels of ΔNp63 and ABCG2 as well as having a greater colony forming efficiency (CFE) when compared to ALDHbright cells. Large scale transcriptional analysis of these two populations led to identification of a new cell surface marker, RHAMM/HMMR, which is located in all layers of corneal epithelium and in the suprabasal layers of the limbal epithelium but is completely absent from the basal layer of the limbus. Our studies indicate that absence of RHAMM/HMMR expression is correlated with properties associated with LSCs. RHAMM/HMMR- limbal epithelial cells are smaller in size, express negligible CK3, have higher levels of ΔNp63 and have a higher CFE compared to RHAMM/HMMR+ cells. Taken together these results suggest a putative role for RHAMM/ HMMR as a negative marker of stem cell containing limbal epithelial cells. Cell selection based on Hoechst exclusion and lack of cell surface RHAMM/HMMR expression resulted in increased colony forming efficiency compared to negative selection using RHAMM/HMMR alone or positive selection using Hoechst on its own. Combination of these two cell selection methods presents a novel method for LSC enrichment and characterization.
Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest is found at the end of this article.
Connectivity Prediction in Fractured Reservoirs With Variable Fracture Size: Analysis and Validation
Authors: Masihi M. , King P. R. 
Published: March 2008

Summary
Uncertainty in geometrical properties of fractures, when they are considered as the conductive paths for flow movement, affects all aspects of flow in fractured reservoirs. The connectivity of fractures, embedded in low-permeability zones, can control fluid movement and influence field performance. This can be analyzed using percolation theory. This approach uses the hypothesis that the permeability map can be split into either permeable (i.e., fracture) or impermeable (i.e., matrix) portions and assumes that the connectivity of fractures controls the flow. The analysis of the connectivity based on finite-size scaling assumes that fractures all have the same sizes. However, natural fracture networks involve a relatively wide range of fracture lengths, modeled by either scale-limited laws (e.g., log normal) or power laws.
In this paper, we extend the applicability of the percolation approach to a system with a distribution of size. For scale-limited distributions, we use the hypothesis seen in the literature that the connectivity of fractures of variable size is identical to the connectivity of fractures of the same size whose length is given by an appropriate effective length. It is then necessary to define the percolation probability based on the excluded area arguments. In this research work, we also validate the applicability of this idea to fracture networks having a uniform, Gaussian, exponential, and log-normal length distribution. However, in the case of the power-law length distribution, we have found that the scaling parameters (e.g., correlation length exponent) have to be modified. The main contribution is to show how the critical exponents vary as a function of the power-law exponent.
To validate the approach, we used outcrop data of mineralized fractures (vein sets) exposed on the southern margin of the Bristol Channel basin. We show that the predictions from the percolation approach are in good agreement with the results calculated from field data with the advantage that they can be obtained very quickly. As a result, they may be used for practical engineering purposes and may aid decision-making for real field problem.
A New Practical Method for Upscaling in Highly Heterogeneous Reservoir Models
Authors: Zhang Pinggang , Pickup Gillian , Christie Mike 
Published: March 2008

Summary
Geologists often generate highly heterogeneous descriptions of reservoirs, containing complex structures which are likely to give rise to very tortuous flow paths. However, these models contain too many grid cells for multiphase flow simulation, and the number of cells must be reduced by upscaling for reservoir simulation. Conventional upscaling methods often have difficulty in the representation of tortuous flow paths, mainly because of the inappropriate assumptions concerning the boundary conditions. An accurate and practical upscaling method is therefore required to preserve the flow features caused by highly heterogeneous fine scale geological description.
In this paper, the problems encountered in routinely used upscaling approaches are outlined, and a more accurate and practical way of performing upscaling is proposed. The new upscaling method, Well Drive Upscaling (WDU), employs the wells and the actual reservoir boundary conditions (e.g., faults and physical boundaries of the geological model). The main advantage of this method is that the dominant flow paths can be preserved, and thus the geological knowledge can be assimilated appropriately. The new method has firstly been applied to a synthetic model with a tortuous channel, and is shown to have significant improvement over the traditional approach. The sensitivity study on the scale-up factor using a benchmark model shows the advantage of the method with various scale-up factors. The method was then applied to a model of a field in the central North Sea, which involves three-phase flow. In the cases studied, the WDU method produced a comparable result to the dynamic Pore Volume Weighted approach, which involves running the fine grid simulation and computing appropriate relative permeabilities and interblock transmissibilities. The new method makes the upscaling process practical, and our tests show it to be more accurate than traditional methods.
Adaptive Multiscale Streamline Simulation and Inversion for High-Resolution Geomodels
Authors: Stenerud V. R. , Kippe V. , Lie K. -A. , Datta-Gupta A. 
Published: March 2008

Summary
A particularly efficient reservoir simulator can be obtained by combining a recent multiscale mixed finite-element flow solver with a streamline method for computing fluid transport. This multiscale-streamline method has shown to be a promising approach for fast flow simulations on high-resolution geologic models with multimillion grid cells. The multiscale method solves the pressure equation on a coarse grid while preserving important fine-scale details in the velocity field. Fine-scale heterogeneity is accounted for through a set of generalized, heterogeneous basis functions that are computed numerically by solving local flow problems. When included in the coarse-grid equations, the basis functions ensure that the global equations are consistent with the local properties of the underlying differential operators. The multiscale method offers a substantial gain in computation speed, without significant loss of accuracy, when basis functions are updated infrequently throughout a dynamic simulation.
In this paper, we propose to combine the multiscale-streamline method with a recent "generalized travel-time inversion" method to derive a fast and robust method for history matching high-resolution geocellular models. A key point in the new method is the use of sensitivities that are calculated analytically along streamlines with little computational overhead. The sensitivities are used in the travel-time inversion formulation to give a robust quasilinear method that typically converges in a few iterations and generally avoids much of the time-consuming trial-and-error seen in manual history matching. Moreover, the sensitivities are used to enforce basis functions to be adaptively updated only in areas with relatively large sensitivity to the production response. The sensitivity-based adaptive approach allows us to selectively update only a fraction of the total number of basis functions, which gives substantial savings in computation time for the forward flow simulations.
We demonstrate the power and utility of our approach using a simple 2D model and a highly detailed 3D geomodel. The 3D simulation model consists of more than 1,000,000 cells with 69 producing wells. Using our proposed approach, history matching over a period of 7 years is accomplished in less than 20 minutes on an ordinary workstation PC.