bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
SURGICAL MANAGEMENT OF LUDWIG’S ANGINA
Authors: Greenberg Simon L. L. , Huang Johnson , Chang Robert S. K. , Ananda Subramaniam N. 
Published: June 2007

Background:  Ludwig’s angina (LA) is a dangerous surgical condition that can cause severe airway compromise and death. There is controversy regarding the best way to manage the airway of patients with LA. Options range from conservative management involving close observation and i.v. antibiotics to airway intervention, including tracheostomy and endotracheal intubation using fibre‐optic nasendoscopy. We present evidence supporting a role for conservative airway management in a select subset of patients.Methods:  This paper reviews 9 years’ experience of treating patients with LA at Liverpool Hospital.Results:  Twenty‐one out of 29 (72%) of our patients were treated conservatively following initial clinical assessment. One of these patients subsequently deteriorated requiring emergency intubation. Of those treated non‐conservatively at initial presentation, seven patients were able to be intubated using fibre‐optic nasoendoscopy and one patient required tracheostomy under local anaesthesia.Conclusion:  A general discussion of issues related to the management of LA is presented. Based on our experience we conclude that there is a subset of patients with LA who can be managed safely with conservative management.
RECTAL ENDOMETRIOSIS: RESULTS OF RADICAL EXCISION AND REVIEW OF PUBLISHED WORK
Authors: Brouwer Richard , Woods Rodney J. 
Published: June 2007

Background:  The aim of this paper is to review the results of surgical excision of rectal endometriosis and review the published work on this challenging condition.Methods:  All cases of endometriosis involving the rectum treated by a single colorectal surgeon were identified from a prospective database and the results reviewed.Results:  Between 1995 and 2005, 213 rectal procedures were carried out on 203 patients together with an endogynaecologist. Eighteen cases involved dissection of endometriosis off the rectal wall, 58 involved full‐thickness excision of the anterior rectal wall and 137 segmental excisions of the rectum were carried out. A loop ileostomy was required in 7 (5%) of the segmental resections. Seventy‐five per cent of the cases were either laparoscopic or laparoscopically assisted. Infertility was significantly more common in the group requiring a segmental resection (P = 0.026) and a history of rectal pain during defecation more common in patients having dissection of endometriosis off the rectal wall (P = 0.031). There were no other significant differences between the different types of rectal surgery. The morbidity for all rectal procedures was 7% and there was one anastomotic leak in the segmental resection group. The actuarial rectal recurrence rate of endometriosis was 22.2% 95% confidence interval (CI) (2.5, 42.0) for dissection off the rectal wall and this was significantly different from the recurrence of 5.17% 95%CI (0.0, 10.9) for anterior rectal wall excision and 2.19% 95%CI (0.0, 4.6) for segmental rectal resection (P = 0.007). The overall rectal recurrence for all cases was 4.69% 95%CI (1.8, 7.5).Conclusion:  Endometriosis of the rectum can be successfully treated with low morbidity and low recurrence rates by excising the disease as completely as possible using full‐thickness excision of the anterior rectal wall or segmental resection of the rectum.
Dispersal patterns, social structure and mortality of wolves living in agricultural habitats in Spain
Authors: Blanco J. C. , Cortés Y. 
Published: June 2007

AbstractWolfCanis lupusdispersal, social structure and mortality have been extensively studied in natural and semi‐natural areas of North America and northern Europe but have never been assessed in agricultural areas. From 1997 to 2004, 14 wolves (11 in a wolf‐saturated area and three in a low‐density area) were radio‐collared with long‐lasting transmitters in a Spanish agricultural area containing a high‐human‐population density, a dense network of roads and a shortage of wild ungulates. The wolves mainly feed on an overabundance of livestock carrion. Nine wolves (one of them, three times) dispersed during the study period. The mean age and distance of natal dispersal were 24.8 months and 32 km. The natal dispersal period was much longer in wolves radio‐collared in the saturated area (mean >14.6 months) than in the low‐density area (<1 month). All three of the dispersers living in the low‐density area, and two of the six dispersers in the saturated area settled and bred during the study. The average tenure of six breeders was 4.5 years. The radio‐collared wolves spent 72% of the monitoring time living in packs and the rest living in pairs, as dispersers or as peripheral wolves, but the percentage of loners was much higher in the saturated (33.5%) than in the low density (1.6%) areas. The overall annual mortality was 18% (lower than in most populations studied in less modified habitats), but lone wolves had a significantly higher mortality than members of packs and pairs. Nine wolves died during the study, none of them due to natural causes. In general, our results are very similar to those obtained in less modified habitats, except for the dispersal distance, which was much shorter than in other studies. We suggest that barriers and habitat constraints may reduce dispersal distances in our study area.
Activation of cholecystokinin neurons in the dorsal pallium of the telencephalon is indispensable for the acquisition of chick imprinting behavior
Authors: Maekawa Fumihiko , Nakamori Tomoharu , Uchimura Motoaki , Fujiwara Ken , Yada Toshihiko , Tsukahara Shinji , Kanamatsu Tomoyuki , Tanaka Kohichi , Ohki‐Hamazaki Hiroko 
Published: June 2007

AbstractChick imprinting behavior is a good model for the study of learning and memory. Imprinting object is recognized and processed in the visual wulst, and the memory is stored in the intermediate medial mesopallium in the dorsal pallium of the telencephalon. We identified chicken cholecystokinin (CCK)‐expressing cells localized in these area. The number of CCK mRNA‐positive cells increased in chicks underwent imprinting training, and these cells expressed nuclear Fos immunoreactivity at high frequency in these regions. Most of these CCK‐positive cells were glutamatergic and negative for parvalbumin immunoreactivity. Semi‐quantitative PCR analysis revealed that the CCK mRNA levels were significantly increased in the trained chicks compared with untrained chicks. In contrast, the increase in CCK‐ and c‐Fos‐double‐positive cells associated with the training was not observed after closure of the critical period. These results indicate that CCK cells in the dorsal pallium are activated acutely by visual training that can elicit imprinting. In addition, the CCK receptor antagonist significantly suppressed the acquisition of memory. These results suggest that the activation of CCK cells in the visual wulst as well as in the intermediate medial mesopallium by visual stimuli is indispensable for the acquisition of visual imprinting.
Activation of cyclin‐dependent kinase 5 by calpains contributes to human immunodeficiency virus‐induced neurotoxicity
Authors: Wang Ying , White Michael G. , Akay Cagla , Chodroff Rebecca A. , Robinson Jonathan , Lindl Kathryn A. , Dichter Marc A. , Qian Yang , Mao Zixu , Kolson Dennis L. , Jordan‐Sciutto Kelly L. 
Published: June 2007

AbstractAlthough the specific mechanism of neuronal damage in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) ‐associated dementia is not known, a prominent role for NMDA receptor (NMDAR)‐induced excitotoxicity has been demonstrated in neurons exposed to HIV‐infected/activated macrophages. We hypothesized NMDAR‐mediated activation of the calcium‐dependent protease, calpain, would contribute to cell death by induction of cyclin‐dependent kinase 5 (CDK5) activity. Using an in vitro model of HIV neurotoxicity, in which primary rat cortical cultures are exposed to supernatants from primary human HIV‐infected macrophages, we have observed increased calpain‐dependent cleavage of the CDK5 regulatory subunit, p35, to the constitutively active isoform, p25. Formation of p25 is dependent upon NMDAR activation and calpain activity and is coincident with increased CDK5 activity in this model. Further, inhibition of CDK5 by roscovitine provided neuroprotection in our in vitro model. Consistent with our observations in vitro, we have observed a significant increase in calpain activity and p25 levels in midfrontal cortex of patients infected with HIV, particularly those with HIV‐associated cognitive impairment. Taken together, our data suggest calpain activation of CDK5, a pathway activated in HIV‐infected individuals, can mediate neuronal damage and death in a model of HIV‐induced neurotoxicity.
South Africa and American Jazz: Towards a Polyphonic Historiography
Authors: Muller Carol 
Published: June 2007

AbstractThis article provides an overview of issues pertaining to the creation of a global jazz historiography, with particular focus on the South African case study. It outlines challenges inherent in thinking globally about jazz; reflects on these issues in relation to the South Africa case; provides an overview of the state of South African jazz research and scholarship; and concludes with a discussion of a democratic and globally imagined agenda for South African historiography.
On the Eastern Borderlands of Iran: The Baluch in Nineteenth‐Century Persian Travel Books
Authors: Khazeni Arash 
Published: June 2007

AbstractDuring the late nineteenth century, as Iran’s eastern borderlands were being demarcated, Persian officials and administrators from the reigning Qajar Dynasty traveled to the eastern frontier province of Baluchistan to survey its land, people, and culture. Through the writing of travel books (safarnama) they depicted the cultural differences and ethnicities on the periphery of Iran. Travel narratives attempted to define and make coherent the diverse terrains, identities, and cultures on Iran’s frontiers. Based on a reading of a number of neglected safarnama on the province of Baluchistan, this article explores Qajar imperial perceptions of Iran’s eastern borderlands. At the heart of these perceptions of the frontier was the ethnic identity of the Baluch tribes, an autonomous nomadic population on the edge of the empire. Following a discussion of a number of travel books on Baluchistan written between the 1860s and 1890s, this article will detail the four‐month journey of Firuz Mirza Farman Farma (1817–86), the Qajar provincial governor of Kirman and Baluchistan, on the frontier in 1880. Through the travel book of Farman Farma, Safarnama‐yi Kirman wa Baluchistan, we are given a view of environment, ethnicity, and culture on the eastern Iranian frontier.
Family involvement in end‐of‐life care in a paediatric intensive care unit
Authors: Longden Jennifer V , Mayer Anton‐Paul T 
Published: June 2007

AbstractEnd‐of‐life care (ELC) on a paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) is a fundamental aspect of clinical practice and yet often remains a highly emotive and challenging issue. Every year, many children die in PICU often following the withdrawal of life‐sustaining treatment, and as health professionals we have a duty to provide ELC that meets the needs of the dying child and their family. To achieve this, there is a growing emphasis on incorporating parental views on withdrawal of intensive care especially in time and place. Home care of the dying child enables the child to die at home in familiar surroundings and with the people who love them the most. This service is essentially child centred and acknowledges the unique and pivotal position that parents have in their child’s life by empowering them to have control over the time and place of death. This is a vitally important aspect of end‐of‐life in PICU and underpins the ethos of this area of practice. We present a series of case reviews of patients cared for within a 12‐month period, where intensive care was withdrawn distant from the PICU environment and address the challenges and considerations surrounding this area of practice.
Does the Surgeon’s Experience Impact on Radiocephalic Fistula Patency Rates?
Authors: Fassiadis Nicholas , Morsy Mohamed , Siva Mayooran , Marsh James E. , Makanjuola A. David , Chemla Eric S. 
Published: June 2007

AbstractEstablishing successful long‐term hemodialysis access remains a major challenge. The primary aims of this study were to determine whether primary success and primary and secondary patency rates of a series of consecutive radio‐cephalic fistulae (RCF) were affected by the experience of the surgeon. The secondary aims were to assess complications, and to compare results with patency rates from the literature. All native fistulae (AVF) created in our unit between January 1, 2002 and December 31, 2005 were analyzed retrospectively. The RCF were identified and divided into group A (RCF fashioned by the consultant surgeon), and group B (fashioned by the junior surgeons within the unit). Demographic characteristics, risk factors, primary success rate (patent fistula at discharge), and primary and secondary patency rates were compared between each group using chi‐squared test. During this period, 552 AVF were created. Of the 195 RCF, there were 153 fistulae in group A and 42 in group B. Median follow‐up was 22 months for both groups. There was no difference with regards to age, sex ratio, prevalence of diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. The primary success rate in group A and B was 94.2% and 81%, respectively (p < 0.01). Primary and secondary patency rates at 22 months were 80%, 93%* and 74%, 81%* in group A and B, respectively (*p < 0.025). Even within group B, these results compare very favorably with the published literature. These results suggest that the placement of a RCF should be performed by the most experienced member of a team dedicated to vascular access creation or at least under his supervision.
Inadequate Treatment of Congestive Heart Failure in Dialysis Patients
Authors: Bouchard Josée , Madore François 
Published: June 2007

AbstractCongestive heart failure (CHF) is highly prevalent in patients on renal replacement therapy and is a leading cause of death in such patients. Several studies suggest that therapeutic agents for the treatment of CHF, particularly angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors and beta‐blockers, are underused in end‐stage renal disease patients with CHF. Although limited data are available, growing evidence suggests that therapeutic agents for CHF improve survival and are safe to use, assuming close monitoring of adverse events. The reluctance of physicians in prescribing these therapeutic agents and the reasons underlying the inconsistent use of these agents in the dialysis population need to be addressed.
Liver Transplantation for Alcoholic Liver Disease: Survival of Patients Transplanted with Alcoholic Hepatitis Plus Cirrhosis as Compared with Those with Cirrhosis Alone
Authors: Bonet Harry , Manez Rafael , Kramer David , Wright Harlan I. , Gavaler Judith S. , Baddour Nahed , Van Thiel David H. 
Published: June 2007

From January 1986 through December 1991, a total of 221 patients with alcoholic liver disease received liver transplantation. In 147 of these cases, complete pretransplant histopathologic, demographic, and laboratory data (minimum of CBC, AST, ALT, total bilirubin, albumin, and prothrombin time) were available for review. Forty‐five (30%) of the 147 recipients had alcoholic hepatitis plus cirrhosis (AH), whereas 70% had cirrhosis (CIRR) alone. Age and sex were similar in the subgroups, but the patients with CIRR had a greater AST/ALT ratio, longer protime, and lower platelet count (all p < 0.01). Coexistent hepatitis B (4.7%) or hepatitis C (4.1%) was similar in both groups. Current survival is 80% for patients with AH and 84% for those with CIRR (NS). Overall, survivors were younger (43.4 ±1.7 years) than nonsurvivors (53.6 ± 3.2) (p < 0.01), an age influence that was significant in the CIRR group (p <; 0.01) but not in the AH group. Inexplicably, the AST/ALT ratio was greater in AH survivors (1.5 ± 0.2) than it was in nonsurvivors (0.4 ± 0.1) (p < 0.01). In patients with CIRR, the platelet count was greater in survivors (252 ± 29 vs. 86 + 11 ± 109cells/liter).The data support the clinical impression that patients with chronic decompensated cirrhosis referred for liver transplantation had more severe complications of their liver disease than did those with AH. Survival in both subgroups was similar, but overall the survivors are nearly a decade younger than the nonsurvivors. Because the diagnosis of AH implies a briefer period of alcohol abstention, it was interesting to note that liver transplantation could be accomplished as successfully with AH as with CIRR.
Dynamic-Deflection Tire Modeling for Low-Speed Vehicle Lateral Dynamics
Authors: Koo Shiang-Lung , Tan Han-Shue 
Published: June 2007

AbstractVehicle lateral dynamics depends heavily on the tire characteristics. Accordingly, a number of tire models were developed to capture the tire behaviors. Among them, the empirical tire models, generally obtained through lab tests, are commonly used in vehicle dynamics and control analyses. However, the empirical models often do not reflect the actual dynamic interactions between tire and vehicle under real operational environments, especially at low vehicle speeds. This paper proposes a dynamic-deflection tire model, which can be incorporated with any conventional vehicle model to accurately predict the resonant mode in the vehicle yaw motion as well as steering lag behavior at low speeds. A snowblower was tested as an example and the data gathered verified the predictions from the improved vehicle lateral model. The simulation results show that these often-ignored characteristics can significantly impact the steering control designs for vehicle lane-keeping maneuvers at low speeds.
Efficient Algorithm for the Generation of QFT Bounds for Plants With Affinely Dependent Uncertainties
Authors: Yang Shih-Feng 
Published: June 2007

Abstract
This paper presents an efficient algorithm for the generation of quantitative feedback theory (QFT) bounds for plants with affinely dependent uncertainties. For a plant with m affinely dependent uncertainties, it is shown that whether a point in the complex plane lies in the QFT bound for a frequency-domain specification at a given frequency can be tested by checking if m2m−1 one-variable quadratic equations corresponding to the edges of the domain box are all non-negative on the interval [0,1]. This test procedure is then utilized along with a pivoting procedure to trace out the boundary of the QFT bound with a prescribed accuracy or resolution. The developed algorithm can avoid the unfavorable trade-off between the computational burden and the accuracy of QFT bounds. Moreover, it is efficient in the sense that no root-finding and iterative procedures are required. Numerical examples are given to illustrate the proposed algorithm and its computational superiority.
Perceptions of authorship criteria: effects of student instruction and scientific experience
Authors: Hren Darko , Sambunjak Dario , Ivaniš Ana , Marušić Matko , Marušić Ana 
Published: June 2007

Objective:To analyse medical students’, graduate students’ and doctors’ and medical teachers’ perceptions of research contributions as criteria for authorship in relation to the authorship criteria defined by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE).Design:Medical students with (n = 152) or without (n = 85) prior instruction on ICMJE criteria, graduate students/doctors (n = 125) and medical teachers (n = 112) rated the importance of 11 contributions as authorship qualifications. They also reported single contributions eligible for authorship, as well as acceptable combinations of two or three qualifying contributions.Results:Conception and design, Analysis and interpretation and Drafting of article formed the most important cluster in all four groups. Students without prior instruction rated Critical revision and Final approval lower than the other three groups. “Final approval” was a part of the least important cluster in all groups except among students with instruction.Conclusions:Conception and design, Analysis and interpretation and Drafting of article were recognised as the most important of the ICMJE criteria by all participants. They can be considered independent of previous instruction or experience. Final approval and Critical revision should be actively taught as important authorship criteria to future scientists.
Attitudes toward physician-assisted suicide among physicians in Vermont
Authors: Craig Alexa , Cronin Beth , Eward William , Metz James , Murray Logan , Rose Gail , Suess Eric , Vergara Maria E 
Published: June 2007

Background:Legislation on physician-assisted suicide (PAS) is being considered in a number of states since the passage of the Oregon Death With Dignity Act in 1994. Opinion assessment surveys have historically assessed particular subsets of physicians.Objective:To determine variables predictive of physicians’ opinions on PAS in a rural state, Vermont, USA.Design:Cross-sectional mailing survey.Participants:1052 (48% response rate) physicians licensed by the state of Vermont.Results:Of the respondents, 38.2% believed PAS should be legalised, 16.0% believed it should be prohibited and 26.0% believed it should not be legislated. 15.7% were undecided. Males were more likely than females to favour legalisation (42% vs 34%). Physicians who did not care for patients through the end of life were significantly more likely to favour legalisation of PAS than physicians who do care for patients with terminal illness (48% vs 33%). 30% of the respondents had experienced a request for assistance with suicide.Conclusions:Vermont physicians’ opinions on the legalisation of PAS is sharply polarised. Patient autonomy was a factor strongly associated with opinions in favour of legalisation, whereas the sanctity of the doctor–patient relationship was strongly associated with opinions in favour of not legislating PAS. Those in favour of making PAS illegal overwhelmingly cited moral and ethical beliefs as factors in their opinion. Although opinions on legalisation appear to be based on firmly held beliefs, approximately half of Vermont physicians who responded to the survey agree that there is a need for more education in palliative care and pain management.
An Observing System Simulation Experiment for an Optimal Moored Instrument Array in the Tropical Indian Ocean
Authors: Ballabrera-Poy Joaquim , Hackert Eric , Murtugudde Raghu , Busalacchi Antonio J. 
Published: June 2007

Abstract
In this paper, a series of observing system simulation experiments (OSSEs) are used to study the design of a proposed array of instrumented moorings in the Indian Ocean (IO) outlined by the IO panel of the Climate Variability and Predictability (CLIVAR) Project. Fields of the Ocean Topography Experiment (TOPEX)/Poseidon (T/P) and Jason sea surface height (SSH) and sea surface temperature (SST) are subsampled to simulate dynamic height and SST data from the proposed array. Two different reduced-order versions of the Kalman filter are used to reconstruct the original fields from the simulated observations with the objective of determining the optimal deployment of moored platforms and to address the issue of redundancy and array simplification. The experiments indicate that, in terms of the reconstruction of SSH and SST, the location of the subjectively proposed array compareS favorably with the optimally defined one. The only significant difference between the proposed IO array and the optimal array is the lack of justification for increasing the latitudinal resolution near the equator (i.e., moorings 1.5°S and 1.5°N). An analysis of the redundancy also identifies the equatorial region as the one with the largest amount of redundant information. Thus, in the context of these fields, these results may help define the prioritization of its deployment or redefine the array to extend its latitudinal extent while maintaining the same amount of stations.