bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The impact of training on service provision in laparoscopic radical prostatectomy
Authors: Neill Mischel G. , Chabert Charles C. , Merrilees David A. , Eden Christopher G. 
Published: December 2008

OBJECTIVETo address concerns about the impact of training on patient outcomes during the ‘learning curve’ for laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (LRP), we compare the results of our patients undergoing LRP with and without trainees performing a substantial proportion of the cases.PATIENTS AND METHODSIn all, 771 consecutive cases of LRP were performed or supervised by one surgeon during a 7.5‐year period, of which 114 (15%) were training cases. A five‐port transperitoneal technique was used in the first 111 patients and an extraperitoneal approach in the remaining 660. Patient, operative and oncological outcome variables were compared using an independent samples t‐test if continuous or with Fisher’s exact test for rates.RESULTSThere were no differences in preoperative patient or cancer characteristics with the exception of body mass index (BMI) which was lower in the training cases (medians 25 and 26 kg/m2, P = 0.02) and patient age which was higher (medians 64 and 62 years, P < 0.001). Operative time, which was longer in training cases (medians 200 and 175 min, P < 0.001) was the only significantly different operative variable between the groups. There were no statistically significant differences in postoperative (duration of catheterization, hospitalization time, complication rates, biochemical recurrence and pad‐free rates at 1 year) or pathological (gland weight, positive surgical margin rate) outcomes between the groups. As Fellows did not perform the posterior or apical dissection steps in nerve‐sparing cases, no evaluation of potency outcomes is included.CONCLUSIONSTraining cases took a median of 25 min longer to complete than non‐training cases. However, other perioperative measures, complications rates and cancer outcomes were similar. Adequately supervised training in LRP does indeed take additional time but is essential for the dissemination of surgical skills and preservation of acceptable outcomes.
Failure of monotherapy in primary monosymptomatic enuresis: a combined desmopressin and propiverine treatment regimen improves efficacy outcomes
Authors: Alloussi Saladin Helmut , Mürtz Gerd , Gitzhofer Silvia , Eichel Robert , Lang Christoph , Madersbacher Helmut , Strugala Gerhard , Alloussi Schahnaz 
Published: December 2008

OBJECTIVETo evaluate, in a prospective study, the combination of the antimuscarinic propiverine and the antidiuretic hormone‐agonist desmopressin in children and adolescents not responsive to previous monotherapy, as in primary monosymptomatic enuresis (PME), combined treatments are considered a second‐line approach after the failure of monotherapy.PATIENTS AND METHODSThe study included 122 children and adolescents (mean age 10.8 years, range 5–21) with PME and so far unresponsive to single or multiple monotherapy. Propiverine (body weight <30 kg, 15 mg/day; ≥30 kg, 20 mg/day) and desmopressin (0.4 mg/night) were administered over 3 months, followed by successive structured withdrawal programmes for propiverine and desmopressin, depending on the amount of loss of urine at night before treatment.RESULTSThe re‐evaluation of unresponsive patients, incorporating video‐urodynamics, showed neurogenic detrusor overactivity, isolated detrusor sphincter dyssynergia and vesicorenal reflux in 12.3% (15/122) of patients, so far falsely treated as enuresis. In 107 of 122 patients the diagnosis of PME was confirmed. The primary efficacy outcome, continence at night, was achieved in 104 of 107 patients (97.2%). During the individual follow‐up periods (3–12 months), 23 of 107 (21.5%) patients relapsed after withdrawal of both medications. Adverse events of moderate intensity were rare (3.7%).CONCLUSIONRe‐evaluation of patients after monotherapy has failed is justified, because other entities can be discovered in patients so far treated unsuccessfully for enuresis. The combination of propiverine and desmopressin is highly effective in children with PME. Our results support the case for further optimizing the inaugurated treatment algorithm of PME for treatment duration, dose‐titration and structured withdrawal programmes, thus possibly further decreasing relapse rates.
Use of forearm free‐flap phalloplasty in bladder exstrophy adults
Authors: Timsit Marc‐Olivier , Mouriquand Pierre E. , Ruffion Alain , Bouillot Alain , Dembelé Diala , Mejean Arnaud , Lalloue Fanny , Leriche Albert , Morel‐Journel Nicolas 
Published: December 2008

OBJECTIVETo assess the long‐term outcome and cosmetic results of forearm free‐flap phalloplasty for correcting micropenis associated with bladder exstrophy in men.PATIENTS AND METHODSFrom 1992 to 2000, six men with bladder exstrophy and unsatisfactory penile appearance underwent phalloplasty at our institution. The mean (range) follow‐up was 113 (62–153) months. The surgical procedure consisted of a modified radial free‐flap phalloplasty and prosthesis implantation. One‐stage urethroplasty was electively performed according to the patient’s voiding pattern. Early and late complications were recorded and quality of life after phalloplasty was assessed.RESULTSThe mean (range) age was 21.2 (17–26) years and flap survival was 100%. Two incontinent patients underwent immediate perineal urethrostomy. One sepsis occurred, requiring the removal of the penile prosthesis and a cutaneous continent urinary diversion; this patient was the only one to complain about the outcome. Two anastomotic urethral strictures were conservatively treated by endoscopic urethrotomy and only one patient underwent subsequent urethral self‐dilatations. Five patients were very satisfied with the cosmesis of the neophallus and three patients reported having regular sexual intercourse.CONCLUSIONSAlthough short, this series indicates the low incidence of early complications and the excellent long‐term satisfaction with forearm free‐flap phalloplasty in bladder exstrophy. Phalloplasty has potential indications when adult exstrophy patients are dissatisfied with the cosmetic appearance of their external genitalia or have unsatisfactory sexual intercourse.
A hierarchical competing systems model of the emergence and early development of executive function
Authors: Marcovitch Stuart , Zelazo Philip David 
Published: December 2008

AbstractThe hierarchical competing systems model (HCSM) provides a framework for understanding the emergence and early development of executive function – the cognitive processes underlying the conscious control of behavior – in the context of search for hidden objects. According to this model, behavior is determined by the joint influence of a developmentally invariant habit system and a conscious representational system that becomes increasingly influential as children develop. This article describes a computational formalization of the HCSM, reviews behavioral and computational research consistent with the model, and suggests directions for future research on the development of executive function.
Large-Scale Multiple Testing under Dependence
Authors: Sun Wenguang , Tony Cai T. 
Published: December 2008

SummaryThe paper considers the problem of multiple testing under dependence in a compound decision theoretic framework. The observed data are assumed to be generated from an underlying two-state hidden Markov model. We propose oracle and asymptotically optimal data-driven procedures that aim to minimize the false non-discovery rate FNR subject to a constraint on the false discovery rate FDR. It is shown that the performance of a multiple-testing procedure can be substantially improved by adaptively exploiting the dependence structure among hypotheses, and hence conventional FDR procedures that ignore this structural information are inefficient. Both theoretical properties and numerical performances of the procedures proposed are investigated. It is shown that the procedures proposed control FDR at the desired level, enjoy certain optimality properties and are especially powerful in identifying clustered non-null cases. The new procedure is applied to an influenza-like illness surveillance study for detecting the timing of epidemic periods.
Quantitative evaluation of functional limitation of upper limb movements in subjects affected by ataxia
Authors: Menegoni F. , Milano E. , Trotti C. , Galli M. , Bigoni M. , Baudo S. , Mauro A. 
Published: December 2008

Background and purpose:  The design of useful and effective treatment strategies for movement disorders largely depends on the ability to objectively quantify changes in performances, providing reliable outcome measures. Evaluation of ataxia remains mainly assigned to different clinical scales, providing a semi‐quantitative assessment. The aim of this study was to quantitatively characterize functional changes in upper limb movements in ataxic patients, using an optoelectronic system for objective measurements.Methods:  Fourteen patients with cerebellar ataxia and 27 healthy subjects were analyzed using an optoelectronic system with passive markers during pointing task and hand‐to‐mouth movement. Quantitative parameters capable of characterizing ataxic movements were defined using recorded kinematics.Results:  In both the considered functional movements, ataxic patients showed increased adjustment during the last phase of movement. The movement was less smooth than that in controls, with a fragmented trajectory presenting more direction changes than controls.Conclusions:  The proposed protocol allows the quantitative characterization of the motion pattern of ataxic subjects in a non‐invasive way. We believe that this analysis could represent a good tool for ataxia evaluation in a clinical context such as neurorehabilitation.
First evaluation of six nucleic acid amplification tests widely used in the diagnosis of Chlamydia trachomatis in Russia
Authors: Shipitsyna E , Zolotoverkhaya E , Agné‐Stadling I , Krysanova A , Savicheva A , Sokolovsky E , Domeika M , Unemo M 
Published: December 2008

AbstractBackground  In Russia, nationally developed nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs), which have never been validated to international commercially available NAATs, are mainly used in the diagnosis of Chlamydia trachomatis infection.Objective  To evaluate the performance characteristics of six NAATs widely used to diagnose C. trachomatis infection in Russia.Materials and methods   In total, 446 consecutive symptomatic patients (319 females and 127 males) were included. Five polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays and one real‐time nucleic acid sequence‐based amplification (NASBA) assay were evaluated on cervical and vaginal samples from females and on urethral and first voided urine samples from males. As reference methods, the Cobas Amplicor PCR, as the main ‘gold standard’ method, and LightMix 480HT PCR were used.Results  The overall prevalence of C. trachomatis infection was 12.6%. The Russian NAATs and the reference methods displayed a high level of concordance (97.9% to 99.2%). In comparison with the reference methods, the sensitivities, specificities, positive predictive values and negative predictive values of the Russian tests in different specimens ranged from 86.1% to 100%, 99.1% to 100%, 92.3% to 100% and 98.2% to 100%, respectively.Conclusions  According to the reference methods, C. trachomatis NAATs developed and used in Russia have relatively good performance characteristics for both invasive and non‐invasive samples. However, larger studies that include symptomatic and asymptomatic patients as well as genital and extra‐genital samples, and in comparison with other internationally well‐recognized, validated, and ideally Food and Drug Administration–approved C. trachomatis NAATs performed strictly according to the manufacturer's instructions, need to be conducted.Conflicts of interestNone declared
Post‐bottleneck mtDNA diversity in a free‐living population of European bison: implications for conservation
Authors: Wójcik J. M. , Kawałko A. , Tokarska M. , Jaarola M. , Vallenback P. , Pertoldi C. 
Published: December 2008

AbstractA free‐living population of European bison Bison bonasus in the Białowieża Primeval Forest originated from only seven founder animals after a severe bottleneck that occurred at the beginning of the 20th century. Consequently, the contemporary population of the species is characterized by low genetic diversity. We studied a total of 195 individuals (127 males and 68 females). A 1429 bp fragment of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) including the D‐loop region was analyzed in 87 individuals and revealed only three distinct haplotypes. Nucleotide (π) and haplotype (Hd) diversity values were estimated for the European bison and were compared with π and Hd estimated from three individuals of American bison Bison bison. Very low diversity values were found in the European bison in comparison with the diversity values found in the American bison. The low mtDNA variability in the European bison is in concordance with theoretical expectations for a species that has undergone a severe and recent bottleneck. A management strategy for the preservation of the rare and very rare haplotypes present in the Białowieża population of the European bison is discussed. Furthermore, all 195 individuals were investigated for heteroplasmy involving these three haplotypes, in order to detect a possible association between heteroplasmy and the incidence of males affected by posthitis, a disease that affects the male reproductive organs, leading to necrotic lesions. Heteroplasmy was found in 15 females, in 17 males affected by posthitis and in 11 non‐affected males, and no significant association was found.
The quality of optometrists’ referral letters for glaucoma
Authors: Scully Natalie D. , Chu Ling , Siriwardena Dilani , Wormald Richard , Kotecha Aachal 
Published: December 2008

AbstractPurpose:  The purpose of the study was to evaluate the quality of content of optometrist‐initiated glaucoma referral letters arriving at the appointment booking centre at Moorfields Eye Hospital (MEH).Methods:  The minimum standard of information required for an ophthalmologist to determine the appropriateness and urgency of glaucoma suspect referral was determined, and criteria for three standards of referral letter formulated: ‘Ideal’, ‘Acceptable’ and ‘Fail’. These standards were applied to a prospective review of all optometrist‐derived referrals for glaucoma or suspected glaucoma cases arriving in the MEH booking centre over a 4‐month period. The contents of each letter were scrutinised and classified based on the criteria within each standard.Results:  Forty‐nine per cent of referral letters were found to be of ‘acceptable’ quality, 7%‘ideal’ quality and the remainder classed as “fail”. The main reason for failure was an omission of non‐clinical information, including patient and/or referring practice details, although 26% of letters failed to include an optic disc evaluation and 6% failed to provide intra‐ocular pressure measurements. Two‐thirds of ‘acceptable’ letters did not reach the ‘ideal’ standard due to a lack of discussion of risk factors, visual field analysis or recommendations for referral speed.Discussion:  The information gleaned from this prospective study indicates a need to improve the quality of optometrists’ glaucoma referral letters, particularly with respect to completion of all the items set out on the General Ophthalmic Services (GOS) 18 referral form.
The effect of altering spherical aberration on the static accommodative response
Authors: Theagarayan Baskar , Radhakrishnan Hema , Allen Peter M. , Calver Richard I. , Rae Sheila M. , O’Leary Daniel J. 
Published: December 2008

AbstractPurpose:  To investigate the effect of altering the spherical aberration (SA) of the eye on the static accommodative response.Methods:  Participants were fitted with nominally afocal contact lenses with controlled amounts of SA of either −0.2, −0.1, 0.0, +0.1 or +0.2 μm for a 5‐mm pupil. Measurements of SA and root mean square (RMS) total aberration for the eye plus lens for each participant were determined with a Complete Ophthalmic Analysis System aberrometer. Accommodation was stimulated either by placing targets at different dioptric distances from the eye, or by using a fixed distance target and placing negative‐powered lenses in front of the eye. Accommodation responses were determined with a Shin‐Nippon autorefractor.Results:  For both stimuli situations, the slope of the accommodation stimulus‐response function was lowest for the lenses with +0.2 μm SA, and increased as the amount of SA was reduced. There was a significant negative correlation between SA and slope. Lag of accommodation at 33 cm correlated well with added SA, but did not correlate with total RMS error. There was no significant difference between the responses at 30 min after lens wear started and the responses after 1 h.Conclusions:  Adding negative SA to the eye generally improves the slope of the accommodation stimulus‐response curve and decreases lag of accommodation, and positive added SA depresses the slope of the stimulus‐response curve and increases lag. The effect seems to be specific to SA, as there was no relationship between lag and RMS error. Altering SA may be a viable way of changing accommodative functions in clinical situations.
Accommodation, pupil diameter and myopia
Authors: Charman W. Neil , Radhakrishnan Hema 
Published: December 2008

AbstractConcurrent measurements of steady‐state accommodation response/stimulus curves and of pupil diameter were made in groups (n = 20) of young, adult myopes [age (mean ± SD) 23.1 ± 4.5 years, mean‐sphere error (MSE) −3.06 ± 2.35 D, range −0.60 to −8.54 D] and emmetropes (mean age 25.3 ± 5.7 years, mean MSE −0.07 ± 0.26 D, range −0.50 to +0.50 D). The aim of this study was to explore the possibilities that pupil diameters with relaxed accommodation were larger, and that accommodative miosis was weaker, in the myopic group. Such behaviour would lead to relatively greater degradation of the retinal images in the myopic group, even though aberrations at constant pupil diameter and dioptric accommodative lags in the two groups were the same: this might result in excessive axial growth and further myopia development. No evidence for any systematic refractive dependence of pupillary characteristics or accommodative responses was found. Interestingly, those subjects whose response/stimulus curves had a higher slope tended to display greater accommodative miosis, irrespective of their refractive error.
Dynamically scheduling ships to multiple continuous berth spaces in an iron and steel complex
Authors: Tang Lixin , Li Shaohua , Liu Jiyin 
Published: December 2008

AbstractThis paper studies the problem of dynamically scheduling ships to multiple continuous berth spaces at the raw material docks in an iron and steel complex with the objective of minimizing the total weighted service time. We propose two mathematical models and develop an improved Lagrangian relaxation algorithm to solve the problem. Based on the problem structure, six properties are observed that help speed up the procedures of solving the sub‐problems, updating Lagrangian multipliers and obtaining feasible solutions, respectively. Computational results on 50 real data problems and 120 randomly generated problems show that the algorithm generates good solutions in short time and that using the properties can reduce by more than 80% the computation time of the algorithm.
Accelerated Vesting of Employee Stock Options in Anticipation of FAS 123‐R
Authors: CHOUDHARY PREETI , RAJGOPAL SHIVARAM , VENKATACHALAM MOHAN 
Published: December 2008

ABSTRACTIn December 2004, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) mandated the use of a fair value–based measurement attribute to value employee stock options (ESOs) via Financial Accounting Standard (FAS) 123‐R. In anticipation of FAS 123‐R, between March 2004 and November 2005, several firms accelerate the vesting of ESOs to avoid recognizing existing unvested ESO grants at fair value in future financial statements. We find that the likelihood of accelerated vesting is higher if (1) acceleration has a greater effect on future ESO compensation expense, especially related to underwater options, and (2) firms suffer greater agency problems, proxied by fewer blockholders, lower pension fund ownership, and top five officers holding a greater share of ESOs. We also find a negative stock price reaction around the announcement of the acceleration decision. Furthermore, stock returns are significantly negative before the new vesting dates and positive afterward, suggesting that vesting dates could have been backdated.
Do Managers Withhold Bad News?
Authors: KOTHARI S. P. , SHU SUSAN , WYSOCKI PETER D. 
Published: December 2008

ABSTRACTIn this study, we examine whether managers delay disclosure of bad news relative to good news. If managers accumulate and withhold bad news up to a certain threshold, but leak and immediately reveal good news to investors, then we expect the magnitude of the negative stock price reaction to bad news disclosures to be greater than the magnitude of the positive stock price reaction to good news disclosures. We present evidence consistent with this prediction. Our analysis suggests that management, on average, delays the release of bad news to investors.
Implementation of a clinical practice guideline for smoking cessation in a public antenatal care setting
Authors: FLENADY Vicki , MACPHAIL Julie , NEW Karen , DEVENISH‐MEARES Paul , SMITH Julie 
Published: December 2008

Background:  Despite high level evidence showing that antenatal smoking cessation programs are effective in reducing the number of women who smoke during pregnancy and the number of low birthweight and preterm births, few Australian hospitals have adopted a systematic approach to assist pregnant women to stop smoking.Aims:  The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of a smoking cessation guideline, developed specifically for clinicians providing antenatal care in public maternity hospitals, combined with an implementation program on the uptake of evidence‐based practice.Methods:  A clinical practice guideline was developed and an implementation strategy was tested, using a prospective before‐and‐after study design, at the Mater Mothers’ Hospital in Brisbane. Women were surveyed in late pregnancy, pre‐ and post‐implementation. The primary outcome measures were women's report of appropriate smoking cessation support received, specifically, information brochures and referral to Quitline. Secondary outcome measures included women's report of smoking status in late pregnancy and relapse rates.Results:  Post‐implementation, more women reported receiving written materials on smoking cessation (76% vs 35%; relative risk (RR) 3.4; 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.7, 4.2) and referral to Quitline (67% vs 14%; RR 4.9; 95% CI 3.0, 8.0). While not statistically significant, fewer women post‐implementation reported smoking in late pregnancy (19.5% vs 16.7%) and fewer reported smoking > 10 cigarettes per day (38% vs 25%).Conclusions:  Clinical practice guidelines specifically designed for a public maternity care setting combined with an implementation program resulted in an increase in evidence‐based practice with some indication of improved smoking behaviour for women.