bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Malignant Thymoma
Authors: Bezjak Andrea , Payne David G. 
Published: July 2006

Abstract
The thymus gland, located in the anterior mediastinum, plays a crucial role in the development of immunological competence during fetal development and infancy. It is composed of both thymic epithelial cells and lymphoid cells, many originating in the bone marrow. During the development period, the complex system of T lymphocytes evolves, underpinning functions of foreign antigen processing and self‐recognition of the organism's histocompatibility complex. The gland undergoes significant involution in childhood, resulting in a twin‐lobed organ composed of fibrous, lymphatic, and epithelial elements. Its function in the adult is unknown; however, evidence for its immunologic role is seen in the involution associated with various disorders, including autoimmune diseases and AIDS, and conversely in the immunodeficiency associated with primary thymic aplasia. Tumors of the thymus are unusual, but account for about 15% of mediastinal tumors (or over 50% of masses in the anterior mediastinum). These neoplasms contain varying proportions of lymphocytes and of thymic epithelial cells, with a generally benign appearance. However, all thymomas are considered to be malignant tumors possessing differing degrees of aggressivity, or invasiveness. When frank cytologic features of malignancy are seen in epithelial cells, the tumor is regarded as a thymic carcinoma.
Clinical features typically relate to the size of the mass and proximity to other organs. The introduction of the Masaoka classification, based on the extent of local invasion by malignant cells, was an important advance in the addressing the need for comparative studies. However, the association of thymoma with various autoimmune disorders is distinctive and possibly prognostic. These conditions include myasthenia gravis, hypogammaglobulinemia, and red‐cell aplasia. Interestingly these syndromes are not associated with thymectomy in another context. A variety of other paraneoplastic syndromes are seen; about 40% of thymoma patients have one, and many suffer from multiple such disorders. For the purpose of this discussion these will be considered to be tumor‐related factors. Note that in accordance with the guidelines for this text, only factors that are required for clinical decision making are considered “essential.”
Cutaneous Malignant Melanoma
Authors: Beer Trevor W. , Heenan Peter J. 
Published: July 2006

Abstract
The most important prognostic factor in patients with cutaneous malignant melanoma (CMM) is the anatomic extent of disease and, specifically, presence of metastasis. In those patients without clinical metastasis at the time of diagnosis, direct measurement of tumor thickness by the method of Breslow remains the most accurate single prognostic factor. The improvement in survival rates recorded over time has been associated with a decrease in tumor thickness, and geographical differences in prognosis have been related to differences in tumor thickness. Furthermore, the prognostic effects of such features as the histologic type and level of invasion are overridden by the effect of tumor thickness. The measurement of tumor thickness by means of an ocular micrometer is also more reproducible among pathologists than the recognition of histologic subtypes and the assessment of level of invasion according to anatomical landmarks, both of which are more prone to subjective interpretation and interobserver variation.
It is also apparent, however, that although tumor thickness remains the best available single prognostic index, it provides only a rough guide to the outcome for an individual patient. Increasing efforts have been made, therefore, to discover more accurate means of assessing the risk of metastasis in patients with melanoma by using multifactorial prognostic models and by searching for molecular markers of metastatic potential. Prognostic models, however, although yielding impressive results in some studies, may not always be accurate in their application to individual patients, and the search for molecular markers of metastatic potential, although providing initially promising results, has as yet failed to identify prognostic factors that are as accurate or as practically applicable as the measurement of tumor thickness.
Uterine Cervix Cancer
Authors: Hauspy Jan , Harley Ian , Fyles Anthony W. 
Published: July 2006

Abstract
Carcinoma of the cervix accounts for approximately 20% of all gynecologic cancers and 2% of all malignancies in women. Numerous prognostic factors have been studied in patients with cervical carcinoma, using both univariate and multivariate analysis. Differences in endpoints of analysis, whether survival (disease‐free or overall), relapse‐free rate, or local control rate, make comparison of such studies difficult. The failure to perform a multivariate analysis, or the use of different covariates in multivariate analyses, can further complicate comparisons between studies. Not all factors are relevant to all patients; for example, depth of tumor invasion and presence of vascular‐space invasion can only be reliably determined in patients treated with surgery, whereas hemoglobin level is important in patients treated with radiation. This review concentrates largely on those factors identified using multivariate techniques, such as log rank or Cox regression analysis, in order to account for interactions between various factors. Where available, estimates such as hazard ratios will be included in order to indicate the strengths of the individual variables.
Endometrial Cancer
Authors: Herrera Fernanda G. , Milosevic Michael F. 
Published: July 2006

Abstract
In many industrialized countries, endometrial cancer has surpassed cervical cancer as the most common form of malignancy affecting the female genital tract. This has occurred due to the effectiveness of screening programs in reducing both the incidence and mortality rates for cervical cancer. Improvement in life expectancy for many women also has led to an increased number of patients being diagnosed with endometrial cancer, which is predominantly a disease of postmenopausal women.
Endometrial cancer most often presents with the symptom of postmenopausal bleeding. Because this manifestation is often found early in the course of the disease and is significantly alarming, women generally present themselves promptly to their physicians for investigation. The majority of endometrial cancers are thus diagnosed as stage I lesions. In certain situations, however, this condition has the potential to behave in an aggressive fashion, resulting in recurrence and ultimately death. The identification of those factors that place patients at high risk for recurrence has been the primary focus of much of the research on this condition in the past 20 years.
Although endometrial cancer is predominantly a disease of postmenopausal women, approximately 20–25% of cases will occur before menopause and a further 5% occur before age 40. Obesity, particularly upper body obesity, nulliparity, and late menopause have all been associated with an increase in risk for endometrial cancer. Use of exogenous unopposed estrogen and tamoxifen have also been associated with an increased risk for the development of endometrial cancer. Use of oral contraceptive tablets and smoking, however, have been associated with a decrease in the risk for endometrial cancer and women who develop endometrial cancer while on exogenous estrogen appear to have favorable prognosis.
Gestational Trophoblastic Disease
Authors: Ngan Hextan Y. S. , Chan Karen K. L. , Tam Kevin Fai 
Published: July 2006

Abstract
Gestational trophoblastic disease (GTD) is a disease of the proliferative trophoblastic allografts and includes partial mole (PM), complete hydatidiform mole (CM), invasive mole, metastatic mole, choriocarcinoma (CC), and placental site trophoblastic tumor (PSTT). While CC and PSTT are definitely neoplastic, the various types of molar pregnancies are basically benign, but with a potential to behave like a malignant disease that requires chemotherapy. This potential malignant behavior is identified by the failure of regression of the human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) in the absence of a normal pregnancy and is termed gestational trophoblastic tumor (GTT) or gestational persistent trophoblastic disease (GPTD). The criteria for the diagnosis of postmolar GTT varies among different centers in the world. Basically, if the hCG level fails to fall satisfactory over 3–4 weeks, or when there is a rise in the hCG level over 2–3 weeks, GTT is diagnosed and further investigations should be done to assess the extent of the disease. The risk or predictive factors of PTD following mole will be discussed in the first major section below.
In GTT, unlike other solid malignancies, metastasis does not always mean poor prognosis. If the metastatic lesion is a mole rather than CC, the prognosis is much better. However, histological confirmation is uncommon because most cases of GTT are treated with chemotherapy. Thus, other prognostic factors in addition to metastasis have to be taken into consideration in assessing the prognosis of a GTT. The prognostic factors of GTT are be discussed in the second major section below. PSTT arises from the intermediate trophoblasts and behaves quite differently from that of GTT and will be discussed separately in the final major section below.
Gliomas
Authors: Minniti Guiseppe , Brada Michael , Kleihues Paul , Ohgaki Hiroko 
Published: July 2006

AbstractTumors of the nervous system amount to less than 2% of the total human cancer burden, the overall incidence being in the range of 7–9 new cases a year per 100,000 population. They affect all age groups and their etiology is largely unknown. More than 40 clinicopathological disease entities have been classified by the World Health Organization (WHO) and this makes the identification of factors with unequivocal prognostic value difficult. Large, randomized therapy studies with long‐term follow‐up of a significant number of patients have concentrated on malignant gliomas of astrocytic and oligodendroglial origin.During the past decade, numerous studies have been published that, in addition to conventional clinical and histopathological parameters, suggested certain genetic alterations as potential prognostic factors, but for tumors of the nervous system, few of these have been confirmed in subsequent reports. The establishment of reliable prognostic factors requires the critical, unbiased evaluation of large databases and often remains an elusive goal.
Pediatric Cancers
Authors: Bouffet Eric , Hodgson David C. , Koh Eng‐Siew 
Published: July 2006

Abstract
Pediatric cancers include a broad spectrum of diseases. Cancer is diagnosed in only 8400 children in the United States less than 15 years of age annually, although death from cancer is the second major cause of mortality in developed countries. Childhood cancers differ from adult cancers in their origins and histologic subtypes, their etiologies, their response to treatment, and the outcomes. In the adult population, epithelial cancers are most common and many are related to environmental carcinogens. In contrast, pediatric malignancies more commonly arise in hematopoietic tissue or in the central nervous system (CNS).

The most common pediatric malignancies are acute leukemia, non‐Hodgkin's lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease, and primary CNS tumors. Neuroblastoma, Wilms' tumor, rhabdomyosarcoma, and retinoblastomas are the most common solid tumors occurring in children. The etiology of most childhood malignancies is unknown, although some solid tumors do occur in association with recognized genetic defects. Bilateral retinoblastoma, for instance, occurs in children with mutations in the retinoblastoma tumor suppressor gene
RB1
. Wilms' tumor occurs in association with mutations in the
WT1
gene in the Denys‐Drash Syndrome. Rhabdomyosarcomas are seen in children with the LiFraumeni syndrome with
p53
gene mutations.

Major advances in cancer genetics and the molecular biology of cancer have been gained through research in pediatric malignancies. Despite its rarity in comparison to adult malignancies, many of the most important discoveries about cancer biology and cancer genetics have come from research in pediatric cancers. In addition, the role of prognostic factors in determining treatment for an individual patient is best exemplified by neuroblastoma which is discussed in this chapter. At the present time, only a limited number of cancers in children have prognostic factors that have been prospectively evaluated and confirmed. In this chapter, we review those pediatric cancers that have clearly defined prognostic factors. The understanding of cancer genetics gained from the study of pediatric cancers, the identification of prognostic factors, their confirmation in clinical trials, and their widespread acceptance can be viewed as a paradigm for prognostic factors in cancer patient management.
Prognostic Factors in Population‐Based Cancer Control
Authors: Groome Patti A. 
Published: July 2006

Abstract
How prognosis facilitates cancer control in unbiased (entire) cancer populations is the subject of this chapter. Prognosis applies to the period posttreatment and relates to the entire period postdiagnosis. Changes in population‐level cancer incidence are therefore used to measure the impact of prevention strategies. As implied in the definition, “those who develop cancer” are the group to whom improvements in the probability of cure, survival, and quality of life are targeted. These outcomes are the key ones in this study of the determination and impact of prognostic factors. Prevention through screening (early detection) and effective treatment are key interventions. The concept of prevention is best defined in the context of levels, traditionally called primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention. In the cancer setting, it is more aptly defined thus: secondary prevention as early detection and treatment, and tertiary prevention as targeting prolonged survival and increased quality of life. Secondary and tertiary prevention are aimed at cancer patient populations. Cancer registries and tumor banks are increasingly aware of their role in understanding cancer control factors that describe the care received and access to care in a population and these can be more relevant. Prevention spans the disease trajectory and linking cancer control to prevention reminds us that cancer control is a public health activity.
Prognostic Factors in Terminal Cancer
Authors: Glare Paul 
Published: July 2006

Abstract

Predicting life expectancy in terminally ill cancer patients is very important for patients, their families, clinicians, researchers, and policy makers. Accurate prognosis is a key skill the physician can bring to the management of patients with terminal cancer. Life expectancy is the usual outcome under consideration in patients with terminal cancer and the main focus of this chapter. Some of the trends to over‐aggressively treat patients with advanced cancer being seen in recent years might be avoided if physicians were better prognosticators. Prognostication in terminal cancer is
subjective
judgment, where the physician consciously combines and processes the data to render a judgment about the prognosis. This may also be called “clinical acumen”. Patient‐related factors that might affect prognosis include demographics, comorbidities, performance status, symptoms, psychological status, quality of life, and laboratory parameters. The role of psychological factors in cancer survival remains controversial and confusing. The physician's clinical prediction of survival (CPS) is best used in conjunction with other parameters and could be integrated into prognostic models and scores. Proinflammatory cytokines, such as IL‐6, may prove to be useful prognostic markers. Subjective judgment will remain important and it is apparent that the CPS contains some useful prognostic information. Objective prognostic factors, such as performance status, symptoms of the cancer cachexia syndrome, breathlessness, cognitive impairment, and simple blood test results can be used to inform clinical acumen. Accurate prognostication is a clinical skill that needs to be resurrected, as it is crucial to good end‐of‐life care in terminal cancer. It should be included in cancer medicine curricula.
Simultaneous determination of degradation products related to chemical warfare agents by high‐performance liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry
Authors: Wada Takeharu , Nagasawa Eiko , Hanaoka Shigeyuki 
Published: July 2006

AbstractChemical munitions that include organoarsenic chemical agent were manufactured by Japanese imperial forces and abandoned in various locations of Japan and China at the end of World War II. These organoarsenic compounds and various decomposition products have caused environmental contamination and damage to health. For the analysis of chemical warfare agents (CWA) and related compounds in environmental samples, determination was carried out using high‐performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry of nine CWA‐related compounds: 2‐chlorovinylarsonic acid (CVAOA), phenylarsonic acid (PAA), thiodigricol (TDG), phenylmethlarsinic acid (PMAA), 2‐chlorovinylarsine oxide (CVAO), phenylarsine oxide (PAO), diphenylarsenic acid (DPAA), bis(2‐chlorovinyl)arsinous acid (BCVAA) and bis(diphenylarsine)oxide (BDPAO). TDG and eight arsine compounds could be simultaneously measured by LC/MS/MS equipped with a reversed‐phase column (C8). The limits of detection of CVAOA, PAA, PMAA, DPAA and other compounds were 0.5, 0.05, 0.001, 0.0001 and 0.01 µg/ml, respectively. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Association between the interleukin‐1 family gene cluster and psoriatic arthritis
Authors: Rahman Proton , Sun Shuying , Peddle Lynette , Snelgrove Tara , Melay William , Greenwood Celia , Gladman Dafna 
Published: July 2006

AbstractObjectiveThe interleukin‐1 (IL‐1) cytokine elicits a wide variety of biologic activities that initiate and promote an inflammatory response. The loci in the IL1 gene cluster have recently been associated with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Since there is clinical and immunologic overlap between psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and AS, we wanted to examine the association between a panel of single‐nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the IL1 gene family cluster and chromosome 2q12–13 in a PsA cohort.MethodsTwo hundred twelve PsA patients and 150 ethnically matched controls were genotyped with 11 SNPs in IL1A, 9 SNPs in IL1B, and 9 SNPs in IL1F5–10. Univariate analyses of the 29 single markers and short intragenic haplotypes identified several associated regions. Seventeen markers of interest were noted and further investigated to determine which markers or short haplotypes independently predict case–control status, using a stepwise logistic model.ResultsTwo regions contributing independently to risk of disease in PsA were noted: a region spanned by markers rs3783547, rs3783543, and rs17561 in IL1A, and a region near the end of IL1B, through IL1F7, IL1F8, and into IL1F10. The best model contained markers rs3811047, rs1562304, and rs3811058, and 1 haplotype constructed from the 3 markers in region 1, with a likelihood ratio of 25.34 (4 degrees of freedom).ConclusionThe IL1 locus appears to be a high‐priority susceptibility locus in PsA, with at least 2 independent regions that confer increased risk.
An extended performance reporting framework for social and environmental accounting
Authors: Yongvanich Kittiya , Guthrie James 
Published: July 2006

AbstractInternationally, there is growing awareness of the environmental and social impacts of the business activities of organizations. This awareness was heightened by the 1987 report Our Common Future by the World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED, 1987). In order to address the concerns raised, companies have increasingly reported the social and environmental impacts of their business activities to secure their right to operate from society. This paper argues for the importance of an integrated reporting framework that provides information on economic performance via intellectual capital (IC) information and non‐economic performance, including that used in the management of performance across social and environmental impacts. This paper briefly reviews three extended reporting approaches, namely IC, balanced scorecard (BSC) and social and environmental reporting. The paper demonstrates that the emphases of these reporting approaches, while diverse, could be complementary to one another and be integrated into an extended performance reporting framework (EPRF), which would provide a more complete account of the management and performance of an organization. The EPRF could empower stakeholders and facilitate change in the way organizations conduct their activities. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.
CCL17 transgenic mice show an enhanced Th2‐type response to both allergic and non‐allergic stimuli
Authors: Tsunemi Yuichiro , Saeki Hidehisa , Nakamura Koichiro , Nagakubo Daisuke , Nakayama Takashi , Yoshie Osamu , Kagami Shinji , Shimazu Kiyo , Kadono Takafumi , Sugaya Makoto , Komine Mayumi , Matsushima Koji , Tamaki Kunihiko 
Published: July 2006

AbstractCC chemokine ligand (CCL)17 is implicated in the pathogenesis of atopic dermatitis (AD). To study the effect of CCL17 produced by keratinocytes (KC) during inflammation, we created transgenic (Tg) mice in which CCL17 is overexpressed in KC. Th2‐type contact hypersensitivity (CHS) was enhanced and Th1‐type CHS was suppressed in these mice. Increased numbers of CC chemokine receptor (CCR)4+ cells and mast cells infiltrated in Tg mice. Levels of IL‐4 mRNA were higher and those of IFN‐γ mRNA were lower in both acute and chronic CHS. Higher levels of serum IgE were observed after CHS. Numbers of CCR4+ cells among PBMC were increased in Tg mice challenged acutely on the trunk. Chronic irritation with croton oil induced dermatitis and an elevation of serum IgE levels. Tg mice showed enhanced ear swelling after tape stripping. CCL17 was thought to modify the inflammation caused by sensitizing reagents as well as irritant reagents by attracting CCR4+ cells into the lesional skin and creating a Th2‐dominant condition. AD‐like conditions such as increased number of mast cells and elevated levels of serum IgE were observed. Thus, CCL17 may participate in the pathogenesis of skin diseases such as AD by regulating both allergic and irritant inflammation.