bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Estimating Anesthesia and Surgical Procedure Times from Medicare Anesthesia Claims
Authors: Silber Jeffrey H. , Rosenbaum Paul R. , Zhang Xuemei , Even-Shoshan Orit 
Published: January 2007

Background
Procedure times are important variables that often are included in studies of quality and efficiency. However, due to the need for costly chart review, most studies are limited to single-institution analyses. In this article, the authors describe how well the anesthesia claim from Medicare can estimate chart times.

Methods
The authors abstracted information on time of induction and entrance to the recovery room ("anesthesia chart time") from the charts of 1,931 patients who underwent general and orthopedic surgical procedures in Pennsylvania. The authors then merged the associated bills from claims data supplied from Medicare (Part B data) that included a variable denoting the time in minutes for the anesthesia service. The authors also investigated the time from incision to closure ("surgical chart time") on a subset of 1,888 patients.

Results
Anesthesia claim time from Medicare was highly predictive of anesthesia chart time (Kendall's rank correlation tau = 0.85, P < 0.0001, median absolute error = 5.1 min) but somewhat less predictive of surgical chart time (Kendall's tau = 0.73, P < 0.0001, median absolute error = 13.8 min). When predicting chart time from Medicare bills, variables reflecting procedure type, comorbidities, and hospital type did not significantly improve the prediction, suggesting that errors in predicting the chart time from the anesthesia bill time are not related to these factors; however, the individual hospital did have some influence on these estimates.

Conclusions
Anesthesia chart time can be well estimated using Medicare claims, thereby facilitating studies with vastly larger sample sizes and much lower costs of data collection.
Analysis of polynuclear aromatic and aliphatic components in soil humic acids using ruthenium tetroxide oxidation
Authors: Ikeya K. , Ishida Y. , Ohtani H. , Yamamoto S. , Watanabe A. 
Published: January 2007

SummaryAlthough condensed aromatic components are considered to be one of the major structural units of soil humic acids (HAs) and to be responsible for the dark colour of HAs, their amount and composition remain largely unknown. In ruthenium tetroxide oxidation (RTO), condensed aromatic components are detectable as their degradation products, mainly benzenepolycarboxylic acids (BPCAs). We applied this technique to soil HAs with various degrees of humification (darkening). The yields of water‐ and dichloromethane‐soluble products from HAs upon RTO after methylation ranged from 210 to 430 mg g−1 and 10–40 mg g−1, respectively. Eight kinds of BPCAs with two to six carboxyl groups, and seven kinds of BPCAs with additional side chains (tentative assignment) were obtained as methylated counterparts. The yield of each BPCA and the sum of the yields of BPCAs (12–85 mg g−1 HAs) increased with increasing degree of humification and aromatic C content. The compositions of BPCAs indicated that the degree of condensation was greater in the HAs with greater degrees of humification. The sum of the yields of aliphatic compounds ranged from 0.1 to 6.5 mg g−1, and decreased with increasing degree of humification. The C12 to C30 monocarboxylic acid methyl esters accounted for > 56% of the aliphatic compounds assigned, which may be present mainly as end alkyl groups in the HA molecules. We also obtained the methylated counterparts of C14 to C24 dicarboxylic acids; these were possibly derived from polymethylene bridges between adjacent aromatic rings.
Prevention of serious vascular events by aspirin amongst patients with peripheral arterial disease: randomized, double‐blind trial
Authors:   Critical Leg Ischaemia Prevention Study (CLIPS) Group
Published: January 2007

Abstract.Objective.  To assess the prophylactic efficacy of aspirin and a high‐dose antioxidant vitamin combination in patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) in terms of reduction of the risk of a first vascular event (myocardial infarction, stroke, vascular death) and critical limb ischaemia.Design.  Randomized, placebo‐controlled, double‐blind clinical trial with 2 × 2 factorial design.Setting.  Thirty‐seven European angiology/vascular medicine units.Subjects.  A total of 366 outpatients with stage I‐II PAD documented by angiography or ultrasound, with ankle/brachial index <0.85 or toe index <0.6; 210 patients completed the follow‐up.Interventions.  Four treatment groups: (i) oral aspirin (100 mg daily), (ii) oral antioxidant vitamins (600 mg vitamin E, 250 mg vitamin C and 20 mg β‐carotene daily), (iii) both or (iv) neither, given for 2 years.Main outcome measure.  Major vascular events (cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction or stroke) and critical leg ischaemia.Results.  Seven of 185 patients allocated aspirin and 20 of 181 allocated placebo suffered a major vascular event (risk reduction 64%, P = 0.022); five and eight patients, respectively, suffered critical leg ischaemia (total 12 vs. 28, P = 0.014). There was no evidence that antioxidant vitamins were beneficial (16/185 vs. 11/181 vascular events). Neither treatment was associated with any significant increase in adverse events. Inclusion of this trial in a meta‐analysis of other randomized trials of anti‐platelet therapy in PAD makes the overall results highly significant (P < 0.001) and suggests that low‐dose aspirin reduces the incidence of vascular events by 26%.Conclusions.  For the first time direct evidence shows that low‐dose aspirin should routinely be considered for PAD patients, including those with concomitant type 2 diabetes.
Glycogen synthase kinase‐3 is required for optimal de novo synthesis of inositol
Authors: Azab Abed N. , He Quan , Ju Shulin , Li Guiling , Greenberg Miriam L. 
Published: January 2007

SummaryStudies have shown that the inositol biosynthetic pathway and the enzyme glycogen synthase kinase‐3 (GSK‐3) are targets of the mood‐stabilizing drugs lithium and valproate. However, a relationship between these targets has not been previously described. We hypothesized that GSK‐3 may play a role in inositol synthesis, and that loss of GSK‐3 may lead to inositol depletion, thus providing a mechanistic link between the two drug targets. Utilizing a yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae gsk‐3Δ quadruple‐null mutant, in which all four genes encoding homologues of mammalian GSK‐3 are disrupted, we tested the hypothesis that GSK‐3 is required for de novo inositol biosynthesis. The gsk‐3Δ mutant exhibited multiple features of inositol depletion, including defective growth in inositol‐lacking medium, decreased intracellular inositol, increased INO1 and ITR1 expression, and decreased levels of phosphatidylinositol. Treatment of wild‐type cells with a highly specific GSK‐3 inhibitor led to a significant increase in INO1 expression. Supplementation with inositol alleviated the temperature sensitivity of gsk‐3Δ. Activity of myo‐inositol‐3 phosphate synthase, the rate‐limiting enzyme in inositol de novo biosynthesis, was decreased in gsk‐3Δ. These results demonstrate for the first time that GSK‐3 is required for optimal myo‐inositol‐3 phosphate synthase activity and de novo inositol biosynthesis, and that loss of GSK‐3 activity causes inositol depletion.
Phylogeographic variation among isolates of theSirococcus conigenusP group
Authors: Konrad H. , Stauffer C. , Kirisits T. , Halmschlager E. 
Published: January 2007

SummaryIn this study the phylogeographic variation among isolates of theSirococcus conigenusP group and the phylogenetic relationships ofS. conigenuswithSirococcus clavigignenti‐juglandacearumand other species previously placed in the genusSirococcuswere investigated. A collection of 33 isolates originating fromPicea,PinusandLarixin Europe, North America and Bhutan were characterized by sequence analyses of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region (including ITS1, 5.8S ribosomal DNA, ITS2) of the nuclear rDNA and a portion of theβ‐tubulin gene. In phylogenetic analyses most isolates from pine, spruce and larch formed a distinct clade, representing the P group ofS. conigenus, which was separated from the T group of this pathogen. Four isolates fromPiceain Europe and Canada formed a third clade withinS. conigenusand these isolates are referred to as the S group. The P group consisted of five distinct ITS haplotypes, which partly differed in their optimum growth temperature and their growth rates at 25°C on malt extract agar. Nested clade analysis resolved the five haplotypes into three distinct clades and revealed significant genetic/geographic associations for some of the haplotypes. Parsimony analysis of the small subunit (18S) ribosomal DNA sequences confirmed the phylogenetic affinities betweenS. conigenusandS. clavigignenti‐juglandacearum. In contrast,Godronia cassandraeandHormococcus conorum, which formerly had been placed in the genusSirococcus, were found to be only distantly related toS. conigenusandS. clavigignenti‐juglandacearum.
Sirococcus shoot blight onPicea spinulosain Bhutan
Authors: Kirisits T. , Konrad H. , Halmschlager E. , Stauffer C. , Wingfield M. J. , Chhetri D. B. 
Published: January 2007

SummaryDuring a recent survey of forest tree diseases in Western and Central Bhutan, Sirococcus shoot blight and an associatedSirococcussp. were found on saplings and mature trees of Eastern Himalayan spruce (Picea spinulosa). Based on morphological characteristics and DNA sequence comparisons of the ITS region of the rDNA operon, representative isolates from Bhutan were unequivocally identified asSirococcus conigenus. The DNA sequence data also showed that these isolates belong to the P group ofS. conigenus. To our best knowledge, this is the first report of Sirococcus shoot blight from the Himalayas or any other part of Asia.Sirococcus conigenusdoes not appear to cause dramatic damage at the moment, but this fungus has the potential to cause severe disease problems onP. spinulosain Bhutan.
Spatial distribution and persistence of Heterobasidion parviporum genets on a Norway spruce site
Authors: Piri T. , Korhonen K. 
Published: January 2007

SummarySpatial distribution of Heterobasidion genets over a period of ca 50 years in two successive generations of Norway spruce (Picea abies) was unravelled. The genets were first identified in 1993 in a naturally regenerated 43‐year‐old spruce stand that had been thinned the previous winter. Heterobasidion parviporum was found in 17.5% of the old stumps of the previous spruce generation. Nine genets were identified on the study plot; seven of them were present in old stumps of the previous tree generation and two only in the new spruce generation. Eighteen spruce trees of the new generation were infected, 15 of them by vegetative growth of genets originating from the old stumps. The study plot was investigated again in 2005. No new genets had been established after thinning, and three old genets had died out. The remaining genets had infected five new trees, most likely from the thinning stumps of diseased trees. At the age of 56 years, 16.1% of the residual spruces were infected by Heterobasidion. The results of this study suggest that if spore infection to stumps of spruce can be prevented, the decay frequency caused by H. parviporum will not necessarily increase in successive generations.
Cultural and communication awareness for general practice registrars who are international medical graduates: A project of CoastCityCountry Training
Authors: Duncan Geraldine F. , Gilbey David 
Published: January 2007

AbstractObjective:  (1) To generate discussion about Australian culture and language with GP registrars using the medium of poetry; and (2) to introduce discussion about language and communication skills in a role‐play format that GP registrars would embrace as part of their clinical training. Design:  (1) A variety of Australian poems was selected to reflect six themes: men, women, the Bush, ANZACS, Aboriginal Australia and migrants, which would provide a basis for discussion on a range of cultural issues to aid a medical professional trained overseas in developing further understanding of aspects of Australian culture. (2) A series of role plays was developed to reflect the clinical themes of each Day Release education program. These were enacted in a small group setting by preselected GP registrars with feedback from a medical educator and an English as a Second Language teacher. Setting:  The Riverina/Murrumbidgee area of New South Wales, one of the three local training groups of CoastCityCountryTraining. Participants:  GP registrars attached to the Riverina/Murrumbidgee Local Training Group. Main outcome measures:  To show that discussion of poetry and participation in role plays are active language‐ and cultural‐learning environments capable of enhancing understanding of a range of issues about Australia that are relevant to a GP registrar. Results:  There was increased participation by GP registrars in accessing the set material prior to each session. It was noted that there was also increased active involvement of all registrars in discussion within the group throughout the year. Discussion allowed clarification of aspects of Australian culture to participants with different international medical backgrounds, as well as providing an opportunity for GP registrars to share their own experiences.
Deletion analyses of SMN1 and NAIP genes in Malaysian spinal muscular atrophy patients
Authors: WATIHAYATI MOHD S. , ZABIDI‐HUSSIN AZHAR M.H. , TANG THEAN H. , MATSUO MASAFUMI , NISHIO HISAHIDE 
Published: January 2007

AbstractBackground: The survival motor neuron 1 (SMN1) gene has been recognized to be responsible for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) because it is homozygously deleted in more than 90% of SMA patients, irrespective of their clinical severity, whereas the neuronal apoptosis inhibitory protein (NAIP) gene is now considered to be a modifying factor of the severity of SMA. In Malaysia, it remains to be elucidated whether deletion of the SMN1 gene is also a main cause of SMA or whether deletion of the NAIP gene is found in the SMA patients.Methods: To clarify the pathogenesis of SMA in Malaysia, a deletion analysis of the SMN1 and NAIP genes was performed in 24 Malaysian SMA patients. Deletion analysis of exons 7 and 8 of the SMN1 gene was performed according to the method described by van der Steege et al., while deletion analysis of exon 5 of the NAIP gene was performed according to a method described by Roy et al.Results: Homozygous deletion of SMN1 exon 7 and exon 8 were identified in 19 out of 24 patients (79%). As to the NAIP gene, deletion of exon 5 was detected in six out of 24 patients (25%). NAIP gene deletion was correlated with severity of the disease.Conclusions: Deletion of the SMN1 exon 7 is a major cause of SMA in Malaysia, and NAIP gene deletions are not rare in type I SMA in Malaysia. The lower percentage of the SMN1 gene deletion may be due to the possibility that the present study included some patients without SMN1 gene abnormality and/or some patients with non‐deletion type mutations in the SMN1 gene.
Low‐level chronic mercury exposure in children and adolescents: Meta‐analysis
Authors: NG DANIEL KWOK‐KEUNG , CHAN CHUNG‐HONG , SOO MAN‐TING , LEE ROBERT SHING‐YAN 
Published: January 2007

AbstractBackground:  Mercury is a well‐known neurotoxin. There are three kinds of mercury exposure: elemental mercury poisoning, inorganic mercury poisoning and organomercury poisoning. Organomercury is the most toxic. Twenty‐four hour urine for mercury and blood mercury are the gold standards for diagnosis of mercury poisoning, including low‐level chronic mercury exposure. Other tests for mercury level are discussed. The purpose of the present paper was to review recent data on the nature, pathophysiology, pharmacokinetics, diagnostic methods, treatment and the linkage to neurodevelopmental disabilities of mercury exposure in children.Methods:  A literature search was undertaken of MEDLINE (1980–2003), and American Academy of Pediatrics, American Medical Association, American Dental Association, World Health Organization and Center for Disease Control websites. The search string ‘mercury’ was used in MEDLINE and articles were selected as appropriate by two independent reviewers. All relevant information was reviewed and data were extracted by two independent reviewers.Results:  Based on the meta‐analysis of the accuracy of hair mercury, hair mercury levels correlated with mercury level in blood (sample size weighted correlation coefficient,  = 0.61), with 24 h urine (  = 0.46) and with cord blood (  = 0.64). However, the correlation for hair mercury level with 24 h urine level and blood level was not high enough to replace them in clinical decision‐making of individual patient. Epidemiological evidence has shown that low‐level mercury poisoning is not a cause of autism (relative risk = 0.49, 95%CI = 0.36–0.66). The risk of neurodevelopmental disabilities from low‐level exposure to methylmercury from the regular consumption of fish is still controversial even after combining results from different epidemiological studies worldwide. There is a lack of data in the literature about the effect of chelation therapy in children with neurodevelopmental disabilities.Conclusion:  Mercury poisoning should be diagnosed only with validated methods. There is no evidence to support the association between mercury poisoning and autism.
A Pseudomonas putida cardiolipin synthesis mutant exhibits increased sensitivity to drugs related to transport functionality
Authors: Bernal Patricia , Muñoz‐Rojas Jesús , Hurtado Ana , Ramos Juan L. , Segura Ana 
Published: January 2007

SummaryBiological membranes have evolved different mechanisms to modify their composition in response to chemical stimuli in a process called ‘homeoviscous adaptation’. Among these mechanisms, modifications in the ratio of saturated/unsaturated fatty acids and in cis/trans fatty acid isomers, cyclopropanation and changes in the phospholipids head group composition have been observed. To further understand the role of phospholipid head groups in solvent stress adaptation, we knocked out the cls (cardiolipin synthase) gene in Pseudomonas putida DOT‐T1E. As expected, cls mutant membranes contained less cardiolipin than those of the wild‐type strain. Although no significant growth rate defect was observed in the cls mutant compared with the wild‐type strain, mutant cells were significantly smaller than the wild‐type cells. The cls mutant was more sensitive to toluene shocks and to several antibiotics than the parental strain, suggesting either that the RND efflux pumps involved in the extrusion of these drugs were not working efficiently or that membrane permeability was altered in the mutant. Membranes of the cls mutant strain seemed to be more rigid than those of the parental strain, as observed by measurements of fluorescence polarization using the DPH probe, which intercalates into the membranes. Ethidium bromide is pumped out in Pseudomonas putida by at least one RND efflux pump involved in antibiotic and solvent resistance, and the higher rate of accumulation of ethidium bromide inside mutant cells indicated that functioning of the efflux pumps was compromised as a consequence of the alteration in phospholipid head group composition.
Molecular phylogeny of fig wasp pollinators (Agaonidae, Hymenoptera) of Ficus section Galoglychia
Authors: Erasmus J. Christoff , Van Noort Simon , Jousselin Emmanuelle , Greeff Jaco M. 
Published: January 2007

The obligate mutualism between fig trees and their fig wasp pollinators, together with the general tendency for each host species to be pollinated by one fig wasp species, led to the hypothesis that these two lineages have cospeciated. The pollinators of African figs of section Galoglychia form a diverse group of genera whose species seem to be less constrained to a specific host than other pollinating fig wasp genera. Various authors have suggested remarkably different phylogenetic relationships between the seven genera associated with section Galoglychia. These uncertainties concerning the classification make it difficult to understand the historical patterns of association between these wasps and their hosts. The phylogenetic tree for the pollinators was reconstructed with 28S, COI and ITS2 DNA sequence data and compared with morphological classification of the hosts. Pollinator genera were monophyletic in all analyses. However, the relative position of some genera remains unresolved. Investigation of host−fig association suggests that there have been frequent host jumps between host subsections. This indicates that cospeciation between fig trees and fig wasps is not as stringent as previously assumed. In addition, pollinators of the genus Alfonsiella associated with three host figs (Ficus craterostoma, F. stuhlmannii and F. petersii) are morphologically very similar in South Africa. We investigated the possibility that these pollinators form a complex of species with host‐based genetic differentiation. Molecular analyses supported the distinction of the pollinator of F. craterostoma as a good species, but the pollinators of F. stuhlmannii and F. petersii clustered within the same clade, suggesting that these two host species share a single pollinator, Alfonsiella binghami. Based on both molecular data and morphological re‐evaluation, a new Alfonsiella species is described, Alfonsiella pipithiensis sp. nov., which is the pollinator of F. craterostoma in southern Africa. A key to both females and males of all described species of Alfonsiella is provided.