bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Laparoscopic versus open colposuspension—results of a prospective randomised controlled trial
Authors: Kitchener HC , Dunn G , Lawton V , Reid F , Nelson L , Smith ARB 
Published: August 2006

Objective  To compare the effectiveness and cost effectiveness of open and laparoscopic colposuspension in the treatment of stress urinary incontinence.Design  A randomised controlled trial. Women were randomised between March 1999 and February 2002 and were seen for assessment at 6, 12 and 24 months, postoperatively.Setting  Women were recruited from six gynaecology units in the UK.Population  Women with proven stress urinary incontinence requiring surgery.Methods  Open abdominal retropubic colposuspension or laparoscopic colposuspension.Main outcome measures  Primary outcomes were subjective (satisfaction with outcome) and objective (negative 1‐hour pad test). Secondary outcomes were operative and postoperative morbidity and quality of life. The study was powered to demonstrate noninferiority, i.e. that the absolute cure rate of laparoscopic colposuspension was no more than 15% below that of open colposuspension.Results  A total of 291 women were randomised, with 24‐month data on subjective and objective outcomes in 88 and 82.5%, respectively. The intention‐to‐treat analysis indicated no significant difference in cure rates between open and laparoscopic surgery. The objective cure rates for open and laparoscopic were 70.1 and 79.7%, respectively. Subjective cure rates by satisfaction were lower than objective cure; 54.6 and 54.9%, respectively, and there was considerable nonconcordance both ways.Conclusions  Laparoscopic colposuspension is not inferior to open colposuspension in terms of curing stress urinary incontinence.
Cost‐effectiveness analysis of open colposuspension versus laparoscopic colposuspension in the treatment of urodynamic stress incontinence
Authors: Dumville JC , Manca A , Kitchener HC , Smith ARB , Nelson L , Torgerson DJ 
Published: August 2006

Objectives  To compare the cost effectiveness of laparoscopic versus open colposuspension for the treatment of female urinary stress incontinence.Design  Cost utility analysis alongside a randomised controlled trial.Setting  Six gynaecological surgical centres within the UK.Population/Sample  Women with proven stress urinary incontinence requiring surgery.Methods  Open abdominal retropubic colposuspension or laparoscopic colposuspension carried out by experienced surgeons.Main outcome measures  Cost, measured in pounds sterling and generic health‐related quality of life, measured using the EQ‐5D. The latter was used to estimate patient‐specific quality‐adjusted life years (QALYs).Results  Healthcare resource use over 6‐month follow up translated into costs of £1805 for the laparoscopic arm and £1433 for the open arm (differential mean cost £372; 95% credibility interval [CrI]: 274–471). At 6 months, QALYs were slightly higher in the laparoscopic arm relative to the open arm (0.005; 95% CrI: −0.012 to 0.023). Therefore, the cost of each extra QALY in the laparoscopic group (the incremental cost‐effectiveness ratio [ICER]) was £74,400 at 6 months. At 24 months, the laparoscopic arm again had a higher mean QALY score compared to the open surgery group. Thus, assuming that beyond 6 months the laparoscopic colposuspension would not lead to any significant additional costs compared with open colposuspension, the ICER was reduced to £9300 at 24 months. Extensive sensitivity analyses were carried out to test assumptions made in the base case scenario.Conclusions  Laparoscopic colposuspension is not cost effective when compared with open colposuspension during the first 6 months following surgery, but it may be cost effective over 24 months.
Laparoscopic versus open Burch colposuspension: a randomised controlled trial
Authors: Carey MP , Goh JT , Rosamilia A , Cornish A , Gordon I , Hawthorne G , Maher CF , Dwyer PL , Moran P , Gilmour DT 
Published: August 2006

Objective  To compare perioperative characteristics, short‐term, and long‐term outcomes for laparoscopic Burch colposuspension (LBC) and open Burch colposuspension (OBC) for the treatment of urinary stress incontinence.Design  Randomised surgical trial with single blinding.Setting  Three tertiary level teaching hospitals involving seven surgeons of varying skill levels.Population  Two hundred women with urodynamic stress incontinence (USI).Methods  The two groups were treated in identical fashion, except for the laparoscopic or open approach to surgery. Attempts were made to blind the subjects and the observers obtaining outcome data to treatment group. Analyses were adjusted for surgeon experience.Main outcome measures  Absence of USI 6 months following surgery, postoperative pain, time spent in hospital, and time to return to activities of normal daily living.Results  There were no significant differences in objective and subjective measures of cure and in patient satisfaction at 6 months, 24 months, or 3–5 years of follow up between laparoscopic and open colposuspension groups. Laparoscopic colposuspension took longer time to perform (87 versus 42 minutes, P < 0.0001) but was associated with less blood loss (P= 0.03), less pain (P= 0.02), and quicker return to normal activities (P= 0.01).Conclusion  LBC has significant advantages over traditional OBC, without any apparent compromise in short‐term and long‐term outcomes.
Molecular characterization of microbial communities in fault‐bordered aquifers in the Miocene formation of northernmost Japan
Authors: SHIMIZU S. , AKIYAMA M. , ISHIJIMA Y. , HAMA K. , KUNIMARU T. , NAGANUMA T. 
Published: August 2006

ABSTRACTWe investigated the diversity and distribution of archaeal and bacterial 16S rRNA gene sequences in deep aquifers of mid‐ to late Miocene hard shale located in the northernmost region of the Japanese archipelago. A major fault in the north‐west–south‐east (NW–SE) direction runs across the studied area. We collected three groundwater samples from boreholes on the south‐west (SW) side of the fault at depths of 296, 374 and 625 m below ground level (m.b.g.l.) and one sample from the north‐east (NE) side of the fault at a depth of 458 m.b.g.l. The groundwater samples were observed to be neutral and weakly saline. The total microbial counts after staining with acridine orange were in the order 105−106 cells mL−1 and 103 cells mL−1 in the aquifers to the SW and to the NE of the fault, respectively. A total of 407 archaeal and bacterial 16S rRNA gene sequences (204 and 203 sequences, respectively) were determined for clone libraries constructed from all groundwater samples. Phylogenetic analyses showed that the libraries constructed from the SW aquifers were generally coherent but considerably different from those constructed from the NE aquifer. All of the archaeal clone libraries from the SW aquifers were predominated by a single sequence closely related to the archaeon Methanoculleus chikugoensis, and the corresponding bacterial libraries were mostly predominated by the sequences related to Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes and δ‐Proteobacteria. In contrast, the libraries from the NE aquifer were dominated by uncultured environmental archaeal clones with no methanogen sequences and by β‐proteobacterial clones with no sequences related to Bacteroidetes and δ‐Proteobacteria. Hence, the possible coexistence of methanogens and sulphate reducers in Horonobe deep borehole (HDB) on the SW side is suggested, particularly in HDB‐6 (374 m.b.g.l.). Moreover, these organisms might play an important geochemical role in the groundwater obtained from the aquifers.
Analysis of distributed genetic algorithms for solving cutting problems
Authors: Salto Carolina , Alba Enrique , Molina Juan M. 
Published: August 2006

AbstractIn this paper, a solution to the three‐stage two‐dimensional cutting problem is presented by using sequential and parallel genetic algorithms (GAs). More specifically, an analysis of including distributed population ideas and parallelism in the basic GA are carried out to solve the problem more accurately and efficiently than with ordinary sequential techniques. Publicly available test problems have been used to illustrate the computational performance of the resulting metaheuristics. Experimental evidence in this work will show that the proposed algorithms outperform their sequential counterparts in time (high speedup with multiprocessors) and numerically (lower number of visited points during the search to find the solutions).
Optimizing transportation and storage of final products in the sugar and ethanol industry: a case study
Authors: Kawamura M. S. , Ronconi D. P. , Yoshizaki H. 
Published: August 2006

AbstractCOPERSUCAR Ltda (the acronym for the Sugarcane and Ethanol Producers' Cooperative in São Paulo state) is a Brazilian cooperative of sugarcane producers and the largest sugar and ethanol manufacturer in Brazil, producing 4.4 million metric tons of sugar and 2.7 billion liters of ethanol. The cooperative is composed of 34 sugar mills with centralized sales and marketing. This organization establishes the amount of each product that will be manufactured in each mill to reduce total transportation and storage costs and, consequently, increase overall gain. Critical aspects of this problem are seasonal production and, therefore, the need to store final products to meet demand during the off‐season period. This study focuses on the application of a multi‐period linear programming model that provides optimal assignment of production, transportation, and storage of final products subject to manufacturing and flow capacity constraints. The expected annual benefits of implementing the proposed solution are 3.3 million dollars. In addition, a sensitivity analysis was carried out to investigate the possibility of increasing the capacity of the installed mills.
Saxon or European? Interpreting and Reinterpreting St Boniface
Authors: Palmer James 
Published: August 2006

AbstractSt Boniface (c.680–754) has been called one of the ‘founders of Christian Europe’ for his wide‐ranging influence on religion, politics and culture in the early Middle Ages. This Anglo‐Saxon was a missionary in Frisia, reformer in Germany, promoted papal authority, and supported the Carolingian seizure of royal power in Frankia in 751. Yet the precise significance of his achievements has always been subject to interpretation, invention and challenge. This essay explores some of the medieval and modern attitudes to Boniface, examining how and why representations of the saint remain varied and open to change. In particular it asks why the commemoration of St Boniface was divorced from the conversion of Saxony – a task he as an Anglo‐Saxon had actively promoted – and instead became a matter of European meaning.
U.S. Genetics Nurses in Advanced Practice
Authors: Lea Dale Halsey , Williams Janet K. , Cooksey Judith A. , Flanagan Patricia A. , Forte Gaetano , Blitzer Miriam G. 
Published: August 2006

Purpose: To describe characteristics and professional roles of genetics nurses in advanced practice.
Design: A cross‐sectional descriptive survey administered in 2004 as one component of a comprehensive study of genetic services and the health workforce. The sample was 211 U.S. members of the International Society of Nurses in Genetics.
Methods: The survey included demographic characteristics, education, credentials, professional roles, and attitudes about genetic healthcare issues.
Findings: The majority of respondents had master's degrees and many had earned doctorates in nursing (20%) or other fields (12%). Thirty‐one percent were certified as nurse practitioners; 57% provided direct patient care, with the largest percentage working in genetics (26%) or oncology (22%) settings. Over one‐third were educators and 19% conducted genome‐related research.
Conclusions: Genetics nurses in advanced practice in the US focus on both genomic discoveries and clinical health care through the application of genomic knowledge into health care, research, and nursing education.
Social Processes Used by African American Women in Making Decisions About Mammography Screening
Authors: Fowler Barbara Ann 
Published: August 2006

Purpose: To describe the social processes used by African American (AA) women ages ≥50 years in making decisions about mammography screening.
Design: Grounded theory methodology.
Methods: Tape‐recorded interviews with a researcher‐designed, semi‐structured interview guide with an initial and theoretical sample of 30 AA women ages 52 to 71 of diverse socioeconomic status. Interviews occurred in various settings such as the church rectory, women's homes, and work settings. Extensive written field notes and tapes were transcribed verbatim immediately after the interviews by an experienced transcriptionist.
Findings: The women's decisions about mammography screening were associated with five social processes: (a) acknowledging prior experiences with healthcare providers and systems; (b) reporting fears and fatalistic beliefs of breast cancer and related treatment; (c) valuing the opinions of significant others; (d) relying on religious beliefs and supports; and (e) caregiving responsibilities of significant others. The processes were further differentiated by three distinct decision‐making styles: taking charge, enduring, and protesting.
Conclusions: Each of the social processes was reported equally and emphasized by the diverse sample of AA women in decisions related to mammography screening. Mammography screening decisions were heavily influenced by caregiving responsibilities. Further research is needed to explain and understand this social process on the health and well‐being of AA women over time.
The Experiences of Midlife Women With Migraines
Authors: Moloney Margaret F. , Strickland Ora L. , DeRossett Sarah E. , Melby Melissa K. , Dietrich Alexa S. 
Published: August 2006

Purpose: To describe the experiences of midlife women with migraines.
Design and Methods: Qualitative data were collected in two consecutive studies, using open‐ended interviews, focus groups, and online discussion boards. Interpretive methods were used for analysis.
Findings: Three patterns were identified: Changing Headache Patterns; Predicting, Preventing, and Controlling Headaches; and Keeping on the Move. These patterns indicated how women's headaches changed over time, how headaches were envisioned within the context of their lives, what strategies were used to meet work and home responsibilities, and how women controlled their headaches while maintaining a sense of perspective.
Conclusions: Many midlife women with migraines receive inadequate or inappropriate treatment, and better dissemination of current diagnostic and treatment guidelines is necessary. Ongoing research is needed to increase understanding of how this problem affects midlife women's lives and of what interventions might prevent or alleviate migraine discomfort.
Correlates of Sexual Abstinence Among Adolescent Virgins Dating Steady Boyfriends in Taiwan
Authors: Wang Ruey‐Hsia , Hsu Hsiu‐Yueh 
Published: August 2006

Purposes: (a) To examine the relations among processes of change, decisional balance, self‐efficacy, perceptions of personal power, and relationship power to stage of change (SOC) for sexual abstinence behavior, and (b) to identify the important explanatory factors of SOC for sexual abstinence among adolescent virgins who were dating steady boyfriends.
Design: A cross‐sectional survey. Female adolescents (N=500) who were dating steady boyfriends and had not had sexual experience in the past were selected.
Methods: An anonymous, self‐administered questionnaire was used with parts concerning: age, processes of change for sexual abstinence, decisional balance for sexual abstinence, self‐efficacy for sexual abstinence, perceptions of personal power, perceptions of relationship power, and SOC for sexual abstinence.
Findings: Processes of change, decisional balance, self‐efficacy, perceptions of personal power, and relationship power differed across the SOC for sexual abstinence. Stepwise logistic regression showed higher self‐efficacy for sexual abstinence, higher decisional balance for sexual abstinence, and lower age increased the probability of being in the definite group (preparation and action stage). In the final regression model 77.3% of the participants were correctly classified.
Conclusions: This information about SOC for sexual abstinence can be used by health professionals for intervention strategies for adolescent girls who were dating steady boyfriends.
Registered Nurses' Willingness to Serve Populations on the Periphery of Society
Authors: Maze Claire D. Martino 
Published: August 2006

Purpose: To (a) determine the relative combined contributions of age, highest level of education, gender, and nursing certification on registered nurses' values, and (b) to identify the relative combined contributions of age, highest level of education, gender, nursing certification, and values on registered nurses' willingness to serve underserved and disenfranchised populations.
Design: Survey.
Methods: Web‐based anonymous survey containing the AACN Values Questionnaire—Nurse, the Willingness to Serve the Underserved and Disenfranchised Scale, and a demographic questionnaire were used to assess the meaning that participants attach to seven values; the willingness of participants to care for members of diverse groups; and participant demographic information. Data analysis was accomplished using regression analyses with a convenience sample of 128.
Findings: Age and highest level of education showed significant combined contributions to the values scores; however, these variables, including values, were not significant in predicting nurses' willingness to serve underserved and disenfranchised populations.
Conclusions: Demographic characteristics (age and level of education) showed limited influence on values, but no variables included in this study were significantly associated with registered nurses' willingness to serve populations on the periphery of society.
Iris microhaemangiomas and idiopathic juxtafoveolar retinal telangiectasis
Authors: Bakke Espen F. , Drolsum Liv 
Published: August 2006

Abstract.We describe a case of iris microhaemangiomas (iris vascular tufts) causing spontaneous hyphaema and where examination showed that the patient also had idiopathic juxtafoveolar retinal telangiectasis. A systematic search through PubMed, EMBASE and reference lists revealed a total of 90 reported cases of iris microhaemangiomas. To our knowledge, no previous reports have described concurrent findings of iris microhaemangiomas and idiopathic juxtafoveolar retinal telangiectasis in a patient. Both conditions are acquired vascular diseases, but their pathogenesis and aetiologies are unknown. Iris microhaemangiomas are important clinically because they are occasionally a cause of spontaneous hyphaema and may induce transient elevation of intraocular pressure.
Adoptive Transfer of Paternal Antigen‐Hyporesponsive T Cells Facilitates a Th2 Bias in Peripheral Lymphocytes and at Materno‐Fetal Interface in Murine Abortion‐prone Matings
Authors: Jin Li‐Ping , Zhou Yue‐Hua , Zhu Xiao‐Yong , Wang Ming‐Yan , Li Da‐Jin 
Published: August 2006

Problem  To investigate the Th1/Th2 cytokine changes in abortion‐prone recipient mice adoptively transferred by the paternal antigen‐hyporesponsive T cells.Method of study  The paternal antigen‐hyporesponsive T cells were generated by the anti‐B7 monoclonal antibody (mAb) treatment and adoptively transferred into pregnant CBA/J mice of abortion‐prone matings on day 4 of gestation. The intracellular expressions of Th1 cell‐derived cytokine, tumor necrosis factor‐α, γ‐interferon and interleukin‐2 (IL‐2) and Th2 cell‐derived cytokine, IL‐4 and IL‐10 in the maternal spleen were analyzed by flow cytometry, and secretions of the Th1 and Th2 cytokines in supernatant of the feto‐placental unit culture were analyzed by an enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay.Results  Our findings showed the increased secretion of Th1 cytokines and the decreased secretion of Th2 cytokines in abortion‐prone matings. Treatment with anti‐B7 mAbs on day 4 of gestation enhanced Th2 and reduced Th1 cytokine production in abortion‐prone matings. Similarly, adoptive transfer of paternal antigen‐hyporesponsive T cells induced maternal tolerance to the fetus and displayed a Th2 bias both in the peripheral lymphocytes and at the materno‐fetal interface of the abortion‐prone matings.Conclusions  These findings indicate that the Th2 cytokine bias and an increase in fetal viability induced by the anti‐B7 mAb treatment can be transferred to other pregnant mice of the abortion‐prone matings.
Application of magnetic resonance imaging movie to assess articulatory movement
Authors: Inoue MS , Ono T , Honda E , Kurabayashi T , Ohyama K 
Published: August 2006

Structured AbstractAuthors –  Inoue MS, Ono T, Honda E, Kurabayashi T, Ohyama KObjective –  To introduce the technique of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) movie and to propose its feasibility for investigating articulatory movement.Subjects –  Five healthy adult females participated in the study.Methods –  Dynamic changes in oropharyngeal structures were assessed with MRI movie during the articulation of a bilabial consonant.Results –  Movements of the velum and tongue at a time resolution of 30 ms were complex at the tip of the tongue and the anterior part of the velum. These movements that were seen with a time resolution of 30 ms could not be interpolated or in any way derived from the results obtained with a time resolution of 120 ms.Conclusion –  The results suggest that MRI movie may be useful in the evaluation of articulation. It is important to reduce the time resolution to 30 ms to obtain images of articulators.
Growth factor effects on passaged TMJ disk cells in monolayer and pellet cultures
Authors: Allen KD , Athanasiou KA 
Published: August 2006

Structured AbstractAuthors –  Allen KD, Athanasiou KAObjectives –  Previously, we demonstrated rapid changes in temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disk gene expression during monolayer expansion. This study's objective was to investigate the ability of pellet culture and growth factors to rescue TMJ disk gene expression changes.Design –  Temporomandibular joint disk cells were isolated from mature porcine tissue and passaged up to five times. At each passage, 300 000 cells were placed in a monolayer or pellet culture environment before being exposed to transforming growth factor‐beta 3 (TGF‐β3) (5 ng/ml), TGF‐β1 (5 ng/ml), and insulin‐like growth factor I (IGF‐I) (10 ng/ml).Outcome Measure –  After 24 h, gene expression was analyzed via reverse transcriptase‐polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR).Results –  Pelleting was detrimental to TMJ disk gene expression, marked by gene expression decreases in collagen type I (5.5‐fold), aggrecan (1.4‐fold), decorin (0.73‐fold), and biglycan (0.73‐fold) relative to monolayer cultures. IGF‐I, TGF‐β1, and TGF‐β3 demonstrated limited ability to rescue TMJ disk gene expression in the pellet culture. In monolayer, TGF‐β3 and TGF‐β1 increased decorin and biglycan gene expression relative to passaged controls. Collagen type I expression, the TMJ disk's primary matrix constituent, was highest in TGF‐β3 cultures; however, differences were not statistically significant.Conclusion –  These results indicate that pellet cultures are a poor choice for TMJ disk tissue engineering, and the effects of TGF‐β1, TGF‐β3, and IGF‐I on TMJ disk gene expression are minimal relative to passaging and pelleting effects.