bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
FUNCTIONAL OUTCOMES FOLLOWING TOTAL LARYNGOPHARYNGECTOMY
Authors: Iseli Tim A. , Agar Nicholas J. M. , Dunemann Catherine , Lyons Bernard M. 
Published: October 2007

Background:  Despite increasing use of laryngeal preserving protocols, laryngopharyngectomy remains the gold standard treatment for locally advanced hypopharyngeal and upper oesophageal tumours and for salvage following failed chemoradiotherapy. Nevertheless, improved perioperative medical care and experience in reconstruction have reduced mortality and improved functional outcomes.Methods:  All patients undergoing total laryngopharyngectomy between July 2001 and July 2006 were prospectively recorded in a head and neck database. Demographics and functional outcomes were recorded.Results:  Eighteen patients underwent laryngopharyngectomies with 5 having failed chemoradiotherapy and 13 presented with locally advanced tumours. Patients were reconstructed using free jejunal interposition if the lower anastomosis was in the neck (50%). They developed early fistulas (33%), late strictures (33%) and 44% spoke with a tracheo‐oesophageal puncture, the rest with an electrolarynx. If the lower anastomosis was below the manubrium, patients required a gastric pull‐up (38.9%). Gastric pull‐up patients had fewer fistulas but more number of chest complications. More gastric pull‐up patients tolerated solid diet and 43% managed oesophageal speech, the remainder using an electrolarynx. Overall, 88.9% of jejunums and 100% of gastric pull‐ups tolerated oral alimentation and 100% used verbal communication. During a mean follow up of 34 months, 7 patients (38.9%) died; four patients died of local recurrence, two of distant metastases and one of unrelated causes.Conclusion:  Surgical treatment of neoplasms of the hypopharynx and cervical oesophagus is technically demanding and involves careful postoperative care to manage complications. Despite having a poor tumour‐related prognosis, laryngopharyngectomy may be carried out in selected patients with low mortality and acceptable functional and survival results.
PATHOLOGY REPORTING OF RESECTED COLORECTAL CANCERS IN NEW SOUTH WALES IN 2000
Authors: Chapuis Pierre H. , Chan Charles , Lin Betty P. C. , Armstrong Katie , Armstrong Bruce , Spigelman Allan D. , O’Connell Dianne , Leong David , Dent Owen F. 
Published: October 2007

Background:  The aim of this study was to determine the extent to which pathology reporting of colorectal cancers notified to the New South Wales Central Cancer Registry during 2000 conformed to guidelines promulgated by the National Health and Medical Research Council.Methods:  De‐identified reports for 2233 resected specimens of primary invasive colorectal carcinoma were coded according to a standardized system to compile information on 28 clinical and pathology features. An overall score for each report was calculated by computing the number out of 13 essential features specified in the guidelines for which data had been recorded explicitly and unambiguously in the report.Results:  The overall score ranged from 3 to 13 features with a mean of 9. No more than 7 features were reported explicitly in just less than one quarter of the reports and no more than 10 in three quarters. There were only 110 reports (4.9%) that included all features. Information on direct spread and nodal metastasis was well reported; resection margins less so. Many reports lacked information on metastases beyond the operative field, the involvement of deep or circumferential resection margins and tumour stage.Conclusion:  In some respects pathology reports of resected colorectal cancer specimens displayed a high level of completeness. Some important features, however, were poorly described. Reporting could be improved if surgeons were to use a standardized form to convey clinical information to the pathologist and if pathologists were to report in a structured or synoptic format, explicitly recording the presence or absence of each feature in a standard list.
FRACTIONAL LENGTHENING OF FOREARM EXTENSORS FOR RESISTANT LATERAL EPICONDYLITIS
Authors: Wang Allan W. , Erak Sani 
Published: October 2007

Background:  This study presents the surgical technique of fractional lengthening of extensor carpi radialis brevis, extensor digitorum communis and the superficial head of supinator, for chronic lateral epicondylitis. The anatomical basis for this surgical approach is reviewed. The results of surgical treatment in a consecutive series of patients with severe chronic lateral epicondylitis are reviewed.Methods:  Twenty‐one elbows in 17 subjects underwent surgery. All elbows had severe resistant symptoms, unresponsive to a minimum 6 months (mean 14 months) of a non‐operative treatment protocol. All elbows showed either tendonopathy or a partial tear in the common extensor tendon origin at preoperative imaging.Results:  All subjects were examined at a minimum of 1 year after surgery. The mean visual analogue pain (VAS) score reduced from 7.6 (maximum 10) preoperatively to 1.3 postoperatively (P < 0.01). The mean preoperative ability to carry out normal work duties reduced from 4.3 (maximum 5) preoperatively to 1.5 postoperatively (P < 0.01). Grip strength improved or remained equivalent following surgery. The mean VAS for patient satisfaction with surgery was 8.8 (maximum score 10). Using the Roles and Maudsley classification, 14 patients (82%) were rated good or excellent. Three subjects were rated fair or poor, were undergoing treatment for other pathology in the ipsilateral extremity and had ongoing compensation claims.Conclusion:  Fractional lengthening of forearm extensors is effective treatment for severe and chronic lateral epicondylitis. Outcomes following fractional lengthening surgery are less predictable when other pathology in the upper extremity requires concomitant treatment.
THE IMPACT OF SYNOPTIC CYTOLOGY REPORTING ON FINE‐NEEDLE ASPIRATION CYTOLOGY OF THYROID NODULES
Authors: Tsan Cyril J. L. , Serpell Jonathan W. , Poh Yeo Y. 
Published: October 2007

Background:  Fine‐needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) is integral to the diagnosis and management of patients with thyroid nodules. We introduced synoptic cytology reporting for thyroid nodules in 2004. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of synoptic cytology reporting in our institution.Methods:  A comparative study of two 2‐year periods (1 August 2002 to 1 August 2004 and 2 August 2004 to 2 August 2006) before and after the introduction of synoptic reporting was conducted from a prospectively collected database of patients presented with thyroid nodules. The only change during these periods was the format of FNAC reporting. We used the same radiological practice and cytopathology service throughout the study period. All patients are still being followed up.Results:  There were a total of 660 patients. Of these, 376 were operated and 284 non‐operated. The female to male ratio was 7:1. Comparing the two periods, the overall FNAC sensitivities were 60% versus 79.1%; specificities, 83.7% versus 79.4%; accuracy, 76% versus 79.3%; false‐positive result, 16.3% versus 20.6% and false‐negative result, 40% versus 20.9%. The non‐diagnostic rates were 7.4% versus 3.15%. FNAC prompted surgery in 66.7% versus 100% in carcinoma and 56.4% versus 73.6% in adenoma. A benign FNAC prompted surgery in 15% versus 19.8% of cases. There was no thyroid cancer detected in the current follow up.Conclusions:  Synoptic cytology reporting has resulted in an overall improvement in all measures of the tests. It is a simple and effective tool to use. Synoptic cytology reporting is therefore recommended for all endocrine surgical units.
COLORECTAL CANCER MANAGEMENT IN THE PROVINCIAL NEW ZEALAND SETTING OF NELSON
Authors: O’Grady Gregory , Secker Adrian 
Published: October 2007

Background:  Colorectal cancer surgery, and rectal surgery in particular, has benefited from increased regionalization and subspecialization. With increasing focus on dedicated colorectal units in tertiary centres, the role of smaller provincial hospitals in colorectal cancer surgery has been of topical interest. Little data of relevance to this issue are available from provincial centres in New Zealand. The present study determines the workload and outcomes of a general surgeon with a colorectal subspecialty interest operating in the provincial New Zealand setting of Nelson.Methods:  A retrospective review of consecutive case notes was conducted for the period January 2000 to December 2004, including all colorectal cancer patients managed by the relevant surgeon. The complete management pathway was evaluated.Results:  One hundred and fifty colorectal cancers were managed; 133 operations were conducted, including 41 anterior resections and 13 abdominoperineal (AP) resections. Of these operations, 91% were scheduled and 9% were emergencies. The postoperative mortality rate was 0.8% and unplanned return‐to‐theatre rate 3.1%. Anastomotic leak occurred in 4.6%, all after anterior resection (anterior resection rate: 12.2%). Two were ‘major’ leaks, requiring return to theatre. The local recurrence rate following anterior resection was 7.3% at a median follow‐up duration of 31 months.Conclusions:  Incidence is such that high‐volume colorectal surgery is possible even in a smaller New Zealand province. Surgical practice and outcomes withstood comparison to published results – a broad general surgical case mix and low‐volume hospital environment were not significant barriers to quality of colorectal care. Provincial colorectal cancer management remains an important resource for patients living outside major New Zealand centres.
Residual stress influence on fatigue lifetimes of electroplated AISI 4340 high strength steel
Authors: VOORWALD H. J. C. , ROCHA P. C. F. , CIOFFI M. O. H. , COSTA M. Y. P. 
Published: October 2007

ABSTRACTResidual stresses play an important role in the fatigue lives of structural engineering components. In the case of near surface tensile residual stresses, the initiation and propagation phases of fatigue process are accelerated; on the other hand, compressive residual stresses close to the surface may increase fatigue life. In both decorative and functional applications, chromium electroplating results in excellent wear and corrosion resistance. However, it is well known that it reduces the fatigue strength of a component. This is due to high tensile internal stresses and microcrack density. Efforts to improve hard chromium properties have increased in recent years. In this study, the effect of a nickel layer sulphamate process, as simple layer and interlayer, on fatigue strength of hard chromium electroplated AISI 4340 steel hardness – HRc 53, was analysed. The analysis was performed by rotating bending fatigue tests on AISI 4340 steel specimens with the following experimental groups: base material, hard chromium electroplated, sulphamate nickel electroplated, sulphamate nickel interlayer on hard chromium electroplated and electroless nickel interlayer on hard chromium electroplated. Results showed a decrease in fatigue strength in coated specimens and that both nickel plating interlayers were responsible for the increase in fatigue life of AISI 4340 chromium electroplated steel. The shot peening pre‐treatment was efficient in reducing fatigue loss in the alternatives studied.
Support‐induced restraint effect of thin‐walled tube in a steam generator subjected to combined pressure and bending load
Authors: KIM H.‐S. , JIN T.‐E. , CHANG Y.‐S. , KIM Y.‐J. , CHUNG H.‐S. 
Published: October 2007

ABSTRACTThe restraint effects of support plates on limit load (LL) are evaluated for thin‐walled tubes subjected to combined internal pressure and bending loads. To achieve this goal, three‐dimensional (3D) finite element (FE) analyses assuming elastic‐perfectly plastic material behaviour are carried out for tubes with various sizes of circumferential cracks. Two crack locations, both the top of the tube sheet (TTS) and transition regions, where circumferential cracks have been found in many steam generators during operation, are considered. FE analysis results show that LLs for the circumferential cracks are significantly affected by the boundary conditions of the tube and that the resulting LL solutions can be simply applied to the practical integrity assessment of steam generator tubes, because the comparison between experimental data and FE analysis results shows a good agreement.
Strength recovery of machined Al2O3/SiC composite ceramics by crack healing
Authors: ONO M. , NAKAO W. , TAKAHASHI K. , ANDO K. 
Published: October 2007

ABSTRACTAlumina is used in various fields as a machine component. However, it has a low fracture toughness, which is a weakness. Thus, countless cracks may be initiated randomly by machining, and these cracks decrease the component's mechanical properties and reliability. To overcome this problem, a crack‐healing ability could be a very useful technology.In this study, Al2O3/SiC composite was sintered. This alumina exhibits excellent crack‐healing ability. Small specimens for a bending test were made from the Al2O3/SiC. A semicircular groove was machined using a diamond ball‐drill. The machining reduced the local fracture stress from approximately 820–300 MPa. The machined specimens were crack‐healed under various conditions. The fracture stress of these specimens after crack healing was evaluated systematically from room temperature (RT) to 1573 K. It was found that the local fracture stress of the machined specimen recovered almost completely after crack healing. Therefore, it was concluded that crack healing could be an effective method for improving the structural integrity of machined alumina and reducing machining costs.
Distinct contributions of frontal areas to emotion and social behaviour in the rat
Authors: Rudebeck Peter H. , Walton Mark E. , Millette Benjamin H. P. , Shirley Elizabeth , Rushworth Matthew F. S. , Bannerman David M. 
Published: October 2007

AbstractAlthough the lesions of patients with impaired social behaviour encompass both orbitofrontal and anterior cingulate cortex (OFC and ACC), attempts to model such impairments in animals have focused on the OFC. However, recent neuroimaging attempts to identify the neural correlates of social interaction have emphasized the relative importance of ACC. Here we report the effect of circumscribed excitotoxic lesions of either OFC or ACC on ethological, unconditioned tests of emotion and social behaviour in the Lister hooded rat. OFC lesions altered emotional responsiveness to stimuli in non‐social, fear‐inducing situations (hyponeophagia test), and produced a small but statistically significant increase in aggression to other rats, but did not compromise other aspects of social interaction and appraisal. ACC lesions did, however, affect the utilization of social information. Specifically, ACC lesions diminished interest in other individuals and caused a relative reduction in memory for social stimuli. Whereas normal animals habituated to repeated presentations of the same individual, the poor performance of ACC animals entailed continued higher levels of responsiveness to repeated presentations of the same individual. The ACC impairment cannot simply be attributed to a general reduction in arousal, or a general impairment in recognition memory. Neither lesion affected anxiety per se (successive alleys test). Further analyses were conducted to investigate whether the changes in aggressive and social behaviour were related to different aspects of decision‐making. Although the relationship between changes in social interaction and decision‐making after ACC lesions is unclear, OFC impairments in emotionality were correlated with increased impulsive choice.
Effects of agrin on the expression and distribution of the water channel protein aquaporin‐4 and volume regulation in cultured astrocytes
Authors: Noell Susan , Fallier‐Becker Petra , Beyer Cordian , Kröger Stephan , Mack Andreas F. , Wolburg Hartwig 
Published: October 2007

AbstractAgrin is a heparan sulfate proteoglycan of the extracellular matrix and is known for organizing the postsynaptic differentiation of the neuromuscular junction. Increasing evidence also suggests roles for agrin in the developing CNS, including the formation and maintenance of the blood–brain barrier. Here we describe effects of agrin on the expression and distribution of the water channel protein aquaporin‐4 (AQP4) and on the swelling capacity of cultured astrocytes of newborn mice. If astrocytes were cultured on a substrate containing poly dl‐ornithine, anti‐AQP4 immunoreactivity was evenly and diffusely distributed. If, however, astrocytes were cultured in the presence of agrin‐conditioned medium, we observed an increase in the intensity of AQP4‐specific membrane‐associated staining. Freeze‐fracture studies revealed a clustering of orthogonal arrays of particles, representing a structural equivalent of AQP4, when exogenous agrin was present in the astrocyte cultures. Neuronal and non‐neuronal agrin isoforms (agrin A0B0 and agrin A4B8, respectively) were able to induce membrane‐associated AQP4 staining. Water transport capacity as well as the density of orthogonal arrays of intramembranous particles was increased in astrocytes cultured with the neuronal agrin isoform A4B8, but not with the endothelial and meningeal isoform A0B0. RT‐PCR demonstrated that agrin A4B8 increased the level of the M23 splice variant of AQP4 and decreased the level of the M1 splice variant of AQP4. Implications for the regulation and maintenance of the blood–brain barrier including oedema formation under pathological conditions are discussed.
Gonad morphology and type of sexuality in Parastacus defossus Faxon 1898, a burrowing, intersexed crayfish from southern Brazil (Decapoda: Parastacidae)
Authors: Noro C. , López‐Greco L. S. , Buckup L. 
Published: October 2007

AbstractThe aim of this study was to characterize the morphology of the reproductive system and the type of sexuality of Parastacus defossus, an intersexed, freshwater crayfish that occurs in the southeast of Brazil and Uruguay. The specimens were examined for the appearance of the genital pores, and the gonads were macroscopically analysed by size and colour. The histology of some gonads was examined. Males and females have two pairs of genital ducts: one anterior (oviduct) and one posterior (vas deferens). The gonads are located in the thorax and consist of one pair of lobules. Through macroscopic and histological analyses of the female gonads, six stages of ovarian development could be distinguished. The histological description of the testis was made only from adult males. Through analyses of the genital pores and gonads, three sexual forms were distinguished in P. defossus: intersexed females (246), intersexed males (259), and individuals with an ootestis (7). Individuals with an ootestis had a gonad that produced male and female reproductive cells simultaneously. Parastacus defossus can be classified as a partially protandric hermaphrodite species.
Long‐term potential for fires in estimates of the occurrence of savannas in the tropics
Authors: Cardoso Manoel F. , Nobre Carlos A. , Lapola David M. , Oyama Marcos D. , Sampaio Gilvan 
Published: October 2007

ABSTRACTAim  This study aims to improve the formulation and results of the Brazilian Center for Weather Forecasting and Climate Studies Potential Vegetation Model (CPTEC‐PVM) by developing a new parameterization for the long‐term occurrence of fire in regions of potential savannas in the tropics. Compared with the relatively slow processes of carbon uptake and growth in vegetation, fast mortality and biomass consumption by fires may favour grasses and reduce tree coverage.Location  The tropics.Methods  For finding large‐scale relationships between fires and other environmental factors, we made two main simplifying assumptions. First, lightning is the most important source of ignition for natural fires. Second, over continental areas in the tropics, lightning is mainly related to the zonal flux of moisture transport.Results  The parameterization of fire occurrence was built based on a simple empirical relationship, combining information on mean and intra‐annual variance of the zonal wind.Main conclusions  The implementation of this new relationship improved the formulation and the results of the CPTEC‐PVM. As a result of this new parameter, the accuracy of the model in allocating the correct vegetation (seasonal forests) instead of savannas for large regions in India and Southeast Asia is now substantially higher than in previous studies.
Global patterns of genetic variation in plant species along vertical and horizontal gradients on mountains
Authors: Ohsawa Takafumi , Ide Yuji 
Published: October 2007

ABSTRACTAim  To understand global patterns of genetic variation in plant species on mountains and to consider the significance of mountains for the genetic structure and evolution of plant species.Location  Global.Methods  We review published studies.Results  Genetic diversity within populations can vary along altitudinal gradients in one of four patterns. Eleven of 42 cited studies (26% of the total) found that populations at intermediate altitudes have greater diversity than populations at lower and higher altitudes. This is because the geographically central populations are under optimal environmental conditions, whereas the peripheral populations are in suboptimal situations. The second pattern, indicating that higher populations have less diversity than lower populations, was found in eight studies (19%). The third pattern, indicating that lower populations have lower diversity than higher populations, was found in 10 studies (24%). In 12 studies (29%), the intrapopulation genetic variation was found to be unaffected by altitude. Evidence of altitudinal differentiation was found in more than half of these studies, based on measurements of a range of variables including genome size, number of chromosomes or a range of loci using molecular markers. Furthermore, great variation has been found in phenotypes among populations at different altitudes in situ and in common garden experiments, even in cases where there was no associated variation in molecular composition. Mountains can be genetic barriers for species that are distributed at low elevations, but they can also provide pathways for species that occupy high‐elevation habitats. [Correction added after publication 9 October 2007: ‘less diversity’ changed to ‘greater diversity’ in the second sentence of the Results section of the Abstract]Main conclusions  Genetic diversity within populations can vary along altitudinal gradients as a result of several factors. The results highlight the importance of phenotypic examinations in detecting altitudinal differences. The influence of mountain ridges on genetic differentiation varies depending, inter alia, on the elevation at which the species occurs. Based on these findings, zoning by altitudes or ridges would be helpful for the conservation of tree populations with the onset of global warming.