bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Neuromonitoring in Thyroid Surgery: Attitudes, Usage Patterns, and Predictors of Use Among Endocrine Surgeons
Authors: Sturgeon Cord , Sturgeon Treena , Angelos Peter 
Published: August 2008

AbstractBackgroundThe use of neuromonitoring in thyroid surgery is controversial. Attitudes about neuromonitoring, usage patterns, and predictors of use have not been formally studied. We hypothesized that attitudes would predict usage patterns and that the predominant strategy among endocrine surgeons would be no neuromonitoring during thyroid surgery.MethodsMembers of the American Association of Endocrine Surgeons and registrants of the 2006 annual meeting were surveyed by e‐mail. An Internet‐based survey composed of simple answer and Likert questions was used. Central tendency was evaluated by modal response. Significance was analyzed by the chi‐squared test, and strength of association was calculated by Cramér’s V.ResultsA total of 117 surveys were completed (41%). Respondents were placed into two groups based on use (37.1%), or nonuse (62.9%) of neuromonitoring. The use category was composed of routine (13.8%) and selective (23.3%) users. The nonuse category was composed of those who have never used neuromonitoring (49.1%) and those who have abandoned its use (13.8%). Nonusers were older (p = 0.023) and reported a lower case volume (p = 0.003), less familiarity with the technology (p < 0.001), and less access to the equipment (p < 0.001). Nonusers reported a lower frequency of patient‐initiated discussions about neuromonitoring (p < 0.001) and were less likely to initiate a discussion with patients (p < 0.001). In total, 56% of users and 90% of nonusers believed neuromonitoring does not improve the safety of thyroidectomy (p < 0.01). There was no difference in perceived nerve injury rate between users and nonusers. Users agreed that benefits include facilitating identification of the recurrent laryngeal nerve, facilitating resident education, improving patient outcomes, and decreasing liability risk, whereas nonusers disagreed with these statements. Nonusers believed that neuromonitoring can lead to reliance on technology and loss of surgical technique or judgment, but users disagreed. There was consensus of opinion that neuromonitoring allows identification of an intact nerve, can lead to a false sense of security, drives up costs, is beneficial in <10% of cases, does not shorten the length of the procedure, and does not prevent nerve injury.ConclusionsUsage is associated with surgeon age, case volume, equipment availability and familiarity, beliefs about the degree of benefit, and frequency of patient or doctor initiated discussions.
HA/GSA‐Rmax Ratio as a Predictor of Postoperative Liver Failure
Authors: Kaibori Masaki , Ha‐Kawa Sang Kil , Ishizaki Morihiko , Matsui Kosuke , Saito Takamichi , Kwon A‐Hon , Kamiyama Yasuo 
Published: August 2008

AbstractBackgroundPostoperative mortality after hepatectomy remains high compared with other types of surgery in patients who have cirrhosis or chronic hepatitis. Although there are several useful perioperative markers of liver dysfunction, there are no standard markers for predicting postoperative liver failure. This study investigated risk factors for postoperative liver failure after resection of hepatocellular carcinoma to detect markers that could identify candidates for hepatectomy.MethodsPerioperative risk factors for liver failure after hepatectomy were analyzed in 191 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was done to investigate factors with a significant independent influence among 35 variables. The ratio of serum hyaluronic acid to the maximum removal rate of technetium‐99 m diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid galactosyl human serum albumin (hyaluronate/GSA‐Rmax ratio) was calculated.ResultsLiver failure occurred postoperatively in 16 patients, 3 of whom died. The hyaluronate/GSA‐Rmax ratio was a risk factor for postoperative liver failure by univariate analysis and was the only risk factor according to multivariate analysis. All three patients who died had a hyaluronic acid/GSA‐Rmax ratio ≥ 500 mg min/dl. This ratio had a sensitivity of 88% and a specificity of 92% for predicting liver failure.ConclusionsTo reduce postoperative liver failure, preoperative planning should employ various measures of the hepatic functional reserve, including tests of both parenchymal and nonparenchymal liver function. The hyaluronate/GSA‐Rmax ratio can predict liver failure after hepatectomy, and a ratio ≥ 500 mg min/dl is a relative contraindication to liver resection.
Mathematische Modelle in der Populationsgenetik
Authors: Caliebe A. 
Published: August 2008

Zusammenfassung
In der mathematischen Populationsgenetik wird der Einfluss von Selektion und Mutation auf die zeitliche Entwicklung der genetischen Struktur einer Population modelliert. Da alle Populationen und erst recht die für ihre Untersuchung zur Verfügung stehenden Stichproben endlich sind, spielen die stochastischen Aspekte der verwendeten Modelle eine besondere Rolle. Wichtige populationsgenetische Modelle sind das Wright-Fisher-Modell und das Koaleszenzmodell für die Genealogie von Stichproben sowie das „infinite alleles model“ und das „infinite sites model“ für die darin ablaufenden Mutationsprozesse.
Gender and academic discourse: Global restrictions and local possibilities
Authors: SCHLEEF ERIK 
Published: August 2008

ABSTRACTThis article investigates the academic speech of humanities and natural science instructors and students in 32 lectures and interactional classes at a U.S. university. It examines how structural markers, questions, question tags, and turn-initial response tokens contribute to variations of style in response to academic division, context, gender, and communicative role in academic discourse. Data analysis couples qualitative discourse analytic methods with a quantitative sociolinguistic analysis. The quantitative analysis shows the factors of communicative role, academic discipline, and speech mode – not gender – to be the most influential in the use of the structures investigated. It is argued that the lack of significant results for gender arise from global discourse restrictions in academic speech. However, despite the global restrictions shown by quantitative analysis, qualitative analysis suggests that such restrictions can be overridden, especially in contexts of structural breaks and disruptions of information flow, and that features that contribute to more interactional and cooperative speech styles, frequently linked to females, can emerge.
A comparison of visuomotor cue integration strategies for object placement and prehension
Authors: GREENWALD HAL S. , KNILL DAVID C. 
Published: August 2008

AbstractVisual cue integration strategies are known to depend on cue reliability and how rapidly the visual system processes incoming information. We investigated whether these strategies also depend on differences in the information demands for different natural tasks. Using two common goal-oriented tasks, prehension and object placement, we determined whether monocular and binocular information influence estimates of three-dimensional (3D) orientation differently depending on task demands. Both tasks rely on accurate 3D orientation estimates, but 3D position is potentially more important for grasping. Subjects placed an object on or picked up a disc in a virtual environment. On some trials, the monocular cues (aspect ratio and texture compression) and binocular cues (e.g., binocular disparity) suggested slightly different 3D orientations for the disc; these conflicts either were present upon initial stimulus presentation or were introduced after movement initiation, which allowed us to quantify how information from the cues accumulated over time. We analyzed the time-varying orientations of subjects’ fingers in the grasping task and those of the object in the object placement task to quantify how different visual cues influenced motor control. In the first experiment, different subjects performed each task, and those performing the grasping task relied on binocular information more when orienting their hands than those performing the object placement task. When subjects in the second experiment performed both tasks in interleaved sessions, binocular cues were still more influential during grasping than object placement, and the different cue integration strategies observed for each task in isolation were maintained. In both experiments, the temporal analyses showed that subjects processed binocular information faster than monocular information, but task demands did not affect the time course of cue processing. How one uses visual cues for motor control depends on the task being performed, although how quickly the information is processed appears to be task invariant.
Assessing and supporting body image and sexual concerns for young women with breast cancer: a literature review
Authors: Kinamore Cher 
Published: August 2008

AbstractBackground: Breast cancer is the most common cancer and most common cancer cause of death in women aged 20–49 years in Canada. Developing a functional definition of ‘young’ is imperative in assessing and providing appropriate emotional support to the unique body image and sexuality concerns facing ‘young’ women with breast cancer. These concerns require proper assessment in order to provide appropriate interventions.Aims and objectives: To seek a functional definition of ‘young’ and to determine what body image and sexuality assessment tools and interventions are the most appropriate for young women with breast cancer.Methods: A literature search was undertaken to determine what body image and sexuality assessment tools and interventions are available and relevant to young women with breast cancer. Also, the assessment and interventions available to this patient cohort in the author's clinic were explored.Conclusions: Body image and sexuality questionnaires encourage young women and health-care providers (HCPs) to openly discuss these issues. Annon's PLISSIT model is an assessment and intervention strategy that enables HCPs to adequately assess and refer young women to suitable programs such as support groups and counsellors. The multi-disciplinary team should provide continuous emotional assessment and support throughout the cancer journey by collaborating to develop the best interventional strategies to the patient and her family.
Pilot study: rectal contouring variability in patients treated with radical radiotherapy for prostate cancer: impact on rectum dose–volume histograms
Authors: Martin Jacqueline E. , Kirkbride P. 
Published: August 2008

AbstractPurpose: The organ at risk in prostate radiotherapy is the anterior rectal wall . This pilot study was conducted to quantify the inter-observer variability of rectal contouring in conformal prostate radiotherapy planning using four contouring methods and to determine a standard rectal contouring definition.Methods and materials: Ten patients with T1/T2 disease and six clinical oncologists were recruited. Two cross-sectional and two length limits generated four rectal volumes. Each clinician contoured the four volumes for each patient and the dose–volume histograms (DVHs) were analysed. The percentage rectal volume receiving 20%, 50%, 80%, 90% and 95% of the total delivered dose and the mean and median rectal doses were calculated. Data were presented as mean ± 2 standard deviations.Results: The Sh Rec method (contouring the rectum including its contents extending from 2 cm above the upper limit of the prostate to 2 cm below the prostatic apex) was the least variable in the 80%, 90% and 95% percentage ranges. The mean difference in Sh Rec-contoured volume was 18.7 cm3 (± 22.3 cm3).Conclusions: The Sh Rec-contouring method showed the least inter-observer variability. The results are informative and will help define a standard rectal contouring method.
Teaching about the arms race
Authors: Schroeer Dietrich 
Published: August 2008

If progress is to be made toward peace, public education on arms-race issues is crucial both in the short run and for the long term. Because technical information is invariably essential to an understanding of issues, physicists can make a major contribution. However, educational efforts on the arms race face great difficulties, which we must first recognize if we are to overcome them:
• Teaching about the arms race has in the past been a cyclical activity, rising and falling in parallel with public concern. These cycles are not all bad; the arms race is a real problem, not just an academic one, and hence it must be addressed whenever it surfaces in the political arena. But cycles tend to inject an aura of crisis into discussions, providing short-term motivation at the cost of credibility and efficiency in the long run. The longer-term approach has more educational implications. It means that arms-race education must be general enough to be useful for analyzing unknown future issues. The danger with short-term education is that by the time current educational efforts have roused public support for, say, a new round of arms control, the political need and opportunity may have passed.
• The arms race presents interdisciplinary problems. Physicists may be unaware of contributions other disciplines can make to this issue and insensitive to their own biases.
• There is little encouragement for physicists undertaking arms-race educational efforts. Peer recognition for either research or teaching in the area is sparse. There is little financial support for this kind of work. The DOD looks for technical research of direct use to its missions, the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency is in disfavor within the government, the National Science Foundation has difficulty supporting anything involving the social sciences or science education and the Ford Foundation also appears to be decreasing its support for these activities.
Fluoroscopy-guided sacroplasty: special focus on preoperative planning from three-dimensional computed tomography
Authors: Gjertsen Ø. , Schellhorn T. , Nakstad P. H. 
Published: August 2008

Background: Osteoporotic sacral insufficiency fractures are usually spontaneous or caused by discrete traumas. The fluoroscopic anatomy of the sacrum can be difficult to understand, and this is why sacroplasty is considered more challenging than ordinary vertebroplasties. Purpose: To demonstrate the planning of the procedure and the effectiveness of treatment with sacroplasty by means of three-dimensional computed tomography (3D CT) by combining multiplanar reconstructions (MPR) and volume-rendering technique (VRT). Material and Methods: Five elderly, osteoporotic patients with intense pelvic and hip pain underwent weeks of inconclusive clinical and radiological diagnostic efforts. Correct diagnosis was finally attained with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and CT. Plain radiographs rarely show fractures, and MR or CT examinations are necessary to demonstrate longitudinal fractures. The procedures were performed with digital biplane equipment using preoperative 3D CT planning procedures. Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) was injected to fill the fracture sites. Results: The fractures were successfully treated with sacroplasty using PMMA. A new technique, which involves placing the needles along the long axis of the sacrum, was optimized to the individual patients’ fractures and sacral anatomy by meticulous planning on a workstation with 3D CT data sets. It was technically successful in all five cases. Four of the five patients had sustained pain relief. Conclusion: Sacral insufficiency fractures are not uncommon and should be considered in the elderly population with low back pain. Sacroplasty using the optimized “long-axis technique” gave almost immediate pain relief for all five patients in our study material. No complications were observed.
Apolipoprotein‐B subclasses as acceptors of cholesteryl esters transferred by CETP
Authors: Lee D. M. , Alaupovic P. , Knight‐Gibson C. , Bagdade J. D. 
Published: August 2008

ABSTRACTBackground  Five apolipoprotein (apo)‐defined apoB‐containing lipoprotein (Lp) subclasses designated LpB, LpB:C, LpB:E, LpB:C:E and LpA‐II:B:C:D:E are present in human plasma. This study was to determine whether these subclasses functioned equally as acceptors of cholesteryl esters (CE) transferred from high‐density lipoproteins (HDL) by CE transfer protein in healthy subjects with normal and mildly increased plasma triglyceride (TG) levels.Materials and methods  After 4 h incubation of plasma from 14 subjects at 37 °C, apoB‐containing lipoproteins were separated from HDL by heparin‐Mn++ precipitation and fractionated by immunochemical methods into these five subclasses. The neutral lipid (NL) composition for each subclass was measured by gas chromatography (GC) and compared between 0 h and 4 h. A subclass was considered to be a CE acceptor if its CE content increased more than 5% at 4 h and a non‐acceptor if no change was observed.Results  Employing the above definition, TG‐rich LpB:C and LpB:E + LpB:C:E functioned as CE acceptors and TG‐poor LpB and LpA‐II:B:C:D:E as non‐acceptors. Both LpB:C and LpB:E + LpB:C:E could only actively accept CE as long as they retained their TG‐rich character and displayed neutral lipid profiles similar to those of very low‐density lipoproteins (VLDL) and intermediate density lipoproteins (IDL). When, as a result of lipolysis their TG content dropped below 25%, they ceased to function as CE acceptors. In subjects with elevated plasma TG, LpB:C was the dominant CE acceptor, a condition that may have pro‐atherogenic consequences.Conclusions  Among the apoB‐containing particles, LpB:C and LpB:C:E + LpB:E functioned as CE acceptors while LpB and LpA‐II:B:C:D:E did not.
Geological history and oceanography of the Indo‐Malay Archipelago shape the genetic population structure in the false clown anemonefish (Amphiprion ocellaris)
Authors: TIMM JANNE , KOCHZIUS MARC 
Published: August 2008

AbstractLike many fishes on coral reefs, the false clown anemonefish, Amphiprion ocellaris, has a life history with two different phases: adults are strongly site attached, whereas larvae are planktonic. Therefore, the larvae have the potential to disperse, but the degree of dispersal potential depends primarily on the period of the larval stage, which is only 8–12 days in A. ocellaris. In this study, we investigated the genetic population structure and gene flow in A. ocellaris across the Indo‐Malay Archipelago by analysing a fragment of the mitochondrial control region. Population genetic analysis, using amova, revealed a significant and high overall ΦST‐value of 0.241 (P < 0.001), clearly showing limited gene flow. Haplotype network analysis detected eight distinct clades corresponding mainly to different geographical areas, which were most probably separated during sea level low stands in the Pleistocene. The distribution of the clades among the different populations indicated slow partial re‐mixing mainly in the central region of the archipelago. Major surface currents seem to facilitate larval dispersal, indicated by higher connectivity along major surface currents in the region (e.g. Indonesian Throughflow). Four main groups were found by the hierarchical amova within the archipelago. These different genetic lineages should be managed and protected as separate ornamental fishery stocks and resource contributing to the genetic diversity of the area. Regarding the high diversity and the differentiation among areas within the Indo‐Malay Archipelago of A. ocellaris populations, the centre‐of‐origin theory is supported to be the main mechanism by which the high biodiversity evolved in this area.
Histoplasma capsulatum secreted γ‐glutamyltransferase reduces iron by generating an efficient ferric reductant
Authors: Zarnowski Robert , Cooper Kendal G. , Brunold Laura Schmitt , Calaycay Jimmy , Woods Jon P. 
Published: August 2008

SummaryThe intracellular fungal pathogen Histoplasma capsulatum (Hc) resides in mammalian macrophages and causes respiratory and systemic disease. Iron limitation is an important host antimicrobial defence, and iron acquisition is critical for microbial pathogenesis. Hc displays several iron acquisition mechanisms, including secreted glutathione‐dependent ferric reductase activity (GSH‐FeR). We purified this enzyme from culture supernatant and identified a novel extracellular iron reduction strategy involving γ‐glutamyltransferase (Ggt1) activity. The 320 kDa complex was composed of glycosylated protein subunits of about 50 and 37 kDa. The purified enzyme exhibited γ‐glutamyl transfer activity as well as iron reduction activity in the presence of glutathione. We cloned and manipulated expression of the encoding gene. Overexpression or RNAi silencing affected both GGT and GSH‐FeR activities concurrently. Enzyme inhibition experiments showed that the activity is complex and involves two reactions. First, Ggt1 initiates enzymatic breakdown of GSH by cleavage of the γ‐glutamyl bond and release of cysteinylglycine. Second, the thiol group of the released dipeptide reduces ferric to ferrous iron. A combination of kinetic properties of both reactions resulted in efficient iron reduction over a broad pH range. Our findings provide novel insight into Hc iron acquisition strategies and reveal a unique aspect of Ggt1 function in this dimorphic mycopathogen.
A small SOS‐induced toxin is targeted against the inner membrane in Escherichia coli
Authors: Unoson Cecilia , Wagner E. Gerhart H. 
Published: August 2008

SummaryWe previously reported on an SOS‐induced toxin, TisB, in Escherichia coli and its regulation by the RNA antitoxin IstR‐1. Here, we addressed the mode of action of TisB. By placing the tisB reading frame downstream of a controllable promoter on a plasmid, toxicity could be analysed in the absence of the global SOS response. Upon induction of TisB, cell growth was inhibited and plating efficiency decreased rapidly. The onset of toxicity correlated with a drastic decrease in transcription, translation and replication rates. Cellular RNA was degraded, but in vitro experiments showed that TisB did not affect translation or transcription directly. Thus, these effects are downstream consequences of membrane damage: TisB is predicted to be hydrophobic and membrane spanning, and Western analyses demonstrated that this peptide was strictly localized to the cytoplasmic membrane fraction. Membrane damage and cell killing under tisB multicopy expression are also seen by live/death staining and the formation of ghost cells. This is reminiscent of another toxin, Hok of plasmid R1, which also targets the membrane. The biological significance of the istR/tisB locus is still elusive; deletion of the entire locus gave no fitness phenotype in competition experiments.
Calcium efflux is essential for bacterial survival in the eukaryotic host
Authors: Rosch Jason W. , Sublett Jack , Gao Geli , Wang Yong‐Dong , Tuomanen Elaine I. 
Published: August 2008

SummaryIn dynamic environments, intracellular homeostasis is maintained by transport systems found in all cells. While bacterial influx systems for essential trace cations are known to contribute to pathogenesis, efflux systems have been characterized mainly in contaminated environmental sites. We describe that the high calcium concentrations in the normal human host were toxic to pneumococci and that bacterial survival in vivo depended on CaxP, the first Ca2+ exporter reported in bacteria. CaxP homologues were found in the eukaryotic sacroplasmic reticulum and in many bacterial genomes. A caxP− mutant accumulated intracellular calcium, a state that was used to reveal signalling networks responsive to changes in intracellular calcium concentration. Chemical inhibition of CaxP was bacteriostatic in physiological calcium concentrations, suggesting a new antibiotic target uncovered under conditions in the eukaryotic host.