bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Long-term clinical effects of interferon gamma-1b and colchicine in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis
Authors: Antoniou K. M. , Nicholson A. G. , Dimadi M. , Malagari K. , Latsi P. , Rapti A. , Tzanakis N. , Trigidou R. , Polychronopoulos V. , Bouros D. 
Published: April 2006

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF)/usual interstitial pneumonia is a deadly disease with no effective treatment. The purpose of this randomised prospective multicentric study was to characterise the clinical effects of interferon gamma (IFN-γ) 1b administered subcutaneously thrice weeklyversuscolchicine for 2 yrs. This study had no pre-specified end-points.Fifty consecutive IPF patients were randomised. Patients with mild-to-moderate IPF were eligible for the study if they had histologically proven IPF, or, in the absence of surgical biopsy, fulfilled the European Respiratory Society/American Thoracic Society criteria.In the intent-to-treat population, five out of 32 (15.6%) IFN-γ-1b patients and seven out of 18 (38.8%) colchicine patients died after a median follow-up period of 25 months Patients treated with IFN-γ 1b showed a better outcome after 2 yrs of therapy, and fewer symptoms, as assessed using the St George’s Respiratory Questionnaire, after 12 months of therapy. Also, the IFN-γ-1b group exhibited a higher forced vital capacity (percentage of the predicted value) after 24 months of treatment. No significant differences were detected in resting arterial oxygen tension, total lung capacity (% pred), transfer factor of the lung for carbon monoxide (% pred) and high-resolution computed tomographic scoring between the two treatment groups.These data suggest that long-term treatment with interferon gamma 1b may improve survival and outcome in patients with mild-to-moderate idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Further studies are needed to verify these results.
Global burden of COPD: systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Halbert R. J. , Natoli J. L. , Gano A. , Badamgarav E. , Buist A. S. , Mannino D. M. 
Published: April 2006

The aim of this study was to quantify the global prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) by means of a systematic review and random effects meta-analysis.PubMed was searched for population-based prevalence estimates published during the period 1990–2004. Articles were included if they: 1) provided total population or sex-specific estimates for COPD, chronic bronchitis and/or emphysema; and 2) gave method details sufficiently clearly to establish the sampling strategy, approach to diagnosis and diagnostic criteria.Of 67 accepted articles, 62 unique entries yielded 101 overall prevalence estimates from 28 different counties. The pooled prevalence of COPD was 7.6% from 37 studies, of chronic bronchitis alone (38 studies) was 6.4% and of emphysema alone (eight studies) was 1.8%. The pooled prevalence from 26 spirometric estimates was 8.9%. The most common spirometric definitions used were those of the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (13 estimates). There was significant heterogeneity, which was incompletely explained by subgroup analysis (e.g.age and smoking status).The prevalence of physiologically defined chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in adults aged ≥40 yrs is ∼9–10%. There are important regional gaps, and methodological differences hinder interpretation of the available data. The efforts of the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease and similar groups should help to standardise chronic obstructive pulmonary disease prevalence measurement.
Nontuberculous mycobacterial disease and Aspergillus-related lung disease in bronchiectasis
Authors: Kunst H. , Wickremasinghe M. , Wells A. , Wilson R. 
Published: April 2006

The aim of the present study was to determine whether patients with bronchiectasis and nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) have a higher prevalence of Aspergillus-related lung disease.A series of 30 consecutive patients with bronchiectasis and NTM (cases) were compared with 61 patients with bronchiectasis and no evidence of NTM (controls). Aspergillus serology and computerised tomography of the thorax were used to identify Aspergillus-related lung diseases, including aspergilloma, allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis and chronic necrotising pulmonary aspergillosis.The rate of positive Aspergillus serology was higher in cases with NTM disease compared with controls (10 out of 30versussix out of 61). The radiological features of Aspergillus-related lung disease were also more common among patients with NTM disease than controls (six out of 30versusnone out of 61). This association between NTM disease and Aspergillus-related lung disease remained significant after adjustment for confounding effects of age and lung function (adjusted odds ratio 5.1, 95% confidence interval 1.5–17.0).Patients with bronchiectasis and nontuberculous mycobacterial disease have a higher prevalence of coexisting Aspergillus-related lung disease than patients with bronchiectasis and without nontuberculous mycobacteria. Identification of Aspergillus-related lung disease is important as prognosis amongst undetected cases is invariably poor.
Parathyroid Hormone Monitoring during Total Parathyroidectomy for Renal Hyperparathyroidism: Pilot Study of the Impact of Renal Function and Assay Specificity
Authors: Bieglmayer Christian , Kaczirek Klaus , Prager Gerhard , Niederle Bruno 
Published: April 2006

Abstract
Background: Commonly used assays for intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) detect not only the biologically active 84–amino acid hormone [PTH(1–84)], but cross-react with an N-terminal–truncated fragment. Because iPTH assays often fail to predict success of parathyroidectomy in patients with renal hyperparathyroidism (rHPT), we compared results of a 3rd-generation PTH(1–84) assay (Bio-iPTH; Nichols Institute Diagnostics) with two 2nd-generation iPTH assays (from Nichols and Roche Diagnostics) by evaluating the PTH clearance kinetics during surgical treatment.
Methods: We collected blood samples in short time intervals from 35 consecutive surgical patients with rHPT. Three patients had to be excluded from further calculations; the remainder were grouped according to kidney function and postoperative outcome. All samples were analyzed with the 3 automated PTH assays, which have different specificities.
Results: Twenty minutes after removal of the last gland, the PTH(1–84) values decreased to within the reference intervals in all patients with total and subtotal resection; however, iPTH concentrations normalized in only one half of these patients. In patients with poor renal function, the half-life of PTH(1–84) was shorter than the half-lives obtained with the iPTH assays.
Conclusions: The accuracy of PTH monitoring during surgery for rHPT depends on renal function and assay specificity. All assays tested showed similar effectiveness in detecting missed glands, but the assay for PTH(1–84) gave more reliable results than the iPTH assays, which overestimated the concentration of PTH and hampered the intrasurgical diagnosis of resection sufficiency.
Capecitabine Monotherapy: Safe and Effective Treatment for Metastatic Breast Cancer
Authors: Ershler William B. 
Published: April 2006

Abstract

Learning Objectives
After completing this course, the reader will be able to: Describe the pharmacology of capecitabine.Discuss the use of capecitabine as a single agent and in refractory disease.Discuss safety and dosing considerationsDescribe current adjuvant treatment with capecitabine.
Access and take the CME test online and receive 1 AMA PRA category 1 credit at CME.TheOncologist.com
Optimal management for metastatic breast cancer frequently involves cytotoxic chemotherapy. Over the years, several complex multidrug regimens have been developed that were based upon a rationale of synergistic antitumor activity and nonoverlapping toxicities. However, recently the clinical value of these complex regimens has been called into question as several drugs used alone (monotherapy) or in sequence (serial single agent) have been shown to be both efficacious and better tolerated. Capecitabine (an orally administered fluoropyrimidine carbamate) is one such agent that has been proven to be effective when used alone for metastatic breast cancer, metastatic colorectal cancer, and adjuvant colon cancer. In this review, published (or reported in abstract form) data examining various aspects of clinical response and tolerability with single-agent capecitabine for (primarily) first- and second-line metastatic breast cancer are examined. For the most part, response rates are comparable with those of the more complex regimens. Dose reductions from the labeled dose of 1,250 mg/m2 twice daily are relatively common. Toxicities (following dose reductions if needed) are generally manageable, even by more frail patients. Elderly patients are more likely to have impaired renal function or be receiving warfarin treatment, and special attention to these factors is warranted. Nonetheless, the drug administered alone is a reasonable choice when single-agent chemotherapy is entertained as a treatment option for metastatic breast cancer, including in the first-line setting.
Pegylated Liposomal Doxorubicin Consolidation Therapy after Platinum/Paclitaxel-Based Chemotherapy for Suboptimally Debulked, Advanced-Stage Epithelial Ovarian Cancer Patients
Authors: Rocconi Rodney P. , Straughn J. Michael , Leath Charles A. , Kilgore Larry C. , Huh Warner K. , Barnes Mack N. , Partridge Edward E. , Alvarez Ronald D. 
Published: April 2006

Abstract
Objective. To assess the feasibility of using pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (PLD) as a consolidation therapy in patients with advanced ovarian cancer who have attained a clinically defined complete response to initial platinum/paclitaxel-based chemotherapy.
Methods. Patients diagnosed with suboptimally debulked stage IIIC/IV epithelial ovarian cancer who attained a clinically defined complete response at the completion of platinum/paclitaxel-based chemotherapy were eligible for this protocol. Patients were treated with PLD at a dose of 40 mg/m2 every 28 days for four cycles. A survival analysis was calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method.
Results. Of the 30 patients enrolled, 29 were evaluable. Twenty-three patients (79%) completed all four cycles of consolidation therapy. Palmar-plantar erythrodysesthesia was the most common toxicity. Six patients remained clinically without evidence of disease with a median follow-up of 35 months from the completion of primary chemotherapy. The median progression-free interval was 15 months, and median overall survival time was 31 months, with 47% of patients achieving a 4-year survival.
Conclusions. Consolidation therapy with PLD chemotherapy administered to women with advanced epithelial ovarian cancer after initial chemotherapy appears feasible based on its toxicity profile. Considering the tolerability of this agent, further investigation is needed to depict the optimal dose and schedule needed for consolidation therapy.
Clinical Implications of EGFR Expression in the Development and Progression of Solid Tumors: Focus on Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
Authors: Ettinger David S. 
Published: April 2006

AbstractLearning ObjectivesAfter completing this course, the reader will be able to: Describe the EGFR signaling pathway as a target for new anticancer agents.Characterize the various EGFR agents developed for the treatment of NSCLC.Identify the appropriate indications for the use of these new agents.Access and take the CME test online and receive 1 AMA PRA category 1 credit at CME.TheOncologist.comDysregulation of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) signaling pathway is associated with the development and progression of malignancy, and EGFR-targeted therapies offer the promise of better treatment for many types of solid tumors, including non-small cell lung cancer. Anti-EGFR agents include monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) targeting the EGFR extracellular receptor domain and small-molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) targeting the EGFR intracellular kinase domain. Both mAbs and TKIs have demonstrated encouraging results as monotherapies and in combination with chemotherapy and radiotherapy. This review provides a critical update on the status of these novel therapeutics.
Darbepoetin Alfa Administered Every Three Weeks Is Effective for the Treatment of Chemotherapy-Induced Anemia
Authors: Boccia Ralph , Malik Imtiaz A. , Raja Vinay , Kahanic Stephen , Liu Randall , Lillie Tom , Tomita Dianne , Clowney Billy , Silberstein Peter 
Published: April 2006

Abstract
Patients with cancer receiving chemotherapy often have chemotherapy-induced anemia (CIA) and reduced quality of life. Darbepoetin alfa can effectively treat CIA when administered at an extended dosing interval of once every 3 weeks (Q3W). Darbepoetin alfa administered Q3W may allow synchronization of darbepoetin alfa therapy with chemotherapy administered Q3W. This multicenter, open-label, 16-week study evaluated the effectiveness and safety of darbepoetin alfa administered as a fixed dose (300 μg) Q3W in patients with CIA. Eligible patients (≥18 years) were anemic (hemoglobin &lt;11g/dl), had a nonmyeloid malignancy, and were receiving multicycle chemotherapy. This analysis includes 1,493 patients who received at least one dose of darbepoetin alfa. The effect of baseline hemoglobin (&lt;10 or ≥10 g/dl) on clinical outcomes was evaluated. Patients in the ≥10-g/dl stratum achieved the hemoglobin target range (11–13g/dl)in less time than patients in the &lt;10-g/dlstratum (3 weeks vs. 9 weeks). More patients in the ≥10-g/dl stratum achieved the hemoglobin target range (87% vs. 66%); however, similar proportions of patients in both strata maintained hemoglobin within the target range (73% vs. 71%). Fewer patients in the ≥10-g/dl stratum received RBC transfusions from week 5 to the end of the study (12% vs. 28%). Over 50% of patients in both strata reported clinically significant improvements (≥3-point increase) in Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy–Fatigue score. Twenty-eight percent of patients reported serious adverse events; 3% of all patients had a venous or arterial thrombotic event. This study demonstrates that darbepoetin alfa Q3W is well tolerated and effective for treating CIA.
Geostopping With Resistivity-Forward Modeling to Prevent Drilling Into The Loss-Circulation Zone of a Prolific Carbonate Reservoir
Authors: Kok Keng H. , Pruimboom John , David Frank M. , Then Jit-Chiun 
Published: April 2006

Summary
The field-development plan for a Sarawak Shell Bhd. operated gas field, located in the South China Sea offshore Sarawak, Malaysia, specified drilling of horizontal wells into the Tertiary-Miocene carbonate reservoir. The wells were planned as high-capacity producers with a big-bore, long-casing flow design.
The traditional well design dictated that before entering the reservoir a casing had to be installed to stabilize the hole in soft shale. The uncertainty of detecting the formation top resulted in a premature casing commitment of atleast 30 ft true vertical depth (TVD) above the top of the reservoir and the need to use an expandable liner to cover 300 ft of exposed shale above the reservoir.
To obviate this problem, the capability of one of the components in the logging-while-drilling (LWD) tool array, specifically the electromagnetic-wave-resistivity (EWR) forward-modeling technique, was used to detect the top of the carbonate formation (i.e., the top of reservoir),immediately before drilling into it. A standard LWD tool is configured to prioritize EWR forward-model response as the carbonate-formation top is approached. This configuration, together with an appropriately designed bottomhole assembly (BHA) and well trajectory, enabled the successful implementation of the plan to stop drilling approximately 1 ft TVD above the carbonate top.
At this point, a conventional 9⅝-in. casing string was set at an optimum depth. This eliminated potential well-control problems, costly remedial actions associated with lost circulation, and inferior cementation of the 9⅝-in. casing string.
There after, the wells were drilled horizontally in a conventional manner into the carbonate-gas reservoir.
This paper compares predrilling EWR forward modeling of the proposed well trajectory with the actual well data while drilling. The predrilling- and post-drilling-modeled data are presented.
The cost savings from employing this technique are variable, ranging from substantial—in the event of a well-control situation and attendant high losses—to moderate if the need to set an expandable liner is eliminated. Aminimum of U.S. $1 million per well was saved with this technique.
Advanced Analysis Identifies Greater Efficiency for Testing BOPs in Deep Water
Authors: Franklin C. Mark , Vargo Richard F. , Sathuvalli U. B. , Payne Mike 
Published: April 2006

Summary
Pressure testing blowout preventers (BOPs) with synthetic-based mud (SBM) requires lengthy testing times resulting from pressure/volume/temperature (PVT) influences associated with SBM. PVT influences are especially pronounced indeep water and high-pressure test environments.
A project was initiated in an effort to better understand the mechanics that transpired during BOP testing. The primary objective was to demonstrate that the pressure decline was quantified by the fluid-PVT behavior, mechanical influences and thermodynamics of pressurization, and subsequent cool down. The secondary objective was to demonstrate that the pressure decline resulting froma leak could be reliably and efficiently detected with high-resolution pressure data.
It was theorized that the gradual decay of pressure during the shut-in phase was a result of the heat added to the system during pressurization. To pursue this investigation, real-time PVT data were gathered at the cementing-unit (CU)suction and discharge while testing the BOP. In addition, pressure/temperature(P/T) gauges were placed in the drillstring—one at the drill floor, one at the midpoint between the drill floor and the BOP, and one above the BOP stack. The gauges confirmed significant heat up as the system was pressured up for each test. The pressure decreased as the system cooled back toward the ambient temperature. Modeling techniques were developed to understand the system response.
This paper presents salient aspects of data acquisition, data interpretation, and modeling techniques. Results demonstrate the potential to significantly impact the industry, with respect to safety, time, and costs for BOP testing.
Muslim Legislators in India: Profile of a Minority Élite
Authors: Wright Theodore P. 
Published: April 2006

Some attention has been paid in recent years to the sociological analysis of political élites in the “new nations” of Africa and Asia with a view to understanding better their political behavior. W. H. Morris-Jones and Myron Weiner have both considered the characteristics of some of the politicians in post-independence India. But little has been done on the leadership of minority groups.In many cases (eg., the Armenians, Copts, and Maronites in the Middle East, the Parsis in India, and the Chinese in Southeast Asia), the members of religious and linguistic minorities adapted more rapidly to modern ways than the majorities among whom they lived. Although the former sometimes enjoyed privileged status as go betweens for the European colonial rulers, they were also among the first to absorb the Western concept of nationalism. They even provided some of the early leadership for nationalist movements, until the mobilization of broader and lower levels of the population around neo-traditional religious symbols began to exclude them from the national self-definition.
Southeast Asian Society: Dual or Multiple
Authors: Higgins Benjamin 
Published: April 2006

It is now ten years since I wrote my own initial critique of the theory of sociological dualism presented by J. H. Boeke. In the intervening decade, all of us who are concerned with the problem of economic development and cultural change have, I trust, learned more about the nature of the phenomenon and hence the reopening of discussion by Professor Manning Nash at this time is very welcome. I should like to deal first with his main theme, and then with a few details of his paper.Professor Nash shows the usual reluctance of the cultural anthropologist to generalize; he is unwilling to “deal with anything as complex, heterogeneous, and refractory as Southeast Asia as a whole.” The really interesting question, however, is surely how general tiie phenomena of dualistic society, multiple society, technological dualism, and underdevelopment are, and what the relationships are among them. Being less inhibited than Professor Nash, let me say at once that in my view technological dualism appears in all countries which can be regarded as underdeveloped. By this I mean that all such countries have two clearly distinguishable sectors, one with a capital-intensive and modern technology with high levels of man-year productivity, consisting of large scale manufacturing, plantation agriculture, mining, and the services associated with these; and die other, the “traditional” sector, consisting of peasant agriculture, small scale manufacturing and handicrafts, and the services connected with these.
Aspects of Traditional Chinese Biography
Authors: Nivison David S. 
Published: April 2006

Any historian approaching the subject of traditional Chinese biography may be confident of at least one fact: he will be overwhelmed. The sheer volume of this material available in the Chinese sources is exceedingly large.In discussing Chinese historical writing, it is customary to point first to the chengshih, the so-called “standard histories,” dealing with all of Chinese history down to 1644. There are twenty-five histories, all bulky, in this “official” group. All contain large collections of biographies, elaborately sorted out: loyal officials, villainous officials, imperial concubines, writers, hermits, virtuous wives, and filial sons. In the History of the Ming Dynasty, that portion which is biographical in nature runs to 197 out of a total of 332 chapters–in actual pages about sixty percent of the whole. We encounter the same phenomenon outside of the “standard histories”–in local histories, for example, of which there may be several for one small district. All of this material I shall call “historical biography.”
Growth vs. Economic Democracy in Japan—1945-1965
Authors: Yamamura Kozo 
Published: April 2006

What has been happening to “Economic Democracy” in Japan within the past twenty years since the end of World War II? Has die emphasis upon rapid economic growth countered the measures intended by the Allied Occupation to ensure economic democracy?The democratic economy the Supreme Command of the Allied Powers envisioned for Japan in the years 1946-1948 was to be free of highly concentrated economic power, either in the hands of Zaibatsu or of giant corporations, was to have an Anti-Monopoly Act to promote “the democratic and wholesome development of the national economy as well as to assure the interest of the general consumer,” and was to have a “just and equal” tax law to “democratize the Japanese economy.” A thorough-going land reform and legal bona fide trade union movement also was declared to be a necessary part of economic democracy. It was, in the words of the Zaibatsu Mission, to build “a strong middle class which can influence the course of policy.”