bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Efficacy of azithromycin administration in prevention of respiratory tract infection after bronchoscopic biopsy: A randomized, controlled trial
Authors: KANAZAWA Hiroshi 
Published: December 2006

Background and objective:  Respiratory tract infection is a serious complication associated with bronchoscopic biopsy. This study attempted to examine its incidence and determine an efficacious therapy for preventing such infections.Methods:  Nine hundred and thirty patients who underwent bronchoscopic biopsy in Osaka City University Hospital outpatient clinic were enrolled in the study. All patients were randomly assigned to receive a 3‐day course of azithromycin (500 mg/day), cefcapene pivoxil hydrochloride (300 mg/day) or no antibiotics. The primary outcome was the incidence of respiratory tract infection after bronchoscopic biopsy among the three groups.Results:  In the no‐treatment group, nine of the 310 patients (2.9%) had respiratory tract infection after bronchoscopic biopsy. All patients with infection had abnormal bronchoscopic findings. Of the patients with respiratory tract infection, 60% were in the no‐treatment group, 26.7% in the cefcapene group and 13.3% in the azithromycin group. Although not statistically significant, the incidence in the azithromycin group (0.7%) was lower than in the no‐treatment group (P = 0.06). Among the patients with abnormal bronchoscopic findings, the incidence in the azithromycin group was significantly lower than that in the no‐treatment group (3.0% vs. 14.8%; P = 0.02). Moreover, maximum C‐reactive protein values also appeared to be lower in the azithromycin group than in the no‐treatment group and the cefcapene group.Conclusions:  A 3‐day course of azithromycin administration is well tolerated and effective in preventing infection post bronchoscopy.
Effect of inhaled budesonide on oropharyngeal, Gram‐negative bacilli colonization in asthma patients
Authors: TALAY Fahrettin , KARABAY Oguz , YILMAZ Fahrettin , KOCOGLU Esra 
Published: December 2006

Background and Objective:  The effect of inhaled budesonide on oropharyngeal Gram‐negative bacilli colonization (OGNBC) in asthmatic patients was investigated.Methods:  Oropharyngeal cultures were obtained from asthmatic patients attending the hospital respiratory outpatient clinic, at baseline and 1 month after treatment with 800 µg/day of inhaled budesonide. Cultures were evaluated for OGNBC and compared with those of healthy controls.Results:  A total of 148 cultures (74 from asthma patients, 74 from healthy controls) were evaluated. Six cultures (8.1%) from healthy controls, eight cultures (10.8%) from asthma patients obtained before treatment and 20 cultures (27.0%) obtained after treatment were positive for OGNBC (P < 0.05). Gender, age, presence of atopy and the degree of illness were not found to be related to the presence of OGNBC in and healthy control cultures. In the cultures obtained from the patients after treatment, OGNBC was higher in patients >50 years and in those with FEV1 < 70% (P < 0.05). Nine (18.8%) of 48 patients <50 years compare with 11 (42.3%) of the 26 patients >50 revealed OGNBC (P < 0.05). OGNBC were observed in 18.9% of the patients with FEV1 = 70% and in 47.6% of those with FEV1 < 70% (P < 0.05).Conclusions:  The increased rate of OGNBC in asthma patients treated with inhaled budesonide was found to be related to increased age and lower level of FEV1. Further studies with larger numbers of patients are required for the interpretation of this colonization in the course of lower respiratory infections in these patients.
Using discrete choice experiments to investigate subject preferences for preventive asthma medication
Authors: LANCSAR Emily J. , HALL Jane P. , KING Madeleine , KENNY Patricia , LOUVIERE Jordan J. , FIEBIG Denzil G. , HOSSAIN Ishrat , THIEN Francis C.K. , REDDEL Helen K. , JENKINS Christine R. 
Published: December 2006

Background and objective:  Long‐term adherence to inhaled corticosteroids is poor despite the crucial role of preventer medications in achieving good asthma outcomes. This study was undertaken to explore patient preferences in relation to their current inhaled corticosteroid medication, a hypothetical preventer or no medication.Methods:  A discrete choice experiment was conducted in 57 adults with mild–moderate asthma and airway hyper‐responsiveness, who were using inhaled corticosteroid ≤500 µg/day (beclomethasone equivalent). In the discrete choice experiment, subjects evaluated 16 hypothetical scenarios made up of 10 attributes that described the process and outcomes of taking asthma medication, with two to four levels for each attribute. For each scenario, subjects chose between the hypothetical medication, the medication they were currently taking and no asthma medication. A random parameter multinomial logit model was estimated to quantify subject preferences for the aspects of taking asthma medication and the influence of attributes on medication decisions.Results:  Subjects consistently made choices in favour of being able to do strenuous and sporting activities with or without reliever, experiencing no side‐effects and never having to monitor their peak flow. Frequency of collecting prescriptions, frequency of taking the medication, its route of administration and the strength of the doctor recommendation about the medication were not significant determinants of choice.Conclusions:  The results of this study suggest that patients prefer a preventer that confers capacity to maximize physical activity, has no side‐effects and does not require daily peak flow monitoring.
REOPERATIVE PARATHYROID SURGERY: THE IMPORTANCE OF ECTOPIC LOCATION AND MULTIGLAND DISEASE
Authors: Gough Ian 
Published: December 2006

Background:  Despite the availability of expert surgeons and preoperative imaging investigations, some patients require reoperation for persistent or recurrent hyperparathyroidisms.Method:  Fifty consecutive patients were reviewed.Results:  There were 28 persistent cases (24 primary, 4 secondary) and 22 recurrent cases (15 primary, 7 secondary) and 98% had successful surgical treatment. Multigland disease was present in 24 of 39 (62%) of primary cases, 11 of 24 persistent and 13 of 15 recurrent (P < 0.02). Four patients in the recurrent primary group had multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1, whereas the other 20 primary patients had sporadic multigland disease. Multigland disease was present in all secondary cases and was a very important factor in this entire series of patients (70%). Regrowth of a remnant of a gland biopsied or partially resected at an earlier operation was the cause of recurrence in 12 of 15 primary and 2 of 7 secondary cases (P < 0.05). The site of missed glands in persistent disease was ectopic in 60%. Ectopic glands were found in the following sites: intrathyroidal 10 (8 inferior and 2 superior), intrathymic 9, posterior mediastinum 4, base of skull 2, carotid sheath 1 and supernumerary 5. Investigations to locate missing glands were positive in 28 of 43 sestamibi scans (65%), 14 of 34 ultrasound scans (41%), 10 of 24 computed tomography scans (42%) and 11 of 13 selective venous sampling tests (85%).Conclusion:  Some persistent cases are unavoidable because of ectopic locations and some recurrences are inevitable because of multigland disease.
SELECTION OF PRIMARY HIP AND KNEE ARTHROPLASTIES FOR PUBLIC HOSPITALS IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA: A CLINICAL EVIDENCE APPROACH
Authors: Kop Alan M. , Swarts Eric 
Published: December 2006

Background:  The Australian Joint Registry records that there are approximately 84 hip stem designs, 71 acetabular designs and 45 knee systems in common use in Australia, giving the surgeon an extensive and often bewildering choices.Methods:  Since the 1990s, there have been several attempts to rationalize the supply of the products of primary hip and knee arthroplasties to the public hospitals in Western Australia. To continue and improve the rationalization process, the recently awarded ‘whole of health’ tender was based on a thorough clinical and laboratory evaluation process. The method included commercial analysis by Health Supply Western Australia, clinical evaluation by a committee comprised of senior surgeons and technical assessment by biomedical engineers and scientists. The evaluation process was subdivided into qualitative criteria; being the commercial aspects of the tender (50%) and a fitness for purpose assessment comprising clinically based evidence (40%) and laboratory assessment of product quality (10%).Result:  The tendering process concluded with the recommendation of 12 hip and 5 knee systems.Conclusions:  A comprehensive method primarily based on clinical evidence was used to assess arthroplasty products tendered to Western Australia public hospitals. Generally, there was good compliance with the commercial aspects of the tender. In contrast, however, clinically based evidence assessment of many arthroplasty devices was difficult because of a distinct lack of quality published work. Inadequate quality control of several devices is also of concern. Evaluation of key performance indicators, including cost savings, acceptance by surgeons, tender compliance and revision rates, will determine the success of the tender.
EXPERIENCE OF ENDOSCOPIC ULTRASOUND IN AN AUSTRALIAN TERTIARY HOSPITAL
Authors: Kalade Andrius V. , Desmond Paul V. , Chen Robert Y. 
Published: December 2006

Background:  There is minimal prospective data on endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) experience in Australia. This study aimed to review the recent EUS experience of a single Australian tertiary hospital.Methods:  Data of all EUS carried out at St Vincent’s Hospital, Melbourne, Australia were prospectively collected from August 2002 to September 2005. Patient demographics, indications, anatomical sites of EUS and fine‐needle aspiration (FNA) were extracted from the database. A subset of 231 patients were involved in a prospective study to assess the clinical effect of EUS: with accuracy and outcomes data derived from surgical histology and pre‐EUS and post‐EUS questionnaires.Results:  Five hundred and sixty‐one procedures were carried out for 526 patients. Men comprised 57% (n = 300). Mean age was 60 years (range, 19–92 years). The indications were (i) oesophageal 30.7% (n = 172); (ii) pancreaticobiliary 29.6% (n = 166); (iii) mediastinal and lung 20.7% (n = 116); (iv) gastric 15.9% (n = 89); and (v) duodenal 3.2% (n = 18). Endoscopic ultrasound‐guided FNA was carried out in 30.3% procedures (170/561). Overall EUS accuracy was 84% (55/67 patients) and EUS‐guided FNA accuracy was 88% (28/32 patients). There were no major complications.Conclusions:  This is the largest reported Australian experience of EUS to date. Overall EUS was accurate, safe with no major complications or mortality and had useful outcomes. The role, expertise and accessibility of EUS in the Australian clinical setting are anticipated to continue to increase.
Anesthesia management of a ganglioneuroma with seizures presenting as pheochromocytoma
Authors: BATRA YATINDRA KUMAR , RAJEEV SUBRAMANYAM , RAO KATRAGADDA LN 
Published: December 2006

SummaryGanglioneuromas (GN) are neural crest cell‐derived tumors which may coexist with pheochromocytomas, secrete various neuropeptides or the symptoms may mimic that of a pheochromocytoma, producing hypertension or a hypotensive crisis during anesthesia for these tumors. We report here the case of a 7‐year‐old female child with an adrenal tumor suspected to be a pheochromocytoma, later confirmed by histology as a GN. This child presented with episodic headache, anxiety, palpitations and 3D helical (spiral) computed tomography of the abdomen revealed an adrenal tumor. In addition, the child was diagnosed to have a seizure disorder. She was managed as a pheochromocytoma. Although the child's preoperative catecholamine levels were normal, tumor manipulation caused a hypertensive crisis. We discuss the clinical characteristics of this unusual case, anesthesia management, and the postoperative course.
A retrospective evaluation of congenital ocular defects in Australian Shepherd dogs in Australia
Authors: Munyard Kylie A. , Sherry Colin R. , Sherry Lesley 
Published: December 2006

AbstractObjective  A retrospective survey of ocular defects in Australian Shepherd dogs was conducted following concerns raised by breeders and owners in Australia. This is the first known such study conducted for this breed.Results  Data from this survey indicate that persistent hyaloid remnants (PHR) were the most common eye defect noted in the Australian Shepherd. Collie eye anomaly (CEA) is the second most common defect noted by veterinary ophthalmologists in the breed in Australia, and extra eyelashes (ectopic cilia/distichia) the third most common.Conclusions  The data also support the hypothesis that PHR may be inherited in this breed. Further investigation is needed to reveal the status of PHR in this breed.
Combined keratectomy, strontium‐90 irradiation and permanent bulbar conjunctival grafts for corneolimbal squamous cell carcinomas in horses (1990–2002): 38 horses
Authors: Plummer C. E. , Smith S. , Andrew S. E. , Lassaline M. E. , Gelatt K. N. , Brooks D. E. , Kallberg M. E. , Ollivier F. J. 
Published: December 2006

AbstractObjective The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of postoperative beta‐irradiation with strontium‐90 as an adjunctive treatment to superficial keratectomy and permanent bulbar conjunctival graft for removal of equine corneolimbal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), in decreasing recurrence rate.Study The retrospective case study included 38 horses diagnosed and treated for SCC of the eye that involved the limbus and/or cornea. The patients were treated between 1990 and 2002, with strontium‐90 irradiation immediately after corneal and conjunctival graft surgery. Recurrence was defined as the postoperative and postirradiation regrowth of SCC in the same site and globe that was previously treated.Results The Appaloosa was the most commonly represented breed and horses that had more than one base coat color represented the majority of the cases (53%). The coat colors of white, chestnut/sorrel and gray were the most commonly represented colors of the horses treated. Eight horses (21%) could not be assessed for tumor recurrence due to lack of two or more post‐treatment examinations, and another horse was enucleated 6 days postoperatively due to progressive corneal ulceration. Twenty‐four horses (63% of the entire study population; 83% of the followed cases) had a mean ± SD of 1754 ± 1319 days without tumor recurrence, ranging from 14 days to 5110 days. Five horses (13% of the entire study population; 17% of the assessed horses) had tumor recurrence at a mean ± SD of 449 ± 339 days with a range of 29 days to 900 days. For the five recurrences, treatment included local excision (n = 1), enucleation (n = 2), and additional strontium‐90 therapy (n = 3).ConclusionsThe combination of superficial keratectomy, β‐irradiation and permanent bulbar conjunctival grafts for limbal, corneal or corneolimbal SCC in horses is effective in at least 83% of the horses. Recurrence occurred in about 17% of the horses. Multiple biannual re‐examinations are recommended to observe for tumor recurrence.
Ocular findings in two colonies of gray mouse lemurs (Microcebus murinus)
Authors: Beltran William A. , Vanore Maria , Ollivet Florence , Nemoz‐Bertholet Florence , Aujard Fabienne , Clerc Bernard , Chahory Sabine 
Published: December 2006

AbstractObjective To determine the incidence and describe the characteristics of cataracts and other ocular lesions found in two colonies of gray mouse lemurs (Microcebus murinus).Animals studied A total number of 218 mouse lemurs (age range: 4 months−11 years) were included in this study. All individuals were property of the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle (France), and were housed either in Paris (colony #1: 75 animals examined), or in Brunoy (colony #2: 143 animals).Methods Ocular examinations were performed on all animals before and after pupil dilation, and included slit‐lamp biomicroscopy and indirect ophthalmoscopy. In both colonies, a limited number of individuals were re‐examined between several months and 2 years following the initial eye examinations. The eyes of five mouse lemurs with incipient or immature cataracts that died during this period were collected, and processed for routine histopathologic examination.Results A high incidence of cataracts was observed in both colonies (48% in colony #1; 21% in colony #2). Cataracts were predominantly bilateral, started in the anterior and/or posterior subcapsular area, and appeared to be slowly progressive. The earliest age at which lens opacities were observed was 3.5 years, and more than 50% of mouse lemurs over 7 years of age were diagnosed with cataracts. Complete cataracts led to blindness and were occasionally associated with other ocular lesions.Conclusion We report a high incidence of acquired, slowly progressive, bilateral cataracts in two colonies of mouse lemurs (Microcebus murinus). Further studies need to be conducted to determine the cause of this disease in this species.
Ocular biometry in the adult anesthetized ferret (Mustela putorius furo)
Authors: Hernández‐Guerra A. M. , Rodilla V. , López‐Murcia M. M. 
Published: December 2006

AbstractA total of 44 eyes of 22 ferrets were examined by B‐mode ultrasonography.Four dimensions were measured: the distance from the corneal surface to the anterior lens surface (M1), the axial lens thickness (M2), the distance from the posterior lens surface to the retina (M3) and the distance from the anterior cornea to the retina (M4). The values obtained were (mean, standard deviation, range): M1: 1.31 ± 0.16 mm (1–1.7); M2: 3.42 ± 0.15 mm (3.2–3.7); M3: 2.26 ± 0.11 mm (2.1–2.5); M4: 7 ± 0.24 mm (6.4–7.7).To our knowledge this is the first description of ocular biometric measurement in the ferret. These values show little variability of ocular dimensions in ferrets.
Gene–environment interdependence
Authors: Rutter Michael 
Published: December 2006

Abstract Behavioural genetics was initially concerned with partitioning population variance into that due to genetics and that due to environmental influences. The implication was that the two were separate and it was assumed that gene–environment interactions were usually of so little importance that they could safely be ignored. Theoretical considerations suggested that that was unlikely to be true and empirical findings are now accumulating on the demonstrated and replicated biological interactions between identified common single genetic variants and the operation of environmentally mediated risks. The paper outlines the evidence and considers why it is changing concepts in ways that matter.
Microarrays
Authors: Plomin Robert , Schalkwyk Leonard C. 
Published: December 2006

Abstract Microarrays are revolutionizing genetics by making it possible to genotype hundreds of thousands of DNA markers and to assess the expression (RNA transcripts) of all of the genes in the genome. Microarrays are slides the size of a postage stamp that contain millions of DNA sequences to which single‐stranded DNA or RNA can hybridize. This miniaturization requires little DNA or RNA and makes the method fast and inexpensive; multiple assays of each target make the method highly accurate. DNA microarrays with hundreds of thousands of DNA markers have made it possible to conduct systematic scans of the entire genome to identify genetic associations with complex disorders or dimensions likely to be influenced by many genes of small effect size. RNA microarrays can provide snapshots of gene expression across all of the genes in the genome at any time in any tissue, which has far‐reaching applications such as structural and functional ‘genetic neuroimaging’ and providing a biological basis for understanding environmental influence.
The dynamic lift of developmental process
Authors: Smith Linda B. , Breazeal Cynthia 
Published: December 2006

AbstractWhat are the essential properties of human intelligence, currently unparalleled in its power relative to other biological forms and relative to artificial forms of intelligence? We suggest that answering this question depends critically on understanding developmental process. This paper considers three principles potentially essential to building human‐like intelligence: the heterogeneity of the component processes, the embedding of development in a social world, and developmental processes that change the cognitive system as a function of the history of soft‐assemblies of these heterogeneous processes in specific tasks. The paper uses examples from human development and from developmental robotics to show how these processes also may underlie biological intelligence and enable us to generate more advanced forms of artificial intelligence.
Dynamic instabilities as mechanisms for emergence
Authors: Schöner Gregor , Dineva Evelina 
Published: December 2006

AbstractThat competences may emerge given appropriate environmental and behavioral context is a long‐standing theme in developmental research. Work in the motor domain, but also in cognitive development, has made it possible to transform this idea into a mechanistic account closely linked to empirical evidence. In dynamic systems thinking, such capacities as keeping a motor goal in mind, remembering a location, or resisting a motor habit, are all understood in terms of the generation of stable patterns of neuronal activation. These may be input‐driven, but also be stabilized by interactions within neuronal representations. A key theoretical insight is that whether a particular pattern of activation is stable or not is not determined by any single factor, learning process, or structural parameter. Instead, ongoing activity, recent activation history, current input, all may affect when a particular dynamic regime is reachable. In spite of such broad interdependence, sharp transitions may characterize the onset of a skill in any given context. Dynamic instabilities are the mechanistic basis for this phenomenon and thus form the basis for understanding development in terms of emergence. We exemplify the concepts of instability and emergence around the phenomenon of infant perseverative reaching and discuss implications for identifying key markers of development and their link to neuronal processes.
Atypical epigenesis
Authors: Karmiloff‐Smith Annette 
Published: December 2006

AbstractIt is becoming increasingly clear that little in development is predetermined or permanently fixed. Rather, gene expression is activity dependent, and epigenesis is probabilistic. So, the study of genetic disorders needs to change from the still widely held view that developmental disorders can be accounted for in terms of intact versus impaired modules, to one which takes serious account of the fact that the infant cortex passes from an initial state of high regional interconnectivity to a subsequent state of increasing specialization and localization of function. With such early interconnectivity in mind, developmental neuroscientists must consider the possibility that an early deficit in one part of the brain may have subtle effects on other parts of the developing brain, even when scores fall ‘in the normal range’. In studying developmental disorders, it is thus crucial to examine not only domains of clear‐cut deficit, but also domains of behavioural proficiency. Atypical epigenesis may often involve a lack of specialization and localization of brain function over developmental time, even in cases of behavioural proficiency.
Cognitive variability
Authors: Siegler Robert S. 
Published: December 2006

Abstract Children's thinking is highly variable at every level of analysis, from neural and associative levels to the level of strategies, theories, and other aspects of high‐level cognition. This variability exists within people as well as between them; individual children often rely on different strategies or representations on closely related problems presented close in time. Recognizing such variability can help us both describe development more accurately and better explain how cognitive change occurs.