bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia Registry and Patient Survey: study design, methods and patient baseline characteristics
Authors: Roehrborn Claus G. , Nuckolls James G. , Wei John T. , Steers William ,   the BPH Registry and Patient Survey Steering Committee
Published: September 2007

The first paper describes the design and baseline characteristics of patients in the BPH Registry and Patient Survey in the USA. This important study will provide information on management practices and outcomes of men with this condition, as well as examining the effects of demographics, socio‐economics, comorbidities and medical therapies.Another important study in the USA is the Boston Area Community Health Survey, and in this issue the authors estimate the future magnitude of urological symptoms in that country. They found that it might reach the current level of cardiovascular disease and suggested that this will have huge affects on health service policy.OBJECTIVETo describe the design and baseline cohort characteristics of the Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH) Registry and Patient Survey, an ongoing, prospective, observational, disease registry documenting management practices and patient outcomes in men in the USA with lower urinary tract symptoms associated with BPH (LUTS/BPH) in actual clinical practice settings.PATIENTS AND METHODSMen with LUTS/BPH who were either untreated or treated with α1‐adrenergic blockers (ABs), 5α‐reductase inhibitors (5ARIs), a combination of these medications, or anticholinergics, and who met selection criteria, were enrolled at sites throughout the USA. At each visit, standardized forms and validated questionnaires were completed to assess the physicians’ management practices and patients’ clinical characteristics, sexual function, and health‐related quality of life.RESULTSAt the close of recruitment (February 2005), 6909 men (mean age 66.0 years) were enrolled at 402 sites by urologists and primary‐care physicians. Before enrolment, 49% of the men were managed with watchful waiting (WW), 21% with uroselective AB monotherapy, 11% with non‐uroselective AB monotherapy, 6% with 5ARI monotherapy, 11% with AB + 5ARI, and 2% with anticholinergics. After enrolment, 42% were on WW and 26% were on selective AB monotherapy; changes in other management groups were minimal. Overall, 33% of the men had mild, 52% had moderate and 15% had severe LUTS. The most common comorbidities were hypertension (53%), high cholesterol (45%) and sexual dysfunction (36%).CONCLUSIONThe BPH Registry and Patient Survey will provide information on physician management practices and outcomes of men with LUTS/BPH, while examining the effects of demographics, socio‐economics, comorbidities, and medical therapies.
Concurrent upper and lower urinary tract robotic surgery: strategies for success
Authors: Eun Daniel , Bhandari Akshay , Boris Ronald , Rogers Craig , Bhandari Mahendra , Menon Mani 
Published: September 2007

Associate EditorAsh TewariEditorial BoardRalph Clayman, USAInderbir Gill, USARoger Kirby, UKMani Menon, USAOBJECTIVETo assess the feasibility of combined upper and lower urinary tract robot‐assisted laparoscopic surgery (RALS) during one operative session.MATERIALS AND METHODSWe describe strategies for port placement and the use of the new da Vinci® S surgical system (Intuitive Surgical, Sunnyvale, CA, USA), equipped with a fourth arm, for concurrent surgeries in a porcine model and in humans within one operative session. We studied various schemes of port placement, patient positioning and robotic arm manoeuvring while doing concurrent ipsilateral upper and lower urinary tract surgery on six pigs. The operative times and estimated blood loss were recorded prospectively. Qualitative data such as robotic arm ergonomics, advantages and disadvantages of various port placement strategies were noted. During the various surgical exercises, particular attention was given to the extent and the limits of instrument arm reach and mobility of the various port‐placement schemes. These concepts for port placement and patient positioning were then further evaluated in a cadaver followed by demonstration of feasibility by performing a robot‐assisted laparoscopic surgery (RAL) right nephroureterectomy in a patient.RESULTSWe describe a four‐port ‘baseball diamond’ strategy to allow instrument access to the entire ipsilateral urinary tract in one operating session without repositioning the patient and re‐docking the robot. Furthermore, if additional instrument length is required to reach the deep pelvis, we describe a novel ‘pivoting triangle’ manoeuvre that incorporates the fourth arm and allows dual‐port cannulation and lens telescoping.CONCLUSIONSingle session, concurrent multiple quadrant RALS is facilitated by using the da Vinci® S surgical system with a ‘baseball diamond’ port‐placement strategy.
Patient outcomes and length of hospital stay after radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer: analysis of Hospital Episodes Statistics for England
Authors: Judge Andrew , Evans Simon , Gunnell David J. , Albertsen Peter C. , Verne Julia , Martin Richard M. 
Published: September 2007

OBJECTIVETo investigate the morbidity and mortality after radical prostatectomy (RP) in relation to the numbers of RPs carried out at individual hospitals, as recent studies of complex surgery report worse outcomes in low‐volume hospitals, and there has been a large increase in RPs for localized prostate cancer.METHODSWe analysed hospital episode statistics data for all 18 027 RPs in English National Health Service hospitals between 1997 and 2004.RESULTSIn multivariate analysis, there was a U–shaped association of hospital volume with mortality (P for nonlinear trend, 0.004), but this finding was based on only 59 (0.3%) deaths. The mean length of stay was 6 days and decreased by 2.96% (95% confidence interval, CI, 1.98–3.92; P < 0.001) per quintile increase in hospital volume. In all, 16.1% of men had 30‐day in‐hospital complications; 20.3% were readmitted with complications within a year. The odds of 30‐day in‐hospital wound/bleeding complications decreased by 6% (95% CI 1–11; P = 0.02), and miscellaneous medical complications decreased by 10% (0–19; P = 0.04) per increase in hospital volume quintile. For re‐admissions within a year, the hazard of vascular complications decreased by 15% (6–22; P = 0.001), wound/bleeding complications decreased by 8% (2–13; P = 0.01) and genitourinary complications decreased by 5% (2–8; P = 0.002), per increase in hospital volume quintile.CONCLUSIONIn men undergoing RP the length of hospital stay and rates of some short‐ and long‐term postoperative complications afterward are lower in high‐volume hospitals. The magnitudes of these effects on the outcomes studied may be too small and inconsistent to indicate a policy of selective referral to high‐volume hospitals. Quality of life and oncological outcomes, however, could not be investigated in this dataset.
Influence of intravesical potassium on pelvic floor activity in women with recurrent urinary tract infections: comparative urodynamics might lead to enhanced detection of dysfunctional voiding
Authors: Akkad Thomas , Pelzer Alexandre E. , Mitterberger Michael , Rehder Peter , Leonhartsberger Nicolai , Bartsch Georg , Strasser Hannes 
Published: September 2007

Authors from Austria present their 1‐year follow‐up of 117 patients with stress urinary incontinence treated with autologous myoblasts and fibroblasts obtained from skeletal muscle biopsies. This detailed study shows that such a procedure is highly effective and safe for treating this condition.OBJECTIVESTo investigate the influence of intravesical potassium on pelvic floor activity (PFA) during voiding in women with recurrent urinary tract infections (rUTIs) by using comparative urodynamics (CUD).PATIENTS AND METHODSCUD was conducted in 49 women (mean age 34.6 years, range 15–82) with rUTI. Every patient had two sessions of pressure‐flow studies with simultaneous measurement of PFA by perineal surface electromyography (EMG); the first was with 0.9% saline and in the second the bladder was filled with 0.2 m KCl solution. All patients had voiding cysto‐urethrography, and dysfunctional voiding (DV) was diagnosed when significant PFA was measured by EMG during voiding.RESULTSOverall, DV was diagnosed in 37 patients (76%) using CUD; 16 (32%) had DV with saline on the pelvic floor EMG. In all these patients there were significantly greater EMG signals in the presence of KCL. In 21 patients (43%) DV was only detected using KCL; this improvement in the detection rate of DV was statistically significant (P = 0.006). Filling with KCl also prompted a statistically significant difference (P < 0.05) in maximum bladder capacity, maximum and average flow rates and in postvoid residual urine volume.CONCLUSIONThe present data show that DV is present in most women with rUTI but cannot sufficiently be diagnosed by conventional urodynamics with standard 0.9% saline. The present study suggests that CUD might enhance the detection rates of DV.
Laparoscopic adrenalectomy for large pheochromocytoma
Authors: Indupur Ravish R. , Nerli Rajendra B. , Reddy Mallikarjun N. , Siddappa Suresh N. , Thakkar Rohan 
Published: September 2007

OBJECTIVESTo determine the feasibility and safety of laparoscopic adrenalectomy for large adrenal pheochromocytomas as although the safety and efficacy for small pheochromocytomas is relatively well documented its use for large pheochromocytomas is controversial because of a perceived increased risk of malignancy.PATIENTS AND METHODSAll pheochromocytomas (>8 cm) managed prospectively using a laparoscopic approach between January 2002 and April 2006 were included. Blood loss, operative duration, complications, and hospital stay were assessed.RESULTSIn all, 11 consecutive patients underwent laparoscopic adrenalectomy for large pheochromocytomas. The adrenal sizes were 8–15 cm. The mean blood loss was <100 mL, the mean operative duration was 145 min and the mean postoperative stay was 3.6 days. Only one patient had an intraoperative hypertensive crisis, and recovery was uneventful in all.CONCLUSIONSLaparoscopic transperitoneal, lateral adrenalectomy is safe and efficient means of resecting large (>8 cm) adrenal pheochromocytomas. Although intraoperative catecholamine surges are a cause of major concern, early clipping and dividing of the adrenal vein helps to avoid a catecholamine‐induced hypertensive crisis.
Changes in the Relative Economic Performance of Immigrants to Great Britain and the United States, 1980–2000
Authors: Schmitt John , Wadsworth Jonathan 
Published: September 2007

AbstractWe compare the relative labour market performance of immigrants in the USA and in Britain over the period 1980–2000, when the stocks of immigrants were rising in both countries alongside differential shifts in demand and changes to labour market institutions. We find that the average relative employment prospects of immigrants are generally better in the USA than in Britain, particularly for non‐white immigrants, while the average relative wage prospects for immigrants are generally better in Britain, particularly for men. Over time, relative wage and employment prospects for immigrants to the USA appear to have deteriorated, particularly among women, in a way that is not as apparent in Britain.
Is Latin America Catching Up? A Time‐Series Approach
Authors: King Alan , Ramlogan Carlyn 
Published: September 2007

AbstractMost Latin American economies ended the twentieth century further behind the United States (in terms of productivity) than they had been in 1950. We investigate whether this reflects the effect of occasional economic setbacks or a systematic tendency to fall behind the United States. This is done using a time‐series approach that allows for up to two structural breaks in a series. We find evidence that relative productivity is a (broken) trend‐stationary process for most of the 18 countries considered but that only one, Chile, shows evidence of catching up with the United States at the century’s close.
Coffee Boom, Coffee Bust and Smallholder Response in Vietnam’s Central Highlands
Authors: Ha Dang Thanh , Shively Gerald 
Published: September 2007

AbstractThis paper studies the recent boom and bust in Vietnam’s coffee economy. Data from smallholder coffee farms in the Central Highlands are used to examine responses to a drop in producer coffee prices. A multinomial logistic regression model is used to identify several factors associated with four specific patterns observed among coffee farmers: no response to price change, reductions in use of purchased inputs, changes in crop mix, and responses aimed at enhancing liquidity through off‐farm work or borrowing. Patterns of response are shown to have differed systematically across sub‐groups of smallholders. Policy implications raised by the findings are discussed.
Open Wide! An Oral Examination of Thomas Mann's Early Fiction
Authors: Joy Stephen 
Published: September 2007

ABSTRACTThe early fiction of Thomas Mann displays a particular fixation on the mouth as a privileged figure for the discursive fields of speech, consumption and desire. But this threefold model of oral function is, above all, a measure of pathology and dysfunction. This article investigates the symptomatology of oral disorder throughout Mann's early stories and views them as a challenge to the stability of identity. Read intertextually with the dream of Irma's injection from Freud's Traumdeutung, I argue that the mouth comes to signify one challenge in particular – the arch‐Freudian threat of castration. It is this subversive potential which Freud's ‘phallic’ interpretation cannot tolerate, and which he works hard to disavow. Mann's texts also recuperate ambivalence in the orders of gender and sexuality, crystallised around the figure of the mouth, through the dental practice of extraction. Hence, in Buddenbrooks, Thomas and Hanno are not cured of their disordered performances of identity, and are instead simply excised from the narrative. This article suggests, therefore, that Mann presides over his early fiction in the guise of a fatal dentist, exposing the organ of the mouth to special scrutiny, but also subjecting the symptoms of oral disorder to brutal extraction through death.
Adherence to treatment in patients with psoriasis vulgaris: Turkish experience
Authors: Gokdemir G , Arı S , Köşlü A 
Published: September 2007

AbstractBackground  Treatment adherence has been an important issue in therapies of chronic diseases such as psoriasis vulgaris. There are a few studies on treatment adherence in psoriasis patients in literature.Objective  The goal of this study is to show treatment adherence and the factors that affect it in psoriasis patients in Turkish population.Methods  A total of 109 patients with psoriasis vulgaris were enrolled in an 8‐week study. A standard questionnaire was completed by the patients. ‘Psoriasis Area and Severity Index’ and ‘Dermatology life quality index’ scores and treatment regimens of patients were recorded. At the end of the 8‐week therapy, treatment adherence scores were calculated by using self‐reported data given by the patients. The level of satisfaction and reasons for missing treatment were recorded.Results  One hundred three patients (44 men, 59 women) completed the study. The overall rate of treatment adherence was 75%. Single or divorced patients had a significantly higher mean adherence than married ones. There was a significant correlation between adherence and education level. The average level of satisfaction was 44.3%, and the adherence of satisfied patients was statistically more significant than that of the unsatisfied patients. The major two reasons for non‐adherence to the therapy were being busy (25.45%) and fed up (21.81%).Conclusion  In the present study, we found that marital status, education and satisfaction level were important for treatment adherence. We suggest that further studies with different contributing factors consisting of social, cultural and psychological effects may be useful for treatment adherence in psoriasis patients.
Mental health in patients with systemic sclerosis: a controlled investigation
Authors: Mozzetta A , Antinone V , Alfani S , Neri P , Bonda PG Foglio , Pasquini P , Puddu P , Picardi A 
Published: September 2007

AbstractBackground  Despite the undeniable impact of systemic sclerosis (SS) on quality of life, only a few studies so far have focused on its psychiatric or psychological aspects. We aimed at assessing psychiatric symptoms and self‐image in inpatients with SS and comparing them with patients with either a very mild skin condition or a serious skin condition.Methods  Three groups were recruited: (i) 38 consecutive female inpatients with SS; (ii) 38 age‐matched female outpatients with melanocytic naevi; (iii) 35 age‐matched female inpatients with melanoma. All participants completed the Zung Anxiety Scale, the Zung Depression Scale and a self‐report questionnaire measuring self‐perceived personal qualities. Patients with SS were also clinically interviewed by a psychologist.Results  The clinical interview revealed the presence of a psychiatric disorder in most (81%) patients with SS. The Zung scales corroborated the presence of mild to moderate anxiety and depression among patients with SS, who scored significantly higher than patients with either naevi or melanoma on both scales. Scores on the questionnaire assessing self‐perceived personal qualities were very similar in the three groups and indicated a fairly high level of self‐esteem.Conclusions  This study suggested that psychosocial issues are quite relevant in patients with SS and underscored the need for a biopsychosocial approach to the clinical management of these patients. Timely detection of psychosocial difficulties and appropriate psychological or psychiatric intervention may represent important steps toward better adherence to medical treatment and improved psychological well‐being and quality of life.
Numerical modelling of 3D fluid flow and oxygen isotope exchange in fractured media: spatial distribution of isotope patterns
Authors: SAVARD C. , BEAUDOIN G. , THERRIEN R. 
Published: September 2007

AbstractAn understanding of fluid flow, mass transport and isotopic exchange in fractured rock is required to understand the origin of several geological processes including hydrothermal mineral deposits. The numerical model HydroGeoSphere simulates 3D advection, molecular diffusion, mechanical dispersion and isotopic exchange in a discretely fractured porous media, and can be used to better understand the processes of mass transport and isotopic exchange in fractured rocks. Study of 18O isopleth patterns for different types of fractures and fracture networks with a range of structural complexity and hydraulic properties shows that fracture properties and geometry control mass transport and isotopic exchange. The hydraulic properties, as well as the density, spacing, and connectivity of fractures determine the isotopic patterns. Asymmetries in the geometry of oxygen isotope patterns could be used to determine the direction of hydrothermal fluid flow.
Genetic diversity and differentiation between the two remaining populations of the critically endangered Mediterranean monk seal
Authors: Pastor T. , Garza J. C. , Aguilar A. , Tounta E. , Androukaki E. 
Published: September 2007

AbstractThe Mediterranean monk seal Monachus monachus, is a critically‐endangered species of which only two populations, separated by c. 4000 km, remain: the eastern Mediterranean (150–300 individuals) and the Atlantic/western Sahara populations (100–130 individuals). We measured current levels of nuclear genetic variation at 24 microsatellite loci in 12 seals from the eastern Mediterranean and 98 seals from the western Sahara population and assessed differences between them. In both populations, genetic variation was found to be low, with mean allelic richness for the loci polymorphic in the species of 2.09 and 1.96, respectively. For most loci, the observed allele frequency distributions in both populations were discontinuous and the size ranges similar. The eastern Mediterranean population had 14 private alleles and the western Sahara had 18, but with a much larger sample size. Highly significant differences in allele frequencies between the two populations were found for 14 out of 17 loci. FST between the two populations was 0.578 and the estimated number of migrants per generation was 0.046, both clearly indicating substantial genetic differentiation. From a conservation perspective, these results suggest that each population may act as a source for introducing additional genetic variation into the other population.
Genetic Analysis of FAM46A in Spanish Families with Autosomal Recessive Retinitis Pigmentosa: Characterisation of Novel VNTRs
Authors: Barragán I. , Borrego S. , Abd El‐Aziz M. M. , El‐Ashry M. F. , Abu‐Safieh L. , Bhattacharya S. S. , Antiñolo G. 
Published: September 2007

SummaryRetinitis pigmentosa (RP) is a group of retinal dystrophies characterised primarily by rod photoreceptor cell degeneration. Exhibiting great clinical and genetic heterogeneity, RP be inherited as an autosomal dominant (ad) and recessive (ar), X‐linked (xl) and digenic disorder. RP25, a locus for arRP, was mapped to chromosome 6p12.1‐q14.1 where several retinal dystrophy loci are located. A gene expressed in the retina, FAM46A, mapped within the RP25 locus, and computational data revealed its involvement in retinal signalling pathways. Therefore, we chose to perform molecular evaluation of this gene as a good candidate in arRP families linked to the RP25 interval. A comprehensive bioinformatic and retinal tissue expression characterisation of FAM46A was performed, together with mutation screening of seven RP25 families.Herein we present 4 novel sequence variants, of which one is a novel deletion within a low complexity region close to the initiation codon of FAM46A. Furthermore, we have characterised for the first time a coding tandem variation in the Caucasian population.This study reports on bioinformatic and moleculardata for the FAM46A gene that may give a wider insight into the putative function of this gene and its pathologic relevance to RP25 and other retinal diseases mapping within the 6q chromosomal interval.