bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
New onset of hydroceles in boys over 1 year of age
Authors: CHRISTENSEN TYLER , CARTWRIGHT PATRICK C , DEVRIES CATHERINE , SNOW BRENT W 
Published: November 2006

Aim: The presentation, and medical and surgical management of all new onset non‐congenital hydroceles in boys older than 1 year of age were examined. Of particular interest was the outcome of those patients who presented with a non‐communicating hydrocele that developed after the first year of life and was managed conservatively.Methods: All patients older than 12 months of age who were evaluated as outpatients with the diagnosis of hydrocele from January 1994 to January 2001 were identified. Possible risk factors and predisposing conditions were determined. For the patients who had surgical correction, surgical indications were identified. For non‐surgical patients, long‐term outcomes were recorded.Results: A total of 302 patients older than 12 months of age with the diagnosis of new onset hydrocele were identified. Of these, 35% were non‐communicating, 59% were communicating, and 6% were hydroceles of the spermatic cord. In terms of surgery, 97% of communicating hydroceles, 71% of hydroceles of the spermatic cord, and 34% of non‐communicating hydroceles had operative management. Seventy patients with non‐communicating hydroceles did not receive surgery and 51 (73%) were contacted for long term follow‐up. In these 51 patients, 76% of non‐communicating hydroceles resolved completely, 6% decreased in size but were still present, 14% remained the same size, and 4% had an unknown status. The average time to resolution was 5.6 months with a median time of 3 months. The time range to resolution was from 1 day to 24 months. Follow‐up averaged 73.7 months with a range of 33 to 120 months.Conclusions: Approximately 75% of new onset, non‐congenital, non‐communicating hydroceles resolve spontaneously irrespective of size. An observation period of 6–12 months would be appropriate prior to repair.
Up‐titration of vardenaﬁl dose from 10 mg to 20 mg improved erectile function in men with spinal cord injury
Authors: KIMOTO YASUSUKE , SAKAMOTO SADAAKI , FUJIKAWA KEITA , TACHIBANA TAKASHI , YAMAMOTO NORIYUKI , OTANI TOSHIKAZU 
Published: November 2006

Aim: Vardenaﬁl is a highly selective phosphodiesterase type‐5 inhibitor for the treatment of erectile dysfunction (ED). Efﬁcacy of vardenaﬁl has been demonstrated in various ED populations, but that in Japanese patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) has not been assessed.Methods: This was an open‐label, multicenter, flexible dose, 12‐week study in patients with ED due to SCI. Following a 4‐week observation period, patients received vardenaﬁl 10 mg for 4 weeks, and based on efﬁcacy, tolerability and patient preference, doses for the remaining 8 weeks were decided by investigators. The primary efﬁcacy parameter was erectile function domain score of the International Index of Erectile Function.Results: Ten patients took 10 mg all through the study, while 22 patients took 20 mg after completing 4 weeks’ treatment with 10 mg. The erectile function domain score increased from 12.2 at baseline to 25.0 at Last Observation Carried Forward (LOCF) in the former group and from 10.3 to 22.5 in the latter group, respectively. Importantly, there was a 5.0 point increase in erectile function domain score after up‐titration in the latter group. Drug‐related adverse events were observed in 22% of patients including hot flushes (9%) and headache (6%), but these were transient and mild in intensity. Serious adverse events and adverse events leading to discontinuation of the study drug were not reported.Conclusions: Vardenaﬁl 10 and 20 mg was well tolerated and improved erectile function in patients with SCI. Of interest, erectile function was further improved by 20 mg in patients who were not sufﬁciently treated with 10 mg.
Outcome of conservative treatment of primary vesicoureteral reflux in 87 Thai children in a single center
Authors: VACHVANICHSANONG PRAYONG , DISSANEEWATE PORNSAK , LIM APIRADEE , GEATER ALAN 
Published: November 2006

Aim: To evaluate the outcome of primary vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) using conservative treatment.Methods: Eighty‐seven children with primary VUR who had been treated with a conservative medical regimen and monitored through a yearly cystogram were recruited for the study. The study was conducted at the Pediatric Nephrology Clinic in Songklanagarind Hospital, the major tertiary care center in southern Thailand. Statistical analyses using Kaplan–Meier survival curves, chi‐squared test, Fisher’s exact test and multivariate analysis with Cox regression were performed.Results: The study group consisted of 41 boys and 46 girls, with a total of 133 VUR. The age of the boys was significantly lower than that of the girls (P < 0.001). Resolution of the low grades (grades I–III) of VUR was significantly more frequent than that of the high grades (grades IV–V) (68/95, 72%vs 14/38, 37%; P < 0.001). Using the Kaplan–Meier survival analysis and log‐rank test, the resolutions of VUR in boys versus girls, and age <1 years versus ≥1 years were not significantly different (P = 0.2252 and 0.4756, respectively). Low‐grade VUR and unilateral VUR had significantly higher probabilities of resolution than high‐grade VUR and bilateral VUR, respectively (P = 0.0041 and 0.0467, respectively). Multivariate Cox regression analysis indicated that among low‐grade VUR, boys and unilateral VUR had significantly higher probabilities of resolution. Among the high‐grade VUR, neither sex nor laterality had a significant effect on the probabilities of VUR resolution.Conclusion: This study offers more evidence that children with low‐grade VUR have a higher chance of reflux resolution if they are boys and have only unilateral VUR. There is still no good guide for resolution of reflux in children with high‐grade VUR.
Efficacy and safety of tamsulosin hydrochloride compared to doxazosin in the treatment of Indonesian patients with lower urinary tract symptoms due to benign prostatic hyperplasia
Authors: RAHARDJO DJOKO , SOEBADI DODDY M , SUGANDI SUWANDI , BIROWO PONCO , DJATI WAHJOE , WAHYUDI IRFAN 
Published: November 2006

Aim: The objective of the study was to compare the efficacy and safety of tamsulosin hydrochloride and doxazosin in patients with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) due to benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).Methods: The safety and efficacy of tamsulosin (0.2 mg) and doxazosin (2 mg) was determined after once daily administration for 6 weeks in an open‐label, randomized, multicenter study of 101 men with BPH. The International Prostatic Symptom Score (IPSS), maximal urinary flow rates (Qmax), average urinary flow rates (Qave) and residual urine were determined at baseline and again at 6 weeks as efficacy parameters. The primary parameters used for safety evaluation were vital signs (blood pressure and heart rate) and adverse events. The number of patients with a clinically significant response to treatment with tamsulosin or doxazosin was determined and defined as those with >20% improvement from the baseline Qmax or >20% decrease in total IPSS.Results: The total IPSS decreased significantly in both the tamsulosin and doxazosin groups compared to baseline. There was a significant difference in the decrease in total IPSS between two groups. Qmax, Qave and residual urine significantly improved only in the tamsulosin group. There were no significant differences in systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure or heart rate profile in the tamsulosin group; however, doxazosin resulted in a significant difference in systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Tamsulosin was well tolerated; only three patients (6%) in the tamsulosin group reported an adverse event (dizziness) while 11 patients (22%) in the doxazosin group reported an adverse event (dizziness), one of whom withdrew from the study.Conclusions: Tamsulosin was shown to be more effective than doxazosin in the treatment of LUTS due to BPH.
Doubled sugar content in sugarcane plants modified to produce a sucrose isomer
Authors: Wu Luguang , Birch Robert G. 
Published: November 2006

SummarySucrose is the feedstock for more than half of the world's fuel ethanol production and a major human food. It is harvested primarily from sugarcane and beet. Despite attempts through conventional and molecular breeding, the stored sugar concentration in elite sugarcane cultivars has not been increased for several decades. Recently, genes have been cloned for bacterial isomerase enzymes that convert sucrose into sugars which are not metabolized by plants, but which are digested by humans, with health benefits over sucrose. We hypothesized that an appropriate sucrose isomerase (SI) expression pattern might simultaneously provide a valuable source of beneficial sugars and overcome the sugar yield ceiling in plants. The introduction of an SI gene tailored for vacuolar compartmentation resulted in sugarcane lines with remarkable increases in total stored sugar levels. The high‐value sugar isomaltulose was accumulated in storage tissues without any decrease in stored sucrose concentration, resulting in up to doubled total sugar concentrations in harvested juice. The lines with enhanced sugar accumulation also showed increased photosynthesis, sucrose transport and sink strength. This remarkable step above the former ceiling in stored sugar concentration provides a new perspective into plant source–sink relationships, and has substantial potential for enhanced food and biofuel production.
Immunohistochemical assessment of parafibromin in mouse and human tissues
Authors: Porzionato Andrea , Macchi Veronica , Barzon Luisa , Masi Giulia , Iacobone Maurizio , Parenti Anna , Palù Giorgio , De Caro Raffaele 
Published: November 2006

AbstractParafibromin is a protein encoded by the HRPT2 oncosuppressor gene, whose mutation causes the hyperparathyroidism–jaw tumour syndrome, characterized by the occurrence of parathyroid adenoma or carcinoma, fibro‐osseous jaw tumours, and renal neoplastic and non‐neoplastic abnormalities. Non‐morphological techniques, such as Northern and Western blotting and reverse transcriptase‐PCR, indicate that parafibromin is ubiquitously expressed, but extensive immunohistochemical studies have not been performed. To increase our knowledge of the distribution and patterns of expression of parafibromin, we examined its expression and location in many different mouse and human organs by immunohistochemistry. There were no substantial differences in parafibromin expression between mouse and human. We found widespread expression of parafibromin, except in connective tissue, smooth muscle, endothelium and some other types of epithelia (colonic, urinary, tubaric, uterine, thyroid). Heterogeneity of positivity intensity and subcellular location (nuclear, nucleocytoplasmic, cytoplasmic) was found between tissues and cell types, suggesting differential functional involvement of parafibromin. Moreover, higher parafibromin expression was found in cell types, such as hepatocytes, cells of the base of gastric glands, renal cortex tubules and the pars intermedia of the hypophysis, which are characterized by different proliferative capacity, thus indicating that the cellular function of parafibromin may not be reduced only to its anti‐proliferative effect.
Learning the moral order of professions; the contrasting approaches of nursing and clinical psychology
Authors: Solbrekke Tone Dyrdal , Jensen Karen 
Published: November 2006

AbstractIn this article we explore the role professional education plays in the development of moral commitment among students. Using the theories developed by the moral philosopher Charles Taylor and the social learning theorists Jean Lave and Etienne Wenger as a sensitizing device, we study the learning processes of two student groups, nurses and psychologists. Examining these two groups provides a basis for identifying processes and factors critical to developing moral awareness and commitment. The results point to the importance of participation in professional communities, and thus of access to the values, norms and distinctions that define the moral order of the respective professions. In line with Wenger we highlight three modes of belonging: engagement, imagination and alignment.
Interprofessional education in health and social care: fashion or informed practice?
Authors: Craddock Deborah , O’Halloran Cath , Borthwick Alan , McPherson Kath 
Published: November 2006

AbstractThis paper presents a critical review of literature on interprofessional education in the continuum of professional development in health and social care. In particular it explores the range and variety of theoretical frameworks underpinning interprofessional education initiatives across the United Kingdom. In doing so this paper highlights the limited application of educational theory within the broader literature, particularly in the description of the methods employed and in the choices of processes or outcome measures selected. Despite these drawbacks, a focus on the learning and teaching methods used within each interprofessional education programme enabled an explicit categorization of the educational theories being applied (albeit implicitly). The educational theories identified predominantly linked to adult learning theory and reflective practitioner theory. It is, however, acknowledged that such theories alone are not enough to underpin interprofessional education. Theories were therefore also derived from social psychological studies of group behaviour and teamwork approaches; group development and team learning theories focusing on intragroup collaboration; and bio‐psychological theories to inform interprofessional education. The paper concludes that (a) more explicit consideration of theory is required in the development of new interventions; (b) reference to educational theory in evaluation should be encouraged and facilitated; (c) evaluation of different models of interprofessional educational interventions is required if interprofessional education in health and social care is to develop as an informed practice rather than become a transient educational fashion.
Age‐Associated Declines in Complex Walking Task Performance: The Walking InCHIANTI Toolkit
Authors: Shumway‐Cook Anne , Guralnik Jack M. , Phillips Caroline L. , Coppin Antonia K. , Ciol Marcia A. , Bandinelli Stefania , Ferrucci Luigi 
Published: November 2006

OBJECTIVES: To describe a set of complex walking tasks (CWTs) that can be used to evaluate mobility and to characterize age‐ and sex‐specific performance on these tests.DESIGN: A population‐based study of persons living in the Chianti geographic area (Tuscany, Italy).SETTING: Community.PARTICIPANTS: One thousand two hundred twenty‐seven persons (aged 20–95) selected from the city registries of Greve and Bagno a Ripoli (Tuscany, Italy).MEASUREMENTS: Gait velocity (m/s) was measured during 13 walking tests (Walking InCHIANTI Toolkit (WIT)) used to examine walking ability under a range of conditions and distances. Other measures included performance on the Short Physical Performance Battery and self‐reported health and functional status, including disability in activities of daily living.RESULTS: Age‐associated differences on the WIT were reflected in the number of older adults unable to complete CWTs and a decrease in gait velocity. For all tasks, decrements in walking speed with increasing age were significantly larger at aged 65 and older. Performance on CWTs was highly variable and could not be explained by usual gait speed measured under low‐challenge conditions alone.CONCLUSION: CWTs may provide important insight into mobility function, particularly in persons with normal or near‐normal usual gait speed. Further research is needed to elucidate the specific physiological mechanisms that contribute to declining performance on CWT with increasing age.
Caring for the New Uninsured: Hospital Charity Care for Older People without Coverage
Authors: DeLia Derek 
Published: November 2006

Despite near‐universal coverage through Medicare, a number of elderly residents in the United States do not have health insurance coverage. To the author's knowledge, this study is the first to document trends in the use of hospital charity care by uninsured older people.Data from the New Jersey Charity Care Program, which subsidizes hospitals for services provided to low‐income uninsured people, were used to analyze trends in charity care utilization by older people from 1999 to 2004. Charity care charges are standardized to uniform Medicaid reimbursement rates and inflation adjusted using the Medical Care Consumer Price Index.From 1999 to 2004, use of charity care by older people grew much faster than it did for younger patients. As a result, older people now account for a greater share of hospital charity care in New Jersey than children. Elderly users of charity care generated higher costs per patient than their younger counterparts. Cost differences were especially salient at the upper end of the distribution, where high‐cost elderly patients used significantly more resources than high‐cost patients in other age groups.These results highlight an emerging source of strain on the healthcare safety net and point to a growing population of uninsured residents who have costly and complex medical needs. Similar experiences are likely to be found in other states, especially those that have growing populations of elderly immigrants who are likely to lack health insurance.
Displacement of dermal solar elastosis in malignant melanoma
Authors: Horenstein Marcelo G. , Norton Courtney L. , Evans Tara N. 
Published: November 2006

Background:  Ultraviolet radiation (UVR) is a major environmental causal factor for skin malignancy. In this study, we investigated the morphology of the solar elastosis (SE) band in benign and malignant melanocytic lesions.Methods:  We measured the SE band in perilesional and lesional skin of 13 melanomas (9 invasive and 4 in situ) and 11 melanocytic nevi (5 usual intradermal nevi, 4 blue nevi and 2 desmoplastic nevi) occurring in sun‐exposed areas.Results:  The melanoma and nevus groups had similar age range, gender ratio and anatomic distribution. The mean SE thickness was 0.35 mm in melanomas and 0.29 mm in nevi (p = 0.56), indicating similar UVR exposure. There was a mean downward SE displacement (SED) of 0.43 mm in melanomas and essentially no displacement (−0.02 mm) in nevi (p < 0.005). Tumor cells and inflammatory host response were responsible for SED in melanoma.Conclusions:  SED may help in the differential diagnosis of melanocytic lesions in sun‐exposed areas. In melanoma, the new lesion depresses the pre‐existing SE band. Conversely, the long‐standing nevus co‐exists with the SE band without significant displacement. Evaluation of the SE band may help to differentiate melanoma with chronic sun‐induced damage as they have a distinct set of molecular alterations.
US dermatopathology fellows career survey: 2004–2005
Authors: Goldenberg Gary , Patel Manisha J. , Sangueza Omar P. , Camacho Fabian , Khanna Vishal C. , Feldman Steven R. 
Published: November 2006

Background:  Graduates of a dermatopathology fellowship may choose an academic career or a career in private practice.Objective:  To assess career plans of 2004–2005 dermatopathology fellows and to correlate an academic career choice with factors identified in a national survey of US dermatopathology fellowship programs.Methods:  Surveys were mailed to 60 trainees at 45 dermatopathology fellowship programs across the United States. Pearson correlation analysis was used to interpret the data.Results:  Thirty‐five surveys (58% response rate) were returned. Top five factors that correlated positively with an academic career choice were graduating from a non‐US medical school, performing research during fellowship, importance of research in a career decision, completing a dermatology residency and publication requirement in fellowship. Top five factors that correlated positively with choosing a career in private practice were loan debt, importance of salary/earning potential, importance of job availability, being married and having an employed spouse.Limitations:  Study limitations are a small sample size and potential response bias.Conclusion:  Supporting research during fellowship, supporting applicants who completed a dermatology residency or graduated from a foreign medical school, providing loan forgiveness/repayment and increasing earning/salary potential in academic practice may encourage more young physicians to join the academic workforce.
A Survey of Edentulous Patient Preference among Different Denture Esthetic Concepts
Authors: Waliszewski Michael , Shor Alexander , Brudvik James , Raigrodski Ariel J. 
Published: November 2006

ABSTRACTStatement of Problem:  Despite the fact that solutions to functional problems are available, successfully restoring the appearance of an edentulous patient remains a challenge.Purpose:  The aim of this survey was to determine if edentulous respondents could differentiate among three denture esthetic concepts and if there was an overall preference among the three.Materials and Methods:  Six edentulous test subjects were selected based on age and smile cri‐teria. One wax tooth arrangement was completed according to each of the three esthetic concepts for a total of three wax tooth arrangements per test subject. The three esthetic concepts followed were natural, supernormal, and denture look. Standardized full‐face digital photographs were made of each arrangement (three) during maximum smile for each subject (six). These 18 photographs were included in a questionnaire. Respondents were asked questions about their preference among the three randomly ordered concept photographs for each of the six subjects. A total of 147 completed questionnaires were analyzed.Results:  Ninety‐six percent of respondents were able to differentiate among the three esthetic denture concepts. Natural tooth arrangements were preferred by 55% of the respondents, supernormal tooth arrangements were preferred by 19%, and the denture look arrangements were preferred by 26%.Conclusion:  Within the limitations of this survey, the questionnaire respondents differentiated between the three esthetic denture concepts. The tooth arrangement most closely resembling the anatomical average was selected by 55% of the respondents. Preference for a particular concept changed when responses to each test subject set were considered individually. Demographic factors do not significantly affect patient preference.CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCEThree esthetic concepts for complete denture construction have been differentiated. Questionnaire respondents preferred appearances that are far from the anatomical average 45% of the time.
My King, My Country, Alone for Whom I Live: The Pragmatic Imperatives of Sir Thomas Wyatt's Verse
Authors: Robinson Jon 
Published: November 2006

AbstractThis article surveys and critically engages with past and present criticism concerning the ‘honesty’ of Sir Thomas Wyatt and the acceptance of his verse as subversive literature. It analyses previous criticism within the context that Wyatt's poetry was a form of courtly performance and poetic dissemination that was charged with the political and personal pragmatics of both the poet and his sovereign, Henry VIII.