bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Outpatient thyroid surgery is safe and desirable
Authors: Terris David J. , Moister Brent , Seybt Melanie W. , Gourin Christine G. , Chin Edward 
Published: April 2007

BackgroundThyroid surgery has traditionally been done on an inpatient basis. With the advent of minimal access techniques, drains are frequently not required and ambulatory thyroidectomy is possible.DesignProspective, nonrandomized analysis of consecutive series of patients.Methods And MaterialsPatients undergoing thyroid surgery between 12/1/04 and 10/31/05 were stratified based on admission status. Demographic data were collected and outcome measures were considered.ResultsNinety‐one patients underwent thyroid surgery. Fifty‐two were done on an outpatient basis, 26 patients were observed under a 23‐hour status, and 13 were admitted. There were two complications in the outpatient group and one in the inpatient group (P = 1.0). Costs were significantly lower for outpatients ($7,814) than for inpatients ($10,288; P < 0.0001).SignificanceIn carefully selected patients who prefer convalescence at home, outpatient thyroidectomy can be performed safely and cost‐effectively, particularly when prophylactic calcium supplementation is utilized after total thyroidectomy to prevent transient postoperative hypocalcemia.
Increased incidence of papillary thyroid cancer among total thyroidectomies in Crete
Authors: Prokopakis Emmanuel P. , Lachanas Vassilios A. , Velegrakis George A. , Tsiftsis Dimitrios D. , Moschandreas Joanna , Chalkiadakis Georgios E. 
Published: April 2007

ObjectiveTo investigate the increased incidence of papillary thyroid cancer as found in specimens of total thyroidectomies and potential correlation with etiological factors.Study Design And SettingA retrospective study on patients who underwent total thyroidectomy, from 1990 to 2004, in an academic tertiary referral medical center. Patients' records were placed in a database, which included medical condition, history, and demographics. Histopathological slides were reviewed with special focus on papillary cancer.ResultsOur series consisted of 2379 patients. Thyroid cancer was confirmed in 354 patients (14.88%). Papillary carcinoma represented the most frequent type (316 patients, 89.26%). Increased incidence of papillary carcinomas was noticed after 1995, reaching the maximum value in the year 2000. After 2000, there was a descending trend and then a plateau.ConclusionThe increased incidence of papillary thyroid cannot be attributed to dietary patterns or increased diagnostic and therapeutic activity. It is likely to be associated with increased radiation and may be associated with the Chernobyl fallout.
Comorbidities in head and neck cancer: Agreement between self‐report and chart review
Authors: Mukerji Shraddha S. , Duffy Sonia A. , Fowler Karen E. , Khan Mumtaz , Ronis David L. , Terrell Jeffrey E. 
Published: April 2007

ObjectivesTo determine the accuracy of self‐reported comorbidities compared with medical record review and the clinical and sociodemographic characteristics associated with accuracy of self‐reported comorbidities.Study DesignWe conducted a prospective study of 458 newly diagnosed head and neck cancer patients using self‐administered questionnaire and medical chart review data. Overall and itemwise consistency between self‐report and chart review was evaluated. Social, clinical, and demographic characteristics of consistent versus inconsistent responders were analyzed.ResultsSeventy‐four percent of patients had at least one comorbidity. There was good overall consistency between self‐report and chart review (k = 0.50). Compared with consistent responders, inconsistent responders were found to be older (P < 0.05), have lower sleep (P < 0.05) and physical activity scores (P < 0.05), be more depressed (P < 0.05), and have more severe comorbidities (P < 0.05).Conclusions and SignificanceSelf‐report may be considered as an alternative to chart review for comorbidity assessment in head and neck cancer patients. Younger patients, those with good general health, fewer depressive symptoms, and mild comorbidities, are more likely to give responses consistent with chart review.
Injectable hyaluronic acid for the correction of HIV‐associated facial lipoatrophy
Authors: Denton Andrew B. , Tsaparas Yotis 
Published: April 2007

ObjectiveTo evaluate the use of Perlane, an injectable form of hyaluronic acid, for the correction of HIV‐associated facial lipoatrophy.Study Design And SettingA prospective, observational study in a consecutive series of 18 HIV‐positive males with facial lipoatrophy injected with Perlane. Fourteen patients were available for final analysis.ResultsMean follow‐up time was 12 months. Based on photographic analysis, there was a significant early improvement (P = 0.0035). This difference remained significant after 12 months (P = 0.04666); no significant difference in grade was shown between 1 and 12 months (P = 0.3693). Office assessments of improvement showed an early marked improvement in 85.8% of patients, and 78.6% of subjects demonstrated at least moderate improvement at 12 months.Conclusion/SignificancePatient satisfaction was high, with only minor side effects and no late complications. Our findings support Perlane to be a feasible option for the provisional correction of mild to moderate facial lipoatrophy.
Acoustical analysis of pediatric snoring: What can we learn?
Authors: Brietzke Scott E. , Mair Eric A. 
Published: April 2007

ObjectiveEvaluate a database of pediatric patients who underwent snoring acoustical analysis for associations between snoring measurements, demographics, and obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) severity.Study Design And SettingA database of pediatric patients who underwent home testing with a polysomnogram device (SNAP Test, Glenview, IL) that includes acoustical snoring analysis was reviewed.ResultsFour hundred fifty‐six patients were included (mean age, 6.87 years). Four hundred twenty‐nine (94.1%) patients had measurable snoring. Snoring index (events/hr) (r = 0.2073; P < 0.0001) and maximal loudness (dB) (r = 0.2218; P < 0.0001) were directly proportional to the apnea/hypopnea index. Among patients without OSAHS (apnea index <1), increasing snoring index (r = −0.2102; P < 0.0001) and volume (P < 0.005 ANOVA) were associated with increasing oximetry desaturation events.ConclusionThe majority of children evaluated had objective snoring. Increasing snoring index and loudness are associated with increased severity of OSAHS. In the absence of OSAHS, increasing snoring is associated with oxygen desaturations.SignificancePediatric snoring is objectively related to OSAHS severity.
A systematic review of patient‐reported outcome measures in head and neck cancer surgery
Authors: Pusic Andrea , Liu Jeffrey C. , Chen Constance M. , Cano Stefan , Davidge Kristen , Klassen Anne , Branski Ryan , Patel Snehal , Kraus Dennis , Cordeiro Peter G. 
Published: April 2007

ObjectiveTo identify, summarize, and evaluate patient‐reported outcome questionnaires for use in head and neck cancer surgery with the view to making recommendations for future research.Data SourcesA systematic review of the English‐language literature, with the use of head‐and‐neck‐surgery‐specific keywords, was performed in the following databases: Medline, Embase, HAPI, CINAHL, Science/Social Sciences Citation Index, and PsycINFO from 1966 to March 2006.Data Extraction and Study SelectionAll English‐language instruments identified as patient‐reported outcome questionnaires that measure quality of life and/or satisfaction that had undergone development and validation in a head and neck cancer surgery population were included.Data SynthesisTwelve patient‐reported outcome questionnaires fulfilled our inclusion criteria. Of these, four were developed from expert opinion alone or did not have a published development process and seven questionnaires lacked formal item reduction. Only three questionnaires (EORTC Head and Neck Module, University of Michigan Head and Neck Quality‐of‐life Questionnaire, and Head and Neck Cancer Inventory) fulfilled guidelines for instrument development and evaluation as outlined by the Medical Outcomes Trust.ConclusionsRigorous instrument development is important for creating valid, reliable, and responsive disease‐specific questionnaires. As a direction for future instrument development, an increased focus on qualitative research to ensure patient input may help to better conceptualize and operationalize the variables most relevant to head and neck cancer surgery patients. In addition, the use of alternative methods of psychometric data analysis, such as Rasch, may improve the value of health measurement in clinical practice for individual patients.
n-3 Fatty acids, cancer and cachexia: a systematic review of the literature
Authors: Colomer Ramón , Moreno-Nogueira José M. , García-Luna Pedro P. , García-Peris Pilar , García-de-Lorenzo Abelardo , Zarazaga Antonio , Quecedo Luis , del Llano Juan , Usán Luis , Casimiro César 
Published: April 2007

Use of n-3 fatty acids (FA) has been reported to be beneficial for cancer patients. We performed a systematic review of the literature in order to issue recommendations on the clinical use of n-3 FA in the cancer setting. A systematic search was performed in MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane and Healthstar databases. We selected clinical trials or prospective observational studies including patients with cancer and life expectancy >2 months, in which enteral supplements with n-3 FA were administered. Parameters evaluated individually were clinical (nutritional status, tolerance, survival and hospital stays), biochemical (inflammatory mediators), and functional (functional status, appetite and quality of life (QoL)). Seventeen studies met the inclusion criteria; eight were of high quality. The panel of experts established the following evidence: (1) oral supplements with n-3 FA benefit patients with advanced cancer and weight loss, and are indicated in tumours of the upper digestive tract and pancreas; (2) the advantages observed were: increased weight and appetite, improved QoL, and reduced post-surgical morbidity; (3) there is no defined pattern for combining different n-3 FA, and it is recommended to administer >1·5 g/day; and (4) better tolerance is obtained administering low-fat formulas for a period of at least 8 weeks. All the evidences were grade B but for ‘length of treatment’ and ‘advantage of survival’ it was grade C. Our findings suggest that administration of n-3 FA (EPA and DHA) in doses of at least 1·5 g/day for a prolonged period of time to patients with advanced cancer is associated with an improvement in clinical, biological and QoL parameters.
Acute effects of tea on fasting and non-fasting plasma total homocysteine concentrations in human subjects
Authors: Hodgson Jonathan M. , Puddey Ian B. , van Bockxmeer Frank M. , Burke Valerie 
Published: April 2007

Plasma total homocysteine concentrations (tHcy) are a putative risk factor for CVD. Tea is a rich dietary source of polyphenols and caffeine, both of which may raise tHcy. However, it is possible that much of any effect is transitory and may be influenced by the consumption of food. Our objective was to investigate the acute effect of tea, at a dose representative of ordinary population intakes, on tHcy and to determine whether consumption of a meal influences the magnitude of any effect. Measurements of tHcy were performed in twenty participants at baseline and 3.5 h after drinking three cups of black tea or hot water (consumed at time 0, 1.5 and 3 h) with and without a meal: a total of four treatments administered in random order. Drinking tea resulted in an acute increase in tHcy (0·30 (95 % CI 0·04, 0·56) μmol/l, P = 0·022). The meal resulted in an acute decrease in tHcy ( − 0·42 (95 % CI − 0·68, − 0·16) μmol/l, P = 0·002). There was no interaction between tea and meal on tHcy (P = 0·40); that is, the effect of tea on tHcy was not different in the fasting and non-fasting state. Our results suggest that drinking black tea can cause a small acute increase in tHcy and that this effect is not enhanced in the non-fasting state. Given that results of population studies have generally shown a negative association between tea intake and tHcy, the significance of these findings to CVD risk remains uncertain.
A taxonomic revision, biology and morphology of immature stages of theEntedon sparetusspecies group (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae), egg-larval endoparasitoids of weevils (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)
Authors: Gumovsky A.V. 
Published: April 2007

AbstractThesparetus-group ofEntedonis revised. Six species are recognized for the group, including one new species,E. lucasiGumovskysp. n., which is described from Algeria. All species are either diagnosed or described, and illustrated, and new distribution records are provided. An illustrated dichotomous key to all species of the group is given. Biology of two species,E. thomsonianusErdös andE. sparetusWalker, is studied in detail: both species proved to be egg-larval parasitoids of stem-boring weevils,Lixus carduiOlivier on the scotch thistleOnopordum acanthiumandGymnetron asellus(Gravenhorst) on mulleinVerbascumsp., respectively. The morphology of larval stages and peculiarities of parasitoid–host relationships are described. Possible benefits of egg-larval parasitism forEntedonspecies are discussed.
Parasitism, development and adult longevity of the egg parasitoid Telenomus nawai (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae) on the eggs of Spodoptera litura (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)
Authors: Fukuda T. , Wakamura S. , Arakaki N. , Yamagishi K. 
Published: April 2007

AbstractWhen Telenomus nawai Ashmead or Trichogramma ostriniae Pang & Chen (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) was inoculated into intact egg masses of Spodoptera litura (Fabricius) that were covered with a scale-hair layer, T. nawai emerged from 76% of the eggs, while emergence of T. ostriniae was from only 3% of the eggs. When the hair layer was removed before inoculation, the rate by the latter increased to 21%. These observations confirmed that the hair layer effectively protects S. litura egg masses from attack by T. ostriniae, and that T. nawai parasitism is more effective. In order to assess the feasibility of T. nawai as a biological control agent for S. litura, parasitism rate, development time and adult longevity were examined in the laboratory. Emergence of T. nawai was observed in more than 95% of 0- and 1-day-old separated eggs of S. litura, but the rate decreased to 60% and 0% for 2- and 3-day-old eggs, respectively. The emergence rates of T. nawai were near 95% for temperatures in a range from 25°C to 35°C, but decreased to 80% at 20°C. No parasitoids emerged at 15°C. The developmental periods decreased as temperature increased from 20°C to 35°C. The developmental threshold occurred at 13.7°C and 13.9°C, and the effective accumulative temperatures from egg to adult emergence were 149.3 and 147.1 degree-days for females and males, respectively. Mean longevity of the adult females decreased with increasing temperature; 87.0 days at 15°C and 9.5 days at 35°C. The feasibility of the use of T. nawai for controlling S. litura is discussed.
Evidence for resistance to pyrethroids and organophosphates inPlutella xylostella(Lepidoptera: Plutellidae) from Pakistan
Authors: Khaliq A. , Attique M.N.R. , Sayyed A.H. 
Published: April 2007

AbstractThe susceptibility of representative pyrethroid (cypermethrin, deltamethrin, lambdacyhalothrin, bifenthrin), organophosphate (chlorpyriphos, triazophos, profenophos) and new chemistry insecticides (spinosad, indoxacarb and emamectin) was investigated for 18 field populations ofPlutella xylostella(Linnaeus) from three different zones in Pakistan. The LC50(mg ml−1; 48 h) values of pyrethroids for various populations ranged from 0.19–1.88 for cypermethrin, 0.31–2.64 for deltamethrin, 0.08–1.16 for lambdacyhalothrin and 0.07–0.88 for bifenthrin. The LC50(mg ml−1; 48 h) of organophosphates ranged from 0.52–5.67 for chlorpyriphos, 0.37–4.14 for triazophos and 0.03–2.65 for profenophos. The most probable reason for low toxicity of organophosphates and pyrethroids is the evolution of multiple resistance mechanisms; however, further studies are required to establish these mechanisms. When these same products were tested against a susceptible laboratory population (Lab-Pak), the new chemistry compounds were significantly more toxic than pyrethroids and organophosphates. The results are discussed in relation to integrated pest management and insecticide resistance management strategies forP. xylostella.
Feeding mode and prey detectability half-lives in molecular gut-content analysis: an example with two predators of the Colorado potato beetle
Authors: Greenstone M.H. , Rowley D.L. , Weber D.C. , Payton M.E. , Hawthorne D.J. 
Published: April 2007

AbstractThe time during which prey remains are detectable in the gut of a predator is an important consideration in the interpretation of molecular gut-content data, because predators with longer detectability times may appear on the basis of unweighted data to be disproportionately important agents of prey population suppression. The rate of decay in detectability, typically expressed as the half-life, depends on many variables; one that has not been explicitly examined is the manner in which the predator processes prey items. The influence of differences in feeding mode and digestive physiology on the half-life of DNA for a single prey species, the Colorado potato beetleLeptinotarsa decemlineata(Say), is examined in two predators that differ dramatically in these attributes: the pink ladybeetle,Coleomegilla maculata(DeGeer), which feeds by chewing and then ingesting the macerated material into the gut for digestion; and the spined soldier bug,Podisus maculiventris(Say), which physically and enzymatically processes the prey extra-orally before ingestion and further digestion in the gut. In order to standardize the amount of DNA consumed per predator, a singleL. decemlineataegg was used as the prey item; all predators were third instars. The PCR assay yields estimated prey DNA half-lives, for animals maintained under field temperatures, of 7.0 h inC. maculataand 50.9 h inP. maculiventris. The difference in the prey DNA half-lives from these two predators underscores the need to determine detectabilities from assemblages of predators differing in feeding mode and digestive physiology, in order to weight positives properly, and hence determine the predators' relative impacts on prey population suppression.
Theses on liveness
Authors: Croft John 
Published: April 2007

AbstractIn the domain of music for performers and electronic sounds (whether fixed or live) there are various paradigms of interaction: the performer(s) may be situated in an electroacoustic ‘environment’; there may be a primarily responsorial or ‘proliferating’ relationship; or the relationship may be closer to the traditional one between soloist and accompaniment. These paradigms preserve a relatively unproblematic dichotomy between performer, whose sound is inextricably linked to a sense of action, presence and spontaneity, and fixed or treated sound, which is more or less de-coupled from this presence. Once one tries to create a continuous, intimate relation between the two, so that one is dealing with an extension of the instrument rather than an emulated ‘other’ or environmental context, one is confronted with a fundamental difference between a sounding body whose physical properties transparently determine its sonic possibilities, and the loudspeaker, which can produce practically any sound at all. This paper interrogates this dichotomy between the fallible-corporeal and the fixed-disembodied, activating questions both about the social fact of live performance and about the compositional practices which give rise to a sense of extended instrumentality.
L’Objet Sonore Maintenant: Pierre Schaeffer, sound objects and the phenomenological reduction
Authors: Kane Brian 
Published: April 2007

AbstractThe work of Pierre Schaeffer (theorist, composer and inventor of musique concrète) bears a complex relationship to the philosophical school of phenomenology. Although often seen as working at the periphery of this movement, this paper argues that Schaeffer's effort to ground musical works in a ‘hybrid discipline’ is quite orthodox, modelled upon Husserl's foundational critique of both ‘realism’ and ‘psychologism’. As part of this orthodoxy, Schaeffer develops his notion of the ‘sound object’ along essentialist (eidetic) lines. This has two consequences: first, an emphasis is placed on ‘reduced listening’ over indicative and communicative modes of listening; secondly, the ‘sound object’ promotes an ahistorical ontology of musical material and technology. Despite frequent references to Schaeffer and the ‘sound object’ in recent literature on networked music, concatenative synthesis and high-level music descriptors, the original phenomenological context in which Schaeffer's work developed is rarely revisited. By critically exploring Schaeffer's theorising of the ‘sound object’, this paper aims at articulating the distance between contemporary and historical usage of the term.
Towards new models for the construction of interactive electroacoustic music discourse
Authors: Schachter Daniel 
Published: April 2007

AbstractThe advance of technology brings about modifications of style, performing techniques, music listening, and brings to us new relationships between creation, interpretation and perception. The aim of this article is to set out an approach to strategies of musical production for acoustic instruments and technological resources, describing different notions of interaction where the electroacoustic textural complexity coexists with the live processing of the instrumental source and where a goal is to work within the frame of an open and easy-to-carry-out performance structure which is friendly to the musicians, clear as a discourse and attractive to the audience.
Reflections on sound image design in electroacoustic music
Authors: Young John 
Published: April 2007

AbstractThe capacity for electroacoustic music to project and manipulate sonic images is now acknowledged as a cornerstone of the medium's aesthetic potential. The notion of imagery may be used in a range of ways, reflecting electroacoustic music's potential to present sound ‘documents’ re-contextualised from real-world experience, as well as to project more abstract entities in which the concept of an image may give coherent form to fantastical constructs, frequently driven by the transforming and distortive effects of signal processing. This paper investigates the practical application of these distinctions in electroacoustic music, largely through reflective discussion of the author's own working methods, and evaluates ways in which the aesthetic effects of signal processing can influence the nature and construction of sound images. Within this, Denis Smalley's concept of the indicative field is used as a conceptual tool for the characterisation and analysis of the affective dimensions of sound image construction and manipulation.