bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Investigating the transport dynamics and the properties of bedload material with a hydro‐acoustic measuring system
Authors: Krein Andreas , Klinck Holger , Eiden Michael , Symader Wolfhard , Bierl Reinhard , Hoffmann Lucien , Pfister Laurent 
Published: August 2007

AbstractThis article deals with the following two questions. Are acoustic measurements in running waters appropriate for a highly resolved investigation of the bedload transport? Which characterizations of the bedload regarding mass and shape are possible via the acoustic signals? The signals were recorded by means of data recorders (Tascam Inc. DAP1 Portable Data Recorder) and hydrophones (International Transducer Corp. ITC‐4001 A). The ITC‐4001 is a shallow water omnidirectional transducer containing a flexural disc transducer utilizing Channelite‐5400 ceramics mounted in a rugged corrosion‐resistant housing. These hydrophones were screwed onto the bottom side of stainless steel plates, serving as a contact surface for the bedload in motion above them. After more than 100 series of tests in the laboratory, which indicated the basic relations between the dimension, shape and weight of the bedload and the resulting signal, field tests of the measuring system were conducted. By artificially produced flood waves in the small brooks Riverisbach, Olewiger Bach and by a winter flood wave in the River Moselle, it is possible to elaborate similar structures of the signal course of the bedload movement. The highest transport rates can be observed at the beginning of the increasing limbs and behind the peaks of the waves. At the beginning of the waves, the increasing transport power of the water and the loose material can be considered as the cause for this result. The high stream velocity behind the wave peaks explains the increase in the bedload transport so that material from the channel beds is unfastened and will be mobilized. The characterization of the bedload regarding the shape and mass is still limited regarding the field measurements and could be solved only for homogeneous grain sizes and single stones under laboratory conditions. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Craniofacial surgery for nonmelanoma skin malignancy: Report of an international collaborative study
Authors: Maghami Ellie G. , Talbot Simon G. , Patel Snehal G. , Singh Bhuvanesh , Polluri Ashok , Bridger Patrick G. , Cantu Giulio , Cheesman Anthony D. , Sa Geraldo De , Donald Paul , dos Santos Luiz R. M. , Fliss Dan , Gullane Patrick , Janecka Ivo , Kamata Shin‐Etsu , Kowalski Luiz P. , Kraus Dennis H. , Levine Paul A. , Pradhan Sultan , Schramm Victor , Snyderman Carl , Wei William I. , Shah Jatin P. 
Published: August 2007

AbstractBackground.This study examined the efficacy of craniofacial surgery (CFS) in treating locally advanced nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC).Methods.One hundred twenty patients who underwent CFS for NMSC were identified from 17 participating institutions. Patient, tumor, and treatment information was analyzed for prognostic impact on survival.Results.Surgical margins were negative in 74%, close in 3%, and involved in 23% of patients. Complications occurred in 35% of patients, half of which were local wound problems. Operative mortality was 4%. Median follow‐up interval after CFS was 27 months. The 5‐year overall survival (OS), disease‐specific survival (DSS), and recurrence‐free survival (RFS) rates were 64%, 75%, and 60%, respectively. Squamous cell histology, brain invasion, and positive resection margins independently predicted worse OS, DSS, and RFS.Conclusion.CFS is an effective treatment for patients with NMSC invading the skull base. Histology, extent of disease, and resection margins are the most significant predictors of outcome. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck, 2007
Preoperative measurement of tumor thickness of oral tongue carcinoma with intraoral ultrasonography
Authors: Yuen Anthony Po‐Wing , Ng Raymond Wai‐Man , Lam Paul Kin‐Yip , Ho Ambrose 
Published: August 2007

AbstractBackground.Tumor thickness of oral tongue carcinoma is an important independent prognostic factor for local recurrence, subclinical nodal metastasis, and survival. An accurate preoperative assessment of tumor thickness is therefore essential in optimizing treatment algorithm. The present study aims at evaluating the accuracy of intraoral ultrasonography in preoperative measurement of tumor thickness.Methods.Forty‐five patients with oral tongue carcinoma had intraoral ultrasonography to document tumor thickness using a 7.5 MHz right angle probe. The ultrasonic tumor thickness was correlated with the fresh unpreserved surgical specimen pathologic tumor thickness.Results.Ultrasonic tumor thickness had significant correlation with pathologic tumor thickness. The accuracies of ultrasonic measurement of tumor thickness in staging of tumor thickness at cutoff values between 3 and 15 mm were above 91%.Conclusion.Intraoral ultrasonography had satisfactory accuracy in the measurement of tumor thickness and is a useful adjunct in assisting pretreatment staging and prognosis evaluation of oral tongue carcinoma. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck, 2008
Final report of RTOG 9610, a multi‐institutional trial of reirradiation and chemotherapy for unresectable recurrent squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck
Authors: Spencer Sharon A. , Harris Jonathan , Wheeler Richard H. , Machtay Mitchell , Schultz Christopher , Spanos William , Rotman Marvin , Meredith Ruby , Ang Kie‐Kian 
Published: August 2007

AbstractBackground.Our objectives were to determine the incidence of acute and late toxicities and to estimate the 2‐year overall survival for patients treated with reirradiation and chemotherapy for unresectable squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN).Methods.Patients with recurrent squamous cell carcinoma or a second primary arising in a previously irradiated field were eligible. Four weekly cycles of 5‐fluorouracil 300 mg/m2 IV bolus and hydroxyurea 1.5 g by mouth were used with 60 Gy at 1.5 Gy twice‐daily fractions. Toxicity was scored according to Radiation Therapy Oncology Group/European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (RTOG/EORTC) criteria.Results.Seventy‐nine of the 86 patients enrolled were analyzable. The worst acute toxicity was grade 4 in 17.7% and grade 5 in 7.6%. Grade 3 and 4 late toxicities were found in 19.4% and 3.0%, respectively. The estimated cumulative incidence of grade 3 to 4 late effects occurring at >1 year was 9.4% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0, 19.7) at 2 and 5 years. The 2‐ and 5‐year cumulative incidence for grade 4 toxicity was 3.1% (95% CI: 0, 9.3). The estimated 2‐ and 5‐year survival rates were 15.2% (95% CI: 7.3, 23.1) and 3.8% (95% CI: 0.8, 8.0), respectively. Patients who entered the study at >1 year from initial radiotherapy (RT) had better survival than did those who were <1 year from prior RT (median survival, 9.8 months vs 5.8 months; p = .036). No correlation was detected between dose received and overall survival. Three patients were alive at 5 years.Conclusion.This is the first prospective multi‐institutional trial testing reirradiation plus chemotherapy for recurrent or second SCCHN. The approach is feasible with acceptable acute and late effects. The results serve as a benchmark for ongoing RTOG trials. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 2008
Reversible effect of X‐irradiation on proliferation, neurogenesis, and cell death in the dentate gyrus of adult mice
Authors: Ben Abdallah Nada M.‐B. , Slomianka Lutz , Lipp Hans‐Peter 
Published: August 2007

AbstractTherapeutic cranial X‐irradiation causes cognitive deficits in adult and pediatric patients, in particular, when the exposed area includes the medial temporal lobes. Effects on adult neurogenesis within the hippocampus may be related to such deficits. To investigate this relation, we irradiated the brain of young adult C57Bl/6j mice with a single dose of 4 Gy at a dose‐rate of 27.5 cGy/min. We observed an ∼80% decrease in the number of cells immunoreactive for the proliferation marker Ki67, 16 and 48 h after exposure, which was restored to control values after 1 week. The number of doublecortin‐ and NeuroD‐immunoreactive cells of neuronal lineage was reduced by 60–70% up to 1 week after irradiation, but not after 1 month. The number of pyknotic cells increased ∼2.5 fold after 16 h, decreased to ∼50% of control numbers after 48 h and 1 week, and was again at normal levels after 1 month. Granule cell number did not differ between different groups and time points. There was no apparent activation of microglia or astrocytes. Our findings consist of an acute and reversible effect of X‐irradiation on proliferation, neurogenesis, and cell death. Transient changes of neurogenesis may play a role in transient impairments of cognitive performance of patients exposed to X‐irradiation. We present an experimental approach to temporarily alter adult hippocampal neurogenesis (AhN), allowing mechanistic investigations of AhN and its relevance to cognitive performances. The work also represents a step toward optimized radiotherapy schedules. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Network dynamics of hippocampal cell‐assemblies resemble multiple spatial maps within single tasks
Authors: Jackson Jadin , Redish A. David 
Published: August 2007

AbstractThe firing of place cells in the rodent hippocampus is reliable enough to infer the rodent's position to a high accuracy; however, hippocampal firing also reflects the stages of complex tasks. Theories have suggested that these task‐stage responses may reflect changes in reference frame related to task‐related subgoals. If the hippocampus represents an environment in multiple ways depending on a task's demands, then switching between these cell assemblies should be detectable as a switch in spatial maps or reference frames. Place cells exhibit extreme temporal variability or “overdispersion,” which Fenton et al. suggest reflects changes in active cell‐assemblies. If reference‐frame switching exists, investigating the relationship of the single cell variability described by Fenton and collegues to network level processes provides an entry point to understanding the relationship between cell‐assembly‐like mechanisms and an animal's behavior. We tested the cell‐assembly explanation for overdispersion by recording hippocampal neural ensembles from rats running three tasks of varying spatial complexity: linear track (LT), cylinder‐foraging (CF), and cylinder‐goal (CG). Consistent with the reports by Fenton and colleagues, hippocampal place cells showed high variance in their firing rates across place field passes on the CF and CG tasks. The directional firing of hippocampal place cells on LT provided a test of the reference‐frame hypothesis: ignoring direction produced overdispersion similar to the CF and CG tasks; taking direction into account produced a significant decrease in overdispersion. To directly examine the possibility of a network modulation of cell‐assemblies, we clustered the firing patterns within each pixel and chained them together to construct whole‐environment spatial firing maps. Maps were internally self‐consistent, switching with mean rates of several hundred milliseconds. There were significant increases in map‐switching rates following reward‐related events on the LT and CG tasks, but not on the CF task. Our results link single cell variability with network‐level processes and imply that hippocampal spatial representations are made up of multiple, continuous submaps, the selection of which depends on the animal's goals when reward is tied to the animal's spatial behavior. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Outsourcing in the Italian National Health Service: findings from a national survey
Authors: Macinati Manuela S. 
Published: August 2007

AbstractOver the last decade, outsourcing has become one of the major issues in health care. Two major concerns are related to public health care outsourcing practice. The first one involves the suitability of the outsourcing strategy in the public sector, principally with reference to the outsourcing of essential clinical services. The second one relates to the actual benefits of the outsourcing practice in health care, in terms of cost reduction and increasing efficiency.This paper aims to contribute to the debate and literature on outsourcing through a national survey carried out in the Italian National Health Service.In order to achieve the research objective, a questionnaire was developed and, after a pilot test, it was mailed to all Italian public providers. The total response rate was around 42%. Results showed that outsourcing is a widespread phenomenon within health care, especially in the ancillary services area. Moreover, results showed many criticalities of the outsourcing practice in the Italian health‐care sector. On the one hand, criticalities concerned the reasons for outsourcing, the characteristics of the outsourced services and the management of the relationship with the vendor. With reference to essential clinical service, outsourcing, as currently managed by health‐care providers, may potentially weaken their ability to reach its own objectives. On the other hand, criticalities related to respondent‐perceived benefits. Despite the overall positive outsourcing experience expressed in the survey, the results on perceived benefits showed that the effects of outsourcing did not always align to managers' expectations, especially in the cost containment and efficiency area. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Human papillomavirus types in women with invasive cervical carcinoma by HIV status in Kenya
Authors: De Vuyst Hugo , Gichangi Peter , Estambale Benson , Njuguna Eliud , Franceschi Silvia , Temmerman Marleen 
Published: August 2007

AbstractTo evaluate the fraction of invasive cervical carcinoma (ICC) that could be prevented in HIV‐infected women by vaccines currently available against human papillomavirus (HPV)16 and 18, we conducted a cross‐sectional study in women with ICC in Nairobi, Kenya. Fifty‐one HIV‐positive women were frequency‐matched by age to 153 HIV‐negative women. Cervical cells were tested for HPV DNA using polymerase chain reaction‐based assays (SPF10‐INNO‐LiPA). Comparisons were adjusted for multiplicity of HPV types. As expected, multiple‐type infections were much more frequent in HIV‐positive (37.2%) than in HIV‐negative (13.7%) women, but the distribution of HPV types was similar. HPV16 was detected in 41.2% versus 43.8% and HPV16 and/or 18 in 64.7% versus 60.1% of HIV‐positive versus HIV‐negative women, respectively. The only differences of borderline statistical significance were an excess of HPV52 (19.6% versus 5.2%) and a lack of HPV45 (7.8% versus 17.0%) in HIV‐positive women compared to HIV‐negative women, respectively. We have been able to assess an unprecedented number of ICCs in HIV‐positive women, but as we did not know the age of HIV acquisition, we cannot exclude that it had occurred too late in life to affect the type of HPV involved in cervical carcinogenesis. However, if our findings were confirmed, they would suggest that the efficacy of current vaccines against HPV16 and 18 to prevent ICC is similar in HIV‐positive and HIV‐negative women, provided vaccination is administered before sexual debut, as recommended. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Hepatitis C virus core protein induces spontaneous and persistent activation of peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor α in transgenic mice: Implications for HCV‐associated hepatocarcinogenesis
Authors: Tanaka Naoki , Moriya Kyoji , Kiyosawa Kendo , Koike Kazuhiko , Aoyama Toshifumi 
Published: August 2007

AbstractPersistent infection of hepatitis C virus (HCV) can lead to a high risk for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). HCV core protein plays important roles in HCV‐related hepatocarcinogenesis, because mice carrying the core protein exhibit multicentric HCCs without hepatic inflammation and fibrosis. However, the precise mechanism of hepatocarcinogenesis in these transgenic mice remains unclear. To evaluate whether the core protein modulates hepatocyte proliferation and apoptosis in vivo, we examined these parameters in 9‐ and 22‐month‐old transgenic mice. Although the numbers of apoptotic hepatocytes and hepatic caspase 3 activities were similar between transgenic and nontransgenic mice, the numbers of proliferating hepatocytes and the levels of numerous proteins such as cyclin D1, cyclin‐dependent kinase 4 and c‐Myc, were markedly increased in an age‐dependent manner in the transgenic mice. This increase was correlated with the activation of peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor α (PPARα). In these transgenic mice, spontaneous and persistent PPARα activation occurred heterogeneously, which was different from that observed in mice treated with clofibrate, a potent peroxisome proliferator. We further demonstrated that stabilization of PPARα through a possible interaction with HCV core protein and an increase in nonesterified fatty acids, which may serve as endogenous PPARα ligands, in hepatocyte nuclei contributed to the core protein‐specific PPARα activation. In conclusion, these results offer the first suggestion that HCV core protein induces spontaneous, persistent, age‐dependent and heterogeneous activation of PPARα in transgenic mice, which may contribute to the age‐dependent and multicentric hepatocarcinogenesis mediated by the core protein. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Noncancerous PTGS2 DNA fragments of apoptotic origin in sera of prostate cancer patients qualify as diagnostic and prognostic indicators
Authors: Ellinger Jörg , Bastian Patrick J. , Haan Kim I. , Heukamp Lukas C. , Buettner Reinhard , Fimmers Rolf , Mueller Stefan C. , von Ruecker Alexander 
Published: August 2007

AbstractOur study was designed to evaluate Cell‐Free DNA in sera of prostate cancer (PCA) patients as a useful biomarker. Real‐time PCR was used to amplify a <200 bp PTGS2 DNA fragment that biochemically characterizes apoptosis and a larger >250 bp Reprimo DNA fragment that defines mostly other cell death entities. The apoptosis index (AI) expresses the ratio of PTGS2 to Reprimo DNA fragments. GSTP1 hypermethylation was assessed to evaluate the amount of tumor‐derived DNA. We analyzed serum of 216 patients (168 PCA; 5 incidental PCA; 42 benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH); 11 healthy individuals). Distinctly elevated concentrations of PTGS2 fragments were detected in PCA compared to BPH and healthy individuals (median: 70.2, 10.5 and 7.1 ng/ml, respectively; p < 0.0001). The AI was significantly increased in PCA vs. BPH patients and healthy individuals (6.01 vs. 1.54 and 0.84 respectively; p = 0.002–0.0001). GSTP1 hypermethylation was only present in a small percentage (mean 1.92%) of circulating DNA. Concentrations of apoptotic PTGS2 fragments discriminated sensitively (88%) and specifically (64%) between BPH and PCA, whereas the AI was more specific (82%) but less sensitive (70%). The AI correlated with histological grading (p = 0.044). Kaplan–Meier analysis for a subset of 124 patients revealed a significant correlation between apoptotic PTGS2 fragments or the AI and PSA recurrence following radical prostatectomy (p = 0.0395–0.0482). In conclusion, circulating PTGS2 fragments of apoptotic origin and the AI are promising serum biomarkers for the diagnosis and prognosis of PCA. We suggest that cancer‐induced apoptosis of peripheral noncancerous tissues is relevant in many malignancies. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Dietary fiber intake and risk of postmenopausal breast cancer defined by estrogen and progesterone receptor status—A prospective cohort study among Swedish women
Authors: Suzuki Reiko , Rylander‐Rudqvist Tove , Ye Weimin , Saji Shigehira , Adlercreutz Herman , Wolk Alicja 
Published: August 2007

AbstractThere is few data on the association between dietary fiber intake and estrogen receptor (ER)/progesterone receptor (PR)‐defined breast cancer risk. We evaluated the association between dietary fiber and ER/PR‐defined breast cancer risk stratified by postmenopausal hormone use, alcohol intake, and family history of breast cancer in the population‐based Swedish Mammography Screening Cohort comprising 51,823 postmenopausal women. Fiber intake was measured by food‐frequency questionnaire collected in 1987 and 1997. Relative risks (RRs) were estimated by hazard ratio derived from Cox proportional hazard regression models. During an average of 8.3‐year follow‐up, 1,188 breast cancer cases with known ER/PR status were diagnosed. When comparing the highest to the lowest quintile, we observed non‐significant inverse associations between total fiber intake and the risk of all tumor subtypes; the multivariate‐adjusted RRs were 0.85 (95% CI: 0.69–1.05) for overall, 0.85 (0.64–1.13) for ER+PR+, 0.83 (0.52–1.31) for ER+PR− and 0.94 (0.49–1.80) for ER−PR−. For specific fiber, we observed statistically significant risk reductions for overall (34%) and for ER+PR+ (38%) for the highest versus lowest quintile of fruit fiber, and non‐significant inverse associations for other subtypes of cancer and types of fiber. Among ever‐users of postmenopausal hormone (PMH), total fiber intake and especially cereal fiber were statistically significantly associated with ∼50% reduced risk for overall and ER+PR+ tumors when comparing the highest to the lowest quartile, but no association was observed among PMH never users. Our results suggest that dietary fiber intake from fruit and cereal may play a role in reducing breast cancer risk. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Nutrient dietary patterns and the risk of breast and ovarian cancers
Authors: Edefonti Valeria , Decarli Adriano , Vecchia Carlo La , Bosetti Cristina , Randi Giorgia , Franceschi Silvia , Maso Luigino Dal , Ferraroni Monica 
Published: August 2007

AbstractThe issue of diet and breast and ovarian cancers has been considered in terms of foods and nutrients, but rarely in terms of dietary patterns. We examined the associations between dietary patterns and breast and ovarian cancers in 2 Italian multicentric case–control studies. Cases were 2,569 breast cancers and 1,031 ovarian cancers hospitalized in 4 Italian areas between 1991 and 1999. Controls were 3,413 women from the same hospital network. Dietary habits were investigated through a validated food‐frequency questionnaire. Dietary patterns were identified on a selected set of nutrients through principal component factor analysis. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for both cancers were estimated using unconditional multiple logistic regression models on quartiles of factor scores and continuous factor scores. We identified 4 major dietary patterns named Animal products, Vitamins and fiber, Unsaturated fats and Starch‐rich. The animal products pattern and the unsaturated fats pattern were inversely associated with breast cancer (OR = 0.74, 95% CI: 0.61–0.91 and OR = 0.83, 95% CI: 0.68–1.00, respectively, for the highest consumption quartile), whereas the starch‐rich pattern was directly associated with it (OR = 1.34, 95% CI: 1.10–1.65). The vitamins and fiber pattern was inversely associated with ovarian cancer (OR = 0.77, 95% CI: 0.61–0.98), whereas the starch‐rich pattern was directly associated with it (OR = 1.85, 95% CI: 1.37–2.48). In conclusion, the starch‐rich pattern is potentially an unfavorable indicator of risk for both breast and ovarian cancers, while the animal products and the vitamins and fiber patterns may be associated with a reduced risk of breast and ovarian cancers, respectively. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.