bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The relation between Ashworth scores and neuromechanical measurements of spasticity following stroke
Authors: Alibiglou Laila , Rymer William Z , Harvey Richard L , Mirbagheri Mehdi M 
Published: July 2008

Abstract

Background
Spasticity is a common impairment that follows stroke, and it results typically in functional loss. For this reason, accurate quantification of spasticity has both diagnostic and therapeutic significance. The most widely used clinical assessment of spasticity is the modified Ashworth scale (MAS), an ordinal scale, but its validity, reliability and sensitivity have often been challenged. The present study addresses this deficit by examining whether quantitative measures of neural and muscular components of spasticity are valid, and whether they are strongly correlated with the MAS.

Methods
We applied abrupt small amplitude joint stretches and Pseudorandom Binary Sequence (PRBS) perturbations to both paretic and non-paretic elbow and ankle joints of stroke survivors. Using advanced system identification techniques, we quantified the dynamic stiffness of these joints, and separated its muscular (intrinsic) and reflex components. The correlations between these quantitative measures and the MAS were investigated.

Results
We showed that our system identification technique is valid in characterizing the intrinsic and reflex stiffness and predicting the overall net torque. Conversely, our results reveal that there is no significant correlation between muscular and reflex torque/stiffness and the MAS magnitude. We also demonstrate that the slope and intercept of reflex and intrinsic stiffnesses plotted against the joint angle are not correlated with the MAS.

Conclusion
Lack of significant correlation between our quantitative measures of stroke effects on spastic joints and the clinical assessment of muscle tone, as reflected in the MAS suggests that the MAS does not provide reliable information about the origins of the torque change associated with spasticity, or about its contributing components.
Gastroesophageal reflux-associated chronic cough in an adolescent and the diagnostic implications: a case report
Authors: Jinnai Makiko , Niimi Akio , Takemura Masaya , Matsumoto Hisako , Konda Yoshitaka , Mishima Michiaki 
Published: July 2008

Abstract
A 15-year-old girl was referred with a 2-year history of perennial non-productive cough, which had been preceded by Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia and subsequent asthma. Symptoms were only partially responsive to anti-asthma treatment including an inhaled corticosteroid and a leukotriene receptor antagonist. The patient's BMI was 27.8; she had gained over 10 kg in the previous two years. Typical symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease were not evident except for belch. Coughing worsened on eating and rising from bed. Although esophagography failed to disclose reflux esophagitis, esophageal pH monitoring revealed significant acid reflux. Asthma was considered well controlled. Treatment with the proton-pump inhibitor rabeprazole resulted in disappearance of cough. Frequency Scale for the Symptoms of Gastroesophageal reflux disease (FSSG) score, a questionnaire evaluating the symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease, was initially high but normalized after treatment. Capsaicin cough sensitivity also diminished with treatment.
Chronic cough due to gastroesophageal reflux disease has been considered rare in adolescents, but this condition might be increasing in line with the recent trend in adults. Clinical features of gastroesophageal reflux disease-associated cough typical for adult patients and a specific questionnaire for evaluating gastroesophageal reflux disease validated in adults may also be useful diagnostic clues in adolescents.
Filarioid nematodes in cattle, sheep and horses in Finland
Authors: Solismaa Milla , Laaksonen Sauli , Nylund Minna , Pitkänen Elisa , Airakorpi Riitta , Oksanen Antti 
Published: July 2008

Abstract

Background
In autumn 2006, Finnish meat inspection data revealed lesions in tendons, muscles and ligaments of bovine hind legs leading to partial condemnation of carcasses. In gross pathological examination at Finnish Food Safety Authority Evira, Oulu (now Fish and Wildlife Health) Research Unit, Onchocerca sp. (Filarioidea; Onchocercidae) nematodes were detected in lesions. Due to this, a pilot study was made in order to find out what filarioid nematodes do occur in cattle, horses and sheep in Finland.

Methods
Ventral skin biopsies from 209 dairy cattle and 42 horses, as well as blood samples from 209 cattle, 146 horses and 193 sheep, were collected from different parts of Finland and examined for microfilariae. Visceral organs and other tissues from 33 cattle with parasitic lesions were studied histopathologically.

Results

Onchocerca sp. microfilariae (mf), 240 μm long, range 225–260 μm, 5.4 μm thick, were found in 37% of the skin biopsies of cattle. All blood samples from cattle, horses and sheep and skin biopsies from horses were negative for mf. Ventral skin microfilaria prevalence in cattle was higher in southern Finland than in the North (p = 0.001). Animal age and sampling time was not associated with mf prevalence. The infection was evenly distributed among young and older animals. Macroscopic lesions on tissues included greenish-grey discolouration and often oedema. In most of the lesions, small pale nodules were seen on the fasciae. Histopathologic examination of the samples revealed mild to intense infiltration with eosinophilic granulocytes and multifocal nodular lymphoplasmacytic aggregations were seen. In some samples, there were granulomatotic lesions with central necrotic tissue and cell detritus, surrounded by eosinophilic granulocytes, lympho-, plasma- and histiocytes and some multinucleated giant cells. Around living nematodes no or only weak inflammatory changes were observed.

Conclusion

Onchocerca sp. infection in cattle was found to be common in Finland, but the amount of pathological changes leading to condemnation of infected parts is low compared to the mf prevalence. Pronounced pathological changes are distinct but rare and mild changes are difficult to distinguish. No other filarioid nematodes were observed from the animals and it appears that horses and sheep may be free from filarioid nematodes in Finland.
Ultrasound properties of articular cartilage in the tibio-femoral joint in knee osteoarthritis: relation to clinical assessment (International Cartilage Repair Society grade)
Authors: Kuroki Hiroshi , Nakagawa Yasuaki , Mori Koji , Kobayashi Masahiko , Yasura Ko , Okamoto Yukihiro , Suzuki Takashi , Nishitani Kohei , Nakamura Takashi 
Published: July 2008

Abstract
Introduction
There is a lack of data relating the macroscopic appearance of cartilage to its ultrasound properties. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate degenerated cartilage and healthy-looking cartilage using an ultrasound system.

Methods
Ultrasound properties – signal intensity (a measure of superficial cartilage integrity), echo duration (a parameter related to the surface irregularity) and the interval between signals (that is, time of flight – which is related to the thickness and ultrasound speed of cartilage) – of 20 knees were measured at seven sites: the lateral femoral condyle (site A, anterior; site B, posterior), the medial condyle (site C), the lateral tibial plateau (site D, center; site E, under the meniscus) and the medial tibial plateau (site F, anterior; site G, posterior). The sites were evaluated macroscopically and classed using the International Cartilage Repair Society (ICRS) grading system.

Results
The signal intensity of grade 0 cartilage was significantly greater than the intensities of grade 1, grade 2 or grade 3 cartilage. Signal intensity decreased with increasing ICRS grades. The signal intensity was greater at site B than at site C, site D, site F and site G. The signal intensity of grade 0 was greater at site B than at site E. The echo duration did not differ between the grades and between the sites. The interval between signals of grade 3 was less than the intervals of grade 0, grade 1 or grade 2. The interval between signals at site C was less than the intervals at site A, site B, site D, and site E.

Conclusion
Site-specific differences in signal intensity suggest that a superficial collagen network may be maintained in cartilage of the lateral condyle but may deteriorate in cartilage of the medial condyle and the medial tibial plateau in varus knee osteoarthritis. Signal intensity may be helpful to differentiate ICRS grades, especially grade 0 cartilage from grade 1 cartilage.
Pemetrexed Plus Gemcitabine As First-Line Chemotherapy for Patients With Peritoneal Mesothelioma: Final Report of a Phase II Trial
Authors: Simon George R. , Verschraegen Claire F. , Jänne Pasi A. , Langer Corey J. , Dowlati Afshin , Gadgeel Shirish M. , Kelly Karen , Kalemkerian Gregory P. , Traynor Anne M. , Peng Guangbin , Gill John , Obasaju Coleman K. , Kindler Hedy L. 
Published: July 2008

Purpose Pemetrexed in combination with cisplatin is approved for the treatment of pleural mesothelioma and is active in malignant peritoneal mesothelioma (MPeM). Pemetrexed and gemcitabine are synergistic in preclinical models, but the activity of this combination in MPeM is unknown. This clinical study assessed safety and efficacy of pemetrexed plus gemcitabine in chemotherapy-naïve patients with MPeM. Patients and Methods Treatment consisted of gemcitabine 1,250 mg/m2 on days 1 and 8, and pemetrexed 500 mg/m2 on day 8, administered immediately before gemcitabine. Treatment was repeated every 21 days for six cycles or until disease progression. All patients received folic acid, vitamin B12, and dexamethasone supplementation. End points included tumor response, toxicity, time to disease progression (TTPD), and overall survival (OS). Disease control rate (DCR) was also calculated. Results Twenty patients were enrolled between December 2002 and May 2004. The confirmed response rate was 15% (95% CI, 3.2% to 37.9%), with three patients experiencing a partial response. The DCR was 50% (95% CI, 27.2% to 72.8%). The most common grade 3 to 4 nonhematologic toxicities included fatigue (20%), constipation (10%), vomiting (10%), and dehydration (10%). Hematologic toxicities included grade 3 to 4 neutropenia (60%) and febrile neutropenia (10%). One patient death was attributed to treatment. Median TTPD and OS times were 10.4 months and 26.8 months, respectively. Conclusion The combination of pemetrexed plus gemcitabine was active in patients with MPeM with a notably high incidence of neutropenia. Median TTPD and OS seem promising. This regimen may provide an alternative to standard therapies, especially for patients who cannot tolerate a platinum-based regimen.
Safety and Efficacy of Oxaliplatin and Fluoropyrimidine Regimens With or Without Bevacizumab As First-Line Treatment of Metastatic Colorectal Cancer: Results of the TREE Study
Authors: Hochster Howard S. , Hart Lowell L. , Ramanathan Ramesh K. , Childs Barrett H. , Hainsworth John D. , Cohn Allen L. , Wong Lucas , Fehrenbacher Louis , Abubakr Yousif , Saif M. Wasif , Schwartzberg Lee , Hedrick Eric 
Published: July 2008

Purpose To evaluate the safety and efficacy of three oxaliplatin and fluoropyrimidine regimens, with or without bevacizumab, as first-line treatment for metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC). Patients and Methods Patients with histologically documented metastatic or recurrent CRC and no prior treatment for advanced disease were randomly assigned to mFOLFOX6 (bolus and infusion fluorouracil [FU] and leucovorin [LV] with oxaliplatin), bFOL (bolus FU and low-dose LV with oxaliplatin), or CapeOx (capecitabine with oxaliplatin), respectively (Three Regimens of Eloxatin Evaluation [TREE-1]). The study was later modified such that subsequent patients were randomized to the same regimens plus bevacizumab (TREE-2). Results A total of 150 and 223 patients were randomly assigned in the TREE-1 and TREE-2 cohorts, respectively. Incidence of grade 3/4 treatment-related adverse events during the first 12 weeks of treatment were 59%, 36%, and 67% for mFOLFOX6, bFOL, and CapeOx, respectively, (TREE-1) and 59%, 51%, and 56% for the corresponding treatments plus bevacizumab (TREE-2; primary end point). CapeOx toxicity in TREE-1 included grade 3/4 diarrhea (31%) and dehydration (27%); capecitabine dose reduction to 1,700 mg/m2/d in TREE-2 resulted in improved tolerance. Overall response rates were 41%, 20%, and 27% (TREE-1) and 52%, 39%, and 46% (TREE-2); median overall survival (OS) was 19.2, 17.9, and 17.2 months (TREE-1) and 26.1, 20.4, and 24.6 months (TREE-2). For all treated patients, median OS was 18.2 months (95% CI, 14.5 to 21.6; TREE-1) and 23.7 months (95% CI, 21.3 to 26.8; TREE-2). Conclusion The addition of bevacizumab to oxaliplatin and fluoropyrimidine regimens is well tolerated as first-line treatment of mCRC and does not markedly change overall toxicity. CapeOx tolerability and efficacy is improved with reduced-dose capecitabine. First-line oxaliplatin and fluoropyrimidine-based therapy plus bevacizumab resulted in a median OS of approximately 2 years.
Analysis of Fluorouracil-Based Adjuvant Chemotherapy and Radiation After Pancreaticoduodenectomy for Ductal Adenocarcinoma of the Pancreas: Results of a Large, Prospectively Collected Database at the Johns Hopkins Hospital
Authors: Herman Joseph M. , Swartz Michael J. , Hsu Charles C. , Winter Jordan , Pawlik Timothy M. , Sugar Elizabeth , Robinson Ray , Laheru Daniel A. , Jaffee Elizabeth , Hruban Ralph H. , Campbell Kurtis A. , Wolfgang Christopher L. , Asrari Fariba , Donehower Ross , Hidalgo Manuel , Diaz Luis A. , Yeo Charles , Cameron John L. , Schulick Richard D. , Abrams Ross 
Published: July 2008

PurposeTo examine the efficacy of adjuvant chemoradiotherapy after pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) for pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PC) in patients undergoing resection at Johns Hopkins Hospital (JHH; Baltimore, MD).Patients and MethodsBetween August 30, 1993, and February 28, 2005, a total of 908 patients underwent PD for PC at JHH. A prospective database was reviewed to determine which patients received fluorouracil (FU) -based CRT. Excluded patients had metastatic disease, died 60 or fewer days after PD, received preoperative therapy, an experimental vaccine, adjuvant chemotherapy or radiation alone. The final cohort includes 616 patients.ResultsThe median follow-up was 17.8 months (interquartile range, 9.7 to 33.5 months). Overall median survival was 17.9 months (95% CI, 16.3 to 19.5 months). Groups were similar with respect to tumor size, nodal status, and margin status, but the CRT group was younger (P < .001), and less likely to present with a severe comorbid disease (P = .001). Patients with carcinomas larger than 3 cm (P = .001), grade 3 and 4 (P < .001), margin-positive resection (P = .001), and complications after surgery (P = .017) had poor long-term survival. Patients receiving CRT experienced an improved median (21.2 v 14.4 months; P < .001), 2-year (43.9% v 31.9%), and 5-year (20.1% v 15.4%) survival compared with no CRT. After controlling for high-risk features, CRT was still associated with improved survival (relative risk = 0.74; 95% CI, 0.62 to 0.89).ConclusionThese data suggest that adjuvant concurrent FU-based CRT significantly improves survival after PD for PC when compared with patients not receiving CRT. These data support the use of combined adjuvant CRT for PC.
Preoperative Gemcitabine-Based Chemoradiation for Patients With Resectable Adenocarcinoma of the Pancreatic Head
Authors: Evans Douglas B. , Varadhachary Gauri R. , Crane Christopher H. , Sun Charlotte C. , Lee Jeffrey E. , Pisters Peter W.T. , Vauthey Jean-Nicolas , Wang Huamin , Cleary Karen R. , Staerkel Gregg A. , Charnsangavej Chusilp , Lano Elizabeth A. , Ho Linus , Lenzi Renato , Abbruzzese James L. , Wolff Robert A. 
Published: July 2008

Purpose We conducted a phase II trial to assess the outcomes of patients who received preoperative gemcitabine-based chemoradiation and pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) for stage I/II pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Patients and Methods Eligible patients with pancreatic head/uncinate process adenocarcinoma and radiographically defined potentially resectable disease received chemoradiation with 7 weekly intravenous (IV) infusions of gemcitabine (400 mg/m2 IV over 30 minutes) plus radiation therapy (30 Gy in 10 fractions over 2 weeks). Patients underwent restaging 4 to 6 weeks after completion of chemoradiation and, in the absence of disease progression, were taken to surgery. Results The study enrolled 86 patients. At the time of restaging, disease progression or a decline in performance status precluded 13 patients from surgery. Seventy-three (85%) of 86 patients were taken to surgery, extrapancreatic disease was found in nine, and 64 (74%) of 86 underwent a successful PD. Median overall survival (86 patients) was 22.7 months with a 27% 5-year survival. Median survival was 34 months for the 64 patients who underwent PD and 7 months for the 22 unresected patients (P < .001). The 5-year survival for those who did and did not undergo PD was 36% and 0%, respectively. Conclusion Preoperative gemcitabine-based chemoradiation followed by restaging and evaluation for surgery separated the study population into two different subsets: patients likely to benefit from PD (n = 64) and those in whom surgery would be unlikely to provide clinical benefit (n = 22). Furthermore, the encouraging overall survival observed in this large trial supports the continued investigation of gemcitabine-based preoperative therapy in resectable pancreatic cancer.
Extending the workspace of parallel working mechanisms
Authors: Alp H , Özkol İ 
Published: July 2008

The aim of this study is to present a new model to extend the workspace of a parallel working machine in a chosen direction. Therefore, the existing mathematical models are combined and developed to represent the extension of the workspace of a 6° parallel working machine. For this purpose, the 6-3 Stewart platform mechanism (SPM), which is commonly used in robotic applications, material processing, and flight simulation, and the 6-4 SPM have been chosen. Although there are many studies on parallel mechanisms, the workspace analysis of a parallel working mechanism has not yet been generalized. This study determines the workspace of a parallel working mechanism in the direction perpendicular to the moving platform, which is the most workable direction. For these types of working mechanisms, i.e. mechanical tools used for material processing that is forced to move in a certain chosen direction, the determination of the point in that direction at which the workspace is maximum has to be outlined. After carrying out a kinematic analysis, the discretization method, which is based on Euler angles, is used to represent the orientation workspace of these parallel working mechanisms. Additionally, the orientation workspaces of the 6-3 SPM and the 6-4 SPM are compared. Results are presented in a cylindrical coordinate system.
Exploring the pattern of complications of induced abortion in a rural mission tertiary hospital in the Niger Delta, Nigeria
Authors: Igberase G O , Ebeigbe P N 
Published: July 2008

Unsafe abortion remains a major cause of maternal morbidity and mortality in developing countries including Nigeria. We report a 10-year descriptive review of 118 consecutive cases of complicated induced abortions. At our centre, complications of induced abortion constituted 2.3% of maternal admissions, 5.6% of gynaecological admissions and 22.6% of maternal deaths. Fifty-nine percent of the women were married and the mean age was 25.6 ± 7.9 years. Doctors performed 51.7% of the induced abortion and nurses performed 13.9%. Of the mortalities, medical doctors did 61 of the abortions in which 18 died (29.5%); traditional medical practitioners were responsible for 13 of the abortions in which two died (15.4%); of the 16 abortions performed by nurses, two died (12.5%). Sepsis was the most common cause of death (73%). There is an urgent need to improve the knowledge and utilization of modern contraception by rural women in order to prevent unwanted pregnancies. Doctors need to be continuously trained inn the basic principles of postabortion care.
Fear and Integrity
Authors: Kroon Frederick 
Published: July 2008

I'll begin this paper with an autobiographical example — an instance of a common enough kind of case involving agents who are faced with making a choice they strongly care about, but who have tendencies that incline them towards choosing an option they prefer not to choose. Later in the paper, I apply some of the general lessons learned from this case to a philosophically more familiar example of a hard-to-make choice, and to the well-known problem the example generates for the idea of rational agency: Gregory Kavka's toxin puzzle (Kavka 1983).Some time ago I did a bungy jump. Nothing remarkable in that (nor in the fact that I have, or had, a great fear of heights; the desire to overcome a fear of heights is common among bungy jumpers).
What is Communicative Success?
Authors: Pagin Peter 
Published: July 2008

In most of our communicative transactions we are confident of success. We read the newspaper and are normally pretty sure that we have understood the text. We usually think we understand what is said in the TV broadcast and in casual conversation, and only rarely do subsequent events make us revise our judgment that we did. But that we are confident of success, even if we are right, and even if we are both right and justified, does not mean that we have a clear idea of what success consists in.Ideas about successful communication have had a prominent place in the philosophy of language in recent decades, mostly as a step on the way to meaning theoretical claims. This has been the case with philosophers like Wittgenstein, Quine, Davidson, Dummett, and Evans. Mostly, the discussion of communicative success has been of limited extent, serving as a subordinate part of some longer argument.
Quantitative RT-PCR analysis and immunohistochemical localization of the kallikrein-related peptidases 13 and 14 in lung
Authors: Planque Chris , Bléchet Claire , Ayadi-Kaddour Aida , Heuzé-Vourc'h Nathalie , Dumont Pascal , Guyétant Serge , Diamandis Eleftherios P. , El Mezni Faouzi , Courty Yves 
Published: July 2008

Abstract
Expression of the KLK13 and KLK14 genes was examined at the mRNA and protein levels in a cohort of 57 patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The mRNA levels, assessed by real-time RT-PCR, were significantly different in malignant tissues compared to adjacent non-malignant tissues (KLK13, p=0.006; KLK14, p=0.022). KLK13 and KLK14 mRNA overexpression in tumors (1/3 of the patients) was associated with a positive nodal status in multivariate analysis (p=0.018 and p=0.069, respectively). KLK13 and KLK14 were localized in the cytoplasm of epithelial cells of normal bronchus and NSCLC, as determined by immunohistochemistry. Moreover, positive staining was significantly associated with adenocarcinoma histotype (KLK13, p=0.014) and tumor size (KLK14, p=0.048). Although the results are marginally significant, patients with high KLK13 expression at the mRNA or protein level had lower overall survival.