bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
An intensivist-led tracheostomy review team is associated with shorter decannulation time and length of stay: a prospective cohort study
Authors: Tobin Antony E , Santamaria John D 
Published: April 2008

Abstract
Introduction
Without specific strategies to address tracheostomy care on the wards, patients discharged from the intensive care unit (ICU) with a tracheostomy may receive suboptimal care. We formed an intensivist-led multidisciplinary team to oversee ward management of such patients. To evaluate the service, we compared outcomes for the first 3 years of the service with those in the year preceding the service.

Methods
Data were prospectively collected over the course of 3 years on ICU patients not under the care of the ear, nose, and throat unit who were discharged to the ward with a tracheostomy and compared with outcomes in the year preceding the introduction of the service. Principal outcomes were decannulation time, length of stay after ICU discharge, and stay of less than 43 days (upper trim point for the disease-related group [DRG] for tracheostomy). Analysis included trend by year and multivariable analysis using a Cox proportional hazards model. P values of less than 0.05 were assumed to indicate statistical significance. As this was a quality assurance project, ethics approval was not required.

Results
Two hundred eighty patients were discharged with a tracheostomy over the course of a 4-year period: 41 in 2003, 60 in 2004, 95 in 2005, and 84 in 2006. Mean age was 61.8 (13.1) years, 176 (62.9%) were male, and mean APACHE (Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation) II score was 20.4 (6.4). Length of stay after ICU decreased over time (30 [13 to 52] versus 19 [10 to 34] days; P < 0.05 for trend), and a higher proportion of decannulated patients were discharged under the upper DRG trim point of 43 days (48% versus 66%; P < 0.05). Time to decannulation after ICU discharge decreased (14 [7 to 31] versus 7 [3 to 17] days; P < 0.01 for trend). Multivariate analysis showed that the hazard for decannulation increased by 24% (3% to 49%) per year.

Conclusion
An intensivist-led tracheostomy team is associated with shorter decannulation time and length of stay which may result in financial savings for institutions.
Separation of splenic red and white pulp occurs before birth in a LTαβ-independent manner
Authors: Vondenhoff Mark F R , Desanti Guillaume E , Cupedo Tom , Bertrand Julien Y , Cumano Ana , Kraal Georg , Mebius Reina E , Golub Rachel 
Published: April 2008

AbstractFor the formation of lymph nodes and Peyer’s patches, lymphoid tissue inducer (LTi) cells are crucial in triggering stromal cells to recruit and retain hematopoietic cells. Although LTi cells have been observed in fetal spleen, not much is known about fetal spleen development and the role of LTi cells in this process. Here, we show that LTi cells collect in a periarteriolar manner in fetal spleen at the periphery of the white pulp anlagen. Expression of the homeostatic chemokines can be detected in stromal and endothelial cells, suggesting that LTi cells are attracted by these chemokines. As lymphotoxin (LT)α1β2 can be detected on B cells but not LTi cells in neonatal spleen, starting at 4 days after birth, the earliest formation of the white pulp in fetal spleen occurs in a LTα1β2-independent manner. The postnatal development of the splenic white pulp, involving the influx of T cells, depends on LTα1β2 expressed by B cells.
Bargaining for Absolutism: A Spanish Path to Nation-State and Empire Building
Authors: Irigoin Alejandra , Grafe Regina 
Published: April 2008

Abstract
Social scientists use the history of Spain and her empire as a standard against which they establish the relatively superior efficiency of Anglo-Saxon institutions. This historical “experiment” underpins the core argument of new institutional economic history. This essay argues that such comparisons are based on a misleading characterization of Spanish rule in the metropolis and overseas. For some time, historians of Spain and colonial Spanish America have emphasized that the Spanish system of governance was highly negotiated rather than absolutist. This essay confirms this view by analyzing the workings of the peninsular and colonial fiscal systems. Revenues were not extracted to Madrid but instead were widely redistributed across regions. Contrary to received wisdom, there was a great degree of local autonomy in managing and allocating these intraregional transfers of revenues. The crown barely controlled the system; yet it acted as the ultimate arbiter of a very flexible arrangement that effected the distribution of the fiscal burden across colonial regions and economic sectors. This setup explains the lack of serious challenges from within during three hundred years of imperial rule. Napoleon’s invasion of Spain in 1808 and the abduction of the king caused a major shock to this system of redistribution. The implosion of Spanish rule led to conflict over revenues and resources among constituent parts of the empire. The ensuing search for a legitimate replacement ruler consumed the following century in postcolonial Spanish America. A comparable pattern of constitutional failure, political instability, and poor economic performance was replicated in Spain throughout the nineteenth century.
Rethinking Negotiation and Coercion in an Imperial State
Authors: Marichal Carlos 
Published: April 2008

Abstract
By reinterpreting the recent literature on the fiscal history of Spain and Spanish America during the long span of the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries, Irigoin and Grafe have written a major revisionist essay that will probably change the way historians think about intra-imperial fiscal relations and that raises many important issues regarding the strategies of local elites within the imperial structure. They also demonstrate that the analysis of the internal dynamics of the Spanish empire can contribute forcefully to contemporary debates on the comparative study of eighteenth-century empires.
Nonetheless, numerous facets of the essay run counter to the findings of many historians who have laboriously reconstructed the Bourbon tax system in Spanish America. A reading of the historical literature produced over the last two decades suggests that while political negotiations between the Spanish monarchy and privileged corporations and urban governments were of great importance, it would be a mistake to discount the importance of coercion and censorship as essential and frequently used instruments of the crown and the powerful to maintain the status quo. These were common instruments in the metropolis but were not infrequently applied with singular severity in the colonies. In the case of Spanish America in the second half of the eighteenth century, the nature of coercion and the brutal response to popular protests (particularly tax revolts) have been analyzed by numerous historians but are downplayed in the essay under discussion. Similarly, it is important to note that most recent historical studies demonstrate that the fiscal reforms carried out by the Bourbon regime throughout Spanish America were much more homogeneous and successful in extracting a rapidly rising level of tax resources from the colonial population than the authors would appear to suggest.
Single-Step Scalable-Throughput Molecular Screening for Huntington Disease
Authors: Teo Clara R L , Wang Wen , Yang Law Hai , Lee Caroline G , Chong Samuel S 
Published: April 2008

Abstract
Background: Huntington disease (HD) is a fatal autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disorder caused by an unstable expansion of the CAG trinucleotide repeat in exon 1 of the HTT (huntingtin) gene and typically has an adult onset. Molecular diagnosis and screening for HD currently involve separate amplification and detection steps.
Methods: We evaluated a novel, rapid microplate-based screening method for HD that combines the amplification and detection procedures in a single-step, closed-tube format. We carried out both the PCR for the HTT CAG-repeat region and the subsequent automated melting-curve analysis of the amplicon in the same wells on the plate. To establish cutoff melting temperatures (Tms) for each allelic class, we used a panel of reference DNA samples of known CAG-repeat sizes that represent a range of HTT alleles [normal (≤26 repeats), intermediate (27–35 repeats), reduced penetrance expanded (36–39 repeats), and fully penetrant expanded (≥40 repeats)]. We also measured well-to-well variation in Tm across the thermal block and validated cutoff Tms with DNA samples from 5 different populations. We also conducted a blinded validation analysis of clinical samples from an additional 40 HD-affected and 30 unaffected individuals.
Results: We observed a strong correlation between CAG-repeat size and amplicon Tm among the reference DNA samples. Use of the Tm cutoffs we established revealed that 5 samples from unaffected individuals had been misclassified as affected (1.1% false-positive rate). All samples from HD-affected and unaffected individuals were correctly identified in the blinded analysis.
Conclusions: This simple and scalable homogeneous assay may serve as a convenient, rapid, and accurate screen to detect the presence of pathologic expanded HD alleles in symptomatic patients.
Modified HPLC-Electrospray Ionization/Mass Spectrometry Method for HbA1c Based on IFCC Reference Measurement Procedure
Authors: Kaiser Patricia , Akerboom Theodorus , Molnar Petra , Reinauer Hans 
Published: April 2008

Abstract
Background: Monitoring of hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) is important in the management of diabetes. The IFCC reference measurement procedure for HbA1c is based on the ratio of glycated to nonglycated N-terminal hexapeptides of the β-chains of hemoglobin after digestion with Glu-C endoproteinase. We developed a modification of the original reference measurement procedure with HPLC-electrospray ionization/mass spectrometry (ESI/MS).
Method: We performed chromatographic separation of the hexapeptides using a C12 reversed-phase column and a binary gradient system consisting of a mixture of H2O/acetonitrile/formic acid.
Results: Using this method, we obtained higher signal intensities and improved system stability compared with the reference measurement procedure. In the range of 3% to 14% HbA1c, intralaboratory CVs were 0.71% to 1.86%. Deviations from IFCC target values were −0.87 to 1.00 relative %. These values fulfill acceptability criteria for HbA1c determination set by the IFCC Working Group on HbA1c Standardization.
Conclusions: This procedure for the determination of HbA1c improves the existing reference measurement procedure.
Medium Term Production Scheduling of a Hydro-thermal System under Uncertainty using Nested Benders Decomposition (Produktionsplanung eines hydro-thermischen Kraftwerkssystems unter Unsicherheit für mittlere Planungshorizonte unter Anwendung der Nested Benders Decomposition)
Authors: Nolde Kristian , Uhr Markus , Morari Manfred 
Published: April 2008

We present a multistage stochastic programming formulation for monthly production planning of a hydro-thermal system. The formulation explicitly considers the stochasticity from variations in water reservoir inflows and electric energy demand. The problem is solved efficiently applying Nested Benders Decomposition. The solution is implemented in a model predictive control scheme. Closed loop simulation results are shown to illustrate performance of the controller. The solutions of the medium term scheduling problem can then be used as reference inputs for short term planning and lower level controllers to avoid greedy usage of reservoir water.
Die Veröffentlichung stellt eine Multistage-Stochastic-Programming Formulierung zur Lösung eines monatlichen Produktionsplanungsproblems für ein hydro-thermisches Kraftwerkssystem vor. Diese Modellierung beinhaltet explizit die stochastischen Variationen der Zuflüsse zu den Wasserspeichern, sowie die Schwankungen des elektrischen Energiebedarfs. Das Problem wird unter Anwendung der Nested Benders Decomposition effizient gelöst. Simulationen des geschlossenen Regelkreises werden vorgestellt, um die Funktionsweise des Reglers zu zeigen. Die Lösungen des Problems für mittlere Zeithorizonte können als Eingangssignale für Regler mit kurzen Zeithorizonten genutzt werden. Somit wird ein Aufbrauchen des gespeichertenWassers durch zu kurze Planungshorizonte vermieden.
Ein neues Werkzeug zur Produktionsplanung (A New Tool for Production Planning)
Authors: Metz Rudolf 
Published: April 2008

Für Mehrproduktanlagen in der Prozessindustrie hat Bayer Technology Services das optimierende Planungswerkzeug BayAPS®-PP entwickelt. Kernstück der Software BayAPS®-PP ist ein neuer und schneller Algorithmus. Dieser verteilt die verfügbare Produktionskapazität einer Mehrproduktanlage auf die verschiedenen Produkte so, dass - je nach Blickwinkel - der gesamte Service-Level bzw. der gesamte erwartete Absatz maximiert wird. Dabei werden die für die Prozessindustrie typischen Nebenbedingungen beachtet.
For multi-product lines in the process industry Bayer Technology Services developed the optimization planning tool BayAPS®-PP. The core of the software BayAPS®-PP is a new and fast algorithm that distributes the production capacity of a multi-product line to the several products such that - depending on the perspective - the total service level or the totally expected sales are maximized. The algorithm obeys constraints, which are typical for the process industry.
Increased basal and pulsatile secretion of FSH and LH in young men with 47,XXY or 46,XX karyotypes.
Authors: Aksglaede Lise , Jensen Rikke Beck , Carlsen Elisabeth , Kok Petra , Keenan Daniel M , Veldhuis Johannes , Skakkebæk Niels E , Juul Anders 
Published: April 2008

ObjectiveThe regulation of normal sexual maturation and reproductive function is dependent on a precise hormonal regulation at hypothalamic, pituitary, and gonadal levels. The aim of this study was to investigate the neuroendocrine integrity of the pituitary–gonadal axis in patients with primary testicular failure due to supernumerary X chromosomes.DesignCross-sectional study.MethodsIn this study, 7 untreated patients with primary gonadal insufficiency due to SRY-positive 46,XX (n=4) and 46,XXY karyotypes (n=3) aged 18.8 years and 25 age-matched healthy controls participated. Reproductive hormones, testicular size, and overnight LH and FSH serum profiles and overnight urine LH and FSH excretion were determined.ResultsBasal LH and FSH secretion was elevated 6.3- and 25.4-fold respectively in the patients and the amount of LH and FSH secreted per burst were 2.0- and 6.6-fold elevated. We found significantly more LH but not FSH peaks per 24 h, as estimated by the Weibullλanalysis. There was no difference between approximate entropy ratios or Weibullγanalyses indicating comparable orderliness and regularity of LH and FSH secretion. Overnight urinary LH and FSH excretion was significantly elevated in patients compared with controls and correlated significantly with calculated total overnight LH and FSH secretion respectively, thus validating deconvolution.ConclusionIn this group of patients with severe hypergonadotropic hypogonadism due to a supernumerary X chromosome, higher basal, pulsatile, and total LH and FSH secretion were associated with significantly more LH peaks per 24 h in comparison with healthy controls. Thus, our data indicate that in patients with Klinefelter syndrome and XX male karyotypes the entire hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal axis has undergone functional changes.
A novel missense mutation in GALNT3 causing hyperostosis–hyperphosphataemia syndrome.
Authors: Olauson Hannes , Krajisnik Tijana , Larsson Charlotta , Lindberg Bengt , Larsson Tobias E 
Published: April 2008

ObjectiveHyperostosis–hyperphosphataemia syndrome (HHS) is a rare hereditary disorder characterized by hyperphosphataemia, inappropriately normal or elevated 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 and localized painful cortical hyperostosis. HHS was shown to be caused by inactivating mutations in GALNT3, encoding UDP-N-acetyl-α-d-galactosamine: polypeptide N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferase 3 (GalNAc-transferase; GALNT3). Herein, we sought to identify the genetic cause of hyperphosphataemia and tibial hyperostosis in a 19-year-old girl of Colombian origin.MethodsGenomic DNA was extracted and sequencing analysis of the GALNT3 and fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23) genes performed. Serum levels of intact and C-terminal FGF23 were measured using two different ELISA methods.ResultsMutational analysis identified a novel homozygous missense mutation in exon 6 of GALNT3 (1584 G>A), leading to an amino acid shift from Arg to His at residue 438 (R438H). The mutation was not found in over 200 control alleles or in any single nucleotide polymorphism databases. The R438 residue is highly conserved throughout species and in all known GalNAc-transferase family members. Modelling predicted the substitution deleterious for protein structure. Importantly, the phosphaturic factor FGF23 was differentially processed, as reflected by low intact (15 pg/ml) but high C-terminal (839 RU/ml) serum FGF23 levels.ConclusionsWe report on the first missense mutation in GALNT3 giving rise to HHS, since previous GALNT3 mutations in HHS caused aberrant splicing or premature truncation of the protein. The R438H substitution likely abrogates GALNT3 activity, in turn causing enhanced FGF23 degradation and subsequent hyperostosis/hyperphosphataemia.
Decreased insulin sensitivity in small for gestational age males treated with GH and preterm untreated males: a study in young adults.
Authors: Rotteveel J , van Weissenbruch M M , Delemarre-Van de Waal H A 
Published: April 2008

BackgroundLow birth weight and preterm birth are associated with growth delay as well as the development of insulin resistance. Insulin resistance is especially seen in subjects with catch-up growth. GH therapy induces growth in short subjects with low birth weight at term, but little is known about the long-term effects on insulin sensitivity. GH therapy is now also proposed for preterms that remain short.MethodsWe investigated insulin sensitivity using the gold standard hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp technique in 10 young adult males born small for gestational age (SGA) who had been treated with GH during childhood (GH) in comparison with 15 males born preterm AGA (premAGA), 13 males born preterm SGA (premSGA), and 15 males born at term with normal birth weight (CON). Furthermore, we investigated the presence of the metabolic syndrome.ResultsInsulin sensitivity was decreased in premAGA, premSGA, and GH subjects compared with CON males. The metabolic syndrome was not present in any of the groups.ConclusionInsulin sensitivity is decreased in GH-treated SGA born males as well as in preterm born males. With respect to the SGA subjects, whether the difference results from perinatal-, postnatal-, or GH therapy-related factors are not known. With respect to the preterm born subjects, close surveillance is needed when commencing GH therapy.
Efficient Serum-Free Derivation of Oligodendrocyte Precursors from Neural Stem Cell-Enriched Cultures
Authors: Rao Rajesh C. , Boyd Justin , Padmanabhan Raji , Chenoweth Josh G. , McKay Ronald D. 
Published: April 2008

Abstract
Oligodendrocytes derived in the laboratory from stem cells have been proposed as a treatment for acute and chronic injury to the central nervous system. Platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) receptor α (PDGFRα) signaling is known to regulate oligodendrocyte precursor cell numbers both during development and adulthood. Here, we analyze the effects of PDGFRα signaling on central nervous system (CNS) stem cell-enriched cultures. We find that AC133 selection for CNS progenitors acutely isolated from the fetal cortex enriches for PDGF-AA-responsive cells. PDGF-AA treatment of fibroblast growth factor 2-expanded CNS stem cell-enriched cultures increases nestin+ cell number, viability, proliferation, and glycolytic rate. We show that a brief exposure to PDGF-AA rapidly and efficiently permits the derivation of O4+ oligodendrocyte-lineage cells from CNS stem cell-enriched cultures. The derivation of oligodendrocyte-lineage cells demonstrated here may support the effective use of stem cells in understanding fate choice mechanisms and the development of new therapies targeting this cell type.
Platelet-Derived Growth Factor-D Overexpression Contributes to Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition of PC3 Prostate Cancer Cells
Authors: Kong Dejuan , Wang Zhiwei , Sarkar Sarah H. , Li Yiwei , Banerjee Sanjeev , Saliganan Allen , Kim Hyeong-Reh Choi , Cher Michael L. , Sarkar Fazlul H. 
Published: April 2008

Abstract
The majority of human malignancies are believed to have epithelial origin, and the progression of cancer is often associated with a transient process named epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). EMT is characterized by the loss of epithelial markers and the gain of mesenchymal markers that are typical of “cancer stem-like cells,” which results in increased cell invasion and metastasis in vivo. Therefore, it is important to uncover the mechanistic role of factors that may induce EMT in cancer progression. Studies have shown that platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) signaling contributes to EMT, and more recently, PDGF-D has been shown to regulate cancer cell invasion and angiogenesis. However, the mechanism by which PDGF-D promotes invasion and metastases and whether it is due to the acquisition of EMT phenotype remain elusive. For this study, we established stably transfected PC3 cells expressing high levels of PDGF-D, which resulted in the significant induction of EMT as shown by changes in cellular morphology concomitant with the loss of E-cadherin and zonula occludens-1 and gain of vimentin. We also found activation of mammalian target of rapamycin and nuclear factor-κB, as well as Bcl-2 overexpression, in PDGF-D PC3 cells, which was associated with enhanced adhesive and invasive behaviors. More importantly, PDGF-D-overexpressing PC3 cells showed tumor growth in SCID mice much more rapidly than PC3 cells. These results provided a novel mechanism by which PDGF-D promotes EMT, which in turn increases tumor growth, and these results further suggest that PDGF-D could be a novel therapeutic target for the prevention and/or treatment of prostate cancer.
Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest is found at the end of this article.