bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
ENT in general practice: training, experience and referral rates
Authors: Clamp P J , Gunasekaran S , Pothier D D , Saunders M W 
Published: October 2006

A postal survey of 500 general practitioners (GPs) in south-west England was undertaken to evaluate the levels of undergraduate and postgraduate otolaryngology training and/or experience received by GPs in that area. Most GPs had received two weeks of undergraduate training in ENT, which had involved no formal assessment. Three-quarters of GPs considered this inadequate. A quarter of GPs had completed a hospital post in ENT prior to entering general practice, most of which lasted three months. Sixty-one per cent of GPs had received some formal postgraduate training in ENT, in the form of courses, lectures or hospital training sessions. Almost half of the GPs considered this inadequate. Seventy-five per cent of GPs stated they would like further training in ENT. Subjective estimates of referral rates to hospital ENT specialist clinics varied considerably.This study illustrates the variability and level of dissatisfaction regarding ENT training amongst GPs at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels.
Differentiation between cholesteatoma and inflammatory process of the middle ear, based on contrast-enhanced computed tomography imaging
Authors: Trojanowska A , Trojanowski P , Olszanski W , Klatka J , Drop A 
Published: October 2006

Objective: to assess the usefulness of delayed post-contrast computed tomography (CT) examination for the detection of residual or recurrent cholesteatoma after canal wall up tympanoplasty.Study design and setting: This prospective, non-randomized study, set within an academic medical centre, included 17 consecutive patients who had undergone canal wall up tympanoplasty for cholesteatoma, with possible recurrence. Pre-contrast CT scans and delayed post-contrast images were compared with second look surgical findings.Results: A residual or recurrent cholesteatoma was found in eight of the 17 patients at revision surgery and was correctly diagnosed on post-contrast CT images in six patients (75 per cent). In the two misdiagnosed cases, cholesteatoma pearls smaller than 2.5 mm were not seen on post-contrast CT. The sensitivity of the imaging test was 75 per cent, the specificity was 60.1 per cent, the positive predictive value was 88.1 per cent and the negative predictive value was 81.8 per cent.Conclusion: Computed tomography with delayed post-contrast images is a sensitive imaging modality for the detection of residual cholesteatoma. If proven reliable, this method of non-invasive imaging could spare the patient unnecessary revision surgery.
Religion and spirituality among patients with localized prostate
cancer
Authors: HAMRICK NATALIE , DIEFENBACH MICHAEL A. 
Published: October 2006

Objective: To examine: (1) daily religious and spiritual
experiences among localized prostate cancer patients as compared to a
national age and race-matched male sample; (2) cognitive-affective and
clinical predictors of prostate cancer diagnosis-related increases in
religiosity and spirituality; (3) short-term impact of daily religious and
spiritual experiences on cancer recurrence worry.Methods: Analyses of data from a longitudinal questionnaire
study among patients (N = 254) diagnosed with localized prostate
cancer and data from a random sample (N = 238) of respondents to
the national General Social Survey.Results: Compared to the national sample, prostate cancer
patients reported higher levels of daily spiritual experiences. Patients
with higher worry about prostate cancer and elevated levels of
prostate-related symptoms around diagnosis were more likely to report a
diagnosis-related increase in religiosity and spirituality. Positive
benefits (reduced recurrence worry) of religious coping/practices were
restricted to those patients with higher versus lower level of
postdiagnosis increase in religiosity; patients not reporting
postdiagnosis increases in religion who are not engaging in religious
coping/practice adjusted equally well. Results suggest that the
development of religious/spiritual interventions is premature.Significance of results: This is the first prospective study
to report on the prevalence and influence of daily spiritual and religious
experiences among prostate cancer patients.
Requests for euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide and the
availability and application of palliative options
Authors: JANSEN-VAN DER WEIDE, MARIJKE C. , ONWUTEAKA-PHILIPSEN BREGJE D. , VAN DER WAL GERRIT 
Published: October 2006

Objective: This study investigated the palliative options
available when a patient requested euthanasia or physician-assisted
suicide (EAS), the extent to which the options were applied, and changes
in the patient's wishes.Methods: In an observational study, 3614 general
practitioners (GPs) filled in a questionnaire and described their most
recent request for EAS (if any) (n = 1,681).Results: Palliative options were still available in 25% of
cases. In these cases options were applied in 63%; in 46% of these cases
patients withdrew their request. Medication other than antibiotics, which
was most frequently mentioned as a palliative option (67%), and applied
most frequently (79%), together with radiotherapy, most frequently
resulted in patients withdrawing their request.Significance of results: GPs include the availability of
palliative options in their decision making when considering EAS. The fact
that not all options are applied or, if applied, the patient persists in
the request is related to autonomy of the patient, the burden on the
patient, and medical futility of the option.
Photosystem II: an enzyme of global significance
Authors: Barber J. 
Published: October 2006

Photosystem II (PSII) is a multisubunit enzyme embedded in the lipid environment of the thylakoid membranes of plants, algae and cyanobacteria. Powered by light, this enzyme catalyses the chemically and thermodynamically demanding reaction of water splitting. In so doing, it releases dioxygen into the atmosphere and provides the reducing equivalents required for the conversion of CO2 into the organic molecules of life. Recently, a fully refined structure of a 700 kDa cyanobacterial dimeric PSII complex was elucidated by X-ray crystallography which gave organizational and structural details of the 19 subunits (16 intrinsic and three extrinsic) which make up each monomer and provided information about the position and protein environments of 57 different cofactors. The water-splitting site was revealed as a cluster of four Mn ions and a Ca2+ ion surrounded by amino acid side chains, of which six or seven form direct ligands to the metals. The metal cluster was modelled as a cubane-like structure composed of three Mn ions and the Ca2+ linked by oxo-bonds with the fourth Mn attached to the cubane via one of its oxygens. The overall structure of the catalytic site is providing a framework to develop a mechanistic scheme for the water-splitting process, knowledge which could have significant implications for mimicking the reaction in an artificial chemical system.
Parkin: a multifaceted ubiquitin ligase
Authors: Moore D.J. 
Published: October 2006

Mutations in the parkin gene are a common cause of autosomal recessive early-onset parkinsonism. Parkin functions as an E3 ubiquitin ligase where it can polyubiquitinate a number of its protein substrates, thus targeting them for degradation by the 26 S proteasomal complex. Recent studies have demonstrated that alternative modes of parkin-mediated ubiquitination may serve other non-degradative regulatory roles. In addition, parkin appears to function as a multipurpose neuroprotectant in a number of toxic paradigms. Coupled with these observations, parkin may integrate other gene products associated with parkinsonism, including α-synuclein, LRRK2 (leucine-rich repeat kinase 2), DJ-1 and PINK1 [PTEN (phosphatase and tensin homologue deleted on chromosome 10)-induced putative kinase 1], into a common biochemical pathway of potential relevance to disease pathogenesis. Parkin therefore represents a unique multifaceted ubiquitin ligase consistent with an important housekeeping role in maintaining the integrity or survival of dopaminergic neurons.
Impact of subunit positioning on GABAA receptor function
Authors: Sigel E. , Baur R. , Boulineau N. , Minier F. 
Published: October 2006

The major isoforms of the GABAA (γ-aminobutyric acid type A) receptor are composed of two α, two β and one γ subunit. Thus α and β subunits occur twice in the receptor pentamer. As it is well documented that different isoforms of α and β subunits can co-exist in the same pentamer, the question is raised whether the relative position of a subunit isoform affects the functional properties of the receptor. We have used subunit concatenation to engineer receptors of well-defined subunit arrangement to study this question. Although all five subunits may be concatenated, we have focused on the combination of triple and dual subunit constructs. We review here what is known so far on receptors containing simultaneously α1 and α6 subunits and receptors containing β1 and β2 subunits. Subunit concatenation may not only be used to study receptors containing two different subunit isoforms, but also to introduce a point mutation into a defined position in receptors containing either two α or β subunits, or to study the receptor architecture of receptors containing unconventional GABAA receptor subunits. Similar approaches may be used to characterize other members of the pentameric ligand-gated ion channel family, including nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, glycine receptors and 5-HT3 (5-hydroxytryptamine) receptors.
Screening for Multidrug-Resistant Bacteria as a Predictive Test for Subsequent Onset of Nosocomial Infection
Authors: Galoisy-Guibal L. , Soubirou J. L. , Desjeux G. , Dusseau J. Y. , Eve O. , Escarment J. , Ecochard R. 
Published: October 2006

Objective.To investigate whether carriage of multidrug-resistant bacteria is a risk factor for nosocomial infection and whether detection of carriage is predictive of subsequent onset of nosocomial infection.Methods.In this observational cohort (study period, June 1998 through October 2002), nasal and rectal swab specimens from 412 consecutive patients admitted to the intensive care unit were tested for carriage of multidrug-resistant bacteria. Concomitantly, the bacteria responsible for any subsequent nosocomial infection, the date of infection, and some of the known clinical risk factors for nosocomial infection were noted. These factors were adjusted for potential confounders, using a Cox model stratified on the propensity score of multidrug-resistant bacteria carriage. The diagnostic characteristics of a carriage test, including the positive and negative diagnostic likelihood ratios, were calculated for all strata of the propensity score.Results.Forty-two patients were carrying multidrug-resistant bacteria. Nosocomial infection occurred in 95 patients, of whom 16 (38%) were carriers, and 79 (83%) were noncarriers (P = .01). After adjustment for potential confounders, statistical analysis revealed that carriage remained a risk factor for nosocomial infection (relative risk, 2.08 [95% confidence interval {CI}, 1.13-3.81]). Receipt of antibiotic treatment at the time of intensive care unit admission was found to be protective against nosocomial infection. A positive result of test for detection of carriage seemed to be an efficient predictor of subsequent nosocomial infection (positive diagnostic likelihood ratio, 2.05 [95% CI, 1.15-3.66]), although a negative test result was not a predictor of subsequent nosocomial infection (negative likelihood ratio, 0.91 [95% CI, 0.73-1.11]).Conclusion.Carriage proved to be a risk factor for subsequent nosocomial infection. However, the carriage test was useful as a predictive tool only for patients with a positive test result.
Transmission of Group A Streptococcus Limited to Healthcare Workers with Exposure in the Operating Room
Authors: Chandler Rebecca E. , Lee Lore E. , Townes John M. , Taplitz Randy A. 
Published: October 2006

Background.Nosocomial transmission of group A Streptococcus (GAS) has been well described. A recent report of an outbreak investigation suggested that transmission can be extensive and that standard infection control measures may not be adequate to prevent transmission from patients with severe, invasive disease to healthcare workers (HCWs).Objective.A case of pharyngitis in an HCW caring for a patient with GAS pharyngitis and necrotizing fasciitis prompted an investigation of the extent and risk factors for nosocomial transmission of GAS.Setting.A 509-bed, tertiary care center in Portland, Oregon with 631,100 patient visits (hospital and clinic) and 11,500 employees in the year 2003.Methods.HCWs with exposure to the index patient (“contacts”) were identified for streptococcal screening and culture and completion of a questionnaire regarding the location and duration of exposure, use of personal protective equipment, and symptoms of GAS infection.Results.We identified 103 contacts of the index patient; 89 (86%) submitted oropharyngeal swabs for screening and culture. Only 3 (3.4%) of contacts had a culture that yielded GAS; emm typing results and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis patterns of GAS isolates from 2 HCWs were identical to those for the isolate from the index patient. Both HCWs were symptomatic, with febrile pharyngitis and reported prolonged contact with the open wound of the patient in the operating room.Conclusions.In this investigation, nosocomial transmission was not extensive, and standard precautions provided adequate protection for the majority of HCWs. Transmission was restricted to individuals with prolonged intraoperative exposure to open wounds. As a result, infection control policy for individuals was modified only for HCWs with exposure to GAS in the operating room.
SNiPer-HD: improved genotype calling accuracy by an expectation-maximization algorithm for high-density SNP arrays
Authors: Hua Jianping , Craig David W. , Brun Marcel , Webster Jennifer , Zismann Victoria , Tembe Waibhav , Joshipura Keta , Huentelman Matthew J. , Dougherty Edward R. , Stephan Dietrich A. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractMotivation: The technology to genotype single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) at extremely high densities provides for hypothesis-free genome-wide scans for common polymorphisms associated with complex disease. However, we find that some errors introduced by commonly employed genotyping algorithms may lead to inflation of false associations between markers and phenotype.Results: We have developed a novel SNP genotype calling program, SNiPer-High Density (SNiPer-HD), for highly accurate genotype calling across hundreds of thousands of SNPs. The program employs an expectation-maximization (EM) algorithm with parameters based on a training sample set. The algorithm choice allows for highly accurate genotyping for most SNPs. Also, we introduce a quality control metric for each assayed SNP, such that poor-behaving SNPs can be filtered using a metric correlating to genotype class separation in the calling algorithm. SNiPer-HD is superior to the standard dynamic modeling algorithm and is complementary and non-redundant to other algorithms, such as BRLMM. Implementing multiple algorithms together may provide highly accurate genotyping calls, without inflation of false positives due to systematically miss-called SNPs. A reliable and accurate set of SNP genotypes for increasingly dense panels will eliminate some false association signals and false negative signals, allowing for rapid identification of disease susceptibility loci for complex traits.Availability: SNiPer-HD is available at TGen's website: .Contact: dstephan@tgen.org
Validated age, growth, and mortality estimates of the ocean quahog (Arctica islandica) in the western Atlantic
Authors: Kilada Raouf W. , Campana Steven E. , Roddick Dale 
Published: October 2006

Abstract
Kilada, R. W., Campana S. E., and Roddick, D. 2007. Validated age, growth, and mortality estimates of the ocean quahog (Arctica islandica) in the western Atlantic. ICES Journal of Marine Science, 64: 31–38. The age structure of offshore (Sable Bank) and inshore (St Mary's Bay) populations of eastern Canadian ocean quahogs (Arctica islandica), and of a northwestern Iceland population, is investigated. Age estimates for eastern Canadian ocean quahogs were validated through analysis of bomb-produced 14C in quahog shell growth increments deposited before, during, and after the atmospheric atomic bomb testing periods of the 1950s and 1960s. Delta 14C from shells with presumed birthdates between the late 1950s and 1970s clearly reflects the sharp increase in oceanic radiocarbon attributable to nuclear testing. The results validate our age interpretations of Sable Bank quahogs to an age of 45 y, and support longevity estimates of more than 200 y for the same population. Longevity calculations for the other populations exceeded 60 y. Von Bertalanffy growth parameters were estimated for the three populations; the growth rate of all three was relatively rapid for the first 20–30 y of life, but thereafter was very slow. The instantaneous rate of natural mortality (M), calculated using the age–frequency distribution of the unexploited populations, was estimated to be 0.03 and 0.10 for the Sable Bank and St Mary's Bay populations, respectively.
Prey selection by North Sea herring (Clupea harengus), with special reference to fish eggs
Authors: Segers F. H. I. D. , Dickey-Collas M. , Rijnsdorp A. D. 
Published: October 2006

Abstract
Segers, F. H. I. D, Dickey-Collas, M., and Rijnsdorp, A. D. 2007. Prey selection by North Sea herring (Clupea harengus), with special reference to fish eggs. ICES Journal of Marine Science, 64: 60–68. he herring stock in the North Sea in recent years has recovered to a relatively high biomass, and here we investigate prey selection of individual North Sea herring when population numbers are high. The diet composition, and specifically pelagic fish eggs, was investigated in February 2004. Samples of herring from the International Bottom Trawl Survey were used for stomach analysis, and ichthyoplankton samples from the southern North Sea were used to investigate selection. Crustaceans were the main diet component. The average diameter of the fish eggs recovered from the stomachs was significantly larger than that of the eggs collected in the field. In addition, the frequency at which the latest developmental stages occurred in the herring stomachs was significantly different from the frequency at which these stages were found in the field. This shows selective foraging. There was a relationship between the amount of food and the number of eggs in a herring stomach: the fullest stomachs tended to contain fewer fish eggs. This suggests that herring forage on eggs when other prey are not available. Hence, it is likely that the dynamics of multiple trophic levels influence the ecological impact of a large herring stock on the North Sea ecosystem.
ELASTIC BEHAVIOR AND CREEP OF REFRACTORY BRICK UNDER TENSILE AND COMPRESSIVE LOADS*
Authors: Mong Lewis E. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractSpecimens cut from 9‐in, brick of nine brands of firebrick, including two high‐alumina, four fire‐clay, two siliceous fire‐clay, and one silica, were subjected to tensile and compressive creep tests at eleven temperatures from 25° to 950°C., inclusive. The duration of each test was approximately 240 days. Small length changes, independent of stress direction (that is, compressive or tensile), occurred at the lower temperatures. The lowest temperatures at which creep was significant were (a) high‐alumina brick, 700° to 850°C.; (b) fire‐clay brick, 600° to 700°C.; and (c) siliceous and silica brick, 950°C. Creep results under compressive stress could not be correlated with results under tensile stress. Specimens of different brands, at 950° C. showed greatly different capacities to carry load. Repeated heatings caused growth of silica brick of approximately 0.27%. Moduli of elasticity at room temperature were determined before and after the various heat‐treatments and resultant changes were recorded. The changes in moduli were 15% or greater for silica and siliceous brick and 4% or less for the fire‐clay brick. The moduli of elasticity at room temperature were approximately 2.7–4.3 × 106 for high‐alumina brick, 0.6–1.9 × 106 for fire‐clay brick, 0.3–1.7 × 106 for siliceous fire‐clay brick, and 0.4 × 106 for silica brick.
DISINTEGRATING EFFECT OF REPEATED FREEZING AND THAWING ON BUILDING BRICK*
Authors: McMohan J. F. , Amberg C. R. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractLaboratory freezing and thawing tests (A.S.T.M. test No. C47–44 and modifications thereof) were correlated with results of outdoor‐exposure tests. This correlation was based on saturation coefficient, absorption, rate of absorption, strength, and method of manufacture. New York building brick of the soft‐mud and stiff‐mud types were investigated. The results show that those brick within a specific absorption range and with the greatest strength and the smallest saturation coefficient will have lower loss in the freezing‐thawing tests.
Eating disorders and substance abuse in Canadian women: a national study
Authors: Piran Niva , Gadalla Tahany 
Published: October 2006

ABSTRACTAims  This study aimed to examine the comorbidity between eating disorders and substance use in a large nationally representative sample of Canadian adult women. Recent as well as life‐time measures of substance use were used.Design  The research was based on secondary analyses of data collected, using multi‐stage stratified probability sampling, by Statistics Canada in the Mental Health and Well‐being cycle 1.2 of the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS).Measurements  The Eating Attitude Test (EAT‐26) was used to measure risk of eating disorders. Alcohol use, dependence and interference, and illicit drug use, dependence and interference were measured using relevant modules from the short form of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI‐SF).Participants  Data on a nationally representative sample of Canadian adult women, grouped into three age groups, were used for this research.Findings  Alcohol dependence and alcohol interference were associated significantly with the risk for an eating disorder in the three adult age groups. Significant associations were also found in the three age groups between risk for an eating disorder and the life‐time abuse of and dependence on illicit drugs. Significant associations were found in the 15–24 and 25–44‐year age groups when the 12‐month time‐frame was used.Conclusions  The study findings support the call for the development of short screening instruments for adult women with eating disorders and substance abuse, as well as for the development of treatment strategies that address the co‐occurrence of eating disorders and substance use.