bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Anastomotic leak following mesorectal excision for rectal cancer: true incidence and diagnostic challenges
Authors: Nesbakken A. , Nygaard K. , Lunde O. C. , Blücher J. , Gjertsen Ø. , Dullerud R. 
Published: October 2005

AbstractObjective  Anastomotic leakage is a potentially serious complication of low anterior resection which may be accompanied by clinical symptoms (clinical leak) or may be silent (subclinical leak). In this study the true incidence of the complication was evaluated, and the diagnostic accuracy of clinical symptoms, conventional rectal radiography (CRR) and computed tomography (CT) was compared.Patients and methods  Fifty‐six consecutive patients were included in a prospective trial. Clinical parameters were recorded and CRR and CT performed 6–10 days postoperatively or earlier if a leak was suspected. Endoscopy was performed three months postoperatively.Results  Based on all available information including late endoscopy, 5 (9%) patients had clinical leak and five a leak that was asymptomatic during the hospital stay. Clinical assessment, CRR and CT during the hospital stay had an accuracy of 82%, 93% and 94%, respectively, and a sensitivity of 50%, 60% and 57%, respectively. The specificity of clinical assessment was 89%, whereas both CRR and CT had a specificity of 100%.Conclusion  The incidence of anastomotic leakage seemed acceptable when compared with other series. Fifty per cent of the leaks were silent. CRR and CT may be false negative and immediate treatment should be started if clinical signs are highly suggestive of leak, irrespective of radiological findings CT was not more accurate than CRR in detecting anastomotic leak.
END GAMES: EUTHANASIA UNDER INTERMINABLE SCRUTINY
Authors: PARKER MALCOLM 
Published: October 2005

ABSTRACTIt is increasingly asserted that the disagreements of abstract principle between adversaries in the euthanasia debate fail to account for the complex, particular and ambiguous experiences of people at the end of their lives. A greater research effort into experiences, meaning, connection, vulnerability and motivation is advocated, during which the euthanasia ‘question’ should remain open. I argue that this is a normative strategy, which is felicitous to the status quo and further medicalises the end of life, but which masquerades as a value‐neutral assertion about needing more knowledge.
ANALYSIS OF SOME FILIPINO PERSPECTIVES ON ETHICAL ISSUES IN MULTI‐COUNTRY COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: A CASE OF DEEP LISTENING
Authors: MANALOTO RENATO B. , ANDREW ALLEN , ALVAREZ A. , ALVAREZ MARY ANN V. 
Published: October 2005

ABSTRACTThe discussion on ethical issues, it is said, should not be confined to experts but should be extended to patients and local communities, because of the real need to engage stakeholders and non‐stakeholders alike not only in carrying out any biomedical research project, but also in the drafting and legislation of bioethics instruments. Several local and inter‐country consultations have already been conducted in furtherance of this goal, but there is much left to be desired in them. The consultations may have helped in articulating local principles, but not in making the instruments embody these principles. As such, instruments turn incompossible, i.e. the principles and actions they legitimate are not performable. In an ethnographic study conducted in the Philippines, for example, paragraphs 29 and 30 of the Declaration of Helsinki and CIOMS guidelines 8 and 15 are construed as not only contradictory to one another but also to local principles. This problem can be solved by taking deliberate steps to ensure that consultations are grounded in ethnographic data about local principles, which the instruments would embody. A steering committee can be of help in gathering ethnographic data, in conducting consultations at the local level, and in providing a venue for discourse on various bioethical issues.
Changes in gustatory function during the course of pregnancy and postpartum
Authors: Ochsenbein‐Kölble Nicole , Von Mering Ruth , Zimmermann Roland , Hummel Thomas 
Published: October 2005

Objective  To investigate changes in gustatory function during pregnancy and postpartum.Design  Prospective study.Setting  Obstetric outpatient clinic, Zurich University Hospital.Population  Forty‐four pregnant women, 46 controls.Methods  A threshold‐like measure of gustatory function was obtained for different concentrations of the four basic tastes using ‘taste tablets’; subjects were also asked to rate the intensity and pleasantness/unpleasantness of suprathreshold taste solutions. Tests were performed in early pregnancy up to 14 weeks of gestational age, 8–12 weeks after the first and second examination and at least 6 weeks after birth. In parallel, controls were tested four times at intervals of 8–12 weeks.Main outcome measures  Gustatory score (number of correctly identified tastes).Results  Pregnant subjects exhibited a decreased gustatory function compared with non‐pregnant controls, still being present after birth. These ‘objective’ changes were observed although pregnant women rated the intensity of suprathreshold taste stimuli not significantly different from controls. Pregnant women rated salty stimuli to be more pleasant during the second trimester while they rated the salty stimuli to be less pleasant during the first and third trimester, and after birth.Conclusions  Pregnancy is accompanied by changes in gustatory function. Decreased gustatory sensitivity may allow pregnant and breastfeeding women to vary their diet in order to consume adequate electrolytes. The discrepancy between ‘objective’ and ‘subjective’ findings in gustatory function may relate to changes in central processing of gustatory information during pregnancy.
Relative Fitness and Frailty of Elderly Men and Women in Developed Countries and Their Relationship with Mortality
Authors: Mitnitski Arnold , Song Xiaowei , Skoog Ingmar , Broe GA , Cox Jafna L. , Grunfeld Eva , Rockwood Kenneth 
Published: October 2005

Objectives: To investigate the relationship between accumulated health‐related problems (deficits), which define a frailty index in older adults, and mortality in population‐based and clinical/institutional‐based samples.Design: Cross‐sectional and cohort studies.Setting: Seven population‐based and four clinical/institutional surveys in four developed countries.Participants: Thirty‐six thousand four hundred twenty‐four people (58.5% women) aged 65 and older.Measurements: A frailty index was constructed as a proportion of all potential deficits (symptoms, signs, laboratory abnormalities, disabilities) expressed in a given individual. Relative frailty is defined as a proportion of deficits greater than average for age. Measures of deficits differed across the countries but included common elements.Results: In each country, community‐dwelling elderly people accumulated deficits at about 3% per year. By contrast, people from clinical/institutional samples showed no relationship between frailty and age. Relative fitness/frailty in both sexes was highly correlated (correlation coefficient >0.95, P<.001) with mortality, although women, at any given age, were frailer and had lower mortality. On average, each unit increase in deficits increased by 4% the hazard rate for mortality (95% confidence interval=0.02–0.06).Conclusion: Relative fitness and frailty can be defined in relation to deficit accumulation. In population studies from developed countries, deficit accumulation is robustly associated with mortality and with age. In samples (e.g., clinical/institutional) in which most people are frail, there is no relationship with age, suggesting that there are maximal values of deficit accumulation beyond which survival is unlikely.
Physical and Mental Health Status of Older Long‐Term Cancer Survivors
Authors: Keating Nancy L. , Nørredam Marie , Landrum Mary Beth , Huskamp Haiden A. , Meara Ellen 
Published: October 2005

Objectives: To assess the physical and mental health status of older long‐term cancer survivors.Design: Cohort study using propensity score methods to control for baseline differences between cancer survivors and controls.Setting: General community population in the United States.Participants: Nine hundred sixty‐four cancer patients who had survived for more than 4 years and 14,333 control patients who had never had cancer from a population‐based sample of Americans aged 55 and older responding to the 2002 Health and Retirement Study.Measurements: Medical conditions, symptoms, health behaviors, health status, mobility, activities of daily living, mental health diagnoses, self‐rated memory, depressive symptoms, cognitive function, and self‐reported life expectancy.Results: Cancer survivors reported higher rates of lung disease (13.9% vs 9.6%; P=.001), heart condition (29.3% vs 22.9%; P<.001), arthritis (69.4% vs 59.4%; P<.001), incontinence (26.6% vs 19.7%; P=.001), frequent pain (36.4% vs 29.4%; P=.005), and obesity (27.0% vs 24.2%; P=.001) than individuals without cancer but lower rates of smoking (12.0% vs 14.8%; P=.03). Cancer survivors were less likely than persons without cancer to report excellent or very good health status (37.2% vs 44.6%; P<.001) and had more mobility (P<.001) and activity of daily living (P=.01) limitations. Cancer survivors did not differ from persons without cancer in rates of depression or cognitive function (both P>.2) but were less optimistic about their life expectancy (P=.004).Conclusion: The physical health status of older long‐term cancer survivors is somewhat worse than that of comparable persons who have never had cancer, but they have surprisingly similar mental health status. Future research is needed to understand factors contributing to poorer health status and identify patients at highest risk of long‐term cancer‐related problems.
Tissue engineering osteochondral implants for temporomandibular joint repair
Authors: Schek RM , Taboas JM , Hollister SJ , Krebsbach PH 
Published: October 2005

AbstractAuthors –  Schek RM, Taboas JM, Hollister SJ, Krebsbach PH  Tissue engineering has provided an alternative to traditional strategies to repair and regenerate temporomandibular joints (TMJ). A successful strategy to engineer osteochondral tissue, such as that found in the TMJ, will produce tissue that is both biologically and mechanically functional. Image‐based design (IBD) and solid free‐form (SFF) fabrication can be used to generate scaffolds that are load bearing and match patient and defect site geometry. The objective of this study was to demonstrate how scaffold design, materials, and biological factors can be used in an integrated approach to regenerate a multi‐tissue interface. IBD and SFF were first used to create biomimetic scaffolds with appropriate bulk geometry and microarchitecture. Biphasic composite scaffolds were then manufactured with the same techniques and used to simultaneously generate bone and cartilage in discrete regions and provide for the development of a stable interface between cartilage and subchondral bone. Poly‐l‐lactic acid/hydroxyapatite composite scaffolds were differentially seeded with fibroblasts transduced with an adenovirus expressing bone morphogenetic protein‐7 in the ceramic phase and fully differentiated chondrocytes in the polymeric phase, and were subcutaneously implanted into mice. Following implantation in the ectopic site, the biphasic scaffolds promoted the simultaneous growth of bone, cartilage, and a mineralized interface tissue. Within the ceramic phase, the pockets of tissue generated included blood vessels, marrow stroma, and adipose tissue. This combination of IBD and SFF‐fabricated biphasic scaffolds with gene and cell therapy is a promising approach to regenerate osteochondral defects and, ultimately, the TMJ.
Collagen gel delivery of Tgf‐β3 non‐viral plasmid DNA in rat osteoblast and calvarial culture
Authors: Premaraj S , Mundy B , Parker‐Barnes J , Winnard PL , Moursi AM 
Published: October 2005

AbstractAuthors –  Premaraj S, Mundy B, Parker‐Barnes J, Winnard PL, Moursi AM  Different forms of collagen as a carrier for naked plasmid DNA have shown potential as vehicles for therapeutic gene delivery and tissue engineering. The objective of this study was to determine the suitability of a dense collagen gel as a vehicle for sustained delivery of plasmid DNA in cell and organ culture. Plasmid DNA encoding Tgf‐β3 was combined with collagen gel. DNA released into the media was measured by Pico‐Green spectrophotometry. Results showed that DNA was released from the collagen gel at a gradual rate for up to 14 days. To evaluate collagen‐mediated transfection in tissue, calvariae were exposed to collagen containing plasmid encoding GFP or DsRed. Transfection was visualized by fluorescence localized to tissue adjacent to the vehicle. To evaluate protein production, fetal rat calvarial osteoblasts were cultured with a collagen/Tgf‐β3 plasmid mixture or in media containing plasmid alone. Media was collected at various time points to measure Tgf‐β3 protein production. ELISA assays showed that collagen‐transfected osteoblasts demonstrated an elevated Tgf‐β3 protein production for up to 14 days. Therefore, collagen delivery of viable plasmid DNA created a sustained transient transfection of calvarial osteoblasts resulting in prolonged and elevated growth factor production. Together, these results suggest that use of collagen gel as a vehicle may provide a strategy to achieve localized and controlled, non‐viral gene delivery in vivo.
Left–right asymmetry in the buildup of echo suppression in normal-hearing adults
Authors: Grantham D. Wesley 
Published: October 2005

Echo threshold is that critical delay of a lagging signal (the echo) at which the echo is ‘‘suppressed’’—i.e., at which one rather than two events is perceived. It has recently been shown that echo threshold increases in most subjects when they are exposed to a train of redundant information prior to the test stimulus presentation—that is, there is buildup of echo suppression in the presence of the preceding train [Clifton et al., J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 95, 1525–1533 (1994)]. The present investigation measured echo threshold in 25 normal-hearing adult subjects, both for isolated (baseline) test stimuli and for test stimuli preceded by a redundant train of stimuli (buildup conditions). The test stimulus was a 4-ms wideband noise burst pair, in which the lead burst was presented from either the left or right side (from near −45° or near +45° in different runs), and the lag burst was presented from the opposite side. Echo delay was varied adaptively, and the subject’s task was to indicate on each trial which of two alternative positions (separated by 20°) the lag source was presented from. Average echo threshold in the baseline condition was 11.2 ms (in agreement with previous results) and did not depend on whether the lead burst was on the subject’s left or right side.
Average echo threshold in the buildup conditions was significantly elevated. Interestingly, there was a significantly greater buildup effect when the lead stimulus came from the subject’s right side (average echo threshold: 24.4 ms) than when it came from the left side (average: 18.8 ms). This result agrees with informal observations made by Clifton and Freyman [Percept. Psychophys. 46, 139–145 (1989)] and suggests that there is more effective suppression of echo information when the lead stimulus originates from the right side (i.e., the side contralateral to the typically dominant hemisphere) than when it originates from the left side. The distribution of the magnitude of buildup effects across subjects (i.e., echo threshold in the presence of the train minus baseline echo threshold) was unimodal and symmetric, both for lag source on left (mean: 14.1 ms) and for lag source on right (mean: 6.7 ms). These results are discussed in relation to other hearing asymmetries that have been reported.
Long-term adaptation in cat auditory-nerve fiber responses
Authors: Javel Eric 
Published: October 2005

Driven responses of cat auditory-nerve fibers to long-duration characteristic-frequency (CF) tones could decrease substantially over time periods ranging from seconds to minutes. In extreme cases, the discharge rate could fall below the pre-stimulation spontaneous rate (SR). Reductions in response were characterized by two processes, each of which followed a decaying exponential function. Long-term adaptation affects the discharge rate in the first several seconds following stimulus onset. The average amount in high-SR fibers was 42.5% for tones at 20–40 dB SL, and the mean time constant was 3.64 s. Long-term adaptation increased significantly with sensation level (SL, or level above threshold), decreased with SR, and was not significantly correlated with CF or fiber response threshold. Time constants did not depend on CF, SR, or SL. Very-long-term adaptation refers to further, smaller reductions in the discharge rate that accumulate over a period of minutes. Fiber responses formed two groups. The larger group adapted with a mean time constant of 45.22 s for CF tones at 20–40 dB SL, and the smaller group did not adapt over very long terms.
Considerable variability in amounts of long-term and very-long-term adaptation was observed in similarly tuned fibers from the same ear. This suggests that long-term effects do not arise from cochlear mechanics or middle ear muscle activity. No long-term effects were observed in responses of fibers directly stimulated by high-intensity electrical pulses presented at rates up to 500/s through a cochlear implant. This suggests that the effects do not arise from fundamental differences in spike-generating properties of spiral ganglion cells. The data suggest that long-term adaptation may occur either when neurotransmitter utilization at inner hair cell synapses exceeds the rate at which it is replenished from global stores or uptake mechanisms, or when metabolic resources influencing neurotransmitter release become depleted. The neural data are related to perceptual findings in human listeners, in which unusually large amounts of tone decay may be observed at high frequencies, and they indicate that the perceptual effects originate peripherally.
Spectral integral approach to radiation from fluid-filled boreholes.
Authors: Rao V. N. Rama , Schmidt Henrik , Vandiver J. Kim 
Published: October 2005

A hybrid model for radiation from a borehole while drilling has been developed. A numerical model for propagation in a borehole including a drill pipe has been combined with the OASES frequency–wave-number model for propagation in layered earth media, using the concept of effective sources. Equivalent line source arrays that produce the same far-field radiation as the borehole are first computed. These are then introduced into the layered earth model and the resultant seismic wave field is computed. The borehole modes are excited by a displacement source at the bottom, simulating bit motion while drilling. In contrast to earlier work the present model includes the drill pipe in the simulation, allowing for three propagating modes at low frequencies. The model has been applied to analysis of the role of the formation composition in the radiation from the tube modes. The fundamental differences between the radiation into soft and hard formations are discussed and demonstrated, including the formation of Mach cones along the borehole in soft formations.
All posters will be on display from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. To allow contributors an opportunity to see other posters, contributors of odd-numbered papers will be at their posters from 8:30 to 10:00 a.m. and contributors of even-numbered papers will be at their posters from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m.
Visualization of acoustic particle interaction and agglomeration: Theory and experiments
Authors: Hoffmann Thomas L. , Koopmann Gary H. 
Published: October 2005

This paper presents new insights in interaction mechanisms between small particles under the influence of a strong acoustic field. These mechanisms are associated with acoustic agglomeration, an effect that causes relative motion and collisions between fine particles entrained in gaseous media. The agglomeration process has potential use in air pollution control to enhance the performance of conventional particle filtering devices in the fine particle size range. In Sec. I of this paper, a number of existing acoustic agglomeration models are reviewed and implemented into a numerical scheme. A quantitative analysis of the proposed theories is conducted with parameters representing those of the experimental Sec. II. Simulations based on the scattering, orthokinetic, and hydrodynamic agglomeration principles generate numerical trajectories which reflect their importance in the particle interaction process. Most importantly it is shown that a hydrodynamic effect based on asymmetric flow fields around the particles (acoustic wake effect) generates significant particle attraction in the direction of the acoustic velocity vector. To evaluate these theoretical findings, Sec. II of this paper presents new experimental observations of microscopic particle trajectories in an intense acoustic field. The experiments are carried out in a small-scale observation chamber using a CCD camera in conjunction with a high-resolution video system.
A homogeneous acoustic velocity field is generated by two rectangular, flat-membrane loudspeakers which comprise two opposing walls in the observation chamber. Glass microspheres (diameters 8.1 and 22.1 μm) and arbitrarily shaped, quartz particles (diameter &lt;50 μm) are used for the observation of interaction and agglomeration trajectories under the influence of an intense acoustic velocity field (1.2–0.53 m/s @400–900 Hz, respectively). The recorded digitized images show a number of different interaction phenomena as well as one distinct pattern that resembles the shape of a tuning fork (thus called the tuning fork agglomeration). The latter appears to be the predominant agglomeration mechanism leading to rapid particle approach and multiple, subsequent particle interactions at large acoustic velocities.
Objective and perceptual characterization of microphone arrays for virtual acoustics applications.
Authors: Warusfel Olivier , Nicol Rozenn , Mahieux Yannick 
Published: October 2005

Microphone arrays represent an attractive sound pickup solution for virtual acoustics applications where a high rejection of the acoustic environment (ambient noise and reverberation) is needed for minimizing artifacts during the postprocessing of the sound (filtering, spatialization, artificial reverberation). This study intends to evaluate, on the basis of simulations and experiments, different prototypes of microphone arrays designed at CNET. The different steps of the array processing (i.e., band filtering of subarrays, sensors weighting, beamforming, and steering) are implemented on a signal processing prototyping environment. This program is used to synthesize the impulse response of the microphone array in a real acoustic field. The input signals are the impulse responses successively measured between a source and each sensor location of the array in real rooms. The objective characterization of the array is based on classical criteria used in room acoustics and on the analysis of the time–frequency envelope of the late reverberation. The perceptual analysis is performed by convolution of the array responses with anechoic signals. A parametrical study is undertaken in order to study the influence of the geometrical and signal processing characteristics of the array. Theoretical and experimental results are compared and discussed. [Work supported by CNET.]
All posters will be on display from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Contributors will be at their posters from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. To allow for extended viewing time, posters will remain on display until 3:00 p.m.