bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Characterization of bone metastases in patients with renal cell cancer
Authors: Adiga G.U. , Dutcher J.P. , Larkin M. , Garl S. , Koo J. 
Published: May 2004

OBJECTIVETo characterize the clinical features of bone metastases in patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC) treated with interleukin‐2 therapy. Bone lesions contribute to significant morbidity and mortality, and although present in up to half of patients with RCC, their behaviour and response to therapy have not been well characterized.PATIENTS AND METHODSWe evaluated skeletal metastases in 19 patients with bone lesions who received either moderate‐ or high‐dose interleukin‐2 therapy. Data on bone disease, including location and number of bone lesions, need for bone‐specific therapies and use of pain medications, were noted. The response of bone lesions to interleukin‐2 was compared with the response of other systemic metastatic sites.RESULTSSkeletal metastases resulted in significant morbidity by causing pain (75%) and other complications requiring surgical and/or radiotherapeutic intervention (94%) before beginning interleukin‐2 therapy. In most patients the response of bone lesions to interleukin‐2 was similar to that in their other systemic sites. Treatment with interleukin‐2 had no significant effect on the requirement for pain medication for bone pain. However, it may have prevented skeletal complications requiring surgery or radiotherapy. None of the patients had hypercalcaemia; there was no significant association between bone metastases and elevated alkaline phosphatase levels.CONCLUSIONSSkeletal metastases are a significant contributor to morbidity among patients with RCC. Bone lesions respond similarly to interleukin‐2 therapy as other systemic sites. Bisphosphonates appear promising for these predominantly osteolytic lesions.
Percutaneous stone surgery in the obese: outcome stratified according to body mass index
Authors: Koo B.C. , Burtt G. , Burgess N.A. 
Published: May 2004

OBJECTIVETo report our experience of percutaneous surgery for treating renal pelvicalyceal stones over 6 years, to show that this approach is feasible and safe in obese and morbidly obese patients, as the prevalence of obesity and stone disease has risen in the last 20 years.PATIENTS AND METHODSWe retrospectively reviewed the results of 223 percutaneous nephrolithotomies (PCNLs) by one urologist between 1995 and 2001. Patients were stratified into four groups according to the World Health Organization classification of body mass index (BMI), i.e. <25, 25–29.9 (overweight), 30–39.9 (obese) and > 40 kg/m2 (morbidly obese). The outcomes of surgery in these four groups were compared.RESULTSThere were no statistically significant differences in operative duration, decrease in haemoglobin concentration, postoperative analgesic use, hospital stay and stone‐free rates; nor was there a higher complication rate in patients who were obese.CONCLUSIONThe outcome of PCNL is independent of the patients’ BMI and results can be favourable in most patients. We therefore advocate treating obese patients with symptomatic stone disease based on individual status, using percutaneous surgery where appropriate.
Tissue Doppler, a fundamental tool for parametric imaging
Authors: Brodin Lars‐Åke 
Published: May 2004

SummaryTissue Doppler has been used for clinical applications since 1989. It has been developed from a pulsed Doppler acquisition tool towards a method where extraction of velocities can be performed from colour‐coded images. This has introduced a further development into different forms of parametric images describing different myocardial functions as colour‐coded information, like deformation imaging, motion imaging and phase imaging. The technical requirements have been established with temporal requirements of frame rates in acquisition exceeding 100 frames s−1. The most powerful application of the tissue Doppler technique today is perhaps to quantify the myocardial functional reserve, during stress echocardiography, making the method applicable to diagnose the presence of coronary disease with an accuracy exceeding that of nuclear and other non‐invasive techniques. The method has also great potential for future developments with introduction of more regional measuring variables.
Immunostaining patterns of myoepithelial cells in breast lesions: a comparison of CD10 and smooth muscle myosin heavy chain
Authors: Kalof A N , Tam D , Beatty B , Cooper K 
Published: May 2004

Background:Recent studies have reported CD10 expression in myoepithelial cells (MEC) of the breast, supporting its use as a marker to help distinguish invasive breast carcinoma (IC) from ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS).Aim:To compare the effectiveness of CD10 with smooth muscle myosin heavy chain (SMMHC) in the detection of MEC in benign and malignant breast lesions.Methods:Histological material from 25 patients with DCIS and 21 with IC were immunostained for CD10 and SMMHC. Staining was scored on a scale of 0 to 3+ (0, no staining; 3+, intense) and the staining distribution was documented as focal, partial, or circumferential.Results:Uniform, 3+ circumferential CD10 and SMMHC staining of MEC was seen in normal breast ducts and lobules, and in ducts and acini involved in sclerosing adenosis and apocrine metaplasia. In an analysis of total ducts involved by DCIS, 3+ circumferential staining was seen in 65 of 366 ducts (17.7%) stained for CD10 versus 190 of 396 ducts (48%) stained for SMMHC. MEC were not detected immunohistochemically in 116 of 366 ducts (31.7%) with anti-CD10 and 50 of 396 (12.7%) with anti-SMMHC. In contrast, all ICs were negative for both CD10 and SMMHC. Focal background staining of stromal myofibroblasts was seen with both CD10 and SMMHC, but CD10 showed a higher rate of non-specific staining of epithelial cells.Conclusion:Although CD10 can aid in the distinction between IC and DCIS, SMMHC is a more sensitive and specific marker of MEC and shows less heterogeneity of immunostaining patterns.
Prognostic impact of VEGF, CD31, CD34, and CD105 expression and tumour vessel invasion after radical surgery for IB–IIA non-small cell lung cancer
Authors: Mineo T C , Ambrogi V , Baldi A , Rabitti C , Bollero P , Vincenzi B , Tonini G 
Published: May 2004

Aims:To evaluate the prognostic impact of tumour angiogenesis assessed by vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), microvessel density (MVD), and tumour vessel invasion in patients who had undergone radical resection for stage IB–IIA non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).Methods:Fifty one patients (42 men, nine women; mean age, 62.3 years; SD, 6.9) undergoing complete surgical resection (35 lobectomy, 16 pneumonectomy) of pathological stage IB (n  =  43) and IIA (n  =  8) NSCLC were evaluated retrospectively. No patient underwent postoperative chemotherapy or neoadjuvant treatment. Tumour specimens were stained for VEGF and specific MVD markers: CD31, CD34, and CD105.Results:VEGF expression significantly correlated with high CD105 expression (p < 0.0001) and tumour vessel invasion (p  =  0.04). Univariate analysis showed that those patients with VEGF overexpression (p  =  0.0029), high MVD by CD34 (p  =  0.0081), high MVD by CD105 (p  =  0.0261), and tumour vessel invasion (p  =  0.0245) have a shorter overall survival. Furthermore, multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that MVD by CD34 (p  =  0.007), tumour vessel invasion (p  =  0.024), and VEGF expression (p  =  0.042) were significant predictive factors for overall survival. Finally, the presence of both risk factors, tumour vessel invasion and MVD by CD34, was highly predictive of poor outcome (odds ratio, 3.4; 95% confidence interval, 1.7 to 6.5; p  =  0.0002).Conclusions:High MVD by CD34 and tumour vessel invasion are more closely related to poor survival than the other neoangiogenetic factors in stage IB–IIA NSCLC. This may be because these factors are more closely related to the metastatic process.
Effect of buffered formalin on amplification of DNA from paraffin wax embedded small biopsies using real-time PCR
Authors: Zsikla V , Baumann M , Cathomas G 
Published: May 2004

Background:The isolation of good quality DNA from routinely fixed and processed biopsy samples is crucial for the success of subsequent molecular analysis.Aims:To compare the amount of β actin DNA extracted from upper gastrointestinal tract biopsies fixed in buffered and unbuffered formalin.Methods:Amounts of β actin DNA extracted from forceps biopsies of the upper gastrointestinal tract fixed in unbuffered (n  =  22) and buffered formalin (n  =  16) were estimated by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction.Results:The yield of β actin DNA was significantly higher in biopsies fixed in buffered formalin than in those fixed in unbuffered formalin (median 2.8 × 104and 5.3 × 102DNA molecules, respectively; p < 0.005). Furthermore, fixation in buffered formalin led to a more reproducible DNA extraction, as indicated by the coefficient of variation (1.0 and 2.2, respectively).Conclusions:This study indicates that tissue samples should be fixed in buffered formalin to facilitate the use of molecular pathology analysis in routine biopsy material.
BINDING MATRIX: A NOVEL APPROACH FOR BINDING SITE RECOGNITION
Authors: KIM JAN T. , GEWEHR JAN E. , MARTINETZ THOMAS 
Published: May 2004

Recognition of protein-DNA binding sites in genomic sequences is a crucial step for discovering biological functions of genomic sequences. Explosive growth in availability of sequence information has resulted in a demand for binding site detection methods with high specificity. The motivation of the work presented here is to address this demand by a systematic approach based on Maximum Likelihood Estimation. A general framework is developed in which a large class of binding site detection methods can be described in a uniform and consistent way. Protein-DNA binding is determined by binding energy, which is an approximately linear function within the space of sequence words. All matrix based binding word detectors can be regarded as different linear classifiers which attempt to estimate the linear separation implied by the binding energy function. The standard approaches of consensus sequences and profile matrices are described using this framework. A maximum likelihood approach for determining this linear separation leads to a novel matrix type, called the binding matrix. The binding matrix is the most specific matrix based classifier which is consistent with the input set of known binding words. It achieves significant improvements in specificity compared to other matrices. This is demonstrated using 95 sets of experimentally determined binding words provided by the TRANSFAC database.
Race and Psychiatric Services in Post-Apartheid South Africa: A Preliminary Study of Psychiatrists’ Perceptions
Authors: Kohn Robert , Szabo Christopher P. , Gordon Alan , Allwood Clifford W. 
Published: May 2004

Objectives: The primary objective of this study was to examine the perception of the quality of psychiatric services five years after apartheid, and specifically whether care for black patients had improved. Design: A survey was distributed to South African psychiatrists during a national congress and by mail. The questionnaire focused on the quality of psychiatric care in general, for black and white patients, the racial composition of each respondent’s psychiatric practice currently, and the racial composition of the psychiatric practice during apartheid. Results: Psychiatric services in South Africa were viewed as deteriorating. The end of apartheid has done little to improve the quality of psychiatric care for both black and white patients. Although less pronounced, racial inequality in psychiatric care continues to exist. Psychiatric practices continue to be overrepresented with white patients. Conclusion: There remains a differential in quality of psychiatric care and further monitoring should continue. Continued efforts to improve racial equality and the need for greater awareness of cultural issues need to be addressed. Limitations of this study included possible social desirability bias, use of subjective rather than objective measures, and a survey that was limited in scope.
Social and Health Determinants of Well Being and Life Satisfaction in Jamaica
Authors: Hutchinson G. , Simeon D. T. , Bain B. C. , Wyatt G. E. , Tucker M. B. , Lefranc E. 
Published: May 2004

Background: Psychological well being and the degree of satisfaction with life are likely to affect a range of social behaviours and determine uptake of health and social services. It is important to identify the factors that inform these constructs. Aims: We sought to identify the variables which best predicted psychological well being in the Caribbean country, Jamaica and also those associated with feelings of satisfaction with life. Methods: Interviews were conducted on young adults aged 15–50 years as part of a sexual decision-making survey in Jamaica. Information was collected on a range of social, health and demographic variables and a measure of psychological well being – Centre for Epidemiological Studies of Depression (CES-D). Satisfaction with life was measured using a Likert scale in response to the question ‘Are you satisfied with your life as a whole?’ Multiple regression analyses were used to determine the predictors of psychological well being and satisfaction with life. Results: There were 2580 respondents (1601 women and 979 men). The mean age was 29.7 years (standard deviation 9.2 years). Women had lower levels of psychological well being and satisfaction with life. Independent predictors of lower psychological well being were having an acute illness, having a chronic illness in women and high religious behaviour in men. Satisfaction with life was predicted by younger age, marital status and employment. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that health variables are more important for psychological well being while social circumstances are more significant for satisfaction with life. There are important gender differences in the mediation of psychological well being as well as age differences in the variables associated with satisfaction with life.
Privatization and Globalization: A Critical Analysis with Implications for Public Management Education and Training
Authors: Farazmand Ali 
Published: May 2004

This article addresses the phenomenon of sweeping privatization as a ‘strategic instrument of globalization of capital’. Using a political economy analysis, it argues that, among other things, but most importantly, privatization should be understood in a direct correlation with the globalization of capital under late or corporate capitalism. It argues that privatization has been conceived by design, not by chance and haphazard events, and that its implementation has been pursued purposely, deliberately and vigorously around the world to accomplish the objectives of the globalization of capital. This has been happening despite evidence of extremely successful experiences with public enterprise management and government-owned enterprises worldwide. The article also treats the phenomenon of globalization as a globally transcending process towards a more rapid accumulation of surplus value of advance or corporate capitalism; hence a change within the continuity of the process of surplus accumulation by global capitalism. To understand this direct relationship between change and continuity and between privatization and globalization, we must first understand what globalization means, and then explain its corollary strategy of privatization worldwide. This article presents, first, a brief theoretical discussion of globalization and then a detailed argument of privatization as a strategic instrument of globalization of capital and, finally, some implications are provided for public management education and training.
Burnout among Teachers
Authors: Evers Will J. G. , Tomic Welko , Brouwers André 
Published: May 2004

The aim of this study was to explore students’ and teachers’ perceptions of teacher burnout in relation to the occurrence of disruptive student classroom behaviour and the teachers’ competence to cope with this kind of behaviour. First, the study shows that the Maslach Burnout Inventory, the Coping with Disruptive Behaviour Scale and the Perceived Disruptive Behaviour Scale could be adapted to students to report perceived burnout symptoms among their teachers, the occurrence of perceived disruptive student behaviour and the students’ perception of their teachers’ competence to cope with disruptive student behaviour. Second, students’ perceptions do not differ according to their age. Third, we found that there was a significant difference between the perceptions of male and female students in respect of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization, but not in respect of personal accomplishment. Fourth, according to the students’ perceptions, a considerable percentage of variance in each of the three burnout dimensions was explained by teachers’ competence to cope with student disruptive behaviour and perceived disruptive student behaviour. Finally, with respect to the teachers’ self-reports, it appeared that teachers’ and students’ reports differed significantly with respect to depersonalization, personal accomplishment and the competence to cope with disruptive student behaviour. The hierarchical regression analyses of the teachers’ data showed that the competence to cope with disruptive student behaviour significantly contributed to depersonalization and personal accomplishment, whereas the teachers’ age was significantly related with personal accomplishment. Although the students’ perceptions and the teachers’ self-reports on the teachers’ well-being differed on some dimensions, the students’ information may contribute valid information on some aspects of teachers’ mental health and classroom processes.
Mourning the Law
Authors: Kellogg Catherine 
Published: May 2004

In his 1992 text ‘Force of Law’ Jacques Derrida makes the radical claim that the aura of law’s legitimacy is always achieved by virtue of an ideological sleight of hand. I argue that the radicality of this claim does not lie in its abandonment of the rule of law, nor is this claim a call to political quietism. Rather, Derrida charges us with the responsibility of interrogating the moments of law’s force or ideology. Following this suggestion I argue that one important way that the law has maintained its aura of legitimacy is on the basis of an ideological appeal to the presumed natural or transparent nature of sexual complementarity. Through a reading of Hegel’s use of the Greek mythological Antigone, I argue that one important way that the impossibility of the necessary encounter between law and the singular case has been covered over, is by way of an appeal to the presumed naturalness of heterosexuality. The conclusion of my analysis is that the illusion of law’s legitimacy is not necessarily achieved with reference to the feminine, nor by virtue of an appeal to the transparency of heterosexuality, but it is no coincidence that it has been achieved in this way so often in the history of political philosophy either. However, no matter how the illusion of law’s legitimacy is achieved, it will always require a sleight of hand; it will always be ideological and therefore political. This analysis therefore serves as an example of how deconstruction can be mobilized as much more than a philosophical meditation on the impossibility of justice; rather, it offers a mode of analysis of critical importance to social and legal theorists.
After Foucault
Authors: Mourad Roger 
Published: May 2004

The purpose of this paper is to explore the possibility of a new form of right that is both antidisciplinarian and liberated from ‘sovereignty’, the term Michel Foucault uses for what he claims to be the traditional theme of modern political philosophy. Some attempts to derive a theory of right from Foucault’s critique have been made. However, by their own admission they do not yield a coherent and adequate theory, and other work has demonstrated the major problems inherent in Foucault’s critique that render such a project problematic. This paper takes a different approach by revising the philosophical foundations of modern democracy with the goal of developing a new theory of right that addresses the problems that Foucault identified. To provide a theoretical context for this exploration, Foucault’s key concepts of disciplinary technologies, power, the construction and maintenance of human subjects, and the role of the human body in human subjection are briefly reviewed. The main analysis will focus on the ideas of three political theorists whose respective works represent the core of ‘sovereignty’, and who are indisputably basic to any student of Western political theory, namely Hobbes, Locke and Rousseau. The aim of this analysis is not to provide another critique of their virtues and shortcomings. Instead, the work of these thinkers is used in a pragmatic way, to elicit a new form of right that could serve as a counter to disciplinary power.
A Line in the Sea
Authors: Perera Suvendrini 
Published: May 2004

In the week before the attacks in the US 'changed the worldforever', a Norwegian container ship, the MV Tampa, rescued almost four hundred asylum seekers from asinking boat off the Indonesian archipelago. The captain sailed towards Australia, but was refused permission to land by a government declaring that this nation would 'not be held hostage by our own decency'. In the face of UN and international disapproval, the Tampa was boarded by armed troops and forcibly moved out of Australian waters. During the following week, capitalising on widespread general hostility towards Afghanistan and Islam in the wake of the September 11 attacks, the Australian parliament rushed through legislation implementing unprecedented measures to keep out asylum seekers. The Australian government's actions chillingly foreshadowed a wider western reaction. In May 2002, Britain's prime minister Blair proposed a series of initiatives strikingly similar to those adopted by Australia, including the use of the Royal Navy to intercept and turn back asylum seekers and the internment of refugees off-shore on large ships leased by the government. The story of the Tampa, then, is part of an unfolding global story.
The Library is the Message
Authors: Delambre Raymond 
Published: May 2004

La question de la légitimité de la bibliothèque, à l’âge du numérique pour reprendre l’expression convenue, se pose. Les redéploiements symboliques, métaphoriques de la bibliothèque légitiment la formule ‘ the Library is the Message’. La formule est examinée à travers différents prismes: celui de la performance architecturale en tant que telle, la théorie du chaos, la bibliothèque ‘virtuelle’ – le thème de l’obsolescence des murs de bibliothèque est objectivé – le mythe de l’acteur – un continuum existe entre la prétendue interactivité de l’écran et le mythe de l’acteur – les notions de marketing, self-service, servuction. La bibliothèque semble s’assimiler à un ‘espace social’ – concrètement, la bibliothèque s’inspire de la librairie: la ‘doctrine consistant à ne pas en avoir’ imprègne l’architecture des bibliothèques.