bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The effectiveness of early primary realignment in children with posterior urethral injury
Authors: BALKAN EMIN , KILIC NIZAMETTIN , DOGRUYOL HASAN
Published: January 2005

Abstract Aim:  The aim of this retrospective study was to compare the results of delayed repair and early primary realignments in patients with posterior urethral injury.

Methods:  From 1990 to 2003, 20 children were admitted to the Medical Faculty of Uluday University, Bursa, Turkey, for posterior urethral injuries. Traffic accidents were the most common cause of injury (n = 17). Twelve patients (60%) who were referred early (1–10 days) underwent early realignment over a urethral tube. A total of eight patients (40%) underwent delayed repair using transpubic route. In these patients, surgical repair of the urethra was performed 5–6 months later.

Results:  Of the 12 patients who underwent early urethral realignment, six required at least one visual internal urethrotomy following the removal of the urethral catheter. Urethral stricture developed in two of 12 patients (16.6%) who underwent early urethral realignment. Of the eight patients who underwent delayed repair, six required at least one visual internal urethrotomy following removal of the urethral catheter. Urethral stricture developed in three of eight patients (37.5%) who underwent delayed repair. This difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05).

Conclusion:  The urethral stricture in patients who underwent early primary realignment was less developed than the stricture that developed in those who underwent delayed management. According to these results we recommend early primary realignment in children with posterior urethral injury.
Learning curve of hand‐assisted retroperitoneoscopic nephrectomy in less‐experienced laparoscopic surgeons
Authors: KAWAUCHI AKIHIRO , FUJITO AKIRA , SOH JINTETSU , YONEDA KIMIHIKO , UKIMURA OSAMU , MIZUTANI YOICHI , MIKI TSUNEHARU
Published: January 2005

Abstract Aim:  To evaluate the learning curve of hand‐assisted retroperitoneoscopic nephrectomy (HALS) performed by less‐experienced surgeons.

Methods:  The operative records of 166 patients, including 103 with renal tumors and 63 with renal pelvic or ureteral tumors, who underwent HALS performed by 18 less‐experienced urologists were reviewed.

Results:  The insufflation time in the first four cases was significantly longer than that in the sixteenth and later cases. The insufflation time in cases 5–10 was 14–24 min longer than that in the cases 16 onward, although the differences were not significant. The estimated blood loss did not differ in each group of cases. The complication rate in early cases, in which the operators’ experience was five cases or less, was 6% (4/71), while that in later cases was also 7% (7/95). In the analysis of the learning curve of a single surgeon who performed 57 procedures, the insufflation time in cases 1–5 was significantly longer than in cases 41–57. The insufflation times in cases 5–10 were 45 min longer than those in cases 41–57, although the difference was not significant. The estimated blood loss did not differ in each group of cases. Complications did not seem related to operation experience.

Conclusion:  In HALS, 5–10 cases were necessary for less‐experienced urologists to gain average operating skills for this procedure. It may be reasonable for less‐experienced surgeons to begin standard laparoscopic procedures after experiencing 10 cases of the present procedure.
Asthenozoospermia: Possible association with long‐term exposure to an anti‐epileptic drug of carbamazepine
Authors: HAYASHI TETSUO , YOSHINAGA ATSUSHI , OHNO RENA , ISHII NOBUYUKI , KAMATA SHIGEYOSHI , WATANABE TORU , YAMADA TAKUMI
Published: January 2005

Abstract Little attention has been paid to infertility in men with epilepsy and little information exists about the mechanisms by which anti‐epileptic drugs affect spermatogenesis or sperm function. We report a case of a male infertility patient with asthenozoospermia during long‐term treatment with anti‐epileptic drugs. A 29‐year‐old man had continued treatment with anti‐epileptic drugs under the diagnosis of epilepsy for 13 years. He and his wife had been examined and treated as an infertile couple for 3 years. The patient was found to have no motile sperm with a normal sperm count, while taking a dose of 400 mg/day of carbamazepine. On suspicion of an adverse effect of carbamazepine, he was switched to phenytoin monotherapy. One month after that, sperm motility was vastly improved (65%) and they conceived a child 5 months after that. One must be cautious in extrapolating from a case report, but these findings strongly suggest a direct effect of carbamazepine on spermatic function.
Sexual function before and after mesh repair of inguinal hernia
Authors: ZIEREN JÜRGEN , MENENAKOS CHARALAMBOS , PAUL MARCO , MÜLLER JOCHEN M.
Published: January 2005

AbstractAim: Several factors having an influence on the quality of life after an inguinal hernia repair have been studied, yet little has been reported on sexual function before and after this operation.

Methods: In a prospective follow‐up study from January 1999 to July 2002, 210 men and 14 women were asked to answer an anonymous questionnaire of 40 questions before elective inguinal hernia repair to assess pre‐ and postoperative sexual function (preoperatively, 3 months postoperatively and every 6 months afterwards). Inguinal hernia repair was performed using a standardized Plug and Patch mesh technique.

Results: Fifty‐two (23.2%) patients mentioned preoperative sexual dysfunction related to the groin hernia. Postoperatively, the surgical repair had a positive influence on the sexual function in these patients. Thirty‐six (16%) patients complained of postoperative sexual dysfunctions, which improved or disappeared over the next few months. All patients suffered surgical complications, which were surgically treated in six cases. Symptoms specifically associated with inguinal hernias can cause certain limitations in the sexual life.

Conclusions: In most cases, and in the absence of postoperative complications, the operative repair can lead to a recovery of the sexual life in patients with preoperative sexual dysfunction, while, in most cases, it does not affect patients with a preoperative normal sexual life.
Clinicopathological statistics on registered prostate cancer patients in Japan: 2000 report from the Japanese Urological Association
Authors:   CANCER REGISTRATION COMMITTEE OF THE JAPANESE UROLOGICAL ASSOCIATION
Published: January 2005

Abstract Background:  The purpose of the present paper was to investigate etiology, diagnosis, initial treatment, pathological findings and final outcomes for prostate cancer in Japan.

Methods:  From 2001, the Japanese Urological Association initiated computer‐based registration of prostate cancer patients in Japan to estimate etiology, diagnosis, initial planed treatment, pathological findings and final outcome.

Results:  A total of 173 institutions responded and 4529 patients who were diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2000 were registered. In the first year, background factors, diagnostic procedures and initially planned treatment were recorded. The analysis of these registered cases is presented here. Nearly 30% of the cases demonstrated <10 ng/mL of prostate specific antigen. The six‐core biopsy was the most commonly used procedure. The clinical T staging distribution was as follows: T1c, 20.3%; T2a, 21.8%; T2b, 17.3%; T3a, 15.8%; T3b, 11.0%; and T4, 8%. More than 70% of cases were diagnosed as M0. Hormone therapy alone was the initial treatment plan in more than half of the cases.

Conclusion:  This is the first report on prostate cancer patients in Japan based on multi‐institutional registration. Pathological findings and final outcome will be surveyed later by the Japanese Urological Association. After 5 years, adopted treatment, pathological results and final outcome will be registered.
In vitro chemosensitivity test for human genito‐urinary tumors using collagen gel matrix
Authors: KOSHIDA KIYOSHI , EGAWA MASAYUKI , IMAO TETSUYA , MIZOKAMI ATSUSHI , NAMIKI MIKIO , ENDO YOSHIO , SASAKI TAKUMA
Published: January 2005

Abstract Background:  Although the aim of chemosensitivity tests is to predict the efficacy of anticancer agents for individual patients, no generally accepted assay has been established.

Methods:  A chemosensitivity test was conducted for solid tumors with an organ culture system using collagen gel matrix (CGM). Seventy‐five samples of transitional cell carcinoma (TCC), 20 of germ cell tumor (GCT) and 13 of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) were used for the chemosensitivity test, and 20 patients were treated with anticancer drugs on the basis of the test results.

Results:  Positive rates of anticancer drugs for the 75 TCC samples were 64.9% for carboplatin, 63.4% for cisplatin, 32.1% for etoposide, 19.7% for THP‐adriamycin, 16.7% for vinblastine, and 12.3% for methotrexate, indicating that positive rates of the latter three agents consisting of an MVAC regimen were unexpectedly low. The GCT had higher positive rates than the other cancers while RCC had the lowest. In 20 eligible patients (seven patients with bladder tumors and 13 with GCT), the true positive and true negative rates were 42% (5/12) and 75% (6/8), respectively, and the sensitivity and specificity were 71% (5/7) and 46% (6/13), resulting in a 55% (11/20) accurate predictive value.

Conclusion:  Although predictive accuracy was moderate when combination chemotherapy was used, information about chemosensitivity may have some beneficial effect on the treatment of patients with invasive bladder cancer or advanced GCT, because insensitive drugs detected by the test could be deleted or replaced with more sensitive ones.
Significance of determining the point of reperfusion failure in experimental torsion of testis
Authors: KEHINDE ELIJAH O , ANIM JEHORAM T , MOJIMINIYI OLUSEGUN A , AL‐AWADI FARIDA , OMU ALEXANDER E , VARGHESE RAMANI
Published: January 2005

Abstract Background:  Experimental studies of the use of free radical scavengers in ischemic/reperfusion (I/R) injury following detorsion of the torted testis have yielded conflicting results due to differences in the period of ischemia used. The authors studied I/R injury in the rabbit model, to define the point beyond which there is reperfusion failure.

Methods:  Ischemia/reperfusion injury of the testis was created in 3–6‐month‐old male New Zealand white rabbits by cross‐clamping the left spermatic cord for periods of ischemia lasting 0, 15, 30, 60, 90, 120 and 180 min. There were eight animals per experimental group. The right testis served as internal control. Both testes were harvested after 24 h of reperfusion in four animals and after 3 months in the remaining four animals for each group. Testicular malondialdehyde (MDA), a measure of free radical damage, was determined by using the thiobarbituric acid reaction on testicular homogenates. Johnsen score was used to assess morphological damage caused by the ischemia.

Results:  After 24 h of reperfusion, the mean testicular MDA in the control right testes at 0, 15, 30, 60, 90, 120 and 180 min was 2.1, 2.5, 2.9, 2.4, 2.1 and 1.9 nmol/mg protein, respectively. The mean left testicular MDA at corresponding ischemic periods was 1.6, 2.0, 3.9, 10.0, 4.4, 6.1 and 1.0 nmol/mg protein, respectively. The maximum left testicular MDA was at 60 min (10.0 nmol/mg protein), following which the level dropped significantly to 1.0 nmol/mg protein at 180 min. At 3 months, the mean Johnsen scores for left testes subjected to 0, 60, 120 and 180 min ischemia were 9.4, 8.8, 2.3, 3.5, respectively.

Conclusion:  The results suggest that following ischemia of up to 60 min in the rabbit testis, adequate reperfusion is possible, but ischemia lasting beyond 60 min results in inadequate reperfusion leading to irreversible damage. Thus, in experiments for assessing the effect of antioxidants on I/R injury of the testis in rabbits, periods up to 60 min of ischemia should be regarded as optimum to observe an effect.
Retroperitoneal seminoma with ‘burned out’ phenomenon in the testis
Authors: PERIMENIS PETROS , ATHANASOPOULOS ANASTASIOS , GERAGHTY JOHN , MACDONAGH RU
Published: January 2005

Abstract The rare ‘burned out’ phenomenon in germ cell tumors is known as the presence of an extragonadal germ cell tumor without traces of neoplasm in the testis. This condition is different and less common from the primary extragonadal germ cell malignancies. These malignancies are treated surgically with or without adjuvant chemotherapy or radiotherapy and their prognosis is better than that of other types of primary extragonadal tumors.
Therapeutic effects of long‐term administration of an oral adsorbent in patients with chronic renal failure: two‐year study
Authors: TAKAHASHI NOBUYOSHI , KAWAGUCHI TOSHIAKI , SUZUKI TADASHI
Published: January 2005

Abstract Background:  Kremezin is an oral adsorbent that attenuates the progression of chronic renal failure by removing uremic toxins and their precursors from the gastrointestinal tract. Previously two clinical studies based on reciprocal serum creatinine levels (1/Scr) have confirmed the efficacy of Kremezin (Kureha Chemical, Tokyo, Japan) in undialyzed patients who had been followed up for 6 months or 1 year. This is the first report to evaluate the therapeutic effects of long‐term administration (2 years.) of Kremezin in undialyzed patients.

Methods:  Kremezin was given to 48 enrolled undialyzed patients with a median Scr level of 4.3 mg/dL. Rates of decline of 1/Scr, as well as the time for Scr level to reach 10 mg/dL, the critical value requiring dialysis, were compared before and after administration of Kremezin.

Results:  During the 2‐year therapeutic period, 1/Scr gradients were significantly attenuated (P = 0.0083), and the estimated time to dialysis was prolonged from 16.3 ± 16.3 months to 29.8 ± 24.1 months (P = 0.002). When the patients were divided into two groups, based on of systolic blood pressure (SBP), defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) classification, a significantly smaller number of patients in the low blood pressure group (SBP < 160 mmHg) were introduced to dialysis (P = 0.0005), and the estimated time to dialysis was significantly extended in the low blood pressure group (P = 0.0125).

Conclusion:  In addition to the control of blood pressure in undialyzed patients, Kremezin has additive salutary effects to halt the progressive loss of renal function, resulting in the delay of dialysis.
Spectrum of stone composition: structural analysis of 1050 upper urinary tract calculi from northern India
Authors: Ansari Mohd S , Gupta Narmada P , Hemal Ashok K , Dogra Premnath N , Seth Amlesh , Aron Monish , Singh Tej P
Published: January 2005

Abstract Background:  The purpose of the present paper was to study the spectrum of stone composition of upper urinary tract calculi by X‐ray diffraction crystallography technique, in patients managed at All India Institute of Medical Sciences.

Methods:  Between 30 April 1998 and 31 March 2003, a total of 1050 urinary calculi (900 renal, 150 ureteric) were analyzed. The stone fragments were collected after extracorporeal shock‐wave lithotripsy, or retrieval by endoscopic (percutaneous nephrolithotomy, ureterorenoscopy), laparoscopic and various open surgical procedures. The structural analysis of the stones was done using X‐ray diffraction crystallography.

Results:  Four types of primary and three secondary X‐ray diffraction patterns were obtained. The primary patterns were as follows. Pattern A, well organized crystalline structure; pattern B, moderately organized crystalline structure; pattern C, poorly organized crystalline structure; pattern D, very poorly organized crystalline structure. The three secondary patterns mainly highlighted the mixed variety of stones. These patterns were further analyzed and compared with standard X‐ray diffraction (powder) photographs. Of the 1050 stones analyzed, 977 (93.04%) were calcium oxalate stones, out of which 80% were calcium oxalate monohydrate (COM) and 20% were calcium oxalate dihydrate (COD). Fifteen were struvite (1.42%) and 19 were apatite (1.80%). Ten were uric acid stones (0.95%) and the remaining 29 (2.76%) were mixed stones (COM + COD and calcium oxalate + uric acid, calcium oxalate + calcium phosphate, and calcium phosphate + magnesium ammonium phosphate). A total of 89.98% of staghorn stones were made of oxalates (COM/+COD) and only 4.02% were struvite.

Conclusion:  Urinary stone disease in the Indian population is different from that in Western countries, with a larger percentage of patients having calcium oxalate stones, predominantly COM. Also, the majority of staghorn stones (89.98%) were made of oxalates.
Female para‐urethral adenocarcinoma: Histological and immunohistochemical study
Authors: KATO HARUAKI , KOBAYASHI SHINYA , ISLAM AMH MANJURUL , NISHIZAWA OSAMU
Published: January 2005

Abstract Background:  Female urethral cancer with a diverticular form is assumed to originate from the para‐urethral  duct,  which  is  embryologically  homologous  to  the  male  prostate  gland.  The  purpose  of the present paper was to investigate the female para‐urethral adenocarcinomas histologically and immunohistochemically.

Methods:  Surgical specimens obtained from six female patients with para‐urethral adenocarcinomas were examined histologically, and an immunohistochemical study using antibodies against carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), prostate specific antigen (PSA), and chromogranin A was performed.

Results:  On histologic examination, the female para‐urethral cancers were divided into five cases of mucin‐producing‐type adenocarcinoma and one case of clear cell‐type adenocarcinoma. All five mucin‐producing‐type adenocarcinomas were positive with anti‐CEA, and two of them showed neuroendicrine differentiation. One of them showed a focally positive area with anti‐PSA. The clear cell‐type adenocarcinoma had no positive reactions to these antibodies.

Conclusions:  On the basis of histologic structure, positive CEA staining, and the presence of focal neuroendocrine differentiation, mucin‐producing‐type adenocarcinomas may arise from the proximal part of the para‐urethral duct.
Expression of thymidine phosphorylase in human superficial bladder cancer
Authors: SHIMABUKURO TOMOYUKI , MATSUYAMA HIDEYASU , BABA YOSHIKAZU , JOJIMA KAZUTAKA , SUYAMA KEN‐ICHI , AOKI AKIHIKO , SUGA AKINOBU , YAMAMOTO NORIO , NAITO KATSUSUKE
Published: January 2005

Abstract Background:  The purpose of the present paper was to investigate the expression level of thymidine phosphorylase (TPase) in superficial bladder cancer tissues obtained by transurethral resection, and determine whether its expression correlates with tumor recurrence.

Methods:  From March 1998 to December 2001, 99 patients with superficial bladder cancer were diagnosed and treated at eight affiliated hospitals. Tissue specimens obtained by transurethral resection of superficial bladder cancer (TURBT) were applied to immunohistochemical study using anti‐TPase antibody as well as pathological diagnosis. The data were subjected to statistical analysis.

Results:  Using MoAb 654‐1 as the primary antibody, TPase was clearly stained in human bladder cancer tissues. The maximum TPase level measured by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method in normal bladder tissues was 18.7 U/mg protein. The TPase activity was 2.8‐fold higher in tumors than in normal bladder samples (P = 0.037). The TPase positivity rates determined by immunohistochemical and ELISA methods were distinctly correlated (P = 0.046). For the recurrence‐free rates in pT1 tumors treated by TURBT alone (n = 46), there were no statistically significant differences between Tpase‐positive or ‐negative cases.

Conclusions:  The TPase expression determined by ELISA and immunohistochemistry is significantly up‐regulated in superficial bladder tumors compared with normal bladder samples. However, TPase expression by immunohistochemistry is not a predictive index of recurrence‐free rate for superficial bladder cancer treated with TURBT alone.
Altered messenger RNA and protein expressions for insulin‐like growth factor family members in clear cell and papillary renal cell carcinomas
Authors: CHEUNG CATHERINE , VESEY DAVID , COTTERILL ANDREW , DOUGLAS MEAGHAN , GOBE GLENDA , NICOL DAVID , JOHNSON DAVID
Published: January 2005

Abstract Background:  The purpose of the present paper was to describe the pattern of expression of insulin‐like growth factor (IGF‐I) and its regulatory binding proteins (IGFBP) in renal cell carcinoma (RCC).

Methods:  The expressions of mRNA and protein for various IGF members were assessed in 24 paired normal and malignant human renal tissues (16 clear cell and 8 papillary RCC) using semiquantitative reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry. Paired tissue samples were also obtained from six patients with oncocytoma in order to compare the specificity of changes in IGF/IGFBP expression between tumors derived from proximal (RCC) and distal (oncocytoma) tubular epithelium.

Results:  Clear cell RCC were characterized by significant increases in the mRNA expression of IGF‐I, IGFBP‐3 and IGFBP‐6 while papillary RCC exhibited down‐regulated expression of IGF‐I, IGFBP‐4 and IGFBP‐5. The IGFBP‐2, IGFBP‐4 and IGFBP‐5 mRNA were down‐regulated in oncocytomas. Semiquantitative assessment of immunohistochemical staining demonstrated significant increases in epithelial associated IGF‐I and IGFBP‐3 in clear cell RCC, increased IGFBP‐5 protein in papillary RCC and no significant changes in IGF/IGFBP protein expression in oncocytoma.

Conclusions:  The expression of IGF‐I and certain IGFBP is significantly altered in RCC compared with normal renal tissue and oncocytomas. This altered expression is differentially regulated according to the histologic subtype of RCC, and suggests that the IGF/IGFBP axis may play an important role in determining the malignant phenotype of RCC.
ENGINEERING GENETIC INJUSTICE
Authors: WENZ PETER
Published: January 2005

In their jointly written book, From Chance to Choice: Genetics and Justice, Allen Buchanan, Dan Brock, Norman Daniels and Daniel Wikler defend ‘the development and deployment of genetic intervention technologies . . .’, including genetic enhancements, against charges that they exacerbate injustice. The present paper examines some of their arguments. The first section shows that the authors confuse real societies with just societies. The second shows that without this confusion, their arguments reveal the enormous justice‐impairing potential of deploying genetic enhancements in such societies as the United States.
BENEFICENCE, DETERMINISM AND JUSTICE: AN ENGAGEMENT WITH THE ARGUMENT FOR THE GENETIC SELECTION OF INTELLIGENCE
Authors: BIRCH KEAN
Published: January 2005

In 2001, Julian Savulescu wrote an article entitled ‘Procreative Beneficence: Why We Should Select the Best Children’, in which he argued for the genetic selection of intelligence in children. That article contributes to a debate on whether genetic research on intelligence should be undertaken at all and, if so, should intelligence selection be available to potential parents. As such, the question of intelligence selection relates to wider issues concerning the genetic determination of behavioural traits, i.e. alcoholism. This article is designed as an engagement in the intelligence selection debate using an analysis of Savulescu's arguments to raise a series of problematic issues in relation to the ethics of parental selection of intelligence. These problematic issues relate to wider assumptions that are made in order to put forward intelligence selection as a viable ethical option. Such assumptions are more generic in character, but still relate to Savulescu's article, concerning issues of genetic determinism, private allocation and inequality, and, finally, individual versus aggregate justice. The conclusion focuses on what the implications are for the question of agency, especially if intelligence selection is allowed.
A THOMISTIC UNDERSTANDING OF HUMAN DEATH1
Authors: EBERL JASON T.
Published: January 2005

I investigate Thomas Aquinas's metaphysical account of human death, which is defined in terms of a rational soul separating from its material body. The question at hand concerns what criterion best determines when this separation occurs. Aquinas argues that a body has a rational soul only insofar as it is properly organised to support the soul's vegetative, sensitive, and rational capacities. According to the ‘higher‐brain’ concept of death, when a body can no longer provide the biological foundation necessary for the operation of conscious rational thought and volition, a substantial change occurs in which the rational soul departs and the body left behind is a ‘humanoid animal’ or a mere ‘vegetable.’

I argue that the separation of soul and body does not occur until the body ceases to function as a unified, integrated organism. A rational soul is not only the seat of a human being's rational capacities; it is also the principle of the body's sensitive and vegetative capacities. Since Aquinas defines a human being as a composite of soul and body, and not with merely the exercise of rational capacities, the determination of death requires incontrovertible evidence that the body has ceased all the operations that correspond to the soul's proper capacities. The evidence of this is the body's loss of its integrative organic unity and the criterion for determining when this loss occurs is the irreversible cessation of whole‐brain functioning.
THE BIRTH OF THE EMPIRICAL TURN IN BIOETHICS
Authors: BORRY PASCAL , SCHOTSMANS PAUL , DIERICKX KRIS
Published: January 2005

Since its origin, bioethics has attracted the collaboration of few social scientists, and social scientific methods of gathering empirical data have remained unfamiliar to ethicists. Recently, however, the clouded relations between the empirical and normative perspectives on bioethics appear to be changing. Three reasons explain why there was no easy and consistent input of empirical evidence into bioethics. Firstly, interdisciplinary dialogue runs the risk of communication problems and divergent objectives. Secondly, the social sciences were absent partners since the beginning of bioethics. Thirdly, the meta‐ethical distinction between ‘is’ and ‘ought’ created a ‘natural’ border between the disciplines. Now, bioethics tends to accommodate more empirical research. Three hypotheses explain this emergence. Firstly, dissatisfaction with a foundationalist interpretation of applied ethics created a stimulus to incorporate empirical research in bioethics. Secondly, clinical ethicists became engaged in empirical research due to their strong integration in the medical setting. Thirdly, the rise of the evidence‐based paradigm had an influence on the practice of bioethics. However, a problematic relationship cannot simply and easily evolve into a perfect interaction. A new and positive climate for empirical approaches has arisen, but the original difficulties have not disappeared.
THE DETERMINATION OF THE BEST INTERESTS IN RELATION TO CHILDHOOD IMMUNISATION*
Authors: DAWSON ANGUS
Published: January 2005

There are many different ethical arguments that might be advanced for and against childhood vaccinations. In this paper I explore one particular argument that focuses on the idea that such vaccinations are justifiable because they are held to be in the best interests of a particular child. Two issues arise from this idea. The first issue is how best interests are to be determined in this case. The second issue is what follows from this to justify potential interventions within the family in relation to such vaccinations. I argue that best interests must be characterised objectively in such situations and that this means that, in at least some cases, parental decision‐making about vaccinating their children may be overridden.
Connections between experience, beliefs, scientific knowledge, and self‐evaluated expertise among investigators of child sexual abuse in Finland
Authors: FINNILÄ‐TUOHIMAA KATARINA , SANTTILA PEKKA , SAINIO MIKAEL , NIEMI PEKKA , SANDNABBA KENNETH
Published: January 2005

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether clinicians investigating child sexual abuse (CSA) rely more on scientific knowledge or on clinical experience when evaluating their own expertise. Another goal was to check what kind of pre‐trial beliefs the clinicians had. The connections between these different factors were investigated. A questionnaire covering items concerning demographic data, experience, knowledge about CSA, self‐evaluated expertise and beliefs about CSA was given to 126 social workers, 60 child psychiatrists and 134 psychologists. The results showed that the clinicians relied more on their clinical experience than on scientific knowledge when evaluating their expertise as investigators of CSA. Furthermore, social workers possessed stronger attitudes in favor of children than the other groups, while child psychiatrists had more negative attitudes towards the criminal justice system. Male participants had less strong beliefs than did the female participants. The findings indicate that the education of CSA investigators should focus more on theoretical knowledge and decision‐making processes as well as the role of pre‐trial beliefs.
Crossfostering in mice selectively bred for high and low levels of open‐field thigmotaxis
Authors: LEPPÄNEN PIA K. , EWALDS‐KVIST S. BÉATRICE M.
Published: January 2005

The main purpose of this research was to investigate whether the difference in open‐field (OF) thigmotaxis between mice selectively bred for high and low levels of wall‐seeking behavior originated from genetic or acquired sources. Unfostered, infostered, and crossfostered mice were compared in two experiments in which the effects of strain, sex, and fostering on ambulation, defecation, exploration, grooming, latency to move, radial latency, rearing, thigmotaxis, and urination were studied. These experiments revealed that OF thigmotaxis was unaffected by the foster condition and thus genetically determined. The selected strains of mice also diverged repeatedly with regard to exploration and rearing. The findings are in line with the previously described existence of an inverse relationship between emotionality and exploration.
Construct validation of the Swedish Scholastic Aptitude Test by means of the Swedish Enlistment Battery
Authors: CARLSTEDT BERIT , GUSTAFSSON JAN‐ERIC
Published: January 2005

The construct validity of the Swedish Scholastic Test (SweSAT), used for admissions to higher education, was studied through relating it to the Computerized Enlistment Battery (CAT‐SEB) used at conscription to military service. Out of three male age cohorts tested at 18 years with the CAT‐SEB in 1997, 1998, or 1999 six groups of men that had taken their first SweSAT in the Autumn (n= 3,163; 2,938; 2,820) the same year, or in the Spring (n= 3,238; 2,587; 2,447) the next year were used for the analyses. Four types of models were fitted to the tests: (1) a nested factor model with the latent variables general intelligence (g), crystallized intelligence (Gc) and general visualization; (2) a higher order model with g as an apex factor; (3) a multivariate regression model where the SeSAT subtests were regressed on the SEB factors; and (4) separate models of SweSAT and CAT‐SEB with covariances between latent variables. The results show that the SweSAT is dominated by Gc factors and that the g factor has a smaller influence.
Responsibility assignment at the workplace: A Finnish and Ghanaian perspective
Authors: GYEKYE SETH AYIM , SALMINEN SIMO
Published: January 2005

The study sought to explore management's responsibility in accident causation as perceived by Ghanaian and Finnish industrial workers. It was anticipated that the Ghanaian industrial workers would externalize accident causality more than their Finnish counterparts, and would assign only marginal responsibility to the management for industrial accidents. The predicted difference was based on the premise that the difference in these two cultures on the power‐distance cultural dimensions would have an impact on their responsibility assignments. The results confirmed our expectation.
Interviewing children with the cognitive interview: Assessing the reliability of statements based on observed and imagined events
Authors: LARSSON ANNELI S. , GRANHAG PÄR ANDERS
Published: January 2005

This paper investigated whether criteria stemming from the Reality Monitoring (RM) framework could be trusted to assess the reliability of statements obtained by the use of a cognitive interview (CI). Fifty‐eight children, aged 10–11, participated. One‐third watched a film about a fakir and were then interviewed according to a CI (n= 19). The remaining two‐thirds made up a story about a fakir and were then interviewed according to either a CI (n= 21), or a structured interview (SI) (n= 18). The CI statements based on observed events contained more visual, affective, spatial and temporal information compared to CI statements based on imagined events. The CI statements based on imagined events did not differ from the SI statements based on imagined events. Considerable developmental work is recommended to turn the RM technique to a reliable test that could be used by practitioners.
Extracting a maximum of useful information from statistical research data
Authors: SOHLBERG STAFFAN , ANDERSSON GERHARD
Published: January 2005

The practice of statistical inference in psychological research is critically reviewed. Particular emphasis is put on the fast pace of change from the sole reliance on null hypothesis significance testing (NHST) to the inclusion of effect size estimates, confidence intervals, and an interest in the Bayesian approach. We conclude that these developments are helpful for psychologists seeking to extract a maximum of useful information from statistical research data, and that seven decades of criticism against NHST is finally having an effect.
The ecological validity of the “who said what?” technique: An examination of the role of self‐involvement, cognitive interference and acquaintanceship
Authors: SANI FABIO , BENNETT MARK , SOUTAR ASHLEY URIE
Published: January 2005

Questions are raised about the possible ecological invalidity of the traditional “who said what?” (WSW) procedure. Three studies are reported which use a modified, quasi‐naturalistic version of the WSW technique, in which rather than being passive recipients of presented information, participants instead play an active role in the production of such information in an interactive context. Data are presented that demonstrate that the social categorization effect typically obtained through the traditional WSW procedure generalizes beyond the circumstances in which it was initially demonstrated. Thus, in Study 1 it was established that social categories (gender, in this case) are cognitively used in real interactions between participants in order to organize information. Moreover, Study 2 demonstrated that the use of categories is accentuated when, as is typical in real world situations, recollections are not made immediately after the perception of the relevant stimuli but following a period of intervening cognitive activity. The findings of Study 3, however, suggest that the WSW technique may not inevitably lead to social categorization effects: typical effects did not appear when participants knew each other well, and therefore saw one another as unique, idiosyncratic individuals, rather than as category members.
Worries in restaurant managers
Authors: LARSEN SVEIN , ØGAARD TORVALD , MARNBURG EINAR
Published: January 2005

This paper explores the concept of job specific worries (JS worries) in managers in the restaurant industry. The focus of interest in the present explorative study was the degree and content of restaurant managers’ worries. Of a total of 58 eligible managers in a Norwegian (fast food) restaurant chain, 57 (representing an equal number of restaurants) were surveyed for JS worries and personal worries. These managers also judged aspects of their relation to the organization they work for, such as perceived organizational hierarchy, job commitment and perceived risk at work. The results indicate that the concept of JS worry is state dependent as opposed to personal worry, which may be regarded as a trait. In addition, the observed correlations indicate a connection between characteristics of perceived job environment and the respondents’ degree of JS worry, whereas no such correlations were observed between trait worry and job environment.
Taking Stock at Mid‐Career: Challenges and Opportunities for Faculty
Authors: Baker‐Fletcher Karen , Carr David , Menn Esther , Ramsay Nancy J.
Published: January 2005

Abstract.  Beginning with a series of questions designed to peak reader curiosity and expose key challenges for mid‐career faculty, the authors uncover several issues in post‐tenure faculty life and work, and they reflect on images for understanding and responding to these challenges. Topics identified include mid‐career as an opportunity for deeper investment in one's teaching, challenges associated with competing claims for time, shifts in research that can accompany the transition to mid‐career, challenges in dealing with an increasing generational gap between oneself and one's students, responsibilities associated with being a longer‐term member of a faculty, and feelings of fatigue and occasional alienation from one's educational institution and/or church.
Moving at Mid‐Career
Authors: Baker‐Fletcher Karen
Published: January 2005

Abstract.  Discernment about when to make career moves is often clouded by a host of competing desires and motivations. In this essay the author peels back layers of vocational choices in order to begin to reveal motivations behind those choices. Questions pertaining to notions of prestige, imaginative projection into a new position, clarity about what one values in theological education, and shifts in thinking about pedagogy in a new context are explored.
Teaching Effectively in Racially and Culturally Diverse Classrooms
Authors: Ramsay Nancy J.
Published: January 2005

Abstract.  Issues of racial and cultural diversity and racism pose particular challenges for effective teaching and learning in diverse theological classrooms. In this essay the author outlines specific strategies to confront racism and engage racially and culturally diverse students. Through the use of a model for understanding multicultural dynamics of teaching and learning, the author helps readers consider four epistemological categories: knowing our students, knowing ourselves as instructors, knowing how we teach, and knowing what we teach.
Learning about Teaching in Communities: Lessons for Faculty Development
Authors: Marshall Joretta L.
Published: January 2005

Abstract.  While teaching workshops like those offered by the Wabash Center provide a unique opportunity for scholars to reflect on their teaching, three elements important to the workshops’ success can be effective in institutional settings as well. Certain characteristics of community, conversation stimulated by differences, and appropriate attention to self‐care help create an environment supportive of faculty development throughout a scholar's career.
Taken with Surprise: Critical Incidents in Teaching
Authors: Pui‐lan Kwok , Brown William P. , Delamarter Steve , Frank Thomas E. , Marshall Joretta L. , Menn Esther , Riggs Marcia Y.
Published: January 2005

Abstract.  This collection of essays tackles thorny questions related to critical incidents in teaching. By using different pedagogical methods and techniques, each author provokes creative thinking about how to address specific concerns common to teaching. The authors demonstrate that the teaching and learning process must make room for – if not celebrate – the surprises that happen not only to the students, but to the teachers as well. The discussion of critical incidents helps to promote reflection on teaching practice and prompt insights into the intricate dynamics shaping the increasingly diverse learning community. Each individual essay is accompanied by reflection questions that can be used to spark conversation among colleagues and/or prompt further personal reflection on teaching and learning.
“We’re Going to Read Poetry in This Class?”
Authors: Frank Thomas E.
Published: January 2005

Abstract.  How can poetry be a resource for effective teaching of congregational life and leadership? Drawing on poetry from an array of sources, the author weaves a narrative to discuss specific strategies employed for using poetry in the classroom. Recognizing the capacity of poems to awaken latent imaginations and evoke new insights about church leadership among his students, the author provides details about particular methods that can serve as alternative approaches for learning about a subject.
Theological Educators, Technology and the Path Ahead
Authors: Delamarter Steve
Published: January 2005

Abstract.  Digital technology offers a host of opportunities and challenges for theological education. In this essay the author considers possible futures for theological education through creative uses of technology. The first half of the essay identifies five areas in which theological educators have had to gain technology skills in the last several years: 1. Individual facility with a personal computer; 2. Functioning capably in a connected world; 3. Information literacy for research and ministry; 4. Technology for face‐to‐face instruction; and 5. Technology for asynchronous teaching and learning. The second half of the essay identifies the forces that will likely drive technology learning for theological educators in the coming few years: 1. The pressure to meet student expectations; 2. The pressure to enrich the classroom experience by engaging the visual learner; 3. The pressure to enhance the traditional course through richer pedagogical strategies available with technology; and 4. The pressure to offer distance programs.
Mentoring Younger Faculty
Authors: Valantasis Richard
Published: January 2005

Abstract.  Mentoring new faculty into vocations of teaching falls squarely on the shoulders of those entrusted with setting the course for the next generation of faculty. Often the role of new teacher development is assigned to senior faculty. In this essay the author provides an autobiographical account of experiences both as a mentor and as one who had been mentored. Carefully weaving threads of experience with pedagogical insight, the author crafts a tapestry that accentuates how mentors can play important roles in the maturation of newer faculty by attention to research and publication, teaching, and service. A list of recommendations pertaining to the beneficial aspects of mentoring for faculty and schools is provided.
Predictors of Responsiveness to Physiotherapy Management of Cervicogenic Headache
Authors: Jull GA , Stanton WR
Published: January 2005

A recent randomized controlled trial tested the effectiveness of therapeutic exercise and manipulative therapy on 200 subjects with cervicogenic headache. Although treatments were efficacious, 25% of patients did not achieve a clinically acceptable outcome – 50% reduction in headache frequency. This study aimed to identify predictors from variables in subjects' demographics and headache history which might identify those who did or did not achieve a 50-79% or 80-100% reduction in headache immediately after the active treatments and 12 months postintervention. The results revealed no consistent pattern of predictors, although the absence of light-headedness indicated higher odds of achieving either a 50-79% [odds ratio (OR) = 5.45) or 80-100% (OR = 5.7) reduction in headache frequency in the long term. Headaches of at least moderate intensity, the patient's age and chronicity of headache did not mitigate against a successful outcome from physiotherapy intervention.
Long-term Potentiation of Orofacial Sensorimotor Processing by Noxious Input from the Semispinal Neck Muscle in Mice
Authors: Makowska A , Panfil C , Ellrich J
Published: January 2005

Tension-type headache is the most common type of primary headaches but no conclusive concept of pathophysiology exists. This may be due to a lack of an appropriate animal model. This study addressed the hypothesis that noxious neck muscle input induces central sensitization of orofacial sensorimotor processing. The effect of hypertonic saline injection into the semispinal neck muscle on the jaw-opening reflex (JOR) was investigated in anaesthetized mice ( n = 11). Hypertonic saline injection into the neck muscle facilitated the JOR for at least one hour: integral (+94.5%) and duration (+18.7%) increased, latency decreased (-7.5%). The reflex threshold decreased to 61% after injection. Isotonic saline injection into the neck muscle ( n = 11) or hypertonic saline injection into a hindpaw muscle ( n = 10) did neither change the reflex integral nor the threshold. Long-term potentiation of the JOR by noxious neck muscle input may be an appropriate model to investigate tension-type headache pathophysiology.
Variability of Reported Headache Symptoms and Diagnosis of Migraine at 12 Months
Authors: Nachit-Ouinekh F , Chrysostome V , Henry P , Sourgen C , Dartigues JF , El Hasnaoui A
Published: January 2005

Assignment of a diagnosis of migraine has been formalized in diagnostic criteria proposed by the International Headache Society. The objective of the present study is to determine the reproductibility of the formal diagnosis of migraine in a cohort of headache sufferers over a one-year period. The study was performed in a community cohort taking part in a long-term prospective health survey, the GAZEL study. Two thousand five hundred individuals reporting headache in the GAZEL cohort were sent two postal questionnaires concerning headache symptoms and features at 12-monthly intervals. Replies to the questions allowed a migraine diagnosis to be attributed retrospectively using an algorithm based on the IHS classification scheme. The response rate was 82% for the first questionnaire and 69% for both questionnaires. Of the 1733 subjects providing information at both time-points, the agreement rate for the diagnosis of strict migraine (IHS categories 1.1 or 1.2) was 77.7% (kappa = 0.48), with 62.2% of the patients with this diagnosis (IHS categories 1.1 or 1.2) at Month 0 retaining the same diagnosis at Month 12. When diagnostic criteria were widened to include IHS category 1.7 (migrainous disorder), the agreement rate of the diagnosis was similar at 77.6% (kappa = 0.52), but 82% of the patients with this diagnosis (IHS categories 1.1 or 1.2 or 1.7) at Month 0 now retained the same diagnosis at Month 12. In conclusion, the one-year reproducibility of reporting of migraine headache symptoms is only moderate, varies between symptoms, and leads to instability in the formal assignment of a migraine headache diagnosis and to diagnostic drift between headache types. This finding is compatible with the continuum model of headache, where headache attacks can vary along a severity continuum from episodic tension-type headaches to full-blown migraine attacks.
Chronic Post-Traumatic Headache – A Clinical Analysis in Relation to the International Headache Classification 2nd Edition
Authors: Baandrup L , Jensen R
Published: January 2005

The clinical presentation of chronic post-traumatic headache in 53 patients from a highly specialized headache clinic was analysed and classified according to the diagnostic criteria of the primary headaches in The International Headache Classification 2nd Edition, and compared with the 1st Edition. All patients fulfilled the criteria for both editions indicating that the restrictions in the 2nd Edition have no major influence on the prevalence in specialized clinics. We found the phenomenology to be very heterogeneous, but the vast majority (77%) of patients presented with headache resembling chronic tension-type headache, either as the only manifestation or in combination with migraine symptoms. For the first time episodic tension-type headache is described as occurring after head trauma. The prevalence of coexisting analgesic overuse was 42% and the treatment outcome for these patients was just as favourable as in primary headaches, whereas the time-consuming multidisciplinary treatment demonstrated only very modest results.