bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Beneficial effects of erythropoietin on haematological parameters, aerobic capacity, and body fluid composition in patients on haemodialysis
Authors: ROSENLÖF K. , GRÖNHAGEN‐RISKA C. , SOVIJÄRVI A. , HONKANEN E. , TIKKANEN I. , EKSTRAND A. , PIIRILÄ P. , FYHRQUIST F.
Published: October 2011

Abstract Rosenlöf K, Grönhagen‐Riska C, Sovijärvi A, Honkanen E, Tikkanen I, Ekstrand A, Piirilä P, Fyhrquist F (IV Department of Internal Medicine, and Department of Pulmonary Medicine. Helsinki University Central Hospital. Finland). Beneficial effects of erythropoietin on haematological parameters, aerobic capacity and body fluid composition in patients on haemodialysis.

Eleven patients on haemodialysis were treated with erythropoietin (EPO). 50–200 U kg−1 once to three times a week, for up to 1 year. After outset of EPO all patients became transfusion‐independent. Four patients did not reach the target haemoglobin (Hb) level 100 gl−1 in 5 months. These patients had higher serum concentrations of aluminium (225 ± 87 μgl−1, mean ± SD) than the responding patients (55 ± 56 μgl−1). Addition of desferrioxamine to treatment with EPO resulted in a rapid rise in Hb values in these patients. Thus, aluminium may inhibit EPO responsiveness. All patients were iron overloaded. Serum ferritin levels declined in all but one patient with secondary haemochromatosis. In exercise tests the aerobic capacity and oxygen uptake increased during EPO therapy. Peak oxygen consumption (Vo2 peak), oxygen pulse, oxygen uptake at anaerobic threshold (AT) and total work output (W max) increased 19%, 36%, 26% and 24%, respectively. Lean body mass (LBM) increased by 8%. Taken together, all clinical EPO effects measured appeared clinically favourable.
Functional status and personality in patients on chronic dialysis
Authors: BJÖRVELL H. , HYLANDER B.
Published: October 2011

Abstract Björvell B, Hylander B (Department of Internal Medicine, Karolinska Hospital, S‐104 01 Stockholm, Sweden). Functional status and personality in patients on chronic dialysis.

This study describes the functional status of 53 dialysis patients: The Sickness Impact Profile test (SIP), the Kamofsky Activity Scale and Karolinska Scales of Personality (KSP) are used.

Our results showed that the dialysis patients had a higher (P < 0.001) total SIP score when compared to normal controls. Thus, the patients had a worse functional status than the controls.

The results of the Kamofsky Activity Scale, estimated by a nurse, were in accordance with the results of the SIP score.

The KSP‐test showed that both men and women had significantly lower scores in the aggression scale than a control group.

We conclude that the dialysis situation has a major influence on the quality of life of dialysis patients. Great attention should be paid to the development of supporting programmes for this patient group.
Iron deficiency: definition and diagnosis
Authors: COOK J. D. , SKIKNE B. S.
Published: October 2011

Abstract Cook JD, Skikne BS (Division of Hematology. Department of Medicine. Kansas University Medical Center, Kansas City, KS 66103, USA). Iron deficiency: definition and diagnosis.

There has been a continuous refinement over the past several decades of methods to detect iron deficiency and assess its magnitude. The optimal combination of measurements differs for clinical and epidemiological assessment. Clinically, the major problem is to distinguish true iron deficiency from other causes of iron‐deficient erythropoiesis, such as the anaemia of chronic disease. Epidemiologically, techniques that provide quantified estimates of body iron are preferable. For both purposes, the serum ferritin is the focal point of the laboratory detection of iron deficiency. Serum ferritin measurements provide a reliable index of body iron stores in healthy individuals, a cost‐effective method of screening for iron deficiency, and a useful alternative to bone marrow examinations in the evaluation of anaemic patients. Preliminary studies indicate that measurement of the serum transferrin receptor may be the most reliable way to assess deficits in tissue iron supply.
Twenty‐four hour variation of transferrin saturation in treated and untreated haemochromatosis homozygotes
Authors: EDWARDS C. Q. , GRIFFEN L. M. , KAPLAN J. , KUSHNER J. P.
Published: October 2011

Abstract Edwards CQ, Griffen LM, Kaplan J, Kushner JP. (Departments of Internal Medicine and Pathology, University of Utah College of Medicine, and LDS Hospital, Salt Lake City, UT 84132, USA). Twenty‐four hour variation of transferrin saturation in treated and untreated haemochromatosis homozygotes.

We studied 43 haemochromatosis homozygotes and seven normal individuals to test the hypothesis that there is an almost continuous relative deficiency of apotransferrin in treated and untreated homozygotes. Transferrin saturation was measured at 2‐h intervals for 24 h while all subjects ate their usual diet. Subjects with haemochromatosis were separated into four groups based on sex and whether or not they had been iron‐depleted. Nineteen treated and 11 untreated male homozygotes had mean transferrin saturation values of 70 and 81%, respectively. Five treated and eight untreated female homozygotes had mean transferrin saturation values of 71 and 69%. Normal subjects had mean transferrin saturation values of 29% (3 males) and 21% (4 females). These data demonstrate continuously high transferrin saturation values, greater than 69% in most treated and untreated male and female homozygotes, resulting in hepatic iron accumulation of non‐transferrin‐bound iron from the portal circulation.
The personality pattern of duodenal ulcer patients in relation to spontaneous ulcer healing and relapse
Authors: JESS P. , VON DER LIETH L. , MATZEN P. , MADSEN P. , KRAG E. , KNIGGE U. , HØJGAARD L. , DEJGÅRD A. , CHRISTIANSEN P. M. , BONNEVIE O.
Published: October 2011

Abstract Jess P, von der Lieth L, Matzen P, Madsen P, Krag E, Knigge U, Højgaard L, Dejgård A, Christiansen PM, Bonnevie O. (Departments of Medical and Surgical Gastroenterology, Hvidovre Hospital, University of Copenhagen, and Clinic of Gastroenterology, St. Kongensgade 68 A, Copenhagen, Denmark). The personality pattern of duodenal ulcer patients in relation to spontaneous ulcer healing and relapse.

One hundred consecutive out‐patients with duodenal ulceration from a hospital and a gastroenterological clinic were tested with the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI). This was carried out in order to investigate whether neuroticism or other personality disorders were characteristics of duodenal ulcer patients, and whether the presence of such possible personality disorders might influence the prognosis of the disease.

Neuroticism occurred in 53% of the patients, but only in 5% of controls (P < 0.0001). Overall, personality disorders were present in 69% of the patients compared with 30% of the controls (P < 0.0001).

Neuroticism was connected with a high frequency of relapse (P < 0.05) whereas failure of spontaneous ulcer healing had no certain relation to personality disorders. Patients with non‐neurotic personality disorders had more frequently suffered stressful life events before entrance to the study (P < 0.05) and, like the neurotic patients, they had lower ego‐strength to cope with such events (P < 0.05).

The results indicate that personality assessments make it possible to distinguish between subgroups of duodenal ulcer patients with different course of the disease.
Does hyperkinetic circulation constitute a pre‐hypertensive stage? A 5‐year follow‐up of haemodynamics in young men with mild blood pressure elevation
Authors: ANDERSSON O. K. , BECKMAN‐SUURKÜLA M. , SANNERSTEDT R. , MAGNUSSON M. , SIVERTSSON R.
Published: October 2011

Abstract Andersson OK, Beckman‐Suurküla M, Sannerstedt R, Magnusson M, Sivertsson R (Departments of Internal Medicine and Clinical Physiology, Sahlgrenska Hospital and Department of Clinical Physiology, Östra Hospital, Gothenburg University, Gothenburg, Sweden.) Does hyperkinetic circulation constitute a pre‐hypertensive stage? A 5‐year follow‐up of haemodynamics in young men with mild blood pressure elevation. Journal of Internal Medicine 1989; 226: 401–08.

In a previous haemodynamic examination, 44 young men (18–22 years) with blood pressure elevation above the 98th percentile, mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) ≥ 95 ± 6 mm Hg, showed an increased cardiac index (dye‐dilution) and an enhanced resistance at maximal vasodilation of the hand (venous occlusion plethysmography during hyperaemia). This latter finding suggested arteriolar wall hypertrophy. However, the subgroup with the highest cardiac index (≥ 3.86 1 min−1 × m2) (n = 18) displayed normal vascular resistance at maximal dilation in comparison with the normotensive control group (n = 29). Consequently, functional signs of arteriolar hypertrophy were restricted to individuals with normal or low cardiac index.

At the re‐investigation 5 years later, a significant reduction in blood pressure was observed in the normotensive control group (MAP: from 88 ± 7 to 85 ± 7 mm Hg, P < 0.05). There was no change in individuals with initially elevated blood pressure. Furthermore, cardiac index fell significantly with time in this latter group. Thus, the blood pressure elevation in the hypertensive group, previously mainly dependent on high blood flow was, 5 years later, more related to an increased total peripheral resistance, (Δ total peripheral resistance = 8%). However, no definite evidence indicating development of hypertrophy of the resistance vessels of the hand was observed during the follow‐up period.

Since the hyperkinetic subgroup did not display a concomitant fall in blood pressure with cardiac output, our results do not support the theory that the hyperkinetic form of borderline hypertension is a temporary phenomenon, explained by the inclusion of anxious individuals afraid of the experimental situation. Hyperkinetic hypertension may be the initial phase of sustained hypertension in a subgroup of the future hypertensive population.
Habitual leisure‐time physical activity is associated with differences in various risk factors for coronary artery disease
Authors: ZAVARONI I. , BONATI P. ANGELO , LUCHETTI L. , BONORA E. , BUONANNO G. , BERGONZANI M. , PAGLIARA M. , GNUDI L. , BUTTURINI L. , PASSERI M. , REAVEN G. M.
Published: October 2011

Abstract Zavaroni I, Angelo Bonati P, Luchetti L, Bonora E, Buonanno G, Bergonzani M, Pagliara M, Gnudi L, Butturini L, Passeri M, Reaven GM (General Medical Clinic, Parma University, Parma, Italy and Department of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine and Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center, Veterans Administration Medical Center, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA). Habitual leisure‐time physical activity is associated with differences in various risk factors for coronary artery disease.

Various risk factors for coronary artery disease (CAD) were compared in 100 healthy, male factory workers, divided into two groups of 50 each on the basis of their leisure‐time activity. The two groups, designated as sedentary and physically active, were similar in terms of age and body mass index, but the physically active group had a significantly slower pulse rate. In addition, the plasma glucose and insulin responses to an oral glucose load were significantly lower in physically active individuals. Furthermore, fasting plasma triglyceride concentration was significantly lower and the high‐density lipoprotein‐cholesterol concentration was higher in the physically active individuals. Thus, substantial benefits in terms of CAD risk were associated with increased leisure‐time physical activity.
Nutritional status and mortality of patients in regular dialysis therapy
Authors: MARCKMANN P.
Published: October 2011

Abstract Marckmann P (Department of Medicine, The Fredericia Hospital, DK‐7000 Fredericia, Denmark). Nutritional status and mortality of patients in regular dialysis therapy.

The relationship between mortality and nutritional status of 48 chronic dialysis patients (32 patients on haemodialysis (HD) and 16 on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD)) was studied over a 24‐month period.

Patients were scored individually according to relative body weight (RBW), S‐transferrin, mid‐arm muscle circumference (MAMC) and triceps skinfold thickness (TSF), and were given a total score from 0 (normal nutritional status) to 8 (severe protein‐caloric malnutrition) at start of observation. The observation period was characterized by a significantly lower total nutritional score among surviving (n = 39) patients than among patients who died (n = 9) (Mann‐Whitney, P < 0.001).

There was no difference in mortality between the two kinds of dialysis therapy (HD, CAPD).

In conclusion, chronic dialysis patients with a poor nutritional status have a highly increased mortality. The presumably causal nature of this relationship makes prevention of protein‐caloric malnutrition among dialysis patients a high priority task.
Thromboembolism in patients with advanced mitral valve prolapse
Authors: DAVIDSEN B. , EGEBLAD H. , PIETERSEN A.
Published: October 2011

Abstract Davidsen B, Egeblad H, Pietersen A (Medical Department B and Department of Thoracic Surgery RT, Rigshospitalet, University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark). Thromboembolism in patients with advanced mitral valve prolapse.

Thromboembolism in mitral valve prolapse (MVP) has been suggested to occur in relation to valvular cul‐de‐sac recesses and endothelial wear‐and‐tear denudations. Such pathology would be suspected to be prominent in advanced cases of MVP necessitating open‐heart operation. We therefore analysed the prevalence of perivalvular thrombi and episodes of systemic arterial embolism (SE) prior to operation in 21 consecutive patients with MVP and severe valve regurgitation. No perivalvular or left atrial thrombi were found during open‐heart surgery, but three of the patients (14%, 3–36% with 95% confidence limits) experienced SE, in one case despite long‐term anticoagulation. All cases of SE took place less than 3 months before operation. The results indicate that persistent thrombi are rare in MVP and severe valve regurgitation. However, such patients run a substantial risk of SE when they reach a clinical and haemodynamic stage that makes valve surgery mandatory.
Hepatitis B surface antigen seroconversion is associated with favourable long‐term clinical outcomes during lamivudine treatment in HBeAg‐negative chronic hepatitis B patients
Authors: Idilman R. , Cinar K. , Seven G. , Bozkus Y. , Elhan A. , Bozdayi M. , Yurdaydin C. , Bahar K.
Published: October 2011

Summary.  The aims of this study were to assess hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) seroconversion and to determine its impact on the natural course of the disease in patients with HBeAg‐negative chronic hepatitis B (CHB) during lamivudine (LMV) treatment. A total of 183 consecutive patients with HBeAg‐negative CHB who were treated with LMV were included in the study. Data were retrospectively collected from outpatient visit charts. The primary endpoint was HBsAg seroconversion to anti‐HBs. The secondary endpoint was to determine the development of cirrhosis. Loss of HBsAg was confirmed in 10 patients and seroconversion to anti‐HBs in nine patients during LMV treatment or after its discontinuation. HBsAg seroconversion was achieved on‐treatment in four patients after a median treatment duration of 30 months and off‐treatment in the remaining five patients in a median 61 months after LMV discontinuation. The cumulative probability of HBsAg seroconversion increased from 0.6% at 1 year and 1.9% at 5 years to 21.5% at 10 years of LMV during and after LMV treatment. HBsAg clearance was preceded by undetectable serum hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA. The majority of the patients responding to treatment had undetectable HBV DNA levels at 24 weeks of treatment. The cumulative probability of LMV resistance increased from 2.2% at 1 year to 37.3% at 5 years. No baseline parameter predicting either HBsAg seroconversion or the emergence of LMV resistance was identified. None of the patients with HBsAg seroconversion experienced virological breakthrough or disease progression during the follow‐up period. These results indicate that HBsAg seroclearance can occur in patients with HBeAg‐negative CHB under LMV therapy and predicts better clinical outcome.
Area‐wide impact of macrocyclic lactone parasiticides in cattle dung
Authors: WALL R. , BEYNON S.
Published: October 2011

Following the treatment of cattle with veterinary parasiticides and insecticides, residues are excreted into the dung in concentrations that may be toxic to functionally important dung‐colonizing insects. In the dung, these residues cause a range of well‐studied lethal and sub‐lethal effects, the magnitudes of which vary with the compound used, mode of administration and concentration, and the insect species in question. Particular concern has been associated with the use of macrocyclic lactones in this context. Loss of insect colonizers may delay pat decomposition, but field studies report contrasting results that reflect confounding factors such as weather conditions, pat moisture content, pat location, time of year and dung insect species phenologies. The question of fundamental concern is whether the impacts seen in experimental or laboratory studies are likely to have a functional impact on insect populations, community interactions and the economically important process of dung decomposition. Recent studies which have attempted to address these wider, landscape‐level impacts in temperate ecosystems are reviewed here. These show that the extent to which chemical residues may have any sustained ecological impact will depend on both a range of farm management factors, such as the temporal and spatial patterns of chemical use, the number of animals treated and the choice of active ingredient, and a range of insect‐related factors, such as abundance, population dynamics and dispersal rates. However, they also demonstrate that considerable uncertainty remains about the likely extent of such effects and that current data are insufficient to support firm conclusions regarding sustained pasture‐level effects. More large‐scale, longterm field experiments are required, particularly in relation to insect dispersal and functional interactions within the dung insect community.
The origins of shallow‐water carbonate lithofacies thickness distributions: one‐dimensional forward modelling of relative sea‐level and production rate control
Authors: BURGESS PETER M. , POLLITT DAVID A.
Published: October 2011

The observation that shallow‐marine carbonate strata often have exponential lithofacies thickness distributions is one of the most fundamental results in carbonate stratigraphy in recent years because it is an observation that can be tested for its repeatability in various outcrop and subsurface examples, and also because it raises the question of what sedimentary processes and climatic and oceanographic settings might lead to formation of a particular lithofacies thickness distribution. This observation, in turn, links to the significant issue of how carbonate strata record climatic and oceanographic change through geological time. This study applies a simple one‐dimensional numerical stratigraphic forward model of carbonate platform strata (Dougal) to study how relative sea‐level oscillations could control lithofacies distribution. Dougal records platform‐top carbonate accumulation influenced by water‐depth dependent sediment production in euphotic, oligophotic and aphotic production profiles with a lag‐depth controlling onset of production. Results from five single model runs highlight the issue of non‐stationary behaviour where statistical properties of the strata change with elevation up the section, and show that exponential lithofacies thickness distributions can be generated from an entirely deterministic model. Results of multiple model runs, 27 200 in total, spanning a range of production and accommodation creation rates, demonstrate that the three main controls on carbonate lithofacies distribution in this one‐dimensional model are: (i) complex variations in the rate of creation of accommodation, here due to high‐frequency glacio‐eustatic oscillations; (ii) rate of sediment production, dominated in these model runs by euphotic production rates; and (iii) operation of autocyclic oscillations in deposition driven by a lag‐depth effect and formed during certain high‐frequency rising limbs on the glacio‐eustatic curve. In these multiple model runs, only ca 13% of the total runs created exponential distributions, compared with 28% in the documented outcrop examples, suggesting that other processes not included in this model play an important role. More work is required to determine what these processes might be. Obvious candidates would be the various sedimentary processes that occur in three dimensions on platform tops, such as sediment transport and variations in rate and type of sediment production related to biological variability, and other process that occur in other different depositional settings, for example sediment transport on slopes.
Playa‐lake sedimentation and organic matter accumulation in an Andean piggyback basin: the recent record from the Cuenca de Pozuelos, North‐west Argentina
Authors: McGLUE MICHAEL M. , ELLIS GEOFFREY S. , COHEN ANDREW S. , SWARZENSKI PETER W.
Published: October 2011

Expansive playa‐lake systems situated in high‐altitude piggyback basins are important and conspicuous components of both modern and ancient cordilleran orogenic systems. Extant playa lakes provide vital habitat for numerous endemic species, whereas sediments from these deposystems may record signals of climate change or develop natural resources over geological time. Laguna de los Pozuelos (North‐west Argentina) provides the opportunity for an actualistic sedimentological and geochemical assessment of a piggyback basin playa lake in an area of critical interest for understanding Quaternary palaeoclimate dynamics. Silty clays and diatom ooze are the dominant playa‐lake centre microfacies, with concentrations of total organic carbon and biogenic silica commonly exceeding 1·5 wt% in this sub‐environment. Elemental and stable isotopic analyses point to a mixed organic matter composition in the playa‐lake centre, with substantial contributions from algae and transported aquatic macrophytes. Bulk sediment and organic mass accumulation rates in the southern playa‐lake centre approach 0·22 g cm−2 year−1 and 2·89 mg cm−2 year−1, respectively, indicating moderately rapid deposition with negligible deflation over historic time. Playa margin facies contain higher percentages of fragmented biogenic carbonate (ostracods and charophytes) and inorganically precipitated aragonite crusts due to seasonal pumping and evaporation of ground water. Organic matter accumulation is limited along these heavily bioturbated wet and dry mud flats. Fluvial–lacustrine transitional environments, which are key waterbird habitats, are either silty terminal splay (northern axis) or sandy deltas (southern axis) containing highly oxidized and partially allochthonous organic matter. Modern analogue data from Laguna de los Pozuelos provide key insights for: (i) environmental reconstructions of ancient lake sequences; and (ii) improving facies models for piggyback basins.
Non‐expression of HLA‐C*07:55N is caused by a premature stop codon in exon 3
Authors: Badrinath S. , Blasczyk R. , Bade‐Doeding C.
Published: October 2011

Sequencing of HLA‐C*07:55N assessed the presence of a premature TAG stop codon at residue 113.
Abdominal actinomycosis masquerading as colon cancer in a liver transplant recipient
Authors: Laish I. , Benjaminov O. , Morgenstern S. , Greif F. , Ben‐Ari Z.
Published: October 2011

Infections in transplant recipients are associated with high morbidity and mortality, making their early recognition and treatment particularly important. Abdominal actinomycosis is a rare clinical entity and difficult to diagnose because of its various and nonspecific features. We describe a 57‐year‐old patient who presented with abdominal actinomycosis simulating colon cancer 6 years after liver transplantation. The main symptom was abdominal pain. Abdominal computed tomography and colonoscopy revealed an intraluminal 4.5 cm mass in the right colon, raising suspicions of a colonic malignancy and leading to surgical intervention. The postoperative pathologic study showed sulfur granules in the resected specimen compatible with abdominal actinomycosis. No signs of recurrence were seen throughout the 6‐month follow‐up. The literature on actinomycosis infections in immune‐compromised hosts is reviewed. This presentation of actinomycosis in a liver transplant recipient has not been described previously, to our knowledge.
Quality of pharmacokinetic studies in critically ill patients receiving continuous renal replacement therapy
Authors: VAARA S. , PETTILA V. , KAUKONEN K.‐M.
Published: October 2011

Continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) is the preferred renal replacement therapy modality in the critically ill. We aimed to reveal the literature on the pharmacokinetic studies in critically ill patients receiving CRRT with special reference to quality assessment of these studies and the CRRT dose. We conducted a systematic review by searching the MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane databases to December 2009 and bibliographies of relevant review articles. We included original studies reporting from critically ill adult subjects receiving CRRT because of acute kidney injury with a special emphasis on drug pharmacokinetics. We used the minimum reporting criteria for CRRT studies by Acute Dialysis Quality Initiative (ADQI) and, second, the Downs and Black checklist to assess the quality of the studies. We calculated the CRRT dose per study. We included pharmacokinetic parameters, residual renal function, and recommendations on drug dosing. Of 182 publications, 95 were considered relevant and 49 met the inclusion criteria. The median [interquartile range (IQR)] number of reported criteria by ADQI was 7.0 (5.0–8.0) of 12. The median (IQR) Downs and Black quality score was 15 (14–16) of 32. None of the publications reported CRRT dose directly. The median (IQR) weighted CRRT dose was 23.7 (18.8–27.9) ml/kg/h. More attention should be paid both to standardizing the CRRT dose and reporting of the CRRT parameters in pharmacokinetic studies. The general quality of the studies during CRRT in the critically ill was only moderate and would be greatly improved by reports in concordant with the ADQI recommendations.
Is there a connection between paediatric acute idiopathic scrotal oedema and intestinal worm infestation?
Authors: Erez Ilan , Zifman Eyal , Nersesjanz Irena , Lazar Ludwig , Bucklan Genady , Gutermacher Michael
Published: October 2011

Aim:  Based on our experience with acute idiopathic scrotal oedema (AISO) and observations of the incidence of intestinal worm infestation (IWI), we decided to test the hypothesis that IWI occurs more frequently among children with AISO than it does in the general population.

Methods:  A retrospective questionnaire‐based study was conducted comparing the frequency of IWI between children who had AISO and a matched control group who had inguinal hernia surgery in our Pediatric Surgery Department during 2003–2009. This second group was chosen to represent the incidence of IWI in the paediatric community in our region. Records of all patients admitted to the Department of Pediatric Surgery for AISO during 2003–2009 were reviewed.

Results:  Seventeen out of thirty‐eight (44.7%) AISO patients had a history of IWI compared with 5/38 (13.1%) in the control group (P= 0.0047).

Conclusions:  Our data clearly show that AISO in children is frequently associated with a history of IWI. Although well‐documented, prospective studies are needed to establish these findings, we feel that this report provides a reasonable clue to a possible aetiology of AISO.
Primary headache: Role of investigations in a cohort of young children and adolescents
Authors: Pavone Piero , Conti Irene , Le Pira Alice , Pavone Lorenzo , Verrotti Alberto , Ruggieri Martino
Published: October 2011

Background:  We report a study conducted in children and adolescents who are affected by primary headaches. The aim was to establish the most useful investigations for diagnosing headaches.

Methods:  The current study involved 300 consecutively hospitalized children and adolescents selected according to the criteria of the second edition of the International Classification of Headache Disorders. The following examinations were performed in all patients: full ophthalmologic; brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI); electroencephalography; echocardiogram; and electrocardiogram. Dental, otorhinolaryngology, echocardiography of the supra‐aortic trunks, abdominal ultrasound, and visual‐ and auditory‐evoked potentials were carried out in patients according to the clinical signs associated with headache.

Results:  In a large number of cases routine laboratory analysis and neurophysiologic investigations were within the normal value when neurologic examination was normal. Electroencephalography, ophthalmologic studies and cerebral MRI are advisable as they can reveal precocious pathologic events, even in the absence of evident or alarming clinical signs.

Conclusion:  As widely reported in the literature, most of these investigations may be of little clinical value, but the authors reasoned that electroencephalography, ophthalmologic investigations and a cerebral MRI may be noteworthy because such studies may reveal a precocious pathologic event which can change the prognostic value of the headache. In addition, negative results on cerebral MRI may relieve the anxiety of parents and in turn may positively influence the clinical course of headache in children and adolescents.
The Influence of Conflict Issue Importance on the Co‐occurrence of Task and Relationship Conflict in Teams
Authors: Rispens Sonja
Published: October 2011

Task conflicts may be beneficial for team performance whereas relationship conflicts are associated with negative team outcomes. Because the two conflict types are typically correlated within teams, it is difficult to enhance task conflicts and simultaneously avoid relationship conflicts. This study examines how importance of the conflict issue moderates the association between task and relationship conflict. In addition, the hypothesis was tested that the interaction between task conflict and issue importance on relationship conflict is mediated by task conflict emotionality. A sample of 50 teams provided data for this study. Results confirmed the buffering effect of conflict issue importance. When teams fight about important task issues, no association between task conflict and relationship conflict was found. This effect could be partially attributed to the decrease in negative emotions present in teams during important task conflicts. The implications of this study are described and directions for future research are indicated.
Evaluation of the Living 4 Life project: a youth‐led, school‐based obesity prevention study
Authors: Utter J. , Scragg R. , Robinson E. , Warbrick J. , Faeamani G. , Foroughian S. , Dewes O. , Moodie M. , Swinburn B. A.
Published: October 2011

The Living 4 Life study was a youth‐led, school‐based intervention to reduce obesity in New Zealand. The study design was quasi‐experimental, with comparisons made by two cross‐sectional samples within schools. Student data were collected at baseline (n = 1634) and at the end of the 3‐year intervention (n = 1612). A random‐effects mixed model was used to test for changes in primary outcomes (e.g. anthropometry and obesity‐related behaviours) between intervention and comparison schools. There were no significant differences in changes in anthropometry or behaviours between intervention and comparison schools. The prevalence of obesity in intervention schools was 32% at baseline and 35% at follow‐up and in comparison schools was 29% and 30%, respectively. Within‐school improvements in obesity‐related behaviours were observed in three intervention schools and one comparison school. One intervention school observed several negative changes in student behaviours. In conclusion, there were no significant improvements to anthropometry; this may reflect the intervention's lack of intensity, insufficient duration, or that by adolescence changes in anthropometry and related behaviours are difficult to achieve. School‐based obesity prevention interventions that actively involve young people in the design of interventions may result in improvements in student behaviours, but require active support from leaders within their schools.
Experiences and challenges in implementing complex community‐based research project: the Pacific Obesity Prevention in Communities project
Authors: Schultz J. T. , Moodie M. , Mavoa H. , Utter J. , Snowdon W. , McCabe M. P. , Millar L. , Kremer P. , Swinburn B. A.
Published: October 2011

Policy makers throughout the world are struggling to find effective ways to prevent the rising trend of obesity globally, particularly among children. The Pacific Obesity Prevention in Communities project was the first large‐scale, intervention research project conducted in the Pacific aiming to prevent obesity in adolescents. The project spanned four countries: Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Tonga. This paper reports on the strengths and challenges experienced from this complex study implemented from 2004 to 2009 across eight cultural groups in different community settings. The key strengths of the project were its holistic collaborative approach, participatory processes and capacity building. The challenges inherent in such a large complex project were underestimated during the project's development. These related to the scale, complexity, duration, low research capacity in some sites and overall coordination across four different countries. Our experiences included the need for a longer lead‐in time prior to intervention for training and up‐skilling of staff in Fiji and Tonga, investment in overall coordination, data quality management across all sites and the need for realistic capacity building requirements for research staff. The enhanced research capacity and skills across all sites include the development and strengthening of research centres, knowledge translation and new obesity prevention projects.
Optimal risk rate in a functional inverse problem
Authors: Pang Johnny , Ruymgaart Frits
Published: October 2011

In this note, we will consider the problem of recovering an unknown input function when the output function is observed in its entirety, blurred with functional error. An estimator is constructed whose risk converges at an optimal rate. In this functional model, convergence rates of order 1/n (n is the sample size) are possible, provided that the error distribution is sufficiently concentrated so as to compensate for the ill‐posedness of the inverse of the model operator.
A generalized single product and single‐period inventory problem with non‐linear parameters
Authors: Luo Kai , Kerbache Laoucine , Menezes Mozart B. C. , van Delft Christian
Published: October 2011

In this paper, we extend the study of the classical single‐period newsboy inventory problem by considering costs that are non‐linear functions of the decision variable. We assume that the demand probability density function is known to the decision maker. We prove that, under some much more relaxed conditions, the total expected profit function remains concave and classical optimization methods can thus be used to obtain the global optimal solution. After that, we provide numerical examples for illustrative purpose.
Ranking units in DEA based on efficiency intervals and decision‐maker's preferences
Authors: Foroughi Ali Asghar , Aouni Belaïd
Published: October 2011

Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) uses the best favorable weight set for the inputs and outputs of each decision‐making unit (DMU) to obtain its best possible score. Hence, this score can be considered as an upper bound of the real efficiency score. If we also use the least favorable weight set of each DMU, then a lower bound of the efficiency score can also be obtained. So, instead of one score, we can find an interval that gives all possible values of the efficiency score for each DMU. The aim of this paper is to propose an approach for determining efficiency intervals and setting up a full ranking of DMUs based on these intervals. We incorporate explicitly the decision‐maker's preferences in two phases. The first phase is for obtaining efficiency intervals, by introducing some restrictions on the input and output weights. The second one is for ranking the intervals based on the combination of the lower and the upper bounds of the efficiency intervals. The developed formulations will be illustrated through some numerical examples.
People can talk about their practices
Authors: Hitchings Russell
Published: October 2011

This paper considers the value of using interviews to research routine practices. Interviewing could easily be framed as inappropriate for this task, either because such practices are too difficult for respondents to talk about as a result of having sedimented down into unthinking forms of embodied disposition or because this method is out of step with a current enthusiasm for research styles that do not focus unduly on the representational. The discussion starts with how some key proponents of social practice theory have characterised the possibility of talking with people about these matters before turning to my own experience with two interview projects that attempted to do so inside city offices and older person households. I conclude that people can often talk in quite revealing ways about actions they may usually take as a matter of course and offer suggestions about how to encourage them.
Use of Linkage Mapping and Centrality Analysis Across Habitat Gradients to Conserve Connectivity of Gray Wolf Populations in Western North America
Authors: CARROLL CARLOS , McRAE BRAD H. , BROOKES ALLEN
Published: October 2011

Abstract: Centrality metrics evaluate paths between all possible pairwise combinations of sites on a landscape to rank the contribution of each site to facilitating ecological flows across the network of sites. Computational advances now allow application of centrality metrics to landscapes represented as continuous gradients of habitat quality. This avoids the binary classification of landscapes into patch and matrix required by patch‐based graph analyses of connectivity. It also avoids the focus on delineating paths between individual pairs of core areas characteristic of most corridor‐ or linkage‐mapping methods of connectivity analysis. Conservation of regional habitat connectivity has the potential to facilitate recovery of the gray wolf (Canis lupus), a species currently recolonizing portions of its historic range in the western United States. We applied 3 contrasting linkage‐mapping methods (shortest path, current flow, and minimum‐cost‐maximum‐flow) to spatial data representing wolf habitat to analyze connectivity between wolf populations in central Idaho and Yellowstone National Park (Wyoming). We then applied 3 analogous betweenness centrality metrics to analyze connectivity of wolf habitat throughout the northwestern United States and southwestern Canada to determine where it might be possible to facilitate range expansion and interpopulation dispersal. We developed software to facilitate application of centrality metrics. Shortest‐path betweenness centrality identified a minimal network of linkages analogous to those identified by least‐cost‐path corridor mapping. Current flow and minimum‐cost‐maximum‐flow betweenness centrality identified diffuse networks that included alternative linkages, which will allow greater flexibility in planning. Minimum‐cost‐maximum‐flow betweenness centrality, by integrating both land cost and habitat capacity, allows connectivity to be considered within planning processes that seek to maximize species protection at minimum cost. Centrality analysis is relevant to conservation and landscape genetics at a range of spatial extents, but it may be most broadly applicable within single‐ and multispecies planning efforts to conserve regional habitat connectivity.
Predicting Species Distributions from Samples Collected along Roadsides
Authors: MCCARTHY KYLE P. , FLETCHER JR ROBERT J. , ROTA CHRISTOPHER T. , HUTTO RICHARD L.
Published: October 2011

Abstract:  Predictive models of species distributions are typically developed with data collected along roads. Roadside sampling may provide a biased (nonrandom) sample; however, it is currently unknown whether roadside sampling limits the accuracy of predictions generated by species distribution models. We tested whether roadside sampling affects the accuracy of predictions generated by species distribution models by using a prospective sampling strategy designed specifically to address this issue. We built models from roadside data and validated model predictions at paired locations on unpaved roads and 200 m away from roads (off road), spatially and temporally independent from the data used for model building. We predicted species distributions of 15 bird species on the basis of point‐count data from a landbird monitoring program in Montana and Idaho (U.S.A.). We used hierarchical occupancy models to account for imperfect detection. We expected predictions of species distributions derived from roadside‐sampling data would be less accurate when validated with data from off‐road sampling than when it was validated with data from roadside sampling and that model accuracy would be differentially affected by whether species were generalists, associated with edges, or associated with interior forest. Model performance measures (kappa, area under the curve of a receiver operating characteristic plot, and true skill statistic) did not differ between model predictions of roadside and off‐road distributions of species. Furthermore, performance measures did not differ among edge, generalist, and interior species, despite a difference in vegetation structure along roadsides and off road and that 2 of the 15 species were more likely to occur along roadsides. If the range of environmental gradients is surveyed in roadside‐sampling efforts, our results suggest that surveys along unpaved roads can be a valuable, unbiased source of information for species distribution models.
Acceleration of cutaneous healing by electrical stimulation: Degenerate electrical waveform down‐regulates inflammation, up‐regulates angiogenesis and advances remodeling in temporal punch biopsies in a human volunteer study
Authors: Sebastian Anil , Syed Farhatullah , Perry Donna , Balamurugan Vinayagapriya , Colthurst James , Chaudhry Iskander H. , Bayat Ardeshir
Published: October 2011

We previously demonstrated the beneficial effect of a novel electrical stimulation (ES) waveform, degenerate wave (DW) on skin fibroblasts, and now hypothesize that DW can enhance cutaneous wound healing in vivo. Therefore, a punch biopsy was taken from the upper arm of 20 volunteers on day 0 and repeated on day 14 (NSD14). A contralateral upper arm biopsy was taken on day 0 and treated with DW for 14 days prior to a repeat biopsy on day 14 (ESD14). A near‐completed inflammatory stage of wound healing in ESD14, compared to NSD14 was demonstrated by up‐regulation of interleukin‐10 and vasoactive intestinal peptide using quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction and down‐regulation of CD3 by immunohistochemistry (IHC) (p < 0.05). In addition to up‐regulation (p < 0.05) of mRNA transcripts for re‐epithelialization and angiogenesis, IHC showed significant overexpression (p < 0.05) of CD31 (15.5%), vascular endothelial growth factor (66%), and Melan A (8.6 cells/0.95 mm2) in ESD14 compared to NSD14 (9.5%, 38% and 4.3 cells/0.95 mm2, respectively). Furthermore, granulation tissue formation (by hematoxylin and eosin staining), and myofibroblastic proliferation demonstrated by alpha‐smooth muscle actin (62.7%) plus CD3+ T lymphocytes (8.1%) showed significant up‐regulation (p < 0.05) in NSD14. In the remodeling stage, mRNA transcripts for fibronectin, collagen IV (by IHC, 14.1%) and mature collagen synthesis (by Herovici staining, 71.44%) were significantly up‐regulated (p < 0.05) in ESD14. Apoptotic (TUNEL assay) and proliferative cells (Ki67) were significantly up‐regulated (p < 0.05) in NSD14 (5.34 and 11.9 cells/0.95 mm2) while the proliferation index of ESD14 was similar to normal skin. In summary, cutaneous wounds receiving DW electrical stimulation display accelerated healing seen by reduced inflammation, enhanced angiogenesis and advanced remodeling phase.
Multiplexed molecular descriptors of pressure ulcers defined by imaging mass spectrometry
Authors: Taverna Domenico , Nanney Lillian B. , Pollins Alonda C. , Sindona Giovanni , Caprioli Richard
Published: October 2011

The pathogenesis of impaired healing within pressure ulcers remains poorly characterized and rarely examined. We describe the results of a pilot study that applies matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization imaging mass spectrometry technology for direct tissue analysis to evaluate proteomic signatures ranging from 2 to 20 kDa and phospholipids from 300–1,200 Da in focal regions within the wound microenvironment. Distinguishing molecular differences were apparent between upper vs. lower regions of ulcers and further contrasted against adjacent dermis and epidermal margins using protein profiles, ion density maps, principal component analysis and significant analysis of microarrays. Several proteins previously uncharacterized in pressure ulcers, the α‐defensins (human neutrophil peptide [HNP]‐1, ‐2, ‐3), are potential markers indicating whether the wound status is improving or being prolonged in a deleterious, chronic state. Thymosin β4 appears to be a favorable protein marker showing higher relative levels in adjacent dermis and maturing areas of the wound bed. Lipidomic examination revealed the presence of major lipid classes: glycerophosphocholines, glycerophosphoglycerols, glycerophosphoinositols, and triacylglycerols. Our pilot data examined from either a global perspective using proteomic or lipidomic signatures or as individual distributions reveal that imaging mass spectrometry technology can be effectively used for discovery and spatial mapping of molecular disturbances within the microenvironment of chronic wounds.
The effects of preterm birth on mother–infant interaction and attachment during the infant's first two years
Authors: KORJA RIIKKA , LATVA REIJA , LEHTONEN LIISA
Published: October 2011

Abstract  Objective. Early mother–infant relationships in preterm populations were evaluated in the context of a systematic review of the literature. Design and setting. A systematic search of three electronic databases (PsychINFO, PubMed and Cochrane Library) was undertaken. Three studies of maternal attachment, 18 studies of mother–preterm infant interaction and eight studies of infant attachment were included. Studies of preterm infant attachment were also evaluated using a meta‐analysis. Results. Studies of mother–preterm infant interactions showed that the differences in maternal interaction behavior between mothers of preterm infants and mothers of full‐term infants seem to be most evident during the first six months of life. Differences in the preterm infant's interaction behavior seem also to continue for six months after birth. However, five of 18 studies showed an equal or even higher quality of mother–infant interaction in groups of preterm compared to groups of full‐term infants. Studies of maternal and infant attachment indicated that preterm infants and their mothers are not at higher risk of insecure attachment than full‐term infants and their mothers. Conclusions. The mother–preterm infant relationship is complex, and some relational patterns forecast greater psychological risk than others. It is important to decrease maternal stress and early separation in every possible way during hospitalization as well as after discharge.