bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Direct incision versus submucosal tunneling as a method of creating transgastric accesses for natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (NOTES) peritoneoscopy: Randomized controlled trial
Authors: Teoh Anthony Yuen Bun , Chiu Philip Wai Yan , Chan Shannon Melissa , Wong Tiffany Cho Lam , Lau James Yun Wong , Ng Enders Kwok Wai
Published: October 2012

Aim

The optimal approach for creating accesses for transgastric peritoneoscopy is still uncertain. The present study aims to assess the feasibility of carrying out transgastric submucosal tunnel (SMT) peritoneoscopy and to determine whether this approach improves or restricts access to various sectors within the peritoneal cavity.

Methods

This was a randomized comparative study carried out in an in‐vivo survival porcine model. Sixty‐six beads in six swine were visualized and touched via gastrotomies created by either direct incision (DI) or SMT. The influence of the type of gastrotomy on improving or restricting access to particular sites within the peritoneal cavity for natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (NOTES) peritoneoscopy was compared. The main outcome measurements were localization score of beads, overall procedural time, morbidities and mortalities.

Results

A significantly higher mean (SD) localization score was observed in peritoneoscopies carried out in the DI group (P < 0.001). Both the visualization and the touching scores were significantly better with the DI technique, and the overall yield of NOTES peritoneoscopy with DI and SMT were 72.73% and 60.6%, respectively (P = 0.043). Significantly more beads that were not touched in the SMT group were located in the sub‐phrenic area (P = 0.013). The overall procedural time was significantly shorter in the DI group (P = 0.004). No major morbidities or mortalities occurred in any procedures.

Conclusions

SMT resulted in lower visualization and touching scores for transgastric NOTES peritoneoscopy. Alternate methods to improve the diagnostic yield to the sub‐phrenic area are required.
Collagenous gastritis
Authors: Jin Xiaoyi , Koike Tomoyuki , Chiba Takashi , Kondo Yutaka , Ara Nobuyuki , Uno Kaname , Asano Naoki , Iijima Katsunori , Imatani Akira , Watanabe Mika , Shirane Akio , Shimosegawa Tooru
Published: October 2012

In the present paper, we report a case of rare collagenous gastritis. The patient was a 25‐year‐old man who had experienced nausea, abdominal distention and epigastralgia since 2005. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) carried out at initial examination by the patient's local doctor revealed an extensively discolored depression from the upper gastric body to the lower gastric body, mainly including the greater curvature, accompanied by residual mucosa with multiple islands and nodularity with a cobblestone appearance. Initial biopsies sampled from the nodules and accompanying atrophic mucosa were diagnosed as chronic gastritis. In August, 2011, the patient was referred to Tohoku University Hospital for observation and treatment. EGD at our hospital showed the same findings as those by the patient's local doctor. Pathological findings included a membranous collagen band in the superficial layer area of the gastric mucosa, which led to a diagnosis of collagenous gastritis. Collagenous gastritis is an extremely rare disease, but it is important to recognize its characteristic endoscopic findings to make a diagnosis.
Handedness, Health and Cognitive Development: Evidence from Children in the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth
Authors: Johnston David W. , Nicholls Michael E. R. , Shah Manisha , Shields Michael A.
Published: October 2012

Using data from the child supplement of the US National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, and fitting three-level random-effects models of child health and cognitive development, we test whether left-handed children have different outcomes from those of their right-handed counterparts. The health measures cover both physical health and mental health, and the cognitive development test scores span vocabulary, mathematics, reading and comprehension. Overall we find little evidence to suggest that left-handed children have a significantly higher probability of experiencing injury, illness or behavioural problems. In contrast, we find that left-handed children have significantly lower cognitive development test scores than right-handed children for all areas of development with the exception of reading. Moreover, we find no strong evidence that the left-handedness effect differs by gender or age.
Does High Involvement Management Lead to Higher Pay?
Authors: Böckerman Petri , Bryson Alex , Ilmakunnas Pekka
Published: October 2012

Using nationally representative survey data for Finnish employees linked to register data on their wages and work histories we find that wage effects of high involvement management (HIM) practices are generally positive and significant. However, employees with better wage and work histories are more likely to enter HIM jobs. The wage premium falls substantially having accounted for employees’ work histories, which suggests that existing studies’ estimates are upwardly biased owing to positive selection into HIM. Results using standard regression techniques are robust to propensity score matching and instrumental variables estimation. The premium also rises with the number of HIM practices and differs markedly across different types of HIM practice.
Land rights in Darfur: Institutional flexibility, policy and adaptation to environmental change
Authors: Unruh Jon , Abdul‐Jalil Musa Adam
Published: October 2012

With environmental change set to affect the developing world in significant ways, examination of the process of adaptation is increasingly being brought to the fore. Common to all forms of adaptation in rural livelihoods will be a process of change in resource use and the resource rights that will either facilitate or subvert adaptation. This paper looks at Darfur and the repercussions from the multi‐year drought and land degradation that led to forms of adaptation that involved change in relationships between groups over land resources. The analysis looks at how changes in land resource rights relationships have been dealt with historically, as adaptation developed. Approaches involving highly flexible customary institutions were used to effectively manage the change in land resource rights relationships inherent in adaptation, and considerable opportunity existed for positive interaction between customary and statutory law. Initial success at adaptation was followed by interventions by the Sudanese government to manage these relationships for specific objectives that worked against adaptation. This resulted in competition, animosity, confrontation and the subsequent collapse of the institutions, legitimacy, and trust necessary for successful management of land resource rights change. These national policies debilitated the adaptation opportunities and instead led to profoundly negative repercussions in relationships about land in Darfur, eventually becoming a primary driver in the current war. This highlights both the importance of land resource rights relationships to adaptation and how these relationships can be changed (positively and negatively) by specific practices and policies.
Rhythmic neuronal activity in S2 somatosensory and insular cortices contribute to the initiation of absence‐related spike‐and‐wave discharges
Authors: Zheng Thomas W. , O’Brien Terence J. , Morris Margaret J. , Reid Christopher A. , Jovanovska Valentina , O’Brien Patrick , van Raay Leena , Gandrathi Arun K. , Pinault Didier
Published: October 2012

Purpose:  The origin of bilateral synchronous spike‐and‐wave discharges (SWDs) that underlie absence seizures has been widely debated. Studies in genetic rodent models suggest that SWDs originate from a restricted region in the somatosensory cortex. The properties of this initiation site remain unknown. Our goal was to characterize the interictal, preictal and ictal neuronal activity in the primary and secondary cortical regions (S1, S2) and in the adjacent insular cortex (IC) in Genetic Absence Epilepsy Rats from Strasbourg (GAERS).

Methods:  We performed electroencephalography (EEG) recordings in combination with multisite local field potential (LFP) and single cell juxtacellular recordings, and cortical electrical stimulations, in freely moving rats and those under neurolept‐anesthesia.

Key Findings:  The onset of the SWDs was preceded by 5–9 Hz field potential oscillations, which were detected earlier in S2 and IC than in S1. Sustained SWDs could be triggered by a 2‐s train of 7‐Hz electrical stimuli at a lower current intensity in S2 than in S1. In S2 and IC, subsets of neurons displayed rhythmic firing (5–9 Hz) in between seizures. S2 and IC layers V and VI neurons fired during the same time window, whereas in S1 layer VI, neurons fired before layer V neurons. Just before the spike component of each SW complex, short‐lasting high‐frequency oscillations consistently occurred in IC ∼20 msec before S1.

Significance:  Our findings demonstrate that the S2/IC cortical areas are a critical component of the macro‐network that is responsible for the generation of absence‐related SWDs.
Cooperative Advertising with Bilateral Participation
Authors: Zhang Jihua , Xie Jinxing , Chen Bintong
Published: October 2012

We study cooperative (co‐op) advertising strategies in a two‐tier distribution channel and extend the popular unilateral participation strategy to bilateral participations. Our research shows that a properly designed bilateral participation has several advantages over unilateral participation. Bilateral participation is capable of coordinating the distribution channel under a very general demand function. In addition, when channel members determine participation parameters endogenously, the bilateral participation improves the channel efficiency and leads to a Pareto improvement over the corresponding unilateral participation.
The Comparison of the Relationship Between Sociocultural-Economic Features and Sexual Dysfunction Frequency in Sexually Active Premenopausal Female Patients on Renal Replacement Therapy
Authors: Koca Tuba Güllü , Koca Nizameddin , Ersoy Alparslan
Published: October 2012

Introduction

Many studies determine different risk factors for sexual dysfunction (SD) in women, but little is known about the influence of socioeconomic and cultural factors, medical and psychological features on female SD frequency in patients under renal replacement therapy (RRT).

Aim

This study aimed to compare the relationship between medical, psychological, sociocultural-economic factors, and SD frequency in patients on RRT with the diagnosis of end-stage renal disease.

Method

The 115 RRT patients (hemodialysis [HD] 39, peritoneal dialysis [PD] 43, kidney transplant [KT] 33) and 103 healthy premenopausal female volunteers (control) without any known health problems were included in the study.

Main Outcome Measures

The questionnaire forms containing sociodemographic data, the hospital anxiety depression scale, and Arizona Sexual Experiences Scale were completely filled by subjects who were included in the study.

Results

There was no significant difference about mean age, dialysis duration, and body mass index between the groups. While there were significant differences among participants training period and employment conditions, socioeconomic status scores were similar. Significant differences were found in marriage type, marital duration, husband’s age, training period and working time per week, spending time with each other, weekly sexual intercourse frequency, the number of children, mothers’ and fathers’ education. RRT groups were more depressed than control, but no significant differences were observed among the RRT groups. PD and HD groups were more anxious than the KT and control groups. It was identified that SD rates were higher in KT and dialysis patients compared with the control. SD rates were significantly high in the HD group. Multivariate analysis showed that marital duration and being an HD patient are independent SD risk factors for RRT population.

Conclusion

Successful KT may improve SD. Differences in sociocultural, economic, medical, and psychological factors among individuals with SD should be taken into consideration in their treatment management.
Circulating Soluble Lectin-Like Oxidized Low-Density Lipoprotein Receptor-1 Levels are Associated with Erectile Dysfunction in Patients Without Known Coronary Artery Disease
Authors: Kobat Mehmet Ali , Fırdolas Fatih , Balin Mehmet , Çelik Ahmet , Bentli Recep , Baydas Adil
Published: October 2012

Aim

Endothelial dysfunction and microvascular damage are involved in the pathogenesis of erectile dysfunction (ED). Soluble lectin-like oxidized low-density lipoprotein receptor-1 (sLOX-1) is identified endothelial receptor for oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) that plays a pivotal role in ox-LDL-induced endothelial dysfunction. The purpose of the current study was to determine the association between sLOX-1 and ED in patients without known coronary artery disease (CAD).

Main Outcome Measures

Diagnosis of ED was based on the International Index of Erectile Function Score-5. Levels of sLOX-1 were measured in serum by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

Methods

One hundred thirty-eight subjects with ED patients without known CAD (ED group) and 75 age-matched subjects without ED and known CAD (Non-ED Group) were included in this study.

Results

Plasma levels of sLOX-1 were significantly higher in ED than in Non-ED group (95 ± 87 and 49 ± 30 pg/mL, respectively, P < 0.001). The levels of sLOX-1 highly negative correlated with score of ED (r = −0.618, P < 0.001). The sLOX-1 levels >75 pg/mL predicts ED with 26.8% sensitivity and 96.0% specificity on receiver operator characteristic analysis.

Conclusions

Our study demonstrated that serum sLOX-1 levels were associated with endothelial dysfunction that predicts ED. Moreover, the current study revealed that there was strong negative correlation between the levels of circulating sLOX-1 and score of ED. This study suggested sLOX-1 may be involved in the pathogenesis of ED in patients without known CAD.
Efficacy of Psychosocial Interventions in Men and Women with Sexual Dysfunctions—A Systematic Review of Controlled Clinical Trials
Authors: Günzler Cindy , Berner Michael M.
Published: October 2012

Introduction

As yet, a summary of the research evidence concerning the efficacy of psychological treatment in female sexual dysfunction is lacking. Previous reviews were often nonsystematic or explored one specific sexual dysfunction.

Aim

Our systematic review provides an overview of the efficacy of psychosocial interventions in all female sexual dysfunction.

Main Outcome Measures

Main outcome measures included for example psychometrically validated scales, diary notes, interviews, and vulvar algesiometer. The efficacy of psychosocial interventions was measured for example by the frequency of and satisfaction with sexual activity and sexual functioning. Safety and acceptance were evaluated on the basis of adverse events and dropout rates.

Methods

The systematic literature search included electronic database search, handsearch, contact with experts, and an ancestry approach. Studies were included if the woman was given a formal diagnosis of a sexual dysfunction (International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems—ICD10/-9; Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-IV/-III-R) and when the intervention was psychosocial or psychotherapeutic. The control group included either another treatment or a waiting-list control group. The report of relevant outcomes was necessary for inclusion as well as the design of the study (randomized, controlled trials [RCTs] and controlled clinical trials). The assessment of methodological quality comprised aspects of randomization, blinding, incomplete outcome data, selective reporting, and allegiance.

Results

We identified 15 RCTs that investigated efficacy in female sexual dysfunction and two further studies that examined male and female sexual dysfunction together. Most trials explored sexual pain disorders. About half of all studies in women used either a concept derived from Masters and Johnson or a cognitive-behavioral treatment program. Both approaches showed significant improvements compared with a control group. Benefit was not always maintained over the (variable) follow-up period.

Conclusion

Traditional sexual therapeutic concepts proved to be efficacious in the treatment of female sexual dysfunction. A shortcoming was the rather low methodological quality of included studies.
Efficacy of Psychosocial Interventions in Men and Women with Sexual Dysfunctions—A Systematic Review of Controlled Clinical Trials
Authors: Berner Michael , Günzler Cindy
Published: October 2012

Introduction

As yet, a summary of research evidence concerning the efficacy of psychological treatment in male sexual dysfunction is lacking.

Aim

Our systematic review gives an overview of the efficacy of psychosocial interventions in all male sexual dysfunctions.

Main Outcome Measures

Main outcome measures included, for example, psychometrically validated scales, interviews, and clinical assessment by an independent rater. The efficacy of psychosocial interventions was measured, for example, by the frequency of and satisfaction with sexual activity and sexual functioning.

Methods

The systematic literature search included electronic database search, handsearch, contact with experts, and an ancestry approach. Studies were included if the man was given a formal diagnosis of a sexual dysfunction (International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems [ICD10/-9]; Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders [DSM-IV/-III-R]) and when the intervention was psychosocial or psychotherapeutic. The control group included either another treatment or a waiting-list control group. The report of relevant outcomes was necessary for inclusion as well as the design of the study (randomized controlled trials [RCTs] and controlled clinical trials [CCTs]). The assessment of methodological quality comprised aspects of randomization, blinding, incomplete outcome data, selective reporting, and allegiance.

Results

We identified 19 RCTs and one CCT that investigated the efficacy in male sexual dysfunction and two further studies that examined male and female sexual dysfunction together. Twelve out of 20 trials in men used either a concept derived from Masters and Johnson or a cognitive-behavioral treatment program. Overall, psychosocial interventions improved sexual functioning. While one study found that psychotherapy is superior to sildenafil, another study found the opposite. In men with premature ejaculation, behavioral techniques proved to be effective. A shortcoming was the rather low methodological quality of included studies.

Conclusion

Most of the compared interventions proved to be similarly effective. Possibly, there are underlying constructs throughout all therapies that have an effect on the outcome.
Sexual Dysfunction among Male Veterans Returning from Iraq and Afghanistan: Prevalence and Correlates
Authors: Hosain G.M. Monawar , Latini David M. , Kauth Michael , Goltz Heather Honoré , Helmer Drew A.
Published: October 2012

Introduction

Sexual dysfunction (SD) is not well described in the Iraq/Afghanistan veteran population despite high prevalence of multiple risk factors for this issue.

Aim

To estimate the prevalence and examine the association of various sociodemographic, mental health, comorbid conditions and life style factors with sexual dysfunction in Iraq/Afghanistan veterans.

Methods

This exploratory cross-sectional study was conducted using data from the VA administrative database. A total of 4,755 Iraq/Afghanistan veterans were identified who sought treatment from the Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center inpatient and outpatient clinic between September 2007 and August 2009.

Main Outcome Measures

Sexual dysfunction was determined by ICD9-CM codes related to sexual health issues and/or by specific medications, primarily phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors (PDE5i), prescribed for erectile dysfunction.

Results

The overall prevalence of sexual dysfunction was 5.5% (N = 265). By age category, it was 3.6% (N = 145) for Iraq/Afghanistan veterans aged 18–40 years and 15.7% (N = 120) for Iraq/Afghanistan veterans aged > 40 years, respectively. A multivariate logistic-regression model revealed that annual income, marital status, post-traumatic stress disorder, and hypertension were significant risk factors of SD (all P < 0.05) among younger Iraq/Afghanistan veterans, whereas among the older Iraq/Afghanistan veterans, being African American and having PTSD and hypertension were significant risk factors of SD (all P < 0.05). There was marked discrepancy between documented erectile dysfunction and prescription of a PDE5i.

Conclusions

These data demonstrate that a significant proportion of Iraq/Afghanistan veterans have SD and that the risk factors differ between younger and older veterans. Our findings also suggest that SD is likely under-coded. To better identify the scope of the problem, systematic screening for sexual dysfunction may be appropriate perhaps as part of an initial post-deployment health evaluation.
Comparison of fatty acid contents and composition in major lipid classes of larvae and adults of mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) from a steppe region
Authors: Sushchik Nadezhda N. , Yurchenko Yuri A. , Gladyshev Michail I. , Belevich Olga E. , Kalachova Galina S. , Kolmakova Angelika A.
Published: October 2012

Emerging aquatic insects, including mosquitoes, are known to transfer to terrestrial ecosystems specific essential biochemicals, such as polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). We studied fatty acid (FA) composition and contents of dominant mosquito populations (Diptera: Culicidae), that is, Anopheles messeae, Ochlerotatus caspius, Oc. flavescens, Oc. euedes, Oc. subdiversus, Oc. cataphylla, and Aedes cinereus, inhabited a steppe wetland of a temperate climate zone to fill up the gap in their lipid knowledge. The polar lipid and triacylglycerol fractions of larvae and adults were compared. In most studied mosquito species, we first found and identified a number of short‐chain PUFA, for example, prominent 14:2n‐6 and 14:3n‐3, which were not earlier documented in living organisms. These PUFA, although occurred in low levels in adult mosquitoes, can be potentially used as markers of mosquito biomass in terrestrial food webs. We hypothesize that these acids might be synthesized (or retroconverted) by the mosquitoes. Using FA trophic markers accumulated in triacylglycerols, trophic relations of the mosquitoes were accessed. The larval diet comprised green algae, cryptophytes, and dinoflagellates and provided the mosquitoes with essential n‐3 PUFA, linolenic, and eicosapentaenoic acids. As a result, both larvae and adults of the studied mosquitoes had comparatively high content of the essential PUFA. Comparison of FA proportions in polar lipids versus storage lipids shown that during mosquito metamorphosis transfer of essential eicosapentaenoic and arachidonic acids from the reserve in storage lipids of larvae to functional polar lipids in adults occurred.
Edentulism in High Poverty Rural Counties
Authors: Mitchell Jordan , Bennett Kevin , Brock‐Martin Amy
Published: October 2012

Purpose: To examine the differences in oral health status among residents of high‐poverty counties, as compared to residents of other rural or urban counties, specifically on the prevalence of edentulism.

Methods: We used the 2005 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) and the 2006 Area Resource File (ARF). All analyses were conducted with SAS and SAS‐callable SUDAAN, in order to account for weighting and the complex sample design.

Findings: Characteristics significantly related to edentulism include: geographic location, gender, race, age, health status, employment, insurance, not having a usual source of care, education, marital status, presence of chronic disease, having an English interview, not deferring care due to cost, income, and dentist saturation within the county.

Conclusions: Significant associations between high‐poverty rural and other rural counties and edentulism were found, and other socioeconomic and health status indicators remain strong predictors of edentulism.
Off‐Road Vehicle Ridership and Associated Helmet Use in Canadian Youth: An Equity Analysis
Authors: Davison Colleen M. , Thompson Wendy , Torunian Michael , Walsh Patricia , McFaull Steven , Pickett William
Published: October 2012

Purpose: In North America, the use of off‐road vehicles by young people is increasing, as are related injuries and fatalities. We examined the prevalence of off‐road ridership and off‐road helmet use in different subgroups of Canadian youth in order to better understand possible inequities associated with these health risk behaviors.

Methods: Data came from Cycle 6 (2009‐2010) of the WHO Health Behavior in School‐Aged Children Study (HBSC). Participants (n = 26,078) were young people from grades 6‐10 in 436 Canadian schools. Students were asked, for a 12‐mo recall period, how frequently they rode off‐road vehicles and how often they wore a helmet while riding. Engagement in off‐road ridership and helmet use were estimated by age group, gender, urban‐rural geographic location, socioeconomic status, and how long participants had lived in Canada.

Findings: About half of the sample reported riding off‐road vehicles (12,750; 52%). Among riders, 5,691 (45%) always wore helmets. Riders were more often older students, male and born in Canada. Students in rural areas and small towns were much more likely to ride off‐road vehicles than their urban peers (RR, 95% CI: 1.28 [1.23–1.33]). Helmet use was less common among females, new immigrants, older students, and those in lower socioeconomic groups. There was little reported difference in helmet use by urban‐rural location.

Conclusions: Risks associated with the use of off‐road vehicles and with nonhelmet use are not equitably distributed across Canadian youth. Factors characterizing off‐road ridership (notably urban‐rural location) are distinct from factors for helmet use. Preventive interventions should target population subgroups.
Impact of age and sex on carotid and peripheral arterial wall thickness in humans
Authors: van den Munckhof I. , Scholten R. , Cable N. T. , Hopman M. T. E. , Green D. J. , Thijssen D. H. J.
Published: October 2012

Background

Although previous studies have reported age‐related wall thickening in carotid arteries, it is not clear whether this is a systemic phenomenon which is also apparent in peripheral conduit arteries or whether conduit wall thickness (WT) changes occur to a similar degree in men and women.

Aim

To determine whether sex modifies the impact of ageing on WT or wall‐to‐lumen ratio (W:L) in atherosclerosis‐prone (i.e. carotid artery, femoral, superficial femoral, popliteal artery) and atherosclerosis‐resistant (i.e. brachial artery) conduit arteries.

Methods

We included 30 young (23 ± 2 year; 15M : 15F) and 31 older (70 ± 5 year; 18M : 13F) healthy subjects. High‐resolution ultrasound was used to measure diameter, WT and wall‐to‐lumen ratio (W/L) in all arteries.

Results

Older subjects had increased WT and W/L in the carotid, femoral, superficial femoral, popliteal and brachial arteries (all P < 0.05). Compared with women, men demonstrated larger diameter and WT (both P < 0.01) across all arteries. Sex did not impact upon age‐related changes in WT or W/L (P = 0.39 and 0.43 respectively).

Conclusion

Our data suggest that age‐related wall thickening, evident in the carotid artery, is also apparent in the arteries of the upper and lower limbs. The impact of age on wall thickening did not differ between men and women. These data support the presence of systemic increases in WT and W/L with age in apparently healthy humans, independent of sex.
The Eye and the ‘I’: The Construction and Use of the Observer in Cognitive–Analytic Psychotherapy and Mindfulness‐Based Therapy
Authors: Marx Robert , Marx Sarah
Published: October 2012

This paper explores issues in the integration of cognitive–analytic therapy and mindfulness‐based therapy. Differences in the conceptualization of the observer part of the self in both approaches – as centralized and independent as opposed to decentralized and fluid – are associated with different therapeutic emphases – on task and structure versus process. The tensions between these clinical and theoretical stances are explored, both in an individual and organizational (NHS) context.
Engaging Meaningfully with Outcome Measurement
Authors: Casey Aideen
Published: October 2012

Much as it is the prevailing paradigm within the NHS and the ideology underpinning the outcome measurement agenda, psychotherapy continues to question whether the evidence‐based model represents a suitable methodology for complex psychological processes. Outcome measurement is antithesis to the psychotherapeutic project – or at least many within the discipline continue to argue this position. However, if providers of psychotherapy services are to survive in the ‘real’ world of evidence‐based medicine, then the onus is upon them to side‐step the ‘paradigm wars’ and find new ways of engaging with the mandate to measure. This paper proposes that psychotherapists can engage meaningfully with outcome measurement by asking two important questions of the time they spend with their patients: ‘Is this treatment working for this individual presentation?’ and, if not: ‘What immediate action can be taken in order to remedy the situation?’ The paper goes on to illustrate how the patient‐reported outcome measure (PROM), when incorporated into routine clinical practice can act as the mediator of this important self‐evaluative process.
Addition of sitagliptin to ongoing metformin monotherapy improves glycemic control in Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes over 52 weeks
Authors: Kadowaki Takashi , Tajima Naoko , Odawara Masato , Nishii Mikio , Taniguchi Tadaaki , Ferreira Juan Camilo Arjona
Published: October 2012

Aims/Introduction

The efficacy and safety of sitagliptin, a highly selective dipeptidyl peptidase‐4 inhibitor, when added to metformin monotherapy was examined in Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes.

Materials and Methods

In this 52‐week, add‐on to metformin study, 149 patients were randomly assigned to receive sitagliptin 50 mg or placebo once daily in a double‐blind fashion for 12 weeks. Thereafter, all patients who completed the double‐blind period of the study received open‐label sitagliptin 50 mg once daily for 40 weeks, with the investigator option of increasing sitagliptin to 100 mg once daily for patients who met predefined glycemic thresholds.

Results

After 12 weeks of treatment, the mean change from baseline in glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) significantly decreased with sitagliptin relative to placebo (between‐group difference [95% confidence interval] = −0.7% [−0.9 to −0.5] P < 0.001). At week 12, the mean changes in 2‐h post‐meal glucose (−2.6 mmol/L [−3.5 to −1.7]) and fasting plasma glucose (−1.0 mmol/L [−1.3 to −0.6]) also decreased significantly with sitagliptin relative to placebo (P < 0.001 for both). Significant improvements from baseline in glycemic control were also observed in the open‐label period through to week 52. There were no differences between treatment groups in the incidence of adverse events (AEs), including hypoglycemia and predefined gastrointestinal AEs (nausea, vomiting and diarrhea) during the double‐blind period, with similar findings in the open‐label period.

Conclusions

Over a period of 52 weeks, the addition of sitagliptin once‐daily to ongoing metformin therapy was efficacious and generally well tolerated in Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes. This trial was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (no. NCT00363948).
Self‐perception of glycemic control among Japanese type 2 diabetic patients: accuracy  of patient perception and characteristics  of patients with misperception
Authors: Suzuki‐Saito Tomoko , Yokokawa Hirohide , Shimada Koichi , Yasumura Seiji
Published: October 2012

Aims

Some diabetic patients, despite reporting a good perception of their glycemic control, actually show poor control and this misperception might well hinder successful diabetes management. This study aimed to assess patients' self‐perception of glycemic control and to clarify factors associated with misperception of glycemic control status.

Methods

Baseline data from a hospital‐based prospective cohort of 519 type 2 diabetic patients were analyzed. Self‐perception of glycemic control and other items, including sociodemographic factors and blood test data, were determined from a self‐administered questionnaire and medical records. Factors associated with misperception were examined by age group (elderly [aged ≥ 65 years] vs non‐elderly [aged < 65 years]) using multiple logistic regression analysis.

Results

Among poorly controlled patients, misperception was higher in the elderly (glycated hemoglobin [HbA1c] 7.4–8.3, 55.1%; HbA1c >8.4, 44.8%) than in the non‐elderly (HbA1c 7.4–8.3, 20.0%; HbA1c >8.4, 18.9%). The factors significantly associated with misperception were as follows: high lifestyle regimen adherence in both age groups (non‐elderly group odds ratio [OR] 5.23; elderly group OR 5.15, respectively); high family support (OR = 7.32), failure to achieve blood pressure control (OR = 6.94) and having diabetic complications (OR = 0.06) among the non‐elderly; and long duration of diabetes (OR = 4.06) among the elderly.

Conclusions

For better management of diabetes, physicians should pay attention to the patient characteristics associated with misperception among uncontrolled diabetic patients, particularly among those who are elderly.
Oviposition preference and larval development of the invasive moth Cydalima perspectalis on five European box‐tree varieties
Authors: Leuthardt F. L. G. , Baur B.
Published: October 2012

The box‐tree pyralid Cydalima perspectalis (Walker 1859) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), native to Eastern Asia, is a newly introduced species causing severe damage to box‐trees (Buxus sp.) in private and public gardens as well as in semi‐natural box‐tree forests in Central Europe. It is so far not known whether different box‐tree subspecies (or varieties) are similarly affected by this invasive moth. In a choice experiment offering branches of five different box‐tree varieties as oviposition sites, we found a preference of female moths for laying their egg clusters on the variety ‘Rotundifolia’, while other varieties were less frequently considered. The preference for ‘Rotundifolia’, the variety with the largest leaves in the tests, remained when intervariety differences in foliar area (mean leaf size × number of leaves) were taken into account. Feeding larvae on leaves of either of the five box‐tree varieties revealed a significant effect of the seasonal generation of C. perspectalis on the growth rate of individuals but no influence of the box‐tree variety. Larvae from the spring generation show the highest growth rate, those from the summer generation a moderate and those from the autumn generation the lowest growth rate. The moths used in the experiments may belong to the 10th to 12th generation present in Europe. The time elapsed since their introduction may be too short for an optimal adaptation to the partly novel diet encountered by the invasive moth.
Inhibitory control and adaptive behaviour in children with mild intellectual disability
Authors: Gligorović M. , Buha Ðurović N.
Published: October 2012

Background

Inhibitory control, as one of the basic mechanisms of executive functions, is extremely important for adaptive behaviour. The relation between inhibitory control and adaptive behaviour is the most obvious in cases of behavioural disorders and psychopathology. Considering the lack of studies on this relation in children with disabilities, the aim of our research is to determine the relation between inhibitory control and adaptive behaviour in children with mild intellectual disability.

Method

The sample consists of 53 children with mild intellectual disability. Selection criteria were: IQ between 50 and 70, age between 10 and 14, absence of bilingualism, and with no medical history of neurological impairment, genetic and/or emotional problems. Modified Day–Night version of the Stroop task, and Go‐no‐Go Tapping task were used for the assessment of inhibitory control. Data on adaptive behaviour were obtained by applying the first part of AAMR (American Association on Mental Retardation) Adaptive Behaviour Scale‐School, Second Edition (ABS‐S:2).

Results

Significant relationships were determined between some aspects of inhibitory control and the most of assessed domains of adaptive behaviour. Inhibitory control measures, as a unitary inhibition model, significantly predict results on Independent Functioning, Economic Activity, Speech and Language Development, and Number and Times domains of the ABS‐S:2.

Inhibitory control, assessed by second part of the Stroop task, proved to be a significant factor in practical (Independent Functioning) and conceptual (Economic Activity, Speech and Language Development, and Numbers and Time) adaptive skills. The first part of the Stroop task, as a measure of selective attention, proved to be a significant factor in language and numerical demands, along with second one. Inhibitory control through motor responses proved to be a significant factor in independent functioning, economic activities, language and self‐direction skills.

Conclusion

We can conclude that inhibitory control represents a significant developmental factor of different adaptive behaviour domains in children with mild intellectual disability.
Neuroendocrine cells are present in the domestic fowl ovary
Authors: Hofmann Pablo G. , Báez Saldaña Armida , Fortoul Van Der Goes Teresa , González del Pliego Margarita , Gutiérrez Ospina Gabriel
Published: October 2012

Neuroendocrine cells are present in virtually all organs of the vertebrate body; however, it is yet uncertain whether they exist in the ovaries. Previous reports of ovarian neurons and neuron‐like cells in mammals and birds might have resulted from misidentification. The aim of the present work was to determine the identity of neuron‐like cells in immature ovaries of the domestic fowl. Cells immunoreactive to neurofilaments, synaptophysin, and chromogranin‐A, with small, dense‐core secretory granules, were consistently observed throughout the sub‐cortical ovarian medulla and cortical interfollicular stroma. These cells also displayed immunoreactivity for tyrosine, tryptophan and dopamine β‐hydroxylases, as well as to aromatic L‐DOPA decarboxylase, implying their ability to synthesize both catecholamines and indolamines. Our results support the argument that the ovarian cells previously reported as neuron‐like in birds, are neuroendocrine cells.
The cast imaging of the osteon lacunar‐canalicular system and the implications with functional models of intracanalicular flow
Authors: Pazzaglia Ugo E. , Congiu Terenzio
Published: October 2012

A casting technique with methyl‐methacrylate (MMA) was applied to the study of the osteon lacunar‐canalicular network of human and rabbit cortical bone. The MMA monomer infiltration inside the vascular canals and from these into the lacunar‐canalicular system was driven by capillarity, helped by evaporation and the resulting negative pressure in a system of small pipes. There was uniform, centrifugal penetration of the resin inside some osteons, but this was limited to a depth of four to five layers of lacunae. Moreover, not all of the osteon population was infiltrated. This failure can be the result of one of two factors: the incomplete removal of organic debris from the canal and canalicular systems, and lack of drainage at the osteon external border. These data suggest that each secondary osteon is a closed system with a peripheral barrier (represented by the reversal line). As the resin advances into the osteon, the air contained inside the canalicula is compressed and its pressure increases until infiltration is stopped. The casts gave a reliable visualization of the lacunar shape, position and connections between the lacunae without the need for manipulations such as cutting or sawing. Two systems of canalicula could be distinguished, the equatorial, which connected the lacunae (therefore the osteocytes) lying on the same concentric level, and the radial, which established connections between different levels. The equatorial canalicula radiated from the lacunar border forming ramifications on a planar surface around the lacuna, whereas the radial canalicula had a predominantly straight direction perpendicular to the equatorial plane. The mean length of the radial canalicula was 40.12 ± 10.26 μm in rabbits and 38.4 ± 7.35 μm in human osteons; their mean diameter was 174.4 ± 71.12 nm and 195.7 ± 79.58 nm, respectively. The mean equatorial canalicula diameter was 237 ± 66.04 nm in rabbit and 249.7 ± 73.78 nm in human bones, both significantly larger (P < 0.001) than the radial. There were no significant differences between the two species. The lacunar surface measured on the equatorial plane was higher in rabbit than in man, but the difference was not statistically significant. The cast of the lacunar‐canalicular network obtained with the reported technique allows a direct, 3‐D representation of the system architecture and illustrates how the connections between osteocytes are organized. The comparison with models derived by the assumption of the role of hydraulic conductance and other mechanistic functions provides descriptive, morphological data to the ongoing discussion on the Haversian system biology.
Temporal expression of metalloproteinase‐8 and ‐13 and their relationships with extracellular matrix metalloproteinase inducer in the development of ligature‐induced periodontitis in rats
Authors: Yang D. , Wang J. , Ni J. , Shang S. , Liu L. , Xiang J. , Li C.
Published: October 2012

Background and Objective

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) play important roles in extracellular matrix degradation and may be regulated by extracellular matrix metalloproteinase inducer (EMMPRIN). The aim of this study was to investigate the temporal expression and localization of MMP‐8 and MMP‐13 during the development of ligature‐induced periodontitis in rats, and to analyze the correlations of EMMPRIN with MMP‐8 and MMP‐13 in periodontitis.

Material and Methods

Periodontitis was simulated in rats by ligaturing the cervix of the lower first molars, as described in our previous method. The rats were killed 0, 3, 5, 7, 11, 15 and 21 d after ligation. Micro‐computed tomography examinations were performed to detect alveolar bone loss. Semiquantitative western blotting was used to assess the temporal changes in the levels of MMP‐8, MMP‐13 and EMMPRIN proteins in gingival tissue. Immunohistochemistry was applied to detect the expression and locations of MMP‐8 and MMP‐13 in gingival tissue and alveolar bone.

Results

Alveolar bone loss showed an exponential increase from days 3 to 11, followed by a slower rate of loss at subsequent study time points. MMP‐8 showed a rapid increase of expression from baseline to a peak on day 3, a gradual decrease from days 5 to 7 and then stabilized thereafter. MMP‐8 was predominantly located in neutrophil‐like cells. Statistically, the expression of MMP‐8 was not correlated with the expression of EMMPRIN. The expression of MMP‐13 and of EMMRPIN increased from days 3 to 7, and showed a moderate decrease thereafter. The immunoreactivity of MMP‐13 was mainly detected in monocytes/macrophages, on the alveolar bone surface, in osteoclasts and in gingival epithelial cells. Statistically, MMP‐13 had a strong, positive correlation with EMMPRIN (r = 0.855, p < 0.01).

Conclusion

The levels of expression of MMP‐8 and MMP‐13 are temporally varied at different periods during the development of experimental periodontitis. The level of expression of EMMPRIN is closely associated with the expression of MMP‐13, but not with the expression of MMP‐8. In addition, MMP‐13 might be involved in alveolar bone destruction, as well as in physiological bone remodeling.
Estimation of vector error correction models with mixed‐frequency data
Authors: Seong Byeongchan , Ahn Sung K. , Zadrozny Peter A.
Published: October 2012

Vector autoregressive (VAR) models with error‐correction structures (VECMs) that account for cointegrated variables have been studied extensively and used for further analyses such as forecasting, but only with single‐frequency data. Both unstructured and structured VAR models have been estimated and used with mixed‐frequency data. However, VECMs have not been studied or used with mixed‐frequency data. The article aims partly to fill this gap by estimating a VECM using the expectation‐maximization (EM) algorithm and US data on four monthly coincident indicators and quarterly real GDP and, then, using the estimated model to compute in‐sample monthly smoothed estimates and out‐of‐sample monthly forecasts of GDP. Because the model is treated as operating at the highest monthly frequency and the monthly‐quarterly data are used as given (neither interpolated to all‐monthly data, nor aggregated to all‐quarterly data), the application is expected to be unbiased and efficient. A Monte Carlo analysis compares the accuracy of VECMs estimated with the given mixed‐frequency data vs. with their single‐frequency temporal aggregate.
Aerodynamics of a Low-Pressure Turbine Airfoil at Low Reynolds Numbers—Part II: Blade-Wake Interaction
Authors: Mahallati Ali , Sjolander Steen A.
Published: October 2012

Part II of this two-part paper presents the aerodynamic behavior of a low-pressure high-lift turbine airfoil, PakB, under the influence of incoming wakes. The periodic unsteady effects of wakes from a single upstream blade-row were measured in a low-speed linear cascade facility at Reynolds numbers of 25,000, 50,000 and 100,000 and at two freestream turbulence intensity levels of 0.4% and 4%. In addition, eight reduced frequencies between 0.53 and 3.2, at three flow coefficients of 0.5, 0.7 and 1.0 were examined. The complex wake-induced transition, flow separation and reattachment on the suction surface boundary layer were determined from an array of closely-spaced surface hot-film sensors. The wake-induced transition caused the separated boundary layer to reattach to the suction surface at all conditions examined. The time-varying profile losses, measured downstream of the cascade, increased with decreasing Reynolds number. The influence of increased freestream turbulence intensity was only evident in between wake-passing events at low reduced frequencies. At higher values of reduced frequency, the losses increased slightly and, for the cases examined here, losses were slightly larger at lower flow coefficients. An optimum wake-passing frequency was observed at which the profile losses were a minimum.