bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Self‐Medication of Mental Health Problems: New Evidence from a National Survey
Authors: Harris Katherine M. , Edlund Mark J.
Published: January 2005

Objective. To evaluate the association between past 30‐day use of alcohol, marijuana, and other illicit drugs and past year unmet need for and use of mental health care.

Data Source. A subsample of 18,849 respondents from the 2001 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse and the 2002 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Subjects were between the ages of 18 and 65 years and had least one past year mental disorder symptom and no past year substance dependency.

Study Design. Logistic regressions of past 30‐day substance use on past 12‐month unmet need for mental health care and past 12‐month use of mental health services controlling for clinical and sociodemographic characteristics. Predicted probabilities and corresponding standard errors are reported.

Principal Findings. Use of illicit drugs other than marijuana increased with unmet need for mental health care (4.4 versus 3.2 percent, p=.046) but was not reduced with mental health‐care use. Heavy alcohol use was not associated with increased unmet need for mental health care, but was higher among individuals with no mental health care use (4.4 percent versus 2.7 percent, p<.001). By contrast, marijuana use did not appear associated with either unmet need or mental health care use.

Conclusions. Substance use varies with past year unmet need for mental health care and mental health care use in ways consistent with the self‐medication hypothesis. Results suggest that timely screening and treatment of mental health problems may prevent the development of substance‐use disorders among those with mental disorders. Further research should identify subgroups of individuals for whom timely and appropriate mental health treatment would prevent the development of substance‐use disorders.
The Administrative Control System of Substance Abuse Managed Care
Authors: Sosin Michael R.
Published: January 2005

Objective. This article searches for the dimensions of the administrative structures in outpatient substance abuse managed care that control the behavior of agency providers. It also ascertains how these dimensions, and several financial mechanisms, affect key aspects of the providers services: the average number of sessions of care that are delivered, the rate of completion of care, and the (estimated) rate at which clients control their substance use.

Data Sources. The data were collected in 1999 for this investigation.

Study Design. These data come from a nationally representative, cross‐sectional sample of individual contracts between outpatient drug treatment providers and the Behavioral Health Managed Care Organizations (BHMCOs) that are empowered to regulate the delivery of services. Provider responses are analyzed here.

Data Collection Methods. Factor analyses at a contract level examine the structural dimensions of the control system. Multivariate analyses at the same level rely on generalized linear models to predict the dependent variables by the structural dimensions and financial mechanisms.

Findings. The factor analyses suggest that there are six multiple variable structural dimensions. The multivariate analyses suggest that the dimension that mandates follow‐up of discharged clients tends to relate to more sessions of care and perhaps a higher rate of service completion. Most other dimensions are found to relate to fewer sessions of care, lower rates of service completion, or lower rates of control of substance abuse. No structural dimension relates to all dependent variables. Financial mechanisms evince varying relations to the sessions of care. They rarely relate to the other dependent variables.

Conclusion. The results generally suggest that providers, payers, or policymakers might affect service provision by selecting BHMCOs that stress particular structural dimensions and financial mechanisms. However, managed care contracts most heavily rely on structural dimensions that restrict treatment sessions and fail to predict superior client outcomes.
Testing for Statistical Discrimination in Health Care
Authors: Balsa Ana I. , McGuire Thomas G. , Meredith Lisa S.
Published: January 2005

Objective. To examine the extent to which doctors' rational reactions to clinical uncertainty (“statistical discrimination”) can explain racial differences in the diagnosis of depression, hypertension, and diabetes.

Data Sources. Main data are from the Medical Outcomes Study (MOS), a 1986 study conducted by RAND Corporation in three U.S. cities. The study compares the processes and outcomes of care for patients in different health care systems. Complementary data from National Health And Examination Survey III (NHANES III) and National Comorbidity Survey (NCS) are also used.

Study design. Across three systems of care (staff health maintenance organizations, multispecialty groups, and solo practices), the MOS selected 523 health care clinicians. A representative cross‐section (21,480) of patients was then chosen from a pool of adults who visited any of these providers during a 9‐day period.

Data Collection. We analyzed a subsample of the MOS data consisting of patients of white family physicians or internists (11,664 patients). We obtain variables reflecting patients' health conditions and severity, demographics, socioeconomic status, and insurance from the patients' screener interview (administered by MOS staff prior to the patient's encounter with the clinician). We used the reports made by the clinician after the visit to construct indicators of doctors' diagnoses. We obtained prevalence rates from NHANES III and NCS.

Findings. We find evidence consistent with statistical discrimination for diagnoses of hypertension, diabetes, and depression. In particular, we find that if clinicians act like Bayesians, plausible priors held by the physician about the prevalence of the disease across racial groups could account for racial differences in the diagnosis of hypertension and diabetes. In the case of depression, we find evidence that race affects decisions through differences in communication patterns between doctors and white and minority patients.

Conclusions. To contend effectively with inequities in health care, it is necessary to understand the mechanisms behind the problem. Discrimination stemming from prejudice is of a very different character than discrimination stemming from the application of rules of conditional probability as a response to clinical uncertainty. While in the former case, doctors are not acting in the best interests of their patients, in the latter, they are doing the best they can, given the information available. If miscommunication is the culprit, then efforts should be aimed at reducing disparities in the ways in which doctors communicate with patients.
Application of a Propensity Score Approach for Risk Adjustment in Profiling Multiple Physician Groups on Asthma Care
Authors: Huang I‐Chan , Frangakis Constantine , Dominici Francesca , Diette Gregory B. , Wu Albert W.
Published: January 2005

Objectives. To develop a propensity score‐based risk adjustment method to estimate the performance of 20 physician groups and to compare performance rankings using our method to a standard hierarchical regression‐based risk adjustment method.

Data Sources/Study Setting. Mailed survey of patients from 20 California physician groups between July 1998 and February 1999.

Study Design. A cross‐sectional analysis of physician group performance using patient satisfaction with asthma care. We compared the performance of the 20 physician groups using a novel propensity score‐based risk adjustment method. More specifically, by using a multinomial logistic regression model we estimated for each patient the propensity scores, or probabilities, of having been treated by each of the 20 physician groups. To adjust for different distributions of characteristics across groups, patients cared for by a given group were first stratified into five strata based on their propensity of being in that group. Then, strata‐specific performance was combined across the five strata. We compared our propensity score method to hierarchical model‐based risk adjustment without using propensity scores. The impact of different risk‐adjustment methods on performance was measured in terms of percentage changes in absolute and quintile ranking (AR, QR), and weighted κ of agreement on QR.

Results. The propensity score‐based risk adjustment method balanced the distributions of all covariates among the 20 physician groups, providing evidence for validity. The propensity score‐based method and the hierarchical model‐based method without propensity scores provided substantially different rankings (75 percent of groups differed in AR, 50 percent differed in QR, weighted κ=0.69).

Conclusions. We developed and tested a propensity score method for profiling multiple physician groups. We found that our method could balance the distributions of covariates across groups and yielded substantially different profiles compared with conventional methods. Propensity score‐based risk adjustment should be considered in studies examining quality comparisons.
Variations among Institutional Review Board Reviews in a Multisite Health Services Research Study
Authors: Dziak Kathleen , Anderson Roger , Sevick Mary Ann , Weisman Carol S. , Levine Douglas W. , Scholle Sarah Hudson
Published: January 2005

Objective. To document the Institutional Review Board (IRB) review process and to explore the impact of different patient notification procedures.

Data Sources/Study Setting. Review of IRB application and correspondence records prospectively collected during a multisite study of health care quality involving telephone interviews of 3,000 participants across 15 primary care sites.

Study Design. Records were reviewed to ascertain: (1) the type of IRB review conducted, (2) the number of days from submission to approval of the IRB application, (3) whether the IRB required patient notification and/or consent prior to the release of names, and (4) patient participation rates.

Data Collection/Extraction Methods. The study coordinating center prepared a common study protocol for IRB submission and assisted sites with submission. The application, correspondence with the IRB, consent script, and patient letters were collected, reviewed, coded, and analyzed.

Principal Findings. IRBs at the 15 sites and survey center varied in the type of IRB required and the number of days from submission to approval (range of 5–172 days). Four sites required patient notification in advance of the study; 2–11 percent of patients refused in opt‐out sites and 37 percent in the single opt‐in site. Participation among contacted patients did not appear to be related to patient notification procedures.

Conclusions. Variations in IRB requirements can affect response rates and sample generalizability.
Institutional Review Boards and Multisite Studies in Health Services Research: Is There a Better Way?
Authors: Gold Jennifer L. , Dewa Carolyn S.
Published: January 2005

Objective. The following paper examines the issue of whether the current system for ethics review of multisite health services research protocols is adequate, or whether there exist alternative methods that should be considered.

Principal Findings. (1) Investigators at different sites in a multisite project often have very different experiences with respect to the requirements and requests of the review board. Other problems include the waste of time and resources spent on document preparation for review boards, and delays in the commencement of research activities. (2) There are several possible reasons why there is variability in ethics review. These include the absence of standardized forms, differences in the background and experiences of board members, the influence of institutional or professional culture, and regional thinking. (3) Given the limited benefits derived from the variability in recommendations of multiple boards and the numerous problems encountered in seeking ethics approval from multiple boards suggest that some sort of reform is in order.

Conclusions. The increasing number of multisite, health services research studies calls for a centralized system of ethics review. The local review model is simply not conducive to multisite studies, and jeopardizes the integrity of the research process. Centralized multisite review boards, together with standardized documents and procedure, electronic access to documentation, and training for board members are all possible solutions. Changes to the current system are necessary not only to facilitate the conduct of multisite research, but also to preserve the integrity of the ethics approval process in general.
Determinants of Small Solute Clearance in Hemodialysis
Authors: Clark William R. , Huang Zhongping , Clark William R. , Gao Dayong
Published: January 2005

Recent outcome trials in chronic dialysis patients raise concerns about the relationship between delivered urea Kt/V and survival. Nevertheless, measurement of delivered small solute clearance remains the most common approach to quantify therapy. The purpose of this review is to provide an overview of the numerous factors influencing small solute clearance during hemodialysis. Although the focus of the review is on the manner in which dialyzer characteristics influence small solute clearances, factors related to other aspects of the extracorporeal circuit and to the patient will also be discussed.
Genomic Medicine, Gene Polymorphisms, and Human Biological Diversity
Authors: Jaber Bertrand L. , Balakrishnan Vaidyanathapuram S. , Balakrishnan Vaidyanathapuram S. , Rao Madhumathi , Jaber Bertrand L. ,   for the DialGene Consortium
Published: January 2005

There is considerable variation in the prevalence of comorbid conditions such as malnutrition, inflammation, cardiovascular disease, and bone disease among end‐stage renal disease (ESRD) patients on maintenance hemodialysis. Besides traditional risk factors, these differences also arise from variability in genetic factors and gene‐environment interactions. Recent publication of the human genome sequence through the Human Genome and Celera projects has provided a major impetus to the field of molecular genetics and genomic medicine. This review provides a broad overview of recent developments in this field, basic information and terminology in common use, and explores the impact of genetic variations or polymorphisms on human biological diversity.
Model for Gene‐Environment Interaction: The Case for Dialysis
Authors: Jaber Bertrand L. , Balakrishnan Vaidyanathapuram S. , Liangos Orfeas , Balakrishnan Vaidyanathapuram S. , Jaber Bertrand L. ,   for the DialGene Consortium
Published: January 2005

Organ complications in end‐stage renal disease (ESRD) such as cardiovascular disease, anemia, bone disease, malnutrition, inflammation, and infections occur in many organ systems and are caused by a multitude of underlying disease‐, uremia‐, and therapy‐related factors, and with a wide range of manifestations and severity. Interindividual variability in the pathophysiologic response of the uremic host to environmental factors, including renal replacement therapy, may be governed to a significant degree by genetic susceptibility factors. Specific genes regulate the pathophysiologic responses of organ systems affected by ESRD and can serve as candidate genes for the host‐environment interaction. This review summarizes emerging clinical and translational research work in the field of genetic polymorphism of candidate genes and their effects on the development of organ complications in ESRD. Methodologic limitations of the existing published data, the need for large prospective cohort studies, and potential future risks for the use of genomic information in resource allocation are also highlighted.
Reviews: Should the Target Hemoglobin for Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease Treated with Erythropoietic Replacement Therapy be Changed?
Authors: Berns Jeffrey S.
Published: January 2005

Recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEPO, epoetin) revolutionized the treatment of anemia in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) when it was approved for use in the United States in 1989. Among dialysis patients, the mean hemoglobin (Hb) in patients undergoing dialysis rose from 7–8 g/dl prior to 1989 to 11–12 g/dl today. Among patients with CKD not on dialysis, epoetin use has not been as broadly applied as among dialysis patients, and although the mean Hb level in this patient population has increased, the impact has been less than in patients on dialysis. The optimal treatment target for epoetin remains controversial. Consistent with clinical practice guidelines, current practice in dialysis patients in the United States aims to maintain a target Hb of 11–12 g/dl, a level that is still well below the normal range. Debate centers on whether the current Hb target is too low and whether the target range is too narrow. Quality of life clearly improves in many individuals as Hb rises into the normal range from lower levels. In retrospective studies, higher Hb levels have been associated with lower risks of hospitalization and mortality. However, one large, prospective clinical trial has raised concern about normalizing Hb in hemodialysis patients with cardiac disease, and other prospective studies have not yet provided convincing evidence of significant benefits from normalizing Hb in dialysis‐dependent and non‐dialysis‐dependent patients with CKD. A relative lack of information on non‐dialysis‐dependent patients with CKD and changes in fiscal policies regulating reimbursement for epoetin have contributed to uncertainty as to the best practices for anemia management in patients with CKD. There is increasing interest in the potential benefits of broadening the current target Hb range or eliminating an upper limit altogether and instead establishing a minimum Hb goal. While some extension of the upper limit of the currently recommended target Hb range might appear to be reasonable, the extent to which this should be extended, the benefits, risks, and costs of maintaining higher Hb levels in patients with CKD, and whether target Hb levels should be different in different CKD patient groups remains to be determined. Future efforts are likely to focus on selecting patient populations most likely to benefit from normalizing Hb, while adjusting the range of a subnormal Hb target for others.
Extracorporeal Management of Valproic Acid Toxicity: A Case Report and Review of the Literature
Authors: Perazella Mark A. , Al Aly Ziyad , Yalamanchili Praveen , Gonzalez Esther
Published: January 2005

The incidence of intentional or accidental valproic acid (VPA) overdose is increasing. Severe VPA toxicity may lead to coma and death. Traditionally the treatment of patients with VPA toxicity has been limited to supportive measures. VPA is highly protein bound and therefore it is considered not to be removable by extracorporeal means. However, studies of VPA toxicokinetics indicate that at blood levels that exceed therapeutic concentrations, VPA protein binding sites become saturated, leading to increased concentration of the free unbound drug. The free unbound drug has a small molecular weight and therefore it is theoretically amenable to removal by extracorporeal means. We present a patient with VPA toxicity who was successfully treated with “in‐series” hemodialysis and hemoperfusion followed by continuous venovenous hemodiafiltration (CVVHDF) and review the literature on the management of VPA toxicity using extracorporeal therapies.
Special Article: National Surveillance of Dialysis‐Associated Diseases in the United States, 2002
Authors: Finelli Lyn , Miller Jeremy T. , Tokars Jerome I. , Alter Miriam J. , Arduino Matthew J.
Published: January 2005

In December 2002, all U.S. chronic hemodialysis centers were surveyed regarding selected patient care practices and dialysis‐associated diseases. The results were compared with similar surveys conducted in previous years. In 2002, 85% of hemodialysis centers were free‐standing and 81% operated for profit; the proportion of centers operating for profit has increased each year since 1985. During 1995–2002, the percentage of patients who received dialysis through central catheters increased from 13% to 26%; this trend is worrisome, as infections and antimicrobial use are higher among patients receiving dialysis through catheters. However, during the same period, the percentage of patients receiving dialysis through fistulas increased from 22% to 33%. The percentage of centers reporting one or more patients infected or colonized with vancomycin‐resistant enterococci (VRE) increased from 12% in 1995 to 30% in 2002. During 1997–2002, the percentage of patients vaccinated against hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection increased from 47% to 56% and the percentage of staff vaccinated increased from 87% to 90%. In 2002, routine testing for antibody to hepatitis C virus (anti‐HCV) was performed on patients at 64% of centers; anti‐HCV was found in 7.8% of patients. In 2001, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) published Recommendations for Preventing Transmission of Infections among Chronic Hemodialysis Patients. Centers were surveyed regarding their awareness of the recommendations and about a variety of infection control practices. In general, the incidence of HBV and HCV was not substantially different for the infection control practices evaluated, including where staff obtain clean supplies for patient treatment, reuse of unused and unopened supplies, and practices for changing external transducer filters/protectors. However, in 2002, the incidence of HBV infection was higher among patients in centers where injectable medications were prepared on a medication cart or medication area located in the treatment area compared to a dedicated medication room. Also, those centers that used a disposable container versus a nondisposable container for priming the dialyzer had a significantly lower incidence of HCV.
The New Arteriovenous Fistula: The Need for Earlier Evaluation and Intervention
Authors: Kian Kaveh , Vassalotti Joseph A.
Published: January 2005

The National Kidney Foundation's Dialysis Outcomes Quality Initiative recommends an ideal 3‐ to 4‐month arteriovenous fistula (AVF) maturation period prior to cannulation. This recommendation may be misinterpreted by practicing nephrologists to mean that they should wait 3 months before performing a clinical assessment of the AVF. Such a delay in evaluating AVF maturity results in unnecessarily prolonged catheter use in dialysis patients whose ultimately unsatisfactory fistula could already have been diagnosed and modified at a much earlier point. Clinical assessment at 1 month can detect the common etiologies for nonmaturity, including stenosis in the vein adjacent to the anastomosis and accessory vein diversion of flow from the main fistula vein. Duplex ultrasound provides additional information in selected cases. Early evaluation allows for early fistulography for problems and potentially early cannulation for adequately maturing fistulas. Prospective trials of early AVF clinical assessment at 1 month should be performed.
Phosphorus Management in End‐Stage Renal Disease
Authors: Finn William F.
Published: January 2005

Chronic kidney disease is an important public health problem, with an increasing number of patients worldwide. One important outcome of renal failure is disordered mineral metabolism, most notably involving calcium and phosphorus balance. Of importance is that increased serum phosphorus levels are associated with increased mortality rates. Despite dietary restrictions, patients receiving dialysis invariably experience hyperphosphatemia and require treatment with phosphate binders. Existing phosphate binders are effective in reducing serum phosphorus levels, but are associated with a number of important disadvantages. Lanthanum carbonate, a new noncalcium, nonaluminum phosphate binder, represents a promising treatment for hyperphosphatemia.
Selective cognitive deficits in obsessive‐compulsive disorder compared to panic disorder with agoraphobia
Authors: Boldrini M. , Del Pace L. , Placidi G. P. A. , Keilp J. , Ellis S. P. , Signori S. , Placidi G. F. , Cappa S. F.
Published: January 2005

Objective:  Visual‐spatial and executive functions deficits have been reported in obsessive‐compulsive disorder (OCD). We investigated their specificity comparing cognitive function in OCD, panic disorder with agoraphobia (PD/A) and controls by a comprehensive neuropsychological battery.

Method:  Fifty‐five subjects (25 OCD, 15 PD/A, 15 controls) without current depressive episode underwent structured clinical interview for DSM‐IV, Yale–Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale, Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale, Hamilton Depression Rating Scale. Neuropsychological battery assessed: executive functions, visual discrimination, spatial memory and learning, verbal memory, general intellectual functioning.

Results:  OCD showed controlled fluency, visual‐spatial construction, learning and memory deficits; PD/A spatial learning impairment. OCD was discriminated from PD/A and controls by three tests scores, predicting group membership for 76.4% of the cases.

Conclusion:  Visual‐constructive and controlled fluency deficits seem specific in OCD, while the spatial learning deficit, shared with PD patients, may not be disorder‐specific, but anxiety‐related. Results support the proposed ventral frontal‐striatal circuit involvement in OCD.
Predicting the onset of major depression in subjects with subthreshold depression in primary care: a prospective study
Authors: Cuijpers P. , Smit F. , Willemse G.
Published: January 2005

Objective:  That subjects with subthreshold depression have an increased probability of developing major depression has been confirmed by many studies. However, the factors which may predict the onset of major depression have yet to be fully examined.

Method:  We examined the control group of a randomized trial in primary care patients with subthreshold depression (N = 109), of whom 20 had developed major depression 1 year later. Using the vulnerability‐stress theory, we examined which factors predicted the onset of major depression.

Results:  In both univariate and multivariate analyses, family history and chronic illnesses predicted the onset of major depression.

Conclusion:  It is possible to predict to a certain degree whether a subject with subthreshold depression will develop major depression within a year.
Recovery from major depression: the role of support from family, friends, and spiritual beliefs
Authors: Nasser E. H. , Overholser J. C.
Published: January 2005

Objective:  Many of the risk factors for major depression are not amenable to change. The present study was designed to identify factors associated with recovery from depression that could be targets for clinical intervention.

Method:  Sixty‐two psychiatric in‐patients who met diagnostic criteria for major depression were interviewed while hospitalized and re‐interviewed 3 months after discharge. Analyses examined the relationship between depression and three sources of emotional support: family, friends, and spiritual beliefs.

Results:  Depression severity at baseline was the most consistent predictor of depression severity and diagnosis at follow‐up. Patients who had recovered from depression by the time of the follow‐up assessment reported higher perceived emotional support from family and friends at baseline. Support from friends, support from family and a composite of emotional support were significant predictors of depression beyond the effects of initial depression severity.

Conclusion:  Aspects of emotional support were significantly associated with depression outcome.
Psychosocial predictors of depression in patients with acute coronary syndrome
Authors: Sørensen C. , Brandes A. , Hendricks O. , Thrane J. , Friis‐Hasche E. , Haghfelt T. , Bech P.
Published: January 2005

Objective:  To describe the prevalence of depression according to ICD‐10 criteria using a self‐completed questionnaire and to identify psychosocial predictors of depression at discharge in patients with acute coronary syndrome.

Method:  A total of 899 patients with acute coronary syndrome completed the Major Depression Inventory at discharge and a questionnaire regarding previous depression and family history of depression. Information concerning civil status was obtained from the Civil Person Registry.

Results:  Ninety patients (10%) were depressed according to ICD‐10 criteria at discharge with 7.2% having a moderate to severe depression at discharge. Women were significantly more frequently and severely depressed than men. Patients with and without depression reported primarily somatic symptoms of depression. Cardiovascular risk factors or treatment did not differ between patients with and without depression. Previous depression (OR 2.9, 95% CI 1.4–6.0 adjusted) and female gender (OR 2.5, 95% CI 1.5–4.3 adjusted) predicted depression at discharge in a logistic regression model.

Conclusion:  Somatic symptoms of depression are prevalent in patients with acute coronary syndrome. The use of self‐completed non‐diagnostic questionnaires assessing symptoms of depression therefore is cautioned as patients may wrongly be identified as depressed. In patients with acute coronary syndrome depression is predicted by well‐known psychosocial risk factors.
Obsessive–compulsive symptoms in adults with history of rheumatic fever, Sydenham's chorea and type I diabetes mellitus: preliminary results
Authors: Asbahr F. R. , Ramos R. T. , Costa A. N. , Sassi R. B.
Published: January 2005

Objective:  Rheumatic fever (RF) associated with Sydenham's chorea (a neurological variant of RF), but not RF without chorea, has been acutely related to obsessive–compulsive symptomatology/disorder (OCS/OCD). This study investigated the presence of OCS in adults who had RF with or without chorea in childhood.

Method:  The Yale‐Brown Obsessive–Compulsive Scale (Y‐BOCS) was used to evaluate OCS in 38 adults with history of RF (13 with chorea; 25 without chorea) or diabetes (controls; n = 19).

Results:  The OCS was similar in both groups, although the intensity of symptoms was not clinically relevant. Moreover, subjects with RF with or without chorea did not score differently in the Y‐BOCS.

Conclusion:  The similar occurrence of OCS in patients with history of RF and diabetes suggests that the development of this symptomatology, triggered by group A β‐haemolytic streptococcus infections, is restricted to the RF acute phase, occurred during infancy, and did not seem to predispose the appearance of OCS in adulthood.
Progressing a spectrum model for defining non‐melancholic depression
Authors: Parker G. , Malhi G. , Mitchell P. , Wilhelm K. , Austin M.‐P. , Crawford J. , Hadzi‐Pavlovic D.
Published: January 2005

Objective:  To further develop a ‘spectrum model’ for non‐melancholic disorders that encompasses underlying personality styles and clinical patterning.

Method:  In a sample of patients with non‐melancholic depression, we studied four personality constructs influencing risk to depression, assessing associational strength and specificity between personality scores and symptom and coping response patterns.

Results:  Analyses refined four personality dimensions (anxious worrying, irritability, social inhibition, and self‐centredness) for testing the model. For all dimensions, personality style was specifically linked with a mirroring ‘coping’ response. Quantification of specific links allowed development of a spectrum model for the non‐melancholic depressive disorders in which underpinning personality style showed some specific links with the clinical ‘pattern’ of symptoms and coping repertoires.

Conclusion:  The model has the capacity to assist clinical assessment, identify aetiological personality influences and allow specific treatment effects for the heterogeneous non‐melancholic depressive disorders to be determined.
Structural and functional models of depression: from sub‐types to substrates
Authors: Malhi G. S. , Parker G. B. , Greenwood J.
Published: January 2005

Objective:  To present a functional model of depression facilitating research and clinical understanding.

Method:  The authors conducted a systematic literature search and reviewed articles pertaining to the neurochemistry and pathophysiology of depressive disorders, focusing on the contribution made by the principal monoamines to three differing depressive structural sub‐types (i.e. psychotic, melancholic and non‐melancholic).

Results:  We suggest that the three structural depressive subtypes appear functionally underpinned by differential contributions of serotonergic, noradrenergic and dopaminergic neurotransmitters, so influencing phenotypic distinction (our structural model) and allowing an aetiological model to be derived with treatment specificity implications.

Conclusion:  The functional model logically iterates with the structural model of depression and provides a useful framework for conceptualizing the depressive disorders. This model provides a logic for distinguishing between principal depressive subtypes, pursuing their functional underpinnings and explaining treatment differential effects across the three sub‐types.
Growth in the ostrich (Struthio camelus var. domesticus)
Authors: COOPER Ross G.
Published: January 2005

The use of the ostrich as a livestock animal necessitates an understanding of its ability to utilize specific nutrient requirements if efficient growth is to be realized. Male ostriches may have to be raised separately as they grow faster; they require higher protein diets and are more efficient feed converters for longer periods than female ostriches. Male ostriches exhibit slightly faster maturation rates than female ostriches. The corresponding age at which maximum growth is attained is 181 days for male ostriches and 199 days for female ostriches. The growth curve of ostriches is sigmoid and asymptotic. Body mass reached in 1 year is approximately 104 kg. The metabolic age of ostriches at hatching is approximately 13.7 days. Feed conversion has an impact on growth. The ostrich chick (aged <2 months) has a high feed conversion to body mass ratio of 2:1, which requires very accurate and careful management of chick nutrition.
Interval mapping of growth quantitative trait loci in Japanese Black beef cattle using microsatellite DNA markers and half‐sib regression analysis
Authors: MALAU‐ADULI Aduli Enoch Othniel , NIIBAYASHI Tomomi , KOJIMA Takatoshi , OSHIMA Kazunaga , MIZOGUCHI Yasushi , KOMATSU Masanori
Published: January 2005

A confirmatory scan for the regions of bovine chromosome 1 segregating the quantitative trait loci (QTL) influencing birthweight, weaning weight, yearling weight, and preweaning and postweaning average daily gains was performed by genotyping half‐sib progeny of four Japanese Black sires using microsatellite DNA markers. Data were analyzed by generating an F‐statistic every 1 cM on a linkage map by the regression of phenotype on the probabilities of inheriting an allele from the sire after adjusting for the fixed effects of sire, sex, parity and season of birth as well as age as a covariate. Permutation tests at chromosome‐wide significance thresholds were carried out over 10 000 iterations. A significant QTL for birthweight at 114 cM was detected in the sire 2 family. This identification of a birthweight QTL in Japanese Black cattle may be useful for the implementation of marker‐assisted selection.
Mapping the quantitative trait loci (QTL) for body shape and conformation measurements on BTA1 in Japanese Black cattle
Authors: MALAU‐ADULI Aduli Enoch Othniel , NIIBAYASHI Tomomi , KOJIMA Takatoshi , OSHIMA Kazunaga , MIZOGUCHI Yasushi , KOMATSU Masanori
Published: January 2005

The detection and mapping of segregating quantitative trait loci (QTL) that influence withers height, hip height, hip width, body length, chest width, chest depth, shoulder width, lumbar width, thurl width, pin bone width, rump length, cannon circumference, chest girth, abdominal width and abdominal girth at weaning was conducted on chromosomal regions of bovine chromosome one. The QTL analysis was performed by genotyping half‐sib progeny of five Japanese Black sires using microsatellite DNA markers. Probability coefficients of inheriting allele 1 or 2 from the sire at specific chromosomal locations were computed. The phenotypic data of progeny were regressed on these probability coefficients in a within‐common‐parent regression analysis using a linear model that included fixed effects of sex, parity and season of birth, as well as age as a covariate. F‐statistics were calculated every 1 cM on a linkage map. Permutation tests of 10 000 iterations were conducted to obtain chromosome‐wide significance thresholds. A significant QTL for chest width was detected at 91 cM in family 3. The detection of this QTL boosts the prospects of implementing marker‐assisted selection for body conformation traits in Japanese Black beef cattle.
Effect of ethanol on nitrate and nitrite reduction and methanogenesis in the ruminal microbiota
Authors: YOSHII Takahiro , ASANUMA Narito , HINO Tsuneo
Published: January 2005

The effect of ethanol on nitrate and nitrite reduction was examined by conducting in vitro experiments with mixed ruminal microbes. The addition of ethanol to cultures of mixed ruminal microbes stimulated nitrate reduction, and, to a greater extent, nitrite reduction, which resulted in a decrease in nitrite accumulation. However, known nitrate‐reducing ruminal bacteria, such as Selenomonas ruminantium, Veillonella parvula and Wolinella succinogenes, were unable to utilize ethanol directly as an electron donor for nitrate reduction. No nitrate‐reducing bacterium capable of utilizing ethanol was found in the rumen of goats. However, when mixed ethanol‐utilizing, hydrogen gas (H2)‐producing bacteria (Ruminococcus albus and Ruminococcus flavefaciens) were added to the culture of the mixed nitrate‐reducing bacteria described above, nitrate and nitrite reduction was observed. These results suggest that the nitrate‐reducing bacteria utilized the H2 that was produced from ethanol oxidation by the ethanol‐utilizing bacteria as an electron donor. It is conceivable that the stimulation of nitrate and nitrite reduction by ethanol, observed in the culture of mixed ruminal microbes, was a result of electron transfer from ethanol to nitrate, and nitrite through H2, that is, ‘interspecies hydrogen transfer’ from ethanol‐metabolizing bacteria to nitrate‐reducing bacteria. Thus, the addition of ethanol to high‐nitrate diets may be effective for preventing nitrate poisoning. Furthermore, methane production was reduced to less than one‐third by the addition of mixed nitrate‐reducing bacteria to the co‐culture of mixed methanogens with mixed ethanol‐utilizing bacteria incubated in a medium containing ethanol and nitrate. Therefore, the addition of ethanol and nitrate may decrease methanogenesis without suppressing overall fermentation in the rumen.
Estimation of daily urinary potassium excretion using urinary creatinine as an index substance in prepartum dairy cows
Authors: ASAI Hideki , HAYASHI Noboru , TAKAI Naoharu , YOSHIMURA Yoshihisa , NAKAMURA Yutaka , YOKOTA Hiroomi , KITA Kazumi
Published: January 2005

In the present study, the daily excretion of potassium (K) in urine (urinary K(UK)) was estimated from a 6 h urine sample using urinary creatinine (UC) as the index substance. All urine was collected from six pregnant Holstein cows at 6 h intervals for 24 h on 3 days of the 4th, 2nd and final week before the expected date of parturition. In total, 72 6 h urine samples were obtained. Daily UC excretion (mg/day per kg bodyweight (BW)) was almost the same for the three sampling days. Daily UC excretion varied among cows from 22.1 to 24.3 mg/day per kg BW with a mean of 22.8 mg/day per kg BW with no significant difference. Thus, daily UC excretion was confirmed to be constant throughout the prepartum period with no differences among individuals. The concentration ratios of K to creatinine ((UK mg/dL)/(UC mg/dL) (UK/UC)) correlated strongly to the hourly K excretions (mg/h per kg BW) (r = 0.952, P < 0.01) in the 6 h urine samples. The differences in the UK/UC ratio between sampling periods were not significant within each cow. Therefore, daily UK excretion (mg/day) can be estimated using the equation: daily UK excretion (mg/day) = daily UC excretion (mg/day per kg BW) × BW (kg) × 6 h urine sample UK/UC, where daily UC excretion can be a given value.
Effect in sheep of dietary concentrate content on secretion of growth hormone, insulin and insulin‐like growth factor‐I after feeding
Authors: HAGINO Akihiko , INOMATA Eiji , SATO Takuya , OHTOMO Yasushi , SASAKI Yasuyuki , OBARA Yoshiaki
Published: January 2005

This study was designed to examine the effects of the proportion of concentrate in the diet on the secretion of growth hormone (GH), insulin and insulin‐like growth factor‐I (IGF‐I) secretion and the GH‐releasing hormone (GHRH)‐induced GH response in adult sheep fed once daily. Dietary treatments were roughage and concentrate at ratios of 100:0 (0% concentrate diet), 60:40 (40% concentrate diet), and 20:80 (80% concentrate diet) on a dry matter basis. Mean plasma concentrations of GH before daily feeding (10.00–14.00 hours) were 11.4 ± 0.4, 10.1 ± 0.5 and 7.5 ± 0.3 ng/mL on the 0, 40 and 80% concentrate diet treatments, respectively. A significant decrease in plasma GH concentration was observed after daily feeding of any of the dietary treatments and these decreased levels were maintained for 8 h (0%), 12 h (40%) and 12 h (80%), respectively (P < 0.05). Plasma IGF‐I concentrations were significantly decreased 8–12 h and 4–16 h after the end of feeding compared with the prefeeding level in the 40 and 80% concentrate diet treatments, respectively (P < 0.05). GHRH injection brought an abrupt increase in the plasma GH concentrations, reaching a peak 10 min after each injection, but, after the meal, the peak plasma GH values for animals fed 40% (P < 0.05) and 80% (P < 0.01) concentrate diet were lower than that for roughage fed animals. The concentrate content of a diet affects the anterior pituitary function of sheep resulting in reduced baseline concentrations of GH and prolonged GH reduction after feeding once daily.
Spatiotemporal pattern of EphA4 gene expression in developing quail limb buds
Authors: ARISAWA Kenjiro , YAZAWA Shigenobu , EGUCHI June‐ichi , KAGAMI Hiroshi , ONO Tamao
Published: January 2005

Mesenchymal cells in developing limb buds of tetrapods manifest position‐specific cell affinity, which is important in morphogenetic processes such as cell migration and cell condensation. The receptor tyrosine kinase EphA4 contributes to dynamic changes in position‐specific cell affinity, playing an important role in normal limb development. The aim of the present study was to characterize the pattern and regulation of EphA4 gene expression during quail embryogenesis. The distribution of EphA4 mRNA in embryos was determined by whole‐mount in situ hybridization. Expression of the EphA4 gene was not detected in the body wall before the protrusion of limb buds. EphA4 mRNA was first detected in the emerging limb buds at stage 18. As the limb buds became more distinct, EphA4 transcripts became confined to the distal tip and the base of these structures and extended into the flank. EphA4 gene expression was later detected in regions of cell condensation before undergoing gradual downregulation coincident with bone formation. Removal of part of the wing bud including the zone of polarizing activity from embryos at stage 21 resulted in loss of EphA4 gene expression. Signaling from the zone of polarizing activity appears important for EphA4 gene expression during limb development in quail embryos.
Methane emission from stored dairy manure slurry and slurry after digestion by methane digester
Authors: UMETSU Kazutaka , KIMURA Yoshiaki , TAKAHASHI Junichi , KISHIMOTO Tadashi , KOJIMA Takeshi , YOUNG Bruce
Published: January 2005

To examine the effect of storage temperature on the emission of methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2) and on recovery of nutrients from raw dairy manure slurry (RS) and slurry digested in a methane digester (DS), both slurries were stored in closed 100 L steel tanks under psychrophilic conditions (5, 10, 15 and 20°C) for a 150 day period. As the storage temperature increased, total methane emission increased in both types of slurry. The amount of methane emitted per unit of volatile solids of the RS and DS was 0.19 L/g and 0.10 L/g, respectively. The respective carbon dioxide emissions were 0.20 L/g for RS and 0.12 L/g for DS at 20°C of storage temperature. At temperatures greater than 15°C, the methane concentration in the emitted gas remained more than 40% of the total gas. During the experimental period, in excess of 90% of the total Kjeldahl nitrogen in these slurries was recovered (91.4–93.7% for RS and 93.7–98.4% for DS) after storage, and ammonium nitrogen was recovered in excess of 100% (100.1–143.2% for RS and 106.7–143.2% for DS storage tanks) because of the mineralization of organic nitrogen in the influent. These results indicate that manure slurry characteristics and storage temperature have significant impacts on methane emission. It can be concluded that on typical farms located in northern Japan, methane emission from manure storage tanks during late fall, winter and early spring may be negligible, because of manure temperatures less than 10°C. During late spring, summer and early fall, methane emissions can be substantially reduced by using underground storage to maintain lower manure temperatures.
Novel polymorphism of the canine dopamine receptor D4 gene intron II region
Authors: NARA Hidetoshi , INOUE‐MURAYAMA Miho , KOSHIMURA Akiko , SUGIYAMA Akinori , MURAYAMA Yuichi , MAEJIMA Masami , UEDA Yuko , ITO Hideyuki , RANDI Ettore , KIM Heui‐Soo , HA Ji‐Hong , KITAGAWA Hitoshi , TAKEUCHI Yukari , MORI Yuji , IWASAKI Toshiroh , MORITA Mitsuo , ÔTA Katuaki , ITO Shin’ichi
Published: January 2005

Various dog breeds are remarkably different from each other not only in their sizes and shapes but also in behavioral traits, suggesting that some of these characteristics are under genetic control. However, little is known about genes related to behavioral traits in canine species. In humans, it has been reported that the dopamine receptor D4 gene (DRD4) includes polymorphism at several regions that relate to personality or psychiatric disorders. In an earlier study by the authors of the present study, the polymorphisms in canine DRD4 exon III and exon I regions were reported. In the present study, a novel polymorphism in canine DRD4 intron II was found based on a 17 base pair insertion/deletion, and the two alleles detected were named P (shorter allele) and Q (longer allele). The allelic distribution in 28 breeds of dog, including a total of 1114 unrelated individuals, were then investigated. Both P and Q alleles were detected in most of the breeds investigated; however, the frequencies of P and Q differed greatly between breeds. With respect to classification based on breed origin, P and Q alleles were frequent in Occidental and Oriental breeds, respectively. Furthermore, two subspecies of wolves, the ancestors of dogs, were analyzed for the comparison of allele frequencies with dogs, and the P allele was predominant in both European and Chinese wolves.