bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Speech‐like and non‐speech lip kinematics and coordination in aphasia
Authors: Bose Arpita , van Lieshout Pascal
Published: July 2012

Background:In addition to the well‐known linguistic processing impairments in aphasia, oro‐motor skills and articulatory implementation of speech segments are reported to be compromised to some degree in most types of aphasia.

Aims:This study aimed to identify differences in the characteristics and coordination of lip movements in the production of a bilabial closure gesture between speech‐like and non‐speech tasks in individuals with aphasia and healthy control subjects.

Methods & Procedures:Upper and lower lip movement data were collected for a speech‐like and a non‐speech task using an AG 100 EMMA system from five individuals with aphasia and five age‐ and gender‐matched control subjects. Each task was produced at two rate conditions (normal and fast), and in a familiar and a less familiar manner. Single articulator kinematic parameters (peak velocity, amplitude, duration and cyclic spatio‐temporal index) and multi‐articulator coordination indices (average relative phase and variability of relative phase) were measured to characterize lip movements.

Outcomes & Results:The results showed that when the two lips had similar task goals (bilabial closure) in speech‐like and non‐speech task, kinematic and coordination characteristics were not found to be different. However, when changes in rate were imposed on the bilabial gesture, only speech‐like task showed functional adaptations, indicated by a greater decrease in amplitude and duration at fast rates. In terms of group differences, individuals with aphasia showed smaller amplitudes and longer movement durations for upper lip, higher spatio‐temporal variability for both lips, and higher variability in lip coordination than the control speakers. Rate was an important factor in distinguishing the two groups, and individuals with aphasia were limited in implementing the rate changes.

Conclusions & Implications:The findings support the notion of subtle but robust differences in motor control characteristics between individuals with aphasia and the control participants, even in the context of producing bilabial closing gestures for a relatively simple speech‐like task. The findings also highlight the functional differences between speech‐like and non‐speech tasks, despite a common movement coordination goal for bilabial closure.
Effects of Mindfulness Meditation on three individuals with aphasia
Authors: Orenstein Ellen , Basilakos Alexandra , Marshall Rebecca Shisler
Published: July 2012

Background: There is evidence to suggest that people with aphasia (PWA) may have deficits in attention stemming from the inefficient allocation of resources. The inaccurate perception of task demand, or sense of effort, may underlie the misallocation of the available attention resources. Given the lack of treatment options for improving attention in aphasia, Mindfulness Meditation, shown to improve attention in neurologically intact individuals, may prove effective in increasing attention in PWA.

Aims: The purpose of the present study was to determine if Mindfulness Meditation improves divided attention or language in PWA and if it affects the overall sense of effort.

Methods & Procedures: A multiple baseline single‐subject design was used to determine the effects of Mindfulness Meditation on divided attention for three PWA. Divided attention was measured using a non‐linguistic divided attention task. Visual inspection of the data was used to determine changes in performance (sense of effort, reaction time and accuracy, language) over time.

Outcomes & Results: High performance observed on the attention measures suggests that PWA have varying degrees of attentional impairment that may surface when certain demands are presented. There were no observable changes in the performance on the sense of effort or language measures; however, measures of reaction time may indicate Mindfulness Meditation improved efficiency of task completion.

Conclusions & Implications: All three participants reported that Mindfulness Meditation was easy to learn and carry out on a daily basis, and reported feeling more ‘relaxed’ and ‘peaceful’ after Mindfulness Meditation training than before. With the knowledge that PWA can learn meditative practices, and with such successful findings in neurologically intact individuals, it is important to continue evaluating the benefits of Mindfulness Meditation in PWA.
Body mass index and the efficacy of needle‐free jet injection for the administration of rapid‐acting insulin analogs, a post hoc analysis
Authors: de Galan B. E. , Engwerda E. E. C. , Abbink E. J. , Tack C. J.
Published: July 2012

We recently showed in a euglycaemic glucose clamp study among 18 healthy volunteers that using jet injectors rather than conventional pens significantly improved the time‐action profiles of rapid‐acting insulin analogs. Here, we investigated whether such profiles were modified by body mass index (BMI) and related weight parameters by comparing insulin administration by jet injection to that by conventional pen in subgroups defined by BMI, waist‐to‐hip ratio, waist circumference and insulin dose. After conventional administration, times to peak insulin levels (T‐INSmax) occurred 31.1 [95% confidence interval (CI) 13.7–48.5] min later and time to maximum glucose requirement (T‐GIRmax) 56.9 (95%CI 26.6–87.3) min later in more obese (BMI > 23.6 kg/m2) than in lean subjects (BMI < 23.6 kg/m2). In contrast, T‐INSmax and T‐GIRmax were similar in subjects with high and low BMI, when insulin was administered by jet injection. We conclude that using jet injection for insulin administration may especially benefit subjects with higher body weight.
Impact of diabetes duration and chronic pancreatitis on the association between type 2 diabetes and pancreatic cancer risk
Authors: Brodovicz K. G. , Kou T. D. , Alexander C. M. , O'Neill E. A. , Engel S. S. , Girman C. J. , Goldstein B. J.
Published: July 2012

Aim

To examine the impact of diabetes duration, chronic pancreatitis and other factors on pancreatic cancer risk.

Methods

This retrospective cohort study using the UK General Practice Research Database compared pancreatic cancer incidence and risk in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) versus patients without diabetes. Multivariate Cox regression adjusting for age, sex, history of chronic pancreatitis, gallbladder disease, obesity, smoking and alcohol use and Charlson comorbidity index was used to estimate hazard ratio (HR) [95% confidence interval, CI]. Analyses were repeated using various time windows for diabetes duration.

Results

A total of 1903 incident pancreatic cancers were identified, 436 in patients with T2DM (78.76 per 100 000 person‐years [95% CI: 71.54, 86.51]) and 1467 in patients without diabetes (11.46 per 100 000 person‐years [10.88, 12.06]). Pancreatic cancer risk was significant for T2DM (adjusted HR 1.80 [1.52, 2.14]), increasing age, history of chronic pancreatitis and tobacco use. For patients with chronic pancreatitis and T2DM, the adjusted HR was 12.12 [6.02, 24.40]. Incidence was highest in patients with ≥5 year duration of T2DM. In patient populations with duration of T2DM ranging from ≥1 to ≥5 years, adjusted HRs remained significant but point estimates attenuated slightly with longer duration of T2DM.

Conclusions

Patients with T2DM had an 80% increased risk of pancreatic cancer versus patients without diabetes. Patients with T2DM and chronic pancreatitis were 12 times more likely to develop pancreatic cancer.
Oral vitamin E absorption in English Cocker Spaniels with familial vitamin E deficiency and retinal pigment epithelial dystrophy
Authors: McLellan Gillian J. , Bedford Peter G. C.
Published: July 2012

Background Retinal Pigment Epithelial Dystrophy (RPED) with neuroaxonal degeneration in English Cocker Spaniels (ECS) is associated with systemic vitamin E deficiency in the absence of dietary insufficiency.

Objective To evaluate the ability of ECS with RPED to absorb orally administered vitamin E and establish a basis for vitamin E supplementation in affected dogs.

Animals studied 8 RPED‐affected ECS and five clinically normal dogs.

Procedures An oral vitamin E tolerance test (OVETT) was conducted in each dog. Blood samples were obtained prior to and at 3, 6, 9, 12, 24, 120, and 240 h following oral administration of 90 iu/kg ofRRR‐α‐tocopherol. Plasma alpha tocopherol (αTOC) content was measured by normal phase, high‐performance liquid chromatography, and indices of vitamin E absorption calculated.

Results There was marked variation in OVETT results between individuals. In RPED‐affected ECS, mean peak plasma αTOC concentration (17.87 ± 13.21 μg/mL), attained after administration of a large oral dose of the vitamin, was significantly lower than the mean peak plasma αTOC concentration attained in normal dogs (47.61 ± 17.17 μg/mL;P < 0.005). However, the plasma concentrations achieved in 7/8 RPED‐affected dogs remained within the normal reference range for plasma αTOC in vitamin E‐replete dogs, for at least 12 h postdose.

Conclusions Vitamin E–deficient ECS with RPED are capable of absorbing orally administered vitamin E. Twice daily administration of 600–900 iu tocopherol is likely to restore plasma vitamin E concentrations to the normal range in most affected dogs.
A CRITICAL REVIEW OF CONTAGION RISK IN BANKING
Authors: Hasman Augusto
Published: July 2012

The recent financial crisis has focused the attention of scholars and policymakers on how to improve financial stability through better macro‐prudential regulation and supervision. In this paper, we compare the existing theoretical and empirical literature on contagion through the banking system. It is argued that the structure of the interbank market, the size of banks, the linkages among them, the level of correlation of their investments and the transparency of the regulator are key factors in determining the possibility of contagion. We discuss the different findings and present avenues for future research.
SOLIDARITY IN CONTEMPORARY BIOETHICS – TOWARDS A NEW APPROACH
Authors: PRAINSACK BARBARA , BUYX ALENA
Published: July 2012

This paper, which is based on an extensive analysis of the literature, gives a brief overview of the main ways in which solidarity has been employed in bioethical writings in the last two decades. As the vagueness of the term has been one of the main targets of critique, we propose a new approach to defining solidarity, identifying it primarily as a practice enacted at the interpersonal, communal, and contractual/legal levels. Our three‐tier model of solidarity can also help to explain the way in which crises of solidarity can occur, notably when formal solidaristic arrangements continue to exist despite ‘lower tiers’ of solidarity practices at inter‐personal and communal levels having ‘broken away’. We hope that this contribution to the growing debate on the potential for the value of solidarity to help tackle issues in bioethics and beyond, will stimulate further discussion involving both conceptual and empirically informed perspectives.
ALTRUISM OR SOLIDARITY? THE MOTIVES FOR ORGAN DONATION AND TWO PROPOSALS
Authors: SAUNDERS BEN
Published: July 2012

Proposals for increasing organ donation are often rejected as incompatible with altruistic motivation on the part of donors. This paper questions, on conceptual grounds, whether most organ donors really are altruistic. If we distinguish between altruism and solidarity – a more restricted form of other‐concern, limited to members of a particular group – then most organ donors exhibit solidarity, rather than altruism. If organ donation really must be altruistic, then we have reasons to worry about the motives of existing donors. However, I argue that altruism is not necessary, because organ donation supplies important goods, whatever the motivation, and we can reject certain dubious motivations, such as financial profit, without insisting on altruism.

Once solidaristic donation is accepted, certain reforms for increasing donation rates seem permissible. This paper considers two proposals. Firstly, it has been suggested that registered donors should receive priority for transplants. While this proposal appears based on a solidaristic norm of reciprocity, it is argued that such a scheme would be undesirable, since non‐donors may contribute to society in other ways. The second proposal is that donors should be able to direct their organs towards recipients that they feel solidarity with. This is often held to be inconsistent with altruistic motivation, but most donation is not entirely undirected in the first place (for instance, donor organs usually go to co‐nationals). While allowing directed donation would create a number of practical problems, such as preventing discrimination, there appears to be no reason in principle to reject it.
A DIALECTIC OF COOPERATION AND COMPETITION: SOLIDARITY AND UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE PROVISION
Authors: BUTLER SAMUEL A.
Published: July 2012

The concept of solidarity has achieved relatively little attention from philosophers, in spite of its signal importance in a variety of social movements over the past 150 years. This means that there is a certain amount of preliminary philosophical work concerning the concept itself that must be undertaken before one can ask about its potential use in arguments concerning the provision of health care. In this paper, I begin with this work through a survey of some of the most prominent bioethical, political philosophical and intellectual historical literature concerned with the project of determining a philosophically specific and historically perspicacious meaning of the term ‘solidarity’. This provides a conceptual foundation for a sketch of a four‐tiered picture of social competition and cooperation within the nation‐state. Corresponding to this picture is a four‐tiered account of health care provision. These two models, taken together, provide a framework for articulating the conclusion that, while there are myriad examples of solidarity in claiming health care for some, or even many, the concept does not provide a basis for claiming health care for all.
GLOBAL SOLIDARITY, MIGRATION AND GLOBAL HEALTH INEQUITY
Authors: ECKENWILER LISA , STRAEHLE CHRISTINE , CHUNG RYOA
Published: July 2012

The grounds for global solidarity have been theorized and conceptualized in recent years, and many have argued that we need a global concept of solidarity. But the question remains: what can motivate efforts of the international community and nation‐states? Our focus is the grounding of solidarity with respect to global inequities in health. We explore what considerations could motivate acts of global solidarity in the specific context of health migration, and sketch briefly what form this kind of solidarity could take. First, we argue that the only plausible conceptualization of persons highlights their interdependence. We draw upon a conception of persons as ‘ecological subjects’ and from there illustrate what such a conception implies with the example of nurses migrating from low and middle‐income countries to more affluent ones. Next, we address potential critics who might counter any such understanding of current international politics with a reference to real‐politik and the insights of realist international political theory. We argue that national governments – while not always or even often motivated by moral reasons alone – may nevertheless be motivated to acts of global solidarity by prudential arguments. Solidarity then need not be, as many argue, a function of charitable inclination, or emergent from an acknowledgment of injustice suffered, but may in fact serve national and transnational interests. We conclude on a positive note: global solidarity may be conceptualized to helpfully address global health inequity, to the extent that personal and transnational interdependence are enough to motivate national governments into action.
FAMILY SOLIDARITY AND INFORMAL CARE: THE CASE OF CARE FOR PEOPLE WITH DEMENTIA
Authors: TER MEULEN RUUD , WRIGHT KATHARINE
Published: July 2012

According to Bayertz the core meaning of solidarity is the perception of mutual obligations between the members of a community. This definition leaves open the various ways solidarity is perceived by individuals in different communities and how it manifests itself in a particular community. This paper explores solidarity as manifested in the context of families in respect of caregiving for a family member who has become dependent because of disease or illness. Though family caregiving is based on the same perception of mutual obligation as the solidarity that supports welfare arrangements in society, the manifestation of solidarity in families is different. Solidarity that underpins welfare arrangements is based on a perception of mutual obligation towards an anonymous dependent other and is enforced by the government. Solidarity in families is directed towards a concrete other and is based on free choice, albeit often accompanied by a strong sense of personal duty. In this paper we try to distinguish between solidarity as a sociological concept and as a moral concept. An important moral element of solidarity, as expressed in families, is the need for recognition of family caregivers, not only of their concrete practical efforts, but also of their own identity as caregivers and as individuals. We illustrate this argument by referring to examples in the Nuffield Council on Bioethics report Dementia: ethical issues, about the experiences of family caregivers in dementia care and the importance for them of recognition of their role.
A Survival Analysis Model for Sewer Pipe Structural Deterioration
Authors: Duchesne Sophie , Beardsell Guillaume , Villeneuve Jean‐Pierre , Toumbou Babacar , Bouchard Kassandra
Published: July 2012

Abstract:  The structural state of sewer systems is often quantified using condition classes. The classes are based on the severity of structural defects observed on individual pipes within the system. Here, a survival analysis model was developed to predict the overall structural state of a sewer network based on camera inspection data from a sample of pipes in the system. The convolution product was used to define the survival functions for cumulative staying times in each condition class. An original calibration procedure for the sewer deterioration model was developed to overcome the censored nature of data (left censored and right censored) available for the calibration of sewer deterioration models. The exponential and Weibull functions were used to represent the distribution of waiting times in each deterioration state. Cross‐validation tests showed that the Weibull function led to greater uncertainty than the exponential function for the simulated proportion of pipes that are in a deteriorated state. Using various sample sizes for model calibration, these cross‐validation tests also showed that the model's results are robust to smaller calibration sample sizes. This confirms the model's potential for predicting the overall state of deterioration of a sewer network when only a small proportion of the pipes have been inspected.
The medicalisation of revolt: a sociological analysis of medical cannabis users
Authors: Pedersen Willy , Sandberg Sveinung
Published: July 2012

In a qualitative study, we investigated the medical motives of 100 Norwegian cannabis users, none of whom had legal access to medical cannabis. Cannabis was used therapeutically for conditions such as multiple sclerosis, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and rheumatism, as well as for quality of life conditions such as quality of sleep, relaxation and wellbeing. The borders between medical and recreational cannabis use were blurred. This article identifies strategies of medical cannabis users to gain social acceptance. Several respondents downplayed effects such as intoxication and euphoria. Others used the language of medicine and knowledge of current research in psychopharmacology. Cannabis was contrasted with the potential for abuse of prescription medicines. The medical cannabis movement has had little success in Norway. Medical professionals are unable to accept that users may be more knowledgeable than experts and medical users cannot discard the values of traditional cannabis culture. Calls for medical cannabis use are thus perceived as a gambit in attempts to have cannabis legalised. We argue that, despite having had little effect on health authorities, the medical cannabis movement may be having the unintended effect of medicalising cannabis use and using it as a cure for everyday problems.
Determining the order of the functional autoregressive model
Authors: Kokoszka Piotr , Reimherr Matthew
Published: July 2012

We propose a multistage testing procedure to determine the orderpof a functional autoregressive process, FAR (p). At its core is the representation of the FAR(p) process as a fully functional linear model with dependent regressors. Estimating the kernel function in this linear model allows us to construct a test statistic which has, approximately, a chi–square distribution with the number of degrees of freedom determined by the number of functional principal components used to represent the data. The asymptotic justification relies on the concept ofLp–m–approximability which quantifies the temporal dependence of functional time series. The procedure enjoys very good finite sample properties, as confirmed by a simulation study and applications to functional time series derived from credit card transactions and Eurodollar futures data.
SCALE‐INDEPENDENT TECHNOLOGICAL‐KNOWLEDGE BIAS, HUMAN‐CAPITAL ACCUMULATION AND GENDER INEQUALITY
Authors: Afonso Oscar
Published: July 2012

We present a dynamic, non‐scale general‐equilibrium model with female and male human capital where Schumpeterian R&D and human‐capital accumulation are the engines of growth and gender wage inequality. Gender wage inequality is encouraged by changes in relative supply and relative demand of both human‐capital types. Relative supply restricts the levels of employed human capital. Relative demand is affected by the technological‐knowledge bias, which is driven by the price channel and is affected by human‐capital accumulation. In particular, the female‐premium per unit of human capital and per worker increases when the observed discrimination against women decreases or is removed.
The long‐haired kings of the Franks: ‘like so many Samsons?’1
Authors: GOOSMANN ERIK
Published: July 2012

As the paradigm of Germanic sacral kingship has lost its appeal, historians have begun to rethink the concept of Merovingian kingship. Most of the arguments once used in support of its alleged Germanic and pagan character have now been refuted. However, the meaning of their long hair has thus far proven difficult to explain. This article will argue that the Merovingian hairstyle took up Christian meaning shortly after their conversion, presenting them in the image of the biblical Samson. Consequently, their use of biblical analogies to legitimize royal power further challenges the once‐held dichotomy between Merovingian and Carolingian kingship.
Human skin equivalents are an excellent tool to study the effect of moisturizers on the water distribution in the stratum corneum
Authors: Bouwstra J. A. , Nahmoed N. , Groenink H. W. W. , Ponec M.
Published: July 2012

Synopsis

In this study, the mode of action of moisturizers on the level of water in the stratum corneum was studied using cryo‐scanning electron microscopy. As model for dry skin, we used human skin equivalents (HSEs) generated at 93% or 60% relative humidity (RH). During the generation of the HSEs, the moisturizers were applied during a period of maximal 2 weeks. In HSEs generated under normal culture conditions (93% RH), application of 10% glycerol or 5% urea formulations resulted in increased water levels. Whereas the 5% urea formulations resulted mainly in the formation of intercellular water domains, after 10% glycerol both swelling of corneocytes and formation of intercellular water domains were noticed. A reduction in RH to 60% during treatment reduced the stratum corneum water levels drastically. Treatment with the non‐occlusive lipophilic moisturizer isopropyl isostearate resulted in increased water level in the central part of the stratum corneum compared with the untreated control. Our results show that HSEs can be used as a model to study the water distribution.
Erythema gyratum repens is not an obligate paraneoplastic disease: a systematic review of the literature and personal experience
Authors: Rongioletti F. , Fausti V. , Parodi A.
Published: July 2012

Background  Erythema gyratum repens (EGR) is a rare clinical entity that is considered to be an obligatory paraneoplastic disease. According to the literature, an underlying neoplasm can be detected in 82% of the cases.

Objectives  The aim of this systemic review was to evaluate the association of EGR with malignancies or other non‐neoplastic conditions.

Methods  The medical records of patients seen at the Section of Dermatology, University of Genoa between 1990 and 2010, in whom a diagnosis of EGR had been made, were reviewed for evidence of systemic associations. A systematic search of the Cochrane library, EMBASE, Pubmed and MEDLINE databases was also conducted. Key search term used in the review was ‘erythema gyratum repens’.

Results  Four patients with a diagnosis of EGR have been retrieved from our medical records. One case was idiopathic, one was associated with a bronchial carcinoma and two were associated with drug‐intake. One hundred and twelve original cases of EGR were selected from the literature for detailed review. Among these, 58 cases (70%) were associated with an underlying neoplasm, 25 cases (30%) were non‐paraneoplastic and 29 cases have been considered as different dermatoses mimicking EGR in their clinical presentation (‘EGR‐like’ eruption).

Conclusion  EGR should no longer be considered as an obligate paraneoplastic syndrome as the cases that are not associated with neoplasm are more than expected. In addition to searching an underlying neoplasm, dermatologists should be aware about the possibility of other associations including also drug‐intake.
Paying for Patented Drugs is Hard to Justify: An Argument about Time Discounting and Medical Need
Authors: Wilson James
Published: July 2012

abstract

Drugs are much more expensive whilst they are subject to patent protection than once patents expire: patented drugs make up only 20% of NHS drugs prescriptions, but consume 80% of the total NHS drugs bill. This article argues that, given the relatively uncontroversial assumption that we should save the greater number in cases where all are equally deserving and we cannot save both groups, it is more difficult than is usually thought to justify why publicly funded healthcare systems should pay for patented treatments. The claim to medical treatment of those who will be sick with a given condition once the patent runs out is just as strong as those who are sick with it now, but we will be able to treat more people with the same unit of resource in the future. Hence, when resource constraints entail that both cannot be funded, publicly funded healthcare systems ought to wait until patents expire before approving drugs for general use in the publicly funded system.
The Ethics of Geoengineering: Moral Considerability and the Convergence Hypothesis
Authors: Svoboda Toby
Published: July 2012

abstract

Although it could avoid some harmful effects of climate change, sulphate aerosol geoengineering (SAG), or injecting sulphate aerosols into the stratosphere in order to reflect incoming solar radiation, threatens substantial harm to humans and non‐humans. I argue that SAG is prima facie ethically problematic from anthropocentric, animal liberationist, and biocentric perspectives. This might be taken to suggest that ethical evaluations of SAG can rely on Bryan Norton's convergence hypothesis, which predicts that anthropocentrists and non‐anthropocentrists will agree to implement the same or similar environmental policies. However, there are potential scenarios in which anthropocentrists and non‐anthropocentrists would seem to diverge on whether a particular SAG policy ought to be implemented. This suggests that the convergence hypothesis should not be relied on in ethical evaluation of SAG. Instead, ethicists should consider the merits and deficiencies of both non‐anthropocentric perspectives and the ethical evaluations of SAG such perspectives afford.
Dosage effects of X and Y chromosomes on language and social functioning in children with supernumerary sex chromosome aneuploidies: implications for idiopathic language impairment and autism spectrum disorders
Authors: Lee Nancy Raitano , Wallace Gregory L. , Adeyemi Elizabeth I. , Lopez Katherine C. , Blumenthal Jonathan D. , Clasen Liv S. , Giedd Jay N.
Published: July 2012

Background:  Supernumerary sex chromosome aneuploidies (X/Y‐aneuploidies), the presence of extra X and/or Y chromosomes, are associated with heightened rates of language impairments and social difficulties. However, no single study has examined different language domains and social functioning in the same sample of children with tri‐, tetra‐, and pentasomy X/Y‐aneuploidy. The current research sought to fill this gap in the literature and to examine dosage effects of X and Y chromosomes on language and social functioning.

Methods:  Participants included 110 youth with X/Y‐aneuploidies (32 female) and 52 with typical development (25 female) matched on age (mean ∼12 years; range 4–22) and maternal education. Participants completed the Wechsler intelligence scales, and parents completed the Children’s Communication Checklist‐2 and the Social Responsiveness Scale to assess language skills and autistic traits, respectively.

Results:  Both supernumerary X and Y chromosomes were related to depressed structural and pragmatic language skills and increased autistic traits. The addition of a Y chromosome had a disproportionately greater impact on pragmatic language; the addition of one or more X chromosomes had a disproportionately greater impact on structural language.

Conclusions:  Given that we link extra X chromosomes with structural language impairments and an extra Y chromosome with pragmatic language impairments, X/Y‐aneuploidies may provide clues to genetic mechanisms contributing to idiopathic language impairment and autism spectrum disorders.
Sildenafil citrate improves perinatal outcome in fetuses from pre‐eclamptic rats
Authors: Herraiz S , Pellicer B , Serra V , Cauli O , Cortijo J , Felipo V , Pellicer A
Published: July 2012

Please cite this paper as: Herraiz S, Pellicer B., Serra V, Cauli O, Cortijo J, Felipo V, Pellicer A. Sildenafil citrate improves perinatal outcome in fetuses from pre‐eclamptic rats. BJOG 2012;119:1394–1402.

Objective  To evaluate perinatal outcome after sildenafil citrate (SC) administration at the onset of pregnancy in a rat pre‐eclampsia model.

Design  In vivo animal experimental study.

Setting  Fundación IVI‐Instituto Universitario IVI, Valencia, Spain.

Sample Control and pre‐eclampsia‐induced pregnant Wistar rats exposed to chronic SC administration.

Methods  We evaluated the use of SC, which was tested as a potential therapeutic tool to maintain vasodilatation in complicated pregnancies. We have demonstrated previously that SC shows a hypotensive selective effect in normal rat pregnancies when compared with nonpregnant animals.

Main outcome measures  Maternal blood pressure, weight and mortality during pre‐ and postnatal development, maternal blood cellularity and haemodynamic changes with maternal and fetal Doppler quantitative indices.

Results  SC restores normal values of blood pressure, cell count and proteinuria for maternal syndrome. In offspring, SC improves weight gain and increases survival rates without fetotoxic effects. According to the haemodynamic results, SC has a significant effect on the resistance index in the uterine artery in pre‐eclamptic animals, as it restores normal values to correlate with an increase in fetal perfusion through the ductus venosus.

Conclusions  These results suggest that SC administration during pregnancy may have a potential benefit for the treatment of hypertension during pregnancy by reversing the maternal effects of pre‐eclampsia and by improving uteroplacental and fetal perfusion.
The onset, recurrence and associated obstetric risk factors for urinary incontinence in the first 18 months after a first birth: an Australian nulliparous cohort study
Authors: Gartland D , Donath S , MacArthur C , Brown SJ
Published: July 2012

Please cite this paper as: Gartland D, Donath S, MacArthur C, Brown S. The onset, recurrence and associated obstetric risk factors for urinary incontinence in the first 18 months after a first birth: an Australian nulliparous cohort study. BJOG 2012;119:1361–1369.

Objective  To investigate the contribution of obstetric risk factors to persistent urinary incontinence (UI) between 4 and 18 months postpartum.

Design  Prospective pregnancy cohort.

Setting  Six metropolitan public hospitals in Victoria, Australia.

Sample  A total of 1507 nulliparous women recruited to the Maternal Health Study in early pregnancy (≤24 weeks of gestation).

Methods  Data from hospital records and self‐administered questionnaires/telephone interviews at ≤24 and 30–32 weeks of gestation and at 3, 6, 9, 12 and 18 months postpartum analysed using logistic regression.

Main outcome measures  Persistent UI 4–18 months postpartum in women continent before pregnancy.

Results  Of the women who were continent before pregnancy, 44% reported UI 4–18 months postpartum, and 25% reported persistent UI (symptoms at multiple follow ups). Compared with spontaneous vaginal birth, women who had a caesarean before labour (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 0.4, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 0.2–0.9), in first‐stage labour (aOR 0.4, 95% CI 0.2–0.6) or in second‐stage labour (aOR 0.4, 95% CI 0.2–1.0) were less likely to report persistent UI 4–18 months postpartum. Prolonged second‐stage labour in women who had an operative vaginal birth was associated with increased likelihood of UI (aOR 2.5, 95% CI 1.3–4.6). Compared with women who were continent in pregnancy, women reporting UI in pregnancy had a seven‐fold increase in odds of persistent UI (aOR 7.4, 95% CI 5.1–10.7).

Conclusions  Persistent UI is common after childbirth and is more likely following prolonged labour in combination with operative vaginal birth. The majority of women reporting persistent UI at 4–18 months postpartum also experienced symptoms in pregnancy.
Effects of continuity of care by a primary midwife (caseload midwifery) on caesarean section rates in women of low obstetric risk: the COSMOS randomised controlled trial
Authors: McLachlan HL , Forster DA , Davey MA , Farrell T , Gold L , Biro MA , Albers L , Flood M , Oats J , Waldenström U
Published: July 2012

Please cite this paper as: McLachlan H, Forster D, Davey M, Farrell T, Gold L, Biro M, Albers L, Flood M, Oats J, Waldenström U. Effects of continuity of care by a primary midwife (caseload midwifery) on caesarean section rates in women of low obstetric risk: the COSMOS randomised controlled trial. BJOG 2012;119:1483–1492.

Objective  To determine whether primary midwife care (caseload midwifery) decreases the caesarean section rate compared with standard maternity care.

Design  Randomised controlled trial.

Setting  Tertiary‐care women’s hospital in Melbourne, Australia.

Population  A total of 2314 low‐risk pregnant women.

Methods  Women randomised to caseload received antenatal, intrapartum and postpartum care from a primary midwife with some care by ‘back‐up’ midwives. Women randomised to standard care received either midwifery or obstetric‐trainee care with varying levels of continuity, or community‐based general practitioner care.

Main outcome measures  Primary outcome: caesarean birth. Secondary outcomes included instrumental vaginal births, analgesia, perineal trauma, induction of labour, infant admission to special/neonatal intensive care, gestational age, Apgar scores and birthweight.

Results  In total 2314 women were randomised–1156 to caseload and 1158 to standard care. Women allocated to caseload were less likely to have a caesarean section (19.4% versus 24.9%; risk ratio [RR] 0.78; 95% CI 0.67–0.91; P = 0.001); more likely to have a spontaneous vaginal birth (63.0% versus 55.7%; RR 1.13; 95% CI 1.06–1.21; P < 0.001); less likely to have epidural analgesia (30.5% versus 34.6%; RR 0.88; 95% CI 0.79–0.996; P = 0.04) and less likely to have an episiotomy (23.1% versus 29.4%; RR 0.79; 95% CI 0.67–0.92; P = 0.003). Infants of women allocated to caseload were less likely to be admitted to special or neonatal intensive care (4.0% versus 6.4%; RR 0.63; 95% CI 0.44–0.90; P = 0.01). No infant outcomes favoured standard care.

Conclusion  In settings with a relatively high baseline caesarean section rate, caseload midwifery for women at low obstetric risk in early pregnancy shows promise for reducing caesarean births.
Breast size increment during pregnancy and breastfeeding in mothers with polycystic ovary syndrome: a follow‐up study of a randomised controlled trial on metformin versus placebo
Authors: Vanky E , Nordskar JJ , Leithe H , Hjorth‐Hansen AK , Martinussen M , Carlsen SM
Published: July 2012

Please cite this paper as: Vanky E, Nordskar J, Leithe H, Hjorth‐Hansen A, Martinussen M, Carlsen S. Breast size increment during pregnancy and breastfeeding in mothers with polycystic ovary syndrome: a follow‐up study of a randomised controlled trial on metformin versus placebo. BJOG 2012;119:1403–1409.

Objective  To study the significance of breast size increment in pregnancy, and the impact of metformin during pregnancy on breastfeeding in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

Design  A follow‐up study of a randomised controlled trial (the PregMet study).

Setting  Eleven secondary care centres.

Population  Women with PCOS during pregnancy and postpartum.

Methods  Women with PCOS were randomised to treatment with metformin or placebo from the first trimester to delivery. Questionnaires were sent to 240 participants 1 year postpartum: 186 responded.

Main outcome measures  Pre‐pregnancy and late‐pregnancy brassiere size and breastfeeding patterns were registered, and androgen levels were measured in the mothers.

Results  No difference in breast size increment and breastfeeding were found between the placebo and metformin groups. Breast size increment correlated positively with the duration of both exclusive and partial breastfeeding, whereas body mass index (BMI) correlated negatively with the duration of partial breastfeeding. Dehydroepiandrostenedione‐sulphate (DHEAS), testosterone and free testosterone index (FTI) in pregnancy did not correlate with breast size increment or duration of breastfeeding. Women with no change in breast size were more obese, had higher blood pressure, serum triglycerides and fasting insulin levels, and had a shorter duration of breastfeeding compared with those with breast size increment.

Conclusions  Metformin and androgens had no impact on breastfeeding. Women with PCOS who had no breast size increment in pregnancy seem to be more metabolically disturbed and less able to breastfeed.
New insights into the systematics of the enigmaticPolynesian sandpipersAechmorhynchus parvirostrisandProsobonia leucoptera
Authors: Cibois Alice , Dekker René W. R. J. , Pasquet Eric , Thibault Jean‐Claude
Published: July 2012

With only a single extant representative, endemic to theTuamotuArchipelago, thePolynesian sandpipers (AechmorhynchusandProsobonia) may have had a larger distribution inEasternPolynesia in the past, with four endemic taxa. Although these aberrant sandpipers' membership to theScolocapidae has been well supported, finding their closest living taxa has proved difficult and the phylogenetic relationships of these taxa have remained unresolved. We present the first molecular analysis of thePolynesian sandpipers, including sampling of the only known specimen of the extinctProsobonia leucoptera, collected in 1773. Based on mitochondrial and nuclear gene sequence data, the phylogenetic analyses demonstrate that thePolynesian sandpipers were sister taxa and belonged to the clade that included the other sandpipers (Calidrisand allies) and turnstones (Arenaria), although without a close relative among extant genera. Divergence time estimates suggested that the lineage leading toProsoboniadiverged from the other extant sandpipers during theOligocene and that either the Line Islands or theTuamotuArchipelago were probably the first archipelagos colonized by theProsobonialineage. On the basis of these results, we suggest thatAechmorhynchus parvirostrisandProsobonia leucopterabe regarded as related species within the same genus, and thus that the senior nameProsoboniabe used for both taxa.
Pattern Recognition Method for the Source Location of Acoustic Emission Generated During the Damage of Hydraulic Concrete
Authors: Su H. Z. , Ou B. , Tong J. J. , Hu J. , Wen Z. P.
Published: July 2012

Abstract:  To overcome the disadvantages of current acoustic emission (AE) source location methods, such as classical approaches based on times of arrival and artificial neural networks based on AE signal features, support vector machines (SVM)‐based models have been employed to recognise AE source regions in structures. However, in some circumstances, it seems that a more accurate positioning of AE sources is needed. This study concerns the spatial three‐dimensional (3D) positioning (i.e. coordinates) for damages in hydraulic concrete structures using the least squares SVM (LS‐SVM) regression with AE signal features. The data of artificial discrete AE sources were acquired from simulated AE events on a hydraulic concrete specimen. Various combinations of signal features were chosen to adequately excavate effective information and to obtain the multi‐output LS‐SVM regression model of the best performance. The training and testing results show that the proposed model can realise the accurate spatial 3D positioning of damages in hydraulic concrete structures in laboratory situations and reduce human factors (e.g. judgment of AE propagation velocity, etc.) in the AE source location process. Meanwhile, the work remaining in taking this idea to a practical implementation was discussed.
The ω3‐polyunsaturated fatty acid derivatives AVX001 and AVX002 directly inhibit cytosolic phospholipase A2 and suppress PGE2 formation in mesangial cells
Authors: Huwiler Andrea , Feuerherm Astrid J , Sakem Benjamin , Pastukhov Oleksandr , Filipenko Iuliia , Nguyen Thuy , Johansen Berit
Published: July 2012

Background and Purpose

ω3‐polyunsaturated fatty acids (ω3‐PUFAs) are known to exert anti‐inflammatory effects in various disease models although their direct targets are only poorly characterized.

Experimental approach

Here we report on two new cPLA2 inhibitors, the ω3‐derivatives AVX001 and AVX002, and their effects on inflammatory PGE2 production in cultures of renal mesangial cells.

Key Results

AVX001 and AVX002 dose‐dependently inhibited the group IVA cytosolic phospholipase A2 (cPLA2) in an in vitro activity assay with similar IC50 values for AVX001 and AVX002, whereas the known cPLA2 inhibitor AACOCF3 was less potent and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) was inactive. In renal mesangial cells, AVX001 and AVX002 suppressed IL‐1β‐induced PGE2 synthesis. Mechanistically, this effect occurred by a down‐regulation of IL‐1β‐induced group IIA‐sPLA2 protein expression, mRNA expression and promoter activity. A similar but less potent effect was seen with AACOCF3 and no effect was seen with DHA. As gene expression of sPLA2 is known to be regulated by the transcription factor NF‐κB, we further investigated NF‐κB activation. Both compounds prevented NF‐κB activation by blocking degradation of the inhibitor of κB.

Conclusions and implications

These data show for the first time that the novel cPLA2 inhibitors AVX001 and AVX002 exert an anti‐inflammatory effect in cultures of renal mesangial cells and reduce the pro‐inflammatory mediator PGE2 through an inhibitory effect on NF‐κB activation. Therefore, these compounds may represent promising novel drugs for the treatment of inflammatory disorders.
LateQuaternary colluvial deposits in theBocainaPlateau, southeasternBrazil highlands: age and palaeoenvironmental consequences
Authors: Hiruma Silvio Takashi , Modenesi‐Gauttieri May Christine , Riccomini Claudio
Published: July 2012

Despite the generalized occurrence of colluvial deposits in the humid tropical areas of southeasternBrazil, regional correlation is difficult because the deposits are discontinuous, and chronological data are very scarce and scattered. For the first time, colluvial deposits in theBocainaPlateau are described, including 18 radiocarbon ages from 12 profiles. The plateau is located on the eastern flank of theContinentalRift ofSoutheasternBrazil and is the highest part of theSerra doMar, with elevations up to 2000 m above sea level. Because theBocainaPlateau is part of the summit surfaces of southeasternBrazil, it was subjected to specific climatic conditions during the Quaternary. Colluvial deposits on the lower hillslopes and edges of amphitheatres can show complex sequences with up to three intercalated dark humic horizons, corresponding toLatePleistocene andHolocene phases of morphodynamic activity and pedogenesis. Ages of palaeosols vary from 650±50 aBPto 36 880±980 aBP. Landforms and colluvia on theBocainaPlateau are very similar to those found on the opposite flank of the continental rift, on theCampos doJordãoPlateau. Ages of buried soils point to similar soil formation and colluviation episodes in the two plateaus. As inCampos doJordão, the succession of erosive, depositional and pedogenetic processes on the altos campos hillslopes is probably related to late Quaternary climate changes.
The Economic Efficiency of Sampling Size: The Case of Beef Trim
Authors: Ferrier Peyton M. , Buzby Jean C.
Published: July 2012

The economically optimal sample size in a food safety test balances the marginal costs and marginal benefits of increasing the sample size. We provide a method for selecting the sample size when testing beef trim for Escherichia coli O157:H7 that equates the averted costs of recalls and health damages from contaminated meats sold to consumers with the increased costs of testing while allowing for uncertainty about the underlying prevalence rates of contamination. Using simulations, we show that, in most cases, the optimal sample size is larger than the current sample size of 60 and, in some cases, it exceeds 120. Moreover, lots with a lower prevalence rate have a higher expected damage because contamination is more difficult to detect. Our simulations indicate that these lots have a higher optimal sampling rate.