bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A New Medium-term Rat Colorectal Bioassay Applying Neoplastic Lesions as End Points for Detection of Carcinogenesis Modifiers Effects with Weak or Controversial Modifiers
Authors: Cho Young-Man , Imai Toshio , Ota Yoshio , Hasumura Mai , Takami Shigeaki , Hirose Masao , Nishikawa Akiyoshi
Published: March 2008

We have established a two-stage, medium-term rat colorectal carcinogenesis model featuring induction of neoplastic lesions within ten weeks. In the present study, we examined the ability of this model to detect weak modifiers. F344 male rats were given three subcutaneous (sc) injections of 1,2-dimethyl-hydrazine (DMH, 40 mg/kg b.w.) in one week followed by drinking water containing 1% dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) for a second week. One week after this regimen, basal diet alone, or diets containing 10% perilla oil, 10% corn oil, 10% dextrin, or 0.1% indole-3-carbinol (I3C) were supplied. The perilla oil and corn oil groups did not show significant differences in the numbers of aberrant crypt foci (ACF) and incidences or multiplicity of proliferative lesions as compared to the controls at either time point. In the dextrin group, the total number of ACF at week ten was significantly increased. With I3C, the total number of ACF and incidence and multiplicities of adenocarcinomas at week ten and the incidence of invasive tumors at week twenty were significantly increased. These data essentially correspond with earlier reported results, except in the vegetable oil cases. Thus, the system is suitable for detection of colorectal carcinogenesis modifiers with advantages over previous models using ACF alone as end points.
Life Goals and Health Decisions: What Will People Live (or Die) For?
Authors: Schwartz Alan , Hazen Gordon , Leifer Ariel , Heckerling Paul
Published: March 2008

Objective. Quality of life may represent not just quality of health but also the degree to which an individual achieves personally meaningful extrinsic goals unrelated to life duration that are not incorporated in the standard quality-adjusted life year model. The objectives of this study are to develop a typology of life goals and explore whether goal type is related to willingness to consider trading life years or health for goals. Design. Surveys of 50 Chicago-area residents and 101 inpatients. Outcomes. Participants provided up to 5 goals. For each, they reported 1) how long the goal might take to achieve, 2) whether they would prefer a shorter lifetime with certain goal achievement to their full lifetime without goal achievement, and 3) whether they would prefer lower quality of health with certain goal achievement to their full health without goal achievement. Results. Participant goals were classified by 2 investigators into 7 broad categories: family, wealth, job, education, health/fitness, travel, and personal fulfillment. Respondents in both samples were more likely to be willing to trade life years (community odds ratio [OR] = 7.39, P= 0.0004; patient OR= 1.82, P= 0.008) or health (community OR= 5.11, P = 0.0042; patient OR = 1.83, P = 0.0498) to achieve family goals than other types of goals. Conclusions. The authors derive a manageable typology of goals that may affect medical decisions and demonstrate interrater reliability. Because willingness to trade life years varies by type of goal, typical time-tradeoff assessments may be systematically influenced by respondents' goals.
Health State Valuation in Mild to Moderate Cognitive Impairment: Feasibility of Computer-Based, Direct Patient Utility Assessment
Authors: Dawson Neal V. , Singer Mendel E. , Lenert Leslie , Patterson Marian B. , Sami Susie A. , Gonsenhouser Iahn , Lindstrom Heather A. , Smyth Kathleen A. , Barber Melissa J. , Whitehouse Peter J.
Published: March 2008

Background. Most patients with dementia will, at some point, need a proxy health care decision maker. It is unknown whether persons with various degrees of cognitive impairment can reliably report their health-related preferences. Methods. The authors performed health state valuations (HSVs) of current and hypothetical future health states on 47 pairs of patients with mild to moderate cognitive impairment and their caregivers using computer-based standard gamble, time tradeoff, and rating scale techniques. Results. Patients' mean (SD) age was 74.6 (9.3) years. About half of the patients were women (48%), as were most caregivers (73%), who were on average younger (mean age= 66.2 years, SD= 12.2). Most participants were white (83%); 17% were African American. The mean (SD) Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score of patients was 24.2 (4.6) of 30. All caregivers and 77% of patients (36/47) completed all 18 components of the HSV exercise. Patients who completed the HSV exercise were slightly younger (mean age [SD]= 74.1 [8.5] v. 75.9 [11.8]; P = 0.569) and had significantly higher MMSE scores (mean score [SD] = 25.0 [4.3] v. 21.4 [4.4]; P = 0.018). Although MMSE scores below 20 did not preclude the completion of all 18 HSV ratings, being classified as having moderate cognitive impairment was associated with a lower likelihood of completing all scenario ratings (44% v. 82%). Patient and caregiver responses showed good consistency across time and across techniques and were logically consistent. Conclusion. Obtaining HSVs for current and hypothetical health states was feasible for most patients with mild cognitive impairment and many with moderate cognitive impairment. HSV assessments were consistent and reasonable.
Uncertainty and Sensitivity Analyses of a Dynamic Economic Evaluation Model for Vaccination Programs
Authors: Duintjer Tebbens Radboud J. , Thompson Kimberly M. , Hunink M. G. Myriam , Mazzuchi Thomas A. , Lewandowski Daniel , Kurowicka Dorota , Cooke Roger M.
Published: March 2008

With public health policy increasingly relying on mathematical models to provide insights about the impacts of potential policy options, the demand for uncertainty and sensitivity analyses that explore the implications of different assumptions in a model continues to expand. Although analysts continue to develop methods to meet the demand, most modelers rely on a single method in the context of their assessments and presentations of results, and few analysts provide results that facilitate comparisons between uncertainty and sensitivity analysis methods. Methods vary in their degree of analytical difficulty and in the nature of the information that they provide, and analysts should communicate results with a note that not all methods yield the same insights. The authors explore several sensitivity analysis methods to test whether the choice of method affects the insights and importance rankings of inputs from the analysis. They use a dynamic cost-effectiveness model of a hypothetical infectious disease as the basis to perform 1-way and multi-way sensitivity analyses, design of experiments, and Morris' method. They also compute partial derivatives as well as a number of probabilistic sensitivity measures, including correlations, regression coefficients, and the correlation ratio, to demonstrate the existing methods and to compare them. The authors find that the magnitudes and rankings of sensitivity measures depend on the selected method(s) and make recommendations regarding the choice of method depending on the complexity of the model, number of uncertain inputs, and desired types of insights from the sensitivity analysis.
Quality-of-Life Tradeoffs for Hepatitis C Treatment: Do Patients and Providers Agree?
Authors: Schackman Bruce R. , Teixeira Paul A. , Weitzman Gil , Mushlin Alvin I. , Jacobson Ira M.
Published: March 2008

Background . Chronic hepatitis C (HCV) treatment is initiated infrequently by patients in urban settings. These patients often decline HCV treatment due to concerns about treatment side effects and have communication problems with their physicians. Methods . The authors investigated differences between how patients and providers evaluate the quality-of-life tradeoffs associated with HCV treatment in computer-assisted interviews. They interviewed 92 treatment-naive HCV patients at gastroenterology, methadone maintenance, and HIV clinics at 3 hospitals in New York City and 23 physicians or nurses experienced in treating HCV at other hospitals in New York City. Subjects completed rating scale and standard gamble evaluations of current health and hypothetical descriptions of HCV symptoms and treatment side effects on a scale from 0 (death or worse than death) to 1 (best possible health). Results . Treatment side effects were rated worse by patients than providers using the rating scale (moderate side effects 0.42 v. 0.62; severe side effects 0.24 v. 0.40) and standard gamble (moderate side effects 0.61 v. 0.91; severe side effects 0.52 v. 0.75) (all P ≤ 0.01 ). A year of severe side effects was equivalent to 4.1 years of mild HCV symptoms avoided for patients if they returned to their current health after treatment compared with 2.0 years avoided if they achieved average population health. For patients with depression symptoms, HCV treatment with severe side effects had lower value unless it would also improve their current health. Conclusions . Patients have more concerns about treatment side effects than providers. Further research is warranted to develop HCV decision aids that elicit patient preferences and to evaluate how improved communication of the risks and benefits of HCV treatment and more effective treatment of depression may alter these preferences.
The Cost-Effectiveness of Counseling Strategies to Improve Adherence to Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy among Men Who Have Sex with Men
Authors: Zaric Gregory S. , Bayoumi Ahmed M. , Brandeau Margaret L. , Owens Douglas K.
Published: March 2008

Objective: Inadequate adherence to highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) may lead to poor health outcomes and the development of HIV strains that are resistant to HAART. The authors developed a model to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of counseling interventions to improve adherence to HAART among men who have sex with men (MSM). Methods. The authors developed a dynamic compartmental model that incorporates HIV treatment, adherence to treatment, and infection transmission and progression. All data estimates were obtained from secondary sources. The authors evaluated a counseling intervention given prior to initiation of HAART and before all changes in drug regimens, combined with phone-in support while on HAART. They considered a moderate-prevalence and a high-prevalence population of MSM. Results. If the impact of HIV transmission is ignored, the counseling intervention has a cost-effectiveness ratio of $25,500 per quality-adjusted life year (QALY) gained. When HIV transmission is included, the cost-effectiveness ratio is much lower: $7400 and $8700 per QALY gained in the moderate- and high-prevalence populations, respectively. When the intervention is twice as costly per counseling session and half as effective as estimated in the base case (in terms of the number of individuals who become highly adherent, and who remain highly adherent), then the intervention costs $17,100 and $19,600 per QALY gained in the 2 populations, respectively. Conclusions. Counseling to improve adherence to HAART increased length of life, modestly reduced HIV transmission, and cost substantially less than $50,000 per QALY gained over a wide range of assumptions but did not reduce the proportion of drug-resistant strains. Such counseling provides only modest benefit as a tool for HIV prevention but can provide significant benefit for individual patients at an affordable cost.
Calculation of Prevalence with Markov Models: Budget Impact Analysis of Thrombolysis for Stroke
Authors: Mar Javier , Sainz-Ezkerra María , Miranda-Serrano Erika
Published: March 2008

Objectives . The objective is to develop a method for calculating the prevalence of stroke based on Markov models and to apply it to the assessment of the budget impact analysis of thrombolytic treatment. Methods . A Markov model was used to reproduce the natural history of stroke. The first step was to run the model to build the sojourn matrix from the initial population vector. The second step was to ascertain the number of individuals in the origin of each annual cohort. Finally, prevalence figures were obtained, validated, and used to calculate the impact of treatment with thrombolysis in 10% of patients with stroke in the Basque Country as if thrombolysis had begun in 2000 and would continue to 2015. Results . Stroke prevalence rates per 100,000 for the entire population are 898 for men and 686 for women, with a combined rate of 774 for men and women. Rates for stroke-related disability are 358 per 100,000 for men, 275 for women, and 309 for men and women combined. If 10% of the stroke patients would have received thrombolytic treatment from 2000 to 2015, the number of disabled in 2015 would be reduced by 328, and the net savings for the Basque society (2,100,000 inhabitants) would be 1.7 million. Conclusions . The budget impact analysis of thrombolysis for stroke starting in 2000 shows a positive impact on the health budget because it saves costs after 2006 and produces a net benefit in health from the beginning of treatment.
Modeling the Logistics of Response to Anthrax Bioterrorism
Authors: Zaric Gregory S. , Bravata Dena M. , Cleophas Holty Jon-Erik , McDonald Kathryn M. , Owens Douglas K. , Brandeau Margaret L.
Published: March 2008

Background. A bioterrorism attack with an agent such as anthrax will require rapid deployment of medical and pharmaceutical supplies to exposed individuals. How should such a logistical system be organized? How much capacity should be built into each element of the bioterrorism response supply chain? Methods. The authors developed a compartmental model to evaluate the costs and benefits of various strategies for preattack stockpiling and postattack distribution and dispensing of medical and pharmaceutical supplies, as well as the benefits of rapid attack detection. Results. The authors show how the model can be used to address a broad range of logistical questions as well as related, nonlogistical questions (e.g., the cost-effectiveness of strategies to improve patient adherence to antibiotic regimens). They generate several key insights about appropriate strategies for local communities. First, stockpiling large local inventories of medical and pharmaceutical supplies is unlikely to be the most effective means of reducing mortality from an attack, given the availability of national and regional supplies. Instead, communities should create sufficient capacity for dispensing prophylactic antibiotics in the event of a large-scale bioterror attack. Second, improved surveillance systems can significantly reduce deaths from such an attack but only if the local community has sufficient antibiotic-dispensing capacity. Third, mortality from such an attack is significantly affected by the number of unexposed individuals seeking prophylaxis and treatment. Fourth, full adherence to treatment regimens is critical for reducing expected mortality. Conclusions. Effective preparation for response to potential bioterror attacks can avert deaths in the event of an attack. Models such as this one can help communities more effectively prepare for response to potential bioterror attacks.
Willingness to Pay for a Cure in Patients with Chronic Gout
Authors: Khanna Dinesh , Ahmed Mansoor , Yontz Dustin , Ginsburg Shaari S. , Tsevat Joel
Published: March 2008

Introduction. Gout is a chronic painful inflammatory arthritis. The authors interviewed patients with chronic stable gout to assess their hypothetical willingness to pay (WTP) to be cured of their gout. Patients and Methods. Patients with gout were asked how much money they would be willing to pay every month out of pocket or as a co-pay to cure their gout. To assess determinants of WTP amounts, the authors performed stepwise multivariable linear regression analysis, controlling for demographics, health status, and relative concern about gout. Results. Of the 78 patients, 70 (90%) were male, 54 (69%) were Caucasian, 21 (27%) were African American, and 32 (41%) had annual incomes < $25,000. The median WTP amount was $25 ($0, $75) per month, and the mean (s ) was $52 ($74) per month (range, $0-$350); 23 (30%) patients were unwilling to pay any amount. Patients who rated their gout as their top health concern were willing to pay a median of $63 ($25, $100) per month. In multivariable analysis, gout as the top health concern, greater frequency of gouty attacks over the past 1 y, and younger age were significantly associated with WTP amounts (R2 =0:19 ). Conclusion. Many patients with chronic gout would be willing to pay money every month in perpetuity to be cured of their gout. Younger patients, patients whose main health concern is gout, and patients with frequent attacks are willing to pay the most.
What Is the Optimal Duration of Participation in a Community-Based Health Promotion Program for Older Adults?
Authors: Sizer Fitts Sally , Chang Won Won  , Williams Barbara , Snyder Susan J. , Yukawa Michi , Legner Victor J. , LoGerfo James P. , Phelan Elizabeth A.
Published: March 2008

Optimizing duration of participation in health promotion programs has important implications for program reach and costs. We examine data from 355 participants in EnhanceWellness to determine whether improvements in disability risk factors (depression, physical inactivity) occurred early or late in the enrollment period. Participants had a mean age of 74 years; 76% were women, and 16% were non-White. The percentage depressed declined from enrollment to 6 months (35% to 28%, p = .001) and from 6 to 12 months (28% to 22%, p = .03). The percentage physically inactive declined over the first 6 months, without substantial change thereafter (47%, 29%, and 29%). Those remaining inactive at 6 months had worse self-rated health and more depressive symptoms initially; a subset of those increased their physical activity by 12 months. These data suggest that enrollment could be reduced from 12 to 6 months without compromising favorable effects of EW participation, although additional benefits may accrue beyond 6 months.
Cultural Influences in the Patterns of Long-Term Care Use Among Mexican American Family Caregivers
Authors: Herrera Angelica P. , Lee Jerry , Palos Guadalupe , Torres-Vigil Isabel
Published: March 2008

This study sought to explore cultural attitudes toward caregiving and long-term care and their influence on patterns of long-term care use among Mexican American family caregivers of relatives aged 50 and older. Using a cross-sectional design, the researchers used mixed methods and conducted interviews with 66 Mexican American family caregivers in San Diego, California. They applied the Andersen behavioral model of health service utilization to examine familism, gender roles, acculturation, religiosity, and knowledge and perceptions of long-term care as factors in usage. Caregivers with greater long-term care use displayed lower levels of familism, were knowledgeable about services, had a care recipient with health insurance, shared caregiving responsibilities, and were less acculturated. Medicaid coverage for low-income care recipients was associated with higher long-term care use. Although familism may deter service use, caregivers empowered with resources and knowledge or Medicaid coverage are inclined to use long-term care services.
Unobtrusive In-Home Monitoring of Cognitive and Physical Health: Reactions and Perceptions of Older Adults
Authors: Wild Katherine , Boise Linda , Lundell Jay , Foucek Anna
Published: March 2008

Although the potential benefits of unobtrusive in-home sensing technologies for maintaining health and independence of older adults have been highlighted in recent research, little is known about their views toward such technology. The aims of this project were to identify monitoring needs and expectations of community-residing elderly and their family members. Focus groups were presented with examples of in-home monitoring devices and data output; participants were asked to consider whether the data showed information that was meaningful to them, and how and to whom they would like to have such data disseminated. Content analysis of transcripts revealed four dominant themes: maintaining independence, detecting cognitive decline, sharing of information, and the trade-off between privacy and usefulness of monitoring. The acceptance by elderly of unobtrusive in-home monitoring was closely tied to perceived utility of data generated by such systems. Privacy concerns appeared to be less of an issue than anticipated in this sample.
Death and Dying in Nursing Homes: A Burden for the Staff?
Authors: Jenull Brigitte , Brunner Eva
Published: March 2008

Changes in our society increasingly place the old and impaired in institutions, where they spend their last remaining days. The authors explore the burden of being confronted with death and dying on nursing home staff using mixed methodology. Findings from open-ended interviews with 17 representatives of different occupational groups inform the design of a questionnaire used to conduct a survey in 52 nursing homes of the Federal Province of Carinthia (Austria). In total, 894 questionnaires were returned, yielding a response rate of 49%. Results indicate that it is more difficult to talk about death with family members of terminally ill residents than with the dying themselves. The need for end-of-life training is not only essential for nursing staff but is also needed for nonnursing staff, who are found to be substantially strained by aspects of death and dying in their workplace.
Teacher—Student Relationship Inventory
Authors: Ang Rebecca P. , Wan Har Chong  , Huan Vivien S. , Choon Lang Quek  , Lay See Yeo
Published: March 2008

Teacher—student relationships have been extensively studied in preschool and early elementary school samples. However, much less is known about children's relationships with their teachers in upper elementary grades through high school. Using confirmatory factor analysis, this study extended previous research by providing further evidence for the three-factor structure of the Teacher—Student Relationship Inventory (TSRI) using an upper elementary school sample ( n = 420) and a sample from junior high school ( n = 635). Multigroup confirmatory factor analysis was also used to examine the invariance of the TSRI across both samples. Results from multigroup confirmatory factor analysis suggested that although partial invariance was observed across the samples, the consistency of fit indices together with explicit tests for the reasonableness of partial measurement invariance provided support that partial invariance was acceptable. Taken together, findings indicate cross-sample generalizability of the 14-item TSRI measure.
Female and Male Sex Offenders
Authors: Freeman Naomi J. , Sandler Jeffrey C.
Published: March 2008

Few studies have empirically validated the assertion that female and male sex offenders are vastly different. Therefore, utilizing a matched sample of 780 female and male sex offenders in New York State, the current study explored differences and similarities of recidivism patterns and risk factors for the two offender groups. Results suggested that male sex offenders were significantly more likely than female sex offenders to be rearrested for both sexual and nonsexual offenses. However, limited differences in terms of risk factors between female and male sex offenders were found.
The Role of Young Adolescents' Perception in Understanding the Severity of Exposure to Community Violence and PTSD
Authors: Aisenberg Eugene , Ayón Cecilia , Orozco-Figueroa Araceli
Published: March 2008

This study seeks to (a) identify and measure the lifetime exposure to community violence of 137 African American and Latino middle school students from a low income neighborhood and apply numerical weights to each violent event; (b) examine the relationship between the objective severity of child self reported violence exposure and the child's subjective perception of the most bothersome event; and (c) examine the relationship between child's exposure and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Results highlight that students' designation of their most bothersome exposure to community violence did not correspond to the most severe violent event they experienced. Regression analyses reveal the weight of the most severe event explains a larger percentage of the variance in PTSD compared with the relationship to victim, level of exposure, weight of the most bothersome exposure, and cumulative weight of all exposure. This study underscores the importance of assessing a child's perception of violent events.
Intimate Partner Violence Among Male and Female Russian University Students
Authors: Lysova Aleksandra V. , Douglas Emily M.
Published: March 2008

This article reports data from three Russian sites of the International Dating Violence Study. Using a sample of 338 university students (54% female) from three Russian university sites, four different types of partner violence are examined: physical assault, physical injury, sexual coercion, and psychological aggression. High prevalence rates were found for all types of violence, aggression, and coercion. Consistent with previous research, male and female students were about equally likely to be victims and perpetrators of all violent and aggressive actions. Recommendations for prevention are made in the conclusions.
Sexual Relationship Power, Intimate Partner Violence, and Condom Use Among Minority Urban Girls
Authors: Teitelman Anne M. , Ratcliffe Sarah J. , Morales-Aleman Mercedes M. , Sullivan Cris M.
Published: March 2008

This study examined the association between sexual relationship power, intimate partner violence, and condom use among African American and Hispanic urban girls. In this sample of 56 sexually active girls, 50% did not use condoms consistently and therefore were at higher risk for acquiring HIV or sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Teens who experienced more intimate partner violence had a significantly higher likelihood of inconsistent condom use and therefore a greater risk for HIV/STDs. Girls' sense of sexual control in their relationships was not directly associated with inconsistent condom use but was inversely related to verbal and emotional abuse. Interventions aimed at reducing HIV/STD risk for adolescent girls need to address patterns of dominance and control in adolescent relationships as well as multiple forms of partner violence. This suggests the need for multilevel intervention approaches that promote girls' agency and multiple ways to keep girls safe from perpetrators of partner abuse.
Domestic Violence and Dependency Courts
Authors: Malik Neena M. , Silverman Jerry , Wang Kathleen , Janczewski Colleen
Published: March 2008

This field study reports on a cross-site evaluation of dependency courts in communities receiving federal funding to implement the Greenbook initiative, a multisite demonstration for community improvement of coordinated responses to families victimized by domestic violence and child maltreatment. This article focuses on the dependency court, where child maltreatment cases are heard, specifically court participation in collaborative activities and court practice improvements. Findings indicate that perceptions of judicial leadership varied considerably by site. Cross-training appeared to increase over time, particularly with court staff. Collaborative efforts emerged across the Greenbook initiative with regard to the courts, and some innovative practices appeared within Greenbook sites, such as separate case plans for perpetrators and victims of violence in families, reducing the likelihood of controversial failure to protect charges. Results also highlight challenges inherent in changing court practices. Research and practice implications are discussed, focusing on relevance to other communities attempting to work collaboratively with the court system.
Organizational professionalism in globalizing law firms
Authors: Faulconbridge James , Muzio Daniel
Published: March 2008

Are the challenges of globalization, technology and competition exercising a dramatic impact on professional practice while, in the process, compromising traditional notions of professionalism, autonomy and discretion? This article engages with these debates and uses original, qualitative empirical data to highlight the vast areas of continuity that exist even in the largest globalizing law firms. While it is undoubted that growth in the size of firms and their globalization bring new challenges, these are resolved in ways that are sensitive to professional values and interests. In particular, a commitment to professional autonomy and discretion still characterizes the way in which these firms operate and organize themselves. This situation is explained in terms of the development of an organizational model of professionalism, whereby the large organization is increasingly emerging as a primary locus of professionalization and whereby professional priorities and objectives are increasingly supported by organizational logics, systems and initiatives.
Sociology contra government? The contest for the meaning of unemployment in UK policy debates
Authors: Cole Matthew
Published: March 2008

The 1980s witnessed an intense political and ideological struggle over unemployment in Britain, which often involved sociologists defending the unemployed against real or perceived governmental attacks on their work ethic. Notwithstanding valid criticisms of the practical efficacy of supply-side unemployment policies, this rebuttal of governmental`victim-blaming'tactics restricted a deeper critique of the meaning and purpose of work, and perversely helped to reproduce a moral discourse of work in symbiosis with the Thatcher government. Subsequent critiques of New Labour policies have frequently perpetuated this moral discourse, through explicitly or tacitly positing (paid) `work' as the preferred or only `solution' to the `problem' of unemployment.An alternative solution could be a guaranteed income policy. This could both challenge the moral discourse of work and direct policy critique away from areas that teleologically inscribe preferred lifestyles such as that of paid worker.
Shift work and child behavioral outcomes
Authors: Han Wen-Jui
Published: March 2008

Using a large, contemporary US dataset, the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth — Child Supplement, this article explores the relationship between maternal shift work and the behavioral outcomes for children aged four to 10. Special attention was given to subgroups of children (e.g. based on family type, family income, and mother's occupation and working hours) and the patterns of parental work schedules and work hours. Regression results suggest that maternal shift work may contribute to more behavioral problems. Of all children whose mothers worked non-day shifts, the strongest associations were found for children who lived in single-mother or low-income families, whose mothers worked in cashier or service occupations, and whose mothers worked non-day shifts full-time. Implications for future research are discussed.
Skills and occupational attainment: a comparative study of Germany, Denmark and the UK
Authors: Dieckhoff Martina
Published: March 2008

This article investigates the impact of vocational education and training on labour market outcomes in Germany, Denmark, and the UK. Using the European Community Household Panel the article analyses how workers with vocational training fare in comparison to both their untrained counterparts and those with higher levels of general education. Three outcomes are examined: wages, the odds of being in a lower-skilled job, and the odds of being in professional employment. The results show that returns to vocational training differ markedly across the three countries studied.
Sperm Banking for Adolescents With Cancer
Authors: Ogle Susan K. , Hobbie Wendy L. , Carlson Claire A. , Meadows Anna T. , Reilly Maureen M. , Ginsberg Jill P.
Published: March 2008

Recent advances in diagnostic and therapeutic methods in pediatric oncology have led to greater survival rates in children with malignancies. However, major long-term complications can occur that limit the quality of survival, infertility being one of them. Chemotherapy, radiation treatment, surgery, and combinations of these treatments have been implicated in causing infertility, with males being especially sensitive to therapy. Cryopreservation of semen, or sperm banking, is an easy, widely available means to preserve fertility for adolescent and young adult males with cancer. In this article, the pertinent literature is reviewed, and a sperm-banking program is described. Recommendations are offered for institutions attempting to develop a successful program, and the nurse's role in education and facilitation is discussed.
Hybrid Reality and Location-Based Gaming: Redefining Mobility and Game Spaces in Urban Environments
Authors: de Souza e Silva Adriana
Published: March 2008

Hybrid reality games and location-based mobile games use urban spaces as the game scenario and are played with the aid of mobile technologies equipped with location awareness and Internet connection. This article conceptualizes hybrid reality and location-based mobile games within the area of game studies via their three main characteristics: mobility, sociability, and spatiality. In addition, the article proposes a theoretical framework for studying these games focusing on the possible implications of transforming urban spaces in playful environments. Last, one location-based mobile game, BOTFIGHTERS, and one hybrid reality game, CAN YOU SEE ME NOW? are used as examples of how these games (a) create a new logic of game space, (b) transform the relationship between serious life and playful spaces, and (c) transform the perception of urban spaces and patterns of mobility through the city.
Focus Groups With Deaf and Hearing Youths in Brazil: Improving a Questionnaire on Sexual Behavior and HIV/AIDS
Authors: Alquati Bisol Cláudia , Sperb Tania Mara , Moreno-Black Geraldine
Published: March 2008

The authors' aim is to describe the analysis of focus group discussions with deaf and hearing adolescents. They conducted focus groups to improve a questionnaire that will be computerized to assess the knowledge about HIV/AIDS and sexual behavior and attitudes of deaf and hearing youths in the south of Brazil. They developed four groups each with three participants aged 18 to 20 years, grouped by gender and hearing status. The analysis emphasizes discourse units formed by a portion of consecutive or nonconsecutive statements by several speakers and that developed around a topic of discussion. The main aspects improved in the questionnaire, adding confidence and reliability to the research, were choice of words or expressions, contextual differences between the target population and the researchers due to age and cultural and educational backgrounds, and the appropriateness of content in questions and answers.
From Interdisciplinary to Transdisciplinary Research: A Case Study
Authors: Austin Wendy , Park Caroline , Goble Erika
Published: March 2008

The specialization of contemporary academia necessitates the adoption of a multidisciplinary approach to study topics that cross multiple disciplines, including the area of medical ethics. However, the nature of multidisciplinary research is limited in some regards, further requiring some researchers to use interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary approaches. The authors present as a case study a research project in bioethics that began as an interdisciplinary study and which, through the research process, moved to being a transdisciplinary study in health ethics. They outline not only this transformation but also the strengths and difficulties of transdisciplinary research in the area of ethics.
How Do Subjectively-Constructed Meanings Ascribed to Anti-HIV Treatments Affect Treatment-Adherent Practice?
Authors: Wong W. K. Tim , Ussher Jane
Published: March 2008

Anti-HIV treatment-adherent practice is a significant issue in HIV medical discourses on effective disease treatment and management. Findings from research studies into treatment (non)adherence have positioned the act as a medical issue that could be remedied by behavioral strategies. The present study, conducted in Sydney, Australia, aims to examine treatment-(non)adherent practice as a subjective expression of meanings ascribed to treatments by employing a narrative analytical approach informed by poststructuralist epistemology. The findings indicate that people with HIV negotiate and position treatments in particular ways that lead to multiple and varied understanding of treatments. The ways treatments are positioned in their everyday lives suggest that meanings ascribed to treatments impact on the way individuals negotiate demands embedded in the medically-constructed practice of adherence.
Exploring One's Own Human Condition: Adults Affected by Cystic Fibrosis
Authors: Huyard Caroline
Published: March 2008

Drawing on a sample of 11 interviews in France with adults affected by cystic fibrosis, and applying grounded-theory analysis, I describe illness-related learning processes in the case of persons affected by a genetic disorder with early onset. Three outcomes might be of interest to health professionals. First, the diagnosis of genetic disease does not imply that the patients consider themselves to be ill. The meaning of being affected by a genetic disorder has to be understood. Second, these patients gain a particular knowledge of their illness that helps them undertake or avoid certain actions to achieve goals they consider important, through a process I call “critical internalization.” Third, these patients exhibit similarities with Freidson's classical medical practitioner's clinical mind, although health is not at all their main priority.
Chronic Whiplash-Associated Disorders and Their Treatment Using Flotation-REST (Restricted Environmental Stimulation Technique)
Authors: Edebol Hanna , Åke Bood Sven , Norlander Torsten
Published: March 2008

In this study, we investigated for the first time whether flotation-REST might be used for treating chronic whiplash-associated disorders (WAD). Six women and one man, all diagnosed by licensed physicians as having chronic whiplash-associated disorder, participated. Two of the participants were beginners with regard to flotation-REST (2 or 3 treatments), and five of them had experienced between 7 and 15 treatments. The method for data collection was the semistructured qualitative interview. The empirical phenomenological psychological method devised by Karlsson was used for the analyses. Two qualitative models explaining the participants' experiences of flotation-REST emerged. The models describe the participants' experiences of flotation-REST, as well as the short-term effects of the treatment in terms of five phases: (a) intensification, (b) vitalization, (c) transcendation, (d) defocusation, and (e) reorientation. Results indicated that flotation-REST is a meaningful alternative for treating chronic whiplash-associated disorder.
Circuit Breaking: Pathways of Treatment Seeking for Women With Endometriosis in Australia
Authors: Manderson Lenore , Warren Narelle , Markovic Milica
Published: March 2008

Pain resulting from endometriosis is experienced as both a chronic, ongoing condition and an acute episode at time of menstruation, often occurring in association with diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, heavy bleeding, and other reactions. Women expect pain with menstruation, however, and even if they experience major disruptions as a result, they find it difficult to distinguish normal from pathological discomfort. Drawing on qualitative research conducted from 2004 to 2006, we describe the “circuit breakers” that lead Australian women to seek medical advice. These include outside intercession, major disruptions to everyday life, changes in embodied experience, and difficulties in conception and pregnancy. Women's ideas of menstrual pain as “normal” are shared by doctors, resulting in further delays before a definitive diagnosis of endometriosis is made. During this time, women move between doctors and in and out of medical care, which they described through particular narrative styles to highlight the complexity of help seeking. We explore the ways in which ideas of gender, informed by women's embodiment but also the quality of their reporting of symptoms, influence their interactions with health professionals.
Dealing With Chronic Pain: Giving Voice to the Experiences of Mothers With Chronic Pain and Their Children
Authors: Evans Subhadra , de Souza Lorraine
Published: March 2008

Despite the substantial monetary, personal, and social cost of chronic pain, research into the family life of sufferers is wanting. Parents dealing with chronic pain, as well as their children, have been particularly neglected. Using qualitative interview data from 16 mothers suffering from a variety of chronic pain conditions, and their 21 children, aged 6 to 12 years, we explored the impact of maternal chronic pain on mothers and children. Consistent with a gains-and-loss theory and the strengths perspective, the findings revealed both positive and challenging aspects of pain. Despite the presence of risks—including maternal stress, parenting difficulties, and children's distress—maternal chronic pain also provided opportunities for growth in many families. The findings suggest that maternal chronic pain can catalyze enhanced development as well as adversity. Researchers and clinicians should be aware of the pitfalls facing families dealing with chronic pain, while remaining open to the possibility that some families might flourish.
Continuity Amid Chaos: Neurotrauma, Loss of Memory, and Sense of Self
Authors: Medved Maria I. , Brockmeier Jens
Published: March 2008

In serious illness or disability, individuals commonly say that their sense of self has dramatically changed. One might expect that the experience of a radically altered sense of self would be even more profound in individuals after neurotrauma because it is the brain itself that suddenly, and often literally, becomes “strange.” The aim of this study was to investigate how people left with autobiographical memory impairments—impairments that also affect the capacity to organize complex linguistic productions such as autobiographical narratives—experience themselves and, specifically, their sense of self. Seven adults who had primarily anterograde memory impairments for 1 year were interviewed. Regardless of the profound changes in their everyday functioning and lives, the stories the participants told evoke a surprising sense of a continuous self. Employing several narrative and discursive techniques, they emphasized sameness and an unbroken connection between their pre- and post-morbid lives. We believe that most individuals felt they did not have to recover their former sense of self because they subjectively seemed to have never lost it.
Morphine: A Protective or Destructive Role in Neurons?
Authors: Yan Zhang  , Qiuyue Chen  , Yu Long-Chuan
Published: March 2008

Morphine has received intensive research interest for a long time. However, until recently, the protective versus destructive roles of morphine in the neuronal system have not been studied. There is evidence suggesting that morphine induces apoptotic cell death in neuronal and glial cells, whereas controversial studies support a neuroprotective role for morphine. The exact mechanisms for both protective and destructive pathways are not clear and are still under investigation. Improved understanding of morphine neuroprotection and neurotoxicity will be helpful to control morphine side effects in medical applications and to identify new targets for potential therapies and prevention strategies to opioid addiction. NEUROSCIENTIST 14(6):561-570, 2008. DOI:
How Do High-Risk Youth Use the Internet? Characteristics and Implications for Prevention
Authors: Wells Melissa , Mitchell Kimberly J.
Published: March 2008

Using data from the Second Youth Internet Safety Survey, a nationally representative telephone survey of 1,500 youth Internet users (ages 10 to 17), this study explores differences in Internet use characteristics between high risk youth and other Internet users. Those youth who engaged in aggressive behavior online and those who used the Internet on a cell phone were about twice as likely to be classified as high risk (having experienced high parent conflict or child maltreatment) as compared to other Internet users. Those youth who talked with known friends online were significantly less likely to be included in the high risk group. Controlling for demographic and Internet use characteristics, youth who received an aggressive sexual solicitation were almost 2.5 times as likely to report experiencing physical abuse, sexual abuse or high parent conflict. Implications for prevention are discussed, including avenues for reaching high risk populations of youth.
Inattention, Hyperactivity, and Oppositional– Defiant Symptoms in Brazilian Adolescents
Authors: Serra-Pinheiro Maria Antonia , Mattos Paulo , Angélica Regalla Maria
Published: March 2008

Objective: To assess hyperactivity (H/I), inattention (IN), and oppositional—defiant (OP) symptoms in a nonclinical Brazilian sample of adolescents, and to investigate the association between scoring profiles of teachers and parents, symptom levels, and gender. Method: Symptoms were assessed through the Swanson, Nolan, and Pelhman (SNAP-IV) Questionnaires distributed for teachers and parents to fill out. Score means and prevalence rates based on Criterion A of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed.) for ADHD or oppositional—defiant disorder were estimated. Agreement rates between teachers and parents were calculated for each group of symptoms. Mean scores were compared by gender. Results: Between 7% and 33% of students were rated as having high scores of symptoms. Boys and girls had the same level of symptoms, when scored by parents. Teachers rated boys as having more H/I and OP symptoms. Parents gave scores significantly higher for H/I and OP symptoms, and teachers rated more students as inattentive. Conclusions: H/I, IN, and OP symptoms were highly prevalent in this nonclinical sample. Few differences between boys and girls were observed in symptom levels. Teachers and parents have different scoring profiles for the different SNAP subscales and are probably influenced by cultural aspects. (J. of Att. Dis. 2008; 12(2) 135-140)
Hyperactivity in a Sample of Omani Schoolboys
Authors: Al-Sharbati Marwan , Al-Adawi Samir , Ganguly Shyam , Al-Lawatiya Salwa , Al-Mshefri Faysal
Published: March 2008

Objective: There is a dearth of cross-cultural research on hyperactivity. This article aims to quantify the prevalence of hyperactivity in schoolboys residing in an Arab/Islamic country, Oman. Method: 1,502 Omani schoolboys from eight randomly selected schools representing the urban population of Oman were screened for various indices of hyperactivity and psychosocial and academic functioning using the short version of Conners' Teacher Rating Scale and other ecologically valid assessment measures. Results: 7.8 % of the sample exhibited hyperactivity, which was strongly associated with indices of conduct disorder, poor school performance, and behavioral disorders (such as aggression, stealing, and lying). Sociodemographic variables such as child's rank, number of siblings, and parental education were not significant. Conclusion: To our knowledge, this is one of the few quantifications of the prevalence of hyperactivity in the Arabian Gulf region. The high prevalence of hyperactivity found by this study suggests that it is increasingly becoming a global challenge. (J. of Att. Dis. 2008; 12(3) 264-269)