bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Diagnostic Stability 2 Years After Treatment Initiation in the Early Psychosis Intervention Programme in Singapore
Authors: Subramaniam Mythily , Pek Elaine , Verma Swapna , Huak Chan Yiong , Ann Chong Siow
Published: May 2007

Objective: To evaluate the diagnostic stability of psychotic disorders over a 2 year period in patients presenting with first-episode psychosis.

Methods: One hundred and fifty-four patients were recruited from an early psychosis intervention programme (EPIP). They were diagnosed by the attending psychiatrist using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I at first contact (baseline) and after 24 months. The diagnoses were classified into the following categories: schizophrenia spectrum disorders (schizophrenia, schizophreniform disorder and schizoaffective disorder), affective psychosis (bipolar and major depressive disorders with psychotic symptoms), and other non-affective psychosis (delusional disorder, psychosis not otherwise specified and brief psychotic disorder). Two measueres of stability, the prospective and the retrospective consistency were determined for each diagnosis.

Results: The diagnoses with the best prospective consistency were schizophrenia (87.0%) and affective psychosis (54.5%). The shift into schizophrenia spectrum disorder was the most frequent diagnostic change. Duration of untreated psychosis was found to be the only significant predictor of shift.

Conclusion: It is difficult to make a definitive diagnosis at first contact. The clinical need to review the diagnosis throughout the period of follow up is emphasized.
Suicide in New South Wales Prisons, 1995–2005: Towards a Better Understanding
Authors: O'Driscoll Colmán , Samuels Anthony , Zacka Mark
Published: May 2007

Objectives: This paper reports on a review of suicides in New South Wales (NSW) prisons from 1 January 1995 to 31 December 2005 in an attempt to gain a better understanding of the nature and quality of the problem of suicide among prisoners.

Method: All deaths in NSW prisons for the period were reviewed. Those identified as self-inflicted, with a coronial finding of death by suicide or those awaiting a coronial hearing but reported as possible death by suicide were included. A data set was collected on each case and entered into a database.

Results: A total of 92 cases were identified as deaths by suicide in NSW prisons from 1 January 1995 to 31 December 2005, representing 41% of all deaths in custody for the period.

Conclusion: The rate of suicide in NSW prisons has been declining over the past 10 years, but remains approximately 10-fold that of the NSW community. Suicide was the leading cause of death among NSW inmates from 1995 to 2005. Suicide is a rare event, making its prediction a difficult task, with the prison environment a further compounding factor. This review highlights a number of factors, which appear to be common in many cases. Increased monitoring during the first week of incarceration may be an effective intervention. It is recommended that consideration be given to the length of time spent on remand and the value of custodial sentences of ≤6 months.
Maternal Partner Criminality and Cannabis use in Young Adulthood: Prospective Study
Authors: Hayatbakhsh Mohammad R. , Kinner Stuart A. , Jamrozik Konrad , Najman Jake M. , Mamun Abdullah A.
Published: May 2007

Objectives: The present study examined whether the experience of the arrest or incarceration of a mother's partner before a child reached 14 years of age was associated with use of cannabis in early adulthood and, if so, whether this association was confounded or mediated by other factors.

Method: Data were from the Mater Hospital University of Queensland Study of Pregnancy, a prospective birth cohort study in Brisbane, Australia. The history of partner arrest and incarceration was reported by mothers at the 14 year follow up. Mothers were divided into four groups: mothers whose partner had no history of arrest or incarceration, mothers reporting partner arrest, mothers reporting partner incarceration, and unpartnered mothers. Young adults’ cannabis use was assessed at 21 years. Other covariates were prospectively measured between birth and 14 years.

Results: After controlling for potential confounding and mediating factors, frequent use of cannabis at age 21 was more likely among young adults with a history of maternal partner arrest (odds ratio=2.3; 95% confidence interval: 1.4–3.8). There was no significant association between maternal partner incarceration or single motherhood, and cannabis use at age 21.

Conclusions: Arrest of the mother's partner before the child is 14 is associated with that child's increased cannabis use at age 21 but this does not appear to be the case for children whose fathers have been imprisoned. It appears that for children whose fathers have been arrested, the father's ongoing presence in the family may result in worse outcomes for the child, including an increased risk of cannabis use in young adulthood.
Process of Care in General Hospital Psychiatric Units: National Survey In Italy
Authors: Gigantesco Antonella , Miglio Rossella , Santone Giovanni , de Girolamo Giovanni , Bracco Renata , Morosini Pierluigi , Norcio Bruno , Picardi Angelo ,   for the PROGRES group
Published: May 2007

Objective: To investigate the process of care in Italian public acute inpatient facilities.

Method: Each facility's head psychiatrist (in all Italian regions except Sicily) completed a structured interview concerning provision of treatment and facility rules.

Results: Twenty-three university psychiatric clinics with 399 beds (mean=17.3 beds), 16 24 h community mental health centers with 98 beds (mean=6.1 beds), and 262 general hospital psychiatric units with 3431 beds (mean=13.1 beds) were surveyed. Mean length of stay was 18.5±7.1 days, 37.0±55.3 days and 12.0±3.4 days, respectively. Pharmacotherapy was ubiquitous. Approximately 80% of facilities held regular clinical evaluations, supportive talks, and counselling. Dynamic focused psychotherapy was available in 29% of the facilities; 24% provided cognitive behavioural therapy; 32% family therapy; and 39% structured rehabilitative intervention. Vocational training and activities targeted at helping patient integration into their local communities were uncommon. Most facilities did not allow the possession of cutting utensils (96%), personally possessed medication (96%), or lighters (72%), and most had locked doors (75%). Fewer facilities (37%) prohibited the use of mobile phones (32%) and metal knives during mealtimes (37%). Frequency of physical restraint was associated with number of internal rules. Delivery of psychotherapy was associated with nurst provision.

Conclusions: The process of psychiatric inpatient care in Italy shows considerable variability. Future clinical practice guidelines should address the currently limited provision of evidence-based psychosocial intervention in these facilities. Efforts should also be devoted to improving the effectiveness of the hospital–community mental health service interface.
Implicit attitudes towards romantic partners predict well‐being in stressful life conditions: Evidence from the antenatal maternity ward
Authors: Banse Rainer , Kowalick Claudia
Published: May 2007

An idiographic variant of the Implicit Association Test (IAT; Greenwald, McGhee, & Schwartz, 1998) was used to investigate how implicit attitudes towards romantic partners are related to explicit attitudes, relationship‐related variables such as adult attachment and relationship satisfaction, and psychological well‐being as a potential outcome of relationship quality. The validity of the Partner‐IAT was investigated using a known group approach that contrasted abused women currently living in a refuge (N = 22), women who had recently fallen in love (N = 19), women who were currently hospitalized due to pregnancy complications (N = 48), and a control group of female students (N = 52). Across the whole sample, the Partner‐IAT showed satisfactory internal consistency (α  =  .83). As expected, the analysis of group differences revealed that abused women living in a refuge showed more negative implicit and explicit attitudes toward (ex‐)partners than women belonging to the other three groups. Women in love showed the most positive partner attitudes, but the difference to the control group reached significance only for explicit but not implicit attitudes. Implicit attitudes toward partners correlated significantly with explicit attitudes, secure attachment, and psychological well‐being. To investigate whether implicit and explicit partner attitudes can predict important relationship outcomes, psychological well‐being was regressed on both variables in group‐wise hierarchical multiple regression analyses. Explicit partner attitudes were significantly related to psychological well‐being in student controls and hospitalized pregnant women. However, only in hospitalized pregnant women did implicit attitudes account for variance in well‐being over and above explicit attitudes. This pattern of results is compatible with the notion that positive implicit representations of the romantic partner can function as a genuine coping resource that effectively buffers against major stressful life circumstances.
The role of information presentation formats in belief updating
Authors: Shen Yung‐Cheng , Hue Chih‐Wei
Published: May 2007

The effects of the format by which information is presented on the cognitive processes of belief updating were investigated in the present research. Because of the differences in the affordance of verbal vs. numerical information, it is predicted that the belief updating processes involved in processing verbal and numerical information would be different. Specifically, the additive rule is used to combine information using verbal formats, while the averaging rule is used to combine information using numerical formats. Two experiments were conducted to test these hypotheses. Experiment 1 tested the belief updating process in the positive direction, and Experiment 2 tested the process in the negative direction. Two independent variables were manipulated: information presentation format (verbal vs numerical) and presentation order (strong–weak vs weak–strong). The participants were asked to adjust their purchase likelihood of a consumer product based on the sequential presentations of two experts' opinions. These two opinions varied in their formats (verbal vs. numerical) and strengths (strong vs weak). The two opinions were presented in either the strong–weak order or the weak–strong order. Participants were instructed to first anchor their purchase likelihood at 50%, and then adjust the purchase likelihood, first based on the first expert's opinion, and second based on both experts' opinions. In both experiments the hypotheses that participants employed an additive rule to integrate verbal information and an averaging rule to integrate numerical information were supported.
Transnational Marriages, Gendered Citizenship, and the Dilemma of Iranian Women Married to Afghan Men
Authors: Zahedi Ashraf
Published: May 2007

With the emerging political stability in Afghanistan, Afghan refugees residing in Iran are scheduled to repatriate to Afghanistan. Many Afghan men have married Iranian women and their repatriation has caused a major dilemma for their Iranian wives. The dilemma stems from the Iranian citizenship laws which disadvantage Iranian women in transfer of their citizenship to their non-Iranian husbands and their children. Thousands of children born of these Iranian mothers and non-Iranian fathers are not recognized as Iranian citizens. They are considered Afghan nationals and are, thus, not entitled to benefit from state-funded education and health services. These children's uncertain futures have magnified the unequal status of Iranian women as mothers and served as an impetus to demand change in the Iranian citizenship laws. This paper seeks to explain gendered citizenship in Iran and explores the socio-legal challenges faced by these women.
The Return of the Aryan Myth: Tajikistan in Search of a Secularized National Ideology
Authors: Laruelle Marlene
Published: May 2007

For more than a decade, the five Central Asian republics have been “readjusting” their academic institutions in response to the new borders created by the fall of the USSR and subsequent independence in 1991. Both the university system and the Academy of Sciences have been called on to rethink their research policy in order to meet the new national stakes and current political demands. Thus, the elaboration of a national discourse is a particularly relevant object of study in order to observe the different modes of legitimization of the new Central Asian states and the scholarly tools they deem necessary for their political ratification. Consequently, in retracing the genealogy of the contemporary historical analyses we must pose a question regarding the development of the academic disciplines and the data concerning their political environment. Does Tajik independence in 1991 involve rethinking the genesis of the nation and the scholarly fields linked to the elaboration of the national narrative? Why have the political authorities declared 2006 the “year of the Aryan civilization”?
Women's Work and the Growth of Civil Society in Post-War Bosnia
Authors: Simmons Cynthia
Published: May 2007

Civil society, to the extent that it exists today in Bosnia, has developed alongside the recasting of women's roles in public life. Researchers equate civil society in Bosnia today almost exclusively with non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The early post-war NGOs grew out of the peace movement that took shape before and during the open conflict of 1992–1995. Peace organizations evolved to a large extent from feminist organizing and organizations in the Yugoslav republics of Croatia, Serbia, and Slovenia. Thus, to study the origins of Bosnian civil society, we must begin with the struggle for equal rights for women in modern Yugoslavia.
Risks and pleasures: a Deleuzo‐Guattarian pedagogy of desire in education
Authors: Zembylas Michalinos
Published: May 2007

This article provides an analysis of a pedagogy of desire from a Deleuzo‐Guattarian perspective. A pedagogy of desire can be theorised in ways that mobilise creative, transgressive and pleasurable forces within teaching and learning environments. It also enables a new view on affect in education as a landscape of becoming in which forces, surfaces and flows of teachers/students are caught up in a desiring ontology. This marks an attempt to reclaim the notion of desire away from a purely negative, repressive or libidinal framework. The claim of pedagogy of desire is that through the mobilisation and release of desiring production, teachers and students make available to themselves the powerful flows of desire, thereby turning themselves into subjects who subvert normalised representations and significations and find access to a radical self. Some strategies and practical implications are offered to suggest how this approach to pedagogy may function in educational contexts.
The short‐term and the long‐term effect of primary schools and classes on mathematics and language achievement scores
Authors: Pustjens Heidi , Van de Gaer Eva , Van Damme Jan , Onghena Patrick , Van Landeghem Georges
Published: May 2007

A considerable body of previous research has demonstrated that differences between schools and classes have an impact on students' learning and acquisition of skills. It is not yet clear, however, whether the effects persist in the longer term. The present study examines the effect of primary schools and classes on language and mathematics achievement over a period of two years after leaving primary education. Considerable short‐term effects of the primary school and class on achievement levels at the end of primary education were found. Multilevel models with a cross‐classified structure were constructed to estimate the long‐term effects. Differences between secondary schools and classes turned out to be much more important for achievement in secondary education than the long‐term effects of primary schools and classes, which were small and died out fast.
Renal artery aneurysm: diagnosis and surveillance with multidetector-row computed tomography
Authors: Zhang L. J. , Yang G. F. , Qi J. , Shen W.
Published: May 2007

Purpose: To investigate the prevalence of renal artery aneurysms, and to assess the value of multidetector-row computed tomography (MDCT) in diagnosing renal artery aneurysms.

Material and Methods: Altogether, 862 patients underwent arterial-phase contrast-enhanced CT scan of the abdomen in the period November 2003 to October 2005. A search for renal artery aneurysms was performed in our reporting system and revealed six patients with renal artery aneurysm (RAA).

Results: The incidence of RAA was 0.7%. All renal artery aneurysms were solitary, located in the main trunk or the first branch of the renal artery, with sizes from 1.5 cm to 3.4 cm. Five aneurysms were saccular, one fusiform. No underlying thrombosis was seen. Extensive calcification was found in one aneurysm. Three aneurysms were diagnosed using axial images, while three aneurysms were only displayed by volume rendering and maximum-intensity projection images.

Conclusion: This study demonstrates a 0.7% incidence of renal artery aneurysms in a total of 862 patients. MDCT has an important role in detecting and assessing renal artery aneurysms. Some aneurysms can only be displayed by post-processing techniques such as volume rendering and maximum-intensity projection.
Radiofrequency ablation of colorectal liver metastases: long-term survival
Authors: Sørensen S. M. , Mortensen F. V. , Nielsen D. T.
Published: May 2007

Purpose: To evaluate the results of radiofrequency ablation (RFA) therapy with regard to long-term survival and rate of complications in patients with liver metastases from colorectal carcinoma.

Material and Methods: A total of 102 patients were included and treated with RFA. In 100 patients, resection was not possible; two patients refused surgery. The patients had a total of 332 colorectal liver metastases. Pre- and post-treatment evaluation was performed with contrast-enhanced computed tomography. Survival from time of diagnosis of liver metastases was calculated by Kaplan-Meier analysis. Complications were recorded as minor or major in accordance with the definitions of the Society for Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiology.

Results: Estimated median survival from time of diagnosis of liver metastases was 52 months (95% CI 34–82). Estimated 1-, 2-, 3-, 4-, and 5-year survival was 96%, 79%, 64%, 52%, and 44%, respectively. Minor complications were recorded following seven RFA treatments (4.0%) and major complications following 12 RFA treatments (6.9%).

Conclusion: RFA is an effective method to treat liver metastases from colorectal carcinoma. Survival is improved and comparable with survival following surgical resection. The rate of complications is low.
Preoperative embolization of lower-falx meningiomas with ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer: technical and anatomical aspects
Authors: Rossitti S.
Published: May 2007

Purpose: To report the feasibility of using ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer (EVAC) for embolization of lower-falx meningiomas.

Material and Methods: Three patients were treated. The procedures were done under general anesthesia. A terminal branch of the middle cerebral artery in the proximity of the tumor was catheterized as near as possible or into the pre-falcine arterial anastomotic network around the superior sagittal sinus, and embolization with EVAC was performed with a standard injection technique.

Results: This technique resulted in filling of the tumor-supplying dural arteries including all collaterals from both sides, filling of the dural territory of the tumor circulation, and some obliteration of the tumor's pial supply. On later operation, the tumors could be removed from the inside out with minimal brain retraction.

Conclusion: Effective preoperative embolization of lower-falx meningiomas using EVAC is feasible. This technique has a sound anatomical basis, and it can be used with benefit even in falx meningiomas with predominantly pial vascular supply.
Magnetic resonance imaging of the femoral neck cortex
Authors: Sievänen H. , Karstila T. , Apuli P. , Kannus P.
Published: May 2007

Purpose: To determine the in vivo precision and accuracy of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in evaluating the thin (˜mm) femoral neck cortex.

Material and Methods: Hip regions of 30 volunteers were scanned with standard 1.5T MRI twice with repositioning, and the images of the narrow-neck cross-sections were obtained. Two radiologists independently delineated periosteal and endosteal cortical boundaries, and several structural variables were determined. For precision, 95% limits of agreement and coefficients of variation were calculated. Accuracy was determined with phantoms.

Results: In vivo precision of the directly delineated measurements varied from 0.9% (periosteal circumference) to 1.6% (total area), while the precision of the calculated variables remained poorer, from 7.3% (cortical to total area ratio) to 15.1% (torsional rigidity). The root-mean-square error of the cortical thickness measurement was 0.15 mm.

Conclusion: Thin cortical bone at the narrowest location of the femoral neck can be delineated precisely and accurately with a standard clinical 1.5T MRI device. MRI provides a feasible tool for the assessment of mechanically important cortical bone at the femoral neck and may be of clinical utility in assessing hip fragility.
The exactness of left ventricular segmentation in cine magnetic resonance imaging and its impact on systolic function values
Authors: Barbier Ebeling C. , Johansson L. , Lind L. , Ahlström H. , Bjerner T.
Published: May 2007

Purpose: To evaluate the impact of exactness of the segmentation of the left ventricle (LV), using cine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Material and methods: Steady-state free-precession cine MRI was performed on 100 randomly selected subjects. Myocardial borders were outlined on short-axis images using three methods: method 1 was computer assisted, excluding papillary muscles from the left ventricular mass (LVM); method 2 was similar but included papillary muscles; and method 3 was manually traced including papillary muscles. LV end-systolic (ES) and end-diastolic (ED) masses and volumes, ejection fraction (EF), stroke volume (SV), and cardiac output (CO) were calculated from these measurements. The difference between the ES and ED LVM was used to estimate the exactness of the methods.

Results: Method 3 was the most exact, and method 1 was the least exact. The three methods generated differing EF, SV, and CO measurements. With an ES–ED LVM difference exceeding 20 g, the mean SV measurement error was 8.8±3.6 ml.

Conclusion: Manual tracing proved more exact than computer-assisted quantification. Exactness had an impact on EF, SV, and CO measurements, and the ES–ED LVM difference can be used to identify assessments that would benefit from more exact segmentation.
Detection of early vessel leakiness in acute ischemic stroke using computed tomography perfusion may indicate hemorrhagic transformation
Authors: Bisdas S. , Hartel M. , Cheong L. H. , Koh T. S.
Published: May 2007

This short communication presents significantly increased permeability in two patients with acute stroke, indicating an early blood–brain barrier disruption. Neither of the patients had undergone any thrombolytic therapy and hemorrhaged later. Increased permeability was assessed in both patients using a distributed-parameter model of capillary-tissue exchange. Our findings indicate that early physiologic imaging in stroke may identify patients with a high risk of hemorrhagic transformation by revealing pathologic vascular changes and, thus, guide therapeutic options.
Embolization of accessory left gastric artery to prevent acute gastric mucosal lesions in patients undergoing repeated hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy
Authors: Yamagami T. , Kato T. , Hirota T. , Yoshimatsu R. , Matsumoto T. , Nishimura T.
Published: May 2007

Purpose: To retrospectively evaluate results of selective embolization of the accessory left gastric artery prior to repeated hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy using a port-catheter system.

Material and Methods: Of 22 patients with unresectable advanced liver cancer who underwent percutaneous implantation of a port-catheter system, an accessory left gastric artery was revealed by arteriography in 16 patients before and in six patients after port-catheter implantation. The right gastric artery was embolized to prevent gastric mucosal lesions in all 22 patients. In addition, the accessory left gastric artery was selectively embolized for the same purpose using from one to six microcoils, which were from 3 to 5 mm in diameter. Within 10 days after implantation, arteriography was performed while contrast material was infused via the port.

Results: Selective embolization of the accessory left gastric artery was successful in all 22 patients. No complication related to embolization of this artery occurred in any patient. A gastrointestinal mucosal lesion developed in only one case during hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy, but was unrelated to the accessory left gastric artery.

Conclusion: Prophylactic embolization of the accessory left gastric artery is useful to avoid development of a gastrointestinal mucosal lesion resulting from hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy.
Mammographic features of local recurrence after conservative surgery and radiation therapy: comparison with that of the primary tumor
Authors: Günhan-Bilgen I. , Oktay A.
Published: May 2007

Purpose: To compare the mammographic features of recurrent breast cancer with those of the primary tumor and to determine whether certain mammographic features are associated with a higher risk of local recurrence after breast-conserving therapy.

Material and Methods: A retrospective review of mammograms of 421 patients who were treated with conservative surgery and radiotherapy revealed 41 recurrent tumors. Mammographic findings, location, and histopathologic characteristics were retrospectively compared between primary and recurrent tumors.

Results: Recurrent tumors were similar in mammographic appearance to primary tumors in 27 (66%) cases. Of 27 primary tumors that occurred as masses without calcifications, 19 (70%) recurred as a mass, and of the six isolated calcifications, five (83%) recurred with calcifications. Ten (53%) of the 19 recurrent masses and five (100%) of the five recurrent calcifications had morphologic features that were similar to those of the primary tumor. Ninety-two percent (11/12) of the recurrences containing microcalcifications (isolated or associated with a mass) had microcalcifications in their primary tumor. Of 27 masses that recurred, the morphology of the primary tumor was obscured in 13 (48%), ill defined in 10 (37%), and spiculated in four (15%) of the masses. Seventy-six percent (31/41) of recurrences were within the lumpectomy quadrant. In 25 (61%) cases, the histologic findings from the primary tumor and the recurrence were identical.

Conclusion: The majority of recurrent tumors appear to be mammographically similar to primary tumors. Therefore, it is important to review preoperative mammograms during follow-up of these patients. Although the study population is small, it was noted that mass with spiculated contour is associated with a lower risk for local recurrence.
Imaging of brown fat associated with adrenal pheochromocytoma
Authors: Dundamadappa S. K. , Shankar S. , Danrad R. , Singh Ajay , Vijayaraghavan G. , Kim Y. , Perugini R.
Published: May 2007

The association of adrenal pheochromocytoma and brown fat has been described in the pathology literature and scantily in the radiology literature. We present a case of diffuse collection of brown fat in both perinephric spaces associated with left adrenal pheochromocytoma, and describe the computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging findings.
Traumatic lumbar artery arteriovenous fistula: preclinically detected by 16-multidetector-row computed tomography and post-processing techniques
Authors: Chou C.-P. , Pan H.-B. , Wu T.-H. , Huang F.-D. , Wu M.-T.
Published: May 2007

We report a 21-year-old woman with a penetrating abdominal wound. Injuries of the abdominal aorta and alimentary tract were found during emergency surgery. The patient had a follow-up computed tomography (CT) scan 3 months after surgery. Arterial-phase 16-row multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) showed a suspicious dilated vessel adjacent to the repaired aorta on 5-mm transverse images. A fistula between a lumbar artery and the inferior vena cava was clearly demonstrated on images reformatted with two- (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) techniques. The patient suffered from symptoms of high-output heart failure 8 months after surgery.
Magnetic resonance imaging in determination of myocardial ischemia and viability: comparison with positron emission tomography and single-photon emission computed tomography in a porcine model
Authors: Wang L. , Zhu H. Y. , Tian J. M. , Huang S. D. , Kong L. S. , Lu J. P.
Published: May 2007

Background: In patients with chronic left ventricular dysfunction, the size of the viable cardiac muscle is correlated with the prognosis and the outcome of myocardial revascularization.

Purpose: To evaluate the diagnostic value of various imaging techniques in determination of myocardial ischemia and viability.

Material and Methods: A chronic myocardial ischemia animal model was established, in which 10 pigs underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), positron emission tomography (PET), and single-photon emission computed tomography (201Tl SPECT) before and 1–2 months after modeling. The size of myocardial ischemia and necrosis was judged, and the imaging manifestations were compared with pathologic findings.

Results: Seven of the 10 animals completed all examinations uneventfully. On dobutamine-stressed cine MRI, 10 (8.93%) segments were found to be akinetic. Perfusion was abnormal in 34 (30.35%) segments. Delayed hyperenhancement was observed in 12 (10.71%) segments. PET detected myocardial necrosis in 17 (15.18%) segments, and SPECT detected myocardial necrosis in nine (8.04%) segments. Histological examination with triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) showed pale necrosis in 14 (12.50%) segments. The number of necrotic segments detected by PET was significantly greater than that by contrast-enhanced MRI (χ2 = 5, P = 0.0253, kappa = 0.8028) and cine MRI (χ2 = 7, P = 0.0082, kappa = 0.7079). It was also greater than that by TTC (χ2 = 3, P = 0.0833, kappa = 0.8879), although the difference was statistically insignificant. The number of necrotic segments detected by SPECT was significantly smaller than that by TTC (χ2 = 5, P = 0.0253, kappa = 0.7590), as was the number of necrotic segments detected by cine MRI (χ2 = 4, P = 0.0455, kappa = 0.8100). There was no statistically significant difference in the detection of necrotic segments between contrast-enhanced MRI and TTC (χ2 = 2, P = 0.1573, kappa = 0.9130).

Conclusion: Cardiac MRI can determine viable myocardium and clearly delineate the location and degree of myocardial necrosis. PET slightly overestimates the extent of the necrotic myocardium and is unable to distinguish transmural necrosis from subendocardial necrosis.
Differentiation between the two types of amiodarone-associated thyrotoxicosis using duplex and amplitude doppler sonography
Authors: Macedo T. A. A. , Chammas M. C. , Jorge P. T. , Souza L. P. , Farage L. , Watanabe T. , Santos V. A. , Cerri G. G.
Published: May 2007

Purpose: To evaluate the usefulness of Doppler parameters in the differentiation between the two types of amiodarone-associated thyrotoxicosis (AAT).

Material and Methods: One hundred thirty-seven individuals were selected at our institution. They were divided into four groups: 84 normal subjects (N), 30 euthyroids taking amiodarone (A), 14 AAT type 1 patients (AAT1), and nine AAT type 2 patients (AAT2). Each AAT type was classified according to 131I uptake and clinical outcome. Blindly, the resistance and pulsatility indexes (RI, PI), systolic peak velocity, and color pixel density (CPD) were calculated.

Results: AAT1 had greater CPD than AAT2 ( P = 0.02). The latter group had similar vascularization to the N and A groups ( P = 0.45). The area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve showed that systolic peak velocity in the inferior thyroid arteries and CPD were the best parameters in the differentiation between AAT type 1 and AAT type 2 (Az = 0.83 and 0.84, respectively). Impedance indexes were useless.

Conclusion: Our results demonstrate that objective tests such as systolic peak velocities in the thyroid arteries and CPD are reliable parameters for differentiating between the two types of AAT.
Esophageal duplication cyst causing unilateral hyperinflation of the lung in a neonate
Authors: Madhusudhan K. S. , Seith A. , Srinivas M. , Kumar Gupta A.
Published: May 2007

Esophageal duplication cysts are rare congenital anomalies. Frequently asymptomatic, they may cause respiratory distress and feeding difficulties in infants. Unilateral hyperinflation of the lung due to compression of the bronchus by the cyst is rare. We report a case of a 4-day-old male neonate presenting with respiratory distress who had an esophageal duplication cyst causing obstructive hyperinflation of the right lung. The nature of the cyst was confirmed after surgery.
Preoperative computed tomography-guided percutaneous hookwire localization of metallic marker clips in the breast with a radial approach: initial experience
Authors: Uematsu T. , Kasami M. , Uchida Y. , Sanuki J. , Kimura K. , Tanaka K. , Takahashi K.
Published: May 2007

Background: Hookwire localization is the current standard technique for radiological marking of nonpalpable breast lesions. Stereotactic directional vacuum-assisted breast biopsy (SVAB) is of sufficient sensitivity and specificity to replace surgical biopsy. Wire localization for metallic marker clips placed after SVAB is needed.

Purpose: To describe a method for performing computed tomography (CT)-guided hookwire localization using a radial approach for metallic marker clips placed percutaneously after SVAB.

Material and Methods: Nineteen women scheduled for SVAB with marker-clip placement, CT-guided wire localization of marker clips, and, eventually, surgical excision were prospectively entered into the study. CT-guided wire localization was performed with a radial approach, followed by placement of a localizing marker-clip surgical excision. Feasibility and reliability of the procedure and the incidence of complications were examined.

Results: CT-guided wire localization surgical excision was successfully performed in all 19 women without any complications. The mean total procedure time was 15 min. The median distance on CT image from marker clip to hookwire was 2 mm (range 0–3 mm).

Conclusion: CT-guided preoperative hookwire localization with a radial approach for marker clips after SVAB is technically feasible.
Magnetic resonance imaging findings of adult-onset glutaric aciduria type I
Authors: Sonmez G. , Mutlu H. , Ozturk E. , Sildiroglu H. O. , Keskin A. T. , Basekim C. C. , Kizilkaya E.
Published: May 2007

Glutaric aciduria or glutaric acidemia type I, an autosomal recessive disease, usually presents with an acute encephalopathic crisis in young children. We report the magnetic resonance (MR) and proton MR spectroscopy (MRS) imaging findings of a previously healthy 20-year-old man who presented with recurrent headaches. Organic acids from the patient's urine contained large amounts of adipate, glutarate, and 3-hydroxyglutarate consistent with glutaric aciduria type I.
E-learning is a well-accepted tool in supplementary training among medical doctors: an experience of obligatory radiation protection training in healthcare
Authors: Autti T. , Autti H. , Vehmas T. , Laitalainen V. , Kivisaari L.
Published: May 2007

Purpose: To evaluate the possibilities of Internet-based radiation protection training among referring physicians.

Material and Methods: 324 referring physicians underwent an Internet-based radiation protection training course ( www.prewise.com/radiationsafetytraining ). Two hundred ten of them (96 female, 114 male, aged 25–64 years) filled out the questionnaire, which included questions regarding their expectations for the course, its scope and schedule, and the benefit they derived from the course. In addition, we asked whether it was difficult to learn using the Internet, whether e-learning saved time, and whether they learned more or less effectively in comparison to conventional lectures.

Results: 75% found e-learning to be an easy way to study. Nineteen percent had previous experience in e-learning. Sixty-one percent found that it saved time, and 57% stated that they learned more effectively using e-learning in comparison to conventional lectures (22% chose “could not say”). Ninety-one percent found that the course fulfilled their expectations, and the scope and schedule were found convenient by 91% and 55% of subjects, respectively. Eighty-four percent stated that they benefited from the course, and 94% were willing to study using the Internet in the future. No sex or age differences were found. Subjects working in the open ward ( P = 0.028) and hospital ( P = 0.004) found the course to be more timesaving than subjects working elsewhere.

Conclusion: Finnish medical doctors are very positive about Internet-based learning. E-learning seems to be a well-accepted and practical learning method in healthcare.
Debating the Year of Africa
Authors: Brown William
Published: May 2007

Rarely can there have been so much media attention on Africa as there was in the twelve months leading up to the G8 summit in July 2005. The crescendo of media coverage which greeted the Commission for Africa's report and the following Live8, Make Poverty History and G8 gatherings came after a year which had seen the launch and subsequent deliberations of the Commission for Africa, Blair's and Brown's various high profile initiatives on aid and debt, the WTO's stalled ‘development round’ and NGO's ongoing campaigns around all of these. This focus on Africa, led by the UK which held EU and G8 presidencies in 2005, was reflected in a renewed academic focus on Africa and a restating, and some revitalisation, of debates about Africa's politics and development.
From People's Education to Neo-Liberalism in South Africa
Authors: Vally Salim
Published: May 2007

In his address at the 10th Anniversary celebration of the Foundation for Human Rights in Pretoria, 29 November 2006 Neville Alexander posed the following question:

Why is it that in spite of a constitution that was arrived at in a 20th century model of democratic bargaining and consensus building and in which are enshrined some of the noblest sentiments and insights concerning human rights, we are living in a situation where very few of those rights appear to be realised, or even realisable, in practice?

This paper attempts to answer this question through an analysis of the struggle to attain education rights in South Africa. This exercise it is hoped, will also allow us to further unravel the class nature of the South African state, the political economy of the transition (for extensive and excellent analysis of the latter see Marais, 1998; Bond, 2000 and Alexander, 2002) and the importance of the oppositional role of the new and independent social movements.
The Future of Africa's Trade with Europe: ‘New’ EU Trade Policy
Authors: Goodison Paul
Published: May 2007

Trade with Europe is currently more important for the African continent, and nearly every single country in it, than any other international economic links. Africa's future trade relationship with the European Union (EU) is now being decided in negotiations which are provoking intense debate, and to understand what is at issue it is necessary to locate these negotiations in the context of the EU's wider trade policy. This policy was recently reiterated in a more coherent and focused form in the European Commission's (EC’s) October 2006 proposal for a new trade strategy. This paper seeks to review the main elements of this ‘new’ strategy before looking at how it impacts on the EU's approach to the negotiations for ‘Economic Partnership Agreements’ (EPAs) with four groupings of African countries.1 It closes by reviewing what this will probably mean for the Africa-EU trade relationship in the future in the context of the major trends in the current processes of negotiations.
Watch Your Language
Authors: Kennedy A.L.
Published: May 2007

IT’S TIME TO RESCUE THE MEANING OF WORDS FROM SPIN DOCTORS, SPIVS AND SNAKE-OIL PEDDLERS
Tolerating Intolerance
Authors: Grayling A.C.
Published: May 2007

YOU CAN’T HAVE FREE SPEECH WITHOUT TOLERANCE — THE HEALTH OF SOCIETY DEPENDS ON THEIR DEFENCE
Risk Factors for Forced Migrant Flight
Authors: Rubin Jacqueline H. , Moore Will H.
Published: May 2007

An important type of medical study seeks to establish the risk factors for contracting various diseases. A similar, but very small, vein of research exists in peace and conflict studies, and we seek to contribute to it. Our study evaluates whether variables shown to explain variance in numbers of forced migrants can serve as risk factors that might aid contingency planning for such humanitarian crises. We study a cross-national sample of cases over the period from 1985 through 1994. Our findings indicate that annual, country-level indicators of civil war, a forced migrant episode, and human rights violations are candidate risk factors for forced migration in the following year. Interestingly, when using country-years as the unit of observation genocide is not a useful risk factor for forced migration.
Political Persecution or Economic Deprivation? A Time-Series Analysis of Haitian Exodus, 1990—2004
Authors: Shellman Stephen M. , Stewart Brandon M.
Published: May 2007

This study addresses the factors that lead individuals to flee their homes in search of refuge. Many argue that individuals abandon their homes in favor of an uncertain life elsewhere because of economic hardship, while others argue that threats to their lives, physical person, and liberty cause them to flee. This study engages the debate by analyzing flight patterns over time from Haiti to the United States as a function of economic and security factors. Which factors have the largest influence on Haitian-U.S. migratory patterns? Our results show that both economics and security play a role. However, our analyses are able to distinguish between the effects of different individual economic and security indicators on Haitian-U.S. migration.
Toward an Evolutionary Theory of Innovation and Growth in the Service Economy
Authors: Potts Jason , Mandeville Tom
Published: May 2007

We propose a theory of innovation in services based upon the development of new markets that exploit the powers of ICT to coordinate service production and delivery. As digital communications and computational infrastructure have developed over the past few decades, the scale and scope of the service sector has also evolved such that it is now, we believe, in the midst of a productivity revolution driven by the ICT enabled decomposition of services to their elemental parts and the subsequent gains through specialization and reintegration of these elements. This works to advance existing services and create new services, and so to drive the growth of economic activity. In this paper, we propose a theory of this evolutionary process.
Effective drug policy: a new approach demonstrated in the Drug Policy Modelling Program
Authors: RITTER ALISON , BAMMER GABRIELE , HAMILTON MARGARET , MAZEROLLE LORRAINE , TEAM THE DPMP
Published: May 2007

The aim of this paper is to describe a new comprehensive approach to studying illicit drug policy – one that integrates evidence, disciplinary approaches, drug use behaviours and policy making processes. The methods described here include systematic reviews of the evidence, studies of the ways in which policy decision‐making actually occurs, and the use of modelling approaches that can explicate the multi‐dimensional nature of drug policy responses and their dynamic interactions. The approach described has the potential to facilitate new drug policy that would not have been possible or apparent through the sole study of one aspect of drug policy, such as the evidence‐base or the political context or the economics of drug markets. We believe this approach may be more likely to produce strategic drug policy because it reflects the richness and complexity of the real world of drug use, and drug policy. The purpose of employing an integrative methodology is to create the potential for new drug policy insights, ideas and interventions – not restricted to one body of evidence, nor to accidental or fortuitous policy‐making processes.
Binge drinking and its detection among middle‐aged men using AUDIT, AUDIT‐C and AUDIT‐3
Authors: TUUNANEN MERVI , AALTO MAURI , SEPPÄ KAIJA
Published: May 2007

Binge (heavy episodic) drinking is common, but there is little knowledge on how this drinking pattern could be detected. This study compares three structured questionnaires among binge drinking middle‐aged men. All 45‐year‐old men in the city of Tampere, Finland, were asked to fill in the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT). Based on the interview on their drinking the men were divided into non‐binging moderate drinkers (n = 352), binging moderate drinkers (n =130), non‐binging heavy drinkers (n = 10) and binging heavy drinkers (n = 63). The complete AUDIT, AUDIT‐C (first three AUDIT questions inquiring quantity‐frequency) and AUDIT‐3 (the third binging‐frequency question of AUDIT) in detecting binge drinking were compared. The complete AUDIT was effective in detecting binge drinkers by a cut‐off score of ≥8 or ≥7. The optimal cut‐off score for AUDIT‐C was ≥6 and that for AUDIT‐3 ≥2. The area under the curve (AUC) among all risky drinkers (binging moderate and binging heavy and non‐binging heavy drinkers) for AUDIT was 0.824 (95% CI 0.789‐0.859), for AUDIT‐C 0.829 (95% CI 0.795 ‐0.864) and for AUDIT‐3 0.779 (0.739‐0.818). The complete AUDIT and its short versions are applicable in populations where binging is the dominant drinking pattern, but the cut‐off scores should be tailored to individual cultures.
Service Utilisation by Rural Residents with Mental Health Problems
Authors: Judd Fiona , Jackson Henry , Komiti Angela , Murray Greg , Fraser Caitlin
Published: May 2007

Objective: To examine the level and type of service utilisation by rural residents for mental health problems, and to explore the influence of level of need, sociodemographic factors and town size on such service use.

Method: This was a cross-sectional, community-based study. Subjects were recruited from three locales in rural north-west Victoria: a large regional centre, towns of 5,000–20,000 population and towns of <5,000 population. Three hundred and ninety-one individuals (54% females) participated. A logistic regression analysis was used to investigate which factors (i.e. need, sociodemographic and town size) predicted lifetime help-seeking for emotional or mental problems from formal health providers in the study sample.

Results: Factors that predicted having ever sought help from a formal health provider for emotional or mental health problems were: a lifetime and/or current psychiatric disorder, being female, being separated, divorced or widowed, and living in medium sized towns (population 5,000–20,000).

Conclusions: While traditionally known predictors of help-seeking, i.e need and gender, were associated with help seeking in this study, help seeking for mental health problems was also more common amongst individuals living in medium sized rural towns than those living in a large regional city. Possible explanations include availability, accessibility and organisation of services, and individual and/or community attitudes towards help seeking.