bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Audit Committee Members: What Goes on Behind Closed Doors?
Authors: Wu Julia , Habib Ahsan , Weil Sidney
Published: December 2014

Using a qualitative research paradigm, this study examines audit committee effectiveness from the perspective of audit committee members of New Zealand listed companies. The findings reveal that audit committee members perform a range of overlapping tasks and justify their existence in their audit committees by fulfilling the ‘expectations’ that are placed on them. Many quantitative research studies have examined the association between different dimensions of audit committee inputs and financial reporting outputs. The empirical evidence, however, is mixed and remains far from conclusive (Bédard and Gendron 2010). One of the primary reasons for the inconsistent findings is the lack of understanding of the actual process by which audit committees perform their responsibilities. Using a qualitative research paradigm, this study examines audit committee activities, processes and effectiveness from the perspective of audit committee members of New Zealand listed companies. The study argues that performing audit committee duties is an intended process, whereby audit committee members justify their actions and the effectiveness of their audit committees. The paper contributes to the limited literature on how audit committees operate and, by doing so, provides possible explanations for the inconsistent findings of the quantitative audit committee research. In particular, the paper invites further discussion on whether audit committee members can be (or should be assumed to be) independent when discharging their role of overseeing auditing and financial reporting‐related matters.
The longitudinal course of sleep timing and circadian preferences in adults with bipolar disorder
Authors: Seleem Mohammad A , Merranko John A , Goldstein Tina R , Goldstein Benjamin I , Axelson David A , Brent David A , Nimgaonkar Vishwajit L , Diler Rasim S , Sakolsky Dara J , Kupfer David J , Birmaher Boris
Published: December 2014

Objectives

To study the longitudinal course of sleep timing and circadian preferences in individuals with bipolar disorder (BP) compared to individuals with non‐BP psychopathology and healthy controls.

Methods

Individuals with bipolar I and bipolar II disorder (n = 257), non‐BP psychopathology (n = 105), and healthy controls (n = 55) (mean age 40.2 years, 21.3% male, 85.1% Caucasian) were followed on average every 27 months for a mean of four years. Sleep timing parameters and circadian preference were reported using the Sleep Timing Questionnaire and The Composite Scale for Morningness. Group comparisons were adjusted for multiple comparisons and between‐group differences in demographic variables and psychopharmacological treatment.

Results

Regardless of their current mood state, individuals with BP showed more sleep onset latency (SOL), wakening after sleep onset (WASO), and evening preference in comparison to both individuals with non‐BP psychopathology and healthy controls. Individuals with BP also showed less stability of bed and awakening times in comparison to the other two groups, though these results were dependent on mood state. Non‐BP individuals only showed more WASO and less stability in bed and awakening times before work/school days than healthy controls. Adjusting for comorbid disorders yielded similar results. Within‐group analyses found little to no effect of time and BP subtype on sleep timing and circadian preference.

Conclusions

Disturbances of sleep timing are prominent in individuals with BP. These disturbances are worse during mood episodes, but still apparent during euthymic periods. Evening preference was not associated with polarity type, or mood state in BP, suggesting that this characteristic may be a trait marker.
Pregnancy outcome in patients with sickle cell disease in the UK – a national cohort study comparing sickle cell anaemia (HbSS) with HbSC disease
Authors: Oteng‐Ntim Eugene , Ayensah Benjamin , Knight Marian , Howard Jo
Published: December 2014

We describe the findings from a national study of maternal and fetal outcomes of pregnancy in women with sickle cell disease (SCD). Data were collected via the United Kingdom Obstetric Surveillance System between 1 February 2010 and 31 January 2011 from 109 women, of whom 51 (46·8%) had HbSS and 44 (40·4%) had HbSC. Data included antenatal, maternal and fetal outcomes. Comparisons were made between women with HbSS and HbSC. Incidence of complications were acute pain (57%), blood transfusion (26%), urinary tract infection (UTI; 12%) and critical care unit admission (23%) and these were all more common in women with HbSS than HbSC. There was no difference in the incidence of acute chest syndrome, hypertension and venous thromboembolism between HbSS and HbSC. Women with HbSS were more likely to deliver at <37 weeks gestation (P = 0·01) and their babies were more likely to have reduced birth weight. Delivery at <34 weeks was increased in both HbSS and HbSC women (5·9% vs. 4·6%) compared to national data. This study confirms a high rate of maternal and fetal complications in mothers with SCD, even in women with HbSC, which has previously been considered to have a more benign phenotype in pregnancy.
Opioid receptors and cardioprotection – ‘opioidergic conditioning’ of the heart
Authors: Headrick John P , See Hoe Louise E , Du Toit Eugene F , Peart Jason N
Published: December 2014

Ischaemic heart disease (IHD) remains a major cause of morbidity/mortality globally, firmly established in Westernized or ‘developed’ countries and rising in prevalence in developing nations. Thus, cardioprotective therapies to limit myocardial damage with associated ischaemia–reperfusion (I–R), during infarction or surgical ischaemia, is a very important, although still elusive, clinical goal. The opioid receptor system, encompassing the δ (vas deferens), κ (ketocyclazocine) and μ (morphine) opioid receptors and their endogenous opioid ligands (endorphins, dynorphins, enkephalins), appears as a logical candidate for such exploitation. This regulatory system may orchestrate organism and organ responses to stress, induces mammalian hibernation and associated metabolic protection, triggers powerful adaptive stress resistance in response to ischaemia/hypoxia (preconditioning), and mediates cardiac benefit stemming from physical activity. In addition to direct myocardial actions, central opioid receptor signalling may also enhance the ability of the heart to withstand I–R injury. The δ‐ and κ‐opioid receptors are strongly implicated in cardioprotection across models and species (including anti‐infarct and anti‐arrhythmic actions), with mixed evidence for μ opioid receptor‐dependent protection in animal and human tissues. A small number of clinical trials have provided evidence of cardiac benefit from morphine or remifentanil in cardiopulmonary bypass or coronary angioplasty patients, although further trials of subtype‐specific opioid receptor agonists are needed. The precise roles and utility of this GPCR family in healthy and diseased human myocardium, and in mediating central and peripheral survival responses, warrant further investigation, as do the putative negative influences of ageing, IHD co‐morbidities, and relevant drugs on opioid receptor signalling and protective responses.

Linked Articles

This article is part of a themed section on Conditioning the Heart – Pathways to Translation. To view the other articles in this section visit http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/bph.2015.172.issue‐8
Sequential healing at implants installed immediately into extraction sockets. An experimental study in dogs
Authors: Mainetti Tomaso , Lang Niklaus P. , Bengazi Franco , Favero Vittorio , Soto Cantero Luis , Botticelli Daniele
Published: December 2014

Objective

To compare the sequential healing at implants installed in a healed alveolar bony ridge or immediately after tooth extraction without functional load.

Material and methods

In the mandible of 12 dogs, the mesial roots of the first molars were endodontically treated, the tooth hemisected, and the distal roots extracted. After 3 months, the mesial roots of the fourth premolars were endodontically treated, the tooth hemisected, and the distal roots extracted in one side of the mandible. Implants were placed immediately into extraction sockets (IPIES) of the fourth premolar and in the healed sites in the molar regions. Healing abutments were placed, and the flaps were sutured to allow a non‐submerged healing. The time of surgery and of sacrifices were planned in such a way to obtain biopsies representing the healing after 1 and 2 weeks and 1 and 3 months, respectively. Ground sections were prepared for histological evaluation of tissues components on the implant surface and the coronal termination level of osseointegration (M‐B).

Results

New bone apposition on the implant surface was slightly higher at the healed compared to the IPIES sites, being 7.4% and 4.1% after 1 week, and 67.3% and 65.3% after 3 months, respectively. Old bone was progressively resorbed, from 27.0% and 21.9% after 1 week, to 2.5% and 2.0% after 3 months, at healed and IPIES sites, respectively. M‐B was 1.4 mm and 2.6 mm after 1 week, 1.2 mm and 1.2 mm after 3 months, at healed and IPIES sites, respectively.

Conclusions

Similar patterns of sequential osseointegration were found at implants installed in healed alveolar bone or in alveolar sockets immediately after tooth extraction. The coronal termination level of osseointegration, that was different after 1 week, was found similar at the 3‐month observation.
A meta‐analysis to determine the oncological implications of conversion in laparoscopic colorectal cancer surgery
Authors: Clancy C. , O'Leary D. P. , Burke J. P. , Redmond H. P. , Coffey J. C. , Kerin M. J. , Myers E.
Published: December 2014

Aim

Laparoscopic colon and rectal cancer surgery is oncologically equivalent to open resection, but the impact of conversion is undetermined. The aim of this study was to assess the oncological outcome and predictive factors associated with conversion.

Method

A comprehensive search for published studies examining the associated factors and outcome of conversion from laparoscopic to open colorectal cancer resection was performed adhering to PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items in Systematic Reviews and Meta‐analyses) guidelines. Only randomized control trials and prospective studies were included. Each study was reviewed and the data extracted. Random effects methods were used to combine data.

Results

Fifteen studies, including 5293 patients, met the inclusion criteria. Of these 4391 patients had a completed laparoscopic resection and 902 were converted to an open resection. The average conversion rate of the studies was 17.9 ± 10.1%. Meta‐analysis showed completed laparoscopic surgery favoured lower 30‐day mortality (OR 0.134, 95% CI 0.047–0.385, P < 0.0001), lower long‐term disease recurrence (OR 0.634, 95% CI 0.421–0.701, P < 0.023) and lower overall mortality (OR 0.512, 95% CI 0.417–0.629, P < 0.0001). Factors negatively associated with completion of laparoscopic surgery were male gender (P = 0.011), rectal tumour (P = 0.017), T3/T4 tumour (P = 0.009) and node‐positive disease (P = 0.009). Completed laparoscopic surgery was also associated with a lower body mass index (BMI; mean difference −0.93 kg/m2, P = 0.004).

Conclusion

The results suggest that conversion from laparoscopic to open colorectal cancer resection is influenced by patient and tumour characteristics and is associated with an adverse perioperative outcome. Although confounding factors such as advanced tumour stage and elevated BMI are present, unsuccessful laparoscopic surgery appears to be associated with an adverse long‐term oncological outcome.
Denial of prescription analgesia among people who inject drugs in a Canadian setting
Authors: Voon Pauline , Callon Cody , Nguyen Paul , Dobrer Sabina , Montaner Julio S.G. , Wood Evan , Kerr Thomas
Published: December 2014

Introduction and Aims

Despite the high prevalence of pain among people who inject drugs (PWIDs), clinicians may be reluctant to prescribe opioid‐based analgesia to those with a history of drug use or addiction. We sought to examine the prevalence and correlates of PWIDs reporting being denied of prescription analgesia (PA). We also explored reported reasons for and actions taken after being denied PA.

Design and Methods

Using data from two prospective cohort studies of PWIDs, multivariate logistic regression was used to identify the prevalence and correlates of reporting being denied PA. Descriptive statistics were used to characterise reasons for denials and subsequent actions.

Results

Approximately two‐thirds (66.5%) of our sample of 462 active PWIDs reported having ever been denied PA. We found that reporting being denied PA was significantly and positively associated with having ever been enrolled in methadone maintenance treatment (adjusted odds ratio 1.76, 95% confidence interval 1.11–2.80) and daily cocaine injection (adjusted odds ratio 2.38, 95% confidence interval 1.00–5.66). The most commonly reported reason for being denied PA was being accused of drug seeking (44.0%). Commonly reported actions taken after being denied PA included buying the requested medication off the street (40.1%) or obtaining heroin to treat pain (32.9%).

Discussion and Conclusions

These findings highlight the challenges of addressing perceived pain and the need for strategies to prevent high‐risk methods of self‐managing pain, such as obtaining diverted medications or illicit substances for pain. Such strategies may include integrated pain management guidelines within methadone maintenance treatment and other substance use treatment programs. [Voon P, Callon C, Nguyen P, Dobrer S, Montaner JSG, Wood E, Kerr T. Denial of prescription analgesia among people who inject drugs in a Canadian setting. Drug Alcohol Rev 2015;34:221–228]
Contrasting patterns of turnover between plants, pollinators and their interactions
Authors: Norfolk Olivia , Eichhorn Markus P. , Gilbert Francis S.
Published: December 2014

Aim

Biogeographers typically assess patterns of diversity across landscapes. As interacting groups often exhibit contrasting trends, this leads to variation in the structure of interaction networks and thereby influences ecosystem processes. Here we aim to disentangle how patterns of diversity differ between species (plants, pollinators) and their interactions across an agricultural landscape. The region is known for its irrigated gardens which appear as high‐diversity islands in the mountainous habitat. We are interested in whether this local enhancement was (a) increasing landscape heterogeneity by supporting novel species or (b) increasing local diversity by supporting higher densities of species that also occur in the unmanaged habitat.

Location

South Sinai, Egypt.

Methods

We compared alpha diversity of plants, pollinators and interactions in agricultural gardens and plots of unmanaged habitat in two altitudinal categories, high and low mountains, with high and low habitat quality in the matrix respectively. We then used similarity analyses involving the CqN measure to compare levels of turnover across the landscape.

Results

The impact of the gardens differed with respect to the landscape context; in the low mountains, gardens enhanced the abundance and diversity of plants, pollinators and interactions, but in the high mountains, they had no effect. Plants exhibited high levels of turnover, with gardens increasing heterogeneity by supporting novel crop species. In contrast, pollinators exhibited low levels of turnover, with gardens and unmanaged habitat supporting similar species. The diversity of interactions was influenced by the composition of the plant community and showed extremely high levels of turnover.

Main conclusions

Plants, pollinators and their interactions can display contrasting patterns of turnover across a shared landscape. Although the enhancement of local habitat can boost pollinator diversity, the maintenance of habitat heterogeneity may also be required if you aim to conserve the diversity of interactions between plants and pollinators.
Juvenile neuronal ceroid lipofuscinoses (CLN3 Batten disease): what kind of epilepsy?
Authors: Williams Ruth
Published: December 2014

This commentary is on the original article by Augustine et al. on pages 366–371 of this issue.
Long‐term patterns of dental attendance and caries experience among British adults: a retrospective analysis
Authors: Aldossary Arwa , Harrison Victoria E. , Bernabé Eduardo
Published: December 2014

There is inconclusive evidence on the value of regular dental attendance. This study explored the relationship between long‐term patterns of dental attendance and caries experience. We used retrospective data from 3,235 adults, ≥16 yrs of age, who participated in the Adult Dental Health Survey in the UK. Participants were classified into four groups (always, current, former, and never regular‐attenders) based on their responses to three questions on lifetime dental‐attendance patterns. The association between dental‐attendance patterns and caries experience, as measured using the decayed, missing, or filled teeth (DMFT) index, was tested in negative binomial regression models, adjusting for demographic (sex, age, and country of residence) and socio‐economic (educational attainment, household income, and social class) factors. A consistent pattern of association between long‐term dental attendance and caries experience was found in adjusted models. Former and never regular‐attenders had a significantly higher DMFT score and numbers of decayed and missing teeth, but fewer filled teeth, than always regular‐attenders. No differences in DMFT or its components were found between current and always regular‐attenders. The findings of this study show that adults with different lifetime trajectories of dental attendance had different dental statuses.
Knock‐in mouse model of alternating hemiplegia of childhood: Behavioral and electrophysiologic characterization
Authors: Hunanyan Arsen S. , Fainberg Nina A. , Linabarger Molly , Arehart Eric , Leonard A. Soren , Adil Syed M. , Helseth Ashley R. , Swearingen Amanda K. , Forbes Stacy L. , Rodriguiz Ramona M. , Rhodes Theodore , Yao Xiaodi , Kibbi Nadine , Hochman Daryl W. , Wetsel William C. , Hochgeschwender Ute , Mikati Mohamad A.
Published: December 2014

Objectives

Mutations in the ATP1α3 subunit of the neuronal Na+/K+‐ATPase are thought to be responsible for seizures, hemiplegias, and other symptoms of alternating hemiplegia of childhood (AHC). However, the mechanisms through which ATP1A3 mutations mediate their pathophysiologic consequences are not yet understood. The following hypotheses were investigated: (1) Our novel knock‐in mouse carrying the most common heterozygous mutation causing AHC (D801N) will exhibit the manifestations of the human condition and display predisposition to seizures; and (2) the underlying pathophysiology in this mouse model involves increased excitability in response to electrical stimulation of Schaffer collaterals and abnormal predisposition to spreading depression (SD).

Methods

We generated the D801N mutant mouse (Mashlool, Mashl+/−) and compared mutant and wild‐type (WT) littermates. Behavioral tests, amygdala kindling, flurothyl‐induced seizure threshold, spontaneous recurrent seizures (SRS), and other paroxysmal activities were compared between groups. In vitro electrophysiologic slice experiments on hippocampus were performed to assess predisposition to hyperexcitability and SD.

Results

Mutant mice manifested a distinctive phenotype similar to that of humans with AHC. They had abnormal impulsivity, memory, gait, motor coordination, tremor, motor control, endogenous nociceptive response, paroxysmal hemiplegias, diplegias, dystonias, and SRS, as well as predisposition to kindling, to flurothyl‐induced seizures, and to sudden unexpected death. Hippocampal slices of mutants, in contrast to WT animals, showed hyperexcitable responses to 1 Hz pulse‐trains of electrical stimuli delivered to the Schaffer collaterals and had significantly longer duration of K+‐induced SD responses.

Significance

Our model reproduces the major characteristics of human AHC, and indicates that ATP1α3 dysfunction results in abnormal short‐term plasticity with increased excitability (potential mechanism for seizures) and a predisposition to more severe SD responses (potential mechanism for hemiplegias). This model of the human condition should help in understanding the molecular pathways underlying these phenotypes and may lead to identification of novel therapeutic strategies of ATP1α3 related disorders and seizures.
In vivo imaging of epileptic foci in rats using a miniature probe integrating diffuse optical tomography and electroencephalographic source localization
Authors: Yang Hao , Zhang Tao , Zhou Junli , Carney Paul R. , Jiang Huabei
Published: December 2014

Objective

The goal of this work is to establish a new dual‐modal brain‐mapping technique based on diffuse optical tomography (DOT) and electroencephalographic source localization (ESL) that can chronically/intracranially record optical/electroencephalography (EEG) data to precisely map seizures and localize the seizure‐onset zone and associated epileptic brain network.

Methods

The dual‐modal imaging system was employed to image seizures in an experimental acute bicuculline methiodide rat model of focal epilepsy. Depth information derived from DOT was used as constraint in ESL to enhance the image reconstruction. Groups of animals were compared based on localization of seizure foci, either at different positions or at different depths.

Results

This novel imaging technique successfully localized the seizure‐onset zone in rat induced by bicuculline methiodide injected at a depth of 1, 2, and 3 mm, respectively. The results demonstrated that the incorporation of the depth information from DOT into the ESL image reconstruction resulted in more accurate and reliable ESL images. Although the ESL images showed a horizontal shift of the source localization, the DOT identified the seizure focus accurately. In one case, when the bicuculline methiodide (BMI) was injected at a site outside the field of view (FOV) of the DOT/ESL interface, ESL gave false‐positive detection of the focus, while DOT showed negative detection.

Significance

This study represents the first to identify seizure‐onset zone using implantable DOT. In addition, the combination of DOT/ESL has never been documented in neuroscience and epilepsy imaging. This technology will enable us to precisely measure the neural activity and hemodynamic response at exactly the same tissue site and at both cortical and subcortical levels.
Drug‐resistant HIV‐1 protease regains functional dynamics through cleavage site coevolution
Authors: Özer Nevra , Özen Ayşegül , Schiffer Celia A. , Haliloğlu Türkan
Published: December 2014

Drug resistance is caused by mutations that change the balance of recognition favoring substrate cleavage over inhibitor binding. Here, a structural dynamics perspective of the regained wild‐type functioning in mutant HIV‐1 proteases with coevolution of the natural substrates is provided. The collective dynamics of mutant structures of the protease bound to p1‐p6 and NC‐p1 substrates are assessed using the Anisotropic Network Model (ANM). The drug‐induced protease mutations perturb the mechanistically crucial hinge axes that involve key sites for substrate binding and dimerization and mainly coordinate the intrinsic dynamics. Yet with substrate coevolution, while the wild‐type dynamic behavior is restored in both p1‐p6 (LP1′Fp1‐p6D30N/N88D) and NC‐p1 (AP2VNC‐p1V82A) bound proteases, the dynamic behavior of the NC‐p1 bound protease variants (NC‐p1V82A and AP2VNC‐p1V82A) rather resemble those of the proteases bound to the other substrates, which is consistent with experimental studies. The orientational variations of residue fluctuations along the hinge axes in mutant structures justify the existence of coevolution in p1‐p6 and NC‐p1 substrates, that is, the dynamic behavior of hinge residues should contribute to the interdependent nature of substrate recognition. Overall, this study aids in the understanding of the structural dynamics basis of drug resistance and evolutionary optimization in the HIV‐1 protease system.
The duodenum: An uncommon site of surgical lesions
Authors: Southwood L. L.
Published: December 2014

It is fortunate for the horse that duodenal lesions requiring surgical correction occur infrequently. Despite being an uncommon site of obstruction, palpation of the duodenum should be part of a complete surgical abdominal exploration. Horses with proximal obstruction typically have large volumes of reflux following passage of a nasogastric tube. Biochemistry abnormalities may include hypochloraemia and hyperglycaemia particularly with a complete or strangulating obstruction. Early surgical treatment of a duodenal volvulus may result in a favourable outcome.
Comparative evaluation of antifungal action of tea tree oil, chlorhexidine gluconate and fluconazole on heat polymerized acrylic denture base resin – an in vitro study
Authors: Dalwai Sameen , Rodrigues Shobha J. , Baliga Shrikala , Shenoy Vidya K. , Shetty Thilak B. , Pai Umesh Y. , Saldanha Sharon
Published: December 2014

Objective

Candida albicans‐associated denture stomatitis is the most common type of denture stomatitis seen in denture wearers. This study evaluates and compares the antifungal action of fluconazole, chlorhexidine gluconate and tea tree oil on heat‐polymerised denture base resin, which has been previously contaminated with C. albicans grown in BHI broth.

Material and Methods

Seventy‐five specimens were immersed in BHI broth previously inoculated with C. albicans and stored for 3 h at 37°C. They were divided into five groups (n = 15): G1: 2% chlorhexidine solution; G2: 100% pure pharmaceutical grade tea tree oil; G3: 65 μg/ml fluconazole solution; C1: specimens not disinfected; C2: specimens not contaminated with Candida. Each specimen was then transferred to individual tubes containing BHI broth and incubated for 24 h. Culture media turbidity was evaluated for absorbance over a period of 14 days using a microplate reader. It was observed that the lower the absorbance, the stronger the antimicrobial action. Statistical analysis was performed (two‐way anova and Bonferroni test, p < 0.001).

Results

Chlorhexidine and tea tree oil inhibited Candida up to the 14th day, whereas antifungal effect of fluconazole was not significant after the 7th day.

Conclusion

Tea tree oil and chlorhexidine gluconate are more effective than fluconazole in inhibiting C. albicans growth on heat‐polymerised acrylic resin.
Tooth Loss Associated with Physical and Cognitive Decline in Older Adults
Authors: Tsakos Georgios , Watt Richard G. , Rouxel Patrick L. , de Oliveira Cesar , Demakakos Panayotes
Published: December 2014

Objectives

To examine the effect of total tooth loss (edentulousness) on decline in physical and cognitive functioning over 10 years in older adults in England.

Design

Secondary data analysis.

Setting

English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, a national prospective cohort study of community‐dwelling people aged 50 and older.

Participants

Individuals aged 60 and older (N = 3,166).

Measurements

Cognitive function (memory) was measured using a 10‐word recall test. Physical function was assessed using gait speed (m/s). Generalized estimating equations were used to model associations between baseline edentulousness and six repeated measurements of gait speed and memory from 2002–03 to 2012–13. Models were sequentially adjusted for time, demographic characteristics, socioeconomic status, comorbidities, health behaviors, depressive symptoms, and anthropometric measurements and mutually adjusted for gait speed or memory.

Results

Edentulous participants recalled 0.88 fewer words and were 0.09 m/s slower than dentate participants after adjusting for time and demographics. Only the latter association remained significant after full adjustment, with edentulous participants being 0.02 m/s slower than dentate participants. In age‐stratified analyses, baseline edentulousness was associated with both outcomes in fully adjusted models in participants aged 60 to 74 but not in those aged 75 and older. Supplementary analysis indicated significant associations between baseline edentulousness and 4‐year change in gait speed and memory in participants aged 60 to 74; the former was fully explained in the fully adjusted model and the latter after adjusting for socioeconomic status.

Conclusion

Total tooth loss was independently associated with physical and cognitive decline in older adults in England. Tooth loss is a potential early marker of decline in older age.
Decoupling Analysis of the Environmental Mountain—with Case Studies from China
Authors: Lu Zhongwu , Wang Heming , Yue Qiang
Published: December 2014

The resource‐development trajectory of developed countries after the Industrial Revolution of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries can be portrayed as an “environmental mountain” (EM). It is important for developing countries to decouple their resource use from economic growth and tunnel through the EM. In this study, we embedded the decoupling indicators for resource use and waste emissions into EM curves to quantify China's progress in tunneling through the EM over a specific time period. Five case studies regarding the conditions required for decoupling energy consumption, crude steel production, cement production, CO2 emissions, and SO2 emissions from economic growth in China were conducted. The results indicated that during 1985–2010 the trajectories of energy consumption, and CO2 and SO2 emissions in China met the requirements for tunneling through the EM, but the trajectories of cement and steel production did not. Based on these results, suggestions regarding China's environmental policies are provided to enable the country to tunnel through the EM.
Implication of corona formation in a metatroctolite to the granulite facies overprint of HP–UHP rocks in the Moldanubian Zone (Bohemian Massif)
Authors: Faryad S. W. , Kachlík V. , Sláma J. , Hoinkes G.
Published: December 2014

Corona and inclusion textures of a metatroctolite at the contact between felsic granulite and migmatites of the Gföhl Unit from the Moldanubian Zone provide evidence of the magmatic and metamorphic evolution of the rocks. Numerous diopside inclusions (1–10 μm, maximum 20 μm in size) in plagioclase of anorthite composition represent primary magmatic textures. Triple junctions between the plagioclase grains in the matrix are occupied by amphibole, probably pseudomorphs after clinopyroxene. The coronae consist of a core of orthopyroxene, with two or three zones (layers); the innermost is characterized by calcic amphibole with minor spinel and relicts of clinopyroxene, the next zone consists of symplectite of amphibole with spinel, sapphirine and accessory corundum, and the outermost is formed by garnet and amphibole with relicts of spinel. The orthopyroxene forms a monomineralic aggregate that may contain a cluster of serpentine in the core, suggesting its formation after olivine. Based on mineral textures and thermobarometric calculations, the troctolite crystallized in the middle to lower crust and the coronae were formed during three different metamorphic stages. The first stage relates to a subsolidus reaction between olivine and anorthite to form orthopyroxene. The second stage involving amphibole formation suggests the presence of a fluid that resulted in the replacement of igneous orthopyroxene and governed the reaction orthopyroxene + anorthite = amphibole + spinel. The last stage of corona formation with amphibole + spinel + sapphirine indicates granulite facies conditions. Garnet enclosing spinel, and its occurrence along the rim of the coronae in contact with anorthite, suggests that its formation occurred either during cooling or both cooling and compression but still at granulite facies conditions. The zircon U–Pb data indicate Variscan ages for both the troctolite crystallization (c. 360 Ma) and corona formation during granulite facies metamorphism (c. 340 Ma) in the Gföhl Unit. The intrusion of troctolite and other Variscan mafic and ultramafic rocks is interpreted as a potential heat source for amphibolite–granulite facies metamorphism that led to partial re‐equilibration of earlier high‐ to ultrahigh‐P metamorphic rocks in the Moldanubian Zone. These petrological and geochronological data constrain the formation of HP–UHP rocks and arc‐related plutonic complex to westward subduction of the Moldanubian plate during the Variscan orogeny. After exhumation to lower and/or middle crust, the HP–UHP rocks underwent heating due to intrusion of mafic and ultramafic magma that was generated by slab breakoff and mantle upwelling.
Using qualitative methods in developing an instrument to identify barriers to self‐care among persons with type 2 diabetes mellitus
Authors: Caro‐Bautista Jorge , Martín‐Santos Francisco Javier , Villa‐Estrada Francisca , Morilla‐Herrera Juan Carlos , Cuevas‐Fernández‐Gallego Magdalena , Morales‐Asencio José Miguel
Published: December 2014

Aims and objectives

To develop a questionnaire to address barriers and self‐care behaviour among persons with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Background

Several instruments are available in the literature to measure barriers to self‐care in this population, but many of them present limitations in its psychometric validation process, and lack of theoretical background.

Design

Content validation study using multiple qualitative methods.

Methods

A systematic review was conducted, and two focus groups with fifteen participants (n = 15) were analysed to identify key topics and categories concerning barriers and self‐care behaviour. These categories were used to generate items that were subjected to expert scrutiny, using the Delphi technique. The resulting list of items was tested for readability and comprehension by nine diabetic patients (n = 9), through cognitive interviews. The whole process was conducted in accordance with the Theory of Planned Behaviour.

Results

The mean age (standard deviation) of participants in the focus groups and cognitive interviews was 66·05 (8·47) and 63·11 (6·13) years, respectively. 46·7% of the members of the focus groups and 44·4% of those interviewed were female, and the mean duration (standard deviation) of their diabetes was 6·53 (3·17) and 4·89 (3·84) years, respectively. After the qualitative analysis, 27 codes were obtained. Thereafter, items were generated in accordance with the dimensions of this theory: attitudes towards the behaviour (n = 23), social norms (n = 13), perceived behavioural control (n = 17) and behavioural intention (n = 15).

Conclusions

A rigorous process of content validation with multiple methods was implemented to obtain an instrument aimed at addressing barriers and self‐care behaviour of patients with type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

Relevance to clinical practice

An instrument theoretically rooted and supported on professional and patients' views is available to assess self‐care behaviours in patients with type 2 Diabetes Mellitus. The evaluation of its reliability and construct validity will determine the instrument's value and practical application in the clinical context.
The Politics of Emigration and Expatriation: Ethnicisation of Citizenship in Imperial Germany and China
Authors: Low Choo Chin
Published: December 2014

In the era of perpetual allegiance, the nationality regimes of Germany and China were characterised by restricted, instead of voluntary, expatriation. Although this policy reflected the two states' perceptions of overseas Germans and Chinese as sources of national strength, it also resulted in widespread dual nationality practices. Using case studies of Germany and China, this article analyses the right to expatriation in the aforementioned era. This study suggests that both the imperial regimes adopted strict expatriation rules with knowledge of the possibility of dual allegiance but remained indifferent to its consequences. Dual nationality practices were the accidental result of strict expatriation rather than a deliberate outcome.
“Mostly we are White and Alone”: Identity, Anxiety and the Past in Some White Zimbabwean Memoirs
Authors: Law Kate
Published: December 2014

Using the space created by the land invasions, over the last ten years or so there has been a proliferation of exile memoirs written by white Zimbabweans living in the diaspora, which foreground colonial nostalgia and postcolonial anxiety. This article profiles elements of this latest wave of “white (female) writing”, arguing that writers such as Alexandra Fuller construct their own personal narratives based on an extremely teleological and narrow interpretation of the history of Zimbabwe. It is argued that memoirs are used as a mechanism to uphold an idealised (i.e. powerful) white identity, because whites' current “destabilised” identity has resulted in them clinging to a seemingly utopian version of both what it meant to be white and the past. The article also examines some aspects of whiteness studies, utilising Peter McLaren's framework to argue that these memoirs are beset by a whiteness of social amnesia.
Changes in Oral Health‐Related Quality of Life in Elderly Edentulous Patients after Complete Denture Therapy and Possible Role of their Initial Expectation: A Follow‐Up Study
Authors: Sivakumar Indumathi , Sajjan Suresh , Ramaraju Alluri Venkata , Rao Bheemaligeshwara
Published: December 2014

Purpose

An edentulous patient's psychosocial attributes that may have influence on the oral health‐related quality of life (OHRQoL) are given little consideration in therapeutic care. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of complete denture therapy on overall OHRQoL in elderly edentulous patients. The possible role of the patient's initial expectation toward OHRQoL was also evaluated.

Methods and Materials

OHRQoL was assessed using the OHIP‐EDENT psychometric instrument, and 56 patients participated in the study. The assessment was done at three time points including pretreatment, after 1 month, and after 6 months. Significant differences in the OHIP‐EDENT scores between pretreatment to after 1 month and pretreatment to after 6 months were calculated using Wilcoxon Signed Rank test (p < 0.05). Mann‐Whitney test was used to analyze the association of patient expectations with OHIP‐EDENT scores.

Result

Statistically significant improvement in OHRQoL after complete denture therapy at both 1 and 6 months postinsertion was evident. Statistically significant difference in the mean scores between the genders was observed after 6 months. There was no statistically significant difference in the levels of dysfunction, discomfort, and disability associated with oral problems between moderate and high expectation group at any time point.

Conclusion

Elderly edentulous patients had an improved overall OHRQoL after complete denture therapy, and female patients had appreciably better OHRQoL than their male counterparts. A patient's initial expectation did not have significant influence on overall OHRQoL.
Randomised controlled trial of daily versus stoss vitamin D therapy in Aboriginal children
Authors: Tan Jason KG , Kearns Paula , Martin Andrew C , Siafarikas Aris
Published: December 2014

Aim

The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency has risen in countries with a high ultraviolet index and sunny environment such as Australia. There is lack of information on vitamin D status and best possible therapy in Australian Aboriginal children. We aim to (i) describe the vitamin D status in an opportunistic sample of Aboriginal children in Western Australia and (ii) compare the efficacy of oral daily vitamin D with oral stoss vitamin D therapy in this sample.

Method

Participants were recruited from a metropolitan area (31′ S) and a rural area (17′ S). Those with a 25(OH)D level less than 78 nmol/L were randomised to receive daily or stoss vitamin D therapy with follow‐up at 4–6 months and 9–12 months. Biochemical and clinical parameters such as 25(OH)D, alkaline phosphatase, calcium and sun exposure were collected.

Results

Seventy‐three participants were enrolled (61 from a metropolitan and 12 from a rural area). 25(OH)D levels were greater than 78 nmol/L in 9/12 (75%) participants in the rural group and 21/61 (34%) in the metropolitan group. 25(OH)D levels were less than 78 nmol/L in 43/73 (59%) participants. Of these, 34/43 (79%) were insufficient (50–78 nmol/L), 8/43 (19%) mildly deficient (27.5–50 nmol/L) and 1/43 (2%) deficient (<27.5 nmol/L). Daily vitamin D therapy had a higher average increase in 25(OH)D levels from baseline than stoss therapy; however, this was not significant.

Conclusion

Vitamin D insufficiency is common in Aboriginal children of Western Australia and stoss therapy is a safe alternative to daily vitamin D therapy but requires further evaluation of timing and doses.
Infection Process of Botrytis cinerea on Eucalypt Leaves
Authors: Caires Nilmara P. , Rodrigues Fabrício A. , Furtado Gleiber Q.
Published: December 2014

This study aimed to elucidate the infection process of Botrytis cinerea on eucalypt leaves. Tests were conducted to evaluate the influence of leaf side (adaxial or abaxial), leaf age and luminosity on conidial germination, appressorium formation and grey mould (GM) severity. The adaxial and abaxial surfaces of detached eucalypt leaves were inoculated with a conidial suspension of B. cinerea and kept under constant light or dark. Subsequently, the adaxial surface of young and old leaves was inoculated and kept in the dark. To evaluate the percentage of conidia germination and appressorium formation, leaf samples were collected 6 hours after inoculation (hai), clarified (alcohol and chloral hydrate) and evaluated under a light microscope. The severity of GM was assessed 10 days after inoculation. For scanning electron microscopy analysis, samples were collected from 2 to 168 hai. A higher percentage of conidia germination (92%) and GM severity (21%) occurred on the adaxial surfaces of leaves kept in the dark. There was no statistical difference between the surfaces of young and old leaves for conidia germination. No appressorium was formed by B. cinerea. The GM severity on young leaves (17.3%) was 34 times higher than on old leaves (0.5%). The micrographs showed germinating conidia emitting 1–4 germ tubes in samples at 4 hai. The fungus penetration occurred through intact leaf surfaces, and both extra‐ and intracellular colonization of the mesophyll cells by the hyphae of the pathogen were observed at 120 hai. Sporulation occurred on the adaxial and abaxial surfaces (macronematous conidiophores) and below the epidermis (micronematous conidiophores).
Survey of an Australian general emergency department: estimated prevalence of mental health disorders
Authors: Fulbrook P. , Lawrence P.
Published: December 2014

Accessible Summary

Compared to the general population, people with mental health disorders have an increased risk of morbidity and mortality, and are associated with higher health‐care costs and lost societal productivity.

Evidence indicates that more people are presenting to emergency departments with mental health disorders and that this group represents a disproportionately large number of emergency department attendees.

The study results indicate that around a third of people who attended the emergency department may have had a mental health disorder, which is more than that found in the general adult Australian population. The results also suggest that the majority of emergency department attendees that have a mental health disorder are not identified at this opportunistic point of contact.

The emergency department is an ideal point of contact to screen people for mental health problems. If problems are identified early, and treatment is started early, then it is likely that more people would be helped before their mental health problem became severe. However, increased identification of mental health problems may have implications for mental health services in terms of workload and delivery.

The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of mental health disorders in an Australian general emergency department. A cross‐sectional survey was used to screen a sample of 708 patients, using the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10). The mean age of participants was 50.2 years, and their mean K10 score was 19.96 (SD 7.83), with 24% categorized as having high or very high psychological distress. Seventeen per cent self‐reported having a mental health issue. Post‐probability calculations based on observed K10 scores estimated that 37% of participants had an actual mental health disorder. The results suggest the prevalence of mental health disorder is significantly higher in emergency department attendees than Australian population norms, supporting the contention that a substantial proportion of ED attendees has a mental health disorder that, in the majority of cases, is not investigated at this point of contact. There is potential to screen all emergency department attendees for the presence of mental health disorder; early identification of mental illness would enable early referral for treatment. However, if all patients are screened, then it is likely that more mental health conditions will be picked up. The implications for mental health nursing are that this may increase workload.
Standardized ileal digestibility of proteins and amino acids in sesame expeller and soya bean meal in weaning piglets
Authors: Aguilera A. , Reis de Souza T. C. , Mariscal‐Landín G. , Escobar K. , Montaño S. , Bernal M. G.
Published: December 2014

Apparent ileal digestibility (AID) of diets containing sesame expeller (SE) and soya bean meal (SBM) was determined using 15 piglets (Genetiporc®), weaned at 17 ± 0.4 days with average body weight of 6.4 ± 0.7 kg (Fertilis 20 × G Performance, Genetiporc®, PIC México, Querétaro, México). Piglets were randomly assigned to three treatments: (i) a reference diet with casein as the sole protein source; (ii) a mixed diet of casein–SE; and (iii) a mixed diet of casein–SBM. The chemical composition of SE and SBM was determined, and AID and standardized ileal digestibility (SID) of crude protein (CP) and amino acids (AAs) were determined for each protein source. SE contained greater quantities of ether extract, neutral detergent fibre, phytic acid, methionine and arginine than SBM. Lysine and proline contents and trypsin inhibitor activity were higher in SBM than in SE. The AID and SID of CP and AA (except for lysine and proline) were similar in SE and SBM. The AID of lysine and proline was higher in SBM than in SE (p < 0.05), and the SID of proline was higher in SE than in SBM (p < 0.05). These findings indicate that SE is an appropriate alternative protein source for early weaned pigs.