bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Migraine: Possible Role of Shear‐Induced Platelet Aggregation With Serotonin Release
Authors: Borgdorff Piet , Tangelder Geert Jan
Published: May 2012

Background.— Migraine patients are at an increased risk for stroke, as well as other thromboembolic events. This warrants further study of the role of platelets in a proportion of migraine patients.

Objective.— To extend the “platelet hypothesis” using literature data and observations made in a rat model of shear stress‐induced platelet aggregation. Such aggregation causes release of serotonin, leading to vasoconstriction during sufficiently strong aggregation and to long‐lasting vasodilation when aggregation diminishes. This vasodilation also depends on nitric oxide and prostaglandin formation.

Results.— A role for platelet aggregation in a number of migraineurs is indicated by reports of an increased platelet activity during attacks and favorable effects of antiplatelet medication. We hypothesize that in those patients, a migraine attack with or without aura may both be caused by a rise in platelet‐released plasma serotonin, albeit at different concentration. At high concentrations, serotonin may cause vasoconstriction and, consequently, the neuronal signs of aura, whereas at low concentrations, it may already stimulate perivascular pain fibers and cause vasodilation via local formation of nitric oxide, prostaglandins, and neuropeptides. Platelet aggregation may be unilaterally evoked by elevated shear stress in a stenotic cervico‐cranial artery, by reversible vasoconstriction or by other cardiovascular abnormality, eg, a symptomatic patent foramen ovale. This most likely occurs when a migraine trigger has further enhanced platelet aggregability; literature shows that many triggers either stimulate platelets directly or reduce endogenous platelet antagonists like prostacyclin.

Conclusion.— New strategies for migraine medication and risk reduction of stroke are suggested.
Active Experience Shapes 10‐Month‐Old Infants’ Understanding of Collaborative Goals
Authors: Henderson Annette M. E. , Wang Ying , Matz Lauren E. , Woodward Amanda L.
Published: May 2012

Collaborative activities in which individuals coordinate their actions to attain a common goal play a fundamental role in our everyday lives. Evidence suggests that infants engage in collaborative activities before their first birthday; however, little is known about infants’ understanding of collaborative action. Using a visual habituation paradigm, this research consists of two experiments designed to investigate whether 10‐month‐olds understand that the actions of collaborative partners are critical to the attainment of a common goal. The results of Experiment 1 suggest that 10‐month‐olds represent the actions of collaborating partners in terms of a common collaborative goal only after receiving active experience with a collaborative activity. Experiment 2 demonstrated that infants who received active experience with a collaborative activity viewed active engagement in a collaboration as being critical for an individual’s actions to be interpreted as being directed towards a collaborative goal. Together, these findings demonstrate that 10‐month‐olds exhibit an understanding of the shared nature of collaborative goals after a highly salient experience with the activity. Identifying the effects of experience on infants’ understanding of collaborative goals in a laboratory context provides insights into the role that experiences in their everyday lives might play in their understanding of collaboration.
Management of Patients with Chronic Pelvic Pain Associated with Endometriosis Refractory to Conventional Treatment
Authors: Martínez Blanca , Canser Enrique , Gredilla Elena , Alonso Eduardo , Gilsanz Fernando
Published: May 2012

Abstract:  The literature contains numerous studies on the diagnosis, pathogenesis, atypical locations, and clinical (hormonal) and surgical management of the disorder. However, no information is available on the management of endometriosis involving pain refractory to the usual treatment from the perspective of a pain unit. Our hospital has a pain unit specifically dedicated to pain in gynecology and obstetrics. The unit has been functioning since December 2005, and 52% of the attended patients have CPP of different origins. Endometriosis is present in 48% of all patients with CPP and is the most prevalent pathology in our practice. It moreover poses an important challenge in view of its enormous complexity. A descriptive study was made of the management of 44 patients with endometriosis refractory to therapy, evaluated and treated over a period of 3 years in the Pain Unit of the Maternity Center of La Paz University Hospital (Madrid, Spain).
Transfusion‐transmitted anaplasmosis from leukoreduced red blood cells
Authors: Alhumaidan Hiba , Westley Benjamin , Esteva Carlos , Berardi Victor , Young Carolyn , Sweeney Joseph
Published: May 2012

BACKGROUND: Human granulocytic anaplasmosis (HGA) is a tick‐borne rickettsial infectious disease. To date four cases of transfusion‐transmitted anaplasmosis (TTA) have been described in the literature, and only one from leukoreduced red blood cells (RBCs).

CASE REPORT: A 64‐year‐old patient with acute gastrointestinal blood loss was admitted to the hospital and received 5 units of prestorage leukoreduced RBCs. He was stabilized and discharged. He developed headache, fever, and chills 2 days after discharge and was readmitted. On Day 5 of his second admission polymorphonuclear leukocytes containing morulae consistent with HGA were reported in the peripheral smear.

RESULTS: Samples from the recipient tested positive by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for Anaplasma phagocytophilum, the causative agent of HGA and a segment from one of the five donors tested positive by both serology and PCR.

CONCLUSION: Leukoreduction theoretically reduces the risk of TTA but does not interdict all infections. TTA requires consideration in recipients of RBC transfusion with unexplained fever.
Transfusion‐associated graft‐versus‐host disease in a liver transplant recipient: an unusual presentation and review of the literature
Authors: O'Brien Kerry L. , Pereira Shalini E. , Wagner Jeffrey , Shadman Mazyar , Hendrie Paul , Nelson Karen , Gernsheimer Terry B. , Price Thomas , Reyes Jorge D. , Nester Theresa
Published: May 2012

BACKGROUND: Transfusion‐associated graft‐versus‐host disease (TA‐GVHD) is a rare, nearly universally fatal complication from transfusion of nonirradiated cellular blood components, occurring when a recipient's immune system is unable to recognize and destroy transfused T lymphocytes. Irradiation of cellular components eliminates this risk. We present an unusual case of a liver transplant recipient developing TA‐GVHD 13 weeks after transfusion of a random unit of nonirradiated red blood cells (RBCs) that happened to be from a donor homozygous for an HLA haplotype shared by the patient.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: This study was a single case review of a liver transplant recipient who developed skin GVHD and marrow aplasia. Clinical course and the chimerism studies involving the patient, the liver donor, and the blood donor are detailed.

RESULTS: The patient presented 3 months posttransplant with GVHD of his skin and marrow aplasia. In addition to standard antigraft immunosuppression, this patient had started the interleukin‐1 receptor antagonist anakinra on Posttransplant Day 13 for an acute gout flare. Chimerism studies on the patient's peripheral blood identified a population of CD3 cells that did not originate with either the patient or his liver donor. HLA studies and microsatellite profiling of the unknown CD3 population identified the source of the patient's TA‐GVHD, a unit of nonirradiated, nonleukoreduced apheresis RBCs.

CONCLUSION: Use of an immunomodulating agent may have contributed to the development of TA‐GVHD in a liver transplant patient who received a random unit of nonirradiated RBCs by chance from an unrelated haploidentical donor.
Real Time Three‐Dimensional Echocardiographic Assessment of Left Ventricular Function in Heart Failure Patients: Underestimation of Left Ventricular Volume Increases with the Degree of Dilatation
Authors: Moceri Pamela , Doyen Denis , Bertora David , Cerboni Pierre , Ferrari Emile , Gibelin Pierre
Published: May 2012

Background: Accurate quantification of left ventricular (LV) volumes and ejection fraction (EF) is of critical importance. Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) is considered as the reference and three‐dimensional echocardiography (3DE) is an accurate method, but only few data are available in heart failure patients. We therefore sought to compare the accuracy of real time three‐dimensional echocardiography (RT3DE) and two‐dimensional echocardiography (2DE) for quantification of LV volumes and EF, relative to CMR imaging in an unselected population of heart failure patients. Methods and Results: We studied 24 patients (17 men, age 58 ± 15 years) with history of heart failure who underwent echocardiographic assessment of LV function (2DE, RT3DE) and CMR within a period of 24 hours. Mean LV end‐diastolic volume (LVEDV) was 208 ± 109 mL (121 ± 64 mL/m2) and mean LVEF was 31 ± 12.8%. 3DE data sets correlate well with CMR, particularly with respect to the EF (r: 0.8, 0.86, and 0.95; P < 0.0001 for LVEDV, LVESV, and EF, respectively) with small biases (–55 mL, –44 mL, 1.1%) and acceptable limits of agreement. RT3DE provides more accurate measurements of LVEF than 2DE (z= 2.1, P = 0.037) and lower variability. However, 3DE‐derived LV volumes are significantly underestimated in patients with severe LV dilatation. In patients with LVEDV below 120 mL/m2, RT3DE is more accurate for volumes and EF evaluation. Conclusion: Compared with CMR, RT3DE is accurate for evaluation of EF and feasible in all our heart failure patients, at the expense of a significant underestimation of LV volumes, particularly when LVEDV is above 120 mL/m2.
Incremental Utility of Real Time Three‐Dimensional Tranthoracic Echocardiography in the Assessment of Congenitally Malformed Aortic Valve
Authors: Anwar Ashraf M. , Nosir Youssef F. M. , Galal Ahmed N. , Al‐Barakati Mai , Chamsi‐Pasha Hassan
Published: May 2012

Objectives: To study the feasibility and additional value of real time three‐dimensional transthoracic echocardiography (RT3D‐TTE) for anatomical and functional assessment of malformed aortic valve (AV) compared to conventional two‐dimensional TTE (2D‐TTE). Methods: Malformed AV was evaluated in 35 patients (mean age 18 ±9.5years, 70% male) by both 2D‐TTE and RT3D‐TTE. The anatomical definition of aortic cusps (number, direction, and commissures) was evaluated by a 3‐point visualization score (1: nonvisualized, 2: inadequate, 3: adequate). 2D‐TTE and RT3D‐TTE measurements included AV area and maximum diameters of both AV annulus and left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT). Results: Adequate visualization of AV cusps was achieved in 86% of patients by RT3D‐TTE compared to 63% by 2D‐TTE. The mean and median visualization score obtained by RT3D‐TTE were higher than that by 2D‐TTE. The opening of commissures was detected in (80%) of patients by RT3D‐TTE compared to (34%) by 2D‐TTE. AV area planimetry could be obtained in 77% of patients by RT3D‐TTE compared to 43% by 2D‐TTE. RT3D‐TTE visualization score of AV cusps and commissures showed better interobserver agreement (Kappa: 0.62 and 0.72, respectively) than 2D‐TTE (0.58 and 0.69, respectively). RT3D‐TTE and 2D‐TTE measurements of AV annulus and LVOT were well correlated (r = 0.85; P < 0.001) but the RT3D‐TTE measurements were significantly larger than that obtained by 2D‐TTE (2.05 ± 0.7 cm and 2.5 ± 0.86 cm vs 1.94 ± 0.67 cm and 1.98 ± 0.74 cm; P < 0.01). Conclusion: RT3D‐TTE is a feasible technique that allows comprehensive quantitative and qualitative assessment of malformed AV.

(Echocardiography, 2012;**:1‐6)
Devices to Treat Peripheral Chronic Total Occlusions
Authors: AL‐AMERI HAZIM , CLAVIJO LEONARDO , MATTHEWS RAY V. , KLONER ROBERT A. , SHAVELLE DAVID M.
Published: May 2012

Chronic total occlusions occur in approximately 40% of patients with peripheral vascular disease and are a difficult lesion subset to treat by endovascular approaches. The challenge lies in the difficulty in placing a wire across the site of occlusion and remaining in an intraluminal position. Conventional percutaneous transluminal balloon angioplasty for chronic total occlusions involves advancing a stiff wire through the site of obstruction, has the chance for vessel dissection and perforation, and is associated with high rates of procedural failure. Several mechanical devices have thus been developed to treat peripheral chronic total occlusions. In this article, we provide a review of the currently available devices that may increase the procedural success of treating peripheral chronic total occlusions. (J Interven Cardiol 2012;25:395–403)
The Occupy Movement in Žižek's hometown: Direct democracy and a politics of becoming
Authors: Razsa Maple , Kurnik Andrej
Published: May 2012

In an otherwise sympathetic speech to Occupy Wall Street, Slavoj Žižek dismissed protesters’ pursuit of direct democracy as a “dream.” In no small part responding to a perceived crisis of representative politics, however, the popular movements that swept through northern Africa, Europe, and North America during 2011 have been distinguished by their adoption of direct democratic forms. This initial ethnography—collaboratively researched and written by a Slovene activist–theorist and a U.S. anthropologist—considers the significance of the Occupy Movement's democratic practices in Žižek's own hometown. We trace the development of decidedly minoritarian forms of decision making—the “democracy of direct action,” as it is known locally—to activists’ experiences of organizing for migrant and minority rights in the face of ethnonationalism. We compare the democracy of direct action to Occupy Wall Street's consensus‐based model. In conclusion, we ask how ethnographic attention to the varieties of emergent political forms within the current global cycle of protest might extend recent theorizing of radical politics and contribute to broader efforts to reimagine democracy. [Slovenia, Occupy Movement, direct democracy, direct action, activism, becoming, coauthorship]
The materiality of the corporation: Oil, gas, and corporate social technologies in the remaking of a Russian region
Authors: Rogers Douglas
Published: May 2012

In the Perm Region of Russia, recent social and cultural projects sponsored by energy companies prominently reference certain material qualities of oil and gas. The depth associated with the region's oil deposits is evoked in cultural heritage celebrations funded by Lukoil‐Perm, and the connectivity associated with natural gas pipelines figures in PermRegionGaz's efforts to foster new patterns of sociability. Attending to the larger material and semiotic shifts in which these projects are embedded points to a significant dimension of contemporary hydrocarbon politics and to specific ways in which corporations attempt to transform critiques of their operations. [oil, natural gas, corporations, materiality, infrastructure, corporate social responsibility, postsocialisms]
Rhizomes and other uncountables: The malaise of enumeration in Mexico's Colorado River Delta
Authors: Muehlmann Shaylih
Published: May 2012

In this article, I analyze the “countdown,” a popular rhetorical trope of contemporary discourses of environmental and cultural crisis. Drawing on fieldwork in a Cucapá village in the Colorado River Delta of northern Mexico, I show how, through the counting of people, birds, fish, water quantities, and language speakers, the habitat, culture, and language of the delta's indigenous residents have consistently been represented by NGO workers, scientists, and state officials as “endangered.” In taking on the form of a “countdown,” this numerical tracking has ideological effects distinct from other kinds of enumerative practices, leading some Cucapá people to express frustration with it. I analyze how certain domains of experience, such as language, people, and water, are locally identified as being uncountable, and I use Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari's concept of the “rhizome” to illustrate how particular domains of experience become enumerable or resist enumeration in the first place. [enumeration, rhizomes, countdown, indigenous, environment, crisis, identity]
Rite of passing: Bureaucratic encounters, dramaturgy, and Jewish conversion in Israel
Authors: Kravel‐Tovi Michal
Published: May 2012

On the basis of an ethnographic analysis of the state‐run Jewish conversion project in Israel, I address the question of how bureaucrats come to know the subjects they serve. By analyzing how state agents construct the bureaucratic encounter with converts as a dramaturgical exchange, I theorize performance as an institutional mechanism through which bureaucratic knowledge is produced. The notion of “dramaturgy” sheds light not only on the everyday practices of state governmental power but also on the fragile, collaborative dynamics that underwrite the bureaucratic encounter. Such an analysis offers to complicate the notion of “power/knowledge” so often associated with bureaucratic institutions. [bureaucracy, ethnography of the state, Israel, passing, performance, power/knowledge, religious conversion]
The Effect of Varied Amounts of LiF Sintering Aid on the Transparency of Alumina Rich Spinel Ceramic with the Composition MgO · 1.5 Al2O3
Authors: Sutorik Anthony C. , Gilde Gary , Cooper Christopher , Wright Jared , Hilton Corydon
Published: May 2012

Magnesium aluminate spinel with the alumina rich composition MgO · 1.5 Al2O3 has been prepared as a transparent polycrystalline ceramic with average in‐line transmission at 550 nm of 83.3 ± 0.9% and >80% throughout the visible spectrum. This finding significantly increases the compositional range over which polycrystalline magnesium aluminates can be prepared as fully dense ceramics with high transparency to visible light. Starting powders are prepared from combinations of high purity Mg(OH)2 and γ‐Al2O3 thoroughly mixed in an aqueous slurry, and the solids are collected, dried, calcined, mixed with LiF sintering aid, and sieved. The powders are sintered into dense ceramics by hot pressing at 1600°C under vacuum and 20 MPa uniaxial load, followed by hot isostatic pressing at 1850°C under 200 MPa Ar. The crucial parameter for forming highly transparent MgO · 1.5 Al2O3 ceramic from this procedure is to hold the amount of LiF to 0.25 wt%.
The Effect of cBN Additions on Densification, Microstructure and Properties of WC–Co Composites by Pulse Electric Current Sintering
Authors: Wang Bo , Matsumaru Koji , Yang Jianfeng , Fu Zhengyi , Ishizaki Kozo
Published: May 2012

Cubic boron nitride/Tungsten carbide‐cobalt (cBN/WC–Co) composites were fabricated at low temperature by pulse electric current sintering (PECS) using Ni–P as sintering additives to promote low temperature densification. Effect of c–BN addition on the densification behavior, microstructure and mechanical properties of WC–Co composites was investigated. It was found that near‐fully dense WC/Co with 0 ~ 20 vol% cBN composites could be obtained at temperatures between 1100°C and 1200°C under 50 MPa, while no phase transformation of cBN into the low‐hardness hexagonal hBN. The 20 vol% cBN/WC–Co sample sintered at 1100°C under a pressure of 50 MPa for 10 min has a combination of hardness 16.5 GPa and fracture toughness KIC 13.7 MP·m1/2. The homogeneously dispersed cBN particles in the WC/Co composites promoted a slight increase of hardness, but a significant improvement of fracture toughness. The cBN particle bridging or deflection and pullout contribute to the high toughness.
Neighborhood, Parenting, and Individual Qualities Related to Adolescent Self‐Efficacy in Immigrant Families
Authors: Seegan Paige L. , Welsh Kayleigh L. , Plunkett Scott W. , Merten Michael J. , Sands Tovah
Published: May 2012

Self‐report questionnaire and census block data for 843 adolescents in immigrant families were analyzed using multilevel regression analysis to assess how actual and perceived neighborhood assets along with parenting factors influence adolescent general self‐efficacy. Participants consisted of first‐ and second‐generation adolescents in Los Angeles. Results indicated that perceived neighborhood assets, parental support, and satisfaction with individual attributes were positively related to general self‐efficacy, whereas parental psychological control and self‐deprecation were negatively related to general self‐efficacy. No significant association was found between family form, generation status, or structural neighborhood advantage and adolescent general self‐efficacy.
Using Focus Groups to Develop a Nutrition Labeling Program within University Food Service
Authors: Pohlmeier Ali , Reed Debra B. , Boylan Mallory , Harp Shelley
Published: May 2012

The objectives of this study were to collect data on the barriers to healthful eating among university students and to obtain student feedback regarding a proposed nutrition labeling program to promote healthy eating on campus. The location was a major university in the southwest. The Logic Model guided the development of focus group questions related to the barriers that university students face. To collect quantitative data regarding nutrition knowledge and health consciousness, a Nutrition Knowledge and Health Consciousness Scale (NKHCS) was used. After completing the scale, 30 students participated in four focus groups. Three themes emerged from the focus groups: the need for increased availability of healthy foods, the ability to sample healthy foods, and nutrition labeling of foods. This mixed method approach to the study provided both qualitative and quantitative data, and the results provided important insights from students regarding the development of university‐based nutrition education programs.
Mapping anti‐discrimination law onto inequality at work: Expanding the meaning of equality in international labour law
Authors: SHEPPARD Colleen
Published: May 2012

This article explores the evolving relationship between the concept of discrimination in international labour law and the socio‐economic phenomenon of inequality at work. While non‐discrimination was initially understood as a fairly limited legal principle mandating equal treatment for similarly situated individuals, it subsequently expanded to address indirect discrimination resulting from apparently neutral rules, standards and practices at work. It has expanded further to take on group‐based patterns of inequality at work related to the structural constraints of the market, the family and community life, ultimately resulting in convergence between anti‐discrimination law and legal initiatives to reduce class‐based socioeconomic inequality and poverty.
Job quality in Quebec and the United Kingdom: Trends by sex and family status, 1998–2008
Authors: CLOUTIER‐VILLENEUVE Luc
Published: May 2012

Using a typology combining pay, hours of work, skill levels and job stability, the author compares the trends in quality of employment between women and men (with and without childcare responsibilities) in Quebec and the United Kingdom over the decade 1998–2008. Although the gender gap narrowed significantly among working parents with young children, the gap between mothers and fathers in this group remained much smaller in Quebec than in the United Kingdom by the end of the period. The author attributes this pattern to Quebec's healthier economic environment, more women‐friendly social policies, and fathers' significantly shorter hours of work.
Part‐time work and gender: Worker versus job explanations
Authors: KJELDSTAD Randi , NYMOEN Erik H.
Published: May 2012

This article draws on Norwegian Labour Force Survey data to investigate the worker and job characteristics of different types of part‐time employment and their patterns of gendering. The most prevalent and female‐dominated type is voluntary long part‐time work, reflecting employer adjustment to women's working‐time preferences. Voluntary short part‐time work is significantly less gendered, typically representing marginal labour force affiliation, combined with education or gradual retirement, which employers use for flexibility in low‐skilled service and care industries. Involuntary part‐time employment is strongly associated with secondary labour market characteristics (temporary contracts, “non‐Western” citizenship) and affects women to a greater extent than men.
Severe maternal morbidity and mortality from amniotic fluid embolism in the Netherlands
Authors: STOLK KOEN H. , ZWART JOOST J. , SCHUTTE JOKE , VAN ROOSMALEN JOS
Published: May 2012

We have assessed the incidence, symptoms and risk factors of amniotic fluid embolism in the Netherlands. Data were retrieved from two nationwide registration systems. From 1983 to 2005 the maternal mortality ratio of amniotic fluid embolism increased from 0.11 to 0.63 (odds ratio (OR) 5.8, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.3–25.3). The most common signs and symptoms of amniotic fluid embolism were dyspnea and massive obstetric hemorrhage. In the majority of women, onset of symptoms was intrapartum or immediately postpartum. Potential risk factors of developing amniotic fluid embolism were maternal age >30, multiparity (OR 3.3, 95% CI 1.02–10.5), cesarean section (OR 1.3, 95% CI 0.3–5.2) and induction of labor (OR 2.1, 95% CI 2.1–6.1). Perinatal mortality was increased to 38.1% compared with 0.98% in the general pregnant population (p < 0.001) High maternal age and multiparity are the most important risk factors for developing amniotic fluid embolism.
The role of testosterone in bib size determination in the male house sparrow Passer domesticus, is age dependent
Authors: Roberts Mark L. , Buchanan Katherine L. , Goldsmith Arthur R. , Evans Matthew R.
Published: May 2012

Secondary sexual signals are thought to indicate individual quality. In order to understand the evolutionary pressures that give rise to such traits it is important to understand the physiological mechanisms underlying their production. The black bib of the house sparrow Passer domesticus is known to function as a badge of social status in males. Past studies have found that the size of the bib in older males is determined, at least partly, by the androgen testosterone. The immunocompetence handicap hypothesis suggests that testosterone has a key role in maintaining honest signalling – it is both involved in the development or expression of sexual signals and is immunosuppressive. In this paper we test experimentally two hypo theses relating to bib size development, whether 1) testosterone is only immunosuppressive in conditions where the natural feedback loop from the testes has been removed, and 2) testosterone is, in addition to influencing the bib size of older males, responsible for the size of the bib in juvenile sparrows. In the first experiment we found that exogenous testosterone administered to intact males during the winter (when LH and FSH levels are very low and were not artificially increased by castration) caused significant immunosuppression, albeit in interaction with the stress hormone corticosterone. Second, we found that exogenous testosterone administration in castrated fledgling male house sparrows had no effect on subsequent post‐juvenile moult bib size relative to controls. Our results suggest that in some circumstances testosterone can be immunosuppressive, but that its role in bib size determination is age‐dependent.
The clinical effect of locally delivered minocycline in association with flap surgery for the treatment of chronic severe periodontitis: a split‐mouth design
Authors: Jung Dong‐Yeol , Park Jung‐Chul , Kim Young‐Taek , Yon Je‐Young , Im Gun‐Il , Kim Byung‐Soo , Choi Seong‐Ho , Cho Kyoo‐Sung , Kim Chang‐Sung
Published: May 2012

Objective

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of adjunctive application of locally delivered minocycline ointment associated with flap surgery for the treatment of patients with chronic severe periodontitis.

Material and Methods

Twenty patients with chronic severe periodontitis were treated in a split‐mouth study to either adjunctive application of locally delivered minocycline ointment in association with flap surgery (FM) or flap surgery only (FO); additional minocycline application was performed at 3 months post operation. Clinical evaluation of the plaque index, probing depth (PD), bleeding on probing (BOP), gingival recession, and clinical attachment level (CAL) was conducted at baseline and at 3 and 6 months after treatment.

Results

Clinical evaluations revealed that although both sites exhibited clinical improvement, there was a statistically significant reduction in PD (3.34 ± 0.03 mm) and BOP (78.01 ± 11.42%), and a significant gain of CAL (1.88 ± 0.21 mm) at the FM site compared with the FO site (reduction of PD and BOP: 2.62 ± 0.06 mm, 50.33 ± 15.01%, and gain of CAL: 1.55 ± 0.13 mm) at 6 months post operation (p < 0.05).

Conclusion

Adjunctive application of locally delivered minocycline may be beneficial to the surgical treatment protocol of chronic severe periodontitis.
Four‐year incidence and predictors of tooth loss among older adults in a southern Brazilian city
Authors: De Marchi Renato José , Hilgert Juliana Balbinot , Hugo Fernando Neves , Santos Camila Mello dos , Martins Aline Blaya , Padilha Dalva Maria
Published: May 2012

Background

Tooth loss is still prevalent among older adults and may negatively affect their health and well‐being. Previous evidence has shown that oral disease–related factors are the more consistent predictors of tooth loss. Although certain models have considered oral health behaviour as a key construct in explaining oral health inequalities, others have favoured the role of social structure and the social environment in determining oral health outcomes.

Objective

To determine the tooth loss incidence and its predictors among community‐living older adults in a southern Brazilian city.

Methods

A cohort study was conducted using a simple random sample of 388 older people evaluated in 2004. The follow‐up was carried out during 2008, with 273 older persons examined. Interviews and oral examinations were conducted. The incidence of tooth loss was modelled through a conceptual framework with the use of negative binomial regression.

Results

Some 67.8% of people lost one or more teeth, whereas 12.5% became edentulous during the follow‐up period. In the multivariate model that controlled for baseline predictors, older age; male gender; living in a rural area; being married; less schooling; current smoking; and dissatisfaction with the access to health services were associated with tooth loss. Among the clinical variables, the use of partial dentures and gingival bleeding index were predictors, whereas higher saliva flow rate was a protective factor for the outcome.

Discussion

As proposed in the conceptual framework, demographic factors; primary determinants of health; behavioural; and clinical variables were predictors of tooth loss. These results are important, because understanding the causal association between lifestyle practices such as oral hygiene or smoking with tooth loss does not elucidate why individuals and communities engage in such practices.

Conclusion

Interventions aiming to reduce tooth loss and edentulism in the elderly should account for social and environmental factors, in combination with clinical and behavioural components.
When resources don't rescue: flowering phenology and species interactions affect compensation to herbivory in Ipomopsis aggregata
Authors: Brody Alison K. , Irwin Rebecca E.
Published: May 2012

The ability of plants to tolerate, or compensate for, herbivore damage is highly variable and has been the subject of much research. Although many plants can compensate for herbivore damage, and some even overcompensate, we cannot yet generalize about the conditions that promote a positive response to damage. Here, we asked how abiotic resources (i.e. plant nutrient status) coupled with biotic interactions – i.e. subsequent interactions with pollinators, seed predators and nectar robbing bumble bees – affect the compensatory ability of Ipomopsis aggregata, a monocarpic herb that has been the subject of much previous debate. We hypothesized that compensation to herbivore damage in I. aggregata (Polemoniaceae) would depend first on plants having an ample supply of resources and, second, on the outcome of subsequent interactions with mutualist pollinators and enemy pre‐dispersal seed predators and nectar robbing bumble bees. We used a fully‐factorial experiment in which plants were watered, fertilized or left as unmanipulated controls, crossed with clipping to simulate herbivore damage to the apical meristem. Resource addition enhanced both male and female components of fitness, but resource enhancement did not provide the means for plants to fully compensate for simulated herbivory. Clipped plants produced significantly more inflorescences, but at the expense of a delay in flowering and fewer total flowers. Clipping significantly reduced losses to dipteran pre‐dispersal seed predators by delaying flowering time, but early flowering plants produced higher numbers of seeds despite incurring higher rates of predation. Clipped plants incurred a higher risk to nectar robbers in one of two years. Overall, clipped plants suffered severe reductions (a nearly 50% reduction in total seed set) in female success, but clipping combined with nutrient addition enhanced male function through increases in per‐flower pollen production. However, because clipped plants produced significantly fewer flowers than unclipped plants, whole‐plant pollen production was significantly reduced by clipping. Pollinator visitation and nectar robbing were variable between clipping treatments and between years and (nectar robbing) among sites. Our results demonstrate that the variability in plant response to herbivory can, at least in part, be driven by plant interactions with mutualists and enemies. Thus, accounting for such interactions and their variability is important to fully understanding plant compensation for herbivore damage and will likely go far to explain variation in plant response that appears to be independent of resources.
Genetic deletion of MT1and MT2melatonin receptors differentially abrogates the development and expression of methamphetamine‐induced locomotor sensitization during the day and the night in C3H/HeN mice
Authors: Hutchinson Anthony J. , Hudson Randall L. , Dubocovich Margarita L.
Published: May 2012

Abstract: This study explored the role of the melatonin receptors in methamphetamine (METH)‐induced locomotor sensitization during the light and dark phases in C3H/HeN mice with genetic deletion of the MT1and/or MT2melatonin receptors. Six daily treatments with METH (1.2 mg/kg, i.p.) in a novel environment during the light phase led to the development of locomotor sensitization in wild‐type (WT), MT1KO and MT2KO mice. Following four full days of abstinence, METH challenge (1.2 mg/kg, i.p.) triggered the expression of locomotor sensitization in METH‐pretreated but not in vehicle (VEH)‐pretreated mice. In MT1/MT2KO mice, the development of sensitization during the light phase was significantly reduced and the expression of sensitization was completely abrogated upon METH challenge. During the dark phase the development of locomotor sensitization in METH‐pretreated WT, MT1KO and MT2KO mice was statistically different from VEH‐treated controls. However, WT and MT2KO, but not MT1KO mice receiving repeated VEH pretreatments during the dark phase expressed a sensitized response to METH challenge that is of an identical magnitude to that observed upon 6 days of METH pretreatment. We conclude that exposure to a novel environment during the dark phase, but not during the light phase, facilitated the expression of sensitization to a METH challenge in a manner dependent on MT1melatonin receptor activation by endogenous melatonin. We suggest that MT1and MT2melatonin receptors are potential targets for pharmacotherapeutic intervention in METH abusers.
Pharmacoeconomic analysis of paliperidone palmitate versus olanzapine pamoate for chronic schizophrenia in Norway
Authors: Einarson Thomas R. , Vicente Colin , Zilbershtein Roman , Piwko Charles , Bø Christel N. , Pudas Hanna , Hemels Michiel E. H.
Published: May 2012

Objective

Paliperidone palmitate long‐acting injection (PP‐LAI) has recently been approved for treatment of chronic schizophrenia. Its cost‐effectiveness has not been established. The objective was to compare direct costs and outcomes between PP‐LAI and olanzapine pamoate (OLZ‐LAI) in treating chronic schizophrenia in Norway from the perspective of the government payer.

Methods

We used a decision analytic model over a 1‐year time horizon. Clinical inputs were derived from the literature and an expert panel; costs were taken from standard lists, adjusted to 2010 Norwegian kroner (NOK). Discounting was not done. Main outcomes included average cost per patient treated, hospitalisations, emergency room (ER) visits and quality‐adjusted life years (QALYs). The pharmacoeconomic outcome was the incremental cost per QALY. Robustness was examined using one‐way sensitivity analyses on critical variables and a 5000‐iteration probabilistic Monte Carlo sensitivity analysis with all variables included.

Results

PP‐LAI generated 0.845 QALY at a cost of 151 336 NOK of which 23% was due to drugs; 25% of patients were hospitalised and another 12% required ER visits. OLZ‐LAI cost 174 351 NOK (21% due to drugs); patient outcomes included 0.844 QALY, 27% hospitalisations and 14% ER visits. PP‐LAI dominated OLZ‐LAI in the base case. The analysis was reasonably robust against variations in drug cost but sensitive to small changes in adherence and hospitalisation rates. Overall, PP‐LAI was dominant over OLZ‐LAI in 54.5% of simulations. Replacing OLZ‐LAI with PP‐LAI would be cost saving for the Norwegian healthcare system.

Conclusion

PP‐LAI was cost‐effective compared with OLZ‐LAI in treating patients with chronic schizophrenia in Norway but sensitive to changes in adherence and hospitalisation rates.
Human bocavirus types 1, 2 and 3 in acute gastroenteritis of childhood
Authors: Risku Minna , Kätkä Minna , Lappalainen Suvi , Räsänen Sirpa , Vesikari Timo
Published: May 2012

Aim:  Recently identified human bocavirus (HBoV) types 2 and 3 have been associated with acute gastroenteritis in children. We studied 878 stool specimens from children with acute gastroenteritis and 112 controls (43 children with unspecified fever, 33 with respiratory tract infection and 36 healthy children) for known HBoVs. The same specimens were previously studied for rotaviruses, noroviruses, sapoviruses, adenoviruses, coronaviruses and aichivirus.

Methods:  HBoVs were detected by PCR and positive amplicons were sequenced to identify HBoV1, HBoV2, HBoV3 and HBoV4.

Results:  HBoV of any type was found in 85 (9.7%) cases of acute gastroenteritis and in 6 (5.4%) controls. HBoV1 was detected in 49 (5.6%) cases and 2 (1.8%) controls, HBoV2 in 29 (3.3%) cases and 2 (1.8%) controls and HBoV3 in 8 (0.9%) cases and 2 (1.8%) controls. No HBoV4 was found. HBoV as a single infection was found in 16 (1.8%) cases and in 6 (5.4%) controls; in the remaining cases, a known gastroenteritis virus was also found. Among the single HBoV infections, HBoV2 was the most common type with 8 (50%) cases.

Conclusion:  HBoVs are rarely found alone in children with acute gastroenteritis. Further studies are warranted to confirm a possible specific association of HBoV2 with gastroenteritis.
Will Tort Reform Bend the Cost Curve? Evidence from Texas
Authors: Paik Myungho , Black Bernard S. , Hyman David A. , Silver Charles
Published: May 2012

Will tort reform “bend the cost curve?” Health‐care providers and tort reform advocates insist the answer is “yes.” They claim that defensive medicine is responsible for hundreds of billions of dollars in health‐care spending every year. If providers and reform advocates are right, once damages are capped and lawsuits are otherwise restricted, defensive medicine, and thus overall health‐care spending, will fall substantially. We study how Medicare spending changed after Texas adopted comprehensive tort reform in 2003, including a strict damages cap. We compare Medicare spending in Texas counties with high claim rates (high risk) to spending in Texas counties with low claim rates (low risk), since tort reform should have a greater impact on physician incentives in high‐risk counties. Pre‐reform, Medicare spending levels and trends were similar in high‐ and low‐risk counties. Post‐reform, we find no evidence that spending levels or trends in high‐risk counties declined relative to low‐risk counties and some evidence of increased physician spending in high‐risk counties. We also compare spending trends in Texas to national trends, and find no evidence of reduced spending in Texas post‐reform, and some evidence that physician spending rose in Texas relative to control states. In sum, we find no evidence that Texas's tort reforms bent the cost curve downward.
Sentencing Guidelines and Judicial Discretion: Quasi‐Experimental Evidence from Human Calculation Errors
Authors: Bushway Shawn D. , Owens Emily G. , Piehl Anne Morrison
Published: May 2012

The extent to which rules set by the legislature bind or influence decisions regarding sentence length is central to institutional design and to determining the practical impact of any proposed reform regarding criminal punishment. However, it is generally difficult to identify empirically the impact of sentencing recommendations because court actors may have preferences that are correlated with those outlined in the guidelines. In this article, we take advantage of a new source of identification to study how government actors interact and make decisions in the criminal sentencing process. We identify instances in the Maryland circuit court in which the case facts are not consistent with the final sentence recommendation—inconsistencies that appear to be the result of human error and exogenous to the preferences of downstream actors. We find that even an advisory guidelines system like the one in Maryland has a direct impact on judicial decision making in cases involving drugs and violent crimes. Judges appear eager to go along with an erroneous lesser sentence for violent offenses. In contrast, judges appear to discount mistakes that are too high. This asymmetry does not occur for property and drug offenses that are simpler and more frequently encountered. More generally, experience matters. Error rates are lower for more frequently occurring offense types and lower for those court professionals who complete more of the sentencing worksheets. The net effect of sentencing guidelines on time served appears to be small because parole boards counteract the remaining influence of the guidelines.
The Selection of 13th‐Century Disputes for Litigation
Authors: Klerman Daniel
Published: May 2012

Priest and Klein's seminal 1984 article argued that litigated cases differ systematically and predictably from settled cases. This article tests the Priest‐Klein selection model using a data set of 13th‐century English cases. These cases are especially informative because juries rendered verdicts even in settled cases, so one can directly compare verdicts in settled and litigated cases. The results are consistent with the predictions of the Priest‐Klein article, as well as with the asymmetric‐information selection models developed by Hylton and Shavell.
Institutional Activism Through Litigation: An Empirical Analysis of Public Pension Fund Participation in Securities Class Actions
Authors: Perino Michael
Published: May 2012

The PSLRA's lead plaintiff provision enlisted institutional investors to monitor class counsel in order to curb the agency costs endemic in securities class actions. This article uses a sample of 731 settlements to examine the efficacy of this provision. It finds that, even when controlling for institutional self‐selection of potentially easier or higher‐quality cases, cases with public pension lead plaintiffs have larger recoveries and lower fee requests and fee awards than cases with other lead plaintiff types. The article also finds evidence consistent with the existence of a significant positive externality associated with public pension participation. Over time, fee requests and fee awards have on average declined significantly even in cases without such lead plaintiffs. These findings suggest that public pensions act as more effective monitors of class counsel than traditional plaintiffs and that the lead plaintiff provision has substantially reduced the transactions costs associated with securities class actions.
Incomplete Recovery of Erectile Function in Rat After Discontinuation of Dual 5-Alpha Reductase Inhibitor Therapy
Authors: Öztekin Çetin Volkan , Gur Serap , Abdulkadir Nour A. , Lokman Utku , Akdemir Alp Özgür , Cetinkaya Mesut , Hellstrom Wayne J.G.
Published: May 2012

Aim

The association of 5-alpha reductase inhibitor (5ARI) therapy and sexual dysfunction has been reported. Some patients claim persistent erectile dysfunction despite long-term discontinuation of 5ARI treatment. The aim of this study was to assess erectile function after cessation of 5ARI therapy using a rat model.

Methods

Twenty-six adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomized into three groups: (i) control (N = 10); (ii) 8-week dutasteride treatment (0.5 mg/rat/day, in drinking water, N = 8); and (iii) 6-week dutasteride treatment followed by a 2-week washout period (N = 8). The experiments were performed after 8 weeks from the initiation of treatment in all groups. In vivo erectile activity and in vitro contractile and relaxant responses of cavernosal smooth muscle were investigated.

Results

In vivo erectile activity (intracavernosal pressure [ICP]/mean arterial pressure [MAP] and total ICP) in treatment groups were significantly decreased compared with controls (ICP/MAP: P < 0.001 for 2.5 v, 5 v, and 7.5 v; total ICP: P < 0.001 for 5 v and P < 0.01 for 7.5 v). Acetylcholine-induced relaxations were diminished in treatment groups (P < 0.05). Relaxant responses to electrical field stimulation (EFS) were decreased in the 8-week treatment group (P < 0.05) but were similar to controls in the washout group. Sodium nitroprusside (SNP)-induced endothelium-independent relaxations were reduced in the 8-week dutasteride treatment group (P < 0.01), while these responses were restored in the washout group. The contractile responses to the alpha1-adrenergic agonist phenylephrine were decreased in treatment groups compared with controls (P < 0.01). Direct neurogenic contractile responses in the dutasteride groups were significantly lower than controls between 1 and 15 Hz frequencies (but not at 20 Hz) and washout partially restored the responses at 10 and 15 Hz.

Conclusion

Discontinuation of dutasteride improved the relaxant responses to EFS and SNP, while cholinergic and adrenergic responses remained depressed. Our findings suggest a time-dependent detriment of dutasteride on erectile function. The withdrawal/washout effect of 5ARIs on parameters of human sexual function warrants further investigation.