bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Validation of the Female Sexual Distress Scale-Revised for Assessing Distress in Women with Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder
Authors: DeRogatis Leonard , Clayton Anita , Lewis-D'Agostino Diane , Wunderlich Glen , Fu Yali
Published: December 2007

Introduction

The concept of sexually related personal distress is currently central to the diagnosis of all female sexual dysfunctions (FSD). In the current study, we have focused on validating a slightly revised version of the Female Sexual Distress Scale (FSDS), the FSDS-Revised (FSDS-R), to enhance the sensitivity of the instrument with patients suffering from hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD). In addition, we have attempted to extend the validation generalizability of the scale by demonstrating that both instruments possess reliability and discriminative validity in premenopausal women with HSDD.

Aim

To assess the validity of the revised version of the FSDS, the FSDS-R, for measuring sexual distress in women with HSDD.

Methods

A prospective methodological study carried out at 27 centers in North America enrolled 296 women aged 18–50 years with HSDD, another female sexual dysfunction (FSD), or no FSD. The subjects completed the FSDS-R at baseline, day 7, and day 28, with a 30-day recall at baseline and with a 7-day recall on days 7 and 28.

Main Outcome Measures

Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses of FSDS, FSDS-R, and FSDS-R item 13 were used for the differentiation of HSDD from no FSD, while intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was used to estimate test–retest reliability. Cronbach's coefficient alpha was used to measure the internal consistency of the FSDS-R and Pearson's correlation coefficient to assess FSDS, FSDS-R, and FSDS-R item 13 with different recall periods (7 and 30 days).

Results

Mean total FSDS, FSDS-R, and FSDS-R item 13 scores with either recall period were significantly higher (P <0.0001) in women with FSD or HSDD than in women with no FSD, showing both tests had discriminant validity. ROC analysis confirmed these findings, while an ICC of >0.74 showed the test–retest reliability of both scales, including FSDS-R item 13 alone, and Cronbach's coefficient alpha of >0.86 confirmed the internal consistency of both tests.

Conclusions

Consistent with the FSDS, the FSDS-R demonstrated good discriminant validity, high test–retest reliability, and a high degree of internal consistency in measuring sexually related personal distress in women with HSDD. FSDS-R item 13 alone also demonstrated good discriminant validity and test–retest reliability.
Human Rights Versus Emissions Rights: Climate Justice and the Equitable Distribution of Ecological Space
Authors: Hayward Tim
Published: December 2007

There is agreement internationally that responsibility for reducing emissions should be equitably shared, but debate about the principles for determining equitable shares frequently focuses on the distribution of emissions rights. This shift of focus from responsibilities to rights is not necessarily conducive to reducing emissions. There is reason for caution, particularly, regarding suggestions that emissions rights should be assimilated to human rights. Concerns about the situation of the worst off globally have led to calls for recognition of a human right to some baseline amount of emissions per capita in order to secure subsistence. However, given the reasons to support a human right to an adequate environment, it would be a mistake to recognize any human right to pollute. What the worst off have a right to is secure access to the means to a decent life. Arguing that issues of both emissions and subsistence should be comprehended within a single framework of justice, the proposal here is that this broader framework be developed by reference to the idea of “ecological space.” An equitable distribution of rights to ecological space would in principle ensure an equitable distribution of welfare goods without sanctioning any excess use of natural resources or environmental services, including the planet's capacity for absorbing carbon.
Cyanide poisoning in cattle from Dysphania glomulifera (red crumbweed): using the internet for rapid plant identification and diagnostic advice
Authors: McKenzie RA , Burren BG , Noble JW , Thomas MB
Published: December 2007

A 300‐strong Angus‐Brahman cattle herd near Springsure, central Queensland, was being fed Acacia shirleyi (lancewood) browse during drought and crossed a 5‐hectare, previously burnt area with an almost pure growth of Dysphania glomulifera subspecies glomulifera (red crumbweed) on their way to drinking water. Forty cows died of cyanide poisoning over 2 days before further access to the plant was prevented. A digital image of a plant specimen made on a flat‐bed scanner and transmitted by email was used to identify D glomulifera. Specific advice on the plant's poisonous properties and management of the case was then provided by email within 2 hours of an initial telephone call by the field veterinarian to the laboratory some 600 km away. The conventional method using physical transport of a pressed dried plant specimen to confirm the identification took 5 days. D glomulifera was identified in the rumen of one of two cows necropsied. The cyanogenic potential of D glomulifera measured 4 days after collection from the site of cattle deaths was 18,600 mg HCN/kg in dry matter. The lethal dose of D glomulifera for a 420 kg cow was estimated as 150 to 190 g wet weight. The plant also contained 4.8% KNO3 equivalent in dry matter, but nitrate‐nitrite poisoning was not involved in the deaths.
Comparison of radioimmunoassay and chemiluminescent assay methods to estimate canine blood cortisol concentrations
Authors: Russell NJ , Foster S , Clark P , Robertson ID , Lewis D , Irwin PJ
Published: December 2007

Background  Non‐radioactive assay methods are widely used in commercial laboratories to measure canine blood cortisol concentrations, despite a paucity of published validity data of these tests compared with the traditional ‘gold standard’ radioimmunoassay.

Objectives To compare a commercial chemiluminescence assay with radioimmunoassay for blood cortisol measurement, determine the effect of storage on the radioimmunoassay, and determine the impact of any differences on clinical decisions.

Methods The study included 54 client owned dogs undergoing adrenal function testing. Fresh plasma or serum samples (n = 170) were assayed for cortisol using radioimmunoassay (RIA1). Samples (n = 196) were also frozen and stored in batches, and assayed by chemiluminescence and radioimmunoassay (RIA2).

Results Overall, there was a strong correlation (r2 = 0.967, P < 0.001) between RIA2 and chemiluminescence concentrations without significant difference between means. Strong correlations were present for RIA2 and chemiluminescence at concentration subgroups of > 400 nmol/L (r2 = 0.869, P < 0.001), < 100 nmol/L (r2 = 0.790, P < 0.001), and < 40 nmol/L (r2 = 0.738, P < 0.001). Significant differences between means were present for RIA2 and chemiluminescence concentrations in the < 100 nmol/L, and < 40 nmol/L (P < 0.001) groups. Despite a significant difference in RIA1 and RIA2 results overall, there was no significant difference between RIA1 and RIA2 for any of the concentration groups. In seven cases, discrepant RIA2 and chemiluminescence results may have altered clinical decisions.

Conclusions Although RIA and chemiluminescence cortisol concentrations appear highly correlated, a significant difference may exist for concentrations less than 100 nmol/L in stored canine sera. Results of chemiluminescence cortisol assays should be interpreted with caution unless the specific assay method in the laboratory has been adequately validated in dogs.
Economic geography: the rising star of the social sciences
Authors: Monk Ashby H. B. , Monk Courtney S.
Published: December 2007

The study of economic geography is concerned with explaining the spatial configuration of economic activity; considering the extent of the world's economic growth over the last half century, the relevance of the discipline is clear. Economic geography is undeniably a ‘new star’ in the social sciences, a status confirmed by the success of the Journal of Economic Geography. Under the surface, however, economists and geographers disagree frequently about ontology and methodology. If used to enhance and improve ideas, these divisions will ultimately lead to better research and even greater success.
Modelling and forecasting football attendances
Authors: Reade J. James
Published: December 2007

Estimating demand functions for football match attendance is increasingly popular, with focus usually on top divisions of national leagues and on groups of teams. Here, demand for one lower division team, Oldham Athletic, is analyzed. General‐to‐specific model selection is employed to find a model to explain attendances, which is then used to forecast attendances. The model explains and predicts attendances well, and additionally designed forecast combinations provide competitive forecasts due to the possibility of structural breaks.
Multidrug Transporters CaCdr1p and CaMdr1p of
Candida albicans
Display Different Lipid Specificities: both Ergosterol and Sphingolipids Are Essential for Targeting of CaCdr1p to Membrane Rafts
Authors: Pasrija Ritu , Panwar Sneh Lata , Prasad Rajendra
Published: December 2007

In this study, we compared the effects of altered membrane lipid composition on the localization of two membrane drug transporters from different superfamilies of the pathogenic yeast
Candida albicans
. We demonstrated that in comparison to the major facilitator superfamily multidrug transporter CaMdr1p, ATP-binding cassette transporter CaCdr1p of
C. albicans
is preferentially localized within detergent-resistant membrane (DRM) microdomains called ‘rafts.’ Both CaCdr1p and CaMdr1p were overexpressed as green fluorescent protein (GFP)-tagged proteins in a heterologous host
Saccharomyces cerevisiae
, wherein either sphingolipid (Δ
sur4
or Δ
fen1
or Δ
ipt1
) or ergosterol (Δ
erg24
or Δ
erg6
or Δ
erg4
) biosynthesis was compromised. CaCdr1p-GFP, when expressed in the above mutant backgrounds, was not correctly targeted to plasma membranes (PM), which also resulted in severely impaired drug resistance. In contrast, CaMdr1p-GFP displayed no sorting defect in the mutant background and remained properly surface localized and displayed no change in drug resistance. Our data clearly show that CaCdr1p is selectively recruited, over CaMdr1p, to the DRM microdomains of the yeast PM and that any imbalance in the raft lipid constituents results in missorting of CaCdr1p.
Analysis of the β-Tubulin Gene from
Vittaforma corneae
Suggests Benzimidazole Resistance
Authors: Franzen Caspar , Salzberger Bernd
Published: December 2007

We amplified, cloned, and sequenced the β-tubulin gene of
Vittaforma corneae
, a microsporidium causing human infections. The β-tubulin gene sequence has a substitution at Glu
198
(with glutamine), which is one of six amino acids reported to be associated with benzimidazole sensitivity. Benzimidazoles were assayed for antimicrosporidial activity and showed poor parasite inhibition.
Entecavir for Treatment of Hepatitis B Virus Displays No In Vitro Mitochondrial Toxicity or DNA Polymerase Gamma Inhibition
Authors: Mazzucco Charles E. , Hamatake Robert K. , Colonno Richard J. , Tenney Daniel J.
Published: December 2007

Therapy with nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) can be associated with mitochondrial toxicity. In vitro studies have been used to predict the predisposition for and characterize the mechanisms causing mitochondrial toxicity. Entecavir (ETV) is an approved deoxyguanosine nucleoside for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection that exhibits potent activity against viral reverse transcriptase. We assessed the potential for mitochondrial toxicity of ETV in long-term cultures of HepG2 hepatoma cells by measuring mitochondrial function (through lactate secretion), levels of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), and levels of mitochondrial proteins COX II and COX IV. Furthermore, we tested the activity of ETV-triphosphate (ETV-TP) against mitochondrial DNA polymerase γ (Pol γ) in vitro. ETV concentrations as high as 100 times the maximal clinical exposure (Cmax) did not affect cell proliferation, levels of lactate, mitochondrial DNA, or mitochondrial proteins throughout the 15-day culture. The lack of mitochondrial toxicity was consistent with the finding that ETV-TP was not recognized by mitochondrial DNA Pol γ and failed to be incorporated into DNA or inhibit the polymerase assay at the highest levels tested, 300 μM. Combinations of ETV with each of the other HBV NRTI antivirals, adefovir, tenofovir, and lamivudine at 10 times their respectiveCmaxlevels also failed to result in cellular or mitochondrial toxicity. In summary, cell culture and enzymatic studies yielded no evidence that would predict mitochondrial toxicity of ETV at exposure levels in excess of those expected to be achieved clinically.
Intracellular Metabolism of the Nucleotide Prodrug GS-9131, a Potent Anti-Human Immunodeficiency Virus Agent
Authors: Ray Adrian S. , Vela Jennifer E. , Boojamra Constantine G. , Zhang Lijun , Hui Hon , Callebaut Christian , Stray Kirsten , Lin Kuei-Ying , Gao Ying , Mackman Richard L. , Cihlar Tomas
Published: December 2007

GS-9131 is a phosphonoamidate prodrug of the novel ribose-modified phosphonate nucleotide analog GS-9148 that demonstrates potent anti-human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) activity and an excellent resistance profile in vitro. Prodrug moieties were optimized for the efficient delivery of GS-9148 and its active diphosphate (DP) metabolite to lymphoid cells following oral administration. To understand the intracellular pharmacology of GS-9131, incubations were performed with various types of lymphoid cells in vitro. The intracellular accumulation and antiviral activity levels of GS-9148 were limited by its lack of cellular permeation, and GS-9131 increased the delivery of GS-9148-DP by 76- to 290-fold relative to that of GS-9148. GS-9131 activation was saturable at high extracellular concentrations, potentially due to a high-affinity promoiety cleavage step. Once inside the cells, GS-9148 was efficiently phosphorylated, forming similar amounts of anabolites in primary lymphoid cells. The levels of GS-9148-DP formed in peripheral blood mononuclear cells infected with HIV-1 were similar to that in uninfected PBMCs, and approximately equivalent intracellular concentrations of GS-9148-DP and tenofovir (TVF)-DP were required to inhibit viral replication by 90%. Once it was formed, GS-9148-DP was efficiently retained in activated CD4+cells, with a half-life of 19 h. In addition, GS-9131 showed a low potential for drug interactions with other adenine nucleoside/nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitors, based on the lack of competition for anabolism between suprapharmacologic concentrations of GS-9148 and TVF and the lack of activity of GS-9131 metabolites against purine nucleoside phosphorylase, an enzyme involved in the clearance of 2′,3′-dideoxyinosine. Together, these observations elucidate the cellular pharmacology of GS-9131 and illustrate its efficient loading of lymphoid cells, resulting in a prolonged intracellular exposure to the active metabolite GS-9148-DP.
Design and Profiling of GS-9148, a Novel Nucleotide Analog Active against Nucleoside-Resistant Variants of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1, and Its Orally Bioavailable Phosphonoamidate Prodrug, GS-9131
Authors: Cihlar Tomas , Ray Adrian S. , Boojamra Constantine G. , Zhang Lijun , Hui Hon , Laflamme Genevieve , Vela Jennifer E. , Grant Deborah , Chen James , Myrick Florence , White Kirsten L. , Gao Ying , Lin Kuei-Ying , Douglas Janet L. , Parkin Neil T. , Carey Anne , Pakdaman Rowchanak , Mackman Richard L.
Published: December 2007

GS-9148 [(5-(6-amino-purin-9-yl)-4-fluoro-2,5-dihydro-furan-2-yloxymethyl)phosphonic acid] is a novel ribose-modified human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) nucleotide reverse transcriptase (RT) inhibitor (NRTI) selected from a series of nucleoside phosphonate analogs for its favorable in vitro biological properties including (i) a low potential for mitochondrial toxicity, (ii) a minimal cytotoxicity in renal proximal tubule cells and other cell types, (iii) synergy in combination with other antiretrovirals, and (iv) a unique resistance profile against multiple NRTI-resistant HIV-1 strains. Notably, antiviral resistance analysis indicated that neither the K65R, L74V, or M184V RT mutation nor their combinations had any effect on the antiretroviral activity of GS-9148. Viruses carrying four or more thymidine analog mutations showed a substantially smaller change in GS-9148 activity relative to that observed with most marketed NRTIs. GS-9131, an ethylalaninyl phosphonoamidate prodrug designed to maximize the intracellular delivery of GS-9148, is a potent inhibitor of multiple subtypes of HIV-1 clinical isolates, with a mean 50% effective concentration of 37 nM. Inside cells, GS-9131 is readily hydrolyzed to GS-9148, which is further phosphorylated to its active diphosphate metabolite (A. S. Ray, J. E. Vela, C. G. Boojamra, L. Zhang, H. Hui, C. Callebaut, K. Stray, K.-Y. Lin, Y. Gao, R. L. Mackman, and T. Cihlar, Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 52:648-654, 2008). GS-9148 diphosphate acts as a competitive inhibitor of RT with respect to dATP (Ki= 0.8 μM) and exhibits low inhibitory potency against host polymerases including DNA polymerase γ. Oral administration of GS-9131 to beagle dogs at a dose of 3 mg/kg of body weight resulted in high and persistent levels of GS-9148 diphosphate in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (with a maximum intracellular concentration of >9 μM and a half-life of >24 h). This favorable preclinical profile makes GS-9131 an attractive clinical development candidate for the treatment of patients infected with NRTI-resistant HIV.
Evolution of Animal Photoperiodism
Authors: Bradshaw William E. , Holzapfel Christina M.
Published: December 2007

Photoperiodism is the ability of organisms to assess and use the day length as an anticipatory cue to time seasonal events in their life histories. Photoperiodism is especially important in initiating physiological and developmental processes that are typically irrevocable and that culminate at a future time or at a distant place; the further away in space or time, the more likely a seasonal event is initiated by photoperiod. The pervasiveness of photoperiodism across broad taxa, from rotifers to rodents, and the predictable changes of photoperiodic response with geography identify it as a central component of fitness in temperate and polar seasonal environments. Consequently, the role of day length cannot be disregarded when evaluating the mechanisms underlying life-historical events, range expansions, invasions of novel species, and response to climate change among animals in the temperate and polar regions of the world.
Climate Change and Invasibility of the Antarctic Benthos
Authors: Aronson Richard B. , Thatje Sven , Clarke Andrew , Peck Lloyd S. , Blake Daniel B. , Wilga Cheryl D. , Seibel Brad A.
Published: December 2007

Benthic communities living in shallow-shelf habitats in Antarctica (<100-m depth) are archaic in structure and function compared to shallow-water communities elsewhere. Modern predators, including fast-moving, durophagous (skeleton-crushing) bony fish, sharks, and crabs, are rare or absent; slow-moving invertebrates are generally the top predators; and epifaunal suspension feeders dominate many soft-substratum communities. Cooling temperatures beginning in the late Eocene excluded durophagous predators, ultimately resulting in the endemic living fauna and its unique food-web structure. Although the Southern Ocean is oceanographically isolated, the barriers to biological invasion are primarily physiological rather than geographic. Cold temperatures impose limits to performance that exclude modern predators. Global warming is now removing those physiological barriers, and crabs are reinvading Antarctica. As sea temperatures continue to rise, the invasion of durophagous predators will modernize the shelf benthos and erode the indigenous character of marine life in Antarctica.
Shortcuts for Biodiversity Conservation Planning: The Effectiveness of Surrogates
Authors: Rodrigues Ana S.L. , Brooks Thomas M.
Published: December 2007

Biodiversity is not completely known anywhere, so conservation planning is always based on surrogates for which data are available and, hence, assumed effective for the conservation of unknown biodiversity. We review the literature on the effectiveness of surrogates for conservation planning based on complementary representation. We apply a standardized approach based on a Species Accumulation Index of surrogate effectiveness to compare results from 575 tests in 27 studies. Overall, we find positive, but relatively weak, surrogacy power. Cross-taxon surrogates are substantially more effective than surrogates based on environmental data. Within cross-taxon tests, surrogacy was higher for tests within the same realm (terrestrial, marine, freshwater). Surrogacy was higher when extrapolated (rather than field) data were used. Our results suggest that practical conservation planning based on data for well-known taxonomic groups can cautiously proceed under the assumption that it captures species in less well-known taxa, at least within the same realm.
Plant-Animal Mutualistic Networks: The Architecture of Biodiversity
Authors: Bascompte Jordi , Jordano Pedro
Published: December 2007

The mutually beneficial interactions between plants and their animal pollinators and seed dispersers have been paramount in the generation of Earth's biodiversity. These mutualistic interactions often involve dozens or even hundreds of species that form complex networks of interdependences. Understanding how coevolution proceeds in these highly diversified mutualisms among free-living species presents a conceptual challenge. Recent work has led to the unambiguous conclusion that mutualistic networks are very heterogeneous (the bulk of the species have a few interactions, but a few species are much more connected than expected by chance), nested (specialists interact with subsets of the species with which generalists interact), and built on weak and asymmetric links among species. Both ecological variables (e.g., phenology, local abundance, and geographic range) and past evolutionary history may explain such network patterns. Network structure has important implications for the coexistence and stability of species as well as for the coevolutionary process. Mutualistic networks can thus be regarded as the architecture of biodiversity.
The Evolution of Resistance and Tolerance to Herbivores
Authors: Núñez-Farfán Juan , Fornoni Juan , Valverde Pedro Luis
Published: December 2007

Tolerance and resistance are two different plant defense strategies against herbivores. Empirical evidence in natural populations reveals that individual plants allocate resources simultaneously to both strategies, thus plants exhibit a mixed pattern of defense. In this review we examine the conditions that promote the evolutionary stability of mixed defense strategies in the light of available empirical and theoretical evidence. Given that plant tolerance and resistance are heritable and subject to environmentally dependent selection and genetic constraints, the joint evolution of tolerance and resistance is analyzed, with consideration of multiple species interactions and the plant mating system. The existence of mixed defense strategies in plants makes it necessary to re-explore the coevolutionary process between plants and herbivores, which centered historically on resistance as the only defensive mechanism. In addition, we recognize briefly the potential use of plant tolerance for pest management. Finally, we highlight unresolved issues for future development in this field of evolutionary ecology.
Gene expression changes of prostanoid synthases in endothelial cells and prostanoid receptors in vascular smooth muscle cells caused by aging and hypertension
Authors: Tang Eva H. C. , Vanhoutte Paul M.
Published: December 2007

The present study was designed to assess whether or not changes in genomic expression of cyclooxygenases (COX-1, COX-2), endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), and prostanoid synthases in the endothelium and of prostanoid receptors in vascular smooth muscle contribute to the occurrence of endothelium-dependent contractions during aging and hypertension. Gene expression was quantified by real-time PCR using isolated endothelial cells and smooth muscle cells (SMC) from the aorta of Wistar-Kyoto and spontaneously hypertensive rats. Genes for all known prostanoid synthases and receptors were present in endothelial cells and SMC, respectively. Aging caused overexpression of eNOS, COX-1, COX-2, thromboxane synthase, hematopoietic-type prostaglandin D synthase, membrane prostaglandin E synthase-2, and prostaglandin F synthase in endothelial cells and COX-1 and prostaglandin E2 (EP)4 receptors in SMC. Hypertension augmented the expression of COX-1, prostacyclin synthase, thromboxane synthase, and hematopoietic-type prostaglandin D synthase in endothelial cells and prostaglandin D2 (DP), EP3, and EP4 receptors in SMC. The increase in genomic expression of endothelial COX-1 explains why in aging and hypertension the endothelium has greater propensity to release cyclooxygenase-derived vasoconstrictive prostanoids. The expression of prostacyclin synthase was by far the most abundant, explaining why the majority of the COX-1-derived endoperoxides are transformed into prostacyclin, substantiating the role of prostacyclin as an endothelium-derived contracting factor. The expression of thromboxane synthase was increased in the cells of aging or hypertensive rats, explaining why the prostanoid can contribute to endothelium-dependent contractions. It is uncertain whether the gene modifications caused by aging and hypertension directly contribute to endothelium-dependent contractions or rather to vascular aging and the vascular complications of the hypertensive process.
Direct Left Atrial Pressure Monitoring in Ambulatory Heart Failure Patients
Authors: Ritzema Jay , Melton Iain C. , Richards A. Mark , Crozier Ian G. , Frampton Chris , Doughty Robert N. , Whiting James , Kar Saibal , Eigler Neal , Krum Henry , Abraham William T. , Troughton Richard W.
Published: December 2007

Background—

We describe the first human experience with a permanently implantable, direct left atrial pressure (LAP) monitoring system in ambulatory patients with chronic heart failure.

Methods and Results—

Eight patients with established heart failure and at least 1 heart failure hospitalization or unplanned visit for parenteral therapy in the last year underwent device implantation under fluoroscopic guidance. All subjects received aspirin 150 mg and clopidogrel 75 mg daily. Subjects measured LAP twice daily and attended a clinic regularly for data upload and device calibration. Right heart catheterization was performed at the time of device implantation and at 12 weeks. The device was implanted in all subjects with no procedural complications. At the 12-week follow-up, 87% of device LAP measurements were within ±5 mm Hg of simultaneous pulmonary capillary wedge pressure readings over a wide range of pressures (1.6 to 71 mm Hg). Net drift corrected by calibration was −0.2±1.9 mm Hg/mo. During short-term follow-up, there were no device-related complications or systemic emboli. There were no deaths, no unplanned heart failure clinic visits, and no admissions for heart failure.

Conclusions—

Ambulatory monitoring of direct LAP with a new implantable device was well tolerated, feasible, and accurate at a short-term follow-up. Further follow-up and investigation are warranted to evaluate the clinical utility of LAP monitoring in patients with heart failure.
Exploring the Behavior of Hospital Composite Performance Measures
Authors: O’Brien Sean M. , DeLong Elizabeth R. , Dokholyan Rachel S. , Edwards Fred H. , Peterson Eric D.
Published: December 2007

Background—

Composite scores that combine several performance measures into a single ranking are becoming the accepted metric for assessing hospital performance. In particular, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Hospital Quality Incentive Demonstration (HQID) project bases financial rewards and penalties on these scores. Although the HQID composite calculation is straightforward and easily understood, its method of combining process and outcome measures has not been validated.

Methods and Results—

Using data on 530 hospitals from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons National Cardiac Database, we replicated the HQID methodology with 6 nationally endorsed performance measures (5 process measures plus survival) for coronary artery bypass surgery. Composite scores were essentially determined by process measure performance alone; the survival component explained only 4% of the composite score’s total variance. This result persisted even when the survival component was allowed a 5-fold greater weighting in the composite summary. The popular “all-or-none” measurement approach was also dominated by the process component. Substantial disagreement was found among hospital rankings when several alternative methods were used; up to 60% of hospitals eligible for the top financial reward under HQID would change designation depending on the composite methodology used. The application of a simple statistical adjustment (standardization) to each method would provide more consistent results and a more balanced assessment of performance based on both process and outcomes.

Conclusions—

Existing methods used to create composite performance measures have remarkably different weighting of process versus outcomes metrics and lead to highly divergent provider rankings. Simple alternative methods can create more balanced process-outcome performance assessments.
Coffee Consumption and Risk of Cardiovascular Events After Acute Myocardial Infarction
Authors: Silletta Maria Giuseppina , Marfisi RosaMaria , Levantesi Giacomo , Boccanelli Alessandro , Chieffo Carmelo , Franzosi MariaGrazia , Geraci Enrico , Maggioni Aldo Pietro , Nicolosi Gianluigi , Schweiger Carlo , Tavazzi Luigi , Tognoni Gianni , Marchioli Roberto
Published: December 2007

Background—

The relation between coffee consumption and cardiovascular disease has been studied extensively, but results are still debated. In addition, little evidence is available on patients with established coronary heart disease.

Methods and Results—

Prospectively ascertained information among 11 231 Italian patients (9584 males and 1647 females) with recent (≤3 months) myocardial infarction enrolled in the GISSI (Gruppo Italiano per lo Studio della Sopravvivenza nell’Infarto miocardico)-Prevenzione trial was used. Usual dietary habits were assessed at baseline and updated at 0.5 and 1.5 years. Coffee consumption was categorized as never/almost never, <2 cups per day, 2 to 4 cups per day, and >4 cups per day. Medication use and fasting glucose were assessed at 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2.5, and 3.5 years. Risk was evaluated with Cox proportional hazards with time-varying covariates. The main outcome measure was the cumulative incidence of cardiovascular events (cardiovascular death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, and nonfatal stroke). A total of 1167 cardiovascular events occurred during 36 961 person-years of follow-up. After multivariable adjustment for potential confounders in the time-dependent analysis, the relative risk of cardiovascular events across categories of coffee consumption was 1.02 (95% CI 0.87 to 1.20) for <2 cups per day, 0.91 (95% CI 0.75 to 1.09) for 2 to 4 cups per day, and 0.88 (95% CI 0.64 to 1.20) for >4 cups per day compared with abstainers (
P
for trend=0.18). Ultimately, coffee consumption did not change the risk of coronary heart disease events, stroke, and sudden death.

Conclusions—

No association between moderate coffee intake and cardiovascular events was observed in post–myocardial infarction patients.
Prasugrel Compared With High Loading- and Maintenance-Dose Clopidogrel in Patients With Planned Percutaneous Coronary Intervention
Authors: Wiviott Stephen D. , Trenk Dietmar , Frelinger Andrew L. , O’Donoghue Michelle , Neumann Franz-Josef , Michelson Alan D. , Angiolillo Dominick J. , Hod Hanoch , Montalescot Gilles , Miller Debra L. , Jakubowski Joseph A. , Cairns Richard , Murphy Sabina A. , McCabe Carolyn H. , Antman Elliott M. , Braunwald Eugene
Published: December 2007

Background—

The increasing use of higher-than-approved doses of clopidogrel in clinical practice is based in part on the desire for greater levels of inhibition of platelet aggregation (IPA). Prasugrel is a new thienopyridine that is more potent than standard-dose clopidogrel in healthy subjects and patients with stable coronary artery disease. The relative antiplatelet effects of prasugrel versus high-dose clopidogrel in percutaneous coronary intervention patients are unknown.

Methods and Results—

Prasugrel in Comparison to Clopidogrel for Inhibition of Platelet Activation and Aggregation–Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction 44 (PRINCIPLE-TIMI 44) was a randomized, double-blind, 2-phase crossover study of prasugrel compared with high-dose clopidogrel in patients undergoing cardiac catheterization for planned percutaneous coronary intervention. The primary end point of the loading-dose phase (prasugrel 60 mg versus clopidogrel 600 mg) was IPA with 20 μmol/L ADP at 6 hours. Patients with percutaneous coronary intervention entered the maintenance-dose phase, a 28-day crossover comparison of prasugrel 10 mg/d versus clopidogrel 150 mg/d with a primary end point of IPA after 14 days of either drug. In this study, 201 subjects were randomized. IPA at 6 hours was significantly higher in subjects receiving prasugrel (mean±SD, 74.8±13.0%) compared with clopidogrel (31.8±21.1%;
P
<0.0001). During the maintenance-dose phase, IPA with 20 μmol/L ADP was higher in subjects receiving prasugrel (61.3±17.8%) compared with clopidogrel (46.1±21.3%;
P
<0.0001). Results were consistent across all key secondary end points; significant differences emerged by 30 minutes and persisted across all time points.

Conclusions—

Among patients undergoing cardiac catheterization with planned percutaneous coronary intervention, loading with 60 mg prasugrel resulted in greater platelet inhibition than a 600-mg clopidogrel loading dose. Maintenance therapy with prasugrel 10 mg/d resulted in a greater antiplatelet effect than 150 mg/d clopidogrel.
The Comparative Politics of Climate Change
Authors: Harrison Kathryn , Sundstrom Lisa McIntosh
Published: December 2007

The authors use a comparative politics framework, examining electoral interests, policy-maker's own normative commitments, and domestic political institutions as factors influencing Annex 1 countries' decisions on Kyoto Protocol ratification and adoption of national policies to mitigate climate change. Economic costs and electoral interests matter a great deal, even when policy-makers are morally motivated to take action on climate change. Leaders' normative commitments may carry the day under centralized institutional conditions, but these commitments can be reversed when leaders change. Electoral systems, federalism, and executive-legislative institutional configurations all influence ratification decisions and subsequent policy adoption. Although institutional configurations may facilitate or hinder government action, high levels of voter concern can trump institutional obstacles. Governments' decisions to ratify, and the reduction targets they face upon ratification, do not necessarily determine their approach to carbon emissions abatement policies: for example, ratifying countries that accept demanding targets may fail to take significant action.
Russia and the Kyoto Protocol: Seeking an Alignment of Interests and Image
Authors: Henry Laura A. , Sundstrom Lisa McIntosh
Published: December 2007

On November 5, 2004, the Russian Federation ratified the Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, effectively saving the treaty. Battling domestic interests, in which a majority of pro-Kyoto voices were countered by a small but powerful minority of Kyoto opponents, had little influence on the decision due to the centralized institutional environment in Russia which allows the President great autonomy in foreign policy. President Putin ratified the treaty because Russia would likely gain leverage in other international negotiations and contribute to an image of itself as a good member of the club of advanced industrialized states. He delayed ratification to clarify evidence about gains versus losses from Kyoto provisions and to secure concessions from other Kyoto ratifiers in other international negotiations. Existing implementation efforts are slow but indicate that Russia's strategy will emphasize maximizing profits through treaty mechanisms over maximizing emissions reductions.
Processing Nouns and Verbs in the Left Frontal Cortex: A Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Study
Authors: Cappelletti Marinella , Fregni Felipe , Shapiro Kevin , Pascual-Leone Alvaro , Caramazza Alfonso
Published: December 2007

Neuropsychological and neurophysiological studies suggest that the production of verbs in speech depends on cortical regions in the left frontal lobe. However, the precise topography of these regions, and their functional roles in verb production, remains matters of debate. In an earlier study with repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), we showed that stimulation to the left anterior midfrontal gyrus disrupted verb production, but not noun production, in a task that required subjects to perform simple morphological alternations. This result raises a number of questions: for example, is the effect of stimulation focal and specific to that brain region? Is the behavioral effect limited to rule-based, regular transformations, or can it be generalized over the grammatical category? In the present study, we used rTMS to suppress the excitability of distinct parts of the left prefrontal cortex to assess their role in producing regular and irregular verbs compared to nouns. We compared rTMS to sham stimulation and to stimulation of homologous areas in the right hemisphere. Response latencies increased for verbs, but were unaffected for nouns, following stimulation to the left anterior midfrontal gyrus. No significant interference specific for verbs resulted after stimulation to two other areas in the left frontal lobe, the posterior midfrontal gyrus and Broca's area. These results therefore reinforce the idea that the left anterior midfrontal cortex is critical for processing verbs. Moreover, none of the regions stimulated was preferentially engaged in the production of regular or irregular inflection, raising questions about the role of the frontal lobes in processing inflectional morphology.
Activity of Primate Orbitofrontal and Dorsolateral Prefrontal Neurons: Effect of Reward Schedule on Task-related Activity
Authors: Ichihara-Takeda Satoe , Funahashi Shintaro
Published: December 2007

Recent studies show that task-related activity in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) is modulated by the quality and quantity of the reward, suggesting that the subject's motivational state affects cognitive operations in the DLPFC. The orbito-frontal cortex (OFC) is a possible source of motivational inputs to the DLPFC. However, it is not well known whether these two areas exhibit similar motivational effects on task-related activity. We compared motivational effects on task-related activity in these areas while a monkey performed an oculomotor delayed-response (ODR) task under two reward schedules. In the ODR-1 schedule, reward was given only after the successful completion of four consecutive trials, whereas in the ODR-2 schedule, reward was given after every correct trial. Task-related activities in both areas showed spatial selectivity. The spatial characteristics of task-related activity remained constant in both schedules. Task-related activity in both areas, especially delay-period activity, was also affected by the reward schedule and the magnitude of the activity gradually increased depending on the proximity of the reward trial in the ODR-1 schedule. More task-related OFC activities were affected by reward schedules, whereas more task-related DLPFC activities were affected by spatial factors and reward schedules. These results indicate that the OFC plays a role in monitoring the proximity of the reward trial and detecting reward delivery, whereas the DLPFC plays a role in performing cognitive operations and integrating cognitive and motivational information. These results also indicate that spatial information and the animal's motivational state independently affect neuronal activity in both areas.
Ventromedial Frontal Lobe Plays a Critical Role in Facial Emotion Recognition
Authors: Heberlein Andrea S. , Padon Alisa A. , Gillihan Seth J. , Farah Martha J. , Fellows Lesley K.
Published: December 2007

The ventromedial prefrontal cortex has been implicated in a variety of emotion processes. However, findings regarding the role of this region specifically in emotion recognition have been mixed. We used a sensitive facial emotion recognition task to compare the emotion recognition performance of 7 subjects with lesions confined to ventromedial prefrontal regions, 8 subjects with lesions elsewhere in prefrontal cortex, and 16 healthy control subjects. We found that emotion recognition was impaired following ventromedial, but not dorsal or lateral, prefrontal damage. This impairment appeared to be quite general, with lower overall ratings or more confusion between all six emotions examined. We also explored the relationship between emotion recognition performance and the ability of the same patients to experience transient happiness and sadness during a laboratory mood induction. We found some support for a relationship between sadness recognition and experience. Taken together, our results indicate that the ventromedial frontal lobe plays a crucial role in facial emotion recognition, and suggest that this deficit may be related to the subjective experience of emotion.
Binding 3-D Object Perception in the Human Visual Cortex
Authors: Jiang Yang , Boehler C. N. , Nönnig Nina , Düzel Emrah , Hopf Jens-Max , Heinze Hans-Jochen , Schoenfeld Mircea Ariel
Published: December 2007

How do visual luminance, shape, motion, and depth bind together in the brain to represent the coherent percept of a 3-D object within hundreds of milliseconds (msec)? We provide evidence from simultaneous magnetoencephalographic (MEG) and electroencephalographic (EEG) data that perception of 3-D objects defined by luminance or motion elicits sequential activity in human visual cortices within 500 msec. Following activation of the primary visual cortex around 100 msec, 3-D objects elicited sequential activity with only little overlap (dynamic 3-D shapes: MT-LO-Temp; stationary 3-D shapes: LO-Temp). A delay of 80 msec, both in MEG/EEG responses and in reaction times (RTs), was found when additional motion information was processed. We also found significant positive correlations between RT, and MEG and EEG responses in the right temporal location. After about 400 msec, long-lasting activity was observed in the parietal cortex and concurrently in previously activated regions. Novel time-frequency analyses indicate that the activity in the lateral occipital (LO) complex is associated with an increase of induced power in the gamma band, a hallmark of binding. The close correspondence of an induced gamma response with concurrent sources located in the LO in both experimental conditions at different points in time (∼200 msec for luminance and ∼300 msec for dynamic cues) strongly suggests that the LO is the key region for the assembly of object features. The assembly is fed forward to achieve coherent perception of a 3-D object within 500 msec.
Tracking the Location of Visuospatial Attention in a Contingent Capture Paradigm
Authors: Leblanc Émilie , Prime David J. , Jolicoeur Pierre
Published: December 2007

Currently, there is considerable controversy regarding the degree to which top-down control can affect attentional capture by salient events. According to the contingent capture hypothesis, attentional capture by a salient stimulus is contingent on a match between the properties of the stimulus and top-down attentional control settings. In contrast, bottom-up saliency accounts argue that the initial capture of attention is determined solely by the relative salience of the stimulus, and the effect of top-down attentional control is limited to effects on the duration of attentional engagement on the capturing stimulus. In the present study, we tested these competing accounts by utilizing the N2pc event-related potential component to track the locus of attention during an attentional capture task. The results were completely consistent with the contingent capture hypothesis: An N2pc wave was elicited only by distractors that possessed the target-defining attribute. In a second experiment, we expanded upon this finding by exploring the effect of target-distractor similarity on the duration that attention dwells at the distractor location. In this experiment, only distractors possessing the target-defining attribute (color) captured visuospatial attention to their location and the N2pc increased in duration and in magnitude when the capture distractor also shared a second target attribute (category membership). Finally, in three additional control experiments, we replicated the finding of an N2pc generated by distractors, only if they shared the target-defining attribute. Thus, our results demonstrate that attentional control settings influence both which stimuli attract attention and to what extent they are processed.
Development of a Five-Dimensional Measure of Adult Sleep Quality
Authors: Fortunato Vincent J. , LeBourgeois Monique K. , Harsh John
Published: December 2007

This article describes the development of a measure of adult sleep quality: the Adult Sleep—Wake Scale (ADSWS). The ADSWS is a self-report pencil-and-paper measure of sleep quality consisting of five behavioral dimensions (Going to Bed, Falling Asleep, Maintaining Sleep, Reinitiating Sleep, and Returning to Wakefulness). Data were collected from three samples. Study 1 describes the derivation of an initial pool of items. Further scale refinement is described in Studies 2 and 3. Construct validity of scores on the ADSWS was examined via correlations between ADSWS scores and scores on (1) two personality variables (Negative Affectivity and Positive Affectivity); (2) three work-related stressors (Interpersonal Conflict, Work Demands, and Job Ambiguity); and (3) three strain outcomes (Depression, Health Complaints, and Frustration). In Study 3, data were collected from participants across three time periods to assess estimates of test—retest reliability and convergent and divergent validity using procedures described by Campbell and Fiske. The findings indicate that the psychometric properties of scores on the ADSWS exceed criteria for use of an instrument in research settings. In addition, across all three studies, scores on ADSWS subscales correlated, as hypothesized, with personality, stressor, and strain variables.
Judgements during information seeking: a naturalistic approach to understanding the assessment of enough information
Authors: Berryman Jennifer M.
Published: December 2007

In this article, theories of human judgement and decision making are reviewed and their use by library and information science researchers examined. A different perspective on judgement and decision making is offered by the field of naturalistic decision making (NDM) and the implications of this approach are considered for an expanded understanding of how judgements and decisions are made during information seeking. This discussion is illustrated by a case from a recent empirical investigation into how judgements of enough information are made in the workplace. The article concludes with a critical evaluation of the NDM approach. It is argued that NDM, a recent development in decision theory, offers a new perspective from which to investigate judgements and decisions during information seeking.