bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effect of a fluid challenge on the Surgical Pleth Index during stable propofol–remifentanil anaesthesia
Authors: HANS P. , VERSCHEURE S. , UUTELA K. , HANS G. , BONHOMME V.
Published: January 2012

Background

The Surgical Pleth Index (SPI), derived from pulse amplitude and heartbeat interval, is proposed to monitor anti‐nociception during anaesthesia. Its response to noxious stimulation can be affected by the intravascular volume status. This study investigated the effect of a fluid challenge (FC) on SPI during steady‐state conditions.

Methods

After Institutional Review Board approval, 33 consenting patients undergoing neurosurgery received a 4 ml/kg starch FC over less than 5 min under stable surgical stimulation conditions and stable propofol (CePPF) and remifentanil (CeREMI) effect‐site concentrations as estimated by target‐controlled infusion systems. Intravascular volume status was assessed using the Delta Down (DD). We looked at the SPI response to FC according to DD, CePPF, and CeREMI.

Results

Following FC, SPI did not change in 16, increased in 12, and decreased in 3 patients. CeREMI poorly affected the SPI response to FC. In normovolaemic patients, the probability of an SPI change after FC was low under common CePPF (0.9 to 3.9 μg/ml). A decrease in SPI was more probable with worsening hypovolaemia and lowering CePPF, while an increase in SPI was more probable with increasing CePPF. SPI changes were only attributable to modifications in pulse wave amplitude and not in heart rate.

Conclusions

During stable anaesthesia and surgery, SPI may change in response to FC. The effect of FC on SPI is influenced by volaemia and CePPF through pulse wave amplitude modifications. These situations may confound the interpretation of SPI as a surrogate measure of the nociception–anti‐nociception balance.
Current incidence and residual risk of HIV, HBV and HCV at Canadian Blood Services
Authors: O’Brien S. F. , Yi Q.‐L. , Fan W. , Scalia V. , Fearon M. A. , Allain J.‐P.
Published: January 2012

Estimates of the viral residual risk should be updated to reflect current incidence of infection in blood donors. Incidence rates were estimated for allogeneic whole‐blood donations made to Canadian Blood Services from 2006 to 2009 based on transmissible disease conversions of repeat donations within a 3‐year period. Residual risk was estimated as the incidence multiplied by the window period. The residual risk of HIV was 1 per 8 million donations, HCV 1 per 6·7 million donations and HBV 1 per 1·7 million donations. The residual risk remains low and has decreased for HCV since our previous estimates due to reduced incidence.
Incorporating Aboriginal people’s perceptions of introduced animals in resource management: insights from the feral camel project
Authors: Vaarzon‐Morel Petronella , Edwards Glenn
Published: January 2012

Summary  Recently, the value of incorporating Indigenous ecological knowledge approaches in natural resource management has been increasingly recognised. In arid zone, Australia scientific interest in Indigenous ecological knowledge has tended to focus on native plants and animals and on customary ways of looking after country that Aboriginal people have developed over thousands of years of engagement with their environment. Far less attention has been paid to how Aboriginal perceptions of introduced species inform their ecological knowledge and land management practices. This study argues that it is important to take account of Aboriginal understandings of introduced species in addition to native species if a more sustainable approach to natural resource management is to occur across Australia. It draws on a recent cross‐cultural and interdisciplinary research project conducted for the Desert Knowledge Cooperative Research Centre on feral camels in central Australia. In discussing how culture shapes Aboriginal people’s views on introduced species, we attend to the complexities of Aboriginal interactions with introduced species through time and space. In doing so, we move beyond simple categorisations of introduced animals as ‘belonging’ or ‘not belonging’ to a more nuanced appreciation of how context may influence shifts in perspectives and result in more flexible positions on management options. Finally, we discuss the need to incorporate both Aboriginal and Western scientific understandings concerning feral animals in developing strategies to manage the negative impacts of the animals.
Indigenous and non‐Indigenous knowledge and values combine to support management of Nywaigi lands in the Queensland coastal tropics
Authors: Grice Anthony C. , Cassady Jacob , Nicholas David M.
Published: January 2012

The Nywaigi Aboriginal people suffered disconnection from their ancestral lands in the coastal wet tropics of Queensland, Australia, during the regime of agricultural and urban settlement in the 19th and 20th centuries. Their acquisition of the Mungalla property in 1999 has allowed them to pursue customary and non‐customary aspirations, combining scientific and Indigenous knowledge to address significant challenges and build the capacity of Nywaigi people in natural resource management.
Utilising Indigenous seasonal knowledge to understand aquatic resource use and inform water resource management in northern Australia
Authors: Woodward Emma , Jackson Sue , Finn Marcus , McTaggart Patricia Marrfurra
Published: January 2012

Summary  Indigenous ecological knowledge can inform contemporary water management activities including water allocation planning. This paper draws on results obtained from a 3‐year study to reveal the connection between Indigenous socio‐economic values and river flows in the Daly River, Northern Territory. Qualitative phenological knowledge was analysed and compared to quantitative resource‐use data, obtained through a large household survey of Indigenous harvesting and fishing effort. A more complete picture of Indigenous resource‐use and management strategies was found to be provided by the adoption of mixed methods. The quantitative data revealed resource‐use patterns including when and where species are harvested. The qualitative Indigenous ecological data validated results from the quantitative surveys and provided insights into harvesting and resource management strategies not revealed by the discrete time‐bound surveys. As such, it informed the scientific understanding of patterns of resource use and relationships between people, subsistence use and river flows in the Daly River catchment. We recommend that natural resource managers, researchers and Indigenous experts prioritise collaborative projects that record Indigenous knowledge to improve water managers’ understanding of Indigenous customary aquatic resource use.
Conservation planning in a cross‐cultural context: the Wunambal Gaambera Healthy Country Project in the Kimberley, Western Australia
Authors: Moorcroft Heather , Ignjic Emma , Cowell Stuart , Goonack John , Mangolomara Sylvester , Oobagooma Janet , Karadada Regina , Williams Dianna , Waina Neil
Published: January 2012

This article illustrates how a conservation planning approach combined Indigenous knowledge and Western science to support Indigenous Traditional Owners to make decisions about managing their ancestral lands and seas, and communicate more strategically with external stakeholders
Sleep disturbance in menopause
Authors: Ameratunga D. , Goldin J. , Hickey M.
Published: January 2012

Sleep disturbance during menopause is a common and important complaint faced by many women. There are many factors that may play a role in this problem, including vasomotor symptoms and changing hormone levels, circadian rhythm abnormalities, exacerbation of primary insomnia, mood disorders, coexistent medical conditions as well as lifestyle factors. Sleep can be measured both objectively and subjectively; however, correlation between the two measures is not high. Most of the menopause‐related sleep disturbances have been reported as qualitative in nature; however, there have also been studies showing changes in objective measures. This discrepancy has implications with regard to evaluation of research in sleep and menopause, as well as application in the clinical setting. Investigations of inadequate sleep and sleep problems during the menopausal period and obtaining a thorough understanding of the factors contributing to these problems are essential in formulating treatment strategies. Such strategies can vary from hormonal treatment and medications to lifestyle and behavioural modification.
Brain metastases from colorectal cancer: the role of surgical resection in selected patients
Authors: Kye B.‐H. , Kim H. J. , Kang W. K. , Cho H.‐M. , Hong Y.‐K. , Oh S. T.
Published: January 2012

Aim  Brain metastasis is infrequent in colorectal cancer patients, and the prognosis is poor. In this retrospective study survival and prognostic factors were determined in patients with brain metastasis from colorectal cancer.

Method  Between 1997 and 2006, 39 patients with brain metastasis from colorectal cancer who survived more than 1 month were identified. Data were collected with regard to patient characteristics, location and stage of the primary tumour, extent and location of metastatic disease, and treatment modalities used.

Results  Most (79.5%) patients had pulmonary metastases before brain metastasis, and the brain was the site of solitary metastasis in only one patient. The most frequent symptom was weakness [18 (43.6%) patients]. Overall median survival was 5.0 months and the 1‐ and 2‐year survival rates were 21.8 and 9.1%, respectively. Univariate analysis revealed uncontrolled extracranial metastases (P = 0.019), multiple brain lesions (P = 0.026), bilateral brain metastases (P = 0.032) and serum carcinoembryonic antigen levels greater than 5 ng/ml (P = 0.008) to be poor prognostic factors. The median survival after the diagnosis of brain metastasis was significantly longer in patients who underwent surgical resection (15.2 ± 8.0 months) than in those treated by other modalities (P = 0.001). Treatment modality was the only independent prognostic factor for overall survival in patients with brain metastases from colorectal cancers (P = 0.015).

Conclusion  Aggressive surgical resection in selected patients with brain metastases from colorectal cancer may prolong survival, even in the presence of extracranial metastatic lesions.
Investigations on the conjunctival goblet cells and the characteristics of the glands associated with the eye in chinchillas (Chinchilla Laniger)
Authors: Voigt Susanne , Fuchs‐Baumgartinger Andrea , Egerbacher Monika , Tichy Alexander , Nell Barbara
Published: January 2012

Objective  To investigate the density and distribution of conjunctival goblet cells (GC) and study the anatomy and microscopic characteristics of glands associated with the eye in chinchillas (Chinchilla Laniger).

Procedure  12 chinchillas were included in the study. Conjunctiva (divided into four regions), eyelids, and glands were embedded in paraffin wax, sectioned, stained, and analyzed.

Results  Highest GC densities were found in the palpebral region of the nasal and temporal conjunctiva of both eyelids (GC index: 25.1–18.2%), and lowest densities, in the bulbar and marginal region of the nasal and temporal conjunctiva of both eyelids (GC index: 1.5–0.0%). Meibomian glands extend along the entire length of both eyelids, and the whole glandular complex broadens toward the temporal canthus. This is macroscopically visible through the conjunctiva. The openings of the Meibomian glands are macroscopically not discernible. The light pink, smooth, and crescent‐shaped lacrimal gland lies next to the aforementioned broadened part of the Meibomian glands in the temporal canthus. The whitish, 0.9‐cm‐long, smooth Harderian gland is firmly attached to the posterior part of the globe and extends nasally from the optic nerve to the equator. Furthermore, chinchillas possess two lacrimal puncta, situated on the inner conjunctival surface of both eyelids near the medial canthus. A pigmented lacrimal canaliculus originates from each punctum. The vestigial nictitating membrane is supported by a hyaline cartilage and is pigmented at its free margin.

Conclusions  Chinchillas possess a Harderian gland, a lacrimal gland, and Meibomian glands. The GC density in the nasal and temporal palpebral conjunctiva is higher than in guinea pigs.
Stock dividends in China: signalling or liquidity explanations?
Authors: Nguyen Nhut H. , Wang David Y.
Published: January 2012

We test alternative hypotheses on a sample of Chinese stock dividends. The inverse Mills ratio, a signal about future performance, is positively related to announcement returns but does not predict higher future performance. Analysts do not revise their earnings forecasts after the announcement date. Our results are more consistent with liquidity‐based theories. We find that managers choose higher stock dividend ratios if share prices deviate more from the industry‐wide average. Increases in proportional spreads, depth, and the number of trades and decreases in average trade size, and price impact suggest greater participation of liquidity and small investors following stock dividends.
Childrearing Discipline and Violence in Developing Countries
Authors: Lansford Jennifer E. , Deater‐Deckard Kirby
Published: January 2012

The present study examined the prevalence and country‐level correlates of 11 responses to children’s behavior, including nonviolent discipline, psychological aggression, and physical violence, as well as endorsement of the use of physical punishment, in 24 countries using data from 30,470 families with 2‐ to 4‐year‐old children that participated in UNICEF’s Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey. The prevalence of each response varied widely across countries, as did the amount of variance accounted for by country in relation to each response. Country‐level indicators of life expectancy, educational attainment, and economic well‐being were related to several responses to children’s behavior. Country‐level factors are widely related to parents’ methods of teaching children good behavior and responding to misbehavior.
PRIME MINISTERIAL RHETORIC AND RECESSION POLITICS: MEANING MAKING IN ECONOMIC CRISIS MANAGEMENT
Authors: MASTERS ADAM , ‘THART PAUL
Published: January 2012

Triggered by the collapse of the US mortgage market, the global financial crisis (GFC) of 2007–08 hit most of the Western world hard and fast, presenting governments and citizens with a set of stark, undeniable and immediate realities. This article examines the attempts of three prime ministers “Gordon Brown in the UK, Brian Cowen in Ireland and Kevin Rudd in Australia to meet the key leadership challenge set up by the GFC: to publicly assess, explain and account for the GFC and the accompanying economic turbulence and uncertainty as financial markets went from boom to bust. By focussing on meaning making we examine how the leaders responded to the public expectation to explain: How bad is the situation? How did it occur? Who or what is to be held responsible? What needs to be done to cope with it? Using both qualitative and quantitative methods we compare the rhetorical impacts of these leaders.
RECESSIONARY SHOCKS AND REGIONAL EMPLOYMENT: EVIDENCE ON THE RESILIENCE OF U.K. REGIONS*
Authors: Fingleton Bernard , Garretsen Harry , Martin Ron
Published: January 2012

ABSTRACT We analyze the resilience of U.K. regions to employment shocks. Two basic notions of resilience are distinguished. With engineering resilience, there is an underlying stable growth path to which a regional economy rebounds following a shock. With ecological resilience, shocks can permanently affect the growth path of the regional economy. Our data set consists of quarterly employment series for 12 U.K. regions (NUTS I) for the period 1971–2010. Using a seemingly unrelated regression (SUR) model specification, we test for the relevance of (engineering) resilience of U.K. regional employment to the four recessionary shocks in our sample. It turns out that U.K. regions do indeed differ in their resilience, but that these differences mainly concern the initial resistance to these shocks and not so much the recovery stage. The SUR model does not allow shocks to have permanent effects and it also does not take the possibility of time differentiated shock spillovers between the 12 regions into account. To this end, we also estimate a vector error‐correction model (VECM) specification where employment shocks can have permanent effects and where also interregional employment linkages are included. We find that employment shocks typically have permanent effects when it concerns the own‐region effects. Permanent effects can also be found for the impact on other regions but the interregional effects are typically only significant for nearby regions.
Safe travels? HIV transmission among Britons travelling abroad
Authors: Rice B , Gilbart VL , Lawrence J , Smith R , Kall M , Delpech V
Published: January 2012

Objectives

The aim of the study was to identify and describe the characteristics of persons born in the UK who acquire HIV infection abroad.

Methods

Analyses using case reports and follow‐up data from the national HIV database held at the Health Protection Agency were performed.

Results

Fifteen per cent (2066 of 13 891) of UK‐born adults diagnosed in England, Wales and Northern Ireland between 2002 and 2010 acquired HIV infection abroad. Thailand (534), the USA (117) and South Africa (108) were the countries most commonly reported. As compared with UK‐born adults acquiring HIV infection in the UK, those acquiring HIV infection abroad were significantly (P < 0.01) more likely to have acquired it heterosexually (70% vs. 22%, respectively), to be of older age at diagnosis (median 42 years vs. 36 years, respectively), and to have reported sex with a commercial sex worker (5.6% vs. 1%, respectively). Among men infected in Thailand, 11% reported sex with a commercial sex worker.

Conclusions

A substantial number of UK‐born adults are acquiring HIV infection in countries with generalized HIV epidemics, and in common holiday destinations. Of particular concern is the high proportion of men infected reporting sex with a commercial sex worker. We recommend HIV prevention and testing efforts be extended to include travellers abroad, and that sexual health advice be provided routinely in travel health consultations and in occupational health travel advice packs, particularly to those travelling to high HIV prevalence areas and destinations for sex tourism. Safer sex messages should include an awareness of the potential detrimental health and social impacts of the sex industry.
Fiction as History: The Black Death and Beyond*
Authors: HATCHER JOHN
Published: January 2012

Storytellers, chroniclers, poets, propagandists, playwrights, novelists and screenwriters have all drawn freely from history's limitless supply of characters, events and context, and in recent years the demand for historical fiction has soared. While historians should welcome the increasing popularity of the past, they are right to be concerned that the public's appetite is being both stimulated and satisfied overwhelmingly by writers whose loyalty is to the medium and the story rather than the truth. However, fiction need not always be seen as antithetical to history and this article explores a number of ways in which the use of style, imagination and straightforward invention of the type employed by the creators of fiction might assist in the writing of history: not merely by making it more attractive and accessible to a wider audience but by advancing knowledge and understanding of the past.
Tudor: What's in a Name?
Authors: DAVIES C. S. L.
Published: January 2012

The ‘Tudor’ name for the royal family was hardly known in the sixteenth century. The almost obsessive use of the term by historians is therefore profoundly misleading about how English people of the time thought of themselves and of their world, the more so given the overtones of glamour associated with it. The royal surname was never used in official publications, and hardly in ‘histories’ of various sorts before 1584. Monarchs were not anxious to publicize their descent in the paternal line from a Welsh adventurer, stressing instead continuity with the historic English and French royal families. Their subjects did not think of them as ‘Tudors’, or of themselves as ‘Tudor people’. Modern concepts such as ‘Tudor monarchy’ are misleading in suggesting a false unity over the century. Subjects did not identify with their rulers in the way ‘Tudor people’ suggests. Nor did they situate themselves in a distinct ‘Tudor’ period of history, differentiated from a hypothetical ‘middle ages’. While ‘Tudor’ is useful historian's shorthand we should use the word sparingly and above all make clear to readers that it was not a contemporary concept.
The Lessons of the New Deal: Did Obama Learn the Right Ones?
Authors: BADGER TONY
Published: January 2012

In 2009, as in 1933, there was a major economic crisis and an ensuing recession. A discredited outgoing American president had been succeeded by a charismatic newcomer with a clear electoral mandate and large congressional majorities. This article asks why Obama, whose economic advisers explicitly drew lessons from the New Deal's economic policy, has been so unsuccessful politically. It notes that the Obama administration failed to get money into the hands of ordinary Americans quickly enough. Because the scale of the economic crisis of 2009 was less than that of 1933, congressmen of both parties have not come under the sort of pressure from desperate constituents to back their president that Roosevelt was able to exploit in the 1930s. As health care reform showed, Obama learnt the wrong lessons from Roosevelt about bringing in reform at a time of economic crisis. Above all, Obama has had to contend with the long history of popular distrust of the efficacy and intentions of the federal government that has characterized American politics since the 1970s.
Annual Research Review: Categories versus dimensions in the classification and conceptualisation of child and adolescent mental disorders – implications of recent empirical study
Authors: Coghill David , Sonuga‐Barke Edmund J.S.
Published: January 2012

The question of whether child and adolescent mental disorders are best classified using dimensional or categorical approaches is a contentious one that has equally profound implications for clinical practice and scientific enquiry. Here, we explore this issue in the context of the forth coming publication of the DSM‐5 and ICD‐11 approaches to classification and diagnosis and in the light of recent empirical studies. First, we provide an overview of current category‐based systems and dimensional alternatives. Second, we distinguish the various strands of meaning and levels of analysis implied when we talk about categories and dimensions of mental disorder – distinguishing practical clinical necessity, formal diagnostic systems, meta‐theoretical beliefs and empirical reality. Third, we introduce the different statistical techniques developed to identify disorder dimensions and categories in childhood populations and to test between categorical and dimensional models. Fourth, we summarise the empirical evidence from recent taxometric studies in favour of the ‘taxonomic hypothesis’ that mental disorder categories reflect discrete entities with putative specific causes. Finally, we explore the implications of these findings for clinical practice and science.
Toxic cardenolides: chemical ecology and coevolution of specialized plant–herbivore interactions
Authors: Agrawal Anurag A. , Petschenka Georg , Bingham Robin A. , Weber Marjorie G. , Rasmann Sergio
Published: January 2012

Cardenolides are remarkable steroidal toxins that have become model systems, critical in the development of theories for chemical ecology and coevolution. Because cardenolides inhibit the ubiquitous and essential animal enzyme Na+/K+‐ATPase, most insects that feed on cardenolide‐containing plants are highly specialized. With a huge diversity of chemical forms, these secondary metabolites are sporadically distributed across 12 botanical families, but dominate the Apocynaceae where they are found in > 30 genera. Studies over the past decade have demonstrated patterns in the distribution of cardenolides among plant organs, including all tissue types, and across broad geographic gradients within and across species. Cardenolide production has a genetic basis and is subject to natural selection by herbivores. In addition, there is strong evidence for phenotypic plasticity, with the biotic and abiotic environment predictably impacting cardenolide production. Mounting evidence indicates a high degree of specificity in herbivore‐induced cardenolides in Asclepias. While herbivores of cardenolide‐containing plants often sequester the toxins, are aposematic, and possess several physiological adaptations (including target site insensitivity), there is strong evidence that these specialists are nonetheless negatively impacted by cardenolides. While reviewing both the mechanisms and evolutionary ecology of cardenolide‐mediated interactions, we advance novel hypotheses and suggest directions for future work.

Contents

Summary
28

I.
Historic background and introduction
29

II.
Diversity of cardenolide forms
29

III.
Biosynthesis
30

IV.
Cardenolide variation among plant parts
31

V.
Phylogenetic distribution of cardenolides
32

VI.
Geographic distribution of cardenolides
34

VII.
Ecological genetics of cardenolide production
34

VIII.
Environmental regulation of cardenolide production
34

IX.
Biotic induction of cardenolides
36

X.
Mode of action and toxicity of cardenolides
38

XI.
Direct and indirect effects of cardenolides on specialist and generalist insect herbivores
39

XII.
Cardenolides and insect oviposition
39

XIII.
Target site insensitivity
40

XIV.
Alternative mechanisms of cardenolide resistance
40

XV.
Cardenolide sequestration
41

Acknowledgements
42

References
42
Piecing together the puzzle: development of the Societal Attitudes towards Autism (SATA) scale
Authors: Flood Luci N. , Bulgrin Amanda , Morgan Betsy L.
Published: January 2012

The rise in the prevalence of autism creates a need for a reliable and valid measure of attitudes towards autism. The current study describes the development of a brief 16‐ item measure of Societal Attitudes towards Autism (SATA) that exhibits sound psychometric properties and has a demonstrated ability to discriminate between expert and general college student samples. The final SATA was the result of pilot work on 75 items and exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses on a 45‐item version with 475 undergraduates. Knowledge and personal distance subscales yielded inconsistent reliability and validity outcomes. The SATA showed strong content and construct validity as evidenced by known groups discrimination, and predicted associations with an attitude towards disability measure, an autism preference item, and a measure of implicit attitudes towards disabilities.
Identification and documentation of persons being in palliative phase regardless of age, diagnosis and places of care, and their use of a sitting service at the end of life
Authors: Wallerstedt Birgitta , Sahlberg‐Blom Eva , Benzein Eva , Andershed Birgitta
Published: January 2012

Scand J Caring Sci; 2012; 26; 561–568

Identification and documentation of persons being in palliative phase regardless of age, diagnosis and places of care, and their use of a sitting service at the end of life

Background:  Older persons and persons with diseases other than cancer are often discriminated against when applying for palliative care despite growing numbers of both older persons and individuals with chronic diseases. An intention for palliative care in Sweden is that all persons in the final stage of life, irrespective of age, domicile, diagnosis, and care place shall have access to palliative care on equal terms. One way to support these persons in final stage of life and their relatives is to offer sitting service.

Aims:  To describe individuals who were identified and documented as being in a palliative phase in a Swedish municipality, with respect to demographics, use of a sitting service, continuity of care in the last month of life and the place of death. A second aim was to describe and compare the groups who received/did not receive sitting services related to the aforementioned variables.

Method:  Retrospective data from nursing records and palliative care identification forms were analyzed with descriptive and analytic statistical methods.

Findings:  Among individuals deceased during 2007, 51% were identified and documented as being in palliative phase. The majority was older people (mean 83 years) with a noncancer diagnosis (58%). Twenty‐eight individuals (16%) had received a sitting service between 8 and 249 hours (one extreme value = 2211). It is indicated that sitting service significantly increased the possibility of dying at home (p = 0.00004), but did not affect how often the place of care changed during the last month of life.

Limitation:  A small sample from a Swedish context must be considered.

Conclusion:  These results can be related to an awareness in the municipality that led to adopting the concept of palliative care as not only for those with a cancer diagnosis.
First description of the male of Gonatopus javanus (R.C.L. Perkins) determined by mitochondrial COI sequence (Hymenoptera: Dryinidae)
Authors: MITA Toshiharu , MATSUMOTO Yukiko
Published: January 2012

Gonatopus javanus (R.C.L. Perkins) was newly recorded from Japan and India. The males collected together with females of G. javanus from Japan were identified as previously unknown opposite sex of the species because they share identical sequences of mitochondrial COI. The sequence was different from that of G. clavipes (Thunberg) by 11%. The male of G. javanus was described as new to science. Doratulina producta (Matsumura) is implied as host in Japan. The utility of molecular marker to identify the dryinid taxa showing sexual dimorphism is discussed.
Cellular resolution of inflammation—catabasis
Authors: Widgerow Alan D.
Published: January 2012

Controlled inflammation has become a central focus in chronic disease therapeutics. Exaggerated inflammation is a common factor that contributes to matrix destruction, cellular senescence, and nonhealing in a variety of disease processes. Efforts at controlling inflammation have traditionally concentrated on systemic antagonists to inflammation such as nonsteroidal anti‐inflammatory agents. More recently, following increased appreciation of local biological cellular and molecular events occurring at the wound interface, efforts are being focused on local targeted approaches to catabasis, the resolution of inflammation. These efforts relate to the isolation and understanding of the mechanisms of actions of various “stop signal mediators.” These lipoxins, resolvins, and protectins are produced and stimulated by cellular interactions in the blood stream, extracellular matrix, and in cells themselves. Transmission of these signals between cells and the extracellular matrix and between cells themselves occurs via a variety of mechanisms including through intracellular gap junctions, connexins, and cadherins. The existence of these mediators, signals, and channels of communication all provide new therapeutic options for achieving catabasis in a more defined and targeted fashion.
Blood Banking and Transfusion Medicine for the Nephrologist
Authors: Wehrli Gay
Published: January 2012

Therapeutic Apheresis Medicine Services work closely with Blood Banking and Transfusion Medicine Services (BBTMS). The BBTMS performs patient testing and provides blood components for patients undergoing therapeutic apheresis procedures. This article will provide an overview of blood component descriptions, patient testing, and blood component options and preparations for therapeutic apheresis procedures.
Granulomatous Variant of Giant Centrifugal Miliaria Profunda
Authors: Doshi Bhavana R. , Mahajan Sunanda , Kharkar Vidya , Khopkar Uday S.
Published: January 2012

Abstract:  Two infants presented with multiple asymptomatic papules and geographic and annular plaques over the extensor aspect of the upper and lower extremities and trunk. Skin biopsy of both lesions showed plugged and hyperplastic dilated acrosryingia and deep dermal ducts, along with granulomatous inflammatory reaction. These lesions showed self‐healing with complete resolution. A previous report described similar clinical and histopathologic features and labeled it giant centrifugal miliaria profunda. Because of the large granulomatous plaques and deep infiltrate, we propose that it was a granulomatous variant of giant centrifugal miliaria profunda. We report these cases for their rarity and self‐healing nature.
Hereditary Angioedema in Childhood: A Challenging Diagnosis You Cannot Afford to Miss
Authors: Kjær Line , Bygum Anette
Published: January 2012

Abstract:  Hereditary angioedema (HAE) is a rare inherited disease that is often difficult to diagnose. We report a case of a 9‐year‐old boy with a spontaneous mutation causing HAE, diagnosed after a life‐threatening episode of angioedema of the head and upper respiratory tract after a 5‐year history of recurrent skin swellings and abdominal pain leading to several hospital admissions. The aim of this report is to direct focus on this rare disease, which can be treated effectively, to diminish morbidity and mortality of children suffering from undiagnosed HAE.
Cooling of the epileptic focus suppresses seizures with minimal influence on neurologic functions
Authors: Fujii Masami , Inoue Takao , Nomura Sadahiro , Maruta Yuichi , He Yeting , Koizumi Hiroyasu , Shirao Satoshi , Owada Yuji , Kunitsugu Ichiro , Yamakawa Toshitaka , Tokiwa Tatsuji , Ishizuka Satoshi , Yamakawa Takeshi , Suzuki Michiyasu
Published: January 2012

Purpose:  Focal brain cooling is effective for suppression of epileptic seizures, but it is unclear if seizures can be suppressed without a substantial influence on normal neurologic function. To address the issue, a thermoelectrically driven cooling system was developed and applied in free‐moving rat models of focal seizure and epilepsy.

Methods:  Focal seizures limited to the unilateral forelimb were induced by local application of a penicillin G solution or cobalt powder to the unilateral sensorimotor cortex. A proportional integration and differentiation (PID)–controlled, thermoelectrically driven cooling device (weight of 11 g) and bipolar electrodes were chronically implanted on the eloquent area (on the epileptic focus) and the effects of cooling (20, 15, and 10°C) on electrocorticography, seizure frequency, and neurologic changes were investigated.

Key Findings:  Cooling was associated with a distinct reduction of the epileptic discharges. In both models, cooling of epileptic foci significantly improved both seizure frequency and neurologic functions from 20°C down to 15°C. Cooling to 10°C also suppressed seizures, but with no further improvement in neurologic function. Subsequent investigation of sensorimotor function revealed significant deterioration in foot‐fault tests and the receptive field size at 15°C.

Significance:  Despite the beneficial effects in ictal rats, sensorimotor functions deteriorated at 15°C, thereby suggesting a lower limit for the therapeutic temperature. These results provide important evidence of a therapeutic effect of temperatures from 20 to 15°C using an implantable, hypothermal device for focal epilepsy.
What's Past Is Prologue: A 2012 Update
Authors: Moss Arthur J.
Published: January 2012

Ann Noninvasive Electrocardiol 2012;17(1):1–2
Meta‐Analysis of P‐Wave Dispersion Values in Healthy Individuals: The Influence of Clinical Characteristics
Authors: Nussinovitch Udi
Published: January 2012

Background: P‐wave dispersion (Pd) is an appealing marker for predicting the risk of developing atrial fibrillation. At present, no definitive cutoff value has been determined as to the diagnosis of high‐risk patients. Our aims were to evaluate P‐wave parameters of healthy subjects published in the literature, determine normal range and weighted means of Pd and P‐wave parameters, and investigate the influences of gender, age, and BMI on the weighted results.

Methods: A systematic search of studies published in PubMed was conducted. Only studies which included control groups of healthy individuals were included.

Results: Of the 657 studies initially identified, 80 were eligible for inclusion. The total number of participants was 6,827. The highest reported Pd values were 58.56 ± 16.24  ms; the lowest were 7 ± 2.7  ms. The weighted mean was 33.46 ± 9.65  ms; weighted median was 32.2  ms. Gender and age were not found to be associated with significant influences on P‐wave parameter values. High‐normal BMI was not found to be associated with increased P‐wave parameter values.

Conclusions: Pd, Pmax, and Pmin span a wide range of values in healthy individuals. Seemingly, abnormal values were often reported in healthy adults. The high variability of P‐wave parameters in healthy individuals, and overlapping of the results with those reported for patients with increased risk for atrial fibrillation, might suggest that this technique has limited sensitivity and specificity. The variability between studies may stem from methodological issues and, therefore, there is a definite need for methodological standardization of Pd measurements.

Ann Noninvasive Electrocardiol 2012;17(1):28–35
Very Late Recurrence of Takotsubo Syndrome
Authors: Cerrito Marco , Caragliano Alberto , Zema Domenica , Zito Concetta , Oreto Giuseppe
Published: January 2012

Recurrence of the Takotsubo syndrome is possible, and in the majority of cases it occurs within 4 years. The present report is focused on a case of the Takotsubo syndrome recurrence after 10 years. The patient had been admitted for the first time in 1999 with a diagnosis of “non‐q wave acute anterolateral myocardial infarction.” Ten years later, she was readmitted for suspected acute myocardial infarction; coronary arteries, however, were normal, and the left ventricular angiogram demonstrated apical ballooning typical for the Takotsubo syndrome. It is worth noting that the clinical presentation and the ECG were the same on both occasions; in addition, both events were triggered by an emotional stress.

Ann Noninvasive Electrocardiol 2012;17(1):58–60
Fractured zirconia implants and related implant designs: scanning electron microscopy analysis
Authors: Osman Reham B. , Ma Sunyoung , Duncan Warwick , De Silva Rohana K. , Siddiqi Allauddin , Swain Michael V.
Published: January 2012

Objectives

Two fractured one‐piece experimental (commercially unavailable) zirconia implants were analyzed using scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis to identify failure origins and aid in understanding the failure mechanisms. Modifications to the zirconia implant design are suggested to minimize such fracture incidences.

Materials and methods

Two zirconia implants fractured during the final torquing in the maxillary ridge using the prescribed hand torque wrench. The implants were subsequently retrieved and prepared for optical and SEM evaluation. Critical attention was given to the fractography (crack morphology) of the fractured implants to identify the fracture origin.

Results

Events related to initiation and propagation of the crack front could be detected from the morphology of the fractured surfaces. Unfavorable torque and bending forces applied on the implant during surgical placement and the inherent flaws in the material may have resulted in crack initiation and implant failure.

Conclusions

Caution must be exercised when placing zirconia implants in dense bone sites. Modification of surgical protocols for the intended implant site may be necessary. Improvement in design features specific to zirconia implants, and strict quality control during manufacture is essential to minimize the likelihood of fracture.
Er:YAG laser treatment in supportive periodontal therapy
Authors: Ratka‐Krüger Petra , Mahl Dominik , Deimling Daniela , Mönting Jürgen Schulte , Jachmann Ingeborg , Al‐Machot Elyan , Sculean Anton , Berakdar Mohammad , Jervøe‐Storm Pia‐Merete , Braun Andreas
Published: January 2012

Objective

To assess clinical and microbiological outcomes of an Er:YAG laser in comparison with sonic debridement in the treatment of persistent periodontal pockets in a prospective randomized controlled multicentre study design.

Material and Methods

A total of 78 patients in supportive periodontal therapy with two residual pockets were included, 58 were available for the whole follow‐up period. Root surfaces were instrumented either with a sonic scaler (Sonicflex® 2003 L) or with an Er:YAG laser (KEY Laser® 3). Clinical attachment levels (CAL), Probing depths (PD), Plaque control record (PCR) and Bleeding on probing (BOP) were assessed at baseline, 13 and 26 weeks after treatment. In addition, microbiological analysis was performed employing a DNA diagnostic test kit (micro‐IDent® Plus).

Results

Probing depths and CAL were significantly reduced in both groups over time (p < 0.05), without significant differences between the groups (p > 0.05). BOP frequency values decreased significantly within both groups (p < 0.05), with no difference between the laser and the sonic treatment (p > 0.05). PCR frequency values did not change during the observation period (p > 0.05). Microbiological analysis failed to expose any significant difference based on treatment group or period.

Conclusion

Employing both sonic and laser treatment procedures during supportive periodontal care, similar clinical and microbiological outcomes can be expected.
The impact of dental caries and trauma in children on family quality of life
Authors: Abanto Jenny , Paiva Saul Martins , Raggio Daniela Prócida , Celiberti Paula , Aldrigui Janaína Merli , Bönecker Marcelo
Published: January 2012

Abstract –  Objectives:  To assess the impact of children’s dental caries (DC) and traumatic dental injuries (TDI) on parents’ quality of life (QoL), adjusted by family income.

Methods:  Parents of 219 children aged 5 and 6 years answered the Family Impact Scale (FIS) on their perception of QoL and data about income. Three calibrated dentists examined the severity of DC according to decayed, missing and filled permanent teeth index, and children were categorized into: 0 = caries free; 1–5 = low severity; and ≥6 = high severity. TDI were classified into uncomplicated and complicated injuries. QoL was measured through FIS items and total score, and Poisson regression was used to associate the variables with the outcome.

Results:  Severity of DC showed a negative impact on the total score and subscales on parental/family activities, parental emotions and financial burden (P < 0.001). TDI showed a negative impact on total score and in some FIS items. The multivariate‐adjusted model showed that only the increase in the severity of children’s DC (RR = 3.19; 95% CI = 2.36, 4.31; P < 0.001) was associated with a greater negative impact on parents’ QoL, while high family income was a protective factor (RR = 0.68; 95% CI = 0.48, 0.95; P < 0.001).

Conclusions:  The severity of children’s DC has a negative impact on parents’ QoL, whereas TDI do not. A lower family income might have a negative impact on parents’ QoL.
Lactate accumulation in response to supramaximal exercise in rowers
Authors: Maciejewski H. , Bourdin M. , Lacour J.‐R. , Denis C. , Moyen B. , Messonnier L.
Published: January 2012

The aim of this study was to test (a) three methods to estimate the quantity of lactate accumulated (QLaA) in response to supramaximal exercise and (b) correlations between QLaA and the nonoxidative energy supply assessed by the accumulated oxygen deficit (AOD). Nine rowers performed a 3‐min all‐out test on a rowing ergometer to estimate AOD and lactate accumulation in response to exercise. Peak blood lactate concentration [(La)peak] during recovery was assessed, allowing QLaA(m1) to be estimated by the method of Margaria et al. Application of a bicompartmental model of lactate distribution space to the blood lactate recovery curves allowed estimation of (a) the net amount of lactate released during recovery from the active muscles (NALRmax), and (b) QLaA according to two methods (QLaA(m2) and QLaA(m3)). (La)peak did not correlate with AOD. QLaA(m1), QLaA(m2) and QLaA(m3) correlated with AOD (r = 0.70, r = 0.85 and r = 0.92, respectively). These results confirm that (La)peak does not provide reliable information on nonoxidative energy supply during supramaximal exercise. The correlations between AOD and QLaA(m2) and QLaA(m3) support the concept of studying blood lactate recovery curves to estimate lactate accumulation and thus the contribution of nonoxidative pathway to energy supply during supramaximal exercise.
The management of endometrial polyps in the 21st century
Authors: Annan John Jude , Aquilina Joseph , Ball Elizabeth
Published: January 2012

Key content

Hysteroscopic endometrial polyp removal appears to be superior to the current practice of blind avulsion.

Outpatient treatment is safe, cost effective and well tolerated, even in older or nulliparous women.

New technologies facilitate office hysteroscopy.

Benign endometrial polyps can regress and rarely progress to malignancy.

Learning objectives

To learn how to diagnose and treat endometrial polyps in pre and postmenopausal women.

To be able to compare the performance of diagnostic modalities.

To understand the role of outpatient vaginoscopy and hysteroscopy.

Ethical issues

Given the cost effectiveness and acceptability of office ambulatory diagnostic and interventional hysteroscopy, is it ethical not to offer such a service?
Respiratory variations in pulmonary and systemic blood flow in healthy humans
Authors: Elstad M.
Published: January 2012

Aim

Cardiovascular oscillations are tightly coupled to respiration. Respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) is an important part of heart rate variability with unknown function. Stroke volumes from the right (r‐SV) and left (l‐SV) side of the heart are assumed to vary differently with respiration, but have not previously been recorded non‐invasively and simultaneously in humans. The present study introduces an improved technique for capturing respiratory variations in r‐SV.

Methods

Six young volunteers were investigated during spontaneous and metronome‐paced breathing in the left lateral decubitus position. Heart rate (HR, from ECG), l‐SV (from finger blood arterial pressure curve) and r‐SV (pulsed ultrasound Doppler) were recorded. Left and right cardiac outputs (l‐CO and r‐CO) were calculated beat by beat from HR, l‐SV and r‐SV. Respiratory variations in cardiovascular variables and phase angles were estimated by spectral analysis at respiratory frequency (0.15–0.40 Hz).

Results

The amplitude of respiratory variations in l‐CO was 17% of r‐CO (94% CI (6%, 35%), P = 0.03). The amplitude of the respiratory variations in l‐SV was not different from r‐SV (74%, 94% CI (50%, 127%) non‐significant). Increases in HR and r‐SV were in phase with inspiration, while l‐SV decreased during inspiration.

Conclusion

The amplitude of respiratory variations in l‐CO is significantly smaller than in r‐CO. Respiratory variations in HR and in l‐SV are in inverse phase; thus, RSA buffers respiratory variations in l‐SV. RSA plays an important role in reducing oscillations in systemic blood flow resulting from respiratory changes in venous return.
Systems pharmacology of complex diseases
Authors: Hansen Jens , Zhao Shan , Iyengar Ravi
Published: January 2012

Systems pharmacology approaches can be used to identify and predict drug‐induced adverse events. Disease‐centered networks within the human interactome allow us to predict which drugs may produce a similar pathophysiology. Such predictions can be tested in animal models.