bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Consultobabble's facilitatory role in process consultation
Authors: Williams Russell , Rattray Rulzion
Published: January 2004

Consultants are often criticised for using the managerial equivalent of psychobabble, “consultobabble”, as a part of a big con. Consultobabble, it is argued, hides issues around consultant credibility and serves to generate a part of the mystique that allows them to peddk the latest management fad. This article examines the consultant‐client relationship, arguing that consultobabble, at least in process consultation exercises such as visual thinking, has a legitimate role. Notably, it argues that consultobabble deflects any resentment directed at the consultant by establishing consultant and process credibility. It also serves to facilitate client group conversations. Auditors need to understand therefore that consultobabble can be an essential part of effective client‐consultant relationship.
Artificial neural networks in analytical review procedures
Authors: Koskivaara Eija
Published: January 2004

This article gives an overview of artificial neural network (ANN) studies conducted in the auditing field. The review pays attention to application domains, data and sample sets, ANN‐architectures and learning parameters. The article argues that these auditing ANN‐applications could serve the analytical review (AR) process. The summary of the findings pays attention to whether authors state that ANNs have potential to improve analytical review (AR) procedures. Furthermore, the article evaluates which are the most influential contributions and which are open ends in the field. The article makes some practical suggestions to motivate academics and practitioners to collaborate in further exploration of the potential of ANNs.
The agony and the ecstasy
Authors: Dasgupta S.
Published: January 2004

The purpose of this study is to gauge the effectiveness of enterprise‐wide resource planning (ERP) systems upon implementation in any commercial enterprise. Method‐wise case study used as a backdrop to narrate certain real‐life incidents that took place during and after implementation. Looks at what ERP systems should be like in the future and what they can do to speed up information access in a large/medium commercial enterprise. The results of the study have been described in the article vividly. The implementation was only a partial success. The time frame that is involved in getting 100 per cent accurate reports is not justified in this information age. The gestation period has to be cut short. Speed is of the essence in business today. Recommends that ERP systems must address the human factor if they are to succeed in the future. The emotions and feelings of the human beings who actually implement the system cannot be ignored.
Anaphoric R–Expressions as Bound Variables
Authors: Lee Felicia
Published: January 2004

San Lucas Quiaviní Zapotec (SLQZ), an Otomanguean language of Mexico, regularly allows apparent condition B and C violations: R–expressions and pronouns can appear to be locally and nonlocally bound by identical arguments. For this reason, the Zapotec languages have been claimed to be among those in which condition C is not operational. This paper shows, however, that bound names in SLQZ do not constitute condition C violations. Rather, they are anaphoric variables spelled out as copies of their antecedents. Evidence for this proposal comes from the fact that bound copies are interpreted as bound variables in VP–deletion contexts and from the fact that strong crossover effects hold robustly in the language, showing that condition C is operational. This paper also shows that identical facts hold in Thai, another language thought to lack condition C.
Double Advantage? Violence Against Canadian Migrant Women from “Developed” Nations
Authors: Brownridge Douglas A. , Halli Shiva S.
Published: January 2004

Using a theoretical synthesis based in the Nested Ecological framework, the study examines an anomaly from our previous investigation (Brownridge and Halli, 2002) in which we were surprised to find that immigrant women from “developed” nations have a lower prevalence of violence than Canadian‐born women. Based on a representative sample of 6,581 women, the results of the present study show that the key variables that account for this anomalous finding are at the microsystem level. More specifically, a tendency for partners of immigrant women from “developed” nations to be highly educated, and for immigrant women from “developed” nations to have longer‐term relationships and be less likely to have young children in the home, appear to account for their lower likelihood of violence. These results are placed in the context of the unique situation of immigrants from “developed” nations and a selection hypothesis is articulated as underpinning the results.
The Increasing Political Power of Immigrants from the Former Soviet Union in Israel: From Passive Citizenship to Active Citizenship
Authors: Horowitz Tamar
Published: January 2004

The immigrants in Israel from the Former Soviet Union (FSU) followed a different pattern of political growth than other immigrant groups. Their increased power began on the national level and moved down to the local level, rather than from the periphery toward the centre – the pattern followed by the Oriental Jewish immigrants. We can trace three stages in the development of their political power.

The first stage was during the 1992 elections when the immigrants attempted to organize their own list. Though they failed, the results of the election strengthened them because they were given credit for the left's victory, giving them a sense of political effectiveness.

The second stage came during the 1996 elections. It was a defining moment for the former Soviet immigrants' political power. In this stage external factors and internal factors reinforced each other. The change in the electoral system made it possible for the immigrants to vote for their community on the one hand and for a national figure on the other, thus resolving their identity dilemma.

The local elections in 1998 marked the third stage in their political strength. They found the immigrant community better organized, with an improved understanding of its local interests, the capacity to put forward a strong local leadership, and a stronger link between the immigrant political centre and the local level.
Global production and local jobs: can global enterprise networks be used as levers for local development?
Authors: Palpacuer Florence , Parisotto Aurelio
Published: January 2004

This article is developed out of a research project on ‘Global Production and Local Jobs’ launched by the International Institute for Labour Studies of the International Labour Organization (ILO). It identifies salient features of global production networks in the automobile, electronics and apparel industries, and discusses their implications for local industrial upgrading, jobs and development policy. The approach combines in novel forms complementary analytical frameworks such as the global value chain and industrial district perspectives, in order to highlight interactions between global and local forces in the operation of transnational production networks. Central issues revealed by this approach include: the rise of entry barriers into the most profitable, service‐intensive activities of global value chains, that reduce small firms' prospects for industrial upgrading; the uneven benefits derived from participation in global production networks at the local level; and the need for local institutions to devise policy responses through a flexible, network‐oriented approach involving a broad local constituency.
Globalization and supply chain networks: the auto industry in Brazil and India
Authors: Humphrey John
Published: January 2004

The automotive industries of emerging markets were transformed in the 1990s by trade liberalization and large investments by global assemblers. The impact of these investments was decisively influenced by government policies aimed at promoting local production and assembly of vehicles and by changing assembler—supplier relationships in the global auto industry. The cases of Brazil and India show how the assemblers created new linkages between operations in emerging markets and their global operations through the adoption of follow design and follow sourcing policies. These policies were hard to implement in practice, but they decisively transformed the components industries in both countries.
Commodity chains, foreign investment and labour issues in Eastern Europe
Authors: Czaban Laszlo , Henderson Jeffrey
Published: January 2004

In terms of ownership and operations, many companies in Eastern Europe have now been integrated into the world economy. In this article, informed in part by a critical engagement with the Global Commodity Chains (GCC) perspective, we explore the nature and significance of international linkages among firms in Eastern Europe. In particular, we argue that it has been the legacies of the state socialist past embedded in the inherited macro‐ and microeconomic structures, on the one hand, and the strategies of multinational firms on the other, rather than the international linkages in any simple sense, that have been the main influencing factors. While we do not deny the existence of inter‐firm relations similar to the ones described in the GCC literature, we point out that these relationships are much more complex than assumed in that approach and that this complexity is a product of the very different historical backgrounds and modes of incorporation into the world economy of the various Eastern European societies. Drawing on empirical evidence from Hungary and focusing specifically on employment and other labour issues, we argue that there are a variety of firm development paths in Eastern Europe and that these have differing implications for the integration of firms, regions and countries of Eastern Europe into the world economy.
Architecture of secondary lymphoid tissue in sheep experimentally challenged with scrapie
Authors: Davies Marie L. , Hopkins Lee J. , Halliday Sue , Houston Fiona , Hunter Nora , McConnell Ian
Published: January 2004

Scrapie is a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy in which there is an accumulation of the abnormal form of the prion protein, PrPsc, in the lymphoreticular system and nervous system. There is a particular accumulation of PrPsc on follicular dendritic cells within the germinal centre of B‐cell follicles. Because accumulation of PrPsc in the nervous system leads to neuronal cell loss we have examined PrPsc accumulation in the prescapular and mesenteric lymph nodes in relation to lymph node architecture of scrapie‐challenged sheep. We demonstrate that an accumulation of PrPsc in the lymph node fails to result in gross defects in the microanatomy and phenotype of T‐ and B‐cell areas in the lymph nodes.
γδ T‐cell clones from intestinal intraepithelial lymphocytes inhibit development of CTL responses ex vivo
Authors: Kapp Judith A. , Kapp Linda M. , McKenna Kyle C. , Lake Jeffrey P.
Published: January 2004

Oral administration of antigen induces a state of tolerance that is associated with activation of CD8+ T cells that can transfer unresponsiveness to naïve syngeneic hosts. These T cells are not lytic, but they inhibit development of antibody, CD4+ T helper cell, and CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) responses upon adoptive transfer into naïve, syngeneic mice. In addition, we have shown that depletion of γδ T cells by injection of the anti‐δ chain antibody (GL3) down modulates the expression of γδ T‐cell receptor (TCR) and inhibits the induction of oral tolerance to ovalbumin. Oral administration of antigen also fails to induce tolerance in TCR δ‐chain knockout mice suggesting that γδ T cells play a critical, active role in tolerance induced by orally administered antigen. To further study the contribution of γδ T cells to tolerance, murine γδ T cells were isolated from intraepithelial lymphocytes (IEL) of the small intestine by stimulation with splenic filler cells, concanavalin A and growth factors. γδ IEL lines demonstrated lytic activity in a redirected lysis assay. γδ T‐cell clones express different γδ TCR genes and secrete large amounts of interleukin (IL)‐10, but little or no IL‐2, IL‐4, or interferon‐γ. γδ IEL clones expressed transforming growth factor‐β1 and macrophage migration inhibitory factor, as well as IL‐10, mRNA. Moreover, γδ T‐cell clones potently inhibited the generation of CTL responses by secreted molecules rather than by direct cell‐to‐cell contact.
Activation of Epstein–Barr virus by saliva from Sjogren's syndrome patients
Authors: Nagata Yoshifumi , Inoue Hiroko , Yamada Koichi , Higashiyama Hiroyuki , Mishima Kenji , Kizu Yasuhiro , Takeda Ienaka , Mizuno Fumio , Hayashi Yoshio , Saito Ichiro
Published: January 2004

The aim of this study was to examine the mechanism of Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) activation by soluble factors from the inflamed salivary glands of patients with Sjogren's syndrome (SS). Saliva from SS patients was used to examine the regulation of EBV activation by an inflammatory salivary microenvironment. Transient transfection of the EBV‐negative salivary gland cell line (HSY) with BZLF1, a trans‐activating EBV gene promoter‐fusion construct (Zp‐luc), was used in this study. The results showed that under conditions where the BZLF1 promoter is activated by potent stimuli, SS saliva (from eight of 12 patients) exerts a significant effect on expression of the luciferase gene. A specific inhibitor of protein kinase C did not affect the SS saliva‐induced Zp‐luc activity, whereas treatment with inhibitors of calmodulin, calcineurin and IP3, dose‐dependently decreased this induction. Transforming growth factor β1 (TGF‐β1), which is known to be expressed in SS salivary glands, dose‐dependently induced Zp‐luc activity. Hence, these results demonstrate the activation of EBV by SS saliva and suggest that EBV activation at the inflammatory site may occur in the presence of TGF‐β1 via triggering of the mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MAPK) kinase signalling pathway.
Cloning and characterization of an immunoglobulin A Fc receptor from cattle
Authors: Morton H. Craig , Pleass Richard J. , Storset Anne K. , Dissen Erik , Williams John L. , Brandtzaeg Per , Woof Jenny M.
Published: January 2004

Here, we describe the cloning, sequencing and characterization of an immunoglobulin A (IgA) Fc receptor from cattle (bFcαR). By screening a translated EST database with the protein sequence of the human IgA Fc receptor (CD89) we identified a putative bovine homologue. Subsequent polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification confirmed that the identified full‐length cDNA was expressed in bovine cells. COS‐1 cells transfected with a plasmid containing the cloned cDNA bound to beads coated with either bovine or human IgA, but not to beads coated with bovine IgG2 or human IgG. The bFcαR cDNA is 873 nucleotides long and is predicted to encode a 269 amino‐acid transmembrane glycoprotein composed of two immunoglobulin‐like extracellular domains, a transmembrane region and a short cytoplasmic tail devoid of known signalling motifs. Genetically, bFcαR is more closely related to CD89, bFcγ2R, NKp46, and the KIR and LILR gene families than to other FcRs. Moreover, the bFcαR gene maps to the bovine leucocyte receptor complex on chromosome 18. Identification of the bFcαR will aid in the understanding of IgA–FcαR interactions, and may facilitate the isolation of FcαR from other species.
Intelligence Predicts Health and Longevity, but Why?
Authors: Gottfredson Linda S. , Deary Ian J.
Published: January 2004

Large epidemiological studies of almost an entire population in Scotland have found that intelligence (as measured by an IQ-type test) in childhood predicts substantial differences in adult morbidity and mortality, including deaths from cancers and cardiovascular diseases. These relations remain significant after controlling for socioeconomic variables. One possible, partial explanation of these results is that intelligence enhances individuals' care of their own health because it represents learning, reasoning, and problem-solving skills useful in preventing chronic disease and accidental injury and in adhering to complex treatment regimens.
Why Faces Are Not Special to Newborns
Authors: Turati Chiara
Published: January 2004

Newborns' visual preference for faces might be regarded as a proof of the existence of a specific innate bias toward this class of stimuli. However, recent research has shown that this putatively face-specific phenomenon might be explained as the result of the combined effect of nonspecific perceptual constraints that stem from the general properties of visual processing shortly after birth. General, nonspecific biases may tune the system toward certain aspects of the external environment, allowing, through experience, the emergence of increasingly specialized processes devoted to faces.
Workplace Aggression
Authors: Mireille LeBlanc Manon , Barling Julian
Published: January 2004

The vast majority of workplace aggression is perpetrated by members of the public, or organizational outsiders. Organizational employees (i.e., insiders) seldom kill or physically assault their colleagues. The most frequent manifestations of insider-initiated aggression involve less dramatic acts, such as shouting at and spreading rumors about colleagues. Both individual (e.g., alcohol consumption, hostile attributional bias) and organizational (e.g., overcontrolling supervision, perceived injustice) factors predict which individuals are most likely to engage in insider aggression. Research has shown that victims of insider-initiated aggression experience negative personal (e.g., emotional well-being and physical health) and organizational (e.g., work attitudes) outcomes. Despite increasing research on workplace aggression, significant gaps in our knowledge remain.
Is Caregiving a Risk Factor for Illness?
Authors: Vitaliano Peter P. , Young Heather M. , Zhang Jianping
Published: January 2004

This article focuses on the physical health of persons who provide care to family members and friends with dementia. Such caregivers are under extended chronic stress because of the particular demands that this illness places on them. Caregiver research has made important contributions in two areas of health psychology. First, this research has increased understanding of the impact of chronic illness in families. Second, it has explored the complex relationships between stress and human responses (psychological and physiological) in the context of aging, using caregiving as a prototypic chronic stressor. This article discusses the relationship between distress, health habits, physiological changes, and, ultimately, health risks. There is evidence for greater health risks in caregivers than in noncaregivers. In addition, vulnerabilities and resources influence the relationship between caregiver stressors and health. One of the greatest methodological challenges of research on caregiver health is that the studies occur under natural conditions, so that it is not possible to randomly assign people to be caregivers and then observe changes in their health. Careful designs are required to infer the reasons for health risks.
Health Stresses and Depressive Symptomatology in the Elderly
Authors: Wrosch Carsten , Schulz Richard , Heckhausen Jutta
Published: January 2004

The social and life sciences need to examine pathways of successful aging to master the consequences of increased longevity and physical vulnerability of the elderly population. One of older adults' well-known problems relates to the fact that their quality of life can be threatened by physical health stresses and associated depressive symptomatology. Common health problems among older adults often contribute to depressive symptomatology, and, in turn, depressive symptoms may further compromise older adults' health. It is thus an important task to discover factors that can protect older adults from experiencing the negative emotional consequences of health stresses. Using ideas from the life-span theory of control, we show how to adaptively manage the negative consequences of health problems in the elderly. Active investments in overcoming health problems that are controllable should result in positive outcomes. In contrast, it may be beneficial for older adults to disengage from health goals that are unattainable. By adjusting their control-related behaviors to the controllability of specific health stresses, older adults can maintain their psychological and physical health.
Aging and Language Production
Authors: Burke Deborah M. , Shafto Meredith A.
Published: January 2004

Experimental research and older adults' reports of their own experience suggest that the ability to produce the spoken forms of familiar words declines with aging. Older adults experience more word-finding failures, such as tip-of-the-tongue states, than young adults do, and this and other speech production failures appear to stem from difficulties in retrieving the sounds of words. Recent evidence has identified a parallel age-related decline in retrieving the spelling of familiar words. Models of cognitive aging must explain why these aspects of language production decline with aging whereas semantic processes are well maintained. We describe a model wherein aging weakens connections among linguistic representations, thereby reducing the transmission of excitation from one representation to another. The structure of the representational systems for word phonology and orthography makes them vulnerable to transmission deficits, impairing retrieval.
Physics and Psychology of the Muscle Sense
Authors: Carello Claudia , Turvey M.T.
Published: January 2004

The sensibility associated with muscles contributes little to the conceptual content of current psychology. In part, this is because perceptions achieved through the muscle sense typically go unnoticed. Nonetheless, researchers have discovered a rich variety of muscle-based perceptual capabilities—such as those relating to held objects, probed objects, and body segments—that seem to depend on quantities well known in physics, quantities that reflect how the mass of an object or limb is distributed. The conceptual and technical issues posed by these capabilities warrant study by psychologists interested in the general problems of space perception, action, and selective attention.
Moving Multisensory Research Along
Authors: Soto-Faraco Salvador , Spence Charles , Lloyd Donna , Kingstone Alan
Published: January 2004

The past few years have seen a rapid growth of interest regarding how information from the different senses is combined. Historically, the majority of the research on this topic has focused on interactions in the perception of stationary stimuli, but given that the majority of stimuli in the world move, an important question concerns the extent to which principles derived from stationary stimuli also apply to moving stimuli. A key finding emerging from recent work with moving stimuli is that our perception of stimulus movement in one modality is frequently, and unavoidably, modulated by the concurrent movement of stimuli in other sensory modalities. Visual motion has a particularly strong influence on the perception of auditory and tactile motion. These behavioral results are now being complemented by the results of neuroimaging studies that have pointed out the existence of both modality-specific motion-processing areas and areas involved in processing motion in more than one sense. The challenge for the future will be to develop novel experimental paradigms that can integrate behavioral and neuroscientific approaches in order to refine our understanding of multisensory contributions to the perception of movement.
Stress, Motivation, and Drug Addiction
Authors: Goeders Nick E.
Published: January 2004

A growing clinical literature indicates that there is a link between substance abuse and stress. One explanation for the high co-occurrence of stress-related disorders and drug addiction is the self-medication hypothesis, which suggests that a dually diagnosed person often uses the abused substance to cope with tension associated with life stressors or to relieve symptoms of anxiety and depression resulting from a traumatic event. However, another characteristic of self-administration is that drug delivery and its subsequent effects on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis are under the direct control of the individual. This controlled activation of the HPA axis may produce an internal state of arousal or stimulation that is actually sought by the individual. During abstinence, exposure to stressors or drug-associated cues can stimulate the HPA axis and thereby remind the individual about the effects of the abused substance, thus producing craving and promoting relapse. Stress reduction, either alone or in combination with pharmacotherapies targeting the HPA axis, may prove beneficial in reducing cravings and promoting abstinence in individuals seeking treatment for addiction.
School Dropouts
Authors: Christenson Sandra L. , Thurlow Martha L.
Published: January 2004

Preventing school dropout and promoting successful graduation is a national concern that poses a significant challenge for schools and educational communities working with youth at risk for school failure. Although students who are at greatest risk for dropping out of school can be identified, they disengage from school and drop out for a variety of reasons for which there is no one common solution. The most effective intervention programs identify and track youth at risk for school failure, maintain a focus on students' progress toward educational standards across the school years, and are designed to address indicators of student engagement and to impact enrollment status—not just the predictors of dropout. To leave no child behind, educators must address issues related to student mobility, alternate routes to school completion, and alternate time lines for school completion, as well as engage in rigorous evaluation of school-completion programs.
Psychological reactions in Icelandic earthquake survivors
Authors: Bödvarsdóttir Iris , Elklit Ask
Published: January 2004

The aim of this study was to explore the psychological consequences of two earthquakes in Iceland in two probability samples of subjects – residents in the exposed area and a control group from an unexposed area. The sample was composed of 52 adults exposed to the earthquakes and 29 adults in a control group. Three months after the earthquakes, both groups were approached with questions from a survey consisting of the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire (HTQ), the Trauma Symptom Checklist (TSC), the Coping Styles Questionnaire (CSQ), the World Assumption Scale (WAS), and the Crisis Support Scale (CSS). The results revealed that 24% in the exposed group had Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and none in the control group had PTSD. Earthquake‐related anxiety, inability to express one's thoughts and feelings, and emotional coping predicted 81% of the HTQ variance for both groups. Previous life events, low self‐worth, and luck attributions, together with numbing and the feeling of being let down, predicted 56% of the symptom variance for both groups. When degree of traumatization and emotional coping were added to the model, another 30% of the variance could be explained.
Interpreting the uninterpretable: The effect of self‐esteem on the interpretation of meaningless feedback
Authors: Silvera David H. , Neilands Tor
Published: January 2004

People often seek out and retain positive information about themselves via self‐enhancement processes. Under other circumstances, they seek out and retain self‐confirmatory information via self‐verification processes. Research on both of these self‐evaluation processes has been based heavily on domains such as social skills, in which people have a large database of prior information that presumably influences the way in which incoming self‐relevant information is interpreted. In the present research, participants were asked to evaluate themselves on a set of imaginary “pseudotraits” to investigate how self‐esteem influences the self‐evaluation process when prior information is unavailable. Participants who had been identified through pre‐testing as either high or low in self‐esteem received false feedback on five pseudotraits (e.g., “casortic”), after which they evaluated the favorability of this feedback. High self‐esteem participants tended to view their feedback as favorable, whereas low self‐esteem participants did not.
Assessment of parental sensitivity towards pre‐school children born with very low birth weight
Authors: Hoff Barbara , Munck Hanne , Greisen Gorm
Published: January 2004

The article introduces the Parental Sensitivity Assessment Scale (PSAS) and examines the influence of the PSAS score and other factors on the general cognitive level in pre‐school children born with very low birth weight (VLBW). McCarthy general cognitive index (GCI) was obtained for 102 VLBW and 92 normal birth weight (NBW) control children in Denmark in the mid‐1980s. The mean ages of the two groups were 52.4 vs. 53.1 months. Parental sensitivity was assessed using PSAS. There was no significant difference in the mean PSAS score between the two birth weight groups (p > 0.3). Birth weight group (p < 0.001) and mother's schooling (p= 0.026) significantly correlated with GCI in the children. The PSAS score was highly significantly correlated to the variance of the GCI (p < 0.001), which was not explained by VLBW and mother's schooling. We found no interactional effect between parental sensitivity and birth weight group (p > 0.5) – the prematurely born children were not more affected by low parental sensitivity than were the control children.
Effect of chemotherapy on primordial follicular reserve of rat: An animal model of premature ovarian failure and infertility
Authors: Yucebilgin Mehmet Sait , Terek Mustafa Cosan , Ozsaran Aydin , Akercan Fuat , Zekioglu Osman , Isik Ecmel , Erhan Yildiz
Published: January 2004

Aim:  To determine the effect of paclitaxel and cisplatin in the reduction of primordial follicular reserve in rat.

Material and methods:  Thirty young female rats were divided randomly into three groups of 10 rats each. Paclitaxel 7.5 mg/kg and cisplatin 5 mg/kg were administered intraperitoneally in a single dose sterile technique to paclitaxel (n = 10), and cisplatin (n = 10) groups, and sterile saline solution was given to a control group (n = 10). To assess the effects of chemotherapeutic agents on the primordial follicles, the rats were oophorectomised 7 days after the administration of chemotherapeutic agents. Haematoxylin and eosin staining was used to determine the number of primordial follicles. Primordial follicles were identified by the presence of an oocyte encapsulated partially or completely by a single layer of flattened follicular cells without a theca layer at the ovarian cortex.

Results:  The number of primordial follicles in the control group was 23.1 ± 16.1 follicles. The number of primordial follicles were decreased significantly in both paclitaxel and cisplatin groups compared to control group (10.3 ± 13.0 and 13.9 ± 15.2 follicles, respectively) (P = 0.001 and P = 0.01, respectively). The difference in the number of primordial follicles between the paclitaxel and cisplatin groups was insignificant (P = 0.465).

Conclusion:  The administration of high dose paclitaxel and cisplatin to young rats causes the depletion of primordial follicles. However, no significant difference was observed between the two agents.
Antiphosphatidyl serine antibodies are more common in normotensive women with small for gestational age pregnancies
Authors: McCowan Lesley M. E. , Chamley Larry W.
Published: January 2004

Background:  Small for gestational age (SGA) babies are more common in women with antiphospholipid antibodies but data are limited about the prevalence of antiphospholipid antibodies in women who have delivered SGA babies.

Aim:  To determine whether elevated levels of anticardiolipin, antiphosphatidyl serine and/or antiß2 glycoprotein I antibodies are more common in normotensive women who delivered SGA babies compared with women who delivered appropriate for gestational age babies.

Methods:  Case–control study. Cases were normotensive women who delivered an SGA baby (birthweight <10th%) without chromosomal or congenital abnormality. Controls were healthy women who delivered a baby at term with birthweight >10th percentage.

Results:  A total of 137 women with SGA pregnancies and 290 controls had antiphospholipid antibodies measured. The prevalence of anticardiolipin and antiß2 glycoprotein I antibodies did not differ between SGA cases and controls. Antiphosphatidyl serine IgG antibodies were more common in women with SGA pregnancies than controls seven (5%) versus five (1.7%), relative risk (RR) 1.84 (1.12–3.03). There was no difference in the prevalence of ‘any antiphospholipid antibodies’ between SGA 10 (7.2%) and controls 16 (5.6%). There was a trend to more abnormal umbilical Doppler studies in SGA pregnancies with positive antiphospholipid antibodies three (50%) versus 19 (24%), RR 2.9 (0.62–13).

Conclusions:  Antiphospholipid antibodies were uncommon in this cohort of SGA pregnancies. Further studies are needed in SGA pregnancies with abnormal umbilical Doppler studies to determine if screening for antiphospholipid antibodies is worthwhile in this severe subgroup.
Pilot study of botulinum toxin type A in the treatment of chronic pelvic pain associated with spasm of the levator ani muscles
Authors: Jarvis Sherin K. , Abbott Jason A. , Lenart Meegan B. , Steensma Anneke , Vancaillie Thierry G.
Published: January 2004

Objective:  To investigate whether botulinum toxin type A (BOTOX) injected into the levator ani muscles of women with objective pelvic floor muscle spasm decreases pain symptoms and improves quality of life.

Design:  A prospective cohort study.

Setting:  Outpatient clinic in a tertiary referral centre, Sydney, Australia.

Sample:  Twelve women, aged 18–55 years, with objective pelvic floor muscle hypertonicity and a minimum 2‐year history of chronic pelvic pain were recruited.

Methods:  All women completed visual analog scale pain assessments; questionnaires relating to bladder and bowel symptoms and quality of life; and specific examinations. Forty units of BOTOX at three different dilutions were given bilaterally into the puborectalis and pubococcygeus muscles under conscious sedation.

Results:  Median visual analog scale scores were significantly improved for dyspareunia (80 vs 28; P = 0.01) and dysmenorrhea (67 vs 28; P = 0.03), with non‐significant reductions in non‐menstrual pelvic pain (64 vs 37) and dyschesia (47 vs 29). Pelvic floor muscles manometry showed a 37% reduction in resting pressure at week 4 and a 25% reduction was maintained at week 12 (P < 0.0001). Quality of life scores (EQ‐5D and SF‐12) were improved from baseline at week 12, but did not reach statistical significance. Sexual activity scores were markedly improved, with a significant reduction in discomfort (4.8 vs 2.2; P = 0.02) and improvement in habit (0.2 vs 1.9; P = 0.03). These results were not influenced by dilution.

Conclusion:  There is evidence from the present pilot study suggesting that women with pelvic floor muscles hypertonicity and pelvic pain may respond to BOTOX injections into the pelvic floor muscles. Further research into this novel treatment of chronic pelvic pain is strongly recommended.
Factors affecting mothers’ knowledge of genetic screening
Authors: Suriadi Christine , Jovanovska Mirjana , Quinlivan Julie A.
Published: January 2004

Objective:  To evaluate mothers’ knowledge of terms used in genetic counselling and their participation in Down syndrome and newborn screening.

Setting:  An obstetric tertiary referral hospital in Australia.

Population:  A total of 232 consecutive women delivering a liveborn baby.

Methods:  Participants were interviewed within 24 h of blood being taken from their baby by the heel prick test for the newborn screen. Non‐English speaking women were included using medical interpreters. The questionnaire assessed knowledge of terms used in genetic counselling for Down syndrome and newborn screening. A second researcher, blinded to subject demographics, scored questionnaires using a predefined scoring system.

Main outcome:  Demographic factors affecting knowledge and knowledge of Down syndrome and newborn screening test uptake.

Results:  A total of 200 women consented to participate in the present study (86.2%). New mothers had limited knowledge of genetic disease (median: 4/15, interquartile range: 2–8). In multivariate analysis, Caucasian ethnic background, English as the first language, higher level of education, and knowledge of family history were significant associations of higher knowledge scores (all P < 0.006). The majority of participants who had Down syndrome testing (54%) were aware that they had done so (51.5%; κ = 90.9%). In multivariate analysis age >35 years, English as a first language and non‐married status were associated with increased test uptake. In contrast, only 26.5% of participants knew that their child had undergone the newborn screen, despite it having been carried out on 98% of babies (κ = 1.5%).

Conclusion:  Newborn screening practices may need to be reviewed.
Transperineal repair of obstetric‐related anovaginal fistula
Authors: Chew Simon S.B. , Rieger Nick A.
Published: January 2004

Background:  To describe an operative technique for the repair of anovaginal fistulae secondary to obstetric injury and to assess its functional outcome and patient satisfaction.

Methods:  An operative repair involving division of the anovaginal fistula, closure of rectal and vaginal walls, anterior levatoplasty and overlapping sphincteroplasty is described. Postoperative complications and recurrence were recorded. A telephone interview was carried out to assess the functional outcome and the satisfaction score.

Results:  Seven consecutive patients had a repair of an obstetric‐related anovaginal fistula. Their mean age was 34 years (range: 22–72). They had a mean duration of symptoms of 14 months (range: 1.5–54). Four patients did not have any previous repair and no stoma was necessary in any of the seven patients. There was no significant postoperative complication and only one recurrence. Telephone interviews were conducted for six patients and one was lost to follow‐up. The mean follow‐up period was 24 months (11–35). The Wexner's continence score improved from a mean preoperative score of 13.4 to a mean postoperative score of 5.6. With satisfaction scores ranging from +3 to −3 (+3 indicating complete satisfaction and −3 indicating complete dissatisfaction), five patients scored 1 and one scored 0.

Conclusion:  This technique is straightforward and effective in healing obstetric‐related anovaginal fistula. It achieves improved continence and reasonable satisfaction.
Utility of a Simplified Lidocaine and Potassium Infusion in Diagnosing Long QT Syndrome among Patients with Borderline QTc Interval Prolongation
Authors: Chauhan Vijay S. , Krahn Andrew D. , Klein George J. , Skanes Allan C. , Yee Raymond
Published: January 2004

Background: Congenital long QT syndrome (LQTS) is caused by mutations in the cardiac Na+ or K+ channels that result in a prolonged QTc interval and increased QT dispersion. Na+ channel blockers and K+ can reverse the repolarization abnormalities in the Na+ channel variant (LQT3) and K+ channel variant (LQT1, LQT2), respectively. The phenotype of LQTS can be difficult to recognize, especially when the QTc interval is mildly prolonged. Additional noninvasive testing methods are needed to enhance the diagnosis of LQTS. This study compared the response of the QTc interval and QT dispersion to a sequential lidocaine/K+ infusion in LQTS patients with borderline QTc interval prolongation and control patients as a means of diagnosing LQTS.

Methods: In this study, eight LQTS patients with borderline QTc, defined as QTc < 470 ms, and 10 healthy controls received sequential lidocaine/K+ infusion.

Results: At baseline, LQTS patients had a longer QTc (446 ± 29 vs 416 ± 28 ms, P < 0.05) but similar QT dispersion (43 ± 14 vs 29 ± 10 ms) compared to controls. After lidocaine administration, baseline QTc and QT dispersion did not change in either LQTS or controls. One LQTS patient had a 54 ms (12%) reduction in his QTc but no change in QT dispersion. Following K+ infusion, baseline QTc and QT dispersion decreased by 9% (P < 0.005) and 45% (P < 0.005), respectively in LQTS. No effect was seen in control patients, where QTc and QT dispersion shortened by 1% (5 ± 14 ms) and 20% (6 ± 7 ms), respectively, compared to baseline. The combined lidocaine/K+ infusion had a sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of 88%, 100%, and 94%, respectively, in diagnosing LQTS.

Conclusions: A simplified sequential lidocaine/K+ challenge is accurate in diagnosing LQTS among patients with borderline QTc prolongation.
QT Interval Prolongation with Global T‐Wave Inversion: A Novel ECG Finding in Acute Pulmonary Embolism
Authors: Punukollu Gopikrishna , Gowda Ramesh M. , Khan Ijaz A. , Wilbur Sabrina L. , Vasavada Balendu C. , Sacchi Terrence J.
Published: January 2004

Objective: The purpose of this study was to report a novel electrocardiographic (ECG) phenomenon in acute pulmonary embolism characterized by QT interval prolongation with global T‐wave inversion.

Methods: Among a total of 140 study patients with a confirmed diagnosis of acute pulmonary embolism, patients who fulfilled the inclusion criteria for QT interval prolongation with global T‐wave inversion were examined. Each of these patients had undergone a detailed clinical evaluation including testing for myocardial injury and echocardiography.

Results: QT interval prolongation with global T‐wave inversion was found in five patients (age 51–68 years) with acute pulmonary embolism. Four were women. Acute pulmonary embolism was diagnosed by ventilation‐perfusion scan in three patients and by spiral computed tomography in other two patients. None of the patients had any right or left ventricular regional wall motion abnormalities on echocardiography. All patients had changes characteristic of hemodynamically significant pulmonary embolism, including right ventricular stunning or hypokinesis and dilatation in five patients with paradoxical septal motion in four. Acute coronary syndrome was ruled out in each patient by clinical evaluation, serial ECGs and cardiac markers, and lack of regional wall motion abnormalities on echocardiography. Prolongation of QT intervals (QTc 456–521 ms) with global T‐wave inversion was noted on presentation. The ECG changes gradually resolved in 1 week in all patients with appropriate treatment of acute pulmonary embolism. One patient died. None of the patients developed torsade de pointes.

Conclusions: Acute pulmonary embolism may occasionally result in reversible QT interval prolongation with deep T‐wave inversion, and, thus should be considered among the acquired causes of the long QT syndrome.
Clinical Significance of QS Complexes in V1 and V2 without Other Electrocardiographic Abnormality
Authors: MacAlpin Rex N.
Published: January 2004

Background: In the absence of other electrocardiographic (ECG) abnormalities, QS deflections simultaneously in both of the leads V1–V2 may have multiple possible causes. Despite much information in the literature indicating that this is an unlikely pattern for pure septal infarction, such an ECG diagnosis is frequently given.

Methods: Ninety‐nine cases having QS deflections in both leads V1 and V2 but no other ECG abnormality were compared to 99 other patients with entirely normal ECGs, to whom they were matched by age, gender, and the presence or absence of septal Q waves. Retrospective analysis of medical records was performed to determine the nature of any cardiovascular disease in these two groups, and to find a possible explanation for the ECG abnormality.

Results: Because of its intermittence in subjects with multiple ECGs, QS deflections in leads V1–V2 appeared most often to be an artifact of precordial lead placement. Prior myocardial infarction, or presence of clinical coronary disease was present in only about 20% of the cases. Neither the intermittence of Q wave in V2 on repeated ECGs nor the absence of septal Q waves was useful in distinguishing between those with and without coronary heart disease.

Conclusions: This ECG pattern is a sign of prior myocardial infarction in only a minority of cases, and in the latter, infarction limited to the interventricular septum is exceptional. This ECG finding should be interpreted as a nonspecific QRS abnormality with multiple possible causes. Clinical correlation and repeat tracings with attention to lead placement will help to clarify its significance.
Electrocardiographic Identification of Drug‐Induced QT Prolongation: Assessment by Different Recording and Measurement Methods
Authors: Sarapa Nenad , Morganroth Joel , Couderc Jean‐Philippe , Francom Steven F. , Darpo Borje , Fleishaker Joseph C. , McEnroe Janet D. , Chen William T. , Zareba Wojciech , Moss Arthur J.
Published: January 2004

Background: Careful assessment of QT interval prolongation is required before novel drugs are approved by regulatory authorities. The choice of the most appropriate method of electrocardiogram (ECG) acquisition and QT/RR interval measurement in clinical trials requires better understanding of the differences among currently available approaches. This study compared standard and Holter‐derived 12‐lead ECGs for utility in detecting sotalol‐induced QT/QTc and RR changes. Manual methods (digitizing pad and digital on‐screen calipers) were compared for precision of QT and RR interval measurement.

Methods and Results: Sixteen hundred pairs of serial 12‐lead digital ECGs were recorded simultaneously by standard resting ECG device and by continuous 12‐lead digital Holter over 3 days in 39 healthy male and female volunteers. No therapy was given on the 1st day followed by 160 mg and 320 mg of sotalol on the 2nd and 3rd day, respectively. Holter‐derived and standard ECGs produced nearly identical sotalol‐induced QT/QTc and RR changes from baseline, as did the manual digipad and on‐screen caliper measurements. The variability of on‐screen QT measurement in this study was greater than that of digipad.

Conclusions: Digital 12‐lead Holter and standard 12‐lead ECG recorders, as well as the manual digitizing pad and digital on‐screen calipers, are of equal utility for the assessment of drug‐induced change from baseline in QT and RR interval, although the variability of the on‐screen method in this study was greater than of the digipad.
Xerostomia: Clinical Aspects and Treatment
Authors: Cassolato Sandra F. , Turnbull Robert S.
Published: January 2004

Xerostomia or dry mouth is a condition that is frequently encountered in dental practice. The most common cause is the use of certain systemic medications, which make the elderly at greater risk because they are usually more medicated. Other causes include high doses of radiation and certain diseases such as SjöUgren's syndrome. Xerostomia is associated with difficulties in chewing, swallowing, tasting or speaking. This results in poor diet, malnutrition and decreased social interaction. Xerostomia can cause oral discomfort, especially for denture wearers. Patients are at increased risk of developing dental caries. A thorough intra‐oral and extra‐oral clinical examination is important for diagnosis. Treatment may include the use of salivary substitutes (Biotene), salivary stimulants such as pilocarpine, ongoing dental care, caries prevention, a review of the current prescription drug regimen and possible elimination of drugs having anticholinergic effects. Because of the ageing population, and the concomitant increase in medicated individuals, dentists can expect to be presented with xerostomia in an increasing number of patients in the coming years and therefore should be familiar with its diagnosis and treatment. Therefore, the purpose of this review is to outline for clinicians the common aetiologies, clinical identification, and routine therapeutic modalities available for individuals with xerostomia.