bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Thermal conductivity of intumescent coating char after accelerated aging
Authors: Wang L. L. , Wang Y. C. , Yuan J. F. , Li G. Q.
Published: May 2012

This paper presents the results of an experimental and numerical simulation study to obtain thermal conductivity of intumescent coating after accelerated aging. Two types of intumescent coating were used. The main objective of this research was to check the accuracy of a thermal conductivity model for the fully expanded intumescent coating char, which was assumed to depend on the expansion thickness and the bubble size and distribution. By using the model and the measured expanded thicknesses and average bubble diameters for the two types of intumescent coating after different cycles of accelerated aging, the intumescent coating insulated steel plate temperatures were numerically calculated and compared with measured results. The agreement has been found to be generally satisfactory, suggesting that the thermal conductivity model is acceptable. The measured results of intumescent coating expanded thickness and bubble size show that aging has two detrimental effects on the insulation performance of intumescent coating: reducing the expansion thickness and increasing the bubble size, both leading to increased thermal conductivity. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Septohippocampal GABAergic neurons mediate the altered behaviors induced by n‐methyl‐D‐aspartate receptor antagonists
Authors: Ma Jingyi , Tai Siew Kian , Leung L. Stan
Published: May 2012

We hypothesize that selective lesion of the septohippocampal GABAergic neurons suppresses the altered behaviors induced by an N‐methyl‐D‐aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist, ketamine or MK‐801. In addition, we hypothesize that septohippocampal GABAergic neurons generate an atropine‐resistant theta rhythm that coexists with an atropine‐sensitive theta rhythm in the hippocampus. Infusion of orexin‐saporin (ore‐SAP) into the medial septal area decreased parvalbumin‐immunoreactive (GABAergic) neurons by ∼80%, without significantly affecting choline‐acetyltransferase‐immunoreactive (cholinergic) neurons. The theta rhythm during walking, or the immobility‐associated theta induced by pilocarpine, was not different between ore‐SAP and sham‐lesion rats. Walking theta was, however, more disrupted by atropine sulfate in ore‐SAP than in sham‐lesion rats. MK‐801 (0.5 mg/kg i.p.) induced hyperlocomotion associated with an increase in frequency, but not power, of the hippocampal theta in both ore‐SAP and sham‐lesion rats. However, MK‐801 induced an increase in 71–100 Hz gamma waves in sham‐lesion but not ore‐SAP lesion rats. In sham‐lesion rats, MK‐801 induced an increase in locomotion and an impairment of prepulse inhibition (PPI), and ketamine (3 mg/kg s.c.) induced a loss of gating of hippocampal auditory evoked potentials. MK‐801‐induced behavioral hyperlocomotion and PPI impairment, and ketamine‐induced auditory gating deficit were reduced in ore‐SAP rats as compared to sham‐lesion rats. During baseline without drugs, locomotion and auditory gating were not different between ore‐SAP and sham‐lesion rats, and PPI was slightly but significantly increased in ore‐SAP as compared with sham lesion rats. It is concluded that septohippocampal GABAergic neurons are important for the expression of hyperactive and psychotic symptoms an enhanced hippocampal gamma activity induced by ketamine and MK‐801, and for generating an atropine‐resistant theta. Selective suppression of septohippocampal GABAergic activity is suggested to be an effective treatment of some symptoms of schizophrenia. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
MHC class I expression in HPV positive and negative tonsillar squamous cell carcinoma in correlation to clinical outcome
Authors: Näsman Anders , Andersson Emilia , Nordfors Cecilia , Grün Nathalie , Johansson Hemming , Munck‐Wikland Eva , Massucci Giuseppe , Dalianis Tina , Ramqvist Torbjörn
Published: May 2012

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is an important factor for the development of tonsillar squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC). In addition, patients with HPV‐positive TSCC have a better clinical outcome than patients with HPV‐negative TSCC. Although, HPV is an important prognostic marker, additional biomarkers are needed to better predict clinical outcome to individualize treatment. Hence, we examined if classical HLA HLA‐A,B,C and nonclassical HLA‐E,G could serve as such marker. Formalin‐fixed paraffin‐embedded TSCC from 150 patients diagnosed 2000–2006, earlier analyzed for HPV DNA and p16INK4a, and treated with intention to cure were evaluated for the expression of HLA‐A,B,C and HLA‐E,G by immunohistochemistry. For HPV‐positive TSCC a low expression of HLA‐A,B,C, whereas for HPV‐negative TSCC, a normal expression of HLA‐A,B,C was significantly correlated to a favorable clinical outcome. These correlations were more pronounced for membrane staining of HLA‐A,B,C when compared with cytoplasmatic staining. No significant correlation was found between HLA‐E,G and HPV status or clinical outcome. The unexpected contrasting correlation between HLA‐A,B,C expression, and clinical outcome depending on HPV, indicates essential differences between HPV‐positive and HPV‐negative TSCC. Furthermore, our data demonstrate that for both HPV‐positive and HPV‐negative TSCC, the expression of HLA‐A,B,C together with HPV may serve as a useful biomarker for predicting clinical outcome.
The role of transitions to new age groups in the development of institutionalized children
Authors: McCall Robert B. , Fish Larry A. , Groark Christina J. , Muhamedrahimov Rifkat J. , Palmov Oleg , Nikiforova Natalia V.
Published: May 2012

Children in two institutions in St. Petersburg (Russian Federation) experienced ward transitions, one in which caregivers were trained to provide sensitive, responsive caregiving and one that conducted business as usual. A third institution eliminated transitions, received the same training, and implemented a variety of structural and employment changes designed to promote improved caregiver–child interactions and relationships. While the no‐transition comprehensive intervention group of children steadily improved in Battelle Developmental Inventory (LINC Associates, 1988) scores across all age intervals, the children in the institution who encouraged some positive caregiver–child interactions improved before and after, but not during, an age period that involved a transition. In contrast, the no‐treatment group displayed no developmental changes across any age period with or without a transition. These results suggest that the common institutional practice of ward transitions to new peers and caregivers is potentially disruptive to infants' and toddlers' general development, but primarily in a context in which some degree of caregiver–child sensitive and responsive interactions are encouraged.
Infancy research, infant mental health, and adult psychotherapy: Mutual influences
Authors: Seligman Stephen , Harrison Alexandra
Published: May 2012

This article considers the influence of infant research on psychodynamic theory and practice. Infant research highlights the dramatic effects of the early caregiving relationship on development throughout the life span. It also provides important perspectives on psychotherapeutic processes. This article highlights such elements as empathy, mutual recognition and attachment, along with elaborating the intersubjective and transactional systems perspectives. In addition, it stresses the powerful role of nonverbal, implicit communication and meaning‐making, which play a greater role in human relational experience–and therefore in the therapeutic process–than previously understood. In addition to clarifying these general orientations, the article describes specific therapeutic strategies based on the expanded developmental knowledge.
Radiation‐induced early changes in the brain and behavior: Serial diffusion tensor imaging and behavioral evaluation after graded doses of radiation
Authors: Trivedi Richa , Khan Ahmad Raza , Rana Poonam , Haridas Seenu , Hemanth Kumar B.S. , Manda Kailash , Rathore Ram K.S. , Tripathi Rajendra P. , Khushu Subash
Published: May 2012

The nuclear arsenal and the use of nuclear technologies have enhanced the likelihood of whole‐body/partial‐body radiation exposure. The central nervous system is highly susceptible to even low doses of radiation. With the aim of detecting and monitoring the pathologic changes of radiation‐induced damage in brain parenchyma, we used serial diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging (DTI) with a 7T magnetic resonance unit and neurobehavioral assessments mice irradiated with 3‐, 5‐, and 8‐Gy doses of radiation. Fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) values at each time point (baseline, day 1, day 5, and day 10) were quantified from hippocampus, thalamus, hypothalamus, cudate‐putamen, frontal cortex, sensorimotor cortex, corpus callosum, cingulum, and cerebral peduncle. Behavioral tests were performed at baseline, day 5, and day 10. A decrease in FA values with time was observed in all three groups. At day 10, dose‐dependent decreases in FA and MD values were observed in all of the regions compared with baseline. Behavioral data obtained in this study correlate with FA values. Radiation‐induced affective disorders were not radiation dose dependent, insofar as the anxiety‐like symptoms at the lower dose (3 Gy) mimics to the symptoms with the higher dose (8 Gy) level but not with the moderate dose. However, there was a dose‐dependent decline in cognitive function as well as FA values. Behavioral data support the DTI indices, so it is suggested that DTI may be a useful tool for noninvasive monitoring of radiation‐induced brain injury. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Probabilistic quality control of daily temperature data
Authors: Sciuto G. , Bonaccorso B. , Cancelliere A. , Rossi G.
Published: May 2012

A procedure for quality control of daily temperature data, designed to automatically identify potential anomalies, is presented herein. The procedure verifies whether the observed data lie within two different confidence intervals of fixed probability: the first one derived on the basis of the probability distribution fitted to the historic dataset of the considered climatic station, and the second one derived by means of multiple linear regressions, making use of contemporaneous data observed at selected reference stations. Examples of applications of the proposed procedure are reported with reference to daily maximum and minimum temperature data observed from 1950 to 2004 at four thermometric stations in Sicily (Italy), selected within the meteorological monitoring network operated by the Water Observatory of Sicily region (Italy). Results of the applications show that more than 80% of daily temperature data are automatically validated. In addition, the performance of the procedure is assessed by introducing known errors into temperature datasets, supposed as correct, and by estimating the probabilities of correctly classifying data as validated or not validated. From the results, it can be concluded that, as the percentage of errors increases, the probability that not validated data are not correct increases, while the probability that validated data are correct decreases. In particular, if the percentage of errors is larger than about 35%, the procedure reveals a lower capability to recognize correct data rather than not correct ones. Copyright © 2012 Royal Meteorological Society
Beyond sustainability: environmental management for the Anthropocene Epoch
Authors: Robinson Nicholas A.
Published: May 2012

Human activities have vastly altered the Earth. Scientists posit that Earth has entered a new geological epoch, termed the ‘Anthropocene’. Yet, although physical conditions have changed, human socio‐economic endeavors still proceed as in the past, on the basis of increasingly obsolete assumptions about natural systems and resources (‘business as usual’). As currently conceived, sustainable development is insufficient to cope with the global trends in environmental degradation and the emerging conditions of life on Earth. A holistic approach will be needed. Environmental management systems, designed for sustainable development, can help society adapt to the challenges of the Anthropocene, but their use remains marginal. Greater recourse to two fundamental principles, cooperation and resilience, is essential to build effectively toward holistic environmental stewardship. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Synthesis and characterization of polymethacrylates containing conjugated oligo(phenylene ethynylene)s as side chains
Authors: Breul Alexander M. , Schäfer Johann , Pavlov Georgy M. , Teichler Anke , Höppener Stephanie , Weber Christine , Nowotny Jürgen , Blankenburg Lars , Popp Jürgen , Hager Martin D. , Dietzek Benjamin , Schubert Ulrich S.
Published: May 2012

In order to form suitable systems designed for resonance energy transfer, a series of monodisperse methacrylate‐based monomers containing rigid π‐conjugated oligo(phenylene ethynylenes) with different sizes of the conjugated systems (M1–M3), and therefore different optoelectronic properties, were synthesized and subsequently polymerized using the reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer polymerization technique (P1–P3). In addition, these oligomers were also copolymerized with methyl methacrylate. The obtained polymers were characterized by 1H NMR spectroscopy, size exclusion chromatography, and analytical ultracentrifugation. The photophysical properties of the polymers were studied by UV–vis absorption and emission spectroscopy in diluted solutions as well as in thin films and compared to the photophysics of the corresponding monomers. Thereby, changes going from monomeric to polymeric systems could be detected in fluorescence quantum yields and lifetimes pointing to energy trapping, e.g., energy transfer. Donor–acceptor copolymers containing different numbers of monomeric units within the side chain exhibit differences in the emission spectra, indicating that energy trapping in polymers is very sensitive to structural properties such as the chain length. UV–vis absorption spectroscopy as well as time‐resolved lifetime studies indicate intrapolymer and interpolymer energy transfer. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2012
Who participates in a randomized trial of mindfulness‐based stress reduction (MBSR) after breast cancer? A study of factors associated with enrollment among Danish breast cancer patients
Authors: Würtzen Hanne , Dalton Susanne Oksbjerg , Andersen Klaus Kaae , Elsass Peter , Flyger Henrik Lavlund , Sumbundu Antonia , Johansen Christoffer
Published: May 2012

Background

Discussion regarding the necessity to identify patients with both the need and motivation for psychosocial intervention is ongoing. Evidence for an effect of mindfulness‐based interventions among cancer patients is based on few studies with no systematic enrollment.

Methods

We used Danish population‐based registries and clinical databases to determine differences in demographics, breast cancer and co‐morbidity among 1208 women eligible for a randomized controlled trial (www.clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT00990977) of mindfulness‐based stress reduction MBSR.

Results

Participants (N = 336) were found to be younger (p < 0.001) and have a less recent diagnosis at invitation than decliners (N = 872; p < 0.001). After adjustment for age and time since diagnosis at invitation, a statistically significant difference was also found between the two groups in use of psychologist sessions (p < 0.05), whereas neither breast cancer variables nor co‐morbidity was significantly different. Self‐reported data obtained by use of validated psychometric scales from 169 decliners and 336 women who agreed to enroll in the trial showed statistically significant differences in level of education, distress, anxiety, depression, well being and symptom burden. No differences were observed with regard to marital status, children living at home, affiliation to the work market, psychiatric caseness or any lifestyle measure.

Conclusion

Our findings indicate that participants are younger, have a less recent diagnosis and have a higher level of education than those who refuse. This should be taken into account in designing and evaluating trials of psychosocial interventions and in planning mindfulness‐based interventions. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Gravity‐wave‐induced perturbations in marine stratocumulus
Authors: Allen G. , Vaughan G. , Toniazzo T. , Coe H. , Connolly P. , Yuter S. E. , Burleyson C. D. , Minnis P. , Ayers J. K.
Published: May 2012

We discuss the role of atmospheric gravity waves in modulating cloud radiative and dynamical properties over the southeast Pacific. Satellite imagery and satellite‐retrieved cloud properties during October 2008 illustrate three distinct episodes of horizontal propagation of gravity wave trains across the large‐scale stratocumulus (Sc) cloud deck capping the local marine boundary layer. In one period, 7–9 October 2008, the waves modulated cloud‐top‐height by up to 400 m peak‐to‐trough, propagating perpendicular to the synoptic boundary layer flow with phase speed 15.3 m s−1, period ∼1 h and horizontal wavelength 55 km. The gravity waves were observed to be non‐dispersive. These waves were first evident in the cloud deck near 30°S, 85°W during a 24 h period beginning at midday on 7 October 2008, and propagated northeastward toward the Peruvian coast for the following 48 h. During this time they induced both reversible and non‐reversible changes in cloud‐radiative and cloud‐dynamic properties, such that areas of clear sky developed in the troughs of passing wave‐fronts. These pockets of open cells persisted long after the passage of the gravity waves, advecting northwestward with the background wind. Using the analysis fields of the European Centre for Medium‐Range Weather Forecasts in conjunction with infrared and microwave satellite imagery, we show that these gravity waves emerged from a disturbed subtropical jet stream. The radiant of the waves was coincident in all cases with centres of large negative residuals in nonlinear balance, suggesting that geostrophic readjustment of sharply divergent flows associated with the disturbed jet provided a source for the wave energy. Conversely, gravity waves were not observed in more quiescent jet conditions. This case study highlights the important and irreversible effects that gravity waves propagating in the troposphere can have on cloud radiative properties (and hence surface radiation budgets) over a very wide area. It also highlights the importance of synoptic influence on Sc‐covered marine boundary layers. Copyright © 2012 Royal Meteorological Society
Towards reducing false alarms in network intrusion detection systems with data summarization technique
Authors: Hubballi Neminath , Biswas Santosh , Nandi Sukumar
Published: May 2012

Anomaly based intrusion detection systems (IDSs) create a benign behavior profile of the network, and any deviation from this profile is considered as an attack. Many of the algorithms proposed in the literature for anomaly IDS fall into cluster analysis category. As networks become faster in operation, the amount of data that needs to be analyzed becomes huge. Many clustering techniques require more than one pass on the dataset; thus, when used as anomaly IDSs, these algorithms becomes computationally expensive and cannot work for such high‐speed networks. To handle voluminous data, anomaly IDS schemes have been proposed that use data summarization techniques. Data summarization techniques found in the literature suffer from false alarms due to improper clustering when used as anomaly IDS. In this paper, an anomaly IDS is proposed that is capable of handling large dataset yet minimizing false alarms. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Ovarian stromal vessels assessed by spatiotemporal image correlation–high definition flow in women with polycystic ovary syndrome: a case–control study
Authors: Alcázar J. L. , Kudla M. J.
Published: May 2012

Objective

To compare spatiotemporal image correlation–high definition flow (STIC‐HDF) indices from spherical samples of ovary between women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and normal women.

Methods

This was a prospective case–control study of premenopausal women with a diagnosis of PCOS according to the Rotterdam criteria and of healthy, regularly menstruating, premenopausal women (controls) matched for age (< 35 years) and body mass index. Women were assessed in the follicular phase of the menstrual cycle by 4D STIC‐HDF transvaginal ultrasound. Based on 1‐cm3 spherical sampling, we calculated for each woman the vascularization index (VI) for the most vascularized part of the ovarian stroma in all three‐dimensional volumes of the 4D STIC‐HDF sequence. The maximum (VIsys) and minimum (VIdiast) values were assumed to represent systole and diastole, respectively, and the mean VI for all frames from one cardiac cycle was calculated. Based on these three VI values, we calculated the following indices: volumetric systolic/diastolic ratio (vS/D), volumetric resistance index (vRI) and volumetric pulsatility index (vPI), and compared them between study and control groups.

Results

The study included 32 PCOS women (mean age, 29.6 years) and 32 controls (mean age, 30.4 years). Mean VIsys (26.246% vs 8.136%, P < 0.0001) and mean VIdiast (22.242% vs 5.997%, P < 0.0001) were significantly higher in PCOS women compared with controls. Median vS/D (1.15 vs 1.33, P < 0.001), mean vRI (0.17 vs 0.30, P < 0.001) and median vPI (0.14 vs 0.28, P < 0.001) were significantly lower in PCOS women compared with controls.

Conclusion

4D STIC‐HDF indices from 1‐cm3 spherical samples of the ovaries were different between PCOS women and controls, suggesting lower impedance to flow in ovarian stromal vessels in PCOS women. Copyright © 2012 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Diagnosis of levator avulsion injury: a comparison of three methods
Authors: Dietz H. P. , Moegni F. , Shek K. L.
Published: May 2012

Objective

Levator avulsion is common after vaginal delivery and is strongly associated with prolapse and prolapse recurrence. The aim of this study was to compare assessment by digital palpation and two ultrasound methods, one using rendered volumes and the other multislice imaging, for the diagnosis of levator avulsion.

Methods

We retrospectively analyzed randomly identified datasets of 266 women seen at a tertiary urogynecology unit. Each patient had undergone an interview, vaginal examination and 3D/4D translabial ultrasound examination. Analysis of the retrieved ultrasound volumes was performed offline, with the operator blinded to all clinical data, using two techniques: assessment of rendered volumes and evaluation on multislice imaging. We tested agreement between the three methods and the association of each method's results with symptoms and signs of pelvic organ prolapse.

Results

Agreement between the findings on palpation and the two ultrasound methods with regard to diagnosis of levator avulsion ranged from 80% to 87% (Cohen's kappa, 0.35−0.56). The findings for all methods were significantly associated with symptoms, signs and ultrasound findings of pelvic organ prolapse (P = 0.007 to < 0.001), with no single method appearing superior to the others.

Conclusions

Depending on the availability of local expertise and equipment, any of the three methods tested in this study may be used to document avulsion of the puborectalis muscle.
Between Polis and Empire: Aristotle's Politics
Authors: DIETZ MARY G.
Published: May 2012

Aristotle lived during a period of unprecedented imperial expansionism initiated by the kings of Macedon, but most contemporary political theorists confine his political theorizing to the classical Greek city-state. For many, Aristotle's thought exhibits a parochial Hellenocentric “binary logic” that privileges Greeks over non-Greeks and betrays a xenophobic suspicion of aliens and foreigners. In response to these standard “polis-centric” views, I conjure a different perceptual field—“between polis and empire”—within which to interpret Aristotle'sPolitics. Both theorist and text appear deeply attentive to making present immediate things “coming to be and passing away” in the Hellenic world. Moreover, “between polis and empire,” we can see thePoliticsactually disturbing various hegemonic Greek binary oppositions (Greek/barbarian; citizen/alien; center/periphery), not reinforcing them. Understanding thePoliticswithin the context of the transience of the polis invites a new way of reading Aristotle while at the same time providing new possibilities for theorizing problems of postnational citizenship, transnational politics, and empire.
Recommended dietary reference intakes, nutritional goals and dietary guidelines for fat and fatty acids: a systematic review
Authors: Aranceta Javier , Pérez-Rodrigo Carmen
Published: May 2012

Dietary fat and its effects on health and disease has attracted interest for research and Public Health. Since the 1980s many bodies and organizations have published recommendations regarding fat intake. In this paper different sets of recommendations are analyzed following a systematic review process to examine dietary reference intakes, nutritional goals and dietary guidelines for fat and fatty acids. A literature search was conducted in relevant literature databases along a search for suitable grey literature reports. Documents were included if they reported information on either recommended intake levels or dietary reference values or nutritional objectives or dietary guidelines regarding fat and/or fatty acids and/or cholesterol intake or if reported background information on the process followed to produce the recommendations. There is no standard approach for deriving nutrient recommendations. Recommendations vary between countries regarding the levels of intake advised, the process followed to set the recommendations. Recommendations on fat intake share similar figures regarding total fat intake, saturated fats andtransfats. Many sets do not include a recommendation about cholesterol intake. Most recent documents provide advice regarding specificn-3 fatty acids. Despite efforts to develop evidence based nutrient recommendations and dietary guidelines that may contribute to enhance health, there are still many gaps in research. It would be desirable that all bodies concerned remain transparent about the development of dietary recommendations. In order to achieve this, the type of evidence selected to base the recommendations should be specified and ranked. Regular updates of such recommendations should be planned.
Effect ofn-3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids during the perinatal period on later body composition
Authors: Rodríguez G. , Iglesia I. , Bel-Serrat S. , Moreno L. A.
Published: May 2012

A systematic review to identify studies reporting the effects ofn-3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFA) intake, during pregnancy and postnatally, on infants and young children's body composition was performed. A structured search strategy was performed in the MEDLINE (PubMed), EMBASE, and LILACS databases. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were defined according to the research question. Only those studies addressing the relationship betweenn-3 LCPUFA exposure during the perinatal period and later adiposity measured in terms of weight, height, body mass index (BMI), skinfold thickness and/or circumferences were included regardless of the study design. Studies quality was scored and were thereafter categorised into those reporting on maternal intake ofn-3 LCPUFA during pregnancy or lactation (6 publications) or on infant'sn-3 LCPUFA intake (7 publications). Two studies showed inverse associations between maternaln-3 LCPUFA intake and children's later body composition (lower adiposity, BMI or body weight), two showed direct associations and no effects were observed in the remaining two studies. Among those studies focusing onn-3 LCPUFA intake through enriched infant formulas; three observed no effect on later body composition and two showed higher weight and adiposity with increased amounts ofn-3 LCPUFA. Reversely, in two studies weight and fat mass decreased. In conclusion, reported body composition differences in infants and young children were not clearly explained by perinataln-3 LCPUFA intake via supplemented formulas, breastfeeding or maternal intakes ofn-3 LCPUFA during pregnancy and lactation. Associated operational mechanisms includingn-3 LCPUFA doses and sources applied are not sufficiently explained and therefore no conclusions could be made.
Omega-3 fatty acids and incident type 2 diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Wu Jason H. Y. , Micha Renata , Imamura Fumiaki , Pan An , Biggs Mary L. , Ajaz Owais , Djousse Luc , B. Hu Frank , Mozaffarian Dariush
Published: May 2012

The relationship between omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA) from seafood sources (eicosapentaenoic acid, EPA; docosahexaenoic acid, DHA) or plant sources (alpha-linolenic acid, ALA) and risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) remains unclear. We systematically searched multiple literature databases through June 2011 to identify prospective studies examining relations of dietaryn-3 PUFA, dietary fish and/or seafood, and circulatingn-3 PUFA biomarkers with incidence of DM. Data were independently extracted in duplicate by 2 investigators, including multivariate-adjusted relative risk (RR) estimates and corresponding 95 % CI. Generalized least-squares trend estimation was used to assess dose–response relationships, with pooled summary estimates calculated by both fixed-effect and random-effect models. From 288 identified abstracts, 16 studies met inclusion criteria, including 18 separate cohorts comprising 540 184 individuals and 25 670 cases of incident DM. Consumption of fish and/or seafood was not significantly associated with DM (n = 13 studies; RR per 100 g/d = 1·12, 95 % CI = 0·94, 1·34); nor were consumption of EPA+DHA (n = 16 cohorts; RR per 250 mg/d = 1·04, 95 % CI = 0·97, 1·10) nor circulating levels of EPA+DHA biomarkers (n = 5 cohorts; RR per 3 % of total fatty acids = 0·94, 95 % CI = 0·75, 1·17). Both dietary ALA (n = 7 studies; RR per 0·5 g/d = 0·93, 95 % CI = 0·83, 1·04) and circulating ALA biomarker levels (n = 6 studies; RR per 0·1 % of total fatty acid = 0·90, 95 % CI = 0·80, 1·00,P = 0·06) were associated with non-significant trend towards lower risk of DM. Substantial heterogeneity (I2~80 %) was observed among studies of fish/seafood or EPA+DHA and DM; moderate heterogeneity ( < 55 %) was seen for dietary and biomarker ALA and DM. In unadjusted meta-regressions, study location (Asia vs. North America/Europe), mean BMI, and duration of follow-up each modified the association between fish/seafood and EPA+DHA consumption and DM risk (P-interaction ≤ 0·02 each). We had limited statistical power to determine the independent effect of these sources of heterogeneity due to their high collinearity. The overall pooled findings do not support either major harms or benefits of fish/seafood or EPA+DHA on development of DM, and suggest that ALA may be associated with modestly lower risk. Reasons for potential heterogeneity of effects, which could include true biologic heterogeneity, publication bias, or chance, deserve further investigation.
Omega-3 fatty acids and inflammatory bowel diseases – a systematic review
Authors: Cabré Eduard , Mañosa Míriam , Gassull Miquel A.
Published: May 2012

Background & Aim: Despite their well known anti-inflammatory actions, the clinical usefulness of omega-3 PUFA in inflammatory bowel disease is controversial. We aimed to systematically review the available data on the performance of omega-3 PUFA as therapeutic agents in these patients. Methods: Electronic databases were systematically searched for RCT of fish oil or omega-3 PUFA therapy in both active and inactive ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease, without limitation on either the length of therapy or the form it was given, including nutritional supplements and enteral formula diets. Eligible articles were assessed for methodological quality on the basis of the adequacy of the randomisation process, concealment of allocation, blinding of intervention and outcome, possible biases, and completeness of follow-up. The five-point Oxford quality score was calculated. Results: A total of 19 RCT were finally selected for this review. Overall, available data do not allow to support the use of omega-3 PUFA supplementation for the treatment of both active and inactive inflammatory bowel disease. Negative results are quite consistent in trials assessing the use of omega-3 PUFA to maintain disease remission, particularly ulcerative colitis, and to a lesser extent Crohn's disease. Trials on their use in active disease do not allow to draw firm conclusions mainly because the heterogeneity of design (ulcerative colitis) or their short number (Crohn's disease). In most trials, the appropriateness of the selected placebo is questionable. Conclusion: The present systematic review does not allow to make firm recommendations about the usefulness of omega-3 PUFA in inflammatory bowel disease.
A systematic review of omega-3 fatty acids and osteoporosis
Authors: Orchard Tonya S. , Pan Xueliang , Cheek Fern , Ing Steven W. , Jackson Rebecca D.
Published: May 2012

Some epidemiological evidence suggests that diets high in omega 3 fatty acids (n-3 FAs) may be beneficial for skeletal health. The aim of this systematic review was to determine if randomized controlled trials (RCTs) support a positive effect ofn-3 FAs on osteoporosis. A systematic search was performed in PubMed and EMBASE databases. We included RCTs with skeletal outcomes conducted in adults or children (> = 1 year old) usingn-3 FA fortified foods, diets or supplements alone or in combination with other vitamins/minerals, versus placebo. Primary outcomes were incident fracture at any site and bone mineral density (BMD) in g/cm2. Secondary outcomes included bone formation or resorption markers and bone turnover regulators. A total of 10 RCTs met inclusion criteria. Effect sizes with 95 % confidence intervals were estimated to compare studies across various treatments and outcome measures. No pooled analysis was completed due to heterogeneity of studies and small sample sizes. No RCTs included fracture as an outcome. Four studies reported significant favorable effects ofn-3 FA on BMD or bone turnover markers. Of these, three deliveredn-3 FA in combination with high calcium foods or supplements. Five studies reported no differences in outcomes betweenn-3 FA intervention and control groups; one study included insufficient data for effect size estimation. Strong conclusions regardingn-3 FAs and bone disease are limited due to the small number and modest sample sizes of RCTs, however, it appears that any potential benefit ofn-3 FA on skeletal health may be enhanced by concurrent administration of calcium.
Sounding the ‘Citizen–Patient’: The Politics of Voice at the Hospice des Quinze-Vingts in Post-Revolutionary Paris
Authors: Sykes Ingrid
Published: May 2012

This essay explores new models of the citizen–patient by attending to the post-Revolutionary blind ‘voice’. Voice, in both a literal and figurative sense, was central to the way in which members of the Hospice des Quinze-Vingts, an institution for the blind and partially sighted, interacted with those in the community. Musical voices had been used by members to collect alms and to project the particular spiritual principle of their institution since its foundation in the thirteenth century. At the time of the Revolution, the Quinze-Vingts voice was understood by some political authorities as an exemplary call of humanity. Yet many others perceived it as deeply threatening. After 1800, productive dialogue between those in political control and Quinze-Vingts blind members broke down. Authorities attempted to silence the voice of members through the control of blind musicians and institutional management. The Quinze-Vingts blind continued to reassert their voices until around 1850, providing a powerful form of resistance to political control. The blind ‘voice’ ultimately recognised the right of the citizen–patient to dialogue with their political carers.
Parochialism or Self-Consciousness? Internationality in Medical History Journals 1997–2006
Authors: Steinke Hubert , Lang Yves
Published: May 2012

Research councils, universities and funding agencies are increasingly asking for tools to measure the quality of research in the humanities. One of their preferred methods is a ranking of journals according to their supposed level of internationality. Our quantitative survey of seventeen major journals of medical history reveals the futility of such an approach. Most journals have a strong national character with a dominance of native language, authors and topics. The most common case is a paper written by a local author in his own language on a national subject regarding the nineteenth or twentieth century. American and British journals are taken notice of internationally but they only rarely mention articles from other history of medicine journals. Continental European journals show a more international review of literature, but are in their turn not noticed globally. Increasing specialisation and fragmentation has changed the role of general medical history journals. They run the risk of losing their function as international platforms of discourse on general and theoretical issues and major trends in historiography, to international collections of papers. Journal editors should therefore force their authors to write a more international report, and authors should be encouraged to submit papers of international interest and from a more general, transnational and methodological point of view.
‘Proper Motions, Actions and Uses’: Physiological Knowledge as the Only Means to Rational Politics in Restoration England
Authors: Ridge Steve
Published: May 2012

This article is drawn from a doctoral thesis called ‘Governing Public Bodies: Reconsidering the Relationship Between Statecraft and Healthcare in England, 1650–1730’, which considers two things: how certain categories of person, certain subjectivities, have been assembled through government in the name of health; and how the health of the individual has been understood to relate to that of the collective.
From Prussia to China: Japanese Colonial Medicine and Gotō Shinpei’s Combination of Medical Police and Local Self-Administration
Authors: Lynteris Christos
Published: May 2012

Recent historical investigation into the rise of ‘biopolitical modernity’ in China has shed some surprising light. While it was long thought that British public health initiatives entered China via Hong Kong, the recent work of Ruth Rogaski, Philippe Chemouilli and others has established that it was actually early Japanese colonialism that played the crucial role. It was the Meiji Empire's hygiene reform projects in Taiwan and Manchuria that provided the model for Republican China. Curiously overlooked by medical historians has been one of the major early works of Japanese public health that directly inspired and guided this colonial medical enterprise. This was that of the Japanese health reformer and colonial officer, Gotō Shinpei (1857–1929), and it was undertaken in Munich as a doctoral thesis under the supervision of Max von Pettenkofer. In this article, I focus on the way in which Shinpei dealt in his thesis with the relations between centralisation and local self-administration as one of the key issues facing hygienic modernisation and colonial biopolitical control.
Leviathan and the Soft Animal: Medical Humanism and the Invertebrate Models for Higher Nervous Functions, 1950s–90s
Authors: Sio Fabio De
Published: May 2012

Sometime between the late 1960s and the early 1970s, a ‘Monsieur Jourdain syndrome’ seems to have spread among basic researchers and clinicians in fields as diverse as neurology, psychology, psychiatry, behavioural studies, physiology, biochemistry and pharmacology. Almost overnight, they realised that they were but neuroscientists.
The Logic of Location: Malaria Research in Colonial India, Darjeeling and Duars, 1900–30
Authors: Bhattacharya Nandini
Published: May 2012

This article explores the scientific and entrepreneurial incentives for malaria research in the tea plantations of north Bengal in colonial India. In the process it highlights how the logic of ‘location’ emerged as the central trope through which medical experts, as well as colonial administrators and planters, defined malaria research in the region. The paper argues that the ‘local’ emerged as both a prerequisite of colonial governance as well as a significant component of malaria research in the field. Despite the ambiguities that such a project entailed, tropical medicine was enriched from a diverse understanding of local ecology, habitation, and structural modes of production. Nevertheless, the locality itself did not benefit from anti-malarial policy undertaken either by medical experts or the colonial state. This article suggests that there was a disjuncture between ‘tropical medicine’ and its ‘field’ that could not be accommodated within the colonial plantation system.
‘Often there is a Good Deal to be Done, But Socially Rather Than Medically’: The Psychiatric Social Worker as Social Therapist, 1945–70
Authors: Long Vicky
Published: May 2012

Seeking to align psychiatric practice with general medicine following the inauguration of the National Health Service, psychiatric hospitals in post-war Britain deployed new treatments designed to induce somatic change, such as ECT, leucotomy and sedatives. Advocates of these treatments, often grouped together under the term ‘physical therapies’, expressed relief that the social problems encountered by patients could now be interpreted as symptomatic of underlying biological malfunction rather than as a cause of disorder that required treatment. Drawing on the British Journal of Psychiatric Social Work, this article analyses the critique articulated by psychiatric social workers based within hospitals who sought to facilitate the social reintegration of patients following treatment. It explores the development of ‘psychiatric social treatment’, an approach devised by psychiatric social workers to meet the needs of people with enduring mental health problems in hospital and community settings that sought to alleviate distress and improve social functioning by changing an individual’s social environment and interpersonal relationships. ‘Physical’ and ‘social’ models of psychiatric treatment, this article argues, contested not only the aetiology of mental illness but also the nature of care, treatment and cure.
William Winstanley’s Pestilential Poesies in The Christians Refuge: Or Heavenly Antidotes Against the Plague in this Time of Generall Contagion to Which is Added the Charitable Physician (1665)
Authors: Miller Kathleen
Published: May 2012

During the Great Plague of London (1665), William Winstanley veered from his better known roles as arbiter of success and failure in his works of biography or as a comic author under the pseudonym Poor Robin, and instead engaged with his reading audience as a plague writer in the rare book The Christians Refuge: Or Heavenly Antidotes Against the Plague in this Time of Generall Contagion to Which is Added the Charitable Physician (1665). From its extensive paratexts, including a table of mortality statistics and woodcut of king death, to its temporal and providential interpretation of the disease between the covers of a single text, The Christians Refuge is a compendium of contemporary understanding of plague. This article addresses The Christians Refuge as an expression of London’s print marketplace in a moment of transformation precipitated by the epidemic. The author considers the paratextual elements in The Christians Refuge that engage with the presiding norms in plague writing and publishing in 1665 and also explores how Winstanley’s authorship is expressed in the work. Winstanley has long been seen as a biographer or as a humour writer; attributing The Christians Refuge extends and challenges previous perceptions of his work.
Transnational History of Medicine after 1950: Framing and Interrogation from Psychiatric Journals
Authors: Burnham John C.
Published: May 2012

Communication amongst medical specialists helps display the tensions between localism and transnationalisation. Some quantitative sampling of psychiatric journals provides one framework for understanding the history of psychiatry and, to some extent, the history of medicine in general in the twentieth century. After World War II, extreme national isolation of psychiatric communities gave way to substantial transnationalisation, especially in the 1980s, when a remarkable switch to English-language communication became obvious. Various psychiatric communities used the new universal language, not so much as victims of Americanisation, as to gain general professional recognition and to participate in and adapt to modernisation.
Psychiatric in-patient care and suicide in England, 1997 to 2008: a longitudinal study
Authors: Kapur N. , Hunt I. M. , Windfuhr K. , Rodway C. , Webb R. , Rahman M. S. , Shaw J. , Appleby L.
Published: May 2012

Background

Psychiatric in-patients are at high risk of suicide. Recent reductions in bed numbers in many countries may have affected this risk but few studies have specifically investigated temporal trends. We aimed to explore trends in psychiatric in-patient suicide over time.

Method

A prospective study of all patients admitted to National Health Service (NHS) in-patient psychiatric care in England (1997–2008). Suicide rates were determined using National Confidential Inquiry and Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) data.

Results

Over the study period there were 1942 psychiatric in-patient suicides. Between the first 2 years of the study (1997, 1998) and the last 2 years (2007, 2008) the rate of in-patient suicide fell by nearly one-third from 2.45 to 1.68 per 100 000 bed days. This fall in rate was observed for males and females, across ethnicities and diagnoses. It was most marked for patients aged 15–44 years. Rates also fell for the most common suicide methods, particularly suicide by hanging on the ward (a 59% reduction). Although the number of post-discharge suicides fell, the rate of post-discharge suicide may have increased by 19%. The number of suicide deaths in those under the care of crisis resolution/home treatment teams has increased in recent years to approximately 160 annually.

Conclusions

The rate of suicide among psychiatric in-patients in England has fallen considerably. Possible explanations include falling general population rates, changes in the at-risk population or improved in-patient safety. However, a transfer of risk to the period after discharge or other clinical settings such as crisis resolution teams cannot be ruled out.