bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Emergent Electroencephalogram in the Intensive Care Unit: Indications and Diagnostic Yield
Authors: Varelas Panayiotis N. , Hacein-Bey Lotfi , Hether Tammy , Terranova Brenda , Spanaki Marianna V. 
Published: November 2015

Our aim was to study the frequency and reasons an emergent electroencephalogram (EmEEG) is ordered in the ICUs compared to the hospital ward, examine its usefulness and find predictive variables for its results. We retrospectively identified all electroencephalograms ordered between December 1997 and March 2002 and performed within 1 hour. Tthe tests ordered from four ICUs were compared with those ordered from the Ward beds, and predictive models were developed for the results based on clinical variables. We also compared the EmEEGs ordered by the Neuro-ICU to those from the other Units. The ICUs ordered 129 (49.4%) of all EmEEGs during the study period. The NICU ordered 32 tests. The most frequent reason for obtaining the test was to rule out status epilepticus (68.2%). The NICU ordered more frequently the test to exclude non-convulsive status than the other ICUs. Compared to non-ICU, ICU patients with head trauma or post cardiopulmonary arrest had more tests and patients with stroke fewer. Convulsive status epilepticus and generalized slowing were found more frequently in the ICUs, and normal EEG, interictal epileptiform activity or focal non-epileptic slowing were more frequent in the non-ICU cases. In at least 12.4% of ICU patients, the test was expected to lead to an anti-epileptic management change. Cardiopulmonary arrest and age were predictive of any epileptic activity on the EEG in ICU patients. In conclusion, in our institution EmEEG is ordered by the ICUs in two thirds of the cases to exclude status epilepticus. Although status epilepticus is confirmed more frequently in the ICUs than on the Ward, the most frequent finding remains generalized slowing, which is found in half of the ICU-ordered EmEEGs. A conservative estimation is that EmEEG will lead to medication change in at least 1 out of 8 ICU patients. Cardioopulmonary arrest is predictive of epileptic activity and a prolonged EmEEG may also increase the yield.
Paper Recordings of Ultrafast Frequencies in Experimental Epilepsy
Authors: Rodin E. 
Published: November 2015

Digital EEG technology has facilitated the recording of fast activity above 50 Hz, but previous work carried out in this field is, commonly, no longer referred to in the literature. This paper presents a summary of our experience in experimental epilepsy when frequencies above 100 Hz were recorded. It was shown that conventional recordings (1–70 Hz) do not correlate with the onset of clinical seizures and can actually lead to misleading neurophysiologic conclusions. Ultrafast activity (100–1500 Hz), on the other hand, showed excellent correlation with clinical behavior and pointed to the low brainstem for the origin of nonfocal tonic-clonic seizures. In the animal analogue of absence seizures the cortex, including cingulate gyrus, thalamus, and cerebellum, showed greater involvement than other brain structures. Ultrafast activity has a very limited electrical field, and evoked responses remain restricted to the corresponding sensory pathways. Focal penicillin administration led not only to spike generation but also to associated ultrafast frequency bursts in that area. It appears likely that ultrafast burst activity may be a better marker for focal cortical epileptogenesis than spikes or sharp waves, which can be transmitted from a distance.
Improving Human Nutrition through Agricultural Research: Overview and Objectives
Authors: Pinstrup-Andersen Per 
Published: November 2015

There has been little dialogue in the past between agricultural scientists and human nutritionists to explore ways to solve the problem of malnutrition in developing countries together. This conference, held at an agricultural research center in a developing country, provides a unique opportunity to have such a dialogue. About one-half of the 95 in attendance are trained as human nutritionists, and nearly an equal number are plant scientists. International agricultural research has made a major contribution to growth in food supplies in developing countries. It is widely recognized that lowering the prices of food staples has had a tremendously beneficial impact in alleviating malnutrition. However, the magnitude of micronutrient malnutrition as a public health concern, and the crucial role of poor dietary quality as an underlying cause, have now become widely recognized. Does agriculture have an equally important role to play in addressing micronutrient malnutrition as it has had in alleviating low energy intakes? It is at this crossroads that this conference meets. Formally, the conference has been convened as a meeting of scientists from the 16 centres that comprise the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), with the objectives of taking stock of human nutrition-related research at CGIAR centres, determining research gaps and priorities for future CGIAR research, and identifying opportunities for outside collaboration and cooperation. A three-day conference agenda is designed to accomplish these goals, while at the same time allowing a general discussion of agriculture–nutrition linkages with partners from outside the CGIAR.
Overcoming Micronutrient Deficiencies in Developing Countries: Is There a Role for Agriculture?
Authors: Underwood Barbara A. 
Published: November 2015

Severe forms of protein–energy malnutrition still occur, but they are associated most commonly with devastating natural disasters and civil unrest. With the exception of sub-Saharan Africa, progress in combating chronic undernutrition is also occurring. The prevalence of vitamin and mineral deficiencies has also declined in nearly all countries, although the pace is slow for some micronutrient deficiencies, particularly iron-deficiency anaemia. Nevertheless, the prevalence rates of micronutrient malnutrition remain high, with devastating consequences for health, cognition, and productivity. Much remains to be done, particularly in reducing iron, zinc, and vitamin A deficiencies, which up to the present have largely been attacked by using a medical model that relies on the distribution of supplements. Supplements are effective but are expensive in terms of the support devoted to repetitive use of scarce health manpower. Fortification can work in some places. Education and awareness of the public is crucial. The public must not be considered only as the target of imposed interventions. Civil society must become engaged in the process, with the goal of their becoming demanding consumers, participating in the action to achieve micronutrient adequacy. Sustaining the progress that has been achieved will depend on underpinning the medical model with food-based approaches that address multiple nutrient and phytochemical needs for optimal health. Agriculture, by investing in the Green Revolution, can rightly be credited for its contribution to reducing food shortages and the protein–energy malnutrition problem. A similar opportunity exists now for agriculture to invest in developing more micronutrient-dense staple crops, while not neglecting continued research on the production of livestock and small animals, fish, vegetables, and legumes.
Micronutrient Interventions: Options for Africa
Authors: Smith Ifeyironwa Francisca 
Published: November 2015

In recent years, increasing attention has been drawn to the relatively slow pace of progress in intervention efforts against micronutrient deficiencies in sub-Saharan Africa. Recent data indicate that the problem of micronutrient deficiencies remains severe, a situation compounded by inadequacy of institutional capacities and resources required for implementing well-defined control strategies. Supplementation programmes started in earnest after the 1992 International Conference on Nutrition. More recently, there has been an increase in the rate of coverage of vitamin A supplementation of children under five years of age, attributed to the integration of vitamin A capsule distribution into national immunization days. However, a major constraint to vitamin A capsule delivery is a poorly functioning health infrastructure. Transportation facilities are poor, and there are shortages of equipment and trained personnel. Food fortification, which was initially not considered a front-line approach because of the lack of infrastructural facilities in most countries, is currently being pursued with new ideas for adapting existing technologies to local resources and needs. Early attempts at developing food-based strategies involved promoting the production and consumption of vitamin A– rich foods as well as encouraging small-scale animal production. A major shortcoming of these earlier food-based interventions is a lack of quantifiable and convincing data demonstrating impact. There is a growing movement to involve women in intervention programmes. Africa is primarily agrarian. Micronutrient intervention efforts have not fully exploited the untapped potential of the existing food systems and the immense human resources of the agricultural sector.
Effect of Iron-Deficiency Anemia on Cognitive Skills and Neuromaturation in Infancy and Childhood
Authors: Walter Tomas 
Published: November 2015

Iron-deficiency anemia in infancy has been consistently shown to negatively influence performance in tests of psychomotor development. In most studies of short-term follow-up, lower scores did not improve with iron therapy, despite complete hematologic replenishment. The negative impact on psychomotor development of iron-deficiency anemia (IDA) in infancy has been well documented in more than a dozen studies during the last two decades. Two studies will be presented here to further support this assertion. Additionally, we will present some data referring to longer follow-up at 5 and 10 years as well as data concerning recent descriptions of the neurologic derangements that may underlie these behavioral effects. To evaluate whether these deficits may revert after long-term observation, a cohort of infants was re-evaluated at 5 and 10 years of age. Two studies have examined children aged 5 years who had anemia as infants using comparable tools of cognitive development showing persisting and consistent important disadvantages in those who were formerly anemic. These tests were better predictors of future achievement than psychomotor scores. These children were again examined at 10 years and showed lower school achievement and poorer fine-hand movements. Studies of neurologic maturation in a new cohort of infants aged 6 months included auditory brain stem responses and naptime 18-lead sleep studies. The central conduction time of the auditory brain stem responses was slower at 6, 12, and 18 months and at 4 years, despite iron therapy beginning at 6 months. During the sleep-wake-fulness cycle, heart-rate variability—a developmental expression of the autonomic nervous system—was less mature in anemic infants. The proposed mechanisms are altered auditory-nerve and vagal-nerve myelination, respectively, as iron is required for normal myelin synthesis.
Thirty years of a Ban on the Sale of Noniodized Salt: Impact on Iodine Nutrition in Children in Himachal Pradesh, India
Authors: Kapil Umesh , Dutt Sharma Thakur , Singh Preeti , Dwivedi Sada Nand , Kaur Supreet 
Published: November 2015

Background A survey conducted by the central iodine-deficiency disorders team in Himachal Pradesh, a state in the goiter-endemic belt of India, revealed that 10 of its 12 districts have an endemic prevalence of goiter. The survey was conducted to provide health program managers data to determine whether it would be necessary to initiate intervention measures. Objective To assess the status of urinary iodine excretion and household salt iodization levels after three decades of a complete ban on the sale of noniodized salt in this goiter-endemic state in India as measured by assessment of urinary iodine excretion levels and iodine content of salt at the household level. Methods The guidelines recommended by WHO/UNICEF/ICCIDD for a rapid assessment of salt iodization were adopted. In each of the 12 studied districts, all senior secondary schools were enlisted and one school was selected by using a random sampling procedure. Two hundred fifty children 11 to 18 years of age were included in the study. Urine samples were collected from a minimum of 170 children and analyzed using the wet digestion method. Salt samples were also collected from a minimum of 170 children and analyzed using the spot testing kit. Results All districts had a median urinary iodine excretion level > 200 μg/L and 82% of the families were consuming salt with an iodine content of 15 ppm or higher. Conclusions The results of the present study highlight the successful implementation of the salt iodization program in the state of Himachal Pradesh. This positive impact may be due to the comprehensive strategy adopted by the state government to improve the quality of salt, development of an effective monitoring information system and effective information, education, and communication activities.
Effect of Prenatal Multiple Micronutrient Supplements on Maternal Weight and Skinfold Changes: A Randomized Double-Blind Clinical Trial in Mexico
Authors: Ramakrishnan Usha , González-Cossío Teresa , Neufeld Lynnette Marie , Rivera Juan , Martorell Reynaldo 
Published: November 2015

Background Recent trials of prenatal multivitamin-mineral supplements have yielded mixed findings for outcomes such as birth size, but the benefits of prenatal multivitamin-mineral supplements for maternal outcomes are unknown. Objective The main objective of this study was to examine the effect of prenatal multiple micronutrient supplements (MM) compared to iron only (FE) supplements on changes in maternal weight and body composition during pregnancy and the early postpartum period. Methods A randomized double-blind clinical trial was conducted in semi-rural Mexico. Women received either MM or FE supplements, 6 days per week from early pregnancy to delivery. Anthropometric measurements were obtained at recruitment, 26 and 37 weeks pregnancy, and 1 month postpartum. Women in both groups were similar at recruitment except that body-mass index (BMI) was greater in the FE group. Results Mean weight gain during pregnancy was significantly greater (∼0.6 kg) in the MM group ( n = 283) compared to the FE group ( n = 287), but not after adjusting for maternal BMI at recruitment. Overweight women in the MM group gained 0.53 kg between recruitment and 1 month postpartum, whereas those in the FE group lost 0.63 kg; there were no differences between experimental groups among non-overweight women ( p = .06 for interaction). Conclusions Compare./d to iron supplements, MM supplements did not increase weight gain during pregnancy after adjusting for baseline differences in BMI but may lead to greater postpartum weight retention among overweight women.
Development of Fortified Dried Broken Rice as a Complementary Food
Authors: Chitpan Monthana , Chavasit Visith , Kongkachuichai Ratchanee 
Published: November 2015

Background Commercially produced dried broken rice is widely used to prepare complementary foods for Thai infants, and it is both convenient and acceptable to persons from all socioeconomic classes. However, inadequate levels of calcium, iron, thiamine, and folate are common in complementary foods for breastfed infants. Objective We developed dried broken rice fortified with these nutrients at levels recommended by the 2001 guidelines of the World Health Organization. Methods The fortification process involved predrying broken rice at 90°C for 1 hour, soaking in a nutrient solution (2:1 ratio of rice to solution), and drying at 70°C for 1 hour and 50 minutes. Calcium lactate or calcium lactate gluconate was the calcium source, and ferrous sulfate, ferrous lactate, or ferric sodium ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (NaFeEDTA) was the iron source. The vitamin sources were thiamine hydrochloride and folic acid. The product contained 40 mg of calcium, 5.3 mg of iron, 0.08 mg of thiamine, and 11 μg of folate per 20-g serving. Results Approximately 5% and 10% of calcium and iron, respectively, were lost during processing, with a thiamine loss of approximately 13%, and a folate loss ranging from 17% to 23%. The thiamine loss during accelerated storage (42°C for three months) was not significant ( p > .05). Conclusions NaFeEDTA was the most appropriate iron fortificant because it provided prolonged product stability and high in vitro dialyzability.
Update on the Development of Virus-Resistant Papaya: Virus-Resistant Transgenic Papaya for People in Rural Communities of Thailand
Authors: Sakuanrungsirikul S. , Sarindu N. , Prasartsee V. , Chaikiatiyos S. , Siriyan R. , Sriwatanakul M. , Lekananon P. , Kitprasert C. , Boonsong P. , Kosiyachinda P. , Fermin G. , Gonsalves D. 
Published: November 2015

Papaya ( Carica papaya L.) is one of the most important and preferred crops in rural communities in Thailand. Papaya ringspot virus (PRSV) is a serious disease of papaya throughout Thailand. Efforts to control the virus by various methods either have not been successful or have not resulted in sustainable control. In 1995, collaborative research by the Department of Agriculture of Thailand and Cornell University to develop transgenic papaya resistant to PRSV was initiated. Two local Thai cultivars were transformed by microprojectile bombardment with the use of a nontranslatable coat protein gene of PRSV from Khon Kaen. Numerous kanamycin-resistant plants were regenerated and were inoculated with the PRSV Khon Kaen isolate for selection of resistant lines. Since 1997, promising R0 transgenic lines have been transferred to the research station at Thapra for subsequent screenhouse tests and selection of the most PRSV-resistant lines. In selection set 1, three R3 lines initially derived from Khaknuan papaya showed excellent resistance to PRSV (97% to 100%) and had a yield of fruit 70 times higher than nontransgenic Khaknuan papaya. In selection set 2, one R3 line initially derived from Khakdam papaya showed 100% resistance. Safety assessments of these transgenic papayas have so far found no impact on the surrounding ecology. No natural crossing between transgenic and nonmodified papaya was observed beyond a distance of 10 m from the test plots. Analysis of the nutritional composition found no differences in nutrient levels in comparison with the nonmodified counterparts. Molecular characterization by Southern blotting revealed three copies of the transgene presented; however, no coat protein product was expressed. Data on additional topics, such as the effects of feeding the transgenic papaya to rats and the stability of the gene inserts, are currently being gathered.
Determinants of Anemia among Pregnant Women in Mali
Authors: Ayoya Mohamed Ag , Spiekermann-Brouwer Gerburg Maria , Traoré Abdel Kader , Stoltzfus Rebecca Joyce , Garza Cutberto 
Published: November 2015

Background Anemia in pregnancy remains a major problem in nearly all developing and many industrialized countries. In Mali, the subpopulation prevalence and etiology of anemia during pregnancy are largely unknown. Objective To examine the prevalence and likely etiologies of anemia in pregnancy in a poor urban population in Bamako, Mali. Methods Pregnant women ( n = 190) were selected randomly. Hemoglobin, serum iron, and total iron-binding capacity were measured; blood smears were examined for Plasmodium falciparum malaria; and single stool and urine samples were examined for Schistosoma haematobium and hookworm. Gynecologic examinations were performed and interviews conducted to qualitatively assess food consumption and other socioeconomic characteristics. Associations among mild, moderate, and severe anemia; iron and parasite status; erythrocyte sedimentation rates; and the presence of abnormal vaginal discharge were evaluated. Differences in hemoglobin and serum iron concentrations, total iron-binding capacity, and anemia were compared according to trimester of pregnancy and between infected and noninfected women. The relative and attributable risks of anemia were calculated, and adjusted odds ratios for anemia and low serum iron were estimated by multivariate logistic regression. Results Of the 131 women for whom complete data were available, 47% had hemoglobin concentrations below 110 g/L; 13% had serum iron concentrations below 12 μmol/L; none had transferrin saturation values below 16%; 11%, 23%, and 8% harbored P. falciparum, S. haematobium, and hookworm, respectively; and 82% had an abnormal vaginal discharge. Food restrictions were reported by 45% of the women. Abnormal vaginal discharge correlated significantly with anemia (Pearson χ2 = 62.4; p < .01). Univariate and multivariate analyses found that infections were strongly associated with and predictive of anemia. Conclusions Our data suggest that infections and food accessibility contribute to the high rates of anemia during pregnancy in Mali.
Prevalence of Anemia among Pregnant Women and Adolescent Girls in 16 Districts of India
Authors: Toteja G. S. , Singh Padam , Dhillon B. S. , Saxena B. N. , Ahmed F. U. , Singh R. P. , Prakash Balendu , Vijayaraghavan K. , Singh Y. , Rauf A. , Sarma U. C. , Gandhi Sanjay , Behl Lalita , Mukherjee Krishna , Swami S. S. , Meru Viu , Chandra Prakash , Chandrawati  , Mohan Uday 
Published: November 2015

Background Nutritional anemia is one of India's major public health problems. The prevalence of anemia ranges from 33% to 89% among pregnant women and is more than 60% among adolescent girls. Under the anemia prevention and control program of the Government of India, iron and folic acid tablets are distributed to pregnant women, but no such program exists for adolescent girls. Objective To assess the status of anemia among pregnant women and adolescent girls from 16 districts of 11 states of India. Methods A two-stage random sampling method was used to select 30 clusters on the basis of probability proportional to size. Anemia was diagnosed by estimating the hemoglobin concentration in the blood with the use of the indirect cyanmethemoglobin method. Results The survey data showed that 84.9% of pregnant women ( n = 6,923) were anemic (hemoglobin < 110 g/L); 13.1% had severe anemia (hemoglobin < 70 g/L), and 60.1% had moderate anemia (hemoglobin ≥ 70 to 100 g/L). Among adolescent girls ( n = 4,337) from 16 districts, the overall prevalence of anemia (defined as hemoglobin < 120 g/L) was 90.1%, with 7.1% having severe anemia (hemoglobin < 70 g/L). Conclusions Any intervention strategy for this population must address not only the problem of iron deficiency, but also deficiencies of other micronutrients, such as B12 and folic acid and other possible causal factors.