bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Association between serum uric acid and atrial fibrillation: a cross-sectional community-based study in China
Authors: Chen Yue , Xia Yunlong , Han Xu , Yang Yiheng , Yin Xiaomeng , Qiu Jing , Liu Henghui , Zhou Yong , Liu Ying 
Published: December 2017

ObjectivesTo investigate the effects of gender on the association of serum uric acid (SUA) levels and atrial fibrillation (AF) prevalence in a community-based Chinese population.SettingData were obtained from annual Jidong Oilfield employee and family member health checkups. The Jidong community is geographically located in Tangshan City in northern China.ParticipantsA total of 9078 residents were invited to take part in the survey and provided informed consents. Individuals without data of ECG or SUA were excluded, leaving 8937 residents in our study.Primary and secondary outcome measuresSUA was measured at baseline using the uricase-peroxidase method. Hyperuricaemia was defined as a SUA level >7.0 mg/dL in men and >5.7 mg/dL in women. AF was diagnosed based on ECG findings and/or any medical history of AF from referring physicians. The crude and independent association between SUA levels and AF prevalence was evaluated with logistic regression analysis.ResultsAF prevalence was 0.6% (53/8937). Participants with hyperuricaemia had a higher AF prevalence compared with those with normal SUA levels (1.1% vs 0.5%; P=0.02). Hyperuricaemia was correlated with AF after adjustment for various cardiovascular risk factors in all participants (P=0.03, OR 2.051, 95% CI 1.063 to 3.856). This correlation was particularly stronger in women compared with men (P<0.001, OR 6.366, 95% CI 2.553 to 15.871 in women and P=0.96, OR 1.025, 95% CI 0.400 to 2.626 in men).ConclusionsWe demonstrated a significant association between increased SUA levels and AF prevalence in a Chinese population. Our data indicate that there is a gender-specific mechanism underlying the relationship between SUA and AF.
Results of physician licence examination and scholarship contract compliance by the graduates of regional quotas in Japanese medical schools: a nationwide cross-sectional survey
Authors: Matsumoto Masatoshi , Takeuchi Keisuke , Owaki Tetsuhiro , Iguchi Seitaro , Inoue Kazuo , Kashima Saori , Tazuma Susumu , Maeda Takahiro 
Published: December 2017

ObjectivesResponding to the serious shortage of physicians in rural areas, the Japanese government has aggressively increased the number of entrants to medical schools since 2008, mostly as achiikiwaku, entrants filling a regional quota. The quota has spread to most medical schools, and these entrants occupied 16% of all medical school seats in 2016. Most of these entrants were admitted to medical school with a scholarship with the understanding that after graduation they will practise in designated areas of their home prefectures for several years. The quota and scholarship programmes will be revised by the government starting in 2018. This study evaluates the intermediate outcomes of these programmes.DesignCross-sectional survey to all prefectural governments and medical schools every year from 2014 to 2017 to obtain data on medical graduates.SettingsNationwide.ParticipantsAll quota and non-quota graduates with prefecture scholarship in each prefecture, and all the quota graduates without scholarship in each medical school.Primary outcome measuresPassing rate of the National License Examination for Physicians and the percentage of graduates who have not bought out the scholarship contract after graduation.ResultsMost prefectures and medical schools in Japan participated in this study (97.8%–100%). Quota graduates with scholarship were significantly more likely to pass the National License Examination for Physicians than the other medical graduates in Japan at all the years (97.9%, 96.7%, 97.4% and 94.7% vs 93.9%, 94.5%, 94.3% and 91.8%, respectively). The percentage of quota graduates with scholarship who remained in the scholarship contract 3 years after graduation was 92.2% and 89.9% for non-quota graduates with scholarship.ConclusionsQuota entrants showed better academic performance than their peers. Most of the quota graduates remained in the contractual workforce. The imminent revision of the national policy regarding quota and scholarship programmes needs to be based on this evidence.
Ca2+-ATPase and function of sarcoplasmic reticulum during cardiac hypertrophy
Authors: Levitsky Dmitri , Bastie Diane De La , Schwartz Ketty , Lompré Anne-Marie 
Published: December 2017

The properties of the calcium pump system of sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) were studied in a series of 34 rats subjected to cardiac overload and 19 sham-operated animals. Total homogenates of left ventricle were analyzed by measuring the oxalate-supported Ca2+ uptake rate, the steady-state level of the phosphorylated intermediate of Ca2+-adenosine triphosphatase (Ca2+-ATPase) (E-P), and the amount of Ca2+-ATPase mRNA. All three parameters decreased gradually as a function of the relative left ventricular weight increase. The calcium-sensitivity curves showed that the velocity of Ca2+ transport in SR from the hypertrophied heart is diminished at low as well as optimal Ca2+2 concentrations, with the dissociation constant (Kd) value for Ca2+ unchanged from that of the control preparation. Taken together with the results presented in our recent publication (De la Bastie, Levitsky, Mercadier, Marotte, Wisnewsky, Brovkovivh, Schwartz, and Lompré, Circ. Res. 66: 554–564, 1990), these data strongly indicate that differences in the Ca2+ pump activities of SR from normal and hypertrophied rat hearts are due to quantitative rather than qualitative changes of the Ca2+-ATPase protein. calcium ion uptake; calcium ion adenosine triphosphatase messenger ribonucleic acid; cardiac hypertrophy; monoclonal antibody
Effect of work on intracellular calcium of the intact heart
Authors: Fralix Teresa A. , Heineman Frederick W. , Balaban Robert S. 
Published: December 2017

Intracellular calcium has been proposed to play a key role in the orchestration of metabolic rate with contractile activity in the mammalian heart. Calcium is believed to accomplish this task by modulating the contractile apparatus as well as the metabolic process directly, and perhaps simultaneously, during alterations in cardiac work. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether appropriate changes in intracellular calcium accompany alterations in cardiac work in the intact working rabbit heart. A range of myocardial oxygen consumption was obtained from 0.94 to 6.51 μmol·g LV wt-1·min-1 by changing afterload or beta-agonist addition. With the increase in work and associated increase in respiration, an increase in intracellular calcium was observed, on the basis of indo-1 fluorescence. These results indicate that intracellular calcium is a valid candidate as a cytosolic transducer contributing to the orchestration of myofibril adenosinetriphosphatase activity and oxidative phosphorylation in the intact heart. oxygen consumption; indo-1; fluorescence; rabbit; afterload; isoproterenol
Formation of alveoli in rats: postnatal effect of prenatal dexamethasone
Authors: Massaro Gloria D. , Massaro Donald 
Published: December 2017

Pages L37 –L41: Gloria D. Massaro and Donald Massaro. “ Formation of alveoli in rats: postnatal effect of prenatal dexamethasone.” Page L39: In Table 7 the values for the number of saccules or alveoli per rat should be x 10 - 6, not x 106. The corrected table appears below. (See PDF)
Structure and function of the mouse surfactant protein B gene
Authors: Bruno Melanie A. , Bohinski Robert J. , Carter Jean E. , Foss Kathryn A. , Whitsett Jeffrey A. 
Published: December 2017

Pages L381–L389: Melanie A. Bruno, Robert J. Bohinski, Jean E. Carter, Kathryn A. Foss, and Jeffrey A. Whitsett. “Structure and function of the mouse surfactant protein B gene.” On p. L383, Fig. 2 should appear as below (the nucleotide sequence from 4501 to 9882 was omitted). (See PDF)
An Empirical Study of the Timbre Differences between Gut Core and Metal Core Violin “A” Strings
Authors: Garretson Homer 
Published: December 2017

The purpose of this study was to ascertain whether violinists and violists are able to aurally distinguish tonal differences between these two types of “A” strings. A series of musical examples were constructed to demonstrate different phases of string usage. These short phrases were then recorded under controlled conditions using both gut-core and metal-core “A” strings. The examples were then arranged in random order on magnetic tapes. On a simple response sheet, violinists and violists from ten universities and colleges were asked to identify which type of “A” string they were hearing. The statistical analysis of this material showed that in 3650 observations, 48.54 percent were correct. Since any value below 50 percent casts no doubt on the null hypothesis, it can be inferred from this study that there is no significant timbre difference observable between the two types.
Health behaviours of young mothers: Implications for health promotion and cancer prevention
Authors: Hackshaw-McGeagh Lucy , Jamie Kimberly , Beynon Rhona , O’Neill Roisin 
Published: December 2017

Objective: Evidence suggests that younger mothers engage in poorer health behaviours, resulting in increased cancer risk. We aimed to better understand the health behaviours of younger mothers and the factors that influence their lifestyle choices, in order to improve cancer prevention within this population. Methods: A multiple focus group, photo-elicitation-aided approach was used, in which young mothers ( n = 27; aged 16–24 years) were provided with cameras and asked to capture ‘a week in your life’. Photographs were developed and participants invited to an initial focus group where photographs were used to elicit discussion, exploring participants’ health behaviours. Data were thematically analysed particularly identifying themes relating to barriers and facilitators of positive health behaviours. Participants were later invited to participate in a second focus group, to explore and validate identified themes further. Results: Themes emerged from the data relating to (1) the mothers’ personal perceptions of health, (2) health-related behaviours and (3) beliefs about cancer and its causes. Barriers to positive health behaviours included a lack of money, childcare and cookery skills; facilitators included the social media, commercial weight loss programmes and local community organisations. Conclusion: Study findings provide insight into the health behaviours and life choices of young mothers. They help illustrate health perceptions in relation to cancer risk, providing an understanding of how their daily routine and circumstance influence young women’s decisions and lifestyle behaviour choices and highlighting barriers to, and facilitators of, positive health behaviours. Data hold potential to inform future health-related research among young mothers, particularly relating to cancer prevention intervention.
How Credible Is Trade Union Research? Forty Years of Evidence on the Monopoly–Voice Trade-Off
Authors: Doucouliagos Hristos , Freeman Richard B. , Laroche Patrice , Stanley T. D. 
Published: December 2017

This article is the second in a series to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the ILR Review. The series features articles that analyze the state of research and future directions for important themes this journal has featured over many years of publication. In this article, the authors assess the credibility of research that has tested the theoretical contests between the monopoly and the collective voice model of unions developed by Freeman and Medoff in What Do Unions Do? The authors go beyond prior analyses by examining more than 2,000 estimates that consider the effects of unions on a broad range of organizational and individual outcomes, including productivity, productivity growth, capital investment, profits, and job satisfaction. They advance our understanding of the current empirical findings and credibility of this research by using meta-statistical analysis to evaluate research quality, publication selection bias, statistical power, and heterogeneity. The authors conclude that compared to other areas of economics, research on union effects has lower bias but larger problems of statistical power. They argue that Freeman and Medoff’s monopoly–collective voice model helped produce more credible results, and they suggest ways to reduce the power and heterogeneity problems in existing research.
Attitudes of patients with psychiatric illness toward traditional healing
Authors: Omer Abdelaziz A , Mufaddel Amir A 
Published: December 2017

Background: The role of traditional healers in the community remains an issue of debate as they have a role in the community that could not be neglected. Traditional medicine can be a barrier for early intervention and treatment of psychiatric disorders. Aim: This study is a cross-sectional descriptive study that aims to evaluate the attitude of patients toward traditional healing in Khartoum teaching hospital in Sudan. Method: Patients who attended the outpatient clinic were asked about previous history of seeking treatment from traditional healers. A specific questionnaire was introduced to participants. Descriptive statistics was used to describe the data variables, and tabulated tables were used to calculate chi-square test for categorical data and the significance was set at p < .05. Results: From a total of 131 subjects, there were 111 (84%) of patients who reported previous history of seeking traditional treatment for psychiatric illness. No significant difference was found between the two groups in terms of psychiatric diagnosis ( p = .559) or sociodemographic characteristics including age ( p = .740), gender ( p = .469) and educational level ( p = .226). The decision of seeking traditional treatment was mostly taken by families and the patients took the decision in only 27% of cases. The majority of participants (55.9%) believe that their psychiatric symptoms are due to evil eye, and 20.7% believe that the symptoms are due to magic. The type of traditional treatment was significantly related to gender ( p = .003) but not related to level of education ( p = .137). Conclusion: The vast majority of psychiatric patients have history of receiving traditional healing, and the decisions regarding treatment are taken by family in most of the cases. Further research is needed to evaluate future projects of providing psychoeducation to the community and to invite traditional healers to participate in channels of referral for cases that need early intervention with psychotropic medications.
Making of Syrian Crisis
Authors: Ghoble Vrushal T. 
Published: December 2017

The West Asian region holds a critical position in the global hydrocarbon regime. The largest source of oil and huge natural gas reserves have made it a strategically sensitive region. The excessive presence of external powers, especially the United States which at one stage defined its national security in terms of secure oil supply from the region, has made the region a centre of competition and conflict. It is well documented that oil was one of the crucial motives behind the overthrow of President Saddam Hussein. It is the contention of this article that the Syrian crisis too can be explained in terms of competitive politics of global and regional powers, to possess regional hegemony and have control over energy resources. Having looked at the changing global energy dynamics, the article evaluates the ongoing Syrian war, emphasizing that the crisis was significantly, if not primarily, due to the energy pipeline geopolitics and not confined to merely a regime change or a sectarian factor. In the years up to 2011, Syria was exporting more than 150,000 b/d of crude to the international market, which was not much but a sizeable fraction. The crisis has not just sent Syria’s energy sector into turmoil, but has also caused a serious humanitarian catastrophe. The article also underlines, how the recent finds in the East Mediterranean, especially offshore Syria, which are expected to be around 3,450 trillion cubic feet (tcf) of natural gas and 1.7 billion barrels (bill. Bbls) of oil reserves, pose a serious competition for the Gulf. The article is divided into four sections. It begins by underlining the changing energy geopolitics and identifying Syria in the East Mediterranean energy finds. The article then talks about the pipeline geopolitics and the Syrian crisis, which leads to the fourth aspect of the article discussing the regional and external actors, and their stake in the Syrian conflict.
Prior disclosure and emotional expression: Interactive effects on post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms
Authors: Chen Yung Y , Kao Min C 
Published: December 2017

Background Previous research has revealed mixed findings with regard to the effects of disclosure on trauma recovery. More recently, studies on psychological trauma have found associations among religion, meaning, and health. This study investigated prior disclosure as a moderator for the association between religious emotional expression and adaptive trauma processing, as measured by post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. Methods Using Pennebaker’s written emotional expression paradigm, 105 participants were assigned to either a conventional trauma-writing condition or religious trauma-writing condition. PTSD symptoms were assessed at baseline and again at one-month post writing. Results A two-way interaction was found between prior disclosure and writing condition on PTSD symptoms at follow-up. For the religious trauma-writing condition only, there was a significant difference between low versus high disclosure participants in PTSD symptoms at follow-up, such that low prior disclosure participants registered fewer PTSD symptoms than high prior disclosure participants, while prior disclosure did not have such effect in the conventional trauma-writing condition. Limitations: This two-way interaction may be further qualified by other important psychosocial variables, such as differences in personality, coping style, social support, or use of prayer as a form of disclosure, which were not assessed in this study. Conclusion Religious emotional expression may encourage adaptive trauma processing, especially for individuals with low prior disclosure. These findings encourage further investigation of the conditions under which disclosure and religion may be a beneficial factor in trauma adaptation and treatment.
Clinical and care intensity differences among patients suffering from somatic diseases electively referred to a consultation and liaison service
Authors: Valdes-Stauber Juan , Bachthaler Susanne 
Published: December 2017

Background This investigation mainly explores possible care differences among patients hospitalized because of medical conditions being electively referred to a psychiatric-psychosomatic consultation and liaison service. Methods A four-year survey ( N = 2518 individuals) based on clinical and care variables selected from the basic documentation. Statistics: Chi-square tests, analysis of variance, logistic and multivariate regression analyses, considering statistical modeling assumptions. Results A current psychiatric comorbidity has been found in 75% (less in cancer patients), mainly adjustment and anxiety (45%), mood (22%), and organic mental disorders (12%). The functioning score (Global Assessment of Functioning) was 59.4 and was especially low in patients suffering from unclear medical conditions. The performance status (Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group) amounted to 1.63 and was especially high in patients suffering from orthopedic conditions, infections, and cancer. Each patient received on average of 2.26 (SD = 2.81) contacts and 111 minutes (SD = 160) of total treatment time. In multivariate models, care differences among medical conditions are reduced. Men and older people have received less than the average amount of treatment, but psychiatrically comorbid patients and those with lower functionality and performance status have received more intensive psychological support. Conclusions As a quality feature of consultation and liaison service, patients suffering from psychiatric comorbidity, lower functionality, and lower performance status receive more intensive care and more post-discharge recommendations. Cancer patients and patients with pain as a leading diagnosis as well as strained mothers of hospitalized children have received more intensive treatment by consultation and liaison service despite lower psychiatric comorbidity levels. More attention has to be paid to men and older people independently of their physical condition.
Temperature adjustments for design data for urban air conditioning design
Authors: Levermore Geoffrey , Vandaele Stefan , Parkinson John 
Published: December 2017

The urban heat island, where the urban area air temperature is higher than the nearby rural or semi-rural air temperature reference site, is now hopefully well known. The urban heat island intensity is the actual urban air temperature minus the rural air temperature. However, the “air conditioned urban heat island intensity” is measured by the air temperature sensor in an air conditioning condenser unit minus the rural air temperature. This is often different to the standard urban heat island intensity. Designers need to appreciate this difference, as it determines how the air conditioning system performs. It is most likely affected by the radiant temperature. This can also vary significantly from the rural, semi-rural radiant temperature due to the variation in solar absorptance of the urban buildings and the shading effects. Measurements have shown significant variations in the infrared temperatures over the urban areas. Calculations of the radiant absorption and long wave radiation loss also show significant differences to the rural counterparts in frequency and magnitude. This “surface urban heat island” is important for air conditioning plant situated often in areas exposed to solar irradiation. The exhaust air from the air conditioning units itself is also briefly considered. This paper examines these effects and proposes how the engineer can include for them in design. Practical application:The results of this paper will be useful for designers of buildings with air conditioning and air conditioning plant itself to assess the effect of the micro urban heat island. This micro urban heat island surrounds the air conditioning plant. The example is for London.