bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Women’s reported health behaviours before and during pregnancy: A retrospective study
Authors: Smedley Jenna , Jancey Jonine M , Dhaliwal Satvinder , Zhao Yun , Monteiro Sarojini MDR , Howat Peter 
Published: January 2013

Objective: This study aimed to determine women’s reported health behaviours (physical activity, diet, weight management) before and during pregnancy, and to identify sources of health information. Design: Retrospective study incorporating quantitative (a self-completed survey) and qualitative (one-on-one interviews) methods. Methodology: Participants were women aged 18 or over; had no pre-existing medical condition that might be exacerbated during pregnancy (e.g. diabetes, heart condition); and had given birth in the last 12 months. Nineteen women agreed to one-on-one interviews and 100 women agreed to complete a mailed questionnaire. Qualitative data and quantitative data were analysed using a descriptive qualitative methodology and by using McNemar’s test for correlated proportions, respectively. Results: Participants reported a significant reduction in their level of physical activity during pregnancy; a significant increase in consumption of fruit, vegetables and fibre, and a decrease in fast food consumption (all p < 0.05). Medical practitioners are the preferred source of health information but seem to provide insufficient information about health behaviours during pregnancy in relation to physical activity, diet and weight management. Conclusion: Women reported eating a healthier diet and reducing their level of physical activity during the antenatal period, compared to pre-pregnancy. There is a need to improve the provision of health information on physical activity, diet and weight management in the antenatal period.
Preparation and characterization of poly(lactic acid)/elastomer blends prepared by melt blending technique
Authors: Kaavessina Mujtahid , Ali Ilias , Elleithy Rabeh , Al-Zahrani Saeed M. 
Published: January 2013

Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and biodegradable elastomer were melt blended and molded in an injection molding machine. The crystallinity, viscoelasticity, thermal and mechanical properties of the molded blend and annealed blend samples were studied. Differential scanning calorimetry was used to evaluate the crystallinity and thermal property of all the samples. It was found that the melting temperature decreased as the amount of elastomer increased. Additionally, the presence of elastomer tended to increase the crystallinity of PLA at 10 and 20 wt%. The injection molding led to the diminishing of neat PLA crystallinity to be 20.79%; however, annealing could recover it to be 29.94%. This result was supported by x-ray diffraction and dynamic mechanical analysis tests. The complex viscosity and storage modulus of PLA melt decreased upon addition of elastomer. The elongation at break increased as the content of elastomer increased. However, the Young’s modulus and tensile strength decreased severely due to the addition of elastomer.
Dexmedetomidine as a Primary Sedative Agent after Single‐Stage Airway Reconstruction
Authors: McCormick Michael E. , Johnson Yewande J. , Pena Maria , Wratney Angela T. , Pestieau Sophie R. , Zalzal George H. , Preciado Diego A. 
Published: January 2013

ObjectiveTo examine the outcomes of children receiving dexmedetomidine after single‐stage airway reconstruction.Study DesignHistorical cohort study.SettingTertiary care children’s hospital.Subjects and MethodsOf 61 eligible patients, 50 children undergoing single‐stage airway reconstruction were included in the study. Thirty children received dexmedetomidine (Dex) as a primary sedative agent, and 20 received a more traditional sedation protocol (no Dex). Primary outcomes included complications, intubation lengths, and lengths of pediatric intensive care unit (PICU)/hospital admission. Secondary analysis incorporating polypharmacy and age was performed using multivariate linear regression models.ResultsMedian age was 18.0 months. Age, sex, and weight were similar between the groups. Intubation length was equal in the 2 groups, and there were no statistical differences between lengths of PICU or hospital stay after extubation. Similarly, overall and individual complications were all similar, and there was no difference between the 2 groups in the amount of polypharmacy administered. On multivariate analysis, polypharmacy and younger age were independently correlated with an increase in overall complications, and polypharmacy alone was correlated with an increased length of stay after extubation.ConclusionThe use of dexmedetomidine as a primary sedation agent after single‐stage airway surgery does not appear to improve outcomes or decrease the need for additional pharmacologic agents. Polypharmacy was associated with an increase in overall complications and an increased length of stay after extubation. Although success can be expected in greater than 90% of these surgical patients, the optimal postoperative sedation management remains challenging.
Disease‐Specific Self‐Efficacy in Spasmodic Dysphonia Patients
Authors: Hu Amanda , Isetti Derek , Hillel Allen D. , Waugh Patricia , Comstock Bryan , Meyer Tanya K. 
Published: January 2013

ObjectiveSelf‐efficacy (SE) is an optimistic self‐belief that one can perform a novel task. This concept involves empowerment, self‐esteem, and adaptation to a stressful situation. SE is a strong predictor of health behaviors. Our objectives were to study SE in spasmodic dysphonia (SD) and to develop a disease‐specific SE‐SD scale.Study DesignProspective study.SettingAcademic hospital.Subject and MethodsDisease‐specific SE‐SD items were developed with laryngologists, speech pathologists, and SD patients. These items, General SE Scale, Voice Handicap Index‐10 (VHI‐10), Consensus Auditory Perceptual Evaluation of Voice (CAPE‐V), and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), were administered to SD patients who presented for botulinum toxin injections.ResultsOne hundred forty‐five SD patients (mean age 59.5 ± 13.6 years) had a general SE score (Cronbach’s α = 0.894) of 33.4 ± 5.2 out of 40. This was negatively correlated with HADS‐A (r = −0.42, P < 0.001) and HADS‐D (r = −0.42, P <. 001), but not correlated with VHI‐10 (r = −0.098, P =. 243) and CAPE‐V (r = −0.047, P =. 57). Factor analysis selected 8 items from the general SE scale and 5 disease‐specific SE‐SD items to generate a 13‐item disease‐specific SE‐SD scale (Cronbach’s α = 0.907). Disease‐specific SE‐SD score was 42.1 ± 6.9 out of 52 and was negatively correlated with VHI‐10 (r = −0.19, P =. 005), HADS‐A (r = −0.43, P <. 001), and HADS‐D (r = −0.57, P <. 001), but not correlated with CAPE‐V (r = −0.024, P =. 60).ConclusionSD patients established on botulinum toxin injections have high degrees of general and disease‐specific SE. Patients with higher SE‐SD demonstrate lower vocal handicap and lower levels of anxiety and depression. A 13‐item disease‐specific SE‐SD scale has been developed.
Juniperus communis Linn oil decreases oxidative stress and increases antioxidant enzymes in the heart of rats administered a diet rich in cholesterol
Authors: Gumral Nurhan , Kumbul Duygu Doguc , Aylak Firdevs , Saygin Mustafa , Savik Emin 
Published: January 2013

It has been asserted that consumption of dietary cholesterol (Chol) raises atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases and that Chol causes an increase in free radical production. Hypercholesterolemic diet has also been reported to cause changes in the antioxidant system. In our study, different doses of Juniperus communis Linn (JCL) oil, a tree species growing in Mediterranean and Isparta regions and having aromatic characteristics, were administered to rats; and the levels of antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), catalase (CAT), and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances assay (TBARS) were examined in the heart tissue of rats. In this study, 35 Wistar Albino male adult rats weighing approximately 250–300 g were used. The rats were divided into five groups of seven each. The control group was administered normal pellet chow, and the Chol group was administered pellet chow including 2% Chol, while 50 JCL, 100 JCL, and 200 JCL groups were administered 50, 100, and 200 mg/kg JCL oil dissolved in 0.5% sodium carboxy methyl cellulose, respectively, in addition to the pellet chow containing 2% Chol, by gavage. After 30 days, the experiment was terminated and the antioxidant enzyme activities were examined in the heart tissue of rats. While consumption of dietary Chol decreases the activities of SOD, GSH-Px, and CAT in heart tissue of rats (not significant), administeration of 200 mg/kg JCL oil in addition to Chol led to a significant increase in the activity of antioxidant enzymes. Administering Chol led to a significant increase in TBARS level. Administering 100 and 200 mg/kg JCL oil together with Chol prevented significantly the increase in lipid peroxides. As a result of the study, JCL oil showed oxidant–antioxidant effect in the heart tissue of rats.
Agreement between chest radiography and high-resolution computed tomography in diagnosing dust-related interstitial lung fibrosis
Authors: Tiwari Rajnarayan R. 
Published: January 2013

Although it has been suggested that high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) scans can be obtained when plain radiographs are equivocal for the presence of interstitial lung fibrosis (ILF) caused by inhalation of dust, such as silica, asbestos fibres, etc., the specificity of the findings remains in question. The present study was carried out to compare the relative efficacy of chest radiography by conventional method and HRCT in evaluating ILF which included 22 workers exposed to fibrogenic dust, who were subjected to clinical examination, pulmonary function testing, posteroanterior chest radiography and HRCT. In the six subjects who had findings suggestive of ILF on HRCT, four had normal chest x-ray (CXR) while one each has been diagnosed as having tuberculosis and ILF on CXR. The agreement analysis between HRCT and CXR suggests that there was a poor agreement between HRCT and CXR (kappa = 0.34).
Serum mineral status of long-term cigarette smokers
Authors: Meral Ismail , Akdemir Fazile Nur Ekinci 
Published: January 2013

This study was carried out to investigate comparatively some serum mineral levels of cigarette smokers. A total of 25 nonsmokers (control group) and 50 long-term cigarette smokers (smoking for at least 15 years; smoker group) were participated in the study. Subjects were between 25 and 40 years old. Control and smoker groups were matched for age, sex and body mass index status. The blood samples were taken from smokers and nonsmokers after 12 h of fasting period. The levels of zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), magnesium (Mg), calcium (Ca), potassium (K), chlorine (Cl), sodium (Na) and phosphorus (P) were measured by autoanalyzer using commercial kits. Student’s t test was used to compare the control and smoker groups, and p < 0.05 indicated a significant difference. Pearson’s correlation coefficient was used to demonstrate the relationship among parameters in smoker and control groups. Although there was no statistical difference ( p > 0.05) between the groups regarding the levels of K, P, Mg, Na, Cl, Zn, Fe, Ca and Cu, some positive correlations were observed in controls but not in smokers. Therefore, it was concluded that smoking does not affect the serum mineral levels. However, it may negatively affect some important positive correlations among minerals observed in healthy individuals.
Assessment of genotoxic potential of two mycotoxins in the wing spot test of Drosophila melanogaster
Authors: Gürbüzel Mehmet , Uysal Handan , Kızılet Halit 
Published: January 2013

Mycotoxins, the toxic products of molds, exposure causes serious adverse health problems in human, animals, and crops. Determining the potential genotoxic effects of these substances is, therefore, of great importance. We have evaluated the genotoxic toxicity of two trichothecenes – diacetoxyscirpenol (DAS) and T-2 toxin – using the wing somatic mutation and recombination test (SMART) in Drosophila melanogaster. The SMART is based on the principle that the loss of heterozygosis of recessive markers located on the left arm of chromosome 3 – multiple wing hairs ( mwh) at the map position 0.3 and flare-3 ( flr3) at the map position 38.8 – may occur through various mechanisms such as mitotic recombination, mutation, deletion, half-translocation, chromosome loss, and nondisjunction. Both the mycotoxins were administered to third instar larvae (72 ± 4 h old) at concentrations ranging from 5 to 40 μM. Based on our results, DAS and T-2 toxins does not exert genotoxic effects up to a concentration of 40 μM.
Use of a closed system drug-transfer device eliminates surface contamination with antineoplastic agents
Authors: Clark Bernadette A , Sessink Paul JM 
Published: January 2013

Purpose To evaluate the effectiveness of a closed system drug-transfer device, EquaShield®, at reducing surface contamination with antineoplastic agents throughout an ambulatory cancer chemotherapy infusion center. Methods Surfaces throughout the cancer center were sampled three times. The first samples were obtained in June 2010 without prior cleaning to measure baseline levels of contamination of the current technique (Chemo Dispensing Pin, B. Braun Medical Inc.). The second samples were obtained in August 2010 after the implementation of the closed system drug-transfer device and cleaning to evaluate if the contamination was removed. The third samples were obtained in August 2011. Wipe samples were taken from five positions in the pharmacy and from five positions in the infusion suite. Wipe samples were also collected from two positions in office areas. Samples were analyzed for cyclophosphamide and 5-fluorouracil. Results The results from the first two sets of samples showed contamination with cyclophosphamide on about half of the positions at all locations during both collection periods. However, levels of contamination were very low and mostly just above the detection limit of the analytical method. The highest level of contamination was found on the door and handle in the pharmacy. Contamination with 5-fluorouracil was only observed on the dispensing counter in the pharmacy during the second collection period. The results from the third and final collection period showed no contamination with cyclophosphamide or 5-fluorouracil in the pharmacy, the infusion suite or in offices of the cancer center. Conclusion Implementation of the closed system drug-transfer device for preparing and administering chemotherapy eliminated surface contamination with cytotoxic agents at the ambulatory cancer chemotherapy infusion center.
Microenvironmental protection of CML stem and progenitor cells from tyrosine kinase inhibitors through N-cadherin and Wnt–β-catenin signaling
Authors: Zhang Bin , Li Min , McDonald Tinisha , Holyoake Tessa L. , Moon Randall T. , Campana Dario , Shultz Leonard , Bhatia Ravi 
Published: January 2013

Key Points
Bone marrow mesenchymal stromal cells preserve CML stem cells from elimination following tyrosine kinase inhibitor treatment. N-cadherin and Wnt signaling contribute to protection of CML stem cells by mesenchymal cells and may represent new treatment targets.
Genetic programs expressed in resting and IL-4 alternatively activated mouse and human macrophages: similarities and differences
Authors: Martinez Fernando O. , Helming Laura , Milde Ronny , Varin Audrey , Melgert Barbro N. , Draijer Christina , Thomas Benjamin , Fabbri Marco , Crawshaw Anjali , Ho Ling Pei , Ten Hacken Nick H. , Cobos Jiménez Viviana , Kootstra Neeltje A. , Hamann Jörg , Greaves David R. , Locati Massimo , Mantovani Alberto , Gordon Siamon 
Published: January 2013

Key PointsHuman and mouse macrophages share partially conserved gene and protein expression programs in the resting or M2 activated state. TGM2 is a novel M2 marker consistently induced in human and mouse M2 macrophages.
Polymorphic Sirpa is the genetic determinant for NOD-based mouse lines to achieve efficient human cell engraftment
Authors: Yamauchi Takuji , Takenaka Katsuto , Urata Shingo , Shima Takahiro , Kikushige Yoshikane , Tokuyama Takahito , Iwamoto Chika , Nishihara Mariko , Iwasaki Hiromi , Miyamoto Toshihiro , Honma Nakayuki , Nakao Miki , Matozaki Takashi , Akashi Koichi 
Published: January 2013

Key PointsNOD-specific Sirpa polymorphism is the genetic determinant of highly efficient xenograft activity in NOD-based immunodeficient mouse models.
Selective inhibition of cell death in malignant vs normal B-cell precursors: implications for cAMP in development and treatment of BCP-ALL
Authors: Naderi Elin Hallan , Ugland Hege Katrin , Diep Phoi-Phoi , Josefsen Dag , Ruud Ellen , Naderi Soheil , Blomhoff Heidi Kiil 
Published: January 2013

Key PointscAMP inhibits p53 accumulation and cell death in BCP-ALL cells but not normal BCPs, providing a possible therapeutic window for intervention. Activation of the PGE2-cAMP-PKA axis might be exploited by leukemic cells to suppress oncogene- and treatment-induced p53 activation.
The CD300 molecules: an emerging family of regulators of the immune system
Authors: Borrego Francisco 
Published: January 2013

Abstract
The CD300 family of molecules modulates a broad and diverse array of immune cell processes via their paired activating and inhibitory receptor functions. The description that CD300 molecules are able to recognize lipids, such as extracellular ceramide, phosphatidylserine, and phosphatidylethanolamine, that are exposed on the outer leaflet of the plasma membrane of dead and activated cells has opened a new field of research. Through their binding to lipids and other ligands, this family of receptors is poised to have a significant role in complex biological processes and in the host response to severe pathological conditions. Indeed, published data have demonstrated their participation in the pathogenesis of several disease states. Moreover, this family of receptors has great potential as targets for diagnosis and therapeutic purposes in infectious diseases, allergies, cancer, and other pathological situations. For instance, one member of the family, CD300a, has been studied as a possible biomarker. Here, a review is provided on the cellular distribution of the human and mouse families of receptors, the stimuli that regulate their expression, their ability to tune leukocyte function and immune responses, their signaling pathways, ligand recognition, and their clinical relevance.
Genetic elimination of the binding motif on fibrinogen for the S. aureus virulence factor ClfA improves host survival in septicemia
Authors: Flick Matthew J. , Du XinLi , Prasad Joni M. , Raghu Harini , Palumbo Joseph S. , Smeds Emanuel , Höök Magnus , Degen Jay L. 
Published: January 2013

Key PointsEliminating the binding motif on fibrinogen for ClfA, but not leukocyte integrin Mac-1, improves host survival in Staphylococcus aureus septicemia.
Gli3-mediated hedgehog inhibition in human pluripotent stem cells initiates and augments developmental programming of adult hematopoiesis
Authors: McIntyre Brendan A. S. , Ramos-Mejia Veronica , Rampalli Shravanti , Mechael Rami , Lee Jong-Hee , Alev Cantas , Sheng Guojun , Bhatia Mickie 
Published: January 2013

Key PointsTransient inhibition of hedgehog signaling augments hematopoiesis in hPSC-derived EBs. Hedgehog inhibition initiates an advancement in the developmental state of hematopoietic cells derived from hPSCs.
The Peritraumatic Behavior Questionnaire: development and initial validation of a new measure for combat-related peritraumatic reactions
Authors: Agorastos Agorastos , Nash William P , Nunnink Sarah , Yurgil Kate A , Goldsmith Abigail , Litz Brett T , Johnson Heather , Lohr James B , Baker Dewleen G 
Published: January 2013

Abstract

Background
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is one of the most commonly observed stress-related conditions following combat exposure and its effective prevention is a high health-care priority. Reports of peritraumatic reactions have been shown to be highly associated with PTSD among combat exposed service members. However, existing instruments measuring peritraumatic symptoms were not specifically developed to assess combat-related peritraumatic stress and each demonstrates a different peritraumatic focus. We therefore developed the Peritraumatic Behavior Questionnaire (PBQ), a new military-specific rating scale focused upon the wide range of symptoms suggestive of combat-related peritraumatic distress in actively deployed Service Members. This study describes the development of the PBQ and reports on the psychometric properties of its self-rated version (PBQ-SR).

Methods
688 Marine infantry service members were retrospectively assessed by the PBQ-SR within the scope of the Marine Resiliency Study after their deployment to war zone. Participants have been additionally assessed by a variety of questionnaires, as well as clinical interviews both pre and post-deployment.

Results
The PBQ-SR demonstrated satisfactory internal consistency, convergent and discriminant validity, as well as high correlation with trait dissociation prior to deployment. Component analysis suggested a latent bi-dimensional structure separating a peritraumatic emotional distress and physical awareness factor. The PBQ-SR total score showed high correlation to general anxiety, depression, poorer general health and posttraumatic symptoms after deployment and remained a significant predictor of PTSD severity, after controlling for those measures. The suggested screening cut-off score of 12 points demonstrated satisfactory predictive power.

Conclusions
This study confirms the ability of the PBQ-SR to unify the underlying peritraumatic symptom dimensions and reliably assess combat-related peritraumatic reaction as a general construct. The PBQ-SR demonstrated promise as a potential standard screening measure in military clinical practice, while It’s predictive power should be established in prospective studies.