bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Antidepressant Use During Early Pregnancy and the Risk of Congenital Anomalies
Authors: Vasilakis‐Scaramozza Catherine , Aschengrau Ann , Cabral Howard , Jick Susan S. 
Published: June 2013

Study ObjectiveTo estimate and compare the prevalence of congenital anomalies among the offspring of women exposed and not exposed to antidepressants during early pregnancy.DesignMatched cohort study.Data SourceUnited Kingdom's General Practice Research Database.SubjectsWomen exposed to tricyclic and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants during the first trimester of pregnancy (3276 women) and a sample of women matched in a 2:1 ratio who had no exposure to any antidepressant during the first trimester of pregnancy (6617 women).Measurements and Main ResultsThe prevalence of any congenital anomaly was 31.0 (95% confidence interval [CI] 27.0–35.5) per 1000 pregnancies among women not exposed to antidepressants and 27.2 (95% CI 22.1–33.4) per 1000 pregnancies among women exposed to antidepressants. The relative risk of having a child with an anomaly in mothers who were exposed to tricyclics and SSRIs during the first trimester compared with mothers not exposed to these drugs was 0.9 (95% CI 0.7–1.1). The relative risks for any anomaly among women exposed to antidepressants were 0.9 (95% CI 0.6–1.2) for tricylics and 0.9 (95% CI 0.7–1.2) for SSRIs. We found no statistically significant, stable increases in the risk of specific anomaly subtypes among women exposed to these antidepressants; however, the number of exposed cases was small.ConclusionExposure to tricyclics and SSRIs during the first trimester of pregnancy was not associated with a statistically significant increased risk of congenital anomalies in the offspring of mothers exposed to these drugs.
Association Between Statin Adherence and Cholesterol Level Reduction from Baseline in a Veteran Population
Authors: Kazerooni Rashid , Watanabe Jonathan H. , Bounthavong Mark 
Published: June 2013

Study ObjectiveTo investigate the association between statin adherence and changes in lipid panel outcomes from baseline in a veteran population.DesignRetrospective cohort study using multiple linear regression models.SettingVeterans Affairs health care system within the Veterans Integrated Service Network 22, a network of Veterans Affairs facilities in the southwest region of the United States that includes Los Angeles, San Diego, Loma Linda, and Long Beach, California, and Las Vegas, Nevada, with an enrollment of approximately 1.4 million veterans.PatientsA total of 5365 patients who were new statin users between December 1, 2006, and November 30, 2007; 2674 patients were in the adherent group and 2691 were in the nonadherent group.Measurements and Main ResultsAdherence was determined by the medication possession ratio. Patients were categorized as adherent if the medication possession ratio at follow‐up was 0.80 or more. Adherent patients exhibited significant differences in baseline demographic and clinical characteristics than nonadherent patients in our study sample. Baseline laboratory values for adherent patients were significantly lower for low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL), high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL), non–high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (non‐HDL), and total cholesterol levels. The primary outcome was change in LDL level from baseline at 12 months. Secondary outcomes were changes in non‐HDL and total cholesterol levels from baseline at 12 months. Independent variables controlled for in the multiple linear regression included age, sex, body mass index, race‐ethnicity, baseline lipid panel (LDL, HDL, total cholesterol, and triglycerides), statin copayment status, income quintile (according to ZIP code median household income), baseline medication count, statin prescribed, and comorbidities. Multiple linear regression revealed that adherent patients demonstrated significantly greater reductions in LDL of 20.98 mg/dl versus nonadherent patients (p<0.0001). Adherent patients similarly demonstrated larger reductions of 24.31 mg/dl in non‐HDL and 24.06 mg/dl in total cholesterol versus nonadherent patients (p<0.0001 for both comparisons).ConclusionPatients adherent to statin therapy had significant associations with clinically relevant reductions in LDL, non‐HDL, and total cholesterol from baseline at 12 months compared with nonadherent patients when controlling for potential confounders. Adherence to statin therapy may have important consequences in decreasing clinical outcomes such as myocardial infarctions, strokes, and mortality due to large reductions in lipid panel outcomes from baseline at 12 months.
Correlation of Pharmacokinetic/Pharmacodynamic–Derived Predictions of Antibiotic Efficacy with Clinical Outcomes in Severely Ill Patients with Pseudomonas aeruginosa Pneumonia
Authors: Fish Douglas N. , Kiser Tyree H. 
Published: June 2013

Study ObjectiveTo use pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) modeling to correlate predicted antibiotic efficacy with actual clinical outcomes in patients with serious infections.DesignRetrospective cohort analysis.SettingUniversity medical center.PatientsA total of 182 adult intensive care patients with Pseudomonas aeruginosa pneumonia during a 5‐year period from 2000 to 2004.Measurements and Main ResultsThe primary study end point was correlation of predicted antibiotic efficacy as determined by PK/PD modeling with actual clinical outcomes in individual patients. PK/PD analyses were conducted by determination of PD indexes using calculated patient‐specific PK parameters and known pathogen minimum inhibitory concentrations, and by determination of predicted PD target attainment by using Monte Carlo simulation. Patients achieving PD targets were predicted to have clinically responded to therapy; patients not achieving PD targets were predicted to have failed therapy. A total of 128 patients (70%) apparently achieved desired PD targets; however, PK/PD modeling correctly predicted actual clinical outcome in only 47% of patients (86 of 182) with sensitivity of 49% and specificity of 43%. Percentages of patients apparently achieving PD targets were similar among those experiencing clinical response or clinical failure (67% vs 74%, respectively; p=0.344). Predicted achievement of PD targets was significantly associated only with reduction in intensive care unit and hospital lengths of stay. Achievement of PD targets was not significantly associated with clinical response by univariate or multivariate analysis, but factors related to severity of illness were significantly associated with clinical response.ConclusionPK/PD modeling did not accurately predict clinical or microbiologic success in patients with P. aeruginosa pneumonia. This study highlights the difficulties in applying PK/PD modeling at the level of the individual patient due to extreme PK variability and issues such as severity of illness. Antibiotic dosing based on sound PK/PD principles is strongly advocated, but additional studies are needed to confirm the role of PK/PD modeling in optimizing outcomes of patients with serious bacterial infections.
Synthesis of highly sulfonated polybenzimidazoles by direct copolymerization and grafting
Authors: Kulkarni Mahesh P. , Peckham Timothy J. , Thomas Owen D. , Holdcroft Steven 
Published: June 2013

ABSTRACTA series of highly sulfonated, ether‐containing polybenzimidazoles (SOPBI) with controlled sulfonation degrees were synthesized from various stoichiometric ratio mixtures of sodium 6,6'‐oxybis(3‐carboxybenzenesulfonate) (SODBA), 4,4'‐oxydibenzoic acid (ODBA), and 3,3'‐diaminobenzidine (DAB) by solution copolycondensation in poly(phosphoric acid). The resulting sulfonated polymers were further sulfonated by grafting of pendant sulfonic acid chains via a reaction of 1,3‐propane sultone with lithiated‐N of the imidazole rings in the polymer backbone, yielding materials with high, absolute IEC values (3.42–4.15 meq g−1). Due to self‐neutralization, the solid state polymers possessed “free” acid content of 1.40 to 2.15 meq g−1, were soluble in organic solvents yet insoluble in aqueous solution, while displaying proton conductivites (11–47 mS cm−1) at elevated temperatures (80 °C, 95% RH). © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2013, 51, 3654–3666
The role of tyrosine sulfation in the dimerization of the CXCR4:SDF‐1 complex
Authors: Rapp Chaya , Snow Sara , Laufer Talya , McClendon Christopher L. 
Published: June 2013

AbstractOligomerization of G protein‐coupled receptors is a recognized mode of regulation of receptor activities, with alternate oligomeric states resulting in different signaling functions. The CXCR4 chemokine receptor is a G protein‐coupled receptor that is post‐translationally modified by tyrosine sulfation at three sites on its N‐terminus (Y7, Y12, Y21), leading to enhanced affinity for its ligand, stromal cell derived factor (SDF‐1, also called CXCL12). The complex has been implicated in cancer metastasis and is a therapeutic target in cancer treatment. Using molecular dynamics simulation of NMR‐derived structures of the CXCR4 N‐terminus in complex with SDF‐1, and calculations of electrostatic binding energies for these complexes, we address the role of tyrosine sulfation in this complex. Our results show that sulfation stabilizes the dimeric state of the CXCR4:SDF‐1 complex through hydrogen bonding across the dimer interface, conformational changes in residues at the dimer interface, and an enhancement in electrostatic binding energies associated with dimerization. These findings suggest a mechanism through which post‐translational modifications such as tyrosine sulfation might regulate downstream function through modulation of the oligomeric state of the modified system.
Surface Tamm states in a photonic crystal slab with asymmetric termination
Authors: Li Galina V. , Astrova Ekaterina V. , Dyakov Sergey A. , Baldycheva Anna , Perova Tatiana S. , Tikhodeev Sergey G. , Gippius Nikolay A. 
Published: June 2013

AbstractThe reflection and transmission spectra of a finite thickness 2D photonic crystal slab (PCS) based on macroporous silicon are investigated. Periodic photonic crystal region is separated from air by homogeneous silicon interfacial layers. These interfacial layers at the silicon/air boundary being defects of the photonic crystal lattice, define the properties of surface Tamm states in the photonic stop‐bands (PSBs). It is demonstrated experimentally and theoretically that the reflection spectra of a structure with different thicknesses of the interfacial layers on both sides of the PCS depend on the illuminated side. At the same time, the transmission spectra are identical for both light directions in agreement with the reciprocity principle. Analysis shows that the dependence of the reflection spectrum on the side of light entrance is due to scattering losses in the real structure. (© 2013 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Whole-body cryostimulation as an effective method of reducing low-grade inflammation in obese men
Authors: Ziemann Ewa , Olek Robert A. , Grzywacz Tomasz , Antosiewicz Jędrzej , Kujach Sylwester , Łuszczyk Marcin , Smaruj Mirosław , Śledziewska Ewelina , Laskowski Radosław 
Published: June 2013

Abstract
This study was aimed to evaluate anti-inflammatory effect of the whole body cryostimulation in obese men. Fourteen subjects (BMI >30 kg m−2), divided into two subgroups according to cardiorespiratory fitness: higher (HCF) or lower (LCF), have been exposed to 10 sessions in a cryogenic chamber (−110 °C). Blood samples were collected before, 30 min and 24 h after the first, fifth and last cryostimulation. Coldness exposures affected blood cytokine profile; however, the response depended on subjects’ fitness capacity. Concentrations of pro-inflammatory cytokines in the LCF decreased by 19, 6.8, and 7.4 % in IL-6, resistin, and visfatin, respectively. TNFα in the LCF dropped 4.3-fold compared to baseline, while in the HCF, changes were smaller, yet significant. Anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 increased in both groups. No changes in adiponectin and leptin were observed in either group. Obtained results suggest that whole body cryostimulation can be a supplementary method for obese in reducing systemic inflammation.
Mortality Increase in Late-Middle and Early-Old Age: Heterogeneity in Death Processes as a New Explanation
Authors: Li Ting , Yang Yang Claire , Anderson James J. 
Published: June 2013

Abstract
Deviations from the Gompertz law of exponential mortality increases in late-middle and early-old age are commonly neglected in overall mortality analyses. In this study, we examined mortality increase patterns between ages 40 and 85 in 16 low-mortality countries and demonstrated sex differences in these patterns, which also changed across period and cohort. These results suggest that the interaction between aging and death is more complicated than what is usually assumed from the Gompertz law and also challenge existing biodemographic hypotheses about the origin and mechanisms of sex differences in mortality. We propose a two-mortality model that explains these patterns as the change in the composition of intrinsic and extrinsic death rates with age. We show that the age pattern of overall mortality and the population heterogeneity therein are possibly generated by multiple dynamics specified by a two-mortality model instead of a uniform process throughout most adult ages.
Body enhancement through female genital cosmetic surgery creates ethical and rights dilemmas
Authors: Cain Joanna M. , Iglesia Cheryl B. , Dickens Bernard , Montgomery Owen 
Published: June 2013

AbstractFemale genital cosmetic surgery is surgery performed on a woman within a normal range of variation of human anatomy. The issues are heightened by a lack of long‐term and substantive evidence‐based literature, conflict of interest from personal financial gain through performing these procedures, and confusion around macroethical and microethical domains. It is a source of conflict and controversy globally because the benefit and harm of offering these procedures raise concerns about harmful cultural views, education, and social vulnerability of women with regard to both ethics and human rights. The rights issues of who is defining normal female anatomy and function, as well as the economic vulnerability of women globally, bequeath the profession a greater responsibility to ensure that there is adequate health and general education—not just among patients but broadly in society—that there is neither limitation nor interference in the decision being made, and that there are no psychological disorders that could be influencing such choices.
Work-related factors as predictors in the retirement decision-making process of older workers in the Netherlands
Authors: VAN SOLINGE HANNA , HENKENS KÈNE 
Published: June 2013

ABSTRACTThis article examines work-related factors and their impact on the retirement decision-making process. We particularly focus on organisational human resources policies and normative climate regarding retirement. Organisations create opportunities and conditions for career extension via their personnel instruments. The normative climate may encourage or discourage retirement. We use a ten-year follow-up study among 1,458 older employees in the Netherlands aged 50–59 at baseline. Results reveal that older workers are sensitive to social approval earned from their co-workers and supervisor. A social climate that supports working up to higher ages is an important requisite for reducing the attractiveness of the early retirement option. Retirement intentions, formed in the years prior to retirement, are shaped by workplace norms and supervisors' attitudes. Results indicate that in order to delay retirement, policy initiatives cannot be reduced to altering financial restrictions surrounding retirement but need to address the forces at the organisational level that channel workers out of employment.
Alternate housing models for older people with disabilities: their clientele, structures and resources in relation to the quality of and satisfaction with care delivery
Authors: DUBUC NICOLE , DUBOIS MARIE-FRANCE , DEMERS LOUIS , TOURIGNY ANDRÉ , TOUSIGNANT MICHEL , DESROSIERS JOHANNE , CORBIN CINTHIA , TROTTIER LISE , RAÎCHE MICHEL 
Published: June 2013

ABSTRACTThis paper reports on the study of a subsidy programme that was established in Quebec for alternate housing models (AHMs), which allows private and community organisations to offer housing services within the framework of a partnership with public health-care services. The research objectives were: (a) to compare how facility characteristics and services provided by AHMs and nursing homes (NHs) differ; (b) to examine the personal characteristics of residents living in AHMs; and (c) to compare residents with similar characteristics within AHMs and NHs in terms of unmet needs, quality of care, satisfaction with care and services, and psycho-social adaptation to the residence. A cross-sectional study was undertaken with individually matched groups to assess whether AHMs meet the needs of elders in a way similar to NHs. Overall, residents in both groups had moderate to severe levels of disability and about 60 per cent had mild to severe cognitive problems. While their general features were heterogeneous, the AHMs were more comfortable and homelike than the NHs. The quality of and satisfaction with care was appropriate in both settings, although AHMs performed better. Only one-quarter of residents in both settings, however, evidenced a good level of psycho-social adaptation to their residence. This partnership approach is a good strategy to provide a useful range of housing types in communities that can respond to the needs of elders with moderate to severe disabilities.
Subclinical infection and asymptomatic carriage of gastrointestinal zoonoses: occupational exposure, environmental pathways, and the anonymous spread of disease
Authors: QUILLIAM R. S. , CROSS P. , WILLIAMS A. PRYSOR , EDWARDS-JONES G. , SALMON R. L. , RIGBY D. , CHALMERS R. M. , THOMAS D. Rh. , JONES D. L. 
Published: June 2013

SUMMARYAsymptomatic carriage of gastrointestinal zoonoses is more common in people whose profession involves them working directly with domesticated animals. Subclinical infections (defined as an infection in which symptoms are either asymptomatic or sufficiently mild to escape diagnosis) are important within a community as unknowing (asymptomatic) carriers of pathogens do not change their behaviour to prevent the spread of disease; therefore the public health significance of asymptomatic human excretion of zoonoses should not be underestimated. However, optimal strategies for managing diseases where asymptomatic carriage instigates further infection remain unresolved, and the impact on disease management is unclear. In this review we consider the environmental pathways associated with prolonged antigenic exposure and critically assess the significance of asymptomatic carriage in disease outbreaks Although screening high-risk groups for occupationally acquired diseases would be logistically problematical, there may be an economic case for identifying and treating asymptomatic carriage if the costs of screening and treatment are less than the costs of identifying and treating those individuals infected by asymptomatic hosts.
Participate or perish. Why archaeology must gain confidence
Authors: Larsson Åsa M. 
Published: June 2013

AbstractWhile other fields of the humanities have often brought forth intellectuals taking part in public discourse, influencing politics and society, archaeologists have been wary of sticking their necks out after the Second World War. However, the tradition of leaving it to others to connect prehistoric narratives to current politics or new scientific results is damaging both to the public understanding of our past and to our own discipline. In this article I argue that preconceptions of human past are guiding much decision making both locally and globally, and that it is therefore our responsibility to take an active part and to problematize this. Failing to do so only means that other people will cherry-pick our research for their own ends. More specifically, it will also lead to a drying up of funding in these difficult economic times, as archaeology takes a back seat to anthropology and sociology. I draw on personal experience to offer suggestions on how one could go about becoming part of the public debate and, in the long run, perhaps carve out a position as a public intellectual.
Can archaeologists intervene in public debate on urgent questions of a social, cultural or political nature? A reflection on the Israeli–Palestinian Archaeology Working Group (IPAWG)
Authors: Sayej Ghattas Jeries 
Published: June 2013

AbstractThe archaeologist's role in public life is not limited to only understanding, reflecting and informing on the past, but also should reveal who we are at present and help society in manoeuvring into the future. We are a major part of the public intellectuals who should intervene in public debate, not only in the media but also as a part of the decision-making process. We can contribute to making a difference in many aspects of human life, intellectually, socially, culturally and politically. This paper will aim to shed light on my involvement in the Israeli–Palestinian Archaeology Working Group (IPAWG). I will focus on how a small group of archaeologists has contributed positively to one of the most complicated political conflicts in modern history. I will also address an example from Al-Jib to indicate the role of archaeologists as scientists, citizens and public figures.
How to go public as an intellectual
Authors: Svanberg Fredrik 
Published: June 2013

AbstractBecoming a public intellectual, a voice read in major newspapers, asked for comments on television and in cultural debates, in an age where the range of platforms for expression are diversifying in a new digital landscape, has less to do with who you are – there are any number of potential public intellectuals – than with the mastery of public forms of expression. Going public as an intellectual is about the ability to build such a position, and there are typical paths to do so. It's a process. Cultural experts such as archaeological researchers have excellent starting points for engaging publicly and should do so in order to contribute with their specific cultural knowledge. Why don't you?
The global ring? Boxing, mobility, and transnational networks in the anglophone world, 1890–1914
Authors: Taylor Matthew 
Published: June 2013

AbstractThis article examines professional boxing as a compelling and dynamic example of globalization from below between 1890 and 1914. It explores the sport's fluctuating legal and organizational status and maps the movement of professional boxers – and the networks that facilitated this movement – across the anglophone world. Boxing was particularly suited to cross-national mobility because it developed alongside, and built upon, the global circuits of the late nineteenth-century entertainment industry. Yet the main sites of the anglophone boxing world were not connected in any structured or standardized fashion. Channels of communication and routes of traffic were continually shifting, with no one city, region or nation emerging as a consistent hub of activity. This article explores boxing's fluid, multiple and loosely structured ‘networks’, and shows how the sport remained largely resistant to international regulation and standardization in this period.