bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Renal sympathoinhibitory and regional vasodilator responses to cholecystokinin are altered in obesity‐related hypertension
Authors: How Jackie M. Y. , Pumpa Talia J. , Sartor Daniela M. 
Published: November 2012

New Findings
What is the central question of this study?The renal and splanchnic circulations command >50% of cardiac output postprandially, and the gut hormone cholecystokinin promotes renal and splanchnic sympathoinhibition and regional vasodilatation. Animals fed a high‐fat diet have blunted splanchnic sympathoinhibitory responses to cholecystokinin, but the role of gut peptides has not previously been considered in the aetiology of obesity‐related hypertension.
What is the main finding and its importance?Obese, hypertensive animals had blunted renal sympathoinhibitory and renal and mesenteric vasodilator responses to cholecystokinin. These changes may impact cardiovascular homeostasis and lead to increased regional vascular resistance after a meal. Future therapies to treat this condition may include drugs that target the gut.
The gut and kidney command >50% of cardiac output postprandially, highlighting the importance of these vascular beds in cardiovascular homeostasis. The gastrointestinal peptide cholecystokinin (CCK) induces vagally mediated splanchnic sympathoinhibition that is attenuated in animals fed a medium high‐fat diet (MHFD); therefore, our aim was to determine whether renal sympathetic nerve discharge (RSND) responses to CCK are also affected by this diet, and whether these changes are associated with obesity and hypertension. Another aim was to determine whether regional vasodilator responses to CCK are affected in obesity‐related hypertension. In two separate studies, Sprague–Dawley rats were fed either a low‐fat diet (LFD; control) or a MHFD for 13 weeks, after which MHFD animals were classified as obesity prone (OP) or obesity resistant (OR) based on their weight gain falling into the upper or lower tertile, respectively. Arterial pressure and heart rate were monitored in isoflurane‐anaesthetized, artificially ventilated animals, and either RSND or regional vascular responses to CCK (0.1–8 μg kg−1) were evaluated. The OP rats had higher baseline arterial pressure compared with control/OR rats (P < 0.05). Administration of CCK inhibited RSND and increased renal vascular conductance in control/OR rats, and these responses were significantly blunted in OP rats (P < 0.05 for all). Baseline arterial pressure was positively correlated with weight gain and inversely correlated with CCK‐induced vasodilatation (P < 0.05 for both). We hypothesize that in obesity‐related hypertension, disruption of the sympathoinhibitory signals elicited by CCK reduces vasodilatation in the splanchnic/renal regions, leading to increased postprandial vascular resistance.
Absence of glucose transporter 4 diminishes electrical activity of mouse hearts during hypoxia
Authors: Sohn Kwanghyun , Wende Adam R. , Abel E. Dale , Moreno Alonso P. , Sachse Frank B. , Punske Bonnie B. 
Published: November 2012

New Findings
What is the central question of this study?The aim of this study was to examine quantitatively whether glucose transporter 4 deficiency leads to more severe alterations in cardiac electrical activity during cardiac stress.
What is the main finding and what is its importance?When compared with hearts from corresponding control littermates, the measured epicardial potentials from the surface of cardiac‐selective glucose transporter 4‐ablated mouse hearts during hypoxia showed the following differences: (i) significant decreases in the maximal downstroke of the potentials; (ii) increased activation time; and (iii) greater alterations in the activation sequence.
Insulin resistance, which characterizes type 2 diabetes, is associated with reduced translocation of glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4) to the plasma membrane following insulin stimulation, and diabetic patients with insulin resistance show a higher incidence of ischaemia, arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death. The aim of this study was to examine whether GLUT4 deficiency leads to more severe alterations in cardiac electrical activity during cardiac stress due to hypoxia. To fulfil this aim, we compared cardiac electrical activity from cardiac‐selective GLUT4‐ablated (G4H−/−) mouse hearts and corresponding control (CTL) littermates. A custom‐made cylindrical ‘cage’ electrode array measured potentials (Ves) from the epicardium of isolated, perfused mouse hearts. The normalized average of the maximal downstroke of Ves (|dVes/dtmin|na), which we previously introduced as an index of electrical activity in normal, ischaemic and hypoxic hearts, was used to assess the effects of GLUT4 deficiency on electrical activity. The |dVes/dtmin|na of G4H−/− and CTL hearts decreased by 75 and 47%, respectively (P < 0.05), 30 min after the onset of hypoxia. Administration of insulin attenuated decreases in values of |dVes/dtmin|na in G4H−/− hearts as well as in CTL hearts, during hypoxia. In general, however, G4H−/− hearts showed a severe alteration of the propagation sequence and a prolonged total activation time. Results of this study demonstrate that reduced glucose availability associated with insulin resistance and a reduction in GLUT4‐mediated glucose transport impairs electrical activity during hypoxia, and may contribute to cardiac vulnerability to arrhythmias in diabetic patients.
Who seeks primary care for sleep, anxiety and depressive disorders from physicians prescribing homeopathic and other complementary medicine? Results from the EPI3 population survey
Authors: Grimaldi-Bensouda Lamiae , Engel Pierre , Massol Jacques , Guillemot Didier , Avouac Bernard , Duru Gerard , Lert France , Magnier Anne-Marie , Rossignol Michel , Rouillon Frederic , Abenhaim Lucien , Begaud Bernard ,   for the EPI3-LA-SER group
Published: November 2012

ObjectivesTo describe and compare patients seeking treatment for sleep, anxiety and depressive disorders (SADD) from physicians in general practice (GPs) with three different practice preferences: strictly conventional medicine (GP-CM), mixed complementary and conventional medicine (GP-Mx) and certified homeopathic physicians (GP-Ho).Design and settingThe EPI3 survey was a nationwide, observational study of a representative sample of GPs and their patients, conducted in France between March 2007 and July 2008.Participants1572 patients diagnosed with SADD.Primary and secondary outcomesThe patients’ attitude towards complementary and alternative medicine; psychotropic drug utilisation.ResultsCompared to patients attending GP-CM, GP-Ho patients had healthier lifestyles while GP-Mx patients showed similar profiles. Psychotropic drugs were more likely to be prescribed by GP-CM (64%) than GP-Mx (55.4%) and GP-Ho (31.2%). The three groups of patients shared similar SADD severity.ConclusionOur results showed that patients with SADD, while differing principally in their sociodemographic profiles and conventional psychotropic prescriptions, were actually rather similar regarding the severity of SADD in terms of comorbidities and quality of life. This information may help to better plan resource allocation and management of these common health problems in primary care.
Psychometric properties of a questionnaire to assess exercise-related musculoskeletal injuries in older adults attending a community-based fitness facility
Authors: Stathokostas Liza , Theou Olga , Vandervoort Tony , Raina Parminder 
Published: November 2012

ObjectivesThere currently exists no reliable or validated tool for the assessment of exercise-related injuries in older adults. The purpose was to develop and evaluate the psychometric properties of a questionnaire to measure exercise-related injury in older adults participating in supervised exercise programmes.DesignThe study utilised a repeated survey design.SettingThe study took place at one community-based older-adult exercise facility.ParticipantsThe questionnaire was administered to 110 community-dwelling older adults (45 men, mean age 75±8 years; 65 women, mean age 71±8 years). All participants completed the survey at both time points.Outcome measuresTest–retest reliability of the self-administered written questionnaire was determined at two-time points. The questionnaire asked participants about their exercise-related injury incurred at the facility in the 12 months. Items included the mechanism, cause and site of injury. The minimum requirement for reliability (κ coefficient) was set at 0.80.Results16% (n=18) reported having an injury. Test–retest reliability ranged from 0.76 to 1.00, with all but type of injury (0.76) having κ coefficients greater than 0.80. The lower extremities were the most common site of exercise-related injury. Overexertion movements were the most common cause of injury occurring during strength training exercises.ConclusionsThe present questionnaire assessing the 12-month recall in older adults is a reliable measure of exercise-related injuries and information gained indicates that older adults can safely participate in exercise activities.
Sexual and geographic organisation of men who have sex with men in a large East African city: opportunities for outreach
Authors: Ross Michael W , Nyoni Joyce , Bowen Anne M , Williams Mark L , Kashiha John J 
Published: November 2012

ObjectivesTo describe geographical and dispersion patterns of men who have sex with men (MSM)-related venues in a large East African city and their associations with times, participants and venue type.MethodsMapping of MSM sites in Dar es Salaam was carried out by community research workers who catalogued, observed and reported data on venue sites, formality, times of operation, type of participant, police or vigilante activity, length of operation and the degree to which it is known both in and outside the MSM and gay communities.ResultsThere is a large and widely disseminated MSM/gay satellite cultures of at least 98 sites, which has some formal sites, but is largely informal and operates within mixed entertainment environments and at particular times (including some weekend-only locales) across the city. There is a mix of places for sexual contact, largely social venues and sex on location sites. Cruising appears to be limited to open spaces and parks, with no vehicular component and almost no internet component. They are widely disseminated across all suburbs and there is no central location for MSM activities. MSM sex workers (SWs) operate at a third of these sites.ConclusionsThere is a large number of ‘local’ MSM contact, social and sex sites and any work with MSM will have to include these less-formal and less-known sites. The widely disseminated nature of the MSM sites, however, also suggests that sexual networks may not be closely linked between sites. The climate of stigma, abuse and potential violence appear to be limiting the development of more formal sites. This pattern is probably typical of other large urban areas in East Africa and perhaps across sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).
The patient satisfaction chasm: the gap between hospital management and frontline clinicians
Authors: Rozenblum Ronen , Lisby Marianne , Hockey Peter M , Levtzion-Korach Osnat , Salzberg Claudia A , Efrati Nechama , Lipsitz Stuart , Bates David W 
Published: November 2012

BackgroundAchieving high levels of patient satisfaction requires hospital management to be proactive in patient-centred care improvement initiatives and to engage frontline clinicians in this process.MethodWe developed a survey to assess the attitudes of clinicians towards hospital management activities with respect to improving patient satisfaction and surveyed clinicians in four academic hospitals located in Denmark, Israel, the UK and the USA.ResultsWe collected 1004 questionnaires (79.9% response rate) from four hospitals in four countries on three continents. Overall, 90.4% of clinicians believed that improving patient satisfaction during hospitalisation was achievable, but only 9.2% of clinicians thought their department had a structured plan to do so, with significant differences between the countries (p<0.0001). Among responders, only 38% remembered targeted actions to improve patient satisfaction and just 34% stated having received feedback from hospital management regarding patient satisfaction status in their department during the past year. In multivariate analyses, clinicians who received feedback from hospital management and remembered targeted actions to improve patient satisfaction were more likely to state that their department had a structured plan to improve patient satisfaction.ConclusionsThis portrait of clinicians’ attitudes highlights a chasm between hospital management and frontline clinicians with respect to improving patient satisfaction. It appears that while hospital management asserts that patient-centred care is important and invests in patient satisfaction and patient experience surveys, our findings suggest that the majority do not have a structured plan for promoting improvement of patient satisfaction and engaging clinicians in the process.
Self-reported patient safety competence among new graduates in medicine, nursing and pharmacy
Authors: Ginsburg Liane R , Tregunno Deborah , Norton Peter G 
Published: November 2012

BackgroundAs efforts to address patient safety (PS) in health professional (HP) education increase, it is important to understand new HPs’ perspectives on their own PS competence at entry to practice. This study examines the self-reported PS competence of newly registered nurses, pharmacists and physicians.MethodsA cross-sectional survey of 4496 new graduates in medicine (1779), nursing (2196) and pharmacy (521) using the HP Education in PS Survey (H-PEPSS). The H-PEPSS measures HPs’ self-reported PS competence on six socio-cultural dimensions of PS, including culture, teamwork, communication, managing risk, responding to risk and understanding human factors. The H-PEPSS asks about confidence in PS learning in classroom and clinical settings.ResultsAll HP groups reported feeling more confident in the dimension of PS learning related to effective communication with patients and other providers. Greater confidence in PS learning was reported for learning experiences in the clinical setting compared with the class setting with one exception—nurses’ confidence in learning aboutworking in teams with other HPsdeteriorated as they moved from thinking about learning in the classroom setting to thinking about learning in the clinical setting.ConclusionsLarge-scale efforts are required to more deeply and consistently embed PS learning into HP education. However, efforts to embed PS learning in HP education seem to be hampered by deficiencies that persist in the culture of the clinical training environments in which we educate and acculturate new HPs.
The relationship between commercial website ratings and traditional hospital performance measures in the USA
Authors: Bardach Naomi S , Asteria-Peñaloza Renée , Boscardin W John , Dudley R Adams 
Published: November 2012

BackgroundOur goal was to compare hospital scores from the most widely used commercial website in the USA to hospital scores from more systematic measures of patient experience and outcomes, and to assess what drives variation in the commercial website scores.MethodsFor a national sample of US hospitals, we compared scores on Yelp.com, which aggregates website visitor ratings (1–5 stars), with traditional measures of hospital quality. We calculated correlations between hospital Yelp scores and the following: hospital percent high ratings (9 or 10, scale 0–10) on the ‘Overall’ item on the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey; hospital individual HCAHPS domain scores (eg, nurse communication, pain control); hospital 30-day mortality; and hospital 30-day readmission rates.ResultsOf hospitals reporting HCAHPS (n=3796), 962 (25%) had scores on Yelp. Among hospitals with >5 Yelp ratings, the correlation of percent high ratings between Yelp and HCAHPS was 0.49 (p<0.001). The percent high ratings within each HCAHPS domain increased monotonically with increasing Yelp scores (p≤0.001 for all domains). Percent high ratings in Yelp and HCAHPS were statistically significantly correlated with lower mortality for myocardial infarction (MI; −0.19 for Yelp and −0.13 for HCAHPS) and pneumonia (−0.14 and −0.18), and fewer readmissions for MI (−0.17 and −0.39), heart failure (−0.31 and −0.39), and pneumonia (−0.18 and −0.27).ConclusionsThese data suggest that rater experiences for Yelp and HCAHPS may be similar, and that consumers posting ratings on Yelp may observe aspects of care related to important patient outcomes.
Mortality, hepatopathy and liver copper concentrations in artificially reared Jersey calves before and after reductions in copper supplementation
Authors: Hunter A. G. , Suttle N. , Martineau H. M. , Spence M. A. , Thomson J. R. , Macrae A. I. , Brown S. 
Published: November 2012

High winter mortality (28 per cent) in female Jersey calves (<one month) characterised by mild hepatopathy and enteropathy was investigated. Liver copper (Cu) was very high in casualties, but also high in culled, newborn males (19.2 ± 1.54 and 12.0 ± 2.74 sd mmol/kg dry matter (DM) respectively). Serum glutamate dehydrogenase (GLDH) was >80 IU/l in healthy females aged 3–24 weeks, and correlated with serum aspartate transaminase (AST). Copper supplementation of total mixed rations during lactation was excessive (40–60 mg added Cu/kg DM) and reduced to 16–28 mg Cu/kg, but supplementation of milk replacer and creep feed (10 and 35 mg added Cu/kg DM, respectively) continued. The syndrome recurred two years later, and liver Cu remained high in casualties (13.6 ± 2.6) and culled cows (6.38 ± 2.38 mmol/kg DM) prompting withdrawal of all Cu supplements. Mortality remained low (6–9 per cent) thereafter. Three years after removal of all Cu supplements, six culled newborn were examined postmortem; five had normal liver Cu (4.5 ± 1.73), but a sixth had 11.65 mmol/kg DM. In live, healthy calves (1‐6 months old) sampled at the same time, GLDH and AST increased with age to levels found five years earlier, indicating possible subclinical hepatopathy. Causative links between Cu supplementation, high calf mortality and hepatopathy are plausible, and reductions in Cu supplementation may prove beneficial in other dairy herds.
Preparation of silica-reinforced styrene–butadiene rubber via co-coagulation process
Authors: Wang Jieliang , Wu Yalan 
Published: November 2012

Styrene–butadiene rubber (SBR) was reinforced with silica (SiO2) by co-coagulating process. This study investigated the SiO2 amount, stirring time and pH value affecting the SiO2 content, curing characteristics and mechanical properties of SBR. Results showed that SiO2 content and reinforcing behavior were greatly influenced by the amount of SiO2 and pH value. The torque, tensile strength and elongation at break were optimal when the mass fraction of SiO2 was 21.5 wt%, stirring time was 6 h and pH value was 6.57. The utilized efficiency of SiO2 decreased with the increasing amount of SiO2 but increased with the increasing stirring time. The optimum cure time decreased with the increasing amount of SiO2. Both tensile strength and elongation at break decreased with the increasing pH value. Scanning electron microscopy observations showed that the SiO2 nanoparticles were distributed evenly in the SBR.
Long-term treatment with ramipril favourably modifies the haemostatic response to acute submaximal exercise in hypertensives
Authors: Galea Vassiliki , Triantafyllidi Helen , Theodoridis Theodoros , Koutroumbi Matina , Christopoulou-Cokkinou Vasiliki , Kremastinos Dimitrios , Anastasiou-Nana Maria , Lekakis John 
Published: November 2012

Introduction: Hypertension links to a prothrombotic state driven by endothelial dysfunction, reduced fibrinolytic potential and platelet hyperactivity. We hypothesized that ramipril treatment would favourably modify the haemostatic response to a submaximal aerobic exercise session in hypertensives. Methods: Twenty-four hypertensive patients underwent a submaximal exercise test before and after 13±2 months of treatment with ramipril ± hydrochlorothiazide. Hypercoagulability (prothrombin fragments [PF1+2], thrombin– antithrombin complex [TAT] and D-dimers [Dd]), fibrinolytic activity (plasmin–a2-antiplasmin complex [PAP]), endothelial function (von Willebrand factor [vWf] and soluble thrombomodulin [sTM]), and platelet function (soluble P-selectin [sPsel]) were measured before, at peak and one hour after exercise. Results: Antihypertensive treatment resulted in an increase of PAP, vWf and sTM. During the first exercise, PF1+2 were mildly increased at peak exercise ( p<0.05), while D-dimers, PAP and vWf varied significantly throughout the exercise ( p<0.001). During the second exercise session, PF1+2 were decreased post-exercise ( p<0.05), PAP was increased at peak and post-exercise ( p<0.001) and vWf was increased at peak ( p<0.05) and post-exercise ( p<0.001). Conclusions: The haemostatic response to exercise in hypertensives after approximately one year of ramipril treatment is characterized by the attenuated activation of coagulation, enhanced fibrinolysis and endothelial activation.
Synergistic effects of angiotensinogen −217 G→A and T704C (M235T) variants on the risk of severe preeclampsia
Authors: Shahvaisizadeh Farhad , Movafagh Abolfazl , Omrani Mir Davood , Vaisi-Raygani Asad , Rahimi Ziba , Rahimi Zohreh 
Published: November 2012

Background: The rate-limiting step of the renin–angiotensin system is the enzymatic cleavage of angiotensinogen (AGT) by renin. The aims of the present study were to investigate the association between AGT T704C (M235T) and −217 G→A polymorphisms with the risk of preeclampsia and synergistic effects of both polymorphisms on the susceptibility to preeclampsia. Methods: We studied AGT variants in 170 women with preeclampsia, including 84 women with mild and 86 women with severe forms of preeclampsia, and 100 age and parity matched controls. Results: There was a trend towards increased risk of severe preeclampsia in the presence of −217 AA (odds ratio (OR)=1.5, 95% confidence interval (CI)= 0.38–5.84, p=0.57) and TC+CC genotypes (OR=1.32, 95% CI= 0.67–2.58, p=0.42). However, the interaction of both alleles of −217A and 704C highly increased the risk of severe preeclampsia, by 2.23-fold, although this did not reach statistical significance. The frequency of the CC genotype of the T704C polymorphism in early-onset preeclampsia tended to be higher (35%) compared with that in patients with late-onset preeclampsia (21.7%). Conclusions: The present study demonstrates that both variants of AGT −217 G→A and T704C might work in synergism to influence the risk of severe preeclampsia, which needs to be confirmed in studies with larger sample size.
Welfare Economics of “Financial Fair Play” in a Sports League With Benefactor Owners
Authors: Madden Paul 
Published: November 2012

With European soccer leagues in mind, a novel model of club owner objectives nests standard profit (and win) maximization, but adds benefactor behavior where owners inject personal funds to increase their team’s quality. A “generosity” parameter differentiates owners; parameter value zero equates to profit maximizers, with benefactors emerging at sufficiently positive values. The model is used to investigate consequences of Union of European Football Associations’ (UEFA) “Financial Fair Play” regulations (FFP) for the league, aimed to preclude benefactor injections. Assuming (post-Bosman) a relatively large elasticity of talent supply to the league, FFP is a poor regulatory device, creating welfare losses for fans, owners, and players.