bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Systemic Oxidative Stress and Its Relationship with Age and Illness
Authors: Mezzetti Andrea , Lapenna Domenico , Romano Ferdinando , Costantini Fabrizio , Pierdomenico Sante D. , De Cesare Domenico , Cuccurullo Franco , Riario‐Sforza Giuseppe , Zuliani Giovanni , Fellin Renato ,   Associazione Medica “Sabin”
Published: April 2015

OBJECTIVE: It has recently been proposed that increased oxidative stress may play a role in the aging process and age‐associated degenerative diseases.DESIGN AND MEASUREMENTS: A cross‐sectional study was carried out to assess the relationship of circulating antioxidants, namely vitamins E and C, β‐carotene, proteic thiols (P‐SH) and ceruloplasmin, and of lipid peroxides, with both aging and aging with disability, i.e., unsuccessful aging.PARTICIPANTS: One hundred healthy free living and 62 disabled octo‐nonagenarians and 91 healthy adults were enrolled in the study.RESULTS: Free living and disabled older adults had lower antioxidant and higher lipid peroxide levels than healthy adults, as well as the disabled older adults compared with free living older persons. Using logistic regression, we observed that plasma concentrations of vitamins E and C, P‐SH, and lipid peroxides were independently associated with either aging or aging with disability, apparently representing biochemical indicators of patient status. In particular, aging and unsuccessful aging were associated with higher levels of lipid peroxides independently of circulating levels of vitamins C and E, suggesting that the increased oxidative stress was not merely an effect of a lower dietary intake of antioxidants. Serum ceruloplasmin was significantly higher in free living older adults than in healthy adults, and in the disabled compared with free living octo‐nonagenarians.CONCLUSIONS: Our findings are consistent with the presence of systemic oxidant load in older adults, and this phenomenon is far more evident in unsuccessful aging.
Characterization of Older Adults Who Attribute Functional Decrements to “Old Age”
Authors: Williamson Jeff D. , Fried Linda P. 
Published: April 2015

OBJECTIVE: Understanding the contributors to physical disability in older adults is an important component of the national health objective of expanding disability‐free life by the year 2000. The purpose of this study was to determine the frequency with which older adults attribute their difficulty performing a number of common daily tasks to “old age” and to identify specific conditions and diseases associated with this attribution. Finally we sought to determine the characteristics that might differentiate persons able to attribute their disability to specific conditions from those who cite old age as the etiology of their disability.DESIGN: A cross‐sectional, observational, study.SETTING: The Johns Hopkins Functional Status Laboratory.PARTICIPANTS: Two hundred thirty community‐dwelling volunteers 60 years of age and older who could stand unassisted for ≥1 minute and who were without cognitive impairment.MEASUREMENTS: A 1‐day evaluation included physical performance evaluations, both performance‐based and self‐reported function for 27 tasks, and self‐report of physician‐diagnosed diseases. Those with difficulty in a task and those who denied difficulty but had changed the method of task performance (modification) because of an underlying health or physical condition were identified and asked to name the cause of their difficulty or task modification; options were specific diseases/medical conditions or “old age.” The prevalence of “old age” citation as a cause of functional limitation, as well as its associated characteristics and medical conditions, was determined.MAIN RESULTS: Twenty percent of the 230 participants cited “old age” as the cause of their disability in two or more tasks. Tasks for which difficulty was most frequently attributed to “old age” were dressing oneself (31%), walking around the home (25%), walking 1/2 mile (5–6 blocks) (25%), cutting toenails (16%), getting in or out of a bed or chair or out a car (14% each), and ascending/descending stairs (13%). Significantly higher levels of arthritis, heart disease, and hearing loss were reported in persons attributing their disability to “old age” than in those not reporting “old age” as the cause of their disability. We found no differences in age, gender, race, education, or cognitive status for the two groups. However, individuals citing “old age” as the cause of functional decrements walked more slowly than those who cited a specific disease.CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that a significant proportion of functional decline attributed to “aging” in older adults may be associated with specific conditions. Identifying and reducing the impact of these conditions may prove to be a useful approach to preventing or minimizing functional loss.
Long Latency Ankle Responses to Dynamic Perturbation in Older Fallers and Non‐Fallers
Authors: Smith Britta N. , Segal Richard L. , Wolf Steven L. 
Published: April 2015

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of falling history and aging on the latency and magnitude of long latency responses in the lateral gastrocnemius (LG) and tibialis anterior (TA) muscles of older adults.DESIGN: Single observation study.SETTING: Emory University School of Medicine, Center for Rehabilitation Medicine, serving the greater Atlanta, Georgia, area.PARTICIPANTS: There were 62 community‐dwelling adults aged 60 or older, 32 with a history of two or more unexplained falls in the past year and 30 with no history of falls in the past year.MEASUREMENTS: The electromyographic activity of the gastrocnemius and tibialis anterior muscles was recorded bilaterally during repeated 10 degree dorsiflexion perturbations to standing subjects at the acceleration of gravity and a velocity of approximately 100 deg/sec. The latency and magnitude of the long latency EMG responses (LLR) of both muscles were determined and compared between individuals by falls history and by decades of age.MAIN RESULTS: No significant differences between falls status groups existed for mean LLR latencies or magnitudes of either LG or TA. Attenuation of the LLR throughout the trials was significantly different between groups. Non‐fallers demonstrated attenuation of the LG magnitude over the first five stretches. Fallers showed maladaptation of the LG response, with the latency becoming shorter over 25 trials. More than half of the subjects in both groups had one or more instances of temporal reversal of the response latencies, with the TA response occurring earlier than the LG response during the first five stretches. No differences existed in the LLR between age decades within faller or non‐faller groups. A timed measure of mobility (Up & Go) showed a significant difference between falls status, but not between age decades in either group.CONCLUSIONS: Lack of differences between falls status and age decade groups over all trials suggests that LLRs remain intact between older fallers and non‐fallers and between older age groups. The mechanism of perturbation is a distinguishing feature of this study and probably contributes to our findings. The appearance of an atypical response strategy in both groups, where the TA response often occurs before the LG response, has raised the question of whether there is always a stereotypical pattern of LLRs during postural perturbations outside the experimental setting. J Am Geriatr Soc 44:1447–1454, 1996.
Immunizations in Long‐Term Care Facilities: Policies and Practice
Authors: Nichol Kristin L. , Grimm Mary Beth , Peterson Diane C. 
Published: April 2015

PURPOSE: The present study was conducted to assess the policies and practices of nursing homes in regard to immunizations for residents and employees.METHODS: A 20‐item, cross‐sectional survey was mailed to all 445 Minnesota nursing homes from May through July 1993. Questions asked were about facility characteristics and their policies, practices, and attitudes regarding immunizations for residents and employees. Second and third mailings were sent to nonresponding institutions.RESULTS: The median size of the 399 (90%) responding institutions was 88 beds and 110 employees. The median number of residents on December 1, 1992, was 84. Although 99% of the facilities had an influenza vaccination program, only 69.3% had written policies. The mean influenza vaccination rate for residents was 84%, with higher rates in institutions having written policies, facility‐wide standing orders for vaccine administration, and in institutions that did not require written consent for vaccination. One‐third of the facilities had written policies for pneumococcal vaccination, and 16.3% had policies for tetanus/diphtheria. Twelvemonth immunization rates for these vaccines were 11.9% and 2.9%, respectively. Most facilities had an influenza vaccination program for employees with a mean vaccination rate of 33%. These rates were higher if the facility offered vaccine onsite, free of charge, and provided special inservice education to employees. Employee 12‐month vaccination rates for hepatitis B and tetanus/diphtheria were 23.2% and 1.7%, respectively. Few of the institutions included evaluation of immunization activities in their quality assurance programs.CONCLUSION: Many long‐term care facilities have inadequate policies and practices for ensuring their residents and employees immunity to important vaccine preventable diseases. These institutions, as caretakers for a vulnerable population, should develop and implement organized programs to immunize their residents and employees. By doing so, they will be able to take advantage of important opportunities to prevent illness and protect the health of their residents and employees. J Am Geriatr Soc 44:349–355, 1996.
Characteristics of Rural Homebound Older Adults: A Community‐Based Study
Authors: Ganguli Mary , Fox Andrea , Gilby Joanne , Belle Steven 
Published: April 2015

OBJECTIVE: To determine the frequency and characteristics of homebound older adults in a rural community.DESIGN: An epidemiological survey of an age‐stratified random community sample.SETTING: The rural mid‐Monongahela Valley in Southwestern Pennsylvania.PARTICIPANTS: A total of 878 noninstitutionalized persons aged 68 years and older, fluent in English, and with at least grade 6 education.MEASUREMENTS: The frequency with which subjects left their homes, the Mini‐Mental State Examination (MMSE) score, and additional information on demographics, self‐reported health problems, health services utilization, IADLs, depression, and social support were measured.RESULTS: 10.3% of the sample was classified as home‐bound. In univariate analyses, being homebound was found to be associated significantly (P < .001) with being older, female, and widowed and with MMSE and IADL impairment, with more depressive symptoms and worse social supports, fair to poor self‐rated general health, weight loss, and histories of stroke, angina, arthritis of the spine, and falls. In a multiple regression model, variables associated independently with homebound status were gender (odds ratio = 9.4, 95% confidence interval = 3.6 − 24.9), weight loss (OR = 3.7, CI = 1.7 − 8.2), IADL impairment (OR = 2.6, CI = 2.1 − 3.1), and depressive symptoms (OR = 2.1, CI = 1.3 − 3.2). Being homebound was also associated with recent acute hospitalization and use of home health and social services.CONCLUSIONS: These data provide evidence that homebound older adults have a disproportionate share of morbidity and disability and suggest a sociodemographic and clinical profile to help identify those older people at risk of being or becoming homebound. They also point to the need for home‐based health services for the older adults, particularly in medically underserved communities such as rural areas. J Am Geriatr Soc 44:363–370, 1996.
HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH
Authors: Sivaram Chittur A. , Ahmed Naveed , Lestina Joseph R. , Rubenstein Laurence Z. 
Published: April 2015

OBJECTIVE: To assess the value of the routine electrocardiogram (EKG) in the management of older (> 65 years) patients with cardiac disease during return visits to the ambulatory clinic.DESIGN: Retrospective chart analysis.SUBJECTS: Seventy‐one patients older than 65 years of age, with cardiac diagnoses, presenting for follow‐up visits.METHODS: Chart notes from 254 encounters with 71 patients in a cardiology clinic were analyzed. Excluded were new patients as well as patients followed in special arrhythmia clinics for pacemakers or significant arrhythmias. All patients underwent an EKG during each clinic visit, irrespective of their clinical status, according to the clinic's protocol. The frequency and nature of therapeutic decisions made in the clinic, the contribution of the EKG to the decision‐making process, the appropriateness of the EKG, and physician response to the EKG were assessed.MAIN RESULTS: Therapeutic decisions, the most common of which (28%) was medication changes, were made in 78 (31%) patients. The routine EKG was considered inappropriate in 60%. Unexpected diagnostic information not obtained from history or examination was not present in any encounter. EKG findings were not addressed by physicians in 22%.CONCLUSIONS: Most older patients seen in the cardiology clinic for return visits with stable symptoms do not benefit from EKGs. Unexpected diagnostic information from the EKG leading to major therapeutic decisions is rare in older people with stable symptoms. J Am Geriatr Soc 44:452–455, 1996.
Embedded Macroeconomic Institutions: Italy's Fiscal U‐Turn in the 1990s and Beyond
Authors: Marzinotto Benedicta 
Published: April 2015

AbstractShort‐term theories on the determinants of fiscal consolidation underestimate that fiscal regimes are as entrenched as any other institution of a political economy. The case of Italy's fiscal adjustment in the run‐up to EMU is used to show that external constraints and well‐functioning institutions may well be just auxiliary. The success factor in the country's macroeconomic stabilization was that competing socio‐economic interests, while all in favour of disinflation, could eventually agree on the size and composition of the adjustment thanks to side‐payments in the form of a devalued currency. These are unavailable under EMU, which explains why the fiscal reform momentum slowed down, notwithstanding EU fiscal rules. Domestic preference formation goes back a long way: it is associated with an incremental process of institutional change that started in 1981 with the enhanced independence of the Bank of Italy and continued with labour market and budget reform in the late 1980s.
Diagnostic stability in young children at risk for autism spectrum disorder: a baby siblings research consortium study
Authors: Ozonoff Sally , Young Gregory S. , Landa Rebecca J. , Brian Jessica , Bryson Susan , Charman Tony , Chawarska Katarzyna , Macari Suzanne L. , Messinger Daniel , Stone Wendy L. , Zwaigenbaum Lonnie , Iosif Ana‐Maria 
Published: April 2015

BackgroundThe diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) made before age 3 has been found to be remarkably stable in clinic‐ and community‐ascertained samples. The stability of an ASD diagnosis in prospectively ascertained samples of infants at risk for ASD due to familial factors has not yet been studied, however. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends intensive surveillance and screening for this high‐risk group, which may afford earlier identification. Therefore, it is critical to understand the stability of an ASD diagnosis made before age 3 in young children at familial risk.MethodsData were pooled across seven sites of the Baby Siblings Research Consortium. Evaluations of 418 later‐born siblings of children with ASD were conducted at 18, 24, and 36 months of age and a clinical diagnosis of ASD or Not ASD was made at each age.ResultsThe stability of an ASD diagnosis at 18 months was 93% and at 24 months was 82%. There were relatively few children diagnosed with ASD at 18 or 24 months whose diagnosis was not confirmed at 36 months. There were, however, many children with ASD outcomes at 36 months who had not yet been diagnosed at 18 months (63%) or 24 months (41%).ConclusionsThe stability of an ASD diagnosis in this familial‐risk sample was high at both 18 and 24 months of age and comparable with previous data from clinic‐ and community‐ascertained samples. However, almost half of the children with ASD outcomes were not identified as being on the spectrum at 24 months and did not receive an ASD diagnosis until 36 months. Thus, longitudinal follow‐up is critical for children with early signs of social‐communication difficulties, even if they do not meet diagnostic criteria at initial assessment. A public health implication of these data is that screening for ASD may need to be repeated multiple times in the first years of life. These data also suggest that there is a period of early development in which ASD features unfold and emerge but have not yet reached levels supportive of a diagnosis.
Estimation of serum malondialdehyde and assessment of DNA damage using comet assay in patients with oral submucous fibrosis
Authors: Paulose Swetha , Rangdhol Vishwanath , Ramesh Ramasamy , Jeelani Siccandar Ali , Brooklyin Sivakumar 
Published: April 2015

AbstractAimTo quantify the level of serum malondialdehyde and extent of DNA damage using comet assay in patients with oral submucous fibrosis (SMF) in comparison to normal individuals and to correlate the extent of DNA damage with MDA levels.MethodsStudy included 30 cases of SMF (n = 30) and equal number of healthy volunteers. Serum malondialdehyde was measured using the thiobarbituric–trichloroacetitic acid (TBA–TCA) method. Comet assay was used to assess the DNA damage. Association between the extent of DNA damage and serum MDA levels was analyzed in SMF statistically.ResultsComet assay results showed that there was an increase in tail length, percentage of tail DNA and tail moment among SMF subjects (P < 0.05). Serum MDA levels were elevated in SMF patients compared with healthy subjects. A significant positive correlation was observed between serum MDA levels and comet tail length in SMF group (r = 0.56; P < 0.05).ConclusionsPatients with SMF have increased DNA damage and elevated levels of lipid peroxidation compared with healthy controls. Evaluation of MDA levels as an oxidative biomarker along with comet assay analysis will serve as a diagnostic tool to identify patients with high risk of malignant potential in SMF.
Cytotoxicity of arctigenin and matairesinol against the T-cell lymphoma cell line CCRF-CEM
Authors: Su Shan , Cheng Xinlai , Wink Michael 
Published: April 2015

Abstract

Objectives
Arctigenin and matairesinol possess a diversity of bioactivities. Here we investigated the cytotoxicity of arctigenin and matairesinol against a T-cell lymphoma cell line CCRF-CEM and the underlying mechanisms that have not been explored before.

Methods
The cytotoxic activity was investigated using MTT assay. The cell cycle arrest and reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation were determined by flow cytometric analysis. The apoptosis induction was assessed using Annexin V/Propidium Iodide assay. The gene quantification analysis was measured through real-time polymerase chain reaction.

Key findings
Arctigenin and matairesinol exhibited significant antiproliferative activity against CCRF-CEM cells after 72 h treatment with IC50 values of 1.21 ± 0.15 μm and 4.27 ± 0.41 μm, respectively. In addition, both lignans arrest CCRF-CEM cells in the S phase. Furthermore, they could induce apoptosis in CCRF-CEM cells in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. Interestingly, the lignans differentially regulated the expression of several key genes involved in apoptosis pathways, including Bax, Bad and caspase-9. Moreover, both lignans could increase ROS levels in CCRF-CEM cells.

Conclusions
Our study provides an insight into the potential of arctigenin and matairesinol as good candidates for the development of novel agents against T-cell lymphoma.
Antimicrobial activity and synergy of antibiotics with two biphenyl compounds, protosappanins A and B from Sappan Lignum against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains
Authors: Zuo Guo-Ying , Han Zong-Qi , Han Jun , Hao Xiao-Yan , Tang Hua-Shu , Wang Gen-Chun 
Published: April 2015

Abstract

Objectives
This study aims to investigate antimicrobial ingredients from Sappan Lignum and to evaluate their synergy on methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains with antibiotics.

Methods
Bioactivity-guided phytochemical procedures were used to screen the active compounds. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) and minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBCs) were assayed by broth microdilution. The synergy was evaluated through checkerboard microdilution and loss of viability assays.

Key findings
Protosappanins A (PsA) and B (PsB) were identified from Sappan Lignum extracts. They showed active against both S. aureus and MRSA with MIC or MIC50 at 64 (PsA) and 128 (PsB) mg/L alone. When they were used in combination with antibiotics, they showed best synergy with amikacin and gentamicin with MIC50 (mg/L) of amikacin reduced more significantly from 32 to four (with PsA) and eight (with PsB), and the fractional inhibitory concentration index (FICI) ranged between 0.078 and 0.500 (FICI50 = 0.375). Moreover, the resistance of MRSA towards amikacin and gentamicin could be reversed by the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute criteria. The combined bactericidal mode could as well be synergy. PsA and PsB showed very low cytotoxicity in comparison with their promising activity against MRSA.

Conclusions
Protosappanins A and B showed both alone activities and resistance reversal effects of amikacin and gentamicin against MRSA, which warrant further investigations for potential combinatory therapy of MRSA infection.
Does Surgical Menopause Affect Sexual Performance Differently from Natural Menopause?
Authors: Kokcu Arif , Kurtoglu Emel , Bildircin Devran , Celik Handan , Kaya Aysegul , Alper Tayfun 
Published: April 2015

Abstract

Introduction
Hysterectomy is the most common major gynecologic operation, together with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy in the majority of women over the age of 45.

Aim
To investigate whether surgical menopause affects female sexual performance differently from natural menopause.

Methods
The study included 121 women who had undergone surgical menopause and 122 women who had undergone natural menopause. All the women had similar economic, sociocultural, and personal demographic profiles, had been postmenopausal for at least 1 year, and were between the ages of 45 and 65. The women were asked to complete a six-question survey of sexual performance parameters (sexual desire, coital frequency, arousal, orgasm frequency, dyspareunia, and vaginal lubrication). These sexual performance parameters were compared between the surgical and natural menopause groups.

Results
With the exception of vaginal lubrication, sexual performance parameters were not statistically different between the two groups (P &gt; 0.05). Vaginal lubrication in the surgically menopausal group was lower than in the naturally menopausal group (P &lt; 0.05). Serum dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate, prolactin, and thyrotropin levels were not statistically different between the groups (P &gt; 0.05), whereas serum estradiol and total testosterone levels in the surgically menopausal group were lower than those of the naturally menopausal group (P &lt; 0.05).

Conclusion
The results of this study showed that surgical menopause did not affect female sexual performance differently from natural menopause, with the exception of vaginal lubrication.