bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Disability, environmental factors and non-fatal injury
Authors: Leff Marilyn , Stallones Lorann , Xiang Huiyun , Whiteneck Gale 
Published: September 2010

BackgroundPeople with disabilities have high rates of non-fatal injury; they are also likely to experience environmental factors as barriers to functioning and participation in society. The reasons for the higher injury rates among those with disabilities have not been explained.ObjectiveTo determine if problems with environmental factors influence the higher rates of injury among disabled compared with non-disabled.DesignData from a population-based, random-digit dial cross-sectional telephone survey were analysed to evaluate whether environmental factors as measured by the Craig Hospital Inventory of Environmental Factors explained higher injury rates among those with disabilities compared with those without. A total of 2511 Colorado adults (1997 with no disability, 386 with moderate disability, and 128 with severe disability) were included in the sample. All rated their experience of environmental factors and reported injuries within the previous 12 months. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to evaluate whether environmental factors could be confounding factors in the association between disability and non-fatal injury.ResultsDisability and environmental barriers were independently associated with higher rates of injury. Environmental factors did attenuate the increased odds of experiencing an injury among those with severe disabilities, but these people continued to have significantly higher rates of injury after adjustment for environmental factors. The natural environment, social attitudes and policies were ranked highly as problems by all injured persons.ConclusionInjury prevention efforts need to focus on reducing disability-related injuries and reducing environmental barriers for all.
The effects of timing on the cost-effectiveness of interventions for workers on sick leave due to low back pain
Authors: van Duijn Miranda , Eijkemans Marinus J , Koes Bart W , Koopmanschap Marc A , Burton Kim A , Burdorf Alex 
Published: September 2010

ObjectiveTo examine the effects of different timing of structured interventions for workers on sick leave due to low back pain on return to work (RTW), and the consequences for costs and benefits.MethodsLiterature reviews were conducted to identify RTW curves and to estimate treatment effects, costs and benefits of structured interventions among workers on sick leave due to low back pain. RTW curves were mathematically described by Weibull functions and intervention effects, expressed by hazard ratios, were used to adjust these Weibull functions. Subsequently, these functions were used to evaluate the theoretical effects of interventions on reduction in number of days on sick leave and on the benefit–cost ratio.ResultsThe cost-benefits of a RTW intervention among workers on sick leave due to low back pain were determined by the estimated effectiveness of the intervention, the costs of the intervention, the natural course of RTW in the target population, the timing of the enrolment of subjects into the intervention, and the duration of the intervention.ConclusionWith a good RTW in the first weeks, the only early interventions likely to be cost-beneficial are inexpensive work-focused enhancements to early routine care, such as accommodating workplaces. Structured interventions are unlikely to have an additional impact on the already good prognosis when offered before the optimal time window at approximately 8 to 12 weeks. The generalisibility of the effectiveness of a RTW intervention depends on the comparability of baseline characteristics and RTW curves in target and source populations.
Lung cancer mortality from exposure to chrysotile asbestos and smoking: a case–control study within a cohort in China
Authors: Yano Eiji , Wang Xiaorong , Wang Mianzhen , Qiu Hong , Wang Zhiming 
Published: September 2010

ObjectiveTo confirm the association between exposure to chrysotile asbestos and lung cancer risk and to demonstrate the combined effect of smoking and asbestos exposure.MethodsA case–control study of 1139 asbestos workers identified 41 male lung cancer cases in 2001; each case was matched by age (±5 years) with five controls. Workers in seven workshops were categorised into high-, medium- and low-exposure subgroups, and conditional logistic regression was applied to estimate the odds ratios for lung cancer risk associated with the different exposure levels. Smoking, age at first exposure, and exposure duration were considered as covariates/confounding factors. A joint effect of asbestos exposure and smoking on lung cancer risk was analysed using a conditional logistical model.Results54% of cases had high exposure and 24% low exposure, while 24% of controls had high exposure and 44% low exposure. Smoking was more common in cases (90%) than in controls (73%). The adjusted OR for lung cancer was 3.66 (95% CI 1.61 to 8.29) for high exposure and was elevated slightly for medium exposure (1.25; 95% CI 0.47 to 3.31). Smoking was related to lung cancer risk (OR 3.33; 95% CI 1.10 to 10.08). In comparison with the low-exposure non-smoking group, the OR for the high-exposure smoking group was 10.39 (1.34 to 82.45), in contrast to 5.23 (0.50 to 54.58) for high-exposure non-smoking workers.ConclusionsThese results confirm the strong association between exposure to chrysotile asbestos and lung cancer risk, and support an interactive effect of asbestos exposure and smoking which is more than additive.
Long-term air pollution exposure and risk factors for cardiovascular diseases among the elderly in Taiwan
Authors: Chuang Kai-Jen , Yan Yuan-Horng , Chiu Shu-Yi , Cheng Tsun-Jen 
Published: September 2010

ObjectivesTo investigate changes in blood pressure, blood lipids, blood sugar and haematological markers of inflammation associated with changes in long-term exposure to ambient air pollutants.MethodsWe conducted secondary analyses of data on blood pressure and blood biochemistry markers from the Social Environment and Biomarkers of Aging Study in Taiwan and air pollution data from the Taiwan Environmental Protection Administration in 2000. Associations of 1-year averaged criteria air pollutants (particulate matter with aerodynamic diameters <10 μm (PM10) and <2.5 μm (PM2.5), ozone (O3), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulfur dioxide and carbon monoxide) with systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, total cholesterol, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, fasting glucose, haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), interleukin 6 (IL-6) and neutrophils were explored by applying generalised additive models.ResultsAfter controlling for potential confounders, we observed that increased 1-year averaged particulate air pollutants (PM10and PM2.5) and NO2were associated with elevated blood pressure, total cholesterol, fasting glucose, HbA1c, IL-6 and neutrophils. Associations of increased 1-year averaged O3with elevated blood pressure, total cholesterol, fasting glucose, HbA1c and neutrophils were also observed. In particular, our two-pollutant models showed that PM2.5was more significantly associated with end-point variables than two gaseous pollutants, O3and NO2.ConclusionsChanges in blood pressure, blood lipids, blood sugar and haematological markers of inflammation are associated with long-term exposure to ambient air pollutants. This might provide a link between air pollution and atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases.
Neuroplastic changes within the brains of manganese-exposed welders: recruiting additional neural resources for successful motor performance
Authors: Chang Yongmin , Song Hui-Jin , Lee Jae-Jun , Seo Jee-Hye , Kim Joo-Hyun , Lee Hui Joong , Kim Hye Jung , Kim Yangho , Ahn Joon-Ho , Park Sin-Jae , Kwon Jee Hyun , Jeong Kyoung Sook , Jung Doo-Kyo 
Published: September 2010

BackgroundIn a previous study, regional delivery of manganese (Mn)ions within the brain revealed that the metal accumulates in the basal ganglia, where it induces degeneration of the globus pallidus. Degeneration of the basal ganglia impairs motor ability by compromising an important neural circuit involved in the regulation of motor control. Therefore, much research has been devoted to identifying a sensitive and non-invasive imaging marker to evaluate the functional correlates of Mn-related brain dysfunction.MethodsWe performed the first-ever sequential finger-tapping functional MRI (fMRI) experiment to investigate the behavioural significance of additionally recruited brain regions in welders with chronic Mn exposure.ResultsDuring the finger tapping task, activation of the bilateral primary sensorimotor cortex (SM1), bilateral supplementary motor area (SMA), bilateral dorsolateral premotor cortex, bilateral superior parietal cortex and ipsilateral dentate nucleus was higher in the welding group (42 welders) than in the control group (26 controls). The pallidal index correlated with the activation observed in the contralateral SM1 for the finger tapping task of the left hand. The fMRI variables correlated with motor behaviour. Grooved Pegboard performances (right hand) correlated with activation, as seen in the ipsilateral and contralateral SMAs obtained during the finger tapping task of the right hand.ConclusionOur findings suggest that increased brain activation results from the compensational activation of ancillary cortical pathways, which ensures adequate motor function.
Prevalence and correlates of regional pain and associated disability in Japanese workers
Authors: Matsudaira Ko , Palmer Keith T , Reading Isabel , Hirai Masami , Yoshimura Noriko , Coggon David 
Published: September 2010

ObjectivesTo assess the prevalence and correlates of regional pain and associated disability in four groups of Japanese workers.MethodsAs part of a large international survey of musculoskeletal symptoms (the CUPID study), nurses, office workers, sales/marketing personnel and transportation operatives in Japan completed a self-administered questionnaire (response rate 83%) covering experience of pain in six anatomical regions, associated disability and sickness absence, and various possible occupational and psychosocial risk factors for these outcomes. Associations with risk factors were assessed by logistic regression.ResultsAnalysis was based on 2290 subjects. Rates of regional pain were generally less than in the UK, with a particularly low prevalence of wrist/hand pain among office workers (6% in past month). The strongest and most consistent risk factor for regional pain in the past month was tendency to somatise (ORs (95% CIs) for report of ≥2 versus 0 distressing somatic symptoms 3.1 (2.4 to 4.0) for low back pain, 2.8 (2.1 to 3.8) for shoulder pain, and 2.5 (1.6 to 4.1) for wrist/hand pain). Sickness absence for regional pain complaints in the past year was reported by 5% of participants, the major risk factor for this outcome being absence during the same period for other medical reasons (OR 3.7, 95% CI 2.4 to 5.8).ConclusionsJapanese office workers have markedly lower rates of wrist/hand pain than their UK counterparts. In Japan, as in Western Europe, somatising tendency is a major risk factor for regional pain. Sickness absence attributed to regional pain complaints appears to be much less common in Japan than in the UK, and to be driven principally by a general propensity to take sickness absence.
Stress management interventions in the workplace improve stress reactivity: a randomised controlled trial
Authors: Limm Heribert , Gündel Harald , Heinmüller Mechthild , Marten-Mittag Birgitt , Nater Urs M , Siegrist Johannes , Angerer Peter 
Published: September 2010

ObjectiveTo examine the long-term effects of a stress management intervention (SMI) based on the effort–reward imbalance (ERI) model, on psychological and biological reactions to work stress.Methods174 lower or middle management employees (99% male) were randomly assigned to an intervention or a waiting control group. The programme comprised 24×45 min group sessions (2 full days followed by two 4×45 min sessions within the next 8 months) on individual work stress situations. The primary endpoint was perceived stress reactivity (Stress Reactivity Scale, SRS), while secondary endpoints were salivary cortisol and α-amylase, anxiety and depression, and ERI. Assessments were repeated in 154 participants 1 year later.ResultsSRS score decreased in both groups. A two-factor ANOVA with repeated measures showed a significant time×group effect (F=5.932; p=0.016) with the greater reduction in the intervention group. For SRS, the effect size (Cohen's d) after 1 year was d=0.416 in the intervention and d=0.166 in the control group. α-Amylase as a measure of sympathetic nervous system activation, decreased more strongly in the intervention group (area under the daytime curve and daytime slope: time×group effect p=0.076 and p=0.075). No difference was observed for cortisol. For depression, anxiety and ERI, improvements were higher in the intervention group but did not reach statistical significance.ConclusionsSMI based on work stress theory, is effective in reducing perceived stress reactivity and sympathetic activation in lower and middle management employees. Other mental health parameters and ERI show a tendency towards improvement. These beneficial effects are present 1 year later.
The relationship between multiple myeloma and occupational exposure to six chlorinated solvents
Authors: Gold Laura S , Stewart Patricia A , Milliken Kevin , Purdue Mark , Severson Richard , Seixas Noah , Blair Aaron , Hartge Patricia , Davis Scott , De Roos Anneclaire J 
Published: September 2010

ObjectivesFew studies have examined whether exposure to chlorinated solvents is associated with multiple myeloma. We evaluated associations between multiple myeloma and occupational exposure to six chlorinated solvents: 1,1,1-trichloroethane, trichloroethylene (TCE), methylene chloride (DCM), perchloroethylene, carbon tetrachloride and chloroform.MethodsIn-person interviews obtained occupational histories and information on jobs with likely solvent exposure. We assigned exposure metrics of probability, frequency, intensity and confidence using job-exposure matrices modified by job-specific questionnaire information. We used logistic regression to estimate ORs and 95% CIs for associations between multiple myeloma and ever exposure to each, and any, chlorinated solvent and analysed whether associations varied by duration and cumulative exposure. We also considered all occupations that were given the lowest confidence scores as unexposed and repeated all analyses.ResultsRisk of multiple myeloma was elevated for subjects ever exposed to 1,1,1-trichloroethane (OR (95% CI): 1.8 (1.1 to 2.9)). Ever exposure to TCE or DCM also entailed elevated, but not statistically significant, risks of multiple myeloma; these became statistically significant when occupations with low confidence scores were considered unexposed (TCE: 1.7 (1.0 to 2.7); DCM: 2.0 (1.2 to 3.2)). Increasing cumulative exposure to perchloroethylene was also associated with increasing multiple myeloma risk. We observed non-significantly increased multiple myeloma risks with exposure to chloroform; however, few subjects were exposed.ConclusionsEvidence from this relatively large case-control study suggests that exposures to certain chlorinated solvents may be associated with increased incidence of multiple myeloma; however, the study is limited by relatively low participation (52%) among controls.
Hyaluronan Inhibits Postchemotherapy Tumor Regrowth in a Colon Carcinoma Xenograft Model
Authors: Mueller Barbara M. , Schraufstatter Ingrid U. , Goncharova Valentina , Povaliy Tatiana , DiScipio Richard , Khaldoyanidi Sophia K. 
Published: September 2010

AbstractBone marrow hypoplasia and pancytopenia are among the most undesirable sequelae of chemotherapy for the treatment of cancer. We recently showed that hyaluronan (HA) facilitates hematopoietic recovery in tumor-free animals receiving chemotherapeutic agents. However, following a chemotherapeutic regimen in tumor-bearing animals, it is possible that residual tumor cells might respond to systemic injections of HA. Thus, in this study, we investigated the effect of HA on the regrowth of residual tumor cells following chemotherapy. As a model, we used the HCT-8 human colon carcinoma cell line, which expresses the HA receptor CD44, binds exogenous HA, and is susceptible to a chemotherapy protocol containing irinotecan and 5-fluorouracil in a human/mouse xenograft model. HCT-8 cells were implanted in severe combined immunodeficient mice, followed by irinotecan/5-fluorouracil treatment. After three rounds of chemotherapy, residual tumors were allowed to regrow in the presence or absence of HA. The dynamics of tumor regrowth in the group treated with HA was slower compared with the control group. By week 5 after tumor implantation, the difference in the size of regrown tumors was statistically significant and correlated with lower proliferation and higher apoptosis in HA-treated tumors as compared with controls. This finding provides evidence that HA treatment does not stimulate but delays the growth of residual cancer cells, which is an important parameter in establishing whether the use of HA can enhance current chemotherapeutic strategies. Mol Cancer Ther; 9(11); 3024–32. ©2010 AACR.
Nanaomycin A Selectively Inhibits DNMT3B and Reactivates Silenced Tumor Suppressor Genes in Human Cancer Cells
Authors: Kuck Dirk , Caulfield Thomas , Lyko Frank , Medina-Franco Jose L. 
Published: September 2010

Abstract
Enzymes involved in the epigenetic regulation of the genome represent promising starting points for therapeutic intervention by small molecules, and DNA methyltransferases (DNMT) are emerging targets for the development of a new class of cancer therapeutics. In this work, we present nanaomycin A, initially identified by a virtual screening for inhibitors against DNMT1, as a compound inducing antiproliferative effects in three different tumor cell lines originating from different tissues. Nanaomycin A treatment reduced the global methylation levels in all three cell lines and reactivated transcription of the RASSF1A tumor suppressor gene. In biochemical assays, nanaomycin A revealed selectivity toward DNMT3B. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first DNMT3B-selective inhibitor identified to induce genomic demethylation. Our study thus establishes the possibility of selectively inhibiting individual DNMT enzymes. Mol Cancer Ther; 9(11); 3015–23. ©2010 AACR.
An Earlier Sunnī Version of Khomeini’s Rule of the Jurist: Mustafā l-Sibāī on Ulamā and Politics
Authors: Meir Hatina 
Published: September 2010

AbstractThe notion of “the rule of the jurist” is identified exclusively with Ayatollah Khomeini, and was implemented politically following the Islamic revolution in Iran in 1979. What was perceived as a revolutionary innovation in Šia Islam, however, was seen as alien in Sunnī Islam. Traditionally, Sunnī Ulamā were identified as “men of the pen”, whose task was to preserve religious knowledge but not to assume state authority. Sunnī Islamic movements of the twentieth century did not alter this traditional viewpoint. Most of their leaders actually criticized the Ulamās submission to secular rulers. Indeed, Sunnī circles—as Khomeini himself—spoke of the urgent need to establish an Islamic government to combat imperialism and Westernization, but did not assign any political function to the religious scholars.The paper focuses on a different view, that of Šayh Mustafā l-Sibāī (d. 1964), of Syrian origin, who asserted in the late 1930s that Ulamā are the best guardians of the nation’s rights. Their entry into politics is neither improper nor deviant, he held, but rather a confirmation of the historic reality in the formative period of Islam. Al-Sibāī’s perception was put into practice with the establishment of the Muslim Brethren in Syria in 1946, but this perception failed to gain momentum.The paper illuminates an interesting episode in modern Sunnī political thought: an early Sunnī version of Khomeini’s “the rule of the jurist”. While the Sunnī version remained a textual idea, the Šīite version turned into living political reality, exposing the asymmetry between the status of Sunnī and Šīite Ulamā in modern times.
Pious Muslims in the Making: A Closer Look at Narratives of Ascetic Conversion
Authors: Sirry Munim 
Published: September 2010

AbstractThis article examines conversion narratives of some Sufi ascetics by looking closely at their life-stories as expounded in Sufi biographical traditions. How is the ascetic conversion told in the Sufi biographical sources? What kind of purpose do the ascetic conversion narratives serve? In what sense can we see the ascetic practices as an intentional language of protest and opposition? and against whom/what? These questions form the major concern of this article. Different narratives of ascetic conversion will be discussed with the intention of demonstrating the larger context of setting the boundaries of an Islamic piety within which the portrait of idealized pious Muslims is framed in the main traditions of Sufi hagiography. It is, therefore, hoped that this article will shed light on the transformation of individuals from ordinary people to idealized pious Muslims.
The Facts of Inequality
Authors: O'Neill Martin 
Published: September 2010

AbstractThis review essay looks at two important recent books on the empirical social science of inequality, Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett's The Spirit Level and John Hills et al.'s Towards a More Equal Society?, situating these books against the important work of Michael Marmot on epidemiology and health inequalities. I argue that political philosophy can gain a great deal from careful engagement with empirical research on the nature and consequences of inequality, especially in regard to empirical work on the relationship between socioeconomic inequality, status, self-respect, domination, autonomy, the quality of social relations, and societal health outcomes. The essay also raises some methodological questions about the approach taken by Wilkinson and Pickett, as well as questioning the ways in which their argument is (or is not) best understood as being fundamentally egalitarian in character. It concludes with some reflections, prompted by Hills et al., on the lessons that should be learned by egalitarians from the experience of the Blair and Brown governments in the UK.
A Horse in the Basement Nietzschean Reflections on Political Philosophy
Authors: Bittner Rüdiger 
Published: September 2010

AbstractPolitical philosophers often see their task in providing a justification of states, with 'justification' understood, in analogy to the theological use of the term, as an argument showing states to be right, or unobjectionable. Political philosophers disagree on what property of a state it is that is required for its being right. In fact, it is difficult to see what could give this or that property of a state its right-making power. Since there is nothing that states as such are called upon to be or to do, claims to the effect that some property or other is right-making are unfounded. The task of justification falling away, then, political philosophers should rather ask what should be done now with states.
Does Value Pluralism Entail Liberalism?
Authors: Talisse Robert 
Published: September 2010

AbstractIsaiah Berlin repeatedly attempted to derive liberalism from value pluralism. It is generally agreed that Berlin's arguments fail; however, neo-Berlinians have taken up the project of securing the entailment. This paper begins with an account of why the Berlinian project seems attractive to contemporary theorists. I then examine Berlin's argument. With this background in place, I argue that recent attempts by William Galston and George Crowder to rescue the Berlinian project do not succeed.