bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Efficacy and safety of pregabalin for treating neuropathic pain associated with diabetic peripheral neuropathy: a 14 week, randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled trial
Authors: Satoh J. , Yagihashi S. , Baba M. , Suzuki M. , Arakawa A. , Yoshiyama T. , Shoji S. 
Published: October 2010

Diabet. Med. 28, 109–116 (2011)AbstractAims  To evaluate the efficacy, safety and pharmacokinetics of pregabalin in treating neuropathic pain associated with diabetic peripheral neuropathy in Japanese patients.Methods  A randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled, multicentre 14 week clinical trial was conducted. Japanese patients with diabetic peripheral neuropathy (n = 317) were randomized to receive placebo or pregabalin at 300 or 600 mg/day. The primary efficacy measure was a change of mean pain score from baseline to end‐point from patients’ daily pain diaries.Results  Significant reductions in pain were observed in patients treated with pregabalin at 300 and 600 mg/day vs. placebo (P < 0.05). Improvements in weekly pain scores were observed as early as week 1 and were sustained throughout the study period (300 and 600 mg/day difference from placebo at study end‐point, –0.63 and –0.74, respectively). Pregabalin produced significant improvements in weekly sleep interference scores, the short‐form McGill Pain Questionnaire, the Medical Outcomes Study–Sleep Scale, the 36‐item Short‐Form Health Survey scale, and the Patient and Clinical Global Impression of Change. Patient impressions of numbness, pain and paraesthesia were also significantly improved. Regarding treatment responders, 29.1 and 35.6% of patients treated with 300 and 600 mg/day, respectively, reported ≥50% improvement in mean pain scores (vs. 21.5% for placebo). Pregabalin was well tolerated; somnolence (26%), dizziness (24%), peripheral oedema (13%) and weight gain (11%) were the most common adverse events and generally were reported as mild to moderate.Conclusions  Pregabalin was effective in reducing pain and improving sleep disturbances due to pain, and was well tolerated in Japanese patients with painful DPN.
Variation at local government level in the support for families of severely disabled children and the factors that affect it
Authors: FORSYTH ROB , MCNALLY RICHARD , JAMES PETER , CROSSLAND KEVIN , WOOLLEY MARK , COLVER ALLAN 
Published: October 2010

Aim  The aim of this study was to examine geographical variability in the support for families caring for children with severe disabilities as well as the relationships between this variability and local government social and educational performance indicators.Method  Data were collected from a cross‐sectional, self‐completed postal survey of the families of 5862 children and young people (aged 0–24y, mean 10y 7mo; 68% male) with severe disabilities resulting in a variety of impairments (21% with autism spectrum disorders, 16% with learning disabilities,* 13% with emotional and behavioural difficulties, and 13% with cerebral palsy [CP]). Data on the severity of intrinsic impairment were assessed using the Health Utilities Index, and the need for support was assessed from the results of a novel parent‐completed questionnaire, the European Child Environment Questionnaire (ECEQ). These responses were related to data published by local authorities on educational and social policy.Results  Higher levels of unmet need and lack of support, as reported by parents of children and young people with severe disabilities, are associated with greater impairment but not with socioeconomic deprivation. After controlling for impairment and diagnosis, variation at local government level is of the order of 1 to 1.5 ECEQ standard deviation scores. The best‐ and the worst‐performing local authorities – in terms of the averages of the ‘support’ scores reported by their surveyed residents – cluster in urban areas. For children with CP, a positive correlation was found between the reported unmet educational support requirements in each local authority area and rates of mainstream school placement for children with special educational needs. This indicates that the placement of children with disabilities into mainstream schools is associated with reported unmet need (r=0.60; p=0.01). In the case of children with autism spectrum diagnoses, the provision of additional basic educational support in mainstream primary education was associated with lower average local authority scores for unmet need, suggesting that this support was appreciated by residents (r=−0.75; p=0.005).Interpretation  Parent‐reported unmet need in the care of children with disabilities shows significant geographical variation after adjustments for severity, type of impairment, and socioeconomic deprivation. Associations between some aspects of reported unmet need and local authority performance indicators suggest that support for families of children with severe disabilities may be improved by policy changes at local government level.
Consumer behaviour in the credit card market: a banking case study
Authors: Pulina Manuela 
Published: October 2010

AbstractThis paper analysed the demographic, socio‐economic and banking‐specific determinants that influence the choice of credit cards. A multinomial logit model was run on a recent portfolio of banking customers based in Italy. The model incorporates the type of credit cards as the dependent variable and a set of explanatory variables. The empirical results provided useful insight into the structural characteristics of the card payment system and offered a microeconomics perspective to analyse consumers' behaviour and preferences. Overall, women, older people, residents in the centre of Italy and secondary card owners are more likely to acquire a classic card. Gold cards are preferred by older customers, whereas younger clients have a higher probability to choose a revolving card, which is also preferred by the residents in the North‐east. The analysis on the continuous variables highlighted that Italy can be regarded as a ‘conservative’ market with room for credit card upgrading and expansion into more sophisticated products.
Administration of thiazolidinediones for neuroprotection in ischemic stroke: a pre‐clinical systematic review
Authors: White Amanda T. , Murphy Anne N. 
Published: October 2010

J. Neurochem. (2010) 115, 845–853.AbstractThiazolidinediones (TZDs) may prevent or attenuate CNS injury arising from an ischemic event. We performed meta‐analysis of experimental studies in which a TZD (either rosiglitazone or pioglitazone) was administered in a rodent model of focal or global cerebral ischemia. Infarct volume was the primary endpoint for analysis of drug efficacy, and neurological outcome was also assessed. We identified 31 studies through the use of PubMed and Embase, 22 of which met our pre‐specified inclusion criteria and were analyzed with the Cochrane Review Manager software. Treatment with TZDs decreased infarct volume and improved neurological outcome regardless of study quality, dose timing, or ischemia model (transient or permanent). Rosiglitazone and pioglitazone were similarly effective in reducing infarct volume and protecting neurologic function. Importantly, the collective data suggest that pre‐treatment with a TZD is not required for neuroprotection, although additional studies are clearly needed to define the breadth of the therapeutic window. The data warrant further studies into the potential acute use of TZDs for ischemic stroke therapy in the general population.
Transient diabetes mellitus in a neonatal Thoroughbred foal
Authors: Navas de Solis Cristobal , Foreman Jonathan H. 
Published: October 2010

AbstractObjective
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To describe the clinical presentation, treatment, and outcome of a neonatal foal diagnosed with transient Type 1 diabetes mellitus.Case Summary
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A 3‐day‐old Thoroughbred foal presented with a 24‐hour history of diarrhea and depression. Coronavirus particles were observed in the feces via electron microscopy. During hospitalization the foal developed hyperglycemia concomitantly with low insulin concentration and an adequate response to exogenous insulin therapy supported a diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes mellitus. The foal required SC insulin for 26 days, but developed complications associated with insulin therapy that resolved with appropriate care. On follow up assessment the foal was found to be a healthy euglycemic animal with normal insulin concentration at 11 months of age.New or Unique Information Provided
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To our knowledge this is the first report of Type 1 diabetes in this age group and the first report of transient neonatal diabetes mellitus in horses. Type 1 diabetes mellitus should be considered a differential diagnosis for hyperglycemia in equine neonates and that it can be transient and managed successfully.
Effect of New Disability Subtype on 3‐Year Mortality in Chinese Older Adults
Authors: Feng Qiushi , Hoenig Helen M. , Gu Danan , Yi Zeng , Purser Jama L. 
Published: October 2010

OBJECTIVES: To examine a new method of classifying disability subtypes by combining self‐reported and performance‐based tools to predict mortality in older Chinese adults.DESIGN: Prospective cohort study.SETTING: Community‐dwelling older adults.PARTICIPANTS: Sixteen thousand twenty Chinese adults aged 65 and older from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS).MEASUREMENTS: Self‐reported activities of daily living (ADLs) and physical performance (PP) tests (chair standing, lifting a book from floor, turning 360°) cross‐classified to create mutually exclusive disability subtypes: subtype 0 (no limitations in PP or ADLs), subtype 1 (limitations in PP, no limitations in ADLs), subtype 2 (no limitations in PP, limitations in ADLs), and subtype 3 (limitations in PP and ADLs). Outcome was mortality over 3 years.RESULTS: Cox proportional hazard models, controlling for sociodemographic variables, living situation, healthcare access, social support, health status, and life‐style, showed that older adults without any limitations in ADLs or PP had significantly lower mortality risk than those with other disability subtypes and that there was a graded pattern of greater mortality according to subtype 1 (hazard ratio (HR)=1.31, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.20–1.42), 2 (HR=1.39, 95% CI=1.23–1.59), and 3 (HR=1.88, 95% CI=1.72–2.05). When compared with the average survival curve in the cohort, subtypes of isolated performance deficits or self‐reported disability did not substantially discriminate risks of death over 3 years.CONCLUSION: Combined use of self‐reported and PP tools is necessary when screening for mutually exclusive disability subtypes that confer significantly higher or lower mortality risks on a population of older adults.
Prognostic Effect of Exercise Capacity on Mortality in Older Adults with Diabetes Mellitus
Authors: Nylen Eric S. , Kokkinos Peter , Myers Jonathan , Faselis Charles 
Published: October 2010

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the prognostic effect of exercise capacity in older individuals with diabetes mellitus.DESIGN: Retrospective data review in a clinic‐based cohort.SETTING: Veterans Affairs Medical Centers in Washington, District of Columbia, and Palo Alto, California.PARTICIPANTS: Two thousand eight hundred sixty‐seven men aged 50 to 87 with type 2 diabetes mellitus.MEASUREMENTS: Exercise tolerance testing with fitness categories based on peak metabolic equivalents of task (METs) achieved adjusted for age. All‐cause mortality in age groups 50 to 65 (Group 1; n=1,658) and older than 65 (Group 2; n=1,209) was analyzed using adjusted Cox proportional hazards models.RESULTS: After a mean ± standard deviation follow‐up period of 7.8 ± 5.1 years, there were 324 deaths in Group 1 (20%) and 464 in Group 2 (38%). For each 1‐MET increase in exercise capacity, mortality was 18% lower for the entire cohort (hazard ratio (HR)=0.82, 95% confidence interval (CI)=0.79–0.86), 23% lower for Group 1 (HR=0.77, 95% CI=0.73–0.82), and 16% lower for Group 2 (HR=0.84, 95% CI=0.8–0.89). When fitness categories were considered, the mortality risk was 30% to 80% lower for those who achieved more than 4 METs in both age groups.CONCLUSION: Augmented exercise capacity is associated with lower risk of mortality in people with type 2 diabetes mellitus aged 50 to 65 as well as in those older than 65. Thus, physical fitness, as represented by exercise capacity, lowers mortality risk in people with diabetes mellitus irrespective of age. These findings suggest that healthcare providers should be cognizant of the level of exercise capacity in individual patients and encourage a physically active lifestyle regardless of age.
Sisters in Motion: A Randomized Controlled Trial of a Faith‐Based Physical Activity Intervention
Authors: Duru O. Kenrik , Sarkisian Catherine A. , Leng Mei , Mangione Carol M. 
Published: October 2010

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate a faith‐based intervention (Sisters in Motion) intended to increase walking in older, sedentary African‐American women.DESIGN: Randomized controlled trial using within‐church randomization.SETTING: Three Los Angeles churches.PARTICIPANTS: Sixty‐two African‐American women aged 60 and older who reported being active less than 30 minutes three times per week and walked less than 35,000 steps per week as measured using a baseline pedometer reading.INTERVENTION: Intervention participants received a multicomponent curriculum including scripture readings, prayer, goal‐setting, a community resource guide, and walking competitions. Intervention and control participants both participated in physical activity sessions.MEASUREMENTS: The primary outcome was change in weekly steps walked as measured using the pedometer. Secondary outcomes included change in systolic blood pressure (SBP). Outcomes were assessed at baseline and 6 months after the intervention.RESULTS: Eighty‐five percent of participants attended at least six of eight sessions. Intervention participants averaged 12,727 steps per week at baseline, compared with 13,089 steps in controls. Mean baseline SBP was 156 mmHg for intervention participants and 147 mmHg for controls (P=.10). At 6 months, intervention participants had increased their weekly steps by 9,883 on average, compared with an increase of 2,426 for controls (P=.02); SBP decreased on average by 12.5 mmHg in intervention participants and only 1.5 mmHg in controls (P=.007).CONCLUSION: The Sisters in Motion intervention led to an increase in walking and a decrease in SBP at 6 months. This is the first randomized controlled trial of a faith‐based physical activity program to increase physical activity in older African‐American women and represents an attractive approach to stimulate lifestyle change in this population.
Receipt of Influenza and Pneumonia Vaccinations: The Dual Disparity of Rural Minorities
Authors: Bennett Kevin J. , Bellinger Jessica D. , Probst Janice C. 
Published: October 2010

OBJECTIVES: To examine the receipt of age‐appropriate influenza and pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccinations (PPV), with particular attention to rural minority persons.DESIGN: Data were drawn from the 2005 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. The dependent variables were self‐reported receipt of annual influenza immunizations in adults aged 50 and older (n=177,417) or lifetime pneumococcal immunizations in adults aged 65 and older (n=81,762). The main independent variables were residence and race.MEASUREMENTS: All data are self‐reported. Multivariate analysis controlled for selected personal and county‐level characteristics. Analyses were conducted in 2009/10.RESULTS: Forty‐two percent of adults aged 50 and older reported an influenza vaccination; 31.1% of rural African Americans reported an influenza vaccination, and 64.6% reported a PPV. White and African‐American rural residents reported lower vaccination rates. Adjusted analysis indicated an interaction between race and rurality. White rural residents were more likely to be vaccinated than other whites, whereas rural African Americans were less likely to be vaccinated than urban African Americans.CONCLUSION: This study confirms previous findings while finding an interactive effect between rurality and race. The results indicated the importance of provider availability to delivery. Alternative delivery methods may be an effective solution to improve delivery rates.
Comparing Forms of Common Property Resource and Collective Goods Organizations Operating Water Markets in the Colorado Lower Arkansas River Basin
Authors: Lepper Troy , Freeman David 
Published: October 2010

AbstractWhat sociological attributes characterize the form of an enduring social organization that empowers individually rational self‐interested actors to provide themselves with a common property or collective goods resource? To address this question, two common property/collective goods organizations for water management—located in the Arkansas River Basin of Colorado—were compared. The method was to assess attributes of each organization against those of conceptual benchmarks that reflect a tradition of common property resource and collective goods organizational research. The organizations were the Arkansas River Water Bank Pilot Program and the Lower Arkansas Valley Water Management Association. The Arkansas River Water Bank Pilot Program lacked the characteristics that theorists advancing the conceptual benchmarks have hypothesized as important to success. The pilot program also failed to generate local interest. The program was decommissioned in 2005 after the pilot trial period concluded. The Lower Arkansas Water Management Association possessed the attributes. It was considered a success as defined by member support for the organization and the capacity of that organization to re‐time flows on the Arkansas River. This program has been operating a water market in the lower Arkansas River Basin for over 30 years and continues to successfully move groundwater and surface water around the landscape. Implications for policy and theory are addressed.
Unexpected suppression of anti‐Fya and prevention of hemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn after administration of Rh immune globulin
Authors: Branch Donald R. , Scofield Terry L. , Moulds John J. , Swanson Jane L. 
Published: October 2010

BACKGROUND: Rh immune globulin (RhIG) has been used successfully for many years for the antenatal suppression of anti‐D in D– mothers carrying D+ babies to prevent hemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn. Although the mechanism of RhIG‐induced immunosuppression remains unknown, a recent report (TRANSFUSION 2006;46:1316‐22) has shown that women receiving RhIG produce elevated levels of transforming growth factor (TGF)β‐1, a powerful immunosuppressant cytokine. It was suggested that induction of TGFβ‐1 and immunosuppression may be independent of cognate antigen recognition by RhIG. Herein, we present a description of a mother and baby that supports this hypothesis.STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Red blood cells and serum were analyzed using saline‐tube indirect antiglobulin test methods. RhIG (RhoGAM) was administered after each amniocentesis performed at 28, 31, and 36 weeks' gestation.RESULTS: A group A, D–(cde), K+, Fy(a−b+), MNs, Jk(a+b+) mother with no detectable anti‐D had an anti‐Fya titer of 4096 before RhIG but only 256 after RhIG. Mother gave birth to a group O, D–(cde), Fy(a+b+) healthy baby boy having a weak‐positive direct antiglobulin test with anti‐Fya eluted from his cells and the titer in the cord serum was 4.CONCLUSION: This case demonstrates the potential immunosuppressive properties of RhIG for down regulation of a possible clinically significant alloantibody, not anti‐D, where no D+ antigen is in the circulation of the mother. The case illustrates the potential utility for using RhIG to modulate antibody levels in situations other than for classical suppression of anti‐D production. Although the mechanism in this case is unknown, TGFβ‐1–mediated or antibody‐mediated immunosuppression to soluble nonparticulate antigens are possible mechanisms.
Utility of Postoperative Testing of Implantable Cardioverter‐Defibrillators
Authors: SAUER WILLIAM H. , LOWERY CHRISTOPHER M. , BARGAS ROYCE L. , SCHULLER JOSEPH L. , STEES CHRISTOPER S. , ALEONG RYAN G. , VAROSY PAUL D. 
Published: October 2010

Background: Implantable cardioverter‐defibrillators (ICDs) can provide life‐saving therapies for ventricular arrhythmias. Arrhythmia induction and defibrillation threshold testing is often performed at implantation and postoperatively during long‐term follow‐up to ensure proper device function.
Methods: We sought to evaluate the prevalence and predictors of occult device malfunction at follow‐up defibrillation testing in asymptomatic individuals. A cohort of 853 patients underwent 1,578 defibrillation tests during the 13‐year study period. Defibrillation efficacy was evaluated primarily by the two‐shock (2S) method, with an adequate safety margin ≥10 joules (J) less than the maximum energy delivered by the ICD.
Results: A total of 38 testing failures requiring intervention were discovered during testing (2.4% of all tests). There were 11 ICD system failures resulting in failure to defibrillate, six with underdetection of ventricular fibrillation, and 21 clinically significant increases in defibrillation threshold. There was a higher incidence of failure in older ICD systems (1996–2002) compared to newer ICD systems (2003–2009), reaching statistical significance (3.6% vs 1.0%; P < 0.01). There were 178 subjects (20.8%) with a >20‐J safety margin on previous testing, detected R waves >7.0 mV, and all system components implanted after 2003 at the time of testing who did not have any testing failures (0% vs 5.6%; P < 0.01).
Conclusion: Postoperative defibrillation testing identifies a small number of ICD malfunctions in asymptomatic individuals. ICD testing failure is seen more frequently in older systems and in those with borderline results from prior interrogation or testing. These findings suggest that serial postoperative defibrillation testing is not indicated in asymptomatic patients without suspicion for specific problems. (PACE 2011; 34:186–192)
Translation of Health Surveys Using Mixed Methods
Authors: Baker Dian L. , Melnikow Joy , Ying Ly May , Shoultz Janice , Niederhauser Victoria , Diaz‐Escamilla Rafael 
Published: October 2010

Abstract Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of a process‐based translation method for a health survey instrument, Searching for Hardships and Obstacles to Shots (SHOTS), using a community‐based participatory approach with the Hmong community. Design: The study was based on a cross‐sectional survey to assess the reliability and validity of the SHOTS immunization survey, an instrument used in the Hmong community, who are refugees originally from Laos living in the United States. Method: Process‐based universalistic health survey translation methods were used in a six‐step procedure to translate the instrument. Mixed methods were used to analyze results, including cognitive interviewing, content validity indexing, Cronbach's α, t tests, and the Kolmogorov‐Smirnov test. Findings: Participants were able to accurately complete the SHOTS survey in either Hmong or English, depending on participant preference. Conclusions: Universalistic, process‐based, mixed methods used to analyze language translation, in combination with the principles of community‐based participatory research, provide effective methods to translate health surveys. Involvement of the community strengthens the quality of translation and improves reliability and validity of survey results. Clinical Relevance: Healthcare providers require accurate and reliable information from evidence‐based health surveys to plan for culturally responsive care. Cross‐cultural research often relies on language translation. Translation of a health survey instrument may be improved with universalistic, process‐based methodology.