bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effect of hCG in the Presence of hCG Antibodies on the Follicle, Hormone Concentrations, and Oocyte in Mares
Authors: Siddiqui MAR , Gastal EL , Gastal MO , Beg MA , Ginther OJ 
Published: May 2009

ContentsFollicle blood flow, follicular‐fluid and plasma hormone concentrations, and oocyte quality were studied 30 h after an ovulation‐inducing hCG treatment when the pre‐ovulatory follicle was 32 mm. Mares were grouped as positive (n = 16) and negative (n = 44) for hCG antibodies before the experimental hCG treatment. Percentage of the follicle wall with blood flow signals was less (p < 0.05) in the antibody positive group than in the negative group. The concentrations of follicular‐fluid oestradiol and free IGF1, and plasma oestradiol were greater (p < 0.001), and follicular‐fluid progesterone (p < 0.001) and plasma LH (p < 0.02) were less in the antibody‐positive group than in the negative group. For recovered oocytes at 30 h (n = 37), the antibody‐positive group had fewer (p < 0.001) mature (MII) oocytes than the antibody‐negative group. Results were attributable to highly effective neutralization of the hCG in the antibody‐positive group.
In their own words: nurses’ discourses of cleanliness from the Rehoboth Mission
Authors: Lagerwey Mary D 
Published: May 2009

In their own words: nurses’ discourses of cleanliness from the Rehoboth Mission For nurses of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, cleanliness was often seen as a virtue next to godliness. For missionary nurses, this analogy took on multiple meanings. This study focuses on discourses of cleanliness at one site of missionary nursing in the early twentieth century: the Rehoboth Mission and its hospital, which provided health‐care to the Navajo in the southwestern USA from 1903 to 1965. Data sources included denominational publications, institutional records, correspondence, questionnaires and interviews of the Dutch–American missionary nurses who practiced at the Rehoboth Mission. Discourse analysis was conducted on references to cleanliness, hygiene and sanitation in these texts. Secondary discourses of embodiment in daily practice, initiation and assimilation, caring, ignorance, environmental factors and gendered work were identified and analyzed. The study interrogates the whiteness of the nurses’ dominant culture and sheds light on nurses’ relationships with normative discursive frames that reflect and perpetuate inequalities, discredit non‐dominant practices, and leave little room for competing discourses. It also illustrates a blurring of religion and health‐care, and the need for a reflective and informed stance as a basis for cultural competence.
In vivo confocal microscopy of the bulbar conjunctiva
Authors: Efron Nathan , Al‐Dossari Munira , Pritchard Nicola 
Published: May 2009

AbstractBackground:  The aim of this work is to develop a more complete qualitative and quantitative understanding of the in vivo histology of the human bulbar conjunctiva.Methods:  Laser scanning confocal microscopy (LSCM) was used to observe and measure morphological characteristics of the bulbar conjunctiva of 11 healthy human volunteer subjects.Results:  The superficial epithelial layer of the bulbar conjunctiva is seen as a mass of small cell nuclei. Cell borders are sometimes visible. The light grey borders of basal epithelial cells are clearly visible, but nuclei can not be seen. The conjunctival stroma is comprised of a dense meshwork of white fibres, through which traverse blood vessels containing cellular elements. Orifices at the epithelial surface may represent goblet cells that have opened and expelled their contents. Goblet cells are also observed in the deeper epithelial layers, as well as conjunctival microcysts and mature forms of Langerhans cells. The bulbar conjunctiva has a mean thickness of 32.9 ± 1.1 µm, and a superficial and basal epithelial cell density of 2212 ± 782 and 2368 ± 741 cells/mm2, respectively. Overall goblet and mature Langerhans cell densities are 111 ± 58 and 23 ± 25 cells/mm2, respectively.Conclusions:  LSCM is a powerful technique for studying the human bulbar conjunctiva in vivo and quantifying key aspects of cell morphology. The observations presented here may serve as a useful marker against which changes in conjunctival morphology due to disease, surgery, drug therapy or contact lens wear can be assessed.
Accessory levator muscle slips of the levator palpebrae superioris muscle
Authors: Yalcin Bulent , Hurmeric Volkan , Loukas Marios , Tubbs R Shane , Ozan Hasan 
Published: May 2009

AbstractBackground:  Accessory levator muscle slips may be associated with congenital eyelid retraction or blepharoptosis. Nevertheless, congenital retraction of the upper eyelid is a poorly defined entity about which little is known. Because of the clinical importance of the accessory levator muscle slip of the levator palpebrae superioris muscle, this study aimed to describe the morphological appearance of this variation in human adult orbits.Methods:  This study was undertaken in 60 orbits of 30 embalmed adult human cadavers, 17 men and 13 women, between the ages of 38 and 87 years at death. All cadavers were embalmed in 4% formalin solution.Results:  Three accessory levator muscle slips of the levator palpebrae superioris muscle were identified. One of these arose laterally from the origin of the levator palpebrae superioris muscle. At its anterior end, it divided into two parts, the main superior and a smaller inferior accessory. The second had an accessory levator fibromuscular slip. It arose medially from the origin of the levator palpebrae superioris and lost its muscular character after a short course. The third arose from the origin of the levator palpebrae superioris as a thin flat muscle.Conclusions:  Although many variations of the levator palpebrae superioris muscle have been reported in fetuses, investigation and demonstration of these may be more important in children and adults for ophthalmic surgery. We believe that detailed knowledge regarding the morphological appearance of an accessory levator muscle slip of the levator palpebrae superioris muscle may be useful for successful outcomes in ophthalmic surgery.
Effect of the Japanese preventive‐care version of the Minimum Data Set – Home Care on the health‐related behaviors of community‐dwelling, frail older adults and skills of preventive‐care managers: A quasi‐experimental study conducted in Japan
Authors: Igarashi Ayumi , Yamada Yukari , Ikegami Naoki , Yamamoto‐Mitani Noriko 
Published: May 2009

Aim: To determine whether the Japanese preventive‐care version of the Minimum Data Set‐Home Care improves the health‐related behaviors of older adults and the skills of preventive‐care managers.Methods: Municipal preventive‐care managers were instructed on the use of the Japanese preventive‐care version of the Minimum Data Set – Home Care and asked to employ it in their interactions with clients during the intervention period (intervention group). The health‐related behaviors of older adults (maintenance of self‐care and consumption of a balanced diet) were assessed by self‐rating methods. The skills of the preventive‐care managers were assessed by considering the number of and variations in the needs of the clients, as reflected in the care plans formulated by the managers.Results: The clients' self‐care levels were higher in the intervention group than in the control group (P < 0.05). A greater number of needs, as reflected in the care plans, were noted in the intervention group than in the control group (P < 0.05), and the variation in the assessed needs was greater in the former than in the latter.Conclusion: This study suggests that the Japanese preventive‐care version of the Minimum Data Set – Home Care may improve the skills of preventive‐care managers, and consequently, the health‐related behaviors of frail older clients.
Quality of life and its relation to sociodemographic factors among elderly people living in Tehran
Authors: Abbasimoghadam Mohammad Ali , Dabiran Soheila , Safdari Reza , Djafarian Kurosh 
Published: May 2009

Aim:  The objective of this study was to assess the quality of life (QOL) and its relation to sociodemographic factors among elderly living in Tehran.Methods:  A descriptive/correlational study was conducted. The sample consisted of 5600 people aged 60 years or older from 11 districts of Tehran. QOL was measured with the 36‐item short form questionnaire.Results:  QOL was positively associated with education levels, having previous state jobs and being employees, and negatively associated with smoking and having disease. Compared to men, women had lower scores for overall QOL and its dimensions.Conclusion:  Sociodemographic inequalities, smoking and having diseases should be the main targets for improving the QOL in the elderly population.
Arachidonic acid potently inhibits both postsynaptic‐type Kv4.2 and presynaptic‐type Kv1.4 IA potassium channels
Authors: Angelova Plamena R. , Müller Wolfgang S. 
Published: May 2009

AbstractArachidonic acid (AA) is a free fatty acid membrane‐permeable second messenger that is liberated from cell membranes via receptor‐ and Ca2+‐dependent events. We have shown previously that extremely low [AA]i (1 pm) inhibits the postsynaptic voltage‐gated K+ current (IA) in hippocampal neurons. This inhibition is blocked by some antioxidants. The somatodendritic IA is mediated by Kv4.2 gene products, whereas presynaptic IA is mediated by Kv1.4 channel subunits. To address the interaction of AA with these α‐subunits we studied the modulation of A‐currents in human embryonic kidney 293 cells transfected with either Kv1.4 or Kv4.2 rat cDNA, using whole‐cell voltage‐clamp recording. For both currents 1 pm [AA]i inhibited the conductance by > 50%. In addition, AA shifted the voltage dependence of inactivation by −9 (Kv1.4) and +6 mV (Kv4.2), respectively. Intracellular co‐application of Trolox C (10 μm), an antioxidant vitamin E derivative, only slowed the effects of AA on amplitude. Notably, Trolox C shifted the voltage dependence of activation of Kv1.4‐mediated IA by −32 mV. Extracellular Trolox for > 15 min inhibited the AA effects on IA amplitudes as well as the effect of intracellular Trolox on the voltage dependence of activation of Kv1.4‐mediated IA. Extracellular Trolox further shifted the voltage dependence of activation for Kv4.2 by +33 mV. In conclusion, the inhibition of maximal amplitude of Kv4.2 channels by AA can explain the inhibition of somatodendritic IA in hippocampal neurons, whereas the negative shift in the voltage dependence of inactivation apparently depends on other neuronal channel subunits. Both AA and Trolox potently modulate Kv1.4 and Kv4.2 channel α‐subunits, thereby presumably tuning presynaptic transmitter release and postsynaptic somatodendritic excitability in synaptic transmission and plasticity.
Evaluating choices by single neurons in the frontal lobe: outcome value encoded across multiple decision variables
Authors: Kennerley Steven W. , Wallis Jonathan D. 
Published: May 2009

AbstractDamage to the frontal lobe can cause severe decision‐making impairments. A mechanism that may underlie this is that neurons in the frontal cortex encode many variables that contribute to the valuation of a choice, such as its costs, benefits and probability of success. However, optimal decision‐making requires that one considers these variables, not only when faced with the choice, but also when evaluating the outcome of the choice, in order to adapt future behaviour appropriately. To examine the role of the frontal cortex in encoding the value of different choice outcomes, we simultaneously recorded the activity of multiple single neurons in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) and lateral prefrontal cortex (LPFC) while subjects evaluated the outcome of choices involving manipulations of probability, payoff and cost. Frontal neurons encoded many of the parameters that enabled the calculation of the value of these variables, including the onset and offset of reward and the amount of work performed, and often encoded the value of outcomes across multiple decision variables. In addition, many neurons encoded both the predicted outcome during the choice phase of the task as well as the experienced outcome in the outcome phase of the task. These patterns of selectivity were more prevalent in ACC relative to OFC and LPFC. These results support a role for the frontal cortex, principally ACC, in selecting between choice alternatives and evaluating the outcome of that selection thereby ensuring that choices are optimal and adaptive.
Post‐merger strategy and performance: evidence from the US and European banking industries
Authors: Hagendorff Jens , Keasey Kevin 
Published: May 2009

AbstractThe banking industry has one of the most active markets for mergers and acquisitions. However, little is known about the type of operational strategies adopted by banking firms in the years following a deal. For a sample of bidding banks in the USA and Europe, this study compares the design and performance implications of different post‐merger strategies in both geographical regions. Using accounting data, we show that European banks pursue a cost‐cutting strategy by increasing efficiency levels vis‐à‐vis non‐merging banks and by cutting back on both labour costs and lending activities. US banks, on the other hand, raise both interest and non‐interest income in the post‐merger period.
Discontinuation due to adverse events in randomized trials of orlistat, sibutramine and rimonabant: a meta‐analysis
Authors: Johansson K. , Neovius K. , DeSantis S. M. , Rössner S. , Neovius M. 
Published: May 2009

SummaryThe objective of this article was to estimate the risk of discontinuation due to adverse events in trials of orlistat, sibutramine and rimonabant. Medline, EMBASE, the Cochrane controlled trials register and reference lists of identified articles were searched from 1990 to May 2008. All randomized placebo‐controlled trials of 12–24 months of duration on adults using licensed doses were included. Studies/study arms were excluded if they evaluated weight maintenance after weight loss. Trials were identified, subjected to inclusion and exclusion criteria and reviewed. Data on participants, interventions and discontinuation were extracted and trials rated for quality based on established criteria. A random effects model was used to estimate pooled risk ratios, risk differences and number needed to harm (NNH). A total of 28 trials met the inclusion criteria (16 orlistat, 7 sibutramine and 5 rimonabant). The risk ratios for discontinuation due to adverse events were significantly elevated for rimonabant (2.00; 1.66–2.41) and orlistat (1.59; 1.21–2.08), but not sibutramine (0.98, 0.68–1.41). Compared with placebo, the risk difference was the largest for rimonabant (7%, 5–9%; NNH 14, 11–19), followed by orlistat (3%, 1–4%; NNH 39, 25–83), while no significant difference was seen for sibutramine (0.2%, −3 to 4%; NNH 500). The most common adverse events leading to withdrawal were gastrointestinal for orlistat (40%) and psychiatric for rimonabant (47%). Corresponding information was unavailable for sibutramine. In conclusion, available weight loss drugs differ markedly regarding risk of discontinuation due to adverse events, as well as in underlying causes of these events. Given the large number of patients eligible for treatment, the low NNH for rimonabant is a concern.
Adipose tissue as target organ in the treatment of hormone‐dependent breast cancer: new therapeutic perspectives
Authors: Macciò A. , Madeddu C. , Mantovani G. 
Published: May 2009

SummaryBreast cancer is the female malignant neoplasia with the highest incidence in the industrialized world. Despite many undeniable therapeutic successes obtained, breast cancer still remains, however, a major health issue. In the last few years, thanks to aromatase inhibitors, the hormone therapy for oestrogen‐dependent breast cancer has evolved in terms of efficacy and tolerability; at the same time, it has enabled us to better define the role of oestrogens in the etiopathogenesis of this tumour. Weight increase and obesity have been identified as the most important risk and prognostic factors for breast cancer in postmenopausal women. Several hypotheses have been proposed to explain the association of obesity with postmenopausal breast cancer. A more recent hypothesis suggests that adipocytes and their autocrine (paracrine and endocrine actions) are at the centre of such an etiopathogenetic mechanism. A better understanding of the main mechanisms that link together menopause, body‐weight increase and hormone‐dependent breast cancer is paramount to enable the identification of key molecules involved in the development of breast carcinoma and suggest new therapeutic options. The present review will discuss important findings on the therapeutic aspects of adipose tissue and adipokines as a target for treatment of hormone‐dependent breast cancer.
Role of adipose tissue in haemostasis, coagulation and fibrinolysis
Authors: Faber D. R. , De Groot Ph. G. , Visseren F. L. J. 
Published: May 2009

SummaryObesity is associated with an increased incidence of insulin resistance (IR), type 2 diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular diseases. The increased risk for cardiovascular diseases could partly be caused by a prothrombotic state that exists because of abdominal obesity.Adipose tissue induces thrombocyte activation by the production of adipose tissue‐derived hormones, often called adipokines, of which some such as leptin and adiponectin have been shown to directly interfere with platelet function. Increased adipose tissue mass induces IR and systemic low‐grade inflammation, also affecting platelet function. It has been demonstrated that adipose tissue directly impairs fibrinolysis by the production of plasminogen activator inhibitor‐1 and possibly thrombin‐activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor. Adipose tissue may contribute to enhanced coagulation by direct tissue factor production, but hypercoagulability is likely to be primarily caused by affecting hepatic synthesis of the coagulation factors fibrinogen, factor VII, factor VIII and tissue factor, by releasing free fatty acids and pro‐inflammatory cytokines (tumour necrosis factor‐α, interleukin‐1β and interleukin‐6) into the portal circulation and by inducing hepatic IR.Adipose tissue dysfunction could thus play a causal role in the prothrombotic state observed in obesity, by directly and indirectly affecting haemostasis, coagulation and fibrinolysis.
Prevalence of educational inequalities in obesity between 1970 and 2003 in France
Authors: Singh‐Manoux A. , Gourmelen J. , Lajnef M. , Sabia S. , Sitta R. , Menvielle G. , Melchior M. , Nabi H. , Lanoe J.‐L. , Guéguen A. , Lert F. 
Published: May 2009

SummaryThis paper examines trends in obesity rates and education‐related absolute and relative inequalities in obesity over the last 40 years in France. Data are drawn from the French Decennial Health Surveys of 1970, 1980, 1991 and 2003. The difference in obesity rates between the least‐ and most‐educated, the Slope Index of Inequality, is used to estimate absolute inequalities in obesity. The ratio of the corresponding rates, the Relative Index of Inequality, reveals the relative inequalities in obesity. Obesity rates were similar in men and women, but educational inequalities were greater in women. Obesity rates were similar over the first three surveys but increased for all in the 2003 survey. This increase was accompanied by increases in absolute inequalities in men (P = 0.04) from a Slope Index of Inequality of 4.80% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.27, 7.32) to 8.64% (95% CI = 5.97, 11.32) and women (P = 0.004) from 8.90% (95% CI = 6.18, 11.63) to 14.57% (95% CI = 11.83, 17.32). Relative inequalities in obesity remained stable over the 40 years. Recent increase in obesity rates in France is accompanied by increases in absolute education‐related inequalities, while relative inequalities have remained stable; this suggests that obesity rates have increased at a much faster rate in the low‐education groups.
Curse or Cure? Why Was the Enactment of Britain's 1909 Trade Boards Act so Controversial?
Authors: Blackburn Sheila C. 
Published: May 2009

AbstractThe Trade Boards Act of 1909 was introduced in Britain to counteract sweating. Associated with long hours, insanitary work conditions and inadequate pay — with the accent falling on low wages — sweating probably afflicted some 30 per cent of Edwardian Britain's labour force. Trade boards supporters as diverse as Winston Churchill and R. H. Tawney heralded the legislation as marking a significant break in economic and social thought. Opponents declared that the enactment of the legislation would be ruinous for Britain. The future Labour Prime Minister, Ramsay MacDonald, and his wife denounced trade boards as pallid reformism and campaigned for the licensing of home workshops. On the other hand, proponents of a subsistence minimum wage, such as Sidney and Beatrice Webb, were disappointed that the legislation did not go further. Initially, it encompassed less than a quarter of a million workers. The rates set were not based on the cost of living but on what the individual trade could bear. On their own, trade boards were insufficient to eradicate Britain's long and historical tradition of being a low‐paying economy. Trade boards (and their successors, wages councils) were trapped in their collective laissez‐faire origins. However, despite its sanctioning of a statutory national minimum wage in 1998, the British state is still far from being interventionist in the labour market. If Britain is to break with the past, she must also implement a comprehensive framework of minimum rights. Otherwise, the principle of collective laissez‐faire will still remain triumphant over the Webbs' alternative conception of a comprehensive labour code.
Minimum Wages and Youth Employment: Evidence from the Finnish Retail Trade Sector
Authors: Böckerman Petri , Uusitalo Roope 
Published: May 2009

AbstractFollowing an agreement between the trade unions and the employer organizations in 1993, Finnish employers could temporarily pay less than the existing minimum wage for young workers. We examine the effects of these minimum wage exceptions by comparing the changes in wages and employment of the groups whose minimum wages were reduced with simultaneous changes among slightly older workers for whom the minimum wages remained unchanged. Our analysis is based on payroll record data and minimum wage agreements from the retail trade sector. The results show that average wages in the eligible group declined only modestly. We find no significant effects on employment.
Nothing New under the Sun: The Prescience of W. S. Sanders' 1906 Fabian Tract
Authors: Metcalf David 
Published: May 2009

AbstractIn order to understand the impact of the national minimum wage (NMW) on pay, employment and other variables, the Low Pay Commission studies pay setting, coverage of the NMW, competitive versus monopsonistic labour markets, non‐compliance, offsets and the interaction between the NMW and the social security system. But similar issues were analysed a century ago by Fabian and other writers. In particular, the 18‐page 1906 Tract by W. S. Sanders — the first ever call for a national minimum wage — anticipated all the present debates. That tract is examined here.