bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Cardiotoxicity of Palladium Compounds / Kardiotoksičnost Jedinjenja Paladijuma
Authors: Perić Tanja S. , Janković Slobodan M. 
Published: June 2012

SummaryPrevious studies have shown that palladium has toxic effects on the kidney and liver, leads to deterioration of the general condition of animals, and could cause allergy in animals and humans. Considering the limited data about the influence of palladium on the cardiovascular system, the aim of our study was to evaluate the effects of palladium on the heart from available published data, and to compare the toxicity of inorganic and organic palladium compounds. Relevant studies for our review were identified from PubMed and Scopus databases. The search terms included »palladium «, »palladium compound«, »cardiotoxicity«, »toxicity«, »heart«, »myocardium«, »oxidative stress« and »myocardial enzyme«, as well as combinations of these terms. There were only two published studies with the primary purpose to investigate the effect of palladium on the cardiovascular system, while others registered the side-effects of palladium compounds on the heart. Palladium could cause arrhythmias, a drop in blood pressure, decrease of the heart rate, as well as death of experimental animals. Based on the presented data it seems that palladium does not express significant cardiac toxicity when it is bound in an organic compound. Further investigation of the effects of palladium on the heart is necessary for a clear picture of the nature and extent of its cardiac toxicity.
Effects of Erythropoietin on the Serum and Liver Tissue Levels of Copper and Zinc in Rats with Obstructive Jaundice / Efekti Eritropoetina Na Nivoe Bakra I Cinka U Serumu I Tkivima Jetre Kod Pacova Sa Opstruktivnom Žuticom
Authors: Aliosmanoglu Ibrahim , Kapan Murat , Gul Mesut , Arikanoglu Zulfu , Onder Akin , Taskesen Fatih , Basarili Mustafa Kemal 
Published: June 2012

Summary
Background: Erythropoietin is an anti-apoptotic, anti-inflammatory, angiogenetic cytokine and has protective properties against oxidative stress. In this study we investigated the effects of erythropoietin on the levels (serum and liver tissue) of copper and zinc in cholestatic rats.
Methods: Thirty-two Wistar albino rats used in the study were divided into four groups - Group I: Sham; Group II: Erythropoietin; Group III: Obstructive Jaundice; Group IV: Obstructive Jaundice+Erythropoietin. After the first operation, rats were followed up for seven days and then operated for the second time. Rats were sacrificed by intracardiac blood taking, and the liver tissue samples were obtained immediately.
Results: Erythropoietin reduces copper, and increases zinc levels in serum and liver tissues after obstructive jaundice (p<0.05). Furthermore, it has been shown that the levels of alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, gamma glutamyl transferase, alkaline phosphatase and total bilirubin/direct bilirubin were significantly lower in Obstructive Jaundice+Erythropoietin group than Obstructive Jaundice group.
Conclusions: Erythropoietin affects the changes in copper and zinc levels, thus decreasing the liver damage biochemically in rats with obstructive jaundice. However, further investigations are needed to discover how erythropoietin therapy might reduce target organ damage in cholestatic liver cases by affecting copper and zinc levels.
Women's Body Consciousness and Political Ideologies in Finnish Exercise Culture
Authors: Sarje Aino 
Published: June 2012

Women's Body Consciousness and Political Ideologies in Finnish Exercise CultureFor over one hundred years, women's gymnastics has been one of the most popular sports in the Nordic countries. In the article, two styles of Finnish women's gymnastics will be studied. Of them, the former one was in use from the beginning of the 1900s, and the latter one from the 1930s on. In the article, it will be analyzed, how each style of gymnastics, with the rhythm and spatiality of its movements, has created a model of how the gymnasts have been in time, and in space. In the same time, by exercising the gymnasts have generated and maintained ideas about the use of space and time in social circumstances, in their normal life. This way, gymnastics has been an institution and a form of activity, which has created and maintained values and norms concerning not only the bodies but the personalities of the gymnasts, as well.
Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour as Predictors of Adolescent Health in Rural and Urban Environments in Poland
Authors: Tabak Izabela , Oblacińska Anna , Jodkowska Maria 
Published: June 2012

Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour as Predictors of Adolescent Health in Rural and Urban Environments in PolandWhile numerous studies have examined correlates of physical activity, less attention has been given to identifying the rural/urban differences in the strength of the relationship between physical activity and health. The main objective of the current study was to analyze relationships between physical activity, sedentary behavior, and the health of rural and urban adolescents. Cross-sectional data on physical activity (Moderate-to-Vigorous Physical Activity, MVPA), sedentary behavior (watching TV and using a computer), self-rated general health, and mental health (General Health Questionnaire, GHQ-12) was assessed through a questionnaire in the sample of 600 Polish adolescents aged 13 years. Pearson χ2, t-Student tests and hierarchical regression analyses were used to compare differences by place of residence. No rural/urban differences in physical activity levels and self-rated health were found. Rural boys spent more time watching TV and urban adolescent males spent more time using a computer. Urban girls were more affected by stress than rural. Physical activity was an important predictor of self-assessed health (8% of variance) and mental health (4% of variance) of adolescents living in rural areas. The results show that physical activity level is an important predictor of rural adolescents’ health and particular attention must be paid to promoting physical activities in rural environments.
Philosophy of Sport in Poland: Observations
Authors: Kosiewicz Jerzy 
Published: June 2012

Philosophy of Sport in Poland: ObservationsThe presented paper has a polemic and an explanatory nature. It refers to some of the inaccuracies contained in the text authored by Ivo Jirásek and Peter Hopsicker. The aforementioned authors presented the achievements of various prominent philosophers of sport from Slavic countries, including the achievements of some Polish thinkers. My observations are focused mainly on issues related to the birth and development of the philosophy of sport in Poland. I would like to thank Professor Ivo Jirásek and Professor Peter Hopsicker for addressing the topic of Polish philosophy and for their research efforts. I also would like to ask the authors to receive my comments with the good intentions with which I composed them, and hope my comments may enrich their cognitive project.
The effects of particulate matter air pollution on respiratory health and on the cardiovascular system
Authors: Pražnikar Zala , Pražnikar Jure 
Published: June 2012

The effects of particulate matter air pollution on respiratory health and on the cardiovascular system
Particulate matter (PM) is a major component of urban air pollution and has a significant effect on human health. Natural PM sources are volcanic eruptions, dust storms, forest and grassland fires, living vegetation and sea spray. Traffic, domestic heating, power plants and various industrial processes generate significant amounts of anthropogenic PM. PM consists of a complex mixture of solid and liquid particles of organic and inorganic substances suspended in the air. The chemical composition of particles is very complex and depends on emission sources, meteorological conditions and their aerodynamic diameter. Several epidemiological studies have demonstrated that exposure to PM of varying size fractions is associated with an increased risk of respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. Adverse health effects have been documented from studies of both acute and chronic exposure. The most severe effects in terms of overall health burden include a significant reduction in life expectancy by a several months for the average population, which is linked to long-term exposure to moderate concentrations of PM. Nevertheless, numerous deaths and serious cardiovascular and respiratory problems have also been attributed to short-term exposure to peak levels of PM. Although many studies attribute greater toxicity to smaller size fractions, which are able to penetrate deeper into the lung, the molecular mechanisms and the size fractions of the PM that are responsible for the observed diseases are not completely understood.
Consensus definitions of complications for accurate recording and comparisons of surgical outcomes in pediatric neurosurgery
Authors: Drake James M. , Singhal Ash , Kulkarni Abhaya V. , DeVeber Gabrielle , Cochrane D. Douglas , _ _ 
Published: June 2012

Object
Monitoring and recording of complications in pediatric neurosurgery are important for quality assurance and in particular for improving outcomes. Lack of accurate or mutually agreed upon definitions hampers this process and makes comparisons between centers, which is an important method to improve outcomes, difficult. Therefore, the Canadian Pediatric Neurosurgery Study Group created definitions of complications in pediatric neurosurgery with consensus among 13 Canadian pediatric neurosurgical centers.

Methods
Definitions of complications were extracted from randomized trials, prospective data collection studies, and the medical literature. The definitions were presented at an annual meeting and were subsequently recirculated for anonymous comment and revision, assembled by a third party, and re-presented to the group for consensus.

Results
Widely used definitions of shunt failure were extracted from previous randomized trials and prospective studies. Definitions for wound infections were extracted from the definitions from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Postoperative neurological deficits were based on the Pediatric Stroke Outcome Measure. Other definitions were created and modified by consensus. These definitions are now currently in use across the Canadian Pediatric Neurosurgery Study Group centers in Morbidity and Mortality data collection and for subsequent comparison studies.

Conclusions
Coming up with consensus definitions of complications in pediatric neurosurgery is a first step in improving the quality of outcomes. It is a dynamic process, and further refinements are anticipated. Center to center comparison will hopefully allow significant variations in outcomes to be identified and acted upon.
Limitations of fetal ultrasonography and magnetic resonance imaging in prenatal diagnosis of congenital cerebral arteriovenous malformations with hemorrhagic onset
Authors: Eguchi Seiichiro , Aihara Yasuo , Yamaguchi Kohji , Okada Yoshikazu 
Published: June 2012

A fetus at 30 gestational weeks was observed on fetal ultrasonography to have a dilated right lateral ventricle. After delivery, the entity was diagnosed as a prenatal intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) due to a ruptured arteriovenous malformation (AVM). Ultrasonography and MRI examinations performed before birth indicated a cerebral aneurysm in the territory of the right middle cerebral artery. However, digital subtraction angiography revealed an intracystic hemorrhage due to a ruptured cerebral AVM.
Arteriovenous malformations in children are rare, difficult to diagnose, and result in permanent sequelae after delayed treatment. Patient prognosis depends on early and accurate diagnosis and intervention. Outcomes can be improved if an AVM in a child is detected at the onset of ICH for young infants in the prenatal or early postnatal periods. Early AVM diagnosis is limited to fetal ultrasonography and MRI, and special consideration through invasive examination including neonatal digital subtraction angiography is urged unless a correct and clear diagnosis is made at an early stage. Prenatal ICH due to an AVM is rare. The authors discuss their observations and findings.
Surgical decompression of thoracic spinal stenosis in achondroplasia: indication and outcome
Authors: Vleggeert-Lankamp Carmen , Peul Wilco 
Published: June 2012

Object
The achondroplastic spinal canal is narrow due to short pedicles and a small interpedicular distance. Compression of neural structures passing through this canal is therefore regularly encountered but rarely described. Symptomatology, radiological evaluation, and treatment of 20 patients with achondroplasia who underwent decompression of the thoracic spinal cord are described and outcome is correlated with the size of the spinal canal and the thoracolumbar kyphotic angle.

Methods
Scores from the modified Japanese Orthopaedic Association scale, Nurick scale, European Myelopathy scale, Cooper myelopathy scale for lower extremities, and Odom criteria before and after surgery were compared. Magnetic resonance imaging was evaluated to determine the size of the spinal canal, spinal cord compression, and presence of myelomalacia. The thoracolumbar kyphotic angle was measured using fluoroscopy.

Results
Patient symptomatology included deterioration of walking pattern, pain, cramps, spasms, and incontinence. Magnetic resonance images of all patients demonstrated spinal cord compression due to degenerative changes. Surgery resulted in a slight improvement on all the ranking scales. Surgery at the wrong level occurred in 15% of cases, but no serious complications occurred. The mean thoracolumbar kyphotic angle was 20°, and no correlation was established between this angle and outcome after surgery. No postoperative increase in this angle was reported. There was also no correlation between size of the spinal canal and outcome.

Conclusions
Decompressive surgery of the thoracic spinal cord in patients with achondroplasia can be performed safely if anatomical details are taken into consideration. Spondylodesis did not appear essential. Special attention should be given to the method of surgery, identification of the level of interest, and follow-up of the thoracolumbar kyphotic angle.
Borden-Shucart Type I dural arteriovenous fistulas: clinical course including risk of conversion to higher-grade fistulas
Authors: Shah Manish N. , Botros James A. , Pilgram Thomas K. , Moran Christopher J. , Cross DeWitte T. , Chicoine Michael R. , Rich Keith M. , Dacey Ralph G. , Derdeyn Colin P. , Zipfel Gregory J. 
Published: June 2012

Object
The goal of this study was to determine the clinical course of Borden-Shucart Type I cranial dural arteriovenous fistulas (DAVFs) and to calculate the annual rate of conversion of these lesions to more aggressive fistulas that have cortical venous drainage (CVD).

Methods
A retrospective chart review was conducted of all patients harboring DAVFs who were seen at the authors' institution between 1997 and 2009. Twenty-three patients with Type I DAVFs who had available clinical follow-up were identified. Angiographic and clinical data from these patients were reviewed. Neurological outcome and status of presenting symptoms were assessed during long-term follow-up.

Results
Of the 23 patients, 13 underwent endovascular treatment for intolerable tinnitus or ophthalmological symptoms, and 10 did not undergo treatment. Three untreated patients died of unrelated causes. In those who were treated, complete DAVF obliteration was achieved in 4 patients, and palliative reduction in DAVF flow was achieved in 9 patients. Of the 19 patients without radiographic cure, no patient developed intracranial hemorrhage or nonhemorrhagic neurological deficits (NHNDs), and no patient died of DAVF-related causes over a mean follow-up of 5.6 years. One patient experienced a spontaneous, asymptomatic obliteration of a partially treated DAVF in late follow-up, and 2 patients experienced a symptomatic conversion of their DAVF to a higher-grade fistula with CVD in late follow-up. The annual rate of conversion to a higher-grade DAVF based on Kaplan-Meier cumulative event-free survival analysis was 1.0%. The annual rate of intracranial hemorrhage, NHND, and DAVF-related death was 0.0%.

Conclusions
A small number of Type I DAVFs will convert to more aggressive DAVFs with CVD over time. This conversion to a higher-grade DAVF is typically heralded by a change in patient symptoms. Follow-up vascular imaging is important, particularly in the setting of recurrent or new symptoms.
Paradoxical trends in the management of vestibular schwannoma in the United States
Authors: Lau Tsz , Olivera Raul , Miller Timothy , Downes Katheryne , Danner Christopher , van Loveren Harry R. , Agazzi Siviero 
Published: June 2012

Object
Recent natural history studies of vestibular schwannomas (VSs) suggest that most of these tumors do not grow. The impact of these new data on management trends in the US is currently unknown. The aim in the present study was to evaluate current trends in the treatment of VS in the US by analyzing a national cancer database.

Methods
The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program is a national database maintained by the National Cancer Institute representing 26% of the US population. Data from the database were downloaded using provided software. Cases were isolated based on histology codes and the site code. Data from 2004 to 2007 were included in the analysis. The number of patients undergoing resection was compared with the number treated with beam radiation and observation, based on tumor size.

Results
Three thousand six hundred fifty cases were identified in the database. Over the study period, management choices for VSs showed a significant change only for tumors with a diameter < 2 cm. In this tumor category, a decrease in resection and an increase in radiation were observed, with observation showing a modest increase but remaining low at an average of 25%.

Conclusions
Study data demonstrated a shift in the management of small VSs in the US between 2004 and 2007, with microsurgical removal giving way to radiation treatment and the overall rate for observation remaining low and stable. With recent literature suggesting that the majority of small tumors do not grow, the authors assert that VSs are being overtreated in the US.
Pedicle screw navigation: a systematic review and meta-analysis of perforation risk for computer-navigated versus freehand insertion
Authors: Shin Benjamin J. , James Andrew R. , Njoku Innocent U. , Härtl Roger 
Published: June 2012

Object
In this paper the authors' goal was to compare the accuracy of computer-navigated pedicle screw insertion with nonnavigated techniques in the published literature.

Methods
The authors performed a systematic literature review using the National Center for Biotechnology Information Database (PubMed/MEDLINE) using the Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) terms “Neuronavigation,” “Therapy, computer assisted,” and “Stereotaxic techniques,” and the text word “pedicle.” Included in the meta-analysis were randomized control trials or patient cohort series, all of which compared computer-navigated spine surgery (CNSS) and nonassisted pedicle screw insertions. The primary end point was pedicle perforation, while the secondary end points were operative time, blood loss, and complications.

Results
Twenty studies were included for analysis; of which there were 18 cohort studies and 2 randomized controlled trials published between 2000 and 2011. Foreign-language papers were translated. The total number of screws included was 8539 (4814 navigated and 3725 nonnavigated). The most common indications for surgery were degenerative disease, spinal deformity, myelopathy, tumor, and trauma. Navigational methods were primarily based on CT imaging. All regions of the spine were represented. The relative risk for pedicle screw perforation was determined to be 0.39 (p < 0.001), favoring navigation. The overall pedicle screw perforation risk for navigation was 6%, while the overall pedicle screw perforation risk was 15% for conventional insertion. No related neurological complications were reported with navigated insertion (4814 screws total); there were 3 neurological complications in the nonnavigated group (3725 screws total). Furthermore, the meta-analysis did not reveal a significant difference in total operative time and estimated blood loss when comparing the 2 modalities.

Conclusions
There is a significantly lower risk of pedicle perforation for navigated screw insertion compared with nonnavigated insertion for all spinal regions.
Lamivudine plus Adefovir or Telbivudine plus Adefovir for Chronic Hepatitis B Patients with Suboptimal Response to Adefovir
Authors: Chen En-Qiang , Zhou Tao-You , Bai Lang , Wang Jing-Rong , Yan Li-Bo , Liang Ling-Bo , Tang Hong 
Published: June 2012

Background There is no standard management of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients with suboptimal response to nucleoside/nucleotide analogues (NAs). This study aimed to evaluate two different NA combination therapies in patients with suboptimal response to adefovir (ADV). Methods In this study, 72 CHB patients with suboptimal response to ADV were assessed, with 37 patients receiving lamivudine plus ADV (group A) and 35 patients receiving telbivudine plus ADV (group B). Results Baseline characteristics between two groups were similar. At month 12, rates of biochemical response (BR) and virological response (VR) were similar between groups A and B (17/19 versus 18/20 for BR, [ P=0.269] and 30/37 versus 31/35 for VR [ P=0.377]), and cumulative rates of serological response were greater in group B than in group A (10/26 versus 2/28 in hepatitis B e antigen [HBeAg] loss [ P=0.006] and 7/26 versus 1/28 in HBeAg/ hepatitis B e antibody seroconversion [ P=0.022]). After 12-month treatment, 8.1% (3/37) of patients in group A and 5.7% (2/35) of patients in group B had VR; among patients in group A, two had rtM204V/I and rtL180M and one had rtN236T, whereas the two patients in group B had rtM204I+rtL180M. Conclusions Both combination therapies led to a significant decrease in HBV DNA. HBeAg serological outcomes were higher with telbivudine plus ADV combination therapy.
Efficacy and Safety of Oral Oseltamivir for Influenza Prophylaxis in Transplant Recipients
Authors: Ison Michael G , Szakaly Peter , Shapira Michael Y , Kriván Gergely , Nist Ann , Dutkowski Regina 
Published: June 2012

Background Haematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) and solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients are at high risk for severe influenza and its complications, and may not be adequately protected by vaccination. Methods Liver, kidney, or liver–kidney transplant or allogeneic HSCT recipients aged ≥1 year were randomized to oseltamivir (75 mg once daily for those ≥13 years or weight-based dosing for children 1–12 years) or placebo for 12 weeks during periods of local influenza circulation. Patients were assessed for influenza infection via daily diary, every-other-week culture and PCR, and baseline and end-of-treatment serology. Results A total of 477 subjects were enrolled (239 oseltamivir and 238 placebo); most were adults (96%) and SOT recipients (81%). In the intent-to-treat population, the frequency of laboratory-confirmed clinical influenza (culture positive and/or >4-fold increase in haemagglutinin antibody inhibition [primary end point]) was similar in the oseltamivir and placebo groups (2.1% [5/237] and 2.9% [7/238]). Incidence of laboratory-confirmed influenza was significantly reduced in the oseltamivir group versus placebo when determined by reverse transcriptase-PCR (1.7% [4/237] versus 8.4% [20/238]; 95% CI 2.8, 11.1) or viral culture (<1% [1/237] versus 3.8% [9/238]; 95% CI 0.7, 6.6), giving protective efficacies of 79.9 and 88.8%, respectively. Serious adverse events (oseltamivir 8% and placebo 10%) and adverse events (oseltamivir 55% and placebo 58%) were reported in both arms with a similar frequency. One illness due to oseltamivir-resistant A/H1N1 virus was detected in each group. Conclusions Oseltamivir prophylaxis is generally well-tolerated and may reduce culture- or PCR-confirmed influenza incidence in transplant recipients.