bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A self‐help book is better than sleep hygiene advice for insomnia: A randomized controlled comparative study
Authors: BJORVATN BJØRN , FISKE ELDBJØRG , PALLESEN STÅLE 
Published: July 2011

Bjorvatn, B., Fiske, E. & Pallesen, S. (2011). A self‐help book is better than sleep hygiene advice for insomnia: A randomized controlled comparative study. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology 52, 580–585.The objective was to compare the effects of two types of written material for insomnia in a randomized trial with follow‐up after three months. Insomniacs were recruited through newspaper advertisements to a web‐based survey with validated questionnaires about sleep, anxiety, depression, and use of sleep medications. A self‐help book focusing on cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia was compared to standard sleep hygiene advice; 77 and 78 participants were randomized to self‐help book or sleep hygiene advice, respectively. The response rate was 81.9%. The self‐help book gave significantly better scores on the sleep questionnaires compared to sleep hygiene advice. The proportion using sleep medications was reduced in the self‐help book group, whereas it was increased in the sleep hygiene group. Compared to pre‐treatment, the self‐help book improved scores on the sleep (effect sizes 0.61–0.62) and depression (effect size 0.18) scales, whereas the sleep hygiene advice improved scores on some sleep scales (effect sizes 0.24–0.28), but worsened another (effect size –0.36). In addition, sleep hygiene advice increased the number of days per week where they took sleep medications (effect size –0.50). To conclude, in this randomized controlled trial, the self‐help book improved sleep and reduced the proportion using sleep medications compared to sleep hygiene advice. The self‐help book is an efficient low‐threshold intervention, which is cheap and easily available for patients suffering from insomnia. Sleep hygiene advice also improved sleep at follow‐up, but increased sleep medication use. Thus, caution is warranted when sleep hygiene advice are given as a single treatment.
Cell–cell communication and signalling pathways within the ovule: from its inception to fertilization
Authors: Chevalier Éric , Loubert‐Hudon Audrey , Zimmerman Erin L. , Matton Daniel P. 
Published: July 2011

SummaryCell–cell communication pervades every aspect of the life of a plant. It is particularly crucial for the development of the gametes and their subtle interaction leading to double fertilization. The ovule is composed of a funiculus, one or two integuments, and a gametophyte surrounded by nucellus tissue. Proper ovule and embryo sac development are critical to reproductive success. To allow fertilization, the correct relative positioning and differentiation of the embryo sac cells are essential. Integument development is also intimately linked with the normal development of the female gametophyte; the sporophyte and gametophyte are not fully independent tissues. Inside the gametophyte, numerous signs of cell–cell communication take place throughout development, including cell fate patterning, fertilization and the early stages of embryogenesis. This review highlights the current evidence of cell–cell communication and signalling elements based on structural and physiological observations as well as the description and characterization of mutants in structurally specific genes. By combining data from different species, models of cell–cell interactions have been built, particularly for the establishment of the germline, for the progression through megagametogenesis and for double fertilization.

Contents

Summary
13

I.
Introduction
14

II.
Signal transduction during ovule and embryo sac development
14

III.
Signalling during double fertilization
20

IV.
Conclusion
25

Acknowledgements
26

References
26
The measurement properties of the menorrhagia multi‐attribute quality‐of‐life scale: a psychometric analysis
Authors: Pattison H , Daniels JP , Kai J , Gupta JK 
Published: July 2011

Please cite this paper as: Pattison H, Daniels J, Kai J, Gupta JK. The measurement properties of the menorrhagia multi‐attribute quality‐of‐life scale: a psychometric analysis. BJOG 2011;118:1528–1531.Menorrhagia, or heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB), is a common gynaecological condition. As the aim of treatment is to improve women’s wellbeing and quality of life (QoL), it is necessary to have effective ways to measure this. This study investigated the reliability and validity of the menorrhagia multi‐attribute scale (MMAS), a menorrhagia‐specific QoL instrument. Participants (n = 431) completed the MMAS and a battery of other tests as part of the baseline assessment of the ECLIPSE (Effectiveness and Cost‐effectiveness of Levonorgestrel‐containing Intrauterine system in Primary care against Standard trEatment for menorrhagia) trial. Analyses of their responses suggest that the MMAS has good measurement properties and is therefore an appropriate condition‐specific instrument to measure the outcome of treatment for HMB.
In vitro myometrial contractility reflects indication for caesarean section
Authors: Quenby S , Matthew A , Zhang J , Dawood F , Wray S 
Published: July 2011

Please cite this paper as: Quenby S, Matthew A, Zhang J, Dawood F, Wray S. In vitro myometrial contractility reflects indication for caesarean section. BJOG 2011;118:1499–1506.Objective  To assess the extent to which in vitro measurements of myometrial contractility reflect the clinical indication for caesarean section.Design  A prospective, observational hypothesis‐generating study.Setting  Women were recruited from Liverpool Women’s NHS Foundation Trust and experiments were performed in the Physiology Department at the University of Liverpool.Population  Myometrial samples were taken from women undergoing a caesarean section during labour (n = 50) or from women having a repeat nonlabouring caesarean section (n = 70).Methods  The demographic characteristics of the women and indications for current and previous caesarean sections were recorded. The force, frequency and duration of spontaneous contractions of myometrial strips, and changes in the intracellular calcium concentration of the strips, were measured. Kruskall–Wallis and post hoc tests were used to assess the significance of differences between groups.Results  Samples from women whose caesarean section was for fetal distress/acidosis (scalp pH <7.2) contracted with more force than those from women whose caesarean section was for delay in the first stage of labour (P < 0.001). For repeat, nonlabouring caesarean sections, samples from women whose first caesarean section was for fetal distress/acidosis also contracted with more force than did samples from women whose first caesarean section was for delay in the first stage of labour (P = 0.03).Conclusions  These findings suggest that the myometrium contracts with greater force in women who have a caesarean section for fetal distress.
Shift work and pregnancy outcomes: a systematic review with meta‐analysis of currently available epidemiological studies
Authors: Bonzini M , Palmer KT , Coggon D , Carugno M , Cromi A , Ferrario MM 
Published: July 2011

Please cite this paper as: Bonzini M, Palmer K, Coggon D, Carugno M, Cromi A, Ferrario M. Shift work and pregnancy outcomes: a systematic review with meta‐analysis of currently available epidemiological studies. BJOG 2011;118:1429–1437.Background  Varying work schedules are suspected of increasing risks to pregnant women and to fetal wellbeing. In particular, maternal hormonal disturbance arising from sleep deprivation or circadian rhythm disruption might impair fetal growth or lead to complications of pregnancy. Two independent meta‐analyses (from 2000 to 2007) reported a small adverse effect of shift work on the risk of preterm delivery (PTD). However, these reviews were based on few high‐quality studies.Objectives  To provide an updated review of the associations of shift work with PTD, low birthweight (LBW), small‐for‐gestational‐age (SGA) infants and pre‐eclampsia.Search strategy and selection criteria  We conducted a systematic search of MEDLINE using combinations of keywords and MeSH terms.Data collection and analysis  For each relevant paper we abstracted standard details, used to summarise design features and rate methodological quality. We calculated pooled estimates of relative risk (RR) in random‐effect meta‐analyses.Main results  We retrieved 23 relevant studies. The pooled estimate of RR for PTD was 1.16 (95% CI 1.00–1.33, 16 studies), but when five reports of poorer methodological quality were excluded, the estimated RR decreased to 1.03 (95% CI 0.93–1.14). We also observed increased RRs for LBW (RR 1.27, 95% CI 0.93–1.74) and for SGA (RR 1.12, 95% CI 1.03–1.22), which varied little by study quality. Little evidence was found on pre‐eclampsia.Conclusions  These findings suggest that overall, any risk of PTD, LBW, or SGA arising from shift work in pregnancy is small.
Fetal growth and birthweight standards as screening tools: methods for evaluating performance
Authors: Hemming K , Bonellie S , Hutton JL 
Published: July 2011

Please cite this paper as: Hemming K, Bonellie S, Hutton J. Fetal growth and birthweight standards as screening tools: methods for evaluating performance. BJOG 2011;118:1477–1483.Objective  To discuss different methods for evaluating fetal growth and population‐based birthweight standards relevant to different uses: either in antenatal care or in epidemiology.Design  Population‐based cohort study.Setting  Routinely collected data in Scotland.Population  A total of 540 849 singletons born after 24 weeks between 1980 and 2003.Methods  The performance of a fetal growth standard and a population‐based birthweight standard are compared in two ways. First, we consider the accuracy of estimated risks of stillbirth at any point during the remaining pregnancy, a measure that is relevant in antenatal care. Second, the rates of stillbirth at each gestation, which are measures relevant in epidemiology, are compared with the actual rates.Main outcome measures  Standard measures of screening and diagnostic performance: sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values.Results  In clinical care, the evidence points towards using fetal growth standards: sensitivity at term is about 30%, increasing to 43% for preterm births (24–31 weeks of gestation), compared with about 29% across all ages under the birthweight standard. Positive predictive values are about 1% across gestations. For epidemiology, the evidence is not so clear‐cut: preterm, the population birthweight standard has higher sensitivity and specificity, but this is not the case in the full‐term weeks.Conclusions  The performance of fetal growth and birthweight standards should be evaluated in different ways, depending on whether they are intended for use in antenatal care or in epidemiological investigations.
Melatonin attenuates cognitive dysfunction and reduces neural oxidative stress induced by phosphamidon
Authors: Sharma Amit K. , Mehta Ashish K. , Rathor Naveen , Chalawadi Hanumantappa Mahendra Kumar , Khanna Naresh , Bhattacharya Swapan K. 
Published: July 2011

AbstractMelatonin is an important modulator of nervous system functioning and important neural antioxidant. Organophosphate pesticides like phosphamidon (PHOS) have been shown to adversely affect memory and induce oxidative stress on both acute and chronic exposure. This study was designed to explore the modulation of the effects of PHOS on cognitive function by melatonin (MEL). Cognitive function was assessed using step‐down latency (SDL) on a passive avoidance apparatus and transfer latency (TL) on an elevated plus maze. Oxidative stress was assessed by examining the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) and nonprotein thiols (NP‐SH) in isolated homogenized whole brain samples. The results showed a significant reduction in SDL and prolongation of TL in the PHOS (1.74 mg/kg/day; p.o.)‐treated group at weeks 6 and 8 as compared to the control group. Two‐week treatment with MEL (5 mg/kg/day; i.p.) antagonized the effect of PHOS on SDL as well as TL. PHOS alone produced a significant increase in the brain MDA levels and decrease in the brain NP‐SH levels. Treatment with MEL attenuated the effect of PHOS on oxidative stress. Together the results showed that MEL attenuated the cognitive dysfunction and decreased oxidative stress induced by PHOS in the brain.
Recommendations on clinical proof of efficacy for potential scar prevention and reduction therapies
Authors: Bush James A. , McGrouther D. Angus , Young V. Leroy , Herndon David N. , Longaker Michael T. , Mustoe Thomas A. , Ferguson Mark W. J. 
Published: July 2011

ABSTRACTCutaneous scarring is an enormous medical problem with approximately 100 million patients acquiring scars each year. Scar prevention/reduction represents a significant, and largely unmet, clinical need. Research into the prophylactic modulation of scar outcome differs from research into other disease processes as the scar is not present at the start of the study; measurements of changes from baseline are impossible. Final scar morphology is influenced by many variables. A fundamental principle that should be observed in the prospective evaluation of scar prevention/reduction therapies is that, if left untreated, wounds in treatment and control groups should have healed with identical scars. Observation of this principle will allow the detection of true treatment effects. The many variables that influence scar morphology mean that the evaluation of potential pharmaceutical products for this indication favors the use of self‐controlled designs in clinical trials. In this article, we review variables that affect scar morphology and recommend the self‐controlled design for clinical trials aiming to establish proof of efficacy of scar prevention and reduction pharmaceuticals. With no pharmaceutical products currently licensed for this indication, this represents a new therapeutic area. The principles discussed will also have direct relevance to the wider fields of wound healing and regenerative medicine.
Mechanobiology of scarring
Authors: Ogawa Rei 
Published: July 2011

ABSTRACTThe mechanophysiological conditions of injured skin greatly influence the degree of scar formation, scar contracture, and abnormal scar progression/generation (e.g., keloids and hypertrophic scars). It is important that scar mechanobiology be understood from the perspective of the extracellular matrix and extracellular fluid, in order to analyze mechanotransduction pathways and develop new strategies for scar prevention and treatment. Mechanical forces such as stretching tension, shear force, scratch, compression, hydrostatic pressure, and osmotic pressure can be perceived by two types of skin receptors. These include cellular mechanoreceptors/mechanosensors, such as cytoskeleton (e.g., actin filaments), cell adhesion molecules (e.g., integrin), and mechanosensitive (MS) ion channels (e.g., Ca2+ channel), and sensory nerve fibers (e.g., MS nociceptors) that produce the somatic sensation of mechanical force. Mechanical stimuli are received by MS nociceptors and signals are transmitted to the dorsal root ganglia that contain neuronal cell bodies in the afferent spinal nerves. Neuropeptides are thereby released from the peripheral terminals of the primary afferent sensory neurons in the skin, modulating scarring via skin and immune cell functions (e.g., cell proliferation, cytokine production, antigen presentation, sensory neurotransmission, mast cell degradation, vasodilation, and increased vascular permeability under physiological or pathophysiological conditions). Mechanoreceptor or MS nociceptor inhibition and mechanical force reduction should propel the development of novel methods for scar prevention and treatment.
Mechanisms of pathological scarring: Role of myofibroblasts and current developments
Authors: Sarrazy Vincent , Billet Fabrice , Micallef Ludovic , Coulomb Bernard , Desmoulière Alexis 
Published: July 2011

ABSTRACTMyofibroblasts play a key role in the wound‐healing process, promoting wound closure and matrix deposition. These cells normally disappear from granulation tissue by apoptosis after wound closure, but under some circumstances, they persist and may contribute to pathological scar formation. Myofibroblast differentiation and apoptosis are both modulated by cytokines, mechanical stress, and, more generally, cell–cell and cell–matrix interactions. Tissue repair allows tissues and organs to recover, at least partially, functional properties that have been lost through trauma or disease. Embryonic skin wounds are repaired without scarring or fibrosis, whereas skin wound repair in adults always leads to scar formation, which may have functional or esthetic consequences, as in the case of hypertrophic scars, for example. Skin wound repair involves a precise remodeling process, particularly in the dermal compartment, during which fibroblasts/myofibroblasts play a central role. This article reviews the origins of myofibroblasts and their role in normal and pathological skin wound healing. This article focuses on traumatic skin wound healing, but largely, the same mechanisms apply in other physiological and pathological settings. Tissue healing in other organs is examined by comparison, as well as the stromal reaction associated with cancer. New approaches to wound/scar therapy are discussed.
The role of the epidermis and the mechanism of action of occlusive dressings in scarring
Authors: Mustoe Thomas A. , Gurjala Anandev 
Published: July 2011

ABSTRACTThe problem of cutaneous scarring has conventionally been approached as a pathology of the dermis. Multiple lines of evidence from the clinic, in vitro experiments, and in vivo animal and human studies, however, increasingly suggest that the epidermis plays a major role in the control of underlying dermal scar. Building on the demonstrated efficacy of silicone gel occlusion, in this paper we review the evidence for epidermal regulation of scar, and propose the novel hypothesis that dermal fibrosis is exquisitely linked to the inflammatory state of the epidermis, which in turn is linked to hydration state as a function of epidermal barrier function. In the spectrum of factors contributing to dermal scar, the epidermis and its downstream effectors offer promising new targets for the development of antiscar therapies.
New potential antiscarring approaches
Authors: Liu Wei , Wu Xiaoli , Gao Zhen 
Published: July 2011

ABSTRACTSignificant progress has been made in scar research in which an anti‐transforming growth factor‐β strategy has already been translated from an experimental study to a clinical trial. However, scar reduction and elimination remain an unmet medical need because of the difficulty in its treatment. The authors of this article would like to propose several new potential antiscarring approaches for scar prevention including anti‐transforming growth factor‐β, multifactor therapies, tissue regeneration, and tissue‐engineered skin. In addition, scar remodeling is also proposed as an alternative new potential approach for scar therapy. We hope that some of these potential approaches might be translated into clinical scar therapies in the near future.
Discovery and development of avotermin (recombinant human transforming growth factor beta 3): A new class of prophylactic therapeutic for the improvement of scarring
Authors: Occleston Nick L. , O'Kane Sharon , Laverty Hugh G. , Cooper Mark , Fairlamb David , Mason Tracey , Bush Jim A. , Ferguson Mark W.J. 
Published: July 2011

ABSTRACTScarring in the skin following surgery or trauma may be associated with adverse aesthetic, functional, growth and psychological effects, such that both physicians and patients regard it as important to minimize the appearance of scars. The prophylactic improvement of cutaneous scar appearance represents a significant opportunity to improve the well‐being of patients. Human recombinant transforming growth factor beta 3 (avotermin) is the first in a new class of therapeutic agents to address this medical need. Herein we describe scar‐free healing in early embryonic development, including the identification of the cellular and molecular mechanisms underpinning the scarring process. This understanding has led to the discovery of novel therapeutics such as transforming growth factor beta 3, which can be administered to improve scar appearance in human subjects through pharmacological action. We discuss the pioneering development of transforming growth factor beta 3 in this new therapeutic area showing how it has been possible to translate preclinical concepts into clinical application, namely the improvement of scar appearance following surgery.
New dermal substitutes
Authors: van der Veen Vincent C. , Boekema Bouke K. H. L. , Ulrich Magda M. W. , Middelkoop Esther 
Published: July 2011

ABSTRACTThe quality of skin wound healing can be improved by the application of scaffolds as skin replacement materials. Although the clinical requirements for the function of such materials are defined, the translation of these requirements into physical and mechanobiological properties of scaffolds is difficult. Natural as well as constructed biological materials and synthetic substitutes are discussed. Furthermore, new techniques such as electrospinning and solid freeform fabrication as well as new types of materials such as self‐assembling peptides are reviewed with regard to their potential role in the production of skin substitute materials.
Effect of Pulsatility on the Mathematical Modeling of Rotary Blood Pumps
Authors: Pirbodaghi Tohid , Weber Alberto , Carrel Thierry , Vandenberghe Stijn 
Published: July 2011

AbstractIn this study, the effect of time derivatives of flow rate and rotational speed was investigated on the mathematical modeling of a rotary blood pump (RBP). The basic model estimates the pressure head of the pump as a dependent variable using measured flow and speed as predictive variables. Performance of the model was evaluated by adding time derivative terms for flow and speed. First, to create a realistic working condition, the Levitronix CentriMag RBP was implanted in a sheep. All parameters from the model were physically measured and digitally acquired over a wide range of conditions, including pulsatile speed. Second, a statistical analysis of the different variables (flow, speed, and their time derivatives) based on multiple regression analysis was performed to determine the significant variables for pressure head estimation. Finally, different mathematical models were used to show the effect of time derivative terms on the performance of the models. In order to evaluate how well the estimated pressure head using different models fits the measured pressure head, root mean square error and correlation coefficient were used. The results indicate that inclusion of time derivatives of flow and speed can improve model accuracy, but only minimally.