bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
East African immigrant children in Australia have poor immunisation coverage
Authors: Paxton Georgia A , Rice James , Davie Gabrielle , Carapetis Jonathan R , Skull Susan A 
Published: December 2011

Aim:  To provide data on the immunisation status of recently arrived East African children and adolescents in Australia.Methods:  A prospective audit was conducted at a hospital‐based paediatric immigrant health clinic, in Melbourne, Australia, over the time period November 2000–January 2002. Study subjects were consecutive children and adolescents born in East Africa, arriving in Australia after January 1998. Vaccination status was ascertained by parent report and review of patient‐held records where available, and by serological testing for immunity to hepatitis B, tetanus, diphtheria, rubella and measles.Results:  Among 136 participants, 132 (97%) had incomplete or unknown immunisation status based on parent report and vaccination records; written records were available for 5/136 (4%) of participants. Only 21/136 (15%) had serological immunity to all five of measles, rubella, tetanus, diphtheria and hepatitis B, despite a total of 395 visits to vaccine providers by participants since migration. A higher proportion of children had serological immunity to measles (90%) compared to the proportion with serological immunity to rubella (77%), tetanus (61%), diphtheria (45%) and hepatitis B (33%). The predictive value of parent‐reported vaccination status for serological immunity was poor.Conclusions:  Paediatric East African immigrants in Victoria are very likely to be inadequately immunised and parent‐reported vaccination status does not predict serological immunity. Full catch‐up immunisation is recommended where immunisation status is unknown and written records are unavailable. Consideration should be given to policy and program development to provide timely and complete immunisation coverage in this group after arrival in Australia.
Dietary sodium loading in normotensive healthy volunteers does not increase arterial vascular reactivity or blood pressure
Authors: TODD ALWYN S , MACGINLEY ROBERT J , SCHOLLUM JOHN BW , WILLIAMS SHEILA M , SUTHERLAND WAYNE HF , MANN JIM I , WALKER ROBERT J 
Published: December 2011

ABSTRACT:Background:  Studies of dietary sodium on vascular function and blood pressure in normotensive volunteers have shown conflicting results. There are very limited data available on the effect of chronic sodium loading from a low‐sodium diet to a high‐sodium diet on vascular function and blood pressure in normotensive volunteers.Objective:  To assess the effect of modifying dietary sodium intake on arterial function and surrogate markers of arterial remodelling in normal healthy volunteers.Design:  Twenty‐three normotensive volunteers met the inclusion criteria. After a 2 week run‐in with a low‐sodium diet (60 mmol/day), the participants maintained their low‐sodium diets and were randomly assigned to receive sequentially one of three interventions for 4 weeks, with a 2 week washout between interventions: sodium‐free tomato juice (A), tomato juice containing 90 mmol Na (B) and tomato juice containing 140 mmol Na (C). The outcomes measured were changes in pulse wave velocity (PWV), systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure.Results:  There was no difference in PWV between interventions (B–A 0.00 m/s, 95% CI: −0.30, 0.31 m/s; C–A 0.01 m/s, 95% CI: −0.38, 0.40 m/s). There was also no change in pulse wave analysis, systolic or diastolic blood pressure between interventions. There was an appropriate increase in urinary sodium excretion in the added sodium interventions.Conclusion:  Dietary salt loading did not produce significant increases in PWV and blood pressure in normotensive subjects with systolic blood pressure <130 mmHg. The lack of an observed effect supports Guyton's pressure–natriuresis hypothesis with appropriate renal excretion of the excess sodium load.
Haemodialysis and the risk of stroke: A population‐based cohort study in Taiwan, a country of high incidence of end‐stage renal disease
Authors: KUO CHIEN‐CHUN , LEE CHIEN‐TE , HO SHU‐CHEN , KUO HSIN‐WEI , WU TRONG‐NENG , YANG CHUN‐YUH 
Published: December 2011

ABSTRACT:Aims:  Data regarding the occurrence of stroke in dialysis patients are limited and epidemiologic studies to date are controversial with respect to the stroke subtype among dialysis patients. The aim of this study was to perform a population‐based study with a retrospective cohort design to investigate the risk of stroke after the initiation of haemodialysis (HD) among end‐stage renal disease (ESRD) patients in Taiwan – a country with the highest incidence of ESRD in the world.Methods:  Data were retrospectively obtained from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database. In total, 644 patients who were beginning HD between 1999 and 2003 were recruited as the study cohort and 3220 patients matched for age and sex were included as the comparison cohort. Multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression models were used to adjust for confounding and to compare the 5 year stroke‐free survival rate between these two cohorts.Results:  The incidence rate of stroke (41.76 per 1000 person‐years) was significantly higher in the HD cohort than in the control cohort (24.29 per 1000 person‐years). After adjusting for potential confounders, the adjusted hazard ratios of ischaemic stroke and haemorrhagic stroke were 2.16 (95% confidence interval = 1.57–2.97) and 3.78 (95% confidence interval = 1.90–7.55), respectively.Conclusion:  We conclude that HD patients were at an increased risk for both ischaemic and haemorrhagic stroke compared with the general population.
A simple prediction score for kidney disease in the Korean population
Authors: KWON KEUN‐SANG , BANG HEEJUNG , BOMBACK ANDREW S , KOH DAI‐HA , YUM JUNG‐HO , LEE JU‐HYUNG , LEE SIK , PARK SUNG K , YOO KEUN‐YOUNG , PARK SUE K , CHANG SOUNG‐HOON , LIM HYUN‐SUL , CHOI JOONG MYUNG , KSHIRSAGAR ABHIJIT V 
Published: December 2011

ABSTRACT:Aim:  Screening algorithms for chronic kidney disease have been developed and validated in American populations. Given the worldwide burden of kidney disease, developing algorithms for populations outside the USA is needed.Methods:  Using simple, non‐invasive questions, we developed a prediction model for chronic kidney disease from national population samples in Korea. The Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (n = 6565) was used for model development while validation was performed in two independent population samples, internal (n = 2921) and external datasets (n = 8166). Chronic kidney disease was defined as glomerular filtration rate < 60 mL/min per 1.73 m2.Results:  Seven factors – age, female gender, anaemia, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease and proteinuria – were significantly associated with prevalent chronic kidney disease. Integer scores were assigned to variables based on the magnitude of associations: 2 for age 50–59 years, 3 for age 60–69 years and 4 for age 70 years or older, and 1 for female gender, anaemia, hypertension, diabetes, proteinuria and cardiovascular disease. Based on the Youden index, a value of 4 or greater defined a high risk population with sensitivity 89%, specificity 71%, and positive predictive value 19%, and negative predictive value 99%. The area under the curve was 0.83 for the development set, and 0.87 and 0.78 in the two validation datasets.Conclusion:  This prediction algorithm, weighted towards common non‐invasive variables, had good performance characteristics in an Asian population, and provides new evidence of the similarity of the algorithms for Western and Eastern populations.
Prevalence of food allergy among preschool children in northern Thailand
Authors: Lao‐araya Mongkol , Trakultivakorn Muthita 
Published: December 2011

AbstractBackground:  The epidemiology and clinical spectrum of food allergies (FA) confirmed by oral food challenge tests (OFC) in the Southeast Asian countries are limited. The aim of the present study was to examine the prevalence and characteristics of FA among preschool children in northern Thailand.Methods:  Five hundred and forty‐six children aged 3–7 years living in Chiang Mai, Thailand participated in this study. A cross‐sectional parent questionnaire survey was conducted. Families with children reporting FA were invited to undergo further investigations with skin prick testing, serum specific IgE, and OFC.Results:  A total of 452 out of 546 questionnaires (82.8%) were returned. Forty‐two children (9.3%) were reported to have FA. The five leading allergic foods reported were shrimp, cow's milk, fish, chicken eggs, and ant eggs. The most commonly reported symptom was a skin rash (78.0%), followed by abdominal pain and vomiting (31.1%). Anaphylaxis was found in two children (3.4%), from ant eggs allergy. Eighteen children underwent OFC; five of them were positive to shrimp, fish, and crab. Either skin prick test or serum‐specific IgE was positive in these children. Factors associated with parent‐reported FA included personal and family history of atopic dermatitis.Conclusions:  The prevalence of IgE‐mediated FA confirmed on OFC was ≥1.11% (95% confidence interval: 0.41–2.98%). The most common causative food was shrimp. Ant eggs were a unique food allergen causing severe reactions in preschool children in northern Thailand.
Australian and New Zealand Registry of Advanced Glaucoma: methodology and recruitment
Authors: Souzeau Emmanuelle , Goldberg Ivan , Healey Paul R , Mills Richard AD , Landers John , Graham Stuart L , Grigg John RB , Usher Bronwyn , Straga Tania , Crawford April , Casson Robert J , Morgan William H , Ruddle Jonathan B , Coote Michael A , White Andrew , Stewart James , Hewitt Alex W , Mackey David A , Burdon Kathryn P , Craig Jamie E 
Published: December 2011

AbstractBackground:  Glaucoma is a sight‐threatening disease affecting 3% of the population over the age of 50. Glaucoma is treatable, and severe vision loss can usually be prevented if diagnosis is made at an early stage. Genetic factors play a major role in the pathogenesis of the condition, and therefore, genetic testing to identify asymptomatic at‐risk individuals is a promising strategy to reduce the prevalence of glaucoma blindness. Furthermore, unravelling genetic risk factors for glaucoma would also allow a better understanding of the pathogenesis of the condition and the development of new treatments.Design:  The Australian and New Zealand Registry of Advanced Glaucoma is a prospective study that aims to develop a large cohort of glaucoma cases with severe visual field loss to identify novel genetic risk factors for glaucoma blindness.Methods:  Clinical information and blood are collected from participants after referral by eye practitioners. Samples are collected across Australia and New Zealand using postage kits.Participants:  Our registry has recruited just over 2000 participants with advanced glaucoma, as well as secondary and developmental glaucomas.Results:  A positive family history of glaucoma is present in more than half of the advanced glaucoma cases and the age at diagnosis is significantly younger for participants with affected relatives, which reinforces the involvement of genetic factors in glaucoma.Conclusions:  With the collection of glaucoma cases recruited so far, our registry aims to identify novel glaucoma genetic risk factors to establish risk profiling of the population and protocols for genetic testing.
Genome‐wide association studies in the hunt for genes causing primary open‐angle glaucoma: a review
Authors: Burdon Kathryn P 
Published: December 2011

AbstractGenome‐wide association studies are a powerful tool for the identification of genetic risk factors for complex disease. This methodology has been successfully applied to primary open‐angle glaucoma through the analysis of primary open‐angle glaucoma (POAG) as well as specific subgroups of patients including those with normal tension glaucoma and advanced glaucoma. In addition, the analysis of quantitative traits important in POAG, including optic disc area and vertical cup‐to‐disc ratio has also identified genes important in POAG development. This review explores findings of genome‐wide association studies for POAG and related traits.
Comparison of anterior ocular segment biometry features and related factors among American Caucasians, American Chinese and mainland Chinese
Authors: Wang Dandan , Huang Guofu , He Mingguang , Wu Lingling , Lin Shan 
Published: December 2011

AbstractBackground:  To compare the anterior segment biometric parameters amongst adult American Caucasians, American Chinese and mainland Chinese, in order to determine parameters that may contribute to increased risk for angle closure in Chinese.Design:  Cross‐sectional clinic‐based studyParticipants:  Four gender‐ and age‐matched cohorts included Caucasians, American Chinese, Southern and Northern mainland Chinese.Methods:  Anterior segment optical coherence tomography was utilized to image the anterior chamber. Customized software was used to calculate the anterior segment parameters.Main Outcome Measures:  Anterior chamber depth, anterior chamber width, lens vault and corneal arc depth.Results:  Data from 121, 124, 121 and 120 subjects were available for American Caucasian, American Chinese, and Southern and Northern Mainland Chinese subjects, respectively. Caucasians had significantly greater anterior chamber depth, anterior chamber width and corneal arc depth than all Chinese groups even after adjustment for refractive status and axial length. In multiple regression analysis, predictors of greater lens vault were female gender, older age and more hyperopic/less myopic status for both racial groups. It was found only in Chinese that female and older subjects tended to have smaller anterior chamber depth, anterior chamber width and corneal arc depth.Conclusion:  The shallower anterior chamber in Chinese than Caucasians is likely attributable to the shorter corneal arc depth in the former group. Moreover, the smaller anterior chamber width contributes to more crowded anterior chambers in Chinese than in Caucasians. The more anteriorly located lens under a less vaulted cornea in Chinese females compared with Chinese males may account for the higher risk of angle closure in this subpopulation.
Prevalence and causes of blindness and low vision among adults in Fiji
Authors: Ramke Jacqueline , Brian Garry , Maher Louise , Qalo Qoqonokana Mundi , Szetu John 
Published: December 2011

AbstractBackground:  To estimate the prevalence and causes of blindness and low vision among adults aged ≥40 years in Fiji.Design:  Population‐based cross‐sectional study.Participants:  Adults aged ≥40 years in Viti Levu, Fiji.Method:  A population‐based cross‐sectional survey used multistage cluster random sampling to identify 34 clusters of 40 people. A cause of vision loss was determined for each eye with presenting vision worse than 6/18.Main Outcome Measures:  Blindness (better eye presenting vision worse than 6/60), low vision (better eye presenting vision worse than 6/18, but 6/60 or better).Results:  Of 1892 people enumerated, 1381 participated (73.0%). Adjusting sample data for ethnicity, gender, age and domicile, the prevalence of blindness was 2.6% (95% confidence interval 1.7, 3.4) and low vision was 7.2% (95% confidence interval 5.9, 8.6) among adults aged ≥40 years. On multivariate analysis, being ≥70 years was a risk factor for blindness, but ethnicity, gender and urban/rural domicile were not. Being Indo‐Fijian, female and older were risk factors for vision impairment (better eye presenting vision worse than 6/18). Cataract was the most common cause of bilateral blindness (71.1%). Among participants with low vision, uncorrected refractive error caused 63.3% and cataract was responsible for 25.0%.Conclusion:  Strategies that provide accessible cataract and refractive error services producing good quality outcomes will likely have the greatest impact on reducing vision impairment.
Dynamic hip screws versus proximal femoral nails for intertrochanteric fractures
Authors: Avakian Zorik , Shiraev Timothy , Lam Lawrence , Hope Nigel 
Published: December 2011

AbstractBackground:  It is essential to determine the optimal treatment of intertrochanteric fractures due to their high incidence and related public health burden. Debate remains as to whether dynamic hip screws (DHS) or proximal femoral nails (PFNs) are best practice, and this pilot study seeks to collect information relevant to this query.Methods:  We undertook a retrospective audit of 144 patients who received a dynamic hip screw or a proximal femoral nail in order to compare age, sex, duration of surgery, duration of hospitalization, time of first mobilization, and rate anaemia, sepsis, avascular necrosis, prosthesis failure, revision, deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolus, non‐ST elevation myocardial infarction, common peroneal nerve palsy and death between implantation of a DHS and a PFN.Results:  No differences were found between groups in age, duration of surgery, duration of hospitalization, time of first mobilization and rate of complications. Statistically significant differences were found in sex distributions, operation time and length of stay. However, analysis of median operation time and length of stay when adjusted for sex revealed no significant differences.Conclusion:  This study demonstrated no statistically significant differences in peri‐ and post‐operative measures between patients undergoing intertrochanteric fracture fixation via PFN or DHS. This is the only data from Australian hospitals, and further national research is needed.
Transpalatal approach with pedicled palatal osteo‐muco‐periosteal flap
Authors: Dubey Siba P. , Molumi Charles P. 
Published: December 2011

AbstractBackground:  In the conventional technique of transpalatal approach, the palatal mucoperiosteum is incised and widely elevated and hard palate bone is removed in piece meal and discarded. These technique lead to complications, namely, temporary or permanent palatal fistula, palatal scarring leading to palatal disfiguration and velopharyngeal incompetence. In this article we describe a new technique of doing palatotomy to avoid these complications.Methods:  A retrospective review of post‐operative complications of 20 patients that underwent transpalatal approach by the conventional technique was performed. To avoid the complications encountered in these cases, a new approach was designed when the palatal mucoperiosteum on the pathological side was elevated partially, greater palatine artery was coagulated and palatal osteotomy was performed from the oral side. On the non‐pathological side, hard palate was sectioned from the nasal side, thus preserving the ipsilateral palatal mucoperiosteum. The entire mucoperiosteum with attached hard palate was reflected orally as a single block which was pedicled on the greater palatine artery and palatal mucoperiosteum of the non‐pathological side, thereby creating palatal osteo‐mucoperiosteal flap. The flap was placed back at the end of the procedure. Eight patients were operated by this new technique.Results:  All 20 patients operated by the conventional transpalatal approach developed post‐operative complications. In the eight patients operated by the new technique, no post‐operative complications were encountered after 2 years' follow‐up.Conclusions:  We found palatal osteo‐mucoperiosteal flap an easy and safe way of preserving the hard palate mucoperiosteum and bone with its vasculature resulting in quicker healing and minimal functional impairment.
Minority nationalism and immigrant integration in Canada
Authors: Banting Keith , Soroka Stuart 
Published: December 2011

AbstractImmigrant integration is currently a prominent issue in virtually all contemporary democracies, but countries in which the historic population itself is deeply divided – particularly those with substate nations and multiple political identities – present some interesting questions where integration is concerned. The existence of multiple and potentially competing political identities may complicate the integration process, particularly if the central government and the substate nation promote different conceptions of citizenship and different nation‐building projects. What, then, are the implications of minority nationalism for immigrant integration? Are the added complexities a barrier to integration? Or do overlapping identities generate more points of contact between immigrants and their new home? This article addresses this question by probing immigrant and non‐immigrant ‘sense of belonging’ in Canada, both inside and outside Quebec. Data come from Statistics Canada's Ethnic Diversity Study. Our results suggest that competing nation‐building projects make the integration of newcomers more, rather than less, challenging.
Prevalence, Predictors, and Patient Outcomes Associated with Physician Co‐management: Findings from the Los Angeles Women's Health Study
Authors: Rose Danielle E. , Tisnado Diana M. , Tao May L. , Malin Jennifer L. , Adams John L. , Ganz Patricia A. , Kahn Katherine L. 
Published: December 2011

BackgroundPhysician co‐management, representing joint participation in the planning, decision‐making, and delivery of care, is often cited in association with coordination of care. Yet little is known about how physicians manage tasks and how their management style impacts patient outcomes.ObjectivesTo describe physician practice style using breast cancer as a model. We characterize correlates and predictors of physician practice style for 10 clinical tasks, and then test for associations between physician practice style and patient ratings of care.MethodsWe queried 347 breast cancer physicians identified by a population‐based cohort of women with incident breast cancer regarding care using a clinical vignette about a hypothetical 65‐year‐old diabetic woman with incident breast cancer. To test the association between physician practice style and patient outcomes, we linked medical oncologists’ responses to patient ratings of care (physician n = 111; patient n = 411).ResultsAfter adjusting for physician and practice setting characteristics, physician practice style varied by physician specialty, practice setting, financial incentives, and barriers to referrals. Patients with medical oncologists who co‐managed tasks had higher patient ratings of care.ConclusionPhysician practice style for breast cancer is influenced by provider and practice setting characteristics, and it is an important predictor of patient ratings. We identify physician and practice setting factors associated with physician practice style and found associations between physician co‐management and patient outcomes (e.g., patient ratings of care).