bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effects of Naltrexone Treatment for Alcohol‐Related Disorders on Healthcare Costs in an Insured Population
Authors: Kranzler Henry R. , Montejano Leslie B. , Stephenson Judith J. , Wang Shaohung , Gastfriend David R. 
Published: April 2010

Objective:  To determine the impact of treatment with oral naltrexone on healthcare costs in patients with alcohol‐related disorders.Methods:  Using data from the MarketScan Commercial Claims and Encounters Database for 2000–2004, we identified a naltrexone group (with an alcohol‐related diagnosis and at least one pharmacy claim for oral naltrexone) and two control groups. Alcohol controls had an alcohol‐related diagnosis and were not prescribed an alcoholism treatment medication. Nonalcohol controls had no alcohol‐related diagnosis and no prescription for an alcoholism treatment medication. The control groups were matched three to one to the naltrexone group on demographic and other relevant measures. Healthcare expenditures were calculated for the 6‐month periods before and after the index naltrexone drug claim (or matched date for controls). Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to compare the groups on key characteristics and on healthcare costs.Results:  Naltrexone patients (n = 1,138; 62% men; mean age 45 ± 11 years) had significantly higher total healthcare expenditures in the pre‐index period than either of the control groups. In the postindex period, naltrexone patients had a significantly smaller increase than alcohol controls in total alcohol‐related expenditures. Total nonalcohol‐related expenditures also increased significantly less for the naltrexone group than for the alcohol control group. Multivariate analyses showed that naltrexone treatment significantly reduced alcohol‐related, nonalcohol‐related, and total healthcare costs relative to alcohol controls.Conclusions:  Although prior to treatment patients with alcohol‐related disorders had higher healthcare costs, treatment with oral naltrexone was associated with reductions both in alcohol‐related and nonalcohol‐related healthcare costs.
Trajectories of Quality of Life in Older Persons with Advanced Illness
Authors: Solomon Rachel , Kirwin Paul , Van Ness Peter H. , O'Leary John , Fried Terri R. 
Published: April 2010

OBJECTIVES: To examine subjective ratings of quality of life (QoL) in older adults with advanced illness.DESIGN: Observational cohort study with interviews at least every 4 months for up to 2 years conducted between December 1999 and December 2002.SETTING: Participants' homes.PARTICIPANTS: One hundred eighty‐five community‐dwelling individuals aged 60 and older with advanced cancer, heart failure, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.MEASUREMENTS: Participants were asked how they would rate their overall QoL.RESULTS: Of participants who died, 46% reported good or best possible QoL at their final interview, 21% reported improvement in QoL from their penultimate to final interview, and 39% reported no change. Forty‐nine percent of participants reported two or more changes in the direction of their QoL trajectories (e.g., QoL improved then declined). As measured over time in a multivariable longitudinal regression analysis, greater activity of daily living disability (adjusted odds ratio (AOR)=0.85, 95% confidence interval (CI)=0.75–0.95) and depressed mood (AOR=0.42, 95%CI=0.27–0.66) were associated with poorer QoL, whereas better self‐rated health (AOR=4.79, 95% CI=2.99–7.69) and having grown closer to one's church (AOR=1.99, 95% CI=1.17–3.39) were associated with better QoL.CONCLUSION: Although declining QoL is not an inevitable consequence of advancing illness, individuals' ratings of QoL are highly variable over time, suggesting that temporary factors may influence subjective QoL. Functional status, depression, and connection to one's religious community are shared determinants of QoL.
Left Ventricular Extracellular Matrix Remodeling in Dogs with Right Ventricular Apical Pacing
Authors: LIN JIH‐MIN , LAI LING‐PING , LIN CHIH‐SHENG , CHOU NAI‐KUAN , CHIU CHIH‐YUAN , LIN JIUNN‐LEE 
Published: April 2010

Left Ventricular Remodeling in Pacing Dogs. Introduction: Right ventricle (RV) apical pacing is associated with increased incidence of heart failure due to left ventricle (LV) desynchronization. We aim to investigate extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling of the LV in dogs with atria‐sensed RV apical pacing.
Methods and Results:
Dogs with pacemakers underwent AV nodal ablation. After 12 weeks of atria‐sensed obligatory RV pacing, LVs were separated into septum and lateral wall for analysis. Zymographic activity, including matrix metalloproteinase‐2 (MMP‐2), MMP‐9, tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinase‐1 (TIMP‐1), TIMP‐3, collagen transcript expression, and histology were examined in opposite portions of the LV to identify possible ECM remodeling changes by RV apical pacing. Compared with sham‐operated dogs, increased interstitial fibrosis and fragmentation of myofibrils was found in the LV lateral wall in the pacing group. Collagen type II mRNA showed a significant 2‐fold increase in the LV lateral wall in the pacing group. Although collagen type I mRNA was increased, the difference was not significant. Zymography demonstrated MMP‐9 activity was enhanced in both the LV lateral wall and septum in the pacing group, but MMP‐2 activity was enhanced in the LV lateral wall. Immunfluorescence stain confirmed the activation of MMP‐2 and MMP‐9 in the LV lateral wall in the pacing group. Protein expression of TIMP‐1 and TIMP‐3 showed regional differences in the pacing group and both proteins were increased in the LV lateral wall.
Conclusion:
LV dyssynchrony by RV apical pacing elicits heterogeneous ECM remodeling in the LV. These findings assist in the elucidation of the pathophysiology of LV desynchronization. (J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol, Vol. 21, pp. 1142‐1149)
Increased Right Ventricular Repolarization Gradients Promote Arrhythmogenesis in a Murine Model of Brugada Syndrome
Authors: MARTIN CLAIRE A. , ZHANG YANMIN , GRACE ANDREW A. , HUANG CHRISTOPHER L.‐H. 
Published: April 2010

Repolarization Gradients in Brugada Syndrome.  Introduction: Brugada syndrome (BrS) is associated with loss of Na+ channel function and increased risks of a ventricular tachycardia exacerbated by flecainide but reduced by quinidine. Previous studies in nongenetic models have implicated both altered conduction times and repolarization gradients in this arrhythmogenicity. We compared activation latencies and spatial differences in action potential recovery between different ventricular regions in a murine Scn5a+/− BrS model, and investigated the effect of flecainide and quinidine upon these. Methods and Results: Langendorff‐perfused wild‐type and Scn5a+/− hearts were subjected to regular pacing and a combination of programmed electrical stimulation techniques. Monophasic action potentials were recorded from the right (RV) and left ventricular (LV) epicardium and endocardium before and following flecainide (10 μM) or quinidine (5 μM) treatment, and activation latencies measured. Transmural repolarization gradients were then calculated from the difference between neighboring endocardial and epicardial action potential durations (APDs). Scn5a+/− hearts showed decreased RV epicardial APDs, accentuating RV, but not LV, transmural gradients. This correlated with increased arrhythmic tendencies compared with wild‐type. Flecainide increased RV transmural gradients, while quinidine decreased them, in line with their respective pro‐ and antiarrhythmic effects. In contrast, Scna5+/− hearts showed slowed conduction times in both RV and LV, exacerbated not only by flecainide but also by quinidine, in contrast to their differing effects on arrhythmogenesis. Conclusion: We use a murine genetic model of BrS to systematically analyze LV and RV action potential kinetics for the first time. This establishes a key role for accentuated transmural gradients, specifically in the RV, in its arrhythmogenicity. (J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol, Vol. 21, pp. 1153‐1159)
The role of caveolae in endothelial cell dysfunction with a focus on nutrition and environmental toxicants
Authors: Majkova Zuzana , Toborek Michal , Hennig Bernhard 
Published: April 2010

AbstractIntroductionCaveolae‐associated signalling and regulation of endothelial cell functionCaveolae as modulators of cardiovascular toxicity induced by persistent environmental pollutantsNutrition and caveolae function: implication in inflammatory diseaseRegulation of caveolae function by nutrients and implications in endothelial dysfunction by environmental toxicantsConclusionComplications of vascular diseases, including atherosclerosis, are the number one cause of death in Western societies. Dysfunction of endothelial cells is a critical underlying cause of the pathology of atherosclerosis. Lipid rafts, and especially caveolae, are enriched in endothelial cells, and down‐regulation of the caveolin‐1 gene may provide protection against the development of atherosclerosis. There is substantial evidence that exposure to environmental pollution is linked to cardiovascular mortality, and that persistent organic pollutants can markedly contribute to endothelial cell dysfunction and an increase in vascular inflammation. Nutrition can modulate the toxicity of environmental pollutants, and evidence suggests that these affect health and disease outcome associated with chemical insults. Because caveolae can provide a regulatory platform for pro‐inflammatory signalling associated with vascular diseases such as atherosclerosis, we suggest a link between atherogenic risk and functional changes of caveolae by environmental factors such as dietary lipids and organic pollutants. For example, we have evidence that endothelial caveolae play a role in uptake of persistent organic pollutants, an event associated with subsequent production of inflammatory mediators. Functional properties of caveolae can be modulated by nutrition, such as dietary lipids (e.g.fatty acids) and plant‐derived polyphenols (e.g.flavonoids), which change activation of caveolae‐associated signalling proteins. The following review will focus on caveolae providing a platform for pro‐inflammatory signalling, and the role of caveolae in endothelial cell functional changes associated with environmental mediators such as nutrients and toxicants, which are known to modulate the pathology of vascular diseases.
Willingness to pay for implant therapy: a study of patient preference
Authors: Leung Katherine C. M. , McGrath Colman P. J. 
Published: April 2010

AbstractAims: This study determined the amount of willingness to pay (WTP) for implant treatment and identified the factors affecting WTP.Methods: Subjects attending a university dental hospital were recruited (n=59). They were presented with two hypothetical clinical scenarios: missing one anterior/posterior tooth. The clinical procedures, outcome and plausible complications of various replacement options (fixed and removable partial dentures, implants) and sequelae of no treatment were presented. They were then asked how much they were willing to pay for tooth replacement under the two situations using a bidding method, with a starting bid of Hong Kong (HK)$20,000 in HK$1000 increment/decrement if they were willing/unwilling to pay that amount (1 USD=7.8 HKD). The amount was recorded at which the subject chose the opposite option or it reached HK$0. Demographic data were also collected. WTP values were compared between anterior and posterior replacements, and among various demographic subgroups. Spearman's correlations and linear regression analysis were also conducted.Results: Ninety‐four percent and 84% of the subjects chose implant treatment to replace missing anterior and posterior teeth, respectively. The mean WTP amounts for anterior/posterior tooth replacement were HK$11,000/HK$10,000 (P>0.05). Higher WTP amounts were obtained from females, subjects without missing teeth or restorative need, and had attained higher level of education (P<0.05). Gender (P<0.05), level of education (P=0.042), and the presence of missing teeth (P=0.001) were independent predictors of WTP.Conclusions: The estimated WTP value for a single tooth replacement using dental implants was HK$10,000. Gender, level of education and presence of missing teeth were independent predictors that influenced WTP. To cite this article:
Leung KCM, McGrath CPJ. Willingness to pay for implant therapy: a study of patient preference. Clin Oral Impl Res. 21, 2010; 789–793. doi: 10.1111/j.1600‐0501.2009.01897.x
Effects of fluoride tablets on caries and fluorosis occurrence among 6‐ to 9‐year olds using fluoridated salt
Authors: Meyer‐Lueckel H. , Grundmann E. , Stang A. 
Published: April 2010

Meyer‐Lueckel H, Grundmann E, Stang A. Effects of fluoride tablets on caries and fluorosis occurrence among 6‐ to 9‐year olds using fluoridated salt. Community Dent Oral Epidemiol 2010; 38: 315–323. © 2010 John Wiley & Sons A/SAbstract –  Objective:  The aim of this retrospective cohort study was to investigate the association between the use of fluoride tablets among users of fluoridated salt and the occurrence of caries and fluorosis.Materials and methods:  We examined 583 school children aged 6–9 years in Berlin, Germany for caries‐status (modified defs ≥ 1; d3‐level) and fluorosis occurrence on central incisors (TSIF ≥ 1). Parents completed questionnaires about several sociodemographic and oral health related factors of the previous years. To adjust for confounding, we used log‐risk regression and estimated relative risks (RR) and 95% confidence intervals.Results:  The mean modified defs was 3.2 (SD = 5.9) and 58% children were caries‐free. Twenty‐two per cent of the children revealed mild fluorosis (TSIF 1 and 2). Length of fluoride tablet use was inversely associated (adjusted for age and SES) with caries‐status: 2–4 years: RR = 0.8, 95%CI: 0.7–1.0, ≥5 years: RR = 0.5, 95%CI 0.3–0.7 (reference: 0–1 year use). This inverse association could mainly be observed in children who consumed fluoridated salt as well. Relative risks for mild fluorosis were 1.8 (95%CI: 1.1–2.9) and 2.7 (95%CI: 1.6–4.5) for fluoride tablet use of 2–4 years and ≥5 years, respectively compared with 0–1 year use.Conclusions:  Fluoride tablets seem to be effective in reducing the occurrence of caries in children with low caries levels in particular among those using fluoridated salt as well. However, fluoride tablets increase the occurrence of mild fluorosis in permanent incisors.
ORIGINAL ARTICLES: Definitions/Epidemiology/Risk Factors for Sexual Dysfunction
Authors: Lewis Ronald W. , Fugl-Meyer Kerstin S. , Corona Giovanni , Hayes Richard D. , Laumann Edward O. , Moreira Edson D. , Rellini Alessandra H. , Segraves Taylor 
Published: April 2010

ABSTRACT

Introduction
Accurate estimates of prevalence/incidence are important in understanding the true burden of male and female sexual dysfunction and in identifying risk factors for prevention efforts. This is the summary of the report by the International Consultation Committee for Sexual Medicine on Definitions/Epidemiology/Risk Factors for Sexual Dysfunction.

Aim
The main aim of this article is to provide a general overview of the definitions of sexual dysfunction for men and women, the incidence and prevalence rates, and a description of the risk factors identified in large population-based studies.

Methods
Literature regarding definitions, descriptive and analytical epidemiology of sexual dysfunction in men and women were selected using evidence-based criteria. For descriptive epidemiological studies, a Prins score of 10 or higher was utilized to identify population-based studies with adequately stringent criteria. This report represents the opinions of eight experts from five countries developed in a consensus process and encompassing a detailed literature review over a 2-year period.

Main Outcome Measures
The study aims to provide state-of-the-art prevalence and incidence rates reported for each dysfunction and stratified by age and gender. Expert opinion was based on the grading of evidence-based medical literature, widespread internal committee discussion, public presentation, and debate.

Results
A wealth of information is presented on erectile dysfunction, its development through time, and its correlates. The field is still in need of more epidemiological studies on the other men’s sexual dysfunction and on all women’s sexual dysfunctions.

Conclusions
A review of the currently available evidence from epidemiological studies is provided.
Single nucleotide polymorphisms and haplotypes of TLR6 gene in Chinese Cantonese population
Authors: Xiao W.J. , Gong Y.X. , Liu Z.H. , Wang J.M. 
Published: April 2010

SummarySequence polymorphisms in the coding region of Toll‐like receptor 6 gene were investigated in Chinese Cantonese population. By amplifying and sequencing a 2787 bp segment containing the entire coding region of TLR6 gene of 191 individuals in Chinese Cantonese population, a total of seven single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) along with their frequencies were detected. Comparing these data with SNP published in dbSNP database of National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), two SNP (+176T/C and +1408G/T) were firstly reported, and five SNP caused amino‐acid substitution. Sixteen haplotypes and their distributions were reconstructed. Linkage disequilibrium analysis and neutrality test were also performed. Comparing with other ethnic populations, Chinese Cantonese displayed obvious differences in TLR6 polymorphism. It may in part reflect the ethnic diversity of pathogen susceptibility and facilitate to develop the disease‐association studies as well as population genetics and evolutionary research.
Understanding Adoption of Livestock Health Management Practices: The Case of Bovine Leukosis Virus
Authors: Gramig Benjamin M. , Wolf Christopher A. , Lupi Frank 
Published: April 2010

Herd‐level livestock health management decisions have implications for farm profitability and the potential public impact of a livestock disease outbreak. Thus, adoption of health management practices is of interest to government officials concerned with managing the risk of disease outbreak and controlling the spread of infection. This paper uses a fractional logit model to estimate the disease risk reduction for livestock health management practices on farms, and then uses the economic benefits of these risk reductions as explanatory variables in an econometric model of adoption of these practices. We find that the economic damages from disease associated with a particular practice are statistically significant but ultimately of little practical economic importance in adoption decisions. Implications for policy and relation to prior research findings are discussed. Les décisions entourant la gestion sanitaire du troupeau ont des répercussions sur la rentabilité des fermes et sur l'impact qu'une éclosion de maladies animales pourrait avoir sur la population. Par conséquent, l'adoption de pratiques de gestion sanitaire intéresse les représentants du gouvernement soucieux de gérer le risque d'éclosion de maladies et de maîtriser la propagation d'une infection. Dans le présent article, nous avons utilisé un modèle logit fractionnaire pour estimer la diminution du risque de maladies lorsque des pratiques de gestion sanitaire du troupeau sont adoptées à la ferme et nous avons ensuite utilisé les avantages économiques de cette diminution du risque comme variables explicatives dans un modèle économétrique d'adoption de ces pratiques. Les résultats ont montré que les dommages économiques liés aux maladies associées à une pratique en particulier sont statistiquement significatifs, mais qu'ils sont finalement sans importance économique dans les décisions d'adoption. Nous avons examiné les répercussions sur la politique agricole et avons fait le lien avec des résultats de recherche antérieurs.
Prospective evaluation of complications associated with jugular venous catheter use in a veterinary hospital
Authors: Adamantos S. , Brodbelt D. , Moores A. L. 
Published: April 2010

Objectives: To prospectively investigate the incidence of mechanical and infectious complications associated with the use of jugular catheters and risk factors for these complications. Methods: Data was collected over a 6‐month period and risk factors associated with the occurrence of mechanical or inflammatory complications were investigated. Results: One hundred catheters were placed over a 6‐month period, totalling 393 catheter days. Complications were seen in 39% of catheters with a total of 51 complications. Forty‐one of these complications were mechanical. A total of 10 inflammatory or infectious complications were identified in eight catheters (a total of 0·03 infectious complications per catheter day). Complications were more likely to occur in patients requiring more than one attempt for placement and patients that were ASA status 3 to 5. Infectious complications were more likely in patients not having general anaesthesia for placement, those having medical rather than surgical disease and those placed out of theatre. No association was found between the skill of the person placing the catheter and risk of complication. Clinical Significance: Mechanical complications are frequently associated with jugular catheter placement. Identification of risk factors for complications is important and warrants further study.
An epidemiological study of environmental factors associated with canine obesity
Authors: Courcier E. A. , Thomson R. M. , Mellor D. J. , Yam P. S. 
Published: April 2010

Objectives: To assess the relationships between socioeconomic and other environmental factors with canine obesity. Methods: This was a cross‐sectional questionnaire study of dog owners attending five primary veterinary practices in the UK. Owners were asked about dog age, neuter status, feeding habits, dog exercise, household income and owner age. The body condition score of the dogs was also assessed. Factors hypothesised to be associated with obesity were investigated. Results: In total, data from 696 questionnaires were evaluated. Out of those data evaluated, 35·3% of dogs (n=246) were classed as an ideal body shape, 38·9% (n=271) were overweight, 20·4% (n=142) were obese and 5·3% (n=37) were underweight. Identified risk factors associated with obesity included owner age, hours of weekly exercise, frequency of snacks/treats and personal income. Clinical Significance: Environmental risk factors associated with canine obesity are multifactorial and include personal income, owner age, frequency of snacks/treats and amount of exercise the dog receives. Awareness about health risks associated with obesity in dogs is significantly less in people in lower income brackets. This phenomenon is recognised in human obesity.
Religion and Country Music
Authors: Hayes John 
Published: April 2010

AbstractCountry music as a commercial genre began in a society where religion exerted considerable cultural influence – the U.S. South of the 1920s. Musicians of the white working‐class recorded songs for national record companies, who codified their oeuvres into a form they called “hillbilly” music, or what we know as the first country music. Hillbilly music bore the clear imprint of working‐class religion, a folk form of Protestantism that took shape in the late nineteenth century. Over the music’s subsequent history, folk Protestantism receded as an influence as the white working‐class went through drastic economic change and dislocation. Country music after the mid‐1950s sang less of longings defined by religion and more of secular working‐class life. In the 1970s, a newer, national Protestant movement – evangelicalism – made some inroads, primarily in the personal lives of country musicians. More recently, the quasi‐religion of U.S. nationalism has informed popular country music songs, even as a distinct regional or working‐class character has faded from the music, in fan base, image, or personal background of musicians.