bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Seroprevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection among children and their parents in eastern Turkey
Authors: Yilmaz E , Doğan Y , Gürgöze MK , Ünal S 
Published: October 2010

Objectives: To determine the seroprevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection among healthy children in eastern Turkey, to assess risk factors for seroconversion, and to assess the role of parental infection status in the transmission of H. pylori. Methods: A commercial enzyme immunoassay test for IgG to H. pylori was used. Demographic information obtained included age, gender, socio‐economic status and living conditions. Results: One hundred and fifty‐two (43.9%) of 346 children were seropositive. There was no significant difference in rates of seroprevalence between boys and girls (P > 0.05), but a significant rise was noted with increasing age (P < 0.001). We found a strong inverse correlation between family income and seropositivity (P < 0.001). Seroprevalence also varied significantly with the educational level of the mother (P < 0.001). There were no significant differences in seroprevalence associated with place of residence, water supply and the number of persons per room (P > 0.05). The prevalence of infection in the corresponding parents was 85.4% for mothers and 76.3% for fathers. Seroprevalence was higher in children whose mother was infected (P < 0.001). Conclusions: In eastern Turkey, as in other developing countries, H. pylori infection occurs early and increases with age. Infected parents, especially infected mothers, may have a important role in the transmission of H. pylori within families.
Slowing of growth in height and weight on stimulants: A characteristic pattern
Authors: Poulton A , Cowell CT 
Published: October 2010

Objective:  The aims of the present study were to describe the growth pattern of children starting stimulant medication and to analyse the changes over time in height, weight and height velocity in a cohort of treated patients.Methods:  Retrospective review of growth data from files of all newly treated patients with attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder in one paediatric practice. Forty‐four boys and seven girls were treated for 6−42 months with either dexam­phetamine (n = 32) or methylphenidate (n = 19).Results:  During the first 6 months on stimulant medication 44 children (86%) had a height velocity below the age‐corrected mean and there was weight loss in 39 (76%). The height and weight standard deviation score (SDS) showed a progressive decline that was statistically significant after 6 and 18 months (P < 0.001, paired t‐test). The height velocity was significantly attenuated for the first 30 months (P < 0.01), being lowest during the first 6 months. The mean height deficit during the first 2 years was approximately 1 cm/year. The change in weight SDS was 2.4 times the change in height SDS after 30 months on treatment with a significant correlation (Pearson's correlation coefficient r = 0.88, P < 0.001).Conclusions:  Stimulant medication is associated with a decrease in height and weight SDS during the first 6−30 months with a characteristic pattern on the growth chart.
Birthweight distribution in southern Chinese infants with symptomatic congenital heart disease
Authors: Jacobs EGJ , Leung MP , Karlberg LJ 
Published: October 2010

Objective:  Western infants with congenital heart disease have frequently been reported to have a low birthweight for gestational age. Studies in Asian infants seem to be lacking in this area. This is the first extensive study presenting the birthweight distribution of Chinese newborns with symptomatic congenital heart disease.Methods:  The birth data of 454, mainly southern‐Chinese infants with symptomatic cardiovascular defects, born between 1990 and 1995 and admitted to Grantham Hospital, Hong Kong in 1994 and 1995, were analysed retrospectively. Infants with (non)‐genetic syndromes or other major extracardiac malformations were excluded.Results:  Fifteen per cent of all newborns had a birthweight below the reference mean of − 2 Z‐score. After correction for length of gestation, no significant difference could be detected in birthweight between the cyanotic and acyanotic groups, nor between the different haemodynamic disturbances. Infants with atrial or ventricular septal defects, tetralogy of Fallot, pulmonary atresia with ventricular septal defect, heart with univentricular atrio‐ventricular connection or double outlet right ventricle showed significant birthweight deficits. Transposition of the great arteries was not related to being small for gestational age.Conclusions:  Similar to Western infants, prenatal growth impairment was a common feature in Chinese infants with symptomatic congenital heart disease. The birthweight distribution in Chinese might be comparable to that in Western populations. Exceptions are possibly the high frequency of low birthweight in Chinese newborns with atrial septal defect or a single‐ventricle abnormality. Further studies on fetal anthropometry and haemodynamics are necessary to provide insight into the relation between cardiovascular malformations and being small for gestational age.
Effect of postural supports on neuromotor function in very preterm infants to term equivalent age
Authors: Monterosso L , Kristjanson L , Cole J , Evans SF 
Published: October 2010

Objective:  To determine the effect of a postural support nappy and/or a postural support roll on neuromotor function in very preterm infants when nursed prone to term equivalent age.Methods:  A randomized observer blind controlled trial of 123 very preterm infants was conducted in the neonatal intensive care unit of the sole tertiary referral centre in Western Australia. Infants were stratified by gestational age (< 29 weeks or 29−30 weeks), then randomized into one of three intervention groups: postural support nappy, postural support nappy and postural support roll, or disposable nappy and postural support roll. Interventions started when infants were stable and ceased when routine side‐lying commenced. Measurements of shoulder and hip posture were performed pre‐intervention, 5 weeks post‐intervention and term postmenstrual age.Results:  Infants nursed with a postural support roll and a postural support nappy demonstrated improved hip posture to term equivalent age compared with infants nursed with either a postural support roll only, or a postural support nappy only. Infants nursed with a postural support roll either with or without a postural support nappy demonstrated improved shoulder posture to term equivalent age.Conclusions:  Combined use of a postural support roll and a postural support nappy while very preterm infants are nursed prone improves hip posture up to term postmenstrual age. Use of a postural support roll improves shoulder posture up to term equivalent age.
Predicting the need for ventilatory support in neonates 30−36 weeks’ gestational age
Authors: Patel H , Beeby PJ , Henderson‐Smart DJ 
Published: October 2010

Objectives:  To determine antenatal factors associated with the need for ventilatory support in babies born between 30 and 36 weeks gestational age and use this information to help referring obstetricians decide which mothers need antenatal transfer.Methods:  Babies born at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital at 30−36 weeks’ gestation inclusive between January 1992 to December 1999 were identified in the obstetric and neonatal databases. Information for a wide range of antenatal factors and respiratory outcomes was extracted. Babies with major congenital anomalies were excluded. Statistical analysis using spss for Windows was then undertaken.Results:  Data were available for 3102 babies. On univariate analysis, seven factors were significant. Lower gestational age, absence of labour, Caesarean section, antepartum haemorrhage, breech presentation and hypertensive disease of pregnancy were associated with increased risk, while threatened premature labour was protective. On logistic regression analysis, gestational age and absence of labour dominated the model. Other significant factors in the model had a relatively minor impact.Conclusions:  The risk of needing ventilatory support according to antenatal risk factors is described for infants born between 30 and 36 weeks. Gestational age and absence of labour were found to be the major determinants of risk. Delivery without labour increased the risk by the equivalent of about 2 weeks of gestation. For example, to avoid a risk > 20%, the cut off is 33 weeks for mothers who labour, but is increased to 35 weeks when there is no labour. Our results should be interpreted with caution, as the patients in a tertiary obstetric unit may not be typical of the wider community.
Predicting iron status in low birthweight infants
Authors: Thom R , Parnell W , Broadbent R , Heath A‐L 
Published: October 2010

Objective:  To determine the iron status of a selected group of low birthweight infants at approximately 9 months of age, and examine the feasibility of predicting iron status by examining the history of supplementary iron intake.Methods:  All live low birthweight infants recorded in the Dunedin Hospital Queen Mary Maternity Unit birth register who reached 9 months of age between November 1995 and September 1996 were eligible to participate. Infants were categorized into ‘high’ or ‘low’ iron intake groups depending on their consumption of infant formula or medicinal iron for one month prior to the study, and their iron status compared.Results:  Eighty‐one infants of 73 mothers, with an average age of 10 months (range 8−13 months), participated. Thirty‐three per cent (n = 27) were iron deficient: 19% (n = 15) had latent iron deficiency and 15% (n = 12) had iron deficiency anaemia. Those with a ‘low’ iron intake were 13‐fold more likely to be iron deficient than infants with a ‘high’ iron intake (95% confidence interval: 4.4−41.5). Screening for iron deficiency using categories based on supplementary iron intake had a positive predictive value of 66% and a negative predictive value of 88%.Conclusions:  The risk of iron deficiency was considerably greater for infants who had not received supplementary iron daily over the course of the previous month. Current preventative methods for avoiding poor iron status in this group of high risk infants are not effective. Screening for iron deficiency in low birthweight infants on the basis of iron intake from infant formula or medicinal iron provides a useful method for identifying infants whose iron status should be investigated.
Audit of definitive colorectal surgery in patients with early and advanced colorectal cancer
Authors: Isbister William H. 
Published: October 2010

Background: The role of surgery in patients with advanced colorectal cancer may be questioned in the era of specialized intensive palliative care. Should patients with advanced disease be advised against surgery because of the risks of the surgery itself? In this study, the perioperative outcomes in patients undergoing definitive surgery for early (Dukes’ stages A, B and C) and advanced colorectal cancer (stage D) were examined. Methods: All patients undergoing definitive surgery for colorectal cancer during a 15‐year period were identified. Details of tumour site and stage, surgery performed, perioperative complications and postoperative mortality were compared. Results: A total of 374 patients underwent definitive surgery. There were
193 men, a male : female ratio of 1:0.9. Seventy‐one patients had advanced disease.
There were no differences between the early and advanced groups in perioperative
requirements for either blood or total parenteral nutrition. In the advanced group,
more operations were performed as emergencies than in the early group (32.4 vs
17.5%; P < 0.01) and more patients presented with bowel obstruction
in the advanced group (23.9 vs 10.2%; P < 0.01). There were no site differences between the early and advanced groups and no differences between the operations performed except that endo‐anal destruction was not performed in advanced patients. There were no differences in perioperative morbidity or mortality in the groups studied. Conclusion: Resection rates, operation type and postoperative morbidity and mortality were similar in patients with both early and advanced colorectal cancers. In terms of perioperative outcome, the presence of advanced cancer, per se, should not, therefore, be a justification to decline surgery.
Aortic aneurysm repair in a peripheral setting: Audit 100 consecutive cases
Authors: Cranshaw Isaac M. , Wilson Nicola C. , Fleischl John M. , Nightingale Michael 
Published: October 2010

Background: Subspecialization of vascular surgery and the advent of endovascular techniques for aortic aneurysm repair have had a large impact on the approach to aortic surgery in main centres. Centralization of vascular surgery has been proposed to lower mortality and morbidity rates. More recently, clinical governance standards have been set by professional bodies for acceptable adverse outcome rates in aortic surgery. A peripheral general surgeon’s experience with aortic surgery is reviewed in the present report in order to identify the local adverse outcome rates, and to relate them to case data and governance recommendations. Methods: A retrospective audit of 100 cases of elective and emergency aortic aneurysm repair (performed by the senior author over a 10‐year period) was undergone for the present review. Demographic and outcome data were recorded, and a data analysis was performed to identify factors related to mortality. Significance was tested using chi‐squared analysis. Results: Postoperative mortality rates were 1.7% for elective cases and 21% for acute cases. Mortality was related to rupture of the aneurysm, blood loss and American Society of Anesthetists score > 3. Conclusion: Morbidity and mortality rates from this audit compare favourably with those from larger vascular units. They are well within the accepted clinical governance rates, although the latter do not account for any case mix variation which may exist between peripheral and tertiary referral centres. These results support the continuation of aortic aneurysm surgery in peripheral centres.
Taxonomic and Conservation Status of the Yuma Mountain Lion
Authors: MCIVOR DONALD E. , BISSONETTE JOHN A. , DREW GARY S. 
Published: October 2010

Abstract: Confusion persists over the taxonomic status and viability of the Yuma mountain lion (Felis concolor browni). We conducted a review of the literature on lions in the American Southwest and interviewed resource and public‐land managers and wildlife researchers to help us understand the current status of the Yuma mountain lion. We also contacted museums and assembled the most complete set of morphometric data on the Yuma mountain lion. Few if any breeding female lions, a paucity of prey, and a lack of suitable habitat within the reported range of this population cast doubt on its status. We conclude that subspecific status is probably not warranted.El estado taxoómico y de conservación del león de las Montañas Yuma
Composition of Bird Communities Following Stand‐Replacement Fires in Northern Rocky Mountain (U.S.A.) Conifer Forests
Authors: HUTTO RICHARD L. 
Published: October 2010

Abstract:During the two breeding seasons immediately following the numerous and widespread fires of 1988, I estimated bird community composition in each of 34 burned‐forest sites in western Montana and northern Wyoming. I detected an average of 45 species per site and a total of 87 species in the sites combined. A comppilation of these data with bird‐count data from more than 200 additional studies conducted across 15 major vegetation cover types in the northern Rocky Mountain region showed that 15 bird species are generally more abundant in early post‐fire communities than in any other major cover type occurring in the northern Rockies. One bird species (Black‐backed Woodpecker, Picoides arcticus)seems to be nearly restricted in its habitat distribution to standing dead forests created by stand‐replacement fires. Bird communities in recently burned forests are different in composition from those that characterize other Rocky Mountain cover types (including early‐successional clearcuts) primarily because members of three feeding guilds are especially abundant therein: woodpeckers, flycatchers, and seedeaters. Standing, fire‐killed trees provided nest sites for nearly two‐thirds of 31 species that were found nesting in the burned sites. Broken‐top snags and standing dead aspens were used as nest sites for cavity‐nesting species significantly more often than expected on the basis of their relative abundance. Moreover, because nearly all of the broken‐top snags that were used were present before the fire, forest conditions prior to a fire (especially the presence of snags) may be important in determining the suitability of a site to cavity‐nesting birds after a fire. For bird species that were relatively abundant in or relatively restricted to burned forests, stand‐replacement fires may be necessary for long‐term maintenance of their populations. Unfortunately, the current fire policy of public land‐management agencies does not encourage maintenance of stand‐replacement fire regimes, which may be necessary for the creation of conditions needed by the most fire‐dependent bird species. In addition, salvage cutting may reduce the suitability of burned‐forest habitat for birds by removing the most important element—standing, fire‐killed trees–needed for feeding, nesting, or both by the majority of bird species that used burned forests.Composición de las comunidades de aves luego del reemplazo de rodales a cause de incendios forestales en bosques de coníferas de las montañas Rocosas del norte
Subsistence Hunting in Arabuko‐Sokoke Forest, Kenya, and Its Effects on Mammal Populations
Authors: FITZGIBBON CLARE D. , MOGAKA HEZRON , FANSHAWE JOHN H. 
Published: October 2010

Abstract: Mammal populations in Arabuko‐Sokoke Forest, Kenya, provide an important source of protein and income for local communities. The harvested biomass in 1991 was over 350 kg/km2, and the economic value of the harvest was over 1.3 million KShs (approximately US$35,000). Bushpigs, aardvarks, and primates comprise 95% of the harvested biomass, but the main prey in terms of number of animals killed (35% of total) was the four‐toed elephant shrew (Petrodomus tetradactylus). Trapping is concentrated on the periphery of the forest and reduces densities of four‐toed elephant shrews within 1–2 km of the forest edge by 41%, squirrels by 66%, and Syke's monkeys by 55%. Yellow baboons (Papio cynocephalus), Syke's monkeys (Cercopithecus mitis), and the larger ungulates are also hunted with dogs throughout the forest. The results of our study suggest that yellow baboons and Syke's monkeys are overharvested, and current offtake rates of elephant shrews, squirrels, and duikers (Cephalophus spp.) are sustainable. Overharvesting has reduced the densities of large ungulates, including bushbuck (Tragelaphus scriptus) and buffalo (Syncerus caffer), to low levels. Differences in reproductive rates, abundance, population, dispersion, ease of capture, and relative vulnerability to hunting, as compared to trapping, influence the extent to which different prey species are affected by harvesting.Caza de subsistencia en la selva de Arabuko‐Sokoke, en Kenia, y sus efectos sobra las poblaciones de mamíferos
Fencerows, Edges, and Implications of Changing Connectivity Illustrated by Two Contiguous Ohio Landscapes
Authors: DEMERS MICHAEL N. , SIMPSON JOHN W. , BOERNER RALPH E. J. , SILVA ALEJANDRA , BERNS LESLIE , ARTIGAS FRANCISCO 
Published: October 2010

Abstract: We evaluated the amounts and implications of changes in habitat connectivity on rural land‐scapes by modeling the colonization success and subsequent habitat colonization of a model edge organism within real landscapes. We first inventoried the changes in the fencerow and forest‐edge network of two contiguous Ohio (U.S.A.) landscapes, an agriculturally dominated till plain and a more diverse and dynamic moraine landscape, from 1940 to 1988. On the moraine the number of fencerows changed little from 1940 to 1971. The number increased by 86 during 1971–1988 as marginal farms were subdivided. The total length of fencerows on the moraine increased 2.5‐fold over 48 years. On the till plain the number and total length of fencerows remained relatively constant through the study period. The sum of fencerows and forest edges was used as a measure of total ecotonal edge. On the moraine total edge increased through the study period, whereas on the till plain it decreased. We selected two levels of landscape connectivity, low and high, to model animal habitat colonization success. As connectivity increased the earliest successful colonists preempted an increasingly large proportion of the total suitable habitat, and the probability of successful colonization by later‐arriving individuals decreased. The changes in connectivity that resulted from changes in both the fencerow network and the proportion of forested land have resulted in contiguous landscapes that present very different colonization potentials to organisms with long‐distance dispersal capability. Given the current uncertainty of the effects of corridors on species‐preservation efforts, we suggest that further modeling of this type prior to field testing will add useful insights, especially if conducted using specific species and landscape types.Las cercas, los bordes y las connotaciones de los cambios en la conectividad ilustrados por dos paisajes contiguos de Ohio
Germination and Establishment of the Native Plains Cottonwood (Populus deltoides Marshall subsp. monilifera) and the Exotic Russian‐olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia L.)
Authors: SHAFROTH PATRICK B. , AUBLE GREGOR T. , SCOTT MICHAEL L. 
Published: October 2010

Abstract: Russian‐olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia) is a small Eurasian tree that has escaped from cultivation and become naturalized, primarily along watercourses throughout the western United States. We examined germination and establishment of Russian‐olive and plains cottonwood (Populus deltoides), the principal native riparian tree of the Great Plains, under a range of experimental moisture and light conditions. The fewest seedings established under the driest conditions; seedling biomass was predictably lower in the shade; root‐to‐shoot ratios were higher for cottonwood, higher in the sun, and higher under drier conditions. Several interactions were also significant. The timing of germination and mortality varied between plains cottonwood and Russian‐olive: cottonwood germinated in mid‐June in all treatments in a single pulse with subsequent mortality; the timing and amount of Russian‐olive germination differed substantially across treatments with little net mortality. Differences in life‐history traits of these species, including seed size, viability, and dispersal, help explain treatment differences. Russian‐olive will likely remain an important component of riparian communities along both unregulated and regulated western rivers because it succeeds under conditions optimal for cottonwood establishment and under many conditions unfavorable for cottonwood. Furthermore, many western states still encourage planting of Russian‐olive, and control techniques tend to be labor‐intensive and expensive.Germinación y establecimiento del álamo nativo de las planicies (Populus deltoides Marshall subsp. monolifera) y el olivo ruso exótico (Elaeagnus angustifolia L.)