bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The 2012 AHS/AAN Guidelines for Prevention of Episodic Migraine: A Summary and Comparison With Other Recent Clinical Practice Guidelines
Authors: Loder Elizabeth , Burch Rebecca , Rizzoli Paul 
Published: April 2012

Background.— Updated guidelines for the preventive treatment of episodic migraine have been issued by the American Headache Society (AHS) and the American Academy of Neurology (AAN). We summarize key 2012 guideline recommendations and changes from previous guidelines. We review the characteristics, methods, consistency, and quality of the AHS/AAN guidelines in comparison with recently issued guidelines from other specialty societies.Methods.— To accomplish this, we reviewed the AHS/AAN guidelines and identified comparable recent guidelines through a systematic MEDLINE search. We extracted key data, and summarized and compared the key recommendations and assessed quality using the Appraisal of Guidelines Research and Evaluation‐II (AGREE‐II) tool. We identified 2 additional recent guidelines for migraine prevention from the Canadian Headache Society and the European Federation of Neurological Societies. All of the guidelines used structured methods to locate evidence and linked recommendations with assessment of the evidence, but they varied in the methods used to derive recommendations from that evidence.Results.— Overall, the 3 guidelines were consistent in their recommendations of treatments for first‐line use. All rated topiramate, divalproex/sodium valproate, propranolol, and metoprolol as having the highest level of evidence. In contrast, recommendations diverged substantially for gabapentin and feverfew. The overall quality of the guidelines ranged from 2 to 6 out of 7 on the AGREE‐II tool.Conclusion.— The AHS/AAN and Canadian guidelines are recommended for use on the basis of the AGREE‐II quality assessment. Recommendations for the future development of clinical practice guidelines in migraine are provided. In particular, efforts should be made to ensure that guidelines are regularly updated and that guideline developers strive to locate and incorporate unpublished clinical trial evidence.
Chemotherapy‐Induced Neuropathic Pain and Its Relation to Cluster Symptoms in Breast Cancer Patients Treated with Paclitaxel
Authors: Golan‐Vered Yael , Pud Dorit 
Published: April 2012

Abstract The majority of patients with breast cancer receiving chemotherapy report multiple symptoms. Compelling evidence has shown that subgroups of patients can be clustered by the severity of symptoms. Recent studies demonstrate that chemotherapy with such substances as paclitaxel can cause neuropathic pain (CINP) and consequently neural damage.Objectives:  the present study examined the relationship between symptom clusters and CINP among 40 patients with breast cancer. The study was based on 2 sessions conducted before and during paclitaxel treatment. In each session, neuropathic pain was assessed by the DN4 Questionnaire. In the second session, the Lee Fatigue Scale, the General Sleep Disturbance Scale, and the Center for Epidemiological Studies–Depression Scale were also administered, and the worst pain intensity was assessed. Using cluster analysis, 2 symptom clusters were identified on the basis of the severity of the 4 symptoms scores. Patients in the High Cluster (37%) experienced a high level of all symptoms, whereas patients in the Low Cluster (63%) experienced a low level of all symptoms. Twenty patients (50%) were diagnosed with CINP. A subgroup of patients (23%) from the High Cluster was identified as having CINP; 35% were in the Low Cluster and free of CINP. In conclusion, there appears to be a specific subgroup of patients with hypersensitive cancer who need greater attention to symptom management. Early detection of symptoms, together with careful dose selection and assessment of early stages in the development of neuropathic pain, are essential for preventing the simultaneous occurrence of severe multiple symptoms and CINP.
Pension Benefit Security: A Comparison of Solvency Requirements, a Pension Guarantee Fund, and Sponsor Support
Authors: Broeders Dirk , Chen An 
Published: April 2012

AbstractDeveloped countries apply different security mechanisms in regulation to protect pension benefits: solvency requirements, a pension guarantee fund (PGF), and sponsor support. We compare these mechanisms for a generalized form of hybrid pension schemes. We calculate the expected log return for the beneficiaries, the shortfall probability, that is, the likelihood of the pension payment falling below the promised level and the expected loss given shortfall. Comparing solvency requirements to a pension guarantee system or sponsor support involves trading off risk and return. Additional spending on default insurance reduces the shortfall probability and the expected loss given shortfall but also lowers the probability of high positive returns as are feasible under solvency requirements.
The Risk‐Sharing Implications of Disaster Insurance Funds
Authors: Boulatov Alex , Dieckmann Stephan 
Published: April 2012

AbstractWe study the risk‐sharing implications that arise from introducing a disaster insurance fund to the cat insurance market. Such a form of intervention can increase efficiency in the private market, and our design of disaster insurance suggests a prominent role of catastrophe reinsurance. The model predicts buyers will increase their demand in the private market, and the seller will lower prices to such an extent that their revenues decrease upon introduction of disaster insurance. We test two predictions in the context of the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act (TRIA). It is already known that the introduction of TRIA led to negative abnormal returns in the insurance industry. In addition, we show this negative effect is stronger for larger and for low‐risk‐averse firms—two results that are consistent with our model. The seller’s risk aversion plays an important role in quantifying such feedback effects, and we point toward possible distortions in which a firm may even be overhedged upon introduction of disaster insurance.
Acquisition and Disclosure of Operational Information*
Authors: Li Zhaolin , Sun Daewon 
Published: April 2012

ABSTRACTWe study a firm's strategy for acquisition and disclosure of operational information by establishing linkages among information quality, managerial self‐interest, and production planning. We develop a multistage model in which a manager of a publicly traded firm first receives private information about the product demand and then uses it to make production and disclosure decisions. We consider two prevalent disclosure models employed in the accounting literature: all‐or‐nothing and cheap‐talk models. In the all‐or‐nothing model, it is assumed that any disclosure must be truthful, but the manager can strategically withhold information. We show that the manager commits to acquire the value‐added operational information if (i) the managerial self‐interest in the interim share price is low or (ii) the managerial self‐interest in the interim share price is high, but the fixed disclosure cost is either sufficiently low or sufficiently high. We demonstrate that the firm is better off if the production level is observable to the financial market because multidimensional signaling reduces costs. In the cheap‐talk model, we assume that the manager's disclosure may not be truthful. We show that the manager's incentive to acquire value‐added operational information increases along with the penalty cost for misleading investors. Therefore, a high penalty cost for misleading investors can encourage the manager to obtain more precise information, which in turn improves the firm's cash flow.
Enhanced Transmural Dispersion of Repolarization in Patients with J Wave Syndromes
Authors: KARIM TALIB AHMED , SATO NOBUYUKI , SAKAMOTO NAKA , TANABE YASUKO , TAKEUCHI TOSHIHARU , SAIJO YASUAKI , KAWAMURA YUICHIRO , HASEBE NAOYUKI 
Published: April 2012

J Wave Syndromes. Introduction: Recently, great attention has been paid to the risk stratification of asymptomatic patients with an electrocardiographic early repolarization (ER) pattern. We investigated several repolarization parameters including the Tpeak‐Tend interval and Tpeak‐Tend/QT ratio in healthy individuals and patients with J wave syndrome who were aborted from sudden cardiac death.Methods and Results: Ninety‐two subjects were enrolled: 12 patients with ventricular fibrillation associated with J waves, 40 healthy subjects with an uneventful ER pattern and 40 healthy control subjects (C) without any evident J waves. Using ambulatory electrocardiogram recordings, the average QT interval, corrected QT interval (QTc), Tpeak‐Tend (Tp‐e) interval, which is the interval from the peak to the end of the T wave, and Tp‐e/QT ratio were calculated. Using ANOVA and post hoc analysis, there was no significant difference in the average QT and QTc in all 3 groups (QT; 396 ± 27 vs 405 ± 27 vs 403 ± 27 m, QTc; 420 ± 26 vs 421 ± 21 vs 403 ± 19 milliseconds in the C, ER pattern and J groups, respectively). The Tp‐e interval and Tp‐e/QT ratio were significantly more increased in the J wave group than the ER Pattern group (Tp‐e: 86.7 ± 14 milliseconds vs 68 ± 13.2 milliseconds, P < 0.001, Tp‐e/QT; 0.209 ± 0.04 vs 0.171 ± 0.03, P < 0.001), but they did not significantly differ between the C and ER pattern groups (Tp‐e: 68.6 ± 7.5 vs 68 ± 13.2, P = 0.97, Tp‐e/QT 0.174 ± 0.02 vs 0.171 ± 0.03, P = 0.4).Conclusion: As novel markers of heterogeneity of ventricular repolarization, Tpeak‐Tend interval and Tp‐Te/QT ratio are significantly increased in patients with J wave syndromes compared to age and sex‐matched uneventful ER. (J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol, Vol. 23 pp. 1109‐1114, October 2012)
Right Atrial Remodeling is More Advanced in Patients with Atrial Flutter Than with Atrial Fibrillation
Authors: MEDI CAROLINE , TEH ANDREW W. , ROBERTS‐THOMSON KURT , MORTON JOSEPH B. , KISTLER PETER M. , KALMAN JONATHAN M. 
Published: April 2012

Atrial Remodeling in Atrial Flutter. Introduction: Atrial fibrillation (AF) and atrial flutter (AFL) are related arrhythmias with common triggers, yet in individual patients either AF or AFL often predominates. We performed detailed electrophysiologic (EP) and electroanatomic (EA) studies of the right atrium (RA) in patients with AF and AFL to determine substrate differences that may explain the preferential expression of AF/AFL in individual patients.Methods: Patients with AF (n = 13) were compared to patients with persistent AFL (n = 10). Detailed studies were performed, and 3‐dimensional electroanatomic mapping studies were created and the RA was divided into 4 segments for regional analysis. Global, septal, lateral, anterior, and posterior segments were compared for analysis of: bipolar voltage; proportion of low‐voltage areas and areas of electrical silence; conduction times; and proportion of abnormal signals (fractionated signals and double potentials).Results: Compared to patients with AF, patients with AFL had (1) lower bipolar voltage and an increase in the proportion of low‐voltage areas; (2) an increase in the proportion of complex signals; and (3) prolongation of activation times.Conclusions: Patients with AFL showed more advanced remodeling than patients with AF with slowed conduction, lower voltage areas with regions of electrical silence, and a greater proportion of complex signals, particularly in the posterior RA. These changes facilitate the stabilization of AFL and may explain why some patients are more likely to develop AFL as a sustained clinical arrhythmia. (J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol, Vol. 23 pp. 1067‐1072, October 2012)
Trace Detection of Meglumine and Diatrizoate from Bacillus Spore Samples Using Liquid Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry*,§
Authors: Swider Catherine , Maguire Kelly , Rickenbach Michael , Montgomery Madeline , Ducote Matthew J. , Marhefka Craig A. 
Published: April 2012

Abstract:  Following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, letters containing Bacillus anthracis were distributed through the United States postal system killing five people. A complex forensic investigation commenced to identify the perpetrator of these mailings. A novel liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry protocol for the qualitative detection of trace levels of meglumine and diatrizoate in dried spore preparations of B. anthracis was developed. Meglumine and diatrizoate are components of radiographic imaging products that have been used to purify bacterial spores. Two separate chromatographic assays using multiple mass spectrometric analyses were developed for the detection of meglumine and diatrizoate. The assays achieved limits of detection for meglumine and diatrizoate of 1.00 and 10.0 ng/mL, respectively. Bacillus cereus T strain spores were effectively used as a surrogate for B. anthracis spores during method development and validation. This protocol was successfully applied to limited evidentiary B. anthracis spore material, providing probative information to the investigators.
Harmful drinking and talking about alcohol in primary care: New Zealand population survey findings
Authors: Foulds J. , Wells J. E. , Lacey C. , Adamson S. , Mulder R. 
Published: April 2012

Foulds J, Wells JE, Lacey C, Adamson S, Mulder R. Harmful drinking and talking about alcohol in primary care: New Zealand population survey findings.Objective:  Existing evidence suggests low recognition of alcohol problems in primary care. This study aimed to determine the 12‐month prevalence of harmful or hazardous drinking (HHD) in a population sample and to measure the relationship between HHD and talking about alcohol in primary care consultations in that period.Method:  A New Zealand population survey of 12 488 adults. Alcohol use in the past 12 months was assessed by the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), with HHD defined as a total score of eight or above. Talking about alcohol was self‐reported.Results:  HHD was present in 17.7% and was commoner in men and in younger age groups, with the highest prevalence 53.6% in men aged 18–24. Three per cent of those who attended their usual primary care provider in the past 12 months reported being talked to about alcohol. Talking about alcohol increased with AUDIT score, but was not commoner in young people despite their higher prevalence of HHD. Overall, 9.4% of attendees with HHD reported talking about alcohol.Conclusion:  HHD is common but largely not detected in primary care. Improved detection would permit the delivery of effective treatments such as brief interventions.
New insights on age‐related association between nasopharyngeal airway clearance and facial morphology
Authors: Macari A. T. , Bitar M. A. , Ghafari J. G. 
Published: April 2012

Macari A. T., Bitar M.A., Ghafari J.G. New insights on age‐related association between nasopharyngeal airway clearance and facial morphology  Orthod Craniofac Res 2012;15:188–197. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons A/SStructured AbstractObjectives –  To evaluate the relation between adenoid hypertrophy and facial morphology across age in a pediatric population.Setting and Sample Population –  The American University of Beirut Department of Otolaryngology. Two‐hundred consecutive children (age 6.00 ± 2.62 years) referred from the Pediatric Otolaryngology unit to the Orthodontic division and requiring a lateral cephalogram for adenoid hypertrophy assessment.Methods –  Cephalometric measurements included relations among cranial base, maxilla and mandible, and airway clearance measured from adenoid to soft palate (AD). The children were classified into two age groups, Group 1: ≤ 6 years (n = 124) and Group 2: ≥ 6.01 years (n = 76), and also stratified in four subgroups (A, B, C, D) based on maxillo‐mandibular divergence (palatal to mandibular plane angle, PP‐MP): A‐ PP‐MP ≤ 27.5°, n = 34; B‐ 27.5° < PP‐MP ≤ 32°, n = 68; C‐ 32°<PP/MP<36.5°, n = 67; D‐ PP‐MP ≥ 36.5°, n = 31. Statistics included t‐tests and anova for group differences.Results –  Differences between groups 1 and 2 were statistically significant (p < 0.05) for AD (Group 1: 3.19 ± 2.32 mm, Group 2: 4.78 ± 2.80 mm), ANB (5.38 ± 2.24°, 4.38 ± 2.54°), LFH (56.61 ± 1.95%, 55.38 ± 1.84%), PP‐H (−8.41 ± 3.28°, −6.49 ± 3.46°), and overbite (0.55 ± 2.00 mm, 1.16 ± 2.36 mm). Among subgroups, statistically significant differences (p < 0.05) occurred mainly between the most hyperdivergent group (D) and the hypodivergent (A) and normodivergent (B) groups.Conclusions –  Airway measurements were smallest in children ≤ 6 years and those presenting severe hyperdivergent pattern, which denoted the most severe airway obstruction. The findings suggest airway clearance before age 6 in the most severely affected children, but follow‐up research on actual adenoidectomies in younger children is needed to determine guidelines.
Subjective pubertal timing and health‐compromising behaviours among Swiss adolescent girls reporting an on‐time objective pubertal timing
Authors: Deppen Alain , Jeannin André , Michaud Pierre‐André , Alsaker Françoise , Suris Joan‐Carles 
Published: April 2012

AbstractAim:  The aim of this research is to assess the associations between subjective pubertal timing (SPT) and onset of health‐compromising behaviours among girls reporting an on‐time objective pubertal timing (OPT).Methods:  Data were drawn from the Swiss SMASH 2002 survey, a self‐administered questionnaire study conducted among a nationally representative sample of 7548 adolescents aged 16–20 years. From the 3658 girls in the initial sample, we selected only those (n = 1003) who provided information about SPT and who reported the average age at menarche, namely 13, considering this as an on‐time OPT. Bivariate and logistic analyses were conducted to compare the early, on‐time and late SPT groups in terms of onset of health‐compromising behaviours.Results:  A perception of pubertal precocity was associated with sexual intercourse before age 16 [adjusted odds ratio (AOR): 2.10 (1.30–3.37)] and early use of illegal drugs other than cannabis [AOR: 2.55 (1.30–5.02)]. Conversely, girls perceiving their puberty as late were less likely to report intercourse before age 16 [AOR: 0.30 (0.12–0.75)].Conclusion:  Faced with an adolescent girl perceiving her puberty as early, the practitioner should investigate the existence of health‐compromising behaviours even if her puberty is or was objectively on‐time.
Assessing changes in oral health‐related quality of life and its factors in community‐dwelling older Brazilians
Authors: dos Santos Camila Mello , Martins Aline Blaya , de Marchi Renato José , Hilgert Juliana Balbinot , Hugo Fernando Neves , Padilha Dalva Maria Pereira 
Published: April 2012

doi: 10.1111/j.1741‐2358.2012.00656.x

Assessing changes in oral health‐related quality of life and its factors in community‐dwelling older Brazilians
Objective:  To describe changes in oral health‐related quality of life and to evaluate the associations of these changes in community‐dwelling older people.Materials and methods:  In this longitudinal study a representative sample of 872 older people, living in Brazil, was evaluated during 2004. The follow‐up was carried out during 2008, with 587 older persons evaluated. A questionnaire assessing socio‐demographic information, health history, oral health‐impact profile and number of natural teeth was used. Changes in oral health‐related quality of life were categorized as improvement or deterioration. Data analysis was performed using a hierarchical approach based in a conceptual framework. A hierarchal approach was carried out using Poisson regressions.Results:  Older persons living in rural areas, those who reported brushing once a day or less and older persons with fewer natural teeth had an increased chance of reporting deterioration in oral health‐related quality of life. Women and participants who received a minimum wage of less than US$219.50 were more likely to report improvement in oral health‐related quality of life.Conclusion:  The results of this study suggest that changes in the oral health‐related quality of life are influenced by many of the variables that were included in the conceptual framework.
Prospective comparison of point‐of‐care international normalised ratio measurement versus plasma international normalised ratio for acute traumatic coagulopathy
Authors: Mitra Biswadev , O'Reilly Gerard , Collecutt Margaret , Cameron Peter A , Phillips Louise , Davis Amanda 
Published: April 2012

AbstractObjective: Early detection of acute traumatic coagulopathy (ATC) might be useful to guide trauma resuscitation. This study aimed to compare results from a point‐of‐care (POC) international normalised ratio (INR) measuring device with plasma INR in acute trauma patients.Methods: This was a single‐centre, prospective, blinded comparative study. All trauma patients meeting trauma call‐out criteria in a major trauma centre were screened. Patients predicted to have ATC were identified by the Coagulopathy of Severe Trauma score and a convenience sample of 72 patients included in this study. Whole blood was used to measure INR at the bedside, whereas blood from the same sample was sent to the hospital laboratory for plasma INR testing. Agreement between the laboratory and bedside INR was determined using a Bland–Altman plot.Results: There were 38 (52.8%) patients with ATC by laboratory measure, defined as INR >1.5 or activated partial thrombin time >60 s, whereas the POC system identified 28 (38.9%) patients with an INR >1.5. Assuming the laboratory measure as the gold standard, the POC system had a specificity of 88.2% (95% confidence interval 71.6–96.2) and a sensitivity of 63.1% (95% confidence interval 46.0–77.7). Bland–Altman plots demonstrated inadequate agreement between the two methods of INR measurement for the major trauma patient.Conclusions: POC INR measurements using this method during the trauma reception and resuscitative phases cannot be used to identify or exclude patients with ATC. Further studies are required to determine if there is any role for POC INR measures during trauma resuscitation.
Point‐of‐care β‐hydroxybutyrate measurement for the diagnosis of feline diabetic ketoacidaemia
Authors: Zeugswetter F. K. , Rebuzzi L. 
Published: April 2012

Objectives: To evaluate accuracy and precision of a hand‐held ketone meter measuring β‐hydroxybutyrate and to determine its diagnostic performance to rule out ketoacidaemia in diabetic cats.Methods: The ketone meter was validated by calculating within‐day precision at different β‐hydroxybutyrate concentrations and by comparison with a laboratory method.To determine its diagnostic performance to diagnose ketoacidaemia, 217 sets of data (venous blood gas analysis and β‐hydroxybutyrate measurements) were retrospectively analysed. Sensitivities and specificities were calculated with the help of receiver‐operating characteristic curves.Results: The ketone meter reliably detected β‐hydroxybutyrate at concentrations >0·1 mmol/L and reproducibility was acceptable. Measurements highly correlated with laboratory results (r=0·97; P<0·001), but a significant negative bias was found at high concentrations. A β‐hydroxybutyrate concentration of >2·55 mmol/L had a sensitivity of 94% and a specificity of 68% for diagnosing ketoacidaemia. Many cats with high β‐hydroxybutyrate concentrations and normal blood pH had an elevated chloride gap suggestive of superimposed hypochloraemic metabolic alkalosis.ClinicalSignificance: The commercially available point‐of‐care ketone meter Precision Xtra is a valid tool to measure β‐hydroxybutyrate in diabetic cats. Concentration <2·55 mmol/L enable ketoacidaemia to be excluded and should lead to redirection of differential diagnoses.