bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Association Between Quality of Cheap and Unrecorded Alcohol Products and Public Health Consequences in Poland
Authors: Lachenmeier Dirk W. , Ganss Sebastian , Rychlak Bogumil , Rehm Jürgen , Sulkowska Urszula , Skiba Michał , Zatonski Witold 
Published: July 2009

Background:  The research aimed to study the quality of cheap alcohol products in Poland. These included unrecorded alcohols (i.e., home‐produced or illegally imported), estimated to constitute more than 25% of total consumption and fruit wines.Methods:  A sample of alcohol products (n = 52) was collected from local markets and chemical analyses were conducted. The parameters studied were alcoholic strength, volatiles (methanol, acetaldehyde, and higher alcohols), ethyl carbamate, inorganic elements, and food additives including preservatives, colors, and sweeteners. The compositions of the beverages were then toxicologically evaluated using international standards.Results:  With the exception of 1 fortified wine, the unrecorded alcohols were home‐produced fruit‐derived spirits (moonshine) and spirits imported from other countries. We did not detect any nonbeverage surrogate alcohol. The unrecorded spirits contained, on average, 45% vol of alcohol. However, some products with considerably higher alcoholic strengths were found (up to 85% vol) with no labeling of the content on the bottles. These products may cause more pronounced detrimental health effects (e.g., liver cirrhosis, injuries, some forms of malignant neoplasms, alcohol use disorders, and cardiovascular disease) than will commercial beverages, especially as the consumer may be unaware of the alcohol content consumed. Fruit wines containing between 9.5 and 12.2% vol alcohol showed problems in terms of their additive content and their labeling (e.g., sulfites, sorbic acid, saccharin, and artificial colors) and should be subjected to stricter control.Regarding the other components investigated, the suspected human carcinogens, acetaldehyde and ethyl carbamate, were found at levels relevant to public health concerns. While acetaldehyde is a typical constituent of fermented beverages, ethyl carbamate was found only in home‐produced unrecorded alcohols derived from stone fruits with levels significantly above international guidelines.Conclusions:  The contamination of unrecorded alcohols with ethyl carbamate should be analyzed in a larger sample that also should include legal alcoholic beverages. Furthermore, the impacts of unrecorded alcohol on the health of people with lower socioeconomic status should be studied in detail. Overall, given the extent of the alcohol‐attributable disease burden in Poland, the highest priority should be given to the problem of ethanol and its very high content in unrecorded alcohol products.
Increased right amygdala volume in lithium‐treated patients with bipolar I disorder
Authors: Usher J. , Menzel P. , Schneider‐Axmann T. , Kemmer C. , Reith W. , Falkai P. , Gruber O. , Scherk H. 
Published: July 2009

Usher J, Menzel P, Schneider‐Axmann T, Kemmer C, Reith W, Falkai P, Gruber O, Scherk H. Increased right amygdala volume in lithium‐treated patients with bipolar I disorder.Objective:  The amygdala plays a major role in processing emotional stimuli. Fourteen studies using structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have examined the amygdala volume in paediatric and adult patients with bipolar disorder (BD) compared with healthy controls (HC) and reported inconsistent findings. Lithium has been found to increase grey matter volume, and first evidence points towards an effect on regional brain volume such as the amygdala.Method:  We examined the amygdala volume of euthymic patients with BD treated with lithium (n = 15), without lithium (n = 24) and HC (n = 41) using structural MRI.Results:  Patients treated with lithium exhibited in comparison to HC a larger right absolute (+17.9%, P = 0.015) and relative (+18%, P = 0.017) amygdala volume. There was no significant difference in amygdala volume between patients without lithium treatment and HC.Conclusion:  Lithium appears to have a sustained effect on a central core region of emotional processing and should therefore be considered in studies examining BD.
Amisulpride – dose, plasma concentration, occupancy and response: implications for therapeutic drug monitoring
Authors: Sparshatt A. , Taylor D. , Patel M. X. , Kapur S. 
Published: July 2009

Objective:  To evaluate the relationships between dose, plasma concentration, pharmacological activity and clinical outcome to evaluate the appropriateness of therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) in patients receiving amisulpride.Method:  Literature search of Embase, Medline and PubMed databases.Results:  Amisulpride plasma concentration is closely correlated with dose (r2 = 0.96, P < 0.0001), dopamine occupancy, response and with extra‐pyramidal symptoms (EPS). Dose is correlated with response, dopamine occupancy and EPS. Optimal clinical response was found at doses of 400–800 mg/day, corresponding to plasma levels of approximately 200–500 ng/ml. EPS appears to be more reliably predicted by a plasma level above 320 ng/ml than by a particular dose.Conclusion:  The effects and safety of amisulpride in the treatment of schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder are predicted by daily dose. The plasma concentration threshold for response appears to be approximately 200 ng/ml. EPS are more reliably predicted by plasma level than by dose. TDM for patients prescribed amisulpride is thus of some clinical value.
Regional differences in maturation of germ cells of cryptorchid testes: role of environment
Authors: Zivkovic Dragana , Varga Jan , Konstantinidis Georgios , Vlaski Jovan , Snyder Howard M , Hadziselimovic Faruk 
Published: July 2009

AbstractObjective:  To investigate differences in maturation of germ cells in cryptorchid testes in three different regions.Patients and methods:  A total of 103 consecutive patients were operated for unilateral undescended testis in Vojvodina, from March 2006 until September 2007, and had a testicular biopsy performed. Germ cells were counted, and the presence of Ad spermatogonia was noted. Biopsies were compared to biopsies of similar patients from two different regions: Philadelphia, USA (130), and Liestal, Switzerland (55 patients).Results:  In Vojvodina, 84.5% of patients had Sertoli cells only, or some spermatogonia, but no Ad spermatogonia, and 15.5% had Ad spermatogonia. In Philadelphia, 59.3% of patients had poor testicular histology, and 40.7% had Ad spermatogonia. In Liestal, 61.8% of patients had no, or some, spermatogonia, but no Ad spermatogonia, and 38.2% had Ad spermatogonia. There was a difference (p = 0.000025) between the patients with normal testicular histology from Philadelphia and those from Vojvodina, as well as between the patients from Vojvodina and Liestal (p = 0.0027).Conclusion:  The reduction in the number of germ cells in patients with cryptorchidism from Vojvodina is more pronounced than patients from either Switzerland or USA. This is a unique observation, since such a study has not been published yet.
Knowledge and practical performance gained by Iraqi residents after participation to a neonatal resuscitation program course
Authors: Jabir Maysoon M , Doglioni Nicoletta , Fadhil Tareef , Zanardo Vincenzo , Trevisanuto Daniele 
Published: July 2009

AbstractAim:  neonatal resuscitation program (NRP) course is effective in improving knowledge in participants coming from developed as well as developing countries; however, its impact on practical performances has not been yet formally evaluated in participants coming from developing countries. We evaluate the knowledge and the performance on clinical simulations gained by Iraqi residents following participation in the NRP course.Methods:  A 71‐item questionnaire derived from the standard test contained in the American Heart Association and American Academy of Pediatrics Neonatal Resuscitation Manual was administered to participants before and after the course. All participants were tested with a final Mega code (Mega code A scenario–NRP textbook) to evaluate their performance on clinical simulations.Results:  Twenty‐six obstetrical and 2 pediatric residents participated in the NRP course, respectively. The percentages of correct answers significantly improved from before (52 ± 14%) to immediately after the course (85 ± 7%); p < 0.001. Mean score obtained at the final Mega code was 68 ± 8%. Four out of 28 (14%) participants reached the minimum score required for passing the exam (80%).Conclusion:  Residents coming from a developing country (Iraq) significantly improved their knowledge attainment following participation in the NRP course; however, their performance on clinical simulations was unsatisfactory, suggesting that this aspect needs to be improved.
Anti‐inflammatory treatment of asthma: differentiation and trial‐and‐error
Authors: Wolthers Ole D 
Published: July 2009

AbstractThe relative lack of evidence for anti‐inflammatory treatment of some phenotypes of asthma in children has been highlighted in recent guidelines and consensus reports specifically aiming at the paediatric population. Consequently, we are left with a need for defining treatment strategies in the clinical setting. The decision to initiate antiinflammatory treatment should be based on assessments of the individual child's age, the type of asthma, severity, heredity and atopic condition, adherence factors and sensitivity to systemic adverse effects of treatment options. Inhaled corticosteroids are potent anti‐inflammatory agents that are effective in the whole spectrum of asthma in school age children. In toddlers with viral wheeze and in children with mild asthma oral leukotriene receptor antagonists or inhaled corticosteroids may be given on a trial‐and‐error basis.Conclusion:  To treat all children with asthma equally effectively from infancy through adolescence does not mean that they should be treated identically and in some types of asthma a trial‐and‐error approach may be warranted.
Management of bronchiolitis without antibiotics: a multicentre randomized control trial in Bangladesh
Authors: Kabir ARML , Mollah AH , Anwar KS , Rahman AKMF , Amin R , Rahman ME 
Published: July 2009

AbstractObjective:  To ascertain that antibiotics have no role in the management of bronchiolitis.Design:  Multicentre randomized control trial (RCT).Setting:  Five purposively selected teaching hospitals in Bangladesh.Patient:  Children under 24 months old with bronchiolitis.Interventions:  Children were randomized into three groups of therapeutic interventions: parenteral ampicillin (P‐Ab), oral erythromycin (O‐Ab) and no antibiotic (N‐Ab) in adjunct to supportive measures.Main outcome measures:  Clinical improvement was assessed using 18 symptoms/signs which were graded on a two‐point recovery scale of ‘rapid’ and ‘gradual’, indicating improvement within ‘four days’ and ‘beyond four days’, respectively.Results:  Each intervention group consisted of 98 ± 1 children having comparable clinico‐epidemiological characteristics at the baseline. The trial revealed that most chesty features (features appearing to arise from chest, i.e. cough, breathing difficulty, wheeze, chest indrawing, tachypnoea, tachycardia, rhonchi and crepitation) demonstrated a gradual recovery, beyond 4th admission day and, not differing among the three intervention groups (p > 0.23, p < 0.62, p = 0.54, p < 0.27, p = 0.75, p = 0.76, p = 0.81, p > 0.98, respectively). Most non‐chesty features (features appearing to arise away from chest, i.e. feeding/sleeping difficulties, social smile, restlessness, inconsolable crying, nasal flaring, fever and hypoxaemia) demonstrated a rapid recovery, within 4 days, remaining comparable among the three intervention groups (p < 0.07, p = 0.65, p = 0.24, p < 0.61, p = 0.22, p = 0.84, p = 0.29 and p = 0.96, respectively). However, nasal symptoms (runny nose and nasal blockage) also showed no difference among groups (p = 0.36 and p = 0.66, respectively). Thus, the dynamics of clinical outcome obviates that children not receiving antibiotics had similar clinical outcome than those who did.Conclusion:  In hospital settings, managing bronchiolitis with only supportive measures but without antibiotics remains preferable.
Nasal CPAP and surfactant for treatment of respiratory distress syndrome and prevention of bronchopulmonary dysplasia
Authors: Verder Henrik , Bohlin Kajsa , Kamper Jens , Lindwall Robert , Jonsson Baldvin 
Published: July 2009

AbstractThe Scandinavian approach is an effective combined treatment for respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) and prevention of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). It is composed of many individual parts. Of significant importance is the early treatment with nasal continuous positive airway pressure (nCPAP) and surfactant treatment. The approach may be supplemented with caffeine citrate and non‐invasive positive pressure ventilation for apnoea. The low incidence of BPD seen as a consequence of the treatment strategy is mainly due to a reduced need for mechanical ventilation (MV).Conclusion:  Early‐postnatal treatment with nCPAP and surfactant decreases the severity and mortality of RDS and BPD. This is mainly due to a diminished use of MV in the first days of life.
Geography: The Key to Recent British Elections
Authors: Johnston Ron , Pattie Charles 
Published: July 2009

AbstractElections are a geographer’s delight, providing them with large amounts of data that can be mapped and spatially analysed. This is especially the case with elections to legislative bodies – such as the UK’s House of Commons and the USA’s House of Representatives – which use single‐member district systems characterised by a winner‐takes‐all method (often termed first‐past‐the‐post or plurality) for translating votes cast for political parties into legislative representation. Not only are the data intrinsically geographical – they refer to spatially defined places and territorially delimited vote containers – but in addition the entire organisation and conduct of elections in such circumstances is an inherently geographical activity. This essay demonstrates that geography is much more than epiphenomenal in electoral studies through a case study of British general elections over the last 60 years, based on a large number of empirical studies.
New Possibilities? Shifts in Post‐Development Theory and Practice
Authors: McGregor Andrew 
Published: July 2009

AbstractWhen post‐development first emerged as an outraged collection of critiques in the early 1990s theorists called for fundamental changes or the abandonment of development, declaring it had failed in its own limited terms and had instead lead to the destruction of people, places and spaces. Post‐development drew from post‐structural ideas to destabilise the taken‐for‐granted truths, knowledges and languages of development to highlight the faulted cultural assumptions and violences inherent within development industries. Not surprisingly post‐development attracted a good deal of critique which has tempered its ferocity and contributed to a more constructive approach, albeit in its infancy, intent on exploring the practical applications of this body of theory. This article overviews the travails of post‐development from its early angry incarnations to its current experimental and optimistic mood. I argue that although post‐development insights are infusing broader development approaches its future as a coherent body of work will be determined by its ability to re‐imagine agency and place and create new networks and spaces of opportunity for people and communities. For this to occur post‐development research must be couched in the languages of hope and possibility.
Thinking Beyond Place: The Responsibilities of a Relational Spatial Politics
Authors: Darling Jonathan 
Published: July 2009

AbstractAlthough for many in contemporary human geography, it appears paradigmatic to conceive of space as a performed, networked, articulation of social relations; the political and ethical challenges of ‘thinking space relationally’ are only beginning to be considered. In this article, I attempt to review the account of spatial and political responsibilities elaborated through such writing, arguing that its focus upon spatial connections and flows develops those concerns with partialist and impartialist sentiments noted in literature on geography’s ‘moral turn’. The article reviews the development of the work of Doreen Massey in particular to consider how a relational politics of space has come to represent a call for a concern for both the relations which run ‘into’ and ‘out from’ place. By examining a number of examples of this form of a ‘politics beyond place’, I argue that viewing space relationally offers a versatile account of the diverse claims made by a series of spatial issues, such as climate change and fair‐trade relations. The article concludes by suggesting how a relational politics might present an alternative geographical imagination of extensive political responsibilities.
Meaning in Life as a Subjective Judgment and a Lived Experience
Authors: Hicks Joshua A. , King Laura A. 
Published: July 2009

AbstractMeaning in life has long been recognized as a central dilemma of human life. In this article, we review some of the challenges of studying meaning in life from the perspective of social psychology. We draw on the diary of Etty Hillesum, a young woman who was killed in Auschwitz, to argue for the relevance of current empirical approaches to meaning in life. We review evidence suggesting that meaning in life is an important variable in the psychology of human functioning while also acknowledging that there is no consensus definition for the construct. Drawing on Hillesum's diary and our research, we argue for the importance of considering meaning in life as the outcome of a subjective judgment process. We then review research showing the strong relationship between positive mood and meaning in life and suggest that such a relationship is born out in the phenomenology of meaning in life.
Morbidity and mortality among populations suffering floods in Hunan, China: the role of socioeconomic status
Authors: Abuaku B.K. , Zhou J. , Li Xinhua , Li S. , Li Xingli , Liu A. , Yang T. , Tan H. 
Published: July 2009

AbstractA cross‐sectional survey in randomly selected eight counties affected by the 1998 floods in Hunan, China, was conducted in year 2000 using a structured questionnaire. Data obtained included demographic and housing characteristics of subjects; family income; morbidity and mortality during and after the floods; and type and severity of flood suffered. Gender, age group, source of drinking water, type of flood suffered, and severity of flood suffered played highly significant roles in morbidity while gender, age group, educational level, family size, and type of flood suffered played highly significant roles in mortality among populations suffering floods. Intervention strategies in such populations need to take into account these characteristics with the view of reducing the health impact of floods.
Anglo‐Indian Lives in the Later Eighteenth and Early Nineteenth Centuries
Authors: FINN MARGOT 
Published: July 2009

AbstractThis essay explores the utility of individual and family biographies for British imperial and global history‐writing. It begins by outlining social historians' ambivalent attitude to biography as a genre and then deploys a case study of the family of Sir Thomas Munro (1761‐1827) to illuminate the demographic forces that drove propertied families into imperial ventures. It argues that malleable marital stratagems and collective social aspirations, rather than rigid political or racial ideologies, provided the primary impetus for British engagement with empire on the subcontinent under East India Company rule.
Potential agronomic options for energy‐efficient sugar beet‐based bioethanol production in northern Japan
Authors: KOGA NOBUHISA , TAKAHASHI HIROYUKI , OKAZAKI KAZUYUKI , KAJIYAMA TSUTOMU , KOBAYASHI SOHEI 
Published: July 2009

AbstractSugar beet (Beta vulgaris L. subsp. vulgaris) is deemed to be one of the most promising bioethanol feedstock crops in northern Japan. To establish viable sugar beet‐based bioethanol production systems, energy‐efficient protocols in sugar beet cultivation are being intensively sought. On this basis, the effects of alternative agronomic practices for sugar beet production on total energy inputs (from fuels and agricultural materials during cultivation and transportation) and ethanol yields (estimated from sugar yields) were assessed in terms of (i) direct drilling, (ii) reduced tillage (no moldboard plowing), (iii) no‐fungicide application, (iv) using a high‐yielding beet genotype, (v) delayed harvesting and (vi) root+crown harvesting. Compared with the conventional sugar beet production system used in the Tokachi region of Hokkaido, northern Japan, which makes use of transplants, direct drilling and no‐fungicide application contributed to reduced energy inputs from raising seedlings and fungicides, respectively, but sugar (or ethanol) yields were also reduced by these practices, to a greater equivalent extent than the reductions in energy inputs. Consequently, direct drilling (6.84 MJ L−1) and no‐fungicide application (7.78 MJ L−1) worsened the energy efficiency (total energy inputs to produce 1 L of ethanol), compared with conventional sugar beet production practices (5.82 MJ L−1). Sugar yields under conventional plow‐based tillage and reduced tillage practices were similar, but total energy inputs were reduced as a result of reduced fuel consumption from not plowing. Hence, reduced tillage showed improved energy efficiency (5.36 MJ L−1). The energy efficiency was also improved by using a high‐yielding genotype (5.23 MJ L−1) and root+crown harvesting (5.21 MJ L−1). For these practices, no major changes in total energy inputs were noted, but sugar yields were consistently increased. Neither total energy inputs nor ethanol yields were affected by extending the vegetative growing period by delaying harvesting.
Detection of anti‐TNFα activity in canine hyperimmune serum using a TNFα inhibition assay
Authors: Kotiw Michael , Morgan Michael , Taylor Stephen M. , Shiels Ian A. 
Published: July 2009

Background: Increased serum tumor necrosis factor‐α (TNFα) activity has been associated with onset of serious inflammatory diseases in dogs. Development of treatment with TNFα‐antagonists has been limited by the unavailability of suitable reagents and potency assays for TNFα.Objectives: The objectives of this study were to optimize a cell‐based assay to measure anti‐TNFα activity in serum and plasma from hyperimmune (vaccinated with an Escherichia coli J5 bacterin) and unvaccinated canine donors; to use the assay to determine whether hyperimmune serum inhibits TNFα activity in vivo; and to determine whether soluble TNF receptor‐1 (sTNFR1, a naturally occurring TNFα antagonist) contributes to anti‐TNFα activity.Methods: Commercial plasma and serum from hyperimmune‐frozen plasma (HFP) donors and unvaccinated fresh‐frozen plasma (FFP) donors were used in the study. An L929‐cell TNFα‐inhibition assay (LTIA) was optimized to measure anti‐TNFα activity. Using a rat subcutaneous pouch model of inflammation, the effects of HFP, FFP, a synthetic TNFα antagonist (Etanercept), and carprofen on TNFα activity were compared in vivo. Immunofluorescence was used to measure soluble sTNFR1 concentration.Results: Using the optimized LTIA, HFP serum but not FFP serum decreased canine TNFα activity (P<.01). HFP plasma and Etanercept (but not FFP plasma or carprofen) significantly decreased TNFα activity in pouch exudates (P<.05). A significantly higher concentration of sTNFR1 was found in HFP than FFP serum.Conclusions: Using the LTIA, anti‐TNFα activity is readily measured in canine serum and inflammatory exudates. sTNFR1 appears to contribute to anti‐TNFα activity in HFP serum. These results suggest HFP should be investigated further as a potential immunotherapeutic agent for controlling canine diseases in which TNFα is implicated.