bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The Role of the State in Balancing the Minimum Wage in Turkey and the USA
Authors: Koçer Rüya Gökhan , Visser Jelle 
Published: May 2009

AbstractIn this article, the direct role of the state in industrial relations is scrutinized by focusing on the political basis of decisions regarding the minimum wage. We argue that in order to ensure stability and growth, any state must balance the interests of capital and labour when taking this kind of distributional decision. This idea is operationalized using O'Connor's concepts of accumulation and legitimation as the basis for an analytical model. Application to Turkey and comparison with the USA reveals that in Turkey, governments take account of legitimacy concerns in their minimum wage decisions due to the large number of workers directly dependent on minimum wages and weak collective bargaining institutions. In the USA, despite rather similar industrial relations conditions, this tendency is not present, probably due to the much smaller number of minimum wage earners and their weakness in the political process. However, in the USA, too, we observe that there is a difference between political parties and historical periods in the way in which the minimum wage is determined.
Fear, fascination and the sperm donor as ‘abjection’ in interviews with heterosexual recipients of donor insemination
Authors: Burr Jennifer 
Published: May 2009

AbstractThe background to this article is the medical regulation of sperm donation in the UK and the recent policy change so that children born from sperm, eggs or embryos donated after April 2005 have the right to know their donor's identity. I draw upon data from interviews with ten women and seven joint interviews with couples who received donor insemination from an anonymous sperm donor and were the parents of donor insemination children. I explore the symbolic presence of the donor and his potential to disrupt social and physical boundaries using the theoretical conceptions of boundaries and pollution as articulated by Mary Douglas and Julia Kristeva. I present data to argue that the anonymous donor manifests in various figures; the shadowy and ambiguous figure of ‘another man’; the intelligent medical student; the donor as a family man, with children of his own who wants to help infertile men father children. In addition participants perceive the donor's physical characteristics, but also see their husband's physical characteristics, in their children. In conclusion I argue that anonymisation preserves features of conventional family life, maintains the idea of exclusivity within the heterosexual relationship and affirms the legal father's insecurity about his infertility.
Normative childhood repetitive routines and obsessive compulsive symptomatology in 6‐year‐old twins
Authors: Bolton Derek , Rijsdijk Frühling , Eley Thalia C. , O’Connor Thomas G. , Briskman Jacqueline , Perrin Sean 
Published: May 2009

Background:  To investigate the association between normative repetitive routines of childhood and paediatric obsessive compulsive symptom syndrome (OCSS) and the extent to which it is genetically mediated.Methods:  In a two‐phase design a community sample of 4,662 6‐year‐old twin‐pairs were sampled and 854 pairs were assessed in the second phase for normative repetitive routines using the Childhood Routines Inventory (CRI) and for OCSS by maternal‐informant diagnostic interview. The OCSS phenotype was defined using standard diagnostic criteria for obsessive compulsive disorder, though regardless of impairment.Results:  In the bivariate model, correlation between the CRI defined phenotype and the OCSS phenotype was estimated to be .40 (95% CI .27–.50), and this correlation was attributable wholly to additive genetic effects. The bivariate model also provided estimates of heritability of the two phenotypes separately: 55% (95% CI 80–89%) for the OCSS phenotype, with the remaining variance attributable mainly to non‐shared environment, and 50% (95% CI 39–62%) for CRI assessed normative repetitive routines of childhood, with 36% of the remaining variance attributable to shared environment and 14% to non‐shared.Conclusions:  The moderate correlation between normative childhood repetitive routines and obsessive compulsive symptomatology, attributable to genetic factors, is consistent with the hypothesis that high levels of this trait in young children constitute a risk factor for the development of obsessive compulsive symptoms.
The perceptual response to exercise of progressively increasing intensity in children aged 7–8 years: Validation of a pictorial curvilinear ratings of perceived exertion scale
Authors: Eston Roger G. , Lambrick Danielle M. , Rowlands Ann V. 
Published: May 2009

AbstractThis study assessed the validity of the Eston‐Parfitt (E‐P) curvilinear Ratings of Perceived Exertion (RPE) Scale and a novel marble quantity task to provide estimates of perceived exertion during cycle ergometry. Fifteen children aged 7–8 years performed a discontinuous incremental graded‐exercise test, and reported exertional ratings at the end of each minute. Significant increases in physiological and perceptual data were observed with increasing work rate. The relationship between work rate and marbles was curvilinear (mean R2=.94), supporting the theoretical justification for the E‐P Scale. Strong linear (R2=.93) and curvilinear (R2=.94) relationships between RPE from the E‐P Scale and work rate confirmed the robustness of the E‐P Scale. Valid exertional ratings may be obtained using the E‐P Scale with young children. The novel marble quantity task offers an alternative method of deriving perceived exertion responses in children.
Positive affect is associated with cardiovascular reactivity, norepinephrine level, and morning rise in salivary cortisol
Authors: Brummett B. H. , Boyle S. H. , Kuhn C. M. , Siegler I. C. , Williams R. B. 
Published: May 2009

AbstractPositive affect was examined as a predictor of (1) cardiovascular reactivity during a sadness and an anger recall task and recovery following the protocol, (2) epinephrine (EPI) and norepinephrine (NOREPI) reactivity and level during the recall protocol, and (3) the diurnal pattern of salivary cortisol. Sample was 328 individuals. Negative affect, age, race, sex, smoking status, income, and BMI were adjusted. During sadness recall, positive affect was inversely related to systolic blood pressure (p=.007) and diastolic blood pressure (p=.049) reactivity, and unrelated to heart rate (p=.226). Positive affect was unrelated to reactivity during anger recall (ps>.19), and was unrelated to recovery at the end of the recall protocol. Positive affect was inversely related to the mean level of NOREPI (p=.046), and unrelated to EPI (p=.149). Positive affect was inversely related to the increase in cortisol 30 min post awakening (p=.042), and unrelated to the evening decline in cortisol levels (p=.174). Positive emotions may be relevant to good health.
Factors Impacting Food Safety Risk Perceptions
Authors: Tonsor Glynn T. , Schroeder Ted C. , Pennings Joost M. E. 
Published: May 2009

AbstractWe developed and applied a model of consumer risk perceptions of beef food safety to better understand the underlying drivers of consumer demand for food safety. We show how consumer demographics, country‐of‐residence, as well as reliance on, and trust in, alternative food safety information sources affect risk perceptions of consumers in Canada, Japan and the United States. Consumers in all three countries have risk perceptions shaped by their level of reliance on observable and credence attribute information. Risk perceptions of consumers in each country are significantly higher for those less trusting of doctors. Moreover, personal and indirect food safety experiences substantially affect risk perceptions. These results are useful to decision‐makers in developing more efficient supply chain management strategies and public policies aimed at building or sustaining consumer confidence in food safety.
Immunoblot Analysis as an Alternative Method to Diagnose Enterohepatic Helicobacter Infections
Authors: Wadström Torkel , Hau Jann , Nilsson Ingrid , Ljungh Åsa 
Published: May 2009

AbstractIntroduction: Enterohepatic Helicobacter species have been associated with chronic infections of the hepatobiliary tract and lower bowel in naturally and experimentally infected mice, Helicobacter‐infected animals should thus not be used in studies of diseases associated with chronic inflammation. Helicobacter species induce inflammation and modulate host immune responses, thus emphasizing the need to diagnose these infections in laboratory animals.Materials and Methods: An immunoblot assay was developed to analyze antibodies to enterohepatic Helicobacter species in naturally colonized laboratory mouse colonies. We evaluated the serum antibody responses to cell surface proteins of H. bilis, H. hepaticus, and H. ganmani in 188 mouse sera from four different university animal facilities. Lower bowel tissue specimens from 56 of these animals were available and analyzed by polymerase chain reaction‐denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR‐DGGE) and the results compared with matched immunoblot patterns.Results: Specific antibody reactivity to H. bilis was detected in 8 of 186 (4.3%) sera, to H. hepaticus in 45 of 184 (24%) sera, and to H. ganmani in 51 of 188 (27%) of tested sera. These results were compared with PCR‐DGGE analyses of tissue samples of corresponding animals, and concordance between the two diagnostic tests was found in 96% for H. bilis, in 91% for H. hepaticus, and in 82% for H. ganmani. The PCR‐DGGE also detected DNA of H. typhlonius, H. sp. flexispira, and H. rodentium.Conclusions: Infection with enterohepatic species was common in the laboratory mouse colonies tested, independent of strain and stock. Immunoblot analysis seems to be a promising diagnostic tool to monitor enterohepatic Helicobacter species infections of laboratory rodents.
Effect of Helicobacter pylori Eradication on Incidence of Gastric Cancer in Human and Animal Models: Underlying Biochemical and Molecular Events
Authors: Kabir Shahjahan 
Published: May 2009

AbstractBackground:  Gastric cancer remains one of the most common cancers worldwide. A strong association exists between Helicobacter pylori infection and the risk of developing noncardia gastric cancer. H. pylori eradication by antibiotic treatment is regarded as a primary chemoprevention strategy to reduce gastric cancer incidence.Aim:  To analyze the efficacy of H. pylori eradication in preventing gastric cancer in human and animal models, and to discuss whether biochemical, genetic, and epigenetic changes associated with H. pylori infection are reversible after curing the infection.Results:  Several intervention trials have indicated that in some patients, H. pylori eradication leads to regression and prevents the progression of precancerous lesions. The eradication therapy reduces gastric cancer incidence in patients without any precancerous lesions at the baseline and is most effective before the development of atrophic gastritis. A few recent intervention studies in Japan have demonstrated significant prophylactic effects of eradication therapy on the development of gastric cancer, suggesting the use of eradication therapy in high‐risk populations as a gastric cancer reduction strategy. However, gastric cancer may still develop despite successful eradication therapy. Studies in animal models have confirmed the use of eradication therapy at an early point of infection to prevent gastric cancer development.Conclusion:  H. pylori eradication may not completely abolish the risk of gastric cancer. However, eradication therapy may be used in high‐risk populations to reduce gastric cancer incidence. It can reverse many biochemical, genetic, and epigenetic changes that H. pylori infection induces in the stomach.
The C‐terminal Region of HPNAP Activates Neutrophils and Promotes Their Adhesion to Endothelial Cells
Authors: Kottakis Filippos , Befani Christina , Asiminas Antonios , Kontou Maria , Koliakos Georgios , Choli‐Papadopoulou Theodora 
Published: May 2009

AbstractEntire Helicobacter Pylori Neutrophil Activated Protein (HPNAP) and its truncated forms NH2‐terminal region HPNAP1–57 and C‐terminal region HPNAP58–144 after cloning into pET29c vector, purification and removal of LPS traces were subjected to human neutrophil activation. Our results revealed that the C‐terminal region of HPNAP is indispensable for human neutrophil stimulation and their further adhesion to endothelial cells – a step necessary to H. pylori inflammation – in a ratio equal to that exhibited by the entire protein.In addition, experiments concerning the implication of Arabino‐Galactan‐Proteins (AGPs) derived from Chios Mastic Gum (CMG), the natural resin of the plant Pistacia lentiscus var. Chia revealed the inhibition of neutrophil activation and therefore their adhesion to endothelial cells, in vitro.Both, the involvement of HPNAP C‐terminal region in stimulation‐adhesion of neutrophils to endothelial cells as well as the inhibition of this process by AGPs have to be further investigated and may be exploited in a future anti‐inflammatory therapy for H. pylori patients.
Pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic interactions between common antiepileptic drugs and acetone, the chief anticonvulsant ketone body elevated in the ketogenic diet in mice
Authors: Zarnowska Iwona , Luszczki Jarogniew J. , Zarnowski Tomasz , Buszewicz Grzegorz , Madro Roman , Czuczwar Stanislaw J. , Gasior Maciej 
Published: May 2009

SummaryPurpose: Acetone is the principal ketone body elevated in the ketogenic diet (KD), with demonstrated robust anticonvulsant properties across a variety of seizure tests and models of epilepsy. Because the majority of patients continue to receive antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) during KD treatment, interactions between acetone and AEDs may have important clinical implications. Therefore, we investigated whether acetone could affect the anticonvulsant activity and pharmacokinetic properties of several AEDs against maximal electroshock (MES)–induced seizures in mice.Methods: Effects of acetone given in subthreshold doses were tested on the anticonvulsant effects of carbamazepine (CBZ), lamotrigine (LTG), oxcarbazepine (OXC), phenobarbital (PB), phenytoin (PHT), topiramate (TPM) and valproate (VPA) against MES‐induced seizures in mice. In addition, acute adverse effects of acetone–AEDs combinations were assessed in the chimney test (motor performance) and passive avoidance task (long‐term memory). Pharmacokinetic interactions between acetone and AEDs were also studied in the mouse brain tissue.Results: Acetone (5 or 7.5 mmol/kg, intraperitoneally [i.p.]) enhanced the anticonvulsant activity of CBZ, LTG, PB, and VPA against MES‐induced seizures; effects of OXC, PHT, and TPM were not changed. Acetone (7.5 mmol/kg) did not enhance the acute adverse‐effect profiles of the studied AEDs. Acetone (5 or 7.5 mmol/kg, i.p.) did not affect total brain concentrations of the studied AEDs. In contrast, VPA, CBZ, LTG, OXC, and TPM significantly decreased the concentration of free acetone in the brain; PB and PHT had no effect.Conclusions: Acetone enhances the anticonvulsant effects of several AEDs such as VPA, CBZ, LTG, and PB without affecting their pharmacokinetic and side‐effect profiles.
Negative motor seizure arising from the negative motor area: Is it ictal apraxia?
Authors: Ikeda Akio , Hirasawa Ken‐ichi , Kinoshita Masako , Hitomi Takefumi , Matsumoto Riki , Mitsueda Takahiro , Taki Jun‐ya , Inouch Morito , Mikuni Nobuhiro , Hori Tomokatsu , Fukuyama Hidenao , Hashimoto Nobuo , Shibasaki Hiroshi , Takahashi Ryosuke 
Published: May 2009

SummaryPurpose:  Seizure manifesting motor arrest, that is, negative motor seizure (NMS), is a rare epileptic condition in which only inability to conduct voluntary movements or praxis is produced, although consciousness is preserved. The negative motor area (NMA) seems to be responsible, but its generator mechanism has not yet been clarified.Patients and Methods:  Three patients manifesting NMS were investigated. Two patients (ages 33 and 17) with intractable frontal lobe epilepsy had subdural grid implantation for epilepsy surgery, and one (age 77) had scalp electroencephalography (EEG) monitoring.Results:  Ictal semiologies commonly observed, at least in the two patients, were found as follows; (1) indescribable or ill‐localized aura, (2) repetitive involuntary vocalization, (3) inability to speak, (4) inability to move the extremities, and (5) subsequent evolution to positive motor seizures. Awareness and comprehension were preserved throughout the episode before generalized seizures. In two patients with epicortical EEG recording, ictal activity arose from the lateral NMA in one, and from the rostral supplementary motor area in the other. Cortical stimulation at NMA in one patient elicited symptoms identical to NMS. Another patient had scalp EEG and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) abnormality, both suggesting the epileptogenic focus in the mesial frontal area.Conclusion:  We showed that (1) NMS was a rare condition in patients with seizure focus in the frontal lobe, and (2) that the NMA was responsible for the symptoms. The documented state in the present study may reflect ictal apraxia, but it requires further investigation.
Parahippocampal epilepsy with subtle dysplasia: A cause of “imaging negative” partial epilepsy
Authors: Pillay Neelan , Fabinyi Gavin C.A. , Myles Terry S. , Fitt Gregory J. , Berkovic Samuel F. , Jackson Graeme D. 
Published: May 2009

SummaryPurpose:  Lesion‐negative refractory partial epilepsy is a major challenge in the assessment of patients for potential surgery. Finding a potential epileptogenic lesion simplifies assessment and is associated with good outcome. Here we describe imaging features of subtle parahippocampal dysplasia in five cases that were initially assessed as having imaging‐negative frontal or temporal lobe epilepsy.Methods:  We analyzed the clinical and imaging features of five patients with seizures from the parahippocampal region.Results:  Five patients had subtle but distinctive magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) abnormalities in the parahippocampal gyrus. This was a unilateral signal abnormality in the parahippocampal white matter extending into gray matter on heavily T1‐ and T2‐weighted images with relative preservation of the gray–white matter boundary on T1‐weighted volume sequences. Only one of these patients had typical electroclinical unilateral temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE); one mimicked frontal lobe epilepsy, two showed bitemporal seizures, and one had unlocalized partial seizures. All have had surgery; four are seizure‐free (one has occasional auras only, follow‐up 6 months to 10 years), and one has a >50% seizure reduction. Histopathologic evaluation suggested dysplastic features in the surgical specimens in all.Discussion:  In patients with lesion‐negative partial epilepsy with frontal or temporal semiology, or in cases with apparent bitemporal seizures, subtle parahippocampal abnormalities should be carefully excluded. Recognizing the MRI findings of an abnormal parahippocampal gyrus can lead to successful surgery without invasive monitoring, despite apparently incongruent electroclinical features.
Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators: Do Women Fare Worse Than Men? Gender Comparison in the INTRINSIC RV Trial
Authors: RUSSO ANDREA M. , DAY JOHN D. , STOLEN KIRA , MULLIN CHRISTOPHER M. , DORAISWAMY VINAYAK , LEREW DARIN L. , OLSHANSKY BRIAN 
Published: May 2009

Introduction: Due to limited enrollment of women in previous trials, there is a paucity of data comparing outcome and arrhythmic events in men versus women with implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs).
Methods and Results: We analyzed outcome of patients in the INTRINSIC RV (Inhibition of Unnecessary RV Pacing with AV Search Hysteresis in ICDs) trial based on gender. Women comprised 19% (293/1530) of the INTRINSIC RV population. Compared with men, women were less likely to have coronary disease, ischemic cardiomyopathy, and hyperlipidemia, and were more likely to have congestive heart failure and diabetes. Women were less likely to receive beta blockers and ACE inhibitors, and more likely to receive diuretics. Over 10.8 ± 3.5 months of follow‐up, unadjusted mortality was higher in women than men (6.8% vs 4.1%, P = 0.04). Heart failure hospitalizations occurred in 7.9% of women versus 5.7% of men (P = 0.13). After adjustment for baseline differences and drug therapy, there was no significant difference in mortality between men and women. Adverse events were observed more often in women. There were no gender differences in the percentage of patients receiving appropriate or inappropriate ICD shocks.
Conclusions: In INTRINSIC RV, women receiving ICDs differed from men regarding baseline characteristics and drug therapy. After adjusting for baseline differences and medical therapy, there were no differences in heart failure hospitalization, survival, or ICD shock therapy during follow‐up. Apparent undertreatment of heart failure and greater frequency of adverse advents in women receiving ICDs warrant further investigation.
Long‐term effects of magnesium carbonate on coronary artery calcification and bone mineral density in hemodialysis patients: A pilot study
Authors: SPIEGEL David M. , FARMER Beverly 
Published: May 2009

AbstractObservational data suggest that elevated magnesium levels in dialysis patients may prevent vascular calcification and in vitro magnesium can prevent hydroxyapatite crystal growth. However, the effects of magnesium on vascular calcification and bone mineral density have not been studied prospectively. Seven chronic hemodialysis patients participated in this open label, prospective pilot study to evaluate the effects of a magnesium‐based phosphate binder on coronary artery calcification (CAC) scores and vertebral bone mineral density (V‐BMD) in patients with baseline CAC scores >30. Magnesium carbonate/calcium carbonate (elemental Mg: 86 mg/elemental Ca 100 mg) was administered as the principal phosphate binder for a period of 18 months and changes in CAC and V‐BMD were measured at baseline, 6, 12, and 18 months. Serum magnesium levels averaged 2.2±0.4 mEq/L (range: 1.3–3.9 mEq/L). Phosphorus levels (4.5±0.6 mg/dL) were well controlled throughout the 18 months study. Electron beam computed tomography results demonstrated a small not statically significant increase in absolute CAC scores, no significant change in median percent change, and a small none significant change in V‐BMD. Magnesium may have a favorable effect on CAC. The long‐term effect on bone mineral density remains unclear. Larger studies are needed to confirm these findings.
Sleep characterization of a one‐month‐old freely moving stumptail macaque (Macaca arctoides): a pilot study
Authors: Cruz‐Aguilar M.A. , Ramírez‐Salado I. , Arenas‐Rosas R.V. , Santillán‐Doherty A.M. , Muñoz‐Delgado J.I. 
Published: May 2009

AbstractElectroencephalographic (EEG) activity during both human and adult primates’ sleep has been proven to be similar and consequently, it could be assessed under similar parameters. However, there is no information regarding this EEG activity in the early stages of development in non‐human primates. Therefore, the aim of this study was to describe EEG sleep patterns in a 1‐month‐oldMacaca arctoideswith a non‐invasive and free‐movement method. Sleep stages were initially scored using the criteria of quiet sleep and active sleep. This procedure allowed us to observe graphoelements to distinguish sleep phases as described in adult macaques. Afterwards, the final score was recorded following the Slow Wave Sleep and Rapid Eye Movement Sleep criteria. The present results suggest that sleep features of this monkey are similar to those of a 2‐month‐old human neonate.