bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Recreational urethral sounding is associated with high risk sexual behaviour and sexually transmitted infections
Authors: Breyer Benjamin N. , Shindel Alan W. 
Published: January 2012

Study Type – Symptom prevalence (case series)Level of Evidence 4What's known on the subject? and What does the study add?Most of the medical literature regarding recreational urethral sounding pertains to foreign body retrieval. Very little is known about men who perform sounding and do not require medical attention.Of >2000 men, who responded to a urinary and sexual wellness survey, 10% had a history of recreational urethral sounding. Compared with men who did not sound, men who did reported higher risk sexual behaviours such as multiple sexual partners, sex with strangers and reported more sexually transmitted infections. Men who seek medical attention for complications resulting from sounding should be counselled regarding the hazards of the practice. Realistic strategies for risk reduction should be discussed with men who engage in recreational sounding.OBJECTIVE
To determine whether men who perform recreational sounding are at increased risk of engaging in unsafe sexual behaviours, developing sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS).
SUBJECTS AND METHODS
In a cross‐sectional, international, internet‐based survey of the sexual practices of >2000 men who have sex with men, subjects were asked if they had engaged in urethral sounding for sexual gratification.
We compared ethnodemographic and health‐related variables between the sounding and non‐sounding populations. The International Prostate Symptom Score and a modified validated version of the International Index of Erectile Function were used to quantify LUTS and erectile dysfunction (ED) in both populations.
RESULTS
There were 2122 respondents with complete data, 228 (10.7%) of whom had engaged in recreational sounding.
Men who had engaged in sounding were more likely to report certain high risk sexual behaviours (e.g. multiple sexual partners and sex with partners who were not well known) and had increased odds of reporting STIs.
Men who had engaged in sounding had a slight but statistically significant increase in LUTS but no significant difference in prevalence of ED.
CONCLUSIONS
Urethral sounding is a sexual practice that is associated with higher risk sexual behaviour and carries the potential for morbidity.
Research on means for risk reduction for men who choose to engage in recreational sounding requires further study.
Interpersonal Development, Stability, and Change in Early Adulthood
Authors: Wright Aidan G. C. , Pincus Aaron L. , Lenzenweger Mark F. 
Published: January 2012

AbstractThe goal of this research was to explore the development of the interpersonal system mapped by the interpersonal circumplex in early adulthood (ages 18–22). This study uses the Longitudinal Study of Personality Disorders sample (N = 250; 53% female). Participants completed the Revised Interpersonal Adjective Scales (Wiggins, Trapnell, & Phillips, 1988) in their freshman, sophomore, and senior years of college. Estimates of structural, rank‐order, mean, individual, and ipsative stability were calculated for the broad interpersonal dimensions of Dominance and Affiliation and also the lower order octant scales. Additionally, the interpersonal profile parameters of differentiation and prototypicality were calculated at each wave and explored longitudinally and also used as predictors of interpersonal stability. We found excellent structural and high rank‐order and ipsative stability in the interpersonal scales over this time period. Mean increases on the Affiliation axis, but not on the Dominace axis, were found to mask differential rates of change among the octant scales, along with significant individual variation in the rates of change. Interpersonal differentiation and prototypicality were related to higher stability in overall interpersonal style. Results point to evidence of both stability and nuanced change, illuminating some of the features of the structural variables that can be derived from interpersonal circumplex profiles.
Hierarchical Integration of Agency and Communion: A Study of Influential Moral Figures
Authors: Frimer Jeremy A. , Walker Lawrence J. , Lee Brenda H. , Riches Amanda , Dunlop William L. 
Published: January 2012

AbstractThe purpose of this research is to (a) identify which of recent history's influential figures did and which did not personify moral excellence, and (b) to examine the motives that drove these individuals along such divergent paths. In Study 1, 102 social scientists evaluated the moral qualities of influential figures from Time Magazine's lists. In Study 2, we selected the 15 top ranking of these figures to comprise a moral exemplar group and the bottom 15 to comprise a comparison group of similarly influential people. We measured the motivational aspects of their personality (agency and communion) by content‐analyzing extant speeches and interviews. Moral exemplars exhibited the hierarchical integration of agency and communion by treating agentic motives as a means to an end of communal motives. Comparison subjects, by contrast, personified unmitigated agency by treating motives of agency as both a means to an end and an end unto itself. These results imply that both the strength and structure of a person's motives account for moral behavior.
Envy Divides the Two Faces of Narcissism
Authors: Krizan Zlatan , Johar Omesh 
Published: January 2012

AbstractIn this article, we test psychodynamic assumptions about envy and narcissism by examining malicious envy in the context of narcissistic grandiosity and vulnerability. In Study 1, students (N = 192) and community adults (N = 161) completed trait measures of narcissism, envy, and schadenfreude. In Study 2 (N = 121), participants relived an episode of envy, and cognitive‐affective components of envy were examined in the context of both self‐ and informant reports of their envy and narcissism. In Study 3 (N = 69), narcissism was linked to reports of envy covertly induced in the laboratory. Vulnerable narcissism was strongly and consistently related to dispositional envy and schadenfreude (Studies 1–2), as well as to all cognitive‐affective components of envy (Study 2). Furthermore, it facilitated envy and schadenfreude toward a high‐status peer (Study 3). Grandiose narcissism was slightly negatively related to dispositional envy (Studies 1–2), and it did not predict informant reports of envy or cognitive‐affective components of the emotion (Study 2). Finally, it did not exacerbate envy, hostility, or resentment toward a high‐status peer (Study 3). The results suggest envy is a central emotion in the lives of those with narcissistic vulnerability and imply that envy should be reconsidered as a symptom accompanying grandiose features in the diagnosis of narcissistic personality disorder.
Systematic review of family and home‐based interventions targeting paediatric overweight and obesity
Authors: Knowlden A. P. , Sharma M. 
Published: January 2012

SummaryThe family and home environment is a highly influential psychosocial antecedent of paediatric obesity. The purpose of this investigation was to systematically analyze family and home‐based randomized control trials aimed at treating overweight and obesity in children ages 2–7 years. In gathering materials for this review, a search of Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health, MEDLINE, Education Resources Information Center, Psychology and Behavioural Sciences Collection and CENTRAL databases was conducted for the time frame of January 2001 to August 2011. The data extraction spanned three phases resulting in a total of nine interventions that met the specified inclusion criteria. Among the identified studies, eight produced significant outcomes. The majority of the programmes incorporated educational sessions targeting parents as the primary modality for intervention delivery. Less than one‐quarter of the interventions included home visitations; however, all of the interventions included home‐based activities to reinforce behaviour modification. Only three of the interventions applied social and behavioural theory, and only two interventions employed process evaluation. Additional research is needed to gauge the efficacy of the home and family milieu for treating paediatric obesity.
The Dynamic ‘Expectation–Conditional Maximization Either’ Algorithm
Authors: He Yunxiao , Liu Chuanhai 
Published: January 2012

SummaryThe ‘expectation–conditional maximization either’ (ECME) algorithm has proven to be an effective way of accelerating the expectation–maximization algorithm for many problems. Recognizing the limitation of using prefixed acceleration subspaces in the ECME algorithm, we propose a dynamic ECME (DECME) algorithm which allows the acceleration subspaces to be chosen dynamically. The simplest DECME implementation is what we call DECME-1, which uses the line that is determined by the two most recent estimates as the acceleration subspace. The investigation of DECME-1 leads to an efficient, simple, stable and widely applicable DECME implementation, which uses two-dimensional acceleration subspaces and is referred to as DECME-2. The fast convergence of DECME-2 is established by the theoretical result that, in a small neighbourhood of the maximum likelihood estimate, it is equivalent to a conjugate direction method. The remarkable accelerating effect of DECME-2 and its variant is also demonstrated with several numerical examples.
Longitudinal Penalized Functional Regression for Cognitive Outcomes on Neuronal Tract Measurements
Authors: Goldsmith Jeff , Crainiceanu Ciprian M. , Caffo Brian , Reich Daniel 
Published: January 2012

SummaryWe describe and analyse a longitudinal diffusion tensor imaging study relating changes in the microstructure of intracranial white matter tracts to cognitive disability in multiple-sclerosis patients. In this application the scalar outcome and the functional exposure are measured longitudinally. This data structure is new and raises challenges that cannot be addressed with current methods and software. To analyse the data, we introduce a penalized functional regression model and inferential tools designed specifically for these emerging types of data. Our proposed model extends the generalized linear mixed model by adding functional predictors; this method is computationally feasible and is applicable when the functional predictors are measured densely, sparsely or with error. On-line supplements compare two implementations, one likelihood based and the other Bayesian, and provide the software that is used in simulations; the likelihood-based implementation is included as the lpfr() function in the R package refund that is available in the Comprehensive R Archive Network.
Patient preferences for psoriasis treatments: impact of treatment experience
Authors: Schaarschmidt M.‐L. , Umar N. , Schmieder A. , Terris D.D. , Goebeler M. , Goerdt S. , Peitsch W.K. 
Published: January 2012

AbstractBackground  Patient preferences for psoriasis treatments can impact treatment satisfaction and adherence and may therefore influence clinical outcome.Objective  To assess the impact of treatment experience (satisfaction with current treatment, number of prior visits, disease duration, number of preceding therapies and currently prescribed treatment modalities) on treatment preferences.Methods  A computer‐based conjoint analysis experiment was conducted to analyse preferences of patients with moderate or severe psoriasis (n = 163) treated at a German University Medical Center for outcome (probability, magnitude and duration of benefit; probability, severity and reversibility of side effects) and process attributes (location, frequency, duration, delivery method, individual cost) of psoriasis treatments. Relative importance scores (RIS) were calculated for each attribute and compared using anova, post hoc test and multivariate regression analysis.Results  Participants with longer disease duration attached significantly greater importance to duration of benefit (β = 0.206, P = 0.018), whereas participants on oral therapy were more concerned about magnitude of benefit by trend (β = 0.218, P = 0.058). Participants receiving injectables not only set higher value to probability of benefit (RIS = 32.80 vs. 21.89, P = 0.025) but also to treatment location (RIS = 44.74 vs. 23.03, P = 0.011), delivery method (RIS = 43.75 vs. 19.29, P = 0.019), treatment frequency (RIS = 31.24 vs. 16.89, P = 0.005) and duration (RIS = 32.54 vs. 16.57, P = 0.003) when compared with others. Treatment satisfaction was significantly higher in participants on infusions or injections compared with those on phototherapy and mere topical therapy.Conclusions  Treatment preferences may change over time course and with treatment experience. Participants on injectables attach great importance to efficiency and convenience of therapies, and are highly satisfied with their treatment.
Efficacy of a Peer‐Guided Exercise Programme for Adolescents with Intellectual Disability
Authors: Stanish Heidi I. , Temple Viviene A. 
Published: January 2012

Background  Peer support is strongly associated with physical activity of adolescents. This study examined the efficacy of a YMCA‐based, peer‐guided exercise training programme for increasing health‐related physical fitness among adolescents with intellectual disabilities.Materials and Methods  Adolescents with intellectual disabilities and typically developing peer partners provided reciprocal support during 1‐h exercise sessions that included aerobic exercise, weight training and stretching activities. The programme was conducted 2 days/week for 15 weeks and pre‐ and post‐test fitness testing was conducted.Results  Participants demonstrated significant improvements in curl‐ups, 6‐min walk and BMI. Exercise session attendance was high and participants typically completed all of the prescribed aerobic and stretching exercises, whereas weight training exercises were completed less consistently.Conclusions  This peer‐guided model integrates social and instructional support for adolescents with intellectual disabilities and may encourage exercise participation in community settings.
Pioglitazone treatment increases COX‐2‐derived prostacyclin production and reduces oxidative stress in hypertensive rats: role in vascular function
Authors: Hernanz Raquel , Martín Ángela , Pérez‐Girón Jose V , Palacios Roberto , Briones Ana M , Miguel Marta , Salaices Mercedes , Alonso María J 
Published: January 2012

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE PPARγ agonists, glitazones, have cardioprotective and anti‐inflammatory actions associated with gene transcription interference. In this study, we determined whether chronic treatment of adult spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) with pioglitazone alters BP and vascular structure and function, and the possible mechanisms involved.EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH Mesenteric resistance arteries from untreated or pioglitazone‐treated (2.5 mg·kg−1·day−1, 28 days) SHR and normotensive [Wistar Kyoto (WKY)] rats were used. Vascular structure was studied by pressure myography, vascular function by wire myography, protein expression by Western blot and immunohistochemistry, mRNA levels by RT‐PCR, prostanoid levels by commercial kits and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production by dihydroethidium‐emitted fluorescence.KEY RESULTS In SHR, pioglitazone did not modify either BP or vascular structural and mechanical alterations or phenylephrine‐induced contraction, but it increased vascular COX‐2 levels, prostacyclin (PGI2) production and the inhibitory effects of NS 398, SQ 29,548 and tranylcypromine on phenylephrine responses. The contractile phase of the iloprost response, which was reduced by SQ 29,548, was greater in pioglitazone‐treated and pioglitazone‐untreated SHR than WKY. In addition, pioglitazone abolished the increased vascular ROS production, NOX‐1 levels and the inhibitory effect of apocynin and allopurinol on phenylephrine contraction, whereas it did not modify eNOS expression but restored the potentiating effect of N‐nitro‐L‐arginine methyl ester on phenylephrine responses.CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS Although pioglitazone did not reduce BP in SHR, it increased COX‐2‐derived PGI2 production, reduced oxidative stress, and increased NO bioavailability, which are all involved in vasoconstrictor responses in resistance arteries. These effects would contribute to the cardioprotective effect of glitazones reported in several pathologies.
Triptolide increases transcript and protein levels of survival motor neurons in human SMA fibroblasts and improves survival in SMA‐like mice
Authors: Hsu Ya‐Yun , Jong Yuh‐Jyh , Tsai Hsin‐Hung , Tseng Yu‐Ting , An Li‐Mei , Lo Yi‐Ching 
Published: January 2012

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSESpinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a progressive neuromuscular disease. Since disease severity is related to the amount of survival motor neuron (SMN) protein, up‐regulated functional SMN protein levels from the SMN2 gene are considered a major SMA drug‐discovery strategy. In this study, we investigated the possible effects of triptolide, a diterpene triepoxide purified from Tripterygium wilfordii Hook. F., as a new compound for increasing SMN protein.EXPERIMENTAL APPROACHThe effects and mechanisms of triptolide on the production of SMA protein were determined by cell‐based assays using the motor neuronal cell line NSC34 and skin fibroblasts from SMA patients. Wild‐type (Smn+/+SMN2−/−, C57BL/6) and SMA‐like (Smn−/−SMN2) mice were injected with triptolide (0.01 or 0.1 mg·kg−1·day−1, i.p.) and their survival rate and level of change in SMN protein in neurons and muscle tissue measured.KEY RESULTSIn NSC34 cells and human SMA fibroblasts, pM concentrations of triptolide significantly increased SMN protein expression and the levels of SMN complex component (Gemin2 and Gemin3). In human SMA fibroblasts, triptolide increased SMN‐containing nuclear gems and the ratio of full‐length transcripts (FL‐SMN2) to SMN2 transcripts lacking exon 7 (SMN2Δ7). Furthermore, in SMA‐like mice, triptolide significantly increased SMN protein levels in the brain, spinal cord and gastrocnemius muscle. Furthermore, triptolide treatment increased survival and reduced weight loss in SMA‐like mice.CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONSTriptolide enhanced SMN protein production by promoting SMN2 activation, exon 7 inclusion and increasing nuclear gems, and increased survival in SMA mice, which suggests triptolide might be a potential candidate for SMA therapy.
Randomized, Controlled Study of Telcagepant in Patients With Migraine and Coronary Artery Disease
Authors: Ho Tony W. , Ho Andrew P. , Chaitman Bernard R. , Johnson Constance , Mathew Ninan T. , Kost James , Fan Xiaoyin , Aurora Sheena K. , Brandes Jan L. , Fei Kaiyin , Beebe Louise , Lines Christopher , Krucoff Mitchell W. 
Published: January 2012

Objective.— To evaluate the efficacy of telcagepant in patients with migraine and coronary artery disease.Background.— Calcitonin gene‐related peptide receptor antagonists, such as telcagepant, may be useful for acute migraine treatment in patients with cardiovascular disease, a population for whom triptans are contraindicated.Methods.— Randomized, double‐blind, two‐period (6 weeks per period) crossover study in patients with stable coronary artery disease and migraine. Patients were randomized 1:1 to either: (1) Period 1: telcagepant (280‐mg tablet/300‐mg capsule), Period 2: acetaminophen (1000‐mg); or (2) Period 1: placebo for attack 1 then acetaminophen for subsequent attacks, Period 2: telcagepant. Patients could treat up to 12 migraine attacks per period to assess the tolerability of telcagepant. The primary efficacy analysis evaluated telcagepant vs placebo on 2‐hour pain freedom during the first attack of Period 1.Results.— One hundred and sixty‐five of the planned 400 patients were enrolled, and 114 took at least one dose of treatment. Telcagepant was not statistically different from placebo for 2‐hour pain freedom (25.0% vs 18.9%, odds ratio = 1.62 [95% confidence interval: 0.62, 4.25]). The median number of attacks treated per period was 3. No cardiovascular thrombotic adverse events occurred within 14 days of dosing.Conclusion.— The study was underpowered due to enrollment difficulties and did not demonstrate a significant efficacy difference between telcagepant and placebo for the treatment of a migraine attack in patients with stable coronary artery disease. Telcagepant was generally well tolerated for acute intermittent migraine treatment in these patients.
The mechanism of action of retigabine (ezogabine), a first‐in‐class K+ channel opener for the treatment of epilepsy
Authors: Gunthorpe Martin J. , Large Charles H. , Sankar Raman 
Published: January 2012

SummaryThe pharmacologic profile of retigabine [RTG (international nonproprietary name); ezogabine, EZG (U.S. adopted name)], is different from all currently approved antiepileptic drugs (AEDs). Its primary mechanism of action (MoA) as a positive allosteric modulator of KCNQ2–5 (Kv7.2–7.5) ion channels defines RTG/EZG as the first neuronal potassium (K+) channel opener for the treatment of epilepsy. KCNQ2–5 channels are predominantly expressed in neurons and are important determinants of cellular excitability, as indicated by the occurrence of human genetic mutations in KCNQ channels that underlie inheritable disorders including, in the case of KCNQ2/3, the syndrome of benign familial neonatal convulsions. In vitro pharmacologic studies demonstrate that the most potent action of RTG/EZG is at KCNQ2–5 channels, particularly heteromeric KCNQ2/3. Furthermore, mutagenesis and modeling studies have pinpointed the RTG/EZG binding site to a hydrophobic pocket near the channel gate, indicating how RTG/EZG can stabilize the open form of KCNQ2–5 channels; the absence of this site in KCNQ1 also provides a clear explanation for the inbuilt selectivity RTG/EZG has for potassium channels other than the KCNQ cardiac channel. KCNQ channels are active at the normal cell resting membrane potential (RMP) and contribute a continual hyperpolarizing influence that stabilizes cellular excitability. The MoA of RTG/EZG increases the number of KCNQ channels that are open at rest and also primes the cell to retort with a larger, more rapid, and more prolonged response to membrane depolarization or increased neuronal excitability. In this way, RTG/EZG amplifies this natural inhibitory force in the brain, acting like a brake to prevent the high levels of neuronal action potential burst firing (epileptiform activity) that may accompany sustained depolarizations associated with the initiation and propagation of seizures. This action to restore physiologic levels of neuronal activity is thought to underlie the efficacy of RTG/EZG as an anticonvulsant in a broad spectrum of preclinical seizure models and in placebo‐controlled trials in patients with partial epilepsy. In this article, we consider the pharmacologic characteristics of RTG/EZG at the receptor, cellular, and network levels as a means of understanding the novel and efficacious MoA of this new AED as defined in both preclinical and clinical research.