bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Randomized controlled trial comparing above- and below-elbow plaster casts for distal forearm fractures in children
Authors: Paneru S. R. , Rijal Raju , Shrestha B. P. , Nepal P. , Khanal G. P. , Karn N. K. , Singh M. P. , Rai P. 
Published: March 2010

Purpose Long arm cast is the method of immobilization after closed reduction of the fracture of the distal third of the forearm, although short arm cast has been used to immobilize the forearm by some orthopedic surgeons. We conducted this study to evaluate the rate of displacement, union time, complication, and cost of treatment between the above-elbow and below-elbow plaster cast groups. Methods We designed a prospective randomized controlled trial to compare above- and below-elbow casts for patients of distal forearm fracture aged 4–12 years. One hundred and one patients were presented to our institution during the period from 1st June 2007 to 31st May 2008. Twelve patients were excluded from the study. Eighty-nine patients were randomized into two groups. Four patients were lost to follow up. Hence, 85 patients, 42 in the above-elbow group and 43 in the below-elbow group, were analyzed. Informed consent was obtained prior to participation in the trial. The parameters to be studied were defined before treatment and noted in the pilot-tested pro forma and follow up was done. Results Among the 85 patients analyzed, randomization was successful. Pain and swelling on the next day and at one week following cast application was significantly higher ( P = 0.000) in the above-elbow group. Three cases in the above-elbow group needed slitting of the plaster cast. Remanipulation was needed more often in the above-elbow group (9.5%). Although the cast index was not statistically significant ( P = 0.054) between the groups, those who needed remanipulation had a larger cast index (0.80). The total cost of the treatment and the number of school days lost was significantly higher ( P = 0.000) in the above-elbow group. Conclusion Below-elbow cast treatment was comparable in terms of redisplacement, union time, and movement of the wrist to the above-elbow treatment. The complications rate and total cost was higher in the above-elbow plaster group, which could be a cost benefit if a below-elbow cast is used.
Efficacy of mifepristone in reducing intermenstrual vaginal bleeding in users of the levonorgestrel intrauterine system
Authors: Lal Suman , Kriplani Alka , Kulshrestha Vidushi , Sharma Meenakshi , Agarwal Nutan 
Published: March 2010

AbstractObjectiveTo evaluate the efficacy of mifepristone to reduce intermenstrual bleeding in levonorgestrel intrauterine system (LNG‐IUS) users.MethodIn this prospective, open‐label, comparative study, 36 women using the LNG‐IUS for menorrhagia received 100 mg of mifepristone every 30 days for 3 months (group 1). Fifty age‐matched LNG‐IUS users who did not receive any drugs were used as the comparison group (group 2). Menstrual bleeding days, pictorial blood loss assessment chart (PBAC) score, and intermenstrual bleeding/spotting days were compared between the 2 groups at 3 months (during treatment) and at 6 months (3 months post treatment).ResultsBaseline characteristics were comparable between the groups. At 3 months, median duration and episodes of intermenstrual bleeding/spotting were significantly lower in group 1 compared with group 2 (6 vs 12.5 days, P = 0.01; 2.5 vs 3, P = 0.05, respectively). More women were satisfied with the LNG‐IUS in the mifepristone group compared with the control group (75% vs 44%; P = 0.004). At 6 months, the median duration of intermenstrual bleeding/spotting was significantly lower in group 1 compared with group 2 (6 vs 15 days; P = 0.008).ConclusionMifepristone was effective in reducing the number of episodes and duration of intermenstrual bleeding/spotting in LNG‐IUS users.
The early land plants from the Armorican Massif: sedimentological and palynological considerations on age and environment
Authors: STRULLU-DERRIEN CHRISTINE , DUCASSOU CÉLINE , BALLÈVRE MICHEL , DABARD MARIE-PIERRE , GERRIENNE PHILIPPE , LARDEUX HUBERT , LE HÉRISSÉ ALAIN , ROBIN CÉCILE , STEEMANS PHILIPPE , STRULLU DÉSIRÉ-GEORGES 
Published: March 2010

AbstractThe Châteaupanne Unit belongs to the South Armorican domain of the Armorican Massif (France), which is part of the Variscan belt. This unit includes two Lower Devonian plant levels and one of them corresponds to the Basal Member of the Chalonnes Formation. A sedimentological and palaeontological analysis of these fossiliferous deposits from the Châteaupanne quarry (Montjean/Loire, Maine et Loire, France) is presented here for the first time. The age determination based on palynology indicates that the locality records the earliest occurrence of plant megafossils in the Armorican Massif. Their presence suggests an emergence event that has never been described before. Our study highlights the promising potential of the Basal Member of the Chalonnes Formation to aid in understanding these occurrences, and provides new insights into the history of the Variscan belt.
Road development and market access on Nicaragua's Atlantic coast: implications for household fishing and farming practices
Authors: SCHMITT KRISTEN M. , KRAMER DANIEL B. 
Published: March 2010

SUMMARYThe simplistic portrayal of road development as a classic environment versus development debate may be because the indirect pathways connecting road building with environmental change are poorly understood. Recent road development in previously remote regions of Nicaragua provides an opportunity to investigate these pathways. This paper examines the effects of increased market access on household resource use on the Atlantic coast of Nicaragua. Specifically, it looks at shifting market flow and price changes for natural resources and corresponding fishing and farming decisions in communities with varying degrees of market access before and after road completion. Fisheries markets were more responsive to market access increases than agricultural markets. With increased access, fishers increasingly sold to non-local buyers, overall export of fisheries' products increased and markets for new products emerged. Prices of fisheries goods were higher with proximity to markets and availability of non-local export outlets, and prices for some were more stable after the road was completed. There were no observed changes in household fishing and farming investments during the year-long study, and therefore the environmental implications of increased market access remain uncertain. Longer-term studies and additional biological monitoring are needed to determine the full environmental consequences of market access.
Looks count: Computing and constructing visually expressive mass customized housing
Authors: Knight Terry , Sass Lawrence 
Published: March 2010

AbstractThis paper introduces new research that seeks to develop low-cost, high quality, mass customizable building assembly systems that provide visually rich design variations for housing or other small structures. The building systems are intended to be tailored for particular cultures and communities by incorporating vernacular decorative design into the assembly design. Two complementary research areas are brought together in this work: shape grammars and digital fabrication. The visual, aesthetic aspects of the research are explored through shape grammars. The physical design and manufacturing aspects are explored through advanced digital design and fabrication technologies, and in particular, build on recent work on monomaterial assemblies with interlocking components that can be fabricated with computer numerical control machines and assembled easily by hand. The long-term objective of this research is the development of formal, visual–physical grammars with rules that generate complete computer-assisted design/computer-assisted manufacturing data for fabrication of full-scale components for assembly design variations. This paper reports on the first phase of this research: pilot studies for prototype assembly systems that incorporate vernacular languages from different parts of the world. The results of these studies are very promising, and demonstrate a spectrum of strategies for embedding visual properties in structural systems. Important next steps in this research are outlined. If successful, this work will lead to new solutions for low-cost, easily manufactured housing, which is especially critical in developing countries and for postdisaster environments. These new housing solutions will not only provide shelter but also support important cultural values through the integration of familiar visual design features. Beyond the specific context of housing and building assemblies, the research has the potential to impact the design and manufacture of designed artifacts on many scales and in many domains, especially in domains where visual aesthetics need to be considered jointly with physical, structural, or material requirements, and where design customization and variation is important.
School-Based Practice in a Climate of Budget Constraints: An Interview With Barbara Moore
Authors: Rudebusch Judy 
Published: March 2010

Abstract
This article provides an overview of public school funding mechanisms and the interface between local, state, and federal funding streams. Information about the impact of a weak economy on school funding is explored with suggestions for speech-language pathologists to use in times of budget crises to evaluate, prioritize, and improve quality of services for students.
Advocating for Change in Your State or Local School District: A Successful Game Plan
Authors: Deppe Janet 
Published: March 2010

Abstract
All of us remember a time when we convinced our spouse to let our son try out for the football team, helped our daughter prepare and practice her speech for the student council election, pleaded with a teacher about a grade or assignment, or helped a parent or friend negotiate the health care system to get the right medical treatment.
Characterization of Indigestible Carbohydrates in Various Fractions from Wheat Processing
Authors: Haskå L. , Nyman M. , Andersson R. 
Published: March 2010

ABSTRACTFractions rich in indigestible carbohydrates, such as fructan and arabinoxylan, are obtained as by‐products when ethanol, starch, and gluten are produced from wheat flour. Today, these fractions are used as animal feed. However, these components may have positive physiological effects in humans. In this study, the content of indigestible carbohydrates in distillers' grains and process streams from the wet fractionation of wheat flour was determined. The fractions were further characterized by ethanol extractability analysis, anion‐exchange chromatography, NMR, and size‐exclusion chromatography. One fraction from wet fractionation contained (g/100 g, db) 6.0 ± 1.0 fructan and 10.3 ± 1.1 dietary fiber (66 ± 4% arabinoxylan), while distillers' grains contained 20.7 g/100 g (db) dietary fiber (30% arabinoxylan). In addition to indigestible carbohydrates from wheat, distillers' grains contained β‐(1→3) and β‐(1→6) glucans and mannoproteins from the yeast and low molecular weight carbohydrates mainly composed of arabinose. The use of endoxylanase in wet fractionation decreased the molecular weight of the arabinoxylans and increased the arabinose to xylose ratio but had no effect on the fructans. In conclusion, waste streams from industrial wheat processing were enriched in fructan, arabinoxylan, and other indigestible carbohydrates. However, the physiological effects of these fractions require further investigation.
Morphologies and Thermal Properties of Hydroxypropylated High‐Amylose Corn Starch
Authors: Liu Hongsheng , Li Ming , Chen Pei , Yu Long , Chen Ling , Tong Zhen 
Published: March 2010

ABSTRACTHigh‐amylose (80%) corn starch was modified by hydroxypropylation with different molar substitution (MS). The unique microstructure of high‐amylose starch keeps its granules intact after hydroxypropylation. However, the microstructures and thermal properties strongly depend on the MS of hydroxypropylation. With increasing MS, the granule size was increased, which is partly due to disrupted granule structure, particularly in the amorphous region. Unlike normal starch, the modified high‐amylose corn starch showed a narrow gelatinization range measured by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), which can be explained by destruction of amylose‐lipid complex. Internal microstructures and morphologies of hydroxypropylated starch were investigated using confocal laser scanning microscopy and to further explore the mechanism of chemical reaction and phase transitions.
Promoting Cereal Grain and Whole Grain Consumption: An Australian Perspective
Authors: Griffiths Trish 
Published: March 2010

ABSTRACTGo Grains Health & Nutrition encourages consumption of grain‐based foods in Australia through activities that promote awareness and understanding of the role of grain foods in a healthy diet. Strategies drive the message of the Australian dietary guidelines that a healthy diet should include at least four servings of grain‐based foods every day (1 serving is equal to two slices of bread). The “Go Grains 4+ Serves a Day” program promotes grain‐based foods (refined and whole grain) through the media, website information, resource development, school education, and food industry involvement. Interest in whole grains is growing, reflected in a shift in bread sales over recent years from white to whole grain. Manufacturers are responding with new and reformulated whole grain product launches and an increasing number of products carry packaging statements about whole grain content. Australian food regulations do not permit health claims in packaging or in advertising. In the absence of official guidelines, Go Grains has developed a whole grain daily target intake for use by food manufacturers in packaging. There are limited data publicly available to describe consumption of grain‐based foods in Australia. The findings of a 2009 survey commissioned by Go Grains help provide insight into consumption trends.
Regulatory Aspects for Whole Grain and Whole Grain Food: An EU Perspective
Authors: Binns Nino M. 
Published: March 2010

ABSTRACTWhole grain and whole grain foods enjoy recommendation as part of many national and international dietary guidelines. However, if the food industry makes claims for the health benefits of whole grain foods, then a raft of regulatory requirements must be met in the European Union (EU). Under the relatively recent EU Regulation on nutrition and health claims made on foods, any nutrition claims about the energy, nutrients, fiber, or other beneficial substances the food contains need to comply with the Annex of that Regulation. As far as health claims are concerned, until the Community list of approved so‐called Article 13 claims is published, food businesses may use any health claims that can be validated by scientific evidence, providing that they meet any specific requirements of the Regulation that are applicable prior to that date and providing they are not 1) prohibited claims or 2) claims referring to a reduction in the risk of disease or a disease risk factor or 3) referring to children's development and health or 4) claims that have been rejected by the EU regulatory procedure. Claims under 2) or 3) require submission of a dossier. Once the Community list of health Article 13 claims is published, then only those claims included in the list or those claims approved following submission of a dossier to the European Food Safety Authority may be used. Whole grain foods making nutrition and health claims will also ultimately have to respect the nutrient profiles that will be established under Article 4 of the Regulation. Various definitions of what counts as a whole grain food have been proposed but none has regulatory standing in EU. The conditions of use that will be documented as part of the EU‐approved list of health claims may in essence establish a definition.
Combined exposures to anti‐androgenic chemicals: steps towards cumulative risk assessment
Authors: Kortenkamp A. , Faust M. 
Published: March 2010

SummaryThere is widespread exposure to anti‐androgens, a group of chemicals able to disrupt androgen action in foetal life, with irreversible de‐masculinizing consequences. Substances of concern include certain phthalates, pesticides and chemicals used in cosmetics and personal care products. Although people come into contact with several anti‐androgens, chemicals risk assessment normally does not take account of the effects of combined exposures. However, a disregard for combination effects may lead to underestimations of risks and for this reason, we have assessed the feasibility of conducting cumulative risk assessment, where the focus is on considering the effects of exposure to multiple chemicals, via multiple routes and pathways. Following recent recommendations by the US National Research Council, we have, for the first time, included phthalates and other anti‐androgenic chemicals, a total of 15 substances. On the basis of exposure estimates for the individual chemicals and reference doses for anti‐androgenicity, we have used the hazard index approach. We show that the cumulative risks from anti‐androgen exposures exceed acceptable levels for people on the upper end of exposure levels. The value obtained for median exposures to the 15 substances can be judged tolerable. However, significant knowledge gaps exist that prevent us from arriving at definitive conclusions. Of greatest concern is an absence of appropriate in vivo toxicity data about large numbers of in vitro androgen receptor antagonists. Knowledge about the effect profiles of these chemicals will lead to higher risk estimates. Our analysis suggests that risk reductions can be achieved by limiting exposures to the plasticizer diethyl hexyl phthalate, the cosmetic ingredients butyl‐ and propyl paraben, the pesticides vinclozolin, prochloraz and procymidone and bisphenol A.
Cumulative effects of in utero administration of mixtures of reproductive toxicants that disrupt common target tissues via diverse mechanisms of toxicity
Authors: Rider C. V. , Furr J. R. , Wilson V. S. , Gray Jr L. E. 
Published: March 2010

SummaryAlthough risk assessments are typically conducted on a chemical‐by‐chemical basis, the 1996 Food Quality Protection Act required the US Environmental Protection Agency to consider cumulative risk of chemicals that act via a common mechanism of toxicity. To this end, we are conducting studies with mixtures of chemicals to elucidate mechanisms of joint action at the systemic level with the goal of providing a framework for assessing the cumulative effects of reproductive toxicants. Previous mixture studies conducted with antiandrogenic chemicals are reviewed briefly and two new studies are described. In all binary mixture studies, rats were dosed during pregnancy with chemicals, singly or in pairs, at dosage levels equivalent to approximately one‐half of the ED50 for hypospadias or epididymal agenesis. The binary mixtures included androgen receptor (AR) antagonists (vinclozolin plus procymidone), phthalate esters [di(n‐butyl) phthalate (DBP) plus benzyl n‐butyl phthalate (BBP) and diethyl hexyl phthalate (DEHP) plus DBP], a phthalate ester plus an AR antagonist (DBP plus procymidone), a mixed mechanism androgen signalling disruptor (linuron) plus BBP, and two chemicals which disrupt epididymal differentiation through entirely different toxicity pathways: DBP (AR pathway) plus 2,3,7,8 TCDD (AhR pathway). We also conducted multi‐component mixture studies combining several ‘antiandrogens’. In the first study, seven chemicals (four pesticides and three phthalates) that elicit antiandrogenic effects at two different sites in the androgen signalling pathway (i.e. AR antagonist or inhibition of androgen synthesis) were combined. In the second study, three additional phthalates were added to make a 10 chemical mixture. In both the binary mixture studies and the multi‐component mixture studies, chemicals that targeted male reproductive tract development displayed cumulative effects that exceeded predictions based on a response‐addition model and most often were in accordance with predictions based on dose‐addition models. In summary, our results indicate that compounds that act by disparate mechanisms of toxicity to disrupt the dynamic interactions among the interconnected signalling pathways in differentiating tissues produce cumulative dose‐additive effects, regardless of the mechanism or mode of action of the individual mixture component.
Hypothesis: exposure to endocrine‐disrupting chemicals may interfere with timing of puberty
Authors: Mouritsen A. , Aksglaede L. , Sørensen K. , Mogensen S. Sloth , Leffers H. , Main K. M. , Frederiksen H. , Andersson A.‐M. , Skakkebaek N. E. , Juul A. 
Published: March 2010

SummaryA recent decline in onset of puberty – especially among girls – has been observed, first in the US in the mid‐1990s and now also in Europe. The development of breast tissue in girls occurs at a much younger age and the incidence of precocious puberty (PP) is increasing. Genetic factors and increasing prevalence of adiposity may contribute, but environmental factors are also likely to be involved. In particular, the widespread presence of endocrine‐disrupting chemicals (EDCs) is suspected to contribute to the trend of earlier pubertal onset. The factors regulating the physiological onset of normal puberty are poorly understood. This hampers investigation of the possible role of environmental influences. There are many types of EDCs. One chemical may have more than one mode of action and the effects may depend on dose and duration of the exposure, as well as the developmental stage of the exposed individual. There may also be a wide range of genetic susceptibility to EDCs. Human exposure scenarios are complex and our knowledge about effects of mixtures of EDCs is limited. Importantly, the consequences of an exposure may not be apparent at the actual time of exposure, but may manifest later in life. Most known EDCs have oestrogenic and/or anti‐androgenic actions and only few have androgenic or anti‐oestrogenic effects. Thus, it appears plausible that they interfere with normal onset of puberty. The age at menarche has only declined by a few months whereas the age at breast development has declined by 1 year; thus, the time span from initiation of breast development to menarche has increased. This may indicate an oestrogen‐like effect without concomitant central activation of the hypothalamic–pituitary axis. The effects may differ between boys and girls, as there are sex differences in age at onset of puberty, hormonal profiles and prevalence of precocius puberty.