bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Public Reporting on Risk-Adjusted Mortality After Percutaneous Coronary Interventions in New York State
Authors: Chen Lena M. , Orav E. John , Epstein Arnold M. 
Published: January 2012

Background—
Since the advent of public reporting on risk-adjusted mortality for coronary artery bypass graft surgery, public reporting on outcomes has expanded to include a variety of dissimilar conditions and procedures. We have little evidence to support such broad-based efforts.

Methods and Results—

We examined the quality performance of 351 cardiologists at 48 hospitals in New York State, using publicly reported risk-adjusted mortality rates (RAMRs) for nonemergent percutaneous coronary interventions between 1998 and 2007. In the year after report release, we examined the following: (1) average RAMR for hospitals, (2) change in market share for hospitals and cardiologists, and (3) proportion of physicians leaving practice. We found that patients who picked a hospital that performed significantly better than expected in prior years had lower RAMRs (0.47, 0.61, and 0.72 for patients choosing hospitals whose prior reports were better than, as, and worse than expected;
P
=0.02). However, choosing a hospital in the top quartile (or decile) of performance in prior years did not decrease a patient's chance of dying (
P
=0.29, or
P
=0.27). Performance ranking was not associated with a change in market share for hospitals or for physicians, or with leaving practice (all
P
>0.05).

Conclusions—
Public reporting on nonemergent percutaneous coronary interventions in New York State identifies very high and low performers but provides insufficient information to differentiate between most hospitals. It appears to have had no effect on market share or physicians' decisions to leave practice. The utility of public reporting on RAMRs may differ for different conditions and procedures.
Are Reliability, Reproducibility and Validity the Correct Terms to Assess the Correctness of Dietary Studies?
Authors: Joachim Gloria 
Published: January 2012

Nutritional studies often use the terms reliability, reproducibility and validity to indicate the correctness of the study. These terms do not appear to have a universal meaning to all researchers. The components of a dietary study are the input, the data collection instrument and the compiled data. Frequently the data collection questionnaire/tool/instrument is tested for reliability, reproducibility or validity. The data collection questionnaire/tool/instrument is simply a structure, a vehicle for gathering data. An argument is presented that demonstrates the reasons that such a structure cannot be tested for reliability, reproducibility or validity. The logical approach to the use of the terms reliability, reproducibility and validity is presented. Reliability refers to the input component of the study, reproducibility may or may not lead to strengthening the study and validity refers to the truthfulness of the database generated. Validity must be derived from reliable and reproducible data.
Growth Pattern of Exclusively Breast-fed Infants During the First Six Months of Life in Ile-Ife, Osun State, Nigeria
Authors: Abiona T.C. , Onayade A.A. , Ijadunola K.T. , Abayomi I.O. , Makanjuola R.O.A. 
Published: January 2012

Several studies to determine the growth pattern of exclusively breast fed infants have provided varying conclusions as to the sufficiency of breast milk alone to support adequate growth for the first six months of life. Disagreement exists concerning the optimal timing of introduction of complementary foods to exclusively breast fed infants. This prospective study thus examined the adequacy of breast milk alone to support normal growth during the first six months of life in our environment. The overall objective was to propose a scientifically sound national recommendation on the appropriate timing for the introduction of complementary feeding in Nigeria. Three hundred and fifty-two mother/infant pairs were serially recruited into the study; all babies were aged 14 days or less and weighed 2.5kg and above. Three hundred and forty-five (98%) were successfully followed up till the infants were six months old. By six months, 264 (76.5%) were exclusively breast-fed, while 81 (23.5%) had commenced complementary feeding. Growth curves of exclusively breast-fed infants showed increasing weight from birth to six months. Although the 50th percentile birth weight for both boys and girls were the same (3.2kg), boys gained weight faster than the girls from the age of one month to six months and were heavier at six months. Additionally, the 50th percentile curves of these infants (both genders) for the first six months were above the 50th percentile curve of the World Health Organisation and National Centre for Health Statistics (WHO/NCHS) reference currently used on our national “road to health” (growth monitoring) cards. It was concluded that exclusive breast-feeding supported adequate growth during the first six months of life for most of the children studied and that our national recommendation that infants be introduced to complementary feeding at six months is appropriate.
The (Ir)Relevance of Framing Nutrition Education Messages
Authors: Brug Johannes , Ruiter Robert A.C. , Van Assema Patricia 
Published: January 2012

Persuasive health education messages can either stress the positive consequences of performing a healthy behaviour (gain-frame) or the negative consequences of not performing a healthy behaviour (loss-frame). Based on studies on topics such as sun protection and breast self-examination there is evidence that messages in different action frames may differ in persuasive effects. Three randomised controlled trials were conducted to test framing effects in nutrition education on specific nutrition-related attitudes and intentions. In study 1, effects of gain-framed and loss-framed messages were studied among 152 adult education students on attitudes and intentions related to fat, fruit and vegetable consumption. In study 2 we confronted 149 regular students with differently framed messages related to a (more or less fictive) preventive dietary behaviour that was expected to be unknown to the study population, intake of flavonoids and risk for chronic disease. The impact on attitudes and intentions to use flavonoid-enriched spreads was studied. In study 3 we studied the effects of differently framed messages on attitudes and intentions related to more immediate and more personally relevant diet nutrition behaviour: folic acid supplement use before and during pregnancy among 100 female students. No significant differences in attitudes or intentions to perform the preventive nutrition behaviours were found between the gain-frame conditions and the loss-frame conditions in all three studies. The (lack of) effects were not moderated by factors such as perceived personal relevance, credibility or novelty of the information, or the perceived importance of the topic addressed. The results of the present studies suggest that action-frame choice has a very limited impact on the effectiveness of nutrition education in changing precautionary motivation.
Vitamin a Status of Pregnant Nigerian Women: Relationship to Dietary Habits and Morbidity
Authors: Ajose O.A. , Adelekan D.A. , Ajewole E.O. 
Published: January 2012

Vitamin A status of pregnant Nigerian women has been determined by measurement of retinol concentration in plasma samples obtained from pregnant subjects, using a spectrophotometric method. The relationship between vitamin A status, dietary habits and morbidity pattern was also examined. Two hundred (200) consecutive pregnant women registered for antenatal clinic at the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals Complex within a period of eight (8) weeks were recruited as subjects. The subjects were aged 15–43 years (mean 27.2 years), and were at different stages of pregnancy. Semi-structured questionnaires were administered on the subjects to obtain data on dietary habits, present health status and obstetric history. Vitamin A deficiency (plasma retinol concentration < 0.35 μmol/L) is found in 17.5% of the subjects, while 37% and 45.5% have borderline (plasma retinol concentration 0.35–0.70 μmol/L) and normal (plasma retinol concentration > 0.70 μmol/L) vitamin A status respectively. There is a significant relationship between frequent micturition and vitamin A status (chi-square = 0.39: P < 0.05). There is no relationship between maternal age and vitamin A status. Although about 80% of the subjects consumed red palm oil daily, about 64% would heat the oil to smoking for at least 10 minutes, before adding to stew during cooking. Green vegetables were also boiled in hot water before adding to sauce, while liver is consumed on just about three days per month. The findings reported in this study have further strengthened the claim that vitamin A deficiency is fairly prevalent in pregnant Nigerian women, underlining the need for prompt and effective intervention.
False Profits and Silent Partners in Health Care
Authors: Lands Bill 
Published: January 2012

Traditional health care services have focused more on treatment of signs and symptoms of cardiovascular disease rather than on prevention of primary causal factors. This bias created a nation with increasing numbers of older people paying for increasing treatment costs. Treatment-oriented clinicians, drug companies and hospitals take a major proportion of ever-increasing health care dollars. Without prevention, American families gain little long-term relief from the highest health care treatment costs in the world. A lack of public accountability for valid surrogate endpoints continues to drain funds for treatments that do not remove underlying primary causes. It seems unethical and uneconomical to withhold community-wide primary prevention advice and only attend to people with clinical signs of disease. Also, treatments that remove a sign or symptom without removing the primary cause unethically set a sense of improved health while leaving unchanged the cause to continue harming future generations. A good alternative would be long-term primary prevention that removes primary causal factors and prevents the onset of signs and symptoms of disease. Health insurance companies could be effective partners with corporate and individual subscribers by diverting resources toward preventing proved primary causes of disease. A chain of molecular events that causally connects modifiable food choices to many health disorders has a measurable mediator: the proportions of omega-3 and omega-6 in tissue highly unsaturated fatty acids (HUFA). Health risk assessment can monitor the diet-based proportions of tissue HUFA which influence hundreds of vital physiologic events. Many financial losses will likely be decreased by primary prevention advice to choose foods that increase intakes of omega-3 fats, decrease intakes of omega-6 fats and include fewer calories per meal.
Vanadium and Manic Depressive Psychosis
Authors: Naylor Graham J. 
Published: January 2012

The evidence for the involvement of vanadium in the aetiology of manic depressive psychosis is reviewed. Raised levels of vanadium have been reported in plasma in mania and depression and raised hair levels reported in mania. Lithium has been reported to reduce the inhibition of Na-K ATPase by vanadate. Several groups of psychotropic drugs (e.g. phenothiazines, monoamine oxidase inhibitors) have been shown to catalyse the reduction of vanadate to the less active vanadyl ion. Therapies based on decreasing vanadate levels in the body (e.g. ascorbic acid, EDTA, methylene blue) have been reported to be effective in both depression and mania.
Down's Syndrome: Nutritional Intervention
Authors: Reading Chris. M. 
Published: January 2012

Down's Syndrome patients are known to be of short stature, prone to infections, autoimmune disease, hypothyroidism, leukaemia, heart defects and later Alzheimer's disease. They tend to have older mothers, like Alzheimer's disease patients. The latter tend to have sibs with either Down's Syndrome or lymphoma/leukaemia. Evidence, looking at 28 Down's Syndrome patients, suggests that multiple food allergies, gluten-gliadin sensitivity or intolerance are causing a coeliac disease-like picture with a malabsorption state for essential vitamins, minerals and severe autoimmune disease. It is hoped that missed gluten-gliadin sensitivity or intolerance with or without coeliac disease will be considered as a cause of abnormal oogenesis and spermatogenesis resulting in trisomy 21 and other aneuploidies. The machanism most likely is low B1 interfering with sufficient release of cAMP for normal meiosis. Alternatively exorphins and peptides from foods may suppress prostaglandin E1 synthesis, or food sensitivities may alter toxic metal absorption mechanisms, which are thought to play a role in the development of Alzheimer's disease. Adequate vitamin/mineral supplementation, especially B1, prior to conception and in the first trimester is recommended for mothers at risk for DS, especially older mothers and a gluten free diet for those with coeliac disease or gluten-gliadin sensitivity/intolerance. Hopefully this will prevent conception of a DS child, or prevent heart defects/stigmata if one is conceived. DS children should be investigated for the above and commence a food allergy free diet with relevant supplements to meet their needs as early as possible to allow maximum development.
Nutrition in Adolescence
Authors: Wharton Brian , Wharton Pamela 
Published: January 2012

This review discusses five questions concerning nutrition in adolescence. Do adolescents have special nutritional needs? What are the recommended dietary intakes? What do adolescent schoolchildren eat? What nutritional disorders occur at this age? The prevalence of iron deficiency anaemia, rickets, coeliac disease, iodine deficiency, dental caries, weight disorders, zinc deficiency and pellagra are discussed. What is the role of school meals or other food supplementation programmes? The primary school years (5–11 in Britain) are relatively quiet nutritionally. Growth occurs at a steady rate neither accelerating nor decelerating, nutritional diseases are less common and in the majority no profound biological events occur. Nutritional interest is in the secondary school child (11–18 years in Britain) particularly in the events of puberty and adolescence. This review aims to determine five points concerning adolescents. Do they have special nutritional needs? What are their recommended dietary intakes? What do they eat? What nutritional disorders occur at this age? What is the role of school meals or other food supplementation programmes?
“Nutrition in the Promotion of your Health” Pride, Prejudice and Propaganda
Authors: Yellowlees Walter 
Published: January 2012

The association between the organic movement and ‘alternative medicine’ may have been one reason for the failure of the McCarrison Society in Britain to appeal to many National Health Service doctors and dentists. This is unfortunate because the aims of the McCarrison Society have nothing to do with any system of medical care. Our hope is to prevent disease by promoting McCarrison's teaching that man is perfectly adapted to his food supply as it occurs in nature and that the greatest single cause of the diseases of industrial peoples is their dependence on foods made worthless or harmful by processing and refining. This teaching applies to the modern epidemic of coronary heart disease. The evidence incriminating natural unprocessed fat as a cause of this disease is unconvincing.
Effect of Physical Activity on Skeletal Integrity and its Implications for Calcium Requirement Studies
Authors: Westrich Brian J. 
Published: January 2012

A major task confronting those who establish calcium recommendations is the determination of a minimum level of calcium intake that will promote bone mineralization and/or reduce bone demineralization sufficiently to aid in the prevention of osteoporosis. The evidence reviewed here indicates that physical activity plays a primary role in the maintenance of skeletal integrity. Thus, to obtain data on calcium recommendations that are relevant to the general population, it is essential that calcium requirement studies use subjects whose physical activity profile is representative of the general population. Of all the factors known to shift the [bone] remodeling process in favor of formation, perhaps the most important, after growth, is mechanical stress… Heaney (1982)
The Nutritional Contribution to Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy
Authors: Crawford M.A. , Budowski P. , Drury P. , Ghebremeskel K. , Harbige L. , Leighfield M. , Phylactos A. , Williams G. 
Published: January 2012

Evidence that changes in feeding style alter the membrane fatty acid composition of ruminant tissue is presented here by comparing zoo giraffe with the same species from their natural habitat. The membrane changes seen are similar to those used experimentally to make animals susceptible to basic brain protein and encephalomalacia. Similar membrane responses have been noted in cattle. Use of animal protein and increased nitrogen in cattle feeds would lead to a relative deficiency of essential fatty acids in the cell membranes and hence reduced membrane stability. By analogy with crazy chick disease (nutritional encephalomalacia) and experimental encephalomyelitis in rats, the possibility that the changes in animals feeds would have depleted cattle tissue membranes and made them susceptible to BSE is discussed. The assumption being made is that the principle of a requirement of essential fatty acids for neural integrity and immune system function would apply to cattle as well as to other species.
Nutrition and Health Practices of Diabetic and Nondiabetic Men and Women from Two Southeastern New England Communities
Authors: Parker Donna R. , McPhillips Janice B. , Lapane Kate L. , Lasater Thomas M. , Carleton Richard A. 
Published: January 2012

Diabetes occurs in at least 13 million persons in the United States and is a major cause of morbidity and premature mortality. Diet is the cornerstone of diabetes management, and the purpose of this investigation was to examine dietary intakes and health practices among diabetic and nondiabetic individuals from a recently surveyed population-based sample from two communities in southeastern New England. Data were collected during cross-sectional home health surveys conducted in random population samples of two New England communities during 1987–1988, 1989–1990, and 1992–1993. A food frequency questionnaire was completed by 1,897 of 2,077 eligible respondents who made up our study sample. Statistical analyses suggest that diabetic individuals do not appear to be adhering to measures known to improve metabolic control (i.e., weight reduction and physical activity). Furthermore, both diabetic and nondiabetic individuals alike should be targeted for educational programs aimed at improving dietary intakes which lead to a reduction in consumption of total and saturated fatty acid.
Infant Feeding Practices in a Deprived Environment: A Concern for Early Introduction of Water and Glucose D Water to Neonates
Authors: Ojofeitimi E.O. , Olaogun A.A. , Osokoya A.A. , Owolabi S.P. 
Published: January 2012

The main objective of this study was to inquire from lactating mothers whether they were fully or partially practising exclusive breastfeeding in the first six months postnatally. Time of initiation of breast and complementary feedings, types of feeds and reasons for giving other feeds to infants apart from breast milk were also examined. The data were collected by structured pretested questionnaire. Of the 200 nursing mothers interviewed, 103 (51.5%) and 77 (38.5%) reported to have given water and glucose D water to neonates respectively within the first week of life. Sieved compap was the popular weaning diet. Time of introducing complementary feeding to infants, and nursing mothers' educational levels, were highly significantly related (P = 0.005). Surprisingly, none of the nursing mothers listed infant formula as one of the complementary feeds. It is concluded that there is a strong need to correct this unnecessary practice of giving water and glucose D water to neonates to prevent thirst and Jaundice respectively. The correction should commence with health workers and then the nursing mothers.
Identification of More Able Pupils: A Pilot Survey of Scottish Schools
Authors: Sutherland Margaret 
Published: January 2012

It is ten years since the publication of the HMI report The Education of Able Pupils P6 - S2 (SOED, 1993). A major concern resulting from this report was that many pupils were not being sufficiently challenged during the transition period from primary to secondary school. A national survey was undertaken to determine the progress schools and education authorities in Scotland have made in developing appropriate provision for the group of pupils identified by the report. The survey involved gathering information from four distinct groups: education authorities, schools, parents and pupils. This paper will focus on the results from schools. Of key importance to the implementation of the recommendations made in the 1993 report was a clear system of identification for able pupils. This paper will outline: Issues surrounding the identification procedure The results from the pilot survey Discussion of the results Final reflections
A Study of the Effectiveness of Teacher-Based Identification of Pupils with High Ability in the Secondary School
Authors: Denton Cliff , Postlethwaite Keith 
Published: January 2012

This paper describes a piece of research carried out for the Department of Education and Science and administered by the University of Oxford. It looks into the effectiveness of teacher-based identification of 3rd form secondary pupils in four subjects (Mathematics, Physics, English and French). Subject specific identification was found to be more effective than previous research (identification of children with high general ability) has found. There were, however, indications that teachers did not always know their pupils sufficiently well for their identification strategies to be bias-free. The use of checklists as an aid to identification was studied. The paper describes how checklist-aided identification was no more effective than unaided identification. It also highlights where the problems lie and describes how checklists can be used effectively.
Training Teachers for the Exceptionally Able Child
Authors: Jones Lex 
Published: January 2012

“‘Problem solving’ has been mentioned throughout the 4 years B.Ed. course but only now am I coming to understand what it is all about”. These comments were from an astute student undertaking a final year module entitled “The Exceptionally Able Child” at Middlesex Polytechnic. The challenge we, as teachers, need to provide for the bright child are matched by parallel challenges in learning for teachers in training. Creative teaching requires creative teachers. All children benefit from creative teaching. The exceptionally able child in particular must have learning opportunities which cater for special needs and interests to allow this ability to be fostered. This article seeks to chart the first 4 years of a course which began as a modest attempt for providing students with teaching opportunities to help the bright child. The practical context comprised a heart for student participation in research. For me, the course tutor, so much of my own teaching practice. in the primary classroom has been questioned along with teaching styles at tertiary level.
Teaching Able Mathematicians in School
Authors: Marjoram D T E 
Published: January 2012

This paper looks particularly at the characteristics of gifted mathematicians. The author scans the lives of a number of eminent mathematicians, highlighting the differences and also the essences of their mathematical talent. In a very direct way, the writer presents a series of examples of primary and secondary pupils' insights into mathematics outlining the implications for the school and the teacher. The paper concludes with suggestions for policy and provision.