bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Predictors for long‐term seizure outcome in juvenile myoclonic epilepsy: 25–63 years of follow‐up
Authors: Geithner Julia , Schneider Felix , Wang Zhong , Berneiser Julia , Herzer Rosemarie , Kessler Christof , Runge Uwe 
Published: June 2012

SummaryPurpose:  The long‐term seizure outcome of juvenile myoclonic epilepsy (JME) is still controversial; the value of factors that are potentially predictive for seizure outcome remains unclear. The aim of this study was both to investigate the long‐term seizure outcome in patients with JME after a follow‐up of at least 25 years and to identify factors that are predictive for the seizure outcome.Methods:  Data from 31 patients (19 women) with JME were studied. All of them had a follow‐up of at least 25 years (mean 39.1 years) and were reevaluated with a review of their medical records and direct telephone or face‐to‐face interview.Key Findings:  Of 31 patients 21 (67.7%) became seizure‐free; in six of them (28.6%) antiepileptic drug (AED) treatment was discontinued due to seizure freedom. The occurrence of generalized tonic–clonic seizures (GTCS) preceded by bilateral myoclonic seizures (BMS) (p = 0.03), a long duration of epilepsy with unsuccessful treatment (p = 0.022), and AED polytherapy (p = 0.023) were identified as significant predictors for a poor long‐term seizure outcome, whereas complete remission of GTCS under AED significantly increased the chance for complete seizure freedom (p = 0.012). The occurrence of photoparoxysmal responses significantly increases the risk of seizure recurrence after AED discontinuation (p = 0.05).Significance:  This study shows conclusively that JME is a heterogeneous epilepsy syndrome. Life‐long AED treatment is not necessarily required to maintain seizure freedom. Several long‐term outcome predictors that can potentially increase the ability of clinicians and their confidence to recommend different treatment options to patients with JME were identified.
Poor Sleep Quality and Functional Decline in Older Women
Authors: Spira Adam P. , Covinsky Kenneth , Rebok George W. , Punjabi Naresh M. , Stone Katie L. , Hillier Teresa A. , Ensrud Kristine E. , Yaffe Kristine 
Published: June 2012

ObjectivesTo determine whether objectively measured sleep quality predicts 5‐year incident instrumental activity of daily living (IADL) impairment and decline in grip strength and gait speed in older women.DesignProspective cohort.SettingParticipants' homes, Study of Osteoporotic Fractures sites.ParticipantsEight hundred seventeen women with a mean age of 82.4 at baseline.MeasurementsParticipants completed 4.1 ± 0.7 nights of wrist actigraphy at baseline and measures of IADL impairment, grip strength, and gait speed at baseline and 5‐year follow‐up.ResultsAfter 5 years of follow‐up, approximately 41% of participants had incident impairment in one or more IADLs. The quartile of women with the shortest total sleep time (TST) had 93% greater odds of incident IADL impairment than the longest sleepers (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 1.93, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.25–2.97). Similarly, the quartile of women with the lowest sleep efficiency (SE) had 65% greater odds of impairment than those with the highest (AOR = 1.65, 95% CI = 1.06–2.57). Women in the shortest TST quartile had twice the odds of declining grip strength as those with the longest TST (AOR = 1.97, 95% CI = 1.17–3.32). Finally, women in the quartiles with the most wake after sleep onset (WASO) and the lowest SE had approximately 90% greater odds of grip strength decline than those with the least WASO (AOR = 1.90, 95% CI = 1.11–3.24) and SE (AOR = 1.92, 95% CI = 1.12–3.29).ConclusionFindings indicate that shorter sleep duration, greater WASO, and lower SE are risk factors for functional or physical decline in older women.
Nurse Staffing and Postsurgical Outcomes in Black Adults
Authors: Brooks Carthon J. Margo , Kutney‐Lee Ann , Jarrín Olga , Sloane Douglas , Aiken Linda H. 
Published: June 2012

ObjectivesTo determine the association between nurse staffing and postsurgical outcomes for older black adults, including 30‐day mortality and failure to rescue.DesignA cross‐sectional study of University of Pennsylvania Multi‐State Nursing Care and Patient Safety Survey data, linked to 2006–2007 administrative patient discharge data from four states (CA, PA, NJ, FL), American Hospital Association Annual Survey data, and a U.S. Census‐derived measure of socioeconomic status (SES). Risk‐adjusted logistic regression models with correction for clustering were used for the analysis.SettingFive hundred ninety‐nine adult nonfederal acute care hospitals in California, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and FloridaParticipantsFive hundred forty‐eight thousand three hundred ninety‐seven individuals ages 65 and older undergoing general, orthopedic, or vascular surgery (94% white, 6% black).MeasurementsThirty‐day mortality and failure to rescue (death after a complication).ResultsIn models adjusting for sex and age, 30‐day mortality was significantly higher for black than white participants (odds ratio (OR) = 1.42, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.32–1.52). In fully adjusted models that accounted for SES, surgery type, and comorbidities, as well as hospital characteristics, including nurse staffing, the odds of 30‐day mortality were not significantly different for black and white participants. In the fully adjusted models, one additional patient in the average nurse's workload was associated with higher odds of 30‐day mortality for all patients (OR = 1.03, 95% CI = 1.01–1.05). A significant interaction was found between race and nurse staffing for 30‐day mortality, such that blacks experienced higher odds of death with each additional patient per nurse (OR = 1.10, 95% CI = 1.03–1.18) compared to whites (OR = 1.03, 95% CI = 1.01–1.06). Similar patterns were detected in failure‐to‐rescue models.ConclusionOlder surgical patients experience poorer postsurgical outcomes, including mortality and failure to rescue, when cared for by nurses with higher workloads. The effect of nurse staffing inadequacies is more significant in older black individuals.
Understanding Autism: How Family Therapists Can Support Parents of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders
Authors: Solomon Alexandra H. , Chung Beth 
Published: June 2012

The number of children diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder has increased dramatically in the last 20 years. Parents of children with autism experience a variety of chronic and acute stressors that can erode marital satisfaction and family functioning. Family therapists are well‐suited to help parents stay connected to each other as they create a “new normal.” However, family therapists need updated information about autism, and they need to understand how family therapy can help parents of children with autism. Because having a child with autism affects multiple domains of family life, this paper explores how family therapists can utilize an integrative approach with parents, enabling them to flexibly work with the domains of action, meaning, and emotion.
In the Name of the Nation: Blood Symbolism and the Political Habitus of Violence in Haiti
Authors: Marcelin Louis Herns 
Published: June 2012

ABSTRACT  Analysis of cultural categories such as personhood, family, and community, and the class of relations they imply, highlights how blood symbolism is paradigmatic in the production of social and political boundaries among Haitians. The principle that endows an individual or an individual's family with a social identity also functions as an exclusionary principle, allowing one to ritually, morally, and physically destroy rivals in the name of family, community, or nation. Drawing from research conducted in rural and urban Haiti as well as in the Haitian diaspora, this article explores how blood constitutes an organizing principle of the Haitian sociocultural universe. [blood symbolism, ritual of violence, Haiti and political habitus, anthropology of power and politics, witchcraft]RÉSUMÉ L’analyse des catégories culturelles comme le sang, la personne, la famille, la communauté, et les relations qu’elles impliquent, souligne à quel point le symbolisme du sang est paradigmatique dans la production de frontières sociales et politiques entre les Haïtiens. Le principe qui confère une identité sociale à un individu ou sa famille fonctionne également comme principe d’exclusion, permettant rituellement, moralement, et physiquement de détruire les rivaux, au nom de la famille, communauté ou nation. Puisant des recherches menées en Haïti et la diaspora haïtienne, cet article explore comment le sang constitue un principe organisateur de l’univers socioculturel haïtien.
The Past of Sex, Gender, and Health: Bioarchaeology of the Aging Skeleton
Authors: Agarwal Sabrina C. 
Published: June 2012

ABSTRACT Empirical studies of bone maintenance in archaeological populations show that patterns of bone loss do not constitute predictable consequences of aging, either on age or sex. Our understanding of aging and gender identity in the past usually is structured by determining the category of biological sex, which is almost always the first step of bioarchaeological analysis. But this categorization can obscure our analyses and limit the questions that we investigate. The patterns of bone loss observed in archaeological populations illuminate the process of forming the body during the lifetime and the biocultural nature of human tissue. The results provide bioarchaeologists with a model for how to see variation in the morphology of the bone and how to reconstruct age and gender identity in the past. [bioarchaeology, gender, bone loss, aging, osteoporosis]ABSTRACTO Estudios empíricos del mantenimiento de hueso en poblaciones arqueológicos demuestran que patrones de la perdida de hueso no constituyan consecuencias predichas del envejecimiento, ya sean en relación del edad o del sexo. Nuestro entendimiento del envejecimiento y la identidad de género en el pasado por lo general es estructurado por la determinación de categorías del sexo biológico, casi siempre el primer paso de análisis bioarqueológico. Pero esta categorización puede oscurar nuestra análisis, y limitar las preguntas que investigamos. Las patrones de perdida de hueso observados en poblaciones arqueológicos iluminan el proceso de formación del cuerpo durante el curso de la vida, y la naturaleza biocultural de tejidos humanos. Los resultados proveen un modelo para como los bioarqueólogos podemos observar variación en la morfología del hueso, y como reconstruimos la edad y identidad de genero en el pasado.ABSTRAITE Les études empiriques sur l’entretien des os dans les populations archéologiques montrent que les tendances de la perte osseuse ne constituent pas des conséquences prévisibles du vieillissement, que ce soit sur​l’âge ou le sexe. Notre compréhension du vieillissement et de l’identité de genre dans le passé est habituellement structurés en déterminant la catégorie de sexe biologique, presque toujours la première étape de l’analyse bios archéologiques. Mais cette catégorisation peut obscurcir notre analyse, et limiter les questions que nous étudions. Les motifs de la perte osseuse observée dans les populations archéologiques éclairer le processus de formation du corps pendant la durée de vie et de la nature bioculturelle de tissus humains. Les résultats fournissent un modèle pour bio‐archéologues la façon dont nous pouvons voir la variation dans la morphologie de l’os, et comment reconstruire l’âge et l’identité de genre dans le passé.
Effects of self‐efficacy on oral health behaviours and gingival health in university students aged 18‐ or 19‐years‐old
Authors: Mizutani Shinsuke , Ekuni Daisuke , Furuta Michiko , Tomofuji Takaaki , Irie Koichiro , Azuma Tetsuji , Kojima Azusa , Nagase Jun , Iwasaki Yoshiaki , Morita Manabu 
Published: June 2012

AbstractAimAlthough self‐efficacy is known to affect various health‐related practises, few studies have clearly examined how self‐efficacy correlates with oral health behaviors or the oral health condition. We examined the relationship between gingivitis, oral health behaviors and self‐efficacy in university students.Material & MethodsA total of 2,111 students (1,197 males, 914 females) aged 18 and 19 years were examined. The degree of gingivitis was expressed as the percentage of bleeding on probing (%BOP). Additional information was collected via a questionnaire regarding oral health behaviors (daily frequency of tooth‐brushing, use of dental floss and regular check‐up). Self‐efficacy was assessed using the Self‐Efficacy Scale for Self‐care (SESS). Path analysis was used to test pathways from self‐efficacy to oral health behaviors and %BOP.ResultsIn the final structural model, self‐efficacies were related to each other, and they affected oral health behaviors. Good oral health behaviors reduced dental plaque and calculus, and lower levels of dental plaque and calculus resulted in lower %BOP.ConclusionHigher self‐efficacy correlated with better oral health behaviours and gingival health in university students. Improving self‐efficacy may be beneficial for maintaining good gingival health in university students. To prevent gingivitis, the approach of enhancing self‐efficacy in university students would be useful.
Tight Junction in Blood‐Brain Barrier: An Overview of Structure, Regulation, and Regulator Substances
Authors: Liu Wei‐Ye , Wang Zhi‐Bin , Zhang Li‐Chao , Wei Xin , Li Ling 
Published: June 2012

SUMMARYBlood‐brain barrier (BBB) is a dynamic interference that regulates the nutrition and toxic substance in and out of the central nervous system (CNS), and plays a crucial role in maintaining a stable circumstance of the CNS. Tight junctions among adjacent cells form the basic structure of BBB to limiting paracellular permeability. In the present review, the constituents of tight junction proteins are depicted in detail, together with the regulation of tight junction under stimulation and in pathological conditions. Tight junction modulators are also discussed.
Sympathetic activation during early pregnancy in humans
Authors: Jarvis Sara S. , Shibata Shigeki , Bivens Tiffany B. , Okada Yoshiyuki , Casey Brian M. , Levine Benjamin D. , Fu Qi 
Published: June 2012

Key points
Sympathetic activity has been reported to increase in normotensive pregnant women, and to be even greater in women with gestational hypertension and preeclampsia at term.
Whether sympathetic overactivity develops early during pregnancy, remaining high throughout gestation, or whether it only occurs at term providing the substrate for hypertensive disorders is unknown.
We found that vasomotor sympathetic activity was markedly greater, diastolic pressure trended lower, total peripheral resistance decreased, sympathetic vascular transduction was blunted, and renin and aldosterone both were higher during early pregnancy (i.e. ≤8 weeks of gestation) than pre‐pregnancy.
It is suggested that sympathetic activation is a common characteristic of early pregnancy in normotensive women.
These results help us better understand blood pressure control mechanisms during normal pregnancy in humans.
Abstract  Sympathetic activity has been reported to increase in normotensive pregnant women, and to be even greater in women with gestational hypertension and preeclampsia at term. Whether sympathetic overactivity develops early during pregnancy, remaining high throughout gestation, or whether it only occurs at term providing the substrate for hypertensive disorders is unknown. We tested the hypothesis that sympathetic activation occurs early during pregnancy in humans. Eleven healthy women (29 ± 3 (SD) years) without prior hypertensive pregnancies were tested during the mid‐luteal phase (PRE) and early pregnancy (EARLY; 6.2 ± 1.2 weeks of gestation). Muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) and haemodynamics were measured supine, at 30 deg and 60 deg upright tilt for 5 min each. Blood samples were drawn for catecholamines, direct renin, and aldosterone. MSNA was significantly greater during EARLY than PRE (supine: 25 ± 8 vs. 14 ± 8 bursts min−1, 60 deg tilt: 49 ± 14 vs. 40 ± 10 bursts min−1; main effect, P < 0.05). Resting diastolic pressure trended lower (P= 0.09), heart rate was similar, total peripheral resistance decreased (2172 ± 364 vs. 2543 ± 352 dyne s cm−5; P < 0.05), sympathetic vascular transduction was blunted (0.10 ± 0.05 vs. 0.36 ± 0.47 units a.u.−1 min−1; P < 0.01), and both renin (supine: 27.9 ± 6.2 vs. 14.2 ± 8.7 pg ml−1, P < 0.01) and aldosterone (supine: 16.7 ± 14.1 vs. 7.7 ± 6.8 ng ml−1, P= 0.05) were higher during EARLY than PRE. These results suggest that sympathetic activation is a common characteristic of early pregnancy in humans despite reduced diastolic pressure and total peripheral resistance. These observations challenge conventional thinking about blood pressure regulation during pregnancy, showing marked sympathetic activation occurring within the first few weeks of conception, and may provide the substrate for pregnancy induced cardiovascular complications.
Hypertension is critically dependent on the carotid body input in the spontaneously hypertensive rat
Authors: Abdala Ana P. , McBryde Fiona D. , Marina Nephtali , Hendy Emma B. , Engelman Zoar J. , Fudim Marat , Sobotka Paul A. , Gourine Alexander V. , Paton Julian F. R. 
Published: June 2012

Key points
Peripheral chemoreflex sensitivity is enhanced in hypertension yet the role of these receptors in the development and maintenance of high blood pressure remains unknown.
Carotid chemoreceptors were denervated in both young and adult spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) by sectioning the carotid sinus nerves bilaterally while recording arterial blood pressure chronically using radio telemetry.
Carotid sinus denervation (CSD) in the young animals prevented arterial pressure from reaching the hypertensive levels observed in sham‐operated animals whereas in adult SHRs arterial pressure fell by ∼20 mmHg.
After CSD there was a decrease in sympathetic activity, measured indirectly using power spectral analysis and hexamethonium, and an improvement in baroreceptor reflex gain.
Carotid bodies are active in the SHR and contribute to both the development and maintenance of hypertension; whether carotid body ablation is a useful anti‐hypertensive intervention in drug‐resistant hypertensive patients remains to be resolved.
Abstract  The peripheral chemoreflex is known to be enhanced in individuals with hypertension. In pre‐hypertensive (PH) and adult spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) carotid body type I (glomus) cells exhibit hypersensitivity to chemosensory stimuli and elevated sympathoexcitatory responses to peripheral chemoreceptor stimulation. Herein, we eliminated carotid body inputs in both PH‐SHRs and SHRs to test the hypothesis that heightened peripheral chemoreceptor activity contributes to both the development and maintenance of hypertension. The carotid sinus nerves were surgically denervated under general anaesthesia in 4‐ and 12‐week‐old SHRs. Control groups comprised sham‐operated SHRs and aged‐matched sham‐operated and carotid sinus nerve denervated Wistar rats. Arterial blood pressure was recorded chronically in conscious, freely moving animals. Successful carotid sinus nerve denervation (CSD) was confirmed by testing respiratory responses to hypoxia (10% O2) or cardiovascular responses to i.v. injection of sodium cyanide. In the SHR, CSD reduced both the development of hypertension and its maintenance (P < 0.05) and was associated with a reduction in sympathetic vasomotor tone (as revealed by frequency domain analysis and reduced arterial pressure responses to administration of hexamethonium; P < 0.05 vs. sham‐operated SHR) and an improvement in baroreflex sensitivity. No effect on blood pressure was observed in sham‐operated SHRs or Wistar rats. In conclusion, carotid sinus nerve inputs from the carotid body are, in part, responsible for elevated sympathetic tone and critical for the genesis of hypertension in the developing SHR and its maintenance in later life.
Characterization of Polymyxin B-Induced Nephrotoxicity: Implications for Dosing Regimen Design
Authors: Abdelraouf Kamilia , Braggs Kirk H. , Yin Taijun , Truong Luan D. , Hu Ming , Tam Vincent H. 
Published: June 2012

ABSTRACTThe increasing prevalence of multidrug-resistant Gram-negative infections has led to renewed interest in the use of systemic polymyxin B. However, the nephrotoxic properties of polymyxin B are still poorly understood. The objective of this study was to characterize nephrotoxicity associated with polymyxin B, with an emphasis on examining the impact of dosing frequencies on the onset of nephrotoxicity. Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into two groups and administered the same total daily dose of polymyxin B subcutaneously but with different dosing frequencies (either 20 mg/kg of body weight every 24 h [q24h] or 5 mg/kg q6h). Drug concentrations in renal tissue were compared between the two groups at 24 h. Kidney tissues were harvested at 48 h and compared histologically. Serum creatinine was measured daily for up to 10 days, and nephrotoxicity was defined as a significant elevation in serum creatinine (≥2× baseline). Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to compare the onset of nephrotoxicity. Polymyxin B-induced nephrotoxicity manifested as elevation in serum creatinine and acute tubular necrosis. Extensive injury of the proximal tubules was observed. The lesions were more severe and higher drug concentrations were achieved in the kidneys of the q6h dosing group. The q24h dosing group experienced a more gradual onset of nephrotoxicity, which could be attributed to the lower kidney tissue drug concentrations (48.5 ± 17.4 μg/g versus 92.1 ± 18.1 μg/g of polymyxin B1,P= 0.04). Preferential accumulation of polymyxin B in the kidneys suggests that uptake to renal cells is a nonpassive process and q24h dosing was less nephrotoxic than q6h dosing.
Anti-Helicobacter pylori Potential of Artemisinin and Its Derivatives
Authors: Goswami Suchandra , Bhakuni Rajendra S. , Chinniah Annalakshmi , Pal Anirban , Kar Sudip K. , Das Pratap K. 
Published: June 2012

ABSTRACTThe antimalarial drug artemisinin fromArtemisia annuademonstrated remarkably strong activity againstHelicobacter pylori, the pathogen responsible for peptic ulcer diseases. In an effort to develop a novel antimicrobial chemotherapeutic agent containing such a sesquiterpene lactone endoperoxide, a series of analogues (2 natural and 15 semisynthetic molecules), including eight newly synthesized compounds, were investigated against clinical and standard strains ofH. pylori. The antimicrobial spectrum against 10H. pyloristrains and a few other bacterial and fungal strains indicated specificity against the ulcer causing organism. Of five promising molecules, a newly synthesized ether derivative β-artecyclopropylmether was found to be the most potent compound, which exhibited MIC range, MIC90, and minimum bactericidal concentration range values of 0.25 to 1.0 μg/ml, 1.0 μg/ml, and 1 to 16 μg/ml, respectively, against both resistant and sensitive strains ofH. pylori. The molecule demonstrated strong bactericidal kinetics with extensive morphological degeneration, retained functional efficacy at stomach acidic pH unlike clarithromycin, did not elicit drug resistance unlike metronidazole, and imparted sensitivity to resistant strains. It is not cytotoxic and exhibitsin vivopotentiality to reduce theH. pyloriburden in a chronic infection model. Thus, β-artecyclopropylmether could be a lead candidate for anti-H. pyloritherapeutics. Since the recurrence of gastroduodenal ulcers is believed to be mainly due to antibiotic resistance of the commensal organismH. pylori, development of a candidate drug from this finding is warranted.