bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Glycated haemoglobin and blood pressure‐lowering effect of cinnamon in multi‐ethnic Type 2 diabetic patients in the UK: a randomized, placebo‐controlled, double‐blind clinical trial
Authors: Akilen R. , Tsiami A. , Devendra D. , Robinson N. 
Published: July 2010

Diabet. Med. 27, 1159–1167 (2010)AbstractAims  To determine the blood glucose lowering effect of cinnamon on HbA1c, blood pressure and lipid profiles in people with type 2 diabetes.Methods  58 type 2 diabetic patients (25 males and 33 females), aged 54.9 ± 9.8, treated only with hypoglycemic agents and with an HbA1c more than 7% were randomly assigned to receive either 2g of cinnamon or placebo daily for 12 weeks.Results  After intervention, the mean HbA1c was significantly decreased (P<0.005) in the cinnamon group (8.22% to 7.86%) compared with placebo group (8.55% to 8.68%). Mean systolic and diastolic blood pressures (SBP and DBP) were also significantly reduced (P<0.001) after 12 weeks in the cinnamon group (SBP: 132.6 to 129.2 mmHg and DBP: 85.2 to 80.2 mmHg) compared with the placebo group (SBP: 134.5 to 134.9 mmHg and DBP: 86.8 to 86.1 mmHg). A significant reduction in fasting plasma glucose (FPG), waist circumference and body mass index (BMI) was observed at week 12 compared to baseline in the cinnamon group, however, the changes were not significant when compared to placebo group. There were no significant differences in serum lipid profiles of total cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL and LDL cholesterols neither between nor within the groups.Conclusions  Intake of 2g of cinnamon for 12 weeks significantly reduces the HbA1c, SBP and DBP among poorly controlled type 2 diabetes patients. Cinnamon supplementation could be considered as an additional dietary supplement option to regulate blood glucose and blood pressure levels along with conventional medications to treat type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Prophylactic use of anti‐emetic medications reduced nausea and vomiting associated with exenatide treatment: a retrospective analysis of an open‐label, parallel‐group, single‐dose study in healthy subjects
Authors: Ellero C. , Han J. , Bhavsar S. , Cirincione B. B. , DeYoung M. B. , Gray A. L. , Yushmanova I. , Anderson P. W. 
Published: July 2010

Diabet. Med. 27, 1168–1173 (2010)AbstractAims  Transient nausea and, to a lesser extent, vomiting are common adverse effects of exenatide that can be mitigated by dose titration and usually do not result in treatment discontinuation. This retrospective analysis of data from a phase 1, open‐label, parallel‐group, single‐dose study in healthy subjects evaluated the effect of oral anti‐emetics on exenatide‐associated nausea and vomiting and on the pharmacokinetics of exenatide.Methods  A single subcutaneous dose (10 μg) of exenatide was administered to 120 healthy subjects (19–65 years, BMI 23–35 kg/m2). Incidences of nausea and vomiting were compared between 60 subjects premedicated with two oral anti‐emetics 30 min before the exenatide dose and 60 non‐premedicated subjects. Similarly, the area under the concentration‐time curve (AUC) and the maximum observed concentration (Cmax) of plasma exenatide concentrations over 8 h post‐dose were compared.Results  Among all subjects [61% male, 32 ± 12 years, body mass index (BMI) 29.1 ± 3.4 kg/m2 (mean ± sd)], mild to moderate nausea was the most frequent adverse event after exenatide dosing. Vomiting was also observed. Subjects premedicated with anti‐emetics experienced significantly less nausea and vomiting (16.7 and 6.7%, respectively) vs. non‐premedicated subjects (61.7 and 38.3%, respectively; P‐value < 0.0001 for both nausea and vomiting). The mean area under the concentration‐time curve and the maximum observed concentration AUC and Cmax of plasma exenatide concentrations during 8 h post‐dose were not significantly different between groups.Conclusion  Administration of oral anti‐emetics before a single 10‐μg exenatide dose was associated with significant reductions in treatment‐emergent nausea and vomiting, with no discernible effect on the pharmacokinetics of exenatide. Use of anti‐emetic therapy may provide a short‐term strategy to minimize the nausea and vomiting associated with exenatide treatment.
A systematic review of environmental factors and obesogenic dietary intakes among adults: are we getting closer to understanding obesogenic environments?
Authors: Giskes K. , van Lenthe F. , Avendano‐Pabon M. , Brug J. 
Published: July 2010

SummaryThis study examined whether physical, social, cultural and economical environmental factors are associated with obesogenic dietary behaviours and overweight/obesity among adults. Literature searches of databases (i.e. PubMed, CSA Illumina, Web of Science, PsychInfo) identified studies examining environmental factors and the consumption of energy, fat, fibre, fruit, vegetables, sugar‐sweetened drinks, meal patterns and weight status. Twenty‐eight studies were in‐scope, the majority (n= 16) were conducted in the USA. Weight status was consistently associated with the food environment; greater accessibility to supermarkets or less access to takeaway outlets were associated with a lower BMI or prevalence of overweight/obesity. However, obesogenic dietary behaviours did not mirror these associations; mixed associations were found between the environment and obesogenic dietary behaviours. Living in a socioeconomically‐deprived area was the only environmental factor consistently associated with a number of obesogenic dietary behaviours. Associations between the environment and weight status are more consistent than that seen between the environment and dietary behaviours. The environment may play an important role in the development of overweight/obesity, however the dietary mechanisms that contribute to this remain unclear and the physical activity environment may also play an important role in weight gain, overweight and obesity.
Is (Institutional) Shareholder Activism New? Evidence from UK Shareholder Coalitions in the Pre‐Cadbury Era
Authors: Crespi Rafel , Renneboog Luc 
Published: July 2010

ABSTRACTManuscript Type: EmpiricalResearch Question/Issue: Does recent institutional shareholder activism have a precedent in the form of (ad hoc) shareholder coalitions that force the manager to leave poorly performing companies?Research Findings/Insights: To address the above question, we investigate whether or not shareholder voting coalitions disciplined managers in the pre‐Cadbury era. We find that the voting power held (Shapley values) by financial institutions (mainly, the insurance companies) are positively related to executive director turnover. Coalitions of industrial and commercial companies with strong relative voting power penalize poorly performing managers. In contrast, coalitions of executive directors are able to resist board restructuring. Finally, we a strong relation between top management substitution and high debt levels, especially in companies in need of refinancing.Theoretical/Academic Implications: We use Shapley values which are power indices developed in the field of (oceanic) game theory in order to capture the relative voting power of a shareholder in all possible shareholder coalitions. A shareholder who is pivotal in many potential coalitions is hence powerful and received a high Shapley value. The use of such power indices yield much stronger results in our models that any of the other measures traditionally used in corporate governance research to measure voting power/ownership concentration. This methodology enables us to draw clear conclusions on the existence of voting coalitions.Practitioner/Policy Implications: This paper shows that voting coalition of shareholders can be instrumental in bringing about change in poorly performing companies.
Simultaneous Inference of Linear Models with Time Varying Coefficients
Authors: Zhou Zhou , Wu Wei Biao 
Published: July 2010

SummaryThe paper considers construction of simultaneous confidence tubes for time varying regression coefficients in functional linear models. Using a Gaussian approximation result for non-stationary multiple time series, we show that the constructed simultaneous confidence tubes have asymptotically correct nominal coverage probabilities. Our results are applied to the problem of testing whether the regression coefficients are of certain parametric forms, which is a fundamental problem in the inference of functional linear models. As an application, we analyse an environmental data set and study the association between levels of pollutants and hospital admissions.
Bayesian Quantile Regression for Count Data with Application to Environmental Epidemiology
Authors: Lee Duncan , Neocleous Tereza 
Published: July 2010

SummaryQuantile regression estimates the relationship between covariates and the τth quantile of the response distribution, rather than the mean. We present a Bayesian quantile regression model for count data and apply it in the field of environmental epidemiology, which is an area in which quantile regression is yet to be used. Our methods are applied to a new study of the relationship between long-term exposure to air pollution and respiratory hospital admissions in Scotland. We observe a decreasing relationship between pollution and the τth quantile of the response distribution, with a relative risk ranging between 1.023 and 1.070.
Simultaneous Confidence Bands in Curve Prediction Applied to Load Curves
Authors: Azaïs J. M. , Bercu S. , Fort J. C. , Lagnoux A. , Lé P. 
Published: July 2010

SummaryConsidering the problem of predicting the whole annual load curve of some Electricité de France customers from easily available explanatory variables, we derive simultaneous confidence bands for this prediction. The methodology that is developed, which can be applied to numerous problems, uses results on the maximum of Gaussian sequences. The paper ends with the application to Electricité de France’s problem.
Estimating a Cosmological Mass Bias Parameter with Bootstrap Bandwidth Selection
Authors: Loh Ji Meng , Jang Woncheol 
Published: July 2010

SummaryWe focus on selecting optimal bandwidths for non-parametric estimation of the two-point correlation function of a point pattern. We obtain these optimal bandwidths by using a bootstrap approach to select a bandwidth that minimizes the integrated squared error. The variance term is estimated by using a non-parametric spatial bootstrap, whereas the bias term is estimated with a plug-in approach using a pilot estimator of the two-point correlation function based on a parametric model. The choice of parametric model for the pilot estimator is very flexible. Depending on applications, parametric statistical point models, physical models or functional models can be used. We also explore the use of the procedure for selecting adaptive optimal bandwidths. We investigate the performance of the bandwidth selection procedure by using a simulation study. In our data example, we apply our method to a Sloan Digital Sky Survey galaxy cluster catalogue by using a pilot estimator based on the power law functional model in cosmology. The resulting non-parametric two-point correlation function estimate is then used to estimate a cosmological mass bias parameter that describes the relationship between the galaxy mass distribution and the underlying matter distribution.
Non‐invasive diagnosis and monitoring of actinic cheilitis with reflectance confocal microscopy
Authors: Ulrich M , González S , Lange‐Asschenfeldt B , Roewert‐Huber J , Sterry W , Stockfleth E , Astner S 
Published: July 2010

AbstractBackground  Actinic cheilitis (AC) represents the equivalent of actinic keratosis on the lip. Various treatment modalities are available and the efficacy of diclofenac in hyaluronic acid has recently been described. Reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) is a non‐invasive imaging technique which has recently been applied for the diagnosis of actinic keratoses. Herein, we describe the applicability of RCM for the diagnosis of AC and for monitoring of treatment response of AC to diclofenac in hyaluronic acid.Methods  Ten Caucasian patients with clinical suspicion for AC were included in this study. To obtain a non‐invasive diagnosis, RCM was performed at baseline, followed by biopsy and respective confocal‐histopathological correlation. Six patients with a histological diagnosis of AC were treated with diclofenac in hyaluronic acid, whereby monitoring was performed by RCM.Results  Reflectance confocal microscopy was able to correctly identify 6/7 cases of AC and 3/3 cases of benign lesions. The most important RCM criteria for diagnosis of AC were cellular atypia at the stratum spinosum and granulosum with atypical honeycomb pattern. One patient with AC was misclassified as inflammatory cheilitis by RCM as it showed marked inflammatory response and lacked clear signs of cellular atypia on RCM imaging. Following topical treatment with diclofenac gel, 5/6 patients (83%) showed a good treatment response with regression of dysplasia on consecutive RCM examination.Conclusions  Reflectance confocal microscopy is a promising tool for the non‐invasive diagnosis and monitoring of actinic cheilitis. However, marked inflammation represents a potential diagnostic pitfall. In this regard, biopsy should be performed in doubtful cases.
Psychological distress and investment in one’s appearance in patients with pemphigus
Authors: Mazzotti E , Mozzetta A , Antinone V , Alfani S , Cianchini G , Abeni D 
Published: July 2010

AbstractBackground  Pemphigus vulgaris is a chronic disease not currently curable. Physical involvement and the impact of chronic therapies can lead patients to changes in psychological and relational areas.Objectives  To provide a measure of psychological distress, dysfunctional investment in one's appearance, and their relationship.Methods  Self‐administered questionnaires (ASI, HADS) were given to 74 pemphigus inpatients.Results  Strong associations between psychological distress and dysfunctional investment in one's appearance were observed [adjusted odds ratio (OR) = 7.36, 95% confidence intervals (CI) 1.20–45.11; OR 5.38, 95% CI 0.81–35.87, respectively, for appearance stereotyping and body‐image vulnerability], together with a perceived high disease severity (OR 6.03, 95% CI 1.90–23.46).Conclusions  Our results are compatible with the idea that some forms of psychological distress could be in part due to one's perception of his/her own body image.
Focal dermal hypoplasia in a male patient due to mosaicism for a novel PORCN single nucleotide deletion
Authors: Vreeburg M , van Geel M , van den Heuij LGT , Steijlen PM , van Steensel MAM 
Published: July 2010

AbstractBackground  Focal dermal hypoplasia (FDH) is an X‐linked dominant disorder caused by nonsense mutations and deletions in the PORCN gene coding for a transmembrane endoplasmic reticulum protein required for Wingless signalling. Symptoms consist mainly of linear atrophic skin defects, skeletal deformities and, in many cases, mental retardation. Osteopathia striata is a nearly constant feature. Approximately 90% of patients are women. A few instances of father‐to‐daughter transmission and a number of sporadic male cases presumably as a result of somatic mosaicism have been recorded.Objectives  The aim of this study was to demonstrate the presence of somatic mosaicism for PORCN mutations in a male patient.Methods  We sequenced the PORCN gene in different tissues from a boy with symptoms of FDH.Results  We demonstrate post‐zygotic mosaicism for a novel deletion in the PORCN gene.Conclusions  A novel PORCN deletion, present in a post‐zygotic mosaic, causes focal dermal hyplasia in a male patient.
Efficacy and safety of itraconazole pulses vs. continuous regimen in cutaneous sporotrichosis
Authors: Song Y , Zhong S‐X , Yao L , Cai Q , Zhou J‐F , Liu Y‐Y , Huo S‐S , Li S‐S 
Published: July 2010

AbstractBackground  Primary observation of using itraconazole pulse regimen (commonly used for onychomycosis) in five sporotrichosis patients produced satisfactory effect, but there are no randomized controlled trials to assess this regimen and to compare with routine continuous regimen.Objectives  The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy and safety of itraconazole pulse regimen, as a new treatment option for cutaneous sporotrichosis, with continuous regimen.Methods  A prospective, randomized, evaluator‐blind, controlled study was performed. A total of 50 cutaneous sporotrichosis patients were divided randomly into two groups: Pulsed Rx (npulse = 25), treated with itraconazole 200 mg b.i.d. for 1 week and off for 3 weeks; Daily Rx (ncont = 25), treated with itraconazole 100 mg bid continuously. In total, 46 patients (npulse = 22, ncont = 24) were assessable at the end of the study. Cure rates at weeks 12, 24 and 48 along with the course of treatment and the rate of side effects were evaluated.Results  In Pulsed Rx, the cure rates at weeks 12, 24 and 48 were 77.3%, 81.8%, 81.8% respectively. The mean course of treatment was 2.65 ± 0.81 pulses and the rate of side effects was 4.5%; In Daily Rx, the corresponding cure rates were 79.2%, 91.7% and 95.8% respectively. The mean course of treatment was 2.80 ± 2.33 months and the rate of side effects was 16.7%. These parameters had no significant difference between the two groups (P > 0.05).Conclusion  The efficacy and safety of Itraconazole pulse regimen for cutaneous sporotrichosis were similar to the continuous regimen. It is an effective and safe alternative treatment for cutaneous sporotrichosis, which can also lower the cost by decreasing the number of capsules.
Reliability and cost‐effectiveness of sentinel lymph node excision under local anaesthesia versus general anaesthesia for malignant melanoma: a retrospective analysis in 300 patients with malignant melanoma AJCC Stages I and II
Authors: Stoffels I , Dissemond J , Körber A , Hillen U , Poeppel T , Schadendorf D , Klode J 
Published: July 2010

AbstractBackground  Sentinel lymph node excision (SLNE) for the detection of regional nodal metastases and staging of malignant melanoma has resulted in some controversies in international discussions, as it is a cost‐intensive surgical intervention with potentially significant morbidity.Objective  The present retrospective study seeks to clarify the effectiveness and reliability of SLNE performed under tumescent local anaesthesia (TLA) and whether SLNE performed under TLA can reduce costs and morbidity. Therefore, our study is a comparison of SLNE performed under TLA and general anaesthesia (GA).Patients  We retrospectively analysed data from 300 patients with primary malignant melanoma with a Breslow index of ≥1.0 mm.Results  Altogether, 211 (70.3%) patients underwent SLNE under TLA and 89 (29.7%) patients underwent SLNE under GA. A total of 637 sentinel lymph nodes (SLN) were removed. In the TLA group 1.98 SLN/patient and in the GA group 2.46 SLN/patient were removed (median value). Seventy patients (23.3%) had a positive SLN. No major complications occurred. The costs for SLNE were significantly less for the SLNE in a procedures room performed under TLA (mean € 30.64) compared with SLNE in an operating room under GA (mean € 326.14, P < 0.0001).Conclusion  In conclusion, SLNE performed under TLA is safe, reliable, and cost‐efficient and could become the new gold standard in sentinel lymph node diagnostic procedures.
How useful is the Social Communication Questionnaire in toddlers at risk of autism spectrum disorder?
Authors: Oosterling Iris , Rommelse Nanda , de Jonge Maretha , van der Gaag Rutger Jan , Swinkels Sophie , Roos Sascha , Visser Janne , Buitelaar Jan 
Published: July 2010

Background:  The Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ) is a screening instrument with established validity against the Autism Diagnostic Interview‐Revised (ADI‐R) in children aged 4 years and older. Indices of diagnostic accuracy have been shown to be strong in school‐aged samples; however, relatively little is known about the performance of the SCQ in toddlers at risk of autism spectrum disorder (ASD).Methods:  This study replicates and extends previous research by Corsello et al. (2007) in a comparatively large (N = 208), substantially younger (20–40 months) sample of children at high risk of ASD. The usefulness of the SCQ as a second‐level screening instrument with different cut‐off scores was evaluated in relation to IQ, age, and type of ASD diagnosis. The use of the SCQ as compared to the ADI‐R was evaluated against clinical diagnosis, both alone and in combination with the ADOS.Results:  The SCQ with different cut‐offs consistently showed an unsatisfactory balance between sensitivity and specificity in screening for ASD in high‐risk toddlers, with only a few exceptions for specific age, IQ, or diagnostic groups. Even though the SCQ and ADI‐R were highly correlated, diagnostic agreement with the best evidence clinical diagnosis was poor for both measures. The ADOS used alone consistently had the highest predictive value. For autism versus not‐autism, the combined SCQ and ADOS performed as well as the ADOS alone and notably better than the combination ADI‐R and ADOS.Conclusions:  The SCQ is likely to result in a number of false‐positive findings, particularly in children with autism symptomatology, and the balance between sensitivity and specificity is poor. The ADOS should be considered the most valid and reliable diagnostic instrument in these very young at‐risk children.
Low carbohydrate diet affects the oxygen uptake on‐kinetics and rating of perceived exertion in high intensity exercise
Authors: Lima‐Silva Adriano E. , Pires FláVio O. , Bertuzzi Rômulo C. M. , Lira Fábio S. , Casarini Dulce , Kiss Maria Augusta P. D. M. 
Published: July 2010

AbstractThe aim of this study was to determine if the carbohydrate (CHO) availability alters the rate of increase in the rating of perceived exertion (RPE) during high intensity exercise and whether this would be associated with physiological changes. Six males performed high intensity exercise after 48 h of controlled, high CHO (80%) and low CHO (10%) diets. Time to exhaustion was lower in the low compared to high CHO diet. The rate of increase in RPE was greater and the VO2 slow component was lower in the low CHO diet than in the control. There was no significant condition effect for cortisol, insulin, pH, plasma glucose, potassium, or lactate concentrations. Multiple linear regression indicated that the total amplitude of VO2 and perceived muscle strain accounted for the greatest variance in the rate of increase in RPE. These results suggest that cardiorespiratory variables and muscle strain are important afferent signals from the periphery for the RPE calculations.