bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Ferritin and hyperactivity ratings in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
Authors: Oner Pinar , Oner Ozgur , Azik Fatih M. , Cop Esra , Munir Kerim M 
Published: May 2012

AbstractBackground:  Iron is a co‐factor of tyrosine hydroxylase which is a critical enzyme in dopamine synthesis. Dopamine has been implicated in the pathophysiology of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Our objective was to investigate the association of ferritin level with parent and teacher ratings and cognitive measures after controlling for age, sex, ADHD subtype, comorbid conditions, hemoglobin, mean corpuscular volume and reticulocyte distribution width in a large sample.Methods:  The study included 713 children and adolescents with ADHD (613 boys; age 7–15 years). Conners' Parent Rating Scale (CPRS) and Conners' Teacher Rating Scale (CTRS) were obtained. In a subgroup of patients we conducted Digit Span, Digit Symbol, Trail‐making Tests as measures of attention and executive functioning.Results:  Multiple regression analysis indicated that CPRS Hyperactivity score was significantly associated with ferritin level (B =−0.12; t =−3.1; P < 0.01). Other CPRS and CTRS scores as well as cognitive measures were not associated with ferritin level.Conclusions:  Although it is not possible to make an inference on causality in cross‐sectional studies, the results of this largest‐scale cross‐sectional field study to date suggest that lower ferritin level might be associated with parent‐reported hyperactivity after controlling for important confounding factors.
Child psychiatric consultation to pediatric inpatient services in Thailand
Authors: Ularntinon Sirirat 
Published: May 2012

AbstractChildren with medical illnesses have significant levels of comorbid psychopathology. To understand the concern, and the area that needs to be addressed, the practice of child psychiatric inpatient consultation at Queen Sirikit National Institute of Child Health, Thailand was examined and appraised. Evaluation of the current practice pattern of psychiatric consultation is a crucial process in determining the next step of improving the quality of mental health care for sick children.
Towards a definition: what does ‘health promotion’ mean to speech and language therapists?
Authors: Ferguson Morag , Spence William 
Published: May 2012

Abstract Background: As UK healthcare moves towards the ideals of prevention and enablement, health promotion is more commonly cited as an area of practice. In comparison with its allied health profession peers, physiotherapy and occupational therapy, the speech and language therapy profession has little evidence to demonstrate that it has explored what its members understand health promotion to mean or how they describe their current and future practice in relation to it.Aims: To explore how speech and language therapists define health promotion and how they describe their current and future practice in relation to it.Methods & Procedures: Individual, semi‐structured interviews were conducted with 15 community‐based speech and language therapists. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed using inductive coding.Outcomes & Results: Participants viewed health promotion as a complex entity representing the processes of education and enablement in relation to responsibility for speech, language and communication skills. Participants viewed health promotion as a means of maximizing the scarce resource they represented. The vast majority of activities described as being illustrative of health promotion in a speech and language therapy context were examples of educational interventions, e.g. training, information provision. Participants believed that the speech and language therapist's role will continue to develop in relation to health promotion and that this will have implications for future workforce preparation.Conclusions & Implications: Participants viewed health promotion as both an educational, enabling process and as a strategy that maximizes the potential of speech and language therapy resources. Further research is indicated to develop professional consensus regarding the meaning of health promotion and to support a cohesive approach to workforce development in this area.
The pain‐free ward: myth or reality
Authors: Morton Neil S. 
Published: May 2012

SummaryOver the last 25 years, pediatric care has changed dramatically with increased survival after premature birth, more complex care, better outcomes, and reduced mortality. There is a better understanding of how pain pathways and receptor systems develop and also how to assess pain at different stages of development. The myth that children do not feel pain has been comprehensively dispelled. Safe analgesic dose regimens for neonates, infants, and children have been developed based upon a better understanding of developmental pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics. It is a myth that pain in children cannot be prevented or treated safely and effectively because of the risks of adverse effects and addiction. Large‐scale prospective audits have clarified the safety profile and risk–benefit balance for different techniques. There is now a substantial evidence base supporting many techniques of postoperative and procedural pain management for all age‐groups of children. Guidelines based upon systematic review of this evidence have been published and updated, but the real challenge is in implementation of accurate pain assessment and safe, effective pain management comprehensively to all children whatever the procedure, clinical setting, developmental stage of the child, or comorbidities. In developed countries, these are core topics in the education of all doctors and nurses who care for children, and they are integrated into clinical practice by acute pediatric pain teams for most hospitals. However, it is disappointing that many country’s healthcare systems do not give pediatric pain management a priority and in many parts of the world there are no analgesics available. So pain‐free healthcare is sadly lacking in many hospitals. My hope is that the current knowledge can be used more effectively to relieve the unnecessary suffering of children in the 21st century.
The future of pediatric anesthesia
Authors: Davidson Andrew 
Published: May 2012

SummaryThe future of pediatric anesthesia can be thought of in terms of what will happen to the practice of anesthesia, or what will happen to the profession of pediatric anesthesia. The profession will change both under external forces, and by how pediatric anesthetists themselves decide to shape of the profession. The largest external force is likely to be cost. The profession will increasingly be expected to maintain efficiency without compromising quality. Other future issues include credentialing, training and the role of the anesthetists beyond the operating room. It’s harder to predict how the practice of pediatric anesthesia might change. New drugs may change practice, though perhaps it’s more likely that practice will change with better use of existing drugs. New technologies will have an impact in monitoring and in the gathering and dissemination of information. Practice will also change with changes in surgery. Perhaps the biggest changes will come in areas with the greatest unknowns; neonatal anesthesia is an area with many unknowns and thus great potential for change and improvement.
The effects of translocation‐induced isolation and fragmentation on the cultural evolution of bird song
Authors: Parker Kevin A. , Anderson Marti J. , Jenkins Peter F. , Brunton Dianne H. 
Published: May 2012

AbstractUnderstanding the divergence of behavioural signals in isolated populations is critical to knowing how certain barriers to gene flow can develop. For many bird species, songs are essential for conspecific recognition and mate choice. Measuring the rate of song divergence in natural populations is difficult, but translocations of endangered birds to isolated islands for conservation purposes can yield insights, as the age and source of founder populations are completely known. We found significant and rapid evolution in the structure and diversity of bird song in North Island saddlebacks, Philesturnus rufusater, in New Zealand, with two distinct lineages evolving in < 50 years. The strong environmental filters of serial translocations resulted in cultural bottlenecks that generated drift and reduced song variability within islands. This rapid divergence coupled with loss of song diversity has important implications for the behavioural evolution of this species, demonstrating previously unrecognised biological consequences of conservation management.
Biotransformation of manganese oxides by fungi: solubilization and production of manganese oxalate biominerals
Authors: Wei Zhan , Hillier Stephen , Gadd Geoffrey M. 
Published: May 2012

SummaryThe ability of the soil fungi Aspergillus niger and Serpula himantioides to tolerate and solubilize manganese oxides, including a fungal‐produced manganese oxide and birnessite, was investigated. Aspergillus niger and S. himantioides were capable of solubilizing all the insoluble oxides when incorporated into solid medium: MnO2 and Mn2O3, mycogenic manganese oxide (MnOx) and birnessite [(Na0.3Ca0.1K0.1)(Mn4+,Mn3+)2O4·1.5H2O]. Manganese oxides were of low toxicity and A. niger and S. himantioides were able to grow on 0.5% (w/v) of all the test compounds, with accompanying acidification of the media. Precipitation of insoluble manganese and calcium oxalate occurred under colonies growing on agar amended with all the test manganese oxides after growth of A. niger and S. himantioides at 25°C. The formation of manganese oxalate trihydrate was detected after growth of S. himantioides with birnessite which subsequently was transformed to manganese oxalate dihydrate. Our results represent a novel addition to our knowledge of the biogeochemical cycle of manganese, and the roles of fungi in effecting transformations of insoluble metal‐containing compounds in the environment.
Adiponectin increases insulin content and cell proliferation in MIN6 cells via PPARγ‐dependent and PPARγ‐independent mechanisms
Authors: Rao J. R. , Keating D. J. , Chen C. , Parkington H. C. 
Published: May 2012

AimsAdiponectin is an important adipokine whose levels are decreased in obesity despite increases in adipocyte mass. Studies in animal models implicate adiponectin as an insulin sensitizer in skeletal muscle and liver. Thiazolidinediones (TZDs) are insulin sensitizers and ligands for peroxisome proliferator‐activated γ receptors (PPARγ) and these receptors are expressed in β cells where their activation promotes cell survival. We hypothesize that adiponectin promotes β cell survival by activating PPARγ.MethodsWe used MIN6 cells to investigate the effect of adiponectin on PPARγ expression, β‐cell proliferation, insulin synthesis and insulin secretion.ResultsWe demonstrate that MIN6 cells contain adiponectin receptors and that adiponectin activates PPARγ mRNA and protein expression. This increase in PPARγ expression is blocked by the PPARγ antagonist, GW9662, indicating a transcriptional feedback loop involving PPARγ activation of itself. Adiponectin causes a significant increase in insulin content and secretion and this occurs also via PPARγ activation due to the inhibitory effect of GW9662. Adiponectin also promotes MIN6 cell proliferation, however, this effect is independent of PPARγ activation.ConclusionsOur results identify novel roles for the adipokine, adiponectin, in β‐cells function. Adiponectin upregulates PPARγ expression, insulin content and insulin secretion through PPARγ‐dependent mechanisms. Reductions in circulating adiponectin levels in obese individuals could therefore result in negative effects on β‐cell function and this may have direct relevance to β‐cell dysfunction in type 2 diabetes.
Social Mobilization in Protest of Trans‐boundary Highway Projects: Explaining Contrasting Implementation Outcomes
Authors: Perz Stephen 
Published: May 2012

ABSTRACT Trans‐boundary highways have increasingly complemented trade agreements as instruments of global economic integration, and both have incurred political protest. This article presents a comparative analysis of two recently proposed trans‐boundary highway projects, the Trans‐Texas Corridor from Mexico through Texas to Oklahoma in the USA, and the Inter‐Oceanic Highway in the southwestern Amazon where Bolivia, Brazil and Peru meet. The analysis focuses on the similar political contexts, justifications and funding models, as well as the contrasting political responses and implementation outcomes. The findings reveal important differences in the two cases, even among their ostensibly similar aspects, which are necessary to provide an adequate explanation as to why social mobilization stopped one project but not the other. The analysis bears implications for the social‐political study of trans‐boundary infrastructure as an instrument of economic globalization.
Intervention, Facilitation and Self‐development: Strategies and Practices in Forestry Cooperation in Bolivia
Authors: Umans Laurent 
Published: May 2012

ABSTRACT Aid encounters in three community forestry endeavours reveal different strategies of development cooperation. The first, intervention, is a unilaterally designed aid strategy where the external intervening party takes the lead, sets goals, draws up plans, etc. The second, facilitation, is a mutually designed strategy of cooperation which focuses on collective action and mutual learning. The third, encouragement of self‐development, is a unilaterally designed strategy where local actors take the lead in development endeavours. This article analyses these three distinctive strategies with reference to social, discursive, political and performative practices found in development cooperation. This provides an integrated framework for assessing local community situations which could guide strategic decisions and promote effective development cooperation.
In the Eye of the Storm: Sri Lanka's Front‐Line Civil Servants in Transition
Authors: Klem Bart 
Published: May 2012

ABSTRACT This article narrates how bureaucrats in eastern Sri Lanka operated during and after the war. They managed to keep minimal state services running whilst being locked between the government and the insurgent Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). When the government defeated the LTTE in 2009, civil servants were freed from rebel coercion, but they also lost their counterweight against unappreciated policies from the capital and interference by local politicians. The article links the thinking on armed conflicts with the literature that conceptualizes ‘the state’ not as a coherent entity, but as a subject of continuous negotiation. The state's insigne provides a sense of legitimacy and supremacy, but governments have no monopoly on using it. Other powerful actors capture state institutions, resources and discourse for contradictory purposes. This perspective helps us reconcile the appearance of bureaucratic order with the peculiar and hybrid forms of rule that emerged in the war between rebels and government, and it sheds light on some of the surprising changes and continuities that occurred when that war ended. Public administration is neither just a victim of war, nor plainly a victor of the post‐war situation.
Whose Wealth Is It Anyway? Mozambique's Outstanding Economic Growth with Worsening Rural Poverty
Authors: Cunguara Benedito , Hanlon Joseph 
Published: May 2012

ABSTRACT Despite rapid economic growth and massive inflows of aid, rural poverty in Mozambique is worsening. Agricultural production and productivity have not increased in the last decade. Use of chemical fertilizers and other modern technology is at a low level and decreasing. The present development model emphasizes that the role of government and donors is to provide human capital and infrastructure, while the private sector is responsible for economic development and ending poverty. The most recent national surveys confirm what is being seen elsewhere in Africa — that this non‐interventionist strategy does not raise agricultural productivity or reduce poverty. While 80 per cent of Mozambique's population is engaged in agriculture, this sector contributes only 20 per cent of GDP. This suggests that investments in agriculture are likely to generate pro‐poor growth, both to rural and urban dwellers. This policy failure is increasingly recognized, but donors and government have invested too much political capital in the current policy to change easily.
ESTIMATED SMALL OPEN ECONOMY MODEL WITH FRICTIONAL UNEMPLOYMENT
Authors: ALBERTINI JULIEN , KAMBER GÜNEŞ , KIRKER MICHAEL 
Published: May 2012

AbstractThis paper investigates labour market dynamics in New Zealand by estimating a structural small open economy model enriched with standard search and matching frictions in the labour market. We show that the model fits the business cycle features of key macroeconomic variables reasonably well and provides an appealing monetary transmission mechanism. We then extend our analysis to examine the driving forces behind labour market variables. Our findings suggest that the bulk of variation in labour market variables is solely explained by disturbances pertaining to the labour market.
Racial and Ethnic Differences in Indication for Primary Cesarean Delivery at Term: Experience at One U.S. Institution
Authors: Washington Sierra , Caughey Aaron B. , Cheng Yvonne W. , Bryant Allison S. 
Published: May 2012

AbstractBackgroundBlack and Latina women in the United States are known to undergo cesarean delivery at a higher rate than other women. We sought to explore the role of medical indications for cesarean delivery as a potential explanation for these differences.MethodsA retrospective cohort study was conducted of 11,034 primiparas delivering at term at the University of California, San Francisco, between 1990 and 2008. We used multivariable analyses to evaluate racial and ethnic differences in risks of, and indications for, cesarean delivery.ResultsThe overall rate of cesarean delivery in our cohort was 21.9 percent. Black and Latina women were at significantly higher odds of undergoing cesarean delivery than white women (adjusted odds ratio or AOR: 1.54; 95% CI: 1.30, 1.83, and 1.21; 95% CI: 1.03, 1.43, respectively). Black women were at significantly higher odds of undergoing cesarean delivery for nonreassuring fetal heart tracings than white women (AOR: 2.19; 95% CI: 1.55, 3.09), and black women (AOR: 1.55; 95% CI: 1.21, 1.98), Latina women (AOR: 1.48; 95% CI: 1.19, 1.85), and Asian women (AOR: 1.47; 95% CI: 1.22, 1.85) were at significantly higher odds of undergoing cesarean delivery for failure to progress. Black, Latina, and Asian women were at significantly lower odds of undergoing cesarean delivery for malpresentation than white women (AOR: 0.56; 95% CI: 0.34, 0.89, 0.66; 95% CI: 0.44, 0.98, and 0.55; 95% CI: 0.40, 0.76, respectively).ConclusionsRacial and ethnic differences exist in specific indications for cesarean delivery among primiparas. Clarifying the possible reasons for increased cesareans for nonreassuring fetal heart tracing in black women, in particular, may help to decrease excess cesarean deliveries in this racial and ethnic group. (BIRTH 39:2 June 2012)
Patterns and Preexisting Risk Factors of 30‐Day Mortality After a Primary Discharge Diagnosis of Syncope or Near Syncope
Authors: Derose Stephen F. , Gabayan Gelareh Z. , Chiu Vicki Y. , Sun Benjamin C. 
Published: May 2012

ACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE 2012; 19:488–496 © 2012 by the Society for Academic Emergency MedicineAbstractObjectives:  The risk of short‐term mortality after an emergency department (ED) visit for syncope is poorly understood, resulting in prognostic uncertainty and frequent hospital admission. The authors determined patterns and risk factors for short‐term mortality after a diagnosis of syncope or near syncope to aid in medical decision‐making.Methods:  A retrospective cohort study was performed of adult members of Kaiser Permanente Southern California seen at 11 EDs from 2002 to 2006 with a primary discharge diagnosis of syncope or near syncope (International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision [ICD‐9] 780.2). The outcome was 30‐day mortality. Proportional hazards time‐to‐event regression models were used to identify risk factors.Results:  There were 22,189 participants with 23,951 ED visits, resulting in 307 deaths by 30 days. A relatively lower risk of death was reached within 2 weeks for ages 18 to 59 years, but not until 3 months or more for ages 60 and older. Preexisting comorbidities associated with increased mortality included heart failure (hazard ratio [HR] = 14.3 in ages 18 to 59 years, HR = 3.09 in ages 60 to 79 years, HR = 2.34 in ages 80 years plus; all p < 0.001), diabetes (HR = 1.49, p = 0.002), seizure (HR = 1.65, p = 0.016), and dementia (HR = 1.41, p = 0.034). If the index visit followed one or more visits for syncope in the previous 30 days, it was associated with increased mortality (HR = 1.86, p = 0.024). Absolute risk of death at 30 days was under 0.2% in those under 60 years without heart failure and more than 2.5% across all ages in those with heart failure.Conclusions:  The low risk of death after an ED visit for syncope or near syncope in patients younger than 60 years old without heart failure may be helpful when deciding who to admit for inpatient evaluation. The presence of one or more comorbidities that predict death and a prior visit for syncope should be considered in clinical decisions and risk stratification tools for patients with syncope. Close clinical follow‐up seems advisable in patients 60 years and older due to a prolonged risk of death.
Racial Disparities in Testing for Sexually Transmitted Infections in the Emergency Department
Authors: Goyal Monika K. , Hayes Katie L. , Mollen Cynthia J. 
Published: May 2012

ACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE 2012; 19: 604–607 © 2012 by the Society for Academic Emergency MedicineAbstractObjectives:  The objective of this study was to determine predictors of sexually transmitted infection (STI) testing among adolescent females presenting to an urban pediatric emergency department (ED) with symptoms potentially suggestive of an STI.Methods:  This was a secondary analysis of data collected in a prospective prevalence study of STIs among a consecutive sample of symptomatic females aged 14 to 19 years presenting to a pediatric ED with lower abdominal or genitourinary complaints. The outcome of interest was performance of an STI test. Correlates of interest included patient age, race, insurance status, chief complaint, presence of comorbid conditions, and treating physician sex.Results:  Of the 328 adolescent females who presented to the ED with STI‐related complaints and met inclusion criteria, 15.6% did not undergo STI testing. Univariable analysis revealed that black or African American race (odds ratio [OR] = 4.98, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.67 to 9.30) and nonprivate insurance (OR = 3.47; 95% CI = 1.83 to 6.58) were significantly associated with the performance of STI testing. In a multivariable model, only black or African American race (OR = 3.94; 95% CI = 1.96 to 7.91) remained significantly associated with the performance of STI testing.Conclusions:  A substantial number of adolescent females who presented with complaints suggestive of an STI did not undergo STI testing, and a racial disparity in STI testing was noted. The racial disparity in rates of STI testing among symptomatic adolescent girls presenting to the ED warrants further study to confirm validity, to determine if disparity reflects physicians’ biases, and to inform strategies for controlling the present epidemic of STIs in adolescents.