bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Lid surgery in patients affected with leprosy in North-Eastern Nigeria: are their needs being met?
Authors: Mpyet Caleb , Hogeweg Margreet 
Published: February 2006

Corneal blindness is second only to cataract as a cause of blindness in leprosy patients. Eyelid surgery provided by trained paramedical staff can often prevent blindness in these patients. We sought to determine the extent to which paramedic personnel are meeting the eyelid surgical needs of these patients and to investigate the barriers that may be preventing them from seeking surgery. A total of eight leprosy settlements in north-eastern Nigeria were selected for this study. In these villages, 480 residents who were 30 years of age or older who had been diagnosed as having leprosy had their eyes examined for the presence of lagophthalmos, entropion/trichiasis and evidence of surgery for either of these conditions. Patients who had not been operated on for either of these conditions were questioned to determine their reasons for not seeking surgery. One hundred and sixteen (12.1 %) eyes were in need of surgery while 5.1 % of eyes had been operated upon. The surgical coverage for eyelid surgery was 30%; lagophthalmos had a better surgical coverage of 44.4% compared to entropion/trichiasis, which had 24.7% coverage. Lack of awareness about the treatment available was the most common reason given for not seeking surgery. This study shows that despite the presence of trained paramedical staff in the community, the eyelid surgical needs of these patients are not being met primarily because the level of awareness about the availability of effective treatment still remains low. In addition, the readiness of eye-care staff to visit these settlements was disappointing. Extra efforts will have to be made.
Estimating the Energy Density of Fish: The Importance of Ontogeny
Authors: Wuenschel Mark J. , Jugovich Amelia R. , Hare Jonathan A. 
Published: February 2006

AbstractOntogenetic patterns in the percent dry weight (%DW) and energy density (joules per gram of wet weight) were studied in the early life stages of the subtropical estuarine and marine gray snapper Lutjanus griseus and the warm‐temperate estuarine and marine spotted seatrout Cynoscion nebulosus. The %DW was variable for individuals of both species but increased significantly through larval to juvenile stages (<20% for fish <50 mm standard length to 20–30% for fish >50 mm). The lipid percentage, which was determined only for gray snapper, was also variable between individuals but showed significant increase with body size. Strong relationships between percent dry weight and energy density were evident for both species; however, the slopes of regressions were significantly lower than in general multispecies models, demonstrating the need for species‐ and stage‐specific energy density data in bioenergetics models.
Large‐Scale Marine and Freshwater Movements of White Sturgeon
Authors: Welch D. W. , Turo S. , Batten S. D. 
Published: February 2006

AbstractSturgeon movements are poorly known. We report here telemetry data on the marine and freshwater movements of a 188‐cm (fork length; probably 30–60 years old) white sturgeonAcipenser transmontanusover a 19‐month period. Initially tagged in the Klamath River, California, in May 2002, it remained there until emigrating to the ocean in November 2002. It was next detected more than 1,000 km away in the Fraser River, British Columbia, where it made extended in‐river movements in September and October 2003. Given the long periods of time spent in at least two very different river systems (one clear and one highly turbid), the home river is uncertain. Large‐scale movements of sturgeon outside the home river have serious implications for population assessments and development of successful management plans. Our results highlight the potential value of permanent large‐scale telemetry systems.
Treatment of pain in juvenile idiopathic arthritis: A survey of pediatric rheumatologists
Authors: Kimura Yukiko , Walco Gary A. , Sugarman Etan , Conte Paola M. , Schanberg Laura E. 
Published: February 2006

AbstractObjectiveTo assess the opinions and current practice of pediatric rheumatologists regarding treatment of chronic pain in children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA).MethodsStandardized questionnaires were distributed to pediatric rheumatologists who are members of the Children's Arthritis and Rheumatology Research Alliance. Demographic data, opinions, and attitudes were solicited about pain assessment, current treatment of JIA with residual pain, and actual use of opioids to treat pain in children with JIA.ResultsOf 99 rheumatologists who were contacted, 53 responses were received (53.5%). No significant demographic differences were found in attitudes about pain management and use of opioids. A total of 77.3% of respondents agreed that there are patients who continue to have significant pain despite adequate treatment. However, 59.6% disagreed with the use of opioid analgesics for treatment of those patients. Cross tabulations showed significant relationships between attitudes about opioid use and concerns for side effects, including drowsiness, fatigue, and constipation (χ2 = 1.16, P > 0.05), as well as addiction (χ2 = 5.51, P = 0.019). Thirty percent of those who strongly disagreed with opioid use and 52.4% of those who disagreed had in fact prescribed opioids in the past year. The most commonly prescribed opioids were codeine and oxycodone. Practitioners' perceived knowledge of the drugs significantly affected their likelihood to prescribe them.ConclusionPediatric rheumatologists are divided in their attitudes regarding treatment of residual pain in children with JIA. Concern for side effects appears to be a major factor in the decision to prescribe these analgesics. More data are needed to facilitate clearer cost‐benefit analyses in the decision to prescribe opioids to this clinical population.
Lack of detection of human retrovirus‐5 proviral DNA in synovial tissue and blood specimens from individuals with rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis
Authors: Piper Kerryl E. , Hanssen Arlen D. , Lewallen David G. , Matteson Eric L. , Osmon Douglas R. , Duffy Mary C. , Hagan Rochelle A. , Steckelberg James M. , Patel Robin 
Published: February 2006

AbstractObjectivePrior studies have suggested an association of human retrovirus 5 with rheumatoid arthritis. The purpose of this study was to determine if human retrovirus‐5 proviral DNA is present in synovial tissue and blood specimens from patients with rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis, or those without joint disease.MethodsSynovial tissue and whole blood from 75 patients with rheumatoid arthritis, 75 patients with osteoarthritis, and 50 patients without a primary arthritis diagnosis were assayed by real‐time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using primers that amplify a 186‐bp fragment of human retrovirus‐5 proviral DNA.ResultsA total of 200 tissue specimens, 200 mononuclear cells, and 196 of 200 granulocyte specimens tested negative for human retrovirus‐5 proviral DNA. No association between human retrovirus 5 and rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis (P = 0.516) was identified. Granulocyte specimens from 4 patients, 2 with rheumatoid arthritis and 2 with osteoarthritis, yielded a low positive human retrovirus‐5 proviral DNA signal (83–1,365 copies of human retrovirus‐5 proviral DNA/ml blood).ConclusionContrary to prior reports, we did not find an association between human retrovirus 5 and rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis using a real‐time PCR assay. Our findings are consistent with the recent finding that human retrovirus 5 is actually rabbit endogenous retrovirus H.
A randomized controlled trial of deep water running: Clinical effectiveness of aquatic exercise to treat fibromyalgia
Authors: Assis Marcos Renato , Silva Luciana Eduardo , Alves Adriana Martins Barros , Pessanha Ana Paula , Valim Valéria , Feldman Daniel , Barros Neto Turíbio Leite de , Natour Jamil 
Published: February 2006

AbstractObjectiveTo compare the clinical effectiveness of aerobic exercise in the water with walking/jogging for women with fibromyalgia (FM).MethodsSixty sedentary women with FM, ages 18–60 years, were randomly assigned to either deep water running (DWR) or land‐based exercises (LBE). Patients were trained for 15 weeks at their anaerobic threshold. Visual analog scale of pain, Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ), Beck Depression Inventory, Short Form 36 Health Survey (SF‐36), and a patient's global assessment of response to therapy (PGART) were measured at baseline, week 8, and week 15. Statistical analysis included all patients.ResultsFour patients dropped out from each group. Both groups improved significantly at week 15 compared with baseline, with an average 36% reduction in pain intensity. For PGART, 40% of the DWR group and 30% of the LBE group answered “much better” at posttreatment. FIQ total score and FIQ depression improvements in the DWR group were faster (week 8) than the LBE group and kept improving (week 15; P < 0.05). Only the DWR group showed improvements in SF‐36 role emotional (P = 0.006). No significant between‐group differences were observed for peak oxygen uptake and other outcomes.ConclusionDWR is a safe exercise that has been shown to be as effective as LBE regarding pain. However, it has been shown to bring more advantages related to emotional aspects. Aerobic gain was similar for both groups, regardless of symptom improvement. Therefore, DWR could be studied as an exercise option for patients with FM who have problems adapting to LBE or lower limbs limitations.
Illness uncertainty, partner caregiver burden and support, and relationship satisfaction in fibromyalgia and osteoarthritis patients
Authors: Reich John W. , Olmsted Maureen E. , van Puymbroeck Christina M. 
Published: February 2006

AbstractObjectiveFibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is characterized by uncertainty in diagnosis, treatment, and outcome. This study assessed the role of uncertainty of illness in relationship satisfaction in patients with FMS and osteoarthritis (OA).MethodsA total of 51 patients with FMS responded to self‐report instruments assessing their uncertainty about their illness, functional ability, average pain, and relationship satisfaction. Their partners independently reported on their sense of caregiver burden and their supportiveness toward the patients. Thirty‐two patients with OA and their partners served as a control group.ResultsPatients' functional ability and pain were related to partner caregiver burden. Partner caregiver burden was related to lower levels of partner supportiveness for the FMS dyads, but not for the OA dyads. Relationship satisfaction of patients with FMS was related to their higher levels of uncertainty of illness in interaction with their functional disability and pain and their partners' supportiveness. Under high levels of uncertainty of illness, low levels of partner supportiveness were related to lower patient relationship satisfaction, whereas low levels of uncertainty of illness were significant interacting variables in the OA sample.ConclusionThe results suggest that uncertainty of illness is a prominent feature affecting patients with FMS in their relationships with their partners. Suggestions for additional research to explore the role of uncertainty of illness in social relationships are presented, and the therapeutic implications for patient/partner relationships are explored.
Determinants of self efficacy for physical tasks in people with knee osteoarthritis
Authors: Maly Monica R. , Costigan Patrick A. , Olney Sandra J. 
Published: February 2006

AbstractObjectiveSelf efficacy, the confidence an individual has to perform a task, is an important determinant of physical performance in individuals with knee osteoarthritis (OA). The purpose of this study was to determine what personal, pathophysiologic, and impairment factors relate to self efficacy for physical tasks in community‐dwelling adults with knee OA.MethodsFifty‐four persons with radiographically confirmed knee OA (mean ± SD age 68.3 ± 8.7 years, range 50–87 years) participated. The Functional Self‐Efficacy subscale of the Arthritis Self‐Efficacy Scale was the dependent measure. Independent measures included age, education, scores from the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression and State‐Trait Anxiety Inventory questionnaires, medial joint space and varus/valgus tibiofemoral angle from radiographs, body mass index, and isokinetic quadriceps and hamstrings strength. Knee pain and stiffness, assessed using the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index, were independent measures.ResultsFifty‐one percent of the variance of Functional Self Efficacy was explained by knee stiffness, hamstrings strength, age, and depression scores. Pain, education, anxiety, radiographic joint space, and body weight did not significantly contribute to the variance in Functional Self‐Efficacy scores. Substituting quadriceps strength for hamstrings strength resulted in a regression model that included only stiffness, age, and depression, which explained nearly as much variance as the original model.ConclusionSelf efficacy for physical tasks is related to the sensation of stiffness, hamstrings strength, age, and level of depressive symptoms in persons with knee OA. Clinicians and researchers could consider these variables when assessing the level of self efficacy for physical tasks in persons with knee OA.
Cleidocranial dysplasia with severe parietal bone dysplasia: C‐terminalRUNX2mutations
Authors: Cunningham Michael L. , Seto Marianne L. , Hing Anne V. , Bull Marilyn J. , Hopkin Robert J. , Leppig Kathleen A. 
Published: February 2006

AbstractBACKGROUNDCleidocranial dysplasia (CCD) is an autosomal‐dominant skeletal dysplasia syndrome that is characterized by widely patent calvarial sutures, clavicular hypoplasia, supernumerary teeth, and short stature. CCD is caused by mutations in the transcription factorRUNX2, which is known to function as a major regulator of bone differentiation. Despite the characterization of 67 unique mutations in 97 individual cases, and the availability of animal models, no obvious genotype‐phenotype correlation has emerged.METHODSWe describe 3 new cases that were ascertained on the basis of a severe calvarial phenotype, that were associated with 3 novel mutations in the C‐terminal region ofRUNX2distal to the DNA‐binding runt domain. In addition, a review of all previously described cases was undertaken in an effort to standardize mutation nomenclature, characterize the position of known mutations relative to the runt domain, and explore the hypothesis that C‐terminal mutations that preserve the runt domain may lead to more‐severe craniofacial phenotypes.RESULTSUpon mutational analysis ofRUNX2, we identified either frameshift or splice‐site mutations that affect the C‐terminal region of the resultant protein distal to the runt domain.CONCLUSIONSIn the context of previously described mutations, these cases suggest that C‐terminal mutations that preserve the DNA‐binding runt domain while disrupting the SMAD 1,2,3,5 binding domain and the nuclear matrix targeting signal may be responsible for the severe phenotype observed.Birth Defects Research (Part A)Birth Defects Research (Part A), 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Differential teratogenesis of all‐trans‐retinoic acid administered on gestational day 9.5 to SWV and C57BL/6N mice: Emphasis on limb dysmorphology
Authors: Collins M.D. , Eckhoff C. , Weiss R. , Resnick E. , Nau H. , Scott W.J. 
Published: February 2006

AbstractBACKGROUNDMouse strain differences in teratologic response are well documented. However, because retinoids cause similar malformation syndromes across many species, the strain differences may be predicted to be minimal. The goals of this study were to characterize and explain the differences between the C57BL/6N and SWV mouse strains in terms of all‐trans‐retinoic acid (RA)–induced teratologic effects at the time of gestation that cause postaxial forelimb ectrodactyly.METHODSVisceral and skeletal malformations were determined by Wilson's sectioning and double‐staining techniques, respectively; developmental staging was performed according to the somite count; and retinoid concentrations were assessed by HPLC.RESULTSC57BL/6N mice were more susceptible than SWV mice to induction of embryolethality, cardiovascular defects, and forelimb ectrodactyly, whereas the opposite was true for the induction of ear, thymus, and tail agenesis, and cleft palate, gastroschisis, and anal atresia. As determined by somite counts, 1 strain intercross was developmentally advanced compared to the parental strains and the reciprocal cross. Retinoid susceptibility was equivalent between the reciprocal crosses for some malformations and determined by the maternal genotype for others. Toxicokinetic experiments showed that whole‐embryo peak retinoid concentrations did not differ between the strains, but the area under the curve (AUC) for all‐trans‐RA was 1.3 times higher in C57BL/6N than in SWV embryos.CONCLUSIONSThe malformation spectrum induced by RA was strain‐specific, and the strain sensitivity for forelimb ectrodactyly was consistent with all previously tested teratogenic agents (i.e., C57BL/6N was more sensitive than SWV). The strain differences in teratologic effects were not explained by developmental timing differences or toxicokinetic differences at the whole‐embryo level. Birth Defects Research (Part A), 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The verified software repository: a step towards the verifying compiler
Authors: Bicarregui J.C. , Hoare C.A.R. , Woodcock J.C.P. 
Published: February 2006

Abstract

The verified software repository is dedicated to a long-term vision of a future in which all computer systems justify the trust that society increasingly places in them. This would be accompanied by a substantial reduction in the current high costs of programming error, incurred during the design, development, testing, installation, maintenance, evolution, and retirement of computer software. An important technical contribution to this vision will be a
verifying compiler:
a tool-set that automatically proves that a program will always meet its specification, insofar as this has been formalised, without even needing to run it. This has been a challenge for computing research for over 30 years, but the current state of the art now gives grounds for hope that it may be implemented in the foreseeable future. Achievement of the overall vision will depend also on continued progress of research into dependability and software evolution, as envisaged by the UKCRC Grand Challenge project in
dependable systems evolution
. The verified software repository is a first step towards the realisation of this long-term vision. It will maintain and develop an evolving collection of state-of-the-art tools, together with a representative portfolio of real programs and specifications on which to test, evaluate, and develop the tools. It will contribute initially to the inter-working of tools, and eventually to their integration. It will promote transfer of the relevant technology to industrial tools and into software engineering practice. It will build on the recognised achievements of practical formal development of safety-critical computer applications, and contribute to an international initiative in verified software, covering theory, tools, and experimental validation.
The Thrower's Elbow: Arthroscopic Treatment of Valgus Extension Overload Syndrome
Authors: O'Holleran James D. , Altchek David W. 
Published: February 2006

Injury to the medial collateral ligament of the elbow (MCL) can be a career-threatening injury for an overhead athlete without appropriate diagnosis and treatment. It has been considered separately from other athletic injuries due to the unique constellation of pathology that results from repetitive overhead throwing. The past decade has witnessed tremendous gains in understanding of the complex interplay between the dynamic and static stabilizers of the athlete's elbow. Likewise, the necessity to treat these problems in a minimally invasive manner has driven the development of sophisticated techniques and instrumentation for elbow arthroscopy. MCL injuries, ulnar neuritis, valgus extension overload with osteophyte formation and posteromedial impingement, flexor pronator strain, medial epicondyle pathology, and osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) of the capitellum have all been described as sequelae of the overhead throwing motion. In addition, loose body formation, bony spur formation, and capsular contracture can all be present in conjunction with these problems or as isolated entities. Not all pathology in the thrower's elbow is amenable to arthroscopic treatment; however, the clinician must be familiar with all of these problems in order to form a comprehensive differential diagnosis for an athlete presenting with elbow pain, and he or she must be comfortable with the variety of open and arthroscopic treatments available to best serve the patient. An understanding of the anatomy and biomechanics of the thrower's elbow is critical to the care of this population. The preoperative evaluation should focus on a thorough history and physical examination, as wellas on specific diagnostic imaging modalities. Arthroscopic setup, including anesthesia, patient positioning, and portal choices will be discussed. Operative techniques in the anterior and posterior compartments will bereviewed, as well as postoperative rehabilitationandsurgical results. Lastly, complications will be reviewed.
The bullet that hit a nerve: the history of Lucja Frey and her syndrome
Authors: Jacobsen Nicola , Hopkins Claire 
Published: February 2006

Duphenix first described gustatory sweating in 1757. The underlying pathogenesis was not appreciated until 1923, when Lucja Frey, a Polish neurologist, observed the phenomenon in a Polish soldier with an infected bullet wound in the parotid gland and suggested that the auriculo-temporal nerve played a role.Lucja Frey was born in Lwów, Poland, in 1889 and began her medical studies in Lwów before moving to Warsaw to work as a neurologist. She amassed a total of 43 publications on various neurological topics over her career. Unfortunately, during the Second World War she was enlisted into the Lwów ghetto, where she worked until her death in 1943.We present the history of Frey's syndrome, particularly the life of Lucja Frey and the syndrome she described.