bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Impact of reduced insulin‐like growth factor‐1/insulin signaling on aging in mammals: novel findings
Authors: Bartke Andrzej 
Published: March 2008

SummaryGrowth hormone deficiency or resistance resulting from spontaneous or experimentally produced mutations in laboratory mice delay aging and increase lifespan. Alterations in insulin‐like growth factor‐1 (IGF‐1) and insulin signaling emerged as likely mechanisms linking growth hormone and aging, and increased longevity was reported in mice with selective deletion of IGF‐1 receptor in all tissues or insulin receptor in fat. Recent studies in mice with reduced IGF‐1 levels or deletion of pregnancy‐associated plasma protein‐A, a protease that cleaves one of the IGF‐1 binding proteins, strongly support the role of IGF‐1 in the control of longevity. Reports of increased lifespan in mice with deletion of insulin receptor substrate (IRS) 1, reduced expression of IRS2, or selective deletion of IRS2 in the brain specifically implicate the IRS‐PI3K‐Akt‐Foxo signaling pathway (which is shared by IGF‐1 and insulin) in the control of aging. These important novel findings also strengthen the evidence for evolutionary conservation of mechanisms regulating lifespan in worms, insects and mammals.
Specific nasal symptoms and symptom‐provoking factors may predict increased risk of developing COPD
Authors: Nihlén Ulf , Montnémery Peter , Andersson Morgan , Persson Carl G. A. , Nyberg Per , Löfdahl Claes‐Göran , Greiff Lennart 
Published: March 2008

AbstractIn a 1992 questionnaire study, we found that certain nasal symptoms and symptom‐provoking factors were associated with prevalence of self‐reported chronic bronchitis/emphysema (CBE). In this follow‐up study, we examined whether any nasal features could predict an increased incidence of self‐reported physician’s diagnosis of CBE/chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). In 2000, a survey was performed similar to the one in 1992. Of a paired follow‐up group of 4933 participants aged 28–67 years, 4280 (86·8%) returned the questionnaire. Odds ratios (ORs) for cumulative incidence (between 1992 and 2000) of self‐reported physician‐diagnosed CBE/COPD and asthma, respectively, were calculated by logistic regression with adjustment for age, gender and smoking habits. Reports of thick, yellow nasal discharge and nasal blockage in 1992 predicted incidence of CBE/COPD: OR 2·3 (1·2–4·2) and 1·8 (1·1–2·8) respectively. Moreover, nasal symptoms provoked by exposure to damp/cold air and tobacco smoke predicted CBE/COPD: OR 3·4 (1·9–6·0) and 2·5 (1·4–4·2). Nasal itching and nasal symptoms provoked by exposure to grass pollen and furred animals predicted incidence of asthma. These results suggest that certain nasal symptoms and nasal symptom‐provoking exposures, different from those commonly associated with asthma, may predict increased risk of developing CBE/COPD. This supports the possibility of nasal co‐morbidity in COPD.
Hospital Quality: A PRIDIT Approach
Authors: Lieberthal Robert D. 
Published: March 2008

Background. Access to high quality medical care is an important determinant of health outcomes, but the quality of care is difficult to determine.Objective. To apply the PRIDIT methodology to determine an aggregate relative measure of hospital quality using individual process measures.Design. Retrospective analysis of Medicare hospital data using the PRIDIT methodology.Subjects. Four‐thousand‐two‐hundred‐seventeen acute care and critical access hospitals that report data to CMS' Hospital Compare database.Measures. Twenty quality measures reported in four categories: heart attack care, heart failure care, pneumonia care, and surgical infection prevention and five structural measures of hospital type.Results. Relative hospital quality is tightly distributed, with outliers of both very high and very low quality. The best indicators of hospital quality are patients given assessment of left ventricular function for heart failure and patients given β‐blocker at arrival and patients given β‐blocker at discharge for heart attack. Additionally, teaching status is an important indicator of higher quality of care.Conclusions. PRIDIT allows us to rank hospitals with respect to quality of care using process measures and demographic attributes of the hospitals. This method is an alternative to the use of clinical outcome measures in measuring hospital quality. Hospital quality measures should take into account the differential value of different quality indicators, including hospital “demographic” variables.
A randomised controlled trial comparing birthing centre care with delivery suite care in Adelaide, Australia
Authors: Byrne Jennifer P. , Crowther Caroline A. , Moss John R. 
Published: March 2008

SUMMARYBirthing centre care offers women with a low risk of complication in pregnancy an alternative to conventional care for the birthing of their baby It is important these two forms of care are appropriately assessed.A randomised controlled trial comparing the newly opened birthing centre with the established conventional delivery suite was conducted at the then Queen Victoria Hospital, Adelaide, South Australia. The outcomes measured included maternal satisfaction, costs and clinical outcomes both for mother and baby which related to the need for Caesarean section, episiotomy or tear rate and method of feeding.Two hundred and one women attending the hospital's antenatal clinic were randomly allocated to either birthing centre or delivery suite care. One hundred women were allocated to the birthing centre. No differences were found in either group related to clinical outcomes or costs. The only difference in maternal satisfaction was the choice women made for their next birth. More women in the birthing centre group felt they were encouraged to breastfeed immediately after birth.While the numbers in this study were too small to detect any but large differences in outcome, birthing centre care should remain an option for women and further studies undertaken with larger numbers.
First trimester ultrasound with nuchal translucency measurement for Down syndrome risk estimation using software developed by the Fetal Medicine Foundation, United Kingdom ‐ the first 2000 examinations in Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia
Authors: O'Callaghan Stephen P. , Giles Warwick B. , Raymond Steve P. , McDougall Veronica , Morris Kris , Boyd Jan 
Published: March 2008

SUMMARYIn September 1997 screening for Down syndrome using first trimester ultrasound to measure nuchal translucency, with risk estimation by the software program developed in the United Kingdom by the Fetal Medicine Foundation, was introduced in Newcastle, New South Wales.In the first 2000 such risk estimations 134 women (6.7 %) were screen positive (with a risk of greater than 1 in 300 at that gestation for Trisomy 21). In the first 1000 of these 2000 fetuses delivered thus far there were 8 cases of Trisomy 21, 2 of Trisomy 18 and 1 of 47 XXX. Nine of these 11 were screen positive, the only false negative results being for 2 cases of Trisomy 21. The detection rate for Trisomy 21 was 6 out of 8 (75%) and for every case of Trisomy 21 (Down Syndrome) detected by this process, 11.3 invasive tests would have been needed to make that diagnosis in a screen positive woman.
Improved patient acceptability with a transdermal drug‐in‐adhesive oestradiol patch
Authors: Lake Yvonne , Pinnock Sylvia 
Published: March 2008

SUMMARYThe aim of this trial was to assess the relative patient acceptability of two transdermal oestradiol patches used in treatment of oestrogen deficiency in postmenopausal women.Thirty‐five hysterectomised postmenopausal women with no previous experience of transdermal oestradiol delivery systems received treatment with either once‐weekly drug‐in‐adhesive (DIA) patches or twice‐weekly reservoir patches for 4 weeks, and were then switched to the alternative treatment for a further 4 weeks. At the end of the study, the patients completed a questionnaire to assess their relative preference for a number of characteristics of the 2 transdermal systems and, where possible, their preference for transdermal compared with oral hormone replacement therapy.Thirty‐one patients completed the study; four withdrew during treatment with the reservoir patch. The DIA patch was preferred for being ‘easiest to remember to apply’ by 80% of patients (p < 0.01), ‘easiest to open’ and ‘easiest to apply’ by 68% (p = 0.025), and as having ‘best cosmetic appearance’ by 65% (p = 0.05) and ‘best overall skin adhesion’ by 61% (p < 0.01). While 10% of patients rated the reservoir patch as ‘least irritating to the skin’ (p = 0.03), only one patient found this patch ‘most comfortable to wear’ (p < 0.01). The DIA patch was selected by 87% of patients as their preferred treatment overall (p = 0.001). Ninety‐one per cent of 22 responding patients were at least as confident of treatment with transdermal patches as with oral hormone replacement therapy (p = 0.006) and 74% of 27 responders preferred transdermal to oral treatment (p = 0.004).The DIA patch appears to be more acceptable to patients than the reservoir patch as a transdermal oestradiol delivery system for the treatment of postmenopausal oestrogen deficiency. Characteristics of the DIA patch which may account for improved patient acceptance include ease of remembering once‐weekly patch application, improved cosmetic appearance and comfort, and better adhesion.
A prospective study of gestation and birthweight in Aboriginal pregnancies in far north Queensland
Authors: Humphrey Michael , Holzheimer Deborah 
Published: March 2008

SUMMARYThis study aimed to determine the cause(s) of the increased incidence of low birthweight birth in Aboriginal pregnancies.The study prospectively examined a cohort of Aboriginal women presenting for antenatal care before 20 weeks gestation (ultrasound proven) and a reference cohort of Caucasian women in four remote North Queensland communities served by the Far North Regional Obstetric and Gynaecological Service (FROGS) and the antenatal clinic at Cairns Base Hospital.Women with no known medical factors affecting fetal growth or gestation were recruited. Of the 102 Aboriginal and 101 Caucasian women recruited, 96 Aboriginal and 96 Caucasian women completed the study, providing groups of sufficient size to allow statistical assessment at 80% power and 95% significance.Outcomes measured were gestation at delivery, planned or spontaneous birth, neonatal anthropometric measurements and Dubowitz score.The phenotypic and demographic characteristics of the women, their pregnancies, and their babies were also compared to understand the major associations with low birthweight birth in the Aboriginal women.Apart from Aboriginal ethnicity, excessive alcohol use in pregnancy, low maternal body mass index (BMI), and low maternal age had significant negative correlations with birthweight, and excessive tobacco use in pregnancy and high maternal gravidity showed strong similar trends.Culturally appropriate programs need to be funded and developed to reduce the incidence of low birthweight Aboriginal birth, rather than medical programs primarily aimed at the reduction of the incidence of preterm labour.
Maternal stress and obstetric and infant outcomes: epidemiological findings and neuroendocrine mechanisms
Authors: Austin Marie‐Paule , Leader Leo 
Published: March 2008

SUMMARYThis review examines the associations between antenatal maternal stress and obstetric and infant outcomes using preterm delivery as the key outcome indicator. This was done by means of a Medline search focusing predominantly on prospective, controlled studies which investigated both the associated epidemiological factors and putative neuroendocrine mechanisms.There is evidence from a number of United States studies in economically deprived African American women for an association between perceived maternal life event (LE) stress and preterm delivery. The findings from the European studies are conflicting, partly because they combine outcome measures ie. preterm delivery and low birth weight. However the three largest Scandinavian epidemiological studies examining preterm delivery and controlling for con‐founders such as smoking, age and obstetric history, have confirmed this association. These studies taken together suggest that this may be a robust finding not limited to socioeconomically deprived African American samples and independent of other significant risk factors.Two small prospective studies examining the relationship between the hypothalamic‐pituitary‐adrenal (HPA) axis, psychosocial status and premature delivery have reported a significant association between a set of adverse psychosocial factors on the one hand, and levels of adrenocorticcotrophic hormone (ACTH), corticotrophin releasing hormone (CRH) and Cortisol levels, and on the other hand, a significant correlation between CRH levels and premature delivery Clearly, these findings remain preliminary and indicate a complex relationship between perceived stress in pregnancy, the HPA axis and premature delivery. The impact of antenatal maternal stress on infant temperament and psychopathology remains to be examined more fully in prospective controlled trials.
Malignant lymphoma of uterus: a case report with a review of the literature
Authors: Agrawal A. , Oflli G. , Allan TL , Mann BS 
Published: March 2008

SUMMARYThe female genital tract is rarely the initial manifestation site of malignant lymphomas. Most genital lymphomas arise in the vagina or cervix while those of the uterine corpus are extremely rare. Patients usually present with bleeding, abdominal or pelvic discomfort or back pain but, very infrequently, the tumours are discovered as a result of a routine examination.Our patient was a 67‐year‐old postmenopausal woman presenting with haematuria and upper abdominal pain. She had several investigations for haematuria including cystoscopy, intravenous urography (IVU) and both renal and pelvic scans. The pelvic scan revealed an enlarged uterus with some calcification suggestive of a fibroid uterus. An abdominal hysterectomy was performed. Histo‐pathology revealed non‐Hodgkin's malignant lymphoma of the uterine corpus. She subsequently had post‐operative chemotherapy.
False metamorphic events inferred from misinterpretation of microstructural evidence and P–T data
Authors: VERNON R. H. , WHITE R. W. , CLARKE G. L. 
Published: March 2008

AbstractGeometrical relationships involving inclusions and partial inclusions in metamorphic microstructures can be inadequate for inferring an order of crystallization and hence a metamorphic reaction. Unique spatial and/or chemical relationships need to be defined for mineral inclusions, in the context of a reference paragenesis, commonly the matrix assemblage. Corona microstructures are reliable indicators of metamorphic reactions, but require considerable care when used to infer reactions or changes in P–T conditions, owing to kinetic problems, as well as to changes in the effective reaction volume during changes across relatively broad P–T stability fields of assemblages. Mineral equilibria models, most commonly implemented through P–T pseudosections, may allow the order in which different minerals become stable along a given P–T path to be inferred. However, the order in which two minerals become stable may be different from the order in which two grains of these minerals nucleate. Furthermore, such diagrams cannot make predictions about which minerals will form porphyroblasts and which minerals will form inclusions in porphyroblasts. An evaluation of three examples from the Australian Proterozoic shows that modelling, in combination with inclusion‐host relationships, is a powerful tool for understanding the metamorphic evolution of a rock, but involves considerable uncertainty.
Trace‐element distributions in silicates during prograde metamorphic reactions: implications for monazite formation
Authors: CORRIE S. L. , KOHN M. J. 
Published: March 2008

AbstractTo assess the petrogenetic relationship between monazite and major silicates during prograde metamorphism, REE were measured across coexisting zoned silicates in garnet through kyanite‐grade pelitic schists from the Great Smoky Mountains, western Blue Ridge terrane, southern Appalachians, to establish REE concentrations and distributions before and after the monazite‐in isograd, and to identify the role major silicates play in the formation of monazite. Results indicate significant scavenging of light rare‐earth elements (LREE) from silicates during the monazite‐in isograd reaction; however, the absolute concentration of LREE hosted in the silicates was insufficient to produce monazite in the quantity observed in these schists. Monazite must have formed mainly from either the dissolution of allanite or some other source of concentrated LREE (possibly adsorbed onto grain boundaries), even though direct evidence for allanite is lacking in a majority of the samples. Laser‐ablation ICP‐MS analyses and theoretical thermodynamic calculations show that monazite may have formed as a result of contributions from both allanite and major silicates. Allanite breakdown initially formed monazite, and monazite production drew LREE liberated from allanite, major silicates and possibly from crystal boundaries. In many rocks the reaction was further promoted by the staurolite‐in reaction, allowing for rapid, isogradic monazite growth.
Success of Active Revegetation after Tamarix Removal in Riparian Ecosystems of the Southwestern United States: A Quantitative Assessment of Past Restoration Projects
Authors: Bay Robin F. , Sher Anna A. 
Published: March 2008

Abstract Invasion by the non‐native tree Tamarix has led to implementation of restoration projects aimed at maintaining the ecological integrity of many riparian communities in the southwestern United States. These restoration efforts may include Tamarix removal, manipulation of hydrologic regimes, and active revegetation of native species. The goal of this study was to determine which site characteristics are correlated with restoration success, defined in terms of reductions of undesirable species such as Tamarix and establishment of desirable, native species. To accomplish this, vegetative and environmental data were collected at 28 sites in the southwestern United States where active revegetation was completed after Tamarix removal. These data were incorporated into regression tree models with predictor variables that included number of years since removal (1–18 years) and multiple management, climate, soils, and hydrological variables to determine success of Tamarix control, revegetation success, and general plant community responses. Our results suggest that there are easily measurable site characteristics that are associated with greater native cover and richness, planting success, and Tamarix control. Close proximity to perennial water, sufficient precipitation, recent flooding, and good drainage as well as coarser soil texture, and lower soil pH all favored native species. Overall, those site characteristics associated with native species success were the same as those related to lower Tamarix cover. These quantitative models are intended to assist researchers and land managers to design more effective riparian restoration efforts in this critical arid lands ecosystem.
Impact of Non‐Native Plant Removal on Lizards in Riparian Habitats in the Southwestern United States
Authors: Bateman Heather L. , Chung‐MacCoubrey Alice , Snell Howard L. 
Published: March 2008

Abstract Many natural processes in the riparian cottonwood (Populus deltoides) forest of the Middle Rio Grande (MRG) in the southwestern United States have been disrupted or altered, allowing non‐native plants such as saltcedar (Tamarix spp.) and Russian olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia) to establish. We investigated reptilian responses to restoration efforts by sampling communities of lizards at 12 study sites invaded by non‐native plants along the MRG in New Mexico for 7 years (2000–2006). Sites within three regions were randomly assigned to one of the three treatments to remove non‐native plants and woody debris, or as untreated controls. We used pitfall and funnel traps to capture, mark, and release lizards from June to September. Principal components analysis of 15 vegetation variables identified five factors that best explained variation among sites before and after removal of non‐native plants. Relative abundances for four of six common species of lizards were associated with vegetation characteristics that significantly changed after plant removal. Species were either positively associated with the more open, park‐like understory found in treated sites or negatively associated with debris heaps and thickets of non‐native plants found in untreated sites. Eastern fence lizards (Sceloporus consobrinus) and New Mexico whiptails (Aspidoscelis neomexicana) increased in relative abundance after non‐native plants were removed. Overall, removal of non‐native plants seems beneficial, or at least is non‐damaging, to lizard communities of the MRG forest. Providing information on habitat associations of lizard communities will help land managers balance management objectives with other considerations, such as providing important wildlife habitat.
First‐Year Responses of Cheatgrass Following Tamarix spp. Control and Restoration‐Related Disturbances
Authors: Sher Anna A. , Gieck Stephanie , Brown Cynthia S. , Nissen Scott J. 
Published: March 2008

Abstract Current invasion ecology theory predicts that disturbance will stimulate invasion by exotic plant species. Cheatgrass or Downy brome (Bromus tectorum) was surveyed in three sites near Florence, Colorado, U.S.A., immediately following Tamarisk or Saltcedar (Tamarix spp.) control and restoration activities that caused disturbance. Despite predictions to the contrary, neither mowing with heavy machinery nor tilling for seedbed preparation stimulated invasion, with a trend for the opposite pattern such that highest percent cover of B. tectorum was observed in the least disturbed transects. Aerial application of imazapyr for Tamarix spp. control caused mortality of nearly all B. tectorum and other understory plant species in all sites. Mechanical control of Tamarix spp. will not necessarily result in increased abundance of invasive species already present, possibly due to the effects of mulch usually left on‐site. Imazapyr will control B. tectorum and other herbaceous understory species when applied aerially for Tamarix spp. control. These results are encouraging for managers of riparian systems who may fear that control of woody invasives will stimulate herbaceous invasions.