bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Family Talk about Internal States and Children's Relative Appraisals of Self and Sibling
Authors: Recchia Holly E. , Howe Nina 
Published: February 2008

AbstractThis study investigated associations between preschoolers' conversations about internal states and their spontaneous appraisals of self and sibling. Thirty‐two preschoolers (M age = 3.9 years) were observed during naturalistic home interactions with mothers and younger siblings. Various features of mothers' and children's internal state language were coded. Children who talked about internal states to the baby and who talked more about the baby's perspective tended to appraise their sibling negatively relative to self. In contrast, mothers' references to internal states, as well as their promotion and encouragement of the child's own internal state talk, were negatively related to the differences between children's negative appraisals of self and sibling. These results support the social‐constructivist notion that the quality of children's interactions with family members is related to how they construe themselves in comparison to their siblings.
Endogenous Group Formation
Authors: AHN T. K. , ISAAC R. MARK , SALMON TIMOTHY C. 
Published: February 2008

AbstractWhile the rules governing the formation of groups engaging in collective action may have significant impact on group size and behavior of members, most experiments on public goods have been conducted with the subjects in exogenously fixed groups or of fixed sizes. We study endogenous formation of groups in a public‐goods provision game by allowing subjects to change groups under three sets of rules: free entry/exit, restricted entry with free exit, and free entry with restricted exit. We find that the rules governing entry and exit do have a significant impact on individual behavior and group‐level outcomes.
Under‐reporting of Income and Labor Market Performance
Authors: KOLM ANN‐SOFIE , BO NIELSEN SØREN 
Published: February 2008

AbstractTo examine the effects on labor market performance of government tax and enforcement policies, this paper develops an equilibrium model featuring tax evasion, matching frictions, and worker–firm wage bargains. In the wage bargains, workers and firms can agree on the amount of remuneration that should not be reported to the tax authorities. We find that increased taxation actually reduces unemployment, whereas more zealous enforcement has the opposite effect.
Committees and Special Interests
Authors: FELGENHAUER MIKE , PETER GRÜNER HANS 
Published: February 2008

AbstractThis paper studies the aggregation of decentralized information in committees under open and closed voting in the presence of external influence. We show that under one‐sided influence decision quality may be nonmonotonic in the committee members' ability. Furthermore, restricting the information of interest groups may reduce the bias toward special interest politics. This result holds in a single and in a common agency setting, where opposing interest groups' activities do not cancel out in equilibrium. Moreover, there are cases where benefits from increasing the number of decision makers can only be reaped if the committee's sessions are not public.
Decentralizing Public Goods Production
Authors: LUNDHOLM MICHAEL 
Published: February 2008

AbstractDecentralized decisions, to a bureau with a given budget, about the production of public goods is analyzed within a general equilibrium model with a representative agent and no pure profits. Contrary to previous results on decentralization it is shown that sequential decentralization (i) does not necessarily imply aggregate production efficiency and (ii) need not be optimal even if all public goods are neutral. Also, cost‐benefit criteria are derived and the marginal cost of public funds is characterized.
Condorcet Jury Theorem or Rational Ignorance
Authors: KITAHARA MINORU , SEKIGUCHI YOHEI 
Published: February 2008

AbstractWe analyze a symmetric model of an election in which voters are uncertain about which of two alternatives is desirable for them. Each voter must incur some cost to acquire information about the alternatives. We show that by focusing on unbiased voting strategies, general symmetric signal structures can be degenerated to a two‐signal model. In addition, we show that for any sequence of unbiased voting equilibria, if the second‐order derivative of the information cost function at no information is zero, then the probability of electing the desirable alternative converges to one, that is, the Condorcet Jury Theorem is valid. Otherwise, this probability converges to some value less than one; that is, the “rational ignorance” hypothesis is valid.
Why Is Late‐Life Disability Declining?
Authors: SCHOENI ROBERT F. , FREEDMAN VICKI A. , MARTIN LINDA G. 
Published: February 2008

Context:Late‐life disability has been declining in the United States since the 1980s. This study provides the first comprehensive investigation into the reasons for this trend.Methods:The study draws on evidence from two sources: original data analyses and reviews of existing studies. The original analyses include trend models of data on the need for help with daily activities and self‐reported causes of such limitations for the population aged seventy and older, based on the National Health Interview Surveys from 1982 to 2005.Findings:Increases in the use of assistive and mainstream technologies likely have been important, as have declines in heart and circulatory conditions, vision, and musculoskeletal conditions as reported causes of disability. The timing of the improvements in these conditions corresponds to the expansion in medical procedures and pharmacologic treatment for cardiovascular disease, increases in cataract surgery, increases in knee and joint replacements, and expansion of medications for arthritic and rheumatic conditions. Greater educational attainment, declines in poverty, and declines in widowhood also appear to have contributed. Changes in smoking behavior, the population's racial/ethnic composition, the proportion of foreign born, and several specific conditions were eliminated as probable causes.Conclusions:The substantial reductions in old‐age disability between the early 1980s and early 2000s are likely due to advances in medical care as well as changes in socioeconomic factors. More research is needed on the influence of health behaviors, the environment, and early‐ and midlife factors on trends in late‐life disability.
Long‐term management of facial atopic eczema with pimecrolimus cream 1% in paediatric patients with mild to moderate disease
Authors: Zuberbier T , Bräutigam M 
Published: February 2008

AbstractBackground  The aim of this post hoc analysis was to evaluate whether treatment of patients with atopic dermatitis (AD) with pimecrolimus cream 1% can decrease the development of flares necessitating the use of a topical corticosteroid on the face and thus reduce the need for use of topical corticosteroids in this sensitive skin area.Patients and methods  In a controlled, double‐blind, multicentre study, 140 patients, aged 2 to 17 years, with facial involvement and mild to moderate disease after treatment of the initial flare with prednicarbate 0.25% cream were randomized to an intermittent treatment with pimecrolimus cream 1% twice daily or vehicle for 24 weeks. If a flare occurred, defined as an exacerbation (unacceptable severity of itching/scratching or onset of oozing) not controlled by study medication, patients were treated with prednicarbate 0.25% cream instead.Results  Patients in the vehicle group needed prednicarbate treatment on the face on 20.7% of the days vs. 11.7% of the study days in the pimecrolimus group (P = 0.0024). Fifty per cent of patients in the pimecrolimus group had no flare on the face during the treatment period compared with 37.5% of patients in the vehicle group (P = 0.012). The median time to first flare in pimecrolimus‐treated patients was twice as long as in patients receiving vehicle (138 vs. 68 days, P = 0.01). Three adverse events (one case of skin burning) suspected to be related to use of the study medication were reported for three patients (3.9%) in the pimecrolimus group.Conclusion  Long‐term intermittent treatment of facial AD in children and adolescents with pimecrolimus cream 1% does significantly reduce the need for topical corticosteroids.
Cutaneous metastases from different internal malignancies: a clinical and prognostic appraisal
Authors: Hu SC‐S , Chen G‐S , Lu Y‐W , Wu C‐S , Lan C‐CE 
Published: February 2008

AbstractBackground  Cutaneous metastases are perceived as a sign of advanced disease and are regarded as a grave prognostic indicator. In addition, few reports have focused on the cutaneous metastasis profiles of Asian patients.Objectives  We seek to analyse the clinical and prognostic characteristics of cutaneous tumour metastases in a Taiwanese medical centre.Methods  Clinical records from Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital over the last 20 years (1986–2006) were reviewed, and cases of biopsy‐proven cutaneous metastases from internal malignancies identified. Survival rates were evaluated using the Kaplan‐Meier method and compared by the log‐rank test. The Cox proportional hazards model was used for univariate analysis to determine the risk of mortality among different groups.Results  A total of 141 cases of cutaneous metastases were identified. The clinical profiles were similar to those from western countries, although the frequencies of primary tumours were different. The duration of survival was usually short following diagnosis of cutaneous metastases, but prognosis is significantly better in breast cancer patients with metastases. Moreover, the survival was even longer for breast cancer patients when the metastasis was confined to the skin.Conclusions  The risk of skin metastases depends largely on the characteristics of tumour cells, which is similar among different ethnic groups. In terms of prognosis, a subset of breast cancer patients has superior prognosis, even among breast cancer patients with stage IV disease. Physicians should consider this finding in clinical situations to avoid possible misinformation about the prognosis of the disease.
Nail alterations in 250 infant patients: a clinical study
Authors: Sarifakioglu E , Yilmaz AE , Gorpelioglu C 
Published: February 2008

AbstractAims  To investigate the frequency and the nature of nail alterations in infants.Study design  A total of 250 infant patients from newborn to 2 years of age were evaluated from the outpatient clinics of paediatrics and dermatology departments, Fatih University Hospital. The nail alterations were documented. The data were presented as percentages, and for categorical comparisons, Chi‐squared or Fisher's Exact test were used. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.Results  Of the 250 infant patients, nail alterations were seen in only 17 (6.8%). Most of the patients had toe nail involvement. In 12 of 17 (70.6%) infants, there was one type of nail alteration; in 4 of 17 (23.5%) infants, there was two type of nail alterations; and in 1 of 17 (5.9%) infants, there was three type of nail alterations. The most frequent diagnosis was onychoschizia in 6 of 17 (2.4%) and congenital hypertrophy of the lateral nail fold together with ingrown nail in 6 (2.4%) infants.Conclusion  Because nail alterations could be a manifestation of systemic or dermatologic diseases in infants, fingernail and toenail examination should be a part of the paediatric dermatology examination.
IL‐1β induces proMMP‐9 expression via c‐Src‐dependent PDGFR/PI3K/Akt/p300 cascade in rat brain astrocytes
Authors: Wu Cheng‐Ying , Hsieh Hsi‐Lung , Sun Chi‐Chin , Tseng Ching‐Ping , Yang Chuen‐Mao 
Published: February 2008

AbstractIn a previous study, interleukin‐1β (IL‐1β) has been shown to induce matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) expression through mitogen‐activated protein kinases and nuclear factor‐κB pathways in rat brain astrocytes. Moreover, transactivation of growth factor receptors and phosphatidylinositol 3‐kinase (PI3K)/Akt cascade has been mentioned in the expression of several inflammatory genes. Here, we first report that IL‐1β‐induced up‐regulation of proMMP‐9 was inhibited by genistein. IL‐1β also stimulated phosphorylation of several protein tyrosine kinases such as c‐Src and platelet‐derived growth factor receptor (PDGFR), which was further confirmed by western blotting using an anti‐phospho‐c‐Src or anti‐phospho‐PDGFR antibody, respectively. IL‐1β‐stimulated c‐Src, PDGFR, and Akt phosphorylation and proMMP‐9 expression were attenuated by the inhibitors of c‐Src (PP1), PDGFR (AG1296), and PI3K (LY294002), respectively, or transfection with dominant negative plasmid of c‐Src or short hairpin RNAs of PDGFR and Akt. Moreover, IL‐1β‐induced proMMP‐9 expression was blocked by pre‐treatment with curcumin (a p300 inhibitor). We further confirmed that IL‐1β stimulated p300 recruitment to MMP‐9 promoter, and then acetylated histone H4 by immunoprecipitation and chromatin immunoprecipitation–PCR assays. The recruitment and activation of p300 in MMP‐9 promoter were inhibited by pre‐treatment with PP1, AG1296, and LY294002, respectively. Moreover, IL‐1β stimulated the c‐Src‐dependent transactivation of PDGFR/PI3K/Akt cascade is independent of nuclear factor‐κB pathway. These results indicated that in rat brain astrocytes cells, PI3K/Akt activation was mediated through c‐Src‐dependent transactivation of PDGFR promoted transcriptional co‐factor p300 recruitment and activation and eventually led to increased proMMP‐9 expression by IL‐1β.
ETHICAL ISSUES IN MEDICAL RESEARCH IN THE DEVELOPING WORLD: A REPORT ON A MEETING ORGANISED BY FONDATION MÉRIEUX
Authors: PERREY CHRISTOPHE , WASSENAAR DOUGLAS , GILCHRIST SHAWN , IVANOFF BERNARD 
Published: February 2008

ABSTRACTThis paper reports on a multidisciplinary meeting held to discuss ethical issues in medical research in the developing world. Many studies, including clinical trials, are conducted in developing countries with a high burden of disease. Conditions under which this research is conducted vary because of differences in culture, public health, political, legal and social contexts specific to these countries. Research practices, including standards of care for participants, may vary as a result. It is therefore not surprising that ethical issues emerge. This meeting sought to identify and discuss these issues from the perspectives of the many actors in such research, including community representatives, with a view to finding ethical and pragmatic solutions to these issues. Dialogue between these actors was also promoted, with a view to identifying the need to develop such dialogue in future.Drawing from the experiences of the speakers, the colloquium attempted to outline some answers to several key questions characterising the field today. Experiences related to epidemiologic research, vaccine trials, drug trials, diagnostic tests and to some fundamental ethical issues in health research. Speakers were from different countries, disciplines and professions. The meeting provided a forum for consultation and debate between different ethics actors. Both encouraging findings and challenges emerged.
‘To Try to Form Some Connections with the Natives’: Encounters between Captain Cook and Indigenous People at Botany Bay in 1770
Authors: Nugent Maria Louise 
Published: February 2008

AbstractThis article examines Captain Cook's encounters with indigenous people at Botany Bay in 1770. It argues that a cross‐cultural interpretation of the evidence in the voyage journals of Captain Cook and Joseph Banks exposes the fictions that have structured Australian settler narratives about Cook's first landfall on the continent. It is proposed that an approach that considers carefully the nature of encounters between the mariners and the local people during Cook's time on the Australian east coast can make a substantial contribution to the ongoing critique of Captain Cook's foundational meanings and mythical status.
The Globalization of Mexican Cuisine
Authors: Pilcher Jeffrey 
Published: February 2008

AbstractThe international presence of Mexican cuisine has expanded tremendously since the 1960s. Before that time it was hard to find tacos or enchiladas outside Mexico or its former territory in the Southwestern United States, but Mexican restaurants and processed foods are now available around the world. This transformation has come about largely as a result of North American marketing of Tex‐Mex, which raises important questions for theories of globalization. This article begins by surveying the political and cultural economy of the early modern Columbian Exchange, the mechanization of tortilla production, and the incorporation of Mexican agriculture into international commodity chains. This is followed by an examination of ethnic stereotypes and the class position of Mexican food within the United States. The article concludes by considering ethnic fast food and the origins of the taco shell as a tool for rethinking McDonaldization.
Total Insulinlike Growth Factor 1 and Insulinlike Growth Factor Binding Protein Levels, Functional Status, and Mortality in Older Adults
Authors: Kaplan Robert C. , McGinn Aileen P. , Pollak Michael N. , Kuller Lewis , Strickler Howard D. , Rohan Thomas E. , Xue XiaoNan , Kritchevsky Stephen B. , Newman Anne B. , Psaty Bruce M. 
Published: February 2008

OBJECTIVES: To assess the association between total insulinlike growth factor (IGF)‐1, IGF binding protein‐1 (IGFBP‐1), and IGFBP‐3 levels and functioning and mortality in older adults.DESIGN: Cohort study.SETTING/PARTICIPANTS: One thousand one hundred twenty‐two individuals aged 65 and older without prior cardiovascular disease events participating in the Cardiovascular Health Study.MEASUREMENTS: Baseline fasting plasma levels of IGF‐1, IGFBP‐1, and IGFBP‐3 (defined as tertiles, T1‐T3) were examined in relationship to handgrip strength, time to walk 15 feet, development of new difficulties with activities of daily living (ADLs), and mortality.RESULTS: Higher IGFBP‐1 predicted worse handgrip strength (P‐trendT1‐T3<.01) and slower walking speed (P‐trendT1‐T3=.03), lower IGF‐1 had a borderline significant association with worse handgrip strength (P‐trendT1‐T3=.06), and better grip strength was observed in the middle IGFBP‐3 tertile than in the low or high tertiles (P=.03). Adjusted for age, sex, and race, high IGFBP‐1 predicted greater mortality (P‐trendT1‐T3<.001, hazard ratio (HR)T3vsT1=1.48, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.15–1.90); this association was borderline significant after additional confounder adjustment (P‐trendT1‐T3=.05, HRT3vsT1=1.35, 95% CI=0.98–1.87). High IGFBP‐1 was associated with greater risk of incident ADL difficulties after adjustment for age, sex, race, and other confounders (P‐trendT1‐T3=.04, HRT3vsT1=1.40, CI=1.01–1.94). Neither IGF‐1 nor IGFBP‐3 level predicted mortality or incident ADL difficulties.CONCLUSION: In adults aged 65 and older, high IGFBP‐1 levels were associated with greater risk of mortality and poorer functional ability, whereas IGF‐1 and IGFBP‐3 had little association with these outcomes.
Vagus Nerve Stimulation for Generalized Epilepsy?…Show Me the Evidence!
Authors: Kanner Andres M. 
Published: February 2008

Is Vagus Nerve Stimulation a Treatment Option for Patients with Drug-Resistant Idiopathic Generalized Epilepsy? Kostov H, Larsson PG, Røste GK. Acta Neurol Scand Suppl 2007;187:55–58. Background The value of vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) for treating patients with drug-resistant idiopathic generalized epilepsy (IGE) is not well documented. Patients and Methods Twelve patients (2 males, 10 females) with a mean age of 31 years (11–48 years) and with drug-resistant IGE had VNS implanted in the period 1995–2006. All had generalized seizures documented by video-electroencephalogram. Mean follow-up period was 23 months (9–54 months). Results There was a total seizure reduction of 61% ( p = 0.0002). There was 62% reduction of generalized tonic-clonic seizures ( p = 0.0020), 58% of absences ( p = 0.0003), and 40% of myoclonic seizures ( p = 0.0156). Eight patients were considered responders (>50% seizure reduction); two of these patients became seizure-free. Five out of seven patients with juvenile myoclonic epilepsy were responders. At the last follow-up visit, the patients had reduced the antiepileptic drug (AED) usage from an average of 2.3 to 1.7 AED per patient ( p = 0.0625). Two patients are currently being treated with VNS therapy only. Nine patients reported side effects, which were mostly mild and tended to diminish overtime. Conclusion Our results indicate that adjunctive VNS therapy is a favorable treatment option for patients with drug-resistant IGE. Rapid cycling seems worth trying in some of the nonresponders.
Ondansetron versus Promethazine to Treat Acute Undifferentiated Nausea in the Emergency Department: A Randomized, Double‐blind, Noninferiority Trial
Authors: Braude Darren , Crandall Cameron 
Published: February 2008

AbstractObjectives:  The authors sought to compare ondansetron and promethazine among emergency department (ED) patients with undifferentiated nausea. The hypothesis was that ondansetron was not inferior to promethazine and that rates of adverse effects were similar.Methods:  This was a randomized double‐blind noninferiority clinical trial conducted in an urban academic ED. A convenience sample of nonpregnant adults with at least 40 mm of self‐reported nausea measured on a 100‐mm visual analog scale (VAS) were enrolled. Patients who had already received more than 1 L of intravenous fluid or an antiemetic agent were excluded. Subjects were block‐randomized in groups of 10 to either 4 mg of ondansetron or 25 mg of promethazine delivered intravenously. The primary outcome was change in nausea over 30 minutes. The authors used a 15‐mm margin of noninferiority. Secondary endpoints included changes in anxiety, sedation, and other adverse effects. Analyses included t‐tests, tests for proportions, and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).Results:  A total of 120 subjects completed the study, 60 in each arm. Baseline nausea, anxiety, and sedation scores were similar. Ondansetron and promethazine reduced nausea similarly (ondansetron −34 mm, promethazine −36 mm; difference −2 mm; 95% CI = −13 to 8 mm). The reduction in anxiety was similar (ondansetron −13 mm, promethazine −14 mm; difference −1 mm; 95% CI = −10 to 10 mm). Promethazine was associated with significantly more sedation than ondansetron (ondansetron 5 mm, promethazine 19 mm; difference 14 mm; 95% CI = 5 to 24 mm). There were no cases of akathisia in the ondansetron group and 2 cases in the promethazine group.Conclusions:  Promethazine and ondansetron have similar efficacy in reducing nausea among ED patients. Change in anxiety was similar, but promethazine was associated with greater sedation.
Is a combined therapy more effective than either CBT or SSRI alone? Results of a multicenter trial on panic disorder with or without agoraphobia
Authors: Van Apeldoorn F. J. , Van Hout W. J. P. J. , Mersch P. P. A. , Huisman M. , Slaap B. R. , Hale W. W. , Visser S. , Van Dyck R. , Den Boer J. A. 
Published: February 2008

Objective:  To establish whether the combination of cognitive‐behavioral therapy (CBT) and pharmacotherapy (SSRI) was more effective in treating panic disorder (PD) than either CBT or SSRI alone, and to evaluate any differential effects between the mono‐treatments.Method:  Patients with PD (n = 150) with or without agoraphobia received CBT, SSRI or CBT + SSRI. Outcome was assessed after 9 months, before medication taper.Results:  CBT + SSRI was clearly superior to CBT in both completer and intent‐to‐treat analysis (ITT). Completer analysis revealed superiority of CBT + SSRI over SSRI on three measures and no differences between CBT and SSRI. ITT analysis revealed superiority of SSRI over CBT on four measures and no differences between CBT + SSRI and SSRI.Conclusion:  Both the mono‐treatments (CBT and SSRI) and the combined treatment (CBT + SSRI) proved to be effective treatments for PD. At post‐test, CBT + SSRI was clearly superior to CBT, but differences between CBT + SSRI and SSRI, and between SSRI and CBT, were small.