bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Predictors of drop-out from an outpatient cardiac rehabilitation programme
Authors: Yohannes A M , Yalfani A , Doherty P , Bundy C 
Published: February 2007

Objective: To investigate the prevalence and predictors of early drop-out from a cardiac rehabilitation programme and also whether completers and drop-out patients differed in relation to their illness cognitions, gender and psychological distress and quality of life. Design: A six-week outpatient cardiac rehabilitation programme. Setting: A university teaching hospital. Subjects: One hundred and eighty-nine patients were recruited from a consecutive series of outpatient referrals prior to a six-week comprehensive cardiac rehabilitation programme. Outcome measures: The revised Illness Perception Questionnaire, Quality of Life after Myocardial Infarction Questionnaire and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Results: One hundred and forty-seven cardiac patients completed the cardiac rehabilitation programme. Forty-two (22%) patients dropped out in the first two weeks. Factors predicting early drop-out were female gender, younger age, higher Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale score, lower illness perception consequences and higher illness perception personal control and lower illness perception treatment control (all P < 0.05). Conclusion: Over a fifth of the patients did not complete this typical cardiac rehabilitation programme. Female patients are more likely to drop out from cardiac rehabilitation than men. Psychological distress, younger age and lower perceptions of consequences, higher perception personal control and lower illness perception of treatment control were predictors of early drop-out from a cardiac rehabilitation programme.
Participation and drop-out in pulmonary rehabilitation: a qualitative analysis of the patient's perspective
Authors: Fischer M J , Scharloo M , Abbink J J , Thijs-Van A , Rudolphus A , Snoei L , Weinman J A , Kaptein A A 
Published: February 2007

Objective: To examine patients' pretreatment beliefs and goals regarding pulmonary rehabilitation. Design: Qualitative study using semi-structured interviews. Setting: Interviews conducted at participants' homes. Subjects: Twelve patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease who had been referred to a rehabilitation clinic. Main measures: Patients' beliefs about pulmonary rehabilitation, self-set treatment goals and anticipated reasons for drop-out. Results: Patients' beliefs about pulmonary rehabilitation comprised positive aspects (participation as an opportunity for improvement, a safe and multidisciplinary setting, presence of motivating and supporting patients) and negative aspects of exercising in a rehabilitation centre (e.g. disruption of normal routine, being tired after training, transportation difficulties, limited privacy and confrontation with severely ill patients). Four types of treatment goals were formulated: increase in functional performance, weight regulation, reduction of dyspnoea, and improvement of psychosocial well being. Four clusters of anticipated reasons for drop-out were identified: the intensity of the programme, barriers to attending (e.g. transportation problems, sudden illness and other duties/responsibilities), lack of improvement and social factors. Four different attitudes towards pulmonary rehabilitation could be distinguished: optimistic, ‘wait and see’, sceptic and pessimistic. Follow-up data revealed that whereas a pessimistic attitude (high disability, low self-confidence, many concerns) was related to decline, the ‘sceptic’ patients had dropped out during the course. Conclusions: Uptake and drop-out may be related to patients' perceived disabilities, expected benefits and concerns with regard to rehabilitation, practical barriers and confidence in their own capabilities.
Muscle strength testing with one repetition maximum in the arm/shoulder for people aged 75 + - test-retest reliability
Authors: Rydwik E , Karlsson C , Frändin K , Akner G 
Published: February 2007

Objective: To investigate the reliability of a muscle strength test of the arm/shoulder in elderly people, aged 75 and older, and to compare subjects with and without previous muscle strength training experience. Design: Reliability study - test-retest. Setting: Research centre for the elderly. Main measures: One repetition maximum (1 RM) was measured using an arm/shoulder strength-training device (Pull Down, Norway). Two measurements were conducted, approximately one week apart. Results: Forty people were included in the study and 34 completed both sessions. Eleven participants had previous muscle strength training experience on the indicated device. There was a high correlation between the test sessions, r = 0.97 for both groups. The analysis of 95% limits of agreement for the mean difference was -4.3/+6.9 kg for the group without and -3.0/+6.4 kg for the group with previous experience, respectively. Conclusion: One repetition maximum evaluated by the Pull Down device seems to be a reliable and safe method for dosing and evaluating a muscle strength training programme for elderly people. The observed variation of approximately -4/+7 kg cannot be interpreted as an effect of muscle training, but is more likely an effect of learning, fluctuations in daily condition and/or motivation.
Lack of deleterious effects of buspirone on cognition in healthy male volunteers
Authors: Chamberlain Samuel R. , Müller Ulrich , Deakin Julia B. , Corlett Phil R. , Dowson Jonathan , Cardinal Rudolf N. , Aitken Michael R. F. , Robbins Trevor W. , Sahakian Barbara J. 
Published: February 2007

Buspirone is a serotonin 5-HT1A receptor agonist licensed for the treatment of anxiety. Other anxiolytic drugs such as benzodiazepines show significant sedative and other unwanted effects on cognition. Studies to date have yet to investigate cognitive effects of buspirone using well-validated computerized tests. The aim of this study was to assess acute subjective and cognitive effects of buspirone in healthy volunteers. Sixty healthy male volunteers received 20mg buspirone, 30mg buspirone, or placebo per os in a double-blind parallel groups design (N=20 per group). Subjective ratings (visual analogue scales) were completed at baseline, and at 1.5 and 3.5 hours post-capsule. Cognitive assessment was undertaken between 1.5 and 3.5 hours post-capsule, including tests of memory, executive planning, impulse control, decision making and cognitive flexibility. The 30mg buspirone group showed significantly higher subjective ratings of contentedness 3.5 hours after capsule relative to placebo. Treatment and placebo groups did not differ significantly on cognitive measures. In contrast to benzodiazepines, the anxiolytic buspirone appears to lack detectable deleterious effects on cognition when administered acutely at clinically meaningful doses. Future research directions are discussed in relation to acute and chronic studies in neuropsychiatric populations.
Failure to Return for HIV Test Results: A Pilot Study of Three Community Testing Sites
Authors: Grusky Oscar , Roberts Kathleen Johnston , Swanson Aimee-Noelle 
Published: February 2007

Background: Individuals at elevated risk of contracting HIV frequently fail to return for their test result. Because rapid HIV antibody testing is still not widely implemented, failure to return for test results under conditions of standard testing remains a problem. Methods:Direct field observation and semistructured interviews with clients (N = 16) and test counselors (N = 16) of 3 community HIV testing sites were conducted. Results: Clients faced 5 barriers to receiving their result: (1) fear, (2) busyness, (3) apathy,(4) inebriation at the time of testing, and (5) testing “on a whim.” Motivators that encouraged clients to receive their results were (1) positive counselor/client interactions, (2) client-friendly policies regarding picking up the test result, (3) clients’ psychological “need to know,” (4) incentives for picking up the result, and (5) established protocols for contacting clients who fail to return. Conclusion: Findings highlight the need for interventions to improve the return rate for HIV results.
Hsp90 regulates the Fanconi anemia DNA damage response pathway
Authors: Oda Tsukasa , Hayano Toshiya , Miyaso Hidenobu , Takahashi Nobuhiro , Yamashita Takayuki 
Published: February 2007

AbstractHeat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) regulates diverse signaling pathways. Emerging evidence suggests that Hsp90 inhibitors, such as 17-allylamino-17-demethoxygeldanamycin (17-AAG), enhance DNA damage-induced cell death, suggesting that Hsp90 may regulate cellular responses to genotoxic stress. However, the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Here, we show that the Fanconi anemia (FA) pathway is involved in the Hsp90-mediated regulation of genotoxic stress response. In the FA pathway, assembly of 8 FA proteins including FANCA into a nuclear multiprotein complex, and the complex-dependent activation of FANCD2 are critical events for cellular tolerance against DNA cross-linkers. Hsp90 associates with FANCA, in vivo and in vitro, in a 17-AAG–sensitive manner. Disruption of the FANCA/Hsp90 association by cellular treatment with 17-AAG induces rapid proteasomal degradation and cytoplasmic relocalization of FANCA, leading to impaired activation of FANCD2. Furthermore, 17-AAG promotes DNA cross-linker–induced cytotoxicity, but this effect is much less pronounced in FA pathway-defective cells. Notably, 17-AAG enhances DNA cross-linker–induced chromosome aberrations. In conclusion, our results identify FANCA as a novel client of Hsp90, suggesting that Hsp90 promotes activation of the FA pathway through regulation of intracellular turnover and trafficking of FANCA, which is critical for cellular tolerance against genotoxic stress.
Effector and regulatory T-cell function is differentially regulated by RelB within antigen-presenting cells during GVHD
Authors: MacDonald Kelli P. A. , Kuns Rachel D. , Rowe Vanessa , Morris Edward S. , Banovic Tatjana , Bofinger Helen , O'Sullivan Brendan , Markey Kate A. , Don Alistair L. , Thomas Ranjeny , Hill Geoffrey R. 
Published: February 2007

AbstractAntigen-presenting cells (APCs) are critical for the initiation of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), although the responsible APC subset and molecular mechanisms remain unclear. Because dendritic cells (DCs) are the most potent APCs and the NF-kB/Rel family member RelB is associated with DC maturation and potent APC function, we examined their role in GVHD. Within 4 hours of total body irradiation, RelB nuclear translocation was increased and restricted to CD11chi DCs within the host APC compartment. Furthermore, the transient depletion of CD11chi donor DCs that reconstitute in the second week after transplantation resulted in a transient decrease in GVHD severity. By using RelB−/− bone marrow chimeras as transplant recipients or RelB−/− donor bone marrow, we demonstrate that the induction and maintenance of GVHD is critically dependent on this transcription factor within both host and donor APCs. Critically, RelB within APCs was required for the expansion of donor helper T cell type 1 (Th1) effectors and subsequent alloreactivity, but not the peripheral expansion or function of donor FoxP3+ regulatory T cells. These data suggest that the targeted inhibition of nuclear RelB translocation within APCs represents an attractive therapeutic strategy to dissociate effector and regulatory T-cell function in settings of Th1-mediated tissue injury.
Ongoing research in Europe: Alpha One International Registry (AIR) objectives and development
Authors: Stockley R. A. , Luisetti M. , Miravitlles M. , Piitulainen E. , Fernandez P. 
Published: February 2007

In 1997, the World Health Organization recommended establishing an international registry of α1-antitrypsin deficiency. The objective of the present article is to describe the organisation of an international network of registries, the Alpha One International Registry (AIR), and the processes of enrolling and entering data.By the end of 2005, the registry included individuals from 21 countries (from four continents). The inclusion criterion was either phenotypes PiZZ, PiSZ or other severely deficient variants. Demographic and clinical information have been collected by a standardised questionnaire, translated for each country. Data are transferred to the AIR database at the Dept of Respiratory Medicine, University Hospital, Malmö, Sweden, either by e-mail orviatwo web-enabled questionnaires in HTML. All data are merged and checked for consistency and missing values.Collection of data started in 1999 and, by September 2005, data on 2,150 individual patients (1,180 male) had been submitted. Of these, 1,855 (84%) have phenotype PiZ, 181 (8%) PiSZ and 114 (5%) other rare Pi phenotypes. The mean age at inclusion was 49.8 yrs (sd = 13.3) and the majority were index cases (64.1%).The Alpha One International Registry is the largest specific α1-antitrypsin deficiency registry, fulfilling a major World Health Organization recommendation. The success related to the convergence of national registries into a common database creating a unique registry beyond geographic boundaries and encompassing α1-antitrypsin deficiency from various ethnic groups.
Carbapenems for the treatment of immunocompetent adult patients with nosocomial pneumonia
Authors: Siempos I. I. , Vardakas K. Z. , Manta K. G. , Falagas M. E. 
Published: February 2007

The comparative effectiveness and safety of carbapenems with other β-lactams and fluoroquinolones for the empirical treatment of patients with hospital-acquired pneumonia remains controversial.In the present study, a meta-analysis of 12 relevant randomised controlled trials was performed.Overall, carbapenems were associated with lower mortality than fluoroquinolones or β-lactams, alone or in combination with aminoglycosides (odds ratio 0.72, 95% confidence interval 0.55–0.95). There was no difference between the compared antibiotics regarding treatment success (1.08, 0.91–1.29), microbiological success (1.04, 0.72–1.50) or development of adverse effects (0.81, 0.46–1.43). In the subset of patients withPseudomonas aeruginosapneumonia, carbapenems were associated with lower treatment success (0.42, 0.22–0.82) and lower eradication ofP.strains (0.50, 0.24–0.89).Carbapenems are equivalent to fluoroquinolones or β-lactams, alone or in combination with aminoglycosides, for the empirical treatment of immunocompetent adult patients with hospital-acquired pneumonia. However, there is limited evidence, based predominantly on unblinded randomised controlled trials, that carbapenems are associated with lower mortality than the comparators; this association was not observed in a subset analysis of randomised controlled trials with a high methodological quality score. In patients withPseudomonas aeruginosapneumonia, carbapenems are associated with worse outcomes than the comparators.
Scientific rationale for using a single inhaler for asthma control
Authors: Barnes P. J. 
Published: February 2007

Clinical trials have recently demonstrated that using a budesonide/formoterol combination inhaler as regular maintenance treatment twice daily but also as a rescue therapy for breakthrough symptoms can provide more effective control of asthma, particularly in reducing exacerbations, than using a short-acting β2-agonist or formoterol as rescue therapy. This suggests that the corticosteroid component of the combination therapy plays an important role in rescue therapy.Formoterol as a rescue therapy is effective in relieving symptoms by relaxing airway smooth muscle but is also likely to have important inhibitory effects on mast cells, plasma exudation and neutrophilic inflammation.Inhaled corticosteroids have much more rapid suppressing effects on airway inflammation than previously recognised and the increased dose used as rescue therapy may prevent the increase in airway inflammation that occurs during the evolution of an exacerbation, thus preventing its development.It is likely that the molecular interactions between β2-agonists and corticosteroids also enhance the effect of the combination therapy as rescue therapy. There is now a strong scientific rationale for single inhaler therapy in asthma, but more research is now needed to better understand the mechanisms involved.
Formation of multinucleated giant cells and microglial degeneration in rats expressing a mutant Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase gene
Authors: Fendrick Sarah E , Xue Qing-Shan , Streit Wolfgang J 
Published: February 2007

Abstract

Background
Microglial neuroinflammation is thought to play a role in the pathogenesis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The purpose of this study was to provide a histopathological evaluation of the microglial neuroinflammatory response in a rodent model of ALS, the SOD1G93A transgenic rat.

Methods
Multiple levels of the CNS from spinal cord to cerebral cortex were studied in SOD1G93A transgenic rats during three stages of natural disease progression, including presymptomatic, early symptomatic (onset), and late symptomatic (end stage), using immuno- and lectin histochemical markers for microglia, such as OX-42, OX-6, and Griffonia simplicifolia isolectin B4.

Results
Our studies revealed abnormal aggregates of microglia forming in the spinal cord as early as the presymptomatic stage. During the symptomatic stages there was prominent formation of multinucleated giant cells through fusion of microglial cells in the spinal cord, brainstem, and red nucleus of the midbrain. Other brain regions, including substantia nigra, cranial nerve nuclei, hippocampus and cortex showed normal appearing microglia. In animals during end stage disease at 4–5 months of age virtually all microglia in the spinal cord gray matter showed extensive fragmentation of their cytoplasm (cytorrhexis), indicative of widespread microglial degeneration. Few microglia exhibiting nuclear fragmentation (karyorrhexis) indicative of apoptosis were identified at any stage.

Conclusion
The current findings demonstrate the occurrence of severe abnormalities in microglia, such as cell fusions and cytorrhexis, which may be the result of expression of mutant SOD1 in these cells. The microglial changes observed are different from those that accompany normal microglial activation, and they demonstrate that aberrant activation and degeneration of microglia is part of the pathogenesis of motor neuron disease.
Which antipsychotics would mental health professionals take themselves?
Authors: Bleakley Stephen , Olofinjana Olubanke , Taylor David 
Published: February 2007

Aims and MethodMany studies report prescribing preferences for antipsychotics but few have examined what professionals would choose for themselves if they were diagnosed with schizophrenia. We asked 188 nurses, pharmacists and doctors which antipsychotic they would prefer to be prescribed.ResultsRisperidone (n=49, 26.1%), olanzapine (n=49, 26.1%) and aripiprazole (n=35, 18.6%) were the most popular choices.Clinical ImplicationsProfessionals' choice was in line with the latest evidence on comparative effectiveness of atypical antipsychotics and therefore might be a sensitive indicator of the most effective antipsychotic.
Behaviour of tip-leakage flow in an axial flow compressor rotor
Authors: Wu Y , Chu W 
Published: February 2007

The current paper reports on investigations with an aim to advance the understanding of the flowfield near the casing of a small-scale high-speed axial flow compressor rotor. Steady three-dimensional viscous flow calculations are applied to obtain flowfields at various operating conditions. To demonstrate the validity of the computation, the numerical results are first compared with available measured data. Then, the numerically obtained flowfields are analysed to identify the behaviour of tip-leakage flow, and the mechanism of blockage generation arising from flow interactions between the tip clearance flow, the blade/casing wall boundary layers, and non-uniform main flow. The current investigation indicates that the ‘breakdown’ of the tip-leakage vortex occurs inside the rotor passage at the near stall condition. The vortex ‘breakdown’ results in the low-energy fluid accumulating on the casing wall spreads out remarkably, which causes a sudden growth of the casing wall boundary layer having a large blockage effect. A low-velocity region develops along the tip clearance vortex at the near stall condition due to the vortex ‘breakdown’. As the mass flow rate is further decreased, this area builds up rapidly and moves upstream. This area prevents incoming flow from passing through the pressure side of the passage and forces the tip-leakage flow to spill into the adjacent blade passage from the pressure side at the leading edge. It is found that the tip-leakage flow exerts a little influence on the development of the blade suction surface boundary layer even at the near stall condition.
Factors Influencing Ergonomic Intervention in Construction: Trunkman Case Study
Authors: Fulmer Scott , Azaroff Lenore S. , Moir Susan 
Published: February 2007

This case study examines factors affecting the use of equipment designed to prevent lower back strain in laborers who pour concrete on major highway construction sites. Qualitative methods of organizational analysis were used to characterize factors identified from interviews and participant observation. The major obstacles to the use of the control on site were Managers placing a low priority on ergonomics Safety officers' limited power in organizational hierarchies Rationalizing, rather than challenging, resistance to change Lack of a forum to share knowledge about interventions Several organizational factors impeded the adoption of a technically effective, low-cost safety control on the site studied. The implementation of the control ultimately resulted from actions taken by the investigators, suggesting that safety programs present at the site are not always adequate to realize feasible interventions.
Anxiety Symptoms in Patients with Hypertension: A Community-Based Study
Authors: Wei Tie-Min , Wang Lexin 
Published: February 2007

Objectives: To investigate incidence and severity of anxiety symptoms in patients with hypertension. Methods: A cross-sectional survey in 891 (432 females) hypertensive patients was conducted in a regional community. All patients were interviewed and detailed physical examination was performed. Zung self-rating anxiety scale (SAS) was used to evaluate the severity of anxiety symptoms. Results: Anxiety was diagnosed on clinical grounds in 103 patients (11.6%) who also had a raw SAS score of more than 40. In all subjects surveyed, the average SAS score in females was higher than males (32.9 ± 7.1 vs 31.2 ± 6.4, p < 0.001). The average SAS score was also higher in patients with hypertension of more than 3 years (32.4 ± 7.0 vs 31.2 ± 6.1, p = 0.01), in patients with severe hypertension (39.8 ± 6.9 vs 29.6 ± 4.5, p < 0.001), and in patients with a history of hospitalization for cardiovascular disorders (35.7 ±7.7 vs 31.7 ±6.6, p < 0.001). Multivariate regression analysis showed that female gender, duration of hypertension, and hospitalization history were independent predictors of anxiety symptoms ( p < 0.05). Conclusions: Almost 12% of hypertensive patients have anxiety symptoms. Female gender, the duration of hypertension, and the history of hospitalization are associated with the occurrence and severity of anxiety symptoms in patients with hypertension.