bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Health Care Markets, the Safety Net, and Utilization of Care among the Uninsured
Authors: Gresenz Carole Roan , Rogowski Jeannette , Escarce José J. 
Published: July 2006

Objective. To quantify the relationship between utilization of care among the uninsured and the structure of the local health care market and safety net.Data Sources/Study Setting. Nationally representative data from the 1996 to 2000 waves of the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) linked to data from multiple secondary sources.Study Design. We separately analyze outpatient care utilization and whether an individual incurred any medical expenditure among uninsured adults living in urban and rural areas. Safety net measures include distances between each individual and the nearest safety net providers as well as a measure of capacity based on local government and hospital health expenditures. Other covariates include the managed care presence in the local health care market, the percentage of individuals who are uninsured in the area, and local primary care physician supply. We simulate utilization using standardized predictions.Principal Findings. Distances between the rural uninsured and safety net providers are significantly associated with utilization. In urban areas, we find that the percentage of individuals in the area who are uninsured, the pervasiveness and competitiveness of managed care, the primary care physician supply, and safety net capacity have a significant relationship with health care utilization.Conclusions. Facilitating transport to safety net providers and increasing the number of such providers are likely to increase utilization of care among the rural uninsured. Our findings for urban areas suggest that the uninsured living in areas where managed care presence is substantial, and especially where managed care competition is limited, could be a target for policies to improve the ability of the uninsured to obtain care. Policies oriented toward enhancing funding for the safety net and increasing the capacity of safety net providers are likely to be important to ensuring the urban uninsured are able to obtain health care.
Levetiracetam Intravenous Infusion: A Randomized, Placebo‐controlled Safety and Pharmacokinetic Study
Authors: Ramael Steven , Daoust Agnès , Otoul Christian , Toublanc Nathalie , Troenaru Mona , Lu Zhihong (Sarah) , Stockis Armel 
Published: July 2006

Summary:  Purpose: The primary objective of this placebo‐controlled study was to evaluate the safety and tolerability of levetiracetam (LEV) administered intravenously (IV) at higher doses and/or at a faster infusion rate than proposed. The secondary objective was to assess LEV pharmacokinetics. Methods: Single ascending doses of LEV administered by IV infusion (2,000, 3,000, 4,000 mg over 15 min; 1,500, 2,000, 2,500 mg over 5 min) were evaluated in 48 healthy subjects in a randomized, single‐blind, placebo‐controlled study. Results: All randomized subjects completed the study. Adverse events reported after IV administration of LEV (≤4,000 mg infused over 15 min and ≤2,500 mg infused over 5 min) were primarily related to the CNS (dizziness, 52.8%; somnolence, 33.3%; fatigue, 11.1%; headache, 8.3%) and were consistent with the established safety profile for the oral formulation. Safety profiles were similar for each dose level of LEV and for both IV infusion rates, with no clear relation noted between incidence of adverse events and IV dose level or infusion rate. The pharmacokinetics of LEV administered by IV infusion was comparable across all dose groups and infusion rates. Respective geometric means (coefficient of variation) for 4,000 mg administered over 15 min and 2,500 mg infused over 5 min were maximum plasma concentration, 145 (24.6%) and 94.3 (36.2%) μg/ml; area under the plasma concentration–time curve, 1,239 (19.2%) and 585 (9.6%) μg/h/ml; terminal half‐life, 8.0 (14.5%) and 7.0 (12.7%) h. Conclusions: LEV administered by IV infusion at dosages and/or infusion rates higher than those proposed was well tolerated in healthy subjects, and the pharmacokinetic profile was consistent with that for LEV administered orally.
Sleep Disturbances Reported by Refractory Partial‐onset Epilepsy Patients Receiving Polytherapy
Authors: Xu Xiao , Brandenburg Nancy A. , McDermott Anne M. , Bazil Carl W. 
Published: July 2006

Summary:  Purpose: Although sleep disturbances are common in epilepsy, few studies examined the prevalence and impact of sleep disturbance in epilepsy patients. This study investigates these in a cross‐sectional survey. Methods: We surveyed 201 adult partial‐onset epilepsy patients taking stable regimens of two or more antiepileptic medications. Community‐based U.S. neurologists recorded patient demographic and clinical information. Patients completed the Medical Outcomes Study (MOS) Sleep Scale, the Quality of Life in Epilepsy‐10 instrument (QOLIE‐10), and the EuroQol‐5D (EQ‐5D). We evaluated the associations of sleep with health‐related quality of life and clinical and demographic characteristics by using correlation coefficients and analysis of variance. Results: Mean (SD) age was 44.2 (12.5); 34% of patients had diagnosed sleep disturbances; 10% received prescription sleep medications. Patients with sleep disturbance reported poorer mean QOLIE‐10 (55.2 vs. 63.7; p = 0.006) and EQ‐5D (0.49 vs. 0.71; p < 0.001) scores relative to those without sleep disturbances. The mean (SD) MOS Sleep Problems Index score was 36.2 (20.8), worse than the general population mean of 26. Patients with physician‐reported anxiety or depression had more sleep problems than did those without these comorbidities. Higher Sleep Problems Index scores were significantly (p < 0.001) correlated with poorer QOLIE‐10 (r=–0.49) and EQ‐5D (r=–0.56) scores. Patients experiencing a seizure within the past week reported higher MOS Sleep Problems Index scores than did those with a less‐recent seizure (41.5 vs. 32.8; p = 0.003). Conclusions: Diagnosed and self‐reported sleep disturbances in patients with partial‐onset epilepsy are frequently overlooked, but are negatively associated with everyday functioning and well‐being, and therefore contribute significantly to the burden of epilepsy.
A Drink to Healthy Aging: The Association Between Older Women's Use of Alcohol and Their Health‐Related Quality of Life
Authors: Byles Julie , Young Anne , Furuya Hiroyuki , Parkinson Lynne 
Published: July 2006

OBJECTIVES: To assess the relationship between alcohol intake and mortality in a cohort of women aged 70 and older and to explore the relationship between level of alcohol use and changes in physical and mental health‐related quality of life.DESIGN: National longitudinal surveys from 1996 to 2002.SETTING: Community based.PARTICIPANTS: A national random sample of 12,432 Australian women aged 70 to 75 at baseline.MEASUREMENTS: Alcohol consumption was the factor of interest, and the main outcome measures were survival and health‐related quality of life, with adjustment for potential confounders.RESULTS: Women who did not consume alcohol or who drank rarely were more likely to die (nondrinkers' hazard (HR)=ratio 1.94, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.4–2.6; rare drinkers' HR=1.58, 95% CI=1.2–2.1) than women in the low‐intake reference category (1–2 drinks per day, 3–6 days per week), or if they survived, they had lower health‐related quality‐of‐life scores on the General Health and Physical Functioning subscales of the Medical Outcomes Study 36‐item Short Form Survey after adjustment for smoking, comorbidity, education, body mass index, and area of residence. Nondrinkers also scored lower on the Mental Health and Social Functioning subscales.CONCLUSION: Being a nondrinker of alcohol was associated with greater risk of death and poorer health‐related quality of life. Results for other levels of intake were consistent with current Australian alcohol consumption recommendations for women and indicated that moderate alcohol intake may carry some health benefits for older women in terms of survival and quality of life.
Impact of Information Technology Integration and Lean/Just‐In‐Time Practices on Lead‐Time Performance*
Authors: Ward Peter , Zhou Honggeng 
Published: July 2006

ABSTRACTManagers seeking to improve lead‐time performance are challenged by how to balance resources and investments between process improvement achieved through lean/just‐in‐time (JIT) practices and information technology (IT) deployment. However, extant literature provides little guidance on this question. Motivated by both practical importance and lack of academic research, this article examines empirically the relationships among interfirm IT integration, intrafirm IT integration, lean/JIT practices, and lead‐time performance using data from IndustryWeek's Census of Manufacturers (IndustryWeek, 2006). The results provide several new insights on the relationship between IT integration and lean/JIT practices. First, the study confirms that implementing lean/JIT practices significantly reduces lead time. Second, lean/JIT practices mediate the influence of IT integration on lead‐time performance. This suggests that process improvements that result from lean/JIT practices are important contributors to the success of IT integration. Even companies that have experienced success in reducing lead time through lean/JIT practices may benefit from IT integration practices such as those embodied in enterprise resource planning systems. The findings provide managers with empirical evidence and a theoretical framework on the balance between lean/JIT and IT for effecting improvement in lead‐time performance, thus offering practical guidance on this important question. Future research is needed to extend the lean/JIT practices in this study to supply chain practices and explore the relationship between supply chain practices and IT integration.
Recursive Behavior of Safety Stock Reduction: The Effect of Lead‐Time Uncertainty
Authors: Wang Ping , Hill James A. 
Published: July 2006

ABSTRACTMotivated by a recent paper on the effect of lead‐time variability reduction on safety stocks, we provide evidence of the recursive nature of safety stock changes. When lead times follow a gamma distribution we demonstrate that, for cycle service levels between .60 and .70, the reduction of lead‐time variability will first increase safety stock and then either recursively decrease safety stock or make it remain constant. We also numerically show the existence of the recursive effect. A two‐by‐two matrix is introduced to assist managers in making decisions regarding safety stock policy.
Preadult onset vs. adult onset of major depressive disorder: a replication study
Authors: Zisook S. , Rush A. J. , Lesser I. , Wisniewski S. R. , Trivedi M. , Husain M. M. , Balasubramani G. K. , Alpert J. E. , Fava M. 
Published: July 2006

Objective:  In the first 1500 participants with major depressive disorder (MDD) that entered the sequenced treatment alternatives to relieve depression (STAR*D) study, those with preadult onset MDD were more likely to be women and to have a more chronic, severe and disabling form of depression than those with adult onset MDD. This study seeks to replicate these findings.Method:  The second wave of STAR*D enrollees included 2541 out‐patients with MDD, divided into preadult (before age 18) and adult (age 18 or later) onset groups.Results:  Participants with a preadult onset of MDD (38%) were younger, ill for longer and more likely to be women than those with adult onset MDD (62%). After adjusting for age, duration of illness and gender, participants with preadult onset MDD also had higher rates of family history of depression, more past suicide attempts, and lower rates of obsessive compulsive and panic disorder.Conclusion:  Preadult onset MDD may be associated with a more familial form of depression with more suicidality than adult onset MDD.
Synergistic effects of verapamil on pingyangmycin‐induced cytotoxicity and apoptosis in KB cells
Authors: Ho Y‐C , Tai K‐W , Chang Y‐C 
Published: July 2006

Objectives: Previous studies have shown that pingyangmycin (PYM; bleomycin A5) can induce two distinct modes of cell death (necrosis, apoptosis). At high concentrations, PYM can be considered as an apoptosis mimetic drug. In this study, we explored the possibility that the membrane‐modifying agent verapamil might affect the transport function of PYM through the plasma membrane, resulting in inducing apoptosis of tumor cells at low concentration of PYM.Methods: Cytotoxicity, flow cytometry and DNA fragmentation assays were used to detect the interaction of verapamil and PYM in human oral carcinoma cell line KB cells.Results: Our results indicated that verapamil can enhance the cytotoxicity of PYM against KB cells with the non‐toxic doses (P < 0.05). The cell viability at a concentration of 500 μg ml−1of PYM was 35 ± 2% compared with control and 10 μg ml−1verapamil decreased the cell viability lower to 28 ± 1%. In addition, because of the synergistic effect of verapamil, KB cells apoptosis was found to be induced when treated with a lower concentration of PYM (50 μg ml−1) for 24 h by flow cytometry and DNA fragmentation assays.Conclusions: Verapamil was found to enhance PYM‐induced cytotoxicity and apoptosis in KB cells. The responsiveness of PYM might be explained by the effective accumulation of PYM by verapamil in KB cells mediated by the inhibition of PYM efflux function of the cells.
Angioma serpiginosum following the lines of Blaschko – an effective treatment with the IPL technology
Authors: Poenitz Nina , Koenen Wolfgang , Utikal Jochen , Goerdt Sergij 
Published: July 2006

SummaryAngioma serpiginosum, first described by Hutchinson in 1889, is a rare benign vascular nevus with dilatation and proliferation of the capillaries in the upper dermis. A 15‐year‐old boy presented with an angioma serpiginosum on the right side of the body following the lines of Blaschko. Both the clinical pattern and the appearance in a male are unusual.Treatment with IPL technology (intense pulsed light), which emits polychromatic light from a high‐intensity flashlamp, proved to be an effective approach.
Cultural History, Interdisciplinarity, and Romanticism
Authors: Fay Elizabeth 
Published: July 2006

AbstractThis article examines cultural history in relation to interdisciplinary studies and surveys the issues that interdisciplinarity problematizes. Interdisciplinary work presupposes the disciplines, with their predetermined and generalized objects of study; cultural history, sometimes confused with cultural studies and cultural critique, begins with a question that determines a particular object of study. The very nature of interdisciplinarity is interrogated in order to understand its difficulties and its benefits in relation to cultural history. Examples of one kind of cultural history – that of the bodily histories of sensual culture and gestural culture – are examined in relation to Romantic Studies to point to the potential of cultural history studies.
Comparison of the effect of market crop wastes and chemical soil fertility amendments on insect pests, natural enemies and yield of Brassica oleracea
Authors: Karungi J. , Kyamanywa S. , Ekbom B. 
Published: July 2006

AbstractField studies were conducted over three growing seasons during 2 years to assess the relative effect of market crop waste (MCW)‐derived soil fertility amendments and conventional fertiliser (NPK) on tritrophic relations as well as yield performance of white cabbage. A randomised complete block design with four treatments and a control replicated four times was used. Treatments were (a) MCW compost incorporated in the soil, (b) uncomposted MCW incorporated in the soil, (c) uncomposted MCW applied as surface mulch, (d) a conventional chemical fertiliser (NPK) incorporated in the soil and (e) the untreated control. Results indicated that relative to NPK‐amended plants, MCW‐amended cabbage performed better in plant growth parameters as well as yield, despite having sustained aphid and Plutella xylostella infestations that could be as much as double as those in the NPK treatment. Natural enemy occurrence followed the trend of host insect infestations. The average yield performance and net financial benefits from MCW‐compost‐amended plants were three‐fold as that of NPK‐amended plants. Soil analysis results indicated an advantage in soil quality accruing from the MCW amendments. This study, therefore, provides documentation for the utilisation of MCW, previously handled as garbage to be disposed of, as a key component in integrated management of insect pests and depleted soils in crop production in sub‐Saharan Africa and beyond.
Detection and variability of the lethal yellowing group (16Sr IV) phytoplasmas in the Cedusa sp. (Hemiptera: Auchenorrhyncha: Derbidae) in Jamaica
Authors: Brown S.E. , Been B.O. , McLaughlin W.A. 
Published: July 2006

AbstractLethal yellowing (LY) group phytoplasma was detected in members of the Cedusa species of Derbids from Jamaica by nested PCR assay employing the rRNA primer pairs P1/P7 and LY16Sf/LY16Sr. A 1400‐bp product was obtained from 13/43 Derbids that were analysed. Restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of the nested PCR product revealed variations in 6/13 Derbids analysed, suggesting that the planthoppers could be infected with different strains of the LY group phytoplasma. Sequence analysis of the 16S rDNA gene determined that the percentage of similarity of the phytoplasma strains in the Derbids ranged from 97–98% to the phytoplasma strain found in coconuts in Florida (LYFL‐C2) and Jamaica (LYJ‐C8). The phytoplasma strains in the Derbids clustered together with the Jamaican and Florida coconut LY phytoplasma, as well as other characterised strains composing the LY phytoplasma (16Sr IV) group.
Metabolism of carbohydrate in alimentary tract of reindeer in winter
Authors: KOCHAN Tatyana I. 
Published: July 2006

AbstractThe study was conducted on six reindeers in December. It was established that concentration of reducing sugars in the chyme of jejunum increases substantially (6 times in comparison with abomasum), whereas concentration cellulose, on the contrary, decreases (4.5 times). The maximal increase of monosaccharides in the small intestine testifies to formation of metabolic fund of sugars in this part of the alimentary tract due to high degree of polysaccharides hydrolysis of exogenous, as well as endogenous, microbial formation. Obtained data assume that the need of the reindeer for glucose is provided for not only by gluconeogenesis as it was considered before, but also by absorption of monosaccharides from the alimentary tract.
Using molecular and quantitative variation for assessing genetic impacts on Nucella lapillus populations after local extinction and recolonization
Authors: Colson Isabelle , Guerra‐Varela Jorge , Hughes Roger N. , Rolán‐Alvarez Emilio 
Published: July 2006

AbstractThe dogwhelk Nucella lapillus is a predatory marine gastropod living on rocky shores in the North Atlantic. As with many other gastropod species, Nucella was affected by tributyltin (TBT) pollution during the 1970s and 1980s, and local populations underwent extinction. After a partial ban on TBT in the UK in 1987, vacant sites have been recolonized. Levels of genetic diversity and quantitative genetic variation in shell form were compared between recolonized sites and sites that showed continuous population at three localities across the British Isles. Overall, estimates of genetic diversity were only slightly lower in recolonized populations, suggesting that populations have recovered from previous impacts due to the relatively high levels of migration from non‐impacted sites. Molecular and quantitative analyses are broadly concordant and a positive correlation was observed (although not statistically significant) between molecular and quantitative estimates of genetic diversity, indicating the potential usefulness of quantitative methods to complement molecular population genetics analyses.
Intracerebral haemorrhage associated with hourly concentration of ambient particulate matter: case-crossover analysis
Authors: Yamazaki S , Nitta H , Ono M , Green J , Fukuhara S 
Published: July 2006

Aims:To examine the association of hourly time lagged concentration of ambient particulate matter and death due to stroke.Methods:Mortality data for five years (January 1990 to December 1994) were obtained from the Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare of Japan. Data were used only if the deceased was 65 years old or older at the time of death, if death was attributed to intracerebral haemorrhage or ischaemic stroke, and if the deceased lived in one of 13 major urban areas. Hourly mean concentrations of PM7, NO2, and photochemical oxidants were measured at monitoring stations in the 13 areas. Time stratified case-crossover analysis was used to examine the data for evidence of triggering stroke mortality.Results:The 1-hour mean concentration of PM7 measured about 2 hours before death was associated with the risk of death due to intracerebral haemorrhage from April to September (odds ratio = 2.40, 95% CI 1.48 to 3.89, for exposure to PM7 of more than 200 μg/m3(threshold)). The higher risk was independent of the 24-hour mean concentration of PM7. PM7 was not associated with death due to ischaemic stroke.Conclusions:Transiently high concentrations of PM7 are associated with death due to intracerebral haemorrhage. Air quality standards or guidelines for particulate matter should be based not only on 24-hour mean concentrations, but also on hourly data.
Chronic Administration of Valproic Acid Inhibits Prostate Cancer Cell Growth In vitro and In vivo
Authors: Xia Qinghua , Sung Jennifer , Chowdhury Wasim , Chen Chien-lun , Höti Naseruddin , Shabbeer Shabana , Carducci Michael , Rodriguez Ronald 
Published: July 2006

Abstract
Valproic acid (VPA) is an established drug in the long-term therapy of seizure disorders. Recently, VPA has been associated with anticancer activity, an effect thought to be mediated through the inhibition of cellular histone deacetylase 1. We investigated the effect of various doses of VPA (0, 1.2, and 5.0 mmol/L) administered either acutely or chronically on histone acetylation, p21 gene expression, androgen receptor expression, prostate-specific antigen (PSA) expression, and cell survival and proliferation in prostate cancer cell lines. We also studied the effect of chronic VPA on tumor xenograft growth in vivo. Our results show that acute treatment (3 days) VPA can increase net histone H3 acetylation and up-regulate p21, AR, and cytosolic PSA expression. Interestingly, the effects on AR and PSA are reversed with chronic teatment. In addition, acute VPA reduces cell survival but has no effect on the subsequent proliferation of surviving cells following drug withdrawal. However, when VPA is chronically administered (10-14 days) to prostate cancer cells, even lower doses of VPA result in marked decreases in the net proliferation rate, correlating with increased caspase-2 and caspase-3 activation. These effects are evident in both androgen receptor-positive (LNCaP and C4-2) and androgen receptor-negative (DU145 and PC3) prostate cancer cells. Moreover, chronic VPA treatment results in statistically significant reduction of tumor xenograft growth in vivo. We conclude that acute treatment has nominal effects on prostate cancer cell survival and proliferation, but chronic VPA results in profound decreases in proliferation, independently of androgen regulation. (Cancer Res 2006; 66(14): 7237-44)