bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
How compliant are we with guidelines for coronary angiography in clinical practice?
Authors: Leung D. Y. , Hallani H. , Lo S. T. , Hopkins A. P. , Juergens C. P. 
Published: June 2007

AbstractBackground: The American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association have published guidelines for coronary angiography. We evaluated the compliance rate with these guidelines in clinical practice, its correlation to results of angiography and aimed to identify problem areas of non‐compliance.Methods: We prospectively evaluated 802 consecutive referrals for coronary angiography over 5 months in 2002 in a tertiary referral hospital. These referrals were assessed by two independent reviewers blinded to the results of angiography.Results: Patient age was 62 ± 11 years (522 men, 433 inpatients, 369 day‐only patients). Referrals were outside published guidelines in 34.3 and 36.2% as evaluated by the two reviewers (concordance rate 88.2%, κ = 0.74, p < 0.001). Intraobserver agreement was 97.5%. The rate of angiography showing either normal arteries or only minor diseases (<50%) was higher for referrals outside guidelines (68.4 vs 22.6%, P < 0.001). Compliance rate was high with indications of non‐ST‐elevation myocardial infarction (99.2%) and ST‐elevation myocardial infarction (95.8%), valvular disease (80%) and arrhythmia (80%). Compliance rate was lower with assessment of dyspnoea or heart failure (74.3%) and before non‐cardiac surgery (72.7%) and was particularly low with assessment of chest pain (53.2%). Younger age (odds ratio (OR) 1.04, P < 0.001), female sex (OR 2.67, P < 0.001), day‐only procedure (OR 2.27, P < 0.001) and non‐invasive cardiologist referrer (OR 1.41, P = 0.046) were independent predictors of non‐compliance.Conclusion: Referrals for coronary angiography were outside guidelines in a significant proportion of patients. Rate of negative angiography was higher when the referrals were outside guidelines. Problematic areas of non‐compliance could be identified. Measures specifically targeting these areas may be more effective in improving the overall guideline compliance in clinical practice.
Drug utilization evaluation of i.v. paracetamol at a large teaching hospital
Authors: Ghiculescu R. A. , Kubler P. A. , Gleeson P. 
Published: June 2007

AbstractBackground: I. v. paracetamol has recently become available in Australia for the treatment of pain when the oral or rectal administration route is not accessible. Our primary aim was to assess compliance with prescribing guidelines and our secondary aim to evaluate the safety of i.v. paracetamol use (4 g/day) and the effect of patient comorbidities on drug safety.Methods: Eighty‐five consecutive patients were identified through the pharmacy dispensing system at a 900‐bed, metropolitan, primary care and tertiary referral hospital over a period of 7 months from December 2005 to June 2006. Cross‐sectional evaluation by patient interview, review of medical records and pathology parameters were carried out. The study has been approved by the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital Human Research Ethics Committee.Results: I.v. paracetamol was given for pain following abdominal surgery (90%) and musculoskeletal pain (10%). The comorbid conditions included severe renal impairment (9.4%), alcohol dependence (3.5%), pre‐existing liver failure (2.4%) and malnutrition (18.8%).Prescribing guidelines were not adhered to in 25% of patients. The main cause for discordance observed in 90% of this group was the administration of i.v. paracetamol despite the presence of an alternative route of administration. Eight patients received i.v. paracetamol despite not having had a surgical procedure. Twelve patients received i.v. paracetamol for longer than 48 h; no injection site reactions or toxicity were noted.Conclusion: A lack of concordance between i.v. paracetamol use and prescribing guidelines was identified. There were no new safety concerns.
Sleep health New South Wales: chronic sleep restriction and daytime sleepiness
Authors: Bartlett D. J. , Marshall N. S. , Williams A. , Grunstein R. R. 
Published: June 2007

AbstractAims:The aim of this study was to provide the first population‐based descriptions of typical sleep duration and the prevalence of chronic sleep restriction and chronic sleepiness in community‐dwelling Australian adults.Methods:Ten thousand subjects randomly selected from the New South Wales electoral roll, half aged 18–24 years and the other half aged 25–64 years were posted a questionnaire asking about sleep behaviour, sleepiness and sleep disorders.Results:Responses were received from 3300 subjects (35.6% response rate). The mean ± standard deviation of sleep duration was 7.25 ± 1.48 h/night during the week and 7.53 ± 2.01 h/night in the weekends. Of the working age group, 18.4% reported sleeping less than 6.5 h/night. Chronic daytime sleepiness was present in 11.7%. Logistic modelling indicated that the independent risk factors for excessive daytime sleepiness were being older, sleeping less than 6.5 h per night during the week, getting qualitatively insufficient sleep, having at least one symptom of insomnia and lacking enthusiasm (marker of depression).Conclusion:In New South Wales almost one‐fifth of the people are chronically sleep restricted and 11.7% are chronically sleepy. Chronic sleepiness was most commonly associated with voluntarily short sleep durations and symptoms of insomnia and depression. If the experimentally observed health effects of sleep restriction also operate at a population level, this prevalence of chronic sleep restriction is likely to have a significant influence on public health in Australia.
Has the use of disease‐modifying anti‐rheumatic drugs changed as a consequence of controlled access to high‐cost biological agents through the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme?
Authors: Lu C. Y. , Williams K. M. , Day R. O. 
Published: June 2007

AbstractBackground: A prerequisite for access to biological agents for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis under Australia’s Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) is evidence of an adequate trial of conventional disease‐modifying anti‐rheumatic drugs (DMARDs). The aim of this study was to examine whether there were changes in prescribing DMARDs since the introduction of the PBS criteria for access to biologicals in August 2003.Methods: A retrospective study was undertaken of the national use of DMARDs in the period before and after the introduction of biologicals under the PBS. Dispensing data were analysed for changes in patterns of DMARD prescription rates (2000–2005).Results: There were 2 887 746 prescriptions for DMARDs between August 2000 and June 2005. PBS prescriptions accounted for 95% of these. Government expenditure for the DMARDs was $A156m. Trends in the use of DMARDs remained relatively steady over the study period without a significant change around the time the PBS criteria for biologicals were introduced. Use of hydroxychloroquine and leflunomide increased steadily, use of methotrexate and sulfasalazine was stable and use of gold preparations and penicillamine was considerably lower during this 5‐year period.Conclusion: Introduction of PBS criteria for access to biologicals did not alter the trends in use of DMARDs based on national dispensing data. This study emphasized the value that would accrue from availability of more comprehensive, de‐identified, individual patient data that would enable more detailed examination of the use of medicines. These data are available, but cannot be easily accessed. It is time to make the data available for approved, ethical research in the interests of better outcomes from medicines supplied under PBS.
Rural Organisation of Acute Stroke Teams project
Authors: Wright A. A. , Ranmuthugala G. , Jones J. , Maydom B. , Disler P. 
Published: June 2007

AbstractBackground: Improving the care of stroke patients is a national priority for the health system in Australia. In rural areas the challenges may be greater. Although best‐practice guidelines for acute and subacute stroke care are well established, their general uptake appears to be limited and implementation strategies are required to promote the use of this evidence‐based care. The Rural Organisation of Australian Stroke Teams (ROAST) project sought to promote the evidence‐based stroke practice in rural hospitals.Methods: This was a prospective observational project designed to improve the services provided to rural stroke patients, primarily through better organisation of care on general medical wards and emergency departments. Using recognized support strategies, we encouraged the use of nationally recognized key performance indicators and provided audit and feedback of adherence to these indicators to participating hospitals.Results: Six Victorian hospitals participated in this initial phase of the ROAST project. Information was collected on 348 patients. Ten of the 11 indicators showed greater than 10% improvement in adherence levels and by the end of the project period compared favourably to levels of adherence described in metropolitan hospitals.Conclusion: The ROAST projected supported a network of clinicians to implement evidence‐based guidelines in acute stroke care in the setting of general medical wards. In doing so, this project has shown that it is quite feasible to deliver best‐practice care to stroke patients in rural Australia.
The impact of reducing the prostate‐specific antigen threshold and including isoform reflex tests on the performance characteristics of a prostate‐cancer detection programme
Authors: Roddam Andrew W. , Hamdy Freddie C. , Allen Naomi E. , Price Christopher P. ,   for the UK Prostate Cancer Risk Management Programme
Published: June 2007

OBJECTIVETo assess the effects on the performance characteristics, in a prostate‐cancer detection programme using prostate‐specific antigen (PSA) levels, of a lower PSA threshold and the incorporation of reflex (free or complexed PSA) tests.METHODSWe reviewed publications and extracted data on PSA distributions and performance characteristics of the PSA test and isoform tests from population‐based surveys. We estimated the rate of biopsy, cancers detected, and cancers missed that would result from lowering PSA thresholds and including reflex testing.RESULTSLowering the PSA threshold for biopsy referral to 2 ng/mL would increase the number of referrals from 110 to 230 per 1000 men tested, with most of the extra biopsies being among men with no cancer, i.e. an increase from 74 to 172 per 1000 men tested. However, this increased testing would result in an increase in the cancer‐detection rate from 3.6% to 5.8%. Including a reflex test for men with moderately elevated PSA levels has little effect on programme performance, with only a modest (10–15%) reduction in unnecessary biopsies and a small increase in the numbers of missed cancers.CONCLUSIONSLowering PSA thresholds, with or without the concurrent introduction of reflex tests, would increase both the numbers of cancers detected and the number of patients referred for biopsy procedures, of which most would be unnecessary. As the extra cancers detected are likely to be clinically localized, and with no evidence that their treatment improves the outcome of the disease, such changes place a possibly unjustified additional burden on the healthcare provider.
Bad expression influences time to androgen escape in prostate cancer
Authors: Teo Katy , Gemmell Lisa , Mukherjee Rono , Traynor Pamela , Edwards Joanne 
Published: June 2007

OBJECTIVETo assess the role of selected downstream Bcl‐2 family members (Bad, Bax, Bcl‐2 and Bcl‐xL) in the development of androgen‐independent prostate cancer (AIPC), as androgen‐deprivation therapy is the treatment of choice in advanced prostate cancer, yet patients generally relapse and progress to an AI state within 18–24 months.PATIENTS, MATERIALS AND METHODSThe patient cohort was established by retrospectively selecting patients with prostate cancer who had an initial response to androgen‐deprivation therapy, but subsequently relapsed with AIPC. In all, 58 patients with prostate cancer were included with matched androgen‐dependent (AD) and AI prostate tumours available for immunohistochemical analysis; two independent observers using a weighted‐histoscore method scored the staining. Changes in Bad, Bax, Bcl‐2 and Bcl‐xL expression during transition to AIPC were evaluated and then correlated to known clinical variables.RESULTSHigh Bad expression in AD tumours was associated with an increased time to biochemical relapse (P = 0.007) and a trend towards improved overall survival (P = 0.053). There were also trends towards a decrease in Bad (P = 0.068) and Bax (P = 0.055) expression with progression to AIPC. There were no significant results for Bcl‐2 or Bcl‐xL.CONCLUSIONThere is evidence to suggest that Bad expression levels at diagnosis influence time to biochemical relapse and overall survival, and that levels of pro‐apoptotic proteins Bad and Bax fall during AIPC development. Bad might therefore represent a possible positive prognostic marker and potential therapeutic target for AIPC in the future.
Increased Akt and phosphorylated Akt expression are associated with malignant biological features of prostate cancer in Japanese men
Authors: Shimizu Yousuke , Segawa Takehiko , Inoue Takahiro , Shiraishi Taizo , Yoshida Toru , Toda Yoshinobu , Yamada Tomomi , Kinukawa Naoko , Terada Naoki , Kobayashi Takashi , Kinoshita Hidefumi , Kamoto Toshiyuki , Nakamura Eijiro , Ogawa Osamu 
Published: June 2007

OBJECTIVETo investigate the relationship between the expression of Akt (a serine/threonine kinase that plays a central role in tumorigenesis), phosphorylated Akt (p‐Akt), prostate cancer tumour grade, androgen receptor (AR)‐staining score, and Ki67 labelling index (LI) in Japanese men.PATIENTS, MATERIALS AND METHODSThe expression and activation of the cell survival protein Akt was analysed by immunohistochemical staining of paraffin‐embedded tissue microarray sections of prostate carcinoma taken from 52 Japanese men who under radical prostatectomy. The correlation between the expression of Akt and p‐Akt, and their relationship to primary Gleason grade, AR expression and Ki‐67 LI was investigated.RESULTSThe expression of Akt and p‐Akt were positively related to primary Gleason grade (Fisher’s exact test, P = 0.002 and P = 0.032, respectively). Both AR‐staining score and Ki67 LI were were positively related to the expression of Akt (both P < 0.001) and p‐Akt (P < 0.001 and P = 0.008, respectively). There was a significant positive correlation between the expression of Akt and p‐Akt (Spearman’s correlation, r = 0.644, P < 0.001).CONCLUSIONSIncreased expression of both Akt and p‐Akt were associated with higher tumour grade as well as a higher AR‐staining score and Ki67 LI. These data indicate that Akt and p‐Akt might be molecular markers for detecting malignant biological features of prostate cancer in the Japanese population.
The use of the interactive whiteboard for creative teaching and learning in literacy and mathematics: a case study
Authors: Wood Ruth , Ashfield Jean 
Published: June 2007

AbstractThis paper considers the ways in which the interactive whiteboard may support and enhance pedagogic practice through whole‐class teaching within literacy and numeracy. Data collected from observations of whole‐class lessons, alongside individual interviews and focus group discussions with class teachers and Initial Teacher Education students, has provided opportunities to consider the potential of such technology to facilitate a more creative approach to whole‐class teaching. The data suggests that, in the first instance, the special features of information and communications technology such as interactivity, ‘provisionality,’ speed, capacity and range enhance the delivery and pace of the session. This research seems to indicate that it is the skill and the professional knowledge of the teacher who mediates the interaction, and facilitates the development of pupils' creative responses at the interface of technology, which is critical to the enhancement of the whole‐class teaching and learning processes.
Integrating Culture in the Design of ICTs
Authors: Young Patricia A. 
Published: June 2007

AbstractNationally and internationally, designers are challenged with meeting the needs of diverse populations, and they are faced with the dilemma of how to integrate culture in the design of information and communication technologies (ICTs). This paper reviews the literature in the fields of human–computer interaction and instructional design to argue that the present methods of integrating culture in design serve a limited scope of what culture can be in the design process. Two conclusions were drawn from this research. First, it is apparent that integrating culture in the design of ICTs serves a broader scope, from the generic or culture‐neutral, to the specialised or culture‐specific. Second, this review indicates that design has not caught up with technology and that to create for diverse audiences the process must be deliberate.
Influence of human tryptophan hydroxylase 2 N‐ and C‐terminus on enzymatic activity and oligomerization
Authors: Tenner K. , Walther D. , Bader M. 
Published: June 2007

AbstractTryptophan hydroxylase (TPH) catalyses the first and rate limiting step in the biosynthesis of the neurotransmitter serotonin. There are two TPH isoenzymes in humans, encoded by two different genes: TPH1 and the recently described TPH2. We have expressed both human enzymes and various deletion mutants of TPH2 (ΔN44, ΔC17, ΔC19, ΔC51) in COS7 cells. TPH1 and 2 displayed different kinetic properties with a lower Km value of TPH1. Removal of 44 amino acids from the N‐terminus of TPH2 resulted in a 3–4‐fold increased Vmax, which indicates a strong inhibitory function of this part on the enzymes activity. TPH1 and 2 were able to form homooligomers and also heterooligomers with each other. The different deletion mutants (ΔC17, ΔC19 and ΔC51), which lack the putative C‐terminal leucine zipper tetramerization domain, existed as monomeric enzymes. While short deletions (ΔC17 and ΔC19) hardly changed Vmax values, the ΔC51 mutant lost 99% of TPH activity. These data identify a region between the C‐terminal oligomerization domain and the catalytic domain, which is indispensable for TPH2 activity.
Hsp70/Hsc70 regulates the effect phosphorylation has on stabilizing ataxin‐1
Authors: Jorgensen Nathan D. , Andresen J. Michael , Pitt Jason E. , Swenson Melissa A. , Zoghbi Huda Y. , Orr Harry T. 
Published: June 2007

AbstractSpinocerebellar ataxia type 1 (SCA1) is an inherited neurodegenerative disorder. The mutation causing SCA1 is an expansion in the polyglutamine tract of the ATXN1 protein. Previous work demonstrated that phosphorylation of mutant ATXN1 at serine 776 (S776), a putative Akt phosphorylation site, is critical for pathogenesis. To examine this pathway further, we utilized a cell‐transfection system that allowed the targeting of Akt to either the cytoplasm or the nucleus. In contrast to HeLa cells, we found that Akt targeted to the cytoplasm increased the degradation of ATXN1 in Chinese hamster ovary cells. However, Akt targeted to the cytoplasm failed to destabilize ATXN1 if Hsp70/Hsc70 was present. Thus, Hsp70/Hsc70 can regulate ATXN1 levels in concert with phosphorylation of ATXN1 at S776.
Agonist selective modulation of tyrosine hydroxylase expression by cannabinoid ligands in a murine neuroblastoma cell line
Authors: Bosier Barbara , Tilleux Sébastien , Najimi Mustapha , Lambert Didier M. , Hermans Emmanuel 
Published: June 2007

AbstractFunctional interactions between catecholamines and cannabinoid transmission systems could explain the influence of Δ9‐tetrahydrocannabinol on several central activities. Hence, the presence of cannabinoid CB1 receptors in tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) containing cells has been suggested, providing clue for a direct control of catecholamines synthesis. In the present study, we evidenced the constitutive expression of functional cannabinoid CB1 receptors in N1E‐115 neuroblastoma and reported on the use of this model to examine the influence of diverse cannabinoid ligands on TH expression. Exposure of the cells to the high‐affinity agonist HU 210 (5 h) resulted in a significant decrease in TH content (pEC50: 6.40). In contrast, no change was observed after a similar treatment with the structurally unrelated agonist CP 55,940. Besides, the use of a luciferase reporter assay revealed that these two agonists showed opposite influences on TH gene promoter activity. Thus, in cells expressing pTH‐luc constructs, inhibition and induction of luciferase activity were respectively observed with HU 210 (pEC50: 8.95) and CP 55,940 (pEC50: 9.09). Pharmacological characterisation revealed that these reciprocal responses were both related to the specific activation of cannabinoid CB1 receptor, suggesting an agonist‐dependent modulation of distinct signalling pathways. While these data points out the possible pharmacological manipulation of TH expression by cannabinoid ligands, such approach should take into account the existence of agonist selective trafficking of cannabinoid CB1 receptor signalling.
Isolation and characterization of eight polymorphic microsatellite loci in the rainforest canopy tree, Syzygium sayeri (Myrtaceae)
Authors: HILLYER MIA J. , BOULTER SARAH L. , KITCHING ROGER L. , HUGHES JANE M. 
Published: June 2007

AbstractEight polymorphic microsatellite loci were isolated from the rainforest canopy tree, Syzygium sayeri, in order to study parentage and subsequently pollen dispersal among individuals in wild populations. Screening of one natural population (n = 64) mapped in a 500 × 500 m area at Cape Tribulation, north Queensland, Australia, yielded two to 11 alleles per locus with observed levels of heterozygosity ranging from 0.07 to 0.70. One locus was significantly out of Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium after Bonferroni correction for multiple tests. These loci should provide a useful tool in further understanding the dispersal patterns of this species.
Ten polymorphic microsatellite markers in the invasive round goby (Neogobius melanostomus) and cross‐species amplification
Authors: DUFOUR BRADLEY A. , HOGAN TERRY M. , HEATH DANIEL D. 
Published: June 2007

AbstractTen tetranucleotide, dinucleotide and compound microsatellite loci were isolated and characterized for the round goby, Neogobius melanostomus. Analysis of 64 gobies from one nonindigenous population in Lake Erie, Ontario, Canada, indicated that allele number varied from three to 12 per locus, while observed heterozygosity ranged between 0.33 and 0.86. Eight of these primers showed some amplification in other species in four genera. These newly developed microsatellite markers are a powerful tool that will provide insights into population structure and dispersal of the round goby in their novel environment.
Isolation and characterization of microsatellite DNA loci from Russell's snapper (Lutjanus russellii)
Authors: GUO YU‐SONG , WANG ZHONG‐DUO , LIU CHU‐WU , LIU LI , LIU YUN 
Published: June 2007

AbstractA total of 37 microsatellite loci from the Russell's snapper, Lutjanus russellii, were successfully isolated and characterized. Thirty‐four loci were polymorphic in L. russellii samples. Twenty of the 37 markers did not differ significantly from Hardy–Weinberg expected genotype proportions. Significant linkage disequilibrium was detected in one pairwise comparison. The numbers of alleles and observed heterozygosities in polymorphic loci ranged from two to 16 and from 0.41 to 0.95, respectively. These markers will be useful for studying the population genetic structure of this species.