bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The economics of blood: Gift of life or a commodity?
Authors: Kanavos Panos , Yfantopoulos John , Vandoros Christina , Politis Costantina 
Published: February 2008

Objectives:To calculate the costs of blood collection, testing, storage, and transfusion in Greece.Methods:Costing information was collected from two large public hospitals, in Athens and Crete, that also act as blood banks. Given that private health care accounts for 40 percent of total health spending, the same costs were also considered in a private setting by collecting key reagent cost data from a leading private hospital in Athens. Mainly direct costs were considered (advertising campaigns, personnel, storage and maintenance, reagent costs, transportation costs from blood bank to end-use hospitals, and cross-matching and transfusion costs in receiving hospitals) and some indirect costs (opportunity cost of blood donorship).Results:Captive donorship accounts for over 50 percent of the national blood supply. A unit of blood transfused would cost between €294.83 and €339.83 in public hospitals and could reach €413.93 in a private facility. This figure may be an underestimate, as it excludes opportunity costs of blood transfusion for patients and the healthcare system.Conclusions:Blood has a significant cost to the health system. Policy makers and practitioners should encourage its rational use, build on current policies to further improve collection and distribution, encourage further volunteer donorship in Greece, and also consider alternatives to blood where the possibility exists.
Women's preferences for cervical cancer screening: A study using a discrete choice experiment
Authors: Wordsworth Sarah , Ryan Mandy , Skåtun Diane , Waugh Norman 
Published: February 2008

Objectives: Recent policy recommendations for cervical screening include liquid-based cytology. This new approach could improve laboratory throughput, reducing the waiting time for test results. New guidelines also standardize the interval for screening, with women aged 25–50 offered screening every 3 years and women aged 50–64 every 5 years. Quantitative evidence on the preferences of women for alternative screening programs is limited; this study, therefore, elicits such preferences.Methods: A postal questionnaire using a discrete choice experiment was mailed to 2,000 women in the Tayside Health Board region of Scotland.Results: A response rate of 44 percent from those women who had previously had a smear was achieved. Women had a significant positive preference for reductions in recall rates and waiting time for results. Women preferred more frequent screening, particularly those aged 50+. Expected reductions in the chance of recall from the conventional Pap smear to the new liquid-based cytology were associated with a willingness to pay of £41. Women aged 50+ would be willing to pay £42 to increase the frequency of screening from every 5 to every 3 years. Service characteristics did not influence screening participation.Conclusions: Guidance to move to liquid-based cytology will meet women's preferences for fewer repeat cervical smears and should reduce waiting time for results. However, proposals to increase screening intervals for those aged 50+ are inconsistent with the preferences for this age group. From a policy perspective, our study results suggest that the changes in attributes of the service such as unsatisfactory smear rates and frequency of screening, will improve service efficiency without affecting participation rates.
Decision makers' and scientists' opinion about contingent valuation and choice experiments for measuring willingness to pay in health care: Results from a survey in Germany
Authors: Günther Oliver H. , König Hans-Helmut 
Published: February 2008

Objectives: Assessment of willingness to pay (WTP) by contingent valuation (CV) and choice experiments (CE) is increasingly performed in economic evaluation of health care. However, the question of whether the methods for measuring WTP are acceptable to decision makers and scientists has remained largely unacknowledged. The aim of this study was to learn more about decision makers' and scientists' opinion concerning these methods.Methods: An expert group developed a questionnaire consisting of key items that may influence the opinion about CV and CE according to the constructs “attitude toward behavior,” “subjective norm,” and “behavioral intention” as defined by the Theory of Reasoned Action by Ajzen and Fishbein. In a survey, seventy-seven decision makers representing key institutions in the German healthcare system and forty-two scientists in health economics completed the questionnaire.Results: Scientists and decision makers in particular did not show a high intention to use methods for measuring WTP. Skepticism regarding precision of the methods and subjects' capability to imagine paying an amount of money for a certain health commodity were stated along with the assertion that the hypothetical decision-making scenario was rather a distant reality. Nevertheless, the majority of scientists and decision makers did not state rejection of the methods.Conclusions: Increasing the probability of using methods for measuring WTP in health care, the hypothetical scenarios should be made more realistic and payment vehicles should be used to help patients relate payment to a real health benefit. Moreover, an intensive discussion on the potential usefulness of CV/CE without excluding ethical concerns in comparison to existing alternatives has to be resumed.
Measuring quality of life: The development and initial validation of the Patient-Reported Erectile Function Assessment instrument
Authors: Torrance George W. , Keresteci Margaret-Anne , Casey Richard , Ryan Nancy C. , Tarride Jean-Eric 
Published: February 2008

Objectives: Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a complex condition, which is variously influenced by physical, emotional, societal, and relationship factors. ED has serious implications for the quality of life (QoL) enjoyed by an affected male and his partner. It is very important, therefore, to understand the impact of ED on the QoL of those affected by it. Our objective was to determine if the eight-question Patient Reported Erectile Function Assessment (PREFA) could act as an independent, comprehensive disease-specific instrument in the assessment of QoL as it is impacted by ED.Methods: During the development and validation of the Erectile Function–Visual Analog Scale (EF-VAS) (14), a new ED-specific preference-based instrument, a series of questions were included at the beginning of the assessment that would act as a way to encourage respondents to focus on their own experience with ED. Upon analysis of the EF-VAS data, it became apparent that the eight-question “warm up” section might act as a stand-alone assessment. Accordingly, the eight questions were named PREFA, and a validation analysis was undertaken to determine their consistency, feasibility, reliability, validity, and responsiveness.Results: The PREFA questionnaire was found to be feasible and simple to complete, reliable, and valid, with excellent responsiveness. Overall, the PREFA has demonstrated that it can perform as a stand alone, validated assessment of the impact of ED on QoL, assessing areas of QoL not previously captured in existing instruments.Conclusions: The PREFA is suitable for use in clinical and research settings as a disease-specific QoL assessment tool.
Influence of combined hypertension and renal failure on functional α1‐adrenoceptor subtypes in the rat kidney
Authors: Hye Khan M A , Sattar M A , Abdullah N A , Johns E J 
Published: February 2008

Background and purpose:This study investigated whether the α1‐adrenoceptor responsiveness of the renal vasculature was altered in the state of hypertension combined with renal failure.Experimental approach:Male spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) received cisplatin (5 mg kg−1i.p.) to induce renal failure. Seven days later, the rats were anaesthetized and the reductions in renal blood flow (RBF) to electrical renal nerve stimulation (RNS) and intrarenal administration of three adrenoceptor agonists (noradrenaline, phenylephrine and methoxamine) were determined before and after amlodipine, 5‐methylurapidil, chloroethylclonidine or BMY 7378.Key results:In renal failure SHR (RFSHR), RBF and creatinine clearance were significantly reduced (approximately 70%), while urine output and fractional sodium excretion were four and twenty‐fold higher, respectively, compared to SHR. Vasoconstrictions induced by RNS or the adrenoceptor agonists were greater in RFSHR than SHR, and these responses were blunted by 5‐methylurapidil, BMY 7378 and amlodipine in the SHR, while chloroethylclonidine had no effect. In the RFSHR, all renal vasoconstrictions were reduced by amlodipine and BMY 7378 but 5‐methylurapidil attenuated those caused by RNS, noradrenaline and methoxamine while those to phenylephrine were enhanced. Chloroethylclonidine potentiated renal vasoconstrictor responses to methoxamine and phenylephrine but not RNS or noradrenaline in RFSHR.Conclusions and implications:These findings suggest α1A‐ and α1D‐adrenoceptors mediated the renal vasoconstrictor responses in SHR and RFSHR. In the RFSHR, other α1‐adrenoceptor subtypes, for example, α1B‐adrenoceptors appeared to play a greater role.British Journal of Pharmacology(2008)153, 1232–1241; doi:10.1038/bjp.2008.13; published online 11 February 2008
Cholinergic nitric oxide release from the urinary bladder mucosa in cyclophosphamide‐induced cystitis of the anaesthetized rat
Authors: Andersson M C , Tobin G , Giglio D 
Published: February 2008

Background and purpose: Previous reports have suggested that nitric oxide (NO) may be released by cholinergic stimuli in the rat bladder in cyclophosphamide‐induced cystitis, affecting bladder function. In the current study, we evaluated the effects of cyclophosphamide‐induced cystitis on muscarinic whole bladder contractile responses in vivo, and further, if NO might be released from the mucosa by cholinergic stimuli.Experimental approach: Male rats were pre‐treated either with cyclophosphamide (100 mg kg−1; to induce cystitis) or saline (serving as controls). 60 h later, rats were anaesthetized and bladder pressure monitored.Key results: The muscarinic receptor agonist methacholine (MeCh; 0.5–5 μg kg−1 i.v.) induced similar contractions (i.e. bladder pressure increases) in inflamed bladders as in controls, which were attenuated dose‐dependently by the muscarinic M1/M3/M5 antagonist 4‐diphenylacetoxy‐N‐methylpiperidine (4‐DAMP; 0.1–1000 μg kg−1 i.v.). In inflamed bladders, the cholinergic bladder contractions were enhanced after removing the mucosa, while cholinergic contractions were similar in intact and urothelium‐denuded inflamed bladders in the presence of the NO synthase inhibitor Nω‐nitro‐L‐arginine methyl ester (L‐NAME; 30 mg kg−1 i.v.). L‐NAME attenuated the antagonistic effect of 4‐DAMP on MeCh‐induced contractions in intact inflamed bladders. However L‐NAME did not affect the antagonism by 4‐DAMP of MeCh‐induced contractions of urothelium‐denuded bladders, under control conditions or with cyclophosphamide‐induced cystitis.Conclusions and implications: In cyclophosphamide‐induced cystitis, the cholinergic function of the bladder is altered. In the inflamed bladder, NO seems to be released via cholinergic stimuli through mucosal muscarinic M3/M5 receptors, presumably on urothelial cells, affecting bladder function.British Journal of Pharmacology (2008) 153, 1438–1444; doi:10.1038/bjp.2008.6; published online 4 February 2008
Pioglitazone opposes neurogenic vascular dysfunction associated with chronic hyperinsulinaemia
Authors: Takatori S , Zamami Y , Yabumae N , Hanafusa N , Mio M , Egawa T , Kawasaki H 
Published: February 2008

Background and purpose: We previously demonstrated that chronic hyperinsulinaemia induced by drinking high levels of fructose augments adrenergic nerve‐mediated vasoconstriction and suppresses vasodilatation mediated by calcitonin gene‐related peptide (CGRP)‐containing (CGRPergic) vasodilator nerves. In this study, the effects of pioglitazone on vascular responses induced by stimulation of adrenergic nerves, CGRPergic nerves and vasoactive agents were investigated in pithed rats given 15% fructose solution to drink (FDR).Experimental approach: To assess the effect of pioglitazone on the altered vascular responsiveness in the hyperinsulinaemic state in vivo, changes in vascular responses to spinal cord stimulation (SCS) and intravenous bolus injections of noradrenaline, angiotensin II and CGRP were evaluated in pithed control rats and FDR either untreated or treated with pioglitazone.Key results: In the pithed FDR, vasoconstrictor responses to SCS and to injections of noradrenaline and angiotensin II were significantly greater than those of pithed control rats. In pithed FDR with artificially increased blood pressure and blockade of the autonomic ganglia, the vasodilator responses to SCS and CGRP injection were significantly smaller than those of pithed control rats. Oral administration of pioglitazone to FDR for two weeks markedly decreased plasma levels of insulin, triglycerides and blood glucose. In FDR pioglitazone diminished the augmented vasoconstrictor responses to SCS, noradrenaline and angiotensin II, and ameliorated the decrease in vasodilator responses to SCS.Conclusions and implications: The present results suggest that pioglitazone improves not only insulin resistance, but also the dysfunctions in vascular control regulated by adrenergic and CGRPergic nerves in the hyperinsulinaemic state.British Journal of Pharmacology (2008) 153, 1388–1398; doi:10.1038/bjp.2008.8; published online 4 February 2008
New drug targets in inflammation: efforts to expand the anti‐inflammatory armoury
Authors: Ward S G 
Published: February 2008

Inflammation is a beneficial host response to challenge by foreign bodies or to tissue injury. When this normal physiological process (which is designed to restore normal tissue structure and function), becomes dysregulated, it can become harmful and destructive leading to inflammatory diseases that are a major burden on humanity. Despite some notable successes, there are still major unmet medical needs in the treatment of inflammatory diseases and the development of new anti‐inflammatory drugs features prominently in the research portfolios of most pharmaceutical and biotech companies. New insights into inflammatory processes and new anti‐inflammatory drug targets were the subjects of a Focus Topic organized for the Life Sciences 2007 meeting in Glasgow (July 2007). The speakers from this meeting were invited to generate reviews on the basis of their presentations and these reviews contribute to this themed issue and are summarized in this short article.British Journal of Pharmacology (2008) 153, S5–S6; doi:10.1038/sj.bjp.0707628; published online 4 February 2008
RIC‐3: a nicotinic acetylcholine receptor chaperone
Authors: Millar N S 
Published: February 2008

RIC‐3 is a transmembrane protein which acts as a molecular chaperone of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs). For some nAChR subtypes (such as homomeric α7 neuronal nAChRs), RIC‐3 is required for efficient receptor folding, assembly and functional expression. In contrast, for other nAChR subtypes (such as heteromeric α4β2 neuronal nAChRs) there have been reports that RIC‐3 can both enhance and reduce levels of functional expression. There is also evidence that RIC‐3 can modulate maturation of the closely related 5‐hydroxytryptamine (5‐HT) receptor (5‐HT3R). As with heteromeric nAChRs, apparently contradictory results have been reported for the influence of RIC‐3 on 5‐HT3R maturation in different expression systems. Recent evidence indicates that these differences in RIC‐3 chaperone activity may be influenced by the host cell, suggesting that other proteins may play an important role in modulating the effects of RIC‐3 as a chaperone. RIC‐3 was originally identified in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans as the protein encoded by the gene ric‐3 (resistance to inhibitors of cholinesterase) and has subsequently been cloned and characterized from mammalian and insect species. This review provides a brief history of RIC‐3; from the identification of the ric‐3 gene in C. elegans in 1995 to the more recent demonstration of its activity as a nAChR chaperone.British Journal of Pharmacology (2008) 153, S177–S183; doi:10.1038/sj.bjp.0707661; published online 4 February 2008
Comparison of Therapeutic Effects of Omega-3 Fatty Acid Eicosapentaenoic Acid and Fluoxetine, Separately and in Combination, in Major Depressive Disorder
Authors: Jazayeri Shima , Tehrani-Doost Mehdi , Keshavarz Seyed A. , Hosseini Mostafa , Djazayery Abolghassem , Amini Homayoun , Jalali Mahmoud , Peet Malcolm 
Published: February 2008

Objective: To compare therapeutic effects of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), fluoxetine and a combination of them in major depression. Method: Sixty outpatients with a diagnosis of major depressive disorder based on DSM-IV criteria and a score ≥15 in the 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) were randomly allocated to receive daily either 1000 mg EPA or 20 mg fluoxetine, or their combination for 8 weeks. Double dummy technique was used to double blind the study. Patients were assessed at 2 week intervals. Change in HDRS was the primary outcome measure. Results: Analysis of covariance for HDRS at week 8 across treatment groups was performed in 48 patients who completed at least 4 weeks of the study, with the last observation carried forward. Treatment, age of onset and baseline HDRS had a significant effect on HDRS at week 8. EPA + fluoxetine combination was significantly better than fluoxetine or EPA alone from the fourth week of treatment. Fluoxetine and EPA appear to be equally effective in controlling depressive symptoms. Response rates (≥50% decrease in baseline HDRS) were 50%, 56% and 81% in the fluoxetine, EPA and combination groups, respectively. Conclusions: In the present 8 week trial EPA and fluoxetine had equal therapeutic effects in major depressive disorder. EPA + fluoxetine combination was superior to either of them alone.
Many Faces of the Dual-Role Dilemma in Psychiatric Ethics
Authors: Robertson Michael D. , Walter Garry 
Published: February 2008

Objective: To identify the various potential manifestations of the dual-role dilemma in the psychiatric ethics literature. Method: The terms ‘dual role’, ‘dual agency’, ‘overlapping roles’, and ‘double agency’ were searched on the electronic databases PubMed, Medline, Embase and PsychInfo. Classic papers in the field of psychiatric ethics and their references were manually searched. Papers were selected for relevance to the topic of the dual-role dilemma in relation to psychiatry. Results: The dual-role dilemma is most explicitly addressed in the literature on forensic psychiatry and military psychiatry. Review of the ethics literature in other fields of psychiatry indicates many instances of the dilemma of psychiatrists facing conflicting obligations akin to the dual-role problem identified in the literature on forensic psychiatry. Many of these dilemmas are characterized by the presence of a powerful third party to whom the psychiatrist has some perceived obligations. Conclusions: In psychiatric ethics, the dual-role dilemma refers to the tension between psychiatrists’ obligations of beneficence towards their patients, and conflicting obligations to the community, third parties, other health-care workers, or the pursuit of knowledge in the field. These conflicting obligations transcend a conflict of interest in that the expectations of the psychiatrist, other than the patient's best interests, are so compelling. This tension illustrates how the discourse in psychiatric ethics is embedded in the social and cultural context of the situations encountered. It appears that as society changes in its approach to the value of liberal autonomy and the ‘collective good’, psychiatrists may also need to change.
Treatment of Catatonia With Electroconvulsive Therapy in an 11-Year-Old Girl
Authors: Chung Alfred , Varghese John 
Published: February 2008

Objective: To report the case of an 11-year-old girl who presented with acute onset of psychotic symptoms with catatonic features treated with electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). Method: Described herein is the case of an 11-year-old, prepubertal girl who represented with catatonic symptoms unresponsive to conventional medical treatment. After thorough clinical investigation and obtaining a second opinion we gained consent from her parents to perform ECT as a life saving procedure. Results: Six ECT treatments were administered with clinical improvement, the patient did develop hypomanic symptoms as a side-affect of ECT. Conclusion: The patient exhibited potentially life-threatening self-harming behaviour secondary to catatonic and psychotic symptoms. Her behaviour and symptoms responded to ECT. The patient developed hypomania that responded to mood stabilization. ECT was a safe and effective treatment for catatonia in this prepubescent girl.
ONTO-PERL: An API for supporting the development and analysis of bio-ontologies
Authors: Antezana Erick , Egaña Mikel , De Baets Bernard , Kuiper Martin , Mironov Vladimir 
Published: February 2008

Abstract
Motivation: Many biomedical ontologies use OBO or OWL as knowledge representation language. The rapid increase of such ontologies calls for adequate tools to facilitate their use. In particular, there is a pressing need to programmatically deal with such ontologies in many applications, including data integration, text mining, as well as semantic applications supporting translational research.
Results: We present an Application Programming Interface (API) called ONTO-PERL. This API significantly extends the repertoire of available tools supporting the development and analysis of bio-ontologies.
Availability: The source code code as well as sample usage scripts can be found at: http://search.cpan.org/dist/ONTO-PERL/
Contact: erick.antezana@psb.ugent.be
Design and optimization of interplanetary low‐thrust trajectory with planetary aerogravity‐assist maneuver
Authors: Shang Haibin , Cui Pingyuan , Luan Enjie 
Published: February 2008

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to study the application of the planetary aerogravity‐assist (AGA) technique to the interplanetary transfer mission with low‐thrust engine, and the design and optimization approach of low‐thrust AGA trajectory.Design/methodology/approachIn the research, the transfer trajectory with planetary AGA maneuver is analyzed first, the maximum atmospheric turn angle and the matching condition for AGA trajectory is derived out, which is the significant principle for AGA trajectory design and studies. Then, a design and optimization approach for interplanetary low‐thrust trajectory with AGA maneuver is developed. The complicated design problem is transformed into a parameter optimization problem with multiple nonlinear constraints by using calculus of variations and the matching condition associated with AGA trajectory. Furthermore, since the optimization problem is very sensitive to the launch date and AGA maneuver parameters, three ordinal sub‐problems are reformulated to reduce the sensitivity. Finally, a direct/indirect hybrid approach is utilized to solve these sub‐problems.FindingsThe planetary AGA maneuver is feasible and effective in decreasing the propellant consumption and flight time for interplanetary low‐thrust mission and provides better performance than pure planetary gravity assist. Moreover, the proposed approach is effective to design and optimize the low‐thrust transfer mission with AGA maneuver.Research limitations/implicationsIn further research, some simple preliminary design approaches for interplanetary low‐thrust trajectory with AGA maneuver are required to developed, which can provide a good initial conjecture for a hybrid optimization algorithm.Originality/valueThe paper provides the matching condition for interplanetary AGA transfer trajectory by analyzing some characteristics of planetary AGA maneuver, and presents an effective approach to design and optimize interplanetary low‐thrust AGA trajectory.