bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Does a coxib-associated thrombotic risk limit the clinical use of the compounds as analgesic anti-inflammatory drugs?
Authors: Mukherjee Debabrata 
Published: September 2006

SummaryNon-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents (NSAIDs) and selective cyclooxygenase (COX-2) inhibitors (coxibs) are commonly used as analgesic and anti-inflammatory agents.Selective COX-2 inhibitors or coxibs were primarily developed asa response to the gastrointestinal toxicity of conventional NSAIDs but may have other side effects. Currently available data suggests definite prothrombotic risk with the coxibs, and the magnitude of risk may vary with individual agents. Based on available data, coxibs should be restricted to use as 2nd-line, possibly as 3rd-line, agents for carefully chosen patients and randomized trials versus placebo or an accepted comparator must be performed to define the overall safety profile in diverse patient populations.The recently announced Prospective Randomized Evaluation of Celecoxib Integrated Safety vs. Ibuprofen or Naproxen (PRECISION) trial will assess the relative cardiovascular safety of three of the most commonly used pain relievers in the treatment of arthritis patients,ibuprofen,naproxen and celecoxib.The study will enroll patients with osteoarthritis, the most common form of arthritis, who have known coronary heart disease or who have multiple risk factors for heart disease and also some patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Patients will be followed for an average of two years to track the occurrence of serious cardiovascular events, including death, heart attack and stroke. This study should provide some definitive evidence of the relative cardiovascular safety of the available anti-inflammatory agents but would be even more useful if it included an arm where patients were treated with analgesics such as acetaminophen and/or moderate strength narcotics.
Palliative care and the need for education - Do we know what makes a difference? A limited systematic review
Authors: Bugge Ellen , Higginson Irene J 
Published: September 2006

Caring for patients with progressive illness who need symptomatic and palliative care involves professionals as well as non-professionals. Within the variety of settings that may exist around a patient, education will be constantly needed. A limited systematic review was therefore conducted in order to highlight factors that influence informal adult education. Methods Eight databases (covering all the years each database covered up to present date), the internet and twenty-two journals were searched. If not available on line, the journals were hand searched. Keywords were ‘professional - instruction - evidence’, combined. The search was augmented by contacting researchers and authors. We included studies describing any adult education setting outside the formally established educational setting (such as classroom/school/university). Outcomes were related to individual responses, not to groups as a whole. We excluded studies including children or those carried out in classroom settings, as well as studies where the outcome referred to the group as a whole. Data were extracted into tables and contrasted, drawing particularly on studies from health care settings. Studies were graded according to their: 1) relevance by using an adjusted Signal score and 2) level of evidence. Results A total of 81 articles and reviews were found. From these, 28 studies and 5 Cochrane reviews were included. The studies and reviews reflect a spread in design, settings as well as origin. All continents except South America were represented. Many studies indicated that a multi-faceted, personally tailored educational approach gives the best results. This finding was corroborated by the Cochrane reviews. A common finding was that transport (to the educational arena) emerged as an important factor. Conclusions Multifaceted education, which includes the use of various media, and which is personally tailored is most effective. Examples are such as a combination of verbal and written presentations including information forms, leaflets, alongside a demonstration of practical skills in a real life situation.
Low income women and physician breastfeeding advice: A regional assessment
Authors: Stolzer J , Zeece Pauline 
Published: September 2006

Objectives The aims of the pilot study presented here were to determine whether low income women were receiving compendious breastfeeding advice from their attending physicians. Design This study assessed low income women’s reports of physician breastfeeding advice using a newly designed Likert scaled survey based on the American Surgeon General’s ‘Blueprint for Action on Breastfeeding’1. Setting Data was collected at a WIC Center in a midwestern American city. WIC is an acronym for Women, Infants, and Children and is a federally regulated programme that provides free formula and free food for low income women who are pregnant, or who are the mothers of children 5 years and under. Methods Cumulative frequency distributions were used to assess physician breastfeeding advice. Likert scaled questions were used to allow for vacillating degrees of agreement or disagreement. Female participants, 19 years or older, were mothers of infant children and were defined as low income using federal guidelines. Results Results of this study indicate that low income women are not being informed by their physicians of the multiple ways in which breastfeeding is beneficial for maternal and pediatric populations. Conclusion The findings of this pilot study suggest that low income women are not receiving compendious breastfeeding information from their attending physicians. Results of this study indicate that physicians are informing low income women of some of the benefits associated with breastfeeding, but are neglecting to inform them of the various ways in which breastfeeding is beneficial for both maternal and pediatric populations.
A preliminary study of the attitudes, triggers and consequences of hazardous drinking in university students
Authors: Faulkner S , Hendry L B , Roderique L , Thomson R 
Published: September 2006

Objective The aim of this paper was to investigate drinking patterns, attitudes towards drinking and predictors of binge drinking as well as negative consequences of binge drinking in students. Design & Method Data was collected by questionnaire from 261 students living on campus at one Welsh university. Results The results showed that levels of drinking were higher than previous studies have revealed. The major triggers to binge drinking were social, and conformity motives were important predictors of hazardous drinking. The major consequences associated with binge drinking were involvement in illegal activities associated with drug use and unplanned sexual activity. Furthermore, students’ academic careers were adversely affected by heavy drinking as well as their physical and psychological wellbeing. Conclusions University students living on campus demonstrated dangerously high levels of alcohol consumption and many experienced worrying consequences of this behaviour. It was suggested that further investigations into these problems across a range of universities in the UK would be useful, in order to develop intervention strategies aimed at specific ‘at risk’ groups.
Characteristics of instructors at Farm Safety 4 Just Kids day camps
Authors: Reed Deborah B , Claunch Deborah T , Cole Henry P , Mazur Joan M 
Published: September 2006

Objective This paper describes the characteristics of instructors at six farm safety day camps sponsored through local chapters of Farm Safety 4 Just Kids. What are their backgrounds and experience? What motivates them to participate as farm safety instructors? How do they prepare and present their instruction? Design Data from 69 instructors were gathered as part of a larger evaluation of farm safety day camps conducted during the summer and fall of 2002. Setting Farm safety day camps occur throughout North America. The camps selected for this study were conducted in five states within the United States. The overwhelming majority of instructors were community volunteers without formal instructional training. Method A two-page survey was completed by the instructors on the day of the camp, and selected camp instructional sessions were videotaped and analysed by instructional design experts. Results Case examples of instructor characteristics and instructional styles are presented in order to promote a better understanding of persons who provide children with farm safety instruction at farm safety day camps. Preparation, training, teaching methods, and other characteristics of the camp instructors are discussed. Conclusion Findings from this analysis can be used by organisations that provide community-based injury prevention programmes as a planning tool for selecting instructors that can optimise the experience for children.
Three Anointings and One offering: The Sinful Woman in Luke 7.36-50
Authors: Van Til Kent 
Published: September 2006

AbstractThe story of a woman pouring oil on Jesus' feet or head is attested in all four canonical gospels. While some see the Lukan version pointing to an event that is different from the `Bethany' anointing found in the other three gospels, I argue that all four accounts are based on the same event. The differences in Luke's narrative, instead, can be accounted for by seeing the pouring of oil in Luke as symbol of a sacrificial offering rather than an anointing. Understanding this symbolic act as an offering/sacrifice fits Luke's theme of forgiveness, which is evident in this passage and many others. Moreover, it shows how Luke's gospel moves his readers from a Jewish, male, temple-based religion at the beginning of Jesus' ministry to a Jewish and Gentile, male and female, Spirit-based religion that culminates at Pentecost. Such a reading may also provide clues about the relationships among the Spirit, forgiveness and worship in Luke's gospel.
The Rule of Spirituality and the Rule of Doctrine: A Necessary Relationship in Theological Method
Authors: Stephenson Christopher 
Published: September 2006

AbstractAs more and more Pentecostal theologians are pursuing formal training in academic theology and philosophy, they are becoming increasingly sensitive to the importance of being conscious of one's theological method in systematic theology. This article is a suggestion that Pentecostal theologians would benefit from adopting as one guideline for their theological method a form of lex orandi, lex credendi called `the rule of spirituality and the rule of doctrine', which involves a reciprocal relationship between Pentecostal spirituality and doctrine. The goal of the relationship is doctrinal theology that is informed by legitimate aspects of Pentecostal spirituality and that is able to correct illegitimate aspects of it. After the method is established, three aspects of Pentecostal spirituality are chosen to inform a Pentecostal doctrine of the Lord's Supper. Finally, aspects of this doctrine of the Supper are employed to critique other aspects of Pentecostal spirituality.
Imatinib mesylate discontinuation in patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia in complete molecular remission for more than 2 years
Authors: Rousselot Philippe , Huguet Francoise , Rea Delphine , Legros Laurence , Cayuela Jean Michel , Maarek Odile , Blanchet Odile , Marit Gerald , Gluckman Eliane , Reiffers Josy , Gardembas Martine , Mahon François-Xavier ,   The Intergroupe Français des Leucémies Myéloïdes Chronique (FIφLMC)
Published: September 2006

AbstractIn the present study, we address the issue of the discontinuation of imatinib mesylate (Gleevec) in chronic myelogenous leukemia with undetectable residual disease for more than 2 years. Twelve patients were included. The median duration of real-time quantitative–polymerase chain reaction (RTQ-PCR) negativity and imatinib therapy were, respectively, 32 months (range, 24-46 months) and 45 months (range, 32-56 months) before imatinib interruption. Six patients displayed a molecular relapse with a detectable BCR-ABL transcript at 1, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 months. Imatinib was then reintroduced and led to a novel molecular response in most patients. Six other patients (50%) still have an undetectable level of BCR-ABL transcript after a median follow-up of 18 months (range, 9-24 months). We hypothesize that relapses observed within 6 months reflect the kinetics of undetectable dividing chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) cells. Those cells may be eradicated or controlled in long-term nonrelapsing patients, as described in our study.
Occupational asthma caused by stainless steel welding fumes: a clinical study
Authors: Hannu T. , Piipari R. , Tuppurainen M. , Nordman H. , Tuomi T. 
Published: September 2006

The aim of the present study was to describe the cases of occupational asthma (OA) due to stainless steel welding fumes diagnosed at the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health during the period 1994–2003.OA was diagnosed according to patient history, lung function examinations and welding challenge tests with measurements of the forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) and peak expiratory flow (PEF) values.The present series comprised 34 patients, all male, with a mean age of 44.7 yrs (range 22–57), mainly working as welders. The mean duration of exposure was 22.4 yrs, and the mean duration of exposure before the onset of respiratory symptoms was 18 yrs. Dyspnoea was the most frequently reported work-related respiratory symptom. During the inhalation challenge tests, the mode of the asthmatic FEV1/PEF reaction was delayed in 16 (47%) patients, immediate in nine (26%) patients and dual (both immediate and delayed) in nine (26%) patients. In the follow-up assessment 6 months later, only six patients were considered able to continue performing welding tasks, whereas occupational injury pension was recommended for seven, and measures of vocational rehabilitation for 14 patients.In most cases, after the diagnosis of occupational asthma, the continuation of welding work was not possible.
Induction chemotherapy, concurrent chemoradiation and surgery for Pancoast tumour
Authors: Marra A. , Eberhardt W. , Pöttgen C. , Theegarten D. , Korfee S. , Gauler T. , Stuschke M. , Stamatis G. 
Published: September 2006

The traditional treatment of Pancoast tumour with local approaches (surgery, radiotherapy or a combination of both) leads to a poor outcome due to the high rate of incomplete resection and the lack of systemic control. The aim of the present prospective feasibility study was to determine whether a trimodality approach improves local control and survival.Patients with stage IIB−IIIB Pancoast tumour received induction chemotherapy (three courses of split-dose cisplatin and etoposide or paclitaxel) followed by concurrent chemoradiotherapy (a course of cisplatin/etoposide combined with 45 Gy hyperfractionated accelerated radiotherapy). After restaging, eligible patients underwent surgery 4−6 weeks post-radiation.A total of 31 consecutive patients with T3 (81%) or T4 (19%) Pancoast tumour were enrolled in the study. Induction chemoradiotherapy was completed in all patients without treatment-related deaths. Grade 3−4 toxicity was observed in 32% of cases. In total, 29 (94%) patients were eligible for surgery. Complete resection was achieved in 94% of patients. The post-operative mortality rate was 6.4% and major complications arose in 20.6% of the patients. The median survival was 54 months with 2- and 5-yr survival rates of 74 and 46%, respectively.In conclusion, this intensive multimodality treatment of Pancoast tumour is feasible and improves local resectability rates and long-term survival as compared with historical series.
Genetic determinants of C-reactive protein in COPD
Authors: Hersh C. P. , Miller D. T. , Kwiatkowski D. J. , Silverman E. K. 
Published: September 2006

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is associated with a systemic inflammatory state, marked by elevations in serum inflammatory markers including C-reactive protein (CRP). The present study sought to determine epidemiological predictors of CRP levels, to estimate the genetic influence on CRP levels, and to identify genetic variants that affect CRP in a family-based study of COPD.CRP was measured by a high-sensitivity assay in participants from the Boston Early-Onset COPD Study. Predictors of CRP level were determined using multilevel linear models. Variance component analysis was used to estimate heritability and to perform genome-wide linkage analysis for CRP levels. Two variants in the surfactant protein B (SFTPB) gene were tested for association with CRP levels.Increased age, female sex, higher body mass index, greater smoking pack-yrs and reduced forced expiratory volume in one second were all associated with increased CRP levels. There was a significant genetic influence on CRP (heritability = 0.25). Genome-wide linkage analysis revealed several potentially interesting chromosomal regions, though no significant evidence for linkage was found. A short tandem repeat marker nearSFTPBwas significantly associated with CRP levels.There is a genetic influence on C-reactive protein levels in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients. Preliminary evidence suggests an association of the surfactant protein B gene with systemic inflammation in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Airway neutrophilia in COPD is not associated with increased neutrophil survival
Authors: Rytilä P. , Plataki M. , Bucchieri F. , Uddin M. , Nong G. , Kinnula V. L. , Djukanović R. 
Published: September 2006

Neutrophilic airway inflammation is a prominent feature of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and correlates with disease severity. The mechanisms that determine the extent of neutrophilia could involve increased influx or prolonged survival of neutrophils. The aim of the study was to assess whether neutrophil pro-survival mechanisms are increased in the airways of subjects with COPD owing to the presence of anti-apoptotic factors in the bronchial lining fluid.Induced sputum samples were collected from 20 subjects with stable COPD, 14 healthy smokers and 14 healthy controls. Quantification of apoptotic neutrophils was based on typical morphological cell changes. Anti-apoptotic, pro-survival activity in the sputum was studied by culturing peripheral blood neutrophils with the fluid phase of induced sputum. Apoptosis was assessed both by morphology and flow cytometry using Annexin V/7-aminoactinomycin D staining.COPD patients and healthy smokers had significantly higher percentages of sputum neutrophils than healthy controls. However, there were no significant differences between the three subject groups in either the proportion of apoptotic neutrophils in sputum or thein vitroanti-apoptotic activity detected in the sputum fluid phase.In conclusion, prolonged survival of neutrophils in sputum is not a feature of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and cannot explain the increased numbers of airway neutrophils in this disease.
Saliva is one likely source of leukotriene B4in exhaled breath condensate
Authors: Gaber F. , Acevedo F. , Delin I. , Sundblad B-M. , Palmberg L. , Larsson K. , Kumlin M. , Dahlén S-E. 
Published: September 2006

Leukotriene (LT)B4in exhaled breath condensate (EBC) has been reported to be elevated in airway inflammation. The origin of leukotrienes in EBC is, however, not established.The aims of this study are to measure LTB4levels in EBC collected in two challenges characterised by a strong neutrophilic airway inflammation and to compare LTB4levels in EBC with levels in sputum and saliva.LTB4and α-amylase were measured in EBC from 34 healthy subjects exposed in a pig confinement building or to a lipopolysaccharide provocation. These markers were also measured in induced sputum in 11 of the subjects. For comparison, LTB4and α-amylase were measured in saliva from healthy subjects.Only four out of 102 EBC samples had detectable LTB4(28–100 pg·mL-1). α-amylase activity was detected in the LTB4-positive samples. In contrast, LTB4was detected in all examined sputum supernatants in the same study (median 1,190 pg·mL-1). The median LTB4level in saliva was 469 pg·mL-1.High levels of leukotriene B4in saliva and the presence of leukotriene B4in exhaled breath condensate only when α-amylase was detected, indicate that leukotriene B4found in exhaled breath condensate is the result of saliva contamination. As leukotriene B4was consistently present in sputum supernatants, exhaled breath condensate may be inappropriate for monitoring airway leukotriene B4.
A maximum likelihood framework for protein design
Authors: Kleinman Claudia L , Rodrigue Nicolas , Bonnard Cécile , Philippe Hervé , Lartillot Nicolas 
Published: September 2006

AbstractBackgroundThe aim of protein design is to predict amino-acid sequences compatible with a given target structure. Traditionally envisioned as a purely thermodynamic question, this problem can also be understood in a wider context, where additional constraints are captured by learning the sequence patterns displayed by natural proteins of known conformation. In this latter perspective, however, we still need a theoretical formalization of the question, leading to general and efficient learning methods, and allowing for the selection of fast and accurate objective functions quantifying sequence/structure compatibility.ResultsWe propose a formulation of the protein design problem in terms of model-based statistical inference. Our framework uses the maximum likelihood principle to optimize the unknown parameters of a statistical potential, which we call aninverse potentialto contrast with classical potentials used for structure prediction. We propose an implementation based on Markov chain Monte Carlo, in which the likelihood is maximized by gradient descent and is numerically estimated by thermodynamic integration. The fit of the models is evaluated by cross-validation. We apply this to a simple pairwise contact potential, supplemented with a solvent-accessibility term, and show that the resulting models have a better predictive power than currently available pairwise potentials. Furthermore, the model comparison method presented here allows one to measure the relative contribution of each component of the potential, and to choose the optimal number of accessibility classes, which turns out to be much higher than classically considered.ConclusionAltogether, this reformulation makes it possible to test a wide diversity of models, using different forms of potentials, or accounting for other factors than just the constraint of thermodynamic stability. Ultimately, such model-based statistical analyses may help to understand the forces shaping protein sequences, and driving their evolution.