bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Bone mineral density and bone turnover markers of patients with Behçet's disease
Authors: Tekin NS , Ozdolap S , Sarikaya S , Esturk E , Gumustas S 
Published: November 2006

AbstractBackground  Behçet's disease (BD) is a systemic inflammatory disease of unknown aetiology. The pathogenesis of rheumatological findings and the status of bone metabolism in this disease are unknown. Inflammatory diseases may predispose to a decrease in bone mineral density (BMD) and there are many studies concerning osteoporosis in chronic inflammatory diseases.Objective  The aim of this study was to investigate BMD and bone turnover markers in patients with BD.Methods  Thirty BD patients (17 male and 13 female patients, mean age 36.9 ± 12.6 years) and a total of 30 age‐ and sex‐matched healthy controls (17 male and 13 female controls, mean age 34.9 ± 8.95 years) recruited from the general population were enrolled in the study. Bone mineral density was measured at the lumbar spine (L1‐4) and the left hip (total hip) using dual energy X‐ray absorptiometry. Serum samples were collected between 8 and 10 am after overnight fasting. Serum calcium (Ca), phosphate (P), parathormone (PTH), total alkaline phosphatase (ALP), osteocalcin (OC), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and C‐reactive protein (CRP) were measured. Free deoxypyridinoline cross‐links (DPD) in second‐void urine and total daily urinary calcium excretion were analysed.Results  No statistically significant difference in lumbar spine or femoral BMD and bone turnover markers were found between BD patients and control groups (P > 0.05).Conclusion  Although it is difficult to draw definite conclusions because of the limited number of patients involved, our study indicates that bone mineral density and bone turnover markers in Behçet's disease were no different than in healthy subjects.
Perceptions of Children's Body Sizes Among Mothers Living on the Texas‐Mexico Border (La Frontera)
Authors: Reifsnider Elizabeth , Flores‐Vela Alma R. , Beckman‐Mendez Diana , Nguyen Hoang , Keller Colleen , Dowdall‐Smith Shannon 
Published: November 2006

ABSTRACT
Objectives: The objectives of this study were to quantify mothers' perceptions of their children's sizes and explore mothers' views of child growth, diet, activity, and health. Photographs of children from the Berkeley Longitudinal Growth Study (on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC] Web site) were used to stimulate discussion with mothers about child sizes.Design: A descriptive, cross‐sectional study examined mothers' perceptions of their children's size and their beliefs about child size, growth, and health.Sample: The convenience sample included 25 mother–child dyads of 3‐year‐old children at two Head Start Centers in a county on the Texas–Mexico border. All mothers self‐identified as Hispanic.Measurement: Photographs of children were shown to elicit mothers' perceptions of children's body sizes. The children and mothers were weighed and measured and their body mass indices (BMIs) were computed. The mothers were interviewed about their beliefs on child health, growth, and feeding.Results: No congruence was found between mothers' perceptions of child sizes in the pictures and their children's sizes.Conclusions: Using CDC photographs does not appear to be a useful way to educate mothers about child body sizes. A child who is happy, active, and can accomplish normal childhood activities is not considered by mothers as overweight, regardless of the child's BMI.
Psychosocial Factors and Coping Strategies of Adolescents in a Rural Pennsylvania High School
Authors: Sung Kyung Mi , Puskar Kathryn R. , Sereika Susan 
Published: November 2006

ABSTRACT Objectives:To evaluate the coping levels of rural adolescents and gender differences of coping strategies and psychosocial factors. To identify the relationships of coping strategies with psychosocial factors of rural adolescents.Design:A cross‐sectional study.Sample:A convenience sample of 72 students attending a rural high school in southwestern Pennsylvania.Measurements:Subjects completed the Coping Response Inventory‐Youth (CRI‐Y), the State‐Trait Anger Expression Inventory (STAXI), the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorder (SCARED), the Reynolds Adolescent Depression Scale (RADS), and the Rosenberg Self‐Esteem Scale (RSES).Results:Significant gender differences were found for psychosocial factors of depression, self‐esteem, and anxiety. Several significant relationships were observed between coping strategies and psychosocial factors of rural adolescents. Additionally, using content analysis, seven categories were determined based on the content of the open‐ended question on the CRI: familial factors, peer relationships, etc.Conclusions:These rural adolescents endorsed higher levels of avoidance coping than normative samples. Rural adolescents reported many problems needing proper coping skills in their everyday lives. This study provides information to public health professionals working with rural adolescents that could be used to help them attain more effective coping strategies.
Partial Examination of the Public Health Impact of the People with Arthritis Can Exercise (PACE®) Program: Reach, Adoption, and Maintenance
Authors: Gyurcsik Nancy C. , Brittain Danielle R. 
Published: November 2006

ABSTRACT
Objective: To partially evaluate the public health impact (i.e., reach, adoption, maintenance) of People with Arthritis Can Exercise® (PACE®) programs, which were initiated as a result of two PACE® instructor‐training workshops.Design: The study design involved a one‐time only, cross‐sectional assessment of reach, adoption, and maintenance, conducted 6 months after the workshops.Sample: Participants were 11 adults (nfemales=10) trained to be PACE® instructors at one of the workshops.Measurements: One‐on‐one phone interviews, developed using the RE‐AIM framework, assessed reach, adoption, and maintenance.Results: Eight of the 11 individuals trained as instructors subsequently began PACE® in one of 10 organizations across various communities, indicating high program adoption. However, on average, only 7 individuals with arthritis participated in each PACE® program, indicating a low program reach. Within 6 months of beginning PACE®, only 3 organizations continued to offer PACE®, indicating low program maintenance. Two primary challenges to initiating PACE® included recruiting a sufficient number of people to participate in the program and in finding a convenient time to offer it so more individuals could join.Conclusion: The public health impact, as assessed by reach, adoption, and maintenance, of PACE® programs initiated as a result of 2 instructor‐training workshops was low.
Successful Implementation of Universal Woman Abuse Inquiry
Authors: Grafton Denise , Wright Bonnie Lynn , Gutmanis Iris , Ralyea Susan 
Published: November 2006

ABSTRACT
Objective: This study investigated a year‐long professional development strategy to improve Public Health Nurse (PHN) documented abuse inquiry among low‐risk postpartum women. Strategies included workshops and small group work at regular intervals.Design: A retrospective chart audit of cross‐sectional data collected as part of the Healthy Babies/Healthy Children Program was conducted 1 year before and after the introduction of the Routine Universal Comprehensive Screening (RUCS) Program.Sample: Charts of all postpartum women who lived in one Ontario county (Canada) and who received a PHN home visit were reviewed (pre‐RUCS, n=1,151; post‐RUCS, n=1,193).Measurement: Information regarding mother's age group and parity, month of PHN visit, abuse inquiry, and whether or not the woman was a single parent was abstracted.Results: Originally, there was documentation of abuse inquiry on only 0.8% of low‐risk postpartum client charts. Women aged <20 years and single parents were significantly (p<.001) more likely to be asked, suggesting case‐finding among PHNs. Post‐RUCS abuse inquiry increased to 20.5% with no demographic differences between those groups asked.Conclusion: Policy changes providing specific expectations and documentation cues can improve routine abuse inquiry. New policies can be effectively combined with existing programs and infrastructure, facilitating the longer term success of new initiatives.
The Effect of Antiepileptic Drugs on Cognition: Patient Perceived Cognitive Problems of Topiramate versus Levetiracetam in Clinical Practice
Authors: Bootsma Hans‐Peter R. , Aldenkamp Albert P. , Diepman Leonie , Hulsman Jacques , Lambrechts Danielle , Leenen Loes , Majoie Marian , Schellekens Ad , De Krom Marc 
Published: November 2006

Summary:  Introduction: Neurocognitive complaints may interfere with long‐term antiepileptic drug (AED) treatment and are an important issue in clinical practice. Most data about drug‐induced cognitive problems are derived from highly controlled short‐term clinical trials. We analyzed such cognitive complaints for the two most commonly used AEDs in a clinical setting using patient perceived problems as primary outcome measure. Method: All patients of the epilepsy center Kempenhaeghe that received topiramate (TPM) or levetiracetam (LEV) from the introduction to mid 2004 were analyzed using a medical information system, an automated medical file. Patients were analyzed after 6, 12, and 18 months of treatment. Results: Four hundred and two patients used either TPM (n = 260) or LEV (n = 142); 18 months retention showed a statistically significant difference, revealing 15% more patients that continued LEV compared to TPM: 18 months retention 46% for TPM and 61% for LEV [F (1.400) = 3.313, p = 0.043]. Neurocognitive complaints accounted for a significant number of drug discontinuations and especially the high frequency of neurocognitive complaints in the first period of TPM treatment appeared to be significant different from LEV [F(2,547) = 3.192, p = 0.042]. In the remaining patients, the difference in neurocognitive complaints was not statistically significant. Conclusion: cognitive complaints are common in TPM treatment and frequently lead to drug withdrawal. The impact of LEV on cognitive function is only mild. This leads to a much higher (15%) drug discontinuation rate for TPM compared to LEV.
The Spectrum of Idiopathic Rolandic Epilepsy Syndromes and Idiopathic Occipital Epilepsies: From the Benign to the Disabling
Authors: Gobbi Giuseppe , Boni Antonella , Filippini Melissa 
Published: November 2006

Summary: Benign childhood epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes (BCECTS) is an idiopathic focal epilepsy syndrome, the benign characteristics of which are debated; in fact, stable or intermittent specific neuropsychological deficits are frequent and may affect scholastic or adaptive abilities. Cognitive dysfunction may be related to a marked increment of the interictal epileptic discharges in NREM sleep: different degrees of neuropsychological deficits depend on the extent of awake and sleep activity and the predominant discharge localization. The age of onset and duration of atypical sleep EEG patterns may correlate with permanent cognitive impairments. These atypical clinical and EEG evolutions have been reported in the literature as different syndromes that constitute the spectrum of idiopathic rolandic epilepsy. Moreover, a clinical link between BCECTS and early‐onset benign childhood occipital epilepsy has been demonstrated.According to the neurobiological approach, the spectrum of Idiopathic Rolandic Epilepsy is based on an age‐dependent, idiopathic predisposition to focal seizures and sharp‐wave discharges, as an expression of nonlesional cortical excitability. The involvement of a given area of the cerebral cortex may depend on the brain maturational stage.
Neuropsychological Findings in Idiopathic Occipital Lobe Epilepsies
Authors: Chilosi Anna Maria , Brovedani Paola , Moscatelli M. , Bonanni Paolo , Guerrini Renzo 
Published: November 2006

Summary:  Purpose: We reviewed the clinical charts of 22 patients (mean age 12 years) with idiopathic occipital lobe epilepsies (IOLE) to verify the presence of visuoperceptual difficulties. Methods: All 22 patients underwent a standard neuropsychiatric examination and had a sleep electroencephalogram (EEG). Eleven had normal development and adequate scholastic achievements, so no formal testing was performed. Psychological assessment was carried out in the remaining 11 patients who had been referred because of learning and behavioral difficulties. Results and conclusions: IQ was in the average/low‐average range in most patients, with a cognitive profile characterized by relatively better verbal than performance abilities (8/11). There was a high incidence of scholastic disabilities (7/11); psychiatric disorders in the form of anxiety and depressive disorders were also frequent (6/11). In the six patients who had neuropsychological assessment with specific visuoperceptual testing, a deficit in facial discrimination was found in four patients, associated with a line orientation deficit in three. Although preliminary, and based on a tertiary‐care clinical sample, these data suggest that children with IOLE, are at risk for lower intellectual performance, poor scholastic achievement and psychiatric disorders, as well as for specific deficits in the visuoperceptual domain, probably due to dysfunction of the occipitotemporal circuitries most often involved in seizure spread in epilepsies originating in the posterior brain.
Eye‐Closure–Triggered Paroxysmal Activity and Cognitive Impairment: A Case Report
Authors: Termine Cristiano , Rubboli Guido , Veggiotti Pierangelo 
Published: November 2006

Summary:  Purpose: To study the neuropsychological status of an epileptic patient presenting with epileptic activity triggered by eye closure in a 14‐year follow‐up period. Methods: The patient was studied at 12 and 26 years of age; during this period he underwent periodical clinical evaluations and EEG investigations; brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed at 12 years of age. A neuropsychological assessment was carried out both at 12 years of age (T0) and at 26 years of age. At T0 and T1, neuropsychological tests (digits and words span, graphoestesia, reactions time to auditory stimuli, sentences repetition, words repetition, digital gnosis, backward counting [i.e.,100–0]) were performed during video‐EEG monitoring either with eyes closed or with eyes open, to evaluate possible transitory effects related to ongoing epileptic activity. Moreover, at T0 the patient underwent Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children‐Revised, and at T1 to Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale‐Revised. Results: EEG recordings showed continuous epileptic activity triggered by eye closure, disappearing only with eyes opening, both at T0 and T1 (in this latter case, anteriorly predominant). The results of neuropsychological assessment during eyes closed as compared to performances with eyes open did not show significant differences, at T0 as well as at T1. Wechsler Intelligence scales showed a deterioration of performances at T1 with respect to T0; in addition, at T1, attention and short‐term memory abnormalities, impairment in facial recognition and block design, and defective results in Continuous Performance Test and Wisconsin Card Sorting Test were observed. Conclusions: Lack of differences between the results of neuropsychological tests performed with eyes closed as compared to the eyes open condition suggests that in our patient epileptic activity did not cause transitory cognitive abnormalities. Deterioration of Wechsler Intelligence Scales in the follow‐up period might be interpreted as the result of a disruption of cognitive processes possibly related to the persistence of a continuous epileptic activity during eye closure over the years. We speculate whether a dysfunction in posterior cortical areas involved in visual processing might be related to the impairment in face recognition and block design tests as well to eye closure sensitivity.
Nasal Width as a Guide for the Selection of Maxillary Complete Denture Anterior Teeth in Four Racial Groups
Authors: Varjão Fabiana Mansur , Nogueira Sergio Sualdini 
Published: November 2006

Purpose: Selecting artificial teeth for edentulous patients is difficult when pre‐extraction records are not available. Various guidelines have been suggested for determining the width of the maxillary anterior denture teeth. This study was undertaken to evaluate the use of the nasal width as a guide for the selection of proper width maxillary anterior denture teeth in four racial groups of the Brazilian population.
Materials and Methods: One hundred and sixty subjects (40 Whites, 40 Mulattos, 40 Blacks, and 40 Asians) were selected. Using a sliding caliper, the nasal width and the intercanine distance were measured. The Pearson product‐moment correlation coefficient was used to determine the relationship between the above measurements. A prediction was made of the percentage of subjects of the White, Mulatto, Black, and Asian populations in which the selection error due to the clinical application of the method of the nasal width would be within 0 to 2 mm, within 2 to 4 mm, and greater than 4 mm.
Results
: The four racial groups showed a weak correlation between the intercanine distance and the nasal width. In 39.7% of the White, 55.7% of the Mulatto, 81.9% of the Black, and 48.2% of the Asian populations, errors greater than 4 mm would be present with the use of the nasal width.
Conclusions: The correlation found between the intercanine distance and the nasal width was not high enough to be used as a predictive factor. The relationship between natural tooth width and artificial tooth width as predicted by the nasal width showed that the nasal width method is not accurate for all the studied groups.
Evaluation of Atrial Thrombus Formation and Atrial Appendage Function in Patients with Pacemaker by Transesophageal Echocardiography
Authors: ALIZADEH ABOLFATH , MALEKI MAJID , BASSIRI HOSSIENALI , ALASTI MOHAMMAD , EMKANJOO ZAHRA , HAGHJOO MAJID , ARYA ARASH , BAGHERZADEH ATALLAH , FAZELIFAR AMIRFARJAM , SADR‐AMELI MOHAMMAD A. 
Published: November 2006

Background: Physiologic pacing is claimed to be superior to ventricular pacing in as much as it entails lower risk of atrial fibrillation, stroke, and atrial remodeling. There are few data on the relation between atrioventricular (AV) synchrony and atrial clot formation. Utilizing transesophageal echocardiography (TEE), this study sought to evaluate the effect of AV synchrony loss on left atrial physiology, atrial stasis, and clot formation.
Methods: We conducted a cross‐sectional study on patients with both AV and ventricular pacing with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) >30%. TEE enabled us to explore atrial and pacing leads thrombi and measure left atrial appendage (LAA) flow velocity
Results: A total 72 patients (mean age, 65 ± 11.7) were enrolled in the study. The pacing mode was VVI in 53% and AV sequential in 47% of patients. LVEF (mean ± SD; %) was 53.3 ± 6.2% in ventricular pacing mode and 52.2 ± 6.6 in physiologic pacing mode. Thrombus formation on pacing lead (<10 mm in 97% of patients) was observed in 32% of all the patients (23% in patients with AV sequential pacing mode and 39% with VVI mode). Left atrial appendage flow velocity (LAA‐FV) was significantly higher among the patients with AV sequential pacing mode (49.44 ± 18 cm/s vs 40.94 ± 19.4 cm/s, P value = 0.02). LAA‐FV >40 cm/s was detected in 60% of the patients, 60% of whom were in physiologic mode. Left atrial size was significantly larger among the patients with VVI pacing mode (42.3 ± 2.3 mm vs 37.79 ± 4.5 mm, P = 0.001). Multivariate analysis showed no relation between LAA‐FV and age, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, left atrial size, and left ventricular function. Only one patient had right atrial clot. There was no thrombus in the ventricles and atrial appendage.
Conclusion: Long‐term loss of AV synchrony induced by VVI pacing is associated with the impairment of LAA contraction. Thrombus formation in the LAA is not increased by VVI pacing in patients with relatively good left ventricular (LV) function and sinus rhythm.
The Magnitude of Sinus Cycle Length Change During Ventricular Tachycardia is Predictive of Successful Antitachycardia Pacing
Authors: MACGREGOR JOHN F. , WASMUND STEPHEN L. , PAI RAKESH K. , ABEDIN MOEEN , AKOUM NAZEM , SEGERSON NATHAN M. , FREEDMAN ROGER A. , KLEIN RICHARD C. , WALL T. SCOTT , RAWLING DAVID A. , SHEN SHUYING , HAMDAN MOHAMED H. 
Published: November 2006

Background: Despite the wide use of antitachycardia pacing (ATP) in patients with implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs), predictors of ATP success remain poorly understood. We hypothesize that the degree of sympathoexcitation, as measured by the sinus cycle length (SCL) shortening during ventricular tachycardia (VT), is a predictor of ATP success.
Methods and Results: The charts of 462 patients with dual‐chamber ICDs were reviewed. A total of 88 events in 26 patients met the inclusion criteria and were analyzed. The mean SCL during the 4 seconds preceding the VT onset (SCL‐baseline), and during the 4 seconds prior to ATP delivery (SCL‐VT) was measured. The percent shortening in SCL was calculated as ((SCL‐baseline) – (SCL‐VT))/(SCL‐baseline) × 100. Patients were classified into the ATP‐success and ATP‐failure groups depending on the VT(s) response to ATP. Using a t‐test analogue for clustered data, patients in the ATP‐success group exhibited a greater shortening in SCL when compared with the ATP‐Failure group (5.8% compared to 4.7%, P = 0.007). The successful ATP events displayed an average SCL shortening of 6.0% compared to 1.8% in the unsuccessful ATP events (P = 0.029). When the events were analyzed, the sensitivity and specificity of a shortening in SCL of >10% in predicting ATP success were 0.29 and 1.
Conclusion: We have shown that the SCL change during VT, a marker of the autonomic changes that accompany a tachycardia, is useful in predicting ATP success. Our findings suggest that analysis of the SCL during VT might play a role in future programming of ATP in patients with ICDs.
Comparison of a Standard versus Accelerated Dosing Regimen for d,l‐Sotalol for the Treatment of Atrial and Ventricular Dysrhythmias
Authors: KIM ROBERT J. , JURIANSZ G. JEREMY , JONES D. RANDY , GERLING BARBARA R. , HOLZBERGER PETER T. , GREENBERG MARK L. 
Published: November 2006

Background: The current recommended starting dose of sotalol is 80 mg orally twice per day, followed by a judicious increase in dosage every 3 days under continuous telemetry monitoring. We hypothesized that sotalol administered at a higher starting dose (120 or 160 mg twice daily) would allow a more rapid attainment of therapeutic response with an acceptable safety and comparable efficacy profile.
Methods: Two hundred nine inpatients with various atrial and ventricular dysrhythmias were begun on either a standard starting dose (80 mg b.i.d.) or an accelerated dose (120 or 160 mg b.i.d.) of sotalol. In‐hospital occurrences of drug‐related adverse effects (proarrhythmic and others), drug efficacy, and length of hospitalization were retrospectively compared between the two groups.
Results: Ten patients (9.3%) in the 80 mg b.i.d. starting dose group experienced a cardiac adverse effect of sotalol as compared to 15 patients (14.9%) in the accelerated dose group (P = 0.286). The mean amount of corrected QT (QTc) prolongation over baseline was not significantly different between the two groups at hospital discharge (22.5 ms vs 21.6 ms, P = 0.898). There was a trend toward more noncardiac side effects of sotalol in the accelerated dose group: 2 (1.9%) versus 7(6.9%), P = 0.092. The average length of hospital stay was similar in the two groups (6.8 days vs 7.4 days, P = 0.558).
Conclusion: Initiating sotalol at 120–160 mg orally twice per day marginally increases the risk of cardiac and non‐cardiac side effects compared to the standard starting regimen of 80 mg b.i.d. Such an accelerated dosing regimen neither shortened hospitalization nor had any effect on treatment efficacy in this retrospective analysis.