bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effect of n‐3 fatty acids on nutritional status and inflammatory markers in haemodialysis patients
Authors: PERUNICIC‐PEKOVIC GORDANA B , RASIC ZORICA R , PLJESA STEVA I , SOBAJIC SLADJANA S , DJURICIC IVANA , MALETIC RADOJKA , RISTIC‐MEDIC DANIJELA K 
Published: March 2007

SUMMARY:Aims:  Nutrition as an aetiological factor participates a great deal in premature atherosclerosis in haemodialysis (HD) patients. The basic mechanisms of end‐stage renal disease and premature atherosclerosis are connected with changes in cell functions at the membrane level. We investigated the red cell membrane fatty acids and the effects of fish oil supplements on nutritional status and inflammatory markers in HD patients.Methods:  We examined 42 HD patients (mean age 55 ± 8 years). The control group consisted of 16 healthy subjects of similar age and sex to the tested group. HD patients were administered supplements with 2.4 g of n‐3 polyunsaturated fatty acids per day for 2 months. Before and after supplementation, we examined plasma lipids, cell membrane erythrocyte phospholipids content, serum albumin, haemoglobin, interleukin‐6 (IL‐6) and tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF‐α).Results:  Baseline values in the tested group confirmed the presence of essential fatty acids deficiency. A statistically significant negative correlation between TNF‐α and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) (r = −0.497; P < 0.05) and IL‐6 and EPA (r = −468; P = 0.03) was found in HD patients before supplementation. There was a significant increase in docosahexaenoic acids, high density lipoprotein cholesterol, plasma albumin, haemoglobin levels in HD patients after supplementation (P = 0.0001). There was a significant increase in EPA (P = 0.01) after treatment, and there was a significant decrease in inflammatory markers (IL‐6 and TNF‐α, P = 0.0001) after supplementation in the tested group.Conclusion:  A dietary regime with fish oil could be used in dialysis patients to slow down the development of atherosclerosis and improve nutritional parameters.
Single meal food intake characteristics reliably predict nutrition status and body composition in patients undergoing continuous peritoneal dialysis
Authors: CHANG CHIA‐CHU , CHEN HUNG‐LIN , HUNG CHING‐HUI , HWANG KAI‐LIN , LIN CHING‐YUANG 
Published: March 2007

SUMMARY:Aim:  This study aimed to determine whether single meal food intake characteristics measured via visual analogue scales (VAS) predict appetite and have a clinical impact on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients.Methods:  The nutritional status of 50 continuous ambulatory PD patients (30 men, mean age 44.26 ± 13.53 years, and 20 women, mean age 48.70 ± 12.53 years) at a single tertiary referral hospital was evaluated via subjective global assessment and VAS questionnaires. The Spearman correlation coefficient was used to evaluate the linear association between continuous variables, while the two‐sample Student's t‐test was performed to compare ghrelin levels between the two groups. P‐values less than 0.05 were considered to be of statistical significance.Results:  Subjective global assessment was correlated with VAS scores in each single patient. VAS score for fullness sensation was significantly positively correlated with age (r = 0.41, P = 0.02), triceps skin fold (r = 0.46, P = 0.01), waist‐hip ratio (r = 0.50, P = 0.005) and fat content (r = 0.37, P = 0.04), and significantly negatively correlated with daily energy (r = −0.36, P = 0.04) and protein intake (r = −0.52, P = 0.003). By contrast, serum ghrelin level and the four VAS scores were not correlated.Conclusion:  Single meal food intake characteristics can reliably estimate nutrition status and predict body composition in patients undergoing continuous PD.
Elevated resistin is related to inflammation and residual renal function in haemodialysed patients
Authors: MALYSZKO JOLANTA , MALYSZKO JACEK S , KOZMINSKI PIOTR , PAWLAK KRYSTYNA , MYSLIWIEC MICHAL 
Published: March 2007

SUMMARY:Aim:  Resistin is an adipocytokine that recently generated much interest. Because of the fact that inflammation, endothelial cell damage or injury is invariably associated with such clinical conditions as thrombosis, atherosclerosis and their major clinical consequences, that is, cardiovascular disease and resistin play a role in linking inflammation and cardiovascular disease, the aim of the study was to assess resistin in correlation with markers of inflammation, endothelial cell injury and residual renal function in haemodialysed (HD) patients.Methods:  We assessed resistin, markers of coagulation: thrombin‐antithrombin complexes (TAT), prothrombin fragments 1+2; fibrinolysis: tPA, plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1, plasmin‐antiplasmin complexes (PAP); endothelial function/injury: von Willebrand factor (vWF), thrombomodulin, intracellular adhesion molecule (ICAM); inflammation: high sensitivity C‐reactive protein (hsCRP), tumour necrosis factor alpha and interleukin‐6 (IL‐6).Results:  Healthy volunteers and HD patients did not differ significantly regarding age, leucocyte count, serum iron, aspartate and alanine aminotransferases activities, calcium, cholesterol, tPA concentration. Triglycerides, CRP (assessed by high sensitivity method), phosphate, urea, creatinine, IL‐6, tumour necrosis factor alpha, vWF, prothrombin fragments 1+2, TAT, PAP, thrombomodulin, ICAM, plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 and resistin, were elevated in HD patients when compared with the control group. Serum albumin, total protein, haemoglobin and haematocrit were significantly lower in HD patients when compared with the control group. In HD patients with hsCRP 0e; 6 mg/L, resistin, IL‐6, vWF and F1+2 were significantly higher, whereas tPA was significantly lower than in patients with hsCRP < 6 mg/L. Moreover, HD patients with residual renal function have significantly lower resistin when compared with patients without it. Resistin was significantly higher in diabetics. In HD patients, resistin correlated significantly, in univariate analysis, with calcium, phosphate, PTH, TIBC, vWF residual renal function, urea, hsCRP, IL‐6 and tended to correlate with tPA and ferritin. In the healthy volunteers, resistin was related to IL‐6 and hsCRP. In multiple regression analysis, resistin was independently related to hsCRP, IL‐6, residual renal function in HD patients.Conclusion:  Elevated resistin related to markers of inflammation may represent a novel link between inflammation and adipocytokines in HD patients. Impaired renal function and inflammation are responsible for elevated resistin in HD patients.
Decision‐making about suitability for kidney transplantation: Results of a national survey of Australian nephrologists
Authors: CASS ALAN , CUNNINGHAM JOAN , ANDERSON KATE , SNELLING PAUL , COLMAN SAM , DEVITT JEANNIE , PREECE CILLA , ERIS JOSETTE 
Published: March 2007

SUMMARY:Aim:  This study aimed to elucidate the factors affecting nephrologists' decision‐making on patients' suitability for kidney transplantation. Given the reduced access to transplantation for Indigenous Australians, the role of patient's ethnicity was of particular interest.Methods:  A postal survey of practising nephrologists and trainees was undertaken in Australia. Each participant was provided with a unique set of 15 hypothetical patient descriptions, with demographic, clinical and behavioural factors randomly generated to ensure an overall balance of factors across the cases. The main outcome measure was whether kidney transplantation was recommended.Results:  Responding nephrologists and trainees were more likely to recommend transplantation for hypothetical patients who were young, of normal weight and described as compliant. They were less likely to recommend transplantation for smokers, or for people with diabetes or heart disease. No significant differences related to the patients' sex or ethnicity. The geographical location of the respondent was a significant determinant, with differences according to their State/Territory and their metropolitan/non‐metropolitan location.Conclusion:  When all other factors were held constant, nephrologists and trainees appear to base their decision‐making regarding suitability for transplant on clinical and behavioural factors, rather than on the basis of ethnicity or sex. In practice, however, clinical and behavioural factors cluster with ethnicity, and this is likely to contribute to the current poor access to transplantation for Indigenous end‐stage kidney disease patients. Apparent differences in decision‐making according to the respondent's location may reflect variations in practice across the country.
Context for the PorGrow study: Europe’s obesity crisis
Authors: Lobstein T. , Millstone E. ,   the PorGrow research team
Published: March 2007

SummaryThe Policy Options for Responding to the Growing Challenge of Obesity Research Project (PorGrow) study was conducted at a time when the prevalence levels of overweight and obesity among both adults and children had been rising for over a decade in most countries in Europe. The reasons are assumed to be related to changes in dietary patterns and in patterns of physical activity, and may be linked to economic as well as socio‐environmental influences on behaviour. Inequalities in the distribution of obesity across different socio‐economic groups are also apparent. The demographic and secular trends have led to increasing concern among policymakers over the costs of obesity‐related disease to the health services and to the economy generally. In response, a series of policy initiatives have been considered among the countries participating in the PorGrow study.
Methodology for obtaining stakeholder assessments of obesity policy options in the PorGrow project
Authors: Stirling A. , Lobstein T. , Millstone E. ,   the PorGrow research team
Published: March 2007

SummaryThe Policy Options for Responding to the Growing Challenge of Obesity Research Project (PorGrow) study provided a unique opportunity to develop a large‐scale application of a semi‐quantitative technique for exploring interviewees’ views on options to tackle obesity, using multi‐criteria mapping. This ‘heuristic’ approach utilizes the advantages of a structured interviews framework by predefining a set of options for appraisal, while leaving interviewees free to select their own criteria for making their judgements. Additional information can be gleaned from the interview transcripts and related materials to set the appraisals in their policy context, and allowing interviewees to express their views on the options presented and their own appraisals. The PorGrow study team agreed a predefined set of 20 options for appraisal, and interviewed sets of stakeholders representing more than 20 aspects of policy development in each of the nine participating countries. The details of the methodology adopted are set out in this paper.
The PorGrow project: overall cross‐national results, comparisons and implications
Authors: Millstone E. , Lobstein T. 
Published: March 2007

SummaryEuropean policymakers need more information on policy responses to obesity that stakeholders judge effective and acceptable. The Policy Options for Responding to the Growing Challenge of Obesity Research Project gathered such intelligence by interviewing key stakeholder groups in nine countries. Interviews used an innovative multi‐criteria mapping (MCM) methodology that gathers quantitative and qualitative information on the stakeholders’ perceptions and judgements. Aggregating across all participants, a comprehensive portfolio of policy measures, integrated into a coherent programme, would be well‐supported by broad coalitions of stakeholders. Those portfolios should include measures (i) to provide improved educations in schools and to the general adult population; (ii) measures to improve access to and incentives for physical activity; (iii) measures to improve information about both foods and physical activity and (iv) changes to the supply of and demand for foodstuffs. There was little support for fiscal measures and technological ‘fixes’; they were judged ineffective and unacceptable. Significant differences were found across European regions, and across different stakeholder perspectives, but not across genders. There is a strong case for improved monitoring of body mass index levels, dietary habits and physical activity. An MCM study can effectively cover several countries, rather than being confined to just one, and generate both national and cross‐national policy analyses and proposals.
Policy options for responding to the growing challenge from obesity: Cyprus national findings
Authors: Savva S. C. , Chadjioannou M. , Tornaritis M. J. 
Published: March 2007

SummaryA multifaceted public health policy approach is required for reversing the current obesity epidemic. The Policy Options for Responding to the Growing Challenge of Obesity Research Project aimed to explore the consistency and/or variability of the perspectives of key stakeholders towards a range of different options to respond to the growing challenge of obesity among nine participating European member states. The multi‐criteria mapping technique was used. Cyprus national data, when analysed in the public health and public policy context of Cyprus, collectively indicate that no single policy option appears to be unique in combating obesity, but rather need to be combined with other policy options. Specifically, measures are needed to improve levels of knowledge and understanding regarding food, diet, health and fitness beginning from early childhood with health professionals having an important role in this regard. These measures should be coupled with informational initiatives emphasizing the improvement of nutritional information labelling system, and the control of food and drink advertising. There was also a consensus regarding the need for modifying the supply of and demand for foodstuffs, but not via economic instruments. Practical feasibility, social acceptability, efficacy and social benefits but not the economic costs of the options were deemed the most important criteria for a successful implementation.
Policy options for responding to the growing challenge from obesity (PorGrow) in Poland
Authors: Szponar L. , Ciok J. , Dolna A. , Oltarzewski M. 
Published: March 2007

SummaryTo explore the perspectives of stakeholders towards a range of policy options to respond to obesity in Poland, a multi‐criteria mapping method was used. During structured interviews, stakeholders were invited to appraise policy options by reference to criteria of their own choosing. They also provided relative weightings to their criteria, generating overall rankings of the policy options in relation to each other.Efficacy, feasibility and societal benefits were the groups of criteria deemed most important. There was most consensus in favour of options related to health education, particularly in schools, compared with options that aimed at modifying the environment to prevent obesity, i.e. options around physical activity, modifying the supply and demand for food products, and information‐related options. There was little support for technological solutions or institutional reforms.There was broad consensus that to reverse the rising trend in the incidence of obesity, it will be necessary to implement a portfolio of measures, but options related to behaviour change through education are most highly regarded.It will also be necessary to invest in improved surveillance and monitoring of Polish dietary practices, levels of physical activity and obesity in terms of data on height, weight and body mass indexes.
Policy options for responding to the growing challenge from obesity in the United Kingdom
Authors: Mohebati L. , Lobstein T. , Millstone E. , Jacobs M. 
Published: March 2007

SummaryThe aim of this study was to map and analyse how key stakeholders evaluated options for dealing with the rising incidence of obesity in the UK, as part of a wider cross‐national study in nine European countries. Multi‐criteria mapping was used to capture the ways in which different policy options were evaluated by a variety of key stakeholders. ‘Positive societal benefits’ was among the criteria most often selected by participants to assess the options and was generally considered more important than costs. Of the seven pre‐defined options that all participants appraised, those related to increasing opportunities for physical activity received the highest rankings, and fiscal measures the lowest. Educational measures fared best among the remaining 13 discretionary options while technological measures performed poorly. No one option, or group of options, was considered sufficient to address the obesity problem. Rather, a general consensus was evident in support of mutually reinforcing measures related to education, information, healthier food and physical activity. Although obesity policies are currently emerging in these different areas in the UK, there is a need for them to be better coordinated, and for improved surveillance to estimate their effectiveness in reversing the trend in obesity.
Pathways to Problem Behaviors: Chaotic Homes, Parent and Child Effortful Control, and Parenting
Authors: Valiente Carlos , Lemery‐Chalfant Kathryn , Reiser Mark 
Published: March 2007

AbstractGuided by Belsky's and Eisenberg, Cumberland, and Spinrad's heuristic models, we tested a process model with hypothesized paths from parents' effortful control (EC) and family chaos to indices of parenting to children's EC, and finally children's externalizing problem behavior. Parents reported on all constructs and children ( N = 188; M age = 9.55 years) reported on their EC and externalizing problem behaviors. Consistent with expectations, parents' EC promoted their positive (and inhibited negative) reactions to children's negative emotions. In addition, high levels of family chaos predicted low levels of parental positive reactions to children's emotion. Children's EC was predicted by high levels of positive reactions and low levels of negative reactions. As expected, children's externalizing problem behaviors were negatively related to their EC. Results clarify possible family processes by which children's EC is enhanced and problem behaviors are reduced.
Transobturator and retropubic tape procedures in stress urinary incontinence: a systematic review and meta‐analysis of effectiveness and complications
Authors: Latthe PM , Foon R , Toozs‐Hobson P 
Published: March 2007

Background  Various types of suburethral tapes inserted via the transobturator route (tension‐free vaginal tape obturator route [TVTO] and transobturator tape [TOT]) have been widely adopted for treatment of stress urinary incontinence (SUI) before proper evaluation of their effectiveness and complications.Objectives  To assess the effectiveness and complications of TOTs as treatment of SUI by means of a systematic review.Search strategy  MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, LILIACS (up to September 2006), CENTRAL (The Cochrane Library, Issue 3, 2006), MetaRegister of Controlled Trials, The National Library for Health, the National Research Register and Google Scholar were searched using various relevant search terms. The citation lists of review articles and included trials were searched, and contact with the corresponding author of each included trials was attempted.Selection criteria  Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) that compared the effectiveness of TVTO or TOT with synthetic tension‐free vaginal tape (TVT) by retropubic route (Gynecare; Ethicon Inc., NJ, USA) for the treatment of SUI in all languages were included.Data collection and analysis  Two reviewers extracted data on participants’ characteristics, study quality, population, intervention, cure and adverse effects independently. The data were analysed in the Review Manager 4.2.8 software.Main results  There were five RCTs that compared TVTO with TVT and six RCTs that compared TOT with TVT. When compared by subjective cure, TVTO and TOT at 2–12 months were no better than TVT (OR 0.85; 95% CI 0.60–1.21). Adverse events such as bladder injuries (OR 0.12; 95% CI 0.05–0.33) and voiding difficulties (OR 0.55; 95% CI 0.31–0.98) were less common, whereas groin/thigh pain (OR 8.28; 95% CI 2.7–25.4), vaginal injuries or erosion of mesh (OR 1.96; 95% CI 0.87–4.39) were more common after tape insertion by the transobturator route.Author’s conclusions  The evidence for short‐term superiority of effectiveness of TOTs is currently limited. Bladder injuries and voiding difficulties are lower, but the risk of vaginal erosions and groin pain is higher with TVTO/TOT. Methodologically sound and sufficiently powered RCTs with long‐term follow up are needed, and the results of continuing trials are awaited.
Differential effects of genotoxic stress on both concurrent body growth and gradual senescence in the adult zebrafish
Authors: Tsai Stephanie B. , Tucci Valter , Uchiyama Junzo , Fabian Niora J. , Lin Mao C. , Bayliss Peter E. , Neuberg Donna S. , Zhdanova Irina V. , Kishi Shuji 
Published: March 2007

SummaryAmong vertebrates, fish and mammals show intriguing differences in their growth control properties with age. The potential for unlimited or indeterminate growth in a variety of fish species has prompted many questions regarding the senescent phenomena that appear during the aging process in these animals. Using zebrafish as our model system, we have attempted in our current study to examine the growth phenomena in fish in relation to the onset of senescence‐associated symptoms, and to evaluate the effects of genotoxic stress on these processes. We observed in the course of these analyses that the zebrafish undergoes continuous growth, irrespective of age, past the point of sexual maturation with gradually decreasing growth rates at later stages. Animal population density, current body size and chronological age also play predominant roles in regulating zebrafish growth and all inversely influence the growth rate. Interestingly, the induction of genotoxic stress by exposure to ionizing radiation (IR) did not adversely affect this body growth ability in zebrafish. However, IR was found to chronically debilitate the regeneration of amputated caudal fins and thereby induce high levels of abnormal fin regeneration in the adult zebrafish. In addition, by resembling and mimicking the natural course of aging, IR treatments likewise enhanced several other symptoms of senescence, such as a decline in reproductive abilities, increased senescence‐associated β‐galactosidase activity and a reduction in melatonin secretion. Our current data thus suggest that during the lifespan of zebrafish, the onset of senescence‐associated symptoms occurs in parallel with continuous growth throughout mid‐adulthood. Moreover, our present findings indicate that genotoxic DNA damage may play a role as a rate‐limiting factor during the induction of senescence, but not in the inhibition of continuous, density‐dependent growth in adult zebrafish.
On the Relation between Conservatism in Accounting Standards and Incentives for Earnings Management
Authors: CHEN QI , HEMMER THOMAS , ZHANG YUN 
Published: March 2007

ABSTRACTThis paper studies the role of conservative accounting standards in alleviating rational yet dysfunctional unobservable earnings manipulation. We show that when accounting numbers serve both the valuation role (in which potential investors use accounting reports to assess a firm's expected future payoff) and the stewardship role (in which current shareholders rely on the same reports to monitor their risk‐averse manager), current firm owners have incentives to engage in earnings management. Such manipulation reduces accounting numbers' stewardship value and leads to inferior risk sharing. We then show that risk sharing, and hence contract efficiency, can be improved under a conservative accounting standard where, absent earnings management, accounting earnings represent true economic earnings with a downward bias, compared with under an unbiased standard where, absent earnings management, accounting earnings represent true economic earnings without bias.