bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Relationship Between Migraine and Epilepsy in Pediatric Age
Authors: Piccinelli Paolo , Borgatti Renato , Nicoli Francesca , Calcagno Patrizia , Bassi Maria Teresa , Quadrelli Marta , Rossi Giorgio , Lanzi Giovanni , Balottin Umberto 
Published: March 2006

Objective.—Many studies have supported the hypothesis of alteration of cortical hyperexcitability as a possible pathological mechanism underlying the onset of migraine and epileptic attacks. Different biochemical pathways involving cellular structures may increase or decrease the excitability of neuronal membranes. The aim of this study was to identify a possible link between migraine and epilepsy from a clinical and neurophysiologic point of view.Methods.—One‐hundred thirty‐seven children and adolescents consecutively diagnosed for tension‐type headache and idiopathic migraine with and without aura were studied. Anamnestic, clinical, and instrumental data were collected by a neurological examination, a specific questionnaire, and awake electroencephalogram (EEG) registrations. EEG features of nonheadache and nonseizures control group were compared.Results.—Fourteen cases (10.2%) had a positive history for seizures with fever, isolated seizures, or epilepsy. Distribution differed according to headache diagnosis; migraine with aura (MWA) was largely prevalent. Specific electroencephalographic abnormalities were present in 11.7% of the sample, with a significant different distribution across the groups of children with headache and the control group: specific interictal abnormalities were found in 10 of 23 (43.5%) children with MWA. Two factors, seizures and specific interictal electroencephalographic abnormalities, showed a different distribution in patients with MWA compared to other classes of headache and control group (P≤ .01).Conclusion.—The present study supports the hypothesis of a possible clinical continuum between some types of MWA and epileptic syndromes as entities due to altered neuronal excitability with similar genetic substrates.
The Impact of Migraine on Patients With Major Depressive Disorder
Authors: Hung Ching‐I , Liu Chia‐Yih , Juang Yeong‐Yuh , Wang Shuu‐Jiun 
Published: March 2006

Background.—The impact of migraine and other headache types among psychiatric outpatients with major depressive disorder (MDD) has not been fully described.Objective.—To investigate the impact of migraine on the severity, physical, and anxiety symptoms in patients with MDD and to examine the interaction between headache and depression.Methods.—This clinic‐based study enrolled consecutive psychiatric outpatients meeting DSM‐IV criteria for MDD. Headache types were diagnosed based on the International Classification of Headache Disorders, 2nd edition (2004). Three psychometric instruments were used to evaluate anxiety, depression, and physical components: the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, the Beck Depression Inventory, and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. In addition, the interactions between headache and their depressive episode were also evaluated.Results.—Compared with patients without migraine, MDD patients with comorbid migraine (n = 73, 48.3%) had higher physical and anxiety scores on the three psychometric instruments. Migraine accounted for 5% to 11% of the variance of the total scores on the three psychometric scales. Approximately half (48.5%) of patients reported headache worsening during or after a depressive episode.Conclusions.—Our study found that comorbidity of migraine in patients with MDD was associated with more anxiety and physical symptoms. Headache should not be considered as only a somatic symptom of depression, but should be treated as an important comorbid disorder because it might exacerbate or interact with depression during a depressive episode.
Contribution of Serotonin Transporter Gene Polymorphisms to Pediatric Migraine
Authors: Szilagyi Agnes , Boor Krisztina , Orosz Iren , Szantai Eszter , Szekely Anna , Kalasz Huba , Sasvari‐Szekely Maria , Farkas Viktor 
Published: March 2006

Background.—The serotonin transporter gene is a promising candidate locus for the genetic susceptibility of migraine.Objective.—Two functional polymorphisms of the serotonin transporter gene (5‐HTTLPR and STin2) were analyzed to assess whether these variants are associated with pediatric migraine.Methods.—Eighty‐seven Hungarian pediatric migraine patients and 464 controls were genotyped using polymerase chain reaction. Patients suffering from migraine with (n = 38) or without aura (n = 49) were interviewed regarding the clinical symptoms before or during the attacks.Results.—There was no difference between genotype or allele distribution of 5‐HTTLPR and STin2 polymorphisms in the entire group of migraineurs and controls. Analysis of subgroups showed an association between STin2 and migraine with aura, as the 12,12 homozygote genotype was overrepresented in this group of patients. Furthermore, similar allele and genotype patterns were found in cases with severe vomiting and abdominal pain.Conclusions.—These results confirm and extend the association between the STin2 polymorphism of 5‐HTT gene and migraine with aura using pediatric probands. Our data also suggest a novel endophenotype for pediatric migraine characterized by excessive vomiting and abdominal pain during the attack.
Endothelin Receptor A –231 G>A Polymorphism: No Linkage to Primary Pediatric Headache
Authors: Lisi Veronica , Garbo Greta , Battistella PierAntonio , Miccichè Flavia , Stecca Anna , Terrazzino Salvatore , Franzoi Malida , Tripoli Elisa , Leon Alberta , Clementi Maurizio 
Published: March 2006

Objective.—To assess whether the biallelic –231 G>A polymorphism of the endothelin type A receptor (EDNRA) gene, previously shown to be a marker of increased risk for developing migraine, has a role in the susceptibility to primary pediatric headache.Background.—Several studies suggest that endothelin has a role in migraine. A recent association study has shown that the biallelic –231 G>A polymorphism of the EDNRA gene is associated to migraine in an elderly population.Methods.—A total of 126 consecutive unrelated pediatric patients affected by primary headache, classified according to the International Headache Society criteria in migraine (migraine with aura, n = 3; migraine without aura, n = 80), and tension‐type headache (episodic tension‐type headache, n = 36; chronic tension‐type headache, n = 7) patients, were recruited to the study. Sixty‐seven healthy blood donors were used as a control group. Genomic DNA was extracted from buccal swabs or blood samples and analyzed by polymerase chain reaction‐restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR‐RFLP) for the above‐mentioned polymorphism. Allele and genotype frequencies for primary headache patients were analyzed in comparison with the control group.Results.—No significant differences were found in the distribution of the EDNRA –231 G>A polymorphic variant when considering both genotype (migraine χ2= 2.78, P= .25; tension‐type headache χ2= 3.58, P= .17) and allelic frequencies (migraine χ2= 1.48, P= .22; tension‐type headache χ2= 0.39, P= .56). Furthermore, no significant genotype‐related difference was found in relation to clinical features, such as age at onset, frequency, and length of the attacks.Conclusions.—Our study shows that the –231 G>A polymorphism in the EDNRA gene is neither associated with primary juvenile headache nor significantly correlated with main clinical features characteristic of the headache pathology in pediatric settings.
Transvenous Pacemaker Lead Removal Is Safe and Effective Even in Large Vegetations: An Analysis of 53 Cases of Pacemaker Lead Endocarditis
Authors: RUTTMANN ELFRIEDE , HANGLER HERBERT B , KILO JULIANE , HÖFER DANIEL , MÜLLER LUDWIG C , HINTRINGER FLORIAN , MÜLLER SILVANA , LAUFER GÜNTHER , ANTRETTER HERWIG 
Published: March 2006

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate whether transvenous lead removal is safe and effective in patients with lead vegetations greater than 1 cm in size.
Methods: From 1991 to 2005, a total of 53 patients underwent pacemaker or ICD lead removal for vegetations. Transvenous lead removal using locking stylets and sheaths was performed in 30 patients (56.6%) and was found to be effective in 29 of those patients. In 1 patient, due to rupture of the lead, open heart removal of the ventricular lead remnant and tricuspid valve repair had to be performed due to persistent infection. In 23 of these patients, transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) verified vegetations greater than 1 cm in size. The remaining patients underwent primary lead removal using sternotomy and extracorporeal circulation (ECC). Pacemaker pocket infection was found in 16 patients (55.2%) of the transvenous study group and in 11 patients (45.8%) of the ECC group (P = 0.72).
Results: Perioperative mortality was 5.7% (3 patients); all of them underwent primary ECC removal and had severe endocarditis of the tricuspid valve. None of the patients who underwent transvenous lead removal died and there were no further complications such as pericardial tamponade or major pulmonary embolism requiring further interventions, even in patients demonstrating large vegetations.
Conclusions: This study demonstrates that transvenous lead removal is a safe and highly effective procedure for the removal of infected pacemaker and ICD leads, even in patients with large vegetations. Embolism to the lung proceeds mainly without further complications; however, patients with vegetations that might obstruct a main stem of the pulmonary artery should undergo ECC removal.
Continuous Template Collection and Updating for Electrogram Morphology Discrimination in Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators
Authors: COMPTON STEVEN J. , MERRILL JAMES J. , DORIAN PAUL , CAO JIAN , ZHOU DUO , GILLBERG JEFFREY M. ,   on behalf of the “Marquis VR” US/Canada Investigators
Published: March 2006

Introduction: Electrogram morphology analysis improves discrimination of supraventricular tachycardias (SVTs) from ventricular tachycardias (VTs) in implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs), but electrogram morphology may change with lead maturation, drugs, or disease progression. We report the clinical performance of an automatic algorithm that creates and updates templates from non‐paced, slow rhythm and continuously checks the quality of the template used for arrhythmia discrimination.
Methods and Results: We studied this algorithm in 193 patients with single‐chamber ICDs (Marquis VR, Medtronic Inc., Minneapolis, MN, USA). Of the 112 patients who completed 6‐month follow‐up, 99.1% of the patients had ≥1 automatic template created. Match scores between template and ongoing rhythm are computed using Haar Wavelets. Of the 435 automatic templates evaluated at follow‐up, 423 (97.2%) had a median match score ≥70%. Intrinsic rhythm at 1 month had significantly higher match scores (P < 0.001) with automatic templates (90.3 ± 7.0%) than with manual templates (85.7 ± 10.9%) generated at pre‐hospital discharge (PHD). The percentage of appropriately rejected SVTs was slightly higher with the automatic template (280/339 episodes) than with the manual template at PHD (272/339 episodes) while the Wavelet detection of VT was the same (218/220 episodes).
Conclusions: In patients receiving ICDs, the automatic templates were successfully created during a 6‐month follow‐up period, and consistently matched the patients' intrinsic rhythm at the nominal match threshold. Both early (<1 month postimplant) and late (1‐ to 3‐month follow‐up period) changes in electrogram morphology were identified, confirming the need for automatic template updating.
Antiinflammatory Effects of Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy in Patients with Chronic Heart Failure
Authors: THEODORAKIS GEORGE N. , FLEVARI PANAGIOTA , KROUPIS CHRISTOS , ADAMOPOULOS STAMATIS , LIVANIS EFTHIMIOS G. , KOSTOPOULOU ANNA , KOLOKATHIS FOTIS , PARASKEVAIDIS IOANNIS A. , LEFTHERIOTIS DIONYSSIOS , KREMASTINOS DIMITRIOS TH. 
Published: March 2006

Background: Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) pacing has been proposed as an additional treatment to medical therapy to improve heart failure patients with left ventricular asynchrony. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of CRT treatment on proinflammatory cytokines in patients with heart failure.
Methods: Twenty patients, with a mean age 64 ± 2 years, with severe chronic heart failure NYHA class II–IV (mean ejection fraction 25 ± 2%), were included in the study. Patients were treated with CRT pacing, after failure of optimal therapy. Blood samples were taken at baseline, 3 months after pacing therapy, and after a subsequent 3‐month period of no pacing for the assessment of proinflammatory cytokines TNF‐α and its receptors (sTNFR‐I, sTNFR‐II), IL‐6, adhesion molecules sICAM‐1 and sVCAM‐1, and the apoptotic indices sFas and sFas‐Ligand.
Results: Levels of TNF‐α, sTNFR‐I, and sTNFR‐II were reduced at the end of 3 months of CRT therapy and further reduced at the end of the no pacing period (P < 0.05, compared to baseline). Levels of IL‐6 also declined after 3 months of CRT pacing (from 8.9 ± 2.5 pg/mL to 4.7 ± 1.3 pg/mL, P < 0.05) and this was maintained during the no pacing period (3.9 ± 1.1 pg/mL P < 0.05 compared to baseline). The adhesion molecule sICAM‐1 levels also reduced (from 265 ± 17 ng/mL to 235 ± 12, P < 0.05) after 3 months of CRT pacing and remained unchanged at the end of the no pacing period (219 ± 12 ng/mL, P < 0.05 compared to baseline values).
Conclusion: Major proinflammatory cytokines and the adhesion molecule sICAM‐1 are reduced with CRT therapy and this effect is maintained for at least 3 months after discontinuation of pacing.
The Deleterious Consequences of Right Ventricular Apical Pacing: Time to Seek Alternate Site Pacing
Authors: MANOLIS ANTONIS S. 
Published: March 2006

Background: The purpose of this article is to critically review the data accumulated to date from studies evaluating the hemodynamic and clinical effects of right ventricular apical pacing during conventional permanent cardiac pacing. The data from studies comparing the effects of right ventricular apical pacing and alternate site ventricular pacing are also reviewed.
Methods: We conducted a MEDLINE and journal search of English‐language reports published in the last decade and searched relevant papers.
Results: Although intraventricular conduction delay in the form of left bundle branch block (LBBB) has traditionally been viewed as an electrophysiologic abnormality, it has now become abundantly clear that it has profound hemodynamic effects due to ventricular dyssynchrony, especially in patients with heart failure. These deleterious effects can be significantly ameliorated by cardiac resynchronization therapy effected by biventricular or left ventricular pacing. However, not only is spontaneous LBBB harmful, but the iatrogenic variety produced by right ventricular apical pacing in patients with permanent pacemakers may be equally deleterious. In this review new evidence from recent studies is presented, which strongly suggests a harmful effect of our long‐standing practice of producing an iatrogenic LBBB by conventional right ventricular apical pacing in patients receiving permanent pacemakers. This emerging strong new evidence about the adverse hemodynamic and clinical effects of right ventricular apical pacing would dictate a reassessment of our traditional approach to permanent cardiac pacing and direct our attention to alternate sites of pacing, such as the left ventricle and/or the right ventricular outflow tract or septum, if not for all patients, at least for those with left ventricular dysfunction. Indeed, current convincing data on alternate site ventricular pacing are encouraging and this approach should be actively pursued and further investigated in future studies.
Conclusions: Not only is spontaneous permanent LBBB harmful to our patients, but the iatrogenic variety produced by right ventricular apical pacing during conventional permanent pacing may also be deleterious to some patients. The compelling evidence presented herein cannot be ignored; it may dictate a change of attitude toward right ventricular apical pacing directing our attention to alternate sites of ventricular pacing and avoidance of the right ventricular apex.
Geological History, Flora, and Vegetation of Xishuangbanna, Southern Yunnan, China1
Authors: Zhu Hua , Cao Min , Hu Huabin 
Published: March 2006

ABSTRACTXishuangbanna of southern Yunnan is biogeographically located at a transitional zone from tropical Southeast (SE) Asia to subtropical East Asia, and is at the junction of the Indian and Burmese plates of Gondwana and the Eurasian plate of Laurasia. The flora of the region consists of a recorded 3336 native seed plant species, belonging to 1140 genera in 197 families, among which 83.5 percent are tropical genera and 32.8 percent are endemic to tropical Asia, suggesting a strong affinity to tropical Asian flora. The vegetation of Xishuangbanna is organized into four forest types: tropical rain forest, tropical seasonal moist forest, tropical montane evergreen broad‐leaved forest, and tropical monsoon forest. The tropical rain forest in Xishuangbanna has the same floristic composition of families and genera as some lowland equatorial rain forests in SE Asia, and is dominated (with a few exceptions) by the same families both in species richness and stem dominance. The exceptions include some deciduous trees in the canopy layer, fewer megaphanerophytes and epiphytes, and a higher abundance of lianas and microphyllic plants. We consider the tropical rain forest of Xishuangbanna as a type of tropical Asian rain forest, based on their conspicuous similarities in ecological and floristic characteristics.
Ground‐Water Flow Systems and Stability of a Slope
Authors: Sterrett Robert J. , Edil Tuncer B. 
Published: March 2006

AbstractShoreline recession on the Great Lakes has caused millions of dollars worth of property damage in the lake bordering States and Canadian provinces. A variety of projects have been funded to study the erosion problem. The general conclusion of these studies is that wave action at the base of the bluff is the most important basic cause of bluff‐top retreat. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of various physical processes in causing bluff erosion. One part of the study was to ascertain the role of ground water in bluff stability. In this study, along a certain stretch of the Lake Michigan shoreline, 9 to 10 m (27 to 30 ft) per year of bluff‐top recession that is not correlated to toe erosion was recorded. Heads were measured in 25 piezometers and a complex ground‐water flow system was defined at this site. A glacial sand unit that is under artesian pressure was found 5 m (15 ft) above the toe of the bluff. Another “perched” system was observed in a fractured till unit at the top of the bluff. Water‐table fluctuations have been recorded over a year and fluctuations of up to 13 m (39 ft) in the lower sand unit were measured. These fluctuations were found to have a significant influence on bluff stability. Pore pressures calculated from field measurements, along with the effective strength parameters of the soil units, were then used in the slope stability analysis to determine safety factors.Ground‐water flow systems are found to be highly complex at the land‐lake interface due to the inhomogeneities of the glacial materials that compose the bluffs. Furthermore, these complex ground‐water flow systems influence the stability of the upper part of the bluffs. Because of the complexities, extrapolation of results to other stretches of the shoreline is difficult. However, methodologies and the awareness of how water‐table fluctuations and multi‐layered ground‐water flow systems affect slope stability can be of help in other field situations.
Barriers to Effective Ground‐Water Management: The California Casea
Authors: Knapp Keith , Vaux H. J. 
Published: March 2006

AbstractGround water meets 40% of California's annual water needs, yet is essentially unmanaged. Current overdrafting is of special concern because supplemental surface supplies are becoming scarcer and more expensive. A dynamic optimization model is used to show that potential benefits from management in the southern San Joaquin area may be substantial. The magnitude of these benefits is sensitive to costs of energy, interest rates, demand for water, and availability of substitute surface supplies. The distribution of benefits from management depends upon the regulatory strategy employed. Collectively, pumpers gain through quota regulation but lose with pump taxes. Individual pumpers may lose even if the collective group benefits.Existing arrangements for ground‐water management in California appear inadequate. Statutes permit State regulation of withdrawals where water quality is threatened but only if additional surface supplies are provided. Management may be initiated in the courts at considerable cost. Historically, court action has required supplemental surface supplies. Legal authority exists for local control of withdrawals but has never been used.Resistance to ground‐water management in California is widespread and stems from the perception that regulation may impose real losses on individual users even if the majority benefits. Individual fears of economic loss borne for the collective and uncertain gain to larger group constitutes a significant barrier to management Effective management policies will need to be simple, flexible, equitable and inexpensive to administer.
Economics of Declining Water Supplies in the Ogallala Aquifera
Authors: Warren John , Mapp Harry , Ray Daryll , Kletke Darrel , Wang Charles 
Published: March 2006

AbstractA large portion of northwest Oklahoma is situated over the Ogallala Aquifer. Economic growth in the region has been tied closely to irrigated agriculture which depends on declining ground‐water resources in the Ogallala formation.As part of an integrated six‐State study, Oklahoma researchers developed a computer model of the agricultural sector of northwestern Oklahoma and estimated irrigated and dryland cropping patterns, farm output and farm income over a 40‐year planning horizon. Projections were made for a “baseline” situation, and the sensitivity of these results to alternative assumptions on energy costs, commodity prices and technological development was also analyzed.Preliminary results of the baseline analysis suggest a favorable outlook for irrigated agriculture in the area through the near to mid‐term, with increases in irrigated acreage, production, and returns to land and management. However, the baseline case is dependent on several relatively optimistic assumptions regarding future fuel prices, yields, and agricultural commodity prices. Even fairly large changes in fuel prices and yields are not particularly critical for model results, but if agricultural commodity prices are substantially lower than projected, the outlook for irrigated agriculture in the area is not favorable.
Ground‐Water Development in Western River Basins: Large Economic Gains with Unseen Costsa
Authors: Daubert John T. , Young Robert A. 
Published: March 2006

AbstractIn river basins where aquifers are closely interrelated with a stream, large‐scale ground‐water development can lower water tables near the stream and diminish stream flows. Junior surface right holders are adversely affected. A digital computer simulation of the hydrologic‐economic system on the lower South Platte River in Colorado is employed to study economic impacts of two water management policies. Open access management is found to yield high income benefits but imposes substantial costs on surface‐water users when water supplies are limited. Incorporation of ground water into the appropriation system can help avoid the losses to surface‐water users, but greatly reduces the income of ground‐water users.