bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Increasing socio‐economic inequalities in drug‐induced deaths in Australia: 1981 – 2002
Authors: NAJMAN JAKE M. , TOLOO GHASEM , WILLIAMS GAIL M. 
Published: May 2008

AbstractIntroduction and Aims. Since the 1990s illicit drug use death rates in Australia have increased markedly. There is a notable gap in knowledge about changing socio‐economic inequalities in drug use death rates. Some limited Australian and overseas data point to higher rates of drug death in the lowest socio‐economic groups, but the paucity of available studies and their sometimes conflicting findings need to be addressed. Design and Methods. This paper uses data obtained from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) to examine changes in age‐standardised drug‐induced mortality rates for Australian males over the period 1981 – 2002. Socio‐economic status was categorised as manual or non‐manual work status. Results. With the rapid increase in drug‐induced mortality rates in the 1990s, there was a parallel increase in socio‐economic inequalities in drug‐induced deaths. The decline in drug death rates from 2000 onwards was associated with a decline in socio‐economic inequalities. By 2002, manual workers had drug death rates well over twice the rate of non‐manual workers. Discussion. Three factors are identified which contribute to these socio‐economic inequalities in mortality. First, there has been an age shift in deaths evident only for manual workers. Secondly, there has been an increase in availability until 1999 and a relative decline in the cost of the drug, which most often leads to drug death (heroin). Thirdly, there has been a shift to amphetamine use which may lead to significant levels of morbidity, but few deaths.
Comparing heroin users and prescription opioid users in a Canadian multi‐site population of illicit opioid users
Authors: FISCHER BENEDIKT , PATRA JAYADEEP , CRUZ MICHELLE FIRESTONE , GITTINS JUDE , REHM JÜRGEN 
Published: May 2008

AbstractIntroduction and Aims. Recent data suggest increasing prescription opioid and decreasing heroin use among street drug users, yet little is known on possible differential use characteristics and outcomes associated with these drugs. [While we recognise that, correctly, these populations would need to be labelled as opioid ‘abusers’ or ‘non‐medical users’, we rely on the simpler terms ‘use’ and ‘users’ for the population under study within the wider context of them being engaged overall in illicit opioid use activities.] This study compared drug use, health, and socio‐economic characteristics between heroin (H)‐only, prescription opioid (PO)‐only and mixed heroin and prescription (PO&H) users in a Canadian multi‐site cohort of illicit opioid and other drug users (OPICAN). Design and Methods. Data from the most recent (2005) multi‐component assessment of the H‐only (n = 94), PO‐only (n = 304) and PO&H (n = 86) cohort sub‐samples were analysed. Based on bivariate analyses of variables of interest, a multinomial logistic regression analysis (MLRA) model was computed, comparing PO‐only and PO&H groups to the H‐only reference group, respectively. Results. H‐only users were found in two of the seven study sites. Based on the MLRA, PO‐only and PO&H users, compared to H‐only users, were more likely to: be older, use benzodiazepines and cocaine, use drop‐in shelters and less likely to use walk‐in clinics. PO‐only users were also more likely to: be white; receive legal income; use drugs by non‐injection; have physical health problems; and use private physician services. Discussion and Conclusions. Our study underscores the increasing prevalence of PO compared to heroin use in the study population. Differences between PO‐only and H‐only users were more pronounced than differences between PO‐only and PO&H users. PO‐only use may be associated with lowered health risks and social burdens, yet concerns regarding polysubstance use and drug sourcing arise. Challenges for targeted interventions are discussed.
Patterns of benzylpiperazine/trifluoromethylphenylpiperazine party pill use and adverse effects in a population sample in New Zealand
Authors: WILKINS CHRIS , SWEETSUR PAUL , GIRLING MELISSA 
Published: May 2008

AbstractIntroduction and Aims. A large legal market for party pills containing benzylpiperazine (BZP) and trifluoromethylphenylpiperazine (TFMPP) developed in New Zealand after 2004. The use of these party pills has been associated with adverse health effects. The purpose of this paper was to assess a general population sample of party pill users to investigate the relationship between (1) patterns of use of BZP/TFMPP party pills and concurrent use of other drug types, and (2) adverse side effects from BZP/TFMPP party pill use. Design. A national household survey of the use of BZP/TFMPP party pills was conducted using a computer‐assisted telephone interviewing (CATI) facility. The quantity of BZP and TFMPP in each brand of party pill was obtained from the National Poisons Centre. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to identify independent predictors of having experienced adverse side effects from party pills. Results. The mean quantity of BZP/TFMPP taken on an occasion of greatest use was 533 mg (median 400 mg, range 43 – 2500 mg). Being female, using cannabis and other drugs concurrently with BZP/TFMPP party pills, taking large quantities of party pills in a single session and taking 5‐hydroxytryptophan (5‐HTP) recovery pills at the same time as party pills were independent predictors of having experienced an adverse problem from party pills. Conclusions. Females may be at greater risk of experiencing problems from BZP/TFMPP party pills due to their smaller physical size. Taking 5‐HTP ‘recovery’ pills with party pills may increase the risk of adverse effects as both substances increase users' levels of serotonin.
Incarceration experiences in a cohort of active injection drug users
Authors: MILLOY M.‐J. , WOOD EVAN , SMALL WILL , TYNDALL MARK , LAI CALVIN , MONTANER JULIO , KERR THOMAS 
Published: May 2008

AbstractBackground. Incarceration has been associated with a number of health‐related harms among injection drug users (IDU). However, little is known about the prevalence and correlates of incarceration among community‐based samples of IDU. Methods. We examined the prevalence and correlates of recent incarceration among IDU in the Scientific Evaluation of Supervised Injecting (SEOSI) cohort examined between 1 July 2004 and 30 June 2006 using generalised estimating equations (GEE). Results. A total of 902 individuals were included in the analysis, of whom 255 (28.72%) were female and 536 (59.42%) reported a history of incarceration. In a multivariate GEE model, recent incarceration was associated positively and independently with a number of high‐risk drug using behaviours, including syringe sharing. Conclusions. An alarmingly high proportion of active IDU reported recent incarceration and injecting while incarcerated. Recent incarceration was associated independently with syringe sharing. These findings add further evidence to repeated demands for an expansion of appropriate harm‐reduction measures in Canada's prisons.
Process and predictors of drug treatment referral and referral uptake at the Sydney Medically Supervised Injecting Centre
Authors: KIMBER JO , MATTICK RICHARD P. , KALDOR JOHN , VAN BEEK INGRID , GILMOUR STUART , RANCE JAKE A. 
Published: May 2008

AbstractIntroduction and Aims. Low‐threshold drug services such as drug consumption rooms (DCRs) have been posited as referral gateways to drug treatment for injecting drug users (IDUs). We examined the process and predictors of drug treatment referral and referral uptake at an Australian DCR. Design and Methods. We undertook behavioural surveillance of the Sydney Medically Supervised Injecting Centre (MSIC) client cohort between May 2001 and October 2002. Data were collected for 3715 IDUs on demographics, injecting and drug use behaviours at registration and all subsequent MSIC service utilisation, including referrals. Referral uptake (defined as presentation for assessment at the relevant agency) was traced via reply‐paid postcards included with written referrals. Results. Sixteen per cent of clients who received written referrals to drug treatment had confirmed drug treatment referral uptake. Factors associated with drug treatment referral were frequent MSIC attendance [adjusted odds ratios (AOR = 9.4], receipt of written health (AOR = 4.8) or psychosocial (AOR = 4.3) referrals, heroin as main drug injected (AOR = 1.9) and completion of high school education (AOR = 1.6). Factors associated positively with drug treatment referral uptake were recent sex work (AOR = 2.6) and at least daily injection (AOR 2.3). Previous psychiatric illness or self‐harm was associated negatively with drug treatment referral uptake (AOR = 0.2). Discussion and Conclusions. MSIC engaged IDUs successfully in drug treatment referral and this was associated with presentation for drug treatment assessment and other health and psychosocial services. To improve rates of drug treatment referral and uptake, those with a history of mental health issues may require more intensive referral and case management.
Savonarola at the Stake: The Rise and Fall of Roy Meadow
Authors: Kaplan Robert 
Published: May 2008

Objective: The aim of this paper is to describe the role of prominent paediatrician Professor Sir Roy Meadow in the controversy surrounding the diagnosis of Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy (MSBP) in mothers accused of murdering their children. Conclusion: The MSBP saga is a further chapter of an era of moral panic that started several decades ago with repressed memory therapy, satanic ritual abuse and multiple personalities. The fall of medieval sage Savonarola is an apt analogy for the fate of Roy Meadow. The history of medicine is rife with figures who become their own authority and rule by force of personality.
“If There is a Doctor Aboard this Flight…”: Issues and Advice for the Passenger-Psychiatrist
Authors: Macleod Sandy 
Published: May 2008

Objective: On several occasions, the author has responded to requests for medical assistance while travelling by air. This paper examines the various issues when a passenger-psychiatrist is confronted with an in-flight medical emergency. Conclusions: A range of medical problems can present during air travel. A review of the available literature on a doctor's obligations when confronted with an in-flight medical emergency is provided. Guidelines for the passenger-psychiatrist, who at some stage is likely to encounter such a circumstance, are offered.
Endogenous Adipose‐Derived Factors Diminish Coronary Endothelial Function via Inhibition of Nitric Oxide Synthase
Authors: Payne Gregory A. , Borbouse Léna , Bratz Ian N. , Roell William C. , Bohlen H. Glenn , Dick Gregory M. , Tune Johnathan D. 
Published: May 2008

ABSTRACTAdipocytokines may be the molecular link between obesity and vascular disease. However, the effects of these factors on coronary vascular function have not been discerned. Accordingly, the goal of this investigation was to delineate the mechanisms by which endogenous adipose‐derived factors affect coronary vascular endothelial function. Both isolated canine coronary arteries and coronary blood flow in anesthetized dogs were studied with and without exposure to adipose tissue. Infusion of adipose‐conditioned buffer directly into the coronary circulation did not change baseline hemodynamics; however, endothelial‐dependent vasodilation to bradykinin was impaired both in vitro and in vivo. Coronary vasodilation to sodium nitroprusside was unaltered by adipose tissue. Oxygen radical formation did not cause the impairment because quantified dihydroethidium staining was decreased by adipose tissue and neither a superoxide dismutase mimetic nor catalase improved endothelial function. Inhibition of nitric oxide (NO) synthase with L‐NAME diminished bradykinin‐mediated relaxations and eliminated the subsequent vascular effects of adipose tissue. In vitro measurement of NO demonstrated that adipose tissue exposure quickly lowered baseline NO and abolished bradykinin‐induced NO production. The results indicate that adipose tissue releases factor(s) that selectively impair endothelial‐dependent dilation via inhibition of NO synthase‐mediated NO production.
Effects of ‘Context‐Optimization’ on the acquisition of grammatical case in children with specific language impairment: an experimental evaluation in the classroom
Authors: Motsch Hans‐Joachim , Riehemann Stephanie 
Published: May 2008

Background:Disorders in the acquisition of morphological agreement phenomena, e.g. case marking, are characteristic of German children with specific language impairment (SLI). Although the success of individual therapy has already been documented, there are general doubts about the success of grammar facilitation in the classroom.Aims:To investigate whether children with SLI, who were trained with the new program ‘Context‐Optimization’ during classes, achieved significant improvements in the acquisition of case and whether this therapeutic approach was more effective than the traditional methods used in a control group.Methods & Procedures:Forty‐five classes of 19 special language schools participated in the study. Within 12 weeks the experimental group, consisting of 63 children, received 12 hours of therapy during their lessons. The therapeutic measures were implemented directly by their class teachers, who are additionally qualified as school speech and language pathologists. The case marking skills of the 63 children constituting the control group were also trained during classes or within individual or group therapy, although their teachers used other methods than Context‐Optimization.Outcomes & Results:The experimental group participants increased their case‐marking skills significantly, even after a short‐term intervention, and these effects remained stable. It is evident that their improvements were independent of any risk factors such as deficits in the perception and processing of language, problems in gender agreement and bilingualism. Context‐Optimization therapy in the classroom is effective for both accusative and dative, the prominent therapy goal, while traditional methods are only effective for accusative.Conclusions:A critical analysis of the data reveals two important implications for future interventions: (1) the reduction of language material to ensure proper use of gender during therapy sequences; and (2) the adaptation of therapeutic steps to the learning tempo of the pupils.
Effect of listeners' linguistic background on perceptual judgements of hypernasality
Authors: Lee Alice , Brown Susanna , Gibbon Fiona E. 
Published: May 2008

Background: Many speech and language therapists work in a multilingual environment, making cross‐linguistic studies of speech disorders clinically and theoretically important.Aims: To investigate the effect of listeners' linguistic background on their perceptual ratings of hypernasality and the reliability of the ratings.Methods & Procedures: The speech samples were nine Cantonese non‐nasal sentences produced by 22 speakers (20 speakers with hypernasality and two speakers with normal resonance). Twenty‐four non‐expert listeners (twelve Cantonese and twelve English) rated the speech samples using direct magnitude estimation.Outcomes & Results: The Cantonese listeners gave significantly higher ratings to the female speech samples (mean = 76.02) than the English listeners (mean = 59.24; t = 3.189, p<0.05). The difference in direct magnitude estimation ratings between the Cantonese (78.57) and English (70.83) listeners was not significant for the male samples (t = 2.097, p>0.05). Despite the difference in numerical ratings between the two groups of listeners, the high correlations between their ratings indicated that they ranked the speech samples in terms of hypernasality severity similarly. Both groups of listeners showed high inter‐judge reliability but low intra‐judge reliability for rating the two sets of speech samples. There was a significant difference in intra‐judge reliability between the Cantonese (r = 0.55) and English (r = 0.39) listeners for the male samples (t = 2.125, p<0.05).Conclusions: Generally, the non‐expert Cantonese and English listeners ranked the Cantonese samples in terms of hypernasality in a similar way. The reliability of ratings by non‐expert listeners was moderate. The need for further cross‐linguistic studies into perceptual evaluations of speech disorders is highlighted.
Investigating the psycholinguistic correlates of speechreading in preschool age children
Authors: Davies Rebecca , Kidd Evan , Lander Karen 
Published: May 2008

Background: Previous research has found that newborn infants can match phonetic information in the lips and voice from as young as ten weeks old. There is evidence that access to visual speech is necessary for normal speech development. Although we have an understanding of this early sensitivity, very little research has investigated older children's ability to speechread whole words.Aims: The aim of this study was to identify aspects of preschool children's linguistic knowledge and processing ability that may contribute to speechreading ability. We predicted a significant correlation between receptive vocabulary and speechreading, as well as phonological working memory to be a predictor of speechreading performance.Methods & Procedures: Seventy‐six children (n = 76) aged between 2;10 and 4;11 years participated. Children were given three pictures and were asked to point to the picture that they thought that the experimenter had silently mouthed (ten trials). Receptive vocabulary and phonological working memory were also assessed. The results were analysed using Pearson correlations and multiple regressions.Outcomes & Results: The results demonstrated that the children could speechread at a rate greater than chance. Pearson correlations revealed significant, positive correlations between receptive vocabulary and speechreading score, phonological error rate and age. Further correlations revealed significant, positive relationships between The Children's Test of Non‐Word Repetition (CNRep) and speechreading score, phonological error rate and age. Multiple regression analyses showed that receptive vocabulary best predicts speechreading ability over and above phonological working memory.Conclusions & Implications: The results suggest that preschool children are capable of speechreading, and that this ability is related to vocabulary size. This suggests that children aged between 2;10 and 4;11 are sensitive to visual information in the form of audio‐visual mappings. We suggest that current and future therapies are correct to include visual feedback as a therapeutic tool; however, future research needs to be conducted in order to elucidate further the role of speechreading in development.
Evaluation of the newly established acne severity classification among Japanese and Korean dermatologists
Authors: HAYASHI Nobukazu , SUH Dae Hun , AKAMATSU Hirohiko , KAWASHIMA Makoto ,   Acne Study Group
Published: May 2008

ABSTRACTRecently, we established an acne severity classification that is based on scientific evidence. Our classification allows three different methods for grading, which include general impression of consulted dermatologist, photograph‐based estimation by independent experts, and grading by lesion counting. In our classification, we proposed standard photographs for the estimation of general severity to adjust the basis of judgments. In this study, we evaluated the validity of our classification. We made questionnaires of acne severity using acne patients’ photographs, which were selected from the collection of representative photographs of our classification. Participants answered these questionnaires before and after our presentations about our classification of acne severity. We identified the conformity rate with our consensus decision. The results revealed that average conformity rates were raised from 67.0% to 88.9% among Japanese dermatologists and from 68.0% to 79.8% among Korean ones. These data show the adequacy of both our grading system itself and its presentation. We believe our classification will be one of the most effective and reasonable grading systems to classify acne severity.
Case of pyoderma gangrenosum showing oral and genital ulcers, misdiagnosed as Behcet's disease at first medical examination
Authors: TSUBOI Hiromi 
Published: May 2008

ABSTRACTIt is occasionally difficult to distinguish between Behcet's disease (BD) and pyoderma gangrenous (PG). Our case showed ulcers of the oral, vaginal and perineal areas, and in the ileum, thus resulting in our initial diagnosis of BD. However, the patient showed a continued leukopenia, and she was subsequently diagnosed by bone marrow biopsy as having a myelodysplastic syndrome, which will sometimes accompany PG. In addition, following a hysterectomy, the ulcers of the stump in the vagina and the perineum showed the characteristic findings of a PG‐like destructive ulceration. Based on these findings, we finally diagnosed our case to have PG.
Endothelial hyperplasia and endothelial galectin‐3 expression are prognostic factors in primary central nervous system lymphomas
Authors: D’Haene Nicky , Catteau Xavier , Maris Calliope , Martin Benoit , Salmon Isabelle , Decaestecker Christine 
Published: May 2008

SummaryRecently, considerable attention has been focused on the identification of clinically relevant prognostic markers for primary central nervous system lymphomas (PCNSL). The present study investigated whether three morphological features, i.e. necrosis, reactive perivascular T‐cell infiltrate and endothelial hyperplasia, and galectin‐1 and galectin‐3 immunohistochemical expression have prognostic roles in a series of 58 PCNSL samples from 44 immunocompetent and 14 immunocompromised patients. The presence of endothelial hyperplasia (identified in 21% of the assessable cases) was identified as a bad prognostic factor for immunocompetent PCNSL patients, whereas the other morphological features were not associated with any prognostic value. Lymphomatous cells of eight PCNSL cases expressed galectin‐3 without any prognostic value, and lymphomatous cells did not express galectin‐1. In contrast, endothelial expression of galectin‐3 was identified (by means of uni‐ and multi‐variate analyses) as a bad prognostic factor for immunocompetent PCNSL patients. In addition, a combination of endothelial hyperplasia and/or endothelial galectin‐3 expression was shown to be an independent prognostic factor for immunocompetent PCNSL patients treated with methotrexate‐based chemotherapy. In summary, this study suggests that endothelial‐related markers can identify risk groups of PCNSL patients and indicates that galectin‐3 could be involved in PCNSL angiogenesis.