bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Prediction of in-patient use in first-admitted patients with psychosis
Authors: Lay Barbara , Lauber Christoph , Rössler Wulf 
Published: March 2006

AbstractPurpose:The aim of this study is to examine the utilization of psychiatric services for inpatients with psychosis over a period of five years after first admission, and to identify factors that contribute to intensive service use in terms of cumulative length of in-patient treatment and readmission rate.Methods:A cohort of 424 patients with psychotic disorders (out of a sample of 2565 first-admitted patients from a catchment area in Switzerland) was examined by means of register data.Results:Patients admitted for psychosis spent the longest time in hospital compared to other diagnoses, but there was considerable within-sample variation, and most patients (60.4%) had only one in-patient episode. Of the total time accumulated in this sample, 50.5% was ‘consumed’ by 10.7% of patients. Regarding the overlap between ‘heavy use’ and ‘frequent use’ (those 10% of the sample with the longest/ most frequent hospitalizations), only 39.5% of the ‘frequent users’ were also ‘heavy users’ (vice versa: 38.6%). ‘Clinical’ measures were the main predictors of the overall time spent as an in-patient (schizophrenia diagnosis, therapeutic measures, clinical improvement). Concerning ‘heavy use’, homelessness was yet another important risk factor. Sociodemographic variables (age, level of education, living alone) particularly influenced the number of hospitalizations. A younger age at first admission was predictive of ‘heavy’ and ‘frequent’ use.Discussion:Clinical and sociodemographic factors explain differences in in-patient service consumption among patients with psychosis. Efforts to devise effective interventions have to take both into account, but different measures are needed to address ‘heavy’ and ‘frequent’ use.
Differentiation of adoptees at high versus low genetic risk for schizophrenia by adjusted MMPI indices
Authors: Siira Virva , Wahlberg Karl-Erik , Miettunen Jouko , Tienari Pekka , Làksy Kristian 
Published: March 2006

AbstractThe aim of this study was to find potential signs of genetic vulnerability to schizophrenia. The differences between adoptees at high genetic risk for schizophrenia (their biological mother had a schizophrenia spectrum disorder) and control adoptees of non-schizophrenia spectrum biological mothers were assessed. The comparisons between these groups were based on the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) test's subscale scores adjusted by gender, age at MMPI assessment, age at placement into the adoptive family and social class. The subjects were a subsamples of a total of 182 tested adoptees and 136 mentally healthy adoptees in the Finnish Adoptive Family Study. The high-risk group was found to be distinguishable from the low-risk group based on deviant scores on the Hostility, Hypomania and Lie scales. These scales may measure genetic vulnerability and also possibly be indicative of psychometric deviance predicting future onset of schizophrenia.
Minimal emotional dysfunctions (MED) in personality disorders
Authors: Linden M. 
Published: March 2006

AbstractThe concept of minimal emotional dysfunctions (MED) refers to traditional psychopathology in order to describe, classify, and understand personality disorders. Emotional dysfunctions encompass disorders of affect predominance, production, expression, experience, modulation, and regulation. MED can explain the dimensional nature of personality disorders, their multidimensionality and problems with categorical classifications. It can stimulate research on the etiology of personality disorders in reference to modern developmental brain research and trauma psychology. It can guide new developments in pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy. It is suggested to focus on MED in future developments of the description and classification of personality disorders.
Factors associated with depression in Parkinson’s disease: a cross-sectional study in a Polish population
Authors: Wichowicz Hubert M. , Sławek Jarosław , Derejko Mirosława , Cubała Wiesław Jerzy 
Published: March 2006

AbstractObjectiveThe aim of this study was to assess the prevalence and factors influencing depression in PD patients in a cross-sectional outpatient clinic - based Polish patients sample.Materials and methodsOne hundred consecutive PD patients were included in this study; 35 of them fulfilled DSM-IV criteria for Major Depression and its severity was assessed with Montgomery–Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS). A structured interview and a neurological examination, including Hoehn and Yahr scale (H–Y), Schwab–England disability scale, II, III, IV parts of Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS), and Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) were performed. The parameters obtained were analysed between the depressed and non-depressed PD patients.ResultsThe prevalence of depression in PD in Polish population was established at the level of 35%. PD patients with depression scored significantly higher in all UPDRS scales (except for the subscale of clinical fluctuation) and in H–Y scale. PD with depression was also associated with longer PD duration, higher doses of L-dopa equivalents, patients' age, general impairment of daily living in Schwab and England disability scale, lower MMSE and higher clinical fluctuations. However, those six differences were insignificant.ConclusionsDepression prevalence rate among PD patients in Polish population is slightly lower than in most of other published studies. This may result from strict selection criteria, use of specific outcome measures and restricted criteria for depression that were applied.
Neonatal hippocampal Tat injections: developmental effects on prepulse inhibition (PPI) of the auditory startle response
Authors: Fitting Sylvia , Booze Rosemarie M. , Mactutus Charles F. 
Published: March 2006

AbstractThe current estimate of children (<15 years) living with HIV and AIDS is 2.2 million [UNAIDS/WHO, 2005. AIDS Epidemic Update. UNAIDS, Geneva]. The major source of infection occurs through vertical transmission of the virus from mother to child during delivery [UNAIDS/WHO, 2005. AIDS Epidemic Update. UNAIDS, Geneva]. Recent studies have shown that timing of HIV‐1 infection might be related to the onset and rate of progression of CNS disease [Blanche, S., Mayaux, M.‐J., Rouziox, C., Teglas, J.‐P., Firtion, G., Monpoux, F., Cicaru‐Vigneron, N., Meier, F., Tricoire, J., Courpotin, C., Vilmer, E., Griscelli, C., Delfraissy, J.‐F., 1994. Relation of the course of HIV infection in children to the severity of the disease in their mothers at delivery. N. Engl. J. Med. 330 (5), 308–312]. The effects of HIV on the brain are thought to be mediated indirectly through the viral toxins Tat and gp120. This study characterized developmental effects on PPI following intrahippocampal administration of Tat. On postnatal day (P)1, one male and one female pup from each of eight Sprague–Dawley litters were bilaterally injected with 50 μg Tat or saline (1 μl volume). Animals were tested for PPI of the auditory startle response (ASR) (ISIs of 0, 8, 40, 80, 120, and 4000 ms, six trial blocks, Latin‐square design) on days 30, 60 and 90. Tat altered PPI and the pattern of alterations was different for males and females. For males, a leftward shift was evident in the ISI for maximal inhibition of the response on day 30 and on day 60 (χ2(1) = 4.7, p ≤ .03, and χ2(1) = 5.3, p ≤ .02, respectively), but not on day 90. For females, Tat altered peak ASR latency across PPI trials (8–120 ms) at all days of testing (30, 60, and 90 days of age), as indexed by orthogonal component analyses, indicating less modulation of PPI by ISI. Data collected from a second group that were tested only once at 90 days of age, suggested that the observed adverse Tat effects for males and females early in development were maintained with age. Thus, the diminishing TAT effect on PPI at day 90 in a longitudinal study design was attributed to repeated testing, rather than ‘recovery of function’. Collectively, the data suggested that hippocampal Tat injections in neonatal rats produced alterations in the pre‐attentive process of sensorimotor gating, as indexed by PPI.
Formality and discretion in successful R&D projects
Authors: Naveh Eitan 
Published: March 2006

AbstractIn the quest to improve execution of research and development (R&D) projects, this paper focuses on the association between attainment of R&D project performance objectives and the conflicts R&D project management sparks between discretion, which refers to spontaneity, desire for change and breaking of rules, and formality, which refers to structure, stability, and following the rules. Since no solid theory exists, managers are uncertain whether both formality and discretion can be simultaneously applied, though it is clear that both are needed in R&D projects. This study aims to develop a model that conceptualizes and brings empirical evidence for the relationship between formality, discretion and R&D project performance. More than 1500 participants from 62 R&D projects, and 248 customer representatives in one high technology electronics company responded to questionnaires that measured formality, discretion, uncertainty, and additional control variables. Each project's performance was assessed using the company's information system on deviation from objectives in unit‐cost (in US$), total project cost (in US$), time‐to‐market (in months), project product mean time between failures (MTBF) and mean time to repair (MTTR), and customer satisfaction. Results demonstrated that formality and discretion are distinct constructs of project execution. Each was found to positively affect R&D project performance; moreover, interaction existed in their relationships with performance. In other words, the positive relationship between formality and the performance achievement in R&D projects is stronger in projects that allow higher discretion than in projects that restrict members’ discretion. Implications for R&D management theory and practice are discussed.
Real option analysis of a technology portfolio
Authors: Hilli Petri , Kallio Maarit , Kallio Markku 
Published: March 2006

AbstractThis article contributes to methodology of real options analysis of investments in capital intensive process industries, where relatively homogenous outputs are produced using commonly known production technologies. In addition to capacity expansion, the method can be used for analysis of mergers and acquisitions. Valuation of the real option is based on bid price; i.e., the maximum price the firm is willing to pay. To find such a price, stochastic optimization with an expected utility criterion is used to determine investments in product specific technologies as well as in publicly traded financial instruments (the competing investments). To operationalize the valuation principle, we develop a double binary tree employing Kalman filter for scenario generation. For exponential utility, valuation is carried out by dynamic programming. We extend known methods to allow interdependence of the mill cash flow and return on competing financial investments. For forest industries, we provide an illustration, where the underlying price process in our Kalman filter application is a vector error correction model.
Head and neck mucosal squamous cell carcinoma: results of palliative management
Authors: Timon C , Reilly K 
Published: March 2006

Objective: To document the outcome of patients deemed at initial diagnosis to be appropriate for palliative care.Materials and methods: Over a five-year period, all patients with head and neck mucosal squamous cell carcinoma (HNMSCC) were referred to one consultant surgeon, and data were collated retrospectively.Results: Of 286 patients with HNMSCC, 60 (21 per cent) were deemed appropriate for palliative care at initial diagnosis. Their median survival was 154 days, with hypopharyngeal and oropharyngeal tumours forming a disproportional percentage of the initial diagnoses (p < 0.001). After initial assessment, 66 per cent of patients were discharged to their home, 17 per cent to hospice care and 17 per cent were transferred to other institutions. Including deaths during the initial admission, 29 per cent of patients did not return home after diagnosis. Palliative treatment included operative interventions in 35 per cent and radiotherapy in 43 per cent. Time spent in further hospital care averaged 47 days, and 47 per cent of patients eventually died in hospital.Conclusion: One in five patients presenting with HNMSCC were deemed appropriate for palliative care at initial presentation and survived less than six months after diagnosis. More than one-third required surgical intervention, and 29 per cent never returned home.
Experiences of the First 16 Hospitals Using Copper-Silver Ionization forLegionellaControl: Implications for the Evaluation of Other Disinfection Modalities
Authors: Stout Janet E. , Yu Victor L. 
Published: March 2006

AbstractBackground and Objectives:Hospital-acquired legionnaires' disease can be prevented by disinfection of hospital water systems. This study assessed the long-term efficacy of copper-silver ionization as a disinfection method in controllingLegionellain hospital water systems and reducing the incidence of hospital-acquired legionnaires' disease. A standardized, evidence-based approach to assist hospitals with decision making concerning the possible purchase of a disinfection system is presented.Design:The first 16 hospitals to install copper-silver ionization systems forLegionelladisinfection were surveyed. Surveys conducted in 1995 and 2000 documented the experiences of the hospitals with maintenance of the system, contamination of water withLegionella, and occurrence of hospital-acquired legionnaires' disease. All were acute care hospitals with a mean of 435 beds.Results:All 16 hospitals reported cases of hospital-acquired legionnaires' disease prior to installing the copper-silver ionization system. Seventy-five percent had previously attempted other disinfection methods including superheat and flush, ultraviolet light, and hyperchlorination. By 2000, the ionization systems had been operational from 5 to 11 years. Prior to installation, 47% of the hospitals reported that more than 30% of distal water sites yieldedLegionella. In 1995, after installation, 50% of the hospitals reported 0% positivity, and 43% still reported 0% in 2000. Moreover, no cases of hospital-acquired legionnaires' disease have occurred in any hospital since 1995.Conclusions:This study represents the final step in a proposed 4-step evaluation process of disinfection systems that includes (1) demonstrated efficacy ofLegionellaeradication in vitro using laboratory assays, (2) anecdotal experiences in preventing legionnaires' disease in individual hospitals, (3) controlled studies in individual hospitals, and (4) validation in confirmatory reports from multiple hospitals during a prolonged time (5 to 11 years in this study). Copper-silver ionization is now the only disinfection modality to have fulfilled all four evaluation criteria.
A Nosocomial Outbreak ofLegionella pneumophilaCaused by Contaminated Transesophageal Echocardiography Probes
Authors: Levy Pierre-Yves , Teysseire Nadine , Etienne Jérôme , Raoult Didier 
Published: March 2006

AbstractA case-control study of three cases ofLegionella pneumophilapneumonia identified transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) as a risk factor. Patient isolates and environmental strains from water used for rinsing TEE probes were identical by pulsed-fleld gel electrophoresis. This is the first report of endoscopy as a potential source of legionellosis.
Epidemiologic Investigation ofBurkholderia cepaciaAcquisition in Two Pediatric Intensive Care Units
Authors: Loukil Chawki , Saizou Carole , Doit Catherine , Bidet Philippe , Mariani-Kurkdjian Patricia , Aujard Yannick , Beaufils François , Bingen Edouard 
Published: March 2006

AbstractObjectives:To investigate and describe an outbreak ofBurkholderia cepaciain a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU), and to report the interventions leading to the cessation of the outbreak.Design:We conducted an epidemiologic investigation of an outbreak ofB. cepaciacolonization or infection in two clinical wards during a 35-month period (December 1998 to October 2001).Setting:A 500-bed, university hospital-affiliated, tertiary-care pediatric institution in Paris, France, with a 22-bed PICU and 31-bed NICU.Methods:Ribotyping was used to determine the genotypes ofB. cepaciaisolates. Procedures for the maintenance and disinfection of respiratory therapy devices were reviewed.Results:Thirty-two children were colonized (n = 14) or infected (n = 18) byB. cepaciain 2 wards (28 in the PICU and 4 in the NICU). In the PICU, a single ribotype was found among the isolates obtained from all of the patients except 1, and from the 6 isolates obtained from respiratory therapy devices (ie, heated humidifier water). In the NICU, the isolates obtained from the patients harbored a single ribotype unrelated to that of the epidemic strain isolated in the PICU; no environmental source of infection was found.Conclusion:Two different outbreaks appeared to be associated with 2 ribotypes, 1 of which was linked to patient-to-patient transmission via respiratory therapy devices. Complete elimination of the outbreak was achieved only when disposable, sterilizable, or easy-to-disinfect materials were used in the PICU. The source of infection in the NICU was not found.
Epidemiology of Methicillin-ResistantStaphylococcus aureusat a University Hospital in the Canary Islands
Authors: Montesinos Isabel , Salido Eduardo , Delgado Teresa , Lecuona Maria , Sierra Antonio 
Published: March 2006

AbstractObjectives:To describe the epidemiology of methicillin-resistantStaphylococcus aureus(MRSA) at a university hospital in Tenerife, Canary Islands, during a 40-month period and to evaluate the effectiveness of the application of control measures.Design:Laboratory-based surveillance, medical charts and microbiological records review, and characterization of strains by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) were used to describe the epidemiology. Infection control practices were introduced as an intervention.Setting:A 650-bed, tertiary-care university hospital.Subjects:Patients with clinical and nasal isolates of MRSA and colonized staff members.Results:The rate of nosocomial MRSA infections was 32.5% for 1997, 17.9% for 1998, 14.5% for 1999, and 25.6% during the first 4 months of 2000. The major sites of isolation for nosocomial MRSA infection included surgical wounds (25%) and the lower respiratory tract (24%). Intensive care units and surgical specialties had more frequent MRSA cases. Characteristics associated with nosocomial MRSA isolates included prior use of intensive antibiotic therapy, prolonged hospital stays, major underlying illness, invasive procedures, and older age. PFGE type A (subtype A1) was the strain most frequently found and the only PFGE type involved in clusters.Conclusions:Surveillance cultures and contact droplet precautions were followed by decreased rates for 2 years. Nevertheless, the spread of PFGE subtype Al to many different areas of the hospital and the increase in incidence during the first third of 2000 indicates either that surveillance cultures were not used widely enough or that compliance with isolation measures was suboptimal.
Post‐1990 Screen Memories: How East and West German Cinema Remembers the Third Reich and the Holocaust
Authors: Berghahn Daniela 
Published: March 2006

AbstractThe following article examines the contribution of German feature films about the Third Reich and the Holocaust to memory discourse in the wake of German unification. A comparison between East and West German films made since the 1990s reveals some startling asymmetries and polarities. While East German film‐makers, if they continued to work in Germany's reunified film industry at all, made very few films about the Third Reich, West German directors took advantage of the recent memory boom. Whereas films made by East German directors, such as Erster Verlust and Der Fall Ö, suggest, in liberating contradiction to the anti‐fascist interpretation of history, that East Germany shared the burden of guilt, West German productions subscribe to the normalisation discourse that has gained ideological hegemony in the East‐West‐German memory contest since unification. Films such as Aimée & Jaguar and Rosenstraße construct a memory of the past that is no longer encumbered by guilt, principally because the relationship between Germans and Jews is re‐imagined as one of solidarity. As post‐memory films, they take liberties with the traumatic memory of the past and, by following the generic conventions of melodrama, family saga and European heritage cinema, even lend it popular appeal.
Mania as a presenting symptom of Wilson's disease
Authors: Chand Prabhat Kumar , Murthy Pratima 
Published: March 2006

Objective:Wilson's disease commonly presents with neurological or hepatic manifestations. When it presents with only psychiatric symptoms, or with extrapyramidal symptoms secondary to neuroleptic exposure, the diagnosis of underlying Wilson's disease may be missed.Methods:An 18-year-old boy presented to the psychiatric clinic with a manic syndrome and high propensity for extrapyramidal symptoms to neuroleptic. Initial examination revealed splenomegaly and pancytopenia. Subsequent detection of Kayser–Fleischer ring and typical biochemical findings confirmed the diagnosis of Wilson's disease.Results:While the psychiatric symptoms came under control with lithium carbonate, extrapyramidal symptoms continue to persist even after neuroleptic withdrawal. Pancytopenia thought to be due to hypersplenism persists, and patient has developed features of liver cirrhosis. Treatment with zinc and folic acid has been started, and the patient is under evaluation for treatment with penicillamine.Conclusion:The psychiatrist needs to recognize that Wilson's disease can uncommonly present with isolated psychiatric symptoms, including mania. Early and severe extrapyramidal symptoms secondary to neuroleptic exposure in an adolescent age group warrants a detailed evaluation to rule out underlying neuropsychiatric conditions.
Cognitive performance following fluoxetine treatment in depressed patients post myocardial infarction
Authors: Strik Jacqueline J. M. H. , Honig Adriaan , Klinkenberg Edwin , Dijkstra Jeanette , Jolles Jelle 
Published: March 2006

Background:As depression is a considerable risk factor for an unfavourable course of myocardial infarction (MI), antidepressant treatment of post-MI depression and, inherent to MI status, polypharmacy has become an important issue.Objective:The present study is the first to evaluate cognitive side effects of fluoxetine, as part of a placebo-controlled double-blind trial, in patients with post-first MI depression.Methods:Cognitive performance of 54 depressed patients post first-MI, treated with fluoxetine or placebo was compared. Cognitive performance was tested before and after 9 weeks of treatment using the Visual Verbal Learning Test, Concept Shifting Task, Stroop Colour-Word Test and Letter-Digit-Substitution Test.Results:The median number of cardiovascular drugs taken by MI patients was 4.9. There were no differences between the fluoxetine and the placebo group on cognitive performance.Conclusion:In sum, there were no negative side effects of fluoxetine compared with placebo on cognition in depressed MI patients, simultaneously treated with cardiac drugs.