bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
All‐cause mortality and fatal alcohol poisoning in Belarus, 1970–2005
Authors: RAZVODOVSKY YURY E. 
Published: May 2008

AbstractIntroduction and Aims. Although alcohol appears to be an important contributor to the burden of disease in the countries of eastern Europe, little systematic research has been undertaken on its impact on mortality in the former Soviet republic of Belarus. There may be a number of factors underlying the particularly negative effect of alcohol on mortality in Belarus, including the pattern of drinking and use of surrogates. A solid body of research and empirical evidence suggests that hazardous patterns of alcohol consumption (binge drinking) lead to quicker and deeper intoxication, increasing the propensity for alcohol‐related mortality. Design and Method. To estimate the aggregate level effect of binge drinking on the all‐cause mortality rate, trends in the all‐cause mortality and fatal alcohol poisoning rates (as a proxy for binge drinking) in Belarus from 1970 to 2005 were analysed employing AutoRegressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) time–series analysis in order to assess a bivariate relationship between the two time–series. Results. The results of time–series analysis suggest a close relationship between all‐cause mortality and fatal alcohol poisoning rates at the population level. Conclusions. This study supports the hypothesis that alcohol and all‐cause mortality are connected closely in countries where the drinking culture is characterised by heavy drinking episodes and adds to the growing body of evidence that a substantial proportion of total mortality in Belarus is due to acute effects of binge drinking.
Factors Affecting Career Choice in Psychiatry: A Survey of RANZCP Trainees
Authors: Thomas Tina 
Published: May 2008

Objective: The aim of this paper was to identify factors that impact on career choice in order to promote careers in psychiatry to medical graduates. Method: Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) psychiatry trainees were invited by email to complete an online survey on career planning. The survey included open-ended questions about the reasons for choosing psychiatry and satisfaction with career opportunities in psychiatry. Responses were analysed for main themes. Results: Of the 267 trainees who participated, 84% were currently training in Australia and 16% were training in New Zealand. The reasons given by trainees for choosing psychiatry varied. Over two-thirds of trainees highlighted a general interest in the area or enjoyment of their experience of psychiatry. Trainees also frequently mentioned work–life balance (29%), patient contact (20%), challenge and complexity (17%), helping people (16%), and the holistic perspective (15%) as reasons for choosing psychiatry. Over 80% of trainees reported being satisfied with their choice of medical specialization and were positive about the career opportunities that psychiatry offers. Conclusion: This study highlighted a number of factors that impact on career choice and satisfaction with career choice. Promotional materials should utilize these factors in order to more effectively promote careers in psychiatry.
A Survey of Memory Clinics in New Zealand
Authors: Cheung Gary , Strachan John 
Published: May 2008

Objective: The aim of this survey was to identify all the publicly funded memory clinics in the 21 District Health Boards (DHBs) in New Zealand. Method: Information on the provision of memory clinics was obtained by emailing the old age psychiatrists’ group and making telephone contact with clinicians working in old age psychiatry/geriatric services. A brief structured questionnaire was completed by the memory clinic lead clinicians. Results: There are eight memory clinics in New Zealand, funded equally between mental health services and geriatric medicine. However, there is variability in the provision of memory clinics in the medium and smaller sized DHBs and inconsistency in the level of funded staff across DHBs. Conclusions: Acknowledgement of the value of memory clinics within a national service framework is needed, with appropriate benchmarking of funding. This would ensure improved access, including for rural and remote areas of New Zealand.
Brain Stimulation Techniques for the Treatment of Depression and Other Psychiatric Disorders
Authors: Fitzgerald Paul 
Published: May 2008

Objective: The aim of this paper was to review the development of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), magnetic seizure therapy (MST), vagal nerve stimulation (VNS), deep brain stimulation (DBS) and other recent brain stimulation techniques for their potential use in the treatment of a range of psychiatric disorders. Conclusions: A considerable number of studies have been conducted to investigate the efficacy of rTMS. Although there are considerable problems with this research base, globally the studies suggest that rTMS has antidepressant efficacy. However, more research is required to define the most effective way of applying this technique. There is a much smaller research base supporting the use of VNS and to date the research suggests that only a minority of patients benefit from this procedure. Considerably more research is required in the use of the other techniques which at this stage have been tested only to a very small degree. It is likely that one, and possibly a number, of the new brain stimulation techniques will become available clinically in the psychiatric armamentarium in the coming years. However, considerable research is still required to establish efficacy and define the appropriate place in clinical practice for these treatment approaches.
The Tofts: A Private Psychiatric Hospital in the Reigns of Edward VII and George V
Authors: Duke Michael 
Published: May 2008

Objective: The aim of this paper is to describe ‘The Tofts’, a private psychiatric hospital in the reigns of Edward VII and George V. Conclusions: An addendum to the history of psychiatry, in Australia is the conduct or treatment for the mentally ill in private hospitals during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. This paper describes one such small private hospital in Victoria, called The Tofts, and its founder, patients and treatment methods employed.
Life-Threatening Constipation Associated with Clozapine
Authors: Rege Sanil , Lafferty Tim 
Published: May 2008

Objective: The aim of this paper was to describe the association of clozapine with life-threatening constipation. Method: Case report. Results: A 53-year-old man presented to the emergency department with severe abdominal pain and bilious vomiting after being on clozapine for over a year for schizoaffective disorder. Surgery revealed severe faecal impaction in the large and small bowel. Clozapine was ceased. There were significant difficulties in the subsequent psychiatric management. Clozapine was gradually reintroduced with concurrent laxative administration, which resulted in another episode of severe constipation with faecal impaction. Conclusions: Clozapine can be associated with potentially life-threatening constipation. Psychiatrists, especially consultation liaison psychiatrists, physicians, surgeons and radiologists, should be aware of the seriousness of clozapine-induced constipation and its potentially fatal complications.
Reasons for Referral for Electroconvulsive Therapy: A Comparison Between Adolescents and Adults
Authors: Bloch Yuval , Sobol Doli , Levkovitz Yechiel , Kron Shmuel , Ratzoni Gideon 
Published: May 2008

Objective: In order to improve our understanding of the use of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in adolescent patients, we aimed to evaluate the reasons for referral for ECT in different age groups. Method: We compared the reasons for adolescent and adult referrals by a retrospective file review of 13 consecutive adolescents and 56 consecutive adults treated in our ECT unit during a 5-year period. Results: There was a significant association between age group and reason for referral. Non-response to pharmacotherapy was a significantly more common reason among adults. Adolescents were mainly referred due to catatonia and suicidal behaviour. Conclusion: Our results support the need to study reasons for referral to ECT, beyond non-response to pharmacotherapy, especially in adolescent patients.
P‐Selectin‐Dependent Monocyte Recruitment Through Platelet Interaction in Intestinal Microvessels of LPS‐Treated Mice
Authors: Higashiyama Masaaki , Hokari Ryota , Matsunaga Hisayuki , Takebayashi Koichi , Watanabe Chikako , Komoto Shunsuke , Okada Yoshikiyo , Kurihara Chie , Kawaguchi Atsushi , Nagao Shigeaki , Itoh Kazuro , Miura Soichiro 
Published: May 2008

ABSTRACTBackground:Although platelets or monocytes are thought to be involved in intestinal inflammation, there has been no report on whether platelets can modulate monocyte recruitment in intestinal microvessels. The objective of this study was to determine whether blockade of platelet adhesion attenuates monocyte recruitment in inflamed murine intestinal microvessels.Methods:Monocytes and platelet‐rich plasma were obtained from C57B6/J mice. Interaction of monocytes and platelets with intestinal microvessels was observed under an intravital microscope. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was administered intraperitoneally. The effects of anti‐P‐selectin or anti‐platelets antibody treatments or phosphodiesterase (PDE) inhibitors (PDE‐3 and PDE‐2/4 inhibitor) treatments were also studied.Results:LPS‐treatment increased the rolling and adhesion of both platelets and monocytes. Pretreatment with an anti‐P‐selectin antibody inhibited the increased platelet adhesion to venular walls and also attenuated the monocyte adhesion. A PDE‐2/4 inhibitor (ibuzilast) also ameliorated both platelet and monocyte adhesion. A PDE‐3 inhibitor (cilostazol) ameliorated only monocyte adhesion without directly affecting the adhesion of platelets to microvessels.Conclusions:We observed inhibition of platelets adhesion attenuated monocytes recruitment in intestinal microvessels. Attenuation of LPS induced monocyte adhesion by a specific PDE‐3 inhibitor suggests that P‐selectin on activated platelets may play an important role through monocyte and platelet interaction.
Losartan and Ozagrel Reverse Retinal Arteriolar Constriction in Non‐Obese Diabetic Mice
Authors: Lee Seungjun , Harris Norman R. 
Published: May 2008

ABSTRACTObjective:Reductions in retinal blood flow are observed early in diabetes. Venules may influence arteriolar constriction and flow; therefore, we hypothesized that diabetes would induce the constriction of arterioles that are in close proximity to venules, with the constriction mediated by thromboxane and angiotensin II.Methods:Using nonobese diabetic (NOD) mice, retinal measurements were performed three weeks following the age at which glucose levels exceeded 200 mg/dL, with accompanying experiments on age‐matched normoglycemic NOD mice. The measurements included retinal arteriolar diameters and red blood cell velocities and were repeated following an injection of the thromboxane synthase inhibitor, ozagrel. Mice were subdivided into equal groups and given drinking water with or without the angiotensin II receptor antagonist, losartan.Results:Retinal arterioles were constricted in hyperglycemic mice, with a significant reduction in flow. However, not all arterioles were equally affected; the vasoconstriction was limited to arterioles that were in closer proximity to venules. The arteriolar vasoconstriction (mean arteriolar diameters = 51 ± 1 vs. 61 ± 1 μ m in controls;p< 0.01) was eliminated by both ozagrel (61 ± 2 μ m) and losartan (63 ± 2 μ m).Conclusions:Venule‐dependent arteriolar vasoconstriction in NOD mice is mediated by thromboxane and/or angiotensin II.
Systematic review of the literature on characteristics of late‐talking toddlers
Authors: Desmarais Chantal , Sylvestre Audette , Meyer François , Bairati Isabelle , Rouleau Nancie 
Published: May 2008

Background:Research has investigated late‐talking toddlers because they are at great risk of continuing to experience language‐learning difficulties once they enter school and hence are candidates for early intervention. It is also important to consider this group of children with regards to the immediate characteristics which are detrimental to their development and for which early intervention has become increasingly available.Aims:To review the literature on late‐talking toddlers in order to identify the characteristics of this population whose importance has been clearly demonstrated, identify sources of incongruence in findings, and to underscore aspects of language delay at 2 years of age and characteristics about which additional knowledge is needed.Main contribution:The review highlights the need to define the language difficulties found in late‐talking toddlers based on clinical profiles that go beyond the criterion of an expressive vocabulary delay. It also underscores the association between vocabulary delay and characteristics of the child such as social–emotional development and characteristics of the socio‐familial environment such as language stimulation.Conclusions:Future research should take into account the lack of homogeneity observed within the population of children with a vocabulary delay at 2 years of age and attempt to identify subgroups within late‐talking toddlers. It should also consider a multifactorial perspective of child development to further the understanding of this phenomenon.
Interplay between phonology and syntax in French‐speaking children with specific language impairment
Authors: Parisse Christophe , Maillart Christelle 
Published: May 2008

Background:This study investigated the relationship between phonological and syntactic disorders of French‐speaking children with specific language impairment in production.Aims:To compare three theories (pure phonological theory, surface theory, and mapping theory) of language developmental disorders, all of which view phonological difficulties as the main reason for the children's problems.Methods & Procedures:The linguistic parameters (salience, phonological complexity, syntactic complexity, lexical/functional word, semantic/syntactic weight) that are fundamental to these theories were identified. The validity of these parameters was then tested against the phonological and syntactic results obtained by children with specific language impairment and control children. Nine syntactic categories were tested.Outcomes & Results:Phonological complexity was the only parameter whose importance was confirmed, and this was only for phonological performance. Syntactic complexity did not correlate significantly with children's difficulties. Phonological salience did not correlate with phonological performance but was related to syntactic performance for French‐speaking children. Mixed results were obtained for the other parameters, including negative correlations, which may call for different explanations.Conclusions:No theory fully explained the observed outcomes. Pure phonological theory was the most parsimonious, but could not explain all the results, in particular not the results with respect to grammar.
Role of auditory attention in the real‐time processing of simple grammar by children with specific language impairment: a preliminary investigation
Authors: Montgomery James W. 
Published: May 2008

Background: This study investigates the effects of two dimensions of attentional functioning, sustained focus of attention and resource capacity/allocation, on the real‐time processing of simple sentences by children with specific language impairment (SLI) and typically developing (TD) children matched for age.Methods & Procedures: Thirty‐six school‐age children with SLI and 36 age‐matched TD peers completed an auditory continuous performance task (ACPT) as a measure of sustained attention, a concurrent verbal processing‐storage task as a measure of resource capacity/allocation, and a word‐recognition reaction time (RT) task (index of sentence processing). Correlation and regression analyses were run to determine the association between the two measures of attention and word recognition RT.Outcomes & Results: Children with SLI were outperformed by the TD children on each of the tasks. For each group, scores on both the ACPT and concurrent processing‐storage tasks significantly correlated with word recognition RT. The partial correlations (with the effects of age removed) remained significant, but only for the SLI group. Results of a regression analysis for the SLI group showed that age predicted 12.3% of unique variance in word recognition RT, while ACPT score accounted for an additional significant 45.7% of unique variance and the processing‐storage task score accounted for another significant 4.3% of unique variance.Conclusions: The real‐time processing of simple grammar by children with SLI appears to involve significant use of sustained focus of attention and attentional resource capacity. In the case of TD children, however, neither sustained attention nor attentional resources appears to be significantly involved in simple sentence processing.
Contribution of phonological and broader language skills to literacy
Authors: Fraser Jill , Conti‐Ramsden Gina 
Published: May 2008

Background: Recent models of reading ability propose that both phonological and broader language skills are important for the development of literacy. Whilst there are numerous studies that consider the role of phonological skills in literacy, fewer studies have considered the role of broader language skills and reading proficiency.Aims: To examine how phonological skills and broader language skills relate to word reading (including speeded word reading), non‐word reading, spelling, and reading comprehension.Methods & Procedures: Seventy‐one children (mean age = 10.10; 21 girls) with a wide range of reading and language abilities took part in the study. A number of tasks were administered that measured phonological skills (phonological awareness, phonological short‐term memory) and broader language skills (vocabulary, morphology, sentence correction, and sentence processing).Outcomes & Results: In support of previous work, both phonological and broader language abilities predicted reading and spelling. The exception was the timed single‐word‐reading task that was influenced by vocabulary. Reading comprehension was solely predicted by broader language abilities.Conclusions: Both phonological and broader language abilities are involved in the development of reading and spelling, but in the case of reading comprehension, broader language skills are crucial.
Intelligibility of dysarthric speech: perceptions of speakers and listeners
Authors: Walshe Margaret , Miller Nick , Leahy Margaret , Murray Aisling 
Published: May 2008

Background: Many factors influence listener perception of dysarthric speech. Final consensus on the role of gender and listener experience is still to be reached. The speaker's perception of his/her speech has largely been ignored.Aims: (1) To compare speaker and listener perception of the intelligibility of dysarthric speech; (2) to explore the role of gender and listener experience in speech perception; and (3) to examine the relationship between speaker perceptions of intelligibility and formal clinical intelligibility ratings.Methods & Procedures: Study 1 examines listener perception of intelligibility of dysarthric speech. Twenty people with acquired dysarthria, ten speech language therapists (SLTs) and 20 naïve listeners heard audio recordings of dysarthric speech and used direct magnitude estimation (DME) to rate perceptions of speech intelligibility. Differences in perception across gender and listener experience (SLTs versus naïve listeners) were examined. Study 2 tackles the speaker's perception of his/her own speech intelligibility. Using the same groups of participants and DME, speakers rated their own speech intelligibility. SLTs and naïve listeners then rated their perception of the speakers' intelligibility. Differences in perceptions between speakers and listeners were compared. Further analysis examined differences across gender and listener experience. Finally, ratings of speakers' perception of their own intelligibility were compared with intelligibility scores on the Assessment of Intelligibility of Dysarthric Speech (ASSIDS) (1981).Outcomes & Results: Study 1 showed no statistically significant differences in perception of intelligibility across the three listener groups, although results suggest that speakers rate perceptions of intelligibility differently to SLTs and naïve listeners. Despite some individual differences in ratings between speakers and listeners in Study 2, overall there are no significant group differences and methodological limitations to this section of the study are highlighted. In Studies 1 and 2 there are no statistically significant differences across gender and listener experience, although SLTs are less consistent in their ratings of speech when compared with naïve listeners. There is no statistically significant relationship between formal intelligibility assessment scores and the speakers' perception of intelligibility.Conclusions: This study contributes to an understanding of perceptions of dysarthric speech. The lack of gender differences in listener perception supports earlier findings in other areas of SLT. The strong relationship between SLT and naïve listeners' perceptions suggests that SLTs are not more critical of dysarthric speech. The discrepancy between formal assessment measures and speakers' perceptions of intelligibility has implications for clinical practice. The need for further research in the area is highlighted.
Extended follow‐up of a randomized controlled trial of the Lidcombe Program of Early Stuttering Intervention
Authors: Jones Mark , Onslow Mark , Packman Ann , O'Brian Sue , Hearne Anna , Williams Shelley , Ormond Tika , Schwarz Ilsa 
Published: May 2008

Background: In the Lidcombe Program of Early Stuttering Intervention, parents present verbal contingencies for stutter‐free and stuttered speech in everyday situations. A previous randomized controlled trial of the programme with preschool‐age children from 2005, conducted in two public speech clinics in New Zealand, showed that the odds of attaining clinically minimal levels of stuttering 9 months after randomization were more than seven times greater for the treatment group than for the control group.Aims: To follow up the children in the trial to determine extended long‐term outcomes of the programme.Methods & Procedures: An experienced speech–language therapist who was not involved in the original trial talked with the children on the telephone, audio recording the conversations using a telephone recording jack. Parental reports were gathered in addition to the children's speech samples in order to obtain a balance of objective data and reports from a wide range of situations.Outcomes & Results: At the time of this follow‐up, the children were aged 7–12 years, with a mean of 5 years post‐randomization in the 2005 trial. Twenty of the 29 children in the treatment arm and eight of the 25 children in the control (no treatment) arm were able to be contacted. Of the children in the treatment group, one (5%) failed to complete treatment and 19 had completed treatment successfully and had zero or near‐zero frequency of stuttering. Three of the children (16%) who had completed treatment successfully had relapsed after 2 or more years of speech that was below 1% syllables stuttered. Meaningful comparison with the control group was not possible because an insufficient number of control children were located and some of them received treatment after completing the trial.Conclusions & Implications: The majority of preschool children are able to complete the Lidcombe Program successfully and remain below 1% syllables stuttered for a number of years. However, a minority of children do relapse and will require their parents to reinstate the treatment procedures.