bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
EFFECT OF BENAZEPRIL ON HEART RATE TURBULENCE IN PATIENTS WITH DILATED CARDIOMYOPATHY
Authors: Zhong Jiang‐Hua , Chen Xiao‐Pan , Zeng Chun‐Fang , Yun Mei‐Ling , Yang Xin‐Wei , Chen Yan‐Fang , Yao Zhen 
Published: April 2007

SUMMARY

Heart rate (HR) turbulence describes short‐term sinus rhythmic fluctuation after a single premature ventricular beat. Turbulence onset (TO) and turbulence slope (TS) are two essential parameters in HR turbulence. Turbulence onset and TS have been used to evaluate cardiac autonomic nerve function.
In the present study, we measured the HR turbulence in dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) and determined the possible role of benazepril, an angiotensin‐converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEI), on these parameters. There were three groups: control, DCM and DCM treated with benazepril. The control group consisted of normal subjects with PVB, but no structural heart disease. Ambulatory electrocardiogram, blood pressure and echocardiography were analysed.
There was an increase in TO and a decrease in TS in DCM patients. Benazepril treatment (10 mg/day, p.o.) reduced those changes. There were no significant differences in blood pressure and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) between DCM patients and DCM patients treated with benazepril.
Linear regression analysis showed that TO was negatively correlated with LVEF, whereas TS was positively correlated with LVEF, in the DCM group. After benazepril treatment, the correlations between TO and TS and LVEF disappeared.
It is concluded that the TO and TS of HR turbulence are altered in patients with DCM. These alterations indicate a dysfunction of the autonomic control of cardiac electrophysiology in DCM patients. Although TO and TS are correlated with LVEF in DCM patients, the effect of benazepril in improving HR turbulence parameters is not a result of its action on heart function, which suggests a new beneficial effect of ACEI in the treatment of DCM patients.
Perinatal risk factors for childhood Type 1 diabetes in Western Australia—a population‐based study (1980–2002)
Authors: Haynes A. , Bower C. , Bulsara M. K. , Finn J. , Jones T. W. , Davis E. A. 
Published: April 2007

AbstractAims  To investigate perinatal risk factors for childhood Type 1 diabetes in Western Australia, using a complete population‐based cohort.Methods  Children born between 1980 and 2002 and diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes aged < 15 years (n = 940) up to 31 December 2003 were identified using a prospective population‐based diabetes register with a case ascertainment rate of 99.8%. Perinatal data were obtained for all live births in Western Australia from 1980 to 2002 (n = 558 633) and record linkage performed to identify the records of cases.Results  The incidence of Type 1 diabetes increased by 13% for each 5‐year increase in maternal age [adjusted incidence rate ratio (IRR) 1.13, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.05, 1.21], by 13% for every 500‐g increase in birth weight (adjusted IRR 1.13, 95% CI 1.04, 1.23). The incidence decreased with increasing birth order (adjusted IRR 0.89, 95% CI 0.82, 0.96) and increasing gestational age (adjusted IRR 0.84, 95% CI 0.77, 0.93). A higher incidence of Type 1 diabetes was associated with an urban vs. non‐urban maternal address at the time of birth (adjusted IRR 1.38, 95% CI 1.18, 1.63), but no association was found with socio‐economic status of the area.Conclusions  A higher incidence of Type 1 diabetes was associated with increasing maternal age, higher birth weight, lower gestational age, lower birth order and urban place of residence at the time of birth.
Application of multi‐locus analytical methods to identify interacting loci in case‐control studies
Authors: Vermeulen S.H.H.M. , Den Heijer M. , Sham P. , Knight J. 
Published: April 2007

SummaryTo identify interacting loci in genetic epidemiological studies the application of multi‐locus methods of analysis is warranted. Several more advanced classification methods have been developed in the past years, including multiple logistic regression, sum statistics, logic regression, and the multifactor dimensionality reduction method. The objective of our study was to apply these four multi‐locus methods to simulated case‐control datasets that included a variety of underlying statistical two‐locus interaction models, in order to compare the methods and evaluate their strengths and weaknesses. The results showed that the ability to identify the interacting loci was generally good for the sum statistic method, the logic regression and MDR. The performance of the logistic regression was more dependent on the underlying model and multiple comparison adjustment procedure. However, identification of the interacting loci in a model with two two‐locus interactions of common disease alleles with relatively small effects was impaired in all methods. Several practical and methodological issues that can be considered in the application of these methods, and that may warrant further research, are identified and discussed.
A comparison of women’s, providers’ and ultrasound assessments of pregnancy duration among termination of pregnancy clients in South Africa
Authors: Blanchard K , Cooper D , Dickson K , Cullingworth L , Mavimbela N , Von Mollendorf C , Van Bogaert LJ , Winikoff B 
Published: April 2007

Objective  To compare providers’ and women’s estimates of duration of pregnancy with ultrasound estimates for determining medical abortion eligibility.Design  Cross‐sectional study.Setting  Public termination of pregnancy (TOP) services in three provinces.Sample  A total of 673 women attending the above services for TOP.Methods  Women participating in a medical abortion feasibility study in South Africa provided estimates of pregnancy duration and date of last menstrual period (LMP). Each woman also had clinical and ultrasound exams. We compared estimates using the four methods, calculating the proportion of women in the ‘caution zone’ (≤8 weeks gestation by woman or provider estimate and >8 weeks by ultrasound).Main outcome measures  Mean gestational age by each method; difference between provider and LMP estimates and ultrasound estimates; and percentage of women in the ‘caution zone’.Results  Women’s estimates of pregnancy duration were 19 days fewer than ultrasound estimates (95% CI =−27 to 63). Mean provider‐ and LMP‐based estimates were two (95% CI =−30 to 35) and less than one day(s) (95% CI =−46 to 51) fewer than ultrasound estimates. Comparing provider and ultrasound estimates, 15% of women were in the ‘caution zone’; this fell to 12% if estimates of 9 weeks or fewer were considered acceptable.Conclusions  Provider estimates of gestational age were sufficiently accurate for determining eligibility for medical abortion. LMP‐based estimates were also accurate on average, but included more extreme differences from ultrasound estimates. Medical abortion could be provided in TOP facilities without ultrasound or with ultrasound on referral.
Haemodynamic changes in the second half of pregnancy: a longitudinal, noninvasive study with thoracic electrical bioimpedance
Authors: Volman MNM , Rep A , Kadzinska I , Berkhof J , Van Geijn HP , Heethaar RM , De Vries JIP 
Published: April 2007

Objective  Maternal cardiovascular adaptations to pregnancy are necessary for an adequate fetomaternal circulation. However, the time course of physiological haemodynamic changes during the second half of pregnancy remains unclear. Various methods, invasive and noninvasive, are described to measure these changes. The thoracic electrical bioimpedance (TEB) technique is a method which is especially suitable to measure haemodynamic changes over time. The aim of the study was to determine both individual and group trends of haemodynamic changes in healthy pregnant women during the second half of pregnancy by means of TEB. Outcome variables are heart rate (HR), stroke volume (SV), cardiac output (CO) and blood pressure.Design  Longitudinal study.Setting  Outpatient antenatal care clinic of university hospital.Population  A total of 22 healthy nonsmoking women with an uncomplicated singleton pregnancy and without pre‐existing vascular disorders were invited.Methods  TEB and blood pressure measurements were performed at each regular visit from about 24 weeks of gestation through term age.Main outcome measures  Trends were calculated with the random effects model.Results  Data obtained from 19 women were analysed, with a median of eight (range 3–11) measurements. HR showed a linear increase (P < 0.0005) and a quadratic trend (P < 0.0005). SV decreased linearly (P= 0.046), without a quadratic course. CO remained stable over time.Conclusion  During the second half of physiological pregnancy, significant trends could be determined. An increase in HR, a decrease in SV, a stable CO and an increase in systolic and diastolic blood pressures were found.
Reflections on the Historiography of Twentieth‐Century Mexico
Authors: Beezley William H. 
Published: April 2007

AbstractThis article examines the recent trend to create a new periodization that concludes that the revolution ended in 1920 and therefore the decades of the 1920s and 1930s should be identified as the post revolution. The article argues that using the label post‐revolutionary ignores major revolutionary social programs during the 1920s and 1930s and disregards the revolutionary achievements of Presidents Alvaro Obregón, Plutarco Calles, and Lázaro Cárdenas. The article proposes that recent studies of women during the revolution, and social programs in the cities both suggest a different periodization, but one that includes the disputed decades of the 1920s and 1930s, reaching instead to 1953, 1958, or perhaps best, 1982.
Militant MotherhoodRe‐Visited: Women's Participation and Political Power in Argentina and Chile
Authors: Pieper Mooney Jadwiga E. 
Published: April 2007

AbstractThis article addresses the immediate and long‐term implications of militant motherhood in the Latin American Southern Cone. It contributes a new perspective to the now sizable literature on women's resistance and political participation by comparing militant motherhood under leaderships on opposite sides of the political spectrum. Mothers’ mobilization could, but did not, by definition, focus on gender equity or feminist goals. Anti‐Allende women in Chile demanded military intervention – while the Mothers of Plaza de Mayo in Argentina requested an end to human rights abuses by the incumbent military regime. Both show how cross‐national variation in the objective of militant motherhood still led to similar outcomes. The case studies of Chile and Argentina reveal that militant mothers’ immediate and long‐term success lay in the nature of their resistance and their skillful use of tradition. They expanded traditional understandings of motherhood, and helped overcome the limits of gendered citizenship rights that restricted women's political participation.
Does Incorporating Medications in the Surveyors' Interpretive Guidelines Reduce the Use of Potentially Inappropriate Medications in Nursing Homes?
Authors: Lapane Kate L. , Hughes Carmel M. , Quilliam Brian J. 
Published: April 2007

OBJECTIVES: To quantify the association between including specific medications deemed potentially inappropriate in the surveyors' interpretive guidelines for nursing homes and the prevalence of use.DESIGN: Quasi‐experimental.SETTING: One thousand one hundred forty‐one nursing homes in four U.S. states.PARTICIPANTS: Residents living in one of the included nursing homes in operation during 1997 (before Beers; n=130,250) and 2000 (after Beers; n=164,889).INTERVENTION: Inclusion of specific medications deemed potentially inappropriate in the surveyors' interpretive guidelines for nursing homes.MEASUREMENTS: Logistic regression models adjusting for clustering effects of residents residing in homes provided estimates of the relationship between the survey process and use of any medications targeted as potentially inappropriate as part of the survey process, as well as those deemed inappropriate but not included.RESULTS: The use of any potentially inappropriate medication decreased from 42.5% in 1997 to 39.8% in 2000. After adjustment for resident characteristics, residents were less likely to receive any potentially inappropriate medication (odds ratio (OR)=0.85, 95% confidence interval (95% CI)=0.84–0.87), those considered high‐severity drugs (those with a high likelihood of a clinically significant adverse event) (OR=0.67, 95% CI=0.65–0.69), or Beers' medications not included in the surveyors' guidelines (OR=0.76, 95% CI=0.74–0.79) in 2000 than in 1997 after the changes to the drug regulations and interpretive guidelines.CONCLUSION: Targeting specific drugs in the surveyor's interpretive guidelines as a method to reduce potentially inappropriate medication use may not produce desired gains in medication‐use quality improvement. Alternative strategies for nursing homes should be evaluated.
Independent Relationship Between Heart Rate Recovery and C‐Reactive Protein in Older Adults
Authors: Vieira Victoria J. , Valentine Rudy J. , McAuley Edward , Evans Ellen , Woods Jeffrey A. 
Published: April 2007

OBJECTIVES: To examine the independent effect of parasympathetic tone (PST), assessed here according to heart rate recovery (HRR) after exercise, on circulating levels of C‐reactive protein (CRP) in 132 elderly participants.DESIGN: Cross‐sectional analysis using baseline data from an ongoing trial assessing the effects of exercise on immune function.SETTING: Champaign/Urbana, Illinois, vicinity.PARTICIPANTS: Community‐living older adults who had been sedentary for 6 months or longer. Major exclusion criteria were current use of medications that could interfere with immunity, severe arthritis, history of cancer or inflammatory disease, recent illness or vaccination, and smoking.MEASUREMENTS: Participants were assessed for serum CRP (using enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay), cardiorespiratory fitness (peak oxygen intake (VO2)), HRR, percentage body fat (using dual‐energy x‐ray absorptiometry), physical activity level (according to the Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly (PASE)), fasting plasma glucose, kidney function (creatinine level), and perceived stress.RESULTS: Mean CRP level±standard deviation was 3.81±2.7 mg/L, placing this group in a high‐risk category. After adjusting for the effects of body fat (34.6%±7.4%), aspirin use, VO2 peak (19.5±3.9 mL oxygen/kg per minute), PASE, sex (64% women), and perceived stress, HRR was the only independent predictor of CRP (β=−0.257, P=.003, change in coefficient of determination=0.060).CONCLUSION: HRR after exercise appears to be independently associated with lower CRP in older sedentary individuals, suggesting that the parasympathetic nervous system is involved in regulating chronic inflammation in older adults. Improvements in PST, as a result of regular physical exercise, may contribute to the antiinflammatory effects of exercise, independent of physical fitness or fatness.
Optimal Sensed Atrio‐Ventricular Interval Determined by Paced QRS Morphology
Authors: VAN GELDER BERRY M. , BRACKE FRANK A. , VAN DER VOORT PEPIJN H. , MEIJER ALBERT 
Published: April 2007

Background: In cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT), the atrio‐ventricular (AV) and interventricular (VV) intervals have to be optimized. For maximal optimization, the paced and sensed AV intervals have to be determined. We hypothesized that the morphology of the paced QRS complex at the optimal paced AV interval (PAV) can be used to determine the optimal sensed AV (SAV) interval in patients with normal AV conduction.
Patients and Methods: In 16 patients with implanted CRT devices, the optimal PAV and V‐V interval were determined by invasive measurement of left ventricle (LV) dP/dtmax. A 12‐lead electrocardiogram (ECG) was recorded at the optimum setting. Subsequently, during atrial sensing ventricular pacing, the SAV interval was changed until the QRS morphology was identical to the morphology at the optimal PAV interval. The optimal SAV interval was verified by repeated measurement of LV dP/dtmax.
Results: By optimization of the PAV and VV interval, the LV dP/dtmax increased from 639 ± 204 to 789 ± 223 mmHg/s (+23%; P = 0.0000002). The optimized PAV was 149 ± 19 ms; the optimized SAV was 100 ± 20 ms and the corresponding LV dP/dtmax at this interval was 774 ± 204 ms (+21%; P = 0.000004). LV dP/dtmax at optimized SAV − 20 ms and optimized SAV + 20 ms was 747 ± 213 mmHg/s (P = 0.00004) and 751 ± 203 mmHg/s (P = 0.0000003), respectively. The mean difference in optimized PAV and optimized SAV was 49 ± 17 ms, ranging from 20 to 80 ms.
Conclusions: The QRS morphology at optimized PAV can be used as a template to determine the optimal SAV, provided that the patient has normal AV conduction.
Influence of Comorbidities and Medication Use on Tilt Table Test Outcome in Elderly Patients
Authors: PAUL BIJU , GIEROBA ZBIGNIEW , MANGONI ARDUINO A. 
Published: April 2007

Background: The tilt table test (TTT) is a useful diagnostic tool in people with unexplained syncope, dizziness, and falls. However, preexisting comorbidities and medications affecting hemodynamic response might affect TTT outcome (i.e. presence or absence of vasomotor syncope). We studied the influence of these compounding factors on TTT outcome.
Methods: One hundred and sixty‐four elderly patients with a mean (±SD) age of 80.0 ± 6.1 years (M:F 104:60) underwent TTT. Heart rate and blood pressure were recorded continuously using a noninvasive device (Task Force Monitor™, CNS systems, Graz, Austria). Predictors of TTT outcome in a backward regression analysis included age, gender, comorbidities (chronic heart failure, hypertension, diabetes, and cerebrovascular disease), and drugs (β‐blockers, angiotensin‐converting enzyme inhibitors, calcium channel blockers, diuretics, digoxin, opioids, antidepressants, and nonsteroidal antiinflammatory agents).
Results: TTT was positive in 30 patients (18.3%). None of the above factors were a significant predictor of TTT outcome. The use of calcium channel blockers predicted a drop in systolic blood pressure after 2 minutes of TTT (P = 0.048, R2= 0.018). However, this was not associated with significant changes in heart rate and did not influence TTT outcome.
Conclusion: The TTT outcome was not influenced by comorbidities or medications. TTT is a reliable diagnostic tool in a population characterized by significant comorbidities and polypharmacy.
Variations in Cervical IL‐10 and IL‐8 Concentrations Throughout Gestation in Normal Pregnancies
Authors: Mondestin‐Sorrentino Myriam , Smulian John C. , Vintzileos Anthony M. , Sorrentino David , Ananth Cande V. , Sharma Surendra , Hanna Nazeeh N. 
Published: April 2007

ProblemData regarding cervical interleukin 18 (IL‐8) and IL‐10 concentrations during pregnancy is limited.Method of studyThis was a cross sectional study of healthy pregnant women. Specimens were collected from the cervical os secretions. IL‐8 and IL‐10 levels were measured by using enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay. Median (range) cytokine concentrations were derived for each trimester and compared across trimesters. The relationship between gestational age and cytokine levels was assessed by regression analysis. The mean of the ratios of IL‐8 to IL‐10 was compared in each trimester using anova.ResultsThe median (range) IL‐8 concentrations in cervical secretions were in pg/mL: 1562 (1210–4100), 2460 (1047–4688), 3660 (1451–4748) (P < 0.0021); the median (range) IL‐10 concentrations in cervical secretions were in pg/mL: 38.3 (6.8–227.9), 10.9 (0–263.3), 9.5 (0–35.6); the mean IL10/IL‐8 × 100 (+/− standard deviation) concentrations were: 3.33 ± 0.65, 1.47 ± 0.41, 0.38 ± 0.52 (P = 0.0035) during the first, second and third trimesters, respectively.ConclusionThe patterns of cervical IL‐8 concentration is inversely related to gestational age, and the ratio of IL‐10/IL‐8 decreases with advancing gestation.
SEPARATION OF TOCOPHEROL SUCCINATES FROM DEODORIZER DISTILLATE
Authors: LIN KUO‐MIN , ZHANG XIAOYAN , KOSEOGLU SEFA S. 
Published: April 2007

ABSTRACTIsolation of tocopherol succinates from sterol‐removed, succinated deodorizer distillate (DOD) mixture by crystallization was investigated. Membrane technology was also evaluated for its effectiveness to separate tocopherol succinates from mixtures containing sterols and tocopherols. Crystallization was conducted at −20C for 24 h with different solvents, including hexane, petroleum ether, and a mixture of acetone and methanol (4:1, v/v). The crystallization results showed that recovery of tocopherol succinates from the cake fraction was poor with all solvents tested, with less than 10% of original tocopherol succinates in the raw material being crystallized under conditions employed. Among the solvents tested, hexane was better for the recovery of non‐α‐tocopherol succinates in the cake fraction. Furthermore, a high properties of free fatty acids (FFA) was co‐crystallized along with tocopherol succinates for all solvents used, leading to tocopherol succinates contents in the cake fractions lower than that in the raw material. Two nanofiltration membranes (DS‐7 and AP01) were also examined using hexane or petroleum ether as a solvent. The recovery of tocopherol succinates was over 60%. However, their concentration was increased only by 6%. A combined process was then evaluated that included crystallization before succinylation, succinylation, first stage membrane separation, and second stage membrane separation. The final tocopherols concentration derived from this combined process was mice as much as that of the original DOD.
MODIFICATION OF FISH OIL BY LIPOZYME TL IM TO PRODUCE STRUCTURED LIPID
Authors: YAMAGUCHI I. , AKOH C. C. , LAI O. M. 
Published: April 2007

ABSTRACTStearic acid methyl esters was enzymatically interesterified with fish oil (EPAX 5500) containing 44.5 and 32.6 mol% eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, C20:5n‐3) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, C22:6n‐3), respectively. Lipozyme TL IM from Thermomyces lanuginosus was used to produce structured lipids (SL) that may be suitable for margarine or shortening application. Interesteri‐fication was performed in hexane. Fish oil: stearic acid methyl ester levels ranging from 1 to 5 mole ratio was used. The effect of incubation time, substrate ratio and incubation temperature were also studied. Generally, as incubation time and substrate ratio increased, so did the mol % incorporation of stearic acid. After 24 h incubation in hexane, there was a 49.4 mol% incorporation of stearic acid into fish oil, while the mol% of EPA and DHA were reduced to 15.0 and 13.0 mol%, respectively. Time course studies also indicated that the highest stearic acid incorporation occurred at 72 h while 1:Sjish oil to stearic acid mole ratio gave the highest stearic acid incorporation. The data suggests that Lipozyme Ti5 IM could be used to produce SL.
FISH OIL WITH ESSENCE OF CHICKEN DECREASES SERUM AND HEPATIC TRIACYLGLYCEROL IN HAMSTERS FED AN ATHEROGENIC DIET
Authors: HSU GUOO‐SHYNG W. , FANG YA‐CHING , TSI DANIEL , LU YI‐FA 
Published: April 2007

ABSTRACTThe aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of a mixture of dietary chicken essence and fish oil on possible lowering of blood and hepatic lipids in hamsters. Forty male hamsters were randomly divided into four groups and fed a chow diet, high fat/cholesterol diet (HFC), HFC diets containing 4% (HFC4) or 8% (HFC8) fish oil with essence of chicken for 42 days. The experimental diets contained 10% (w/w) fat. Hamsters fed HFC diets containing either 4 or 8% fish oil with essence of chicken showed significantly decreased serum triacylglycerols (TG) compared to hamsters fed HFC diets. In addition, hamsters fed HFC8 diets exhibited significantly reduced hepatic TG than those fed HFC diet. However, hamsters fed HFC4 or HFC8 diets significantly increased low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL‐C) and decreased high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL‐C) when compared with those on HFC diet. These results suggest that 4% (or more) fish oil with essence of chicken might significantly lower serum TG and hepatic TG in hamsters, but seem to increase serum cholesterol levels on HFC diets.