bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The relationship between non‐acute adolescent cannabis use and cognition
Authors: HARVEY MEGAN A. , SELLMAN JOHN D. , PORTER RICHARD J. , FRAMPTON CHRISTOPHER M. 
Published: May 2007

AbstractResearch indicates that cannabis continues to be a popular illegal drug internationally. Furthermore, adolescent rates of use appear to be significant. Whilst the non‐acute effect of cannabis use on adult cognition has been extensively researched, there has been less examination of adolescents. This study aimed to investigate the non‐acute relationship between cannabis and cognitive function in a sample of adolescents with a continuum of cannabis use, taking into account additional predictor variables (psychiatric functioning, general functioning, demographics and other drug use). Seventy adolescents were recruited from clinical and community sources as well as through newspaper advertisements. After 12 hours abstinence from cannabis, adolescents completed a two‐hour interview covering: demographics; alcohol and drug use history; drug use in the past 28 days; depression; further psychiatric functioning (including ADHD and Conduct Disorder); and cognitive functioning as measured by computerised tasks (CANTAB) and traditional pen and paper tests. Adolescents who were regular cannabis users (more than once a week) had a significantly poorer performance on four measures of cognitive function reflecting attention, spatial working memory and learning. Cannabis use remained an independent predictor of performance on the working memory and strategy measures after additional predictor variables were included in a multivariate regression analysis. The results suggest that aspects of adolescent cognitive function are independently related to the frequency of cannabis use beyond acute intoxication.
An epidemiological investigation into an outbreak of rash illness among methadone maintenance clients in Australia
Authors: MCANULTY JEREMY M. , JAUNCEY MARIANNE E. , MONGER CLAIRE K. , HAILSTONE SUSAN T. , ALAM NOORE K. M. , MANNES TRISH F. , CAPON ADAM G. , IRVINE KATIE , ARMSTRONG PAUL K. , KALDOR JOHN M. 
Published: May 2007

AbstractIn late 2004, NSW Health received several reports of a serious desquamating rash among clients of the methadone program. We sought to identify the extent and likely cause of this outbreak. We initiated active surveillance for cases throughout Australia, a survey of dosing points in NSW, and a case control study of clients receiving methadone syrup (MS) at two clinics. Between October 2004 and March 2005, 388 cases were identified, largely in NSW. The dosing point survey found almost all cases were clients prescribed MS (attack rate 4.5%). In multivariate analysis of data from dosing points that dispensed MS, use of take away doses or location of the dosing point in greater western Sydney were associated with illness. In the case control study, MS injection, use of street MS, high doses of MS, frequent takeaway doses, or use of benzodiazepines were associated with illness. Testing found no abnormality in associated batches of MS. Batches of MS temporally associated with the outbreak were quarantined from use and the outbreak subsided. While a direct causal link could not be established, available evidence suggests that a contaminant may have caused the outbreak. Epidemiological analyses are important for assessing concerns about product safety following marketing approval.
Reforming Mental Health Care in Victoria: A Decade Later
Authors: Gerrand Valerie , Bloch Sidney , Smith Jenny , Goding Margaret , Castle David 
Published: May 2007

Objective: From 1994, the Australian State of Victoria began a major transformation of its public mental health service system. In June 2006, St Vincent's Mental Health hosted a conference to reflect on the changes and identify steps to be taken over the next decade. Method: Participants came from Victoria's 21 adult mental health services, consumer and carer groups, and psychiatric disability rehabilitation and support organizations. They met in small groups, and discussed pre-set topics. Their observations were pooled in plenary sessions. Results: Participants agreed the changes had had many positive outcomes. People most affected by mental illness had priority for treatment. Services were better structured to meet their needs, and staff were more familiar with community-based care. Negatives included restricted service access for some groups, insufficient resourcing to meet increased service demand and clinical staff not maintaining specialist skills. Conclusions: The conference enabled experiences to be shared and ideas exchanged about improvements.
Public Sector Group Treatment for Severe Personality Disorder: A 12-month follow-up Study
Authors: Hulbert Carol , Thomas Rosemary 
Published: May 2007

Objective: The results of an evaluation of an innovative pubic sector treatment program for patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD) with a history of unsuccessful treatment attempts and severe self-harm are presented. Method: DSM-IV axis I and axis II diagnoses, psychiatric symptoms, patterns of self-harm, suicidality, coping styles, and quality of life were assessed for 27 women who completed a 6-month residential program. Pre- and post-treatment assessments and a 12-month follow-up were undertaken. Results: At 12-month follow-up, significantly fewer participants met criteria for BPD. Significant post-treatment gains, including reduced levels of depression, anxiety and hopelessness, and improvements in some coping style and quality of life domains, were maintained at follow-up. The results in relation to self-harm indicated considerable within-sample variability. Conclusion: Findings indicating clinically significant improvements in psychiatric symptoms and coping, along with mixed results in relation to self-harm and quality of life, are encouraging for the continued development of treatment services for this challenging patient group.
Hypertonic Saline and the Cerebral Microcirculation in Obese Septic Mice
Authors: Vachharajani Vidula , Vital Shantel , Russell Janice , Granger D. Neil 
Published: May 2007

ABSTRACTObjectives: Increased morbidity and mortality in critically ill obese patients may result from an exaggerated inflammatory response and/or a diminished effectiveness of routine therapeutic strategies used in the critical care setting. The objectives of this study were to compare the effectiveness of hypertonic saline (HTS) resuscitation in obese and lean mice with sepsis and to address potential mechanisms underlying HTS‐mediated protection against the inflammatory and microvascular responses to sepsis.Methods: Intravital videomicroscopy was used to monitor and quantify the adhesion of platelets and leukocytes in the brain microcirculation of WT (C57 Bl/6) and ob/ob (B6.V‐Lepob/J) mice subjected to cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) and resuscitated with either normal saline or HTS. The dual radiolabeled monoclonal antibody method was used to measure P‐selectin expression in the microcirculation, while the sepsis‐induced behavioral deficit was quantified using a multicompartment chamber test.Results: HTS attenuated the accumulation of adherent leukocytes and platelets and the behavioral deficit observed at 4 h after CLP in both WT and ob/ob mice. CLP‐induced upregulation of P‐selectin in the brain microcirculation was attenuated by HTS in ob/ob, but not in lean, mice.Conclusion: HTS exerts significant anti‐inflammatory and anti‐thrombogenic actions in obese septic mice. These responses may be related to the inhibitory effect of HTS on sepsis‐induced P‐selectin expression.
Both ADP and Thrombin Regulate Arteriolar Thrombus Stabilization and Embolization, but Are Not Involved in Initial Hemostasis as Induced by Micropuncture
Authors: Van Gestel Miriam A. , Reitsma Sietze , Slaaf Dick W. , Heijnen Viviane V. Th. , Feijge Marion A. H. , Lindhout Theo , Van Zandvoort Marc A. M. J. , Elg Margareta , Reneman Robert S. , Heemskerk Johan W. M. , Egbrink Mirjam G. A. Oude 
Published: May 2007

ABSTRACTObjective: Thrombosis and embolization are main causes of morbidity and mortality. Up to now, the relative importance of mediators involved is only partly known. It was the aim of this study to investigate the involvement of ADP and thrombin in subsequent phases of arteriolar hemostasis and thromboembolism in vivo.Methods: Rabbit mesenteric arterioles were punctured, which induced bleeding, hemostasis, and subsequent thromboembolism. This reaction as well as the activation state of platelets involved ([Ca2 +]i), was monitored in real time by intravital (fluorescence) microscopy.Results: Neither inhibition of thrombin formation or thrombin activity nor blockade of platelet ADP receptors P2Y1 and P2Y12 influenced the initial hemostatic reaction: in all experiments initial bleeding was stopped by a primary thrombus within 2–3 s. On the other hand, both thrombin inhibition and P2Y1 blockade increased rebleeding frequency, which indicates reduced thrombus stability in the long term. Finally, inhibition of either thrombin or ADP (via both receptors) reduced aggregate formation during the embolization phase by at least 90%. While most participating platelets exhibited a transient increase in [Ca2 +]i during embolization, an increased percentage of platelets showed no calcium response at all during P2Y1 blockade, which was accompanied by reduced platelet–platelet interaction strength.Conclusions: Whereas thrombin and ADP are not involved in the initial hemostatic reaction, both substances appear to be essential to prevent rebleedings in the long term. During subsequent embolization, ADP (via both receptors) and small amounts of thrombin are involved in platelet activation.
EphB4 Expression Along Adult Rat Microvascular Networks: EphB4 Is More Than a Venous Specific Marker
Authors: Taylor Alyssa C. , Murfee Walter L. , Peirce Shayn M. 
Published: May 2007

ABSTRACTObjective: EphrinB2 and EphB4 are considered to be markers of arterial/venous identity during embryonic development. However, the expression patterns of these arterial/venous‐specific markers in adult microvascular networks remain unclear. The objective of this study was to characterize the cellular distribution of EphB4 expression along the hierarchy of unstimulated and remodeling adult rat mesenteric microvascular networks.Methods: Mesenteric tissue was harvested from unstimulated and stimulated adult male Fisher rats, and stained for various combinations of EphB4, SM α ‐actin, NG2, and isolectin/CD‐31. The distribution of EphB4 expression was compared to the cell‐specific markers along arteriole, venule, and capillary segments for each mesenteric microvascular network (n = 32). Arterial/venous expression was also characterized in subcutaneous tissue and spinotrapezius muscle.Results: Endothelial cells along both venules and arterioles stained positive for EphB4. EphB4 expression levels along capillaries correlated with capillary type, as the fluorescence staining intensity along capillary sprouts was significantly elevated in comparison to capillaries connecting arterioles and venules (mean intensity index = 25 for capillary sprouts; 6 for connected capillaries)Conclusion: The results suggest that EphB4 is not an arterial/venous‐specific marker in adult rat microvascular networks, and provide new data suggesting that its elevated expression in capillaries is indicative of capillary sprouting.
Pregnancy outcome after cervical cone excision: a case‐control study
Authors: SJØBORG KATRINE DONVOLD , VISTAD INGVILD , MYHR SIV S. , SVENNINGSEN RUNE , HERZOG CHRISTINE , KLOSTER‐JENSEN ARILD , NYGÅRD GUNHILD , HOLE SØLVI , TANBO TOM 
Published: May 2007

AbstractBackground. To investigate the effect of cervical laser conisation (CLC) or loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP) on the outcome of subsequent pregnancies.Methods. Multi‐centre, retrospective, case‐control study, which included a cohort of 742 women, who, after treatment with LEEP or CLC, gave birth or suffered second trimester miscarriage. Control women (n= 742) were extracted from the respective hospital birth registries and matched by age and parity. Outcome measures were perinatal mortality, length of gestation, birth weight and preterm premature rupture of membranes (pPROM).Results. There was no significant difference in perinatal mortality among women treated with LCL or LEEP compared to controls, 6/742 versus 2/742: odds ratio (OR) = 3.1 (95% CI: 0.6–15.2). Excluding second trimester miscarriages, ORs for giving birth before week 37, 32 and 28 after conisation compared to the controls were 3.4 (95% CI: 2.3–5.1), 4.6 (95% CI: 1.7–12.5), and 12.4 (95% CI: 1.6–96.1), respectively, after adjusting for smoking habits during pregnancy, marital status and educational level. Adjusted ORs of birth weight <2,500, <1,500 and <1,000 g after conisation compared to controls were 3.9 (95% CI: 2.4–6.3), 4.4 (95% CI: 1.5–13.6), and 10.4 (95% CI: 1.3–82.2), respectively. The adjusted OR for pPROM was 10.5 (95% CI: 3.7–29.5).Conclusion. Treatment by CLC and LEEP increases the risk of preterm delivery, low birth weight and pPROM in subsequent pregnancies.
Can a ‘single hit’ cause limitations in language development? A comparative study of Swedish children with hearing impairment and children with specific language impairment
Authors: Hansson Kristina , Sahlén Birgitta , Mäki‐Torkko Elina 
Published: May 2007

AbstractBackground: Studies of language in children with mild‐to‐moderate hearing impairment (HI) indicate that they often have problems in phonological short‐term memory (PSTM) and that they have linguistic weaknesses both in vocabulary and morphosyntax similar to children with specific language impairment (SLI). However, children with HI may be more likely than children with SLI to acquire typical language skills as they get older. It has been suggested that the more persisting problems in children with SLI are due to a combination of factors: perceptual, cognitive and/or linguistic.Aims: The main aim of this study was to explore language skills in children with HI in comparison with children with SLI, and how children with both HI and language impairment differ from those with non‐impaired spoken language skills.Methods & Procedures: PSTM, output phonology, lexical ability, receptive grammar and verb morphology were assessed in a group of children with mild‐to‐moderate HI (n = 11) and a group of children with SLI (n = 12) aged 5 years 6 months to 9 years 0 months.Outcomes & Results: The HI group tended to score higher than the SLI group on the language measures, although few of the differences were significant. The children with HI had their most obvious weaknesses in PSTM, vocabulary, receptive grammar and inflection of novel verbs. The subgroup of children with HI (five out of 10) who also showed evidence of grammatical output problems was significantly younger than the remaining children with HI. Correlation analysis showed that the language variables were not associated with age, whereas hearing level was associated with PSTM.Conclusions: Children with HI are at risk for at least a delay in lexical ability, receptive grammar and grammatical production. The problems seen in the HI group might be explained by their low‐level perceptual deficit and weak PSTM. For the SLI group the impairment is more severe. From a clinical perspective an important conclusion is that the language development in children with even mild‐to‐moderate HI deserves attention and support.
Clinical reasoning skills of speech and language therapy students
Authors: Hoben Kirsty , Varley Rosemary , Cox Richard 
Published: May 2007

AbstractBackground: Difficulties experienced by novices in clinical reasoning have been well documented in many professions, especially medicine (Boshuizen and Schmidt 1992, 2000; Elstein, Shulman and Sprafka 1978; Patel and Groen 1986; Rikers, Loyens and Schmidt 2004). These studies have shown that novice clinicians have difficulties with both knowledge and strategy in clinical reasoning tasks. Speech and language therapy students must also learn to reason clinically, yet to date there is little evidence of how they learn to do so.Aims: In this paper, we report the clinical reasoning difficulties of a group of speech and language therapy students. We make a comparison of a subgroup of these with experienced speech and language therapists' reasoning and proposes some methods and materials to aid the development of clinical reasoning in speech and language therapy students.Methods & Procedures: Student diagnostic reasoning difficulties were analysed during the assessment of unseen cases on an electronic patient database, the Patient Assessment and Training System (PATSyhttp:www.patsy.ac.uk) (Lumet al.2006). Pairs of students were videoed as they completed a one hour assessment of one of three ‘virtual patients’. One pair of experienced speech and language therapists, who were not part of the project team, also completed an assessment of one of these cases under the same conditions. Screen capture was used to record all on screen activity within PATSy web pages (i.e. mouse pointer position, hyperlink and button presses, page scrolling, browser navigation interactions and data entered); Verbal comments made by participants were analysed via a seven‐level coding scheme that aimed to describe the events that occur in the process of diagnostic reasoning.Outcomes & Results: Students displayed a range of competence in making an accurate diagnosis. Diagnostically accurate students showed use of specific professional vocabulary, and a greater use of firm diagnostic statements. For the diagnostically inaccurate students, typical difficulties were a failure to interpret test results and video observations, difficulty in carrying out a sequence of tests consistent with a diagnostic reasoning path, and problems in recalling and using theoretical knowledge.Conclusions and Implications: We discuss how identification of student diagnostic reasoning difficulties can inform the design of learning materials intended to address these problems.
Prevalence of communication disorders compared with other learning needs in 14 500 primary and secondary school students
Authors: McLeod Sharynne , McKinnon David H. 
Published: May 2007

AbstractBackground: Prevalence data are of interest to health professionals and educators to assist in the planning of service delivery, allow for the calculation of the level of impact of intervention, and allow for the consideration of the boundaries between typical development and impairment.Aims: To determine the prevalence of children with communication disorders and other learning needs as identified by their teachers within all primary and secondary schools in an Australian school district over a 3‐year period.Methods & Procedures: Children with learning needs were identified from 14 514 students in the first year (wave 1) and the 14 533 students 2 years later (wave 2). Children were identified via a four‐phased data‐collection process designed to reduce selection and misclassification bias. Identification included teacher training, teacher referral, confirmation by documentation from relevant professionals including speech and language therapists, audiologists, psychologists and doctors, and verification by the school district learning needs advisors.Outcomes & Results: Overall 5309 students were identified as having some area of learning need in the first year and 4845 students were identified 2 years later. In order of prevalence, the areas of learning need were: specific learning difficulty (17.93% in wave 1; 19.10% in wave 2), communication disorder (13.04%; 12.40%), English as a second or other language (9.16%; 5.80%), behavioural/emotional difficulty (8.16%; 6.10%), early achiever/advanced learner (7.30%; 5.50%), physical/medical disability (1.52%; 1.40%), intellectual disability (1.38%; 1.20%), hearing impairment (0.96%; 0.80%), and visual impairment (0.16%; 0.30%). The male:female ratio for all children was 1.57:1 (wave 1) and 1.66:1 (wave 2) and was the highest for the categories of behavioural/emotional difficulty, communication disorders. There were significant differences between learning need and socio‐economic status quantile for all areas except early achievers/advanced learners and physical/medical disability. There was a higher prevalence of behavioural/emotional difficulty, and intellectual disability, in the lower socio‐economic status quantiles and a higher prevalence of communication disorders in the mid‐to‐high socio‐economic status quantiles. More children were identified as having an additional learning need in grades 1–3 (5–9 years of age). The children who were perceived as requiring the highest level of teacher support were those with an intellectual disability.Conclusions: This study provides comparative prevalence data for children with additional learning needs. There was a high prevalence of children typically seen in the caseloads of speech and language therapists, and teachers identified that many of these children required high levels of support within the classroom.
Client‐centred group therapy for survivors of interpersonal trauma: A pilot investigation
Authors: Payne Alexandra , Liebling-Kalifani Helen , Joseph Stephen 
Published: May 2007

AbstractGroup therapy for trauma survivors provides an opportunity to share experiences with others in a supportive environment. Client‐centred groups have received very little attention as a way of working with traumatised people. Such groups promise to promote psychological growth following trauma. In this paper we present pilot data from a client‐centred group of six survivors of interpersonal violence who were experiencing complex posttraumatic stress reactions. Results suggested that those who perceived the presence of empathic listening within the group therapy sessions benefited from the group, showing greater positive changes. Clinical implications for working with trauma survivors, methodological considerations and directions for future research are discussed.
Relationship and technique in the long‐term integrative psychotherapy of schizophrenia: A single case study
Authors: Lysaker Paul H. , Davis Louanne W. , Jones Amanda M. , Strasburger Amy M. , Beattie Nicole L. 
Published: May 2007

AbstractIt has been asserted that an integrative psychotherapy can promote recovery from schizophrenia by helping clients develop and evolve a richer personal narrative of their challenges and abilities. Yet it is unclear what techniques such a therapy might employ, and how those techniques are related to the developing therapeutic relationship. To address these questions we have conducted blind qualitative and quantitative assessments of transcripts of an integrative psychotherapy over 22 months. Analyses suggest that over time the client evolved a more coherent account of his challenges and abilities, and experienced significant psychosocial improvements. The therapeutic alliance was observed to build slowly, with minimal intervention and care on the part of the therapist not to tell the story for the client. As the relationship grew stronger, the client began rapidly developing the narrative of his life, allowing for the introduction of greater levels of confrontation to enhance further the coherence and richness of that narrative.