bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Diagnosis and Management of Urinary Tract Infection in Hospitalized Older People
Authors: Woodford Henry J. , George James 
Published: November 2008

OBJECTIVES: To compare the diagnosis and management of urinary tract infection (UTI) in hospitalized older people with clinical criteria and therapeutic guidelines.DESIGN: A retrospective case series of emergency hospital admissions collected over an 18‐month period.SETTING: An acute general hospital in northwest England.PARTICIPANTS: Two hundred sixty‐five patients aged 75 and older with a diagnosis of UTI at hospital discharge.MEASUREMENTS: Data relating to age, sex, presenting complaint, admission and discharge destinations, background comorbidities and medications, investigations performed, treatment given, length of stay, and complications were obtained using chart review.RESULTS: Of the 265 patients (mean age 85.4) the overdiagnosis of UTI was common, with 43.4% of patients not meeting criteria. Only 32.1% of patients overall had any urinary tract symptoms (48.7% in the UTI group). Of the non‐UTI group, 12 (10.4%) had urinary tract symptoms with a negative urine culture, 43 (37.4%) had asymptomatic bacteriuria (ASB), and 60 (52.2%) had neither urinary tract symptoms nor bacteriuria. Treatment given varied greatly. The mortality rate was 6.0%, and the average length of stay was 29.9 days (median 17.0, range 1–192). Complications were frequent, including Clostridium difficile diarrhea (8%), falls (4%), methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus infection (3%), and fracture (2%).CONCLUSION: More‐reliable criteria are needed to aid the diagnosis of UTI in hospitalized older people. Better adherence to clinical management guidelines may improve outcomes.
Thyroid Function Abnormalities and Cognitive Impairment in Elderly People: Results of the Invecchiare in Chianti Study
Authors: Ceresini Graziano , Lauretani Fulvio , Maggio Marcello , Ceda Gian Paolo , Morganti Simonetta , Usberti Elisa , Chezzi Carlo , Valcavi Rita , Bandinelli Stefania , Guralnik Jack M. , Cappola Anne R. , Valenti Giorgio , Ferrucci Luigi 
Published: November 2008

OBJECTIVES: To investigate thyroid function testing abnormalities in older persons and to explore the relationship between thyroid dysfunction and cognition.DESIGN: Cross‐sectional.SETTING: Community‐based.PARTICIPANTS: One thousand one hundred seventy‐one men and women aged 23 to 102.MEASUREMENTS: Thyroid function was evaluated by measuring plasma concentrations of thyrotropin (TSH), free thyroxine (FT4), and free triiodothyronine (FT3). Cognition was evaluated using the Mini‐Mental State Examination (MMSE). Prevalence of overt and subclinical thyroid dysfunction was evaluated in different age groups (<65 vs ≥65). Age trends in TSH, FT4, and FT3 were examined in euthyroid participants. The cross‐sectional association between thyroid dysfunction and MMSE score was evaluated adjusting for confounders.RESULTS: Subclinical hypothyroidism and subclinical hyperthyroidism were more prevalent in older than in younger participants (subclinical hypothyroidism, 3.5% vs 0.4%, P<.03; subclinical hyperthyroidism, 7.8% vs 1.9%, P<.002). In euthyroid participants, TSH and FT3 declined with age, whereas FT4 increased. Older participants with subclinical hyperthyroidism had lower MMSE scores than euthyroid subjects (22.61±6.88 vs 24.72±4.52, P<.03). In adjusted analyses, participants with subclinical hyperthyroidism were significantly more likely to have cognitive dysfunction (hazard rate=2.26, P=.003).CONCLUSION: Subtle age‐related changes in FT3, FT4, and TSH occur in individuals who remain euthyroid. Subclinical hyperthyroidism is the most prevalent thyroid dysfunction in Italian older persons and is associated with cognitive impairment.
The determinants of granulocyte yield in 1198 granulocyte concentrates collected from unrelated volunteer donors mobilized with dexamethasone and granulocyte–colony‐stimulating factor: a 13‐year experience
Authors: Quillen Karen , Yau Yu Ying , Leitman Susan F. 
Published: November 2008

BACKGROUND: The combination of granulocyte–colony‐stimulating factor (G‐CSF [filgrastim]) and dexamethasone (G‐CSF/dex) is an effective granulocyte mobilization regimen, but the variables that affect donor neutrophil response and granulocyte collection yield are not well characterized.STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: A computerized database containing records of 1198 granulocyte collections from 137 unrelated volunteer apheresis donors during a 13‐year period was retrospectively analyzed. Donors were categorized by age, sex, and cumulative number of granulocyte donations. Complete blood counts at baseline and after G‐CSF/dex stimulation were recorded. The outcome variables include the preprocedure absolute neutrophil count (preANC), which reflects G‐CSF/dex stimulation, and the granulocyte product yield per liter processed (BagGranYield/L).RESULTS: Higher baseline ANC and platelet (PLT) counts were significantly associated with higher preANC while a larger number of prior granulocytapheresis procedures was associated with lower preANC. Total filgrastim dose (used in weight‐based dosing) did not significantly impact preANC or the granulocyte yield; weight‐based dosing at 5 µg per kg and a uniform 480‐µg dose produced equivalent preANC. PreANC and weight were the key determinants of granulocyte yield (BagGranYield/L).CONCLUSION: Apheresis donors with higher baseline PLT counts and ANCs have higher ANCs after G‐CSF/dex stimulation; donor age, weight, and sex do not have a significant impact. A uniform G‐CSF dose of 480 µg is as effective as weight‐based dosing at 5 µg per kg. Donor ANC monitoring should be considered after serial granulocytapheresis procedures.
Sovereigns and citizens in close encounter: Airport anthropology and customs regimes in neoliberal Ghana
Authors: CHALFIN BRENDA 
Published: November 2008

ABSTRACTThrough the examination of encounters between Customs officers and travelers at Ghana's international airport, I pose a series of arguments regarding sovereignty and citizenship within a developing state deeply enmeshed in processes of liberalization. Supporting the contention that transnational flows and supranational interventions restructure rather than undermine state power, the Ghanaian case reveals neoliberal conditions to facilitate the expansion of administrative authorities oriented to the cross‐border mobility of persons, capital, and commodities. Such bureaucratic realms emerge, in turn, as key arenas for an expression of state sovereignty that is not founded on social alienation and absolute distinctions between rulers and ruled. Because of the multiplicity and ambiguity of regulatory orders at play, sovereignty here hinges on intimacy, emotion, and identification as much as on force and legal sanction. [sovereignty, citizenship, aviation, customs regimes, transnationalism, neoliberalism, travel, affect]
Practices of translation and the making of migrant subjectivities in contemporary Italy
Authors: GIORDANO CRISTIANA 
Published: November 2008

ABSTRACTIn 1998, Italy passed a law (Article 18) granting “victims of human trafficking” temporary residence permits to “escape from situations of violence and abuse.” There were two conditions: the applicant had to agree to pursue criminal action against her exploiter and to participate in a state‐funded “rehabilitation” program mostly offered by Catholic groups engaged in combating criminality and foreign prostitution as a form of “modern slavery.” Linking prostitution to female migration and slavery has significant implications for how migrant women are interpellated within the receiving country. When characterized as victims, these women are figured as lacking the dual capacities of desiring migration and appropriating laws that grant legal recognition. This article explores both the willed and imposed multiplicity of subject positions of these women within the fields of charitable and institutional languages. In Italy, qualifying as a “political refugee” or as a “victim of human trafficking” is often the only means of achieving the legal rights necessary to avoid repatriation. [translation, citizenship, migration, subjectivity, ethnopsychiatry, Italy, anthropology of institutions]
Conjuring the past: Slavery and the historical imagination in Cuba
Authors: ROUTON KENNETH 
Published: November 2008

ABSTRACTIn this article, I examine the ritual mimesis of slavery in Cuban Palo Monte. Here, the past is not just a temporally situated arena in which to stake claims of identity and belonging but an invisible repository of material remains, objects, and substances whose magical capacities can be tapped to expand one's power to act on the world. My analysis not only addresses how marginalized ritual communities ingeniously defy those forces that conspire to silence the slave past and, thus, reduce the world's first system of globalization to a historical phantom. I also pay particular attention to how recent efforts by scholars, nation‐states, and international aid organizations attempting to reverse this silence engender their own politics of memory that either ignore or seriously distort how local groups “represent the ghost.”[ritual, historical memory, slavery, fetishism, Cuba]
Longitudinal association of adolescents’ sense of coherence with tooth‐brushing using an integrated behaviour change model
Authors: Ayo‐Yusuf Olalekan A. , Reddy Priscilla S. , Van Den Borne Bart W. 
Published: November 2008

Abstract –  Objective:  To determine the association between adolescents’ sense of coherence (SOC) and their tooth‐brushing behaviour.Methods:  This 18‐month longitudinal study involved a representative sample of 8th‐graders (n = 1025) from 11 randomly selected public high schools in the Limpopo Province, South Africa. Data collected by means of a self‐administered questionnaire included respondents’ socio‐demographic profiles, vulnerability to depression, smoking status, dental treatment attendance pattern, frequency of and motivation for tooth‐brushing. Based on the responses to the question on readiness to change brushing behaviour and in line with the integrated change model, respondents were also categorized as being in the pre‐contemplation, contemplation or preparation/action stages. Respondents’ SOC was measured using a six‐item adapted Antonovsky SOC scale. Data analysis included chi‐squared analysis, t‐tests and step‐wise multiple logistic regression.Results:  At baseline, 72.6% (n = 744) of the respondents reported that they were not consistently brushing twice daily. Of those who did not brush twice daily and were followed up on (n = 578), those living with their mother at baseline not only presented with a greater increase in their SOC over time (follow‐up minus baseline), but they were also more likely to be brushing twice daily at the time of the follow‐up (15.4% versus 10.6%; P = 0.04). Adding baseline intention state to a multivariate model attenuated the influence of baseline SOC to a statistically insignificant level. However, increasing within‐subject SOC changes (β = 0.16; P < 0.01), living with the mother (β = 0.11; P < 0.05), smoking (β = −0.14; P < 0.05), being depression vulnerable (β = −0.23; P < 0.01) and in the preparation/action stage (β = 0.13; P < 0.05) remained associated with the transition to twice‐daily tooth‐brushing.Conclusions:  In planning oral health promotion interventions, it should be considered that children’s psychological predisposition and family environment might significantly influence their tooth‐brushing behaviour.
The use of elastin immunostain improves the evaluation of melanomas associated with nevi
Authors: Kamino Hideko , Tam Sam , Tapia Beatriz , Toussaint Sonia 
Published: November 2008

Background:  Twenty to 30% of malignant melanomas are associated with melanocytic nevi; however, sometimes it is difficult to distinguish the melanoma from the nevus by routine histology. We have previously described distinctive patterns of elastic fibers in nevi and in melanomas.Methods:  We analyzed elastic fiber patterns using elastin immunostain and elastic van Gieson (EVG) stain in 30 cases of invasive melanomas associated with nevi, 12 control melanocytic nevi and 14 control invasive melanomas.Results:  Elastin immunostain was superior to EVG in showing the elastic fiber patterns. In nevi, the elastic fibers were preserved between nests and often around individual melanocytes. In contrast, melanomas had markedly decreased elastic fibers in the stroma and within the nests of melanocytes. The melanoma pushed down the pre‐existing thin elastic fibers of the papillary dermis, forming a compressed layer at its base, which separated the melanoma from the nevus. On sun‐damaged skin, the solar elastosis had similar elastin and EVG patterns. In three cases with dense inflammation, the layer of elastic fibers between melanoma and nevus was still present but less evident.Conclusions:  The distinctive patterns of elastic fibers, best shown by the elastin immunostain, were helpful in evaluating melanomas associated with melanocytic nevi.
Valproic acid enhances the engraftability of human umbilical cord blood hematopoietic stem cells expanded under serum‐free conditions*
Authors: Seet Li‐Fong , Teng Eileen , Lai Yih‐Shin , Laning Joseph , Kraus Morey , Wnendt Stephan , Merchav Shosh , Chan Shing Leng 
Published: November 2008

AbstractValproic acid (VPA) is a histone deacetylase inhibitor previously shown to promote the proliferation and self‐renewal of CD34+ hematopoietic cells. We tested the effect of VPA in conjunction with the selective amplification technology developed by Viacell Inc. Stem cells enriched from frozen cord blood were cultured for 7 d, subjected to reselection and grown in fresh medium for a further 7 d. Treatment with VPA resulted in an average two‐fold higher expansion of CD45+34+ cells compared with control. Furthermore, VPA‐treatment induced higher numbers of CD45+34+ cells to reside in the S phase than control cultured cells and resulted in a 2.5‐fold upregulation in HOXB4 expression. Importantly, VPA‐treated cells reconstituted hematopoiesis in non‐obese diabetic/severe combined immunodeficient mice with a six‐fold higher efficiency than control cells. Collectively, our results indicate that VPA, already used clinically for neurologic disorder treatment, is a useful additive for the ex vivo culture of hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells to enhance engraftment efficiency.
Myocardial necrosis in patients with thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura: pathophysiology and rationale for specific therapy
Authors: Sane David C. , Streer Nathan P. , Owen John 
Published: November 2008

AbstractMyocardial necrosis is now recognized as a common feature of thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP), usually due to platelet plugging in the microvasculature. Despite reports that TTP patients with myocardial damage have higher morbidity and mortality, there are no established guidelines for managing these high‐risk patients. The universal occurrence of thrombocytopenia and variable findings including renal dysfunction present unique challenges in this setting. Established therapies including plasma exchange and immunosuppression are the mainstay of therapy for all TTP patients. For the subset of patients with myocardial damage, therapy with more potent antiplatelet drugs, agents that enhance NO availability and alleviate vasospasm and drugs that suppress von Willebrand factor levels may have additional benefit. However, clinical trials are needed to optimize therapy for this subset of TTP patients.
Comparison of the Intramuscular, Intranasal or Sublingual Routes of Midazolam Administration for the Control of Soman‐Induced Seizures*
Authors: McDonough John H. , Van Shura Kerry E. , LaMont John C. , McMonagle Joseph D. , Shih Tsung‐Ming 
Published: November 2008

Abstract:  This study evaluated the anticonvulsant effectiveness of midazolam to stop seizures elicited by the nerve agent soman when midazolam was administered by different routes (intramuscular, intranasal or sublingual) at one of two different times after the onset of seizure activity. Guinea pigs previously prepared with cortical electrodes to record brain electroencephalographic activity were pre‐treated with pyridostigmine (0.026 mg/kg, intramuscularly) 30 min. before challenge with a seizure‐inducing dose of the nerve agent soman (56 µg/kg, subcutaneously), and 1 min. later, they were administered 2.0 mg/kg atropine sulfate admixed with 25.0 mg/kg 2‐PAM Cl (intramuscularly). Groups of animals were administered differing doses of midazolam by the intramuscular, intranasal or sublingual route at either the onset of seizure activity or 40 min. after the onset of seizure activity that was detected in the electroencephalographic record. When given immediately after seizure onset, the anticonvulsant ED50 of intramuscular midazolam was significantly lower than that of intranasal midazolam, which in turn was significantly lower than sublingual midazolam at that time. At the 40‐min. treatment delay, the anticonvulsant ED50s of intramuscular or intranasal midazolam did not differ and both were significantly lower than the sublingual route. Higher doses of midazolam were required to stop seizures at the 40‐min. treatment delay time compared to immediate treatment. The speed of seizure control for intramuscular or intranasal midazolam was the same while sublingual midazolam acted significantly slower. Midazolam was effective in treating soman‐induced seizures when given by all three routes, but with differences in potency and speed of action.
A Subchronic Intravenous Toxicity Study of Magnesium Fructose‐1,6‐Diphosphate in Beagle Dogs
Authors: Wang Meng , Yao Jun , Chen Jia‐Ying , Bai Wen‐Xia , Mei Sheng‐Yao , Pan Wei‐Na , Pan Yu‐Ying , Yu Fei‐Long 
Published: November 2008

Abstract:  Magnesium fructose‐1,6‐diphosphate is a novel agent of antimyocardial ischaemia. In the present study, the subchronic toxicity of magnesium fructose‐1,6‐diphosphate was investigated after 13‐week repeated intravenous administration in beagle dogs. The animals received doses of 0, 75, 150 and 300 mg/kg/day (three males and three females for each dose). During the study period, clinical signs, mortality, body weights, food consumption, electrocardiogram, urinalysis, haematology, clinical biochemistry, macroscopic findings, organ weights and histopathology were examined. The administration of magnesium fructose‐1,6‐diphosphate resulted in increased incidence of clinical signs, including salivation and emesis. These effects were transient and were noted in almost all dogs given 300 mg/kg/day and occasionally noted in the 150 mg/kg/day dose‐treated animals. Serum magnesium in the 150 mg/kg/day and 300 mg/kg/day dose‐treated animals was significantly increased after 6‐ and 13‐week administration, but recovered at the end of a 2‐week recovery period. At 6 weeks, a statistically significant decrease in serum electrolytes, including sodium and potassium, was observed in the treatment groups. There were no other treatment‐related findings. Under the conditions of the present study, magnesium fructose‐1,6‐diphosphate did not show any evidence of target organ toxicity. The no‐observed‐adverse‐effect level for 13‐week intravenous administration of magnesium fructose‐1,6‐diphosphate to beagle dogs was considered 75 mg/kg/day based on observations of clinical signs and serum electrolytes.
FSFI Scores of Women with Persistent Genital Arousal Disorder Compared with Published Scores of Women with Female Sexual Arousal Disorder and Healthy Controls
Authors: Leiblum Sandra R. , Seehuus Martin 
Published: November 2008

ABSTRACT

Introduction
Although persistent genital arousal disorder (PGAD) has been mistaken for hypersexuality, there is no research documenting the sexual functioning of PGAD women to support or refute such an assumption.

Aim
To compare the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) scores of PGAD women to that of women diagnosed with female sexual arousal syndrome (FSAD) and healthy controls.

Methods
The FSFI scores of heterosexual women who met all five features qualifying for a diagnosis of PGAD (N = 172) on an online questionnaire were compared with previously published FSFI scores of women diagnosed with FSAD (N = 128) and healthy controls (N = 131).

Main Outcome Measure
Total and subscale scores on the FSFI.

Results
On every subscale of the FSFI with the exception of desire, the PGAD women obtained scores between that of the FSAD and the healthy control group. The FSAD women displayed the greatest problems in desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, and pain while women with PGAD reported somewhat more desire than the control group but did not meet the cutoff score for sexual dysfunction. PGAD women are more similar to the normal control group than women with FSAD.

Conclusions
There is no evidence to support the belief that women who meet criteria for a diagnosis of PGAD are “hypersexual.” In fact, their overall sexual functioning falls within the normal range and is significantly better than that of women diagnosed with FSAD.
Long-Term Assessment of the Physical, Mental, and Sexual Health Among Transsexual Women
Authors: Weyers Steven , Elaut Els , De Sutter Petra , Gerris Jan , T’Sjoen Guy , Heylens Gunter , De Cuypere Griet , Verstraelen Hans 
Published: November 2008

ABSTRACT

Introduction
Transsexualism is the most extreme form of gender identity disorder and most transsexuals eventually pursue sex reassignment surgery (SRS). In transsexual women, this comprises removal of the male reproductive organs, creation of a neovagina and clitoris, and often implantation of breast prostheses. Studies have shown good sexual satisfaction after transition. However, long-term follow-up data on physical, mental and sexual functioning are lacking.

Aim
To gather information on physical, mental, and sexual well-being, health-promoting behavior and satisfaction with gender-related body features of transsexual women who had undergone SRS.

Methods
Fifty transsexual women who had undergone SRS ≥6 months earlier were recruited.

Main Outcome Measures
Self-reported physical and mental health using the Dutch version of the Short-Form-36 (SF-36) Health Survey; sexual functioning using the Dutch version of the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI). Satisfaction with gender-related bodily features as well as with perceived female appearance; importance of sex, relationship quality, necessity and advisability of gynecological exams, as well as health concerns and feelings of regret concerning transition were scored.

Results
Compared with reference populations, transsexual women scored good on physical and mental level (SF-36). Gender-related bodily features were shown to be of high value. Appreciation of their appearance as perceived by others, as well as their own satisfaction with their self-image as women obtained a good score (8 and 9, respectively). However, sexual functioning as assessed through FSFI was suboptimal when compared with biological women, especially the sublevels concerning arousal, lubrication, and pain. Superior scores concerning sexual function were obtained in those transsexual women who were in a relationship and in heterosexuals.

Conclusions
Transsexual women function well on a physical, emotional, psychological and social level. With respect to sexuality, they suffer from specific difficulties, especially concerning arousal, lubrication, and pain.