bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effect of inhaled corticosteroids on risk of development of cataract: a meta‐analysis
Authors: Uboweja Anup , Malhotra Samir , Pandhi P. 
Published: February 2006

AbstractThe objective of this study was to quantify the risk of cataract among users of inhaled corticosteroids (ICS). Studies that examined the association of ICS use with risk of cataract were identified through computerized (MEDLINE, EMBASE), manual searches using Index Medicus, and checking cross‐references to recover all published articles and scientific session abstracts. Pooled odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated using two methods, fixed effects Mantel–Haenszel model and random effects DerSimonian–Laird model. Four studies satisfied all the inclusion/exclusion criteria and were included in the analysis. The pooled OR (95% CI) by the Mantel–Haenszel method was 1.48 (1.39–1.57) and by the DerSimonian–Laird method was 1.48 (1.30–1.68). The test for heterogeneity was not significant. A total number of nine negative studies would be required to make the results of our meta‐analysis non‐significant. Number needed to harm is 16 with 95% CI of 13–19. Contrary to popular belief, inhaled ICS may be associated with systemic side effects like cataract as shown by this meta‐analysis. The risk of increased cataract shown in our analysis needs to be weighted against the benefits of ICS. Further evaluations are required to clarify the causal association between the dosage and duration of drug use.
Benzodiazepines prescription in Dakar: a study about prescribing habits and knowledge in general practitioners, neurologists and psychiatrists
Authors: Dièye Amadou Moctar , Sylla Mbaye , Ndiaye Awa , Ndiaye Mamadou , Guata Yoro Sy , Faye Babacar 
Published: February 2006

AbstractBenzodiazepines are relatively well‐tolerated medicines but can induce serious problems of addiction and that is why their use is regulated. However, in developing countries like Senegal, these products are used without clear indications on their prescription, their dispensation or their use. This work focuses on the prescription of these medicines with a view to make recommendations for their rational use. Benzodiazepine prescription was studied with psychiatrists or neurologists and generalists in 2003. Specialist doctors work in two Dakar university hospitals and generalists in the 11 health centres in Dakar. We did a survey by direct interview with 29 of 35 specialists and 23 of 25 generalists. All doctors were interviewed in their office. The questionnaire focused on benzodiazepine indications, their pharmacological properties, benzodiazepines prescribed in first intention against a given disease and the level of training in benzodiazepines by doctors. Comparisons between specialists and generalists were made by chi‐square test. Benzodiazepines were essentially used for anxiety, insomnia and epilepsy. With these diseases, the most benzodiazepines prescribed are prazepam against anxiety and insomnia and diazepam against epilepsy. About 10% of doctors do not know that there is a limitation for the period of benzodiazepine use. The principal reasons of drugs choice are knowledge of the drugs, habit and low side effects of drugs. All generalists (100%) said that their training on benzodiazepines is poor vs. 62.1% of specialists, and doctors suggest seminars, journals adhesions and conferences to complete their training in this field. There are not many differences between specialists and generalists except the fact that specialists prefer prazepam in first intention in the insomnia treatment where generalists choose bromazepam. In addition, our survey showed that specialists’ training in benzodiazepines is better than that of generalists. Overall, benzodiazepine prescription poses problems particularly in training, and national authorities must take urgent measures for rational use of these drugs.
The effects of nocturnal home mechanical ventilation on daytime blood gas disturbances
Authors: Laub Michael , Midgren Bengt 
Published: February 2006

SummaryIntroduction:  In chronic alveolar hypoventilation, previous studies of selected patient groups have shown that nocturnal home mechanical ventilation (HMV) may result in improvements in chronic blood gas disturbances during daytime spontaneous breathing. We wished to examine the effects of this treatment in a large sample of non‐selected patients prospectively followed up, in a national multicentric register.Material:  A total of 288 patients from a broad diagnostic spectrum were studied. We looked at the blood gases and vital capacity before the patients elected for initiation of HMV and at the first register‐recorded follow‐up after 6–24 months.Results:  We found statistically significant improvements in PO2 and PCO2 (approximately 1 kPa in both) and in base excess, but no changes in vital capacity or calculated alveolo‐arterial gradient. All changes were independent of the observation period and only weakly diagnose‐related.Discussion:  Our findings extend those of previous studies, showing a relatively early and apparently stable improvement in blood gases after starting and continuing nocturnal HMV. The equal extent of the improvements in blood gases among all the diagnostic groups including the neurological patients with progressive diseases was unexpected.Conclusion:  In 288 patients starting nocturnal HMV electively we found significant improvements in daytime blood gases after 6–24 months. There were no changes in vital capacity or calculated alveolo‐arterial gradient.
Differences in heart rate variability in non‐hypertensive diabetic patients correlate with the presence of underlying cerebrovascular disease
Authors: Nagata Koji , Sasaki Eun , Goda Koshi , Yamamoto Naomune , Sugino Masakazu , Yamamoto Kazuhiro , Narabayashi Isamu , Hanafusa Toshiaki 
Published: February 2006

SummaryWe previously showed that diabetes contributes to the development of sclerotic lesions in cerebral arteries. In this study, we attempted to clarify whether differences in heart rate variability in non‐hypertensive diabetic patients were dependent on the presence or absence of underlying cerebrovascular disease. Thirty diabetic subjects between 40 and 59 years of age and who had no prior history of hypertension were used in this study. Lacunar lesions (LA) were detected with magnetic resonance imaging and atherosclerotic lesions (AS) were detected using intra‐ and extracranial magnetic resonance angiography, and by ultrasonographic scanning of the carotid artery. Patients underwent a full clinical laboratory screening and a power spectrum analysis of their heart rate variability. Subjects were divided into two groups: those with and without LA. The low frequency/high frequency ratio (LF/HF ratio) was found to be significantly increased (P<0·01) in subjects with LA (2·2 ± 0·3) compared to those without LA (1·3 ± 0·1). When subjects were divided into groups based on their presence or absence of AS, high‐frequency power was found to be significantly reduced (P<0·05) in the subjects with AS (12·8 ± 3·4 ms) compared to those without AS (19·4 ± 1·7 ms). The LF/HF ratio was found to be significantly increased (P<0·05) in the subjects with AS (2·2 ± 0·3) compared to those without AS (1·4 ± 0·1). Our data suggested that atherosclerotic lesions in cerebrovascular diseased linked to decrease of vagal nerve activity in non‐hypertensive diabetic patients.
The association between muscle EMG and perfusion in knee extensor muscles
Authors: Laaksonen Marko S. , Kyröläinen Heikki , Kalliokoski Kari K. , Nuutila Pirjo , Knuuti Juhani 
Published: February 2006

SummaryThe relationships between electromyographic (EMG) activity and force as well as muscle blood flow and work have been well established. However, the association between muscle blood flow and EMG activity remains unsolved. Thus, to test the hypothesis that muscle EMG activity relates to muscle perfusion in different compartments of the quadriceps femoris (QF) muscle, 12 healthy male subjects were studied. During two very submaximal exercise bouts, at different exercise intensities, oxygen labelled radiowater and positron emission tomography were used to measure muscle perfusion. In addition, produced force of knee extensors and muscle EMG activity in the vastus lateralis (VL), vastus medialis (VM) and rectus femoris (RF) muscles were recorded during both exercise bouts. Although the exercise intensity and average force production was higher during the second exercise bout (38 ± 15 versus 51 ± 17 N; P = 0·007), the mean EMG activity was lower (RF; P<0·001) or unchanged (VL; P = 0·722 and VM; P = 0·640). During the second exercise period, perfusion also remained unchanged in the entire QF muscle (P = 0·223) and in its separate muscles (VL, P = 0·703; VM, P = 0·141; RF, P = 0·113) in a group level. However, the individual changes in muscle perfusion were tightly related to changes in muscle EMG activity in VL (r = 0·84; P = 0·002) and VM (r = 0·68; P = 0·015) but poorly in the RF muscle (r = 0·40; P = 0·257). In conclusion, the different associations between muscle perfusion and EMG activity in different QF muscles suggests specific functional role of the vasti muscles and the RF muscle.
Exercise test mode dependency for ventilatory efficiency in women but not men
Authors: Davis James A. , Tyminski Trisha A. , Soriano April C. , Dorado Silvia , Costello Kara B. , Sorrentino Kristin M. , Pham Patrick H. 
Published: February 2006

SummaryVentilatory efficiency is commonly defined as the level of ventilation V̇E at a given carbon dioxide output (V̇CO2). The slope of the V̇E versus V̇CO2 relationship and the lowest V̇E/V̇CO2 are two ventilatory efficiency indices that can be measured during cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET). A possible CPET mode dependency for these indices was evaluated in healthy men and women. Also evaluated was the relationship between these two indices as, in theory, V̇E/V̇CO2 falls hyperbolically towards an asymptote that numerically equals the V̇E versus V̇CO2 slope at exercise levels below the ones that cause respiratory compensation for metabolic acidosis. Twenty‐eight healthy subjects (14 men) underwent treadmill and cycle ergometer CPET on different days. Ventilation and the gas fractions for oxygen and CO2 were measured with a vacumed metabolic cart. In men, paired t‐test analysis failed to find a mode difference for either ventilatory efficiency index but the opposite was true in the women as each woman had higher values for both indices on the treadmill. For men, the lowest V̇E/V̇CO2 was larger than the V̇E versus V̇CO2 slope by 1·3 on the treadmill and 0·8 on the cycle ergometer. The corresponding values for women were 1·7 and 1·4. We conclude that in healthy subjects, women, but not men, demonstrate a mode dependency for the two ventilatory efficiency indices investigated in this study. Furthermore, our results are consistent with the theoretical expectation that the lowest V̇E/V̇CO2 has a numerical value just above the asymptote of the V̇E/V̇CO2 versus V̇CO2 relationship.
Reliability of different blood indices to explore the oxidative stress in response to maximal cycling and static exercises
Authors: Steinberg Jean Guillaume , Delliaux Stéphane , Jammes Yves 
Published: February 2006

SummaryThis study compares the changes in four blood markers of exercise‐induced oxidative stress in response to exercise protocols commonly used to explore the global muscle performance at work (maximal incremental cycle) and endurance to fatigue of selected muscles (static handgrip and thumb adduction). Cycling and static exercises allow the muscle to work in aerobic and anaerobic conditions, respectively. Healthy adults performed an incremental cycling exercise until volitional exhaustion and, on separated days, executed infra‐maximal static thumb adduction and handgrip until exhaustion. Exercise‐induced oxidative stress was assessed by the increased plasma concentration of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), the consumption of plasma reduced ascorbic acid (RAA), and erythrocyte reduced glutathione (GSH) antioxidants, and the changes in the total antioxidant status (TAS) of plasma. Five minutes after the end of the incremental cycling exercise, we measured a peak increase in TBARS level, maximal consumption of GSH and RAA, and a modest but significant decrease in TAS concentration. In response to both static thumb adduction and handgrip, significant variations of TBARS, GSH and RAA occurred but we did not measure any significant change in TAS level throughout the 20‐min recovery period of both exercise bouts. The present study shows that only the changes in TBARS, GSH and RAA explore both dynamic and static exercises. In addition, TAS measurement does not seem to represent a reliable and unique tool to explore exercise‐induced oxidative stress, at least during isometric efforts that allow the muscle to work under anaerobic condition.
Contrast media inhibit exogenous surfactant therapy in rats with acute respiratory distress syndrome
Authors: Kesecioglu Jozef , Haitsma Jack J. , Schultz Marcus J. , den Heeten Gerard J. , Lachmann Burkhard 
Published: February 2006

SummaryAim:  To test the effects of various contrast media on the pulmonary surfactant system.Material and methods:  In a rat model of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) induced by lung lavage, the effects of surfactant suspended in saline were compared with surfactant suspended in the contrast media Visipaque®, Gastrografin®, Omnipaque®, Telebrix M®, Telebrix® and Hexabrix®, to establish their influence on oxygenation and lung mechanics.Results:  After the induction of ARDS, surfactant instillation improved oxygenation, total lung capacity (TLC35), volume at 5 cm H2O end‐expiration (V5) and Gruenwald index. The effects of Visipaque® and Gastrografin® were comparable with those of surfactant alone from 90 min onwards and at 120 min, respectively. Surfactant suspended in the other contrast media resulted in significantly lower values in the above‐mentioned parameters. Surface tension was lowest in surfactant suspended in saline alone. Surfactant suspended in Visipaque® and Gastrografin® had lower surface tension compared with surfactant suspended in the other contrast media.Conclusion:  The ionic and non‐ionic contrast media used in this study, cause an impairment of the physico‐chemical behaviour of exogenous surfactant. Therefore, these contrast media cannot be regarded as safe in case of accidental exposure.
Multiple pressure–volume loops recorded with sinusoidal low flow in a porcine acute respiratory distress syndrome model
Authors: Bitzén Ulrika , Enoksson Jens , Uttman Leif , Niklason Lisbet , Johansson Leif , Jonson Björn 
Published: February 2006

SummaryObjectives:  To develop a method for automatic recording of multiple dynamic elastic pressure–volume (Pel/V) loops. To analyse the relationship between multiple dynamic Pel/V loops and static Pel/V loops in a porcine model of acute lung injury/acute respiratory distress syndrome (ALI/ARDS). To test the hypothesis that increasing lung collapse and re‐expansion with decreasing positive end expiratory pressure (PEEP) can be characterized by hysteresis of the Pel/V loops.Material and Interventions:  In eight anaesthetized and paralysed pigs, ALI/ARDS was induced by inhalation of dioctyl sodium sulfosuccinate and large tidal volume ventilation.Measurements and Results:  The physiological and histopathological findings indicated a status mimicking an early stage of ALI/ARDS. Automatically, a series of dynamic Pel/V loops from different PEEP levels were recorded with the sinusoidal flow modulation method using a computer‐controlled ventilator. During expiration, resistance increased more than twofold. For each step of lower starting pressure, the inspiratory limb was displaced towards lower volume indicating derecruitment. Recruitment occurred between 20 and 40 cm H2O. The expiratory curves, all starting from 50 cm H2O, overlapped. Hysteresis increased significantly in loops recorded from lower PEEP levels. Viscoelasticity explained differences between static and dynamic Pel/V loops.Conclusions:  Automated multiple Pel/V loop determination is feasible and provides comprehensive information on lung derecruitment and recruitment. It requires determination of volume dependence of expiratory resistance. An expiratory curve serves as a reference to inspiratory curves and provides information about hysteresis.
A lifetime of caring: Dimensions and dynamics in late‐life close relationships
Authors: BLIESZNER ROSEMARY 
Published: February 2006

AbstractThis review of research on close relationships in old age is informed by principles of life span developmental psychology and life course theory in sociology. It begins with an elaboration of life span and life course concepts as applied to relationships and an analysis of the multiple forms that caring can take. The discussion continues with presentation of research on the effects of sociohistorical contexts on relationships in old age and studies of the effects of personal development and life events on relationships as well. A section examining problems in late‐life close relationships is followed by examples of new directions for research on the intersections of personal development and close relationships.
Parental attachment and conflict behavior: Implications for offspring's attachment, loneliness, and relationship satisfaction
Authors: FEENEY JUDITH A. 
Published: February 2006

AbstractThis study assessed the implications of parental attachment security and parental conflict behavior for offspring's relational adjustment (attachment security, loneliness, and relationship satisfaction). Further, reports of parental conflict behavior were obtained from both parents and offspring, addressing questions regarding agreement between reporters and the origin and extent of discrepant perceptions. Results revealed consistent patterns of conflict behavior and moderate agreement between reporters. However, offspring reported parental conflict behavior more negatively than parents, especially when offspring or parents were anxious about relationships. Parental attachment security had direct associations with offspring's relationship anxiety, whereas associations between parental attachment and offspring's loneliness and discomfort with closeness were mediated by parental conflict behavior. Parental conflict behavior was also associated with offspring's relationship satisfaction. The results are discussed in terms of the mechanisms involved in the intergenerational transmission of relationship difficulties.
Friendships of Indonesian, South Korean, and U.S. college students
Authors: FRENCH DORAN C. , BAE ALYX , PIDADA SRI , LEE OKHWA 
Published: February 2006

AbstractThe friendships of college students in the United States (n= 61), Indonesia (n= 56), and South Korea (n= 35) were assessed to evaluate the H. C. Triandis, R. Bontempo, M. J. Villareal, M. Asai, and N. Lucca (1988) hypothesis that the friendships of individuals in collectivist cultures are more intimate and less extensive than those in individualistic cultures. Students rated the qualities of their friendships, reported the identity and characteristics of friends, and recorded details of their social interactions using the Rochester Interaction Inventory. The friendship characteristics of South Korean students were generally consistent with the H. C. Triandis et al. (1988) hypotheses, whereas those of the Indonesian students were not. It appears that friendships in some collectivist cultures, including Indonesia, display characteristics of extensive social contacts with others in conjunction with limited intimacy with specific individuals.
Gender, attachment, and relationship duration on cardiovascular reactivity to stress in a laboratory study of dating couples
Authors: KIM YOUNGMEE 
Published: February 2006

AbstractStress related to relationship events has been a strong predictor of cardiovascular reactivity. This four‐phase laboratory study used a multiple‐nested design to examine variations in diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and rate‐pressure product (RPP: pulse rate [PR] × systolic blood pressure [SBP]) as a function of stress appraisal using 33 college‐aged dating couples. Individual participants filled out questionnaires designed to assess the length of their relationships (couple‐level factor), gender and attachment styles (individual‐level factors); watched a film clip depicting relationship distress; discussed relationship problems; then received instruction for relaxation. Individuals’ self‐reported stress and negative affect levels (experimental phase‐level factors), DBP, SBP, and PR were also measured at each study phase. Hierarchical linear modeling analyses revealed that relationships with longer duration were associated with higher levels of DBP and RPP as perceived stress levels increased. Also, as perceived stress levels increased, men or individuals high in the anxiety dimension of attachment showed higher DBP and RPP reactivity, whereas individuals high in the avoidance dimension of attachment showed lower RPP reactivity. As the negative affect level increased, individuals high in the avoidance dimension of attachment showed lower RPP reactivity. Findings imply that under relationship stress, individuals high in avoidance or anxiety dimensions of attachment may be vulnerable to a range of physical symptoms, such as cardiovascular disease or hypertension.
A Tale of Two Fears: Exploring Media Depictions of Nuclear Power and Global Warming
Authors: Palfreman Jon 
Published: February 2006

AbstractAdvanced technologies like nuclear power and looming environmental threats such as global climate change present major policy challenge for modern cultures. Public policy about such crucial and complex issues depends on public attitudes, which, in turn, tend to be strongly affected by mass media coverage. How “well” has the mass media portrayed these two evolving risk stories? Employing perspectives from both journalism and social science, this article will first review the history of mass media coverage of each topic, then analyze their differences.
Western Wildfires: A Policy Change Perspective
Authors: Davis Charles 
Published: February 2006

AbstractMy research objective in this article is to analyze policy change affecting wildfire suppression programs administered by the United States Forest Service and the United States Department of the Interior. Using a variant of the punctuated equilibrium approach, a content analysis of New York Times stories dealing with wildfires over the past two decades was examined in relation to both administrative and legislative policy changes. I conclude by suggesting that administrative shifts were undertaken by federal land administrators in response to crises and media attention to protect decisional autonomy as well as forest resources, while the architect of legislative change was a president taking advantage of the combined effects of increasingly intense wildfire seasons, demographic shifts involving the movement of people and structures to the high‐risk wildland urban interface areas, greater media scrutiny, and pressure to act from wildfire weary constituencies.