bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
National Parliaments and the ECJ: A View from the Bundestag
Authors: SLAGTER TRACY H. 
Published: December 2008

AbstractThe German government largely disregards impending decisions of the ECJ, even if those decisions have far‐reaching implications for Germany. Decisions of the Court may, however, be useful for the opposition in securing its policy preferences. Equal treatment decisions are used to evaluate expectations about legislative anticipation of Court decisions.
Ayahuasca healing beyond the Amazon: the globalization of a traditional indigenous entheogenic practice
Authors: TUPPER KENNETH W. 
Published: December 2008

AbstractAyahuasca commonly refers to a psychoactive Amazonian indigenous brew traditionally used for spiritual and healing purposes (that is as an entheogen). Since the late twentieth century, ayahuasca has undergone a process of globalization through the uptake of different kinds of socio‐cultural practices, including its sacramental use in some new Brazilian religious movements and its commodified use in cross‐cultural vegetalismo practices, or indigenous‐style rituals conducted primarily for non‐indigenous participants. In this article, I explore the rise of such rituals beyond the Amazon region, and consider some philosophical and political concerns arising from this novel trend in ayahuasca use, including the status of traditional indigenous knowledge, cultural appropriation and intellectual property. I discuss a patent dispute in Unites States and allegations of biopiracy related to ayahuasca. I conclude the article with some reflections on the future of ayahuasca drinking as a transnational sociological phenomenon.
A longitudinal study of women’s memory of labour pain—from 2 months to 5 years after the birth
Authors: Waldenström U , Schytt E 
Published: December 2008

Objective  To investigate the memory of labour pain at 2 months, 1 year and 5 years after childbirth and its association with the use of epidural analgesia and overall evaluation of childbirth.Design  Longitudinal observational.Setting  All hospitals in Sweden.Population  One thousand three hundred eighty‐three women, who were recruited at their first antenatal visit and who provided complete data up to 5 years after the birth.Methods  Postal questionnaires in the second trimester and 2 months, 1 year and 5 years after the birth.Main outcome measures  Memory of labour pain measured by a seven‐point rating scale (1 = no pain at all, 7 = worst imaginable pain).Results  Memory of labour pain declined during the observation period but not in women with a negative overall experience of childbirth. Women who had epidural analgesia reported higher pain scores at all time points, suggesting that these women remember ‘peak pain’.Conclusions  There was significant individual variation in recollection of labour pain. In the small group of women who are dissatisfied with childbirth overall, memory of pain seems to play an important role many years after the event. These findings challenge the view that labour pain has little influence on subsequent satisfaction with childbirth. In‐labour pain and long‐term memory of pain are discussed as two separate outcomes involving different memory systems.
Suitability of single tissue dielectric constant measurements to assess local tissue water in normal and lymphedematous skin
Authors: Mayrovitz Harvey N. , Davey Suzanne , Shapiro Elizabeth 
Published: December 2008

SummaryPrevious reports described the use of average tissue dielectric constant (TDC) measurements to assess local tissue water and its change. Our goal was to determine if a single TDC measurement could be used in place of the average of multiple measurements. The comparison criteria used to test this was the extent to which single and averaged measurements yielded similar TDC values in both normal and lymphedematous tissue. Measurements were made in two groups of women; a control group (n = 20) and a group with unilateral arm lymphedema (n = 10). In the control group, TDC was measured to multiple depths (0·5–5·0 mm) on both ventral forearms and to a depth of 2·5 mm on the lateral thorax on both body sides. In the lymphedematous group, TDC was measured on both ventral forearms to a depth of 2·5 mm. Results showed that the 95% confidence interval for differences between single and averaged TDC values was less than ±1 TDC unit and that the limits of agreement between methods was less than ±2·5 TDC units (±6·5%) for each condition, site and depth measured. This finding suggests that where this level of agreement is acceptable suitable clinical assessments can be made using a single TDC measurement.
Effects of long‐term clarithromycin treatment on lavage‐fluid markers of inflammation in chronic rhinosinusitis
Authors: Cervin Anders , Wallwork Ben , Mackay‐Sim Alan , Coman William B. , Greiff Lennart 
Published: December 2008

SummaryMacrolides can be clinically effective in chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS). However, little is known about how these drugs affect pathophysiological features of CRS in vivo. In the present study, patients with CRS were subjected to long‐term treatment with clarithromycin. Nasal lavages with and without histamine (40 and 400 μg ml−1) were carried out prior to and late into the treatment period. Histamine was included as a tool to produce plasma exudation, a process known to move free cellular products from the mucosal tissue into the airway lumen thereby enriching nasal surface liquids with such products. Interleukin‐8 (IL‐8), myeloperoxidase (MPO), eosinophil cationic protein (ECP), α2‐macroglobulin and fucose were monitored as indices of pro‐inflammatory cytokine production, neutrophil and eosinophil granulocyte activities, plasma exudation and mucinous secretion, respectively. Clarithromycin reduced the lavage fluid levels of IL‐8 at the low‐dose histamine observation (P<0·001). There was a trend towards reduced MPO by the treatment, whereas ECP was significantly reduced at the low‐dose histamine observation (P<0·05). α2‐Macroglobulin was reduced by clarithromycin (saline lavages) (P = 0·05), whereas fucose was unaffected. The exudative responsiveness to high‐dose histamine was significantly reduced by the treatment (P<0·05). Furthermore, significantly lower levels of fucose were observed at the low‐dose histamine observation (P<0·01). We conclude that long‐term clarithromycin treatment likely exerts an anti‐inflammatory effect in CRS.
Intraoral Acrylic Resin Coping Fabrication for Making Interocclusal Records
Authors: Stamoulis Kostas 
Published: December 2008

AbstractA safe and accurate method for the fabrication of acrylic resin copings to be used for interocclusal registration is described. Copings are fabricated on vital prepared teeth using visible light‐cured acrylic resin, and the records are then obtained with autopolymerizing acrylic resin. This allows for an interocclusal recording to be obtained at the final impression appointment.
A Robust Square: Planning, Youth Work, and the Making of Public Space in Post‐Unification Berlin
Authors: WESZKALNYS GISA 
Published: December 2008

AbstractDrawing on ethnographic fieldwork in post‐unification Berlin, this article examines the re‐articulation of the problematic of “the social” in city planning. It juxtaposes the contrasting visions of city planners and youth workers for Alexanderplatz, a controversial square in Berlin's eastern centre. I argue that the notion of “robustness” is helpful in understanding an important contemporary shift in thinking about planning and the social. In a sense, both planners and youth workers accused each other of taking insufficient notice of “the social.” While planners spoke of robustness as a technical, economic and aesthetic quality to which public space needs to aspire, the youth workers' vision for Alexanderplatz was a proposal for a kind of “social” robustness where the social is, quite literally, built into the urban design. These ethnographic observations need to be understood in a context where city planning has been one of the most critical domains in which the tensions provoked by German unification are played out. Taking such socio‐cultural specificities into account will lead to a more nuanced understanding of forms of neoliberal city planning.
Multilingualism and the City: The Construction of Urban Identities in Dakar (Senegal)
Authors: VERSLUYS ELINE 
Published: December 2008

AbstractAlthough place and language are two key elements in the composition of social identities, they are often studied in separate academic enterprises. This article brings them together, and examines their role in the construction of multiple urban identities. Analyzing how urbanites in Dakar shape their identities, I illustrate how linguistic and geographical criteria contribute to the formation of “we” versus “they” alliances, which in turn produce a specific sense of spatiality. Examining the case of the suburban neighborhood of Yoff, I show how residents construct fluid identities that range from “urbanites” to “village people,” each one of which is linked to a particular linguistic and cultural context. This article contributes to an understanding of how life in a multilingual city like Dakar offers a broad choice of identities that urban resident employ and maneuver on a daily level.
Side‐effects of antipsychotic medication and health‐related quality of life in schizophrenia
Authors: Bebbington P. E. , Angermeyer M. , Azorin J.‐M. , Marwaha S. , Marteau F. , Toumi M. 
Published: December 2008

Objective:  This analysis used data from the large (n = 1208) European Schizophrenia Cohort to examine the association between subjective side‐effects of antipsychotic medication and the Mental and Physical Composite Scores (MCS; PCS) of the SF‐36 scale.Method:  Relationships between the subjective evaluation of side‐effects identified from the Subjective Side‐Effects Scale and the adjusted mean score on the PCS and MCS were examined. Where appropriate, these associations of subjective side‐effects were compared with those of the same side‐effects measured objectively.Results:  In this study, subjective side‐effects of antipsychotic medication were linked either to both the PCS and the MCS or, in a few instances, to neither. Subjective evaluations of sexual side‐effects were associated only with the MCS, those of sialorrhoea only with the PCS. Objective ratings of extrapyramidal side‐effects were related neither to PCS nor to MCS.Conclusion:  These data suggest that side‐effects, whether subjective or objective, may need to be considered individually in relation to their impact on quality of life.
Biodegradation of different synthetic hydrogels made of polyethylene glycol hydrogel/RGD‐peptide modifications: an immunohistochemical study in rats
Authors: Herten Monika , Jung Ronald E. , Ferrari Daniel , Rothamel Daniel , Golubovic Vladimir , Molenberg Aart , Hämmerle Christoph H. F. , Becker Jürgen , Schwarz Frank 
Published: December 2008

AbstractAim: The aim of the present study was to investigate the pattern of biodegradation of different polyethylene glycol (PEG) hydrogel/RGD‐peptide modifications in rats.Material and methods: Two different hydrogels were employed: (i) a combination of four‐arm PEG‐thiol, Mn=2.3 kDa, and eight‐arm PEG‐acrylate, Mn=2.3 kDa (PEG1); and (ii) a combination of four‐arm PEG‐thiol, Mn=2.3 kDa, and four‐arm PEG‐acrylate, Mn=15 kDa (PEG2). Both PEG1 and PEG2 were either used alone or combined with a nine amino acid cys‐RGD peptide (RGD). A non‐cross‐linked porcine type I and III collagen membrane [BioGide® (BG)] served as control. Specimens were randomly allocated in unconnected subcutaneous pouches separated surgically on the back of 60 wistar rats, which were divided into six groups (1, 2, 4, 8, 16, and 24 weeks). Specimens were prepared for histological (tissue integration, foreign body reactions, biodegradation) and immunohistochemical (angiogenesis) analysis.Results: All materials investigated revealed unimpeded and comparable tissue integration without any signs of foreign body reactions. While BG exhibited transmembraneous blood vessel formation at 1 week, all PEG specimens were just surrounded by a well‐vascularized connective tissue. The hydrolytic disruption of PEG1 and PEG1/RGD specimens was associated with an ingrowth of blood vessels at 4 weeks. Biodegradation times were highest for PEG1 (24 weeks)>PEG1/RGD (16 weeks)>BG (4 weeks)>PEG2=PEG2/RGD (2 weeks).Conclusion: Within the limits of the present study, it was concluded that (i) all materials investigated revealed a high biocompatibility and tissue integration, and (ii) hydrogel biodegradation was dependent on PEG composition.
Peri‐implantitis in partially edentulous patients: association with inadequate plaque control
Authors: Serino Giovanni , Ström Christer 
Published: December 2008

AbstractObjective: The aim of the present study was to describe some clinical periodontal features of partially edentulous patients referred for the treatment of peri‐implantitis.Material and methods: The 23 subjects involved in this study were selected from consecutive patients referred to the department of Periodontology Södra Älvsborgs Hospital, Borås, Sweden, for treatment of peri‐implantitis during 2006. The patients had clinical signs of peri‐implantitis around one or more dental implants (i.e.≥6 mm pockets, bleeding on pockets and/or pus and radiographic images of bone loss to≥3 threads of the implants) and remaining teeth in the same and/or opposite jaw. The following clinical variables were recorded: Plaque Index (PI), Gingival Bleeding Index (GBI) Probing Pocket Depth (PPD), Access/capability to oral hygiene at implant site (yes/no), Function Time. The patients were categorized in the following sub‐groups: Periodontitis/No periodontitis, Bone loss/No bone loss at teeth, Smoker/Non‐smokers.Results: Out of the 23 patients, the majority (13) had minimal bone loss at teeth and no current periodontitis; 5 had bone loss at teeth exceeding 1/3 of the length of the root but not current periodontitis and only 5 had current periodontitis. Six patients were smokers (i.e. smoking more than 10 cig/day). The site level analysis showed that only 17 (6%) of the 281 teeth present had ≥1 pocket of ≥6mm, compared to 58 (53%) of the total 109 implants (28 ITI® and 81 Brånemark®); 74% of the implants had no accessibility to proper oral hygiene. High proportion of implants with diagnosis of peri‐implantitis were associated with no accessibility/capability for appropriate oral hygiene measures, while accessibility/capability was rarely associated with peri‐implantitis. Indeed 48% of the implants presenting peri‐implantitis were those with no accessibility/capability for proper oral hygiene (65% positive predict value) with respect to 4% of the implants with accessibility/capability (82% negative predict value).Conclusion: The results of the study indicate that local factors such as accessibility for oral hygiene at the implant sites seems to be related to the presence or absence of peri‐implantitis. Peri‐implantitis was a frequent finding in subjects having signs of minimal loss of supporting bone around the remaining natural dentition and no signs of presence of periodontitis (i.e. presence of periodontal pockets of ≥6 mm at natural teeth). Only 6 of the examinated subjects were smokers. In view of these results we should like to stress the importance of giving proper oral hygiene instructions to the patients who are rehabilitated with dental implant and of proper prosthetic constructions that allow accessibility for oral hygiene around implants.
SATISFACTION WITH LIFE IN RESIDENTIAL CARE: THE ROLE OF PRE‐ENTRY FACTORS
Authors: Thomas T. , Hayley S. 
Published: December 2008

AbstractThe study examines the role of psychological factors in the satisfaction of old people living in long‐term‐care residences for the elderly. Two hundred people living in hostels and nursing homes participated in the study. Data were collected on their pre‐entry attitudes and involvement with the relocation process, perception of the stressors and uplifts in the environment, health, finance, social support and perception of control. Both objective and subjective measures of well‐being and happiness were used as outcome variables. Regressional analyses indicated that the best predictors of outcomes include pre‐entry factors and perception of stressors/conflict in the environment.
THE ROLE OF SENIOR CITIZENS‘ CENTRES: A COMPARATIVE STUDY
Authors: Boldy D. , Lester J. 
Published: December 2008

AbstractThis paper explores the extent to which Senior Citizens' Centres (SCCs) in Australia serve a broad role in terms of providing a range of social, recreational and welfare services for elderly people, as envisaged in the 1969 States Grants (Home Care) Act, which was later subsumed by the Home and Community Care Act (1985). Two separate studies of SCCs were conducted, one in Western Australia in 1985/86 and one in Wollongong, New South Wales in 1988/89.Results presented in this paper are from surveys of SCCs, their users and potential users. Despite the somewhat different geographical and socioeconomic backgrounds of the two study areas, key findings from both are remarkably similar. The main function of SCCs surveyed was the provision of recreational pastimes for the well, predominantly English speaking elderly.
THE R.M. GIBSON SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH FUND ‐ ITS ORIGIN AND PURPOSE.
Authors: Lefroy R. B. 
Published: December 2008

AbstractAn account is given of the principal achievements of R.M. Gibson at the Royal Newcastle Hospital. A comparison is drawn between the original integrated geriatric service and the modern counterpart which has evolved throughout Australia. Whereas the latter now contains an abundance of activities and personnel, separation exists between medical and social services. This and other aspects of geriatric medicine stand to benefit from studies made by those working in this field. The aim of the R.M. Gibson Scientific Research Fund is to encourage this enterprise.
PATHWAYS TO A MAINSTREAM NURSING HOME: A SURVEY OF CHINESE, GREEK AND ANGLO AUSTRALIANS
Authors: Westbrook M. T. , Legge V. 
Published: December 2008

AbstractA survey of the family carers of 21 Chinese, 26 Greek and 25 Anglo Australian nursing home residents compared their aged relatives' pathways to a mainstream nursing home. The Greek aged were older and more dependent at placement while the Chinese were relatively young. Communities differed in terms of those involved in the decision making process, family reactions to the decision, reasons for selection of a home and use of services prior to placement. Community similarities included the types of event which precipitated placement, the categories of people initiating discussion of placement and the aged people's reactions to the decision.
LIFE IN A MAINSTREAM NURSING HOME: A SURVEY OF CHINESE, GREEK AND ANGLO AUSTRALIANS
Authors: Westbrook M. T. , Legge V. 
Published: December 2008

AbstractA survey compared the reactions of 21 Chinese, 26 Greek and 25 Anglo Australian residents and their family carers to nursing home life. No significant community differences were found in aged people's or their carers' satisfaction with virtually all aspects of the home, the frequency of carers' visits, carers' perceptions of the approachability of staff or the effects of placement on carers' lives. Anglo Australian residents got on better with staff, mixed more with other residents and preferred the meals but were more likely to have severe problems in settling into the home. Staff discussed residents' care more with NESB relatives. Other community differences included attitudes regarding placement.
Filial Piety and Intergenerational Solidarity in Japan
Authors: Koyano W. 
Published: December 2008

The Confucian norm of filial piety is generally assumed as an underlying ideology of the traditional living arrangement of the Japanese elderly, ie., patri‐lineal, patrt‐local stem family. In this article, the author describes the changes in filial piety and co‐residence, and observes social relationships of the contemporary Japanese elderly.A survey with 882 elderly community residents as subjects clearly showed differential roles of others played in the social world of the elderly, especially significant differences between daughters and daughters‐in‐law. Elderly parents feel emotionally close to their daughters whether they live together or apart, while they seldom feel emotionally close to co‐resident daughters‐in‐law who actually provide instrumental support.Although living with a married son is still a preferred arrangement, it is likely to bring harmful interactions with coresident daughters‐in‐law. Therefore avoiding co‐residence might be a meaningful choice for the elderly without immediate need of instrumental support. In Japan, intergenerational relationships between elderly parents and their adult children become more affection‐based, convenience‐oriented, and free from the norm of filial piety than they used to be.
Spontaneous Ca2+ Waves in Rabbit Corpus Cavernosum: Modulation by Nitric Oxide and cGMP
Authors: Sergeant Gerard P. , Craven Michael , Hollywood Mark A. , McHale Noel G. , Thornbury Keith D. 
Published: December 2008

ABSTRACTIntroductionDetumescent tone and subsequent relaxation by nitric oxide (NO) are essential processes that determine the erectile state of the penis. Despite this, the mechanisms involved are incompletely understood. It is often assumed that the tone is associated with a sustained high cytosolic Ca2+ level in the corpus cavernosum smooth muscle cells, however, an alternative possibility is that oscillatory Ca2+ signals regulate tone, and erection occurs as a result of inhibition of Ca2+ oscillations by NO.AimsThe aim of this study is to determine if smooth muscle cells displayed spontaneous Ca2+ oscillations and, if so, whether these were regulated by NO.MethodsMale New Zealand white rabbits were euthanized and smooth muscle cells were isolated by enzymatic dispersal for confocal imaging of intracellular Ca2+ (using fluo-4AM) and patch clamp recording of spontaneous membrane currents. Thin tissue slices were also loaded with fluo-4AM for live imaging of Ca2+.Main Outcome MeasureCytosolic Ca2+ was measured in isolated smooth muscle cells and tissue slices.ResultsIsolated rabbit corpus cavernosum smooth muscle cells developed spontaneous Ca2+ waves that spread at a mean velocity of 65 µm/s. Dual voltage clamp/confocal recordings revealed that each of the Ca2+ waves was associated with an inward current typical of the Ca2+-activated Cl- currents developed by these cells. The waves depended on an intact sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ store, as they were blocked by cyclopiazonic acid (Calbiochem, San Diego, CA, USA) and agents that interfere with ryanodine receptors and IP3-mediated Ca2+ release. The waves were also inhibited by an NO donor (diethylamine NO; Tocris Bioscience, Bristol, Avon, UK), 3-(5-hydroxymethyl-2-furyl)-1-benzyl indazole (YC-1) (Alexis Biochemicals, Bingham, Notts, UK), 8-bromo-cyclic guanosine mono-phosphate (Tocris), and sildenafil (Viagra, Pfizer, Sandwich, Kent, UK). Regular Ca2+ oscillations were also observed in whole tissue slices where they were clearly seen to precede contraction. This activity was also markedly inhibited by sildenafil, suggesting that it was under NO regulation.ConclusionsThese results provide a new basis for understanding detumescent tone in the corpus cavernosum and its inhibition by NO.