bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The compliance, true positive and false negative rates of the Charing Cross protocol for magnetic resonance imaging screening for cerebellopontine angle lesions
Authors: Snelling J D , Krywawych M , Majithia A , Harcourt J P 
Published: May 2007

AbstractObjectives:To assess the effectiveness and determine the compliance to a local protocol for requesting magnetic resonance imaging scans to screen for the presence of cerebellopontine angle lesions.Methods:A combined retrospective study of all patients who had magnetic resonance imaging scans requested six months prior to and one year following introduction of the protocol and assessment of the true positive and false negative rate of the protocol by assessment of its sensitivity in cases referred from outside the department.Results:Comparison of the number of scans in each period showed a reduction in annualised rate of 142 to 46. The incidence of positive scans was the same in both periods, increasing the true positive rate from 1.4 to 4.3 per cent. The false negative rate was 1.1 per cent.Conclusions:The Charing Cross protocol has a good compliance rate within the department, has reduced the cost of screening for cerebellopontine angle lesions and has an acceptable true positive and false negative rate.
Severe laryngitis following chronic anabolic steroid abuse
Authors: Ray S , Masood A , Pickles J , Moumoulidis I 
Published: May 2007

AbstractThe effects of anabolic steroids on the quality of voice have been well documented; however, no study has established significant structural changes in the larynx as a direct result of anabolic steroid use. We report a unique case of a 47-year-old male smoker and professional body builder who presented with progressive stridor and hoarseness following abuse of anabolic steroids over a period of two years. Conservative management failed to resolve his symptoms and a planned tracheostomy was performed to secure his airway. Subsequently he was treated with multiple laser resections and eventually decannulated. No case of severe laryngitis in association with anabolic steroid usage has been reported previously in the literature.
Optimising outcome assessment of voice interventions, II: sensitivity to change of self-reported and observer-rated measures
Authors: Steen I N , MacKenzie K , Carding P N , Webb A , Deary I J , Wilson J A 
Published: May 2007

AbstractObjectives:A wide range of well validated instruments is now available to assess voice quality and voice-related quality of life, but comparative studies of the responsiveness to change of these measures are lacking. The aim of this study was to assess the responsiveness to change of a range of different measures, following voice therapy and surgery.Design:Longitudinal, cohort comparison study.Setting:Two UK voice clinics.Participants:One hundred and forty-four patients referred for treatment of benign voice disorders, 90 undergoing voice therapy and 54 undergoing laryngeal microsurgery.Main outcome measures:Three measures of self-reported voice quality (the vocal performance questionnaire, the voice handicap index and the voice symptom scale), plus the short form 36 (SF 36) general health status measure and the hospital anxiety and depression score. Perceptual, observer-rated analysis of voice quality was performed using the grade–roughness–breathiness–asthenia–strain scale. We compared the effect sizes (i.e. responsiveness to change) of the principal subscales of all measures before and after voice therapy or phonosurgery.Results:All three self-reported voice measures had large effect sizes following either voice therapy or surgery. Outcomes were similar in both treatment groups. The effect sizes for the observer-rated grade–roughness–breathiness–asthenia–strain scale scores were smaller, although still moderate. The roughness subscale in particular showed little change after therapy or surgery. Only small effects were observed in general health and mood measures.Conclusion:The results suggest that the use of a voice-specific questionnaire is essential for assessing the effectiveness of voice interventions. All three self-reported measures tested were capable of detecting change, and scores were highly correlated. On the basis of this evaluation of different measures' sensitivities to change, there is no strong evidence to favour either the vocal performance questionnaire, the voice handicap index or the voice symptom scale.
Changes in nasal aesthetics following nasal bone manipulation
Authors: Leong S C L , Abdelkader M , White P S 
Published: May 2007

AbstractNasal bone fractures are the commonest type of bony facial injury causing aesthetic deformity. The aim of this study was to identify the effect of nasal trauma and fracture manipulation on the aesthetic proportions of the nose, by comparing pre- and post-treatment nasal aesthetics. Thirty-two patients (26 men and 6 women) underwent aesthetic assessment prior to treatment of the injury by closed nasal manipulation, 7 to 10 days after the initial injury. Standard facial aesthetic photographic assessments were performed prior to and following manipulation. Assessment involved measurement of standard nasal aesthetic parameters. In the nasal trauma cohort, the main anomalies in nasal aesthetics were nasal deviation and differences in the nasal aesthetic profile. Nasal fracture manipulation successfully reduced deviation from an average of 35° pre-manipulation to an average of 9° post-manipulation.
The role of self-reported impulsivity and reward sensitivity versus neurocognitive measures of disinhibition and decision-making in the prediction of relapse in pathological gamblers
Authors: Goudriaan A. E. , Oosterlaan J. , De Beurs E. , Van Den Brink W. 
Published: May 2007

BackgroundDisinhibition and decision-making skills play an important role in theories on the cause and outcome of addictive behaviors such as substance use disorders and pathological gambling. In recent studies, both disinhibition and disadvantageous decision-making strategies, as measured by neurocognitive tests, have been found to influence the course of substance use disorders. Research on factors affecting relapse in pathological gambling is scarce.MethodThis study investigated the effect of both self-reported impulsivity and reward sensitivity, and neurocognitively assessed disinhibition and decision-making under conflicting contingencies, on relapse in a group of 46 pathological gamblers.ResultsLogistic regression analysis indicated that longer duration of the disorder and neurocognitive indicators of disinhibition (Stop Signal Reaction Time) and decision-making (Card Playing Task) were significant predictors of relapse (explaining 53% of the variance in relapse), whereas self-reported impulsivity and reward sensitivity did not significantly predict relapse. Overall classification accuracy was 76%, with a positive classification accuracy of 76% and a negative classification accuracy of 75%.ConclusionsDuration of the disorder and neurocognitive measures of disinhibition and decision-making are powerful predictors of relapse in pathological gambling. The results suggest that endophenotypical neurocognitive characteristics are more promising in the prediction of relapse in pathological gambling than phenotypical personality characteristics. Neurocognitive predictors may be useful to guide treatment planning of follow-up contacts and booster sessions.
The synthetic cannabinoid HU210 induces spatial memory deficits and suppresses hippocampal firing rate in rats
Authors: Robinson L , Goonawardena A V , Pertwee R G , Hampson R E , Riedel G 
Published: May 2007

Background and purpose:Previous work implied that the hippocampal cannabinoid system was particularly important in some forms of learning, but direct evidence for this hypothesis is scarce. We therefore assessed the effects of the synthetic cannabinoid HU210 on memory and hippocampal activity.Experimental approach:HU210 (100 μg kg‐1) was administered intraperitoneally to rats under three experimental conditions. One group of animals were pre‐trained in spatial working memory using a delayed‐matching‐to‐position task and effects of HU210 were assessed in a within‐subject design. In another, rats were injected before acquisition learning of a spatial reference memory task with constant platform location. Finally, a separate group of animals was implanted with electrode bundles in CA1 and CA3 and single unit responses were isolated, before and after HU210 treatment.Key results:HU210 treatment had no effect on working or short‐term memory. Relative to its control Tween 80, deficits in acquisition of a reference memory version of the water maze were obtained, along with drug‐related effects on anxiety, motor activity and spatial learning. Deficits were not reversed by the CB1 receptor antagonists SR141716A (3 mg kg‐1) or AM281 (1.5 mg kg‐1). Single unit recordings from principal neurons in hippocampal CA3 and CA1 confirmed HU210‐induced attenuation of the overall firing activity lowering both the number of complex spikes fired and the occurrence of bursts.Conclusions and implications:These data provide the first direct evidence that the underlying mechanism for the spatial memory deficits induced by HU210 in rats is the accompanying abnormality in hippocampal cell firing.British Journal of Pharmacology (2007) 151, 688–700; doi:10.1038/sj.bjp.0707273
The New Geography of Eastern European Trade
Authors: Maurel Mathilde , Cheikbossian Guillaume 
Published: May 2007

SUMMARYThis paper is meant to answer the question whether the CMEA countries trade flows have been able to catch up with their trade potential. The gravity equations estimated over a panel of 14 years show that there is a room for an increase in trade, which could compensate for the huge regional trade losses. But, if one takes into account the higher than average transportation costs in East Europe, this potential increase may only he reached through the reduction of these transportation costs and through further liberalisation of regional trade flows. How costly has been the disintegration process? The computation of gross trade destruction (GTD) versus trade creation (TC) minus external trade diversion (ETD) in the framework of the Viner model reflects the decreasing costs of the CMEA break‐up: a dramatic trade reorientation has taken place, and it is welfare improving.ZUSAMMENFASSUNGDieser Artikel untersucht, ob der Aussenhandel der ehemaligen COMECON‐Länder sein potentielles Niveau bereits erreicht hat. Ein Gravitltsmodel über einen Zeitraum von 14 Jahren zeigt, dass es noch ein Potential für zusätzlichen internationalen Handel giht, das den Zusammenbruch des regionalen Handels kompensieren könnte. Wenn jedoch die höheren Transportkosten in Mittel‐ und Osteuropa in Betracht gezogen werden, dürfte dieses Potential nur durch eine Reduzierung dieser Kosten und eine weitergehende Handelsliberalisierung ausgeschöpft werden können. Der Artikel heschäftigt sich ebenfalls mit den Kosten des Zusammenbruchs des COMECON‐Handels. Die Berechnung der Bruttohandelszerstörung versus neu entstandenem Handel abzuglich der Handelsahlenkung im Modell von Viner zeigt, dass diese Kosten positiv und ahnehmend sind. Die starke Reorientierung des Aussenhandels hat eine erhöhte Wohlfahrt in der Region zur Folge.RESUMECet article tente de répondre è la question de savoir si le commerce des pays ex‐memhres du CAEM a rattrapé son niveau potentiel. L'équation de gravité estimée sur un panel de 14 ans montre qu'il existe un potentiel d'échanges qui pourrait compenser l'effondrement du commerce régional. Mais la prise en compte des cou&#x030c;ts de transport qui sont plus élevés en Europe de l'Est suggère que ce potentiel ne peut ěre exploité qu' è travers la réduction de ces cou&#x030c;ts en Europe de l'Est et è travers une libéralisation plus poussée des échanges. Le processus de désintégration a t'il été cou&#x030c;teux? Le calcul de la destruction de commerce (DC) versus création (CC) et destruction extérieure de commerce (DEC) dans le modèle de Viner montre que le cou&#x030c;t est positif mais décroissant. L'importante réorientation des échanges tend è améliorer le bien‐ětre dans la région.
Fatal neuroglycopaenia after accidental use of a glucose 5% solution in a peripheral arterial cannula flush system
Authors: Sinha S. , Jayaram R. , Hargreaves C. G. 
Published: May 2007

SummaryA patient on an Intensive Care Unit who was recovering from multiple organ failure was being given an intravenous infusion of insulin to maintain normoglycaemia. On her 20th day in the unit, she suddenly became unresponsive. A cerebrovascular accident was suspected as other clinical and laboratory parameters remained normal apart from a blood glucose value of 20.6 mmol.l−1. The insulin infusion rate had been increased to treat hyperglycaemia. Subsequent bedside finger prick blood testing suggested that the blood sugar was low but no numerical reading was provided. Repeat blood glucose analysis using a further sample drawn from the arterial line and measured in the blood gas analyser gave a value of 10.1 mmol.l−1. Confirmatory laboratory blood tests revealed severe hypoglycaemia (0.1 mmol.l−1) and intravenous glucose 50% was given immediately. Examination showed that a glucose 5% solution had been inadvertently used in the arterial cannula flush system rather than saline, contaminating earlier samples drawn from the arterial line and giving falsely high blood glucose values. The prolonged period of severe hypoglycaemia led to neuroglycopaenia and irreversible brain injury. The patient died 9 days later without regaining consciousness. Such a complication has not previously been reported in this context and has particular significance given the increasing use of insulin therapy to maintain normoglycaemia in critically ill patients.
Microbial growth in propofol formulations with disodium edetate and the influence of venous access system dead space*
Authors: Fukada T. , Ozaki M. 
Published: May 2007

SummaryPropofol formulated in lipid supports microbial growth. We hypothesised that propofol with disodium edetate would suppress microbial growth more than propofol without disodium edetate. We examined bacterial growth in vitro and bacterial survival in the dead space of different venous access systems. Bacteria in propofol with disodium edetate (Diprivan®; AstraZeneca, London, UK) and without disodium edetate (1% Propofol inj. ‘Maruishi®’; Maruishi Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd, Osaka, Japan) survived and grew in the dead space of the venous access systems, although propofol with disodium edetate suppressed bacterial growth more than propofol without. Disodium edetate is effective in retarding microbial growth. However, for prevention of healthcare‐associated infections, medical professionals should maintain strict aseptic precautions when handling propofol, use disodium edetate‐containing formulations, and should consider using venous access systems without dead space.
The Airtraq® as a rescue airway device following failed direct laryngoscopy: a case series
Authors: Maharaj C. H. , Costello J. F. , McDonnell J. G. , Harte B. H. , Laffey J. G. 
Published: May 2007

SummaryWe report the successful use of the Airtraq® as a rescue device following failed direct laryngoscopy, in patients deemed at increased risk for difficult tracheal intubation. In a series of seven patients, repeated attempts at direct laryngoscopy with the Macintosh blade, and the use of manoeuvres to aid intubation, such as the gum elastic bougie placement, were unsuccessful. In contrast, with the Airtraq® device, each patient's trachea was successfully intubated on the first attempt. This report underlines the utility of the Airtraq device in these patients.
A case of acute upper and lower airway obstruction due to retropharyngeal haemorrhage secondary to acquired haemophilia A
Authors: Harper M. , Obolensky L. , Roberts P. , Mercer M. 
Published: May 2007

SummaryWe report the first known case of acute upper and lower airway obstruction due to retropharyngeal haemorrhage secondary to acquired haemophilia A. The patient required tracheal intubation and ventilation followed by surgical tracheostomy, prior to transfer to the intensive care unit for management of her coagulopathy with recombinant clotting factor products under the care of the haematologists.
PRECLINICAL STUDY: Changes in central dopaminergic systems and morphine reward by prenatal and neonatal exposure to bisphenol‐A in mice: evidence for the importance of exposure period
Authors: Narita Minoru , Miyagawa Kazuya , Mizuo Keisuke , Yoshida Takuya , Suzuki Tsutomu 
Published: May 2007

ABSTRACTBisphenol‐A has been extensively evaluated for toxicity in a variety of tests as the most common environmental endocrine disruptors. In a previous study, we reported that exposure to bisphenol‐A affects the development of the central dopaminergic system in the mouse limbic area. The present study was undertaken to investigate the relationship between the developmental toxicity of bisphenol‐A and its exposure period. The exposure to bisphenol‐A during either organogenesis or lactation, but not implantation and parturition, significantly enhanced the morphine‐induced hyperlocomotion and rewarding effects. Furthermore, exposure to bisphenol‐A during either organogenesis or lactation also produced an up‐regulation of dopamine receptor function to activate G‐protein in the mouse limbic forebrain. These results indicate that both organogenesis and lactation are more sensitive to the bisphenol‐A‐induced developmental neuronal toxicology than any other periods. In conclusion, the present data suggest that the organogenesis and lactation are the most important period to cause the alternation of dopaminergic system by bisphenol‐A exposure in the mouse.
CLINICAL STUDY: Elevated urinary aluminium in current and past users of illicit heroin
Authors: Exley Christopher , Ahmed Usman , Polwart Anthony , Bloor Roger N. 
Published: May 2007

ABSTRACTThe use of illicit heroin is associated with aberrant neurology of unknown aetiology and various psychiatric illnesses. Aluminium, which is a proven neurotoxin, is present in significant amounts in illicit heroin and may also be volatilized and inhaled following the vaporization of heroin off aluminium foil (‘Chasing the Dragon’). The purpose of this study was to establish if the use of illicit heroin was associated with an increase in the body burden of aluminium. We have used graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry to measure the aluminium and iron contents of the urine of current and past users of illicit heroin and used these data to estimate body burdens of aluminium. Urinary excretion of aluminium is the most effective non‐invasive indicator of the body burden of aluminium and was found to be significantly (P < 0.001) higher in users of illicit heroin, range 14–3382 nmol/mmol creatinine (mean ± SD; 222 ± 491 nmol/mmol creatinine), than in a normal non‐drug abusing control population, range 23–74 nmol/mmol creatinine (mean ± SD; 43 ± 19 nmol/mmol creatinine). Exposure to aluminium from the use of illicit heroin may be of particular significance because the urinary excretion of iron, another major contaminant of illicit heroin, in users (mean ± SD; 53 ± 63 nmol/mmol creatinine) was not significantly different (P > 0.05) from the control population (mean ± SD; 38 ± 18 nmol/mmol creatinine). We have shown for the first time that the use of illicit heroin may be a significant contributor to the body burden of aluminium. Further research will be required to determine if adventitious aluminium has a role in heroin use‐related neuropathology and neurology.
REVIEW: New developments in the pharmacotherapy of cocaine abuse
Authors: Preti Antonio 
Published: May 2007

ABSTRACTDespite huge advances in the neuroscience of substance abuse and dependence in the past 20 years, no approved pharmacological treatment exists for cocaine abuse. The available drugs for the treatment of cocaine abuse are poorly effective, hence the need for new compounds to be screened and tested for efficacy: targeting symptoms might improve the effectiveness of the treatment of cocaine abuse and dependence. On the basis of the known neurochemistry of cocaine, some target compounds have been studied: among others, BP‐897, a D3 partial agonist; vanoxerine, a highly selective inhibitor of dopamine uptake; aripiprazole, a partial mixed‐action agonist approved for the treatment of schizophrenia. Recently modafinil, approved for the treatment of narcolepsy, proved effective in favouring cocaine abstinence in cocaine‐abusing people. Some placebo‐controlled studies also reported the effectiveness of topiramate, a licensed antiepileptic drug, and of tiagabine, a gamma‐aminobutyric acid (GABA) re‐uptake inhibitor also approved as an anticonvulsant; both compounds increased cocaine abstinence with no serious adverse events. Promising results came from two more compounds acting on the GABA circuits, baclofen and valproic acid. Finally disulfiram, prescribed with active psychosocial therapy, was found to favour higher retention rates and longer abstinence periods from both alcohol and cocaine in polydrug‐abusing patients. An alternative approach rests on the use of vaccines, to date in the experimental stage still. Psychosocial treatments are a useful companion in the pharmacotherapy of cocaine abuse, with group therapy and contingency management therapies improving motivation and social functioning, particularly in patients abusing alcohol as well.
GENETIC STUDY: The human protein kinase C gamma gene (PRKCG) as a susceptibility locus for behavioral disinhibition
Authors: Schlaepfer Isabel R. , Clegg Hilary V. , Corley Robin P. , Crowley Thomas J. , Hewitt John K. , Hopfer Christian J. , Krauter Kenneth , Lessem Jeffrey , Rhee Soo Hyun , Stallings Michael C. , Wehner Jeanne M. , Young Susan E. , Ehringer Marissa A. 
Published: May 2007

ABSTRACTThis study explores the association between a highly heritable behavioral disinhibition phenotype and the protein kinase C gamma (PRKCG) gene in an ethnically diverse youth sample from Colorado, USA. The rationale for this study was based on the impulsive behavior and increased ethanol consumption observed in the protein kinase C gamma (PKC‐γ)‐deficient mouse model. Two composite behavioral disinhibition phenotypes and their component behavioral scores [conduct disorder, attention‐deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), substance experimentation (SUB) and novelty‐seeking] were examined for association with five independent PRKCG single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Association analysis for the five individual SNPs revealed modest genetic association of Exon 14 (rs2242244) and Upstream (rs307941) markers with the behavioral disinhibition composite variables in the combined, Hispanic and African‐American samples. Additionally, haplotype‐based association analysis for two SNPs located in Intron 3 (rs402691) and Exon 6 (rs3745406) indicated a significant overall association of the PRKCG locus with the ADHD‐hyperactive subscale scores in the combined and Caucasian samples, supporting the relation between impulsive behaviors and the PRKCG gene. A significant haplotype association was also observed with SUB scores but only in the Hispanic ethnic group, highlighting the marker variability for each ethnic group. In conclusion, our results support the role of the PKC‐γ enzyme in behavioral impulsivity previously observed in mice. This study provides the first exploration of the PRKCG gene and its association with behavioral disinhibition and warrants further study in other larger population samples.