bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The Greek national perinatal survey: I: Design, methodology, case ascertainment
Authors: Tzoumaka‐Bakoula Chryssa 
Published: April 2008

Summary. A nationwide cross‐sectional survey covering the perinatal period was attempted throughout Greece for the 30 consecutive days of April 1983. It aimed to determine the perinatal mortality rate (PNMR) and the way it varied in the country in relation to underlying demographic, biological, socioeconomic and medical factors.For this purpose a coded questionnaire was completed by the obstetrician and/or the midwife responsible for (or, at least, present at) the delivery for every mother giving birth either to a livebirth or a stillborn infant weighing at least 500 g. All livebirths were followed until 7 days of age.The survey was administered centrally through a network of county‐based co‐ordinators. It resulted in the coverage of all state and private maternity hospitals, rural health centres and newborn units. In all 11 048 completed questionnaires were returned and 264 perinatal deaths reported, 42% of which had had a post‐mortem examination.The crude PNMR was 23.8 per 1 000 births, with a stillbirth rate of 11.5 per 1 000 births and early neonatal mortality rate of 12.5 per 1000 livebirths. This rate was substantially higher than would have been calculated from registration rates.
Chlamydia trachomatis infection in late pregnancy: a prospective study
Authors: Preece P.M. , Ades A. , Thompson R.G. , Brooks J.H. 
Published: April 2008

SummaryDuring a 1‐year period, 3309 women were screened in pregnancy for Chlamydia trachomatis infection. A cervical swab was taken and chlamydial antigen was detected, using a monoclonal antibody ELISA technique, in 198 women (6%). The prevalence of chlamydial infection was high in women under 20 years (14.5%), single women (14.2%) and black women (16.8%). Binomial regression of these data estimates a relative risk of 2.9 for women under 20 years compared with women aged 25 and over. There was an interaction between race and marital status with a high risk in single white and single asian women (2.3, 4.5 respectively) but a similar risk in black single and black married women (3.0, 4.0 respectively). Parity and social class did not effect the prevalance of antigen carriage. There was no demonstrable effect of maternal antigen carriage on outcome of pregnancy, gestation or admission to neonatal unit. Infants of 174 antigen‐positive mothers were followed‐up. Tissue culture for Chlamydia trachomatis was positive in 43 (24%) infants. Complications occurred in 23 (53%): 17 had conjunctivitis, three had lower respiratory tract infection and three both complications. Amongst 131 chlamydia‐negative infants, complications occurred in 21 (16%). Since this infection, in infants, responds promptly to erythromycin therapy, screening and treatment in pregnancy will convey little benefit in prevention of perinatal morbidity or perinatal mortality.
Maternal carriage and neonatal colonisation of Group B streptococci in labour are uncommon in Turkey
Authors: Ayata Ali , Güvenç Hüseyin , Felek Süleyman , Aygün A. Denizmen , Kocabay Kenan , Bektas Sirri 
Published: April 2008

Summary. Group B streptococcus infection is an important cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality. We studied 114 women and their newborns to determine the relationship between maternal carriage and neonatal group B streptococcal colonisation. Rectal, cervical and vaginal swabs were taken at delivery. Within a few minutes of birth, swab specimens were also taken from throat, ear, umbilicus, conjuctiva and skin of the newborns.Group B streptococcus was isolated in 10 (8.7%) of the 114 pregnant women studied and in five (4.3%) of the 114 newborns. Vertical transmission rate was found to be 50%. Neonatal group B streptococcus colonisation has not reached a high level in Turkey, and consequently does not warrant intrapartum screening at the moment.
Electric iron contact burns in an Australian paediatric population
Authors: Hollyoak Maureen A. , Muller Michael J. , Pegg Stuart P. 
Published: April 2008

Summary. Accidental burn injury is common among children. Contact burns are the second most frequent cause of burns in children and electric iron contact burns constitute a substantial proportion of this group.A prospective analysis of electric iron burns presenting from 1988 to 1991 was conducted. The 38 iron burns treated during this period represented 19% of contact burns treated. The mean age of injury was 19 months. The male to female ratio was 1.1:1 and 80% involved the upper limb. Twenty‐five per cent required operation. All burns occurred in the child's own home with the majority (74%) occurring in the central living areas while the child was supervised (45%). The child was most likely to be injured by touching the iron directly or pulling the cord. A substantial number of burns occurred even after the iron was switched off.Education should be directed towards the caregivers of young children emphasizing the need to use and store irons in areas to which children do not have free access. Powerpoints should be placed so that children cannot reach the cord. Manufacturers should provide insulated pads in which to store the iron and a retracting cord to help prevent the cord being within a child's reach.
Three‐dimensional description and mathematical characterization of the parasellar internal carotid artery in human infants
Authors: Meng Stefan , Costa Luciano da F. , Geyer Stefan H. , Viana Matheus P. , Reiter Christian , Müller Gerd B. , Weninger Wolfgang J. 
Published: April 2008

AbstractInside the ‘cavernous sinus’ or ‘parasellar region’ the human internal carotid artery takes the shape of a siphon that is twisted and torqued in three dimensions and surrounded by a network of veins. The parasellar section of the internal carotid artery is of broad biological and medical interest, as its peculiar shape is associated with temperature regulation in the brain and correlated with the occurrence of vascular pathologies. The present study aims to provide anatomical descriptions and objective mathematical characterizations of the shape of the parasellar section of the internal carotid artery in human infants and its modifications during ontogeny. Three‐dimensional (3D) computer models of the parasellar section of the internal carotid artery of infants were generated with a state‐of‐the‐art 3D reconstruction method and analysed using both traditional morphometric methods and novel mathematical algorithms. We show that four constant, demarcated bends can be described along the infant parasellar section of the internal carotid artery, and we provide measurements of their angles. We further provide calculations of the curvature and torsion energy, and the total complexity of the 3D skeleton of the parasellar section of the internal carotid artery, and compare the complexity of this in infants and adults. Finally, we examine the relationship between shape parameters of the parasellar section of the internal carotid artery in infants, and the occurrence of intima cushions, and evaluate the reliability of subjective angle measurements for characterizing the complexity of the parasellar section of the internal carotid artery in infants. The results can serve as objective reference data for comparative studies and for medical imaging diagnostics. They also form the basis for a new hypothesis that explains the mechanisms responsible for the ontogenetic transformation in the shape of the parasellar section of the internal carotid artery.
Cross‐reactivity between pollen allergens from common Pooideae grasses and cultivated cereals
Authors: Hrabina M. , Jain K. , Gouyon B. 
Published: April 2008

SummaryIn Europe, one‐third of desensitization treatments for grass pollen allergy are supplemented with a mixture of cereal pollen extracts (Triticum sativum, Avena sativa, Zea mais and Hordeum vulgare). We have re‐evaluated this practice in light of the recent availability of a desensitization tablet prepared from a mixture of pollen from five common grass species (Anthoxanthum odoratum, Dactylis glomerata, Lolium perenne, Poa pratensis and Phleum pratense) from the Pooideae subfamily. Common grasses and cultivated cereals are very closely related phylogenetically, and as a consequence, their pollen exhibit a similar molecular composition. The latter is confirmed by ELISA inhibition and immunobloting experiments. Thus, immunotherapy based on a mixture of five grass pollen allows to treat patients sensitized with pollen allergens from cultivated cereals, without a need for additional cereal pollen extracts.
Insulin clearance in normal and cancer involved human kidneys
Authors: Jonsson Olof , Granerus Göran , Kleist Håkan , Lundholm Kent , Lundstam Sven , Nilson Arne , Pettersson Silas , Schersteh Tore 
Published: April 2008

Summary. Eight patients with unilateral renal carcinoma were studied concerning insulin clearance in the normal and the tumour‐bearing kidney. The arterio‐venous differences of glucose, lactate, free fatty acids and glycerol were also determined. The blood flow was measured by a dye dilution technique.The insulin clearance was high both in the normal kidney (66 ±11 ml/min) and in the tumour involved kidney (70 ± 14 ml/min) as compared with the glomerular filtration rate (45 ± 3 ml/min and 35 ± 6 ml/min, respectively) indicating an active uptake and degradation of insulin. The insulin clearance per volume of kidney was significantly lower in the tumour‐bearing kidney. Blood flow did not differ between normal and tumour‐involved kidneys and no indications for arterio‐venous shunting in the tumours were obtained. It is suggested that the malignant transformation of the tubular cells is associated with a decreased capacity for insulin uptake and degradation.
Digital pulse volume in the evaluation of haemodynamic effects of cardiac pacing
Authors: Edhag O. , Fagrell B. , Freyschuss U. , Kaijser L. , Vallin H. 
Published: April 2008

Summary. Some artificially paced patients experience symptoms referrable to competition between spontaneous and pacemaker‐induced heart activity. Haemodynamic studies are necessary to establish a relationship. Non‐invasive techniques are desirable. Because of the considerable variations in haemodynamic variables from one beat to another it seems necessary to do beat‐to‐beat analysis.In the present study a comparison has been made between digital arterial pulse amplitude (DAPA) and central haemodynamic parameters in six patients at different pacing modes. A good correlation was found between DAPA and arterial pulse pressure (r= 0–83‐0‐99). The mean difference in cardiac output between atrio‐ventricular pacing and ventricular pacing with atrial activation in early systole was 1 11/min (P<0–01). A mean increase of 70% in DAPA was found at optimal PR‐time as compared to simultaneous atrial and ventricular activation; wide individual variations were, however, seen.The results presented indicate that peripheral pulse volume registrations may be helpful in evaluating the consequences of atrial contractions for haemodynamic variables and to find those paced who may benefit from atrial or bifocal heart stimulation.
Influence of abdominal surgical trauma upon some energy metabolites in the quadriceps muscle in man
Authors: Stjernström H. , Jorfeldt L. , Wiklund L. 
Published: April 2008

Summary. Thirteen patients with gallbladder disease but otherwise healthy were studied in connection with cholecystectomy. Specimens of the lateral vastus muscle were taken by the percutaneous needle biopsy technique during anaesthesia before surgery, on two occasions during surgery and 30 min after discontinuation of anaesthesia. The muscle samples were analysed for glycogen, lactate, citrate, ATP, phosphoryl creatine, creatine and water content. Citrate and lactate concentrations in muscle increased continuously throughout the study. There were no significant changes in the concentration of glycogen, phosphoryl creatine, and ATP in muscle tissue. The increase in citrate concentration is probably related to an augmented uptake and combustion of free fatty acids and 3‐hydroxybutyrate in this situation.The data suggest that during anaesthesia and abdominal surgery an increase in the muscle citrate concentration may contribute to the modulation of carbohydrate utilization in skeletal muscle.
Cardiovascular response to spinal anaesthesia in elderly men: effects of head‐up tilt and dihydroergotamine administration
Authors: Bergenwald L. , Freyschuss U. , Kaijser L. , Westermark L. 
Published: April 2008

Summary. In nine elderly men (mean age 60, range 42–74 years) cardiovascular pressures and cardiac output have been measured by catheterization of the pulmonary and brachial artery during spinal anaesthesia without and with dihydroergotamine (DHE) and during an added slight head‐up tilt (10–15o).Spinal anaesthesia lowered arterial pressure and also stroke volume. After DHE arterial pressures as well as stroke volume were normalized. Tilting before spinal anaesthesia lowered stroke volume but arterial pressures were maintained. During spinal anaesthesia, tilting lowered arterial pressures as well as filling pressures of the heart. After administration of DHE during spinal anaesthesia the pressures were unaffected by tilting.It is concluded that in elderly men, unlike the young men previously studied, spinal anaesthesia decreases arterial blood pressures by a combination of reduced peripheral resistance and decreased stroke volume. The decreases in stroke volume and cardiac output were most pronounced in those patients with a reduced blood volume. DHE also prevents arterial pressure fall with head‐up tilt during spinal anaesthesia.
Moments analysis in clinical spirography—a cul‐de‐sac?
Authors: Vale J. R. 
Published: April 2008

Summary. Mean transit time (MTT) and some higher moments of the forced expiratory curve were calculated at routine spirography in 190 patients with respiratory disorders. MTT was closely related to traditional indices of airflow obstruction. Within duplicates, both MTT and an index of dispersion of transit times depended strongly on expiratory time and showed a correspondingly poor repeatability.An additive, exponential model of log normally distributed transit times could, for numerical reasons, be adapted in 61 patients only and led in these to a further impairment of precision. A corresponding model of discrete type, universally applicable by optimization, regenerated volume/time curves inaccurately. None of these infinite models proved able to eliminate the influence of expiratory endurance on transit time characteristics. This finding indicates that forced expiratory curves do not in general behave like composite exponentials.
Heparin‐released lipolytic activity in the forearm vascular bed in patients with hypertriglyceridaemia
Authors: Eklund Brita , Söderberg Birgitta 
Published: April 2008

Summary. Hypertriglyceridaemia (HTG) may be caused by increased production or decreased removal of very low density lipoproteins (VLDL) or by a combination of these mechanisms. A decreased lipoproteinlipase activity (LLA) in the vascular wall of the tissues could be the mechanism of impaired removal. Therefore, the release of lipase activity from the forearm musculature after regional arterial injection of heparin was studied in healthy volunteers and patients with HTG.Heparin was injected in the doses 1·5, 15 and 150 i.u. and arterial and deep venous blood was sampled simultaneously at short intervals and analysed for LLA using intralipid with triple 14C‐oleate as substrate. There was no significant difference in release of lipolytic activity between the groups and there was no significant correlation between plasma triglyceride concentration and LLA release in the HTG group or the whole material. Thus, deficient skeletal muscle LLA does not seem to be a general causative mechanism in HTG.
Metabolic heat production in isometric ischaemic contractions of human adductor pollicis
Authors: Wiles C. M. , Edwards R. H. T. 
Published: April 2008

Summary. The rate of intramuscular temperature rise (dT/dt) has been measured in ischaemic isometric contractions of adductor pollicis in man as an index of the rate of energy turnover. Experiments were designed so as to compare dT/dt in contractions made at a constant force but at differing intramuscular temperatures or degrees of ischaemic fatigue. In the same experiments relaxation rate was measured.As intramuscular temperature was raised from 25 to 37°C, dT/dt increased with a Q10 of 1·8 and was closely correlated with relaxation rate. During constant force submaximal ischaemic contractions dT/dt fell, failed to recover with ischaemic rest but did so within 10 min of restoration of the circulation. During the fatiguing contraction and recovery thereafter dT/dt was linearly correlated with relaxation rate.The results show that the rate of energy turnover at a constant force is susceptible to change in association with alteration in the contractile speed of the muscle. It is suggested that relaxation rate may be used as an index of the capacity of the muscle to liberate energy.
Platelet aggregability in smoking and non‐smoking subjects
Authors: Carlsson Inger , Wennmalm Åke 
Published: April 2008

Summary. The hypothesis was investigated that the arachidonic acid (AA) system has a different impact on platelet function in smoking compared to non‐smoking subjects. Arterial blood was sampled from smokers and non‐smokers, and platelet‐rich plasma (PRP) was prepared. There were no differences in sex and age distribution between the groups. One portion of the PRP was used to determine the lowest amount of AA required to induce platelet aggregation. In other portions the endogenous antiaggregatory (prostacyclin/PGI2/‐like) activity in the blood was determined, after reinforcing it with theophylline.There was no difference between smokers and non‐smokers regarding the amount of AA required to induce platelet aggregation. In fresh PRP prepared from blood from non‐smoking subjects theophylline (10‐4 M) induced a 12–17% inhibition of the ADP‐induced aggregation of platelets, indicating the presence of endogenous sub‐threshold concentrations of PGI2, ‐like activity in their blood. The corresponding inhibition in fresh PGI2 prepared from blood from smokers was significantly lower (4–7%), suggesting lower endogenous concentrations of PGI2‐like activity in their blood, or alternatively, decreased platelet sensitivity to the action of such activity.From these data we conclude that smokers differ from non‐smokers with regard to their platelet function: platelet aggregability in response to AA is unaffected, while the endogenous anti‐aggregatory power in the plasma is decreased. These observations may be of significance for the cardiovascular hazards connected with smoking.
Effect of changes in posture on circulatory homeostasis in patients with the nephrotic syndrome
Authors: Geers A. B. , Koomans H. A. , Mees E. J. Dorhout 
Published: April 2008

Summary. To assess whether the upright posture causes circulatory hypovolaemia in patients with the nephrotic syndrome (NS), we studied 12 subjects with NS and 12 healthy subjects during recumbency, 110 min of standing, followed again by recumbency. Control blood‐pressure was 134/88±4/3 mmHg in the patients and 113/75±2/3 mmHg in the normal subjects (P<0.01), and remained higher in the patients throughout the procedure. Heart rate was continuously higher in the patients (P<0.05), but acceleration on standing was normal. The blood volume, which was not different during recumbency, had fallen below that in normal subjects after 25 min of standing (P<0.05), due to excessive plasma volume reduction (‐16.8±0–8% in the patients against ‐11.7±1.2% in the normals, P<0.02). Plasma renin activity (PRA) was higher in the patients while recumbent (P<0.001) but not during standing, due to a blunted response in some. No significant differences in plasma noradrenaline were found, but four patients reacted with an excessive rise in plasma noradrenaline and heart rate. This subset, which had high PRA levels as well, comprised the only subject who experienced orthostatic hypotension.It is concluded that during standing an excessive drop in plasma volume leads to a lowered blood volume in NS patients. This forms a paradox with the heart rate acceleration and noradrenaline levels, which were mostly normal, and with the blood‐pressure, which remained slightly elevated. Even in a few patients with enhanced stimulation of heart rate and noradrenaline, blood‐pressure was found to be high in the majority of cases. PRA was usually found to be increased but, in part, independent of posture.
Beta‐adrenergic blockade does not influence the thermogenic response to a mixed meal in man
Authors: Thörne A. , Wahren J. 
Published: April 2008

Summary. The sympathetic nervous system has been implicated in the regulation of glucose‐induced thermogenesis in man. The present study was undertaken to examine the influence of a pharmacological beta blockade on the thermogenic response after ingestion of a mixed meal. Ten healthy male volunteers were examined on two occasions, once during intravenous administration of a beta‐blocking agent (Series 1) and once without (Series 2). Five subjects received propranolol and the other five atenolol. Two subjects were also studied on a third occasion after 1 week of oral propranolol medication (Series 3). Continuous respiratory gas exchange measurements were carried out for 1 h in the basal state and then for 3 h postprandially. The subjects ingested a standardized test meal in liquid form. After the meal oxygen uptake and energy expenditure both rose markedly during the first hour and then reached a relatively stable plateau. The average increase in oxygen uptake above basal during the whole study period was 27.0±1.4 vs. 26.7±1.4% (NS) in Series 1 and 2, respectively. The corresponding values for energy expenditure were 28.6±1.4 vs. 28.6±1.6%. Also in absolute terms, the increments above basal did not differ between the two series. Moreover, the basal measurements and the response to the meal were no different in the subjects in Series 1 receiving the selective beta‐1 antagonist and the non‐selective blocker, respectively.In conclusion, the present findings indicate that in healthy man, beta‐adrenergically mediated sympathetic nervous system activity does not significantly influence the magnitude of the thermogenic response to a mixed meal.