bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Recovery of parathyroid function after total thyroidectomy: Long‐term follow‐up study
Authors: Kihara Minoru , Miyauchi Akira , Kontani Keiichi , Yamauchi Akira , Yokomise Hiroyasu 
Published: June 2005

Background:  To prevent postoperative hypoparathyroidism following total thyroidectomy, the parathyroid glands are preserved in situ and/or resected or devascularized parathyroid glands are autotransplanted. A retrospective investigation was conducted utilizing biochemical and specific endocrine assessments to evaluate the difference in recovery of parathyroid function in the long term.Methods:  A total of 103 patients underwent total thyroidectomy at Second Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, Kagawa University between 1990 and 1998. These patients were divided into a preservation group (n = 17), with only preserved glands in situ; a combination group (n = 72), consisting of patients with one or more parathyroid glands preserved in situ and one or more autotransplanted parathyroid glands; and an autotransplantation group (n = 14), with only transplanted glands.Results:  The overall incidence of permanent hypoparathyroidism in the preservation group, the combination group, and the autotransplantation group was 0%, 1.4%, and 21.4%, respectively. The mean levels of intact parathyroid hormone in the preservation group, the combination group, and the autotransplantation group recovered to 102%, 107%, and 50% of the preoperative levels at 5‐year follow up.Conclusion:  The results of the present study suggest that parathyroid glands should be preserved in situ whenever possible, to promote better recovery of postoperative function, and that only autotransplantation produces inadequate recovery of long‐term function.
Prioritization of cataract surgery: Visual analogue scale versus scoring system
Authors: Wong Victoria W. Y. , Lai Timothy Y. Y. , Lam Philip T. H. , Lam Dennis S. C. 
Published: June 2005

Background:  The purpose of the present paper was to evaluate the variability of using a visual analogue scale (VAS) and to assess the feasibility of a priority‐setting scoring system for prioritizing elective cataract surgery.Methods:  Consecutive cases listed for cataract surgery were prospectively recruited. Ophthalmologists listed patients to undergo early or normal surgery and were asked to rate the urgency of surgery using a VAS. Patients were then reassessed and a cataract surgery prioritization (CSP) score was calculated based on the New Zealand priority criteria for cataract surgery. Correlation coefficients between VAS and CSP scores were calculated to determine the variability among ophthalmologists in using the VAS in prioritizing surgery. Further analyses were performed to assess the potential impact of implementing the CSP system.Results:  A total of 326 patients were recruited. There was a positive correlation between VAS and CSP scores (Spearman ρ= 0.407, P < 0.001). A high degree of variation among ophthalmologists in the use of VAS was found. Patients with poor binocular vision were not listed as early, whereas patients with poor vision in the eye listed for cataract surgery but good vision in the fellow eye were more likely to be prioritized to have early operation. These findings suggest that patients with severe impairment in binocular visual function were not adequately accounted for during cataract surgery listing.Conclusions:  The use of a VAS for prioritizing cataract surgery may be suboptimal due to high subjectivity. Adoption of an objective criteria‐validated priority‐setting scoring system may allow better stratification of patients to ensure better service provision.
Mini‐laparoscopic cholecystectomy in children under 10 years of age with sickle cell disease
Authors: Seleem Mohamed I. , Al‐Hashemy Ahmed M. , Meshref Sahar S. 
Published: June 2005

Background:  Cholelithiasis is very common in patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) and is responsible for recurrent attacks of abdominal pain. The ideal management, especially for children, remains controversial. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the safety and outcome of mini‐laparoscopic cholecystectomy (MLC) in young children under age of 10 years with SCD.Methods:  A prospective study was carried out of 75 children with SCD under 10 years of age with recurrent abdominal pains seen between August 2001 and March 2004 at Armed Forces Hospital, Khamis Mushayt, Saudi Arabia, who were screened for cholelithiasis. Twelve (16%) of the 75 children were found to have gallstones. The mean age was 7.8 years (range 4−9 years). All 12 children underwent MLC. Anaemia was corrected preoperatively in all the patients. Operative time, intraoperative complications, hospital stay, and postoperative recurrent abdominal pain were recorded.Results:  The mean operating time was 46.5 min (range: 35−65 min). Intraoperative cholangiogram failed in two children due to narrow cystic ducts. The mean hospital stay was 2.1 days (range: 2−4 days). No patient required intra‐abdominal drain. The mean follow‐up period was 13.4 months (range: 4−24 months). The only postoperative complication was deep jaundice 1 month postoperatively due to cholestasis, and this responded to medical treatment. None of the children had recurrent abdominal pain after MLC.Conclusion:  Mini‐laparoscopic cholecystectomy is a safe surgical procedure for the management of cholelithiasis in children with SCD and leads to improvement in the quality of life by decreasing the frequency of recurrent abdominal pain.
Reoperative pancreaticoduodenectomy for periampullary carcinoma
Authors: Shukla Parul J. , Qureshi Sajid S. , Shrikhande Shailesh V. , Jagannath Palepu , DeSouza Luis J. 
Published: June 2005

Background:  Potentially resectable periampullary tumours may not be treated appropriately due to lack of local expertise in both assessment of resectability and resection in referring centres. Tata Memorial Hospital is a major referral centre for oncology and these patients are finally referred to this institution. In carefully selected patients, resection can be accomplished. The purpose of the present paper was to determine the perioperative morbidity and mortality for patients undergoing reoperative pancreaticoduodenectomy at a major comprehensive cancer centre.Methods:  Between January 1991 and December 2001 15 patients, who had undergone previous non‐resectional surgery for operable periampullary carcinoma, underwent re‐exploration. The perioperative morbidity and mortality were analysed and compared with that of the group of patients undergoing primary pancreaticoduodenectomy (143 patients) in the same period.Results:  All the 15 patients undergoing re‐exploration had a successful resection by pancreaticoduodenectomy. In the reoperative group eight patients (53%) underwent classic pancreaticoduodenectomy and seven patients (46%) had a pylorus‐preserving pancreaticoduodenectomy, as compared to 102 (71%) and 41 (29%) patients in the primary surgery group, respectively. Although the mean operative time and the estimated blood loss were higher in the reoperative group, the morbidity and mortality rates were similar in the two groups. The overall 30‐day mortality rate was 6.6% and 6.9% in the reoperative and the primary surgery group, respectively. Major morbidity occurred in two of the 15 patients (13.3%), and one patient (6.6%) died following surgery in the reoperative group.Conclusion:  Reoperative pancreaticoduodenectomy can be performed safely in carefully selected patients with resectable, localized periampullary tumours with similar morbidity and mortality to patients undergoing primary surgery.
Validation of EuroSCORE model in an Australian patient population
Authors: Yap Cheng‐Hon , Mohajeri Morteza , Ihle Benno U. , Wilson Anthony C. , Goyal Shiromani , Yii Michael 
Published: June 2005

Background:  The purpose of the present paper was to assess the performance of the European system for cardiac operative risk evaluation (EuroSCORE) model in an Australian adult cardiac surgical population.Methods:  The additive and logistic EuroSCORE models were retrospectively applied to predict operative mortality in 2106 consecutive patients undergoing cardiac surgery at St Vincent's Hospital, Melbourne between June 2001 and August 2003, and at Geelong Hospital between June 2001 and April 2004. The entire cohort and a subset of patients undergoing isolated coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery were analysed. Model discrimination and calibration was tested by determining the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and Hosmer−Lemeshow χ2, respectively.Results:  There were significant differences in the prevalence of risk factors between the Australian and European cardiac surgical populations. There were 81 deaths (observed mortality 3.85%) in the entire cohort and 39 deaths in the isolated CABG group (observed mortality 2.60%). The EuroSCORE models overestimated mortality (entire cohort: additive predicted 5.75%, logistic predicted 9.93%; isolated CABG: additive predicted 4.87%, logistic predicted 7.71%). Discriminative power was very good for the entire cohort (area under ROC curve, 0.81 (additive) and 0.82 (logistic)). Calibration of both models was poor.Conclusion:  The additive and logistic EuroSCORE model of risk prediction was not validated in the present population of cardiac surgical patients. The models may not accurately predict outcomes of patients undergoing cardiac surgery in Australia.
Total thyroidectomy replaces subtotal thyroidectomy as the preferred surgical treatment for Graves’ disease
Authors: Ku Chun‐Fan , Lo Chung‐Yau , Chan Wai‐Fan , Kung Annie W. C. , Lam Karen S. L. 
Published: June 2005

Background:  Total thyroidectomy is increasingly being adopted for patients requiring surgical treatment for Graves’ disease based on a comparable surgical risk and the lack of recurrence, as well as the questionable ability of subtotal thyroidectomy to maintain euthyroidism. The purpose of the present paper was to evaluate its safety and efficiency.Methods:  Total thyroidectomy was adopted as part of the routine surgical treatment for Graves’ disease from 2000. Patients who underwent subtotal thyroidectomy (STT) from 1995 to 1999 (n = 119) were compared with those who underwent total thyroidectomy (TT) from 2000 to 2003 (n = 98) with respect to immediate postoperative morbidity and long‐term outcome.Results:  Fourteen (11.8%) and 22 patients (22.4%) required calcium supplement on discharge in the STT and TT groups, respectively (P < 0.05). One (0.8%) and three patients (3.1%) developed permanent hypocalcaemia, respectively. Transient recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy occurred in 9.2% (n = 11) and 5.1% (n = 5) of patients or 5.0% and 2.6% of nerves at risk after STT and TT, respectively. None of the patients had permanent nerve palsy. The estimated blood loss was less and hospital stay shorter after TT. During a mean follow up of 64 months, 86 patients (72.3%) in the STT group required thyroxine replacement and seven patients (5.9%) developed relapse.Conclusion:  Subtotal thyroidectomy was associated with relapse as well as hypothyroidism in a significant proportion of patients during long‐term follow up. Total thyroidectomy can be performed as safely as STT and should be recommended as the procedure of choice for patients requiring surgical treatment for Graves’ disease.
Effect of amrinone on mucosal permeability in experimental intestinal ischaemia/reperfusion injury
Authors: Ekingen Gülsen , Sönmez Kaan , Özen Onur , Demirogullari Billur , Karabulut Ramazan , Türkyilmaz Zafer , Yenidünya Sibel , Ayayvaci Sevil , Basaklar A. Can , Kale Nuri 
Published: June 2005

Background:  The preventive effect of amrinone on ischaemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury has been shown in the medical literature. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the preventive effect of amrinone on I/R injury of the small bowel of the rat.Methods:  Thirty‐two Wistar albino rats (140−180 g) were divided into four groups (n = 8). In all groups except the sham group the superior mesenteric artery was clamped for 30 min. At the beginning of reperfusion, 1 mL of 2405 Bq/mL 51Cr‐ethylenediamine tetra‐acetic acid (EDTA) was administered into the prepared ileal segment. Following 30 min of reperfusion, 1 mL of blood was obtained from the portal vein. After the rats were killed, the small intestine was removed for histopathological studies. A total of 5 mg/kg amrinone was administered to the rats in group 1 before ischaemia and in group 2 before reperfusion, whereas only saline was administered to the rats in the control group. Statistical analysis was carrid out with Kruskal−Wallis and χ2 test, P < 0.01 was considered significant.Results:  Both the blood 51Cr‐EDTA measurements (mean ± SD) and mucosal injury grades (MIG) were highest in the control group (3.95 ± 0.71 c.p.m.; MIG, 3−5) followed by group 2 (0.50 ± 0.35 c.p.m.; MIG, 1−3), group 1 (0.47 ± 0.34 c.p.m. MIG, 0−3), and sham group (0.12 ± 0.05 c.p.m.; MIG, 0). The difference between groups 1 and 2 and the control group were statistically significant (P < 0.01 for each comparison). The results of group 1 and 2 were similar statistically (P > 0.05).Conclusions:  Amrinone was found to be effective in preventing intestinal I/R injury.
THE EMIGRATION OF PREALPINE LAKE MASTERS: A STUDY OF A 17TH‐CENTURY MANTELPIECE ATTRIBUTED TO THE CARLONE FAMILY OF ROVIO (TICINO, SWITZERLAND)*
Authors: CAVALLO G. , DERIGHETTI L. , NAPOLI S. 
Published: June 2005

This work illustrates the possible connections between the phenomenon of the seasonal emigration of lake masters and the production of artistic artefacts. Within the ambit of these dynamics, a stucco mantelpiece was taken into consideration. Nothing was known about the object: neither its origin, nor the artist who produced it, nor the period of execution. Historical, stylistic and formal analyses of the materials and of the technique with which the work was executed allow us to verify that the mantelpiece was produced using the stucco technique in the 17th century, in Rovio (southern Switzerland, Ticino), and that it comes from one of the exponents of the Carlone workshop, whose representatives were important in the tradition of itinerant artistic workers. Due to their good technical and professional specialization, the Carlone workshop served both public and private buyers. Tommaso Carlone is the principal representative artist of the Carlone workshop; it is certain that his workshop produced the stucco mantelpiece. The migrations of the artists were seasonal and they maintained a close bond with their country of origin. When they returned to the country of origin, they produced works of great artistic value, of which the mantelpiece represents a splendid example.  Through the employment of conventional analytical techniques (optical and electron microscopy, infrared spectroscopy and porosity measurements), it has been possible to study the technique with which the work was executed, the materials used and the decay. The mantelpiece was produced using the stucco technique by means of a body layer (slaked lime and silicate and carbonate aggregates) and a marmorino finishing layer (slaked lime and pointed calcite crystals). Above this layer, whose thickness varies in relation to the executed result, there is a thin lime plaster whitewash, pigmented with the dispersion of yellow ochre particles; chromatic alterations are an oxalate patina caused by firm adhesion to the marmorino layer, due to the denaturation of the proteic substances employed. The final treatment was made with beeswax, which increased the marmoreal effect. Several additional layers of lime plaster whitewash have also been applied over the centuries. The figurative central square of the plastic decoration was made using red ochre.
From Election to Government: Principal Rules and Deviant Cases
Authors: Isaksson Guy-Erik 
Published: June 2005

AbstractThis study focuses on the principal rules of government formation as well as on the deviant cases. On a party level, over 1,000 cases and approximately 250 government formations in 17 West European countries during the second half of the twentieth-century are analysed. By means of regression analyses, the study explores the effects of the size of the parties, other party characteristics, as well as characteristics in the party system on the choice of premier party and coalition party respectively. The results show that the choice of premier party to a great extent is decided by the size of the party and the position as median party. The choice of coalition party, however, is a far more complex process. Favourable and unfavourable conditions are defined, and the deviant cases are identified, compared and analysed with respect to the choice of PM party and the choice of coalition party respectively. The study shows that the deviant cases are not disparate. On the contrary, the deviant cases form a set of rules of their own.
Political Representation in Leader Democracy
Authors: Körösényi András 
Published: June 2005

AbstractThe essay focuses on the neglected problem of democratic politics, i.e. on the role of leadership. Although in democracies public office holders are controlled to a certain extent, leaders still have wide room for political manoeuvre and decide without any ‘instruction’ of the citizens. Re-working Weber's and Schumpeter's theory, the author aims to build the model of leader democracy. He highlights the major traits of it in a comparison with the deliberative and the aggregative–utilitarian concepts of democratic theory. The theory of leader democracy is applied to the problem of representation, which, in contrast to mechanical mirroring, gains a new, dynamic and qualitative meaning.
‘Civil Society’ and the Limits of Democratic Assistance
Authors: Sardamov Ivelin 
Published: June 2005

AbstractA correlation between the strength of civil society and democratization is often assumed to imply a causal relationship between the two variables. In fact, this correlation may be spurious, both phenomena being shaped by deeper social processes related to modernization and individualization. An excessive focus on ‘civil society assistance’ may paradoxically hamper the deeper changes necessary for the development of a vigorous associational life and of democratic representation. It would therefore be more prudent to focus democratic assistance on the establishment of stable and efficient social and political institutions, and on the maintenance of key social infrastructures crucial to political legitimacy.
Electoral Politics in Africa: The Experience of Zambia and Zimbabwe
Authors: Tordoff William , Young Ralph 
Published: June 2005

AbstractThe neighbouring African states of Zambia and Zimbabwe have seen major changes to their systems of power following a series of elections between February 2000 and March 2002. These elections produced dramatic shifts in the balance between ruling parties and opposition forces, and challenged the continuance of powerful executive presidencies and one-party dominant political systems. The article explores the setting in which these electoral shifts occurred and attempts to mark out the domestic and international factors that have conditioned their impact. It concludes that profound structural changes are needed if either state is to move towards liberal democracy.
Comparative Trial of Tenormin (Atenolol) and Inderal (Propranolol) in Migraine
Authors: Stensrud Per , Sjaastad Ottar 
Published: June 2005

SYNOPSISAtenolol, 50 mg, b.i.d., and propranolol, 80 mg b.i.d., were given to 28 patients with a presumed diagnosis of migraine, in a placebo‐controlled double‐blind cross‐over study, where each period lasted 6 weeks. In the total material, atenolol was significantly better than placebo in reducing attacks, whereas propranolol showed no definite such effect. In seven patients, the number of headache days was remarkably high (average: 22 headache days in 42 days), which may indicate that they have been inappropriately included in the material or have recorded interparoxysmal headache in addition to attacks. If these patients are excluded, the attack‐reducing effects of both propranolol and atenolol are significant and of equal magnitude.
Evaluation of a 5‐day Non‐drug Training Program for Headache at the Menninger Foundation
Authors: Sargent Joseph D. , Solbach Patricia , Coyne Lolafaye 
Published: June 2005

SYNOPSISIn 1972 a non‐drug program to meet the requests of headache sufferers outside the local area was begun; the purpose was to give these individuals the basic skills in applying biofeedback to their headache problem. Over the next 412 years, 166 headache patients, mostly migraineurs, were seen in this program. During the 5‐day period the patient underwent a complete work‐up and 10 one‐hour biofeedback training sessions.A 50 item follow‐up questionnaire was sent to the 166 participants; 79 were returned. An examination of 21 variables from the medical records showed no significant differences on crucial headache variables between Returnees and Non‐Returnees of the questionnaire.Sixty‐seven percent of those who responded felt their headache condition had improved since the biofeedback training; success in controlling the headache was related to continued practice of the skills acquired in the 5‐day period. Other post treatment attempts at therapy dramatically decreased in comparison to the number of other therapies tried prior to the biofeedback training.
Exposure to Sun and Precipitation of Migraine
Authors: Vijayan Nazhiyath , Gould Susan , Watson Craig 
Published: June 2005

SYNOPSISIncidence of exposure to sun as a precipitating factor in headaches was evaluated in 263 patients. In 30% exposure to sun was found to trigger attacks of migraine compared to 7% of patients with muscle contraction headaches. Exposure to sun, therefore, is a more frequent precipitating factor in migraine than diet and hormonal changes which are more often mentioned and discussed in the literature.
Psychogenic Headache
Authors: Weatherhead A. Dixon 
Published: June 2005

SYNOPSISAn attempt has been made to identify what is commonly referred to as “psychogenic headache” and to differentiate between the most frequently encountered psychiatric disorders where headache is the main symptom. These disorders include anxiety reactions, conversion reactions and depressive reactions. While it is recognized that psychogenic factors often play a major part in migraine headaches and vascular headaches8 and possibly cluster headaches, this topic has not been discussed here as the literature on these types of headache is already extensive.This article attempts to review the causes, types, location and duration of psychogenic headaches and the types of premorbid personality encountered in the sufferer. It suggests how the diagnosis of psychogenic headache may be made and notes that effective treatment will depend upon establishing the correct diagnosis and include not only treatment of the symptom, i.e., the headache, but treatment of the underlying psychiatric disorder also.
Hyperresponsiveness of Migraine Patients to the Hypotensive Action of Bromocriptine
Authors: Fanciullacci M. , Michelacci S. , Curradi C. , Sicuteri F. 
Published: June 2005

SYNOPSISMigraine frequently induces hypotension, which has a large postural component. Since pain and other symptoms of the migraine syndrome have been suggested to be central in nature, an involvement of the dopaminergic pathways within the central nervous system that mediate hypotensive responses, might be postulated in migraine patients. In the study, a test dose (2.5 mg) of bromocriptine, a brain dopamine agonist, induced an intense hypotensive reaction in migraineurs, but not in controls. During bromocriptine‐induced hypotension, serum dopamine β‐hydroxylase activity did not change. The fall of blood pressure, due to bromocriptine, in migraine patients could be considered as an indirect expression of brain dopamine receptor supersensitivity caused by a deficiency of dopamine and or endogenous morphine‐like substances. This mechanism is compatible with the hypothesis which considers migraine as a clinical condition of chronic natural opioid abstinence.