bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Explaining income‐related inequalities in doctor utilisation in Europe
Authors: Doorslaer Eddy van , Koolman Xander , Jones Andrew M. 
Published: June 2004

AbstractThis paper presents new international comparative evidence on the factors driving inequalities in the use of GP and specialist services in 12 EU member states. The data are taken from the 1996 wave of the European Community Household Panel (ECHP). We examine two types of utilisation (the probability of a visit and the conditional number of positive visits) for two types of medical care: general practitioner and medical specialist visits using probit, truncated Negbin and generalised Negbin models. We find little or no evidence of income‐related inequity in the probability of a GP visit in these countries. Conditional upon at least one visit, there is even evidence of a somewhat pro‐poor distribution. By contrast, substantial pro‐rich inequity emerges in virtually every country with respect to the probability of contacting a medical specialist. Despite their lower needs for such care, wealthier and higher educated individuals appear to be much more likely to see a specialist than the less well‐off. This phenomenon is universal in Europe, but stronger in countries where either private insurance cover or private practice options are offered to purchase quicker and/or preferential access. Pro‐rich inequity in subsequent visits adds to this access inequity but appears more related to regional disparities in utilisation than to other factors. Despite decades of universal and fairly comprehensive coverage in European countries, utilisation patterns suggest that rich and poor are not treated equally. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Efficacy of Venlafaxine ER in patients with social anxiety disorder: a double‐blind, placebo‐controlled, parallel‐group comparison with paroxetine
Authors: Allgulander Christer , Mangano Richard , Zhang Jun , Dahl Alv A. , Lepola Ulla , Sjödin Ingemar , Emilien Gerard 
Published: June 2004

AbstractThis study evaluated the anxiolytic efficacy, safety and tolerability of a flexible dose of venlafaxine extended release (ER) compared with placebo and paroxetine in the short‐term treatment of generalized social anxiety disorder (SAD). Adult outpatients with generalized SAD (n = 434) were randomized to receive capsules of venlafaxine ER 75 mg to 225 mg/day, paroxetine 20 mg to 50 mg/day, or placebo for 12 weeks. The primary efficacy variable was the Liebowitz social anxiety scale total score. Secondary efficacy variables included the patient‐rated social phobia inventory and the proportion of responders in each group (a responder was defined as having a clinical global impression‐improvement score of 1 or 2). Treatment with venlafaxine ER was associated with significantly greater improvement than treatment with placebo for all primary and secondary efficacy variables (p < 0.05). No significant differences in primary or secondary efficacy variables were observed between the venlafaxine ER and paroxetine groups. The week 12 response rates were 69%, 66% and 36% for the venlafaxine ER, paroxetine and placebo groups, respectively. Both active treatments were generally well tolerated and were associated with a similar incidence of adverse events. This study shows that venlafaxine ER is an effective, safe and well‐tolerated drug treatment for SAD. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
RGD‐modified anti‐CD3 antibodies redirect cytolytic capacity of cytotoxic T lymphocytes toward αvβ3‐expressing endothelial cells
Authors: Schraa Astrid J. , Kok Robbert J. , Botter Sander M. , Withoff Sebo , Meijer Dirk K.F. , de Leij Lou F.M.H. , Molema Grietje 
Published: June 2004

AbstractTo redirect the lytic activity of cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) toward tumor vascular endothelial cells, we prepared bifunctional proteins with specificity for both αvβ3 and CD3. Monocyclic RGD peptides (cRGDfK) were covalently coupled to an anti‐CD3 monoclonal antibody at different peptide:protein ratios. The resulting RGDpep‐anti‐CD3 conjugates bound specifically to αvβ3‐expressing endothelial cells. Displacement studies with radiolabeled αvβ3 ligand demonstrated that the αvβ3 binding affinity of RGDpep‐anti‐CD3 conjugates was elevated as compared to the non‐conjugated RGDpep. IC50 values ranged from 150–1.1 nM, depending on the amount of coupled RGDpep molecules per antibody molecule. RGD modification did not affect the ability of anti‐CD3 antibodies to bind to CTL. Furthermore, RGDpep‐anti‐CD3 was fully capable of activating T cells upon CD3 binding as was shown in a Jurkat/NFAT reporter‐gene activation assay. All RGDpep‐anti‐CD3 conjugates were able to induce RGDpep, CD3‐dependent lysis of human primary endothelial cells by anti‐CD3/IL‐2 activated human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), with a significant induction of cytotoxicity observed at an E/T ratio as low as 10. Redirecting cytolytic activity reached up to 50% cytotoxicity using the conjugate with the highest RGD peptide load. Combining the good accessibility of tumor blood vessel endothelium for CTL with the efficiency of target cell killing warrants further investigations on anti‐tumor effects of this type of conjugates in vivo. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Glycemic index, glycemic load and risk of prostate cancer
Authors: Augustin Livia S.A. , Galeone Carlotta , Dal Maso Luigino , Pelucchi Claudio , Ramazzotti Valerio , Jenkins David J.A. , Montella Maurizio , Talamini Renato , Negri Eva , Franceschi Silvia , La Vecchia Carlo 
Published: June 2004

AbstractDietary carbohydrates have different glycemic and insulinemic potentials depending on type (glycemic index, GI) and amount (glycemic load, GL) of carbohydrate consumed or both. Insulin in turn has been implicated as a risk factor for several cancers, including that of the prostate. We assessed the relationship of GI and GL with prostate cancer risk in a multicenter case‐control study. Cases and controls were recruited between 1991 and 2002 in the network of major teaching and general hospitals in 4 Italian areas. Cases were 1,204 men (age range 46–74 years) admitted for incident, histologically confirmed prostate cancer. Controls were 1,352 men (age range 46–74 years) admitted for acute, nonmalignant conditions unrelated to long‐term modifications of diet. ORs of prostate cancer and the corresponding 95% CIs were derived using unconditional multiple logistic regression, including terms for age, study center, education, family history of prostate cancer, smoking, body mass index, physical activity, alcohol consumption, intake of energy, fiber and lycopenes. Compared to the lowest quintile of GI, the ORs were 1.23, 1.24, 1.47 and 1.57 for subsequent levels of GI. The corresponding values for GL were 0.91, 1.00, 1.20 and 1.41. No heterogeneity was found among strata of selected covariates. We found direct relations between dietary GI and GL and prostate cancer risk. Correcting for potential confounding factors did not substantially modify these associations. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Childhood body mass index and later cancer risk: A 50‐year follow‐up of the Boyd Orr study
Authors: Jeffreys Mona , Davey Smith George , Martin Richard M. , Frankel Stephen , Gunnell David 
Published: June 2004

AbstractAssociations between childhood BMI and adult cancer risk were investigated in a historical cohort study based on the Carnegie (“Boyd Orr”) Survey of Diet and Health in Pre‐War Britain (1937–9). In 14 centres in England and Scotland, children had their height and weight measured. We included 2,347 individuals aged between 2 and 14 years 9 months at the time of measurement, who were traced through the National Health Service Central Register. Relative cancer risk (registration or death) was estimated in relation to age‐ and sex‐specific BMI SD scores. We studied associations with(i)all cancers,(ii)cancer groups stratified according to their relationship to smoking and(iii)certain site‐specific cancers. In the 50 years of follow‐up, 188 men and 192 women developed cancer. There was a 9% increase (95% CI –3 to 22%) in risk of cancer in adulthood per SD increase in BMI measured in childhood. There was no evidence of confounding by childhood or adulthood socioeconomic position, other anthropometric variables, childhood energy intake or birth order. There was a 30% increase (95% CI 10–54%) in risk of smoking‐related cancers per SD increase in childhood BMI. There was no relationship between BMI and cancers not related to smoking. Associations for all cancers and non‐smoking‐related cancers tended to be stronger in children who were measured at an older (>8 years) rather than a younger (≤8 years) age. We conclude that childhood BMI is related to increased risk of cancer in later life, particularly smoking‐related cancers. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Electromagnetic imaging for a conducting cylinder buried in a slab medium by the genetic algorithm
Authors: Lin Chun Jen , Chou Chun‐Yuan , Chiu Chien‐Ching 
Published: June 2004

AbstractThis article presents a computational approach to the imaging of a perfectly conducting cylinder buried in a slab. A conducting cylinder of unknown shape buried in a slab scatters the incident wave from outside. The scattered field is recorded outside the slab. Based on the boundary condition and the measured scattered field, a set of nonlinear integral equations is derived, and the imaging problem is reformulated into an optimization problem. The genetic algorithm is then employed to determine global extreme solution of the cost function. Numerical results demonstrated that, even when the initial guess is far removed from the exact one, good reconstruction can be obtained. In such a case, the gradient‐based methods often are trapped in a local extreme. In addition, the effect of Gaussian noise on the reconstruction is investigated. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Imaging Syst Technol 14, 1–7, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/ima.20000
Super‐resolution of the undersampled and subpixel shifted image sequence by a neural network
Authors: Lu Yao , Inamura Minoru , del Carmen Valdes Maria 
Published: June 2004

AbstractNumerous approaches to super‐resolution (SR) of sequentially observed images (image sequence) of low resolution (LR) have been presented in the past two decades. However, neural network methods are almost ignored for solving SR problems. This is because the SR problem traditionally has been regarded as the optimization of an ill‐posed large set of linear equations. A designed neural network based on this has a large number of neurons, thereby requiring a long learning time. Also, the deduced cost function is overly complex. These defects limit applications of a neural network to an SR problem. We think that the underlying meaning of the SR problem should refer to super‐resolving an imaging system by image sequence observation, instead of merely improving the image sequence itself. SR can be regarded as a pattern mapping from LR to SR images. The parameters of the pattern mapping can be learned from the imaging process of the image sequence. This article presents a neural network for SR based on learning from the imaging process of the image sequence. In order to speed up the convergence, we employ vector mapping to train the neural network. A mapping vector is composed of some neighbor subpixels. Such a well‐trained neural network has powerful generalization ability so that it can be used directly to estimate the SR image of the other image sequences without learning again. Our simulations show the effectiveness of the proposed neural network. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Imaging Syst Technol 14, 8–15, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/ima.20001
Color adaptation for anomalous trichromats
Authors: Ro Yong Man , Yang Seungji 
Published: June 2004

AbstractIn this article, we propose a content‐based color adaptation method for color vision impairment, especially for anomalous trichromats, to improve color information accessibility. Color degradation caused by anomalous trichromacy is compensated in digital color content with a range of the visible spectrum corresponding to color deficiency characteristics. To verify the usefulness of the proposed method, we performed clinical experiments as well as computer simulations. The results of both the experiments and the simulations show that the proposed adaptation could convey better color information to anomalous trichromats. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Imaging Syst Technol 14, 16–20, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/ima.20002
Parameter estimation in Bayesian reconstruction of SPECT images: An aid in nuclear medicine diagnosis
Authors: López Antonio , Molina Rafael , Katsaggelos Aggelos K. , Rodriguez Antonio , López José M. , Llamas José M. 
Published: June 2004

AbstractDespite the adequacy of Bayesian methods to reconstruct nuclear medicine SPECT (single‐photon emission computed tomography) images, they are rarely used in everyday medical practice. This is primarily because of their computational cost and the need to appropriately select the prior model hyperparameters. We propose a simple procedure for the estimation of these hyperparameters and the reconstruction of the original image and test the procedure on both synthetic and real SPECT images. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed hyperparameter estimation method produces satisfactory reconstructions. Although we have used generalized Gaussian Markov random fields (GGMRF) as prior models, the proposed estimation method can be applied to any priors with convex potential and tractable partition function with respect to the scale hyperparameter. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Imaging Syst Technol 14, 21–27, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/ima.20003
Synthetic‐aperture assessment of a dispersive surface
Authors: Cheney Margaret 
Published: June 2004

AbstractThis article considers Synthetic Aperture Radar and other synthetic‐aperture imaging systems in which a backscattered wave is measured from a variety of locations. We focus on the case in which the ground‐reflectivity function depends on frequency as well as on position. We begin with a (linearized) mathematical model, based on a scalar approximation to Maxwell's equations, which includes the effects of the source waveform and the antenna beam pattern. The model can also accommodate other effects such as antenna steering and motion. For this mathematical model, we use the tools of microlocal analysis to develop and analyze a three‐dimensional inversion algorithm that uses measurements made on a surface and determines the frequency‐dependent ground reflectivity. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Imaging Syst Technol 14, 28–34, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/ima.20004
The potential role for economic instruments in drought management
Authors: Merrett Stephen 
Published: June 2004

AbstractClimate change in the twenty‐first century will likely reduce the return period of drought events, indicating that drought management will be even more important in the future than it is already. In the case of England's Anglian region it is shown that two principal institutions are responsible for drought management—the Environment Agency and Anglian Water Services (AWS). The region has a fast‐growing population of more than 5 million people, it has 58% of the most productive agricultural land in England and Wales, and in some summers irrigation can make up 50% of water use.An examination of the drought plans of the Agency and AWS demonstrates that in both cases the policy instruments that they deploy to manage drought are informational, infrastructural and regulatory. In neither case would they use water pricing as a management tool. Moreover, the government's drought plan guidelines for the water utilities make no reference to economic instruments of drought management nor do they suggest that utilities should review the economic impact on their customers of regulatory action.The principal issues that would arise if water charging were to be deployed as a drought management instrument are then reviewed. The paper concludes by proposing that national government should evaluate the feasibility, costs, benefits and risks of replacing the regulatory instruments of drought management by economic instruments. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Microrough implant surface topographies increase osteogenesis by reducing osteoclast formation and activity
Authors: Lossdörfer S. , Schwartz Z. , Wang L. , Lohmann C. H. , Turner J. D. , Wieland M. , Cochran D. L. , Boyan B. D. 
Published: June 2004

AbstractTitanium implant surfaces with rough microtopographies exhibit increased pullout strength in vivo suggesting increased bone‐to‐implant contact. This is supported by in vitro studies showing that as surface microroughness increases, osteoblast proliferation decreases whereas differentiation increases. Differentiation is further enhanced on microrough surfaces by factors stimulating osteogenesis including 1α,25(OH)2D3. Levels of PGE2 and TGF‐β1 are increased in cultures grown on rough microtopographies; this surface effect is enhanced synergistically by 1α,25(OH)2D3‐treatment. PGE2 and TGF‐β1 regulate osteoclasts as well as osteoblasts, suggesting that surface microtopography may modulate release of other factors from osteoblasts that regulate osteoclasts. To test this hypothesis, we examined the effects of substrate microarchitecture on production of osteoprotegerin (OPG) and receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa B ligand (RANKL), which have been identified as a key regulatory system of bone remodeling. We also examined the production of 1α,25(OH)2D3, which regulates osteoblast differentiation and osteoclastogenesis. MG63 osteoblast‐like cells were grown on either tissue culture plastic or titanium disks of different surface microtopographies: PT (Ra < 0.2 μm), SLA (Ra = 4 μm), and TPS (Ra = 5 μm). At confluence, cultures were treated for 24 h with 0, 10−8 M or 10−7 M 1α,25(OH)2D3. RANKL and OPG were determined at the transcriptional level by RT‐PCR and real time PCR and soluble RANKL, OPG and 1α,25(OH)2D3 in the conditioned media were measured using immunoassay kits. Cell number was reduced on SLA and TPS surfaces and 1α,25(OH)2D3 caused further decreases. OPG mRNA levels increased on rougher surfaces and 1α,25(OH)2D3 treatment caused a further synergistic increase. While the cells expressed RANKL mRNA, levels were low and independent of surface microtopography. OPG protein was greater when cells were grown on SLA and TPS. 1α,25(OH)2D3 increased OPG by 50% on the smooth Ti surface but on SLA, 10−8 M 1α,25(OH)2D3 caused a 100% increase and 10−7 M 1α,25(OH)2D3 increased OPG by 200%. On TPS 10−7 M 1α,25(OH)2D3 increased OPG 350%. Soluble RANKL was not detected in the conditioned media of any of the cultures. 1α,25(OH)2D3 was produced endogenously and levels were positively correlated with surface roughness. Thus, on surfaces with rough microtopographies, osteoblasts secrete factors that enhance osteoblast differentiation while decreasing osteoclast formation and activity. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res 70A: 361–369, 2004
Electrostatic interactions as a predictor for osteoblast attachment to biomaterials
Authors: Smith I. O. , Baumann M. J. , McCabe L. R. 
Published: June 2004

AbstractThe present study utilizes zeta (ζ)‐potential analysis as an indicator of bonding of osteoblasts and whole bone to various biomaterials. Common metal alloys (316L stainless steel, CoCrMo, and Ti6Al4V) and bioceramics (hydroxyapatite and β‐tricalcium phosphate) used in orthopedic applications were suspended in particulate form in physiologic saline, both as‐received and supplemented with bovine serum albumin (BSA). Metal alloys were also treated with NaOH washing to study the effect of such a surface treatment on the ζ‐potential. The NaOH wash was found to increase the ζ‐potential for CoCrMo and Ti6Al4V, but there was a decrease in the magnitude of the ζ‐potential for 316L stainless steel. When the metal alloy powders were suspended in BSA‐supplemented physiologic saline, the ζ‐potential as a function of pH increased, thereby increasing the electronegativity gap and increasing the propensity for bonding between each of the metal alloys and bone. This increase is likely due to matrix proteins in the BSA, which adsorb onto the metal alloy surfaces, promoting bone growth. With the addition of BSA to each bioceramic system, a uniform decrease in ζ‐potential was observed. However, the electronegativity gap remained large in each case, maintaining the anticipation of bonding. ζ‐Potential analysis is an effective predictor of biomaterial attraction to osteoblasts and bone, providing a useful in vitro method for predicting such interactions. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res 70A: 436–441, 2004
Osteoblast‐like cell response to bioactive composites—Surface‐topography and composition effects
Authors: Rea Susan M. , Brooks Roger A. , Schneider Andreas , Best Serena M. , Bonfield William 
Published: June 2004

AbstractTwo bioactive composites, containing 40 vol % filler in high‐density polyethylene (HDPE), were investigated to examine the effects of different filler compositions and different surface patterning. The first composite, known as HAPEX™, consists of hydroxyapatite within HDPE, and the second composite, known as AWPEX, consists of glass‐ceramic apatite‐wollastonite in HDPE. Surface topography effects at 5–50 and 100–150 μm were explored, with cell morphology analyzed with the use of scanning electron microscopy and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). Biochemical assays of adenosine triphosphate and alkaline phosphatase were used to analyze osteoblast‐like cell proliferation and differentiation. For both composites, cell alignment was seen along grooves, pillars, and wells, with preferential cell attachment to ceramic particles within the polymer matrices. HAPEX™ showed significantly increased cell proliferation over AWPEX (P < 0.005). However, greater cell differentiation occurred for AWPEX over HAPEX™ (P < 0.005). Polishing significantly increased osteoblast‐like cell response over as‐cut samples, but surface‐topography changes above 50 μm had no consistent effect. Smaller‐scale features also showed no significant trend in terms of cell proliferation, but did show significant differences in cell differentiation (P < 0.05). CLSM imaging of actin and vinculin localization within cells showed the greatest change in comparison to polished surface controls for cells cultured on samples with surface features below 50 μm. The fact that similar observations were made for both HAPEX™ and AWPEX indicated that, for these experiments, the effects of surface topography more strongly influenced cell response than chemical composition. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater 70B: 250–261, 2004