bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Short‐term effects of severe dietary carbohydrate‐restriction advice in Type 2 diabetes—a randomized controlled trial
Authors: Daly M. E. , Paisey R. , Paisey R. , Millward B. A. , Eccles C. , Williams K. , Hammersley S. , MacLeod K. M. , Gale T. J. 
Published: September 2005

AbstractObjective  This study sought to examine the effects of a 3‐month programme of dietary advice to restrict carbohydrate intake compared with reduced‐portion, low‐fat advice in obese subjects with poorly controlled Type 2 diabetes.Research design and methods  One hundred and two patients with Type 2 diabetes were recruited across three centres and randomly allocated to receive group education and individual dietary advice. Weight, glycaemic control, lipids and blood pressure were assessed at baseline and 3 months. Dietary quality was assessed at the end of study.Results  Weight loss was greater in the low‐carbohydrate (LC) group (−3.55 ± 0.63, mean ± sem) vs. −0.92 ± 0.40 kg, P = 0.001) and cholesterol : high‐density lipoprotein (HDL) ratio improved (−0.48 ± 0.11 vs. −0.10 ± 0.10, P = 0.01). However, relative saturated fat intake was greater (13.9 ± 0.71 vs. 11.0 ± 0.47% of dietary intake, P < 0.001), although absolute intakes were moderate.Conclusions  Carbohydrate restriction was an effective method of achieving short‐term weight loss compared with standard advice, but this was at the expense of an increase in relative saturated fat intake.
Pyoderma gangrenosum coexisting with acute myelogenous leukaemia
Authors: Krauze E , Brzezińska‐Wcisło L , Kamińska‐Winciorek G , Wyglȩdowska‐Kania M , Sygula E 
Published: August 2005

ABSTRACTThe frequency of occurrence of malignant neoplasms in the cases of pyoderma gangrenosum is not exactly determined, but it can be assessed to be at 7%.The aim of the study was to report a 26‐year‐old male patient with pyoderma gangrenosum coexisting with acute myelogenous leukaemia.The first skin lesions on both tibia occurred in June 2001. Prior to the proper diagnosis of pyoderma gangrenosum, the patient was treated surgically. Because of the dramatic dermatological and general condition in November 2001, the patient was admitted to the Dermatological Department of the Silesian Medical Academy in Katowice where the diagnosis of pyoderma gangrenosum was established.On the clinical and biochemical picture, the diagnosis of pyoderma gangrenosum within acute myelogenous leukaemia was made.Initially, cyclosporin A 200 mg orally per day in the therapy of pyoderma gangrenosum was administered to achieve a slight clinical improvement. Although chemotherapy leukaemia was performed, the patient died after 4 months of the confirmation of the acute myelogenous leukaemia diagnosis.
Merkel cell carcinoma: a clinicopathological study of 11 cases
Authors: Acebo E , Vidaurrazaga N , Varas C , Burgos‐Bretones JJ , Díaz‐Pérez JL 
Published: August 2005

ABSTRACTObjective  To report our 12‐year experience with Merkel cell carcinomas (MCCs) from a clinical and pathological point of view.Subjects and setting  Eleven MCCs were diagnosed at our institution between 1991 and 2002.Methods  A retrospective clinical, histopathological and immunohistochemical study was performed. Age, gender, location, size, stage, treatment and follow‐up data were collected. Histopathological pattern and immunohistochemical study with CAM 5.2, cytokeratin 20 (CK20), CK7, Ber EP4, neurofilaments, synaptophysin, chromogranin, S100 protein, p53 protein, CD117, leucocyte common antigen (LCA) and Ki‐67 were accomplished.Results  Six females and five males with a mean age of 82 years were identified. Tumours were located on the face (n = 6), extremities (n = 3) and trunk (n = 1). At diagnosis, one patient was in stage Ia, six in stage Ib, three in stage II and one in stage III. All but one patient experienced wide surgical excision of the tumour. Additional treatment consisted of lymph node dissection in two patients, radiotherapy in four patients and systemic chemotherapy in one patient. Local recurrence developed in five patients. Three patients died because of MCC after 14 months of follow‐up. Intermediate‐size round cell proliferation was found in all cases. Additional small‐size cell pattern and trabecular pattern were observed in seven and six cases, respectively. Eccrine and squamous cell differentiation were found in three cases. A dot‐like paranuclear pattern was observed in all cases with CAM 5.2 and neurofilaments, and in 89% of cases with CK20. Seventy‐five per cent of cases reacted with Ber EP4, chromogranin and synaptophysin, 70% with p53, 22% with S100 protein, 55% with CD117 and none with LCA. Ki‐67 was found in 75% of tumoral cells on average. Fifty per cent of MCCs reacted with CK7 and showed eccrine differentiation areas.Conclusions  MCC is an aggressive neuroendocrine tumour of the elderly. Wide surgical excision is the recommended treatment. Lymph node dissection, adjuvant radiotherapy and chemotherapy decrease regional recurrences but have not been demonstrated to increase survival. Immunohistochemically, MCC is an epithelial tumour with neuroendocrine features.
Alopecia areata treatment with a phototoxic dose of UVA and topical 8‐methoxypsoralen
Authors: Mohamed Z , Bhouri A , Jallouli A , Fazaa B , Kamoun MR , Mokhtar I 
Published: August 2005

ABSTRACTTwenty‐five patients with alopecia totalis (AT) or alopecia universalis and 124 patients with alopecia areata (AA) were treated with photochemotherapy, combining topical 8‐methoxypsoralen (8‐MOP) with UV irradiation of the scalp at a phototoxic dose. The mean energy required was 15 J/cm2 for AA and 42 J/cm2 for AT. Ninety‐four patients had multiple bald patches and 12 with AT had complete or > 50% hair regrowth. Positive treatment results did not seem to depend on the age of onset or the duration of the disease. Few side‐effects of topical psoralens plus UVA (PUVA) treatment were noted, except a for few days of slight erythema caused by the high dose of UV.
Alopecia in association with severe seborrhoeic dermatitis following combination antiretroviral therapy for acute retroviral syndrome
Authors: Hardcastle NJ , Tunbridge AJ , Shum KW , Dockrell DH , Green ST 
Published: August 2005

ABSTRACTWe present a case where alopecia occurred with severe seborrhoeic dermatitis associated with the commencement of combination antiretroviral therapy for acute retroviral syndrome. We postulate that the eruption could represent a novel manifestation in association with immunological response to antiretroviral therapy.
Synchronous balneophototherapy is effective for the different clinical types of psoriasis
Authors: Holló P , Gonzalez R , Kása M , Horváth A 
Published: August 2005

ABSTRACTBackground  The efficacy of synchronous balneophototherapy in clearing psoriasis is based on the multiple‐targeted effects of UVB light and Dead Sea salt. Their synchronous application produces a synergic effect.Objective  The purpose of this retrospective study is: 1) to evaluate the efficacy of synchronous balneophototherapy for treating different clinical types of psoriasis; 2) to determine whether there is any difference between response to treatment, and 3) to gain more data in order to predict the effect of treatment in different clinical types, and thus to support the selection of patients for treatment.Methods  Patients received a basic course of synchronous balneophototherapy according to the Regensburg scheme, consisting of 35 treatment sessions, followed by a maintenance course of a further 25 treatments. The patients’ skin status was monitored by weekly assessment using the PASI score throughout the course. The efficacy of the treatment was evaluated through the results of 373 patients treated according to protocol during the basic course, and the results of 78 of these patients during the maintenance course. One hundred and eighty‐six patients were enrolled into the study comparing the efficacy of the basic course for the different clinical types of psoriasis: data of patients with large plaques, small plaques, guttate and confluating type of skin signs were summarized and compared.Results  During the basic course of treatment 70.7% improvement of the average PASI index was observed; the average PASI index decreased from 16.14 to 4.73. A further improvement from 4.58 to 4.27 of the average PASI was found during the maintenance therapy. Small plaque‐type skin signs showed the best response with a PASI decrease of 76.1%; Guttate type had a PASI decrease of 73.7%, large plaque type, 67.1% and confluating type, 62%. Comparing data with the average PASI decrease, a statistically significant lower decrease was found in confluating type cases.Conclusions  These results confirm that synchronous balneophototherapy is an effective treatment modality for different clinical types of psoriasis. Patients with small plaques have the greatest chance of the most marked clinical clearing; guttate and large plaque types of psoriasis also respond well to the treatment.
Correlation between HLA and pityriasis rosea susceptibility in Brazilian blacks
Authors: Miranda SMB , Porto LC , Pontes LFS , Filgueira AL 
Published: August 2005

ABSTRACTObjectives  The human leucocyte antigen (HLA) has been related to susceptibility factors in several diseases. This study aimed to determine the potential genetic susceptibility of patients with pityriasis rosea (PR) through HLA molecular typing analysis.Methods  The method of choice was polymerase chain reaction with sequence‐specific primers (PCR‐SSP) using low‐resolution typing kits, with determination of the alleles class I (HLA‐A, HLA‐B and HLA‐C) and class II (HLA‐DRB1, DRB3, DRB4, DRB5 and DQB1) performed in 30 Afro‐Brazilian PR‐diagnosed patients and 45 healthy individuals as the control group (PR‐C).Results  Analysis of the HLA typing results showed that the relative risk (RR) of 4.00 [95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.20–13.28, two‐tailed P = 0.018] for allele HLA‐DQB1*04 class II, detected in 33.3% of PR patients, was significant. By contrast, in the control group only 11.1% of subjects had that allele. Three out of six B*51 alleles and three out of six B*53 alleles detected in PR patients were found, together with the allele DQB1*04.Conclusion  We suggest that alleles DQB1*04 may be involved in the genetic susceptibility of PR based on the significant predominance of those alleles observed in the black PR patients. We also recommend that more studies are conducted on populations of other ethnic origins, preferentially with higher resolution techniques of DNA typing.
Ego involvement and effort: Cardiovascular, electrodermal, and performance effects
Authors: Gendolla Guido H. E. , Richter Michael 
Published: September 2005

AbstractAn experiment with N=52 university students manipulated ego involvement (low vs. high) and task difficulty (unfixed vs. easy) of a letter detection task. In accordance with the theoretical predictions about the role of ego involvement in active coping, high ego involvement increased the performance‐related reactivity of systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, heart rate, and also the number of unspecific skin conductance responses when task difficulty was unfixed (“do your best”). Ego involvement had no impact on autonomic reactivity when task difficulty was easy due to a fixed low performance standard. Furthermore, participants in the ego involvement/unfixed condition, where autonomic reactivity was relatively strong, committed significantly fewer errors in the letter detection task than those in the other conditions, reflecting an association between mental effort and performance.
Reduced prepulse inhibition in unaffected siblings of schizophrenia patients
Authors: Kumari Veena , Das Mrigen , Zachariah Elizabeth , Ettinger Ulrich , Sharma Tonmoy 
Published: September 2005

AbstractWe investigated whether prepulse inhibition of the startle response is reduced in siblings of schizophrenia patients compared to age‐ and sex‐matched healthy controls. Nineteen unaffected biological siblings and 19 controls were assessed on prepulse inhibition by monaural and binaural acoustic prepulse stimuli, with the startle stimuli always presented binaurally. There was significantly less prepulse inhibition in siblings, compared to controls, with binaural prepulse stimuli, as also seen previously in schizophrenia patients. The difference between siblings and controls in prepulse inhibition with the left or right ear prepulse stimuli was not significant because of a pronounced increase in prepulse inhibition with monaural, relative to binaural, prepulses in the sibling group. High schizotypal ratings were mildly associated with reduced prepulse inhibition. Prepulse inhibition may provide a useful measure in the search for schizophrenia genes.
Respiratory sinus arrhythmia predicts written disclosure outcome
Authors: Sloan Denise M. , Epstein Eva M. 
Published: September 2005

AbstractResearch has indicated that writing about traumatic experiences is associated with beneficial health effects compared with writing about emotionally neutral topics. What remains unclear are those factors that moderate the beneficial effects associated with written disclosure. This study examined respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) as a moderator of written disclosure outcome. Findings indicated that individuals with the highest RSA during the first written disclosure session benefited most from written disclosure in terms of physical health complaints and depression symptoms. As expected, RSA did not impact outcome for participants assigned to a control condition. These findings indicate that individuals who display good emotion regulation skills are best served by written disclosure.
Food shopping behaviour in Scotland: the influence of relative rurality
Authors: McEachern Morven G. , Warnaby Gary 
Published: September 2005

AbstractDespite a number of studies investigating consumer food purchase behaviour, few studies actually address the nature of the rural consumer. This may have implications for the generalization of much research on food purchase behaviour, as official estimates of the UK rural population vary between 8.5% and 24%. This paper compares and contrasts the food shopping behaviour of customers in rural and urban areas in Scotland. Particular focus is given on respondent characteristics, attitudes towards rural and urban locations, distance travelled for food shopping purposes and store patronage. Results from the research emphasize the notion that rural and urban retailing should be conceptualized as a continuum rather than being regarded as dichotomous, and a conceptual framework is proposed.
A Measure of Trust in Insurers
Authors: Goold Susan Dorr , Fessler David , Moyer Cheryl A. 
Published: September 2005

Background. Patient‐centered assessments are increasingly important. Patients repeatedly emphasize the importance of trust in health care institutions and personnel.Objectives. (1) Develop a conceptual framework for trust in health care organizations and a comprehensive, reliable measure of trust in health insurers. (2) Examine predictors and correlates of trust in insurers.Study Design. A conceptual framework for trust in health organizations based on theory and empirical studies was used to develop items for a structured telephone survey, which also included measures of health and utilization, doctor–patient trust, and satisfaction with care. Principal components factor analyses identified hypothesized domains of trust in health insurers and identified items for scales. Internal consistency assessment used Cronbach's α. Univariate analyses used Pearson's r or Student's t‐tests.Sample. Insured residents of Southeastern Michigan (n=400).Results. Respondents were diverse in age, gender, ethnicity, health, and socioeconomic status. One dominant factor (eigenvalue>10) included hypothesized domains: administrative competence, clinical competence, advocacy and beneficence, fairness, honesty and openness, and one global item. Multidimensional scales were reliable (long version 13 items, α=0.95, short: 9 items, α=0.91). Insurer trust correlated strongly with trust in doctors (r=0.49 and 0.46) and satisfaction with care (r=0.70 and 0.66), and with an item assessing overall worry about health insurance (r=−0.37 and −0.35). Those with less trust in their insurer were more likely to say that they would change insurance plans (p<.001).Conclusions. This well‐grounded, reliable measure of enrollee trust in insurers can be a useful patient‐centered assessment tool.
Delayed Care and Unmet Needs among Health Care System Users: When Does Fiduciary Trust in a Physician Matter?
Authors: Mollborn Stefanie , Stepanikova Irena , Cook Karen S. 
Published: September 2005

Objectives.To examine whether fiduciary trust in a physician is related to unmet health care needs and delayed care among patients who have a regular physician, and to investigate whether the relationships between trust and unmet health care needs and delays in care are attenuated for disadvantaged patients who face structural obstacles to obtaining health care.Data Sources/Study Setting.The 1998–1999 Community Tracking Study (CTS) Household Survey, a cross‐sectional sample representative of the U.S. noninstitutionalized population. This study analyzes adults who usually see the same physician for their health care (n=29,994).Study Design.We estimated logistic regression models of the association of trust with unmet health care needs and delayed care. We tested interactions between trust and barriers to obtaining care, including minority race/ethnicity, poverty, and the absence of health insurance. Control variables included patients' sociodemographic characteristics, health status, satisfaction with the available choice of primary physicians, and the number of physician visits during the last year.Principal Findings.Patients' fiduciary trust in a physician is negatively associated with the likelihood of reporting delayed care and unmet health care needs among most patients. Among African Americans, Hispanics, the poor, and the uninsured, however, fiduciary trust is not significantly associated with the likelihood of delayed care. For unmet needs, only the uninsured have no significant association with trust.Conclusions.Results show that trust is associated with improved chances of getting needed care across most subgroups of the population, although this relationship varies by subpopulation.
Intellectual Prognosis of Status Epilepticus in Adult Epilepsy Patients: Analysis with Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale–Revised
Authors: Adachi Naoto , Kanemoto Kousuke , Muramatsu Reimi , Kato Masaaki , Akanuma Nozomi , Ito Masumi , Kawasaki Jun , Onuma Teiichi 
Published: September 2005

Summary:  Purpose: Status epilepticus (SE) appears to cause cognitive dysfunction as well as other serious neurologic sequelae. To confirm whether SE produces a subsequent intellectual decline, we evaluated intellectual function prospectively in adult epilepsy patients with and without SE. Methods: Of 1,685 patients with epilepsy who underwent comprehensive neuropsychological testing in two national hospitals in Japan, 15 patients experienced an episode of SE afterward and underwent the second neuropsychological examination after the SE episode. Forty clinically matched patients with epilepsy, but without an episode of SE since their initial neuropsychological examination, were also reevaluated. We compared IQs and subscores from the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale–Revised between the two groups by repeated measures analysis of variance. In the patients who experienced an SE episode, SE‐related variables (i.e., age at the SE episode and type and duration of SE) and epilepsy‐related variables such as epilepsy type, lateralization of EEG abnormalities, the presence of mesial temporal sclerosis, and previous history of SE, were evaluated in relation to intellectual outcome. Results: Patients with SE, in comparison to those without SE, failed to show any significant post‐SE intellectual decline. Furthermore, neither the SE‐related variables nor the clinical characteristics were correlated with intellectual outcome. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that SE does not lead to a significant intellectual decline in adult patients receiving treatment for epilepsy.
Localizing Value of Ictal–Interictal SPECT Analyzed by SPM (ISAS)
Authors: McNally Kelly A. , Paige A. LeBron , Varghese George , Zhang Heping , Novotny Edward J. , Spencer Susan S. , Zubal I. George , Blumenfeld Hal 
Published: September 2005

Summary:  Purpose: The goal of neuroimaging in epilepsy is to localize the region of seizure onset. Single‐photon emission computed tomography with tracer injection during seizures (ictal SPECT) is a promising tool for localizing seizures. However, much uncertainty exists about how to interpret late injections, or injections done after seizure end (postictal SPECT). A widely available and objective method is needed to interpret ambiguous ictal and postictal scans, with changes in multiple brain regions. Methods: Ictal or postictal SPECT scans were performed by using [99mTc]‐labeled hexamethyl‐propylene‐amine‐oxime (HMPAO), and images were analyzed by comparison with interictal scans for each patient. Forty‐seven cases of localized epilepsy were studied. We used methods that can be implemented anywhere, based on freely downloadable software and normal SPECT databases (http://spect.yale.edu). Statistical parametric mapping (SPM) was used to localize a single region of seizure onset based on ictal (or postictal) versus interictal difference images for each patient. We refer to this method as ictal–interictal SPECT analyzed by SPM (ISAS). Results: With this approach, ictal SPECT identified a single unambiguous region of seizure onset in 71% of mesial temporal and 83% of neocortical epilepsy cases, even with late injections, and the localization was correct in all (100%) cases. Postictal SPECT, conversely, with injections performed soon after seizures, was very poor at localizing a single region based on either perfusion increases or decreases, often because changes were similar in multiple brain regions. However, measuring which hemisphere overall had more decreased perfusion with postictal SPECT, lateralized seizure onset to the correct side in ∼80% of cases. Conclusions: ISAS provides a validated and readily available method for epilepsy SPECT analysis and interpretation. The results also emphasize the need to obtain SPECT injections during seizures to achieve unambiguous localization.
Ethinyl Estradiol, Not Progestogens, Reduces Lamotrigine Serum Concentrations
Authors: Reimers Arne , Helde Grethe , Brodtkorb Eylert 
Published: September 2005

Summary:  Purpose: To study the interaction between lamotrigine (LTG) and hormonal contraception. Methods: LTG serum concentrations of female patients using either no hormonal contraception (n = 18), an ethinyl estradiol (EE)‐containing (n = 11), or a progestogen (PG)‐only–containing compound (n = 16) were analyzed. Patients were recruited prospectively, and blood samples were drawn during drug fasting and at steady‐state conditions. Comedication with enzyme inducers, valproate, topiramate, or sertraline was not allowed. Some patients changed groups and thus served as their own controls. Samples were analyzed by a gas chromatography/ mass spectroscopy method. The Mann–Whitney U test was used for statistical comparison of the groups. Results: The LTG serum concentration‐to‐dose ratio (CDR), expressed as (mg/L)/(mg/d) was significantly lower in women using EE than in the control group (mean ± SD, 0.010 ± 0.004 vs. 0.017 ± 0.006; p = 0.003). The CDR in women using PG was 0.02 ± 0.007, which was not statistically different from controls. No difference was found in CDR between women using either oral, topical, or parenteral PG. Five women switched from the control to the EE group and experienced a considerable reduction in CDR. An increase of the CDR toward control level was seen in the two women who changed from EE to PG. Conclusions: It is the EE component of oral contraceptives that interacts with LTG. The PG‐only compounds did not alter LTG serum concentrations in this study. These findings should be considered when counselling women with epilepsy in the childbearing ages.