bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Median and ulnar nerve conduction in pregnancy
Authors: Eogan M. , O'Brien C. , Carolan D. , Fynes M. , O'Herlihy C. 
Published: November 2004

AbstractObjectiveA prospective, observational study assessed median and ulnar nerve conduction during pregnancy, to identify the optimum test for differentiating physiological effects of pregnancy from pathological carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS).MethodsPregnant women (n=18) and age‐ and parity‐matched non‐pregnant controls (n=13) were recruited. Symptomatic and neurophysiological evaluations were performed. Median and ulnar nerve latencies and intrapalmar latency (difference between median and ulnar nerve latencies) were computed.ResultsMedian nerve distal latency is more prolonged in pregnant women compared with non‐pregnant controls. Median nerve latency is more prolonged in pregnant women with symptoms of CTS than in asymptomatic women. The difference between median and ulnar nerve conduction (normal <0.2 ms) discriminates well between symptomatic and asymptomatic pregnant women.ConclusionsIntrapalmar latency is proposed as a useful diagnostic test for classification of carpal tunnel syndrome during pregnancy.
ARE SENIORITY PRIVILEGES UNFAIR?
Authors: GOSSERIES AXEL P. 
Published: November 2004

What should maximin egalitarians think about seniority privileges? We contrast a good-specific and an all-things-considered perspective. As to the former, inertia and erasing effects of a seniority-based allocation of benefits from employment are identified, allowing us to spot the categories of workers and job-seekers made involuntarily worse off by such a practice. What matters however is to find out whether abolishing seniority privileges will bring about a society in which the all-things-considered worst off people are better off than in the seniority rule's presence. An assessment of the latter's cost-reduction potential is thus needed, enabling us to bridge a practice taking place within a firm with its impact on who the least well off members of society are likely to be. Three accounts of the profitability of seniority privileges are discussed: the “(firm specific) human capital”, the “deferred compensation” and the “knowledge transfer” ones. The respective relevance of “good-specific” and “all-things-considered” analysis is discussed. It turns out that under certain circumstances, a maximin egalitarian case for seniority privileges could be made.Senior: Do you know that they are planning layoffs? Of course, it is only fair that they lay-off the newcomers first! After all, I have been loyal to the company for many years.Junior: Did I choose to be a newcomer?
Dietary patterns in middle-aged Irish men and women defined by cluster analysis
Authors: Villegas R , Salim A , Collins MM , Flynn A , Perry IJ 
Published: November 2004

AbstractObjectives:To identify and characterise dietary patterns in a middle-aged Irish population sample and study associations between these patterns, sociodemographic and anthropometric variables and major risk factors for cardiovascular disease.Design:A cross-sectional study.Subjects and methods:A group of 1473 men and women were sampled from 17 general practice lists in the South of Ireland. A total of 1018 attended for screening, with a response rate of 69%. Participants completed a detailed health and lifestyle questionnaire and provided a fasting blood sample for glucose, lipids and homocysteine. Dietary intake was assessed using a standard food-frequency questionnaire adapted for use in the Irish population. The food-frequency questionnaire was a modification of that used in the UK arm of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer study, which was based on that used in the US Nurses' Health Study. Dietary patterns were assessed primarily by K-means cluster analysis, following initial principal components analysis to identify the seeds.Results:Three dietary patterns were identified. These clusters corresponded to a traditional Irish diet, a prudent diet and a diet characterised by high consumption of alcoholic drinks and convenience foods. Cluster 1 (Traditional Diet) had the highest intakes of saturated fat (SFA), monounsaturated fat (MUFA) and percentage of total energy from fat, and the lowest polyunsaturated fat (PUFA) intake and ratio of polyunsaturated to saturated fat (P:S). Cluster 2 (Prudent Diet) was characterised by significantly higher intakes of fibre, PUFA, P:S ratio and antioxidant vitamins (vitamins C and E), and lower intakes of total fat, MUFA, SFA and cholesterol. Cluster 3 (Alcohol & Convenience Foods) had the highest intakes of alcohol, protein, cholesterol, vitamin B12, vitamin B6, folate, iron, phosphorus, selenium and zinc, and the lowest intakes of PUFA, vitamin A and antioxidant vitamins (vitamins C and E). There were significant differences between clusters in gender distribution, smoking status, physical activity, body mass index, waist circumference and serum homocysteine concentrations.Conclusion:In this general population sample, cluster analysis methods yielded two major dietary patterns: prudent and traditional. The prudent dietary pattern is associated with other health-seeking behaviours. Study of dietary patterns will help elucidate links between diet and disease and contribute to the development of healthy eating guidelines for health promotion.
Performance of a short tool to assess dietary intakes of fruits and vegetables, percentage energy from fat and fibre
Authors: Thompson Frances E , Midthune Douglas , Subar Amy F , Kahle Lisa L , Schatzkin Arthur , Kipnis Victor 
Published: November 2004

AbstractObjectives:We describe the methods used to develop and score a 17-item ‘screener’ designed to estimate intake of fruit and vegetables, percentage energy from fat and fibre. The ability of this screener and a food-frequency questionnaire (FFQ) to measure these exposures is evaluated.Design:Using US national food consumption data, stepwise multiple regression was used to identify the foods to be included on the instrument; multiple regression analysis was used to develop scoring algorithms. The performance of the screener was evaluated in three different studies. Estimates of intakes measured by the screener and the FFQ were compared with true usual intake based on a measurement error model.Setting:US adult population.Subjects:For development of instrument,n= 9323 adults. For testing of instrument, adult men and women in three studies completing multiple 24-hour dietary recalls, FFQ and screeners,n= 484, 462 and 416, respectively.Results:Median recalled intakes for examined exposures were generally estimated closely by the screener. In the various validation studies, the correlations between screener estimates and estimated true intake were 0.5–0.8. In general, the performances of the screener and the full FFQ were similar; estimates of attenuation were lower for screeners than for full FFQs.Conclusions:When coupled with appropriate reference data, the screener approach described may yield useful estimates of intake, for both surveillance and epidemiological purposes.
The cost of infant feeding in Liverpool, England
Authors: Berridge K , Hackett AF , Abayomi J , Maxwell SM 
Published: November 2004

AbstractObjective:To investigate feeding practices in infants under the age of 4 months in Liverpool, England with particular reference to the cost of infant feeding.Design:A cross–sectional survey consisting of self–completion questionnaires and interviews.Setting:Subjects' homes within Central and South Liverpool Primary Care Trust areas.Subjects:One hundred and forty–nine women (aged 18 to 43 years) and their infants (mean age 13 weeks).Results:The average weekly cost of breast–feeding was £11.58 compared with £9.60 for formula–feeding. Many breast– and formula–feeding women spent money however on items that were not needed or used only once or twice. This was especially true of first–time mothers. Characteristics significantly associated with higher spending were: feeding method – mothers that had or were partially breast–feeding (P=0.001), education – those educated to degree level (P=0.028), socio–economic status – those in social classes I and II (P=0.002) and age – those aged 30 years and over (P=0.003).Conclusions:This study demonstrates that while breast–feeding is often promoted as being free, this is not the case. Better information needs to be given to parents to avoid wasting money on items that are unnecessary, or where cheaper alternatives are available.
Eating at fast-food restaurants is associated with dietary intake, demographic, psychosocial and behavioural factors among African Americans in North Carolina
Authors: Satia Jessie A , Galanko Joseph A , Siega-Riz Anna Maria 
Published: November 2004

AbstractObjective:To examine associations of the frequency of eating at fast-food restaurants with demographic, behavioural and psychosocial factors and dietary intake in African American adults.Methods:Self-reported data from a population-based cross-sectional survey of 658 African Americans, aged 20–70 years, in North Carolina. An 11-page questionnaire assessed eating at fast-food restaurants, demographic, behavioural and diet-related psychosocial factors, and dietary intake (fruit, vegetable, total fat and saturated fat intakes, and fat-related dietary behaviours).Results:The participants were aged 43.9±11.6 years (mean±standard deviation), 41% were male, 37% were college graduates and 75% were overweight or obese. Seventy-six per cent reported eating at fast-food restaurants during the previous 3 months: 4% usually, 22% often and 50% sometimes. Frequency of eating at fast-food restaurants was positively associated with total fat and saturated fat intakes and fat-related dietary behaviours (P< 0.0001) and inversely associated with vegetable intake (P< 0.05). For example, mean daily fat intake was 39.0 g for usually/often respondents and 28.3 g for those reporting rare/never eating at fast-food restaurants. Participants who reported usual/often eating at fast-food restaurants were younger, never married, obese, physically inactive and multivitamin non-users (allP< 0.01). Frequency of eating at fast-food restaurants was positively associated with fair/poor self-rated health, weak belief in a diet–cancer relationship, low self-efficacy for healthy eating, weight dissatisfaction, and perceived difficulties of preparing healthy meals and ordering healthy foods in restaurants (allP< 0.05). Frequency of eating at fast-food restaurants did not differ significantly by sex, education, smoking, ability to purchase healthy foods or knowledge of the Food Guide Pyramid.Conclusions:Eating at fast-food restaurants is associated with higher fat and lower vegetable intakes in African Americans. Interventions to reduce fast-food consumption and obesity in African Americans should consider demographic and behavioural characteristics and address attitudes about diet–disease relationships and convenience barriers to healthy eating.
Grain size dependence of optical properties and positron annihilation parameters in Bi2O3powder
Authors: Chakrabarti Mahuya , Dutta Sreetama , Chattapadhyay S , Sarkar A , Sanyal D , Chakrabarti A 
Published: November 2004

Nanocrystalline Bi2O3has been prepared by a ball milling process. The particle size of the ball-milled Bi2O3powder has been determined by the x-ray powder diffraction method and transmission electron microscopy. The absorption spectra, in the spectral range 300–1300 nm, indicate an increase of the optical bandgap for both the direct and indirect transitions due to the reduction of grain size. The defects introduced in Bi2O3during grinding have been investigated by the positron annihilation technique. Positron annihilation results indicate an increase of defects due to ball milling.
Inhibition of Nitric Oxide Release In Vivo by Ethanol
Authors: Rossetti Zvani L. , Crespi Francesco 
Published: November 2004

Objective: Previous studies indicate that the nitric oxide (NO•) pathway is involved in the acute or chronic effects of ethanol on the central nervous system. However, direct evidence for the effect of ethanol on NO• production in vivo is lacking, and it is not clear whether it is inhibition or stimulation of the NO• pathway that contributes to the behavioral effects of ethanol. Herein the release of NO• in the rat striatum in vivo in response to NMDA receptor activation—the dominant mechanism controlling NO• formation–has been investigated after systemic or local injections of ethanol.Methods: NMDA‐induced release of authentic NO• was measured directly in the striatum of urethane‐anesthetized (1.2 g/kg intraperitoneally) male Sprague‐Dawley rats by using a direct‐current amperometric method coupled to an electrically modified carbon microelectrode. An injector cannula was implanted in the proximity of the electrode (250 μm apart) for focal drugs application.Results: Local application of NMDA (1 μl, 100 μM) produced a sharp and transient NO• signal. Systemic ethanol, 1 or 2.5 g/kg intraperitoneally, caused a long‐lasting, dose‐dependent inhibition of NMDA‐induced NO• release to 12.2 ± 5.9 and 6.4 ± 3.7% of control, respectively, 60 min after ethanol administration. Dizocilpine (0.5 mg/kg intraperitoneally) mimicked the ethanol effect, inhibiting NO• release to 1.6 ± 0.66% of control. Local application of ethanol (1 μl, 2.5% v/v) in the striatum reduced the NMDA‐induced response to 28.6 ± 3.8% of control. Focal application of the competitive NMDA receptor antagonist d‐(‐)‐2‐amino‐5‐phosphonopentanoic acid (100 μM) or the nonselective NO synthase inhibitor l‐NG‐nitro‐arginine methyl esther (100 μM) also caused inhibition of NMDA‐induced NO• release to 2.4 ± 0.7 and 4.3 ± 0.9% of control, respectively.Conclusions: Ethanol, at pharmacologically significant doses, strongly inhibits striatal NO• production and release apparently through inhibition of NMDA receptor function. Inhibition of NMDA receptor–mediated activation of the NO• pathway could be a primary neurobiological mechanism contributing to the effects of ethanol.
Enhanced Alcohol Self‐Administration after Intermittent Versus Continuous Alcohol Vapor Exposure
Authors: O'Dell Laura E. , Roberts Amanda J. , Smith Ron T. , Koob George F. 
Published: November 2004

Background: Ethanol self‐administering rats exhibit enhanced responding during withdrawal from continuous exposure to ethanol vapor. This study compared self‐administration of ethanol during withdrawal from continuous versus intermittent ethanol vapor.Methods: Experiment 1 examined self‐administration of ethanol in rats trained to self‐administer ethanol after continuous, intermittent (14 hr on and 10 hr off), or no (i.e., controls) ethanol vapor exposure. Exposure time was equalized such that the intermittent group received 4 weeks of exposure and the continuous group received 2 weeks of exposure. Four self‐administration tests were conducted 2 hr after removal from vapor, and each test was separated by 3 to 4 days of ethanol vapor. Experiment 2 examined self‐administration of ethanol after 2 weeks of intermittent vapor either 2 or 8 hr after removal from vapor. Experiment 3 addressed the specificity of the increased responding for ethanol by examining saccharin self‐administration after 2 weeks of intermittent vapor.Results: Four weeks of intermittent exposure produced an increase in ethanol self‐administration during the first withdrawal relative to controls and relative to animals receiving 2 weeks of continuous exposure. The continuous group was indistinguishable from controls on the first test and gradually increased their responding across tests. Two weeks of intermittent exposure also increased ethanol self‐administration, and there was no difference in this effect 2 or 8 hr after removal from vapor. There was no difference in saccharin self‐administration in control rats and those given 2 weeks of intermittent exposure.Conclusions: The finding that intermittent exposure produces more rapid increases in self‐administration of ethanol relative to continuous exposure suggests that intermittent exposure may be associated with a more rapid escalation of the allostatic processes responsible for excessive ethanol self‐administration. The mechanisms that drive the increases in drinking during withdrawal are similar after 2 and 8 hr of withdrawal and seem to be specific to ethanol.
Alcohol Intoxication Impairs Phosphorylation of S6K1 and S6 in Skeletal Muscle Independently of Ethanol Metabolism
Authors: Lang Charles H. , Pruznak Anne M. , Deshpande Nobuko , Palopoli Margaret M. , Frost Robert A. , Vary Thomas C. 
Published: November 2004

Background: The purpose of this study was to characterize the ability of alcohol to suppress insulin‐like growth factor (IGF)‐I stimulation of ribosomal S6 kinase 1 (S6K1) and 4E‐BP1 phosphorylation, which are central elements in the signal transduction pathway used to coordinate the protein synthetic response and may contribute to the development of alcoholic myopathy.Methods: In vivo studies examined the dose and time dependency of the ability of alcohol to impair signal transduction under basal and IGF‐I–stimulated conditions. Additional studies examined the effect of gender, nutritional state, and route of alcohol administration. A separate study determined the direct effects of alcohol on muscle metabolism by using the isolated perfused hindlimb preparation.Results: The phosphorylation of S6K1 and S6 in muscle was increased after injection of IGF‐I in control rats. In contrast, IGF‐I failed to stimulate S6K1 or S6 phosphorylation 2.5 hr after intraperitoneal administration of alcohol when the blood alcohol concentration was increased between ∼165 and 300 mg/dl. With a maximal suppressive dose of alcohol, the inhibitory effect on S6K1/S6 phosphorylation was observed as early as 1 hr and for up to 8 hr. The ability of alcohol to impair phosphorylation of S6K1 and S6 was independent of gender (male versus female), nutritional status (fed versus fasted), and route of alcohol administration (intraperitoneal versus oral). Furthermore, the suppressive effect of alcohol was still observed in rats pretreated with 4‐methylpyrazole, suggesting that the response was independent of the oxidative metabolism of ethanol. The direct effect of alcohol on IGF‐stimulated S6K1/S6 phosphorylation was also present when the isolated hindlimb was perfused in situ with buffer containing alcohol. In contrast to S6K1, acute alcohol intoxication did not consistently impair the ability of IGF‐I to stimulate 4E‐BP1 phosphorylation under any of the experimental conditions.Conclusions: These data indicate that acute alcohol intoxication selectively impairs IGF‐I signaling via S6K1, but not 4E‐BP1, and that this defect is independent of gender, nutritional state, route of administration, and alcohol metabolism. The IGF‐I resistance may represent a participating mechanism by which alcohol directly limits the translation of selected messenger RNAs and, ultimately, protein synthesis in skeletal muscle.
Ethanol Induces Expression of the Glutamate Transporters EAAT1 and EAAT2 in Organotypic Cortical Slice Cultures
Authors: Zink Mathias , Schmitt Andrea , Vengeliene Valentina , Henn Fritz A. , Spanagel Rainer 
Published: November 2004

Background: Exposure of the developing brain to ethanol disposes the fetus to fetal alcohol syndrome and causes a number of changes in several neurochemical systems. In particular, the glutamatergic system is affected by ethanol. Thus, increased sensitivity of glutamate receptors and enhanced transmembrane transport of glutamate were found in primary astrocyte cultures. However, in these in vitro studies, changes in the expression of glutamate transporters were not detected. To further characterize the influence of chronic ethanol exposure on the developing brain, we assessed the transcriptional and translational regulation of glutamate transporters in a less artificial in vitro system.Methods: We exposed postnatal rat cortical organotypic slice cultures to ethanol (100 mM) for 4 and 8 days. Expression of the excitatory amino acid transporters EAAT1 and EAAT2 was analyzed in comparison to untreated controls with semiquantitative reverse transcriptase‐polymerase chain reaction. In addition, changes in protein expression were detected by Western blotting.Results: In ethanol‐exposed cortical slices, we observed more prominent fiber outgrowth and significantly increased gene expression (EAAT1: +35%, p= 0.029; EAAT2: +251%, p= 0.015). These findings could be verified on the protein level, because Western blot analysis revealed significantly higher levels of EAAT1 (+76%; p= 0.008) and EAAT2 (+104%; p= 0.018) in ethanol‐treated slices compared with controls.Conclusions: Our results are in concert with earlier studies describing the induction of glutamate transport by ethanol. Enhanced expression of EAAT1 and EAAT2 after ethanol exposure can be viewed as a maladaptive process that disposes the developing brain to fetal alcohol syndrome.
Births and perinatal health of infants among women who have had silicone breast implantation in Finland, 1967–2000
Authors: Hemminki Elina , Hovi Sirpa‐Liisa , Sevón Tiina , Asko‐Seljavaara Sirpa 
Published: November 2004

Background.  Potential problems with breast implants have been widely discussed, but few data exist on the childbearing and offspring of women with implants. The purpose of this study was to investigate the occurrence and conditions of pregnancies of women who have had cosmetic breast implantation (exposed women), and the health of their newborns.Methods.  Women who had breast implants for cosmetic reasons in the period 1967–1999 (n = 2236) were identified from hospital surgical records. The births of the exposed women were identified through record linkage to the Population Register. The perinatal health of the infants was studied by the data in the Medical Birth Register in 1987–1999. For each birth to an exposed woman, 20 control mothers who gave birth in the same year were chosen randomly from the Medical Birth Register. Differences in mothers' background characteristics were adjusted by logistic regression.Results.  The women had received their first cosmetic breast implants at young ages (mean 31 years). By year 2000, 26% of the exposed women had one or more children. Half of these women had not had a liveborn child before getting implants. Of the 1661 exposed women who had not (yet) had children, 32% were less than 35 years of age at the end of follow‐up. The women had children at a mean of 4.7 years after the implants. Some of the perinatal health indicators suggested poorer health and others better health for infants of exposed women, but only transfers to other hospitals and lower birthweight among infants of exposed multipara were statistically significant.Conclusions.  The study shows that pregnancy and infant health are relevant considerations with regard to breast implants; further studies on implants are needed.