bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Incidence of Phytophthora species in oak forests in Austria and their possible involvement in oak decline
Authors: Balci Y. , Halmschlager E. 
Published: May 2003

SummaryA survey on the occurrence of Phytophthora species in oak ecosystems in Austria was conducted from April to May 1999 and in June 2000. The investigations were carried out at 35 study sites distributed throughout the zone of oak forests in eastern Austria. Four oak species, including Quercus robur, Q. petraea, Q. cerris and Q. pubescens were considered in the survey. Rhizosphere soil samples were taken from sample trees, which consisted of healthy and declining trees as indicated by their crown transparency. Young oak leaflets were used as baits to recover Phytophthora species. The assemblage of Phytophthora spp. detected in Austrian oak forests consisted of five species, including Phytophthora quercina, P. citricola, P. gonapodyides, P. europaea and P. syringae. P. quercina and P. citricola were isolated from 11 and seven sites, respectively, and were thus the most common and most widely distributed species. The three other species were recovered only sporadically. P. citricola could be separated into two morphologically and genetically well‐characterized types (A and B). Phytophthora species, in particular the common P. quercina and P. citricola occurred on sites showing a wide variety of soil types, soil textures and moisture classes. There was mild evidence for connection between deteriorating crown status and the presence of Phytophthora spp. Furthermore, significant differences in contents of magnesium, as well as calcium, aluminium, nitrogen and carbon at different soil depths (0–10, 10–20 and 20–40 cm) were detected between Phytophthora‐infested and Phytophthora‐free sites. The results of the present study provide circumstantial evidence that Phytophthora species are involved in oak decline at certain sites in Austria.
Swiss stone pine trees and spruce stumps represent an important habitat for Heterobasidion spp. in subalpine forests
Authors: Gonthier P. , Garbelotto M. , Nicolotti G. 
Published: May 2003

SummaryIn the Western Italian Alps (WIA), the three European species of the forest pathogen Heterobasidion spp. can coexist in the same area. Heterobasidion parviporum Niemelä & Korhonen and Heterobasidion abietinum Niemelä & Korhonen are normally found in areas with a significant presence of their respective primary hosts, spruce (Picea spp.) and fir (Abies spp.). The host/niche occupied by Heterobasidion annosum (Fr.) Bref. in the region still remains unclear. Although Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris), a major host for this fungal species in other parts of Europe, is abundant in the region, little or no evidence of disease caused by H. annosum is visible in this tree species. Two different, but not mutually exclusive, hypotheses can explain the presence of H. annosum: (1) Scots pines are infected but largely asymptomatic and (2) H. annosum has adapted to different hosts. An analysis of Heterobasidion species was performed in two natural, mixed‐conifer forests using traditional isolation techniques and novel direct molecular diagnosis from wood. In a subalpine stand of mixed spruce (Picea abies), larch (Larix spp.), and Swiss stone pine (Pinus cembra), 18 naturally infected spruces and larches only yielded H. parviporum. A Swiss stone pine in the same stand was extensively colonized by both H. parviporum and H. annosum. In a second subalpine stand, an analysis of 18 spruce stumps and nine Swiss stone pine stumps yielded both H. parviporum and H. annosum isolates. Pine stumps had been mostly colonized by H. parviporum prior to tree felling, suggesting that this species may be secondarily infected by the locally predominant Heterobasidion species (i.e. H. parviporum). Results of our analysis also indicated that primary colonization of spruce stumps (e.g. through basidiospores) was caused by both H. parviporum and H. annosum, while secondary infection of such stumps was mostly because of H. parviporum.
A Memory Clinic at a Geriatric Hospital: A Report on 577 Patients Assessed with the CAMDEX Over 9 Years
Authors: Stratford Joe A. , Logiudice Dina , Flicker Leon , Cook Roslyn , Waltrowicz Wendy , Ames David 
Published: May 2003

Objective: To report 9 years’ experience of an Australian memory clinic using the Cambridge Mental Disorders in the Elderly Examination (CAMDEX) assessment schedule, summarizing patient demographics, diagnoses at presentation and the utility of four instruments used in distinguishing patients with and without dementia. Methods: All patients seen at the clinic between December 1989 and September 1998 were assessed using the CAMDEX. Diagnoses were determined according to criteria of the International Classification of Diseases, tenth edition (ICD-10). Results: The mean age of 577 patients seen was 72.9 years and 60.8% were female. Over 40% fulfilled ICD-10 diagnostic criteria for dementia in Alzheimer's disease. A further 24% had another dementing illness. Only 28 patients were ‘normal’. There was no significant difference in the ability of the 107-item Cambridge cognitive examination, the 30-item mini-mental state examination, the 10-item abbreviated mental test score and the 26-item informant questionnaire on cognitive decline in the elderly to differentiate dementia patients from those who were normal or had functional psychiatric disorders. The four cognitive screening tools had high correlations with one another (r = −0.57 to 0.93). Conclusion: Patient demographics and diagnoses were similar to those found in other clinics. Most people who attended the memory clinic had significant cognitive or psychiatric disorders.
Randomized Controlled Trials in Psychiatry. Part II: Their Relationship to Clinical Practice
Authors: Mulder Roger T. , Frampton Chris , Joyce Peter R. , Porter Richard 
Published: May 2003

Objective: To discuss the extent to which the results of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in psychiatry can be generalized to clinical practice. Method: Threats to internal and external validity in psychiatric RCTs are reviewed. Results: Threats to internal validity increase the possibility of bias. Psychiatric RCTs have problems with small samples, arbitrary definitions of caseness, disparate definitions of outcome and high spontaneous recovery rates. Particular issues arise in psychotherapy RCTs. Threats to external validity reduce the extent to which the results of a RCT produce a correct basis for generalization to other circumstances. These include high rates of comorbidity and sub syndromal pathology in normal clinical practice, manual-based treatment protocols and varying definitions of successful treatment. Conclusions: Randomized controlled trials remain the most robust design to investigate the effectiveness of treatments. They should be applied to important clinical questions; and carried out, as far as possible, with typical patients in the clinical conditions in which the treatment is likely to be used.
Psychiatry, Religion and Cognitive Science
Authors: Bathgate David 
Published: May 2003

Objective: To see whether certain findings in cognitive science can serve to bridge the conceptual gap between psychiatry, particularly in its psychotherapeutic aspects, and religious/spiritual understanding. Method: A brief review is given of certain basic differences between psychiatric understanding in its psychotherapeutic aspects, and much of Western religious/spiritual understanding. Reference is then made to certain findings in contemporary cognitive science which might challenge the implicit mind–body split of Western religious tradition and its parallel in psychotherapeutic practice. Attention is also drawn to elements in religious/spiritual tradition that run counter to this dualistic point of view. Results and Conclusions: Much of contemporary religious/spiritual understanding, and of modern psychiatric understanding, especially in terms of psychotherapy, appear to exist in quite separate domains. Psychotherapy and the greater part of Western religious thinking, however, share a belief in the existence of a transcendent mind. Recent developments in cognitive science and certain spiritual traditions, challenge this implicit mind–body split, providing an opportunity for a renewed dialogue between psychiatry and religion and the possibility of collaborative research.
Correlates of Youth Suicide Attempters in Australian Community and Clinical Samples
Authors: Carter Gregory L. , Issakidis Cathy , Clover Kerrie 
Published: May 2003

Objective: This study (i) explores differences between a clinical sample of deliberate selfpoisoning (DSP) patients and a community sample who reported previous attempted suicide (AS); and (ii) examines correlates of suicidal behaviour in these groups compared with a community control group (CC) with no suicidal behaviour. Method: The study design was: case–case, case–control and cross-sectional population studies. A clinical sample of DSP (n = 51), a community sample of AS (n = 31) and a community sample with no suicidal behaviour (n = 842) were used, all aged 18–24 years. The DSP and AS groups were compared on several variables and two logistic regression models were developed for risk of (i) DSP and (ii) AS compared to community controls. Results: The adjusted odds ratios for DSP were: female gender (OR = 5.7, CI = 1.7–19.4), anxiety (OR = 7.4, CI = 2.2–25.1), affective (OR = 23.0, CI = 6.9–76.5), or substance-use disorder (OR = 19.2, CI = 5.6–65.4) and greater mental health related disability (OR = 0.5, CI = 0.3–0.7 for 1 SD decrease). For AS the results were: anxiety (OR = 9.4, CI = 1.7–52.8) or substance-use disorder (OR = 3.0, CI = 1.1–8.7) and greater mental health disability (OR = 0.5, CI = 0.4–0.7). Affective disorder was close to significant for the AS group (OR = 4.0, CI = 0.9–17.1). Conclusions: Correlates of DSP/AS were usually more powerful in the clinical group, but showed a similar pattern of psychiatric disorder and disability factors in both groups, supporting a continuum of risk factors across these groups. Interventions based on modifiable risk factors could target the same factors for public health, primary care or hospital populations: anxiety, depression and substance use disorders and mental health related disability.
Epidemiological Analysis of Electroconvulsive Therapy in Victoria, Australia
Authors: Wood Debra A. , Wood Debra A. , Burgess Philip M. 
Published: May 2003

Objective: To determine the population-based utilization rate of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in Victoria between 1998–1999, to examine the characteristics of the ECT treated group, and to identify patient factors independently associated with differential rates of ECT treatment. Method: Electroconvulsive therapy is reported under statute in Victoria, Australia. Crude, age-adjusted and age–sex specific utilization rates were calculated using this statutory data for the 1998–1999 financial year and estimated mid-year populations from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Descriptive characteristics of those treated with ECT were derived from the statutory data. Patient factors associated with an increased likelihood of ECT in the public sector were explored with logistic regression analysis, using non-ECT treated mental health patients from the Victorian Psychiatric Case Register as the reference population. Results: The crude treated-person and age-adjusted rates for the State (both public and private sectors) were 39.9 and 44.0 persons per 100 000 resident population per annum, respectively. The crude and age-adjusted administration rates were 330.3 and 362.6 ECT administrations per 100 000 resident population per annum, respectively. Age–sex specific rates varied by age and sex, with rates generally increasing with age and female sex. Overall, 62.8% of the treated group were women, 32.9% aged over 64, and 75.2% had depression. Diagnosis, age and sex each independently predicted ECT in the public sector, with diagnosis the most important factor, followed by age then sex. Conclusions: Despite decades of use, the appropriate rate of ECT utilization is still unclear. Further research should be directed at exploring the factors, including provider variables, determining ECT treatment.
A Naturalistic Study of the Measurement of Seizure Adequacy in Electroconvulsive Therapy
Authors: Edwards Mark , Koopowitz Leslie F. , Harvey Eileen J. 
Published: May 2003

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess an electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) rating scale by studying the intraictal electroencephalograph parameters induced by the seizure, and determine the clinical utility of such a scale in terms of time, application and ease of use. Method: This naturalistic study of 55 depressed patients over a 2-year period examined specific parameters of the intraictal electroencephalograph seizure morphology and computer printout, and their association with overall clinical outcome. The rating scale was developed and evaluated in terms of clinical reliability and ease of use. Results: Overall, 1076 individual ECT treatments were given. Using multiple regression analysis, overall seizure adequacy correlated most closely with abrupt seizure endpoint, a high amplitude rhythmic spike and wave phase of >13 s, a seizure energy index of >1000 u, and an electroencephalograph seizure length of > 24 s. ‘Adequate’ overall ratings as determined by the rating scale were shown to correlate significantly with overall clinical improvement. The rating scale had extremely high interrater and test–retest reliability; and was relatively easy to use and time efficient. Conclusions: The use of the rating scale has the potential to help clinicians optimize ECT. While not perfect in any sense, it still gives clinicians good predictive qualities when used as a clinical guide. It is important that larger studies look at all the potential variables that may interact with seizure adequacy and clinical outcome.
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: Do Electrical Startle Responses and Thyroid Function Usefully Supplement Self-Report? A Study of Vietnam War Veterans
Authors: Wells J. Elisabeth , Williams Timothy H. , Macleod Alastair D. , Carroll Grant J. 
Published: May 2003

Objective: To investigate the usefulness of electrical startle responses and thyroid function as supplements to self-report measures of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Method: Invitations were sent to all New Zealand Vietnam War veterans known to be living in North Canterbury; 50 responded and the 35 living in or near Christchurch were included. Self-report measures of PTSD (the Davidson Trauma Scale (DTS) and the Symptom Check List (SCL-90-R)), an eye blink electrical startle response and thyroid function were measured. The DTS was re-administered one to two weeks later to assess short-term test–retest reliability. Six months later the DTS and the electrical startle response were measured again. Results: The veterans reported a wide range of PTSD severity, with 15/35 reporting prior diagnosis of PTSD. The DTS showed high short-term test–retest reliability (r = 0.93) and a moderate correlation after 6 months (r = 0.73). It also showed sensitivity to change; in one to two weeks the scores increased by nearly half a standard deviation, possibly because of an imminent ‘homecoming’ march. The DTS and a PTSD scale from the SCL-90-R were highly correlated (r = 0.89). The total triiodothyronine (T3) to free thyroxine (T4) ratio measure of thyroid function correlated poorly with self-report (r ≤ 0.27). The electrical startle response also correlated poorly with self-report (r ≤ 0.26), showed low internal consistency between left and right sides (r = 0.43), and correlated 0.39 over six months. It was disliked by the veterans and had increased slightly at 6 month follow-up, perhaps because of sensitization. Conclusions: The DTS was reliable and correlated highly with the SCL-90-R PTSD scale. Neither thyroid function nor eye blink electrical startle correlated with each other or with selfreport, and reliability was not good for electrical startle. These two measures do not appear to add anything useful to the assessment of PTSD.
Dysexecutive Syndrome and Social Adjustment in Schizophrenia
Authors: Simon Andor E. , Giacomini Véronique , Ferrero François , Mohr Sylvia 
Published: May 2003

Objective: This paper reports on a study designed to (i) assess levels of executive functions among patients suffering from schizophrenia; (ii) investigate associations between measures of executive functions and psychosocial adjustment; and (iii) examine the influence of psychopathology on the relationship between executive functions and psychosocial adjustment. Clear knowledge of executive functions and of their impact on social adjustment in patients with schizophrenia may play a decisive role in preparing and structuring appropriate outpatient care. Method: An extensive battery constituted of several tests developed for the assessment of executive functions was used in 38 inpatients with a DSM-IV diagnosis of schizophrenia. Psychosocial adjustment was assessed with a set of commonly used scales. Results: Performance on measures of executive functions was heterogeneous among the patient population, with a subgroup performing within normal scores. A similar pattern was found on measures of psychosocial adjustment. Most of the executive measures were not dependent on demographic or clinical variables. A factorial analysis on measures of psychosocial adjustment yielded a one-factor model which showed inconsistent, and at most, weak to moderate correlations with executive functions. Regression analysis revealed that symptom levels accounted for two-thirds of the variance of psychosocial adjustment, and together with measures of executive functions for 91% of the variance. General and negative symptoms showed strong correlations with psychosocial adjustment. Conclusions: Our study supports the view that executive function is a heterogeneous construct with several subdimensions. Additionally, it suggests that symptom level has an important role as ‘rate limiting factor’ on psychosocial adjustment and is partially mediated by executive dysfunction. Our results call for careful and detailed assessment in this patient population in order to establish appropriate treatment programmes such as cognitive remediation.
The Excess Cost of Depression in South Australia: A Population-Based Study
Authors: Hawthorne Graeme , Cheok Frida , Goldney Robert , Fisher Laura 
Published: May 2003

Objective: To establish excess costs associated with depression in South Australia, based on the prevalence of depression (from the Primary Care Evaluation of Mental Disorders (PRIME-MD)) and associated excess burden of depression (BoD) costs. Method: Using data from the 1988 South Australian (SA) Health Omnibus Survey, a properly weighted cross-sectional survey of SA adults, we calculated excess costs using two methods. First, we estimated the excess cost based on health service provision and loss of productivity. Second, we estimated it from loss of utility. Results: We found symptoms of major depression in 7% of the SA population, and 11% for other depression. Those with major depression reported worse health status, took more time off work, reported more work performance limitations, made greater use of health services and reported poorer health-related quality-of-life. Using the service provision perspective excess BoD costs were AUD$1921 million per annum. Importantly, this excluded non-health service and other social costs (e.g. family breakdown, legal costs). With the utility approach, using the Assessment of Quality of Life (AQoL) instrument and a very modest life-value (AUD$50 000), the estimate was AUD$2800 million. This reflects a societal perspective of the value of illness, hence there is no particular reason the two different methods should agree as they provide different kinds of information. Both methods suggest estimating the excess BoD from the direct service provision perspective is too restrictive, and that indirect and societal costs ought be taken into account. Conclusions: Despite the high ranking of depression as a major health problem, it is often unrecognized and undertreated. The findings mandate action to explore ways of reducing the BoD borne by individuals, those affected by their illness, the health system and society generally. Given the limited information on the cost-effectiveness of different treatments, it would seem important that resources be allocated to evaluating alternative depression treatments.
Even moderate chronic renal failure is associated with impaired acute and long‐term outcome after coronary angioplasty
Authors: REINECKE HOLGER , REGETMEIER ANDREA , MATZKIES FRITZ , BREITHARDT GÜNTER , SCHAEFER ROLAND M 
Published: May 2003

SUMMARY: End‐stage renal failure requiring maintenance haemodialysis is known to be a strong independent predictor of mortality and complications after coronary interventions. In contrast, data about the outcome of patients with moderate chronic renal failure is very limited and was therefore evaluated in this study in patients with coronary angioplasty (PTCA). This was a retrospective case‐control study of 66 patients with moderate chronic renal failure who underwent PTCA, and who were matched to 66 PTCA patients with normal renal function and followed up by telephone interviews. In hospital, patients with renal failure suffered significantly more often from local complications (12.1 vs 0%, P = 0.004) and acute deterioration of renal function after PTCA (7.6 vs 0%, P = 0.023) than their matched controls. Angiographic success after PTCA was not significantly different (85 vs 83%, n.s.) as was the case with in‐hospital mortality (6.1 vs 3.0%, n.s.). During follow up (100% complete), 18 patients (27.3%) with renal failure had died compared with seven controls (10.6%; OR 3.2, P = 0.015). Even if deaths from non‐cardiac causes in three patients with renal failure were excluded, death after PTCA occurred significantly more often in the renal failure group (P = 0.015, log rang test). Multivariate analyses with stepwise logistic regression identified impaired left ventricular function (OR 2.24, 95%CI 1.33–3.77), elevated serum creatinine (OR 2.02, 95%CI 1.24–3.31) and smaller height (OR 0.91, 95%CI 0.86–0.98) to be independently associated with death. In conclusion, in this matched‐pair study, patients with chronic renal failure suffered from more in‐hospital complications and from markedly increased long‐term mortality after PTCA.