bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Randomized, prospective comparison of postoperative pain in low‐ versus high‐pressure pneumoperitoneum
Authors: Koc Mahmut , Ertan Tamer , Tez Mesut , Kocpinar M. Ali , Kilic Mehmet , Gocmen Erdal , Aslar A. Kessaf 
Published: August 2005

Background:  Reduced postoperative pain after laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) compared to open cholecystectomy (OC) may be able to be further optimized. To reduce pain, focus should be directed on the effects of individual components of pain.Methods:  A double‐blind, randomized, controlled trial was carried out in a tertiary care hospital. Fifty‐three elective patients with symptomatic gallstones were enrolled into the study. Patients were randomized to low‐ or high‐pressure pneumoperitoneum groups. In all patients, gas pressure was set to 15 mmHg during placement of ports. Later on, in the low‐pressure group, the rest of the procedure was performed at 10 mmHg pressure. At 6 and 24 h postoperatively, a short‐form McGill Questionnaire (MPQ) was obtained from all patients. Patients were then asked to complete a 10‐cm visual analogue scale (VAS) for abdominal pain.Results:  Pain scores were generally low for both groups. Statistical comparisons of mean cumulative McGill score and VAS abdominal pain scores in both groups did not reach statistical significance at 6 and 24 h after operation.Conclusion:  There was no correlation between high‐ and low‐pressure laparoscopy and postoperative pain after LC. Peritoneal stretching may be more responsible for shoulder pain but has less effect on intensity of abdominal pain or incisional pain. On the basis of these negative findings, routine use of low‐pressure pneumoperitoneum for alleviation of postoperative pain following LC is not recommended.
Meningiomas and the Polynesian population
Authors: Olson Sarah , Law Andrew 
Published: August 2005

Background:  In Auckland Hospital, New Zealand there has been a perception for many years that the incidence of meningiomas was higher in Polynesians. It was also suspected these occurred at a younger age in Polynesians and were more likely to be multiple. The purpose of the present study was to confirm whether the Polynesian population does have a higher incidence of meningioma, review at what age they presented with meningioma and compare the outcome of treatment with Caucasians.Methods:  A retrospective review was performed of 302 patients who had had a cranial meningioma excised in the 10 years between 1991 and 2001 at Auckland hospital. Age, sex, ethnicity, number of tumours, type, size, comorbidities, time to presentation and outcome at discharge and follow‐up were recorded.Results:  Polynesians had a significantly higher incidence of meningiomas (P < 0.0001). In particular Polynesian women were significantly over represented. (P < 0.05). Polynesians were more likely to have two or more tumours (P < 0.02) and they presented at a significantly younger age (P < 0.0001). The tumours were also larger. (P = 0.0006). Despite this Polynesians did not have a worse outcome at discharge or at follow up (P > 0.1) nor did they have a higher incidence of comorbidites, perhaps reflected by their younger age.Conclusions:  There is a higher incidence of meningiomas in the Polynesian population, particularly young Polynesian women. The tumours are more likely to be multiple and larger in Polynesians. The present study confirms a predisposition to meningioma in New Zealand Polynesians and should lead to further investigation into whether this is genetic (likely chromosome 22) or hormonal possibly mediated by insulin‐like growth factor‐1.
Undergraduate experience of surgical teaching and its influence and its influence on career choice
Authors: Ek Edmund W. , Ek Eugene T. , Mackay Sean D. 
Published: August 2005

Background:  The purpose of this survey was to determine the views of final year medical students in Melbourne regarding both undergraduate surgical teaching and the students’ career aspirations.Methods:  A structured questionnaire was given to all final year medical students at Monash and Melbourne Universities in 2003. The questions dealt with the factors influencing graduating medical students, including theatre experience, encouragement/support from surgeons, presence of mentors, lifestyle factors and gender issues.Results:  The response rate was 61.2% (251/410). Of these, 50.6% were male, 32.3% declared an interest in surgical training with the remainder either uncertain (24%) or uninterested (44%). Male students were more likely to be interested in surgery. General surgery was the most popular field (69%), followed by plastic surgery (37%) and orthopaedic surgery (35%). Of respondents, 78% reported positive influences towards pursuing a surgical career during their undergraduate years, while 63% reported a negative experience. A total of 67% believed that the current curriculum is adequate and 43% that there is enough support/encouragement towards a surgical career. Only 44% of respondents reported that surgeons are approachable. Lifestyle and family factors were the most important career influence. In particular, 57% of female respondents felt discouraged from pursuing a surgical career and 99% of these women reported lifestyle/family factors as the main source of discouragement, with a further 72% identifying a lack of female role models.Conclusions:  This survey highlights important issues in current undergraduate perception of surgical teaching and higher training. Issues that may encourage or discourage a graduating student to pursue a surgical career are identified.
Information, understanding and the benign order of everyday life in genetic counselling
Authors: Lehtinen Esa 
Published: August 2005

AbstractGenetic counselling as a medical encounter is characterised by the centrality of the provision of information. Much of the counselling session is filled by information delivery about the symptoms, the prognosis and the transmission of the disease, the risks involved and the possibilities for genetic testing. The present paper is a study of how information is delivered in actual genetic counselling sessions. The data consist of 10 video‐recorded sessions from a genetics clinic in Finland, and the methodology is based on conversation analysis. The paper focuses on the doctor's talk in a specific interactional context, the slot after a candidate understanding by a client. The analysis shows that the doctors have two basic orientations: they work towards securing correct understanding and they display being attuned to what the information means to the clients, particularly to whether it is positive or negative to them. The latter orientation is related to what has been called ‘the benign order of everyday life’ (Maynard 2003). The findings in the paper offer a possibility for a discussion about the principles and practices of genetic counselling.
Do occupation and work conditions really matter? A longitudinal analysis of psychological distress experiences among Canadian workers
Authors: Marchand Alain , Demers Andrée , Durand Pierre 
Published: August 2005

AbstractThis study analyses the relationship between occupation, work conditions and the experience of psychological distress within a model encompassing the stress promoted by constraints‐resources embedded in macrosocial structures (occupational structure), structures of daily life (workplace, family, social networks outside the workplace) and agent personality (demography, physical health, psychological traits, life habits, stressful childhood events). Longitudinal data were derived from Statistics Canada's National Population Health Survey and comprised 6,359 workers nested in 471 occupations, followed four times between 1994–1995 and 2000–2001. Discrete time survival multilevel regressions were conducted on first and repeated episodes of psychological distress. Results showed that 42.9 per cent of workers had reported one episode of psychological distress and 18.7 per cent had done so more than once. Data supported the model and challenged the results of previous studies. The individual's position in the occupational structure plays a limited role when the structures of daily life and agent personality are accounted for. In the workplace, job insecurity and social support are important determinants, but greater decision authority increases the risk of psychological distress. Workplace constraints‐resources are not moderated either by the other structures of daily life or by agent personality.
Rule of law, democracy, openness, and income
Authors: Rigobon Roberto , Rodrik Dani 
Published: August 2005

AbstractWe estimate the interrelationships among economic institutions, political institutions, openness, and income levels, using identification through heteroskedasticity (IH). We split our cross‐national dataset into two sub‐samples: (i) colonies versus non‐colonies; and (ii) continents aligned on an East–West versus those aligned on a North–South axis. We exploit the difference in the structural variances in these two sub‐samples to gain identification. We find that democracy and the rule of law are both good for economic performance, but the latter has a much stronger impact on incomes. Openness (trade/GDP) has a negative impact on income levels and democracy, but a positive effect on rule of law. Higher income produces greater openness and better institutions, but these effects are not very strong. Rule of law and democracy tend to be mutually reinforcing.
Institutions matter, but which ones?
Authors: Bardhan Pranab 
Published: August 2005

AbstractThe purpose of this paper is to go beyond the narrow focus of the current institutional economics literature in development on the institutions protecting individual property rights, and to look at the economic effects of some other aspects of institutional quality on the development process (like democratic participation rights and institutions to address coordination failures). Another purpose is to suggest an alternative instrumental variable in quantifying the effects of property rights institutions. Finally, we speculate how, on account of distributive conflicts, institutions that have an adverse effect on economic performance often tend to persist for long periods of time in many poor countries.
Economic development and the decline of rural and urban community‐based networks*
Authors: Munshi Kaivan , Rosenzweig Mark 
Published: August 2005

AbstractThis paper studies how traditional networks in rural and urban India have responded to economic development. In rural areas, the impact of the Green Revolution on within‐network inequality has resulted in defection by the wealthiest members of caste‐based social insurance networks. In Bombay, the most able members of the caste‐based labour market networks are exiting from the traditional occupations to participate in new occupations in which individual rather than group ability is rewarded. In both cases, the weakest members of the community are left in networks that now have lowered capacity to provide services.
A retrospective study in the use of botulinum toxin type‐A in a UK multidisciplinary cosmetic practice
Authors: Bowler Patrick J 
Published: August 2005

SummaryBackground  Botulinum toxin type‐A is established as safe and effective and is widely used for cosmetic indications; however, little data exist on patient satisfaction following treatment.Aims  To correlate patient satisfaction with dose levels in the treatment of hyperfunctional facial lines.Patients/methods  Retrospective data were collected on 300 patients treated with Botox® for facial lines. Patients completed a subjective assessment of satisfaction with their treatment, and details of dose and treatment area were recorded.Results  Eighty‐five percent of patients rated their satisfaction with treatment as ≥ 8 (on a 10‐point scale), with higher scores seen at higher dosages. The highest mean score was seen in the 51–75 U dose group. Satisfaction was highest in patients who had three facial areas treated vs. those who had one or two areas treated. No safety issues were raised.Conclusions  The results show a high level of satisfaction with botulinum toxin type‐A treatment, with most patients achieving a desired “natural” look. Future studies should be carried out to standardize ways of achieving optimum patient satisfaction to maximize the link between physical appearance and psychological well‐being.
Removal of amateur blue‐black tattoos in Arabic women of skin type (III–IV) with Q‐switched alexandrite laser
Authors: Bukhari Iqbal A 
Published: August 2005

SummaryBackground and Objectives  Tattoos in Arabic society used to have a cosmetic importance on the face of females. These were usually amateur tattoos done by non‐professional women in the tribe. Because Islam as a religion prohibited its practice and its application, people became concerned about removing the old tattoos by any means. Nowadays, laser is considered an effective method of tattoo removal. Here, we report our experience in the removal of tattoos in Arabic women of skin type III–IV using the Q‐switched alexandrite laser.Study Design/Materials and Methods  Twenty female subjects aged 35–50 years from similar racial and ethnic background with amateur tattoos were treated using the Q‐switched alexandrite laser. Fluence threshold was determined and a spot test was made. Q‐switched alexandrite laser with a fluence range 4.0–7.5 J/cm2 (mean 6.05) was used at 6–12‐week intervals. Total treatment numbers ranged from three to six sessions (mean 4.15) with single‐pulse technique application.Results  More than 95% lightening was achieved in five patients after three to six sessions at fluence range of 6–7.5 J/cm2 and > 75% lightening in 10 subjects after three to six sessions of treatment at fluence range of 4–7.5 J/cm2. Pinpoint bleeding was observed in one case but no pigmentary alteration or scarring was seen.Conclusion  Tattoo pigment removal by Q‐switched alexandrite laser is an effective method in skin type (III–IV) with minimal side effects, which gives high patient satisfaction.
Medium‐depth and deep chemical peels
Authors: Camacho Francisco M 
Published: August 2005

SummaryChemical peeling, also known as chemoexfoliation or dermapeeling, is performed to improve the skin's appearance as it reduces the wrinkles caused by aging and the features of photoaged skin. Although the best results are obtained with deep peels, the medium‐depth peels allow to obtain excellent results without the dangerous side effects of deep peels.Medium‐depth peelings are performed with trichloroacetic acid (TCA) at 35–50% alone or at 35% in combination with Jessner's solution, 70% glycolic acid, and solid CO2. TCA must be applied with a cotton‐tipped applicator or saturated gauze pads with smooth strokes. After application, a dry gauze pad must be used to blot the excess TCA from the skin. Postoperative care of 35% TCA peeling consists of cleansing during the following days.Habitually, medium‐depth peelings with TCA alone or in combination have no complications. Sometimes, as a consequence of the patient's type of skin, the practitioner's lack of experience or other circumstances, complications such as hyper‐ or hypopigmentation, erythema, hypertrophiyc and keloid scars, infections, and milia may occur.Deep peeling with phenol has two modalities: unoccluded and occluded Baker's formula phenol. Unoccluded phenol peels is similar to the medium‐depth peeling with Jessner's solution + TCA at 35%, but it has the disadvantage that it may produce cardiac and renal complications. This kind of peeling must be applied more slowly, and it is specific for the eyelids in full‐face deep peeling. Afterpeel care is the same as that of medium‐depth peeling.Complications of deep peelings can be cardiac arrhythmias, hypertrophic scars, infections, prolonged erythema, pigmentary changes, cutaneous atrophy, and exceptionally toxic shock syndrome.
Psychological aspects of hair disease
Authors: Grimalt Ramon 
Published: August 2005

SummaryBalding men are viewed as less desirable in a physical, personal, and social sense. Given the stereotype, it is not surprising that some men with androgenetic alopecia (AGA) appear to have a lower self‐image, depression resulting in increased introversion, and increased feelings of unattractiveness.Ours is a culture that places a premium on physical appearance. In this context, appearance‐altering conditions can be psychosocially insidious, especially conditions such as AGA with an uncertain course and a negative social meaning.To date, little or no data have been available regarding the psychosocial and quality‐of‐life aspects of AGA in a representative sample of community men. It is unknown whether AGA is a causal factor in the development of low self‐esteem, depression, introversion, and feeling of unattractiveness, or whether there are underlying problems in certain patients prior to hair loss. Longitudinal studies will be important to investigate the temporal relationships between the degree of hair loss and psychosocial variables associated with AGA.A patient with male pattern baldness will be better treated and consequently more satisfied (better quality of life) if he receives effective anti‐alopecia agents and simultaneously is evaluated and treated, if needed, for his psychological disorder.
Epilepsy Education in Medical Schools: Report of the American Epilepsy Society Committee on Medical Student Education
Authors: Devinsky Orrin , Lowenstein Daniel , Bromfield Edward , Duchowny Michael , Smith Dennis B. 
Published: August 2005

Summary:The education of medical students about epilepsy is often fragmentary and incomplete. Basic information regarding the classification of epileptic seizures, epilepsy syndromes, first aid for seizures, and practical use of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) may not be covered in medical school curricula. In this report we describe reasons why the study of epilepsy provides a relatively unique opportunity to integrate concepts related to basic neuroscience and clinical neurology. Furthermore, we present a curricular framework that may prove useful for the education of medical students about epilepsy.
Concordance of Clinical Forms of Epilepsy in Families with Several Affected Members
Authors:   Italian League Against Epilepsy Genetic Collaborative Group
Published: August 2005

Summary:Evidence for genetic heterogeneity in epilepsy is strong. We evaluated the concordance of clinical forms in the same family in a series of families with several cases of idiopathic epilepsy, collected as part of the Study on the Genetics of Epilepsy of the Italian League against Epilepsy (LICE). The studied families had at least three members affected by an idiopathic form of epilepsy in one or more generations. Seventy‐four families (with a total of 296 affected members) have been analyzed; two families had cases with benign neonatal familial convulsions (BNFC); in 25% of the remaining families all members were affected by the same clinical form, 13.9% had a prevalent clinical form with only one affected member with a different seizure type, 36.1% had two clinical forms, and 25% had three forms of epilepsy in the same family. There are no clinical differences in the form of epilepsy between the families concordant for one clinical form and families with two or three clinical forms of idiopathic epilepsies. The distribution of the clinical form in the affected relatives in our families showed the higher concordance with the proband in febrile convulsions (FC, 70.8%) and in epilepsy with generalized tonic‐clonic seizures (EGTC, 63.0%). FC and EGTC were highly diffused in the affected relatives in the families with other forms of idiopathic epilepsy, above all in the more distantly related affected family members. In our families we observed a rare association between childhood absence epilepsy (CAE) and juvenile myoclonic epilepsy (JME). In every idiopathic form of epilepsy, there was a high concordance for the seizure phenotype in first‐degree affected relatives, whereas in more distantly related family members concordance was less evident and there was a tendency toward a different phenotypic expression.
Ictal 99mTc‐HMPAO Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography in Children with Temporal Lobe Epilepsy
Authors: Harvey A. Simon , Bowe Judith M. , Hopkins Ian J. , Shield Lloyd K. , Cook David J. , Berkovic Samuel F. 
Published: August 2005

Summary:Seventeen ictal 99mTc‐HMPAO single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) studies were performed in 15 children with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) aged 7–14 years (mean 10.3 years). Ictal SPECT was informative in 16 of 17 (94%) studies in 14 of 15 (93%) children, showing unilateral temporal lobe hyperperfu sion. In all 16 informative ictal SPECT studies, lateral‐ization was concordant with ictal EEC, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and pathology. In 4 children, ictat SPECT provided additional localizing information that was not apparent from concurrent ictal EEC recording. Blinded interpretation of ictal SPECT studies by two independent investigators showed correct lateralization of the epileptic focus in every child. Results of visual analysis of ictal SPECT images were corroborated by quantitative analysis. Although interictal SPECT studies showed a degree of temporal lobe hypoperfusion in all children, in 9 of 15 hypoperfusion was either minimal, bilateral, contralateral, or associated with extratemporal hypoperfusion. In children with TLE, ictal SPECT provides reliable lateralizing information to corroborate or supplement that obtained from surface EEG and MRI.
Partial Seizures Presenting as Life‐Threatening Apnea
Authors: Singh Balbir , Al Shahwan Saad A. , Al Deeb Saleh M. 
Published: August 2005

Summary:Apneic episodes, quite common in newborns, are considered rare after age 1 month, when gastroesophageal reflux, cardiac arrhythmias, idiopathic central apnea, and seizures become included in differential diagnosis. Determining the cause of apnea is important as treatment differs significantly and can be harmful; Caffeine given for presumed idiopathic central apnea is reported to have precipitated seizures in 2 patients with apneic seizures. Two cases of partial seizures presenting as apnea in infants were studied. Interictal EEC was normal in 1 and showed focal spikes in the other. Video EEG monitoring (16 channel) showed focalictal discharge originating from temporal areas clearly preceding onset of apnea in both patients. Because therapeutic options are sometimes diametrically opposite and interictal EEGs are particularly unreliable for diagnosis, we recommend video‐EEG monitoring if there is any doubt about the diagnosis before starting treatment in patients with apneic episodes.
Corpus Callosotomy for Intractable Epilepsy: Seizure Outcome and Prognostic Factors
Authors: Reutens D. C. , Bye A. M. , Hopkins I. J. , Banks A. , Somerville E. , Walsh J. , Bleasel A. , Ouvrier R. , MacKenzie R. A. , Manson J. I. , Bladin P. F. , Berkovic S. F. 
Published: August 2005

Summary:We reviewed the outcome of corpus callosal section in 64 adult and pediatric patients to identify factors associated with a good outcome: 48% of patients had a favorable outcome for overall seizure frequency. Improvement was noted in several seizure types and was most likely for drop attacks, particularly in the setting of a unilateral focal cerebral lesion or a true generalized epilepsy of Lennox‐Gastaut type. Poor outcomes for drop attacks were more likely if there was associated severe intellectual handicap or bilateral independent spikes on interictal EEG. Complex partial seizures (CPS), most commonly of frontal lobe origin, also responded favorably. The complications of callosal section were usually mild and transient. New focal seizures occurred in only 2 patients and were not as frequent or disabling as preoperative seizure types. A worthwhile improvement in seizure outcome was achieved by completion of the callosotomy in 6 of 10 patients with unsatisfactory results from anterior callosotomy.