bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Management of oral malodour
Authors: Quirynen M. 
Published: May 2003

AbstractHalitosis is a common problem. Its aetiology is multifactorial, but oral malodour is usually caused by microbial metabolism from the tongue, saliva or dental plaque. Mouthwashes are only effective against halitosis caused by intraoral factors. The principal causative agents of oral malodour are volatile sulphide compounds (VSCs), including hydrogen sulphide, methyl mercaptan and dimethyl sulphide. Data suggest that oral VSC levels correlate with the depth of periodontal pockets. Trials have shown that both mechanical oral care and mouthwash use can reduce halitosis levels. The majority of studies involving mouthwashes have investigated chlorhexidine and essential oil mouthwashes, although comparative studies are sparse.
Cyclophosphamide in treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus: 7 years’ experience
Authors: Feng P. H. , Jayaratnam F. J. , Tock E. P. C. , Seah C. S. 
Published: May 2003

SummaryThis paper describes our experience with cyclophosphamide in the treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus. Since 1965, 42 such patients have been treated either singly with cyclophosphamide or in combination with steroid. Serious complications have been rare except for amenorrhoea, which occurred in 14 out of 32 patients within the reproductive period. Our experience suggests that cyclophosphamide has an important, though not primary, part to play in the therapy of this disease.
Clinical and immunological profile of primary Sjogren's syndrome in Kuwait: First report from Middle East
Authors: Uppal Sukhbir Singh , Mutairi Moudhi Al , Malaviya Anand N 
Published: May 2003

AbstractAim: To describe the clinical and serological findings in primary Sjogren's syndrome (SS) patients seen in a teaching hospital in Kuwait.Methods: Using the European and San Diego criteria for the diagnosis of SS, we studied 10 consecutive (nine female and one male) SS patients seen in our rheumatology clinic. All these patients fulfilled four or more of the diagnostic criteria for SS proposed by the European Community Study Group in 1993 as well as the more stringent San Diego criteria.Results: The mean age of the patients at presentation was 32.9 years (SE 4.4 years), ranging from 15 to 56 years. The mean disease duration was 3.5 years (SE 1.4 years). The most frequently observed clinical manifestations were: xerostomia (80%); xerophthalmia (70%); and parotidomegaly (30%). The main extraglandular manifestation was arthritis (50%). The Schirmer test was positive in 90% and the rose Bengal test in 90%. The immunologic study showed antinuclear antibodies in 80% of patients, rheumatoid factor in 90%, anti‐Ro/SS‐A in 90% and anti‐La/SS‐B in 90%. Lip biopsy could be done in only six patients and showed characteristic focal lymphocytic infiltration of minor salivary glands in 67%. There was no statistically significant difference in the occurrence of parotidomegaly or arthritis in patients with disease onset before or after the age of 40 years. Likewise, there was no difference in the positivity of ANA, RF, ant‐Ro/SS‐A or anti‐La/SS‐B in the two age groups.Conclusions: Although primary SS is typically said to be a disease of middle‐aged women, this does not seem to be the case in Kuwait, where 60% had disease onset below the age of 40 years. We could not find any notable differences in clinical and immunological characteristics between patients with primary SS from Kuwait and those reported from elsewhere, except for higher rates of serological abnormalities (RF, anti‐Ro/SS‐A, anti‐La‐SS‐B), probably due to genetic differences and the use of the strict San Diego criteria.
Use of complementary medicine in systemic lupus erythematosus patients in Malaysia
Authors: Goh E. , Tan L. C. , Chow S. K. , Teh L. K. , Yeap S. S. 
Published: May 2003

AbstractAim: To determine the prevalence of the use of complementary medicine in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).Method: A prospective survey was conducted of 132 patients using a standard questionnaire.Results: Of the 132 patients, 15.2% were on alternative therapy and 56.7% were taking food supplements. The common types of alternative therapy taken were oral traditional herbs (50%) and noni juice (20%). Vitamin C, calcium, vitamin E, vitamin B, Spirulina, evening primrose oil, fish oil and multivitamins were the commonest food supplements. There was no significant relationships between taking alternative treatment and educational level (P = 0.16), income (P = 0.05) or race (P = 0.42) of the patients. The majority of these patients took these therapies or supplements for up to 1 year. Up to 70% of the patients had not consulted a doctor before taking these therapies, with immediate family members and friends being the main sources of recommendation. The majority of patients spent RM50−RM500 (US$13−US$132) for 2 months’ supply of medications. In conclusion, 15.2% of SLE patients in our study were on alternative therapy and 57.6% on food supplements.Conclusion: Physicians should be aware of these practices which should be taken into account during the history‐taking and subsequent management of the patients.
Methotrexate versus chloroquine in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis
Authors: Alam M. Rajibul , Haq Syed Atiqul , Majumder M. Mahabubul Islam , Das Shankar Narayan , Alam M. N. 
Published: May 2003

AbstractAims: The cost of treatment and monitoring of rheumatoid arthritis patients with more effective disease‐modifying drugs like methotrexate and sulphasalazine is prohibitive. This open random clinical trial was carried out with a view to assessing the status of chloroquine, the cheapest disease‐modifying drug, in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.Method: A total of 47 cases were included in the study. Thirty subjects were randomly assigned to methotrexate and 14 to chloroquine groups. During 6 months follow‐up, five cases (three in chloroquine and two in methotrexate) dropped out because of side‐effects and inefficacy. Out of the remaining 42, 35 were female and five were male, with a mean age of 46.05 ± 14.12 years. Mean duration of the disease at the time of presentation was 5.53 ± 6.33 years. The two groups did not differ significantly in baseline demographics and disease activity variables.Results: In both groups, most indices showed significant decrease in the disease activity. The difference in decreases in swollen joint count, tender joint count, joint swelling index and duration of morning stiffness were higher in the methotrexate compared to the chloroquine group. Inter‐group differences in the magnitudes of decreases were insignificant in other variables. At the end of 6 months, the response rate, according to the WHO/ILAR criteria, were 75% and 64% in methotrexate and chloroquine groups, respectively. The difference was not significant. Anorexia and nausea were the most common side‐effects in both groups and subsided with the passage of time despite continuation of therapy.Conclusion: Considering low cost and a lesser need for close monitoring, chloroquine may be considered a choice in rheumatoid arthritis patients with mild disease and who are from underprivileged communities.
Quinacrine and hydroxychloroquine, a forgotten combination for patients with active systemic lupus erythematosus in Australasia?
Authors: Ching Daniel W. T. 
Published: May 2003

AbstractIn 1994, A 39‐year‐old Female Patient With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (Sle) Was Diagnosed As Having Lupus‐induced Serositis. She Was Commenced On Hydroxychloroquine (Hcq) And Prednisone. Her Disease Kept Relapsing Whenever She Was Tailed Off Prednisone. In 1997, Quinacrine (Qn) Was Commenced, And Prednisone Was Gradually Stopped. Her Disease Has Remained In Remission On The Combination Of Hcq And Qn. In December 2000 She Ran Out Of Qn For A Week, And Within This Period She Started To Experience Fatigue And Polyarthralgia Again. Quinacrine Is Available From Compounding Pharmacies, And Is Relatively Cheap. The Combination Of Hcq And Qn In The Treatment Of Sle Should Be Considered More Often.
Possible coexistence of SLE and sarcoidosis in a Chinese female patient
Authors: Lee K. K. , Wong W. S. 
Published: May 2003

AbstractSystemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and sarcoidosis, both being multisystem disorders, share some common clinical features. However, while SLE is not an uncommon disease in the Chinese population, sarcoidosis is distinctly rare in the Chinese. We report a Chinese female patient whose presenting features tend to suggest a lupus‐like illness. However, eventually, the diagnosis of sarcoidosis was documented, based on the histological findings of her lymph node biopsy. The possible coexistence of SLE and sarcoidosis is discussed.
Juvenile dermatomyositis: Advances in understanding and management
Authors: Murray Kevin J. 
Published: May 2003

AbstractThe last few decades have produced major advances in the understanding of clinical aspects of inflammatory myositis disorders, both in children and adults. Though relatively rare in childhood, these conditions are often quite severe and require intensive treatments for considerable periods of time. Significant morbidity and occasional mortality still occur despite improvements in outcome. This improved outcome has resulted in part from the novel or better applications of medications already in use, as well as the availability of newer drugs. Few of these have been designed specifically for use in inflammatory myositis but have been drawn from therapeutic trials in other rheumatic disorders and areas of medicine such as oncology and transplantation medicine. Just as important have been the international efforts to design and validate specific outcome measures for all aspects of these disorders, both in childhood and adults, particularly to support the conduct of therapeutic trials. It is highly likely that as improvements in understanding of pathogenesis occur, more specific treatments with drugs such as biological agents will replace the more traditional therapeutic approaches and perhaps designed specifically on a patient‐by‐patient basis. This review highlights the important advances of the last decade and describes a management approach shared by many of the workers in this field. It focuses primarily on juvenile onset dermatomyositis (JDM) as this is the most common disorder seen, and experience with JDM forms the basis of management of the other disorders.
Pulsed Signal Therapy®: An overview
Authors: Markoll Richard , Da Silva Ferreira Dulce M. , Toohil Theresa K. 
Published: May 2003

AbstractPulsed Signal Therapy® (PST®) is a unique form of therapy that entails directing a specific physiological signal carried on a series of magnetic field pulses to the treatment site. These uniquely specific energy parameters are transmitted through the injured tissue to target the affected area via direct induction. The corrective PST® signal, carried on the magnetic wave‐pulse, induces a tiny electrical signal that mimics the physiological signaling normally occurring in healthy living organisms. In this way, it exerts its therapeutic effects by stimulating cellular repair. Double‐blind clinical trials and other open label randomized studies conducted in over 100,000 patients have consistently confirmed the long term efficacy and safety of PST® in patients suffering from osteoarthritis of the knee, cervical and lumbar spine. Data was collected over a 10 year period in the USA, Canada, France, Italy and Germany, by qualified specialists at major medical centers, or their affiliated teaching hospitals and other facilities.* Extensive studies in patients with temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ) and tinnitus, not responsive to other therapies, have shown significant improvement, following PST®. Ergo PST has been successfully used in the treatment of chronic pain associated with connective tissue (cartilage, tendon, ligaments and bone) injury, osteoarthritis (OA or arthrosis) and also in the treatment of joint‐associated soft tissue injury (traumatic, including soft tissue injury). In effect, PST® has been shown to exert positive effects on both cartilage and dense connective tissue, and in stimulating the repair of bone‐tissue.
Factors associated with volatile solvent use among junior high school students in Kanto, Japan
Authors: Kikuchi Akiko , Wada Kiyoshi 
Published: May 2003

ABSTRACTAims  To estimate the relative association between life‐time volatile solvent use and risk factors for usage.Design  Cross‐sectional anonymous questionnaire survey.Setting  Junior high schools in Kanto, Japan.Participants  Junior high school students (n = 7744).Measurements  Data on life‐time and past‐year solvent use, demographic variables, urbanization, regularity of waking patterns, school life, family life, peer relationships, prior alcohol and cigarette use and knowledge on harmful effects of solvent use.Findings  Uni‐ and multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted to estimate crude and adjusted odds ratios for each index. The primary findings were (1) ‘smoking cigarettes nearly every day’ (adjusted OR = 9.88, 95% Cl = 3.74, 26.12) and peer pressure measured by ‘been tempted to use solvents’ (adjusted OR = 9.53, 95% Cl = 4.84, 18.74) demonstrated the highest adjusted odds ratios; (2) being male (adjusted OR = 2.56, 95% Cl = 1.37, 4.76), seeing school life as ‘not at all enjoyable’ (adjusted OR = 2.69, 95% Cl = 1.03, 7.01) and family environment as ‘neither good nor bad’ (adjusted OR = 2.15, 95% Cl = 1.19, 3.88) also showed significant association; (3) life‐time alcohol use did not show a significant association in the multivariate model (adjusted OR = 0.80, 95% Cl = 0.30, 2.12); and (4) solvent use appeared independent of knowledge regarding its effects (‘death by acute intoxication’, ‘psychotic symptoms’, ‘amotivational syndrome’, ‘flashbacks’ adjusted ORs all non‐significant).Conclusion  Alcohol use may not function as a gateway to solvent use in Japan. The reasons may be culture‐bound. A longitudinal study is required to test this hypothesis.
Marginality among older injectors in today's illicit drug culture: assessing the impact of ageing
Authors: Anderson Tammy L. , Levy Judith A. 
Published: May 2003

ABSTRACTAims As conceptualized by Robert Park in 1928, the ‘marginal man’ occupies simultaneously an intermediate point between two distinct cultures that embody some level of contradictory normative expectations, behaviors and beliefs. This paper explores the influence of ageing and social change on the creation of marginality among injection drug users over age 50 who have been chronic heroin users since their youth.Design Our data are drawn from in‐depth interviews with 40 (28 male and 12 female) not‐in‐drug‐treatment, active injecting drug users between the ages of 18 and 68.Setting Our sample was recruited using street outreach as part of a larger, community‐based study conducted from a converted storefront in a high crime, economically depressed neighborhood on the west side of Chicago.Findings As they aged, and under the pressures of social change, the older users whom we studied moved from center positioning in the illicit drug culture of their youth to the margins of a differing drug culture of today where they participate largely unseen by others. Nostalgic for the ‘Old School’ mores of the past, and unable to transcend or assimilate fully into the cultural practices and norms of the ‘New’, they respond to their predicament by embracing ‘poise’ in the face of loneliness, stress and fear of victimization.Conclusions Our respondents’ experiences draw attention to the need to refine the field's theoretical and practical understandings of what it means to be marginal and its consequences for older drug users and people in general. The results also point to what happens when society changes but some of its members do not.
The effectiveness of personalized smoking cessation strategies for callers to a Quitline service
Authors: Borland Ron , Balmford James , Segan Catherine , Livingston Patricia , Owen Neville 
Published: May 2003

ABSTRACTAim  To assess the effectiveness of a program of computer‐generated tailored advice for callers to a telephone helpline, and to assess whether it enhanced a series of callback telephone counselling sessions in aiding smoking cessation.Design  Randomized controlled trial comparing: (1) untailored self‐help materials; (2) computer‐generated tailored advice only, and (3) computer‐generated tailored advice plus callback telephone counselling. Assessment surveys were conducted at baseline, 3, 6 and 12 months.Setting  Victoria, Australia.Participants  A total of 1578 smokers who called the Quitline service and agreed to participate.Measurements  Smoking status at follow‐up; duration of cessation, if quit; use of nicotine replacement therapy; and extent of participation in the callback service.Findings  At the 3‐month follow‐up, significantly more (χ2(2) = 16.9; P < 0.001) participants in the computer‐generated tailored advice plus telephone counselling condition were not smoking (21%) than in either the computer‐generated advice only (12%) or the control condition (12%). Proportions reporting not smoking at the 12‐month follow‐up were 26%, 23% and 22%, respectively (NS) for point prevalence, and for 9 months sustained abstinence; 8.2, 6.0, and 5.0 (NS). In the telephone counselling group, those receiving callbacks were more likely than those who did not to have sustained abstinence at 12 months (10.2 compared with 4.0, P < 0.05). Logistic regression on 3‐month data showed significant independent effects on cessation of telephone counselling and use of NRT, but not of computer‐generated tailored advice.Conclusion  Computer‐generated tailored advice did not enhance telephone counselling, nor have any independent effect on cessation. This may be due to poor timing of the computer‐generated tailored advice and poor integration of the two modes of advice.
Maternal drug use and length of neonatal unit stay
Authors: Johnson K. , Greenough A. , Gerada C. 
Published: May 2003

ABSTRACTAims  Infants with neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) may require a prolonged neonatal unit admission, which has implications for both their families and bed occupancy. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that the duration of neonatal unit stay would be influenced by the type of maternal drug use and particularly prolonged for the infants whose mothers had taken methadone with other substances.Design  The medical records of infants born at term who were admitted consecutively to a neonatal unit because of NAS were reviewed. Data were collected regarding antenatal and neonatal factors likely to affect neonatal stay. Comparisons were then made between three groups of infants: those whose mothers took methadone alone, methadone plus other drugs or non‐methadone opioids.Setting  Level three neonatal intensive care unit.Participants  Forty‐one infants with a median gestational age of 39 (range 37–42) weeks.Findings  The 41 infants had a median duration of admission of 30 (range 3–68) days. Thirty‐six of the infants required treatment for NAS; their median duration of treatment was 29 (range 6–68) days. The duration of stay and requirement for treatment were greater in the infants exposed to methadone and other drugs compared to those exposed to non‐methadone opiods only (P = 0.0212, P = 0.0343, respectively). The duration of stay without requirement for treatment was also longest in the methadone plus other drugs group (P = 0.0117).Conclusions  Prolonged treatment and neonatal unit stay are influenced by the type of maternal drug abused.
Eye movements to smoking‐related pictures in smokers: relationship between attentional biases and implicit and explicit measures of stimulus valence
Authors: Mogg Karin , Bradley Brendan P. , Field Matt , De Houwer Jan 
Published: May 2003

ABSTRACTAims  To investigate biases in overt orienting of attention to smoking‐related cues in cigarette smokers, and to examine the relationship between measures of visual orienting and the affective and motivational valence of smoking cues.Design  Smokers and non‐smokers took part in a single session in which their attentional and evaluative responses to smoking‐related and matched control pictures were recorded.Participants  Twenty smokers and 25 non‐smokers.Measurements  Direction and duration of gaze was measured while participants completed a visual probe task. Subjective and cognitive‐experimental measures of the motivational and affective valence of the stimuli were recorded.Findings  Smokers, but not non‐smokers, maintained their gaze for longer on smoking‐related pictures than control pictures. They were also faster to detect probes that replaced smoking‐related than control pictures, consistent with an attentional bias for smoking‐related cues. Furthermore, smokers showed greater preferences for smoking‐related than control pictures, compared with non‐smokers, on both the subjective (explicit) and cognitive‐experimental (implicit) indices of stimulus valence. Within smokers, longer initial fixations of gaze on smoking‐related pictures were associated with a bias to rate the smoking pictures more positively, with greater approach tendencies for smoking pictures on the cognitive‐experimental task, and with a greater urge to smoke.Conclusions  These results demonstrate that smokers show biased attentional orientating to smoking cues, which is related to craving and the affective and motivational valence of the stimuli.
Characteristics of non‐respondents in a US national longitudinal survey on drinking and intimate partner violence
Authors: Caetano Raul , Ramisetty‐Mikler Suhasini , McGrath Christine 
Published: May 2003

ABSTRACTAims  To identify non‐respondents’ characteristics in a longitudinal household survey of intimate partner violence and drinking among United States couples.Design  Multistage probability sampling procedure with over‐samples from black and Hispanic populations. A total of 1635 couples 18 years of age or older were interviewed at baseline (1995) for a response rate of 85%. Five years later, 1392 respondents were re‐interviewed, with a response rate of 72%.Measurements  Sociodemographic variables, drinking volume and pattern, drug use, intimate partner violence, exposure to parental violence and childhood physical abuse.Findings  Among men, those who are younger, those who did not graduate from high school, those who are unemployed and those who are drinkers are more likely to be among the non‐respondents. Among women, those who are 40–49 years of age are two times more likely than those aged 50 years or older to be among non‐respondents. Also, women who reported experiencing abuse during their childhood are less likely to be among non‐respondents compared with those who were not victimized. Gender‐specific regression models accounted for only 5% of the variance in the response status variable, even after the inclusion of a comprehensive range of predictors in the model.Conclusions  A low proportion of the variance in survey participation was explained by the variables included in the analysis, suggesting that sociodemographic, drinking‐related and violence‐related variables might not be the main factors determining participation in the survey.