bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Pain Thresholds in Daily Transformed Migraine Versus Episodic Migraine Headache Patients
Authors: Kitaj Madeleine B. , Klink Michelle 
Published: August 2005

Objective.—The objective of this study was to test whether pain thresholds of patients with episodic migraine (EM) are significantly different from transformed migraine (TM) patients as measured by Quantitative Sensory Testing (QST) and Semmes‐Weinstein Monofilaments (SW).Background.—Although there are many theories, none have undeniably proven why many TM patients are refractory to triptans and other gold standard medications. The hypothesis was that baseline pain thresholds of TM patients are lower than EM patients.Methods.—Episodic (n = 40) and Transformed (n = 41) migraineurs with and without aura were examined with QST and SW over eight locations (bilateral ophthalmic, maxillary, C4/posterior neck, and forearm). All patients completed two visits, baseline and severe migraine.Results.—TM patients have lower pain thresholds, than EM patients, as measured on QST and SW testing. A total of 81 out of 129 patients completed both parts of the study at baseline and severe migraine. There were significant differences (P < .05) between EM and TM groups at baseline on maxillary, neck (EM = 45.91°C and TM = 42.94°C), and arm.Conclusions.—TM patients, clinically known to report skin hypersensitivity during migraine, were found to have lower pain thresholds than EM patients, both with severe migraine, and at baseline, measured by QST and SW mechanical testing. As with Burstein's work in EM patients with lowered pain thresholds during their acute migraine, central sensitization may be the explanation for non‐responsiveness to triptans in a high proportion of TM patients. The difference in pain threshold at the neck location was such a strikingly frequent difference between EM and TM patients, that this indicates the need for future research to clarify the directional relationship and the relative importance of muscular versus peripheral versus central hypersensitivity in the determination of allodynia.
Topiramate Improves Health‐Related Quality of Life When Used to Prevent Migraine
Authors: Diamond Merle , Dahlöf Carl , Papadopoulos George , Neto Walter , S‐C Wu 
Published: August 2005

Objective.—To assess changes in health‐related quality of life (HRQoL) measures among patients receiving topiramate (TPM) 100 mg/d in two divided doses for migraine prevention in three randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled, 26‐week trials with similar protocols and study populations.Background.—Migraine substantially impairs HRQoL and work productivity before, during, and after attacks. Approximately 50% of patients with migraine could be recommended for preventive therapies, yet only 3% to 5% of patients receive them. TPM is an effective and generally well‐tolerated migraine prophylactic (preventive) therapy for adults, as demonstrated in several randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled trials. The most common adverse events in double‐blind, placebo‐controlled studies of TPM in migraine prevention are paresthesia, fatigue, anorexia, nausea, taste alteration, and diarrhea.Design and Methods.—The Migraine‐Specific Questionnaire (MSQ, version 2.1) was used to assess the effect of TPM 100 mg/d on the functionality and HRQoL of randomized intent‐to‐treat (ITT) and study‐completer populations pooled from three randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled trials. MSQ scores (0 to 100, higher score indicates better functioning) were assessed for the following three domains: role restriction (examines the degree to which performance of daily activities is limited by migraine), role prevention (examines the degree to which performance of daily activities is interrupted by migraine), and emotional function (examines feelings of frustration and helplessness due to migraine). Between‐group differences from baseline in mean MSQ domain scores for TPM 100 mg/d and placebo were compared using a mixed‐effects model with piecewise linear regression. Effect sizes were calculated to estimate the magnitude of change in HRQoL that can be associated with TPM therapy.Results.—TPM 100 mg/d significantly improved all three MSQ domains compared with placebo for both the ITT (TPM, n = 372; placebo, n = 362) and study‐completer (TPM, n = 220; placebo, n = 216) populations (P < .001 for all three domains, both populations). Effect sizes for TPM 100 mg/d varied from 0.40 to 0.78, indicating that the changes in MSQ scores for TPM 100 mg/d were moderate and may be clinically significant.Conclusion.—TPM 100 mg/d has been shown to be effective in the prevention of migraine headache in adults. As the MSQ results from the three randomized, placebo‐controlled trials indicate, HRQoL is significantly improved for up to 6 months following initiation of treatment.
Enhanced Trigemino‐Cervical‐Spinal Reflex Recovery Cycle in Pain‐Free Migraineurs
Authors: Serrao Mariano , Perrotta Armando , Bartolo Michelangelo , Fiermonte Giancarlo , Pauri Flavia , Rossi Paolo , Parisi Leoluca , Pierelli Francesco 
Published: August 2005

Objective.—To evaluate trigemino‐cervical‐spinal reflexes (TCSRs) in a group of migraine patients during the pain‐free period.Background.—TCRSs are part of a complex nocifensive response involving the cervical and the upper limb muscles, and are modulated by supraspinal inhibitory pathways; it may, thus, be possible to use TCRSs to explore the trigeminal system in migraineurs.Methods.—A total of 43 migraine patients without aura (MWoA, 32 patients) or with typical aura (MWA, 11 patients) and 30 age‐ and sex‐matched healthy subjects took part in the study. TCRSs were obtained by stimulating the supraorbital nerve and recorded from the semispinalis capitis muscle and the biceps brachii. The latency (L, msec), area (A, mVms) and recovery cycle of the reflexes were recorded. The effects of heterotopic painful stimulation on the neurophysiological parameters were studied by a validated cold pressor test (CPT).Results.—No significant changes were found between either migraine patients and controls or MWoA and MWA patients in the mean values in the L and A of TCRSs (t‐test, P > .05). The recovery curve of the trigemino‐cervical reflexes (TCRs) was significantly faster in migraine patients than in controls, while no differences were found in the trigemino‐spinal reflexes (TSRs) (t‐test, P < .01). Activation of the diffuse inhibitory controls through the CPT induced a significant reduction in the TCRs and TSRs area in both migraine patients and controls (paired t‐test, P < .01), though the extent of this reduction did not differ significantly between migraineurs and controls (t‐test, P > .05).Comments.—Our data suggest that the pain‐free period in migraine patients is characterized by a hyperexcitability of the trigeminal pathways and of their anatomical and functional connections with the upper cervical cord neurons, and that this abnormal hyperexcitability does not appear to be due to a lack of a supraspinal inhibitory modulation.
A Pilot Study of Botulinum Toxin A for Headache in Cervical Dystonia
Authors: Ondo William G. , Gollomp Stephen , Galvez‐Jimenez Nestor 
Published: August 2005

Objective.—To evaluate the prevalence of associated headache (HA) pain with craniocervical dystonia and the therapeutic effect of BoNT‐A injections on the HA component when injected for cervical dystonia.Background.—HA associated with craniocervical dystonia is a recent formally codified entity, but has not been systematically studied.Methods.—We identified 44 subjects from three movement disorder clinics who presented with craniocervical dystonia and concurrent HA pain. The subjects were injected with botulinum toxin type A (BoNT‐A) and prospectively evaluated with the Toronto Western Spasmodic Torticollis Rating Scale (TWSTRS), headache diaries, Headache Impact Test (HIT‐6), and Migraine Disability Assessment Scale (MIDAS), along with HA pain anatomy and adverse events, at baseline, and at 4, 8, and 12 weeks post‐injection.Results.—As expected, all aspects of the TWSTRS robustly improved. Headache diaries and the HIT‐6 also improved at 4, 8, and 12 weeks post‐injection. Sections of the MIDAS improved, and adverse events were minimal.Conclusion.—BoNT‐A safely improves headache associated with craniocervical dystonia when administered for the primary condition of craniocervical dystonia.
Occurrence of Non‐Q wave Myocardial Infarction Following Percutaneous Coronary Intervention in the Stent Era: Systematic Monitoring of the Three Markers of Myocardial Necrosis
Authors: VARANI ELISABETTA , BALDUCELLI MARCO , VECCHI GIUSEPPE , GATTI CINZIA , LUCCHI GIULIA RICCI , MARESTA ALEARDO 
Published: August 2005

Objectives: To compare the elevation of the three markers total creatine kinase (CK), CK‐MB mass, and troponin I (TnI) and their relationship with clinical and procedural characteristics following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).
Methods: We prospectively evaluated 385 patients consecutively undergoing successful PCI. The three markers were systematically measured before and at 6, 12, and 24 hours after PCI. Any increase above the upper normal limit (UNL) of any marker has been considered abnormal when basal values were normal, while a further increase was needed when basal values were altered. Patients with ongoing acute myocardial infarction were excluded from the analysis.
Results: TnI was above UNL in 183 patients (51%); in 138 (38.5%) it was the only marker altered. CK‐MB mass was elevated in 12.8% patients, more than 3× UNL in 5.5% and more than 5× UNL in 2.8%. In over one half of these patients, CK‐MB values peaked at 12 hours following PCI. Total CK was above UNL in 23 patients only (6.4%) and more than twice UNL in 5 (1.4%). Only 1 patient out of the 5 with CK‐MB mass more than 10× UNL had total CK higher than twice UNL. In our population, post‐PCI elevation of myocardial necrosis markers correlate with the occurrence of minor procedural complications (observed overall in 7.8% cases; TnI and/or CK‐MB > 1×UNL 96% vs 47.5%, P < 0.001) and the presence of higher complexity clinical and/or procedural features, such as multivessel disease, multivessel or multilesion PCI, multiple stenting and use of glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors.
Conclusions: The elevation of at least one biochemical marker of myocardial necrosis is frequent following successful PCI with routine stent implantation. CK‐MB mass is the most practical marker, having optimal kinetic and peaking with the first 12–18 hours post‐PCI. Definitive data on the prognostic role and the applicability for the diagnosis of myocardial infarction of minor elevation of CK‐MB mass or isolated increase of TnI are lacking.
Rare Complication of Multiple Revision Surgeries of Penile Prosthesis
Authors: Park Jong Kwan , Jang Sang Woong , Lee Sung Won , Cui Yong 
Published: August 2005

ABSTRACT

Introduction
Migration of the penile prosthesis reservoir into the bladder is rare.

Methods
A 67–year–old male was found with painful gross hematuria after two revision surgeries of the penile prosthesis.

Results
The inflatable penile prosthesis reservoir migrated into the bladder. A new reservoir was repositioned on the contralateral side to the erosion site with salvage surgery.

Conclusions
Erosion of penile prosthesis reservoir into the bladder due to shortened tubing by multiple revision surgeries is rare. In selected cases, reposition of a new reservoir on the contralateral side to the erosion site can be used as salvage surgery.
Sexual Intercourse Attempt Patterns with Two Dosing Regimens of Tadalafil in Men with Erectile Dysfunction: Results from the SURE Study in 14 European Countries
Authors: Moncada Ignacio , Damber Jan-Erik , Mirone Vincenzo , Wespes Eric , Casariego Joaquin , Chan Melanie , Varanese Lucio 
Published: August 2005

ABSTRACT

Objective
To describe the pattern of sexual attempts by men with erectile dysfunction (ED) taking tadalafil 20 mg on demand or on an alternative dosing regimen, 3 times/week, and to assess changes in sexual behavior when the patients were exposed to the alternative regimen.

Design and Methods
Scheduled use versus on–demand regimen evaluation (SURE) is a multicenter, crossover, open–label study conducted in 14 European countries. Men with ED (N = 4,262) were randomized to tadalafil 20 mg on–demand treatment (maximum one dose per day and before sexual activity) or 3 times/week for 5–6 weeks. After a 1–week washout period, patients were crossed over to the alternative regimen for 5–6 weeks.

Results
Nearly half (47%) of the attempts on the on–demand regimen and 71% of the attempts on the 3 times/week treatment were performed by patients more than 4 hours post dosing. Sexual activity occurred throughout the week on both regimens, with the highest percentage of attempts made during the weekend (50% on on–demand and 48% on 3 times/week) and evening and morning hours. The efficacy of tadalafil was more than 70% mean–per–patient success rate (Sexual Encounter Profile question 3) regardless of the time interval post dosing.

Conclusions
Patients on tadalafil changed their sexual behavior significantly when on an alternative dosing regimen (3 times/week) and had sexual attempts distributed over a wide period of time post dosing. A substantial number of sexual attempts were performed beyond the first 4 hours post dosing on both regimens (47% for on–demand and 71% for 3 times/week) and preferably in the evening and morning hours. Tadalafil was efficacious regardless of the time interval post dosing-i.e., up to 36 hours. The two treatment regimens, on–demand and 3 times/week, provide an additional option and unique flexibility in dosing for men with ED and their partners.
An Evaluation of a Telephone Follow–Up Clinic in Urology
Authors: Wylie Kevan , Allen Patricia , Hallam-Jones Ruth 
Published: August 2005

ABSTRACT

Objective
To evaluate the introduction of telephone follow–up reviews for prescriptions of oral erectogenic agents.

Patients and Methods
124 men of 166 invited patients who had participated in telephone consultations during the first 12 months of operation.

Results
91.9% of respondents found the telephone clinic more convenient than traditional attendance particularly because the former requires no travel and waiting time to be seen by a consultant.

Conclusion
Men with erectile dysfunction can be followed up by telephone in the majority of cases where an oral erectogenic agent has been prescribed.
Cholesterol Feeding Reduces Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Signaling in Rabbit Corporal Tissues
Authors: Xie Donghua , Kontos Christopher D. , Donatucci Craig F. , Annex Brian H. 
Published: August 2005

ABSTRACT

Purpose
Hypercholesterolemia is a major risk factor for erectile dysfunction (ED), but the mechanisms are not completely understood. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is reduced in rabbit corporal tissue with cholesterol feeding. VEGF signaling leads to the phosphorylation of Akt and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (p–Akt and p–eNOS).

Material and Methods
New Zealand White rabbits (n = 50) were fed a 1% cholesterol (n = 8, 8, 8, 4) or normal (n = 6, 6, 6, 4) diet for 2, 4.5, 7.5, and 12 weeks. Akt, p–Akt, and p–Akt/Akt were measured by enzyme–linked immunosorbent assay. Levels of eNOS, p–eNOS, and neuronal and inducible nitric oxide synthase (nNOS and iNOS) mRNA and protein were assessed by polymerase chain reaction and Western analysis.

Results
Cholesterol feeding was associated with a significant decrease in p–Akt/Akt 2.16–fold (P &lt; 0.05), 3.28–fold (P &lt; 0.02), and 3.42–fold (P &lt; 0.02) at 4.5, 7.5, and 12 weeks., respectively. The reduction in p–Akt/Akt with the cholesterol diet at 2 weeks was not significantly different, but the correlation between the duration of cholesterol feeding and the reduction in p–Akt/Akt was high (r 2 = 0.858). eNOS protein or mRNA did not change with cholesterol feeding, but p–eNOS was significantly decreased at 4.5 weeks and all subsequent time points. nNOS mRNA and protein levels were decreased at 4.5 weeks and all subsequent time points, while iNOS was not different between groups.

Conclusions
Hypercholesterolemia results in decreased VEGF signaling and decreased levels of the active form of eNOS in corporal tissue. Levels of nNOS were reduced by a different mechanism. VEGF signaling may provide a target to modulate ED.
The Antimasturbation Crusade in Antebellum American Medicine
Authors: Hodges Frederick M. 
Published: August 2005

ABSTRACT
The antimasturbation fervor that swept through the English–speaking world during the 19th century raged with particular intensity and unequaled duration in the United States. American medical leaders were convinced that masturbation was the underlying cause of nearly all social problems and diseases. Even after the discovery and general acceptance of the germ theory of disease in the late 19th century, the U.S. medical establishment continued to maintain well into the middle of the 20th century that masturbation was both a pathological act and a cause of mental and physical disease. This article explores the dominant themes in the medical doctrines about masturbation that prevailed in the first half of the 19th century, by examining the case reports of five prominent American physicians: Benjamin Rush, Samuel Bayard Woodward, Alfred Hitchcock, Alonzo Garwood, and Edward H. Dixon.
Zeno's Cosmology and the Presumption of Innocence. Interpretations and Vindications
Authors: Mouraviev Serge 
Published: August 2005

AbstractThe present study partly supports, partly corrects, and partly complements recent discussions of Arius Didymus fr. 23 and fr. 25 Diels, Aetius I, 20, 1 and Sextus Empiricus AM X, 3-4 = PH III, 124. It proposes a comprehensive interpretation of the first text (A.I), defends the attribution of its content to Zeno of Citium (A.II), interprets the Stoic definitions of space, place and void to be found in the other sources (B.I) and again vindicates the attribution of the core definitions to Zeno (B.II). The central methodological principle is the presumption of innocence for sources.The main conclusions of (A) are: 1. Arius Didymus' fr. 23 deals only with the coherence and the structure of the cosmos, not with its immobility; 2. The coherence of the cosmos, as that of any object, is determined by its hexis which pushes its parts towards its centre; 3. The structure of the cosmos, its stratification into the four concentric spheres of the elements, is determined by the combined effect of (a) the thrust downwards they all undergo from the cosmos' hexis; (b) their own natural weight or lightness and (c) the relative quantitative values of these weights or lightnesses; 4. The reasons adduced against Zeno's authorship are not based on the evidence but on the now prevalent disparaging sceptical approach towards Stobaeus' way of excerpting from Arius.The main conclusions of (B) are: 1. There is no deep contradiction between the various de finitions of space ascribed by our sources to Zeno, Chrysippus and the Stoics in general: what Chrysippus denied was the form of the de finition attributed to Zeno by Aetius, not the concept de fined, even though this form seems to have prevailed later in the school; 2. There is no good reason therefore to question its ascription to Zeno as some modern researchers have done; 3. Here again the error is due to a predominantly sceptical approach towards the reliability of our sources.
Dollarization of the South Pacific Island Countries: Results of a Preliminary Study
Authors:   Jayaraman
Published: August 2005

AbstractThis paper examines the case for adopting the Australian dollar as a common currency among the island countries in the South Pacific. The proposal of a single currency was informally floated by Australia at the Pacific Forum Leaders Meeting in Auckland, in August 2003. The Pacific Forum consists of 14 developing island countries and the developed countries in the region, namely, Australia and New Zealand. In early 2003, a committee of the Australian Senate recommended adoption of a single currency as a possible remedy to meet the deteriorating economic situations in the Pacific island countries, arising out of poor fiscal discipline and failure to effectively use external aid inflows. Successful adoption of a single currency with either a new currency or an existing currency of a dominant partner in trade and development requires the fulfillment of various prerequirements, which are well known as optimum currency area conditions. The paper assesses the feasibility of the proposal in the light of these conditions and concludes that the time for adoption has not yet arrived.
An Ambiguous Discourse of Rights: the 2004 Family Law Reform in Morocco
Authors: Bargach Jamila 
Published: August 2005

AbstractThe daring reforms of the 2004 family law in Morocco were heralded as a watershed in the contemporary status of gender relations. Making the institution of the tutor optional, raising the age of marriage to be equal between men and women and granting rights of custody to the mother in cases of divorce or re-marriage were seen as valorizing to women. However, and despite this progressive thrust, there remain some murky areas pertaining to the question of birth outside wedlock. This article weaves its argument around the structural impossibility of establishing legal rights to unmarried mothers given that such a phenomenon symbolizes deep existential anxieties about changes occurring within hitherto controlled and taboo domains of sexuality and the right to sexuality. The crisis facing traditional forms of solidarity and the indeterminacy of the Mudawana's clauses invoke an embattled social space where women's "illegal" sexuality continues to be the vexing nexus.
Negotiating Independence in Mauritius
Authors: Mozaffar Shaheen 
Published: August 2005

AbstractThe democratic institutions, especially the electoral institutions for converting votes into seats that were chosen during independence negotiations, have been the key to democratic stability in Mauritius. These institutions emerged out of strategic bargaining structured around a combination of contextual and contingent variables. Conflicting political interests reflecting a combination of class, sectarian and communal interests influenced the institutional preferences of Mauritian elites involved in independence negotiations, leading them to converge on institutional designs that they expected would protect and promote those interests in the new democratic polity. Once in place, the new institutions represented equilibrium outcomes, creating incentives for all actors, engendering a learning curve in peaceful accommodation of inter-group conflicts, and establishing the political basis for social stability, democratic consolidation, and economic development.
Independence Negotiations in Nyasaland and Northern Rhodesia
Authors: Kalinga Owen 
Published: August 2005

AbstractThis article examines the processes of negotiations for autonomy from British rule in Nyasaland and Northern Rhodesia in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It shows that developments in the Zambezia region, in particular African resistance to the Central African Federation, influenced the nature and pace of the negotiations. African nationalists conducted horizontal negotiations among themselves in addition to intense negotiations with colonial authorities divided between the Federation and London. In the end, the negotiations succeeded in transferring power to the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) led by Kamuzu Banda and the United National Independence Party (UNIP) under Kenneth Kaunda.