bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Reference ranges for serial measurements of blood velocity and pulsatility index at the intra‐abdominal portion, and fetal and placental ends of the umbilical artery
Authors: Acharya G. , Wilsgaard T. , Berntsen G. K. R. , Maltau J. M. , Kiserud T. 
Published: May 2005

AbstractObjectiveTo construct reference ranges for serial measurements of umbilical artery (UA) blood flow velocity and pulsatility index (PI) at standardized insonation sites during the second half of pregnancy.MethodsThis was a prospective longitudinal study of the umbilical circulation. UA blood flow velocities were measured at the intra‐abdominal portion, fetal end and placental end at 4‐weekly intervals at 19–42 weeks of gestation in 130 low‐risk singleton pregnancies. A total of 513 observations were used to construct the reference ranges using regression statistics and multilevel modeling.ResultsUA blood velocities and PI were higher at the intra‐abdominal portion and fetal end than at the placental end. The gestational age‐related increase of end‐diastolic velocity was greater than the corresponding increase of the peak systolic velocity at all locations. The mean differences (delta values) of UA blood velocities between the fetal and placental ends increased and that of PI decreased with advancing gestational age.ConclusionUA Doppler parameters vary significantly at different locations. We have established new reference ranges for the UA velocities and PI at standardized locations based on longitudinal observations, which should be useful for the surveillance of fetuses with repeated observations. Copyright © 2005 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
High variability of the metal content of tree growth rings as measured by synchrotron micro x‐ray fluorescence spectrometry
Authors: Martin Ronald R. , Naftel Steven J. , Macfie Sheila M. , Jones Keith W. , Feng Huan , Trembley Chantelle 
Published: May 2005

AbstractSynchrotron radiation analysis was used to investigate the metal content of tree rings collected from paper birch,Betula papyriferaMarsh, on transects downwind from two metal smelters (nickel and copper). Individual trees reflected changes in ring metal content with time, which may be presumed to represent changes in local metal bioavailability. However, between‐tree variations were large and no statistically significant differences in metal content as a function of time were found within or between sites. Although concentrations of both total and exchangeable copper and nickel in the soil increased with proximity to the respective smelter, this pattern was reflected only in the nickel content of rings near the nickel smelter; copper content did not vary with distance from either smelter. The sites did differ with respect to lead, manganese and zinc content of the rings, which may be related to pH. In conclusion, the variability between trees at each site suggests that dendroanalysis is a poor method for evaluating metal exposure at a large (site) scale. Tree ring metal content may be used to evaluate the metal uptake by individual trees but metal mobility in the stem makes it difficult to establish a reliable chronology. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Use of micro‐PIXE to investigate otolith Sr distributions of the anadromous striped bass,Morone saxatilis
Authors: Morris James A. , Rulifson Roger A. , Babaluk John A. , May Paula G. , Campbell John L. 
Published: May 2005

AbstractMigration patterns of anadromous Atlantic coast striped bass,Morone saxatilis, have been determined primarily through mark and recapture studies. These studies provide little information about the duration, seasonality and frequency of estuarine and ocean migratory phases of migration, nor have they identified the age at which striped bass first exhibit anadromy. In order to investigate how otolith Sr distributions can contribute to these aspects of fish life histories, otoliths from striped bass of the Roanoke‐Albemarle Sound, North Carolina population were analyzed using a scanning proton microprobe (micro‐PIXE). The results suggest that micro‐PIXE can provide detailed information about migration patterns for this population. Differences in striped bass migration were observed. Two fish exhibited emigration to ocean habitats at 2 years of age. Interestingly, the two movement patterns observed, one resident and one migratory, were related to the three major genotypes (mtDNA) of this population, suggesting that timing and appearance of anadromy might be related to lineage for this species. Additional sampling will be necessary in order to confirm this hypothesis. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
EDXRF and TXRF application to cadmium toxicity in Acer pseudoplatanus L. cells: cytological features and cation interactions
Authors: Carvalho M. L. , Ascensão L. , Magalhães T. , Casimiro A. 
Published: May 2005

AbstractCadmium is one of the most toxic heavy metals that can be taken up by plants. Although cadmium toxicity in plants is well established, the mechanism of Cd actions at the cell level is not entirely known. The aim of this work was the investigation of Cd effects on cation contents (K, Ca, Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn) and cytological changes in sycamore cells (Acer pseudoplatanus L.). Sycamore cells were treated with 20 µM CdSO4, a sub‐lethal concentration, for 7 days. Energy‐dispersive x‐ray fluorescence (EDXRF) spectrometry was applied to quantify cation concentrations in cells. Cd concentration was measured by total reflection x‐ray fluorescence (TXRF) spectrometry. The quantification was performed with cells taken directly from the culture and also after being washed in an acidified medium. Light and scanning microscope observations showed several modifications of cadmium‐treated cells, namely increased cell volume and vacuolation. Cells exposed to cadmium also showed variations in cation concentrations. An increase in Mn, Fe, Cu and Zn contents and a decrease in K content were observed in Cd‐stressed cells. Fe was the most increased element, followed by Mn and Cu and a similar behaviour was observed for Ca and Zn. K was the only cation showing a decreased concentration under Cd stress. The high levels of Cd in cells exposed to Cd are in agreement with the amount of Cd accumulated within the cells. The results obtained allowed differentiation between adsorption of ions on the cell wall and uptake of ions into the intracellular compartments. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The new PGAA facility at the FRM II, Garching: comparison with the PIXE results obtained at the new IBA setup at Cologne
Authors: Kudějová Petra , Materna Thomas , Jolie Jan , Pascovici George 
Published: May 2005

AbstractPrompt gamma‐ray activation analysis (PGAA) is proposed as a complementary non‐destructive multi‐elemental method to PIXE. At the end of 2005, a new state‐of‐the‐art PGAA facility will be built at the research reactor II (FRM II) at Garching near Munich, Germany. The facility has been moved to FRM II from the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI), Switzerland, where it was successfully running from 1997 to 2001. The main principles, characteristics and advantages of the PGAA technique and the expectations for the redesigned PGAA facility (regarding the conditions of the FRM II) are presented. The new PIXE/IBA instrument built at the 10 MV tandem accelerator of the Nuclear Physics Institute of the University of Cologne is presented. For the detection of x‐rays, mainly a small Peltier‐cooled XFlash detector is used, which brings the advantage of its capability to acquire up to 300 kcps. The data acquisition is performed by digital electronics with a system based on DGF‐4C modules from X‐ray Instrumentation Associates (XIA) and with in‐house‐developed acquisition software. For the analysis of the spectra, the Gupix program is used. After the calibration of our PIXE instrument with thin MicroMatter standards, homogeneous powders of NIST Standard Reference Materials (SRM) were measured. The PIXE results were compared with nominal values given by NIST and with the results of the PGAA measurement at PSI in 2001. Our plan is to have at our disposal analytical methods (PIXE, PIGE, RBS, PGAA and neutron tomography) that can serve for applied research. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The importance of yeast Alr proteins in cadmium detoxification as indicated by particle‐induced x‐ray emission and phenotypic analyses
Authors: Kern A. L. , Bonatto D. , Dias J. F. , Yoneama M.‐L. , Brendel M. , Henriques J. A. P. 
Published: May 2005

AbstractOne gene in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, ALR1, encodes a transmembrane protein involved in the transport of Mg2+ into cells. Overexpression of this gene changes the tolerance of S. cerevisiae to several metal cations. In order to study the cellular uptake mechanism of metal cations in S. cerevisiae, an accurate determination of the metals present in the cells is needed. In this work, particle‐induced x‐ray emission (PIXE) was employed to analyze the intracellular metal content after cell exposure to cadmium. To that end, a specific method for sample preparation was developed. The samples were irradiated with a 2 MeV proton beam, while the induced x‐rays were detected with a high‐purity germanium detector. The PIXE results for cadmium‐exposed ALR1 mutant and wild‐type yeast cells suggest that Alr1p has a central role in the cell survival process in a cadmium‐rich environment. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Improvements in the analysis of calcium‐rich materials by external PIXE using selective absorbers
Authors: Güereca G. , Ruvalcaba‐Sil J. L. 
Published: May 2005

AbstractFor particle‐induced x‐ray emission (PIXE) spectroscopy and x‐ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometry, the analysis of materials rich in one or two elements may present some difficulties owing to high counting rates and saturation effects in x‐ray detectors. In this case, it is possible to use selective absorbers in order to reduce significantly the intensity of the characteristic x‐rays of major elements with low attenuation for the characteristic x‐rays of other elements. For calcium‐rich materials (cements, shells, bone, teeth and stucco, for instance), the high intensity of Ca Kα, β x‐rays interferes with the detection of x‐rays of lighter and heavier elements. Compounds containing chlorine, argon and silver are good candidates for calcium‐selective absorbers, but only silver and argon absorbers may have a practical thickness when compounds of chlorine cannot be used owing to the presence of fluorescence signals from the absorber in the x‐ray spectra. A selective absorber for Ca Kα, β x‐rays using thin silver films and a flux of Ar–He was tested at an external beam setup for PIXE measurements. In this paper, the improvement in x‐ray detection is demonstrated. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Risk factors for continued illness among Gulf War veterans: a cohort study
Authors: HOTOPF M. , DAVID A. , HULL L. , NIKALAOU V. , UNWIN C. , WESSELY S. 
Published: May 2005

Background. There are no prospective cohort studies of prognostic factors on the outcome of Gulf War veterans. We aimed to test the hypotheses that Gulf War veterans who were older; had more severe symptoms; had more exposures during deployment; had increased psychological distress and believed they had ‘Gulf War syndrome’ would experience greater fatigue and poorer physical functioning at follow-up.Method. Gulf War veterans who responded to an earlier retrospective cohort study were followed with a postal survey. More symptomatic individuals were oversampled. Outcome was measured on the Chalder fatigue questionnaire, the General Health Questionnaire and the Medical Outcome Study Short-Form 36.Results. Of those surveyed, 73·8% responded. We found some evidence for four of the five hypotheses. More self-reported exposures at baseline were not associated with poorer outcome, but older people, those with more severe symptoms at baseline, those with psychological distress and who believed they were suffering from ‘Gulf War syndrome’ had more fatigue at follow-up. Officer status was associated with a better outcome. A similar lack of association was found for exposures and physical functioning and GHQ-12 score. ‘Gulf War syndrome’ attribution was associated with a worse outcome for GHQ-12 and physical functioning even after controlling for severity of symptoms at baseline.Conclusions. This study suggests that while multiple vaccination and military exposures are important risk factors for the onset of symptoms in Gulf War veterans, these are not important risk factors for persistence of such symptoms. Instead the severity of the initial symptoms; psychological distress and attributions may be more important determinants of outcome.
Relapse in anorexia nervosa: a survival analysis
Authors: CARTER J. C. , BLACKMORE E. , SUTANDAR-PINNOCK K. , WOODSIDE D. B. 
Published: May 2005

Background. Knowledge about factors that predict relapse in anorexia nervosa (AN) is needed for the development of effective relapse prevention treatments and may also advance understanding of the psychopathology of AN. The aim of the present study was to examine the rate, timing and prediction of relapse in AN following weight restoration in a specialized in-patient treatment programme.Method. Fifty-one consecutive first-admission AN patients who were weight-restored following in-patient treatment participated in the study. Follow-up assessments were conducted a median of 15 months post-discharge. Relapse of AN was defined as a body mass index <17·5 for 3 consecutive months. Data were analysed using Kaplan–Meier survival analysis and Cox regression.Results. The overall rate of relapse was 35% and the mean survival time was 18 months. The highest risk period was from 6 to 17 months after discharge. Several significant predictors of relapse were identified: a history of suicide attempt; previous specialized treatment for an eating disorder; severity of obsessive–compulsive symptoms at presentation; excessive exercise immediately after discharge; and residual concern about shape and weight at discharge.Conclusions. There continues to be a significant risk of relapse among AN patients who remain well for the first year post-discharge. Several variables were shown to be associated with an elevated risk of relapse. These findings have implications for the development of initial treatments and relapse prevention strategies for AN.
Psychosocial and illness related predictors of consultation rates in primary care – a cohort study
Authors: KAPUR N. , HUNT I. , LUNT M. , McBETH J. , CREED F. , MACFARLANE G. 
Published: May 2005

Background. Despite extensive research, the reasons why patients consult their doctors are unclear. The aim of the current study was to identify the psychosocial and illness related factors that independently predicted primary care consultation over a 5-year period.Method. We carried out a prospective, population-based cohort study with three waves of data collection by postal questionnaire in one general practice in Greater Manchester (UK). Consultation data were sought from primary care records on a random subsample of 800 adult patients. The main outcome measure was the number of consultations (including surgery and home visits) over the 5 years of the study as determined by raters blind to questionnaire responses. Questionnaire measures included the 12-item version of the General Health Questionnaire, the Illness Attitude Scales, a somatic symptom scale, a fatigue scale, a functional assessment of disability.Results. Consultation data were obtained on 738 patients (92% of selected subjects), who accounted for 12182 consultations. Negative illness attitudes, the presence of physical and psychiatric disorder, health anxiety, changes in psychological distress, reported physical symptoms and demographic factors such as age and sex were independently associated with consultation over a 5-year period. These variables together accounted for a difference of ten consultations per year between groups.Conclusion. Consultation in primary care is a complex behaviour with a complex aetiology. Terms such as ‘frequent attenders’ may be less helpful than recognizing a number of dimensions that operate across the whole spectrum of consultation frequency. Future research should consider the wider context of consultation.
Decisional strategies for the attribution of emotional distress in primary care
Authors: SALTINI A. , MAZZI M. A. , DEL PICCOLO L. , ZIMMERMANN C. 
Published: May 2005

Background. In primary care the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) is used to provide an independent assessment of probable caseness of psychological disorder against which to test the ability of the general practitioner (GP) to recognize patients with current emotional problems.Method. The aim of the present study was to identify those clinical and psychosocial data on patients that increase the likelihood of GPs' attribution of emotional distress (GP model) and those that predict patients' emotional distress as defined by the GHQ-12 (GHQ model). The associations were explored using a classification tree technique (CHAID) and compared using bivariate logistic regression. Six GPs and 444 primary care patients took part.Results. The accuracy indices of the hierarchical GP and GHQ models were 72% and 69% respectively. The availability of information on patients' psychopharmacological and psychiatric/psychological treatment in the last year was the most important predictor of attribution. Occupational, financial and housing problems and life events of loss were the most important predictors of the GHQ-12 case definition. The overall accuracy of the bivariate model was 73%. Compared with the GHQ-12, GPs gave significantly more importance to psychiatric treatment, psychopharmacological drug use and chronic illness.Conclusions. The findings suggest that to improve the detection of current emotional distress in primary care patients GPs should pay foremost and systematic attention to social problems and recent life events of loss. These problems are important clues for the possible presence of emotional distress, whereas critical patient data, in particular psychiatric history and psychopharmacological treatment, increase the probability of attribution errors.
Are there racial differences in the way patients with psychotic disorders are treated at their first hospitalization?
Authors: SOHLER NANCY L. , BROMET EVELYN J. , LAVELLE JANET , CRAIG THOMAS J. , MOJTABAI RAMIN 
Published: May 2005

Background. It is now well documented that both black and white patients with severe mental illness are likely to use different types of treatment facilities, have different lengths of hospital stays, and receive different types and dosages of psychotropic medications. It is still uncertain, however, whether these differences exist at the early stages of treatment.Method. We examined treatment patterns for a countywide sample of patients with psychotic disorders recruited at their initial psychiatric hospitalization. Illness characteristics, prior treatment histories, admission conditions, and psychotropic medication use during this hospitalization were compared for both black and white patients.Results. Black patients were less likely to have had out-patient treatment prior to their first hospitalization and were more likely to be hospitalized in public than in community psychiatric units than were white patients. Black patients were also more likely to be hospitalized primarily for a behavioral disturbance and escorted to the hospital by the emergency medical services or police, while white patients were more often hospitalized primarily for subjective suffering. These patterns were particularly significant for those with a non-schizophrenia diagnosis. However, there were few statistically significant differences between black and white patients on psychotropic medication use during the first hospitalization.Conclusions. Differences during the early stages of treatment between black and white patients with psychotic disorders appear to arise most prominently before, rather than during, their first hospitalization.
The prevalence and co-morbidity of subthreshold psychiatric conditions
Authors: LEWINSOHN PETER M. , SHANKMAN STEWART A. , GAU JEFFREY M. , KLEIN DANIEL N. 
Published: May 2005

Background. In previous studies of subthreshold conditions, co-morbidity has been largely ignored. The purpose was to examine rates of co-morbidity among subthreshold disorders and between subthreshold and full-syndrome disorders for the major non-psychotic classes of disorders from DSM-IV.Method. Participants came from the Oregon Adolescent Depression Project (mean age=16·6 years; females=52·1%). On the basis of a diagnostic interview (K-SADS), participants were assigned to eight subthreshold disorders (MDD, bipolar, eating, anxiety, alcohol use, substance use, conduct, ADHD).Results. Of the 1704 adolescents in the analyses, 52·5% had at least one subthreshood disorder. Of those, 40·0% had also experienced a co-morbid subthreshold condition, and 29·9% of those had a second co-morbid subthreshold condition. Of those with a subthreshold, 36·4% also had a full syndrome. The subthreshold forms of externalizing disorders were co-morbid with each other. As expected, subthreshold anxiety was co-morbid with subthreshold MDD but subthreshold anxiety was also co-morbid with subthreshold alcohol, conduct, and ADHD. The pattern of co-morbidities was nearly identical for males and females.Conclusions. The hypotheses that externalizing disorders would be co-morbid with other externalizing disorders and that internalizing disorders would be co-morbid with other internalizing disorders was partially supported. Co-morbidities between subthreshold disorders and between subthreshold disorders and full syndrome should impact future research and clinical practice. The assessment of subthreshold disorders needs to include the assessment of other subthreshold and full-syndrome conditions.
Improvement in social-interpersonal functioning after cognitive therapy for recurrent depression
Authors: VITTENGL J. R. , CLARK L. A. , JARRETT R. B. 
Published: May 2005

Background. Cognitive therapy reduces depressive symptoms of major depressive disorder, but little is known about concomitant reduction in social-interpersonal dysfunction.Method. We evaluated social-interpersonal functioning (self-reported social adjustment, interpersonal problems and dyadic adjustment) and depressive symptoms (two self-report and two clinician scales) in adult outpatients (n=156) with recurrent major depressive disorder at several points during a 20-session course of acute phase cognitive therapy. Consenting acute phase responders (n=84) entered a 2-year follow-up phase, which included an 8-month experimental trial comparing continuation phase cognitive therapy to assessment-only control.Results. Social-interpersonal functioning improved after acute phase cognitive therapy (dyadic adjustment d=0·47; interpersonal problems d=0·91; social adjustment d=1·19), but less so than depressive symptoms (d=1·55). Improvement in depressive symptoms and social-interpersonal functioning were moderately to highly correlated (r=0·39–0·72). Improvement in depressive symptoms was partly independent of social-interpersonal functioning (r=0·55–0·81), but improvement in social-interpersonal functioning independent of change in depressive symptoms was not significant (r=0·01–0·06). In acute phase responders, continuation phase therapy did not further enhance social-interpersonal functioning, but improvements in social-interpersonal functioning were maintained through the follow-up.Conclusions. Social-interpersonal functioning is improved after acute phase cognitive therapy and maintained in responders over 2 years. Improvement in social-interpersonal functioning is largely accounted for by decreases in depressive symptoms.