bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effect of cisapride on gastric emptying in premature infants with feed intolerance
Authors: Barnett CP , Omari T , Davidson GP , Goodchild L , Lontis R , Dent J , Haslam RR 
Published: March 2003

Objective: To assess the effect of cisapride on gastric emptying and gastro‐oesophageal reflux (GOR) symptoms in preterm infants with feed intolerance. Methods: Sixteen preterm infants (gestational age 24–35 weeks) with feed intolerance were enrolled in the study. Infants were randomized to receive 7 days of cisapride 0.2 mg/kg four times a day, immediately followed by 7 days of placebo or vice versa. Gastric emptying was measured using the [13C]‐octanoic acid breath test prior to study entry and repeated on day 5, 6 or 7 after randomization and 5, 6 or 7 days after crossover. The symptoms of GOR were monitored during the study period using a standardized reflux chart. Weight was recorded daily. Results: There was no change in gastric emptying in infants prescribed cisapride (gastric half‐emptying time (t1/2) 31.9 ± 4.7 vs 34.2 ± 3.9 min for placebo vs cisapride, respectively; P = 0.65). Infants on cisapride had slower growth and there was no change in reflux symptoms. Conclusions: The use of cisapride in preterm infants with feed intolerance cannot be recommended.
Improvement in resuscitation knowledge after a one‐day paediatric life‐support course
Authors: Durojaiye L , O’Meara M 
Published: March 2003

Objective:  To assess the effect of a one‐day paediatric life‐support course on the knowledge of paediatric trainees.Methods:  A telephone survey was performed prior to and at set intervals following the course. Responses to individual questions before and after the course were analysed and an overall test score was calculated. The acquisition and retention of knowledge was measured by comparing test scores for the same group of trainees at time intervals after the course.Results:  All candidates were surveyed. The median duration of paediatric training prior to the course was 3 years. Eighteen candidates (78%) had previously intubated a child and 13 (57%) had previously used an intraosseous needle. Prior to the course, few of the 23 candidates had adequate knowledge of either the management of the cervical spine in the seriously injured child (17%), fluid resuscitation in meningococcal septicemia (52%), shock dose in ventricular fibrillation (61%), or the management of anaphylactic shock (35%). There was a significant improvement in the knowledge of the group after the course, with median test scores increasing from 19 to a maximum of 22 (P < 0.001). This knowledge was retained at 4 months after the course.Conclusion:  Despite a high level of experience and previous training in paediatric resuscitation, many candidates lacked the basic knowledge necessary for the resuscitation of seriously ill or injured children. There was a significant improvement in this knowledge after the course, and this was maintained for 4 months. The paediatric life‐support course is an important means of resuscitation training for junior doctors.
Comparison of health‐risk behaviours among students in alternative high schools from New Zealand and the USA
Authors: Denny SJ , Clark TC , Watson PD 
Published: March 2003

Objectives:  To describe the prevalence of health‐risk behaviours of New Zealand alternative education students, and to compare these behaviours to similar students in the USA.Methods:  Thirty‐six alternative education schools in the northern region of New Zealand were surveyed. A total of 269 students completed a youth health questionnaire using laptop computers. These data were compared to data from an equivalent population of alternative education students in the USA.Results:  Alternative education students from New Zealand and the USA engage in similar high levels of health‐risk behaviours. Female students in New Zealand are at particularly high risk of poor health and social outcomes due to high levels of alcohol and marijuana use, driving under the influence of alcohol and high prevalence of risky sexual behaviours. Such health‐risk behaviours place alternative education students at greater risk of some of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in both youth and adult populations.Conclusions:  Findings from the present study support the need for specific health policies and programmes for alternative high school students. Providers of New Zealand alternative education should be aware that female students are at particularly high risk of many health‐risk behaviours.
Death due to electrocution in childhood and early adolescence
Authors: Byard RW , Hanson KA , Gilbert JD , James RA , Nadeau J , Blackbourne B , Krous HF 
Published: March 2003

Objectives:  To delineate the clinicopathological features of fatal childhood electrocutions and to identify specific risk factors.Methods:  Coronial files in Adelaide (Australia) were searched from 1967 to 2001 and Medical Examiners’ files in San Diego (USA) were searched from 1988 to 2001, for cases of deaths of children and adolescents younger than 16 years attributed to electrocution.Results:  Sixteen cases were identified aged between 10 months and 15 years (mean 8.0 years) with a male : female ratio of 5 : 3. Deaths were due to accidents occurring while playing with or near faulty electrical equipment at home or at school (n = 8), electrical equipment while in the bath (n = 2), damaged outdoor electrical equipment (n = 1), overhead wires (n = 1), and a high voltage electricity substation (n = 1). In addition, one death was due to suicide involving an electrical appliance placed in a bath, and two other deaths occurred in older children who were moving equipment under overhead wires. No homicides were identified.Conclusions:  Childhood deaths due to electrocution are rare and are more likely to occur when children are playing around electrical wires or equipment, and often result from either faulty apparatus, or a lack of understanding of the potential dangers involved. The majority of deaths (11/16; 69%) occur in the home environment. In contrast to adult electrical deaths, high‐voltage electrocutions, suicides and workplace deaths are uncommon. Strategies for eliminating childhood electrocution should concentrate on ensuring safe domestic environments with properly maintained electrical devices.
Sticky issue of adherence
Authors: Sawyer SM , Aroni RA 
Published: March 2003

Abstract: The phenomenon of adherence, also known as compliance, is the vital link that allows effective medications to have the desired clinical effect when self‐administered. It is often assumed that the population is generally adherent, but more than 50% of people with chronic illness do not take their medication as prescribed. We highlight how the terminology and language of non‐adherence act to conceptualize adherence as a patient problem in a manner that is inadvertently judgmental, narrowly focused and clinically unhelpful. In contrast, knowledge of the dynamic nature of adherence promotes the conceptualization of adherence as the common problem that it is, where the responsibility for improving it lies primarily with the health professional. The example of asthma is used to highlight how individually focused clinical strategies can fit within a population perspective that, in its entirety, can be conceptualized as a framework of adherence‐promoting strategies.
Scurvy: Forgotten but not gone
Authors: Akikusa JD , Garrick D , Nash MC 
Published: March 2003

Abstract: Scurvy is still seen sporadically in the developed world. At a time when subclinical vitamin C deficiency in the general population is being recognized increasingly, the need for clinicians to be aware of this disease remains. We present the case of a 9‐year‐old boy admitted to hospital with musculoskeletal pain, weakness and changes in the skin and gums. After extensive investigation, he was found to have vitamin C deficiency resulting from a restricted eating pattern. Musculoskeletal complaints are a common mode of presentation of scurvy in children. Failure to appreciate this fact and the risk factors for poor vitamin C intake in the paediatric age group can result in unnecessary and invasive investigations for apparent ‘multisystem’ disease.
Watershed management in the Lake Ohrid region of Albania and Macedonia
Authors: Spirkovski Zoran , Avramovski Oliver , Kodzoman Anita 
Published: March 2003

AbstractLake Ohrid is the oldest lake in Europe and one of the oldest lakes in the world, formed 4–10 million years ago. Lake Ohrid serves as a refuge for numerous freshwater organisms from the tertiary period, whose close relatives can be found only as fossils. A breeding programme that artificially hatches the native and endemic trout supports the natural recruitment of lake Ohrid trout and since 1935 the lake has been stocked with more than 600 million young trout. The critical transboundary issue for Lake Ohrid water quality is phosphorus pollution. The current phosphorus load of the lake is estimated at 150 ton per year and needs to be reduced to 50 ton per year to keep the mean concentration of phosphorus below 7 mg m–3 in the lake water. In 1996, a Memorandum of Understanding between the Macedonian and Albanian governments was signed and a binational Lake Ohrid Management Board was established, with substantial funding by the Global Environmental Facility. Both governments agreed to undertake appropriate legal, institutional, investment and technical measures to protect Lake Ohrid. The Lake Ohrid Conservation Project has four main goals: (i) to develop the institutional legal and regulatory framework for environmental management in the Lake Ohrid watershed; (ii) to establish a comprehensive binational monitoring programme, (iii) to mobilize and secure commitments from all the stakeholders in the watershed who will need to take measures to prevent degradation of the lake; and (iv) to increase public awareness and participation. Harmonizing Albanian and Macedonian laws and regulations may be the Lake Ohrid Conservation Project’s greatest challenge, particularly on fisheries and wastewater treatment issues.
Nocardia peritonitis and abdominal abscess complicating continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis
Authors: Dwyer Karen M , Daffy John R , Murphy Brendan F 
Published: March 2003

SUMMARY:Peritonitis is a common problem in patients undergoing continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) and represents the most frequent cause of peritoneal catheter loss and discontinuation of CAPD. The incidence of peritonitis remains less than one episode per patient year of treatment. Common bacteria, particularly staphyloccal species, are the usual causative agents. Fungi and higher bacteria such as Nocardia as aetiological agents have been infrequent in patients undergoing CAPD. We report a case of Nocardia nova peritonitis complicated by an intra‐abdominal abscess requiring surgical drainage and a protracted course of antibiotics.
Emotional labor and nursing: an under‐appreciated aspect of caring work
Authors: Henderson Angela 
Published: March 2003

Emotional labor and nursing: an under‐appreciated aspect of caring workThis paper describes one component of the findings of a larger research study entitled ‘Nurses’ social construction of self: Implications for work with abused women’. One of the most consistent themes arising from that study involved nurses’ views regarding the relevance of emotional engagement/detachment in pursuit of excellence in their practice. In this article this theme is examined in the light of work on emotional labor and the emotional work of nursing. Nurses’ high degree of satisfaction in the emotional rewards of their work with clients is described and contrasted with their dissatisfaction in relation to nursing education and their views of the lack of valuing of nurses’ work by others within the healthcare system. The importance of supporting them in relation to the emotional aspects of their work is explored.
Regional cerebral blood flow abnormalities in chronic solvent abusers
Authors: Okada Shin‐Ichi , Yamanouchi Naoto , Kodama Kazuhiro , Uchida Yoshitaka , Hirai Shinji , Sakamoto Tadashi , Noda Shingo , Komatsu Naoya , Sato Toshio 
Published: March 2003

AbstractThis study aimed to reveal regional abnormalities of cerebral blood flow (CBF) and their relation to amotivational syndrome which causes poor social prognosis in solvent abusers. Sixteen chronic solvent abusers (12 males and four females) along with five normal subjects underwent single photon emission computed tomography with N‐isopropyl‐p[123I]iodoamphetamine. The patients received a clinical evaluation with the Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms. Using a semiquantitative method (normalized by the parietal cortex count), patients showed a statistically significant decrease in regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in the bilateral prefrontal cortices (P < 0.01). In addition, the severity of hypoperfusion in the bilateral prefrontal cortices was related to the degree of severity of the avolition–apathy scale on SANS (left; P < 0.05, right; P < 0.01) even after excluding the effect of antipsychotics. These results suggest that rCBF abnormalities, especially in the prefrontal cortex, develop in chronic solvent abusers, and that this frontal hypoperfusion may be a biological basis of amotivational syndrome.
Mental health problems after stroke
Authors: Ueki Hirofumi , Washino Kaei , Fukao Taku , Inoue Masato , Ogawa Naoshi , Takai Akihiro 
Published: March 2003

AbstractWe investigated the mental health of 47 subjects (30 men, mean age 63.8 ± 7.7; 17 women, mean age 68.9 ± 8.7) with the 60‐item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ). All the subjects lived at home in a Japanese rural community and were examined from 2 to 3 years after suffering a stroke. Among the subjects, 18 (38.3%) had GHQ scores of 17 or more, which indicated a mental health problem (MHP). The following variables were included in multiple logistic regression analysis: age, sex (men/women), grade of motor paralysis (no/slight/moderate/severe), side of motor paralysis (no/left side/right side/both sides: in analysis, we used dummy variables), paresthesia (no/yes), rehabilitation (need no rehabilitation or participate in rehabilitation/fail to participate in rehabilitation), social support (not needed or sufficient/insufficient) and overall physical recovery (1/2/3: 1 = 67–100, 2 = 34–66, and 3 = 0–33 on a visual analog scale 100 mm long, 100 meaning full recovery). In univariate analysis all variables except age and sex showed statistically significant associations with MHP. In multivariate analysis, only one variable, ‘overall physical recovery’, had a statistically independent association with the status of MHP (Odds ratio 4.39, 95% confidence interval 1.46–13.19). The results of logistic regression analysis indicate that the presence of an MHP is more strongly dependent upon subjective assessment about overall physical recovery after stroke than upon physical impairments and the other psychosocial variables. Therefore, in the community setting, the visual analog scale of overall physical recovery is considered to be a simple, valid method for assessing MHP following stroke.
Delusional disorder: Retrospective analysis of 86 Chinese outpatients
Authors: Hsiao Mei‐Chun , Liu Chia‐Yih , Yang Yong‐Yi , Yeh Eng‐Kun 
Published: March 2003

AbstractPatients who visited the psychiatric outpatient service of Chang Gung Medical Centre, Tao‐Yuan, Taiwan during an 8‐year period were studied retrospectively. Among the 10 418 outpatients, 86 (0.83%) were diagnosed as having DSM‐IV delusional disorder (DD), including 61 (70.9%) with persecutory type, 12 (14.0%) with the mixed type, seven (8.1%) with jealous type, two (2.3%) with somatic type, two (2.1%) with unspecified type, one (1.2%) with erotomanic type, and another one with grandiose type. The ratio of women to men was 0.86. The mean age at onset was 42.4 ± 15.41 years, with women being older than men. Thirty‐seven cases (43.0%) presented with depressive symptoms at their first visit. Subjects were divided into four groups: persecutory type, jealous type, mixed type and others. There were no significant differences between the four groups in terms of gender, age at onset, time‐lapse before seeking psychiatric help, the presence of hallucination or the presence of depression.
Improvement of subjective work performance among obstructive sleep apnea patients after treatment with continuous positive airway pressure
Authors: Ulfberg Jan , Jonsson Roine , Edling Christer 
Published: March 2003

AbstractObstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is a significant problem for some patients presenting with snoring and excessive daytime sleepiness. The ‘golden standard’ therapy in OSAS is considered to be nasal continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP). The effects of CPAP on work performance in sleep apnoics has not been studied previously. One hundred and fifty‐two patients with OSAS participated in an open label study. The patients were diagnosed as suffering from severe OSAS after they underwent overnight polysomnography showing that their apnea indexes were at least 20. The participants answered four questions concerning self‐perceived work performance prior to and after using CPAP during 6 months. There were highly statistically significant decreases (P < 0.000001) in work performance difficulties as graded by the patient. The results of this study indicate that CPAP treatment improves subjective work performance in patients suffering from OSAS.
Comparative study of quality of life between the Chinese and Japanese adolescent populations
Authors: Wang Xiangdong , Matsuda Nobuko , Ma Hong , Shinfuku Naotaka 
Published: March 2003

AbstractResearchers from Japan, China and Singapore have initiated a collaborative project, with the aim of comparing adolescent quality of life (QOL) internationally. This study presents the primary results of the investigation conducted in Beijing, China, and Kobe, Japan. The 70‐item Quality of Life Questionnaire for Adolescents (QOLQA) was developed and evaluated in Japan and China. In total, 1114 Japanese and 613 Chinese junior high school students, aged 12–15 years, completed the questionnaire. Chinese students scored significantly higher than the Japanese students in overall QOL scores and in most domains. For both groups, subjects had highest score in the independence domain and lowest in psychological domain. In terms of overall QOL score, Chinese male students ranked first, followed by Chinese girls, Japanese boys, and Japanese girls. In the Japanese group, a continuing decrease of QOL scores with age was observed without exception, but no such tendency was present in their Chinese counterparts. No parallel relationship was observed between the higher level of economic development and better quality of life. The results also suggest that mental health promotion should be a priority in improving overall quality of life of adolescents both in Japan and China.
A narcoleptic patient exhibiting hallucinations and delusion
Authors: Takeuchi Noboru , Mukai Masaki , Uchimura Naohisa , Satomura Takeshi , Sakamoto Tetsurou , Maeda Hisao 
Published: March 2003

AbstractA female narcoleptic patient with persistent auditory hallucinations and delusion is reported. These psychotic symptoms appeared before the diagnosis of narcolepsy and before the use of pemoline and clomipramine. On admission to the Department of Neuropsychiatry at the Kurume University school of Medicine, the patient’s auditory hallucinations were almost the same as the previous hallucinations. The patient’s delusional state improved smoothly after haloperidol administration. After that, the patient related well socially. The persistent auditory hallucinations were correlated with rapid eye movement sleep symptoms during her disease process so that we concluded that her persistent auditory hallucinations and delusion of observation were due to narcoleptic symptoms.
Comparison of Ricketts analysis and Downs‐Northwestern analysis for the evaluation of obstructive sleep apnea cephalograms
Authors: Higurashi Naoki , Kikuchi Makoto , Miyazaki Soichiro , Itasaka Yoshiaki 
Published: March 2003

AbstractTo determine which analysis is suitable to examine the dentofacial skeletal pattern characteristics of the obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS), we took lateral cephalograms of 44 Japanese OSAS patients and 34 Japanese non‐OSAS controls. By Ricketts analysis, we found significant differences between OSAS patients and non‐OSAS controls on facial axis, lower facial height and total facial height, which showed that Japanese OSAS patients have dolico facial patterns. However, by Downs‐Northwestern analysis, we did not find any significant difference between OSAS patients and non‐OSAS controls using the same cephalograms as the Ricketts analysis.
Effects of bright light exposure on heart rate variability during sleep in young women
Authors: Kohsaka Masako , Kohsaka Shinobu , Fukuda Noriko , Honma Hiroshi , Sakakibara Satoshi , Kawai Ikuko , Miyamoto Tamaki , Kobayashi Riko 
Published: March 2003

AbstractTo investigate the effects of evening bright light on the autonomic nervous system, heart rate variability (HRV) during sleep was analyzed in dim light (DL) and bright light (BL) conditions. We recorded polysomnography in nine healthy young women aged 20–21 years. Time series of % delta power was calculated in the 0.49–2.20 Hz band. Heart rate variability was analyzed from a 10‐min segment of slow wave sleep. The low‐ to high‐frequency ratio and the low‐frequency component decreased significantly in the BL conditions compared with the DL conditions. However, the power of the high‐frequency component did not change in the two conditions. These results indicate that evening BL affects the autonomic nervous system during slow wave sleep.
Japanese version of the Quality of Relationship Inventory: Its reliability and validity among women with recurrent spontaneous abortion
Authors: NAKANO YUMI , SUGIURA MAYUMI , AOKI KOJI , HORI SHIRO , OSHIMA MARIKO , KITAMURA TOSHINORI , FURUKAWA TOSHIAKI A 
Published: March 2003

AbstractUntil now most of the research on social support has concentrated on general support in relationship to the whole group of people around each individual. In contrast, only a few studies have dealt with individual‐specific support (i.e. social support from a particular individual relationship). The Quality of Relationship Inventory (QRI) is a recently developed questionnaire to measure individual‐specific social support. We developed the Japanese version by means of back translation and ascertained its reliability and validity among the Japanese women who had had two recurrent spontaneous abortions without known organic etiologies. Factor analysis revealed that the Japanese QRI had a two‐factor structure, representing supportive and conflictual aspects of a particular relationship (named Factor‐S and Factor‐C, respectively). Each factor showed satisfactory reliability with Cronbach's alphas of 0.95 and 0.89. When the QRI scores were compared with the scales from the Social Support Questionnaire, a measure of general social support, the Factor‐C of the former with respect to the mother correlated negatively with the Social Support Satisfaction of the latter (r = – 0.40; 95% confidence interval (CI) – 0.64 to – 0.09). Childhood experiences with parents also showed expected correlations with the QRI: care received from the parent before age 16 years strongly predicted Factor‐S with that parent (r = 0.50, 95% CI 0.21–0.71 in the case of the mother; r = 0.54, 95% CI 0.27–0.73 in the case of the father). Although we still need to examine the Japanese QRI with different populations, it appears to be a promising measure of individual‐specific relationship for the Japanese population.