bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Catastrophizing and internal pain control as mediators of outcome in the multidisciplinary treatment of chronic low back pain
Authors: Spinhoven Philip , ter Kuile Moniek , Kole‐Snijders Ank M.J , Mansfeld Menno Hutten , den Ouden Dirk‐Jan , Vlaeyen Johan W.S 
Published: November 2003

AbstractThe aim of the present study was to examine (a) whether a cognitive‐behavioral treatment (differentially) affects pain coping and cognition; and (b) whether changes in pain coping and cognition during treatment mediate treatment outcome. Participants in this randomized clinical trial were 148 patients with chronic low back pain attending a multidisciplinary treatment program consisting of operant‐behavioral treatment plus cognitive coping skills training (N=59) or group discussion (N=58) or allocated to a waiting list control condition (N=31). Patients improved with respect to level of depression, pain behavior and activity tolerance at posttreatment and 12‐month follow‐up. Treatment also resulted in a short‐ and long‐term decrease in catastrophizing and an enhancement of internal pain control. Changes in catastrophizing and to a lesser degree in internal pain control mediated the reduction in level of depression and pain behavior following treatment. The use of behavioral and cognitive interventions aimed at decreasing catastrophizing thoughts about the consequences of pain and promoting internal expectations of pain control possibly constitute an important avenue of change irrespective of the type of treatment.
A polymorphic locus in the intron 16 of the human angiotensin‐converting enzyme (ACE) gene is not correlated with complex regional pain syndrome I (CRPS I)
Authors: Hühne K. , Leis S. , Schmelz M. , Rautenstrauss B. , Birklein F. 
Published: November 2003

AbstractExaggerated neurogenic inflammation has been recognized to be one reason for many CRPS symptoms. Since angiotensin‐converting enzyme (ACE) is a key enzyme for the termination of neurogenic inflammation, it has been selected as a candidate gene for CRPS predisposition. A previous report of an insertion/deletion (I/D) polymorphism in intron 16 within the ACE gene implicated an increased risk to develop CRPS I associated with the D allele. However, in the present study the D allele frequency was not increased in CRPS I cases (0.51 for D allele, 0.49 for I allele). Furthermore, there was no co‐segregation of any genotype (DD, ID, II) with the CRPS phenotype in 12 selected familial CRPS I cases from six CRPS I families. In conclusion, the results presented herein render this particular ACE gene polymorphism unlikely to be a predisposing factor for CRPS I.
Differential release of neurotransmitters from superficial and deep layers of the dorsal horn in response to acute noxious stimulation and inflammation of the rat paw
Authors: Dmitrieva Natalia , Rodríguez‐Malaver Antonio J , Pérez Jackeline , Hernández Luis 
Published: November 2003

AbstractExperimental evidence suggests that release of neurotransmitters in response to acute noxious stimulation and inflammation can differ in superficial and deeper dorsal horn (DH) laminae. Using two different microdialysis probes, we studied changes in levels of glutamate, aspartate, arginine and GABA in dialysates collected from the surface of the spinal cord and within the DH induced by pinching the paw or paw inflammation. In penthotal anaesthetized rats, a flexible microdialysis probe was placed on the dorsal surface of the L4–L5 or L6–S2 spinal segments. In other rats, a rigid microdialysis probe was implanted within the DH of the same segments. Samples were collected every minute before, during and after pinching the hind paw (acute pain), and every half an hour after injecting either carrageenan or saline into the same paw (inflammation‐induced pain). Amino acids were measured by capillary zone electrophoresis with laser‐induced fluorescence detection (CZE‐LIFD). Pinching the paw induced a significant but short lasting increase in extracellular glutamate and aspartate in dialysates from the surface of the DH. Carrageenan, but not saline, injected into the paw significantly increased concentrations of glutamate, aspartate and arginine both on the surface and within the DH of L4–L5 and also within the DH of the L6–S2 segments. The GABA level was significantly increased following carrageenan only within the DH. The maximum increase on the surface was detected 60–120 min after the onset of inflammation whereas the response within the DH reached a maximum between 150 and 180 min after carrageenan. These results indicate that unlike acute mechanical noxious stimulation which enhances amino acid neurotransmitters in surface dialysate, inflammation induced neurotransmitter release in all layers of the DH suggesting sensitization of the DH.
Pharmacological consequences of long‐term morphine treatment in patients with cancer and chronic non‐malignant pain
Authors: Andersen Gertrud , Sjøgren Per , Hansen Steen Honoré , Jensen Niels‐Henrik , Christrup Lona 
Published: November 2003

AbstractBackground. In patients with pain of malignant origin morphine may be administered in high and often increasing doses during extended periods of time. In patients with chronic pain of non‐malignant origin morphine may be an important remedy, and in these cases the goal is to keep the morphine dose stable. The pharmacokinetic as well as the pharmacodynamic consequences of long‐term morphine treatment with special reference to the two most important metabolites of morphine morphine‐6‐glucuronide (M‐6‐G) and morphine‐3‐glucuronide (M‐3‐G) remain to be settled.Methods. Assessments for pain, sedation and other morphine induced side effects were made several times for 19 cancer patients treated with changing doses of oral sustained release (SR) morphine and twice for 17 non‐cancer patients treated with stable doses of SR morphine. Blood samples were obtained simultaneously and analysed for contents of morphine, M‐3‐G and M‐6‐G by high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC).Results. Significant correlations were found between the daily dose of SR morphine and plasma morphine (r=0.469, p<0.01), plasma M‐6‐G (r=0.677, p<0.01) and plasma M‐3‐G (r=0.827, p<0.01) in the cancer patient group, but only between the daily dose of SR morphine and plasma M‐3‐G (0.662, p<0.01) and plasma M‐6‐G (0.571, p<0.01) in the non‐cancer patient group. Normalised M‐3‐G/M and M‐6‐G/M ratios for the cancer patient group were independent of duration of treatment and daily dose of SR morphine. Likewise in the non‐cancer patient group duration of treatment did not influence the metabolite ratios. Correlations between pain score and plasma morphine, M‐6‐G and M‐6‐G/M were weak in the cancer patient as well as in the non‐cancer patient group making it impossible to draw any conclusion regarding the potential contributory analgesic effect of M‐6‐G. Dryness of the mouth was the most frequent adverse effect reported in the non‐cancer as well as the cancer patient group. In the latter group patients complaining of dryness of the mouth had significantly higher plasma morphine and M‐6‐G concentrations than patients who did not suffer from this side effect. This difference persisted (or was close to significance) when excluding patients receiving antidepressants.Conclusion. In the cancer patient group neither dose nor treatment period seems to influence morphine glucuronidation. Likewise in the non‐cancer patient group receiving stable doses of morphine duration of treatment does not seem to influence morphine glucuronidation. Dryness of the mouth was positively correlated to high plasma concentrations of morphine and M‐6‐G.
Minimal clinically important changes in chronic musculoskeletal pain intensity measured on a numerical rating scale
Authors: Salaffi Fausto , Stancati Andrea , Silvestri Carlo Alberto , Ciapetti Alessandro , Grassi Walter 
Published: November 2003

AbstractObjectives. To determine the minimal clinically important difference (MCID) of changes in chronic musculoskeletal pain intensity that is most closely associated with improvement on the commonly used and validated measure of the patient's global impression of change (PGIC), and to estimate the dependency of the MCID on the baseline pain scores.Methods. This was a prospective cohort study assessing patient's pain intensity by the numerical rating scale (NRS) at baseline and at the 3 month follow‐up, and by a PGIC questionnaire. A one unit difference at the lowest end of the PGIC (“slightly better”) was used to define MCID as it reflects the minimum and lowest degree of improvement that could be detected. In addition we also calculated the NRS changes best associated with “much better” (two units). In order to characterize the association between specific NRS change scores (raw or percent) and clinically important improvement, the sensitivity and specificity were calculated by the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) method. PGIC was used as an external criterion to distinguish between improved or non‐improved patients.Results. 825 patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain (233 with osteoarthritis of the knee, 86 with osteoarthritis of the hip, 133 with osteoarthritis of the hand, 290 with rheumatoid arthritis and 83 with ankylosing spondylitis) were followed up. A consistent relationship between the change in NRS and the PGIC was observed. On average, a reduction of one point or a reduction of 15.0% in the NRS represented a MCID for the patient. A NRS change score of −2.0 and a percent change score of −33.0% were best associated with the concept of “much better” improvement. For this reason these values can be considered as appropriate cut‐off points for this measure. The clinically significant changes in pain are non‐uniform along the entire NRS. Patients with a high baseline level of pain on the NRS (score of >7 cm), who experienced either a slight improvement or a higher level of response, had absolute raw and percent changes greater that did patients in the lower cohort (score of less than 4 cm).Conclusions. These results are consistent with the recently published findings generated by different methods and support the use of a “much better” improvement on the pain relief as a clinically important outcome. A further confirmation in other patient populations and different chronic pain syndromes will be needed.
Creep dominates tensile fatigue damage of the cement–bone interface
Authors: Kim Do‐Gyoon , Miller Mark A. , Mann Kenneth A. 
Published: November 2003

AbstractFatigue damage from activities of daily living has been considered to be a major cause of aseptic loosening in cemented total hip arthroplasty. The cement–bone interface is one region where loosening could occur, but to date the fatigue response of the interface has not been examined. Cement–bone specimens were prepared from fresh frozen human cadaver tissue using simulated in vivo conditions. Tensile fatigue tests to failure were performed in an environmental chamber. Loss of specimen stiffness (stiffness damage) and permanent displacement after unloading (creep damage) were found in all specimens. At failure, creep damage accounted for the majority (79.9 ± 10.6%) of the total strain damage accumulation at failure (apparent strain, ε = 0.0114 ± 0.00488). A power law relationship between strain‐damage rate and time‐to‐failure showed that the strain‐damage rate was an excellent predictor of the fatigue life of the cement–bone interface. The S–N response of the interface was obtained as a function of the applied stress ratio and the initial apparent strain. The total motion between cement and bone (72.2 ± 29.8 μm) prior to incipient failure due to both stiffness and creep fatigue damage may be sufficient to result in fibrous tissue formation and contribute to eventual clinical loosening. © 2004 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Long‐term effects of local growth factor (IGF‐I and TGF‐β1) treatment on fracture healing. A safety study for using growth factors
Authors: Schmidmaier Gerhard , Wildemann Britt , Ostapowicz Daniel , Kandziora Frank , Stange Richard , Haas Norbert P. , Raschke Michael 
Published: November 2003

AbstractPrevious studies showed that growth factors dramatically stimulate healing processes in bone. However, the long‐term effect of locally applied growth factors on fracture healing remains unclear. In considering the safety of using growth factors, it is necessary to elucidate that after initial stimulation, the effect stops and the result is a normally healed tissue. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to investigate the long‐term time course of healing processes during growth factor (GF) stimulated and unstimulated fracture healing in a closed tibial fracture model in rats. A well established local drug delivery system was used. IGF‐I (50 μg) and TGF‐β1 (10 μg) were locally applied using a 10 μm thin polylactide (PDLLA) coating on intramedullary implants. The biomechanical and histomorphometrical results demonstrated a significant stimulation of the fracture healing due to the locally applied growth factors compared to control at days 28 and 42 in agreement with the literature. At the last time point, 84 days after fracture, no differences were measurable in the biomechanical testing and the callus composition between the groups. The callus was consistently in the late phase of remodeling with no remaining cartilage. In conclusion, local growth factor application enhances the healing in the early phase without alteration of the normal healing process. © 2003 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Sources and paleoclimatic significance of Holocene Bignell Loess, central Great Plains, USA
Authors: Mason Joseph A. , Jacobs Peter M. , Hanson Paul R. , Miao Xiaodong , Goble Ronald J. 
Published: November 2003

AbstractThis paper reexamines the stratigraphy, sources, and paleoclimatic significance of Holocene Bignell Loess in the central Great Plains. A broadly similar sequence of loess depositional units and paleosols was observed in thick Bignell Loess sections up to 300 km apart, suggesting that these sections record major regional changes in the balance between dust deposition and pedogenesis. New optical ages, together with previously reported radiocarbon ages, indicate Bignell Loess deposition began 9000–11,000 yr ago and continued into the late Holocene; some Bignell Loess is <1000 yr old. There is little evidence that Holocene Loess was derived from flood plain sources, as previously proposed. Instead, thick Bignell Loess occurs mainly near the downwind margins of inactive dune fields, particularly atop escarpments facing the dunes. Thus, the immediate loess source was dust produced when the dunes were active. Previous work indicates that widespread episodes of dune activity are likely to have resulted from drier-than-present climatic conditions. The regionally coherent stratigraphy of Bignell Loess can be interpreted as a near-continuous record of climatically driven variation in dune field activity throughout the Holocene.
The last 7500 cal yr B.P. of westerly rainfall in Central Chile inferred from a high-resolution pollen record from Laguna Aculeo (34°S)
Authors: Villa-Martínez Rodrigo , Villagrán Carolina , Jenny Bettina 
Published: November 2003

AbstractWe report multiproxy analyses of a sediment core obtained from Laguna Aculeo that spans the past 7500 years. Laguna Aculeo (33°50′S, 70°55′W) is one of the few natural inland lakes located in the Mediterranean zone of Central Chile, near the northern margin of the influence of the southern westerlies. The record shows elevated pollen counts of halophytes and seasonally drying of the lake basin prior to 5700 cal yr B.P., indicating severe aridity and warmer-than-present conditions. This was followed by the establishment of a fresh-water lake, along with an increase in arboreal and herbaceous plant diversity between 5700 and 3200 cal yr B.P. An intensification of this trend started at 3200 cal yr B.P., along with the abrupt decrease of halophytes until 100 cal yr B.P. Within this humid period, pollen accumulation rates show large-amplitude fluctuations, coeval with numerous turbidite layers, suggesting a highly variable and torrential rainfall pattern. This intense and variable precipitation regime is probably associated with the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) phenomenon. We suggest that the modern Mediterranean climate of Central Chile was established at ∼3200 cal yr B.P. Paleovegetation and paleolimnological changes starting at 100 cal yr B.P. correlate with documented human activity surrounding the lake.
Postglacial fire, vegetation, and climate history in the Clearwater Range, Northern Idaho, USA
Authors: Brunelle Andrea , Whitlock Cathy 
Published: November 2003

AbstractThe environmental history of the Northern Rocky Mountains was reconstructed using lake sediments from Burnt Knob Lake, Idaho, and comparing the results with those from other previously published sites in the region to understand how vegetation and fire regimes responded to large-scale climate changes during the Holocene. Vegetation reconstructions indicate parkland or alpine meadow at the end of the glacial period indicating cold-dry conditions. From 14,000 to 12,000 cal yr B.P., abundantPinuspollen suggests warmer, moister conditions than the previous period. Most sites record the development of a forest withPseudotsugaca. 9500 cal yr B.P. indicating warm dry climate coincident with the summer insolation maximum. As the amplification of the seasonal cycle of insolation waned during the middle Holocene,Pseudotsugawas replaced byPinusandAbiessuggesting cool, moist conditions. The fire reconstructions show less synchroneity. In general, the sites west of the continental divide display a fire-frequency maximum around 12,000–8000 cal yr B.P., which coincides with the interval of high summer insolation and stronger-than-present subtropical high. The sites on the east side of the continental divide have the highest fire frequency ca. 6000–3500 cal yr B.P. and may be responding to a decrease in summer precipitation as monsoonal circulation weakened in the middle and late Holocene. This study demonstrated that the fire frequency of the last two decades does not exceed the historical range of variability in that periods of even higher-than-present fire frequency occurred in the past.
A 16,000 14C yr B.P. packrat midden series from the USA–Mexico Borderlands
Authors: Holmgren Camille A. , Peñalba M. Cristina , Rylander Kate Aasen , Betancourt Julio L 
Published: November 2003

AbstractA new packrat midden chronology from Playas Valley, southwestern New Mexico, is the first installment of an ongoing effort to reconstruct paleovegetation and paleoclimate in the U.S.A.–Mexico Borderlands. Playas Valley and neighboring basins supported pluvial lakes during full and/or late glacial times. Plant macrofossil and pollen assemblages from nine middens in the Playas Valley allow comparisons of two time intervals: 16,000–10,000 and 4000–0 14C yr B.P. Vegetation along pluvial lake margins consisted of open pinyon–juniper communities dominated by Pinus edulis, Juniperus scopulorum, Juniperus cf. coahuilensis, and a rich understory of C4 annuals and grasses. This summer-flowering understory is also characteristic of modern desert grassland in the Borderlands and indicates at least moderate summer precipitation. P. edulis and J. scopulorum disappeared or were rare in the midden record by 10,670 14C yr B.P. The late Holocene is marked by the arrival of Chihuahuan desert scrub elements and few departures as the vegetation gradually became modern in character. Larrea tridentata appears as late as 2190 14C yr B.P. based on macrofossils, but may have been present as early as 4095 14C yr B.P. based on pollen. Fouquieria splendens, one of the dominant desert species present at the site today, makes its first appearance only in the last millennium. The midden pollen assemblages are difficult to interpret; they lack modern analogs in surface pollen assemblages from stock tanks at different elevations in the Borderlands.
Efficacy and tolerability of the long‐term administration of carvedilol in patients with chronic heart failure with and without concomitant diabetes mellitus
Authors: Nodari Savina , Metra Marco , Dei Cas Alessandra , Dei Cas Livio 
Published: November 2003

AbstractBackground:Diabetes is frequently associated with heart failure and is an independent risk factor for an increased mortality and morbidity. Beta‐blockers are traditionally regarded as relatively contraindicated in patients with diabetes mellitus.Aim of the study:To assess the efficacy and tolerability of carvedilol administration in patients with heart failure and concomitant diabetes.Methods and results:One hundred ninety‐three patients (68 diabetics, 125 non‐diabetics) with chronic heart failure were assessed by radionuclide ventriculography, cardiopulmonary exercise testing and right heart catheterization before and after 12 months of maintenance carvedilol treatment (mean dose, 40±19 mg daily). Diabetic patients were older and with a lower peak VO2, compared with non‐diabetics. Long‐term carvedilol administration was associated with an improvement in left ventricular function, clinical symptoms, resting and exercise hemodynamic parameters compared to baseline, with no significant difference between the diabetic and the non‐diabetic patients. The incidence of adverse effects was also similar between the two groups. Diabetics had higher all‐cause mortality with a similar mortality and hospitalization rate, compared to non‐diabetics during 33±20 months of follow‐up.Conclusion:Concomitant diabetes does not influence the efficacy and tolerability of carvedilol administration in patients with chronic heart failure.
ON UNEMPHATIC 'EMPHATIC' PRONOUNS IN GREEK: NOMINATIVE PRONOUNS IN PLATO AND SOPHOCLES
Authors: Dik Helma 
Published: November 2003

AbstractThe nominative forms γ and σ of the Greek personal pronoun are traditionally described as exclusively 'emphatic'. This paper argues, on the basis of examples from Plato and Sophocles, that these pronouns are often better understood as un emphatic, as becomes clear from their treatment as postpositives rather than 'Mobile' words.
Domestic and International Asymmetries in United States–European Union Trade Negotiations
Authors:   Duchesne,   Meunier,   Clark
Published: November 2003

AbstractThis article studies the determinants of international bargaining power in instances of trade negotiations between the European Union and the United States. The authors' central hypothesis is that an appraisal of the US–EU trade relationship requires an understanding of the ways in which ``domestic'' political institutions shape the bargaining behavior of international actors. In particular, this article argues that the frequent EU ``successes'' in its negotiations with the US are the result of the bargaining power that its unique institutional arrangements grant its negotiators. In order to explain the distributional outcomes of international trade negotiations, the authors explore the ``Schelling conjecture'' and analyze why it is particularly relevant to the understanding of the unique bargaining power of EU negotiators when they are confronted with their American counterparts. To examine the explanatory power of domestic institutions in episodes of trade negotiations, the article analyzes the US-EC Uruguay Round agricultural negotiations (1986–1993).