bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Breastfeeding and the Risk of Childhood Leukemia: A Meta-Analysis
Authors: Kwan Marilyn L. , Buffler Patricia A. , Abrams Barbara , Kiley Vincent A. 
Published: October 2004

Objectives. The authors used a meta-analytic technique to ( 1) quantify the evidence of an association between duration of breastfeeding and risk of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) or acute myeloblastic leukemia (AML), ( 2) assess the influence of socioeconomic status (SES) on any such associations, and ( 3) discuss the implications of these findings for the evaluation of whether breastfeeding reduces the risk of childhood leukemia. Methods. A fixed effects model was employed to systematically combine the results of 14 case-control studies addressing the effect of short-term (⩽6 months) and long-term (>6 months) breastfeeding on the risk of childhood ALL and/or AML. Subgroup analyses of studies that did and did not adjust for SES were also performed. Results. A significant, negative association was observed between long-term breastfeeding and both ALL risk (odds ratio [OR] = 0.76; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.68, 0.84) and AML risk (OR=0.85; 95% CI 0.73, 0.98). Short-term breastfeeding was similarly protective for ALL and AML. Results for studies that adjusted and did not adjust for SES were not significantly different from the results for the 14 studies combined. Conclusions. This meta-analysis showed that both short-term and long-term breastfeeding reduced the risk of childhood ALL and AML, suggesting that the protective effect of breastfeeding might not be limited to ALL as earlier hypothesized. Potential bias introduced by different participation rates for case and control samples that differed in SES can be minimized by implementing larger case-control studies with SES-matched, population-based controls.
Physical Partner Violence and Medicaid Utilization and Expenditures
Authors: Coker Ann L. , Reeder C. Eugene , Fadden Mary Kay , Smith Paige H. 
Published: October 2004

Objectives. Little research has addressed differences in health care expenditures among women who are currently experiencing intimate partner violence (IPV) compared with those who are not. The purpose of this work is to provide estimates of direct medical expenditure for physician, drug, and hospital utilization among Medicaid-eligible women who screened as currently experiencing IPV compared with those who are not currently experiencing IPV. Methods. In this family practice-based cross-sectional study, women were screened for current IPV using a 15-item Index of Spouse Abuse–Physical (ISA-P) between 1997 and 1998. Consents were obtained from study subjects to review Medicaid expenditure and utilization data for the same time period. Results. Mean physician, hospital, and total expenditures were higher for those women with higher IPV scores compared with those who scored as not currently experiencing IPV, after adjusting for confounders. Higher IPV scores were associated with a three-fold increased risk of having a total expenditure over $5,000 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.3, 8.4). The mean total expenditure difference between the high IPV and no IPV groups was $1,064 (95% CI $623, $1506). The adjusted risk ratio for high IPV score and the log of total Medicaid expenditures was 2.3 (95% CI 1.2, 4.4). Conclusions. Women screened as experiencing higher IPV scores had higher Medicaid expenditures compared with women not currently experiencing IPV. Early IPV assessment partnered with effective clinic or community-based interventions may help to identify IPV earlier and reduce the health impact and cost of IPV.
Household Food Security among Migrant and Seasonal Latino Farmworkers in North Carolina
Authors: Quandt Sara A. , Arcury Thomas A. , Early Julie , Tapia Janeth , Davis Jessie D. 
Published: October 2004

Objective. Food insecurity is defined as lack of access at all times, due to economic barriers, to enough food for an active and healthy lifestyle. The objective of this study was threefold: to characterize levels of food security, food insecurity, and hunger among migrant and seasonal Latino farmworkers; to assess predictors of food insecurity for this group; and to describe the strategies farmworkers use to cope with food insecurity. Methods. Adults from 102 farmworker households in North Carolina responded to a survey that used a Spanish-language adaptation of the U.S. Household Food Security Survey Module and questions about sociodemographic characteristics and food behaviors. Twenty-five farmworkers participated in in-depth interviews in which they described their households' food security situation and coping strategies. Results. Forty-eight of the 102 sample households (47.1%) were classified as food insecure, including 10 (9.8%) with moderate hunger and five (4.9%) with severe hunger. Households with children had a significantly higher prevalence of food insecurity than those without children (56.4% vs. 36.2%). Households with children accessed food programs such as the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) that were unavailable to those without children, while those without children were more likely to access food pantries and to consume wild game or fish. Coping strategies included borrowing money, reducing food variety, and adults consuming less food to protect children from hunger. Food insecurity was more than four times as prevalent among farmworker households as among the general U.S. population. Conclusion. Policy changes to increase economic resources and access to federal programs are needed to decrease this food insecurity.
Evaluating the Performance of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Core Health-Related Quality of Life Scale with Adolescents
Authors: Zullig Keith J. , Valois Robert F. , Huebner E. Scott , Drane J. Wanzer 
Published: October 2004

Objective. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the performance of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's core Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQOL) scale using data from 5,520 public high school students. Methods. The 1997 South Carolina Youth Risk Behavior Survey was the source of data. Chi-square analysis was applied to assess scale construct validity. Adjusted multiple logistic regression with selected tobacco and substance use variables was used to assess known-groups validity of the scale's Healthy Days index (items regarding poor physical and mental health days during the past 30 days). Results. Construct validity was supported for the core HRQOL scale by the associations between self-perceived health and physical health, mental health, and activity limitation days. A greater number of poor physical health days, poor mental health days, or activity limitation days was associated with poorer self-perceived health ( p<0.0001); however, correlation coefficients for the associations between self-perceived health and physical health days ( r=0.24; p<0.001), self-perceived health and mental health days ( r=0.26; p<0.0001), and self-perceived health and activity limitation days ( r=0.23; p<0.0001), although significant, were low in magnitude. Logistic regression analyses conducted with the Healthy Days index revealed significant ( p<0.05) HRQOL differences between users and non-users of tobacco and other substance use variables. As hypothesized, as the usage of each substance increased, reported poor HRQOL days increased, supporting the known-groups validity of the scale. Conclusions. This study provides preliminary evidence that the HRQOL scale items are valid and potentially useful for adolescent surveillance. The results, however, are mixed regarding the inclusion of self-perceived health as a measure of HRQOL for adolescents, given the low correlation coefficients for the associations between self-perceived health and the other HRQOL scale items. These results suggest that adolescents may be rating two separate dimensions of health when rating their self-perceived health and HRQOL. Further research is needed to confirm these findings in different adolescent populations.
FUNCTIONAL PEARL Calculating the Sieve of Eratosthenes
Authors: MEERTENS LAMBERT 
Published: October 2004

The Sieve of Eratosthenes is an efficient algorithm for computing the successive primes. Rendered informally, it is as follows:1. Write down the successive “plurals”: 2, 3, 4, …2. Repeat:(a) Take the first number that is not circled or crossed out.(b) Circle it.(c) Cross out its proper multiples.3. What is left (i.e. the circled numbers) are the successive prime numbers.
Coccidioidomycosis Causing Massive Cervical Lymphadenopathy
Authors: Biller Jason A. , Scheuller Michael C. , Eisele David W. 
Published: October 2004

AbstractCoccidioidomycosis involving the head and neck is uncommon. We present a case of a patient with disseminated coccidioidomycosis and massive submandibular cystic lymphadenopathy unresponsive to systemic antifungal treatment. It is our impression that significant clinical improvement resulted from concomitant needle aspiration of the cystic nodes to decrease fungal load and modification of systemic medication. Although reduction of fungal burden may provide an improved response to antifungal therapy, disseminated coccidioidomycosis is a systemic disease that requires appropriate systemic therapy.
Viability of a 12‐Ring Complete Tracheal Segment Transferred in the Form of a Compound Flap: An Experimental Study in Dogs
Authors: Cibantos Filho Jubert Sanches , de Mello Filho Francisco Veríssimo , Campos Antonio Dorival , Ellinguer Fred 
Published: October 2004

AbstractIntroduction: There is a lack of an ideal substitute for the injured tracheal tissues. Autologous or homologous grafts and prostheses are inadequate because of their unreliable and nonviable nature for the reconstruction of a complete tracheal segment (CTS).Objective: We studied the viability of a 12‐ring CTS transferred in the form of a compound flap from the sternohyoid muscle (SM) for tracheal reconstruction.Methods: Sixteen mongrel dogs of both sexes were divided into two groups of eight dogs each. In group I (control), a 12‐ring CTS was removed and then reimplanted as an autograft. In group II, an SM flap was used to envelop four rings of the CTS to produce a compound CTS flap neovascularized by the SM (CTSNV). After 21 days, a 12‐ring CTSNV, consisting of the four rings previously covered with SM, four rings above, and four rings below (without muscle covering), was sectioned and completely separated from the trachea. The CTS was then reimplanted at its original site, with the SM being the only vascular supply pedicle for the flap.Results: The results were evaluated clinically and by macroscopic and microscopic examination of the surgical specimens. All the animals in group I (control) died or were killed by the first or second week because of necrosis and stenosis of the CTS graft. In group II, all animals were killed after 77 days of follow‐up without showing any alteration in the CTSNV.Conclusions: We conclude that a compound 12‐ring CTSNV flap remains viable and can be mobilized from the trachea without the risk of necrosis or stenosis.
Influence of Amphotericin B on the Ciliary Beat Frequency of Nasal Mucosa
Authors: Hofer Edmund , Neher Andreas , Schrott‐Fischer Anneliese , Nagl Markus 
Published: October 2004

AbstractObjective: A new therapeutic approach in eosinophilic fungal rhinosinusitis is topical application of antifungals such as amphotericin B. The tolerability of a recently applied concentration of this drug by human nasal mucosa was tested in vitro.Methods: Ciliary beat frequency (CBF) was measured by a photometric technique, combining a light microscope, a photometer, a photograph‐multiplier, and a computed analyzing unit.Results: Treatment for 20 minutes with amphotericin B finally diluted in saline to 0.1 mg/mL caused no decrease in CBF. By contrast, both amphotericin B diluted in distilled water and distilled water without additives lowered CBF about 50%. This decrease was not reversible after reincubation for 20 minute in saline.Conclusions: The results confirm the good tolerability of topical amphotericin B in the nasal and paranasal cavity. Because of the negative effect of distilled water, final dilution in physiologic solvents should be considered.
Case Report: Cochlear Implant Magnet Migration
Authors: Wilkinson Eric P. , Dogru Salim , Meyer Ted A. , Gantz Bruce J. 
Published: October 2004

AbstractA 13‐month‐old cochlear implant recipient underwent routine device activation. Three months postoperatively, the patient sustained a fall with contact to the area of the implant without immediate complication. Ten months postoperatively, the position of the external coil appeared to have moved and the patient did not seem to be responding as well to sound. Audiological testing could not elicit normal device impedances. AP and lateral plain radiographs of the skull revealed migration of the internal magnet from its position within the internal coil to a position over the receiver/stimulator. This is the first known published case of cochlear implant magnet migration.
Methemoglobinemia: Early Intraoperative Detection by Clinical Observation
Authors: Henry Leonard R. , Pizzini Mark , Delarso Bruce , Ridge John A. 
Published: October 2004

AbstractObjectives/Hypothesis: Head and neck surgery patients often receive topical anesthetics in the office for examination or in the operating room for nasotracheal intubation. Benzocaine (a component of many topical preparations) is frequently employed for this purpose. Acute methemoglobinemia is a rare but potentially lethal complication of benzocaine administration. Early recognition and treatment may prevent complications or death. We report a case of acute intraoperative methemoglobinemia, caused by benzocaine spray, which was diagnosed (and reversed) quickly after the clinical observation of “chocolate brown blood” in the surgical field.
SEEG‐guided RF Thermocoagulation of Epileptic Foci: Feasibility, Safety, and Preliminary Results
Authors: Guénot Marc , Isnard Jean , Ryvlin Philippe , Fischer Catherine , Mauguière François , Sindou Marc 
Published: October 2004

Summary: Purpose: Depth electrodes recordings may be required in some cases of epilepsy surgery to delineate the best region for cortical resection. We usually implant depth electrodes according to Talairach's stereoelectroencephalography (SEEG) method. By using these permanently implanted depth electrodes, we are able to perform radiofrequency (RF)‐thermolesions of the epileptic foci. We report the technical data required to perform such multiple cortical thermolesions, as well as preliminary results in terms of seizure outcome in a group of 20 patients.Methods: Lesions were performed by using 100‐ to 110‐mA bipolar current (50 V), applied for 10 to 50 s. Each thermocoagulation produced a 5‐ to 7‐mm diameter cortical lesion. In total, two to 16 lesions were performed in each of the 20 patients. Lesions were placed without anesthesia. No general or neurologic complication occurred during the procedures. Two transient postprocedure side effects, consisting of paresthetic sensations in the mouth and mild apraxia of the hand, were observed.Results: At a follow‐up time of 8 to 31 months (mean, 19 months), 15% of the patients became seizure free, 40% experienced a ≥80% reduction of their seizure frequency, and 45% were not significantly improved.Conclusions: SEEG‐guided RF thermolesions is a safe technique. Our preliminary results indicate that such lesions can lead to a significant reduction of seizure frequency and could be proposed as a palliative procedure if no resective surgery is possible. A randomized controlled trial is needed to determine which patients are likely to respond to SEEG‐guided RF thermolesions.
Lasting Secondary Antiepileptogenesis Induced by Cingulate Kindling
Authors: Wada Juhn A. , Hirayasu Yoshio 
Published: October 2004

Summary:  Purpose: To test the validity of a hypothesis that kindling‐induced enduring kindling inhibition of the homotopic secondary site is not a primate species‐specific effect but occurs also in feline species. Methods: Five mature male cats were kindled at the anterior (AC) and posterior (PC) cingulate cortex followed by secondary‐site kindling and primary‐site retest. Results: Kindling was characterized by a marked seizure‐stage instability and a progressive afterdischarge threshold elevation in all the animals. A protracted nonconvulsive seizure stage was followed by convulsive evolution and rapid generalization. At the secondary site, positive transfer effect was absent, and kindling did not occur. Primary‐site retest activated kindled seizure within three stimulations. Recurrent spontaneous seizures, identical to the primary‐site kindled seizure, occurred in two AC‐kindled animals. Subsequent to this, a markedly elevated afterdischarge threshold also was found at some distant cortical and subcortical sites, to which the afterdischarge propagated. Kindling of the amygdala ipsilateral to the kindled AC or PC was tardy, with no positive transfer effect. However, it was associated with afterdischage threshold reduction. Conclusions: Cingulate kindling‐induced enduring kindling inhibition at a homotopic secondary site is not a primate species‐specific effect and occurs also in feline species. It is not limited to a homotopic site and represents a lasting secondary antiepileptogenesis, presumably due to enhanced intrinsic inhibitory mechanism(s) available to the mammalian brain. A selective afterdischarge threshold elevation concurrently observed is suspected to be a feline species‐specific effect.
Synergism between Topiramate and Budipine in Refractory Status Epilepticus in the Rat
Authors: Fisher Andrew , Wang Xiaolan , Cock Hannah R. , Thom Maria , Patsalos Philip N. , Walker Matthew C. 
Published: October 2004

Summary:  Purpose: To evaluate the antiepileptic and neuroprotective properties of topiramate (TPM) alone and with coadministration of the N‐methyl‐d‐aspartate (NMDA)‐receptor antagonist budipine in a rat model of refractory status epilepticus. Methods: Male Sprague–Dawley rats had electrodes implanted into the perforant path and dentate granule cell layer of the hippocampus under halothane anesthesia. Approximately 1 week after surgery, the perforant path of each animal was electrically stimulated for 2 h to induce self‐sustaining status epilepticus. Successfully stimulated rats were given intraperitoneally vehicle (n = 6), TPM (20–320 mg/kg; n = 28), budipine (10 mg/kg; n = 5), or budipine (10 mg/kg) and TPM (80 mg/kg; n = 6) 10 min after the end of the stimulation and monitored behaviorally and electroencephalographically for a further 3 h. The animals were killed 14 days later, and histopathology was assessed. Results: Neither budipine alone nor TPM at any dose terminated status epilepticus. Despite this, TPM resulted in various degrees of neuroprotection at doses between 40 and 320 mg/kg. Coadministration of budipine with TPM terminated the status epilepticus in all rats. This combination also significantly improved the behavioral profile and prevented status‐induced cell death compared with control. Conclusions: Budipine and TPM are an effective drug combination in stopping self‐sustained status epilepticus, and TPM alone was neuroprotective, despite the continuation of seizure activity.
Electrolyte Therapy for Refractory Seizures in Familial Dysautonomia
Authors: Ochoa Juan G. 
Published: October 2004

Summary:  Purpose: Video‐EEG in a family of three patients with slow development and familial dysautonomia demonstrated absence seizures associated with 3‐Hz generalized spike‐and‐wave discharges. The seizures were refractory to antiepileptic drugs (AEDs). Methods: Treatment was given with rice‐based cereal electrolyte oral solution. Results: Treatment induced seizure freedom and normalization of EEG in all three patients. Repeated video‐EEG monitoring with discontinuation of AEDs and maintenance of the oral hydration therapy was associated with recurrence of epileptic activity. All three patients have remained seizure free (∼1 year) with a combination of topiramate and electrolytic therapy. Conclusions: Rice‐based oral electrolyte hydration therapy may play a role in prevention and control of seizures in patients with familial dysautonomia.
Interictal Temporal Delta Activity in Temporal Lobe Epilepsy: Correlations with Pathology and Outcome
Authors: Koutroumanidis Michael , Martin‐Miguel Carmen , Hennessy Michael J. , Akanuma Nozomi , Valentin Antonio , Alarcón Gonzalo , Jarosz Jozef M. , Polkey Charles E. 
Published: October 2004

Summary:  Purpose: To determine the characteristics and the clinical significance of focal slow activity and its association with focal epileptogenesis in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). Methods: We analyzed the interictal EEGs of 141 patients who had temporal lobe resections for intractable focal seizures and correlated the findings with pathologic changes and outcome. The pathologic changes were categorized into medial temporal sclerosis, tumors, and nonspecific changes. Results: Lateralized slow activity was found in 66% of the patients, and it was mainly temporal, of delta frequency and irregular morphology. None of its characteristics, including quantity and reactivity to eye opening, was substrate specific. It was highly concordant with temporal spiking (60%), without any difference across the three groups, but provided additional information in 19 (15%) patients who had no lateralizing spikes. The effect of sleep also was similar in all three groups and included transition of slow waves into spikes. Lateralized slow activity to the side of the operation was significantly associated with favorable outcome only in the group with nonspecific pathology (p = 0.008), regardless of the presence, laterality, or topography of spikes. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that in patients with TLE whose brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is either normal or suggestive of medial temporal sclerosis, interictal temporal slow activity has a lateralizing value similar to that of temporal spiking. Its association with a favorable outcome in patients with nonspecific pathology also suggests that candidates with lateralizing temporal delta and normal MRI should not be barred from further preoperative assessment.
BIOMECHANICS AND ALGINIC ACID COMPOSITION DURING HYDRODYNAMIC ADAPTATION BYEGREGIA MENZIESII(PHAEOPHYTA) JUVENILES1
Authors: Kraemer George P. , Chapman David J. 
Published: October 2004

ABSTRACTTo investigate the possible link between cell wall alginic acid composition and tissue mechanics, juveniles ofEgregia menziesii(Turn.) Aresch. were grown under controlled conditions in an outdoor flowing seawater system under three different force regimes. After 6–10 weeks of growth, tissue strength, breaking strain, modulus, toughness, work of fracture, and the percentage of polymannuronate, polyguluronate, and alternating sequences in the cell wall alginic acid were examined. The force regime had significant effects on all mechanical indices except toughness. Juveniles grown under high energy conditions (water velocity = 1.2 m · s−1) were about two times stronger, two times stiffer, and had a 1.5 times greater work of fracture than those from low energy conditions (<1 cm ·−1). Treatment effects on thallus strength and modulus were predicted from alginic acid composition data to test for the importance of this cell wall material in whole plant adaptation to hydrodynamic stress. However, the prediction that differences in alginic acid composition were responsible for differences in tissue mechanical properties was inconsistent with observations. Therefore, the hypothesis that alginates play a central role in structural adaptation could not be accepted.