bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
No evidence for links between autism, MMR and measles virus
Authors: CHEN W. , LANDAU S. , SHAM P. , FOMBONNE E. 
Published: March 2004

Background. We examined whether, in the UK, there is an increased risk of autism (AD) following exposures, in early life, to: (1) wild measles; (2) live attenuated measles, alone or in combination as MMR; and (3) the alteration of the mumps strain within MMR.Method. We conducted time trend analyses of 2407 AD subjects born between 1959–93; and for comparison, 4640 Down's syndrome (DS) subjects born between 1966–93. Between 1968–86, we correlated variations in AD and DS births with wild measles incidence. Between 1959–93, we tested for abrupt changes in the long-term AD birth trend for the effects of introducing: (1) monovalent measles vaccines in 1968; (2) MMR immunization in 1988; and (3) the ‘overnight switch’ from mixed use of Urabe MMR to exclusive use of Jeryl–Lynn MMR in 1992. Incidence rate ratios (IRRs) were used as measures of association.Results. We found no significant association between AD births and exposure (prenatal and post-natal up to 18 months age) to population rates of measles infections, and no ‘step-up’ increase in AD births associated with the introduction of monovalent measles and MMR vaccines, and changing mumps strain. An unexpected reduction in AD births of 21% (95% CI 6·9–33·3%; P=0·005) among the post-1987 birth cohorts was detected.Conclusion. No increased risk of AD following exposures to wild measles and vaccinations with monovalent measles, and Urabe or Jeryl–Lynn variants of MMR was detected. The precise meaning of the detected AD births reduction is unclear. Our study cannot exclude rare complications of MMR, given its correlational design.
Social cognition, brain networks and schizophrenia
Authors: LEE K.-H. , FARROW T. F. D. , SPENCE S. A. , WOODRUFF P. W. R. 
Published: March 2004

Background. A better understanding of the neural basis of social cognition including mindreading (or theory of mind) and empathy might help to explain some deficits in social functioning in people with schizophrenia. Our aim was to review neuroimaging and neuropsychological studies on social cognition, as they may shed light on the neural mechanisms of social cognition and its dysfunction in patients with schizophrenia.Method. A selective literature review was undertaken.Results. Neuroimaging and neuropsychological studies suggest convergence upon specific networks for mindreading and empathy (the temporal cortex, amygdala and the prefrontal cortex). The frontal lobe is likely to play a central role in enabling social cognition, but mindreading and empathic abilities may require relatively different weighting of subcomponents within the same frontal-temporal social cognition network.Conclusions. Disturbances in social cognition may represent an abnormal interaction between frontal lobe and its functionally connected cortical and subcortical areas. Future studies should seek to explore the heterogeneity of social dysfunction within schizophrenia.
Do people with schizophrenia display theory of mind deficits in clinical interactions?
Authors: McCABE R. , LEUDAR I. , ANTAKI C. 
Published: March 2004

Background. Having a ‘theory of mind’ (ToM) means that one appreciates one's own and others' mental states, and that this appreciation guides interactions with others. It has been proposed that ToM is impaired in schizophrenia and experimental studies show that patients with schizophrenia have problems with ToM, particularly during acute episodes. The model predicts that communicative problems will result from ToM deficits.Method. We analysed 35 encounters (>80 h of recordings) between mental health professionals and people with chronic schizophrenia (out-patient consultations and cognitive behaviour therapy sessions) using conversation analysis in order to identify how the participants used or failed to use ToM relevant skills in social interaction.Results. Schizophrenics with ongoing positive and negative symptoms appropriately reported first and second order mental states of others and designed their contributions to conversations on the basis of what they thought their communicative partners knew and intended. Patients recognized that others do not share their delusions and attempted to reconcile others' beliefs with their own but problems arose when they try to warrant their delusional claims. They did not make the justification for their claim understandable for their interlocutor. Nevertheless, they did not fail to recognize that the justification for their claim is unconvincing. However, the ensuing disagreement did not lead them to modify their beliefs.Conclusions. Individuals with schizophrenia demonstrated intact ToM skills in conversational interactions. Psychotic beliefs persisted despite the realization they are not shared but not because patients cannot reflect on them and compare them with what others believe.
Cortisol does not mediate the suppressive effects of psychiatric morbidity on natural killer cell activity: a cross-sectional study of patients with early breast cancer
Authors: GARLAND MALCOLM R. , LAVELLE ENA , DOHERTY DEREK , GOLDEN-MASON LUCY , FITZPATRICK PATRICIA , HILL ARNOLD , WALSH NOEL , O'FARRELLY CLIONA 
Published: March 2004

Background. There is evidence that depression impairs natural killer cell activity (NKA); this could have implications for anti-tumour immunity. Our aim was to examine the role of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis in suppressing NKA in a population of patients with early breast cancer, screened for depression. Secondary aims were to study the relationship between psychological, endocrine and immune variables and baseline tumour characteristics.Methods. A cross-sectional population of female patients (n=55) with early breast cancer was sampled prior to primary surgery. Structured interview and psychometric instruments measured psychological distress. Flow cytometry was used to enumerate NK cells and lymphocytes were cryopreserved for use in a 51Cr-release assay, to estimate NKA. Midnight and three early morning saliva samples were collected to measure free cortisol levels. Tumour characteristics were obtained from hospital laboratory data.Results. A high rate of psychological morbidity (40%) was observed in the population. NKA was reduced in those with past or current psychiatric illness compared to those without (344 v. 553 LU20 and 455 v. 569 LU20 respectively, p<0·05 for both). Cortisol was not related to psychological status but was modestly positively correlated to NKA. A positive correlation was observed between the Fighting Spirit subscale of the Mental Adjustment to Cancer Scale and tumour size (r=0·383, p=0·012)Conclusions. Our data support the evidence that psychological morbidity is associated with immune dysfunction; however, the most obvious candidate mediator of this effect, the HPA axis, does not appear responsible for this effect. Possible reasons for this are discussed.
A randomized controlled trial of a brief intervention for families of patients with a first episode of psychosis
Authors: LEAVEY GERARD , GULAMHUSSEIN SALEENA , PAPADOPOULOS CHRIS , JOHNSON-SABINE ERIC , BLIZARD BOB , KING MICHAEL 
Published: March 2004

Background. Carers' satisfaction with psychiatric services related to information and advice is generally poor. This may be particularly true for services trying to meet the needs of ethnically diverse communities. It is important that services attempt to ameliorate carers' concerns as early as possible. The authors aimed to assess the impact of a brief educational and advice support service on carers of patients with a first episode of psychotic illness.Method. Carers of all patients identified with a first episode of psychosis in a defined psychiatric catchment area of North London were invited to participate. Following consent from patients and relatives, relatives were randomly allocated to receive (in addition to usual services) a brief intervention comprising education and advice about the disorder from a support team or to usual care from community psychiatric services.Results. One hundred and six carers were recruited to the study. Take-up of the intervention was less than expected and the intervention had little impact. The authors found no differences over time between the randomized arms for relatives' satisfaction (F=2·3, p=0·14, df=1) or number of days spent by patients in hospital over nine months from entry to the trial (F=1·7, p=0·18, df=1).Conclusions. It was found that the support and advice intervention for families had little impact on their satisfaction or on patients' outcomes. However, failure to take up the intervention threatens the conclusions as the power to show an effect was reduced. Although family interventions, in general, are considered an important adjunct to the treatment of patients with chronic psychosis, there may be difficulties in providing an educational and support intervention shortly after first onset. How and when psychiatric services provide information and advice to carers of people newly diagnosed with a psychosis requires further study.
Ectoparasite load in European vespertilionid bats
Authors: Zahn Andreas , Rupp Doris 
Published: March 2004

AbstractThe parasite load of seven European bat species (Myotis daubentonii, Myotis emarginatus, Myotis myotis, Myotis mystacinus, Myotis nattereri, Nyctalus noctula, Pipistrellus pipistrellus) was compared and tested to see if there was a relationship between high parasite load and poor body condition in bats. Considerable variations of the parasite load between host species, ages and sexes were found, which can be attributed to roosting conditions and behavioural differences of the bats. Overall, male bats had the fewest parasites. Very different parasite population densities were found in different years, and also at the same time at different sites. A generally high parasite load during the nursing season was not observed. There was no strong trend of increasing parasite load in bats with decreasing condition. If weak bats had more parasites than other individuals, the high number of parasites seemed to be a symptom and not the direct cause of the bad condition.
Measures of pocket gopher (Thomomys bottae) burrow geometry: correlates of fractal dimension
Authors: Romañach Stephanie S. , Le Comber Steven C. 
Published: March 2004

AbstractFor many burrowing species of mammals, the shape of the burrow may affect the success with which resources are acquired. Parameters used to characterize burrows have included: number of branches, mean segment length, turn angle, and linearity. However, the interactions among these parameters are unclear, making it desirable to find a single measure to characterize burrow geometry. For this reason, fractal dimension has been proposed as a measure of burrow geometry. However, the ways in which fractal dimension relates to other burrow metrics are not obvious. In this study, we examine correlations between fractal dimension and other measures of burrow geometry, using burrows of the pocket gopher Thomomys bottae. We also investigate whether burrows excavated by pocket gophers of different age, sex, and at two locations differing in food abundance have different fractal dimensions. We show that there are strong correlations between fractal dimension and other measures of burrow geometry, but that replacing fractal dimension with any single measure of burrow geometry discards important information about burrow structure. We conclude that fractal dimension offers a useful way of describing burrow geometry. No differences were found in burrow fractal dimension between pocket gophers of different ages or sex or in sites of different productivities, and we conclude that the factors that determine the pattern of burrowing in this species are invariant with respect to these parameters.
The importance of rodents in the diet of jungle cat (Felis chaus), caracal (Caracal caracal) and golden jackal (Canis aureus) in Sariska Tiger Reserve, Rajasthan, India
Authors: Mukherjee Shomita , Goyal S. P. , Johnsingh A. J. T. , Pitman M. R. P. Leite 
Published: March 2004

AbstractMany small carnivores include rodents in their diet. However, due to varying evolutionary strategies, carnivores differ in their metabolism and energy requirements. Hence, comparisons of diet between carnivores would be more meaningful if the body size and energetics of the predators are considered. The diet of three small carnivores (jungle cat Felis chaus; caracal Caracal caracal; golden jackal Canis aureus) from a semi‐arid part of western India was studied through scat analysis, and the importance of rodents in their diet was estimated as a percentage of their daily energy requirement. Although percentage frequency in scats and biomass consumption showed rodents to be equally important to all three carnivores, energy calculations showed that rodents were more important as prey for the felids than the jackal. Up to 70% of the daily metabolizable energy in felids was obtained from rodents, as compared to 45% in the jackal. Rodents are generally viewed as pests, and their importance to the small carnivore community is overlooked. Change in land use over the decades in the arid/semi‐arid tract of western India has led to several adverse as well as favourable modifications in rodent assemblages, which could influence the persistence of species like the caracal and jungle cat in this region, that largely depend on rodents for their survival.
Mitochondrial sequences and karyotypes reveal hidden diversity in African pouched mice (subfamily Cricetomyinae, genus Saccostomus)
Authors: Corti Marco , Castiglia Riccardo , Annesi Flavia , Verheyen Walter 
Published: March 2004

AbstractThe African rodent genus Saccostomus is common and widespread in the savannas, scrubby areas and cultivated fields from south Ethiopia and Somalia through East Africa down to the Cape Province. Its systematics and taxonomy are however poorly known, with two species currently recognized, S. mearnsi and S. campestris, the former is typical of the Somali–Maasai domain and the latter is typical of Zambezian–South African. The karyotypic findings and the analysis of the mitochondrial gene cytochrome b for some populations from Somalia, Tanzania, Zambia and South Africa are presented showing that the diversity within the genus is much higher than previously reported and believed, and that S. mearnsi and S. campestris rather represent species complexes, still actively speciating. The times of cladogenetic events and the extent of chromosomal variability within the genus that may be coupled with speciation are discussed. Finally, the possible taxonomy is considered in the context of the wide karyotypic variation shown by each species, the extent and the boundaries of which are still largely unknown, limiting therefore their definitive taxonomic assignment.
Reindeer influence on ecosystem processes in the tundra
Authors: Olofsson J. , Stark S. , Oksanen L. 
Published: March 2004

Reindeer have been recorded to increase nutrient cycling rate and primary production in studies from fences almost 40 years old that separate areas with different grazing regimes in northern Fennoscandia. To further understand the mechanism behind the effects of herbivores on primary production, we measured the size of the major C and N pools, soil temperature, litter decomposition rate and N mineralization rate in lightly, moderately and heavily grazed areas along two of these fences.Plant N found in new biomass, indicative of plant N assimilation, was significantly higher in moderately and heavily grazed areas than in lightly grazed areas, which corresponded to a decreased amount of N in old plant parts. The amount of N found in plant litter or organic soil layer did not differ between the grazing treatments. Together with soil N concentrations and litter decomposition rates, soil temperatures were significantly higher in moderately and heavily grazed areas.We conclude that the changes in soil temperature are important for the litter decomposition rate and thus on the nutrient availability for plant uptake. However, the changes in plant community composition appear to be more important for the altered N pools and thus the enhanced primary production. The results provide some support for the keystone herbivore hypothesis, which states that intensive grazing can promote a transition from moss‐rich tundra heath to productive grasslands. Grazing altered N fluxes and pools, but the total N pools were similar in all grazing treatments. Our study thus indicates that grazing can increase the primary production through enhancing the soil nutrient cycling rate, even in a long term perspective on an ecological timescale.
Effects of glycaemic control on cardiovascular disease in diabetic American Indians: the Strong Heart Study
Authors: Lu W. Q. , Resnick H. E. , Jablonski K. A. , Jain A. K. , Jones K. L. , Robbins D. C. , Howard B. V. 
Published: March 2004

AbstractAims  Diabetes increases the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Only part of this excess risk is explained by diabetes‐associated hypertension, obesity, and lipid disorders. Poor glycaemic control may help explain the residual CVD risk. The aim of this study was to determine whether variations in glycaemic control are associated with CVD risk in diabetic individuals.Methods  We examined longitudinal data from the Strong Heart Study, a population‐based study of CVD and its risk factors among American Indians (a population with a high prevalence of diabetes). Diabetes was defined using the 1998 World Health Organization criteria: fasting plasma glucose ≥ 126 mg/dl or 2‐h plasma glucose ≥ 200 mg/dl. American Diabetes Association guidelines for glycaemic control were used: good, A1c < 7%; fair, 7–7.9%; and poor, ≥ 8%. The analysis was based on data from diabetic individuals with no CVD at baseline.Results  During 9 years of follow‐up, 494 of the 2011 diabetic participants developed CVD. Although Cox multivariate regression modelling showed dose–response effects of glycaemic control on overall CVD and coronary heart disease (CHD) incidence, the relationships were weakened when adjusted for confounding variables. Kaplan–Meier analysis, however, showed that diabetic individuals with poor baseline glycaemic control had significantly increased proportions of overall CVD and CHD (P = 0.001) during the 9 years of follow‐up, compared with those who had good or fair control.Conclusion  These findings highlight the importance of risk factors, such as high blood pressure and dyslipidaemia, in increasing CVD risk in those with diabetes.
Combination therapy for Type 2 diabetes: repaglinide plus rosiglitazone
Authors: Raskin P. , McGill J. , Saad M. F. , Cappleman J. M. , Kaye W. , Khutoryansky N. , Hale P. M. 
Published: March 2004

AbstractAims  This 24‐week, randomized, multicentre, open‐label, parallel‐group clinical trial compared efficacy and safety of repaglinide monotherapy, rosiglitazone monotherapy, and combination therapy (repaglinide plus rosiglitazone) in Type 2 diabetes after unsatisfactory response to sulphonylurea or metformin monotherapy.Methods  Enrolled patients (n = 252) were adults having Type 2 diabetes for at least 1 year, with HbA1c values > 7.0% after previous monotherapy (sulphonylurea or metformin, ≥ 50% maximal dose). Prior therapy was withdrawn for 2 weeks, followed by randomization to repaglinide, rosiglitazone, or repaglinide/rosiglitazone. Study treatments were initiated with a 12‐week dose optimization period (doses optimized according to labelling), followed by a 12‐week maintenance period. Efficacy endpoints were changes in HbA1c values (primary) or fasting plasma glucose values (secondary).Results  Baseline HbA1c values were comparable (9.3% for repaglinide, 9.0% for rosiglitazone, 9.1% for combination). Mean changes in HbA1c values at the end of treatment were greater for repaglinide/rosiglitazone therapy (−1.43%) than for repaglinide (−0.17%) or rosiglitazone (−0.56%) monotherapy. Reductions of fasting plasma glucose values were also greater for combination therapy (−5.2 mmol/l, −94 mg/dl) than for repaglinide monotherapy (−3.0 mmol/l, −54 mg/dl) or rosiglitazone monotherapy (−3.7 mmol/l, −67 mg/dl). Minor hypoglycaemic events occurred in 9% of combination therapy patients, vs. 6% for repaglinide and 2% for rosiglitazone. Individual weight gains for combination therapy were correlated to HbA1c response.Conclusions  The combination therapy regimen was well tolerated. In patients previously showing unsatisfactory response to oral monotherapy, glycaemic reductions were greater for the repaglinide/rosiglitazone combination regimen than for use of either repaglinide or rosiglitazone alone.
C‐reactive protein and risk factors for peripheral vascular disease in subjects with Type 2 diabetes mellitus
Authors: Yu H‐I. , Sheu W. H‐H. , Song Y‐M. , Liu H‐C. , Lee W‐J. , Chen Y‐T. 
Published: March 2004

AbstractAims  To compare the importance of different inflammatory markers and traditional risk factors in predicting peripheral vascular disease (PVD) in patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus.Methods  A cross‐sectional analysis of 30 Type 2 diabetic patients with PVD defined by ankle‐brachial index (ABI) < 0.9, and 60 Type 2 diabetic patients without PVD (ABI > 1.0). Overnight blood was drawn and sent for study.Results  Longer diabetic duration (15 ± 8 vs. 10 ± 7 years, P = 0.007), higher serum creatinine level (0.11 ± 0.04 vs. 0.09 ± 0.03 mmol/l, P = 0.001), higher total cholesterol/high‐density lipoprotein‐cholesterol (TC/HDL‐C) ratio (5.2 ± 1.6 vs. 4.3 ± 1.1, P = 0.004) and increased hypertension status (70% vs. 52%, P = 0.014) and cerebral infarction (CI) history (23% vs. 3%, P = 0.009) were noted in Type 2 diabetes with PVD. Those with PVD also showed significantly higher serum levels of C‐reactive protein (CRP) (median 0.282 vs. 0.102 mg/dl, P < 0.001) and interleukin (IL)‐6 (10.6 ± 1.81 vs 1.6 ± 4.6 pg/ml, P = 0.001). Multivariate regression analysis showed that higher serum levels of C‐reactive protein (CRP), longer diabetic duration, and use of angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEI) were independently associated with PVD in Type 2 diabetes mellitus.Conclusions  Type 2 diabetic patients with PVD had longer diabetic duration, higher serum creatinine levels, higher TC/HDL‐C ratio, higher hypertension and CI history and higher CRP and IL‐6 levels. Only serum CRP level, diabetic duration, and use of ACEI were independently associated with PVD in Type 2 diabetes mellitus.