bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Magnesium administration provokes motor unit survival, after sciatic nerve injury in neonatal rats
Authors: Gougoulias N , Hatzisotiriou A , Kapoukranidou D , Albani M 
Published: September 2004

Abstract
Background
We examined the time course of the functional alterations in two types of muscles following sciatic nerve crush in neonatal rats and the neuroprotective effect of Mg2+.

Methods
The nerve crush was performed on the 2nd postnatal day. MgSO4*7H2O was administered daily for two weeks. Animals were examined for the contractile properties and for the number of motor units of extensor digitorum longus and soleus muscles at three postnatal stages and adulthood. Four experimental groups were included in this study: i) controls, ii) axotomized rats, iii) magnesium treated controls and iv) axotomized and Mg2+-treated rats.

Results
Axotomy resulted in 20% MU survival in EDL and 50% in soleus. In contrast, magnesium treatment resulted in a significant motor unit survival (40% survival in EDL and 80% in soleus). The neuroprotective effects of Mg2+ were evident immediately after the Mg2+-treatment. Immature EDL and soleus muscles were slow and fatigueable. Soleus gradually became fatigue resistant, whereas, after axotomy, soleus remained fatigueable up to adulthood. EDL gradually became fastcontracting. Tetanic contraction in axotomized EDL was just 3,3% of the control side, compared to 15,2% in Mg2+-treated adult rats. The same parameter for axotomized soleus was 12% compared to 97% in Mg2+-treated adult rats.

Conclusions
These results demonstrate that motoneuron death occurs mostly within two weeks of axotomy. Magnesium administration rescues motoneurons and increases the number of motor units surviving into adulthood. Fast and slow muscles respond differently to axotomy and to subsequent Mg2+ treatment in vivo.
The PedsQL™ Family Impact Module: Preliminary reliability and validity
Authors: Varni James W , Sherman Sandra A , Burwinkle Tasha M , Dickinson Paige E , Dixon Pamela 
Published: September 2004

Abstract
Background
The PedsQL™ Measurement Model was designed to measure health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in children and adolescents. The PedsQL™ 4.0 Generic Core Scales were developed to be integrated with the PedsQL™ Disease-Specific Modules. The newly developed PedsQL™ Family Impact Module was designed to measure the impact of pediatric chronic health conditions on parents and the family. The PedsQL™ Family Impact Module measures parent self-reported physical, emotional, social, and cognitive functioning, communication, and worry. The Module also measures parent-reported family daily activities and family relationships.

Methods
The 36-item PedsQL™ Family Impact Module was administered to 23 families of medically fragile children with complex chronic health conditions who either resided in a long-term care convalescent hospital or resided at home with their families.

Results
Internal consistency reliability was demonstrated for the PedsQL™ Family Impact Module Total Scale Score (α = 0.97), Parent HRQOL Summary Score (α = 0.96), Family Functioning Summary Score (α = 0.90), and Module Scales (average α = 0.90, range = 0.82 – 0.97). The PedsQL™ Family Impact Module distinguished between families with children in a long-term care facility and families whose children resided at home.

Conclusions
The results demonstrate the preliminary reliability and validity of the PedsQL™ Family Impact Module in families with children with complex chronic health conditions. The PedsQL™ Family Impact Module will be further field tested to determine the measurement properties of this new instrument with other pediatric chronic health conditions.
Exposure to malaria affects the regression of hepatosplenomegaly after treatment for Schistosoma mansoniinfection in Kenyan children
Authors: Booth Mark , Vennervald Birgitte J , Butterworth Anthony E , Kariuki Henry C , Amaganga Clifford , Kimani Gachuhi , Mwatha Joseph K , Otedo Amos , Ouma John H , Dunne David W 
Published: September 2004

Abstract
Background
Schistosoma mansoni and malaria infections are often endemic in the same communities in sub-Saharan Africa, and both have pathological effects on the liver and the spleen. Hepatosplenomegaly associated with S. mansoni is exacerbated in children with relatively high exposure to malaria. Treatment with praziquantel reduces the degree of hepatosplenomegaly, but the condition does not completely resolve in some cases. The present analysis focused on the possibility that exposure to malaria infection may have limited the resolution of hepatosplenomegaly in a cohort of Kenyan schoolchildren.

Methods
Ninety-six children aged 6–16, from one community in Makueni district, Kenya, were treated with praziquantel. At baseline, all children had hepatomegaly and most had splenomegaly. The source of S. mansoni infection, a river, was molluscicided regularly over the following three years to limit S. mansoni re-infection, whereas malaria exposure was uninterrupted. Hepatic and splenic enlargement was assessed annually outside the malaria transmission season.

Results
Children living in an area of relatively high exposure to both infections presented with the largest spleens before treatment and at each follow-up. Spleens of firm consistency were associated with proximity to the river. The regression of hepatomegaly was also affected by location, being minimal in an area with relatively low S. mansoni exposure but high exposure to malaria, and maximal in an area with relatively low exposure to both infections.

Conclusions
The outcome of treating cases of hepatosplenomegaly with praziquantel in this cohort of Kenyan children depended strongly on their level of exposure to malaria infection. Furthermore, a residual burden of hepatosplenic morbidity was observed, which was possibly attributable to the level of exposure to malaria. The results suggest that exposure to malaria infection may be a significant factor affecting the outcome of praziquantel treatment to reduce the level of hepatosplenic morbidity.
A mathematical model for LH release in response to continuous and pulsatile exposure of gonadotrophs to GnRH
Authors: Washington Talitha M , Blum J Joseph , Reed Michael C , Conn P Michael 
Published: September 2004

AbstractIn a previous study, a model was developed to investigate the release of luteinizing hormone (LH) from pituitary cells in response to a short pulse of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH). The model included: binding of GnRH to its receptor (R), dimerization and internalization of the hormone receptor complex, interaction with a G protein, production of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3), release of calcium from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), entrance of calcium into the cytosol via voltage gated membrane channels, pumping of calcium out of the cytosol via membrane and ER pumps, and release of LH. The extended model, presented in this paper, also includes the following physiologically important phenomena: desensitization of calcium channels; internalization of the dimerized receptors and recycling of some of the internalized receptors; an increase in G
q
concentration near the plasma membrane in response to receptor dimerization; and basal rates of synthesis and degradation of the receptors. With suitable choices of the parameters, good agreement with a variety of experimental data of the LH release pattern in response to pulses of various durations, repetition rates, and concentrations of GnRH were obtained. The mathematical model allows us to assess the effects of internalization and desensitization on the shapes and time courses of LH response curves.
Low autocrine interferon beta production as a gene therapy approach for AIDS: Infusion of interferon beta-engineered lymphocytes in macaques chronically infected with SIVmac251
Authors: Gay Wilfried , Lauret Evelyne , Boson Bertrand , Larghero Jérome , Matheux Franck , Peyramaure Sophie , Rousseau Véronique , Dormont Dominique , De Maeyer Edward , Le Grand Roger 
Published: September 2004

Abstract
Background
The aim of this study was to evaluate gene therapy for AIDS based on the transduction of circulating lymphocytes with a retroviral vector giving low levels of constitutive macaque interferon β production in macaques chronically infected with a pathogenic isolate of SIVmac251.

Results
Two groups of three animals infected for more than one year with a pathogenic primary isolate of SIVmac251 were included in this study. The macaques received three infusions of their own lymphocytes transduced ex vivo with the construct encoding macaque IFN-β (MaIFN-β or with a vector carrying a version of the MaIFN-β gene with a deletion preventing translation of the mRNA. Cellular or plasma viremia increased transiently following injection in most cases, regardless of the retroviral construct used. Transduced cells were detected only transiently after each infusion, among the peripheral blood mononuclear cells of all the animals, with copy numbers of 10 to 1000 per 106 peripheral mononuclear cells.

Conclusion
Long-term follow-up indicated that the transitory presence of such a small number of cells producing such small amounts of MaIFN-β did not prevent animals from the progressive decrease in CD4+ cell count typical of infection with simian immunodeficiency virus. These results reveal potential pitfalls for future developments of gene therapy strategies of HIV infection.
Genomic neighborhoods for Arabidopsisretrotransposons: a role for targeted integration in the distribution of the Metaviridae
Authors: Peterson-Burch Brooke D , Nettleton Dan , Voytas Daniel F 
Published: September 2004

Abstract
Background
Retrotransposons are an abundant component of eukaryotic genomes. The high quality of the Arabidopsis thaliana genome sequence makes it possible to comprehensively characterize retroelement populations and explore factors that contribute to their genomic distribution.

Results
We identified the full complement of A. thaliana long terminal repeat (LTR) retroelements using RetroMap, a software tool that iteratively searches genome sequences for reverse transcriptases and then defines retroelement insertions. Relative ages of full-length elements were estimated by assessing sequence divergence between LTRs: the Pseudoviridae were significantly younger than the Metaviridae. All retroelement insertions were mapped onto the genome sequence and their distribution was distinctly non-uniform. Although both Pseudoviridae and Metaviridae tend to cluster within pericentromeric heterochromatin, this association is significantly more pronounced for all three Metaviridae sublineages (Metavirus, Tat and Athila). Among these, Tat and Athila are strictly associated with pericentromeric heterochromatin.

Conclusions
The non-uniform genomic distribution of the Pseudoviridae and the Metaviridae can be explained by a variety of factors including target-site bias, selection against integration into euchromatin and pericentromeric accumulation of elements as a result of suppression of recombination. However, comparisons based on the age of elements and their chromosomal location indicate that integration-site specificity is likely to be the primary factor determining distribution of the Athila and Tat sublineages of the Metaviridae. We predict that, like retroelements in yeast, the Athila and Tat elements target integration to pericentromeric regions by recognizing a specific feature of pericentromeric heterochromatin.
Insertion bias and purifying selection of retrotransposons in the Arabidopsis thalianagenome
Authors: Pereira Vini 
Published: September 2004

Abstract
Background
Genome evolution and size variation in multicellular organisms are profoundly influenced by the activity of retrotransposons. In higher eukaryotes with compact genomes retrotransposons are found in lower copy numbers than in larger genomes, which could be due to either suppression of transposition or to elimination of insertions, and are non-randomly distributed along the chromosomes. The evolutionary mechanisms constraining retrotransposon copy number and chromosomal distribution are still poorly understood.

Results
I investigated the evolutionary dynamics of long terminal repeat (LTR)-retrotransposons in the compact Arabidopsis thaliana genome, using an automated method for obtaining genome-wide, age and physical distribution profiles for different groups of elements, and then comparing the distributions of young and old insertions. Elements of the Pseudoviridae family insert randomly along the chromosomes and have been recently active, but insertions tend to be lost from euchromatic regions where they are less likely to fix, with a half-life estimated at approximately 470,000 years. In contrast, members of the Metaviridae (particularly Athila) preferentially target heterochromatin, and were more active in the past.

Conclusion
Diverse evolutionary mechanisms have constrained both the copy number and chromosomal distribution of retrotransposons within a single genome. In A. thaliana, their non-random genomic distribution is due to both selection against insertions in euchromatin and preferential targeting of heterochromatin. Constant turnover of euchromatic insertions and a decline in activity for the elements that target heterochromatin have both limited the contribution of retrotransposon DNA to genome size expansion in A. thaliana.
Anorexia nervosa among female secondary school students in Ghana
Authors: Bennett Dinah , Sharpe Michael , Freeman Chris , Carson Alan 
Published: September 2004

BackgroundWe set out to determine whether anorexia nervosa exists in a culture where the pressure to be thin is less pervasive.AimsTo determine whether there were any cases of anorexia nervosa in female students attending two secondary schools in the north-east region of Ghana.MethodThe body mass index (BMI) of consenting students was calculated after measuring their height and weight. Those with a BMI ⩽19 kg/m2underwent a structured clinical assessment including mental state, physical examination and completion of the Eating Attitudes Test and the Bulimic Investigatory Test, Edinburgh. Participants nominated a best friend to serve as a comparison group, and these young women underwent the same assessments.ResultsOf the 668 students who were screened for BMI, 10 with a BMI <175 kg/m2appeared to have self-starvation as the only cause of their low weight. All 10 viewed their food restriction positively and in religious terms. The beliefs of these individuals included ideas of self-control and denial of hunger, without the typical anorexic concerns about weight or shape.ConclusionsMorbid self-starvation may be the core feature of anorexia nervosa, with the attribution for the self-starvation behaviour varying between cultures.
Needs for mental health treatment among general practice attenders
Authors: Boardman Jed , Henshaw Carol , Willmott Sasi 
Published: September 2004

BackgroundNo study has directly assessed the need for mental health care among those consulting in general practice.AimsTo make a direct assessment of the needs for mental health care in people with non-psychotic disorders consulting their general practitioner.MethodIn a two-phase study design, consecutive general practice attenders aged 17–65 years were interviewed using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM–IV Axis I Disorders. Needs for care were assessed using the community version of the Medical Research Council Needs for Care Assessment Schedule.ResultsThree hundred and thirty-six people were interviewed. The overall prevalence of need was 27.3%. More than half of the consulters (59.6%) had unmet needs and a further 6.2% had partially met needs. Needs were met in 28.1% and unmeetable in 6.2%. The prevalence of unmet need in those with anxiety disorders was 13.9% and depressive disorders 9.5%.ConclusionsThe unmet need for mental health treatment in primary care attenders is high.
Post-traumatic stress after terrorist attack: psychological reactions following the US embassy bombing in Nairobi
Authors: Njenga Frank G. , Nicholls P. J. , Nyamai Caroline , Kigamwa Pius , Davidson Jonathan R. T. 
Published: September 2004

BackgroundMost studies of post-traumatic stress disorder following terrorist attacks are of small samples in industrialised nations and take place months or years after the incident.AimsTo describe reactions following the US embassy bombing in Nairobi and the characteristic features of and risk factors for post-traumatic stress symptoms in a large, non-Western sample soon after the attack.MethodA self-report questionnaire which assessed potential risk factors and identified symptoms matching DSM–IV criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder was answered by 2883 Kenyans, 1–3 months after the bombing.ResultsSymptoms approximating to the criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder occurred in 35%. Factors associated with post-traumatic stress included female gender, unmarried status, lack of college education, seeing the blast, injury, not recovering from injury, not confiding in a friend, bereavement and financial difficulty since the blast. Many other factors were not significant.ConclusionsSpecific factors often cited to predict marked short-term post-traumatic stress were confirmed in this large, non-Western sample.
Patterns of hospital admission for adult psychiatric illness in England: analysis of Hospital Episode Statistics data
Authors: Thompson Andrew , Shaw Mary , Harrison Glynn , Ho Davidson , Gunnell David , Verne Julia 
Published: September 2004

BackgroundThe assessment and reporting of national patterns of psychiatric hospital admissions is important for strategic service development and planning.AimsTo investigate patterns of psychiatric hospital admissions of patients aged 16–64 years in England.MethodWe used the Department of Health's national Hospital Episode Statistics data on admissions to National Health Service hospitals in England between April 1999 and March 2000, to investigate patterns by region, gender, age and diagnosis.ResultsThe annual admission rate for England was 3.2 per 1000 population. There were marked regional variations and rates were higher in males than in females. Depression and anxiety together were the most common (29.6%) reason for admission. Length of stay exceeded 90 days in 9.2% of admissions and 1 year in 0.9% (highest in London and for psychoses).ConclusionsDepression and anxiety together were the most frequent diagnoses leading to hospitalisation. There has been a reversal of the previously reported predominance of female admissions. Regional variations in activity and the significant numbers of patients remaining for long periods in acute’ in-patient care have important policy implications.
Effect of web-based depression literacy and cognitive–behavioural therapy interventions on stigmatising attitudes to depression
Authors: Griffiths Kathleen M. , Christensen Helen , Jorm Anthony F. , Evans Kimberley , Groves Chloe 
Published: September 2004

BackgroundLittle is known about the efficacy of educational interventions for reducing the stigma associated with depression.AimsTo investigate the effects on stigma of two internet depression sites.MethodA sample of 525 individuals with elevated scores on a depression assessment scale were randomly allocated to a depression information website (BluePages), a cognitive–behavioural skills training website (MoodGYM) or an attention control condition. Personal stigma (personal stigmatising attitudes to depression) and perceived stigma (perception of what most other people believe) were assessed before and after the intervention.ResultsRelative to the control, the internet sites significantly reduced personal stigma, although the effects were small. BluePages had no effect on perceived stigma and MoodGYM was associated with an increase in perceived stigma relative to the control. Changes in stigma were not mediated by changes in depression, depression literacy or cognitive–behavioural therapy literacy.ConclusionsThe internet warrants further investigation as a means of delivering stigma reduction programmes for depression.
Affective problems in adults with mild learning disability: the roles of social disadvantage and ill health
Authors: Collishaw Stephan , Maughan Barbara , Pickles Andrew 
Published: September 2004

SummaryMild learning disability is associated with an increased risk of affective disorder. This study examines the extent to which adult socio-economic disadvantage and ill health contribute to this risk. Samples were drawn from the 1958 National Child Development Study. Relative to a comparison group, mild learning disability at age 11 was associated with elevated rates of depressive symptoms throughout adult life, and carried a six-fold risk of chronic depressed mood. The group difference in depressed mood at age 43 years was in large part mediated by variations in adult socio-economic disadvantage and ill health.
Irish Psychiatric Association survey of psychiatric services in Ireland
Authors: O'Keane V. , Jeffers A. , Moloney E. , Barry S. 
Published: September 2004

Aims and MethodThe Irish Psychiatric Association conducted a national survey of psychiatric services in Ireland to examine clinical resources in relation to the relative affluence of catchment areas. A consultant psychiatrist from each catchment area was sent a postal survey form (August 2002) and the data received were cross-referenced with measures of relative affluence.ResultsThere was a 72% response rate. A negative relationship emerged between indices of need and both the number of acute beds and the number of consultant psychiatrists per head of the population.Clinical ImplicationsThe results of this survey indicate that clinical resources in mental health in Ireland are not concentrated in areas of greatest need, but paradoxically have been best developed in areas of greatest affluence.
Does a limited nurse triage service reduce junior doctor psychiatric on-call workload?
Authors: Moore A. P. , Willmott S. 
Published: September 2004

Aims and MethodTo investigate whether nurse triage might reduce junior doctors' on-call workloads in a general adult psychiatry in-patient unit, we measured changes in workload after the introduction of a limited (overnight and weekend mornings) nurse triage service on the unit, comparing pre-triage work levels with levels 1 year later. This time frame allowed the new service to settle in, and controlled for seasonal variations in workload.ResultsThe number of ‘work episodes' went up, especially during the night shifts, but the average length of each episode went down (both statistically significant, P < 0.001). The net result was a slight increase in workload in terms of total time spent dealing with episodes, most notably at night.Clinical ImplicationsA limited overnight nurse triage service was ineffective on its own as a means of reducing the out-of-hours workload of junior doctors, and even slightly increased it. A more comprehensive triage service, with a greater range of alternatives to admission, might have had a different result.