bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effects of spaceflight on postnatal development of arterial baroreceptor reflex in rats
Authors: Waki H. , Katahira K. , Yamasaki M. , Nagayama T. , Katsuda S. , Wago H. , Okouchi T. , O‐Ishi H. , Miyake M. , Miyamoto Y. , Shimizu T. 
Published: April 2005

AbstractAim:  It has been reported that spaceflight attenuates the arterial baroreceptor reflex. As this reflex function changes dramatically during postnatal development, we hypothesized that space flight depresses the developmental changes of the reflex system. To test this hypothesis, we evaluated the baroreceptor reflex function in rats, which were exposed to a microgravity environment on a space shuttle 9–25 days after birth.Methods:  Baroreceptor reflex sensitivity and the afferent sensitivity were evaluated by measuring heart rate (HR) and aortic nerve activity (ANA) changes in response to an increase in mean arterial pressure (MBP) derived by phenylephrine injection (20–50 μg kg−1) under urethane‐anaesthesia.Results:  Baroreceptor reflex sensitivity (% change of HR/% change of MBP) was lower in the flight group (FLT: −0.19 ± 0.04, n = 4) than either the asynchronous ground control group (AGC: −0.47 ± 0.06, n = 6, P < 0.01) or the vivarium group (VIV: −0.41 ± 0.07, n = 6, P < 0.05). This was similar to the differences of the afferent sensitivity (% change of ANA/% change of MBP) between FLT (2.07 ± 0.30) and the control groups (AGC: 2.71 ± 0.22, n.s.; VIV: 3.00 ± 0.32, P < 0.05). At the end of 30 days of recovery under normal gravity conditions, however, there were no significant group differences in these parameters.Conclusion:  These results suggest that the space environment attenuates the postnatal development of the arterial baroreceptor reflex function in rats, which may be partially because of a depression of the postnatal development of the baroreceptor afferents. These functional alterations, however, recover to their normal level on re‐exposure to the Earth's gravity.
Oestrogen influence on myogenic satellite cells following downhill running in male rats: a preliminary study
Authors: Tiidus P. M. , Deller M. , Liu X. L. 
Published: April 2005

AbstractAim:  This study examined the effect of oestrogen supplementation in rats on myogenic satellite cell quantities in type I and II muscles following eccentric exercise.Methods:  Gonad intact adult male rats divided into four groups, oestrogen supplemented (25 mg oestrogen pellet) control (EC), oestrogen supplemented, exercised (EE), sham (no oestrogen) control (SC) and sham, exercised (SE). After 1 week of oestrogen exposure the EE and SE animals performed 90 min of intermittent downhill running (5 min running/2 min rest @−13.5° incline and 17 m min−1 speed). Seventy‐two hours later exercised (EE and SE) and control (EC and SC) animals were killed and blood samples taken and soleus and white (superficial) vastus muscles surgically removed. Histochemical sections of soleus and white vastus muscles were examined for myogenic satellite cell content by use of Pax7 antibody and for neutrophil content by use of haematoxylin and eosin (H and E) staining procedures.Results:  Downhill running resulted in significant elevations in satellite cells and neutrophils detected in both soleus and white vastus muscle samples (P < 0.01). Interestingly, oestrogen supplementation resulted in significantly greater (P < 0.01) post‐exercise elevations in satellite cells detected in both soleus and white vastus muscle samples compared with sham (no oestrogen) rats. Increases in neutrophils were significantly (P < 0.05) attenuated in oestrogen supplemented rats relative to sham in soleus but not in white vastus muscles.Conclusions:  Oestrogen supplementation in male rats may have accentuated the 72 h post‐downhill running increase in Pax7 detected myogenic satellite cell number in both soleus and white vastus muscles relative to unsupplemented rats. The mechanisms and physiological consequences of this effect are yet to be determined.
The significance of rectal bleeding after pelvic radiotherapy
Authors: Williams H. R. T. , Vlavianos P. , Blake P. , Dearnaley D. P. , Tait D. , Andreyev H. J. N. 
Published: April 2005

AbstractBackground : Rectal bleeding after pelvic radiotherapy is often attributed to radiation proctitis and patients do not routinely undergo flexible endoscopy.Aims : To assess the significance of bleeding after radiotherapy.Methods : We maintained a prospective register of all such patients referred to our endoscopy unit.Results : One hundred and thirty‐nine men (median age 70 years; range 31–82), and 32 women (median age 61 years; range 30–81) were referred with rectal bleeding (median 2 years; range 0–21) after pelvic radiotherapy. Primary tumour sites were urological (n = 139), gastrointestinal (n = 7) and gynaecological (n = 25). Ninety patients had bleeding alone; 81 had other symptoms. One hundred and forty‐one had typical radiation proctitis; in 65 this was the sole diagnosis; eight had cancer, nine had high‐risk adenomas, and six had three or more small adenomas. Ninety‐five other diagnoses were made. Eleven (73%) patients with advanced polyps or cancer required only flexible sigmoidoscopy to make the diagnosis, while four (27%) diagnoses were made only after colonoscopy; 47% of these patients had no other symptoms apart from rectal bleeding.Conclusions : After pelvic radiotherapy, clinical symptoms are not reliable in differentiating between radiation proctitis alone or more significant pathology. It is mandatory that all patients with new onset rectal bleeding are investigated with, at least, flexible sigmoidoscopy.
Systematic review and meta‐analysis: enhanced efficacy of proton‐pump inhibitor therapy for peptic ulcer bleeding in Asia – a post hoc analysis from the Cochrane Collaboration
Authors: Leontiadis G. I. , Sharma V. K. , Howden C. W. 
Published: April 2005

SummaryBackground : Proton‐pump inhibitors reduce re‐bleeding rates after ulcer bleeding. However, there is significant heterogeneity among different randomized‐controlled trials.Aim : To see whether proton‐pump inhibitors for ulcer bleeding produced different clinical outcomes in different geographical locations.Methods : This was a post hoc analysis of our Cochrane Collaboration systematic review and meta‐analysis of proton‐pump inhibitor therapy for ulcer bleeding. Sixteen randomized‐controlled trials conducted in Europe and North America were pooled and re‐analysed separately from seven conducted in Asia. We calculated pooled rates for 30‐day all‐cause mortality, re‐bleeding and surgical intervention and derived odds ratios and numbers needed to treat with 95% confidence intervals.Results : There was no significant heterogeneity for any outcome. Reduced all‐cause mortality was seen in the Asian randomized‐controlled trials (odds ratios = 0.35; 95% confidence interval: 0.16–0.74; number needed to treat = 33), but not in the others (odds ratios = 1.36; 95% confidence interval: 0.94–1.96; number needed to treat – incalculable). There were significant reductions in re‐bleeding and surgery in both sets of randomized‐controlled trials, but the effects were quantitatively greater in Asia.Conclusions : Proton‐pump inhibitor therapy for ulcer bleeding has been more efficacious in Asia than elsewhere. This may be because of an enhanced pharmacodynamic effect of proton‐pump inhibitors in Asian patients.
Seasonality of vitamin D status and bone turnover in patients with Crohn's disease
Authors: McCarthy D. , Duggan P. , O'Brien M. , Kiely M. , McCarthy J. , Shanahan F. , Cashman K. D. 
Published: April 2005

SummaryBackground : While wintertime vitamin D deficiency has been well‐documented in Crohn's disease patients, less is known about vitamin D status during summertime and whether a seasonal variation exists in bone turnover.Aims : To compare vitamin D status and bone turnover markers in Crohn's disease patients with age‐ and sex‐matched controls during late‐summer and late‐winter.Subjects : Crohn's disease patients (n = 44; mean age 36.9 years, currently in remission) and matched controls (n = 44) were recruited from Cork University Hospital and Cork City area, respectively.Methods : Bloods were analysed for 25‐hydroxyvitamin D, parathyroid hormone, bone‐specific alkaline phosphatase, osteocalcin and urine analysed for N‐telopeptides of type 1 collagen.Results : Serum 25‐hydroxyvitamin D concentrations were significantly (P < 0.003) lower in Crohn's disease patients than in control subjects during both seasons. In Crohn's disease patients, serum 25‐hydroxyvitamin D concentrations were lower (P < 0.0001) whereas serum parathyroid hormone, osteocalcin and bone‐specific alkaline phosphatase and urinary N‐telopeptides of type 1 collagen levels were higher (P < 0.001) during late‐winter than late‐summer.Conclusion : There were notable seasonal variations in vitamin D status and bone turnover markers in Crohn's disease patients. The impact of winter decline in vitamin D status and increase in bone turnover on long‐term risk of osteopenia/osteoporosis in Crohn's disease patients is unclear.
The evaluation of electrolysed water as an agent for reducing micro‐organisms on vegetables
Authors: Lin Chyi‐Shen , Wu Christ , Yeh Jui‐Yueh , Saalia Firibu K. 
Published: April 2005

SummaryThe efficacy of electrolysed oxidizing water in reducing micro‐organisms on vegetables was evaluated. Formation of brown spots on leafy and fruit vegetables could be avoided when they were soaked in acidic electrolysed oxidizing (AC) water for less than 9 and 15 min, respectively. Soaking in alkaline electrolysed (AK) water for 30 min did not affect the appearance of the vegetables. The effectiveness of water or AK water on aerobic plate count (APC) reduction was limited (0.5 log CFU g−1). However, soaking in AC water alone effectively reduced APC values of leafy vegetables and fruit vegetables by 1.0–1.5 log CFU g−1. Soaking in AC water followed by AK water further reduced APC by 0.5 and 0.7 log CFU g−1 on leafy cabbage and green pepper, respectively. Continuous changing of electrolysed water with either shaking or ultrasonication can effectively reduce APC by 2–2.5 log CFU g−1. Electrolysed oxidizing water was significantly more effective than water in eliminating micro‐organisms on vegetables.
Sensorial and biological evaluation of an extruded product made from corn supplemented with soybean and safflower pastes
Authors: Martinez‐Flores H. E. , Cruz M. C. , Larios S. A. , Jiménez G. E. , Figueroa J. D. C. , Gómez‐Aldapa C. A. 
Published: April 2005

SummaryA puffed product was made by extruding corn flour supplemented with soybean and safflower pastes. Mixes with the following proportions of corn flour, soybean and safflower pastes: (i) 89:8:3, (ii) 83:11:6 and (iii) 80:17:3 were extruded. The corn flour, soybean and safflower pastes used had 6.6%, 45.9% and 32.9% protein content respectively. In addition, the soybean paste contained 11.78 units of inhibited trypsin/mg of sample, which means it was appropriate for human consumption. Sensory evaluation of extruded products showed that there were no significant differences in flavour, crunchiness and acceptance in the case of products 1 and 3, when compared with samples made from corn flour alone. Product 2 had lower scores, as it had a bitter taste because of the greater amount of safflower paste used. Biological testing showed that all the products containing soybean and safflower pastes were superior to the 100% corn diet in terms of food conversion, growth rate and weight gain.
Prevalence of cleft lip and palate in a hospital‐based population in the Sudan
Authors: SULEIMAN A. M. , HAMZAH S. T. , ABUSALAB M. A. , SAMAAN K. T. 
Published: April 2005

Summary.  Cleft lip and palate represents one of the most common developmental deformities seen in oral surgery clinics. It is usually associated with problems which include not only cosmetic and dental abnormalities, but also speech, hearing and facial growth difficulties.Objectives.  The purpose of the present study was to determine the prevalence of cleft lip and palate in births taking place in hospitals in the Sudan.Methods.  The records of 15 890 Sudanese new‐borns delivered at three hospitals during the period from 1997 to 2000 were examined.Results.  Thirteen cases of cleft lip and palate were found, demonstrating a prevalence of 0·9 per 1000. There were more girls than boys, with a male:female ratio of 3:10. Fifty‐four per cent of the cases had cleft lip with cleft palate, 30% had only cleft palate and the remaining 16% had cleft lip alone.Conclusions.  The present study was confined to hospital‐based births in one city, and the true incidence of cleft lip and/or palate in the Sudan is not yet known. Findings differ from reports from other countries in terms of suggesting a higher incidence in girls.
A study to assess the validity of clinical judgement in determining paediatric dental anxiety and related outcomes of management
Authors: HOLMES R. D. , GIRDLER N. M. 
Published: April 2005

Summary.Objective.The aim of the present study was to determine the validity of subjective anxiety assessment and the outcomes of management of children receiving operative dental treatment.Setting.  The study was conducted at the Departments of Sedation and Child Dental Health, Newcastle Dental Hospital, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.Subjects and methods.  One hundred children and adolescents aged between 8 and 15 years participated in the study. Clinicians subjectively allocated 50 children for treatment with local analgesia alone (low anxiety), and identified 50 children who had the potential to benefit from nitrous oxide and oxygen sedation (high anxiety). Participants then completed the State‐Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children (STAIC), the Venham Picture Test (VPT) and the Child Fear Survey Schedule – Dental Subscale (CFSS‐DS). A global rating scale classified behaviour during dental treatment.Results.  State anxiety and dental fear prior to treatment were significantly higher in children allocated to receive inhalation sedation (P = 0·004 and P = 0·005, respectively). There was no significant difference in trait anxiety or post‐treatment state anxiety between the two groups (P = 0·69 and P = 0·06, respectively). Only 11% displayed ‘negative’ behaviour during treatment: 82% of this group represented those allocated to receive sedation.Conclusion.  Children receiving inhalation sedation were significantly more anxious prior to treatment than children receiving treatment with local analgesia alone. The findings support the subjective assessment of anxiety in children; however, objective anxiety measures may assist clinicians in identifying specific fears, which may ultimately aid patient management.
Primary care research: difficulties recruiting preschool children to clinical trials
Authors: CHADWICK B. L. , TREASURE E. T. 
Published: April 2005

Summary.  Objectives.  The aims of the present study were to report difficulties experienced recruiting preschool children to a clinical trial and to report the acceptability of a dental intervention to their parents.Design.  The study was a randomized controlled trial (RCT).Setting.  The study took place in community dental clinics, health centres and patient homes.Sample and Methods.  Health visitors were used to recruit 508 children aged between 18 and 30 months from high caries areas of South Wales. Children with caries‐free first primary molars were entered into a placebo‐controlled individual RCT of fissure sealants. All children received a standard package of dental health education. Children in the test group had their first primary molars sealed with glass ionomer. All children were reviewed once. Families were asked to rate the acceptability of procedures.Results.  Health visitors referred 1228 children for screening, but only 547 were seen (44·5%) and 508 subjects were recruited to the trial. Of these, 449 (88·4%) were seen at follow‐up. Some 667 children missed 1610 visits at baseline, and 373 of those recruited missed an appointment. At follow‐up, 1056 appointments were staffed to review 449 children. Three‐quarters of parents reported the examination to be very easy.Conclusions.  Preschool children are difficult to access for community trials. Dental examinations and sealant placement were acceptable to the majority of families who were seen.
DO TRACKING STOCKS REDUCE INFORMATION ASYMMETRIES? AN ANALYSIS OF LIQUIDITY AND ADVERSE SELECTION
Authors: Elder John , Jain Pankaj K. , Kim Jang‐Chul 
Published: April 2005

AbstractA firm's announcement that it intends to restructure based on tracking stock is usually associated with a positive stock price reaction, at least in the short run. Typically, this reaction is attributed to expected reductions in a diversification discount, through reduced agency costs or information asymmetries. We reinvestigate this latter hypothesis by focusing on the liquidity provided by market makers before and after a firm issues a tracking stock. Our results suggest that such restructurings are not effective at reducing information asymmetries. Rather, firms that issue tracking stocks exhibit less liquidity and greater adverse selection than comparable control firms.
EVIDENCE ON DELTA HEDGING AND IMPLIED VOLATILITIES FOR THE BLACK‐SCHOLES, GAMMA, AND WEIBULL OPTION PRICING MODELS
Authors: Savickas Robert 
Published: April 2005

AbstractModifying the distributional assumptions of the Black‐Scholes model is one way to accommodate the skewness of underlying asset returns. Simple models based on the compensated gamma and Weibull distributions of asset prices are shown to produce some improvements in option pricing. To evaluate these assertions, I construct and compare delta hedges of all S&P 500 options traded on the Chicago Board Options Exchange between September 2001 and October 2003 for the Weibull, Black‐Scholes, and gamma models. I also compare implied volatilities and their smiles (i.e., nonlinearities) among the three models. None of the three models improves over the others as far as delta hedging is concerned. Volatilities implied by all three models exhibit statistically significant smiles.
Use of the Significant Caries Index in quantifying the changes in caries in Switzerland from 1964 to 2000
Authors: Marthaler Thomas , Menghini Giorgio , Steiner Marcel 
Published: April 2005

Abstract –  Objectives:  To follow the changes in the Significant Caries Index (SiC) and the DMFT during the period 1964–2000 in children aged 12 and 15 in the Canton of Zurich.Methods:  Examinations of random samples of children in 16 communities of the Canton were repeated every 4 years from 1964 onwards using the same standards for diagnosing caries.Results:  In the 12‐year‐olds, the children in the low tertile had virtually no DMF‐experience from 1980 on. On the contrary, the SiC, based on the children in the highest tertile, decreased until 1996. At the age of 15, the zero‐average in the low tertile was reached in 1992 but the SiC continued to decrease until 2000. In the 12‐year age group the reduction of the SiC from 1964 to 1996 was 81.3% and for the overall DMFT it was 89.7%. The corresponding reductions for the 15‐year‐olds, in this case from 1964 to 2000, were 77.0 and 88.4%, respectively. The DMFT‐counts in the total samples had substantially higher coefficients of variation than those in the highest tertile. As a consequence, the SiC had relatively smaller confidence intervals than the average DMFT.Conclusions:  The SiC is a very useful measure of dental caries experience. On the basis of the results in the 15‐year‐old group, the target of an SiC below 5.0 is proposed. The decline of the SiC demonstrates that even in the high‐risk children caries experience has been reduced substantially.
Dental trauma and its association with anatomic, behavioral, and social variables among fifth and sixth grade schoolchildren in Jerusalem
Authors: Sgan‐Cohen Harold D. , Megnagi Guy , Jacobi Yael 
Published: April 2005

Abstract –  With the decrease in dental caries prevalence, public health should place emphasis on other dental diseases. Dental trauma is an irreversible pathology which after occurrence is characterized by life‐long debilitating effects.Objectives:  To measure the prevalence of trauma in anterior permanent teeth among children, and to assess the associations with social, behavioral, and orthodontic variables.Methods:  A total of 1195 fifth and sixth grade schoolchildren participated, representing the general Jewish population of Jerusalem. Trauma, incisal overjet and lip competence were measured by two calibrated examiners in the schools. Reasons and location of trauma were assessed according to telephone interviews with the parents of the children with severe trauma.Results:  The total prevalence of dental trauma was 29.6%. Severe trauma, at least involving the dentine, was found among 13.5% of the children. Severe dental trauma was more prevalent among children with an incisal overjet of 4–6 mm (adjusted OR = 1.50, P = 0.049) or more than 7 mm (adjusted OR = 2.51, P = 0.018); with incompetent lips (adjusted OR = 2.31, P < 0.001), who learned in public religious schools (adjusted OR = 1.59, P = 0.048) and were males (adjusted OR = 1.45, P = 0.041). The main reason for dental trauma in all surroundings was falling, but sports and violence (not at orthodox private schools) were also important reasons.Conclusions:  Based upon these findings a community effort is being planned and initiated with the aim of educating sports teachers, teachers, health personnel, and schoolchildren regarding awareness of dental trauma prevention, with emphasis on utilizing mouth guards and early orthodontic intervention, when financially possible.
What do children's global ratings of oral health and well‐being measure?
Authors: Jokovic Aleksandra , Locker David , Guyatt Gordon 
Published: April 2005

Abstract –  Objectives:  To explore the constructs children incorporate in the responses to global ratings of their oral health (OH) and OH‐related overall well‐being (OWB).Methods:  Data were collected as part of a project to validate the Child Perceptions Questionnaire for ages 11–14 (CPQ11−14), a self‐report measure of OH‐related quality of life. Its 37 questions are organized in the symptoms, functional limitations, emotional and social well‐being domains. Children were recruited from paediatric dentistry, orthodontic and orofacial dental clinics. To identify the CPQ11−14 domain scores and questions predicting the global ratings, correlation and multiple regression analyses were used.Results:  Of the 123 children, 22.8% rated their OH as ‘Fair/Poor’ and 30.1% reported that their OWB was affected by their oral/orofacial condition. Positive significant correlations were observed between the OH ratings and the CPQ11−14 oral symptoms and emotional well‐being domains, and between the OWB ratings and all four CPQ11−14 domains. The number of the CPQ11−14 questions significantly correlated with the OH and OWB ratings were 8 and 19, respectively. Only the symptoms domain entered the model for the OH (R2=0.05), while age, functional limitations and emotional well‐being domains predicted the OWB (R2=0.18). The OH model included three questions (R2=0.13) and the OWB model included age and six questions (R2=0.25). In both models all but one of the questions came from the emotional and social well‐being domains.Conclusions:  These findings suggest that children view OH and its impact on well‐being as multidimensional concepts. Further research, including qualitative studies, is needed to better understand the referents children use when responding to global ratings and the factors that determine their responses.