bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Systemic Exposure to Morphine and the Risk of Acute Chest Syndrome in Sickle Cell Disease
Authors: Kopecky Ernest A. , Jacobson Sheila , Joshi Prashant , Koren Gideon 
Published: March 2004

BackgroundThe etiology of acute chest syndrome, the most severe complication of the sickle cell crisis, is unknown.ObjectiveOur objective was to assess exposure to morphine as an etiologic factor for acute chest syndrome in sickle cell disease.MethodsA post hoc analysis of a randomized controlled trial comparing oral with continuous infusion of morphine was performed. Children (aged 5–17 years) with sickle cell crisis were randomized to receive oral sustained‐release morphine, 1.9 mg · kg−1 · 12 h−1, or a continuous intravenous infusion of morphine at 0.04 mg · kg−1 · h−1 by use of a double‐blind, placebo‐controlled design. In a subgroup of 15 patients, the pharmacokinetics of morphine and its active metabolite morphine‐6‐glucuronide were also studied.ResultsAt baseline, demographic and physiologic characteristics were similar between groups. There were no differences in the number of previous rescue doses per day, painful sites per episode, physician contacts per year, and hospitalizations per year between treatment arms. There was a 2‐fold higher morphine area under the concentration‐time curve at steady state (AUCss) and a 3‐fold higher morphine‐6‐glucuronide AUCss with oral morphine than with a continuous intravenous infusion of morphine (P < .001 and P < .006, respectively). New onset of acute chest syndrome was 3‐fold more prevalent in the oral group (57%) versus the continuous intravenous infusion group (17%) (P < .001).ConclusionsThe risk of acute chest syndrome is significantly associated with high systemic exposure to morphine and its active metabolite morphine‐6‐glucuronide after oral administration of slow‐release morphine. Morphine may facilitate respiratory deterioration by eliciting a decrease in oxygen saturation, by inducing histamine release, or through an as‐yet‐unidentified mechanism. The safe systemic exposure to morphine in terms of area under the concentration‐time curve should be further studied in children with sickle cell disease.Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics (2004) 75, 140–146; doi: 10.1016/j.clpt.2003.10.007
Impaired selective attention in chronic pain patients
Authors: Grisart Jacques M. , Plaghki Leon H. 
Published: March 2004

Several recent studies have suggested that cognitive complaints among chronic pain patients could result from an interference between ongoing pain and mental tasks, as they share common and limited attentional resources. This study was intended to further explore that presumed relationship between chronic pain and attentional disorders. For this purpose, a more sensitive version of the conventional colour‐word Stroop task, with four subtasks of increasing difficulty, was used in a group of 33 consecutive patients with chronic nonmalignant pain and a group of 20 healthy subjects as controls. This task assesses specifically selective attention. Since the Stroop task is sensitive to dysthymic states, levels of anxiety and depression were also assessed in chronic pain patients.As expected, the increase of response times was positively related to the difficulty of the subtasks. However, only the patients with chronic pain of high intensity presented a significant increase in the response times to each subtask as compared to controls. Response accuracy was not affected. Patients with high pain had higher scores on trait‐anxiety than those with low‐intensity pain. However, ANCOVA showed that trait‐anxiety scores × pain groups interactions were not significant and thus that trait‐anxiety was not useful for predicting task performance.These results point to a disturbance of selective attention as a function of pain intensity in chronic pain patients.
Principles of economic evaluation for interventions of chronic musculoskeletal pain
Authors: Goossens Mariëlle E.J.B. , Evers Silvia M.A.A. , Vlaeyen Johan W.S. , Mölken Maureen P.M.H. Rutten‐van , van der Linden Sjef M.J.P. 
Published: March 2004

Economic evaluation is attracting increasing attention to inform policy makers, insurers and other payers of the value of existing and new treatment modalities. Hence, it is desirable to assess not only the medical but also the economic consequences the new treatments produce. The available literature on economic evaluation revealed an urgent need for sound economic evaluation studies in the field of chronic musculoskeletal pain. Due to the generally weak methodology, the intended purpose of economic evaluation to help set funding priorities has often been bypassed. Although in general therapists have no direct responsibility for allocating scarce resources in the field of musculoskeletal pain, they are confronted with the results of these decisions in their everyday work. A clear understanding of the main principles of economic evaluation studies might therefore be advantageous. This paper addresses important methodological issues in economic evaluation research, such as the techniques for economic evaluation studies and the analytic perspective. In addition, the paper pays attention to the inclusion of costs and outcomes in economic evaluation research, sensitivity analysis, discounting, incremental analysis and ratios, and collecting of data.Further emphasis is placed on the transparent reporting of methods and study results. A clear reporting may help therapists and other researchers interpret the results of published studies and apply them to their own studies, and it may help decision makers generalize results from one setting to another.
Influence of Amodiaquine Treatment on Microsomal Lipid Peroxidation and Antioxidant Defense Systems of Rats
Authors: Farombi E. Olatunde 
Published: March 2004

Abstract:The effects of single and multiple doses amodiaquine treatment on enzymatic and non‐enzymatic antioxidant profiles and hepatic microsomal lipid peroxidation were investigated in rats. Treatment of rats with 10 mg/kg (single dose) amodiaquine resulted in 10% and 63% increases, respectively in the activities of liver superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase (P<0.01), while the activity of liver catalase was significantly reduced by 26% compared to control. The levels of serum vitamins A, C and β‐carotene were lowered following amodiaquine treatment. Following multiple dose (10 mg/kg for 4 consecutive days) amodiaquine treatment, activities of superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase were increased by 30% and 133% respectively while catalase activity was decreased by 45%. Similarly, serum vitamins A, C and β‐carotene levels were markedly decreased. In the single dose study, the levels of malondialdehyde and the activity of glutathione S‐transferase were increased by 15% and 44% respectively while the reduced glutathione was decreased by 25% compared to control. Malondialdehyde level was highly increased (P<0.001) by 71% following multiple amodiaquine treatment. Reduced glutathione was decreased by 55% and unlike in the single dose study, activity of glutathione S‐transferase was decreased by 60% compared to control. The activities of serum aspartate amino transferase, alanine amino transferase, ornithine carbamyl transferase and γ‐glutamyl transferase were significantly increased by both single and multiple doses of amodiaquine treatment (P<0.01). The alteration in enzymatic and non‐enzymatic antioxidant defense system, increase in lipid peroxidation and increase in the activities of serum enzymes following amodiaquine treatment suggests damage to the liver and could subject the organ to further oxidative stress. The relevance of this to continuous exposure to amodiaquine therapy should be considered.
Effect of Tetrandrine on Experimental Hepatic Fibrosis Induced by Bile Duct Ligation and Scission in Rats
Authors: Park Pil‐Hoon , Nan Ji‐Xing , Park Eun‐Jeon , Kang Hee‐Chul , Kim Ji‐Young , Ko Geonil , Sohn Dong Hwan 
Published: March 2004

Abstract:Tetrandrine, an alkaloid isolated from the Chinese medicinal herb Stephania tetrandra, has been shown to elicit antifibrotic effects in various cell types. In the present study, the effect of tetrandrine on liver fibrosis was investigated by using bile duct ligation and scission in rats as a model of hepatic fibrosis. Treatment with tetrandrine in fibrotic rats reduced serum aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, and alkaline phosphatase levels to 72%, 52% and 51% that of controls at 10 mg/kg/day, respectively. Liver hydroxyproline contents in tetrandrine‐treated rats with bile duct ligation and scission were also reduced to 65% of that of control rats with bile duct ligation and scission at 10 mg/kg/day. The morphological characteristics of fibrotic liver, which appeared in control bile duct ligation and scission group, were improved in tetrandrine‐treated bile duct ligation and scission group. We also examined the effect of tetrandrine on cultured rat hepatic stellate cells, which plays an important role in the pathogenesis of hepatic fibrosis, activation to investigate whether it could act mainly by direct action on rat hepatic fibroblastic cells. In cultured rat hepatic stellate cells, tetrandrine reduced DNA synthesis to 57% of control hepatic stellate cells at 10 μg/ml without affecting cell viability. Smooth muscle‐α‐actin expression, the phenotypic marker of activated hepatic stellate cells, was also decreased. We conclude that tetrandrine has an antifibrotic effect on liver fibrosis in rats induced by bile duct ligation and scission, indicating that it might exert a direct effect on rat hepatic stellate cells.
Local Transfer of Diazepam, but Not of Cocaine, from the Nasal Cavities to the Brain Arterial Blood in Rats
Authors: Einer‐Jensen Niels , Larsen Lise 
Published: March 2004

Abstract:Nasal administration to rats of small molecules (tritiated water, tyrosine, and propanol) results in a higher concentration in the brain arterial blood than in other arteries. The preferential distribution is based on a counter current transfer, which takes place between nasal vein blood and brain arterial blood in the cavernous sinus – carotid artery complex. The present experiments attempt to document that drugs may also be transferred by this system. Groups of 10 large male rats were anaesthetised and intubated. Two catheters were inserted into the same carotid artery, one tip pointing towards the head, the other towards the heart. Parallel blood samples were obtained every 30 sec. for 10 min. after nasal administration of radioactively labelled diazepam or cocaine, and the plasma radioactivity measured. Control groups received the drugs intravenously. The uptake of diazepam was rapid, while cocaine uptake was slow. The average ratio between the radioactivity of parallel samples (R: “Head” plasma/“Heart” plasma) in rats treated with nasal diazepam was 1.12±0.04, 181 (average±S.E.M., n) for the whole 10 min. period and 1.20±0.05, 96 for the second half of the sampling period. The increase of 12 and 20% is highly significant. The intravenous ratio for diazepam and both R's for the cocaine groups were not significantly different from 1.00. The present experiments show that nasal administration of diazepam induces a relatively higher concentration in the brain arterial blood than in parallel samples obtained from another artery. A preferential, first‐pass distribution to the brain after nasal administration of diazepam may thus exist.
Inhibiting Effect of Ammonia on Citric Acid‐Induced Cough in Pigs: A Possible Involvement of Substance P
Authors: Moreaux Benoit , Nemmar Abderrahim , Beerens Dominique , Gustin Pascal 
Published: March 2004

Abstract:The effect of ammonia on the cough response to citric acid and on substance P release from C‐fibers involved in this reflex was assessed. For a period from one to four days, piglets were exposed, in an inhalation chamber, to ammonia at a concentration of 15 or 30 ppm. During exposure, cough induction tests were done every two days. Recovery of the cough reflex after ammonia exposure was also determined. In a separate group of piglets exposed for 2 days to 30 ppm ammonia, substance P content was determined in bronchial and tracheal lavage fluids and in the tracheal and bronchial mucosa. Ammonia (30 ppm) was found to inhibit coughing significantly (the cough frequency was reduced by 64%) after a two‐day exposure. In animals exposed for 4 days to this ammonia concentration, the recovery ranged from 3 to 7 days (mean: 5 days). The same ammonia concentration also caused the substance P content to increase significantly in broncho‐alveolar lavage fluid (to 432% of its initial value) and tracheal lavage fluid (to 149%) and to decrease significantly in the tracheal mucosa (‐58%), however the content in bronchial mucosa was not significantly affected (−43%). Exposure to 15 ppm ammonia had no effect on the frequency of citric acid‐induced coughing. In conclusion, ammonia inhibits citric acid‐induced coughing in pigs at concentrations that can be detected in piggeries. This inhibitory effect may be related to substance‐P depletion in C‐fiber endings.
Hepatic Disposition of Neurotoxins and Pesticides
Authors: Yang Maria C. , McLean Allan J. , Rivory Laurent P. , Le Couteur David G. 
Published: March 2004

Abstract:The hepatic disposition of pesticides and neurotoxins may influence susceptibility to Parkinson's disease. Therefore we examined the behaviour of paraquat, dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), malathion and 1‐methyl‐4‐phenyl‐1,2,3,6‐tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) in perfused rat liver using the multiple indicator‐dilution technique. The values for the recovery of paraquat, DDT, malathion and MPTP were 1.05±0.12, 0.32±0.01, 0.11±0.02 and 0.02±0.01, respectively. The volumes of distribution were 0.28±0.13, 0.69±0.12, 3.30±0.58 and 5.10±6.00 ml/g, respectively. The permeability‐surface area products suggest that transport of DDT and MPTP across cell membranes is by simple diffusion. However, there may be a specific influx mechanism for malathion and a specific efflux mechanism for paraquat. There is considerable variability in the hepatic disposition of putative neurotoxins such as MPTP and pesticides. Factors that influence the hepatic disposition of neurotoxins may alter susceptibility to neurotoxic diseases however the effects will be diverse.
Is ‘five-a-day’ an effective way of increasing fruit and vegetable intakes?
Authors: Ashfield-Watt PAL , Welch AA , Day NE , Bingham SA 
Published: March 2004

AbstractObjectives:To assess whether the amount of fruits and vegetables consumed depends on the serving size or on how often fruits and vegetables are eaten.Design:Estimation of the weight of serving sizes and the number of fruits and vegetables eaten daily, using a validated food diary method.Setting:Free-living men and women participating in the Norfolk arm of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC).Subjects:Two hundred and sixty-nine men and women sampled from EPIC–Norfolk to participate in a study of simple methods of assessing fruit and vegetable intakes.Results:The average portion of all fruits and vegetables measured was 87 g, close to the standard portion size of 80 g used as the basis of ‘5-a-day’ recommendations. There was a wide variation; the average portion size for baked beans was 147 g while for lettuce it was 26 g. The 20th and 80th percentiles also showed a large range, e.g. 39–72 g for carrots and 60–150 g for strawberries. Women ate more fruit than did men but fewer vegetables, so the total amount of fruit and vegetables eaten by men and women was the same. High consumers of fruits and vegetables (≥400 g day-1) ate them ~5 times a day whilst low consumers (<400 g day-1) ate them less often (~3 servings per day,P<0.01). Portion size differed little between high and low consumers.Conclusions:Frequency of intake is more important than portion size when distinguishing between high and low consumption of fruits and vegetables. Therefore, to increase intakes, low consumers should eat fruits and vegetables more often. This endorses the ‘5-a-day’ healthy eating message.
Demographic, familial and trait predictors of fruit and vegetable consumption by pre-school children
Authors: Cooke L J , Wardle J , Gibson EL , Sapochnik M , Sheiham A , Lawson M 
Published: March 2004

AbstractObjective:To examine the contribution to fruit and vegetable eating in children of potential predictive variables within the domains of demographics, parental feeding practices and personality traits.Design:Cross-sectional survey.Setting:Questionnaires were distributed to parents through 22 London nursery schools.Subjects:Questionnaires were completed and returned by 564 parents or principal caregivers of 2–6-year-old children.Results:Significant predictors of children's fruit and vegetable intake emerged from all three domains examined. Demographic variables associated with child's vegetable consumption were mother's education and child's age and gender. Only ethnicity was significantly associated with fruit consumption. Parental consumption, breast-feeding and early introduction to fruit and vegetables were related to intake of both. Family mealtimes were associated with higher intake of vegetables, but not of fruit. Two characteristics of children themselves (food neophobia and enjoyment of food) were strongly related to the consumption of fruit and vegetables. Subsequent multivariate analyses revealed that parental intake and child food neophobia independently predicted intake of both foods. In the presence of these, fruit consumption was affected by breast-feeding and early introduction to fruit, whereas vegetable consumption was related only to child's gender and enjoyment of food.Conclusions:These findings may be used to inform future interventions aimed at increasing children's consumption of fruit and vegetables. Parents should be made aware of the possible impact of their own behaviour on the eating habits of their children.
Tracing ingestion of ‘novel’ foods in UK diets for possible health surveillance – a feasibility study
Authors: Robertson Claire , Best Nicky , Diamond Judith , Elliott Paul 
Published: March 2004

AbstractObjective:To investigate the feasibility of using commercially available data on household food consumption to carry out food and nutritional surveillance.Design:Taylor Nelson Sofres (TNS) collects information on foods brought home for consumption among a representative quota sample of the British population. In total, 33 177 households and 105 667 individuals provided data between 1991 and 2000. These were used to investigate sociodemographic, geographical and temporal trends in purchase patterns of the main macronutrients and four groups of marker products.Results:Sociodemographic characteristics of the TNS sample were broadly consistent with those of the British population. Estimated energy intakes were slightly low (1667±715 kcal) in comparison with other national data. However, percentage energy contributions were consistent with national trends: e.g. consumption of alcohol in the home increased between 1991 and 2000 with higher intakes among more affluent households, while fat intakes decreased slightly over the same period. Significant temporal, geographic and socio-economic trends were found for all nutrients (P< 0.0001). Intakes of marker products were sparse (purchased by <4% of households), but significant variations were detected in the proportion of households purchasing some or all of the marker products across temporal, geographic and socio–economic strata.Conclusions:A prospective nutrient surveillance system could be used to trace consumption patterns of foods or nutrients to inform nutritional surveillance. However, existing data sources would require a number of modifications to increase their suitability for such a project. Increasing surveillance to consider ingredients would require the development of a central coding system, with electronically linked barcode, ingredient and nutrient information.
The epidemiology of good nutritional status among children from a population with a high prevalence of malnutrition
Authors: Pryer Jane A , Rogers Stephen , Rahman Ataur 
Published: March 2004

AbstractObjectives:To identify socio-economic demographic and environmental factors that predict better height-for-age for children under 5 years of age in a Dhaka slum population.Design:A panel survey, conducted between 1995 and 1997. A random sample of households was selected. Socio-economic, demographic and environmental variables were collected monthly by questionnaire and nutritional status was assessed.Setting:Dhaka slums in Bangladesh.Subjects:Three hundred and ninety-two children, surveyed in September–November 1996.Main outcome measures:Height-for-ageZ-score (HAZ) above −2.Results:Thirty-one per cent of children had HAZ <−2. Logistic regression adjusted for cluster sampling showed that better nourished children were more likely to have taller mothers, to be from female-headed households and from families with higher income, electricity in the home, better latrines, more floor space and living in Central Mohammadpur. Better nourished children were less likely to have fathers who have taken days off from work due to illness.Conclusions:Interest in ‘positive deviance’ is motivated by the recognition that a focus on the malnourished only – the bottom tail of the distribution – provides indications of how families fail, but not of how they succeed in maintaining child nutrition in the face of adversity. Our analysis provides an alternative perspective on nutrition and vulnerability in an urban slum setting.
A comparison of dietary habits among women in Japan and Hawaii
Authors: Takata Yumie , Maskarinec Gertraud , Franke Adrian , Nagata Chisato , Shimizu Hiroyuki 
Published: March 2004

AbstractObjective:To compare the dietary habits of Japanese women in Japan with those of Japanese and Caucasian women living in Hawaii.Design:Data from two previous cross-sectional studies conducted within two years in Hawaii and Gifu, Japan were pooled and analysed. Dietary intakes were assessed with validated food-frequency questionnaires and urine samples were collected for isoflavone measurement.Setting:Participants were recruited through mammography clinics in both locations.Subjects:In Hawaii, 164 Caucasian and 146 Japanese women; in Japan, 206 women.Results:Dietary habits differed considerably by ethnicity and location. In comparison to the Caucasian diet, the diet in Japan was relatively low in fat and high in carbohydrates and protein, whereas the Japanese women in Hawaii reported intermediate intakes. Japanese women in Gifu consumed a diet that was relatively high in fish, soy, eggs and vegetables, and low in fruits, dairy products and meat. In contrast, the Caucasian women consumed the most dairy products and fruits and the Japanese women in Hawaii reported the highest grain and meat intakes.Conclusions:The diet of Japanese women in Hawaii appeared to be a combination of foods eaten in Japan and the dietary habits of Caucasian women in Hawaii, but eating habits in Japan are also different from traditional nutritional patterns. This study illustrates several problems related to dietary comparisons across populations and provides information for future investigations on chronic disease risk.