bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Pain control in abortion
Authors: Wiebe E.R. , Rawling M. 
Published: July 2002

AbstractObjective: To reduce the pain experienced during abortion. Methods: A four‐phase study was conducted at a free‐standing abortion clinic. Phase 1: a double‐blind, randomized, placebo‐controlled trial of 600 mg ibuprofen given preoperatively was carried out in 193 women. Pain during the procedure and 30 min postoperatively was compared. Phase 2: a double‐blind, randomized trial compared 1% lidocaine, buffered 1% lidocaine and 0.25% bupivacaine in terms of the pain of the injection and the pain of the procedure in 200 women. Phase 3: waiting times of 0, 3 and 10–20 min between the end of the injection and the beginning of the procedure were compared in terms of pain during the procedure in 139 women. Phase 4: local anesthetic was injected into one side of the cervix slowly and one side quickly and the pain of the injections was compared in 87 women. Results: Phase 1:ibuprofen reduced pain scores more than placebo with the improvement being greatest for the postoperative period. Phase 2: buffered lidocaine was significantly less painful to inject than plain lidocaine or bupivacaine. Phase 3: waiting between the injection and the procedure did not improve pain control. Phase 4: slower injections were found to be less painful than fast injections. Conclusions: Several methods were found to improve pain control during abortions.
Ultrasound assessment of fetal biparietal diameter and femur length during normal pregnancy in Iranian women
Authors: Beigi A. , ZarrinKoub F. 
Published: July 2002

AbstractObjectives: To determine the pattern of intrauterine growth and predicted biparietal diameter (BPD) and femur length (FL) at point in gestation of Iranian fetuses. Methods: In an extensive and long‐standing prospective study in Tehran, Iran 15 693 BPD and 15 594 FL measurements were obtained from the fetuses of 1324 normal pregnant women. Weekly mean values and the standard deviations (S.D.) were calculated for both BPD and FL from 12 to 40 weeks of pregnancy. Comparison was also made between our results and previous Western studies using t‐test analysis. Results: Iranian fetuses had smaller BPD and shorter FL measurements in comparison with Western studies (P<0.05). There is a lag in BPD growth of our fetuses. The lag in FL growth is even more than BPD. Growth of the BPD and FL showed an asymptotic curve like that of Western studies but both of our values were lower. Conclusion: Ethnicity may influence ultrasonic fetal biometric measurements.
Use of the abdominal wall fat index determined ultrasonographically for assessing the risk of post‐operative pulmonary embolism
Authors: Nishikawa N. , Kurabayashi T. , Tomita M. , Matsushita H. , Aoki Y. , Tanaka K. 
Published: July 2002

AbstractObjective: To assess the usefulness of the abdominal wall fat index (AFI) for predicting pulmonary embolism (PE) after gynecologic surgery. Method: The subjects were 115 female patients who underwent laparotomy for gynecologic disease. They were divided into low‐dose heparin therapy (n=28) and control, without heparin (n=87) groups. The AFI ratio of the maximum preperitoneal fat thickness to the minimum subcutaneous fat thickness was determined using ultrasonography. Result: Post‐operative PE occurred in four control patients. If the cut‐off value of the AFI for predicting PE development was set at more than or equal to 0.85, the sensitivity was 1.00 and the specificity was 0.60 (P=0.03). If we restricted the criteria, and set the cut‐off value of the AFI to more than or equal to 0.85 in patients with hypertension [systolic blood pressure (BP)≥140 mmHg, diastolic BP≥90 mmHg or patients were taking antihypertensive medication], the sensitivity and specificity were 0.75 and 0.92, respectively (P=0.001). Conclusion: Visceral fat obesity is a risk factor for PE after gynecologic surgery, and the AFI is useful for predicting PE and for whom post‐operative low‐dose heparin therapy may be indicated.
Prenatal detection of a high‐risk group for intrauterine growth restriction based on sonographic fetal biometry
Authors: Yoshida S , Unno N , Kagawa H , Shinozuka N , Kozuma S , Taketani Y 
Published: July 2002

AbstractObjective: This study was performed to evaluate the significance of sonographic fetal biometry in predicting low birth weight. Method: Five hundred and sixty‐eight single‐term pregnancies were analyzed. They were stratified into seven subgroups by birth weight deviation (BWD). Among the 568 pregnancies, 115 were revealed to be small‐for‐gestational‐age (SGA) (birth weight less than mean −1.5 S.D.). When IUGR was suspected by routine sonographic fetal biometry, ‘IUGR work‐up’ was carried out. The diagnostic performance of our screening method for the detection of SGA pregnancies in the general population was calculated. Result: The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and odds ratio of our screening method for the detection of SGA pregnancies in the general population were 73.0, 96.6, 83.2, 98.0% and 131.0, respectively. Conclusion: These data suggest that sonographic biometry is useful for the prenatal detection of high‐risk cases of fetal growth restriction.
ADOLESCENT EMERGENCY CONTRACEPTION: ATTITUDES AND PRACTICES OF CERTIFIED NURSE‐MIDWIVES
Authors: Kettyle Elizabeth P. , Klima Carrie 
Published: July 2002

ABSTRACTTeenage pregnancy has reached epidemic proportions in the United States with 1 million pregnancies and more than 500,000 live births occurring each year among women under the age of 20. The safety and efficacy of postcoital administration of oral contraceptives, commonly called “emergency contraception” (EC), have been well documented. However, EC is dramatically underused in the United States. Because low use of EC may be attributable, in part, to both lack of knowledge, as well as misinformation on the part of health care providers, further research in this area is warranted. Because midwives play a significant role in the provision of reproductive health care to adolescents, their attitudes about the use of EC among teens may impact the availability of emergency contraception options to these clients. This article presents results of a survey of certified nurse‐midwives with respect to their attitudes, practices, and policies related to EC and provides recommendations specific to this provider population.
Ubiquitin Fusion Technology: Bioprocessing of Peptides
Authors: Pilon A. , Yost P. , Chase T. E. , Lohnas G. , Burkett T. , Roberts S. , Bentley W. E. 
Published: July 2002

AbstractUbiquitin fusion technology represents an emerging method for economically producing peptides and small proteins in the bacterium Escherichia coli. Our focus is on peptide production where the need for cost‐effective, scaleable processes has recently been highlighted by Kelley (1996) . There are two principal features: (1) the expression system consists of a suitable E. coli host strain paired with a plasmid that encodes the ubiquitin fusion and (2) an ubiquitin‐specific protease, UCH‐L3, which cleaves only C‐terminal extensions from ubiquitin. In this work, multigram yields were obtained of four ubiquitin fusions derived from cell paste generated in single 10‐L fermentations. All were expressed intracellularly and remained soluble at extremely high levels of expression. Bacterial freeze−thaw lysates contained over 95% pure ubiquitin fusion protein. All four fusions were efficiently cleaved to ubiquitin and the peptide products. In one case, the final yield of peptide was 1.08 g from 3 L of low cell density bacterial culture. The combination of exceptional overexpression of the ubiqutin−peptide fusion proteins and a robust and specific protease are unique advantages contributing to a cost‐effective, scaleable, and generic bioprocess for peptide production.
Cell‐Microcarrier Adhesion to Gas‐Liquid Interfaces and Foam
Authors: Bauer Patricia , Hancock Lorinda , Rathman Jim , Chalmers Jeffrey J. 
Published: July 2002

AbstractThe interaction of microcarriers, both with and without cells attached, with gas bubbles was studied. These studies consisted of qualitative microscopic observations of microcarriers with bubbles, quantitative measurements of microcarrier entrapment in foam, and quantitative measurements of the effect of bubble rupture at gas‐medium interfaces. Ten different “protective additives” were evaluated for their ability to change the dynamic surface tension of the culture media and to prevent microcarrier adhesion to air bubbles during gas sparging and to prevent entrapment in the foam layer. These studies indicate that microcarriers, with and without cells, readily attach to gas‐medium interfaces; yet unlike suspended cells, cells attached to microcarriers are not damaged by bubble ruptures at gas‐medium interfaces. Only one surfactant was found to substantially prevent microcarrier entrapment in the foam layer; however, this surfactant was toxic to cells. No correlation was observed between surface tension and the prevention of microcarrier adhesion to gas‐liquid interfaces. It is suggested that cell damage as a result of sparging in microcarrier cultures is the result of cells, attached to microcarriers, attaching to rising bubbles and then detaching from the microcarrier as this combination rises through the medium. It is further suggested that the hydrodynamic drag force of the rising microcarrier is sufficiently high to remove the bubble‐attached cell from the microcarrier.
Serum eosinophil cationic protein (sECP) in subjects with a history of asthma symptoms with or without rhinitis
Authors: Perfetti L. , Galdi E. , Bramé B. , Speciale L. , Moscato G. 
Published: July 2002

BackgroundSerum eosinophil cationic protein (sECP) has been proposed as a marker of disease activity in bronchial asthma. The study aimed to evaluate the role of sECP in screening asthmatics in a group of subjects with asthma and rhinitis symptoms, and the relationship between sECP and clinical and functional parameters of asthma.MethodsA total of 185 subjects with asthma symptoms, 149 of them with rhinitis as well, underwent skin tests, spirometry, methacholine (MCH) test, blood sampling for eosinophil percentage (bEOS%) and sECP determination, and nasal secretions smear for eosinophil percentage (nEOS%) determination; PEF values, symptoms, and medication over a period of 4 weeks after sampling for sECP quantitation were recorded on a diary. Results: A total of 99 (53%) subjects received a diagnosis of asthma (asthmatics), and 86 did not (nonasthmatics). In asthmatics, neither sECP nor bEOS% was significantly different from nonasthmatics. In asthmatics, sECP was higher in subjects with increased than in those with normal daily PEF variability (16.4, 6.8‐24.4 vs 5.3, 3.9‐8.4 μg/l; P<0.001). sECP was higher in moderate persistent asthma than in intermittent asthma (24.8, 10.6‐53 vs 8.4, 5.6‐14.1; P<0.05). In nonasthmatics (73 with a history of rhinitis), both sECP and bEOS% correlated with nEOS% (rho=0.35; P<0.01 and rho=0.53; P<0.001).ConclusionsIn adults with asthma symptoms with or without rhinitis, sECP did not distinguish asthmatics from nonasthmatics. In asthmatics, sECP was associated with PEF variability and symptom severity. In subjects with asthma and rhinitis, as well as in subjects with only rhinitis, sECP levels are possibly influenced by nasal inflammation.
A nationwide analysis of complications associated with the tension‐free vaginal tape (TVT) procedure
Authors: KUUVA NINA , NILSSON CARL GUSTAF 
Published: July 2002

Background. To evaluate the therapy‐associated morbidity of all patients who underwent a TVT operation in Finland by the end of the year 1999.Methods. Questionnaires on the number of operations and on the number of different complications were sent to 38 hospitals where TVT operations had been independently performed after an obligatory TVT training period. The primary TVT training center and a hospital, which did not use the standard TVT equipment, were excluded.Results. Among the 38 hospitals there were four university, 13 central and 21 local hospitals. The total number of operations was 1455. The incidence of bladder perforation was 38/1000, that of intra‐operative blood loss over 200 ml 19/1000, of major vessel injury 0.7/1000, of nerve injury 0.7/1000, of vaginal hematoma 0.7/1000 and of urethral lesion 0.7/1000. The incidence of minor voiding difficulty was 76/1000, that of urinary tract infection 41/1000, of complete postoperative urinary retention 23/1000, of retropubic hematoma 19/1000, of wound infection 8/1000 and of vaginal defect healing 7/1000. No case of tape rejection or life threatening complication occurred and the incidence of complications requiring laparotomy was 3.4/1000. The ratio of number of complications to TVT operations performed did not vary significantly between different hospital types (p>0.05).Conclusion. The TVT procedure is a safe method for the treatment of stress urinary incontinence provided that appropriate training is offered.
Fibrinogen, other cardiovascular risk factors and diabetes mellitus in Hong Kong: a community with high prevalence of Type 2 diabetes mellitus and impaired glucose tolerance
Authors: Lam T. H. , Liu L. J. , Janus E. D. , Lam K. S. L. , Hedley A. J. ,   for the Hong Kong Cardiovascular Risk Factor Prevalence Study Steering Committee
Published: July 2002

SUMMARY Aims  To determine the prevalence of Type 2 diabetes mellitus and impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) and their relationships to fibrinogen and other cardiovascular risk factors in Hong Kong Chinese.Methods  A probability sample of 1316 men and 1348 women aged 25–74 years were examined in a population‐based cross‐sectional study.Results  A total of 3.0% (95% confidence interval 2.1–3.9) of men had previously diagnosed (known) and 6.4% (5.0–7.8) newly diagnosed (unknown) diabetes, 14.4% (12.4–16.5) had IGT and 79.2% were normal by 1985 WHO diagnostic criteria; corresponding prevalences in women were 3.7% (2.7–4.7), 5.9% (4.6–7.2), 17% (14.8–19.2) and 73.4%. The age‐standardized prevalence of Type 2 diabetes for the 35–64 age group was 9.5% (7.5–11.6) in men and 10.2% (8.0–12.4) in women. Age‐adjusted mean fibrinogen levels in these four groups (normal/IGT/unknown diabetes/known diabetes) with decreasing degrees of glucose tolerance (diabetes status) were 2.80, 2.57, 2.51 and 2.47 g/l (P = 0.003) in men, and 2.86, 2.72, 2.67, 2.61 g/l (P = 0.005) in women. Age, obesity, systolic blood pressure and triglycerides were significantly associated with diabetes status in both sexes, fibrinogen in men only and high density lipoprotein cholesterol negatively in women.Conclusions  The prevalence of Type 2 diabetes mellitus was very high especially in older subjects, and fibrinogen was associated with increasing glucose intolerance in men but not in women. The detection and better control of cardiovascular risk factors, particularly hypertension in this developed Chinese community with a high prevalence of diabetes and glucose intolerance, is particularly important.
Spatiotopic cues enhance the dynamic accommodation response profile
Authors: Culhane Helena M. , Winn Barry , Strang Niall C. 
Published: July 2002

Purpose: To determine the influence of optically‐induced and real changes in stimulus vergence on the profile of the accommodation response.Method: Accommodation was measured on 8 visually normal subjects (mean age 25.6±6.0 years) using a dynamic tracking infra‐red optometer. A Badal stimulus optometer was used to induce optical changes in stimulus vergence which eliminated spatiotopic cues. Targets were also located in real space to provide both retinotopic and spatiotopic cues. Step changes in stimulus vergence were modulated over a 2 D (2–4 D) range for both conditions. Data were collected at a sampling rate of 102.4 Hz using a digital storage oscilloscope which was interfaced to an IBM PC.Results: Mean responses are presented below.An ANOVA revealed no significant difference between overall response times to optically‐induced and real changes in stimulus vergence although the response profiles were different between conditions.Conclusions: Spatiotopic cues enhance the accommodation response profile for step changes in stimulus vergence by reducing initial directional error and ensuring the magnitude of the response is appropriate to the stimulus demand. However, overall response times were found to be similar under both viewing conditions.
Clinical evaluation of the retinomax hand‐held autorefractor
Authors: Stewart Catherine E. , Winn Barry 
Published: July 2002

Purpose: The aim of the study was to determine the reliability and accuracy of the Nikon Retinomax hand‐held autorefractor for use in prescribing and for visual screening of adults and children.Method: Confidence limits for test‐retest and inter‐ocular differences were determined for the instrument using data from 46 subjects (mean age 28±5.5 yrs). The performance of the Retinomax was assessed against retinoscopy and subjective refraction using 119 subjects who comprised both adults (n = 66; mean age 37±21 yrs) and children (n 53; mean age 5.5±2.2 yrs). The data from both groups were used to assess the efficacy of the instrument for prescribing and for use in visual screening.Results: Data were converted into the Fourier domain for calculation of confidence limits and for subsequent analysis. The retinomax over‐minused (P > 0.0001) the spherical component compared to retinoscopy (mean difference −0.28 D) and subjective (mean difference −0.36 D) for the adult subjects. However, when applying confidence limits from test‐retest data these differences were not clinically significant. The results obtained from the child subject group indicate that the instrument over‐minuses (mean difference −1.72 D) compared to retinoscopy which is clinically significant (P > 0.0001). Data from the child subject group were used to assess the value of the instrument as a method of refractive screening. The sensitivity and specificity for refraction were 80% and 63% respectively for this population.Conclusion: The Nikon Retinomax provides refractive data which are comparable to traditional methods of refraction in adult subjects. Results on children were too negative precluding its use for refractive prescribing. However, the instrument provides a reasonable method of refraction for use in visual screening of children.
Response AC/A ratios are elevated in myopic children
Authors: Gwiazda Jane , Grice Kenneth , Thorn Frank 
Published: July 2002

SummaryIn children little is known about the relationship between the AC/A ratio and the development of myopia, although they have been linked in adults. The purpose of this study was to investigate the interaction between accommodation and convergence and its relationship to refractive errors in children. Accommodation was measured for the right eye using the Canon R‐1 autorefractor, and concomitant changes in vergence were assessed using a Maddox rod and a Risley prism before the left eye. Thirty‐three myopic and 68 emmetropic children were tested wearing best subjective correction while looking at a distant (4.0 m) letter array and a near (0.33 m) one through additional plus and minus lenses. Lens‐induced and distance‐induced response AC/A ratios were calculated from the data. Both types of AC/A ratios are elevated in myopic children, who show reduced accommodation and enhanced accommodative convergence. Myopic children with esophoria underaccommodate at near. This suggests that a child who is esophoric must relax accommodation to reduce accommodative convergence and maintain single binocular vision. The reduction in accommodation could produce blur during near work, which could induce myopia as in animal models.
Lower-hybrid current drive experiments in TORE SUPRA
Authors: Moreau D. ,   the TORE SUPRA Team‡
Published: July 2002

Lower-hybrid current drive (LHCD) experiments performed in TORE SUPRA [Plasma Physics and Controlled Nuclear Fusion Research, 1988 (IAEA, Vienna, 1989), Vol. 1, p. 9] are reported. Two large ‘‘multijunction’’ launchers have allowed to couple up to 6 MW to the plasma with a maximum power density of 45 MW/m2 and reflection coefficients lower than 3%. The current drive efficiency was about 2×1019 Am−2/W with LH power alone at a volume-averaged electron temperature 〈Te〉=1.4 keV, and a 22 sec long quasistationary discharge could be sustained by applying 2.8 MW during an 18 sec/1.6 MA current flattop at a line-averaged density n̄e=3×1019 m−3. Stable LH current ramp-up assist was achieved, thus reducing the resistive flux consumption with an efficiency of 0.7×1019 Wb m−1/MJ. Experiments with combined LHCD and ion cyclotron resonant heating allowed to inject up to 7.5 MW into the plasma. The electron energy content followed fairly well the Rebut–Lallia scaling law [Plasma Physics and Controlled Nuclear Fusion Research, 1988 (IAEA, Vienna, 1989), Vol. 2, p. 191]. At n̄e=1.5×1019 m−3, sawteeth were suppressed and m=1 MHD (magnetohydrodynamics) oscillations appeared. The central electron temperature then reached 8 keV for 3.6 MW injected.
Lower-hybrid power modulation experiments performed at n̄e=4×1019 m−3 showed a delayed central electron heating despite the off-axis creation of suprathermal electrons, thus ruling out the possibility of direct heating through central wave absorption. Successful pellet fueling of a partially LH-driven plasma was obtained, in which 28 successive pellets could penetrate almost to half radius as in Ohmic discharges, with 50% to 80% of the pellet content deposited in the plasma. First attempts to combine LHCD with ergodic divertor discharges showed that, when the plasma edge was subject to a radial magnetic perturbation smaller than the ergodicity threshold, a strong stationary radiation (MARFE) was triggered, locked near the inner wall. The radiated power then amounted to 90% of the total input power with no indication of a radiative collapse.
Mutagenicity, developmental toxicity and carcinogenicity of cannabis
Authors: MARSELOS MARIOS , KARAMANAKOS PETROS 
Published: July 2002

AbstractData on the mutagenicity, developmental toxicity and carcinogenicity of cannabis are reviewed in this article. The available evidence on the possible mutagenic effects of cannabinoids is still inconclusive. There is no consensus on the induction of point mutations, while some experimental results suggest that cannabinoids may cause chromosomal damage. Concerning the developmental effects of cannabis, an increased embryolethality and somatic growth retardation have been observed in animals, as well as changes in motor behaviour, after perinatal exposure to cannabinoids. An elevated risk for infertility has been suggested for women smoking marijuana. On the other hand, intrauterine exposure to cannabinoids may be followed by changes of behaviour later in childhood. Finally, the experimental work concerning the possible carcinogenic action of cannabinoids has shown that cannabis acts as a tumour promotor in animals. Epidemiological studies have incriminated cannabis smoking for the development of head and neck carcinomas and for carcinomas of the respiratory tract in humans, but several confounding factors have rendered this evidence inconclusive. At least part of the great popularity of cannabis smoking is due to the widespread belief that it is harmless. However, the studies presented in this review show that, despite their low acute toxicity profile, cannabinoids represent several risks in terms of chronic toxicity.