Home About us Contact | |||
First Decade (first + decade)
Selected AbstractsINFLATION TARGETING AND THE ECONOMY: LESSONS FROM CANADA'S FIRST DECADECONTEMPORARY ECONOMIC POLICY, Issue 1 2001C Freedman Inflation targeting has become the centerpiece of the monetary policy framework in a number of industrial countries and emerging economies. The first part of this article examines the Canadian experience with inflation targeting since its introduction in early 1991 and various issues that require resolution in establishing such a framework. It also examines the way inflation targets deal with demand, price, and productivity shocks. The second part focuses on Canada's economic performance during the 1990s. Factors other than monetary policy - most notably private sector restructuring and the fiscal situation in the first half of the decade - played an important role in the sluggishness of the recovery from the recession of 1990,91. Trend growth in Canada during the 1990s was lower than in earlier periods and than U.S. trend growth over the same period. The article examines the role of such factors as productivity growth and participation rates in explaining the differences. I conclude that a good monetary policy is necessary but not sufficient for good economic outcomes. [source] Financial Sector Development in Transition Economies: Lessons from the First DecadeFINANCIAL MARKETS, INSTITUTIONS & INSTRUMENTS, Issue 1 2003John Bonin First page of article [source] Conclusions and Recommendations for Policies on Rural Aging in the First Decades of the 21st CenturyTHE JOURNAL OF RURAL HEALTH, Issue 4 2001Hana M. Hermanova M.D., Ph.D. ABSTRACT: The 2000 Forum on Rural Aging: Policy Debates was one of the main tracks of the first International Conference on Rural Aging held in Charleston, W.Va., in June 2000. The 2000 Forum was a follow-up to the Expert Group Meeting on Rural Aging, which met at Shepherdstown, W.Va., in May 1999. That group considered policy implications of the 1999 International Year of Older Persons for rural aging in four key areas: the situation of older people, multigenerational relationships, lifelong development, and the development and aging of rural populations. As a direct follow-up of the Shepherdstown Expert Group Meeting, the 2000 Forum on Rural Aging formulated the Conclusions and Recommendations for Policies on Rural Aging through a series of working groups. The Conclusions and Recommendations were endorsed by the Conference Plenary Session on June 11, 2000. The Draft Recommendations for Policies on Rural Aging were available for comments on the Internet in the remaining part of the year 2000. Many comments were received. Hana Hermanova and Sally Richardson incorporated the comments into the finalized version. [source] T-cell subset counting and the fight against AIDS: Reflections over a 20-year struggleCYTOMETRY, Issue 2 2002Francis Mandy Abstract The story of T-lymphocyte subset immunophenotyping technology is reviewed on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of CD4 T-cell enumeration. Over time, immunophenotyping has evolved into precise, reliable, but complicated and expensive technology requiring fresh blood samples. The gating technologies that were universally adapted for clinical flow cytometry for the past decade relied on rapidly deteriorating morphological scatter characteristics of leukocytes. This special issue dedicated to CD4 T-cell enumeration features most of the available new options that will have a significant impact on how this technology will be implemented within the first decade of the 21st century. In a series of original publications, including the new NIH guideline for T-cell subset enumeration, contemporary gating protocols that use immunologically logical parameters are presented as part of the more reliable and affordable immunophenotyping alternative. Some of the improvements addressed here include the costs of the assays and the capacity to monitor interlaboratory and intralaboratory performances. It is clear that an effective attack on the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) epidemic has to embrace resource-poor regions. Reducing the cost of the assay while improving reliability and durability is a move in the right direction. Cytometry (Clin. Cytometry) 50:39,45, 2002. © 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Critical Left Ventricular Outflow Tract Obstruction Due to Accessory Mitral Valve TissueECHOCARDIOGRAPHY, Issue 2 2000RAFFAELE CALABRO M.D. Left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) obstruction due to anomalous tissue tag arising from the mitral valve is a rare congenital cardiac anomaly. It generally becomes symptomatic during the first decade of life as exercise intolerance, chest pain, or syncope at effort. To date, only a few cases of critical systemic obstruction due to isolated mitral valve anomaly in neonates have been reported. We report the case of a neonate who was a few hours old and was referred in severe clinical condition due to critical left ventricular outflow obstruction resulting from an anomalous tissue tag of mitral valve origin. [source] GOVERNMENT'S CONSTRUCTION OF THE RELATION BETWEEN PARENTS AND SCHOOLS IN THE UPBRINGING OF CHILDREN IN ENGLAND: 1963,2009EDUCATIONAL THEORY, Issue 3 2010David Bridges In this essay David Bridges argues that since most families choose to realize their responsibility for the major part of their children's education through state schools, then the way in which the state constructs parents' relation with these schools is one of its primary levers on parenting itself. Bridges then examines the way in which parent-school relations have been defined in England through government and quasi-government interventions over the last forty-five years, tracing these through an awakening interest in the relation between social class and unequal school success in the 1960s, passing through the discourse of accountability in the 1970s, marketization in the 1980s and 1990s, performativity extending from this period into the first decade of the twenty-first century, and, most recently, more direct interventions into parenting itself and the regulation of school relations with parents in the interests of safeguarding children. These have not, however, been entirely discrete policy themes, and the positive and pragmatic employment of the discourse of partnership has run throughout this period, albeit with different points of emphasis on the precise terms of such partnership. [source] Comprehensive survey of mutations in RP2 and RPGR in patients affected with distinct retinal dystrophies: genotype,phenotype correlations and impact on genetic counseling,,HUMAN MUTATION, Issue 1 2007Valérie Pelletier Abstract X-linked forms of retinitis pigmentosa (RP) (XLRP) account for 10 to 20% of families with RP and are mainly accounted for by mutations in the RP2 or RP GTPase regulator (RPGR) genes. We report the screening of these genes in a cohort of 127 French family comprising: 1) 93 familial cases of RP suggesting X-linked inheritance, including 48 out of 93 families with expression in females but no male to male transmission; 2) seven male sibships of RP; 3) 25 sporadic male cases of RP; and 4) two cone dystrophies (COD). A total of 5 out of the 93 RP families excluded linkage to the RP2 and RP3 loci and were removed form the cohort. A total of 14 RP2 mutations, 12 of which are novel, were identified in 14 out of 88 familial cases of RP and 1 out of 25 sporadic male case (4%). In 13 out of 14 of the familial cases, no expression of the disease was noted in females, while in 1 out of 14 families one woman developed RP in the third decade. A total of 42 RPGR mutations, 26 of which were novel, were identified in 80 families, including: 69 out of 88 familial cases (78.4%); 2 out of 7 male sibship (28.6%); 8 out of 25 sporadic male cases (32.0%); and 1 out of 2 COD. No expression of the disease was noted in females in 41 out of 69 familial cases (59.4%), while at least one severely affected woman was recognized in 28 out of 69 families (40.6%). The frequency of RP2 and RPGR mutations in familial cases of RP suggestive of X-linked transmission are in accordance to that reported elsewhere (RP2: 15.9% vs. 6,20%; RPGR: 78.4% vs. 55,90%). Interestingly, about 30% of male sporadic cases and 30% of male sibships of RP carried RP2 or RPGR mutations, confirming the pertinence of the genetic screening of XLRP genes in male patients affected with RP commencing in the first decade and leading to profound visual impairment before the age of 30 years. Hum Mutat 28(1), 81,91, 2007. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Spring,summer temperature reconstruction in western Norway 1734,2003: a data-synthesis approachINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CLIMATOLOGY, Issue 15 2003P. Ø. Nordli Abstract A series of spring,summer (April,August) temperatures was reconstructed for the period 1734,1923 for western Norway based on multi-proxy data. For the period 1734,1842 the long-term variations were based on terminal moraines in front of two southern Norwegian glaciers, whereas the annual variations were based on grain-harvest data extracted from farmers' diaries. For the period 1843,1867 the spring,summer temperatures were reconstructed solely from diaries overlapping instrumental observations. All the results were incorporated into one series for the period 1734,2003 to form the Vestlandet composite series. The reconstruction method using terminal-moraine sequences was tested against the modern instrumental Bergen series for the periods of moraine formations in front of the glaciers. The agreement with the instrumental series was good, with the mean difference for all periods being only 0.2 °C. Analyses of decadal variations in western Norway revealed three periods of low spring,summer temperatures: around 1740, in the first decade of the 19th century, and in the 1830s. These periods are well known from historic records as periods of starvation, during which the use of bark bread became common. Copyright © 2003 Royal Meteorological Society [source] The New Transatlantic Agenda at Ten: Reflections on an Experiment in International Governance,JCMS: JOURNAL OF COMMON MARKET STUDIES, Issue 5 2005MARK A. POLLACK The 1995 New Transatlantic Agenda (NTA) represents anovel experiment in international governance, linking the institutions of the EU and the United States at the intergovernmental, transgovernmental and transnational levels. This article draws lessons from the NTA after its first decade, noting tensions in the Brussels-Washington relationship, a highly variable pattern of effectiveness in transgovernmental regulatory co-operation, and a largely ineffectual record of transnational civil-society co-operation. [source] Discourses, dynamics and disquiet: Multiple knowledges in science, society and developmentJOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT, Issue 6 2008Melissa Leach Abstract The links between science, society and development are attracting research and policy attention as never before. Rapid advances in science and technology, whether in the fields of health, agriculture, information and communication, industrial production or environment offer, it seems, an array of new promises and opportunities in meeting development challenges. As we approach the end of the new Millennium's first decade, ,science, technology and development' have become a firmly embedded part of the international scene, attracting the attention of donors, intergovernmental and ministerial initiatives, NGOs and business corporations alike. This editorial for our special issue reflects on the fact that the emerging relationships between science, technology and processes of social change are providing a fertile field for analysts and practitioners engaged in the diversity of what we might define as ,development studies', yet also challenge them to engage more effectively with complex dynamics and multiple knowledges. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] The internal cranial anatomy of the Plesiosauria (Reptilia, Sauropterygia): evidence for a functional secondary palateLETHAIA, Issue 4 2006Marie-Céline Buchy In the late 19th Century, the choanae (or internal nares) of the Plesiosauria were identified as a pair of palatal openings located rostral to the external nares, implying a rostrally directed respiratory duct and air path inside the rostrum. Despite obvious functional shortcomings, this idea was firmly established in the scientific literature by the first decade of the 20th Century. The functional consequences of this morphology were only re-examined by the end of the 20th Century, leading to the conclusion that the choanae were not involved in respiration but instead in underwater olfaction, the animals supposedly breathing with the mouth agape. Re-evaluation of the palatal and internal cranial anatomy of the Plesiosauria reveals that the traditional identification of the choanae as a pair of fenestrae situated rostral to the external nares appears erroneous. These openings more likely represent the bony apertures of ducts that lead to internal salt glands situated inside the maxillary rostrum. The ,real' functional choanae (or caudal interpterygoid vacuities), are situated at the caudal end of the bony palate between the sub-temporal fossae, as was suggested in the mid-19th Century. The existence of a functional secondary palate in the Plesiosauria is therefore strongly supported, and the anatomical, physiological, and evolutionary implications of such a structure are discussed. [source] Silas Weir Mitchell's essential tremorMOVEMENT DISORDERS, Issue 9 2007Elan D. Louis MD Abstract Silas Weir Mitchell (1829,1914) is recognized as an important American neurologist. Biographers refer in brief to a tremor. The objective of this review was to characterize Mitchell's tremor using handwriting samples, to examine handwriting samples of family members to determine whether this tremor was familial, and study Mitchell's allusions to tremor in personal, scientific, and fictional writings. Primary sources were the Papers of S. Weir Mitchell, College of Physicians of Philadelphia, and Mitchell's scientific and fictional writings. Mitchell's early handwriting was tremor-free yet, by 1873, the writing was tremulous. Handwriting in the 1880s and 1890s shows clear oscillations of moderate-amplitude. By the first decade of the 20th century, his handwriting was virtually illegible. Letters written by two siblings, his mother, and maternal grandfather also reveal tremor. Tremor was not prominent in Mitchell's personal or scientific writings and Mitchell referred to tremor in only 4 of 27 fictional writings In conclusion, Mitchell had a familial action tremor that began when he was in his early 40's and worsened considerably with age. The likely diagnosis was essential tremor. Curiously, Mitchell rarely alluded to tremor in personal writings and tremor was not prominently featured in his scientific or fictional works. © 2007 Movement Disorder Society [source] Clinical features of adult GM1 gangliosidosis: Report of three Indian patients and review of 40 casesMOVEMENT DISORDERS, Issue 11 2004Uday Muthane MBBS Abstract Deficiency of enzyme acid ,-galactosidase causes GM1 gangliosidosis. Patients with adult GM1 gangliosidosis typically present with generalized dystonia. We describe clinical, bone marrow, and radiological features of adult GM1 gangliosidosis to help improve its recognition. We report 3 Indian patients and review of reports between 1981 and October 2002. The disease frequently is reported in the Japanese literature (75%). Patients are normal at birth and have normal early motor and mental development. Onset is within the first decade with abnormal gait, or worsening of speech is an initial symptom. Dystonia occurs in 97% of patients. Facial dystonia described as "facial grimacing" observed in ,90% could be an important clinical clue. Dysarthria/anarthria (97%) is frequent, and eye movements are normal. Bone marrow examination may show Gaucher-like foam cells (39%). Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) frequently (90.9%) shows bilateral symmetrical putamenal hyperintensities on T2-weighted and proton density images. Diagnosis is confirmed by demonstrating deficiency of ,-galactosidase. Adult (Type 3) GM1 Gangliosidosis commonly presents with generalized dystonia with prominent facial dystonia, severe speech disturbances, and normal eye movements. Bone marrow frequently shows Gaucher-like foam cells. MRI shows typical lesions in the putamen. Deficiency of ,-galactosidase in fibroblasts confirms the diagnosis. © 2004 Movement Disorder Society [source] The weight of US residence among immigrants: a systematic reviewOBESITY REVIEWS, Issue 4 2010R. Oza-Frank Summary As the number of immigrants in the USA continues to rise, it becomes increasingly important to understand how their health differs from native-born individuals. Obesity is a public health concern and a component of health that may differ and change in important ways in immigrants. This research synthesizes the current literature on the relationship between immigrant duration of residence in the USA and body weight. Five databases from the health and social sciences were searched for all pertinent publications. Fifteen articles met inclusion criteria, 14 of which reported a significant, positive relationship between body mass index and duration of residence in the USA (all P -values <0.10). Two studies reported a threshold effect of weight gain after 10 years of US residence, and another study reported that body mass index peaks after 21 years of duration for men and after 15 years for women. The results of this review suggest that weight gain prevention programmes would be beneficial for many immigrants within the first decade of residence in the USA. Prevention efforts may be more successful if nativity and acculturation are considered in addition to race/ethnicity. Future research is needed to identify the specific mechanisms through which living in the USA may adversely affect health outcomes. [source] Factors influencing gender differences in the diagnosis and treatment of asthma in childhood: The Tucson Children's Respiratory StudyPEDIATRIC PULMONOLOGY, Issue 4 2006Anne L. Wright PhD Abstract Studies identified gender differences in diagnosed asthma, but the extent to which they can be attributed to differences in symptom experience and frequency rather than factors influencing diagnosis has not been established. We investigated prevalence of, and consultation for, asthma symptoms, as well as diagnosis and treatment in 533 boys and 556 girls enrolled in the Tucson Children's Respiratory Study, a population-based birth-cohort study. Questionnaires regarding respiratory symptoms and diagnoses were obtained at ages 2, 3, 6, 8, 11, 13, 16, and 18 years. Boys were significantly more likely than girls to experience both wheeze and frequent wheeze most years in the first decade of life. However, girls with symptoms were less likely than boys to see a physician (74.1% vs. 83.4%, P,<,0.001) and to be labeled as having asthma (43.3% vs. 53.8%, P,<,0.009), even after adjusting for symptom frequency. A difference in symptom presentation also appeared to influence diagnosis: nocturnal cough without frequent wheeze was more prevalent among girls, and was associated with reduced diagnosis of asthma. Among subjects who consulted a physician for wheeze, boys were significantly more likely than girls to have taken medication (81.5% vs. 73.5%, P,<,0.01). The lag time between age at first wheeze and first use of medication among those consulting a physician for wheeze or asthma was greater for girls, especially among subjects with frequent wheeze (2.8 vs. 1.6 years, P,<,0.005). These findings indicate that gender differences in the diagnosis and treatment of asthma cannot be explained completely by differences in symptom prevalence and frequency. Pediatr Pulmonol. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Risk Exposure in Early Life and Mortality at Older Ages: Evidence from Union Army VeteransPOPULATION AND DEVELOPMENT REVIEW, Issue 2 2009Dejun Su This study examines the relation between risk exposures in early life and hazard of mortality among 11,978 Union Army veterans aged 50 and over in 1900. Veterans' risk exposures prior to enlistment,as approximated by birth season, country of birth, residential region, city size, and height at enlistment,significantly influenced their chance of survival after 1900. These effects are robust irrespective of whether socioeconomic well-being in 1900 has been taken into account; however, they are sensitive to the particular age periods selected for survival analysis. Whereas some of the effects such as being born in Ireland and coming from large cities became apparent in the first decade after 1900 and then dissipated over time, the effects of birth season, being born in Germany, residential region in the United States, and height at enlistment were more salient in the post-1910 periods. Height at enlistment shows a positive association with risk of mortality in the post-1910 periods. Compared to corresponding findings from more recent cohorts, the exceptional robustness of the effects of risk exposures prior to enlistment on old-age mortality among the veterans highlights the harshness of living conditions early in their lives. [source] Predictors for wheezing phenotypes in the first decade of lifeRESPIROLOGY, Issue 4 2008William K. MIDODZI Background and objective: This study examined prenatal, perinatal and early childhood predictors of wheezing phenotypes in the first decade of life. Methods: Information on current wheezing, was collected prospectively from five surveys conducted every 2 years over the first decade of life. Five wheezing phenotypes were defined: non-wheezers, preschool, primary-school, intermittent and persistent wheezers. Logistic regression with adjustment for survey design was used to determine the predictors of wheezing phenotypes. Results: Data on 2711 children were used in the analysis. Early respiratory infection, the child's allergy and parental asthma were significant risk factors for preschool, intermittent and persistent wheeze. The child's allergy and parental asthma had stronger associations with persistent wheeze than with preschool wheeze. Breastfeeding was a significant predictor of both preschool and intermittent wheezing. Daycare attendance was a risk factor for preschool wheeze but a protective factor for primary-school wheezing. Crowding at home was a protective factor for both preschool and primary-school wheeze. Parental smoking was a significant factor for preschool wheeze. Conclusion: This study identified different predictors for each wheezing phenotype with some degree of overlap. The observed differential effects for these conditions raises the possibility that there are different aetiologies for asthma among children. [source] No place called home: the causes and social consequences of the UK housing ,bubble'THE BRITISH JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY, Issue 2 2010John Bone Abstract This paper examines the key causes and social consequences of the much debated UK ,housing bubble' and its aftermath from a multidimensional sociological approach, as opposed to the economic perspective of many popular discussions. This is a phenomenon that has affected numerous economies in the first decade of the new millennium. The discussion is based on a comprehensive study that includes exhaustive analysis of secondary data, content and debate in the mass media and academia, primary data gathered from the monitoring of weblogs and forums debating housing issues, and case histories of individuals experiencing housing difficulties during this period. This paper is intended to provide a broad overview of the key findings and preliminary analysis of this ongoing study, and is informed by a perspective which considers secure and affordable housing to be an essential foundation of stable and cohesive societies, with its absence contributing to a range of social ills that negatively impact on both individual and collective well being. Overall, it is argued that we must return to viewing decent, affordable housing as an essential social resource, that provides the bedrock of stable individual, family and community life, while recognizing that its increasing treatment as a purely economic asset is a key contributor to our so-called ,broken society'. [source] Do rheumatoid arthritis and lymphoma share risk factors?: A comparison of lymphoma and cancer risks before and after diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritisARTHRITIS & RHEUMATISM, Issue 5 2010Karin Hellgren Objective Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), in particular those with the most severe disease, are at increased risk of developing malignant lymphoma. Whether this increase is entirely a consequence of the RA disease and/or its treatment or is reflective of shared susceptibility to the two diseases remains unclear. We undertook this study to assess whether patients with RA are already at increased risk of lymphoma or of other cancers before the diagnosis of RA, and if the relative risk increases with time since RA diagnosis. Methods Patients with incident RA (symptom duration <1 year) (n = 6,745) registered in the Swedish Early Arthritis Registry from 1997 through 2006 were identified. For each patient, 5 general population controls were randomly matched by sex, age, marital status, and residence (n = 33,657). For all study subjects, inclusion in the nationwide Swedish Cancer Register in 1958,2006 was determined. Relative risks (RRs) (with 95% confidence intervals [95% CIs]) of lymphoma and of cancer overall, before and after diagnosis of RA, were estimated using conditional logistic regression and Cox regression, respectively. Results Before diagnosis of RA, there was no observed increase in the risk of lymphoma (RR [odds ratio] 0.67 [95% CI 0.37,1.23]) or other cancers (RR 0.78 [95% CI 0.70,0.88]). During the first 10 years following diagnosis of RA, the overall RR (hazard ratio) of lymphoma development was 1.75 (95 % CI 1.04,2.96). Conclusion These findings indicate that overall, a history of cancer, including lymphoma, does not increase the risk of subsequent RA development. Shared susceptibility to RA and lymphoma may thus be of limited importance. In contrast, increased lymphoma risks were observed within the first decade following RA diagnosis. [source] An update on the first decade of the European centralized procedure: how many innovative drugs?BRITISH JOURNAL OF CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY, Issue 5 2006Domenico Motola What is already known about this subject ,,We recently proposed an algorithm to assess the degree of therapeutic innovation of new therapeutic agents. It was based on the disease seriousness, the availability of previous treatments and the extent of the therapeutic effect, and was applied to all therapeutic agents approved by the EMEA in the period 1995,2003. ,,A low percentage (32%) of important therapeutic innovation was found. This figure may be an underestimate of the actual level of innovation, because common biotechnological products, such as recombinant human insulins, must follow the centralized procedure. What this study adds ,,Details for each agent, focusing on the comparison of the degree of therapeutic innovation between biotechnological and nonbiotechnological therapeutic agents approved by EMEA during the its first decade of activity (1995,2004). The underlying hypothesis was that the latter have a higher degree of innovation because they followed the centralized procedure on the assumption that they are innovative. ,,The percentage of important therapeutic innovation was low not only for biotechnological products (25%), as expected because they include many already known products such as insulins, but also for nonbiotechnological therapeutic agents (29%). Aims In a previous paper, we proposed an algorithm to assess the degree of therapeutic innovation of the agents approved by the European centralized procedure, which must be followed by biotechnological products and is optional for drugs claimed as innovative. A low overall degree of therapeutic innovation (about 30%) was found. This figure may be an underestimate of the actual level of innovation, because common biotechnological products, such as recombinant human insulins, must follow this procedure. To test the hypothesis that therapeutic innovation prevails among nonbiotechnological products, we evaluated separately the degree of therapeutic innovation of biotechnological vs. nonbiotechnological agents in the first decade of European Medicines Agency activity, also studying a possible time trend. Methods We assessed, for each drug: (i) the seriousness of the target disease, (ii) the availability of previous treatments, and (iii) the extent of therapeutic effect according to the previously proposed algorithm. Results Our analysis considered 251 medicinal products corresponding to 198 active substances, classified according to four main areas as therapeutic agents (88.9%), diagnostics (5.5%), vaccines (5.1%) and life-style drugs (0.5%). Among all therapeutic agents, 49 out of 176 agents (28%) were classified as having an important degree of therapeutic innovation. Fifteen out of 60 biotechnological therapeutic agents were considered important therapeutic innovations (25%), whereas this figure was 29% for nonbiotechnological agents. Conclusions Among active substances claimed as innovative by the manufacturers, only a minority deserve this definition according to our algorithm. [source] Traumatic spinal cord injury and concomitant brain injury: a cohort studyACTA NEUROLOGICA SCANDINAVICA, Issue 2010E. M. Hagen Hagen EM, Eide GE, Rekand T, Gilhus NE, Gronning M. Traumatic spinal cord injury and concomitant brain injury: a cohort study. Acta Neurol Scand: 2010: 122 (Suppl. 190): 51,57. © 2010 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Objective,,, To assess the temporal trends in the incidence and demographic characteristics of traumatic spinal cord injury (TSCI) with clinical concomitant traumatic brain injury (TBI), in an unselected, geographically defined cohort, 1952,2001. Material and methods,,, The patients were identified from hospital records. TBI was classified as none, mild, moderate, and severe. Results,,, Of 336 patients, 157 (46.7%) patients had a clinical concomitant TBI. Clinical TBI was classified as mild in 30.1%, moderate in 11.0% and severe in 5.7%. The average annual incidence increased from 3.3 per million in the first decade to 10.7 per million in the last. Alcohol was the strongest risk factor of clinical TBI (OR = 3.69) followed by completeness of TSCI (OR = 2.18). Conclusions,,, The incidence of TSCI with concomitant TBI has increased during the last 50 years. Alcohol and completeness of injury are strong risk factors. Increased awareness of dual diagnoses is necessary. [source] Bobble-head doll syndrome: some atypical features with a new lesion and review of the literatureACTA NEUROLOGICA SCANDINAVICA, Issue 3 2003K. B. Bhattacharyya Bobble-head doll syndrome is a rare and unique movement disorder encountered in children. It is characterized by continuous or episodic involuntary forward and backward and side to side movement of the head at the frequency of 2,3 Hz. Neuroimaging in most of the cases reveals third ventricular tumors, suprasellar arachnoid cysts, aqueductal stenosis and other lesions in the region of the third ventricle along with communicating hydrocephalus. In most of the circumstances, the problem starts in the first decade of life and diversion of cerebrospinal fluid by shunt operation is very often accompanied by dramatic improvement. We report one case where bobbing of the head started at around 12 years of age. Additionally, there was evidence of partial left abducens nerve palsy, tremor in the outstretched hands, difficulty in finger-nose test and tandem walking, hyperreflexia and extensor plantar response. He was unconscious on two occasions and there was evidence of gross hydrocephalus along with a thin membranous web, running transversely across the lower part of the aqueduct of Sylvius without any cerebrospinal fluid flow void. Ventriculo-peritoneal shunt abolished the abnormal movements. We propose that the aqueductal web was the offending agent for the pathogenesis of bobble-head doll syndrome in our case and this lesion has not been identified in the cases reported so far. Relevant literature in this regard has also been reviewed. [source] New Spaces in Accra: transnational housesCITY & SOCIETY, Issue 1 2003Deborah Pellow Accra has been Ghana's primate city since the British moved their administrative headquarters there in 1877. The city took shape under British site planning and like many colonial cities, it developed a spatial layout that distinguished different neighborhoods, such as the old core, the European section, and the Muslim zongo or stranger area. Accra's Sabon Zongo ("new zongo") was founded in the first decade of the 20th century, as a refuge for migrant Hausa who had been living in the original zongo in the city's core. House ownership continues to confer status in the community but there is little room left for building. Hausa transmigrants from Sabon Zongo have been going abroad and remitting money back home, largely to build homes in the new peri-urban margins of Accra. This paper focuses upon the latter phenomenon , the new styles of houses they are building, the process this involves, and how these styles may accommodate worldview, lifestyle and behaviors different from those with which these men were raised in Sabon Zongo. [transmigration, housing, Ghana] [source] Constitutive deficiency in DNA mismatch repair: is it time for Lynch III?CLINICAL GENETICS, Issue 6 2007KEA Felton Hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC), also known as Lynch syndrome types I and II, and the related subtypes Turcot and Muir,Torre syndrome, have all been associated with inheritance of germ line mutations in the DNA mismatch repair (MMR) genes. Fifty individuals have recently been identified with an early onset of a different spectrum of cancers associated with inheritance of two MMR mutations , resulting either in a constitutive loss of MMR function, or greatly impaired MMR function. In contrast to Lynch I and II individuals, individuals with inheritance of homozygous or compound heterozygous mutations in the MMR genes that result in a complete lack of protein, present with hematological and brain malignancies in the first decade of life. Biallelic mutations with compromised but residual protein function present with a broader spectrum of cancers (brain, hematological or gastrointestinal) in the second to fourth decades of life. We propose that inheritance of two MMR mutations in an individual and the unique tumor spectrum that occurs with an early onset should be defined separately from Lynch syndrome I and II, or the subtypes Turcot and Muir,Torre. We suggest Lynch III as an appropriate name for identifying individuals with constitutively compromised MMR associated with biallelic mutations. [source] Are influences during pregnancy associated with wheezing phenotypes during the first decade of life?ACTA PAEDIATRICA, Issue 5 2005Ramesh J Kurukulaaratchy Abstract Aim: Recently, attention has focused on possible early life origins for asthma. We sought to identify whether factors present during pregnancy were associated with development of childhood wheezing phenotypes. Methods: A whole population birth cohort (n=1456) on the Isle of Wight, UK, was followed through to age 10 y. Where possible, information regarding environmental exposures and events during pregnancy was obtained from the maternity records (n=1238). Children were seen at ages 1, 2, 4 and 10 y, and wheezing symptoms were used to define wheezing phenotypes in the first decade (n=1034). Results: Risk of early-onsetpersistent wheeze (onset in the first 4 y, still present at age 10) was increased by environmental tobacco smoke exposure in pregnancy (OR=2.44; 95% CI: 1.37,4.34) plus maternal asthma (3.57; 1.84,6.94), but reduced by cat ownership (0.30; 0.13,0.62). Early transient wheeze (onset in the first 4 y, but not present at age 10) was increased by environmental tobacco smoke exposure (1.58; 1.02,2.45), male gender (1.68; 1.09,2.60) and low birthweight (3.65; 1.27,10.52). No environmental factors in pregnancy were associated with late-onset persistent wheeze (onset after age 4 y, still present at 10 y). Conclusion: In addition to genetics, maternal exposures during pregnancy show association with childhood and especially early-life wheezing phenotypes. [source] Outcome of Oral Implant Treatment in Partially Edentulous Jaws Followed 20 Years in Clinical FunctionCLINICAL IMPLANT DENTISTRY AND RELATED RESEARCH, Issue 4 2006Odont Dr/PhD, Ulf Lekholm DDS ABSTRACT Background:, Most long-term follow-up studies of implants in partially edentulous jaws present their outcomes as mean values of implant survival and follow-up time, and few address the fate of the remaining teeth. Purpose:, The aim of this study was to investigate the results of oral implant treatment in partially edentulous jaws after 20 years, and simultaneously to assess what happens to teeth present at the time of implant placement. Materials and Methods:, Seventeen partially edentulous patients, of 27 originally treated individuals, were retrospectively reviewed after receiving implants from 1983 to 1985. The parameters studied were implant survival, prosthesis stability, marginal bone loss at teeth and implants, treatment complications, need for dental treatment, and patient's satisfaction with the outcome. Results:, The cumulative survival rate was 91%, when all 27 patients were assessed, that is, including the 10 dropouts. Of the 69 inserted and followed implants (Brånemark system®; Nobel Biocare AB, Göteborg, Sweden), six failed (8.7%) during the 20-year period, four during the first decade, and the remaining two during the second. A majority (n=4) of the losses were due to implant fractures, two after 8 years, and two after 17 years. In all, 10 of the original fixed bridges being followed (n=24) remained in function during the entire investigation period, whereas 12 were exchanged for new constructions after an average of 7 years. The mean marginal bone loss at teeth was 0.7 mm, and at implants it was 1.0 mm. The major complication observed during the second decade was veneer material fractures, which occurred 14 times in six patients. Component loosening and abutment- and bridge-locking screw fractures were the second most common problems seen, indicating material/component fatigue. Most patients were satisfied with their treatment and many mentioned that they did not think of the constructions as anything but a part of their own body. Conclusion:, Over the decades, treatment of partially edentulous jaws with turned titanium implants seems to function well and to provide patients with good support for fixed short-span bridge constructions. [source] Contesting National Identity During Crisis: The Use of Patriotism in Israeli AdvertisementsCOMMUNICATION, CULTURE & CRITIQUE, Issue 3 2010Anat First Globalization processes have been accelerating since the early 1990s, and Israeli society is undergoing significant changes. Within these changes, symbols, beliefs, and new values are adopted to replace the old ones. Evidence of the Americanization of Israeli society can also be found in advertising, where the dominance of the American narrative has been notable since the 1990s. Over the years a significant increase has occurred in the use of American scenery, values, and heroes, along with the use of English. In this article, we seek to examine whether this extensive use of American motifs in Israeli advertising is also evident during times of national crises in the first decade of 2000. Contester l'identité nationale en temps de crise : l'usage du patriotisme dans les publicités israéliennes Anat First & Eli Avraham Les processus de mondialisation s'accélèrent depuis le début des années 1990 et la société israélienne vit de profonds changements. Dans le cadre de ces transformations, des symboles, des croyances et de nouvelles valeurs sont adoptés afin de remplacer les anciens. Des preuves de l'américanisation de la société israélienne peuvent aussi être vues dans les publicités, où la domination du narratif américain se remarque depuis les années 1990. Au fil des ans, le recours à des paysages, des valeurs et des héros américains, ainsi que l'usage de l'anglais, ont augmenté de façon importante. Dans cet article, nous cherchons à examiner si cet usage considérable de thèmes américains dans les publicités israéliennes est également visible lors de périodes de crises nationales, au cours des années 2000. Luchando por la Identidad Nacional Durante las Crisis: El Uso del Patriotismo en la Publicidad Israelí Anat First & Eli Avraham School of Communication, Netanya Academic College, Netanya, Israel University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel Resumen Los procesos de globalización se han ido acelerando desde los principios de 1990, y la sociedad Israelí está sufriendo cambios significativos. Dentro de estos cambios, los símbolos, creencias, y nuevos valores son adoptados para reemplazar los antiguos. Evidencia de la Americanización de la sociedad Israelí puede ser encontrada también en la publicidad, donde el domino de la narrativa Americana ha sido notable desde 1990. A través de los años un incremento significativo ha ocurrido en el uso de la escenografía Americana, los valores, y los héroes, además del uso del inglés. En este artículo buscamos examinar si este uso extensivo de los motivos Americanos en la publicidad Israelí es evidente también durante los tiempos de crisis nacionales en la primera década del 2000. [source] International conference on the healthy effect of virgin olive oilEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF CLINICAL INVESTIGATION, Issue 7 2005Summary 1Ageing represents a great concern in developed countries because the number of people involved and the pathologies related with it, like atherosclerosis, morbus Parkinson, Alzheime's disease, vascular dementia, cognitive decline, diabetes and cancer. 2Epidemiological studies suggest that a Mediterranean diet (which is rich in virgin olive oil) decreases the risk of cardiovascular disease. 3The Mediterranean diet, rich in virgin olive oil, improves the major risk factors for cardiovascular disease, such as the lipoprotein profile, blood pressure, glucose metabolism and antithrombotic profile. Endothelial function, inflammation and oxidative stress are also positively modulated. Some of these effects are attributed to minor components of virgin olive oil. Therefore, the definition of the Mediterranean diet should include virgin olive oil. 4Different observational studies conducted in humans have shown that the intake of monounsaturated fat may be protective against age-related cognitive decline and Alzheimer's disease. 5Microconstituents from virgin olive oil are bioavailable in humans and have shown antioxidant properties and capacity to improve endothelial function. Furthermore they are also able to modify the haemostasis, showing antithrombotic properties. 6In countries where the populations fulfilled a typical Mediterranean diet, such as Spain, Greece and Italy, where virgin olive oil is the principal source of fat, cancer incidence rates are lower than in northern European countries. 7The protective effect of virgin olive oil can be most important in the first decades of life, which suggests that the dietetic benefit of virgin olive oil intake should be initiated before puberty, and maintained through life. 8The more recent studies consistently support that the Mediterranean diet, based in virgin olive oil, is compatible with a healthier ageing and increased longevity. However, despite the significant advances of the recent years, the final proof about the specific mechanisms and contributing role of the different components of virgin olive oil to its beneficial effects requires further investigations. [source] Admiralty Law and Neutrality Policy in the 1790s: An Example of Judicial, Legislative, and Executive CooperationJOURNAL OF SUPREME COURT HISTORY, Issue 1 2000Elliott Ashkenazi The subject of admiralty law may have lost much of its luster over the years, but during the first decades of the nation's existence this branch of the law provided a vehicle for establishing foreign policy principles that helped protect the new nation. The admiralty cases that reached the U.S. Supreme Court in the mid-1790s were important to administration policy in the realm of foreign affairs and to the Court's own development as an independent arm of the national government. [source] THE EARLIEST SYRIAC RECEPTION OF DIONYSIUS1MODERN THEOLOGY, Issue 4 2008ISTVÁN PERCZEL This essay examines the earliest Syriac reception of the Corpus Dionysiacum in the first decades of the sixth century. This reception is earlier than the standard Greek reception and moves us closer, I hypothesize, to the original text and context of the CD than do the subsequent Greek edition and commentaries of John of Scythopolis. The principal texts associated with the earliest Syriac reception all betray the influence of "Origenism," which, I argue, reflects the original milieu of the author of the CD. I conclude this essay with some thoughts on how an acknowledgement of the Origenism of the CD complicates our understanding of "orthodoxy" and "heresy" during this period. [source] |