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Selected AbstractsConsequences of youth tobacco use: a review of prospective behavioural studiesADDICTION, Issue 7 2006M. Mathers ABSTRACT Background Cigarette smoking represents a significant health problem and tobacco has been identified as causing more preventable diseases and premature deaths than any other drug. Although health consequences from smoking have been documented, there has been a surprising lack of research into behavioural consequences. Aims To review what is known of the long-term relationship between patterns of tobacco use prior to age 18 years and behavioural consequences in adulthood. Method A literature search of electronic abstraction services from 1980 to September 2005 was conducted. To be included in the review, studies had to have large, representative samples, be longitudinal studies with baseline age under 18 years and follow-up age 18 years or older and clarify effects due to attrition, leaving 16 articles that met the inclusion criteria. Two reviewers evaluated each paper. Findings Adolescent tobacco use predicts a range of early adult social and health problems. Surprisingly few studies met the inclusion criteria. The limited evidence available suggests that adolescent tobacco smoking increases the likelihood of early adult tobacco use and the initiation of alcohol use or the development of alcohol-related problems. The link between adolescent tobacco use and subsequent cannabis use was not resolved convincingly from the studies summarized. The effects of tobacco use on later illicit drug use tended to fall away when adjusting for underlying risk factors. Existing studies of the effects of tobacco use on later mental health have many limitations. Nevertheless, a finding that youth tobacco use may predict subsequent mental health problems deserves further investigation. The possible effects of tobacco use on academic/social problems and sleep problems also warrant further investigation. Conclusion This review highlights links between youth tobacco use and subsequent behavioural and mental health problems. It provides health care professionals with evidence of the possible harmful effects of youth tobacco smoking on later social, emotional, and behavioural well-being. [source] Structural behavioural analysis as a basis for discriminating between genuine and simulated rape allegationsJOURNAL OF INVESTIGATIVE PSYCHOLOGY AND OFFENDER PROFILING, Issue 1 2006Ben C. Marshall Abstract This paper explores the potential utility of structural behavioural analysis as a basis for discriminating between genuine and simulated accounts of rape. Structural analysis examines the coherence of the combination of behaviours in the account based against the co-occurrence of behaviours in genuine accounts. Three analyses compared 142 genuine rape with 30 simulated statements in terms of the base rates of behaviours reported within the statements, and in terms of the behavioural coherence of each statement to an established behavioural structure. Results suggest that genuine statements tend to report a larger total number of behaviours than simulated statements; that pseudo-intimate behaviours are significantly more often reported in genuine statements while some violent behaviours are more frequently reported in simulated statements; and that simulated statements are less behaviourally coherent than genuine statements. We concede the many limitations of the study but argue that results provide tentative evidence that false claimants, not fully appreciating the phenomenological experience of rape, overemphasise the significance of violent and demeaning behaviour whilst underplaying the significance of pseudo-intimate behaviour. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Litigation related to regional anaesthesia: an analysis of claims against the NHS in England 1995,2007,ANAESTHESIA, Issue 5 2010K. Szypula Summary We analysed 366 claims related to regional anaesthesia and analgesia from the 841 anaesthesia-related claims handled by the National Health Service Litigation Authority between 1995 and 2007. The majority of claims (281/366, 77%) were closed at the time of analysis. The total cost of closed claims was £12 724 017 (34% of the cost of the anaesthesia dataset) with a median (IQR [range]) of £4772 (£0,28 907 [£0,2 070 092]). Approximately half of the claims (186/366; 51%) were related to obstetric anaesthesia and analgesia and of the non-obstetric claims, the majority (148/180; 82%) were related to neuraxial block. The total cost for obstetric closed claims was £5 433 920 (median (IQR [range]) £5678 (£0,27 690 [£0,1 597 565]) while that for non-obstetric closed claims was £7 290 097 (£3337 (£0,31 405 [£0,2 070 062]). Non-obstetric claims were more likely to relate to severe outcomes than obstetric ones. The maximum values of claims were higher for claims related to neuraxial blocks and eye blocks than for peripheral nerve blocks. Despite many limitations, including lack of clinical detail for each case, the dataset provides a useful overview of the extent, patterns and cost associated with the claims. [source] Goldenhar syndrome associated with prenatal maternal Fluoxetine ingestion: Cause or coincidence?BIRTH DEFECTS RESEARCH, Issue 7 2010Chantal Farra Abstract Goldenhar syndrome, also known as oculo-auriculo-vertebral spectrum, is a complex, heterogeneous condition characterized by abnormal prenatal development of facial structures. We present the occurrence of Goldenhar syndrome in an infant born to a woman with a history of prenatal Fluoxetine ingestion throughout her pregnancy. Because this is the first reported case associating maternal Fluoxetine intake with fetal craniofacial malformations, a potential mechanism of injury is discussed. The propositus, a male born from nonconsanguinous parents, had facial asymmetry with right microtia and mandibular hypoplasia; he also had bilateral hypoplastic macula, scoliotic deformity of the thoracic spine, and ventricular septal defect. The mother was under treatment with Fluoxetine 20 mg/day prior to conception and maintained the same dosage throughout her pregnancy. The drug is a selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitor, the most widely prescribed for the treatment of depression. The occurrence of developmental aberrations may be caused by a profound serotonin receptor suppressive state in utero leading to aberrant clinical manifestations of the first and second branchial arches. Despite the very many limitations of case reporting of teratogenic events, it remains an important source of information on which more advanced research is based. Birth Defects Research (Part A) 2010. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Culture and in vitro hepatogenic differentiation of placenta-derived stem cells, using placental extract as an alternative to serumCELL PROLIFERATION, Issue 5 2010K. S. Shin Objectives:, Translational research using adult stem cells derived from various tissues has been highlighted in cell-based therapy. However, there are many limitations to using conventional culture systems of adult stem cells for clinically applicability, including limited combinations of cytokines and use of nutrients derived from animals. Here, we have investigated the effects of placental extract (PE) for culture of placenta-derived stem cells (PDSCs) as well as their potential for hepatogenic differentiation. Materials and methods:, Placental extract, extracted using water-soluble methods, was used as a supplement for culture of PDSCs. Cell viability was determined using the MTT assay, and cytokine assay was performed using Luminex assay kit. Gene expression, indocyanine green (ICG) up-take, PAS (Periodic Acid-Schiff) staining and urea production were also analysed. Results:, The placental extract contained several types of cytokine and chemokine essential for maintenance and differentiation of stem cells. Expression of stemness markers in PDSCs cultured with PE is no different from that of PDSCs cultured with foetal bovine serum (FBS). After hepatogenic differentiation, expression patterns for hepatocyte-specific markers in PDSCs cultured with PE were consistent and potential for hepatogenic differentiation of PDSCs cultured with PE was similar to that of PDSCs cultured with FBS, as shown by PAS staining and urea production assays. Conclusions:, Our findings revealed that placental extract could be used as a new component for culture of adult stem cells, as well as for development of human-based medium, in translational research for regenerative medicine. [source] |