Home About us Contact
|
Home About us Contact | ||
|
|
||
Reported Occurrences (reported + occurrence)
Selected AbstractsPhysical impairment and social adaptation in adult survivors of childhood and adolescent rhabdomyosarcoma: a report from the Childhood Cancer Survivors Study,PSYCHO-ONCOLOGY, Issue 1 2007Judith A. Punyko Abstract Background: Despite interest in the well-being of adult survivors of childhood rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS), few studies have examined their health-related quality of life (HRQOL). This study evaluated physical and social aspects of HRQOL among long-term childhood RMS survivors relative to a sibling comparison group, and assessed whether physical impairment among RMS survivors adversely affected their ability to achieve adult life goals. Methods: Using baseline data from the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study, we evaluated self-reported physical impairment and social adaptation among 417 survivors of childhood RMS and 2685 siblings ,18 years of age at survey completion. Results: Survivors were more likely than siblings to report physical impairment, characterized by: at least one medically diagnosed condition, limitations in the performance of routine activities, a health-related inability to work or attend school, cancer-related pain. Survivors were less likely than siblings to have completed high school, ever worked a job, or ever been married. The odds of completing high school were lower among survivors with performance limitations, a health-related inability to work or attend school, or moderate to high levels of cancer-related pain. Survivors who reported cancer-related pain had an increased likelihood of ever being married. Conclusions: The majority of adult survivors of pediatric RMS are successful in attaining adult life goals despite higher reported occurrence of physical impairment than their sibling counterparts. Additional studies are needed to advance our understanding of other aspects of HRQOL in this population of pediatric cancer survivors. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Changes in frigate tuna populations on the south coast of Sri Lanka: evidence of the shifting baseline syndrome from analysis of fisher observationsAQUATIC CONSERVATION: MARINE AND FRESHWATER ECOSYSTEMS, Issue 2 2010A. J. Venkatachalam Abstract 1.This study examines changes in frigate tuna populations in southern Sri Lanka, based on reports from fishers in three age classes. Significantly higher values for best day's catch and largest specimen ever caught were obtained by older fishers than younger ones. Values were also significantly higher during early years, providing clear evidence of a decrease in the resource over time (1951,2007). 2.Older fishers reported best catches further inshore and in shallower waters which, on becoming depleted, forced younger generations to fish in less exploited areas further offshore. Heavy harvesting is also evident from the significantly greater number of sites reported by older fishers as being depleted, compared with observations of younger fishers. 3.These findings contrast markedly with catch and catch per effort patterns from statistics for frigate tuna and bullet tuna (combined) in southern Sri Lanka (1994,2004). No stock decline is evident, and at least one report in the early 1990s advocated increasing exploitation rates by 40% to maximize yields. 4.Although not a primary research objective, fisher observations on frigate tuna populations were also analysed to help evaluate possible effects of the 2004 tsunami. Most fishers reported post-tsunami decline, but mainly from a larger new generation of fishers, rather than extra boats provided by aid money or (direct or indirect) biophysical impacts from the tsunami. 5.Reliance on fishery statistics, especially for mixed species and over a limited period, can be risky and easily mask true stock status. Evidence of harvesting effects on frigate tuna in southern Sri Lanka is evident using questionnaire data over a longer time scale. 6.This study provides another compelling case of the ,shifting baseline syndrome', whereby fishers of different ages have altered perceptions/experiences of their environment. This may be its first reported occurrence in Sri Lanka. Traditional knowledge from this and similar surveys may provide national fishery management with valuable insights and help improve conservation prospects for frigate tuna and other marine resources. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] The biogeography of seaweeds in Southeast AlaskaJOURNAL OF BIOGEOGRAPHY, Issue 3 2009Sandra C. Lindstrom Abstract Aim, This article reviews the history of seaweed collections in Southeast Alaska from the early Russian explorers to contemporary efforts. It summarizes other studies of Southeast Alaskan seaweeds from a biogeographical perspective, and compares the known seaweed flora near three population centres (Ketchikan, Sitka and Juneau) with those of other regions within Alaska, and with nearby regions. Location, For this article, Southeast Alaska includes all inside and outside waters of the Alexander Archipelago from Dixon Entrance (54°40, N, 133°00, W) to Icy Point (58°23,10, N, 137°04,20, W). Methods, The literature on seaweeds occurring in Southeast Alaska is reviewed from a biogeographical perspective, and herbarium records for Southeast Alaska from the Alaska Seaweed Database project are used to provide an overview of the biogeography of the area. Records for the population centres of Ketchikan, Sitka and Juneau are compared with records from other areas within Alaska and with nearby regions to determine floristic similarities. Results, Southeast Alaska has the most diverse seaweed flora of any region of Alaska. A list of species known to occur in Southeast Alaska is appended (in Supplementary Material) and includes their reported occurrences in three population centres (Juneau, Ketchikan and Sitka). Recognition of at least three distinct biogeographical areas associated with these three centres is supported by a comparison of their floras with those of other regions in the North Pacific. A close relationship of some species with conspecifics in the north-west Atlantic is also noted. In contrast, ecological, physiological and genetic differentiation of Southeast Alaskan seaweeds from conspecifics in Washington State or even from different areas of Southeast Alaska are documented. A ShoreZone coastal habitat system, which is being implemented to inventory and map the entire shoreline of Southeast Alaska, is defining new biogeographical units called ,bioareas' on the basis of the distribution of canopy kelps and lower intertidal algal assemblages. Main conclusions, Southeast Alaska has the most diverse seaweed flora of any region of Alaska. This is a reflection of its extensive coastline, with varied past and present environmental conditions. Different parts of Southeast Alaska show similarities to different areas outside Southeast Alaska. Despite this, much remains to be learned about the biogeography of seaweeds in Southeast Alaska, and many questions remain to be answered. [source] Visual hallucinations as REM sleep behavior disorders in patients with Parkinson's diseaseMOVEMENT DISORDERS, Issue 7 2003Takashi Nomura MD Abstract To clarify whether visual hallucinations in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) are related to rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, nocturnal polysomnographic variables were compared between a group with hallucinations (hallucinators, n = 14) and a group without hallucinations (nonhallucinators, n = 8). A multiple sleep latency test (MSLT) was performed on 3 hallucinators, and the content of dreams during daytime REM sleep was investigated. The efficacy of clonazepam, a standard treatment choice for REM sleep behavior disorders, was investigated in 8 hallucinators. Nocturnal polysomnograms of the hallucinators showed a higher amount of stage 1,REM sleep with tonic electromyogram (stage 1,REM) than the nonhallucinators, and the reported occurrences of nocturnal hallucinations corresponded with the periods of stage REM or stage 1,REM in most hallucinators. The frequency of sleep onset REM periods (SOREMP) on the MSLT were pathologically high in the hallucinators, and the content of the dreams during the MSLT period was quite similar to their hallucinations. During clonazepam treatment, the frequency of hallucinatory symptoms decreased in 5 of 8 hallucinators. These results indicate that visual hallucinations in PD are likely to be related to a REM sleep disorder manifested as the appearance of both stage 1,REM during the night and SOREMP in the daytime. © 2003 Movement Disorder Society [source] The safety of infliximab, combined with background treatments, among patients with rheumatoid arthritis and various comorbidities: A large, randomized, placebo-controlled trialARTHRITIS & RHEUMATISM, Issue 4 2006Rene Westhovens Objective To assess the risk of serious infections following 22 weeks of infliximab therapy, and to further characterize the safety profile of infliximab in combination with background treatments during 1 year in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) with various comorbidities. Methods Patients with active RA despite receiving methotrexate (MTX) were randomly assigned to receive infusions of placebo (group 1, n = 363), 3 mg/kg infliximab (group 2, n = 360), or 10 mg/kg infliximab (group 3, n = 361) at weeks 0, 2, 6, and 14. At week 22, patients in placebo group 1 began receiving 3 mg/kg infliximab, and patients in group 3 continued to receive an infliximab dose of 10 mg/kg. Patients in group 2 who failed to meet predefined response criteria received increasing doses of infliximab in increments of 1.5 mg/kg. Results At week 22, the relative risk of developing serious infections in groups 2 and 3, compared with group 1, was 1.0 (95% confidence interval [95% CI] 0.3,3.1, P = 0.995) and 3.1 (95% CI 1.2,7.9, P = 0.013), respectively. The incidence of serious adverse events was 7.8% in groups 2 and 3 compared with 7.5% in group 1. From week 22 to week 54, 11.8%, 9.9%, and 10.3% of patients in groups 1, 2, and 3, respectively, reported occurrences of serious adverse events. Through week 54, 1 patient in group 1, 2 patients in group 2, and 4 patients in group 3 developed active tuberculosis. Conclusion The risk of serious infections in patients receiving the approved infliximab dose of 3 mg/kg plus MTX was similar to that in patients receiving MTX alone. Patients receiving the unapproved induction regimen of 10 mg/kg infliximab plus MTX followed by a 10 mg/kg maintenance regimen had an increased risk of serious infections through week 22. [source] | ||||||||||