bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Low serum albumin level as an independent risk factor for the onset of pressure ulcers in intensive care unit patients
Authors: Serra Raffaele , Caroleo Santo , Buffone Gianluca , Lugarà Marina , Molinari Vincenzo , Tropea Francesco , Amantea Bruno , de Franciscis Stefano
Published: November 2012

Critically ill patients are at high risk of developing pressure ulcers (PUs) and patients who develop PUs remain significantly longer in the intensive care unit (ICU) with significantly increased morbidity and mortality. Therefore, the identification of patients at truly increased risk is important. The aim of this study was to examine the association of low serum albumin present at admission in ICU patients with the onset of PUs. We conducted a retrospective cohort study on 610 patients who were admitted to intensive care unit. Level of serum albumin and other biochemical indices, recorded at the time of admission, were collected. We collected information about PU occurrence after admission and conducted a statistical analysis with biomarkers at ICU admission and during hospital stay. The incidence of PU in the ICUs was 31% and about 70% of patients with PUs had hypoalbuminemia at admission. The lowest values of serum albumin in patients with PUs were directly proportional to the severity of ulcers. In this study, we found a close association between serum albumin and PUs. In fact serum albumin was negatively correlated with PU and may be considered one of the independent determinants of PU occurrence in patients admitted to ICUs.
Large‐scale preparation of Shiga toxin 2 in Escherichia coli for toxoid vaccine antigen production
Authors: Arimitsu Hideyuki , Sasaki Keiko , Shimizu Takeshi , Tsukamoto Kentaro , Shimizu Toshiyasu , Tsuji Takao
Published: November 2012

Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) causes hemorrhagic colitis, and in more severe cases, a serious clinical complication called hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). Shiga toxin (Stx)is one of the factors that cause HUS. Serotypes of Stx produced by EHEC include Stx1 and Stx2. Although some genetically mutated toxoids of Stx have been developed, large‐scale preparation of Stx that is practical for vaccine development has not been reported. Therefore, overexpression methods for Stx2 and mutant Stx2 (mStx2) in E. coli were developed. The expression plasmid pBSK‐Stx2(His) was constructed by inserting the full‐length Stx2 gene, in which a six‐histidine tag gene was fused at the end of the B subunit into the lacZα fragment gene of the pBluescript II SK(+) vector. An E. coli MV1184 strain transformed with pBSK‐Stx2(His) overexpressed histidine‐tagged Stx2 (Stx2‐His) in cells cultured in CAYE broth in the presence of lincomycin. Stx2‐His was purified using TALON metal affinity resin followed by hydroxyapatite chromatography. From 1 L of culture, 68.8 mg of Stx2‐His and 61.1 mg of mStx2‐His, which was generated by site‐directed mutagenesis, were obtained. Stx2‐His had a cytotoxic effect on HeLa cells and was lethal to mice. However, the toxicity of mStx2‐His was approximately 1000‐fold lower than that of Stx2‐His. Mice immunized with mStx2‐His produced specific antibodies that neutralized the toxicity of Stx2 in HeLa cells. Moreover, these mice survived challenge with high doses of Stx2‐His. Therefore, the lincomycin‐inducible overexpression method is suitable for large‐scale preparation of Stx2 vaccine antigens.
Palaeogenetics of western French sturgeons spotlights the relationships between Acipenser sturio and Acipenser oxyrinchus
Authors: Chassaing Olivier , Desse‐Berset Nathalie , Duffraisse Marilyne , Hughes Sandrine , Hänni Catherine , Berrebi Patrick
Published: November 2012

Aim

The Atlantic sturgeon, Acipenser oxyrinchus, was long considered an American species, but recent discoveries based on analyses of archaeological remains proved its presence in the Baltic Sea and in France. This came as a surprise, as the European sturgeon, Acipenser sturio, was thought to be the only sturgeon species present on the European Atlantic coast. It was hypothesized that migrants from North America founded the Baltic population of Atlantic sturgeons around 1200 years ago.

Location

The sampling is composed of five sturgeon archaeological remains (5000–1800 yr bp) and 21 naturalized or ethanol‐preserved museum specimens from the 19th and 20th centuries, originating from the French Atlantic coast.

Methods

Analyses of ancient DNA were performed following the strict criteria of the field to avoid contamination and to ensure sequence authentication. A 210‐bp fragment of the control region (CR) was sequenced and three microsatellite loci were sized and sequenced.

Results

Out of a total of 26 samples, three archaeological remains and six museum specimens produced A. oxyrinchus mitochondrial or nuclear sequences; two of these museum samples showed signs of hybridization between A. sturio and A. oxyrinchus. All the other samples yielded only A. sturio DNA sequences, and a new CR haplotype was described in this species.

Main conclusions

Molecular evidence of sympatry and natural hybridization between A. sturio and A. oxyrinchus on the French Atlantic coast – specifically the hybrid evidence of two museum specimens collected from the Seine River in 1823 and 1858 – challenge our understanding of the species' past relationships. In light of these findings, new hypotheses are presented to explain the history and geographical range of A. oxyrinchus in Europe.
Evaluation of an educational practice development programme for staff working in mental health inpatient environments
Authors: CHAMBERS M. , GILLARD S. , TURNER K. , BORSCHMANN R.
Published: November 2012

Accessible summary

Clinical practice in acute inpatient environments can be both complex and demanding for clinicians. Often, the majority of nursing staff working in such environments are recently qualified with limited experience, as these clinical areas are considered the right place to consolidate knowledge following registration.

In this paper, we describe an evaluation of a mental health staff practice development training programme aimed to enhance clinicians’ skills and optimise service users’ experience of hospitalization.

Clinicians found the training course to be motivating and valuable to their daily clinical practice. At follow‐up, they reported an increased sense of competence and confidence when interacting with service users.

It is possible for healthcare professionals to achieve enhanced interaction and therapeutic skills with a short, focused education programme. Further research is needed to investigate the impact of service user involvement during the design and facilitation of the programme.

This paper describes key components of a mental health practice development training programme, which aimed to translate into practice a deeper, more evidence‐based understanding of the lived experience of service users detained under the Mental Health Act (1983/2007), using action research as the underpinning paradigm. The programme explored the myriad applications of the six categories of intervention initially proposed by Heron and the widespread applicability of solution‐focused brief therapy. The programme evaluation used open‐ended questionnaires in order to obtain participants' views on facilitation and workshop content, in addition to two focus groups. The aim of the evaluation was to provide insight into participants' experience of the programme. Feedback from participants reflected a high degree of skill acquisition and enhancement and a noticeable change in ward culture after completing the programme. Service user researchers were intimately involved during all stages of the design, implementation and analysis including service user interviews for Phase 1 and the education intervention element of the practice development programme. Implications for evidence‐based mental health nursing practice, service user involvement in research and directions for future research are discussed.
Importance of cognitive assessment as part of the “Kihon Checklist” developed by the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare for prediction of frailty at a 2‐year follow up
Authors: Fukutomi Eriko , Okumiya Kiyohito , Wada Taizo , Sakamoto Ryota , Ishimoto Yasuko , Kimura Yumi , Kasahara Yoriko , Chen Wen‐Ling , Imai Hissei , Fujisawa Michiko , Otuka Kuniaki , Matsubayashi Kozo
Published: November 2012

Aim

To investigate which category in the “Kihon Checklist” developed by the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare can predict functional decline for community‐dwelling elderly people at a 2‐year follow up.

Method

We compared comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) between “specified elderly individuals” at high risk of requiring long‐term care insurance (LTCI) and “uncertified elderly people” (neither certified under LTCI nor “specified”), and also compared CGA between the risk group and non‐risk group, in subcategories of the “Kihon Checklist”, such as physical strength, nutrition/oral function, overall low score on questions 1–20, houseboundness, cognitive function, and depression risk. The study population consisted of 527 elderly participants aged 75 years and older in a cross‐sectional study, and 382 in a longitudinal study. CGA was assessed for basic and higher functional activities of daily living (ADL), depressive symptoms, and quality of life (QOL). The Student's t‐test was used in the cross‐sectional study and ANOVA with repeated measures was used in the longitudinal analysis.

Results

In the cross‐sectional study, the risk group had lower functions in all CGA items than the non‐risk group in all subcategories of the “Kihon Checklist.” In the longitudinal study, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology Index of Competence scores and its three subscales declined in the risk group both in physical and cognitive subcategories compared with the non‐risk group, whereas only one or two subscales of Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology Index of Competence declined in “specified” and the other two subcategories of the Kihon Checklist

Conclusion

In both cross‐sectional and longitudinal studies, the assessment of physical strength and cognitive function was more useful to detect frail elderly. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2013; 13: 654–662.
Risk factors for acquiring extended‐spectrum β‐lactamase‐producing Enterobacteriaceae in geriatric patients with multiple comorbidities in respiratory care wards
Authors: Lin Hsiu‐Chen , Lai Li‐An , Wu Jui‐Yu , Su Yih‐Ming , Chang Su‐Ping , Hsueh Yu‐Mei
Published: November 2012

Aim

Extended‐spectrum β‐lactamase (ESBL)‐producing Enterobacteriaceae is associated with a high mortality rate and increased medical care costs. Elderly patients might receive mechanical ventilation with respiratory treatment for the long term in respiratory care wards (RCW). This retrospective case–control study sought to determine the risk factors for geriatric patients who acquire a urinary tract infection with ESBL‐producing Escherichia coli or Klebsiella pneumoniae in this type of hospital.

Methods

Two RCW participated in this study from September 2006 to March 2007. Patients suspected of having a UTI were enrolled in this study. Urine samples were collected for culture. The medical records and demographic data of patients, including days of hospitalization, comorbidities and duration of invasive instruments, were recorded. UTI was diagnosed by physicians. ESBL‐producing isolates were detected using the phenotypic confirmatory tests according to the Clinical and Laboratory Standard Institute standards.

Results

There were 109 patients having 240 sets of clinical data and laboratory specimens. The prevalence of ESBL‐producing isolates of E. coli. and K. pneumoniae were 39.5% and 69.7%, respectively. Patients with multiple underlying comorbidities (OR = 2.88, P < 0.05) or receiving more than two antimicrobial agents (OR = 3.71, P < 0.05) were at an increased risk for acquiring the ESBL‐producing microorganisms after adjustment for sex, age and days of hospitalization.

Conclusions

Geriatric patients with recent exposure to two or more antibiotics and two or more numbers of comorbidities were at risk for ESBL‐producing organism infection. Our results suggest that infection control procedures in RCW should be concerned with reducing antimicrobial prescriptions and patient comorbidities. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2013; 13: 663–671.
Ants protect conifer seedlings from feeding damage by the pine weevil Hylobius abietis
Authors: Maňák Vítězslav , Nordenhem Henrik , Björklund Niklas , Lenoir Lisette , Nordlander Göran
Published: November 2012

Ants that protect food resources on plants may prey on (or deter) herbivores and thereby reduce damage. Red wood ants (of the Formica rufa group) are dominant ants in boreal forests of Eurasia and affect the local abundance of several herbivorous species.

The pine weevil Hylobius abietis (L.) is a herbivore that causes severe damage by feeding on the bark of coniferous seedlings within areas of forest regeneration.

We investigated whether ants can protect conifer seedlings from pine weevil feeding. In a manipulative experiment, ants were attracted to sugar baits attached to spruce seedlings and the damage caused by pine weevils was compared with control seedlings without ant‐baits.

The feeding‐scar area was approximately one‐third lower on the seedlings with ant‐baits compared with the controls. Besides red wood ants, Myrmica ants were also attracted in high numbers to the ant baits and the relative effects of these species are discussed.

The results obtained in the present study support the trophic cascade hypothesis (i.e. damage to herbivores is suppressed in the presence of predators). The decreased pine weevil feeding on the baited seedlings was probably a result of nonconsumptive interactions [i.e. the presence of (or harassment by) ants distracting pine weevils from feeding].

Understanding the role of ants may have important implications for future strategies aiming to control pine weevil damage. For example, maintaining suitable conditions for ants after harvesting stands may be an environmentally friendly but currently unexploited method of for decreasing weevil damage.
Pupil size varies with word listening and response selection difficulty in older adults with hearing loss
Authors: Kuchinsky Stefanie E. , Ahlstrom Jayne B. , Vaden Kenneth I. , Cute Stephanie L. , Humes Larry E. , Dubno Judy R. , Eckert Mark A.
Published: November 2012

Listening to speech in noise can be exhausting, especially for older adults with impaired hearing. Pupil dilation is thought to track the difficulty associated with listening to speech at various intelligibility levels for young and middle‐aged adults. This study examined changes in the pupil response with acoustic and lexical manipulations of difficulty in older adults with hearing loss. Participants identified words at two signal‐to‐noise ratios (SNRs) among options that could include a similar‐sounding lexical competitor. Growth Curve Analyses revealed that the pupil response was affected by an SNR × Lexical competition interaction, such that it was larger and more delayed and sustained in the harder SNR condition, particularly in the presence of lexical competition. Pupillometry detected these effects for correct trials and across reaction times, suggesting it provides additional evidence of task difficulty than behavioral measures alone.
Cooperatives as Sustainable Livelihood Strategies in Rural Mexico
Authors: KING ROBIN , ADLER MARINA A. , GRIEVES MARGARET
Published: November 2012

The sustainable livelihoods perspective and cooperative movement are rooted in frameworks that value social justice in the form of participatory democracy, distributional equity, and solidarity. Unlike studies of cooperatives that focus mainly on economic efficiency and productivity, we argue that this socio‐political dimension of the cooperative projects is crucial for understanding their potential as sustainable livelihoods. This exploratory research examines the experiences of two rural Mexican communities in Guanajuato and Oaxaca, which formed cooperatives as alternative livelihood strategies. Our results show that each community used similar grassroots political culture to develop cooperatives designed to meet local needs.
k‐separator chordal graphs: leafage and subfamilies
Authors: Markenzon Lilian , Pereira Paulo Renato da Costa , Waga Christina F. E. M.
Published: November 2012

The leafage of a chordal graph G is the minimum number of leaves among the clique‐trees of G. In this paper, based on properties of the minimal vertex separators, the leafage of a k‐separator chordal graph is determined in linear time. This result allows establishment of the relationship of some subfamilies of chordal graphs, such as k‐trees, interval and uniquely representable chordal graphs.
The radula of the Late Cretaceous scaphitid ammonite Rhaeboceras halli (Meek and Hayden, 1856)
Authors: KRUTA ISABELLE , LANDMAN NEIL , ROUGET ISABELLE , CECCA FABRIZIO , TAFFOREAU PAUL
Published: November 2012

Abstract:  Radular teeth occur between the jaws in two specimens of the Late Cretaceous scaphitid ammonite Rhaeboceras halli (Meek and Hayden, 1856) from the Western Interior of the United States. The detailed morphology of the teeth has been revealed by propagation phase contrast X‐ray synchrotron microtomography. Each row of the radula of R. halli consists of a total of seven teeth (a central rachidian, two pairs of lateral and one pair of marginal teeth), as in other known ammonoid radulae, although the central tooth could not be confirmed in the specimens examined. The lateral teeth are multicuspid and robust, and the marginal teeth are long (4.6 mm) and slender. In overall morphology, the heterodont and ctenoglossan radula of R. halli is similar that of Jurassic and Cretaceous ammonites with the same aptychus‐type lower jaw, that is, the Aptychophora. This discovery reveals the range of variation in radular morphology, which could be related to ecological or phylogenetic factors. It also invalidates the hypothesis that the hook‐like structures in R. halli previously described are radular elements.
Schadenfreude as a mate‐value‐tracking mechanism
Authors: COLYN LEISHA A. , GORDON ANNE K.
Published: November 2012

This study proposed a new theoretical formulation of schadenfreude as a psychological mechanism that responds to misfortunes that lower competitors' mate value. In Study 1, participants reported schadenfreude in response to their friends' naturally occurring and hypothetical misfortunes. In Study 2, participants reported schadenfreude in response to an envied friend experiencing a hypothetical misfortune linked with female or male mate value. As predicted, females in both studies reported more schadenfreude when a same‐gender friend experienced a misfortune that lowered her physical attractiveness versus social status. Less consistent support was found for the prediction that males would report more schadenfreude when a same‐gender friend experienced a misfortune that lowered his social status versus physical attractiveness. This study suggests several directions for future research.
Reconstructing the Energy History of a City
Authors: Baynes Timothy M. , Bai Xuemei
Published: November 2012

For informed decision making about the current state and near future of any city, it is important to consider the long‐term resource use trajectory and legacy of its past. Such information is not always readily available. Urban metabolism analysis for any given time period can be challenging due to the lack of metropolitan‐ or city‐level data, and reconstructing a time series of urban energy or material flows is seldom attempted. For the case of Melbourne, Australia, we demonstrate how time series operational energy demand and supply data can be reconstructed from original sources. Primary energy consumption is calculated based on direct and upstream energy use in common with “scope 2” standards for emissions reporting. This extends the usual treatment of energy in urban metabolism studies by (1) providing time series data and (2) attributing upstream primary energy consumption to sectors based on their direct secondary energy usage. Results indicate that the transport, commercial, manufacturing, and residential sectors have contributed most to the doubling of Melbourne's energy consumption over four decades. We discuss recent urban development history and its relation to energy consumption and briefly examine potential scenarios of and responses to future change.
Evaluating the Predictive Value of Biomarkers with Stratified Case‐Cohort Design
Authors: Liu Dandan , Cai Tianxi , Zheng Yingye
Published: November 2012

Summary Identification of novel biomarkers for risk assessment is important for both effective disease prevention and optimal treatment recommendation. Discovery relies on the precious yet limited resource of stored biological samples from large prospective cohort studies. Case‐cohort sampling design provides a cost‐effective tool in the context of biomarker evaluation, especially when the clinical condition of interest is rare. Existing statistical methods focus on making efficient inference on relative hazard parameters from the Cox regression model. Drawing on recent theoretical development on the weighted likelihood for semiparametric models under two‐phase studies (Breslow and Wellner, 2007), we propose statistical methods to evaluate accuracy and predictiveness of a risk prediction biomarker, with censored time‐to‐event outcome under stratified case‐cohort sampling. We consider nonparametric methods and a semiparametric method. We derive large sample properties of proposed estimators and evaluate their finite sample performance using numerical studies. We illustrate new procedures using data from Framingham Offspring Study to evaluate the accuracy of a recently developed risk score incorporating biomarker information for predicting cardiovascular disease.
Generating a Minimal Set of Templates for the Hippocampal Region in MR Neuroimages
Authors: Cataldo R. , Agrusti A. , De Nunzio G. , Carlà A. , De Mitri I. , Favetta M. , Quarta M. , Monno L. , Rei L. , Fiorina E. ,   the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative
Published: November 2012

OBJECTIVES

We detail a procedure for generating a set of templates for the hippocampal region in magnetic resonance (MR) images, representative of the clinical conditions of the population under investigation.

METHODS

The first step is robust standardization of the intensity scale of brain MR images, belonging to patients with different degrees of neuropathology (Alzheimer's disease). So similar tissues have similar intensities, even across images coming from different sources. After the automatic extraction of the hippocampal region from a large dataset of images, we address template generation, choosing by clusterization methods a small number of the extracted regions.

RESULTS

We assess that template generation is largely independent on the clusterization method and on the number and the clinical condition of the patients. The templates are chosen as the most representative images in a population. The estimation of the “minimum” number of templates for the hippocampal region can be proposed, using a metric based on the geometrical position of the extracted regions.

CONCLUSIONS

This study describes a simple and easily reproducible procedure to generate templates for the hippocampal region. It can be generalized and applied to other brain regions, which may be relevant for neuroimaging studies.
Cerebral Blood Flow Dynamics of Orthostatic Transient Ischemic Attacks in a Patient with Carotid Dissection and Fibromuscular Dysplasia
Authors: Gupta Deepak , Derksen Carol , Saqqur Maher , Khan Khurshid , Jeerakathil Thomas , Shuaib Ashfaq
Published: November 2012

In patients with critical carotid stenosis and ischemic stroke, it is crucial to determine whether distal hypoperfusion or artery‐to‐artery embolism is the predominant mechanism. The role of transcranial doppler (TCD) in this setting is vital. We report a patient with fibromuscular dysplasia and recurrent orthostatic transient ischemic attacks where fall in cerebral perfusion was clearly demonstrated by TCD.
Erectile Dysfunction Diagnosis and Treatment as a Means to Improve Medication Adherence and Optimize Comorbidity Management
Authors: Scranton Richard E. , Goldstein Irwin , Stecher Vera J.
Published: November 2012

Introduction

Optimal pharmacologic management of diseases comorbid with erectile dysfunction (ED), such as cardiovascular disease, depression, diabetes, dyslipidemia, hypertension, and benign prostatic hyperplasia/lower urinary tract symptoms (BPH/LUTS), is dependent upon long-term treatment compliance and may be complicated by poor adherence to medication use. ED may contribute to poor adherence to medication use because poor quality erectile function may be an unwanted adverse effect of antihypertensives, antidepressants, and 5-α reductase inhibitors for treatment of BPH/LUTS. Diminished erectile spontaneity, rigidity, and/or sustaining capability also negatively affects mood, self-esteem, and confidence, which compromise motivation to be compliant with medications that treat diseases comorbid with ED.

Aim

Literature review was performed to explore the role of ED diagnosis and effective treatment in enhancing overall management of selected ED comorbidities, highlighting the role of medication adherence.

Methods

Several PubMed searches were performed.

Results

Diagnosis and successful treatment of concomitant ED may promote improved adherence and management of comorbid diseases. Concomitant ED management may improve treatment outcome, decrease healthcare costs, and possibly prevent or even improve deterioration in medical conditions comorbid with ED. Because ED is a silent marker and predictor of comorbidities, especially cardiovascular disease, earlier diagnosis of ED may provide an opportunity to prevent future cardiovascular events. In men presenting with complaints of ED, screening for, monitoring, and appropriately treating diseases that are comorbid with ED is essential. Screening for and appropriately treating ED is important for enhanced life quality and improved motivation in men with existing ED comorbidities or risk factors.

Conclusions

Appropriate management of ED and its risk factors may have beneficial effects on diseases that are comorbid with ED, and vice versa, most likely via shared pathophysiological pathways. Clinicians may need to consider men's health overall, of which sexual health is a central component, in order to provide optimal disease management.
SINGLE‐STRAND CONFORMATION POLYMORPHISM (SSCP) ANALYSIS OF HLA‐DRB1*1101‐06
Authors: Mora B. , Petronzelli F. , Grillo R. , Ferrante P. , Mazzilli M. C.
Published: November 2012

Single‐strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) has been developed as a method for detecting the presence of mutations in a segment of DNA. We applied it to the subtyping of the DR11 group of alleles. The SSCP patterns of DRB1‐DR52 group‐specific products were defined in cell lines representing the DRB1*1101‐06 alleles, using non‐denaturing acrylamide gel electrophoresis and silver staining. Only one set of gel electrophoresis conditions was able to discriminate the DR11 alleles tested. The protocol was validated in an analysis of 105 DR11‐positive individuals previously typed by oligonucleotides probing. The study demonstrates the suitability of the SSCP technique to define the DRB1*1101‐06 alleles, the technique being particularly valuable in confirming and extending the oligotyping of DRB1‐DR52 heterozygous samples.
EVIDENCE FOR MULTIPLE DISTINCT MAJOR HISTOCOMPATIBILITY COMPLEX CLASS I LINEAGES IN TELEOSTEAN FISH*
Authors: Van Erp S. H. M. , Egberts E. , Stet R. J. M.
Published: November 2012

In the context of studies on the expression of MhcCyca‐Z sequences of the common carp, PCR amplifications of exon 4 were performed on cDNA obtained from pooled thymi of 20 carp F1 individuals. Five recombinant clones (Cyca‐TC3, ‐TC13, ‐TC15, ‐TC17 and ‐TC18) were found to be 96% similar to the exon 4 region of Cyca‐ZA1. Each of the five sequences was unique, and differed in a few positions in both the nucleotide and the derived amino acid sequences from any of the Cyca‐Z sequences known to date. These data suggest that multiple Z genes per locus are present in the carp, which are transcribed in the thymus. In the course of analysing the amplified Cyca‐Z sequences, serendipity yielded a clone, Cyca‐TC16, containing a class I‐like sequence substantially different from any other carp class I sequence. The predicted amino acid sequence of Cyca‐TC16 was most similar to the class I genes (Lach‐U) from the coelacanth (42–46% amino acid identity). Cyca‐TC16 contains three conserved β2‐microglobulin contact residues, and the secondary structure was predicted by computer algorithms to be similar to that of the α3 domain of HLA‐A2. Phylogenetic analysis shows that carp class I sequences reside in four distinct clusters: (i) Cyca‐Z, Cyca‐TC3, ‐TC13, ‐TC15, ‐TC17 and ‐TC18 together with Caau‐Z from ginbuna crucian carp, (ii) Cyca‐U with Bree‐U (zebrafish) and Sasa‐p30 (Atlantic salmon), (iii) Cyca‐TC16 with Lach‐U (coelacanth), and (iv) Cyca‐C4.
ELISA ANTI‐HLA ANTIBODY SCREENING IDENTIFIES NON‐COMPLEMENT‐FIXING ANTIBODIES RESPONSIBLE FOR ACUTE GRAFT REJECTION. A CASE REPORT
Authors: Nanni‐Costa A. , Scolari M. P. , Iannelli S. , Vangelista A. , Buscaroli A. , D'Arcangelo G. Liviano , Buttazzi R. , Sanctis L. B. de , Todeschini P. , Stefoni S. , Bonomini V.
Published: November 2012

We report on a kidney transplant recipient experiencing an unexpected early acute vascular graft rejection. Retrospective analysis of patient serum samples, utilizing a new ELISA HLA screening technique, revealed that the rejection crisis and the subsequent graft loss were due to a pretransplant donor‐specific pre‐sensitization caused by a non‐complement‐fixing antibody of IgG2 class. The case illustrates the clinical significance of non‐complement‐fixing anti‐HLA antibodies. In addition it is shown that ELISA methods are suitable for detecting potentially harmful donor pre‐sensitization in waiting‐list patients not detectable by standard lymphocytotoxicity techniques. Hence ELISA could be an alternative to flow cytometry for this purpose. It is concluded that screening and cross‐matching techniques which detect non‐complement‐fixing anti‐HLA antibodies could improve graft outcome, and should form part of the immunological monitoring of kidney transplant waiting‐list patients.
Double Filtration Plasmapheresis in Different Diseases in Thailand
Authors: Lumlertgul Dusit , Suteeka Yuttitham , Tumpong Supaluck , Bunnachak Derek , Boonkaew Suchada
Published: November 2012

Double filtration plasmapheresis (DFPP) was applied to the treatment of two different categories from 100 cases that had been collected over a 5 year period (2007–2011). These categories were allocated into groups by size of toxic substances, which were classified as two different kinds of diseases. Group I comprised diseases that were caused by alloimmunity in transplantation, autoimmune diseases, complicated nephrotic syndrome, pure red cell aplasia, and toxemia of pregnancy. This group was treated with a plasma separator (plasmaflow‐05, Asahi Kasei) and plasma fractionators, EC‐20W. The second group, which included hyperviscosity syndrome, was treated by the same plasma separator, but with different plasma fractionators using EC‐40W. This group included diabetes nephropathy, hyperlipidemia, peripheral arterial diseases, and neurosensory hearing loss. Both groups used 1.5 plasma volumes in each treatment for three sessions in two consecutive weeks. The result of treatment in group I showed that plasma immunoglobulin G (IgG) was decreased substantially by 66% in either transplant or lupus nephritis patients after the third session. In the second group, IgM, fibrinogen, and lipid markedly responded to the treatment. Two diabetes nephropathy patients showed stable renal function for more than 12 months. Peripheral arterial disease was shown to benefit from significantly decreasing fibrinogen and IgM, which resulted in clinical tissue oxygenation. Neither bleeding diathesis nor membrane anaphylaxis were reported from the treatment. In summary, apheresis patients were shown to benefit in hypersensitized and hyperviscosity syndrome.
‘Witnessing of the Hands’ and Eyes: Surgeons as Medico‐Legal Experts in the Claudine Rouge Affair, Lyon, 1767
Authors: MCCLIVE CATHY
Published: November 2012

In the celebrated case of Claudine Rouge, the very ordinary medico‐legal role of surgeons as witnesses of the senses took on extraordinary proportions as Claude Champeaux and Jean Faissole were tried in the public and medical arenas for their role in the polemic that surrounded their reading of the signs of drowning in Rouge's putrefied corpse. Beneath concern for a potential miscarriage of justice and the condemnation of innocent men and women, Champeaux and Faissole were used as scapegoats for a trial of the epistemology of witnessing based on the evidence of the senses and the role of legal medicine itself within the ancien régime judiciary.
Smells, Bells and Touch: Iconoclasm in Paris during the French Revolution
Authors: CLAY RICHARD
Published: November 2012

This article examines the ways in which Parisians mobilised sight, smell, touch and sound to alter their city's ‘signscape’ and mediate power relations during the ancien régime and French Revolution. It uses contemporary sources to explore disputes about the treatment of statues of kings, busts of Jean‐Paul Marat, and church bells. Given that impingements on visual signifiers' physical integrity often generated multi‐sensory connotations that were readily understood by contemporaries, it is argued that the historiography of revolutionary iconoclasm has been too oculcentric. The paper ends by concluding that iconoclasm might be productively re‐conceived as a form of sign transformation.
The Seminar for Freshmen as a Platform for Raising Student Awareness of Austrian (and German) Studies
Authors: Rosellini Jay Julian
Published: November 2012

Small German programs need to reach out to first‐year students in order to expand the pool of potential majors and minors and to increase program visibility on campus. This article demonstrates how an interdisciplinary Seminar for Freshmen on Vienna and Berlin can be used to introduce students to the study of the German‐speaking world by comparing the two capital cities with regard to culture, history, lifestyle, and politics. In contrast to the norm in many programs, Austria is given equal status in this exercise.
Synthesis and plasma pharmacokinetics in CD-1 mice of a 18β-glycyrrhetinic acid derivative displaying anti-cancer activity
Authors: Lallemand Benjamin , Ouedraogo Moustapha , Wauthoz Nathalie , Lamkami Touria , Mathieu Veronique , Jabin Ivan , Amighi Karim , Kiss Robert , Dubois Jacques , Goole Jonathan
Published: November 2012

Objectives

The plasma pharmacokinetic profile in CD-1 mice of a novel 18β-glycyrrhetinic acid (GA) derivative, which displays in vitro anti-cancer activity, was assessed.

Methods

This study involved an original one-step synthesis of N-(2-{3-[3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]ureido}ethyl)-glycyrrhetinamide, (2) a compound that displays marked anti-proteasome and anti-kinase activity. The bioselectivity profile of 2 on human normal NHDF fibroblasts vs human U373 glioblastoma cells was assessed. Maximal tolerated dose (MTD) profiling of 2 was carried out in CD1 mice, and its serum pharmacokinetics were profiled using an acute intravenous administration of 40 mg/kg body weight.

Key findings

Compound 2 displayed IC50  in vitro growth inhibitory concentrations of 29 and 8 μm on NHDF fibroblasts and U373 glioblastoma cells, respectively, thus a bioselectivity index of ∼4. The intravenous pharmacokinetic parameters revealed that 2 was rapidly distributed (t1/2dist of ∼3 min) but slowly eliminated (t1/2elim = ∼77 min).

Conclusions

This study describes an original and reliable nanoemulsion of a GA derivative with both anti-proteasome and anti-kinase properties and that should be further tested in vivo using various human xenograft or murine syngeneic tumour models with both single and chronic intravenous administration.
From silence to storm – patient illness trajectory from diabetes diagnosis to haemodialysis in Taiwan: a qualitative study of patients' perceptions
Authors: Yu I‐Chen , Tsai Yun‐Fang
Published: November 2012

Aims

This article is a report of a study that explored the perceptions of patients as they experienced their diabetes illness trajectory, and their initial decisions to undergo dialysis, in an effort to provide further complementary guidance for nurses and healthcare practitioners.

Background

Diabetes leads to higher morbidity and mortality when patients develop renal failure resulting from diabetic nephropathy. An effective self‐care regimen and multidisciplinary team approach are required to avoid or delay the serious chronic complications of the disease. Patients and healthcare practitioners must be aware therefore of psycho‐physiological adjustment when seeking to delay the onset of complications.

Design

A qualitative design was used for data collection through semi‐structured interviews.

Method

Data were analysed using content analysis. Participants were 25 diabetes patients undergoing initial haemodialysis who were recruited from diabetes and nephrology wards at a medical centre in northern Taiwan. Data were collected from December 2010–August 2011.

Findings

The core theme describing the illness trajectory derived from face‐to‐face interviews with people undergoing hemodialysis was ‘from silence to storm’. There emerged also five phases of patient experience that resulted from the development of diabetic nephropathy: (1) diabetes onset stage; (2) stable stage; (3) burden stage; (4) shock stage; and (5) coping stage.

Conclusions

Patients suffer with diabetic nephropathy for a long‐term period. Our findings may enhance the understanding of nurses regarding the experiences of patients with diabetic nephropathy, and will help them provide diabetes care that promotes healthy life for those individuals.
Menopausal symptoms and physical activity in multiethnic groups of midlife women: a secondary analysis
Authors: Chang Sun Ju , Chee Wonshik , Im Eun‐Ok
Published: November 2012

Aims

To explore the effect of diverse types of women's physical activity on menopausal symptoms among multiethnic groups of midlife women in the USA.

Background

Although physical activity is one of the most widely used non‐pharmacological methods for managing menopausal symptoms, there is a paucity of clinical guidelines for women and healthcare providers because the relationship between physical activity and menopausal symptoms has been found inconsistent in previous studies.

Design

A secondary analysis of the data from a lager Internet survey study conducted in 2008–2010.

Methods

A total of 481 midlife women among four ethnic groups were selected from the original study. The data were collected using the Kaiser Physical Activity Survey and the Midlife Women's Symptom Index. Bivariate correlation analyses and hierarchical multiple regression analyses were used to analyse the data.

Results/Findings

The household/caregiving activity index was positively associated with the prevalence scores of the psychological symptoms in both non‐Hispanic Asians and non‐Hispanic African Americans. The increased sports/exercise activity index was negatively associated with the severity scores of the physical symptoms in both Hispanics and non‐Hispanic Whites. The occupational activity index and the active living activity index significantly predicted the severity scores of the psychosomatic symptoms in Hispanics and non‐Hispanic African Americans, respectively.

Conclusion

Nurses who take care of multiethnic groups of midlife women who experience menopausal symptoms should be aware of diverse types of women's physical activities within the cultural context.
Year‐round distribution suggests spatial segregation of two small petrel species in the South Atlantic
Authors: Quillfeldt Petra , Masello Juan F. , Navarro Joan , Phillips Richard A.
Published: November 2012

Aim

Pelagic seabirds exploit large areas of ocean when acting as central‐place foragers during the breeding season, and ranges are even more extensive outside the breeding period. Spatial niche partitioning is known to occur among species that breed sympatrically, but is less apparent during the non‐breeding period when there is increased potential for overlap among closely related species from neighbouring island groups. This applies to several species of prion, Pachyptila spp., in the Southern Ocean; although extremely abundant, their at‐sea distribution was virtually unknown because they are difficult to distinguish while at sea. To understand spatial niche partitioning at large scales, we investigated the year‐round distribution of thin‐billed prions (Pachyptila belcheri) from the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) and Antarctic prions (Pachyptila desolata) from South Georgia.

Location

South Atlantic Ocean.

Methods

Recently, geolocation devices have become small enough to be deployed on small seabirds. During 2009–10, we tracked 20 thin‐billed prions and 9 Antarctic prions with miniaturized geolocators. We applied ecological niche models to compare environmental conditions in the habitat utilized year‐round.

Results

We show that two prion species from the south‐west Atlantic Ocean have divergent patterns of migration, and that this has resulted in nearly complete spatial segregation (0–5% overlap by month in the 95% kernel density polygons). Nineteen of 20 thin‐billed prions migrated to an area > 3000 km east of their breeding site, whereas all Antarctic prions migrated a much shorter distance, and to the north‐west. The non‐breeding distribution of thin‐billed prions included the waters around South Georgia, but only when the Antarctic prions were absent. The models highlighted large differences in the realized niche between the two species, and between the habitat characteristics of breeding and non‐breeding areas of thin‐billed and Antarctic prions.

Main conclusions

Our results are consistent with the prediction that spatial niche partitioning occurs at large scales, allowing the co‐existence of related species. The methods applied here will enable predictive maps of the distributions of other prion populations to be created, once data become available from other breeding sites in the Southern Ocean.
Riparian forests of Southwest Europe: are functional trait and species composition assemblages constrained by environment?
Authors: Aguiar Francisca C. , Cerdeira Jorge Orestes , Martins Maria João , Ferreira Maria Teresa
Published: November 2012

Questions

What are the species and functional trait composition of riparian forests in near‐natural Southwest European rivers? Are functional trait and species assemblages constrained by environment?

Location

Near‐natural riparian habitats throughout mainland Portugal, Southwest Europe.

Methods

We collected data on riparian woody abundances and environmental variables from 175 river locations. Twenty‐eight key functional traits were assigned to the surveyed species. Hierarchical clustering and indicator species analysis were used to derive compositional and functional groups of sites. We used Mantel tests to relate species and trait abundances and environmental gradients, and identified sets of relevant variables at diverse spatial scales. Then, four Dispersion indicators were developed to assess the extent to which the groups are constrained by the environment. These measures were tested for significance using iteration procedures.

Results

Clustering revealed four compositional groups of sites: Alder woods, Ash woods, Tree–heath shrublands and Semi‐arid shrublands; and three functional groups: Mixed riparian forests, Shrublands with fleshy fruits and Stress‐tolerant shrublands. These groups were primarily defined by broad‐scale gradients of climate, elevation and river hierarchy. The most dispersed groups had broad trait composition (e.g. Mixed riparian forests) and were floristically diverse (Alder woods). In general, the compositional groups were more closely related to environmental gradients than the functional groups.

Conclusions

Assemblages with very specific functional traits or with homogeneous species composition were largely constrained to the most extreme environmental conditions in the study area. Future research to assist environmental management should be directed to the role of fine‐scale environmental determinants of riparian assemblages, especially those related to flow variability and water stress.
Increased risks of epilepsy and neuropsychiatric diseases in children of mothers with alcoholic liver disease
Authors: Stokkeland Knut , Ebrahim Fereshte , Hultcrantz Rolf , Ekbom Anders
Published: November 2012

Background

Pregnancy in women with liver disease may increase the risk of fetal complication. Data on disease frequencies in children born to mothers with alcoholic liver disease do not exist, although we do know that prenatal alcohol exposure may affect the fetus negatively.

Aims

The aim of this study was to assess the relative risk of neuropsychiatric diseases in children who were born to mothers with chronic liver diseases.

Methods

We linked the Hospital Discharge Register, Medical Birth Register and Pharmaceutical Register in Sweden between 1969 and 2009 to identify women with liver disease. We identified their children, up to the age of 16 in the Medical Birth Register, born between 1973 and 2009. Between 2005 and 2009, we identified every prescription that was dispensed to these children.

Results

We identified 5 124 children of mothers with alcoholic liver disease. There were 22 960 children of mothers with non‐alcoholic liver disease. For controls, we used 10 sex‐, age‐ and birthplace‐matched children. There were more children born to mothers with alcoholic liver disease before the birth who had been dispensed antiepileptics (n = 11, RR = 3.2 (1.6–6.4)), neuroleptics (n = 7, RR = 5.0 (2.0–12.5)) and drugs to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorders (n = 22, RR = 5.9 (3.7–9.4)) compared with sex‐, age‐ and regionally adjusted controls. Children born to mothers with non‐alcoholic liver disease had significantly increased risk of being dispensed drugs to treat attention deficit disorders (RR = 2.2 (1.8–2.6)).

Conclusions

Mothers with alcoholic liver disease have increased risks of having children with severe neurological and psychiatric disorders.
Penetrating the ‘black‐box’ of ‘remembrance day’ playlist: bereavement and the induction mechanisms of glocalization – a study in cultural sociology
Authors: Hermoni Gal , Lebel Udi
Published: November 2012

This article examines the musical repertoire broadcast on Israeli state radio stations on Remembrance Day. Commencing with the first Remembrance Day, Israeli radio stations have refrained from broadcasting songs that do not contribute to the glorification of the military mythology or failure to reinforce the consensual perception of national loss. In view of globalization – it might be assumed that Remembrance Day songs would undergo changes in tune with the times. From a musical point of view, new songs that belong to what Regev and Seroussi classify as ‘globalizing Israel’ penetrated into the nationalist arena. But, following Inglehart and Baker, these songs, despite their seemingly secular façade, remain limited hegemonic enclosures organized around the core of founding values. Apparently, this is an example of the process of glocalization of culture. The article seeks answers to the strategies employed to accommodate these new songs to the traditional ideology of the classical Remembrance Day songs and examines whether the mechanisms of legitimacy that enable the inclusion of new voices on Remembrance Day, can be identified. We argue that their choice is not arbitrary and that they illustrate the manner by which voluntary cultural entrepreneurs (musical editors) are co‐opted in the postnational condition.