bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
On a Life-Saving Mission: Nurses’ Willingness to Encounter With Intimate Partner Abuse
Authors: Häggblom Anette M. E. , Möller Anders R.
Published: September 2006

The main purpose of this qualitative study was to explore in depth selected expert nurses’ experiences of the phenomenon of violence against women and the nurses’ roles as health care providers to those women. The authors adopted a grounded theory method and produced an emerging theory comprising two key themes: nurses’ personal perceptions toward intimate partner violence and nurses’ feeling equipped to intervene. The findings showed that violence against women existed in a small local community and raised pitfalls caused by nurses’ knowing the inhabitants. Furthermore, the findings indicate the devotion of nurses and the importance of their role in the care of battered women and the sharing of knowledge. Thus, the nurses compensate for a lack of training through personal maturity and security within the social context.
Explanatory Models of Self-Understanding in Adolescents Born With Spina Bifida
Authors: Kinavey Christine
Published: September 2006

The author used phenomenological (interpretive) ethnography to uncover how living with physical disability shapes self-understanding (identity) in adolescents born with spina bifida. She conducted multiple in-depth interviews with 11 late-stage adolescents (ages 18 to 24 years). Analysis of their narrative accounts illustrated differences with respect to how study participants understand and experience physical disability and its attached meanings in relation to self-understanding. Study participants took up (claimed) disability in three primary ways: identity as overcoming disability, identity as objectifying disability, and identity as integrating disability. These informal explanatory models of self-understanding were fluid, not static, mirroring identity development in youth. Findings suggest that individuals born with physical disability confer explanatory meaning to their disability that occurs within a background of deeply held, taken-for-granted assumptions, meanings, and practices from local and larger sociopolitical contexts. These informal explanatory models offer insight into positive disability identity.
Developing a Comprehensive Understanding of the Working Alliance in Community Mental Health
Authors: Kirsh Bonnie , Tate Ellen
Published: September 2006

The concept of a working alliance as a key ingredient within therapeutic processes has been emphasized by many community mental health researchers and practitioners. However, few studies have provided insights into the dimensions and operationalization of the concept. To address this gap, the authors analyzed data on the working alliance derived from two qualitative data sets: (a) interviews conducted with 33 users of community mental health services, family members, and service providers; and (b) content extracted from a systematic review of 48 articles in the area of community mental health services. Three superordinate themes emerged: Building and negotiating trust, I’m on your side, and Tools and strategies. The authors discuss implications for community mental health practice.
Community Perceptions and Experiences of Domestic Violence and Induced Abortion in Wakiso District, Uganda
Authors: Kaye Dan K.
Published: September 2006

In this qualitative research, the author explored (in general) whether domestic violence and induced abortion feature in men’s and women’s sexual and reproductive health experiences. In particular, he explored whether and how gender roles influence reproductive decision-making behavior regarding contraception, unwanted pregnancy, and induced abortion. The study area was Wakiso district in central Uganda, which surrounds the capital city, Kampala. The author collected data using in-depth interviews and focus group discussions and analyzed them using grounded theory. Effects of unplanned pregnancy were perceived to be gender specific. Unintended pregnancy and induced abortion as a health issue did not concern men. Rather, what concerned them was spouses’ contraception, which they often strongly opposed. Consequently, covert contraceptive use was common. The author describes a relation between domestic violence, nonuse of contraception, unintended pregnancy, and induced abortion.
Using Action Research to Connect Practice to Learning: A Course Project for Working Management Students
Authors: Dehler Gordon E. , Edmonds Rosemary K.
Published: September 2006

A long-standing challenge for management educators concerns developing pedagogies that confront the complexities associated with the process of managing. Faculty need to simultaneously acknowledge the practicality of content as well as the salience of students’ experience. This article proposes action research to raise pedagogy above methodology to surface epistemological and ontological aspects—distinguishing between descriptive, interpretive, and critical theoretic approaches to knowledge. Starting with an actual organizational problem, students invoke descriptive, interpretive, and critical theoretic approaches through observation, explanation and sensemaking, and critical reflection. As action research is grounded in democratic principles, student commentary illuminates the pedagogy as it unfolds.
Academic Service Learning Experiences of Compensation and Benefit Course Students
Authors: Madsen Susan R. , Turnbull Ovilla
Published: September 2006

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the perceptions and experiences of human resource students who had recently and successfully completed a service learning project for an undergraduate compensation and benefits course. Four specific themes or categories emerged from the 10 in-depth student interviews: pedagogical differences, student learning, personal benefits, and challenges and problems. Findings support the premise that academic service learning in human resource coursework is effective and beneficial for students. In fact, all felt that they learned and benefited more from this project or assignment than from any other they had undertaken.
Enhancing the International Business Curriculum Through Partnership with the United States Department of Commerce: The “E” Award Internship Program
Authors: Mello Jeffrey A.
Published: September 2006

Management education has been subjected to scrutiny and criticism over its lack of relevance to the “real world” of management practice. In response, many institutions have developed and, in some cases, require students to complete an internship as part of their degree requirements. International business is a field of study where internships can be extremely beneficial in helping students understand the complexities of actual management practice. This article describes an innovative internship program in international business that has provided benefits to students, their sponsoring organizations and their academic institution.
Customer Requirement Management in Product Development: A Review of Research Issues
Authors: Jiao Jianxin (Roger) , Chen Chun-Hsien
Published: September 2006

The importance of customer requirement management in product development has been well-recognized in both academia and industry alike. This article provides a comprehensive review of the state-of-the-art research in this field. Customer requirement management entails various issues related to requirement elicitation, analysis, and specification, as well as the requirement management process. With respect to a holistic view of customer requirement management, key challenges and future research directions are identified.
Affective Consumer Requirements: A Case Study of Moisturizer Packaging
Authors: Henson Brian , Barnes Cathy , Livesey Rebecca , Childs Tom , Ewart Keith
Published: September 2006

Tools for eliciting and managing product requirements are now well-established in some fields of engineering. These tools primarily focus on linking objective, functional customer requirements to the product’s properties. Whilst there have been advances in identifying human factors requirements, the elicitation of the customers’ subjective requirements of a product remains a challenge. This article reports a comprehensive case study in the use of affective engineering to elicit the subjective requirements for moisturizer packaging. The methodology uses focus groups and surveys to elicit subjective requirements. The results of semantic questionnaires are reduced using principal components analysis to translate the subjective requirements into values for physical properties of the packaging. The resulting requirements for surface textures, shape, and color were validated using questionnaire responses to prototype packaging. The study highlights research issues associated with recombining stimuli that have been tested separately.
A Strategy for Managing Customer-oriented Product Design
Authors: Lin Ming-Chyuan , Wang Chen-Cheng , Chen Tzu-Chang
Published: September 2006

Customer requirements play an important role in securing the competitive advantages of a company’s new product development endeavors. Based on the concept of quality function deployment (QFD), this article presents a novel procedure to effectively link customer requirements with design characteristics for product design. The proposed procedure comprises an analytic hierarchy process (AHP), which is adapted to evaluate the importance of customer requirements, and an interpretive structural modeling (ISM) technique, which is used to tackle the interdependency of customer requirements so as to clarify their structural relationships. The procedure is validated using a case study on the design of functional clothes. The details of the validation are presented and discussed.
New Commodities, New Consumers
Authors: Collins Patricia Hill
Published: September 2006

Because current literature on globalization largely neglects racism, it fails to explain the experiences of contemporary African American youth within the new racialized social class formations of globalization. I suggest that because African American youth live within the borders of the sole remaining world super-power, their experiences might shed light on social class relations of advanced capitalism as refracted through the lens of race, gender, age and sexuality. First, I investigate how shifting the focus of class analysis from production to consumption sheds light on how African American youth participate in a reconfigured black body politics that is increasingly aligned with the ever expanding consumer markets of advanced capitalism. Second, I use the sex work industry as a template for examining how young African American women and men participate in new forms of commodification that sell blackness in the global marketplace.
Rethinking White Supremacy
Authors: Gillborn David
Published: September 2006

The article addresses the nature of power relations that sustain and disguise white racial hegemony in contemporary ‘western’ society. Following the insights offered by critical race theory (CRT), white supremacy is conceived as a comprehensive condition whereby the interests and perceptions of white subjects are continually placed centre stage and assumed as ‘normal’. These processes are analysed through two very different episodes. The first example relates to a period of public crisis, a moment where ‘what really matters’ is thrown into relief by a set of exceptional circumstances, in this case, the London bombings of July 2005. The second example relates to the routine and unexceptional workings of national assessment mechanisms in the education system and raises the question whether assessments merely record educational inequity or actually produce it. These apparently divergent cases are linked by the centrality of white interests and the mobilization of structural and cultural forces to defend white power at the expense of the racialized ‘Other’.
Intimate details
Authors: Fine Michelle , Torre María Elena
Published: September 2006

This article enters the ‘intimate details’ of a participatory action research project nested inside a college-in-prison program for women in a maximum security prison. Conceived out of a conversation of prison reform advocates, the piece is deliberately not co-authored by all of the researchers - prison based and university based - because this article is an opportunity to reveal some of the delicate and difficult issues of working inside institutions of abuse and structural violence. The issues discussed could not easily be spoken about by women in prison, or even former prisoners, without jeopardizing their well being. Through the findings of the PAR project the piece will sample the impact of college in prison, but more intentionally it will interrogate questions of epistemology, ethics, method and politics as participatory action researchers take up projects inside state institutions, enforcing neo-liberalism through the prison industrial complex. The critical role of the ‘outsider’ who is ‘privileged’ to speak is interrogated, as is the responsibility to bear witness as the walls of prison consume communities of color and poverty.
‘Take your partners’
Authors: Williams Val , St Quintin Paul , Hoadley Sally
Published: September 2006

This article presents an example of action research, namely a study about emotional distress in young people with learning disabilities. The study brought together a university research centre with an array of policy makers, managers and practitioners, as well as young people with learning disabilities and family members. The researcher’s role in such work has to be flexible, and the article explores the boundaries between practice and research. Through vignettes of key decision points in the project, this article considers some of the tensions inherent in partnership action research, and how they can be resolved. The important factors for success in this project were the initial and ongoing involvement of a senior manager in social services, and the confidence and flexibility of all service providers and policy makers in the area concerned. Engaging simultaneously with end users and practitioners in a research project could lead to ethical dilemmas, but this article explores how multiple and shifting roles can be beneficial in research. By keeping all the partners engaged in the research study, the work can become embedded in practice, and can lead to change.
Finding the ‘action’ in feminist participatory action research
Authors: Reid Colleen , Tom Allison , Frisby Wendy
Published: September 2006

Although feminist researchers have increasingly called for participatory and action-oriented research, there have been few analyses of the diverse actions that can occur. We theorized the actions considered and implemented in a feminist participatory action research project (FPAR). For three years we collaborated intensively with a group of diverse women on low income who were involved in a FPAR project designed to reduce social isolation and other self-identified health problems. Our data set included tape recordings of 32 one-on-one interviews, 15 research meetings, and extensive fieldnotes. Our findings indicated that actions occurred on both individual and collective levels; some had been enacted prior to the project and were shared to promote ongoing or new actions, while others arose as a consequence of the women’s involvement in the project. Additionally, some actions were implemented and actualized while others, though discussed at length, remained hopes for the future. While the research participants reported the benefits of being involved in such projects, they also spoke of the potential risks. Our findings revealed the complexities of taking action in FPAR and highlight important considerations for others wishing to engage in this type of research.
Computational expression deconvolution in a complex mammalian organ
Authors: Wang Min , Master Stephen R , Chodosh Lewis A
Published: September 2006

Background

Microarray expression profiling has been widely used to identify differentially expressed genes in complex cellular systems. However, while such methods can be used to directly infer intracellular regulation within homogeneous cell populations, interpretation of in vivo gene expression data derived from complex organs composed of multiple cell types is more problematic. Specifically, observed changes in gene expression may be due either to changes in gene regulation within a given cell type or to changes in the relative abundance of expressing cell types. Consequently, bona fide changes in intrinsic gene regulation may be either mimicked or masked by changes in the relative proportion of different cell types. To date, few analytical approaches have addressed this problem.

Results

We have chosen to apply a computational method for deconvoluting gene expression profiles derived from intact tissues by using reference expression data for purified populations of the constituent cell types of the mammary gland. These data were used to estimate changes in the relative proportions of different cell types during murine mammary gland development and Ras-induced mammary tumorigenesis. These computational estimates of changing compartment sizes were then used to enrich lists of differentially expressed genes for transcripts that change as a function of intrinsic intracellular regulation rather than shifts in the relative abundance of expressing cell types. Using this approach, we have demonstrated that adjusting mammary gene expression profiles for changes in three principal compartments – epithelium, white adipose tissue, and brown adipose tissue – is sufficient both to reduce false-positive changes in gene expression due solely to changes in compartment sizes and to reduce false-negative changes by unmasking genuine alterations in gene expression that were otherwise obscured by changes in compartment sizes.

Conclusion

By adjusting gene expression values for changes in the sizes of cell type-specific compartments, this computational deconvolution method has the potential to increase both the sensitivity and specificity of differential gene expression experiments performed on complex tissues. Given the necessity for understanding complex biological processes such as development and carcinogenesis within the context of intact tissues, this approach offers substantial utility and should be broadly applicable to identifying gene expression changes in tissues composed of multiple cell types.
Cancer diagnosis marker extraction for soft tissue sarcomas based on gene expression profiling data by using projective adaptive resonance theory (PART) filtering method
Authors: Takahashi Hiro , Nemoto Takeshi , Yoshida Teruhiko , Honda Hiroyuki , Hasegawa Tadashi
Published: September 2006

Background

Recent advances in genome technologies have provided an excellent opportunity to determine the complete biological characteristics of neoplastic tissues, resulting in improved diagnosis and selection of treatment. To accomplish this objective, it is important to establish a sophisticated algorithm that can deal with large quantities of data such as gene expression profiles obtained by DNA microarray analysis.

Results

Previously, we developed the projective adaptive resonance theory (PART) filtering method as a gene filtering method. This is one of the clustering methods that can select specific genes for each subtype. In this study, we applied the PART filtering method to analyze microarray data that were obtained from soft tissue sarcoma (STS) patients for the extraction of subtype-specific genes. The performance of the filtering method was evaluated by comparison with other widely used methods, such as signal-to-noise, significance analysis of microarrays, and nearest shrunken centroids. In addition, various combinations of filtering and modeling methods were used to extract essential subtype-specific genes. The combination of the PART filtering method and boosting – the PART-BFCS method – showed the highest accuracy. Seven genes among the 15 genes that are frequently selected by this method –MIF,CYFIP2,HSPCB,TIMP3,LDHA,ABR, andRGS3– are known prognostic marker genes for other tumors. These genes are candidate marker genes for the diagnosis of STS. Correlation analysis was performed to extract marker genes that were not selected by PART-BFCS. Sixteen genes among those extracted are also known prognostic marker genes for other tumors, and they could be candidate marker genes for the diagnosis of STS.

Conclusion

The procedure that consisted of two steps, such as the PART-BFCS and the correlation analysis, was proposed. The results suggest that novel diagnostic and therapeutic targets for STS can be extracted by a procedure that includes the PART filtering method.
High degree of conservancy among secreted salivary gland proteins from two geographically distant Phlebotomus duboscqi sandflies populations (Mali and Kenya)
Authors: Kato Hirotomo , Anderson Jennifer M , Kamhawi Shaden , Oliveira Fabiano , Lawyer Phillip G , Pham Van My , Sangare Constance Souko , Samake Sibiry , Sissoko Ibrahim , Garfield Mark , Sigutova Lucie , Volf Petr , Doumbia Seydou , Valenzuela Jesus G
Published: September 2006

Background

Salivary proteins from sandflies are potential targets for exploitation as vaccines to controlLeishmaniainfection; in this work we tested the hypothesis that salivary proteins from geographically distantPhlebotomus duboscqisandfly populations are highly divergent due to the pressure exerted by the host immune response. Salivary gland cDNA libraries were prepared from wild-caughtP. duboscqifrom Mali and recently colonised flies of the same species from Kenya.

Results

Transcriptome and proteome analysis resulted in the identification of the most abundant salivary gland-secreted proteins. Orthologues of these salivary proteins were identified by phylogenetic tree analysis. Moreover, comparative analysis between the orthologues of these two different populations resulted in a high level of protein identity, including the predicted MHC class II T-cell epitopes from all these salivary proteins.

Conclusion

These data refute the hypothesis that salivary proteins from geographically distinct populations of the same Phlebotomus sandfly species are highly divergent. They also suggest the potential for using the same species-specific components in a potential vector saliva-based vaccine.
Functional assessment of older patients in the emergency department: comparison between standard instruments, medical records and physicians' perceptions
Authors: Rodríguez-Molinero Alejandro , López-Diéguez María , Tabuenca Ana I , de la Cruz Juan J , Banegas José R
Published: September 2006

Background

We evaluated the accuracy of physician recognition of functional status impairment in older emergency departments (ED) patients. In particular, we evaluated the accuracy of medical records (a comparison of the information in the medical record with the functional status based on proxy interviews), and the accuracy of physician knowledge (a comparison of the information obtained from the responsible physician with the functional status based on proxy interviews).

Methods

Cross-sectional study on 101 frail older patients selected at random from among those attending ED, their ED physicians, and respondents. The study was conducted at ED in four general university teaching hospitals in a city, from July through November 2003. Functional data shown on patients' medical records were compared against functional data obtained from respondents (family members), using Kendall's Tau-b statistic. In addition patients' Katz Indices (which assesses six basic activities of daily living – basic ADL) based on interviews with ED physicians were compared against those obtained from respondents, using the coefficient of concordance weighted kappa (κ). Each patient and his respondent were paired with a single physician.

Results

The correlation between information on dependence for basic ADL obtained from medical records and that furnished by respondents, was 0.41 (95% CI 0.27–0.55). Concordance between the respective Katz Indices obtained from physicians and respondents was 0.47 (95% CI 0.38–0.57).

Conclusion

Older subjects' functional status is not properly assessed by emergency department physicians.
β3-adrenergic receptor gene, body mass index, bone mineral density and fracture risk in elderly men and women: the Dubbo Osteoporosis Epidemiology Study (DOES)
Authors: Wang Claire Y , Nguyen Nguyen D , Morrison Nigel A , Eisman John A , Center Jacqueline R , Nguyen Tuan V
Published: September 2006

Background

Recent studies have suggested that the Arg allele of β3-adrenergic receptor (ADRB3) gene is associated with body mass index (BMI), which is an important predictor of bone mineral density (BMD) and fracture risk. However, whether the ADRB3 gene polymorphism is associated with fracture risk has not been investigated. The aim of study was to examine the inter-relationships between ADRB3 gene polymorphisms, BMI, BMD and fracture risk in elderly Caucasians.

Methods

Genotypes of the ADRB3 gene were determined in 265 men and 446 women aged 60+ in 1989 at entry into the study, whose BMD were measured by DXA (GE Lunar, WI USA) at baseline. During the follow-up period (between 1989 and 2004), fractures were ascertained by reviewing radiography reports and personal interviews.

Results

The allelic frequencies of the Trp and the Arg alleles were 0.925 and 0.075 respectively, and the relative frequencies of genotypes Trp/Trp, Trp/Arg and Arg/Arg 0.857, 0.138 and 0.006 respectively. There was no significant association between BMI and ADRB3 genotypes (p = 0.10 in women and p = 0.68 in men). There was also no significant association between ADRB3 genotypes and lumbar spine or femoral neck BMD in either men and women. Furthermore, there were no significant association between ADRB3 genotypes and fracture risk in both women and men, either before or after adjusting for and, BMD and BMI.

Conclusion

The present data suggested that in Caucasian population the contribution of ADRB3 genotypes to the prediction of BMI, BMD and fracture risk is limited.
Inter-annual growth of Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus, L.) in relation to climate variation
Authors: Kristensen David M , Jørgensen Thomas R , Larsen Rasmus K , Forchhammer Mads C , Christoffersen Kirsten S
Published: September 2006

Background

Major changes in climate have been observed in the Arctic and climate models predict further amplification of the enhanced greenhouse effect at high-latitudes leading to increased warming. We propose that warming in the Arctic may affect the annual growth conditions of the cold adapted Arctic charr and that such effects can already be detected retrospectrally using otolith data.

Results

Inter-annual growth of the circumpolar Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus, L.) was analysed in relation to climatic changes observed in the Arctic during the last two decades. Arctic charr were sampled from six locations at Qeqertarsuaq in West Greenland, where climate data have been recorded since 1990. Two fish populations met the criteria of homogeny and, consequently, only these were used in further analyses. The results demonstrate a complex coupling between annual growth rates and fluctuations in annual mean temperatures and precipitation. Significant changes in temporal patterns of growth were observed between cohorts of 1990 and 2004.

Conclusion

Differences in pattern of growth appear to be a consequence of climatic changes over the last two decades and we thereby conclude that climatic affects short term and inter-annual growth as well as influencing long term shifts in age-specific growth patterns in population of Arctic charr.
Comparison of chromosomal and array-based comparative genomic hybridization for the detection of genomic imbalances in primary prostate carcinomas
Authors: Ribeiro Franclim R , Henrique Rui , Hektoen Merete , Berg Marianne , Jerónimo Carmen , Teixeira Manuel R , Lothe Ragnhild A
Published: September 2006

Background

In order to gain new insights into the molecular mechanisms involved in prostate cancer, we performed array-based comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH) on a series of 46 primary prostate carcinomas using a 1 Mbp whole-genome coverage platform. As chromosomal comparative genomic hybridization (cCGH) data was available for these samples, we compared the sensitivity and overall concordance of the two methodologies, and used the combined information to infer the best of three different aCGH scoring approaches.

Results

Our data demonstrate that the reliability of aCGH in the analysis of primary prostate carcinomas depends to some extent on the scoring approach used, with the breakpoint estimation method being the most sensitive and reliable. The pattern of copy number changes detected by aCGH was concordant with that of cCGH, but the higher resolution technique detected 2.7 times more aberrations and 15.2% more carcinomas with genomic imbalances. We additionally show that several aberrations were consistently overlooked using cCGH, such as small deletions at 5q, 6q, 12p, and 17p. The latter were validated by fluorescence in situ hybridization targeting TP53, although only one carcinoma harbored a point mutation in this gene. Strikingly, homozygous deletions at 10q23.31, encompassing the PTEN locus, were seen in 58% of the cases with 10q loss.

Conclusion

We conclude that aCGH can significantly improve the detection of genomic aberrations in cancer cells as compared to previously established whole-genome methodologies, although contamination with normal cells may influence the sensitivity and specificity of some scoring approaches. Our work delineated recurrent copy number changes and revealed novel amplified loci and frequent homozygous deletions in primary prostate carcinomas, which may guide future work aimed at identifying the relevant target genes. In particular, biallelic loss seems to be a frequent mechanism of inactivation of the PTEN gene in prostate carcinogenesis.
The virion-associated incoming HIV-1 RNA genome is not targeted by RNA interference
Authors: Westerhout Ellen M , ter Brake Olivier , Berkhout Ben
Published: September 2006

Background

RNA interference (RNAi) has proven to be a powerful tool to suppress gene expression and can be used as a therapeutic strategy against human pathogenic viruses such as human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). Theoretically, RNAi-mediated inhibition can occur at two points in the replication cycle, upon viral entry before reverse transcription of the RNA genome, and on the newly transcribed viral RNA transcripts. There have been conflicting results on whether RNAi can target the RNA genome of infecting HIV-1 particles. We have addressed this issue with HIV-1-based lentiviral vectors.

Results

We determined the transduction efficiency of a lentiviral vector, as measured by GFP expressing cells, which reflects the number of successful integration events in a cell line stably expressing shNef. We did not observe a difference in the transduction efficiency comparing lentiviral vectors with or without the Nef target sequence in their genome. The results were similar with particles pseudotyped with either the VSV-G or HIV-1 envelope. Additionally, no reduced transduction efficiencies were observed with multiple other shRNAs targeting the vector genome or with synthetic siNef when transiently transfected prior to transduction.

Conclusion

Our findings indicate that the incoming HIV-1 RNA genome is not targeted by RNAi, probably due to inaccessibility to the RNAi machinery. Thus, therapeutic RNAi strategies aimed at preventing proviral integration should be targeting cellular receptors or co-factors involved in pre-integration events.
Genetic analysis of Thailand hantavirus in Bandicota indica trapped in Thailand
Authors: Hugot Jean-Pierre , Plyusnina Angelina , Herbreteau Vincent , Nemirov Kirill , Laakkonen Juha , Lundkvist Åke , Supputamongkol Yupin , Henttonen Heikki , Plyusnin Alexander
Published: September 2006

Sixty one tissue samples from several rodent species trapped in five provinces of Thailand were examined for the presence of hantaviral markers by enzyme-immunoassay and immunoblotting. Four samples, all from the great bandicoot rat Bandicota indica, were confirmed positive for the hantaviral N-antigen. Two of them were trapped in Nakhon Pathom province, the other two in Nakhon Ratchasima province, approximately 250 km from the other trapping site. When analysed by RT-nested PCR, all four rodents were found positive for the hantaviral S- and M-segment nucleotide sequences. Genetic analysis revealed that the four newly described wild-type strains belong to Thailand hantavirus. On the phylogenetic trees they formed a well-supported cluster within the group of Murinae-associated hantaviruses and shared a recent common ancestor with Seoul virus.
A rapid ethnographic study of breastfeeding in the North and South of Italy
Authors: Quintero Romero Sofia , Bernal Rosa , Barbiero Chiara , Passamonte Raquel , Cattaneo Adriano
Published: September 2006

Background

The past ten years have witnessed a rising trend in the prevalence and duration of breastfeeding in Italy, but breastfeeding rates increase in an unequal way; they are higher in the North of Italy than in the South. The purpose of this study was to describe the experiences, expectations and beliefs of a sample of mothers, and to identify differences, if any, between the North and the South of Italy.

Methods

The study was conducted in two regions of Italy, Friuli Venezia Giulia in the Northeast and Basilicata in the South. Two hundred and seventy-nine mothers of infants and children 6 to 23 months of age were interviewed using an 85-item questionnaire including closed and open questions on infant feeding experiences and beliefs, sources of information and support, reasons for intended and actual choices and practices, and some demographic and social variables. Face-to-face interviews were conducted between May 2001 and September 2002. Quantitative and qualitative methods were used for data analysis.

Results

The distribution of the mothers by age, education, employment and parity did not differ from that of the general population of the two regions. The reported rates of initiation and duration of breastfeeding were also similar: 95% started breastfeeding, exclusive breastfeeding was 32% at three and 9% at six months, with 64% and 35% of any breastfeeding, respectively. Some differences were reported in the rates of full breastfeeding, reflecting different ages of introduction of non-nutritive fluids. These, as well as nutritive fluids – including infant formula – and complementary foods, were introduced far too early. Advice on infant feeding was generally provided by health professionals and often was not based on up-to-date recommendations. Mothers were generally aware of the advantages of breastfeeding, but at the same time reported problems that they were not able to solve alone or through social and health system support. Most mothers would welcome the support of a peer counsellor. More mothers in Basilicata than in Friuli Venezia Giulia reported difficulties with breastfeeding related to returning to work and were not familiar with their rights on breastfeeding and maternity leave.

Conclusion

Programmes for the protection, promotion and support of breastfeeding in these and similar regions of Italy should concentrate on better training of health professionals with regards to lactation management, communication, and counselling skills. The addition of trained peer counsellors could reinforce the work done by the health system and, through community involvement, could help change social prejudice in the mid- and long-term. The differences between regions should be taken into account in formulating these programmes to avoid increasing, and possibly to decrease, the current gaps.
Metabolic labeling of plant cell cultures with K15NO3 as a tool for quantitative analysis of proteins and metabolites
Authors: Engelsberger Wolfgang R , Erban Alexander , Kopka Joachim , Schulze Waltraud X
Published: September 2006

Strategies for robust quantitative comparison between different biological samples are of high importance in experiments that address biological questions beyond the establishment of protein lists. Here, we propose the use of 15N-KNO3 as the only nitrogen source in Arabidopsis cell cultures in order to achieve a metabolically fully labeled cell population. Proteins from such metabolically labeled culture are distinguishable from unlabeled protein populations by a characteristic mass shift that depends on the amino acid composition of the tryptic peptide analyzed. In addition, the metabolically labeled cell extracts are also suitable for comparative quantitative analysis of nitrogen-containing cellular metabolic complement. Protein extracts from unlabeled and from standardized 15N-labeled cells were combined into one sample for joined analytical processing. This has the advantage of (i) reduced experimental variability and (ii) immediate relative quantitation at the level of single extracted peptide and metabolite spectra. Together ease and accuracy of relative quantitation for profiling experiments is substantially improved. The metabolic labeling strategy has been validated by mixtures of protein extracts and metabolite extracts from the same cell cultures in known ratios of labeled to unlabeled extracts (1:1, 1:4, and 4:1). We conclude that saturating metabolic 15N-labeling provides a robust and affordable integrative strategy to answer questions in quantitative proteomics and nitrogen focused metabolomics.
Cri du Chat syndrome
Authors: Cerruti Mainardi Paola
Published: September 2006

The Cri du Chat syndrome (CdCS) is a genetic disease resulting from a deletion of variable size occurring on the short arm of chromosome 5 (5p-). The incidence ranges from 1:15,000 to 1:50,000 live-born infants. The main clinical features are a high-pitched monochromatic cry, microcephaly, broad nasal bridge, epicanthal folds, micrognathia, abnormal dermatoglyphics, and severe psychomotor and mental retardation. Malformations, although not very frequent, may be present: cardiac, neurological and renal abnormalities, preauricular tags, syndactyly, hypospadias, and cryptorchidism. Molecular cytogenetic analysis has allowed a cytogenetic and phenotypic map of 5p to be defined, even if results from the studies reported up to now are not completely in agreement. Genotype-phenotype correlation studies showed a clinical and cytogenetic variability. The identification of phenotypic subsets associated with a specific size and type of deletion is of diagnostic and prognostic relevance. Specific growth and psychomotor development charts have been established. Two genes, Semaphorin F (SEMAF) andδ-catenin (CTNND2), which have been mapped to the "critical regions", are potentially involved in cerebral development and their deletion may be associated with mental retardation in CdCS patients. Deletion of the telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) gene, localised to 5p15.33, could contribute to the phenotypic changes in CdCS. The critical regions were recently refined by using array comparative genomic hybridisation. The cat-like cry critical region was further narrowed using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and three candidate genes were characterised in this region. The diagnosis is based on typical clinical manifestations. Karyotype analysis and, in doubtful cases, FISH analysis will confirm the diagnosis. There is no specific therapy for CdCS but early rehabilitative and educational interventions improve the prognosis and considerable progress has been made in the social adjustment of CdCS patients.
Endoscopic Transsphenoidal Surgery
Authors: de Divitiis Enrico
Published: September 2006

THE TRANSSPHENOIDAL MIDLINE route represents the standard approach to the pituitary and sellar area and is used for more than 95% of surgical indications in this region. It is the least traumatic route to the sella turcica, it avoids brain retraction, and it provides excellent visualization of the pituitary gland and lesions related to that structure. The technique has essentially replaced craniotomy and has been used by every pituitary neurosurgeon, representing the “gold standard” of the transsphenoidal approach to the sellar region for more than 30 years. The introduction of endoscopic techniques has produced a “stone-in-the-pond” effect, influencing the relatively peaceful neurosurgical environment. The brilliant increased vision of the surgical target offered by the endoscope can allow more effective removal of the lesion, followed by superior clinical results and a reduction in the incidence of complications. Endoscopy contributes to better and more contemporary knowledge of the possibilities of the transsphenoidal approach, thus increasing the extended approaches, not only for the pituitary area. Whether or not the transsphenoidal approach should be performed with the use of the microscope or the endoscope is finally discussed.
Are Primary Supratentorial Intracerebral Hemorrhages Surrounded by a Biochemical Penumbra? A Microdialysis Study
Authors: Nilsson Ola G. , Polito Angelo , Säveland Hans , Ungerstedt Urban , Nordström Carl-Henrik
Published: September 2006

OBJECTIVE:

Opinions vary regarding the indications for surgical evacuation of spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhages (ICH) and whether or not penumbra zones surround them.

METHODS:

We performed intracerebral microdialysis (mean duration, 3.5 d) after surgical evacuation of ICH in 22 patients. Probes were placed in the parenchyma within 1 to 2 cm of the evacuated hematoma; a postoperative computed tomographic scanning verified their positions. The catheters were perfused with an artificial cerebrospinal fluid solution at 0.3 μl/min. Biochemical variables (glucose, pyruvate, lactate, glutamate, and glycerol) were analyzed and displayed at the bedside. The levels obtained were compared with previous data from normal human brains and the pericontusional penumbra zones of patients with severe traumatic brain lesions.

RESULTS:

During 1 to 12 hours after surgery, interstitial levels of glucose (median level, 1.3 mmol/L; interquartile range, 0.6–2.2 mmol/L) were within normal variations, whereas the levels of lactate (median level, 6.4 mmol/L; interquartile range, 3.9–9.0 mmol/L), glutamate (median level, 14 μmol/L; interquartile range, 5–370 μmol/L), and glycerol (median level, 190 μmol/L; interquartile range, 74–380 μmol/L), as well as the lactate/pyruvate ratio (median ratio, 35; interquartile range, 23–50) were increased. A gradual normalization of the lactate/pyruvate ratio and glycerol level was observed within 48 hours.

CONCLUSION:

The area close to an evacuated ICH exhibits a biochemical pattern similar to that of the biochemical penumbra zone surrounding focal traumatic brain contusions. The presence of a penumbra zone around large ICH may be of importance for making surgical decisions.
Preoperative Prediction of Long-term Outcome in Poor-grade Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage
Authors: Mocco J , Ransom Evan R. , Komotar Ricardo J. , Schmidt J Michael , Sciacca Robert R. , Mayer Stephan A. , Connolly E. Sander
Published: September 2006

OBJECTIVE:

To evaluate which presentation indices, demographics, and clinical information predict 12-month outcome in poor-grade aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), and to provide a preoperative index of prognosis.

METHODS:

Data were obtained on all patients with poor-grade (Hunt and Hess Grades IV and V) aneurysmal SAH from a prospectively maintained SAH database and health outcomes project. Demographics, medical history, presenting clinical condition, and health outcomes were analyzed. Survival analysis was performed and Kaplan-Meier curves were generated. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to identify significant predictors of poor outcome at 12 months after hemorrhage, as measured by the modified Rankin disability scale.

RESULTS:

Survival curves for open surgery and endovascular treatment did not differ significantly. Overall, 40% of the 98 definitively treated patients had a favorable outcome at 12 months. Multivariable analysis identified patient age older than 65 years (P < 0.001), hyperglycemia (P < 0.03), worst preoperative Hunt and Hess Grade V (P < 0.0001), and aneurysm size of at least 13 mm (P < 0.002) as significant predictors of poor outcome. These variables were weighted and used to compute a poor-grade aneurysmal SAH Prognosis Score (hereafter, Prognosis Score) for each patient. A Prognosis Score of 0 was associated with a 90% favorable outcome; Prognosis Score of 1 with 83%; Prognosis Score of 2 with 43%; Prognosis Score of 3 with 8%; Prognosis Score of 4 with 7%; and a Prognosis Score of 5 with 0%.

CONCLUSION:

Outcome in poor-grade aneurysmal SAH is strongly predicted by patient age, worst preoperative Hunt and Hess clinical grade, and aneurysm size. Hyperglycemia on admission after poor-grade aneurysmal SAH increases the likelihood of poor outcome, and is a potentially modifiable risk factor. The Prognosis Score is a useful tool for preoperatively assessing the likelihood of a favorable outcome for poor-grade aneurysmal SAH patients.
Endoscopic Third Ventriculostomy for Occlusive Hydrocephalus Caused by Cerebellar Infarction
Authors: Baldauf Jörg , Oertel Joachim , Gaab Michael R. , Schroeder Henry W.S.
Published: September 2006

OBJECTIVE:

The surgical management of occlusive hydrocephalus caused by massive cerebellar infarction remains controversial. The procedures that are more commonly used to avoid progressive neurological deterioration are based on transient external ventricular drainage or the placement of permanent shunt systems. To our knowledge, this is the first report regarding using endoscopic third ventriculostomy (ETV) in patients with an occlusive hydrocephalus caused by cerebellar ischemic stroke. We report our experience of 10 reviewed cases.

METHODS:

Between 1997 and 2004, 10 patients with a resulting hydrocephalus caused by a space-occupying cerebellar infarction were managed with ETV. Glasgow Coma Scale score on admission, cause of stroke, and computed tomographic signs, including the ischemic vascular territory involved and brain edema, were noted. Clinical outcome was evaluated using the Glasgow Outcome Scale.

RESULTS:

In all patients, there was a mean interval of 4 days from the onset of deterioration of consciousness to operation. Mean Glasgow Coma Scale score on admission was 11.2. In nine patients, ETV was the initial procedure of ventricular drainage. One patient was primarily treated with an external ventricular drainage, but the device dislocated and ETV was performed. In one patient, an external ventricular drainage became necessary 7 days after the initial ETV because of a malfunction of the stoma. One patient showed a progressive brain edema 2 days after ETV, and suboccipital decompression was performed. Eight successfully treated patients demonstrated an improvement in the level of consciousness after ETV. Mean Glasgow Outcome Scale score on discharge of all patients was 3.4.

CONCLUSION:

Occlusive hydrocephalus caused by cerebellar infarction is infrequent. When occlusive hydrocephalus is observed, ETV can be used successfully with minimal risks, especially with avoidance of a higher rate of infectious complications caused by external drainage systems.