bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Applying CD‐ROM interactive storybooks to learning to read
Authors: Adam N. , Wild M.
Published: November 2003

This paper describes an investigation into the effect of CD‐ROM storybooks on primary students' attitudes towards reading. The degree of change in students' attitudes towards reading on exposure to CD‐ROM storybooks was assessed using questionnaires in an experimental pretest‐posttest design, together with interviews of reluctant readers and unstructured observations of the treatment group. Results showed that while no significant difference in children's attitudes existed between treatment and control groups after the treatment period, both groups demonstrated a similar development in their attitudes towards traditional reading materials. Further results indicated a significant difference between reluctant and willing readers in the treatment group.
Evaluation of a hypermedia document as a learning tool
Authors: Cockerton T. , Shimell R.
Published: November 2003

This paper describes a classroom‐based experimental evaluation of an electronic history 'book' presented in a hypermedia environment. It was compared with a paper‐based version of the same material. Observations of children's activities and interactions revealed that they had few problems using the hypermedia document as an information source and also rated it more positively, in terms of ease of use, than those children using the paper‐based version. However, no significant differences were found between the two groups in the number of questions children completed and answered correctly, their interest in the material, and task difficulty. The implications of these findings and the role of evaluation in determining the educational value of computer‐based activities are discussed.
Telematics and on‐line teacher training: the Polaris Project
Authors: Trentin G.
Published: November 2003

The link between distance learning and telematics is becoming ever stronger, yielding new solutions to old problems, innovative educational resources and new teaching/learning models. One of the most innovative and promising fruits of this relationship is on‐line education, notably a process whereby all the participants (teachers, tutors and students) are linked up in a computer network; the effect of this is the creation of a fully‐fledged learning community in which all individuals take an active part and make a valuable contribution to the group. The aim of the paper is firstly to outline the distinctive characteristics of on‐line education methodology and secondly to examine the POLARIS project, which proposes an experimental approach for in‐service teacher training based on intensive use of computer mediated communication according to the principles of on‐line education.
Certainty, probability and abduction: why we should look to C.S. Peirce rather than Gödel for a theory of clinical reasoning
Authors: Upshur Ross
Published: November 2003

This paper argues that Gödel's proof does not provide the appropriate conceptual basis on which to counter the claims of evidence‐based medicine. The nature of, and differences between, deductive, inductive and abductive inference are briefly surveyed. The work of the American logician C.S. Peirce is introduced as a possible framework for a theory of clinical reasoning which can ground the claims of both evidence‐based medicine and its critics.
Evidence‐based everything
Authors: Fowler P. B. S.
Published: November 2003

Academic medicine often seems to be swayed more by fashion than science. Establishment team consensus is only needed where there is ambiguity. Evidence‐based medicine is a new term for informed decision making and facilitated learning is purported to do away with authoritarian indoctrination. Problems that arise from the emphasis on team decisions, evidence‐based medicine and facilitated learning are discussed.
Auditing prescription practice using explicit criteria and computerized drug benefit claims data
Authors: Anderson Geoffrey M. , Beers Mark H. , Kerluke Kerry
Published: November 2003

Bringing information on patterns of existing practice together with information on appropriate practice is an essential component of efforts to improve health care. In this study, computerized claims from a universal and comprehensive drug benefit plan for the elderly were brought together with explicit criteria for appropriate prescribing in the elderly in order to provide an estimate of the extent of potentially inappropriate prescribing in the covered population and the degree to which inappropriate prescribing was associated with defined physician characteristics. The analysis showed that 38% of elderly people who received antidepressants, 19% of those who received oral hypoglycemics, 18% of those who received sedative hypnotics and 13% of those who received non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs were defined as having received a potentially inappropriate drug. Older physicians and physicians without speciality certification were more likely to prescribe potentially inappropriate drugs. This analysis shows that criteria‐based audits of drug claims databases can be used to provide an overview of prescribing problems at a population level and can reveal physician characteristics that may predict poor prescription practice. However, since neither explicit criteria nor claims databases can accurately capture the clinical details that ultimately define the appropriateness of care, audits of claims data should be linked to a more definitive measure of appropriateness and strategies designed to improve care.
Guidelines for every person
Authors: Saltman Deborah C.
Published: November 2003

Guidelines, it is assumed in health care circles, have worth. In the ideal health care system they may offer everything from medical certainty to legal protection. They have the potential to save practitioners from the trauma of indecision and at the same time protect them from the consequences of wrong decisions. In this paper, I discuss the impact of guidelines on general practitioners and consumers. Both groups are at the effector end where guidelines should have maximal impact. It is primarily medical practitioners and their constituents in the long run that have to make guidelines work. Theoretical questions about the essential worth of guidelines for consumers and general practitioners are explored, as well as the more practical issues of utility of guidelines. My hypothesis is that guidelines may be conceptually worthwhile, but as yet are of unproven utility. This argument is traced through the literature surrounding the involvement of general practitioners and consumers in guideline development, implementation, review and relevance. From this information a new role for guidelines which is cogniscent of the needs and circumstances of the end users is postulated. Guidelines can become the basis for the principles of sound clinical practice which allow for the unique individual circumstances of clinical practice whilst also providing a consolidated basis for this practice.
‘Best clinical practice’: assessment of processes of care and of outcomes in the US Military Health Services System
Authors: Krakauer Henry , Lin Monica Jia‐Yeong , Schone Eric M. , Park Dae , Miller Richard C. , Greenwald Jeffrey , Bailey R. Clifton , Rogers Barbara , Bernstein Geoffrey , Lilienfeld David E. , Stahl Sidney M. , Crawford Raymond S. , Schutt David C.
Published: November 2003

The National Quality Management Program of the Military Health Services System of the United States has undertaken a series of projects whose objective is the active, on‐going monitoring and improvement of the effectiveness and efficiency of the care provided to a broad population that encompasses troops on active duty, retirees and dependents. The analytic activities consist of (1) identification by clinical panels of conditions and procedures of interest; (2) collection of data from electronic repositories and from charts to characterize the patients, how they are managed, the clinical outcomes they experience, the resource costs their care entails, and, from questionnaires, their functional status and level of satisfaction, and (3) generation of ‘report cards’ that inform organizational units down to the level of the hospital of the characteristics of their patients, their practices, and the risk‐adjusted outcomes they achieve. The patterns of care employed by the hospitals that obtain the best risk‐adjusted outcomes and resource utilization (‘best clinical practice’) are identified and made known. In addition, (4) a systematic process of developing outcomes‐based practice guidelines has been devised. Its intent is to serve as a decision‐support tool for clinicians. Initial estimates have been obtained of the probable consequences of the application of this tool to operative interventions in childbirth. Use of the tool would result in a higher occurrence of elective Caesarean sections, a reduced rate of emergency Caesarean sections and much lower use of forceps, with an overall improvement in outcomes and lower resource costs.

This program is currently in the early phases of implementation. The two principal requirements for the immediate future are (1) education of the clinical and administrative communities in the use of the data and the decision‐support tools and (2) evaluation of the consequences of the use of the data by the clinical and administrative communities.
In the queue for total joint replacement: patients' perspectives on waiting times
Authors: Llewellyn‐Thomas Hilary A. , Arshinoff Rena , Bell Mary , Williams J. Ivan , Naylor C. David
Published: November 2003

We assessed patients on the waiting lists of a purposive sample of orthopaedic surgeons in Ontario, Canada, to determine patients' attitudes towards time waiting for hip or knee replacement. We focused on 148 patients who did not have a definite operative date, obtaining complete information on 124 (84%). Symptom severity was assessed with the Western Ontario/McMaster Osteoarthritis Index and a disease‐specific standard gamble was used to elicit patients' overall utility for their arthritic state. Next, in a trade‐off task, patients considered a hypothetical choice between a 1‐month wait for a surgeon who could provide a 2% risk of post‐operative mortality, or a 6‐month wait for joint replacement with a 1% risk of post‐operative mortality. Waiting times were then shifted systematically until the patient abandoned his/her initial choice, generating a conditional maximal acceptable wait time.

Patients were divided in their attitudes, with 57% initially choosing a 6‐month wait with a 1% mortality risk. The overall distribution of conditional maximum acceptable wait time scores ranged from 1 to 26 months, with a median of 7 months. Utility values were independently but weakly associated with patients' tolerance of waiting times (adjusted R‐square = 0.059, P= 0.004). After splitting the sample along the median into subgroups with a relatively ‘low’ and ‘high’ tolerance for waiting, the subgroup with the apparently lower tolerance for waiting reported lower utility scores (z= 2.951; P= 0.004) and shorter times since their surgeon first advised them of the need for surgery (z= 3.014; P= 0.003).

These results suggest that, in the establishment and monitoring of a queue management system for quality‐of‐life‐enhancing surgery, patients' own perceptions of their overall symptomatic burden and ability to tolerate delayed relief should be considered along with information derived from clinical judgements and pre‐weighted health status instruments.
A morphological study off a thyroid carcinoma in a medaka, Oryzias latipes (Temminck & Schlegel)
Authors: Harada T , Itoh H , Hatanaka J , Kamiya S , Enomoto M
Published: November 2003

A large mass protruding beyond the left operculum was found in an adult male medaka, Oryzias latipes (Temminck & Schlegel). Histologically, the mass was mainly composed of thyroid follicles measuring up to 292 μm in diameter. The follicular epithelium consisted of cuboidal or squamous cells. The follicles lacked colloidal material in the lumen. The thyroid tissue infiltrated into the kidney. Electron microscopically, the tumour cells were characterized by dilation and vesiculation of rough endoplasmic reticulum, which extended throughout the cytoplasm, and an irregular outline of the nucleus. Mitotic figures and partly degenerate cells were frequently observed. Based on the above features, the tumour was diagnosed as a follicular carcinoma of the thyroid, the first reported case in the medaka.
Immunocytochemical localization of lysozyme in intestinal eosinophilic granule cells (EGCs) of Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L.
Authors: Sveinbjornsson B , Olsen R , Paulsen S
Published: November 2003

The distribution of lysozyme in the intestine of Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L., was studied by light‐ and electron‐microscopic immunocytochemistry. Eosinophilic granule cells (EGCs) in the subepithelial region of the lamina propria showed strong immunoreactivity to lysozyme, while epithelial cells were only occasionally stained. At the ultrastructural level, lysozyme was localized to secretary granules of EGCs, demonstrating features in common with the Paneth cell of the mammalian small intestine, previously shown to produce antibacterial substances such as lysozyme. Furthermore, EGCs stained positive with phloxine‐tartrazine, a histochemical stain that is used for identification of Paneth cells. This study reveals that EGCs show close resemblance to mammalian intestinal Paneth cells, and thus, may be important for the intestinal defense system in salmonid fish.
Development and regression of soybean meal induced enteritis in Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L., distal intestine: a comparison with the intestines of fasted fish
Authors: Baeverfjord G , Krogdahl A
Published: November 2003

The development of a pathological condition in the distal intestine of Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L., induced by dietary soybean meal, was studied in a 6‐week feeding experiment. The fully developed condition, as observed after 3 weeks on the experimental diets, was characterized by: (1) a shortening of heights of the mucosal foldings; (2) a loss of the normal supranuclear vacuolization of the absorptive cells in the intestinal epithelium; (3) a widening of the central stroma within the mucosal foldings, with increased amounts of connective tissue; and (4) a profound infiltration of inflammatory cells in the lamina propria. The first signs of morphological changes were observed after 2 days on a diet containing a solvent extracted soybean meal, and within 7 days, all the above mentioned signs were observed. When the fish were subsequently transferred to a control diet, the mucosal folds were rebuilt from the base, resulting in an apparently functional epithelium after 3 weeks. Starved fish also exhibited characteristic changes of the mucosa, including a finely granular cytoplasm replacing the supranuclear vacuoles seen in the epithelial cells of normal fish. In addition, a pattern of irregularly spaced indentations developed in the epithelium of the simple folds. The condition induced by dietary soybean meal was classified as a no n‐infectious subacute enteritis, and a pathogenesis involving immunological mechanisms is suggested.
Gross, histological and scanning electron microscopic appearance of dorsal fin rot in farmed Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L., parr
Authors: Turnbull J F , Richards R H , Robertson D A
Published: November 2003

The gross, histological and scanning electron microscopic appearance of dorsal fin rot in farmed Atlantic salmon parr, Salmo salar L. is described. The lesions were grouped into seven categories: (1) peripheral erosion and ray splitting; (2) peripheral erosion with some nodularity; (3) severe nodularity with differing degrees of tissue loss; (4) extensive to total loss of the dorsal fin; (5) smooth thickening of the dorsal fin; (6) haemorrhagic dorsal fin lesions; and (7) healed dorsal fin rot lesions. The main sign of injury was clefts extending through the epithelium. These injuries were consistent with bites from other parr. During healing from such wounds, damaged cells sloughed from the surface, and there was swelling and hyperplasia in the remaining cells. The majority of the thickening in the fins was the result of epithelial hyperplasia with a variable cellular inflammatory response. The distal epithelium of fins with severe fin rot (i.e. nodular and eroded) was rough, irregular and swollen with superficial nodular extensions. Wounds in all stages of repair were more numerous in such areas. Fin rays were frequently observed protruding from the abnormal epithelium at the distal edge of the fin. With the exception of the isolation of Aeromonas salmonicida from a small number of cases, no significant bacterial involvement was detected. Under scanning electron microscopy, bacteria were only detected on the exposed fin rays and not in association with the abnormal epithelium. In the majority of cases, the dorsal fin was either the only fin damaged or the most severely damaged. It is suggested that the hyperplastic response to numerous bite wounds is responsible for the accumulation of abnormal epithelium typical of dorsal fin rot in farmed Atlantic salmon parr.
Direct analysis of starved Aeromonas salmonicida
Authors: Deere D , Porter J , Pickup R , Edwards C
Published: November 2003

Survival of Aeromonas salmonicida was monitored during prolonged incubation in either distilled water or lake water. Culturability was determined from colony forming units enumerated on tryptone soy agar, whilst flow cytometry was used for direct analysis of viable cells after staining with fluorescent dyes which differentially stained bacteria in relation to defined cellular properties. Over time, populations of culturable cells steadily declined and were not detected after 10 days incubation in distilled water or 33 days in lake water. Flow cytometric analysis revealed that cellular properties related to viability were lost shortly after culturable cells became undetectable in distilled water. In contrast, those incubated in lake water showed little change in these properties over a 57‐day experimental period. The implications of these differences are discussed, and it is concluded that A. salmonicida is capable of remaining intact and active upon prolonged incubation in lake water, although this does not conclusively prove viability.
Aeromonas salmonicida infectivity studies in goldsinny wrasse, Ctenolabrus rupestris (L.)
Authors: Bricknell I R , Bruno D W , Stone J
Published: November 2003

Goldsinny wrasse, Ctenolabrus rupestris (L.). were experimentally and naturally infected with Aeromonas salmonicida. Goldsinny wrasse were found to be susceptible to infection with A. salmonicida but significantly more resistant to infection than Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L. The pathology of the acute infection is described. Following infection significantly higher levels of agglutinating antibody were detected in the sera of recovered wrasse than those observed in the Atlantic salmon controls. However, a large proportion of the recovered wrasse were culture positive for A. salmonicida and appeared to have entered a chronic stage of infection quite distinct from the carrier status that can develop in Atlantic salmon. This study indicates that, although goldsinny wrasse are susceptible to A. salmonicida, these fish are unlikely to become primarily infected, but contract furunculosis from infected Atlantic salmon. However, goldsinny wrasse may act as a reservoir for subsequent infections of cultivated Atlantic salmon because of the development of a chronic form of the disease. The potential for the vaccination of goldsinny wrasse against furunculosis is discussed.
The pathology of Flexibacter maritimus in aquaculture species in Tasmania, Australia
Authors: Handlinger J , Soltani M , Percival S
Published: November 2003

Macroscopic and microscopic features of natural and experimental Flexibacter maritimus infection, and epidemiological aspects of the disease, have been reported in a number of species of fish in Tasmanian aquaculture including Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L., rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum), greenback flounder, Rhombosolea tapirina Günther, and striped trumpeter, Latris lineata (Bloch & Schneider). There is a great deal of consistency in the pathology in salmonids and non‐salmonid species, with erosive lesions of external surfaces being the most prominent clinical sign. Experimentally induced disease of salmonids and flounder is similar to natural infection. Mature lesions show dermal and gill erosion, with dermal bacterial invasion into the dense connective tissue and occasionally underlying musculature, but a remarkable lack of inflammatory response. The earliest lesions show consistent fragmentation and degeneration of the epithelium, with infiltration of amorphous protein‐like materials and occasionally intra‐epithelial cellular inflammatory cells, plus congestion and haemorrhage of the superficial dermis, but without visible bacteria in standard sections. Variable scale loss, oedema and a low level of inflammation in scale pockets, plus variable small adherent bacterial mats, are evident before full epithelial erosion.
A vital staining technique with fluorescein diacetate (FDA) and propidium iodide (PI) for the determination of viability of myxosporean and actinosporean spores
Authors: Yokoyama H. , Danjo T. , Ogawa K. , Wakabayashi H.
Published: November 2003

A vital staining technique with fluorescein diacetate (FDA) and propidium iodide (PI) was used for determination of viability of myxosporean stage spores of Myxobolus artus and actinosporean stage spores of M. cultus. Viable spores stained green with FDA and non‐viable spores stained red with PI were clearly distinguishable in M. artus myxosporean spores released from live infected fish, while the spores collected from pseudocysts were not well stained with FDA. Immediately after release from the oligochaete, Branchiura sowerbyi, actinosporean spores of M. cultus, stained bright green in the sporoplasms and red in the spore processes. In vitro survivability tests revealed that the longevity of M. artus spores was 5 months at 25°C and 15 months at 18°C. Drying and ultraviolet irradiation (36 000 mW s cm–2 for M. artus myxosporean spores, 600 mW s cm–2 for M. cultus actinosporean spores) were most effective as sporicidal treatments.
Replication of the infectious salmon anaemia virus (ISAV) in rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum)
Authors: Nylund A. , Kvenseth A.M. , Krossøy B. , Hodneland K.
Published: November 2003

Infectious salmon anaemia (ISA) is a viral disease of farmed Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L., in Norway. However, in laboratory experiments, the virus has also been found to propagate in trout, Salmo trutta L., where it is a persistent infection. It is crucial for the management of ISA in Norway, and for the prevention of spread to fish in other countries, that possible carriers of the virus are found. Another possible salmonid reservoir species is the rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum). After experimental infection, the ISA virus was found to be present in O. mykiss as late 28 days after infection, with a peak around day 20. The infection resulted in a significant drop in the haematocrit and haemorrhages on the liver in some specimens. The ISA virus was seen budding from endothelial cells lining blood vessels in the heart ventricle of challenged rainbow trout. It is concluded that the ISA virus is able to propagate in O. mykiss and that this species may function as a reservoir when cultured in areas where the virus is found. The virus does not seem to cause any significant mortalities of infected rainbow trout.
Naturally occurring Trypanosoma granulosum infections in the European eel, Anguilla anguilla L. from County Mayo, western Ireland
Authors: Zintl A , Poole W R , Voorheis H P , Holland C V
Published: November 2003

Eels were sampled from three lake and two stream sites in the Burrishoole catchment, western Ireland, at bimonthly intervals; the eels were bled and released. Prevalence of Trypanosoma granulosum was determined using a haematocrit centrifuge technique and parasitaemia was estimated by counting trypanosomes in 30 fields (10 ocular × 10 objective) on Giemsa‐stained smears. Prevalence was consistently high in eels from the lake sites, but lower and more variable in the two stream sites. Parasitaemia was generally low and the distribution highly skewed. Individual eels carrying medium and high infections were most common in late summer and autumn. The size distribution of trypanosomes found in the blood was bimodal. Seasonal changes in trypanosome morph sizes indicated that parasitaemia did not increase immediately after infection, but was delayed until water temperatures increased during the summer months.
Survival and humoral antibody response of Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L., vaccinated against Aeromonas salmonicida ssp. achromogenes
Authors: Gudmundsdóttir B K , Jónsdóttir H , Steinthórsdóttir V , Magnadóttir B , Gudmundsdóttir S
Published: November 2003

Atlantic salmon were vaccinated against Aeromonas salmonicida ssp. achromogenes (Asa) by injection with three vaccines developed in our laboratory and an autogenous bacterin (IcelandBiojec.OO, IBOO) produced by a commercial vaccine producer. The humoral antibody responses to bacterial antigens were monitored by ELISA and Western blotting. The fish were challenged by infection with Asa 6 and 12 weeks post‐vaccination. Protection was induced in all groups of vaccinated fish. The protection achieved was time‐dependent. The autogenous bacterin, IBOO, induced a protective immune response later than our experimental vaccines. All the vaccines tested induced specific antibody response that increased between 6 and 12 weeks after vaccination. The antibody response was mainly directed against the A‐layer protein, but antibodies to other bacterial components were also detected. Significant correlation was obtained between the antibody titre to extracellular Asa antigens, induced by the different vaccine preparations, and survival of vaccinated fish challenged by a virulent Asa strain. Furthermore, the detection of antibodies directed against an extracellular toxic metallo‐caseinase, AsaP1, in fish sera correlated with protection.
Morphometric and histochemical assessment of the branchial tissue response of rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum), associated with chloramine‐T treatment
Authors: Sanchez J G , Speare D J , Johnson G J
Published: November 2003

Twelve tanks of juvenile rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum), were treated twice weekly for an 11‐ week period with a one‐hour static bath of chloramine‐T (10 mg l–1). The morphometric indices of gill damage and the histochemical characteristics of gill mucous cells of fish from treated and paired untreated tanks were compared. The use pattern of chloramine‐T in this study evoked a slight increase in mean lamellar width, but it did not induce a greater degree of lamellar oedema, lamellar fusion, tissue infiltration, epithelial hyperplasia, chloride cell metaplasia or thrombosis of pillar channels in treated fish. Treatment caused a trend towards an increased number of mucous cells on lamellae, associated with a significant shift from neutral mucin to acid mucin production based on histochemical characteristics.
Experimental infection and horizontal transmission of Piscirickettsia salmonis in freshwater‐raised Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L.
Authors: Almendras F.E. , Fuentealba I.C. , Jones S.R.M. , Markham F. , Spangler E.
Published: November 2003

Experimental infections with Piscirickettsia salmonis via intraperitoneal (IP), oral (PO) and gill (GS) routes were compared, and the importance of physical contact in the horizontal transmission of this organism was investigated. Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L., under‐yearling parr raised in fresh water were used in this study. Samples of liver, kidney, spleen, gill and brain were collected weekly for 5 weeks after challenge, and were examined using the indirect fluorescent‐antibody technique (IFAT). The pathogen was transmitted horizontally to fish with and without physical contact. However, transmission of P. salmonis occurred significantly more rapidly among fish with physical contact. Mortalities occurred in 50% of fish experimentally challenged with P. salmonis and their cohabitants. The estimates of the relative risk of dying demonstrated that fish challenged by the IP and GS routes had a significantly higher probability of dying than fish challenged by the PO route (P < 0.005). Contact cohabitants with infected fish had a higher probability of death than non‐contact cohabitants (P < 0.005). The sequential studying using IFAT indicated that a haematogenous pattern of infection occurred among fish infected by oral and gill routes, or by cohabitation. This was different from the capsular (serosal) infection pattern observed in intraperitoneally inoculated fish. Piscirickettsia salmonis was observed within the cytoplasm of leucocytes and renal tubules, the latter indicating that elimination of this pathogen through the urine may be possible. Aeromonas salmonicida was also detected (by IFAT) in some of the fish exposed to P. salmonis, suggesting that P. salmonis may cause immunosuppression, and thus, increase the susceptibility of the host to other pathogens.
The in vitro inhibition of proteases from Cryptobia salmositica Katz by a monoclonal antibody (MAb‐001) against a glycoprotein on the pathogenic haemoflagellate
Authors: Zuo X. , Feng S. , Woo P.T.K.
Published: November 2003

The monoclonal antibody (MAb‐001), which was produced against a surface membrane glycoprotein on C. salmositica, significantly inhibited the activities of the intracellular proteases of the parasite. The total activity in the partially purified metallo‐protease, and about 80% of activity in the partially purified cysteine protease, were inhibited by the antibody (at 10 μg protein ml–1). The inhibitory effects of the antibody on the proteases were also demonstrated using haemoglobin (substrate)‐SDS‐PAGE. The activities of the metallo‐protease band (200 kDa) and the three cysteine protease bands (66, 70 and 97 kDa) were inhibited by MAb‐001, but the activity of the fourth cysteine protease band (49 kDa) was not affected. Similar inhibitory effects of the antibody were also found in the crude protease extract (parasite lysate), except that more antibody was required to obtain the same level of inhibition. The metallo‐protease band was more sensitive than the cysteine protease bands to the antibody.
A comparison of the antigenicity of the extracellular products and whole‐cell sonicates from Mycobacterium spp. in rabbits, mice and fish by immunoblotting and enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay
Authors: Chen S.‐C. , Adams A. , Thompson K.D. , Richards R.H.
Published: November 2003

The antigenicity of extracellular products (ECPs) derived from Mycobacterium spp. isolated from snakehead, Channa striata (Bloch), and Siamese fighting fish, Betta splendens (Regan), were examined by immunoblotting and enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using sera collected from immunized rabbits, mice and fish (rainbow trout). All three species responded to a 65‐kDa protein present in both the ECPs and whole cell sonicates (WCSs) from a variety of Mycobacterium spp. Cross‐reactivity of anti‐M. tuberculosis and anti‐human heat‐shock protein monoclonal antibodies (MAbs), and the presence of fibronectin binding proteins secreted into ECPs of mycobacteria were also examined. The MAbs against human 60‐kDa heat‐shock protein cross‐ reacted with the band at 65 kDa in the ECPs of TB1 (isolated from snakehead fish) and the type strain M. marinum, while the anti‐M. tuberculosis MAb F29–47 elicited a strong reaction with a band at 21 kDa with most of the ECPs from mycobacterial strains examined. The major fibronectin‐binding proteins were located between 21 and 25 kDa. The 65‐kDa protein from ECPs of Mycobacterium spp. proved strongly immunogenic to rabbits, mice and fish. Rabbit antiserum against the 65‐kDa protein from strain TB267 reacted with many non‐Mycobacterium WCSs, and therefore, the 65‐kDa protein from Mycobacterium spp. is believed to be a common protein found in many fish bacterial pathogens.
Epitheliocystis in silver perch, Bidyanus bidyanus (Mitchell)
Authors: Frances J. , Tennent R. , Nowak B.F.
Published: November 2003

Cultured juvenile silver perch, Bidyanus bidyanus (Mitchell), were affected by epitheliocystis, with a prevalence of up to 75%. The condition affected 2–96% of gill filaments. Granular basophilic cysts ranged from 10 to 87 μm and had a round‐to‐oval shape. The infected cells were positioned centrally within a lamella, often close to its tip, and their identity was difficult to determine, but the involvement of pillar cells could not be precluded. The size of pathogen was within the range previously reported. The pathogen had two morphological forms, which were positioned differently within the cyst. The form located more in the centre was rod‐shaped with an electron‐dense core and electron‐lucent vesicles on the sides of the core. Its mean length was 498.14 nm (SD = 47.68 nm), and its mean width was 145.14 nm (SD = 9.53 nm). The form present in a more peripheral position had an irregular shape, often did not show the electron‐dense core and did not have the electron‐lucent vesicles. Its mean length was 704 nm (SD = 170.29 nm) and its mean width was 152.4 nm (SD = 16.40 nm). Both forms were enclosed by a double trilaminar membrane. This is the first confirmed report of epitheliocystis in Australian freshwater fish.
Inhibition of Saprolegnia pathogenic for fish by Pseudomonas fluorescens
Authors: Bly J.E. , Quiniou S.M.‐A. , Lawson L.A. , Clem L.W.
Published: November 2003

Bacteria capable of inhibiting the growth of Saprolegnia were isolated from commercial channel catfish pond water during January and November 1991. The isolates were typed as Pseudomonas fluorescens with 96% confidence and fluoresced under ultraviolet light. Only three out of the seven otherwise identical subcultures have retained the ability to inhibit Saprolegnia hyphal growth and were positive in gelatin liquefaction assays. Saprolegnia cyst germination inhibition assays indicated that each of the P. fluorescens subcultures inhibited cyst germination at ratios as low as 0.5:1 to 10:1, while Escherichia coli (used as a control) was only inhibitory at a ratio of 500:1. The inhibitory activity against Saprolegnia did not appear to reside in bacterial culture supernatants.
Isolation, cultivation and characterization of head kidney macrophages from Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua L.
Authors: Sørensen K K , Sveinbjørnsson B , Dalmo R A , Smedsrød B , Bertheussen K
Published: November 2003

Head kidney macrophages from Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua L., were isolated by density sedimentation and maintained under serum‐free conditions for up to one week. The cells adhered and spread well on glass and plastic, were highly phagocytic, and had typical macrophage morphology as shown by phase contrast and scanning and transmission electron microscopy. Histochemical studies with the light microscope showed that the macrophages were acid phosphatase and non‐specific esterase positive, and alkaline phosphatase and peroxidase negative. Compared with unstimulated control cells, LPS‐treated cells showed enhanced superoxide anion formation, as measured by the reduction of nitroblue tetrazolium, and increased levels of acid phosphatase activity.
Genetic similarity of iridoviruses from Japan and Thailand
Authors: Miyata M , Matsuno K , Jung S J , Danayadol Y , Miyazaki T
Published: November 2003

Iridovirus infection causes serious economic damage in marine cultured fish in Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore, and the incidence of this disease has been increasing. Iridovirus of sea bass from offshore Hong Kong was isolated to determine the genetic similarities of the causative agents. The genomic DNA of iridovirus was purified and cloned. Four DNA clones were randomly chosen and sequenced to generate primers for the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Corresponding DNA fragments of iridoviruses from sea bass from offshore Hong Kong, red sea bream in Japan and grouper in Thailand were detected. The analogous PCR products from geographically diverse iridoviruses may indicate a widespread distribution of an iridovirus of a single origin.
The stage model and processes of change in dietary fat reduction
Authors: Lamb Roger , Sissons Joshi Mary
Published: November 2003

This paper reports research showing that a modified version of Prochaska & DiClemente's (1982) stage model of behaviour change can account for dietary fat reduction in a sample of 133 young English adults. Prochaska & DiClemente's model posits five sequential stages through which people pass in the course of behaviour change. The current research developed a new, simplified staging questionnaire which successfully categorized respondents into groups whose dietary fat consumption differed as the model predicts—that is, those in later stages were consuming less dietary fat than those in earlier stages. The research focused on four social and psychological processes which Prochaska & DiClemente argue operate most powerfully at the four different stage transitions. Results showed that two of the processes (consciousness raising and self‐liberation) could, between them, distinguish all five stages from each other. The two processes had their decisive impact in the predicted order (i.e. consciousness raising discriminating between earlier stages and self‐liberation distinguishing between later stages) but they did not operate at the particular stage transitions reported in Prochaska and his colleagues’ own research. The other two processes (i.e. self re‐evaluation and helping relationships) did not discriminate between people at different stages. This suggests that Prochaska & DiClemente's findings cannot entirely be replicated in this domain.
Aspiration (of gastric residuals)—a cause of bacterial contamination of enteral feeding systems?
Authors: Beattie T. K. , Anderton A. , White S.
Published: November 2003

In vitro model enteral feeding systems were used to investigate whether bacteria can travel from the «patient's» stomach or intestine via the enteral feeding tube to the giving set and nutrient container of the feeding system when feed is flowing continuously through the system for 24 h. Further systems were also assembled to examine the effects that aspiration and flushing via the enteral feeding tube and/or the medication (Y) port have on the bacterial contamination of feed and feeding systems. Organisms were detected at levels ranging from 102–109 CFU/ml (CFU, colony forming units) in feed samples collected from the distal end of the giving set at 0 h immediately after aspirating or aspirating and flushing. Fewer bacteria (102–105 CFU/ml) were recovered at 0 h in samples from systems where aspiration or aspiration and flushing were carried out via the tube as compared with those where aspiration and flushing took place via the mediport (106–109 CFU/ml). No bacteria were detected at 0 h in samples from systems that had neither been aspirated nor flushed. The test organism, CFU/ml) after 24 h. At no time during the study were K. aerogenes organisms detected in samples of feed taken from the nutrient container or just below the drip chamber at 24 h. The results of this study confirm the hypothesis that one of the contributory factors in the microbial colonisation of enteral feeding tubes and giving sets with organisms from the patients» own flora is the practice of aspirating the stomach or intestinal contents to check the position of the tube.
Is lithium‐induced weight gain prevented by providing healthy eating advice at the commencement of lithium therapy?
Authors: Holt R. , Maunder Eleni
Published: November 2003

This study aimed to determine whether providing advice on healthy eating at the commencement of lithium (Li) therapy would prevent weight gain. Twenty‐five patients starting Li therapy were given healthy eating advice (treatment) and 25 patients starting Li therapy were not given dietary advice (control). After 6 months of therapy, 14/25 patients in the control group gained weight; 5/25 gained >5 kg, whereas only 9/25 of treated patients gained weight, and only 1/25 gained >5 kg. The mean weight change in patients in the control group was significantly greater (mean +1.9 kg, s.d. 5.3) than in the group of patients given dietary advice (mean −1.7 kg, s.d. 4.6, <0.05). In addition, the mean weight gain in patients who gained weight was significantly less in patients receiving dietary advice than in the control group (<0.02). Dietary advice significantly reduced the mean weight change in females (<0.05) but not in males. However, dietary advice significantly reduced the amount of weight gained by male weight gainers (P<0.01). No relationship was found between initial body weight, age, Li dose, serum Li level or other medications and weight gain. This study shows that the provision of dietary advice at the start of Li therapy has a significant effect on reducing and preventing weight gain. It is therefore recommended that all patients commencing Li therapy should receive healthy eating advice if weight gain is an unwanted side‐effect of this drug.
Food choice in response to computer‐generated nutrition information provided about meal selections in workplace restaurants
Authors: Balfour D. , Moody R. , Wise A. , Brown K.
Published: November 2003

Aim: The study was designed to determine the effect of computerized nutrition information on consumer food choice in two workplace restaurants, one in which customers had to pay for their lunch and the other providing a free lunch. Methods: Customers entering the restaurants were asked to make selections from the menu on a computer screen. The energy, saturated fatty acids, non‐milk extrinsic sugars and non‐starch polysaccharide content of the meal selected was displayed graphically in proportion to the dietary reference values. They were given the opportunity to change their selected meal and the composition of all meals was recorded. Results: The nutritional composition of the first meal provoked 16% of customers to make a second selection. The proportion of energy in the first selection had been 31% higher for saturated fatty acids and 23% higher for non‐milk extrinsic sugars than the first selection made by people who were satisfied with their first choice. In their second attempt they succeeded in reducing both nutrients to levels similar to those present in the meals selected by people who had been satisfied with their first selection. Customers» selections for non‐starch polysaccharide and energy did not differ between the groups. The main changes made by customers to achieve improved second choices were to omit dishes (44%), add dishes (19%), make changes within a menu category (46%), and make changes from one menu category to another (26%). Conclusion: It was concluded that provision of graphical nutrition information on a computer screen could be used by a subset of the users of both restaurants to enable them to improve their menu selections to a similar composition to that selected by the other people who used the computer system.
Are diets high in non‐milk extrinsic sugars conducive to obesity? An analysis from the Dietary and Nutritional Survey of British Adults
Authors: Gibson S.A.
Published: November 2003

Restriction of dietary sugars is often advocated for weight control, alongside a reduced fat and energy intake. This project examined data from the Dietary and Nutritional Survey of British Adults (Gregory et al., 1990) to evaluate the associations between non‐milk extrinsic (NME) sugars (as a percentage of food energy) and body mass index (BMI), energy intake and percentage energy from fat. The influence of dieting and potential under reporting on these relationships was also explored. BMI was inversely associated with percentage energy from NME sugars. The relationship was weak, but did not appear to be a mere artifact of dieting and/or under reporting. The well‐recognized reciprocal relationship between sugars energy and fat energy was also seen with saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids, but not with trans fatty acids. As a result of the sugar : fat see‐saw effect only 2% of men and women met the current dietary targets for both fat and NME sugars, suggesting that these may be incompatible on a practical level. These analyses suggest that high (NME) sugar diets appear to be weakly related to leanness rather than obesity, although the relationship is weaker than the inverse association between sugars and fat. It is hypothesized that overweight and diet‐restrained individuals often choose to restrict NME sugars: a strategy which can result in a higher (proportional) fat diet and weight gain. Emphasis on reducing NME sugars intakes may be counterproductive to attempts to reduce proportional fat intake and body weight.
Nutritional supplements and elevated serum vitamin A levels in children on chronic dialysis
Authors: Norman L.J. , Coleman J.E. , Watson A.R. , Wardell J. , Evans J.H.C.
Published: November 2003

Vitamin A is known to accumulate in patients with chronic renal failure (CRF), but it is present in many micronutrient and all complete nutritional supplements. Measurements were made of serum vitamin A concentrations in eight children (mean age 6 years, range 2–15 years) on chronic dialysis six continuous cyclic peritoneal dialysis patients (CCPD) and two haemodialysis (HD) patients, before and 6 months and 12 months after commencing a daily supplement containing vitamins A and D (Ketovite Liquid; Paines & Byrne Ltd, West Byfleet, Surrey, UK). Seven children were receiving complete nutritional supplements (two oral, five via gastrostomy buttons). Dietary energy and vitamin A intakes were determined by 3‐day dietary records. Prior to Ketovite Liquid supplementation, a mean of 68% (range 28–103%) of the reference nutrient intake (RNI) for vitamin A was provided by the diet, with a significant contribution from complete nutritional supplements. When receiving Ketovite Liquid supplementation, mean vitamin A intakes exceeded twice the RNI. Mean serum vitamin A concentrations (2.7±0.8 μmol/l) at baseline were above the revised normal reference range. Levels rose significantly post Ketovite Liquid supplementation at 6 months (mean 4.2±0.6 μmol/l, P<0.05) and 12 months (mean 4.8±0.8 μmol/l, P<0.05). This study confirms that vitamin A supplementation should be avoided in children on chronic dialysis. Any dietary supplement, either micronutrient or complete, must be carefully analysed for its potential contribution to total vitamin A intake.
Teaching nutrition to medical doctors: the potential role of the State Registered Dietitian
Authors: Summerbell Carolyn
Published: November 2003

Medical doctors ought to have a sound knowledge of nutrition, but it is clear that most do not. Teaching nutrition to medical doctors should start during undergraduate training. Dietitians have a vital role to play—acting as consultants for the course, in formulating learning objectives, teaching, organizing practical sessions, assisting with clinical demonstrations and writing exam questions. Dietitians could also be encouraged to become more involved in the clinical training of medical students by assuming a more active role in the provision of seminars, grand rounds, clinical case presentations and conferences. Finally, dietitians may attract more medical doctors to nutrition conferences and meetings if these are registered for CME (continuing medical education) and PGEA (postgraduate education allowance). The dietitian has a unique role and responsibility for teaching nutrition to medical doctors. The task ahead is a difficult one, but if successful will surely result in improvements to the nutritional status of both patients and the general public.