bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Transbronchial lung biopsy: the pathologist's point of view
Authors: Pourabdollah Mihan , Shamaei Masoud , Karimi Shirin , Karimi Mahdi , Kiani Arda , Jabbari Hamid Reza
Published: September 2014

Background and Aims

The efficacy of flexible cryoprobe in providing high‐quality tissue specimens through bronchoscopy for making a diagnosis remains debatable. In this study, we have compared the diagnostic yield of cryoprobe with conventional sampling by forceps.

Methods

Forty‐one patients scheduled to undergo transbronchial lung biopsy (TBLB) in a pulmonary hospital in Tehran, Iran. Each patient underwent conventional TBLB and flexible cryoprobe TBLB (FCLB) sequentially. Specimen adequacy was defined by the presence of at least 50 alveolar spaces or a positive diagnostic yield. Adequacy of specimens, number and percentage of alveolar spaces without artifact, type of artifact, presence of bronchiolar structures and the diagnosis made based on the results of the two methods separately were compared.

Results

The mean values of tissue section area obtained by forceps and cryoprobe were 6 mm2 [standard deviation (SD) ± 6.7] and 22 mm2 (SD ± 19.1), respectively (P < 0.001). Specimens were adequate in 26 cases of conventional TBLB and 40 cases of FCLB (P < 0.001). Of adequate specimens, 14 samples obtained by TBLB and 28 samples obtained via FCLB were diagnostic. A significant difference was also detected between diagnostic and non‐diagnostic specimens (P = 0.04). Frequency of specimens with >75% artifact‐free lung parenchyma was significantly higher in FCLB method.

Conclusion

FCLB method provides larger tissue samples with better quality compared with TBLB. Higher‐quality specimens are associated with less artifact and higher diagnostic yield. Multisite randomized trials are required to improve our knowledge about the benefits and indications of TBLB with cryoprobe.
High‐frequency chest wall oscillation in prolonged mechanical ventilation patients: a randomized controlled trial
Authors: Huang Wei‐Chang , Wu Pi‐Chu , Chen Chao‐Jung , Cheng Ya‐Hua , Shih Sou‐Jen , Chen Hui‐Chen , Wu Chieh‐Liang
Published: September 2014

Background and Aims

Patients with prolonged mechanical ventilation (PMV) often retain airway secretions, which may be cleared with the assistance of high‐frequency chest wall oscillation (HFCWO). This study aimed to determine the effectiveness, safety and tolerance/comfort of HFCWO after extubation in PMV patients.

Methods

This parallel‐designed, randomized controlled trial enrolled subjects with both intra‐tracheal intubation and mechanical ventilator support continuously for at least 21 days between January 2011 and December 2012. Upon extubation, the participants were randomly assigned to either receive HFCWO for 5 days or not. The effectiveness [based on weaning success rates, daily clearance volume of sputum, serial changes in sputum coloration and chest X‐ray (CXR) improvement rates], safety (by physiologic parameters) and tolerance/comfort [using the Modified Borg Scale (MBS) and Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAS)] of HFCWO were investigated.

Results

There were 43 PMV subjects, including 23 in the HFCWO group and 20 in the non‐HFCWO group. The weaning success rates were 82.6% (19/23) and 85% (17/20) in the HFCWO and non‐HFCWO groups, respectively (P = 1.000). The HFCWO group had persistently greater numbers of daily sputum suctions and higher CXR improvement rates compared with the non‐HFCWO group. There was significant sputum coloration lightening in the HFCWO group only. There was no significant difference in the MBS and HAS between the two groups and between pre‐ and post‐HFCWO physiologic parameters.

Conclusion

In PMV patients, HFCWO was safe, comfortable and effective in facilitating airway hygiene after removal of endotracheal tubes, but had no positive impact on weaning success.
The impact of spatial and temporal availability of alcohol on its consumption and related harms: A critical review in the context of UK licensing policies
Authors: Holmes John , Guo Yelan , Maheswaran Ravi , Nicholls James , Meier Petra S. , Brennan Alan
Published: September 2014

Issues

Reviews recommend controlling alcohol availability to limit alcohol‐related harm. However, the translation of this evidence into policy processes has proved challenging in some jurisdictions.

Approach

This paper presents a critical review of empirical spatial and temporal availability research to identify its features and limitations for informing alcohol availability policies. The UK is used as an example jurisdiction. It reviews 138 studies from a 2008 systematic review of empirical availability research and our update of this to January 2014. Data describing study characteristics (settings, measures, design) were extracted and descriptively analysed.

Key Findings

Important limitations in current evidence were identified: (i) outlet‐level temporal availability was only measured in three studies, and there has been little innovation in measurement of spatial availability; (ii) empirical analyses focus on acute harms with few studies of longer‐term harms; (iii) outlets are typically classified at aggregated levels with little empirical analysis of variation within outlet categories; (iv) evidence comes from a narrow range of countries; and (v) availability away from home, online availability and interactions between availability, price and place are all relatively unexamined.

Implications

Greater innovation in study and measure design and enhanced data quality are required. Greater engagement between researchers and policy actors when developing studies would facilitate this.

Conclusions

Research and data innovations are needed to address a series of methodological gaps and limitations in the alcohol availability evidence base, advance this research area and enable findings to be translated effectively into policy processes. [Holmes J, Guo Y, Maheswaran R, Nicholls J, Meier PS, Brennan A. The impact of spatial and temporal availability of alcohol on its consumption and related harms: A critical review in the context of UK licensing policies. Drug Alcohol Rev 2014;33:515–25]
Demography for the Public: Literary Representations of Population Research and Policy
Authors: Basu Alaka M.
Published: September 2014

This article explores the idea of what may be called Public Demography, wherein the practitioners and interpreters of the discipline of population studies inform (and sometimes inflame) the popular discourse on population‐related matters. It looks at the representation of demographic research and policies in one form of public engagement, namely fiction — literature being an important way of transmitting the substance of a technical field of study to a lay public. Reviewing a sample of fictional writing that is clearly derived from a specialized knowledge of the subject of demography, the article finds it useful to classify this genre into two groups. The works in the first group tend to reproduce or reiterate the mainstream assumptions underlying the academic discipline, while those in the second group seem to take on board more recent criticisms of these assumptions, sometimes in unexpected ways. Readers, however, seem to react much more readily to those works that repeat some of the ‘bad’ habits of the discipline.
Changes in ventricular–arterial coupling during decongestive therapy in acute heart failure
Authors: Berthelot Emmanuelle , Bihry Nicolas , Brault‐Melin Ophelie , Assayag Patrick , Cohen‐Solal Alain , Chemla Denis , Logeart Damien
Published: September 2014

Aims

Coupled arterial and left ventricular properties are poorly documented in acute heart failure. The aim of this prospective noninvasive study was to document early changes in ventricular–arterial coupling in patients with acutely decompensated HF (ADHF).

Methods and Results

We studied 19 patients hospitalized for ADHF (age 62 ± 15 years, NYHA class 3 or 4). Patients with shock and sustained arrhythmias were excluded. All the patients received intravenous loop diuretics, and none received intravenous vasodilators or inotropes. Ongoing chronic treatments were maintained. Echocardiography and radial artery tonometry were performed simultaneously on admission and after clinical improvement (day 4 ± 1 after admission). Classical echocardiographic parameters were measured, including stroke volume (SV). End‐systolic pressure (Pes) was derived from reconstructed central aortic pressure, and arterial elastance (Ea) was calculated as Ea = Pes/SV. End‐systolic LV elastance (Ees) was calculated with the single‐beat method. Ventricular–arterial coupling was quantified as the Ea/Ees ratio. Following IV diuretic therapy, mean weight loss was 5 ± 2 kg (P < 0·01) and BNP fell from 1813 (median) (IQR = 1284–2342) to 694 (334–1053) pg/mL (P < 0·01). Ea fell by 29%, from 2·46 (2·05–2·86) to 1·78 (1·55–2·00) mmHg/mL (P < 0·01), while Ees remained unchanged (1·28 (1·05–1·52) to 1·13 (0·92–1·34) mmHg/mL). The Ea/Ees ratio therefore fell, from 2·13 (1·70–2·56) to 1·81 (1·56–2·08) (P < 0·02).

Conclusion

An early improvement in ventricular–arterial coupling was observed after diuretic‐related decongestive therapy in ADHF patients and was related to a decrease in effective arterial elastance rather than to change in LV contractility.
Succession Narratives in Family Business: The Case of Alessi
Authors: Dalpiaz Elena , Tracey Paul , Phillips Nelson
Published: September 2014

One of the most significant challenges facing family firms is how to successfully manage succession from one generation of leaders to the next. In this paper, we contribute to existing understandings of this complex and difficult process by exploring how successors use family business succession narratives to legitimate their succession. Building on a case study of Alessi, a family–owned Italian design firm, we draw on the literature on organizational narratives to develop a framework for understanding family business succession narratives and present a typology of some of the narrative strategies that can be used during succession. We conclude with a discussion of the theoretical and practical ramifications of a narrative view of succession in family firms.
RIPK1 can function as an inhibitor rather than an initiator of RIPK3‐dependent necroptosis
Authors: Kearney Conor J. , Cullen Sean P. , Clancy Danielle , Martin Seamus J.
Published: September 2014

Tumour necrosis factor and lipopolysaccharide can promote a regulated form of necrosis, called necroptosis, upon inhibition of caspase activity in cells expressing receptor‐interacting serine/threonine kinase (RIPK)3. Because inhibitors of RIPK1 kinase activity such as necrostatin‐1 block necroptosis in many settings, RIPK1 is thought to be required for activation of RIPK3, leading to necroptosis. However, here we show that, although necrostatin potently inhibited tumour necrosis factor‐induced, lipopolysaccharide‐induced and polyIC‐induced necroptosis, RIPK1 knockdown unexpectedly potentiated this process. In contrast, RIPK3 knockdown potently suppressed necroptosis under the same conditions. Significantly, necrostatin failed to block necroptosis in the absence of RIPK1, indicating that its ability to suppress necroptosis was indeed RIPK1‐dependent. These data argue that RIPK1 is dispensable for necroptosis and can act as an inhibitor of this process. Our observations also suggest that necrostatin enhances the inhibitory effects of RIPK1 on necroptosis, as opposed to blocking its participation in this process.
Barriers and enablers affecting patient engagement in managing medications within specialty hospital settings
Authors: Manias Elizabeth , Rixon Sascha , Williams Allison , Liew Danny , Braaf Sandy
Published: September 2014

Background

Communication problems contribute enormously to medication errors and adverse events. Encouraging patient engagement can help to facilitate effective medication management.

Objectives

To examine barriers and enablers affecting how patients engage with managing their medications in specialty hospital settings.

Design

An exploratory qualitative design was used involving in‐depth interviews with doctors, nurses, pharmacists, patients and family members.

Setting

An Australian public, metropolitan teaching hospital was the study site and five specialty hospital settings were used, including cardiac care, emergency care, intensive care, oncology care and perioperative care.

Results

In all, 21 health professionals, 11 patients and 12 family members participated in the study (n = 44). Barriers and enablers involved intrapersonal, interpersonal and environmental aspects, and differences in perceptions and experiences were found between the various settings. Health professionals had preconceived notions of what was appropriate behaviour in conveying information about medications. Many health professionals stated that they deliberately chose not to provide medication‐related knowledge. Different barriers for patient engagement existed in various settings – in emergency care, patients could only stay for 4 h; in intensive care, medication changes regularly happened; in cardiac care, patients were discharged prematurely due to urgent need of beds; in oncology, there was lack of availability of oncology consultants; while in perioperative care, surgeons and anaesthetists were available just before surgery.

Conclusions

Complex barriers and enablers are associated with patient engagement in specialty clinical settings. By developing an understanding of these barriers and enablers, health professionals can help patients to understand and participate in their medication management.
Shared decision making in patients at risk of cancer: the role of domain and numeracy
Authors: Hanoch Yaniv , Miron‐Shatz Talya , Rolison Jonathan J. , Omer Zehra , Ozanne Elisa
Published: September 2014

Background

Shared decision making has become an integral part of medical consultation. Research has, however, reported wide differences in individuals' desires to be involved in the decision‐making process, and these differences in preferences are likely to be the result of a number of factors including age, education and numeracy.

Objective

To investigate whether patients at genetic risk for cancer had preferences for shared decision making that differed depending on medical domain (general health vs. cancer) and whether decision preferences are linked to numeracy abilities.

Methods

Four hundred and seventy‐six women who consented to participate in response to an email sent by a local branch of the U.S.‐based Cancer Genetics Network (CGN) to its members. Participants completed the Control Preference Scale, as well as an objective and subjective numeracy scales.

Results

Decision domain (cancer vs. general health) was not associated with women's preferences for involvement in decision making. Objective and subjective numeracy predicted a preference for decision involvement in general, and only objective numeracy was predictive with regard to cancer.

Conclusion

Participants were equally likely to state they wanted to play an active, collaborative or passive role in both medical domains (general and cancer). High‐numeracy participants were more likely to express a desire for an active role in general and in case they were diagnosed with cancer.

Practice implications

Health authorities' recommendations to clinicians to include patients in their medical decisions are supported by patients' desires, and clinicians should be cognizant of their patients' preferences as well as their numeracy skills.
Division of labour in honey bees: age‐ and task‐related changes in the expression of octopamine receptor genes
Authors: Reim T. , Scheiner R.
Published: September 2014

The honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) has developed into an important ethological model organism for social behaviour and behavioural plasticity. Bees perform a complex age‐dependent division of labour with the most pronounced behavioural differences occurring between in‐hive bees and foragers. Whereas nurse bees, for example, stay inside the hive and provide the larvae with food, foragers leave the hive to collect pollen and nectar for the entire colony. The biogenic amine octopamine appears to play a major role in division of labour but the molecular mechanisms involved are unknown. We here investigated the role of two characterized octopamine receptors in honey bee division of labour. AmOctαR1 codes for a Ca2+‐linked octopamine receptor. AmOctβR3/4 codes for a cyclic adenosine monophosphate‐coupled octopamine receptor. Messenger RNA expression of AmOctαR1 in different brain neuropils correlates with social task, whereas expression of AmOctβR3/4 changes with age rather than with social role per se. Our results for the first time link the regulatory role of octopamine in division of labour to specific receptors and brain regions. They are an important step forward in our understanding of complex behavioural organization in social groups.
Immunology of naturally transmissible tumours
Authors: Siddle Hannah V. , Kaufman Jim
Published: September 2014

Naturally transmissible tumours can emerge when a tumour cell gains the ability to pass as an infectious allograft between individuals. The ability of these tumours to colonize a new host and to cross histocompatibility barriers contradicts our understanding of the vertebrate immune response to allografts. Two naturally occurring contagious cancers are currently active in the animal kingdom, canine transmissible venereal tumour (CTVT), which spreads among dogs, and devil facial tumour disease (DFTD), among Tasmanian devils. CTVT are generally not fatal as a tumour‐specific host immune response controls or clears the tumours after transmission and a period of growth. In contrast, the growth of DFTD tumours is not controlled by the Tasmanian devil's immune system and the disease causes close to 100% mortality, severely impacting the devil population. To avoid the immune response of the host both DFTD and CTVT use a variety of immune escape strategies that have similarities to many single organism tumours, including MHC loss and the expression of immunosuppressive cytokines. However, both tumours appear to have a complex interaction with the immune system of their respective host, which has evolved over the relatively long life of these tumours. The Tasmanian devil is struggling to survive with the burden of this disease and it is only with an understanding of how DFTD passes between individuals that a vaccine might be developed. Further, an understanding of how these tumours achieve natural transmissibility should provide insights into general mechanisms of immune escape that emerge during tumour evolution.
Distinct CD4 T‐cell effects on primary versus recall CD8 T‐cell responses during viral encephalomyelitis
Authors: Hwang Mihyun , Phares Timothy W. , Hinton David R. , Stohlman Stephen A. , Bergmann Cornelia C. , Min Booki
Published: September 2014

CD4 T‐cell help is not a universal requirement for effective primary CD8 T cells but is essential to generate memory CD8 T cells capable of recall responses. This study examined how CD4 T cells affect primary and secondary anti‐viral CD8 T‐cell responses within the central nervous system (CNS) during encephalomyelitis induced by sublethal gliatropic coronavirus. CD4 T‐cell depletion before infection did not impair peripheral expansion, interferon‐γ production, CNS recruitment or initial CNS effector capacity of virus‐specific CD8 T cells ex vivo. Nevertheless, impaired virus control in the absence of CD4 T cells was associated with gradually diminished CNS CD8 T‐cell interferon‐γ production. Furthermore, within the CD8 T‐cell population short‐lived effector cells were increased and memory precursor effector cells were significantly decreased, consistent with higher T‐cell turnover. Transfer of memory CD8 T cells to reduce viral load in CD4‐depleted mice reverted the recipient CNS CD8 T‐cell phenotype to that in wild‐type control mice. However, memory CD8 T cells primed without CD4 T cells and transferred into infected CD4‐sufficient recipients expanded less efficiently and were not sustained in the CNS, contrasting with their helped counterparts. These data suggest that CD4 T cells are dispensable for initial expansion, CNS recruitment and differentiation of primary resident memory CD8 T cells as long as the duration of antigen exposure is limited. By contrast, CD4 T cells are essential to prolong primary CD8 T‐cell function in the CNS and imprint memory CD8 T cells for recall responses.
Association of diabetic foot care and amputation rates in Germany
Authors: Kröger Knut , Moysidis Theodoros , Feghaly Michel , Schäfer Erika , Bufe Alexander ,   on behalf of the Initiative Chronische Wunden e.V., Germany
Published: September 2014

Podologists are nurses who care for the diabetic foot (orthotics, offloading devices, blisters, calluses, treatment of fungus infection and patient education). In contrast to podiatrists, they are not qualified to perform any surgical treatment or wound care. We analysed whether there is an association between the decrease in major amputations and the number of podologic foot care (PFC) visits prescribed in Germany. Detailed list of all major lower limb amputations (OPS 5‐864) performed from 2007 to 2011 was provided by the Federal Statistical Office. Data were separated for the 16 federal states in Germany. Detailed lists of the number of PFC treatments for each of the 5 years were derived from the federal report of the statutory health insurance. The total numbers of hospitalised cases per year having diabetes mellitus documented as an additional diagnosis were used to adjust for the different rates of people with diabetes in each federal state. Within a 5‐year time period, population‐based major amputations per 100 000 people dropped from 21·7 in 2007 to 17·5 in 2011 (−18·5%); whereas the number of PFC treatments per 1000 insured increased from 22 in 2007 to 60 in 2011 (+172·7%). The total number of major amputations divided by the total number of hospitalised cases with the additional diagnosis of diabetes mellitus (DM) shows an inverse correlation with the number of PFC treatments per 1000 insured (Pearson's correlation factor is −0·52049). The five countries with the highest increase in PFC compared with the five countries with the lowest increase (35·6 versus 15·4 per 1000 insured) will have only small differences in the decrease in major amputation rates in this period (−5·1 versus −3·4 per 100.000). There is a strong association between increasing utilisation PFC and decreasing major amputations in Germany. Further study is required to document the cost‐effectiveness of this service.
Postoperative wound dealing and superficial surgical site infection in open radical prostatectomy
Authors: Yamamichi Fukashi , Shigemura Katsumi , Yamashita Mauso , Tanaka Kazushi , Arakawa Soishi , Fujisawa Masato
Published: September 2014

The number of open radical prostatectomy (RP) surgeries has been decreasing owing to the spread of laparoscopic and robotic surgery, which has implications for postoperative wound healing. The purpose of this study was to investigate and document the current status of postoperative wound healing and superficial surgical site infection (SSI) in open RPs. One hundred and seventy‐five antegrade RPs with the same or similar kinds of prophylactic antibiotic administration were divided into two groups: (i) ‘no intervention’ (wound covering group) and (ii) ‘washing’, using a washing solution from the second postoperative day to the day of skin staple removal (wound washing group). We compared these groups for the occurrence of superficial SSI. The wound covering group had three (3·03%) cases of superficial SSI, with one case caused by methicillin sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA). The wound washing group had nine (11·8%) cases of superficial SSI, with three cases caused by MSSA, two cases caused by methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and one by Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The wound covering group showed a significantly lower ratio of superficial SSI (P = 0·0472). In conclusion, the postoperative wound status data in this study suggests that no wound intervention after RP resulted in a comparatively lower ratio of superficial SSI than in the wound washing group.
MicroRNA miR‐371a‐3p in serum of patients with germ cell tumours: evaluations for establishing a serum biomarker
Authors: Spiekermann M. , Belge G. , Winter N. , Ikogho R. , Balks T. , Bullerdiek J. , Dieckmann K.‐P.
Published: September 2014

As only 60% of the patients with germ cell tumour (GCT) express the classical markers, new markers as for example microRNAs (miRNAs) are required. One promising candidate is miR‐371a‐3p, but data are sparse to date. We measured serum levels of miR‐371a‐3p in GCT patients, in controls, and in cases with other malignancies. We also assessed the expression in other body fluids and we looked to the decline of serum miR‐371a‐3p levels after treatment. miR‐371a‐3p levels were measured by quantitative polymerase chain reaction in serum samples of 25 GCT patients, 6 testicular intraepithelial neoplasia (TIN) patients, 20 healthy males and 24 non‐testicular malignancies (NTMs). Testicular vein blood (TVB) was examined in five GCT patients and five controls. Five GCT patients had serial daily measurements after orchiectomy. Five seminal plasma samples, three urine specimens and one pleural effusion fluid were processed likewise. GCT patients had significantly higher miR‐371a‐3p serum levels than controls and NTMs. Serum levels of controls, TINs and NTMs were not significantly different. TVB samples of GCT patients had 65.4‐fold higher serum levels than peripheral blood. Malignant pleural effusion fluid had extremely high levels of miR‐371a‐3p, seminal plasma had strongly elevated levels by comparison with serum levels of controls. In urine of GCT patients, no miR‐371a‐3p expression was detected. Daily measurements after orchiectomy in stage 1 patients revealed a decline by 95% within 24 h. Serum levels of miR‐371a‐3p appear to be a promising specific biomarker of GCTs as is suggested by high serum levels in GCT patients, the rapid return of elevated levels to normal range after treatment, the association of serum levels with tumour bulk, the non‐expression in NTMs and the much higher levels of miR‐371a‐3p in TVB. This potential marker deserves further exploration in a large‐scale clinical study.
Genetic covariance between components of male reproductive success: within‐pair vs. extra‐pair paternity in song sparrows
Authors: Reid J. M. , Arcese P. , Losdat S.
Published: September 2014

The evolutionary trajectories of reproductive systems, including both male and female multiple mating and hence polygyny and polyandry, are expected to depend on the additive genetic variances and covariances in and among components of male reproductive success achieved through different reproductive tactics. However, genetic covariances among key components of male reproductive success have not been estimated in wild populations. We used comprehensive paternity data from socially monogamous but genetically polygynandrous song sparrows (Melospiza melodia) to estimate additive genetic variance and covariance in the total number of offspring a male sired per year outside his social pairings (i.e. his total extra‐pair reproductive success achieved through multiple mating) and his liability to sire offspring produced by his socially paired female (i.e. his success in defending within‐pair paternity). Both components of male fitness showed nonzero additive genetic variance, and the estimated genetic covariance was positive, implying that males with high additive genetic value for extra‐pair reproduction also have high additive genetic propensity to sire their socially paired female's offspring. There was consequently no evidence of a genetic or phenotypic trade‐off between male within‐pair paternity success and extra‐pair reproductive success. Such positive genetic covariance might be expected to facilitate ongoing evolution of polygyny and could also shape the ongoing evolution of polyandry through indirect selection.
Genetic determination of female castes in a hybridogenetic desert ant
Authors: Darras H. , Kuhn A. , Aron S.
Published: September 2014

In most social insects, the brood is totipotent and environmental factors determine whether a female egg will develop into a reproductive queen or a functionally sterile worker. However, genetic factors have been shown to affect the female's caste fate in a few ant species. The desert ant Cataglyphis hispanica reproduces by social hybridogenesis. All populations are characterized by the coexistence of two distinct genetic lineages. Queens are almost always found mated with a male of the alternate lineage than their own. Workers develop from hybrid crosses between the genetic lineages, whereas daughter queens are produced asexually via parthenogenesis. Here, we show that the association between genotype and caste in this species is maintained by a ‘hard‐wired’ genetic caste determination system, whereby nonhybrid genomes have lost the ability to develop as workers. Genetic analyses reveal that, in a rare population with multiple‐queen colonies, a significant proportion of nestmate queens are mated with males of their own lineage. These queens fail to produce worker offspring; they produce only purebred daughter queens by sexual reproduction. We discuss how the production of reproductive queens through sexual, intralineage crosses may favour the stability of social hybridogenesis in this species.
The Impact of pH and Sodium Chloride Concentration on the Efficiency of the Process of Separating High‐Molecular Compounds
Authors: Nędzarek Arkadiusz , Drost Arkadiusz , Tórz Agnieszka , Harasimiuk Filip , Kwaśniewski Daniel
Published: September 2014

The aim of the present paper was to analyze the process of ultrafiltration of model protein solutions of bovine serum albumin (BSA) used for ultrafiltration of a ceramic membrane with the cut‐off of 150 kDa. Working solutions were water solutions with 1 g/dm3 BSA concentration, 1% CH3COOH content and characterized by 4, 8 and 12% NaCl concentrations, respectively. The solutions were subjected to the process of ultrafiltration at various pH levels, i.e., 2, 4 and 6. The ultrafiltration tests were conducted at the pressure of 100 kPa and fixed temperature of 293K. The highest values of permeate flux were observed at pH 6 for all ionic strength variants. The lower the pH value, the lower the permeate flux. Concentrations of Na+ and Cl− ions did not have a significant influence on the volume of the permeate flow. At the same time, it was observed that at each pH variant the permeate flux was the lowest at the 4% concentration and was growing at the 8% concentration. The highest degree of protein retention in the membrane was observed when the value of pH equaled 2 (98.5–99.5%) and even though the degree of BSA retention was decreasing as the pH was growing, retention values remained at a high level (on average: 95.5% at pH 6). Obtained research results showed that optimal conditions for conducting the ultrafiltration process of water solutions of BSA characterized by various ionic strengths and with an addition of the acetic acid existed between the protein isoelectric point and the point of zero charge of the ultrafiltration membrane.

Practical Applications

Processes of membrane filtration are widely used in the food industry. Process streams of the industry are characterized by a broad pH range and the content of mineral salts or acids. This work may be helpful in the design of industrial filtration systems.
Effects of Barley Flour and Barley Protein Isolate Addition on Rheological and Sensory Properties of Pita Bread
Authors: Alu'datt Muhammad H. , Rababah Taha , Al‐Rabadi Ghaid J. , Ereifej Khalil , Gammoh Sana , Masadeh Nather , Torley Peter J.
Published: September 2014

This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of wheat flour containing various levels (0, 5, 10 and 15%) of barley protein isolate (BPI) and barley flour (BF) on sensory (trained panel and consumer panel) and instrumental (texture and color) properties of Pita bread. Increasing the level of BF or BPI in the flour significantly reduced the aromatic flavor attributes of bread. Results demonstrated that the bread made with increasing ratio of fortification of BF in wheat flour reduced the texture attributes, whereas bread made from increasing the ratio of fortification of BPI had a harder texture. Most of the instrumental, descriptive and consumer results showed that the fortification of 5 and 10% BF were similar to control, and acceptable to the panel and consumers.

Practical Applications

Results indicated that bread made from fortification of wheat flour with 5 and 10% of BF and BPI showed superior physicochemical and sensory properties compared with the control and 15% and suggested to use it in the food industry with consumer demand acceptability.
Comparative Study of Sodium Bicarbonate on Gelling Properties of Alaska Pollock Surimi Prepared at Different Freezing Rates
Authors: Hunt A. , Park J.W.
Published: September 2014

Sodium bicarbonate (0.05%) and phosphate (0.3%) were combined individually with 5% sorbitol and 4% sugar as cryoprotectant in Alaska pollock surimi. Ten kilograms of prepared surimi were frozen either conventionally (C) (2‐in thick blocks; plate freezer), fast (F) (∼0.25‐in thick sheets; plate freezer), or slow (S) (2‐in thick blocks; blast freezer). The effect of ingredient (sodium bicarbonate [S] or phosphate [P]) and freezing method (C, F or S) were evaluated with regard to gel texture (puncture force and penetration distance), water retention ability, and chemical properties (salt‐soluble proteins [SSPs], total sulfhydryl groups and pH) at 0, 3, 6, 9, and 12 months frozen storage (−30C). Ingredient, freezing method, and frozen storage period were found to significantly (P < 0.05) affect puncture force, penetration distance, SSPs and water retention ability. Sodium bicarbonate combined with conventional and fast freezing tended to result in improved values for these measurements as well.

Practical Applications

Listing phosphate on the ingredient label of a product is sometimes viewed negatively by consumers. Therefore, finding ingredients to effectively replace phosphate without losing the positive functional abilities of phosphate would be desired. The ability of sodium bicarbonate to meet and exceed performance expectations of phosphate as a cryoprotectant of Alaska pollock fish proteins during 12 months of frozen storage would allow for the effective replacement of phosphate in this application.
Optimization of Ultrasonic and High Hydrostatic Pressure Conditions on Quality Parameters of Mulberry (Morus Moraceae) Juice Using Response Surface Methodology
Authors: Engmann Felix N. , Ma Yongkun , Tchabo William , Ma Hui , Zhang Hainin
Published: September 2014

The Box–Behnken design response surface method was employed to analyze the synergistic effects of manosonication on some quality parameters of mulberry juice. Activity of polyphenol oxidase (PPO) was significantly affected by the linear terms of ultrasonic frequency and pressure, as well as the interaction between ultrasonic frequency and pressurizing time. Peroxidase (POD) was significantly affected by the interaction between ultrasonic time and pressurizing time as well as the quadratic term of ultrasonic time. Yeast and bacteria were inactivated to levels beyond detection. Model desirability prediction at 95% confidence gave optimal manosonication levels as 25.00 kHz, 15.35 min, 376.36 MPa and 10.01 min for ultrasound frequency, ultrasound time, pressure and pressurizing time, respectively. At these optimum levels, the predicted % anthocyanin retained activities of PPO and POD, color brightness, hue angle and chroma were 83.08%, 45.55%, 53.93%, 7.59, 112.09° and 11.74, respectively. The overall desirability index was 0.639.

Practical Applications

The independent factor levels used for the manosonication process were adequate to reduce microbial levels to beyond detection, a high percentage of anthocyanin content was retained, residual polyphenol oxidase and peroxidase activities were significantly reduced, while color parameters were minimally affected. Therefore, the optimized manosonication conditions obtained in this work using the response surface methodology provide the industry with the requisite information for adoption and utilization in processing high‐quality mulberry juice as well as other fruit juices. Consumers' continuous request for products with extended shelf life, having fresh‐like taste, while maintaining their nutrients and essential phytochemicals vital for good health, without the use of antimicrobials or heat, could be achieved by manosonication conditions used in this work.
Application of a Rapid Method for Detecting Vibrio Parahaemolyticus in Seafood
Authors: Wang Yuan , Shen Xiao‐sheng , Gu Run Run , Shi Yong Fu , Tian Liang Liang
Published: September 2014

A double‐layer agar plate (DLAP) method was used to detect Vibrio parahaemolyticus in culture broth and seafood samples, which were added with certain amount of V. parahaemolyticus and then subjected to freezing treatment. The results of DLAP, which were compared with the most probable number (MPN) method and direct‐plating methods such as Bio‐chrome Vibrio medium (BCVM) and thiosulfate–citrate–bile salts–sucrose agar (TCBS), showed that they were not significantly different (P > 0.05) from each other under the normal experimental conditions. However, if the bacterium was inactive or injured, the results of DLAP were as effective as MPN and more accurate than those of BCVM and TCBS. Furthermore, DLAP showed the total agreement compared with the MPN method by examining the presence of V. parahaemolyticus in naturally contaminated seafood samples. Because of its sensitivity and exactness, DLAP offers a broad application for fast screening and detecting of V. parahaemolyticus in seafood.

Practical Applications

Consumption of raw or undercooked seafood, particularly shellfish, contaminated with Vibrio parahaemolyticus may lead to the development of acute gastroenteritis characterized by diarrhea, headache, vomiting, nausea, abdominal cramps and low fever. Now, this bacterium is recognized as an important seafood‐borne pathogen throughout the world. Usually, 5 to 7 days are required for V. parahaemolyticus detection by the most commonly used procedure – the most probable number method, which is very time‐consuming and labor‐intensive. Some time‐saving alternatives such as polymerase chain reaction or DNA methods are not economically appealing. The considerations demand for a rapid method for V. parahaemolyticus detection that is at least as sensitive and accurate as the methods used currently. A double‐layer agar plate method described here can satisfy these criteria and can be used for rapid detection of V. parahaemolyticus in artificially and naturally contaminated samples in laboratory testing.
Behavior of Brucella Abortus and Brucella Melitensis in Afyon Tulum Cheese
Authors: Kara Recep , Akkaya Levent
Published: September 2014

Raw milk and its products play a considerable role in spreading Brucella infection. The purpose of this study was to determine the growth and survival abilities of Brucella abortus (NCTC ‐ National Collection of Type Cultures 10863) and Brucella melitensis (NCTC 10094) during the production and the ripening of Afyon Tulum cheese. B. abortus was inhibited in group inoculated at 4 log cfu/g, at the 15th day of ripening. In the group inoculated at 6 log cfu/g, B. abortus was inhibited at the 45th day of ripening. B. melitensis was inhibited in groups inoculated at 4 and 6 log cfu/g, at the 30th day of ripening. The growth and survival of B. abortus and B. melitensis were influenced by the type of strains and numbers inoculated in the Afyon Tulum cheese samples. It is important to produce Afyon Tulum cheese from Brucella spp.‐free milk and to mature Afyon Tulum cheese for the correct minimum time period.

Practical Applications

Brucella spp. are zoonotic infections for humans. Raw milk and especially cheese are potential sources for the transmission of Brucella spp. Afyon Tulum cheese must be produced from pathogen‐free raw milk for public health and characteristic properties.
Comparative portal hypotensive effects as propranolol of vitamin D3 treatment by decreasing intrahepatic resistance in cirrhotic rats
Authors: Lee Pei‐Chang , Yang Ying‐Ying , Lee Wei‐Ping , Lee Kuei‐Chuan , Hsieh Yun‐Cheng , Lee Tzung‐Yan , Lin Han‐Chieh
Published: September 2014

Background and Aim

Vitamin D3 improves portal hypertension (PH) through the activation of vitamin D receptor (VDR) and calcium‐sensing receptor (CaSR) in cirrhotic rats. Propranolol is a non‐selective β‐blocker that is recommended for the treatment of PH. The present study aims to investigate the detail systemic and hepatic mechanisms of vitamin D3 and propranolol, alone or in combination, in cirrhotic rats.

Methods

Common bile duct‐ligated and thioacetamide cirrhotic rats were treated with vehicle, propranolol (30 mg/kg/day), vitamin D3 (0.5 μg/100 g/day, twice weekly), or propranolol + vitamin D3, separately.

Results

Significantly, propranolol and vitamin D3 produced a similar magnitude of reduction in portal venous pressure (PVP) in cirrhotic rats through different mechanisms: whereas propranolol decreased PVP by reducing splanchnic hyperemia and cardiac index, vitamin D3 decreased PVP by decreasing intrahepatic resistance (IHR). However, propranolol + vitamin D3 did not further decrease PVP in cirrhotic rats. Notably, a marked decrease in hepatic VDR and CaSR expressions was noted in cirrhotic human/rat livers compared with non‐cirrhotic human/rat livers. In cirrhotic rats, vitamin D3 administration decreasing IHR by inhibiting the renin–angiotensin system, hepatic oxidative stress, inflammation/fibrosis, angiotensin II (ANGII) production, CaSR‐mediated ANGII hyperresponsiveness, ANGII‐induced hepatic stellate cells contraction, and correcting hepatic endothelial dysfunction through upregulation of hepatic VDR, CaSR, and endothelial nitric oxide synthase expressions.

Conclusion

Chronic vitamin D3 treatment alone results in comparative portal hypotensive effects as propranolol alone in cirrhotic rats with PH. Taken together, chronic vitamin D3 administration was an ideal alternative strategy to effectively improve PH without unwanted systemic side‐effects.
Time‐dependent antibacterial effects of Aloe vera and Zataria multiflora plant essential oils compared to calcium hydroxide in teeth infected with Enterococcus faecalis
Authors: Abbaszadegan Abbas , Sahebi Safoora , Gholami Ahmad , Delroba Alireza , Kiani Amin , Iraji Aida , Abbott Paul Vincent
Published: September 2014

Aim

In the present in vitro study, we investigated the time‐related antimicrobial efficacy of Aloe vera and Zataria multiflora (Z. multiflora) plant essential oils compared to calcium hydroxide ([Ca[OH]2) to eliminate Enterococcus faecalis (E. faecalis) from root canals.

Methods

A new strain of E. faecalis (Enterococcus spp. AGH04) was isolated from a previously root‐filled tooth with persistent apical periodontitis. The 16S rRNA sequence was analyzed and deposited in GeneBank under accession number KF465681. A total of 108 extracted human single‐rooted teeth were contaminated with this bacterial strain and treated with Aloe vera essential oil, Z. multiflora essential oil, and Ca(OH)2 for 1, 7, and 14 days. Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) was used to determine the chemical composition of the oils. The percentage reduction from initial c.f.u./mL counts were calculated and analyzed.

Results

Carvacrol, thymol, and linalool were the main constituents of both essential oils. The c.f.u./mL count reductions significantly increased for all three medicaments when the contact time was extended. A statistically‐significant difference was observed between the medicaments after 1 and 7 days, but there was no significant difference after 14 days.

Conclusions

Both medicinal herbs showed equal antimicrobial efficiency against E. faecalis, comparable to Ca(OH)2 for the prolonged contact time of 14 days.
The Emergence of Milgram's Bureaucratic Machine
Authors: Russell Nestar
Published: September 2014

Based on documents from Yale University, this article advances new sociological insights on Milgram's experiments, which bolster and extend Russell and Gregory's largely psychological explanation. From behind‐the‐scenes, Milgram's experiments are viewed as an ideologically driven, inherently coercive, and goal‐orientated bureaucratic process. The individual links within this organisational chain included Milgram (project manager), Yale University (institutional support), the National Science Foundation (funding), Milgram's research team (the actors), ending with the final link, the “shock”‐inflicting participants. Analysis illustrates how the division of labour inherent within this bureaucratic process facilitated Milgram's high completion rates because when highly stressed participants inflicted the most intense shocks, every link in the chain had the opportunity to displace or diffuse personal responsibility for their actually or, for the participants, seemingly harmful contributions. This analysis is consistent with Durkheim's insistence that to better understand the behavior of individuals, the social—and therefore sociological—context must also be considered.
Revisioning Obedience: Exploring the Role of Milgram's Skills as a Filmmaker in Bringing His Shocking Narrative to Life
Authors: Millard Kathryn
Published: September 2014

In his “Obedience to Authority” experiments, Milgram took on the dual roles of scientific investigator and documentary filmmaker. He used photography and film as tools of investigation and dissemination throughout his career. Milgram claimed the documentary Obedience (1965) as audiovisual evidence of his “obedience to authority” paradigm. “Revisioning Milgram” looks behind the scenes at the scripting and authoring of Obedience in order to assess its claims as both art and science. It examines the way in which Milgram constructed a visual narrative to support his preferred findings and some of the tensions that arose when his film was first broadcast. This article considers how we might recover the lost visual narratives of Obedience in order to contribute to contemporary reappraisals of “Obedience to Authority.”
Nothing by Mere Authority: Evidence that in an Experimental Analogue of the Milgram Paradigm Participants are Motivated not by Orders but by Appeals to Science
Authors: Haslam S. Alexander , Reicher Stephen D. , Birney Megan E.
Published: September 2014

Milgram's classic studies are widely understood to demonstrate people's natural inclination to obey the orders of those in authority. However, of the prods that Milgram's Experimenter employed to encourage participants to continue the one most resembling an order was least successful. This study examines the impact of prods more closely by manipulating them between‐participants within an analogue paradigm in which participants are instructed to use negative adjectives to describe increasingly pleasant groups. Across all conditions, continuation and completion were positively predicted by the extent to which prods appealed to scientific goals but negatively predicted by the degree to which a prod constituted an order. These results provide no support for the traditional obedience account of Milgram's findings but are consistent with an engaged followership model which argues that participants’ willingness to continue with an objectionable task is predicated upon active identification with the scientific project and those leading it.