bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Participation of family members and quality of patient care – the perspective of adult surgical patients
Authors: Leino‐Kilpi Helena , Gröndahl Weronica , Katajisto Jouko , Nurminen Matti , Suhonen Riitta
Published: June 2016

Aims and objectives

The aim of this study is to describe the participation of family members in the care of Finnish adult surgical patients and the connection of the participation with the quality of patient care as perceived by surgical patients.

Background

The family members of adult surgical patients are important. Earlier studies vary concerning the nature of participation, its meaning and the connection of participation with patient‐centred quality of care. In this study, we aim to produce new knowledge about adult surgical patients whose family members have participated in their care.

Design

This was a cross‐sectional descriptive survey study.

Methods

The data were collected among adult surgical patients (N = 481) before being discharged home from hospital with two instruments: the Good Nursing Care scale and the Received Knowledge of Hospital Patients.

Results

Based on the results, most adult surgical patients report that family members participate in their care. Participation was connected with received knowledge and preconditions of care, which are components of the quality of patient care.

Conclusions

In future, testing of different solutions for improving the participation of surgical patients’ family members in patient care should be implemented. Furthermore, the preconditions of family members’ participation in care and the concept of participation should be analysed to emphasise the active role of family members.

Relevance to clinical practice

The results emphasised the importance of family members for the patients in surgical care. Family members’ participation is connected with the quality of patient care.
Association among components of resilience and workplace violence‐related depression among emergency department nurses in Taiwan: a cross‐sectional study
Authors: Hsieh Hsiu‐Fen , Chen Yao‐Mei , Wang Hsiu‐Hung , Chang Shu‐Chen , Ma Shu‐Ching
Published: June 2016

Aim and objectives

This correlation study examined the relationship among recently workplace violence, depressive tendency, social support, and resilience of victimised nurses, and we also tried to identify protective factors and potential targets for preventive interventions for these nurses.

Background

Workplace violence in hospitals negatively affects occupational health and safety of medical professionals, especially for emergency department nurses.

Design

A cross‐sectional, correlation research design was applied.

Methods

Hierarchical regression was used to examine data which were collected from June 2013 to December 2013 from emergency departments in Taiwan. One hundred and eighty nurses were recruited from two hospitals. Structured interviews and questionnaires were applied to collect data, including the Social Support Scale, the Resilience Scale and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression.

Results

A total of 159 (88·33%) nurses had suffered from physical or verbal violence by patients or their family. Resilience and peer support were significantly higher in the group without depressive tendency. Components of resilience of personal strength, social competence, structure style and religious beliefs were significant factors which accounted for 46·0% of variance in depressive tendency. Three of the five components of resilience: personal strength, social competence and structured style were found to have profounder effects against depressive tendency than peer support.

Conclusions

Hospital managers should establish a safer working environment for emergency department nurses and reinforce their resilience against depression when they encounter workplace violence.

Relevance to clinical practice

This study showed that three of the five components of resilience: personal strength, social competence and structured style are protective factors against depressive tendency in victimised nurses. Improving these three components with coping and problem‐solving skills by healthcare manager would be effective measures for enhancing their resilience in situations of workplace violence.
Professionalism and professional quality of life for oncology nurses
Authors: Jang Insil , Kim Yuna , Kim Kyunghee
Published: June 2016

Aims and objectives

To identify the relationship between professionalism and professional quality of life among oncology nurses working at tertiary hospitals in Korea.

Backgrounds

Oncology nurses are combined with core competencies and qualities required in cancer patient care. Professionalism that means compassion satisfaction and compassion fatigue is a main concept in problem‐solving strategies as motivation. Their satisfaction is representative of professionalism and professional quality of life. However, little research has focused on professionalism and professional quality of life.

Design

A cross‐sectional study with self‐administered questionnaires.

Methods

A total of 285 nurses from two tertiary hospitals were included. Data collection was undertaken using Korean version of professionalism scale derived from the Hall Professional Inventory Scale and professional quality of life. Data were analysed by spss 21.0 for Windows Program using t‐test, anova, and multiple regression.

Results

The mean score of professionalism in oncology nurses was 77·98 ± 7·31. The mean professional quality of life score for compassion satisfaction, compassion fatigue and secondary traumatic stress was 33·84 ± 5·62, 28·38 ± 5·36 and 28·33 ± 5·48. Compassion satisfaction was affected by factors of professionalism with an explanatory power of 49·2%. Burnout and secondary traumatic stress were affected by factors of professionalism with an explanatory power of 39·3% and 4·8%.

Conclusion

The higher the professionalism leads to the higher the compassion satisfaction, the lower the compassion fatigue. The relationship between professionalism and professional quality of life for a health work environment requires further investigation.

Relevance to clinical practice

Our study supports the idea that enhancing professionalism can increase professional quality of life. It is necessary to develop professionalism by recognised qualifications and applied rewards in advanced nursing organisational culture. Furthermore, compassion satisfaction is increased by continuing ethical and moral education programme for clinical nurses to force professional dedication and encouraging nurses to affiliate themselves with the professional communities. Nurses are connected to professionalism affect the quality of nursing service for patients and professional quality of life for themselves.
The associations of socioeconomic status and social capital with gingival bleeding among schoolchildren
Authors: Tomazoni Fernanda , Vettore Mario Vianna , Zanatta Fabricio Batistin , Tuchtenhagen Simone , Moreira Carlos Heitor Cunha , Ardenghi Thiago Machado
Published: June 2016

Objective

The aim of this study was to assess the associations of gingival bleeding with individual and community social variables among schoolchildren.

Methods

This cross‐sectional study evaluated a representative, multistage, random sample of 1,134 12‐year‐old schoolchildren from Santa Maria, a city in southern Brazil. The participants were examined clinically, and full‐mouth gingival bleeding was recorded according to the Community Periodontal Index criteria (scored as healthy or bleeding). The children's parents or guardians answered questions regarding their socioeconomic status and social capital, and an assessment of the associations was performed using multilevel Poisson regression models.

Results

The prevalence of gingival bleeding was 96.21 percent. The multilevel adjusted assessment revealed that socioeconomic, clinical, and social capital variables at the individual level were associated with higher levels of gingival bleeding. Children whose fathers had a low educational level, children who had dental plaque and dental crowding, and children who never/almost never attended religious meetings exhibited significantly higher levels of gingival bleeding than their counterparts. This social gradient remained significant even after adjusting for contextual‐level covariates.

Conclusion

The results indicate that the socioeconomic status and features of social capital are associated with the levels of gingival bleeding among schoolchildren.
Whorf's Lost Argument: Multilingual Awareness
Authors: Pavlenko Aneta
Published: June 2016

Debates about linguistic relativity commonly focus on one question: Does language affect thought? This yes‐or‐no question does not do justice to the complexity of Whorf's ideas and skirts several issues of great importance to Whorf. My first aim in this article is to recover the arguments that got lost in translation of Whorf's ideas into the Sapir‐Whorf hypothesis. I will show that, for Whorf, languages were also one of the ways in which we think, scientists were not immune to language effects, and the key to advancement of Western science was multilingual awareness. My second aim is to draw on these insights to articulate a Whorfian agenda for the field of second language acquisition (SLA) that asks new questions about second language learning and cognition and expands the boundaries of the field and the scope, duration, and locations of SLA research.
Combined stomach content and δ13C/δ15N analyses of oilfish, escolar, snake mackerel and lancetfish in the western North Atlantic
Authors: Keller Heidi R. , Hirons Amy C. , Kerstetter David W.
Published: June 2016

Large, mesopelagic teleost fishes have a potentially keystone position in the ecology of the pelagic water column, yet remain relatively unstudied when compared with large, commercially important, epipelagic fishes. Here, the ecological roles of four, large, vertically migrating teleosts were examined. Stomach content analyses were performed on 48 oilfish (Ruvettus pretiosis), 35 escolar (Lepidocybium flavobrunneum), 32 snake mackerel (Gempylus serpens) and seven lancetfish (Alepisaurus spp.) collected from pelagic longline gear in the Western North Atlantic Ocean from 2007 to 2010. Of these specimens, stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analyses were also performed on white dorsal muscle tissue from 33 oilfish, 16 escolar, 27 snake mackerel and seven lancetfish. Based on literature length‐at‐maturity values, all escolar, snake mackerel and lancetfish specimens were mature, while 13 of the 33 oilfish were juveniles. Crustaceans, annelids, salps, cephalopods and teleosts were present in the stomachs and were presumed to be prey items. A Kruskal–Wallis test showed the four species to be isotopically segregated in both δ13C and δ15N. Escolar were the most depleted in δ13C, followed by adult oilfish, juvenile oilfish and lancetfish, with snake mackerel the most enriched. The depletion in δ13C of adult oilfish and escolar may have been attributable to high C/N values, which were strongly correlated with length in oilfish, weakly correlated with length in escolar and moderately correlated with length in snake mackerel and lancetfish. The high C/N was likely due to the high lipid concentration of these fishes. Other factors that may have contributed to the depletion in δ13C may include spawning or a change in carbon source within the ecosystem. Large escolar occupied the highest trophic level (δ15N = 10.20), followed by snake mackerel (δ15N = 9.66), adult oilfish (δ15N = 9.32), lancetfish (δ15N = 9.05) and juvenile oilfish (δ15N = 7.83). A marked change in oilfish δ13C and C/N at 30–35 cm fork length coincided with a presumed length‐at‐maturity.
An update on the latest evidence for managing the clinically negative neck (cN0) in oral squamous cell carcinoma
Authors: Brennan PA , Subramaniam S , Tsioryannis C , Green B
Published: June 2016

The single most important prognostic indicator for survival in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the presence of lymph node metastases in the neck. While the treatment of the clinically node positive (cN+) neck is well established, the management of the clinically negative neck (cN0) is controversial. Various strategies have been advocated including close observation including regular ultrasound imaging, elective neck dissection and sentinel lymph node biopsy. Neck dissection surgery is not without potential morbidity with shoulder dysfunction being the main complication. A number of factors are associated with increased risk of neck node metastasis including primary tumour thickness and peri‐neural invasion. A recent prospective randomised trial has found survival benefit following neck dissection even in patients with a cN0 neck at presentation. We discuss the latest evidence for managing the cN0 in OSCC and include our own experience on the role of neck dissection in certain cases.
Pain Drawings Improve Subgrouping of Low Back Pain Patients
Authors: Hüllemann Philipp , Keller Thomas , Kabelitz Maria , Freynhagen Rainer , Tölle Thomas , Baron Ralf
Published: June 2016

Background

Subgrouping of low back pain (LBP) patients may be improved when pain drawings are combined with the painDETECT (PD‐Q) questionnaire. We hypothesized that (1) different LBP subgroups determined by their pain radiation show different clinical patterns and (2) the occurrence of neuropathic symptoms depends on pain radiation.

Methods

A total of 19,263 acute (< 6 weeks’ duration), subacute (6 to 12 weeks), and chronic (> 3 months) LBP patients were allocated prospectively into 4 groups based on the location of pain drawings on a manikin and compared regarding neuropathic pain components, functionality, depression, pain intensity, and surgical interventions. All items were investigated at baseline and follow‐up visits. Group I was composed of patients with axial LBP without radiating pain; group II, LBP with radiation into the thigh; group III, LBP with radiation into the shank; and group IV, LBP with radiation into the feet. Side‐dependent pain radiation was assessed additionally.

Results

Depression, functionality, and pain intensity showed no clinically relevant differences, whereas PD‐Q scores and the probability to rate positive for neuropathic pain increased with more distally radiating pain. Surgery and medication intake were most frequent in group IV. Follow‐up analyses showed that only axial LBP became more neuropathic, whereas pain intensity decreased over time.

Conclusions

Radicular patterns of pain drawings in LBP patients indicate severe pain conditions with the most neuropathic components, while axial LBP has the fewest. For the categorization of LBP, pain drawings help explain the underlying mechanism of pain, which might further improve mechanism‐based treatment when used in clinical routines and research.
A quality improvement initiative to increase pneumococcal vaccination coverage among children after kidney transplant
Authors: Malone Kathryn , Clark Stephanie , Palmer Jo Ann , Lopez Sonya , Pradhan Madhura , Furth Susan , Kim Jason , Fisher Brian , Laskin Benjamin
Published: June 2016

Pneumococcal vaccination rates among children receiving a kidney transplant remain suboptimal. Current practice guidelines in the United States recommend giving the PPSV23 after priming with the PCV13. We conducted a QI initiative to increase pneumococcal vaccine rates in our kidney transplant recipients by developing an age‐based vaccine algorithm, obtaining vaccine records, and generating reminders for patients and clinicians. A monthly report from the EHR tracked outcomes. The process metric was missed vaccine opportunities, and the overall objective was to improve coverage with both the PCV13 and PPSV23. Over the first six months, we increased the percentage of visits where the vaccine was given from a baseline of 4% to 33%. However, by the end of the 12‐month period, the percentage of eligible visits where the vaccine was given decreased to 8.7%. Nevertheless, over the 12‐month observation period, we were able to increase the percentage of transplant patients receiving the PCV13 and PPSV23 from 6% to 52%. Utilizing an age‐based algorithm and the electronic medical record, vaccine champions can track both missed visit opportunities and the number of vaccinated patients to improve pneumococcal immunization coverage for these high‐risk patients.
“Exercise as medicine” in chronic kidney disease
Authors: Wilkinson T. J. , Shur N. F. , Smith A. C.
Published: June 2016

Exercise and physical activity are increasingly becoming key tools in the treatment and prevention of several medical conditions including arthritis and diabetes; this notion has been termed “exercise as medicine”. Exercise has favorable effects on reducing cardiovascular risk, inflammation, cachexia, and hypertension, in addition to increasing physical functioning, strength, and cardio‐respiratory capacity. Chronic kidney disease, a condition that affects around 10% of the population, is often overlooked as a target for exercise‐based therapy. Despite the vast range of severity in kidney disease (e.g., pre‐dialysis, dialysis, transplant), exercise has a potential role in all patients suffering from the condition. In this review, we summarise the important role exercise may have in the clinical management of kidney disease and how this form of ‘medicine’ should be best administered and ‘prescribed’.
On solving bias‐corrected non‐linear estimation equations with an application to the dynamic linear model
Authors: Mahmood Munir , King Maxwell L.
Published: June 2016

In a seminal paper, Mak, Journal of the Royal Statistical Society B, 55, 1993, 945, derived an efficient algorithm for solving non‐linear unbiased estimation equations. In this paper, we show that when Mak's algorithm is applied to biased estimation equations, it results in the estimates that would come from solving a bias‐corrected estimation equation, making it a consistent estimator if regularity conditions hold. In addition, the properties that Mak established for his algorithm also apply in the case of biased estimation equations but for estimates from the bias‐corrected equations. The marginal likelihood estimator is obtained when the approach is applied to both maximum likelihood and least squares estimation of the covariance matrix parameters in the general linear regression model. The new approach results in two new estimators when applied to the profile and marginal likelihood functions for estimating the lagged dependent variable coefficient in the dynamic linear regression model. Monte Carlo simulation results show the new approach leads to a better estimator when applied to the standard profile likelihood. It is therefore recommended for situations in which standard estimators are known to be biased.
AtCDC48A is involved in the turnover of an NLR immune receptor
Authors: Copeland Charles , Woloshen Virginia , Huang Yan , Li Xin
Published: June 2016

Plants rely on different immune receptors to recognize pathogens and defend against pathogen attacks. Nucleotide‐binding domain and leucine‐rich repeat (NLR) proteins play a major role as intracellular immune receptors. Their homeostasis must be maintained at optimal levels in order to effectively recognize pathogens without causing autoimmunity. Previous studies have shown that the activity of the ubiquitin‐proteasome system is essential to prevent excessive accumulation of NLR proteins such as Suppressor of NPR1, Constitutive 1 (SNC1). Attenuation of the ubiquitin E3 ligase SCFCPR1 (Constitutive expressor of Pathogenesis Related genes 1) or the E4 protein MUSE3 (Mutant, SNC1‐Enhancing 3) leads to NLR accumulation and autoimmunity. In the current study, we report the identification of AtCDC48A as a negative regulator of NLR‐mediated immunity. Plants carrying Atcdc48A‐4, a partial loss‐of‐function allele of AtCDC48A, exhibit dwarf morphology and enhanced disease resistance to the oomycete pathogen Hyaloperonospora arabidopsidis (H.a.) Noco2. The SNC1 level is increased in Atcdc48A‐4 plants and AtCDC48A interacts with MUSE3 in co‐immunoprecipitation experiments, supporting a role for AtCDC48A in NLR turnover. While Arabidopsis contains four other paralogs of AtCDC48A, knockout mutants of these genes do not show obvious immunity‐related phenotypes, suggesting functional divergence within this family. As an AAA‐ATPase, AtCDC48A likely serves to process the poly‐ubiquitinated NLR substrate for final protein degradation by the 26S proteasome.
Influenza A Viruses Detected in Swine in Southern Germany after the H1N1 Pandemic in 2009
Authors: Pippig J. , Ritzmann M. , Büttner M. , Neubauer‐Juric A.
Published: June 2016

Infections with influenza A viruses (IAV) are highly prevalent in swine populations, and stable cocirculation of at least three lineages has been well documented in European swine – till 2009. However, since the emergence of the human pandemic pdmH1N1 virus in 2009, which has been (re)introduced into individual swine herds worldwide, the situation has been changing. These variations in the respective IAV pools within pig populations are of major interest, and the zoonotic potential of putative emerging viruses needs to be evaluated. As data on recent IAV in swine from southern Germany were relatively sparse, the purpose of this study was to determine the major IAV subtypes actually present in this region. To this aim, from 2010 to 2013, 1417 nasal swabs or lung tissue samples from pigs with respiratory disease were screened for IAV genomes. Overall, in 130 holdings IAV genomes were detected by real‐time RT‐PCR targeting the matrix protein gene. For further analyses, several PCR protocols were adapted to quickly subtype between H1, pdmH1, H3, N1 and N2 sequences. Taken together, cocirculation of the three stable European lineages of IAV was confirmed for Bavaria. H1N1 sequences were identified in 59, whereas H1N2 genomes were only diagnosed in 14, and H3N2 in 9 of the holdings analysed. However, pdmH1 in combination with N1 was detected in 2010, 2012 and 2013 confirming a presence, albeit in low prevalence, likewise pdmH1N2 reassortant viruses. Interestingly, individual cases of coinfections with more than one subtype were diagnosed. Partial genome sequences were determined and phylogenetic analyses performed. Clearly other than in the human population classically circulating IAV have not been displaced by pdmH1N1 in Bavarian swine. However, some interesting viruses were detected. Further surveillance of these viruses in the Bavarian pig population will be of major importance, to monitor future developments.
The Survival of a Temperate vtx Bacteriophage and an Anti‐Verocytotoxigenic Escherichia coli O157 Lytic Phage in Water and Soil Samples
Authors: Nyambe S. , Burgess C. , Whyte P. , Bolton D.
Published: June 2016

Verocytotoxigenic (vtx) Escherichia coli (VTEC) are zoonotic foodborne pathogens with the vtx operon encoded by lambdoid bacteriophage (phage). Despite much research on the host bacteria, similar data on the persistence of verocytotoxin converting phage and the ecological niches where transduction occurs are lacking and novel VTEC of important public health significance, have and continue to emerge. This study investigated the survival of a temperate vtx bacteriophage (24B::kanamycinR) in water (raw farm, pasteurized farm, laboratory tap and autoclaved purified water) and soil (sandy loam and loam soil). It also examined the persistence of an anti‐VTEC lytic phage (e11/2) in the same matrices as this may be one option for controlling the emergence of novel VTEC, especially in farm ecological niches where other control options, such as chemical, heat or high pressure treatments, are not feasible. Samples inoculated with 24B::kanamycinR and e11/2 bacteriophage (8 log10 pfu/ml or pfu/g) separately were incubated at 4°C and 14°C, representative Irish Winter and Summer temperatures, respectively, and tested every 2 days for 40 days. The transduction of 24B::kanamycinR was also continuously assessed. Both phages survived with reductions observed, regardless of matrix or storage temperature. Moreover, 24B::kanamycinR was able to transduce its host E. coli strain. It was therefore concluded that aquatic and soil environments on farms may serve as a vtx phage reservoir and transduction point but anti‐VTEC phage is a possible biocontrol option.
English-speaking preschoolers can use phrasal prosody for syntactic parsing
Authors: de Carvalho Alex , Lidz Jeffrey , Tieu Lyn , Bleam Tonia , Christophe Anne
Published: June 2016

This study tested American preschoolers' ability to use phrasal prosody to constrain their syntactic analysis of locally ambiguous sentences containing noun/verb homophones (e.g., [The baby flies] [hide in the shadows] vs [The baby] [flies his kite], brackets indicate prosodic boundaries). The words following the homophone were masked, such that prosodic cues were the only disambiguating information. In an oral completion task, 4- to 5-year-olds successfully exploited the sentence's prosodic structure to assign the appropriate syntactic category to the target word, mirroring previous results in French (but challenging previous English-language results) and providing cross-linguistic evidence for the role of phrasal prosody in children's syntactic analysis.
High-profile cancer reviews trigger controversy
Authors: Kupferschmidt Kai
Published: June 2016

IARC reports create mostly confusion, scientists say.
California approves publicly funded gun research center
Authors: Underwood Emily
Published: June 2016

University of California to run $5 million center that could tap state's extensive database on firearm transfers.
Beleaguered phage therapy trial presses on
Authors: Servick Kelly
Published: June 2016

Setbacks suggest difficult road for much-needed antibiotic alternatives.
Comment on “The Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation without a role for ocean circulation”
Authors: Zhang Rong , Sutton Rowan , Danabasoglu Gokhan , Delworth Thomas L. , Kim Who M. , Robson Jon , Yeager Stephen G.
Published: June 2016

Clement
et al
. (Reports, 16 October 2015, p. 320) claim that the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) is a thermodynamic response of the ocean mixed layer to stochastic atmospheric forcing and that ocean circulation changes have no role in causing the AMO. These claims are not justified. We show that ocean dynamics play a central role in the AMO.
Response to Comment on “The Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation without a role for ocean circulation”
Authors: Clement Amy , Cane Mark A. , Murphy Lisa N. , Bellomo Katinka , Mauritsen Thorsten , Stevens Bjorn
Published: June 2016

Zhang
et al
. interpret the mixed-layer energy budget in models as showing that “ocean dynamics play a central role in the AMO.” Here, we show that their diagnostics cannot reveal the causes of the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) and that their results can be explained with minimal ocean influence. Hence, we reaffirm our findings that the AMO in models can be understood primarily as the upper-ocean thermal response to stochastic atmospheric forcing.
Quantum phase magnification
Authors: Hosten O. , Krishnakumar R. , Engelsen N. J. , Kasevich M. A.
Published: June 2016

Quantum enhanced metrology

Exploiting the quantum-mechanical properties of quantum systems offer the possibility of developing devices for enhanced precision measurement and sensing applications. These devices have, however, required low-noise detection capabilities that have hampered their development. Hosten
et al.
describe a method that manipulates a coherent cloud of cold rubidium atoms in a way that relaxes the ultrasensitive detection requirements. The general method may be applied to other coherent quantum systems.

Science
, this issue p.
1552
A sentinel goblet cell guards the colonic crypt by triggering Nlrp6-dependent Muc2 secretion
Authors: Birchenough George M. H. , Nyström Elisabeth E. L. , Johansson Malin E. V. , Hansson Gunnar C.
Published: June 2016

Mounting the intestinal barricades

Gut microbiota are important for health and well-being, but they need to be kept under control and prevented from doing any harm. Birchenough
et al.
investigated the microbial molecules that trigger protective mucus secretion from a class of goblet cells in the colon. Once the molecules are detected, an alarm signal is transmitted from these cells via innate immune signal mediators and inflammasome components to adjacent cells, generating more mucus and repelling the invaders. Subsequently, the sentinel goblet cells are expelled from the epithelium and their remains may also add to the protective barricade.

Science
, this issue p.
1535
The best-studied people on the planet
The Life Project The Extraordinary Story of 70,000 Ordinary Lives
Helen Pearson
Soft Skull Press, 2016. 409 pp.
Authors: Nejad Alireza Salehi
Published: June 2016

A history of the longest-running birth cohort study reveals how much has been learned from the lives of 70,000 Britons
Capitalizing on convergence for health care
Authors: Sharp Phillip , Jacks Tyler , Hockfield Susan
Published: June 2016

Integrate physical sciences, engineering, and biomedicine
A Novel Non-Replication-Competent Cytomegalovirus Capsid Mutant Vaccine Strategy Is Effective in Reducing Congenital Infection
Authors: Choi K. Yeon , Root Matthew , McGregor Alistair
Published: June 2016

Congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is a leading cause of mental retardation and deafness in newborns. The guinea pig is the only small animal model for congenital CMV infection. A novel CMV vaccine was investigated as an intervention strategy against congenital guinea pig cytomegalovirus (GPCMV) infection. In this
d
isabled
i
nfectious
s
ingle-
c
ycle (DISC) vaccine strategy, a GPCMV mutant virus was used that lacked the ability to express an essential capsid gene (the
UL85
homolog
GP85
) except when grown on a complementing cell line. In vaccinated animals, the GP85 mutant virus (GP85 DISC) induced an antibody response to important glycoprotein complexes considered neutralizing target antigens (gB, gH/gL/gO, and gM/gN). The vaccine also generated a T cell response to the pp65 homolog (GP83), determined via a newly established guinea pig gamma interferon enzyme-linked immunosorbent spot assay. In a congenital infection protection study, GP85 DISC-vaccinated animals and a nonvaccinated control group were challenged during pregnancy with wild-type GPCMV (10
5
PFU). The pregnant animals carried the pups to term, and viral loads in target organs of pups were analyzed. Based on live pup births in the vaccinated and control groups (94.1% versus 63.6%), the vaccine was successful in reducing mortality (
P
= 0.0002). Additionally, pups from the vaccinated group had reduced CMV transmission, with 23.5% infected target organs versus 75.9% in the control group. Overall, these preliminary studies indicate that a DISC CMV vaccine strategy has the ability to induce an immune response similar to that of natural virus infection but has the increased safety of a non-replication-competent virus, which makes this approach attractive as a CMV vaccine strategy.

IMPORTANCE
Congenital CMV infection is a leading cause of mental retardation and deafness in newborns. An effective vaccine against CMV remains an elusive goal despite over 50 years of CMV research. The guinea pig, with a placenta structure similar to that in humans, is the only small animal model for congenital CMV infection and recapitulates disease symptoms (e.g., deafness) in newborn pups. In this report, a novel vaccine strategy against congenital guinea pig cytomegalovirus (GPCMV) infection was developed, characterized, and tested for efficacy. This
d
isabled
i
nfectious
s
ingle-
c
ycle (DISC) vaccine strategy induced a neutralizing antibody or a T cell response to important target antigens. In a congenital infection protection study, animals were protected against CMV in comparison to the nonvaccinated group (52% reduction of transmission). This novel vaccine was more effective than previously tested gB-based vaccines and most other strategies involving live virus vaccines. Overall, the DISC vaccine is a safe and promising approach against congenital CMV infection.
Pestivirus N
pro
Directly Interacts with Interferon Regulatory Factor 3 Monomer and Dimer
Authors: Gottipati Keerthi , Holthauzen Luis Marcelo F. , Ruggli Nicolas , Choi Kyung H.
Published: June 2016

Interferon regulatory factor 3 (IRF3) is a transcription factor involved in the activation of type I alpha/beta interferon (IFN-α/β) in response to viral infection. Upon viral infection, the IRF3 monomer is activated into a phosphorylated dimer, which induces the transcription of interferon genes in the nucleus. Viruses have evolved several ways to target IRF3 in order to subvert the innate immune response. Pestiviruses, such as classical swine fever virus (CSFV), target IRF3 for ubiquitination and subsequent proteasomal degradation. This is mediated by the viral protein N
pro
that interacts with IRF3, but the molecular details for this interaction are largely unknown. We used recombinant N
pro
and IRF3 proteins and show that N
pro
interacts with IRF3 directly without additional proteins and forms a soluble 1:1 complex. The full-length IRF3 but not merely either of the individual domains is required for this interaction. The interaction between N
pro
and IRF3 is not dependent on the activation state of IRF3, since N
pro
binds to a constitutively active form of IRF3 in the presence of its transcriptional coactivator, CREB-binding protein (CBP). The results indicate that the N
pro
-binding site on IRF3 encompasses a region that is unperturbed by the phosphorylation and subsequent activation of IRF3 and thus excludes the dimer interface and CBP-binding site.

IMPORTANCE
The pestivirus N-terminal protease, N
pro
, is essential for evading the host's immune system by facilitating the degradation of interferon regulatory factor 3 (IRF3). However, the nature of the N
pro
interaction with IRF3, including the IRF3 species (inactive monomer versus activated dimer) that N
pro
targets for degradation, is largely unknown. We show that classical swine fever virus N
pro
and porcine IRF3 directly interact in solution and that full-length IRF3 is required for interaction with N
pro
. Additionally, N
pro
interacts with a constitutively active form of IRF3 bound to its transcriptional cofactor, the CREB-binding protein. This is the first study to demonstrate that N
pro
is able to bind both inactive IRF3 monomer and activated IRF3 dimer and thus likely targets both IRF3 species for ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation.
Distinct Viral Lineages from Fish and Amphibians Reveal the Complex Evolutionary History of Hepadnaviruses
Authors: Dill Jennifer A. , Camus Alvin C. , Leary John H. , Di Giallonardo Francesca , Holmes Edward C. , Ng Terry Fei Fan
Published: June 2016

Hepadnaviruses (hepatitis B viruses [HBVs]) are the only animal viruses that replicate their DNA by reverse transcription of an RNA intermediate. Until recently, the known host range of hepadnaviruses was limited to mammals and birds. We obtained and analyzed the first amphibian HBV genome, as well as several prototype fish HBVs, which allow the first comprehensive comparative genomic analysis of hepadnaviruses from four classes of vertebrates. Bluegill hepadnavirus (BGHBV) was characterized from in-house viral metagenomic sequencing. The African cichlid hepadnavirus (ACHBV) and the Tibetan frog hepadnavirus (TFHBV) were discovered using
in silico
analyses of the whole-genome shotgun and transcriptome shotgun assembly databases. Residues in the hydrophobic base of the capsid (core) proteins, designated motifs I, II, and III, are highly conserved, suggesting that structural constraints for proper capsid folding are key to capsid protein evolution. Surface proteins in all vertebrate HBVs contain similar predicted membrane topologies, characterized by three transmembrane domains. Most striking was the fact that BGHBV, ACHBV, and the previously described white sucker hepadnavirus did not form a fish-specific monophyletic group in the phylogenetic analysis of all three hepadnaviral genes. Notably, BGHBV was more closely related to the mammalian hepadnaviruses, indicating that cross-species transmission events have played a major role in viral evolution. Evidence of cross-species transmission was also observed with TFHBV. Hence, these data indicate that the evolutionary history of the hepadnaviruses is more complex than previously realized and combines both virus-host codivergence over millions of years and host species jumping.

IMPORTANCE
Hepadnaviruses are responsible for significant disease in humans (hepatitis B virus) and have been reported from a diverse range of vertebrates as both exogenous and endogenous viruses. We report the full-length genome of a novel hepadnavirus from a fish and the first hepadnavirus genome from an amphibian. The novel fish hepadnavirus, sampled from bluegills, was more closely related to mammalian hepadnaviruses than to other fish viruses. This phylogenetic pattern reveals that, although hepadnaviruses have likely been associated with vertebrates for hundreds of millions of years, they have also been characterized by species jumping across wide phylogenetic distances.
Phosphorylation of the Brome Mosaic Virus Capsid Regulates the Timing of Viral Infection
Authors: Hoover Haley S. , Wang Joseph Che-Yen , Middleton Stefani , Ni Peng , Zlotnick Adam , Vaughan Robert C. , Kao C. Cheng
Published: June 2016

The four brome mosaic virus (BMV) RNAs (RNA1 to RNA4) are encapsidated in three distinct virions that have different disassembly rates in infection. The mechanism for the differential release of BMV RNAs from virions is unknown, since 180 copies of the same coat protein (CP) encapsidate each of the BMV genomic RNAs. Using mass spectrometry, we found that the BMV CP contains a complex pattern of posttranslational modifications. Treatment with phosphatase was found to not significantly affect the stability of the virions containing RNA1 but significantly impacted the stability of the virions that encapsidated BMV RNA2 and RNA3/4. Cryo-electron microscopy reconstruction revealed dramatic structural changes in the capsid and the encapsidated RNA. A phosphomimetic mutation in the flexible N-terminal arm of the CP increased BMV RNA replication and virion production. The degree of phosphorylation modulated the interaction of CP with the encapsidated RNA and the release of three of the BMV RNAs. UV cross-linking and immunoprecipitation methods coupled to high-throughput sequencing experiments showed that phosphorylation of the BMV CP can impact binding to RNAs in the virions, including sequences that contain regulatory motifs for BMV RNA gene expression and replication. Phosphatase-treated virions affected the timing of CP expression and viral RNA replication in plants. The degree of phosphorylation decreased when the plant hosts were grown at an elevated temperature. These results show that phosphorylation of the capsid modulates BMV infection.

IMPORTANCE
How icosahedral viruses regulate the release of viral RNA into the host is not well understood. The selective release of viral RNA can regulate the timing of replication and gene expression. Brome mosaic virus (BMV) is an RNA virus, and its three genomic RNAs are encapsidated in separate virions. Through proteomic, structural, and biochemical analyses, this work shows that posttranslational modifications, specifically, phosphorylation, on the capsid protein regulate the capsid-RNA interaction and the stability of the virions and affect viral gene expression. Mutational analysis confirmed that changes in modification affected virion stability and the timing of viral infection. The mechanism for modification of the virion has striking parallels to the mechanism of regulation of chromatin packaging by nucleosomes.
Psychological barriers to optimal insulin therapy: more concerns in adolescent females than males
Authors: Wisting Line , Bang Lasse , Skrivarhaug Torild , Dahl-Jørgensen Knut , Rø Øyvind
Published: June 2016

Objective

The aim of this study is to investigate psychological barriers (illness perceptions, insulin beliefs, and coping strategies) to optimal insulin therapy among adolescents with type 1 diabetes (T1D), with a specific focus on gender differences and mode of treatment (insulin pump vs pen).

Methods

A total of 105 males and females (12–20 years) participated in this study. The Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire, the Beliefs about Medicines Questionnaire, and the Adolescent Coping Orientation for Problem Experiences were completed. Additionally, diabetes clinical data were collected by the Norwegian Childhood Diabetes Registry.

Results

Females had significantly more negative illness perceptions than males on all dimensions (p<0.05), with moderate-to-large effect sizes. Regarding insulin beliefs, females scored significantly higher than males oninsulin concern(p<0.001), indicating more concerns about insulin. There were no significant gender differences on perceptions ofinsulin necessity. Finally, females scored significantly higher on the coping strategiesbeing socialandsolving family problems(p<0.01), indicating more positive coping among females than males for these subscales. In terms of treatment mode, the only statistically significant difference in the psychological aspects was for the illness perceptiontreatment control, with patients using insulin pen reporting more negative perceptions on this dimension than patients using insulin pump.

Conclusions

Addressing psychological aspects may be a clinically important supplement to standard somatic T1D care. The consistent finding of gender differences across the psychological measures implies that a tailored treatment approach for males and females with T1D may be warranted.
Single-leg balance and core motor control in children: when does the risk for ACL injury occurs?
Authors: Hutchinson Allison B , Yao Paul , Hutchinson Mark R
Published: June 2016

Introduction

While numerous publications have demonstrated the correlation of poor single-leg balance and core motor control with an increased risk of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries in skeletally mature female athletes, few have analysed the preadolescent population regarding when indeed comparative deficits in balance and core control actually occur. The purpose of this study was to assess whether the neuromotor factors that place mature females at increased risk of ACL injury actually are present in preadolescents and if so when.

Methods

This study used simplified modifications of classic drop-jump testing as well as single-leg balance tests performed on stable and unstable surfaces to assess balance and core motor control. 84 children (males and females) ranging in age from 6 to 13 years were divided into 4 equally sized groups based on their academic classes. Each group was compared with each other, and compared with a cohort of 205 collegiate athletes. The latter served as a comparative norm of mature athletes who had performed the same or similar testing.

Results

Outcomes revealed that the preadolescent population performed poorly on the tests when compared with the collegiate population but the children matured with age until the eldest subgroups compared more favourably with the college-aged athletes. Girls appear to mature at a slightly earlier pace than boys. This study focusing on preadolescent children concluded that the neuromuscular changes that place females at greater risk of injury do not appear to occur prior to adolescence.

Conclusions

Based on the outcomes of this study, it is suggested that sex differences regarding balance and core control deficits that can increase risk of ACL injuries likely occur after grade school (age 12–13).
New evidence pyramid
Authors: Murad M Hassan , Asi Noor , Alsawas Mouaz , Alahdab Fares
Published: June 2016

A pyramid has expressed the idea of hierarchy of medical evidence for so long, that not all evidence is the same. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses have been placed at the top of this pyramid for several good reasons. However, there are several counterarguments to this placement. We suggest another way of looking at the evidence-based medicine pyramid and explain how systematic reviews and meta-analyses are tools for consuming evidence—that is, appraising, synthesising and applying evidence.
Wenlock–Ludlow boundary interval revisited: new insights from the offshore facies of the Prague Synform, Czech Republic
Authors: Štorch Petr , Manda Štěpán , Slavík Ladislav , Tasáryová Zuzana
Published: June 2016

Wenlock–Ludlow boundary beds exposed near Nesvačily in the Prague Synform are documented in terms of their lithology, faunal content, high-resolution record of 19 graptolite species, graptolite biostratigraphy, and conodont record. This is the first time in Bohemia and peri-Gondwanan Europe that a continuous graptolite-bearing section through upper ludensis – middle nilssoni biozones is described in detail to refine high-resolution biostratigraphy and correlation of the Wenlock–Ludlow boundary. Organic-rich shale, relatively rare nongraptolite fauna, and absence of bioturbation indicate a stable deep-water offshore setting with sporadic, low-level bottom oxygenation. The uninterrupted succession revealed a series of origination events of principal graptolite taxa employed in determination of the Wenlock–Ludlow boundary strata worldwide. Bohemograptus represented by B. praecox appeared as early as in the uppermost Wenlock ludensis Biozone. Bohemograptus praecox is later accompanied and replaced by B. bohemicus, associated with Uncinatograptus uncinatus. The lowest Neodiversograptus nilssoni marked the base of the Ludlow nilssoni Biozone. Speciation within Bohemograptus continued in the middle nilssoni Biozone when the robust B. butovicensis evolved from B. bohemicus. Colonograptus colonus shows its lowest occurrence in the middle part of the nilssoni Biozone together with the latest C. gerhardi. The monograptids are associated with abundant and diverse plectograptids that are at present mostly known from Baltica. Bohemograptus praecox sp. nov. and B. butovicensis ( Bouček, 1936 ) are described in the systematic part. The conodont Kockelella ortus absidata, found in the lower–middle part of the nilssoni Biozone, is consistent with a stratigraphic interval within Oz. bohemica and K. crassa conodont biozones.
Atomic structure calculations and study of EUV and SXR spectral lines in Cu-like ions
Authors: Goyal Arun , Khatri Indu , Singh Narendra , Singh A.K. , Sharma Rinku , Mohan Man
Published: June 2016

In the present work, we provide a most extensive and detailed study of highly ionized Cu-like ions and diagnose extreme ultraviolet (EUV) and soft X-ray (SXR) transitions with N-shell electron excitation to M-shell and higher shells. We have determined energy levels and lifetimes for lowest 27 fine-structure levels by adopting multiconfiguration Dirac–Fock (MCDF) with the inclusion of quantum electrodynamics (QED) as well as Breit corrections as a first-order perturbation theory. We have also reported complete radiative data for strong electric dipole transitions within lowest 27 levels. We have compared our calculated results with theoretically calculated and experimentally measured results available in the literature, to measure the credibility and genuineness of our results, and achieve good agreement. Further, because of insufficiency of adequate and complete atomic data for higher levels of highly ionized Cu-like ions in the literature, we have performed other equivalent parallel calculations by implementing fully relativistic distorted wave flexible atomic code (FAC) to ensure the accuracy of our results. Additionally, we have also presented transition wavelengths of Nα transitions of high-Z Cu-like ions by using Moseley’s law. We believe that the large amount of atomic data presented in this paper may be useful in fusion and astrophysical plasma and in several applications, especially in lithography and cell biology.