bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Association of Leukoaraiosis With Convalescent Rehabilitation Outcome in Patients With Ischemic Stroke
Authors: Senda Joe , Ito Keiichi , Kotake Tomomitsu , Kanamori Masahiko , Kishimoto Hideo , Kadono Izumi , Suzuki Yoshiro , Katsuno Masahisa , Nishida Yoshihiro , Ishiguro Naoki , Sobue Gen
Published: December 2015

Background and Purpose—

We investigated the factors influencing inpatient convalescent rehabilitation outcomes in patients with ischemic stroke, particularly severity of leukoaraiosis on magnetic resonance imaging.

Methods—

Participants included 520 patients with ischemic stroke (317 men and 203 women; mean age, 72.8±8.4 years) who were transferred from acute care hospitals for inpatient convalescent rehabilitation. Ischemic stroke subtypes included lacunar infarction (n=41), atherothrombosis (n=223), artery-to-artery embolism (n=67), cardiogenic embolism (n=97), undetermined embolism (n=76), and uncategorized ischemic stroke (n=16). Leukoaraiosis was graded according to periventricular hyperintensity (PVH) and deep white matter hyperintensity on magnetic resonance imaging. Functional Independence Measure scores were assessed on admission and at discharge.

Results—

Multiple regression analysis revealed that rehabilitation outcomes, measured as total Functional Independence Measure scores, were significantly associated with leukoaraiosis estimated by PVH grade. This association was observed after adjustment for factors such as severity, age, and poststroke history. In all patients, PVH grades were associated with Functional Independence Measure motor scores (
P
<0.001), whereas in patients with artery-to-artery embolism or cardiogenic embolism and deep white matter hyperintensity grades were associated with Functional Independence Measure cognitive scores (
P
<0.05).

Conclusions—

Our study revealed that the degree of leukoaraiosis was associated with inpatient convalescent rehabilitation outcome in patients with ischemic stroke. Furthermore, the PVH grade was associated with motor function outcome, whereas the deep white matter hyperintensity grade correlated with cognitive function outcome, likely because the progression patterns and anatomic backgrounds of PVH and deep white matter hyperintensity differ according to ischemic stroke subtype.
Impact of Glucose on Outcomes in Patients Treated With Mechanical Thrombectomy
Authors: Kim Joon-Tae , Jahan Reza , Saver Jeffrey L. ,   for the SWIFT Investigators
Published: December 2015

Background and Purpose—

Sparse data are available regarding the association between hyperglycemia and outcomes in acute ischemic stroke patients receiving mechanical thrombectomy (MT). We investigated whether hyperglycemia affected the outcomes of subjects treated with MT in the Solitaire Flow Restoration With the Intention for Thrombectomy (SWIFT) multicenter randomized trial, overall and according to reperfusion status after MT.

Methods—

We analyzed the relationships between the presenting glucose level as a continuous variable and presenting hyperglycemia (>140 mg/dL glucose) as a binary variable and several outcomes of interest. Subjects were stratified according to the completeness of reperfusion (Thrombolysis In Myocardial Ischemia scale 3 versus 0–2) after MT. Excellent outcome at 3 months was defined as a modified Rankin scale score of 0–1.

Results—

Among all patients undergoing MT, patients with hyperglycemia less frequently exhibited an excellent outcome at 3 months than patients without hyperglycemia, 13% versus 34%;
P
=0.01. Presenting glucose levels did not differ among patients achieving complete reperfusion and incomplete reperfusion. Among patients with incomplete reperfusion, after adjustment for covariates, higher glucose levels were independently associated with worse outcome at 3 months (per 10 mg/dL increase in glucose: odds ratio for modified Rankin scale score 0–1 at 3 months 0.58, 95% confidence interval 0.34–0.99;
P
=0.047). In contrast, among patients with complete reperfusion, differences in presenting glucose levels by final outcome did not reach statistical significance.

Conclusions—

In patients treated with MT, hyperglycemia was independently associated with worse outcome at 3 months, and the negative effects of hyperglycemia may have been exacerbated in patients with incomplete reperfusion after MT.

Clinical Trial Registration—

URL:
http://www.clinicaltrials.gov
. Unique identifier: NCT01054560.
Association Between CT Angiogram Collaterals and CT Perfusion in the Interventional Management of Stroke III Trial
Authors: Vagal Achala , Menon Bijoy K. , Foster Lydia D. , Livorine Anthony , Yeatts Sharon D. , Qazi Emmad , d’Esterre Chris , Shi Junzi , Demchuk Andrew M. , Hill Michael D. , Liebeskind David S. , Tomsick Thomas , Goyal Mayank
Published: December 2015

Background and Purpose—

Collateral flow can determine ischemic core and tissue at risk. Using the Interventional Management of Stroke (IMS) III trial data, we explored the relationship between computed tomography angiogram (CTA) collateral status and CT perfusion (CTP) parameters.

Methods—

Baseline CTA collaterals were trichotomized as good, intermediate, and poor, and CTP studies were analyzed to quantify ischemic core, tissue at risk, and mismatch ratios. Kruskal–Wallis and Spearman tests were used to measure the strength of association and correlation between CTA collaterals and CTP parameters.

Results—

A total of 95 patients had diagnostic CTP studies in the IMS III trial. Of these, 53 patients had M1/M2 middle cerebral artery±intracranial internal carotid artery occlusion, where baseline CTA collateral grading was performed. CTA collaterals were associated with smaller CTP measured ischemic core volume (
P
=0.0078) and higher mismatch (
P
=0.0004). There was moderate negative correlation between collaterals and core (
r
s
=−0.45; 95% confidence interval, −0.64 to −0.20) and moderate positive correlation between collaterals and mismatch (
r
s
=0.53; 95% confidence interval, 0.29–0.71).

Conclusion—

Better collaterals were associated with smaller ischemic core and higher mismatch in the IMS III trial. Collateral assessment and perfusion imaging identify the same biological construct about ischemic tissue sustenance.
Antidepressant Use Is Associated With an Increased Risk of Developing Microbleeds
Authors: Akoudad Saloua , Aarts Nikkie , Noordam Raymond , Ikram M. Arfan , Tiemeier Henning , Hofman Albert , Stricker Bruno H. , Vernooij Meike W. , Visser Loes E.
Published: December 2015

Background and Purpose—

Serotonin-specific antidepressants may increase the risk of adverse bleeding events. In a previous cross-sectional study, we did not observe an association between antidepressant use and presence of subclinical cerebral bleedings. In this study, we investigated longitudinally whether antidepressant use is associated with an increased risk of new subclinical cerebral microbleeds.

Methods—

In total, 2559 participants aged ≥45 years of the population-based Rotterdam Study, all without microbleeds at baseline, underwent baseline and repeat brain magnetic resonance imaging between 2005 and 2013 (mean time interval, 3.9 years; SD, 0.5) to determine the incidence of microbleeds. Antidepressant use (yes versus no) was assessed between baseline and follow-up scan. In additional analyses, antidepressants were classified as low, intermediate, or high affinity for the serotonin transporter, and alternatively as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors or non-selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. We used multivariable logistic regression models to investigate the association of antidepressants with incident microbleeds.

Results—

Antidepressant use was associated with a higher cerebral microbleed incidence (odds ratio, 2.22; 95% confidence interval, 1.31–3.76) than nonuse. When stratified by affinity for the serotonin transporter, intermediate serotonin affinity antidepressant use was associated with an increased risk of developing microbleeds (odds ratio, 3.07; 95% confidence interval, 1.53–6.17). Finally, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor and non-selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor use were both associated with increased microbleed incidence.

Conclusions—

Antidepressant use was associated with an increased risk of developing microbleeds. Our results may support findings from previous clinical studies about increased intracranial and extracranial bleeding risk in antidepressant users.
Gustaw Herling-Grudziński i legenda o krwi, czyli czy istnieje obowiązek bycia pisarzem żydowskim
Authors: Tokarska-Bakir Joanna
Published: December 2015

Gustaw Herling-Grudziński and the blood libel, or is being a Jewish writer compulsoryThe article concerns Gustaw Herling-Grudziński’s medieval stories which explore the theme of blood libel. Despite Grudziński’s self-declared sympathy for the libel’s Jewish victims, his treatment of the theme is selective and only reflects the Christian perspective. The author then considers possible reasons for such deformation of Grudziński’s perception of the stories, locating them in oppression from the nation state, which denies a writer of Jewish origin the right to be at the same time a Polish writer.Gustaw Herling-Grudziński i legenda o krwi, czyli czy istnieje obowiązek bycia pisarzem żydowskimArtykuł dotyczy opowiadań średniowiecznych Gustawa Herlinga Grudzinskiego, w których pojawia się wątek legend o krwi.  Mimo deklarowanej sympatii dla żydowskich ofiar legendy, oświetlany jest on wybiórczo, wyłącznie z chrześcijańskiego punktu widzenia. Autorka rozważa przyczyny, które mogły doprowadzić do podobnej deformacji ich recepcji, odnajdując je w opresji państwa narodowego, które pisarzowi pochodzenia żydowskiego nie pozwala być jednocześnie pisarzem polskim.
Early prediction of clinical benefit of treating ovarian cancer using quantitative CT image feature analysis
Authors: Qiu Yuchen , Tan Maxine , McMeekin Scott , Thai Theresa , Ding Kai , Moore Kathleen , Liu Hong , Zheng Bin
Published: December 2015

Background

In current clinical trials of treating ovarian cancer patients, how to accurately predict patients’ response to the chemotherapy at an early stage remains an important and unsolved challenge.

Purpose

To investigate feasibility of applying a new quantitative image analysis method for predicting early response of ovarian cancer patients to chemotherapy in clinical trials.

Material and Methods

A dataset of 30 patients was retrospectively selected in this study, among which 12 were responders with 6-month progression-free survival (PFS) and 18 were non-responders. A computer-aided detection scheme was developed to segment tumors depicted on two sets of CT images acquired pre-treatment and 4–6 weeks post treatment. The scheme computed changes of three image features related to the tumor volume, density, and density variance. We analyzed performance of using each image feature and applying a decision tree to predict patients’ 6-month PFS. The prediction accuracy of using quantitative image features was also compared with the clinical record based on the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) guideline.

Results

The areas under receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) were 0.773 ± 0.086, 0.680 ± 0.109, and 0.668 ± 0.101, when using each of three features, respectively. AUC value increased to 0.831 ± 0.078 when combining these features together. The decision-tree classifier achieved a higher predicting accuracy (76.7%) than using RECIST guideline (60.0%).

Conclusion

This study demonstrated the potential of using a quantitative image feature analysis method to improve accuracy of predicting early response of ovarian cancer patients to the chemotherapy in clinical trials.
Being Dedicated in the Film The American Nurse
Authors: Baumann Steven L. , Ganzer Christine Anne
Published: December 2015

The focus of this humanbecoming hermeneutic study of graduate nursing students’ reflections is on being dedicated as portrayed in the documentary film, The American Nurse. Nursing students were invited to a public screening of the film, with the director, Carolyn Jones, and asked to write a brief reflective essay on “what is the meaning of being dedicated depicted in the film The American Nurse.” The perspective is to be the humanbecoming school of thought. The participants were 20 nurses either in a graduate or doctoral nursing program at the time of this study. The emergent meanings of the study are offered to enhance knowledge and understanding of being dedicated. The use of documentary film to expand graduate nursing students’ awareness of global issues is also considered.
A “Triple Threat” to Research Protocols and Logistics
Authors: Morrison-Beedy Dianne , Passmore Denise , Baker Elizabeth
Published: December 2015

The purpose of this article is to discuss lessons learned from conducting research with urban communities. A brief overview of the Health Improvement Project for Teens (HIPTeens) will be provided. It will be followed by several suggestions concerning recruitment and retention of participants, challenges related to working in impoverished environments, hiring and training of research teams, interacting with administration and community, and strategies for doing research in diverse settings.
A Curriculum Founded on Humanbecoming
Authors: Drummond Susan , Oaks Geneva
Published: December 2015

Parse scholar Dr. Constance Milton envisioned a nursing curriculum grounded in the humanbecoming school of thought (Parse, 1998). Flowing from that vision, the California Baptist University School of Nursing opened in 2006 with 40 undergraduate nursing students. Steeped in the humanbecoming paradigm (Parse, 1998, 2014), this school now flourishes with over 650 students in undergraduate and graduate nursing programs. Describing a nursing curriculum woven with Parse’s theory of humanbecoming (1998, 2014), the authors provide examples of work from graduate nursing students in the first and last semesters of the pre-licensure program reflecting a unique paradigm guiding living the art of nursing.
Nurse Practitioners
Authors: McRee Laura , Reed Pamela G.
Published: December 2015

An impending policy change in Medicare will provide reimbursement for the end-of-life conversation. The rise in numbers of older adults who face serious illness coupled with advances in healthcare technology are increasing the need for providers to address end of life issues in the acute care setting. Doctoral-level nurse practitioners who specialize in acute care of older adults are poised to be leaders and facilitators of this conversation in a particularly challenging context–the intensive care unit. The focus of this article is the new end-of-life policy in relation to the particular contributions that adult gerontology acute care nurse practitioners offer in the acute care setting.
Automated status inspection of fastening bolts on freight trains using a machine vision approach
Authors: Liu Liu , Zhou Fuqiang , He Yuzhu
Published: December 2015

The status inspection and maintenance actions on the mechanical components of freight trains are significant determinants of railway safety. Fastening bolts, as a key component, are widely used to transmit, connect and fasten various parts of freight trains. Their absence can degrade the original structure and lead to accidents. Recently, machine vision approaches have been widely used to inspect the status of mechanical components, thereby reducing costs and avoiding traffic accidents. This paper proposes a visual inspection system that is based on the machine vision approach and can be used to automatically inspect the status of fastening bolts on freight trains. To detect the presence/absence of a fastening bolt in a complex background, a hierarchical detection framework consisting in fault area extraction and fastening bolt detection is proposed. In the first module, a gray projection method is used to divide the fault area that contains the target from the complex background. Subsequently, a fastening bolt detector is designed to verify the candidate image regions. Several gradient-orientation-based features and a classifier can be used to perform the detection task. Experimental results show that the combination of a gradient orientation co-occurrence matrix and a support vector machine has the best classification performance. The proposed inspection system has the advantages of good real-time performance and high inspection accuracy; it achieves an accuracy of 99.96% with a speed of nine frames per second.
Evaluation of left atrial function by speckle tracking echocardiography in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus
Authors: Dai M , Li K L , Qian D J , Lu J , Zou Y H , Cao Y X , Yang Z Y , Wang R X
Published: December 2015

Left atrial (LA) function plays a key role in maintaining optimal cardiac output. Left ventricular diastolic dysfunction (LVDD) has been reported in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), but whether LA functional abnormalities also occur in patients with SLE is unknown. Toward this aim we evaluated left atrial function and volume by strain and strain rate derived from speckle tracking echocardiography (STE) and their associations with LVDD. Sixty SLE patients were compared with age- and gender-matched normal controls. The LA strain (S) and strain rate (SR) during systole, early diastole and late diastole (SRs, SRe and SRa, respectively) were measured by STE. The LA volume index (LAVI), traditional parameters of LA and left ventricular diastolic function also were analysed. Global strain and positive SRe were significantly reduced in the SLE group compared with the control group (26.2% ± 9.5% vs 32.5% ± 9.8% and −2.4 ± 1.0 s−1 vs −3.1 ± 1.2 s−1, both p < 0.05). The SRs in the SLE and control groups were not significantly different (2.1 ± 0.7 s−1 vs 2.4 ± 0.8 s−1, p = 0.2). The positive SRa was increased in the SLE group compared with the control group (−2.1 ± 0.8 s−1 vs −1.6 ± 0.5 s−1, p < 0.05) and the LAVI was larger in the SLE group than in the control group (32.4 ± 8.0 vs 25.8 ± 7.1 ml/m2, p < 0.001). Patients with SLE exhibiting varying grades of LVDD displayed significant differences in LA parameters, including LAVI, SRs, SRe and SRa (all p < 0.05). Multivariate linear analysis additionally revealed that SLICC/ACR damage index (SDI) was independently and inversely associated with global strain, SRs and positive SRe. LA functions were changed in SLE patients, demonstrating impairment in conduit function, decrease in storage function and increase in pump function. Meanwhile, the magnitude of this impairment was predictively associated with the severity of LVDD. The results from this study demonstrate that STE is capable of detecting various aspects of LA functional impairment during SLE progression, and should be further explored as a diagnostic tool for improving the outcomes of SLE patients.
Process evaluation of a mobile health intervention for people with diabetes in low income countries – the implementation of the TEXT4DSM study
Authors: Van Olmen Josefien , Van Pelt Maurits , Malombo Billy , Ku Grace M , Kanda Dominique , Heang Hen , Darras Christian , Kegels Guy , Schellevis François
Published: December 2015

Introduction

Evidence about mobile health (mHealth) approaches to manage diabetes shows modest effects on outcomes, but little is known about implementation variability. This is a process evaluation of an mHealth intervention to improve diabetes self-management through Short Message Service (SMS) provision in three diabetes care programmes in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Cambodia and the Philippines.

Methods

The intervention involved Diabetes Self-Management Support via text messages. The content and process of the intervention is based upon the core principles of diabetes self-management and behaviour theory. In each country, messages were sent by project managers to 240 participants in each country, who were randomly assigned to the intervention group. Contracts were negotiated with national phone providers and open access software was used to send the messages. Participants received a mobile phone and SIM card. We analysed data about the implementation process over a one year period.

Results

The mean monthly number of messages delivered to recipients’ phones was 67.7% of the planned number in DRC, 92.3% in Cambodia and 83.9% in the Philippines. A telephone check revealed problems with one-third of the phones, including breakage, loss and cancelled subscriptions. The number of people reached at least once was 177 (70.0%) in DRC; 147 (60.7%) in Cambodia; five in the Philippines (2.0%). Those reached each time was 144 in DRC (56.9%), 28 (9.9%) in Cambodia, none in the Philippines. People used their phone more frequently than before the intervention.

Discussion

Implementation of the intervention meets constraints at every step in the process. Barriers relate to the technology, the context and the participants.
The effects of PCB126 on intra-hepatic mechanisms associated with non alcoholic fatty liver disease
Authors: Boucher Marie-Pier , Lefebvre Caroline , Chapados Natalie Ann
Published: December 2015

Background

Non alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) results from alteration in lipid synthesis and elimination mechanisms such as very-low density lipoprotein (VLDL) production and de novo lipogenesis. Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are chemicals that were mostly used historically as pesticides, solvents, flame retardant, and other applications. Among POPs, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) have been recognized to be of environmental and potential toxicologic concerns. Specifically, PCB126 could act as endocrine disruptors and has recently been associated with hepatic fat accumulation. The purpose of the study was to investigate the effects of PCB126 on the molecular development of NAFLD using hepatocyte and rat models.

Methods

Hepatocytes were exposed to PCB 126 for 72 h and lipid accumulation in cells was quantified by Oil-Red-O. Rats were injected with a single dose of PCB126 or vehicle. Seven days later, liver triglycerides (TAG) content was measured along with protein quantification of hepatic microsomal triglyceride transfer protein (MTP), sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1c (SREBP1c) and diacylglycerol O-acyltransferase 2 (DGAT-2).

Results

Exposure to PCB126 resulted in significant increases of lipid accumulation in hepatocytes (38 %, P <0.05) and hepatic TAG concentrations (64 %, P <0.001) in rats compared to respective control groups. Rats with fatty livers depicted lower MTP (40 %, P <0.02), higher SREBP1c (27 %, P < 0.05) and DGAT-2 (120 %, P < 0.02) protein content levels compared to Placebo group in rats.

Conclusions

It seems that exposure to PCB126 has an important emerging role in the pathophysiology of NAFLD by 1) altering elimination mechanisms such as VLDL synthesis and secretion, through MTP; and 2) increasing hepatic TAG synthesis mechanisms through DGAT 2 and SREBP1c.
Climate for Culture: assessing the impact of climate change on the future indoor climate in historic buildings using simulations
Authors: Leissner Johanna , Kilian Ralf , Kotova Lola , Jacob Daniela , Mikolajewicz Uwe , Broström Tor , Ashley-Smith Jonathan , Schellen Henk L. , Martens Marco , van Schijndel Jos , Antretter Florian , Winkler Matthias , Bertolin Chiara , Camuffo Dario , Simeunovic Goran , Vyhlídal Tomáš
Published: December 2015

Background

The present study reports results from the large-scale integrated EU project “Climate for Culture”. The full name, or title, of the project is Climate for Culture: damage risk assessment, economic impact and mitigation strategies for sustainable preservation of cultural heritage in times of climate change. This paper focusses on implementing high resolution regional climate models together with new building simulation tools in order to predict future outdoor and indoor climate conditions. The potential impact of gradual climate change on historic buildings and on the vast collections they contain has been assessed. Two moderate IPCC emission scenarios A1B and RCP 4.5 were used to predict indoor climates in historic buildings from the recent past until the year 2100. Risks to the building and to the interiors with valuable artifacts were assessed using damage functions. A set of generic building types based on data from existing buildings were used to transfer outdoor climate conditions to indoor conditions using high resolution climate projections for Europe and the Mediterranean.

Results

The high resolution climate change simulations have been performed with the regional climate model REMO over the whole of Europe including the Mediterranean region. Whole building simulation tools and a simplified building model were developed for historic buildings; they were forced with high resolution climate simulations. This has allowed maps of future climate-induced risks for historic buildings and their interiors to be produced. With this procedure future energy demands for building control can also be calculated.

Conclusion

With the newly developed method described here not only can outdoor risks for cultural heritage assets resulting from climate change be assessed, but also risks for indoor collections. This can be done for individual buildings as well as on a larger scale in the form of European risk maps. By using different standardized and exemplary artificial buildings in modelling climate change impact, a comparison between different regions in Europe has become possible for the first time. The methodology will serve heritage owners and managers as a decision tool, helping them to plan more effectively mitigation and adaption measures at various levels.
Retrospective Analysis of the Predictive Factors of Renal Function Loss after Uninephrectomy in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease G3 to G5
Authors: Dupuis Dominique , Ouellet Georges , Roy Louise
Published: December 2015

Background:

The rapid increase in glomerular filtration rate in a normal contralateral kidney after uninephrectomy is well known in living kidney donors but much less well described in chronic kidney disease (CKD). The purpose of this study is to determine the magnitude of this initial compensatory capacity in (CKD) groups 3 to 5 (G3 to G5) patients undergoing uninephrectomy and the clinical factors predicting it. This is a retrospective study of all cases (142) of uninephrectomy in patients with estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR; with MDRD equation) <60 ml/min/1.73 m2, between 2003 and 2010, in two University of Montreal-affiliated teaching hospitals.

Methods:

Baseline eGFR, patients' comorbidities, and surgical characteristics and complications were noted. The change of eGFR after nephrectomy was evaluated; moreover, the expected post-op eGFR, i.e. without compensation by the contralateral kidney following surgery, was estimated in a sub-group of patients who had a preoperative renal scintigraphy and compared to the actual eGFR at hospital discharge.

Results:

The mean change of eGFR from baseline to hospital discharge was −5 ± 12 ml/min/1.73 m2 (–11 %; 95 % CI −16 to −6 %; P < 0.001). In univariate and multivariate analyses, baseline eGFR did not influence significantly these results. However, in the multivariate model, radical nephrectomy vs. partial nephrectomy and preoperative hypertension predicted a worse renal outcome. In the sub-group of patients with preoperative renal scintigraphy, the actual eGFR at hospital discharge was also higher than expected from the renal split function (13 ml/min/1.73 m2; 95 % CI 10 to 16; P < 0.001).

Conclusions:

After uninephrectomy, the contralateral kidney in patients with CKD G3 to G5 still has a clinically significant initial compensatory capacity. The compensation is statistically smaller if the patient had hypertension or a radical uninephrectomy. This initial compensation is rapid and most probably haemodynamic (hyperfiltration). However, most of the included patients had a CKD G3, limiting the strength of the conclusion for the G4 toG5 patients; the length of observation covers the early postoperative period, i.e. less than 2 weeks, in more than half of the cohort.
High-quality permanent draft genome sequence of Ensifer medicae strain WSM244, a microsymbiont isolated from Medicago polymorpha growing in alkaline soil
Authors: Ardley Julie , Tian Rui , O’Hara Graham , Seshadri Rekha , Reddy T. B. K. , Pati Amrita , Woyke Tanja , Markowitz Victor , Ivanova Natalia , Kyrpides Nikos , Howieson John , Reeve Wayne
Published: December 2015

Ensifer medicae WSM244 is an aerobic, motile, Gram-negative, non-spore-forming rod that can exist as a soil saprophyte or as a legume microsymbiont of Medicago species. WSM244 was isolated in 1979 from a nodule recovered from the roots of the annual Medicago polymorpha L. growing in alkaline soil (pH 8.0) in Tel Afer, Iraq. WSM244 is the only acid-sensitive E. medicae strain that has been sequenced to date. It is effective at fixing nitrogen with M. polymorpha L., as well as with more alkaline-adapted Medicago spp. such as M. littoralis Loisel., M. scutellata (L.) Mill., M. tornata (L.) Mill. and M. truncatula Gaertn. This strain is also effective with the perennial M. sativa L. Here we describe the features of E. medicae WSM244, together with genome sequence information and its annotation. The 6,650,282 bp high-quality permanent draft genome is arranged into 91 scaffolds of 91 contigs containing 6,427 protein-coding genes and 68 RNA-only encoding genes, and is one of the rhizobial genomes sequenced as part of the DOE Joint Genome Institute 2010 Genomic Encyclopedia for Bacteria and Archaea-Root Nodule Bacteria (GEBA-RNB) project proposal.
Neurogenic gene regulatory pathways in the sea urchin embryo
Authors: Wei Zheng , Angerer Lynne M. , Angerer Robert C.
Published: December 2015

During embryogenesis the sea urchin early pluteus larva differentiates 40-50 neurons marked by expression of the pan-neural marker synaptotagmin B (SynB) distributed along the ciliary band, in the apical plate and pharyngeal endoderm, and 4-6 serotonergic neurons confined to the apical plate. Development of all neurons has been shown to depend on the function of Six3. Using a combination of molecular screens and tests of gene function by morpholino-mediated knockdown, we identified SoxC and Brn1/2/4, which function sequentially in the neurogenic regulatory pathway and also are required for differentiation of all neurons. Mis/over-expression of Brn1/2/4 at low dose caused an increase in the number of serotonin-expressing cells and at higher dose converted most of the embryo to a neurogenic epithelial sphere expressing the hnf6 ciliary band marker. A third factor, Z167, was shown to work downstream of the Six3 and SoxC core factors and to define a branch specific for differentiation of serotonergic neurons. These results provide a framework for building a gene regulatory network for neurogenesis in the sea urchin embryo.
A New Level of Plasticity:DrosophilaSmooth-like Testes Muscles Compensate Failure of Myoblast Fusion
Authors: Kuckwa Jessica , Fritzen Katharina , Buttgereit Detlev , Rothenbusch-Fender Silke , Renkawitz-Pohl Renate
Published: December 2015

The testis of Drosophila resembles an individual testis tubule of mammals. Both are surrounded by a sheath of smooth muscles, which in Drosophila are multinuclear and originate from a pool of myoblasts that are set aside in the embryo and accumulate on the genital disc later in development. These muscle stem cells start to differentiate early during metamorphosis and give rise to all muscles of the inner male reproductive system. Shortly before the genital disc and the developing testes connect to each other, multinuclear nascent myotubes appear on the anterior tips of the seminal vesicles. Here we show that adhesion molecules were distinctly localized on the seminal vesicles; founder cell-like myoblasts (FC-like) expressed Dumbfounded (Duf) and Roughest (Rst), and fusion-competent myoblast-like cells (FCM-like) mainly expressed Sticks and stones (Sns). The smooth but multinuclear myotubes of the testes arose by myoblast fusion. RNAi-mediated attenuation of Sns or both Duf and Rst severely reduced the number of nuclei in the testes muscles. Duf and Rst likely acted independently in this context. Despite reduced fusion, myotubes migrated onto the testes, testes were shaped and coiled, muscle filaments arranged as in the wild-type, and spermatogenesis proceeded normally. Hence, the testes muscles compensated for fusion defects so that the myofibres encircling the adult testes are indistinguishable from those of the wild- type and male fertility is guaranteed.
Prox1 and fibroblast growth factor receptors form a novel regulatory loop controlling lens fiber differentiation and gene expression
Authors: Audette Dylan S. , Anand Deepti , So Tammy , Rubenstein Troy B. , Lachke Salil A. , Lovicu Frank J. , Duncan Melinda K.
Published: December 2015

Lens epithelial cells differentiate into lens fibers (LF) in response to a fibroblast growth factor (FGF) gradient. This cell fate decision requires the transcription factor Prox1, which was hypothesized to promote cell cycle exit in differentiating lens fibers. However, conditional deletion of Prox1 from mouse lenses resulted in a failure in lens fiber differentiation despite maintenance of normal cell cycle exit. Instead, RNAseq demonstrated that Prox1 functions as a global regulator of lens fiber cell gene expression. Intriguingly, Prox1 also controlled the expression of fibroblast growth factor receptors (FGFRs) and could bind to their promoters, correlating with decreased downstream signaling through MAPK and AKT in Prox1 mutant lenses. Further, culturing rat lens explants in FGF increased their expression of Prox1, and this was attenuated by the addition of inhibitors of MAPK. Together these results describe a novel feedback loop required for lens differentiation and morphogenesis, where Prox1 and FGFR interact to mediate LF differentiation in response to FGF.
Smoking cessation support: Indian nursing students' practices, attitudes and perceived barriers
Authors: Poreddi Vijayalakshmi , Gandhi Sailaxmi , Chandra Rama , Wilson Andrew , Math Suresh Bada
Published: December 2015

Background:

Tobacco use is a significant global health issue. Studies that examined nursing students' attitudes towards smoking cessation support were limited from India.

Aim:

To assess undergraduate nursing students' practices, beliefs, attitudes and perceived barriers towards smoking cessation support.

Methods:

A cross-sectional descriptive design was adopted among undergraduate nursing students (n=178) using self-reported questionnaires.

Results:

Findings revealed that a majority (68.5%) of the students inquire about their clients' smoking habits and 78.1% of them advise patients who are smokers about the health effects of smoking. Although student nurses hold positive attitudes in the enthusiasm domain (28.8±7.29), the majority of them lack self-efficacy towards smoking cessation support (14.2±4.70). ‘Patient's lack of motivation’ (89.3%), ‘lack of training/knowledge’ (88.2%) and ‘lack of communication skills’ (77.5%) were the major barriers encountered by the participants during tobacco counselling.

Conclusion:

The findings suggest that there is an urgent need to include a tobacco-control curriculum at undergraduate level to improve their competency in giving smoking cessation support.
A nurse's role in nurturing a patient's intimacy and sexuality
Authors: Mendes Aysha
Published: December 2015

In this monthly column, Aysha Mendes discusses the importance of the role of the nurse in being comfortable discussing intimacy and sexuality with their patients in order to ensure that people can express themselves and that needs are not being neglected on account of their medical conditions
Considering the benefits of a new stoma appliance: a clinical trial
Authors: Kruse Trine Møller , Størling Zenia Marian
Published: December 2015

For people living with a stoma, leakage is one of the main problems compromising quality of life. The right choice of stoma appliance is therefore of utmost importance. This randomised, controlled clinical trial investigated the benefits of a new stoma appliance, SenSura Mio Convex Soft, specifically for people who experience leakage using a flat stoma appliance. The degree of leakage under the baseplate was measured using a new objective method. The study included 38 participants with an ileostomy or colostomy. Results showed that while being flexible and comfortable, the new appliance reduced leakage significantly and provided a better feeling of security when compared with the participants' own flat stoma appliance. The product was the preferred of the convex stoma appliances in the study. This study demonstrated that it may be a solution for people with a stoma challenged by leakage using flat stoma appliances.
Rehabilitation of individuals with intestinal ostomy
Authors: Martins Lívia Módolo , Sonobe Helena Megumi , Vieira Flávia De Siqueira , De Oliveira Marissa Silva , Lenza Nariman De Felício Bortucan , Da Silva Teles André Aparecido
Published: December 2015

This article will discuss an ethnographic study interpreting the rehabilitation experience of 15 individuals with an intestinal ostomy in Brazil, analysed using thematic analysis from the perspective of the sociology of health. The decoded meanings included: ‘dealing with treatment and intestinal ostomy’, and led to the theme ‘the rehabilitation experience of patients with intestinal ostomy due to chronic illness’, which addressed normality of life before intestinal illness, defining oneself and life, considering personal, family, social and therapeutic difficulties, and preparing to live with an intestinal ostomy, considering both the private and public spheres. This study will contribute to the specialised care provided in the various contexts of healthcare delivery, especially in relation to the humanisation of care of patients and implementation of appropriate strategies to meet the needs of patients.
How families celebrate New Year
Authors: Neville Sarah
Published: December 2015

The government has asked early years settings to promote British values; these lend themselves to various activities based on how the children mark the turn of the year.
How to keep your eye on the ball
Authors: Green Sandy , Green Jake
Published: December 2015

In the fourth of a series of extracts, we examine the importance of movement skills for young children and ways of introducing them to some appropriate sporting activities.
Managing asthma in general practice
Authors: Cornforth Amber
Published: December 2015

People with asthma should receive regular education and support in the primary care context, within an effective partnership between the patient and suitably trained health professionals. Structured asthma reviews should be carried out at least annually in primary care, and personalized asthma action plans should be implemented for all patients. Pharmacological management of asthma involves ensuring that treatment is prescribed at an appropriate level, with titration where necessary, and, importantly, health professionals should confirm that patients are adept at taking their inhaled medication. Clinicians should address factors influencing the patient's condition—such as passive smoking and smoking cessation—identify allergenic triggers, and make appropriate referrals for patients' whose conditions are difficult to treat. Comprehensive treatment and advice should be tailored to the patient's individual needs, taking into account pertinent issues, such as personal health beliefs and the reasons for non-adherence with the recommended treatment.
Photoluminescence Emission and Structure Study in ZnO:Ag nanorods
Authors: Lozada Erick Velázquez , Camacho-González G M , Quino-Cerdan J M
Published: December 2015

Scanning electronic microscopy (SEM) andX ray diffraction (XRD) have been applied to the study of structural and optical properties of ZnOnanocrystals prepared by the ultrasonic spray pyrolysis (USP) at different temperatures. The variation of temperatures and times at the growth of ZnO films permits modifying the ZnO phase from the amorphous to crystalline, to change the size of ZnOnanocrystals (NCs), as well as to vary their photoluminescence spectra. 
John Coltrane’s Pursuit of Elegance
Authors: Heisler Aaron Yale
Published: December 2015

This essay presents John Coltrane as a key transitional figure in the history of African American art’s relationship with the cultural mainstream, bridging the institutionalized cultural movements of the earlier part of the century, such as the Harlem Renaissance, and the more politically and formally radical ones—such as the Black Arts Movement—that succeeded them in the 1960s. The larger cultural transition that Coltrane both responded to and participated in can be traced through the seemingly contradictory ideas about the value of conventional aesthetic form expressed in his published writings—which include poetry, autobiography, statements of artistic purpose, and private correspondence—as well as in his interviews and major musical undertakings, such as his popular album A Love Supreme . Reading these documents in light of the cultural environment in which Coltrane received his early education can help uncover aspects of the role he played in mediating the institutionalized and mainstream-oriented aesthetic values in which he was raised for the artists and authors on whom he had such a singular influence in the 1960s.
The Transformative Poetics of Wanda Coleman’s American Sonnets
Authors: Ryan Jennifer
Published: December 2015

This article examines the recurring formal traits, themes, and political concerns motivating Wanda Coleman’s 100-poem American Sonnets sequence. I argue that through her transformations of the sonnet form and her attention to current social issues, Coleman helps to define a new movement in experimental black poetics. Her work responds directly to poetic predecessors and contemporary writers while amassing a wide range of compositional strategies that both acknowledge her roots in the Black Arts Movement and mark out new creative ground.
Fact, Fiction, and the Industry of Violence: Newspapers and Advertisements in Clotel
Authors: Ganster Mary
Published: December 2015

William Wells Brown’s Clotel (1853) is formally complex and features paratextual elements that stymied early critics, who judged the antislavery novel by somewhat rigid generic conventions. As a result, Clotel ’s historical significance has often overshadowed its radically experimental aesthetics. The very elements used to deem Clotel aesthetically inferior, namely the inclusion of newspaper articles and advertisements, actually expose and attempt to remedy the representational inadequacies of conventional abolitionist texts. Brown deploys paratexts strategically within Clotel ’s fictional narrative in order to undermine readers’ assumptions and challenge them to continually position themselves with and against reified texts.
Imagining Transnational Orphanhoods: Nation-as-Family in Recent Spanish Children’s Books
Authors: González Macarena García
Published: December 2015

In this article, I explore constructions of orphanhood in books about international adoption and irregular immigration tracing their relationship to broader sets of narratives on belonging, and, particularly, to the conceptual metaphor of Nation-as-Family. The stories about young adoptees aim to resist hegemonic discourses on the biological constitution of the family while justifying transnational adoptions overlooking the geopolitical order that facilitates them. Books portraying illegal immigrants, on other hand, unveil a broader discourse that presents third world countries as unsuitable for families and as unable to provide homes in which children can thrive. Stories about adoption and about immigration coincide in presenting kinship as the sole path for the belonging to the broader (national) community.
Alternative Family and Textual Citizenship in Frances Hodgson Burnett’s Little Lord Fauntleroy : A Drama in Three Acts
Authors: Stover Deanna
Published: December 2015

When Frances Hodgson Burnett adapted Little Lord Fauntleroy (1886) for the stage, she added texts to the play. A close reading of the texts created and distributed in Little Lord Fauntleroy: A Drama in Three Acts (1889) illuminates how Burnett perceived cooperative reading communities as essential to political engagement regardless of American or English citizenship. These reading communities, made up of characters typically considered outside of the traditional family—specifically, orphans, adoptees, widows, and bachelors—model familial-reading practices and create a political family through which the characters can attain more sociopolitical leverage than would otherwise be possible.
Literary Traditions on Fire: Mimetic Desire and the Role of the Orphaned Heroine in Suzanne Collins’s Hunger Games Trilogy
Authors: Bewley Alison L.
Published: December 2015

Suzanne Collins’s Katniss Everdeen has been widely celebrated as an empowered rebellious girl protagonist due to her androgyny; however, Katniss’s stereotypically masculine traits represent a superficial change and not a revision of historical gender roles. Although Katniss, orphaned in the context of a patriarchal society, does not require saving as traditional girl orphans do, she remains a reactive object instead of an active agent in her story, as supported by three Girardian triangles of mimetic desire. Relative to Peeta, the Capitol, Gale, and District Thirteen, Katniss is an object instead of the subject, undermining her “empowered” narrative role.
George Eliot, Meter, and the Matter of Ideas: The Yale Poetry Notebook
Authors: Abbott Ruth
Published: December 2015

This article focuses on an unpublished notebook that George Eliot used in the 1870s to copy her own unpublished poems and prose reflections on form and versification. It reads the whole notebook as a response to Eliot’s reviewers’ accusations that in her poetry, forms and ideas were at destructive war with each other, and argues that Eliot used the notebook self-consciously, for textual, material, and metrical experiments which worked towards an alternative, speculative account of this relationship. The notebook is placed in the context of the extensive research into form and versification that Eliot conducted after the publication of The Spanish Gypsy, a Poem , revealing its connections to her interest in Hegel.
Uncle Toby and the Bullet’s Story in Laurence Sterne’s Tristram Shandy
Authors: Alryyes Ala
Published: December 2015

Relentlessly attempting to relive and describe his groin injury incurred at the Siege of Namur, Uncle Toby studies Galileo and others to discover the path of the projectile that has injured him, and “by certain geometrical rules, infallibly laid down, he found the precise path to be a Parabola.” My proposed paper will focus on the relevance of science for Tristram Shandy , highlighting the contradiction between the approximate science of caring for injured bodies and the Galilean mathematical science of projectiles. I will suggest that this contrast is part of the interesting story of the bullet in the long eighteenth century, a story that influences both Locke’s “Way of Ideas” and Sterne’s depiction of Enlightenment “psychology.” Remarkably, despite his oddity, Toby is a representative man. His war-mindedness only echoes the war-mindedness of European culture and knowledge in the long eighteenth century. In this essay I argue that Uncle Toby’s story and character are mediated by the bullet’s story.
Walter Scott’S “everlasting said he’s and said she’s”: Dialogue, Painting, and the Status of the Novel
Authors: Scalia Christopher J.
Published: December 2015

This essay explores Walter Scott’s theories of dialogue, and in particular his comparisons of fictional speech to the art of painting. I argue that in prefatory material to both The Bride of Lammermoor and Ivanhoe , Scott draws on contemporary theories of painting to explain his use of dialogue, but the texts contradict each other in an important way: while the former underscores the stark contrast between the arts, the latter insists upon their similarities. I argue that this inconsistency is Scott’s attempt to present a multi-front vindication of the novel in which dialogue represents both the traditional techniques and innovative possibilities of the form, its simultaneous distance from and proximity to more ancient and critically appreciated arts.