bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
In Defence of Patient/Person Human Rights Within National Health Care Provision: implications for British nursing
Authors: Driscoll John
Published: November 2006

One cannot fail to be aware of the ‘human rights’ that are vividly thrust into our living rooms by the world’s media; but, what are human rights and are they of relevance to British nursing practice? In a democratic state such as the UK, human rights infringements or violations are not typified as occurring in a health care system outwardly appearing to safeguard the interests of the patient/person. This paper examines some of the issues and concludes that the notion of human rights remains inconspicuous and peripheral to the ‘real world’ of clinical nursing practice. It challenges British nurses to reflect on their practice and outwardly demonstrate that nursing’s contemporary language of human rights does not remain simply rhetorical in nature.
Reflective Practice: nursing ethics through story telling
Authors: Durgahee Taleb
Published: November 2006

Reflection is a method of learning and teaching professional maturity through the critical analysis of experience. An illuminative research approach was used over a period of five years in collaboration with students on a palliative care course to investigate the effects of learning moral and ethical reasoning by reliving clinical experiences through story telling. This study concludes that: self-concept is enhanced; communication skills are increased; and insight development is part of learning to reason fairly and ethically, and is achieved through a cathartic process, leading to the conceptualization and discovery of theories of nursing through reflective practice.
Strikes, Nurses and The Law in the UK
Authors: Dimond Bridgit
Published: November 2006

This paper explores the law relating to strikes and other industrial action in the UK and the problems faced by nurse practitioners. It also reviews the advice given to nurses by the professional associations.

If any employee takes part in industrial action, he or she could personally face four arenas of accountability for this action: disciplinary proceedings before the employer; criminal proceedings; civil proceedings for negligence; and professional conduct proceedings.
The Limits of Language: ethical aspects of strike action from a New Zealand Perspective
Authors: Bickley Joy
Published: November 2006

Over the last decade, successive New Zealand governments have instituted social, political and economic changes that have fundamentally challenged nurses’ sense of themselves and their position in society. Major upheavals in the health service have occurred as a result of reforms promoting competition and contestability. This paper deals with the impact of one aspect of the reforms, that of the deregulation of the labour market through the Employment Contracts Act 1991. More specifically, the way in which discussions and decisions regarding the withdrawal of nursing labour are shaped by the language available to those involved are considered. The intersection of ethics and union discourses may exacerbate feelings of ambiguity and confusion in nurses facing strike action. The result can be unnecessary and unproductive division and conflict: among nurses, between employers and employees, between unions, between nurses and the public, and between nursing organizations and the Government. An examination of some of the discourses of strike action may serve as a tool to elucidate the way nurses see themselves and their clients in the context of social change and social action.
Better Working Conditions Won by ‘Nurse Wave’ Action: Japanese nurses’ experience of getting a new law by their militant campaign
Authors: Katsuragi Seishi
Published: November 2006

Japanese nurses, like their counterparts in many other countries, are suffering from staff shortages and severe working conditions. The Japan Federation of Medical Workers’ Unions (Nihon Iroren) launched a campaign in 1989 for nurses called the ‘Nurse Wave’. Their demands were many: to increase the numbers of nursing staff, the regulation of night shifts, the implementation of a five-day working week everywhere, a fair appraisal of nurses’ work, better vocational training, etc.

Nurses in white uniforms assembled at meetings, marched and took part in nationwide strikes. They collected over 5.4 million petition signatures, which they submitted to Parliament. After three years of campaigning, they won the enactment of a law for securing sufficient numbers of nursing personnel.

This struggle, which highlighted the most pressing demands of nurses and was supported by the general public, was a new experience for Japanese nurses. It was a militant movement which demanded that the Government should change its health policy. Against the sluggish image of the Japanese labour movement, strikes and demonstrations organized by nurses dressed in white have made a strong impression on the Japanese people.

As health care is a public service on which the life and death of people depend, a strike at a health institution naturally has constraints and must follow specific procedures. In this article, the measures taken by Nihon Iroren to minimize the consequences of strikes on patients and the local community, the impact of the nurses’ movement on the society, as well as the lessons drawn from the campaign, are presented.
Industrial Action by Nurses: the Italian situation
Authors: Sala Roberta , Usai Milena
Published: November 2006

Those who want to know anything about strike action by Italian nurses will find very little written about it. This contribution intends to show that, whatever they are prepared to admit, Italian nurses are not used to strike action because they mostly think of their profession as a form of mission. Even if we could agree with the idea of nursing as a profession subscribing to an ideal of service, we have to distinguish between a real profession and philanthropic work; vocational motivation is not enough to make a good professional. Historically, nurses perceived strikes as contradictory to human need and action; patients must never be left alone. However, Italian nurses are now interested in a dramatic transformation of many aspects of their professional life, becoming conscious of the duty to protect themselves from every kind of exploitation, even if the typical idealism and dedication of nurses makes them vulnerable.
Confidentiality: a critique of the traditional view
Authors: Glen Sally
Published: November 2006

‘Confidentiality’ can become a somewhat embellishing signboard for paternalistic caring. In essence, one needs to distinguish between confidentiality as a respectful attitude to a patient/client, where it becomes credible that the caring professional will not misuse the information he or she obtains about the patient/client, and between confidentiality misused as an instrument of power to keep the patient/client outside of processes in which it might be important or advantageous for him or her to participate.
A Model for Conceptualizing the Moral Dynamic in Health Care
Authors: Pierce Susan Foley
Published: November 2006

Ethics involves an organized, reasoned approach to gathering and processing data in order to arrive at decisions about what to do, what to value, and/or what virtues to cultivate. A model is proposed for conceptualizing this complex dynamic, which incorporates elements of both rule-and-principle ethics and the ethic of care. The model suggested here has two levels. The first level identifies the components that comprise philosophical reasoning; the second contextualizes and operationalizes the model in relation to the processor’s philosophical stance on the nature of knowing. Three philosophical stances are identified and described: science-dominant, person-dominant, and science-person equilibrium. Physicians tend to process patients from first perspectives, nurses from second. Hence, health team collaboration in moral problem solving is critically important.
The Key to Quality Nursing Care: towards a model of personal and professional development
Authors: Glen Sally
Published: November 2006

Quality of nursing cannot be assessed in terms of performance referenced criteria, but only in terms of the personal qualities displayed in the performance. The key to improvement in practice may be the improvement of emotional and motivational tendencies. In essence, professional development implies personal development. Harré makes a distinction between ‘powers to do’ and ‘powers to be’ (a state of being). The former are the capacities that individuals acquire to perform their tasks and roles. Professional development therefore involves, first, the acquisition of the capacities necessary for the successful completion of a set of professional tasks (the powers to do). Secondly, it involves the acquisition of the appropriate emotions and motivations, and the theories about human nature and the conduct that underpins them (the powers to be). Therefore, these capacities cannot be derived from an analysis of tasks, since what are defined as tasks in the first place are determined by the exercise of such powers. The acquisition of attitudes constitutes a source of competent practice. Harré’s model of ‘personal identity’ provides a conceptual framework for thinking about the process of the acquisition of nursing competence and its relationship to differing views of nursing. Considerations relating to different priorities within Harré’s model make it possible to raise questions about the objectives of competence at different stages.
The Legal and Ethical Status of Children in Health Care in the UK
Authors: Baxter Rosario , Long Ann , Sines David
Published: November 2006

Ethical issues about children’s rights in respect of matters concerning resource allocation or treatment opportunities are now a matter for public consumption and concern. Alongside this exists a long-frustrated desire by children’s nurses to promote children’s health. Long-held assumptions about the legal and moral status of children within the health care system in this country are now rightly scrutinized and challenged. Those of us who claim to represent children now possess an opportunity to exploit public attention for the benefit of these children.

This article will explore selected major relevant legal and moral concepts that relate to children with the aim of making transparent some of the important and often confusing information available. It is anticipated that debates about the legal and ethical status of children may be stimulated and fuelled from the following discussion. It is strongly recommended that entering into dialogue with families and children about their perceived needs will go a long way towards advancing thoughtful nursing care of individual children, their families and the general population.
Nurses’ Attitudes Towards Developing a Do Not Resuscitate Policy in Japan
Authors: Konishi Emiko
Published: November 2006

Two questionnaire surveys are reported describing the attitudes of 127 Japanese nurses towards developing a do not resuscitate (DNR) policy. The background information features the Japanese health care situations: a lack of policies for end-of-life care decisions; frequent life-prolonging treatments initiated without the patient’s knowledge or consent; ethical dilemmas confronting nurses in relation to such treatments; and the public’s growing concern over end-of-life care. A hypothetical DNR policy was used in which a health professional asked patients about their decision regarding DNR. The respondents supported this model DNR policy as an ideal. However, they noted that this policy was at variance with Japanese culture. Recommendations for Japanese nurses emerged from the data. In order to make an impact on end-of-life decision making, nurses should take culturally appropriate actions: (1) teach patients about their rights; and (2) work with physicians to provide patients with accurate information about their condition.
Ethical Dilemmas in the Care of Patients with Incurable Cancer
Authors: Kuuppelomäki Merja , Lauri Sirkka
Published: November 2006

This article aims to identify and describe the ethical dilemmas that are involved in the care of patients with incurable cancer. The data were collected in semistructured focused interviews with 32 patients, 13 nurses and 13 doctors from two central hospitals and four community health centres. The interviews were tape-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Interpretation was based on the method of content analysis.

Ethical dilemmas occurred at the time of diagnosis, in connection with telling the truth, in providing information, in the treatment of pain, and in decision-making situations concerning active treatment. Dilemmas of active treatment concerned chemotherapy, intravenous infusions, blood transfusions and antibiotics. There were also problems in relationships between nursing staff and next of kin, as well as a lack of co-operation between nurses and doctors.
An Ethical Perspective on Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide in the Netherlands from a Nursing Point of View
Authors: van der Arend Arie JG
Published: November 2006

In the Netherlands, euthanasia and assisted suicide are formally forbidden by criminal law, but, under certain strictly formulated conditions, physicians are excused for administering these to patients on the basis of necessity. These conditions are bound up with a long process of criteria development. Therefore, physicians still live in uncertainty. Future court decisions may change the criteria. Apart from that, physicians can always be prosecuted. The position of nurses, however, is perfectly clear; they are never allowed to administer euthanasia or assisted suicide. Nevertheless, they should be involved in the decision-making process because they are an important source of information and have consultation skills. The openness of the discussion about these issues in the Netherlands may prevent an escalation of medical or nursing responsibility and falling victim to the ‘slippery slope’.
The Art of Nursing
Authors: Edwards Steven D
Published: November 2006

This article discusses the question of whether, as is often claimed, nursing is properly described as an art. Following critical remarks on the claims of Carper, Chinn and Watson, and Johnson, the account of art provided by RG Collingwood is described, with particular reference to his influential distinction between art and craft. The question of whether nursing is best described as an art or a craft is then discussed. The conclusion is advanced that nursing cannot properly be described as an art, given acceptance of Collingwood’s influential definition of art. Moreover, it is shown that, due to difficulties inherent in specifying the ‘ends’ of nursing, nursing is only problematically described as a craft.
Children Sold for Transplants: medical and legal aspects
Authors: Fasting Ulla , Christensen Jan , Glending Susanne ,   Amnesty International - Danish Working Group for Children
Published: November 2006

Over the last few decades there has been a substantially higher percentage of successful organ transplants but also a significant imbalance between the demand for and the supply of organs, creating the basis for a highly profitable black market trade in human organs. Sometimes there are reports that children have been kidnapped, only to reappear later lacking one kidney, or that they simply disappear and are subsequently killed to have all their transplantable organs removed for profit. The European Union feels that there is a need for action and that it has a duty to act in this field, especially for ethical reasons. There is now established close co-operation between the various European transplant organizations. The legal protection of children with regard to organ transplantation is not specifically mentioned in the existing conventions because this issue was not foreseen at the time of their preparation. However, the issue is covered in a broader sense by more general provisions. There are endless rumours surrounding this area. Members of various organizations who travel in the suspected countries say that the trafficking in children who are sold for transplantation is well known, but it is too difficult and very dangerous to catch the people involved. We have to conclude that it has been impossible to prove or disprove the rumours, but they are consistent and we all, especially in the health care professions, have an obligation to be keenly aware of how and where organs are obtained.
Health Care Education for Dialogue and Dialogic Relationships
Authors: Glen Sally
Published: November 2006

This article will address the question: how can health care education best take seriously the task of educating for professional practice within a post-traditional, liberal democratic society?

In the setting of modernity, the altered personal and professional self has to be explored and constructed as part of a reflective process of connecting personal and professional change: in essence, to develop self-knowledge. A moral life, or ‘working morality’, that evolves out of a process of ongoing dialogue and conversation is required. What is advocated here is a more social model of health care education that acknowledges a social or communal dimension to knowledge and the centrality of relationships for the full development of the individual personally and professionally, fosters our capacity to identify who we are both personally and professionally, connects reason and dialogue, and educates for dialogue and dialogic relationships.
Abortion: Why Bioethics Can Have No Answer – A Personal Perspective
Authors: Hunt Geoffrey
Published: November 2006

Abortion is one of the great moral debates of the epoch. Is there a rational method by which the debate can be resolved? Can bioethics' promise of such a method be fulfilled? Surely, a strictly rational approach can establish solid grounds for our beliefs once and for all. We would then be justified in deeming as unreasonable anyone who does not accept the perfectly rational conclusions. I present two scenarios to show that there can be no such philosophically grounded method and therefore no such facts to which everyone must agree. This does not mean that it is in fact impossible for people to reach agreement. It simply means that there is no incontrovertibly rational means by which they must do so.
Ethical Considerations in Qualitative Research with Vulnerable Groups: Exploring Lesbians' and Gay Men's Experiences of Health Care – A Personal Perspective
Authors: James Trudi , Platzer Hazel
Published: November 2006

It is rare to find honest accounts of the difficulties and dilemmas encountered when conducting sensitive research with vulnerable research populations. This account explores some of the ethical issues raised by a qualitative interview study with lesbians and gay men about their experiences of nursing care. There is tension between the moral duty to conduct research with vulnerable and stigmatized groups in order to improve care, and the inevitable lack of resources that go with such a venture. This increases the risk of harm during the process of research.

The risk of harm to both the researchers and the researched is explored and the need for a support structure for both groups is raised. There is a pressing need to develop further understanding about the ways in which the dissemination of research can potentially harm already vulnerable research populations.
Sexuality Among Institutionalized Elderly Patients with Dementia
Authors: Ehrenfeld M , Bronner G , Tabak N , Alpert R , Bergman R
Published: November 2006

The subject of sexuality among elderly patients with dementia was examined, focusing on two main aspects: the sexual behaviour of institutionalized elderly people with dementia; and the reactions of other patients, staff and family members to this behaviour. The behaviour was found to be mostly heterosexual and ranged from love and caring to romance and outright eroticism. Reactions varied, being accepting of love and care but often objecting to erotic behaviour. Understanding of the sexual needs of elderly people should become an integral part of the training and continued education of health care staff, thus helping to resolve conflicts and clarify common misconceptions.
Allocating Scarce Resources in a Publicly Funded Health System: Ethical Considerations of a Canadian Managed Care Proposal
Authors: Reay Trish
Published: November 2006

In the Canadian health care system, the Government is responsible for allocating scarce resources in a fair and equitable manner. A proposal to implement managed care as a method of reimbursing physicians in Alberta, Canada, needs careful ethical consideration, because physicians are not well prepared, and should not be asked, to make the resulting difficult allocation decisions. The Government must continue to be held responsible for ensuring that all citizens have equal access to necessary medical services, and we must find ways to encourage the public to become more involved in deciding how resources are best allocated. Health professionals other than physicians must take an interest and enter into this debate.
Reflections on the Meaning of Care
Authors: Sabatino Charles J
Published: November 2006

Health care is increasingly delivered by using medical technologies and specialized procedures. However, the systems through which it is delivered are coming under attack as lacking in care. Medicine is very capable of treating the human body, but it may be losing its sensitivity towards persons, especially concerning the vulnerability they are experiencing. Nurses are finding that the demands for more efficiency and cost-effective measures do not allow them sufficient time to offer the personal care for which they have always felt responsible. The question of the meaning of care surfaces especially in treating those who are approaching death. The need is to balance the various dimensions of care, keeping its focus on the well-being of persons.
A Nursing Ethic: the moral voice of experienced nurses
Authors: Woods Martin
Published: November 2006

Nursing acts occur in thousands of instances daily, being a major component of professional health care delivery in institutions, communities and homes. It follows that the ethical practice of most nurses is put to the test on an everyday rather than an occasional basis. Hence, within nursing practice there must be a rich and deep seam of reflective interpretation and practical wisdom that is ‘embedded’ within the experiences of every experienced nurse. This article presents discussion on some of the main findings of a recently completed study on nursing ethics in New Zealand. An interpretation of a nurse’s story taken from the study is offered and suggestions are made for nursing ethics education.
Teaching Nursing Ethics by Cases: a personal perspective
Authors: Holland Stephen
Published: November 2006

This article is a reflection on the use of case study material in the teaching of ethics to nursing students. Given the main aims of a course in ethics for nurses and the limited effectiveness of formal moral theory, it seems inevitable that the mainstay of nursing ethics courses will continue to be case study material. This approach has recently been criticized on a number of grounds. The author suggests here that disquiet over teaching ethics in this way should motivate a concern not with whether, but how, teaching by cases is to be undertaken.
The Regulation of Autonomy in Nursing: the Italian situation
Authors: Sala Roberta , Manara Duilio
Published: November 2006

We reflect upon the meaning of freedom and autonomy in nursing behaviour, attempting to outline the contemporary situation of nursing in Italy, where the profession is achieving important results after a long period of submission and subordination. The way to real emancipation is not easy, but a statement of law on the one hand - abolishing constraints such as the Mansionario - and professional self-regulation on the other - the recent new Deontological Code - represent a real conquest in that direction. However, no statement of law or deontology can be sufficient without deeper reflection by the profession on itself and its tasks, potentiality, social importance and self-esteem.
Technological Behaviour and Export Probability in Developing Countries
Authors: Estrada Salvador , Heijs Joost
Published: November 2006

This article studies innovative behaviour and its impact on export activity. Our results show—for the Mexican case—that innovation is a method used to meet international standards and is therefore necessary in order to compete in export markets. This relationship has been observed in both developed and developing countries, although the exact configuration differs, probably due to the different role innovation plays in each. We used several sub-samples showing that different types of firms are associated with distinct independent variables. These variables could quite possibly explain many of the differing and often contradictory results in existing literature.
Reactivity and Safe Learning in Multi-Agent Systems
Authors: Banerjee Bikramjit , Peng Jing
Published: November 2006

Multi-agent reinforcement learning (MRL) is a growing area of research. What makes it particularly challenging is that multiple learners render each other's environments non-stationary. In addition to adapting their behaviors to other learning agents, online learners must also provide assurances about their online performance in order to promote user trust of adaptive agent systems deployed in real world applications. In this article, instead of developing new algorithms with such assurances, we study the question of safety in online performance of some existing MRL algorithms. We identify the key notion of reactivity of a learner by analyzing how an algorithm (PHC-Exploiter), designed to exploit some simpler opponents, can itself be exploited by them. We quantify and analyze this concept of reac tivity in the context of these algorithms to explain their experimental behaviors. We argue that no learner can be designed that can deliberately avoid exploitation. We also show that any attempt to opti mize reactivity must take into account a tradeoff with sensitivity to noise, and devise an adaptive method (based on environmental feedback) designed to maximize the learner's safety and minimize its sensitivity to noise.
Integrating Conservation and Development
Authors: Herrold-Menzies Melinda
Published: November 2006

Integrated conservation and development projects (ICDPs) are increasingly being critiqued for having failed to meet their objectives. Designed with the goal of combining biodiversity conservation with the promotion of local economic development to create a win-win situation for both endangered species and marginalized peoples, numerous recent studies have questioned the effectiveness of the ICDP approach. This research, based on more than 200 interviews at Caohai Nature Reserve in China provides support both positive and negative assessments of ICDPs. The community development and conservation programs at Caohai, cosponsored by the Guizhou Environmental Protection Bureau, Caohai Nature Reserve, the International Crane Foundation, and the Trickle Up Program, were developed in response to violent confrontations between local people and nature reserve managers when managers attempted to enforce reserve regulations. Although the programs at Caohai have met with both failures and successes, these programs have been successful in transforming what was once a violent relationship between local people and nature reserve managers into a much more cooperative one.
Community Violence and Its Direct, Indirect, and Mediating Effects on Intimate Partner Violence
Authors: Raghavan Chitra , Mennerich Amy , Sexton Ellen , James Susan E.
Published: November 2006

The links among social disorder, violence in the social support network (NIPV), community violence, and women's substance use were examined in a sample of 50 low-income, nonshelter women to predict intimate partner violence (IPV). The authors found that living in a neighborhood with higher levels of social disorder and using substances increased women's exposure to community violence that, in turn, was associated with increased rates of IPV. In addition, although not associated with community violence, NIPV was associated with increased IPV. The results suggest that examining neighborhood-level factors is important in domestic violence policy, practice, and research.
Many Ps Needed for Sustainable Water Services
Authors: Hukka Jarmo J. , Juuti Petri S. , Katko Tapio S. , Seppälä Osmo T.
Published: November 2006

This research note discusses the commonly used concept of public-private partnerships (PPPs) promoted particularly by international financial bodies in water and sanitation services during the past few years. The article argues that the scope of PPPs, which now includes only private operators, should be expanded. The article proposes a related list of policies, principles, and practices with selected priorities for viable and sustainable water and sanitation services. They must be assessed in a long-term perspective rather than in a historical vacuum.
Evaluation of a Focused Short-term Preventive Counselling Project for Families with a Parent with Cancer
Authors: Thastum Mikael , Munch-Hansen Anne , Wiell Anne , Romer Georg
Published: November 2006

Twenty-four families participated in counselling for families with a parent with cancer (24 mothers, 17 fathers, and 34 children). Parents who received counselling were significantly more depressed before the counselling than a nonrandomized control group who did not receive counselling, but participated in another part of the project. For the parents, there was a significant decrease in depression and increase in family functioning scores from before to after the intervention. For the children, a significant pre-to post-decrease in depression scores was found. Changes in depression and family functioning were significantly correlated with the degree of counselling contentment. Reasons for seeking counselling were insecurity in relation to the children, problems with communication, high level of conflict, and change of roles. A number of themes appeared when parents and children described what they gained from the counselling: Confirmation in being a ‘good-enough’ parent, more understanding of emotions and reactions of other family members, more sense of intimacy and cohesion within the family, and normalization of own feelings.
Putting Harry Potter on the Couch
Authors: Noctor Colman
Published: November 2006

This article will explore J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter (2004) literary series from a psychoanalytical perspective. The author draws out the main themes of the Harry Potter stories to see if they can be employed clinically to assist in psychotherapeutic work with children and adolescents. The article begins by discussing Bettelheim’s (1976) extensive work on children’s fairytales and their therapeutic value, moving on to discuss Rustin and Rustin’s (2005) more recent insights into narrative therapy and children’s fiction. A clinical example is given of how the storylines were implemented to enhance a psychotherapeutic group process for adolescents. The author hopes to illustrate the power of symbolism and metaphor in the Harry Potter storylines and elucidate why these books may appeal to young people with mental health difficulties.
Development of a Scale to Assess Hwa-Byung, a Korean Culture-bound Syndrome, Using the Korean MMPI-2
Authors: Roberts Miguel E. , Han Kyunghee , Weed Nathan C.
Published: November 2006

This study documents the development of an MMPI-2 scale designed to assess features of the Korean culture-bound syndrome, Hwa-Byung (HB). An American research team and psychiatric practitioners in Korea created an 18-item HB scale via rational item selection and psycho-metric refinement. Principal components analysis of scale items revealed four components, reflecting content domains of general health, gastrointestinal symptoms, hopelessness, and anger. This four-component solution applied well to both Korean men and women, but not to an American sample. Although some findings were encouraging, future studies employing clinical samples are needed to provide further validation of this scale.
The Ordination of Women and the Church of England Today: Two Integrities, but One Pattern of Decline in Membership Statistics
Authors: Roberts Carol , Robbins Mandy , Francis Leslie J. , Hills Peter
Published: November 2006

The Church of England remains deeply divided over the ordination of women. The present study charts the debate from the early 1990s and reanalyses centrally collected statistics to identify how the 42 mainland dioceses have responded so differently to the opportunity to ordain women to the priesthood. Then the rate of growth or decline in terms of membership statistics within the dioceses is assessed against their attitude toward the ordination of women. The data demonstrate that dioceses which have apparntly encouraged the ordination of women have overall experienced neither greater nor lesser decline in terms of membership statistics than dioceses which have apparently discouraged the ordination of women.
Archbishop William Temple and Public Theology in a Post-Christian Context
Authors: Dackson Wendy
Published: November 2006

Sixty years after William Temple's death, little in the way of constructive theology has been done with the body of writings he left. Part of this is due to the way in which his legacy has been (mis)appropriated by some of the scholars and church leaders who are seen as his heirs and admirers. An over-emphasis on the ‘middle axioms’ approach exemplified in Christianity and Social Order, and later promoted heavily by Ronald Preston, explains much of this lack. Although the ‘middle axioms’ approach is still applicable, the principles set out in Temple's most famous work need to be re-examined and perhaps expanded in the light of a post-Christian plural society. The purpose of this essay is to examine a broader range of Temple's work than is commonly done. By doing so, I will propose that the virtues of intellectual excellence, graciousness, and the welfare of the wider (non-church) society are guiding principles for ecclesial being, speech and action that are fully present in Temple's writings.
Chaetocin: a promising new antimyeloma agent with in vitro and in vivo activity mediated via imposition of oxidative stress
Authors: Isham Crescent R. , Tibodeau Jennifer D. , Jin Wendy , Xu Ruifang , Timm Michael M. , Bible Keith C.
Published: November 2006

Chaetocin, a thiodioxopiperazine natural product previously unreported to have anticancer effects, was found to have potent antimyeloma activity in IL-6–dependent and –independent myeloma cell lines in freshly collected sorted and unsorted patient CD138+ myeloma cells and in vivo. Chaetocin largely spares matched normal CD138− patient bone marrow leukocytes, normal B cells, and neoplastic B-CLL (chronic lymphocytic leukemia) cells, indicating a high degree of selectivity even in closely lineage-related B cells. Furthermore, chaetocin displays superior ex vivo antimyeloma activity and selectivity than doxorubicin and dexamethasone, and dexamethasone- or doxorubicin-resistant myeloma cell lines are largely non–cross-resistant to chaetocin. Mechanistically, chaetocin is dramatically accumulated in cancer cells via a process inhibited by glutathione and requiring intact/unreduced disulfides for uptake. Once inside the cell, its anticancer activity appears mediated primarily through the imposition of oxidative stress and consequent apoptosis induction. Moreover, the selective antimyeloma effects of chaetocin appear not to reflect differential intracellular accumulation of chaetocin but, instead, heightened sensitivity of myeloma cells to the cytotoxic effects of imposed oxidative stress. Considered collectively, chaetocin appears to represent a promising agent for further study as a potential antimyeloma therapeutic.
XML schemas for common bioinformatic data types and their application in workflow systems
Authors: Seibel Philipp N , Krüger Jan , Hartmeier Sven , Schwarzer Knut , Löwenthal Kai , Mersch Henning , Dandekar Thomas , Giegerich Robert
Published: November 2006

Background

Today, there is a growing need in bioinformatics to combine available software tools into chains, thus building complex applications from existing single-task tools. To create such workflows, the tools involved have to be able to work with each other's data – therefore, a common set of well-defined data formats is needed. Unfortunately, current bioinformatic tools use a great variety of heterogeneous formats.

Results

Acknowledging the need for common formats, the Helmholtz Open BioInformatics Technology network (HOBIT) identified several basic data types used in bioinformatics and developed appropriate format descriptions, formally defined by XML schemas, and incorporated them in a Java library (BioDOM). These schemas currently cover sequence, sequence alignment, RNA secondary structure and RNA secondary structure alignment formats in a form that is independent of any specific program, thus enabling seamless interoperation of different tools. All XML formats are available at http://bioschemas.sourceforge.net, the BioDOM library can be obtained at http://biodom.sourceforge.net.

Conclusion

The HOBIT XML schemas and the BioDOM library simplify adding XML support to newly created and existing bioinformatic tools, enabling these tools to interoperate seamlessly in workflow scenarios.
Comparative insights into questions of lepidopteran wing pattern homology
Authors: Monteiro Antónia , Glaser Gary , Stockslager Steven , Glansdorp Nelleke , Ramos Diane
Published: November 2006

Background

Butterfly and moth eyespots can share a similar appearance, involving multiple concentric rings of colored scales, but usually occuring in non-homologous positions on the wing. Within the butterflies, on the other hand, spots that share the same homologous position may not share the concentric ring structure; and, in butterfly species that have eyespots with concentric rings, ectopic eyespots with a similar ring structure can be induced by means of a simple epidermal wound. The extent to which all these eyespots, natural or induced, share similar genes and developmental mechanisms is investigated here by means of protein in-situ localizations in selected butterfly and moth species. In addition to looking at some of the transcription factors previously identified as being involved in eyespot formation, we also tested the involvement of candidate genes from the Wingless and TGF-β signaling pathways as putative morphogens for eyespot development.

Results

Saturniid moth and nymphalid butterfly eyespots with concentric rings of color express at least two transcription factors, Distal-less and Engrailed, in the center of the future pattern. Nymphalid eyespots centers also express the ligand Wingless and an activated signal transducer, a phosphorylated Smad protein, but neither these proteins nor the previous two proteins are found in pierid spot centers, which consist of a single patch of color. Both butterfly wing patterns, however, express a third transcription factor, Spalt, a portion of whose expression domain maps to the black scales on the adult wing. Wounding a nymphalid wing, on the other hand, leads to upregulation of Distal-less, engrailed and spalt in subsets of cells around the wounding site, mimicking concentric eyespot development.

Conclusion

Wingless and TGF-β ligands are both candidate morphogens involved in nymphalid butterfly eyespot formation. These eyespots, as well as saturniid moth eyespots with concentric circles, share two genes that are associated with the differentiation of the signaling cells in nymphalid eyespots. This commonality suggests that they may be produced via the same developmental mechanism despite their non-homologous location. By contrast, pierid butterfly spots of a single color share some of the same genes but appear to be produced by a different mechanism. Eyespots with concentric rings may have co-opted a wound healing genetic network during their evolution.
Lactate levels in severe malarial anaemia are associated with haemozoin-containing neutrophils and low levels of IL-12
Authors: Casals-Pascual Climent , Kai Oscar , Lowe Brett , English Mike , Williams Thomas N , Maitland Kathryn , Newton Charles RCJ , Peshu Norbert , Roberts David J
Published: November 2006

Background

Hyperlactataemia is often associated with a poor outcome in severe malaria in African children. To unravel the complex pathophysiology of this condition the relationship between plasma lactate levels, parasite density, pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines, and haemozoin-containing leucocytes was studied in children with severe falciparum malarial anaemia.

Methods

Twenty-six children with a primary diagnosis of severe malarial anaemia with any asexualPlasmodium falciparumparasite density and Hb < 5 g/dL were studied and the association of plasma lactate levels and haemozoin-containing leucocytes, parasite density, pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines was measured. The same associations were measured in non-severe malaria controls (N = 60).

Results

Parasite density was associated with lactate levels on admission (r= 0.56,P< 0.005). Moreover, haemozoin-containing neutrophils and IL-12 were strongly associated with plasma lactate levels, independently of parasite density (r= 0.60,P= 0.003 andr= -0.46,P= 0.02, respectively). These associations were not found in controls with uncomplicated malarial anaemia.

Conclusion

These data suggest that blood stage parasites, haemozoin and low levels of IL-12 may be associated with the development of hyperlactataemia in severe malarial anaemia.
Development to the blastocyst stage, the oxidative state, and the quality of early developmental stage of porcine embryos cultured in alteration of glucose concentrations in vitro under different oxygen tensions
Authors: Karja Ni Wayan Kurniani , Kikuchi Kazuhiro , Fahrudin Mokhamad , Ozawa Manabu , Somfai Tamás , Ohnuma Katsuhiko , Noguchi Junko , Kaneko Hiroyuki , Nagai Takashi
Published: November 2006

Background

Recent work has shown that glucose may induce cell injury through the action of free radicals generated by autooxidation or through hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase inhibition. The effect of glucose during early in vitro culture (IVC) period of porcine embryos on their developmental competence, contents of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and glutathione (GSH), and the quality of the blastocysts yielded was examined.

Methods

In vitro matured and fertilized porcine oocytes were cultured for the first 2 days (Day 0 = day of fertilization) of IVC in NCSU-37 added with 1.5 to 20 mM glucose (Gluc-1.5 to -20 groups) or pyruvate and lactate (Pyr-Lac group). The embryos in all groups were cultured subsequently until Day 6 in NCSU-37 with 5.5 mM added glucose. The ROS and GSH level were measured at Day 1 and 2. DNA-fragmented nuclei and the total cell numbers in blastocyst were evaluated by TUNEL-staining at Day 6.

Results

Under 5% oxygen the blastocyst rates and total cell numbers in the blastocysts in all glucose groups were significantly lower than that in the Pyr-Lac group. Similar result in blastocyst rate was found under 20% oxygen (excluding the Gluc-10 group), but total cell numbers in the blastocysts was similar among the groups. At both oxygen tensions, the H2O2 levels of Day 1 embryos in all glucose groups were significantly higher than that in the Pyr-Lac group, while only the Gluc-1.5 group of Day 2 embryos showed a significantly higher H2O2 level than that in the Pyr-Lac group. The GSH contents of either Day 1 or Day 2 embryos developed under 5% oxygen were similar among the groups. Only the content of Day 2 embryos in 1.5 mM group was significantly lower than the embryos in the Pyr-Lac group under 20% oxygen. Total cell numbers in the blastocysts (except in the Gluc-20 group) were significantly lower in the embryos cultured under 20% oxygen than 5% oxygen. Only the Gluc-20 blastocysts developed under 5% oxygen showed significantly higher DNA fragmentation rate than those of Pyr-Lac blastocysts.

Conclusion

These results show that a decrease in developmental ability of embryos cultured by use of glucose instead of pyruvate and lactate after the ferilization may be due to the rise in ROS generation in Day 1 embryos. Moreover, results from this study suggest that the concentration of glucose in the medium that can be used by the Day 1–2 embryos is limited to 3.5 mM and exposure to higher glucose concentrations does not improve embryo development.
Human TRIM5α mediated restriction of different HIV-1 subtypes and Lv2 sensitive and insensitive HIV-2 variants
Authors: Kaumanns Patrick , Hagmann Isabel , Dittmar Matthias T
Published: November 2006

In order to characterize the antiviral activity of human TRIM5α in more detail human derived indicator cell lines over expressing wild type human TRIM5α were generated and challenged with HIV-1 and HIV-2 viruses pseudotyped with HIV envelope proteins in comparison to VSV-G pseudotyped particles. HIV envelope protein pseudotyped particles (HIV-1[NL4.3], HIV-1[BaL]) showed a similar restriction to infection (12 fold inhibition) compared to VSV-G pseudotyped viruses after challenging TZM-huTRIM5α cells. For HIV-2 a stronger restriction to infection was observed when the homologous envelope protein Env42S was pseudotyped onto these particles compared to VSV-G pseudotyped HIV-2 particles (8.6 fold inhibition versus 3.4 fold inhibition). It has been shown that HIV-2 is restricted by the restriction factor Lv2, acting on capsid like TRIM5α. A mutation of amino acid 73 (I73V) of HIV-2 capsid renders this virus Lv2-insensitive. Lv2-insensitive VSV-G pseudotyped HIV-2/I73V particles showed a similar restriction to infection as did HIV-2[VSV-G] particles (4 fold inhibition). HIV-2 envelope protein (Env42S)-pseudotyped HIV-2/I73V particles revealed a 9.3 fold increase in infection in TZM cells but remained restricted in TZM-huTRIM5α cells (80.6 fold inhibition) clearly indicating that at least two restriction factors, TRIM5α and Lv2, act on incoming HIV-2 particles. Further challenge experiments using primary isolates from different HIV-1 subtypes and from HIV-1 group O showed that wild type human TRIM5α restricted infection independent of coreceptor use of the infecting particle but to variable degrees (between 1.2 and 19.6 fold restriction).
Mesothelioma mortality in Europe: impact of asbestos consumption and simian virus 40
Authors: Leithner Katharina , Leithner Andreas , Clar Heimo , Weinhaeusel Andreas , Radl Roman , Krippl Peter , Rehak Peter , Windhager Reinhard , Haas Oskar A , Olschewski Horst
Published: November 2006

Background

It is well established that asbestos is the most important cause of mesothelioma. The role of simian virus 40 (SV40) in mesothelioma development, on the other hand, remains controversial. This potential human oncogene has been introduced into various populations through contaminated polio vaccines. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the possible presence of SV40 in various European countries, as indicated either by molecular genetic evidence or previous exposure to SV40-contaminated vaccines, had any effect on pleural cancer rates in the respective countries.

Methods

We conducted a Medline search that covered the period from January 1969 to August 2005 for reports on the detection of SV40 DNA in human tissue samples. In addition, we collected all available information about the types of polio vaccines that had been used in these European countries and their SV40 contamination status.

Results

Our ecological analysis confirms that pleural cancer mortality in males, but not in females, correlates with the extent of asbestos exposure 25 – 30 years earlier. In contrast, neither the presence of SV40 DNA in tumor samples nor a previous vaccination exposure had any detectable influence on the cancer mortality rate in neither in males (asbestos-corrected rates) nor in females.

Conclusion

Using the currently existing data on SV40 prevalence, no association between SV40 prevalence and asbestos-corrected male pleural cancer can be demonstrated.