bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Long‐term live‐cell imaging of mammalian preimplantation development and derivation process of pluripotent stem cells from the embryos
Authors: Yamagata Kazuo , Ueda Jun
Published: March 2013

Mammalian fertilization is a process in which two highly specialized haploid gametes unite and endow totipotency to the resulting diploid zygote. This is followed by cell proliferation and the onset of differentiation during the brief period leading up to implantation. In these processes, a number of cellular components and structures are regulated spatially and temporally, as seen in repeated cell division, cell cycle progression, and epigenetic reprogramming. In mammals, the numbers of oocytes and embryos that can be collected are very limited. Therefore, analyses of molecular mechanisms are hampered because of difficulties in conducting biochemical analyses on such limited material. Furthermore, immunostaining methods require cell fixation and are insufficient for understanding ontogeny, because the processes observed in fertilization and early embryonic development progress in time‐dependent manners and each phenomenon is connected with others by cause‐and‐effect relationships. Consequently, it is important to develop an experimental system that enables molecular imaging without affecting embryonic development. To achieve the above advantages, especially retrospective and prospective analyses, we have established a live‐cell imaging system that enables observations under minimally invasive conditions. Using this approach, we have succeeded in visualizing and predicting the developmental potential of embryos after various perturbations. We also succeeded in imaging embryonic stem (ES) cell derivation in natural conditions. In this review, we describe a brief history of embryonic imaging and detailed protocols. We also discuss promising aspects of imaging in the fields of developmental and stem cell biology.
Expression patterns of the ADAMs in early developing chicken cochlea
Authors: Lin Juntang , Yan Xin , Wang Congrui , Talabattula Venkata Ajay Narendra , Guo Zhikun , Rolfs Arndt , Luo Jiankai
Published: March 2013

Members of the ADAM (a disintegrin and metalloprotease) family are type I transmembrane proteins involved in biological processes of proteolysis, cell adhesion, cell–matrix interaction, as well as in the intracellular signaling transduction. In the present study, expression patterns of seven members of the ADAM family were investigated at the early stages of the developing cochlea by in situ hybridization. The results show that each individual ADAM is expressed and regulated in the early developing cochlea. ADAM9, ADAM10, ADAM17, and ADAM23 are initially and widely expressed in the otic vesicle at embryonic day 2.5 (E2.5) and in the differential elements of the cochlear duct at E9, while ADAM12 is expressed in acoustic ganglion cells at E7. ADAM22 is detectable in cochlear ganglion cells as early as from E4 and in the basilar papilla from E7. Therefore, the present study extends our previous results and suggests that ADAMs also play a role in the early cochlear development.
Prevalence of food insecurity in patients with diabetes in western Kenya
Authors: Cheng S. , Kamano J. , Kirui N. K. , Manuthu E. , Buckwalter V. , Ouma K. , Pastakia S. D.
Published: March 2013

Aims

To determine the characteristics of patients with diabetes who reported food insecurity at three diabetes clinics in western Kenya.

Methods

This study includes routinely collected demographic data at the first presentation of patients with diabetes at clinics in western Kenya from 1 January 2006 to 24 September 2011. A validated questionnaire was used to assess food insecurity with descriptive and comparative statistics being used to analyse the food‐secure and food‐insecure populations.

Results

The number of patients presenting to these clinics who were food‐secure and those who were food‐insecure was 1179 (68.0%) and 554 (32.0%), respectively. Comparative analysis shows a statistically significant difference in weight, BMI, the presence of a caretaker, and use of insulin between the two groups. These variables were lower in the food‐insecure group. The overall assessment of the clinic population revealed an abnormally high mean HbA1c concentration of 81 mmol/mol (9.6%).

Conclusions

Despite the widely recognized contribution of caloric over‐nutrition to the development of diabetes, this study highlights the high prevalence of food insecurity amongst patients with diabetes in rural, resource‐constrained settings. Other factors, such as the lower prevalence of obesity, poor glucose control, challenges in the use of insulin because of the risk of hypoglycaemia, and varying subtypes of diabetes in this population, point to the need for additional research in understanding the aetiology, pathophysiology and optimum management of this condition, as well as understanding the effects of enhancing food security.
Evaluating a diabetes self‐management support peer leader training programme for the English‐ and Punjabi‐speaking South‐Asian community in Vancouver
Authors: Tang T. S. , Sohal P. S. , Garg A. K.
Published: March 2013

Aims

The purpose of this single‐cohort study was to implement and evaluate a programme that trains peers to deliver a diabetes self‐management support programme for South‐Asian adults with Type 2 diabetes and to assess the perceived efficacy of and satisfaction with this programme.

Methods

We recruited eight South‐Asian adults who completed a 20‐h peer‐leader training programme conducted over five sessions (4 h per session). The programme used multiple instructional methods (quizzes, group brainstorming, skill building, group sharing, role‐play and facilitation simulation) and provided communication, facilitation, and behaviour change skills training. To graduate, participants were required to achieve the pre‐established competency criteria in four training domains: active listening, empowerment‐based facilitation, five‐step behavioural goal‐setting, and self‐efficacy. Participants were given three attempts to pass each competency domain.

Results

On the first attempt six (75%), eight (100%), five (63%) and five (63%) participants passed active listening, empowerment‐based facilitation, five‐step behavioural goal‐setting, and self‐efficacy, respectively. Those participants who did not pass a competency domain on the first attempt were successful in passing on the second attempt. As a result, all eight participants graduated from the training programme and became peer leaders. Satisfaction ratings for programme length, balance between content and skills development, and preparation for leading support activities were uniformly high. Ratings for the instructional methods ranged between effective and very effective.

Conclusion

Findings suggest it is feasible to train and graduate peer leaders with the necessary skills to facilitate a diabetes self‐management support intervention.
Foraging in highly dynamic environments: leaf‐cutting ants adjust foraging trail networks to pioneer plant availability
Authors: Silva Paulo Sávio Damásio , Bieber Ana Gabriela Delgado , Knoch Tobias Aurelius , Tabarelli Marcelo , Leal Inara Roberta , Wirth Rainer
Published: March 2013

Major shifts in the availability of palatable plant resources are of key relevance to the ecology of leaf‐cutting ants in human‐modified landscapes. However, our knowledge is still limited regarding the ability of these ants to adjust their foraging strategy to dynamic environments. Here, we examine a set of forest stand attributes acting as modulating forces for the spatiotemporal architecture of foraging trail networks developed by Atta cephalotes L. (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Attini). During a 12‐month period, we mapped the foraging systems of 12 colonies located in Atlantic forest patches with differing size, regeneration age, and abundance of pioneer plants, and examined the variation in five trail system attributes (number of trails, branching points, leaf sources, linear foraging distance, and trail complexity) in response to these patch‐related variables. Both the month‐to‐month differences (depicted in annual trail maps) and the steadily accumulating number of trails, trail‐branching points, leaf sources, and linear foraging distance illustrated the dynamic nature of spatial foraging and trail complexity. Most measures of trail architecture correlated positively with the number of pioneer trees across the secondary forest patches, but no effects from patch age and size were observed (except for number of leaf sources). Trail system complexity (measured as fractal dimension; Df index) varied from 1.114 to 1.277 along the 12 months through which ant foraging was monitored, with a marginal trend to increase with the abundance of pioneer stems. Our results suggest that some leaf‐cutting ant species are able to generate highly flexible trail networks (via fine‐tuned adjustment of foraging patterns), allowing them to profit from the continuous emergence/recruitment of palatable resources.
Dopamine or opioid stimulation of nucleus accumbens similarly amplify cue‐triggered ‘wanting’ for reward: entire core and medial shell mapped as substrates for PIT enhancement
Authors: Peciña Susana , Berridge Kent C.
Published: March 2013

Pavlovian cues [conditioned stimulus (CS+)] often trigger intense motivation to pursue and consume related reward [unconditioned stimulus (UCS)]. But cues do not always trigger the same intensity of motivation. Encountering a reward cue can be more tempting on some occasions than on others. What makes the same cue trigger more intense motivation to pursue reward on a particular encounter? The answer may be the level of incentive salience (‘wanting’) that is dynamically generated by mesocorticolimbic brain systems, influenced especially by dopamine and opioid neurotransmission in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) at that moment. We tested the ability of dopamine stimulation (by amphetamine microinjection) vs. mu opioid stimulation [by d‐Ala, nMe‐Phe, Glyol‐enkephalin (DAMGO) microinjection] of either the core or shell of the NAc to amplify cue‐triggered levels of motivation to pursue sucrose reward, measured with a Pavlovian‐Instrumental Transfer (PIT) procedure, a relatively pure assay of incentive salience. Cue‐triggered ‘wanting’ in PIT was enhanced by amphetamine or DAMGO microinjections equally, and also equally at nearly all sites throughout the entire core and medial shell (except for a small far‐rostral strip of shell). NAc dopamine/opioid stimulations specifically enhanced CS+ ability to trigger phasic peaks of ‘wanting’ to obtain UCS, without altering baseline efforts when CS+ was absent. We conclude that dopamine/opioid stimulation throughout nearly the entire NAc can causally amplify the reactivity of mesocorticolimbic circuits, and so magnify incentive salience or phasic UCS ‘wanting’ peaks triggered by a CS+. Mesolimbic amplification of incentive salience may explain why a particular cue encounter can become irresistibly tempting, even when previous encounters were successfully resisted before.
The Social and Occupational Functioning Scale for Epilepsy (SOFSE): A brief measure of functional status in a Taiwanese sample with epilepsy
Authors: Wang Wei‐Han , Yu Hsiang‐Yu , Yen Der‐Jen , Lin Yung‐Yang , Kwan Shang‐Yeong , Chen Chien , Hua Mau‐Sun
Published: March 2013

Purpose

To develop and validate a scale of social functioning for people with epilepsy (PWE)—the Social and Occupational Functioning Scale for Epilepsy (SOFSE).

Methods

According to the literature review and opinions from a panel of experts, PWE, and caregivers, a total of 31 questions were compiled. Questionnaires were analyzed from 172 adults with epilepsy.

Key Findings

The final scale had 30 items in six dimensions. The results showed that internal consistency coefficients and test–retest reliabilities for each dimension ranged from 0.70 to 0.84 and 0.72 to 0.89, respectively. Retest reliability for the total SOFSE score was 0.92. Seven factors were extracted through principal factor analysis. Moreover, criterion‐related validity was demonstrated by the significant correlations between the SOFSE and the following measures: the Mini Mental Status Examination (r = 0.60, p < 0.001), the Quality of Life in Epilepsy‐31 (r = 0.53, p < 0.001), and the Global Severity Index of the Symptom Checklist‐90‐Revised (r = −0.66, p < 0.001). Finally, the differences in functional competence among patients also supported the discriminant validity of the inventory.

Significance

The SOFSE is a brief, psychometrically sound, and easy‐to‐administer measure of social functioning for use in busy clinical settings.
Common helminth infections of donkeys and their control in temperate regions
Authors: Matthews J. B. , Burden F. A.
Published: March 2013

Roundworms and flatworms that affect donkeys can cause disease. All common helminth parasites that affect horses also infect donkeys, so animals that co‐graze can act as a source of infection for either species. Of the gastrointestinal nematodes, those belonging to the cyathostomin (small strongyle) group are the most problematic in UK donkeys. Most grazing animals are exposed to these parasites and some animals will be infected all of their lives. Control is threatened by anthelmintic resistance: resistance to all 3 available anthelmintic classes has now been recorded in UK donkeys. The lungworm, Dictyocaulus arnfieldi, is also problematical, particularly when donkeys co‐graze with horses. Mature horses are not permissive hosts to the full life cycle of this parasite, but develop clinical signs on infection. In contrast, donkeys are permissive hosts without displaying overt clinical signs and act as a source of infection to co‐grazing horses. Donkeys are also susceptible to the fluke, Fasciola hepatica. This flatworm can be transmitted, via snails and the environment, from ruminants. As with cyathostomins, anthelmintic resistance is increasing in fluke populations in the UK. A number of the anthelmintic products available for horses do not have a licence for use in donkeys, and this complicates the design of parasite control programmes. As no new equine anthelmintic classes appear to be near market, it is important that the efficacy of currently effective drugs is maintained. It is important that strategies are used that attempt to preserve anthelmintic efficacy. These strategies should be based on the concept that the proportion of worms in a population not exposed to anthelmintic at each treatment act as a source of ‘refugia’. The latter is an important factor in the rate at which resistance develops. Thus, it is imperative that parasite control programmes take into account the need to balance therapy to control helminth‐associated disease with the requirement to preserve anthelmintic effectiveness.
Drip, drip, drip
Authors: Coomer R.
Published: March 2013

A unique complication to castration is published in the preceding Case Report in this issue, whereby a 2‐year‐old Thoroughbred racehorse gelding suffered chronic haemoperitoneum weeks after standing castration. The causes and treatment of post castration haemorrhage are reviewed along with haemoperitoneum and the use of laparoscopy. Supplementary explanations are discussed.
Quantification of diagenesis impact on the reservoir properties of the Jurassic Arab D and C members (Offshore, U.A.E.)
Authors: Nader F. H. , De Boever E. , Gasparrini M. , Liberati M. , Dumont C. , Ceriani A. , Morad S. , Lerat O. , Doligez B.
Published: March 2013

An increasing need exists to quantify the impact of diagenesis on complex and heterogeneous geological reservoirs and to predict the related field‐scale porosity‐permeability distribution. Development of approaches to quantify diagenetic events is an important step towards the construction of integrated numerical reservoir models predicting the impact of successive diagenetic events on petrophysical properties at various scales. This article describes two distinct approaches, which allow capturing, quantifying and explaining reservoir heterogeneities of the Jurassic Arab Formation (offshore oilfield in Abu Dhabi, U.A.E.) at the field and plug scale. Based on a classical diagenesis study, whereby the major diagenetic phases were characterized, distribution patterns were highlighted to further explain reservoir heterogeneities through a set of 2D interpolation diagenesis maps across the field. The best reservoir properties are encountered in the central‐northern (grainstones with syntaxial calcite overgrowth cement – typical of Arab D) and south‐western (dolostones – typical of Arab C) parts of the oilfield. Following another independent approach at the scale of the plug, quantification of rock components and description of the pore space connectivity and geometry are obtained by 2D and 3D image analyses, μ‐CTand pore network modelling. This latter approach resulted in a better understanding of the effect of anhydrite dissolution on the pore structure of the investigated dolostone. The overall, presented workflow provides valuable constraints for assessing reservoir heterogeneities in statistical field‐scale models.
THE END OF ‘NOBLESSE OBLIGE’ IN GERMAN REALISM? SOCIAL MOBILITY AND SOCIAL OBLIGATION IN THE WRITING OF LOUISE VON FRANÇOIS
Authors: Bland Caroline
Published: March 2013

Louise von François stands out amongst German nineteenth‐century women authors as one of the few who were able to acquire and retain a place in the realist canon, yet her writing about social dynamism in the decades before Germany's Unification has remained largely unrecognised. In her historical fiction, as well as in her more topical novellas, François demonstrated an abiding fascination with questions of social mobility and the moral obligations imposed upon the individual by social status. She subjected the lesser nobility, in particular, to a critical scrutiny which would be unsurpassed until the work of Theodor Fontane in the final stages of German realism. This article argues that these preoccupations remained a constant throughout François's writing life, being at the heart of two of the early novellas which helped to establish her reputation (Hellstädt and Der Erbe von Saldeck) and forming the cornerstone of her final novel, Stufenjahre eines Glücklichen, a ‘Bildungsroman’ in which she addresses the psychological and moral challenge of social mobility in greater depth. These works, hitherto neglected by modern scholarship, offer us new insights into realist literary responses to social change in the emerging German nation.

Obwohl Louise von François zu den wenigen deutschsprachigen Autorinnen des Realismus gehört, die bis heute einen Platz im Kanon behaupten, sind ihre Texte aus den Jahrzehnten vor der Reichsgründung, welche die Probleme des gesellschaftlichen Wandels zum Thema haben, von der Forschung bislang unberücksichtigt geblieben. François zeigte sowohl in ihren historischen Romanen und Novellen als auch in ihren Texten mit einem konkreteren Gegenwartsbezug ein anhaltendes Interesse für die Problematik des gesellschaftlichen Auf‐ bzw. Abstiegs sowie der moralischen Verpflichtung, die mit einem hohen gesellschaftlichen Status einhergeht. Ihre kritische Prüfung der Rolle vor allem des Kleinadels findet ihresgleichen erst in den Werken Theodor Fontanes in der Endphase des deutschen Realismus. Ziel dieses Aufsatzes ist es zu zeigen, dass François’ Auseinandersetzung mit diesen Themen eine Konstante in ihrem Werk bildet – von den frühen Novellen, die ihren Ruf begründeten (Hellstädt und Der Erbe von Saldeck), bis zum späten Bildungsroman, Stufenjahre eines Glücklichen, der die psychische und moralische Problematik des Statuswandels einer tiefergehenden Analyse unterzieht. Diese von der Forschung vernachlässigten Schriften bieten einen neuen Einblick in das von den Autoren des Realismus vermittelte Bild vom gesellschaftlichen Wandel in der Reichsgründungsära.
Cryospheric hazards
Authors: Clague John J.
Published: March 2013

Glaciers are an important element of the Earth system. Glaciers provide numerous, though poorly appreciated, ecological and economic benefits. However, glacial processes can also be hazards. Local glacial hazards include catastrophic floods from lakes impounded by glaciers and their moraines, landslides and debris flows induced by glacier thinning and retreat and permafrost thaw, and enhanced seismicity and volcanism due to large‐scale deglaciation. Regionally, rivers can be affected by changes in sediment supply from glacier forefields. Perhaps the greatest hazard that glaciers pose on a global scale of coastal erosion and flooding caused by sea‐level rise. If Earth's climate continues to warm, as scientists forecast, the rate of sea‐level rise will increase and some low‐lying coastal areas will be flooded by the end of this century.
Determinants of training and technique failure in home hemodialysis
Authors: Schachter Michael E. , Tennankore Karthik K. , Chan Christopher T.
Published: March 2013

Home hemodialysis (HHD) has clinical and economic advantages compared with in‐center conventional hemodialysis. Many health systems wish to broaden the population to which this modality can be successfully offered. However, determinants of successful HHD training and technique survival are unknown. We hypothesize that both medical and social factors play a role when patients fail to successfully adopt HHD.

We examined characteristics of consecutive patients who initiated training for HHD between 2003 and 2011. Patients were classified as “failure” if they failed to complete HHD training or experienced technique failure (TF) within the first year of treatment. Remaining patients were classified as “success.”

One hundred seventy‐seven patients initiated HHD training. In the “failure” group (n = 32), 24 did not finish training and 8 had TF. In the “success” group (n = 145), 65 (45%) patients remained on NHD, 49 (34%) discontinued HHD because of renal transplantation and 21 (14%) because of death, while only 10 (7%) eventually transferred to another dialysis modality. In a multivariable logistic regression analysis, the strongest predictors of “failure” were end‐stage renal disease because of diabetes (odds ratio [OR] 3.8, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.4–10.3, P = 0.008) and use of rental housing (OR 3.1, 95% CI 1.3–6.0, P = 0.01).

Both medical and social factors are associated with failure to adopt HHD. Enhanced supports or a customized education strategy for these vulnerable patients should be considered.
Presidential Address: Political Pawns in an Educational Endgame: Reflections on Bryant, Briggs, and Some Twentieth-Century School Questions
Authors: Graves Karen
Published: March 2013

The whole question of whether or not homosexual teachers should be allowed in the classroom is academic. Wearein the classroom, in virtually every school in the country, teaching effectively at every level in both public and private schools.

—Michael Greene, 1977

Newsweekran an article on “The Homosexual Teacher” in December 1978. At the end of a tumultuous two-year period framed by Anita Bryant's anti-gay campaign in South Florida and John Briggs' proposition to bar gay and lesbian educators from working in California public schools, reporters concluded, “Most homosexual teachers are deeply plagued by job anxiety.” That observation likely came as no surprise.
Plaque‐removing efficacy of new and used manual toothbrushes – a professional brushing study
Authors: Rosema NAM , Hennequin‐Hoenderdos NL , Versteeg PA , van Palenstein Helderman WH , van der Velden U , van der Weijden GA
Published: March 2013

Objectives

The present study assessed whether 3‐month‐old used manual toothbrushes are less effective in reducing plaque scores compared with new toothbrushes with or without the use of dentifrice.

Material and methods

The present study was performed employing a single‐use, examiner‐blinded, professional brushing model. Four brushing modalities were randomly allocated to one of four quadrants, that is, 3‐month‐old used toothbrushes and new toothbrushes both with and without the use of dentifrice. Prebrushing and post‐brushing plaque scores (Quigley Hein plaque index) and gingival abrasion (GA) scores were obtained. A dental hygienist performed the professional brushing procedure. The 3‐month‐old used toothbrushes were assessed for wear.

Results

No significant differences were observed among the treatments with regard to the prebrushing scores. The post‐brushing plaque scores ranged from 1.59 for the new brush with dentifrice to 1.76 for the old brush with dentifrice. There was a significant difference (P = 0.036) among the four treatments regarding the old brush with dentifrice, which removed less plaque than the other treatment modalities. Regarding GA scores, no significant differences were observed. With regard to toothbrush wear after 3 months of use, the scores varied widely among the individually evaluated brushes.

Conclusion

The present study did not show a clinically relevant difference in plaque score reductions following a 2‐minute brushing exercise among 3‐month‐old used and new manual toothbrushes. However, the wear rate of the brushes seemed to be the determining factor in loss of efficacy, rather than the age of the toothbrush. Furthermore, dentifrice did not show an additional effect on instant plaque removal.
Embedding or Uprooting? The Effects of International Labour Migration on Rural Households in Armenia
Authors: Agadjanian Victor , Sevoyan Arusyak
Published: March 2013

The impact of international labour migration on human wellbeing and socioeconomic development in communities of origin is an important yet understudied issue in contemporary migration research. This study examines whether men's labour migration from rural Armenia to Russia and other international destinations enhances the economic and social connections of the left‐behind households to their communities or, on the contrary, undermines those connections and encourages household members' own migration. Using survey data, it compares families of migrants and non‐migrants with respect to ownership of productive and major non‐productive assets in the community and women's non‐farm labour force participation, their social engagement in the village, and their desires to migrate abroad. The results of statistical tests indicate that men's migration is negatively associated with households' asset ownership and with women's non‐farm employment. The results for women's social engagement in their villages are less consistent. Finally, regardless of economic attachment, social engagement, and a host of other factors, wives of migrants were significantly more likely to wish to move abroad than women married to non‐migrants, and the difference in propensity to emigrate between migrants' and non‐migrants' wives increases with duration of husband's migration. We situate these findings in the context of Central Eurasia's international labour migration system and discuss their implications for future migration trends and for socioeconomic development of Armenia and similar settings.
Financial Inflexibility and the Value Premium
Authors: Poulsen Michael , Faff Robert , Gray Stephen
Published: March 2013

This paper tests whether and to what extent the value premium is induced by financial inflexibility. In this context, financial flexibility refers to the ability of a firm to alter investment expenditure to mitigate exogenous shocks, so as to generate a smooth dividend stream. Consistent with a literature that identifies three related sources of inflexibility, we create a composite inflexibility index, based on the proportion of fixed assets and measures of total leverage and financial constraints. A positive relation is documented between inflexibility and the book‐to‐market ratio, and between the returns of inflexible firms and value firms. However, the value premium retains explanatory power independent of inflexibility, suggesting that it is not a proxy for inflexibility alone.
Seroepidemiologic investigation of an outbreak of pandemic influenza A H1N1 2009 aboard a US Navy Vessel—San Diego, 2009
Authors: Khaokham Christina B. , Selent Monica , Loustalot Fleetwood V. , Zarecki Shauna Mettee , Harrington Douglas , Hoke Eileen , Faix Dennis J. , Ortiguerra Ryan , Alvarez Bryan , Almond Nathaniel , McMullen Kellie , Cadwell Betsy , Uyeki Timothy M. , Blair Patrick J. , Waterman Stephen H.
Published: March 2013

Background

During summer 2009, a US Navy ship experienced an influenza‐like illness outbreak with 126 laboratory‐confirmed cases of pandemic influenza A (H1N1) 2009 virus among the approximately 2000‐person crew.

Methods

During September 24–October 9, 2009, a retrospective seroepidemiologic investigation was conducted to characterize the outbreak. We administered questionnaires, reviewed medical records, and collected post‐outbreak sera from systematically sampled crewmembers. We used real‐time reverse transcription‐PCR or microneutralization assays to detect evidence of H1N1 virus infection.

Results

Retrospective serologic data demonstrated that the overall H1N1 virus infection attack rate was 32%. Weighted H1N1 virus attack rates were higher among marines (37%), junior‐ranking personnel (34%), and persons aged 19–24 years (36%). In multivariable analysis, a higher risk of illness was found for women versus men (odds ratio [OR] = 2·2; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1·1–4·4), marines versus navy personnel (OR = 1·7; 95% CI, 1·0–2·9), and those aged 19–24 versus ≥35 years (OR = 3·9; 95% CI, 1·2–12·8). Fifty‐three percent of infected persons did not recall respiratory illness symptoms. Among infected persons, only 35% met criteria for acute respiratory illness and 11% for influenza‐like illness.

Conclusions

Approximately half of H1N1 infections were asymptomatic, and thus, the attack rate was higher than estimated by clinical illness alone. Enhanced infection control measures including pre‐embarkation illness screening, improved self‐reporting of illness, isolation of ill and quarantine of exposed contacts, and prompt antiviral chemoprophylaxis and treatment might be useful in controlling shipboard influenza outbreaks.
Insuffisances de la protection sociale en matière de soins de santé et de soins de longue durée en Europe: les personnes âgées risquent‐elles la faillite?
Authors: Scheil‐Adlung Xenia , Bonan Jacopo
Published: March 2013

Alors que les dépenses publiques consacrées aux soins de santé et aux soins de longue durée sont contrôlées depuis de nombreuses années dans les pays européens, l'on s’intéresse beaucoup moins aux conséquences financières que subissent les personnes âgées qui doivent engager des dépenses privées pour accéder à ces soins. En nous appuyant sur des données transversales représentatives de la population âgée de 11 pays européens collectées en 2004 dans le cadre de l'enquête sur la santé, le vieillissement et la retraite en Europe (Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe, SHARE), nous avons constaté que les dépenses privées pour des soins de santé et des soins de longue durée sont très fréquentes parmi les personnes âgées des pays européens et qu'elles ont une incidence marquée sur le revenu disponible. Près de 95 pour cent des personnes âgées paient leurs soins de santé et 5 pour cent leurs soins de longue durée, ce qui entraîne une réduction de leur revenu comprise respectivement entre 5 et 10 pour cent. La faillite, suite à des dépenses privées trop élevées, touche 0,7 pour cent des foyers âgés utilisant les soins de santé et 0,5 pour cent de ceux recourant aux soins de longue durée. Les plus durement frappés sont les plus pauvres, les femmes et les plus âgés.
Le système de santé de la République populaire de Chine: entre privatisation et système public de santé
Authors: Darimont Barbara , Liu Dongmei
Published: March 2013

Ces dernières années, la Chine a réformé sa politique de santé à de multiples reprises. Ces réformes ont souvent fait émerger de nouvelles difficultés, qui ont nécessité d'autres changements. La dernière réforme en date tente de trouver un moyen terme entre un modèle reposant sur la fourniture de soins par le secteur public et un modèle fondé sur l'assurance individuelle privée. La Chine emboîte ainsi le pas de pays qui, après avoir, dans les années 90 et au début du XXIe siècle, renforcé la place du secteur privé dans leur système de santé, s’orientent aujourd'hui vers un système de santé public. Toutefois, ces réformes incessantes ont conduit à un manque de transparence du fonctionnement du système de santé et, par conséquent, à une perte de confiance du public. Bien que de nombreuses incertitudes demeurent quant à la direction dans laquelle le système de santé chinois va évoluer, il est possible qu'un financement hybride, associant financement par l'impôt et assurance sociale, s’impose et constitue un modèle dont d'autres pays pourraient s’inspirer.
Die Achillesferse bei der Verwendung von Skaleneffekten in der Verwaltung der sozialen Sicherheit: Das Beispiel des Universal Credit im Vereinigten Königreich
Authors: Seddon John , O'Donovan Brendan
Published: March 2013

Auszug

Dieser Artikel umfasst eine kritische Betrachtung des geplanten Verfahrens zur Bereitstellung von reformierten Sozialleistungen in der Form eines Universal Credit (UC) im Vereinigten Königreich. Es wird die Auffassung vertreten, dass der UC schon deshalb zum Scheitern verurteilt ist, weil das entsprechende Gesetz dahin gehend erweitert wurde, auch den Modus („standardmä
ßig digital“) der Bereitstellung von Leistungen vorzuschreiben. Die Autoren legen dar, dass dem Verfahren ein ganzer Satz von auf den ersten Blick nicht sichtbaren, aber omnipräsenten Annahmen zu positiven Skaleneffekten in der Verwaltung zugrunde liegt, mit dem die Regierung ihr erklärtes Ziel erreichen will: nämlich, dass sich „Arbeit lohnt“. Im Anschluss wird die „Vanguard‐Methode“ von Seddon als praktisches Beispiel dafür vorgestellt, wie eine lokale Behörde für Wohnbeihilfe einen besseren Dienst anzubieten vermag. Mit dieser Methode können innert der Hälfte der offiziellen Zeit‐Zielvorgaben 50 Prozent mehr Anfragen mit weniger Ressourcen bearbeitet werden. Der Artikel schließt mit dem Aufruf, beim Entwurf von Gesetzen die realen Gegebenheiten stärker zu gewichten.
Radiofrequency ablation of renal tumours with clinical, radiographical and pathological results
Authors: Karam Jose A. , Ahrar Kamran , Vikram Raghunandan , Romero Claudio A. , Jonasch Eric , Tannir Nizar M. , Rao Priya , Wood Christopher G. , Matin Surena F.
Published: March 2013

What's known on the subject? and What does the study add?

Radiological imaging is heavily relied on for follow up after renal ablative therapy. We show that while this is largely reliable, there are quantifiable false negative and false positive findings. A non‐involuting zone of ablation should be considered for multisite‐directed core biopsies even in the absence of detectable enhancement.

Objective

To evaluate our experience with radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for renal masses and to report on clinical, radiological and post‐RFA biopsy results.

Patients and Methods

The study collected clinical, radiological and pathological data from 150 consecutive patients who were treated with RFA of a renal mass between 2002 and 2008 at a tertiary referral centre.

Post‐ablation biopsies were performed in patients with non‐involuting lesions or suspicion of recurrence on imaging.

Comparisons were performed using the Mann–Whitney U‐test.

Survival was estimated using the Kaplan–Meier method.

Results

Renal malignancy was found in 72.1% of patients based on the initial diagnostic biopsy. Median tumour size was 2.6 cm, 22.7% of patients had a solitary kidney, and most were central tumours.

The mean follow‐up period was 40.1 month. There was no recurrence in 96.7% of the entire cohort. Cancer‐specific survival for 106 patients with sporadic, localized, biopsy proven renal malignancy was 100% at 38.5 months.

Biopsies were obtained in 43 patients for a median of 21 months after RFA.

Among 38 patients who had biopsy for non‐involuting, non‐enhancing zones of ablation, three (7.9%) were positive.

Conclusions

Short‐term cancer‐specific survival after RFA remains excellent and most cases are successful based on a combination of imaging and post‐ablation biopsies performed almost 2 years after treatment.

There were four out of 150 (2.7%) patients who had recurrences with tissue confirmation; one of these patients was detected on imaging and three (2%) were radiologically occult.

The absence of enhancement in the setting of non‐involuting lesions is not always a guarantee of a successful ablation.
Research Ethics and Nursing Science
Authors: Leino‐Kilpi Helena , Tuomaala Ulla
Published: March 2013

ABSTRACT. In recent years scientists and scholars have been paying increasing attention to the problem of research ethics. Ethics is always basically to do with values, with what is right and what is wrong. In the present study research ethics is considered as a self‐critical approach to the solutions made in the course of the research process. The aim is to identify those points in the research process where ethical problems assume central importance. One such point is the treatment of human subjects: in the field of nursing science there are certain special requirements that must be taken into consideration because here we often use the clients of the health care system as our main source of information
Patients' and Health Care Professionals' Views of Complications after Elective Surgery
Authors: Sätterlund Larsson Ullabeth , Svärdsudd Kurt , Wedel Hans , Säljö Roger
Published: March 2013

ABSTRACT In this study, which is a part of a clinical‐epidemiological study of post‐operative complications, the Project Peri‐operative Risk (PROPER), patients' and health professionals' perceptions of complications during the patients' stay in hospital are analysed. Five hundred and ten patients admitted for elective (=planned) surgery and attending a pre‐operative outpatient clinic set up for this project were seen pre‐operatively and then monitored closely during and after surgery. Three months after having been operated on, they were sent a postal questionnaire in which they were asked to indicate whether they had suffered post‐operative complications and to evaluate the care process. The incidence of complications reported by patients and staff was similar, but there were large differences at the individual level. Two‐thirds of the staff‐reported complications were not reported by the patients and vice versa. Patients generally classified complications as more severe than the staff did. Patients' evaluation of the care process was clearly related to reported complications. Most dissatisfied were those patients who reported complications not reported by the staff, and the most satisfied were those who had complications according to the staff but no complications according to themselves. The implication of these findings is discussed.
Development of Continence Advisory Services in the United Kingdom
Authors: Roe Brenda H.
Published: March 2013

ABSTRACT. This article provides an overview of the development of Continence Advisory Services throughout the United Kingdom. A brief history of their development is described along with a current description of the different types of service available. Studies which have investigated the prevalence of regular urinary incontinence and successful management are also presented, from which a strategy based upon preliminary assessment of incontinence may be recommended.
Contributions of Stress Theory to the Understanding of Helping
Authors: Larsson Gerry , Starrin Bengt , Wilde Bodil
Published: March 2013

ABSTRACT. The paper is theoretical, patient centred, and focuses on the two following questions: (1) In what way might a stress theoretical approach further our understanding of how helping can affect somatic and psychological processes in patients, and (2) in what way might stress theory offer action oriented guidelines for those who offer help? A stress model is outlined involving relationships between a patient's cognitive appraisal of a given care situation, his or her coping efforts, and emotional and physiological reactions. Several conditions, related to the patient and to the care giving situation, which might influence the patient's appraisal process are discussed. Possible short‐ and long‐term effects of helping in the somatic and psychological domains are presented. Two examples of common care situations are analysed to show how stress theory may offer helpers an action oriented tool. The concept of participatory caring, implying not only patient involvement but actual power sharing between patients and health professionals, is discussed.
Patients' Perceptions of Nursing Practice
Authors: Lutzén Kim , Tishelman Carol
Published: March 2013

ABSTRACT. The discipline of nursing is, in Sweden, in the early stages of discovering and expanding specific knowledge embedded in nursing practice. This is a challenging as well as a problematic venture. It is important to evaluate nursing practice within the specific cultural context before applying terminology and meaning of concepts used. The purpose of this paper is to present a basis for the study of perceptions of nursing practice as experienced by the patient himself in a specific cultural context. The historical context, the terminology commonly used, and relevant research in this domain of inquiry is critically examined as a means of determining appropriate research methods for further study in the domain of nursing practice.
Nonnutritive Sucking Modulates Behavioral State for Preterm Infants Before Feeding
Authors: Gill Nancy E. , Behnke Marylou , Conlon Michael , Anderson Gene C.
Published: March 2013

ABSTRACT. Forty‐two pre‐term infants were studied to determine the effect of nonnutritive sucking pre‐feeding on behavioral state. Infants were randomly assigned to pacifier or rest groups. Pacifiers or rest were given for 5 minutes following routine caregiving and before each of the first 16 bottle feedings. A 12‐category scale was used to measure state immediately before the 5‐minutes and after. Frequencies of states that precede optimal feedings changed for infants given pacifiers versus rest: alert inactivity (+6 vs. –2), quiet awake (+ 19 vs. – 6), and active awake (– 24 vs. +12); infants given pacifiers had more sleep and fewer restless states. Group differences were non‐significant before nonnutritive sucking (p=0.16) but significant after (p=0.00001). When self‐regulatory feeding policies based on early hunger cues are not allowed, nonnutritive sucking for 5 minutes pre‐feeding is simple, brief, and appropriate for busy intensive care units. These findings confirm those from earlier less conclusive research and indicate that nonnutritive sucking modulates behavioral state.
New Scandinavian Doctorates
Authors: Tallberg M.
Published: March 2013

The Secular Nurse in Finland from the 18th Century to the Beginning of Uniform Nursing Education in 1930. Finnish nursing and nursing education compared to that of the rest of the world.
Greek Fathers' Participation in Labour and Care of the Infant
Authors: Dragonas Thalia G.
Published: March 2013

ABSTRACT. Greek fathers' (n= 157) reactions to their presence at the delivery, their expectations about the baby and their childcare practices were explored at the 4th–6th week postpartum. Only 10% of the sample attended the delivery. Their non‐attendance was attributed, by the greatest number of fathers, to official hospital policy while the rest claimed it was entirely their decision. Half of the non‐attenders expressed the desire to have been present while a large percentage of mothers were said to have wanted them to be present. The small number of fathers who attended the birth felt strong and satisfied. In respect to early fatherhood, three main themes were explored: reaction to fatherhood, enjoyment of the child and involvement in childcare. All three dimensions were strongly correlated.
New Scandinavian Doctorates
Authors: Åström Sture
Published: March 2013

Attitudes, Empathy and Burnout among Staff in Geriatric and Psychogeriatric Care
New Scandinavian Doctorates
Authors: Gunnars Barbro
Published: March 2013

Quality of Life during Cancer Chemotherapy Treatment—An Analysis of Experience of Cancer Patients
Relaxation Training as an Integral Part of Caring Activities for Cancer Patients: Effects on Wellbeing
Authors: Larsson Gerry , Starrin Bengt
Published: March 2013

ABSTRACT. The purposes of this study were twofold. The first was to investigate if relaxation training conducted by nurses as an integral part of their caring activities affected breast cancer patients' experiences of radiotherapy sessions as well as their general wellbeing. Second was to evaluate a pedagogical model for large scale application of relaxation training as an integral part of caring. The sample consisted of 64 consecutive outpatients with breast cancer at a Swedish oncology clinic, receiving their first radiotherapy treatment course following surgery. Every second patient was assigned to an experimental group (n= 32, mean age: 59.5 years) and every other second patient was assigned to a control group (n= 32, mean age: 60.0 years). The programme resulted in the following general effects: fewer perceived daily hassles and a more cheeful overall mood state. The following treatment situation specific effects were noted: programme participants appraised the treatment sessions as successively more benign‐positive and less threatening. They also reported more perceived muscular tensions during treatment sessions. Most goals concerning the routinization of the pedagogical model were reached.
Aims and Ethics of Palliative Care—The Views of a Selected Group of Polish Nursing Students
Authors: Wronska Irena , Gozdek Nina
Published: March 2013

The purpose of this study was to describe the opinions of a group of Polish nursing students in 4‐year university programmes on the aims of palliative care. A questionnaire was used to collect relevant data. Findings show that the students (n = 72) view palliative care as an area of nursing practice requiring a complex range of professional and non‐professional skills, attitudes and predispositions. Findings also indicate the critical opinion of the students about the content of academic courses offered by Polish nursing schools and departments with respect to palliative care.
Reaching out in nursing
Authors: Hildingh Cathrine , Lidell Evy
Published: March 2013

Theoretical and practical nursing has passed several different stages since the beginning of the 1920s (Meleis 1991). Each stage has helped nurses in their attempt to come closer in identifying the domain of nursing, defining its mission, and defining its theoretical base. During the stage of practice, dating from the late 19th and the early 20th century, the mission of nursing was defined as providing care and comfort, to enhance healing and a sense of well‐being, and to create a healthy environment (Nightingale 1859, Buhler‐Wilkerson 1991). The WHO goal of health for all (WHO 1988) and their requests to health professionals (Kaplun 1992) to take an active part in the public health are in line with the nursing historical tradition, important to improve upon, and calling for new stages, such as structure, integration, and reaching out (Meleis 1991).