bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Acupuncture for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: Conceptual, Clinical, and Biological Data Support Further Research
Authors: Hollifield Michael
Published: February 2011

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is common, debilitating, and has highly heterogeneous clinical and biological features. With the exception of one published preliminary clinical trial, rationale in support of the efficacy of acupuncture, a modality of Chinese medicine (CM), for PTSD has not been well described. This is a focused review of conceptual and clinical features of PTSD shared by modern western medicine (MWM) and CM, and of biological mechanisms of acupuncture that parallel known PTSD pathology. MWM and CM both recognize individual developmental variables and interactions between external conditions and internal responses in the genesis of PTSD. There is one published and one unpublished clinical trial that preliminarily support the efficacy of acupuncture for PTSD. Although there have been no mechanistic studies of acupuncture in human PTSD, extant research shows that acupuncture has biological effects that are relevant to PTSD pathology. Conceptual, clinical, and biological data support possible efficacy of acupuncture for PTSD. However, further definitive research about simultaneous clinical and biological effects is needed to support the use of acupuncture for PTSD in health care systems.
VLED and formula LED in the management of type 2 diabetes: defining the clinical need and research requirements
Authors: Lean M.
Published: February 2011

It has been known for many years that substantial weight loss, achieved by bariatric surgery or non‐surgical means can mean normalize glucose tolerance. Recent randomized controlled trial evidence indicates that >15 kg weight loss is necessary, to this and it may lead to near normalization (doubling) of life expectancy. Less than 5% of patients achieve this through even the best, evidence‐based medical weight management programme (Counterweight http://www.counterweight.org).

A weight loss of >15 kg is easily achievable by 8 weeks very low‐energy diet (VLED)/LELD (Low energy Liquid‐formula Diet) in compliant patients, with little difference between 400 and 800 kcal day−1, but weight maintenance after VLED has until recently been so poor that VLED is not, at present, recommended in clinical guidelines. However, mean weight loss close to >15 kg can be maintained 18–24 months using a variety of maintenance strategies. These include a structured reintroduction of foods linked to an education programme with behavioural strategies, intermittent VLED use and prescribable anti‐obesity drugs (dexfenfluramine, orlistat, sibutramine). Most of these studies have been in non‐diabetic subjects.

A new ‘curative’ paradigm in type 2 diabetes mellitus management, aiming to normalize glucose tolerance and health risks by achieving and maintaining >15 kg loss, as soon as possible after diagnosis, should be highly acceptable to patients, generating many additional Quality Adjusted Life Years (QALYs). It is likely to be highly cost‐effective by avoiding the current recommended, mainly palliative, model, using polypharmacy which provides an overall risk reduction of only 5–10%.

Clinical trials are on‐going to establish the feasibility of delivering formula (LELD) and a maintenance programme to large numbers of patients within routine primary care. There is urgent need, to run similar studies in diabetic patients. New approaches to long‐term (lifelong) maintenance of weight loss and a non‐diabetic state may include anti‐obesity drugs.
Cytokine profiles affecting the pathogenesis of autoimmune hepatitis in Japanese patients
Authors: Kamijo Atsushi , Yoshizawa Kaname , Joshita Satoru , Yoneda Suguru , Umemura Takeji , Ichijo Tetsuya , Matsumoto Akihiro , Ota Masao , Tanaka Eiji
Published: February 2011

Aim:  Autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is a chronic hepatitis of unknown etiology, although several cytokines have been implicated in its pathogenesis and severity. This study investigated the relationship between circulating cytokines in the pretreatment phase and remission following corticosteroid therapy phase in Japanese AIH patients.

Methods:  A total of 28 cytokines were measured simultaneously by multiple bead array technology in the sera of 40 patients with AIH collected during pretreatment and remission phases.

Results:  Interleukin (IL)‐12p40, interferon‐γ‐inducible protein (IP‐10), macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP)‐1α, MIP‐1β, IL‐17F and IL‐18 were significantly decreased during remission from pretreatment stage levels. The level of IP‐10 in the pretreatment phase was correlated with serum levels of alanine aminotransferase.

Conclusion:  Our results suggest that a complex interplay of several cytokines, especially pro‐inflammatory and T‐helper 17 cytokines and regulatory T‐cell suppression by IL‐12p40 may play a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of AIH.
Peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor agonist treatment of alcohol‐induced hepatic insulin resistance
Authors: de la Monte Suzanne M. , Pang Maoyin , Chaudhry Rajeev , Duan Kevin , Longato Lisa , Carter Jade , Ouh Jiyun , Wands Jack R.
Published: February 2011

Aim:  Chronic ethanol exposure impairs insulin signaling in the liver. Peroxisome‐proliferator activated receptor (PPAR) agonists function as insulin sensitizers and are used to treat type 2 diabetes mellitus. We examined the therapeutic effectiveness of PPAR agonists in reducing alcoholic hepatitis and hepatic insulin resistance in a model of chronic ethanol feeding.

Methods:  Adult male Long Evans rats were pair fed with isocaloric liquid diets containing 0% (control) or 37% ethanol (caloric content; 9.2% v/v) for 8 weeks. After 3 weeks on the diets, the rats were treated with vehicle, or a PPAR‐α, PPAR‐δ or PPAR‐γ agonist twice weekly by i.p. injection. Livers were harvested for histopathological, gene expression (reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction), protein (western and ELISA) and receptor binding studies.

Results:  Ethanol‐fed rats developed steatohepatitis with disordered hepatic chord architecture, increased hepatocellular apoptosis, reduced binding to the insulin, insulin‐like growth factor (IGF)‐1 and IGF‐2 receptors, and decreased expression of glyceraldehyde‐3‐phosphate dehydrogenase and aspartyl‐(asparaginyl)‐β‐hydroxylase (mediating remodeling), which are regulated by insulin/IGF signaling. PPAR‐α, PPAR‐δ or PPAR‐γ agonist treatments reduced the severity of ethanol‐mediated liver injury, including hepatic architectural disarray and steatosis. In addition, PPAR‐δ and PPAR‐γ agonists reduced insulin/IGF resistance and increased insulin/IGF‐responsive gene expression.

Conclusion:  PPAR agonists may help reduce the severity of chronic ethanol‐induced liver injury and insulin/IGF resistance, even in the context of continued high‐level ethanol consumption.
Effect of suppressor of cytokine signaling on hepcidin production in hepatitis C virus replicon cells
Authors: Miyachi Hirohide , Kobayashi Yoshinao , Relja Borna , Fujita Naoki , Iwasa Motoh , Gabazza Esteban Cesar , Takei Yoshiyuki
Published: February 2011

Aim:  Hepcidin is a key regulator of systemic iron metabolism and its expression is modulated by hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Suppressor of cytokine signaling 1 (SOCS‐1) and SOCS‐3 act as negative regulators of the Jak/signal transducers and activators of transcription signaling pathway. In this study, we investigated how HCV infection modulates SOCS‐1 and SOCS‐3 production and how these SOCS proteins affect hepcidin production.

Methods:  The effects of SOCS‐1 and SOCS‐3 on hepcidin production were investigated using a complete genome, HCV replicon system.

Results:  Unexpectedly, basal expression levels of hepcidin (HAMP) mRNA and the bioactive form of hepcidin protein, hepcidin‐25, were significantly higher in replicon cells. Regardless of HCV infection, STAT3 was activated in response to interleukin‐6 (IL‐6), but this activation was greater in replicon cells than in cured cells. Basal expression of the SOCS‐3 protein was enhanced, but basal expression of SOCS‐1 protein was reduced, in replicon cells. Expression of SOCS‐3 increased dramatically in response to IL‐6 stimulation but expression of SOCS‐1 was not induced by IL‐6. Interestingly, silencing of SOCS‐1 and SOCS‐3 gene expression enhanced STAT3 activation and HAMP gene expression. In addition, overexpression of SOCS‐1 protein strongly suppressed STAT3 activation and HAMP gene expression.

Conclusions:  This in vitro study shows that SOCS‐3 expression was enhanced but SOCS‐1 expression was reduced by HCV infection. The upregulation of hepcidin induced by IL‐6 was found to be negatively regulated by SOCS‐1 and SOCS‐3. The modulation of SOCS1 and SOCS3 in HCV‐infected hepatocytes may explain, at least in part, the relative shortage of hepcidin production in CH‐C.
Evaluation of the 6‐Minute Walk Test in Pet Dogs
Authors: Swimmer R.A. , Rozanski E.A.
Published: February 2011

Background: The 6‐minute walk test (6MWT) is widely used in human medicine to objectively assess the degree of impairment, and to provide objective evidence of disease progression or response to therapy.

Hypothesis/Objectives: The 6MWT will be easy to perform and well‐tolerated in pet dogs. Dogs with pulmonary disease will walk shorter distances than healthy dogs.

Animals: Sixty‐nine healthy dogs were recruited from the hospital community. Six dogs with mild to moderate pulmonary disease were recruited from animals presented for evaluation at the teaching hospital.

Methods: Prospective study. Dogs walked for 6 minutes in a hallway and the distance covered was measured. Pulse oximetry and heart rate were recorded before and after walking. Physical characteristics of the dogs, including age, leg length, body condition score, and weight, were recorded. Healthy dogs were compared with affected dogs by a Student's t‐test (P < .05). Correlations were calculated between the age, physical characteristics, and distances walked in the healthy dogs.

Results: Healthy dogs walked 522.7 ± 52.4 m, while sick dogs (n = 6) walked 384.8 ± 41.0 m (P < .001). There was low (r= 0.13) to moderate (r= 0.27) correlation in the healthy dogs between physical characteristics and distances walked.

Conclusions and Clinical Importance: The 6MWT was easy to perform and discriminated between healthy dogs and dogs with pulmonary disease.
Seroprevalence of Various Infectious Agents in Dogs with Suspected Acute Canine Polyradiculoneuritis
Authors: Holt N. , Murray M. , Cuddon P.A. , Lappin M.R.
Published: February 2011

Background:Acute canine polyradiculoneuritis (ACP) is considered to be an animal model of the acute axonal form of Guillain‐Barré syndrome (GBS) in humans. Various antecedent events have been associated with GBS, including bacterial or viral infection. The relationship between ACP and previous infection requires additional attention.

Hypothesis:We hypothesized a relationship between ACP and serological evidence of exposure toEhrlichia canis, Borrelia burgdorferi, Toxoplasma gondii, Neospora caninum, Campylobacter jejuni, and canine distemper virus (CDV).

Animals:Eighty‐eight client‐owned dogs, 44 with ACP, 44 age‐matched controls.

Methods:Retrospective study with stored serum samples. Serum antibodies against the target organisms were measured with commercially available assays. Sera from dogs with and without ACP that were positive forT. gondiiIgG by ELISA were assayed by an IgG heavy chain‐specific, Western blot immunoassay.

Results:Dogs with ACP (55.8%) were more likely to haveT. gondiiIgG serum antibody titers than dogs without ACP (11.4%). Serum antibodies from 8 affected dogs and 11 control dogs bound toT. gondiiantigens with apparent molecular masses of 67, 61, 58, 45, 33, 24, 9, and 6 kDa. An antigen with an apparent molecular mass of 36 kDa was recognized by 2 dogs with ACP but none of the control dogs.

Conclusions:Results of this study suggest that ACP in some dogs, like GBS in some humans, may be triggered byT. gondiiand a prospective study should be performed to further evaluate this potential association.
A Comparison of Factors that Influence Survival in Dogs with Adrenal‐Dependent Hyperadrenocorticism Treated with Mitotane or Trilostane
Authors: Helm J.R. , Mclauchlan G. , Boden L.A. , Frowde P.E. , Collings A.J. , Tebb A.J. , Elwood C.M. , Herrtage M.E. , Parkin T.D.H. , Ramsey I. K.
Published: February 2011

Background:Trilostane is a recognized treatment for canine pituitary‐dependent hyperadrenocorticism (PDH); however, its efficacy in dogs with adrenal‐dependent hyperadrenocorticism (ADH) is unknown.

Objectives:To examine factors that might influence survival in the medical management of ADH, with particular emphasis on treatment selection.

Animals:Thirty‐seven animals referred to 4 centers over a period of 12 years that had been diagnosed with ADH and treated with either trilostane (22/37), mitotane (13/37), or both (2/37).

Methods:Retrospective analysis of clinical records.

Results:There was no statistically significant difference between the survival times of 13 dogs treated only with mitotane when compared with 22 dogs treated only with trilostane. The median survival time for animals treated with trilostane was 353 days (95% confidence interval [CI] 95–528 days), whereas it was 102 days (95% CI 43–277 days) for mitotane. Metastatic disease was detected in 8 of 37 dogs. There was a significantly lower probability of survival for dogs with metastatic disease when compared with those without metastatic disease (P< .001).

Conclusions and Clinical Importance:The choice of medical treatment for ADH may not have a major effect on survival times. However, the presence of metastatic disease considerably decreases survival time regardless of the choice of medical treatment.
Development of solid nanoparticles based on hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin aimed for the colonic transmucosal delivery of diclofenac sodium
Authors: Gavini Elisabetta , Spada Gianpiera , Rassu Giovanna , Cerri Guido , Brundu Antonio , Cossu Massimo , Sorrenti Milena , Giunchedi Paolo
Published: February 2011

Objectives

Nanoparticles were designed for the oral administration and transmucosal colon delivery of drugs.

Methods

Preparation parameters were studied in order to develop solid pH-dependent drug-release nanoparticles, constituted by hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin and/or Eudragit® L100 loaded with diclofenac sodium. Nanoemulsions were prepared by the emulsion-evaporation method using various homogenizers. Different preparative conditions were tested. The emulsions obtained were analysed in terms of size and then dried to obtain solid nanoparticles which were characterized in vitro (particle size, morphology, dissolution, solid state characterization). The effect of nanoparticles on drug permeation through synthetic membranes, colonic pig mucosa and Caco2 cell line were performed. Toxicity studies were carried out to assess the safety of the raw materials used and the nanosystems produced.

Key findings

Appropriate parameters to obtain nanoemulsions stable enough to be desiccated were determined: Panda NS100L was the most suitable homogenizer for the preparation; particle size ranged between 100 and 600 nm depending on the production method. Solid nanoparticles were obtained by an exsiccation process, which does not modify the mean size. pH-dependent drug-release nanoparticles were obtained. The nanoencapsulation process decreased the crystallinity of the drug. Materials and nanoparticles were highly biocompatible. Transmucosal delivery of drug is dependent on the polymer and the test employed: cyclodextrin improved drug permeation across colonic pig mucosa.

Conclusions

Formulations containing hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin represent new colon-targeted nanoparticles for transmucosal delivery of drugs.
The General Practitioner–Pharmacist Collaboration (GPPC) study: a randomised controlled trial of clinical medication reviews in community pharmacy
Authors: Bryant Linda J M , Coster Gregor , Gamble Greg D , McCormick Ross N
Published: February 2011

Objectives

There are conflicting results in studies of pharmacists undertaking medication reviews for older people. With increasing promotion and funding for ‘medication reviews’ there is a need for them to be standardised, and to determine their effectiveness and the feasibility of providing them from a community pharmacy. The objective was to determine whether involvement of community pharmacists undertaking clinical medication reviews, working with general practitioners, improved medicine-related therapeutic outcomes for patients.

Methods

A randomised controlled trial was carried out in people 65 years and older on five or more prescribed medicines. Community pharmacists undertook a clinical medication review (Comprehensive Pharmaceutical Care) and met with the patient's general practitioner to discuss recommendations about possible medicine changes. The patients were followed-up 3-monthly. The control group received usual care. The main outcome measures were Quality of Life (SF-36) and Medication Appropriateness Index.

Key findings

A total of 498 patients were enrolled in the study. The quality-of-life domains of emotional role and social functioning were significantly reduced in the intervention group compared to the control group. The Medication Appropriateness Index was significantly improved in the intervention group. Only 39% of the 44 pharmacists who agreed to participate in the study provided adequate data, which was a limitation of the study and indicated potential barriers to the generalisability of the study.

Conclusion

Clinical medication reviews in collaboration with general practitioners can have a positive effect on the Medication Appropriateness Index. However, pharmacist withdrawal from the study suggests that community pharmacy may not be an appropriate environment from which to expand clinical medication reviews in primary care.
The provision of current and future Healthy Weight Management (HWM) services from community pharmacies: a survey of community pharmacists' attitudes, practice and future possibilities
Authors: Newlands Rumana S , Watson Margaret C , Lee Amanda J
Published: February 2011

Objectives

The extent to which community pharmacists contribute to the management of the global obesity epidemic is unclear. Local, regional and national obesity management schemes need to be informed by existing services which will be influenced by health professionals' attitudes and willingness to engage in service provision. The purpose of this study was to derive an accurate account of community pharmacists' activities and attitudes towards the provision of current and future Healthy Weight Management (HWM) services.

Methods

A postal survey was developed and disseminated to all 128 community pharmacies in Grampian, north-east Scotland.

Key findings

The response rate was 64.8% (83/128). A range of HWM services was already being provided. The most common services offered were the supply of weight-loss medication (n = 69, 84.1%) and advice about its use (n = 68, 84.0%). Other services commonly offered were dietary advice (n = 59, 72.8%), physical activity advice (n = 53, 66.3%) and body mass index (BMI) calculation (n = 56, 68.3%). Most pharmacists were confident in measuring weight (n = 78, 93.9%), height (n = 78, 93.9%) and BMI (n = 78, 93.9%). Many pharmacists perceived a need for HWM services in their local area (n = 56, 67.5%) as well as a need to extend these services within their pharmacies (n = 48, 57.9%). Barriers to the provision of HWM services included workload (n = 77, 92.8%) and the need for additional reimbursement (n = 63, 75.9%) and additional staff (n = 49, 59.7%). The pharmacists' perceived training needs included estimation of body fat (n = 67, 81.7%), one-to-one consultation skills (n = 60, 73.2%), advice on weight-loss products (n = 52, 63.4%), measurement of blood cholesterol (n = 51, 63%) and advice on weight-loss drugs (n = 49, 60.5%).

Conclusions

Community pharmacies could be an ideal setting for the provision of HWM services. The barriers to service provision need to be addressed. Furthermore, the development of appropriate undergraduate and postgraduate training is required to equip pharmacists and their staff with appropriate knowledge and skills to deliver these services effectively.
Phone calls to a hospital medicines information helpline: analysis of queries from members of the public and assessment of potential for harm from their medicines
Authors: Marvin Vanessa , Park Cathryn , Vaughan Louella , Valentine Jackie
Published: February 2011

Objective

To find out what questions the public ask of pharmacists on a hospital medicines information helpline, and to assess the potential for improving individuals' management of medicines through telephone helpline support.

Methods

We analysed consecutive phone calls made by members of the public over 6 months to a hospital pharmacy medicines information helpline. Calls were coded for type of medicine, reason for phoning and any error revealed in the call. We also looked at which medicines were associated with harm and/or potential for harm had the caller not enquired about appropriate action to take.

Key findings

Five hundred of the 923 consecutive calls to the helpline were from members of the public (including discharged hospital patients). Antimicrobial agents, analgesics and cardiovascular medicines accounted for approximately half of all calls. The reason for phoning was most often to ask about interactions (22%), directions for use (21%) or advice on adverse effects (15%). In a third of calls it is possible an error had occurred (including patient error and directions missing from a dispensed item). Forty-eight per cent of calls were concerned with harm or judged to have potential for harm had professional information not been available. Four of these cases (0.8%), one of which was patient error and three of which were adverse effects reported by the caller, were categorised as Harm Index category F, defined as requiring intervention and referral.

Conclusions

Our medicines information helpline appears to be a valuable resource for discharged patients and public and the advice given may be expected to improve safety with medicines and reduce harm. Our results reveal gaps in patient education about their medicines, some of which could be addressed by dispensing staff or the pharmacist at discharge. The data provide a baseline for measuring improvements in medicines management and will be useful in identifying patients who may benefit from follow-up call support from pharmacists.
Electronic capture of dispensing data by the New Zealand Intensive Medicines Monitoring Programme: a consultation study of community and hospital pharmacists
Authors: Harrison-Woolrych Mira , Jamieson Simon , Malik Muzaffar , Holt Alec , Herbison Peter
Published: February 2011

Objective

To obtain pharmacists' views on proposals for electronic transmission of dispensing data to the New Zealand Intensive Medicines Monitoring Programme (IMMP).

Methods

Consultation with a randomly selected group of 100 community pharmacists and all 28 hospital pharmacies in New Zealand was conducted by postal survey. A specific questionnaire was designed to obtain pharmacists' views on several aspects of electronic data transmission including willingness to co-operate with a new system, awareness of other electronic systems and views on security.

Key findings

Survey response rates were 95% for community pharmacists and 73% for hospital pharmacists. Ninety (95%) of the community pharmacists and 18 (95%) of the hospital pharmacists who responded stated they would use the IMMP proposed method of electronic data transmission. Some 91% of community pharmacists and 100% of hospital pharmacists considered the proposed new method would be equally or more secure than the present hard-copy system of posting dispensing records.

Conclusions

There is a high level of support from New Zealand pharmacists for electronic capture of prescription dispensing data for medicines monitored by the IMMP. This electronic method will now be implemented. Development of such systems is important for enhancing patient safety and pharmacovigilance programmes worldwide.
Measuring dispensary workload: a comparison of the event recording and direct time techniques
Authors: James K Lynette , Barlow Dave , Bithell Anne , Burfield Robin , Hiom Sarah , Lord Sue , Pollard Mike , Roberts Dave , Way Cheryl , Sutton Caroline , Whittlesea Cate
Published: February 2011

Objectives

To compare dispensary workload, determined using the Welsh benchmarking event recording technique and the direct time technique, at two district general UK National Health Service hospitals within different university local health Boards (hospital A – manual dispensing system; hospital B – automated dispensing system).

Methods

Data on dispensary workload were collected, over a period of 6 weeks (hospital A: 8 May–18 June 2007; hospital B: 1 October–11 November 2007), by a non-participant observer using two simultaneous methods of workload measurement: direct time and event recording. Direct time technique involved timing each task involved in dispensing a sample of prescriptions from receipt to issue of dispensed medicines to patients. Welsh benchmarking event recording involved continuously logging staff activities that deviated from the dispensary rota on a data collection form to enable calculation of total staff time involved in dispensing activities. Data on number of items dispensed were obtained from the pharmacy computer system and also by manual counting of prescription items. The mean dispensary workloads were calculated as the number of items dispensed per person per hour. Two-sample t-tests were used to compare dispensary workload measurements determined using direct time and event recording technique reported by each individual hospital. Mean workloads for hospitals A and B were compared using a two-sample t-test. Statistical significance was taken as P ≤ 0.05.

Key findings

Hospital A was associated with a lower workload (direct time: 7.27 ± 7.16 items per person per hour; event recording: 9.57 ± 10.6 items per person per hour). In contrast, hospital B gave a higher workload (direct time: 11.93 ± 8.3 items per person per hour; event recording: 12.6 ± 8.80 items per person per hour). There was a significant difference between workload (direct time: P < 0.01; event recording: P < 0.01) reported for both hospitals. The direct time and event recording techniques produced consistent results at each hospital (hospital A: t = 0.02, P = 0.99; hospital B: t = 0.004, P = 0.1).

Conclusion

The direct time and Welsh benchmarking event recording techniques produced consistent results at both hospitals. Thus the Welsh benchmarking event recording technique is a valid and reproducible method of measuring dispensary workload. Hospital B (automated) had a higher workload than hospital A (manual). Further work is required to investigate the impact of automation on dispensary workload.
Pharmacist use of social media
Authors: Alkhateeb Fadi M , Clauson Kevin A , Latif David A
Published: February 2011

Introduction

The rapid emergence and exploding usage of social media (also called Web 2.0) present pharmacists with new professional, ethical and time management challenges.

Objectives

To describe social media use among pharmacists in West Virginia, USA.

Methods

A survey was administered during the West Virginia Pharmacist Association 102nd Annual Convention held in October 2009. The meeting participants were pharmacists practising in the different regions of West Virginia. All conference attendees were eligible to participate.

Results

The survey was completed by all 50 pharmacists in attendance, yielding a response rate of 100%. Social media use was found to be common among West Virginia pharmacists, with the most frequently used applications including: YouTube (74%), Wikipedia (72%), Facebook (50%), and blogs (26%). However, there were some tools that pharmacists barely used such as Bebo, Hi5, Flickr and Friendster. Given the widespread use of Facebook by respondent pharmacists, it is noteworthy that they indicated the main purposes for using it were for chatting, uploading pictures and keeping touch with friends rather than for professional and educational purposes.

Discussion

Presently, pharmacists utilize social media primarily for personal purposes. As social media becomes more sophisticated and widely adopted in the healthcare arena, it is probable that pharmacists will also increasingly utilize it for professional and educational purposes.
Young women's accounts of intimate partner violence during adolescence and subsequent recovery processes: An interpretative phenomenological analysis
Authors: Reynolds Frances , Shepherd Claire
Published: February 2011

Objective.  Previous qualitative research into the experience of intimate partner violence (IPV) has largely focused upon mature women's accounts. The objectives of this interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) were to explore three young women's understandings of why they had been vulnerable to IPV in mid‐to‐late adolescence, their experiences of IPV, and their recovery processes.

Design.  This study followed guidelines for IPA, largely focusing upon shared aspects of the experience of IPV as narrated by three young women who considered that they had since recovered from the experience.

Method.  Semi‐structured interviews explored participants’ retrospective understandings of how they had become entrapped in a long‐term abusive relationship in adolescence, how IPV had affected them at the time, and the processes that they had found helpful to recover well‐being.

Findings.  Participants largely attributed their vulnerability to IPV to feeling confused about feelings and relationships, disconnected, and powerless in early adolescence. IPV was described as escalating insidiously, rendering participants confined, anxious and powerless, ensnaring them in their partner's family, marginalized in their own families, and undermining their identities. Recovery processes began with pivotal moments. Participants described repairing identity through engaging in age‐appropriate activities, extricating self from the partner's family, and rebuilding family relationships.

Conclusions.  Participants described experiences of IPV and recovery in adolescence that differed in some ways from those previously identified in adult women and were interpreted using theories of adolescent identity development and attachment.
Relational supervision: Drawing on cognitive‐analytic frameworks
Authors: Marx Robert
Published: February 2011

Purpose.  Supervision is an expanding area of clinical practice, and despite the threadbare evidence base, the demand for supervision provided by trained clinical supervisors is growing. This demand accompanies the injection of large numbers of psychological therapists into the UK National Health Service (NHS), and the increased expectations of good clinical governance. Therapeutically appropriate approaches that can help supervisors work with psychological therapists are needed.

Methods.  Key processes in supervision are explored in the light of the clinical application of cognitive‐analytic concepts, such as reciprocal roles, the zone of proximal personality development (ZPPD), and the super‐addressee.

Results.  Cognitive‐analytic ideas allow for a reframing of traditional psychoanalytic concepts in supervision, such as parallel process. They offer a readily accessible model with which to think about the construction of interacting supervisory processes at the level of the individual self, the supervisory dyad or group, through to the organizational and cultural context. They provide a way to think about the supervisor's development in the context of the evolving supervisory relationship.

Conclusion.  A cognitive‐analytic approach to supervision that includes both cognitive and relational dimensions of the work can help to broaden therapeutic thinking and navigate complexity, not only for cognitive‐analytic therapists, but also for therapists using other cognitively oriented and integrative models.
Antimicrobial Resistance of Listeria monocytogenes Isolates from Food and the Environment in France over a 10-Year Period
Authors: Granier Sophie A. , Moubareck Carole , Colaneri Cécile , Lemire Astrid , Roussel Sophie , Dao Trinh-Tam , Courvalin Patrice , Brisabois Anne
Published: February 2011

In order to assess antimicrobial resistance in
Listeria monocytogenes
, 202 food and environmental isolates from 1996 to 2006 were tested. Only four strains displayed acquired resistance. Resistance to erythromycin, tetracycline-minocycline, and trimethoprim was evidenced, and the genes
erm
(B),
tet
(M), and
dfrD
, already found in
L. monocytogenes
, were detected.
Plant- and Microbe-Derived Compounds Affect the Expression of Genes Encoding Antifungal Compounds in a Pseudomonad with Biocontrol Activity
Authors: de Werra Patrice , Huser Aurélie , Tabacchi Raphael , Keel Christoph , Maurhofer Monika
Published: February 2011

We have investigated the impacts of 63 different low-molecular-weight compounds, most of them plant derived, on the
in vitro
expression of two antifungal biosynthetic genes by the plant-protecting rhizobacterium
Pseudomonas fluorescens
CHA0. The majority of the compounds tested affected the expression of one or both antifungal genes. This suggests that biocontrol activity in plant-beneficial pseudomonads is modulated by plant-bacterium signaling.
Geomicrobiology of La Zarza-Perrunal Acid Mine Effluent (Iberian Pyritic Belt, Spain)
Authors: González-Toril Elena , Aguilera Ángeles , Souza-Egipsy Virginia , López Pamo Enrique , Sánchez España Javier , Amils Ricardo
Published: February 2011

Effluent from La Zarza-Perrunal, a mine on the Iberian Pyrite Belt, was chosen to be geomicrobiologically characterized along a 1,200-m stream length. The pH at the origin was 3.1, which decreased to 1.9 at the final downstream sampling site. The total iron concentration showed variations along the effluent, resulting from (i) significant hydrolysis and precipitation of Fe(III) (especially along the first reach of the stream) and (ii) concentration induced by evaporation (mostly in the last reach). A dramatic increase in iron oxidation was observed along the course of the effluent [from Fe(III)/Fe
total
= 0.11 in the origin to Fe(III)/Fe
total
= 0.99 at the last sampling station]. A change in the O
2
content along the effluent, from nearly anoxic at the origin to saturation with oxygen at the last sampling site, was also observed. Prokaryotic and eukaryotic diversity throughout the effluent was determined by microscopy and 16S rRNA gene cloning and sequencing. Sulfate-reducing bacteria (
Desulfosporosinus
and
Syntrophobacter
) were detected only near the origin. Some iron-reducing bacteria (
Acidiphilium
,
Acidobacterium
, and
Acidosphaera
) were found throughout the river. Iron-oxidizing microorganisms (
Leptospirillum
spp.,
Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans
, and
Thermoplasmata
) were increasingly detected downstream. Changes in eukaryotic diversity were also remarkable. Algae, especially
Chlorella
, were present at the origin, forming continuous, green, macroscopic biofilms, subsequently replaced further downstream by sporadic
Zygnematales
filaments. Taking into consideration the characteristics of this acidic extreme environment and the physiological properties and spatial distribution of the identified microorganisms, a geomicrobiological model of this ecosystem is advanced.
Population Size Drives Industrial Saccharomyces cerevisiae Alcoholic Fermentation and Is under Genetic Control
Authors: Albertin Warren , Marullo Philippe , Aigle Michel , Dillmann Christine , de Vienne Dominique , Bely Marina , Sicard Delphine
Published: February 2011

Alcoholic fermentation (AF) conducted bySaccharomyces cerevisiaehas been exploited for millennia in three important human food processes: beer and wine production and bread leavening. Most of the efforts to understand and improve AF have been made separately for each process, with strains that are supposedly well adapted. In this work, we propose a first comparison of yeast AFs in three synthetic media mimicking the dough/wort/grape must found in baking, brewing, and wine making. The fermentative behaviors of nine food-processing strains were evaluated in these media, at the cellular, populational, and biotechnological levels. A large variation in the measured traits was observed, with medium effects usually being greater than the strain effects. The results suggest that human selection targeted the ability to complete fermentation for wine strains and trehalose content for beer strains. Apart from these features, the food origin of the strains did not significantly affect AF, suggesting that an improvement program for a specific food processing industry could exploit the variability of strains used in other industries. Glucose utilization was analyzed, revealing plastic but also genetic variation in fermentation products and indicating that artificial selection could be used to modify the production of glycerol, acetate, etc. The major result was that the overall maximum CO2production rate (Vmax) was not related to the maximum CO2production rate per cell. Instead, a highly significant correlation betweenVmaxand the maximum population size was observed in all three media, indicating that human selection targeted the efficiency of cellular reproduction rather than metabolic efficiency. This result opens the way to new strategies for yeast improvement.
Evaluation of Select Sensors for Real-Time Monitoring of Escherichia coli in Water Distribution Systems
Authors: Miles Syreeta L. , Sinclair Ryan G. , Riley Mark R. , Pepper Ian L.
Published: February 2011

This study evaluated real-time sensing of
Escherichia coli
as a microbial contaminant in water distribution systems. Most sensors responded to increased
E. coli
concentrations, showing that select sensors can detect microbial water quality changes and be utilized as part of a contaminant warning system.
Contribution of the gas1 Gene of the Entomopathogenic Fungus Beauveria bassiana, Encoding a Putative Glycosylphosphatidylinositol-Anchored β-1,3-Glucanosyltransferase, to Conidial Thermotolerance and Virulence
Authors: Zhang Shizhu , Xia Yuxian , Keyhani Nemat O.
Published: February 2011

Beauveria bassiana
is a mycoinsecticide alternative to chemicals for use in biological pest control. The fungus-insect interaction is also an emerging model system to examine unique aspects of the development, pathogenesis, and diversity of fungal lifestyles. The glycoside hydrolase 72 (GH72) family includes β-1,3-glucanosyltransferases that are glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored cell wall-modeling enzymes affecting fungal physiology. A putative
B. bassiana
GPI-anchored β-1,3-glucanosyltransferase (
Bbgas1
) was isolated and characterized.
B. bassiana
targeted gene knockouts lacking
Bbgas1
were affected in Congo red and salt sensitivity but displayed minor growth defects in the presence of sorbitol, SDS, or calcofluor white. Lectin and antibody mapping of surface carbohydrates revealed increased exposure of carbohydrate epitopes, including β-1,3-glucans, in the Δ
Bbgas1
strain. Transmission electron micrographs revealed localized destabilization of the cell wall in Δ
Bbgas1
conidia, in which fraying of the outer cell wall was apparent. Heat shock temperature sensitivity profiling showed that in contrast to the wild-type parent, Δ
Bbgas1
conidial spores displayed decreased germination after 1 to 4 h of heat shock at temperatures >40°C, and propidium iodide exclusion assays revealed decreased membrane stability in the knockout strain at temperatures >50°C. The Δ
Bbgas1
knockout showed reduced virulence in
Galleria mellonella
insect bioassays in both topical and intrahemocoel-injection assays.
B. bassiana
Δ
Bbgas1
strains complemented with the complete
Bbgas1
open reading frame were indistinguishable from the wild-type parent in all phenotypes examined. The
Bbgas1
gene did not complement the phenotype of a
Saccharomyces cerevisiae
β-1,3-glucanosyltransferase
Δgas1
mutant, indicating that this family of enzymes likely posses discrete cellular functions.
Effects of Methanogenic Inhibitors on Methane Production and Abundances of Methanogens and Cellulolytic Bacteria in
In Vitro
Ruminal Cultures
Authors: Zhou Zhenming , Meng Qingxiang , Yu Zhongtang
Published: February 2011

The objective of this study was to systematically evaluate and compare the effects of select antimethanogen compounds on methane production, feed digestion and fermentation, and populations of ruminal bacteria and methanogens using
in vitro
cultures. Seven compounds, including 2-bromoethanesulphonate (BES), propynoic acid (PA), nitroethane (NE), ethyl
trans
-2-butenoate (ETB), 2-nitroethanol (2NEOH), sodium nitrate (SN), and ethyl-2-butynote (EB), were tested at a final concentration of 12 mM. Ground alfalfa hay was included as the only substrate to simulate daily forage intake. Compared to no-inhibitor controls, PA, 2NEOH, and SN greatly reduced the production of methane (70 to 99%), volatile fatty acids (VFAs; 46 to 66%), acetate (30 to 60%), and propionate (79 to 82%), with 2NEOH reducing the most. EB reduced methane production by 23% without a significant effect on total VFAs, acetate, or propionate. BES significantly reduced the propionate concentration but not the production of methane, total VFAs, or acetate. ETB or NE had no significant effect on any of the above-mentioned measurements. Specific quantitative-PCR (qPCR) assays showed that none of the inhibitors significantly affected total bacterial populations but that they did reduce the
Fibrobacter succinogenes
population. SN reduced the
Ruminococcus albus
population, while PA and 2NEOH increased the populations of both
R. albus
and
Ruminococcus flavefaciens
. Archaeon-specific PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) showed that all the inhibitors affected the methanogen population structure, while archaeon-specific qPCR revealed a significant decrease in methanogen population in all treatments. These results showed that EB, ETB, NE, and BES can effectively reduce the total population of methanogens but that they reduce methane production to a lesser extent. The results may guide future
in
vivo
studies to develop effective mitigation of methane emission from ruminants.
Wsp1, a GBD/CRIB Domain-Containing WASP Homolog, Is Required for Growth, Morphogenesis, and Virulence of Cryptococcus neoformans
Authors: Shen Gui , Whittington Amy , Wang Ping
Published: February 2011

Human endocytic protein ITSN1 regulates actin reorganization by activating Rho family GTPases, such as Cdc42. The process is enhanced by ITSN binding of WASP, an effector of Cdc42 and a potent activator of actin polymerization. In the human pathogen
Cryptococcus neoformans
, endocytic protein Cin1 also interacts with Cdc42 and Wsp1, an uncharacterized WASP homolog, but the significance of these interactions remains unknown. Wsp1 contains several conserved domains, including a WASP homology 1 domain (WH1), a GTPase binding/Cdc42 and Rac interactive binding domain (GBD/CRIB), and a C-terminal domain composed of verprolin-like, central, and acidic motifs (VCA). Thus, Wsp1 exhibits domain compositions more similar to human WASP proteins than
Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Las17/Bee1, a WASP homolog lacking the GDB/CRIB domain. Wsp1 is not an essential protein; however, the
wsp1
mutant exhibited defects in growth, cytokinesis, chitin distribution, and endocytosis and exocytosis. The
wsp1
mutant was also unable to undergo genetic cross, produce the polysaccharide capsule, or secrete the enzyme urease. An
in vitro
phagocytosis assay showed a higher phagocytic index for the
wsp1
mutant, whose ability to cause lethal infection in a murine model of cryptococcosis was also attenuated. Our studies reveal divergent evolution of WASP proteins in the fungal phylum and suggest that the conserved function of WASP proteins in the actin cytoskeleton may also impact fungal virulence.
A C-Terminal Region of Yersinia pestis YscD Binds the Outer Membrane Secretin YscC
Authors: Ross Julia A. , Plano Gregory V.
Published: February 2011

YscD is an essential component of the plasmid pCD1-encoded type III secretion system (T3SS) of
Yersinia pestis
. YscD has a single transmembrane (TM) domain that connects a small N-terminal cytoplasmic region (residues 1 to 121) to a larger periplasmic region (residues 143 to 419). Deletion analyses established that both the N-terminal cytoplasmic region and the C-terminal periplasmic region are required for YscD function. Smaller targeted deletions demonstrated that a predicted cytoplasmic forkhead-associated (FHA) domain is also required to assemble a functional T3SS; in contrast, a predicted periplasmic phospholipid binding (BON) domain and a putative periplasmic “ring-building motif” domain of YscD could be deleted with no significant effect on the T3S process. Although deletion of the putative “ring-building motif” domain did not disrupt T3S activity
per se
, the calcium-dependent regulation of the T3S apparatus was affected. The extreme C-terminal region of YscD (residues 354 to 419) was essential for secretion activity and had a strong dominant-negative effect on the T3S process when exported to the periplasm of the wild-type parent strain. Coimmunoprecipitation studies demonstrated that this region of YscD mediates the interaction of YscD with the outer membrane YscC secretin complex. Finally, replacement of the YscD TM domain with a TM domain of dissimilar sequence had no effect on the T3S process, indicating that the TM domain has no sequence-specific function in the assembly or function of the T3SS.
Role of BacA in Lipopolysaccharide Synthesis, Peptide Transport, and Nodulation by Rhizobium sp. Strain NGR234
Authors: Ardissone Silvia , Kobayashi Hajime , Kambara Kumiko , Rummel Coralie , Noel K. Dale , Walker Graham C. , Broughton William J. , Deakin William J.
Published: February 2011

BacA of
Sinorhizobium meliloti
plays an essential role in the establishment of nitrogen-fixing symbioses with
Medicago
plants, where it is involved in peptide import and in the addition of very-long-chain fatty acids (VLCFA) to lipid A of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). We investigated the role of BacA in
Rhizobium
species strain NGR234 by mutating the
bacA
gene. In the NGR234
bacA
mutant, peptide import was impaired, but no effect on VLCFA addition was observed. More importantly, the symbiotic ability of the mutant was comparable to that of the wild type for a variety of legume species. Concurrently, an
acpXL
mutant of NGR234 was created and assayed. In rhizobia, AcpXL is a dedicated acyl carrier protein necessary for the addition of VLCFA to lipid A. LPS extracted from the NGR234 mutant lacked VLCFA, and this mutant was severely impaired in the ability to form functional nodules with the majority of legumes tested. Our work demonstrates the importance of VLCFA in the NGR234-legume symbiosis and also shows that the necessity of BacA for bacteroid differentiation is restricted to specific legume-
Rhizobium
interactions.