bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Inter‐observer and intra‐observer variability in the diagnosis of dysplasia in patients with inflammatory bowel disease: correlation of pathological and endoscopic findings
Authors: Allende D. , Elmessiry M. , Hao W. , DaSilva G. , Wexner S. D. , Bejarano P. , Berho M.
Published: May 2014

Aim

Colonic epithelial dysplasia is deemed the precursor lesion of cancer arising in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). It has been suggested that many dysplastic lesions could be endoscopically detected to obtain target biopsies, leading to better yield. However, the clinical impact of a diagnosis of dysplasia may be hampered by a significant degree of histological and endoscopic intra‐observer and inter‐observer variability. This study aimed to evaluate intra‐observer and inter‐observer variability in the microscopic diagnosis of dysplasia in IBD and correlate endoscopic and histological findings.

Method

In total, 158 cases of ulcerative colitis and 14 of Crohn's disease with dysplasia were selected from a pathology database. Slides were blindly reviewed twice by two expert gastrointestinal pathologists. Results of endoscopic examinations were extracted from the reports. The degree of intra‐observer and inter‐observer variability was determined by kappa statistics.

Results

Overall, there was an excellent degree of histopathological inter‐observer agreement (κ = 0.786). The lowest level of agreement in the dysplasia group was for indefinite dysplasia (κ = 0.251). Negative and high grade dysplasia diagnosis reached the highest level of agreement with κ values of 0.822 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.673–0.971] and 1.00 (95% CI 0.850–1.149), respectively. Intra‐observer agreement was good and increased during the latter period of the study (κ = 0.734, 95% CI 0.642–0.826). Endoscopic–histological correlation was poor among the negative endoscopies, as up to 43% of cases were diagnosed with at least focal high grade dysplasia. The endoscopic–histological correlation improved when evaluating suspicious endoscopic lesions.

Conclusion

Dysplasia is reliably diagnosed by expert gastrointestinal pathologists but has poor correlation with an endoscopic diagnosis of dysplasia.
Multidisciplinary Team Meeting in Digestive Oncology: When Opinions Differ
Authors: Zarzavadjian Le Bian Alban , Costi Renato , Bruderer Audrey , Herve Christian , Smadja Claude
Published: May 2014

In daily oncology, Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) meetings are used worldwide to take every main decision. In order to improve the MDT efficiency, an analysis of decision‐making process relying on patients refusing to undergo MDT proposal during presentations, in accordance with their referent specialist, was retrospectively performed in an academic and tertiary center, from 1995 to 2010. Out of 1000 patients, 0.5% refused the MDT proposal because of (1) ignorance of current evidence‐based literature, (2) heterogeneous interpretations of the technical feasibility, and (3) the MDT undervaluing patient's specificities and wishes. In order to offset the MDT decision, patient needs to come from a well‐off and educated background and to get the uttered support of the referent specialist. MDT conclusion is not customized because of interindividual exceptions and technical evaluations. Clinical Nurse Specialists attending to “blind” MDT meetings may help to back oncologic patient's specificities and wishes.
Human Papillomavirus Vaccination: A Case Study in Translational Science
Authors: Palmer Allyson K. , Harris Antoneicka L. , Jacobson Robert M.
Published: May 2014

Each year 610,000 cases of anogenital and oropharyngeal cancers caused by human papillomavirus (HPV) occur worldwide. HPV vaccination represents a promising opportunity to prevent cancer on a global scale. The vaccine's story dates back to discoveries in chickens at the beginning of the 20th century with evidence that a cell‐free filtrate could transmit the propensity to grow cancers. Later, studies with similarly derived filtrates from mammalian tumors showed that hosts could develop immunity to subsequent exposures. Epidemiologic studies linked cervical cancer to members of a family of viruses that cause papillomatosis and common warts. This led to work with DNA hybridization demonstrating a causal relationship. The formation of virus‐like particles from viral capsid proteins led to the development of models for safe and effective vaccines. While much work remains with the acceptance of universal vaccination, the HPV vaccines Gardasil and Cervarix thus represent a century of successful translational research.
Engaging the Underserved: A Process Model to Mobilize Rural Community Health Coalitions as Partners in Translational Research
Authors: Davis Melinda M. , Aromaa Susan , McGinnis Paul B. , Ramsey Katrina , Rollins Nancy , Smith Jamie , Beamer Beth Ann , Buckley David I. , Stange Kurt C. , Fagnan Lyle J.
Published: May 2014

Purpose

Community engagement (CE) and community‐engaged research (CEnR) are increasingly recognized as critical elements in research translation. Process models to develop CEnR partnerships in rural and underserved communities are needed.

Method

Academic partners transformed four established Community Health Improvement Partnerships (CHIPs) into Community Health Improvement and Research Partnerships (CHIRPs). The intervention consisted of three elements: an academic‐community kickoff/orientation meeting, delivery of eight research training modules to CHIRP members, and local community‐based participatory research (CBPR) pilot studies addressing childhood obesity. We conducted a mixed methods analysis of pre‐/postsurveys, interviews, session evaluations, observational field notes, and attendance logs to evaluate intervention effectiveness and acceptability.

Results

Forty‐nine community members participated; most (78.7%) attended five or more research training sessions. Session quality and usefulness was high. Community members reported significant increases in their confidence for participating in all phases of research (e.g., formulating research questions, selecting research methods, writing manuscripts). All CHIRP groups successfully conducted CBPR pilot studies.

Conclusions

The CHIRP process builds on existing infrastructure in academic and community settings to foster CEnR. Brief research training and pilot studies around community‐identified health needs can enhance individual and organizational capacity to address health disparities in rural and underserved communities.
Do 6‐month‐olds understand that speech can communicate?
Authors: Vouloumanos Athena , Martin Alia , Onishi Kristine H.
Published: May 2014

Adults and 12‐month‐old infants recognize that even unfamiliar speech can communicate information between third parties, suggesting that they can separate the communicative function of speech from its lexical content. But do infants recognize that speech can communicate due to their experience understanding and producing language, or do they appreciate that speech is communicative earlier, with little such experience? We examined whether 6‐month‐olds recognize that speech can communicate information about an object. Infants watched a Communicator selectively grasp one of two objects (target). During test, the Communicator could no longer reach the objects; she turned to a Recipient and produced speech (a nonsense word) or non‐speech (coughing). Infants looked longer when the Recipient selected the non‐target than the target object when the Communicator spoke but not when she coughed – unless the Recipient had previously witnessed the Communicator's selective grasping of the target object. Our results suggest that at 6 months, with a receptive vocabulary of no more than a handful of commonly used words, infants possess some abstract understanding of the communicative function of speech. This understanding may provide an early mechanism for language and knowledge acquisition.
Does Left Atrial Enlargement Contribute to Mitral Leaflet Tethering in Patients with Functional Mitral Regurgitation? Proposed Role of Atriogenic Leaflet Tethering
Authors: Silbiger Jeffrey J.
Published: May 2014

Papillary muscle repositioning due to left ventricular remodeling is thought to be the primary mechanism responsible for functional mitral regurgitation. This article proposes that remodeling (enlargement) of the left atrium also plays a role in the pathogenesis of functional mitral regurgitation, through a novel mechanism–atriogenic leaflet tethering–described herein.
Interactions between body mass and water temperature cause energetic bottlenecks in juvenile steelhead
Authors: Myrvold Knut M. , Kennedy Brian P.
Published: May 2014

Across taxa, it is generally accepted that there are fitness advantages to rapid growth early in life. For stream‐dwelling salmonids, however, high temperatures and associated energetic costs during the summer growing season might offset or even prevent the competitive advantage of large body size. Our overall objective was to understand the relative importance of factors that can cause variation in growth rates in an age‐0 cohort of wild steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in Idaho,USA, where temperatures approach, and temporarily exceed, their tolerance level. For individually tagged fish inhabiting the same stream reach, we found that growth rates were negatively related to fish mass (slopes of the two best approximating models were both −0.024). Comparing growth rates from 16 different stream reaches throughout the watershed, we found that temperature‐induced metabolic cost was the single best approximating model (AICwi = 1.0) of the variation in individual growth rates. The bioenergetic model showed that mass‐specific metabolic costs decreased with mass, but the absolute energetic demands increased over the same size range. Because temperature had a multiplicative effect on metabolic cost, our results suggest that the effect of food limitation increased with fish size. We conclude that high water temperatures pose energetic bottlenecks and can be a potentially strong mechanism limiting growth in juvenile salmonids in summer, particularly as streams in the region experience warming trends.
The incidental discovery of apical periodontitis
Authors: Wesselink Paul R.
Published: May 2014

The incidental detection of asymptomatic apical periodontitis raises the question of whether or not this lesion should be treated. Arguments favoring treatment are that the inflammation may cause pain in the future, may enlarge, or may negatively affect the host's resistance. Reasons for not treating may be that treatment weakens the tooth, may cause iatrogenic damage, and that treatment is expensive and burdensome for the patient and does not lead to complete recovery in all cases. Scientific evidence supporting either choice, whether treating the lesion or not, is lacking. Therefore, in making such decisions, the personal judgements of the patient and the dentist concerning the impact on the quality of life of the patient play an important role.
Present status and future directions in endodontic microbiology
Authors: Siqueira José F. , Rôças Isabela N.
Published: May 2014

Apical periodontitis and its different manifestations are caused primarily by bacterial infection of the root canal system. Bacteria are usually organized in biofilm communities and can colonize not only the main canal but also spread to other areas in the root canal system. In these regions, bacteria are more difficult to reach and eliminate during treatment. The knowledge of endodontic infections has substantially increased over the past 4 decades, including the main species involved in the different forms of disease, their virulence factors, interactions, ecology, organization and spatial distribution in the root canal system, patterns of antimicrobial resistance, and so on. However, there is a need for all of this information to be translated into improvements in clinical practice and treatment outcomes. This article reviews the present status of endodontic microbiology, discusses perspectives for future research and directions, and emphasizes the need for a call to action in the field of applied endodontic microbiology.
Prince of Songkla University Cat and upright positions together with music reduces the duration of active phase of labour and labour pain in primiparous women compared to oxytocin
Authors: Phumdoung Sasitorn , Youngwanichsetha Sununta , Mahattanan Sukit , Payakkamas Tawit , Maneechot Kalaya , Chanudom Benjamach , Ajasariyasing Treerat
Published: May 2014

Background

Labour pain is severe. Thus, it is important to find effective methods to shorten the duration of labour and reduce labour pain.

Objectives

This non‐randomised comparative study aimed to examine the use of the Prince of Songkla University Cat (PSU Cat) and upright positions, in conjunction with relaxing music, compared to oxytocin augmentation on the duration of the active phase of labour and labour pain in primiparous women.

Methods

Participants were assigned to two groups: group one (n=88) adopted the PSU Cat position alternating with an upright elevated head position (both at 45–60 degrees) while listening to relaxing music; group two (n=87) received oxytocin in the labour room. Both groups received the interventions when cervical dilation was 3–4 cm at the beginning of the study.

Results

Using t‐tests, the position‐adopting group was shown to have a significantly shorter duration of active labour than the oxytocin group. Repeated measures (using analysis of covariance) revealed that the position‐adopting group had significantly less labour pain and distress of pain than the oxytocin group.

Conclusions

The results indicate that applying the PSU Cat positions, alternating with those where the head is elevated, while listening to relaxing music can shorten the duration of the active phase of labour and reduce labour pain and distress of pain compared with the use of oxytocin.
Mitochondrial hyperfusion promotes NF‐κB activation via the mitochondrial E3 ligase MULAN
Authors: Zemirli Naima , Pourcelot Marie , Ambroise Gorbatchev , Hatchi Emeline , Vazquez Aimé , Arnoult Damien
Published: May 2014

Mitochondria are dynamic organelles with a morphology resulting from the balance between two opposing processes: fusion and fission. Little is known about the function of mitochondrial fusion, beside its role in the maintenance of mitochondrial DNA. We report here that enforced mitochondrial hyperfusion, due to the expression of a dominant‐negative mutant of Drp1 or of MARCH5, promotes NF‐κB activation in a TAK1‐ and IKK‐dependent manner, through the mitochondrial E3 ubiquitin ligase MULAN. The capability of MULAN to activate NF‐κB depends on its RING domain and on the E3 ubiquitin ligase TRAF2. Under physiological conditions, stress‐induced mitochondrial hyperfusion (SIMH) is also accompanied by NF‐κB activation, and the prevention of SIMH or the knockdown of MULAN impairs NF‐κB activation. During SIMH, MULAN forms a complex with TRAF2 and modulates its ubiquitylation, signifying that TRAF2 may serve as an ubiquitylated transmitter of NF‐κB signaling in this pathway. Our results suggest that mitochondria, through their dynamics, convert stress signals into a cell response leading to NF‐κB activation.

Structured digital abstract

TRAF2 physically interacts with MULAN by anti bait coip (View interaction)
Experimental assessment of flue gas desulfurization residues and basic oxygen furnace slag on fatigue and moisture resistance of HMA
Authors: Chen Z.‐W. , Xiao Y. , Pang L. , Zeng W.‐B. , Wu S.‐P.
Published: May 2014

Basic oxygen furnace (BOF) slag and flue gas desulfurization (FGD) residues both are industrial wastes. Research on using BOF slag as a novel aggregate and FGD residues as a filler in road construction has benefits both in environment and economics. The main objective of this research was to evaluate the effect of FGD residues and BOF slag on the fatigue performance and moisture resistance of asphalt mixtures. The fatigue performance of asphalt mixture was conducted by means of indirect tensile fatigue test. Stress loading control mode, with four stress levels (300, 400, 500 and 600 kPa), was used in this research. Statistic t‐test was adopted, and it had approved the positive effect of BOF slag and FGD residues on the fatigue lives of asphalt mixture. Moisture resistance of asphalt mixture was investigated by retained Marshall stability test and tensile strength ratio test. Research results indicate that BOF slag and FGD residues can improve the fatigue and moisture resistance, when the BOF slag and FGD residues based asphalt mixture was designed properly.
Contemporary trait change in a classic ecological experiment: rapid decrease in alewife gill‐raker spacing following introduction to an inland lake
Authors: Palkovacs Eric P. , Mandeville Elizabeth G. , Post David M.
Published: May 2014

Ecological experiments showing large effects are predicted to drive contemporary trait changes resulting from evolution and phenotypic plasticity. However, few classic ecological experiments conducted in the wild have been investigated for evidence of contemporary trait change.

We examined a classic experiment in trophic ecology, the introduction of alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) to Crystal Lake, Connecticut, U.S.A. (Brooks & Dodson, 1965), for the presence of contemporary trait change.

Alewife were introduced to Crystal Lake, an inland lake isolated from the coastal ocean, from an anadromous (migratory sea‐run) source population. We utilised museum specimens collected soon after introduction and modern samples to measure changes in gill‐raker morphology for the Crystal Lake alewife population since its introduction. We compared the gill‐rakers of the Crystal Lake population to those of other nearby anadromous and landlocked (freshwater resident) alewife populations.

At introduction, the Crystal Lake population showed gill‐raker spacing (GRS) similar to that of anadromous populations. Following introduction, we found evidence for a rapid decrease in GRS, an important trait for size‐selective prey capture in fishes. This decrease occurred alongside a dramatic decline in zooplankton size, shown by Brooks and Dodson (1965) to be caused by the onset of alewife predation. After 45 years of isolation in freshwater, the Crystal Lake population showed GRS typical of landlocked populations.

Brooks and Dodson's study is a classic example of the strong effects predators can have on prey communities. Our study shows that such community effects of predators may feed back to shape predator trophic morphology. The rate of trait change observed for the Crystal Lake alewife population is comparable to rates observed from evolutionary experiments conducted explicitly to examine trait changes over contemporary time scales.

We conclude that strong ecological effects of introduced populations may be important drivers of contemporary trait change. We propose that classic ecological experiments represent underutilised resources for examining interactions between contemporary trait change and ecological effects in the wild.
Association of the KCNJ5 gene with Tourette Syndrome and Attention‐Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
Authors: Gomez L. , Wigg K. , Zhang K. , Lopez L. , Sandor P. , Malone M. , Barr C. L.
Published: May 2014

Linkage and association of Tourette Syndrome (TS) and Attention‐Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) have previously been reported in the 11q24 chromosomal region. To identify the risk gene within the region we studied the potassium inwardly‐rectifying channel J5 (KCNJ5) gene in a sample of 170 nuclear families with TS. We genotyped eight markers across the gene and observed biased transmission of haplotypes from parents to probands in this sample. We then tested these markers in an independent sample of 242 nuclear families with ADHD and found the same haplotype was significantly over transmitted to ADHD probands. Screening of the coding region of KCNJ5 in 48 probands with TS did not identify any variation that could explain the association of the haplotype. We also genotyped two microsatellite markers, one in the promoter and the other in the 3′ region and found no evidence for association for either marker for TS, however, we found significant evidence for association with the 3′ repeat and ADHD. A small gene (c11orf45) of unknown function lies within the first intron of KCNJ5 that is transcribed in the opposite orientation and this gene may regulate the expression of KCNJ5. We studied the correlation of the expression of KCNJ5 and the antisense transcript in brain tissues from control individuals and found that the antisense transcript and the short KCNJ5 isoform are co‐expressed in three brain regions. The results of this study indicate that KCNJ5 is associated with TS and ADHD in our samples, however, the functional variant(s) remain to be identified.
A method for calculating a land‐use change carbon footprint (LUC‐CFP) for agricultural commodities – applications to Brazilian beef and soy, Indonesian palm oil
Authors: Persson U. Martin , Henders Sabine , Cederberg Christel
Published: May 2014

The world's agricultural system has come under increasing scrutiny recently as an important driver of global climate change, creating a demand for indicators that estimate the climatic impacts of agricultural commodities. Such carbon footprints, however, have in most cases excluded emissions from land‐use change and the proposed methodologies for including this significant emissions source suffer from different shortcomings. Here, we propose a new methodology for calculating land‐use change carbon footprints for agricultural commodities and illustrate this methodology by applying it to three of the most prominent agricultural commodities driving tropical deforestation: Brazilian beef and soybeans, and Indonesian palm oil. We estimate land‐use change carbon footprints in 2010 to be 66 tCO2/t meat (carcass weight) for Brazilian beef, 0.89 tCO2/t for Brazilian soybeans, and 7.5 tCO2/t for Indonesian palm oil, using a 10 year amortization period. The main advantage of the proposed methodology is its flexibility: it can be applied in a tiered approach, using detailed data where it is available while still allowing for estimation of footprints for a broad set of countries and agricultural commodities; it can be applied at different scales, estimating both national and subnational footprints; it can be adopted to account both for direct (proximate) and indirect drivers of land‐use change. It is argued that with an increasing commercialization and globalization of the drivers of land‐use change, the proposed carbon footprint methodology could help leverage the power needed to alter environmentally destructive land‐use practices within the global agricultural system by providing a tool for assessing the environmental impacts of production, thereby informing consumers about the impacts of consumption and incentivizing producers to become more environmentally responsible.
Ecosystem carbon storage does not vary with mean annual temperature in Hawaiian tropical montane wet forests
Authors: Selmants Paul C. , Litton Creighton M. , Giardina Christian P. , Asner Gregory P.
Published: May 2014

Theory and experiment agree that climate warming will increase carbon fluxes between terrestrial ecosystems and the atmosphere. The effect of this increased exchange on terrestrial carbon storage is less predictable, with important implications for potential feedbacks to the climate system. We quantified how increased mean annual temperature (MAT) affects ecosystem carbon storage in above‐ and belowground live biomass and detritus across a well‐constrained 5.2 °C MAT gradient in tropical montane wet forests on the Island of Hawaii. This gradient does not systematically vary in biotic or abiotic factors other than MAT (i.e. dominant vegetation, substrate type and age, soil water balance, and disturbance history), allowing us to isolate the impact of MAT on ecosystem carbon storage. Live biomass carbon did not vary predictably as a function of MAT, while detrital carbon declined by ~14 Mg of carbon ha−1 for each 1 °C rise in temperature – a trend driven entirely by coarse woody debris and litter. The largest detrital pool, soil organic carbon, was the most stable with MAT and averaged 48% of total ecosystem carbon across the MAT gradient. Total ecosystem carbon did not vary significantly with MAT, and the distribution of ecosystem carbon between live biomass and detritus remained relatively constant across the MAT gradient at ~44% and ~56%, respectively. These findings suggest that in the absence of alterations to precipitation or disturbance regimes, the size and distribution of carbon pools in tropical montane wet forests will be less sensitive to rising MAT than predicted by ecosystem models. This article also provides needed detail on how individual carbon pools and ecosystem‐level carbon storage will respond to future warming.
Groundwater Productivity Potential Mapping Using Evidential Belief Function
Authors: Park Inhye , Kim Yongsung , Lee Saro
Published: May 2014

The evidential belief function (EBF) model was applied and validated for analysis of groundwater‐productivity potential (GPP) in Boryeong and Pohang cities, agriculture region in Korea using geographic information systems (GIS). Data about related factors, including topography, lineament, geology, forest, soil, and groundwater data were collected and input into a spatial database. Additionally, in the Boryeong area, specific capacity (SPC) data not lower than 4.55 m3/d/m were collected, corresponding to 300 m3/d yield from 72 well locations. In the Pohang area,SPCdata of ≥ 6.25 m3/d/m were collected, corresponding to a yield of 500 m3/d from 44 well locations. By using the constructed spatial database, 19 factors related to groundwater productivity were extracted. The relationships between the well locations and the factors were identified and quantified by using theEBFmodel. Four relationships were calculated: belief (Bel), disbelief (Dis), uncertainty (Unc), and plausibility (Pls). The relationships were used as factor ratings in the overlay analysis to createGPPindices and maps. The resultingGPPmaps showed 83.41% and 77.53% accuracy in Boryeong and Pohang areas, respectively. TheEBFmodel was found to be more effective in terms of prediction accuracy.
Patterns of Entrapped Air Dissolution in a Two‐Dimensional Pilot‐Scale Synthetic Aquifer
Authors: McLeod Heather C. , Roy James W. , Smith James E.
Published: May 2014

Past studies of entrapped air dissolution have focused on one‐dimensional laboratory columns. Here the multidimensional nature of entrapped air dissolution was investigated using an indoor tank (180 × 240 × 600 cm3) simulating an unconfined sand aquifer with horizontal flow. Time domain reflectometry (TDR) probes directly measured entrapped air contents, while dissolved gas conditions were monitored with total dissolved gas pressure (PTDG) probes. Dissolution occurred as a diffuse wedge‐shaped front from the inlet downgradient, with preferential dissolution at depth. This pattern was mainly attributed to increased gas solubility, as shown by PTDG measurements. However, compression of entrapped air at greater depths, captured by TDR and leading to lower quasi‐saturated hydraulic conductivities and thus greater velocities, also played a small role. Linear propagation of the dissolution front downgradient was observed at each depth, with both TDR and PTDG, with increasing rates with depth (e.g, 4.1 to 5.7× slower at 15 cm vs. 165 cm depth). PTDG values revealed equilibrium with the entrapped gas initially, being higher at greater depth and fluctuating with the barometric pressure, before declining concurrently with entrapped air contents to the lower PTDG of the source water. The observed dissolution pattern has long‐term implications for a wide variety of groundwater management issues, from recharge to contaminant transport and remediation strategies, due to the persistence of entrapped air near the water table (potential timescale of years). This study also demonstrated the utility of PTDG probes for simple in situ measurements to detect entrapped air and monitor its dissolution.
Lon Protease Affects the RdxA Nitroreductase Activity and Metronidazole Susceptibility in Helicobacter pylori
Authors: Tu I‐Fan , Liao Jiahn‐Haur , Yang Feng‐Ling , Lin Nien‐Tsung , Chan Hong‐Lin , Wu Shih‐Hsiung
Published: May 2014

Background

The lon gene of Helicobacter pylori strains is constitutively expressed during growth. However, virtually nothing is understood concerning the role of Lon in H. pylori. This study examined the function and physiological role of Lon in H. pylori (HpLon) using a trapping approach to identify putative Lon binding partners in the bacterium.

Materials and Methods

Protease‐deficient Lon was expressed and served as the bait in trapping approach to capture the interacting partners in H. pylori. The antibiotic susceptibility of wild‐type and lon derivative mutants was determined by the E test trips and the disc diffusion assay. The effect of HpLon on RdxA activity was detected the change in NADPH oxidation and metronidazole reduction by spectrophotometer.

Results

Lon in Helicobacter pylori (HpLon) interacting partners are mostly associated with metronidazole activation. lon mutant presents more susceptible to metronidazole than that of the wild type, and this phenotype is recovered by complementation of the wild‐type Lon. We found that the ATPases associated with a variety of cellular activities (AAA+) module of HpLon causes a decrease in both NADPH oxidase and Mtz reductase activity in RdxA, a major Mtz‐activating enzyme in H. pylori.

Conclusion

Metronidazole resistance of H. pylori causes the serious medical problem worldwide. In this study, HpLon is involved in metronidazole susceptibility among H. pylori strains. We provide the evidence that HpLon alters RdxA activity in vitro. The decrease in metronidazole activation caused by HpLon is possibly prior to accumulate mutation in rdxA gene before the metronidazole‐resistant strains to be occurred.
HIV virological rebounds but not blips predict liver fibrosis progression in antiretroviral‐treated HIV/hepatitis C virus‐coinfected patients
Authors: Cooper C , Rollet‐Kurhajec KC , Young J , Vasquez C , Tyndall M , Gill J , Pick N , Walmsley S , Klein MB ,   the Canadian Co‐infection Cohort Study Investigators
Published: May 2014

Objectives

Antiretroviral interruption is associated with liver fibrosis progression in HIV/hepatitis C virus (HCV) coinfection. It is not known what level of HIV viraemia affects fibrosis progression.

Methods

We evaluated 288 HIV/HCV‐coinfected cohort participants with undetectable HIV RNA (< 50 HIV‐1 RNA copies/mL) on two consecutive visits while on combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) without fibrosis [aspartate aminotransferase to platelet ratio index (APRI) < 1.5], end‐stage liver disease or HCV therapy. An HIV blip was defined as a viral load of ≥ 50 and < 1000 copies/mL, preceded and followed by undetectable values. HIV rebound was defined as: (i) HIV RNA ≥ 50 copies/mL on two consecutive visits, or (ii) a single HIV RNA measurement ≥ 1000 copies/mL. Multivariate discrete‐time proportional hazards models were used to assess the effect of different viraemia levels on liver fibrosis progression (APRI ≥ 1.5).

Results

The mean age of the patients was 45 years, 74% were male, 81% reported a history of injecting drug use, 51% currently used alcohol and the median baseline CD4 count was 440 [interquartile range (IQR) 298, 609] cells/μL. Fifty‐seven (20%) participants [12.4/100 person‐years (PY); 95% confidence interval (CI) 9.2−15.7/100 PY] progressed to an APRI ≥ 1.5 over a mean 1.1 (IQR 0.6, 2.0) years of follow‐up time at risk. Virological rebound [hazard ratio (HR) 2.3; 95% CI 1.1, 4.7] but not blips (HR 0.5; 95% CI 0.2, 1.1) predicted progression to APRI ≥ 1.5. Each additional 1 log10 copies/mL HIV RNA exposure (cumulative) was associated with a 20% increase in the risk of fibrosis progression (HR 1.2; 95% CI 1.0–1.3).

Conclusions

Liver fibrosis progression was associated with HIV rebound, but not blips, and with increasing cumulative exposure to HIV RNA, highlighting the importance of achieving and maintaining HIV suppression in the setting of HIV/HCV coinfection.
Improving nurse computer proficiency with a tri‐focal educational intervention
Authors: Hughes Sharon , Livingston Jennifer , Semler Rosemary , Hughes Amanda
Published: May 2014

Use of the electronic health record is expanding rapidly. Nurses are primary users of this technology and more than half rate their own computer skills to be below average. Nurses at this ambulatory genitourinary oncology practice recognized a need to improve information technology (IT) skills in the nursing team. An assessment was undertaken of nurses working in the unit by means of a confidential survey. The survey questioned nurses' ability to perform unit‐specific tasks as well as offering a free text component to identify further educational needs. Survey responses identified a need to improve computer proficiency. A nurse‐led, unit‐specific, educational intervention was developed to address this need and improve nurses IT skills. Unit‐specific competencies were identified as well as basic computer skills. The intervention was targeted at adult learners and addressed different styles of learning. A PowerPoint presentation was developed utilizing a step‐by‐step pictorial and written instruction to guide the nurse to complete the intended task. This was presented in small groups to allow visual and auditory learning. The PowerPoint presentation was also e‐mailed to each staff member for reference and personal learning. Finally, multiple opportunities for hands on learning were offered in small groups or one‐on‐one to allow kinesthetic learning to take place. Post‐survey results demonstrated an increase in unit‐specific competencies and improved overall confidence in IT skills. This was a small group of nurses N = 53, pre‐survey responses (N = 32) and post‐survey responses (N = 14) were low but within expected norms for surveys. A unit‐specific peer led intervention can improve IT skills in nurses and open a dialogue about computer skills
The one‐dimensional cutting stock problem with sequence‐dependent cut losses
Authors: Garraffa Michele , Salassa Fabio , Vancroonenburg Wim , Vanden Berghe Greet , Wauters Tony
Published: May 2014

The paper presents a new generalization of the one‐dimensional cutting stock problem (1D‐CSP) that considers cut losses dependent on the items' cutting sequence. It is shown that this generalization can still be solved approximately by standard 1D‐CSP approaches. Furthermore, a pattern‐based heuristic (denoted by HSD) is presented that specifically considers sequence‐dependent cut losses (SDCL). A computational study shows that whenever some variability in SDCL occurs, consideration of SDCL in the HSD heuristic is beneficial. Finally, two case studies illustrate the relevance of this new generalization.
A Systematic Review of the Literature Describing the Efficacy of Surgical Treatments for Canine Hip Dysplasia (1948–2012)
Authors: Bergh Mary Sarah , Budsberg Steven C.
Published: May 2014

Objective

To systematically evaluate the literature reporting outcome of surgical treatments for canine hip dysplasia (CHD) and to evaluate whether adequate evidence exists to support a procedure that will allow a consistent return to normal function.

Study Design

Systematic literature review.

Animals

Dogs with naturally occurring CHD.

Methods

Ana prioriquestion was defined and a computer‐based bibliographic search was performed on PubMed, Medline, CAB Abstracts, and Veterinary Information Network through November 2012. Studies were compared and evaluated with regard to surgical technique, study design, outcome measurements, evidence classification, and evidence quality. Unilateral surgeries with >6 months postoperative follow‐up were included.

Results

Manuscripts (n = 477) were identified and reviewed; 17 met the inclusion criteria. One study provided level I evidence, 2 provided level II evidence, 3 provided level III evidence, and 11 provided level IV evidence relative to the study question. The most common outcome measurements were orthopedic examination (70.6%), owner interview (70.6%), and visual gait observation (64.7%). Three studies used objective kinetic gait assessment. Two studies with level III evidence (total hip replacement) and 1 study with level IV evidence (juvenile pubic symphysiodesis) documented a consistent return to normal function after surgery.

Conclusions

Despite a large number of publications describing clinical outcome after surgical treatments for CHD, few provided strong evidence to allow an adequate assessment of therapeutic efficacy.
‘Keep fit’ exercise interventions to improve health, fitness and well‐being of children and young people who use wheelchairs: mixed‐method systematic review protocol
Authors: O'Brien Thomas D. , Noyes Jane , Spencer Llinos Haf , Kubis Hans‐Peter , Hastings Richard P. , Edwards Rhiannon T. , Bray Nathan , Whitaker Rhiannon
Published: May 2014

Aim

This mixed‐method systematic review aims to establish the current evidence base for ‘keep fit’, exercise or physical activity interventions for children and young people who use wheelchairs.

Background

Nurses have a vital health promotion, motivational and monitoring role in optimizing the health and well‐being of disabled children. Children with mobility impairments are prone to have low participation levels in physical activity, which reduces fitness and well‐being. Effective physical activity interventions that are fun and engaging for children are required to promote habitual participation as part of a healthy lifestyle. Previous intervention programmes have been trialled, but little is known about the most effective types of exercise to improve the fitness of young wheelchair users.

Design

Mixed‐method design using Cochrane systematic processes. Evidence regarding physiological and psychological effectiveness, health economics, user perspectives and service evaluations will be included and analysed under distinct streams.

Methods

The project was funded from October 2012. Multiple databases will be searched using search strings combining relevant medical subheadings and intervention‐specific terms. Articles will also be identified from ancestral references and by approaching authors to identify unpublished work. Only studies or reports evaluating the effectiveness, participation experiences or cost of a physical activity programme will be included. Separate analyses will be performed for each data stream, including a meta‐analysis if sufficient homogeneity exists and thematic analyses. Findings across streams will be synthesized in an overarching narrative summary.

Discussion

Evidence from the first systematic review of this type will inform development of effective child‐centred physical activity interventions and their evaluation.
Impact of role‐, job‐ and organizational characteristics on Nursing Unit Managers' work related stress and well‐being
Authors: Van Bogaert Peter , Adriaenssens Jef , Dilles Tinne , Martens Daisy , Van Rompaey Bart , Timmermans Olaf
Published: May 2014

Aim

To study the impact of role, job‐ and organizational characteristics on nurse managers' work related stress and well‐being such as feelings of emotional exhaustion, work engagement, job satisfaction and turnover intention.

Background

Various studies investigated role‐, job‐ and organizational characteristics influencing nurse‐related work environments. Research on nurse managers' related work environments define influencing factors, but, a clear understanding of the impact of nurse‐managers' work‐environment characteristics on their work related stress and well‐being is limited.

Design

A cross‐sectional design with a survey.

Methods

A cross‐sectional survey (N = 365) was carried out between December 2011–March 2012. The questionnaire was based on various validated measurement instruments identified by expert meetings (e.g. staff nurses, nurse managers and executives and physicians). Hierarchical regression analyses were performed using emotional exhaustion, work engagement, job satisfaction and turnover intentions as outcome variables.

Results

Study results showed one out of six nursing unit managers have high to very high feelings of emotional exhaustion and two out of three respondents have high to very high work engagement. Hierarchical regression models showed that role conflict and role meaningfulness were strong predictors of nursing unit managers' work related stress and well‐being, alongside with job‐ and organizational characteristics.

Conclusion

Several risk factors and stimulating factors influencing nurse unit managers' work related stress and well‐being were identified. Further challenges will be to develop proper interventions and strategies to support nursing unit managers and their team in daily practice to deliver the best and safest patient care.
Living the high life: social status influences real estate decision making
Authors: Tower‐Richardi Sarah M. , Brunyé Tad T. , Gagnon Stephanie A. , Mahoney Caroline R. , Taylor Holly A.
Published: May 2014

Social status is associated with the vertical spatial dimension, with people conceptualizing higher social status with higher vertical positions. Two experiments tested whether this association influences relatively real‐world decisions about others by asking participants to act as real estate agents, aiding in the relocation of clients who explicitly or implicitly varied in social status. Across experiments, higher status clients were placed into higher elevation housing options. This influence of social status persisted when strategy‐aware participants were removed from analysis, and was not influenced by individual differences in social dominance or locus of control. Abstract concepts of social status are understood through associations with vertical space, and these mapping of abstract concepts to concrete percepts prove influential in guiding daily decisions.
C'est le Ton Qui Fait la Critique—for the powerful: the effects of feedback framing and power on affective reactions
Authors: Niemann Jana , Wisse Barbara , Rus Diana , Van Yperen Nico W. , Sassenberg Kai
Published: May 2014

Although negative feedback is usually provided with the best of intentions, it often causes unfavorable affective reactions in the receiver such as anger and shame. The purpose of the present research is to identify factors that may attenuate or intensify these reactions to negative feedback. We argue and show across a laboratory experiment and a field study that feedback framing may affect feelings of anger and shame, but only for high (vs. low) power individuals. Given the prevalence of power differences in many feedback situations (e.g., in the organizational context), our findings may provide valuable information for the successful provision of negative feedback.
Commentary: What does immunology have to do with brain development and psychopathology? – a commentary on O'Connor et al. (2014)
Authors: Leckman James F.
Published: May 2014

In the past, we have typically regarded the ‘immune system’ as a complex set of cellular and molecular processes that protect us against pathogens, from viruses to parasitic worms. It is now clear that the cellular and molecular processes that make up our ‘immune system’ are also crucial to normal brain development and play a role in the pathoaetiology of many mental and physical disorders. In their Annual Research Review, O'Connor, Moynihan and Caserta (2014) provide a useful introduction to this emerging area of science that is highly relevant to our field and is a natural outgrowth of their earlier and ongoing work in psychoneuroimmunology. However, their review goes well beyond these seminal findings. While work in developmental psychoneuroimmunology engenders a good deal of excitement among academic researchers, the ‘promise’ of the field clearly remains greater than the ‘deliverables’, in terms of any direct effect on patient care. This commentary looks at the implication of these findings for clinical practice and where future research efforts should be expended.
Commentary: The best and worst of times – the prospects for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of developmental psychopathologies – a commentary on Horga et al. (2014)
Authors: Castellanos Francisco X. , Yoncheva Yuliya
Published: May 2014

In the accompanying Annual Research Review, Horga and colleagues provide a comprehensive overview of the current limitations of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of developmental psychopathologies focusing particularly on experimental design. Horga et al. are unsparing in their assessment of the problems that plague current clinical neuroimaging studies. We will not reiterate the long list of deficiencies in the imaging literature, which persist despite its impressive volume (PubMed lists more than 135,000 papers with the terms ‘magnetic resonance imaging’ and ‘brain’). Rather, in this Commentary, while we agree with Horga et al. that neuroimaging approaches merely represent one more types of tool, we look at where this leave us and the prospects (by attending to the lessons thoughtfully laid out by Horga and colleagues on how to place research design at the forefront in clinical neuroimaging) of better times ahead for our understanding of the pathophysiology of child‐ and adult‐onset developmental psychiatric conditions.
The utility of cranial ontogeny for phylogenetic inference: a case study in crocodylians using geometric morphometrics
Authors: Watanabe A. , Slice D. E.
Published: May 2014

The degree to which the ontogeny of organisms could facilitate our understanding of phylogenetic relationships has long been a subject of contention in evolutionary biology. The famed notion that ‘ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny’ has been largely discredited, but there remains an expectation that closely related organisms undergo similar morphological transformations throughout ontogeny. To test this assumption, we used three‐dimensional geometric morphometric methods to characterize the cranial morphology of 10 extant crocodylian species and construct allometric trajectories that model the post‐natal ontogenetic shape changes. Using time‐calibrated molecular and morphological trees, we employed a suite of comparative phylogenetic methods to assess the extent of phylogenetic signal in these trajectories. All analyses largely demonstrated a lack of significant phylogenetic signal, indicating that ontogenetic shape changes contain little phylogenetic information. Notably, some Mantel tests yielded marginally significant results when analysed with the morphological tree, which suggest that the underlying signal in these trajectories is correlated with similarities in the adult cranial morphology. However, despite these instances, all other analyses, including more powerful tests for phylogenetic signal, recovered statistical and visual evidence against the assumption that similarities in ontogenetic shape changes are commensurate with phylogenetic relatedness and thus bring into question the efficacy of using allometric trajectories for phylogenetic inference.
Female effects, but no intrinsic male effects on paternity outcome in crickets
Authors: Simmons L. W. , Lovegrove M. , Almbro M.
Published: May 2014

Competitive fertilization success can depend on the relative abilities of competing males to fertilize available ova, and on mechanisms of cryptic female choice that moderate paternity. Competitive fertilization success is thus an emergent property of competing male genotypes, female genotype and their interactions. Accurate estimates of intrinsic male effects on competitive fertilization success are therefore problematic. We used a cross‐classified nonbreeding design in which rival male family background was standardized to partition variation in competitive fertilization success among male and female family backgrounds in the field cricket Teleogryllus oceanicus. Male effects were close to zero, supporting previous quantitative genetic designs in which male competitors were assigned at random. In contrast, some 22% of the variance in competitive fertilization success was explained by female effects, suggesting that paternity in this species is influenced strongly by cryptic female choice.