bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Preparation of an novel botanic biopreservative and its efficacy in keeping quality of peeled Penaeus vannamei
Authors: Chen Jing , Deng Shanggui , Li Jianrong
Published: March 2013

A novel botanic biopreservative was successfully prepared by the combination of the bamboo leaves extracts and ebony extracts, designated as ebony–bamboo leaves complex extracts (EBLCE), whose antimicrobial activity was assessed according to an inhibition zone method against 10 common pathogenic and spoilage microorganisms. It was found that EBLCE was more effective from all the chosen microorganisms, as compared by potassium sorbate. Due to its excellent antimicrobial activity, and some additional properties like edibility, safety and economy, EBLCE was selected for further study to evaluate the efficacy in prolonging shelf life and improving the quality of peeled Penaeus vannamei during storage at 4 °C, based on periodical microbiological, chemical and sensory analysis. As a result, EBLCE was observed to prevent spoilage of peeled P. vannamei efficiently as reflected by a distinct decrease in total viable count, pH and total volatile basic nitrogen, as well as a slower decline in the sensory evaluation scores. Therefore, a prolonged shelf life of 16 days was obtained for EBLCE pre-treated peeled shrimps with comparison of 6 days for the control group, demonstrating EBLCE as a promising alternative for preserving food.
Public Perception of Cancer Survival Rankings
Authors: Jensen Jakob D. , Scherr Courtney L. , Brown Natasha , Jones Christina , Christy Katheryn
Published: March 2013

Past research has observed that certain subgroups (e.g., individuals who are overweight/obese) have inaccurate estimates of survival rates for particular cancers (e.g., colon cancer). However, no study has examined whether the lay public can accurately rank cancer survival rates in comparison with one another (i.e., rank cancers from most deadly to least deadly). A sample of 400 Indiana adults aged 18 to 89 years ( M = 33.88 years) completed a survey with questions regarding perceived cancer survival rates. Most cancers were ranked accurately; however, breast and stomach cancer survival rankings were highly distorted such that breast cancer was perceived to be significantly more deadly and stomach cancer significantly less deadly than reality. Younger participants also overestimated the survival rate for pancreatic cancer. These distortions mirror past content analytic work demonstrating that breast, stomach, and pancreatic cancers are misrepresented in the news.
Perceived Environmental Church Support and Physical Activity Among Black Church Members
Authors: Baruth Meghan , Wilcox Sara , Saunders Ruth P. , Hooker Steven P. , Hussey James R. , Blair Steven N.
Published: March 2013

Background. Churches are an appealing setting for implementing health-related behavior change programs. Purpose. The objective of the study was to examine the relationship between perceived environmental church support for physical activity (PA) and PA behaviors. Method. Black church members from South Carolina ( n = 309) wore an Actigraph accelerometer prior to the initiation of an intervention. Relationships between moderate to vigorous PA (MVPA; counts ≥1,952), light PA (LPA; counts 100-1951), sedentary behavior (counts <100), and perceived environmental church support for PA (total, spoken informational, written informational, instrumental) were examined. Support × Gender interactions examined whether relationships differed by gender. Results. The mean age was 54.0 ± 12.3 years and mean body mass index was 32.9 ± 7.2 kg/m2. On average, participants engaged in 14.4 ± 13.7 minutes/day of MVPA, 289.8 ± 82.4 minutes/day of LPA, and were sedentary 548.9 ± 102.2 minutes/day. Total, spoken informational, and written informational church support were significantly related to higher levels of LPA and lower levels of sedentary behavior in men but not women. The relationship between written informational support and MVPA approached significance for men but not women. Instrumental church support was not associated with PA behaviors. Conclusion. The church environment may have an important influence on Black church members’ PA behavior, particularly men’s, and thus should be targeted in interventions.
Rasch analysis of the General Self-Efficacy Scale in spinal cord injury
Authors: Peter Claudio , Cieza Alarcos , Geyh Szilvia
Published: March 2013

This study examined the psychometric properties of the General Self-Efficacy Scale by applying Rasch analysis to data from 102 persons with spinal cord injury. Our results suggest that the General Self-Efficacy Scale is a psychometrically robust instrument suitable for application in a spinal cord injury population. The General Self-Efficacy Scale shows an overall fit to the Rasch model ( χ2 = 15.5, df = 20, p = .75), high reliability ( rp = 0.92), ordered response scale structure, and no item bias by gender, age, education, and lesion levels. However, the analyses indicate a ceiling effect and potential to enhance the differentiation of the General Self-Efficacy Scale across self-efficacy levels.
Cardiac remodeling during and after renin–angiotensin system stimulation in Cyp1a1-Ren2 transgenic rats
Authors: Heijnen Bart FJ , Pelkmans Leonie PJ , Danser AH Jan , Garrelds Ingrid M , Mullins John J , De Mey Jo GR , Struijker-Boudier Harry AJ , Janssen Ben JA
Published: March 2013

This study investigated renin–angiotensin system (RAS)-induced cardiac remodeling and its reversibility in the presence and absence of high blood pressure (BP) in Cyp1a1-Ren2 transgenic inducible hypertensive rats (IHR). In IHR (pro)renin levels and BP can be dose-dependently titrated by oral administration of indole-3-carbinol (I3C). Young (four-weeks old) and adult (30-weeks old) IHR were fed I3C for four weeks (leading to systolic BP >200 mmHg). RAS-stimulation was stopped and animals were followed-up for a consecutive period. Cardiac function and geometry was determined echocardiographically and the hearts were excised for molecular and immunohistochemical analyses. Echocardiographic studies revealed that four weeks of RAS-stimulation incited a cardiac remodeling process characterized by increased left ventricular (LV) wall thickness, decreased LV volumes, and shortening of the left ventricle. Hypertrophic genes were highly upregulated, whereas in substantial activation a fibrotic response was absent. Four weeks after withdrawal of I3C, (pro)renin levels were normalized in all IHR. While in adult IHR BP returned to normal, hypertension was sustained in young IHR. Despite the latter, myocardial hypertrophy was fully regressed in both young and adult IHR. We conclude that (pro)renin-induced severe hypertension in IHR causes an age-independent fully reversible myocardial concentric hypertrophic remodeling, despite a continued elevated BP in young IHR.
Consumer behaviour analysis and ascription of intentionality to the explanation of consumer choice
Authors: Sigurdsson Valdimar
Published: March 2013

This paper is a commentary on “Intentionality, symbol and situation in the interpretation of consumer choice” by Professor Gordon Foxall. Foxall has led a fruitful research discipline of consumer behaviour analysis that has delineated the uses of extensional environmental contingencies and intentional ascriptions for consumer description, prediction and control. One important exploration in this direction has been to detect the limits of mainstream behaviour analysis (or radical behaviourism) when it comes to complex behaviours that are under the influences of many endogenic contingencies in the market place. Dealing with this, Foxall has created intentional behaviourism described in his paper. Intentional behaviourism is a critical interpretative device that warns against naive extrapolation from the animal laboratory or closed settings and gives the researchers several conceptual layers in dealing with the complexities of consumer choice ranging from the extensional to the intentional.
‘The wild and wacky worlds of consumer oddballs’
Authors: Bode Matthias , Østergaard Per
Published: March 2013

The article starts with the assumption that the research community of consumer culture theory (CCT) is materially experienced and negotiated in its continuous rhetorical construction. Here, we use the concept of manifestos to analyze the fragile dialectics of a rhetorical and social praxis. In two manifestary moments in the historical development of CCT, we compare how manifestos materialize the transitions from individuals to the linked subjects by a shared relation to ‘the other’. The analysis shows how the ‘we’ of yesterday was written differently from how the ‘we’ of the present and the future requires to be articulated. This sense of ‘we-ness’ is then connected to the changes in the internal and external layers of the academic environment. We conclude that to ensure a sustainable, dynamic development of CCT that avoids disintegration as well as eroding subjugation and stasis, a balance between radical and pragmatic voices has to be established. This balance incorporates the idea that power and knowledge are dynamically intertwined. In this sense, ‘we-ness’ is not a utopian final state, but a permanent necessity for CCT that emerges out of struggles and engages in conflicts.
Dress, dementia and the embodiment of identity
Authors: Twigg Julia , Buse Christina E
Published: March 2013

The article explores the significance of dress in the embodied experience of dementia, exploring questions of identity, memory and relationship. It suggests that clothing and dress are important in the analysis of the day-to-day experiences of people with dementia, giving access to dimensions of selfhood often ignored in over-cognitive accounts of being. As a result clothing and dress can be significant to the provision of person-centred dementia care. These arguments are explored through ideas of embodied identity, the materialisation of memories, and the maintenance, or otherwise, of appearance in care. The article forms part of the background to an ESRC-funded empirical study exploring the role of clothing and dress in the everyday lives of people with dementia, living at home or in care homes, and of their relatives.
Electroencephalographic Alpha Reactivity on Opening the Eyes in Children With Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
Authors: Fonseca Lineu C. , Tedrus Gloria M. A. S. , Bianchini Marilia C. , Silva Talita F.
Published: March 2013

The quantification of differences in alpha electroencephalograph (EEG) activity between the eyes-closed and eyes-open resting conditions could be used as a measure of resting state arousal. The objective of this study was to evaluate the contribution of EEG alpha reactivity on opening the eyes, to the neurophysiology of children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Thirty-eight children with ADHD were assessed using quantitative EEG (qEEG) analysis of absolute band power at rest, with eyes open and closed. Alpha reactivity index was calculated on opening the eyes, defined from the relationship between the absolute powers in the respective bands in the periods with the eyes open and closed. EEG data of 38 sex- and age-matched controls, with no neurological or psychiatric problems, were collected for comparison. There was a significant reduction in absolute alpha power at all electrodes for both ADHD and control groups with eyes open, indicating an increase in the arousal level. However, the alpha reactivity index was greater, corresponding to less reactivity, in the frontal regions of the children with ADHD (P < .01). Such a finding suggests alterations in arousal mechanisms in ADHD. This research suggests that alpha reactivity on opening the eyes, allied with other variables from the qEEG, may improve diagnostic accuracy in ADHD.
Enhanced Phase and Amplitude Synchronization Toward Focal Seizure Offset
Authors: Prasad Pradeep D. , Datta S. Vishaka , Majumdar Kaushik
Published: March 2013

Recent studies involving individual neurons in the seizure focal and surrounding areas have established heterogeneous firing patterns in single cells. However, the patterns become more homogeneous approaching the seizure offset. In this article, we show that similar observations are possible from intracranial recording if the right quantitative or engineering techniques are used. We have observed an increase in Hilbert transformation–based phase synchronization in the focal electrocorticoencehalogram (ECoG) in the gamma band (30-40 Hz) towards the end of the majority of focal epileptic seizures. An amplitude correlation measure shows an enhanced principal component (and hence enhanced correlation among the channels involved) approaching the offset of the large majority of seizures. Surprisingly, there are seizures which show the enhanced phase synchronization approaching offset but no enhanced amplitude correlation during the same period and vice versa. This study shows that suitable computational tools can sometimes compensate for more expensive and technologically demanding data acquisition systems. A possible neurophysiological explanation behind the observed phenomenon is also presented.
Local Exposure of Brain Central Areas to a Pulsed ELF Magnetic Field for a Purposeful Change in EEG
Authors: Amirifalah Zeinab , Firoozabadi S. Mohammad P. , Shafiei S. Ali
Published: March 2013

This study examines the simultaneous exposure of 2 brain areas in the location of central electrodes (C3 and C4) to a weak and pulsed extremely low-frequency magnetic field (ELF-MF) on the electroencephalogram (EEG). The intent is to change the EEG for a therapeutic application, such as neurofeedback, by inducing the “resonance effect.” A total of 10 healthy women received 9 minutes of ELF-MF (intensity 200 μT) and sham in a counterbalanced design. ELF-MF exposure frequencies were 10, 14, and 18 Hz. The paired t test revealed that local pulsed ELF-MF significantly decreases beta (15-25 Hz), sensorimotor rhythm (13-15 Hz), and theta (4-8 Hz) powers at a frequency of 10 Hz in C3 and C4 regions (12.0%-26.6%) after exposure, in comparison with that achieved during the exposure ( P < .05). Variations during the exposure were transient and different from those after. The resonance effect was observed nowhere around the regions. The study suggests that this technique may be applied in the treatment of anxiety; however, further investigation is needed.
Using Concept Mapping in Community-Based Participatory Research
Authors: Windsor Liliane Cambraia
Published: March 2013

Community-based participatory research (CBPR) has been identified as a useful approach to increasing community involvement in research. Developing rigorous methods in conducting CBPR is an important step in gaining more support for this approach. The current article argues that concept mapping, a structured mixed methods approach, is useful in the initial development of a rigorous CBPR program of research aiming to develop culturally tailored and community-based health interventions for vulnerable populations. A research project examining social dynamics and consequences of alcohol and substance use in Newark, New Jersey, is described to illustrate the use of concept mapping methodology in CBPR. A total of 75 individuals participated in the study.
Health work by older people with chronic illness: how much time does it take?
Authors: Yen Laurann , McRae Ian S , Jowsey Tanisha , Gillespie James , Dugdale Paul , Banfield Michelle , Matthews Paul , Kljakovic Marjan
Published: March 2013

Purpose:

People living with chronic illness report spending a lot of time managing their health, attempting to balance the demands of their illness/es with other activities. This study was designed to measure the time older people with chronic illness spend on specific health-related activities.

Key methods:

Data were collected in 2010 using a national survey of people aged 50 years and over selected from the membership of National Seniors Australia, the Diabetes Services Scheme and The Lung Foundation. Respondents provided recall data on time used for personal health care, non-clinical health activity; and health service interactions.

Main results:

While most people with a chronic illness spend on average less than 30 minutes a day on health-related activities, the highest decile of respondents averaged at least 2 hours each day. People with COPD report the highest expenditure of time. The greatest amount of time was spent on daily personal health care activities.

Main conclusion:

For a minority of people with chronic illness, time demands for health-related activities can be so great that other activities must be affected. Some time demands are amenable to system interventions that would result in a more patient-centered organisation of care.
Relative importance of individual and social factors in improving adolescent health
Authors: Hargreaves Dougal S , McVey Dominic , Nairn Agnes , Viner Russell M
Published: March 2013

Aims:

In 2010, the English Department of Health launched a radical new public health strategy, which sees individual factors, such as self-esteem, as the key to improving all aspects of young people’s health. This article compares the strength of association between key adolescent health outcomes and a range of individual and social factors

Methods:

All participants aged 12–15 in the nationally representative 2008 Healthy Foundations survey were included. Six individual factors related to self-esteem, confidence and personal responsibility, and seven social factors related to family, peers, school and local area were investigated. Single-factor and multivariable logistic regression models were used to calculate the association between these factors and seven health outcomes (self-reported general health, physical activity, healthy eating, weight, smoking, alcohol intake, illicit drug use). Odds ratios were adjusted for gender, age and deprivation.

Results:

Individual factors such as self-esteem were associated with general health, physical activity and healthy eating. However, the influence of family, peers, school and local community appear to be equally important for these outcomes and more important for smoking, drug use and healthy weight.

Conclusion:

Self-esteem interventions alone are unlikely to be successful in improving adolescent health, particularly in tackling obesity and reducing substance misuse.
Local Morphological Response of the Distal Femoral Articular–Epiphyseal Cartilage Complex of Young Foals to Surgical Stab Incision and Potential Relevance to Cartilage Injury and Repair in Children
Authors: Olstad Kristin , Hendrickson Eli H.S. , Ekman Stina , Carlson Cathy S. , Dolvik Nils I.
Published: March 2013

Objective:

Describe the local morphological response of the articular–epiphyseal cartilage complex to surgical stab incision in the distal femur of foals, with emphasis on the relationship between growth cartilage injury, enchondral ossification, and repair.

Design:

Nine foals were induced into general anesthesia at the age of 13 to 15 days. Four full-thickness stab incision defects were created in the cartilage on the lateral aspect of the lateral trochlear ridge of the left distal femur. Follow-up examination was carried out from 1 to 49 days postoperatively, including examination of intact bones, sawed slabs, and histological sections.

Results:

Incision defects filled with cells displaying fibroblast-, chondrocyte-, and osteoblast-like characteristics, potentially validating the rationale behind the drilling of stable juvenile osteochondritis dissecans lesions in children. Incisions induced necrosis within the cartilage on the margins at all depths of the defects. Sharp dissection may therefore be contraindicated in cartilage repair in young individuals. Incisions caused a focal delay in enchondral ossification in 2 foals, apparently related to the orientation of the incision defect relative to the direction of ossification. Defects became progressively surrounded by subchondral bone, in which granulation tissue containing clasts and foci of osteoblast-like cells was observed. Continued enchondral ossification was therefore likely to result in healing of uncomplicated defects to morphologically normal bone.

Conclusions:

Epiphyseal growth cartilage injury had the potential to exert a negative effect on enchondral ossification. Enchondral ossification exerted a beneficial effect on repair. This relationship warrants consideration in future studies of cartilage injury and repair within the articular–epiphyseal cartilage complex of all species.
Managing the Threat of Impending Implicit Attitude Feedback
Authors: Howell Jennifer L. , Collisson Brian , Crysel Laura , Garrido Carlos O. , Newell Steve M. , Cottrell Catherine A. , Smith Colin Tucker , Shepperd James A.
Published: March 2013

People facing potentially threatening feedback sometimes opt to avoid it in an attempt to preserve a cherished self-view. In three studies, we examined whether people would adopt such a strategy in the context of the Black–White Implicit Association Test (IAT), which has the potential to reveal implicit prejudice. Study 1 demonstrated that people expect their IAT results to indicate less implicit prejudice than the results actually do, and perceive feedback from the Black–White IAT as potentially threatening. In addition, people who would rather avoid learning their results regretted receiving their feedback. In Studies 2 and 3, more participants declined to learn their IAT results when cued to expect unfavorable, rather than favorable, IAT results. Importantly, participants who received no expectation cue generally opted to receive their IAT feedback, suggesting that participants likely expect favorable IAT feedback.
The Power of Shared Experience
Authors: Shteynberg Garriy , Apfelbaum Evan P.
Published: March 2013

Across disciplines, social learning research has been unified by the principle that people learn new behaviors to the extent that they identify with the actor modeling them. We propose that this conceptualization may overlook the power of the interpersonal situation in which the modeled behavior is observed. Specifically, we predict that contexts characterized by shared in-group attention are particularly conducive to social learning. In two studies, participants were shown the same written exchange in either paragraph or chat form across multiple interpersonal contexts. We gauged social learning based on participants’ tendency to imitate the form of the written exchange to which they were exposed. Across both studies, results reveal that imitation is especially likely among individuals placed in the specific context of simultaneous observation with a similar other. These findings suggest that shared in-group attention is uniquely adaptive for social learning.
The Emerging Field of Human Social Genomics
Authors: Slavich George M. , Cole Steven W.
Published: March 2013

Although we generally experience our bodies as being biologically stable across time and situations, an emerging field of research is demonstrating that external social conditions, especially our subjective perceptions of those conditions, can influence our most basic internal biological processes—namely, the expression of our genes. This research on human social genomics has begun to identify the types of genes that are subject to social-environmental regulation, the neural and molecular mechanisms that mediate the effects of social processes on gene expression, and the genetic polymorphisms that moderate individual differences in genomic sensitivity to social context. The molecular models resulting from this research provide new opportunities for understanding how social and genetic factors interact to shape complex behavioral phenotypes and susceptibility to disease. This research also sheds new light on the evolution of the human genome and challenges the fundamental belief that our molecular makeup is relatively stable and impermeable to social-environmental influence.
Extent of Internet-based Technology Use in New Product Development Projects in Canada and the United States
Authors: de Grosbois Danuta , Kumar Uma , Kumar Vinod
Published: March 2013

Internet-based technologies (IBT) have become very popular tools in new product development. However, there is lack of research on how extensively different technologies are used and what they are used for. The objective of this study is to investigate the current state of adoption of Internet-based technologies by Canadian and American manufacturing companies and also to investigate the differences in their applications and use in projects with different levels of product innovativeness, team proximity, and suppliers’ involvement in the team. The research uses data collected from 278 NPD projects conducted by Canadian and American manufacturing companies.
Females’ Off-the-Job Search Methods in Egypt: Formal versus Informal Search Methods
Authors: Abdel-Mowla Somaya Ahmed Aly
Published: March 2013

This study aims to evaluate females’ off-the-job search strategies in the Egyptian labor market. The study analyzes differences between males’ and females’ search strategies and examines determinants of unemployed females’ choice of search methods. The study responds to the gap in the empirical literature with respect to the in-depth study of job search methods in Egypt. Females were hit more than males when the public employment guarantee came to an end as they were dependent for decades on this policy. This resulted in an increase in female unemployment and decline in female labor force participation which negatively affects females’ economic participation and opportunity. The study uses data from the Egypt Labor Market Survey of 2006. A comparative descriptive approach is used to analyze differences between males’ and females’ search methods. Determinants of females’ search strategies are examined with logistic regression analysis. It is found that informal search methods are the most important methods for both males and females. The second most important method is registering at a public employment office, which is more important for females than for males. Formal search methods other than registering at public employment offices depend on contacting employers directly. Nongovernmental labor market intermediaries still play a limited role. Transforming to a market-oriented economy has not been accompanied with the necessary transformation in labor market institutions. Females’ search strategies are less diversified than males’ strategies, especially when registering at public employment offices are excluded from search methods. Around one-tenth of unemployed females depend only on public employment offices. There is a need to strengthen the role of private formal labor market intermediaries. Examining determinants of job search strategies shows that personal characteristics, household characteristics, and labor market conditions have significant effects on females’ search strategies. Job search strategies of more educated females and females living in regions where unemployment is high, are more diversified. There is no significant effect of wealth on using informal methods for all groups—whether poor or rich have their own social networks.
Use of Influence Tactics by Children in India
Authors: Chaudhary Monica , Gupta Aayushi
Published: March 2013

Children constitute a major consumer market; they have very strong power to influence purchase decisions, and they have been playing an important role in the family buying process with direct influence on purchasing power of snacks and sweets, and indirect influence while shopping for big-ticket items. Children are becoming stronger and they use different strategies to persuade their parents. This article attempts to highlight the different strategies which children use today to influence their parents. Demographic characteristics of a child such as age, gender, and number of siblings have an important role in the usage of different influence tactics by children. The study is conducted through primary survey (questionnaire) on 175 children in the age group of 8–12 years. Collected data are analyzed based on frequency distributions. The collected data are summarized and coded by using Statistical Package for Social Scientists 16.0 (SPSS) and Microsoft Excel. The general findings of the study suggest that demographics play an important role only in a few influence strategies like emotional and persuasion. Marketers should understand this and make an effort in tapping the right chord to make their product more buyable by families.
Best proximity points for generalized proximal C-contraction mappings in metric spaces with partial orders
Authors: Mongkolkeha Chirasak , Cho Yeol Je , Kumam Poom
Published: March 2013

In this paper we extend the notion of weaklyC-contraction mappings to the case of non-self mappings and establish the best proximity point theorems for this class. Our results generalize the result due to Harjaniet al.(Comput. Math. Appl. 61:790-796, 2011) and some other authors.
Forelimb preferences in quadrupedal marsupials and their implications for laterality evolution in mammals
Authors: Giljov Andrey , Karenina Karina , Malashichev Yegor
Published: March 2013

Background

Acquisition of upright posture in evolution has been argued to facilitate manual laterality in primates. Owing to the high variety of postural habits marsupials can serve as a suitable model to test whether the species-typical body posture shapes forelimb preferences in non-primates or this phenomenon emerged only in the course of primate evolution. In the present study we aimed to explore manual laterality in marsupial quadrupeds and compare them with the results in the previously studied bipedal species. Forelimb preferences were assessed in captive grey short-tailed opossum (Monodelphis domestica) and sugar glider (Petaurus breviceps) in four different types of unimanual behaviour per species, which was not artificially evoked. We examined the possible effects of sex, age and task, because these factors have been reported to affect motor laterality in placental mammals.

Results

In both species the direction of forelimb preferences was strongly sex-related. Male grey short-tailed opossums showed right-forelimb preference in most of the observed unimanual behaviours, while male sugar gliders displayed only a slight, not significant rightward tendency. In contrast, females in both species exhibited consistent group-level preference of the left forelimb. We failed to reveal significant differences in manual preferences between tasks of potentially differing complexity: reaching a stable food item and catching live insects, as well as between the body support and food manipulation. No influence of subjects’ age on limb preferences was found.

Conclusions

The direction of sex-related differences in the manual preferences found in quadrupedal marsupials seems to be not typical for placental mammals. We suggest that the alternative way of interhemispheric connection in absence of corpus callosum may result in a fundamentally distinct mechanism of sex effect on limb preferences in marsupials compared to placentals. Our data confirm the idea that non-primate mammals differ from primates in sensitivity to task complexity. Comparison of marsupial species studied to date indicate that the vertical body orientation and the bipedalism favor the expression of individual– and population–level forelimb preferences in marsupials much like it does in primates. Our findings give the first evidence for the effect of species-typical posture on the manual laterality in non-primate mammals.
Differential cellular recognition pattern to M. tuberculosis targets defined by IFN-γ and IL-17 production in blood from TB + patients from Honduras as compared to health care workers: TB and immune responses in patients from Honduras
Authors: Alvarez-Corrales Nancy , Ahmed Raija K , Rodriguez Carol A , Balaji Kithiganahalli N , Rivera Rebeca , Sompallae Ramakrishna , Vudattu Nalini K , Hoffner Sven E , Zumla Alimuddin , Pineda-Garcia Lelany , Maeurer Markus
Published: March 2013

Background

A better understanding of the quality of cellular immune responses directed against molecularly defined targets will guide the development of TB diagnostics and identification of molecularly defined, clinically relevant M.tb vaccine candidates.

Methods

Recombinant proteins (n = 8) and peptide pools (n = 14) from M. tuberculosis (M.tb) targets were used to compare cellular immune responses defined by IFN-γ and IL-17 production using a Whole Blood Assay (WBA) in a cohort of 148 individuals, i.e. patients with TB + (n = 38), TB- individuals with other pulmonary diseases (n = 81) and individuals exposed to TB without evidence of clinical TB (health care workers, n = 29).

Results

M.tb antigens Rv2958c (glycosyltransferase), Rv2962c (mycolyltransferase), Rv1886c (Ag85B), Rv3804c (Ag85A), and the PPE family member Rv3347c were frequently recognized, defined by IFN-γ production, in blood from healthy individuals exposed to M.tb (health care workers). A different recognition pattern was found for IL-17 production in blood from M.tb exposed individuals responding to TB10.4 (Rv0288), Ag85B (Rv1886c) and the PPE family members Rv0978c and Rv1917c.

Conclusions

The pattern of immune target recognition is different in regard to IFN-γ and IL-17 production to defined molecular M.tb targets in PBMCs from individuals frequently exposed to M.tb. The data represent the first mapping of cellular immune responses against M.tb targets in TB patients from Honduras.
A blind area of family planning services in China: unintended pregnancy among unmarried graduate students
Authors: Zhou Yuanzhong , Xiong Chengliang , Xiong Jinwen , Shang Xuejun , Liu Guohui , Zhang Meimei , Yin Pin
Published: March 2013

Background

Status of premarital sex, unintended pregnancy and associated factors among Chinese graduate students remain unclear. And unmarried graduate students’ needs of family planning services seem to be ignored. In the present study, we ascertained the prevalence rate of premarital sex and unintended pregnancy, as well as estimated the possible factors associated with unintended pregnancy among unmarried Chinese graduate students, and evaluated their reproductive health needs.

Methods

We obtained the representative sample of graduate students using a multistage, stratified, cluster design, and collected data using a questionnaire.

Results

We obtained 11936 responders. Premarital sexual intercourse was acknowledged by 24.2% of responders; unintended pregnancy was acknowledged by 4.8% of responders (19.8% of students active in premarital sex); and abortion was acknowledged by 4.6% of responders (96.7% of pregnant students). In multivariate analysis, the identified risk factors for unintended pregnancy among both genders that were active in premarital sex were: (1) having no steady lover [for males: odds ratio (OR), 1.96, 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.41-2.70; for females: OR, 2.65; 95%CI, 1.56-4.84]; (2) younger age at the first sexual intercourse (for males: OR, 1.62, 95% CI, 1.22-2.15; for females: OR, 2.57; 95% CI, 1.64-4.02); (3) lack of condom use at the first sex (for males: OR, 1.13, 95% CI, 1.09-1.37; for females: OR, 2.81; 95% CI, 1.81-4.39); (4) unaware of the conditions of conception (for males: OR, 1.69, 95% CI, 1.31-2.19; for females: OR, 1.75; 95% CI, 1.16-2.65); and (5) unaware that abortion endangers women's future pregnancy (for males: OR, 2.98, 95% CI, 2.15-4.14; for females: OR, 2.34; 95% CI, 1.23-4.46). Medical graduates were not less likely to have unintended pregnancy than nonmedical graduates for both genders.

Conclusions

The avoidable risk of being unintended pregnancy among graduate students in China indicates that an urgent need to take action on how to delay the age of first sex, promote condom use at first sex, and acquire accurate contraceptive information, as well as improve skills to use reliable contraception among graduate students.
Factors influencing health care utilisation among Aboriginal cardiac patients in central Australia: a qualitative study
Authors: Artuso Stella , Cargo Margaret , Brown Alex , Daniel Mark
Published: March 2013

Background

Aboriginal Australians suffer from poorer overall health compared to the general Australian population, particularly in terms of cardiovascular disease and prognosis following a cardiac event. Despite such disparities, Aboriginal Australians utilise health care services at much lower rates than the general population. Improving health care utilisation (HCU) among Aboriginal cardiac patients requires a better understanding of the factors that constrain or facilitate use. The study aimed to identify ecological factors influencing health care utilisation (HCU) for Aboriginal cardiac patients, from the time of their cardiac event to 6–12 months post-event, in central Australia.

Methods

This qualitative descriptive study was guided by an ecological framework. A culturally-sensitive illness narrative focusing on Aboriginal cardiac patients’ “typical” journey guided focus groups and semi-structured interviews with Aboriginal cardiac patients, non-cardiac community members, health care providers and community researchers. Analysis utilised a thematic conceptual matrix and mixed coding method. Themes were categorised into Predisposing, Enabling, Need and Reinforcing factors and identified at Individual, Interpersonal, Primary Care and Hospital System levels.

Results

Compelling barriers to HCU identified at the Primary Care and Hospital System levels included communication, organisation and racism. Individual level factors related to HCU included language, knowledge of illness, perceived need and past experiences. Given these individual and health system barriers patients were reliant on utilising alternate family-level supports at the Interpersonal level to enable their journey.

Conclusion

Aboriginal cardiac patients face significant barriers to HCU, resulting in sub-optimal quality of care, placing them at risk for subsequent cardiovascular events and negative health outcomes. To facilitate HCU amongst Aboriginal people, strategies must be implemented to improve communication on all levels and reduce systemic barriers operating within the health system.
Prognostic value of endotoxin activity assay in patients with severe sepsis after cardiac surgery
Authors: Yaroustovsky Michail , Plyushch Marina , Popov Dmitry , Samsonova Natalia , Abramyan Marina , Popok Zakhar , Krotenko Nickolay
Published: March 2013

Background

To evaluate the prognostic value of endotoxin activity assay (EAA) in adult patients with suspected or proven severe sepsis after cardiac surgery

Methods

Blood samples taken from 81 patients immediately after the diagnosis of severe sepsis were tested with the EAA. Patients were divided into 3 groups: low (<0.4, n = 20), moderate (0.4-0.59, n = 35) and high (≥0.6, n = 26) EAA levels.

Results

Gram-negative bacteraemia was found in 19/55 (35%) of cases with ЕАА <0.6 and in 11/26 (42%) of cases with higher ЕАА, p = 0.67. Mortality at 28 days in Groups 1, 2 and 3 was 20%, 43% and 54%, respectively. Patients with an EAA higher than 0.65 had a higher 28-day mortality than those with lower EAA values (18/26 – 69% vs. 19/55 – 34.5%; p = 0.0072). ROC analysis for the prediction of 28-day mortality revealed an AUC for APACHE II scores, EAA and PCT of 0.81, 0.73 and 0.66, respectively.

Conclusions

EАА might be useful for recognising patients who have an increased risk of mortality due to severe sepsis.
‘On the same level’: facilitators’ experiences running a drug user-led safer injecting education campaign
Authors: Callon Cody , Charles Grant , Alexander Rick , Small Will , Kerr Thomas
Published: March 2013

Background

Unsafe injection practices play a major role in elevated rates of morbidity and mortality among people who inject drugs (IDU). There is growing interest in the direct involvement of IDU in interventions that seek to address unsafe injecting. This study describes a drug user-led safer injecting education campaign, and explores facilitators’ experiences delivering educational workshops.

Methods

We conducted semi-structured qualitative interviews with 8 members of the Injection Support (IS) Team who developed and facilitated a series of safer injecting education workshops. Interviews explored facilitator’s perceptions of the workshops, experiences being a facilitator, and perspectives on the educational campaign. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and a thematic analysis was conducted.

Results

IS Team facilitators described how the workshop’s structure and content enabled effective communication of information about safer injecting practices, while targeting the unsafe practices of workshop participants. Facilitators’ identity as IDU enhanced their ability to relate to workshop participants and communicate educational messages in language accessible to workshop participants. Facilitators reported gaining knowledge and skills from their involvement in the campaign, as well as positive feelings about themselves from the realization that they were helping people to protect their health. Overall, facilitators felt that this campaign provided IDU with valuable information, although facilitators also critiqued the campaign and suggested improvements for future efforts.

Conclusions

This study demonstrates the feasibility of involving IDU in educational initiatives targeting unsafe injecting. Findings illustrate how IDU involvement in prevention activities improves relevance and cultural appropriateness of interventions while providing individual, social, and professional benefits to those IDU delivering education.
Clinicopathological characteristics and prognostic analysis of Lauren classification in gastric adenocarcinoma in China
Authors: Qiu Miao-zhen , Cai Mu-yan , Zhang Dong-sheng , Wang Zhi-qiang , Wang De-shen , Li Yu-hong , Xu Rui-hua
Published: March 2013

Background

According to the Lauren classification, gastric adenocarcinomas are divided into diffuse and intestinal types. The causative attribution explaining the dismal prognosis of diffuse-type remains unknown.

Methods

We examined the archive of 1000 patients with gastric adenocarcinomas who received radical gastrectomy in our center and assessed the effect of the Lauren classification on survival in a multivariate approach. Moreover we compared the variation of clinical features between the diffuse-type and intestinal-type and explored the contributing factors for the prognostic difference.

Results

There were 805 resectable patients for the final analysis. Diffuse-type comprised of 48.7% in the gastric carcinoma in our group and showed poorer prognosis than intestinal-type (P=0.013). Multivariate analysis revealed that independent prognostic factors for gastric carcinoma patients were T stage (P<0.001), N stage (P<0.001) tumor size (P<0.001) and Lauren classification (P=0.003). For the clinical features, diffuse-type was significantly associated with younger age (p<0.001), female preponderance (p <0.001), distal location (P<0.001), advanced pT (p < 0.001), advanced pN (p < 0.001) and advanced TNM stage (p = 0.027).

Conclusions

Diffuse type adenocarcinoma carries a worse prognosis that may be partially explained by the tendency of this subtype to present at more advanced T and N stage. However, Lauren classification has prognostic significance that is independent of T and N stage as well as other prognostic variables based on the multivariate cox analysis.
Differentiation of local tumor recurrence from radiation-induced changes after stereotactic radiosurgery for treatment of brain metastasis: case report and review of the literature
Authors: Kickingereder Philipp , Dorn Franziska , Blau Tobias , Schmidt Matthias , Kocher Martin , Galldiks Norbert , Ruge Maximilian I
Published: March 2013

Background

Structural follow-up magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) after stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) for brain metastases frequently displays local changes in the area of applied irradiation, which are often difficult to interpret (e.g., local tumor recurrence, radiation-induced changes). The use of stereotactic biopsy for histological assessment of these changes has a high diagnostic accuracy and can be considered as method of choice. In order to solve this relevant clinical problem non-invasively, advanced MRI techniques and amino acid positron-emission-tomography (PET) are increasingly used.

Case presentation

We report the long-term follow-up of a patient who had been treated with linear accelerator based SRS for cerebral metastases of a lung cancer. Fifty-eight months after SRS, the differentiation of local recurrent brain metastasis from radiation-induced changes using structural MRI was difficult. For further differentiation, perfusion-weighted MRI (PWI), proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), and 11C-methyl-L-methionine (MET) PET was performed. Due to artifacts and technical limitations, PWI MRI and MRS findings were not conclusive. In contrast, MET PET findings were suggestive for radiation-induced changes. Finally, a stereotactic biopsy for histological assessment of these changes demonstrated clearly a radiation-induced necrosis and the absence of vital tumor.

Conclusion

The use of stereotactic biopsy for histological assessment of indistinguishable lesions on structural MRI after SRS for treatment of brain metastasis represents a highly reliable method to differentiate local tumor recurrence from radiation-induced changes. In this field, results of studies with both advanced MRI techniques and amino acid PET suggest encouraging results. However, artifacts and technical limitations (e.g., lesion size) are still a problem and comparative studies are needed to investigate the relationship, diagnostic performance, and complementary character of advanced MRI techniques and amino acid PET.