bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Global Influence of American Nursing: some ethical issues
Authors: Davis Anne J
Published: November 2006

This article raises some questions about the global influence of nursing in the USA and describes some problems that may come about because of it. Selected American values that are embedded in nursing and ethics are found in American nursing education, practice and research. These can then be exported to countries with very different cultural definitions and values. One such country is Japan. The discrepancy between national cultural norms and imported ideals of nursing practices can create ethical problems for nurses in these countries.
When the Home Becomes a Prison: living with a severely disabled child
Authors: Brinchmann Berit Støre
Published: November 2006

The aim of this study was to generate knowledge about how parents who have been part of an ethical decision-making process concerning a son or daughter in a neonatal unit experience life with a severely disabled child. A descriptive study design was chosen using 30 hours of field observations and seven in-depth interviews, carried out over a period of five months with parents who had been faced with ethical decisions concerning their own children in a neonatal unit. Strauss and Glaser’s constant comparative method was used for the analysis. The findings seem to indicate that these parents have an extremely tough life. Their relationships with their children are somewhat ambivalent. The children are very dependent on their parents, who in some ways both love and hate them. Too little rest and sleep and feeding the children are the most serious problems. The parents require respite facilities. The home can seem like a prison, from which it is impossible to escape. It is like having a baby who never grows up.
Getting it Right: the teaching of philosophical health care ethics
Authors: Webb John , Warwick Catherine
Published: November 2006

This article seeks to show one way in which moral philosophy, considered by the authors to be essential to the nursing and midwifery curricula, can be presented to achieve an optimal learning experience for nurses and midwives. It demonstrates that what might be considered a standard approach, that is, one that begins with ethical principles concerned with rights and duties and then often follows a linear pattern of teaching, may be in danger of promoting a focus on standardized outcomes. Such use of philosophy could therefore actually detract from the process of care. Moral philosophy underpinning health care ethics is commonly misperceived as a method of problem solving when there is an obvious dilemma regarding appropriate care and/or treatment. However, it is readily recognized that key principles within philosophy, for example, deontology and utilitarianism, despite their approach to a standard or criterion of right action, are both deficient in terms of providing ready-made right decisions. This is because their main virtue is to expose the difficulty rather than to solve the problem. Given these difficulties, any subsequent principles such as respect, beneficence, nonmaleficence and justice, incur the same deficiencies a fortiori.

It can be argued that the complexity of the environment in which nurses and midwives now practice requires them to develop a capability that begins with the philosophical construction of an issue. This can subsequently enable a recognition of the essential nature of their own involvement as a nurse or midwife. By so doing, nurses and midwives can then bring issues into a nursing or midwifery paradigm and ensure that this perspective informs debate. Ultimately the focus is on the process by which care decisions are made. The intent therefore, is not simply for nurses or midwives to learn moral philosophy or to copy what is considered by others to be right action, but to recognize that a number of right actions are possible and, in so doing, develop their ability either to choose or influence a final action through a valid process.

This article proposes and demonstrates by case example that what is often considered as a chance effect for nurses and midwives learning moral philosophy should be seen as the main effect and intended outcome.
Care as A Moral Attitude in Nursing
Authors: Gastmans Chris
Published: November 2006

The concept of care can be explained in various ways, and it can present a different meaning to each person. Nurses are increasingly aware that good nursing care consists of ‘more’ than the competent performance of a number of caring activities. For many nurses it is less clear what this ‘more’ means and what importance it has in nursing. This article will develop a view concerning care considered as a moral attitude. It is argued that care can be considered as a foundational normative concept in the ethics of the nursing profession. The aim is to clarify that nurses do not derive their specific caring identity just from the set of tasks that they perform but also from the way in which they commit themselves to the caring process.
Unravelling The Dilemmas Within Everyday Nursing Practice
Authors: Johns Christopher
Published: November 2006

Each day, nurse practitioners are faced with clinical situations and dilemmas that have no obvious right answers. This article sets out the process of ethical mapping as a reflective device to enable practitioners to reflect on dilemmas of practice in order to learn through the experience and inform future practice. Ethical mapping is illustrated around a single experience that an intensive care practitioner shared in an ongoing guided reflection relationship. Within this process the practitioner draws on ethical principles to inform the particular situation, notably autonomy, doing harm, truth telling and advocacy. Through reflection, ethical principles are transcended and assimilated into knowing in practice, enabling the practitioner to become more ethically sensitive in responding to future situations.
Shared Teaching in Health Care Ethics: A Report on the Beginning of an Idea
Authors: Edward Cecilia , Preece Paul E
Published: November 2006

In the majority of academic institutions nursing and medical students receive a traditional education, the content of which tends to be specific to their future roles as health care professionals. In essence, each curriculum design is independent of each course. Over the last decade, however, interest has been accumulating in relation to interprofessional and multiprofessional learning at student level.

With the view that learning together during their student training would not only encourage and strengthen future collaboration in practice settings but also enhance patient care, the University of Dundee decided to run a pilot study to explore shared teaching in ethics between medical and nursing students.

This article presents a report on the reasons for selecting health care ethics as a precursor for shared teaching, the educational tool used for the sessions, and the results of student and facilitator evaluation of the short course. Overall, despite problems such as poor attendance by some students, and facilitation and timetable difficulties, most of the feedback from students and facilitators has been positive. In essence the ‘idea’ has gone from strength to strength and there are now three levels of shared teaching in ethics between nursing and medical students, with plans to include further sessions with students from other disciplines.

Within the text, ‘health care ethics’ will be referred to as ‘ethics’; nursing students/nurses encompasses midwifery students/midwives.
Informal Coercion in the Physical Care of Patients Suffering from Senile Dementia or Mental Retardation
Authors: Tännsjö Torbjörn
Published: November 2006

This article discusses under what circumstances patients who are suffering from senile dementia or mental retardation should be submitted to coercive care, who should decide about this kind of coercion, and in what legal framework it should take place. A distinction is drawn between modest (i.e. of moderate degree) and meddlesome coercion. The use of modest coercion is defended. It is argued that medical personnel ought to decide exclusively about the use of modest coercion. However, no law should render legitimate the use of even modest coercion. It is conceded that to prohibit the use of a kind of coercion that is expected to take place is hypocrisy. It is argued that this is, however, an acceptable form of hypocrisy.
Nursing Practice: compassionate deception and the Good Samaritan
Authors: Tuckett Anthony
Published: November 2006

This article reviews the literature on deception to illuminate the phenomenon as a background for an appraisal within nursing. It then describes nursing as a practice of caring. The character of the Good Samaritan is recommended as indicative of the virtue of compassion that ought to underpin caring in nursing practice. Finally, the article concludes that a caring nurse, responding virtuously, acts by being compassionate, for a time recognizing the prima facie nature of the rules or principles of truth telling.
Changing Values for Nursing and Health Promotion: exploring the policy context of professional ethics
Authors: Molloy Jane , Cribb Alan
Published: November 2006

In this article we illustrate, and argue for, the importance of researching the social context of health professionals’ ethical agendas and concerns. We draw upon qualitative interview data from 20 nurses working in two occupational health sites, and our discussion focuses mainly upon aspects of the shifting ‘ethical context’ for those nurses with a health promotion remit who are working in the British National Health Service. Within this discussion we also raise a number of potentially substantive issues, including the risks of colluding in ‘double standards’, and the tensions between the practitioner and managerial roles in nursing. Overall, we hope to pose questions about the best ways to understand the ethical agency and responsibilities of health professionals.
Creating Knowledge Networks
Authors: Kruss Glenda
Published: November 2006

This article focuses on a new organisational form that is emerging in the South African context—knowledge networks of higher education, industry and intermediary partners. The article focuses on seven case studies in two high-technology fields and their related industrial sectors—biotechnology, being relatively new, and new materials development, being relatively mature in South Africa. It shows the complex nature of the research partners at each node of a network, and of the structure and dynamics of the interaction that results. The study suggests that we need to open up the ideal enshrined in South African policy, of the desirability of research partnerships, to more informed analysis of the complexity of creating networks, in specific industrial sub-sectors, knowledge fields and institutional contexts. The major insight offered for developing countries like South Africa is the value of a contextualised analysis for informing cross-sectoral coordination of interventions within a national system of innovation.
Government, University and Industry Relations
Authors: Sardana Deepak , Krishna V.V.
Published: November 2006

The triple helix is considered an important concept because it not only advocates partnerships among government, industry and university/public research institutions, but it also claims (explicitly or implicitly) to provide strategy for innovation. The present study was undertaken in 2001 to understand the relevance of triple helix in the context of biotechnology in the National Capital Region of Delhi in India. The empirical research conducted through questionnaire and interviews was restricted to scientists from public sector research and academia. The analysis based on fieldwork data was also supported by secondary sources of information. The empirical findings reveal that bilateral linkages and partnerships—mostly between government and public sector research institutions, including universities—seem to be more relevant and meaningful than tripartite relationships. Even though scientists now do seem to be positively oriented to commercialisation of knowledge and accord high importance to it, they continue to assign equally high importance to publications compared to patenting. Our study reveals that scientists in universities and national research institutions lack adequate and effective institutional and organisational framework and mechanisms that foster commercialisation of knowledge. In conclusion, the study attempts to underscore some policy measures that will catalyse triple helix-based partnerships in context of biotechnology sector in India.
A Specification of the Types of Intimate Partner Violence Experienced by Women in the General Population
Authors: Miller JoAnn
Published: November 2006

This study analyzes data from a national, general population sample of respondents (National Violence Against Women Survey) to estimate the prevalence of the different forms of intimate partner violence (IPV) that women experience in the United States. The study's purpose, to differentiate types of IPV, follows the Johnson and Ferraro tradition that distinguishes occasional and random acts of abuse from chronic and controlling forms of violence. When examining the specific types of IPV that the survey respondents disclosed, the author finds that the distribution closely resembles Gordon's epidemiological findings. This study analyzed the variance in the number of types of IPV as a function of the childhood abuse the women experienced and their partner's controlling and threatening behaviors. It concludes with a discussion of the multiple responses to IPV that are necessary in contemporary U.S. society.
Black Women's Health
Authors: Waltermaurer Eve , Watson Carole-Ann , McNutt Louise-Anne
Published: November 2006

This study provides preliminary evidence of the relationship between perceived racial discrimination and intimate partner violence (IPV) and how these exposures interact to affect the mental and physical health of Black women. The exposures of lifetime perceived racial discrimination and IPV were found to be highly associated. Furthermore, women who reported both exposures showed a notably higher prevalence of anxiety and nonspecific physical health symptoms compared with women who reported either or neither exposure. To appropriately respond to the health needs of Black women, it is essential that women's many stressors be considered simultaneously.
“Anything With Two Heads Is a Monster”
Authors: Levitt Heidi M. , Ware Kimberly
Published: November 2006

Religious leaders from Jewish, Christian, and Islamic faiths were interviewed about their understanding of the intersection of intimate partner violence (IPV) and religion. The present article explores the leaders' understanding of how relationship dynamics relate to IPV, focusing particularly on concepts of equality and submission. On the whole, the leaders were concerned that religious prescriptions of disproportionate power, such as the teachings of male leadership and female submission, could be interpreted to support IPV practices. Tensions between leaders' desire to salvage marriages and to protect victims are explored.
Road Safety Fatalities, Management, and Policy in Finland, 1970-2003
Authors: Katko Tapio S.
Published: November 2006

In international comparison, Finland has one of the lowest rates of fatalities in road accidents per 100,000 people—8 in 2001. The rate of fatal accidents was the highest in 1972, close to 1,200, but by 2003, it had declined to 380 while the number of vehicles grew by 2.6 times during the same period. The article points out the major policy decisions and analyses of various political, economic, social, technological, environmental, and legislative factors affecting this development. Traffic safety in terms of fatalities has evolved very positively for the past 35 years based on the various policies, principles, and practices. Yet improving traffic safety will be relatively more difficult in the future because relatively simpler means have already been introduced.
Innovations in Road Finance
Authors: Sorensen Paul A. , Taylor Brian D.
Published: November 2006

This research examines the policy objectives, technical approaches, and political reactions associated with the current upsurge in electronic road pricing (ERP). The authors recently examined more than 90 implemented or proposed ERP projects around the globe, falling into four general categories: (a) facility congestion tolls, (b) cordon congestion tolls, (c) automated weight-distance truck tolls, and (d) distance-based user fees spanning entire road networks. Findings suggest that political and structural liabilities associated with traditional finance mechanisms—most notably motor fuel taxes—have motivated jurisdictions to explore alternatives such as local option sales taxes, public-private partnerships, and ERP. A compelling advantage of ERP is that it provides decision makers with what appears to be an effective tool for combating traffic congestion and automotive emissions. Meanwhile, many of the underlying technologies to support ERP have matured in recent years, enabling the rapid proliferation of experimentation and implementation in this arena.
A Contingent Valuation Study and Benefit-Cost Analysis of the Switch to Automated Collection of Solid Waste With Single Stream Recycling in Madison, Wisconsin
Authors: Jamelske Eric , Kipperberg Gorm
Published: November 2006

Many communities have switched to single stream recycling in the past several years. At the same time, there has also been an increase in the number of communities using an automated collection system, with these program changes often being implemented simultaneously. We conduct a double-bounded dichotomous choice contingent valuation survey to estimate consumer willingness to pay (WTP) for the combined switch to automated collection of solid waste with single stream recycling in Madison, Wisconsin. We find a mean WTP of approximately $3 per household per month, suggesting that on average, consumers perceive the new program to be beneficial. We then perform a benefit-cost analysis where the most conservative calculation yields an annual net benefit of almost $25 per household from moving to single stream recycling with automated collection.
Evaluation of a Family Support Service: Short-term Outcome
Authors: Vostanis Panos , Anderson Lisa , Window Suzanne
Published: November 2006

The aim of this study was to evaluate the short-term impact of two types of family support services (FSS) for children with behavioural problems ( N = 51 and 49 respectively). These were compared with children ( N = 40) matched for presenting problems and referred to specialist CAMHS in a locality without FSS. Pre and postintervention measures were the Health of the Nation Outcome Scales (HoNOSCA), the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), and a service utilization checklist. Although all three groups were associated with decrease of child behavioural scores, the two family support services provided an earlier response and resulted in significantly higher reduction of HoNOSCA and SDQ scores. The two FSS types implemented different ‘levels’ of interventions, as FSSB resulted in a more favourable short-term outcome and appeared to operate more closely to specialist services, while FSS-A appeared to adopt a more preventive role. Family support services have an important role within a comprehensive child mental health service, but the specificity of their interventions for different target client groups requires further investigation.
Thinking, Feeling and Moving: Drama and Movement Therapy as an Adjunct to a Multidisciplinary Rehabilitation Approach for Chronic Pain in Two Adolescent Girls
Authors: Christie Deborah , Hood Deborah , Griffin Angela
Published: November 2006

Chronic Pain without an identifiable organic basis represents a substantial element of referrals to both medical and mental health professionals. Chronic pain can compromise independence, school attendance, physical and social activities. The tendency to label ‘nonorganic’ pain as having a psychological origin is usually strongly resisted by parents and young people with treatment creating a significant challenge for health care professionals. Collaborative, multidisciplinary treatment programmes encourage families to find ways of getting on with their lives by taking a proactive approach to challenging pain. The family is invited to join with the team in the task of challenging the pain through the use of physiotherapy to increase strength, stamina and suppleness alongside a range of individual and group activities that can include relaxation training, hypnotherapy, systemic and cognitive-behavioural approaches. This article describes how drama and movement therapy was introduced as an additional component of the treatment programme of two adolescents who had been long-term inpatients on a medical adolescent ward. The experiences of adding a complementary therapy to the programme are described to illustrate a creative way of contributing to established treatment programmes through the use of sound, movement and gesture in order to provide a space to explore new ways of being and expanding abilities.
The Community Intensive Therapy Team: Development and Philosophy of a New Service
Authors: Darwish Ahmed , Salmon Gill , Ahuja Alka , Steed Liz
Published: November 2006

The Community Intensive Therapy Team (CITT) has been operating since 1998. It was developed to cater for the needs of patients with complex difficulties referred to a specialist Child and Adolescent Health Service (CAMHS) in South Wales, UK. The patients served by the CITT are comparable with patients who might be referred for admission to an inpatient unit and include patients with eating disorders, psychosis, affective disorders, adjustment disorders or repetitive self-harm. The theoretical model used is based on a biopsychosocial model which aims to empower and support family members. The philosophy of the CITT is to work with the child and family in their own environment, tailoring the therapy to the needs of all concerned. CITT makes use of the strengths within the patient, the family and extended family, the agencies already involved and the environment. Since its introduction, the CITT has been able to manage all the complex referrals made to it from the generic Tier 2/3 CAMHS teams it serves, with minimal recourse to inpatient beds.
Eating Attitudes and Behaviours in South African Adolescents and Young Adults
Authors: le Grange Daniel , Louw Johann , Russell Basil , Nel Tanya , Silkstone Christine
Published: November 2006

We examined the presence and severity of disordered eating attitudes and behaviours in a group of 895 South Africans. The Eating Attitude Test-26 (EAT-26), the Bulimic Investigatory Test, Edinburgh (BITE) and the Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale (RSE), were administered to high-school and college students (515 White, 126 Black, and 254 ‘Coloured’). There were few differences between these three groups on measures of eating disorder pathology and self-esteem. A small number of participants (3.5%) were identified as at ‘high risk’ for an eating disorder as shown by scores in the clinical range for both the EAT-26 and BITE. Weight, self-esteem and age were predictors for this subgroup. This study suggests that ethnicity per se may not ‘protect’ against the development of disordered eating attitudes and behaviours in nonwestern black populations. These findings remain tentative until future survey studies employ interviews to confirm eating disorder diagnosis.
Mental Distress, Economic Hardship and Expectations of Life in Canada among Sudanese Newcomers
Authors: Simich Laura , Hamilton Hayley , Baya B. Khamisa
Published: November 2006

As part of a settlement needs assessment of 220 recently arrived Sudanese refugees and immigrants in seven cities, we examined overall health status, indicators of mental distress, economic hardship and expectations of life in Canada. Data were collected in a community-based study using qualitative and quantitative techniques. Results indicate that those Sudanese for whom life in Canada was not what they expected and those who experienced economic hardship as measured by worry over having enough money for food or medicine experienced poorer overall health and reported a greater number of symptoms of psychological distress. After controlling for demographic and related variables, we found that individuals who were experiencing economic hardship were between 2.6 and 3.9 times as likely to experience loss of sleep, constant strain, unhappiness and depression, and bad memories as individuals who do not experience hardship. Healthcare providers should be aware of how postmigration social disadvantages may increase the risk of mental distress particularly among refugees.
Poor Self-reported Health and Sleeping Difficulties among Kurdish Immigrant Men in Sweden
Authors: Taloyan Marina , Johansson Leena Maria , Johansson Sven-Erik , Sundquist Jan , Koctürk Tahire O.
Published: November 2006

This study explores the association between ethnicity and poor self-reported health and psychological distress, sleeping difficulties, and use of psychotropic drugs among immigrant Kurdish men and native Swedish men, based on data from the first Swedish National Survey of Immigrants and the Swedish Level-of-Living Surveys collected in 1996 by Statistics Sweden. The age-adjusted odds of poor self-reported health and sleeping difficulties among Kurdish men was about 3.5 times higher than among Swedish men. The odds ratio decreased to 2.1 and 2.7 respectively in a model adjusted for age and the other explanatory variables. Yearning for the home country, perceived discrimination and unemployment in the host country seem to be possible explanations for the higher levels of distress among Kurdish immigrants to Sweden.
β common receptor inactivation attenuates myeloproliferative disease in Nf1 mutant mice
Authors: Kim Andrew , Morgan Kelly , Hasz Diane E. , Wiesner Stephen M. , Lauchle Jennifer O. , Geurts Jennifer L. , Diers Miechaleen D. , Le Doan T. , Kogan Scott C. , Parada Luis F. , Shannon Kevin , Largaespada David A.
Published: November 2006

Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) syndrome is caused by germline mutations in the NF1 tumor suppressor, which encodes neurofibromin, a GTPase activating protein for Ras. Children with NF1 are predisposed to juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia (JMML) and lethally irradiated mice given transplants with homozygous Nf1 mutant (Nf1−/−) hematopoietic stem cells develop a fatal myeloproliferative disorder (MPD) that models JMML. We investigated the requirement for signaling through the GM-CSF receptor to initiate and sustain this MPD by generating Nf1 mutant hematopoietic cells lacking the common β chain (Beta c) of the GM-CSF receptor. Mice reconstituted with Nf1−/−, beta c−/− stem cells did not develop evidence of MPD despite the presence of increased number of immature hematopoietic progenitors in the bone marrow. Interestingly, when the Mx1-Cre transgene was used to inactivate a conditional Nf1 mutant allele in hematopoietic cells, concomitant loss of beta c−/−reduced the severity of the MPD, but did not abrogate it. Whereas inhibiting GM-CSF signaling may be of therapeutic benefit in JMML, our data also demonstrate aberrant proliferation of Nf1−/−myeloid progenitors that is independent of signaling through the GM-CSF receptor.
SmTRC1, a novel Schistosoma mansoni DNA transposon, discloses new families of animal and fungi transposons belonging to the CACTA superfamily
Authors: DeMarco Ricardo , Venancio Thiago M , Verjovski-Almeida Sergio
Published: November 2006

Background

The CACTA (also called En/Spm) superfamily of DNA-only transposons contain the core sequence CACTA in their Terminal Inverted Repeats (TIRs) and so far have only been described in plants. Large transcriptome and genome sequence data have recently become publicly available for Schistosoma mansoni, a digenetic blood fluke that is a major causative agent of schistosomiasis in humans, and have provided a comprehensive repository for the discovery of novel genes and repetitive elements. Despite the extensive description of retroelements in S. mansoni, just a single DNA-only transposon belonging to the Merlin family has so far been reported in this organism.

Results

We describe a novel S. mansoni transposon named SmTRC1, for S. mansoni
T ransposon R elated to C ACTA 1, an element that shares several characteristics with plant CACTA transposons. Southern blotting indicates approximately 30–300 copies of SmTRC1 in the S. mansoni genome. Using genomic PCR followed by cloning and sequencing, we amplified and characterized a full-length and a truncated copy of this element. RT-PCR using S. mansoni mRNA followed by cloning and sequencing revealed several alternatively spliced transcripts of this transposon, resulting in distinct ORFs coding for different proteins. Interestingly, a survey of complete genomes from animals and fungi revealed several other novel TRC elements, indicating new families of DNA transposons belonging to the CACTA superfamily that have not previously been reported in these kingdoms. The first three bases in the S. mansoni TIR are CCC and they are identical to those in the TIRs of the insects Aedes aegypti and Tribolium castaneum, suggesting that animal TRCs may display a CCC core sequence.

Conclusion

The DNA-only transposable element SmTRC1 from S. mansoni exhibits various characteristics, such as generation of multiple alternatively-spliced transcripts, the presence of terminal inverted repeats at the extremities of the elements flanked by direct repeats and the presence of a Transposase_21 domain, that suggest a distant relationship to CACTA transposons from Magnoliophyta. Several sequences from other Metazoa and Fungi code for proteins similar to those encoded by SmTRC1, suggesting that such elements have a common ancestry, and indicating inheritance through vertical transmission before separation of the Eumetazoa, Fungi and Plants.
SAGE detects microRNA precursors
Authors: Ge Xijin , Wu Qingfa , Wang San Ming
Published: November 2006

Background

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been shown to play important roles in regulating gene expression. Since miRNAs are often evolutionarily conserved and their precursors can be folded into stem-loop hairpins, many miRNAs have been predicted. Yet experimental confirmation is difficult since miRNA expression is often specific to particular tissues and developmental stages.

Results

Analysis of 29 human and 230 mouse longSAGE libraries revealed the expression of 22 known and 10 predicted mammalian miRNAs. Most were detected in embryonic tissues. Four SAGE tags detected in human embryonic stem cells specifically match a cluster of four human miRNAs (mir-302a, b, c&d) known to be expressed in embryonic stem cells. LongSAGE data also suggest the existence of a mouse homolog of human and rat mir-493.

Conclusion

The observation that some orphan longSAGE tags uniquely match miRNA precursors provides information about the expression of some known and predicted miRNAs.
Defining the gene expression signature of rhabdomyosarcoma by meta-analysis
Authors: Romualdi Chiara , De Pittà Cristiano , Tombolan Lucia , Bortoluzzi Stefania , Sartori Francesca , Rosolen Angelo , Lanfranchi Gerolamo
Published: November 2006

Background

Rhabdomyosarcoma is a highly malignant soft tissue sarcoma in childhood and arises as a consequence of regulatory disruption of the growth and differentiation pathways of myogenic precursor cells. The pathogenic pathways involved in this tumor are mostly unknown and therefore a better characterization of RMS gene expression profile would represent a considerable advance. The availability of publicly available gene expression datasets have opened up new challenges especially for the integration of data generated by different research groups and different array platforms with the purpose of obtaining new insights on the biological process investigated.

Results

In this work we performed a meta-analysis on four microarray and two SAGE datasets of gene expression data on RMS in order to evaluate the degree of agreement of the biological results obtained by these different studies and to identify common regulatory pathways that could be responsible of tumor growth. Regulatory pathways and biological processes significantly enriched has been investigated and a list of differentially meta-profiles have been identified as possible candidate of aggressiveness of RMS.

Conclusion

Our results point to a general down regulation of the energy production pathways, suggesting a hypoxic physiology for RMS cells. This result agrees with the high malignancy of RMS and with its resistance to most of the therapeutic treatments. In this context, different isoforms of theANTgene have been consistently identified for the first time as differentially expressed in RMS. This gene is involved in anti-apoptotic processes when cells grow in low oxygen conditions. These new insights in the biological processes responsible of RMS growth and development demonstrate the effective advantage of the use of integrated analysis of gene expression studies.
Postpartum practices of puerperal women and their influencing factors in three regions of Hubei, China
Authors: Liu Nian , Mao Limei , Sun Xiufa , Liu Liegang , Chen Banghua , Ding Qiang
Published: November 2006

Background

'Sitting month' is a Chinese tradition for women's postpartum custom. The present study aims to explore the postpartum dietary and health practices of puerperal women and identify their influential factors in three selected regions of Hubei, China.

Methods

A cross-sectional retrospective study was conducted in the selected urban, suburban and rural areas in the province of Hubei from 1 March to 30 May 2003. A total of 2100 women who had given birth to full-term singleton infants in the past two years were selected as the participants. Data regarding postpartum practices and potentially related factors were collected through questionnaire by trained investigators.

Results

During the puerperium, 18% of the participants never ate vegetables, 78.8% never ate fruit and 75.7% never drank milk. Behaviour taboos such as no bathing, no hair washing or teeth brushing were still popular among the participants. About half of the women didn't get out of the bed two days after giving birth. The average time they stayed in bed during this period was 18.0 h. One third of them didn't have any outdoor activities in that time periods. The educational background of both women and their spouses, location of their residence, family income, postnatal visit, nutrition and health care educational courses were found to be the influencing factors of women's postpartum practices.

Conclusion

Traditional postpartum dietary and health behaviours were still popular among women in Hubei. Identifying the factors associated with traditional postpartum practices is critical to develop better targeting health education programs. Updated Information regarding postpartum dietary and health practices should be disseminated to women.
Determinants of a healthy lifestyle and use of preventive screening in Canada
Authors: Qi Vikky , Phillips Susan P , Hopman Wilma M
Published: November 2006

Background

This study explores the associations between individual characteristics such as income and education with health behaviours and utilization of preventive screening.

Methods

Data from the Canadian National Population Health Survey (NPHS) 1998–9 were used. Independent variables were income, education, age, sex, marital status, body mass index, urban/rural residence and access to a regular physician. Dependent variables included smoking, excessive alcohol use, physical activity, blood pressure checks, mammography in past year and Pap smear in past 3 years. Logistic regression models were developed for each dependent variable.

Results

13,756 persons 20 years of age and older completed the health portion of the NPHS. In general, higher levels of income were associated with healthier behaviours, as were higher levels of education, although there were exceptions to both. The results for age and gender also varied depending on the outcome. The presence of a regular medical doctor was associated with increased rates of all preventive screening and reduced rates of smoking.

Conclusion

These results expand upon previous data suggesting that socioeconomic disparities in healthy behaviours and health promotion continue to exist despite equal access to medical screening within the Canadian healthcare context. Knowledge, resources and the presence of a regular medical doctor are important factors associated with identified differences.
A novel assay for analysis of the regulation of the function of human osteoclasts
Authors: Kirstein Barrie , Grabowska Urszula , Samuelsson Bertil , Shiroo Masahiro , Chambers Timothy J , Fuller Karen
Published: November 2006

Background

Very little is known of the regulation of the function of human osteoclasts, largely due to the virtual impossibility of obtaining human osteoclasts ex vivo. It has recently become possible to generate human osteoclasts in vitro, by incubation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF) and receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand (RANKL). However, the assays at present available do not distinguish clearly between the distinct effects of agents on differentiation and function.

Materials and methods

We developed a novel assay for resorptive function of human osteoclasts that minimizes inter-assay variability by using each culture as its own baseline, and that minimizes the confounding effects of agents on differentiation by assessing resorptive function over a short test period. In this assay, the development of resorptive activity is monitored in sample cultures. When resorption is underway, bone resorption (measured as the release of the C-terminal telopeptide degradation product of type I collagen (CTX-I) into the supernatant) is compared before vs after incubation for 1–24 h in test agent.

Results

Using this assay, we found that changes in bone resorption could be detected using substantially fewer cultures per variable. Moreover, we could detect effects of agents on resorption within 1 h of addition, a time sufficiently short that a change in release is likely to reflect an effect on function rather than on differentiation.

Conclusion

The assay makes it possible to distinguish the effects of agents on osteoclastic function, independent of their effects on differentiation.
The changing epidemiology of dengue in Delhi, India
Authors: Gupta Ekta , Dar Lalit , Kapoor Geetanjali , Broor Shobha
Published: November 2006

Background

A major DHF outbreak occurred in Delhi in 1996. Following this another outbreak was reported in the year 2003. In the years 2004 and 2005, though no outbreak was reported, a definitely higher number of samples were received in the virology laboratory of A.I.I.M.S. from suspected cases of dengue infection. This study was designed to compare the serological and virological profiles of confirmed dengue cases in the years 2003, 2004 and 2005.

Results

Out of 1820 serum samples received from suspected cases in all three years, 811 (44.56%) were confirmed as dengue infection serologically. Out of these confirmed dengue cases maximum cases, in all three years, were seen in the age group 21–30 years. There was an increase in the number of samples received in the post monsoon period (September to November) with a peak in the second and third week of October. More samples were received from DHF cases in the year 2005 than 2004 and 2003. All four dengue serotypes were seen co-circulating in the year 2003, followed by complete predominance of dengue serotype 3 in 2005.

Conclusion

Epidemiology of dengue is changing rapidly in Delhi. Dengue infections are seen every year thus making it an endemic disease. After co-circulation of all serotypes in 2003, now dengue serotype 3 is emerging as the predominant serotype.
The role of myristoylation in the membrane association of the Lassa virus matrix protein Z
Authors: Strecker Thomas , Maisa Anna , Daffis Stephane , Eichler Robert , Lenz Oliver , Garten Wolfgang
Published: November 2006

The Z protein is the matrix protein of arenaviruses and has been identified as the main driving force for budding. Both LCMV and Lassa virus Z proteins bud from cells in the absence of other viral proteins as enveloped virus-like particles. Z accumulates near the inner surface of the plasma membrane where budding takes place. Furthermore, biochemical data have shown that Z is strongly membrane associated. The primary sequence of Z lacks a typical transmembrane domain and until now it is not understood by which mechanism Z is able to interact with cellular membranes. In this report, we analyzed the role of N-terminal myristoylation for the membrane binding of Lassa virus Z. We show that disruption of the N-terminal myristoylation signal by substituting the N-terminal glycine with alanine (Z-G2A mutant) resulted in a significant reduction of Z protein association with cellular membranes. Furthermore, removal of the myristoylation site resulted in a relocalization of Z from a punctuate distribution to a more diffuse cellular distribution pattern. Finally, treatment of Lassa virus-infected cells with various myristoylation inhibitors drastically reduced efficient Lassa virus replication. Our data indicate that myristoylation of Z is critical for its binding ability to lipid membranes and thus, for effective virus budding.
Identification of novel regulatory modules in dicotyledonous plants using expression data and comparative genomics
Authors: Vandepoele Klaas , Casneuf Tineke , Van de Peer Yves
Published: November 2006

Background

Transcriptional regulation plays an important role in the control of many biological processes. Transcription factor binding sites (TFBSs) are the functional elements that determine transcriptional activity and are organized into separable cis-regulatory modules, each defining the cooperation of several transcription factors required for a specific spatio-temporal expression pattern. Consequently, the discovery of novel TFBSs in promoter sequences is an important step to improve our understanding of gene regulation.

Results

Here, we applied a detection strategy that combines features of classic motif overrepresentation approaches in co-regulated genes with general comparative footprinting principles for the identification of biologically relevant regulatory elements and modules in Arabidopsis thaliana, a model system for plant biology. In total, we identified 80 TFBSs and 139 regulatory modules, most of which are novel, and primarily consist of two or three regulatory elements that could be linked to different important biological processes, such as protein biosynthesis, cell cycle control, photosynthesis and embryonic development. Moreover, studying the physical properties of some specific regulatory modules revealed that Arabidopsis promoters have a compact nature, with cooperative TFBSs located in close proximity of each other.

Conclusion

These results create a starting point to unravel regulatory networks in plants and to study the regulation of biological processes from a systems biology point of view.
Monitoring of Early Response to Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Stage II and III Breast Cancer by [18F]Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography
Authors: Rousseau Caroline , Devillers Anne , Sagan Christine , Ferrer Ludovic , Bridji Boumédiène , Campion Loïc , Ricaud Myriam , Bourbouloux Emmanuelle , Doutriaux Isabelle , Clouet Martine , Berton-Rigaud Dominique , Bouriel Catherine , Delecroix Valérie , Garin Etienne , Rouquette Sophie , Resche Isabelle , Kerbrat Pierre , Chatal Jean François , Campone Mario
Published: November 2006

Purpose

This study aimed to assess prospectively the efficacy of sequential [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG PET) to evaluate early response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in stage II and III breast cancer patients.

Patients and Methods

Images were acquired with a PET/computed tomography scanner in 64 patients after administration of FDG (5 MBq/kg) at baseline and after the first, second, third, and sixth course of chemotherapy. Ultrasound and mammography were used to assess tumor size. Decrease in the standardized uptake value (SUV) with PET was compared with the pathologic response.

Results

Surgery was performed after six courses of chemotherapy and pathologic analysis revealed gross residual disease in 28 patients and minimal residual disease in 36 patients. Although SUV data did not vary much in nonresponders (based on pathology findings), they decreased markedly to background levels in 94% (34 of 36) of responders. When using 60% of SUV at baseline as the cutoff value, the sensitivity, specificity, and negative predictive value of FDG PET were 61%, 96%, and 68% after one course of chemotherapy, 89%, 95%, and 85% after two courses, and 88%, 73%, and 83% after three courses, respectively. The same parameters with ultrasound (US) and mammography were 64%, 43%, and 55%, and 31%, 56%, and 45%, respectively. Assessment of tumor response with US or mammography was never significant whatever the cutoff.

Conclusion

Pathologic response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in stage II and III breast cancer can be predicted accurately by FDG PET after two courses of chemotherapy.
Decreased Risk of Stroke Among 10-Year Survivors of Breast Cancer
Authors: Hooning Maartje J. , Dorresteijn Lucille D.A. , Aleman Berthe M.P. , Kappelle Arnoud C. , Klijn Jan G.M. , Boogerd Willem , van Leeuwen Flora E.
Published: November 2006

Purpose

To assess treatment-specific risk of cerebrovascular events in early breast cancer (BC) patients, accounting for cerebrovascular risk factors.

Patients and Methods

We studied the incidence of cerebrovascular accidents (CVA; stroke and transient ischemic attack [TIA]) in 10-year survivors of early BC (n = 4,414) treated from 1970 to 1986. Follow-up was 96% complete until January 2000. Treatment-specific incidence of CVA was evaluated by standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) based on comparison with general population rates and by Cox proportional hazards regression.

Results

After a median follow-up of 18 years, 164 strokes and 109 TIAs were observed, resulting in decreased SIRs of 0.8 (95% CI, 0.6 to 0.9) for stroke and 0.8 (95% CI, 0.7 to 1.0) for TIA. Significantly increased risk of stroke was found in women who had received hormonal treatment (HT; tamoxifen) and in women who had hypertension or hypercholesterolemia, with hazard ratios (HRs) of 1.9, 2.1, and 1.6, respectively. Patients irradiated on the supraclavicular area and/or internal mammary chain (IMC) did not experience a higher risk of stroke (HR = 1.0; 95% CI, 0.7 to 1.6) or TIA (HR = 1.4; 95% CI, 0.9 to 2.5) compared with patients who did not receive radiotherapy or who were irradiated on fields other than the supraclavicular area or IMC.

Conclusion

Long-term survivors of BC experience no increased risk of cerebrovascular events compared with the general population. HT is associated with an increased risk of stroke. Radiation fields including the carotid artery do not seem to increase the risk of stroke compared with other fields.