bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Persistence of
Escherichia coli
Clones and Phenotypic and Genotypic Antibiotic Resistance in Recurrent Urinary Tract Infections in Childhood
Authors: Kõljalg Siiri , Truusalu Kai , Vainumäe Inga , Stsepetova Jelena , Sepp Epp , Mikelsaar Marika
Published: October 2008

We assessed the clonality of consecutive
Escherichia coli
isolates during the course of recurrent urinary tract infections (RUTI) in childhood in order to compare clonality with phenotypic antibiotic resistance patterns, the presence of integrons, and the presence of the
sul1
,
sul2
, and
sul3
genes. Altogether, 78 urinary
E. coli
isolates from 27 children, who experienced recurrences during a 1-year follow-up after the first attack of acute pyelonephritis, were investigated. The MICs of sulfamethoxazole, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (SXT), ampicillin, cefuroxime, cefotaxime, and gentamicin and the presence or absence of the
intI
gene for class 1 integrons and the sulfamethoxazole resistance-encoding genes
sul1
,
sul2
, and
sul3
were determined. All
E. coli
strains were genotyped by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. There were no significant differences in the prevalences of resistance to beta-lactams and SXT between initial and consecutive
E. coli
isolates (41 versus 45% and 41 versus 29%, respectively). However, the
E. coli
strains obtained after SXT administration more frequently carried two or more
sul
genes than the nonexposed strains (9/21 [43%] versus 11/57 [19%], respectively;
P
= 0.044). In 78% of the patients, the recurrence of unique clonal
E. coli
strains alone or combined with individual strains was detected. Phenotypic resistance and the occurrence of
sul
genes were more stable in clonal strains than in individual strains (odds ratios, 8.7 [95% confidence interval {95% CI}, 1.8 to 40.8] and 4.4 [95% CI, 1.1 to 17.7], respectively). Thus, in children with RUTIs, the majority of
E. coli
strains from consecutive episodes are unique persisting clones, with rare increases in the initially high antimicrobial resistance, the presence of
sul
genes, and the presence of integrons.
Physiological and Molecular Characterization of Atypical Isolates of
Malassezia furfur
Authors: González A. , Sierra R. , Cárdenas M. E. , Grajales A. , Restrepo S. , Cepero de García M. C. , Celis A.
Published: October 2008

The species constituting the genus
Malassezia
are considered to be emergent opportunistic yeasts of great importance. Characterized as lipophilic yeasts, they are found in normal human skin flora and sometimes are associated with different dermatological pathologies. We have isolated seven
Malassezia
species strains that have a different Tween assimilation pattern from the one typically used to differentiate
M. furfur
,
M. sympodialis
, and
M. slooffiae
from other
Malassezia
species. In order to characterize these isolates of
Malassezia
spp., we studied their physiological features and conducted morphological and molecular characterization by PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism and sequencing of the 26S and 5.8S ribosomal DNA-internal transcribed spacer 2 regions in three strains from healthy individuals, four clinical strains, and eight reference strains. The sequence analysis of the ribosomal region was based on the Blastn algorithm and revealed that the sequences of our isolates were homologous to
M. furfur
sequences. To support these findings, we carried out phylogenetic analyses to establish the relationship of the isolates to
M. furfur
and other reported species. All of our results confirm that all seven strains are
M. furfur
; the atypical assimilation of Tween 80 was found to be a new physiological pattern characteristic of some strains isolated in Colombia.
Evidence for Clonal Dissemination of the Serotype K1
Klebsiella pneumoniae
Strain Causing Invasive Liver Abscesses in Korea
Authors: Chung Doo Ryeon , Lee Ha Rim , Lee Seung Soon , Kim Shin Woo , Chang Hyun-Ha , Jung Sook-In , Oh Myoung-don , Ko Kwan Soo , Kang Cheol-In , Peck Kyong Ran , Song Jae-Hoon
Published: October 2008

Seventy-three liver abscess isolates of serotype K1
Klebsiella pneumoniae
from a nationwide collection in Korea were genotypically characterized using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and multilocus sequence typing. We found that serotype K1
K. pneumoniae
strains that caused liver abscesses in Korea were genotypically related and that most were sequence type 23.
Survival of Nosocomial Bacteria and Spores on Surfaces and Inactivation by Hydrogen Peroxide Vapor
Authors: Otter Jonathan A. , French Gary L.
Published: October 2008

With inocula of 6 to 7 log10CFU, most vegetative bacteria and spores tested survived on surfaces for more than 5 weeks, but all were inactivated within 90 min of exposure to hydrogen peroxide vapor in a 100-m3test room even in the presence of 0.3% bovine serum albumin to simulate biological soiling.
Differing Roles of Inner Tegument Proteins pUL36 and pUL37 during Entry of Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1
Authors: Roberts Ashley P. E. , Abaitua Fernando , O'Hare Peter , McNab David , Rixon Frazer J. , Pasdeloup David
Published: October 2008

Studies with herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) have shown that secondary envelopment and virus release are blocked in mutants deleted for the tegument protein gene UL36 or UL37, leading to the accumulation of DNA-containing capsids in the cytoplasm of infected cells. The failure to assemble infectious virions has meant that the roles of these genes in the initial stages of infection could not be investigated. To circumvent this, cells infected at a low multiplicity were fused to form syncytia, thereby allowing capsids released from infected nuclei access to uninfected nuclei without having to cross a plasma membrane. Visualization of virus DNA replication showed that a UL37-minus mutant was capable of transmitting infection to all the nuclei within a syncytium as efficiently as the wild-type HSV-1 strain 17
+
did, whereas infection by UL36-minus mutants failed to spread. Thus, these inner tegument proteins have differing functions, with pUL36 being essential during both the assembly and uptake stages of infection, while pUL37 is needed for the formation of virions but is not required during the initial stages of infection. Analysis of noninfectious enveloped particles (L-particles) further showed that pUL36 and pUL37 are dependent on each other for incorporation into tegument.
Genetic History of Hepatitis C Virus in East Asia
Authors: Pybus Oliver G. , Barnes Eleanor , Taggart Rachel , Lemey Philippe , Markov Peter V. , Rasachak Bouachan , Syhavong Bounkong , Phetsouvanah Rattanaphone , Sheridan Isabelle , Humphreys Isla S. , Lu Ling , Newton Paul N. , Klenerman Paul
Published: October 2008

The hepatitis C virus (HCV), which currently infects an estimated 3% of people worldwide, has been present in some human populations for several centuries, notably HCV genotypes 1 and 2 in West Africa and genotype 6 in Southeast Asia. Here we use newly developed methods of sequence analysis to conduct the first comprehensive investigation of the epidemic and evolutionary history of HCV in Asia. Our analysis includes new HCV core (n= 16) and NS5B (n= 14) gene sequences, obtained from serum samples of jaundiced patients from Laos. These exceptionally diverse isolates were analyzed in conjunction with all available reference strains using phylogenetic and Bayesian coalescent methods. We performed statistical tests of phylogeographic structure and applied a recently developed “relaxed molecular clock” approach to HCV for the first time, which indicated an unexpectedly high degree of rate variation. Our results reveal a >1,000-year-long development of genotype 6 in Asia, characterized by substantial phylogeographic structure and two distinct phases of epidemic history, before and during the 20th century. We conclude that HCV lineages representing preexisting and spatially restricted strains were involved in multiple, independent local epidemics during the 20th century. Our analysis explains the generation and maintenance of HCV diversity in Asia and could provide a template for further investigations of HCV spread in other regions.
Trafficking through the Rev/RRE Pathway Is Essential for Efficient Inhibition of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 by an Antisense RNA Derived from the Envelope Gene
Authors: Ward Alex M. , Rekosh David , Hammarskjold Marie-Louise
Published: October 2008

A human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1)-based vector expressing an antisense RNA directed against HIV-1 is currently in clinical trials. This vector has shown a remarkable ability to inhibit HIV-1 replication, in spite of the fact that therapeutic use of unmodified antisense RNAs has generally been disappointing. To further analyze the basis for this, we examined the effects of different plasmid-based HIV-1 long-terminal-repeat-driven constructs expressing antisense RNA to the same target region in HIV-1 but containing different export elements. Two of these vectors were designed to express antisense RNA containing either a Rev response element (RRE) or a Mason-Pfizer monkey virus (MPMV) constitutive transport element (CTE). In the third vector, no specific transport element was provided. Efficient inhibition of HIV-1 virus production was obtained with the RRE-driven antisense RNA. This construct also efficiently inhibited p24 production from a pNL4-3 provirus that used the MPMV CTE for RNA export. In contrast, little inhibition was observed with the constructs lacking an RRE. Furthermore, when the RRE-driven antisense RNA was redirected to the Tap/Nxf1 pathway, utilized by the MPMV CTE, through the expression of a RevM10-Tap fusion protein, the efficiency of antisense inhibition was greatly reduced. These results indicate that efficient inhibition requires trafficking of the antisense RNA through the Rev/RRE pathway. Mechanistic studies indicated that the Rev/RRE-mediated inhibition did not involve either nuclear retention or degradation of target mRNA, since target RNA was found to export and associate normally with polyribosomes. However, protein levels were significantly reduced. Taken together, our results suggest a new mechanism for antisense inhibition of HIV mediated by Rev/RRE.
Randomization and In Vivo Selection Reveal a GGRG Motif Essential for Packaging Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 2 RNA
Authors: Baig Tayyba T. , Lanchy Jean-Marc , Lodmell J. Stephen
Published: October 2008

The packaging signal (ψ) of human immunodeficiency virus type 2 (HIV-2) is present in the 5′ noncoding region of RNA and contains a 10-nucleotide palindrome (pal; 5′-392-GGAGUGCUCC) located upstream of the dimerization signal stem-loop 1 (SL1). pal has been shown to be functionally important in vitro and in vivo. We previously showed that the 3′ side of pal (GCUCC-3′) is involved in base-pairing interactions with a sequence downstream of SL1 to make an extended SL1, which is important for replication in vivo and the regulation of dimerization in vitro. However, the role of the 5′ side of pal (5′-GGAGU) was less clear. Here, we characterized this role using an in vivo SELEX approach. We produced a population of HIV-2 DNA genomes with random sequences within the 5′ side of pal and transfected these into COS-7 cells. Viruses from COS-7 cells were used to infect C8166 permissive cells. After several weeks of serial passage in C8166 cells, surviving viruses were sequenced. On the 5′ side of pal there was a striking convergence toward a GGRGN consensus sequence. Individual clones with consensus and nonconsensus sequences were tested in infectivity and packaging assays. Analysis of individuals that diverged from the consensus sequence showed normal viral RNA and protein synthesis but had replication defects and impaired RNA packaging. These findings clearly indicate that the GGRG motif is essential for viral replication and genomic RNA packaging.
Correlation of Vaccine-Elicited Systemic and Mucosal Nonneutralizing Antibody Activities with Reduced Acute Viremia following Intrarectal Simian Immunodeficiency Virus SIV
mac251
Challenge of Rhesus Macaques
Authors: Hidajat Rachmat , Xiao Peng , Zhou Qifeng , Venzon David , Summers L. Ebonita , Kalyanaraman Vaniambadi S. , Montefiori David C. , Robert-Guroff Marjorie
Published: October 2008

Cell-mediated immunity and neutralizing antibodies contribute to control of human immunodeficiency virus/simian immunodeficiency virus (HIV/SIV) infection, but the role of nonneutralizing antibodies is not defined. Previously, we reported that sequential oral/oral or intranasal/oral (I/O) priming with replication-competent adenovirus type 5 host range mutant (Ad5hr)-SIV recombinants, followed by intramuscular envelope protein boosting, elicited systemic and mucosal cellular immunity and exhibited equivalent, significant reductions of chronic viremia after rectal SIV
mac251
challenge. However, I/O priming gave significantly better control of acute viremia. Here, systemic and mucosal humoral immunity were investigated for potential correlates with the acute challenge outcome. Strong serum binding but nonneutralizing antibody responses against SIV
mac251
were induced in both groups. Antibody responses appeared earlier and overall were higher in the I/O group. Reduced acute viremia was significantly correlated with higher serum binding titer, stronger antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity activity, and peak prechallenge and 2-week-postchallenge antibody-dependent cell-mediated viral inhibition (ADCVI). The I/O group consistently displayed greater anti-envelope immunoglobulin A (IgA) antibody responses in bronchoalveolar lavage and a stronger rectal anti-envelope IgA anamnestic response 2 weeks postchallenge. Pre- and postchallenge rectal secretions inhibited SIV transcytosis across epithelial cells. The inhibition was significantly higher in the I/O group, although a significant correlation with reduced acute viremia was not reached. Overall, the replicating Ad5hr-SIV priming/envelope boosting approach elicited strong systemic and mucosal antibodies with multiple functional activities. The pattern of elevated immune responses in the I/O group is consistent with its better control of acute viremia mediated, at least in part, by ADCVI activity and transcytosis inhibition.
Prion Strain Targeting Independent of Strain-Specific Neuronal Tropism
Authors: Ayers Jacob I. , Kincaid Anthony E. , Bartz Jason C.
Published: October 2008

While neuropathological features that define prion strains include spongiform degeneration and deposition patterns of PrP
Sc
, the underlying mechanism for the strain-specific differences in PrP
Sc
targeting is not known. To investigate prion strain targeting, we inoculated hamsters in the sciatic nerve with either the hyper (HY) or drowsy (DY) strain of the transmissible mink encephalopathy (TME) agent. Both TME strains were initially retrogradely transported in the central nervous system (CNS) exclusively by four descending motor tracts. The locations of HY and DY PrP
Sc
deposition were identical throughout the majority of the incubation period. However, differences in PrP
Sc
deposition between these strains were observed upon development of clinical disease. The differences observed were unlikely to be due to strain-specific neuronal tropism, since comparison of PrP
Sc
deposition patterns by different routes of infection indicated that all brain areas were susceptible to prion infection by both TME strains. These findings suggest that prion transport and differential susceptibility to prion infection are not solely responsible for prion strain targeting. The data suggest that differences in PrP
Sc
distribution between strains during clinical disease are due to differences in the length of time that PrP
Sc
has to spread in the CNS before the host succumbs to disease.
Health-related quality of life and visual and cognitive impairment among nursing-home residents
Authors: Elliott A F , McGwin G , Owsley C
Published: October 2008

Aim:

To examine whether the relationship between vision impairment and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in nursing-home residents is impacted by coexisting cognitive impairment.

Methods:

This cross-sectional study involved a total of 382 English-speaking older adults (>55 years of age) with ⩾13 on the Mini Mental State Exam (MMSE) from seventeen nursing homes in Birmingham, Alabama. Assessments were taken of visual acuity (Lighthouse Near Visual Acuity Test), cognition (MMSE) and health-related quality of life (Nursing Home Vision-Targeted Health-Related Quality of Life Questionnaire, VF-14, and the SF-36).

Results:

A greater portion of participants had both vision and cognitive impairments (38.5%) as compared with those with neither impairment (21.5%), vision impairment alone (13.4%), and cognitive impairment alone (26.7%). Cognitive impairment did not modify the impact of vision impairment on HRQoL. The reduction in HRQoL associated with vision impairment was similar for those with and without cognitive impairment.

Conclusion:

The deleterious impact of vision impairment on HRQoL in nursing-home residents was not exacerbated by the co-occurrence of cognitive impairment. Ageing-related visual impairment in nursing-home residents is often reversible through treatment leading to improved HRQoL, and thus it is clinically important to know that cognitive impairment is unlikely to interfere with this benefit.
Prevention in the first place: schools a setting for action on physical inactivity
Authors: Naylor P-J , McKay H A
Published: October 2008

Promoting physical activity has become a priority because of its role in preventing childhood obesity and chronic disease. Ecological approaches that recognise the interaction between individuals and the settings in which they spend their time are currently at the forefront of public health action. Schools have been identified as a key setting for health promotion. An overview of the literature addressed the promotion of physical activity in schools and showed that school-based strategies (elementary or high school) that utilised classroom-based education only did not increase physical activity levels; one notable exception was screen time interventions. Although evidence is sparse, active school models and environmental strategies (interventions that change policy and practice) appear to promote physical activity in elementary schools effectively. There is also strong evidence to support multicomponent models in high schools, particularly models that incorporate a family and community component. An emerging trend is to involve youth in the development and implementation of interventions. In the context of childhood obesity and sedentary lifestyles, modest increases in physical activity levels in school-based trials are important. School initiatives must be supported and reinforced in other community settings. Health professionals play a key role as champions in the community, based on their influence and credibility. Health professionals can lend support to school-based efforts by asking about and emphasising the importance of physical activity with patients, encouraging family-based activities, supporting local schools to adopt an “active school” approach and advocating for support to sustain evidence-based and promising physical activity models within schools.
Physical activity interventions in the workplace: the rationale and future direction for workplace wellness
Authors: Batt M E
Published: October 2008

The developing and developed worlds are both facing an obesity epidemic with their workers getting bigger, or to be more specific, fatter. As demonstrated elsewhere in this issue, the individual and societal health and economic costs of obesity and physical inactivity are enormous. There is thus a need for regional, national and global action to combat the issues, with programmes broadly divisible into children and adolescents, the workforce, active aging, healthy aging and a broad cross-cutting agenda that focuses on the built environment.
The role of community programmes and mass events in promoting physical activity to patients: Table 1
Authors: Bauman A , Murphy N , Lane A
Published: October 2008

The challenge for physical activity promotion in clinical contexts is finding ways of encouraging patients to become more active. Brief advice in primary care is effective, in the short term, in increasing physical activity, but is only provided by a few clinicians on a regular basis. The possibilities for public health approaches include others in the practice providing brief advice, or referral to community facilities and programmes. Even these have limited evidence regarding their population reach. Therefore, innovative and alternative solutions are required. This review discusses three potential contributors: clinician advocacy for and engagement in physical activity as role models, referral to mass community participation events, and encouraging attendance at health fairs. These will not solve the inactivity crisis, but could add new approaches for clinicians, in advising their patients to initiate and try to become more physically active.
Does physical activity ameliorate the health hazards of obesity?: Figure 1
Authors: Lee D C , Sui X , Blair S N
Published: October 2008

Obesity is an established risk factor for chronic disease and premature death, but losing weight and keeping it off is difficult. Therefore, although obese individuals may know that they are at higher risk of disease and early death, they still may not be able to lose weight and maintain weight loss. Perhaps health professionals should focus less on weight and more on how to enhance and maintain health for people of all sizes and shapes.
Are pharmaceutical patents protected by human rights?
Authors: Millum J
Published: October 2008

The International Bill of Rights enshrines a right to health, which includes a right to access essential medicines. This right frequently appears to conflict with the intellectual property regime that governs pharmaceutical patents. However, there is also a human right that protects creative works, including scientific productions. Does this right support intellectual property protections, even when they may negatively affect health? This article examines the recent attempt by the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights to resolve this issue and argues that it fails. This is problematic because it means defenders of the present patent regime can continue using human rights documents to support their position. I offer a new framework for resolving the problem by examining the values that underlie human rights.
“If you cannot tolerate that risk, you should never become a physician”: a qualitative study about existential experiences among physicians
Authors: Aase M , Nordrehaug J E , Malterud K
Published: October 2008

Background and objectives:

Physicians are exposed to matters of existential character at work, but little is known about the personal impact of such issues.

Methods:

To explore how physicians experience and cope with existential aspects of their clinical work and how such experiences affect their professional identities, a qualitative study using individual semistructured interviews has analysed accounts of their experiences related to coping with such challenges. Analysis was by systematic text condensation. The purposeful sample comprised 10 physicians (including three women), aged 33–66 years, residents or specialists in cardiology or cardiothoracic surgery, working in a university hospital with 24-hour emergency service and one general practitioner.

Results:

Participants described a process by which they were able to develop a capacity for coping with the existential challenges at work. After episodes perceived as shocking or horrible earlier in their career, they at present said that they could deal with death and mostly keep it at a distance. Vulnerability was closely linked to professional responsibility and identity, perceived as a burden to be handled. These demands were balanced by an experience of meaning related to their job, connected to making a difference in their patients’ lives. Belonging to a community of their fellows was a presupposition for coping with the loneliness and powerlessness related to their vulnerable professional position.

Conclusions:

Physicians’ vulnerability facing life and death has been underestimated. Belonging to caring communities may assist growth and coping on exposure to existential aspects of clinical work and developing a professional identity.
Critical notice—Defending life: a moral and legal case against abortion choiceby Francis J Beckwith
Authors: Stretton D
Published: October 2008

Francis Beckwith’sDefending life: a moral and legal case against abortion choicedefends the pro-life position on moral, legal and political grounds. In this critical notice I consider three key issues and argue that Beckwith’s treatment of each of them is unpersuasive. The issues are: (1) whether abortion is politically justified by the principle that we should err on the side of liberty in the face of reasonable disagreement over the moral status of the fetus; (2) whether the fetus’s natural capacity or genetic propensity to develop rationality and communication is sufficient to give it a moral right to life; and (3) whether abortion is morally justified on the basis of bodily rights. I also show that Beckwith’s book fails to consider several important issues and arguments.
Information and participation in decision-making about treatment: a qualitative study of the perceptions and preferences of patients with rheumatoid arthritis
Authors: Schildmann J , Grunke M , Kalden J R , Vollmann J
Published: October 2008

Objectives:

To elicit the perceptions and preferences of patients with rheumatoid arthritis regarding information and participation in treatment decision-making. To analyse the patients’ narratives on the background of the ethical discourse on various approaches to treatment decision-making.

Design:

In-depth interviews with themes identified using principles of grounded theory.

Participants:

22 patients with long-standing rheumatoid arthritis.

Main outcome measures:

Qualitative data on patients’ perceptions and preferences regarding information and participation in decision-making about treatment.

Results:

Decision-making about treatment has been described by the patients as a process consisting of different stages with shifting loci of control and responsibility. Patients initially received one treatment recommendation and were not aware of alternative treatment options. Those participants in this study who wanted information about negative effects of a treatment cited “interest in one’s own health” and the potential “use of information” as reasons for their preference. The physicians’ expert knowledge and clinical experience regarding the effects of medication were cited as arguments by patients for a treatment recommendation.

Conclusions:

The patients’ accounts of decision-making about treatment differ from models of physician–patient relationship that have been put forward in ethical discourse. These differences may be relevant with respect to the starting point of an ethical analysis of treatment decision-making. Patients’ accounts with respect to a lack of information on treatment alternatives point to ethically relevant challenges regarding treatment decision-making in clinical practice.
Suicide assisted by two Swiss right-to-die organisations
Authors: Fischer S , Huber C A , Imhof L , Mahrer Imhof R , Furter M , Ziegler S J , Bosshard G
Published: October 2008

Background:

In Switzerland, non-medical right-to-die organisations such as Exit Deutsche Schweiz and Dignitas offer suicide assistance to members suffering from incurable diseases.

Objectives:

First, to determine whether differences exist between the members who received assistance in suicide from Exit Deutsche Schweiz and Dignitas. Second, to investigate whether the practices of Exit Deutsche Schweiz have changed since the 1990s.

Methods:

This study analysed all cases of assisted suicide facilitated by Exit Deutsche Schweiz (E) and Dignitas (D) between 2001 and 2004 and investigated by the University of Zurich’s Institute of Legal Medicine (E: n = 147; D: n = 274, total: 421). Furthermore, data from the Exit Deutsche Schweiz study which investigated all cases of assisted suicide during the period 1990–2000 (n = 149) were compared with the data of the present study.

Results:

More women than men were assisted in both organisations (D: 64%; E: 65%). Dignitas provided more assistance to non-residents (D: 91%; E: 3%; p = 0.000), younger persons (mean age in years (SD): D: 64.5 (14.1); E: 76.6 (13.3); p = 0.001), and people suffering from fatal diseases such as multiple sclerosis and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (D: 79%; E: 67%; p = 0.013). Lethal medications were more often taken orally in cases assisted by Dignitas (D: 91%; E: 76%; p = 0.000). The number of women and the proportion of older people suffering from non-fatal diseases among suicides assisted by Exit Deutsche Schweiz has increased since the 1990s (women: 52% to 65%, p = 0.031; mean age in years (SD): 69.3 (17.0) to 76.9 (13.3), p = 0.000), non-fatal diseases: 22% to 34%, p = 0.026).

Conclusions:

Weariness of life rather than a fatal or hopeless medical condition may be a more common reason for older members of Exit Deutsche Schweiz to commit suicide. The strong over-representation of women in both Exit Deutsche Schweiz and Dignitas suicides is an important phenomenon so far largely overlooked and in need of further study.
Harmful rights-doing? The perceived problem of liberal paradigms and public health
Authors: Coggon J
Published: October 2008

The focus of this paper is public health law and ethics, and the analytic framework advanced in the reportPublic health: ethical issuesby the Nuffield Council on Bioethics. The author criticises the perceived problems found with liberal models associated with Millian political philosophy and questions the Report’s attempt to add to such theoretical frameworks. The author suggests a stronger theoretical account that the Council could have adopted—that advanced in the works of Joseph Raz—which would have been more appropriate. Instead of seeking to justify overruling the legitimate interests of individuals in favour of society, this account holds that the interests are necessarily interwoven and thus such a conflict does not exist. It is based on an objective moral account and does not require an excessive commitment to individuals’ entitlements.
Patient complaints in Finland 2000–2004: a retrospective register study
Authors: Kuosmanen L , Kaltiala-Heino R , Suominen S , Kärkkäinen J , Hätönen H , Ranta S , Välimäki M
Published: October 2008

Today, monitoring of patient complaints in healthcare services is being used as a tool for quality assurance systems and in the future development of services. This nationwide register study describes the number of all complaints processed, number of complaints between different state provinces, healthcare services and healthcare professionals, and outcomes of complaints in Finland during the period 2000–2004. All complaints processed at the State Provincial Offices and the National Authority for Medicolegal Affairs were analysed by statistical methods. Complaints about mental healthcare were explored in greater detail. The analysis showed that the number of patient complaints increased considerably during the study period. There were changes in the number of complaints between study years in different provinces. Out of different healthcare services, an especially marked increase was seen in private healthcare. Nearly all complaints were lodged against physicians, and over half of the complaints were made because of medical error. In mental health care, patients more often complained about unsatisfactory certificates and statements and the use of compulsory hospital care. An analysis of the outcomes revealed that in mental health care complaints more seldom led to consequences. The results need to be utilised when planning interventions for advanced supervision, prevention of adverse events and patient safety in healthcare, and especially in mental health care. From the patients’ perspective, it is important to create a culture where most problem situations are handled where the treatment was provided, thus avoiding a complex complaints process.
Propranolol, post-traumatic stress disorder and narrative identity
Authors: Bell J
Published: October 2008

Funding:

Research funded by Canadian Institutes of Health Research, NNF 80045, States of Mind: Emerging Issues in Neuroethics. While there are those who object to the prospective use of propranolol to prevent or treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), most obstreperous among them the President’s Council on Bioethics, the use of propranolol can be justified for patients with severe PTSD. Propranolol, if effective, will alter the quality of certain memories in the brain. But this is not a serious threat to the self understood in terms of narrative identity. A narrative identity framework acknowledges that memory is always being subtly altered or modified. For severe cases of PTSD propranolol may help victims who don’t respond to any other therapy or therapy combination regain their authentic self-narrative and engage once more in life activities. For those whose symptoms are not so severe the potential risks and side-effects of the drug may outweigh the benefits. Patients and family members should be allowed to decide, in consultation with their physician, whether this drug is appropriate in their case.
Cytogenetic analyses of intergeneric hybrids between barley and nine species of Elymus
Authors: Kim N.-S. , Fedak G. , Han F. , Cao W.
Published: October 2008

Wild species in the Triticeae tribe are very valuable resources for agronomic improvement in cereal crop species. Intergeneric hybrids were produced between several barley cultivars and perennial species in the genera Elymus , Thinopyrum , and Pseudoroegneria . Caryopsis formation and subsequent plantlet regeneration from embryo culture were variable depending on the hybrid combinations. Chromosome numbers and hybrid identity were confirmed by GISH analysis on the somatic cells of the hybrids. While the hybrids showed very robust vegetative growth and exceeded the parental spikes in size, their floral morphologies resembled that of the wild species. Meiotic chromosome analysis revealed that the bivalent formation frequency per cell ranged from 0.06 in Hordeum vulgare ‘Betzes’ × Elymus curvatus to 3.0 in Elymus humidus  × H. vulgare ‘Manley’. By GISH analysis on the meiocytes of the hybrid E. humidus × ‘Manley’, the frequency of autosyndetic bivalents exceeded the allosyndetic bivalent formation, which gave an insight into the genome constitution of E. humidus as an autoallohexploid species. Regardless of the low allosyndetic chromosome pairing between barley and E. humidus, this combination may be useful for further input, since E. humidus is known to carry many valuable genes for biotic and abiotic stress tolerance.
THE LOWEST MODES AROUND GAUSSIAN SOLUTIONS OF TENSOR MODELS AND THE GENERAL RELATIVITY
Authors: SASAKURA NAOKI
Published: October 2008

In the paper arXiv:0706.1618[hep-th], the number distribution of the low-lying spectra around Gaussian solutions representing various dimensional fuzzy tori of a tensor model was numerically shown to be in accordance with the general relativity on tori. In this paper, I perform more detailed numerical analysis of the properties of the modes for two-dimensional fuzzy tori, and obtain conclusive evidences for the agreement. Under a proposed correspondence between the rank-3 tensor in tensor models and the metric tensor in the general relativity, conclusive agreement is obtained between the profiles of the low-lying modes in a tensor model and the metric modes transverse to the general coordinate transformation. Moreover, the low-lying modes are shown to be well on a massless trajectory with quartic momentum dependence in the tensor model. This is in agreement with that the lowest momentum dependence of metric fluctuations in the general relativity will come from the R2-term, since the R-term is topological in two dimensions. These evidences support the idea that the low-lying low-momentum dynamics around the Gaussian solutions of tensor models is described by the general relativity. I also propose a renormalization procedure for tensor models. A classical application of the procedure makes the patterns of the low-lying spectra drastically clearer, and suggests also the existence of massive trajectories.
GAUGE SYMMETRIES OF SYSTEMS WITH A FINITE NUMBER OF DEGREES OF FREEDOM
Authors: LORAN FARHANG
Published: October 2008

For systems with a finite number of degrees of freedom, it is shown in a paper [Commun Math. Phys.254, 167 (2005), arXiv:hep-th/0303014] that first-class constraints are Abelianizable if the Faddeev–Popov determinant is not vanishing for some choice of subsidiary constraints. Here, for irreducible first-class constraint systems with SO(3) or SO(4) gauge symmetries, including a subset of coordinates in the fundamental representation of the gauge group, we explicitly determine the Abelianizable and non-Abelianizable classes of constraints. For the Abelianizable class, we explicitly solve the constraints to obtain the equivalent set of Abelian first-class constraints. We show that for non-Abelianizable constraints there exist residual gauge symmetries which results in confinement-like phenomena.
HIDDEN DIRAC MONOPOLES
Authors: VENTO VICENTE
Published: October 2008

Dirac showed that the existence of one magnetic pole in the universe could offer an explanation of the discrete nature of the electric charge. Magnetic poles appear naturally in most grand unified theories. Their discovery would be of greatest importance for particle physics and cosmology. The intense experimental search carried thus far has not met with success. I propose a universe with magnetic poles which are not observed free because they hide in deeply bound monopole–antimonopole states named monopolium. I discuss the realization of this proposal and its consistency with known cosmological features. I furthermore analyze its implications and the experimental signatures that confirm the scenario.
Communicating environmental geoscience; Australian communication pathways
Authors: Simpson Colin J.
Published: October 2008

Effectively communicating the role of geoscience in environmental, sustainable development, and sustainable resource management issues is not a straightforward process; it requires different approaches that depend upon the audience being addressed. These audiences are broadly differentiated into three groups: scientists, governments and the general public. The communication process is complicated further by the difficulty that geoscientists can have in identifying the appropriate communication pathways to use if their endeavours are to be successful. Such pathways are not generally taught during formal scientific education and, as a consequence, it may require considerable experience for individuals to understand the processes involved. The World Wide Web now makes that process much easier. As an example of the types of understanding required, this paper outlines the geoscience communication pathways that exist at present in Australia, with an emphasis on government pathways, for the communication of geoscience, both nationally and internationally. It is hoped that this Australian example may stimulate geoscientists in other countries to record and publish (in simplified formats) the appropriate pathways required for effective environmental geoscience communication in their country.
Environmental geoscience; communication challenges
Authors: Liverman David G. E.
Published: October 2008

Geologists whose research deals with environmental problems such as landslides, floods, earthquakes and other natural hazards that affect people's health and safety must communicate their results effectively to the public, policy-makers and politicians. There are many examples of geological studies being ignored in policy and public action; this is in due in part to geoscientists being poor communicators. Scientists often use complicated and difficult to understand language, talk mostly to other scientists, and are not trained to work with the media. They generally are not encouraged by their employers and funding agencies to communicate to non-scientists. Environmental geoscientists must make their research publications more accessible to the public by including plain-language summaries. They should work with media and communications professionals, and seek training in how to communicate better. They need to understand the different approaches that will work with different audiences. Universities, employers and funding agencies should encourage environmental geoscientists to improve communication skills, and to reward attempts to explain their research to non-scientists.
Altered priorities ahead; or how to develop fruitful relationships with the media
Authors: Nield Ted
Published: October 2008

This paper examines the conflict between scientists' usual conception of the media and the reality of working successfully with them when transmitting research findings. It suggests that if scientists rid themselves of some common misconceptions, they can begin to engage more effectively with the news media. By always bearing in mind two crucial facts (that the news media are not going to change the way they work to please scientists, and that they should be approached as a branch of the entertainment industry) all subsequent decisions and behaviours on the part of scientists and their companies or institutions will be more likely to be blessed with success. It concludes by reporting some case histories, as worked examples of how scientific institutions can promote themselves through their research by harnessing the potent power of enlightened self-interest.
Guidelines for landslide hazard mapping in the Andes: speaking one language
Authors:   Multinational Andean Project: Geosciences for Andean Communities GEMMA—Landslide Hazard Standards Group
Published: October 2008

To maximize the use of geoscience information across institutions and international borders, data must be collected and stored in a uniform manner so that they are readily accessible and understandable. There is seldom consistency in the representation of these data delivered to users between countries (and, sometimes, even within institutions in the same country). The Multinational Andean Project: Geosciences for Andean Communities (MAP:GAC (2002–2008)), identified the need to research, design and develop a common terminology, techniques, classification system, cartographic symbols and databases for landslide studies. MAP:GAC produced regional guides for landslide studies and mapping, through the first regional group for landslide studies (GEMMA). It is expected that these guides will facilitate the transfer and appropriation of information, and that the generation of products will be more easily understood and applied by land-use planners, emergency-management planners and other users. The standards have been adopted by the seven Andean countries (Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela) and were published in the book
Movimientos en Masa en la Región Andina: Una Guía para la Evaluación de Amenazas
(
Landslide Hazards in the Andes
) in 2007.
GeoSure; a bridge between geology and decision-makers
Authors: Walsby Jennifer C.
Published: October 2008

How many people understand a geological map and use it to assess the ground on which they live or plan to develop? How many town planners, house owners or insurers know that geologists can identify areas prone to flooding, radon gas emissions, landslides and subsidence? Do decision-makers understand the relevance of geology? Concerned about these questions, geological and geographic information system (GIS) professionals at the British Geological Survey (BGS) have created datasets that make information about geological hazards (‘geohazards’) easy to obtain, use and understand. The term ‘geohazard’ is emotive. Many people think of natural hazards as being large-scale disasters, such as tsunami and major earthquakes. Appropriate terminology is required to explain the relevance of factors such as the potential cost and health implications of the usually less dramatic British geohazards. Using the vast data holdings and geoscientific knowledge within BGS and building on past thematic mapping activities, a series of national geohazard datasets has been developed. GIS datasets with ‘plain English’ descriptions have been created for natural gas emissions, landslides, swell–shrink clays, compressible and collapsible deposits, soluble rocks, running sands and groundwater flooding. Geological information is thus brought before a wider audience and in a form that reveals to the British public and industry how geology can be used in conjunction with other information and why it is relevant to their lives.
Cathepsin L inhibition suppresses drug resistance in vitro and in vivo: a putative mechanism
Authors: Zheng Xin , Chu Fei , Chou Pauline M. , Gallati Christine , Dier Usawadee , Mirkin Bernard L. , Mousa Shaker A. , Rebbaa Abdelhadi
Published: October 2008

Cathepsin L is a lysosomal enzyme thought to play a key role in malignant transformation. Recent work from our laboratory has demonstrated that this enzyme may also regulate cancer cell resistance to chemotherapy. The present study was undertaken to define the relevance of targeting cathepsin L in the suppression of drug resistance in vitro and in vivo and also to understand the mechanism(s) of its action. In vitro experiments indicated that cancer cell adaptation to increased amounts of doxorubicin over time was prevented in the presence of a cathepsin L inhibitor, suggesting that inhibition of this enzyme not only reverses but also prevents the development of drug resistance. The combination of the cathepsin L inhibitor with doxorubicin also strongly suppressed the proliferation of drug-resistant tumors in nude mice. An investigation of the underlying mechanism(s) led to the finding that the active form of this enzyme shuttles between the cytoplasm and nucleus. As a result, its inhibition stabilizes and enhances the availability of cytoplasmic and nuclear protein drug targets including estrogen receptor-α, Bcr-Abl, topoisomerase-IIα, histone deacetylase 1, and the androgen receptor. In support of this, the cellular response to doxorubicin, tamoxifen, imatinib, trichostatin A, and flutamide increased in the presence of the cathepsin L inhibitor. Together, these findings provided evidence for the potential role of cathepsin L as a target to suppress cancer resistance to chemotherapy and uncovered a novel mechanism by which protease inhibition-mediated drug target stabilization may enhance cellular visibility and, thus, susceptibility to anticancer agents.