bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Transcriptomic and metabolic responses of Staphylococcus aureus in mixed culture with Lactobacillus plantarum, Streptococcus thermophilus and Enterococcus durans in milk
Authors: Zdenkova Kamila , Alibayov Babek , Karamonova Ludmila , Purkrtova Sabina , Karpiskova Renata , Demnerova Katerina 
Published: June 2016

Abstract
Staphylococcus aureus is a major food-borne pathogen due to the production of enterotoxin and is particularly prevalent in contaminated milk and dairy products. The lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are widely used as biocontrol agents in fermented foods which can inhibit pathogenic flora. In our work, we investigated the influence of three strains of LAB (Lactobacillus plantarum, Streptococcus thermophilus and Enterococcus durans) on the relative expression of three enterotoxin genes (sea, sec, sell) and eight virulence and/or regulatory genes (sarA, saeS, codY, srrA, rot, hld/RNAIII, agrA/RNAII, sigB) in two S. aureus strains (MW2 and Sa1612) in TSB and reduced-fat milk (1.5 %) at 30 °C over a 24-h period. The tested LAB and S. aureus strains proved to be mutually non-competitive or only slightly competitive during co-cultivation. In addition, under the above-mentioned conditions, differential gene expression between the S. aureus MW2 and Sa1612 strains was well documented. S. aureus growth was changed in mixed culture with LAB; however, its effect on the repression of sea and sec expression correlated with production of these virulence factors. In comparison, the presence of LAB strains generally inhibited the expression of sec, sell, sarA, seaS, agrA/RNAII and hld/RNAIII genes. The effect of LAB strains presence on the expression of sea, codY, srrA, rot and sigB genes was medium, time, LAB and S. aureus strain specific. SEA and SEC production was significantly reduced in milk compared to TSB in pure culture. After the 24-h cultivation, S. aureus MW2 and Sa1612 SEC production was 187 and 331 times lower in milk compared to TSB, respectively (0.07 and 0.39 ng/mL in milk, versus 13.1 and 129.2 ng/mL in TSB, respectively). At the same time S. aureus MW2 and Sa1612 SEA production was 77 and 68 times lower in milk compared to TSB, respectively (0.99 and 0.17 ng/mL in milk, versus 76.4 and 11.5 ng/mL in TSB, respectively). This study has revealed new insights into the interaction between S. aureus and LAB (L. plantarum, S. thermophilus, E. durans) on the level of the expression and/or production of S. aureus enterotoxins, regulatory and virulence genes in different media, including milk. This study provides data which may improve the quality of food production.
Education of parents in Pavlik harness application for developmental dysplasia of the hip using a validated simulated learning module
Authors: Gargan Kate E. , Bradley Catharine S. , Maxwell Alexandra , Moktar Joel , Wedge John H. , Murnaghan M. Lucas , Kelley Simon P. 
Published: June 2016

Background The Pavlik harness is the most common initial treatment for developmental dysplasia of the hip worldwide. During treatment, parents are required to re-apply the harness at home. Teaching parents how to apply the harness is therefore paramount to success. While simulated learning for medical training is commonplace, it has not yet been trialed in teaching parents how to apply a Pavlik harness. Methods A group of parents underwent a simulated learning module for Pavlik harness application. Parents were evaluated pre- and post-exposure and at one month after testing. A validated objective structured assessment of technical skill (OSATS) and a global rating scale (GRS) specific to Pavlik harness application were used for evaluation. A control group of parents was also tested at both time points. A clinical expert group was used to determine competency. ANOVA and t tests were used to assess differences between groups and over time. Results Parent scores on the OSATS improved to the level of expert clinicians both immediately post-intervention and at retention testing. However, on the GRS, only half were considered competent due to their inability to achieve the required hip positions. The control group did not improve nor were they considered competent. Conclusions The use of a simulated learning module improves both the confidence and skill level of parents in the application of the Pavlik harness. However, the challenges parents face in understanding the more detailed subtleties of medical care suggest that they still require an appropriate level of supervision by clinicians to ensure effective treatment.
Couple-Based Psychosexual Support Following Prostate Cancer Surgery: Results of a Feasibility Pilot Randomized Control Trial
Authors: Robertson Jane , McNamee Phillip , Molloy Gerry , Hubbard Gill , McNeill Alan , Bollina Prasad , Kelly Daniel , Forbat Liz 
Published: June 2016

ABSTRACT

Introduction
Surgery for prostate cancer can result in distressing side effects such as sexual difficulties, which are associated with lower levels of dyadic functioning. The study developed and tested an intervention to address sexual, relational, and emotional aspects of the relationship after prostate cancer by incorporating elements of family systems theory and sex therapy.

Aims
To develop and test the feasibility and acceptability of relational psychosexual treatment for couples with prostate cancer, determine whether a relational-psychosexual intervention is feasible and acceptable for couples affected by prostate cancer, and determine the parameters for a full-scale trial.

Methods
Forty-three couples were recruited for this pilot randomized controlled trial and received a six-session manual-based psychosexual intervention or usual care. Outcomes were measured before, after, and 6 months after the intervention. Acceptability and feasibility were established from recruitment and retention rates and adherence to the manual.

Main Outcome Measures
The primary outcome measurement was the sexual bother subdomain of the Expanded Prostate Cancer Index Composite. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and the 15-item Systemic Clinical Outcome and Routine Evaluation (SCORE-15) were used to measure emotional and relational functioning, respectively.

Results
The intervention was feasible and acceptable. The trial achieved adequate recruitment (38%) and retention (74%) rates. The intervention had a clinically and statistically significant effect on sexual bother immediately after the intervention. Small decreases in anxiety and depression were observed for the intervention couples, although these were not statistically significant. Practitioners reported high levels of adherence to the manual.

Conclusion
The clinically significant impact on sexual bother and positive feedback on the study's feasibility and acceptability indicate that the intervention should be tested in a multicenter trial. The SCORE-15 lacked specificity for this intervention, and future trials would benefit from a couple-focused measurement.
Characteristics of Intratendinous Microcirculation Shortly After an Achilles Rupture and Subsequent Treatment Outcomes
Authors: Chang Yi‐Ping , Shih Kao‐Shang , Chiang Hongsen , Ma Hsiao‐Li , Lin Leou‐Chyr , Peng Wei‐Chen , Wen Che‐Sheng , Wang Hsing‐Kuo 
Published: June 2016

AbstractBackgroundEarly microcirculatory responses after experimental tenotomy are critical to the healing of tendons and their ultimate tensile strength. The effects of changes in microcirculation on the outcomes of tendon healing, however, have not been determined.ObjectivesTo assess microcirculation values in injured Achilles tendons in the first 3 months after surgical repair and to correlate the inter‐limb microcirculatory changes with functional outcomes at 3 and 6 months after surgery.DesignCase‐control study.SettingA university sports physiotherapy laboratory.ParticipantsThirteen subjects (median age: 45 years; range: 34.8‐51.9 years) with a repaired Achilles tendon were recruited.Methods or InterventionSurgical repair.Main Outcome MeasurementsMeasurements were obtained at 1, 2, 3, and 6 months after surgery. Bilateral measurements of tendon microcirculation (total hemoglobin [THb] and oxygen saturation [StO2]) were recorded at the first 3 time points, whereas outcome measures of a Taiwan Chinese version of the Victorian Institute of Sport Assessment Scale‐Achilles questionnaire, one‐leg hopping distance, the star excursion balance test, and the heel raise index were conducted at the third and fourth time points. Correlations between the inter‐limb microcirculatory changes, eg, between the measurements at 2 months and 1 month (2‐1) after surgery, at 3 months and 2 months (3‐2) after surgery, and at 3 months and 1 month (3‐1) after surgery, and the outcome measures were investigated.ResultsCompared with the noninjured tendons, the repaired Achilles demonstrated greater THb (at 1, 2, and 3 months; P = .017, .008, and .012 respectively) and StO2 (at 3 months; P = .017). Furthermore, the THb2‐1 and THb3‐2, StO2 2‐1, and StO2 3‐2 showed correlations with the heel raise index, differences in the star excursion balance test and one‐leg hopping distance between the noninjured leg and injured leg, and Taiwan Chinese version of the Victorian Institute of Sport Assessment Scale‐Achilles questionnaire scores (rho −0.921 to 0.855).ConclusionsChanges in the inter‐limb microcirculation shortly after Achilles repair were correlated with subsequent symptoms and functional symmetry.Level of EvidenceIII
OnabotulinumtoxinA Injection for Poststroke Upper‐Limb Spasticity: Guidance for Early Injectors From a Delphi Panel Process
Authors: Simpson David M. , Patel Atul T. , Alfaro Abraham , Ayyoub Ziyad , Charles David , Dashtipour Khashayar , Esquenazi Alberto , Graham Glenn D. , McGuire John R. , Odderson Ib 
Published: June 2016

AbstractBackgroundOnabotulinumtoxinA reduces muscle hypertonia associated with poststroke spasticity (PSS). PSS manifests as several common postures.ObjectiveTo define treatment paradigms for PSS upper‐limb common postures.DesignModified Delphi method.SettingExpert panel.ParticipantsTen injectors experienced in the treatment and clinical research of PSS (physiatrists and neurologists) were invited to participate in the Delphi panel.MethodsThe Delphi panel reviewed an electronic worksheet with PSS upper‐limb postures to define onabotulinumtoxinA treatment paradigms (Round 1). During Round 2, panel members discussed in person Round 1 results and voted until consensus (≥66% agreement). Recommendations were geared toward those with new or early injection experience.Main Outcome MeasurementsExpert consensus on onabotulinumtoxinA treatment parameters for PSS including muscles to inject, dose per muscle and posture, and treatment adjustments for suboptimal response.ResultsFor each posture, consensus was reached on targeted subsets of muscles. Doses ranged for individual muscles (10‐100 U) and total doses per posture (50‐200 U). An onabotulinumtoxinA dilution 50 U/mL (2:1 dilution ratio) was considered most appropriate; dilution ratios of 1:1 to 4:1 may be appropriate in some circumstances. The majority (89%) of panel members would increase the dose and/or the number of muscles treated for a suboptimal response to onabotulinumtoxinA. The panel identified 3 common aggregate upper‐limb postures: (1) adducted shoulder + flexed elbow + pronated forearm + flexed wrist + clenched fist; (2) flexed elbow + pronated forearm + flexed wrist + clenched fist; and (3) flexed wrist + clenched fist. The recommended starting dose per aggregate was 300 U, 300 U, and 200 U, with a total maximum dose of 400 U, 400 U, and 300 U, respectively. Localization guidance techniques were considered essential for all postures.ConclusionsConsensus on common muscles and onabotulinumtoxinA treatment paradigms for postures associated with upper‐limb PSS was achieved via a modified Delphi method. The purpose of this analysis is to educate early onabotulinumtoxinA injectors rather than provide an evidence‐based review.Level of EvidenceV
Exercise Benefits for Chronic Low Back Pain in Overweight and Obese Individuals
Authors: Wasser Joseph G. , Vasilopoulos Terrie , Zdziarski Laura Ann , Vincent Heather K. 
Published: June 2016

AbstractOverweight and obese individuals with chronic low back pain (LBP) struggle with the combined physical challenges of physical activity and pain interference during daily life; perceived disability increases, pain symptoms worsen, and performance of functional tasks and quality of life (QOL) decline. Consistent participation in exercise programs positively affects several factors including musculoskeletal pain, perceptions of disability due to pain, functional ability, QOL, and body composition. It is not yet clear, however, what differential effects occur among different easily accessible exercise modalities in the overweight‐obese population with chronic LBP. This narrative review synopsizes available randomized and controlled, or controlled and comparative, studies of easily accessible exercise programs on pain severity, QOL, and other outcomes, such as physical function or body composition change, in overweight‐obese persons with chronic LBP. We identified 16 studies (N = 1,351) of various exercise programs (aerobic exercise [AX], resistance exercise [RX], aquatic exercise [AQU], and yoga‐Pilates) that measured efficacy on LBP symptoms, and at least one other outcome such as perceived disability, QOL, physical function, and body composition. RX, AQU, and Pilates exercise programs demonstrated the greatest effects on pain reduction, perceived disability, QOL, and other health components. The highest adherence rate occurred with RX and AQU exercise programs, indicating that these types of programs may provide a greater overall impact on relevant outcomes for overweight‐obese LBP patients.Level of EvidenceV
Construct validity and reliability of Finnish version of Örebro Musculoskeletal Pain Screening Questionnaire
Authors: Ruokolainen Olli , Haapea Marianne , Linton Steven , Korniloff Katariina , Häkkinen Arja , Paananen Markus , Karppinen Jaro 
Published: June 2016

Abstract

Introduction
Chronic pain causes suffering for affected individuals and incurs costs to society through work disability. Interventions based on early screening of psychological risk factors for chronic pain using screening tools such as the Örebro Musculoskeletal Pain Screening Questionnaire (ÖMPSQ) have been found to reduce work absenteeism and health care visits and increase perceived health. The aim of the current study was to translate the ÖMPSQ into Finnish and test its validity and reliability in a patient sample.

Methods
The ÖMPSQ was forward–backward translated and cross-culturally adapted, and applied to our study population (n = 69), the members of which had been referred to the Department of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine of Oulu University Hospital from primary health care centres in Northern Finland due to chronic low back pain. The patients answered the ÖMPSQ two weeks before the hospital visit, and the follow-up questionnaire either during the hospital visit, or after by mail. The reliability of the ÖMPSQ was evaluated using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC). Factor analysis was used to group items of the ÖMPSQ, and internal consistency between the items was determined by calculating Cronbach’s alphas.

Results
The cross-cultural adaptation revealed only minor semantic and cultural differences. Measurements showed reliability as moderate to nearly perfect for all of the ÖMPSQ items (ICC values ranged from 0.59 to 0.96). Items loaded into five different factors: disability, psychological symptoms, pain, fear avoidance, and work. All except one (work) showed acceptable internal consistency. The ÖMPSQ score was positively associated with both intensity of pain and the Oswestry Disability Index.

Conclusions and implications
The reliability and construct validity of the Finnish version of the ÖMPSQ were good. The predictive ability of the ÖMPSQ in the Finnish population should be evaluated in further studies.
“He Who Owns the Trifels, Owns the Reich”: Nazi Medievalism and the Creation of the Volksgemeinschaft in the Palatinate
Authors: Link Fabian , Hornburg Mark W. 
Published: June 2016

AbstractThis article analyzes the interplay between Nazi cultural politics and regional identity in the Palatinate region of Germany through the lens of the Ludwig Siebert program. Created by Bavarian Minister-President Ludwig Siebert in the early 1930s to stimulate the regional construction industry, this program involved the conservation of medieval castles and ruins in Bavaria and the Palatinate. The renovation of these monuments, which had been central to the cultural memory and identity of Pfälzers since at least the nineteenth century, proved to be effective in mobilizing the local populace for Siebert's aims and, consequently, for the goals of the Nazi regime. Because its melding of cultural politics and regional identity helped to stabilize the regime in the Palatinate during its early years, the Siebert program provides a particularly illustrative microhistorical case study of the Nazi regime's mechanisms for creating the Volksgemeinschaft in the provinces. By focusing on the Palatinate town of Annweiler, which sits at the foot of the storied Trifels castle, a favored renovation project of Siebert's, this article offers a closely observed demonstration of these mechanisms at work.
Survival and quality of life in oropharyngeal cancer patients treated with primary chemoradiation after salivary gland transfer
Authors: Morand G B , Madana J , Da Silva S D , Roskies M , Sultanem K , Black M J , Mlynarek A M , Hier M P 
Published: June 2016

AbstractObjectives:Salivary gland transfer surgery can reduce xerostomia in oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma patients undergoing primary chemoradiation. A potential drawback of salivary gland transfer is the treatment delay associated with the surgery, and its complications. This study aimed to determine whether the treatment delay affects patient survival and to evaluate patient quality of life after salivary gland transfer.Methods:A retrospective analysis of 138 patients (salivary gland transfer group, n = 58; non-salivary gland transfer group, n = 80) was performed. Patient survival was compared between these groups using multivariate analysis. Salivary gland transfer patients were further evaluated for surgical complications and for quality of life using the head and neck module of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire.Results:Salivary gland transfer and non-salivary gland transfer patients had comparable baseline clinical characteristics. Salivary gland transfer patients experienced a median treatment delay of 16.5 days before chemoradiation (p = 0.035). Multivariate analysis showed that this did not, however, correspond to a survival disadvantage (p = 0.24 and p = 0.97 for disease-free and disease-specific survival, respectively). A very low complication rate was reported for the salivary gland transfer group (1.7 per cent). Questionnaire scores for the item ‘xerostomia’ were very low in salivary gland transfer patients.Conclusion:The treatment delay associated with salivary gland transfer surgery does not negatively affect patient survival. Oropharyngeal squamous cell patients have an excellent quality of life after salivary gland transfer.
Contestation ‘all the way down’? The grammar of contestation in norm research
Authors: Niemann Holger , Schillinger Henrik 
Published: June 2016

AbstractThe meaning of norms is empirically contested. Supposing an inherent instability of norm meaning, contestation, therefore, represents a fundamental conceptual challenge to the mainstream view on norms as shared understandings. By offering a grammatical reading of Antje Wiener’s approach to contestation, we examine how norm research addresses this challenge to its theoretical core assumption. We argue that the grammar of Wiener’s approach, despite its reflexive starting point, ultimately reintroduces an understanding of norms as facts and leads to a normative ‘politics of reality’. This effectively turns contestation into a disruption of the ‘normal’ state of norms. Demonstrating the challenges of theorising normswithrather thanagainstcontestation, the article concludes that norm research has yet to find ways to account for contestation ‘all the way down’ in order to sustain norms as a productive analytical concept in IR.
Possible implications of seed dispersal by the howler monkey for the early recruitment of a legume tree in small rain-forest fragments in Mexico
Authors: Anzures-Dadda Alberto , Manson Robert H. , Andresen Ellen , Martínez M. Luisa 
Published: June 2016

Abstract:Primates are important seed dispersers in tropical forests, but they are being lost due to forest fragmentation. We compared post-dispersal seed fate and seedling density for the tree Dialium guianense, in forest fragments in which its main seed disperser, the mantled howler monkey (Alouatta palliata) is present, and in fragments in which it is absent. We also carried out a germination experiment to assess gut-passage effect. Seeds extracted from fruits had very low germination (2%) compared with defecated seeds (70%). Seeds in monkey faeces had a lower probability of being attacked by predators, but a higher probability of being attacked by fungus, when compared with seeds inside fruits. Seed fate was similar in fragments with vs. without monkeys, and in sites under parent trees vs. under monkey sleeping sites. Seedling density was highest under sleeping sites in fragments with monkeys, followed by sites under parent trees in fragments with monkeys, and it was lowest in uninhabited fragments, regardless of deposition site. Our study adds to an increasing line of evidence suggesting that loss of frugivores can have strong consequences for plant recruitment.
Understanding the demand for REDD+ credits
Authors: LAING TIMOTHY , TASCHINI LUCA , PALMER CHARLES 
Published: June 2016

SUMMARYReducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+) has emerged as a potentially important component of the global policy mix to mitigate climate change. Against a background of increasing engagement between private sector entities and conservation organizations, private sector investment has emerged in REDD+. Despite slow developments at the international scale, there continues to be private sector interest in REDD+ and continued voluntary investments in REDD+ projects and initiatives. In order to better understand possible models for private sector engagement in REDD+, this study analysed the motivation of private sector stakeholders to engage in REDD+, the perception of the potential of REDD+, the critical obstacles to making REDD+ functional and how actors perceive themselves as part of future REDD+ scenarios. Based on interviews and a workshop with private sector actors, this study found that few expect a regulatory market for REDD+ to emerge and that credits from the voluntary market have to be tailored to specific needs. As a carbon offset, REDD+ provides insufficient motivation for investment, particularly if cheaper alternatives exist. Co-benefits such as biodiversity conservation and community development are more important when traditional corporate social responsibility motivations play a role. Project scale remains important not only for the fact that smaller projects are viewed as offering more visible benefits to stakeholders but also as a means of having more control over risks on the ground, posing a challenge for the design of jurisdictional REDD+. Moving towards supply chains that are free from deforestation offers an opportunity to tackle commodity-driven deforestation. While questions remain about how such an approach might be integrated into REDD+, it could help address a perceived gap between private sector understanding of the values of REDD+ and the risks associated with these values not arising – termed here as a ‘missing middle’.