bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Metagenomic applications in environmental monitoring and bioremediation
Authors: Techtmann Stephen M , Hazen Terry C 
Published: August 2016

Abstract
With the rapid advances in sequencing technology, the cost of sequencing has dramatically dropped and the scale of sequencing projects has increased accordingly. This has provided the opportunity for the routine use of sequencing techniques in the monitoring of environmental microbes. While metagenomic applications have been routinely applied to better understand the ecology and diversity of microbes, their use in environmental monitoring and bioremediation is increasingly common. In this review we seek to provide an overview of some of the metagenomic techniques used in environmental systems biology, addressing their application and limitation. We will also provide several recent examples of the application of metagenomics to bioremediation. We discuss examples where microbial communities have been used to predict the presence and extent of contamination, examples of how metagenomics can be used to characterize the process of natural attenuation by unculturable microbes, as well as examples detailing the use of metagenomics to understand the impact of biostimulation on microbial communities.
Impact of long‐term elosulfase alfa treatment on respiratory function in patients with Morquio A syndrome
Authors: Hendriksz Christian J. , Berger Kenneth I. , Parini Rossella , AlSayed Moeenaldeen D. , Raiman Julian , Giugliani Roberto , Mitchell John J. , Burton Barbara K. , Guelbert Norberto , Stewart Fiona , Hughes Derralynn A. , Matousek Robert , Jurecki Elaina , Decker Celeste , Harmatz Paul R. 
Published: August 2016

AbstractObjectiveTo present long‐term respiratory function outcomes from an open‐label, multi‐center, phase 3 extension study (MOR‐005) of elosulfase alfa enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) in patients with Morquio A syndrome.MethodsIn part 1 of MOR‐005, patients initially randomized to ERT in the 24‐week pivotal study (MOR‐004) remained on their regimen (2.0 mg/kg/week or every other week); placebo patients were re‐randomized to one of the two regimens. During part 2, all patients received elosulfase alfa 2.0 mg/kg/week. Respiratory function was one of the efficacy endpoints evaluated in MOR‐005. Change from MOR‐004 baseline to 120 weeks of treatment for the combined population was determined and compared with results from untreated patients from a Morquio A natural history study (MorCAP).ResultsMaximum voluntary ventilation (MVV) improved up to week 72 and then stabilized; forced vital capacity (FVC) and forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) increased continuously over 120 weeks. Mean increases in the modified per‐protocol population was 9.2 % for FVC, 8.8 % for FEV1, and 6.1 % for MVV after 120 weeks. All patients ≤14 years showed respiratory improvements, presumably in part related to growth; however, these were greater in treated patients. For those >14 years, treated patients showed improvements, while deterioration occurred in untreated. Altogether, the improvements were significantly greater (P < 0.05) in treated patients.ConclusionsLong‐term ERT is associated with sustained improvements in respiratory function in Morquio A. In younger patients (≤14 years), some improvement may be ascribed to growth. In older patients, other mechanisms, e.g., decreased glycosaminoglycan storage, are likely involved.
Is Symptomatic Long QT Syndrome Associated with Depression in Women and Men?
Authors: Wesołowska Karolina , Elovainio Marko , Koponen Mikael , Tuiskula Annukka M. , Hintsanen Mirka , Keltikangas‐Järvinen Liisa , Määttänen Ilmari , Swan Heikki , Hintsa Taina 
Published: August 2016

AbstractWe examined whether long QT syndrome (LQTS) mutation carrier status or symptomatic LQTS are associated with depression, and whether there are sex differences in these potential relationships. The sample comprised 782 participants (252 men). Of the 369 genetically defined LQTS mutation carriers, 169 were symptomatic and 200 were asymptomatic. The control group consisted of 413 unaffected relatives. Depression was assessed using the Beck Depression Inventory‐II (BDI‐II). No association was found for LQTS mutation carrier status with depression. The multinomial logistic regression showed that LQTS mutation carrier men with arrhythmic events scored higher on depression compared with the control group, even when adjusting for age, β‐blockers, antidepressants, and social support (OR = 1.09, 95 % CI [1.02, 1.15], p = .007). The binary logistic regression comparing symptomatic and asymptomatic LQTS mutation carriers showed that symptomatic LQTS was associated with depression in men (OR = 1.10, 95 % CI [1.03, 1.19], p = .009). The results were unchanged when additionally adjusted for education. These findings suggest that symptomatic LQTS is associated with depression in men but not in women. Overall, however, depression is more frequent in women than men. Thus, regular screening for depression in LQTS mutation carriers and their unaffected family members can be important.
Cross-Sectional Associations of Objectively-Measured Physical Activity and Sedentary Time with Body Composition and Cardiorespiratory Fitness in Mid-Childhood: The PANIC Study
Authors: Collings Paul J. , Westgate Kate , Väistö Juuso , Wijndaele Katrien , Atkin Andrew J. , Haapala Eero A. , Lintu Niina , Laitinen Tomi , Ekelund Ulf , Brage Soren , Lakka Timo A. 
Published: August 2016

Abstract
Background
The minimum intensity of physical activity (PA) that is associated with favourable body composition and cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) remains unknown.

Objective
To investigate cross-sectional associations of PA and sedentary time (ST) with body composition and CRF in mid-childhood.

Methods
PA, ST, body composition and CRF were measured in a population-based sample of 410 children (aged 7.6 ± 0.4 years). Combined heart-rate and movement sensing provided estimates of PA energy expenditure (PAEE, kJ/kg/day) and time (min/day) at multiple fine-grained metabolic equivalent (MET) levels, which were also collapsed to ST and light PA (LPA), moderate PA (MPA) and vigorous PA (VPA). Fat mass index (FMI, kg/m2), trunk fat mass index (TFMI, kg/m2) and fat-free mass index (FFMI, kg/m2.5) were derived from dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Maximal workload from a cycle ergometer test provided a measure of CRF (W/kg FFM). Linear regression and isotemporal substitution models were used to investigate associations.

Results
The cumulative time above 2 METs (221 J/min/kg) was inversely associated with FMI and TFMI in both sexes (p < 0.001) whereas time spent above 3 METs was positively associated with CRF (p ≤ 0.002); CRF increased and adiposity decreased dose-dependently with increasing MET levels. ST was positively associated with FMI and TFMI (p < 0.001) but there were inverse associations between all PA categories (including LPA) and adiposity (p ≤ 0.002); the magnitude of these associations depended on the activity being displaced in isotemporal substitution models but were consistently stronger for VPA. PAEE, MPA and to a greater extent VPA, were all positively related to CRF (p ≤ 0.001).

Conclusions
PA exceeding 2 METs is associated with lower adiposity in mid-childhood, whereas PA of 3 METs is required to benefit CRF. VPA was most beneficial for fitness and fatness, from a time-for-time perspective, but displacing any lower-for-higher intensity may be an important first-order public health strategy.
Clinical trial registry number (website): NCT01803776 (https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01803776).
A late Holocene molecular hydrogen isotope record of the East Asian Summer Monsoon in Southwest Japan
Authors: van Soelen Els E. , Ohkouchi Naohiko , Suga Hisami , Damsté Jaap S. Sinninghe , Reichart Gert-Jan 
Published: August 2016

AbstractPrecipitation in Japan is strongly affected by the East Asian monsoon system, resulting in wet summer conditions and relatively dry winter conditions. Few paleo-monsoon records exist from northeastern Asia, especially records showing decadal- to centennial-scale variability. Here we present a molecular hydrogen isotope (δD) record from Lake Kaiike, a small coastal lake in southwest Japan, to provide insight into monsoonal precipitation over the past two millennia. The δD record of friedelin, a terrestrial higher plant lipid, reveals three major shifts in precipitation: a decline from >-185‰ to <-190‰ at 1700 cal yr BP suggests a change to wetter conditions; values between -187.5‰ and -180‰ from 1480 to 800 cal yr BP indicate reduced precipitation; and a decline to below -195‰ after 800 cal yr BP reflects moist conditions during the Little Ice Age. These results highlight variability in the intensity of the East Asian Summer Monsoon occurring on decadal to centennial time scales. El Niño-like conditions are likely responsible for periods of high monsoon intensity, but comparison with other records in the region (northeast China and Japan) shows that contradicting patterns also exist, and so explaining these rainfall patterns is not straightforward.
National Strategy for Mass Casualty Situations and its Effects on the Hospital
Authors: Levi Leon , Michaelson Moshe , Admi Hanna , Bregman David , Bar-Nahor Ronen 
Published: August 2016

AbstractA mass-casualty situation (MCS) usually is short in duration and resolves itself. To minimize the risks to patients during MCS, planning is essential. This article summarizes the preparations needed at the hospital level, for a local MCS involving numerous trauma victims arriving to the Emergency Department at a short notice. Experiences and conclusions related to the implementation of the Israeli strategy in one hospital that combines the responsibilities of both the military and civilians are summarized.The Ministry of Health distributes the master MCS plan to each hospital where a local committee adapts it to the specific situation in a format of standing orders. After its approval by the Ministry of Health, an annual inspection is conducted to check the ability of the staff to manage a MCS. A full-scale drill is conducted every second year during which each site's readiness level and the continuity of the flow of care are tested.In building the strategy for treating trauma victims during a MCS, a few assumptions were taken into account. The goal of treatment in a MCS is to deliver an acceptable quality of care while preserving as many lives as is possible. In theory, the capacity of the hospital is its ability to manage a load of patients in the range of 20% of the hospital bed capacity. Planning and drilling are the ways to minimize deviations from the guidelines and to avoid management mistakes. Special attention should be paid to problems related to the initial phase of receiving the first message, outside communication, inside hospital communication, and staff recruitment. Other issues include: free access to the hospital; opening a public information center; and dealing with the media and very important persons (VIPs).A new method for creating the needed MCS plan in the hospital is suggested. It is based upon knowledge of management techniques that used multi-level documents, which are spread via Intranet between the different key figures. Using this method, it is possible to keep the strategy, the source documentation, and reasons for choosing it, as well as immediate release of checklists for each functions. This detailed, time consuming work is worthwhile in the long run, when the benefits of easy updating and better preparedness are apparent.
Can the “Golden Hour of Shock” Safely Be Extended in Blunt Polytrauma Patients? Prospective Cohort Study at a Level I Hospital in Eastern Switzerland
Authors: Osterwalder Joseph J. 
Published: August 2016

AbstractBackground:The objective was to test, in this trauma system, the North American hypothesis that exceeding the 60-minute limit for the entire prehospital time (“golden hour of shock”) increases mortality of blunt polytrauma patients.Methods:In a prospective, observational, cohort study conducted between 1990 and 1996, a severity characterization of trauma (ASCOT) score was used to compare the actual mortality with the predicted mortality in 107 blunt polytrauma patients (Group 1) with prehospital rescue periods ≤60 minutes (time from accident until arrival at the emergency department). The same comparison was performed for 147 blunt polytrauma patients (Group 2) with rescue periods >60 minutes. Inclusion criteria were blunt trauma of at least two body sites, an Injury Severity Score (ISS) of ≥8, and direct admission to the trauma centre. Multivariate regression analysis was performed to test for bias and confounding, and to identify factors that might influence mortality. Odd ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated.Results:The mortality in Group 1 was 14%, and was not statisticvally significantly higher than the 10.2% observed for Group 2. 4.8 patients, or 47% more than predicted, died in Group 1 (p = 0.057). The corresponding figures in Group 2 were 4.2 patients or 22% fewer than predicted (p = 0.19). Multivariate logistic regression confirmed this trend with a significant mortality odds ratio of 8 (95% CI 1.7 to 38.5) for Group 1 compared to Group 2. Significantly more patients in Group 2 were treated by emergency physicians.Conclusions:It appears in this trauma system, in which emergency physicians often are deployed, that the ‘golden hour of shock’ can be extended safely in many blunt polytrauma patients, since this was associated with better survival figures than in those patients for whom the time was <1 hour.
Population Density and Occurrence of Accidents in Finland
Authors: Nieminen Seppo , Lehtonen Olli-Pekka , Linna Miika 
Published: August 2016

Abstract

Introduction:

About one million accidents occur yearly in Finland (population 5.2
million), resulting in over 3,000 deaths, annually. The governmental and
municipal authorities are responsible for the healthcare services that
respond to these accidents. So far, resources for these services have
been allocated according to regional equality, or in some cases, on the
basis of population numbers. However, economical and effective resource
allocation should be based on detailed risk analysis of the
accidents.

Hypothesis:

In areas with more dense populations, the level of social activity
is greater, which leads to an increased risk for accidents (traffic,
civil disturbance, etc.).

Methods:

The number of accidents was estimated on the basis of registered
emergency trauma patients using the Finnish healthcare statistics for
the year 1999. The emergency visits were compared to the populations and
populations’ densities of the regional sub-units. The rate of emergency
injuries was analysed by regression analysis according to varying
population density in Finland.

Results:

The number of accidents per inhabitants was related directly to
population density. There was a correlation between emergency visits per
inhabitant and population density (p
<0.0001). According to estimates, each 1% increase in population
density is associated with a 0.4% increase in the risk of
accidents.

Conclusion:

The relationship between population density and rate of emergency
visits is decisive for the planning of emergency services. Services
should be placed in areas of high population densities where there are
more people with greater risk of accidents.
Aum Shinrikyo and the Japanese Law on Bioterrorism
Authors: Sugishima Masaaki 
Published: August 2016

AbstractBefore the sarin incidents in Tokyo and Matsumoto, the Aum Shinrikyo (now Aleph) had tried to conduct bioterrorism with botulinum toxin and Bacillus anthracis. Followers of the Aum could not overcome technical difficulties inherent in developing biological weapons, and the perpetrators had not been prosecuted for their failed attempts of bioterrorism. But the Aum's biological attack revealed several shortcomings in the Japanese law that regulated biological weapons. Since the missile experiment of North Korea conducted in 1998, the Japanese government has come to consider the threat posed by biological weapons more seriously. In 2001, after the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks and the series of anthrax letter scares in the United States of America, the Japanese government established its Five Basic Principles for Chemical and Biological Weapons Terrorism and several measures were taken at the central and local levels. Activities of the Aum have been monitored by the Public Security Investigation Agency and the National Police Agency under the Anti-Aum Law since 2000.
Nursing in Sudden-Onset Disasters: Factors and Information that Affect
Participation
Authors: Mitani Satoko , Kuboyama Kazutoshi , Shirakawa Taro 
Published: August 2016

Abstract

Introduction:

Little has been reported regarding the minimum conditions,
information, and knowledge essential for dispatching nurses to join in
sudden-onset disaster events from the viewpoint of nurses. This paper
explores the issues and concerns that nurses faced when asked to respond
to the 1995 Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake event in Japan.

Methods:

A standardized written survey tool was developed using input from
four nurses who had responded to the disaster event. Questionnaires that
included both “yes” and “no” answers and multiple-choice answers were
developed and sent to 823 nurses who worked in four hospitals.

Results:

A total of 477/823(58.0%) questionnaires were completed and
returned. Of the respondents to the questionnaire, 309 (62.1%) were
qualified nurses, and 148 (37.9%) were students. Sixty-nine (15%) of the
total 477 respondents participated in the disaster response to the Great
Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake. Primary among respondents' concerns were that
they should wait for their superiors or institutions to direct them to
go “somewhere” and to do “something” and how far away from home would
they be required to travel. Home responsibilities conflicting with
disaster response were a common concern for respondents.

Conclusion:

Managers should consider including the following conditions in
disaster dispatch plans: (1) the dispatches should be made part of
nursing duties; (2) the disaster plan should be constructed with
organizations near disaster sites; and (3) clear directions regarding
destination and expected activities should be provided to
nurses.
Overview of the Psychosocial Impact of Disasters
Authors: Leon Gloria R. 
Published: August 2016

AbstractThe psychosocial sequelae can be intense and of long duration in the aftermath of natural and technological disasters, as well as terrorist attacks. Posttraumatic stress symptoms and full syndrome disorder, depression, anxiety, somatic complaints, and excessive alcohol use have been demonstrated consistently, particularly following large-scale disasters. This paper examines the psychological research conducted at various intervals after extensive natural disasters, the Three Mile Island and Chernobyl technological accidents, and recent terrorist events in the United States. Factors predictive of the emergence of emotional distress and psychological and physical problems following a disaster also are discussed.
Half-a-Million Strong: The Emergency Medical Services Response to a Single-Day, Mass-Gathering Event
Authors: Feldman Michael J. , Lukins Jane L. , Verbeek P. Richard , MacDonald Russell D. , Burgess Robert J. , Schwartz Brian 
Published: August 2016

AbstractIntroduction:Emergency medical services (EMS) responses to mass gatherings have been described frequently, but there are few reports describing the response to a single-day gathering of large magnitude.Objective:This report describes the EMS response to the largest single-day, ticketed concert held in North America: the 2003 “Toronto Rocks!” Rolling Stones Concert.Methods:Medical care was provided by paramedics, physicians, and nurses. Care sites included ambulances, medically equipped, all-terrain vehicles, bicycle paramedic units, first-aid tents, and a 124-bed medical facility that included a field hospital and a rehydration unit. Records from the first-aid tents, ambulances, paramedic teams, and rehydration unit were obtained. Data abstracted included patient demographics, chief complaint, time of incident, treatment, and disposition.Results:More than 450,000 people attended the concert and 1,870 sought medical care (42/10,000 attendees). No record was kept for the 665 attendees simply requesting water, sunscreen, or bandages. Of the remaining 1,205 patients, the average of the ages was 28 ±11 years, and 61% were female. Seven-hundred, ninety-five patients (66%) were cared for at one of the first-aid tents. Physicians at the tents assisted in patient management and disposition when crowds restricted ambulance movement. Common complaints included headache (321 patients; 27%), heat-related complaints (148; 12%), nausea or vomiting (91; 7.6%), musculoskeletal complaints (83; 6.9%), and breathing problems (79; 6.6%). Peak activity occurred between 14:00 and 19:00 hours, when 102 patients per hour sought medical attention. Twenty-four patients (0.5/10,000) were transferred to off-site hospitals.Conclusions:This report on the EMS response, outcomes, and role of the physicians at a large single-day mass gathering may assist EMS planners at future events.
Implementing the Hospital Emergency Incident Command System: An Integrated Delivery System's Experience
Authors: Zane Richard D. , Prestipino Ann L. 
Published: August 2016

AbstractIntroduction:Hospital disaster manuals and response plans often lack formal command structure; instead, they rely on the presence of key individuals who are familiar with hospital operations, or who are in leadership positions during routine, day-to-day operations. Although this structure occasionally may prove to be successful, it is unreliable, as this leadership may be unavailable at the time of the crisis, and may not be sustainable during a prolonged event. The Hospital Emergency Incident Command System (HEICS) provides a command structure that does not rely on specific individuals, is flexible and expandable, and is ubiquitous in the fire service, emergency medical services, military, and police agencies, thus allowing for ease of communication during event management.Methods:A descriptive report of the implementation of the HEICS throughout a large healthcare network is reviewed. Results and Conclusions: Implementation of the HEICS provides a consistent command structure for hospitals that enables consistency and commonality with other hospitals and disaster response entities.