bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Factors affecting in‐hospital informal caregiving as decided by families: findings from a longitudinal study conducted in acute medical units
Authors: Ambrosi Elisa , Biavati Catia , Guarnier Annamaria , Barelli Paolo , Zambiasi Paola , Allegrini Elisabetta , Bazoli Letizia , Casson Paola , Marin Meri , Padovan Marisa , Picogna Michele , Taddia Patrizia , Salmaso Daniele , Chiari Paolo , Frison Tiziana , Marognolli Oliva , Benaglio Carla , Canzan Federica , Saiani Luisa , Palese Alvisa ,   ESAMED Group
Published: May 2016

BackgroundInformal caregiving offered by family members has been widely studied in the community setting, but little attention to date has been dedicated to that offered at the hospital level.AimsTo describe the proportion of patients admitted to acute medical units receiving care from informal caregivers as decided by the family and to identify the factors affecting the numbers of care shifts performed by informal caregivers.Design and methodsA longitudinal study was performed involving 12 acute medical units located in 12 northern Italian hospitals.ResultsAll patients (N = 1464) admitted to medical units were included, and 77.1% of them received at least one shift of informal care during their in‐hospital stay, especially during the mornings and afternoons. At the patient level, those at higher risk of prolonged hospitalisation and difficult discharge at admission, and those reporting higher occurrence of adverse events, such as pressure sores, confusion events and use of physical restraints during hospitalisation, were more likely receiving informal care. At the nursing care level, a higher amount of missed nursing care was associated with an increased number of care shifts offered by informal caregivers during patient hospitalisation, whereas the amount of care offered by staff was a protective factor.ConclusionsFamilies play a care role in the care of older patients admitted to acute medical units. They contribute substantially to the care of patients, especially during morning and afternoon shifts.
Perceived Anti‐Germanism in Austria
Authors: Greth Julia , Köllen Thomas 
Published: May 2016

AbstractGermans working in Austria are confronted with several subliminal resentments. Research on nationalism, racism, and diversity has overlooked this topic up to now, as Germans, as well as other Northern American or Western European citizens, are very rarely analysed as marginalized groups. Furthermore, the situation of migrants from geographically, linguistically, and culturally close countries, has received scant attention and been deemed of little importance up to now. The anti‐German sentiments in Austria are primarily based on the Austrian self‐perception of being non‐German as a constitutive element of ‘Austrian‐ness’. Related to that, negative attributions ascribed to Germans simultaneously mean a positive attribution of ‘Being Austrian’. Based on a content analysis of ten narrative interviews, conducted with Germans working in Austria, it appears that they permanently experience being categorized as ‘the Germans’, which leads to several types of exclusion, demotion, and also discrimination in the workplace. Differences in hierarchy level and perceived competition seem to moderate this effect. It appears that workplace superiors of Germans tend also to put an emphasis on positive stereotypes related with Germans, whereas Austrian colleagues on the same hierarchy level tend to performatively construct and reproduce ‘Being German’ as a deficit that they associate with negative stereotypes.
Endless Escape: From Syria to Turkey, Then to Europe
Authors: Kutlu‐Tonak Zümray 
Published: May 2016

AbstractThis article provides a critical analysis of the state of services that refugees – specifically Syrians – encounter in Turkey after they have fled their home countries but before they set out for Western Europe. Highlighting both the legislation passed by the state and the work conducted by non‐governmental organizations (NGOs) on the issues of accommodation, health care, education, and employment of refugees in Turkey, this article depicts the legal and actual situation in Turkey, which exacerbates the desire to get to Western Europe.
Predictors of Children's Rights Attitudes and Psychological Well‐being Among Rural and Urban Mainland Chinese Adolescents
Authors: To Sharon , Helwig Charles C. , Yang Shaogang 
Published: May 2016

AbstractThis study examined rural and urban Chinese adolescents’ (13–19 years, N = 395) attitudes toward children's self‐determination and nurturance rights, and how these attitudes relate to various dimensions of socialization in their family and school environments, including perceptions of parental and teacher autonomy support and responsiveness and family and school democratic climate. Relations between these variables and psychological well‐being also were examined. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that maternal responsiveness and teacher autonomy support predicted higher levels of endorsement of nurturance rights. Maternal autonomy support and tolerance of dissent at home predicted greater endorsement of self‐determination rights. Democratic climate in the home predicted higher life‐satisfaction and fewer depressive symptoms, even when parent and teacher autonomy support and responsiveness were controlled. Our findings suggest that environments that are structured more democratically and that are more responsive to children's autonomy needs are associated with higher levels of endorsement of children's rights and contribute to adolescents’ psychological health and well‐being in a non‐Western culture.
Comparison of microbial populations and foaming dynamics in conventional versus membrane enhanced biological phosphorous removal systems
Authors: Winkler M. ‐K. H. , Kröber Eileen , Mohn William W. , Koch Frederic , Frigon Dominic 
Published: May 2016

AbstractIn this study, molecular community analysis and analytical measurements were combined to assess and compare the identity, functionality, structure, and temporal changes of membrane and conventional enhanced biological phosphorous removal systems (which ran stable over 300 days) and to identify the dynamics of the foam forming population. Magnesium was added to the system with the goal to enhance phosphate removal. Both systems behaved similarly with respect to phosphate and nitrogen removal efficiency and had similar community evenness, but they differed in community composition. A principle component analysis indicated that, the community of the membrane system changed permanently whereas the conventional system returned to approximately its initial composition. The relative intensity of DGGE bands were transformed in a numerical matrix and based on this matrix a model was constructed, which predicted some bands as foam forming bands, which were identified as foam‐forming filamentous bacteria by sequencing.
Distribution of Staphylococcal Cassette Chromosome (SCC)
mec
Element Types in Fusidic Acid-Resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis and Identification of a Novel SCC
7684
Element
Authors: Chen Hsiao-Jan , Lin Yu-Tzu , Hung Wei-Chun , Tsai Jui-Chang , Hsueh Po-Ren , Teng Lee-Jene 
Published: May 2016

ABSTRACT

We analyzed the staphylococcal cassette chromosome
mec
(SCC
mec
) types of 143 fusidic acid- and methicillin-resistant
Staphylococcus epidermidis
isolates. The most frequent SCC
mec
type was SCC
mec
III/SCC
Hg
(53%), followed by SCC
mec
IV (29%). Clonal spreading of SCC
mec
III/SCC
Hg
strains contributed to the increased prevalence of SCC
mec
III. A novel non-
mec
SCC structure, SCC
7684
, adjacent to SCC
mec
III, which carries a new
ccrC
allotype (
ccrC3
allele 1) and contains heavy metal resistance genes, was identified in 14 isolates.
Antifungal Properties of Cationic Phenylene Ethynylenes and Their Impact on β-Glucan Exposure
Authors: Pappas Harry C. , Sylejmani Rina , Graus Matthew S. , Donabedian Patrick L. , Whitten David G. , Neumann Aaron K. 
Published: May 2016

ABSTRACT

Candida
species are the cause of many bloodstream infections through contamination of indwelling medical devices. These infections account for a 40% mortality rate, posing a significant risk to immunocompromised patients. Traditional treatments against
Candida
infections include amphotericin B and various azole treatments. Unfortunately, these treatments are associated with high toxicity, and resistant strains have become more prevalent. As a new frontier, light-activated phenylene ethynylenes have shown promising biocidal activity against Gram-positive and -negative bacterial pathogens, as well as the environmental yeast
Saccharomyces cerevisiae
. In this study, we monitored the viability of
Candida
species after treatment with a cationic conjugated polymer [poly(
p
-phenylene ethynylene); PPE] or oligomer [“end-only” oligo(
p
-phenylene ethynylene); EO-OPE] by flow cytometry in order to explore the antifungal properties of these compounds. The oligomer was found to disrupt
Candida albicans
yeast membrane integrity independent of light activation, while PPE is able to do so only in the presence of light, allowing for some control as to the manner in which cytotoxic effects are induced. The contrast in killing efficacy between the two compounds is likely related to their size difference and their intrinsic abilities to penetrate the fungal cell wall. Unlike EO-OPE-DABCO (where DABCO is quaternized diazabicyclo[2,2,2]octane), PPE-DABCO displayed a strong propensity to associate with soluble β-glucan, which is expected to inhibit its ability to access and perturb the inner cell membrane of
Candida
yeast. Furthermore, treatment with PPE-DABCO unmasked
Candida albicans
β-glucan and increased phagocytosis by Dectin-1-expressing HEK-293 cells. In summary, cationic phenylene ethynylenes show promising biocidal activity against pathogenic
Candida
yeast cells while also exhibiting immunostimulatory effects.
The Investigational Drug VT-1129 Is a Highly Potent Inhibitor of Cryptococcus Species CYP51 but Only Weakly Inhibits the Human Enzyme
Authors: Warrilow Andrew G. S. , Parker Josie E. , Price Claire L. , Nes W. David , Garvey Edward P. , Hoekstra William J. , Schotzinger Robert J. , Kelly Diane E. , Kelly Steven L. 
Published: May 2016

ABSTRACT

Cryptococcosis is a life-threatening disease often associated with HIV infection. Three
Cryptococcus
species CYP51 enzymes were purified and catalyzed the 14α-demethylation of lanosterol, eburicol, and obtusifoliol. The investigational agent VT-1129 bound tightly to all three CYP51 proteins (dissociation constant [

K
d

] range, 14 to 25 nM) with affinities similar to those of fluconazole, voriconazole, itraconazole, clotrimazole, and ketoconazole (

K
d

range, 4 to 52 nM), whereas VT-1129 bound weakly to human CYP51 (

K
d

, 4.53 μM). VT-1129 was as effective as conventional triazole antifungal drugs at inhibiting cryptococcal CYP51 activity (50% inhibitory concentration [IC
50
] range, 0.14 to 0.20 μM), while it only weakly inhibited human CYP51 activity (IC
50
, ∼600 μM). Furthermore, VT-1129 weakly inhibited human CYP2C9, CYP2C19, and CYP3A4, suggesting a low drug-drug interaction potential. Finally, the cellular mode of action for VT-1129 was confirmed to be CYP51 inhibition, resulting in the depletion of ergosterol and ergosta-7-enol and the accumulation of eburicol, obtusifolione, and lanosterol/obtusifoliol in the cell membranes.
A Pathogen-Selective Antibiotic Minimizes Disturbance to the Microbiome
Authors: Yao Jiangwei , Carter Robert A. , Vuagniaux Grégoire , Barbier Maryse , Rosch Jason W. , Rock Charles O. 
Published: May 2016

ABSTRACT
Broad-spectrum antibiotic therapy decimates the gut microbiome, resulting in a variety of negative health consequences. Debio 1452 is a staphylococcus-selective enoyl-acyl carrier protein reductase (FabI) inhibitor under clinical development and was used to determine whether treatment with pathogen-selective antibiotics would minimize disturbance to the microbiome. The effect of oral Debio 1452 on the microbiota of mice was compared to the effects of four commonly used broad-spectrum oral antibiotics. During the 10 days of oral Debio 1452 treatment, there was minimal disturbance to the gut bacterial abundance and composition, with only the unclassified S24-7 taxon reduced at days 6 and 10. In comparison, broad-spectrum oral antibiotics caused ∼100- to 4,000-fold decreases in gut bacterial abundance and severely altered the microbial composition. The gut bacterial abundance and composition of Debio 1452-treated mice were indistinguishable from those of untreated mice 2 days after the antibiotic treatment was stopped. In contrast, the bacterial abundance in broad-spectrum-antibiotic-treated mice took up to 7 days to recover, and the gut composition of the broad-spectrum-antibiotic-treated mice remained different from that of the control group 20 days after the cessation of antibiotic treatment. These results illustrate that a pathogen-selective approach to antibiotic development will minimize disturbance to the gut microbiome.
Large-Scale Screening and Identification of Novel Ebola Virus and Marburg Virus Entry Inhibitors
Authors: Anantpadma Manu , Kouznetsova Jennifer , Wang Hang , Huang Ruili , Kolokoltsov Andrey , Guha Rajarshi , Lindstrom Aaron R. , Shtanko Olena , Simeonov Anton , Maloney David J. , Maury Wendy , LaCount Douglas J. , Jadhav Ajit , Davey Robert A. 
Published: May 2016

ABSTRACT
Filoviruses are highly infectious, and no FDA-approved drug therapy for filovirus infection is available. Most work to find a treatment has involved only a few strains of Ebola virus and testing of relatively small drug libraries or compounds that have shown efficacy against other virus types. Here we report the findings of a high-throughput screening of 319,855 small molecules from the Molecular Libraries Small Molecule Repository library for their activities against Marburg virus and Ebola virus. Nine of the most potent, novel compounds that blocked infection by both viruses were analyzed in detail for their mechanisms of action. The compounds inhibited known key steps in the Ebola virus infection mechanism by blocking either cell surface attachment, macropinocytosis-mediated uptake, or endosomal trafficking. To date, very few specific inhibitors of macropinocytosis have been reported. The 2 novel macropinocytosis inhibitors are more potent inhibitors of Ebola virus infection and less toxic than ethylisopropylamiloride, one commonly accepted macropinocytosis inhibitor. Each compound blocked infection of primary human macrophages, indicating their potential to be developed as new antifiloviral therapies.
Silver and Nitrate Oppositely Modulate Antimony Susceptibility through Aquaglyceroporin 1 in Leishmania (Viannia) Species
Authors: Andrade Juvana M. , Baba Elio H. , Machado-de-Avila Ricardo A. , Chavez-Olortegui Carlos , Demicheli Cynthia P. , Frézard Frédéric , Monte-Neto Rubens L. , Murta Silvane M. F. 
Published: May 2016

ABSTRACTAntimony (Sb) resistance in leishmaniasis chemotherapy has become one of the major challenges to the control of this spreading worldwide public health problem. Since the plasma membrane pore-forming protein aquaglyceroporin 1 (AQP1) is the major route of Sb uptake inLeishmania, functional studies are relevant to characterize drug transport pathways in the parasite. We generated AQP1-overexpressingLeishmania guyanensisandL. braziliensismutants and investigated their susceptibility to the trivalent form of Sb (SbIII) in the presence of silver and nitrate salts. Both AQP1-overexpressing lines presented 3- to 4-fold increased AQP1 expression levels compared with those of their untransfected counterparts, leading to an increased SbIIIsusceptibility of about 2-fold. Competition assays using silver nitrate, silver sulfadiazine, or silver acetate prior to SbIIIexposure increased parasite growth, especially in AQP1-overexpressing mutants. Surprisingly, SbIII-sodium nitrate or SbIII-potassium nitrate combinations showed significantly enhanced antileishmanial activities compared to those of SbIIIalone, especially against AQP1-overexpressing mutants, suggesting a putative nitrate-dependent modulation of AQP1 activity. The intracellular level of antimony quantified by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry showed that the concomitant exposure to SbIIIand nitrate favors antimony accumulation in the parasite, increasing the toxicity of the drug and culminating with parasite death. This is the first report showing evidence of AQP1-mediated SbIIIsusceptibility modulation by silver inLeishmaniaand suggests the potential antileishmanial activity of the combination of nitrate salts and SbIII.
Role of Plasmodium vivax Dihydropteroate Synthase Polymorphisms in Sulfa Drug Resistance
Authors: Pornthanakasem Wichai , Riangrungroj Pinpunya , Chitnumsub Penchit , Ittarat Wanwipa , Kongkasuriyachai Darin , Uthaipibull Chairat , Yuthavong Yongyuth , Leartsakulpanich Ubolsree 
Published: May 2016

ABSTRACT

Dihydropteroate synthase (DHPS) is a known sulfa drug target in malaria treatment, existing as a bifunctional enzyme together with hydroxymethyldihydropterin pyrophosphokinase (HPPK). Polymorphisms in key residues of
Plasmodium falciparum
DHPS (
Pf
DHPS) have been characterized and linked to sulfa drug resistance in malaria. Genetic sequencing of
P. vivax
dhps
(
Pvdhps
) from clinical isolates has shown several polymorphisms at the positions equivalent to those in the
Pfdhps
genes conferring sulfa drug resistance, suggesting a mechanism for sulfa drug resistance in
P. vivax
similar to that seen in
P. falciparum
. To characterize the role of polymorphisms in the
Pv
DHPS in sulfa drug resistance, various mutants of recombinant
Pv
HPPK-DHPS enzymes were expressed and characterized. Moreover, due to the lack of a continuous
in vitro
culture system for
P. vivax
parasites, a surrogate
P. berghei
model expressing
Pvhppk-dhps
genes was established to demonstrate the relationship between sequence polymorphisms and sulfa drug susceptibility and to test the activities of
Pv
DHPS inhibitors on the transgenic parasites. Both enzyme activity and transgenic parasite growth were sensitive to sulfadoxine to different degrees, depending on the number of mutations that accumulated in DHPS.

K
i

values and 50% effective doses were higher for mutant
Pv
DHPS enzymes than the wild-type enzymes. Altogether, the study provides the first evidence of sulfa drug resistance at the molecular level in
P. vivax
. Furthermore, the enzyme inhibition assay and the
in vivo
screening system can be useful tools for screening new compounds for their activities against
Pv
DHPS.
Glutathione-Disrupted Biofilms of Clinical Pseudomonas aeruginosa Strains Exhibit an Enhanced Antibiotic Effect and a Novel Biofilm Transcriptome
Authors: Klare William , Das Theerthankar , Ibugo Amaye , Buckle Edwina , Manefield Mike , Manos Jim 
Published: May 2016

ABSTRACTPseudomonas aeruginosainfections result in high morbidity and mortality rates for individuals with cystic fibrosis (CF), with premature death often occurring. These infections are complicated by the formation of biofilms in the sputum. Antibiotic therapy is stymied by antibiotic resistance of the biofilm matrix, making novel antibiofilm strategies highly desirable. WithinP. aeruginosabiofilms, the redox factor pyocyanin enhances biofilm integrity by intercalating with extracellular DNA. The antioxidant glutathione (GSH) reacts with pyocyanin, disrupting intercalation. This study investigated GSH disruption by assaying the physiological effects of GSH and DNase I on biofilms of clinical CF isolates grown in CF artificial sputum medium (ASMDM+). Confocal scanning laser microscopy showed that 2 mM GSH, alone or combined with DNase I, significantly disrupted immature (24-h) biofilms of Australian epidemic strain (AES) isogens AES-1R and AES-1M. GSH alone greatly disrupted mature (72-h) AES-1R biofilms, resulting in significant differential expression of 587 genes, as indicated by RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) analysis. Upregulated systems included cyclic diguanylate and pyoverdine biosynthesis, the type VI secretion system, nitrate metabolism, and translational machinery. Biofilm disruption with GSH revealed a cellular physiology distinct from those of mature and dispersed biofilms. RNA-seq results were validated by biochemical and quantitative PCR assays. Biofilms of a range of CF isolates disrupted with GSH and DNase I were significantly more susceptible to ciprofloxacin, and increased antibiotic effectiveness was achieved by increasing the GSH concentration. This study demonstrated that GSH, alone or with DNase I, represents an effective antibiofilm treatment when combined with appropriate antibiotics, pendingin vivostudies.
Structural Insights into Recognition of Hydrolyzed Carbapenems and Inhibitors by Subclass B3 Metallo-β-Lactamase SMB-1
Authors: Wachino Jun-ichi , Yamaguchi Yoshihiro , Mori Shigetarou , Jin Wanchun , Kimura Kouji , Kurosaki Hiromasa , Arakawa Yoshichika 
Published: May 2016

ABSTRACT

Metallo-β-lactamases (MBLs) confer resistance to carbapenems, and their increasing global prevalence is a growing clinical concern. To elucidate the mechanisms by which these enzymes recognize and hydrolyze carbapenems, we solved 1.4 to 1.6 Å crystal structures of SMB-1 (

S

erratia
m
etallo-
β
-lactamase 1), a subclass B3 MBL, bound to hydrolyzed carbapenems (doripenem, meropenem, and imipenem). In these structures, SMB-1 interacts mainly with the carbapenem core structure via elements in the active site, including a zinc ion (Zn-2), Q157[113] (where the position in the SMB-1 sequence is in brackets after the BBL number), S221[175], and T223[177]. There is less contact with the carbapenem R2 side chains, strongly indicating that SMB-1 primarily recognizes the carbapenem core structure. This is the first report describing how a subclass B3 MBL recognizes carbapenems. We also solved the crystal structure of SMB-1 in complex with the approved drugs captopril, an inhibitor of the angiotensin-converting enzyme, and 2-mercaptoethanesulfonate, a chemoprotectant. These drugs are inhibitors of SMB-1 with

K
i

values of 8.9 and 184 μM, respectively. Like carbapenems, these inhibitors interact with Q157[113] and T223[177] and their thiol groups coordinate the zinc ions in the active site. Taken together, the data indicate that Q157[113], S221[175], T223[177], and the two zinc ions in the active site are key targets in the design of SMB-1 inhibitors with enhanced affinity. The structural data provide a solid foundation for the development of effective inhibitors that would overcome the carbapenem resistance of MBL-producing multidrug-resistant microbes.