bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The Effects of Antihypertensive Treatment on Cognitive Function: Results from the HOPE Study
Authors: Starr John M. , Whalley Lawrence J. , Deary Ian J. 
Published: April 2015

OBJECTIVES: Hypertension is associated with impaired cognition, but it is unclear whether this impairment is reversible. We sought to evaluate the effect of blood pressure reduction on cognition.DESIGN: A randomized, double‐blind trial.SETTING: A single center, with assessments in subjects' domiciles.PARTICIPANTS: Community‐screened subjects more than 69 years of age who had median diastolic pressures > 99 mm Hg and systolic pressures > 159 mm Hg or diastolic > 85 mm Hg and systolic >179 mm Hg with Mini‐Mental State Examination scores of 20 to 28. Subjects had not previously received antihypertensive treatment.INTERVENTION: Captopril 12.5 mg twice daily or bendrofluazide 2.5 mg daily for 24 weeks, preceded by a 2‐week placebo phase.MEASUREMENTS: Cognition was evaluated by a psychometric test battery comprising Immediate and Delayed Logical Memory, Paired Associates recall, Raven's Progressive Matrices, Halstead Reitan Trail Making A, and the Anomalous Sentences Repetition Test.RESULTS: Eighty‐one subjects (28 male, 53 female) were treated (41 captopril, 40 bendrofluazide). At entry, mean age was 76.1 years (range 70–84), mean blood pressure was 191 (160–230) mm Hg systolic, 101 (88–110) mm Hg diastolic, and mean MMSE score 26.1. A total of 69 subjects completed the trial. The 25th, 50th, and 75th percentiles of the difference between pretreatment and Week 24 blood pressures were 15 mm Hg, 35 mm Hg, and 50 mm Hg (systolic) and 5 mmHg, 10 mm Hg, and 19 mm Hg (diastolic). There were no significant differences in any psychometric test between captopril and bendrofluazide. The 19 subjects in the quartile that lowered their diastolic blood pressure most (≥ 19 mm Hg) had improved scores on Anomalous Sentences (P = .012) and Paired Associates (P = .044) compared to the 19 subjects in the least blood pressure responsive quartile (fall ≤ 5 mm Hg)sCONCLUSION: The treatment of hypertension is not hazardous to cognitive function in older people with pre‐existing cognitive impairment. Long‐term adequate blood pressure control may reverse cognitive impairment associated with pre‐existing hypertension. J Am Geriatr Soc 44:411–415, 1996.
Pyuria Among Chronically Incontinent but Otherwise Asymptomatic Nursing Home Residents
Authors: Ouslander Joseph G. , Schapira Moises , Schnelle John F. , Fingold Susan 
Published: April 2015

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of pyuria and its relationship to bacteriuria in a representative sample of chronically incontinent nursing home residents.DESIGN: Prospective, descriptive case series.SETTING: Six nursing homes.PARTICIPANTS: Two hundred fourteen chronically incontinent, but otherwise asymptomatic, nursing home residents who were enrolled in a clinical intervention trial for urinary incontinence.MEASURES: Two hundred fourteen urine specimens were collected by a validated clean catch technique. Each specimen underwent dipstick testing for leukocyte esterase, microscopic urinalysis to determine the number of white blood cells per high power field of centrifuged urine, and quantitative urine culture using standard laboratory techniques.RESULTS: The overall prevalence of pyuria was 45%, as defined by > 10 white blood cells per high field of spun urine, and the overall prevalence of bacteriuria was 43%, as defined by the growth of >100,000 colony forming units of a urinary pathogen. Fifty‐nine percent of the specimens with bacteriuria and 34% of the specimens without bacteriuria had pyuria. Of specimens with pyuria, 56% had bacteriuria, and of specimens without pyuria, 31% had bacteriuria. When any color change on the leukocyte esterase pad was considered positive, this finding had a sensitivity of 83% and a specificity of 52% for pyuria on microscopic urinalysis.CONCLUSIONS: Pyuria is common among chronically incontinent nursing home residents, both in the presence and absence of bacteriuria. Clinicians must therefore be cautious in interpreting the presence of pyuria to indicate symptomatic infection in this population. Using pyuria to determine the need for antimicrobial treatment could result in unnecessary expense and morbidity as well as contribute to the development of resistant organisms in nursing homes. Research is needed to define pyuria better, to determine its prevalence and relationship to bacteriuria among nursing home residents with symptoms of acute urinary tract infection, and to elucidate the etiology and significance of sterile pyuria in this population. J Am Geriatr Soc 44:420–423, 1996.
Effects of Prompted Voiding on Fecal Continence Among Nursing Home Residents
Authors: Ouslander Joseph G. , Simmons Sandra , Schnelle John , Uman Gwen , Fingold Susan 
Published: April 2015

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effects of prompted voiding on fecal continence in nursing home residents.DESIGN: Prospective, uncontrolled trial of prompted voiding for urinary incontinence.PARTICIPANTS: One hundred sixty‐five nursing home residents who completed a 9 to 10‐week trial.MEASUREMENTS: Trained research aides performed physical checks for urinary and fecal incontinence hourly from 8 AM to 6 PM for 3 days (total of 33 checks) at baseline, for the last 3 days of a 1‐week trial of prompted voiding, and after 9 to 10 weeks of prompted voiding.RESULTS: After 9 to 10 weeks of prompted voiding, there was no significant change in the frequency of incontinent bowel movements per resident (1.1 [95% CI .83, 1.4] to .87 [95% CI.67, 1.1]; P = 0.140). There was a significant increase in the number of continent bowel movements per resident (.17 [95% CI.10, .24] to .62 [95% CI.45, .80]; P = .000). This increase occurred in residents whose urinary incontinence responded well to prompted voiding as well as those whose urinary incontinence did not respond. The percentage of bowel movements that were continent also increased significantly from 18% (95% CI 8,29) at baseline to 45% (95% CI 32,57) after 9 to 10 weeks of intervention (P = .000). In addition to these findings, we noted a marked increase in the total frequency of bowel movements after the first week of prompted voiding. This may have resulted from the relief of fecal impactions caused by the increased toileting, mobility, and fluid intake that occurred with prompted voiding.CONCLUSION: Prompted voiding did not change the frequency of incontinent bowel movements significantly in this sample of nursing home residents. However, the number of continent bowel movements and the percentage of bowel movements that were continent did increase. Our data must be interpreted cautiously because our study was designed primarily as an intervention for urinary, not fecal, incontinence and the design was neither blinded nor controlled. Trials of systematic toileting schedules specifically directed at fecal incontinence, with attention to fecal impaction, diet, fluid intake and laxative use, should be conducted. J Am Geriatr Soc 44:424–428, 1996.
Shoe Characteristics and Balance in Older Women
Authors: Lord Stephen R. , MBBS Guy M Bashford 
Published: April 2015

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether shoe characteristics affect balance in older women.DESIGN: Randomized order, cross‐over, controlled comparison.SETTING: A retirement village.PARTICIPANTS: Thirty women aged 60 to 89 years (mean 78.7 SD = 8.5). Twenty‐five subjects were hostel residents, and five were living independently in the community.OUTCOME MEASURES: Postural sway, maximal balance range, and co‐ordinated stability.MAIN RESULTS: The subjects underwent assessments of static balance (body sway) and dynamic balance (maximal balance range and co‐ordinated stability) under four conditions: (1) barefoot, (2) in standard low‐heeled shoes (walking shoes), (3) in standard high‐heeled shoes, and (4) in their own shoes. Manova analysis revealed a significant overall shoe condition effect — subjects performed best in bare feet or low‐heeled shoes and worst in high‐heeled shoes. There were no significant differences between subjects with and without foot abnormalities in any of the balance measures or test conditions.CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that bare feet and walking shoes maximize balance, whereas high‐heeled shoes constitute a needless balance hazard for older women. J Am Geriatr Soc 44:429–433, 1996.
Human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cell transplantation restores damaged ovaries
Authors: Zhu Shao‐Fang , Hu Hong‐Bo , Xu Hong‐Yan , Fu Xia‐Fei , Peng Dong‐Xian , Su Wei‐Yan , He Yuan‐Li 
Published: April 2015

AbstractOvarian injury because of chemotherapy can decrease the levels of sexual hormones and potentia generandi of patients, thereby greatly reducing quality of life. The goal of this study was to investigate which transplantation method for human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (HUMSCs) can recover ovarian function that has been damaged by chemotherapy. A rat model of ovarian injury was established using an intraperitoneal injection of cyclophosphamide. Membrane‐labelled HUMSCs were subsequently injected directly into ovary tissue or tail vein. The distribution of fluorescently labelled HUMSCs, estrous cycle, sexual hormone levels, and potentia generandi of treated and control rats were then examined. HUMSCs injected into the ovary only distributed to the ovary and uterus, while HUMSCs injected via tail vein were detected in the ovary, uterus, kidney, liver and lung. The estrous cycle, levels of sex hormones and potentia generandi of the treated rats were also recovered to a certain degree. Moreover, in some transplanted rats, fertility was restored and their offspring developed normally. While ovary injection could recover ovarian function faster, both methods produced similar results in the later stages of observation. Therefore, our results suggest that transplantation of HUMSCs by tail vein injection represents a minimally invasive and effective treatment method for ovarian injury.
5‐Hydroxytryptamine Medications for the Treatment of Obesity
Authors: Burke L. K. , Heisler L. K. 
Published: April 2015

The central 5‐hydroxytryptamine (5‐HT; serotonin) system represents a fundamental component of the brain's control of energy homeostasis. Medications targeting the 5‐HT pathway have been at the forefront of obesity treatment for the past 15 years. Pharmacological agents targeting 5‐HT receptors (5‐HTR), in combination with genetic models of 5‐HTR manipulation, have uncovered a role for specific 5‐HTRs in energy balance and reveal the 5‐HT2CR as the principal 5‐HTR mediating this homeostatic process. Capitalising on this neurophysiological machinery, 5‐HT2CR agonists improve obesity and glycaemic control in patient populations. The underlying therapeutic mechanism has been probed using model systems and appears to be achieved primarily through 5‐HT2CR modulation of the brain melanocortin circuit via activation of pro‐opiomelanocortin neurones signalling at melanocortin4 receptors. Thus, 5‐HT2CR agonists offer a means to improve obesity and type 2 diabetes, which are conditions that now represent global challenges to human health.
A novel application of radiomimetic compounds as antibiotic drugs
Authors: Andros Christina C , Dubay Ryan A , Mitchell Kayleigh D , Chen Aaron , Holmes Dawn E , Kennedy Daniel R 
Published: April 2015

Abstract

Objective
This study aims to examine the potential of radiomimetic compounds as antimicrobial therapeutics, as the recent advances in radiomimetic targeting as well as rapid increase of multidrug resistant bacteria make these compounds attractive for future development.

Methods
Representative radiomimetics from each of the three major categories was examined; C-1027 and neocarzinostatin from the protein-chromophore enediyne family; Calicheamicin from the non-protein chromophore enediyne family and Bleomycin and Tallysomycin S10b from the glycopeptide family. The activity of these compounds was examined against 12 distinct bacteria species. Inhibition was determined using disc diffusion assays and a subsequent examination of minimum inhibitory concentration of a representative organism. The onset of action of the compounds was also determined by incubating the organisms with drug in liquid media, before plating, and then determining if growth occurred.

Results
We found that the radiomimetic glycopeptides were more active against Gram-negative species, while the enediynes were more effective against Gram-positive species. The radiomimetics also maintained their rapid onset of action, working as quickly as 5 min.

Conclusions
Radiomimetic compounds have activity against a wide variety of microorganisms and would support the development of radiomimetic–antibody conjugates as potential antibiotics as an option against severe bacterial infections.
International Employment Statistics for People With Intellectual Disability—The Case for Common Metrics
Authors: Lysaght Rosemary , Šiška Jan , Koenig Oliver 
Published: April 2015

AbstractThe World Report on Disability identifies employment as an important element of social participation. The Report also points to the need for research that crosses national boundaries to identify and address central areas of concern. However, such efforts are hampered with respect to intellectual disability (ID) by inconsistencies in the population definitions used, the definition of employment or employability, and metrics of employment participation. The authors explore the varied ways in which employment participation rates for people with ID are determined and reported in jurisdictions around the world, and note that with respect to employment metrics, there remains substantial variation in the methods used in data collection and reporting across agencies and countries. They also note that close inspection of methodologies is required in order to interpret data from any official statistical agency (as even when methods and definitions are explicit, the variations in approaches make comparisons difficult). Recommendations for harmonizing disparate definitions and metrics include a systematic analysis of the terminology and methods used in national surveys that would assist in identifying which data are comparable, agreement on a protocol and process for examining employment outcomes in the ID population, and the creation of an international panel on employment and ID charged to identify common terminology and population parameters to be specified in sample selection and description in localized research and studies.
Specific gamma‐aminobutyrate chemotaxis in pseudomonads with different lifestyle
Authors: Reyes‐Darias Jose Antonio , García Vanina , Rico‐Jiménez Miriam , Corral‐Lugo Andrés , Lesouhaitier Olivier , Juárez‐Hernández Dalia , Yang Yiling , Bi Shuangyu , Feuilloley Marc , Muñoz‐Rojas Jesús , Sourjik Victor , Krell Tino 
Published: April 2015

SummaryThe PctC chemoreceptor of Pseudomonas aeruginosa mediates chemotaxis with high specificity to gamma‐aminobutyric acid (GABA). This compound is present everywhere in nature and has multiple functions, including being a human neurotransmitter or plant signaling compound. Because P. aeruginosa is ubiquitously distributed in nature and able to infect and colonize different hosts, the physiological relevance of GABA taxis is unclear, but it has been suggested that bacterial attraction to neurotransmitters may enhance virulence. We report the identification of McpG as a specific GABA chemoreceptor in non‐pathogenic Pseudomonas putida KT2440. As with PctC, GABA was found to bind McpG tightly. The analysis of chimeras comprising the PctC and McpG ligand‐binding domains fused to the Tar signaling domain showed very high GABA sensitivities. We also show that PctC inactivation does not alter virulence in Caenorhabditis elegans. Significant amounts of GABA were detected in tomato root exudates, and deletion of mcpG reduced root colonization that requires chemotaxis through agar. The C. elegans data and the detection of a GABA receptor in non‐pathogenic species indicate that GABA taxis may not be related to virulence in animal systems but may be of importance in the context of colonization and infection of plant roots by soil‐dwelling pseudomonads.
Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans QseBC is activated by catecholamines and iron and regulates genes encoding proteins associated with anaerobic respiration and metabolism
Authors: Weigel W.A. , Demuth D.R. , Torres‐Escobar A. , Juárez‐Rodríguez M.D. 
Published: April 2015

SummaryAggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans QseBC regulates its own expression and is essential for biofilm growth and virulence. However, the signal that activates the QseC sensor has not been identified and the qseBC regulon has not been defined. In this study, we show that QseC is activated by catecholamine hormones and iron but not by either component alone. Activation of QseC requires an EYRDD motif in the periplasmic domain of the sensor and site‐specific mutations in EYRDD or the deletion of the periplasmic domain inhibits catecholamine/iron‐dependent induction of the ygiW‐qseBC operon. Catecholamine/iron‐dependent induction of transcription also requires interaction of the QseB response regulator with its binding site in the ygiW‐qseBC promoter. Whole genome microarrays were used to compare gene expression profiles of A. actinomycetemcomitans grown in a chemically defined medium with and without catecholamine and iron supplementation. Approximately 11.5% of the A. actinomycetemcomitans genome was differentially expressed by at least two‐fold upon exposure to catecholamines and iron. The expression of ferritin was strongly induced, suggesting that intracellular iron storage capacity is increased upon QseBC activation. Consistent with this, genes encoding iron binding and transport proteins were down‐regulated by QseBC. Strikingly, 57% of the QseBC up‐regulated genes (56/99) encode proteins associated with anaerobic metabolism and respiration. Most of these up‐regulated genes were recently reported to be induced during in vivo growth of A. actinomycetemcomitans. These results suggest that detection of catecholamines and iron by QseBC may alter the cellular metabolism of A. actinomycetemcomitans for increased fitness and growth in an anaerobic host environment.
An Excel tool for deriving key photosynthetic parameters from combined gas exchange and chlorophyll fluorescence: theory and practice
Authors: Bellasio Chandra , Beerling David J , Griffiths Howard 
Published: April 2015

AbstractCombined photosynthetic gas exchange and modulated fluorometres are widely used to evaluate physiological characteristics associated with phenotypic and genotypic variation, whether in response to genetic manipulation or resource limitation in natural vegetation or crops. After describing relatively simple experimental procedures, we present the theoretical background to the derivation of photosynthetic parameters, and provide a freely available Excel‐based fitting tool (EFT) that will be of use to specialists and non‐specialists alike. We use data acquired in concurrent variable fluorescence–gas exchange experiments, where A/Ci and light–response curves have been measured under ambient and low oxygen. From these data, the EFT derives light respiration, initial PSII (photosystem II) photochemical yield, initial quantum yield for CO2 fixation, fraction of incident light harvested by PSII, initial quantum yield for electron transport, electron transport rate, rate of photorespiration, stomatal limitation, Rubisco (ribulose 1·5‐bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase) rate of carboxylation and oxygenation, Rubisco specificity factor, mesophyll conductance to CO2 diffusion, light and CO2 compensation point, Rubisco apparent Michaelis–Menten constant, and Rubisco CO2‐saturated carboxylation rate. As an example, a complete analysis of gas exchange data on tobacco plants is provided. We also discuss potential measurement problems and pitfalls, and suggest how such empirical data could subsequently be used to parameterize predictive photosynthetic models.
Enhanced bioturbation on the down‐drift flank of a Turonian asymmetrical delta: Implications for seaway circulation, river nutrients and facies models
Authors: Korus Jesse T. , Fielding Christopher R. 
Published: April 2015

AbstractExtant models predict delta front environments down‐drift of river mouths as unfavourable for organisms because of the physico‐chemical stresses caused by sediment and fresh water influx. This study, however, finds evidence for near‐optimal living conditions down‐drift of contemporaneous mouth bars and distributary channels, as well as at the tops of abandoned lobes, in part of the asymmetrical ‘Notom Delta’ complex of the Ferron Sandstone (Turonian, south‐eastern Utah, USA). Presented herein is a sedimentological and ichnological model using thirty‐two detailed measured sections along a 16 km transect through two continuously exposed, ca 10 m thick allomembers containing delta front, mouth bar and distributary channel facies. Azimuths from sedimentary structures show south‐eastward deflection of near‐shore palaeocurrents relative to the inferred north–south shoreline, as well as minor reversal of flow. Two end‐member trace fossil suites are recognized in delta front sandstones: (i) a stressed suite of low abundance, low diversity, diminutive traces reflecting mobile deposit feeding, resting and locomotion behaviours; and (ii) a comparatively unstressed, high abundance, moderate diversity suite with a regular, heterogeneous distribution of deep, vertical or U‐shaped suspension‐feeding burrows which, in places, thoroughly homogenize the sandstones. The down‐drift side of the delta was colonized by suspension feeders during seasonal reversal of the seaway gyre when mud plumes were swept northward or when river‐derived nutrients were sufficiently concentrated relative to fresh water and sediment input. During normal seaway circulation, very high sedimentation rates and mud‐laden, wave‐dampened waters down‐drift of the river mouths heightened the preservation potential of the pervasively bioturbated facies. Up‐drift of the river mouths, these bioturbated facies were either not preserved or not developed until the lobe was abandoned. This alternative model for delta planform asymmetry contributes to the refinement of facies models for deltaic systems and provides a framework for predicting the distribution of bioturbation‐enhanced porosity and permeability in lobe‐deflected deltas.
Suicide in the City: Do Characteristics of Place Really Influence Risk?*
Authors: Denney Justin T. , Wadsworth Tim , Rogers Richard G. , Pampel Fred C. 
Published: April 2015

ObjectiveThis article investigates the role of social context on individual suicide mortality with attention paid to the possibility that contextual effects are simply the sum of individual characteristics associated with suicide.MethodsWe use restricted data from the 1986–2006 National Health Interview Survey‐Linked Mortality Files, which include nearly 1 million records and 1,300 suicides, to examine the role of familial and socioeconomic context on adult suicide.ResultsResults show that adults living in cities with more socioeconomic disadvantage and fewer families living together have higher odds of suicidal death than adults living in less disadvantaged cities and cities with more families living together, respectively, after controlling for individual‐level socioeconomic status, marital status, and family size.ConclusionThe findings support classic sociological arguments that the risk of suicide is indeed influenced by the social milieu and cannot simply be explained by the aggregation of individual characteristics.