bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The influence of trauma and patient characteristics on provider burnout in VA post‐traumatic stress disorder specialty programmes
Authors: Garcia Hector A. , McGeary Cindy A. , Finley Erin P. , McGeary Donald D. , Ketchum Norma S. , Peterson Alan L. 
Published: January 2015

ObjectiveProlonged exposure (PE) and cognitive processing therapy (CPT) – post‐traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) treatments now available at the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) – expose the provider to graphic traumatic material. Little is known about the impact of traumatic material on VHA providers. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between trauma content, patient characteristics, and burnout among VHA PTSD Clinical Team (PCT) providers. It was hypothesized that trauma content and patient characteristics would significantly predict burnout in this population.DesignThis cross‐sectional study consisted of 137 participants. The sample was mostly female (67%), Caucasian (non‐Hispanic; 81%), and married (70%) with a mean age of 44.3 years (SD = 11.3).MethodsParticipants completed an electronic survey that assessed demographics, patient characteristics (i.e., anger, personality disorder, malingering), trauma content characteristics (e.g., killing of women and children) as well as burnout as measured by the Maslach Burnout Inventory‐General Survey (MBI‐GS; Maslach et al., 1996, Burnout inventory manual. Palo Alto: Consulting Psychologist Press).ResultsOver half of the study population reported being bothered by trauma content; however, trauma content did not predict burnout. Treating patients with personality disorders and suspected malingering predicted burnout in PCT providers. High numbers (77%) reported perceiving that emotional exhaustion impacted the quality of care they provided.ConclusionThese findings suggest an important role of burnout assessment, prevention, and treatment strategies at the VHA.Practitioner points

This paper addresses the impact of provider burnout on perceived quality of care.

This paper also addresses potential predictors of burnout in PCT settings.

This paper outlines potential remedies to provider burnout in the VHA.
Effectiveness of Saltwater Baths in the Treatment of Epidermolysis Bullosa
Authors: Petersen Brian Woodford , Arbuckle Harvey A. , Berman Stephen 
Published: January 2015

AbstractCurrent management of epidermolysis bullosa (EB) focuses on preventing secondary infections—a leading cause of mortality—by regularly cleaning and bandaging blisters and erosions and preventive bandaging of high‐friction areas. Unfortunately the baths and showers used to remove bandages and clean the skin are often painful, causing lack of adherence and subsequent increases in infections, pain, and antimicrobial use. This study evaluates the hypothesis that bathing individuals with EB in saltwater is less painful than in normal bath water. The study also explores whether taking saltwater baths reduces infections as measured through skin pruritus, odor, discharge, and nonbathing pain. Participants recruited from the Children's Hospital Colorado Outpatient EB Clinic completed standardized questionnaires assessing the effects of the clinic's saltwater bathing recommendations; the data were analyzed using frequencies and Fisher tests. After starting saltwater baths, patients reported a significant reduction in pain (91%), pain medication use (66%), skin odor (31%), and skin discharge (44%). No significant differences were found with respect to the type of EB, age, length of time using baths, or amount of salt added. Saltwater baths are a noninvasive, low‐cost, effective treatment that significantly reduces bathing pain, pain medication use, and some signs of skin infection. This treatment can be recommended to patients with all studied EB types without regard to age, the specific amount of salt used, bathing frequency, or pain level. Given the central role bathing and dressing changes play in the management of EB, the use of saltwater baths can lead to significant improvement in quality of life.
Childhood Generalized Pustular Psoriasis: Longtime Remission With Combined Infliximab and Methotrexate Treatment
Authors: Skrabl‐Baumgartner Andrea , Weger Wolfgang , Salmhofer Wolfgang , Jahnel Jörg 
Published: January 2015

AbstractAn 8‐year old boy with generalized pustular psoriasis unresponsive to several topical and systemic treatments responded dramatically with long‐lasting remission to infliximab in combination with methotrexate. Combined therapy might offer a new therapeutic strategy yielding long‐term remission.
Effects of Co‐culture of Cumulus Oocyte Complexes with Denuded Oocytes During In Vitro Maturation on the Developmental Competence of Cloned Bovine Embryos
Authors: Ha A‐N , Fakruzzaman M , Lee K‐L , Bang J‐I , Deb G‐K , Wang Z , Kong I‐K 
Published: January 2015

ContentsThis study evaluated the effects of co‐culture of immature cumulus oocyte complexes (COCs) with denuded immature oocytes (DO) during in vitro maturation on the developmental competence and quality of cloned bovine embryos. We demonstrated that developmental competence, judged by the blastocyst formation rate, was significantly higher in the co‐cultured somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT+DO, 37.1 ± 1.1%) group than that in the non‐co‐cultured somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT‐DO, 25.1 ± 0.9%) group and was very similar to that in the control IVF (IVF, 38.8 ± 2.8%) group. Moreover, the total cell number per blastocyst in the SCNT+DO group (101.7 ± 6.2) was higher than that in the SCNT‐DO group (81.7 ± 4.3), while still less than that in the IVF group (133.3 ± 6.0). Furthermore, our data showed that mRNA levels of the methylation‐related genes DNMT1 and DNMT3a in the SCNT+DO group were similar to that in the IVF group, while they were significantly higher in the SCNT‐DO group. Similarly, while the mRNA levels of the deacetylation‐related genes HDAC2 and HDAC3 were significantly higher in the SCNT‐DO group, they were comparable between the IVF and SCNT+DO groups. However, the mRNA levels of HDAC1 and DNMT3B were significantly higher in the SCNT+DO group than in the other groups. In conclusion, the present study demonstrated that co‐culture of COCs with DO improves the in vitro developmental competence and quality of cloned embryos, as evidenced by increased total cell number.
Effect of equipment dead space on multiple breath washout measures
Authors: Benseler Anouk , Stanojevic Sanja , Jensen Renee , Gustafsson Per , Ratjen Felix 
Published: January 2015

AbstractBackground and objectiveMultiple breath inert gas washout (MBW) systems are designed to minimize equipment dead space volume (Vd). Animal and infant studies have demonstrated the impact of increased Vd on MBW measurements. In this study, we investigate the effect of Vd of a nitrogen (N2) MBW system on MBW measurements in preschool children.MethodsN2 MBW measurements were performed in healthy adults under standard conditions; Vd was added to match the relationship between Vd and lung volumes observed in preschool children. Subsequently, subjects were measured on a sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) MBW system under standard conditions and with Vd added to match that of the N2 MBW system. Healthy preschool children and children with cystic fibrosis were tested on both the N2 MBW and SF6 MBW in random order on the same day. A correction equation was derived based on the adult experiments and tested on the preschool data.ResultsIncreasing the Vd of the N2 MBW system resulted in a higher lung clearance index (LCI). A strong non‐linear relationship between N2 LCI and the Vd/tidal volume was observed. When the Vd was equivalent between systems, LCI measured by the SF6 MBW system was similar to that measured by the N2 MBW. LCI was higher on the N2 MBW than the SF6 MBW in preschool children. Correcting for the equipment Vd of the N2 MBW resulted in better agreement.ConclusionsEquipment Vd affects LCI measurements especially in young children where Vd is large relative to lung volumes.
Between Activation and Supporting Women – Alternative Operation of Welfare‐to‐work Programmes
Authors: Herbst Anat , Benjamin Orly 
Published: January 2015

AbstractWith the emergence of activation policies, researchers are intrigued by the extent to which welfare‐to‐work (WTW) programmes reflect the ideological orientation of policymakers, while leaving the ideological orientation of their operators unexamined. This aspect may be of particular importance when women's non‐governmental organizations operate non‐coercive WTW programmes. Directing attention to the contribution of the operator, we ask how women who operate these programmes distinguish between the feminist goal of increasing women's independent access to material resources, and the activation rhetoric of ‘work first’.Moreover, as not enough is known about how participants benefit from the incongruence between the feminist discourse and the activation one, scholarship contemplating women's resistance to WTW programmes remains focused on specific welfare histories, and this form of feminist work remains neglected.The importance of the specific operators and the policy implications of the benefits of feminist operation of WTW programmes receive attention in the study reported on herein. We used a non‐coercive activation programme operated by a feminist organization in Israel (among other operators) as an opportunity to deepen our understanding of how programme trainers voice their position between feminism and activation discourse, and how their form of speech enables participants to insist on decent employment as a policy issue. Implications for policy are discussed.
The use of murine‐derived fundic organoids in studies of gastric physiology
Authors: Schumacher Michael A. , Aihara Eitaro , Feng Rui , Engevik Amy , Shroyer Noah F. , Ottemann Karen M. , Worrell Roger T. , Montrose Marshall H. , Shivdasani Ramesh A. , Zavros Yana 
Published: January 2015

Key points
An in vitro approach to study gastric development is primary mouse‐derived epithelium cultured as three‐dimensional spheroids known as organoids.
We have devised two unique gastric fundic‐derived organoid cultures: model 1 for the expansion of gastric fundic stem cells, and model 2 for the maintenance of mature cell lineages.
Organoids maintained in co‐culture with immortalized stomach mesenchymal cells express robust numbers of surface pit, mucous neck, chief, endocrine and parietal cells.
Histamine induced a significant decrease in intraluminal pH that was reversed by omeprazole in fundic organoids and indicated functional activity and regulation of parietal cells. Localized photodamage resulted in rapid cell exfoliation coincident with migration of neighbouring cells to the damaged area, sustaining epithelial continuity.
We report the use of these models for studies of epithelial cell biology and cell damage and repair.
AbstractStudies of gastric function and disease have been limited by the lack of extended primary cultures of the epithelium. An in vitro approach to study gastric development is primary mouse‐derived antral epithelium cultured as three‐dimensional spheroids known as organoids. There have been no reports on the use of organoids for gastric function. We have devised two unique gastric fundic‐derived organoid cultures: model 1 for the expansion of gastric fundic stem cells, and model 2 for the maintenance of mature cell lineages. Both models were generated from single glands dissociated from whole fundic tissue and grown in basement membrane matrix (Matrigel) and organoid growth medium. Model 1 enriches for a stem cell‐like niche via simple passage of the organoids. Maintained in Matrigel and growth medium, proliferating organoids expressed high levels of stem cell markers CD44 and Lgr5. Model 2 is a system of gastric organoids co‐cultured with immortalized stomach mesenchymal cells (ISMCs). Organoids maintained in co‐culture with ISMCs express robust numbers of surface pit, mucous neck, chief, endocrine and parietal cells. Histamine induced a significant decrease in intraluminal pH that was reversed by omeprazole in fundic organoids and indicated functional activity and regulation of parietal cells. Localized photodamage resulted in rapid cell exfoliation coincident with migration of neighbouring cells to the damaged area, sustaining epithelial continuity. Thus, we report the use of these models for studies of epithelial cell biology and cell damage and repair.
A novel partial volume effects correction technique integrating deconvolution associated with denoising within an iterative PET image reconstruction
Authors: Merlin Thibaut , Visvikis Dimitris , Fernandez Philippe , Lamare Frederic 
Published: January 2015

Purpose:Partial volume effect (PVE) plays an important role in both qualitative and quantitative PET image accuracy, especially for small structures. A previously proposed voxelwise PVE correction method applied on PET reconstructed images involves the use of Lucy–Richardson deconvolution incorporating wavelet‐based denoising to limit the associated propagation of noise. The aim of this study is to incorporate the deconvolution, coupled with the denoising step, directly inside the iterative reconstruction process to further improve PVE correction.Methods:The list‐mode ordered subset expectation maximization (OSEM) algorithm has been modified accordingly with the application of the Lucy–Richardson deconvolution algorithm to the current estimation of the image, at each reconstruction iteration. Acquisitions of the NEMA NU2‐2001 IQ phantom were performed on a GE DRX PET/CT system to study the impact of incorporating the deconvolution inside the reconstruction [with and without the point spread function (PSF) model] in comparison to its application postreconstruction and to standard iterative reconstruction incorporating the PSF model. The impact of the denoising step was also evaluated. Images were semiquantitatively assessed by studying the trade‐off between the intensity recovery and the noise level in the background estimated as relative standard deviation. Qualitative assessments of the developed methods were additionally performed on clinical cases.Results:Incorporating the deconvolution without denoising within the reconstruction achieved superior intensity recovery in comparison to both standard OSEM reconstruction integrating a PSF model and application of the deconvolution algorithm in a postreconstruction process. The addition of the denoising step permitted to limit the SNR degradation while preserving the intensity recovery.Conclusions:This study demonstrates the feasibility of incorporating the Lucy–Richardson deconvolution associated with a wavelet‐based denoising in the reconstruction process to better correct for PVE. Future work includes further evaluations of the proposed method on clinical datasets and the use of improved PSF models.
Potentiation of Antibacterial Activity of the MB-1 Siderophore-Monobactam Conjugate Using an Efflux Pump Inhibitor
Authors: Tomaras Andrew P. , Crandon Jared L. , McPherson Craig J. , Nicolau David P. 
Published: January 2015

ABSTRACT

Preliminary enthusiasm over the encouraging spectrum and
in vitro
activities of siderophore conjugates, such as MB-1, was recently tempered by unexpected variability in
in vivo
efficacy. The need for these conjugates to compete for iron with endogenously produced siderophores has exposed a significant liability for this novel antibacterial strategy. Here, we have exploited dependence on efflux for siderophore secretion in
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
and provide evidence that efflux inhibition may circumvent this
in vivo
-relevant resistance liability.
In Vitro
Susceptibility Testing of Eravacycline Is Unaffected by Medium Age and Nonstandard Assay Parameters
Authors: Grossman Trudy H. , Pillar Chris M. , Sahm Daniel F. , Sutcliffe Joyce A. 
Published: January 2015

ABSTRACT
Eravacycline is a fluorocycline antibiotic in phase 3 clinical development for complicated intra-abdominal and urinary tract infections. To support its clinical development, a study was conducted to evaluate the effects of various susceptibility test parameters on the MIC values for aerobic bacteria. The results showed that eravacycline appears to be largely unaffected by medium age, medium additives, and other nonstandard assay conditions.
VT-1161 Dosed Once Daily or Once Weekly Exhibits Potent Efficacy in Treatment of Dermatophytosis in a Guinea Pig Model
Authors: Garvey E. P. , Hoekstra W. J. , Moore W. R. , Schotzinger R. J. , Long L. , Ghannoum M. A. 
Published: January 2015

ABSTRACT

Current therapies used to treat dermatophytoses such as onychomycosis are effective but display room for improvement in efficacy, safety, and convenience of dosing. We report here that the investigational agent VT-1161 displays potent
in vitro
antifungal activity against dermatophytes, with MIC values in the range of ≤0.016 to 0.5 μg/ml. In pharmacokinetic studies supporting testing in a guinea pig model of dermatophytosis, VT-1161 plasma concentrations following single oral doses were dose proportional and persisted at or above the MIC values for at least 48 h, indicating potential
in vivo
efficacy with once-daily and possibly once-weekly dosing. Subsequently, in a guinea pig dermatophytosis model utilizing
Trichophyton mentagrophytes
and at oral doses of 5, 10, or 25 mg/kg of body weight once daily or 70 mg/kg once weekly, VT-1161 was statistically superior to untreated controls in fungal burden reduction (
P
< 0.001) and improvement in clinical scores (
P
< 0.001). The efficacy profile of VT-1161 was equivalent to those for doses and regimens of itraconazole and terbinafine except that VT-1161 was superior to itraconazole when each drug was dosed once weekly (
P
< 0.05). VT-1161 was distributed into skin and hair, with plasma and tissue concentrations in all treatment and regimen groups ranging from 0.8 to 40 μg/ml (or μg/g), at or above the MIC against the isolate used in the model (0.5 μg/ml). These data strongly support the clinical development of VT-1161 for the oral treatment of onychomycosis using either once-daily or once-weekly dosing regimens.
Apparent Role for Borrelia burgdorferi LuxS during Mammalian Infection
Authors: Arnold William K. , Savage Christina R. , Antonicello Alyssa D. , Stevenson Brian 
Published: January 2015

ABSTRACT

The Lyme disease spirochete,
Borrelia burgdorferi
, controls protein expression patterns during its tick-mammal infection cycle. Earlier studies demonstrated that
B. burgdorferi
synthesizes 4,5-dihydroxy-2,3-pentanedione (autoinducer-2 [AI-2]) and responds to AI-2 by measurably changing production of several infection-associated proteins.
luxS
mutants, which are unable to produce AI-2, exhibit altered production of several proteins.
B. burgdorferi
cannot utilize the other product of LuxS, homocysteine, indicating that phenotypes of
luxS
mutants are not due to the absence of that molecule. Although a previous study found that a
luxS
mutant was capable of infecting mice, a critical caveat to those results is that bacterial loads were not quantified. To more precisely determine whether LuxS serves a role in mammalian infection, mice were simultaneously inoculated with congenic wild-type and
luxS
strains, and bacterial numbers were assessed using quantitative PCR. The wild-type bacteria substantially outcompeted the mutants, suggesting that LuxS performs a significant function during mammalian infection. These data also provide further evidence that nonquantitative infection studies do not necessarily provide conclusive results and that regulatory factors may not make all-or-none, black-or-white contributions to infectivity.
Identification of ElpA, a Coxiella burnetii Pathotype-Specific Dot/Icm Type IV Secretion System Substrate
Authors: Graham Joseph G. , Winchell Caylin G. , Sharma Uma M. , Voth Daniel E. 
Published: January 2015

ABSTRACT

Coxiella burnetii
causes human Q fever, a zoonotic disease that presents with acute flu-like symptoms and can result in chronic life-threatening endocarditis. In human alveolar macrophages,
C. burnetii
uses a Dot/Icm type IV secretion system (T4SS) to generate a phagolysosome-like parasitophorous vacuole (PV) in which to replicate. The T4SS translocates effector proteins, or substrates, into the host cytosol, where they mediate critical cellular events, including interaction with autophagosomes, PV formation, and prevention of apoptosis. Over 100
C. burnetii
Dot/Icm substrates have been identified, but the function of most remains undefined. Here, we identified a novel Dot/Icm substrate-encoding open reading frame (CbuD1884) present in all
C. burnetii
isolates except the Nine Mile reference isolate, where the gene is disrupted by a frameshift mutation, resulting in a pseudogene. The CbuD1884 protein contains two transmembrane helices (TMHs) and a coiled-coil domain predicted to mediate protein-protein interactions. The C-terminal region of the protein contains a predicted Dot/Icm translocation signal and was secreted by the T4SS, while the N-terminal portion of the protein was not secreted. When ectopically expressed in eukaryotic cells, the TMH-containing N-terminal region of the CbuD1884 protein trafficked to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), with the C terminus dispersed nonspecifically in the host cytoplasm. This new Dot/Icm substrate is now termed ElpA (
E
R-
l
ocalizing
p
rotein
A
). Full-length ElpA triggered substantial disruption of ER structure and host cell secretory transport. These results suggest that ElpA is a pathotype-specific T4SS effector that influences ER function during
C. burnetii
infection.
Type IV Pilus Glycosylation Mediates Resistance of Pseudomonas aeruginosa to Opsonic Activities of the Pulmonary Surfactant Protein A
Authors: Tan Rommel M. , Kuang Zhizhou , Hao Yonghua , Lee Francis , Lee Timothy , Lee Ryan J. , Lau Gee W. 
Published: January 2015

ABSTRACT

Pseudomonas aeruginosa
is a major bacterial pathogen commonly associated with chronic lung infections in cystic fibrosis (CF). Previously, we have demonstrated that the type IV pilus (Tfp) of
P. aeruginosa
mediates resistance to antibacterial effects of pulmonary surfactant protein A (SP-A). Interestingly,
P. aeruginosa
strains with group I pilins are
O
-glycosylated through the TfpO glycosyltransferase with a single subunit of O-antigen (O-ag). Importantly, TfpO-mediated
O
-glycosylation is important for virulence in mouse lungs, exemplified by more frequent lung infection in CF with TfpO-expressing
P. aeruginosa
strains. However, the mechanism underlying the importance of Tfp glycosylation in
P. aeruginosa
pathogenesis is not fully understood. Here, we demonstrated one mechanism of increased fitness mediated by
O
-glycosylation of group 1 pilins on Tfp in the
P. aeruginosa
clinical isolate 1244. Using an acute pneumonia model in SP-A
+/+
versus SP-A
−/−
mice, the
O
-glycosylation-deficient Δ
tfpO
mutant was found to be attenuated in lung infection. Both 1244 and Δ
tfpO
strains showed equal levels of susceptibility to SP-A-mediated membrane permeability. In contrast, the Δ
tfpO
mutant was more susceptible to opsonization by SP-A and by other pulmonary and circulating opsonins, SP-D and mannose binding lectin 2, respectively. Importantly, the increased susceptibility to phagocytosis was abrogated in the absence of opsonins. These results indicate that
O
-glycosylation of Tfp with O-ag specifically confers resistance to opsonization during host-mediated phagocytosis.