bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Food choices made by low‐income households when feeding their pre‐school children: a qualitative study
Authors: Lovelace Sally , Rabiee‐Khan Fatemeh 
Published: January 2013

AbstractThe growing concern about poor dietary practices among low‐income families has led to a ‘victim blaming’ culture that excludes wider social and environmental factors, which influence household food choices. This small‐scale qualitative study investigated influences on the diets of young children in families on a low income in the West Midlands, UK. Using semi‐structured interview schedule, rich data was gathered through individual interviews with 11 mothers of pre‐school children. Information was collected about the type and range of food given following the introduction of solid foods including factors influencing parent's knowledge and diet, sources of nutrition advice and financial constraints. Food accessibility and storage issues were also explored. Interviews were audio‐recorded, transcribed and analysed using a modified grounded theory approach. Findings highlighted that parents and professionals may have different interpretations about ‘cooking from scratch’. The results indicated that some parents have poor understanding of what constitutes a healthy diet. However, most parents included fruit and vegetables to varying degrees and were motivated to give their children healthy foods, suggesting that, with adequate support and information, the diets of these children could be improved. There was evidence that when striving to improve the diet of their children, many parents' diets also improved. The findings from this small‐scale in‐depth study highlighted a number of issues for local and national policy and practice in the area of nutrition and child health in the early years.
In vivo [Fe‐S] cluster acquisition by IscR and NsrR, two stress regulators in Escherichia coli
Authors: Vinella Daniel , Loiseau Laurent , de Choudens Sandrine Ollagnier , Fontecave Marc , Barras Frédéric 
Published: January 2013

SummaryThe multi‐proteins Isc and Suf systems catalyse the biogenesis of [Fe‐S] proteins. Here we investigate how NsrR and IscR, transcriptional regulators that sense NO and [Fe‐S] homeostasis, acquire their [Fe‐S] clusters under both normal and iron limitation conditions. Clusters directed at the apo‐NsrR and apo‐IscR proteins are built on either of the two scaffolds, IscU or SufB. However, differences arise in [Fe‐S] delivery steps. In the case of NsrR, scaffolds deliver clusters to either one of the two ATCs, IscA and SufA, and, subsequently, to the ‘non‐Isc non‐Suf’ ATC, ErpA. Nevertheless, a high level of SufA can bypass the requirement for ErpA. In the case of IscR, several routes occur. One does not include assistance of any ATC. Others implicate ATCs IscA or ErpA, but, surprisingly, SufA was totally absent from any IscR maturation pathways. Both IscR and NsrR have the intrinsic capacity to sense iron limitation. However, NsrR appeared to be efficiently matured by Isc and Suf, thereby preventing NsrR to act as a physiologically relevant iron sensor. This work emphasizes that different maturation pathways arise as a function of the apo‐target considered, possibly in relation with the type of cluster, [2Fe‐2S] versus [4Fe‐4S], it binds.
Effects of airgun sounds on bowhead whale calling rates in the Alaskan Beaufort Sea
Authors: Blackwell Susanna B. , Nations Christopher S. , McDonald Trent L. , Greene Charles R. , Thode Aaron M. , Guerra Melania , Michael Macrander A. 
Published: January 2013

AbstractThis study assesses effects of airgun sounds on bowhead calling behavior during the autumn migration. In August–October 2007, 35 directional acoustic recorders (DASARs) were deployed at five sites in the Alaskan Beaufort Sea. Location estimates were obtained for >137,500 individual calls; a subsample of locations with high detection probability was used in the analyses. Call localization rates (CLRs) were compared before, during, and after periods of airgun use between sites near seismic activities (median distance 41–45 km) and sites relatively distant from seismic activities (median distance >104 km). At the onset of airgun use, CLRs dropped significantly at sites near the airguns, where median received levels from airgun pulses (SPL) were 116–129 dB re 1 μPa (10–450 Hz). CLRs remained unchanged at sites distant from the airguns, where median received levels were 99–108 dB re 1 μPa. This drop could result from a cessation of calling, deflection of whales around seismic activities, or both combined, but call locations alone were insufficient to differentiate between these possibilities. Reverberation from airgun pulses could have masked a small number of calls near the airguns, but even if masking did take place, the analysis results remain unchanged.
Effect of TGF‐β1 Superfamily Members on Survival of Buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) Embryonic Stem‐like Cells
Authors: Sharma R , Kamble NM , George A , Chauhan MS , Singla S , Manik RS , Palta P 
Published: January 2013

ContentsThis study examined the effects of supplementation of ES‐like cell culture medium with bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)‐4 (0, 10, 20 or 100 ng/ml) or Noggin (250, 500 or 750 ng/ml) or TGF‐β1 (0, 0.1, 1 or 10 ng/ml) or SB431542 (0, 10, 25 or 50 μm), an inhibitor of TGF‐β1 signalling, on survival, colony area and expression level of pluripotency genes in buffalo ES‐like cells at passage 40–80, under different culture conditions. BMP‐4 supplementation significantly reduced (p < 0.05) colony survival rate, percentage increase in colony area and relative mRNA abundance of OCT4, whereas that of NANOG and SOX‐2 was increased significantly (p < 0.05). Noggin supplementation did not affect the colony survival rate and percentage increase in colony area in the presence of FGF‐2 and LIF. In the presence of FGF‐2 alone, it significantly reduced (p < 0.05) the relative mRNA abundance of OCT4 and SOX‐2 and increased (p < 0.05) that of NANOG. Supplementation with TGF‐β1 at 1.0 ng/ml but not at other concentrations increased colony survival rate but had no effect on percentage increase in colony area at any concentration. Supplementation with SB‐431542 decreased (p < 0.05) colony survival rate at 50 μm but not at other concentrations. The percentage increase in colony area was lower (p < 0.05) with 10 μm SB‐431542 than that in the controls, whereas at higher concentrations of 25 or 50 μm, SB‐431542 decreased (p < 0.05) the colony size instead of increasing it. In conclusion, these results suggest that BMP‐4 induces differentiation in buffalo ES‐like cells, whereas TGF‐β/activin/nodal pathway may not be playing a crucial role in maintaining pluripotency in these cells.
Nuclear Donor Cell Lines Considerably Influence Cloning Efficiency and the Incidence of Large Offspring Syndrome in Bovine Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer
Authors: Liu J , Wang Y , Su J , Luo Y , Quan F , Zhang Y 
Published: January 2013

ContentsTotal five ear skin fibroblast lines (named F1, F2, F3, F4 and F5) from different newborn Holstein cows have been used as nuclear donor cells for producing cloned cows by somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT). The effects of these cell lines on both in vitro and in vivo developmental rates of cloned embryos, post‐natal survivability and incidence of large offspring syndrome (LOS) were examined in this study. We found that the different cell lines possessed the same capacity to support pre‐implantation development of cloned embryos, the cleavage and blastocyst formation rates ranged from 80.2 ± 0.9 to 84.5 ± 2.5% and 28.5 ± 0.9 to 33.3 ± 1.4%, respectively. However, their capacities to support the in vivo development of SCNT embryos showed significant differences (p < 0.05). The pregnancy rates at 90 and 240 day were significantly lower in groups F2 (4.9% and 3.3%) and F3 (5.4% and 5.4%) compared to groups F1 (23.3% and 16.3%), F4 (25.7% and 18.6%) and F5 (25.9% and 19.8%) (p < 0.05). The cloning efficiency was significantly higher in group F5 than those in group F1, F2, F3 and F4 (9.3% vs 4.1%, 1.2%, 2.0% and 5.0%, respectively, p < 0.05). Moreover, large offspring syndrome (LOS) incidence in group F5 was significantly lower than those in other groups (p < 0.05). All cloned offspring from cell line F1, F2, F3 and F4 showed LOS and gestation length delay, while all cloned offspring from F5 showed normal birthweight and gestation length. We concluded that the nuclear donor cell lines have significant impact on the in vivo development of cloned embryos and the incidence of LOS in cloned calves.
Window period donations during primary cytomegalovirus infection and risk of transfusion‐transmitted infections
Authors: Ziemann Malte , Heuft Hans‐Gert , Frank Kerstin , Kraas Sabine , Görg Siegfried , Hennig Holger 
Published: January 2013

BackgroundDonors with short interdonation intervals (e.g., apheresis donors) have an increased risk of window period donations. The frequency of cytomegalovirus (CMV) window period donations is important information to decide whether selection of seronegative donors might be advantageous for patients at risk for transfusion‐transmitted CMV infections (TT‐CMV).Study Design and MethodsCMV seroconversion in 93 donors with positive results in routine CMV antibody testing within at most 35 days after the last seronegative sample was evaluated by Western blot and/or a second antibody test. In donors with unconfirmed seroconversion, an additional later sample was tested. Concentration of CMV DNA was determined in pre‐ and postseroconversion samples.ResultsCMV seroconversion was confirmed in 12 donors (13%). Among these, the last seronegative sample was CMV DNA positive in three donors (25%, below 30 IU/mL). The first seropositive sample was CMV DNA positive in 10 donors (83%, maximum 1600 IU/mL). Both prevalence and median concentration of CMV DNA were higher in the first seropositive sample (p = 0.004 and p = 0.02), with maximum concentrations being reached about 2 weeks after seroconversion. No CMV DNA was detected in samples from donors with unconfirmed seroconversion.ConclusionAt least in donors with short interdonation intervals, most suspected CMV seroconversions are due to false‐positive results of the screening test. As window period donations are rare and contain less CMV DNA than the first seropositive donation, avoidance of blood products from primarily seropositive donors is especially helpful to avoid TT‐CMV if donors with short interdonation intervals are concerned.
Migrants’ Remittances and Financial Development: Macro‐ and Micro‐Level Evidence of a Perverse Relationship
Authors: Brown Richard P. C. , Carmignani Fabrizio , Fayad Ghada 
Published: January 2013

AbstractFinancial development is commonly identified as an important condition for fostering investment and economic growth. It is also believed that migrants’ remittances stimulate financial development in the receiving economy, contributing indirectly to economic growth. We explore the relationship between remittances and financial development using macro‐ and micro‐level data. From cross‐country panel data, we find evidence of a negative relationship between remittances and financial deepening in developing countries. Using household survey data from a study of migrants’ remittances in two CIS countries, Azerbaijan and Kyrgyzstan, we also investigate the relationship between remittances, financial intermediation and ‘financial literacy’ among remittance‐receiving households. While we find some evidence of a positive, albeit weak, relationship for Kyrgyzstan, in Azerbaijan, the relatively more financially developed economy, we uncover a strong perverse relationship. Remittances appear to deter bank intermediation and use of formal banking services. Possible reasons are explored and areas for further investigation identified.
Sociocultural factors that reduce risks of homicide in Dar es Salaam: a case control study
Authors: Kibusi Stephen Matthew , Ohnishi Mayumi , Outwater Anne , Seino Kaoruko , Kizuki Masashi , Takano Takehito 
Published: January 2013

ObjectivesThis study was performed to examine the potential contributions of sociocultural activities to reduce risks of death by homicide.MethodsThis study was designed as a case control study. Relatives of 90 adult homicide victims in Dar es Salaam Region, Tanzania, in 2005 were interviewed. As controls, 211 participants matched for sex and 5-year age group were randomly selected from the same region and interviewed regarding the same contents.ResultsBivariate analysis revealed significant differences between victims and controls regarding educational status, occupation, family structure, frequent heavy drinking, hard drug use and religious attendance. Conditional logistic regression analysis indicated that the following factors were significantly related to not becoming victims of homicide: being in employment (unskilled labour: OR=0.04, skilled labour: OR=0.07, others: OR=0.04), higher educational status (OR=0.02), residence in Dar es Salaam after becoming an adult (compared with those who have resided in Dar es Salaam since birth: OR=3.95), living with another person (OR=0.07), not drinking alcohol frequently (OR=0.15) and frequent religious service attendance (OR=0.12).ConclusionsFrequent religious service attendance, living in the same place for a long time and living with another person were shown to be factors that contribute to preventing death by homicide, regardless of place of residence and neighbourhood environment. Existing non-structural community resources and social cohesive networks strengthen individual and community resilience against violence.
Improving balance and mobility in people over 50 years of age with vision impairments: can the Alexander Technique help? A study protocol for the VISIBILITY randomised controlled trial
Authors: Gleeson Michael , Sherrington Catherine , Borkowski Ewa , Keay Lisa 
Published: January 2013

BackgroundFalls are an increasingly important and costly public health problem. Vision is key to postural stability as we age and this puts adults with visual impairments at greater risk of falls. Physical interventions improve balance in the general population and in older adults with visual impairments in residential care. They also prevent falls in the general community but to date have not been shown effective in community-dwelling adults with visual impairments.ObjectiveTo investigate, with a randomised controlled trial, whether the Alexander Technique (AT) can improve balance and mobility in the community-dwelling population with visual impairments and thus reduce the risk of falls. The AT is a form of physical re-education that has recently received attention for its possible value in rehabilitation.Method and designOne hundred and twenty people with visual impairments over 50 years of age will be recruited from Guide Dogs New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory (NSW/ACT). Participants will be independently mobile and cognitively able to take part in the programme. After baseline assessment participants will be randomly assigned to two groups. The control group will receive usual care from Guide Dogs NSW/ACT, and the intervention group will receive 12 weekly home-based lessons in the AT in addition to usual care. The primary outcome measures will be physical measures from the short physical performance battery at 3 months. Secondary outcome measures will be balance, mobility, social participation and emotional well-being at 3 and 12 months.Trial registration number: The protocol is registered with the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ACTRN12610000634077).
Comparison of individual-level versus area-level socioeconomic measures in assessing health outcomes of children in Olmsted County, Minnesota
Authors: Pardo-Crespo Maria R , Narla Nirmala Priya , Williams Arthur R , Beebe Timothy J , Sloan Jeff , Yawn Barbara P , Wheeler Philip H , Juhn Young J 
Published: January 2013

BackgroundSocioeconomic status (SES) is an important determinant of health, but SES measures are frequently unavailable in commonly used datasets. Area-level SES measures are used as proxy measures of individual SES when the individual measures are lacking. Little is known about the agreement between individual-level versus area-level SES measures in mixed urban–rural settings.MethodsWe identified SES agreement by comparing information from telephone self-reported SES levels and SES calculated from area-level SES measures. We assessed the impact of this agreement on reported associations between SES and rates of childhood obesity, low birth weight <2500 g and smoking within the household in a mixed urban–rural setting.Results750 households were surveyed with a response rate of 62%: 51% male, 89% Caucasian; mean child age 9.5 years. Individual-level self-reported income was more strongly associated with all three childhood health outcomes compared to area-level SES. We found significant disagreement rates of 22–31%. The weighted Cohen's κ indices ranged from 0.15 to 0.22, suggesting poor agreement between individual-level and area-level measures.ConclusionIn a mixed urban–rural setting comprised of both rural and urbanised areas, area-level SES proxy measures significantly disagree with individual SES measures, and have different patterns of association with health outcomes from individual-level SES measures. Area-level SES may be an unsuitable proxy for SES when individual rather than community characteristics are of primary concern.
Lack of emergence of associations between selected maternal exposures and offspring blood pressure at age 15 years
Authors: Leary Sam D , Brion Marie-Jo , Lawlor Debbie A , Smith George Davey , Ness Andy R 
Published: January 2013

BackgroundA recent review found little evidence for substantial effects of modifiable maternal exposures on offspring blood pressure (BP), but this may have been because almost all the studies reported on BP in early and mid-childhood.MethodsThis study uses data on 4723 mother–child pairs, collected as part of the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, Bristol, England between 1991 and 1997; associations between three maternal variables (smoking during pregnancy, age at childbirth and prenatal diet) and offspring BP at approximately 15 years were assessed. Comparisons of maternal and paternal associations with offspring BP were carried out as a way of evaluating whether prenatal exposures exerted an influence through intrauterine effects.ResultsThe selected maternal exposures were not associated with offspring BP, after minimal or full adjustment for potential confounders. Maternal and paternal associations with offspring BP for each exposure were found to be similar.ConclusionsThe findings of this study suggest that associations between the selected maternal exposures and offspring BP do not emerge with age up to adolescence.
“Drivers” of Translational Cancer Epidemiology in the 21st Century: Needs and Opportunities
Authors: Lam Tram Kim , Spitz Margaret , Schully Sheri D. , Khoury Muin J. 
Published: January 2013

AbstractCancer epidemiology is at the cusp of a paradigm shift—propelled by an urgent need to accelerate the pace of translating scientific discoveries into health care and population health benefits. As part of a strategic planning process for cancer epidemiologic research, the Epidemiology and Genomics Research Program (EGRP) at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) is leading a “longitudinal” meeting with members of the research community to engage in an on-going dialogue to help shape and invigorate the field. Here, we review a translational framework influenced by “drivers” that we believe have begun guiding cancer epidemiology toward translation in the past few years and are most likely to drive the field further in the next decade. The drivers include: (i) collaboration and team science, (ii) technology, (iii) multilevel analyses and interventions, and (iv) knowledge integration from basic, clinical, and population sciences. Using the global prevention of cervical cancer as an example of a public health endeavor to anchor the conversation, we discuss how these drivers can guide epidemiology from discovery to population health impact, along the translational research continuum. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 22(2); 181–8. ©2013 AACR.
Molecular Pathways: Hepatitis C Virus, CXCL10, and the Inflammatory Road to Liver Cancer
Authors: Brownell Jessica , Polyak Stephen J. 
Published: January 2013

AbstractAn estimated 170 million people worldwide are chronically infected with the hepatitis C virus (HCV), which is characterized histologically by a persistent immune and inflammatory response that fails to clear HCV from hepatocytes. This response is recruited to the liver, in part, by the chemokine CXCL10, the serum and intrahepatic levels of which have been inversely linked to the outcome of interferon-based therapies for hepatitis C. Bystander tissue damage from this ineffective response is thought to lead to increased hepatocyte turnover and the development of fibrosis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, CXCL10 is traditionally viewed as an orchestrator of the angiostatic and antitumor immune response. In this review, we will explore this duality and the pathways by which CXCL10 is produced by hepatocytes during HCV infection, its effects on resident and infiltrating immune cells, and how deregulation of these cell populations within the liver may lead to chronic liver inflammation. We will also discuss potential host-directed therapies to slow or reverse HCV-induced inflammation that leads to fibrosis, cirrhosis, and HCCs. Clin Cancer Res; 19(6); 1347–52. ©2012 AACR.
Molecular Pathways: Current Role and Future Directions of the Retinoic Acid Pathway in Cancer Prevention and Treatment
Authors: Connolly Roisin M. , Nguyen Nguyen K. , Sukumar Saraswati 
Published: January 2013

Abstract
Retinoids and their naturally metabolized and synthetic products (e.g., all-trans retinoic acid, 13-cis retinoic acid, bexarotene) induce differentiation in various cell types. Retinoids exert their actions mainly through binding to the nuclear retinoic acid receptors (α, β, γ), which are transcriptional and homeostatic regulators with functions that are often compromised early in neoplastic transformation. The retinoids have been investigated extensively for their use in cancer prevention and treatment. Success has been achieved with their use in the treatment of subtypes of leukemia harboring chromosomal translocations. Promising results have been observed in the breast cancer prevention setting, where fenretinide prevention trials have provided a strong rationale for further investigation in young women at high risk for breast cancer. Ongoing phase III randomized trials investigating retinoids in combination with chemotherapy in non–small cell lung cancer aim to definitively characterize the role of retinoids in this tumor type. The limited treatment success observed to date in the prevention and treatment of solid tumors may relate to the frequent epigenetic silencing of RARβ. Robust evaluation of RARβ and downstream genes may permit optimized use of retinoids in the solid tumor arena. Clin Cancer Res; 19(7); 1651–9. ©2013 AACR.