bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Perceived challenges and attitudes to regimen and product selection from Italian haemophilia treaters: the 2013 AICE survey
Authors: Franchini M. , Coppola A. , Rocino A. , Zanon E. , Morfini M. ,   the Italian Association of Haemophilia Centers (AICE) Working Group
Published: February 2014

SummaryDespite great advances in haemophilia care in the last 20 years, a number of questions on haemophilia therapy remain unanswered. These debated issues primarily involve the choice of the product type (plasma‐derived vs. recombinant) for patients with different characteristics: specifically, if they were infected by blood‐borne virus infections, and if they bear high or low risk of inhibitor development. In addition, the most appropriate treatment regimen in non‐inhibitor and inhibitor patients compel physicians operating at the haemophilia treatment centres (HTCs) to take important therapeutic decisions, which are often based on their personal clinical experience rather than on evidence‐based recommendations from published literature data. To know the opinion on the most controversial aspects in haemophilia care of Italian expert physicians, who are responsible for common clinical practice and therapeutic decisions, we have conducted a survey among the Directors of HTCs affiliated to the Italian Association of Haemophilia Centres (AICE). A questionnaire, consisting of 19 questions covering the most important topics related to haemophilia treatment, was sent to the Directors of all 52 Italian HTCs. Forty Directors out of 52 (76.9%) responded, accounting for the large majority of HTCs affiliated to the AICE throughout Italy. The results of this survey provide for the first time a picture of the attitudes towards clotting factor concentrate use and product selection of clinicians working at Italian HTCs.
Quality assessment of commercial paprikas
Authors: Velázquez Rocio , Hernández Alejandro , Martín Alberto , Aranda Emilio , Gallardo Gustavo , Bartolomé Teresa , Córdoba Maria G. 
Published: February 2014

SummarySeveral quality parameters of smoked, oven‐dried and sun‐dried paprikas were studied. Smoked paprikas showed the highest American Spice Trade Association (ASTA) units and pigment concentrations, whereas oven‐dried paprikas showed the best browning index and red/yellow pigment ratio, and sun‐dried paprikas had the highest redness for reflected colour. The colour stability results showed drastic overall colour change (ΔE) and decreased redness and ASTA units of the sun‐dried and oven‐dried paprikas after two and 5 days of UV exposure. Degradation of the smoked paprika colour parameters was progressive, and they showed less degradation even after 30 days. The evaluation of the antioxidant activity showed higher DPPH radical‐scavenging capacity in the smoked samples. The profiles of volatile phenolic compounds of the smoked samples are responsible for the differences in the antioxidant capacity. The great differences in colour stability and antioxidant activity make smoked paprika the best choice for use in the food industry.
Adult T‐cell leukaemia/lymphoma can mimic other lymphomas in a non‐endemic area: dilemmas in diagnosis and treatment
Authors: Huang C‐T. , Lee Y‐H. , Chow K‐C. , Yang C‐F. , Chen P. C‐H. , Hsiao L‐T. , Gau J‐P. , Tzeng C‐H. , Liu C‐Y. , Chiou T‐J. 
Published: February 2014

AbstractBackgroundThe diagnosis of Adult T‐cell leukaemia/lymphoma (ATL) in non‐endemic regions is challenging.AimThis study analyses the clinicopathologic features and diagnostic processes of ATL patients in Taiwan.MethodsATL patients diagnosed and treated at Taipei Veterans General Hospital from 1998 through 2010 were retrospectively identified. The diagnosis of ATL was confirmed by in situ detection of human T‐cell leukaemia virus type 1 (HTLV‐1) when necessary. Patients' data were reviewed and analysed.ResultsFourteen ATL patients were identified, among whom six (42.9%) had an antecedent diagnosis of other malignant lymphomas before the ATL diagnosis, including two diagnosed with Hodgkin disease (HD), one with peripheral T‐cell lymphoma, two with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia and one with angioimmunoblastic T‐cell lymphoma. Of the 14 patients, eight (57%) were subclassified as the acute type, three (21.4%) as the lymphoma type, and three (21.4%) as the chronic type ATL. Five of six (83.3%) patients with initial non‐ATL misdiagnosis were diagnosed with non‐acute type ATL. In particular, a patient with an antecedent diagnosis of HD presented with typical Reed–Sternberg (RS)‐like cells harbouring Epstein–Barr virus genomes in affected lymph nodes. The patient progressed to acute type ATL 3 years after the initial diagnosis, and HTLV‐1 genomes were identified in the previous RS‐like cells.ConclusionIn non‐endemic areas, such as Taiwan, ATL, particularly the non‐acute type, may mimic other lymphomas and easily be misdiagnosed. HTLV‐1 serology should be routinely screened in all malignant lymphoma patients. In situ detection of HTLV‐1 is helpful in cases with diagnostic dilemmas.
Implementing Change in Architectural Design in Elementary School Art Education in Slovenia
Authors: Batič Janja 
Published: February 2014

AbstractThis article reports on a study of the effects of an action research project that aimed to improve the practice of teaching art in elementary schools in Slovenia. The specific focus was on the planning and execution of art tasks relating to architectural design. The planned improvements were based on the process of architectural design from recognising a real problem to finding solutions to art problems. The subjects of the research were 80 10‐year‐old fifth graders and their art and classroom teachers from two elementary schools in Maribor, Slovenia. We evaluated the effects of the implemented changes on pupils' artistic creativity by testing the pupils before and after the action research by using an artistic creativity test with which we were able to monitor the level of pupils' creative development. Test drawings made by pupils before and after the action research were evaluated by monitoring six factors of artistic creativity: sensitivity to problems, elaboration, flexibility, fluency, originality and redefinition. By using a dependent t‐test for paired samples, we examined whether there were any statistically significant differences between the initial and the final tests for each factor separately. We found that the effects of all the implemented changes were positive, with pupils scoring higher in the final tests for each of the six factors of creativity. Findings from the action research suggest that changes to the architectural design classes yielded the best results in the last action step which enabled pupils to get a sense of space during an educational walk.
Sustainable Design Re‐examined: Integrated Approach to Knowledge Creation for Sustainable Interior Design
Authors: Lee Young S. 
Published: February 2014

AbstractThe article focuses on a systematic approach to the instructional framework to incorporate three aspects of sustainable design. It also aims to provide an instruction model for sustainable design stressing a collective effort to advance knowledge creation as a community. It develops a framework conjoining the concept of integrated process in sustainable building practice and the learning as knowledge creation theory. It presents a case study where the framework was applied to a project emphasising the role of interior design in downtown rehabilitation by addressing economy, community and environment collectively. The integrated process involving various stakeholders for sustainable solutions is a collective effort to teach sustainable design as a knowledge creating community and sustaining knowledge advancement in society.
ExplainingEuropean Disintegration
Authors: Vollaard Hans 
Published: February 2014

AbstractWhile the possibility ofEuropean disintegration is prominently on the public agenda,EuropeanUnion (EU) studies have so far largely neglected the issue. This article looks for a proper theoretical starting point to conceptualize and explainEuropean disintegration. Theories aboutEuropean integration, but also international politics, comparative federalism, optimum currency areas and imperial decline appear to be problematic bases to this end. Some of these theories suffer from a state bias. Other theories are too narrowly focused to explain the complex process of disintegration. Yet others fail to interconnect coherently the manifold disintegrative factors. A theoretical framework on polity formation developed by Bartolini is the most promising basis from which to examineEuropean disintegration as it avoids the problems just mentioned. It shows that Eurosceptic dissatisfaction mainly induces partial exits within theEUdue to theEU's weak lock‐in power, its problematic voice structuring and the lack of proper full exit options.
Antimicrobial Activities of Ethanol Extracts of Rhus javanica and Terminalia chebula Against Shigella Species
Authors: Yang Seung‐Kuk , Kim Hyun‐Jung , Oh Se‐Wook 
Published: February 2014

This study investigated the antimicrobial activities of Oriental medicinal plant extracts against four Shigella species, i.e., Shigella sonnei, Shigella flexneri, Shigella boydii and Shigella dysenteriae. Twelve Oriental medicinal plants were extracted with 80% ethanol. When the Rhus javanica extract was used at 0.01% concentration, 98.09% of the S. sonnei cells were injured. And S. boydii showed significantly different percentages of injured cells at 0.01% and 0.5% of R. javanica extracts, and S. dysenteriae at 0.01%, 0.1% and 0.5% concentrations of the extracts (P < 0.05). Among the tested Shigella species, S. sonnei was the most easily injured, showing a higher percentage of injured cells at low R. javanica extract concentrations. The growth inhibitory effects of the R. javanica and Terminalia chebula extracts on the Shigella species at different concentrations (i.e., 1, 10 and 100 ppm) were calculated using the modified Gompertz equation. R. javanica extracts used at 100 ppm inhibited the growth of S. flexneri and S. dysenteriae for the entire cultivation period (>48 h). However, the T. chebula extract used at the same concentration did not completely inhibit the growth and caused an increased lag time corresponding to 227.0% and 174.4% for S. flexneri and S. dysenteriae, respectively.Practical ApplicationsShigellosis results in at least 600,000 deaths worldwide each year. And in the U.S.A., it is a major bacteria involved in food poisoning, reported in 10,000–20,000 patients (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). In the present study, ethanol extracts of oriental medicinal plants were used as basic materials for controlling Shigella species, and there are potentials for medicinal plants, as a natural antimicrobial agent, to be used in the development of eco‐friendly reduction technology on Shigella species.
Liquid versus solid energy intake in relation to body composition among Australian children
Authors: Zheng M. , Allman‐Farinelli M. , Heitmann B. L. , Toelle B. , Marks G. , Cowell C. , Rangan A. 
Published: February 2014

AbstractBackgroundThe debate about whether energy consumed in liquid form is more obesogenic than energy consumed in solid form remains equivocal. We aimed to evaluate the effects of liquid versus solid energy intake and different beverage types on changes in childhood adiposity.MethodsOur analyses included 8‐year‐old Australian children (n = 158) participating in the Childhood Asthma Prevention Study. Dietary information was collected using three 24‐h recalls at age 9 years. Multivariate linear regression was used to evaluate the effects of liquid versus solid energy intake and different beverage types on changes in body mass index (BMI) Z‐score from ages 8 to 11.5 years (△BMIz8–11.5y) and percentage body fat (%BF) at age 11.5 years (%BF11.5y). Substitution models were used to evaluate the effects of substituting other beverage types for sugar‐sweetened beverages (SSB).ResultsLiquid energy intake (1 MJ day–1) was more closely associated with both △BMIz8–11.5y (β = 0.23, P = 0.02) and %BF11.5y (β = 2.31%, P = 0.01) than solid energy intake (△BMIz8–11.5y: β = 0.12, P = 0.01 and %BF11.5y: β = 0.80%, P = 0.07). SSB consumption (100 g day–1) was directly associated with △BMIz8–11.5y (β = 0.08, P = 0.02) and %BF11.5y (β = 0.92%, P = 0.004),whereas diet drinks (100 g day–1) were inversely associated with △BMIz8–11.5y (β = 0.18, P = 0.02). Substitution of 100 g of SSB by 100 g of water or diet drink, but not other beverages, was inversely associated with both △BMIz8–11.5y and %BF11.5y (P < 0.01).ConclusionsOur findings indicate that liquid energy is more obesogenic than solid energy. In particular, SSB, but not other beverage types, are a significant predictor of childhood adiposity and replacing SSB with water can have long‐term beneficial effects on childhood adiposity.
An Evaluation of Equitable Access to a Community‐Based Maternal and Newborn Health Program in Rural Ethiopia
Authors: Spangler Sydney A. , Barry Danika , Sibley Lynn 
Published: February 2014

IntroductionThe Maternal and Newborn Health in Ethiopia Partnership (MaNHEP) aimed to promote equitable access to safe childbirth and postnatal care through a community‐based educational intervention. This study evaluates the extent to which MaNHEP reached women who are socially and materially disadvantaged and, thus, at high risk for inadequate access to care.MethodsThe data used in this analysis are from MaNHEP's cross‐sectional 2010 baseline and 2012 endline surveys of women who gave birth in the prior year. A logistic regression model was fit to examine the effects of sociodemographic characteristics on participation in the MaNHEP program. Descriptive statistics of select characteristics by birth and postnatal care provider were also calculated to explore trends in services use.ResultsUsing data from the endline survey (N = 1019), the regression model showed that age, parity, education, and geographic residence were not significantly associated with MaNHEP exposure. However, women who were materially disadvantaged were still less likely to have participated in the program than their better‐off counterparts. From the baseline survey (N = 1027) to the endline survey, women's use of skilled and semiskilled providers for birth care and postnatal care increased substantially, while use of untrained providers or no provider decreased. These shifts were greater for women with less personal wealth than for women with more personal wealth.DiscussionMaNHEP appears to have succeeded in meeting its equity goals to a degree. However, this study also supports the intractable relationship between wealth inequality and access to maternal and newborn health services. Strategies targeting the poor in diverse contexts may eventually prove consistently effective in equitable services delivery. Until that time, a critical step that all maternal and newborn health programs can take is to monitor and evaluate to what extent they are reaching disadvantaged groups within the populations they serve.
Factors Shaping Interactions Among Community Health Workers in Rural Ethiopia: Rethinking Workplace Trust and Teamwork
Authors: Dynes Michelle M. , Stephenson Rob , Hadley Craig , Sibley Lynn M. 
Published: February 2014

IntroductionWorldwide, a shortage of skilled health workers has prompted a shift toward community‐based health workers taking on greater responsibility in the provision of select maternal and newborn health services. Research in mid‐ and high‐income settings suggests that coworker collaboration increases productivity and performance. A major gap in this research, however, is the exploration of factors that influence teamwork among diverse community health worker cadres in rural, low‐resource settings. The purpose of this study is to examine how sociodemographic and structural factors shape teamwork among community‐based maternal and newborn health workers in Ethiopia.MethodsA cross‐sectional survey was conducted with health extension workers, community health development agents, and traditional birth attendants in 3 districts of the West Gojam Zone in the Amhara region of Ethiopia. Communities were randomly selected from Maternal and Newborn Health in Ethiopia Partnership (MaNHEP) sites; health worker participants were recruited using a snowball sampling strategy. Fractional logit modeling and average marginal effects analyses were carried out to identify the influential factors for frequency of work interactions with each cadre.ResultsOne hundred and ninety‐four health workers participated in the study. A core set of factors—trust in coworkers, gender, and cadre—were influential for teamwork across groups. Greater geographic distance and perception of self‐interested motivations were barriers to interactions with health extension workers, while greater food insecurity (a proxy for wealth) was associated with increased interactions with traditional birth attendants.DiscussionInterventions that promote trust and gender sensitivity and improve perceptions of health worker motivations may help bridge the gap in health services delivery between low‐ and high‐resource settings. Inter‐cadre training may be one mechanism to increase trust and respect among diverse health workers, thereby increasing collaboration. Large‐scale, longitudinal research is needed to understand how changes in trust, gender norms, and perceptions of motivations influence teamwork over time.
A Qualitative Study of Attitudes and Values Surrounding Stillbirth and Neonatal Mortality Among Grandmothers, Mothers, and Unmarried Girls in Rural Amhara and Oromiya Regions, Ethiopia: Unheard Souls in the Backyard
Authors: Sisay Mitike Molla , Yirgu Robel , Gobezayehu Abebe Gebremariam , Sibley Lynn M. 
Published: February 2014

IntroductionIn Ethiopia, neonatal mortality and stillbirth are high and underreported. This study explored values related to neonatal mortality and stillbirth and the visibility of these deaths in rural Ethiopia among 3 generations of women.MethodsWe conducted a qualitative study in 6 rural districts of the Oromiya and Amhara regional states during May 2012. We included 30 focus groups representing grandmothers, married women (mothers), and unmarried girls in randomly selected kebeles (villages).ResultsUntil the 40th day of life, neonates are considered to be strangers to the community (not human). Their deaths are not talked about; they are buried in the house or in the backyard. Mothers are forbidden to mourn their loss lest they offend God and bring on future neonatal losses. Women who repeatedly lose their neonates may be blamed, mistreated, and dishonored through divorce. Neonatal death and stillbirth are attributed to supernatural powers, although some women and girls associate these deaths with poverty and lack of education. The desire for increased visibility of neonatal death is mixed. Unlike the grandmothers and unmarried girls, most of the married women want death to be visible to draw the attention of policy makers. Women prefer home birth and consider themselves lucky to be able to give birth at home. At present, there is no national vital registration system.DiscussionNeonatal death and stillbirth are hidden and the magnitude is likely underrepresented. The delayed recognition of personhood, attribution of death to supernatural causes, social repercussions for women who experience a pregnancy loss, preference for home birth, and lack of a vital registration system all contribute to the invisibility of perinatal deaths. Increasing the visibility of (and counting) these deaths may require multifaceted behavior‐change interventions.
Improving Coverage of Postnatal Care in Rural Ethiopia Using A Community‐based, Collaborative Quality Improvement Approach
Authors: Tesfaye Solomon , Barry Danika , Gobezayehu Abebe Gebremariam , Frew Aynalem Hailemichael , Stover Kim Ethier , Tessema Hana , Alamineh Lamesgin , Sibley Lynn M. 
Published: February 2014

IntroductionEthiopia has high maternal and neonatal mortality and low use of skilled maternity care. The Maternal and Newborn Health in Ethiopia Partnership (MaNHEP), a 3.5‐year learning project, used a community collaborative quality improvement approach to improve maternal and newborn health care during the birth‐to‐48‐hour period. This study examines how the promotion of community maternal and newborn health (CMNH) family meetings and labor and birth notification contributed to increased postnatal care within 48 hours by skilled providers or health extension workers.MethodsBaseline and endline surveys, monthly quality improvement data, and MaNHEP's CMNH change package, a compendium of the most effective changes developed and tested by communities, were reviewed. Logistic regression assessed factors associated with postnatal care receipt. Monthly postnatal care receipt was plotted with control charts.ResultsThe baseline (n = 1027) and endline (n = 1019) surveys showed significant increases in postnatal care, from 5% to 51% and from 15% to 47% in the Amhara and Oromiya regions, respectively (both P < .001). Notification of health extension workers for labor and birth within 48 hours was closely linked with receipt of postnatal care. Women with any antenatal care were 1.7 times more likely to have had a postnatal care visit (odds ratio [OR], 1.67; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.10‐2.54; P < .001). Women who had additionally attended 2 or more CMNH meetings with family members and had access to a health extension worker's mobile phone number were 4.9 times more likely to have received postnatal care (OR, 4.86; 95% CI, 2.67‐8.86; P < .001).DiscussionThe increase in postnatal care far exceeds the 7% postnatal care coverage rate reported in the 2011 Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey (EDHS). This result was linked to ideas generated by community quality improvement teams for labor and birth notification and cooperation with community‐level health workers to promote antenatal care and CMNH family meetings.
CDK5 protects from caspase‐induced Ataxin‐3 cleavage and neurodegeneration
Authors: Liman Jan , Deeg Sebastian , Voigt Aaron , Voßfeldt Hannes , Dohm Christoph P. , Karch André , Weishaupt Jochen , Schulz Jörg B. , Bähr Mathias , Kermer Pawel 
Published: February 2014

AbstractSpinocerebellar ataxia type 3 (SCA3) is one of at least nine inherited neurodegenerative diseases caused by an expansion of a polyglutamine tract within corresponding disease‐specific proteins. In case of SCA3, mutation of Ataxin‐3 results in aggregation of misfolded protein, formation of intranuclear as well as cytosolic inclusion bodies and cell death in distinct neuronal populations. Since cyclin‐dependent kinase‐5 (CDK5) has been shown to exert beneficial effects on aggregate formation and cell death in various polyglutamine diseases, we tested its therapeutic potential for SCA3. Our data show increased caspase‐dependent Ataxin‐3 cleavage, aggregation, and neurodegeneration in the absence of sufficient CDK5 activity. This disease‐propagating effect could be reversed by mutation of the caspase cleavage site in Ataxin‐3. Moreover, reduction of CDK5 expression levels by RNAi in vivo enhances SCA3 toxicity as assayed in a Drosophila model for SCA3. In summary, we present CDK5 as a potent neuroprotectant, regulating cleavage and thereby toxicity of Ataxin‐3 and other polyglutamine proteins.
image
We propose that increased caspase‐dependent cleavage of mutated Ataxin‐3, because of missing CDK5 shielding, leads to aggregation and cell death. Moreover, reduction of CDK5 expression levels by RNAi in vivo enhances SCA3 toxicity as assayed in a Drosophila model for SCA3. We think that CDK5 functions as a shield against cleavage‐induced toxification and thereby is an interesting target for therapeutic intervention in polyQ disease in general.