bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Religion and Sports in America
Authors: Blazer Annie 
Published: May 2012

AbstractThis article provides an overview of major scholarly contributions to the field of religion and sport. The article begins with scholarship that addresses the question: is sport a religion? Recognizing that Christianity and sports have a particularly strong relationship within the United States, the article turns to scholarship on muscular Christianity, theological and anthropological critiques of sports ministry, and how the relationship between Christianity and sports has affected Jewish and Catholic interactions with sport in the United States. As a model for future scholarship, the article briefly turns to investigations beyond the bounds of the United States that address the intersection of religion, embodiment, gender, and politics.
The Training Value of the Psychodynamic Psychotherapy Long Case: A Psychiatry Trainee's Perspective
Authors: Green Jonathan 
Published: May 2012

abstractIn order to fully satisfy eligibility criteria for membership of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, trainees must demonstrate satisfactory attainment of competencies in psychotherapy. Evidence required includes a Psychotherapy ‘ACE’ (assessment of clinical expertise) and completion of two psychotherapy cases in two modalities.With training posts in the Yorkshire deanery becoming European Working Time Directive compliant, a trainee gains less experience in their actual clinical post. Therefore, what benefit could a trainee derive from further time away from their posts in order to gain experience in a subspecialty that very few of us will pursue long‐term? I have conducted a 40‐week period of psychodynamic psychotherapy. I also received weekly supervision sessions with an experienced therapist. I will reflect on my positive experiences completing a psychodynamic long case and describe how the skills I have developed are transferable to most aspects of practice.The role of the psychiatrist within the NHS is continually being redefined. The Department of Health's New Ways of Working initiative may result in fleeting patient contact, which may not be conducive to in‐depth psychodynamic work. I would suggest that, at this uncertain time, psychiatrists might wish to push for further involvement with psychotherapy. The first step in this process is to ensure that all psychiatric trainees are adequately trained in psychotherapy. Efforts should be made to ensure that, as working hours become more unpredictable, psychiatric trainees are afforded protected time slots in order to complete psychotherapy training.
The Effect of DBT Provision in Reducing the Cost of Adults Displaying the Symptoms of BPD
Authors: Amner Karen 
Published: May 2012

abstract  Background:  Individuals experiencing Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) suffer high‐level dysfunction and distress, creating considerable service pressures. Heavy National Health Service (NHS) use often relieves only immediate crises, making BPD one of the most costly psychiatric disorders. Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) has been shown to be valuable in helping such individuals manage their emotions more effectively, thereby using services available to them more appropriately. Hywel Dda Health Board introduced DBT to improve standards of care for these clients.Aims:  To produce the first DBT cost analysis within normal UK treatment provision.Method:  Data were collected over three years. Comparisons were made between pre‐ and post‐treatment service use costs with one year of DBT. Unit costs were combined to demonstrate the financial implications. Service establishment costs were included.Results:  A £36,000 saving was evident by the end of the post‐treatment year, mainly from lowered in‐patient and community nursing contacts.Conclusions:  This study is the first to show that a year's treatment with DBT can reduce secondary mental health care costs associated with BPD relative to pre‐referral cost. Although promising, further research is necessary given the small participant numbers, rural hospital perspective and unknown level of effect from factors such as spontaneous remission.
Research on Mentoring Language Teachers: Its Role in Language Education
Authors: Asención Delaney Yuly 
Published: May 2012

AbstractMentoring has been considered a key component in teacher education and professional development. This literature review considers publications on language mentoring from the last 10 years that have described programs and mentoring practices in pre‐service (i.e., student teaching) and in‐service contexts (i.e., graduate teaching assistants and beginning language teachers) in the United States and abroad. The main goal of this review is to document the effects that some variables have on the mentor‐mentee relationship, to describe the impact of mentoring on language teachers’ professional development, and to identify areas of further research that can help improve mentoring practices in language teaching.
Content and Language Integration in K–12 Contexts: Student Outcomes, Teacher Practices, and Stakeholder Perspectives
Authors: Tedick Diane J. , Cammarata Laurent 
Published: May 2012

AbstractThis literature review, which examines the research on integrating the teaching of content and language at the pre‐K–12 level, provides a synthesis of research conducted over the past 10 years in a wide array of educational contexts, ranging from content‐driven, high time‐intensive to language‐driven, low time‐intensive program models. Organized into three major thematic strands, this review examines research on student outcomes, on classroom interaction studies that emphasize teacher practice, and on stakeholder perspectives in contexts where approaches aiming at integrating content and language in instruction are being implemented. The review concludes with a discussion highlighting key issues that remain to be addressed and outlines directions for future research.
In Search of Innovation: Research on Effective Models of Foreign Language Teacher Preparation
Authors: Huhn Christina 
Published: May 2012

AbstractToday's teachers must be more than transmitters of knowledge who orchestrate repetitive practice of decontextualized language forms with students: They need to infuse language instruction with meaning and purpose, design opportunities for interaction within and beyond the classroom, and provide responsive and useful assistance throughout the learning process. This review reveals a paucity of empirical research that provides evidence for models of foreign language teacher preparation with the potential to prepare teachers for this role. Despite this lack of research, this review illustrates how the ACTFL/NCATE Program Standards for the Preparation of Foreign Language Teachers (ACTFL, 2002) may be invoked as a viable framework for identifying the components of effective and innovative foreign language teacher preparation programs, presenting current programs that exemplify those components, and suggesting continued application of the standards and future research to further define features of model teacher preparation.
Distorted‐distance models for directional dispersal: a general framework with application to a wind‐dispersed tree
Authors: van Putten Bram , Visser Marco D. , Muller‐Landau Helene C. , Jansen Patrick A. 
Published: May 2012

Summary1. Seed and pollen dispersal is often directionally biased, because of the inherent directionality of wind and many other dispersal vectors. Nevertheless, the vast majority of studies of seed and pollen dispersal fit isotropic dispersal kernels to data, implicitly assuming that dispersal is equally likely in all directions.2. Here, we offer a flexible method for stochastic modelling of directional dispersal data. We show how anisotropic models can be constructed by combining standard dispersal functions with ‘distorted‐distance functions’ that transform the circular contour lines of any isotropic dispersal kernel into non‐circular shapes. Many existing anisotropic phenomenological models of seed and pollen dispersal are special cases of our framework.3. We present functional forms for the specific case of elliptic distorted‐distance functions, under which contour lines of the seed shadow become non‐concentric, nested ellipses, and show how models using these functions can be constructed and parameterized. R‐code is provided.4. We applied the elliptic anisotropic models to characterize seed dispersal in the wind‐dispersed Neotropical treeLuehea seemannii(Malvaceae) on Barro Colorado Island, Panama. We used inverse modelling to fit alternative models to data of seed rain into seed traps, the locations of seed traps and adult trees, and tree size.5. Our anisotropic model performed considerably better than commonly applied isotropic models, revealing that seed dispersal ofL. seemanniiwas strongly directional. The best‐fitting model combined a 3‐parameter elliptic distorted‐distance function that captured the strong directional biases with a 1‐parameter exponential dispersal kernel, a 1‐parameter negative binomial probability distribution describing the clumping of seed rain and a 1‐parameter function relating tree fecundity to tree diameter.6. The framework presented in this paper enables more flexible and accurate modelling of directional dispersal data. It is applicable not only to studies of seed dispersal, but also to a wide range of other problems in which large numbers of particles disperse from one or more point sources.
Population Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics of Ofloxacin in South African Patients with Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis
Authors: Chigutsa Emmanuel , Meredith Sandra , Wiesner Lubbe , Padayatchi Nesri , Harding Joe , Moodley Prashini , Mac Kenzie William R. , Weiner Marc , McIlleron Helen , Kirkpatrick Carl M. J. 
Published: May 2012

ABSTRACT

Despite the important role of fluoroquinolones and the predominant use of ofloxacin for treating multidrug-resistant tuberculosis in South Africa, there are limited data on ofloxacin pharmacokinetics in patients with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis, no ofloxacin pharmacokinetic data from South African patients, and no direct assessment of the relationship between ofloxacin pharmacokinetics and the MIC of ofloxacin of patient isolates. Our objectives are to describe ofloxacin pharmacokinetics in South African patients being treated for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis and assess the adequacy of ofloxacin drug exposure with respect to the probability of pharmacodynamic target attainment (area under the time curve/MIC ratio of at least 100). Sixty-five patients with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis were recruited from 2 hospitals in South Africa. We determined the ofloxacin MICs for the
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
isolates from baseline sputum specimens. Patients received daily doses of 800 mg ofloxacin, in addition to other antitubercular drugs. Patients underwent pharmacokinetic sampling at steady state. NONMEM was used for data analysis. The population pharmacokinetics of ofloxacin in this study has been adequately described. The probability of target attainment expectation in the study population was 0.45. Doubling the dose to 1,600 mg could increase this to only 0.77. The currently recommended ofloxacin dose appeared inadequate for the majority of this study population. Studies to assess the tolerability of higher doses are warranted. Alternatively, ofloxacin should be replaced with more potent fluoroquinolones.
Effect of Telaprevir on the Pharmacokinetics of Buprenorphine in Volunteers on Stable Buprenorphine/Naloxone Maintenance Therapy
Authors: Luo Xia , Trevejo Jose , van Heeswijk Rolf P. G. , Smith Frances , Garg Varun 
Published: May 2012

ABSTRACT

This was an open-label, single-sequence trial in hepatitis C virus-negative volunteers on stable, individualized, buprenorphine maintenance therapy. Telaprevir at 750 mg every 8 h was coadministered with buprenorphine/naloxone (4:1 ratio as sublingual tablets) for 7 days with food. Pharmacokinetic profiles of buprenorphine, norbuprenorphine, and naloxone were measured over the 24-hour dosing interval on day −1 (buprenorphine/naloxone alone, reference) and day 7 of telaprevir coadministration (test). Geometric least-squares mean ratios and associated 90% confidence intervals of treatment ratios (test/reference) were calculated using log-transformed pharmacokinetic parameters. Opioid withdrawal symptoms were evaluated throughout the study (via questionnaires and pupillometry). Pharmacokinetic data were available for 14 and 13 volunteers on day −1 and day 7, respectively. The area under the concentration-time curve (AUC) for buprenorphine was unchanged and the maximum concentration of drug in serum (
C
max
) for buprenorphine,
C
max
and AUC for norbuprenorphine, and
C
max
naxolone were modestly decreased during coadministration with telaprevir. Geometric least-squares mean ratios (90% confidence intervals) for buprenorphine were 0.80 (0.69, 0.93) for the
C
max
and 0.96 (0.84, 1.10) for the AUC from 0 to 24 h (AUC
0–24
); for norbuprenorphine, values were 0.85 (0.66, 1.09) for
C
max
and 0.91 (0.71, 1.16) for AUC
0–24
; for naloxone, the
C
max
was 0.84 (0.62, 1.13). Coadministration of telaprevir did not increase withdrawal symptom frequency, and there were no serious adverse events reported during or after completion of telaprevir coadministration. Results suggest dose adjustment may not be necessary when telaprevir and buprenorphine/naloxone are coadministered.
Dual Roles of FmtA in Staphylococcus aureus Cell Wall Biosynthesis and Autolysis
Authors: Qamar Aneela , Golemi-Kotra Dasantila 
Published: May 2012

ABSTRACT

The
fmtA
gene is a member of the
Staphylococcus aureus
core cell wall stimulon. The FmtA protein interacts with β-lactams through formation of covalent species. Here, we show that FmtA has weak
d
-Ala-
d
-Ala-carboxypeptidase activity and is capable of covalently incorporating C14-Gly into cell walls. The fluorescence microscopy study showed that the protein is localized to the cell division septum. Furthermore, we show that wall teichoic acids interact specifically with FmtA and mediate recruitment of FmtA to the
S. aureus
cell wall. Subjection of
S. aureus
to FmtA concentrations of 0.1 μM or less induces autolysis and biofilm production. This effect requires the presence of wall teichoic acids. At FmtA concentrations greater than 0.2 μM, autolysis and biofilm formation in
S. aureus
are repressed and growth is enhanced. Our findings indicate dual roles of FmtA in
S. aureus
growth, whereby at low concentrations, FmtA may modulate the activity of the major autolysin (AtlA) of
S. aureus
and, at high concentrations, may participate in synthesis of cell wall peptidoglycan. These two roles of FmtA may reflect dual functions of FmtA in the absence and presence of cell wall stress, respectively.
Caspofungin Etest Susceptibility Testing of Candida Species: Risk of Misclassification of Susceptible Isolates of C. glabrata and C. krusei when Adopting the Revised CLSI Caspofungin Breakpoints
Authors: Arendrup Maiken Cavling , Pfaller Michael A. ,   the Danish Fungaemia Study Group
Published: May 2012

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the performance of caspofungin Etest and the recently revised CLSI breakpoints. A total of 497 blood isolates, of which 496 were wild-type isolates, were included. A total of 65/496 susceptible isolates (13.1%) were misclassified as intermediate (I) or resistant (R). Such misclassifications were most commonly observed for
Candida krusei
(73.1%) and
Candida glabrata
(33.1%). The revised breakpoints cannot be safely adopted for these two species.
Effect of Clarithromycin in Inflammatory Markers of Patients with Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia and Sepsis Caused by Gram-Negative Bacteria: Results from a Randomized Clinical Study
Authors: Spyridaki Aikaterini , Raftogiannis Maria , Antonopoulou Anastasia , Tsaganos Thomas , Routsi Christina , Baziaka Fotini , Karagianni Vassiliki , Mouktaroudi Maria , Koutoukas Pantelis , Pelekanou Aimilia , Kotanidou Anastasia , Orfanos Stylianos E. , van der Meer Jos W. M. , Netea Mihai G. , Giamarellos-Bourboulis Evangelos J. 
Published: May 2012

ABSTRACTOne recent, double-blind, randomized clinical trial with 200 patients showed that clarithromycin administered intravenously for 3 days in patients with ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) accelerated the resolution of pneumonia and decreased the risk of death from septic shock and multiple organ dysfunctions (MODS). The present study focused on the effect of clarithromycin on markers of inflammation in these patients. Blood was drawn immediately before the administration of the allocated treatment and on six consecutive days after the start of treatment. The concentrations of circulating markers were measured. Monocytes and neutrophils were isolated for immunophenotyping analysis and for cytokine stimulation. The ratio of serum interleukin-10 (IL-10) to serum tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) was decreased in the clarithromycin group compared with the results in the placebo group. Apoptosis of monocytes was significantly increased on day 4 in the clarithromycin group compared with the rate of apoptosis in the placebo group. On the same day, the expression of CD86 was increased and the ratio of soluble CD40 ligand (sCD40L) to CD86 in serum was unchanged. The release of TNF-α, IL-6, and soluble triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells-1 (sTREM-1) by circulating monocytes after stimulation was greater in the clarithromycin group than in the placebo group. The expression of TREM-1 on monocytes was also increased in the former group. These effects were pronounced in patients with septic shock and MODS. These results suggest that the administration of clarithromycin restored the balance between proinflammatory versus anti-inflammatory mediators in patients with sepsis; this was accompanied by more efficient antigen presentation and increased apoptosis. These effects render new perspectives for the immunotherapy of sepsis.
Interleukin-10 (IL-10) Polymorphisms Are Associated with IL-10 Production and Clinical Malaria in Young Children
Authors: Zhang Guicheng , Manaca Maria Nelia , McNamara-Smith Michelle , Mayor Alfredo , Nhabomba Augusto , Berthoud Tamara Katherine , Khoo Siew-Kim , Wiertsema Selma , Aguilar Ruth , Barbosa Arnoldo , Quintó Llorenç , Candelaria Pierre , Schultz En Nee , Hayden Catherine M. , Goldblatt Jack , Guinovart Caterina , Alonso Pedro L. , LeSouëf Peter N. , Dobaño Carlota 
Published: May 2012

ABSTRACT

The role of interleukin-10 (IL-10) in malaria remains poorly characterized. The aims of this study were to investigate (i) whether genetic variants of the IL-10 gene influence IL-10 production and (ii) whether IL-10 production as well as the genotypes and haplotypes of the IL-10 gene in young children and their mothers are associated with the incidence of clinical malaria in young children. We genotyped three IL-10 single nucleotide polymorphisms in 240 children and their mothers from a longitudinal prospective cohort and assessed the IL-10 production by maternal peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and cord blood mononuclear cells (CBMCs). Clinical episodes of
Plasmodium falciparum
malaria in the children were documented until the second year of life. The polymorphism IL-10 A-1082G (GCC haplotype of three SNPs in IL-10) in children was associated with IL-10 production levels by CBMC cultured with
P. falciparum
-infected erythrocytes (
P
= 0.043), with the G allele linked to low IL-10 production capacity. The G allele in children was also significantly associated with a decreased risk for clinical malaria infection in their second year of life (
P
= 0.016). Furthermore, IL-10 levels measured in maternal PBMCs cultured with infected erythrocytes were associated with increased risk of malaria infection in young children (
P
< 0.001). In conclusion, IL-10 polymorphisms and IL-10 production capacity were associated with clinical malaria infections in young children. High IL-10 production capacity inherited from parents may diminish immunological protection against
P. falciparum
infection, thereby being a risk for increased malaria morbidity.
The Helicobacter pylori Autotransporter ImaA (HP0289) Modulates the Immune Response and Contributes to Host Colonization
Authors: Sause William E. , Castillo Andrea R. , Ottemann Karen M. 
Published: May 2012

ABSTRACT

The human pathogen
Helicobacter pylori
employs a diverse collection of outer membrane proteins to colonize, persist, and drive disease within the acidic gastric environment. In this study, we sought to elucidate the function of the host-induced gene
HP0289
, which encodes an uncharacterized outer membrane protein. We first generated an isogenic
H. pylori
mutant that lacks
HP0289
and found that the mutant has a colonization defect in single-strain infections and is greatly outcompeted in mouse coinfection experiments with wild-type
H. pylori
. Furthermore, we used protease assays and biochemical fractionation coupled with an HP0289-targeted peptide antibody to verify that the HP0289 protein resides in the outer membrane. Our previous findings showed that the
HP0289
promoter is upregulated in the mouse stomach, and here we demonstrate that
HP0289
expression is induced under acidic conditions in an ArsRS-dependent manner. Finally, we have shown that the
HP0289
mutant induces greater expression of the chemokine interleukin-8 (IL-8) and the cytokine tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) in gastric carcinoma cells (AGS). Similarly, transcription of the IL-8 homolog keratinocyte-derived chemokine (KC) is elevated in murine infections with the HP0289 mutant than in murine infections with wild-type
H. pylori
. On the basis of this phenotype, we renamed HP0289 ImaA for
i
mmuno
m
odulatory
a
utotransporter protein. Our work has revealed that genes induced
in vivo
play an important role in
H. pylori
pathogenesis. Specifically, the outer membrane protein ImaA modulates a component of the host inflammatory response, and thus may allow
H. pylori
to fine tune the host immune response based on ImaA expression.
Genome Sequence of Herpes Simplex Virus 1 Strain KOS
Authors: Macdonald Stuart J. , Mostafa Heba H. , Morrison Lynda A. , Davido David J. 
Published: May 2012

ABSTRACT

Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) strain KOS has been extensively used in many studies to examine HSV-1 replication, gene expression, and pathogenesis. Notably, strain KOS is known to be less pathogenic than the first sequenced genome of HSV-1, strain 17. To understand the genotypic differences between KOS and other phenotypically distinct strains of HSV-1, we sequenced the viral genome of strain KOS. When comparing strain KOS to strain 17, there are at least 1,024 small nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and 172 insertions/deletions (indels). The polymorphisms observed in the KOS genome will likely provide insights into the genes, their protein products, and the
cis
elements that regulate the biology of this HSV-1 strain.
Complete Genome Sequence of Two Novel Chinese Virulent Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus Variants
Authors: Zhou Zhi , Li Xiangdong , Liu Qi , Hu Dongmei , Yue Xiaojuan , Ni Jianqiang , Yu Xiuling , Zhai Xinyan , Galliher-Beckley Amy , Chen Nanhua , Shi Jishu , Tian Kegong 
Published: May 2012

ABSTRACT
A highly pathogenic strain of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV), characterized by a discontinuous 30-amino-acid deletion in its Nsp2-coding region, has been emerging in China since 2006. Here, we report the complete genomic sequence of two novel Chinese virulent PRRSV variants with additional NSP2-gene deletions, which will help us understand the molecular and evolutionary characteristics of PRRSV in Asia.