bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Androgen‐responsive and ‐unresponsive prostate cancer cell lines respond differently to stimuli inducing neuroendocrine differentiation
Authors: Marchiani S. , Tamburrino L. , Nesi G. , Paglierani M. , Gelmini S. , Orlando C. , Maggi M. , Forti G. , Baldi E. 
Published: January 2010

SummaryThe treatment of advanced prostate cancer (CaP) with androgen deprivation therapy inevitably renders the tumours castration resistant and incurable. Under these conditions, neuroendocrine differentiation (NED) of CaP cells occurs and neuropeptides released by neuroendocrine cells facilitate tumour progression. Pharmacological strategies aiming to prevent or delay NED during androgen ablation could, therefore, increase the effectiveness of the therapy. Mechanisms and pathways inducing NED in CaP are poorly understood and data are often discordant. In the present study, we used several CaP cell lines (androgen‐responsive: LNCaP, PC3‐AR, 22RV1 and ‐irresponsive: DU145 and PC3) to evaluate NED after androgen deprivation or treatment with epidermal growth factor (EGF). NED was determined by neuron‐specific enolase and chromogranin A expression and by the occurrence of morphological changes in the cells. Androgen‐deprivation conditions induced NED in LNCaP and PC3‐AR, but not in 22Rv1, PC3 and DU145 cells. LNCaP and PC3‐AR cells also became resistant to thapsigargin‐induced apoptosis. In all the AR‐positive cell lines, androgen deprivation caused a decrease in androgen receptor expression indicating that it is downregulated irrespective of NED induction. Treatment with EGF induced NED in DU145 cells and the EGF receptor inhibitor gefinitib prevented the process. On the contrary, no effect of EGF was demonstrated in LNCaP or 22Rv1 cells. CaP cell lines did not respond univocally to treatments inducing NED, suggesting that studies on this topic should be performed in a wide spectrum of cell models which can be more indicative of the tumour variability in vivo.
Braden Scale: evaluation of clinical usefulness in an intensive care unit
Authors: Cho InSook , Noh Maengseok 
Published: January 2010

cho i. & noh m. (2010) Braden Scale: evaluation of clinical usefulness in an intensive care unit. Journal of Advanced Nursing 66(2), 293–302.AbstractTitle.  Braden Scale: evaluation of clinical usefulness in an intensive care unit. Aim.  This paper is a report of a study conducted to determine the usability and utility of the Braden in intensive care units.Background.  An understanding of the clinical usage of the Braden Scale is valuable when considering the incidence of pressure ulcers in a critical‐care setting.Methods.  A retrospective analysis of 21,115 hospital‐days of 715 inpatients in an intensive‐care unit in 2006 in South Korea was applied to data extracted electronically from an electronic medical record system in October 2007.Results.  Of the 715 patients, 42 (5·9%) developed a pressure ulcer, corresponding to an incidence density of 198 ulcers per 1000 hospital‐days. The usage rate of the Braden Scale was 11·26%, and an analysis of its utility, based on a receiver operating characteristic analysis with the cutoff set at 13, gave sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive values and negative predictive values of 75·9%, 47·3%, 18·1% and 92·8% respectively. There were weak correlations between the scores and nursing interventions except for the category of position changes. The variety of nursing interventions was also limited.Conclusion.  Our data suggest that the Braden Scale has a very low usage rate and a low‐to‐moderate positive predictive performance. Our quantification of the relationship between Braden Scale score and nursing interventions indicates the need for a more comprehensive and fundamental approach to the use of this scale.
The meaning of spirituality and spiritual care among the Hong Kong Chinese terminally ill
Authors: Mok Esther , Wong Frances , Wong Daniel 
Published: January 2010

mok e., wong f. & wong d. (2010) The meaning of spirituality and spiritual care among the Hong Kong Chinese terminally ill. Journal of Advanced Nursing 66(2), 360–370.AbstractTitle.  The meaning of spirituality and spiritual care among the Hong Kong Chinese terminally ill. Aim.  This paper is a report of a study conducted to explore the phenomenon of spirituality and spiritual care among terminally ill Chinese patients.Background.  Meeting a patient’s spiritual needs is a fundamental part of holistic nursing care. In the Western literature, spirituality is related to connectedness, faith, and hope. Contemporary scholars in the West suggest that spirituality is a broader term than religion.Method.  Phenomenological interviews were conducted with a convenience sample of 15 terminally ill Chinese patients in 2007.Findings.  Participants found the term spirituality an abstract concept and described it as a unique personal belief which gives strength and relates to meaning of life. Spirituality is integrated with the body and mind and is a multidimensional concept. The acceptance of death as a process in life and ‘letting go’ leads to serenity and peace of mind. Other important themes include how the meaning of life is derived through relationships and connectedness, self‐reflection of responsibilities, and obligations fulfilled. Inner spiritual well‐being is attained from having faith and knowing possibilities in life and after death. Participants did not expect nurses to provide spiritual care, but when quality interpersonal care was given it gave them strength and spiritually supportive.Conclusion.  If healthcare professionals can provide a compassionate and loving environment that facilitates acceptance and hope, the spiritual life of patients is enhanced. For dying individuals to experience love and for them to be understood as valuable even when no longer economically productive are both experiences of healing.
Complex decisions: theorizing women’s infant feeding decisions in the first 6 weeks after birth
Authors: Sheehan Athena , Schmied Virginia , Barclay Lesley 
Published: January 2010

sheehan a., schmied v. & barclay l. (2010)  Complex decisions: theorizing women’s infant feeding decisions in the first 6 weeks after birth. Journal of Advanced Nursing 66(2), 371–380.AbstractTitle.  Complex decisions: theorizing women’s infant feeding decisions in the first 6 weeks after birth. Aim.  This paper is a report of a grounded theory study of woman’s infant feeding experiences and decisions in the first 6 weeks after birth.Background.  Breastfeeding is considered the optimum method of infant feeding. Studies have identified numerous factors associated with infant feeding decisions. What remains unexplored are the mechanisms by which socio‐demographic, biomedical and psychosocial factors influence infant feeding decisions. Research highlights the need for further investigation of the experiences and decision‐making processes of both breastfeeding and formula‐feeding women.Method.  A constructionist grounded theory approach to data collection and analysis was used. Data for this study were collected and analysed between 2003 and 2004. Further data, collected in a previous study in 2000, were theoretically sampled and analysed in 2005. In‐depth interviews with 37 women from various socio‐demographic areas in New South Wales, Australia provided data.Findings.  The core category was ‘deconstructing best’. ‘Deconstructing best’ was the infant feeding decision‐making process in the first 6 weeks after birth. The process of ‘deconstructing best’ involved seven phases: planning, expecting, realizing, questioning, getting on with it, defending and qualifying. Four main categories –‘it’s really best to breastfeed’, ‘it’s the unknown’, ‘it’s not the only thing going on’, and ‘everybody’s best is different’– comprised the context within which deconstructing best occurred.Conclusion.  Woman’s infant feeding decisions cannot be viewed in isolation from other post‐natal experiences and needs. Infant feeding decisions will only be understood and appropriately supported when they are seen in relation to the circumstances of a woman’s life, her immediate sociocultural context and individual experience.
The garlic component, allicin, prevents disease caused by Aeromonas hydrophila in rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum)
Authors: Nya E J , Dawood Z , Austin B 
Published: January 2010

AbstractAllicin was fed at 0 (= control), 0.5 and 1.0 mL of Allimed® liquid 100 g−1 of feed for 14 days to rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum), fingerlings before infection with Aeromonas hydrophila with a resultant reduction in mortalities from 80% in the controls to 8% [relative percentage survival (RPS) = 90%] and 0% (RPS = 100%) among the treated fish. Allicin was strongly antibacterial compared to the control, with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of >400 μL mL−1 of Allimed® liquid. Use of allicin led to a lower number of white blood cells (132.0 ± 0.4 × 103) compared to 175.0 ± 0.1 × 103 in the controls, but elicited increased phagocytic activity, i.e. a phagocytic value of 39.2% compared to 13.6% in the controls, and serum lysozyme activity, which showed significant (P > 0.05) differences compared to the control at 15 and 30 min after the first reading at 0 min of incubation.
Assessment of Congo red as a fluorescence marker for the exoskeleton of small crustaceans and the cuticle of polychaetes
Authors: MICHELS J. , BÜNTZOW M. 
Published: January 2010

SummaryIn this study, the potential of the common dye Congo red as a fluorescence marker for chitin in the exoskeleton of small crustaceans and collagen in the polychaete cuticle was tested. The Congo red staining turned out to be rather efficient and yielded intensively fluorescing structures, which made a very detailed visualization by confocal laser scanning microscopy possible. The excellent results are comparable to those described for the utilization of other efficient fluorescence dyes and intense autofluorescence. The application of Congo red is easy, the fluorescence of this dye is very stable, and the excitation maximum of the structures stained with Congo red is in a range, which is covered by the lasers of most of the confocal laser scanning microscopes. These advantageous properties make the fluorescence staining by Congo red a method of choice for the detailed visualization of the external morphology of small crustaceans and polychaetes.
Compensatory gene amplification restores fitness after inter‐species gene replacements
Authors: Lind Peter A. , Tobin Christina , Berg Otto G. , Kurland Charles G. , Andersson Dan I. 
Published: January 2010

SummaryGenes introduced by gene replacements and other types of horizontal gene transfer (HGT) represent a significant presence in many archaeal and eubacterial genomes. Most alien genes are likely to be neutral or deleterious upon arrival and their long‐term persistence may require a mechanism that improves their selective contribution. To examine the fate of inter‐species gene replacements, we exchanged three native S. typhimurium genes encoding ribosomal proteins with orthologues from various other microbes. The results show that replacement of each of these three genes reduces fitness to such an extent that it would provide an effective barrier against inter‐species gene replacements in eubacterial populations. However, these fitness defects could be partially ameliorated by gene amplification that augmented the dosage of the heterologous proteins. This suggests that suboptimal expression is a common fitness constraint for inter‐species gene replacements, with fitness costs conferred by either a lower expression level of the alien protein compared with the native protein or a requirement for an increased amount of the alien protein to maintain proper function. Our findings can explain the observation that duplicated genes are over‐represented among horizontally transferred genes, and suggest a potential coupling between compensatory gene amplification after HGT and the evolution of new genes.
FixK, a global regulator of microaerobic growth, controls photosynthesis in Rhodopseudomonas palustris
Authors: Rey Federico E. , Harwood Caroline S. 
Published: January 2010

SummaryPurple non‐sulphur phototrophic bacteria (PNSB) are excellent models for analysing the co‐ordination of major metabolisms, including oxidative phosphorylation, photophosphorylation, carbon dioxide fixation and nitrogen fixation. In species studied to date, a two‐component system called RegBA controls these functions and it has been thought that this redox sensing regulatory system is essential for co‐ordinating electron flow and cannot be easily replaced. Here we show that this is not the case for all PNSB and that the oxygen‐sensing FixLJ‐K system, initially described in rhizobia, controls microaerobic respiration, photophosphorylation and other major metabolic traits in Rhodopseudomonas palustris. A R. palustris fixK mutant grew normally aerobically but was impaired in microaerobic growth. It was also severely impaired in photosynthetic growth. Transcriptome analyses indicated that FixK positively regulates haem and bacteriochlorophyll biosynthesis, cbb3 oxidase and NADH dehydrogenase genes, as well as genes for autotrophy and aromatic compound degradation. Purified FixK interacted with the promoters of a bacteriochlorophyll biosynthesis operon, a bacteriophytochrome‐histidine kinase gene and the fnr‐type regulatory gene, aadR. A FixK–AadR hierarchy mediates the transition from microaerobic to anaerobic growth. These results underscore that physiologically similar bacteria can use very different regulatory strategies to control common major metabolisms.
Functional diversification between two related Plasmodium falciparum merozoite invasion ligands is determined by changes in the cytoplasmic domain
Authors: Dvorin Jeffrey D. , Bei Amy K. , Coleman Bradley I. , Duraisingh Manoj T. 
Published: January 2010

SummaryThe pathogenesis of Plasmodium falciparum depends on efficient invasion into host erythrocytes. Parasite ligands encoded by multi‐gene families interact with erythrocyte receptors. P. falciparum reticulocyte binding protein homologues (PfRhs) are expressed at the apical surface of invasive merozoites and have divergent ectodomains that are postulated to bind different erythrocyte receptors. Variant expression of these paralogues results in the use of alternative invasion pathways. Two PfRh proteins, PfRh2a and PfRh2b, are identical for 2700 N‐terminal amino acids and differ only in a C‐terminal 500 amino acid region, which includes a unique ectodomain, transmembrane domain and cytoplasmic domain. Despite their similarity, PfRh2b is required for a well‐defined invasion pathway while PfRh2a is not required or sufficient for this pathway. Mapping the genomic region encoding these proteins revealed a recombinogenic locus with PfRh2a and PfRh2b in a head‐to‐head orientation. We have generated viable PfRh2a/2b chimeric parasites to identify the regions required for alternative invasion pathway utilization. We find that the differential ability to use these pathways is conferred by the cytoplasmic domains of PfRh2a and PfRh2b, not the ectodomain or transmembrane regions. Our results highlight the importance of the cytoplasmic domain for functional diversification of a major adhesive ligand family in malaria parasites.
Involvement and necessity of the Cpx regulon in the event of aberrant β‐barrel outer membrane protein assembly
Authors: Gerken Henri , Leiser Owen P. , Bennion Drew , Misra Rajeev 
Published: January 2010

SummaryThe Cpx and σE regulons help maintain outer membrane integrity; the Cpx pathway monitors the biogenesis of cell surface structures, such as pili, while the σE pathway monitors the biogenesis of β‐barrel outer membrane proteins (OMPs). In this study we revealed the importance of the Cpx regulon in the event of β‐barrel OMP mis‐assembly, by utilizing mutants expressing either a defective β‐barrel OMP assembly machinery (Bam) or assembly defective β‐barrel OMPs. Analysis of specific mRNAs showed that ΔcpxR bam double mutants failed to induce degP expression beyond the wild type level, despite activation of the σE pathway. The synthetic conditional lethal phenotype of ΔcpxR in mutant Bam or β‐barrel OMP backgrounds was reversed by wild type DegP expressed from a heterologous plasmid promoter. Consistent with the involvement of the Cpx regulon in the event of aberrant β‐barrel OMP assembly, the expression of cpxP, the archetypal member of the cpx regulon, was upregulated in defective Bam backgrounds or in cells expressing a single assembly‐defective β‐barrel OMP species. Together, these results showed that both the Cpx and σE regulons are required to reduce envelope stress caused by aberrant β‐barrel OMP assembly, with the Cpx regulon principally contributing by controlling degP expression.
The learning process of the hydrolocalization technique performed during ultrasound‐guided regional anesthesia
Authors: BLOC S. , MERCADAL L. , DESSIEUX T. , GARNIER T. , ESTEBE J.‐P. , LE NAOURES A. , KOMLY B. , LECLERC P. , MOREL B. , ECOFFEY C. , DHONNEUR G. 
Published: January 2010

Background: Because poor echogenicity of the needle remains a safety issue, we decided to analyze the learning process of the hydrolocalization technique (Hloc) performed to continuously identify needle‐tip anatomical position during many ultrasound‐guided regional anesthesia procedures.Methods: Ten senior anesthesiologists naïve to the Hloc agreed to participate in the study. They were requested to perform 40 out‐of‐plane (OOP) approach ultrasound‐guided axillary blocks (AB) each using the Hloc. The Hloc, which is a needle‐tip localization principle, was performed by means of repetitive injections of a small amount of a local anesthetic solution (0.5–1 ml) under an ultrasound beam. Details of the learning process and skill acquisition of the Hloc were derived from the following parameters: the duration of block placement, a measure of the perceived difficulty of needle‐tip visualization, a measure of block placement difficulty, and the amount of local anesthetics solution required for the technique.Results: Four hundred ABs were performed. The success rate of an ultrasound‐guided AB was 98%. The Hloc was successful in all patients. Skill acquisition over time of the Hloc was associated with a significant reduction of both the duration and the perceived difficulty of ABs placement. Apprenticeship data revealed that 20 blocks were required to successfully place AB within 5 min in most cases using the Hloc.Conclusion: The Hloc performed during the OOP approach of ultrasound‐guided regional anesthesia is a simple technique with a relatively short learning process feasible for efficient placement of ABs.
Femoral nerve block with ropivacaine or bupivacaine in day case anterior crucial ligament reconstruction
Authors: WULF H. , LÖWE J. , GNUTZMANN K‐H. , STEINFELDT T. 
Published: January 2010

Background/Objective: Our aim was to evaluate analgesia, motor block and pharmacokinetics of ropivacaine 0.2% and 0.75% in a femoral nerve block (FNB) in day case patients for anterior crucial ligament (ACL)‐reconstruction compared with bupivacaine 0.25% and placebo.Methods: Following ethics committee approval and informed consent, 280 patients were randomly allocated to four groups for single‐shot FNB [30 ml ropivacaine 0.2% (group RO2.0), 0.75% (RO7.5), bupivacaine 0.25% (BU2.5) and NaCl 0.9% (NaCl)]. Analgesia (pain scores, primary outcome) and motor block were assessed at 4 h (dismissal) and up to 24 h. Plasma concentration was determined up to 240 min thereafter.Results: Pain scores at 4 h were significantly higher for NaCl 4 (0–8) (median, range) (vs.) BU2.5 2 (0–8), RO2.0 3 (0–9) and RO7.5 2 (0–8) (NS within the LA groups). Patients of the NaCl group needed analgesics significantly more often (93%) within 4 h after surgery vs. 16% of group RO2.0, 19% of group RO7.5 and 19% of group BU2.5. Motor block was significantly increased with all local anesthetics without a significant difference within the LA groups 3 (0–5) in RO2.0, 3 (0–5) in RO7.5 and 3 (0–4) in BU2.5 vs. 0 (0–3) in group NaCl (median (range); scale from 0=full strength to 5=complete paralysis). Peak plasma concentrations differed significantly: RO7.5: 1.4 ± 0.4 (0.73–2.6) [μg/ml, mean ± SD (range)] after 33 ± 14 (10–40) min, RO2.0: 0.6 ± 0.3 (0.13–1.0) after 22+17 (10–60) and BU2.5: 0.3 ± 0.16 (0.05–0.62) at 31 ± 17 (10–60), respectively.Conclusion: FNB for ACL reconstruction with ropivacaine or bupivacaine provided better post‐operative analgesia than placebo without reaching toxic plasma concentrations. Significant motor block was observed after 4 h in all groups including the lowest concentration of ropivacaine but occurred even with placebo.
Effect of fallows on population dynamics of Cosmopolites sordidus: toward integrated management of banana fields with pheromone mass trapping
Authors: Rhino Béatrice , Dorel Marc , Tixier Philippe , Risède Jean‐Michel 
Published: January 2010

The banana weevil Cosmopolites sordidus Germar (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) is the most serious pest of banana and plantain in most production areas, including the West Indies.
During a period of 2 years, we assessed the efficacy of a pheromone mass‐trapping control strategy of C. sordidus in field conditions in Guadeloupe at different cropping stages, both in sanitation fallows and in different ratoon banana crops.
In the fallows, catches peaked 3 months after beginning trapping and then decreased to zero after 9 months. By contrast, for the new plantations, the catches of C. sordidus increased after the 11th month and, in the older banana fields, there was no decrease in C. sordidus catches. The C. sordidus catches increased in the neighbouring banana plots, whereas they decreased in the fallows, and these catches decreased with the distance from fallow.
In conclusion, mass trapping with synergized pheromone traps within fallows should allow better sanitation of banana plantations. Yet, within the farms, fallows must not be located next to new plantations to avoid massive damage to the young plants. More generally, the present study emphasizes that the control of this insect should be managed at the farm scale and not at the field scale, with special attention being paid to the location of fallows.
‘Glycaemic variability’: a new therapeutic challenge in diabetes and the critical care setting
Authors: Ceriello A. , Ihnat M. A. 
Published: January 2010

Diabet. Med. 27, 862–867 (2010)AbstractMuch attention has been paid recently to the possibility that oscillating glucose may superimpose on glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) in determining the risk for diabetes complications. Furthermore, recent evidence suggests that glucose variability, particularly if accompanied by frequent hypoglycaemic episodes, may adversely alter the prognosis of acutely ill patients. In vitro and animal studies confirm that oscillating glucose is more dangerous than stable constant high glucose, particularly in activating the pathways involved in the pathogenesis of diabetes complications. The production of free radicals, accompanied by an insufficient increase in intracellular antioxidant defences, seems to account for this phenomenon. In humans, studies also confirm that fluctuating glucose levels produce an increase in free radicals as well as endothelial dysfunction, and that these changes are greater than those produced by stable high glucose. Avoiding glucose fluctuations in diabetic patients and in crtically ill patients seems to be an emerging therapeutic challenge.