bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Heterochromatin marks HP1γ, HP1α and H3K9me3, and DNA damage response activation in human testis development and germ cell tumours
Authors: Bartkova J. , Moudry P. , Hodny Z. , Lukas J. , Rajpert‐De Meyts E. , Bartek J. 
Published: August 2010

SummaryHeterochromatinization has been implicated in fundamental biological and pathological processes including differentiation, senescence, ageing and tumourigenesis; however, little is known about its regulation and roles in human cells and tissues in vivo. Here, we show distinct cell‐type‐ and cancer‐stage‐associated patterns of key heterochromatin marks: histone H3 trimethylated at lysine 9 (H3K9me3) and heterochromatic adaptor proteins HP1α and HP1γ, compared with the γH2AX marker of endogenously activated DNA damage response (DDR) and proliferation markers in normal human foetal (n = 4) and adult (n = 29) testes, pre‐invasive carcinoma in situ (CIS; n = 26) lesions and a series of overt germ cell tumours, including seminomas (n = 26), embryonal carcinomas (n = 18) and teratomas (n = 11). Among striking findings were high levels of HP1γ in foetal gonocytes, CIS and seminomas; enhanced multimarker heterochromatinization without DDR activation in CIS; and enhanced HP1α in teratoma structures with epithelial and neuronal differentiation. Differential expression of the three heterochromatin markers suggests their partly non‐overlapping roles, and separation of heterochromatinization from DDR activation highlights distinct responses of germ cells vs. somatic tissues in early tumourigenesis. Conceptually interesting findings were that subsets of human cells in vivo proliferate despite enhanced heterochromatinization, and that cells can strongly express even multiple heterochromatin features in the absence of functional retinoblastoma protein and without DDR activation. Overall, these results provide novel insights into cell‐related and tumour‐related diversity of heterochromatin in human tissues in vivo, relevant for andrology and intrinsic anti‐tumour defence roles attributed to activated DDR and cellular senescence.
Nurses’ use of non‐pharmacological methods in children’s postoperative pain management: educational intervention study
Authors: He Hong‐Gu , Jahja Riawati , Lee Tat‐Leang , Ang Emily Neo Kim , Sinnappan Rajammal , Vehviläinen‐Julkunen Katri , Chan Moon Fai 
Published: August 2010

he h.‐g., jahja r., lee t.‐l., ang e.n.k., sinnappan r., vehviläinen‐julkunen k. & chan m.f. (2010) Nurses’ use of non‐pharmacological methods in children’s postoperative pain management: educational intervention study. Journal of Advanced Nursing 66(11), 2398–2409.AbstractAim.  This paper is a report of study of the impact of an educational intervention in pain management on nurses’ self‐reported use of non‐pharmacological methods for children’s postoperative pain relief and their perceptions of barriers that limited their use of these methods.Background.  Non‐pharmacological methods have been shown to be effective in relieving pain; however, many barriers, including lack of knowledge, limit nurses’ use of these methods. Pain education is a promising strategy for changing nursing practice, but only a few authors have examined the effectiveness of educational interventions for nurses to help relieve children’s postoperative pain.Methods.  A quasi‐experimental one‐group pre‐ and post‐test design was used. Questionnaire surveys were conducted with a convenience sample of 108 Registered Nurses in two public hospitals in Singapore in 2008.Results.  Statistically significant increases were found in nurses’ self‐reported use of imagery, positive reinforcement, thermal regulation, massage and positioning in the postintervention survey. Before the intervention, these methods were less frequently used compared to other methods. Heavy workload/lack of time and the child’s inability to cooperate were the most commonly reported barriers at pre‐ and post‐test.Conclusion.  The educational intervention had a positive effect on nurses’ use of several non‐pharmacological methods. Regular dissemination of updated information to nurses on these pain management methods is recommended to maintain the positive changes. Nevertheless, education alone was not sufficient to optimize nurses’ use of these methods, as various barriers limited their practice.
What informs parents’ decision‐making about childhood vaccinations?
Authors: Austvoll‐Dahlgren Astrid , Helseth Sølvi 
Published: August 2010

austvoll‐dahlgren a. & helseth s. (2010) What informs parents’ decision‐making about childhood vaccinations? Journal of Advanced Nursing 66(11), 2421–2430.AbstractAim.  This paper is a report of a study conducted to identify parents’ decision‐making processes in relation to childhood vaccinations, including barriers and facilitators to searching for information.Background.  Decision‐making about childhood vaccinations is complex. Access to the best available evidence and the ability to obtain and understand such information are necessary for effective participation in decision‐making.Methods.  A grounded theory approach was used, with semi‐structured interviews and focus groups with parents (n = 10) and public health nurses (n = 16) conducted in 2008. Data were derived through incident‐to‐incident and axial coding.Findings.  Being positive towards vaccination and being decided were found to be main barriers to participation and obtaining information; other factors were perceptions about own abilities and capacity. Public health nurses were the parents’ most important source of information, but tended to inform to facilitate vaccinations. Issues related to this and being inadequately informed were that some parents expressed low confidence about the decision they had made and uncertainty about their rights and responsibilities in decision‐making.Conclusion.  Information delivered by public health nurses should not facilitate a specific choice but rather be balanced, explaining the benefits and harms, and accompanied by a qualified recommendation. Useful tools to improve practice may include checklists for shared decision‐making and guidelines about trustworthy websites.
Population‐specific Mini Nutritional Assessment can improve mortality‐risk‐predicting ability in institutionalised older Taiwanese
Authors: Tsai Alan C , Ku Pei‐Yu , Tsai Jeng‐Dau 
Published: August 2010

Aim and objectives. The study determined whether a new version of the Mini Nutritional Assessment that adopted population‐specific anthropometric cut‐points would improve the mortality‐predicting ability in institutionalised Taiwanese older people.Background. Routine screening is the key for detecting emerging malnutrition, but the tool must be simple, reliable and easy‐to‐use to be well accepted. The Mini Nutritional Assessment can meet these requirements, but for non‐Western populations, modifications based on anthropometric considerations are needed.Design. The study purposively sampled 208 residents, aged >65 years, of a long‐term care institution in Central Taiwan. Subjects were free of acute infection/disease and able to communicate. A university human‐subject‐study ethics committee approved the protocol.Methods. The study included biochemical measurements and a structured questionnaire for eliciting personal data and answers to questions in the Mini Nutritional Assessment. Follow‐up survival/mortality was tracked for two consecutive six‐month periods and analysed according to nutritional statuses graded with the original or a modified Mini Nutritional Assessment. The modified version adopted population‐specific anthropometric cut‐points and was without body mass index.Results. The modification improved the mortality‐predictive ability. Mortality rates for the first six months were 8·7, 3·9 and 0% according to the original Mini Nutritional Assessment and 10·6, 3·4 and 0% according to the modified version for subjects rated malnourished, at risk of malnutrition and normal, respectively. The mortality‐predictive ability of both versions weakened after six months.Conclusion. Both versions can predict follow‐up mortality, but the modified version has improved ability. For best results, the tool should be applied every six months or less (shorter for more frail older people) to screen for new cases of at‐risk individuals.Relevance to clinical practice. The Mini Nutritional Assessment that adopts population‐specific anthropometric cut‐points may have improved nutritional‐risk and mortality‐risk predictive abilities. The tool can help care‐workers detect emerging nutritional problems and enable timely intervention. Routine use of the tool may help improve the quality of care.
Attitudes towards gestational diabetes among a multiethnic cohort in Australia
Authors: Carolan Mary , Steele Cheryl , Margetts Heather 
Published: August 2010

Aims.  This study aimed to examine the attitudes and beliefs towards gestational diabetes of a multiethnic sample of pregnant women with gestational diabetes.Background.  Women from non‐Caucasian background are disproportionately represented in gestational diabetes statistics. This is of particular importance in multicultural Australia, where increasing numbers of non‐Caucasian women give birth.Design.  Cross‐sectional survey.Methods.  The Diabetes Attitude Scale, version 3 was administered to 200 women with gestational diabetes from Vietnamese, Indian, Filipino and Caucasian backgrounds.Results.  A total of 143 questionnaires were returned indicating a response rate of 71·5%. There were significant between group differences in terms of educational level (p = 0·001) and English fluency (p = 0·001). Lower educational level, though not English language fluency, was associated with poorer appreciation of gestational diabetes as a serious condition and also with a lower valuing of tight glucose control. This effect was seen irrespective of ethnic group. Indian and Vietnamese women indicated a lower valuing of patient autonomy and also reported less negative psychological effects than Caucasian and Filipino women.Conclusions.  Women from non‐Caucasian ethnicities may be at risk of poorer self‐management of gestational diabetes related to lower education, lower health literacy and a lower appreciation of gestational diabetes as a serious condition.Relevance to clinical practice.  Nurses and midwives provide information and advice to women with gestational diabetes. Knowledge about factors that impact on attitude towards gestational diabetes among multiethnic populations is important for developing educational programmes to address their needs.
Doctor characteristics and prescribing antibiotics for urinary tract infections: the experience of an Asian country
Authors: Lin Yi‐Chun , Lin Hsiu‐Chen , Lin Herng‐Ching 
Published: August 2010

AbstractRationale, aims and objectives  This study aims to explore the relationship between doctor characteristics and prescribing behaviour for patients with urinary tract infections (UTIs) using a 2‐year population‐based data set in Taiwan.Methods  This study used data from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database. Our study sample consists of first‐time ambulatory care visits for treatment of UTIs among female patients between 2005 and 2006 (n = 45 934). The primary outcome studied was ‘whether a broad‐spectrum antibiotic was prescribed’, and the key independent variables were ‘doctor characteristics’. Doctor characteristics included gender, age (<41, 41–50, >50), specialty, type (hospital‐based vs. office‐based) and practice location. Multivariate logistic regression analysis using generalized estimated equations was performed to assess the adjusted odds ratio of the doctors using broad‐spectrum antibiotics.Results  Among the sampled patients, 13.5% were prescribed broad‐spectrum antibiotics at their first visit for treatment of UTIs. The adjusted odds of prescribing second‐line antibiotics for doctors aged between 41–50 years and >50 years were 0.80 (P < 0.001) and 0.90 (P = 0.007) times, respectively, that of doctors aged <41 years. Doctors specializing in family medicine were 1.10 (P = 0.006) times more likely than doctors specializing in obstetrics and gynaecology to prescribe broad‐spectrum, and office‐based doctors were 1.41 (P < 0.001) times more likely than hospital‐based doctors to do so.Conclusions  We conclude that there is variation in doctor prescribing behaviour of antimicrobial therapy for UTIs, after adjusting for possible confounding factors. Continuing medical education and intervention should be designed for doctor groups with undesirable performance in prescribing antibiotics.
Are interventions recommended by pharmacists during Home Medicines Review evidence‐based?
Authors: Castelino Ronald L. , Bajorek Beata V. , Chen Timothy F. 
Published: August 2010

AbstractIntroduction  Over the past decade medication review services have been implemented in many countries, including Australia, UK and USA. Although, the attitudes and barriers to the implementation of evidence‐based medicine have been investigated, the extent to which medication review recommendations are evidence‐based is not known.Objective  To determine (1) the extent to which pharmacist's recommendations during medication review services were consistent with the evidence‐based guides at the time of the review; and (2) the nature and extent of drug‐related problems (DRPs) and the actions recommended by pharmacists to resolve DRPs.Method  A retrospective review of Home Medicines Review cases performed on 224 community‐dwelling older people (65 years or older). The chi‐squared test for categorical variables was used to compare the proportion of recommendations that were evidence‐based and recommendations for which no evidence could be identified in the most common Australian information sources. DRPs and the actions recommended to resolve the DRPs were classified according to previously employed criteria.Results  Pharmacists made a total of 1114 therapeutic recommendations to general practitioners, of which 964 required supporting pharmacotherapeutic evidence. The majority (94%) of the pharmacists' recommendations were in accordance with the evidence‐based guides, as compared with the recommendations for which no evidence could be identified (P < 0.001). Pharmacists reported that 98% of the patients had at least one problem with use of their medication detected.Conclusion  The majority of the actions recommended by pharmacists during the medication review process were consistent with the literature embedded in key Australian information sources. Medication management in older people is complex and challenging, as highlighted by the DRPs identified in 98% of our patients. A suitably trained pharmacist, with full access to the patient, medical record and supporting resources, can help to improve the quality use of medicines in this at‐risk population.
Use of a clinical decision support system to increase osteoporosis screening
Authors: DeJesus Ramona S. , Angstman Kurt B. , Kesman Rebecca , Stroebel Robert J. , Bernard Matthew E. , Scheitel Sidna M. , Hunt Vicki L. , Rahman Ahmed S. , Chaudhry Rajeev 
Published: August 2010

AbstractBackground  In 2002, the US Preventive Services Task Force recommended routine osteoporosis screening for women aged 65 years or older. However, studies have indicated that osteoporosis remains underdiagnosed, and various methods such as the use of health information technology have been tried to increase screening rates. We investigated whether we could boost the low rates of bone mineral density testing with implementation of a point‐of‐care clinical decision support system in our primary care practice.Methods  We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of female patients eligible for osteoporosis screening who had no prior bone mineral density test who were seen at our primary care practice sites in 2007 or 2008 (before and after implementation of a point‐of‐care clinical decision support system).Results  Overall, screening rates were 80.1% in 2007 and 84.1% in 2008 (P < 0.001). Of patients who did not have osteoporosis screening before the visit, 5.87% completed the screening after the visit in 2007, compared with 9.79% in 2008 (when the clinical support system was implemented), a 66.7% improvement (P = 0.025).Conclusion  Clinical decision support for primary care doctors significantly improved osteoporosis screening rates among eligible women. Carefully designed clinical decision support systems can optimize care delivery, ensuring that important preventive services such as osteoporosis screening for patients at risk for fracture are performed while unnecessary testing is avoided.
Cell division in a minimal bacterium in the absence of ftsZ
Authors: Lluch‐Senar Maria , Querol Enrique , Piñol Jaume 
Published: August 2010

SummaryMycoplasma genomes exhibit an impressively low amount of genes involved in cell division and some species even lack the ftsZ gene, which is found widespread in the microbial world and is considered essential for cell division by binary fission. We constructed a Mycoplasma genitalium ftsZ null mutant by gene replacement to investigate the role of this gene and the presence of alternative cell division mechanisms in this minimal bacterium. Our results demonstrate that ftsZ is non‐essential for cell growth and reveal that, in the absence of the FtsZ protein, M. genitalium can manage feasible cell divisions and cytokinesis using the force generated by its motile machinery. This is an alternative mechanism, completely independent of the FtsZ protein, to perform cell division by binary fission in a microorganism. We also propose that the mycoplasma cytoskeleton, a complex network of proteins involved in many aspects of the biology of these microorganisms, may have taken over the function of many genes involved in cell division, allowing their loss in the regressive evolution of the streamlined mycoplasma genomes.
Regulated maturation of malaria merozoite surface protein‐1 is essential for parasite growth
Authors: Child Matthew A. , Epp Christian , Bujard Hermann , Blackman Michael J. 
Published: August 2010

SummaryThe malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum invades erythrocytes where it replicates to produce invasive merozoites, which eventually egress to repeat the cycle. Merozoite surface protein‐1 (MSP1), a prime malaria vaccine candidate and one of the most abundant components of the merozoite surface, is implicated in the ligand–receptor interactions leading to invasion. MSP1 is extensively proteolytically modified, first just before egress and then during invasion. These primary and secondary processing events are mediated respectively, by two parasite subtilisin‐like proteases, PfSUB1 and PfSUB2, but the function and biological importance of the processing is unknown. Here, we examine the regulation and significance of MSP1 processing. We show that primary processing is ordered, with the primary processing site closest to the C‐terminal end of MSP1 being cleaved last, irrespective of polymorphisms throughout the rest of the molecule. Replacement of the secondary processing site, normally refractory to PfSUB1, with a PfSUB1‐sensitive site, is deleterious to parasite growth. Our findings show that correct spatiotemporal regulation of MSP1 maturation is crucial for the function of the protein and for maintenance of the parasite asexual blood‐stage life cycle.
Purine restriction induces pronounced translational upregulation of the NT1 adenosine/pyrimidine nucleoside transporter in Leishmania major
Authors: Ortiz Diana , Valdés Raquel , Sanchez Marco A. , Hayenga Johanna , Elya Carolyn , Detke Siegfried , Landfear Scott M. 
Published: August 2010

Summary Leishmania and other parasitic protozoa are unable to synthesize purines de novo and are reliant upon purine nucleoside and nucleobase transporters to import preformed purines from their hosts. To study the roles of the four purine permeases NT1‐NT4 in Leishmania major, null mutants in each transporter gene were prepared and the effect of each gene deletion on purine uptake was monitored. Deletion of the NT3 purine nucleobase transporter gene or both NT3 and the NT2 nucleoside transporter gene resulted in pronounced upregulation of adenosine and uridine uptake mediated by the NT1 permease and also induced up to a 200‐fold enhancement in the level of the NT1 protein but not mRNA. A similar level of upregulation of NT1 was achieved in wild‐type promastigotes that were transferred to medium deficient in purines. Pulse labelling and treatment of cells with the translation inhibitor cycloheximide revealed that control of NT1 expression occurs primarily at the level of translation and not protein turnover. These observations imply the existence of a translational control mechanism that enhances the ability of Leishmania parasites to import essential purines when they are present at limiting concentrations.
Progressive muscular relaxation and motility of the small intestine: studies in normal subjects and patients with irritable bowel syndrome
Authors: KELLOW J. E. , LANGELUDDECKE P. M. , ECKERSLEY G. M. , JONES M. P. , TENNANT C. C. 
Published: August 2010

AbstractRecordings of fasting duodenojejunal motor activity were obtained during a controlled 20‐min period of psychological relaxation in 10 patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and 10 healthy subjects. The IBS group showed a significant decline in their level of arousal (on both cardiovascular and subjective measures) in response to relaxation; such alterations were minimal in the control group. Both groups, however, demonstrated significant inhibition of phase 2 activity (motility index, contractile frequency and amplitude) of the migrating motor complex in response to relaxation, and the magnitude of the response did not differ between the two groups. Clustered contractile activity present in 4 IBS patients was also suppressed during the relaxation period. There were no correlations between changes in the level of arousal and the degree of motor suppression in either IBS patients or controls. These findings demonstrate that psychological relaxation therapy can profoundly influence patterns of small bowel motility, and shed light on the mechanisms by which psychological intervention therapy appears to be effective in IBS.
Yohimbine stimulates colonic motility through a central action in conscious dogs
Authors: FIORAMONTI J. , BERLAN M. , FARGEAS M. J. , BUENO L. 
Published: August 2010

AbstractThe effects of the α2‐adrenoceptor antagonist yohimbine on colonic motility were examined before and after vagotomy in conscious dogs chronically fitted with strain gauge transducers on the proximal, transverse and distal colon, and a cannula placed in a lateral ventricle of the brain. They were compared to those of another α2‐adrenoceptor antagonist, SKωF 86466, which poorly crosses the blood‐brain barrier. Intravenous administration of yohimbine (0.2 mg/kg) stimulated the motility of the proximal and transverse colon, the motility index being increased for the first hour by 59 and 55%, respectively, in comparison with controls. No significant increase in motility index was observed on the distal colon. After vagotomy the effects of intravenous yohimbine were limited to 1 to 3 high amplitude contractions. Intracerebroventricular administration of yohimbine (20 μg/kg) reproduced the effects of intravenous administration and was ineffective after vagotomy. Intracerebroventricular but not intravenous administration of SKωF 86466 stimulated the motility of the proximal and transverse colon; this effect was also abolished after vagotomy. It is concluded that yohimbine stimulates colonic motility through a blockade of central α2‐adrenoceptor and that these effects are mediated by the vagus.