bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
New graduate occupational therapists experience of showering assessments: A phenomological study
Authors: Glenn Emma K. , Gilbert‐Hunt Susan 
Published: March 2012

BackgroundShower assessments are complex and challenging tasks undertaken by many occupational therapists with little known about how they are conducted and how new graduates learn to carry these out. There are no published guidelines and limited opportunity for students to practise shower assessments during their training bringing into question how new graduates learn to do this assessment and judge their effectiveness.AimTo investigate the experience of new graduate occupational therapists undertaking their first shower assessments in South Australia.MethodSix graduate occupational therapists participated in a phenomenological study. Data were gathered through semi‐structured interviews and analysed according to Giorgi's descriptive phenomenological method.FindingsNew graduates found the shower assessment process cognitively and emotionally demanding. Without prior experience, new graduates lacked confidence to perform the practical aspects of conducting a shower assessment. The sense of responsibility for getting it right and ensuring client safety was at times overwhelming. Social norms around nudity, age and gender impacted on the graduate's interaction with clients in the shower environment. However, graduates with previous care attendant work were better able to manage the social and practical challenges inherent in shower assessments.ConclusionThe findings of this study suggest that additional experiential, ‘hands on', learning is needed in university curriculum for new graduates to develop practical clinical skills, particularly as practice placements have become more diverse. Similarly there is a need for organisations to provide orientation activities and mentoring for new graduates as they transition from student to therapist.
Carbon dioxide supersaturation promotes primary production in lakes
Authors: Jansson Mats , Karlsson Jan , Jonsson Anders 
Published: March 2012

Ecology Letters (2012)AbstractA majority of the world’s lakes are supersaturated with respect to carbon dioxide (CO2). By experimental manipulation of the CO2 concentration in supersaturated boreal lakes, we demonstrate that phytoplankton primary production was up to 10 times higher in supersaturated lake water in comparison with water with CO2 at equilibrium concentrations and that CO2, together with nutrients, explained most of the variation in pelagic primary production and phytoplankton biomass over a wide variety of unproductive lakes. These results suggest that phytoplankton can be co‐limited by CO2 and nutrients in unproductive lakes. As import of terrestrial organic carbon and its subsequent microbial mineralisation in lakes is a driving force of CO2‐supersaturation our results suggest that lake productivity and carbon cycling may respond to variations in terrestrial organic carbon export, (e.g. caused by land use or climate change) in ways not described before.
Diabetes distress, but not depressive symptoms, is associated with glycaemic control among Japanese patients with Type 2 diabetes: Diabetes Distress and Care Registry at Tenri (DDCRT 1)
Authors: Tsujii S. , Hayashino Y. , Ishii H. ,   the Diabetes Distress and Care Registry at Tenri Study Group
Published: March 2012

AbstractAims  To investigate the association between glycaemic control, diabetes distress and depressive symptoms among Japanese patients with Type 2 diabetes.Methods  Cross‐sectional data from 3305 patients with Type 2 diabetes were obtained from a baseline assessment of a diabetes registry at a general hospital in Japan. The Centre for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale and Problem Areas in Diabetes scale were used to measure depressive symptoms and diabetes‐related distress, respectively. Modified Poisson regression analysis was used to estimate the relative risks for poor glycaemic control across the quartiles of Centre for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale and Problem Areas in Diabetes scale scores.Results  The average age of the participants was 64.9 years and the average HbA1c level was 58.1 mmol/mol (7.5%). Clinically significant levels of depressive symptoms (Centre for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale scores ≥ 16) were reported by 27.8% of participants. These scores significantly correlated with Problem Areas in Diabetes scale scores (r = 0.4354, P < 0.0001). Diabetes distress, but not depressive symptoms, was significantly associated with higher HbA1c levels. The relative risks for poor glycaemic control (HbA1c≥ 64 mmol/mol; 8.0%), when adjusted for age, sex, BMI, type of diabetes therapy and duration of diabetes, was 67% higher among patients with Problem Areas in Diabetes scale scores in the highest quartile (≥ 26.25) compared with those in the lowest quartile (0–3.75).Conclusion  A significant association between glycaemic control and diabetes‐related distress, but not depressive symptoms, was observed in Japanese patients with Type 2 diabetes.
Impairments in daily functioning after heavy and extreme episodic drinking in university students
Authors: POLAK MARIA A. , CONNER TAMLIN S. 
Published: March 2012

AbstractIntroduction and Aim. Excessive consumption of alcohol is a major public health issue in university students. The dangers of heavy drinking are well known, with both acute and long‐term consequences; however, there is limited information on patterns of extreme drinking (twice over the recommended threshold for low‐risk drinking), and the differential effects of heavy versus extreme drinking on immediate consequent functioning in daily life. The current study investigated drinking patterns in a sample of university students and the association of different levels of alcohol consumption with self‐reported physical, cognitive and emotional function the day after the drinking episode.Design and Methods. Data for this study were collected from a sample of 281 University of Otago students using a 21 day Internet‐based daily diary. Participants reported on their drinking the previous night and their physical, cognitive and emotional functioning on that day.Results. Participants reported drinking on 26.8% days overall and consuming an average of 7.2 standard drinks per occasion. Only heavy drinking (7+standard drinks for men, 5+standard drinks for women) and particularly extreme drinking (14+for men, 10+for women) predicted significant decreases in physical and cognitive functioning the next day. However, low‐risk drinking (≤ 6 drinks for men,≤ 4 for women) was not associated with next‐day impairment.Discussion and Conclusions. Findings suggest that there are adverse, intermediate consequences of excessive drinking on dimensions relevant to students' lives. Drinking within low‐risk guidelines is recommended.[Polak MA, Conner TS. Impairments in daily functioning after heavy and extreme episodic drinking in university students. Drug Alcohol Rev 2012;31:763–769]
STANDARD CIRCUMSTANCES AND VITAL GOALS: COMMENTS ON VENKATAPURAM'S CRITIQUE
Authors: NORDENFELT LENNART 
Published: March 2012

ABSTRACTThis article is a reply to Venkatapuram's critique in his article Health, Vital Goals, Capabilities, this volume. I take issue mainly with three critical points put forward by Venkatapuram with regard to my theory of health. (1) I deny that the contents of my vital goals are relative to each community or context, as Venkatapuram claims. There is no conceptual connection at all between standard circumstances and vital goals, as I understand these concepts. (2) Venkatapuram notes that I stop short of filling the framework of vital goals with any content and thereby make my concept of health less concrete. I reply that some vital goals are indeed universal, viz. the ones which are necessary conditions for survival. Many other vital goals are individual and cannot therefore be included in a universal list. (3) Venkatapuram claims that my definition of vital goals is too broad, since it entails that some persons without any disease can be regarded as ill. However, in my understanding health is a relational concept from a state of complete health to a state of maximal illness. In this framework, a minor reduction of a state of complete health does not entail illness. This article also contains a comparison between my theory of health and Martha Nussbaum's theory of capabilities for dignity.
Local polynomial regression for symmetric positive definite matrices
Authors: Yuan Ying , Zhu Hongtu , Lin Weili , Marron J. S. 
Published: March 2012

SummaryLocal polynomial regression has received extensive attention for the non-parametric estimation of regression functions when both the response and the covariate are in Euclidean space. However, little has been done when the response is in a Riemannian manifold. We develop an intrinsic local polynomial regression estimate for the analysis of symmetric positive definite matrices as responses that lie in a Riemannian manifold with covariate in Euclidean space. The primary motivation and application of the methodology proposed is in computer vision and medical imaging. We examine two commonly used metrics, including the trace metric and the log-Euclidean metric on the space of symmetric positive definite matrices. For each metric, we develop a cross-validation bandwidth selection method, derive the asymptotic bias, variance and normality of the intrinsic local constant and local linear estimators, and compare their asymptotic mean-square errors. Simulation studies are further used to compare the estimators under the two metrics and to examine their finite sample performance. We use our method to detect diagnostic differences between diffusion tensors along fibre tracts in a study of human immunodeficiency virus.
The British Ugandan Asian diaspora: multiple and contested belongings
Authors: HERBERT JOANNA 
Published: March 2012

AbstractIn this article, I map the diverse allegiances and changing conceptions of home expressed by British Ugandan Asians. Drawing on in‐depth interviews, I situate the analysis within the wider literature on diaspora, belonging and home. By revealing their different trajectories of belonging, I challenge much of the current literature on the South Asian diaspora, which focuses on connections to India as the principal homeland. Their complex relationship to Britain in the aftermath of the expulsion provides an alternative insight to previous research, which has stressed their commitment to the UK. I trace how they constructed their sense of ‘home’ in Uganda, how their forced migration transformed this and how they responded to their contested and multiple belongings. The respondents' emphasis on their previous attachments to Uganda helps to challenge stereotypes about South Asians in Uganda and can partly be seen as an attempt to reclaim their place in Uganda's history.
Neuronal polarization is impaired in mice lacking RhoE expression
Authors: Peris Blanca , Gonzalez‐Granero Susana , Ballester‐Lurbe Begoña , García‐Verdugo Jose‐Manuel , Pérez‐Roger Ignacio , Guerri Consuelo , Terrado José , Guasch Rosa M. 
Published: March 2012

J. Neurochem. (2012) 121, 903–914.AbstractProper development of neuronal networks relies on the polarization of the neurons, thus the establishment of two compartments, axons and dendrites, whose formation depends on cytoskeletal rearrangements. Rnd proteins are regulators of actin organization and they are important players in several aspects of brain development as neurite formation, axon guidance and neuron migration. We have recently demonstrated that mice lacking RhoE/Rnd3 expression die shortly after birth and have neuromotor impairment and neuromuscular alterations, indicating an abnormal development of the nervous system. In this study, we have further investigated the specific role played by RhoE in several aspects of neuronal development by using hippocampal neuron cultures. Our findings show that neurons from a mice lacking RhoE expression exhibit a decrease in the number and the total length of the neurites. We also show that RhoE‐deficient neurons display a reduction in axon outgrowth and a delay in the process of neuronal polarization. In addition, our results suggest an involvement of the RHOA/ROCK/LIMK/COFILIN signaling pathway in the neuronal alterations induced by the lack of RhoE. These findings support our previous report revealing the important role of RhoE in the normal development of the nervous system and may provide novel therapeutic targets in neurodegenerative disorders.
Validation of a Disease‐Specific Questionnaire for Measuring Parent‐Reported Health‐Related Quality of Life in Children with Allergies
Authors: Uwe Nicolay , Eva Östblom , Ann‐Charlotte Egmar , Gun Nordström , Ann Gardulf 
Published: March 2012

Purpose:  To evaluate the properties and suitability of a disease‐specific questionnaire to assess parent‐reported health‐related quality of life (HRQL) of children and parents of children suffering from food hypersensitivity (FHS) or allergy to furred pets (AFP).Methods:  The parents of 202 children with FHS and of 131 children with AFP filled in questionnaires comprising the CHQ‐PF28 and the Food‐Pet‐Allergy in Children (FPAC) Questionnaire. Psychometric properties of the FPAC questionnaire were evaluated separately for FHS and AFP.Results:  Analyses resulted in five proposed scales: Limitations of Family/Child Activities (I), Parents’ Distress (II), Child’s Emotions (III), Child in School (IV) and Family Conflicts (V). Convergent/discriminant validity for scales I, II and III of both questionnaires was high; for scale IV it was moderate. All five FHS and four AFP scales were able to distinguish significantly between children with and without clinical allergy symptoms (known‐group validity). Internal consistency reliability was good for scales I, II and III, but poor for scale IV.Conclusion:  Three valid scales were determined for both FHS and AFP (Limitations of Family/Child Activities, Parents’ Distress and Child’s Emotions) and can be used in clinical research.
HOW TO REGULATE MEDICAL TOURISM (AND WHY IT MATTERS FOR BIOETHICS)
Authors: COHEN I. GLENN 
Published: March 2012

ABSTRACTA growing literature examines descriptive and normative questions about medical tourism such as: How does it operate? What are its effects? Are home country patients or their governments failing in moral duties by engaging in or permitting medical tourism?By contrast, much less has been written on the regulatory dimension: What might be done about medical tourism if we were convinced that it posed ethical issues and were motivated to act? I shall argue that this kind of regulatory analysis is essential for bioethical analysis of medical tourism.This article focuses on these regulatory questions more directly, evaluating available methods, restrictions, costs, and benefits of home and destination country unilateral regulatory moves. This article also discusses more briefly multilateral treaty and private sector responses.
Sensitivity and specificity of time‐domain and spectral‐domain optical coherence tomography in differentiating optic nerve head drusen and optic disc oedema
Authors: Flores‐Rodríguez Patricia , Gili Pablo , Martín‐Ríos María Dolores 
Published: March 2012

Citation information: Flores‐Rodríguez P, Gili P & Martín‐Ríos MD. Sensitivity and specificity of time‐domain and spectral‐domain optical coherence tomography in differentiating optic nerve head drusen and optic disc oedema. Ophthalmic Physiol Opt 2012, 32, 213–221. doi: 10.1111/j.1475‐1313.2012.00902.xAbstractPurpose:  To evaluate the efficacy of time‐domain optical coherence tomography (TD‐OCT) and spectral‐domain optical coherence tomography (SD‐OCT) in differentiating between optic nerve head drusen (ONHD) and optic disc oedema (ODE).Methods:  We studied 66 patients with ONHD, 31 patients with ODE, and 70 controls using TD‐OCT and SD‐OCT. We analysed two aspects of the tomographic findings: (i) quantitative, through measurement of the retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) and papillary elevation; and (ii) qualitative, through assessment of the hyporeflective space, morphology of the internal contour, focal papillary mass and RNFL increases in seven contiguous clock hours. We evaluated the sensitivity, specificity, intra‐class correlation coefficient (ICC), and inter‐observer agreement (κ).Results:  The quantitative analysis of the RNFL revealed an average thickness of the RNFL <124 μm with TD‐OCT (sensitivity = 91%; specificity = 94%) and <116 μm with SD‐OCT (sensitivity = 91%; specificity = 97%). The thickness of the nasal quadrant was <108 μm with TD‐OCT (sensitivity = 89%; specificity = 87%) and with SD‐OCT was <92 μm (sensitivity = 88%; specificity = 94%), however without significant differences between the nasal, superior and inferior quadrants’ and average thickness. The measurement of papillary elevation was 0.85 mm with TD‐OCT (sensitivity = 96%; specificity = 84% [ICC = 0.96]) and was <0.80 mm with SD‐OCT (sensitivity = 86%; specificity = 87% [ICC = 0.94]). The abrupt termination of the hyporeflective space measured with TD‐OCT had sensitivity = 79% and specificity = 90% (κ = 0.60) and with SD‐OCT had sensitivity = 88% and specificity = 89% (κ = 0.75); the irregularity of the internal contour with TD‐OCT had sensitivity = 80% and specificity = 90% (κ = 0.70) and with SD‐OCT had sensitivity = 88% and specificity = 90% (κ = 0.75); and the absence of seven contiguous clock hours had values of sensitivity = 97% and specificity = 77% with TD‐OCT and had sensitivity = 98% and specificity = 77% with SD‐OCT.Conclusions:  Optical coherence tomography allowed for differentiation between ONHD and ODE, yielding similar results with TD‐OCT and SD‐OCT. The new quantitative parameters of papillary elevation and RNFL measurements showed greater sensitivity and specificity than the qualitative criteria.
Cannabinoid CB2 receptor attenuates morphine‐induced inflammatory responses in activated microglial cells
Authors: Merighi Stefania , Gessi Stefania , Varani Katia , Fazzi Debora , Mirandola Prisco , Borea Pier Andrea 
Published: March 2012

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Among several pharmacological properties, analgesia is the most common feature shared by either opioid or cannabinoid systems. Cannabinoids and opioids are distinct drug classes that have been historically used separately or in combination to treat different pain states. In the present study, we characterized the signal transduction pathways mediated by cannabinoid CB2 and µ‐opioid receptors in quiescent and LPS‐stimulated murine microglial cells.EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH We examined the effects of µ‐opioid and CB2 receptor stimulation on phosphorylation of MAPKs and Akt and on IL‐1β, TNF‐α, IL‐6 and NO production in primary mouse microglial cells.KEY RESULTS Morphine enhanced release of the proinflammatory cytokines, IL‐1β, TNF‐α, IL‐6, and of NO via µ‐opioid receptor in activated microglial cells. In contrast, CB2 receptor stimulation attenuated morphine‐induced microglial proinflammatory mediator increases, interfering with morphine action by acting on the Akt‐ERK1/2 signalling pathway.CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS Because glial activation opposes opioid analgesia and enhances opioid tolerance and dependence, we suggest that CB2 receptors, by inhibiting microglial activity, may be potential targets to increase clinical efficacy of opioids.
MDM2 SNP309T>G polymorphism increases susceptibility to hepatitis B virus‐related hepatocellular carcinoma in a northeast Han Chinese population
Authors: Wang Xi , Zhang Xuelong , Qiu Bing , Tang Yinhua , Sun He , Ji Hongfei , Liu Yan , Shi Lijun , Song Guang , Yang Youlin 
Published: March 2012

AbstractBackground and AimsThe murine double minute 2 (MDM2) gene encodes a negative regulator of the tumour protein p53. A single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in MDM2 promoter, SNP309 T > G, has been showed to influence MDM2 protein expression and accelerate tumour formation. To investigate further the role of this locus, we examined the association of the SNP with hepatitis B virus (HBV)‐related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in a northeast Han Chinese population.MethodsMDM2 SNP309 was genotyped in 310 HBV‐related HCC patients, 314 non‐HCC subjects with HBV infection and 480 healthy controls by using a PCR‐RFLP method.ResultsSignificant differences of MDM2 SNP309 were detected between HBV‐related HCC patients and healthy controls (OR 1.729, 95%CI 1.369–2.183, P < 0.0001) or non‐HCC subjects with HBV infection (OR 1.351, 95% CI 1.060–1.722, P = 0.015) by a logistic regression analysis. Our data also revealed that subjects with the G allele had higher HBV‐related HCC susceptibility than those with the T allele in various genetic models. In a meta‐analysis, where we pooled our data with other published studies, the association between this loci and the disease was further confirmed (pooled OR 1.54, 95% CI 1.37–1.72, P < 0.0001).ConclusionsThese results suggested that the MDM2 SNP309 might influence the risk of developing HBV‐related HCC in a northeast Han Chinese population.
Health‐Related Quality of Life in Different Stages of Renal Failure
Authors: Avramovic Marina , Stefanovic Vladisav 
Published: March 2012

AbstractMeasures of health‐related quality of life (HRQoL) have a significant predictive value on patient survival and hospitalizations, especially in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). In this review, some of the major studies performed in patients with different stages of renal failure are presented. The most used instrument for measuring HRQoL is the Short form health survey questionnaire (SF‐36). Patients with predialysis CKD had higher SF‐36 scores than a large cohort of hemodialysis (HD) or peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients, but lower scores than those reported for the adult population. Kidney transplantation offers better HRQoL than dialysis. Hemoglobin level predicted both physical and mental domain scores of the SF‐36. HRQoL of HD and PD patients were compared in only a few studies, mostly because these studies are difficult to interpret. PD patients generally have lower comorbidity scores at the onset of end‐stage renal disease (ESRD), independent of other factors influencing modality selection. Comorbid medical conditions are common in patients with ESRD, and are an important contributing factor to clinical outcomes and quality of life. Depression occurs in about 20–30% of dialysis patients. This is important because of the negative impact depression has on quality of life, but also because depression is now established as a factor that can significantly affect morbidity and mortality in ESRD patients. Sexual life satisfaction showed marked deterioration in all age groups. Patients aged over 65 scored significantly better than younger patients on dialysis stress scales, and were generally more satisfied with life. Longitudinal studies are needed to define periods at risk for decline in HRQoL during progression of CKD.