bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The Effect of Surveillance Definitions on Nosocomial Urinary Tract Infection Rates in a Rehabilitation Hospital
Authors: Lewis Steven M. 
Published: September 2009

AbstractThis article presents original research findings to illustrate the influence of surveillance definitions on infection rate. Several definitions for urinary tract infection were applied to clinical and laboratory data from rehabilitation hospital patients, and the effect on sensitivity and specificity examined. We demonstrate that it is essential to take into account the influence of the surveillance definition when interpreting surveillance data, and the importance of ensuring that the surveillance definition is compatible with the surveillance objectives when selecting a definition. Surveillance definitions that serve well in one surveillance program may not serve well in another.
Infection Control in Switzerland
Authors: Pittet Didier , Francioli Patrick , von Overbeck Jan , Raeber Pierre-Alain , Ruef Christian , Widmer Andreas F. 
Published: September 2009

AbstractInfection control in hospitals is not mandatory in Switzerland as in the United States. There are more than 300 acute-care hospitals in Switzerland. Hospitals are reimbursed by patient-days rather than diagnosis-related group. However, all five Swiss university hospitals have developed an infection control program. The major criteria for setting up and running these programs are reviewed; data are based on a questionnaire and personal interviewing of each institution. Most of the major criteria exist in all five institutions. Resources allocated to infection control differ markedly. The number of infection control nurses per 250 beds varies between 0.2 and 0.75 for the five hospitals; the activity of those in charge of infection control differs between hospitals. A comparison is made between the Swiss and U.S. programs with regard to some aspects of healthcare and infection control.
Containment of Pertussis in the Regional Pediatric Hospital During the Greater Cincinnati Epidemic of 1993
Authors: Christie Celia D.C. , Glover Anne Marie , Willke Mary Jane , Marx Mary L. , Reising Shirley F. , Hutchinson Nancy M. 
Published: September 2009

AbstractObjective:To describe methods of preventing nosocomial pertussis in patients, employees, and visitors to a hospital during a communitywide epidemic in Greater Cincinnati.Design:Six-month descriptive study of the methods, effectiveness, and cost of a program to prevent nosocomial pertussis.Setting:Three hundred sixty-one bed, tertiary-care, university, pediatric hospital.Results:We educated 3,764 hospital employees about pertussis. We evaluated 206 employees with respiratory illnesses, based on clinical presentation, pertussis exposure, and work setting. Eighty-seven had pertussis: 84 coughed for ≥2 weeks (outbreak clinical case definition), 65 had paroxysms, 27 whooped, 22 had posttussive emesis, and 13 were positive by direct fluorescent antibody or culture for Bordetella pertussis. Seventy-nine employees were sent on 5-day furloughs. Six hundred twenty-two employees received 14 days of erythromycin (579) or trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (43). Symptomatic patients were identified at triage in the emergency department and placed in respiratory isolation. Suspect pertussis cases were admitted in respiratory isolation. Among 49 toddlers who were given erythromycin and managed in “coughing respiratory cohorts,” eight had proven pertussis. Inpatients were restricted to assigned nursing units. Respiratory masks were required for those entering the test referral center, where more than 3,500 pertussis cultures were performed. Hospitalwide visitor restriction was enforced for those aged 14 years or younger and for those with respiratory symptoms. Only parents and guardians were permitted to visit the newborn intensive care unit. A child-care service managed 488 inpatient sibling visitors. Four symptomatic children in the employees' child-care center were excluded pending physician evaluation; one had pertussis.Conclusions:Control measures appeared effective. Pertussis occurred in 87 (2%) employees. Among 102 children hospitalized with pertussis, respiratory isolation was delayed in nine cases, and one case was nosocomial. Program expenses totalled $85,400. Adult booster immunization with acellular pertussis vaccine might represent the safest and least expensive strategy for preventing epidemic pertussis, and controlled trials of acellular pertussis vaccine in hospital employees are needed.
Vertical Transmission of Citrobacter diversus Documented by DNA Fingerprinting
Authors: Harvey Brenda S. , Koeuth Thearith , Versalovic James , Woods Charles R. , Lupski James R. 
Published: September 2009

AbstractObjective:To confirm the vertical transmission of Citrobacter diversus from a mother to her infant and to evaluate the epidemiologic usefulness of a new automated procedure for analysis of polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-generated DNA fingerprints.Design:Repetitive element-based PCR (rep-PCR) analysis of C diversus isolates from the blood and amniotic fluid of a mother and the blood of her infant was performed. Unrelated C diversus isolates also were characterized and compared with the isolates from mother and infant. DNA fingerprints were generated by gel electrophoresis of PCR products derived from either unlabeled standard repetitive sequence-based oligonucleotide primers or fluorescent primers. The standard rep-PCR fingerprints were analyzed by visual inspection. The fluorescent primers were used in fluorophore-enhanced rep-PCR (FERP), and the FERP DNA fingerprints were analyzed by an Applied BioSystems (ABI) Model 373A laser scanning unit equipped with Genescan 672 software (Applied Biosystems, Inc, Foster City, CA).Setting and Patients:A mother and her newborn infant, both with invasive disease due to C diversus, in an urban tertiary-care hospital.Results:The DNA fingerprints of the maternal blood, amniotic fluid, and infant blood isolates of C diversus were identical by both visual inspection of ethidium bromide-stained agarose gels and computer-aided analysis of FERP patterns. These strains appeared to differ from all but one control isolate, which had been collected 7 years earlier in the same city in which the infant was born.Conclusions:Vertical transmission of C diversus from mother to infant can occur in utero. Automated analysis of rep-PCR–generated DNA fingerprints derived using fluorescent primers is an objective means for comparing isolates of C diversus and in all likelihood would be useful for other species of bacteria that possess repetitive elements.
Treatment of Hickman Catheter Sepsis Using Antibiotic Lock Technique
Authors: Krzywda Elizabeth A. , Andris Deborah A. , Edmiston Charles E. , Quebbeman Edward J. 
Published: September 2009

AbstractAntibiotic lock therapy, an alternative treatment for Hickman catheter sepsis, was evaluated in six recipients of prolonged outpatient intravenous therapy. Twenty-two episodes of catheter sepsis were identified, involving coagulase-negative staphylococci (11), gram-negative bacilli (3), gram-positive bacilli (1), yeast (4), and mixed bacteria or fungi (3). In a select group of patients, treatment was successful 92% of the time.
Hospital Epidemiology in Smaller Hospitals
Authors: Boyce John M. 
Published: September 2009

AbstractIn hospitals with 200 to 300 beds, hospital epidemiologists serve primarily as medical and epidemiology consultants to the infection control practitioners, as advocates for the infection control programs, and as chairpersons of the infection control committees. Because smaller hospitals often have limited resources for infection control, surveillance and control activities must focus on issues that have caused problems for the facility and on compliance with mandates and recommendations made by healthcare agencies. The clinical microbiology laboratory plays an important role in ongoing surveillance activities and often is responsible for performing cultures obtained during point prevalence culture surveys or outbreak investigations. Because laboratory support often is limited, the indications for obtaining a culture from patients, personnel, or the inanimate environment for infection control purposes must be reviewed and discussed carefully with the clinical laboratory in advance.
Phospholamban S-nitrosylation modulates Starling response in fish heart
Authors: Garofalo F. , Parisella M. L. , Amelio D. , Tota B. , Imbrogno S. 
Published: September 2009

The Frank–Starling mechanism is a fundamental property of the vertebrate heart, which allows the myocardium to respond to increased filling pressure with a more vigorous contraction of its lengthened fibres. In mammals, myocardial stretch increases cardiac nitric oxide (NO) release from both vascular endothelium and cardiomyocytes. This facilitates myocardial relaxation and ventricular diastolic distensibility, thus influencing the Frank–Starling mechanism.In thein vitroworking heart of the eelAnguilla anguilla, we previously showed that an endogenous NO release affects the Frank–Starling response making the heart more sensitive to preload. Using the same bioassay, we now demonstrate that this effect is confirmed in the presence of the exogenous NO donorS-nitroso-N-acetyl penicillamine, is independent from endocardial endothelium and guanylate cyclase/cGMP/protein kinase G and cAMP/protein kinase A pathways, involves a PI(3)kinase-mediated activation of endothelial NO synthase and a modulation of the SR-CA2+ATPase (SERCA2a) pumps. Furthermore, we show that NO influences cardiac response to preload through S-nitrosylation of phospholamban and consequent activation of SERCA2a. This suggests that in the fish heart NO modulates the Frank–Starling response through a beat-to-beat regulation of calcium reuptake and thus of myocardial relaxation.We propose that this mechanism represents an important evolutionary step for the stretch-induced intrinsic regulation of the vertebrate heart, providing, at the same time, a stimulus for mammalian-oriented studies.
Dual Roles of Reactive Oxygen Species and NADPH Oxidase RBOHD in an Arabidopsis-Alternaria Pathosystem
Authors: Pogány Miklós , von Rad Uta , Grün Sebastian , Dongó Anita , Pintye Alexandra , Simoneau Philippe , Bahnweg Günther , Kiss Levente , Barna Balázs , Durner Jörg 
Published: September 2009

Abstract
Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) NADPH oxidases have been reported to suppress the spread of pathogen- and salicylic acid-induced cell death. Here, we present dual roles of RBOHD (for respiratory burst oxidase homolog D) in an Arabidopsis-Alternaria pathosystem, suggesting either initiation or prevention of cell death dependent on the distance from pathogen attack. Our data demonstrate that a rbohD knockout mutant exhibits increased spread of cell death at the macroscopic level upon inoculation with the fungus Alternaria brassicicola. However, the cellular patterns of reactive oxygen species accumulation and cell death are fundamentally different in the AtrbohD mutant compared with the wild type. Functional RBOHD causes marked extracellular hydrogen peroxide accumulation as well as cell death in distinct, single cells of A. brassicicola-infected wild-type plants. This single cell response is missing in the AtrbohD mutant, where infection triggers spreading-type necrosis preceded by less distinct chloroplastic hydrogen peroxide accumulation in large clusters of cells. While the salicylic acid analog benzothiadiazole induces the action of RBOHD and the development of cell death in infected tissues, the ethylene inhibitor aminoethoxyvinylglycine inhibits cell death, indicating that both salicylic acid and ethylene positively regulate RBOHD and cell death. Moreover, A. brassicicola-infected AtrbohD plants hyperaccumulate ethylene and free salicylic acid compared with the wild type, suggesting negative feedback regulation of salicylic acid and ethylene by RBOHD. We propose that functional RBOHD triggers death in cells that are damaged by fungal infection but simultaneously inhibits death in neighboring cells through the suppression of free salicylic acid and ethylene levels.
SET DOMAIN GROUP25Encodes a Histone Methyltransferase and Is Involved inFLOWERING LOCUS CActivation and Repression of Flowering
Authors: Berr Alexandre , Xu Lin , Gao Juan , Cognat Valérie , Steinmetz Andre , Dong Aiwu , Shen Wen-Hui 
Published: September 2009

AbstractCovalent modifications of histone lysine residues by methylation play key roles in the regulation of chromatin structure and function. In contrast to H3K9 and H3K27 methylations that mark repressive states of transcription and are absent in some lower eukaryotes, H3K4 and H3K36 methylations are considered as active marks of transcription and are highly conserved in all eukaryotes from yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) to Homo sapiens. Paradoxically, protein complexes catalyzing H3K4 and H3K36 methylations are less-extensively characterized in higher eukaryotes, particularly in plants. Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) contains 12 SET DOMAIN GROUP (SDG) proteins phylogenetic classified to Trithorax Group (TrxG) and thus potentially involved in H3K4 and H3K36 methylations. So far only some genes of this family had been functionally characterized. Here we report on the genetic and molecular characterization of SDG25, a previously uncharacterized member of the Arabidopsis TrxG family. We show that the loss-of-function mutant sdg25-1 has an early flowering phenotype associated with suppression of FLOWERING LOCUS C (FLC) expression. Recombinant SDG25 proteins could methylate histone H3 from oligonucleosomes and mutant sdg25-1 plants showed weakly reduced levels of H3K36 dimethylation at FLC chromatin. Interestingly, sdg25-1 transcriptome shared a highly significant number of differentially expressed genes with that of sdg26-1, a previously characterized mutant exhibiting late-flowering phenotype and elevated FLC expression. Taken together, our results provide, to our knowledge, the first demonstration for a biological function of SDG25 and reveal additional layers of complexity of overlap and nonoverlap functions of the TrxG family genes in Arabidopsis.
TheSPOROCYTELESS/NOZZLEGene Is Involved in Controlling Stamen Identity in Arabidopsis
Authors: Liu Xiaodong , Huang Jian , Parameswaran Sriram , Ito Toshiro , Seubert Brandon , Auer Max , Rymaszewski Amy , Jia Gengxiang , Owen Heather A. , Zhao Dazhong 
Published: September 2009

AbstractThe stamen, which consists of an anther and a filament, is the male reproductive organ in a flower. The specification of stamen identity in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) is controlled by a combination of the B genes APETALA3 (AP3) and PISTILLATA, the C gene AGAMOUS (AG), and the E genes SEPALLATA1 (SEP1) to SEP4. The “floral organ-building” gene SPOROCYTELESS/NOZZLE (SPL/NZZ) plays a central role in regulating anther cell differentiation. However, much less is known about how “floral organ identity” and floral organ-building genes interact to control floral organ development. In this study, we report that ectopic expression of SPL/NZZ not only affects flower development in the wild-type background but also leads to the transformation of petal-like organs into stamen-like organs in flowers of ap2-1, a weak ap2 mutant allele. Moreover, our loss-of-function analysis indicates that the spl/nzz mutant enhances the phenotype of the ag weak allele ag-4. Furthermore, ectopic expression and overexpression of SPL/NZZ altered expression of AG, SEP3, and AP2 in rosette leaves and flowers, while ectopic expression of SPL/NZZ resulted in ectopic expression of AG and SEP3 in the outer whorls of flowers. Our results indicate that the SPL/NZZ gene is engaged in controlling stamen identity via interacting with genes required for stamen identity in Arabidopsis.
Coordination of Plastid Protein Import and Nuclear Gene Expression by Plastid-to-Nucleus Retrograde Signaling
Authors: Kakizaki Tomohiro , Matsumura Hideo , Nakayama Katsuhiro , Che Fang-Sik , Terauchi Ryohei , Inaba Takehito 
Published: September 2009

Abstract
Expression of nuclear-encoded plastid proteins and import of those proteins into plastids are indispensable for plastid biogenesis. One possible cellular mechanism that coordinates these two essential processes is retrograde signaling from plastids to the nucleus. However, the molecular details of how this signaling occurs remain elusive. Using the plastid protein import2 mutant of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), which lacks the atToc159 protein import receptor, we demonstrate that the expression of photosynthesis-related nuclear genes is tightly coordinated with their import into plastids. Down-regulation of photosynthesis-related nuclear genes is also observed in mutants lacking other components of the plastid protein import apparatus. Genetic studies indicate that the coordination of plastid protein import and nuclear gene expression is independent of proposed plastid signaling pathways such as the accumulation of Mg-protoporphyrin IX and the activity of ABA INSENSITIVE4 (ABI4). Instead, it may involve GUN1 and the transcription factor AtGLK. The expression level of AtGLK1 is tightly correlated with the expression of photosynthesis-related nuclear genes in mutants defective in plastid protein import. Furthermore, the activity of GUN1 appears to down-regulate the expression of AtGLK1 when plastids are dysfunctional. Based on these data, we suggest that defects in plastid protein import generate a signal that represses photosynthesis-related nuclear genes through repression of AtGLK1 expression but not through activation of ABI4.
Timing of initiation of enzyme replacement therapy after diagnosis of type 1 Gaucher disease: effect on incidence of avascular necrosis
Authors: Mistry Pramod K. , Deegan Patrick , Vellodi Ashok , Cole J. Alexander , Yeh Michael , Weinreb Neal J. 
Published: September 2009

SummaryData from the International Collaborative Gaucher Group Gaucher Registry were analysed to assess the relationship between enzyme replacement therapy with imiglucerase (ERT) and incidence of avascular necrosis (AVN) in type 1 Gaucher disease (GD1), and to determine whether the time interval between diagnosis and initiation of ERT influences the incidence rate of AVN. All patients with GD1 enrolled in the Gaucher Registry who received ERT and did not report AVN prior to starting therapy (n = 2700) were included. The incidence rate of AVN following initiation of ERT was determined. An incidence rate of AVN of 13·8 per 1000 person‐years was observed in patients receiving ERT. Patients who initiated ERT within 2 years of diagnosis had an incidence rate of 8·1 per 1000 person‐years; patients who started ERT ≥2 years after diagnosis had an incidence rate of 16·6 per 1000 person‐years. The adjusted incidence rate ratio was 0·59 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0·36–0·96, P = 0·0343]. Splenectomy was an independent risk factor for AVN (adjusted incidence rate ratio 2·23, 95% CI 1·61–3·08, P < 0·0001). In conclusion, the risk of AVN was reduced among patients who initiated ERT within 2 years of diagnosis, compared to initiating treatment ≥2 years after diagnosis. A higher risk of AVN was observed among patients who had previously undergone splenectomy.
Postoperative impact of daily life after primary treatment of proximal/distal tibiafracture with Ilizarov external fixation
Authors: Modin Marina , Ramos Telmo , Stomberg Margareta Warrén 
Published: September 2009

Aims and objectives.  To describe patients’ experience of the impact of their health‐related life situation on their daily life two and four weeks after primary fracture treatment with Ilizarov external fixation.Background.  A few studies have been conducted postoperatively focussing on fracture treatment with Ilizarov fixation.Design.  A prospective descriptive research design.Method.  Patients who had been treated for a proximal/distal tibial fracture were invited to participate in the study. Data were collected with a semi‐structured questionnaire where 20 patients described in their own words their situation at home two and four weeks postoperatively. The process used when analysing the data was similar to content analysis.Results.  Four key themes were identified: ‘limitations in the home environment’, ‘limitations outside the home’, ‘limitations to social relations’ and ‘experience of having an Ilizarov fixation’. The patient’s life situation was strongly affected during the first postoperative month. This took the form of clear limitations on activities outside the home and a degree of limitation on coping with household chores and personal hygiene. These limitations became less severe after between 2–4 weeks and were very much a consequence of using crutches.Conclusion.  This study points to limitations in the patient’s daily life situation in the home. The results from the study make it obvious that the information given to patients prior to discharge, concerning the value of putting weight on the leg, had not been clear or that the patients had not understood it. This had a negative impact on the patient’s daily life after discharge. Further data are needed to uncover the extent of the issue to be able to optimise patient outcomes.Relevance to clinical practice.  There is a need for clearer and more active information from the nurse before discharge but also a need to follow up how the information given is understood.
The identification of older nursing home residents vulnerable for deterioration of grade 1 pressure ulcers
Authors: Vanderwee Katrien , Grypdonck Maria , Bacquer Dirk De , Defloor Tom 
Published: September 2009

Aims and objective.  The objective of this study was to identify prognostic factors associated with the development of pressure ulcer lesions (grade 2–4) in nursing home patients with non‐blanchable erythema.Background.  No studies could be found that identify risk factors for further development of pressure ulcer in patients with non‐blanchable erythema. For some patients with non‐blanchable erythema, standard preventive measures do not suffice to prevent pressure ulcers from deterioration. Identifying these patients beforehand can considerably contribute to the efficiency of pressure ulcer prevention.Design.  Secondary data analyses of a previously conducted randomised controlled trial were performed.Methods.  Eighty‐four wards of 16 Belgian nursing homes participated in the study. In total, 235 nursing home residents with a grade 1 pressure ulcer (non‐blanchable erythema) were included. All the residents received standard preventive care. Potential prognostic factors were collected using a standardised form. The incidence of pressure ulcers was recorded according to the European pressure ulcer classification system.Results.  The cumulative pressure ulcer incidence was 18·7% (44/235). Hypotension (relative risk = 3·42, 95% CI = 1·56–7·49), a history of a cerebral vascular accident (relative risk = 1·94, 95% CI = 1·10–3·70) and contractures (relative risk = 2·02, 95% CI 1·03–3·95) were identified as independent predictive factors for developing pressure ulcers. Remarkably, being urinary incontinent decreased the risk of developing a pressure ulcer by 76%.Conclusions.  In nursing home residents with non‐blanchable erythema, hypotension, contractures, and a history of cerebral vascular accident were independent risk factors for the development of pressure ulcer lesions.Relevance to clinical practice.  Patients with non‐blanchable erythema who have hypotension, contractures or a history of cerebral vascular accident are in need of more intensive preventive measures. Identifying these patients can contribute considerably to a more efficient pressure ulcer prevention policy, resulting in a lower pressure ulcer lesion incidence and in lower costs.