bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Association of alcohol dehydrogenase polymorphisms and life‐style factors with excessive alcohol intake within the Spanish population (EPIC‐Spain)
Authors: Muñoz Xavier , Amiano Pilar , Celorrio David , Dorronsoro Miren , Sánchez María‐José , Huerta José M. , Barricarte Aurelio , Arriola Larraitz , Navarro Carmen , Molina‐Montes Esther , Chirlaque M. Dolores , Ardanaz Eva , Rodriguez Laudina , Duell Eric J. , Hijona Elizabeth , Herreros‐Villanueva Marta , Sala Núria , Bujanda Luis 
Published: June 2012

AbstractAimsTo analyse associations between alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) polymorphisms and alcohol intake in Spanish men and women.Design and settingsWe analysed the relationship between 21 genetic variants in ADH genes and excessive alcohol intake in both men and women. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were genotyped using a customized array and a sex‐stratified analysis was performed.MeasurementsEthanol intake was calculated using a validated dietary history questionnaire.ParticipantsHeavy consumers of alcohol (≥70 g/day in men, ≥42 g/day in women) (653 cases) and very low or non‐consumers (<2 g/day) (880 controls) from the Spanish cohort of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer (EPIC).FindingsWe found statistically significant associations between alcohol intake and known life‐style factors; namely, smoking and food energy intake (meat and fruit/seeds) in both men and women, as well as with physical activity in women and educational level in men. Additionally, we found that a non‐synonymous coding SNP in ADH1B (rs1229984) is associated inversely with excessive alcohol intake in men [odds ratio (OR) = 0.19, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.11–0.33; P = 4.77E−10) and women (OR = 0.48, 95% CI = 0.27–0.83; P = 0.0067). Furthermore, ADH6 rs3857224 was found associated with heavy alcohol intake in women (OR = 1.61, 95% CI = 1.21–2.14; P = 1.01E−3), but not in men.ConclusionsIn the Spanish population, the single nucleotide polymorphism of alcohol dehydrogenase ADH1B, rs1229984, is associated inversely with alcohol intake in both men and women. Another polymorphism of ADH6, rs3857224, is associated with heavy alcohol intake in women.
Review article: vitamin D and inflammatory bowel disease – established concepts and future directions
Authors: Garg M. , Lubel J. S. , Sparrow M. P. , Holt S. G. , Gibson P. R. 
Published: June 2012

SummaryBackgroundUnderstanding of the role of vitamin D in health and disease has increased markedly in the past decade, with its involvement extending well beyond traditional roles in calcium and phosphate homeostasis and musculoskeletal health. This conceptual expansion has been underpinned by identification and exploration of components of this axis including vitamin D‐binding protein, key enzymes and receptors in multiple cell types, and a greater recognition of nonclassical autocrine and paracrine effects. Its influence in IBD remains uncertain.AimTo review the role of vitamin D in bone health, immune regulation and cancer prevention in IBD, and to outline practical issues and limitations of its use.MethodsAn extensive online literature review including PubMed and Medline.ResultsIn patients with IBD, the vitamin D axis provides an important and often underutilised pathway to preserving bone health. Furthermore, an exciting body of clinical and basic science research demonstrates that these pathways may have an integral part to play in regulation of the immune response in IBD, through effects on the intestinal barrier, antigen presenting cells and adaptive T cells. The possibility of chemoprevention requires further study. The optimal target level of 25‐hydroxy vitamin D in patients with IBD is currently uncertain, as is the best therapeutic modality.ConclusionsStudy of vitamin D pathways may result in the development of relatively inexpensive therapeutic options to optimise patient outcomes. Further prospective clinical research is required to address efficacy and long‐term safety.
The validity and reliability of the Turkish version of short‐form McGill Pain Questionnaire in patients with leukemia
Authors: Biçici Berna , Yapucu Güneş Ülkü 
Published: June 2012

Aims and objectives.  To assess reliability and validity of the Turkish version of the Short‐form McGill Pain Questionnaire.Background.  Pain is one of the most frequent and significant problems encountered by nurses practice across the world. The Short‐form McGill Pain Questionnaire was widely translated and used to assess the pain experience of several types of patients because it combines the properties of the standard McGill Pain Questionnaire but takes substantially less time to administer.Design.  The study used psychometric testing to establish reliability and validity of the Turkish version of Short‐form McGill Pain Questionnaire.Methods.  A convenience sample of 160 patients with leukaemia in Turkey was used to collect data regarding pain evaluation. The original version of the Short‐form McGill Pain Questionnaire, adapted into Turkish, was tested for internal consistency, content validity, construct validity and concurrent validity.Results.  Internal consistency was found adequate at both assessments with Cronbach’s α 0·88 for test and 0·91 for retest. For reliability of the total, sensory, affective and evaluative total pain intensity, high intraclass correlations were demonstrated (0·85, 0·84, 0·82 and 0·70, respectively). Correlation of total, sensory and affective score with the numerical rating scale was tested for construct validity demonstrating r = 0·61 (p < 0·01) for test and r = 0·68 (p < 0·01) for retest. Correlation with blood pressure values for concurrent validity was found to be r = 0·78 (p < 0·001) for test and r = 0·73 (p < 0·001) for retest.Conclusion.  Turkish version of the Short‐form McGill Pain Questionnaire has shown statistically acceptable levels of reliability and validity for pain evaluation in patients with leukaemia.Relevance to clinical practice.  This study provided evidence that the Turkish version of the Short‐form McGill Pain Questionnaire is a reliable and valid instrument for assessing pain. This scale can be used to assess nursing interventions aimed at decreasing pain and efficacy of the treatment.
The minimal relationship between simulation fidelity and transfer of learning
Authors: Norman Geoff , Dore Kelly , Grierson Lawrence 
Published: June 2012

Medical Education 2012Context  High‐fidelity simulators have enjoyed increasing popularity despite costs that may approach six figures. This is justified on the basis that simulators have been shown to result in large learning gains that may transfer to actual patient care situations. However, most commonly, learning from a simulator is compared with learning in a ‘no‐intervention’ control group. This fails to clarify the relationship between simulator fidelity and learning, and whether comparable gains might be achieved at substantially lower cost.Objectives  This analysis was conducted to review studies that compare learning from high‐fidelity simulation (HFS) with learning from low‐fidelity simulation (LFS) based on measures of clinical performance.Methods  Using a variety of search strategies, a total of 24 studies contrasting HFS and LFS and including some measure of performance were located. These studies referred to learning in three areas: auscultation skills; surgical techniques, and complex management skills such as cardiac resuscitation.Results  Both HFS and LFS learning resulted in consistent improvements in performance in comparisons with no‐intervention control groups. However, nearly all the studies showed no significant advantage of HFS over LFS, with average differences ranging from 1% to 2%.Discussion  The factors influencing learning, and the reasons for this surprising finding, are discussed.
Motivation, learning strategies, participation and medical school performance
Authors: Stegers‐Jager Karen M , Cohen‐Schotanus Janke , Themmen Axel P N 
Published: June 2012

Medical Education 2012: 46:678–688Context  Medical schools wish to better understand why some students excel academically and others have difficulty in passing medical courses. Components of self‐regulated learning (SRL), such as motivational beliefs and learning strategies, as well as participation in scheduled learning activities, have been found to relate to student performance. Although participation may be a form of SRL, little is known about the relationships among motivational beliefs, learning strategies, participation and medical school performance.Objectives  This study aimed to test and cross‐validate a hypothesised model of relationships among motivational beliefs (value and self‐efficacy), learning strategies (deep learning and resource management), participation (lecture attendance, skills training attendance and completion of optional study assignments) and Year 1 performance at medical school.Methods  Year 1 medical students in the cohorts of 2008 (n = 303) and 2009 (n = 369) completed a questionnaire on motivational beliefs and learning strategies (sourced from the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire) and participation. Year 1 performance was operationalised as students’ average Year 1 course examination grades. Structural equation modelling was used to analyse the data.Results  Participation and self‐efficacy beliefs were positively associated with Year 1 performance (β = 0.78 and β = 0.19, respectively). Deep learning strategies were negatively associated with Year 1 performance (β = − 0.31), but positively related to resource management strategies (β = 0.77), which, in turn, were positively related to participation (β = 0.79). Value beliefs were positively related to deep learning strategies only (β = 0.71). The overall structural model for the 2008 cohort accounted for 47% of the variance in Year 1 grade point average and was cross‐validated in the 2009 cohort.Conclusions  This study suggests that participation mediates the relationships between motivation and learning strategies, and medical school performance. However, participation and self‐efficacy beliefs also made unique contributions towards performance. Encouraging participation and strengthening self‐efficacy may help to enhance medical student performance.
Maturational differences in undergraduate medical students’ perceptions about feedback
Authors: Murdoch‐Eaton Deborah , Sargeant Joan 
Published: June 2012

Medical Education 2012: 46:711–721Context  Although medical students receive varied feedback throughout their training programmes, research demonstrates that they frequently perceive it as insufficient. However, supervisors tend to perceive that it is adequate. Students’ responses to, and use of, feedback are not clearly understood. The purposes of this study were to investigate how medical students recognise, respond to and utilise feedback, and to determine whether there are maturational differences in understandings of the role of feedback across academic years in medical school.Methods  This was a mixed‐methods study collecting qualitative (focus group and open‐ended questionnaire items) and quantitative (questionnaire) data across the 5 years of an undergraduate programme.Results  A total of 68 students participated in 10 focus groups. The questionnaire response rate was 46% (564/1233). Data analysis investigated the students’ perceptions of feedback and explored patterns of responses across the continuum of undergraduate medical school stages. Maturational differences among the year cohorts within the programme emerged in three general areas: (i) student perceptions of the purpose of feedback; (ii) student recognition of feedback, and (iii) student perceptions regarding the credibility of feedback providers.Conclusions  Junior students generally perceived the receiving of feedback as a passive activity and preferred positive feedback that confirmed their progress and provided reassurance. More senior students viewed feedback as informing their specific learning needs and personal development. They valued immediate informal verbal feedback and feedback from peers and others, as well as that from senior teachers. Exploring students’ progressive degrees of engagement with feedback and its relationship with self‐esteem are subjects for further study.
Prevalence and trend of HIV infection among voluntary blood donors in China since implementation of the Blood Donation Law: a systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Hong Yan , Huang Xia , Ling Hua , Liao Hongwen 
Published: June 2012

AbstractObjective In 1998, the Blood Donation Law was enacted in China in response to the outbreak of HIV endemic in central rural China as a result of unhygienic and commercial blood collection. This study aims to provide a first comprehensive review of available data on the prevalence, trend and other epidemiological characteristics of HIV infection among voluntary blood donors since 1998.Methods Major English and Chinese databases were searched and a systematic review was constructed. Pooled infection rates by province and year were calculated using random‐effect or fixed‐effect models.Results A total of 87 studies met our inclusion criteria. A total of 2573 HIV‐positive cases were identified among voluntary blood donors in the past 10 years; the pooled prevalence was 13.22/100 000, with a range of 0.74–125.97 per 100 000. Among the 24 provinces that reported yearly data, the prevalence of HIV increased from 5.62/100 000 to 28.90/100 000. The male‐to‐female ratio was 2.8; about 60% were below the age of 30 years.Conclusions The prevalence of HIV in voluntary blood donors has risen steadily and fast. Efficient measures need to be taken urgently to prevent HIV test‐seeking through blood donor programmes, to promote voluntary blood donation in low‐risk groups and to enforce the Blood Donation Law strictly.
Scaling up Xpert MTB/RIF technology: the costs of laboratory‐ vs. clinic‐based roll‐out in South Africa
Authors: Schnippel Kathryn , Meyer‐Rath Gesine , Long Lawrence , MacLeod William , Sanne Ian , Stevens Wendy S. , Rosen Sydney 
Published: June 2012

AbstractObjective  The World Health Organization recommends using Xpert MTB/RIF for diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB), but there is little evidence on the optimal placement of Xpert instruments in public health systems. We used recent South African data to compare the cost of placing Xpert at points of TB treatment (all primary clinics and hospitals) with the cost of placement at sub‐district laboratories.Methods  We estimated Xpert’s cost/test in a primary clinic pilot and in the pilot phase of the national Xpert roll‐out to smear microscopy laboratories; the expected future volumes for each of 223 laboratories or 3799 points of treatment; the number and cost of Xpert instruments required and the national cost of using Xpert for PTB diagnosis for each placement scenario in 2014.Results  In 2014, South Africa will test 2.6 million TB suspects. Laboratory placement requires 274 Xpert instruments, while point‐of‐treatment placement requires 4020 instruments. With an Xpert cartridge price of $14.00, the cost/test is $26.54 for laboratory placement and $38.91 for point‐of‐treatment placement. Low test volumes and a high number of sites are the major contributors to higher point‐of‐treatment costs. National placement of Xpert at laboratories would cost $71 million/year; point‐of‐treatment placement would cost $107 million/year, 51% more.Conclusion  Placing Xpert technology at points of treatment is substantially more expensive than placing the instruments in smear microscopy laboratories. The incremental benefits of point‐of‐treatment placement, in terms of better patient outcomes, will have to be equally substantial to justify the additional cost to the national health budget.
Skin thymic stromal lymphopoietin promotes airway sensitization to inhalant house dust mites leading to allergic asthma in mice
Authors: Jiang H. , Hener P. , Li J. , Li M. 
Published: June 2012

AbstractAsthma is often preceded by atopic dermatitis (AD), a phenomenon known as ‘atopic march’. It has been suggested that sensitization to common inhalant allergens, which is developed in a majority of patients with AD and often during the course of AD, may play a critical role in triggering the atopic march. Yet, what signal(s) delivered by AD skin could promote sensitization to inhalant allergens remains elusive. Here, by employing an experimental mouse asthma protocol, which is induced by airway sensitization and challenge to inhalant house dust mite (HDM), we demonstrate that the overproduction of cytokine thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) by AD skin promotes airway sensitization to HDM, thereby triggering subsequently an allergic asthma. Together, this study provides, for the first time, the experimental proof that TSLP represents an AD skin‐delivered signal to promote sensitization to inhalant aeroallergen, which may account for one mechanism underlying the ‘atopic march’.
Impact of donor obesity and donation after cardiac death on outcomes after kidney transplantation
Authors: Ortiz Jorge , Gregg Austin , Wen Xuerong , Karipineni Farah , Kayler Liise K. 
Published: June 2012

AbstractThe effect of donor body mass index (BMI) and donor type on kidney transplant outcomes has not been well studied. Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients data on recipients of deceased‐donor kidneys between 1997 and 2010 were reviewed. Donors were categorized by DCD status (DCD, 6932; non‐DCD, 90,158) and BMI groups at 5 kg/m2 increments: 18.5–24.9, 25–29.9, 30–34.9, 35–39.9, 40–44.9, and ≥ 45 kg/m2. The primary outcome, death‐censored graft survival (DCGS), was adjusted for donor, recipient, and transplant characteristics. Among recipients of non‐DCD kidneys, donor BMI was not associated with DCGS. Among DCD recipients, donor BMI was not associated with DCGS for donor BMI categories <45 kg/m2; however, donor BMI ≥45 kg/m2 was independently associated with DCGS compared to BMI of 20–24.9 kg/m2 (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.84; 95% CI, 1.23, 2.74). The adjusted odds of delayed graft function (DGF) was greater for each level of BMI above reference for both DCD and non‐DCD groups. There was no association of donor BMI with one‐yr acute rejection for either type of donor. Although BMI is associated with DGF, long‐term graft survival is not affected except in the combination of DCD with extreme donor BMI ≥45.
Adherence with immunosuppressive treatment after transplantation: results from the French trial PREDICT
Authors: Dharancy Sebastien , Giral Magali , Tetaz Rachel , Fatras Michel , Dubel Laurence , Pageaux Georges‐Philippe 
Published: June 2012

AbstractAlthough immunosuppressive therapy after organ transplantation is paramount for long‐term outcomes, patients do not comply with their immunosuppressive treatment as much as might be expected. In this observational study, patients having undergone a kidney or liver transplantation were enrolled. Adherence was evaluated by patients using the compliance evaluation test and by physicians using a visual analogic scale. A linear regression was performed to identify determinants of adherence. Less patients having undergone kidney transplantation (27%) described themselves as good compliers than liver transplanted patients (40%). Discrepancy was noted between the physician and patient assessments. Rates of good adherence were significantly different depending on gender, age at transplantation, retransplantation, and time elapsed since transplantation, in at least one of the groups evaluated (whole cohort, kidney liver transplantation groups). In all three groups, adherence decreased with the number of immunosuppressants prescribed. In the whole cohort, the rate of good adherence was significantly higher in patients taking lower number of immunosuppressive drugs (45% for 1 vs. 24% for 3 immunosuppressants; p = 0.02). In this study, which is the first study of this scale in France, we confirmed that adherence with immunosuppressant treatment was low and that simpler treatment regimens may favor adherence.
The transcriptional regulator, CosR, controls compatible solute biosynthesis and transport, motility and biofilm formation in Vibrio cholerae
Authors: Shikuma Nicholas J. , Davis Kimberly R. , Fong Jiunn N. C. , Yildiz Fitnat H. 
Published: June 2012

SummaryVibrio cholerae inhabits aquatic environments and colonizes the human digestive tract to cause the disease cholera. In these environments, V. cholerae copes with fluctuations in salinity and osmolarity by producing and transporting small, organic, highly soluble molecules called compatible solutes, which counteract extracellular osmotic pressure. Currently, it is unclear how V. cholerae regulates the expression of genes important for the biosynthesis or transport of compatible solutes in response to changing salinity or osmolarity conditions. Through a genome‐wide transcriptional analysis of the salinity response of V. cholerae, we identified a transcriptional regulator we name CosR for compatible solute regulator. The expression of cosR is regulated by ionic strength and not osmolarity. A transcriptome analysis of a ΔcosR mutant revealed that CosR represses genes involved in ectoine biosynthesis and compatible solute transport in a salinity‐dependent manner. When grown in salinities similar to estuarine environments, CosR activates biofilm formation and represses motility independently of its function as an ectoine regulator. This is the first study to characterize a compatible solute regulator in V. cholerae and couples the regulation of osmotic tolerance with biofilm formation and motility.
Breakfast consumption in UK schoolchildren and provision of school breakfast clubs
Authors: Hoyland A. , McWilliams K. A. , Duff R. J. , Walton J. L. 
Published: June 2012

SummaryBreakfast is known to confer benefits for children, including improvement in nutrient and weight status as well as cognitive performance. Reliable UK‐specific data regarding breakfast consumption patterns in schoolchildren and the provision of breakfast clubs in schools are limited, but are required to inform academics and policy makers alike. The aim of this study was to establish patterns in breakfast consumption in UK schoolchildren and to assess the current provision of breakfast clubs in England. Data were gathered by Childwise in June–July 2011. The large population representative sample included a total of 65 schools (38 primary and 27 secondary), from which 3311 children aged 5–15 years were surveyed at school regarding their breakfast consumption. Data regarding school breakfast club provision were collected from 2087 teachers via the National Foundation for Educational Research omnibus. The results indicated that 86% of children ate something before school (whether at home, on the way to school or at a school breakfast club). Of the remaining 14% of breakfast skippers, a third reported not eating anything until lunch time. The extent of breakfast skipping was higher in girls than boys, and higher in secondary than primary school pupils. Breakfast skipping also varied by UK region, such that the highest levels were evident in Scotland and the North West of England, and the lowest in the East of England. Within secondary schools, breakfast skipping was higher in schools from urban areas and areas of high deprivation. Of the 86% of children who did eat breakfast, 4% reported consuming it at a school breakfast club and a further 4% on the way to school. In contrast, 56% of schools in England were found to be operating a breakfast club at the time of survey, with greater availability at primary compared with secondary school. Overall, the findings suggest that breakfast skipping remains a considerable problem in UK schoolchildren, particularly in adolescents.