bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Lesbians’ attitudes and beliefs regarding overweight and weight reduction
Authors: Roberts Susan J , Stuart‐Shor Eileen M , Oppenheimer Rachel A 
Published: June 2010

Aim and objective.  This article presents data on attitudes and beliefs about overweight/weight reduction in lesbians. The project was developed to have information on which to base future culturally sensitive interventions to reduce cardiovascular risk in lesbians.Background.  Lesbians have been found to have high rates of obesity/overweight and to be more accepting of it. Researchers have hypothesised that this is attributed to different attitudes towards body weight and shape in lesbians than heterosexuals. Little is known about acceptable ways to intervene to decrease cardiovascular risk in lesbians in view of these attitudes.Design.  Women over 21 who self‐identified as lesbian and reported one or more cardiovascular risk factors were recruited from medical providers and community resources. Twenty‐five women participated in five focus groups that explored practices, attitudes and beliefs about cardiovascular risk and culturally acceptable strategies to reduce cardiovascular risk in lesbians.Method.  Demographic and risk factor information was collected from focus group members by questionnaire. Focus groups were audiotaped and transcribed. Investigators reviewed the transcripts and identified, coded and categorised data to begin to identify emergent themes.Results.  Lesbian participants with risk factors for cardiovascular risk expressed concern about the health consequences of weight but want a focus on their general health rather than exclusively on the BMI. There is not homogeneity in attitudes and beliefs about weight and overweight among lesbians, and generational differences were found. Minority stress, anxiety and depression and homophobia were major factors in health behaviours and barriers to changing unhealthy behaviours.Relevance to clinical practice.  Lesbian participants with risk factors for cardiovascular disease were eager to be involved in individual and group culturally sensitive programs that focus on improved health and well being. Recommended interventions include lesbian specific multidimensional group interventions that could deal with the multiple factors involved in causing and maintaining the behaviours.
Multi‐institutional study of barriers to research utilisation and evidence‐based practice among hospital nurses
Authors: Brown Caroline E , Ecoff Laurie , Kim Son C , Wickline Mary A , Rose Barbara , Klimpel Kathy , Glaser Dale 
Published: June 2010

Aims.  The study aims were to explore the relationships between perceived barriers to research use and the implementation of evidence‐based practice among hospital nurses and to investigate the barriers as predictors of implementation of evidence‐based practice.Background.  Evidence‐based practice is critical in improving healthcare quality. Although barriers to research use have been extensively studied, little is known about the relationships between the barriers and the implementation of evidence‐based practice in nursing.Design.  Cross‐sectional study.Method.  Data were collected between December 2006–January 2007 for this cross‐sectional study using computerised Evidence‐Based Practice Questionnaire and BARRIERS surveys. A convenience sample (n = 1301) of nurses from four hospitals in southern California, USA, participated. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were performed for each of the three dependent variables: practice, attitude and knowledge/skills associated with evidence‐based practice. BARRIERS subscales were used as predictor variables.Results.  The perceived barriers to research use predicted only 2·7, 2·4 and 4·5% of practice, attitude and knowledge/skills associated with evidence‐based practice.Conclusions.  It was unexpected that the barriers to research use predicted such small fractions of practice, attitude and knowledge/skills associated with evidence‐based practice. The barriers appear to have minimal influence over the implementation of evidence‐based practice for most hospital nurses.Relevance to clinical practice.  In implementing evidence‐based practice, the focus on barriers to research use among general nursing staff may be misplaced. Further studies are needed to identify the predictors of evidence‐based practice and to identify the subset of nurses who are most amenable to adopting evidence‐based practice.
Functional constipation: implications for nursing interventions
Authors: Zhou Lirong , Lin Zheng , Lin Lin , Wang Meifeng , Zhang Hongjie 
Published: June 2010

Aims.  To verify the correlation between anorectal function and psychological conditions of depression/anxiety in patients with functional constipation. The aim of this study is to explore why people with depression/anxiety have higher incidence of functional constipation and recommend innovative interventions to advance patient care of functional constipation.Design.  A prospective correlational design.Methods.  Anorectal manometry was performed on functional constipation patients (n = 70) through the Medtronic Synectics PC Polygraf, while the psychological condition was tested by Self‐Rating Anxiety Scale and Self‐Rating Depression Scale. Twenty normal controls were also studied.Results.  Compared with controls, (1) functional constipation patients displayed higher squeezing pressure, defaecation thresholds and maximal volume of tolerance (p < 0·01), and there was no significant difference in anorectal resting pressure, defaecating pressure, minimum relaxation volume and first sensation (p > 0·05). (2) Functional constipation patients showed higher depression/anxiety scores (p < 0·01). (3) The anorectal squeezing pressure was negatively correlated with anxiety and depression scores, while the first sensation and maximal volume of tolerance was positively correlated with depression score (p < 0·05).Conclusions.  Abnormal anorectal function correlates to depression/anxiety levels indicating that depression/anxiety may contributes to functional constipation. The possible pathology is via brain‐gut axis.Relevance to clinical practice.  The study indicates that nurses should pay attention to the patients’ psychological needs, especially to those interested in seeing the physician and doing unnecessary examinations repeatedly to find any organic disease. Integrated nursing intervention should be applied to improve patients’ psychological adaptation and boost the functional constipation therapeutic effect.
Spatial genetic structure in an understorey dioecious fig species: the roles of seed rain, seed and pollen‐mediated gene flow, and local selection
Authors: Zhou Hui‐Ping , Chen Jin 
Published: June 2010

Summary 1. The spatial genetic structure (SGS) of a plant population is mainly determined by gene flow via seed and pollen, various natural selection pressures and spatial patterns of existing plants. However, the role of those factors in shaping SGS requires further investigation. 2. We studied the relative importance of those factors in shaping the SGS of an understorey dioecious fig species (Ficus cyrtophylla). Spatial patterns of existing individuals and microhabitat were surveyed, patterns of seed rain were investigated, seed dispersers were observed in the field, and the gene flow and SGS of a focal population were determined. 3. Three mid‐sized bulbul (Pycnonotus spp.) species were the primary dispersers of Ficus cyrtophylla fruits. All the age cohorts exhibited clumped patterns with a decreasing trend from seeds to seedlings, saplings and adults. Seed rain occurred in a non‐random pattern with high clumping in moderately lit microhabitats. The observed pattern suggests disperser preferences for those microhabitats resulting in higher seed deposition. 4. Seeds and pollen of F. cyrtophylla were widely dispersed (ranging from 9 m to 2.75 km and 10 m to 3 km, respectively). About two‐thirds of seeds and half of the pollen grains were locally dispersed (≤ 250 m) within the focal population. 5. Significant positive autocorrelations occurred at a local scale (≤10 m) in seeds and seedlings but not in saplings and adults. The SGS pattern disappeared when we reduced the sample size of seedlings to that for the saplings, which suggests that demographic thinning effects (e.g. density‐dependent predation and competition) on spatial distribution may lead to the loss of SGS through transitions from seedlings to saplings and adults. 6. Synthesis. Although F. cyrtophylla seeds and pollen were widely dispersed, the significant SGS present in seedlings probably resulted from clumped seed dispersal due to dispersers’ behaviour and high seedfall beneath parent trees. The loss of SGS in sapling and adult life stages is probably caused by demographic selection effects during recruitment. Our study emphasizes the different roles of dispersal and local selection in shaping SGS of plant populations.
Testing the growth limitation hypothesis for subarctic Scots pine
Authors: Susiluoto Sanna , Hilasvuori Emmi , Berninger Frank 
Published: June 2010

Summary 1. We tested if tree line trees are sink or resource limited by comparing the reactions in Scots pine trees (Pinus sylvestris L.) to changes in resource availability (through nutrient addition and defoliation), and in sink strength (through debudding) in north‐eastern Finland. 2. Height extension growth increased by over 200% and shoot extension growth by 27%, as a result of nutrient addition, whereas changes in radial increment were smaller and not statistically significant. 3. Although in defoliated trees height and shoot extension were not significantly affected, defoliated trees decreased their radial growth by 50%. 4. Branch extension growth of the remaining buds was increased due to debudding treatment by 47%, but there were no changes in radial increment. 5. Non‐structural carbohydrate concentrations in twigs, however, remained relatively constant in all treatments. 6. There were no statistically significant changes in carbon isotope ratio due to any of the treatments, indicating that the manipulation treatments did not modify tree water relations. 7. Synthesis. Our results do not support the growth limitation theory for tree line trees and suggest that resource limitations might be more important.
Is the test result correct? A questionnaire study of blood collection practices in primary health care
Authors: Söderberg Johan , Wallin Olof , Grankvist Kjell , Brulin Christine 
Published: June 2010

AbstractRationale, aims and objectives  Venous blood tests are important for clinical decision making. Most errors in blood testing are due to human errors before the blood samples reach the laboratory. The present study was designed to investigate venous blood sampling (VBS) practices in primary health care centres (PHCs) compared with clinical laboratory staff.Method  A cross‐sectional survey of 70 PHCs and two clinical laboratories is conducted. All staff responsible for VBS (317 respondents, response rate 94%) completed a questionnaire on VBS practices.Results  Instructions for VBS were not followed in the surveyed PHCs. For example, only 54% reported that they always identified the patient by using name/Swedish identification number and only 5% reported that they always used photo‐ID, the two preferred means for patient identification. Only 12% reported that they always released venous stasis as soon as possible. Fewer PHC staff than clinical laboratory staff reported correct VBS practices. For example, 54% of the PHC staff reported that they always identified the patient by name and Swedish identification number, as compared with 95% of the clinical laboratory staff (P < 0.001). Documented VBS routines and re‐education in VBS were not clearly associated with reported correct VBS practices.Conclusions  In the surveyed PHCs, there are clinically important risks for misidentification of patients and erroneous test results, with consequences for the diagnosis and treatment of patients. Quality interventions, aimed at improving VBS practices, are needed to ensure patient safety.
GP preferences for information systems: conjoint analysis of speed, reliability, access and users
Authors: Wyatt Jeremy C. , Batley Richard P. , Keen Justin 
Published: June 2010

AbstractRationale, aims and objective  To elicit the preferences and trade‐offs of UK general practitioners about key features of health information systems, to help inform the design of such systems in future.Methods  A stated choice study to uncover implicit preferences based on a binary choice between scenarios presented in random order.Participants  were all 303 general practice members of the UK Internet service provider, Medix who were approached by email to participate. The main outcome measure was the number of seconds delay in system response that general practitioners were willing to trade off for each key system feature: the reliability of the system, the sites from which the system could be accessed and which staff are able to view patient data.Results  Doctors valued speed of response most in information systems but would be prepared to wait 28 seconds to access a system in exchange for improved reliability from 95% to 99%, a further 2 seconds for an improvement to 99.9% and 27 seconds for access to data from anywhere including their own home compared with one place in a single health care premises. However, they would require a system that was 14 seconds faster to compensate for allowing social care as well as National Health Service staff to read patient data.Conclusions  These results provide important new evidence about which system characteristics doctors value highly, and hence which characteristics designers need to focus on when large scale health information systems are planned.
Contemporary management of pulmonary embolism: the answers to ten questions
Authors: Bounameaux H. 
Published: June 2010

Abstract.  Bounameaux H (Division of Angiology and Hemostasis, Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospitals of Geneva and Faculty of Medicine, Geneva, Switzerland). Contemporary management of pulmonary embolism: the answers to ten questions (Review). J Intern Med 2010; 268: 218–231.Pulmonary embolism (PE) cannot be diagnosed solely on a clinical basis, because of the lack of sensitivity and specificity of clinical signs and symptoms. Pulmonary angiography is invasive and resource demanding. Because the prevalence of PE is relatively low (20% or less) amongst individuals who are clinically suspected of having the disease, submitting all of them to imaging (multi‐detector CT angiography or ventilation/perfusion lung scintigraphy) would not be cost‐effective. Therefore, diagnostic algorithms have been developed that include clinical probability assessment and D‐dimer measurement to select the patients who require noninvasive imaging. Once the diagnosis is suspected or confirmed, therapy must be started to avoid potentially fatal recurrence. Treatment starts for an initial 3‐month period with a 5‐day course of parenteral unfractionated or low‐molecular‐weight heparin or fondaparinux overlapping with and followed by oral vitamin K antagonists monitored to maintain an international normalized ratio of 2–3. This initial period of 3 months may then be followed by a long‐term secondary prevention period in patients who experience an idiopathic thromboembolic event and are at low risk of bleeding. New oral anticoagulants that do require patient monitoring and might exhibit a more favourable benefit–risk balance are currently under extensive clinical testing and might change the situation in the near future. A critical appraisal of the contemporary management of suspected PE is given in this overview with the discussion of 10 practical questions.
Bet v 1 and its homologous food allergen Api g 1 stimulate dendritic cells from birch pollen‐allergic individuals to induce different Th‐cell polarization
Authors: Smole U. , Wagner S. , Balazs N. , Radauer C. , Bublin M. , Allmaier G. , Hoffmann‐Sommergruber K. , Breiteneder H. 
Published: June 2010

To cite this article: Smole U, Wagner S, Balazs N, Radauer C, Bublin M, Allmaier G, Hoffmann‐Sommergruber K, Breiteneder H. Bet v 1 and its homologous food allergen Api g 1 stimulate dendritic cells from birch pollen‐allergic individuals to induce different Th‐cell polarization. Allergy 2010; 65: 1388–1396.AbstractBackground:  Bet v 1 is the most relevant sensitizing protein for birch pollen (BP)‐allergic individuals. Its homologues from plant foods are mainly involved in allergic reactions caused by IgE cross reactivity. We aimed to evaluate the polarizing effect of dendritic cells (DCs) pulsed with Bet v 1, Mal d 1, Api g 1 or Dau c 1 on Th‐cell responses.Methods:  Immature DCs were generated from peripheral blood monocytes of BP‐allergic and healthy donors by culture with GM‐CSF and IL‐4 and subsequently pulsed with allergens in combination with maturation factors. Cell surface markers were analysed by FACS. Mature DCs were co‐cultured with autologous Th cells and T‐cell proliferation and cytokine profiles were determined.Results:  In co‐culture, mature allergen‐pulsed DCs induced autologous Th cells of BP‐allergic donors to proliferate significantly more than those of healthy individuals. Exposure of DCs from BP‐allergic donors to Bet v 1 resulted in a robust Th2 skewing with significantly higher quantities of IL‐5 and elevated IL‐13 compared to maturation factors. In contrast, Api g 1‐primed DCs from BP allergics significantly enhanced the production of the Th1 cytokine IFN‐γ and significantly down‐regulated IL‐13 compared to maturation factors. In healthy donors, no significant cytokine production could be detected.Conclusion:  Bet v 1 in contrast to homologous food allergens seems to possess distinct molecular features that enable it to condition DCs from BP‐allergic donors to induce allergen‐specific T‐cell proliferation and Th2 polarization.
RESEARCH PAPER: Multiple Sexual Ornamentation Signals Male Quality and Predicts Female Preference in Minnows
Authors: Kekäläinen Jukka , Valkama Hannele , Huuskonen Hannu , Taskinen Jouni 
Published: June 2010

AbstractSexual ornamentation often consists of multiple components. Different sexual signals may indicate different aspects of mate quality or reflect quality in different time scales. On the other hand, same signals can have a dual function and are used both in male–male competition and courtship. Many fish species are capable of rapidly altering their colouration (ephemeral colour changes), but this capability is usually ignored in sexual selection studies. Here, we used experimentally manipulated social environments to study the ephemeral colour changes in multicomponent sexual signals of male minnows (Phoxinus phoxinus) during male–male competition and female choice. We found that the dominant males courted the females more actively and had redder and/or darker skin colouration than the subordinate males. Furthermore, darkness difference between subordinate and dominant males increased in the presence of female, which suggests that the male–male competition may increase the honesty of signalling and thus facilitate female choice. In support of this hypothesis, females had a strong behavioural preference towards the more colourful males, which may indicate female choice. As colourful males often had a higher social status than paler individuals, it is possible that females base their preference on male status, not only the colouration per se. In any case, our results suggest that sexual ornamentation of male minnows may signal status, courting activity and superior quality of the males and that these signals may have a dual function in both male–male competition and female choice. Females preferred different ornamental traits (dark and red colour patterns) relatively equally, indicating that mate choice is based on multiple cues.
In vitro susceptibility of filamentous fungi to itraconazole, voriconazole and posaconazole by Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute reference method and E‐test
Authors: Kondori N. , Svensson E. , Mattsby‐Baltzer I. 
Published: June 2010

SummaryThe use of anti‐fungal agents has increased dramatically in recent years and new drugs have been developed. Several methods are available for determinations of their specific biological activities, i.e. the standard method for minimum inhibitory concentration‐determination is described in M‐38 [Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute document M‐38 (CLSI M‐38)]. However, alternative methods, such as the E‐test, are currently available in Mycology laboratories. The susceptibilities of clinical isolates of Aspergillus spp. (n = 29), Fusarium spp. (n = 5), zygomycetes (n = 21) and Schizophyllum (n = 1) were determined for itraconazole, voriconazole and posaconazole, using the CLSI M‐38‐A broth dilution method and also by the E‐test. A good overall agreement (83.7%) between the two methods for all drugs and organisms was observed. Analyses of voriconazole showed a better agreement (93%) between the methods than posaconazole and itraconazole (85% and 74% respectively). Aspergillus spp. were the most susceptible fungi to the anti‐fungal agents tested in this study. Posaconazole was the most active drug against filamentous fungi in vitro, followed by itraconazole and voriconazole. The latter (voriconazole) demonstrated no significant in vitro activity against zygomycetes.
Do abandoned nests of leaf‐cutting ants enhance plant recruitment in the Atlantic Forest?
Authors: BIEBER ANA GABRIELA D. , OLIVEIRA MARCONDES A. , WIRTH RAINER , TABARELLI MARCELO , LEAL INARA R. 
Published: June 2010

AbstractThe role played by abandoned nests of leaf‐cutting ants (Attaspp.) as a small‐scale disturbance regime that affects plant recruitment, species coexistence and forest regeneration remains poorly investigated. Here we examine whether abandoned nests ofAtta cephalotesserve as regeneration niches and operate as particular plant recruitment habitats, favouring forest regeneration after ant activities cease and leading to the establishment of taxonomically/ecologically distinct plant assemblages. Soil properties, canopy openness, light availability and regenerating plant assemblages were evaluated across 18 nests and adjacent control plots in a large remnant of Atlantic Forest in north‐east Brazil from December 2004 to December 2005. Surprisingly, nests and control plots exhibited very similar light environments irrespective of nest age, but nest soils exhibited substantial reductions in carbon content (1.45 ± 0.24vs.1.79 ± 0.13%) and organic matter (2.50 ± 0.41vs.3.08 ± 0.23%), and proved to be much more resistant to penetration (30.57 ± 6.08vs.39.48 ± 7.53 mm). Functional signature of regenerating plant assemblages exhibited little variation across both habitat types, as they were dominated by pioneer, small‐seeded and vertebrate‐dispersed species. However, abandoned nests exhibited less dense, impoverished and more homogeneous regenerating plant assemblages at local and landscape scale; they clearly lacked nest‐dependent plant species and represented floristic subsets of the flora inhabiting the undisturbed forest. This recruitment bottleneck was transient in the long term because nest‐related effects ameliorated in older nests. Our results suggest that, unlike treefall gaps, abandoned nests represent temporary (relatively long‐lasting) islands of unsuitable substrate that reduce plant recruitment, retard forest regeneration, and fail in providing a special regeneration niche able to promote species coexistence and plant diversity.