bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Sexuality During Pregnancy
Authors: Pauleta Joana Rocha , Pereira Nuno Monteiro , Graça Luís Mendes 
Published: October 2009

ABSTRACT

Introduction
Sexuality is an important part of health and well-being. Sexual behavior modifies as pregnancy progresses, influenced by biological, psychological, and social factors.

Aim
To evaluate changes in sexual perceptions and activities during pregnancy and to determine sexual dysfunctions in that period.

Main Outcome Measures
Sexual perceptions (desire from the partner, feelings of attractiveness, and fear of sexual intercourse), sexual activities during pregnancy (sexual intercourse frequency, the most frequent sexual intercourse trimester, sexual activity during the birth week, type(s) of sexual intercourse, changes in sexual satisfaction and desire compared with the pre-pregnancy period, and changes in sexual intercourse frequency during each trimester compared with the pre-pregnancy period), and sexual dysfunctions.

Methods
Puerperal women were asked to anonymously complete a self-administered and structured questionnaire at the day of discharge from hospital.

Results
One hundred and eighty-eight women, aged between 17 years and 40 years with a mean age of 28.9 years, were analyzed. The first trimester was considered the most frequent period of sexual intercourse (44.7%), followed by the second trimester (35.6%). Fifty-five percent reported a decrease of sexual activity during the third trimester. Fear of sexual intercourse was referred by 23.4% of the women questioned. Sexual satisfaction was unchanged in 48.4% of the subjects and decreased in 27.7% (P &lt;0.0001); sexual desire is reported to be unchanged in 38.8% and decreased in 32.5% (P = 0.196) of the population. Vaginal, oral, anal sex, and masturbation were performed by 98.3%, 38.1%, 6.6%, and 20.4% of the women, respectively.

Conclusions
We determined in our study that sexual satisfaction do not change in pregnancy compared with the pre-pregnancy patterns despite a decline of sexual activity during the third trimester. A discussion of expected changes in sexuality should be routinely done by the doctor in order to improve couples’ perception of possible sexual modifications induced by pregnancy.
Detection of virulence factors in Serratia strains isolated from contact lens‐associated corneal ulcers
Authors: Pinna Antonio , Usai Donatella , Sechi Leonardo A. , Carta Arturo , Zanetti Stefania 
Published: October 2009

Abstract.Purpose:  This paper reports on the microbiological findings pertaining to three Serratia isolates from soft contact lens‐related corneal ulcers, which represent a complication of contact lens wear reported with increasing frequency.Methods:  Bacterial identification and antibiotic susceptibility testing were performed using the Vitek system. Serratia’s ability to form biofilm, produce gelatinase, elastase and alkaline protease, and invade human corneal epithelial (HCE) cells was investigated. The isolates’ susceptibility to the following disinfectants was tested: (a) ReNu MultiPlus®, containing polyaminopropyl biguanide 0.0001%; (b) Opti‐Free Express®, containing polyquaternium‐1 0.001% and myristamidopropyldimethylamine 0.0005%; (c) Opti‐Free Replenish®, containing polyquaternium‐1 0.001% and myristamidopropyldimethylamine 0.0005%, and (d) Oxysept Comfort®, a one‐step 3% hydrogen peroxide‐catalase system.Results:  Two Serratia marcescens and one Serratia liquefaciens were identified. All the strains were susceptible to aminoglycosides and fluoroquinolones. No isolate formed biofilm or significantly invaded HCE cells; all produced alkaline protease and gelatinase, but not elastase. Opti‐Free Express® and Opti‐Free Replenish® were active against S. liquefaciens, but failed to kill the S. marcescens isolates within the minimum recommended time (6 hours). ReNu MultiPlus® needed 6 hours to kill one strain of S. marcescens, which is 2 hours more than recommended. Conversely, Oxysept Comfort® was always effective within the minimum recommended time (6 hours).Conclusions:  The ability to produce alkaline protease and gelatinase may play a major role in the pathogenesis of contact lens‐related Serratia keratitis. Several types of contact lens solutions may be ineffective in eradicating Serratia from contaminated contact lens cases within the minimum recommended time. Only exposure to Oxysept Comfort® was always effective against Serratia in this study.
‘A Garland in Place of Ashes’:1Transformative Spirituality and Mission in the Post‐Modern and Secular Contexts
Authors: Cruchley‐Jones Peter 
Published: October 2009

AbstractIn this paper I aim to explore not what is the so‐called ‘post‐modern and secular context’ but how the church responds to it, which is predominantly to blame it for ‘decline’. Yet it may not be decline, it may be something else altogether. I am reflecting on a western/UK context, but within this are theological assumptions that characterize the wider church. So, having made some remarks on how to approach decline I will then explore some transformations of spirituality and mission that are responses to the post‐modern and secular context. Underlying this is an attitude to ‘spirituality’ which is not about how we worship or our experience of the ‘ethereal’ but is about our ‘capacity for life’. But, I want to maintain that nothing new or transformative can emerge until the church stops resenting and despairing of the context and change we are experiencing. Further, I am not convinced the church in the UK or the West is able to adapt to the strangeness of this new context and will seek always to bring it back under church control. But, I will then offer a post‐modern image for transformative spirituality and mission that could leave its mark on the church.
Transformative Spirituality for a Transformed World: Contributions from the Indigenous Perspective
Authors: Quispe María Chávez 
Published: October 2009

AbstractA Transformative Spirituality from the perspective of indigenous peoples should be rooted in the life experience, cultural values and spirituality of the indigenous peoples. From the identity and history of the indigenous relationship with Christianity, the article presents some experiences and voices of indigenous peoples and concludes with some suggestions to think about the theme. In this perspective Transformative Spirituality is a proposal of an alternative way of life to the current one which is marked by financial crisis and hopelessness in the face of the future. Pachamama as the Mother Earth, origin and end of life, is the main symbol of this spirituality.
“I Saw a Peach Tree in Full Bloom”: Transformative Spirituality and Mission in an Interreligious Context
Authors: Premawardhana Shanta 
Published: October 2009

AbstractThe crisis in Sri Lanka, which is rooted in the politics of ethnicity and reached a new stage in May 2009 when the government forces militarily defeated the Tamil Tiger rebels, forms the backdrop to this article. Transformative spirituality in this context is demonstrated in the strong bond of friendship between the author, a Sri Lankan Sinhalese, and a colleague who is a Sri Lankan Tamil. The article draws upon four principles of transformative spirituality in the interreligious context articulated by Sri Lankan Jesuit priest Aloysius Pieris. First, it must take the context seriously, which, in the Sri Lankan context means its grinding poverty and its rich religious diversity, to which must now be added the devastating war that has just concluded. Second, robust interreligious dialogue requires that Christians look beyond typologies such as exclusivism, inclusivism and pluralism, and engage other religious traditions on their own terms. Third, unless religions engage with the other core‐to‐core, rather than engage the kernel of Christianity with the husk of Buddhism, there cannot be genuine transformative spirituality. Fourth, transformative spirituality is only possible when the core of Christianity meets the core of Buddhism in the praxis of liberation. Acknowledging that dialogue never engages only the participants' religious identity, but engages the other as a whole person with multiple identities, the article applies Pieris' interreligious dialogue principles to conflictual ethnic relations seeking to provide dialogue as a model for other types of reconciliation.
Transformative Spirituality and Mission as Healing and Reconciliation
Authors: López Elisa Estévez 
Published: October 2009

AbstractThe memory of the therapeutic praxis of Jesus Christ, narrated and celebrated in the heart of communities of believers, configures the personal and collective identity and recreates it in each social‐historical situation. This memory has the power of questioning discourses and practices that move away from the message of life in fullness that they involve; it invites change and encourages ways of life in harmony with the path of a great community of memory which, in its diversity, has sought to walk in the steps of the Resurrected. The healing encounters are therefore a manifestation of the love and mercy of God and they aim to make men and women open themselves up to this reality and allow themselves to be transformed by it, putting it at the centre of their lives and with the possibility of transforming all dimensions of life. Then, communities and every person become mediators of healing and salvation. In this article I aim to reflect the most significant dimensions of the therapeutic praxis of Christ in order to illuminate mission and transformative spirituality as healing and reconciliation (mercy, proximity, living touch, compassionate gaze, listening, dialogue and liberating word, forgiveness). The summons to heal and reconcile gradually intertwines with a way and style of life and a way of committing to history by welcoming the Spirit of God that acts and reveals itself therein.
Women's Spiritualities: Resource for Mission
Authors: Melanchthon Monica J. 
Published: October 2009

AbstractWhat are the distinguishing features of women's spiritualities, what informs women's spiritualities and practice? This paper attends to the transformative elements that women's spiritualities potentially offer to the task of mission. Mary and her song in Luke 1 are explored in order to plumb something of the depth of the spirituality of Mary and her song and Mary in her role as woman, as co‐worker with God to redeem and transform the world.
God's Mission as Word Event in an Age of World Christianity: An Asian Linguistic‐Transcultural Model
Authors: Chung Paul S. 
Published: October 2009

AbstractChristian community lives according to the Word of God, inspiring the church to be in ecumenical fellowship and to be amenable to the act of God's speech in an age of world Christianity. The Word of God is able to be translated transculturally in different times and places, while keeping the transversal, irregular horizon of God's discourse. In view of the rise of world Christianity much has been said about the indigenization of the Christian narrative that challenges the western concept of missio Dei. To renew God's mission in an East Asian configuration, a linguistic‐transcultural model is proposed for a public theology of mission that promotes the full humanity of those on the underside of history and acknowledges religious outsiders. A public mission of God's narrative takes seriously the project of interculturation and emancipation in the post‐western Christian era.
MK-7009, a Potent and Selective Inhibitor of Hepatitis C Virus NS3/4A Protease
Authors: Liverton Nigel J. , Carroll Steven S. , DiMuzio Jillian , Fandozzi Christine , Graham Donald J. , Hazuda Daria , Holloway M. Katherine , Ludmerer Steven W. , McCauley John A. , McIntyre Charles J. , Olsen David B. , Rudd Michael T. , Stahlhut Mark , Vacca Joseph P. 
Published: October 2009

ABSTRACTThe administration of hepatitis C virus (HCV) NS3/4A protease inhibitors to patients with chronic HCV infections has demonstrated that they have dramatic antiviral effects and that compounds acting via this mechanism are likely to form a key component of future anti-HCV therapy. We report here on the preclinical profile of MK-7009, an inhibitor of genotype 1a and 1b proteases at subnanomolar concentrations with modestly shifted potency against genotype 2a and 2b proteases at low nanomolar concentrations. Potent activity was also observed in a cell-based HCV replicon assay in the presence of added human serum (50%). In multiple species evaluated in preclinical studies, the MK-7009 concentrations in the liver were maintained at a significant multiple of the cell-based replicon 50% effective concentration over 12 to 24 h following the administration of moderate oral doses (5 to 10 mg per kg of body weight). MK-7009 also had excellent selectivity against both a range of human proteases and a broad panel of pharmacologically relevant ion channels, receptors, and enzymes. On the basis of this favorable profile, MK-7009 was selected for clinical development and is currently being evaluated in controlled clinical trials with both healthy volunteers and HCV-infected patients.
Pharmacokinetics of Artemether-Lumefantrine and Artesunate-Amodiaquine in Children in Kampala, Uganda
Authors: Mwesigwa Julia , Parikh Sunil , McGee Bryan , German Polina , Drysdale Troy , Kalyango Joan N. , Clark Tamara D. , Dorsey Grant , Lindegardh Niklas , Annerberg Anna , Rosenthal Philip J. , Kamya Moses R. , Aweeka Francesca 
Published: October 2009

ABSTRACT

The World Health Organization recommends the use of artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) for the treatment of uncomplicated malaria. The two most widely adopted ACT regimens are artemether (AR)-lumefantrine (LR) (the combination is abbreviated AL) and amodiaquine (AQ)-artesunate (AS). Pharmacokinetic (PK) data informing the optimum dosing of these drug regimens is limited, especially in children. We evaluated PK parameters in Ugandan children aged 5 to 13 years with uncomplicated malaria treated with AL (
n
= 20) or AQ-AS (
n
= 21), with intensive venous sampling occurring at 0, 2, 4, 8, 24, and 120 h following administration of the last dose of 3-day regimens of AL (twice daily) or AQ-AS (once daily). AS achieved an estimated maximum concentration in plasma (
C
max
) of 51 ng/ml and an area under the concentration-time curve from time zero to infinity (AUC
0-∞
) of 113 ng·h/ml; and its active metabolite, dihydroartemisinin (DHA), achieved a geometric mean
C
max
of 473 ng/ml and an AUC
0-∞
of 1,404 ng·h/ml. AR-DHA exhibited a
C
max
of 34/119 ng/ml and an AUC
0-∞
of 168/382 ng·h/ml, respectively. For LR,
C
max
and AUC
0-∞
were 6,757 ng/ml and 210 μg·h/ml, respectively. For AQ and its active metabolite, desethylamodiaquine (DEAQ), the
C
max
s were 5.2 ng/ml and 235 ng/ml, respectively, and the AUC
0-∞
s were 39.3 ng·h/ml and 148 μg·h/ml, respectively. Comparison of the findings of the present study to previously published data for adults suggests that the level of exposure to LR is lower in children than in adults and that the level of AQ-DEAQ exposure is similar in children and adults. For the artemisinin derivatives, differences between children and adults were variable and drug specific. The PK results generated for children must be considered to optimize the dosing strategies for these widely utilized ACT regimens.
In Vivo Activities of Recombinant Divercin V41 and Its Structural Variants against
Listeria monocytogenes
Authors: Rihakova Jitka , Cappelier Jean-Michel , Hue Isabelle , Demnerova Katerina , Fédérighi Michel , Prévost Hervé , Drider Djamel 
Published: October 2009

ABSTRACT

Recombinant divercin RV41 (DvnRV41) and its structural variants were used in this study to assess their antilisterial activities in vivo in mice challenged intravenously with
Listeria monocytogenes
EGDe. Treatment with DvnRV41 before and after infection permitted a conclusion as to the capacities of this peptide to retain activity and reduce growth of
L. monocytogenes
EGDe. Moreover, the use of structural variants for the first time in vivo and the reductions of their activities confirmed the importance of certain amino acids in antilisterial activity.
Inducible APOBEC3G-Vif Double Stable Cell Line as a High-Throughput Screening Platform To Identify Antiviral Compounds
Authors: Nowotny Boris , Schneider Thomas , Pradel Gabriele , Schirmeister Tanja , Rethwilm Axel , Kirschner Marc 
Published: October 2009

ABSTRACT

Inhibition of the interaction of the human cytidine-deaminase APOBEC3G (A3G) with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) type 1-specific viral infectivity factor (Vif) represents a novel therapeutic approach in which a cellular factor with potent antiviral activity (A3G) plays a key role. In HIV-infected cells, the interaction of Vif with A3G leads to the subsequent degradation of A3G by the 26S proteasome via the ubiquitin pathway and to the loss of antiviral activity. To establish a stable and convenient cellular testing platform for the high-throughput screening of potential antiviral compound libraries, we engineered a double transgenic cell line constitutively expressing an enhanced yellow fluorescent protein expressor (EYFP-A3G) fusion as well as a Tet-Off controllable Vif protein. With this cell line, we were able to measure precisely the Vif-induced degradation of A3G in the presence of potential antiviral compounds in an easy-to-handle, robust, and practical high-throughput multiwell plate format with an excellent screening window coefficient (
Z
factor) of 0.67.
Efficacy of Posaconazole in a Murine Disseminated Infection by
Can
dida tropicalis
Authors: Mariné Marçal , Pastor F. Javier , Guarro Josep 
Published: October 2009

ABSTRACT

We evaluated the efficacy of posaconazole against
Candida tropicalis
in a systemic infection model with immunosuppressed mice. Posaconazole at 50 mg/kg of body weight/day prolonged the survival of mice and reduced the fungal tissue burden of mice infected with any of the five strains tested, with the exception of one strain that had a high MIC against this drug. Our results demonstrate the efficacy of posaconazole in the treatment of invasive murine infection caused by
C. tropicalis
.
Requirement for Formin-Induced Actin Polymerization during Spread of
Shigella flexneri
Authors: Heindl Jason E. , Saran Indrani , Yi Chae-ryun , Lesser Cammie F. , Goldberg Marcia B. 
Published: October 2009

ABSTRACT

Actin polymerization in the cytosol and at the plasma membrane is locally regulated by actin nucleators. Several microbial pathogens exploit cellular actin polymerization to spread through tissue. The movement of the enteric pathogen
Shigella flexneri
, both within the cell body and from cell to cell, depends on actin polymerization. During intercellular spread, actin polymerization at the bacterial surface generates protrusions of the plasma membrane, which are engulfed by adjacent cells. In the cell body, polymerization of actin by
Shigella
spp. is dependent on N-WASP activation of the Arp2/Arp3 complex. Here we demonstrate that, in contrast, efficient protrusion formation and intercellular spread depend on actin polymerization that involves activation of the Diaphanous formin Dia. While the
Shigella
virulence protein IpgB2 can bind and activate Dia1 (N. M. Alto et al., Cell
124:
133-145, 2006), its absence does not result in a detectable defect in Dia-dependent protrusion formation or spread. The dependence on the activation of Dia during
S. flexneri
infection contrasts with the inhibition of this pathway observed during vaccinia virus infection.
Mycobacterium lepraeActively Modulates the Cytokine Response in Naïve Human Monocytes
Authors: Sinsimer Daniel , Fallows Dorothy , Peixoto Blas , Krahenbuhl James , Kaplan Gilla , Manca Claudia 
Published: October 2009

ABSTRACTLeprosy is a chronic but treatable infectious disease caused by the intracellular pathogenMycobacterium leprae. Host immunity toM. lepraedetermines the diversity of clinical manifestations seen in patients, from tuberculoid leprosy with robust production of Th1-type cytokines to lepromatous disease, characterized by elevated levels of Th2-type cytokines and a suboptimal proinflammatory response. Previous reports have indicated thatM. lepraeis a poor activator of macrophages and dendritic cells in vitro. To understand whetherM. lepraefails to elicit an optimal Th1 immune response or actively interferes with its induction, we have examined the early interactions betweenM. lepraeand monocytes from healthy human donors. We found that, in naïve monocytes,M. lepraeinduced high levels of the negative regulatory molecules MCP-1 and interleukin-1 (IL-1) receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra), while suppressing IL-6 production through phosphoinositide-3 kinase (PI3K)-dependent mechanisms. In addition, low levels of proinflammatory cytokines were observed in association with reduced activation of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) and delayed activation of IL-1β-converting enzyme, ICE (caspase-1), in monocytes stimulated withM. lepraecompared withMycobacterium bovisBCG stimulation. Interestingly, although in itself a weak stimulator of cytokines,M. lepraeprimed the cells for increased production of tumor necrosis factor alpha and IL-10 in response to a strongly inducing secondary stimulus. Taken together, our results suggest thatM. lepraeplays an active role to control the release of cytokines from monocytes by providing both positive and negative regulatory signals via multiple signaling pathways involving PI3K, NF-κB, and caspase-1.
An Order on Subsets of Cone Metric Spaces and Fixed Points of Set-Valued Contractions
Authors: Asadi M. , Soleimani H. , Vaezpour S. M. 
Published: October 2009

AbstractIn this paper at first we introduce a new order on the subsets of cone metric spaces then, using this definition, we simplify the proof of fixed point theorems for contractive set-valued maps, omit the assumption of normality, and obtain some generalization of results.
Prisoners of War: A Comparative Study of the Principles of International Humanitarian Law and the Islamic Law of War
Authors: El Zeidy Mohamed , Murphy Ray 
Published: October 2009

AbstractThe treatment of prisoners of war (POWs) has been an issue of concern to all those engaged in armed conflict for centuries. The problem of how to deal with POWs is not a new one and their treatment is a question with which the laws of war have been particularly concerned. Not all persons captured in the course of armed conflict are entitled to POW status. Generally, only persons recognized as "combatants" in accordance with international humanitarian law are entitled to POW status upon capture by an adverse party in armed conflict. Under the Third Geneva Convention of 1949, POWs are the responsibility of the capturing power from the moment of capture, and not of the individual or military units, which actually capture them. POWs must at all times be humanely treated and the Third Convention provides clear rules in relation to their camps, quarters, food and clothing. The principles embodied in the Islamic Law of War also provide a comprehensive framework for the protection of POWs. Nevertheless, there are some important differences between Islamic Law of War and the principles contained in the Geneva Conventions and Hague Regulations, especially in relation to triggering the application of the laws of war and the concept of armed conflict. What is most striking is the similarity in the protection provided by both legal frameworks. However, the single biggest challenge to both regimes remains the implementation of the relevant principles.