bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Attitudes of pregnant women towards collection of biological specimens during pregnancy and at birth
Authors: Nechuta Sarah , Mudd Lanay M. , Elliott Michael R. , Lepkowski James M. , Paneth Nigel ,   the Michigan Alliance for the National Children's Study
Published: March 2012

SummaryNechuta S, Mudd LM, Elliott MR, Lepkowski JM, Paneth N, the Michigan Alliance for the National Children's Study. Attitudes of pregnant women towards collection of biological specimens during pregnancy and at birth. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 2012; 26: 272–275.Epidemiological investigations of maternal and child health may involve the collection of biological specimens, including cord blood and the placenta; however, the attitudes of pregnant women towards participation in the collection of biological specimens have been studied rarely. We evaluated attitudes towards collection and storage of biological specimens, and determined whether attitudes differed by maternal characteristics, in a cross‐sectional study of pregnant women residing in Kent County, Michigan. Women were interviewed at their first visit for prenatal care between April and October 2006 (n = 311). Willingness to participate was highest for maternal blood collection (72%), followed by storage of biological specimens (68%), placenta collection (64%), and cord blood collection (63%). About one‐quarter of women (25–28% by procedure) would not participate even if compensated. Hispanic ethnicity was associated with unwillingness to participate in maternal blood collection (OR = 2.16 [95% CI 1.15, 4.04]). Primiparity was associated with unwillingness to participate in cord blood collection (OR = 1.72 [95% CI 1.23, 2.42]). Among women willing to participate, Hispanic women were less likely to require compensation; while higher educated, married and primiparous women were more likely to require compensation. In conclusion, while many pregnant women were willing to participate in biological specimen collection, some women were more resistant, in particular Hispanic and primiparous women. Targeting these groups of women for enhanced recruitment efforts may improve overall participation rates and the representativeness of participants in future studies of maternal and child health.
Neutrophil gelatinase‐associated lipocalin as an early biomarker of acute kidney injury in liver transplantation
Authors: Jeong Tae‐Dong , Kim Sollip , Lee Woochang , Song Gi‐Won , Kim Young‐Kug , Chun Sail , Lee Sung‐Gyu , Min Won‐Ki 
Published: March 2012

AbstractBackgroundAcute kidney injury (AKI) is a common complication and a significant prognostic factor of long‐term outcome in patients undergoing liver transplantation. We evaluated the utility of urine and plasma neutrophil gelatinase‐associated lipocalin (NGAL) concentrations as biomarkers of AKI during and after liver transplantation.Materials and methodsWe prospectively enrolled 19 adult patients who underwent living‐related liver transplantation (LRLT). Serial blood and urine samples were collected at baseline and at 2, 4, 10, 16, 24, 30, 40, and 48 h after reperfusion, and their concentrations of NGAL were measured, with urinary NGAL corrected by urinary creatinine concentration to compensate for urine output. AKI was defined by Risk‐Injury‐Failure‐Loss‐End‐stage kidney disease (RIFLE) criteria as a ≥50% increase in serum creatinine from baseline.ResultsEleven of 19 patients were diagnosed with AKI according to RIFLE criteria. Urinary NGAL/urine creatinine ratio increased immediately after reperfusion and peaked four h later and preceded a ≥50% elevation in serum Cr by 19.0 h (p = 0.001). Plasma NGAL also tended to be elevated 13.0 h earlier than serum creatinine (p = 0.075).ConclusionsThe urinary NGAL/urine creatinine ratio may be an early biomarker of AKI in adult patients undergoing LRLT.
Measuring the effects of sevoflurane on electroencephalogram using sample entropy
Authors: SHALBAF R. , BEHNAM H. , SLEIGH J. , VOSS L. 
Published: March 2012

BackgroundMonitoring the effect of anesthetic drugs on the neural system is a major ongoing challenge for anesthetists. During the past few years, several electroencephalogram (EEG)‐based methods such as the response entropy (RE) as implemented in theDatex‐OhmedaM‐EntropyModule have been proposed. In this paper, sample entropy is used to quantify the predictability ofEEGseries, which could provide an index to show the effect of sevoflurane anesthesia. The dose–response relation of sample entropy is compared with that ofRE.MethodsEEGdata from 21 subjects is collected during the induction of general anesthesia with sevoflurane. The sample entropy is applied to theEEGrecording. Pharmacokinetic‐pharmacodynamic modeling and prediction probability statistic are used to evaluate the efficiency of sample entropy in comparison withRE.ResultsBoth methods track the gross changes inEEG, especially the occurrence of burst‐suppression pattern at high doses of anesthetics. However, our method produces faster reaction to transients inEEGduring the induction of anesthesia as indicated from the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic modeled parameters and analysis around the point of loss of consciousness. Also, sample entropy correlated more closely with effect‐site sevoflurane concentration than theRE. In addition, our proposed method exhibits greater resistance to noise in theEEGsignals.ConclusionThe results demonstrate that sample entropy can estimate the sevoflurane drug effect on theEEGmore effectively than the commercialREindex with a stronger noise resistance.
Comparative cytogenetics between the speciesPassiflora edulisandPassiflora cacaoensis
Authors: Viana A. J. C. , Souza M. M. 
Published: March 2012

AbstractPassiflora edulisSims is the most economically important species of the genusPassiflora. A new species was described recently,Passiflora cacaoensisBernacci & Souza, which displayed morphologic characteristics very similar toP. edulis. Due to the need for delimitation of the two species, karyomorphological and banding analyses were carried out. Both species have 2n = 18, with the same karyotype formula 16 m + 2sm. There was variation between the species regarding the location of satellites and the width of chromosome pairs 2, 4 and 8. C banding revealed the presence of constitutive heterochromatin in the centromeric and telomeric regions of all chromosomes in both species. However, only inP. cacaoensisdid chromosomes 3 and 9 have a large quantity of heterochromatin. Fluorochrome banding revealed CMA+bands only in the satellites, but no DAPI+bands. Fluorescencein situhybridisation (FISH) showed that inP. cacaoensisthe rDNA 5S probe is located in a single site in the subterminal position of the long arm of chromosome 5. However, for the rDNA 45S probe, two sites were detected in terminal positions of the long arms of chromosome 7, with a bigger and stronger signal, and of chromosome 9. According to the asymmetry index and the quantity of heterochromatin,P. cacaoensisis a more basal species thanP. edulis. The cytogenetic data indicate thatP. cacaoensisis closely related toP. edulis, but is a different species.
Influence of vermicompost and cucumber cultivar on population growth of Aphis gossypii Glover
Authors: Razmjou J. , Vorburger C. , Mohammadi M. , Hassanpour M. 
Published: March 2012

AbstractThe melon aphid, Aphis gossypii Glover (Hem., Aphididae), is one of the most important pests of cucumber throughout the world. This aphid has a short generation time and high fecundity that result in an enormous reproductive potential, especially in cucumber‐growing greenhouses. Vermicomposts, which are produced by exploiting interactions between earthworms and microorganisms, may enhance plant growth and plant resistance against some pests and disease. In this study, the effects of vermicompost and cucumber cultivar (Cucumis sativus L.) on infestation levels with A. gossypii were evaluated. We conducted a factorial experiment with two cucumber cultivars (Royal and Storm) and five concentrations of vermicompost in the soil, including 0% (control), 10%, 20%, 30% and 50%, employing a randomized complete block design with four replicates. The experiment was conducted in a growth chamber at 25 ± 2°C, 65 ± 10% RH and a photoperiod of 14 L: 10 D h. The number of aphids was counted 3, 5, 7, 9, 12, 15, 18 and 21 days after infestation of cucumber seedlings by aphids. We found that in all vermicompost‐amended treatments, aphid numbers were lower than when plants were grown in soil without any vermicompost. The highest and lowest aphid counts occurred in the control treatment on cucumbers of the Royal cultivar and in the 30% and 50% vermicompost treatments on the storm cultivar, respectively. Overall, our study showed that the application of vermicompost has a high potential for reducing A. gossypii populations in cucumber cultures.
Suprapubic versus transurethral bladder drainage after radical prostatectomy: Impact on patient discomfort
Authors: Orikasa Seiichi , Kanbe Koichi , Shirai Shuichi , Shintaku Ichiro , Kurosu Seiichi 
Published: March 2012

AbstractWe evaluated the feasibility and the benefits of total prostatectomy with suprapubic cystostomy drainage instead of a urethral Foley catheter. Of 65 consecutive total retropubic prostatectomies, 42 were carried out with the suprapubic cystostomy, and 23 with the urethral Foley catheter. Patients were asked postoperatively to complete a 5‐cm visual analog scale on pain intensity related to the catheter and to urination after catheter removal. No problem related to cystostomy per se was observed. In the cystostomy group, over 85% and 69% of men perceived no urinary symptoms during catherization and no painful urination after catheter removal, respectively; whereas in the Foley group, 91% and 65% perceived those symptoms (P < 0.001 and P < 0.01, respectively). These findings suggest that urethral catheter‐free prostatectomy is a good alternative to that with a urethral Foley catheter, and it gives patients an improved quality of early postoperative life.
Post‐fire resprouting responses of native and exotic grasses from Cumberland Plain Woodland (Sydney, Australia) under elevated carbon dioxide
Authors: TOOTH IFEANNA M. , LEISHMAN MICHELLE R. 
Published: March 2012

AbstractThis study investigated the effect of elevated CO2 on the post‐fire resprouting response of a grassland system of perennial grass species of Cumberland Plain Woodland. Plants were grown in mixtures in natural soil in mesocosms, each containing three exotic grasses (Nassella neesiana, Chloris gayana, Eragrostis curvula) and three native grasses (Themeda australis, Microlaena stipoides, Chloris ventricosa) under elevated (700 ppm) and ambient (385 ppm) CO2 conditions. Resprouting response after fire at the community‐ and species‐level was assessed. There was no difference in community‐level biomass between CO2 treatments; however, exotic species made up a larger proportion of the community biomass under all treatments. There were species‐level responses to elevated CO2 but no significant interactions found between CO2 and burning or plant status. Two exotic grasses (N. neesiana and E. curvula, a C3 and a C4 species respectively), and one native grass (M. stipoides, a C3 species) significantly increased in biomass, and a native C4 grass (C. ventricosa) significantly decreased in biomass under elevated CO2. These results suggest that although overall productivity of this community may not change with increases in CO2 and fire frequency, the community composition may alter due to differential species responses.
An optical method of measuring anisotropic deformation and necking in material testing
Authors: ZANGANEH M. , TAI Y. H. , YATES J. R. 
Published: March 2012

ABSTRACTThe mechanical properties of structural engineering materials are often highly anisotropic, particularly in wrought products. Characterisation of the material behaviour and the identification of the fracture and damage parameters of structural metals require load‐displacement data from smooth and notched tensile tests. Modern optical methods, such as 3D digital image correlation (DIC), enable full field displacement data to be collected. However, the measurement of diametral contraction in round tensile specimens is not straightforward for anisotropic materials. In this paper a method for measuring diametral contractions simultaneously in two orthogonal directions using a standard 3D DIC system in conjunction with an edge detection algorithm is described. The results show that deformation anisotropy can be readily quantified through these orthogonal diametral displacements.
The marine cyanobacterium Crocosphaera watsonii WH8501 synthesizes the compatible solute trehalose by a laterally acquired OtsAB fusion protein
Authors: Pade Nadin , Compaoré Justine , Klähn Stephan , Stal Lucas J. , Hagemann Martin 
Published: March 2012

SummaryCompatible solutes are small organic molecules that are involved in the acclimation to various stresses such as temperature and salinity. Marine or moderate halotolerant cyanobacteria accumulate glucosylglycerol, while cyanobacteria with low salt tolerance (freshwater strains) usually accumulate sucrose or trehalose as the main compatible solutes. The screening of the genome of the marine, unicellular N2‐fixing cyanobacterium Crocosphaera watsonii WH8501 revealed that instead of genes for glucosylglycerol biosynthesis, a fusion protein for the synthesis of trehalose was found that displayed similarities to trehalose‐phosphate‐synthase and ‐phosphatase (OtsAB pathway) from enterobacteria. Accordingly, cells of Crocosphaera showed salt‐stimulated expression of the otsAB gene as well as a salt‐dependent trehalose accumulation. The biochemical characterization of recombinant full‐length OtsAB and truncated OtsB versions revealed that the otsAB gene in Crocosphaera encodes for an active trehalose‐phosphate‐synthase/phosphatase fusion protein. Genes coding for such proteins were not found in the genomes of other cyanobacteria but were present in many other, non‐related marine bacteria, suggesting that otsAB might have been acquired by lateral gene transfer into the Crocosphaera genome.
Sigmoid diverticulitis in 2011: many questions; few answers
Authors: Ambrosetti P. , Gervaz P. , Fossung‐Wiblishauser A. 
Published: March 2012

AbstractAim  Patients were studied after a first episode of acute left‐colonic diverticulitis for the initial and later evolution of the disease with the aim of defining evidence‐based indications for elective surgery.Method  Relevant data from prospective studies were retrieved from a MEDLINE search of English language articles.Results  Young male patients (≤ 50 years of age) had a higher risk of CT‐graded severe diverticulitis. After medical treatment of the first episode, the incidence of complications was highest for young patients with CT‐graded severe diverticulitis and lowest for older patients with CT‐graded moderate diverticulitis. Recurrence in the form of diffuse peritonitis was rare. CT grading of initial diverticulitis seemed to be a predictor of recurrence, whereas the role of age was less clear. A family history of diverticulitis might be predictive of recurrence.Conclusion  CT grading of acute diverticulitis helps to predict poor outcome after medical treatment of a first episode. Elective surgical resection should be proposed to patients with residual symptoms who do not respond to conservative treatment. Additional research is needed to clarify the role of a genetic predisposition in the development of diverticulitis in young adults.
Alcohol, tobacco and illicit drug use among six culturally diverse communities in Sydney
Authors: DONATO‐HUNT CONNIE , MUNOT SONALI , COPELAND JAN 
Published: March 2012

AbstractIntroduction and Aims. A survey was conducted in 2004–2005 to investigate the risk of drug‐related harm among Chinese, Vietnamese, Italian, Pasifika, Arabic‐speaking and Spanish‐speaking communities in Sydney.Design and Methods. A self‐completion questionnaire, available in six languages, was distributed by bilingual field staff. A representative multistage clustered sampling design was used. Comparisons were made with the New South Wales general population using the results from the 2004 National Drug Strategy Household Survey.Results. The obtained sample was 2212 respondents; 50% completed the questionnaire in English. Daily tobacco use was higher than the general population among Vietnamese men (30%), Italian men (22%) and Pasifika men and women (25%). Reported use of alcohol and other drugs was lower than the general population in all six surveyed communities. Of the six communities, Pasifika had the highest rate of short‐term risky drinking (22%).Discussion and Conclusions. Smoking cessation programs should prioritise communities with higher or equal rates of daily smokers compared with the wider New South Wales population. Focus areas vary between the communities, and include increasing help seeking and improving quitting success rates. Short‐term risky drinking was not as prevalent among the surveyed communities; however, results suggest a need for prevention targeting Pasifika communities. Understanding the prevalence of substance use among culturally and linguistically diverse communities provides a crucial foundational component in developing culturally sensitive prevention and treatment programs. These results demonstrate the need for programs to be tailored to the needs and contexts of particular communities, rather than treating those from diverse backgrounds as one homogenous group.[Donato‐Hunt C, Munot S, Copeland J. Alcohol, tobacco and illicit drug use among six culturally diverse communities in Sydney. Drug Alcohol Rev 2012;31:881–889]
Transcultural adaptation of the filial responsibility interview schedule for Brazil*
Authors: Aires M. , Weissheimer A.‐M. , Rosset I. , de Oliveira F. A. , de Morais E. P. , Paskulin L. M. G. 
Published: March 2012

AIRES M., WEISSHEIMER A.‐M., ROSSET I., DE OLIVEIRA F. A., DE MORAIS E. P. & PASKULIN L. M. G. (2012) Transcultural adaptation of the filial responsibility interview schedule for Brazil. International Nursing Review59, 266–273Background:  In developed countries, filial responsibility in relation to caring for elderly parents has been systematically studied. In Brazil and other developing countries, however, it is a relatively new topic and has not yet been included in the research agenda on ageing.Objective:  To describe the process of cross‐cultural adaptation of the qualitative phase of the filial responsibility interview schedule into Brazilian Portuguese.Methods:  An expert committee of six team members participated in the study. In addition, individual interviews were held with 11 caregivers of older persons to evaluate the quality of the final Portuguese version of the schedule. The process included examining conceptual, item, semantic and operational equivalencies. Conceptual and item equivalencies were based on a literature review and on discussions with the expert committee. Semantic equivalence was attained through translation, back‐translation, expert committee evaluation and pre‐testing. The final version was pre‐tested in caregivers of older persons enrolled in the home care programme of a primary health care service in Southern Brazil.Results:  Conceptual, item, semantic and operational equivalencies were attained. Through the interviews, responses to the open‐ended questions concerning filial responsibility in the care for elderly parents pertained to the following categories: possibility of institutionalization of elderly parents, caregiver expectations, difficulties in being a child caregiver and responsibility as a natural process.Conclusion:  The Portuguese version presented good semantic equivalence and the results showed that the concepts and items are applicable to the Brazilian context.
Institutional Features of Schooling Systems and Educational Inequality: Cross-Country Evidence From PIRLS and PISA*
Authors: Ammermueller Andreas 
Published: March 2012

AbstractEducational opportunities determine the intergenerational mobility of human capital and affect the distribution of earnings on the labour market. This paper aims at explaining cross-country differences in educational opportunities by features of schooling systems. The theoretical model predicts that a greater differentiation of the schooling system as indicated by streaming and a large share of private schools decreases educational opportunities while more instruction time increases educational opportunities. The empirical results that are based on a difference-in-differences estimation approach to control for country-specific effects support these hypotheses.
Re‐evaluation of the risk for major adverse cardiovascular events in patients treated with anti‐IL‐12/23 biological agents for chronic plaque psoriasis: a meta‐analysis of randomized controlled trials
Authors: Tzellos T. , Kyrgidis A. , Zouboulis C. C. 
Published: March 2012

AbstractObjective  To detect a detrimental or beneficial effect of anti‐IL‐12/23 biological agents (ustekinumab and briakinumab) for the treatment of chronic plaque psoriasis on major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs).Design  Systematic review and meta‐analysis MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Cochrane Skin Group Specialised Register, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) in The Cochrane Library, SciVerse Scopus and ongoing trial registries were searched from inception until December 2011. Search strategy, eligibility criteria, data and statistical analysis methods were defined prior to the literature search. Randomized, placebo‐controlled, double‐blind, monotherapy studies with safety data for MACEs of IL‐12/23 antibodies in adults were eligible for inclusion. Studies of psoriatic arthritis were excluded. Information from each study was extracted independently by two reviewers, using a standardized data extraction form. The primary outcome measure was the number of MACEs during the placebo‐controlled phase of treatment.Results  MACEs include myocardial infarction, cerebrovascular accident or cardiovascular death. No statistical heterogeneity across the studies using the I2 statistic (I2 = 0) was found. We employed Peto one‐step method to determine odds ratios and quantify a possible detrimental or beneficial association of IL‐12/23 antibodies treatment with MACEs. We found a possible higher risk of MACEs in those patients treated with IL‐12/23 antibodies compared with those at placebo (OR = 4.23, 95% CI: 1.07–16.75, P = 0.04). This study is unaffected by non‐reporting of outcomes with no events.Conclusion  Compared with placebo, there was a significant difference in the rate of MACEs observed in patients receiving anti‐IL‐12/23 biological agents.
Who do you think they were? How family historians make sense of social position and inequality in the past
Authors: Bottero Wendy 
Published: March 2012

AbstractHow do social comparisons over time shape perceptions of inequality? In thinking about subjective inequality, it is important to ask which social comparisons matter in establishing people's sense of relative social position and wider inequalities. These issues are discussed by drawing on a qualitative study of popular genealogy, which examines how people make sense of social position in the past, and explores how social change affects people's sense of social hierarchies. The gaze of family history promotes certain sorts of social comparisons, between ‘then and now’, and between immediate kin, which can flatten the sense of social hierarchies. However, the ability to determine social position also depends on the quality of information available, and how different practical engagements facilitate ‘sideways’ comparisons between contemporaries, affording different fields of vision on relative inequalities. On this evidence, when exploring subjective inequality it is necessary to examine when and how people engage in social comparison as part of everyday practical activities.