bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Involvement of the GspAB Complex in Assembly of the Type II Secretion System Secretin of Aeromonas and Vibrio Species
Authors: Strozen Timothy G. , Stanley Heather , Gu Yuqi , Boyd Jessica , Bagdasarian Michael , Sandkvist Maria , Howard S. Peter 
Published: March 2011

ABSTRACT

The type II secretion system (T2SS) functions as a transport mechanism to translocate proteins from the periplasm to the extracellular environment. The ExeA homologue in
Aeromonas hydrophila
, GspA
Ah
, is an ATPase that interacts with peptidoglycan and forms an inner membrane complex with the ExeB homologue (GspB
Ah
). The complex may be required to generate space in the peptidoglycan mesh that is necessary for the transport and assembly of the megadalton-sized ExeD homologue (GspD
Ah
) secretin multimer in the outer membrane. In this study, the requirement for GspAB in the assembly of the T2SS secretin in
Aeromonas
and
Vibrio
species was investigated. We have demonstrated a requirement for GspAB in T2SS assembly in
Aeromonas salmonicida
, similar to that previously observed in
A. hydrophila
. In the
Vibrionaceae
species
Vibrio cholerae
,
Vibrio vulnificus
, and
Vibrio parahaemolyticus
,
gspA
mutations significantly decreased assembly of the secretin multimer but had minimal effects on the secretion of T2SS substrates. The lack of effect on secretion of the mutant of
gspA
of
V. cholerae
(

gspA
Vc

) was explained by the finding that native secretin expression greatly exceeds the level needed for efficient secretion in
V. cholerae
. In cross-complementation experiments, secretin assembly and secretion in an
A. hydrophila gspA
mutant were partially restored by the expression of GspAB from
V. cholerae
in
trans
, further suggesting that GspAB
Vc
performs the same role in
Vibrio
species as GspAB
Ah
does in the aeromonads. These results indicate that the GspAB complex is functional in the assembly of the secretin in
Vibrio
species but that a redundancy of GspAB function may exist in this genus.
Comparison of the accuracy of patients' recall of the content of telephone and face-to-face consultations: an exploratory study
Authors: McKinstry Brian , Watson Philip , Elton Robert A , Pinnock Hilary , Kidd Gillian , Meyer Barbara , Logie Robert , Sheikh Aziz 
Published: March 2011

ABSTRACT

Background
To comply with an action plan patients need to recall information accurately. Little is known about how well patients recall consultations, particularly telephone consultations increasingly used to triage acute problems.

Purpose of study
This was an exploratory study to measure how accurately patients recall the content of face-to-face and telephone consultations and what factors may be associated with accurate recall.

Study design
In Scotland in 2008, the advice (diagnoses; management plan(s); and safety-netting arrangements) given in audio recorded face-to-face and telephone consultations was compared with the advice recalled by patients at interview approximately 13 days later. Patients also performed a memory test. Interactions were sought between accurate recall, consultation type, and factors postulated to influence recall.

Results
Ten general practitioners (GPs) and 175 patients participated; 144 (82%) patients were interviewed. Patients recalled most important components of telephone and face-to-face consultations equally accurately or with only minor errors. Overall, patients presenting multiple problems (p&lt;0.001), with brain injury (p&lt;0.01) or low memory score (p&lt;0.01) had reduced recall. GPs rarely used strategies to improve recall; however, these were not associated with improved recall.

Conclusions
Contrary to previous hospital based research, patients tended to remember important components of both face-to-face and telephone consultations—perhaps reflecting the familiar, less anxiety provoking environment of primary care. The unsuccessful use of strategies to improve recall may reflect selective use in cognitively impaired patients. Clinicians should compensate for situations where recall is poorer such as patients presenting multiple problems or with brain injury. Patients might be advised to restrict the number of problems they present in any one consultation.
Growth of Forecast Errors from Covariances Modeled by 4DVAR and ETKF Methods
Authors: Piccolo Chiara 
Published: March 2011

Numerical weather forecasting errors grow with time. Error growth results from the amplification of small perturbations due to atmospheric instability or from model deficiencies during model integration. In current NWP systems, the dimension of the forecast error covariance matrices is far too large for these matrices to be represented explicitly. They must be approximated. This paper focuses on comparing the growth of forecast error from covariances modeled by the Met Office operational four-dimensional variational data assimilation (4DVAR) and ensemble transform Kalman filter (ETKF) methods over a period of 24 h. The growth of forecast errors implied by 4DVAR is estimated by drawing a random sample of initial conditions from a Gaussian distribution with the standard deviations given by the background error covariance matrix and then evolving the sample forward in time using linearized dynamics. The growth of the forecast error modeled by the ETKF is estimated by propagating the full nonlinear model in time starting from initial conditions generated by an ETKF. This method includes model errors in two ways: by using an inflation factor and by adding model perturbations through a stochastic physics scheme. Finally, these results are compared with a benchmark of the climatological error. The forecast error predicted by the implicit evolution of 4DVAR does not grow, regardless of the dataset used to generate the static background error covariance statistics. The forecast error predicted by the ETKF grows more rapidly because the ETKF selects balanced initial perturbations, which project onto rapidly growing modes. Finally, in both cases it is not possible to disentangle the contribution of the initial condition error from the model error.
Effects of NasoPore Packing in the Middle Ear Cavity of the Guinea Pig
Authors: Huang Guiliang , Chen Xihui , Jiang Hongyan 
Published: March 2011

ObjectiveTo evaluate the effects of NasoPore after packing of the middle ear in guinea pigs.Study DesignA randomized, prospective, controlled animal study.SettingUniversity laboratory.Subjects and MethodsForty‐one guinea pigs were divided into 3 groups. In group 1 (n = 12), the middle ears of animals were unilaterally implanted with NasoPore, leaving the contralateral middle ears packed with absorbable gelatin sponge soaked in a solution containing kanamycin and furosemide as an ototoxicity‐positive control; group 2 (n = 17) underwent the same experimental protocol as group 1, except the gelatin sponge was unsoaked; in group 3 (n = 12), NasoPore was inserted unilaterally and no packing material was placed into the contralateral ear. Auditory brainstem responses (ABRs) were performed preoperatively and 3 months after the procedure. The surface preparation and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were assessed 3 months postoperatively, whereas pathology of middle ear was analyzed in 5 samples of group 2.ResultsABR thresholds of the contralateral ear significantly increased in group 1 and were slightly shifted in group 2 compared with the NasoPore‐packed and nonpacked ears 3 months postoperatively. The NasoPore‐packed middle ears were found to have less fibrosis and inflammation and less thickened bone and tympanic membranes than Gelfoam‐packed ears. Surface preparations and SEM showed no ototoxicity in the inner ear of NasoPore‐packed ears.ConclusionNasoPore appears to be effective for use in otosurgery. It caused less fibrosis in the middle ear than conventional packing agents and no ototoxicity to the inner ear.
Routine Use of Nasendoscopy to Enhance the Speech and Language Therapist’s Decision‐Making Process in Surgical Voice Restoration
Authors: Pilsworth Sarah 
Published: March 2011

ObjectiveTo discover whether the routine use of nasendoscopy adds to the speech and language therapist’s (SLT’s) clinical judgment.Study DesignA prospective quasi‐experimental study.SettingOutpatient and inpatient settings in a cancer center.Subjects and MethodsAll laryngectomees who met the inclusion/exclusion criteria were assessed by means of a questionnaire, clinical checks, and nasendoscopy. Comparison of data was undertaken.ResultsA total of 50 reviews were conducted over the 4‐month data collection period. Nasendoscopy was successfully performed on 45 occasions. In 31 episodes, additional information was gained by conducting the nasendoscopy assessment following the SLT’s clinical assessment. In 22 patients, the presence of granulation or excess tissues interfering with valve placement was identified through the use of nasendoscopy, and in 2 of these patients, action was required to prevent accidental closure of the tracheoesophageal fistula (difficulties that were not identified on clinical examination alone).ConclusionsNasendoscopy assessment is a relatively quick, inexpensive, and accessible tool that is well tolerated by patients. Its use helps to identify patients who are at potential risk of complications with voice prosthesis changes and even at risk of accidental closure of the tracheoesophageal fistula through the presence of granulation tissue at the posterior end of the tract. With the use of routine nasendoscopy, these patients can be identified and reviewed more regularly to monitor and manage these problems accordingly. Nasendoscopy warrants consideration as a routine component of review appointments for patients who have undergone surgical voice restoration.
Choosing the unit of measurement counts: The use of oral morphine equivalents in studies of opioid consumption is a useful addition to defined daily doses
Authors: Svendsen K , Borchgrevink PC , Fredheim O , Hamunen K , Mellbye A , Dale O 
Published: March 2011

Aim: Defined daily dose (DDD) is the most common measurement unit used in drug consumption studies. The DDD for opioids may not reflect their relative clinical potencies. The aim of this study was to explore whether opioid consumption data may be interpreted differently when adding oral morphine equivalent (OMEQ) dose as a measurement unit compared with using DDD. Methods: The equianalgesic ratio of each opioid relative to morphine was tabulated. Data on opioid consumption expressed in DDD were converted to OMEQs using the equianalgesic ratios. The opioid consumption was compared in three different study settings: clinical data from an opioid switching study, trends within one country and a comparison between countries. Results: Using DDD, the opioid consumption in Norway between 2004–2008 increased of 6.7%, while the increase was 23.6% using OMEQ. While DDD/1000 inhabitants/day showed that Sweden had the highest consumption of opioids among the Nordic countries, OMEQ/1000 inhabitants/day showed that Denmark had the highest consumption. In the switching study DDD indicated a reduction in analgesic dosing and OMEQ an increase when switching from WHO step II to III. Conclusion: OMEQ reflects clinical dosing better than DDD, and can give additional insight into opioid consumption when combined with DDD. Using OMEQ can also lead to different conclusions in opioid consumption studies compared with using DDD alone.
Migraine headaches in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS): Comparison of two prospective cross-sectional studies
Authors: Ravindran Murugan K , Zheng Yin , Timbol Christian , Merck Samantha J , Baraniuk James N 
Published: March 2011

Abstract

Background
Headaches are more frequent in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) than healthy control (HC) subjects. The 2004 International Headache Society (IHS) criteria were used to define CFS headache phenotypes.

Methods
Subjects in Cohort 1 (HC = 368; CFS = 203) completed questionnaires about many diverse symptoms by giving nominal (yes/no) answers. Cohort 2 (HC = 21; CFS = 67) had more focused evaluations. They scored symptom severities on 0 to 4 anchored ordinal scales, and had structured headache evaluations. All subjects had history and physical examinations; assessments for exclusion criteria; questionnaires about CFS related symptoms (0 to 4 scale), Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory (MFI) and Medical Outcome Survey Short Form 36 (MOS SF-36).

Results
Demographics, trends for the number of diffuse "functional" symptoms present, and severity of CFS case designation criteria symptoms were equivalent between CFS subjects in Cohorts 1 and 2. HC had significantly fewer symptoms, lower MFI and higher SF-36 domain scores than CFS in both cohorts. Migraine headaches were found in 84%, and tension-type headaches in 81% of Cohort 2 CFS. This compared to 5% and 45%, respectively, in HC. The CFS group had migraine without aura (60%; MO; CFS+MO), with aura (24%; CFS+MA), tension headaches only (12%), or no headaches (4%). Co-morbid tension and migraine headaches were found in 67% of CFS. CFS+MA had higher severity scores than CFS+MO for the sum of scores for poor memory, dizziness, balance, and numbness ("Neuro-construct", p = 0.002) and perceived heart rhythm disturbances, palpitations and noncardiac chest pain ("Cardio-construct"; p = 0.045, t-tests after Bonferroni corrections). CFS+MO subjects had lower pressure-induced pain thresholds (2.36 kg [1.95-2.78; 95% C.I.] n = 40) and a higher prevalence of fibromyalgia (47%; 1990 criteria) compared to HC (5.23 kg [3.95-6.52] n = 20; and 0%, respectively). Sumatriptan was beneficial for 13 out of 14 newly diagnosed CFS migraine subjects.

Conclusions
CFS subjects had higher prevalences of MO and MA than HC, suggesting that mechanisms of migraine pathogenesis such as central sensitization may contribute to CFS pathophysiology.

Clinical Trial Registration
Georgetown University IRB # 2006-481
ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00810329
Complementary and alternative medicine use among adults in Enugu, Nigeria
Authors: Onyiapat Jane-lovena E , Okoronkwo Ijeoma L , Ogbonnaya Ngozi P 
Published: March 2011

Abstract

Background
Attention and interest in the use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) has been reawakened globally. Evidence from studies carried out in different parts of the world has established that CAM use is very common and varies among populations. This study investigated the use of CAM among adults in Enugu urban, irrespective of their health status. It provided information on the prevalence of CAM use, forms of CAM remedies used and reasons for utilizing them

Methods
The study areas were three local government areas in Enugu urban of Enugu State. Cross-sectional survey using questionnaires were administered to randomly selected households. All consenting participants were used for the study

Results
732 participants (37.2% males and 62.8% females) were used for the study. Ages ranged from 18 - 65 years. 620 (84.7%) of the adult population have used CAM ranging from one single type to twenty different types while 112 (15.3%) have not used any form of CAM. The most commonly used CAM product was the biological products, followed by prayer/faith healing. Major reasons for using CAM include their natural state and also for health promotion and maintenance.

Conclusion
There is need for adequate policy formulation and regulation to ensure safety and efficacy of CAM products. Measures to ensure rational use of CAM should be instituted.
Effect of HIV infection on the acute antibody response to malaria antigens in children: an observational study
Authors: Muema Daniel KM , Ndungu Francis M , Kinyanjui Samson M , Berkley James A 
Published: March 2011

Abstract

Background
In sub-Saharan Africa, the distributions of malaria and HIV widely overlap. Among pregnant and non-pregnant adults, HIV affects susceptibility to malaria, its clinical course and impairs antibody responses to malaria antigens. However, the relationship between the two diseases in childhood, when most deaths from malaria occur, is less clear. It was previously reported that HIV is associated with admission to hospital in rural Kenya with severe malaria among children, except in infancy. HIV-infected children with severe malaria were older, had higher parasite density and increased mortality, raising a hypothesis that HIV interferes with naturally acquired immunity to malaria, hence with little effect at younger ages (a shorter history of exposure). To test this hypothesis, levels of anti-merozoite and schizont extract antibodies were compared between HIV-infected and uninfected children who participated in the original study.

Methods
IgG responses to malaria antigens that are potential targets for immunity to malaria (AMA1, MSP2, MSP3 and schizont extract) were compared between 115 HIV-infected and 115 age-matched, HIV-uninfected children who presented with severe malaria. The children were classified as high and low responders for each antigen and assigned antibody-response breadth scores according to the number of antigens to which they were responsive. A predictive logistic regression model was used to test if HIV was an effect modifier on the age-related acquisition of antibody responses, with age as a continuous variable.

Results
Point estimates of the responses to all antigens were lower amongst HIV-infected children, but this was only statistically significant for AMA1 (P = 0.028). HIV-infected children were less likely to be high responders to AMA1 [OR 0.44 (95%CI, 0.2-0.90) P = 0.024]. HIV was associated with a reduced breadth of responses to individual merozoite antigens (P = 0.02). HIV strongly modified the acquisition of antibodies against schizont extract with increasing age (P < 0.0001), but did not modify the rate of age-related acquisition of responses to individual merozoite antigens.

Conclusions
In children with severe malaria, HIV infection is associated with a lower magnitude and narrower breadth of IgG responses to merozoite antigens and stunting of age-related acquisition of the IgG antibody response to schizont extract.
Repugnant Aboriginality: LeAnne Howe's Shell Shaker and Indigenous Representation in the Age of Multiculturalism
Authors: Siebert Monika Barbara 
Published: March 2011

Surprisingly for a novel evidently invested in representations of contemporary Choctaw traditionalism as a viable alternative to settler society, LeAnne Howe's 2001 Shell Shaker gives unrelenting play to the gruesomeness, horror even, of the traditional rituals it depicts at the risk of reinforcing stereotypes of Indian savagery. Yet these depictions of the repugnant, that is, of ancient practices now prohibited by law or found reprehensible by a public sense of ethics, allow Howe to escape the integrative thrust of contemporary multiculturalism by preempting identification through difference—an interpretive logic according to which we are all the same because we are all different—at the center of contemporary multicultural reading practices. As the readers of Howe's novel recoil at the repugnant, they experience a limit to their understanding of the indigenous Other, a goal ethnic writing is presumed to facilitate.
Howe's novel is a plea for alternative ways of apprehending difference in contemporary North America, whether we attempt it through reading literature or through other private or public activities. By redefining the interpretive ground of contemporary reading practices, Shell Shaker clears space for the potential welcoming of the (indigenous) Other despite freshly experienced limits of understanding, a welcoming that is not predicated on exacting transparency in exchange for acknowledgment. Further, the novel prompts an acknowledgment of contemporary indigenous nations, and the contemporary versions of indigenous traditionalism in particular, as viable forms of governance and sociality, forms that already successfully constitute political reality in North America.
Sabotage in Tournaments: Evidence from a Laboratory Experiment
Authors: Harbring Christine , Irlenbusch Bernd 
Published: March 2011

Although relative performance schemes are pervasive in organizations, reliable empirical data on induced sabotage behavior are almost nonexistent. We study sabotage in repeated tournaments in a controlled laboratory experiment and observe that effort and sabotage are higher for higher wage spreads. Additionally, we find that also in the presence of tournament incentives, agents react reciprocally to higher wages by exerting higher effort. Destructive activities are reduced by explicitly calling them by their name “sabotage.” Communication among principal and agents can curb sabotage when they agree on flat prize structures and increased output. If sabotage is not possible, the principals choose tournament incentives more often. This paper was accepted by Peter Wakker, decision analysis.
Clustering of additional autoimmunity behaves differently in Hashimoto's patients compared with Graves' patients
Authors: Wiebolt J , Achterbergh R , den Boer A , van der Leij S , Marsch E , Suelmann B , de Vries R , van Haeften T W 
Published: March 2011

ObjectiveIt is unclear whether Hashimoto's thyroiditis and Graves' disease (often referred to as autoimmune thyroid disease, AITD) cluster to the same extent with other autoimmune disorders.MethodsWe assessed adrenal, β-cell, celiac and gastric antibodies in a cohort of 523 adult patients with Graves' disease and 359 patients with Hashimoto's disease and compared their clustering.ResultsAdrenal autoimmunity associated more often with Hashimoto's disease (9.0%) than with Graves' disease (3.3%, P=0.001). β-cell autoimmunity was seen more frequently in Hashimoto's disease (25.4%) than in Graves' disease (15.6%, P=0.001) patients. We found low prevalences of celiac autoimmunity (1.2% for Graves' and 1.2% for Hashimoto's disease). Celiac and gastric autoimmunity were not statistically different in Hashimoto's and Graves' disease patients. Although gastric autoimmunity itself was equally prevalent (around 20%), Hashimoto's disease often showed significantly more clustering of adrenal autoimmunity with gastric autoimmunity (5.3%) than Graves' disease (1.2%, P=0.001). Similarly, clustering of adrenal autoimmunity was seen with β-cell autoimmunity in Hashimoto's patients (3.2%), while such clustering was much less encountered in 359 Graves' patients (0.9%, P=0.029).ConclusionIn conclusion, Hashimoto's disease shows a markedly higher clustering of additional autoimmunity, especially with adrenal and β-cell autoimmunity. Combined clustering of gastric and adrenal autoimmunity and combined clustering of adrenal and β-cell autoimmunity were both seen more often in Hashimoto's patients. Clustering with celiac disease appears to be low. These findings indicate that Hashimoto's and Graves' disease differ in their clinical expression regarding additional autoimmunity, which argues against the indiscriminate use of AITD as an entity.