bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effectiveness of Multifaceted Hand Hygiene Interventions in Long-Term Care Facilities in Hong Kong: A Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Ho Mei-lin , Seto Wing-hong , Wong Lai-chin , Wong Tin-yau 
Published: July 2012

Objective.To determine the effectiveness of World Health Organization (WHO) multimodal strategy in promoting hand hygiene (HH) among healthcare workers (HCWs) in long-term care facilities (LTCFs).Design.Cluster-randomized controlled trial.Setting.Eighteen homes for the elderly in Hong Kong were randomly allocated to 2 intervention arms and a control arm. Direct observation of HH practice was conducted by trained nurses. Either handrubbing with alcohol-based handrub (ABHR) or handwashing with liquid soap and water was counted as a compliant action. Disease notification data during 2007–2010 were used to calculate incidence rate ratio (IRR).Participants.Managers and HCWs of the participating homes.Interventions.The WHO multimodal strategy was employed. All intervention homes were supplied with ABHR (WHO formulation I), ABHR racks, pull reels, HH posters and reminders, a health talk, video clips, training materials, and performance feedback. The only difference was that intervention arms 1 and 2 were provided with slightly powdered and powderless gloves, respectively.Results.A total of 11,669 HH opportunities were observed. HH compliance increased from 27.0% to 60.6% and from 22.2% to 48.6% in intervention arms 1 and 2, respectively. Both intervention arms showed increased HH compliance after intervention compared to controls, at 21.6% compliance (both P < .001). Provision of slightly powdered versus powderless gloves did not have any significant impact on ABHR usage. Respiratory outbreaks (IRR, 0.12; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.01–0.93; P = .04) and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections requiring hospital admission (IRR, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.38–0.97; P = .04) were reduced after intervention.Conclusions.A promotion program applying the WHO multimodal strategy was effective in improving HH among HCWs in LTCFs.
AutoBind: automatic extraction of protein–ligand-binding affinity data from biological literature
Authors: Chang Darby Tien-Hao , Ke Chao-Hsuan , Lin Jung-Hsin , Chiang Jung-Hsien 
Published: July 2012

Abstract
Motivation: Determination of the binding affinity of a protein–ligand complex is important to quantitatively specify whether a particular small molecule will bind to the target protein. Besides, collection of comprehensive datasets for protein–ligand complexes and their corresponding binding affinities is crucial in developing accurate scoring functions for the prediction of the binding affinities of previously unknown protein–ligand complexes. In the past decades, several databases of protein–ligand-binding affinities have been created via visual extraction from literature. However, such approaches are time-consuming and most of these databases are updated only a few times per year. Hence, there is an immediate demand for an automatic extraction method with high precision for binding affinity collection.
Result: We have created a new database of protein–ligand-binding affinity data, AutoBind, based on automatic information retrieval. We first compiled a collection of 1586 articles where the binding affinities have been marked manually. Based on this annotated collection, we designed four sentence patterns that are used to scan full-text articles as well as a scoring function to rank the sentences that match our patterns. The proposed sentence patterns can effectively identify the binding affinities in full-text articles. Our assessment shows that AutoBind achieved 84.22% precision and 79.07% recall on the testing corpus. Currently, 13 616 protein–ligand complexes and the corresponding binding affinities have been deposited in AutoBind from 17 221 articles.
Availability: AutoBind is automatically updated on a monthly basis, and it is freely available at http://autobind.csie.ncku.edu.tw/ and http://autobind.mc.ntu.edu.tw/. All of the deposited binding affinities have been refined and approved manually before being released.
Contact: jchiang@mail.ncku.edu.tw
Supplementary Information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
First Report of a Group 16SrI-B Phytoplasma Associated with Gardenia jasminoides in China
Authors: Sun X. C. , Zhao W. J. 
Published: July 2012

Gardenia jasminoides J. Ellis, (also known as common gardenia, cape jasmine, or cape jessamine) is a fragrant flowering evergreen tropical plant, a favorite in gardens worldwide. G. jasminoides were found with small, seriously yellowed leaves, stunted growth, and witches'-broom in a green belt on the Southwest University campus in October 2011. The incidence was lower than 2%. In another green belt, G. jasminoides with only slightly yellowing leaves were found. The incidence was about 5%. Five months later, most seriously yellowed leaves withered. However, no withered leaf was observed among the slightly yellowing leaves. Leaf samples from each symptomatic plant, together with asymptomatic plants from the same belt, were collected for total DNA extraction using a modified cetyltrimethylammoniumbromide method (1). The resulting DNA extracts were analyzed by a nested PCR assay using the phytoplasma 16S rRNA gene primer pairs R16mF2/R16mR1 followed by R16F2n/R16R2 (2). DNA fragments of 1.2 kb that corresponded to 16S rDNA were amplified only from the DNA samples of the five plants with the symptoms mentioned above. The purified nested PCR products were cloned in pGEM-T Easy Vector (Promega) and then sequenced. The resulting 16S rDNA sequences were found to be identical (GenBank Accession No. JQ675713). The consensus sequence was analyzed by the iPhyClassifier online tool ( http://plantpathology.ba.ars.usda.gov/cgi-bin/resource/iphyclassifier.cgi ) and found to share 99.4% similarity with the 16S rDNA sequence of the ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma asteris’ reference strain (GenBank Accession No. M30790) that belongs to the 16SrI-B subgroup (3). The virtual RFLP pattern of the G. jasminoides phytoplasma 16S rDNA gene sequence showed maximum similarity to the reference pattern of NC005303 (similarity coefficient of 1.0). The phylogenetic tree based on the 16S rDNA sequences of phytoplasmas belonging to group 16SrI and other distinct phytoplasma groups also showed that our sequences clustered with members of subgroup 16SrI-B. Subsequently, the presence of the phytoplasmas in symptomatic plants was also confirmed by transmission electron microscopy. Taken together, the phytoplasma was classified as a member of subgroup 16SrI-B. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a subgroup 16SrI-B phytoplasma associated with diseased G. jasminoides in China. G. jasminoides yellowing is often considered to result from nutrient deficiency (especially iron compounds). However, our findings showed that a phytoplasma can cause G. jasminoides yellowing, which should be considered in the control of leaves yellowing. References: (1) E. Angelini et al. Vitis 40:79, 2001. (2) D. E. Gundersen and I.-M. Lee. Phytopathol. Mediterr. 35:144, 1996. (3) Y. Zhao, et al. Int. J. Syst. Evol. Microbiol. 59:2582, 2009.
Admission time is associated with outcome of upper gastrointestinal bleeding: results of a multicentre prospective cohort study
Authors: de Groot N. L. , Bosman J. H. , Siersema P. D. , van Oijen M. G. H. , Bredenoord A. J. ,   on behalf of the RASTA study group
Published: July 2012

SummaryBackgroundIt has been suggested that patients presenting with upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB) during the weekend have a worse outcome compared with weekdays, with an increased risk of recurrent bleeding and mortality.AimTo investigate the association between timing of admission and adverse outcome after UGIB.MethodsWe prospectively collected data from patients presenting with symptoms suggestive of UGIB to the emergency room of eight participating hospitals. Using standard descriptive statistics and logistic regression analyses, differences in 30‐day mortality, rebleeding rate, and need for angiography and surgical intervention were assessed for week‐ and weekend admissions and time of admission. Moreover, patient‐ and procedure‐related factors were identified that could influence outcome.ResultsIn total, 571 patients were included with suspected UGIB. Patient admitted during the weekend had a higher mortality rate than patients admitted during the week [9% vs.3%; adjusted odds ratio 2.68 (95%CI 1.07–6.72)]. Weekend admissions were not associated with other adverse outcomes. Patients admitted during the weekend presented more often with bleeding and had a significantly lower systolic and diastolic blood pressure. No differences were found in procedure‐related factors. Time of admission was not associated with an adverse outcome, although patients admitted during the evening had a significantly longer time to endoscopy (15, 22 and 16 h for day, evening and night admissions respectively, P < 0.01).ConclusionAlthough quality of care did not appear to differ between week/weekend admissions, patients with suspected upper gastrointestinal bleeding admitted during the weekend were at higher risk of an adverse outcome. This might be due to the fact that these patients have more severe haemorrhage.
Apixaban, an oral, direct factor Xa inhibitor: single dose safety, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics and food effect in healthy subjects
Authors: Frost Charles , Wang Jessie , Nepal Sunil , Schuster Alan , Barrett Yu Chen , Mosqueda‐Garcia Rogelio , Reeves Richard A. , LaCreta Frank 
Published: July 2012

AimsTo evaluate apixaban single dose safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics and assess the effect of food on apixaban pharmacokinetics.MethodsA double‐blind, placebo‐controlled, single ascending‐dose, first‐in‐human study assessed apixaban safety, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics in healthy subjects randomized to oral apixaban (n = 43; 0.5–2.5 mg as solution or 5–50 mg as tablets) or placebo (n = 14) under fasted conditions. An open label, randomized, two treatment crossover study investigated apixaban pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics in healthy subjects (n = 21) administered apixaban 10 mg in fasted and fed states. Both studies measured apixaban plasma concentration, international normalized ratio (INR), activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) and prothrombin time (PT) or a modified PT (mPT).ResultsIn the single ascending‐dose study increases in apixaban exposure appeared dose‐proportional. Median tmax occurred 1.5–3.3 h following oral administration. Mean terminal half‐life ranged between 3.6 and 6.8 h following administration of solution doses ≤2.5 mg and between 11.1 and 26.8 h for tablet doses ≥5 mg. Concentration‐related changes in pharmacodynamic assessments were observed. After a 50 mg dose, peak aPTT, INR and mPT increased by 1.2‐, 1.6‐ and 2.9‐fold, respectively, from baseline. In the food effect study: 90% confidence intervals of geometric mean ratios of apixaban Cmax and AUC in a fed vs. fasted state were within the predefined no effect (80–125%) range. Apixaban half‐life was approximately 11.5 h. The effect of apixaban on INR, PT and aPTT was comparable following fed and fasted administration.ConclusionsSingle doses of apixaban were well tolerated with a predictable pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic profile and a half‐life of approximately 12 h. Apixaban can be administered with or without food.
Predictors for visual dysfunction in nonfunctioning pituitary adenomas – implications for neurosurgical management
Authors: Schmalisch Kathrin , Milian Monika , Schimitzek Thilo , Lagrèze Wolf A. , Honegger Juergen 
Published: July 2012

SummaryBackgroundDespite ample experience with surgical treatment of nonfunctioning pituitary adenomas, objective data defining the risk for visual compromise depending on the suprasellar extension in pituitary adenomas are sparse.Design and patientsWe measured the suprasellar extension of 98 newly diagnosed suprasellar nonfunctioning pituitary adenomas on sagittal and coronal magnetic resonance images using reference lines for the skull base level. In addition, the position of the optic chiasm in relation to the suprasellar adenoma was assessed. The findings were correlated with the degree of visual dysfunction and with the type of visual field defects (VFD).ResultsSeventy per cent of the patients suffered from VFD. The most frequent perimetric findings were bilateral (81·2%) or unilateral (10·1%) temporal hemifield defects. For the coronal view, a suprasellar extension of 12 mm was a practicable cut‐off value for emergence of visual disturbances (87·0% sensitivity, 72·4% specificity). For the sagittal view, 8‐mm suprasellar extension was a suitable cut‐off for appearance of chiasma syndrome (87·0% sensitivity, 75·9% specificity). In five of seven cases without a chiasma syndrome despite a suprasellar extension >12 (coronal) and 8 mm (sagittal), the optic chiasm was found in an anterior position. No correlation was found between the position of the chiasm (i.e. anterior, superior or posterior) and the type of VFD (P = 0·647). A highly significant correlation was found between the decline of visual acuity and the suprasellar adenoma extension (P < 0·0001).ConclusionCut‐off values possess a high sensitivity and specificity for imminent visual disturbances and are helpful for clinical decision‐making. A delayed emergence of visual dysfunction may be observed with an anterior position of the optic chiasm.
Determining the utility of the 60 min cortisol measurement in the short synacthen test
Authors: Chitale Aditi , Musonda Patrick , McGregor Alan M. , Dhatariya Ketan K. 
Published: July 2012

SummaryObjectiveDespite the widespread use of the short synacthen test (SST), there remains no clear consensus on sampling times for the measurement of serum cortisol that best determines adrenal reserve. We set out to establish whether there is any value in measuring serum cortisol at 60 min following administration of synacthen.DesignRetrospective data analysis of 500 SST results measuring 0, 30 and 60 min cortisol levels after administration of 250 μg of synacthen at 2 large urban National Health Teaching Hospitals in the UK.Patients and measurementsIndividuals thought to have primary or secondary adrenal insufficiency given 250 μg of synacthen.MeasurementsSerum cortisol levels measured at 0, 30 and 60 min, looking to see how many people who had adrenal insufficiency at the 30 min sample but in whom the 60 min sample showed adequate adrenal reserve.ResultsThe results from 384 people were analysed. A total of 276 had normal responses at 30 min and also at 60 min. A sum of 33 individuals had ‘insufficient’ (i.e., <550 nmol/l) 30 min cortisol levels, rising to ≥ 550 nmol/l at the 60 min test. All 75 individuals who were insufficient at 60 min were also insufficient at 30 min. No individuals passed (≥550 nmol/l) at 30 min and then failed (<550 nmol/l) at 60 min.ConclusionsThese results suggest that a significant proportion of people undergoing a SST may be inappropriately diagnosed as having adrenal insufficiency if the 60 min sample is not measured. We suggest that the 60 min sample is measured in all individuals having a SST to prevent unnecessary over‐diagnosis of adrenal insufficiency.
Elevated CO2 concentrations affect the elemental stoichiometry and species composition of an experimental phytoplankton community
Authors: VERSCHOOR ANTONIE M. , VAN DIJK MARK A. , HUISMAN JEF , VAN DONK ELLEN 
Published: July 2012

Summary1. Rising atmospheric CO2 concentrations might affect the primary production and community composition of freshwater ecosystems.2. We investigated these potential effects in laboratory mesocosms (Limnotrons), using monoculture experiments and competition experiments with the green alga Scenedesmus obliquus and the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC6803. The Limnotrons were sparged with ambient air (controls, 380 parts per million volume (ppmv) CO2), moderately elevated CO2 levels (3000 ppmv CO2) or highly elevated CO2 levels (18 800 ppmv CO2).3. Growth at ambient air led to the depletion of dissolved CO2 during algal bloom development and hence a high pH. In contrast, growth at elevated CO2 levels resulted in high concentrations of dissolved CO2 and dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), lower pH and low concentrations of nitrate and soluble reactive phosphorus. Elevated CO2 levels did not have a significant effect on the biomass of the algal species, but shifted their elemental composition towards higher carbon‐to‐nutrient ratios.4. Competition experiments at ambient air were driven mainly by competition for inorganic carbon. In this case, the cyanobacterium Synechocystis was displaced by the green alga Scenedesmus. Elevated CO2 alleviated the community from carbon limitation, which shifted the species interactions towards competition for nitrogen and phosphorus, and resulted in coexistence of the two species. Hence, our findings do not support the hypothesis that cyanobacteria are generally better competitors for inorganic carbon than green algae.5. In conclusion, our results show that elevated CO2 levels may cause major changes in freshwater ecosystems, including a reduction in pH, shifts in resource limitation patterns, and changes in the ecological stoichiometry and species composition of phytoplankton communities.
Male great tit song perch selection in response to noise‐dependent female feedback
Authors: Halfwerk Wouter , Bot Sander , Slabbekoorn Hans 
Published: July 2012

Summary1. Anthropogenic noise can affect intra‐pair communication and therefore interfere with reproductive success. However, many animals have various signal strategies to cope with noise, although it is unclear whether they rely on direct auditory feedback from their own perception of noise or signal‐to‐noise level or on indirect social feedback from receivers.2. We studied the role of social feedback on male great tit (Parus major) song adjustment by exclusively exposing females to artificial traffic noise inside their nest box.3. We found a delay in female response latencies to male song in the noisy condition compared to the control condition on the first day of noise exposure. Males from the noise treatment group, not directly exposed to noise themselves, sang closer to the nest box within 3 days after the start of exposure.4. The male's closer proximity to the nest box most likely led to the observed higher song amplitudes at the noisy nest boxes compared to quiet control nest boxes, and explains why the inside signal‐to‐noise ratios were restored to equal levels between treatment and control nest boxes after several days of exposure.5. The initial difference between treatment groups in female response latencies at the start of exposure also disappeared accordingly.6. Our results strongly suggest an active role for female birds in steering male song behaviour under noisy conditions. Males did not receive direct exposure during intra‐pair communication, but adjusted their behaviour in the predicted direction. These data are important to understand the mechanisms related to communication in noise and reveal the critical role of ecology in shaping animal interactions.
The role of harvest residue in rotation cycle carbon balance in loblolly pine plantations. Respiration partitioning approach
Authors: Noormets Asko , McNulty Steve G. , Domec Jean‐Christophe , Gavazzi Michael , Sun Ge , King John S. 
Published: July 2012

AbstractTimber harvests remove a significant portion of ecosystem carbon. While some of the wood products moved off‐site may last past the harvest cycle of the particular forest crop, the effect of the episodic disturbances on long‐term on‐site carbon sequestration is unclear. The current study presents a 25 year carbon budget estimate for a typical commercial loblolly pine plantation in North Carolina, USA, spanning the entire rotation cycle. We use a chronosequence approach, based on 5 years of data from two adjacent loblolly pine plantations. We found that while the ecosystem is very productive (GEP up to 2900 g m−2 yr−1, NEE at maturity about 900 g C m−2 yr−1), the production of detritus does not offset the loss of soil C through heterotrophic respiration (RH) on an annual basis. The input of dead roots at harvest may offset the losses, but there remain significant uncertainties about both the size and decomposition dynamics of this pool. The pulse of detritus produced at harvest resulted in a more than 60% increase in RH. Contrary to expectations, the peak of RH in relation to soil respiration (SR) did not occur immediately after the harvest disturbance, but in years 3 and 4, suggesting that a pool of roots may have remained alive for the first few years. On the other hand, the pulse of aboveground RH from coarse woody debris lasted only 2 years. The postharvest increase in RH was offset by a decrease in autotrophic respiration such that the total ecosystem respiration changed little. The observed flux rates show that even though the soil C pool may not necessarily decrease in the long‐term, old soil C is definitely an active component in the site C cycle, contributing about 25–30% of the RH over the rotation cycle.
No stimulation of nitrogen fixation by non‐filamentous diazotrophs under elevated CO2 in the South Pacific
Authors: Law Cliff S. , Breitbarth Eike , Hoffmann Linn J. , McGraw Christina M. , Langlois Rebecca J. , LaRoche Julie , Marriner Andrew , Safi Karl A. 
Published: July 2012

AbstractNitrogen fixation by diazotrophic cyanobacteria is a critical source of new nitrogen to the oligotrophic surface ocean. Research to date indicates that some diazotroph groups may increase nitrogen fixation under elevated pCO2. To test this in natural plankton communities, four manipulation experiments were carried out during two voyages in the South Pacific (30–35oS). High CO2 treatments, produced using 750 ppmv CO2 to adjust pH to 0.2 below ambient, and ‘Greenhouse’ treatments (0.2 below ambient pH and ambient temperature +3 °C), were compared with Controls in trace metal clean deckboard incubations in triplicate. No significant change was observed in nitrogen fixation in either the High CO2 or Greenhouse treatments over 5 day incubations. qPCR measurements and optical microscopy determined that the diazotroph community was dominated by Group A unicellular cyanobacteria (UCYN‐A), which may account for the difference in response of nitrogen fixation under elevated CO2 to that reported previously for Trichodesmium. This may reflect physiological differences, in that the greater cell surface area:volume of UCYN‐A and its lack of metabolic pathways involved in carbon fixation may confer no benefit under elevated CO2. However, multiple environmental controls may also be a factor, with the low dissolved iron concentrations in oligotrophic surface waters limiting the response to elevated CO2. If nitrogen fixation by UCYN‐A is not stimulated by elevated pCO2, then future increases in CO2 and warming may alter the regional distribution and dominance of different diazotroph groups, with implications for dissolved iron availability and new nitrogen supply in oligotrophic regions.