bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
An integrative review of interventions promoting self‐care of patients with heart failure
Authors: Barnason Susan , Zimmerman Lani , Young Lufei 
Published: November 2011

Aim and objective.  To examine the interventions used to improve self‐care of heart failure patients. The specific objectives were to examine the efficacy of interventions to improve heart failure self‐care (self‐maintenance and self‐management behaviours) and patient‐related factors such as knowledge about heart failure, self‐efficacy for heart failure self‐care (confidence) and beliefs regarding heart failure self‐care.Background.  Despite the significant advances in the treatment and management of heart failure, there continues to be poor patient outcomes associated with this clinical syndrome.Design.  An integrative review.Method.  A search of MEDLINE, PsychINFO, Cochrane data base of clinical trials and the cumulative index of nursing and allied health literature (CINAHL) databases was conducted using 14 search terms for a period from 2000–2010. Hand searching of reference lists and author lists was also conducted. Nineteen eligible self‐care intervention studies were included in this review.Results.  Cognitive–behavioural intervention mechanisms were most frequently used to improve patient’s heart failure self‐care. In the majority of the studies, the interventions demonstrated efficacy by improving heart failure patients’ self‐care maintenance and management behaviours. Intervention group subjects, in the majority of studies, had significantly higher levels of knowledge pertaining to heart failure and heart failure related self‐care.Relevance to clinical practice.  Based on these findings, there are improved patient outcomes when standard patient education for heart failure is augmented using cognitive–behavioural strategies that include additional evidence‐based education and counselling.
Experiences of abdominal massage for constipation
Authors: Lämås Kristina , Graneheim Ulla H , Jacobsson Catrine 
Published: November 2011

Aim.  This study aims to illuminate participants’ experiences of receiving abdominal massage for constipation.Background.  Abdominal massage has been found to decrease the severity of constipation and abdominal pain, but little is known about how patients experience receiving abdominal massage.Design.  The present study is a qualitative descriptive study, based on individual interviews.Method.  Nine adults receiving abdominal massage for constipation were invited to participate. Semi‐structured interviews were conducted in Sweden between 2005–2007. The interviews were transcribed and subjected to qualitative content analysis.Results.  Four themes were formulated: ‘being on one’s guard’, ‘becoming embraced by safe hands’, ‘being touched physically and emotionally’ and ‘feeling vulnerable’. The participants reported that they were on guard, i.e. they were sceptical about whether or not abdominal massage was effective and suitable. However, as the massage sessions continued, they found the massage pleasant and began to feel embraced and in safe hands. They described how the abdominal massage made them feel as ‘being touched physically and emotionally’ and their bowel habits were improved. Along with the improvements, their agony was gone and they felt relieved. However, they considered their new condition fragile and they felt vulnerable to relapse.Conclusions.  Abdominal massage was experienced as pleasurable, and after treatment, the participants felt more comfortable with their bowel function. Participants described abdominal massage as affecting the whole person.Relevance to clinical practice.  Abdominal massage has been shown to be an effective intervention for constipation. A crucial aspect is that nurses need to be sensitive and respect the intimacy associated with the abdomen.
Reconstruction of a beech population bottleneck using archival demographic information and Bayesian analysis of genetic data
Authors: LANDER TONYA A. , ODDOU‐MURATORIO SYLVIE , PROUILLET‐LEPLAT HELENE , KLEIN ETIENNE K. 
Published: November 2011

AbstractRange expansion and contraction has occurred in the history of most species and can seriously impact patterns of genetic diversity. Historical data about range change are rare and generally appropriate for studies at large scales, whereas the individual pollen and seed dispersal events that form the basis of geneflow and colonization generally occur at a local scale. In this study, we investigated range change in Fagus sylvatica on Mont Ventoux, France, using historical data from 1838 to the present and approximate Bayesian computation (ABC) analyses of genetic data. From the historical data, we identified a population minimum in 1845 and located remnant populations at least 200 years old. The ABC analysis selected a demographic scenario with three populations, corresponding to two remnant populations and one area of recent expansion. It also identified expansion from a smaller ancestral population but did not find that this expansion followed a population bottleneck, as suggested by the historical data. Despite a strong support to the selected scenario for our data set, the ABC approach showed a low power to discriminate among scenarios on average and a low ability to accurately estimate effective population sizes and divergence dates, probably due to the temporal scale of the study. This study provides an unusual opportunity to test ABC analysis in a system with a well‐documented demographic history and identify discrepancies between the results of historical, classical population genetic and ABC analyses. The results also provide valuable insights into genetic processes at work at a fine spatial and temporal scale in range change and colonization.
Unravelling the peculiarities of island life: vicariance, dispersal and the diversification of the extinct and extant giant Galápagos tortoises
Authors: POULAKAKIS NIKOS , RUSSELLO MICHAEL , GEIST DENNIS , CACCONE ADALGISA 
Published: November 2011

AbstractIn isolated oceanic islands, colonization patterns are often interpreted as resulting from dispersal rather than vicariant events. Such inferences may not be appropriate when island associations change over time and new islands do not form in a simple linear trend. Further complexity in the phylogeography of ocean islands arises when dealing with endangered taxa as extinctions, uncertainty on the number of evolutionary ‘units’, and human activities can obscure the progression of colonization events. Here, we address these issues through a reconstruction of the evolutionary history of giant Galápagos tortoises, integrating DNA data from extinct and extant species with information on recent human activities and newly available geological data. Our results show that only three of the five extinct or nearly extinct species should be considered independent evolutionary units. Dispersal from mainland South America started at approximately 3.2 Ma after the emergence of the two oldest islands of San Cristobal and Española. Dispersal from older to younger islands began approximately 1.74 Ma and was followed by multiple colonizations from different sources within the archipelago. Vicariant events, spurred by island formation, coalescence, and separation, contributed to lineage diversifications on Pinzón and Floreana dating from 1.26 and 0.85 Ma. This work provides an example of how to reconstruct the history of endangered taxa in spite of extinctions and human‐mediated dispersal events and highlights the need to take into account both vicariance and dispersal when dealing with organisms from islands whose associations are not simply explained by a linear emergence model.
Pilotin–secretin recognition in the type II secretion system of Klebsiella oxytoca
Authors: Tosi Tommaso , Nickerson Nicholas N. , Mollica Luca , Jensen Malene Ringkjøbing , Blackledge Martin , Baron Bruno , England Patrick , Pugsley Anthony P. , Dessen Andréa 
Published: November 2011

SummaryA crucial aspect of the functionality of bacterial type II secretion systems is the targeting and assembly of the outer membrane secretin. In the Klebsiella oxytoca type II secretion system, the lipoprotein PulS, a pilotin, targets secretin PulD monomers through the periplasm to the outer membrane. We present the crystal structure of PulS, an all‐helical bundle that is structurally distinct from proteins with similar functions. Replacement of valine at position 42 in a charged groove of PulS abolished complex formation between a non‐lipidated variant of PulS and a peptide corresponding to the unfolded region of PulD to which PulS binds (the S‐domain), in vitro, as well as PulS function in vivo. Substitutions of other residues in the groove also diminished the interaction with the S‐domain in vitro but exerted less marked effects in vivo. We propose that the interaction between PulS and the S‐domain is maintained through a structural adaptation of the two proteins that could be influenced by cis factors such as the fatty acyl groups on PulS, as well as periplasmic trans‐acting factors, which represents a possible paradigm for chaperone–target protein interactions.
Identification of a galactose‐specific flocculin essential for non‐sexual flocculation and filamentous growth in Schizosaccharomyces pombe
Authors: Matsuzawa Tomohiko , Morita Tomotake , Tanaka Naotaka , Tohda Hideki , Takegawa Kaoru 
Published: November 2011

SummaryAlthough various mutant strains of the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe exhibit non‐sexual flocculation, little is known about the mechanistic basis for this phenomenon, nor have genes encoding the implicated flocculin been identified. In the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the transcription factor Flo8 controls expression of some of the genes involved in non‐sexual flocculation. We have found that overexpression of S. cerevisiae FLO8 induced non‐sexual flocculation in S. pombe. This non‐sexual flocculation was Ca2+‐dependent, and was inhibited by addition of galactose, but not by mannose, glucose or sucrose. In the FLO8‐overexpressing strain, a gene designated gsf2+ (galactose‐specific flocculation) was specifically induced. The gsf2+ gene was also highly expressed in lkh1Δ, tup12Δ and gsf1 mutants, all of which exhibited non‐sexual flocculation dependent on gsf2+. We show that the N‐terminal region of Gsf2 recognizes galactose in mediating cell–cell interaction. Disruption of gsf2+ also abolished the adhesion phenotype and invasive growth of the wild‐type strain cultured in low ammonium medium. The newly identified flocculin Gsf2 in fission yeast was not only required for non‐sexual flocculation but was also required for adhesion and filamentous growth through recognition of galactose residues on cell surface glycoconjugates.
RNA mimicry, a decoy for regulatory proteins
Authors: Marzi S. , Romby P. 
Published: November 2011

SummarySmall non‐coding RNA molecules (sRNA) are key regulators participating in complex networks, which adapt metabolism in response to environmental changes. In this issue of Molecular Microbiology, and in a related paper in Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, Moreno et al. (2011) and Sonnleitner et al. (2009) report on novel sRNAs, which act as decoys to inhibit the activity of the master post‐transcriptional regulatory protein Crc. Crc is a key protein involved in carbon catabolite repression that optimizes metabolism improving the adaptation of the bacteria to their diverse habitats. Crc is a novel RNA‐binding protein that regulates translation of multiple target mRNAs. Two regulatory sRNAs in Pseudomonas putida mimic the natural mRNA targets of Crc and counteract the action of Crc by sequestrating the protein when catabolite repression is absent. Crc trapping by a sRNA is a mechanism reminiscent to the regulation of the repressor of secondary metabolites (RsmA) in Pseudomonas, and highlights the suitability of RNA‐dependent regulation to rapidly adjust cell growth in response to environmental changes.
The effects of methane and hydrogen gases produced by enteric bacteria on ileal motility and colonic transit time
Authors: Jahng J. , Jung I. S. , Choi E. J. , Conklin J. L. , Park H. 
Published: November 2011

AbstractBackground  Gases produced by intestinal flora may modulate intestinal motor function in healthy individuals as well as those with functional bowel disease. Methane, produced by enteric bacteria in the human gut, is associated with slowed intestinal transit and constipation. The effects of hydrogen, another main gas produced by bacterial fermentation in the gut, on small bowel and colonic motor function remains unrecognized. Therefore, we set out to investigate whether intestinal gases including methane and hydrogen could influence the small bowel motility and colonic transit.Methods  Guinea pig ileum was placed in the peristaltic bath with tension transducers attached to measure velocity and amplitude of peristaltic contraction before and after the infusion of control, hydrogen, and methane gases. Also, changes in the intraluminal pressures were monitored before and after the gas infusions.Key Results  Methane decreased peristaltic velocity and increased contraction amplitude significantly of guinea pig ileum (P < 0.05). The AUC of intraluminal pressure was significantly increased with methane in guinea pig ileum (P < 0.05). In a second experiment, guinea pig colon was placed in the peristaltic bath to measure transit time before and after control, hydrogen, methane, and methane‐hydrogen mixture gas infusions. Hydrogen shortened colonic transit time by 47% in the proximal colon, and by 10% in the distal colon, when compared with baselines (P < 0.05).Conclusions & Inferences  Methane delayed ileal peristaltic conduction velocity by augmenting contractility. Hydrogen shortened colonic transit, and that effect was more prominent in the proximal colon than distal colon.
Slow gallbladder emptying reverts to normal but small intestinal transit of a physiological meal remains slow in celiac patients during gluten‐free diet
Authors: Benini F. , Mora A. , Turini D. , Bertolazzi S. , Lanzarotto F. , Ricci C. , Villanacci V. , Barbara G. , Stanghellini V. , Lanzini A. 
Published: November 2011

AbstractBackground  Alterations of small intestinal transit and gallbladder (GB) motility have been reported in celiac disease (CD) in studies involving, in most cases, non‐physiological experimental conditions and artificial stimuli to motility. Our aims were to quantitate non‐invasively small intestinal transit time and GB emptying during administration of a physiological and palatable solid meal, and to assess the effect of gluten‐free diet (GFD).Methods  We simultaneously measured mouth‐to‐cecum transit time (MCTT) using a validated H2 breath test, and GB motility using ultrasonography. We studied CD patients before (n = 19) and during (n = 14) GFD, and healthy volunteers (n = 24) following administration of a physiological solid meal (Kcal 539).Key Results  Mouth‐to‐cecum transit time was more prolonged in CD (mean ± SEM: 235 ± 96 min) than in controls (169 ± 65 min, P = 0.0039). The GB fasting volume and postprandial residual volume were significantly higher in CD than in controls, and GB emptying constant was slower in CD than in controls. During GFD, GB emptying reverted to normal, but MCTT remained unchanged (229 ± 69 min) and more prolonged in CD than in controls (P = 0.0139). During GFD, duodenal infiltration with lymphocytes and mast cells persisted higher than that in controls, and the number of mast cells lying in proximity of nervous endings did not change.Conclusions & Inferences  Slow postprandial MCTT in response to a physiological meal does not revert to normal during GFD, an effect mirroring incomplete histopathologic recovery.
Low diversity and fast evolution in the population of Puccinia triticina causing durum wheat leaf rust in France from 1999 to 2009, as revealed by an adapted differential set
Authors: Goyeau H. , Berder J. , Czerepak C. , Gautier A. , Lanen C. , Lannou C. 
Published: November 2011

No internationally agreed differential set is available for characterization of virulences in populations of Puccinia triticina causing wheat leaf rust on durum wheat. In a first step, 73 potentially differential host genotypes were tested with 96 durum leaf rust isolates collected in France. A differential set, adapted to the local epidemiological context and useful for comparison with international studies was selected, including French commercial cultivars, Thatcher lines with Lr genes, and international cultivars. In the second step, a sample of 310 isolates collected in France from 1999 to 2009 was characterized on this set. Diversity was very low, as only five pathotypes were distinguished. Genotyping of a subset of 76 isolates according to 20 SSR markers confirmed this low diversity, with 73 isolates belonging to a single dominant genotype. Population was strongly shaped by cultivars, and the findings explain the successive breakdown of resistance sources deployed in French durum wheat cultivars. The gene Lr14a, suggested to be an efficient source of resistance in several European and American countries, was overcome by pathotypes frequent in France since 2000. Postulation of resistance genes in the commercial cultivars led to a proposed simplified version of the differential set. This study, providing new information about leaf rust resistance genes present in the French durum wheat germplasm, highlights the need to diversify sources of resistance to P. triticina in this germplasm. The results are also discussed in terms of relatedness and intercontinental migration of P. triticina on durum wheat.
Sharp‐based marine sandstone bodies in the Mulichinco Formation (Lower Cretaceous), Neuquén Basin, Argentina: remnants of transgressive offshore sand ridges
Authors: SCHWARZ ERNESTO 
Published: November 2011

AbstractThe interpretation of sharp‐based shallow‐marine sandstone bodies encased in offshore mudstones, particularly transgressive units, has been a subject of recent debate. This contribution provides a multiple‐dataset approach and new identification criteria which could help in the recognition of transgressive offshore sandstone bodies worldwide. This study integrates sedimentology, ichnology, taphonomy and palaeoecology of Mulichinco Formation strata in the central Neuquén Basin (Argentina) in order to describe and interpret sharp‐based sandstone bodies developed in ramp‐type marine settings. These bodies are sandwiched between finer‐grained siliciclastics beneath and thin carbonates above. The underlying sediments comprise progradational successions from offshore mudstones to offshore transition muddy sandstones, grading occasionally into lower shoreface sandstones. The surfaces capping the regressive siliciclastics are flat and regionally extensive, and are demarcated by skeletal concentrations and a Glossifungites suite; they are also marked by sandstone rip‐up clasts, with encrustations and borings on all sides. These surfaces are interpreted as composite discontinuities, cut during a relative sea‐level fall and remodelled during the initial transgression. The overlying transgressive sandstone bodies are 3 to 7 m thick, >4 km long and about three times longer than wide; they are composed of fine‐grained sandstones with little lateral change in grain size. Cross‐stratification and/or cross‐lamination are common, typically with smaller‐scale structures and finer grain size towards the top. Large‐scale, low‐angle (5° to 8°) inclined stratification is also common, dipping at ca 30° with respect to body elongation and dominant currents. These sandstone bodies are interpreted as offshore sand ridges, probably developed under the influence of tidal currents. Intense burrowing is typical at the top of each unit, suggesting an abandonment stage. Final deactivation favoured colonization by epibenthic‐dominated communities and the formation of skeletal‐rich limestones during the latest transgressive conditions. As partial reworking of pre‐existing ridges occurred during this stage, the Mulichinco sandstone bodies are considered the remnants of transgressive offshore sand units.
A Solanum lycopersicum catechol‐O‐methyltransferase involved in synthesis of the flavor molecule guaiacol
Authors: Mageroy Melissa H. , Tieman Denise M. , Floystad Abbye , Taylor Mark G. , Klee Harry J. 
Published: November 2011

SummaryO‐methyltransferases (OMT) are important enzymes that are responsible for the synthesis of many small molecules, which include lignin monomers, flavonoids, alkaloids, and aroma compounds. One such compound is guaiacol, a small volatile molecule with a smoky aroma that contributes to tomato flavor. Little information is known about the pathway and regulation of synthesis of guaiacol. One possible route for synthesis is via catechol methylation. We identified a tomato O‐methyltransferase (CTOMT1) with homology to a Nicotiana tabacum catechol OMT. CTOMT1 was cloned from Solanum lycopersicum cv. M82 and expressed in Escherichia coli. Recombinant CTOMT1 enzyme preferentially methylated catechol, producing guaiacol. To validate the in vivo function of CTOMT1, gene expression was either decreased or increased in transgenic S. lycopersicum plants. Knockdown of CTOMT1 resulted in significantly reduced fruit guaiacol emissions. CTOMT1 overexpression resulted in slightly increased fruit guaiacol emission, which suggested that catechol availability might limit guaiacol production. To test this hypothesis, wild type (WT) and CTOMT1 that overexpress tomato pericarp discs were supplied with exogenously applied catechol. Guaiacol production increased in both WT and transgenic fruit discs, although to a much greater extent in CTOMT1 overexpressing discs. Finally, we identified S. pennellii introgression lines with increased guaiacol content and higher expression of CTOMT1. These lines also showed a trend toward lower catechol levels. Taken together, we concluded that CTOMT1 is a catechol‐O‐methyltransferase that produces guaiacol in tomato fruit.
Identification of kinase substrates by bimolecular complementation assays
Authors: Pusch Stefan , Harashima Hirofumi , Schnittger Arp 
Published: November 2011

SummaryAs a consequence of the transient nature of kinase–substrate interactions, the detection of kinase targets, although central for understanding many biological processes, has remained challenging. Here we present a straightforward procedure that relies on the comparison of wild type with activation‐loop mutants in the kinase of interest by bimolecular complementation assays. As a proof of functionality, we present the identification and in vivo confirmation of substrates of the major cell‐cycle kinase in Arabidopsis, revealing a direct link between cell proliferation and the control of the redox state.
Immunohistochemical profile of cytokeratins in pseudoepitheliomatous hyperplasia of cutaneous Leishmaniasis
Authors: Viana Agostinho G. , Domingos Patrícia L. B. , Kaminagakura Estela , Botelho Ana C. C. , Martelli Hercílio , Bonan Paulo R. F. 
Published: November 2011

AbstractBackground  The purpose of this study was to evaluate the immunohistochemical profile of cytokeratins (Ck) in pseudoepitheliomatous hyperplasia of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL).Methods  The tissue samples, with pseudoepitheliomatous hyperplasia, were collected from 37 patients (age 6–85 years old) with indolent ulcers in skin confirmed as CL. The lesions were submitted to immunolabeling for Ck pairs 4–13, 5–14, and 6–16.Results  In the 37 CL cases, Ck4 and Ck13 staining were, in the majority of cases, negative. Of them, 33 and 35 cases were negative for Ck4 and Ck13, respectively. The Ck4 immunostaining was found in basal and parabasal layers, and Ck13 was viewed in the basal compartment of epithelium. Ck5 was found in 29 cases distributed homogeneously in all layers. Ck14 and Ck6 were found in all samples in all layers, and Ck16 was positive for all cases but heterogeneously found in the basal layer.Conclusion  In summary, we noticed that the pattern of some Ck staining in pseudoepitheliomatous hyperplasia in CL lesions revealed intense epithelial reinforcement, protection, and proliferation.