bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Streamlining the medication process improves safety in the intensive care unit
Authors: BENOIT E. , ECKERT P. , THEYTAZ C. , JORIS‐FRASSEREN M. , FAOUZI M. , BENEY J. 
Published: May 2012

BackgroundMultiple interventions were made to optimize the medication process in our intensive care unit (ICU). 1 Transcriptions from the medical order form to the administration plan were eliminated by merging both into a single document; 2 the new form was built in a logical sequence and was highly structured to promote completeness and standardization of information; 3 frequently used drug names, approved units, and fixed routes were pre‐printed; 4 physicians and nurses were trained with regard to the correct use of the new form. This study was aimed at evaluating the impact of these interventions on clinically significant types of medication errors.MethodsEight types of medication errors were measured by a prospective chart review before and after the interventions in the ICU of a public tertiary care hospital. We used an interrupted time‐series design to control the secular trends.ResultsOver 85 days, 9298 lines of drug prescription and/or administration to 294 patients, corresponding to 754 patient‐days were collected and analysed for the three series before and three series following the intervention. Global error rate decreased from 4.95 to 2.14% (−56.8%, P < 0.001).ConclusionsThe safety of the medication process in our ICU was improved by simple and inexpensive interventions. In addition to the optimization of the prescription writing process, the documentation of intravenous preparation, and the scheduling of administration, the elimination of the transcription in combination with the training of users contributed to reducing errors and carried an interesting potential to increase safety.
Post‐conditioning by xenon reduces ischaemia‐reperfusion injury of the spinal cord in rats
Authors: YANG Y. W. , LU J. K. , QING E. M. , DONG X. H. , WANG C. B. , ZHANG J. , ZHAO L. Y. , GAO Z. F. , CHENG W. P. 
Published: May 2012

BackgroundThe neuroprotective effects of xenon post‐conditioning following spinal cord injury remain unknown. We monitored the effect of xenon post‐conditioning on the spinal cord following ischaemia‐reperfusion injury and determined its mechanism of action.MethodsSpinal cord ischaemia was induced following balloon occlusion of the thoracic aorta in male Sprague‐Dawley rats. Rats were divided into three groups (n = 30 in each group). The control group underwent ischaemia‐reperfusion injury and immediately inhaled 50% (v/v) nitrogen at the time of reperfusion for 60 min continuously. The xenon‐post‐conditioning group underwent the same surgical procedure and immediately inhaled 50% (v/v) xenon at the time of reperfusion for 60 min continuously. The sham operation group underwent the same surgical procedure without aortic catheter occlusion and inhaled the same gas as that in control rats. Neurologic function was assessed using the Basso, Beattie, and Bresnahan score at 4, 24, and 48 h after reperfusion. Histological changes were observed using Nissl staining, the ultrastructure of the spinal cord was examined using transmission electron microscopy, and apoptosis was monitored using terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase‐mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate nick‐end labelling.ResultsCompared with the control group, the xenon‐post‐conditioning group showed improved neurologic outcomes (11.3 ± 1.6 vs. 15.7 ± 3.1, respectively) and had more morphologically normal neurons (6 ± 2 vs. 12 ± 3) at 48 h after reperfusion. Moreover, apoptotic cell death in xenon‐treated rats was reduced when compared with control rats (18.29 ± 3.06 vs. 27.34 ± 3.63, P < 0.05, respectively).ConclusionsXenon post‐conditioning exerts a neuroprotective effect on the spinal cord following ischaemia‐reperfusion injury via its anti‐apoptotic role.
Paediatrician's role in caring for children with learning difficulties
Authors: Roberts Gehan , Price Anna , Oberklaid Frank 
Published: May 2012

Aim:  Children with learning difficulties are commonly seen in Australian paediatric outpatient settings. The practice patterns of paediatricians in assessing, referring and managing these children are unknown, and there is no consensus on best practice. We thus aimed to examine the consistency between Australian paediatricians': (i) assessment; (ii) referral; and (iii) management of children presenting with learning difficulties.Methods:  All 373 paediatrician members of the Australian Paediatric Research Network were invited to participate in an online survey in 2010. Paediatricians who saw children with learning difficulties were asked questions about their assessment, referral and management practices.Results:  Of 181 (49%) paediatricians to complete the survey, 140 (77%) reported seeing patients with learning difficulties. Most often, paediatricians supplemented their clinical assessments with audiology assessments (75%), teacher or parent questionnaires (60–65%), or teacher contact (51%). Paediatricians used medical investigations (40%), direct assessment tools (27%) or a school visit (4%) less often. Most paediatricians referred children with learning difficulties to educational psychology (84%), special education (61%) or speech therapy (66%) services but less often to occupational therapy (34%) or mental health (15%) services. The most common management strategies were to provide a report to the school (76%) or parents (66%) and to make recommendations around sleep hygiene (75%) and for tutoring (66%).Conclusions:  Australian paediatric practice in this area is diverse, with the greatest variability around management practices. These data provide a case for designing and implementing evidence‐based guidelines for the paediatric care of children who struggle to learn in school.
Effect and therapeutic mechanisms of tonsillectomy for childhood IgA nephropathy
Authors: NISHI HITOMI , SUGIMOTO KEISUKE , FUJITA SHINSUKE , MIYAZAKI KOHEI , MIYAZAWA TOMOKI , SAKATA NAOKI , OKADA MITSURU , TAKEMURA TSUKASA 
Published: May 2012

ABSTRACT:Aim:  We investigated efficacy and therapeutic mechanisms of tonsillectomy for intractable childhood IgA nephropathy. Five patients refused tonsillectomy. Among 25 patients, 19 patients were able to evaluate histological findings before and after surgery. Patients with poor (n = 7) or relatively poor (n = 18) histologically determined prognosis and an age of at least 7 years, together with proteinuria of at least 0.3 g/day or severe persisting despite ongoing drug treatment, are candidates for surgery. Patients were grouped by interval between diagnosis of IgA nephropathy and tonsillectomy (within 3 years; early group vs 3 years or later; later group). Patients underwent kidney biopsy shortly before and 1 to 2 years after tonsillectomy.Results:  Proteinuria was reduced after tonsillectomy over 2 years of follow‐up in both early and later groups compared with proteinuria in the 6 months preceding surgery. Complete remission was achieved in 10 patients, most often among those having surgery within 3 years, while patients refusing surgery failed to attain complete remission of urinary findings. Histological activity decreased in both groups, significantly when surgery was early. Complement component C3 deposition and activated macrophages in glomeruli decreased after tonsillectomy, especially with early surgery.Conclusion:  Tonsillectomy improved clinicopathological features in relatively severe paediatric IgA nephropathy, especially with the early‐surgery group. Therapeutic mechanisms may include inhibition of complement activity in glomeruli and glomerular infiltration by activated macrophages.
Innate immunity to influenza in chronic airways diseases
Authors: HSU ALAN C.‐Y. , SEE HAYLEY V. , HANSBRO PHIL M. , WARK PETER A.B. 
Published: May 2012

ABSTRACTInfluenza presents a unique human infectious disease that has a substantial impact on the public health, in general, and especially for those with chronic airways diseases. People with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are particularly vulnerable to influenza infection and experience more severe symptoms with the worsening of their pre‐existing conditions. Recent advances in reverse genetics and innate immunity has revealed several influenza virulence factors and host factors involved in influenza pathogenesis and the immune responses to infection. Early innate immunity plays a critical role of limiting viral infection and spread; however, the underlying mechanisms that lead to enhanced susceptibility to influenza infection and severe symptoms in those with asthma and COPD to infection remain un‐investigated. This review will explore the importance of early innate antiviral responses to influenza infection and how these responses are altered by influenza virus and in those with chronic airways diseases.
Repair and regeneration of tracheal surface epithelium and submucosal glands in a mouse model of hypoxic‐ischemic injury
Authors: HEGAB AHMED E. , NICKERSON DEREK W. , HA VI LUAN , DARMAWAN DAPHNE O. , GOMPERTS BRIGITTE N. 
Published: May 2012

ABSTRACTBackground and objective:  The heterotopic syngeneic tracheal transplant mouse model is an acute hypoxic‐ischemic injury model that undergoes complete repair and regeneration. We hypothesized that the repair and regeneration process of the surface epithelium and submucosal glands would occur in a reproducible pattern that could be followed by the expression of specific markers of epithelial cell types.Methods:  We used the syngeneic heterotopic tracheal transplant model to develop a temporal and spatial map of cellular repair and regeneration by examining the tracheal grafts at post‐transplant days 1, 3, 5, 7, 10 and 14. We used pulsed BrdU and immunofluorescent staining to identify and follow proliferating and repairing cell populations.Results:  We confirmed the reproducibility of the injury and repair in the model and we found a distinct sequence of reappearance of the various stem/progenitor and differentiated cell populations of the tracheal surface epithelium and submucosal glands. In the initial phase, the basal and duct cells that survived the injury proliferated to re‐epithelialize the basement membrane with K5 and K14 expressing cells. Then these cells proliferated further and differentiated to restore the function of the epithelium. During this repair process, TROP‐2 marked all repairing submucosal gland tubules and ducts. Non‐CCSP‐expressing serous cells were found to differentiate 4–5 days before Clara, mucus and ciliated cells.Conclusions:  Improving our understanding of the reparative process of the airway epithelium will allow us to identify cell‐specific mechanisms of repair that could be used as novel therapeutic approaches for abnormal repair leading to airway diseases.
The Seedling Ratio Method for determining ungulate impacts on forest understoreys: Utility in an Australian ecosystem
Authors: Bennett Ami , Coulson Graeme 
Published: May 2012

SummaryThe Seedling Ratio Method was devised to assess the impacts of introduced ungulates on plant species richness in forest understoreys. The method has successfully assessed ungulate impacts on species richness in forests in New Zealand and Hawaii, which do not have native herbivores. We tested the three critical assumptions that underlie this method to investigate its potential for use in an Australian ecosystem. This study was conducted in the Yarra Ranges National Park (YRNP), Victoria, which had a high‐density population of an introduced deer species, Sambar (Cervus unicolor), in addition to several native herbivore species. One of the three key assumptions of the Seedling Ratio Method was not supported, whereas conventional differential exclosures showed clear and separate impacts by Sambar and native herbivores. We conclude that the Seedling Ratio Method could not provide a clear indication of browsing impact on forest understoreys in YRNP.
Progression of antiphospholipid antibody syndrome to catastrophic antiphospholipid antibody syndrome acutely with cessation of antithrombotic therapy
Authors: Katikireddi V. S. , Kandiah D. A. 
Published: May 2012

AbstractCatastrophic antiphospholipid antibody syndrome (CAPS) is a serious condition that is often unrecognised with a high mortality. Cessation of anticoagulation in antiphospholipid antibody syndrome (APS) can have devastating consequences with progression to CAPS. Making a diagnosis of APS can however be challenging because of the evolving diagnostic criteria and difficulty in confirming thromboses. Management of these patients can also be complex, especially in those with coexistent thrombocytopenia. New potential treatments are emerging targeted on the immunomodulation of APS rather than just prevention of thrombosis. This article aims to highlight these diagnostic and management difficulties by reporting and discussing three cases of APS with progression to CAPS following cessation of anticoagulation, one with fatal consequences, with confirmation of CAPS on autopsy, and two with successful treatment and outcomes.
Proton pump inhibitors and diarrhoea related to Clostridium difficile infection in hospitalised patients: a case–control study
Authors: Leonard A. D. , Ho K. M. , Flexman J. 
Published: May 2012

AbstractThe incidence and disease severity of Clostridium difficile infection are rising. There is increasing evidence of a potential association between proton‐pump inhibitors (PPI) and C. difficile infection. We performed a case–control study to examine the relationship between PPI and polymerase chain reaction (PCR)‐proven C. difficile infection in 137 hospitalised patients in a tertiary hospital in Western Australia. Only antibiotic exposure within 3 months prior to onset of diarrhoea was associated with PCR‐proven C. difficile infection (odds ratio 5.97, 95% confidence interval 2.40–14.8, P= 0.001). A restricted analysis on those who had exposure to antibiotics within 3 months before the onset of diarrhoea did not change the negative association between PPI exposure and PCR‐proven C. difficile infection. Long‐term PPI usage and intensity of PPI exposure prior to onset of diarrhoea were not significantly associated with C. difficile infection.
Relationship between body composition, peripheral muscle strength and functional exercise capacity in patients with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Authors: Hillman C. M. , Heinecke E. L. , Hii J. W. S. , Cecins N. M. , Jenkins S. C. , Eastwood P. R. 
Published: May 2012

AbstractThe influence of body composition and peripheral muscle strength on 6‐minute walk distance was assessed by performing dual energy X‐ray absorptiometry scanning, spirometry and dynamometry testing in 13 men and 13 women with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Multivariate modelling showed that 76% of the variance in 6‐minute walk distance could be explained by an equation incorporating lung function, quadriceps strength and lean leg mass. These findings indicate an important role for lower limb strength measures in pulmonary rehabilitation training programmes.
Stroke management: updated recommendations for treatment along the care continuum
Authors: Wright L. , Hill K. M. , Bernhardt J. , Lindley R. , Ada L. , Bajorek B. V. , Barber P. A. , Beer C. , Golledge J. , Gustafsson L. , Hersh D. , Kenardy J. , Perry L. , Middleton S. , Brauer S. G. , Nelson M. R. ,   on behalf of the National Stroke Foundation Stroke Guidelines Expert Working Group
Published: May 2012

AbstractThe Australian Clinical Guidelines for Stroke Management 2010 represents an update of the Clinical Guidelines for Stroke Rehabilitation and Recovery (2005) and the Clinical Guidelines for Acute Stroke Management (2007). For the first time, they cover the whole spectrum of stroke, from public awareness and prehospital response to stroke unit and stroke management strategies, acute treatment, secondary prevention, rehabilitation and community care. The guidelines also include recommendations on transient ischaemic attack. The most significant changes to previous guideline recommendations include the extension of the stroke thrombolysis window from 3 to 4.5 h and the change from positive to negative recommendations for the use of thigh‐length antithrombotic stockings for deep venous thrombosis prevention and the routine use of prolonged positioning for contracture management.
Medicine, art and the death of Franz Liszt
Authors: MacLaren G. 
Published: May 2012

AbstractMuch might be learned about the art of medicine by studying the lives of great artists. The year 2011 marked the bicentenary of the birth of Franz Liszt (1811–1886), one of the most accomplished musicians of the 19th century. Lessons relevant to contemporary medical practice can be found by examining aspects of his life and art, as well as the failure of his physicians to practise their own art during his final days.
Synaptic plasticity from amygdala to perirhinal cortex: a possible mechanism for emotional enhancement of visual recognition memory?
Authors: Perugini Alessandra , Laing Michael , Berretta Nicola , Aicardi Giorgio , Bashir Zafar I. 
Published: May 2012

AbstractEmotionally salient experiences are better remembered than events that have little emotional context. Several lines of evidence indicate that the amygdala plays an important role in this emotional enhancement of memory. Visual recognition memory relies on synaptic plasticity in the perirhinal cortex, but little is known about the mechanisms involved in emotional enhancement of this form of memory. The results of the present study, performed in rat brain slices, show for the first time that the amygdala input to the perirhinal cortex undergoes synaptic plasticity. Stimulation in the amygdala resulted in long‐term potentiation (LTP) in perirhinal cortex that was dependent on β‐adrenoceptors and L‐type voltage‐dependent calcium channels (L‐VDCCs) but was NMDAR‐independent. In contrast, intracortical perirhinal stimulation resulted in LTP that was NMDAR‐dependent but β‐adrenoceptor‐ and L‐VDCC‐independent. In addition, the present results provide the first evidence that stimulation of the amygdala can reduce the threshold for LTP in the perirhinal cortex. Interestingly, this associative form of LTP requires β‐adrenoceptor activation but not NMDA or L‐VDCC activation. Knowing the mechanisms that control amygdala–perirhinal cortex interactions will allow better understanding of how emotionally charged visual events are remembered, and may help to understand how memories can consolidate and become intrusive in anxiety‐related disorders.
Marine sulfate‐reducing bacteria cause serious corrosion of iron under electroconductive biogenic mineral crust
Authors: Enning Dennis , Venzlaff Hendrik , Garrelfs Julia , Dinh Hang T. , Meyer Volker , Mayrhofer Karl , Hassel Achim W. , Stratmann Martin , Widdel Friedrich 
Published: May 2012

SummaryIron (Fe0) corrosion in anoxic environments (e.g. inside pipelines), a process entailing considerable economic costs, is largely influenced by microorganisms, in particular sulfate‐reducing bacteria (SRB). The process is characterized by formation of black crusts and metal pitting. The mechanism is usually explained by the corrosiveness of formed H2S, and scavenge of ‘cathodic’ H2 from chemical reaction of Fe0 with H2O. Here we studied peculiar marine SRB that grew lithotrophically with metallic iron as the only electron donor. They degraded up to 72% of iron coupons (10 mm × 10 mm × 1 mm) within five months, which is a technologically highly relevant corrosion rate (0.7 mm Fe0 year−1), while conventional H2‐scavenging control strains were not corrosive. The black, hard mineral crust (FeS, FeCO3, Mg/CaCO3) deposited on the corroding metal exhibited electrical conductivity (50 S m−1). This was sufficient to explain the corrosion rate by electron flow from the metal (4Fe0 → 4Fe2+ + 8e‐) through semiconductive sulfides to the crust‐colonizing cells reducing sulfate (8e‐ + SO42− + 9H+ → HS‐ + 4H2O). Hence, anaerobic microbial iron corrosion obviously bypasses H2 rather than depends on it. SRB with such corrosive potential were revealed at naturally high numbers at a coastal marine sediment site. Iron coupons buried there were corroded and covered by the characteristic mineral crust. It is speculated that anaerobic biocorrosion is due to the promiscuous use of an ecophysiologically relevant catabolic trait for uptake of external electrons from abiotic or biotic sources in sediments.
Characterization of mature testis and sperm morphology of Gymnotus carapo (Gymnotidae, Teleostei) from the southeast of Brazil
Authors: Vergílio Cristiane dos S. , Moreira Renata V. , de Carvalho Carlos E.V. , de Melo Edésio J. T. 
Published: May 2012

AbstractThe present study examined the testicular structure and sperm morphology of freshwater fish Gymnotus carapo. Testicular structure and sperm morphology were analyzed using light, transmission and scanning electron microscopy. Anatomically, the testes weighed 0.070 ± 0.01 g and were oval with a yellow‐white color. The G. caparo testis is organized in interstitial and tubular compartments. Spermatogenesis occurs in seminiferous tubules where the germinal epithelium is organized in spermatogenic cystis. Germ cells are seen in different stages of differentiation: type A (SPGA) and type B (SPGB) spermatogonia, primary (SPCI) and secondary (SPCII) spermatocytes, and spermatids (SPD). Differentiated spermatozoa (SZ) are seen within the cysts, characterized by a round head, a short midpiece, and a single flagellum with absence of acrosome. Spermatids were seen in the lumen of the testicular tubules together with spermatozoa, suggesting that spermatogenesis is of the semicystic type. The present study shows that G. carapo has an anastomosing tubular type of testis with an unrestricted distribution of the spermatogonia and semicystic type of spermatogenesis. Sperm structure follows the general pattern described for other teleostei species. These descriptions are important for a better understanding of reproductive biology and phylogeny, particularly of tropical fishes, for which data remain scarce in the literature.
Resolving Conflict in Problem‐Solving: Systems of Artefacts in the Development of New Routines
Authors: Cacciatori Eugenia 
Published: May 2012

abstractThis paper argues that, in order to understand the development process of new routines, we have to look at the emergence of systems of artefacts rather than at individual artefacts in isolation. The paper proposes a typology of artefacts understood as material objects that are the product of human activity and analyses their interactions in the case of an integrated engineering design consultancy engaged in the effort of developing a new bidding routine. The evidence from the case study shows that agents reinforce and extend the patterns of action that individual artefacts support by bundling different types of artefacts, and that in so doing, they extend the reach and influence of the community to which they belong. This study shows that the problem‐solving and truce aspects of routines are worked out in the design of these systems of artefacts.
Microfoundations of Firm R&D Capabilities: A Study of Inventor Networks in a Merger
Authors: Paruchuri Srikanth , Eisenman Micki 
Published: May 2012

abstractTaking a cue from a recently evolving stream that calls for exploring the microfoundations of capabilities, we focus on inventor networks to examine how the activities underlying firms' R&D change in the aftermath of a merger. We view mergers as events that cause anxiety and impede inventors' abilities to process research knowledge. Employing the notion of an intra‐firm inventor collaboration network, we hypothesize that in the aftermath of a merger, the impact of knowledge that is prominent and widely available in the intra‐firm network will increase but that the impact of knowledge that, albeit richer, is less easily accessible, will decrease. Our empirical study of the merger of Bristol‐Myers and Squibb supports our hypotheses. The findings enhance our understanding not only of mergers and acquisitions, but also of the microfoundations of a firm's R&D activities.