bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
An evolutionary mechanism for diversity in siderophore‐producing bacteria
Authors: Lee William , van Baalen Minus , Jansen Vincent A. A. 
Published: December 2011

Ecology Letters (2011)AbstractBacteria produce a great diversity of siderophores to scavenge for iron in their environment. We suggest that this diversity results from the interplay between siderophore producers (cooperators) and non‐producers (cheaters): when there are many cheaters exploiting a siderophore type it is beneficial for a mutant to produce a siderophore unusable by the dominant population. We formulated and analysed a mathematical model for tagged public goods to investigate the potential for the emergence of diversity. We found that, although they are rare most of the time, cheaters play a key role in maintaining diversity by regulating the different populations of cooperators. This threshold‐triggered feedback prevents any stain of cooperators from dominating the others. Our study provides a novel general mechanism for the evolution of diversity that may apply to many forms of social behaviour.
Effects of mealtime insulin aspart and bedtime neutral protamine Hagedorn insulin on postprandial coagulation and fibrinolysis in patients with type 2 diabetes
Authors: Bladbjerg E. M. , Henriksen J. E. , Akram S. , Gram J. 
Published: December 2011

Aim: Acute hyperglycaemia induces coagulation activation in diabetes patients. We hypothesized that rapid‐acting insulin has a beneficial postprandial effect on coagulation and fibrinolysis compared with intermediate‐acting insulin because of its ability to lower postprandial hyperglycaemia.Methods: This was tested in a parallel controlled study in well‐controlled patients with type 2 diabetes assigned to bedtime neutral protamine Hagedorn (NPH) insulin (n = 41) or mealtime insulin aspart (n = 37). They were served standard diabetic meals for breakfast (8:00 hours) and lunch (12:00 hours). Blood samples were collected at 7:40 hours (fasting), 9:30, 11:30, 13:30 and 15:30 hours and analysed for glucose, activated factor VII (FVIIa), D‐dimer, prothrombin fragment 1+2 (F1+2), tissue plasminogen activator antigen (t‐PA) and plasminogen activator inhibitor activity (PAI).Results: The postprandial glucose response differed significantly between insulin regimens with a postprandial increase on NPH insulin and a decrease on insulin aspart. There was a significant postprandial decrease in F1+2, PAI and t‐PA, and no changes in FVIIa and D‐dimer, on both insulin regimens, but with no differences between insulin treatment groups.Conclusions: The rapid‐acting insulin analogue aspart and the intermediate‐acting insulin NPH had similar postprandial effects on markers of coagulation activation and fibrinolysis despite different effects on postprandial glucose response.
Bridging the theory practice gap: a review of Graduate Nurse Program (GNP) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Authors: Nematollahi R. , Isaac J.P. 
Published: December 2011

NEMATOLLAHI R. & ISAAC J.P. (2012) Bridging the theory practice gap: a review of Graduate Nurse Program (GNP) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. International Nursing Review59, 194–199Background:  One of the prime concerns of government is the investment in people and resources for the education and health care of its nation. The United Arab Emirates has invested in improving Arab nurse education to reflect the latest emerging standards in international nurse education as part of this ongoing investment: a need to bridge the theory practice divide was identified.Introduction:  The Dubai Health Authority (DHA), which is the main government healthcare provider in Dubai, granted full scholarship for Arab nationals to enrol in the first baccalaureate nursing degree program offered by a local university in the country.Problem:  Since its conception, 56 students have graduated from the program, of which eight graduates have resigned or did not join the nursing workforce. Current new graduates expressed lack of confidence and not feeling work ready to join the workforce; in addition, the nurses in service also voiced the opinion that the new Arab nursing graduates were inadequately prepared for service provision at the time of graduation.Conclusion:  A graduate nurse program to bridge the gap between theory and practice and to ease the transition of new graduate nurses into the nursing workforce was developed by the DHA.Discussion:  This paper offers a positional discussion on the development of this program in Dubai, its findings, action planning and works in progress to resolve identified issues.
Blind spots and adverse conditions of care: screening migrants for tuberculosis in France and Germany
Authors: Kehr Janina 
Published: December 2011

AbstractTuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease that declined significantly throughout the 20th century. Large‐scale TB screening of entire populations in France and Germany has thus been replaced by active screening of risk‐groups, particularly migrants. The article engages with its problems and practices on three levels: by looking at the way information on migrants as an at‐risk group is produced through disease surveillance data; by analysing how such at‐risk group data influence local screening practices; and by showing which political and medical problems arise in the field. I overturn the discussion about screening and surveillance of migrants as a risk‐group by showing that it is not the stigmatisation of migrants through disease risk that is most at stake, but the invisibility of the most vulnerable among them in disease surveillance data and the way restrictive national immigration policies interfere with and subvert local screening and treatment practices targeting them. The aim of my article is to promote a pragmatic sociology of screening, while paying attention to the practical complexities, political conditions and medical ambivalences of screening and follow‐up care, especially when the migrant groups concerned are socially, politically and medically vulnerable.
“WHAT COULD POSSIBLY BE GIVEN?”: TOWARDS AN EXPLORATION OF KENOSIS AS FORGIVENESS—CONTINUING THE CONVERSATION BETWEEN COAKLEY, HAMPSON, AND PAPANIKOLAOU1
Authors: CHAU CAROLYN A. 
Published: December 2011

AbstractThis article engages the conversation between Sarah Coakley, Daphne Hampson, and Aristotle Papanikolaou (Modern Theology, Vol. 19 no. 1, January 2003) on the appropriateness of kenosis as a theological trope for women and deeply oppressed and vulnerable others. It affirms Coakley's and Papanikolaou's stance, which maintains that kenosis is a necessary or at least distinctively valuable category in Christian theology for understanding the transformation and redemption of all persons. The paper expands on Papanikolaou's analysis of the kenosis involved in the healing and recovery of personhood, arguing that the “emptying of fear” reaches the fullness of self‐giving love in the scandalous act of forgiveness.
RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN THE THEOLOGY OF INTERRELIGIOUS DIALOGUE: FROM SOTERIOLOGICAL OPENNESS TO HERMENEUTICAL OPENNESS
Authors: MOYAERT MARIANNE 
Published: December 2011

AbstractIn this article I will reflect on interreligious dialogue and the tensive relation between openness and identity from a theological perspective. First, I consider the so‐called theology of religions and the threefold soteriological typology of exclusivism, inclusivism and pluralism. Second, I address one of the main criticisms of this approach, namely that the soteriological approach amounts to a perversion of the virtue of openness. This critique is articulated especially within particularism, a model which sets out to move beyond the soteriological fixation of the classical theology of religions. Because this relatively new model has not yet been analyzed systematically in the relevant literature, I will analyze some of its main tenets. I focus especially on the way this model sets out to alter the terms of the discussion on the dialogical tension between openness and commitment by claiming that hermeneutical openness should precede soteriological appreciation. Third, I turn to comparative theology as a fertile expression of particularism. Comparative theology presents itself as a genuinely adequate way to understand and appreciate the otherness of the religious other without losing sight of one's own identity. Moreover, comparative theology gives a new twist to the discussion on the dialogical tension between openness and commitment. Whereas the classical theology of religions seems to be actuated by the conviction that it is both possible and necessary to come to a final and definite soteriological appreciation of the religions, comparative theology sees interreligious encounter first and foremost as an ongoing conversational process, which can yield preliminary results only. It is my contention that this marks the nature of real and authentic dialogue.
CCAAT‐enhancer‐binding protein‐beta expression in vivo is associated with muscle strength
Authors: Harries Lorna W. , Pilling Luke C. , Hernandez L. Dena G. , Bradley‐Smith Rachel , Henley William , Singleton Andrew B. , Guralnik Jack M. , Bandinelli Stefania , Ferrucci Luigi , Melzer David 
Published: December 2011

SummaryDeclining muscle strength is a core feature of aging. Several mechanisms have been postulated, including CCAAT/enhancer‐binding protein‐beta (C/EBP‐β)‐triggered macrophage‐mediated muscle fiber regeneration after micro‐injury, evidenced in a mouse model. We aimed to identify in vivo circulating leukocyte gene expression changes associated with muscle strength in the human adult population. We undertook a genome‐wide expression microarray screen, using peripheral blood RNA samples from InCHIANTI study participants (aged 30 and 104). Logged expression intensities were regressed with muscle strength using models adjusted for multiple confounders. Key results were validated by real‐time PCR. The Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) score tested walk speed, chair stand, and balance. CEBPB expression levels were associated with muscle strength (β coefficient = 0.20560, P = 1.03*10−6, false discovery rate q = 0.014). The estimated handgrip strength in 70‐year‐old men in the lowest CEBPB expression tertile was 35.2 kg compared with 41.2 kg in the top tertile. CEBPB expression was also associated with hip, knee, ankle, and shoulder strength and the SPPB score (P = 0.018). Near‐study‐wide associations were also noted for TGF‐β3 (P = 3.4*10−5, q = 0.12) and CEBPD expression (P = 9.7*10−5, q = 0.18) but not for CEBPA expression. We report here a novel finding that raised CEBPB expression in circulating leukocyte‐derived RNA samples in vivo is associated with greater muscle strength and better physical performance in humans. This association may be consistent with mouse model evidence of CEBPB‐triggered muscle repair: if this mechanism is confirmed, it may provide a target for intervention to protect and enhance aging muscle.
Combined effect of 25‐OH vitamin D plasma levels and genetic Vitamin DReceptor (NR 1I1) variants on fibrosis progression rate in HCV patients
Authors: Baur Katharina , Mertens Joachim C. , Schmitt Johannes , Iwata Rika , Stieger Bruno , Eloranta Jyrki J. , Frei Pascal , Stickel Felix , Dill Michael T. , Seifert Burkhardt , Bischoff Ferrari Heike A. , von Eckardstein Arnold , Bochud Pierre‐Yves , Müllhaupt Beat , Geier Andreas ,   the Swiss Hepatitis C Cohort Study Group
Published: December 2011

AbstractBackgroundDecreased vitamin D levels have been described in various forms of chronic liver disease and associated with advanced fibrosis. Whether this association is a cause or consequence of advanced fibrosis remains unclear to date.AimsTo analyse combined effects of 25‐OH vitamin D plasma levels and vitamin D receptor gene (VDR; NR1I1) polymorphisms on fibrosis progression rate in HCV patients.Methods251 HCV patients underwent VDR genotyping (bat‐haplotype: BsmI rs1544410 C, ApaI rs7975232 A and TaqI rs731236 A). Plasma 25‐OH vitamin D levels were quantified in a subgroup of 97 patients without advanced fibrosis. The VDR haplotype and genotypes as well as plasma 25‐OH vitamin D levels were associated with fibrosis progression.ResultsThe bAt[CCA]‐haplotype was significantly associated with fibrosis progression >0.101 U/year (P = 0.007; OR = 2.02) and with cirrhosis (P = 0.022; OR = 1.84). Forty‐five percent of bAt[CCA]‐haplotype patients were rapid fibrosers, 21.1% were cirrhotic. Likewise, ApaI rs7975232 CC genotype was significantly associated with fibrosis progression and cirrhosis. Lower plasma 25‐OH vitamin D levels were significantly associated with fibrosis progression >0.101 U/year in F0–2 patients (P = 0.013). Combined analysis of both variables revealed a highly significant additive effect on fibrosis progression with 45.5% rapid fibrosers for bAt[CCA]‐haplotype and 25‐OH vitamin D < 20 μg/L compared with only 9.1% for the most favourable combination (P = 0.006). In multivariate analysis, the bAt‐haplotype was an independent risk factor for fibrosis progression (P = 0.001; OR = 2.83).ConclusionLow 25‐OH vitamin D plasma levels and the unfavourable VDR bAt[CCA]‐haplotype are associated with rapid fibrosis progression in chronic HCV patients. In combination, both variables exert significant additive effects on fibrosis progression.
Identification of Cytokines and Signaling Proteins Differentially Regulated by Sumatriptan/Naproxen
Authors: Vause Carrie V. , Durham Paul L. 
Published: December 2011

Objectives.— The goal of this study was to use protein array analysis to investigate temporal regulation of stimulated cytokine expression in trigeminal ganglia and the spinal trigeminal nucleus in response to co‐treatment of sumatriptan and naproxen sodium or individual drug.Background.— Activation of neurons and glia in trigeminal ganglia and the spinal trigeminal nucleus leads to increased levels of cytokines that promote peripheral and central sensitization, which are key events in migraine pathology. While recent clinical studies have provided evidence that a combination of sumatriptan and naproxen sodium is more efficacious in treating migraine than either drug alone, it is not well understood why the combination therapy is superior to monotherapy.Methods.— Male Sprague–Dawley rats were left untreated (control), injected with capsaicin, or pretreated with sumatriptan/naproxen, sumatriptan, or naproxen for 1 hour prior to capsaicin. Trigeminal ganglia and the spinal trigeminal nucleus were isolated 2 and 24 hours after capsaicin or drug treatment, and levels of 90 proteins were determined using a RayBio® Label‐Based Rat Antibody Array (RayBiotech, Norcross, GA, USA).Results.— Capsaicin stimulated a >3‐fold increase in expression of the majority of cytokines in trigeminal ganglia at 2 hours that was sustained at 24 hours. Significantly, treatment with sumatriptan/naproxen almost completely abolished the stimulatory effects of capsaicin at 2 and 24 hours. Capsaicin stimulated >3‐fold expression of more proteins in the spinal trigeminal nucleus at 24 hours when compared to 2 hours. Similarly, sumatriptan/naproxen abolished capsaicin stimulation of proteins in the spinal trigeminal nucleus at 2 hours and greatly suppressed protein expression 24 hours post‐capsaicin injection. Interestingly, treatment with sumatriptan alone suppressed expression of different cytokines in trigeminal ganglia and the spinal trigeminal nucleus than repressed by naproxen sodium.Conclusion.— We found that the combination of sumatriptan/naproxen was effective in blocking capsaicin stimulation of pro‐inflammatory proteins implicated in the development of peripheral and central sensitization in response to capsaicin activation of trigeminal neurons. Based on our findings that sumatriptan and naproxen regulate expression of different proteins in trigeminal ganglia and the spinal trigeminal nucleus, we propose that these drugs function on therapeutically distinct cellular targets to suppress inflammation and pain associated with migraine.
Extended Practice and Aerobic Exercise Interventions Benefit Untrained Cognitive Outcomes in Older Adults: A Meta‐Analysis
Authors: Hindin Shoshana B. , Zelinski Elizabeth M. 
Published: December 2011

ObjectivesTo examine whether therapeutic interventions of extended practice of cognitive tasks or aerobic exercise have led to significant improvement in untrained cognitive tasks.DesignThe PSYCINFO, MEDLINE, and Abstracts in Social Gerontology databases were searched for English‐language studies of cognitive interventions of exercise or extended cognitive practice between 1966 and 2010. The final search was in January 2011. Studies included were experimental interventions hypothesizing improvement on untrained cognitive outcomes with pre‐ and posttests. Studies of varying quality were included and compared.SettingInterventions generally took place in laboratories, in gymnasium facilities, in the home, and outdoors. Experimenters administered testing.ParticipantsForty‐two studies with 3,781 healthy older adults aged 55 and older were analyzed.MeasurementsBetween‐group effect sizes (ESs), which account for practice effects on outcome measures, and within‐experimental group ESs were computed from untrained cognitive outcome domains, including choice reaction time, memory, and executive function, and compared. ESs were also coded for training type and study quality. Multilevel mixed‐effect analyses accommodated multiple outcomes from individual studies.ResultsExtended practice (estimated ES = 0.33, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.13–0.52) and aerobic fitness (estimated ES = 0.33, 95% CI = 0.10–0.55) training produced significant between‐group ESs, but they did not differ in magnitude. Better study quality was associated with larger ESs.ConclusionFindings indicate that aerobic and extended cognitive practice training interventions for healthy older adults improve performance on untrained cognitive tasks.
The Relationship of the Canine Femoral Head to the Femoral Neck: An Anatomic Study with Relevance for Hip Arthroplasty Implant Design and Implantation
Authors: Franklin Samuel P. , Franklin Ashley L. , Wilson Howard , Schultz Loren , Sonny Bal B. , Cook James L. 
Published: December 2011

Objectives(1) To evaluate a novel method for characterizing the relationship of the canine femoral head to the femoral neck and (2) to determine whether the femoral head is symmetrically positioned upon the femoral neck.Study DesignCadaveric study.Sample PopulationCadaveric dog femurs (16 dogs, 32 femurs)MethodsFemurs were photographed in frontal and sagittal planes simultaneously using 2 cameras positioned orthogonally. Ten measurements were made by 2 independent observers and agreement assessed by calculating intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC). Repeatability in specimen positioning was assessed by repositioning and imaging a single femur10 times.ResultsICC values exceeded 0.6 for 8 of the 10 different measurements made. Mean ± SD femoral head offset ratios in the frontal and sagittal planes were 0.14 ± 0.08 and 2.66 ± 1.16. The mean specimen positioning error (±SD) for the single specimen that was repositioned 10 times was 0.93° ± 1.92° and 2.39° ± 1.13° in the frontal and sagittal planes, respectively.ConclusionsCorrelations between observers were moderately strong or strong for 8 of 10 measurements. Specimen positioning was repeatable. The offset ratios indicate that dogs have a substantial cranial and ventral offset of the femoral head from the femoral neck.
Acute Clinical Evaluation of a Left Ventricular Automatic Threshold Determination Algorithm Based on Evoked Response Sensing
Authors: KALAHASTY GAUTHAM , GIUDICI MICHAEL , LOBBAN JOHN , DOSHI RAHUL , DELANEY COLLEEN , SHOME SHIBAJI , GOLD MICHAEL R. , ELLENBOGEN KENNETH 
Published: December 2011

Introduction:

Automatic pacing threshold (AT) testing may simplify device follow‐up and improve device longevity. This study's objective was to evaluate the performance of a left ventricular (LV) evoked response sensing‐based AT algorithm, for cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) devices.
Methods:

Patients scheduled for CRT‐D/P implant were enrolled. A manual step‐down threshold test and a Left Ventricular Automatic Threshold (LVAT) test in each of four pacing vectors—LVTip→Can, LVTip→right ventricle (RV),
= LVRing→Can, and LVRing→RV—were conducted. Patients were randomized to either 0.4‐ms or 1.0‐ms pacing pulse width and in the manual and LVAT test order. A blinded core lab electrophysiologist (EP) determined the threshold using the surface electrocardiogram (gold standard).
Results:

Data from 70 patients were analyzed. Bipolar LV leads from three major manufacturers were used. A total of 273 AT tests were performed; 12 AT tests did not result in a threshold due to improper testing conditions. Of 261 eligible tests, 234 AT tests (89.6%) returned a threshold measurement. Of the 234 tests, in 233 tests (99.5%) the algorithm‐determined threshold matched the EP‐determined threshold for that test. A total of 16,689 capture and 526 noncapture beats were collected and the accuracy for detecting capture and noncapture were 98.5% and 99.7% with a two‐sided 95% confidence level of (98.4%, 98.7%) and (99.4%, 100%), respectively. No AT threshold measurement was lower than the EP‐determined threshold.
Conclusion:

In this study, the results suggest that the LVAT algorithm is accurate at determining pacing thresholds in multiple pacing configurations and a wide range of LV leads in CRT‐D/P patients. (PACE 2011;1–5)
Prognostic Role of High‐Sensitivity C‐Reactive Protein and B‐Type Natriuretic Peptide in Implantable Cardioverter‐Defibrillator Patients
Authors: THEUNS DOMINIC A. M. J. , SMITH TIM , SZILI‐TOROK TAMAS , MUSKENS‐HEEMSKERK, R. N. AGNES , JANSE PETTER , JORDAENS LUC 
Published: December 2011

Background:

High‐sensitivity C‐reactive protein (hs‐CRP) and B‐type natriuretic peptide (BNP) are useful biomarkers for cardiovascular risk stratification. Little data are available regarding the prognostic value of hs‐CRP and BNP serum levels and future ventricular arrhythmic events triggering implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) therapy.
Methods:

A total of 100 patients eligible for ICD implantation were enrolled in a prospective cohort study. Serum levels of hs‐CRP and BNP were obtained the day before ICD implantation and at scheduled follow‐up visits. For risk analysis, the study cohort was dichotomized based on serum level of hs‐CRP using a cut‐off value of 3 mg/L. The endpoint was appropriate ICD therapy triggered by ventricular arrhythmias during a follow‐up of 24 months.
Results:

Appropriate ICD therapy was delivered in 20% of patients. Median baseline serum level of hs‐CRP was significantly higher in patients with appropriate ICD therapy than in those without appropriate ICD therapy (5.33 mg/L vs 2.19 mg/L; P = 0.002). The same was true for median serum levels of hs‐CRP and BNP during follow‐up (5.43 mg/L vs 2.61 mg/L, P = 0.001 and 261.0 pg/mL vs 80.1 pg/mL, P = 0.01, respectively). Multivariate analysis demonstrated that baseline hs‐CRP level > 3 mg/L was independently associated with appropriate ICD therapy (odds ratio 4.0, 95% 1.1–14.2; P = 0.03).
Conclusion:

Elevated preimplantation hs‐CRP serum level is independently associated with increased risk for appropriate ICD therapy. Monitoring for elevated BNP levels during follow‐up adds to the assessment of risk for future arrhythmias. (PACE 2011;1–8)