bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Methadone maintenance therapy promotes initiation of antiretroviral therapy among injection drug users
Authors: Uhlmann Sasha , Milloy M.‐J. , Kerr Thomas , Zhang Ruth , Guillemi Silvia , Marsh David , Hogg Robert S. , Montaner Julio S. G. , Wood Evan 
Published: March 2010

ABSTRACTAims  Despite proven benefits of antiretroviral therapy (ART), many human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)‐infected injection drug users (IDU) do not access treatment even in settings with free health care. We examined whether methadone maintenance therapy (MMT) increased initiation and adherence to ART among an IDU population with free health care.Design  We examined prospectively a cohort of opioid‐using antiretroviral‐naive HIV‐infected IDU and investigated factors associated with initiation of antiretroviral therapy as well as subsequent adherence. Factors associated independently with time to first initiation of antiretroviral therapy were modelled using Cox proportional hazards regression.Findings  Between May 1996 and April 2008, 231 antiretroviral‐naive HIV‐infected opioid‐using IDU were enrolled, among whom 152 (65.8%) initiated ART, for an incidence density of 30.5 [95% confidence interval (CI): 25.9–35.6] per 100 person‐years. After adjustment for time‐updated clinical characteristics and other potential confounders, use of MMT was associated independently with more rapid uptake of antiretroviral therapy [relative hazard = 1.62 (95% CI: 1.15–2.28); P = 0.006]. Those prescribed methadone also had higher rates of ART adherence after first antiretroviral initiation [odds ratio = 1.49 (95% CI: 1.07–2.08); P = 0.019].Conclusion  These results demonstrate that MMT contributes to more rapid initiation and subsequent adherence to ART among opioid‐using HIV‐infected IDU. Addressing international barriers to the use and availability of methadone may increase dramatically uptake of HIV treatment among this population.
Rumination as a predictor of drinking behaviour in alcohol abusers: a prospective study
Authors: Caselli Gabriele , Ferretti Claudio , Leoni Mauro , Rebecchi Daniela , Rovetto Francesco , Spada Marcantonio M. 
Published: March 2010

ABSTRACTAims To investigate the role of depression and rumination in predicting drinking status (absence or presence of alcohol use) and level of alcohol use at 3, 6 and 12 months following a brief course of cognitive–behavioural therapy for alcohol abuse.Methods A total of 80 out‐patients with a diagnosis of alcohol abuse completed measures of depression (Beck Depression Inventory), rumination (Ruminative Responses Scale) and alcohol use (Quantity–Frequency Scale).Results These indicated that rumination predicted drinking status and level of alcohol use at 3‐, 6‐ and 12‐month follow‐up. The contribution of rumination was independent of depression and initial level of alcohol use.Conclusions The results confirm that rumination is an important prospective predictor of drinking status and level of alcohol use in alcohol abusers and highlight the potential relevance of targeting rumination in the treatment of alcohol abuse.
Seeing America—diary of a drug‐focused study tour made in 1967
Authors: Edwards Griffith 
Published: March 2010

ABSTRACTIn 1965 the British government was forced to admit that the country had an escalating heroin problem, with the supply coming mainly from prescribing by private practitioners. Within the official responses to what was seen at that time as a very worrying public health situation was the decision to fund the setting‐up of the Addiction Research Unit (ARU) at the Institute of Psychiatry, London. The US National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) generously sponsored a study tour for the nominated director of the ARU shortly before the opening of the British research centre. Extensive contemporaneous diary notes of a visit included contact with administrators, researchers, clinicians, parish priests, narcotic agents and addicts themselves. From a mass of often conflicting advice, some insights could be derived. In particular, these included the need for an awareness of any country's way of dealing with drug problems as a dynamic, multi‐factorial total system—a holistic ‘national response’. A further conclusion was to see policy itself as a complex subject for analysis: drug policy should be as much an issue for research as drug taking. Besides these broad conclusions, the experience provided many specific leads to development of a British addiction research programme, and fostered professional friendships of immeasurable worth.
Life with home mechanical ventilation for young men with Duchenne muscular dystrophy
Authors: Dreyer Pia Sander , Steffensen Birgit F. , Pedersen Birthe D. 
Published: March 2010

dreyer p.s., steffensen b.f. & pedersen b.d. (2010) Life with home mechanical ventilation for young men with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Journal of Advanced Nursing66(4), 753–762.AbstractTitle.  Life with home mechanical ventilation for young men with Duchenne muscular dystrophy Aim.  This paper is a report of a study from a patient perspective of the life experiences with home mechanical ventilation among young men with Duchenne muscular dystrophy.Background.  People with chronic respiratory failure due to neuromuscular diseases have been offered life‐long ventilator support at home for more than a decade. People having this treatment are positive about it and agree on having made the right choice about receiving it.Method.  Nineteen people with Duchenne muscular dystrophy and invasive home mechanical ventilation were interviewed in 2007. The interviews were tape‐recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed according to a method inspired by Ricoeur’s theory of interpretation, which consists of: a naive reading, a structural analysis, and a critical analysis and discussion.Findings.  The participants described how the ventilators had saved their lives and were the best thing that had happened to them, but they had had difficulty making the decision of when to start invasive ventilation. Invasive ventilation was preferred to non‐invasive ventilation by those who had experienced both. The participants wanted individualized care tailored to their needs in the home setting. Problems were described as being due to both human and technical factors, and sometimes resulted in inadequate ventilation.Conclusion.  Society needs to discuss if it is a basic human right to be able to breathe, and whether people with Duchenne muscular dystrophy therefore have the right to invasive home mechanical ventilation. Healthcare professionals need to guide ventilator‐users in decision‐making about when to receive invasive home mechanical ventilation.
Children and young people visiting an adult intensive care unit
Authors: Kean Susanne 
Published: March 2010

kean s. (2010) Children and young people visiting an adult intensive care unit. Journal of Advanced Nursing 66(4), 868–877.AbstractTitle.  Children and young people visiting an adult intensive care unit. Aim.  This paper is a report of a study into how children and young people constructed their experiences of visiting a critically ill family member in an intensive care unit.Background.  Previous intensive care research has focused almost exclusively on adult family members, and so far children and young people have been excluded from family studies in this area. Consequently, very little is known about children’s and young people’s needs or their understanding when visiting an adult intensive care unit.Method.  Between 2002 and 2005, nine family interviews (12 adults and 12 children) were conducted. A constructivist grounded theory approach was employed in gathering and analysing data.Findings.  The way in which children and young people discussed their intensive care visiting experiences suggest two different levels of understanding. Children tended to speak about intensive care on a concrete level, focusing on the environment (intensive care unit as environment). Young people, in contrast, understood their visiting experiences on an abstract level, focusing on the function of intensive care (intensive care unit as function).Conclusion.  A structured and age‐appropriate approach to support children visiting an adult intensive care unit still needs to be developed. It is time for nurses to reflect on current practice, challenge beliefs and attitudes towards child visitation. Crucially, nurses need education in listening skills and understanding children and young people’s needs when an adult family member is in an intensive care unit. Further research is needed to develop appropriate support interventions and to investigate the importance and effects of intensive care unit visiting on children and young people.
Genetic testing for cancer predisposition and implications for nursing practice: narrative review
Authors: Bancroft Elizabeth Kathryn 
Published: March 2010

bancroft e.k. (2010) Genetic testing for cancer predisposition and implications for nursing practice: narrative review. Journal of Advanced Nursing66(4), 710–737.AbstractTitle.  Genetic testing for cancer predisposition and implications for nursing practice:narrative review. Aim.  This paper is a report of a review of literature on the psychological and social implications of genetic testing for cancer predisposition and how recent developments in knowledge about genetics may affect clinical practice.Background.  Knowledge about the genetics of disease has grown since the completion of the Human Genome Project. Many common genetic changes that predispose to cancer have been found. Identifying genetically ‘at risk’ individuals is going to become a feature of healthcare and nursing practice over the next decade. The psychological and social effects of this knowledge on patients and their families are important considerations.Data sources.  A search of the British Nursing Index, CINAHL, EMBASE and PUBMED databases was conducted between June 2007 and December 2008 without date limits. Grey literature was sought using search engines and through searching relevant websites.Review methods.  A narrative review of studies published in English was conducted. The studies were reviewed for relevance and inclusion criteria; their methodological quality was not evaluated.Results.  Seventy‐eight papers met the inclusion criteria and fell into three thematic categories: social impact, psychological impact and interest in and uptake of genetic testing. To date, research has focussed on high‐risk cancer genes.Conclusion.  Genetic testing raises social, ethical and psychological concerns. Further research is required to determine how healthcare professionals can support the integration of genetics into clinical practice. Nurses will become increasingly involved in genetic testing and will play a key role in providing information, support and follow‐up for individuals identified as being at higher risk.
Plant functional traits in Australian subtropical rain forest: partitioning within‐community from cross‐landscape variation
Authors: Kooyman Robert , Cornwell Will , Westoby Mark 
Published: March 2010

Summary 1. Plant functional traits are dimensions of ecological strategy variation and provide insights into the assembly of plant communities. For woody rain forest vegetation of northern coastal New South Wales, Australia, we quantified four continuous traits (leaf size, seed size, wood density and maximum height) for 231 freestanding woody species and documented community composition for 216 plots. Using trait‐gradient analysis, we partitioned species trait values between alpha (within‐site) and beta (among‐site) components. This allowed us to identify both trait shifts along gradients and variation among co‐occurring species. 2. Alpha trait components consistently varied more widely than beta components, meaning that trait variation among species within plots was wider than variation in the mean trait values of plots where species typically grow. 3. Beta trait components covaried significantly among leaf area, seed size, wood density and maximum height. For example, species found in habitats with a large mean leaf size were consistently also found in plots with large mean seed size (r = 0.70). Beta correlations show that these leaf, wood and seed traits respond in parallel to the dominant abiotic gradients: soil types, topographic position, elevation and large‐patch disturbances such as those caused by cyclones–storms, landslips or fires. 4. In contrast, the alpha components of traits were largely uncorrelated among species. Alpha leaf area was not associated with alpha larger seeds, meaning that leaf area and seed size act as independent axes of differentiation among coexisting species. 5. Synthesis. The different correlation structures for alpha and beta components of traits reflect community assembly processes at different scales. Within sites, assembly processes have not created strong linkages among these traits. But across different sites in the landscape, abiotic drivers have created strong linkages.
Food energy content influences food portion size estimation by nutrition students
Authors: Japur C. C. , Diez‐Garcia R. W. 
Published: March 2010

AbstractBackground:  Food portion size estimation involves a complex mental process that may influence food consumption evaluation. Knowing the variables that influence this process can improve the accuracy of dietary assessment. The present study aimed to evaluate the ability of nutrition students to estimate food portions in usual meals and relate food energy content with errors in food portion size estimation.Methods:  Seventy‐eight nutrition students, who had already studied food energy content, participated in this cross‐sectional study on the estimation of food portions, organised into four meals. The participants estimated the quantity of each food, in grams or millilitres, with the food in view. Estimation errors were quantified, and their magnitude were evaluated. Estimated quantities (EQ) lower than 90% and higher than 110% of the weighed quantity (WQ) were considered to represent underestimation and overestimation, respectively. Correlation between food energy content and error on estimation was analysed by the Spearman correlation, and comparison between the mean EQ and WQ was accomplished by means of the Wilcoxon signed rank test (P < 0.05).Results:  A low percentage of estimates (18.5%) were considered accurate (±10% of the actual weight). The most frequently underestimated food items were cauliflower, lettuce, apple and papaya; the most often overestimated items were milk, margarine and sugar. A significant positive correlation between food energy density and estimation was found (r = 0.8166; P = 0.0002).Conclusions:  The results obtained in the present study revealed a low percentage of acceptable estimations of food portion size by nutrition students, with trends toward overestimation of high‐energy food items and underestimation of low‐energy items.
Catalytic domain of the diversified Pseudomonas syringae type III effector HopZ1 determines the allelic specificity in plant hosts
Authors: Morgan Robyn L. , Zhou Huanbin , Lehto Elizabeth , Nguyen Ngoc , Bains Ashvir , Wang Xiaoqiang , Ma Wenbo 
Published: March 2010

SummaryThe type III secretion systems (T3SS) and secreted effectors (T3SEs) are essential virulence factors in Gram‐negative bacteria. During the arms race, plants have evolved resistance (R) genes to detect specific T3SEs and activate defence responses. However, this immunity can be efficiently defeated by the pathogens through effector evolution. HopZ1 of the plant pathogen Pseudomonas syringae is a member of the widely distributed YopJ T3SE family. Three alleles are known to be present in P. syringae, with HopZ1a most resembling the ancestral allelic form. In this study, molecular mechanisms underlying the sequence diversification‐enabled HopZ1 allelic specificity is investigated. Using domain shuffling experiments, we present evidence showing that a central domain upstream of the conserved catalytic cysteine residue determines HopZ1 recognition specificity. Random and targeted mutagenesis identified three amino acids involved in HopZ1 allelic specificity. Particularly, the exchange of cysteine141 in HopZ1a with lysine137 at the corresponding position in HopZ1b abolished HopZ1a recognition in soybean. This position is under strong positive selection, suggesting that the cysteine/lysine mutation might be a key step driving the evolution of HopZ1. Our data support a model in which sequence diversification imposed by the plant R gene‐associated immunity has driven HopZ1 evolution by allowing allele‐specific substrate‐binding.
Functional characterization and manipulation of the apicidin biosynthetic pathway inFusarium semitectum
Authors: Jin Jian‐Ming , Lee Seunghoon , Lee Jungkwan , Baek Seung‐Ryul , Kim Jin‐Cheol , Yun Sung‐Hwan , Park Sook‐Young , Kang Seogchan , Lee Yin‐Won 
Published: March 2010

SummaryApicidin is a cyclic tetrapeptide produced by certain isolates ofFusarium semitectumand has been shown to inhibit Apicomplexan histone deacetylase. An apicidin‐producing strain (KCTC16676) of the filamentous fungus was mutated using anAgrobacterium tumefaciens‐mediated transformation, resulting in 24 apicidin‐deficient mutants. Three of the mutants had a T‐DNA insertion in a gene that encodes a non‐ribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS). Results of sequence, expression, and gene deletion analyses defined an apicidin biosynthetic gene cluster, and the NRPS gene was named as apicidin synthetase gene 1 (APS1). A 63 kb region surroundingAPS1was sequenced and analysis revealed the presence of 19 genes. All of the genes includingAPS1were individually deleted to determine their roles in apicidin biosynthesis. Chemical analyses of the mutant strains showed that eight genes are required for apicidin production and were used to propose an apicidin biosynthetic pathway. The apicidin analogues apicidin E, apicidin D2and apicidin B were identified from chemical analysis of the mutants. The cluster geneAPS2, a putative transcription factor, was shown to regulate expression of the genes in the cluster and overexpression ofAPS2increased apicidin production. This study establishes the apicidin biosynthetic pathway and provides new opportunities to improve the production of apicidin and produce new analogues.
Light signal transduction: an infinite spectrum of possibilities
Authors: Chory Joanne 
Published: March 2010

SummaryThe past 30 years has seen a tremendous increase in our understanding of the light‐signaling networks of higher plants. This short review emphasizes the role that Arabidopsis genetics has played in deciphering this complex network. Importantly, it outlines how genetic studies led to the identification of photoreceptors and signaling components that are not only relevant in plants, but play key roles in mammals.
Linking genotype to phenotype using the Arabidopsis unimutant collection
Authors: O’Malley Ronan C. , Ecker Joseph R. 
Published: March 2010

SummaryThe large collections of Arabidopsis thaliana sequence‐indexed T‐DNA insertion mutants are among the most important resources to emerge from the sequencing of the genome. Several laboratories around the world have used the Arabidopsis reference genome sequence to map T‐DNA flanking sequence tags (FST) for over 325 000 T‐DNA insertion lines. Over the past decade, phenotypes identified with T‐DNA‐induced mutants have played a critical role in advancing both basic and applied plant research. These widely used mutants are an invaluable tool for direct interrogation of gene function. However, most lines are hemizygous for the insertion, necessitating a genotyping step to identify homozygous plants for the quantification of phenotypes. This situation has limited the application of these collections for genome‐wide screens. Isolating multiple homozygous insert lines for every gene in the genome would make it possible to systematically test the phenotypic consequence of gene loss under a wide variety of conditions. One major obstacle to achieving this goal is that 12% of genes have no insertion and 8% are only represented by a single allele. Generation of additional mutations to achieve full genome coverage has been slow and expensive since each insertion is sequenced one at a time. Recent advances in high‐throughput sequencing technology open up a potentially faster and cost‐effective means to create new, very large insertion mutant populations for plants or animals. With the combination of new tools for genome‐wide studies and emerging phenotyping platforms, these sequence‐indexed mutant collections are poised to have a larger impact on our understanding of gene function.
Research on plant abiotic stress responses in the post‐genome era: past, present and future
Authors: Hirayama Takashi , Shinozaki Kazuo 
Published: March 2010

SummaryUnderstanding abiotic stress responses in plants is an important and challenging topic in plant research. Physiological and molecular biological analyses have allowed us to draw a picture of abiotic stress responses in various plants, and determination of the Arabidopsis genome sequence has had a great impact on this research field. The availability of the complete genome sequence has facilitated access to essential information for all genes, e.g. gene products and their function, transcript levels, putative cis‐regulatory elements, and alternative splicing patterns. These data have been obtained from comprehensive transcriptome analyses and studies using full‐length cDNA collections and T‐DNA‐ or transposon‐tagged mutant lines, which were also enhanced by genome sequence information. Moreover, studies on novel regulatory mechanisms involving use of small RNA molecules, chromatin modulation and genomic DNA modification have enabled us to recognize that plants have evolved complicated and sophisticated systems in response to complex abiotic stresses. Integrated data obtained with various ‘omics’ approaches have provided a more comprehensive picture of abiotic stress responses. In addition, research on stress responses in various plant species other than Arabidopsis has increased our knowledge regarding the mechanisms of plant stress tolerance in nature. Based on this progress, improvements in crop stress tolerance have been attempted by means of gene transfer and marker‐assisted breeding. In this review, we summarize recent progress in abiotic stress studies, especially in the post‐genomic era, and offer new perspectives on research directions for the next decade.
Seasonal and developmental timing of flowering
Authors: Amasino Richard 
Published: March 2010

SummaryThe coordination of the timing of flowering with seasonal and development cues is a critical life‐history trait that has been shaped by evolution to maximize reproductive success. Decades of studying many plant species have revealed several of the fascinating systems that plants have evolved to control flowering time: such as the perception of day length in leaves, which leads to the production of a mobile signal, florigen, that promotes flowering at the shoot apical meristem; the vernalization process in which exposure to prolonged cold results in meristem competence to flower; and the juvenile to adult phase transition. Arabidopsis research has contributed greatly to understanding these systems at a molecular level.