bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The targeting of nutritionally at-risk children attending a primary health care facility in the Western Cape Province of South Africa
Authors: Schoeman SE , Hendricks MK , Hattingh SP , Benadé AJS , Laubscher JA , Dhansay MA 
Published: June 2009

AbstractAimThe aim of this study was to determine the practices of primary health care (PHC) nurses in targeting nutritionally at-risk infants and children for intervention at a PHC facility in a peri-urban area of the Western Cape Province of South Africa.MethodologyNutritional risk status of infants and children < 6 years of age was based on criteria specified in standardised nutrition case management guidelines developed for PHC facilities in the province. Children were identified as being nutritionally at-risk if their weight was below the 3rd centile, their birth weight was less than 2500 g, and their growth curve showed flattening or dropping off for at least two consecutive monthly visits. The study assessed the practices of nurses in identifying children who were nutritionally at-risk and the entry of these children into the food supplementation programme (formerly the Protein–Energy Malnutrition Scheme) of the health facility. Structured interviews were conducted with nurses to determine their knowledge of the case management guidelines; interviews were also conducted with caregivers to determine their sociodemographic status.ResultsOne hundred and thirty-four children were enrolled in the study. The mean age of their caregivers was 29.5 (standard deviation 7.5) years and only 47 (38%) were married. Of the caregivers, 77% were unemployed, 46% had poor household food security and 40% were financially dependent on non-family members. Significantly more children were nutritionally at-risk if the caregiver was unemployed (54%) compared with employed (32%) (P = 0.04) and when there was household food insecurity (63%) compared with household food security (37%) (P < 0.004). Significantly more children were found not to be nutritionally at-risk if the caregiver was financially self-supporting or supported by their partners (61%) compared with those who were financially dependent on non-family members (35%) (P = 0.003). The weight results of the nurses and the researcher differed significantly (P < 0.001), which was largely due to the different scales used and weighing methods. The researcher's weight measurements were consistently higher than the nurses' (P < 0.00). The researcher identified 67 (50%) infants and children as being nutritionally at-risk compared with 14 (10%) by the nurses. The nurses' poor detection and targeting of nutritionally at-risk children were largely a result of failure to plot weights on the weight-for-age chart (55%) and poor utilisation of the Road to Health Chart.ConclusionsProblems identified in the practices of PHC nurses must be addressed in targeting children at nutritional risk so that appropriate intervention and support can be provided. More attention must be given to socio-economic criteria in identifying children who are nutritionally at-risk to ensure their access to adequate social security networks.
Indigenous peoples' food systems for health: finding interventions that work
Authors: Kuhnlein Harriet , Erasmus Bill , Creed-Kanashiro Hilary , Englberger Lois , Okeke Chinwe , Turner Nancy , Allen Lindsay , Bhattacharjee Lalita 
Published: June 2009

AbstractThis is a short report of a ‘safari’ held in conjunction with the International Congress of Nutrition in September 2005, in Futululu, St. Lucia, South Africa. Participants were several members of the International Union of Nutritional Sciences Task Force on Indigenous Peoples' Food Systems and Nutrition, other interested scientists and members of the Kwa Zulu indigenous community. The paper describes the rationale for and contributions towards understanding what might be successful interventions that would resonate among indigenous communities in many areas of the world. A summary of possible evaluation strategies of such interventions is also given.
“Eating the food of our place”: Sociolinguistic loyalties in multidialectal Sui villages
Authors: STANFORD JAMES N. 
Published: June 2009

ABSTRACTAmong the Sui people of rural southwestern China, descent-group loyalties are closely tied to linguistic features. In every village, long-term dialect contact occurs between local villagers and in-marrying women from different clans, yet most speakers maintain their original dialect features to a high degree. The present study conducts ethnographic interviews to more deeply understandwhysuch behavior occurs. Most current, practice-based models of identity tend to emphasize dynamic, flexible, individualistic choices – an approach that suits variation on many levels in many societies. However, to understand the descent-group loyalties particular to indigenous, non-Western, clan-based cultures like Sui, a more tempered, culturally sensitive model is necessary. Speakers show a deep sense of stability, permanence, and collective loyalty tocommunities of descent, (re)produced through stable linguistic expressions:acts of loyalty. The study also highlights the use of indigenous minorities’ own categories (place, toponyms, lineage) rather than non-indigenous categories. (Language and identity, place, dialect contact, clan, indigenous minority, acts of identity, acts of loyalty, community of practice, community of descent)
Reply to Brems
Authors: Weber Christian E. 
Published: June 2009

My response to Brems's comment on my paper is, I hope, obvious and straightforward.First, it should be noted that in his section II, Brems is correct with one important exception. He is correct to note that the particular additive utility function in his equation (1) is not Cobb-Douglas. However, this correct conclusion does not imply, as Brems appears to believe it does, that it is impossible to write down an additive utility function which would generate the same indifference map, first-order conditions, and demand functions as a multiplicative Cobb-Douglas utility function
Mechanisms of transient nitric oxide and nitrous oxide production in a complex biofilm
Authors: Schreiber Frank , Loeffler Birte , Polerecky Lubos , Kuypers Marcel M M , de Beer Dirk 
Published: June 2009

Abstract
Nitric oxide (NO) and nitrous oxide (N2O) are formed during N-cycling in complex microbial communities in response to fluctuating molecular oxygen (O2) and nitrite (NO2−) concentrations. Until now, the formation of NO and N2O in microbial communities has been measured with low spatial and temporal resolution, which hampered elucidation of the turnover pathways and their regulation. In this study, we combined microsensor measurements with metabolic modeling to investigate the functional response of a complex biofilm with nitrifying and denitrifying activity to variations in O2 and NO2−. In steady state, NO and N2O formation was detected if ammonium (NH4+) was present under oxic conditions and if NO2− was present under anoxic conditions. Thus, NO and N2O are produced by ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) under oxic conditions and by heterotrophic denitrifiers under anoxic conditions. NO and N2O formation by AOB occurred at fully oxic conditions if NO2− concentrations were high. Modeling showed that steady-state NO concentrations are controlled by the affinity of NO-consuming processes to NO. Transient accumulation of NO and N2O occurred upon O2 removal from, or NO2− addition to, the medium only if NH4+ was present under oxic conditions or if NO2− was already present under anoxic conditions. This showed that AOB and heterotrophic denitrifiers need to be metabolically active to respond with instantaneous NO and N2O production upon perturbations. Transiently accumulated NO and N2O decreased rapidly after their formation, indicating a direct effect of NO on the metabolism. By fitting model results to measurements, the kinetic relationships in the model were extended with dynamic parameters to predict transient NO release from perturbed ecosystems.
Bacteriophage lytic to Desulfovibrio aespoeensis isolated from deep groundwater
Authors: Eydal Hallgerd S C , Jägevall Sara , Hermansson Malte , Pedersen Karsten 
Published: June 2009

Abstract
Viruses were earlier found to be 10-fold more abundant than prokaryotes in deep granitic groundwater at the Äspö Hard Rock Laboratory (HRL). Using a most probable number (MPN) method, 8–30 000 cells of sulphate-reducing bacteria per ml were found in groundwater from seven boreholes at the Äspö HRL. The content of lytic phages infecting the indigenous bacterium Desulfovibrio aespoeensis in Äspö groundwater was analysed using the MPN technique for phages. In four of 10 boreholes, 0.2−80 phages per ml were found at depths of 342–450 m. Isolates of lytic phages were made from five cultures. Using transmission electron microscopy, these were characterized and found to be in the Podoviridae morphology group. The isolated phages were further analysed regarding host range and were found not to infect five other species of Desulfovibrio or 10 Desulfovibrio isolates with up to 99.9% 16S rRNA gene sequence identity to D. aespoeensis. To further analyse phage–host interactions, using a direct count method, growth of the phages and their host was followed in batch cultures, and the viral burst size was calculated to be ∼170 phages per lytic event, after a latent period of ∼70 h. When surviving cells from infected D. aespoeensis batch cultures were inoculated into new cultures and reinfected, immunity to the phages was found. The parasite–prey system found implies that viruses are important for microbial ecosystem diversity and activity, and for microbial numbers in deep subsurface groundwater.
Herbal Drugs in Mirror of Alzheimer’s Disease
Authors: Kastenholz Bernd , Nagel Kerstin , Garfin David , Horst Jürgen 
Published: June 2009

AbstractCommercially available Ginkgo biloba leaf extracts may lack specificity as to the binding of copper and zinc ions in human cells. This might be the reason why Ginkgo extracts have no predictable and clinically significant benefit for people with dementia or cognitive impairment. A novel generation of herbal drugs is proposed as antioxidant and metal chelator in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.
Altering PI3K—Akt signalling in zebrafish embryos affects PTEN phosphorylation and gastrulation
Authors: Finkielsztein Ariel , Kelly Gregory M. 
Published: June 2009

Background information. PTEN (phosphatase and tensin homologue deleted on chromosome 10) is a negative regulator of the PI3K (phosphoinositide 3‐kinase)–Akt (also called protein kinase B) signalling pathway and is essential for embryogenesis, but its function in early vertebrate embryos is unclear.Results. To address how PTEN functions in early embryos, we overexpressed one of the four zebrafish PTEN isoforms at the 1–2‐cell stage. Overexpression of Ptena454 alters phospho‐Akt levels and impairs cell movements associated with gastrulation. Heat shocking embryos increases phospho‐Akt levels and lowers phospho‐Ptena454 levels. Inhibiting CK2 (protein kinase CK2) activity reduces phospho‐Pten levels and augments the effects due to Ptena454 overexpression. Low phospho‐Akt and corresponding low phospho‐GSK‐3 (glycogen synthase kinase‐3) and high phospho‐Pten levels accompany wortmannin or LY294002 treatment, which inhibit PI3K activity.Conclusions. These results suggest that Ptena454 regulation is correlated to changes in phospho‐Akt levels. We propose a model in which homoeostasis in rapidly dividing and migrating embryonic cells depends on a counterbalance between pro‐survival signalling employing CK2 and GSK‐3 and the pro‐apoptotic activity of Ptena454.
Reliability of heart rate variability measurements in patients with a history of myocardial infarction
Authors: Maestri Roberto , Raczak Grzegorz , Danilowicz-Szymanowicz Ludmila , Torunski Antoni , Sukiennik Adam , Kubica Jacek , La Rovere Maria Teresa , Pinna Gian Domenico 
Published: June 2009

Despite a well-established prognostic value in cardiac patients, HRV (heart rate variability) indexes have been used little in the clinical setting. Poor reliability of the measurements might be a possible explanation for this. In the present study, we assessed the reliability of short-term HRV indexes in post-MI (myocardial infarction) patients. We studied 61 MI patients [50 males; age, 59±8 years; and LVEF (left ventricular ejection fraction), 46±6%; values are means±S.D.], who underwent a 5+5 min ECG recording during spontaneous and paced breathing on two consecutive days. Standard time-domain [SDNN (S.D. of RR interval values) and RMSSD (root-mean-square of successive RR interval differences)] and frequency-domain [LF (low-frequency) and HF (high-frequency) power, and LF/HF] indexes of HRV were computed. Absolute and relative reliability were assessed by the 95% limits of random variation and by the ICC (intra-class correlation coefficient). The agreement between the two measurements in classifying patients at low or high risk, according to different cut-points, and the sample size needed to detect a clinically relevant change, were also assessed. During spontaneous breathing, individual changes in test–retest measurements ranged from −41 to +61% (SDNN; best case) and from −76 to +316% (LF/HF; worst case). The ICC ranged from 0.72 to 0.81. Most patients (79–90%) were assigned to the same class by the two measurements. Paced breathing did not improve reliability. In conclusion, short-term HRV parameters in MI patients may have large day-to-day variations, making the detection of treatment effects in individual patients difficult; however, the ICC values and the analysis of the consistency of classification between repeated tests indicate that HRV measurements fulfil the criteria required to be used for diagnostic or classification purposes.
Visual and statistical comparison of metagenomes
Authors: Mitra Suparna , Klar Bernhard , Huson Daniel H. 
Published: June 2009

Abstract
Background: Metagenomics is the study of the genomic content of an environmental sample of microbes. Advances in the through-put and cost-efficiency of sequencing technology is fueling a rapid increase in the number and size of metagenomic datasets being generated. Bioinformatics is faced with the problem of how to handle and analyze these datasets in an efficient and useful way. One goal of these metagenomic studies is to get a basic understanding of the microbial world both surrounding us and within us. One major challenge is how to compare multiple datasets. Furthermore, there is a need for bioinformatics tools that can process many large datasets and are easy to use.
Results: This article describes two new and helpful techniques for comparing multiple metagenomic datasets. The first is a visualization technique for multiple datasets and the second is a new statistical method for highlighting the differences in a pairwise comparison. We have developed implementations of both methods that are suitable for very large datasets and provide these in Version 3 of our standalone metagenome analysis tool MEGAN.
Conclusion: These new methods are suitable for the visual comparison of many large metagenomes and the statistical comparison of two metagenomes at a time. Nevertheless, more work needs to be done to support the comparative analysis of multiple metagenome datasets.
Availability: Version 3 of MEGAN, which implements all ideas presented in this article, can be obtained from our web site at: www-ab.informatik.uni-tuebingen.de/software/megan.
Contact: mitra@informatik.uni-tuebingen.de
Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Executing multicellular differentiation: quantitative predictive modelling of C.elegans vulval development
Authors: Bonzanni Nicola , Krepska Elzbieta , Feenstra K. Anton , Fokkink Wan , Kielmann Thilo , Bal Henri , Heringa Jaap 
Published: June 2009

Abstract
Motivation: Understanding the processes involved in multi-cellular pattern formation is a central problem of developmental biology, hopefully leading to many new insights, e.g. in the treatment of various diseases. Defining suitable computational techniques for development modelling, able to perform in silico simulation experiments, is an open and challenging problem.
Results: Previously, we proposed a coarse-grained, quantitative approach based on the basic Petri net formalism, to mimic the behaviour of the biological processes during multicellular differentiation. Here, we apply our modelling approach to the well-studied process of Caenorhabditis elegans vulval development. We show that our model correctly reproduces a large set of in vivo experiments with statistical accuracy. It also generates gene expression time series in accordance with recent biological evidence. Finally, we modelled the role of microRNA mir-61 during vulval development and predict its contribution in stabilizing cell pattern formation.
Contact: feenstra@few.vu.nl
Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Intra‐aortic balloon counterpulsation as a bridge to heart transplantation does not impair long‐term survival
Authors: Gjesdal Ola , Gude Einar , Arora Satish , Leivestad Torbjørn , Andreassen Arne K. , Gullestad Lars , Aaberge Lars , Brunvand Harald , Edvardsen Thor , Geiran Odd R. , Simonsen Svein 
Published: June 2009

AimsThere are few studies of the use of intra‐aortic balloon pump (IABP) treatment as a bridge to heart transplantation (HTx). This is the first study to compare long‐term clinical and haemodynamic outcomes in IABP‐treated HTx patients and electively transplanted patients.Methods and resultsThis was a retrospective study of all adult HTx recipients between 2001 and 2007. Thirty‐two patients (aged 50 ± 13 years) treated with IABP, as a bridge to HTx due to severe hypo‐perfusion, were compared with 135 electively transplanted patients (aged 54 ± 11 years). The mean time from onset of IABP to HTx was 21 ± 16 days. Clinical condition improved during IABP treatment. Serum creatinine decreased from 128 ± 56 to 102 ± 29 µmol/L (P < 0.01), aspartate transaminase from 682 ± 1299 to 63 ± 89 U/L (P = 0.01), and ALAT from 483 ± 867 to 126 ± 284 U/L (P = 0.02). Intra‐aortic balloon pump treatment related complications were few. Mortality was similar in the IABP and control groups at 30 days post‐HTx (6.2 vs.3.7%, P = 0.54), at 1 year (9.4 vs.11.1%, P = 0.80), and beyond. Long‐term clinical and haemodynamic indices were similar in the two groups.ConclusionIntra‐aortic balloon pump treatment stabilizes patients in end‐stage heart failure, is safe, well tolerated, and is successful in bridging acutely decompensated patients to transplantation. Complications are few and manageable. Following IABP and HTx, short‐ and long‐term survival, biochemical and invasive and non‐invasive haemodynamic outcomes were similar to those in electively transplanted patients.
High Prevalence of Soil-transmitted Helminths in Western Kenya: Failure to Implement Deworming Guidelines in Rural Nyanza Province
Authors: Riesel Johanna N. , Ochieng’ Frederick O. , Wright Peter , Vermund Sten H. , Davidson Mario 
Published: June 2009

Abstract
Soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections affect an estimated 2 billion people world wide. Children experience the greatest morbidity, limiting their potential in academic and physical endeavors. Our study assessed the prevalence of STH infections in primary school-aged children in a rural village in the Nyanza Province of Kenya. Over two-thirds (68%) of the sampled population tested positive using a direct smear microscopic analysis of single stool samples. Only heavy worm infections would be detected with this technique; thus 68% is a minimum estimate of prevalence. Prior to our study, there were no deworming programs in this village, despite WHO and Kenyan government guidelines supporting regular deworming programs. Our study demonstrates the significant burden of STH infections in a rural Kenyan village and highlights the need for deworming programs in similar venues. We also demonstrate that with basic infrastructure and community involvement, regular deworming can be implemented effectively in remote, rural communities.
High-Throughput Quantification of Root Growth Using a Novel Image-Analysis Tool
Authors: French Andrew , Ubeda-Tomás Susana , Holman Tara J. , Bennett Malcolm J. , Pridmore Tony 
Published: June 2009

Abstract
Measuring the dynamics of plant growth is fundamental to the understanding of plant development processes. This paper describes a high-throughput, automatic method to trace Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) seedling roots grown on agarose plates. From the trace, additional software can quantify length, curvature, and stimulus response parameters such as onset of gravitropism. The method combines a particle-filtering algorithm with a graph-based method to trace the center line of a root. This top-down approach is robust to a variety of noise effects and is reasonably flexible across different image sets. The resulting tool requires minimal interaction from the user and is able to process long time-lapse sequences with user interaction only required on the first frame. The tool is described first, followed by its use on two sample data sets, one measuring root length and the other additionally analyzing the gravitropic response and curvature. The tool, RootTrace, is open source; both the program and source code will be available online.
Presence of HCV‐RNA after ultracentrifugation of serum samples during the follow‐up of chronic hepatitis C patients with a sustained virological response may predict reactivation of hepatitis C virus infection
Authors: CASTILLO I. , BARTOLOMÉ J. , QUIROGA J. A. , BARRIL G. , CARREÑO V. 
Published: June 2009

SummaryBackground  Concentration of viral particles by ultracentrifugation of serum prior to PCR allows detection of hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA in patients with undetectable viral RNA by conventional PCR assays.Aim  To analyse if HCV‐RNA is detected after serum ultracentrifugation in chronic hepatitis C patients with a sustained virological response to antiviral therapy (defined as serum HCV‐RNA negativity by conventional assays 6 months after the end of therapy).Methods  HCV‐RNA was tested using real‐time PCR in ultracentrifuged sera collected during the post‐treatment follow‐up (mean: 42 ± 27 months) in 57 sustained virological responders (SVR).Results  After serum ultracentrifugation, HCV‐RNA was detected on at least one occasion during the follow‐up in 29/57 (51%) SVR. Thirteen (23%) of these 57 SVR suffered a reactivation 18 ± 8 months after the end of therapy (reappearance of serum HCV‐RNA detectable by conventional assays). Among reactivated patients, 11/13 (85%) had HCV‐RNA in ultracentrifuged serum samples (detectable 10 ± 5 months before reactivation), while HCV‐RNA was positive after ultracentrifugation in 18/44 (41%) long‐term SVR (P = 0.01). Persistence of detectable HCV‐RNA after serum ultracentrifugation was associated with reactivation (P = 0.001).Conclusions  Serum ultracentrifugation prior to PCR allows detection of HCV‐RNA in SVR and its persistence may predict late reactivation.