bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) for wound healing: Technology, mechanisms, and clinical efficacy
Authors: Mittermayr Rainer , Antonic Vlado , Hartinger Joachim , Kaufmann Hanna , Redl Heinz , Téot Luc , Stojadinovic Alexander , Schaden Wolfgang 
Published: May 2012

AbstractFor almost 30 years, extracorporeal shock wave therapy has been clinically implemented as an effective treatment to disintegrate urinary stones. This technology has also emerged as an effective noninvasive treatment modality for several orthopedic and traumatic indications including problematic soft tissue wounds. Delayed/nonhealing or chronic wounds constitute a burden for each patient affected, significantly impairing quality of life. Intensive wound care is required, and this places an enormous burden on society in terms of lost productivity and healthcare costs. Therefore, cost‐effective, noninvasive, and efficacious treatments are imperative to achieve both (accelerated and complete) healing of problematic wounds and reduce treatment‐related costs. Several experimental and clinical studies show efficacy for extracorporeal shock wave therapy as means to accelerate tissue repair and regeneration in various wounds. However, the biomolecular mechanism by which this treatment modality exerts its therapeutic effects remains unclear. Potential mechanisms, which are discussed herein, include initial neovascularization with ensuing durable and functional angiogenesis. Furthermore, recruitment of mesenchymal stem cells, stimulated cell proliferation and differentiation, and anti‐inflammatory and antimicrobial effects as well as suppression of nociception are considered important facets of the biological responses to therapeutic shock waves. This review aims to provide an overview of shock wave therapy, its history and development as well as its current place in clinical practice. Recent research advances are discussed emphasizing the role of extracorporeal shock wave therapy in soft tissue wound healing.
Antipathogenic properties of Lactobacillus plantarum on Pseudomonas aeruginosa: The potential use of its supernatants in the treatment of infected chronic wounds
Authors: Ramos Alberto N. , Sesto Cabral María E. , Noseda Diego , Bosch Alejandra , Yantorno Osvaldo M. , Valdez Juan C. 
Published: May 2012

AbstractPathogenic bacteria delay wound healing through several different mechanisms such as persistent production of inflammatory mediators or maintenance of necrotic neutrophils, which release cytolytic enzymes and free oxygen radicals. One of the most frequent pathogens isolated from infections in chronic wounds is Pseudomonas aeruginosa. This bacterium is extremely refractory to therapy and to host immune attack when it forms biofilms. Therefore, antibiotics and antiseptics are becoming useless in the treatment of these infections. In previous works, we demonstrated that Lactobacillus plantarum has an important antipathogenic capacity on P. aeruginosa. The aim of the present work was to elucidate the mechanism involved in the control of growth of P. aeruginosa on different surfaces by L. plantarum. For this purpose, we investigated the effects of L. plantarum supernatants on pathogenic properties of P. aeruginosa, such as adhesion, viability, virulence factors, biofilm formation, and quorum sensing signal expression. L. plantarum supernatants were able to inhibit pathogenic properties of P. aeruginosa by a quorum quenching mechanism. The antipathogenic properties mentioned above, together with the immunomodulatory, tissue repair, and angiogenesis properties in the supernatants of L. plantarum, make them an attractive option in infected chronic wound treatment.
Feminist Phenomenology and the Film World of Agnès Varda
Authors: Ince Kate 
Published: May 2012

AbstractThrough a discussion of Agnès Varda's career from 1954 to 2008 that focuses particularly onLa Pointe Courte(1954),L'Opéra‐Mouffe(1958), The Gleaners and I(2000), andThe Beaches of Agnes(2008), this article considers the connections between Varda's filmmaking and her femaleness. It proposes that two aspects of Varda's cinema—her particularly perceptive portrayal of a set of geographical locations, and her visual and verbal emphasis on female embodiment—make a feminist existential‐phenomenological approach to her films particularly fruitful. Drawing both directly on the work of Maurice Merleau‐Ponty and on some recent film‐ and feminist‐theoretical texts that have employed his insights, it explores haptic imagery and feminist strategy inThe Gleaners and I, the materialization of space characterizing Varda's blurring of fiction and documentary, and the dialectical relationship of people with their environment often observed in her cinema. It concludes that both Varda's female protagonists and the director herself may be said to perform feminist phenomenology in her films, in their actions, movement, and relationship to space, and in the carnality of voice and vision with which Varda's own subjectivity is registered within her film‐texts.
Epi4K: Gene discovery in 4,000 genomes
Authors:   The Epi4K Consortium
Published: May 2012

SummaryA major challenge in epilepsy research is to unravel the complex genetic mechanisms underlying both common and rare forms of epilepsy, as well as the genetic determinants of response to treatment. To accelerate progress in this area, the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) recently offered funding for the creation of a “Center without Walls” to focus on the genetics of human epilepsy. This article describes Epi4K, the collaborative study supported through this grant mechanism and having the aim of analyzing the genomes of a minimum 4,000 subjects with highly selected and well‐characterized epilepsy.
Effect of Guided Relaxation and Imagery on Falls Self‐Efficacy: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Kim Bang Hyun , Newton Roberta A. , Sachs Michael L. , Glutting Joseph J. , Glanz Karen 
Published: May 2012

ObjectivesTo examine the effects of guided relaxation and imagery (GRI) on improvement in falls self‐efficacy in older adults who report having a fear of falling.DesignRandomized, controlled trial with allocation to GRI or guided relaxation with music of choice.SettingGeneral community.ParticipantsNinety‐one men and women aged 60 to 92.InterventionParticipants were randomized to listen to a GRI audio compact disk (intervention group) or a guided relaxation audio compact disk and music of choice (control group) twice a week for 6 weeks for 10 minutes per session.MeasurementsPrimary outcome measure was the Short Falls Efficacy Scale—International (FES‐I). Secondary outcome measures were the Leisure Time Exercise Questionnaire (LTEQ) and the Timed Up and Go (TUG) mobility test.ResultsGRI participants reported greater improvements on the Short FES‐I (P = .002) and LTEQ (P = .001) scores and shorter time on the TUG (P = .002) than the guided relaxation and music‐of‐choice group.ConclusionGRI was more effective at increasing falls self‐efficacy and self‐reported leisure time exercise and reducing times on a simple mobility test than was guided relaxation with music of choice. GRI is an effective, simple, low‐cost tool for older adults to improve falls self‐efficacy and leisure time exercise behaviors.
Nocturnal Hypokinesia and Sleep Quality in Parkinson's Disease
Authors: Louter Maartje , Munneke Marten , Bloem Bastiaan R. , Overeem Sebastiaan 
Published: May 2012

ObjectivesTo study the relationship between nocturnal hypokinesia and sleep quality in Parkinson's disease (PD).DesignQuestionnaire study using intergroup analysis.SettingParkinson Centre Nijmegen, a tertiary university referral center.ParticipantsTwo hundred forty individuals with Parkinson's disease.MeasurementsClinical and demographic data were obtained. Nocturnal hypokinesia was assessed using Question 35 of the Parkinson's Disease Quality of Life Questionnaire and rated on a 5‐point Likert scale (1 = all of the time to 5 = never). The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was used to quantify sleep quality, higher scores indicating poorer sleep quality.ResultsOne hundred thirty‐five of 240 participants had difficulties turning over in bed. Mean PSQI scores were significantly higher in participants with nocturnal hypokinesia (7.7 ± 4.1) than in those without (6.1 ± 3.4, P = .001). A regression model correcting for age, disease duration, and Hoehn and Yahr stage showed a significant influence of nocturnal hypokinesia on sleep quality (coefficient of determination = 0.042, standardized‐beta = 0.163, P = .03). There was a linear relationship between frequency of nocturnal hypokinesia and sleep quality.ConclusionThis is the first study that documents that nocturnal hypokinesia negatively affects sleep quality in PD. Nocturnal hypokinesia therefore merits therapeutic attention, including optimal nighttime dopaminergic treatment and education about turning strategies in bed.
Population Burden of Long‐Term Survivorship After Severe Sepsis in Older Americans
Authors: Iwashyna Theodore J. , Cooke Colin R. , Wunsch Hannah , Kahn Jeremy M. 
Published: May 2012

ObjectivesTo ascertain the absolute number of Medicare beneficiaries surviving at least 3 years after severe sepsis and to estimate their burden of cognitive dysfunction and disability.DesignRetrospective cohort analysis of Medicare data.SettingAll short‐stay inpatient hospitals in the United States, 1996 to 2008.ParticipantsIndividuals aged 65 and older.MeasurementsSevere sepsis was detected using a standard administrative definition. Case‐fatality, prevalence, and incidence rates were calculated.ResultsSix hundred thirty‐seven thousand eight hundred sixty‐seven Medicare beneficiaries were alive at the end of 2008 who had survived severe sepsis 3 or more years earlier. An estimated 476,862 (95% confidence interval (CI) = 455,026–498,698) had functional disability, with 106,311 (95% CI = 79,692–133,930) survivors having moderate to severe cognitive impairment. The annual number of new 3‐year survivors after severe sepsis rose 119% during 1998 to 2008. The increase in survivorship resulted from more new diagnoses of severe sepsis rather than a change in case‐fatality rates; severe sepsis rates rose from 13.0 per 1,000 Medicare beneficiary‐years to 25.8 (P < .001), whereas 3‐year case fatality rates changed much less, from 73.5% to 71.3% (P < .001) for the same cohort. Increasing rates of organ dysfunction in hospitalized individuals drove the increase in severe sepsis incidence, with an additional small contribution from population aging.ConclusionsSepsis survivorship, which has substantial long‐term morbidity, is a common and rapidly growing public health problem for older Americans. There has been little change in long‐term case‐fatality, despite changes in practice. Clinicians should anticipate more‐frequent sequelae of severe sepsis in their patient populations.
“La Iglesia” in Politics? Religion and Latino Public Opinion*
Authors: Martini Nicholas F. 
Published: May 2012

ObjectiveThis article explores how religion shapes Latino opinion regarding religion and public life.MethodsThis article uses a 2006 national survey of Latinos (N = 4,016) conducted by the Pew Research Center. The data are investigated through logistic regression and ordered logit.ResultsReligion does have a substantial influence on how Latinos view the role of the church in politics. Specifically, Latinos with higher levels of religious behavior and more orthodox beliefs were significantly more supportive of religion being involved in politics. Religious affiliation also mattered.ConclusionReligion is a powerful influence on how Latinos feel about the role of religion in politics. This influence mirrors findings from studies of the general population (Jelen and Wilcox, 1995; Guth et al., 2006; Smidt, 2007), giving support to the notion that there is little difference between Latinos and the general population when it comes to the influence of religion.
Latino Heterogeneity and the Politics of Education: The Role of Context*
Authors: Meier Kenneth J. , Melton Erin K. 
Published: May 2012

ObjectiveThe sheer size of the Latino population in the United States has resulted in increased scholarly attention to the role Latinos play in the U.S. political system. A less‐studied phenomenon, however, is whether the diversity of Latinos matters for electoral representation. This analysis tests how Latino homogeneity might influence representation by evaluating three contingencies: Latino majority versus minority status, electoral structure, and partisan versus nonpartisan election rules.MethodsThis study combines original survey data with data gathered by the U.S. Census on the national origin of Latinos in the United States.ResultsLatino homogeneity affects the chances of gaining representatives; however, this impact is evident only when Latinos constitute a numerical minority, hold at‐large elections, and engage in nonpartisan contests.ConclusionTheories of representation must move beyond traditional assessments of context and examine how the seemingly negligible characteristics of minority populations might affect their prospects for politics.
¿Compañero o Extranjero? Anti‐Immigrant Nativism among Latino Americans*
Authors: Knoll Benjamin R. 
Published: May 2012

ObjectiveThis study develops and tests a model of anti‐immigrant nativism among Latino Americans in the United States.MethodsSeveral variables unique to Latinos (e.g. ancestral country of origin, panethnicity, and American assimilation) are incorporated into a model of Latino‐American anti‐immigrant nativism.ResultsIn brief, Latino nativism is driven largely by American cultural assimilation and geographic proximity to other Latino Americans.ConclusionThese results suggest that as the Latino‐American population in the United States continues to grow and assimilate, the pro‐immigrant bias of the Latino population will decline and perhaps eventually disappear altogether.
Investigation of Green Up‐Conversion Behavior in Y6W2O15:Yb3+,Er3+ Phosphor and its Verification in 973‐nm Laser‐Driven GaAs Solar Cell
Authors: Lin Han‐Yu , Chen Hsin‐Nan , Wu Tzung‐Han , Wu Chih‐Shan , Su Yan‐Kuin , Chu Sheng‐Yuan 
Published: May 2012

The green up‐conversion (UC) behavior was observed in a new phosphor Y6W2O15:Er3+. Taking the concentration quenching and sensitization effect into consideration, we obtained the optimized phosphor Y5.86W2O15:0.05Yb3+,0.09Er3+. With the adhesion of Y5.86W2O15:0.05Yb3+,0.09Er3+ phosphor layer, the spectral response was first observed in a 973‐nm laser‐driven GaAs solar cell. A maximum output power of 0.339 μW was measured using a 300‐μm UC phosphor layer on illumination with a 973‐nm laser at 145.65 W/cm2. These results verified the UC effect of the Y5.86W2O15:0.05Yb3+,0.09Er3+ phosphor synthesized herein.
Visualiser l'évolution de la législation contre les discriminations et les inégalités et élargir la notion d'inégalité dans le droit international du travail
Authors: SHEPPARD Colleen 
Published: May 2012

Résumé.L'auteur examine l'évolution de la relation entre le concept de discrimination dans le droit international du travail et la réalité des inégalités socio‐économiques au travail. Conçue au départ comme un principe juridique limité imposant de traiter àégalité des personnes dans des situations similaires, la non‐discrimination a étendu sa portée aux discriminations indirectes découlant de règles, normes ou pratiques neutres en apparence. L'extension s'est poursuivie pour traiter d'inégalités au travail touchant certaines catégories, du fait de contraintes structurelles marchandes, familiales ou communautaires, pour aboutir à une convergence entre législation et discrimination et recourir à la loi pour réduire les inégalités de classe et la pauvreté.
Stabilité de l'économie réelle et emploi en Amérique latine: les effets régressifs des flux financiers
Authors: FFRENCH‐DAVIS Ricardo 
Published: May 2012

Résumé.L'auteur étudie les réformes réalisées en Amérique latine depuis les années 1990. Les prix ont été stabilisés, mais la croissance insuffisante et l'instabilitééconomique ont freiné l'investissement productif et l'emploi. Les crises répétées ont eu des effets récessifs et ont essoufflé la formation de capital et la création d'emplois décents. Les flux financiers ont été les premiers déterminants de cette situation. La reprise de 2010 marque un retour à l'évolution positive de 2004–2008, mais avec un fort degré de précarité et de graves erreurs de politique macroéconomique.
Temps partiel et genre: est‐ce le travailleur ou l'emploi qui prime?
Authors: KJELDSTAD Randi , NYMOEN Erik H. 
Published: May 2012

Résumé.Se fondant sur le concept de genre, les auteurs examinent les caractéristiques des travailleurs et des emplois à temps partiel en Norvège. Le temps partiel choisi long est le plus fréquent et le plus féminisé, exprimant un ajustement des employeurs aux préférences des femmes. Le temps partiel choisi court, moins marqué par le sexe, est associé aux études ou à la retraite progressive; il répond au besoin de flexibilité dans les services de soins et à faibles qualifications. Le temps partiel subi relève du second marché du travail (contrats temporaires, origine non occidentale) et affecte plus les femmes que les hommes.
Mutual replacement of species in space in a grassland community: is there an evidence for functional complementarity of replacement groups?
Authors: Herben Tomáš , Březina Stanislav , Hadincová Věra , Krahulec František , Skálová Hana 
Published: May 2012

Many plant communities show strong fine‐scale spatiotemporal dynamics due to frequent natality and mortality events. This process is often non‐random, implying that the community can be broken into groups within which species mutually replace each other in time and are distinct from the other such groups. We examined whether such groups fill separate niches and are functionally complementary in a species‐rich mountain grassland.We used cluster analysis of fine‐scale spatial data time series to discern which species were more likely to replace each other in space. Next, a four‐year removal experiment (removing one group in each experimental treatment, or similar amount of biomass across all groups) was used to determine whether simultaneous occurrence of all these groups would maintain a greater total biomass than if an entire group were eliminated.The results do not support the hypothesis that the simultaneous presence of groups of species that replace each other in space is necessary for the community to attain its maximum biomass. However, the experiment showed strong differences among the replacement groups in their capacity for opportunistic behaviour: some groups responded quickly to space made available by removal while others did not. Furthermore, there were strong differences between groups composed primarily of grasses and groups composed primarily of dicots. In spite of the large differences among these groups, they are not functionally complementary. We therefore conclude that replacement processes in this grassland community more closely resemble a neutral process with sets of species differing in the speed at which they fill empty spaces.
Species traits and the response of open‐habitat species to forest edge in landscape mosaics
Authors: Fonderflick Jocelyn , Besnard Aurélien , Martin Jean‐Louis 
Published: May 2012

Human driven changes in land‐use have increased the need to understand how landscape structure affects species distribution. We studied how forest edges affected the distribution of birds in grasslands recently encroached by forest patches. We investigated how species’ biological traits influenced their response to vegetation change near forest edges. We censured birds along 300‐m line transects run into the open habitat perpendicularly to forest edges. We recorded habitat variables and landscape context along each transect and characterized edges and forest patches.We recorded 33 bird species in 153 transects for a total of 654 individuals. We analyzed species response to edges with generalized linear mixed models. Habitat preference was prevalent to explain species response to forest edges. The abundance of open‐habitat birds such as skylark Alauda arvensis decreased significantly in the vicinity of edges. This negative response extended within 150 m from the edge. The effect was disproportionately higher in open‐habitat species with high conservation concern. The abundance of species feeding or/and breeding in both forest and open habitat, such as woodlarks Lullula arborea, sharply increased near edges (positive edge response). Abundance of shrub and non‐shrub dependent species increased with distance to edge. The two species groups did no differ in abundance/distance to edge relationship. Intensity of species response to forest edges varied among transects in relation to transect vegetation characteristics. Edge length or aspect, diet and nest height had no direct effect. We discuss the possible role of variation in resources and nest predation risk to explain observed patterns.
What are the possible benefits of small size for energy‐constrained ectotherms in cold stress conditions?
Authors: Ismail Mohannad , Vernon Philippe , Hance Thierry , Pierre Jean‐Sébastien , van Baaren Joan 
Published: May 2012

In stressful environments, two main hypotheses have been proposed to explain the consequences of body size: (1) the absolute energy demand hypothesis (AED), which predicts that larger individuals are at a disadvantage under stressful conditions; (2) the relative efficiency hypothesis (RE), which predicts the reverse. We compared the effects of cold stress on different fitness traits of large and small individuals of the parasitoid wasp Aphidius ervi (Hymenoptera: Aphidiinae). For that, we exposed nymphs of this wasp to 5 treatment conditions as follows (control at 20°C; 7C1 and 7C2: constant cold temperature of 7°C for 1 and 2 weeks respectively; 4C1 and 4C2: constant cold temperature of 4°C for 1 and 2 weeks respectively).After cold stress, only the large females that emerged in the 7C2 and 4C2 treatments displayed a reduction in the fitness traits studied (longevity, egg load at emergence, life‐time fecundity). The decrease in lipid content in large adults may have been responsible for their lower fitness. Our results thereby supported the AED hypothesis. Furthermore, the small females in these treatments produced more eggs at emergence than the control females. This highlights the fact that in stressful environments, small females switch their reproductive strategy from a synovigenic strategy (in which females mature new eggs after emergence) to a more pro‐ovigenic one (in which females emerge with more mature eggs).
Diagnostic PCR of dermatophytes – an overview
Authors: Gräser Yvonne , Czaika Viktor , Ohst Torsten 
Published: May 2012

SummaryThe prevalence of onychomycosis is increasing steadily, sevenfold alone in the US within the last twenty years. An important aspect in this development is the demographic development of the human population of the industrial countries like Germany. A fast and accurate laboratory diagnosis is essential for successful treatment because 50% of the cases are misdiagnosed when relying on the clinical appearance only. The current diagnosis of dermatophytosis, based on direct microscopy and culture of the clinical specimen, is problematic given the lacking specificity of the former and the length of time needed for the latter. Molecular techniques can help to solve these problems. In recent years, a number of in‐house PCR assays have been developed to identify dermatophytes directly from clinical specimens. Based on the “Mikrobiologisch‐infektiologischen Qualitätsstandards (MIQ) für Nukleinsäure‐Amplifikationstechniken” and the MIQE guideline (Minimum Information for Publication of Quantitative Real‐Time PCR Experiments) 11 studies are reviewed which were published between 2007 and 2010. The present article evaluates the quality of the PCR assays regarding false positive and false negative results due to contamination, PCR format, statistical analysis, and diagnostic performance of the studies. It shows that we are only at the beginning of providing high quality PCR diagnosis of dermatophytes.