bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Keeping nurses working: development and psychometric testing of the Nurse‐Work Instability Scale (Nurse‐WIS)
Authors: Gilworth Gill , Bhakta Bipin , Eyres Sophie , Carey Amy , Anne Chamberlain M. , Tennant Alan 
Published: February 2007

AbstractAim.  This paper reports a study to develop and test the psychometric properties of the Nurse‐Work Instability Scale (Nurse‐WIS).Background.  Work Instability describes the extent of any mismatch among functional (in)capacity, work demands and its potential impact on efficiency/productivity at work. Recruitment, retention and migration of nurses are global issues influenced by many factors. It is well documented that musculoskeletal pain and subsequent disability account for a high proportion of sickness absence and premature retirement in the nursing workforce. The challenge to clinicians is to identify such problems early so that appropriate interventions can be targeted to facilitate job retention.Method.  Analyses of 48 qualitative interview transcripts conducted with nursing staff during 2003 were used to generate potential items for the Nurse‐WIS. Analysis of the psychometric properties of the scale derived from these items was undertaken by using the Rasch model and data generated in postal surveys in 2004. The scale was validated against a gold standard of expert vocational assessment by occupational health physiotherapists/ergonomists.Findings.  The resulting self‐administered questionnaire consisting of 30 items not only measures the risk of job loss relating to musculoskeletal symptoms, but also captures relevant psychosocial issues. The scaling properties of this questionnaire meet the rigorous psychometric requirements of the Rasch model.Conclusions.  The Nurse‐WIS is a psychometrically sound method for the early identification of nursing staff experiencing difficulties at work. It offers the prospect of positive proactive management to prevent or minimize sickness absence and potentially prevent loss of nursing staff from the workforce through long‐term sickness absence and early retirement.
Recording of drug allergies: are we doing enough?
Authors: Radford Anna , Undre Shabnam , Alkhamesi Nawar A. , Darzi Sir Ara W. 
Published: February 2007

AbstractObjective  To assess the implementation of local and national guidelines concerning documentation of drug/clinical hypersensitivities.Design  Audit with retrospective and prospective components used to assess the process of drug hypersensitivity documentation.Patients  Fifty surgical inpatients’ notes were retrospectively analysed followed by 63 patients prospectively.Setting  West London teaching hospital.Main outcome measures  Drug hypersensitivity status correctly indicated on clinical notes, drug ‘Kardex’ charts, and anaesthetic records; these three documents were to concur. Hypersensitivities qualified according to symptoms experienced.Recommendations  Standardization of preoperative clinical notes and multidisciplinary responsibility for records between doctor, nurse and pharmacist.Results  Hypersensitivity documentation in clinical notes improved by 7% after the introduction of a formalized history sheet for preoperative clinics. These were based upon the anaesthetic charts, which had demonstrated 100% documentation previously. Considerable improvements (70.8%) in the clarification of adverse reaction symptoms post recommendation were shown; this was also attributed to the new history sheet. Concurrence improved by 2%.Conclusions  The original study revealed areas for improvement and provided part of the solution – a more standardized preoperative assessment tool. Multidisciplinary cooperation in addition to formalizing the assessment process has led to a more efficient and safer service for patient and medicolegally for health care professionals.Key messages  (1) Standardized forms, for the recording of clinical information preoperatively, ensure relevant guidelines are implemented in practice. (2) Multidisciplinary teams provide a vital safety net for their patients and colleagues.
Effects of pH and nitrogen forms on expression profiles of genes involved in iron homeostasis in tomato
Authors: ZHAO TING , LING HONG‐QING 
Published: February 2007

ABSTRACTIn this work, we investigated the effects of pH and nitrogen forms on iron homeostasis and the expression profiles of genes involved in iron uptake and metabolism using tomato cultivar T3238 and its iron‐inefficient mutant T3238fer. We showed that high external pH led to increased expression of four iron uptake genes (LeIRT1, LeIRT2, LeFRO1, LeNRAMP1) regardless of the nitrogen sources. Interestingly, the transcript level of FER was decreased at high pH and increased at low pH. In iron‐inefficient mutant T3238fer, the expression of LeFRO1, LeIRT1 and LeNRAMP1 was much less than wild type under the culture conditions with high pH and on the non‐buffered agar medium with NO3‐ as the sole N source, demonstrating that FER protein is required for the increased expression of LeFRO1, LeIRT1 and LeNRAMP1 under culture conditions with high pH. Considering the paradoxical expression patterns of FER to LeFRO1, LeIRT1 and LeNRAMP1 in T3238, we speculate that FER is essential, but is not the limited factor for the transcriptional regulation of the three iron uptake genes. In conclusion, the alteration of rhizosphere pH by assimilating NO3‐ or NH4+ influenced Fe availability and consequently affected iron homeostasis in tomato. The enhanced expression of LeFRO1, LeIRT1 and LeNRAMP1 under the culture condition with high pH or on agar media with NO3‐ as the sole N source might be a consequence of reduced iron availability in the solution or agar medium at high pH.
Development of a semiselective medium for isolating Xanthomonas campestris pv. musacearum from insect vectors, infected plant material and soil
Authors: Mwangi M. , Mwebaze M. , Bandyopadhyay R. , Aritua V. , Eden‐Green S. , Tushemereirwe W. , Smith J. 
Published: February 2007

A semiselective medium was developed for isolating Xanthomonas campestris pv. musacearum (Xcm) from infected banana plants, soil and insect vectors. The new medium was named cellobiose‐cephalexin agar (CCA) and it contained (L−1): 1 g yeast extract, 1 g glucose, 1 g peptone, 1 g NH4Cl, 1 g MgSO4·7H2O, 3 g K2HPO4, 1 g beef extract, 10 g cellobiose, 14 g agar, 40 mg cephalexin, 10 mg 5‐fluorouracil and 120 mg cycloheximide. The medium was evaluated for selectivity using 21 bacterial isolates and for plating efficiency using Xcm. The bacterial isolates included a soilborne Xanthomonas species and three pathogenic Xanthomonas strains that infect cassava, cabbage and beans. Although the plating efficiency of Xcm on CCA was lower (59%) than on non‐selective yeast extract peptone glucose agar (YPGA), its selectivity was significantly higher, averaging 60 and 82%, when isolating from banana fruits and soil, respectively. CCA was also superior when isolating Xcm from insect vectors, with selectivity of 48–75%, compared with 8–17% on YPGA. Xanthomonas campestris pv. phaseoli did not grow on CCA, while X. campestris pv. campestris and X. axonopodis pv. manihotis grew, but their colonies were smaller than those of Xcm. Twenty‐nine out of 33 suspected Xcm strains isolated from plants, soil and insects using CCA were pathogenic when inoculated onto banana plants, indicating that CCA can be a reliable tool in isolating Xcm populations. The medium should prove useful in studies on ecology, epidemiology and management of the banana bacterial wilt pathogen that is currently ravaging bananas in East and Central Africa.
Ecological Predictors of Range Areas and Use of Burrow Systems in the Diurnal Rodent, Octodon degus
Authors: Hayes Loren D. , Chesh Adrian S. , Ebensperger Luis A. 
Published: February 2007

AbstractVariation in animal space use patterns may be linked to numerous ecological factors affecting survival and reproduction. We examined the relationship between ecology and above‐ and below‐ground components of space use by Octodon degus, a semi‐fossorial rodent in Chile. We monitored the daytime minimum convex polygon and adaptive kernel range areas of 26 individuals and determined the number of burrow systems used by degus during night‐time radiotelemetry and trapping of burrow systems on two study grids at Rinconada de Maipú, a semi‐arid Matorral in central Chile. We quantified food biomass, soil hardness, distance to overhead vegetative cover, and density of burrow openings at putative nest burrows. Degus living on the grid with more shrub cover had larger range areas than degus living on the grid with less cover. The range areas of degus decreased with increasing distance from overhead vegetative cover. There was a weak (but statistically significant) negative relationship between the number of burrow systems used by degus and the distance to vegetative cover and density of burrow openings at burrow systems. Male and female degus had similar range areas. Our results suggest that overhead cover decreases the risk of predation to male and female degus. Degus probably balance the benefits of numerous burrow openings (reduced predation risk) with time and energy requirements of burrow construction and maintenance. Models of space use that consider the effect of multiple ecological variables should measure different dimensions of space use.
Bovine Follicular Fluid Contains Antagonist Activity for Cumulus Expansion Promoting Effect by Epidermal Growth Factor
Authors: Hosoda K , Terada T 
Published: February 2007

ContentsThe present study was conducted to investigate the effects of bovine follicular fluid (bFF) fractions or epidermal growth factor (EGF) on cumulus cell expansion in bovine cumulus–oocyte complexes (COCs) in vitro. bFF derived from large follicles (15–20 mm) and its fractions (>100, 10–100 and <100 kDa) were added to the medium. Cumulus cell expansion was stimulated when COCs were incubated with the 10–100 and <100 kDa fractions or bFF; in contrast, the culture of COCs with the >100 kDa fraction resulted in the suppression of cumulus cell expansion. Although the >100 kDa fraction prohibited the expansion of cumulus cells in the medium with or without low concentration EGF, cumulus expansion was promoted when COCs were cultured with the >100 kDa fraction and high‐concentration EGF. In conclusion, the results suggest that bFF contains promoting and inhibiting effect for expansion of cumulus cells in COCs in vitro. The inhibiting effect of bFF may act antagonistically against the effect of EGF for the event of expanding cumulus cells.
Collective Choice and Control Rights in Firms
Authors: DOW GREGORY K. , SKILLMAN GILBERT L. 
Published: February 2007

AbstractRecent writers have asserted that firms controlled by workers are rare because workers have diverse preferences over firm policies, while investors all support wealth maximization. However, the source of the asymmetry between capital and labor remains unclear. We resolve this puzzle by arguing that because financial capital is exceptionally mobile, capital markets induce unanimity. The lower mobility of human capital implies that labor markets are monopolistically competitive and hence that unanimity cannot be expected in labor‐managed firms. Moreover, such firms are vulnerable to takeover by investors, while capital‐managed firms are substantially less vulnerable to takeover by workers.
Monetary Policy and Asset Prices: More Bad News for ‘Benign Neglect’*
Authors: Berger Wolfram , Kißmer Friedrich , Wagner Helmut 
Published: February 2007

AbstractIn this paper we explore the optimal policy reaction to boom–bust cycles in asset prices. Bordo and Jeanne (2002a, b) point to the risks of a reactive strategy that only mitigates the consequences of a crisis if and when it occurs. Acting pre‐emptively by rigorously counteracting the build‐up of the crisis scenario may be superior in welfare terms. We show that even a purely reactive monetary policy must involve an ex ante response to a possible asset price crash. The reason, however, is not the attempt to avoid real and financial disruption but to react optimally to changes in the private sector's expectations. Furthermore, we find that the welfare losses of a reactive strategy increase when forward‐looking expectations are taken into account, while the welfare implications of a proactive strategy do not change.
Gene expression changes in long‐term culture of T‐cell clones: genomic effects of chronic antigenic stress in aging and immunosenescence
Authors: Mazzatti Dawn J. , White Andrew , Forsey Rosalyn J. , Powell Jonathan R. , Pawelec Graham 
Published: February 2007

SummaryThe adaptive immune response requires waves of T‐cell clonal expansion on contact with altered self and contraction after elimination of antigen. In the case of persisting antigen, as occurs for example in cytomegalovirus or Epstein–Barr virus infection, this critical process can become dysregulated and responding T‐cells enter into a dysfunctional senescent state. Longitudinal studies suggest that the presence of increased numbers of such T‐cells is a poor prognostic factor for survival in the very elderly. Understanding the nature of the defects in these T‐cells might facilitate intervention to improve immunity in the elderly. The process of clonal expansion under chronic antigenic stress can be modelled in vitro using continuously cultured T‐cells. Here, we have used cDNA array technology to investigate differences in gene expression in a set of five different T‐cell clones at early, middle and late passage in culture. Differentially expressed genes were confirmed by real‐time polymerase chain reaction, and relationships between these assessed using Ingenuity Systems evidence‐based association analysis. Several genes and chemokines related to induction of apoptosis and signal transduction pathways regulated by transforming growth factor β (TGFβ), epidermal growth factor (EGF), fos and β‐catenin were altered in late compared to early passage cells. These pathways and affected genes may play a significant role in driving the cellular senescent phenotype and warrant further investigation as potential biomarkers of aging and senescence. These genes may additionally provide targets for intervention.
Primary laminopathy fibroblasts display altered genome organization and apoptosis
Authors: Meaburn Karen J. , Cabuy Erik , Bonne Gisele , Levy Nicolas , Morris Glenn E. , Novelli Giuseppe , Kill Ian R. , Bridger Joanna M. 
Published: February 2007

SummaryA number of diseases associated with specific tissue degeneration and premature aging have mutations in the nuclear envelope proteins A‐type lamins or emerin. Those diseases with A‐type lamin mutation are inclusively termed laminopathies. Due to various hypothetical roles of nuclear envelope proteins in genome function we investigated whether alterations to normal genomic behaviour are apparent in cells with mutations in A‐type lamins and emerin. Even though the distributions of these proteins in proliferating laminopathy fibroblasts appear normal, there is abnormal nuclear positioning of both chromosome 18 and 13 territories, from the nuclear periphery to the interior. This genomic organization mimics that found in normal nonproliferating quiescent or senescent cells. This finding is supported by distributions of modified pRb in the laminopathy cells. All laminopathy cell lines tested and an X‐linked Emery–Dreifuss muscular dystrophy cell line also demonstrate increased incidences of apoptosis. The most extreme cases of apoptosis occur in cells derived from diseases with mutations in the tail region of the LMNA gene, such as Dunningan‐type familial partial lipodystrophy and mandibuloacral dysplasia, and this correlates with a significant level of micronucleation in these cells.
Dramatic age‐related changes in nuclear and genome copy number in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans
Authors: Golden Tamara R. , Beckman Kenneth B. , Lee Andreia H. J. , Dudek Nancy , Hubbard Alan , Samper Enrique , Melov Simon 
Published: February 2007

SummaryThe nematode Caenorhabditis elegans has become one of the most widely used model systems for the study of aging, yet very little is known about how C. elegans age. The development of the worm, from egg to young adult has been completely mapped at the cellular level, but such detailed studies have not been extended throughout the adult lifespan. Numerous single gene mutations, drug treatments and environmental manipulations have been found to extend worm lifespan. To interpret the mechanism of action of such aging interventions, studies to characterize normal worm aging, similar to those used to study worm development are necessary. We have used 4′,6′‐diamidino‐2‐phenylindole hydrochloride staining and quantitative polymerase chain reaction to investigate the integrity of nuclei and quantify the nuclear genome copy number of C. elegans with age. We report both systematic loss of nuclei or nuclear DNA, as well as dramatic age‐related changes in nuclear genome copy number. These changes are delayed or attenuated in long‐lived daf‐2 mutants. We propose that these changes are important pathobiological characteristics of aging nematodes.
Pediatric Language Mapping: Sensitivity of Neurostimulation and Wada Testing in Epilepsy Surgery
Authors: Schevon Catherine A. , Carlson Chad , Zaroff Charles M. , Weiner Howard J. , Doyle Werner K. , Miles Daniel , Lajoie Josiane , Kuzniecky Ruben , Pacia Steven , Vazquez Blanca , Luciano Daniel , Najjar Souhel , Devinsky Orrin 
Published: February 2007

Summary:  Purpose: Functional mapping of eloquent cortex with electrical neurostimulation is used both intra‐ and extraoperatively to tailor resections. In pediatric patients, however, functional mapping studies frequently fail to localize language. Wada testing has also been reported to be less sensitive in children. Methods: Thirty children (4.7 – 14.9 years) and 18 adult controls (18–59 years) who underwent extraoperative language mapping via implanted subdural electrodes at the NYU Comprehensive Epilepsy Center were included in the study. Ten children and 14 adults underwent preoperative Wada testing. Success of the procedures was defined as the identification of at least one language site by neurostimulation mapping and determination of hemispheric language dominance on the Wada test. Results: In children younger than 10.2 years, cortical stimulation identified language cortex at a lower rate than was seen in children older than 10.2 years and in adults (p < 0.05). This threshold, demonstrated by survival and χ2 analysis, was sharply defined in our data set. Additionally, Wada testing was more likely to be successful than was extraoperative mapping in this younger age group (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Analysis of our series demonstrates that language cortex is less likely to be identified in children younger than 10 years, suggesting that alternatives to the current methods of cortical electrical stimulation, particularly the use of preoperative language lateralization, may be required in this age group.
Postoperative Recovery of Hippocampal Contralateral Diffusivity in Medial Temporal Lobe Epilepsy
Authors: Thivard Lionel , Tanguy Marie‐Laure , Adam Claude , Clémenceau Stéphane , Dezamis Edouard , Lehéricy Stéphane , Dormont Didier , Chiras Jacques , Baulac Michel , Dupont Sophie 
Published: February 2007

Summary:  Purpose: To search for a recovery after surgery of mean diffusivity (MD) values in the contralateral nonsclerotic hippocampus of patients with medial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE) and hippocampal sclerosis (HS). Methods: Twenty‐four MTLE patients (12 right‐sided and 12 left‐sided MTLE) and 36 healthy volunteers were investigated using diffusion tensor imaging. A region‐of‐interest approach was used to measure pre‐ and postoperative interictal hippocampal MD values in patients. Results: Diffusion abnormalities in contralateral nonsclerotic hippocampus recovered after surgery (p < 0.0001). A subgroup of 14 patients exhibited a clear increase in MD values whereas the remaining 10 patients were stable. No significant difference was found between the two subgroups for each of the electroclinical data studied including early postoperative outcome, all patients being either seizure free or with rare persistent auras. Conclusions: This finding suggests that diffusion abnormalities in contralateral hippocampus may represent a functional mechanism linked to the active epileptic process.
Only Male Mice Show Sensitization of Handling‐Induced Convulsions Across Repeated Ethanol Withdrawal Cycles
Authors: Veatch L.M. , Wright T.M. , Randall C.L. 
Published: February 2007

Background: Alcohol abuse, especially when experienced in multiple cycles of chronic abuse and withdrawal, leads to a sensitization of central nervous system hyperexcitability that may culminate in overt expression of seizures. In spite of the growing prevalence of alcohol abuse and dependence in females shown in recent epidemiologic studies, evidence of sexual dimorphism in the expression of alcohol withdrawal‐induced seizures and the development of seizure sensitization following multiple cycles of ethanol (EtOH) exposure and withdrawal has not been examined in either animal models or in clinical reports.Methods: Subjects in these experiments were male and female C3H/Hecr mice. The female mice were intact or ovariectomized, with ovariectomized mice receiving 17‐β‐estradiol or placebo pellets. All mice were exposed to 4 cycles of exposure to 16‐hour EtOH vapor, separated by 8‐hour withdrawal periods. During each 8‐hour withdrawal, hourly assessment of seizure propensity was assessed as handling‐induced convulsions. Additional assessments were taken up to 72 hours after the final EtOH withdrawal cycle.Results: Male and female mice showed similar seizure propensity during an initial withdrawal from chronic EtOH. Across subsequent withdrawal cycles, however, male mice exhibited a robust increase in seizure severity beginning with the third withdrawal cycle. In marked contrast, female mice failed to demonstrate sensitization of seizure severity. The lack of seizure sensitization following up to 4 cycles of alcohol exposure and withdrawal could not be explained by hormonal status (presence or absence of estrogen) or by sex differences in blood alcohol levels.Conclusions: Male and female mice exposed to the same number of cycles of EtOH withdrawal demonstrate differences in expression of seizures. Males show the typical sensitization of seizures, or kindling response, which has been reported clinically as well as in animal models, but females do not. The reason for the lack of seizure sensitization in female mice remains to be elucidated, but may be related to sex differences in alcohol effects on excitatory/inhibitory neurotransmission, rather than to hormonal or blood alcohol level differences.