bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Development and psychometric testing of a new geriatric spiritual well‐being scale
Authors: Dunn Karen S. 
Published: August 2008

Aims and objectives.  Assess the psychometric properties of a new geriatric spiritual well‐being scale (GSWS), specifically designed for older adults.Background.  Religiosity and spiritual wellness must be measured as two distinct concepts to prevent confounding them as synonymous among atheist and agnostic population.Design.  A test–retest survey design was used to estimate the psychometric properties.Methods.  A convenience sample of 138 community‐dwelling older adults was drawn from the inner city of Detroit. Data were collected using telephone survey interviews. Data analyses included descriptive statistics, structural equation modelling, reliability analyses, and point‐biserial correlations.Results.  The factorial validity of the proposed model was not supported by the data. Fit indices were χ2 = 185.98, d.f. = 98, P < 0.00, goodness‐of‐fit index of 0.85, comparative fit index of 0.87 and root mean error of approximation of 0.08, indicating a mediocre fit. Reliability statistics for the subscales ranged from being poor (0.36) to good (0.84) with an acceptable overall scale alpha of 0.76. Participants’ performance stability and criterion‐related validity were also supported.Conclusions.  The GSWS is an age‐specific assessment tool that was developed specifically to address a population’s cultural diversity. Future research endeavors will be to test the psychometric properties of this scale in culturally diverse older adult populations for further instrument development.Relevance to clinical practice.  Nurses need to recognize that agnostics/atheists have spiritual needs that do not include religious beliefs or practices. Thus, assessing patients’ religious beliefs and practices prior to assessing spiritual well‐being is essential to prevent bias.
Delirium and older people: what are the constraints to best practice in acute care?
Authors: Day Jenny , Higgins Isabel , Koch Tina 
Published: August 2008

An Australian research team conducted a six‐month acute care pilot study in a medical ward of a large hospital in New South Wales.Aim.  To explore ways health practitioners might redesign their practice to include prevention, early detection and management of delirium in older people based on the best current practice.Method and design.  Participatory action research (PAR) was selected as the best approach for involving ward staff to make sustainable clinical practice decisions. The PAR group comprised research academics and eight clinicians from the ward. Thirteen PAR sessions were held over 5 months. Clinicians described care of patients with delirium. Stories were analysed to identify constraints to best practice. Following PAR group debate about concerns and issues, there were actions toward improved practice taken by clinicians.Relevance to clinical practice.  The following constraints to best practice were identified: delayed transfer of patients from the Emergency Department; routine ward activities were not conducive to provision of rest and sleep; assisting with the patient’s orientation was not possible as relatives were not able to accompany and/or stay with the older patient. Underreporting of delirium and attributing confusion to dementia was viewed as an education deficit across disciplines. A wide range of assessment skills was identified as prerequisites for working in this acute care ward, with older people and delirium. Clinicians perceived that management driven by length of a patient’s stay was incongruent with best practice delirium care which required more time for older patients to recover from delirium. Two significant actions towards practice improvement were undertaken by this PAR group: (i) development of a draft delirium alert prevention protocol and (ii) a separate section of the ward became a dedicated space for the care of patients with delirium. A larger study is being planned across a variety of settings.
Formal and informal care in relation to activities of daily living and self‐perceived health among older care‐dependent individuals in Norway
Authors: Dale Bjørg , Sævareid Hans Inge , Kirkevold Marit , Söderhamn Olle 
Published: August 2008

Background.  Research about formal care of older home‐dwelling people in the Nordic countries is comprehensive, while research on informal care has been less inclusive.Aim.  To describe self‐reported activities of daily living and perceived health, and to relate them to amount and types of formal and informal care received by a group of care‐dependent, home‐dwelling older individuals in Norway.Design and methods.  A sample consisting of 242 persons aged 75+ years receiving home nursing services. Data were collected by means of structured interviews with questions about activities of daily living (ADL), amount and types of formal and informal care and demographic variables. Descriptive statistics, chi‐square test, Mann‐Whitney U‐test and multiple stepwise regression were used in the analyses.Results.  ADL dependency was the only predictor for explaining quantity of home nursing received. Those who received a generous amount of formal care also received a lot of care and support from informal networks. The type of care from the two sources differed. The home nurses performed PADL tasks. While the informal caregivers offered help with IADL tasks.Conclusion.  This study of receiving help in this group of older people in Norway shows that formal and informal care resources complement one another.
Photophysical Properties of Coumarin‐7 Dye: Role of Twisted Intramolecular Charge Transfer State in High Polarity Protic Solvents
Authors: Satpati Ashis Kumar , Kumbhakar Manoj , Nath Sukhendu , Pal Haridas 
Published: August 2008

AbstractPhotophysical studies on coumarin‐7 (C7) dye in different protic solvents reveal interesting changes in the properties of the dye on increasing the solvent polarity (Δf; Lippert–Mataga solvent polarity parameter) beyond a critical value. Up to Δf∼0.31, the photophysical properties of the dye follow good linear correlations with Δf. For Δf >∼0.31, however, the photophysical properties, especially the fluorescence quantum yields (Φf), fluorescence lifetimes (τf) and nonradiative rate constants (knr), undergo large deviations from the above linearity, suggesting an unusual enhancement in the nonradiative decay rate for the excited dye in these high polarity protic solvents. The effect of temperature on the τf values of the dye has also been investigated to reveal the mechanistic details of the deexcitation mechanism for the excited dye. Studies have also been carried out in deuterated solvents to understand the role of solute–solvent hydrogen bonding interactions on the photophysical properties of the dye. Observed results suggest that the fluorescence of the dye originates from the planar intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) state in all the solvents studied and the deviations in the properties in high polarity solvents (Δf >∼0.31) arise due to the participation of a new deexcitation channel associated with the formation of a nonfluorescent twisted intramolecular charge transfer (TICT) state of the dye. Comparing present results with those of a homologous dye coumarin 30 (C30; Photochem. Photobiol., 2004, 80, 104), it is indicated that unlike in C30, the TICT state of the C7 dye does not experience any extra stability in protic solvents compared to that in aprotic solvents. This has been attributed to the presence of intramolecular hydrogen bonding between the NH group (in the 3‐benzimidazole substituent) of the C7 dye and its carbonyl group, which renders an extra stability to the planar ICT state, making the TICT state formation relatively difficult. Qualitative potential energy diagrams have been proposed to rationalize the differences observed in the results with C7 and C30 dyes in high polarity protic solvents.
Temperature Effects on Survival and DNA Repair in Four Freshwater Cladoceran Daphnia Species Exposed to UV Radiation
Authors: Connelly Sandra J. , Moeller Robert E. , Sanchez Guillermo , Mitchell David L. 
Published: August 2008

AbstractThe biological responses of four freshwater daphniid species, Daphnia middendorffiana, D. pulicaria, D. pulex and D. parvula, to a single acute dose of ultraviolet B radiation (UVB) were compared. In addition to survival, we compared the induction of DNA damage (i.e. cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers) between species as well as the ability to repair this damage in the presence or absence of photoreactivating light. All four species showed high levels of shielding against DNA damage when compared to damage induced in purified DNA dosimeters at the same time and dose. Significant variation in survival was observed between species depending on temperature and light conditions. Contrary to our expectations, all species showed significantly higher survival and light‐dependent DNA damage removal rates at 10°C compared to 20°C, suggesting that the enhanced rate of photoenzymatic repair (PER) at the lower temperature contributed significantly to the recovery of these organisms from UVB. PER was highly effective in promoting survival of three of the four species at 10°C, but at 20°C it was only partially effective in two species, and ineffective in two others. None of the species showed significant dark repair at 20°C and only D. pulicaria showed a significant capacity at 10°C. Two species, D. middendorffiana and D. pulex, showed some short‐term survival at 10°C in absence of PER despite their inability to repair any appreciable amount of DNA damage in the dark. All species died rapidly at 20°C in absence of PER, as predicted from complete or near‐absence of nucleotide excision repair (NER). Overall, the protective effects of tissue structure and pigmentation were similar in all Daphnia species tested and greatly mitigated the absorption of UVB by DNA and its damaging effects. Surprisingly, the visibly melanotic D. middendorffiana was not better shielded from DNA damage than the three non‐melanotic species, and in fact suffered the highest damage rates. Melanin content in this species was not temperature dependent under the experimental growth conditions, and so did not contribute to temperature‐dependent responses. It is evident that different species within the same genus have developed diverse biological responses to UVB. Our data strongly suggest that DNA damage is lethal to Daphnia and that photoenzymatic repair is the primary mechanism for removing these lesions. In the absence of light, few species are capable of removing any DNA damage. Surprisingly, the single species in which significant excision repair was detected did so only at reduced temperature. This temperature‐dependence of excision repair is striking and may reflect adaptations of certain organisms to stress in a complex and changing environment.
Bicanalicular double silicone intubation in external dacryocystorhinostomy and canaliculoplasty for distal canalicular obstruction
Authors: Hwang Sang Won , Khwarg Sang In , Kim Jong Hyun , Choung Ho Kyung , Kim Nam Ju 
Published: August 2008

Abstract.Purpose:  We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of bicanalicular double silicone intubation in dacryocystorhinostomy (DCR) and canaliculoplasty for distal or common canalicular obstruction.Methods:  We reviewed the medical records of patients with distal or common canalicular obstruction who had undergone bicanalicular double silicone intubation (insertion of two tubes into each canaliculus) during external DCR and canaliculoplasty. We reviewed the records of subjects who had undergone the same surgery with a bicanalicular single intubation as control material. The tubes were removed at around 6 months after surgery. Anatomical and functional success rates of patients who were followed up for > 2 months after the removal of tube(s) were evaluated. In addition, complications related to the silicone tube were evaluated.Results:  Data for 60 eyes of 45 patients in the double‐intubation group and 69 eyes of 65 patients in the single‐intubation group were retrieved. The double‐intubation group showed higher anatomical success rates (96.5%) than the single‐intubation group (85.5%). Functional success was achieved by 53 (88.3%) of 60 eyes in the double‐intubation group and 56 (81.2%) of 69 eyes in the single‐intubation group. There was no significant difference in complication rates between the two groups.Conclusions:  Bicanalicular double silicone intubation for DCR and canaliculoplasty may be an effective mode of treatment for patients with distal or common canalicular obstruction.
Phacoemulsification in vitrectomized eyes: results using a ‘phaco chop’ technique
Authors: Sachdev Nishant , Brar Gagandeep Singh , Sukhija Jaspreet , Gupta Vishali , Ram Jagat 
Published: August 2008

Abstract.Purpose:  To evaluate the intraoperative and early postoperative complications of phacoemulsification using a ‘phaco chop’ technique in previously vitrectomized eyes.Methods:  A prospective interventional case series. Seventy‐five previously vitrectomized eyes of 73 consecutive patients underwent phacoemulsification using a ‘phaco chop’ technique via clear corneal incision. Patients were observed for any intraoperative or early postoperative complications.Results:  Fifty‐four eyes (72%) had predominant nuclear sclerosis or posterior subcapsular cataract. The intraoperative findings included intraoperative miosis [seen in 21 eyes (28%)] and posterior capsule plaques [in 15 eyes (20%)]. No other significant intraoperative complication (posterior capsule rupture, zonular lysis or dropped nuclei) was observed. In the early postoperative period, one patient had massive serous choroidal detachment, which resolved with conservative treatment. Mean preoperative visual acuity (LogMar scale) was 0.74, which improved to 0.36 postoperatively (p < 0.001).Conclusion:  Phacoemulsification using a ‘phaco chop’ technique is a safe procedure in vitrectomized eyes.
Limited Inhibitory Effects of Oseltamivir and Zanamivir on Human Sialidases
Authors: Hata Keiko , Koseki Koichi , Yamaguchi Kazunori , Moriya Setsuko , Suzuki Yasuo , Yingsakmongkon Sangchai , Hirai Go , Sodeoka Mikiko , von Itzstein Mark , Miyagi Taeko 
Published: August 2008

ABSTRACT

Oseltamivir (Tamiflu) and zanamivir (Relenza), two extensively used clinically effective anti-influenza drugs, are viral sialidase (also known as neuraminidase) inhibitors that prevent the release of progeny virions and thereby limit the spread of infection. Recently mortalities and neuropsychiatric events have been reported with the use of oseltamivir, especially in pediatric cases in Japan, suggesting that these drugs might also inhibit endogenous enzymes involved in sialic acid metabolism, including sialidase, sialyltransferase, and CMP-synthase, in addition to their inhibitory effects on the viral sialidase. The possible inhibition could account for some of the rare side effects of oseltamivir. However, there has been little direct evidence in regard to the sensitivities of animal sialidases to these drugs. Here, we examined whether these inhibitors might indeed affect the activities of human sialidases, which differ in primary structures and enzyme properties but possess tertiary structures similar to those of the viral enzymes. Using recombinant enzymes corresponding to the four human sialidases identified so far, we found that oseltamivir carboxylate scarcely affected the activities of any of the sialidases, even at 1 mM, while zanamivir significantly inhibited the human sialidases NEU3 and NEU2 in the micromolar range (

K
i

, 3.7 ± 0.48 and 12.9 ± 0.07 μM, respectively), providing a contrast to the low nanomolar concentrations at which these drugs block the activity of the viral sialidases.
Differential Azole Antifungal Efficacies Contrasted Using a
Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Strain Humanized for Sterol 14α-Demethylase at the Homologous Locus
Authors: Parker J. E. , Merkamm M. , Manning N. J. , Pompon D. , Kelly S. L. , Kelly D. E. 
Published: August 2008

ABSTRACT

Inhibition of sterol-14α-demethylase, a cytochrome P450 (CYP51, Erg11p), is the mode of action of azole antifungal drugs, and with high frequencies of fungal infections new agents are required. New drugs that target fungal CYP51 should not inhibit human CYP51, although selective inhibitors of the human target are also of interest as anticholesterol agents. A strain of
Saccharomyces cerevisiae
that was humanized with respect to the amino acids encoded at the
CYP51
(
ERG11
) yeast locus (BY4741:huCYP51) was produced. The strain was validated with respect to gene expression, protein localization, growth characteristics, and sterol content. The MIC was determined and compared to that for the wild-type parental strain (BY4741), using clotrimazole, econazole, fluconazole, itraconazole, ketoconazole, miconazole, and voriconazole. The humanized strain showed up to >1,000-fold-reduced susceptibility to the orally active azole drugs, while the topical agents showed no difference. Data from growth kinetic measurements substantiated this finding but also revealed reduced effectiveness against the humanized strain for the topical drugs. Cellular sterol profiles reflected the decreased susceptibility of BY4741:huCYP51 and showed a smaller depletion of ergosterol and accumulation of 14α-methyl-ergosta-8, 24(28)-dien-3β-6α-diol than the parental strain under the same treatment conditions. This strain provides a useful tool for initial specificity testing for new drugs targeting CYP51 and clearly differentiates azole antifungals in a side-by-side comparison.
Posaconazole Combined with Amphotericin B, an Effective Therapy for a Murine Disseminated Infection Caused by
Rhizopus oryzae
Authors: Rodríguez M. Mar , Serena Carolina , Mariné Marçal , Pastor F. Javier , Guarro Josep 
Published: August 2008

ABSTRACT
In a murine model of disseminated zygomycosis, low doses of amphotericin B (0.3 mg/kg body weight/day) combined with posaconazole (40 mg/kg/day) prolonged survival and reduced tissue burden with respect to that of controls and that of both drugs administered alone. Results were similar to those obtained with amphotericin B given alone at 0.8 mg/kg/day.
In Vitro and In Vivo Evaluations of Oxacillin Efficiency against
mecA
-Positive Oxacillin-Susceptible
Staphylococcus aureus
Authors: Ikonomidis Alexandros , Michail George , Vasdeki Afroditi , Labrou Maria , Karavasilis Vasilis , Stathopoulos Constantinos , Maniatis Antonios N. , Pournaras Spyros 
Published: August 2008

ABSTRACT

Community-type
Staphylococcus aureus
strains that are positive for
mecA
and PBP2a but appear phenotypically susceptible to oxacillin are increasingly reported worldwide. Four
S. aureus
clinical isolates carrying the
mecA
gene with oxacillin MICs of <2 μg/ml were tested for oxacillin efficiency by population analyses and experimental thigh infections. These isolates harbored staphylococcal cassette chromosome
mec
type IV and belonged to two genotypes. Two of the four isolates were found by population analysis to be truly oxacillin susceptible. All four isolates exhibited significant reductions in the numbers of colonies grown after dicloxacillin treatment of experimental thigh infections, as also did a
mecA
-negative
S. aureus
control strain. These observations indicate that some of the phenotypically oxacillin susceptible
mecA
-positive
Staphylococcus aureus
isolates may be at least partially responsive to oxacillin.
Neisseria meningitidis
Escape from the Bactericidal Activity of a Monoclonal Antibody Is Mediated by Phase Variation of
lgtG
and Enhanced by a Mutator Phenotype
Authors: Bayliss Christopher D. , Hoe J. Claire , Makepeace Katherine , Martin Patricia , Hood Derek W. , Moxon E. Richard 
Published: August 2008

ABSTRACT

Bacteria adapt to environmental changes through high-frequency switches in expression of specific phenotypes. Localized hypermutation mediated by simple sequence repeats is an important mechanism of such phase variation (PV) in
Neisseria meningitidis
. Loss or gain of nucleotides in a poly(C) tract located in the reading frame results in switches in expression of
lgtG
and determines whether a glucose or a phosphoethanolamine (PEtn) is added at a specific position in the inner core lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Monoclonal antibody (MAb) B5 is bactericidal for
N. meningitidis
strain 8047 when PEtn is present in the inner core LPS and
lgtG
is switched “off.” Escape from the bactericidal activity of this antibody was examined by subjecting strain 8047 to multiple cycles of growth in the presence of MAb B5 and human serum. Escape variants with alterations in the
lgtG
repeat tract rapidly accumulated in bacterial populations during selection with this antibody. Strain 8047 was outcompeted in this assay by the 8047 Δ
mutS
strain due to the elevated PV rate of this mismatch repair mutant and hence the greater proportion of preexisting phase variants of
lgtG
in the inoculum. This
mutS
mutant was also more virulent than strain 8047 during escape from passive protection by MAb B5 in an in vivo infant rat model of bacteremia. These results provide an example of how PV rates can modulate the occurrence and severity of infection and have important implications for understanding the evolution of bacterial fitness in species subject to environmental variations that occur during persistence within and transmission between hosts.
Increased Susceptibility to
Mycobacterium avium
in Hemochromatosis Protein HFE-Deficient Mice
Authors: Gomes-Pereira Sandra , Rodrigues Pedro Nuno , Appelberg Rui , Gomes Maria Salomé 
Published: August 2008

ABSTRACT

Mycobacterium avium
is an opportunistic infectious agent in immunocompromised patients, living inside macrophage phagosomes. As for other mycobacterial species, iron availability is a critical factor for
M. avium
survival and multiplication. Indeed, an association between host secondary iron overload and increased susceptibility to these mycobacteria is generally acknowledged. However, studies on the impact of primary iron overload on
M. avium
infection have not been performed. In this work, we used animal models of primary iron overload that mimic the human disease hereditary hemochromatosis. This pathology is characterized by increased serum transferrin saturation with iron deposition in parenchymal cells, mainly in the liver, and is most often associated with mutations in the gene encoding the molecule HFE. In this paper, we demonstrate that mice of two genetically determined primary iron overload phenotypes, Hfe
−/−
and β2m
−/−
, show an increased susceptibility to experimental infection with
M. avium
and that during infection these animals accumulate iron inside granuloma macrophages. β2m
−/−
mice were found to be more susceptible than Hfe
−/−
mice, but depleting Hfe
−/−
mice of CD8
+
cells had no effect on resistance to infection. Overall, our results suggest that serum iron, rather than total liver iron, levels have a considerable impact on susceptibility to
M. avium
infection.