bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A review of the activity and effects of nurse‐led care in diabetes
Authors: Carey Nicola , Courtenay Molly 
Published: October 2007

Aims and objectives.  To identify systematically, summarize and critically appraise the current evidence regarding the activity and effects of nurse‐led care in diabetes.Background.  A diverse range of nurse‐led models of care exist in diabetes. Primary studies have been conducted evaluating these models, but review and synthesis of the findings from these studies has not been undertaken.Method.  Systematic searches of CINAHL, MEDLINE and British Nursing Index from 1996 until June 2006. The searches were supplemented by an extensive hand search of the literature through references identified from retrieved articles.Results.  Twenty‐two relevant publications were identified and included findings from both primary and secondary care. The evidence indicates that nurses are involved in specific areas of care including education, individualized care, patient safety, promotion of self‐care, acquisition of physical skills and psychological support. Improved glycemic control, diabetic symptoms, cost‐effectiveness and decreased length of hospital stay are the main benefits of nurse‐led interventions in diabetes care. Disease management protocols are the main mechanism by which nurses adjust and titrate medicines for patients with diabetes. Patient evaluations of nurse‐led care report improved self‐care and patient knowledge.Conclusions.  Findings of the review are generally positive. However, there are methodological weaknesses and under researched issues e.g. poor descriptions of the nurse interventions, the educational needs of nurses and the prescription of medicines by nurses for patients with diabetes, that point to a need for further rigorous evaluation.Relevance to clinical practice.  Nurse‐led care is an integral element of the diabetes service offered to patients. This review highlights the effect of this care and the issues that require consideration by those responsible for the development of nurse‐led models in diabetes care.
A systematic review of nursing contributions to mobility rehabilitation: examining the quality and content of the evidence
Authors: Kneafsey Rosie 
Published: October 2007

Aims.  This paper summarizes the results of a systematic literature review to examine the quality and content of the evidence relating to nursing approaches to improving the mobility and movement of older people.Background.  Older people experiencing health breakdown often develop problems with movement and mobility and nurses play a role in helping patients to either adapt to or overcome these difficulties.Methods.  Electronic searches were undertaken of Medline, CINAHL, Amed and Cochrane Database of systematic reviews. Papers about nursing approaches to promoting mobility and movement were critically appraised using quality assessment checklists. Papers addressing safe moving and handling, falls prevention, health promotion, rehabilitation or teamworking in general were excluded.Results.  Sixteen research and 33 informational papers were included and comprise the review. Many research papers used weak designs and small sample sizes, limiting their ability to control for important confounding variables. Although numerous studies examined effectiveness, only one used a randomised controlled trial design. Papers were grouped into four interlinked sets. These were promoting mobility and preventing immobility; walking and exercise; neuro‐developmental principles; and rehabilitation patient handling.Conclusions.  Specific foci for nursing assessment and interventions to promote patients’ mobility have been identified. However, the fragmented nature of the evidence makes it difficult to make recommendations for nursing practice. Future research should be conducted by multi‐professional research teams to identify the most effective approaches to promoting patients’ mobility and to explore overlaps between different members of the rehabilitation team.Relevance to clinical practice.  Regaining the ability to move and walk is often a key concern for patients who have suffered health breakdown. Although nurses provide patients with assistance the evidence available does little to direct nurses as to the best approach towards mobility rehabilitation. It is important that nurses play a role in measuring the efficacy of different interventions to promote rehabilitation.
Experience of Hong Kong patients awaiting kidney transplantation in mainland China
Authors: Leung Sylvie SH , Shiu Ann TY 
Published: October 2007

Aim. This paper describes the experience of Hong Kong Chinese patients awaiting kidney transplantation in mainland China.Background. While travelling to mainland China for kidney transplantation is a controversial issue, there is an increasing trend of Hong Kong Chinese patients with chronic kidney disease seeking this treatment choice, which outnumbers that performed in Hong Kong. Although these patients seek pre‐ and post‐transplantation care from Hong Kong public healthcare system, little is known about their experience during the waiting period.Methods. This experience is examined in an exploratory qualitative study. In‐depth interviews were used to collect data from a purposive sample of 12 kidney recipients.Results. Three major findings are identified: (i) transplant waiting patients may travel to mainland China for transplantation in search of normal life, (ii) they need informational support from their continuing healthcare providers in Hong Kong to make the informed decision and (iii) they perceive a variation of attitudes of nurses and doctors in Hong Kong towards transplantation in mainland China.Conclusions. This study contributes to the literature by researching patients’ perspective. The findings highlight the importance and controversy of addressing these patients’ informational needs. While the authors have no inclination for or against travelling to mainland China for transplantation, the findings reveal a tenacious clinical dilemma, which deserves debate in international transplant community and further research to inform the debate. Nurse and doctors in Hong Kong may contribute to the debate by articulating their experience of caring for these patients.Relevance to clinical practice. Health information that is readily available for patients scheduled for kidney transplantation in Hong Kong should be made accessible to the whole community of patients with chronic kidney disease. To address the complexity of patients travelling to elsewhere for transplantation and the needs of these patients, provider reticence may be counterproductive.
A cross‐cultural comparison of the developmental evolution of expertise in diabetes self‐management
Authors: Shimizu Yasuko , Paterson Barbara L 
Published: October 2007

Aims.  The authors compare the findings of two research studies, one conducted in Japan and the other in Canada, about the developmental evolution of self‐management of diabetes. In this article, the authors identify the similarities and differences that exist in the research data, proposing that the differences are situated in the different cultural perspectives of self‐management that exist in both countries.Background.  Researchers have acknowledged that self‐management has cultural dimensions. Despite this, however, there are few studies that have provided a cross‐cultural comparison of the experience of self‐management among different cultural groups.Design.  The authors conducted a critical comparative analysis of two models of developing expertise in diabetes self‐management. The review included an analysis of the cultural meanings of the various terms and the underlying assumptions of both models.Conclusions.  The models shared many similarities; however, their differences were identified, such as the meaning and interpretation of various words or experiences, and shaped by the culturally bound perspectives of self and health.Relevance to clinical practice.  The findings serve as a caution to imposing ethnocentric views and interpretations in diabetes care. In addition, they remind us about the importance of asking people with diabetes about what they understand, desire and understand. The findings challenge nurses to reflect on how the development of self‐management of diabetes in various national contexts is influenced by health care practices that focus on control or harmony.
Persistent severe fatigue in patients with rheumatoid arthritis
Authors: Repping‐Wuts Han , Fransen Jaap , Van Achterberg Theo , Bleijenberg Gijs , Van Riel Piet 
Published: October 2007

Aim. To determine whether persistent severe fatigue in patients with rheumatoid arthritis can be predicted by inflammation and disability.Methods. A follow‐up study with a one‐year duration was performed. From an existing rheumatoid arthritis cohort, 150 consecutive patients, with established rheumatoid arthritis, were asked to assess fatigue, using the subscale Checklist Individual Strength‐fatigue of the Checklist Individual Strength at baseline and 12 months later. The Checklist Individual Strength‐fatigue scores were classified into ‘normal’ (score between 8–27), ‘moderate’ (score between 27–34) or ‘severe’ (score 35 or above) fatigue. Disease‐related variables were: tender joints, swollen joints, general health, disability and laboratory measures (erythrocyte sedimentation rate, rheumatoid factor and haemoglobin). Predictors of persistent severe fatigue were identified by multiple logistic regression analyses with backward selection (selection criteria:p<0·05).Results. At baseline, 137 patients agreed to participate and 123 patients completed the study. Severe fatigue was experienced by as many as 50% of the patients, both at baseline and at the end of the study (n = 123). Moreover, 49 patients (40%) experienced severe fatigue at baseline as well as at follow‐up, which we called ‘persistent severe fatigue’. Persistent severe fatigue was predicted by mean general health and disability at baseline [odds ratio (OR) = 2·03 and 2·83, respectively] in this group of rheumatoid arthritis patients with a low‐to‐moderate level of disease activity and disability.Conclusion. The data show that severe fatigue is not resolved spontaneously in rheumatoid arthritis patients, and persistent severe fatigue is mainly predicted by general health and disability. The relation with inflammation or a low level of haemoglobin, which is often assumed in clinical practice, was not found.Relevance to clinical practice. Fatigue in patients with rheumatoid arthritis has to be considered as a symptom that needs to be addressed by professionals in the same way as pain and disability. In current care, fatigue is insufficiently addressed.
Release of protein as well as activity of MMP‐9 from unstable atherosclerotic plaques during percutaneous coronary intervention
Authors: Robertson L. , Grip L. , Mattsson Hultén L. , Hulthe J. , Wiklund O. 
Published: October 2007

Abstract.  Robertson L, Grip L, Mattsson Hultén L, Hulthe J, Wiklund O. (Göteborg University, Göteborg; Borås Hospital, Borås; and AstraZeneca, Mölndal, Sweden). Release of protein as well as activity of MMP‐9 from unstable atherosclerotic plaques during percutaneous coronary intervention. J Intern Med 2007; 262: 659–667.Objectives.  Few studies have investigated the composition of unstable coronary plaques in vivo in humans. The aims of this study were to investigate if substances released from plaques during percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) under distal protection could give information about plaque composition and also indicate possible biomarkers in plasma that may be used to identify patients at risk.Methods and results.  Twenty patients with acute coronary syndromes undergoing PCI with distal protection were included. Plasma samples were taken before, during, and after the PCI in the aortic root, locally in the culprit vessel and intravenously. Plasma was analysed for possible markers of plaque instability. During PCI, local increases were observed for matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP‐9), protein (P < 0.001) as well as activity (P < 0.001), interleukin 6 (IL‐6; P < 0.01) and oxidized low‐density lipoprotein (oxLDL; P = 0.01) in the culprit coronary artery. A systemic inflammatory response was also seen with increased levels of IL‐10, MMP‐3, serum amyloid A and C‐reactive protein, but with no increase in MMP‐9.Conclusions.  Our study shows that local sampling of blood under distal protection may be used to analyse coronary plaques and to identify biomarkers for unstable plaques. Our results suggest that MMP‐9 is a potential biomarker, and that IL‐6, MMP9 and possibly oxLDL are released from plaques.
Are cattle, sheep, and goats endangered species?
Authors: TABERLET P. , VALENTINI A. , REZAEI H. R. , NADERI S. , POMPANON F. , NEGRINI R. , AJMONE‐MARSAN P. 
Published: October 2007

AbstractFor about 10 000 years, farmers have been managing cattle, sheep, and goats in a sustainable way, leading to animals that are well adapted to the local conditions. About 200 years ago, the situation started to change dramatically, with the rise of the concept of breed. All animals from the same breed began to be selected for the same phenotypic characteristics, and reproduction among breeds was seriously reduced. This corresponded to a strong fragmentation of the initial populations. A few decades ago, the selection pressures were increased again in order to further improve productivity, without enough emphasis on the preservation of the overall genetic diversity. The efficiency of modern selection methods successfully increased the production, but with a dramatic loss of genetic variability. Many industrial breeds now suffer from inbreeding, with effective population sizes falling below 50. With the development of these industrial breeds came economic pressure on farmers to abandon their traditional breeds, and many of these have recently become extinct as a result. This means that genetic resources in cattle, sheep, and goats are highly endangered, particularly in developed countries. It is therefore important to take measures that promote a sustainable management of these genetic resources; first, byin situpreservation of endangered breeds; second, by using selection programmes to restore the genetic diversity of industrial breeds; and finally, by protecting the wild relatives that might provide useful genetic resources.
Plant genetics predicts intra‐annual variation in phytochemistry and arthropod community structure
Authors: WIMP G. M. , WOOLEY S. , BANGERT R. K. , YOUNG W. P. , MARTINSEN G. D. , KEIM P. , REHILL B. , LINDROTH R. L. , WHITHAM T. G. 
Published: October 2007

AbstractWith the emerging field of community genetics, it is important to quantify the key mechanisms that link genetics and community structure. We studied cottonwoods in common gardens and in natural stands and examined the potential for plant chemistry to be a primary mechanism linking plant genetics and arthropod communities. If plant chemistry drives the relationship between plant genetics and arthropod community structure, then several predictions followed. We would find (i) the strongest correlation between plant genetic composition and chemical composition; (ii) an intermediate correlation between plant chemical composition and arthropod community composition; and (iii) the weakest relationship between plant genetic composition and arthropod community composition. Our results supported our first prediction: plant genetics and chemistry had the strongest correlation in the common garden and the wild. Our results largely supported our second prediction, but varied across space, seasonally, and according to arthropod feeding group. Plant chemistry played a larger role in structuring common garden arthropod communities relative to wild communities, free‐living arthropods relative to leaf and stem modifiers, and early‐season relative to late‐season arthropods. Our results did not support our last prediction, as host plant genetics was at least as tightly linked to arthropod community structure as plant chemistry, if not more so. Our results demonstrate the consistency of the relationship between plant genetics and biodiversity. Additionally, plant chemistry can be an important mechanism by which plant genetics affects arthropod community composition, but other genetic‐based factors are likely involved that remain to be measured.
Genome‐wide analysis reveals differences in brain gene expression patterns associated with caste and reproductive status in honey bees (Apis mellifera)
Authors: GROZINGER CHRISTINA M. , FAN YONGLIANG , HOOVER SHELLEY E. R. , WINSTON MARK L. 
Published: October 2007

AbstractA key characteristic of eusocial species is reproductive division of labour. Honey bee colonies typically have a single reproductive queen and thousands of sterile workers. Adult queens differ dramatically from workers in anatomy, physiology, behaviour and lifespan. Young female workers can activate their ovaries and initiate egg laying; these ‘reproductive’ workers differ from sterile workers in anatomy, physiology, and behaviour. These differences, however, are on a much smaller scale than those observed between the queen and worker castes. Here, we use microarrays to monitor expression patterns of several thousand genes in the brains of same‐aged virgin queens, sterile workers, and reproductive workers. We found large differences in expression between queens and both worker groups (~2000 genes), and much smaller differences between sterile and reproductive workers (221 genes). The expression patterns of these 221 genes in reproductive workers are more queen‐like, and may represent a core group of genes associated with reproductive physiology. Furthermore, queens and reproductive workers preferentially up‐regulate genes associated with the nurse bee behavioural state, which supports the hypothesis of an evolutionary link between worker division of labour and molecular pathways related to reproduction. Finally, several functional groups of genes associated with longevity in other species are significantly up‐regulated in queens. Identifying the genes that underlie the differences between queens, sterile workers, and reproductive workers will allow us to begin to characterize the molecular mechanisms underlying the evolution of social behaviour and large‐scale remodelling of gene networks associated with polyphenisms.
High selfing and high inbreeding depression in peripheral populations ofJuncus atratus
Authors: MICHALSKI STEFAN G. , DURKA WALTER 
Published: October 2007

AbstractThe mating system of a plant is the prime determinant of its population genetic structure. However, mating system effects may be modified by postzygotic mechanisms like inbreeding depression. Furthermore, historical as well as contemporary ecological factors and population characteristics, like the location within the species range can contribute to genetic variability. Using microsatellite markers we assessed the population genetic structure of the wind‐pollinatedJuncus atratusin 16 populations from peripheral and nearly central areas of the distribution range and studied the mating system of the species. In three peripheral populations, outcrossing rates at seeds stage were low (meantm = 5.6%), suggesting a highly autogamous mating system. Despite this fact, on adult stage both individual heterozygosity (meanHO = 0.48) and gene diversity (meanHE = 0.58) were high even in small populations. Inbreeding coefficients were consistently low among all populations (meanFIS = 0.15). Within the three peripheral populations indirect estimates of lifetime inbreeding depression were surprisingly high (δeq = 0.96) and inbreeding depression could be shown to act mostly on early seedling establishment. Similar conditions of autogamy combined with high inbreeding depression are typical for plants with a large lifetime genomic mutation rate that cannot avoid selfing by geitonogamy. However, the results presented here are unexpected for small‐statured, herbaceous plants. Substantial genetic differentiation among all populations was found (meanFST = 0.24). An isolation‐by‐distance pattern was apparent on large scale but not on local scale suggesting that the overall pattern was largely influenced by historical factors, e.g. colonization, whereas locally genetic drift was of greater importance than gene flow. Peripheral populations exhibited lower genetic diversity and higher inbreeding coefficients when compared with subcentral populations.
Genetic structure of Suillus luteus populations in heavy metal polluted and nonpolluted habitats
Authors: MULLER LUDO A. H. , VANGRONSVELD JACO , COLPAERT JAN V. 
Published: October 2007

AbstractThe genetic structure of populations of the ectomycorrhizal basidiomycete Suillus luteus in heavy metal polluted and nonpolluted areas was studied. Sporocarps were collected at nine different locations and genotyped at four microsatellite loci. Six of the sampling sites were severely contaminated with heavy metals and were dominated by heavy metal‐tolerant individuals. Considerable genetic diversity was found within the geographical subpopulations, but no reduction of the genetic diversity, current or historic, was observed in subpopulations inhabiting polluted soils. The genetic differentiation between the geographical subpopulations was low, and no evidence for clustering of subpopulations from polluted soils vs. subpopulations from nonpolluted soils was found. These results indicate that heavy metal pollution has a limited effect on the genetic structure of S. luteus populations, and this may be due to the high frequency of sexual reproduction and extensive gene flow in S. luteus, which allows rapid evolution of the tolerance trait while maintaining high levels of genetic diversity.
Genomics of natural bird populations: a gene‐based set of reference markers evenly spread across the avian genome
Authors: BACKSTRÖM NICLAS , FAGERBERG SOFIE , ELLEGREN HANS 
Published: October 2007

AbstractAlthough there is growing interest to take genomics into the complex realms of natural populations, there is a general shortage of genomic resources and tools available for wild species. This applies not at least to birds, for which genomic approaches should be helpful to questions such as adaptation, speciation and population genetics. In this study, we describe a genome‐wide reference set of conserved avian gene markers, broadly applicable across birds. By aligning protein‐coding sequences from the recently assembled chicken genome with orthologous sequences in zebra finch, we identified particularly conserved exonic regions flanking introns of suitable size for subsequent amplification and sequencing. Primers were designed for 242 gene markers evenly distributed across the chicken genome, with a mean inter‐marker interval of 4.2 Mb. Between 78% and 93% of the markers amplified a specific product in five species tested (chicken, peregrine falcon, collared flycatcher, great reed warbler and blue tit). Two hundred markers were sequenced in collared flycatcher, yielding a total of 122.41 kb of genomic DNA sequence (12096 bp coding sequence and 110 314 bp noncoding). Intron size of collared flycatcher and chicken was highly correlated, as was GC content. A polymorphism screening using these markers in a panel of 10 unrelated collared flycatchers identified 871 single nucleotide polymorphisms (π = 0.0029) and 33 indels (mainly very short). Avian genome characteristics such as uniform genome size and low rate of syntenic rearrangements suggest that this marker set will find broad utility as a genome‐wide reference resource for molecular ecological and population genomic analysis of birds. We envision that it will be particularly useful for obtaining large‐scale orthologous targets in different species — important in, for instance, phylogenetics — and for large‐scale identification of evenly distributed single nucleotide polymorphisms needed in linkage mapping or in studies of gene flow and hybridization.