bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Sharp-Device Injuries to Hospital Staff Nurses in 4 Countries
Authors: Clarke Sean P. , Schubert Maria , Körner Thorsten 
Published: March 2007

Objective.To compare sharp-device injury rates among hospital staff nurses in 4 Western countries.Design.Cross-sectional survey.Setting.Acute-care hospital nurses in the United States (Pennsylvania), Canada (Alberta, British Columbia, and Ontario), the United Kingdom (England and Scotland), and Germany.Participants.A total of 34,318 acute-care hospital staff nurses in 1998-1999.Results.Survey-based rates of retrospectively-reported needlestick injuries in the previous year for medical-surgical unit nurses ranged from 146 injuries per 1,000 full-time equivalent positions (FTEs) in the US sample to 488 injuries per 1,000 FTEs in Germany. In the United States and Canada, very high rates of sharp-device injury among nurses working in the operating room and/or perioperative care were observed (255 and 569 injuries per 1,000 FTEs per year, respectively). Reported use of safety-engineered sharp devices was considerably lower in Germany and Canada than it was in the United States. Some variation in injury rates was seen across nursing specialties among North American nurses, mostly in line with the frequency of risky procedures in the nurses' work.Conclusions.Studies conducted in the United States over the past 15 years suggest that the rates of sharp-device injuries to front-line nurses have fallen over the past decade, probably at least in part because of increased awareness and adoption of safer technologies, suggesting that regulatory strategies have improved nurse safety. The much higher injury rate in Germany may be due to slow adoption of safety devices. Wider diffusion of safer technologies, as well as introduction and stronger enforcement of occupational safety and health regulations, are likely to decrease sharp-device injury rates in various countries even further.
Serotype distribution of Streptococcus mutans a pathogen of dental caries in cardiovascular specimens from Japanese patients
Authors: Nakano Kazuhiko , Nemoto Hirotoshi , Nomura Ryota , Homma Hiromi , Yoshioka Hideo , Shudo Yasuhiro , Hata Hiroki , Toda Koichi , Taniguchi Kazuhiro , Amano Atsuo , Ooshima Takashi 
Published: March 2007

The involvement of oral bacteria in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease has been studied, with Streptococcus mutans, a pathogen of dental caries, detected in cardiovascular lesions at a high frequency. However, no information is available regarding the properties of S. mutans detected in those lesions. Heart valve specimens were collected from 52 patients and atheromatous plaque specimens from 50 patients, all of whom underwent cardiovascular operations, and dental plaque specimens were taken from 41 of those subjects prior to surgery. Furthermore, saliva samples were taken from 73 sets of healthy mothers (n=73) and their healthy children (n=78). Bacterial DNA was extracted from all specimens, then analysed by PCR with S. mutans-specific and serotype-specific primer sets. The detection rates of S. mutans in the heart valve and atheromatous plaque specimens were 63 and 64 %, respectively. Non-c serotypes were identified with a significantly higher frequency in both cardiovascular and dental plaque samples from the subjects who underwent surgery as compared to serotype c, which was detected in 70–75 % of the samples from the healthy subjects. The serotype distribution in cardiovascular patients was significantly different from that in healthy subjects, suggesting that S. mutans serotype may be related to cardiovascular disease.
Molecular evolution and radiation of dung beetles in Madagascar
Authors: Orsini Luisa , Koivulehto Helena , Hanski Ilkka 
Published: March 2007

AbstractMadagascar is the world's fourth largest island and has a wide range of climates and ecosystems. Environmental diversity combined with long history of isolation (160 Myr) has generated a high level of endemism at different taxonomic levels, making Madagascar one of the hotspots of global biodiversity. Dung beetles, represented by the two tribes of Canthonini and Helictopleurini, exemplify a large insect taxon. Helictopleurini are completely endemic to Madagascar while Canthonini are endemic at generic level. Using data from mitochondrial and nuclear genes, phylogenetic relationships were investigated in a sample of 44 species. The phylogeny for Canthonini consists of several distinct clades, possibly reflecting multiple colonization of Madagascar. The phylogeny does not support the current taxonomy for all genera. The phylogeny for Helictopleurini lacks statistical support at supra‐specific level, and genetic divergence among the Helictopleurini species is comparable with that among species within genera in Canthonini. These results suggest that Helictopleurini has undergone rapid speciation and most likely more recently than Canthonini, consistent with the estimated radiation time based on mtDNA mutation rates in insects and with knowledge about the systematics and geographic distribution of dung beetles worldwide. A detailed analysis of sequence composition identified common patterns in Malagasy dung beetles and other insects.© The Willi Hennig Society 2007.
Apoptosis in epithelial cells of apical radicular cysts
Authors: Loyola A. M. , Cardoso S. V. , Lisa G. S. , Oliveira L. J. , Mesquita R. A. , Carmo M. A. V. , Aguiar M. C. F. 
Published: March 2007

AbstractAim  To investigate the occurrence of apoptotic cell death in the epithelium of radicular cysts and to compare its frequency in lesions presenting a distinct functional state.Methodology  Twenty radicular cysts were selected and arranged into two groups with 10 lesions in each group: atrophic (quiescent) and hyperplastic (active) epithelium. Morphologic investigations of apoptosis were conducted by means of optic microscopy in haematoxylin and eosin slides. Immunohistochemical techniques to detect the bcl‐2 protein were carried out by streptavidin–biotin–peroxidase assay. In both instances, 30 sequential high‐power microscopic fields were observed to determine apoptotic (AI) and bcl‐2 immunostaining (bcl‐2I) indexes. The presence of AI and bcl‐2I within the two groups was compared using the t‐test. Correlation between the AI and the bcl‐2I was investigated using the Spearman test.Results  Apoptosis was detected in the epithelium of all cysts. Higher AI levels were found in lesions with an atrophic (0.17 ± 0.19) rather than a hyperplastic (0.10 ± 0.10) epithelium. The same was found for the bcl‐2I levels (0.06 ± 0.03 vs. 0.04 ± 0.01, respectively). However, these differences were not statistically significant. A positive and significant correlation was found between AI and bcl‐2I.Conclusions  Apoptosis was always present in the epithelium of the lesions and was more frequent in lesions with atrophic (quiescent) epithelium.
Applying a modified Prochaska’s model of readiness to change for general practitioners on depressive disorders in CME programmes: validation of tool
Authors: Shirazi Mandana , Assadi Seyed Mohammad , Sadeghi Majid , Zeinaloo Ali A. , Kashani Ahmad S. , Arbabi Mohammad , Alaedini Farshid , Lonka Kirsti , Wahlstrom Rolf 
Published: March 2007

AbstractObjective  To assess the validity and reliability of an 11‐item questionnaire for stages of readiness to change according to a modified Prochaska model (including attitude, intention and action stage) in the context of continuing medical education (CME) on depressive disorders for general practitioners (GPs) in Tehran, Iran.Methods  Three hundred and fifty GPs were recruited for filling in a questionnaire in order to assess content validity and modifying the questionnaire. Fifty‐nine GPs were involved for testing reliability and 39 GPs for testing concurrent validity. Content validity of the questionnaire was assessed by expert consensus. Concurrent validity was assessed by correlating the results of a semi‐structured interview with those of the self‐assessment questionnaire. For testing reliability there was a test–retest approach with an interval of 3–7 days.Results  A panel of experts was held at four times and the final version of modified Prochaska questionnaire (MPQ) was compiled by the panel. Total κ coefficient for concurrent validity of the whole questionnaire was 0.80. Only two of the questions had a κ coefficient lower than 0.70. In the test–retest, 96% of participants reassigned to the same stage and the total κ coefficient of reliability was 0.89 for the whole questionnaire.Conclusion  The validity and reliability of the MPQ for assessing GPs’ readiness to change in the field of depressive disorders were found to be high in the Iranian context. These findings support its application in tailoring and evaluating CME programmes for GPs in Iran.
An empirical test of freshwater vicariance via river capture
Authors: BURRIDGE CHRISTOPHER P. , CRAW DAVE , WATERS JONATHAN M. 
Published: March 2007

AbstractRiver capture is a geomorphological process through which stream sections are displaced from one catchment to another, and it may represent a dominant facilitator of interdrainage transfer and cladogenesis in freshwater‐limited taxa. However, few studies have been conducted in a manner to explicitly test the biological significance of river capture. Here we present a multispecies phylogeographical analysis to test whether the nonmigratory fish fauna of the Von River (South Island, New Zealand) is the product of a well‐documented, Late Quaternary capture of a section of the Oreti River (Southland drainage). Specifically, we predict that nonmigratory fishes of the Von River will exhibit closer genetic affinities with those of Southland, rather than those of the Clutha system, into which the Von River presently drains. Mitochondrial DNA phylogeography (control region and cytochrome b sequence data) and analysis of nuclear orthologues of mtDNA sequences indicate that ‘flathead’Galaxias of the Von River (n = 31, three sites) have greatest genetic affinities with those of Southland (Galaxias ‘southern’, n = 216, 38 sites), rather than with those of the Clutha River (Galaxias sp. ‘D’, n = 73, 32 sites). Likewise, Von River ‘roundhead’Galaxias (n = 52, four sites) have greatest genetic affinities with those of Southland drainages (Galaxias gollumoides, n = 223, 58 sites), rather than with those of the Clutha River (Galaxias pullus, Galaxias anomalus, Galaxias gollumoides of the Nevis tributary; n = 68, 32 sites). These findings are consistent with our predictions that genetic affinities of the nonmigratory fish fauna in the Von River would reflect past, rather than present, drainage connections. Consequently, river capture is responsible for the nonmigratory fish fauna of the Von River. In a broader context, river capture has frequently influenced the distribution of genetic lineages among catchments in New Zealand freshwater‐limited fish, and its biogeographical significance may have been underestimated in other regions.
Longitudinal range expansion and cryptic eastern species in the western Palaearctic oak gallwasp, Andricus coriarius
Authors: CHALLIS RICHARD J. , MUTUN SERAP , NIEVES‐ALDREY JOSE‐LUIS , PREUSS SONJA , ROKAS ANTONIS , AEBI ALEXANDRE , SADEGHI EBRAHIM , TAVAKOLI MAJID , STONE GRAHAM N. 
Published: March 2007

AbstractThe oak gallwasp Andricus coriarius is distributed across the Western Palaearctic from Morocco to Iran. It belongs to a clade of host‐alternating Andricus species that requires host oaks in two sections of Quercus subgenus Quercus to complete its lifecycle, a requirement that has restricted the historic distribution and dispersal of members of this clade. Here we present nuclear and mitochondrial sequence evidence from the entire geographic range of A. coriarius to investigate the genetic legacy of longitudinal range expansion. We show A. coriarius as currently understood to be para‐ or polyphyletic, with three evolutionarily independent (but partially sympatric) lineages that diverged c. 10 million years ago (mya). The similarities in gall structure that have justified recognition of single species to date thus represent either strong conservation of an ancestral state or striking convergence. All three lineages originated in areas to the east of Europe, underlining the significance of Turkey, Iran and the Levant as ‘cradles’ of gallwasp evolution. One of the three lineages gave rise to all European populations, and range expansion from a putative Eastern origin to the present distribution is predicted to have occurred around 1.6 mya.
Estimating the number of founder lineages from haplotypes of closely linked SNPs
Authors: LEBLOIS RAPHAËL , SLATKIN MONTGOMERY 
Published: March 2007

AbstractWe consider an isolated population founded by a small number of individuals randomly chosen from a source population of known genetic composition at a known time in the past. We develop a Monte‐Carlo maximum‐likelihood method for estimating the number of founding individuals from the haplotype frequencies at several SNP (single nucleotide polymorphism) loci in a sample. We assume the isolated population was founded recently enough that that mutation can be ignored and that haplotype frequencies in the source population have not changed. We apply the method to simulated data and show that it is unbiased. With a reasonable number of individuals sampled, it is possible to estimate the number of founders within a factor of 2. We show that the performance of the method is not degraded substantially if the frequencies of the rare haplotypes in the source are not known precisely and if there is some recombination. We illustrate the use of our method by applying it to a previously published data set from a recently founded population of wolves (Canis lupus) in Scandinavia.
Mechanisms of hypoxic signal transduction regulated by reactive nitrogen species
Authors: Sumbayev V. V. , Yasinska I. M. 
Published: March 2007

AbstractRecent reports devoted to the field of oxygen sensing outline that signalling molecules such as nitric oxide/nitric oxide derived species as well as cytokines and other inflammatory mediators participate in hypoxic signal transduction. In the present review, we summarize the current knowledge about the role of nitric oxide and reactive nitrogen species (RNS) derived from it in hypoxic signal transduction and particularly in accumulation/de‐accumulation of hypoxia inducible factor 1 alpha (HIF‐1α) protein, which is critical not only for cellular adaptation to low oxygen availability but also for generation of inflammatory and innate immune responses. After brief description of nitric oxide and other RNS as multifunctional messengers we analyse and discuss the RNS‐dependent accumulation of HIF‐1α protein under normoxia followed by discussion of the mechanisms of nitric oxide (NO)‐dependent enzyme‐regulated degradation of HIF‐1α protein under low oxygen availability.
Early chloroplastic alterations analysed by optical coherence tomography during a harpin‐induced hypersensitive response
Authors: Boccara Martine , Schwartz Wilfrid , Guiot Elvire , Vidal Guillaume , Paepe Rosine De , Dubois Arnaud , Boccara Albert‐Claude 
Published: March 2007

SummaryThe hypersensitive response has been mostly studied by molecular and biochemical methods after sample destruction. The development of imaging techniques allows the monitoring of physiological changes before any signs of cell death. Here, we follow the early steps of a hypersensitive‐like response induced by the bacterial elicitor harpin in Nicotiana sp. We describe cytological modifications after inoculation of the harpin protein, using confocal fluorescence microscopy (CFM) and optical coherence tomography (OCT), an interferometric‐based microscopy. The changes detected by CFM occurred 5 h after harpin infiltration and corresponded to a redistribution of the chloroplasts from the upper to the inner regions of the palisade mesophyll cells which could be related to a perturbation in the microtubule network. Using OCT, we were able to detect a decrease in chloroplast backscattered signal as early as 30 min after harpin infiltration. A simple physical model, which accounted for the structure and distribution of thylakoid membranes, suggested that this loss of scattering could be associated with a modification in the refractive index of the thylakoid membranes. Our OCT observations were correlated with a decrease in photosynthesis, emphasizing changes in chloroplast structure as one of the earliest hallmarks of plant hypersensitive cell death.
Arabidopsis peroxisomal malate dehydrogenase functions in β‐oxidation but not in the glyoxylate cycle
Authors: Pracharoenwattana Itsara , Cornah Johanna E. , Smith Steven M. 
Published: March 2007

SummaryThe aim was to determine the function of peroxisomal NAD+‐malate dehydrogenase (PMDH) in fatty acid β‐oxidation and the glyoxylate cycle in Arabidopsis. Seeds in which both PMDH genes are disrupted by T‐DNA insertions germinate, but seedling establishment is dependent on exogenous sugar. Mutant seedlings mobilize their triacylglycerol very slowly and growth is insensitive to 2,4‐dichlorophenoxybutyric acid. Thus mutant seedlings are severely impaired in β‐oxidation, even though microarray analysis shows that β‐oxidation genes are expressed normally. The mutant phenotype was complemented by expression of a cDNA encoding PMDH with either its native peroxisome targeting signal‐2 (PTS2) targeting sequence or a heterologous PTS1 sequence. In contrast to the block in β‐oxidation in mutant seedlings, [14C]acetate is readily metabolized into sugars and organic acids, thereby demonstrating normal activity of the glyoxylate cycle. We conclude that PMDH serves to reoxidize NADH produced from fatty acid β‐oxidation and does not participate directly in the glyoxylate cycle.
Structural analogs of ABA reveal novel features of ABA perception and signaling in Arabidopsis
Authors: Huang Daiqing , Jaradat Masrur R. , Wu Weiren , Ambrose Stephen J. , Ross Andrew R. , Abrams Suzanne R. , Cutler Adrian J. 
Published: March 2007

SummaryChanges in gene expression produced by the application of (+)‐abscisic acid (ABA) to Arabidopsis thaliana plants were compared with changes produced by the ABA structural analogs (−)‐ABA, (+)‐8′‐acetylene ABA and (−)‐2′,3′‐dihydroacetylenic abscisyl alcohol. The maximum expression of many rapidly (+)‐ABA‐induced genes occurred prior to peak hormone accumulation, suggesting negative feedback regulation that may be mediated by the induction of genes encoding PP2C‐type protein phosphatases. For most rapidly (+)‐ABA‐induced genes, expression was delayed in ABA analog treatments although analogs accumulated to higher levels than did (+)‐ABA. For each analog, some genes exhibited a hypersensitive response to the analog and some genes were less sensitive to the analog than to (+)‐ABA. Variations in the sensitivity of gene expression to (+)‐ABA and analogs reflect the different structural requirements of two or more classes of hormone receptors. By using ABA analogs to reveal and confirm weakly (+)‐ABA‐regulated genes, we estimate that 14% of Arabidopsis genes are ABA‐regulated in aerial tissues. Treatments with the analog (+)‐8′‐acetylene ABA (PBI425) led to the identification of new ABA‐regulated genes. As an example, the transcription factor MYBR1 was significantly induced by PBI425, but not by (+)‐ABA, and is shown to play a role in ABA signaling by phenotypic analysis of gain‐of‐function and loss‐of‐function mutants.
Function of the anion transporter AtCLC‐d in the trans‐Golgi network
Authors: Fecht‐Bartenbach Jennifer von der , Bogner Martin , Krebs Melanie , Stierhof York‐Dieter , Schumacher Karin , Ludewig Uwe 
Published: March 2007

SummaryAnion transporting proteins of the CLC type are involved in anion homeostasis in a variety of organisms. CLCs from Arabidopsis have been shown to participate in nitrate accumulation and storage. In this study, the physiological role of the functional chloride transporter AtCLC‐d from Arabidopsis was investigated. AtCLC‐d is weakly expressed in various tissues, including the root. When transiently expressed as a GFP fusion in protoplasts, it co‐localized with the VHA‐a1 subunit of the proton‐transporting V‐type ATPase in the trans‐Golgi network (TGN). Stable expression in plants showed that it co‐localized with the endocytic tracer dye FM4‐64 in a brefeldin A‐sensitive compartment. Immunogold electron microscopy confirmed the localization of AtCLC‐d to the TGN. Disruption of the AtCLC‐d gene by a T‐DNA insertion did not affect the nitrate and chloride contents. The overall morphology of these clcd‐1 plants was similar to that of the wild‐type, but root growth on synthetic medium was impaired. Moreover, the sensitivity of hypocotyl elongation to treatment with concanamycin A, a blocker of the V‐ATPase, was stronger in the clcd‐1 mutant. These phenotypes could be complemented by overexpression of AtCLC‐d in the mutant background. The results suggest that the luminal pH in the trans‐Golgi network is adjusted by AtCLC‐d‐mediated transport of a counter anion such as Cl− or NO3−.
Manipulation of in vivo pollination techniques to improve the fertilization efficiency of interspecies crosses in the genus Phaseolus
Authors: Gurusamy V. , Vandenberg A. , Bett K. E. 
Published: March 2007

Abstract Phaseolus angustissimus A. Gray contains genes for traits of interest for dry bean (P. vulgaris) breeders. F1 hybrids can be produced but introgression through backcrossing has been a problem. One of the main impediments is the time required between pollination and fertilization when F1 hybrids of P. vulgaris/P. angustissimus are backcrossed with P. vulgaris. In an attempt to reduce this time, the effect of alternative pollination techniques was studied. The rate and the time of fertilization were ascertained using three different pollen types (pollen germinated in vitro, fresh pollen (FP) mixed in pollen‐germinating media and FP), and two methods of pollination (cut‐style and stigmatic pollinations). An optimal in vitro pollen germination medium for Phaseolus pollen was developed. Low temperatures (6–9°C) were demonstrated to be necessary for Phaseolus pollen germination. Pollination using a cut‐style technique coupled with pregerminated pollen reduced the time for fertilization in the backcrosses of interspecies hybrids by approximately 28 h. This technique improved the success rate of fertilization in wide crosses of Phaseolus designed to introgress genes from wild relatives.