bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Association between betel-nut chewing and chronic kidney disease in men
Authors: Chou Che-Yi , Cheng Shi-Yann , Liu Jiung-Hsiun , Cheng Wen-Chun , Kang I-Min , Tseng Yu-Hsiang , Shih Chuen-Ming , Chen Walter 
Published: July 2008

AbstractBackgroundBetel-nut use is associated with metabolic syndrome and obesity. However, the association between betel-nut chewing and risk for chronic kidney disease (CKD) is unknown. The present study was conducted to determine the association between betel-nut chewing and CKD in men.MethodsWe retrospectively reviewed health-check records of 3264 men in a hospital-based cross-sectional screening programme from 2003 to 2006. CKD was defined as estimated glomerular filtration rate less than 60 ml/min/1·73 m2calculated by the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease formula. Risk factors for CKD including diabetes, hypertension, BMI, smoking, alcohol consumption and age were also considered.ResultsA total of 677 (20·7 %) men were found to have CKD and 427 (13·1 %) participants reported a history of betel-nut use. The prevalence (24·8 %) of CKD in betel-nut users was significantly higher than that (11·3 %) of participants without betel-nut use (P= 0·026). In multivariate logistic regression analysis with adjustments for age, hypertension, diabetes and hyperlipidaemia, betel-nut use was independently associated with CKD (P< 0·001). The adjusted odds ratio for betel-nut use was 2·572 (95 % CI 1·917, 3·451).ConclusionsBetel-nut use is associated with CKD in men. The association between betel-nut use and CKD is independent of age, BMI, smoking, alcohol consumption, hypertension, diabetes and hyperlipidaemia.
A knowledge-based approach to predict intragenic deletions or duplications
Authors: Kalari Krishna R. , Casavant Thomas L. , Scheetz Todd E. 
Published: July 2008

Abstract
Motivation: Despite recent improvements in high-throughput or classic molecular biology approaches it is still challenging to identify intermediate resolution genomic variations (50 bp to 50 kb). Although array-based technologies can be used to detect copy number variations in the human genome they are biased to detect only the largest such deletions or duplications. Several studies have identified deletions or duplications occurring within a gene that directly cause or predispose to disease. We have developed a novel computational system, SPeeDD (system to prioritize deletions or duplications) that utilizes machine learning techniques to predict likely candidate regions that delete or duplicate exon(s) within a gene.
Results: Data mining and machine learning methods were applied to identify sequence features that were predictive of homologous recombination events. The logistic model tree (LMT) method yielded the best results. Sensitivity varied from 20% to 71.6% depending on the specific machine learning model used, but specificity exceeded 90% for all methods evaluated. In addition, the SPeeDD system successfully predicted and prioritized a recently published novel BRCA1 mutation.
Conclusions: Results suggest that the SPeeDD system is effective at prioritizing candidate deletions and duplications within a gene. Use of SPeeDD enables more focused screening, which reduces the labor and associated costs of the molecular assays and may also lead to targeted design of new array-based screens to focus on candidate areas to accelerate the process of mutation discovery.
Contact: tscheetz@eng.uiowa.edu
Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
The combined role of wear particles, macrophages and lymphocytes in the loosening of total joint prostheses
Authors: Revell Peter A 
Published: July 2008

This review considers the causes of loosening of prosthetic joint replacement paying attention to the biological mechanisms rather than other effects that are physical, such as component fracture and other failure related to mechanical problems. Infection accounts for approximately 1.5 per cent of joint loosening and when it occurs it is a cause of serious concern to the surgeon. The loosening of prosthetic joints in the absence of infection is by far the most common reason for revision surgery and is known as aseptic loosening. While this may be multifactorial in terms of causation, and non-biological factors may contribute significantly in a particular individual, a significant part is undoubtedly played by the generation of wear debris, mainly from the bearing surfaces of the joint, and the cellular reaction to this in the implant bed. Phagocytic cells (macrophages and multinucleated giant cells) are the ones that remove foreign material from the tissues, and the ways in which these cells function in the interface between implant and bone are described. Mediators produced locally include numerous cytokines, enzymes and integrins. There is evidence for interactions between macrophages and locally recruited lymphocytes, which may or may not give rise to an immunologically mediated process.Sensitization of individuals having metal implants in place has been shown by positive skin tests or blood lymphocyte transformation tests and in these cases has been accompanied by loosening and failure of the replacement joint. The question remains as to whether this process is also present in a proportion of individuals with aseptic loosening in the absence of clearly defined clinical evidence of sensitization.Numerous studies performed by the author's group and, latterly, by others suggest that the cellular reactions detected in the tissues in cases of aseptic loosening are indeed those of contact sensitization. There is good evidence to show that a type IV cell-mediated immune reaction is taking place, with TH1 cell involvement and active antigen presentation. The extent to which sensitization is present in individual cases of aseptic loosening remains a subject for further work and this needs all the sophisticated molecular methods now available to modern biology to be applied in appropriate prospective clinical studies coupled with experimental modelsin vitroandin vivo. Immunological processes may play a more important part in joint loosening than previously considered.
Association between self‐report pain ratings of child and parent, child and nurse and parent and nurse dyads: meta‐analysis
Authors: Zhou Huaqiong , Roberts Pam , Horgan Louise 
Published: July 2008

AbstractTitle.  Association between self‐report pain ratings of child and parent, child and nurse and parent and nurse dyads: meta‐analysis. Aim.  This paper is a report of a meta‐analysis to investigate the association between self‐report pain ratings for the dyads of child and parent, child and nurse and parent and nurse.Background.  Existing research has shown conflicting results with regard to agreements of self‐report pain ratings between the three dyads.Data sources.  The CINAHL, Medline, Ovid and PsycINFO databases were searched using keyword, such as ‘children/adolescents’, ‘parents/nurses’, ‘pain assessment’, ‘pain ratings’, ‘association’ and ‘agreement’. Studies published in English in or after 1990 were included.Methods.  Meta‐analysis methodology was applied to 12 pain assessment studies published between 1990 and 2007 which met the inclusion criteria. In the 12 studies a common effect size was estimated using the Pearson’s correlation coefficient. Therefore, a fixed‐effects model was chosen for this meta‐analysis.Results.  We found moderate summary effect sizes between self‐reported pain ratings for the dyad of child and parent (r = 0·64) and the child and nurse dyad (r = 0·58) and a weak summary effect size of r = 0·49 for the dyad of parent and nurse. The summarized effect sizes for each of the three dyads varied across the studies. A test of homogeneity (Q‐statistic) indicated that all effect size estimates were not homogeneous.Conclusion.  Parents’ and nurses’ perceptions of children’s pain should only be considered as estimates rather than expressions of the pain experienced, and not the same as children’s self‐reports. There is a need for education on selection of appropriate pain assessment scales in relation to the age and development of the child.
Defying all odds: coping with the challenges of volunteer caregiving for patients with AIDS in South Africa
Authors: Akintola Olagoke 
Published: July 2008

AbstractTitle.  Defying all odds: coping with the challenges of volunteer caregiving for patients with AIDS in South Africa. Aim.  This paper is a report of a study to explore the challenges experienced by volunteer caregivers of people living with HIV/AIDS and the strategies employed in coping with these challenges.Background.  Informal caregiving is associated with stresses that often results in poor health outcomes for caregivers. In South Africa, volunteers play a major role in the provision of care for people living with HIV/AIDS and have been shown to experience burdens as a result of caring. However, little is known about stress and coping among volunteer caregivers.Methods.  An ethnographic study was conducted, using observation and in‐depth interviews, to collect data with 20 volunteers and other stakeholders in two semi‐rural communities in South Africa over a 19‐month period in 2002/2003.Findings.  ‘Defying all odds’ emerged as the central theme that encompassed the various ways in which volunteer caregivers dealt with the many practical challenges confronting them. These challenges initially posed a threat to volunteering work but were gradually appraised by volunteers as challenges that could be dealt with using various strategies in order to continue providing care. Eight themes highlighting these challenges and the coping strategies employed by volunteers were identified.Conclusion.  A clear understanding of how volunteers deal with challenges of caring for people living with HIV/AIDS can give insight into their weaknesses and strengths and can inform the design of interventions aimed at providing support. Studies are needed to facilitate better understanding of the processes of appraisal of challenges by volunteers and the effectiveness of coping strategies, and to track coping strategies over time.
Has the BARRIERS Scale changed nursing practice? An integrative review
Authors: Carlson Cathy L. , Plonczynski Donna J. 
Published: July 2008

AbstractTitle.  Has the BARRIERS Scale changed nursing practice? An integrative review. Aim.  This paper is a report of a review to analyse studies using the BARRIERS Scale to determine (a) if the identification of perceived barriers to research utilization influences nurses’ use of research, (b) if the extent of nurses’ perceived barriers to research utilization and most frequently cited barriers have changed over the past 15 years and (c) if nurses’ most frequently cited barriers to research utilization differ across countries.Background.  The BARRIERS Scale has been used to identify nurses’ untoward perceptions or barriers to research utilization.Data sources.  A computer search was conducted using the Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature, MEDLINE, Dissertation Abstracts International and Academic Abstracts to identify relevant literature from 1991 to 2006. The Internet and citations within studies were also searched.Review methods.  Studies were included if they were in English, used the entire BARRIERS Scale and reported nurses’ responses. Studies were coded for author(s), publication year, country, population, sample size, response rate, the three‐most frequently cited barriers, mean per cent of items rated as moderate or greater, and number of items identified as a barrier by 50% or more of respondents. Quality appraisal of the included papers was not performed.Results.  Forty‐five studies met the inclusion criteria and predominantly identified the same barriers. No evidence was found that identification of barriers to nurses’ use of research influenced nursing practice.Conclusions.  It appears that there would be minimal benefit from further descriptive research using the BARRIERS Scale. Research is needed to investigate whether relationships exist between perceptions of barriers to nurses’ use of research and the use evidence‐based practice.
Nursing recruitment: relationship between perceived employer image and nursing employees’ recommendations
Authors: Van Hoye Greet 
Published: July 2008

AbstractTitle.  Nursing recruitment: relationship between perceived employer image andnursing employees' recommendations. Aim.  This paper is a report of a study to examine the relationship between nursing employees’ perceptions of instrumental and symbolic dimensions of employer image on the one hand and their intentions to recommend their organization as an employer and their willingness to testify in their organization’s recruitment materials on the other.Background.  Previous research suggests that word‐of‐mouth recommendations by current nursing employees can enhance healthcare organizations’ attractiveness as an employer for potential applicants. However, it is not known what motivates employees to provide positive word‐of‐mouth comments and to endorse their employer in recruitment testimonials.Method.  The instrumental‐symbolic framework was applied to identify relevant dimensions of perceived employer image that might relate to employee recommendations. A questionnaire was administered in 2006 to 106 nurses and nursing aides from four non‐profit nursing homes in Belgium. The response rate was 55%.Results.  Overall, nursing employees were more willing to recommend their nursing home to others than to testify in recruitment materials. Both instrumental and symbolic employer image dimensions predicted nursing employees’ recommendation intentions. Conversely, willingness to testify was only predicted by symbolic image dimensions. Specifically, the more the nursing employees perceived that their nursing home offers task diversity, offers the possibility to help people and is prestigious, the more they intended to recommend their organization to others. The more they perceived their nursing home as competent, the higher were their recommendation intentions and their willingness to testify in recruitment communication.Conclusion.  To increase nursing employees’ willingness to recommend their employer to potential applicants, organizations should enhance their perceived employer image.
Spatially resolved cathodoluminescence of luminescent materials using an EDX detector
Authors: SMET P.F. , VAN HAECKE J.E. , POELMAN D. 
Published: July 2008

SummaryPanchromatic cathodoluminescence (CL) maps were collected in a scanning electron microscope equipped with an EDX (energy dispersive x‐ray analysis) detector. These CL maps can readily be correlated with elemental maps obtained by EDX. Although EDX detectors are designed to be insensitive to light and therefore not optimized for high sensitivity CL measurements, high‐resolution images can be obtained from luminescent materials without the need for additional hard‐ or software. The method was tested on highly luminescent BaAl2S4 : Eu2+ thin films that have a potential use in flat panel displays. The spectral response and linearity of the overall system was determined by means of monochromatic light sources, illuminating the sample through an optical fibre. We studied the response of the EDX detector to the intensity of the incoming light as well as the influence of the detector settings. The observations were explained by numerical simulations.
Shape normalization of 3D cell nuclei using elastic spherical mapping
Authors: GLADILIN E. , GOETZE S. , MATEOS‐LANGERAK J. , VAN DRIEL R. , EILS R. , ROHR K. 
Published: July 2008

SummaryTopological analysis of cells and subcellular structures on the basis of image data, is one of the major trends in modern quantitative biology. However, due to the dynamic nature of cell biology, the optical appearance of different cells or even time‐series of the same cell is undergoing substantial variations in shape and texture, which makes a comparison of shapes and distances across different cells a nontrivial task. In the absence of canonical invariances, a natural approach to the normalization of cells consists of spherical mapping, enabling the analysis of targeted regions in terms of canonical spherical coordinates, that is, radial distances and angles. In this work, we present a physically‐based approach to spherical mapping, which has been applied for topological analysis of multichannel confocal laser scanning microscopy images of human fibroblast nuclei. Our experimental results demonstrate that spherical mapping of entire nuclear domains can automatically be obtained by inverting affine and elastic transformations, performed on a spherical finite element template mesh.
Phase resolving microscopy by multi‐plane diffraction detection
Authors: GRJASNOW A. , WUTTIG A. , RIESENBERG R. 
Published: July 2008

SummaryAn easily applicable quantitative phase‐contrast microscopy is presented. A bright‐field microscope with a coherent illumination is used. Only a series of diffraction images is taken in different distances from the sample. For reconstruction, a conjugate gradient technique as a new variant of phase retrieval technique is developed. The technique is experimentally investigated in detail. A phase accuracy up to 0.07 rad or a height accuracy of 13 nm in transmission for a binary test sample is reached, respectively.
Knife‐edge scanning microscopy for imaging and reconstruction of three‐dimensional anatomical structures of the mouse brain
Authors: MAYERICH D. , ABBOTT L. , McCORMICK B. 
Published: July 2008

SummaryAnatomical information at the cellular level is important in many fields, including organ systems development, computational biology and informatics. Creating data sets at resolutions that provide enough detail to reconstruct cellular structures across tissue volumes from 1 to 100 mm3 has proven to be difficult and time‐consuming. In this paper, we describe a new method for staining and imaging large volumes of tissue at sub‐micron resolutions. Serial sections are cut using an automated ultra‐microtome, whereas concurrently each section is imaged through a light microscope with a high‐speed line‐scan camera. This technique, knife‐edge scanning microscopy, allows us to view and record large volumes of tissue in a relatively small amount of time (approximately 7 mm2 s−1). The resolution and scanning speed of knife‐edge scanning microscopy provides a new method for imaging tissue at sufficient resolution to reconstruct maps of cellular distribution and morphology. We show that these techniques preserve the alignment of serial sections accurately enough to allow for reconstruction of neuronal processes and microvasculature. Expanding these techniques to other tissues opens up the possibility of creating fully reconstructed cellular maps of entire organs.
Electronic property investigations of single‐walled carbon nanotube bundles in situ within a transmission electron microscope: an evaluation
Authors: ASLAM Z. , ABRAHAM M. , BROWN A. , RAND B. , BRYDSON R. 
Published: July 2008

SummaryWe have evaluated a combined transmission electron microscopy (TEM)–scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM) (hence TEM‐STM) sample holder for the investigation of the mechanical and electrical properties of individual bundles of single‐walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) together with their simultaneous observation, analysis and mechanical modification in the TEM. Current‐voltage (I–V) measurements from bundles of SWCNTs were observed to change as the bundles were deformed both reversibly and irreversibly, although the observed behaviour was somewhat complex. Electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) analysis revealed measurable changes in the bonding of the carbon atoms within the graphene layers upon bundle deformation, with measurable changes in the π*/(π*+σ*) peak ratios observed at the carbon K‐edge. Reversible deformation of the bundles was consistent with the sensitivity of σ bonding to deviations from nonplanarity, whereas irreversible deformation was consistent with the introduction of nonhexagonal defects into the graphene sheets.
A plateau potential mediated by the activation of extrasynaptic NMDA receptors in rat hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons
Authors: Suzuki Takayuki , Kodama Satoshi , Hoshino Chisato , Izumi Tomohisa , Miyakawa Hiroyoshi 
Published: July 2008

AbstractHippocampal pyramidal neurons express various extrasynaptic glutamate receptors. When glutamate spillover was facilitated by blocking glutamate uptake and fast synaptic transmission was blocked by antagonists of AMPA‐ and NMDA‐type glutamate receptors and an ionotropic GABA receptor blocker, repetitive synaptic stimulation evoked a persistent membrane depolarization that consisted of an early Ca2+‐independent component and a late Ca2+‐dependent component. The early component, which we refer to as a plateau potential, had a half‐width of 770 ± 160 ms and a steady peak level of −9.54 ± 3.50 mV. It was accompanied by an increase in membrane conductance, the I–V relationship of which showed a peak at −19.91 ± 2.18 mV and reversal of the current at −4.32 ± 2.13 mV, and was suppressed by high concentration of an NMDA receptor (NMDAR) antagonist d‐APV, or an NMDAR glycine‐binding site antagonist 5,7‐dCK. After blocking synaptically located NMDARs using MK801, the potential was still evoked synaptically when spillover was facilitated. A sustained depolarization was evoked by iontophoretic application of glutamate in the presence or absence of a glutamate uptake blocker. This potential was not affected by Na+ or Ca2+ channel blockers, but was suppressed by 5,7‐dCK, leaving an unspecified depolarizing potential. Iontophoresis of NMDA evoked a sustained depolarization that was blocked by a high concentration of d‐APV or 5,7‐dCK. The I–V relationship of the current during this potential was similar to that obtained during the synaptically induced plateau potentials. These results show that CA1 pyramidal neurons generate plateau potentials mediated most likely by activation of extrasynaptic NMDARs.
Suppression of visual cortical evoked responses following deprivation of pattern vision in adult mice
Authors: Siu Timothy L. , Morley John W. 
Published: July 2008

AbstractThe effect of visual loss on the adult neocortex can have significant impact on the success of a visual implant. Recent research has shown that the adult neocortex retains substantial plasticity following a disruption to its afferent input. The result of these changes may hamper the development of a visual prosthesis if visual sensation cannot be effectively restored by stimulation of the surviving elements of the visual pathway. In order to evaluate further the visual performance of the mammalian adult brain following visual loss, especially the dominant form of blindness in humans, namely loss of pattern vision, we examined the cortical evoked potential of adult mice following 7, 30 and 120 days of visual deprivation via bilateral eyelid suture. Cortical potentials were elicited with a flash visual stimulus or by electrical stimulation of the retina. We found that after 7 days deprivation there was a potentiation of the evoked response while at 30 and 120 days deprivation the visual evoked responses were significantly reduced. Increasing the visual stimulus intensity reduced the effects. The electrical evoked potential demonstrated a corresponding reduction in stimulus threshold at 7 days and a corresponding rise (40–50%) after 30 and 120 days. These findings suggest that the adult brain exhibited significant experience‐dependent modifications following visual loss, and the impact depended on the duration of deprivation. Such reduction in visual responsiveness, especially with electrical activation, will need to be taken into account in the development of a visual implant.