bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Designing evidence‐based patient safety interventions: the case of the UK's National Health Service hospital wristbands
Authors: Sevdalis Nick , Norris Beverley , Ranger Chris , Bothwell Sue ,   the Wristband Project Team
Published: March 2009

AbstractRationale, aims and objectives  Current evidence suggests that hospital inpatient identification wristbands are not used optimally. Here we report a project by the National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) to inform guidance development to hospitals regarding wristband specifications.Method  A survey assessed (i) the information on wristbands; (ii) the processes of issuing/checking/applying wristbands onto patients; (iii) the types/designs of wristbands (including colour‐coding); and (iv) the main problems faced by staff face in relation to wristbanding patients.Results  Responses from 166 staff members from 62 hospitals in England and Wales were collected. Information: most participants reported using the patients' first and last names, their date of birth and their local hospital number. The National Health Service (NHS) number, which is a unique identifier for each patient, is used by 37% of the respondents. Issuing process: wristbands are issued on admission or at Emergency Departments. Trained or untrained staff are involved in issuing/checking/applying wristbands onto patients, without significant problems. Colour‐coding: 29/36 multiple‐respondent hospitals and 15/16 single‐respondent hospitals use colour‐coded wristbands to indicate special patient status (e.g. allergies). Colour‐coding is not used consistently: four colours are used to signal risk of fall; red is used to signal at least 10 different statuses/risks.Conclusion  The NPSA recommends that wristbands should include patient's last and first name, date of birth and NHS number. They should be printed/written in black against white background. Only red colour should be used to signal special patient status. These recommendations are consistent with current developments in patient identification, and will be evaluated.
Family quality of life among families with a member who has an intellectual disability: an exploratory examination of key domains and dimensions of the revised FQOL Survey
Authors: Werner S. , Edwards M. , Baum N. , Brown I. , Brown R. I. , Isaacs B. J. 
Published: March 2009

AbstractBackground  The Family Quality of Life Survey (FQOLS‐2006) was developed as the result of increased interest in family quality of life (FQOL) among families with a member who has an intellectual disability (ID). The instrument includes nine life domains and six dimensions reflecting the main areas and characteristics of FQOL. The aim of the current study was to provide a descriptive analysis of the domains and dimensions of the survey and to explore their relationship to one another and to global satisfaction.Method  A convenience sample of 35 participants with a family member who had ID completed the FQOLS‐2006 in a large urban centre in Canada. The data were analysed using descriptive analyses.Results  The findings showed that although participants differentiated between different domains and dimensions, as reflected in their variability, stability was also found. For example, support from others was rated lowest across most dimensions, while family relationships and health of the family were generally rated higher.Conclusions  The findings strengthen the importance of examining both the overall perception of FQOL as well as the perceptions in individual life domains. Moreover, they highlight the need to examine each life domain according to its various dimensions. In sum, the results call for further examination of the FQOLS‐2006 as a useful tool for assessing FQOL and for implementing services based on it.
Imaging lifetime and anisotropy spectra in the frequency domain
Authors: ZHOU Y. , DICKENSON J.M. , HANLEY Q.S. 
Published: March 2009

SummaryWe report the development of a system combining the capabilities of fluorescence imaging spectroscopy (x, λ, I), fluorescence lifetime (τ) and static and dynamic fluorescence anisotropy (r), enabling the wide‐field measurement of the spectroscopic parameters of fluorophores: (x, λ, I, τ, r). The system employs a frequency domain data collection strategy with a modulated light emitting diode as the light source. A polarization rotator placed in the excitation path after a polarizer allows alternating parallel and perpendicular images to be collected without moving parts. A second polarizer on the emission side serves as the analyzer, leading to estimations of the wavelength‐dependent dynamic anisotropies. The spectrograph has a nominal range of 365–920 nm; however, the light‐emitting diodes and filter sets used in this study restricted the usable range from about 510 to 700 nm. The system was tested on rhodamine 6G (R6G) solutions containing 0, 15, 37, 45, 59, 74 and 91 glycerol. These experiments gave rotational diffusion results comparing favourably with literature values while also demonstrating a trend towards shorter measured lifetimes at high refractive index. The ability of the system to resolve mixtures was tested on mixtures of anti‐human IgG‐FITC (γ‐chain‐specific) and R6G. These fluorophores have similar lifetimes but could be separated using anisotropy parameters. The imaging capabilities of the system were tested on mixtures of fluorescent beads with glycerol solutions of R6G.
ReAsH: another viable option for in vivo protein labelling in Dictyostelium
Authors: HWANG R.‐D. , CHEN C.‐C. , KNECHT D.A. 
Published: March 2009

SummaryBiarsenical‐tetracysteine fluorescent protein tagging has been effectively used in a variety of cell types. It has the advantage of requiring a much smaller peptide alteration to existing proteins than fusion to green fluorescent protein (GFP) or monomeric red fluorescent protein (mRFP). However, there are no reports of the tetracysteine tagging system being used in Dictyostelium. In order to establish this tagging system in Dictyostelium, the filamin gene (FLN) was modified to express a C‐terminal tetracysteine sequence and then transfected into cells. After addition of either FlAsH‐EDT2 or ReAsH‐EDT2, the fluorescence intensity of cells increased in a time‐dependent manner and reached a plateau after 3 h of incubation. ReAsH had a much stronger and more specifically localized fluorescent signal compared with FlAsH. After removal of the ReAsH‐EDT2 reagent, the fluorescence signal remained detectable for at least 24 h. The localization of filamin labelled by ReAsH was similar to that of an FLN‐mRFP fusion protein, but the fluorescence signal from the ReAsH‐labelled protein was stronger. Our findings suggest that the ReAsH‐tetracysteine tagging system can be a useful alternative for in vivo protein tagging in Dictyostelium.
Application of the split‐gradient method to 3D image deconvolution in fluorescence microscopy
Authors: VICIDOMINI G. , BOCCACCI P. , DIASPRO A. , BERTERO M. 
Published: March 2009

SummaryThe methods of image deconvolution are important for improving the quality of the detected images in the different modalities of fluorescence microscopy such as wide‐field, confocal, two‐photon excitation and 4Pi. Because deconvolution is an ill‐posed problem, it is, in general, reformulated in a statistical framework such as maximum likelihood or Bayes and reduced to the minimization of a suitable functional, more precisely, to a constrained minimization, because non‐negativity of the solution is an important requirement. Next, iterative methods are designed for approximating such a solution.In this paper, we consider the Bayesian approach based on the assumption that the noise is dominated by photon counting, so the likelihood is of the Poisson‐type, and that the prior is edge‐preserving, as derived from a simple Markov random field model. By considering the negative logarithm of thea posterioriprobability distribution, the computation of themaximum a posteriori(MAP) estimate is reduced to the constrained minimization of a functional that is the sum of the Csiszár I‐divergence and a regularization term. For the solution of this problem, we propose an iterative algorithm derived from a general approach known assplit‐gradient method(SGM) and based on a suitable decomposition of the gradient of the functional into a negative and positive part. The result is a simple modification of the standard Richardson–Lucy algorithm, very easily implementable and assuring automatically the non‐negativity of the iterates. Next, we apply this method to the particular case of confocal microscopy for investigating the effect of several edge‐preserving priors proposed in the literature using both synthetic and real confocal images. The quality of the restoration is estimated both by computation of the Kullback–Leibler divergence of the restored image from the detected one and by visual inspection. It is observed that the noise artefacts are considerably reduced and desired characteristics (edges and minute features as islets) are retained in the restored images. The algorithm is stable, robust and tolerant at various noise (Poisson) levels. Finally, by remarking that the proposed method is essentially a scaled gradient method, a possible modification of the algorithm is briefly discussed in view of obtaining fast convergence and reduction in computational time.
Discordant patterns of evolutionary differentiation in two Neotropical treefrogs
Authors: ROBERTSON JEANNE M. , DURYEA M. CATHERINE , ZAMUDIO KELLY R. 
Published: March 2009

AbstractComparative studies of codistributed taxa test the degree to which historical processes have shaped contemporary population structure. Discordant patterns of lineage divergence among taxa indicate that species differ in their response to common historical processes. The complex geologic landscape of the Isthmus of Central America provides an ideal setting to test the effects of vicariance and other biogeographic factors on population history. We compared divergence patterns between two codistributed Neotropical frogs (Dendropsophus ebraccatus and Agalychnis callidryas) that exhibit colour pattern polymorphisms among populations, and found significant differences between them in phenotypic and genetic divergence among populations. Colour pattern in D. ebraccatus did not vary with genetic or geographic distance, while colour pattern co‐varied with patterns of gene flow in A. callidryas. In addition, we detected significant species differences in the phylogenetic history of populations, gene flow among them, and the extent to which historical diversification and recent gene flow have been restricted by five biogeographic barriers in Costa Rica and Panama. We inferred that alternate microevolutionary processes explain the unique patterns of diversification in each taxon. Our study underscores how differences in selective regimes and species‐typical ecological and life‐history traits maintain spatial patterns of diversification.
Flexible social organization and high incidence of drifting in the sweat bee, Halictus scabiosae
Authors: ULRICH YUKO , PERRIN NICOLAS , CHAPUISAT MICHEL 
Published: March 2009

AbstractThe very diverse social systems of sweat bees make them interesting models to study social evolution. Here we focus on the dispersal behaviour and social organization of Halictus scabiosae, a common yet poorly known species of Europe. By combining field observations and genetic data, we show that females have multiple reproductive strategies, which generates a large diversity in the social structure of nests. A detailed microsatellite analysis of 60 nests revealed that 55% of the nests contained the offspring of a single female, whereas the rest had more complex social structures, with three clear cases of multiple females reproducing in the same nest and frequent occurrence of unrelated individuals. Drifting among nests was surprisingly common, as 16% of the 122 nests in the overall sample and 44% of the nests with complex social structure contained females that had genotypes consistent with being full‐sisters of females sampled in other nests of the population. Drifters originated from nests with an above‐average productivity and were unrelated to their nestmates, suggesting that drifting might be a strategy to avoid competition among related females. The sex‐specific comparison of genetic differentiation indicated that dispersal was male‐biased, which would reinforce local resource competition among females. The pattern of genetic differentiation among populations was consistent with a dynamic process of patch colonization and extinction, as expected from the unstable, anthropogenic habitat of this species. Overall, our data show that H. scabiosae varies greatly in dispersal behaviour and social organization. The surprisingly high frequency of drifters echoes recent findings in wasps and bees, calling for further investigation of the adaptive basis of drifting in the social insects.
CD4+ and CD8+ Distribution Profile in Individuals Infected by Schistosoma mansoni
Authors: Oliveira‐Prado R. , Caldas I. R. , Teixeira‐Carvalho A. , Andrade M. V. , Gazzinelli A. , Correa‐Oliveira R. , Cunha‐Melo J. R. 
Published: March 2009

Abstract Rationale: Patients with chronic Schistosoma mansoni infection show lower anti‐soluble egg antigen (SEA) proliferation responses and higher responses to soluble worm antigen preparation (SWAP). Objective: To compare the activation status and proliferation response of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of infected (XTO) and egg‐negative individuals (NI) living in the same endemic area. Methods: XTO (n = 51) and NI individuals from the same geographical area (n = 37) and healthy blood donors (n = 22) were evaluated before and after stimulation with SEA and SWAP. The expression of activation markers (CD4+ HLADR+, CD8high+HLA‐DR+ and CD8+ CD28+) and proliferation assay was assessed by flow cytometry. Findings: PBMC from infected patients showed lower frequency of CD4+ but no change in CD8+ T cells when compared with the healthy donor group. The ratio CD4+/CD8+ was 1.3, 0.6 and 0.5 in healthy donors, infected and non‐infected individuals, respectively. The HLA‐DR+ expression on CD8+ was higher in PBMC from infected and non‐infected individuals than from healthy donors, but similar in both total lymphocytes and CD4+ populations. No intergroup proliferation response differences were observed in CD4+ and CD8+ PBMC unstimulated and stimulated with SEA and SWAP. The SEA but not SWAP‐stimulated cells showed a decrease in the expression of phosphorylated extracellular signal‐regulated kinase (ERK1/2). Conclusions: XTO and NI individuals living in the same area presented a smaller per cent of CD4+ and a higher per cent of CD8+ cells. The activation by either CD8high+HLA‐DR+ or CD8high+HLA‐DR+/CD8+ was enhanced and decreased in XTO and NI by CD8+ CD28+ and CD8+ CD28+/CD8+ when compared with healthy donor. ERK phosphorylation was attenuated in XTO and NI individuals when stimulated with SEA but not SWAP.
Rapid Bead‐Based Immunoassay for Measurement of Mannose‐Binding Lectin
Authors: Bay J. T. , Garred P. 
Published: March 2009

AbstractMannose‐binding lectin (MBL) is a serum protein, which functions as an opsonin and initiator of the lectin pathway of complement. The serum concentration of MBL shows great interindividual variation because of common polymorphisms in the MBL2 gene. Although several quantitative MBL immunoassays have been developed more automated platforms for MBL analysis is urgently needed. To pursue this, we set out to develop a flexible bead‐based MBL immunoassay. Serum was obtained from 98 healthy individuals and 50 patients investigated for possible immunodeficiencies. We used the Luminex® xMAP bead array technology employing a mouse monoclonal anti‐MBL antibody both for coating and detection. The assay was fast and reliable for measurements of MBL concentrations both in the lower and upper range. The lower detection limit was found to be 6.5 μg/l. The intra‐assay coefficient and the interassay coefficient were found be 7.88% and 5.70%, respectively. A close correlation between the new assay and a reference MBL measurement ELISA was found (ρ 0.9381, P < 0.0001). The bead‐based assay was less sensitive to interfering anti‐murine antibodies in the blood samples than when the antibodies employed were used in the reference polystyrene‐based ELISA. The new assay could be performed in 3 h with less than 25 μl serum required of each sample. These results show that MBL can be measured readily using a bead‐based platform, which may form an efficient basis for a multiplex approach to measure different antigens in the same sample.
Dynamic Changes in Biomarker Profiles Associated with Clinical and Subclinical Tuberculosis in a High Transmission Setting: A Four‐Year Follow‐Up Study
Authors: Talat N. , Shahid F. , Dawood G. , Hussain R. 
Published: March 2009

Abstract Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) is a slow growing bacterium. Therefore, the immune responses associated with resolution of infection or development of disease post‐exposure may take several months to evolve. We have carried out a prospective longitudinal study in a high TB transmission setting to determine the evolution of biomarkers in a recently exposed household contact (HC = 77) and their respective sputum positive index cases (TB = 17). Mycobacterium‐induced cytokines [interferon‐γ (IFN‐γ), tumour necrosis factor‐α, interleukin‐6 (IL‐6) and IL‐10)] were assessed in whole blood cultures and immunoglobulin G (IgG1) antibodies in plasma. When compared with non‐exposed community controls (endemic controls = 59) the HC group at intake showed changes in biomarkers commensurate with recent exposure. The HC group showed significant increases in IFN‐γ between 0 and 6 months (paired t‐test; P = 0.001) and IL‐0 between 6 and 12 months (P = 0.001), most likely reflecting the role of these cytokines in resolution and immune recovery from infection as this HC cohort remained symptom‐free for 4 years without prophylactic treatment. When the TB group post‐treatment was compared with the HC group, the best discriminators (ANOVA; repeated measures) were IL‐10 responses at 0 (P = 0.004) and 6 months (P = 0.001) and IgG1 at 6 (P = 0.004) and 12 months (P = 0.014) with a 3–4 fold higher responses in the TB group. Therefore, within each group, biomarkers show unique profile of responses. These studies highlighted the importance of assessing multiple biomarkers in longitudinal studies for providing better understanding of protective biomarker profiles associated with resolution of clinical and subclinical infections in TB.
Effectiveness and Safety of a Treatment Regimen Based on Isoniazid Plus Vaccination with Mycobacterium tuberculosis cells’ Fragments: Field‐Study with Naturally Mycobacterium caprae‐Infected Goats
Authors: Domingo M. , Gil O. , Serrano E. , Guirado E. , Nofrarias M. , Grassa M. , Cáceres N. , Pérez B. , Vilaplana C. , Cardona P.‐J. 
Published: March 2009

AbstractThe identification of a herd of goats with tuberculosis let us test a new treatment regimen against latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI). Using large animal experimental models allows a better approach to understanding human tuberculosis according to immunopathological parameters. Based on an initial study showing a correlation between the ESAT‐6‐specific interferon (IFN)‐γ secretion and the severity of pulmonary lesions, this parameter was used in combination with an X‐ray examination to screen the animals to be included in the efficacy and safety studies. All the animals proved to be infected with Mycobacterium caprae. The efficacy study was run in animals distributed in three experimental groups according to treatment: untreated (CT), treated with isoniazid (INH), and treated with INH + RUTI (a vaccine based on M. tuberculosis cell fragments) inoculated twice. RUTI temporarily increased the IFN‐γ production after stimulating the peripheral blood with ESAT‐6, purified protein derivative and RUTI in vitro. The INH chemotherapy reduced both pulmonary and extra pulmonary affectation, but not disease in pulmonary lymph nodes. The addition of RUTI may have decreased extrapulmonar disease further but had no benefit to lung or lung lymph‐nodes itself. Safety studies showed that inoculation of RUTI caused a temporary increase of rectal temperature (1–2 °C) and local swelling, both adverse effects being well tolerated. Neither systemic toxicity nor mortality was induced by the vaccination. The control of goats’ infection by the therapeutic regimen consisting in INH chemotherapy + RUTI as well as its safety, represented a further step towards testing its effects in human LTBI in a future.
Limited Impact of the Thymus on Immunological Recovery During and After Chemotherapy in Patients with Diffuse Large B‐cell Lymphoma
Authors: Vedel S. J. , Tholstrup D. , Kolte L. , Gaardbo J. , Ryder L. P. , Ersbøll A. , Albrecht‐Beste E. , Jurlander J. , Nielsen J. O. , Nielsen S. D. 
Published: March 2009

AbstractTo investigate the impact of thymus on immunological recovery after dose‐dense chemotherapy a prospective study of 17 patients diagnosed with diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma (DLBCL) was conducted. Patients were monitored before, during and until 3 months after chemotherapy. The thymus was visualized using computer tomographic scans. Patients were divided into two groups according to thymic size, one group comprising of patients without detectable thymus and one group of patients with detectable thymus. Naïve CD4 and CD8 counts were measured by flow cytometry, and to measure thymic output determination of CD4+ cells containing T‐cell receptor excision circles (TREC) was done. During chemotherapy, the naïve CD4 count decreased significantly as did the CD4‐TREC%. Significant difference in recovery of naïve CD4 counts between patients with detectable and undetectable thymic tissue during treatment with chemotherapy was not found. CD4‐TREC% was associated with lower age. It was not possible to demonstrate an association between thymic size and recovery of the naïve CD4+ cells. The study terminated 3 months after the last cycle of chemotherapy, and at that time point the naïve CD4 counts and the CD4‐TREC% had not returned to pretreatment levels. However, patients with detectable thymic tissue had higher naïve CD4 counts after the first cycles of chemotherapy, suggesting that these patients may be less susceptible to infectious complications related to chemotherapy.