bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Intractable ascites without mechanical vascular obstruction after orthotopic liver transplantation: etiology and clinical outcome of sinusoidal obstruction syndrome
Authors: Kitajima Kumiko , Vaillant Jean‐Christophe , Charlotte Frédéric , Eyraud Daniel , Hannoun Laurent 
Published: February 2009

Kitajima K, Vaillant J‐C, Charlotte F, Eyraud D, Hannoun L. Intractable ascites without mechanical vascular obstruction after orthotopic liver transplantation: etiology and clinical outcome of sinusoidal obstruction syndrome. Clin Transplant 2010: 24: 139–148. © 2009 John Wiley & Sons A/S.Abstract: Intractable ascites after orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) is a relatively rare complication. However, it often takes a life threatening course, which requires re‐transplantation. In previous studies, several reports gave hepatic sinusoidal obstruction syndrome (SOS) as one of the causes of refractory ascites. However, the detailed etiology of SOS after OLT and its association with clinical consequences remain unclear because there have been few studies to date. We report two recent cases with rapidly progressive refractory ascites associated with SOS, following completely different clinical courses. In case 1, the first episode of acute allograft rejection triggered SOS and subsequent intractable ascites, while the second acute rejection worsened his clinical status. A transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic stent‐shunt (TIPS) was placed and this procedure resulted in complete disappearance of ascites and of renal dysfunction. In contrast, refractory ascites in case 2, who had neither rejection nor mechanical outlet obstruction, worsened despite TIPS stent placement, and re‐transplantation was necessary. We speculate that the pre‐existing diseased liver of the cadaver donor caused this serious complication, necessitating a second graft.
Procedure‐related pain among adult patients with hematologic malignancies
Authors: LIDÉN Y. , LANDGREN O. , ARNÉR S. , SJÖLUND K.‐F. , JOHANSSON E. 
Published: February 2009

Background: Cancer patients undergo numerous invasive diagnostic procedures. However, there are only sparse data on the characteristics and determinants for procedure‐related pain among adult cancer patients.Methods: In this prospective study, we evaluated the characteristics and determinants of procedure‐related pain in 235 consecutive hematologic patients (M/F:126/109; median age 62 years, range 20–89 years) undergoing a bone marrow aspiration/biopsy (BMA) under local anesthesia. Questionnaires were used to assess patients before‐, 10 min and 1–7 days post BMA. Using logistic regression models, we calculated odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).Results: 165/235 (70%) patients reported pain during BMA; 92 (56%), 53 (32%) and 5 (3%) of these indicated moderate [visual analogue scale (VAS)≥30 mm], severe (VAS>54 mm) and worst possible pain (VAS=100 mm), respectively. On multivariate analyses, pre‐existing pain (OR=2.60 95% CI 1.26–5.36), anxiety about the diagnostic outcome of BMA (OR=3.17 95% CI 1.54–6.52), anxiety about needle‐insertion (OR=2.49 95% CI 1.22–5.10) and low employment status (sick‐leave/unemployed) (OR=3.14 95% CI 1.31–7.55) were independently associated with an increased risk of pain during BMA. At follow‐up 10 min after BMA, 40/235 (17%) patients reported pain. At 1, 3, 6 and 7 days post BMA, pain was present in 137 (64%), 90 (42%), 43 (20%) and 25 (12%) patients, respectively.Conclusions: We found that 3/4 of hematologic patients who underwent BMA reported procedural pain; one third of these patients indicated severe pain. Pre‐existing pain, anxiety about the diagnostic outcome of BMA or needle‐insertion, and low employment status were independent risk factors.
Intracerebral monitoring in comatose patients treated with hypothermia after a cardiac arrest
Authors: NORDMARK J. , RUBERTSSON S. , MÖRTBERG E. , NILSSON P. , ENBLAD P. 
Published: February 2009

Background: Induced mild hypothermia (32–34 °C) has proven to reduce ischemic brain injury and improve outcome after a cardiac arrest (CA). The aim of this investigation was to study the occurrence of increased intracranial pressure (ICP) and neurochemical metabolic changes indicating cerebral ischemia, after CA and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), when induced hypothermia was applied.Methods: ICP, brain chemistry and brain temperature were monitored during induced hypothermia and re‐warming in four adult unconscious patients with restoration of spontaneous circulation after CA and CPR.Results: ICP was occasionally above 20 mmHg. Neurochemical changes indicating cerebral ischemia (increased lactate/pyruvate ratio) and excitoxicity (increased glutamate) were found after CA, and signs of ischemia were also observed during the re‐warming phase. A biphasic increase in glycerol was seen, which may have been a result of both membrane degradation and overspill from the general circulation.Conclusions: Intracerebral microdialysis and ICP monitoring may be used in selected patients not requiring anticoagulants and PCI to obtain information regarding the common disturbances of intracranial dynamics after CA. The results of this study underline the importance of inducing hypothermia quickly after CA and emphasize the need for developing tools for guidance of the re‐warming.
Four new species of Rhodophyceae from Fiji, Polynesia and Vanuatu, South Pacific
Authors: N'Yeurt Antoine D. R. , Payri Claude E. 
Published: February 2009

SUMMARYFour new species of Rhodophyceae are described from the South Pacific, with type localities in Fiji, French Polynesia and Vanuatu. Chondria bullata from the Tuamotus (French Polynesia), Vanuatu, Palmerston Atoll (Cook Islands) and Fiji is unique owing to its non‐constricted axes with markedly protruding, bubble‐like cortical cells. Halymenia nukuhivensis, from the Marquesas Islands in French Polynesia, is distinguished from others in the genus by its dichotomous, papery blades issued from a strap‐shaped basal region, and the equal proportion of anti‐clinal, periclinal and oblique filaments in its medullary layer. Jania articulata, so far known only from the Tuamotus in French Polynesia and Manihiki in the Northern Cook Islands, superficially resembles the genus Amphiroa with its articulated branches with numerous genicula between successive dichotomies, and its large axis diameter. Meristotheca peltata from the Fiji Islands is unique among the genus by its distinctly peltate, erect habit. The recent high number of newly described species from the South Pacific region emphasizes the need for more in‐depth surveys, particularly in deeper outer reef slope habitats, which remain for the most part unexplored and could yield particularly interesting new taxa or distributional records.
Assessing genetic identity of sporophytic offspring of the brown alga Undaria pinnatifida derived from mono‐crossing of gametophyte clones by use of amplified fragment length polymorphism and microsatellite markers
Authors: Shan Ti Feng , Pang Shao Jun 
Published: February 2009

SUMMARYThe haploid stage of gametophytes of the subtidal brown alga Undaria pinnatifida can be vegetatively propagated under favorable conditions. This unique characteristic makes it possible to establish independent gametophyte cell lines that are zoospore‐derived. Sporophytic offspring can be generated through hybridizing the male and female gametophytes, which are derived from different cell lines. Accumulated experiences in this and other species in Laminariales demonstrated the applicability of this novel way to breed desired strains for open‐sea cultivation. Sporophytic offspring originated from mono‐crossing of male and female gametophyte clones were shown to have similar morphological characteristics under identical ambient conditions. However, there has been no report to relate this similarity on molecular levels. In this report, amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) and microsatellite markers were used to analyze the genetic identity of sporophytic offspring of U. pinnatifida originated from two mono‐crossing lines (M1 and M2), two self‐breeding lines (S1 and S2) and one wild population (W). Totally 318 AFLP loci were revealed by use of 11 primer sets, of which 4.7%, 0.3%, 17.9%, 16.4% and 36.5% were polymorphic in M1, M2, S1, S2 and W, respectively. The pairwise genetic identity among the individuals of the same line was assessed. It was shown that offspring from mono‐crossing lines had a higher degree of identity (95.6–100%) than self‐breeding lines (87.7–98.4%) and the wild population (81.5–92.1%). Analysis by use of six microsatellite loci also revealed a higher genetic identity among individuals of the mono‐crossing line, further confirming the results of AFLP analysis. Results from this investigation support, on molecular levels, the novel way to produce and maintain strains in U. pinnatifida by use of different gametophyte cell lines.
Complex patterns of actin molecular evolution in the red algaStylonema alsidii(Stylonematophyceae, Rhodophyta)
Authors: Zuccarello Giuseppe C. , Oellermann Michael , West John A. , De Clerck Olivier 
Published: February 2009

SUMMARYThe Stylonematophyceae is an early diverging red algal class that contains organisms in which sexual reproduction has not been reported. Previous studies have hypothesized a single copy of the actin gene in this class. Amplification of the actin gene in members of the Stylonematophyceae, including several isolates ofStylonema alsidii, reveals a more complex evolutionary history. The data support independent gene duplications inGoniotrichopsis reniformisandStylonema alsidii. Three of the seven isolates ofS. alsidiihad three copies of actin. Analyses indicate that all copies are functional and not pseudogenes. Due to our lack of knowledge of the ploidy level inStylonemaand the asexual nature of these organisms, an ancient change in ploidy level, producing diploid or even triploid organisms, cannot be ruled out to explain two copies of actin within these organisms. WithinStylonema alsidiitwo of the actin copies (Groups 1 and 2) show similar levels of variation; p‐distances and the number of synonymous and non‐synonymous sites are roughly the same. Yet the changes are distributed differently. One group showed little shared variation among the samples, mutations therefore represent autoapomorphies, while variation in the other group is usually shared among samples (parsimony‐informative). Variation in the other group is usually shared among samples (parsimony‐informative). A third group of actin genes also observed inS. alsidiiare highly divergent from the other two copies, yet they maintain all of the signatures of functional proteins. Our data reveal a complex evolutionary history of the actin gene in these species and highlight the lack of knowledge into the basic biology (ploidy level, life cycle characteristics) of this class.
Lung cancer patients in Queensland suffer delays in receiving radiation therapy – but not as a result of distance
Authors: Burmeister B. H. , Zarate D. D. , Burmeister E. A. , Harden H. E. , Colquist S. P. , Cossio D. L. , Poulsen M. G. , Collins M. , Pratt G. R. , Walpole E. T. 
Published: February 2009

AbstractAim: To determine whether lung cancer radiation therapy waiting times in Queensland public hospitals are associated with distance of residence from the nearest treatment facility.Methods: Retrospective analysis of radiation therapy waiting times of 1535 Queensland residents who were diagnosed with lung cancer from 2000 to 2004 and received radiation therapy as initial treatment at a public hospital. The effect of distance of residence from treatment centre on median waiting time was analysed by quantile regression controlling for sex, age, lung cancer histology, stage and therapeutic intent.Results: The median waiting time from diagnosis to start of radiation therapy was 33 days for all patients. There was no significant difference (P = 0.141) in median waiting times in relation to distance of residence from a treatment centre. However, in most patients, waiting times were significantly longer than recommended by the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists. Curative patients waited longer than palliative patients, while patients with earlier stage cancer waited longer than those with more advanced disease.Conclusion: Waiting times for radiation therapy among lung cancer patients in Queensland was not associated with distance from place of residence to the nearest public treatment facility. However, delays overall are excessive and are likely to worsen unless radiation treatment capabilities are enhanced to keep pace with population growth in Queensland.
A unified model for the fatigue crack growth rate in variable stress ratio
Authors: SHAHANI A. R. , KASHANI H. MOAYERI , RASTEGAR M. , DEHKORDI M. BOTSHEKANAN 
Published: February 2009

ABSTRACTThe paper presents four equations for Fatigue Crack Growth Rate (FCGR) description taking into account ΔJ, ΔCTOD, ΔCMOD and ΔK. CT specimens made of steel were tested for different values of stress ratio (R) by ΔP= constant method. The influence of R‐ratio has been studied on crack propagation and crack initiation region. The experimental results show that ΔJ and ΔCTOD, contrary to ΔK and ΔCMOD which are constant in R‐ratio variations, vary with the variations of R‐ratio in the range R= 0.3–0.6. Therefore, there is no need to enter R parameter directly in the well‐known Paris equation if ΔJ or ΔCTOD parameter is used instead of ΔK in this equation. The constants of these equations are independent of loading unlike the constants of Paris equation.
The dddP gene, encoding a novel enzyme that converts dimethylsulfoniopropionate into dimethyl sulfide, is widespread in ocean metagenomes and marine bacteria and also occurs in some Ascomycete fungi
Authors: Todd J. D. , Curson A. R. J. , Dupont C. L. , Nicholson P. , Johnston A. W. B. 
Published: February 2009

SummaryThe marine alphaproteobacterium Roseovarius nubinhibens ISM can produce the gas dimethyl sulfide (DMS) from dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP), a widespread secondary metabolite that occurs in many phytoplankton. Roseovarius possesses a novel gene, termed dddP, which when cloned, confers on Escherichia coli the ability to produce DMS. The DddP polypeptide is in the large family of M24 metallopeptidases and is wholly different from two other enzymes, DddD and DddL, which were previously shown to generate DMS from dimethylsulfoniopropionate. Close homologues of DddP occur in other alphaproteobacteria and more surprisingly, in some Ascomycete fungi. These were the biotechnologically important Aspergillus oryzae and the plant pathogen, Fusarium graminearum. The dddP gene is abundant in the bacterial metagenomic sequences in the Global Ocean Sampling Expedition. Thus, dddP has several novel features and is widely dispersed, both taxonomically and geographically.
Isolation and characterization of a magnetotactic bacterial culture from the Mediterranean Sea
Authors: Lefèvre Christopher T. , Bernadac Alain , Yu‐Zhang Kui , Pradel Nathalie , Wu Long‐Fei 
Published: February 2009

SummaryThe widespread magnetotactic bacteria have the peculiar capacity of navigation along the geomagnetic field. Despite their ubiquitous distribution, only few axenic cultures have been obtained worldwide. In this study, we reported the first axenic culture of magnetotactic bacteria isolated from the Mediterranean Sea. This magneto‐ovoid strain MO‐1 grew in chemically defined O2 gradient minimal media at the oxic–anoxic transition zone. It is phylogenetically related to Magnetococcus sp. MC‐1 but might represent a novel genus of Proteobacteria. Pulsed‐field gel electrophoresis analysis indicated that the genome size of the MO‐1 strain is 5 ± 0.5 Mb, with four rRNA operons. Each cell synthesizes about 17 magnetosomes within a single chain, two phosphorous‐oxygen‐rich globules and one to seven lipid storage granules. The magnetosomes chain seems to divide in the centre during cell division giving rise to two daughter cells with an approximately equal number of magnetosomes. The MO‐1 cell possesses two bundles of seven individual flagella that were enveloped in a unique sheath. They swam towards the north pole with a velocity up to 300 μm per second with frequent change from right‐hand to left‐hand helical trajectory. Using a magneto‐spectrophotometry assay we showed that MO‐1 flagella were powered by both proton‐motive force and sodium ion gradient, which is a rare feature among bacteria.
A high‐throughput and quantitative hierarchical oligonucleotide primer extension (HOPE)‐based approach to identify sources of faecal contamination in water bodies
Authors: Hong Pei‐Ying , Wu Jer‐Horng , Liu Wen‐Tso 
Published: February 2009

SummaryAs faecal contamination of recreational and drinking water impairs the water quality and threatens public health, water bodies are routinely monitored for faecal coliforms to detect contamination. However, faecal coliforms are facultative anaerobes that survive and reproduce in ambient waters, and their presence does not depict the origin of contamination. Therefore, the use of Bacteroides‐Prevotella 16S rRNA gene to perform faecal source tracking has been proposed and applied. Here, we demonstrate the use of a new molecular method termed hierarchical oligonucleotide primer extension (HOPE) to simultaneously detect human‐associated Bacteroides spp. and three clusters of cow‐, pig‐ and dog‐specific uncultivated Bacteroidales. The method correctly identifies the origin of faecal contamination when tested against human, cow, pig and dog faeces (n = 17, 17, 16 and 13 respectively), and in waters contaminated with faeces of known origins. Subsequent tests with a total of 21 blind samples show that HOPE is able to accurately indicate single or multiple sources of faecal contamination originating from pigs, cows and humans in 81% of the blind samples. HOPE can further correctly detect and identify faecal contamination in five sampling sites located along a canal in southern Taiwan, and the results are validated against conventional faecal coliform tests and quantitative PCR. Overall, this study demonstrates HOPE as a quantitative and high‐throughput method that can identify sources of faecal contamination.
Economic evaluation of nursing practices: a review of literature
Authors: Lämås K. , Willman A. , Lindholm L. , Jacobsson C. 
Published: February 2009

Background:  The importance of cost‐effectiveness of nursing practices and its influence on prioritizations has been discussed in literature. It is, however, unclear to what extent health economic analysis has been used in the area of nursing.Aim:  The aim of this paper was to investigate how studies of nursing practices apply economic evaluations.Methods:  A literature review was conducted that included studies through August 2007. The search was performed using Medline, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Econlit, DARE, HTA, NHS EED, Cochrane reviews and clinical trials with a search term connected to nursing and health economics. Protocols were used in the screening procedure and the result is reported in a descriptive form.Results:  The search identified 115 studies published between1984 and August 2007. Studies were found in the following nursing practices: provision of support and treatment (n = 17); assessing suffering/well‐being (n = 1); preventing or treating ill health (n = 53); and organization of individual care (n = 44). In 22% of all studies, the authors explicitly presented the health economic method used. In 25% of all studies, the perspective of the economic analysis was explicitly stated and a large variability in cost was considered in the analysis. In 82 studies, the authors reported cost‐effective intervention.Conclusions:  Although economic evaluation of nursing practice has increased, it is still a rather small area. According to the items elucidated in this study, further methodological improvement is needed to evaluate the economics of nursing.
Promoting peaceful death in the intensive care unit in Thailand
Authors: Kongsuwan W. , Locsin R.C. 
Published: February 2009

Background:  Having a peaceful death is a common wish among Thai people. Thai culture and religious beliefs offer practical ways to enhance having a peaceful death. Dying in an intensive care unit (ICU) is unnatural and oftentimes painful for the patient and their loved ones. Promoting a peaceful death is one of the least understood yet critical roles of nurses who practise in ICUs.Purpose:  To explore the ways that ICU nurses in Thailand could promote peaceful death and to attempt a definition of the concept of ‘peaceful death’.Method:  Data were generated from ICU nurses’ descriptions of peaceful death. These were given during in‐depth telephone interviews, tape‐recorded and analysed using the grounded theory method of analysis.Findings:  ICU nurses promote peaceful death through a three‐dimensional process: awareness of dying; creating a caring environment; and promoting end‐of‐life care.Conclusions:  The study provided opportunities for nurses to understand and influence the practice of promoting peaceful death in ICUs in Thailand. Further research is needed to enhance the practices and processes necessary for promoting peaceful death among ICU patients. It is anticipated that this will advance policy changes in nursing care processes in Thailand.
Intein‐mediated protein assembly in transgenic wheat: production of active barnase and acetolactate synthase from split genes
Authors: Kempe Katja , Rubtsova Myroslava , Gils Mario 
Published: February 2009

SummaryEngineering traits by the assembly of non‐functional gene products is a promising tool for modern plant biotechnology. In this article, we describe the establishment of male sterility and herbicide resistance in wheat (Triticum aestivum) by complementing inactive precursor protein fragments through a split intein system. N‐ and C‐terminal fragments of a barnase gene from Bacillus amyloliquifaciens were fused to intein sequences from the Synechocystis sp. gene DnaB and delivered into the wheat genome via biolistic particle bombardment. Both barnase fragments were expressed under the control of a tapetum‐specific promoter. High efficiency of the split barnase system was achieved by introducing GGGGS linkers between the fusion domains of the assembled protein. Depending on the vector version that was transformed, up to 51% of primary transformed plants produced sterile pollen. In the F1 progeny, the male‐sterile phenotype segregated with both barnase gene fragments. Expression of the cytotoxic barnase in the tapetum did not apparently affect the vegetative phenotype and remained stable under increased temperatures. In addition, the reconstitution of sulphonylurea resistance was achieved by DnaE intein‐mediated assembly of a mutated acetolactate synthase (ALS) protein from rice. The impacts of the technical advances revealed in this study on the concepts for trait control, transgene containment and hybrid breeding are discussed.
Infant cognition: going full factorial with pupil dilation
Authors: Jackson Iain , Sirois Sylvain 
Published: February 2009

Abstract The violation‐of‐expectation (VOE) paradigm and related methods are the main tools used to study high‐level cognition in preverbal infants. Infants’ differential looking to conceptually implausible/impossible events has been used as an index of early cognitive competence in many areas, including object knowledge, physics, language, and number. However, an event's plausibility is commonly confounded with its perceptual novelty or familiarity, leading to a variety of interpretations for looking time data (Bogartz, Shinskey & Speaker, 1997). This illustrative study demonstrates the value of factorial designs, in which perceptual (novelty–familiarity) and conceptual (possible–impossible) variables are independently and jointly explored. It also introduces pupil dilation as a viable and complementary dependent measure to study infant cognition. We show that pupil data can assist in the interpretation of otherwise equivocal looking time data. The discussion focuses on methodological considerations in infancy research.