bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Ultrastructural Morphology of Platelets and Fibrin Networks of Lactating and Non‐Pregnant Rabbits
Authors: Humphries P. , Smit E. , Pretorius E. 
Published: February 2008

SummaryPlatelets and fibrin play an important role in the coagulation process where they are involved in the maintenance of haemostasis. Fibrin dysfunction is associated with the development of vascular complications, while proneness to the formation of tight and rigid fibrin networks is independently associated with thrombotic disease. Rabbits have long been used successfully as animal models, and are often the species of choice for models of antithrombotic efficacy. It was previously shown that rabbit and human platelet and fibrin morphology are very similar in ultrastructure and fibrin fibre thickness. It was also previously reported that the thin minor fibres forms a thick fine network cover over the major fibres during pregnancy. According to research, white blood cell counts also changes during pregnancy and stays changed for up to 6 weeks post‐partum; where the number of neutrophils increased, and the number of lymphocytes, basophils and eosinophils decreased. Here, we show that the same ultrastructure and white blood cell count changes occur in lactating rabbits (4 weeks post‐partum). We therefore suggest that a rabbit morphology model studying platelet and fibrin morphology can be used successfully, either to study the effect of pharmaceutical products to be used during lactation and pregnancy in humans, or used in veterinary research. Furthermore, the effects of pharmaceutical products on immunology and white blood cell counts can possibly also be used successfully.
Dietary pea protein stimulates bile acid excretion and lowers hepatic cholesterol concentration in rats
Authors: Spielmann J. , Stangl G. I. , Eder K. 
Published: February 2008

SummaryIt has been shown that some dietary plant proteins beneficially influence lipid metabolism in animals. The effect of pea protein in this respect however has not yet been investigated. Therefore, we studied the effect of purified pea protein on the lipid metabolism in rats. Twenty‐four rats received diets with either 200 g/kg of casein or purified pea protein for 16 days. Concentrations of triacylglycerols in liver, plasma and lipoproteins did not differ between both groups of rats. However, rats fed the pea protein diet had a lower concentration of total cholesterol in the liver and the very low density lipoproteins (VLDL) fraction than rats fed the casein diet (p < 0.05); cholesterol concentration in plasma, low density lipoproteins (LDL) and high density lipoproteins (HDL) did not differ between both groups. Rats fed pea protein moreover had an increased mRNA concentration of cholesterol‐7α‐hydroxylase in the liver and an increased amount of bile acids excreted via faeces compared with rats fed casein (p < 0.05). Concomitantly, mRNA concentrations of sterol regulatory element‐binding protein (SREBP)‐2 and its target genes 3‐hydroxy‐3‐methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG‐CoA) reductase and LDL receptor in the liver were increased in rats fed pea protein (p < 0.05). The data of this study suggests that pea protein stimulates formation and excretion of bile acids, which leads to a reduced hepatic cholesterol concentration and a reduced secretion of cholesterol via VLDL. An increased gene expression of SREBP‐2 and its target genes HMG‐CoA reductase and LDL receptor may be a means to compensate for the increased loss of cholesterol for bile acid synthesis.
Dissociation and alexithymia among men with alcoholism
Authors: Evren Cuneyt , Sar Vedat , Evren Bilge , Semiz Umit , Dalbudak Ercan , Cakmak Duran 
Published: February 2008

Aim:  The aim of the present study was to evaluate the relationship between alexithymia and dissociation among men with alcoholism.Methods:  Participants were 176 patients consecutively admitted to the inpatient unit of a addiction treatment center. The Toronto Alexithymia Scale, the Symptom Checklist‐Revised, the Dissociative Experiences Scale, the Beck Depression Inventory, the Spielberger State–Trait Anxiety Inventory, and the Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test were administered to all participants.Results:  Fifty‐three patients were considered as having alexithymia. The alexithymic group had a significantly higher rate of dissociative taxon members (patients with pathological dissociation; 62.3%) according to Bayesian probability. Trait anxiety, overall psychiatric symptom severity, and pathological dissociation predicted alexithymia on covariance analysis. A multivariate analysis of covariance demonstrated that these predictors were related only to difficulty of identifying feelings, whereas trait anxiety was a significant covariant for difficulty of expressing feelings as well.Conclusion:  Alexithymic phenomena are interrelated with dissociation and chronic anxiety among men with alcoholism. The relevance of this triad for prevention and treatment of alcoholism deserves interest in further research.
The correlation of plasma homocysteine with insulin resistance in polycystic ovary syndrome
Authors: Yilmaz Nafiye , Pektas Mine , Tonguc Esra , Kilic Sevtap , Gulerman Cavidan , Gungor Tayfun , Mollamahmutoglu Leyla 
Published: February 2008

AbstractAim:  This study aims to investigate the existence of any relationship between homocysteine levels and insulin resistance in Turkish women with polycystic ovary syndrome.Methods:  A case‐controlled, cross‐sectional, observational study was undertaken in a total of 94 infertile Turkish women who required professional help in the Department of Infertility of Dr Zekai Tahir Burak Women's Health Research and Education Hospital. The correlation between serum homocysteine with age, body mass index, hormone profile, fasting insulin and glucose concentrations and insulin resistance were examined in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome and the results were compared to those of women with normal ovaries, who served as a control group.Results:  The mean serum fasting glucose and insulin levels, thus insulin resistance index of women with polycystic ovary syndrome, were significantly higher than those of the control subjects. The mean serum homocysteine levels were significantly higher in women with polycystic ovary syndrome than those in the control group. A positive correlation was detected between the mean homocysteine, the insulin resistance index determined by homeostasis model assessment and the fasting insulin levels in polycystic ovary syndrome patients.Conclusions:  Serum homocysteine levels are elevated in women with polycystic ovary syndrome, and this elevation is associated with the serum insulin level rather than androgen excess. The intense treatment of hyperhomocysteinemia in women with polycystic ovary syndrome might improve reproductive outcome and contribute to protection from cardiovascular risks.
Does three‐dimensional power Doppler ultrasound improve the diagnostic accuracy for the prediction of adnexal malignancy?
Authors: Dai Shu‐Yan , Hata Kohkichi , Inubashiri Eisuke , Kanenishi Kenji , Shiota Atsuko , Ohno Masayuki , Yamamoto Yuka , Nishiyama Yoshihiro , Ohkawa Motoomi , Hata Toshiyuki 
Published: February 2008

AbstractObjective:  The aim of the present study was to investigate the diagnostic accuracy of three‐dimensional power Doppler ultrasound (3DPD) in the differentiation between benign and malignant adnexal masses and evaluate 3DPD for assessing malignancy in comparison with two‐dimensional transvaginal gray‐scale sonography (2DTVS), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomography (PET).Subjects and Methods:  Thirty‐six patients with suspicious adnexal masses were included in this study. 2DTVS and 3DPD were performed preoperatively. MRI and PET examinations were also carried on within two weeks of initial sonography. All the results of diagnostic imaging techniques were evaluated separately. Final diagnosis was confirmed by the postoperative histopathology. The mature cystic teratomas and endometriomas with typical gray‐scale sonographic appearance were excluded from the study.Results:  Of the 36 patients, 25 had a malignancy, 5 had a borderline tumor, and 6 had a benign mass. Sensitivity of 2DTVS, 3DPD, MRI and PET were 96.7%, 76.7%, 96.7% and 83.3%, respectively. The sensitivity of 2DTVS was as high as that of MRI, and both of them were significantly higher than those of 3DPD and PET, respectively. There were no significant differences both in specificity and accuracy among these 4 techniques.Conclusion:  3DPD did not improve the diagnostic accuracy for the prediction of malignancy in adnexal masses. 2DTVS may still remain an important modality for the prediction of adnexal malignancy.
15N enrichment as an integrator of the effects of C and N on microbial metabolism and ecosystem function
Authors: Dijkstra Paul , LaViolette Corinne M. , Coyle Jeffrey S. , Doucett Richard R. , Schwartz Egbert , Hart Stephen C. , Hungate Bruce A. 
Published: February 2008

AbstractOrganic carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) are essential for heterotrophic soil microorganisms, and their bioavailability strongly influences ecosystem C and N cycling. We show here that the natural 15N abundance of the soil microbial biomass is affected by both the availability of C and N and ecosystem N processing. Microbial 15N enrichment correlated negatively with the C : N ratio of the soil soluble fraction and positively with net N mineralization for ecosystems spanning semiarid, temperate and tropical climates, grassland and forests, and over four million years of ecosystem development. In addition, during soil incubation, large increases in microbial 15N enrichment corresponded to high net N mineralization rates. These results support the idea that the N isotope composition of an organism is determined by the balance between N assimilation and dissimilation. Thus, 15N enrichment of the soil microbial biomass integrates the effects of C and N availability on microbial metabolism and ecosystem processes.
Operational sex ratio, sexual conflict and the intensity of sexual selection
Authors: Fitze Patrick S. , Le Galliard Jean‐François 
Published: February 2008

AbstractModern sexual selection theory indicates that reproductive costs rather than the operational sex ratio predict the intensity of sexual selection. We investigated sexual selection in the polygynandrous common lizardLacerta vivipara. This species shows male aggression, causing high mating costs for females when adult sex ratios (ASR) are male‐biased. We manipulated ASR in 12 experimental populations and quantified the intensity of sexual selection based on the relationship between reproductive success and body size. In sharp contrast to classical sexual selection theory predictions, positive directional sexual selection on male size was stronger and positive directional selection on female size weaker in female‐biased populations than in male‐biased populations. Thus, consistent with modern theory, directional sexual selection on male size was weaker in populations with higher female mating costs. This suggests that the costs of breeding, but not the operational sex ratio, correctly predicted the strength of sexual selection.
Job satisfaction among intensive care nurses from the People's Republic of China
Authors: Li J. , Lambert V.A. 
Published: February 2008

Background:  Prior research has suggested that job satisfaction is a major concern for both nurses and healthcare administrators. A variety of workplace stressors, coping strategies and demographic characteristics have been found to contribute both positively and negatively to job satisfaction. However, most of this research has been conducted in Western culture countries, leaving one to wonder if the findings are relevant in China, particularly in regard to intensive care nurses.Aim:  Therefore, the purpose of this descriptive study was to determine, in intensive care nurses from the People's Republic of China, which combination of workplace stressors, coping strategies and demographic characteristics was the best predictor of job satisfaction.Methods:  To address these purposes, four self‐report questionnaires were administered to a convenience sample of 102 intensive care nurses from four teaching hospitals located in two cities in central China.Results:  The best predictors of job satisfaction were workload, years of experience in nursing, uncertainty about patients' treatment, behavioural disengagement and positive reframing.Conclusions:  The findings provide information about what factors need to be considered and addressed in the workplace to facilitate job satisfaction among Chinese intensive care nurses.
Intimate partner violence and reproductive health of women in Kenya
Authors: Emenike E. , Lawoko S. , Dalal K. 
Published: February 2008

Background:  Reproductive age represents an augmented risk of intimate partner violence (IPV) despite its occurrence in women of all ages. IPV has been associated with various reproductive health outcomes (e.g. terminated pregnancies and infant mortality), although multi‐country studies indicate that the findings may not be consistent across all cultures.Study aim and method:  The current work describes the association between IPV and reproductive health of women in Kenya using the Demographic and Health Survey of 2003.Results:  A significant association between physical/emotional/sexual abuse of women and negative reproductive health outcomes such as terminated pregnancies and infant mortality was identified. In addition, IPV exposure was associated with use of family planning methods and high fertility.Conclusion and recommendations:  Practitioners in the healthcare sector should inquire about abuse. Provision of counselling services and information regarding IPV effects on reproductive outcomes as well as referring abused women to relevant institutions is recommended in secondary prevention of IPV and to improve the reproductive health status of abused women.
The leadership concept in Iranian nursing
Authors: Memarian R. , Ahmadi F. , Vaismoradi M. 
Published: February 2008

Background:  Although greater emphasis has been placed on leadership skills in nursing management in the last decade, the concepts are often confused or used erroneously by Iranian nurses. At the same time we have observed that wide variations in nurses' clinical practice appeared to be related to the presence or absence of leadership skills among senior nurses.Aim:  To begin to identify the concepts used for expressing leadership in nursing within the Iranian cultural context.Methods:  A qualitative approach was adopted using content analysis of semi‐structured interviews carried out with 10 nurse managers from hospitals in Teheran. The data were analysed using the constant comparative method.Findings:  Fifty‐five primary codes were identified from the respondents' experiences and from these three main themes were abstracted for describing the leadership concept. These were ‘personality traits’, ‘being a model’, and ‘being a spiritual guide for the nursing profession’.Conclusion:  Implementing the culture of patient safety and dignity needs leadership. From Iranian nurse managers' perspectives a leader as a spiritual guide should empower nurses spiritually; it means he/she has a vision for nursing; has clear and explicit objectives; and has a commitment to nursing. Nurses who are confident about the underlying concepts of leadership in their culture can help to adapt nursing to an ever‐changing healthcare environment.
Correlates of physical fitness and activity in Taiwanese children
Authors: Chen J.‐L. , Unnithan V. , Kennedy C. , Yeh C.‐H. 
Published: February 2008

Aim:  This cross‐sectional study examined factors related to children's physical fitness and activity levels in Taiwan.Methods:  A total of 331 Taiwanese children, aged 7 and 8, and their mothers participated in the study. Children performed physical fitness tests, recorded their physical activities during two weekdays and completed self‐esteem questionnaires. Research assistants measured the children's body mass and stature. Mothers completed demographic, parenting style and physical activity questionnaires.Results:  Attending urban school, lower body mass index (BMI), older age and better muscular endurance contributed to the variance in better aerobic capacity, and attending rural school and better aerobic capacity contributed to the variance in better muscular endurance in boys. Attending urban school, lower BMI and better athletic competence contributed to the variance in better aerobic capacity, and younger age, rural school and higher household income contributed to the variance in better flexibility in girls.Conclusion:  Despite the limitations of the study, with many countries and regions, including Taiwan, now emphasizing the importance of improving physical fitness and activity in children, an intervention that is gender‐, geographically, and developmentally appropriate can improve the likelihood of successful physical fitness and activity programmes.
Post‐exposure prophylaxis after non‐occupational exposure to HIV in Greece
Authors: Raftopoulos V. , Nikolopoulos G. , Konte V. , Pylli M. , Tsiara C. , Makri E. , Paraskeva D. 
Published: February 2008

Aim:  To assess the use of post‐exposure prophylaxis after a non‐occupational exposure to HIV in Greece.Methods:  We analysed the data that were reported to the Hellenic Centre for Disease Control and Prevention by physicians who requested non‐occupational post‐exposure to HIV prophylaxis (NONOPEP) .Results:  During the period January 1996–June 2005 inclusive, 159 persons received NONOPEP (116 males, 42 females and 1 unknown). Fifty‐three per cent of the males sought NONOPEP because of an exposure to sperm and vaginal secretions, while 35.7% of the females were exposed to sperm. Unprotected sex was the main reported cause of exposure to HIV (38.36%) followed by condom rupture (35.85%). For 110 (69.18%) persons, it was the first time they were prescribed NONOPEP.Conclusion:  The current surveillance system in Greece should be further developed to include the documentation of potential drug‐toxicity, side effects and adherence to the prophylaxis. The health educational role of the nurse in HIV prevention in Greece should be developed.
Individual testimonies to nursing care after the atomic bombing of Hiroshima in 1945
Authors: Yuko Matsunari , Sachie Nozawa , Kayo Sakata , Yoshiko Ohara , Keiko Takahashi , Yukiko Hyakuta , Mutsumi Ueda , Ryoko Ohara , Toshio Kobayashi , Noriyuki Kawano , Kazumi Mizumoto 
Published: February 2008

Aim:  The aim of the present research is to clarify the nursing care conducted just before and after the atomic bombing of Hiroshima in 1945.Methods:  Five surviving nurses, who were registered nursing staff at that time in Hiroshima, offered to participate in this research. Individual interviews were conducted in order to obtain the information concerning the nursing activities in the disaster‐stricken areas. The collected information was collated with the documents with regard to the atomic bombing in Hiroshima, and compared with the current studies concerning nursing in disaster.Findings:  The five nurses who participated in the study made it clear that, from the day of the bombing, nursing care activities changed moment by moment according to the condition of the radiation victims, the stricken areas and the relief systems. Under these circumstances, the nurses tried to help the victims of the bombing by devising anything useful for nursing care.Conclusion:  The research participants left their messages, pointing out that nurses' mental attitude to those in front of them as patients is one of the most important things to keep in mind following any major disaster.
Behaviour of partially cross‐linked casein micelles under high pressure
Authors: HUPPERTZ THOM , SMIDDY MARY A 
Published: February 2008

High pressure (HP) treatment of a casein micelle suspension at 250 and 300 MPa leads to an initial rapid increase of its light transmission, as measured in situ, indicating micellar disruption. Subsequently, a much slower, partial reversal of the HP‐induced increase in light transmission is observed, indicating re‐association of micellar fragments. Partial internal cross‐linking of the casein micelles by the enzyme transglutaminase prior to pressure treatment slows down both the disruption and the reassociation process considerably. It is proposed that covalent cross‐linking provides the micelle with extra stability against pressure‐induced disruption and also prevents a molecular reorganization process required to induce reassociation of micellar fragments during prolonged pressure treatment.
Development and Content Validity Testing of a Comprehensive Classification of Diagnoses for Pediatric Nurse Practitioners
Authors: Burns Catherine 
Published: February 2008

Pediatric nurse practitioners (PNPs) need an integrated, comprehensive classification that includes nursing, disease, and developmental diagnoses to effectively describe their practice. No such classification exists. Further, methodologic studies to help evaluate the content validity of any nursing taxonomy are unavailable. A conceptual framework was derived. Then 178 diagnoses from the North American Nursing Diagnosis Association (NANDA) 1986 list, selected diagnoses from the International Classification of Diseases, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, Third Revision, and others were selected. This framework identified and listed, with definitions, three domains of diagnoses: Developmental Problems, Diseases, and Daily Living Problems. The diagnoses were ranked using a 4‐point scale (4=highly related to l=not related) and were placed into the three domains. The rating scale was assigned by a panel of eight expert pediatric nurses. Diagnoses that were assigned to the Daily Living Problems domain were then sorted into the 11 Functional Health patterns described by Gordon (1987). Reliability was measured using proportions of agreement and Kappas. Content validity of the groups created was measured using indices of content validity and average congruency percentages.The experts used a new method to sort the diagnoses in a new way that decreased overlaps among the domains. The Developmental and Disease domains were judged reliable and valid. The Daily Living domain of nursing diagnoses showed marginally acceptable validity with acceptable reliability. Six Functional Health Patterns were judged reliable and valid, mixed results were determined for four categories, and the Coping/Stress Tolerance category was judged reliable but not valid using either test. There were considerable differences between the panel's, Gordon's (1987), and NANDA's clustering of NANDA diagnoses. This study defines the diagnostic practice of nurses from a holistic, patient‐centered perspective. It is the first study to use quantitative methods to test a diagnostic classification system for nursing. The classification model could also be adapted for other nurse specialties.
Reconceptualization of the Nursing Diagnosis Decreased Cardiac Output
Authors: Dougherty Cynthia M. 
Published: February 2008

TOPIC. The parameters of the diagnoses decreased cardiac output.PURPOSE. To propose an alternative conceptual structure for cardiac output that links conceptual parameters with clinical and hemodynamic data.SOURCE. Past discussions and research investigationsCONCLUSION. Careful analysis illustrates several diagnoses are contained within cardiac output at differing levels of abstraction. Testing of the model, including linking diagnoses with nursing interventions and outcomes, is suggested.