bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Associations between fatty acids in colostrum and breast milk and risk of allergic disease
Authors: Lowe A. J. , Thien F. C. K. , Stoney R. M. , Bennett C. M. , Hosking C. S. , Hill D. J. , Carlin J. B. , Abramson M. J. , Dharmage S. C. 
Published: August 2008

SummaryBackground
Exposure to n‐3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in early life is hypothesized to offer protection against atopic disease. However, there is controversy in this area, and we have previously observed that high levels of n‐3 fatty acid (FA) in colostrum are associated with increased risk of allergic sensitization.Objective
The aim of the study was to assess the relationship between FA profile in breast milk and risk of childhood atopic disease.Methods
A high‐risk birth cohort was recruited, and a total of 224 mothers provided a sample of colostrum (n=194) and/or 3‐month expressed breast milk (n=118). FA concentrations were determined by gas chromatography. Presence of eczema, asthma and rhinitis were prospectively documented up to 7 years of age.Results
High levels of n‐3 22:5 FA (docosapentaenoic acid, DPA) in colostrum were associated with increased risk of infantile atopic eczema [odds ratio (OR)=1.66 per 1 standard deviation increase, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.11–2.48], while total n‐3 concentration in breast milk was associated with increased risk of non‐atopic eczema (OR=1.60, 95% CI=1.03–2.50). Higher levels of total n‐6 FA in colostrum were associated with increased risk of childhood rhinitis (OR=1.59, 95% CI=1.12–2.25). There was no evidence of associations between FA profile and risk of asthma.Conclusion
In this cohort of high‐risk children, a number of modest associations were observed between FA concentrations in colostrum and breast milk and allergic disease outcomes. Further research in this area with larger sample sizes is needed.
Prenatal exposure to household pets influences fetal immunoglobulin E production
Authors: Aichbhaumik N. , Zoratti E. M. , Strickler R. , Wegienka G. , Ownby D. R. , Havstad S. , Johnson C. C. 
Published: August 2008

SummaryBackground
Early life pet exposure may protect against allergic sensitization during childhood. Few studies have evaluated the effect of prenatal pet exposure on potential neonatal markers of allergic risk.Objective
The aim of this study was to investigate whether maternal exposure to pets affects cord blood IgE levels in a population‐based, general risk, ethnically mixed birth cohort.Methods
Pet keeping during pregnancy was ascertained from women residing in a defined area of Wayne County Michigan and recruited from five staff model obstetric clinics. Maternal venous blood was analysed for total and allergen‐specific IgE along with cord blood total IgE from 1049 infants.Results
Compared with infants from households with no cats or dogs kept indoors during pregnancy, infants whose homes had either cats or dogs had significantly reduced mean cord IgE levels [0.34 IU/mL (95% CI 0.30–0.38) vs. 0.24 IU/mL (0.20–0.27), P=0.025]. Similar effects were apparent in cat‐only households [0.21 IU/mL (0.16–0.27), P=0.020] and dog‐only households [0.24 IU/mL (0.19–0.29), P=0.045]. There was no effect on results when excluding mothers who reported avoiding pets due to allergy‐related concerns.Conclusion
Mothers with either cats or dogs in their home during pregnancy deliver children with lower cord blood IgE levels compared with mothers who do not live with these pets, supporting the hypothesis that pet exposure influences immune development in a manner that is protective for atopy and is operant even before birth.
Collecting factors related to the haemolysis of blood specimens
Authors: Fang Li , Fang Shu‐Hui , Chung Yun‐Ho , Chien Shang‐Tao 
Published: August 2008

Aim.  The purpose of the study is to explore the collecting factors for the haemolysis of the blood specimens in a regional hospital in South Taiwan.Background.  Blood collecting is one of the most common procedures used in hospital. However, it often faces the risk of haemolysis of blood specimens during laboratory testing and the specimens collected can be easily rejected by the laboratory.Methods.  This is a descriptive and cross‐sectional study. The purposive samples were collected from the blood specimens of the hospitalized patients or the emergency‐room patients by using structured observational checklists which included demographic characteristics, caring factors and material factors. A total of 274 blood specimens was collected.Results.  Specimens obtained from non‐antecubital sites were 3·35 times at risk of haemolysis as many as those from antecubital sites (p = 0·001). Blood collected into tubes through steel needles were 3·7 times more at risk of haemolysis as that through syringes (after removing needles) (p = 0·002). Specimens delivered by ward assistants were 8·7 times more at risk for haemolysis as those by the laboratory staff (p < 0·01).Conclusions.  These findings suggest that nurse supervisors establish a protocol related to preventing haemolysis. Future research should explore the effectiveness of this protocol to verify the relationship between different gauges of steel needles or catheters and haemolysis.Relevance to clinical practice.  Nurse educators are encouraged to include the factors affecting and preventing haemolysis into the in service education. Therefore, findings may assist healthcare professionals in minimizing the risk of haemolysis and improve the quality of care.
A psychometric evaluation of the Chinese version of the Cardiovascular Limitations and Symptoms Profile in patients with coronary heart disease
Authors: Lopez Violeta , Chair Sek Ying , Thompson David R , Tsui Yuen Yan , Lewin Robert JP 
Published: August 2008

Aims and objectives.  The aim of this study was to translate from English and evaluate the validity, reliability and cultural relevance of the Cardiovascular Limitations and Symptoms Profile (CLASP) as a health‐related quality‐of‐life (HRQL) measure in Chinese patients with coronary heart disease.Background.  Improvement in HRQL is increasingly used as a primary outcome in determining the treatment benefit using a generic instrument. However, disease‐specific instruments are being cited as more responsive and sensitive in detecting even the smallest changes in health status. Therefore, valid and reliable disease‐specific measures for patients with coronary heart disease are now being developed and evaluated.Design.  Questionnaire design.Methods.  The translation equivalence and content validity of the Chinese version of CLASP were evaluated by an expert panel. Measurement performance was tested on a convenience sample of 369 Chinese coronary heart disease patients.Results.  The instrument demonstrated good content validity (content validity index 0·94), acceptable internal consistency (>0·70), except for two subscales of angina and tiredness and significant positive correlations among the subscales of CLASP, Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale and the Short Form 36 Health Survey. Principal components analysis revealed nine factors that together explained 69% of the variance.Conclusions.  The results of this study support that CLASP is a valid and reliable disease‐specific health status measure for Chinese patients with coronary heart disease. However, further item modifications and testings are needed when considering the cross‐cultural context.Relevance to clinical practice.  The use of disease‐specific HRQL measures could effectively evaluate nursing interventions in clinical practice. Further validations of CLASP among different diagnostic groups, such as patients with heart failure and those who have survived an acute myocardial infarction, would provide further empirical support for its use with all patients with heart disorders.
Description of self‐reported fluid intake and its effects on body weight, symptoms, quality of life and physical capacity in patients with stable chronic heart failure
Authors: Holst Marie , Strömberg Anna , Lindholm Maud , Willenheimer Ronnie 
Published: August 2008

Aim.  To describe the self‐reported fluid intake and its effects on body weight, signs and symptoms of heart failure, quality of life, physical capacity and thirst, in patients with stabilised chronic heart failure.Background.  Patients with chronic heart failure are often recommended a fluid restriction of 1·5 l/day but there is no evidence in the literature for this recommendation and little is known about the fluid intake consequences.Design.  Crossover study.Methods.  Chronic heart failure patients, clinically stabilised after an unstable state, were randomised to a 32‐week cross‐over study assessing the clinical importance of fluid prescription. In a secondary analysis of 63 patients, efficacy variables were analysed in relation to the self‐reported median fluid intake of 19 ml/kg body weight/day.Results.  The mean fluid intake was 16 ml/kg/day in the below‐median group and 24 ml/kg/day in the above‐median group. No between‐group differences were found in change in body weight, signs and symptoms, diuretic use, quality of life or physical capacity. However, the above‐median group significantly decreased sense of thirst and difficulties to adhere to the fluid prescription compared with the below‐median group.Conclusion.  In clinically stabilised chronic heart failure patients on optimal pharmacological treatment, a larger fluid intake was associated with decreasing thirst without any measurable negative effects on signs and symptoms of heart failure, diuretic use or physical capacity. Thus, a more liberal fluid intake may be advisable in chronic heart failure patients who have been stabilised after an initial unstable clinical state.Relevance to clinical practice.  Nurses involved in the care for patients with heart failure known how troublesome thirst can be and how difficult it can be to follow a restricted fluid intake. This study indicates that it is possible to reassess and recommend a less strict fluid intake in stabilised patients with chronic heart failure.
Development of a fall‐risk checklist using the Delphi technique
Authors: Huang Hui‐Chi , Lin Wen‐Chuan , Lin Jin‐Ding 
Published: August 2008

Aims and objectives.  This study developed a checklist of both intrinsic and extrinsic risk factors for falls among older people based on consensus among a panel of experts and obtained expert content validity. The developed checklist is intended to help nurses better understand risk factors and take effective measures to prevent falls.Background.  Ageing involves changes in musculoskeletal and neuromuscular systems that make older people more prone to balance problems and falling. While it is believed that both environmental factors and personal habits play important roles in predisposing older people to falls, few broad‐based approach checklists to identify both intrinsic and extrinsic risk factors have been published. Even fewer checklists addressing psychosocial problems currently exist. The authors developed a preliminary checklist through literature review.Design.  This study was designed using the Delphi technique, which is widely accepted as an effective method to secure consensus from experts of different backgrounds and perspectives.Methods.  The Delphi technique was used to consolidate and compare the opinions of qualified experts from six different fields over three review rounds. Experts’ content validity index was used to confirm validity.Results.  Authors developed a preliminary checklist covering nine domains, which, after using the Delphi technique, was expanded to the 10 domains of demographics, illness, medicine, balance measurement, footwear, nutrition, cognitive function, social support, environment and fear of falling. Changes based on panel member suggestions made in the first review round included clarification of definitions for ‘dim light’, ‘slippery’, ‘doormat’ and ‘clutter’ and revisions to definitions of cigarette and alcohol consumption and types of exercise. Changes made following the second round review included clarification of the meaning and function of social support and the replacement of SPMSQ with MMSE. In the final round, the term ‘physical mental disturbance’ was changed to ‘fear of falling’. The scores of CVI were very high.Conclusions.  The Delphi technique was used successfully to refine the author‐developed checklist based on experts’ input. To ensure expert input reliability, concepts were defined by the authors and supported with photographs and videos, as needed.Relevance to clinical practice.  The checklist helps assess risk factors and identify older people at higher risk of falls and may help reduce fall risk.
Perceptions of experiences of graft rejection among organ transplant recipients striving to control the uncontrollable
Authors: Nilsson Madeleine , Persson Lars‐Olof , Forsberg Anna 
Published: August 2008

Aim.  To investigate perceptions of graft rejection and different methods to obtain knowledge about graft rejection among adult organ transplant recipients.Background.  Rejection is the most common cause of graft loss and graft dysfunction in clinical transplantation. Little is known about the recipients’ own explanation models related to graft rejection.Design.  Phenomenography.Method.  A strategic selection included patients who had undergone a kidney, liver, heart or lung transplant. Sixteen patients, six males and 10 females, aged 21–63 years with a follow‐up time of between three months and 10 years were interviewed.Results.  The result comprised five domains of variations in perceptions of graft rejection: the abstract threat to life; the concrete threat to health; trust in the body; striving to control the threat; and one’s identity. The inner perspective and personal explanation models involved threat, fear, trust, control and identity adjustment. Different approaches had the same purpose; ‘striving to control the uncontrollable’.Conclusion.  Learning about graft rejection revealed security, lack of security and uncertainty.Relevance to clinical practice.  The inner perspective of graft rejection in this result leads to several clinical implications in terms of patient education and recipients’ differing ways of obtaining knowledge about graft rejection. We suggest that patient’s education should be tailored in a different way, offering support and advice in line with their personal models of explanation of graft rejection as a complement to the explanation from the biomedical model of disease.
Osteoderm morphology in recent and fossil euphractine xenarthrans
Authors: Krmpotic C. M. , Ciancio M. R. , Barbeito C. , Mario R. C. , Carlini A. A. 
Published: August 2008

AbstractThe presence of osteoderms within the integument, forming a carapace, is one of the most distinctive features of armadillos with the external morphology of these elements forming the basis of most systematic schemes. This is especially true for fossil taxa, where these elements are most frequent in the palaeontological record. A detailed study of osteoderms from the cephalic shield and different regions of the dorsal armour of Chaetophractus villosus (Euphractinae, Xenarthra) was made and compared to those of the extant genus Dasypus (Dasypodinae, Xenarthra), and the extinct genus †Eutatus. Three distinct histological zones were recognized: outer and inner zones are thin, formed by regular compact bone, the middle zone is thicker, with large cavities that contain mainly adipose tissue, hair follicles, and sweat and sebaceous glands. The internal structure of †Eutatus (also a member of Euphractinae) osteoderms is close to that of C. villosus, consistent with the notion that these taxa are phylogenetically closely related. In contrast, Dasypus shows marked differences. Dasypus shows hair follicles associated with both gland types (sweat and sebaceous) and connected to foramina on the external surface. Although not observed in adult C. villosus, it has been documented during embryonic development, only to atrophy later in ontogeny. Furthermore, the presence of red bone marrow is rare in C. villosus, but widespread in Dasypus novemcinctus osteoderms. These results suggest an early split of both subfamilies and support the hypothesis that the Euphractinae are more derived than the Dasypodinae.
Ultrastructural characteristics of the process of cornification in developing claws of the brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula)
Authors: Alibardi Lorenzo 
Published: August 2008

AbstractCornification of developing claws in the brush possum has been analysed by electron microscopy and compared with the process in other tetrapods. Newborns from 3 to 60 days postparturition were studied. After formation of symmetric and round outgrowth in digits the epidermis becomes thicker in the dorsal with respect to the ventral digit tip. The claw elongates forming the unguis and a shorter subunguis. Spinosus keratinocytes in both unguis and subunguis accumulate tonofilaments that fill their cytoplasm. Keratohyaline‐like granules are formed in early stages of differentiation in both unguis and subunguis but they later disappear in highly cornified corneocytes. Tonofilaments become electron‐dense in keratinocytes of the precorneous layer in the large corneocytes of the unguis and in narrow corneocytes of the subunguis. Keratin bundles transform into an amorphous corneous material that embeds or masks the original keratin intermediate filaments. Nucleated corneocytes are accumulated in the unguis while thinner corneocytes are present in the subunguis. The latter contain a dense material, possibly containing high sulphur keratin associated proteins, as occurs during cornifcation of the cortex and cuticle hair cells and in the nail. The process of cornification of mammalian claws is compared with that of reptilian and avian claws.
Cereals – current and emerging nutritional issues
Authors: Aisbitt B. , Caswell H. , Lunn J. 
Published: August 2008

Summary  Cereals are staple foods, providing an important source of micro‐ and macronutrients in both developed and developing countries. Specifically, cereal products are an important source of energy, carbohydrate, protein and fibre, as well as containing a range of micronutrients such as vitamin E, some of the B vitamins, magnesium and zinc. But it seems that their role in promoting good health goes beyond merely the provision of nutrients; there is much evidence to suggest that regular consumption of cereal products, specifically whole grains, may have a role in the prevention of chronic diseases such as coronary heart disease, diabetes and colorectal cancer. Additionally, many cereal products promote feelings of satiety, and the regular consumption of cereal‐based products at mealtimes appear to be key drivers of healthier dietary patterns.In the past, several misconceptions have existed among the public with regard to cereal products. Firstly, many more people believe they have a food intolerance or allergy to these foods than evidence would suggest, and secondly, cereals are seen by some as ‘fattening’. The public should not be encouraged to cut out whole food groups unnecessarily and, as cereals and cereal products provide a range of macro‐ and micronutrients and fibre, eliminating these foods without appropriate support and advice from a registered dietitian or other health professional could lead to problems in the long term. Many consumers also seem to be confused by the concept of ‘whole grain’, misinterpreting advice and clearly not achieving dietary recommendations.However, changing consumer attitudes, along with advancements in agricultural processes and food technology, have influenced the functionality of cereal products in the diet, and increasingly, claims are being made to promote cereal consumption specifically for the benefit of health. A new regulation provides a legal standard for nutrition and health claims that applies across the European Union. Eventually, a list of approved claims will be published that can be used on foods, provided the product in question contains enough of the nutrient to have a health benefit and its nutrient profile is deemed healthy enough to support a claim. This may have a significant impact on future consumer perceptions of the health benefits of a diet based on cereal foods.
The link between infant attention to goal‐directed action and later theory of mind abilities
Authors: Aschersleben Gisa , Hofer Tanja , Jovanovic Bianca 
Published: August 2008

AbstractVarious studies have shown that infants in their first year of life are able to interpret human actions as goal‐directed. It is argued that this understanding is a precondition for understanding intentional actions and attributing mental states. Moreover, some authors claim that this early action understanding is a precursor of later Theory of Mind (ToM) development. To test this, we related 6‐month‐olds’ performance in an action interpretation task to their performance in ToM tasks at the age of 4 years. Action understanding was assessed using a modified version of the Woodward‐paradigm (Woodward, 1999). At the age of 4 years, the same children were tested with the German version of the ToM scale developed byWellman and Liu (2004). Results revealed a correlation between infants’ decrement of attention to goal‐directed action and their ability to solve a false belief task at the age of 4 years with no modulation by language abilities. Our results indicate a link between infant attention to goal‐directed action and later theory of mind abilities.
Exploring the relationship between consumer knowledge and purchase behaviour of value‐based labels
Authors: McEachern Morven G. , Warnaby Gary 
Published: August 2008

AbstractDespite an increasing market presence, little research has been conducted regarding consumer‐purchase behaviour of food products bearing ‘value‐based’ labels. Moreover, as the effectiveness of these labelling formats is dependent upon consumer's knowledge of their existence, this paper aims to explore the relationship between knowledge, openness to experience (i.e. validated personality trait related to intellectual capability) and purchase behaviour upon consumer behaviour in this context. Using structural equation modelling techniques, causal influences on purchases of fresh meat bearing ‘value‐based’ labels are identified and three multi‐attribute attitude models are proposed. The paper concludes that these labels are of value to consumers and that product knowledge plays a significant role in aiding purchase decisions. Consequently, marketing communication implications arising from the proposed multi‐attribute attitude models are discussed.
Levels of consciousness and awareness about evidence‐based medicine among consultants in tertiary health care institutions in Nigeria
Authors: Nwagwu Williams 
Published: August 2008

AbstractAims and objectives:  Evidence‐based medicine (EBM) incorporates results of health care research when making decisions about the clinical care of individuals. Information and communication technologies now play significant roles in organizing available research results in EBM software suites. This study examines the level of consciousness and awareness about EBM of consultants in tertiary health institutions in Nigeria.Methods:  A total of 100 consultants were randomly selected from 10 of the 29 teaching hospitals in Nigeria and data were collected using a questionnaire and an interview schedule. From this data, 64 EBM awareness and utilization variables were identified and data on the dynamics of their inter‐relationships were reported by 89 of the participants.Results:  Of the 89 respondents, less than half (47.19%) have knowledge about EBM that could be considered as high, while EBM knowledge is low for the remaining respondents (52.81%). Evidence Summaries appear to be a more popular tool among the respondents than the resources of Journals and Clinical Guidelines.Conclusions:  Consultants in the teaching hospitals appeared not to have the high level of EBM consciousness and awareness that would be expected of them, although there is a consciousness that EBM will foster ease of access and promote equity in health care services.