bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Development of an ex vivo model for the study of microbial infection in human teeth
Authors: Patel B. , Pratten J. , Mordan N. , Gulabivala K. 
Published: May 2007

Aims  (1) To infect human teeth artificially to mimic root canal and dentine infection, using the Constant Depth Film Fermenter (CDFF); (2) To verify the similarity of the infections to those found, in vivo, using culture and microscopy (SEM, LM and TEM).Methodology  Human teeth [n = 38 and n = 28, for phases I (preliminary) and II (definitive), respectively] were infected within the CDFF for a period of 28 days and at pre‐selected time points were removed, externally decontaminated using validated protocols and subjected to either culture‐dependent or microscopy protocols. The condition of the teeth was varied in phase I to establish the feasibility of the approach and identify optimal conditions. This informed the selection of optimal conditions for definitive test in phase II. For culture‐dependent analysis in this phase, a dentine filing sample was obtained from the apical 5 mm of the root canal and cultured anaerobically to allow isolation of individual strains. Bacterial DNA was extracted from purified isolates, the 16S rRNA genes amplified by PCR and the amplicons sequenced for identity using sequence databases. Teeth assigned for microscopy were post‐fixed in 3% gluteraldehyde after removal from the CDFF and then subjected to appropriate protocols prior to microscopic evaluation of the infection.Results  All three microscopy techniques and culture‐dependent analysis confirmed infection of the human teeth using the CDFF, with root canal infections visually resembling closely those seen in vivo. Furthermore, partial 16S rRNA gene sequencing of DNA from cultured isolates confirmed a selective number of 7–9 genera/species in the apical portion of two teeth each at 7 and 28 days; these taxa are also commonly recovered from teeth with apical periodontitis, in vivo. There were no objective measures other than speciation and topographical evaluation to compare the artificial and real (in vivo) infections.Conclusions  The proposed ex vivo model has the potential for development into an investigative tool for studying the dynamics of bacterial ecology in infected root canals, both before and after treatment. Its advantage is the ability to control both the abiotic and biotic factors. There is a need for the development of objective measures to compare artificial and real bacterial biofilms.
Seminal factor VII and factor VIIa: supporting evidence for the presence of an active tissue factor‐dependent coagulation pathway in human semen
Authors: Lwaleed Bashir A. , Goyal Anuj , Delves George , Gossai Sunil , Greenfield Robert S. , Cooper Alan J. 
Published: May 2007

AbstractHuman semen spontaneously coagulates into a semisolid mass and then wholly liquefies in a process that may have some similarity to that of normal blood. This well described phenomenon is referred to as coagulation and liquefaction of semen. Besides other active components of the haemostatic system, semen contains a significant amount of functional tissue factor (TF). However, TF needs factor (F)VII in order to exert it actions. In this study, we assessed human semen for the presence of FVII and FVIIa, and related their levels to conventional fertility parameters. Using a functional, one stage, clotting assay based upon the prolongation of the prothrombin clotting time, using the ACL 300R analyser and an Imubind® FVIIa ELISA assay, FVII and FVIIa levels were measured in 97 semen specimens obtained from sub‐fertile (sperm counts <20 × 106/mL), normally fertile (sperm counts ≥20 × 106 but <60 × 106/mL), fertile sperm donors (sperm counts ≥60 × 106/mL), vasectomized subjects and in a pooled normal semen parameters group (categorization into groups was based on the World Health Organization guidelines on fertility criteria). In addition, conventional semen parameters were analysed on all semen samples. Both FVII and FVIIa were quantifiable in human semen. The mean levels of FVII and FVIIa were 4.4 IU/dL and 12 ng/mL respectively. Despite the observed variations of FVIIa levels in the studied groups they did not meet statistical significance when the groups were tested against each other. However, seminal FVIIa levels showed a significant positive association with semen liquefaction time, sperm motility and semen volume. The anti‐sperm antibodies and sperm‐agglutination groups were also associated with raised seminal FVIIa levels. We observed no significant relationship between FVIIa levels and total sperm concentration, sperm count per mL (sperm density), sperm progression and days of sexual abstinence. This study demonstrates that human semen contains appreciable amounts of FVII and FVIIa. It is possible to quantify these using commercially available assays. There also appears to be a direct correlation between the levels of these factors and certain seminal parameters. This finding reinforces the concept of an active clotting system in human semen, by establishing the missing link in the activation of a TF‐dependent pathway.
Age at voice break in Danish boys: effects of pre‐pubertal body mass index and secular trend
Authors: Juul Anders , Magnusdottir Steinunn , Scheike Thomas , Prytz Sven , Skakkebæk Niels E. 
Published: May 2007

SummaryVoice break is a late, but characteristic event in male puberty. Assessment of age at voice break may be a relevant marker for epidemiological studies of male pubertal development. We investigated the timing of voice break and its association with explanatory variables [calendar year of admission in the boys choir and pre‐pubertal body mass index (BMI)] by survival analysis techniques based on retrospective analyses of age at voice break in 463 Danish choir boys who were studied over a 10‐year period. We found an overall median age at voice break of 14.0 [13.9–14.6] years, and a statistically significant downwards trend in age at voice break in the 10‐year period (1994–2003) (log‐rank test p = 0.0146). There was a statistically significant difference in age at voice break between boys in the different BMI quartiles in pre‐puberty (p = 0.00822) with a tendency towards early voice break with increasing BMI standard deviation scores. Thus boys in the heaviest quartile at 8 years of age had an increased risk of early voice break (RR of 1.74 [1.14–2.65]) approximately 6 years later, compared with boys in the thinnest quartile. The earlier voice break seen during the 10‐year observation period could however not exclusively be explained by a general increase in BMI in that period. Our findings indicate that puberty, as assessed by age at voice break in boys, may be starting earlier in Denmark as it has been observed in the USA, and suggest a relationship between pre‐pubertal BMI and the timing of puberty.
Meiotic segregation analysis in male translocation carriers by using fluorescent in situ hybridization
Authors: Nishikawa N. , Sato T. , Suzumori N. , Sonta S. , Suzumori K. 
Published: May 2007

SummaryBalanced reciprocal and Robertsonian translocations are the most common structural chromosome abnormalities in humans, with incidences of 0.7 and 1.23 per 1000. These translocations can affect fertility and/or pregnancy outcome because of possibly impaired production of gametes with an unbalanced zygote caused by the parental arrangement. Fertility problems in male translocation carriers are because of various degrees of sperm alterations that are directly related to the disturbance of the meiotic process. Investigation of human sperm chromosomes was performed by karyotyping spermatozoa after penetration of zona‐free hamster oocytes, karyotype analysis now being possible to analyse the segregation patterns by using fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH). Here, we document the results of meiotic segregation analysis for four Robertsonian and four reciprocal translocation carriers by FISH. In the sperm of Robertsonian translocation males, the majority of spermatozoa were normal/balanced. On the other hand, males with reciprocal translocations demonstrated a high rate of unbalanced spermatozoa of about 50% on meiotic segregation, with an unusually high rate (23.5%) of 3 : 1 segregation. This knowledge can be used for genetic counselling of families with these types of translocations.
Development of the role of public health nurses in addressing child and family poverty: a framework for action
Authors: Cohen Benita E. , Reutter Linda 
Published: May 2007

AbstractTitle. Development of the role of public health nurses in addressing child and family poverty: a framework for actionAim. The purpose of this paper is to invite dialogue about how public health nurses could best address child and family poverty. Their current role is reviewed and a framework for expanding this role is presented.Background. The negative health consequences of poverty for children are well‐documented worldwide. The high levels of children living in poverty in wealthy industrialized countries such as Canada should be of concern to the health sector. What role(s) can public health nurses play in addressing child and family poverty?Method. A review of scholarly literature from Canada, the United States of America and the United Kingdom was conducted to ascertain support for public health nurses’ roles in reducing poverty and its effects. We then reviewed professional standards and competencies for nursing practice in Canada. The data were collected between 2005 and 2006.Findings. Numerous nursing scholars have called for public health nurses to address the causes and consequences of poverty through policy advocacy. However, this role was less likely to be identified in professional standards and competencies, and we found little empirical evidence documenting Canadian public health nurses’ efforts to engage in this role. Public health nurses’ roles in relation to poverty focus primarily on assisting families living in poverty to access appropriate services rather than directing efforts at the policy level. Factors associated with this limited involvement are identified. We suggest that the conceptual framework developed by Blackburn in the United Kingdom offers direction for a more fully developed public health nursing role. Prerequisites to engaging in the strategies articulated in the framework are discussed.Conclusion. Given more organizational support and enhanced knowledge and skills, public health nurses could be playing a greater role in working with others to make child and family poverty history.
Influence of rainfall seasonality on African lowland vegetation during the Late Quaternary: pollen evidence from Lake Masoko, Tanzania
Authors: Vincens Annie , Garcin Yannick , Buchet Guillaume 
Published: May 2007

AbstractAim To determine if changes in the key bioclimatic parameters associated with rainfall seasonality can be quantified from fossil sequences and to distinguish them from changes in the total annual rainfall.Location Lake Masoko, southern Tanzania (9°20′ S, 33°45′ E, 840 m a.s.l.).Methods Fossil pollen was extracted from a long and well‐dated sedimentary sequence spanning the period 45,000–4400 cal. yrbp. The modern habitat, geographical distribution and climatic range (mean annual rainfall and temperature, and length of the dry season) of selected East African plants were used to infer past rainfall attributes for the most characteristic fossil pollen taxa identified from the sediments of Lake Masoko.Results In the Masoko pollen sequence it has been possible to identify changes in the length/severity of the dry season during the last 45,000 cal. yrbp, which are interpreted to reflect shifts in the mean position of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) over the southern tropics. We suggest that this bioclimatic parameter has been the main driver of the vegetation dynamics in this area. The major inferred change occurred at the Younger Dryas–Holocene transitionc. 11,800 cal. yrbp, when semi‐deciduous forest disappeared, being replaced in the lake catchment by woodland, which persists to the present day in spite of locally high rainfall.Main conclusions In tropical regions under the influence of the ITCZ, the position and strength of which determine the distribution of rainfall through the year, more attention must be paid to the impact of the length and intensity of the dry season on the modern and past distribution and dynamics of the vegetation. This climatic parameter is as important as the total annual amount of rainfall, and probably one of the most relevant in lowland areas.
Uniform phenotype conceals double colonization by reed‐warblers of a remote Pacific archipelago
Authors: Cibois Alice , Thibault Jean‐Claude , Pasquet Eric 
Published: May 2007

AbstractAim Remote oceanic islands often provide good illustrations of adaptive radiations, but phylogenetic studies have also demonstrated unexpected multiple colonization events for a given archipelago. In this study we investigate the relationships among endemic populations of the Marquesas reed‐warbler,Acrocephalus mendanaeTristram, 1883, which have colonized nearly all islands of this remote Polynesian archipelago, and which exhibit a very uniform plumage pattern. We study the phylogeny and morphology of all subspecies in the Marquesas, providing an examination of the position of the Marquesas lineages in relation to reed‐warblers distributed across multiple Polynesian archipelagos.Location This study focused on all the main islands of the Marquesas archipelago, along with samples from other Polynesian archipelagos (Society, Tuamotu, Austral, Cook, Kiribati) and Australia.Methods We used mitochondrial DNA markers (cytochrome b and ND2 genes) to develop a phylogeny of the main eastern Polynesian taxa. All subspecies for the Marquesas were investigated, including multiple individuals per island. Phylogenetic analyses using maximum‐likelihood and Bayesian approaches were employed to infer relationships amongA. mendanaepopulations and between the main Polynesian archipelagos. Morphometric analyses based on 110 specimens from museum collections were performed on external characters to investigate the differences between islands, and these results were compared to the phylogeny.Results Our data indicate that the Marquesas reed‐warbler is in fact a polyphyletic taxon including two independent lineages: the northern Marquesas reed‐warbler, closely related to the Tuamotu reed‐warbler, and the southern Marquesas reed‐warbler, sister taxon to that endemic to the Kiribati. Analyses of morphological characters show that the size and shape features of the Marquesas reed‐warblers exhibit high plasticity linked to adaptation to ecological factors, particularly habitat richness (the diversity of vegetation structure that provides suitable resources and habitat for reed‐warblers, simplified here as the number of indigenous plant species).Main conclusions Our results suggest that reed‐warblers have successfully colonized the Marquesas archipelago, one of the most remote groups of islands in the Pacific Ocean, at least twice. Both events occurred more or less simultaneously atca. 0.6 Ma, and are more recent than the islands' formation. We outline the taxonomic consequences of our phylogeny and discuss the supertramp strategy of reed‐warblers in the Pacific.
The association between caregiving satisfaction, difficulties and coping among older family caregivers
Authors: Ekwall Anna Kristensson , Hallberg Ingalill Rahm 
Published: May 2007

Aims and objectives.  The aim was to study the association between gender, extent and content of care, satisfaction, coping and difficulties in the caregiving situation among older (75+) caregivers and to identify clusters of caregivers. The aim was also to explore psychometrically two instruments assessing satisfaction and difficulties in family caregivers.Background.  Caregiving is a complicated phenomenon. Much of the research has focused on negative aspects, such as the burden, stress and emotional strain. Caregiving is known to affect health negatively for the caregivers. Little is known about satisfaction and motivation in voluntary work, such as informal caregiving, especially among older persons.Design and methods.  Cross‐sectional. The sample for this study consisted of 171 informal caregivers aged 75 and over, identified from an age‐stratified sample in a postal survey among older people in the southern part of Sweden.Results.  Male caregivers proved to be more satisfied than female caregivers; caregiving had seemingly widened their horizon and had helped them to grow as persons. Based on satisfaction scores, those satisfied had a higher proportion of male caregivers and a significantly higher amount of caregiving hours per week. They used other coping strategies than the respondents in the other cluster, i.e. less satisfied in using more problem‐solving strategies.Conclusions.  The instruments tested were appropriate for work in clinical and research settings, although the internal dropout indicates that a shorter version would be more useful. Those who found satisfaction in care used more problem‐focused coping strategies and were more often men than women. From a salutogenic point of view, this may give important knowledge about factors that can promote health. The findings indicate that women deserve extra attention as informal caregivers as they did not find caregiving as rewarding as the men did. This may in turn make them less protected against the negative consequences of caregiving.Relevance to clinical practice.  Reinforcing the health‐promoting qualities in caregivers who are not feeling well, with women as a particularly vulnerable group, may restrict unnecessary suffering for both the caregiver and the person cared for.
Nurses’ perceptions of quality and the factors that affect quality care for older people living in long‐term care settings in Ireland
Authors: Murphy Kathy 
Published: May 2007

Aim. The aim of this research was to determine the factors that facilitate or hinder high quality nursing care for older people in long‐term care settings in Ireland.Background. The quality of care for older people living in long‐term care has been identified as an issue of concern in many nursing research studies. While many factors which have an impact on care have been identified, it is difficult to determine key factors from current research.Method. This was a mixed method study, which involved qualitative and quantitative approaches. A self‐response questionnaire was generated from data gathered by interview and analysis of literature. Information was collected from 498 nurses working in long‐term care settings within a Health Board. A 68% response rate was achieved. Factor analysis was used to identify facilitating and hindering factors of quality care for older people.Results. Nine factors where identified six facilitating factors of quality and three hindering factors of quality care. The six factors, which facilitate quality, were: an ethos of promoting independence and autonomy; a homelike social environment; person centred, holistic care; knowledgeable, skilled staff; knowing the person and adequate multidisciplinary resources. The three factors which hindered quality care; these were: a lack of time and patient choice, resistance to change and bound by routine.Conclusions. The findings of this research provide nurses with a clear set of facilitating and hindering factors of quality care for older people and reveal some of the complexities and challenges of providing this care.Relevance to clinical practice. Long‐term care is the home of many older people and attention within these environments to the facilitating and hindering factors of quality is required. It is hoped that the factors generated in this study add to understanding in relation to quality care and the factors that influence this.
Admitted with a hip fracture: patient perceptions of rehabilitation
Authors: Olsson Lars‐Eric , Nyström Anne EM , Karlsson Jòn , Ekman Inger 
Published: May 2007

Aims and objectives.  The aim of this study was to describe the hip fracture patients’ own perceptions of their situation and views of their responsibility in the rehabilitation process.Background.  Although much research has been conducted on various aspects of the rehabilitation process in patients with a hip fracture, no attention has been given to the patients’ own views of their situation at the start of this transitional process.Method.  Thirteen informants with a hip fracture, aged 71–93 years, were interviewed postoperatively at a Swedish hospital. Phenomenographic analysis of the interview transcripts was performed.Results.  The informants varied greatly in their engagement in the rehabilitation process, in their conceptions of who was responsible for their recovery and in their views on the need for information pertinent to their condition. Three categories of description were formulated: the Autonomous, i.e. patients who were self‐sufficient and used to taking care of themselves and who searched for relevant information; the Modest, i.e. frail patients in need of more support who wanted information, but did not ask for it; and the Heedless, i.e. patients who were already dependent, who were not aware of their own responsibility and not interested in information. The informants also shared some traits: they all needed more information although not all were aware of it, they all worried about their future ability to walk again and they all had a strong zest for life.Relevance to clinical practice.  Our results suggest that differences in patients’ perspectives on the rehabilitation process need to be taken into account to enhance outcomes. Inadequate knowledge and engagement on the part of patients, with a hip fracture, probably have an impact on their rehabilitation outcome, but the degree of impact is uncertain.
Predictors of psychological health in spouses of persons affected by stroke
Authors: Franzén‐Dahlin Åsa , Larson Jenny , Murray Veronica , Wredling Regina , Billing Ewa 
Published: May 2007

Aim.  To identify predictors of psychological health and examine if these predictors change over time in spouses of stroke patients during the first year after stroke. A second aim was to identify gender differences in psychological health among the spouses.Background.  The impact of burden in long‐term caregivers may result in psychological consequences for the spouse. The rehabilitation process for the patient can be negatively affected by a stressed caregiver and result in long‐term hospitalization. To identify spouses at risk for physical and psychological distress is, therefore, essential to support those in need.Design.  Longitudinal, comparative study.Methods.  One hundred spouses of stroke patients were assessed at baseline, as well as after six and 12 months, regarding psychological health, well‐being, own illness, need of assistance from general practitioner and/or district nurse, social network and knowledge about stroke. Stepwise multiple regression analyses were conducted for baseline, six‐ and 12‐month assessments, respectively, with psychological health as the dependent variable.Results.  General well‐being and presence of illness in spouse were the most prominent predictors of psychological health, throughout the first year.Conclusions.  Enhancing psychological health and preventing medical problems in the caregiver are essential considerations to enable patients with stroke‐related disabilities to continue to live at home.Relevance to clinical practice.  Evaluating the situation for spouses of stroke patients is an important component when planning for the future care of the patient.