bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
E‐communication among mothers of infants and toddlers in a community‐based cohort: a content analysis
Authors: Hall Wendy , Irvine Valerie 
Published: November 2008

AbstractTitle.  E‐communication among mothers of infants and toddlers in a community‐based cohort: a content analysis. Background.  Early psychosocial support for families is regarded as inadequate. Employed women with young children can feel isolated from other families. Most parent e‐mail lists are in a read‐only format, with parents receiving informative e‐mails from a corporation or a commercially motivated initiative. In an increasingly virtual age, it is important to examine parents’ use of online support groups initiated by parents.Method.  We used a qualitative descriptive design to conduct an inductive content analysis of archived threads of e‐mail from 40 middle class Canadian mothers involved in a grass‐roots online support cohort that shared birth year and geographical community. Two hundred and ninety‐two pages of single‐spaced mother‐based communication that occurred from June 2004 to May 2005 were analysed.Findings.  Mothers used cohort‐based electronic communication to build a local community, request and provide emotional support, share information and facilitate learning, and provide validation for the ‘normalcy’ of other women’s mothering experiences. They shared stories and feelings, expressed sympathy, offered accolades, expressed appreciation for shared experiences, conveyed gratitude for support, and shared beliefs and expectations. Mothers anticipated childrearing difficulties shared strategies, exchanged advice, confirmed others’ strategies and shared information.Conclusion.  Women in particular geographical areas can use asynchronous mail systems to share information with and obtain support from other mothers. Cohort‐based electronic communication could be particularly important in rural areas where travel is restricted for women and access to professional support is limited.
How evidence‐based is venous leg ulcer care? A survey in community settings
Authors: Van Hecke Ann , Grypdonck Maria , Beele Hilde , De Bacquer Dirk , Defloor Tom 
Published: November 2008

AbstractTitle.  How evidence‐based is venous leg ulcer care? A survey in community settings. Background:  Incongruence between evidence and practice in leg ulcer care has been reported. Little is known about predictive factors related to the provision of lifestyle advice.Method:  Two focus interviews and a Delphi procedure were used to develop a self‐administered questionnaire based on the Graham questionnaire. Nurses employed by community healthcare organizations and independent nurses in private practices participated (n = 789). The data were collected in 2006.Findings:  Compression was applied in 58·7% of patients with venous ulcers. Pain was present in 82·9%. A third of patients with pain received analgesics, but half of these patients (52·1%) took analgesics as prescribed. Half of the nurses (50·8%) gave lifestyle advice related to the leg ulcer. It was mainly instructions about leg elevation (68·3%), promoting physical activity (39·8%) and optimizing nutrition (16·7%) that were provided. Nurses who perceived themselves to have adequate leg ulcer knowledge and skills were 3·75 times more likely to provide lifestyle advice compared with those lacking such knowledge and skills. Nurses who found leg ulcer care not rewarding, rarely successful or difficult gave statistically significantly less lifestyle advice than those who found it rather rewarding, successful and not difficult.Conclusion:  Patients with leg ulcers receive less than optimum care and patient education. A particular challenge lies in leg ulcer education programmes and pain management.
Psychosocial treatments for people with co‐occurring severe mental illness and substance misuse: systematic review
Authors: Cleary Michelle , Hunt Glenn E. , Matheson Sandra , Walter Garry 
Published: November 2008

AbstractTitle.  Psychosocial treatments for people with co‐occurring severe mental illness and substance misuse: systematic review. Aim.  This study is a report of a systematic review to assess current evidence for the efficacy of psychosocial interventions for reducing substance use, as well as improving mental state and encouraging treatment retention, among people with dual diagnosis.Background.  Substance misuse by people with a severe mental illness is common and of concern because of its many adverse consequences and lack of evidence for effective psychosocial interventions.Data sources.  Several electronic databases were searched to identify studies published between January 1990 and February 2008. Additional searches were conducted by means of reference lists and contact with authors.Review methods.  Results from studies using meta‐analysis, randomized and non‐randomized trials assessing any psychosocial intervention for people with a severe mental illness and substance misuse were included.Results.  Fifty‐four studies were included: one systematic review with meta‐analysis, 30 randomized controlled trials and 23 non‐experimental studies. Although some inconsistencies were apparent, results showed that motivational interviewing had the most quality evidence for reducing substance use over the short term and, when combined with cognitive behavioural therapy, improvements in mental state were also apparent. Cognitive behavioural therapy alone showed little consistent support. Support was found for long‐term integrated residential programmes; however, the evidence is of lesser quality. Contingency management shows promise, but there were few studies assessing this intervention.Conclusion.  These results indicate the importance of motivational interviewing in psychiatric settings for the reduction of substance use, at least in the short term. Further quality research should target particular diagnoses and substance use, as some interventions may work better for some subgroups.
Health care service utilization among the elderly: findings from the Study to Understand the Chronic Condition Experience of the Elderly and the Disabled (SUCCEED project)
Authors: Nie Jason X , Wang Li , Tracy C. Shawn , Moineddin Rahim , Upshur Ross Eg 
Published: November 2008

AbstractRationale and objectives  Age‐related effects on health service utilization are not well understood. Most previous studies have examined only a single specific health care service or disease condition or have focused exclusively on economic variables. We aim to measure age‐related change in health care utilization among the elderly.Methods  A population‐based retrospective cohort study was conducted using linked data from four administrative databases (OHIP, ODB, CIHI and RPDB). All Ontario residents over the age of 65 years and eligible for public health coverage were included in the analysis (approximately 1.6 million residents). Main outcome measures include utilization indicators for family physician visits, specialist physician visits, Emergency Department visits, drugs, lab claims, X‐rays, inpatient admissions, CT scans and MRI scans.Results  The mean number of utilization events for Ontarians aged 65+ years for the 1‐year study period was 70 events (women = 76, men = 63). The overall absolute difference between the 65–69 age group and the 85+ age group was 155% (women = 162%, men = 130%), or 76 more events per person in the older group (women = 82, men = 61). Women averaged more events per person than men, as well as greater percentage differences by age. Drugs and diagnostics account for the majority of events. Only MRI and specialist visits were not higher among the older age groups.Conclusions  At the population level, overall health care utilization would appear to increase significantly with age. It is unclear whether increasing health care utilization prevents morbidity, decreases mortality, or improves quality of life.
Staphylococcus aureus SigB activity promotes a strong fibronectin–bacterium interaction which may sustain host tissue colonization by small‐colony variants isolated from cystic fibrosis patients
Authors: Mitchell Gabriel , Lamontagne Charles‐Antoine , Brouillette Eric , Grondin Gilles , Talbot Brian G. , Grandbois Michel , Malouin François 
Published: November 2008

SummaryGenes encoding cell‐surface proteins regulated by SigB are stably expressed in Staphylococcus aureus small‐colony variants (SCVs) isolated from cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. Our hypothesis is that CF‐isolated SCVs are locked into a colonization state by sustaining the expression of adhesins such as fibronectin‐binding proteins (FnBPs) throughout growth. Force spectroscopy was used to study the fibronectin–FnBPs interaction among strains varying for their SigB activity. The fibronectin–FnBPs interaction was described by a strength of 1000 ± 400 pN (pulling rate of 2 μm s−1), an energetic barrier width of 0.6 ± 0.1 Å and an off‐rate below 2 × 10−4 s−1. A CF‐isolated SCV highly expressed fnbA throughout growth and showed a sustained capacity to bind fibronectin, whereas a prototypic strain showed a reduced frequency of fibronectin‐binding during the stationary growth phase when its fnbA gene was down‐regulated. Reduced expression of fnbA was observed in sigB mutants, which was associated with an overall decrease adhesion to fibronectin. These results suggest that the fibronectin–FnBPs interaction plays a role in the formation of a mechanically resistant adhesion of S. aureus to host tissues and supports the hypothesis that CF‐isolated SCVs are locked into a colonization state as a result of a sustained SigB activity.
Of blood, brains and bacteria, the Amt/Rh transporter family: emerging role of Amt as a unique microbial sensor
Authors: Tremblay Pier‐Luc , Hallenbeck Patrick C. 
Published: November 2008

SummaryMembers of the Amt/Rh family of transporters are found almost ubiquitously in all forms of life. However, the molecular state of the substrate (NH3 or NH4+) has been the subject of active debate. At least for bacterial Amt proteins, the model emerging from computational, X‐ray crystal and mutational analysis is that NH4+ is deprotonated at the exterior, conducted through the membrane as NH3, and reprotonated at the cytoplasmic interface. A proton concomitantly is transferred from the exterior to the interior, although the mechanism is unclear. Here we discuss recent evidence indicating that an important function of at least some eukaryotic and bacterial Amts is to act as ammonium sensors and regulate cellular metabolism in response to changes in external ammonium concentrations. This is now well documented in the regulation of yeast pseudohyphal development and filamentous growth. As well, membrane sequestration of GlnK, a PII signal transduction protein, by AmtB has been shown to regulate nitrogenase in some diazotrophs, and nitrogen metabolism in some Gram‐positive bacteria. Formation of GlnK–AmtB membrane complexes might have other, as yet undiscovered, regulatory roles. This possibility is emphasized by the discovery in some genomes of genes for chimeric Amts with fusions to various regulatory elements.
Anaerobiosis inhibits gas vesicle formation in halophilic Archaea
Authors: Hechler Torsten , Pfeifer Felicitas 
Published: November 2008

SummaryThe effect of anaerobiosis on the gas vesicle formation was investigated in three Halobacterium salinarum strains, Haloferax mediterranei and in Haloferax volcanii transformants. All these strains significantly reduced gas vesicle formation or lacked these structures under anoxic conditions. When grown by arginine fermentation, Hbt. salinarum PHH4 lacked gas vesicles, whereas Hbt. salinarum PHH1 and NRC‐1 contained 5–20 small gas vesicles arranged in two to three aggregates per cell instead of the 30–80 gas vesicles present under oxic conditions. The enlargement presumably stopped due to a depletion of Gvp proteins. Also Hfx. mediterranei and Hfx.  volcanii transformants lacked gas vesicles under anoxic growth and yielded a 10‐fold reduced gvp transcription. Even the gas vesicle‐overproducing ΔD transformants did not form gas vesicles under anoxic conditions, demonstrating that the repressing protein GvpD was not involved. The presence of large amounts of GvpA implied that the assembly of the gas vesicles was inhibited. When Hbt. salinarum PHH1 and NRC‐1 were grown with dimethyl sulphoxide or trimethylamine N‐oxid under anoxic conditions the number but not the size of gas vesicles was reduced. This was in contrast to the previously reported overproduction of gas vesicles in NRC‐1 that turned out to depend on the citrate‐containing medium used for growth.
Aspergillus nidulans FlbE is an upstream developmental activator of conidiation functionally associated with the putative transcription factor FlbB
Authors: Garzia Aitor , Etxebeste Oier , Herrero‐Garcia Erika , Fischer Reinhard , Espeso Eduardo A. , Ugalde Unai 
Published: November 2008

Summary Aspergillus nidulans switches from vegetative growth to conidiation when aerial hyphae make contact with the atmosphere, or are subjected to specific environmental stress. The activation of the central conidiation pathway led by the transcription factor brlA is a critical milestone in this morphogenetic transition. A number of upstream developmental activators (UDAs), expressed in vegetative cells, are required for this process to occur in conjunction with cessation of vegetative growth. Mutants affected in these factors remain aconidial (fluffy) with low brlA expression levels (flb). In this report, we describe FlbE as a UDA containing two conserved but hitherto uncharacterized domains, which functions in close association with putative transcription factor FlbB. Both UDAs are functionally interdependent, and colocalize at the hypha tip in an actin cytoskeleton‐dependent manner. Moreover, bimolecular fluorescence studies show that they physically interact in vivo. These findings add evidence in favour of the existence of a signalling complex at or near the Spitzenkörper as an important part of the machinery controlling the morphogenetic transition between vegetative growth and conidiation.
Neighbourhood deprivation and small‐for‐gestational‐age term births in the United States
Authors: Elo Irma T. , Culhane Jennifer F. , Kohler Iliana V. , O'Campo Patricia , Burke Jessica G. , Messer Lynne C. , Kaufman Jay S. , Laraia Barbara A. , Eyster Janet , Holzman Claudia 
Published: November 2008

SummaryResidential context has received increased attention as a possible contributing factor to race/ethnic and socio‐economic disparities in birth outcomes in the United States. Utilising vital statistics birth record data, this study examined the association between neighbourhood deprivation and the risk of a term small‐for‐gestational‐age (SGA) birth among non‐Hispanic whites and non‐Hispanic blacks in eight geographical areas. An SGA birth was defined as a newborn weighing <10th percentile of the sex‐ and parity‐specific birthweight distribution for a given gestational week. Multi‐level random intercept logistic regression models were employed and statistical tests were performed to examine whether the association between neighbourhood deprivation and SGA varied by race/ethnicity and study site.The risk of term SGA was higher among non‐Hispanic blacks (range 10.8–17.5%) than non‐Hispanic whites (range 5.1–9.2%) in all areas and it was higher in cities than in suburban locations. In all areas, non‐Hispanic blacks lived in more deprived neighbourhoods than non‐Hispanic whites. However, the adjusted associations between neighbourhood deprivation and term SGA did not vary significantly by race/ethnicity or study site. The summary fully adjusted pooled odds ratios, indicating the effect of one standard deviation increase in the deprivation score, were 1.15 [95% CI 1.08, 1.22] for non‐Hispanic whites and 1.09 [95% CI 1.05, 1.14] for non‐Hispanic blacks. Thus, neighbourhood deprivation was weakly associated with term SGA among both non‐Hispanic whites and non‐Hispanic blacks.
A Pectinase‐deficient Ralstonia solanacearum Strain Induces Reduced and Delayed Structural Defences in Tomato Xylem
Authors: Nakaho Kazuhiro , Allen Caitilyn 
Published: November 2008

AbstractIt has been suggested that oligogalacturonides (OGAs) released by bacterial pectinases can induce plant defence responses. To test this hypothesis, resistant tomato cultivar LS‐89 and susceptible cultivar Ponderosa were inoculated with either wild‐type Ralstonia solanacearum strain K60 or a pectinase‐deficient triple mutant K60‐509, which lacks endo‐polygalacturonase PehA, exo‐poly‐alpha‐d‐galacturonosidase PehB, and pectin methylesterase Pme. K60 induced structural defence responses, including electron‐dense materials (EDMs) in vessels and apposition layers (ALs) in parenchyma cells adjacent to xylem vessels colonized by bacteria in LS‐89 stems. In contrast, LS‐89 infected with K60‐509 did not have any EDMs in vessels at 4 days after inoculation (DAI), and had them only rarely at 7 DAI. In LS‐89 infected with K60‐509, ALs were rarely observed in parenchyma cells adjacent to vessels at 4 DAI, and while they were present at 7 DAI, they were thinner than ALs induced by K60. The bacterial density in LS‐89 stems infected with K60‐509 was lower than in stems infected with K60 at 4 DAI, but the strains reached similar population sizes by 7 DAI, showing the pectinase‐deficient mutant colonized resistant stems more slowly than did the wild‐type strain. Vessels infected with K60‐509 contained fewer EDMs at 7 DAI than were observed at either 4 or 7 DAI in vessels colonized by K60, although bacterial density in the xylem tissues containing K60‐509 at 7 DAI was about the same as in the xylem tissues containing K60 at 4 DAI. Neither the wild‐type strain nor the pectinase‐deficient mutant induced these histopathological changes on susceptible cultivar Ponderosa. These results indicate that R. solanacearum pectinases play some role in eliciting histopathological changes in LS‐89, likely by releasing OGAs that trigger plant structural defences.
Partial Characterization of the Antimicrobial Activity of Streptomyces antimycoticus FZB53
Authors: Koch Eckhard , Löffler Irene 
Published: November 2008

AbstractThe paper describes experiments aimed at evaluating the sensitivity of different fungi, most of them plant pathogens and bacteria towards Streptomyces antimycoticus FZB53, a biocontrol agent that, when applied as a seed treatment, in previous studies has shown good activity against different seed‐borne fungal diseases. When incorporated into agar media, the filtrate from shake cultures of S. antimycoticus FZB53 inhibited the mycelial growth or spore germination, respectively, of a broad spectrum of fungi. The most sensitive of the fungi tested was Fusarium culmorum. The inhibitory activity could be removed from the culture filtrate by extraction with ethyl acetate. When ethyl acetate extracts of the pellet and supernatant obtained by centrifugation of the shake culture were added to the agar medium, inhibition of mycelial growth of F. culmorum was restored, especially with the extracts of the pelleted biomass. Autoclaving of the culture filtrate reduced the inhibition of F. culmorum but completely eliminated the inhibitory activity against Fusarium graminearum. Among the bunt fungi tested, spore germination of Tilletia tritici was more sensitive to the culture filtrate of S. antimycoticus FZB53 than spore germination of Ustilago avenae and U. tritici. Separation by thin layer chromatography (tlc) and spraying with different reagents showed that ethyl acetate extracts from shake cultures or biomass scraped from agar media contained several hydrophobic metabolites. When eluted from the tlc‐plates, the material from one of the spots had strong antifungal activity against spore germination of T. tritici and mycelial growth of F. culmorum, respectively. Ethyl acetate extracts from biomass of S. antimycoticus FZB53 prevented the growth of the tested Gram‐positive bacteria, namely Clavibacter michiganensis and different species of Bacillus. The results indicated that these bacteria were at least as sensitive towards the metabolites of S. antimycoticus FZB53 as F. culmorum. The tested Gram‐negative bacteria were not affected.
KYNURENINE METABOLITES AND INFLAMMATION MARKERS IN DEPRESSED PATIENTS TREATED WITH FLUOXETINE OR COUNSELLING
Authors: Mackay Gillian M , Forrest Caroline M , Christofides John , Bridel Michala A , Mitchell Susan , Cowlard Richard , Stone Trevor W , Darlington L Gail 
Published: November 2008

SUMMARY

Depression could result from changes in tryptophan availability caused by activation of the kynurenine pathway as a result of inflammation. In the present study, we examined patients newly diagnosed with depression to determine whether kynurenines and related factors change in parallel with improvements in mood.
Concentrations of 5‐hydroxytryptamine (5‐HT; serotonin), 5‐hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5‐HIAA), oxidized tryptophan metabolites, brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and inflammatory mediators (interleukin (IL)‐2, C‐reactive protein (CRP), neopterin) were measured in peripheral blood during an 18 week period of treatment with fluoxetine, fluoxetine plus tri‐iodothyronine (T3) or psychiatric counselling.
The results showed significant improvements in mood, with reduced 5‐HT concentrations in patients given fluoxetine and a rise in plasma tryptophan in patients given counselling or fluoxetine and T3. The addition of T3 to the fluoxetine regimen appeared to slow recovery from depression, although the use of T3 was associated with a fall in thyroxine concentrations. Changes in 5‐HT concentrations did not correlate with psychiatric scores and were seen only in drug‐treated groups, not those given counselling. There were no associated changes in absolute concentrations of kynurenines, BDNF, CRP, neopterin or IL‐2. With fluoxetine treatment, there were correlations between the concentrations of kynurenine metabolites and the psychiatric rating scores, whereas no correlations were found with BDNF or inflammatory markers.
It is concluded that depression scores are largely independent of inflammatory status, but kynurenine metabolism may be related to the degree of depression after fluoxetine treatment.