bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Family needs and related factors in caring for a family member with mental illness: Adopting assertive community treatment in Japan where family caregivers play a large role in community care
Authors: Sono Tamaki , Oshima Iwao , Ito Junichiro 
Published: September 2008

Aim:  In Japan the family plays a large role in community care for persons with mental illness; therefore the aim of the present study was to describe the needs of family caregivers related to assertive community treatment (ACT) and to analyze the relationship of these needs to underlying factors.Methods:  Participants were recruited from the membership of three family associations of persons with mental illness. Of the 224 family members, 152 (67.9%) completed a self‐report questionnaire consisting of the following measures: demographic variables, family life difficulty scale, global burden, general life satisfaction, subjective health status, family rejection scale, quantity of supportive behaviors, and needs for ACT.Results:  More than 70% of participants reported that service components of ACT would be beneficial, especially in the future. Functions that helped maintain the ordinary routine of family life were significantly correlated with current needs for ACT.Conclusions:  When a person has chronic mental illness the family has many needs related to ACT. When functions that maintained the ordinary routine of family life were disturbed, the need for ACT support increased. Elderly parents or siblings were also concerned about the future, when caring for the member with mental illness would become more difficult.
Neurotoxic and neuroprotective metabolites of kynurenine in patients with renal cell carcinoma treated with interferon‐α: Course and relationship with psychiatric status
Authors: Van Gool Arthur R. , Verkerk Robert , Fekkes Durk , Bannink Marjolein , Sleijfer Stefan , Kruit Wim H. J. , van der Holt Bronno , Scharpé Simon , Eggermont Alexander M. M. , Stoter Gerrit , Hengeveld Michiel W. 
Published: September 2008

Aims:  Immunotherapy with interferon‐α (IFN‐α) is associated with psychiatric side‐effects, including depression. One of the putative pathways underlying these psychiatric side‐effects involves tryptophan (TRP) metabolism. Cytokines including IFN‐α induce the enzyme indoleamine 2,3‐dioxygenase (IDO), which converts TRP to kynurenine (KYN), leading to a shortage of serotonin (5‐HT). In addition, the production of neurotoxic metabolites of KYN such as 3‐hydroxykynurenine and quinolinic acid (QA) might increase and contribute to IFN‐α‐induced psychopathology. In contrast, other catabolites of KYN, such as kynurenic acid (KA), are thought to have neuroprotective properties.Methods:  In a group of 24 patients treated with standard IFN‐α for metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC), combined psychiatric and laboratory assessments were performed at baseline, 4 and 8 weeks, and at 6 months.Results:  No psychopathology was observed, despite an increase in neurotoxic challenge as reflected in indices for the balance between neurotoxic and neuroprotective metabolites of KYN.Conclusions:  The present hypothesis that a shift in the balance between neurotoxic and neuroprotective metabolites of KYN underlies the neuropsychiatric side‐effects of IFN‐α‐based immunotherapy, is neither supported nor rejected.
Expression of a putative nitrite reductase and the reversible inhibition of nitrite‐dependent respiration by nitric oxide in Nitrobacter winogradskyi Nb‐255
Authors: Starkenburg Shawn R. , Arp Daniel J. , Bottomley Peter J. 
Published: September 2008

SummaryThe nitrite oxidizing Alphaproteobacterium, Nitrobacter winogradskyi, primarily conserves energy from the oxidation of nitrite (NO2 − ) to nitrate (NO3 − ) through aerobic respiration. Almost 20 years ago, NO‐dependent NADH formation was reported to occur in both aerobic and anaerobic cell suspensions of N. winogradskyi strain ‘agilis’, suggesting that NO oxidation might contribute to energy conservation by Nitrobacter. Recently, the N. winogradskyi Nb‐255 genome was found to contain a gene (Nwin_2648) that encodes a putative copper‐containing nitrite reductase (NirK), which may reduce NO2 −  to NO. In this study, the putative nirK was found to be maximally transcribed under low O2 (between zero and 4% O2) in the presence of NO2 − . Transcription of nirK was not detected under anaerobic conditions in the absence of NO2 −  or in the presence of NO3 −  and pyruvate. Although net production of NO could not be detected from either aerobically grown or anaerobically incubated cells, exogenous NO was consumed by viable cells and concomitantly inhibited NO2 − ‐dependent O2 uptake in a reversible, concentration dependent manner. Both NO2 − ‐dependent O2 uptake and NO consumption were inhibited by 1 mM cyanide suggesting involvement of cytochrome oxidase with NO consumption. Abiotic consumption of NO was measured, yet, both the rates and kinetics of NO transformation in buffer alone, or by heat killed, or cyanide‐treated cells differed from those of viable cells. In light of this new information, a modified model is proposed to explain how NirK and NO manage electron flux in Nitrobacter.
Sediment denitrifier community composition and nirS gene expression investigated with functional gene microarrays
Authors: Bulow Silvia E. , Francis Christopher A. , Jackson George A. , Ward Bess B. 
Published: September 2008

SummaryA functional gene microarray was used to investigate denitrifier community composition and nitrite reductase (nirS) gene expression in sediments along the estuarine gradient in Chesapeake Bay, USA. The nirS oligonucleotide probe set was designed to represent a sequence database containing 539 Chesapeake Bay clones, as well as sequences from many other environments. Greatest nirS diversity was detected at the freshwater station at the head of the bay and least diversity at the higher salinity station near the mouth of the Bay. The most common OTUs from the sequence database were detected on the array with high signal strength in most samples. One of the most abundant OTUs, CB2‐S‐138, was identified as dominant at the mid‐bay site by both microarray and quantitative PCR assays, but it comprised a much smaller fraction of the assemblage in the north and south bay samples. cDNA (transcribed from total RNA extracts) targets were hybridized to the same array to compare the profiles of community composition at the DNA (relative abundance) and mRNA (gene expression) levels. Only the three dominant denitrifying groups (in terms of relative strength of DNA hybridization signal) were detected at the mRNA level. These results suggest that the most actively denitrifying groups are responsible for most nirS expression as well.
Dynamics of Campylobacter colonization of a natural host, Sturnus vulgaris (European Starling)
Authors: Colles F. M. , McCarthy N. D. , Howe J. C. , Devereux C. L. , Gosler A. G. , Maiden M. C. J. 
Published: September 2008

SummaryWild European Starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) shed Campylobacter at high rates, suggesting that they may be a source of human and farm animal infection. A survey of Campylobacter shedding of 957 wild starlings was undertaken by culture of faecal specimens and genetic analysis of the campylobacters isolated: shedding rates were 30.6% for Campylobacter jejuni, 0.6% for C. coli and 6.3% for C. lari. Genotyping by multilocus sequence typing (MLST) and antigen sequence typing established that these bacteria were distinct from poultry or human disease isolates with the ST‐177 and ST‐682 clonal complexes possibly representing starling‐adapted genotypes. There was seasonal variation in both shedding rate and genotypic diversity, both exhibiting a maximum during the late spring/early summer. Host age also affected Campylobacter shedding, which was higher in younger birds, and turnover was rapid with no evidence of cross‐immunity among Campylobacter species or genotypes. In nestlings, C. jejuni shedding was evident from 9 days of age but siblings were not readily co‐infected. The dynamics of Campylobacter infection of starlings differed from that observed in commercial poultry and consequently there was no evidence that wild starlings represent a major source of Campylobacter infections of food animals or humans.
Microbial eukaryotes in the hypersaline anoxic L'Atalante deep‐sea basin
Authors: Alexander Eva , Stock Alexandra , Breiner Hans‐Werner , Behnke Anke , Bunge John , Yakimov Michail M. , Stoeck Thorsten 
Published: September 2008

SummaryThe frontiers of eukaryote life in nature are still unidentified. In this study, we analysed protistan communities in the hypersaline (up to 365 g l−1 NaCl) anoxic L'Atalante deep‐sea basin located in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Targeting 18S ribosomal RNA retrieved from the basin's lower halocline (3501 m depth) we detected 279 protistan sequences that grouped into 42 unique phylotypes (99% sequence similarity). Statistical analyses revealed that these phylotypes account only for a proportion of the protists inhabiting this harsh environment with as much as 50% missed by this survey. Most phylotypes were affiliated with ciliates (45%), dinoflagellates (21%), choanoflagelates (10%) and uncultured marine alveolates (6%). Sequences from other taxonomic groups like stramenopiles, Polycystinea, Acantharea and Euglenozoa, all of which are typically found in non‐hypersaline deep‐sea systems, are either missing or very rare in our cDNA clone library. Although many DHAB sequences fell within previously identified environmental clades, a large number branched relatively deeply. Phylotype richness, community membership and community structure differ significantly from a deep seawater reference community (3499 m depth). Also, the protistan community in the L'Atalante basin is distinctively different from any previously described hypersaline community. In conclusion, we hypothesize that extreme environments may exert a high selection pressure possibly resulting in the evolution of an exceptional and distinctive assemblage of protists. The deep hypersaline anoxic basins in the Mediterranean Sea provide an ideal platform to test for this hypothesis and are promising targets for the discovery of undescribed protists with unknown physiological capabilities.
Voting Green*
Authors: Coan Travis G. , Holman Mirya R. 
Published: September 2008

Objectives. Economics, partisanship, and demographics have all been identified as linked to support for environmental protection. The principal objective of this study is to extend the extant literature by using a larger data set and a variety of methods.Methods. We use variety of statistical methods to test measures of party strength, demographics, and economics against county‐level data from 29 environmental initiative elections in 13 states.Results. Democratic partisanship is the most consistent predictor of aggregate support for environmental measures. This trend holds through pooled, individual‐level, and ecological inference analysis. Median family income and income squared are consistently significant, as is education.Conclusion. Based on these data, we reach three general conclusions. First, while several variables are consistently significant, party strength is the most consistent predictor of pro‐environmental voting across states and initiatives. Second, our analyses suggest that limiting analyses to data from a single state or region may have important implications for statistical inferences. Lastly, a preliminary analysis using methods of ecological inference suggests that the aggregate results are robust to ecological problems.
Evidence of Environmental Justice: A Critical Perspective on the Practice of EJ Research and Lessons for Policy Design*
Authors: Noonan Douglas S. 
Published: September 2008

Objective. This article gleans important lessons for environmental justice (EJ) policy from the empirical literature and demonstrates them using EJ analyses of Superfund sites. It constructively critiques the EJ literature and suggests some future directions for designing policy and framing the discourse.Methods. The research methods of many quantitative EJ studies are reviewed. To demonstrate sensitivity to researchers' choices, logit models are estimated to explain the nationwide distribution of Superfund sites (and deletions from the NPL) using various spatial scales, control variables, and definitions of proximity.Results. Most empirical EJ studies examine cross‐sectional distributions for aggregated demographic measures, dwelling on the implied counterfactual or causal mechanism briefly, if ever. The EJ analysis for Superfund sites exhibits much sensitivity to modeling choices and to whether environmental conditions or policy impacts are modeled.Conclusions. The findings highlight the limitations of conventional EJ research designs. Several implications for the design of EJ policy are drawn, emphasizing the importance of clarity about counterfactuals and which sorts of impacts are relevant. Principles for a revised EJ policy framework are proposed.
“I Pay Enough Taxes Already!” Applying Economic Voting Models to Environmental Referendums*
Authors: Bornstein Nicholas , Thalmann Philippe 
Published: September 2008

Objectives.Models of economic voting have rarely been applied to referendum votes. We fill this gap by testing citizens' voting behavior on environmental policy in relation to their perception of the business cycle and general orientation toward politics. Thus, the study examines the personal, institutional, and economic determinants of vote choice on 36 environmental bills from 1983 to 2004 in Switzerland.Methods.We apply a logistic hierarchical model, where individual characteristics on Level 1 are nested within contextual determinants situated on Level 2.Results. We confirm the crucial importance of the individual‐level variables education, political affinity, car ownership, and urbanity. Classifying the electorate into five groups, using open‐ended survey questions about respondents' reasons for approval or dismissal of the bills, allows for finer hypotheses testing. We show that the individuals' positive perception of their personal current economic condition has a positive effect on the likelihood of supporting the proposals. In turn, we prove the negative, constraining effect of deteriorating macroeconomic conditions on approval rates.Conclusions.By applying economic voting models to referendum analyses we advance the understanding of citizens' vote choice on environmental ballots, we show the role of context, and we propose an original typology of voters' general orientation toward politics.
Education and Smart Growth Policies in U.S. Cities: A Response to Lenahan O'Connell*
Authors: Portney Kent E. 
Published: September 2008

Objective. This response to Lenahan O'Connell's article “Exploring the Social Roots of Smart Growth Policy Adoption by Cities” examines whether the relationship between education and the adoption of smart growth programs in U.S. cities is reflective of the new political culture and rooted in postmaterial values or, perhaps, just reflective of a slightly different way of thinking about traditional economic development.Methods. Using data for 45 U.S. cities that have articulated broad policies to try to become more sustainable, this analysis includes a measure of the severity of air pollution as an indicator of the need for smart growth programs.Results. The measure of need is more strongly related to the pursuit of smart growth than is either education or income.Conclusions. Since the level of air pollution is frequently understood to make economic growth difficult or impossible, the results suggest that smart growth programs might be just as likely motivated by traditional economic development as by postmaterial values, and there is a need to develop a deeper understanding of the motivates for adopting such programs.
Usefulness of intra‐oral ultrasonography to predict neck metastasis in patients with tongue carcinoma
Authors: Natori T , Koga M , Anegawa E , Nakashima Y , Tetsuka M , Yoh J , Kusukawa J 
Published: September 2008

Objective:  To assess tissue characterization relating with neck metastasis of invasive tongue cancer, we investigate the usefulness of intra‐oral ultrasonography (US).Materials and methods:  The patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue (n = 110) were preoperatively evaluated with intra‐oral US. The US images were compared with histological sections. The histological and ultrasonographic parameters were evaluated for their correlation with neck metastasis.Results and conclusion:  High‐quality ultrasonic images were obtained, and all lesions over 1 mm thickness by histology were detected. There was a significant correlation (P < 0.0001) between measurements of tumor thickness by US and histology. Univariate analysis showed that the histological parameters influencing neck metastasis were mode of invasion (P = 0.0006), muscular invasion (P < 0.0001), stromal reaction (P = 0.0002), and tumor thickness (P = 0.0004). Of the ultrasonographic parameters, shape of margin (P = 0.019), pattern of margin (P = 0.033), internal echo signal (P = 0.035), and tumor thickness (P < 0.0001) showed a significant correlation with neck metastasis. Ultrasound images of oral tongue cancer reflected the histological structures. Tumors with diffuse invasive mode shows an irregular and unclear tumor margins on US image. Thickness of 8 mm by ultrasound is useful as a cut‐off point of predicting risk of neck metastasis of tongue cancer. Intra‐oral US is a reliable tool in objectively predicting subclinical neck metastasis in tongue cancer.
Are Montane Forests Demographic Sinks for Bornean White‐bearded GibbonsHylobates albibarbis?
Authors: Marshall Andrew J. 
Published: September 2008

ABSTRACTI estimated habitat‐specific population densities for a population of Bornean white‐bearded gibbonsHylobates albibarbisinhabiting seven distinct forest types at Gunung Palung National Park, West Kalimantan, Indonesia. Population densities in montane forests (0.44 individuals/km2) were almost ten times lower than those in the next best habitat (upland granite forest; 4.2 individuals/km2) and far lower than those in lowland forest types. Demographic data on 33 gibbon groups living across the seven forest types showed that reproduction was substantially depressed in montane forests compared to high‐quality lowland habitats. A simple model suggests that montane forests are demographic sinks for gibbons at Gunung Palung. Follow‐up data from observations of montane groups 5 yr after the initial observation period support this result. As high‐quality lowland forests (source habitat for gibbons) are being disproportionately lost in and around Gunung Palung National Park due to illegal logging and conversion to oil palm plantations, an increasing percentage of the remaining forest in the park comprises sink habitat for gibbons. This result has disquieting implications for the long‐term viability of gibbon populations at Gunung Palung. In addition, as montane forests are generally low‐quality habitat for most rainforest vertebrates, and since lowland forests are being lost at alarming rates across the tropics, source‐sink population dynamics similar to those I describe here may characterize populations of other tropical vertebrate species.
Pharmacokinetic and Safety Evaluation of BILR 355, a Second-Generation Nonnucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitor, in Healthy Volunteers
Authors: Huang Fenglei , Koenen-Bergmann Michael , MacGregor Thomas R. , Ring Arne , Hattox Susan , Robinson Patrick 
Published: September 2008

ABSTRACT

BILR 355 is a second-generation nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI) under clinical development for the treatment of human immunodeficiency virus infection, particularly in those who harbor virus resistant to the currently available NNRTIs. Two single-center, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, parallel dose-escalation studies were conducted to evaluate the pharmacokinetics and safety of oral BILR 355 administration alone and after coadministration with ritonavir (RTV) at 100 mg. Following a single dose of BILR 355 in oral solution, the mean half life (
t
1/2
) was 2 to 4 h, with peak concentrations occurring at 0.5 to 1 h postadministration. The mean apparent clearance (CL/
F
) ranged from 79.2 to 246 liters/h for administered doses of 12.5 mg to 100 mg. This observed nonlinearity in CL/
F
resulted from the increased bioavailability attributed to a saturated absorption and/or elimination process at higher doses. In contrast, after the coadministration of single doses of 5 mg to 87.5 mg of BILR 355 with RTV, the mean CL/
F
ranged from 5.88 to 8.47 liters/h. Over the dose range (5 to 87.5 mg) studied, systemic BILR 355 exposures were approximately proportional to the doses administered when they were coadministered with RTV. With RTV coadministration, the mean
t
1/2
increased to 10 to 16 h, and the mean time of the maximum concentration in plasma lengthened to 1.5 to 5 h. Compared to the values for BILR 355 given alone, the mean area under the concentration-time curve from time zero to infinity, the maximum concentration in plasma, and the
t
1/2
of BILR 355 achieved after coadministration with RTV increased 15- to 30-fold, 2- to 5-fold, and 3- to 5-fold, respectively. In both studies, BILR 355 appeared to be safe and well tolerated in healthy volunteers when the outcomes in the treated volunteers were compared with those in the placebo group.
Serial Daptomycin Selection Generates Daptomycin-NonsusceptibleStaphylococcus aureusStrains with a Heterogeneous Vancomycin-Intermediate Phenotype
Authors: Camargo Ilana Lopes Baratella da Cunha , Neoh Hui-Min , Cui Longzhu , Hiramatsu Keiichi 
Published: September 2008

ABSTRACTIn order to better understand the mechanism of daptomycin resistance, we generated a daptomycin-nonsusceptible derivative strain, strain 10*3d1 (MIC = 3.0 μg/ml), by in vitro exposure of methicillin-resistantStaphylococcus aureusstrain N315ΔIP (MIC = 0.5 μg/ml) to daptomycin. We also obtained a daptomycin-susceptible phenotypic revertant strain, strain 10*3d1-10 (MIC = 1.0 μg/ml), by passaging 10*3d1 in drug-free medium for 10 days. The resultant triple-isogenic strains were analyzed for their phenotypes and gene expression by microarray analysis. No significant differences in the membrane fluidities of 10*3d1 and 10*3d1-10 compared to the membrane fluidity of N315ΔIP were observed. Resistant strain 10*3d1 had the highest membrane potential, followed by strains 10*3d1-10 and N315ΔIP. The vancomycin and teicoplanin MICs also increased. Teichoic acid genes (tagA,tagG),mprFencoding lysyl-phosphatidylglycerol, andclsencoding cardiolipin synthase were downregulated in 10*3d1 and 10*3d1-10. ThevraFandvraGgenes, which encode ATP binding cassette transporter proteins, were upregulated in 10*3d1. ThevraSRtwo-component regulatory system was upregulated, and electron microscopy revealed that the cell wall of 10*3d1 was significantly thicker than that of the parental strain. Taken together, daptomycin exposure selected a daptomycin-nonsusceptible strain with a phenotype similar to that of heterogeneous vancomycin-intermediateS. aureusand a transcription profile that partially overlapped that of heterogeneous vancomycin-intermediateS. aureus.