bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Family members’ experiences of the intensive care unit waiting room
Authors: Kutash Mary , Northrop Linda 
Published: September 2007

AbstractTitle.  Family members’ experiences of the intensive care unit waiting room Aim.  This paper is a report of a study to explore family members’ perspectives and experiences of waiting rooms in adult intensive care units.Background.  Waiting to visit family members who are hospitalized in intensive care units can be very stressful. Although flexible and or open visiting is practised in many hospitals, family members may spend a great deal of time in the waiting room.Method.  A qualitative design using semi‐structured interviews was used and the data were collected in 2004. A convenience sample of six visitors was recruited from waiting rooms of three different adult intensive care units. Data collection and analysis were concurrent.Findings.  Six categories emerged from the data that included structural and subjective aspects of waiting: ‘close proximity’ referred to the importance of a close physical distance to their family member; ‘caring staff’ captured the comfort family members felt when staff showed caring behaviours towards relative; ‘need for a comfortable environment’ represented the impact of the design of the waiting room on family members well‐being; ‘emotional support’ referred to the waiting room as a place where comfort was found by sharing with others; ‘rollercoaster of emotions’ captured the range of emotions experienced by family members; ‘information’ referred to the importance of receiving information about their relative.Conclusion.  Future research should focus on the impact of the interior design of waiting rooms on the comfort and welfare of family members and on identifying needs of family members across different cultures.
Determinants of perceived barriers to condom use among HIV‐infected middle‐aged and older African‐American men
Authors: Coleman Christopher Lance , Ball Katherine 
Published: September 2007

AbstractTitle.  Determinants of perceived barriers to condom use among HIV‐infected middle‐aged and older African‐American men Aim.  This paper is a report of a study to describe which determinants best predict perceived barriers to condom use during sexual encounters among human immunodeficiency virus human immunodeficiency virus‐infected African‐American men, middle‐aged and older, living in the United States of America.Background.  While the global epidemic of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome infection is a well‐documented phenomenon with national and international implications, prevalence statistics indicate that middle‐aged and older African‐American (non‐Hispanic) men have not benefited from the prevention efforts implemented during the past two decades.Method.  A cross‐sectional design using a survey and convenience sampling was adopted between September 2003 and July 2004 to recruit n = 130 middle‐aged human immunodeficiency virus‐infected African‐American men from infectious disease clinics from the Mid‐Atlantic region in the United States of America. The survey covered demographics, perceived health beliefs, spiritual well‐being and symptoms related to human immunodeficiency virus.Findings.  Stepwise multiple regression showed having fewer human immunodeficiency virus‐related symptoms associated with the human immunodeficiency virus (P = 0·004) and being single (P = 0·05) were perceived as barriers to condom use during sexual encounters (R2 = 0·029, P = 0·046).Conclusion.  Tailored interventions are needed for African‐American men, middle‐aged and older, infected with human immunodeficiency virus nationally and worldwide that are designed to decrease perceived barriers in order to increase condom use.
Opportunities for treating sexually transmitted infections and reducing HIV risk in rural South Africa
Authors: Frohlich J.A. , Abdool Karim Q. , Mashego M.M. , Sturm A.W. , Abdool Karim S.S. 
Published: September 2007

AbstractTitle.  Opportunities for treating sexually transmitted infections and reducing HIV risk in rural South Africa Aim.  This paper is a report of a study to determine the aetiological distribution of sexually transmitted infections and prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus infection in selected primary health care clinic attendees.Background.  South Africa has a high prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus and other sexually transmitted infections. Sexually transmitted infections are managed syndromically in the public sector as part of the essential nurse‐driven primary care services provided at no cost to the client.Method.  This cross‐sectional study was conducted in a rural community in South Africa between September and November 2002. A total of 277 consenting women were recruited. Vulvo‐vaginal swabs were collected for screening for Neisseriae gonorrheae, Chlamydia trachomatis and Trichomonas vaginalis using DNA amplification methods and Gram stain with Nugent’s score for the diagnosis of bacterial vaginosis. Seroprevalence of syphilis and human immunodeficiency virus infection were determined.Findings.  The overall prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus in the study was 43·7% (95% confidence interval 37·6–50·0) with the prevalence in family planning clinic attendees 45·5% (95% confidence interval 38·9–52·3) and antenatal clinic attendees 33·3% (95% confidence interval 19·6–50·3). The prevalence of sexually transmitted infections amongst both the antenatal clinic and family planning attendees accounted for at least 70% of cases. Fifty per cent of women had one recognized sexually transmitted infection with 17·9% of the family planning and 14·5% of the antenatal clinic attendees having infections from two recognized pathogens. All infections were asymptomatic.Conclusion.  Nurse‐driven antenatal and family planning services provide a useful opportunity for integrating reproductive health services, human immunodeficiency virus voluntary counselling and testing and treatment of sexually transmitted infections.
Understanding how nurse practitioners estimate patients' risk for coronary heart disease: a judgment analysis
Authors: Beckstead Jason W. , Stamp Kelly D. 
Published: September 2007

AbstractTitle. Understanding how nurse practitioners estimate patients' risk for coronary heart disease: a judgment analysisAim. This paper is a report of a study to examine how nurse practitioners combine information when estimating patient risk of coronary heart disease.Background. In the United States of America and other countries, nurse practitioners are increasingly working alongside physicians in primary healthcare settings. Given this role, nurse practitioners represent an important resource in early detection of numerous diseases. Understanding how nurse practitioners use patient characteristics (cues) to form estimates of patient risk for disease may improve general disease prevention efforts.Method. Social judgment theory and its lens model analysis are concerned with the correspondence between a person’s judgments and the environment. This approach was applied to examine how 15 nurse practitioners weighted eight risk factors for coronary heart disease, how accurate practitioners were in assessing patient risk for coronary heart disease, and how much self‐insight practitioners had into their own risk estimation processes. The data were collected in 2006.Results. Nurse practitioners showed moderate to high accuracy and evinced a variety of cue‐weighting strategies. Insight into their own judgment policies was modest. The lens model analysis revealed that most practitioners had lower values on knowledge of the ecology than they did on cognitive control.Conclusion. Educational efforts aimed at improving detection of patients at risk for diseases might do better to target increasing clinicians’ understanding of cue‐criteria relationships, than to stress themes of consistency in evaluating patients.
Genetic structure and gene flow in French populations of two Ostrinia taxa: host races or sibling species?
Authors: MALAUSA T. , DALECKY A. , PONSARD S. , AUDIOT P. , STREIFF R. , CHAVAL Y. , BOURGUET D. 
Published: September 2007

AbstractMost models of ecological speciation concern phytophagous insects in which speciation is thought to be driven by host shifts and subsequent adaptations of populations. Despite the ever‐increasing number of studies, the current evolutionary status of most models remains incompletely resolved, as estimates of gene flow between taxa remain extremely rare. We studied the population genetics of two taxa of the Ostrinia genus — one feeding mainly on maize and the other on mugwort and hop — occurring in sympatry throughout France. The actual level of divergence of these taxa was unknown because the genetic structure of populations had been investigated over a limited geographical area and the magnitude of gene flow between populations had not been estimated. We used 11 microsatellite markers to investigate the genetic structure of populations throughout France and the extent of gene flow between the two Ostrinia taxa at several sites at which they are sympatric. We observed clear genetic differentiation between most populations collected on the typical respective hosts of each taxon. However, populations displaying intermediate allelic frequencies were found on hop plants in southern France. Individual assignments revealed that this result could be accounted for by the presence of both taxa on the same host. Gene flow, estimated by determining the proportion of hybrids detected, was low: probably < 1% per generation, regardless of site. This indicates that the two Ostrinia taxa have reached a high level of genetic divergence and should be considered sibling species rather than host races.
Sulphur accumulation afterVerticillium dahliaeinfection of two pepper cultivars differing in degree of resistance
Authors: Novo M. , Gayoso C. M. , Pomar F. , Lucas M. M. , Ros Barceló A. , Merino F. 
Published: September 2007

Elemental sulphur levels, sulphur localization in stems, and levels of sulphate, glutathione and cysteine were studied in pepper (Capsicum annuum) cvs Yolo Wonder (higher resistance) and Luesia (lower resistance) after inoculation withVerticillium dahliae, the cause of vascular wilt. Accumulation of elemental sulphur (S0) was first detected 10 days after inoculation in Yolo Wonder (mean S0level 7·3 µg g−1DW), and 15 days after inoculation in Luesia (mean S0level 3·3 µg g−1DW). The maximum level was reached 21 days after inoculation in Yolo Wonder (14·1 µg g−1DW). In control plants, elemental sulphur was not detected. SEM‐EDX (scanning electron microscopy‐energy dispersive X‐ray microanalysis) indicated that the sulphur was not restricted to a specific location, but was dispersed throughout the vascular tissue. Sulphate levels showed a decline at the end of the experiment in inoculated plants, possibly related to the increase in sulphur levels seen in the two cultivars. The differences in sulphate levels between the two cultivars may be due to faster sulphate breakdown in cv. Yolo Wonder.
New applications of the Poisson distribution in micropalaeontology: relationships between environmental variables and the Ammonia tepida distribution in the south‐western Spanish estuaries
Authors: Ruiz Francisco , González‐Regalado María Luz , Abad Manuel , Muñoz Juan Manuel , Pino Rafael 
Published: September 2007

AbstractThe application of the Poisson regression to the populations of the benthic foraminifer Ammonia tepida collected in three south‐western Spanish estuaries permits to obtain a quantitative approach between some environmental variables and the number of individuals of this species. Although the three general models are unsatisfactory to predict the observed abundance of this micro‐organism, a partial statistical analysis permits to detect quantitatively the impact of each variable. This analysis indicates an increasing abundance from the high‐salt marshes to the subtidal channels and higher densities in those samples subjected to very euryhaline conditions. Increasing sand percentages show negative effects on the A. tepida abundance, whereas the silt contents do not affect significantly to this species and increasing organic carbon percentages have a small positive effect on the A. tepida densities.
Analysis of barley (Hordeum vulgare) grain development using three‐dimensional digital models
Authors: Gubatz Sabine , Dercksen Vincent J. , Brüß Cornelia , Weschke Winfriede , Wobus Ulrich 
Published: September 2007

SummaryAnalysis of gene expression in the developing barley caryopsis requires effective instruments for visualization of the grain and the 3D expression patterns. Digital models of developing barley (Hordeum vulgare) grains were reconstructed from serial sections to visualize the complex three‐dimensional (3D) grain anatomy, to generate and analyse 3D expression patterns, and to quantify tissues during growth. The models provide detailed spatial descriptions of developing grains at anthesis, at the syncytial stage of endosperm development and at the onset of starch accumulation, visualizing and quantifying 18 tissues or tissue complexes. Total caryopsis volumes and volume changes of specific tissues between the stages were determined, and proportions of ovule‐ and non‐ovule‐tissues and ratios of filial to maternal tissues were calculated from the model data. To generate and analyse 3D expression patterns, data from mRNA localization by in situ hybridizations were integrated into the models. At the onset of starch accumulation, cell‐wall invertase (HvCWINV1) mRNA is mainly localized in the transfer cells and to a lesser degree in zones of the starchy endosperm. Using the model, an expression gradient across the grain was visualized. The expression pattern in the upper region of the caryopsis resembles that found in the median region at an earlier stage, indicating the presence of a developmental gradient. At anthesis, mRNA of the protease nucellin was visualized in a distinct zone of the nucellus near the antipodal cells.
Repeatability and reproducibility of numerical rating scales and visual analogue scales for canine pruritus severity scoring
Authors: Plant Jon D. 
Published: September 2007

AbstractAlthough they are used frequently in veterinary dermatology, the reliability of canine pruritus severity scales has not been reported. The objective of this study was to evaluate the reliability of pruritus severity numerical rating scales (NRS) and pruritus severity visual analogue scales (VAS). Videos of 16 dogs were evaluated for pruritus severity by 24 observers utilizing three NRS and three VAS. Intraobserver repeatability and interobserver reproducibility were evaluated with Cohen's kappa and Kendall's rank correlation statistics, respectively. The repeatability of pruritus severity NRS was fair, with mean Cohen's weighted kappa (κw) values ranging from 0.49 to 0.60. The mean Kendall's rank correlation coefficient (t) for the three VAS ranged from 0.62 to 0.73. The reproducibility of mid‐range pruritus severity ranks was poor with both scale types. Scales describing overall pruritus severity were found to be reliable most consistently. Neither NRS nor VAS displayed the degree of reliability desired in a health measurement scale. Interpretation of research results evaluating canine pruritus severity with NRS and VAS scales should account for suboptimal reliability.
Malassezia spp. overgrowth in allergic cats
Authors: Ordeix Laura , Galeotti Franca , Scarampella Fabia , Dedola Carla , Bardagí Mar , Romano Erica , Fondati Alessandra 
Published: September 2007

AbstractA series of 18 allergic cats with multifocal Malassezia spp. overgrowth is reported: atopic dermatitis was diagnosed in 16, an adverse food reaction in another and one was euthanized 2 months after diagnosis of Malassezia overgrowth. All the cats were otherwise healthy and those tested (16 out of 18) for feline leukaemia or feline immunodeficiency virus infections were all negative. At dermatological examination, multifocal alopecia, erythema, crusting and greasy adherent brownish scales were variably distributed on all cats. Cytological examination revealed Malassezia spp. overgrowth with/without bacterial infection in facial skin (n = 11), ventral neck (n = 6), abdomen (n = 6), ear canal (n = 4), chin (n = 2), ear pinnae (n = 2), interdigital (n = 1) and claw folds skin (n = 1). Moreover, in two cats Malassezia pachydermatis was isolated in fungal cultures from lesional skin. Azoles therapy alone was prescribed in seven, azoles and antibacterial therapy in eight and azoles with both antibacterial and anti‐inflammatory therapy in three of the cats. After 3–4 weeks of treatment, substantial reduction of pruritus and skin lesions was observed in all 11 cats treated with a combined therapy and in five of seven treated solely with azoles. Malassezia spp. overgrowth may represent a secondary cutaneous problem in allergic cats particularly in those presented for dermatological examination displaying greasy adherent brownish scales. The favourable response to treatment with antifungal treatments alone suggests that, as in dogs, Malassezia spp. may be partly responsible for both pruritus and cutaneous lesions in allergic cats.
Multiple cutaneous ganglioneuromas in a dog
Authors: Hermeyer K. , Kühn M. , Kuchelmeister K. , Laik C. , Baumgärtner W. , Wohlsein P. 
Published: September 2007

AbstractA 3‐year‐old male Labrador retriever dog was presented with multifocal small cutaneous nodules, distributed mainly over the thoracic wall, the flank and the scrotum. The dog was otherwise in good health and had no significant past medical history. Radio‐ and sonographic examination revealed no evidence of internal tumours, including endocrine tumours. Histological examination of two excised samples revealed round, non‐ulcerated nodules in the superficial corium, characterized by two different neoplastic cell components and mild inflammation. The first tumour cell population showed histomorphological characteristics of mature ganglion cells; the second featured small, spindle‐shaped tumour cells with scant cytoplasm. Both neoplastic cell components expressed vimentin, neurofilament protein, pan‐neuronal neurofilament, amyloid‐precursor protein and chromogranin A. In addition, the spindle‐shaped tumour cells were positive for 2′, 3′‐cyclicnucleotide 3′‐phosphodiesterase. The findings had many histological and immunohistochemical features in common with primary cutaneous ganglioneuromas in humans, enabling the canine tumours to be also classified as multiple cutaneous ganglioneuromas.
Skin fragility syndrome in a cat with feline infectious peritonitis and hepatic lipidosis
Authors: Trotman Tara K. , Mauldin Elizabeth , Hoffmann Vickie , Del Piero Fabio , Hess Rebecka S. 
Published: September 2007

AbstractA 6‐year‐old spayed female domestic shorthair cat with a 3‐week history of inappetence, weight loss, and hiding was examined. A palpable abdominal fluid wave, dehydration, and a small tear on the left flank were noted during initial examination. When the cat was gently restrained for blood sampling, the skin on the dorsal neck tore, leaving a 15 cm × 7 cm flap of skin. Clinicopathological abnormalities included nonregenerative anaemia, hypoalbuminaemia, increased globulin concentration, and mildly elevated aspartate aminotransferase and alkaline phosphatase activities. Abdominal fluid was viscous and had a total protein of 5.3 g dL−1with 316 cells µL−1, consistent with a modified transudate. Cytology of the abdominal fluid revealed 86% nondegenerate neutrophils, 13% macrophages, and 1% small lymphocytes. Histopathological evaluation and indirect immunohistochemistry confirmed a diagnosis of feline infectious peritonitis, hepatic lipidosis and feline skin fragility syndrome. Feline skin fragility syndrome has not previously been reported in association with feline infectious peritonitis (FIP). Its inclusion as a clinical sign associated with FIP may facilitate a diagnosis.
Participation preferences of patients with acute and chronic conditions
Authors: Hamann Johannes , Neuner Bruno , Kasper Jürgen , Vodermaier Andrea , Loh Andreas , Deinzer Anja , Heesen Christoph , Kissling Werner , Busch Raymonde , Schmieder Roland , Spies Claudia , Caspari Cornelia , Härter Martin 
Published: September 2007

AbstractBackground  There is little knowledge as to whether the chronicity of a disease affects patients’ desire for participation.Aim  To study whether participation preferences vary according to the type of disease.Design, participants and methods  Data of 1393 patients from six trials with different medical conditions (hypertension, depression, breast cancer, schizophrenia, multiple sclerosis, minor traumas) were pooled and analysed, using multiple regression analysis controlling for socio‐demographic variables.Results  Younger age, better education as well as female gender accounted for a small but statistically significantly greater desire to participate. Patients suffering from multiple sclerosis (MS) exhibited significantly higher participation preferences than the other diagnostic groups. There were no major differences between the other diagnostic groups. Age, gender, education and diagnosis explained only 14% of the variance.Conclusions  We found no clear differences between chronic and acute conditions. However, patients suffering from MS, a chronic condition, were clearly different from all other diagnostic groups. The reasons for this difference remain unclear. The predictive value of socio‐demography and type of illness is low.
Air pollution and seasonal asthma during the pollen season. A cohort study in Puertollano and Ciudad Real (Spain)
Authors: Feo Brito F. , Mur Gimeno P. , Martínez C. , Tobías A. , Suárez L. , Guerra F. , Borja J. M , Alonso A. M 
Published: September 2007

Background:  Many studies have demonstrated a positive association between air pollutants and emergency visits for asthma. However, few studies have included pollen when analysing this relationship in mild–moderate asthmatic patients.Objective:  To determine the importance of the pollutants such as ozone (O3), particles (PM10), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and sulphur dioxide (SO2) in the clinical course of mild–moderate pollen‐allergic asthmatic patients from two Spanish towns in La Mancha: Puertollano (high pollution levels) and Ciudad Real (low pollution levels).Methods:  We used a Poisson regression model to study a cohort of 137 patients from Puertollano and Ciudad Real during two pollen seasons (2000–2001) and analysed the relationship between air pollutant and pollen levels and daily symptoms, the medication used and peak‐flow measurements.Results:  The number of asthma symptoms and the mean values of the PM10, SO2 and NO2 levels were higher in Puertollano than in Ciudad Real. In Puertollano, the risk of asthma increased by 6% with a 3‐day lag for PM10, by 8% with a 3‐day lag for O3, by 4% with a 1‐day lag for SO2 and by 15% with a 3‐day lag for O3 when its values exceeded the health threshold (P < 0.05).Conclusions:  The air pollution levels in Puertollano were associated with an increased risk of asthma symptoms in pollen‐allergic asthmatic patients com pared with a similar group from Ciudad Real.