bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Teaching Genesis: A Present‐Day Approach Inspired by the Prophet Nathan
Authors: Reich K. Helmut 
Published: August 2003

AbstractThe prophets Nathan (2 Samuel 12:1–15) and John the Baptist (Mark 6:16–28) had comparable tasks before them: to convince their respective kings about the wrongs of taking somebody else's wife and marrying her. Nathan succeeded, while John failed and furthermore lost his life. What made the difference? One possible explanation is that Nathan proceeded in two steps: (1) Tell an interesting, nonthreatening story that nevertheless makes the point at issue; (2) transfer that message to the case at hand. In contrast, John used a direct approach, which raised apprehension, even fear (on the part of Herodias, the woman involved), and led to failure. That lesson has wider applications, as illustrated here for teaching the biblical Genesis narration. The other ingredient in this teaching is relational and contextual reasoning (RCR), the use of which is also indicated for other issues besides teaching Genesis.
Introduction: Organ Transplantation—A Challenge for Global Ethics
Authors: Strassberg Barbara A. 
Published: August 2003

AbstractA social scientific interpretation of the development of global ethics is offered. Both spontaneous and intended mechanisms of the construction of such an ethics within the broader processes of globalization are analyzed, and possible theoretical foundations are suggested. The scientific and technological achievements that gave rise to the medical procedure of organ transplantation generated new questions and challenges that theologians, scholars of religion, natural scientists, and social scientists are now trying to resolve.
Where it Hurts: Indian Material for an Ethics of Organ Transplantation
Authors: Cohen Lawrence 
Published: August 2003

AbstractThis article focuses on ethical issues surrounding the selling and buying of human organs. The author argues that most people who sell their organs (mainly kidneys) in India do so in order to pay already existing debts. The transaction is only temporarily an exchange of “life for life,” and most “donors” are back in debt soon after the operation. The author discusses the flexible ethics that reduce reality to dyadic transactions and the purgatorial ethics that collapse real and imaginary exploitation in the service of complex interests. He also offers a sophisticated discussion of the ethics of publicity and public ethics. He emphasizes the lack of factual information, intentional manipulation of information, and the dissemination of kidney panics and kidney scandals, especially by the new developing bioauthorities and bioethical brokers.
Why We Should Not Pay for Human Organs
Authors: Delmonico Francis L. , Scheper‐Hughes Nancy 
Published: August 2003

AbstractThe right to buy and sell human organs is challenged by the authors within the framework of a broad Christian perspective. Opposition to organ sales is argued in the light of the developing underclass of poor organ donors throughout the world who sell their organs to the rich. Very often neither the donors nor the recipients are fully informed about the medical risks involved in the procedure of organ transplantation.
Transplantation: Biomedical and Ethical Concerns Raised by the Cloning and Stem‐Cell Debate
Authors: Woloschak Gayle E. 
Published: August 2003

AbstractTransplantation is becoming an increasingly more common approach to treatment of diseases of organ failure, making organ donation an important means of saving lives. Most world religions find organ donation for the purpose of transplantation to be acceptable, and some even encourage members to donate their organs as a gift of love to others. Recent developments, including artificial organs, transplants from nonhuman species, use of stem cells, and cloning, are impacting the field of transplantation. These new approaches should be discussed with bioethical considerations in mind, particularly the notion of human beings as a unity of body and spirit.
Some Must Die
Authors: Youngner Stuart J. 
Published: August 2003

AbstractThe transplantation and procurement of human organs has become almost routine in American society. Yet, organ transplantation raises difficult ethical and psychosocial issues in the context of “controlled” death, including the blurring of boundaries between life and death, self and other, healing and harming, and killing and letting die. These issues are explored in the context of the actual experiences of organ donors and recipients, brain death, the introduction of non‐heartbeating donor protocols, and the increasing reliance on living donors. The author draws on a thematic analysis of the way that organ transplantation is presented in the media, films, and science fiction and on his clinical experience as a psychiatrist working with transplant patients, their families, and the nurses and physicians who care for them.
Islamic Legal and Ethical Views on Organ Transplantation and Donation
Authors: Aasi Ghulam‐Haider 
Published: August 2003

AbstractIn Islam, one of the core beliefs is in the life of the hereafter. At the end of time and all that exists, all human beings will be resurrected (in their bodies and souls) and will face the Day of Judgment. Even their body parts or organs will stand witness against them. Furthermore, in Islamic law, every action or thing is categorized either as legitimate or prohibited. This article explores ethico‐legal opinions on the issues of organ donation and transplantation in the light of these essential Islamic beliefs.
Toward the Construction of a Post‐Shoah Interfaith Dialogical Universal Ethic
Authors: Jacobs Steven Leonard 
Published: August 2003

AbstractThe essay is an attempt to construct a new interfaith dialogical universal ethic after the Holocaust/Shoah, after first examining several biblical passages of both the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament, namely Leviticus 19:13–18; Matthew 22:34–40; Matthew 5:43–48; and Luke 10:25–37. The author contends that the foundational Jewish and Christian scriptural texts can no longer be read, understood, and either interpreted or reinterpreted the way they were prior to the events of 1933–1945. Thus, following an examination of the scriptural passages in question, a new direction in the construction of such an ethic is suggested: that the only kind of holiness that merits our support is one grounded in ethical relations between all human beings, regardless of particularistic identities, and scriptural support for positions that exclude and distance rather than include and embrace must, ultimately, be rejected.
Alpine medicinal plant trade and Himalayan mountain livelihood strategies
Authors: Smith Olsen Carsten , Overgaard Larsen Helle 
Published: August 2003

Commercial alpine medicinal plants are collected from the wild by local rural households throughout the Himalaya and sold in order to increase household incomes. Recent studies indicate that this annual trade amounts to thousands of tonnes of roots, rhizomes, tubers, leaves, etc., worth millions of US dollars. The main market is in India. Based on a national survey, including the most commonly traded species, and a village study this paper investigates the importance of the alpine medicinal plant trade at national and local levels in Nepal. The national survey included standardized open‐ended interviews with 232 harvesters, 64 local traders, 66 central wholesalers, 47 regional wholesalers, and 16 production companies. The village survey is based on the daily records of household activities in 15 households in a one‐year period. The annual Nepalese alpine and sub‐alpine medicinal plant trade is conservatively estimated to vary from 480 to 2500 t with a total harvester value of US$0.8–3.3 million; the average harvester value is estimated at US$66.0 ± 99.0. The trade in 1997/98 amounted to 1600 t with a harvester value of US$2.3 million and an export value equivalent to 2.5% of total export from Nepal. Medicinal plant harvesting was found to constitute an integrated part of local livelihood strategies, contributing from 3 to 44% (average of 12%) of the annual household income. Importance at household level depended on land and animal holdings, and the availability of adult male labour. The validity and reliability of methods and analyses is evaluated, and issues of conservation and management of alpine medicinal plant species under the community forestry scheme are discussed.
Disruption of Ergosterol Biosynthesis Confers Resistance to Amphotericin B inCandida lusitaniae
Authors: Young Laura Y. , Hull Christina M. , Heitman Joseph 
Published: August 2003

ABSTRACTCandida lusitaniaeis an emerging human pathogen that, unlike other fungal pathogens, frequently develops resistance to the commonly used antifungal agent amphotericin B. Amphotericin B is a member of the polyene class of antifungal drugs, which impair fungal cell membrane integrity. Here we analyzed mechanisms contributing to amphotericin B resistance inC. lusitaniae. Sensitivity to polyenes in the related fungiSaccharomyces cerevisiaeandCandida albicansrequires the ergosterol biosynthetic geneERG6. In an effort to understand the mechanisms contributing to amphotericin B resistance inC. lusitaniae, we isolated theERG6gene and created aC. lusitaniae erg6Δstrain. This mutant strain exhibited a growth defect, was resistant to amphotericin B, and was hypersensitive to other sterol inhibitors. Based on the similarities between the phenotypes of theerg6Δmutant and clinical isolates ofC. lusitaniaeresistant to amphotericin B, we analyzedERG6expression levels and ergosterol content in multiple clinical isolates.C. lusitaniaeamphotericin B-resistant isolates were found to have increased levels ofERG6transcript as well as reduced ergosterol content. These changes suggest that another gene in the ergosterol biosynthetic pathway could be mutated or misregulated. Further transcript analysis showed that expression of theERG3gene, which encodes C-5 sterol desaturase, was reduced in two amphotericin B-resistant isolates. Our findings reveal that mutation or altered expression of ergosterol biosynthetic genes can result in resistance to amphotericin B inC. lusitaniae.
Recapitulation in
Saccharomyces cerevisiae
of Cytochrome
b
Mutations Conferring Resistance to Atovaquone in
Pneumocystis jiroveci
Authors: Hill Philip , Kessl Jacques , Fisher Nicholas , Meshnick Steven , Trumpower Bernard L. , Meunier Brigitte 
Published: August 2003

ABSTRACT

Pneumocystis jiroveci
(human-derived
P. carinii
) is an opportunistic pathogenic fungus which causes pneumonia and is life-threatening in immunocompromised individuals. Spontaneously acquired resistance to atovaquone, a hydroxynaphthoquinone that is used to treat
P. jiroveci
infections, was linked to mutations in the mitochondrially encoded cytochrome
b
gene. Because
P. jiroveci
cannot be easily cultivated, we have developed
Saccharomyces cerevisiae
as an alternative system to study atovaquone resistance mutations. In this work, we introduced seven mutations linked with atovaquone resistance in
P. jiroveci
into the
S. cerevisiae
cytochrome
b
gene. The effects of the mutations on the respiratory function and on the sensitivity to the inhibitor were then characterized. Six of the reported mutations lowered the sensitivity of the
S. cerevisiae bc
1
complex to atovaquone, while one mutation had no effect on the drug resistance. These results were confirmed by monitoring the in vivo resistance of
S. cerevisiae
mutants which carried both the cytochrome
b
mutations and a deletion of the ABC transporter genes, allowing the drug to bypass the weakened efflux pump system.
S. cerevisiae
thus provides an easy-to-use system to characterize in vivo and in vitro cytochrome
b
mutations reported in pathogens and to assess their role in drug resistance.
Molecular Analysis of incHI1 Antimicrobial Resistance Plasmids from
Salmonella
Serovar Typhi Strains Associated with Typhoid Fever
Authors: Wain John , Diem Nga L. T. , Kidgell Claire , James Keith , Fortune Sarah , Song Diep To , Ali Tahir , Ó Gaora Peadar , Parry Christopher , Parkhill Julian , Farrar Jeremy , White Nicholas J. , Dougan Gordon 
Published: August 2003

ABSTRACT

The first outbreak of multidrug-resistant (MDR) typhoid fever in Vietnam was in 1993, and by 1995 nearly 90% of cases were MDR. Plasmid HCM1, sequenced in full, is an incHI1 plasmid from
Salmonella enterica
serovar Typhi strain CT18, isolated in Vietnam in 1993. Restriction analysis shows that pHCM1 shares a restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) pattern with plasmids isolated from the first outbreak and 10 of 17 MDR plasmids isolated from sporadic cases occurring at the same time in Vietnam. A core region of pHCM1 has significant DNA sequence similarity to plasmid R27, isolated in 1961 from
S. enterica
in the United Kingdom. There are five regions of DNA in pHCM1 which are not present in R27. Two of these are putative acquisition regions; the largest is 34.955 kbp in length and includes sequences of several antibiotic resistance genes and several insertion sequences. The borders of this region are defined by two identical IS
10
left elements, associated with an inversion of DNA or with a truncated Tn
10
element. The second, smaller region is 14.751 kbp and carries a trimethoprim resistance gene
dfr14A
cassette associated with a class 1 integrase. In 1993 to 1994, restriction analysis revealed some variations in the structures of
Salmonella
serovar Typhi MDR plasmids which were mapped to the two putative acquisition regions and three smaller variable regions. In 1996 a single RFLP type, RFLP7, was found to carry the
dfrA7
and
sul
-
1
genes, which were not present on R27 or pHCM1. This plasmid type appears to have a selective advantage over other plasmids with the same resistance phenotype.
Real-Time Monitoring of Bacterial Infection In Vivo: Development of Bioluminescent Staphylococcal Foreign-Body and Deep-Thigh-Wound Mouse Infection Models
Authors: Kuklin Nelly A. , Pancari Gregory D. , Tobery Timothy W. , Cope Leslie , Jackson Jesse , Gill Charles , Overbye Karen , Francis Kevin P. , Yu Jun , Montgomery Donna , Anderson Annaliesa S. , McClements William , Jansen Kathrin U. 
Published: August 2003

ABSTRACT

Staphylococcal infections associated with catheter and prosthetic implants are difficult to eradicate and often lead to chronic infections. Development of novel antibacterial therapies requires simple, reliable, and relevant models for infection. Using bioluminescent
Staphylococcus aureus
, we have adapted the existing foreign-body and deep-wound mouse models of staphylococcal infection to allow real-time monitoring of the bacterial colonization of catheters or tissues. This approach also enables kinetic measurements of bacterial growth and clearance in each infected animal. Persistence of infection was observed throughout the course of the study until termination of the experiment at day 16 in a deep-wound model and day 21 in the foreign-body model, providing sufficient time to test the effects of antibacterial compounds. The usefulness of both animal models was assessed by using linezolid as a test compound and comparing bioluminescent measurements to bacterial counts. In the foreign-body model, a three-dose antibiotic regimen (2, 5, and 24 h after infection) resulted in a decrease in both luminescence and bacterial counts recovered from the implant compared to those of the mock-treated infected mice. In addition, linezolid treatment prevented the formation of subcutaneous abscesses, although it did not completely resolve the infection. In the thigh model, the same treatment regimen resulted in complete resolution of the luminescent signal, which correlated with clearance of the bacteria from the thighs.
Pharmacodynamics of Levofloxacin and Ciprofloxacin in a Murine Pneumonia Model: Peak Concentration/MIC versus Area under the Curve/MIC Ratios
Authors: Scaglione F. , Mouton J. W. , Mattina R. , Fraschini F. 
Published: August 2003

ABSTRACTDuring the last decade some studies have shown that the area under the curve (AUC)/MIC ratio is the pharmacodynamic index that best predicts the efficacies of quinolones, while other studies suggest that the predictive value of the peak concentration/MIC (peak/MIC) ratio is superior to the AUC/MIC ratio in explaining clinical and microbiological outcomes. In classical fractionated dose-response studies with animals, it is difficult to differentiate between the AUC/MIC ratio and the peak/MIC ratio because of colinearity. Three different levofloxacin and ciprofloxacin dosing regimens were studied in a neutropenic mouse pneumonia model. The different regimens were used with the aim of increasing the AUC/MIC ratio without changing the peak/MIC ratio and vice versa. The first regimen (RC) consisted of daily doses of 5 up to 160 mg/kg of body weight divided into one, two, or four doses. In the second regimen (R0), mice were given 1.25 mg/kg every hour from 1 to 23 h, while the dose given at 0 h was 2.5, 5, 10, 20, 40, or 80 mg/kg. In the third regimen (R11), mice also received 1.25 mg/kg every hour from 0 to 23 h; but in addition, they also received 2.5, 5, 10, 20, 40, or 80 mg/kg at 11 h. The level of protein binding was also evaluated. The results indicate that the unbound fraction (fu) was concentration dependent for both levofloxacin and ciprofloxacin and ranged from approximately 0.67 to 0.88 for both drugs between concentrations of 0.5 and 80 mg/liter. The relationships between the AUC/MIC ratio and the number of CFU were slightly better than those between the peak/MIC ratio and the number of CFU. There was no clear relationship between the amount of time that the concentration remained above the MIC and effect (R2< 0.1). For both drugs, the peak/MIC ratio that resulted in a 50% effective concentration was lower for the R0 and R11 dosing regimens, indicating the importance of the AUC/MIC ratio. The same was true for the static doses. Survival studies showed that for mice treated with the low doses the rate of survival was comparable to that for the controls, but with the higher doses the rate of survival was better for mice receiving the R0 regimen. We conclude that for quinolones the AUC/MIC ratio best correlates with efficacy against pneumococci and that the effect of the peak/MIC ratio found in some studies could be partly explained by concentration-dependent protein binding.
Effectiveness of Combination Antimicrobial Therapy for
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Bacteremia
Authors: Chamot Eric , Boffi El Amari Emmanuelle , Rohner Peter , Van Delden Christian 
Published: August 2003

ABSTRACT

It remains controversial whether combination therapy, given empirically or as definitive treatment, for
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
bacteremia is associated with a better outcome than monotherapy. The aim of the present study was to compare the rates of survival among patients who received either combination therapy or monotherapy for
P. aeruginosa
bacteremia. We assembled a historical cohort of 115 episodes of
P. aeruginosa
bacteremia treated with empirical antipseudomonal therapy between 1988 and 1998. On the basis of susceptibility testing of the bacteremic
P. aeruginosa
isolate, we defined categories of empirical treatment, including adequate combination therapy, adequate monotherapy, and inadequate therapy, as well as corresponding categories of definitive therapy. Neither the adequacy of the empirical treatment nor the use of combination therapy predicted survival until receipt of the antibiogram. However, the risk of death from the date of receipt of the antibiogram to day 30 was higher for both adequate empirical monotherapy (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 3.7; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.0 to 14.1) and inadequate empirical therapy (aHR, 5.0; 95% CI, 1.2 to 20.4) than for adequate empirical combination therapy. Compared to adequate definitive combination therapy, the risk of death at 30 days was also higher with inadequate definitive therapy (aHR, 2.6; 95% CI, 1.1 to 6.7) but not with adequate definitive monotherapy (aHR, 0.70; 95% CI, 0.30 to 1.7). In this retrospective analysis the use of adequate combination antimicrobial therapy as empirical treatment until receipt of the antibiogram was associated with a better rate of survival at 30 days than the use of monotherapy. However, adequate combination antimicrobial therapy given as definitive treatment for
P. aeruginosa
bacteremia did not improve the rate of survival compared to that from the provision of adequate definitive monotherapy.
Impact of Azithromycin Administration for Trachoma Control on the Carriage of Antibiotic-Resistant
Streptococcus pneumoniae
Authors: Batt Sarah L. , Charalambous Bambos M. , Solomon Anthony W. , Knirsch Charles , Massae Patrick A. , Safari Salesia , Sam Noel E. , Everett Dean , Mabey David C. W. , Gillespie Stephen H. 
Published: August 2003

ABSTRACT

Community distribution of azithromycin has an important role to play in trachoma control. Previous studies have suggested that this may increase the prevalence of macrolide-resistant
Streptococcus pneumoniae. S. pneumoniae
was isolated from children under 7 years of age in Rombo District, northern Tanzania, before and 2 and 6 months after community-wide administration of azithromycin. Overall carriage rates were 11, 12, and 7%, respectively. Only one macrolide-resistant isolate carrying the
mef
gene was obtained 6 months after azithromycin administration. This contrasted with cotrimoxazole and penicillin resistance, both of which were common (cotrimoxazole resistance, 42, 43, and 47%, and penicillin resistance, 21, 17, and 16% at baseline, 2 months, and 6 months, respectively). There was a significant association between cotrimoxazole and penicillin resistance (
P
< 0.0001, Fisher's exact). These data suggest that in communities where macrolide resistance is rare, azithromycin distribution for trachoma control is unlikely to increase the prevalence of resistant organisms.
Randomized Double-Blind Study Comparing 3- and 6-Day Regimens of Azithromycin with a 10-Day Amoxicillin-Clavulanate Regimen for Treatment of Acute Bacterial Sinusitis
Authors: Henry Dan C. , Riffer Ernie , Sokol William N. , Chaudry Naumann I. , Swanson Robert N. 
Published: August 2003

ABSTRACT

A randomized, double-blind, multicenter study of adults with acute bacterial sinusitis (ABS) compared the efficacy and safety of two azithromycin (AZM) regimens, 500 mg/day once daily for 3 days (AZM-3) or 6 days (AZM-6) to the efficacy and safety of an amoxicillin-clavulanate (AMC) regimen of 500-125 mg three times daily for 10 days. A total of 936 subjects with clinically and radiologically documented ABS were treated (AZM-3, 312; AZM-6, 311; AMC, 313). Clinical success rates were equivalent among per-protocol subjects at the end of therapy (AZM-3, 88.8%; AZM-6, 89.3%; AMC, 84.9%) and at the end of the study (AZM-3, 71.7%; AZM-6, 73.4%; AMC, 71.3%). Subjects treated with AMC reported a higher incidence of treatment-related adverse events (AE) (51.1%) than AZM-3 (31.1%,
P
< 0.001) or AZM-6 (37.6%,
P
< 0.001). More AMC subjects discontinued the study (
n
= 28) than AZM-3 (
n
= 7) and AZM-6 (
n
= 11) subjects. Diarrhea was the most frequent treatment-related AE. AZM-3 and AZM-6 were each equivalent in efficacy and better tolerated than AMC for ABS.