bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Estrogen activates protein kinase C in neurons: role in neuroprotection
Authors: Cordey Myriam , Gundimeda Usha , Gopalakrishna Rayudu , Pike Christian J. 
Published: March 2003

AbstractIt has been previously demonstrated that estrogen can protect neurons from a variety of insults, including β‐amyloid (Aβ). Recent studies have shown that estrogen can rapidly modulate intracellular signaling pathways involved in cell survival. In particular, estrogen activates protein kinase C (PKC) in a variety of cell types. This enzyme plays a key role in many cellular events, including regulation of apoptosis. In this study, we show that 17β‐estradiol (E2) rapidly increases PKC activity in primary cultures of rat cerebrocortical neurons. A 1 h pre‐treatment with E2or phorbol‐12‐myristate‐13‐acetate (PMA), a potent activator of PKC, protects neurons against Aβ toxicity. Protection afforded by both PMA and E2is blocked by pharmacological inhibitors of PKC. Further, depletion of PKC levels resulting from prolonged PMA exposure prevents subsequent E2or PMA protection. Our results indicate that E2activates PKC in neurons, and that PKC activation is an important step in estrogen protection against Aβ. These data provide new understanding into the mechanism(s) underlying estrogen neuroprotection, an action with therapeutic relevance to Alzheimer's disease and other age‐related neurodegenerative disorders.
Elderly persons’ experiences of living with venous leg ulcer: living in a dialectal relationship between freedom and imprisonment
Authors: Ebbeskog B. , Ekman S.‐L. 
Published: March 2003

Elderly persons’ experiences of living with venous leg ulcer: living in a dialectal relationship between freedom and imprisonment The aim was to illuminate elderly persons’ experiences of living with venous leg ulcer. Fifteen persons 74–89 years of age with active leg ulcer were interviewed. Data were analysed utilizing a phenomenological‐hermeneutic approach inspired by Ricoeur. The analysis includes dialectic movement between understanding and explanation of the text as a whole and its parts. In the structural analysis four themes were identified: emotional consequences of altered body image, living a restricted life, achievement of well‐being in connection with a painful wound and bandage, and struggle between hope and despair with regard to a lengthy healing process. The comprehensive understanding indicated that the meaning of living with venous leg ulcer can be understood as a dialectal relationship between, on the one hand the feeling of being imprisoned in the body, the bandage and the home, and on the other hand, hope of freedom from a burdensome body. The results indicate that the concept, body of image, is vitally relevant to the caring of elderly people with venous leg ulcer. The study shows the importance of recognizing the persons’ perceptions of their leg ulcers and the impact of these perceptions on well‐being. Nurses can thereby anticipate problems and provide more sensitive care.
Pre‐understanding and openness – a relationship without hope?
Authors: Nyström Maria , Dahlberg Karin 
Published: March 2003

Pre‐understanding and openness – a relationship without hope? In all research, quantitative as well as qualitative, we have to deal with our presuppositions in order to remain open throughout the whole process of inquiry. If we fail to do so the findings might be little more than a reflected image of something already existing in our understanding. The question dealt with in this paper is: how can we gain increased openness by being more aware of our presuppositions. The aim was to investigate the intentional structure of pre‐understanding and its effects upon data‐collection as well as data‐analysis and conclusions in research. The question of pre‐understanding is central in Gadamer’s philosophy, even if he is not the first one to discuss this concept. Gadamer further developed the philosophy of understanding. According to him pre‐ understanding is an intentional structure of feelings and thoughts, which is activated when we regard something as something. By studying the structure of pre‐understanding we became more aware of its effect upon understanding. In this paper, theoretical frameworks within cognitive and social psychology as well as psychoanalytic object‐relation‐theory were compared with Gadamer’s philosophy concerning the conditions of human understanding. Finally the possibility of increased openness in the process of research was discussed. (Such openness is related to knowledge about the structure of pre‐understanding.)
`From victim to agent': the clinical and social significance of self‐help group participation for people with life‐threatening diseases
Authors: Adamsen Lis 
Published: March 2003

`From victim to agent': the clinical and social significance of self‐help group participation for people with life‐threatening diseases Aim : The main objective of the paper is to discuss the ways in which self‐help groups can be useful to persons with life‐threatening diseases like cancer or human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS). The paper offers an outline of the central characteristics of self‐help groups, highlighted by the participants themselves. Background : Self‐help groups are a growing phenomenon across national borders. New empirical sociological studies show that nurses have become important agents in self‐help groups, both within and outside the public health‐care system. However, research on self‐help groups is a relatively new area within nursing studies yet it serves an important function in shedding light on a rather unique form of social practice organized and managed partly by the participants themselves. Methods : Qualitative interviews designed to examine how participants evaluate their experiences with self‐help groups. The study includes 53 self‐help group participants suffering from cancer or HIV/AIDS. Findings : Contact with other people, forming of friendships, new networks and increased self‐confidence are some of the effects indicated by the participants. Participation in a self‐help group has a positive impact on the patients' ability to cope with the psychological and social consequences of living with a life‐threatening disease. Conclusions : It is evident that the positive effects of self‐help groups are mainly because of their inherent capacity for universalizing personal problems, which, in itself, legitimizes the scientific relevance of self‐help groups. There is no evidence to indicate that self‐help groups have a positive influence on the life expectancy of participants who suffer from cancer or HIV/AIDS, but it should be noted that this is not the explicit concern when groups are formed. By their very existence self‐help groups indicate the need for a reevaluation of the scope and focus of the individualized care and nursing. The clinical and social significance of self‐help group participation has not been sufficiently accounted for.
`Carer and gatekeeper' – conflicting demands in nurses' experiences of telephone advisory services
Authors: Holmström Inger , Dall'Alba Gloria 
Published: March 2003

`Carer and gatekeeper' – conflicting demands in nurses' experiences of telephone advisory services Millions of calls are made to the telephone advisory services in primary health care in Sweden. The patients seem happy with the advice and counselling they receive, but little has been written about nurses' experiences of performing telephone advisory services. Yet, the nurses are expected to be patient, sensitive and have a broad knowledge of medicine, nursing and pedagogy. The aim of this study was to describe how nurses experience the patient encounter when performing telephone advisory services. A strategic sample of five nurses were interviewed and asked to describe how they experienced the central aspects of the patient encounter by telephone. The transcribed interviews were analysed by the Empirical Phenomenological Psychological method. The nurses' experience of the patient encounter when performing telephone advisory services can be characterized in terms of the conflicting demands of being both carer and gatekeeper. The constituents of these conflicting demands were: reading between the lines while pressed for time; educating patients for self‐care while fearful of misinterpreting the situation; encountering patients' satisfaction and dissatisfaction. The conflicting demands of being both professional carer and gatekeeper caused stress among the nurses. The organization of the telephone advisory services seems to hinder high‐quality care.
‘It is a different war to fight here in Sweden’– the impact of involuntary migration on the health of refugee families in transition
Authors: Samarasinghe Kerstin , Arvidsson Barbro 
Published: March 2003

‘It is a different war to fight here in Sweden’– the impact of involuntary migration on the health of refugee families in transition Involuntary migration and adaptation to a new cultural environment is known to be a stress factor. The aim of the study was to explore the impact of involuntary migration on the family health in order to identify specific health care issues related to refugee families in transition living in Sweden. Data was collected through interviews with 16 members of 10 different refugee families from Balkan countries, Kurdistan and Africa for which permission was obtained from the chairman of the local ethnic organizations in a municipality in the southern part of Sweden. In interpreting the material, analysis was made using a contextual approach with reference to phenomenography. The analysis resulted in four qualitatively different descriptive categories characterizing the health of the families: a distressed family living under prolonged tension; a contented family who leads a satisfactory life; a frustrated family who cannot lead a fully satisfactory life and a dejected family who feels deserted. Stressors seeking asylum, facing unemployment and changed roles, interacted negatively within the family. A friendly and understanding attitude from the host country was the main factor in promoting the health of the refugee families. Nursing interventions should therefore assist the families accordingly in order to promote the stability of the family system.
Clinical and social changes in severely mentally ill individuals admitted to an outpatient psychosis team: an 18‐month follow‐up study
Authors: Bengtsson‐Tops Anita , Hansson Lars 
Published: March 2003

Aim: The study investigated clinical and social changes during an 18‐month follow‐up period in a group (n = 76) of schizophrenic outpatients admitted to a newly implemented outpatient psychosis team. Changes related to level of contact with the psychosis team were also examined as well as aspects of the content of the treatment interventions and work situation from a staff perspective.Methods: Structured face‐to‐face interviews with the patients were performed at baseline and after 18 months. The Camberwell Assessment of Need instrument, the Lancashire Quality of Life Profile and the Interview Schedule for Social Interaction were used on both interview occasions along with Global Assessment of Functioning Scale and Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale. Thematic open‐ended questions were used in staff interviews.Results: Psychiatric symptoms, number of needs and number of met needs decreased, and perceived quality of life improved for the total sample during the follow‐up period. Patients only in contact with a psychiatrist in the psychosis team improved more in symptoms and spent fewer days in hospital during follow‐up time compared with those who had combined psychiatric and supportive contacts, and were also more satisfied with their medication. Patients with a combined contact deteriorated in psychosocial functioning compared with the group only in contact with a psychiatrist. Some of the elements in treatment interventions and work situation as well as hindrances in providing community‐based care adapted to the patients' needs were identified.Conclusions: Community‐based psychiatric services, to a larger extent, need to embrace evidence‐based interventions and to perform regular, structured and comprehensive need assessments in order to ensure the effectiveness of interventions. Attention should be paid to staff motivation and education as well as to providing practical guidelines, supervision and support.
Microsatellite markers for Bromus tectorum (cheatgrass)
Authors: Ramakrishnan Alisa P. , Coleman Craig E. , Meyer Susan E. , Fairbanks Daniel J. 
Published: March 2003

Abstract Bromus tectorum (cheatgrass) is a flourishing invasive weed in the western United States. The objective of our study is to characterize its genetic diversity. We made a B. tectorum genomic library in lambda phage and screened approximately 4000 clones for poly CA and poly CT dinucleotide repeats. Of 38 sequences with dinucleotide repeats isolated from the library, we designed primer sets for 18 loci. A preliminary screen of 40 individuals from four populations indicated that seven loci were polymorphic. These loci will be valuable for elucidation of cheatgrass genetic diversity and population structure.
Development of hypervariable microsatellite loci for use in eastern phoebes (Sayornis phoebe) and related Tyrannids
Authors: Watson Christy J. W. , Allen Beheler Amanda , Rhodes Olin E. 
Published: March 2003

AbstractIn order to complement on‐going research on reproductive strategies and dispersal in the eastern phoebe (Sayornis phoebe), we developed five polymorphic microsatellite loci which would permit us to assign parentage to offspring and to evaluate population genetic structure. The number of alleles per locus ranged from 3 to 15; probability of exclusion, with a known maternal genotype, was 0.995. Preliminary screening revealed that primers were polymorphic in other Tyrannidae.
Polymorphic markers for the sea cucumber Parastichopus californicus
Authors: John Nelson R. , Cooper Glenn , Garner Trent , Schnupf Pamela 
Published: March 2003

AbstractFive polymorphic markers were isolated from a Parastichopus californicus genomic DNA library. In addition, a method was developed to extract DNA from both muscle and skin tissue. The number of alleles at these loci ranged from three to 14. Observed heterozygosity ranged from 0.2 to 0.9. These markers, the first of their type for a sea cucumber species, will prove useful for exploration of the population structure of P. californicus.
Eighteen polymorphic microsatellite markers for the highly endangered Spanish imperial eagle (Aquila adalberti) and related species
Authors: Martínez‐Cruz Begoña , David Victor A. , Godoy José A. , Negro Juan J. , O'Brien Stephen J. , Johnson Warren E. 
Published: March 2003

AbstractHere we describe the development of 18 polymorphic microsatellite markers for the endangered Spanish imperial eagle (Aquila adalberti). Microsatellites were tested in five other raptor species. These markers were revealed as good molecular tools for genetic population studies, individual identification and parentage assessment in Spanish imperial eagle and closely related species.
Identification and characterization of nine polymorphic microsatellite loci in the North American pika, Ochotona princeps
Authors: Peacock Mary M. , Kirchoff Veronica S. , Merideth Susan J. 
Published: March 2003

AbstractNine polymorphic microsatellite loci were developed for the North American pika (Ochotona princeps) from di‐ and tetranucleotide repeat‐enriched genomic libraries. Polymorphism was assessed for 165 individuals from eight geographical locations in the western United States. All loci were polymorphic. The number of alleles per locus ranged from three to 14, with observed heterozygosity between 0.189 and 0.822. All loci were in Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium (< 0.05). Regional differences were evident with unique alleles at multiple loci in six of eight populations.
Polymorphic microsatellites in the black‐legged kittiwake Rissa tridactyla
Authors: Tirard Claire , Helfenstein Fabrice , Danchin Etienne 
Published: March 2003

AbstractWe isolated seven microsatellite sequences from a library of recombinant clones in Rissa tridactyla (Laridae). We investigated their polymorphism in one population from France. Preliminary results indicate that these markers should prove valuable tools for the study of mating systems, population genetic structure and dispersal abilities in this seabird species. We present the results of cross‐species amplification for two seabird species: Uria aalge (Alcidae) and Stercorarius parasiticus (Stercorariidae). Some of the microsatellites isolated in R. tridactyla might be useful for studies on other seabird species.
Characterization of 38 polymorphic microsatellite markers for rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)
Authors: Palti Y. , Fincham M. R. , Rexroad C. E. 
Published: March 2003

AbstractThirty‐eight new microsatellite markers were developed for genome mapping and population genetics studies in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). The amount of polymorphism, percentage of heterozygosity and ability of each marker to amplify genomic DNA from other salmonids were recorded. Five markers were observed to be duplicated in the rainbow trout genome by containing more than one allele in homozygous (clonal) fish.
Isolation and characterization of microsatellite loci in Bemisia tabaci
Authors: De Barro P. J. , Scott K. D. , Graham G. C. , Lange C. L. , Schutze M. K. 
Published: March 2003

Abstract Bemisia tabaci (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) is a haplo‐diploid species with a global distribution demonstrating strong geographical structure with eight recognizable genetic groups. Fifteen microsatellite loci (335 alleles, 6–44 alleles per locus) were derived from four of the eight groups and were then screened across 33 populations. These loci clearly differentiate the populations. The microsatellites amplified best in individuals from genetic groups rep‐resenting the Mediterranean, Middle East, Asia (three groups) and Australasia/Oceania and amplified less well with populations from sub‐Saharan Africa and the New World. This differential amplification pattern is a direct result of the relatedness to the microsatellite source material.
Polymorphic microsatellite loci for tiger salamanders,Ambystoma tigrinum
Authors: Mech S. G. , Storfer A. , Ernst J. A. , Reudink M. W. , Maloney S. C. 
Published: March 2003

AbstractMicrosatellites have been developed for few amphibian species. However, developing genetic markers for population genetic studies in amphibians is critical because amphibians are declining globally. The tiger salamander,Ambystoma tigrinum, is widespread throughout the United States and includes the endangered subspecies,A. t. stebbinsi. We present primers and amplification conditions for 10 polymorphic microsatellite loci that have produced successful results in three subspecies ofA. tigrinum. Number of alleles per locus ranged from one to 11 and heterozygosity ranged from 0 to 0.815 depending on the subspecies and locus analysed. These markers should prove useful for future studies of genetic diversity and population subdivision.
Characterization and isolation of DNA microsatellite primers for Arapaima gigas, an economically important but severely over‐exploited fish species of the Amazon basin
Authors: Farias Izeni P. , Hrbek Tomas , Brinkmann Henner , Sampaio Iracilda , Meyer Axel 
Published: March 2003

Abstract Arapaima gigas is a CITES II listed species, but it is also one of the most important food fish of the Amazon basin with a historically very large commercial and subsistence fishery. By the 1980s it became commercially extinct in many areas, and in early 2001 the Brazilian government banned all fishing, although this has not prevented illegal fishing. Therefore we developed 14 variable microsatellite markers for A. gigas to gain a knowledge of its population structure, which is needed to implement a sound management policy, and also to provide us with the forensic tools to manage and monitor this over‐exploited fish.
Working and learning in hospitals: junior doctors adrift in fragmented communities
Authors: McKee Anne 
Published: March 2003

AbstractThis paper is based upon an ethnographic study of senior house officers (SHOs; second and third year residents) intending to become general practitioners (GPs; family doctors who practise in the community). GPs/SHOs in four very different hospitals and their associated training schemes were case‐studied. The methods included structured and semi‐structured interviews, observations of training events and occupational experience, shadow studies and focus groups. Major changes in hospitals have transformed the experience of working and learning for both GPs/SHOs and consultants. Continuity of care and the stability of medical teams appears to have given way to episodic care provided by frequently changing teams, led by consultants who are subspecialists within their own field. Does hospital training still provide the breadth of clinical experience appropriate for general practice? In hospital‐based training, GPs/SHOs who are doing a ‘real’ job make ‘real’ mistakes. They do so in a climate that is increasingly intolerant of error. They receive very different messages about the acceptability of mistakes and their place in the learning process. What appears to be missing is an educational framework for recognizing and understanding both the nature of a mistake and its clinical and educational implications. The persistent message from those involved in hospital training was that it could be improved. It seems that what is needed is a radical reconsideration and reconceptualization of how to address the learning and teaching issues of providing training that prepares GPs/SHOs for the real demands practice.
The effect of age and year on the survival of breeding adult Great SkuasCatharacta skuain Shetland
Authors: Ratcliffe Norman , Catry Paulo , Hamer Keith C. , Klomp Nicholas I. , Furness Robert W. 
Published: March 2003

The survival rates of breeding adult Great SkuasCatharacta skuawere examined at Foula, the largest colony in the world, where numbers have been declining since the late 1970s. Resightings of colour‐ringed breeding adults over a 12‐year period were analysed using Cormack‐Jolly Seber models to estimate survival rates. Annual survival rates averaged 0.89 but varied among years between 0.82 and 0.93, with annual variations being temporally associated with variations in sandeel abundance during the breeding season. Most birds appeared to die outside the breeding season and so it is possible that nutritional stress and reproductive costs of breeding in years of poor food supply affect survivorship on migration or in the wintering range. Survival rates of adult Great Skuas were affected by their age according to a quadratic equation, with survival increasing significantly with age from 0.73 in 5‐year‐old‐birds to between 0.85 and 0.96 in birds from 7 to 22 years old, with a sharp decline to between 0.75 and 0.87 in birds over 22 years old. Year effects were evident when controlling for age, indicating that annual variations in survival rates are not explained by changes in age‐composition of the marked population among years.