bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Adaptation of the hypothalamic‐pituitary hormones during intensive endurance training
Authors: Bobbert T. , Brechtel L. , Mai K. , Otto B. , Maser‐Gluth C. , Pfeiffer A. F. H. , Spranger J. , Diederich S. 
Published: September 2005

SummaryObjective  Physical activity leads to changes in the hypothalamic‐pituitary hormonal system. However, acute and long‐term adaptations have not yet been precisely characterized. In this study, the changes of the hormonal system as a result of marathon training and running a marathon were examined. In particular, we focused on adaptations of the hypothalamic‐pituitary‐adrenocortical (HPA) axis, regarding the activation or inactivation of cortisol to cortisone by the 11β‐hydroxysteroid‐dehydrogenase system (11β‐HSD).Design  Patient measurements: 8 healthy women and 11 healthy men volunteered for this study. Blood samples, 24‐h urine and a dexamethasone suppression test were analysed for metabolic and hormonal parameters at five different dates 12 weeks around a marathon.Results  Cortisol and ACTH values decreased significantly 2 days after the marathon, whereas the activity of the whole body 11β‐HSD‐1 was up‐regulated. An increased suppression of cortisol levels was observed in the dexamethasone suppression test after 6 weeks of reduced training levels. Ghrelin was elevated 2 days after the marathon. Only minor changes in the other hypothalamic‐pituitary‐hormonal axes could be observed. However, the free androgen index increased significantly after 6 weeks of reduced training.Conclusions  The HPA system appeared to become chronically activated by continuous physical training and therefore less sensitive to the dexamethasone suppression test. The acute stress of the marathon led to a central exhaustion of the HPA system with a paracrine counteraction by the activation of the 11β‐HSD system. Changes in the other hypothalamic‐pituitary hormonal axes were the result of long‐term differences in training levels and were not altered by the marathon.
Contributions of incorporated residue and living roots to aggregate‐associated and microbial carbon in two soils with different clay mineralogy
Authors: Denef K. , Six J. 
Published: October 2005

SummaryWe conducted a study to investigate the role of aggregates in the stabilization of residue‐ and root‐derived C in an illitic Mollisol and a kaolinitic Oxisol under the following treatments: (i) incorporated residue, (ii) growing plants, and (iii) both incorporated residue and growing plants. Residue‐C dynamics were followed in soils incubated with 13C‐labelled wheat residue with and without unlabelled growing wheat plants. Root‐C was traced by growing wheat plants with and without unlabelled wheat residue in a 13CO2‐labelling chamber. After 46 and 76 incubation days, residue‐ and root‐C were measured in four aggregate size classes and in microbial‐C. Both soils had greater residue‐derived than root‐derived total aggregate‐associated C at day 76, which we attributed to the larger residue‐C than root‐C inputs at the start of the experiment. On an aggregate basis, the ratio of residue‐derived over root‐derived C decreased in most size fractions over time, indicating a greater potential for longer‐term root‐C than residue‐C stabilization by aggregates in both soils. At both sampling days, all aggregates > 53 µm had greater residue‐C concentrations in the illitic soil than in the kaolinitic soil and this difference increased with increasing aggregate size. This suggested a greater affinity of illite clay than kaolinite clay to bind with fresh residue‐derived compounds into larger aggregates and hence a greater importance of aggregates in stabilizing residue‐C in illitic compared with kaolinitic soils. The stabilization of root‐C by aggregates was less affected by clay mineralogy and thus less dependent on the affinity of clay minerals to bind with root‐derived compounds.
Defoliation‐induced changes in carbon allocation and root soluble carbon concentration in field‐grown Lolium perenne plants: do they affect carbon availability, microbes and animal trophic groups in soil?
Authors: BAZOT S. , MIKOLA J. , NGUYEN C. , ROBIN C. 
Published: September 2005

Summary

It is hypothesized that defoliation‐induced changes in plant carbon allocation and root soluble C concentration modify rhizosphere C availability and, further, the abundance and activity of soil microbes and their grazers. To test this hypothesis, field‐grown Lolium perenne swards were defoliated twice during their second growing season at two nitrogen availabilities (added N or no added N). Plant, soil and microbial attributes were measured 2 and 4 days after the last defoliation, and nematode abundance was measured 6 days after the last defoliation.
Defoliation decreased shoot production in plots where N was added, but had no significant effect in plots where N was not added. Root biomass and the ratio of root mass to shoot production were not affected.
Defoliation increased root soluble C concentration by 26% at the first harvest (2 days after defoliation) and by 18% at the second harvest (4 days after defoliation). Leaf N concentration was 27% lower in defoliated than in non‐defoliated swards at the first harvest, while that of stems was 14% higher in defoliated swards at both harvests, and that of roots was not affected. Defoliation increased root C : N ratio, decreased stem C : N ratio, and did not have a statistically significant effect on leaf C : N ratio.
Soil attributes (soil soluble C concentration and soil C and N concentrations) were not affected by defoliation. Similarly, microbial attributes such as microbial C and N content, bacterial abundance in rhizosphere soil, and diversity of C sources utilized by the rhizosphere microbial community, did not differ between defoliated and non‐defoliated swards.
Among nematode trophic groups, defoliation reduced the abundance of fungivorous and herbivorous nematodes by 70 and 47%, respectively, but did not affect the abundance of bacterivorous, omnivorous and predatory nematodes.
Although defoliation altered plant C allocation and root soluble C concentration, these changes did not influence C availability, soil microbial growth or the abundance of bacteria‐feeding nematodes in the plant rhizosphere. Instead, the effects on root‐ and fungus‐feeding nematodes suggest that the effects of defoliation on soil communities were propagated not through the effects of root‐released C on bacteria and bacterial grazers, but through effects of root quality on root‐feeders and possibly through effects of mycorrhizal fungi on fungus‐feeders.
SHORT NOTE: AnoBase: a genetic and biological database of anophelines
Authors: Topalis P. , Koutsos A. , Dialynas E. , Kiamos C. , Hope L. K. , Strode C. , Hemingway J. , Louis C. 
Published: September 2005

AbstractAnoBase (http://www.anobase.org) is an integrated, relational database of basic biological and genetic data on anopheline species, with a particular emphasis on Anopheles gambiae. It has been designed as an information source and research support tool for the broad vector biology community. Although AnoBase is not a primary genomic database that develops and provides tools to access the genome of the malaria mosquito, it nevertheless contains several sections that offer data of genomic interest such as in situ hybridization images, an integrated gene tool and direct online access to AnoXcel, the proteomic database of An. gambiae. Moreover, AnoBase also contains information on non‐gambiae mosquito species and a novel section on studies related to insecticide resistance.
Role of dopachrome conversion enzyme in the melanization of filarial worms in mosquitoes
Authors: Huang C.‐Y. , Christensen B. M. , Chen C.‐C. 
Published: September 2005

AbstractMelanization is an effective defence reaction of mosquito hosts against invading parasites. In mosquitoes, the biosynthesis of melanin is initiated by the hydroxylation of tyrosine to DOPA by phenoloxidase (PO). DOPA is a branch point of the melanization reaction; it may be oxidized to dopaquinone by PO or be decarboxylated to dopamine by dopa decarboxylase. Further oxidation of dopaquinone by PO produces dopachrome. Dopachrome is then converted to 5, 6‐dihydroxyindole by dopachrome conversion enzyme (DCE) to produce melanin. The conversion of dopachrome is a rate‐limiting step of the melanization reaction, and the presence of PO and DCE significantly accelerates melanization reactions. In this study, a cDNA encoding DCE was cloned from the mosquito Armigeres subalbatus. Real‐time PCR analysis revealed increased transcripts from haemocytes in microfilariae (mf)‐inoculated mosquitoes. Gene silencing using double‐stranded RNA was used to elucidate the role of DCE in the melanization reaction of parasites in Ar. subalbatus. The levels of both DCE transcripts and protein in gene knockdown mosquitoes were dramatically reduced. Compared with controls, the degree of melanization of mf in DCE‐knockdown mosquitoes was significantly decreased. These results suggest that DCE is a critical enzyme that is required for effective melanization immune responses.
Swedish women's satisfaction with medical and emotional aspects of antenatal care
Authors: Hildingsson Ingegerd , Rådestad Ingela 
Published: September 2005

Aim.  This paper reports a study to investigate how satisfied Swedish women are with their antenatal care.Background.  Medical care is of high priority, but other aspects, such as psychosocial support are also important for women during pregnancy. Identifying women who are dissatisfied with their antenatal care could help us to improve this.Methods.  A national cohort of 2746 Swedish‐speaking women completed a questionnaire in early pregnancy and at 2 months postpartum. The data were collected in 1999–2000.Results.  The majority of participants were satisfied with their antenatal care, but 23% were dissatisfied with the emotional aspects and 18% with the medical aspects. The strongest predictors of dissatisfaction were women's opinions that midwives had not been supportive and had not paid attention to their partners’ needs. If the women believed that there were not enough antenatal visits or had met three or more midwives during their antenatal visits, they were more likely to be dissatisfied with the care received. Those with low levels of education were more likely to be dissatisfied with both medical and emotional aspects of antenatal care.Conclusions.  Midwives working in antenatal care should support pregnant women and their partners in a professional and friendly way in order to increase satisfaction with care. Organizing teamwork with no more than two midwives taking care of a woman during a normal pregnancy could make women feel more supported by their midwives.
Nursing intervention after carotid endarterectomy: a randomized trial of Co‐ordinated Care Post‐Discharge (CCPD)
Authors: Middleton Sandy , Donnelly Neil , Harris John , Ward Jeanette 
Published: September 2005

Aim.  This paper reports a study evaluating the short‐term impact of nursing‐led, co‐ordinated care after discharge following carotid endarterectomy.Background.  Patient education about stroke risk factors, combined systematically with carotid endarterectomy, holds unrealized potential to improve patient outcomes. Nurses are well‐placed in the healthcare system to co‐ordinate this type of education.Methods.  A randomized controlled trial was conducted between October 2001 and October 2002. Patients having carotid endarterectomy (n = 133) were randomized to either the intervention (n = 66) or control group (n = 67). The intervention consisted of telephone liaison with the patient by a Registered Nurse at 2, 6 and 12 weeks following carotid endarterectomy, combined with education about stroke risk factor management and structured liaison with the patient's surgeon and referring general practitioner. While patients allocated to the control group did not receive any postoperative telephone contact directly from the Registered Nurse during the study, their general practitioners received structured postoperative liaison.Results.  The co‐ordinated care postdischarge intervention had a statistically significant positive effect on patient knowledge of stroke warning signs (P = 0·002), patient self‐reported changes to improve lifestyle (P = 0·006) and diet modification (P < 0·001). Statistically significant improvements from baseline to follow‐up were detected in both groups for other outcomes.Conclusions.  While nursing‐led, co‐ordinated care after discharge achieves important improvements for short‐term outcomes, carotid endarterectomy itself may have been a catalyst for improved patient outcomes. Further research of nursing‐led co‐ordinated care initiatives for vascular surgery patients is needed.
Client–caregiver–nurse coalition formation in decision‐making situations during home visits
Authors: Dalton Joanne 
Published: September 2005

Aims.  The purpose of this paper is to report the findings of an exploratory study designed to test a portion of the Theory of Collaborative Decision‐Making in Nursing Practice for Triads by examining the relation between types of decisions and formation of coalitions during triadic interactions among older home healthcare clients, their caregivers and home healthcare nurses during seven admission visits for home health care.Background.  Although home healthcare nurses include clients and family members in decision‐making about care, few publications address the nature of interactions among triads of clients, caregivers and nurses in home health care and the association between decision‐making and those interactions.Method.  The data presented in this paper are a secondary analysis of data originally collected in 1994. The sample included 157 decision‐making situations identified from interactions of seven triads of older home healthcare clients, their caregivers and nurses. Qualitative data were collected by participant observation and audio‐recording of admission visit interactions among clients, caregivers and nurses. Content analysis, augmented by Ethnograph software, was used to analyse the data.Findings.  Coalitions were evident in just eight of the 157 decision‐making situations. All of the theoretically possible types of nursing care decisions (programme, operational control, agenda) were observed. Each coalition involved one nursing care decision; two coalitions formed in one triad. Seven coalitions formed between nurse and caregiver against client during two programme and five operational control decisions. One coalition formed between client and caregiver against nurse during an agenda decision. No coalitions formed between client and nurse against caregiver.Conclusions.  Although the study sample was small, the findings expand understanding of the relation between types of decisions and formation of coalitions during triadic interactions in home health care, and provided empirical support for a portion of the Theory of Collaborative Decision‐Making in Nursing Practice for Triads.
How is the indoor environment related to asthma?: literature review
Authors: Richardson George , Eick Susan , Jones Raymond 
Published: September 2005

Aims.  This paper reports a review conducted to identify the factors in the indoor environment that have an evidence‐based link with the exacerbation or development of asthma and to identify measures that healthcare professionals can promote to reduce exposure to these risk factors in the home.Background.  The indoor environment, particularly at home, has been recognized as a major source of exposure to allergens and toxic chemicals. Exposure to allergens and toxins is thought to exacerbate respiratory conditions, in particular, asthma.Methods.  Searches were made of health and indoor environment databases, including Cochrane Library, National Health Services Centre for Reviews and Assessment Reports, British Medical Journal, CINAHL and Ovid library, MEDSCAPE/MEDLINE, EMBASE, INGENTA, Science Citation Index, Web of Science. Searches were also made of other Internet‐based resources, including those of international and government bodies. The following keywords were used: allergens, allergen avoidance, asthma, asthma prevention, cat, damp, Der p 1, dog, environmental control, house dust mites, indoor air quality, indoor environment, meta analysis, mould, pets, remedial actions, respiratory illnesses and systematic reviews.Findings.  There is evidence of a link between asthma and a small number of indoor environmental factors. There is currently only reasonable evidence for one causative factor for asthma in the indoor environment and that is house dust mite allergen. Although there are many studies of different remedial actions that can be taken in the home, often these give evidence of reduced risk of exposure but not clinical improvement in asthma. Although there is a lack of medical evidence for the reduction of known sensitizers such as mould, this is because of a dearth of research rather than evidence of no association.Conclusions.  There is some evidence of a link between the indoor environment and asthma. There are measures, which could be promoted by healthcare professionals to alleviate asthmatic symptoms.
Mindfulness‐Based Stress Reduction as supportive therapy in cancer care: systematic review
Authors: Smith Joanna E. , Richardson Janet , Hoffman Caroline , Pilkington Karen 
Published: September 2005

Aim.  This paper reports a systematic review and critical appraisal of the evidence on the effectiveness of Mindfulness‐Based Stress Reduction for cancer supportive care.Background.  The experience of cancer can have a negative impact on both psychological and physical health and on quality of life. Mindfulness‐Based Stress Reduction is a therapy package that has been used with patients with a variety of conditions. In order to draw conclusions on its effectiveness for cancer patients, the evidence requires systematic assessment.Methods.  A comprehensive search of major biomedical and specialist complementary medicine databases was conducted. Additionally, efforts were made to identify unpublished and ongoing research. Relevant research was categorized by study type and appraised according to study design. Clinical commentaries were obtained for each study and included in the review.Results.  Three randomized controlled clinical trials and seven uncontrolled clinical trials were found. A lack of relevant qualitative research studies was identified. Studies report positive results, including improvements in mood, sleep quality and reductions in stress. A dose‐response effect has been observed between practice of Mindfulness‐Based Stress Reduction and improved outcome. A number of methodological limitations were identified. Modifications to the traditional Mindfulness‐Based Stress Reduction programme make comparison between studies difficult and a lack of controlled studies precludes any firm conclusion on efficacy.Conclusion.  Mindfulness‐Based Stress Reduction has potential as a clinically valuable self‐administered intervention for cancer patients. Further research into its efficacy, feasibility and safety for cancer patients in the nursing context is recommended.
Advancing ophthalmic nursing practice through action research
Authors: Waterman Heather , Harker Rona , MacDonald Heather , McLaughlan Rita , Waterman Christine 
Published: September 2005

Aim.  This paper reports an action research project that promoted posturing face down following macular hole surgery and aimed to enhance patient outcomes. This paper gives an overview of the process and outcomes of the first three of four phases of the project: problem identification, planning and action. The fourth phase, which was an evaluation of the project, is reported in another paper.Background.  Surgical repair for macular hole is common procedure carried out worldwide, and patients are required to posture face down for several weeks after this surgery. There is anecdotal evidence that many patients find this difficult to carry out. In the context of increasing medical specialization, nursing practice must be developed to meet the needs of patients being treated. This study will, therefore, be relevant beyond the particular specialty and geographical location described.Method.  The methodology was participative and cyclical. Initially, a fact‐finding exercise was undertaken, using qualitative interviews with 18 members of staff to elicit their perspectives on the posturing of patients. Based on the fact‐finding exercise, seven action objectives were set. While these were being implemented, three further research projects were identified and undertaken. Two were qualitative studies: one investigated patients’ experiences of the surgery and posturing, and the second concerned nurses’ developing working theories on the promotion of posturing and effects of nursing care on patient outcomes. Another pilot study was a randomized controlled trial to consider the effect of two different posturing regimes on patient outcomes. In addition to regular action research group meetings, these studies served to inform and monitor the changes as they were put into practice. The work was carried out from 1998 to 2002.Findings.  Several factors appeared to influence whether patients postured after surgery, namely: education of staff and patients, appropriately timed services, clear lines of responsibility for patient care, good communication and availability of equipment.Conclusion.  The research suggests that an approach to care is required that appreciates and deals with the multiple factors that influence whether patients carry out the posturing.
Staff in services for people with intellectual disabilities: the impact of stress on attributions of challenging behaviour
Authors: Rose D. , Rose J. 
Published: October 2005

AbstractBackground  There is a lack of a conceptual framework as to how stress and attribution variables interact and influence staff behaviour in response to challenging behaviour. To address this, a model is tested examining the impact of stress on attributions of challenging behaviour within Weiner's model of helping.Method  A total of 107 staff working in community homes for people with intellectual disabilities completed a self‐report questionnaire that measured stress, burnout, attributions, emotions, optimism and helping behaviour in response to challenging behaviour.Results  Partial support was found for the role of attributions and emotions. However, although staff reported high stress levels and moderate burnout, this did not appear to relate to their reporting of thoughts and feelings regarding challenging behaviour predicted by Weiner's helping model. It was not possible to fully test the helping model, as the ‘help’ variable was not normally distributed.Conclusions  There was little evidence to suggest that stress has a primary role in determining staff responses when examined within Weiner's model of helping. Limited support in general was offered for Weiner's helping model. Potential conceptual difficulties and clinical implications are explored and alternative models for future research are discussed.