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PubMed2004

A double concern: Danish grandfathers' experiences when a small grandchild is critically ill.

This paper addresses grandfathers' lived experiences when a new-born or small grandchild is critically ill. Grandfathers are marginal in nursing research in spite of the fact that intensive care nursing has broadened its perspective from being patient-centred to include family-oriented care. A convenience sample of seven grandfathers was interviewed once. Using Van Manen's phenomenological methodology, the essence of the phenomenon was found to be "a double concern". Main themes in this essential theme were: "Being a father and a grandfather" and "being in the midst of life and death". Six sub-themes expanded and clarified the meaning of these themes. Overall the grandfathers experienced worry and loving concern for parents and grandchildren. In life-threatening situations grandfathers were scared and felt helpless; they were prepared to console and comfort; they always hoped for the best; and they felt like being in the inner circle if the health personnel included them when informing about the infant. Information and presence generally were of importance for the wellbeing of grandfathers. The findings constitute a systematic and thematic description of Danish grandfathers' experiences and therefore add to a family-oriented body of knowledge for intensive care nursing.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed1985

Global vs. restricted negative measure of life change events: methodological inquiry.

The present study replicated a previous investigation that compared a global measure of life change events (the Schedule of Recent Experience) with a restricted negative measure of such events (the Life Experience Survey) in association with self-reported anxiety and depressive symptomatology (N = 84). With appropriate sampling methods and data analysis by gender, the previous finding of the superiority of the negative events measure was not supported. The pattern of inconsistent findings for both measures suggests the need for utilizing semi-structured interviews.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

Recombinant antibodies for the depletion of abundant proteins from human serum.

The identification of biomarkers from serum or plasma is often hindered by a few proteins present at high concentrations, which may obscure less abundant proteins. Ideal serum depletion strategies would be flexible as regards the proteins to be removed, and would feature the use of reagents with long shelf-lives. In this article, we describe a novel protein depletion methodology based on the incubation of serum samples with phage-derived recombinant antibody fragments, which are able to bind to staphylococcal Protein A, and which carry a C-terminal peptide tag capable of streptavidin binding. The resulting protein-antibody complexes can be removed by simultaneous capture on Protein A and/or streptavidin resin. The depletion methodology was exemplified by the isolation of recombinant human mAb fragments specific to abundant human serum Ags and by the simultaneous depletion of albumin, immunoglobulins, alpha2-macroglobulin, hemoglobin, transferrin and haptoglobin. The depleted serum samples were analyzed by 2-DE and by gel-free MS-based methodologies, confirming the efficiency and selectivity of the depletion process. The methodology presented is modular in nature, since several recombinant antibodies can be combined in a single depletion experiment. Furthermore, antibodies do not have to be covalently coupled to a solid support facilitating long-term storage.

Antibodies↗

PubMed2004

The role of self-report questionnaire in the screening of postnatal depression- a community sample survey in central Tokyo.

BACKGROUND: Numerous studies have shown that health care professionals often experience difficulty in detecting postnatal depression. In Japan, where mental illness has traditionally been stigmatized, detection seems even more difficult. This study investigates the prevalence of postnatal depression in the community and its relation to screening methodology. METHODS: The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) was distributed at community health centers in a district in central Tokyo. The results from both non-identifiable questionnaires and identifiable questionnaires were compared. Screening by EPDS and clinical judgment by community nurses were compared. RESULTS: Making the questionnaire identifiable did not change the score distribution pattern. Among mothers with 3- to 4-month-old babies in the community, 13.9% scored high (9 or above) on EPDS. In 51.1% of high scorers,nurses did not detect postnatal depression. Clinically, postnatal depression can be easily missed in the community health-check setting especially when there was hitherto no report of obstetric abnormality during pregnancy or delivery. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of high scorers is comparable to those reported in other countries. The use of the questionnaire was helpful in drawing the attention of mothers and health care professionals to issues of mental health.

Adult↗

PubMed1999

Neuroimaging of hallucinations: a review of the literature.

While hallucinations have been described for over two millennia, their cause remains unclear. Brain-based models suggest that abnormal cerebral excitation and a lack of normal cerebral inhibition may play primary roles, but evaluation of these hypotheses has been hampered by difficulty in studying the hallucinatory state. Recent advances in neuroimaging have provided researchers with tools to study a variety of mental states, including hallucinations. We review the literature regarding the structural and functional neural correlates of hallucinations. Despite small sample sizes and methodological differences, several studies describe similar results: hallucinations are associated with sensory modality-specific activation in cerebral areas involved in normal sensory processing. Furthermore, neural activation may be specifically related to distinct phenomenological features of the hallucinatory experience. Further work is needed to better understand the neural basis of hallucinations.

Adult↗

PubMed1992

The natural course of schizophrenia: a review of first-admission studies.

In this article, research on the natural course of illness among first-admission schizophrenic patients is reviewed from an epidemiological perspective. Three types of studies are considered: statistical reports dating primarily from the preneuroleptic era; long-term followback studies; and more recent prospectively designed cohort studies. Although relatively more first-admission patients have a positive course than do multiple admissions patients, the findings confirm the substantial heterogeneity in course and outcome. Methodological improvements in first-admission research are suggested, including separating the analyses of first-episode patients from those with past psychotic experiences; employing longitudinal methods for deriving diagnosis; including patients with drug and alcohol problems where appropriate; enlarging the samples either by multisite or multicenter collaborations or by pooling data across studies; and obtaining better data on treatment experiences in naturalistic research.

Female↗

PubMed2004

Regulation of gene expression in inflammatory bowel disease and correlation with IBD drugs: screening by DNA microarrays.

Potential biomarkers for Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) were identified from two sets of full thickness pathologic samples utilizing DermArray and PharmArray DNA microarrays relative to uninvolved (Un) colon or normal colon. Seven of the over-expressed genes were verified using quantitative RT-PCR (i.e., TMPT, FABP1, IFI27, LCN2, COL11A2, HXB, and metallothionein). By correlating gene expression profiles between inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) tissue samples and IBD drug-treated cell cultures it might be possible to identify new candidate molecular target genes for IBD therapy and drug discovery. Potential biomarkers for CaCo2 cell cultures, which are routinely used as a GI tract surrogate model for in vitro pharmacokinetic studies, treated with azathioprine, 5-aminosalicylic acid, metronidazole, and prednisone were also identified from another experiment. Metallothionein mRNA expression was found to be down-regulated in azathioprine-treated CaCo2 cells, and was coincidentally up-regulated in the CD sample, thus resulting in an anti-correlation. These results suggest that this new screening methodology is feasible, that metallothioneins might be biomarkers for azathioprine therapy in vivo in CD, and that azathioprine might mechanistically down-regulate metallothionein gene expression. Correlations were also observed between IBD samples and either metronidazole- or 5-aminosalicylic acid-treated CaCo2 cells. Similar comparisons of disease tissue samples in vivo vs drug-treated cell cultures in vitro might reveal new mechanistic insights concerning established or experimental drug therapies. This affordable in vitro methodology is promising for expanded studies of IBD and other diseases.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

[Development of an optimized formulation of damask marmalade with low energy level using Taguchi methodology].

The goal of this present study was the development of an optimized formula of damask marmalade low in calories applying Taguchi methodology to improve the quality of this product. The selection of this methodology lies on the fact that in real life conditions the result of an experiment frequently depends on the influence of several variables, therefore, one expedite way to solve this problem is utilizing factorial desings. The influence of acid, thickener, sweetener and aroma additives, as well as time of cooking, and possible interactions among some of them, were studied trying to get the best combination of these factors to optimize the sensorial quality of an experimental formulation of dietetic damask marmalade. An orthogonal array L8 (2(7)) was applied in this experience, as well as level average analysis was carried out according Taguchi methodology to determine the suitable working levels of the design factors previously choiced, to achieve a desirable product quality. A sensory trained panel was utilized to analyze the marmalade samples using a composite scoring test with a descriptive acuantitative scale ranging from 1 = Bad, 5 = Good. It was demonstrated that the design factors sugar/aspartame, pectin and damask aroma had a significant effect (p < 0.05) on the sensory quality of the marmalade with 82% of contribution on the response. The optimal combination result to be: citric acid 0.2%; pectin 1%; 30 g sugar/16 mg aspartame/100 g, damask aroma 0.5 ml/100 g, time of cooking 5 minutes. Regarding chemical composition, the most important results turned out to be the decrease in carbohydrate content compaired with traditional marmalade with a reduction of 56% in coloric value and also the amount of dietary fiber greater than similar commercial products. Assays of storage stability were carried out on marmalade samples submitted to different temperatures held in plastic bags of different density. Non percetible sensorial, microbiological and chemical changes were detected after 90 days of storage under controlled conditions.

Dietary Fiber↗

PubMed1998

Objectivity of two methods of differentiating fibre types and repeatability of measurements by application of the TEMA image analysis system.

The objectivity of two of the most widely used methods for differentiation of fibre types, i.e. 1) the myosin ATP-ase method (Brooke and Kaiser, 1970a,b) and 2) the combined method, by which the myosin ATP-ase reaction is used to differentiate between fast and slow twitch fibres and NADH-tetrazolium reductase activity is used to identify the subgroups of fast twitch fibres (Ashmore and Doerr, 1970, Peter et al., 1972), was assessed in muscle samples from horses, calves and pigs. We also assessed the objectivity of the alpha-amylase-PAS preparation for the visualisation of capillaries (Andersen, 1975) in these species. For the purpose of reducing the time costs of histochemical analysis of muscle samples, we have developed an interactive image analysis system which is described. All analyses are performed on this system. In accordance with several other investigations, differences between the two methods of differentiating fibre types were found only for the relative distribution of the fast-twitch fibre subgroups (p < 0.02 and p < 0.05 for the relative number of type IIA and IIB, respectively) whereas when calculated in relative area, only the proportion of type IIA fibres differed significantly (p < 0.05). Significant interaction effects between method and person and method and species were found for the same traits. When methods were analysed separately, the combined method displayed a significant variance component of person for the distribution of type IIA fibres both in relative number and in relative area (p < 0.01 and p < 0.001, respectively). The objectivity of the ATP-ase method was further substantiated by the fact that a higher fraction of the total variance for the relative area distribution of type IIA fibres was explained by the statistical model (72.1% versus 34.2% for the combined method). Although the repeatability of measurements between persons was generally high (> 87%), the impact of differences in pre-requisites (varied degrees of overlap between the fibre types) for performing the differentiation by the combined method raises a question of the reliability of this method. Apparently, no general rules for comparison of results of distribution of the two subgroups of fast twitch fibres by the two methods are applicable. The alpha-amylase-PAS method was found to be a fairly objective method to identify capillaries in muscles from horses, calves and pigs. However, as capillarity described in combination with other traits to give an indication of diffusion characteristics is significantly influenced by person, it is recommended that the same person perform all the analysis of a project. In addition to the methodological results in this study, we have shown that by application of the TEMA image analysis system, which is more rapid compared with the time-consuming traditional method for evaluation of histochemical preparations, analysis of samples from large-scale experiments are now possible.

Animals↗

PubMed1991

Computer-aided self-observation psychological stressors in an ICU.

We have developed a procedure for a computer-aided self-observation method in stressful situations. Staff members of an ICU recorded their experiences on a computer placed in the ICU, immediately after having experienced a stressful event. The computer asked for and stored psychologically relevant information about cognitive, affective and behavioural aspects. An external stress memory of an ICU was established, allowing a personal/institution-orientated stress diagnosis to be made on the basis of 192 episodes. Sixteen nurses in an intensive care unit in a Swiss hospital used this methodology for 12 weeks. One hundred and ninety-two stressful events were recorded (12 episodes per person), forming a good sample of the stressful episodes for the unit. To the same 16 nurses and 31 nurses at the same hospital (N total = 47) the Nursing Stress Scale was administered. The results from both groups showed that problems dealing with death and work load were predominant. Nurse characteristics such as levels of training (unskilled, skilled) and experience (number of years working as a nurse) were analysed by different statistical procedures and related to their stress experience.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed2002

Comparison of methods for particulate phase mercury analysis: sampling and analysis.

Accurate and reliable sampling and analysis of mercury forms is an overriding aim of any atmospheric monitoring effort which seeks to understand the fate and transport of the metal in the environment. Although a fraction of the total mercury forms found in the atmosphere, particulate phase mercury, Hg(p), is believed to play a prominent role in both wet and dry deposition to the terrestrial and aquatic environments. Currently, microwave acid extraction and thermoreductive methodologies for analysis of Hg(p) samples are widely used. We report on the potential for the use of a thermoreductive method for Hg(p) analysis to evaluate and optimize it for use in routine monitoring networks. Pre-baked quartz filters can be placed in particulate samplers with well-characterized size cuts, such as dichotomous samplers and microoriface impactors. The thermoreductive methodology facilitates rapid analysis after sample collection. It requires no chemical extraction thereby eliminating the potential for contamination and generation of hazardous waste. Our results indicate that, on average, the thermoreductive method yields 30% lower values for fine fraction Hg(p) when compared with microwave acid digestion. This may be due to matrix interferents that reduce the collection efficiency of mercury onto gold preconcentration traps. Results for total particulate mercury samples indicate that on average the thermoreductive method yields 56% lower values for the coarse fraction when compared with microwave acid digestion. Experiments were also conducted in Detroit, MI, USA to investigate whether elevated reactive gaseous mercury (Hg(2+)(g)) in an urban environment can lead to an artifact during the collection of filters for Hg(p) analysis. Our results indicate a significantly higher amount of Hg(p) collected onto a filter using the conventional methodology as compared to a filter collected downstream of KCl-coated annular denuders in the absence of Hg(2+)(g). These results point to the presence of Hg(2+)(g) as an artifact during Hg(p) measurement. These results indicate that a denuder must be utilized upstream of a filter for Hg(p) collection to prevent significant Hg(2+)(g) artifact formation.

Journal Article↗

PubMed1970

Isolation of ether-resistant enteroviruses from sewage: methodology.

Experiments were conducted to determine whether polio type 1 (Mahoney and coxsackie A8 viruses adsorb onto cotton fibers of sewer swabs. Negative results were obtained. It has been shown that viruses may exist in sewage as free virus particles or as bound (adsorbed) virus particles. The sewer-swab method of sampling is superior because it filters out the bound virus over several days; when collected, it represents a catch (grab) sample at that particular time which may or may not contain free virus. A simple method for the preparation of sewage inocula for virus isolations is described which samples the bound virus fraction. Only ether-resistant viruses can be isolated, and an ultracentrifuge is not required. By this method, an isolation rate between 60 and 80% of positive sewer swabs can be achieved. Corresponding figures of 84 and 96% were achieved by concentration of sewer-swab eluates with an ultracentrifuge. Quantitative studies showed that the virus concentration in raw sewage can be as high as one infectious particle per 0.5 ml.

Adsorption↗

PubMed2003

Methodological tests of a heterotrophy index for aquatic ecosystems.

Experiments in glucose mineralization were carried out to investigate the effects caused by natural forcing functions on both the decomposition rates and heterotrophy capacity of aquatic ecosystems. In addition, the methodology used could show connections between mineralization rates measured in both laboratory and field work with those measured in aquatic ecosystems. Water samples from Infernão lagoon (21 degrees 35'S and 47 degrees 51'W) were collected, filtered, enriched with glucose, and incubated under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. The glucose concentration variation, dissolved oxygen (DO) consumption, pH, electric conductivity, and total CO2 amount in the water were determined for sixteen days. In the period with intense oxygen consumption there was also an evident glucose demand and the dissolved oxygen consumption rate was approximately the same as that for glucose mineralization. The process in the aerobic chambers was 2.2 times faster than that in the anaerobic chambers. An initial acidification of the water samples, probably due to microbial carbonic acid liberation, was noted. A rise in pH values was also observed at the end of the process. The electric conductivity was low for both aerobic and anaerobic chambers, indicating a probable ion uptake by microbial organisms due to the presence of carbon sources. The glucose content variations corresponded to both CO2 formation and dissolved oxygen consumption. It was estimated that 19.4% of the initial glucose content turned into CO2 and the remaining 80.6% into humic compounds and microbial biomass. This experiment showed that glucose can be used as a substrate indicating the heterotrophy of a given aquatic ecosystem.

Aerobiosis↗

PubMed2005

Predicting the use of single versus multiple types of violence towards children in a representative sample of Quebec families.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to determine which factors best predict parental use of single versus multiple types of violence. METHODOLOGY: The study uses data from a Quebec telephone survey conducted with a representative sample of 2,469 mothers of children aged 0-17 years. The interview covered topics such as mother's attitudes and reports of violence towards children, mother's experiences of childhood violence, level of marital discord, and socioeconomic factors. A discriminant function analysis was performed using individual and family factors to predict membership in five distinct groups: (a) no violence reported; (b) reports of psychological aggression only; (c) reports of minor physical violence only; (d) reports of psychological aggression and minor physical violence; and (e) reports of psychological aggression, minor and severe physical violence. RESULTS: One-way ANOVAs revealed that the groups differed significantly on factors such as child's age and gender, mother's attitudes, mother's experiences of childhood violence, level of marital discord, and number of children in the household. Discriminant function analysis revealed that the groups differed in two ways. The first function maximally separated the report of psychological aggression from minor physical violence only. The second function discriminated between the combined reports of all three types of violence versus the reports of minor physical violence only. Mother's attitudes and experiences of childhood violence were the two factors that best distinguished among groups and best predicted group membership. CONCLUSION: These results offer new insights for the prediction of mother's reports of one type versus multiple types of violence and highlight the importance of distinguishing between types and combinations of family violence in future research.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1998

Modelling behavioral syndromes using Bayesian networks.

In this paper Bayesian networks modelling is applied to a multidimensional model of depression. The characterization of the probabilistic model exploits expert knowledge to associate latent concentrations of neurotransmitters and symptoms. An evolution perspective is also considered. Specific criteria are introduced to detect the influence of the latent variable on the observation of symptoms. The Bayesian analysis is carried out using Gibbs sampling technique which is implemented in the BUGS software. The estimation phase leads to the selection of symptoms entering into the definition of behavioral syndromes. Results on real data are discussed. The last section deals with simulation experiments. Simulation results confirm our methodological choices. Results of the paper can enlarge to the central problem of the management of latent variables in Bayesian networks modelling.

Artificial Intelligence↗

PubMed1995

A Heideggerian hermeneutical analysis of older women's stories of being strong.

As people in our society live longer, affirming the quality of their lived experience becomes more important. The purpose of this study was to ascertain and analyze the meanings of "being strong" as revealed from within the stories of older women. A Heideggerian hermeneutical approach, from a critical feminist perspective, was the methodology used. The sample consisted of 12 women, 7 White and 5 Black, over the age of 65. A team of researchers analyzed the transcripts. Findings consisted of three constitutive patterns: "Surviving," "Finding Strength," and "Gathering the Memories ... Seeing the Patterns."

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed2002

Gene expression studies using microarrays: principles, problems, and prospects.

A number of mammalian genomes having been sequenced, an important next step is to catalog the expression patterns of all transcription units in health and disease by use of microarrays. Such discovery programs are crucial to our understanding of the gene networks that control developmental, physiological, and pathological processes. However, despite the excitement, the full promise of microarray technology has yet to be realized, as the superficial simplicity of the concept belies considerable problems. Microarray technology is very new; methodologies are still evolving, common standards have yet to be established, and many problems with experimental design and variability have still to be fully understood and overcome. This review will describe the time course of a microarray experiment-RNA isolation from sample, target preparation, hybridization to the microarray probe, data capture, and bioinformatic analysis. For each stage, the advantages and disadvantages of competing techniques are compared, and inherent sources of error are identified and discussed.

Animals↗

PubMed2004

Membrane protein structure determination using solid-state NMR.

Solid-state NMR is emerging as a method for resolving structural information for large biomolecular complexes, such as membrane-embedded proteins. In principle, there is no molecular weight limit to the use of the approach, although the complexity and volume of data is still outside complete assignment and structural determinations for any large (Mr > approx 30,000) complex unless specific methods to reduce the information content to a manageable amount are employed. Such methods include specific residue-type labeling, labeling of putative segments of a protein, or examination of complexes made up of smaller, manageable units, such as oligomeric ion channels. Labeling possibilities are usually limited to recombinant or synthesized proteins, and labeling strategies often follow models from a bioinformatics approach. In all cases, and in common with most membrane studies, sample preparation is vital, and this activity alone can take considerable effort before NMR can be applied--peptide or protein production (synthesis or expression) followed by reconstitution into bilayers and resolution of suitable sample geometry is still technically challenging. As experience is gained in the field, this development time should decrease. Here, the practical aspects of the use of solid-state NMR for membrane protein structural determinations are presented, as well as how the methodology can be applied. Some successes to date are discussed, with an indication of how the area might develop.

Membrane Proteins↗