Semiclassical study of spectral evolution under propagation in an active medium.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Journal Article↗
SEARCH · PubMed Health
Results for “Evolution of cooperation”
Explore indexed PubMed citations for clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health research. Read source abstracts and follow each citation to its original PubMed record.
Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.
Quality management standards for facility services in the Italian health care sector.
PURPOSE: Health care, one of the most dynamic sectors in Italy, is studied with a particular focus on outsourcing non-core activities such as facility management (FM) services. The project's goals are to define national standards to balance and control facility service evolution, and to drive FM services towards organisational excellence. The authors, in cooperation with a pool of facility service providers and hospitals managers, studied cleaning services--one of the most critical areas. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: This article describes the research steps and findings following definition and publication of the Italian standard and its application to an international benchmarking process. The method chosen for developing the Italian standard was to merge technical, strategic and organisational aspects with the goal of standardising the contracting system, giving service providers the chance to improve efficiency and quality, while helping healthcare organisations gain from a better, more reliable and less expensive service. FINDINGS: The Italian standard not only improved services but also provided adequate control systems for outsourcing organisations. In this win-win context, it is hoped to continually drive FM services towards organisational excellence. RESEARCH LIMITATIONS/IMPLICATIONS: This study is specific to the Italian national healthcare system. However, the strategic dynamics described are common to many other contexts. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: A systematic method for improving hospital FM services is presented. ORIGINALITY/VALUE: The authors believe that lessons learned from their Italian case study can be used to better understand and drive similar services in other countries or in other FM service outsourcing sectors.
Health Care Sector↗
Widespread tissue distribution of aminopeptidase A, an evolutionarily conserved ectoenzyme recognized by the BP-1 antibody.
Early B-lineage cells in mice express a cell surface glycoprotein, recognized by the BP-1 and 6C3 monoclonal antibodies, that has been identified as aminopeptidase A (APA E.C.3.4.11.7). In the present studies we obtained evidence by DNA "zoo-blot" analysis that the APA gene is highly conserved. This ectoenzyme catalyzes the removal of N-terminal Glu- and Asp-residues to convert angiotensin II to angiotensin III, a degradation step important in local regulation of blood pressure in mammals. To gain further insight into the physiology of this molecule, which is shared between immune and vascular systems, we examined the tissue distribution of BP-1 mRNA using a cDNA probe and of the protein antigen using the BP-1 antibody for immunohistology. APA transcripts were present in all tissues examined. Abundant BP-1/APA was found in the intestinal brush border of the small intestine, renal glomeruli, proximal renal tubules, pulmonary alveolar walls and vascular endothelium in many organs. Other tissues containing the BP-1 antigen included stromal cells in the thymus cortex, bile canaliculi in liver, gall bladder epithelium, interlobular ducts in pancreas, the ovarian theca interna, basement membrane of the epididymis and the splanchnopleure in placenta. APA enzyme activities have been identified in most of these locations, in keeping with identification of the BP-1/6C3 antigen as APA. The data suggest this ectopeptidase may serve diverse physiologic roles in a broad spectrum of tissues.
Aminopeptidases↗
(R)evolutionary considerations in hematopoietic development.
Evolutionary aspects of three characteristics of the mammalian hematopoietic system are considered in the context of both established and recent data. First, the lineage relationships among early members of the hematopoietic hierarchy are reconsidered in a tripartite model proposing lineage segregation based on vascular function, innate immunity, and acquired immunity on an evolutionary time scale. Second, the observation of two stem cell populations that differ in cell cycle status is considered as an evolved mechanism to enhance survival of the species in response to exposure to environmental toxins. Finally, the mobilization of hematopoietic stem cells into the peripheral circulation is proposed to be a mechanism for rapid dissemination of myeloid function during acute bacterial infections. These revolutionary hypotheses challenge some conventional concepts of stem cell biology, and provide an evolutionary context for considering mammalian hematopoiesis.
Animals↗
Sustainability. Millennium assessment of human behavior.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Attitude↗
Progress report on the AJRCCM: continued growth and evolution for the journal.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Critical Care↗
The prevalence of hypertension in seven populations of west African origin.
OBJECTIVES: This study was undertaken to describe the distribution of blood pressures, hypertension prevalence, and associated risk factors among seven populations of West African origin. METHODS: The rates of hypertension in West Africa (Nigeria and Cameroon), the Caribbean (Jamaica, St. Lucia, Barbados), and the United States (metropolitan Chicago, Illinois) were compared on the basis of a highly standardized collaborative protocol. After researchers were given central training in survey methods, population-based samples of 800 to 2500 adults over the age of 25 were examined in seven sites, yielding a total sample of 10014. RESULTS: A consistent gradient of hypertension prevalence was observed, rising from 16% in West Africa to 26% in the Caribbean and 33% in the United States. Mean blood pressures were similar among persons aged 25 to 34, while the increase in hypertension prevalence with age was twice as steep in the United States as in Africa. Environmental factors, most notably obesity and the intake of sodium and potassium, varied consistently with disease prevalence across regions. CONCLUSION: The findings demonstrate the determining role of social conditions in the evolution of hypertension risk in these populations.
Adult↗
[Dynamic model of protein behavior in water].
In the basis of the suggested model lies the hypothesis that during the evolution process biological macromolecules "learnt" to use the ability of water through cooperative transition from the rigid phase to the liquid one without a change in free energy for the regulation of their conformation. In accordance with the results of a number of investigations it is assumed that the protein molecule exists in thermodynamic equilibrium between two conformers with different accessibilities of nonpolar cavities to water and with different effective volumes. Deformation of both or one of the conformers under the effect of specific or nonspecific influences removes the system (protein+water) from the equilibrium, and as a result of the relaxation process the system achieves a new equilibrium state. A change in the equilibrium constant between the conformers determines the change of the average protein volume. The entropy and entalpy of protein and water in the system (protein+water) change during this process in a counterphase manner. Phase transition of water, involved between the subunits of oligomeric protein, may play a significant role in the mechanisms of allosteric effects.
Models, Chemical↗
Converting catabolic ornithine carbamoyltransferase to an anabolic enzyme.
Pseudomonas aeruginosa has an anabolic and a catabolic ornithine carbamoyltransferase (OTCase). In vitro, these homologous enzymes catalyze the same reaction (ornithine + carbamoyl phosphate (CP) in equilibrium citrulline + Pi), yet in vivo they function unidirectionally owing to specific kinetic properties. The catabolic OTC-ase cannot promote the anabolic reaction (citrulline formation) in vivo because of a sigmoidal CP saturation curve and a high CP concentration for half-maximal velocity. The structural basis for this kinetic specialization was examined. The catabolic OTCase lost most of its homotropic cooperativity and gained anabolic activity when an amino acid residue near the CP binding site, Glu-106, was replaced by alanine or glycine. In the anabolic OTCase of Escherichia coli the glutamine residue corresponding to Glu-106 was exchanged for glutamate; however, in this case no CP cooperativity was acquired. Thus, in catabolic OTCase, sequence features in addition to Glu-106 are important for sigmoidal CP saturation, and such a sequence was identified in the C-terminal part. By an in vivo gene fusion technique the 9 C-terminal amino acids of catabolic OTCase were replaced by the homologous 8 amino acids from anabolic OTCase of E. coli; the hybrid enzyme had a markedly reduced homotropic cooperativity. This gene fusion method should be generally useful for directed enzyme evolution.
Amino Acid Sequence↗
An evolutionary link for developing mammalian lungs.
Lungs of the human infant and those of other mammals are filled with fluid immediately prior to birth. Studies of the ionic composition of this fluid indicate that active ionic transport processes occur in the epithelial cells of the potential airspaces. The purpose of this study was to see if these active ion pumps were present in developing species other than mammals thus providing a possible evolutionary link to mammals. A series of samples of lung liquid, amniotic fluid, and plasma were taken from embryonic marine turtles gathered from clutches incubating in the beach at Mon Repos, Queensland, Australia during the summer of 1986-87. The concentrations of sodium, potassium and chloride ions and protein measured in these liquids indicated that active pumping processes similar to that seen in the mammalian lung were present in the developing lungs of these marine reptiles and further, circumstantial evidence was gathered to suggest that this liquid was partially reabsorbed prior to hatching. The results support the notion that processes responsible for the normal development of the human lung and lungs of other mammals are also present in the hollow lungs of marine turtles. Thus there is an evolutionary counterpart controlling lung development in more ancient species. It may be possible to generalize this observation to the development of hollow lungs of other species.
Animals↗
[UNIMED: history and characteristics of a Brazilian medical cooperative].
This article describes the organizational characteristics of the UNIMED medical cooperative in Brazil. After an overview of UNIMED's share in the current health plan market, the author analyzes its organizational structure, historical evolution, and contractual regimen with member physicians, including the formula used to calculate the payment schedule for physician services. The plan currently includes 367 local member cooperatives, operating in over 80% of Brazil's counties, with 41% of existing physicians to serve 7% of the population. The organization's history began with local cooperatives and subsequently federations, the confederation, and other companies in the group. The organizational design and dynamics favor a high degree of decentralization and autonomy, subordination of all components in the system to the physician cooperative command, and the occurrence of internal disputes and conflicts between individual interests and those of the organization.
Brazil↗
Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) of jawed and jawless fishes: implications for its evolutionary origin.
The macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) is a cytokine produced by T lymphocytes and macrophages in response to inflammatory stimuli. We sequenced MIF cDNA clones of two jawless fishes, the sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) and the North Atlantic hagfish (Myxine glutinosa), as well as of the jawed (cichlid) fish Paralabidochromis chilotes. The fish MIF-encoding genes have the same exon-intron organization as the mammalian MIF genes and are present in one copy per haploid genome. Secondary and tertiary structure predictions suggest that the fish MIF proteins have a topology characteristic of the entire MIF-family of proteins. Phylogenetic analysis separates the known nematode members of the family into two groups, one having a sister group relationship with the mammalian D-dopachrome tautomerase (DDT) proteins and the other being related to vertebrate MIFs. It also reveals a high degree of convergent evolution among the members of the family. Finally, it suggests that the divergence of MIF and DDT occurred before the emergence of nematodes in metazoan evolution.
Amino Acid Sequence↗
Stress-driven strategic games in cancer.
Tumor cells face chronic genotoxic, metabolic, hypoxic, and immune stress that shapes their evolution. While stress-response molecular pathways are well characterized, cancer biology lacks a predictive framework for how cells select among alternative adaptive strategies and how these selections interact to produce tumor-level behavior. We propose that evolutionary game theory, previously applied to cooperation in cancer, should be extended to position stress adaptation itself as the organizing principle of tumor evolution. In this framework, stress-adaptive strategies constitute frequency-dependent games whose payoffs depend on population composition. We introduce a three-level distinction between cell states (transcriptional snapshots), game states (local configurations of stress and neighbor composition that define the active payoff structure), and cell strategies (conditional behavioral policies mapping game states to fitness-relevant outputs). This perspective explains the maintenance of intratumor heterogeneity through frequency-dependent selection, the reversibility of resistance through bet-hedging dynamics, and therapy resistance as an equilibrium outcome rather than genetic inevitability. Integrating insights from single-cell genomics, spatial profiling, and lineage tracing, we outline testable predictions and experimental approaches for measuring payoff structures. Therapeutically, the framework suggests exploiting adaptive trade-offs, restricting phenotypic plasticity, and reshaping competitive landscapes. Re-framing cancer as an evolving game of stress adaptation provides a unifying structure for predictive oncology.
Animals↗
TCR v(beta) repertoire restriction and lack of CDR3 conservation implicate TCR-superantigen interactions in promoting the clonal evolution of murine thymic lymphomas.
Thymic lymphoma development is a multistage process in which genetic and epigenetic events cooperate in the emergence of a malignant clone. The notion that signaling via TCR-ligand interactions plays a role in promoting the expansion of developing neoplastic clones is a matter of debate. To investigate this issue, we determined the TCR V(beta) repertoire of thymic lymphomas induced in AKR/J mice by either endogenous retroviruses or the carcinogen, N-methyl-N-nitrosourea (MNU). Both spontaneous and MNU-induced lymphomas displayed restricted V(beta) repertoires. However, whereas V(beta)6, V(beta)8 and V(beta)9 were expressed by a greater than expected frequency of MNU-induced lymphomas, V(beta)8, V(beta)7, V(beta)13 and V(beta)14 were over-represented on spontaneous lymphomas. The dissimilar TCR V(beta) profiles indicate that different endogenous ligands promote neoplastic clonal expansion in untreated and MNU-treated mice. Although the nature of these ligands is not clear, the lack of conservation in TCR beta chain CDR3 regions among lymphomas that express the same V(beta) segment suggests that endogenous superantigens (SAG), as opposed to conventional peptide ligands, are likely to be involved in the selection process. The biased representation of lymphomas expressing V(beta)6-, V(beta)7- and V(beta)9-containing TCRs that recognize endogenous SAG is consistent with this hypothesis. The finding that Bcl-2 is expressed at high levels in spontaneous and MNU-induced lymphomas suggests that preneoplastic thymocytes may be resistant to SAG-induced clonal deletion. A working model is presented in which preneoplastic clones expressing TCRs that recognize endogenous SAG are selectively expanded as a consequence of sustained TCR-mediated signaling.
Animals↗
Evolution of Quit & Win program carried through 2002 year in FB&H.
UNLABELLED: World Health Organization (WHO) in cooperation with National Public Health Institute of Finland carried through Quit & Win program 2002. People from all over the world try to abstain from smoking or using tobacco products for a four-week period, from 2-29 May. FB&H took part in this campaign. Quit & Win-2002 program was an optional contest for health professionals. The purpose of this paper is to present the participant's characteristic towards age, gender, education, tobacco consumption and previous attempts to quit. RESULTS: the research encompassed 81 health professionals. Among them 71% were women. The highest participation rates on average where found in the 45-54 year group (29.7%). The most of participants were health professionals with middle school education (81%). Only 5% of the participants were physicians. The great number of health professionals (47.5%) smoked between 1-9 years. Research shows that 61% of participants were passionate smokers who smoked more than 14 cigarettes a day. Out of 81 participants 42 medical workers has never tried to stop smoking. Research shows that smoking habit is very spread among medical workers and it follows the general state in population. It's surprising because we expect that health worker must be role model of the healthy life.
Adolescent↗
The organic content of the Tagish Lake meteorite.
The Tagish Lake meteorite fell last year on a frozen lake in Canada and may provide the most pristine material of its kind. Analyses have now shown this carbonaceous chondrite to contain a suite of soluble organic compounds (approximately 100 parts per million) that includes mono- and dicarboxylic acids, dicarboximides, pyridine carboxylic acids, a sulfonic acid, and both aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons. The insoluble carbon exhibits exclusive aromatic character, deuterium enrichment, and fullerenes containing "planetary" helium and argon. The findings provide insight into an outcome of early solar chemical evolution that differs from any seen so far in meteorites.
Amino Acids↗
Industry's voluntary program: Community Awareness and Emergency Response Program and the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act.
This paper describes the chemical industry's Community Awareness and Emergency Response (CAER) Program, and voluntary and mandatory actions by the chemical industry to comply with the major environmental legislation. The chemical industry started the voluntary CAER Program soon after the Bhopal Disaster in 1984; it is coordinated through the Chemical Manufacturer's Association. This program, which began in March 1985, is a long-term industry commitment to develop a community outreach program and to improve local emergency response planning. The Congress of the United States began, in 1985, to consider proposals for mandatory programs. This led to enactment of the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986, known as SARA. A portion of this Act, entitled Title III is also known as the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act. Although this legislation has many mandatory requirements, it should be emphasized that a significant degree of voluntary industrial participation is needed if the purposes of the statute are to be achieved. Title III has created an intricate and still evolving system that ties together the EPA, industrial plant managers, state emergency response commissions, local emergency planning committees and fire departments with jurisdiction over the facility. Each of these groups has a different role and responsibilities but must work cooperatively with other participants. Because of the intricate network of participants, the magnitude of the information flow, and the continuing evolution of the system, unique public relations problems exist in order to comply with Title III.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Awareness↗
Evolution of the extinct Sabretooths and the American cheetah-like cat.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Animals↗