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At least 1,369 records · Page 76Linked to original sources
PubMed2003

Fat-tailed sheep traits as affected by docking.

The literature mostly indicates that docking fat-tailed lambs initially reduces growth but that post-weaning growth and feed conversion efficiency then increase. The amount of fat deposited, the total separable lean meat to fat ratio and the meat quality all increase, while the percentage of bone in the carcase either decreases or does not change in the carcases of the docked lambs. Wool growth and characteristics are, in general, not affected and reproductive traits in ewes and lambs are improved by docking. The rectal temperature, respiration rate and pulse rate are decreased following docking. The concentrations of immunoreactive beta-endorphin and cortisol in the plasma and the incidence of foot stamping and restlessness, as indicators of stress, increase after docking. Other constituents of the blood are not significantly altered following docking or by the methods of docking. Docking of fat-tailed sheep using rubber rings at one day of age can be recommended.

Animal Husbandry↗
PubMed2004

Characteristics of low-income African-American and Caucasian adults that are important in self-management of type 2 diabetes.

Incidence of type 2 diabetes has greatly increased in the US, with over 90 percent having type 2. A cross-sectional, self-report survey was conducted for the purpose of assessing characteristics associated with self-management of type 2 diabetes (attitudes, certain behaviors, and perceived knowledge) among low-income Caucasian and African-American adults enrolled in the Food Stamp Nutrition Education Program (FSNEP). At the time of the study, almost 11 percent of FSNEP adult participants (457 individuals) throughout the state had type 2 diabetes. Among 196 subjects interviewed for the study, 86 were Caucasian (44%) and 100 (51%) were African-American. Results indicated that over three-fourths of subjects had been counseled on diet and exercise, but less that half were following dietary recommendations and only one-fourth were getting adequate exercise. No significant differences were found between the two race groups on assessed characteristics or among subjects grouped by place of residence (p < or = 0.01). Significant correlations were found among subjects' characteristics, including perceived health status, perceived knowledge of diabetes, attitudes towards diabetes, meal-plan adherence, perceived barriers to physical activity, and reported diabetes control (p < or = 0.0001). Findings imply that (a) self-management education for type 2 diabetes does not need to be different for African-Americans vs. Caucasians in southern states and (b) best disease control is achieved when those with type 2 diabetes have a high degree of knowledge of diabetes, positive attitudes, good meal plan adherence, and few perceived barriers to physical activity.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

[Bertha Pappenheim (1859-1936) and her role in nursing care].

In 1954 the German federal postal service issued a special stamp displaying Bertha Pappenheim (1859-1936) in the series "Helfer der Menschheit" (Helpers for mankind) together with Käthe Wollwitz, Lorenz Werthmann und Johann Friedrich Oberlin. Despite being honoured elsewhere, too, her engagement has not been taken note of by any biographers dealing with the history of nursing. This article which conveys a survey of her life and work therefore concentrates primarily on the importance Bertha Pappenheim gave nursing.

Career Choice↗
PubMed2003

Landmarks in genetics through philately: the tools used by dysmorphologists.

This essay liberally uses stamps from around the world to illustrate the many tools at the disposal of clinical geneticists and dysmorphologists. The tools begin with the construction of a family tree and eventually lead to the utilization of computers and the Internet as important diagnostic resources.

Anatomy↗
PubMed2003

Genetic landmarks through philately: Georges Marinesco (1863-1938).

Georges Marinesco was one of Romania's most eminent physicians and an accomplished neurologist. He had diverse interests in anatomy and neuropathology. He has been honored on postage stamps issued by his birth nation on several occasions. Neurologists and geneticists know of him for the rare familial degenerative neurological disorder that has been named after him, the Marinesco-Sjögren syndrome.

History, 19th Century↗
PubMed2003

The feasibility of using cellular phones to collect ecological momentary assessment data: application to alcohol consumption.

The limitations of paper-and-pencil self-monitoring (PM) are leading to the use of more sophisticated techniques. PM was compared with cellular phone monitoring (CM) to collect ecological momentary assessment data on alcohol use. Twenty social drinkers were randomly assigned to the 2 groups, and their drinking was monitored for 14 days. PM participants recorded data on cards. CM participants carried telephones and responded to an interactive voice response system. The authors found few significant group differences in alcohol use, compliance with the self-monitoring, and satisfaction. However, CM had useful advantages, including instantaneous entry of data into a central database, date and time stamping of data, and easy integration into daily life. Although preliminary, this study suggests that CM is a promising alternative to PM.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

The search for a topographic signature of life.

Landscapes are shaped by the uplift, deformation and breakdown of bedrock and the erosion, transport and deposition of sediment. Life is important in all of these processes. Over short timescales, the impact of life is quite apparent: rock weathering, soil formation and erosion, slope stability and river dynamics are directly influenced by biotic processes that mediate chemical reactions, dilate soil, disrupt the ground surface and add strength with a weave of roots. Over geologic time, biotic effects are less obvious but equally important: biota affect climate, and climatic conditions dictate the mechanisms and rates of erosion that control topographic evolution. Apart from the obvious influence of humans, does the resulting landscape bear an unmistakable stamp of life? The influence of life on topography is a topic that has remained largely unexplored. Erosion laws that explicitly include biotic effects are needed to explore how intrinsically small-scale biotic processes can influence the form of entire landscapes, and to determine whether these processes create a distinctive topography.

Biology↗
PubMed2001

Affinity capture of proteins from solution and their dissociation by contact printing.

Biological experiments at the solid/liquid interface, in general, require surfaces with a thin layer of purified molecules, which often represent precious material. Here, we have devised a method to extract proteins with high selectivity from crude biological sample solutions and place them on a surface in a functional, arbitrary pattern. This method, called affinity-contact printing (alphaCP), uses a structured elastomer derivatized with ligands against the target molecules. After the target molecules have been captured, they are printed from the elastomer onto a variety of surfaces. The ligand remains on the stamp for reuse. In contrast with conventional affinity chromatography, here dissociation and release of captured molecules to the substrate are achieved mechanically. We demonstrate this technique by extracting the cell adhesion molecule neuron-glia cell adhesion molecule (NgCAM) from tissue homogenates and cell culture lysates and patterning affinity-purified NgCAM on polystyrene to stimulate the attachment of neuronal cells and guide axon outgrowth.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Cardiac sequelae of doxorubicin and paclitaxel as induction chemotherapy prior to high-dose chemotherapy and peripheral blood progenitor cell transplantation in women with high-risk primary or metastatic breast cancer.

Doxorubicin plus paclitaxel has been shown to be an active regimen for metastatic breast cancer and is now frequently used as adjuvant therapy for high-risk primary breast cancer. Initial studies reported a higher than expected rate of cardiac toxicity with this regimen. We studied 105 patients with either high-risk primary breast cancer or metastatic breast cancer who were treated with doxorubicin (60 mg/m2) and 3-h infusions of paclitaxel (175 mg/m2) cycled every 3 weeks. Patients received three cycles of chemotherapy for high-risk primary or four cycles for metastatic disease. Patients then proceeded to high-dose chemotherapy (HDC) (STAMP I cyclophosphamide, cisplatin and carmustine) and peripheral blood progenitor cell transplantation (PBPCT). Patients underwent radionuclide multi-gated angiograms (MUGA) before and following induction chemotherapy and following HDC. During induction chemotherapy 40 (38%) of the patients had a reduction in left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). Fourteen had a decrease of 20% or greater and two were mildly symptomatic from CHF. There was additional reduction in the LVEF after HDC with a median value for LVEF of 59% (range, 20-78%). During HDC 10 patients developed clinical signs of congestive heart failure (CHF). Five patients responded to diuretic therapy and did not require any additional treatment. Four patients responded to vasodilation and/or digoxin with improvement in cardiac function. A clinically significant decrease in cardiac function was found in a small number of patients after induction chemotherapy and HDC with PBPCT. The majority of the patients tolerated this regimen without problems. Although there was a decline in LVEF as measured by radionuclide MUGA this did not prevent the majority of patients from proceeding with HDC. Bone Marrow Transplantation (2000).

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Hematopoietic recovery of ex vivo perfusion culture expanded bone marrow and unexpanded peripheral blood progenitors after myeloablative chemotherapy.

Ex vivo culture of hematopoietic progenitor cells for autologous transplantation has generated world-wide interest, since it offers the prospect of using a limited cell number, and may allow more efficient gene transfer and passive elimination of contaminating tumor cells. In this study, we expanded bone marrow (BM) cells from 10 breast cancer patients to determine whether small BM aliquots can durably restore hematopoiesis, and whether thrombopoietin (TPO) improves hematopoietic reconstitution after myeloablative chemotherapy. We used the AastromReplicell System (ARS), performing a computer-controlled, stromal-based cell expansion process with frequent medium, cytokine and gas exchange. For the inoculation of 9 x 10(8) MNC, a median BM volume of 97.8 ml (range, 72.4-272) was harvested. We found a median 4.5-fold nucleated cell expansion, an 18-fold CFU-GM expansion, and 69% of input LTC-IC numbers. Nucleated and Lin-/CD34+ cells were infused with a median of 43.5 x 10(6)/kg (range, 34.1-71.7) and 2.8 x 10(5)/kg (range, 0.95-5.9), respectively. Despite tumor cell detection by immunocytochemical staining in 3/10 patients before expansion, tumor cells were not detectable in 9/10, and in one patient 1 log reduced post ARS culture. Following high-dose STAMP V chemotherapy, all patients received 12-day expanded BM cells. The median time to engraftment was 17 days (range, 11-20) for WBC >1000/microl, and 28 days (range, 21-55) for platelets >20,000/microl. A correlation between post-expansion Lin-/CD34+ cells and engraftment for ANC >500/microl, WBC >1000/microl and platelets >20,000/microl was observed. Hematopoiesis has been maintained for a median of 15 (range, 6-24) months. Our results demonstrate that transplantation of ex vivo expanded small BM aliquots allows hematopoietic reconstitution after myeloablative chemotherapy. Ex vivo generated ARS cells can reduce the risk of tumor cell reinoculation with autotransplants and may be valuable in settings in which only small stem cell doses are available, eg when using cord blood transplants or in non-mobilizing patients.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

The role of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) in the post-transplant period.

The administration of G-CSF post transplant has been shown to accelerate the time to neutrophil engraftment. However, this does not necessarily translate into a meaningful clinical benefit to the patient. This randomized study was designed to determine the role of G-CSF following transplantation in patients with breast cancer (BC). A total of 241 evaluable patients with BC were included. There were 200 patients with high-risk BC, and 41 had disseminated BC in complete remission. All patients received conventional dose chemotherapy prior to transplantation. Patients were mobilized with G-CSF, received the STAMP V regimen, were transplanted with > or = 2.5 x 10(6) of CD34(+) cells/kg and were then randomized to receive 5 microg/kg of G-CSF starting on the day of infusion (arm A), five days later (arm B), or no G-CSF (arm C). The need for transfusion support, infectious complications and length of hospitalization were the variables chosen to demonstrate clinical benefit. Patients receiving G-CSF reached 500 and 1000 neutrophils significantly faster (P = 0.001) than patients with no G-CSF. This translated into a significantly (P < 0.05) shorter hospitalization time for patients receiving G-CSF. Arm C was closed and, after recruiting 110 patients in arm A, and 106 in arm B, the significant difference in neutrophil recovery persisted with no difference in the time of hospitalization between arms A and B. Therefore, G-CSF significantly accelerates the time to neutrophil engraftment. This translates into a shorter time of hospitalization. There is no difference in this variable regarding the time of administering the G-CSF: day 0 vs day +5. Therefore, G-CSF on day +5 should be the standard in this setting.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Postal reminders can improve attendance at orthodontic clinics.

DESIGN: A randomised controlled trial in an NHS hospital orthodontic clinic. INTERVENTION: Participants either received an appointment or an appointment plus a reminder at least 2 weeks before their appointment. The reminder letter was sent with a stamped addressed postcard, which the patient was asked to return, to confirm the appointment. OUTCOME MEASURE: Patient attendance at the clinic. RESULTS: A total of 231 patients were entered into the study. Patients who received a reminder and returned the confirmation were significantly less likely to fail the appointment than those who did not receive a reminder. 27% of girls failed appointments compared with 15% of boys. Those from areas of high social deprivation were more likely to fail to attend appointment than people who were more affluent. CONCLUSIONS: The use of postal reminders for orthodontic consultation appointments appears to result in a useful increase of appointments that are kept or cancelled in advance but does not counteract the effect of social deprivation on attendance.

Clinical Trial↗
PubMed2006

Recruiting first-degree relatives for prevention research: a comparison of clinician and proband-led methods of contact in Crohn's disease.

The most effective and acceptable ways of approaching relatives of identified probands to participate in research are unknown. We report on two methods. A total of 640 probands with Crohn's disease were contacted by post and invited to select how the research team would contact their relatives to assess their interest in participating in prevention research. Clinician-led approach: required probands to provide contact details for their first-degree relatives so that the research team could send them study questionnaires; proband-led approach: required probands to request questionnaires with stamped envelopes for them to forward to their relatives. Fifty-six percent (356/640) of probands contacted participated, with 80% (284) providing details of eligible relatives. Forty-eight percent (136/284) of probands requested 392 relatives be contacted by the researchers and 50% (142/284) requested that the questionnaire be sent to them so that they could give this to their 437 relatives personally. Two percent (6/284) requested mixed methods. Eligible responses came from 73% of relatives (587/805), 81% (299/368) of those contacted by the researchers and 66% (288/437) of those contacted via probands (difference 15%, 95% CI 10, 22). Both methods yielded similarly high levels of interest from relatives in participating in prevention research (89% (265/299) direct; 86% (248/288) indirect). Direct clinician-led contact maximised response rates. High levels of interest in research across the two recruitment methods suggest that although proband-led methods may maximise privacy, they may deny relatives the opportunity to take part in research that would be of interest.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Job satisfaction in Japanese nurses.

This study investigated job satisfaction among nurses in Japan. The instrument for measuring occupational satisfaction of hospital nurses developed by Stamps and her associates was used. Initial items were reviewed by content experts who were familiar with measurement of work satisfaction among health professionals and nursing practice in Japan. Based on the item analysis in the cultural context, several items were reworded or eliminated from the original version. Twenty-five items were retained and translated into English by bilingual professionals. The questionnaire was administered to 613 nurses practising in a large, acute-care hospital in a southern part of Japan. The results from testing psychometric properties of the translated version of the instrument were satisfactory. It may be concluded that nurses in the study were not satisfied but not dissatisfied either. On all items, they showed relatively strong commitment to their work. However, extrinsic factors such as having little opportunities for promotion or less favourable working conditions appeared to negatively influence job satisfaction in the study. The findings support the dual factor theory of Herzberg and also Maslow's theory. Considering the lowest scored item, little opportunities for promotion, which reflects the employment system in Japan, administrators, who are usually male medical practitioners, should be made aware of a need for creating clinical ladder opportunities for nurses who would be promoted based on a merit system, instead of the current practice of a seniority system.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Hygiene measures considering actual distributions of microorganisms in Japanese households.

AIMS: Effective household hygiene measures require that sources of bacterial contamination and the places to which contamination spreads be carefully identified. Therefore, a study was performed to examine the distribution of microorganisms throughout ordinary households in Japan, which has its own unique customs of daily life and food preparation. METHODS AND RESULTS: Using the stamping method, samples were taken from 100 different places and items in each of 86 households. This study found kitchens/dining rooms to have the greatest level of microbial contamination and bathrooms, the next highest level. Toilets (water closets) were found to have an unexpectedly low level of bacterial contamination. The largest bacterial counts were found on items such as drain traps, dish-washing sponges, counter towels, sinks, dish-washing tubs, and bathroom sponges. CONCLUSIONS: It is necessary to carefully identify both the items that can become instruments for spreading bacterial contamination and the places that easily become subject to secondary contamination, and then to take timely and effective disinfection/sanitizing measures. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: The data gathered in this study will be very valuable for anticipating the pathways over which bacteria are transported and prioritizing disinfection targets, to make effective disinfection possible.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1999

Microbial genomes.

Microbial genome sequencing is driven by the need to understand and control pathogens and to exploit extremophiles and their enzymes in bioremediation and industry. It is hard for the traditional bacteriologist to grasp the scale and pace of the venture. Around two dozen microbial genomes have now been completed and, within a decade, genomes from every significant species of bacterial pathogen of humans, animals and plants will have been sequenced. Indeed, we will often have more than one sequence from a species or genus--for example, we already have sequences from two strains of Helicobacter pylori, from two strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and from three species of Pyrococcus. However, genome sequencing risks becoming expensive molecular stamp-collecting without the tools to mine the data and fuel hypothesis-driven laboratory-based research. Bioinformatics, twinned with the new experimental approaches forming functional genomics', provides some of the needed tools. Nonetheless, there will be an increasing need for us to explore the detailed implications of genomic findings. Microbial genome sequencing thus represents not a threat, but an exciting opportunity for molecular microbiologists.

Computational Biology↗
PubMed2001

Descriptive epidemiology of a classical swine fever outbreak in the Limburg Province of Belgium in 1997.

This paper describes the epidemiological characteristics of the 1997 Classical Swine Fever (CSF) outbreak that occurred in the Limburg Province of Belgium, where there is a policy of non-vaccination, intensive surveillance and eradication. Between 30 June and 17 July 1997, eight herds, located in three different areas, were confirmed to be CSF-positive. CSF virus was transmitted from the primary infected herd of one area to another five herds in the same area and to one herd in a different area. The mode of virus introduction for this primary infected herd and for the one herd that was not infected by this primary herd could not be determined. Clinical, serological, and virological findings indicated that the CSF-infected herds were detected in an early stage of the infection. The early detection of the infection together with a preventive stamping out procedure resulted in a rapid elimination of the CSF virus. A total of 46,561 pigs were slaughtered to control the spread of the infection. Another 27,579 pigs were slaughtered in the framework of the market support. The total direct costs of the episode were estimated at [symbol: see text] 10,893,337.

Animals↗