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Selected AbstractsA Comparison of Web Sites Used to Manage and Present Home Blood Pressure ReadingsJOURNAL OF CLINICAL HYPERTENSION, Issue 6 2010Birju Patel BS J Clin Hypertens (Greenwich). 2010;12:389,395. ©2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Home blood pressure (HBP) monitoring is now recommended as a routine component of blood pressure management in patients with known or suspected hypertension. Over the last few years, a large number of Web sites, commonly termed Personal Health Records, have been developed so that patients can manage and present HBP readings. The objective of this report is to describe and compare these Web sites. A list of 33 desirable Web site features, organized into 4 categories, was developed. Between June and August of 2009, a total of 60 Web sites was identified, of which 20 were free or free to try. Each of the 20 Web sites displayed HBP readings in tabular and graphical formats, most offered an option to print results in tabular (70%) and graphical (70%) form, and many (47%) could download HBP data from Microsoft HealthVault. In contrast, none of the Web sites directly linked with common electronic medical records. Overall, Web sites offered between 41% and 77% of the 33 features considered desirable. In conclusion, there is considerable variation in available features on Web sites used to manage HBP data. Information presented in this report should be useful to physicians and patients in selecting a Web site for managing and presenting HBP readings and ultimately improving blood pressure control. [source] A Prospective Comparison of Ultrasound-guided and Blindly Placed Radial Arterial CathetersACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE, Issue 12 2006Stephen Shiver MD Abstract Background Arterial cannulation for continuous blood-pressure measurement and frequent arterial-blood sampling commonly are required in critically ill patients. Objectives To compare ultrasound (US)-guided versus traditional palpation placement of arterial lines for time to placement, number of attempts, sites used, and complications. Methods This was a prospective, randomized interventional study at a Level 1 academic urban emergency department with an annual census of 78,000 patients. Patients were randomized to either palpation or US-guided groups. Inclusion criteria were any adult patient who required an arterial line according to the treating attending. Patients who had previous attempts at an arterial line during the visit, or who could not be randomized because of time constraints, were excluded. Enrollment was on a convenience basis, during hours worked by researchers over a six-month period. Patients in either group who had three failed attempts were rescued with the other technique for patient comfort. Statistical analysis included Fisher's exact, Mann-Whitney, and Student's t-tests. Results Sixty patients were enrolled, with 30 patients randomized to each group. Patients randomized to the US group had a shorter time required for arterial line placement (107 vs. 314 seconds; difference, 207 seconds; p = 0.0004), fewer placement attempts (1.2 vs. 2.2; difference, 1; p = 0.001), and fewer sites required for successful line placement (1.1 vs. 1.6; difference, 0.5; p = 0.001), as compared with the palpation group. Conclusions In this study, US guidance for arterial cannulation was successful more frequently and it took less time to establish the arterial line as compared with the palpation method. [source] Vegetation structure and prey abundance requirements of the Iberian lynx: implications for the design of reserves and corridorsJOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY, Issue 1 2001F. Palomares Summary 1,Habitat alteration and fragmentation are two of the greatest threats to biodiversity. The conservation of most species in highly encroached areas requires reserves that are connected by suitable habitat corridors to increase the effectiveness of the area under protection. However, the quality required for such corridors is still debated. This study investigated the habitat characteristics (vegetation structure and prey abundance) of sites used by resident and dispersing Iberian lynx in south-western Spain. 2,Vegetation structure and an index of rabbit abundance (the staple prey of lynx) were measured at sites used by radio-collared lynx in 1996 and 1997. Data from 128 plots used by resident lynx and 310 plots used by dispersing individuals were compared with data from 162 randomly located plots in sites considered to be unused by lynx. 3.,Resident sites had a lower percentage of tree cover, shorter tree height, higher percentage of tall shrub cover, higher percentage of overall understorey and higher number of rabbit pellets than both dispersal and unused sites. The height of the short shrub layer was taller and the rabbit abundance index was higher in dispersing sites than in unused sites. 4,Gender did not affect habitat selection by lynx. During dispersal, lynx frequently (50% of cases) used vegetation patches narrower than 300 m. In these cases, sites used by lynx had higher understorey cover and taller shrub height than adjacent unused sites. The percentage of short shrub cover used by lynx increased with the length of time taken to disperse; this was the only variable that changed over time. 5,Range size of resident individuals declined significantly with the index of rabbit abundance but increased with the percentage of short shrub cover. Both variables were good predictors of range size. 6,The study shows that corridors connecting reserves do not have to be prime habitats; they can even support moderate habitat degradation due to human activity. This result has implications both for the conservation of existing corridors, and for the restoration of the many corridors between reserves that have been lost. [source] A Comparison of Web Sites Used to Manage and Present Home Blood Pressure ReadingsJOURNAL OF CLINICAL HYPERTENSION, Issue 6 2010Birju Patel BS J Clin Hypertens (Greenwich). 2010;12:389,395. ©2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Home blood pressure (HBP) monitoring is now recommended as a routine component of blood pressure management in patients with known or suspected hypertension. Over the last few years, a large number of Web sites, commonly termed Personal Health Records, have been developed so that patients can manage and present HBP readings. The objective of this report is to describe and compare these Web sites. A list of 33 desirable Web site features, organized into 4 categories, was developed. Between June and August of 2009, a total of 60 Web sites was identified, of which 20 were free or free to try. Each of the 20 Web sites displayed HBP readings in tabular and graphical formats, most offered an option to print results in tabular (70%) and graphical (70%) form, and many (47%) could download HBP data from Microsoft HealthVault. In contrast, none of the Web sites directly linked with common electronic medical records. Overall, Web sites offered between 41% and 77% of the 33 features considered desirable. In conclusion, there is considerable variation in available features on Web sites used to manage HBP data. Information presented in this report should be useful to physicians and patients in selecting a Web site for managing and presenting HBP readings and ultimately improving blood pressure control. [source] Developing and implementing a comprehensive approach to serving women with co-occurring disorders and histories of traumaJOURNAL OF COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 4 2005Nicholas Huntington The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) funded the Women, Co-Occurring Disorders and Violence Study to generate empirical knowledge on how to improve services for women who are trauma survivors and have co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders. We first review the literature on the pervasiveness of trauma among women and the ways in which current service systems fail to address their needs. We then describe the four core principles of the model grantees developed to test in the project. Working through a project Steering Committee, grantees mandated that services be (a) integrated, (b) trauma-informed, (c) consumer-involved, and (d) comprehensive. For each of these principles, we describe the specifications adopted by the committee, the strategies the study sites used to implement the principle in their local settings, and the concrete lessons sites learned concerning how to implement the principle. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comm Psychol 33: 395,410, 2005. [source] Habitat selection and habitat-specific survival of fledgling ovenbirds (Seiurus aurocapilla)JOURNAL OF ZOOLOGY, Issue 4 2006D. I. King Abstract Patterns of habitat use by some passerines change after the young leave the nest, and thus our understanding of habitat selection derived from counts of singing males earlier in the nesting cycle may not adequately represent the breeding habitat requirements of these species. Post-fledging changes in habitat use may have important conservation implications if the survival of fledglings is affected by characteristics of the habitat; however, there have been relatively few systematic studies of the post-fledging ecology of forest passerines and, of these, even fewer have incorporated analyses of the relationship between habitat characteristics and fledgling survival. We studied the post-fledging habitat selection and survival of ovenbirds Seiurus aurocapilla in northern New Hampshire, USA during two breeding seasons using radio telemetry. Habitat at sites used by radio-marked fledgling ovenbirds was characterized by fewer large trees and greater vertical structure 0,3 m above ground than ovenbird nest sites. Similarly, habitat at sites used by fledgling ovenbirds was characterized by fewer large trees and greater vertical structure than unused sites. Most (80%) of the 15 mortalities that we observed were due to predation. Nine (70%) of these occurred within the first 3 days of fledging, resulting in a significant drop in survival during this period. Fledgling survival increased significantly with increased vegetation structure. Our observations that fledgling ovenbirds are selective in their habitat use, that they select different habitat features than adult ovenbirds select for nesting and that fledgling survival is positively associated with these habitat features suggest that the use of habitat models based on counts of singing males before fledging does not adequately represent the habitat needs of this species. Conceivably, mortality during the post-fledging period could limit recruitment to levels insufficient to maintain the viability of ovenbird population even if adequate nesting habitat were available. [source] Variation in the Type, Rate, and Selection of Patients for Out-of-hospital Airway Procedures Among Injured Children and AdultsACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE, Issue 12 2009Craig D. Newgard MD Abstract Objectives:, The objective was to compare the type, rate, and selection of injured patients for out-of-hospital airway procedures among emergency medical services (EMS) agencies in 10 sites across North America. Methods:, The authors analyzed a consecutive patient, prospective cohort registry of injured adults and children with an out-of-hospital advanced airway attempt, collected from December 1, 2005, through February 28, 2007, by 181 EMS agencies in 10 sites across the United States and Canada. Advanced airway procedures were defined as orotracheal intubation, nasotracheal intubation, supraglottic airway, or cricothyrotomy. Airway procedure rates were calculated based on age-specific population values for the 10 sites and the number of injured patients with field physiologic abnormality (systolic blood pressure of ,90 mm Hg, respiratory rate of <10 or >29 breaths/min, Glasgow Coma Scale [GCS] score of ,12). Descriptive measures were used to compare patients between sites. Results:, A total 1,738 patients had at least one advanced airway attempt and were included in the analysis. There was wide variation between sites in the types of airway procedures performed, including orotracheal intubation (63% to 99%), supraglottic airways (0 to 27%), nasotracheal intubation (0 to 21%), and cricothyrotomy (0 to 2%). Use of rapid sequence intubation (RSI) varied from 0% to 65%. The population-adjusted rates of field airway intervention (by site) ranged from 1.2 to 22.8 per 100,000 adults and 0.2 to 4.0 per 100,000 children. Among trauma patients with physiologic abnormality, some sites performed airway procedures in almost 50% of patients, while other sites used these procedures in fewer than 10%. There was also large variation in demographic characteristics, physiologic measures, mechanism of injury, mode of transport, field cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and unadjusted mortality among airway patients. Conclusions:, Among 10 sites across North America, there was wide variation in the types of out-of-hospital airway procedures performed, population-based rates of airway intervention, and the selection of injured patients for such procedures. [source] Capacity of model biobeds to retain and degrade mecoprop and isoproturonPEST MANAGEMENT SCIENCE (FORMERLY: PESTICIDE SCIENCE), Issue 10 2003Vibeke V Henriksen Abstract Biobeds are used to increase the adsorption and degradation of pesticide spillage on sites used for mixing and loading and for cleaning of sprayers. The adsorption and the rate of degradation of 14C-labelled isoproturon and mecoprop (MCPP) at concentrations from 0.0005 to 25 000 mg kg,1 were determined in biobed soil. Further leaching of the two herbicides was determined in a model biobed with a surface area of 2 m2. The biobed material showed enhanced ability to adsorb the two herbicides. Kd was 5.2 litre kg,1 for isoproturon and 1.6 litre kg,1 for MCPP in biobed material, which is higher than in natural soil. In different experiments with natural soil, Kd ranges from 0.07 to 0.6 litre kg,1 for MCPP and from 1.5 to 4.6 litre kg,1 for isoproturon in soils with varying organic carbon content. Degradation of MCPP was rapid at concentrations from 0.0005 to 500 mg kg,1, delayed at 5000 mg kg,1, and very slow at 25 000 mg kg,1. For isoproturon, the relative degradation was most rapid at the lowest concentration and decreasing with increasing concentrations. After 120 days, between 55% and 8% 14C was evolved as 14CO2 at concentrations between 0.0005 and 25 000 mg kg,1. The rate of evolution of 14CO2 indicated that degradation rates at low concentrations were of first-order and at higher concentrations of zero-order. Leaching of MCPP and isoproturon was determined in a newly established model biobed during a 2-year period. About 13% of applied MCPP and 1.4% of applied isoproturon leached out during the winter following the first autumn application (worst-case scenario). Leaching was completely prevented when the biobed had a well-developed grass cover and was covered during the winter. Copyright © 2003 Society of Chemical Industry [source] Dry season habitat use by critically endangered white-shouldered ibis in northern CambodiaANIMAL CONSERVATION, Issue 1 2010H. L. Wright Abstract We present the first scientific study of white-shouldered ibis Pseudibis davisoni habitat preferences in dry dipterocarp forest. Foraging sites included seasonal pools, forest understorey grasslands and fallow rice fields, with terrestrial sites used more following rainfall. Habitat and anthropogenic effects in logistic models of foraging site selection were examined by multimodel inference and model averaging. White-shouldered ibis preferred pools with greater cover of short vegetation (<25 cm) and less of the boundary enclosed, and forest sites with greater cover of bare substrate and lower people encounter rate. At forest sites, livestock density was positively related to bare substrate extent and thus may improve suitability for foraging ibis. At pools, livestock removed tall vegetation between the early and late dry season indicating their importance in opening up foraging habitats after wet season growth. However, by the late dry season, pools with greater livestock density had less short vegetation, the habitat favoured by ibis. Conservation strategies for white-shouldered ibis must consider a range of habitats, not just seasonal wetlands, and should incorporate extensive grazing and associated burning practises of local communities. Further understanding of the effects of these practices on vegetation, prey abundance and prey availability are therefore needed for effective conservation of this species. This will also develop our understanding of potentially beneficial anthropogenic influences in tropical environments. [source] Structure of the N-terminal fragment of Escherichia coli Lon proteaseACTA CRYSTALLOGRAPHICA SECTION D, Issue 8 2010Mi Li The structure of a recombinant construct consisting of residues 1,245 of Escherichia coli Lon protease, the prototypical member of the A-type Lon family, is reported. This construct encompasses all or most of the N-terminal domain of the enzyme. The structure was solved by SeMet SAD to 2.6,Å resolution utilizing trigonal crystals that contained one molecule in the asymmetric unit. The molecule consists of two compact subdomains and a very long C-terminal ,-helix. The structure of the first subdomain (residues 1,117), which consists mostly of ,-strands, is similar to that of the shorter fragment previously expressed and crystallized, whereas the second subdomain is almost entirely helical. The fold and spatial relationship of the two subdomains, with the exception of the C-terminal helix, closely resemble the structure of BPP1347, a 203-amino-acid protein of unknown function from Bordetella parapertussis, and more distantly several other proteins. It was not possible to refine the structure to satisfactory convergence; however, since almost all of the Se atoms could be located on the basis of their anomalous scattering the correctness of the overall structure is not in question. The structure reported here was also compared with the structures of the putative substrate-binding domains of several proteins, showing topological similarities that should help in defining the binding sites used by Lon substrates. [source] Spawning site selection by feral cane toads (Bufo marinus) at an invasion front in tropical AustraliaAUSTRAL ECOLOGY, Issue 5 2006MATTIAS HAGMAN Abstract Spawning sites are a critical and often scarce resource for aquatic-breeding amphibians, including invasive species such as the cane toad (Bufo marinus). If toads select spawning sites based on habitat characteristics, we can potentially manipulate those characteristics to either enhance or reduce their suitability as breeding sites. We surveyed 25 spawning sites used by cane toads, and 25 adjacent unused sites, in an area of tropical Australia recently invaded by these feral anurans. Water chemistry (pH, conductivity, salinity, turbidity) was virtually identical between the two sets of waterbodies, but habitat characteristics were very different. Toads selectively oviposited in shallow pools with gradual rather than steep slopes, and with open (unvegetated) gradually sloping muddy banks. They avoided flowing water, and pools with steep surrounds. In these respects, cane toads broadly resemble previously studied toad species in other parts of the world, as well as conspecifics within their natural range in South America. [source] A Polylinker Approach to Reductive Loop Swaps in Modular Polyketide SynthasesCHEMBIOCHEM, Issue 16 2008Laurenz Kellenberger Dr. Abstract Multiple versions of the DEBS 1-TE gene, which encodes a truncated bimodular polyketide synthase (PKS) derived from the erythromycin-producing PKS, were created by replacing the DNA encoding the ketoreductase (KR) domain in the second extension module by either of two synthetic oligonucleotide linkers. This made available a total of nine unique restriction sites for engineering. The DNA for donor "reductive loops," which are sets of contiguous domains comprising either KR or KR and dehydratase (DH), or KR, DH and enoylreductase (ER) domains, was cloned from selected modules of five natural PKS multienzymes and spliced into module 2 of DEBS 1-TE using alternative polylinker sites. The resulting hybrid PKSs were tested for triketide production in vivo. Most of the hybrid multienzymes were active, vindicating the treatment of the reductive loop as a single structural unit, but yields were dependent on the restriction sites used. Further, different donor reductive loops worked optimally with different splice sites. For those reductive loops comprising DH, ER and KR domains, premature TE-catalysed release of partially reduced intermediates was sometimes seen, which provided further insight into the overall stereochemistry of reduction in those modules. Analysis of loops containing KR only, which should generate stereocentres at both C-2 and C-3, revealed that the 3-hydroxy configuration (but not the 2-methyl configuration) could be altered by appropriate choice of a donor loop. The successful swapping of reductive loops provides an interesting parallel to a recently suggested pathway for the natural evolution of modular PKSs by recombination. [source] | ||||||||||||||||