Home About us Contact
|
Home About us Contact | ||
|
|
||
Important Area (important + area)
Selected AbstractsIdeas and Environmental Standard-Setting: A Comparative Study of Regulation of the Pulp and Paper IndustryGOVERNANCE, Issue 1 2002Kathryn Harrison This article examines the policy responses of Canada, Sweden, and the United States to the discovery of dioxins in pulp mill effluents and paper products, with particular attention to the impact of science and the scientific community on national environmental standards. Important areas of policy divergence were found, despite considerable scientific consensus among environmental scientists in the three jurisdictions, as the potential force of shared causal knowledge was undermined by competing domestic interests and different institutional contexts for decision-making. This analysis challenges the emphasis of the epistemic community literature on the role of scientists in promoting policy convergence, underscoring the importance of the interaction of ideas, interest group politics, and institutions in public policy-making. [source] Estimating the monetary value of health care: lessons from environmental economicsHEALTH ECONOMICS, Issue 1 2003Nick Hanley In the recent past, considerable effort in health economics has been made on applying stated preference methods such as contingent valuation and choice experiments. Despite this increased use, there is still considerable scepticism concerning the value of these approaches. The application of contingent valuation in environmental economics has a long history and has been widely accepted. Whilst choice experiments were introduced to the environmental and health economics literature at a similar time, the wider acceptance of monetary measures of benefit in environmental economics has meant that they have also been more widely applied. The purpose of this paper is to identify some of the key issues and debates that have taken place in the environmental economics literature, summarise the state of the art with respect to these issues, and consider how health economists have addressed these issues. Important areas for future research in health economics are identified. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Advances in the management of irritable bowel syndromeJOURNAL OF GASTROENTEROLOGY AND HEPATOLOGY, Issue 4 2002John E Kellow Abstract Recent advances in different aspects of irritable bowel syndrome have led to a need to reassess the overall management of this common, complex disorder. Important areas include: first, the heterogeneity of symptom patterns and the role of specific diagnostic symptom criteria for use in both clinical practice and in clinical research; second, the growing interest in the potential interaction between ,peripheral' and ,central' pathophysiological mechanisms; and third, the development of novel and effective drugs designed to target specific receptor systems in the enteric nervous system. This review covers each of these aspects and emphasizes an approach to management of patients based on pathophysiological considerations. © 2002 Blackwell Publishing Asia Pty Ltd [source] Molecular and morphological supertree of stony corals (Anthozoa: Scleractinia) using matrix representation parsimonyBIOLOGICAL REVIEWS, Issue 4 2005Alexander M. Kerr ABSTRACT The supertree algorithm matrix representation with parsimony was used to combine existing hypotheses of coral relationships and provide the most comprehensive species-level estimate of scleractinian phylogeny, comprised of 353 species (27% of extant species), 141 genera (63%) and 23 families (92%) from all seven suborders. The resulting supertree offers a guide for future studies in coral systematics by highlighting regions of concordance and conflict in existing source phylogenies. It should also prove useful in formal comparative studies of character evolution. Phylogenetic effort within Scleractinia has been taxonomically uneven, with a third of studies focussing on the Acroporidae or its most diverse genera. Sampling has also been geographically non-uniform, as tropical, reef-forming taxa have been considered twice as often as non-reef species. The supertree indicated that source trees concur on numerous aspects of coral relationships, such as the division between robust versus complex corals and the distant relationship between families in Archaeocoeniina. The supertree also supported the existence of a large, taxonomically diverse and monophyletic group of corals with many Atlantic representatives having exsert corallites. Another large, unanticipated clade consisted entirely of solitary deep-water species from three families. Important areas of ambiguity include the relationship of Astrocoeniidae to Pocilloporidae and the relative positions of several, mostly deep-water genera of Caryophylliidae. Conservative grafting of species at the base of congeneric groups with uncontroversial monophyletic status resulted in a more comprehensive, though less resolved tree of 1016 taxa. [source] Learning from New Product Development Projects: An Exploratory StudyCREATIVITY AND INNOVATION MANAGEMENT, Issue 4 2005Ursula Koners Knowledge generation is a cornerstone of new product development, and post-project reviews (PPRs) are widely recognized as a facilitator of project-to-project learning. Empirical research on PPRs is sparse, so this paper describes four in-depth exploratory case studies that look at how PPRs are conducted and the learning that can result. The results indicate that appropriately managed PPRs can make a significant contribution to knowledge generation and exchange. In addition, the study indicates the urgent need for more research into this important area. [source] Best available techniques (BAT) in the Finnish pulp and paper industry , a critical reviewENVIRONMENTAL POLICY AND GOVERNANCE, Issue 3 2005Kimmo Silvo Abstract In this multiple-case study the BAT-associated techniques and relative emission levels presented in the EU's best available techniques (BAT) reference document for the pulp and paper industry (PP-BREF) are compared with the techniques applied and the relative emission levels achieved in the Finnish pulp and paper industry. Information on the emissions of 24 Finnish pulp and paper plants was compiled from the national databases maintained by the Finnish Environment Institute. Moreover, a supportive study was conducted on the use of the PP-BREF in the environmental permitting process. The techniques applied in the studied plants represented the BAT as defined in the PP-BREF to a high degree, but the emission levels showed a larger variation. Possible reasons for this variation were discussed. A BAT emission index (BEI) was designed to trace the degree to which the BAT-associated emission levels were achieved as a whole. The BEI appeared to be a useful indicator for assessing the BAT-related environmental performance of the plants. An important area for improvement, identified from the point of view of the applicability of the PP-BREF in the permit process, was the information on waste management issues. Moreover, a consistent cross-media assessment in the PP-BREF was called for. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [source] EFNS guidelines on cognitive rehabilitation: report of an EFNS task forceEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROLOGY, Issue 9 2005Members of the Task Force on Cognitive Rehabilitation Disorders of language, spatial perception, attention, memory, calculation and praxis are a frequent consequence of acquired brain damage [in particular, stroke and traumatic brain injury (TBI)] and a major determinant of disability. The rehabilitation of aphasia and, more recently, of other cognitive disorders is an important area of neurological rehabilitation. We report here a review of the available evidence about effectiveness of cognitive rehabilitation. Given the limited number and generally low quality of randomized clinical trials (RCTs) in this area of therapeutic intervention, the Task Force considered, besides the available Cochrane reviews, evidence of lower classes which was critically analysed until a consensus was reached. In particular, we considered evidence from small group or single cases studies including an appropriate statistical evaluation of effect sizes. The general conclusion is that there is evidence to award a grade A, B or C recommendation to some forms of cognitive rehabilitation in patients with neuropsychological deficits in the post-acute stage after a focal brain lesion (stroke, TBI). These include aphasia therapy, rehabilitation of unilateral spatial neglect (ULN), attentional training in the post-acute stage after TBI, the use of electronic memory aids in memory disorders, and the treatment of apraxia with compensatory strategies. There is clearly a need for adequately designed studies in this area, which should take into account specific problems such as patient heterogeneity and treatment standardization. [source] A defence of the lexical approach to the study of personality structureEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PERSONALITY, Issue 1 2005Michael C. Ashton In recent years there have been many investigations of personality structure, and much of this research has been based on the lexical strategy for finding the major personality dimensions. However, this approach has frequently been criticized on several grounds, including concerns regarding the use of adjectives as personality variables, the use of lay observers of personality, the limited explanatory power of lexically derived personality dimensions, and the lack of any similar strategies used in other sciences. In this paper, these criticisms are addressed in detail and judged to be invalid. It is argued that the study of personality structure via the lexical approach is an important area of research. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Signaling, solidarity, and the sacred: The evolution of religious behaviorEVOLUTIONARY ANTHROPOLOGY, Issue 6 2003Richard Sosis Abstract Anthropologists have repeatedly noted that there has been little theoretical progress in the anthropology of religion over the past fifty years.1,7 By the 1960s, Geertz2 had pronounced the field dead. Recently, however, evolutionary researchers have turned their attention toward understanding the selective pressures that have shaped the human capacity for religious thoughts and behaviors, and appear to be resurrecting this long-dormant but important area of research.8,19 This work, which focuses on ultimate evolutionary explanations, is being complemented by advances in neuropsychology and a growing interest among neuroscientists in how ritual, trance, meditation, and other altered states affect brain functioning and development.20,26 This latter research is providing critical insights into the evolution of the proximate mechanisms responsible for religious behavior. Here we review these literatures and examine both the proximate mechanisms and ultimate evolutionary processes essential for developing a comprehensive evolutionary explanation of religion. [source] Reflexive Fathers: Negotiating Parental Leave and Working LifeGENDER, WORK & ORGANISATION, Issue 2 2002Berit Brandth The emergence of parental leave schemes has been the most important area of expansion for the Norwegian welfare state in the 1990s. Schemes have been extended, and special rights have been granted to fathers. The main underpinning of this strategy is the intention to bolster the fathers' contact with and care for their children. Another objective is to share the benefits and burdens of working life and family life between men and women. In this article we analyse how fathers construct different fatherhood practices through negotiations in relation to the leave schemes and different working conditions. [source] Research and theory on high-performance work systems: progressing the high-involvement streamHUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT JOURNAL, Issue 1 2009Peter Boxall The notion of a high-performance work system (HPWS) constitutes a claim that there exists a system of work practices for core workers in an organisation that leads in some way to superior performance. In this article, we dissect this fuzzy notion and examine its companion terminology: high-involvement work systems and high-commitment management. We argue that a focus on the high-involvement stream usefully grounds HPWS studies in an important area of workplace change in the current context and takes us away from eclectic and contentious selections of ,best practices'. We review research models and findings in this stream. The path to better research lies in examining the underpinning processes experienced by workers when management seeks to pursue high-involvement systems, and charting their links to employee and operational outcomes. [source] Modelling of contaminant transport through landfill liners using EFGMINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL AND ANALYTICAL METHODS IN GEOMECHANICS, Issue 7 2010R. Praveen Kumar Abstract Modelling of contaminant transport through landfill liners and natural soil deposits is an important area of research activity in geoenvironmental engineering. Conventional mesh-based numerical methods depend on mesh/grid size and element connectivity and possess some difficulties when dealing with advection-dominant transport problems. In the present investigation, an attempt has been made to provide a simple but sufficiently accurate methodology for numerical simulation of the two-dimensional contaminant transport through the saturated homogeneous porous media and landfill liners using element-free Galerkin method (EFGM). In the EFGM, an approximate solution is constructed entirely in terms of a set of nodes and no characterization of the interrelationship of the nodes is needed. The EFGM employs moving least-square approximants to approximate the function and uses the Lagrange multiplier method for imposing essential boundary conditions. The results of the EFGM are validated using experimental results. Analytical and finite element solutions are also used to compare the results of the EFGM. In order to test the practical applicability and performance of the EFGM, three case studies of contaminant transport through the landfill liners are presented. A good agreement is obtained between the results of the EFGM and the field investigation data. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] The aetiology of sperm protamine abnormalities and their potential impact on the sperm epigenomeINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ANDROLOGY, Issue 6 2008Douglas T. Carrell Summary During the elongating spermatid stage of spermatogenesis, there is a step-wise replacement of nuclear histones with protamines 1 and 2. In fertile men, the ratio of protamine 1/protamine 2 (P1/P2) is within the narrow range of 0.8,1.2. Ratios above or below that range are associated with infertility, exhibiting a wide range of defects including decreased sperm counts, morphology, fertilization ability, and embryo implantation capacity. In this review, we highlight studies evaluating potential causes of abnormal protamine expression, including the sequencing of genes relevant to protamine expression in both affected patients and controls. While the variants of the protamine genes themselves do not appear to be responsible for most observed defects, variants of the Contrin gene, a transcription factor and translation repressor, appear to be contributory to some cases of abnormal expression. Additionally, we explore the potential effects of abnormal protamine replacement on the epigenome of human sperm. Ongoing studies are evaluating the role of retained histones and DNA methylation in sperm, which may be affected in sperm with aberrant protamine replacement. This important area of epigenetic research has profound clinical implications. [source] A review and synthesis of demand management, capacity management and performance in health-care servicesINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT REVIEWS, Issue 2 2009Eric P. Jack Responses to demand uncertainty in the field of health-care services is a very timely research issue because of ongoing changes in demand patterns that are driven by demographics and recent changes in the delivery of these services. Despite its importance to researchers, the literature on demand management, capacity management and performance in health care has not been extensively reviewed. The present paper addresses this need by analyzing and synthesizing 463 articles published between 1986 and 2006. The key contributions of this work are the analysis and synthesis of research on demand management, capacity management and performance, along with an agenda to guide future research in this important area. [source] Perceptions of nurses, families, and residents in nursing homes concerning residents' needsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF NURSING PRACTICE, Issue 3 2008Merav Ben Natan RN PhD StudentArticle first published online: 5 MAY 200 This study examined the congruence between needs identified as significant by older adults in comparison with caregivers (nurses) and elders' families. The study involved 44 patients, 94 nurses and 44 families from the Shoham Geriatric Center in Pardes Hanna, Israel. The findings are based on data gathered through questionnaires distributed at the nursing home. The findings indicate a discrepancy between residents' needs as identified by the staff, the families and the elderly residents themselves. An analysis based on primary needs showed that in comparison with the residents and their families, the nurses attributed greater significance to values and personal outlook of the residents, provision of proficient physical care, skilled mental support, social life and institutional requirements. Families attributed the most significance to the provision of information and family involvement, and in contrast, according to the residents, the most important area was skilled mental/emotional support. Also discussed are the research and practical implications of these findings. [source] ,The geriatric hospital felt like a backwater': aspects of older people's nursing in Britain, 1955,1980JOURNAL OF CLINICAL NURSING, Issue 19 2009Jane Brooks Aims and objectives., The aim of this article is to examine the experiences of ward-level nurses who cared for older people in general hospitals between 1955,1980. Background., There is very little published on the history of older adult nursing and no recent material from the United Kingdom. There are, however, the works of Cecily Hunter in Australia and Erica Roberts in Canada. It is the intention of this study to contribute to this important area of research. Design., This is an oral history project in which 20 nurses who had worked on older adults ward between 1955,1980 were interviewed. Methods., All the interviews were taped, transcribed and data-themed. Ethical clearance for the project was obtained from the University Ethics Committee and all participants were anonymised. Results., Many of the nurses found the experience very difficult, though there were exceptions. Several participants had worked on older adults ward during their training and then had never wanted to return. Most described a paucity of resources and longevity of staff on the wards. Conclusions., Using the sociological theory of Erving Goffman, this article introduces a novel method of understanding nursing history, although his ideas have been used in medical history. The value of his theories for this study is in the identification of nurses as being part of the same system as the patients themselves. Implications for contemporary policy, research and/or practice., For nurses to care effectively for their patients, nurses themselves must be valued. Subordination and regimentation tend to dehumanise the carers which, in turn, dehumanises the cared for. [source] Identity and resistance: why spiritual care needs ,enemies'JOURNAL OF CLINICAL NURSING, Issue 7 2006John Swinton PhD Aims., This paper explores certain key critiques of spirituality-in-nursing as they have been offered by people outside of the discipline. It argues that nurses have not taken seriously enough the recent criticism of the nature and role of spirituality in nursing. Not to listen to the ,enemies' of spirituality-in-nursing is to risk stagnation and a drift into obscurity. Background., The area of spirituality has become a growing field of interest for nurses and has produced a burgeoning body of research literature. Yet, whilst much has been written about the positive aspects of spirituality, nurses have offered almost no critique of the ways in which spirituality and spiritual care are understood, despite the fact that there are clearly certain key issues that require robust critique and thoughtful reflection. Almost all of the major criticisms of spirituality-in-nursing have come from people outside of the discipline of nursing. The paper argues that nurses need to listen carefully to the criticisms of spirituality and spiritual care offered by the ,enemies' of spiritual care in nursing. When listened to constructively, they highlight issues that are vital for the development and forward movement of this important area of nursing practice. Methods., Literature review and critical reflection on current critiques of spirituality in nursing practice. Conclusions., The paper concludes that nurses need to begin to develop spirituality as a specific field of enquiry with its own bodies of knowledge, methodologies, assumptions and core disciplines. Relevance to clinical practice., In listening to and taking seriously its ,enemies', nursing has the opportunity to establish spirituality as an important, creative and vibrant aspect of nursing practice that has the capacity to grow and respond constructively to its ,enemies', in ways that make whole-person-care a real possibility. [source] The Role of Trust in Channels of Strategic Communication for Building Civil SocietyJOURNAL OF COMMUNICATION, Issue 4 2005Carl H. Botan In these turbulent times, development communication is a growing and important area of both academic research and practice. This article explores the role of strategic communication channels in the development of civil society in Bosnia. This case study reports the results of a survey that asked Bosnians about their levels of trust in government officials, alternative media, and state-controlled media outlets. The findings suggest that shortly after the war Bosnians had medium levels of trust in their communication channels, and when it comes to obtaining important information, it appears that alternative media were considered more trustworthy than either the state media or local government officials. Finally, political affiliation and ethnicity affect trust in communication channels in complex ways. [source] Human embryonic stem cells and liver diseases: From basic research to future clinical applicationJOURNAL OF DIGESTIVE DISEASES, Issue 1 2008Zheng WANG Human embryonic stem cells (hESC) provide access to the earliest stages of human development and because of their high proliferation capability, pluripotency and low immunogenicity may serve as a potential source of specialized cells for regenerative medicine. hESC-derived hepatocyte-like cells exhibit characteristic hepatocyte morphology, express hepatocyte markers and are capable of executing a range of hepatocyte functions. However, there are many challenges and obstacles to be overcome before the use of hESC and hESC-derived hepatocyte-like cells in clinical practice can be realized. Here, we highlight some of the recent efforts in this area, in hope of providing insights toward this complex yet important area of therapeutical modality for treating patients with liver disease. [source] Empirics of the Identification of Social Interactions; An Evaluation of the Approaches and Their Results,JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC SURVEYS, Issue 2 2006Adriaan R. Soetevent Abstract., Over the last decade, the study of social interactions in economic decision making has become an important area of research. The main objective of this paper is to survey the extent to which recent empirical contributions have succeeded in overcoming the identification problems as first formulated by Manski (1993). This discussion is followed by a comparison of empirical studies in three key areas of research: neighborhood effects, substance use among teenagers, and peer effects among university roommates. Finally, I discuss questions like: Can economists restrict attention to a specific subcategories of social interactions? How do we define social groups, and what is the importance of social interactions for public policy? [source] Using enrichment index for quality control of secretory protein sample and identification of secretory proteinsJOURNAL OF MASS SPECTROMETRY (INCORP BIOLOGICAL MASS SPECTROMETRY), Issue 3 2009Yong Chen Abstract Analysis of secretory proteins is an important area in proteomic research. We propose that a good secretory protein sample should be enriched with known secretory proteins, and a secretory protein should be enriched in the secretory protein sample compared with its corresponding soluble cell lysate. Positive identifications of proteins were subjected to quantitation of spectral counts, which reflect relative protein abundance. Enrichment index of the sample (EIS) and the enrichment index for protein (EIP) were obtained by comparing proteins identified in the secretory protein sample and those in the soluble cell lysate sample. The quality of the secretory protein sample can be represented by EIS. EIP was used to identify the secretory proteins. The secretory proteins from mouse dendritic cell sarcoma (DCS) were analyzed by MS. The EISs of two samples were 75.4 and 84.65, respectively. 72 proteins were significantly enriched in secretory protein samples, of which 42 proteins were either annotated in Swiss-Prot and/or predicted by signal peptides to be secretory. In the remaining 30 proteins, 12 and 15 proteins were positively predicted by SecretomeP and ProP, respectively, and 5 proteins were positive by both methods. Furthermore, 11 proteins were found to be present in exosome in other studies that involved mice dendritic cell lines. We suggest that this assessment method is helpful for systemic research of secretory proteins and biomarker discovery for diseases such as cancer. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Physical Activity Research in NursingJOURNAL OF NURSING SCHOLARSHIP, Issue 4 2001Lorraine B. Robbins Purpose: To present exemplars of physical activity research in nursing, illustrate the importance of physical activity research across the lifespan, and recommend directions for theory development and research. Methods: Studies of physical activity and exercise currently being conducted by nurse investigators were reported and critiqued by attendees of the Midwest Nursing Research Society 2000 Preconference session entitled "Promoting Physical Activity Among Diverse Groups Across the Health Continuum." Physical activity and exercise literature during the past decade was reviewed. Databases searched included Medline, CINAHL, Wilson, and ERIC. Findings: Investigators have emphasized the need to evaluate the effects of theory-based physical activity interventions designed to alter key correlates of physical activity identified through descriptive research. Conclusions: Regular physical activity is necessary for health promotion and disease prevention for all populations. Continued research in this important area of health behavior is critical to identify the most effective interventions to increase physical activity among diverse populations. [source] Comparing Dementia Diagnostic Methods Used with People with Intellectual DisabilitiesJOURNAL OF POLICY AND PRACTICE IN INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES, Issue 2 2005Diana B. Burt Abstract, Accurate detection of dementia in adults with intellectual disabilities is important for clinical care, program planning, and clinical research. This paper reports on a study that examined two major diagnostic methods that varied in the following ways: (1) the extent to which they relied on clinical judgment; (2) the statistical method used to detect declines; and (3) the sensitivity to declines in functioning. Two methods based on testing were compared with one based on clinical judgment. Data were drawn from annual sequential assessments of 168 adults with intellectual disabilities (78 with Down syndrome and 90 with other etiologies). Agreement between testing and clinical judgment methods was 72,75% depending on testing method used. Clinical judgment produced a higher rate of dementia diagnosis for adults with Down syndrome compared with testing methods, suggesting a possible bias. The authors found that diagnostic criteria were useful both for identifying dementia and for describing its characteristics. Our results suggest that clinical judgment could result in a higher number of adults with Down syndrome diagnosed with dementia than methods based on test batteries. Common results across research studies indicate that combinations of sources of information (interviews/direct testing) would be most useful for dementia diagnosis. Future collaboration across research sites is needed to promote rapid progress in this important area, with emphasis on differential diagnosis. [source] Utilisation of separation methods in the analysis of chemical warfare agentsJOURNAL OF SEPARATION SCIENCE, JSS, Issue 11 2006Barbora Papou Abstract Chemical warfare agents and their degradation products represent a broad group of compounds with different chemical properties (polarity, volatility, thermostability, etc.). These chemicals often have to be detected and determined in complex matrices and therefore highly efficient separation techniques hyphenated to selective and sensitive detectors play an indispensable role. This review offers an overview of selected papers devoted to the title subject. It cannot be considered as a comprehensive literature compilation but should allow the reader to obtain an insight into the application of separation techniques in the important area of human protection and control of chemical weapons. [source] Applying wikis to managing knowledge,A socio-technical approachKNOWLEDGE AND PROCESS MANAGEMENT: THE JOURNAL OF CORPORATE TRANSFORMATION, Issue 1 2009Miia Kosonen As organizations are increasingly moving towards geographically dispersed and virtual forms of collaboration, knowledge sharing through social software such as wikis is widely acknowledged as an important area of research and practice. However, social software remains an under-investigated issue in the literature on knowledge management (KM), and there is a lack of studies demonstrating how organizations can successfully incorporate these technologies into their everyday operations. To bridge this gap, our paper examines a case of successful wiki implementation. We claim that understanding the implementation of wikis requires a socio-technical perspective focusing on the organizational context and activity system in which they are implemented rather than on their technological proficiency. Furthermore, we claim that their implementation brings about change in existing social systems, and results in new kinds of social constellations, interactions, and identities, which are manageable and controllable only to a limited extent. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Structure, function and evolution of microbial adenylyl and guanylyl cyclasesMOLECULAR MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 5 2004David A. Baker Summary Cells respond to signals of both environmental and biological origin. Responses are often receptor mediated and result in the synthesis of so-called second messengers that then provide a link between extracellular signals and downstream events, including changes in gene expression. Cyclic nucleotides (cAMP and cGMP) are among the most widely studied of this class of molecule. Research on their function and mode of action has been a paradigm for signal transduction systems and has shaped our understanding of this important area of biology. Cyclic nucleotides have diverse regulatory roles in both unicellular and multicellular organisms, highlighting the utility and success of this system of molecular communication. This review will examine the structural diversity of microbial adenylyl and guanylyl cyclases, the enzymes that synthesize cAMP and cGMP respectively. We will address the relationship of structure to biological function and speculate on the complex origin of these crucial regulatory molecules. A review is timely because the explosion of data from the various genome projects is providing new and exciting insights into protein function and evolution. [source] Challenges in conducting research with acutely ill hospitalized older patientsNURSING & HEALTH SCIENCES, Issue 4 2003Karen Hancock phd, bsc(hons) Abstract, The older population is the largest consumer of health care, yet little is known about their nursing needs during acute hospitalization. In undertaking a study to address this issue, the researchers faced many challenges that were related to the complexities of researching acutely ill hospitalized older patients. The purpose of the present discussion paper is to present some of the methodological and pragmatic factors that were encountered so that health professionals and researchers can be aware of the potential obstacles when researching this important area, and plan research accordingly. Potential barriers included the complexity of illness in the older person as a result of comorbidity and iatrogenesis; fatigue; normal age-related processes such as visual/hearing impairment; frequent ward transfer or early discharge; delirium or dementia; and high staff turnover resulting in difficulties in coordinating the study. This paper raises the importance of balancing the need to maximize the rigor of research and the needs of participants. Recommendations for future research are made. [source] Oral fungal and bacterial infections in HIV-infected individuals: an overview in AfricaORAL DISEASES, Issue 2002TA Hodgson Oral opportunistic infections developing secondary to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection have been reported from the early days of the epidemic and have been classified by both the EC-Clearinghouse and the World Health Organisation (WHO). Among the fungal infections, oral candidiasis, presenting in African HIV-infected patients has been sporadically documented. We review the literature with respect to candidal carriage, oral candidiasis prevalence and the predictive value of oral candidiasis for a diagnosis of underlying HIV disease in African HIV-infected patients. The use of oral candidiasis as a marker of disease progression, the species of yeasts isolated from the oral cavity in Africa and the resistance of the yeasts to antifungal agents and treatment regimens are discussed. Orofacial lesions as manifestations of the systemic mycoses are rarely seen in isolation and few cases are reported in the literature from Africa. In spite of the high incidence of noma, tuberculosis, chronic osteomyelitis and syphilis in Africa, surprisingly there have been very few reported cases of the oral manifestations of these diseases in HIV-positive individuals. Orofacial disease in HIV-infected patients is associated with marked morbidity, which is compounded by malnutrition. The authors indicate specific research areas, initially directed at the most effective management strategies, which would complete data in this important area. [source] Immune-mediated alteration in gut physiology and its role in host defence in nematode infectionPARASITE IMMUNOLOGY, Issue 8-9 2004W. I. Khan SUMMARY Activation of the mucosal immune system of the gastrointestinal tract in nematode infection results in altered intestinal physiology, which includes changes in intestinal motility and mucus production. These changes are considered to be under direct immunological control rather than a non-specific consequence of the inflammatory reaction to the infective agent. However, little is known about the immunological basis for the changes in intestinal physiology accompanying nematode infection, or the precise role of these changes in host defence, which remains an important area to explore. In this review we describe the mechanisms by which the immune response to nematode infection influences the changes in two major cells of intestinal physiology, namely smooth muscle and goblet cells, and how these changes in intestinal physiology contribute to the host defence. Data clearly demonstrate that the T helper (Th) 2 type immune response generated by nematode infection plays an important role in the development of infection-induced intestinal muscle hypercontractility and goblet cell hyperplasia and that these immune-mediated changes in intestinal physiology are associated with worm expulsion. These observations strongly suggest that intestinal muscle contractility, goblet cell hyperplasia and worm expulsion share a common immunological basis and may be causally related. These data not only provide insights into host defence in nematode infection in the context of muscle function and goblet cell response, but also have broad implications in elucidating the pathophysiology of a wide range of gastrointestinal disorders associated with altered gut physiology. [source] A quantitative meta-analysis of neurocognitive sequelae in survivors of pediatric brain tumors,,PEDIATRIC BLOOD & CANCER, Issue 3 2010Kristen E. Robinson MS Abstract Background Deficits in neurocognitive functioning are an important area of late effects in survivors of pediatric brain tumors, but a quantitative analysis of the magnitude of these deficits has yet to be conducted. Procedure The purpose of the current article is to provide a comprehensive meta-analysis of the literature on long-term neurocognitive effects found in these survivors. Results Results indicated significant deficits in both narrow and broad indices of neurocognitive functioning, and the overall magnitude of the effects across all domains ranged from small to large in magnitude (g,=,,0.45 to ,1.43) with a large mean overall effect size of g,=,,0.91. Conclusions These findings underscore the importance of monitoring the neurocognitive late effects in survivors of pediatric brain tumors, and the need for more consistent consideration of demographic, diagnostic, and treatment-related variables in future research to allow for examination of factors that may moderate these deficits. Pediatr Blood Cancer. 2010;55:525,531. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||