Effect of atrial pacing on the level of bioactive sphingolipids in the heart ventricles of the rat.

Bioactive sphingolipids play important role in regulation of the function of the cardiomyocytes. There are no data available on metabolism of the sphingolipids in the heart under increased work-load produced by tachycardia. The aim of the present study was to examine effect of tachycardia on the level of the principal bioactive sphingolipids in the left and right ventricles.

Cell Penetrating Peptide Adsorption on Magnetite and Silica Surfaces: A Computational Investigation.

Magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) represent one of the most promising materials as they can act as a versatile platform in the field of bionanotechnology for enhanced imaging, diagnosis, and treatment of various diseases. Silica is the most common compound for preparing coated iron oxide NPs since it improves colloidal stability and the binding affinity for various organic molecules. Biomolecules such as cell penetrating peptides (CPPs) might be employed to decorate MNPs, combining their promising physicochemical properties with a cell penetrating ability.

Electrophysiologic and cellular characteristics of cardiomyocytes after X-ray irradiation.

The aim of this study was to investigate possible effects of ionizing irradiation on the electrophysiological functionality of cardiac myocytes in vitro. Primary chicken cardiomyocytes with spontaneous beating activity were irradiated with X-rays (dose range of 0.5-7 Gy).

Being the minority: Christian healthcare professionals in The Netherlands.

In many societies, spirituality is no longer specifically religious or affiliated in a traditional sense. This is especially true in The Netherlands. This study examined the qualities of Dutch Christian healthcare professionals, opportunities and threats to being Christian, and their perceived need for support to be Christian.

Functional assessment of geriatric patients in regard to health-related quality of life (HRQoL).

Purpose: The main aim of our research was to evaluate general health, functioning, and performance parameters, as well as care problems of Geriatric Clinic inpatients in relation to deficits in fulfilling needs. The assessment of health-related quality of life was also performed.

Patients And Methods: The research subjects were patients attending the Clinic of Geriatrics: 149 women and 78 men; 227 persons in total.

Elastin aging and lipid oxidation products in human aorta.

Vascular aging is associated with structural and functional modifications of the arteries, and by an increase in arterial wall thickening in the intima and the media, mainly resulting from structural modifications of the extracellular matrix (ECM) components. Among the factors known to accumulate with aging, advanced lipid peroxidation end products (ALEs) are a hallmark of oxidative stress-associated diseases such as atherosclerosis. Aldehydes generated from the peroxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), (4-hydroxynonenal, malondialdehyde, acrolein), form adducts on cellular proteins, leading to a progressive protein dysfunction with consequences in the pathophysiology of vascular aging.

Effect of a vascular access team on central line-associated bloodstream infections in infants admitted to a neonatal intensive care unit: a systematic review.

Objective: To review the effect of a vascular access team on the incidence of central line-associated bloodstream infections in infants admitted to a neonatal intensive care unit.

Data Sources: MEDLINE, CINAHL, Embase, Web-of-Science and the Cochrane Library were searched until December 2013.

Study Selection: Studies that evaluated the implementation of a vascular access team, and focused on the incidence of central line-associated bloodstream infections in infants admitted to a neonatal intensive care unit, were selected.

Treatment of forefoot problems in older people: a randomized clinical trial comparing podiatric treatment with standardized shoe advice.

Purpose: Consultations for forefoot pain are frequent in primary care, but scientific support of treatment options is scarce. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of podiatric treatment vs standardized advice on proper shoe characteristics and fit of shoes by means of an information leaflet for people aged 50 years and older with forefoot pain in primary care.

Methods: In this randomized controlled trial, 205 participants aged 50 years and older with hindering nontraumatic forefoot pain have been recruited at their general practitioner's office.

Prevalence of type III secretion system in effective biocontrol pseudomonads.

Functional type III secretion system (T3SS) genes are needed for effective biocontrol of Pythium damping-off of cucumber by Pseudomonas fluorescens KD, but whether biocontrol Pseudomonas strains with T3SS genes display overall a higher plant-protecting activity is unknown. The assessment of 198 biocontrol fluorescent pseudomonads originating from 60 soils worldwide indicated that 32% harbour the ATPase-encoding T3SS gene hrcN, which was most often found in tomato isolates. The hrcN(+) biocontrol strains (and especially those also producing 2,4-diacetylphloroglucinol and displaying 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate deaminase activity) displayed higher plant-protecting ability in comparison with hrcN(-) biocontrol strains, both in the Pythium/cucumber and Fusarium/cucumber pathosystems.

Nanopore-based instruments as biosensors for future planetary missions.

Data from automated orbiters and landers have dashed humankind's hopes of finding complex life-forms elsewhere in the Solar System. The focus of exobiological research was thus forced to shift from the detection of life through simple visual imaging to complex biochemical experiments aimed at the detection of microbial activity. Searching for biosignatures over interplanetary distances is a formidable task and poses the dilemma of what are the proper experiments that can be performed on-site to maximize the chances of success if extraterrestrial life is present but not evident.

Excitation energy transfer and electron-vibrational coupling in phycobiliproteins of the cyanobacterium Acaryochloris marina investigated by site-selective spectroscopy.

In adaption to its specific environmental conditions, the cyanobacterium Acaryochloris marina developed two different types of light-harvesting complexes: chlorophyll-d-containing membrane-intrinsic complexes and phycocyanobilin (PCB) - containing phycobiliprotein (PBP) complexes. The latter complexes are believed to form a rod-shaped structure comprising three homo-hexamers of phycocyanin (PC), one hetero-hexamer of phycocyanin and allophycocyanin (APC) and probably a linker protein connecting the PBPs to the reaction centre. Excitation energy transfer and electron-vibrational coupling in PBPs have been investigated by selectively excited fluorescence spectra.

Development and evaluation of a leaflet containing shoe advice: a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Providing advice to wear good quality shoes with appropriate fit is one of the possibilities GPs have when treating patients with foot problems.

Objectives: The aims of this study are to (i) determine which shoe characteristics are important when providing shoe advice; (ii) develop a shoe advice leaflet and (iii) evaluate if women choose better shoes with the aid of the leaflet.

Methods: We performed a literature search on the effect of separate shoe characteristics on foot pathologies and kinematics and developed an information leaflet with the aid of multidisciplinary experts.

Student nurses perceptions of spirituality and competence in delivering spiritual care: a European pilot study.

Background: Spiritual care is expected of nurses, but it is not clear how undergraduates can achieve competency in spiritual care at point of registration as required by nursing/midwifery regulatory bodies.

Aims: To describe undergraduate nurses'/midwives' perceptions of spirituality/spiritual care, their perceived competence in delivering spiritual care, and to test out the proposed method and suitability of measures for a larger multinational follow-on study.

Design: Cross-sectional, multinational, descriptive survey design.

Screening patient spirituality and spiritual needs in oncology nursing.

Aim: To select 2 appropriate spiritual assessment tools and evaluate these by involving oncology nurses.

Background: Spirituality is recognized as an important domain of cancer care. At admission, integration of spiritual assessment seems necessary.

'Can practice undertaken by patients be increased simply through implementing agreed national guidelines?' An observational study.

Objective: To increase autonomous practice time of patients on the stroke unit of a nursing home.

Intervention: Nurses stimulated and coached patients with the help of four interventions (muscle strengthening, sitting balance and reach, getting up from a chair, walking) from the evidence-based Clinical Nursing Rehabilitation Stroke Guidelines.

Design: An observational study.

The relationship between challenging behaviour and anxiety in adults with intellectual disabilities: a literature review.

Background: Anxiety and challenging behaviour (CB) often occur simultaneously in people with intellectual disabilities (ID). Understanding the associations between anxiety and CB may contribute to more accurate diagnoses and management of both anxiety and CB in this population.

Aims: To examine the relationship between anxiety and CB.

Micro-magnetic simulation study on the magnetic particle imaging performance of anisotropic mono-domain particles.

The performance of magnetic mono-domain particles is of crucial importance in magnetic particle imaging (MPI). So far, the behavior of mono-domain particles has been modeled within the framework of Langevin theory. This theory predicts the dependence of the MPI signal on the particle core size, but cannot account for the influence of the shape, i.

A software program for the head impulse testing device (HITD).

The vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) uses head angular acceleration information transduced by the semicircular canals in the inner ear in order to drive eye movements that compensate for head rotations, and thus stabilize the visual scene on the retina. Peripheral and central vestibular pathologies may impair the function of the VOR, so that compensation becomes incomplete, making clear vision during head movement impossible. Powerful adaptive mechanisms quickly allow the central nervous system to use residual vestibular information or information provided through other senses to supplement the deficient VOR.

The influence of dendron's architecture on the "rigid" and "flexible" behaviour in binding DNA--a modelling study.

"Flexibility/rigidity" and "architecture" are cited among the Critical Nanoscale Design Parameters (CNDPs) that control the behaviour of dendritic molecules. We compare two different families of dendrons to explore the role played by architecture in influencing the ability of these molecules to optimize their surface to bind DNA-an indicator of rigid/flexible behaviour.

Delphi research exploring essential components and preconditions for case management in people with dementia.

Background: Case management programmes for home-dwelling people with dementia and their informal carers exist in multiple forms and shapes. The aim of this research was to identify the essential components of case management for people with dementia as well as the preconditions for an effective delivery of case management services.

Method: The method used to carry out the research was a modified four-phase Delphi design.

PAMAM dendrimers for siRNA delivery: computational and experimental insights.

Short double-stranded RNAs, which are known as short interfering RNA (siRNA), can be used to specifically down-regulate the expression of the targeted gene in a process known as RNA interference (RNAi). However, the success of gene silencing applications based on the use of synthetic siRNA critically depends on efficient intracellular delivery. Polycationic branched macromolecules such as poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) dendrimers show a strong binding affinity for RNA molecules and, hence, can provide an effective, reproducible, and relatively nontoxic method for transferring siRNAs into animal cells.

Computational approach for understanding the interactions of UV-degradable dendrons with DNA and siRNA.

In this work, we present a molecular dynamics study to gain an insight into the binding of nucleic acids with spermine functionalized dendrons. We compare UV-degradable dendrons with nondegradable dendrons studied in our previous works. These two dendritic architectures have the same functional surface; however, the branching scaffold exhibits different flexibilities.

"Take control or lean back?" Barriers to practicing empowerment in health promotion.

During the past few decades, health promotion has increasingly focused on the empowerment of deprived communities and is shifting from a top-down approach to a participatory practice, aimed at helping people to gain control over their lives and health. Previous research shows that this shift is not without problems. In the Netherlands, an action learning program on empowerment was developed to help health promotion practitioners in this transition.

Ability to adapt: different generations of PAMAM dendrimers show different behaviors in binding siRNA.

This paper reports a molecular dynamic study to explore the diverse behavior of different generations of poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) dendrimers in binding siRNA. Our models show good accordance with experimental measurements. Simulations demonstrate that the molecular flexibility of PAMAMs plays a crucial role in the binding event, which is controlled by the modulation between enthalpy and entropy of binding.