[The Psychometric Properties of the Abdominal Surgery Impact Scale]. / Übersetzung und Testung der Abdominal Surgery Impact Scale.

Background: Assessment of quality of life immediately after abdominal surgery is critical; however, potent tools that provide timely information about patient health are required in order to assess and improve postoperative quality of care. Interestingly, such assessment scales for early postoperative quality of life do not exist in German. The aim of this pilot study was to translate the English version of the "Abdominal Surgery Impact Scale" (ASIS) into German and to empirically test the German version. Methods: After the standardized translation, 30 German-speaking patients who had undergone visceral surgery (laparotomy) were recruited at the ward of the Bern University Hospital Visceral Surgery and Medicine. The internal consistency of the translated instrument (ASIS-D) was assessed on the third postoperative day; reliability, retest-reliability and construct validity were also assessed on the fifth postoperative day. Results: ASIS-D faithfully represented the content of the original version. Cronbach's α overall was 0.85 and for the 6 subscales 0.45-0.88. The overall score of retest-reliability was 0.57** and the construct validity was confirmed. Conclusion: The ASIS-D was shown to be reliable and valid even if other investigations are necessary. It provides specific insights into special postoperative symptoms such as wound pain and postoperative quality of sleep. After further tests, it might be suitable not only for capturing the short-term postal-surgical quality of life, but possibly also for evaluating nursing interventions.

["A Little Bit of Switzerland, a Little Bit of Kosovo". Swiss Immigrants from Former Yugoslavia with Type 2 Diabetes. A Qualitative Study' in Analogy to Grounded Theory]. / "Bisschen Schweiz, bisschen Kosovo". Erleben von Schweizer Migranten mit Diabetes mellitus Typ 2 aus dem ehemaligen Jugoslawien: Eine qualitative Studie in Anlehnung an die Grounded Theory.

Type 2 diabetes is on the increase among the Swiss immigrants. The cultural background of patients presents new linguistic and sociocultural barriers and gains in importance for health care. In order to develop patient-centred care, it is necessary to focus on different sociocultural aspects in everyday life and experiences of immigrants from the former republics of Yugoslavia with diabetes who have rarely been studied in Switzerland. Based on these insights the needs for counselling can be identified and nursing interventions can be designed accordingly. Using the Grounded Theory approach, 5 interviews were analysed according to the Corbin and Strauss coding paradigm. The central phenomenon found is the experience to live in 2 different cultures. The complexity arises from the tension living in 2 cultural backgrounds at the same time. It turns out that in the country of origin the immigrants adjust their disease management. The changing daily rhythm and the more traditional role model affect aspects of their disease management such as diet and/or drug therapy. The different strategies impact the person's roles, emotions, their everyday lives and their families. It provides an insight into the perspective of Swiss immigrants from the former republics of Yugoslavia suffering from diabetes. Many questions are still unanswered and further research will be required.

Semi-preparative isolation of plant sulfoquinovosyldiacylglycerols by solid phase extraction and HPLC procedures.

Techniques are described for the semi-preparative isolation of sulfoquinovosyldiacylglycerol from plant leaf tissue lipid extracts and the resolution and analysis of component molecular species. Sulfoquinovosyldiacylglycerol was resolved from phospholipids in a polar lipid fraction by isocratic normal phase HPLC with detection at 208 nm. The mobile phase was composed of heptane-isopropanol-0.001 M KCl 40:52:8 (v/v/v). Yields from spinach leaf lipid extracts were 1.8 mg.10 g-1 fresh wt leaf tissue. Molecular species components of purified sulfoquinovosyldiacylglycerol were separated by reversed-phase C18 HPLC, and fatty acid positional distribution was defined.

Changes in the Composition and Synthesis of Proteins in Cellular Membranes of Echinochloa crus-galli (L.) Beauv. Seeds during the Transition from Dormancy to Germination.

The effect of alcohols which stimulate or have no effect on germination on the composition and synthetic pattern of proteins in the cellular membranes of Echinochloa crus-galli (L.) Beauv. seeds was studied. Imbibition of dry seeds was accompanied by an increase in the synthesis of proteins and by synthesis of new proteins in their intracellular membranes. The transition of the seeds from a dormant to a nondormant state was associated with synthesis of specific proteins and a decrease in content of others in the plasma membrane. The synthesis of a 23 kilodalton protein was strongly increased upon release from dormancy. The changes in the pattern of protein synthesis were not directly associated with the beginning of germination. The results suggest that the plasma membrane constitutes the first site in the seed cells, at which the stimulus from external factors affecting seed dormancy is detected.

Involvement of plasma membrane calcium influx in bacterial induction of the k/h and hypersensitive responses in tobacco.

An early event in the hypersensitive response of tobacco to Pseudomonas syringae pv syringae is the initiation of a K(+)/H(+) response characterized by specific plasma membrane K(+) efflux, extracellular alkalinization, and intracellular acidification. We investigated the role of calcium in induction of these host responses. Suspension-cultured tobacco cells exhibited a baseline Ca(2+) influx of 0.02 to 0.06 micromole per gram per hour as determined from (45)Ca(2+) uptake. Following bacterial inoculation, uptake rates began to increase coincidently with onset of the K(+)/H(+) response. Rates increased steadily for 2 to 3 hours, reaching 0.5 to 1 micromole per gram per hour. This increased Ca(2+) influx was prevented by EGTA and calcium channel blockers such as La(3+), Co(2+), and Cd(2+) but not by verapamil and nifedipine. Lanthanum, cobalt, cadmium, and EGTA inhibited the K(+)/H(+) response in both suspension-cultured cells and leaf discs and prevented hypersensitive cell death in leaf discs. We conclude that increased plasmalemma Ca(2+) influx is required for the K(+)/H(+) and hypersensitive responses in tobacco.

Potassium Channels in Motor Cells of Samanea saman: A Patch-Clamp Study.

Leaflet movements in Samanea saman are driven by the shrinking and swelling of cells in opposing (extensor and flexor) regions of the motor organ (pulvinus). Changes in cell volume, in turn, depend upon large changes in motor cell content of K(+), Cl(-) and other ions. We performed patch-clamp experiments on extensor and flexor protoplasts, to determine whether their plasma membranes contain channels capable of carrying the large K(+) currents that flow during leaflet movement. Recordings in the "whole-cell" mode reveal depolarization-activated K(+) currents in extensor and flexor cells that increase slowly (t((1/2)) = ca. 2 seconds) and remain active for minutes. Recordings from excised patches reveal a single channel conductance of ca. 20 picosiemens in both cell types. The magnitude of the K(+) currents is adequate to account quantitatively for K(+) loss, previously measured in vivo during cell shrinkage. The K(+) channel blockers tetraethylammonium (5 millimolar) or quinine (1 millimolar) blocked channel opening and decreased light- and dark-promoted movements of excised leaflets. These results provide evidence for the role of potassium channels in leaflet movement.

Ion channels in plasmalemma of wheat protoplasts.

The patch-clamp technique was used to study passive movements of ions through the plasmalemma of wheat leaf protoplasts. This method overcomes the problems inherent in conventional electrophysiological study of plant cells. Changes in conductance were recorded in patches excised from the plasmalemma. Two types of patches were observed: (i) regions of low channel density, where discrete single-channel currents could be resolved and conductance ranged from 10 to 200 picosiemens and (ii) regions of high channel density, where single-channel currents could not be resolved and conductance was on the order of a few nanosiemens. The results indicate a striking similarity between animal and plant cell membranes in the basic phenomena of transport. Moreover, the approach used constitutes a new degree of refinement in the study of processes of regulation, pathology, and toxicity in plants.