bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Aesthetic Experience
Authors: Iseminger Gary
Published: September 2009

This article surveys attempts by aestheticians writing in the Anglo-American analytic tradition during the last half of the twentieth century to clarify, defend, and use the idea of a distinctively aesthetic state of mind. Their ambitions typically include most or all of the following: giving an account of what distinguishes the aesthetic state of mind from other states of mind that are like it in some ways, such as sensual pleasure or drug-induced experience, or from those connected with other realms of human concern, such as the religious, the cognitive, the practical, and the moral; giving that account in a way that appeals neither to any prior idea of the aesthetic nor to the concept of art; explaining related ideas of the distinctively aesthetic, e.g. the ideas of aesthetic properties, qualities, aspects, or concepts, of the aesthetic object, of the aesthetic judgement, and of aesthetic value, in terms of the idea of the distinctively aesthetic state of mind; and defending some more or less close connection between the realm of the aesthetic thereby explained and the realm of art, while recognizing that the aesthetic state of mind may appropriately be directed towards or grounded in non-art (e.g. nature) as well.
Authenticity in Art
Authors: Dutton Denis
Published: September 2009

Many of the most often-discussed issues of authenticity have centred around art forgery and plagiarism. A forgery is defined as a work of art whose history of production is misrepresented by someone (not necessarily the artist) to an audience (possibly to a potential buyer of the work), normally for financial gain. A forging artist paints or sculpts a work in the style of a famous artist in order to market the result as having been created by the famous artist. Exact copies of existing works are seldom forged, as they will be difficult to sell to knowledgeable buyers. The concept of forgery necessarily involves deceptive intentions on the part of the forger or the seller of the work: this distinguishes forgeries from innocent copies or merely erroneous attributions.
Intention in Art
Authors: Livingston Paisley
Published: September 2009

In aesthetics and literary theory, intentions are most often discussed in debates over standards of interpretation. A major shortcoming of such debates, it has been observed, is a lack of insight into the nature and functions of intentions. With that point in mind, this article is designed to complement other recent surveys that focus primarily on intention and interpretation. The first section surveys claims about what intentions are and do, while the second turns to arguments regarding the place of intentions in the appreciation of art.
Tragedy
Authors: Ridley Aaron
Published: September 2009

Tragedy matters to aesthetics because it matters to philosophy, of which aesthetics is a part, and it matters to philosophy for one main reason. Tragedy engages more directly than any other artform with philosophy's own most fundamental question: How should one live? By depicting worlds in which things go wrong — in which chance and necessity play prominent and often devastating roles in the shaping of human lives — tragedy shows us aspects of a world that is, in reality, our world, the world in which we must live as best we can. Tragedy shows us lives blighted by accidents of character, by chance combinations of circumstance whose consequences unfold inexorably, by features of the human condition that are both necessary to it and, on occasion, profoundly damaging to it. In such a context, the question how to live acquires its proper urgency and complexity. And in showing us the world in that light, tragedy offers to philosophy its most authentic impetus and challenge.
Art and Emotion
Authors: Neill Alex
Published: September 2009

The theory of art in which the abiding philosophical interest in the connection between art and emotion is most explicit is expression theory, of which there have been several, significantly different, versions. Common to all of these is the thought that the value of art lies at least largely in the value of its expression of emotion; but theorists have differed markedly in how they understand the nature of such expression. On what might be called the full-blown version of expression theory — instances of which were held by Leo Tolstoy and by Clive Bell — expression is understood as a matter of the communication or transmission of emotion or feeling from artist to audience via the work of art. The value of a work of art, on this view, will be a function both of the value of the feeling that it transmits (Tolstoy, for instance, held that sincerity and individuality of feeling were crucial criteria of value in this respect), and of its ‘infectiousness’ (to use a Tolstoyan metaphor) and the clarity with which it transmits that feeling.
Dance
Authors: Carroll Noël
Published: September 2009

The question of what makes dance an artform does not appear to emerge as a pressing philosophical issue until the eighteenth century, after which time it becomes a central topic. The reason for this should be fairly obvious: it is only in the eighteenth century that theorists became preoccupied with codifying the modern system of the arts — that is, with determining which practices belong to the sisterhood of the beaux arts (or fine arts). Two figures of particular importance in this transition were John Weaver and Jean-Georges Noverre. Importantly, both of these writers were not only theoreticians, but also choreographers.
Poetry
Authors: Neill Alex
Published: September 2009

Questions concerning the value of poetry have been of interest to philosophers and critics ever since Plato issued his challenge, in Book X of the Republic, to poetry's ‘champions’, to show that poetry is not, as he argued it to be, epistemically and morally a corrupting influence on individuals and society. Aristotle's Poetics is in effect in large part a response to that challenge. Where Plato argued that poetry's appeal to emotion in its audience was degrading, Aristotle argued that the capacity of tragedy to bring about the catharsis of pity and fear in the audience made it, in one way or another (unfortunately the obscurity of the notion of catharsis in the Poetics makes it very difficult to say precisely how), a force for good in the pursuit of psychological and moral health.
Feminist Aesthetics
Authors: Devereaux Mary
Published: September 2009

This article provides a critical survey of English-language feminist work in aesthetics since the early 1970s. The aim is to focus on those areas of feminist inquiry that have most significantly affected philosophical aesthetics in the analytic tradition. Feminist aesthetics starts from the assumption that the historical domain of art and the aesthetic is itself patriarchal. At one level, it simply extends the analysis of patriarchy to the practices of art institutions, in particular to the treatment of women in and by these institutions (e.g. demotions in the status of female-authored artworks previously believed to be the work of male artists).
Treatment With High‐dose Proton Pump Inhibitors Helps Distinguish Eosinophilic Esophagitis From Noneosinophilic Esophagitis
Authors: Sayej Wael N , Patel Raza , Baker Robert D , Tron Eduardo , Baker Susan S
Published: September 2009

Background:

Eosinophilic esophagitis (EE) is a clinical entity that is recognized increasingly in children. The treatment of EE has been debated since its identification as a clinical entity separate from reflux esophagitis. We hypothesize that the treatment with a high‐dose proton pump inhibitor (HDPPI) helps differentiate EE from noneosinophilic esophagitis (NEE).

Patients and Methods:

Retrospective review of 2221 patients who underwent esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) with biopsies was undertaken. Sixty‐nine patients had more than or equal to 15 eosinophils/high‐power field (eos/HPF) in 1 or more esophageal levels. Of those, 36 were initially treated with HDPPI for 3 months followed by repeat EGD. Patients who demonstrated histologic response were classified as NEE. Patients with no histologic response were diagnosed as having EE and treated with HDPPI + swallowed fluticasone for 3 months followed by repeat EGD.

Results:

Of the 36 patients, histologic response was seen in 14 (39%) after treatment with HDPPI; 95% confidence interval (0.23–0.54). Swallowed fluticasone was added to the treatment of the 22 patients who did not show histologic response to HDPPI alone. Of those, 15 patients underwent repeat endoscopies. Seven patients were lost to follow‐up or did not have repeated EGDs. Histologic response was observed in 9 of 15 (60%) patients. Of the nonresponders (6 of 15), 5 of 6 (83%) self‐reported noncompliance with the swallowed fluticasone. Patients with more than or equal to 15 eos/HPF at all 3 levels (25 of 36) were less likely to respond to HDPPI alone and more likely to be categorized as EE (18 of 25), P = <0.043. Symptomatically, 28 of 36 patients reported resolution of symptoms after HDPPI therapy alone, P = <0.0001, regardless of histology. Visual endoscopic findings during the first and second EGDs did not show any significance in differentiating EE from NEE, P = 0.625 and P = 0.2405, respectively.

Conclusions:

The study demonstrates that HDPPI can be used to help differentiate EE from NEE histologically. Moreover, patients with more than or equal to 15 eos/HPF at all 3 levels are less likely to respond to HDPPI than patients with more than or equal to 15 eos/HPF at fewer than 3 levels. Therefore, having more than or equal to 15 eos/HPF at 1 or 2 biopsy levels does not necessarily establish the diagnosis of EE. Symptomatic response to HDPPI does not correlate with histologic findings. Clinical management guided by EGD with biopsy helps distinguish patients with EE from those with NEE.
Gangliosides Protect Bowel in an Infant Model of Necrotizing Enterocolitis by Suppressing Proinflammatory Signals
Authors: Schnabl Kareena L , Larsen Bodil , Van Aerde John E , Lees Gordon , Evans Mark , Belosevic Miodrag , Field Catherine , Thomson ABR , Clandinin Michael T
Published: September 2009

Objectives:

Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) has high morbidity in premature infants. Hypoxia‐ischemia, infection, and enteral feeding are risk factors associated with NEC, whereas feeding human milk is protective. Vasoactive and inflammatory mediators in NEC remain elusive. Gangliosides are found in human milk and enterocyte membranes. An infant bowel model of NEC was developed to test the hypothesis that gangliosides modulate the inflammatory response to infection and hypoxia.

Patients and Methods:

Viable, noninflamed bowel was obtained from 9 infants between 26 and 40 weeks' gestational age. Infant bowel was treated in culture with Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and hypoxia in the presence or absence of preexposure to gangliosides. Bowel necrosis and production of nitric oxide, endothelin‐1, serotonin, eicosanoids, hydrogen peroxide, and proinflammatory cytokines were measured.

Results:

Ganglioside preexposure reduced bowel necrosis and endothelin‐1 production in response to LPS. Gangliosides suppressed infant bowel production of nitric oxide, leukotriene B4, prostaglandin E2, hydrogen peroxide, interleukin‐1β, interleukin‐6, and interleukin‐8 in response to LPS exposure and hypoxia.

Conclusions:

A bowel protective effect of gangliosides is indicated by modulation of vasoactive mediators and proinflammatory signal suppression.
Multi-layer stackable polymer memory devices
Authors: Kwan Wei Lek , Tseng Ricky J. , Yang Yang
Published: September 2009

Multi-layer stackable polymer memory architecture is an interesting new direction for polymer memory. The memory density can be increased by increasing the number of stacked layers without reducing the minimum feature size. To achieve multi-level stacking, the polymer used must be able to be cross-linked so that it will not be dissolved upon deposition of additional layers. This requirement also makes the polymer robust enough to withstand conventional lithographic processes. In this paper, the various approaches to achieve cross-linkable polymer memory are discussed. Device fabrication and performance are also reported.
Electrical bistability in a composite of polymer and barium titanate nanoparticles
Authors: Salaoru I. , Paul S.
Published: September 2009

Growth in the use of organic materials in the fabrication of electronic devices is on the rise. Recently, some attempts have been undertaken to manufacture polymer memory devices. Such devices are fabricated by depositing a blend (an admixture of organic polymer, small organic molecules and nanoparticles) between two metal electrodes. These devices show two electrical conductivity states (‘high’ and ‘low’) when a voltage is applied, thus rendering the structures suitable for data retention. In this paper, we describe an attempt to fabricate memory devices using ferroelectric nanoparticles embedded in an organic polymer. This paper also discusses issues related to the observed memory effect.
Human population growth and the demographic transition
Authors: Bongaarts John
Published: September 2009

The world and most regions and countries are experiencing unprecedentedly rapid demographic change. The most obvious example of this change is the huge expansion of human numbers: four billion have been added since 1950. Projections for the next half century expect a highly divergent world, with stagnation or potential decline in parts of the developed world and continued rapid growth in the least developed regions. Other demographic processes are also undergoing extraordinary change: women's fertility has dropped rapidly and life expectancy has risen to new highs. Past trends in fertility and mortality have led to very young populations in high fertility countries in the developing world and to increasingly older populations in the developed world. Contemporary societies are now at very different stages of their demographic transitions. This paper summarizes key trends in population size, fertility and mortality, and age structures during these transitions. The focus is on the century from 1950 to 2050, which covers the period of most rapid global demographic transformation.
Population policies, programmes and the environment
Authors: Speidel J. Joseph , Weiss Deborah C. , Ethelston Sally A. , Gilbert Sarah M.
Published: September 2009

Human consumption is depleting the Earth's natural resources and impairing the capacity of life-supporting ecosystems. Humans have changed ecosystems more rapidly and extensively over the past 50 years than during any other period, primarily to meet increasing demands for food, fresh water, timber, fibre and fuel. Such consumption, together with world population increasing from 2.6 billion in 1950 to 6.8 billion in 2009, are major contributors to environmental damage. Strengthening family-planning services is crucial to slowing population growth, now 78 million annually, and limiting population size to 9.2 billion by 2050. Otherwise, birth rates could remain unchanged, and world population would grow to 11 billion. Of particular concern are the 80 million annual pregnancies (38% of all pregnancies) that are unintended. More than 200 million women in developing countries prefer to delay their pregnancy, or stop bearing children altogether, but rely on traditional, less-effective methods of contraception or use no method because they lack access or face other barriers to using contraception. Family-planning programmes have a successful track record of reducing unintended pregnancies, thereby slowing population growth. An estimated $15 billion per year is needed for family-planning programmes in developing countries and donors should provide at least $5 billion of the total, however, current donor assistance is less than a quarter of this funding target.
Population ageing: what should we worry about?
Authors: Turner Adair
Published: September 2009

Approximately half the world's population now has replacement-level fertility or below. The UK experience in accommodating to a changing dependency ratio provides some generalizable insights. A mechanistic approach assuming a fixed retirement age and a need to raise fertility or increase immigration in order to maintain pensions at a fixed proportion of the gross domestic product (GDP) is overstated and wrong. It needs to be replaced by a welfare optimizing model, which takes into account the increasing years of healthy life, a slow rise in the pensionable age, capital inheritance and wider welfare considerations of population density that are not reflected in GDP measures. A combined replacement ratio (CRR) is suggested for developed countries combining the impact of the fertility rate and immigration rate. A CRR above 2 implies continued population growth. The current UK CRR of 2.48 is higher than needed for pension reasons, and it is suggested that it exceeds the welfare maximizing level.
A histochemical study on the snout tentacles and snout skin of bristlenose catfish Ancistrus triradiatus
Authors: Yan H. Y.
Published: September 2009

Histological sections of the tentacles of Ancistrus triradiatus revealed that they contain many goblet cells with granule‐like sections distributed along the edge of the tentacles (mean 302 cells mm−1). Various histochemical methods were used to characterize the contents of the goblet cells. The results indicated that the contents were periodic acid‐Schiff (PAS) positive, glycogen negative and no sulphated mucins could be found. The contents of the goblet cells were acid mucins and O‐acetylated sialomucins which had high energy content. The snout skin of the male also contained goblet cells with higher density (mean 755 cells mm−1) than that of the tentacles. Snout skin of female A. triradiatus, on the contrary, did not contain any goblet cells. Instead, many minute spines could be found. Based on the acid mucins and O‐acetylated sialomucins secretions of goblet cells which are of high nutritional values, it is hypothesized that snout tentacle secretions are used to provide nutrients to fish larvae when they are under paternal care.
Ontogeny of calls of a nonpasserine species: the grey crowned crane Balearica regulorum gibbericeps
Authors: Budde Christa
Published: September 2009

This study presents the results of preliminary studies on the ontogeny of two of the three calls of chicks of the grey crowned crane Balearica regulorum gibbericeps. The observed patterns are consistent with those presented in other studies of nonpasserine bird species in that the frequency range decreased in both investigated calls. The duration, however, showed fluctuations in the contact call and no consistent pattern. In the begging call of captive chicks the duration increased as is found in other nonpasserine bird species.
Mistletoe (Tapinanthus bangwensis Reichenbach) infestation of indigenous and non‐indigenous trees at Amani Nature Reserve, Tanzania
Authors: Lekunze L. M. , Hassan M. M.
Published: September 2009

A survey of Tapinanthus bangwensis was carried out in a plantation in the botanic garden at Amani Nature Reserve, which forms part of the East Usambara Mountain, located in the north‐east of Tanzania. A total of 169 trees were examined on four transects of 100 × 50 m (5000 m2) each, located about 700 m apart. Three treatment transects were established in open woodland with a control transect in the closed canopy. Out of 101 trees (81 non‐indigenous and 20 indigenous) examined in the open canopy, T. bangwensis was present on 24; eighteen non‐indigenous and six indigenous. Of all the infested trees, a non‐indigenous species, silky oak (Grevillea robusta) was the most common (37.4%), followed by an indigenous species, mzindanguruwe (Blighia unijugata) with 16.6%. Chi‐squared tests showed that there was no significant difference in frequency of infestation between non‐indigenous and indigenous species (χ2 = 0.715, P = 0.5826). t‐Testing showed that T. bangwensis preferred taller and larger trees (t = − 3.930, P = 0.0002 and t = − 2.416, P = 0.0175, respectively). No T. bangwensis was found on the 68 trees examined in the closed canopy.
Prevalence of mutations in ELANE, GFI1, HAX1, SBDS, WAS and G6PC3 in patients with severe congenital neutropenia
Authors: Xia Jun , Bolyard Audrey A. , Rodger Elin , Stein Steve , Aprikyan Andrew A. , Dale David C. , Link Daniel C.
Published: September 2009

Severe congenital neutropenia (SCN) is a genetically heterogeneous syndrome associated with mutations of ELANE (ELA2), HAX1, GFI1, WAS, CSF3R or G6PC3. We investigated the prevalence of mutations of ELANE in a cohort of 162 SCN patients for whom blood or bone marrow samples were submitted to the North American Severe Chronic Neutropenia Tissue Repository. Mutations of ELANE were found in 90 of 162 patients (55·6%). Subsequently, we conducted an analysis of a subset of 73 of these cases utilising a high throughput sequencing approach to determine the prevalence of other mutations associated with SCN. Among the 73 patients, mutations of ELANE were detected in 28. In the remaining 45 patients with wild type ELANE alleles, five patients had mutations: GFI1 (1), SBDS (1), WAS (1) and G6PC3 (2); no mutations of HAX1 were detected. In approximately 40% of our cases, the genetic basis of SCN remains unknown. These data suggest that for genetic diagnosis of SCN, ELANE genotyping should first be performed. In patients without ELANE mutations, other known SCN‐associated gene mutations will be found rarely and genotyping can be guided by the clinical features of each patient.
The risk of spinal haematoma following neuraxial anaesthesia or lumbar puncture in thrombocytopenic individuals
Authors: Van Veen Joost J. , Nokes Timothy J. , Makris Mike
Published: September 2009

Neuraxial anaesthesia is increasingly performed in thrombocytopenic patients at the time of delivery of pregnancy. There is a lack of data regarding the optimum platelet count at which spinal procedures can be safely performed. Reports are often confounded by the presence of other risk factors for spinal haematomata, such as anticoagulants, antiplatelet agents and other acquired or congenital coagulopathies/platelet function defects or rapidly falling platelet counts. In the absence of these additional risk factors, a platelet count of 80 × 109/l is a ‘safe’ count for placing an epidural or spinal anaesthetic and 40 × 109/l is a ‘safe’ count for lumbar puncture. It is likely that lower platelet counts may also be safe but there is insufficient published evidence to make recommendations for lower levels at this stage. For patients with platelet counts of 50–80 × 109/l requiring epidural or spinal anaesthesia and patients with a platelet count 20–40 × 109/l requiring a lumbar puncture, an individual decision based on assessment of risks and benefits should be made.
Endothelin receptor antagonists for pulmonary hypertension in adult patients with sickle cell disease
Authors: Minniti Caterina P. , Machado Roberto F. , Coles Wynona A. , Sachdev Vandana , Gladwin Mark T. , Kato Gregory J.
Published: September 2009

Pulmonary Hypertension is a serious complication of sickle cell disease (SCD), with high morbidity and mortality. Endothelin (ET)‐1, a potent vasoconstrictor elevated in SCD, acts through the ET receptors (ETR), ETR‐A and ETR‐B. Bosentan and ambrisentan are ETR blockers used in primary pulmonary hypertension. We report on the use of ETR blocking agents in a cohort of 14 high‐risk SCD adult patients with pulmonary hypertension. Patients underwent right heart catheterization, 6‐min walk test, echocardiogram, physical examination and blood work‐up before starting ETR blockers. Eight patients received ETR blockers as initial therapy; six patients were already taking sildenafil. Over more than 6 months of therapy, sequential measurements of 6‐min walk distance increased significantly (baseline 357 ± 22 to 398 ± 18 m at 5–6 months, P < 0·05). Downward trends were observed for amino‐terminal brain natriuretic peptide and tricuspid regurgitant velocity. Pulmonary artery mean pressures decreased in three patients that had repeat right heart catheterization (44–38 mmHg). Adverse events were: increased serum alanine aminotransferase (2), peripheral oedema (4), rash (1), headache (3), decreased haemoglobin (2). Therapy was stopped in two patients who were switched then to the other ETR blocker agent. These data suggest preliminary evidence for the benefit of bosentan and ambrisentan in pulmonary hypertension in SCD.
Effects of octreotide exposure during pregnancy in acromegaly
Authors: Maffei Pietro , Tamagno Gianluca , Nardelli Giovanni Battista , Videau Catherine , Menegazzo Carla , Milan Gabriella , Calcagno Alessandra , Martini Chiara , Vettor Roberto , Epelbaum Jacques , Sicolo Nicola
Published: September 2009

Background  Only six women who were treated with somatostatin analogues (SSAs) throughout their pregnancies have been described so far. The influence of SSAs on the course of pregnancy and newborn outcomes remains largely unknown. Many aspects of SSAs pharmacokinetics in mother and foetus have not yet been defined.

Methods and findings  We report a case study on the effects of octreotide on uterine artery blood flow, octreotide concentrations in biological fluids of mother and newborn, and somatostatin (SST) receptor expression and binding at the level of the maternal–foetal barrier tissues in an acromegalic woman treated with short‐acting octreotide throughout her pregnancy. An acute decrease in uterine artery blood flow was observed after octreotide injections, without affecting the pregnancy course, delivery, or foetal development. Octreotide concentrations were high in maternal serum and colostrum and lower in umbilical cord serum, amniotic fluid, and newborn serum. All SST receptor subtypes can be expressed in placental tissue but their binding profile was weak both in the placenta and umbilical cord. The child was healthy and developed normally up to age 6 from an anthropometric, metabolic, and endocrine point of view. We reviewed all published reports on pregnancy SSA exposure and outcomes were compared to a time‐matched group of acromegalic women not exposed to SSA. No significant effect on the mother or foetus was observed.

Conclusions  Short‐acting octreotide appears not to affect the function of the maternal–foetal barrier or foetal development, except for the occurrence of acute, reversible, and clinically irrelevant haemodynamic changes. These data support the feasibility and safety of treatment with short‐acting octreotide in acromegalic women during pregnancy and excludes major matters of concern about the effects of this medication on pregnancy itself and its outcome.
Ascites from patients with alcoholic liver cirrhosis contains higher IGF‐I bioactivity than serum
Authors: Jeyaratnaganthan Nilani , Grønbæk Henning , Holland‐Fischer Peter , Espelund Ulrick , Chen Jian‐Wen , Flyvbjerg Allan , Vilstrup Hendrik , Frystyk Jan
Published: September 2009

Objective  Patients with liver cirrhosis have diminished hepatic IGF‐I generation, resulting in low circulating levels, whereas data on IGF‐I in ascites are sparse. Therefore, we compared the IGF‐system in serum and ascites from cirrhotic patients.

Design and patients  The study comprised 43 patients (12 females) with ascites and liver function of 58 ± 10% of normal. Serum and ascites were collected concomitantly in the fasting state. In 11 patients, second serum and ascitic samples were collected within the first week. Eleven matched controls were also included. All samples were assayed for IGF‐related parameters by immunoassays and by cell‐based IGF‐I bioassay.

Results  As compared with controls, serum total IGF‐I, total IGF‐II, pro‐IGF‐II and bioactive IGF‐I were reduced in liver patients, whereas IGF‐binding protein 1 (IGFBP‐1), IGFBP‐2 and the soluble IGF‐II receptor were elevated (P < 0·005 for all). In ascites, all IGF‐related peptides but pro‐IGF‐II were further reduced as compared with serum (P < 0·001). By contrast, bioactive IGF‐I was fourfold elevated in ascites as compared with serum (2·20 ± 0·33 vs. 0·55 ± 0·08 μg/l, P < 0·001). In ascites, the IGF‐I bioactivity signal was completely blocked by addition of IGFBP‐3. Repetitive measurements (n = 11) in ascites showed that all peptides but IGFBP‐1 remained unchanged within 1 week.

Conclusions  It is a novel observation that the in vitro bioactivity of IGF‐I can be higher in fluids from an extravascular compartment than in serum, in contrast to immunoreactive levels. This supports different roles for endocrine and paracrine/autocrine IGF‐I, but the pathophysiological significance of our observation remains to be clarified.
Growth in foetal life and infancy is associated with abdominal adiposity at the age of 2 years: The Generation R Study
Authors: Durmuş Büşra , Mook‐Kanamori Dennis O. , Holzhauer Susanne , Hofman Albert , Van Der Beek Eline M. , Boehm Güenther , Steegers Eric A.P. , Jaddoe Vincent W.V.
Published: September 2009

Objective Early weight gain is associated with an increased risk of obesity. It is not known whether rapid weight gain in foetal life and infancy is also associated with increased abdominal adiposity. We examined the associations of foetal and postnatal growth characteristics with abdominal fat mass at the age of 2 years.

Design This study was performed in 481 children participating in a prospective cohort study from early foetal life onward.

Measurements Foetal and postnatal growth characteristics in second and third trimester, at birth and at the age of 2 years were related to abdominal fat mass (subcutaneous distance and area, preperitoneal distance and area) measured by ultrasound at the age of 2 years.

Results Foetal and birth weight were not associated with abdominal subcutaneous fat mass. Estimated foetal weight in second trimester of pregnancy was inversely associated with preperitoneal fat area [−3·73% (95% confidence interval −7·23, −0·10)] per standard deviation score increase in weight. Weight gain from birth to the age of 2 years was positively associated with preperitoneal fat mass measures. These associations remained significant after adjustment for age, sex, breastfeeding and body mass index. Positive associations were found between catch‐up growth in weight and abdominal fat mass measures.

Conclusions Our results suggest that rapid growth rates during foetal life and infancy are associated with increased abdominal subcutaneous and preperitoneal fat mass in healthy children. Further studies need to explore whether these associations persist in later life and are related to metabolic syndrome outcomes.
Health status in women with Turner syndrome: a questionnaire study on health status, education, work participation and aspects of sexual functioning
Authors: Næss Eva Elisabeth , Bahr David , Gravholt Claus H.
Published: September 2009

Context  Turner syndrome (TS) is a complex medical condition with specific cognitive and psychosocial characteristics and frequent medical morbidity. Few studies have investigated the influence this has on health status, education and ability to work.

Objective  To explore health status, level of education, work participation, medical conditions, physical activity, satisfaction with life and aspects of sexual functioning in adult TS women and compare with a matched control group.

Design  A questionnaire was sent to 168 adult women with TS >18 years registered in a database of Frambu Resource Centre for Rare Disorders and The TS Association in Norway. We assessed health status with Short Form 36, education with Norwegian Standard Classification of Education, and employment with The General Nordic Questionnaire. Life satisfaction was measured with LiSat‐9, and questions on psychological strain during life phases were included.

Results  Eighty women with TS (34·0 ± 11·7 years) and 214 controls (32·9 ± 10·6) responded. The TS group reported significantly more health problems and impaired health status in the two subscales “physical functioning” and “general health” (P < 0·001). Level of education and work participation was similar among TS and controls. TS moved away from their parents’ home later than controls (20·4 ± 4·0 vs. 18·7 ± 2·1, P = 0·001). Age at sexual debut differed significantly (21·2 ± 4·3 vs. 17·3 ± 2·4 years, P < 0·001).

Conclusion  TS attains the same level of education and level of employment as controls, they report more frequent occurrence of medical conditions, but scored lower on only two subscales in the SF‐36. Despite considerable medical morbidity, TS seem to cope well with life.
Variation of soil and biomass carbon pools in beech forests across a precipitation gradient
Authors: MEIER INA C. , LEUSCHNER CHRISTOPH
Published: September 2009

Temperate forests have recently been identified as being continuing sinks for carbon even in their mature and senescent stages. However, modeling exercises indicate that a warmer and drier climate as predicted for parts of Central Europe may substantially alter the source/sink function of these economically important ecosystems. In a transect study with 14 mature European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) forests growing on uniform geological substrate, we analyzed the influence of a large reduction of annual precipitation (970–520 mm yr−1) on the carbon stocks in fast and slow pools, independent of the well‐known aging effect. We investigated the C storage in the organic L, F, H layers, the mineral soil to 100 cm, and in the biomass (stem, leaves, fine roots), and analyzed the dependence of these pools on precipitation. Soil organic carbon decreased by about 25% from stands with > 900 mm yr−1 to those with < 600 mm yr−1; while the carbon storage in beech stems slightly increased. Reduced precipitation affected the biomass C pool in particular in the fine root fraction but much less in the leaf biomass and stem fractions. Fine root turnover increased with a precipitation reduction, even though stand fine root biomass and SOC in the organic L, F, and H layers decreased. According to regression analyses, the C storage in the organic layers was mainly controlled by the size of the fine root C pool suggesting an important role of fine root turnover for the C transfer from tree biomass to the SOC pool. We conclude that the long‐term consequence of a substantial precipitation decrease would be a reduction of the mineral soil and organic layer SOC pools, mainly due to higher decomposition rates. This could turn temperate beech forests into significant carbon sources instead of sinks under global warming.
Using carbon isotope analysis of the diet of two introduced Australian megaherbivores to understand Pleistocene megafaunal extinctions
Authors: Bowman David M. J. S. , Murphy Brett P. , McMahon Clive R.
Published: September 2009

Aim  Australia lost a diverse assemblage of large marsupial herbivores in the late Pleistocene, with suggestions that the extinctions were biased towards browsers. In modern times two bovines, the Asian water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) and banteng (Bos javanicus), have established feral populations in the Northern Territory, Australia. Buffalo have aggressively expanded throughout the savanna landscape, yet banteng remain near their point of introduction on the Cobourg Peninsula. We hypothesized that this difference is related to feeding ecology, possibly reflecting a legacy of the Pleistocene extinctions.

Location  Western Arnhem Land, Northern Territory, Australia.

Methods  Analysing a previously published dataset of body mass and feeding ecology of extinct and extant marsupial herbivores, we evaluated whether browsers were at greater risk of extinction than grazers. We compared the carbon isotope composition and nitrogen content of banteng and buffalo dung in order to evaluate the hypotheses that the differences in invasion success are related to feeding ecology, and that seasonal variation in browse consumption is linked to changing nutritional quality of grass.

Results  Controlling for body mass, the Pleistocene extinctions were clearly biased towards browsers. Introduced banteng appear to be primarily browsers, with their diets comprising 40% grass in the wet season and 15% in the late dry season. Buffalo have a more variable diet, with an increasing proportion of browse from the wet (30%) to the late dry season (75%), and can therefore be described as switching from grazer to browser. The decline of grass in the diet of both species appears to reflect the decline in the nutritional value of grass through the dry season, an inference supported by the negative relationship between δ13C values and the nitrogen content of dung.

Main conclusions  Banteng and buffalo are much larger than extant native herbivores, of which browsers are restricted to isolated rocky habitats. This suggests that banteng and buffalo have filled niches made vacant following the Pleistocene extinctions. The success of buffalo appears to be related to their greater dietary breadth, which enables them to graze and browse in eucalypt savannas, whilst the browsing banteng remain tethered to a mosaic of rain forest patches. The restriction of browsers may be a long‐range consequence of habitat transformations associated with Aboriginal landscape burning.
Functions and regulation of the Nox family in the filamentous fungus Podospora anserina: a new role in cellulose degradation
Authors: Brun Sylvain , Malagnac Fabienne , Bidard Frédérique , Lalucque Hervé , Silar Philippe
Published: September 2009

NADPH oxidases are enzymes that produce reactive oxygen species. Studies in mammals, plants and fungi have shown that they play important roles in differentiation, defence, host/pathogen interaction and mutualistic symbiosis. In this paper, we have identified a Podospora anserina mutant strain impaired for processes controlled by PaNox1 and PaNox2, the two Nox isoforms characterized in this model ascomycete. We show that the gene mutated is PaNoxR, the homologue of the gene encoding the regulatory subunit p67phox, conserved in mammals and fungi, and that PaNoxR regulates both PaNox1 and PaNox2. Genome sequence analysis of P. anserina reveals that this fungus posses a third Nox isoform, PaNox3, related to human Nox5/Duox and plant Rboh. We have generated a knock‐out mutant of PaNox3 and report that PaNox3 plays a minor role in P. anserina, if any. We show that PaNox1 and PaNox2 play antagonist roles in cellulose degradation. Finally, we report for the first time that a saprobic fungus, P. anserina, develops special cell structures dedicated to breach and to exploit a solid cellulosic substrate, cellophane. Importantly, as for similar structures present in some plant pathogens, their proper differentiation requires PaNox1, PaNox2, PaNoxR and the tetraspanin PaPls1.
The coat morphogenetic protein SpoVID is necessary for spore encasement in Bacillus subtilis
Authors: Wang Katherine H. , Isidro Anabela L. , Domingues Lia , Eskandarian Haig A. , McKenney Peter T. , Drew Kevin , Grabowski Paul , Chua Ming‐Hsiu , Barry Samantha N. , Guan Michelle , Bonneau Richard , Henriques Adriano O. , Eichenberger Patrick
Published: September 2009

Endospores formed by Bacillus subtilis are encased in a tough protein shell known as the coat, which consists of at least 70 different proteins. We investigated the process of spore coat morphogenesis using a library of 40 coat proteins fused to green fluorescent protein and demonstrate that two successive steps can be distinguished in coat assembly. The first step, initial localization of proteins to the spore surface, is dependent on the coat morphogenetic proteins SpoIVA and SpoVM. The second step, spore encasement, requires a third protein, SpoVID. We show that in spoVID mutant cells, most coat proteins assembled into a cap at one side of the developing spore but failed to migrate around and encase it. We also found that SpoIVA directly interacts with SpoVID. A domain analysis revealed that the N‐terminus of SpoVID is required for encasement and is a structural homologue of a virion protein, whereas the C‐terminus is necessary for the interaction with SpoIVA. Thus, SpoVM, SpoIVA and SpoVID are recruited to the spore surface in a concerted manner and form a tripartite machine that drives coat formation and spore encasement.
Effects of elevated ozone on photosynthesis and stomatal conductance of two soybean varieties: a case study to assess impacts of one component of predicted global climate change
Authors: Singh E. , Tiwari S. , Agrawal M.
Published: September 2009

Global climatic change scenarios predict a significant increase in future tropospheric ozone (O3) concentrations. The present investigation was done to assess the effects of elevated O3 (70 and 100 ppb) on electron transport, carbon fixation, stomatal conductance and pigment concentrations in two tropical soybean (Glycine max L.) varieties, PK 472 and Bragg. Plants were exposed to O3 for 4 h·day−1 from 10:00 to 14:00 from germination to maturity. Photosynthesis of both varieties were adversely affected, but the reduction was higher in PK 472 than Bragg. A comparison of chlorophyll a fluorescence kinetics with carbon fixation suggested greater sensitivity of dark reactions than light reactions of photosynthesis to O3 stress. The O3‐induced uncoupling between photosynthesis and stomatal conductance in PK 472 suggests the reduction in photosynthesis may be attributed to a factor other than reduced stomatal conductance. An increase in internal CO2 concentration in both O3‐treated soybean varieties compared suggests that the reduction in photosynthesis was due to damage to the photosynthetic apparatus, leading to accumulation of internal CO2 and stomatal closure. The adverse impact of O3 stress increased at higher O3 concentrations in both soybean varieties leading to large reductions in photosynthesis. This study suggests that O3‐induced reductions in photosynthesis in tropical and temperate varieties are similar.
Resuscitation with Na+/H+ exchanger inhibitor in traumatic haemorrhagic shock: Cardiopulmonary performance, oxygen transport and tissue inflammation
Authors: Wu Dongmei , Qi Jiansong , Dai Hui , Doods Henri , Abraham William M
Published: September 2009

1. The aim of the present study was to examine the effects of inhibition of the Na+/H+ exchanger (NHE‐1) on cardiopulmonary performance, oxygen carrying capacity and tissue inflammation in a pig model of traumatic haemorrhage–resuscitation.

2. In 12 instrumented anaesthetized pigs, traumatic haemorrhage was modelled by producing tibia fractures, followed by haemorrhage of 25 mL/kg for 20 min, and then a 4 mm hepatic arterial tear with surgical repair after 20 min. Animals then underwent low‐volume fluid resuscitation with either Hextend (vehicle; n = 6; Hospira, Lake Forest, IL, USA) or 3 mg/kg BIIB513 (an NHE‐1 inhibitor) + Hextend (n = 6). The experiment was terminated 6 h after the beginning of resuscitation.

3. Compared with vehicle‐treated controls, the addition of NHE‐1 inhibition with BIIB513 significantly improved the left ventricle stroke work index and attenuated increases in pulmonary arterial pressure and pulmonary vascular resistance. Furthermore, BIIB513 treatment significantly increased the oxygenated haemoglobin ratio, blood oxygen content and mixed venous blood oxygen saturation and improved blood oxygen delivery. In addition, BIIB513 treatment reduced lung tissue levels of interleukin‐6 by 80%, tumour necrosis factor‐α by 37% and myeloperoxidase activity by 38%. Nuclear factor‐κB DNA binding activity in the lung was also slightly and significantly attenuated following BIIB513 treatment.

4. In conclusion, the present study shows that NHE‐1 inhibition facilitates the response to fluid resuscitation after traumatic haemorrhage by improving cardiac function, pulmonary vascular function and oxygen carrying capacity, which results in reduced tissue inflammatory injury.
Continuous intraventricular infusion of pentosan polysulfate: Clinical trial against prion diseases
Authors: Tsuboi Yoshio , Doh‐ura Katsumi , Yamada Tatsuo
Published: September 2009

Prion diseases are progressive neurological disorders due to abnormal prion protein (PrPSc) deposition in the central nervous system. At present, there is no effective treatment available for any form of prion disease. Pentosan polysulfate (PPS) has been shown to prolong significantly the incubation period in mice with PrPSc infection when administered to the cerebral ventricles in preclinical trials. In human studies conducted in European countries and Japan, intraventricular PPS was administered to patients with different forms of prion disease and was well tolerated. We report 11 patients with prion disease treated with intraventricular PPS at Fukuoka University from 2004. Cases included three familial CJD (two with V180I mutation, one GSS with P102L mutation), two iatrogenic CJD, and six sporadic CJD cases. At present, average survival period after treatment was 24.2 months (range, 4–49). Seven cases died of sepsis and pneumonia. Subdural effusion with various degrees was seen on CT scan in most cases. Except for these, adverse effects did not occur in the treatment period. Although our preliminary study of the new treatment with PPS by continuous intraventricular infusion showed no apparent improvement of clinical features in patients with prion disease, the possibility of extended survival in some patients receiving long‐term PPS was suggested.
Perspectives and experiences of elective surgery patients regarding pain management
Authors: Rejeh Nahid , Vaismoradi Mojtaba
Published: September 2009

The purpose of this study was to explore the perspectives and experiences of elective surgery patients regarding pain management. A qualitative design, based on the content analysis approach, was used to collect and analyze the experience of 20 elective surgery patients who all had abdominal surgery in surgical wards in two teaching hospitals in Tehran, Iran. After employing purposeful sampling for the selection of the participants, semistructured interviews were held for data collection. During the data analysis, three main themes emerged: “perceptions of pain management goals”, “patients' views of nurses' role in pain management”, and “interaction in pain management”. It was concluded that understanding the factors that influence pain management after surgery from the patients' viewpoint will contribute to the body of knowledge of nurses in order to promote the quality of nursing care.
Distortion of auditory space in hemianopia
Authors: Lewald Jörg , Peters Sören , Tegenthoff Martin , Hausmann Markus
Published: September 2009

Sound localization was investigated in patients with homonymous hemianopia, a visual field defect characterized by a loss of vision in one hemifield that is caused by unilateral brain lesions involving the visual cortex or its afferents. The primary aim was to clarify whether or not the known distortion of visual space in hemianopia results in processes of long‐term cross‐modal spatial adaptation, thus eventually inducing related alterations in auditory space perception. For this purpose, patients were tested by using tasks of either head pointing or manual pointing to acoustic targets in the azimuthal plane, under anechoic conditions in total darkness. The results obtained with both tasks consistently indicated slight, but significant, systematic errors compared with normal controls. In particular, the errors found can be interpreted by both rotation and compression of auditory space toward the anopic side. These findings can be explained by a visual miscalibration of the auditory space, as has been analogously demonstrated in studies on normal‐sighted subjects after exposure to consistent auditory–visual disparity, for example by wearing prism lenses. The precision in sound localization of hemianopic patients was generally reduced across both hemispaces. Taken together, one may conclude that processes of cross‐modal spatial adaptation, but not those of compensatory plasticity, occurred in patients with hemianopia.