bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Mistranslation and its control by tRNA synthetases
Authors: Schimmel Paul
Published: September 2011

Aminoacyl tRNA synthetases are ancient proteins that interpret the genetic material in all life forms. They are thought to have appeared during the transition from the RNA world to the theatre of proteins. During translation, they establish the rules of the genetic code, whereby each amino acid is attached to a tRNA that is cognate to the amino acid. Mistranslation occurs when an amino acid is attached to the wrong tRNA and subsequently is misplaced in a nascent protein. Mistranslation can be toxic to bacteria and mammalian cells, and can lead to heritable mutations. The great challenge for nature appears to be serine-for-alanine mistranslation, where even small amounts of this mistranslation cause severe neuropathologies in the mouse. To minimize serine-for-alanine mistranslation, powerful selective pressures developed to prevent mistranslation through a special editing activity imbedded within alanyl-tRNA synthetases (AlaRSs). However, serine-for-alanine mistranslation is so challenging that a separate, genome-encoded fragment of the editing domain of AlaRS is distributed throughout the Tree of Life to redundantly prevent serine-to-alanine mistranslation. Detailed X-ray structural and functional analysis shed light on why serine-for-alanine mistranslation is a universal problem, and on the selective pressures that engendered the appearance of AlaXps at the base of the Tree of Life.
Comparative effects of four herbicides on physiological aspects in Triticum sativum L.
Authors: Faheed Fayza A.
Published: September 2011

Four herbicide (topik, puma super, granstar and derby) treatments at the recommended field dose (RFD) were applied for 5 weeks on wheat (Triticum sativum L. cv. Giza 168) crop. These selected herbicides are recommended to control two types (narrow and broad) of weeds in this crop. The growth parameter, oxidative stress defence system, nitrate reduction, proline level and protein contents were used to evaluate the toxic effect of these herbicides on wheat crop. The toxicity of herbicides used on this crop was as follows: puma super > topik > derby > granstar. The correlation between the herbicide concentrations and the activities of the antioxidant enzymes was monitored.
Identifying putative candidate genes and pathways involved in immune responses to porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) infection
Authors: Wysocki M. , Chen H. , Steibel J. P. , Kuhar D. , Petry D. , Bates J. , Johnson R. , Ernst C. W. , Lunney J. K.
Published: September 2011

Differences in gene expression were compared between RNAs from lungs of high (HR) and low (LR) porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) burden pigs using the swine protein–annotated long oligonucleotide microarray, the Pigoligoarray. Pathway analyses were carried out to determine biological processes, pathways and networks that differ between the LR and HR responses. Differences existed between HR and LR pigs for 16 signalling pathways [P < 0.01/−log (P‐value) >1.96]. Top canonical pathways included acute phase response signalling, crosstalk between dendritic cells and natural killer cells and tight junction signalling, with numerous immune response genes that were upregulated (SOCS1, SOD2, RBP4, HLA‐B, HLA‐G, PPP2R1A and TAP1) or downregulated (IL18, TF, C4BPA, C1QA, C1QB and TYROBP). One mechanism, regulation of complement activation, may have been blocked in HR (PRRSV‐susceptible) pigs and could account for the poor clearance of PRRSV by infected macrophages. Multiple inhibiting signals may have prevented effective immune responses in susceptible HR pigs, although some protective genes were upregulated in these pigs. It is likely that in HR pigs, expression of genes associated with protection was delayed, so that the immune response was not stimulated early; thus, PRRSV infection prevented protective immune responses.
Who likes it hot? A global analysis of the climatic, ecological, and evolutionary determinants of warming tolerance in ants
Authors: Diamond Sarah E. , Sorger D. Magdalena , Hulcr Jiri , Pelini Shannon L. , Toro Israel Del , Hirsch Christopher , Oberg Erik , Dunn Robert R.
Published: September 2011

Effects of climate warming on wild populations of organisms are expected to be greatest at higher latitudes, paralleling greater anticipated increases in temperature in these regions. Yet, these expectations assume that populations in different regions are equally susceptible to the effects of warming. This is unlikely to be the case. Here, we develop a series of predictive models for physiological thermal tolerances in ants based on current and future climates. We found that tropical ants have lower warming tolerances, a metric of susceptibility to climate warming, than temperate ants despite greater increases in temperature at higher latitudes. Using climatic, ecological and phylogenetic data, we refine our predictions of which ants (across all regions) were most susceptible to climate warming. We found that ants occupying warmer and more mesic forested habitats at lower elevations are the most physiologically susceptible to deleterious effects of climate warming. Phylogenetic history was also a strong indicator of physiological susceptibility. In short, we find that ants that live in the canopies of hot, tropical forest are the most at risk, globally, from climate warming. Unfortunately this is where many, perhaps most, ant and other species on Earth live.
Effects of biotic disturbances on forest carbon cycling in theUnitedStates andCanada
Authors: Hicke Jeffrey A. , Allen Craig D. , Desai Ankur R. , Dietze Michael C. , Hall Ronald J. , (Ted) Hogg Edward H. , Kashian Daniel M. , Moore David , Raffa Kenneth F. , Sturrock Rona N. , Vogelmann James
Published: September 2011

Forest insects and pathogens are major disturbance agents that have affected millions of hectares inNorthAmerica in recent decades, implying significant impacts to the carbon (C) cycle. Here, we review and synthesize published studies of the effects of biotic disturbances on forestCcycling in theUnitedStates andCanada. Primary productivity in stands was reduced, sometimes considerably, immediately following insect or pathogen attack. After repeated growth reductions caused by some insects or pathogens or a single infestation by some bark beetle species, tree mortality occurred, altering productivity and decomposition. In the years following disturbance, primary productivity in some cases increased rapidly as a result of enhanced growth by surviving vegetation, and in other cases increased slowly because of lower forest regrowth. In the decades following tree mortality, decomposition increased as a result of the large amount of dead organic matter. Net ecosystem productivity decreased immediately following attack, with some studies reporting a switch to aCsource to the atmosphere, and increased afterward as the forest regrew and dead organic matter decomposed. Large variability inCcycle responses arose from several factors, including type of insect or pathogen, time since disturbance, number of trees affected, and capacity of remaining vegetation to increase growth rates following outbreak. We identified significant knowledge gaps, including limited understanding of carbon cycle impacts among different biotic disturbance types (particularly pathogens), their impacts at landscape and regional scales, and limited capacity to predict disturbance events and their consequences for carbon cycling. We conclude that biotic disturbances can have major impacts on forestCstocks and fluxes and can be large enough to affect regionalCcycling. However, additional research is needed to reduce the uncertainties associated with quantifying biotic disturbance effects on theNorthAmericanCbudget.
Temperature sensitivity of soil enzyme kinetics underN‐fertilization in two temperate forests
Authors: Stone Madeleine M. , Weiss Marissa S. , Goodale Christine L. , Adams Mary Beth , Fernandez Ivan J. , German Donovan P. , Allison Steven D.
Published: September 2011

Soil microbes produce extracellular enzymes that degrade carbon (C)‐containing polymers in soil organic matter. Because extracellular enzyme activities may be sensitive to both increased nitrogen (N) and temperature change, we measured the effect of long‐termNaddition and short‐term temperature variation on enzyme kinetics in soils from hardwood forests atBearBrook,Maine, andFernowForest,WestVirginia. We determined theVmaxandKmparameters for five hydrolytic enzymes:α‐glucosidase,β‐glucosidase,β‐xylosidase, cellobiohydrolase, andN‐acetyl‐glucosaminidase. Temperature sensitivities ofVmaxandKmwere assessed within soil samples subjected to a range of temperatures. We hypothesized that (1)Nadditions would cause microbialClimitation, leading to higher enzymeVmaxvalues and lowerKmvalues; and (2) bothVmaxandKmwould increase at higher temperatures. Finally, we tested whether or not temperature sensitivity of enzyme kinetics is mediated byNaddition. Nitrogen addition significantly or marginally significantly increasedVmaxvalues for all enzymes, particularly atFernow. Nitrogen fertilization led to significantly lowerKmvalues for all enzymes atBearBrook, but variableKmresponses atFernowForest. BothVmaxandKmwere temperature sensitive, withQ10values ranging from 1.64–2.27 for enzymeVmaxand 1.04–1.93 for enzymeKm. No enzyme showed a significant interaction betweenNand temperature sensitivity forVmax, and onlyβ‐xylosidase showed a significant interaction betweenNand temperature sensitivity forKm. Our study is the first to experimentally demonstrate a positive relationship betweenKmand temperature for soil enzymes. Higher temperature sensitivities forVmaxrelative toKmimply that substrate degradation will increase with temperature. In addition, theVmaxandKmresponses toNindicate greater substrate degradation underNaddition. Our results suggest that increasing temperatures andNavailability in forests of the northeasternUSwill lead to increased hydrolytic enzyme activity, despite the positive temperature sensitivity ofKm.
Establishment of Streptococcus mutans in infants induces decrease in the proportion of salivary α‐haemolytic bacteria
Authors: KAWAGUCHI MAMORU , HOSHINO TOMONORI , OOSHIMA TAKASHI , FUJIWARA TAKU
Published: September 2011

International Journal of Paediatric Dentistry 2012; 22: 139–145

Objective.  For paediatric dentists, an indicator to assess caries risk of infants is very important. Conventionally, the number and/or proportions of Streptococcus mutans have been employed as risk indicator; however, because such figures reflect the existing situation, they are not suitable for assessing caries risk of infants that have not yet been infected with S. mutans. Thus, we searched for an indicator for the establishment of S. mutans.

Methods.  To evaluate the changes caused by the establishment of S. mutans in the microbiota of the infant oral cavity, we monitored changes in the oral microbiota of two pre‐dentate infants over a 3‐year period and in a cross‐sectional study of 40 nursery school‐aged children by cultivation of saliva on nonselective blood agar, Mitis‐Salivarius agar, and Mitis‐Salivarius agar supplemented with bacitracin combined with identification of selected isolates.

Results.  Two longitudinal observations suggested that the establishment of S. mutans would induce a decrease in α‐haemolytic bacteria in the microbial population of the oral cavity. This suggestion was compensated with the results of cross‐sectional study, and it was revealed that the establishment of 103 CFU/mL of mutans streptococci in saliva might be predicted by a microbiota comprising less than approximately 55% of α‐haemolytic.

Conclusion.  Decrease in the proportion of α‐haemolytic bacteria in saliva of infant was found to be applicable as an indicator to predict the establishment of S. mutans and to assess dental caries risk as a background for planning of dental care and treatment in the infants before infection with S. mutans.
Perceptions of a life review programme among Chinese patients with advanced cancer
Authors: Xiao Huimin , Kwong Enid , Pang Samantha , Mok Esther
Published: September 2011

Aims.  The aim of this study was to elicit patients’ perceptions of their participation in a life review programme for Chinese patients with advanced cancer.

Background.  Empirical data have supported the suggestion that a life review is an effective psycho‐spiritual intervention, particularly with older people. However, no life review programmes have been specifically designed for Chinese patients with advanced cancer, and their views on the life review therefore remain unknown.

Design.  This study was a descriptive qualitative design.

Method.  In‐depth individual interviews were conducted with a sample of 26 patients with advanced cancer receiving home‐based palliative care from a hospice after the completion of the programme.

Results.  The six categories identified in the analysis were as follows: (1) accepting one’s unique life; (2) feelings of emotional relief; (3) bolstering a sense of meaning in life; (4) leaving a personal legacy; (5) making future orientations; and (6) barriers to a life review.

Conclusion.  Our life review programme is non‐invasive care intervention for improving the psycho‐spiritual well‐being of Chinese patients with advanced cancer and helping them to prepare for death. This programme not only provides Chinese nurses with a new approach to meeting the unique needs of patients approaching death but also poses a challenge to customary beliefs about death, which is considered a social taboo in China.

Relevance to clinical practice.  The life review programme can be integrated into the usual care arrangements to enhance the psycho‐spiritual well‐being of Chinese patients with advanced cancer. Nurses should be aware of the challenges involved in the process of conducting a life review.
Psychometric testing of the Caregiver Quality of Life Index‐Cancer scale in an Iranian sample of family caregivers to newly diagnosed breast cancer women
Authors: Khanjari Sedigheh , Oskouie Fatemeh , Langius‐Eklöf Ann
Published: September 2011

Aim.  To translate and test the reliability and validity of the Persian version of the Caregiver Quality of Life Index‐Cancer scale.

Background.  Research across many countries has determined quality of life of cancer patients, but few attempts have been made to measure the quality of life of family caregivers of patients with breast cancer. The Caregiver Quality of Life Index‐Cancer scale was developed for this purpose, but until now, it has not been translated into or tested in the Persian language.

Design.  Methodological research design.

Methods.  After standard translation, the 35‐item Caregiver Quality of Life Index‐Cancer scale was administered to 166 Iranian family caregivers of patients with breast cancer. A confirmatory factor analysis was carried out using LISREL to test the scale’s construct validity. Further, the internal consistency and convergent validity of the instrument were tested. For convergent validity, four instruments were used in the study: sense of coherence scale, spirituality perspective scale, health index and brief religious coping scale.

Results.  The confirmatory factor analysis resulted in the same four‐factor structure as the original, though, with somewhat different item loadings. The Persian version of the Caregiver Quality of Life Index‐Cancer scales had satisfactory internal consistency (0·72–0·90). Tests of convergent validity showed that all hypotheses were confirmed. A hierarchical multiple regression analysis additionally confirmed the convergent validity between the total Caregiver Quality of Life Index‐Cancer score and sense of coherence ( = 0·34), negative religious coping ( = −0·21), education ( = 0·24) and the more severe stage of breast cancer ( = 0·23), in total explaining 41% of the variance.

Conclusion.  The Persian version of the Caregiver Quality of Life Index‐Cancer scale could be a reliable and valid measure in Iranian family caregivers of patients with breast cancer.

Relevance to clinical practice.  The Persian version of the Caregiver Quality of Life Index‐Cancer scale is simple to administer and will help nurses to identify the nursing needs of family caregivers.
The relationship between implant stability quotient values and implant insertion variables: a clinical study
Authors: PARK K.‐J. , KWON J.‐Y. , KIM S.‐K. , HEO S.‐J. , KOAK J.‐Y. , LEE J.‐H. , LEE S.‐J. , KIM T.‐H. , KIM M.‐J.
Published: September 2011

Summary  The aim of this study was to determine whether resonance frequency analysis can be integrated into the routine clinical evaluation of the initial healing of dental implants. In addition, this study was designed to verify whether there was a correlation between implant stability quotient (ISQ) values, maximum insertion torque values, angular momentum and energy, and to evaluate the importance of different clinical factors in the determination of ISQ values and maximum insertion torque values at implant insertion. Two different implant designs of 81 dental implants in 41 patients were evaluated using ISQ values. Maximum insertion torque values were obtained during the placement procedure. Two new methods were used to calculate the angular momentum developed due to implant installation as well as the energy absorbed by the bone. A linear correlation between ISQ values and maximum insertion torque values at the initial implant surgery was found (P < 0·01). There was a correlation between ISQ values and angular momentum (P < 0·05), although ISQ values and energy did not show a significant linear correlation at the initial surgery (P > 0·05). There was a correlation between maximum insertion torque values, each part’s angular momentum, and their energies during installation (P < 0·01). The sequence of the variables that influenced ISQ values was implant location, design, diameter, and gender of the patient. The results of this experiment suggest that both ISQ values and new methods to calculate angular momentum and energy can help to predict implant stability.
Publication trends in addiction research
Authors: Helinski Sandra , Spanagel Rainer
Published: September 2011

As opportunities to use and abuse drugs have tremendously increased during the past 50 years, so has addiction research. Here, we provide a systematic review on publication trends in the addiction research field. We examined publication trends in different subject categories of journals including general and multi‐disciplinary science, neuroscience, pharmacology, psychiatry and, as a final and most important category, substance abuse. In this first report, we provide a brief comprehensive overview on what has been published in terms of addiction in the general and multi‐disciplinary science category versus Addiction Biology within the past decade. We reviewed the literature within three time windows 1999/2000, 2004/2005 and 2009/2010 and selected the number of publications (1) according to the country/region where the original study was conducted; (2) according to the drug classes; (3) according to animal versus human studies; (4) and in terms of methodological trends such as genetic association studies and neuro‐imaging. We found a 350% increase in addiction‐related publications in the general and multi‐disciplinary science category within the past decade. This increase, however, was mainly due to increased publication output from the United States. Concerning drug classes, alcohol‐, nicotine‐ and psychostimulant‐related publications clearly increased between 1999 and 2010, whereas published papers related to opioids decreased over time. There were also strongly increasing trends for genetic and imaging studies in the addiction field over time. These publication trends are also reflected to a certain degree by published studies in Addiction Biology.
The onion model, a simple neutral model for the evolution of diversity in bacterial biofilms
Authors: EASTMAN J. M. , HARMON L. J. , LA H.‐J. , JOYCE P. , FORNEY L. J.
Published: September 2011

Bacterial biofilms are particularly resistant to a wide variety of antimicrobial compounds. Their persistence in the face of antibiotic therapies causes significant problems in the treatment of infectious diseases. Seldom have evolutionary processes like genetic drift and mutation been invoked to explain how resistance to antibiotics emerges in biofilms, and we lack a simple and tractable model for the genetic and phenotypic diversification that occurs in bacterial biofilms. Here, we introduce the ‘onion model’, a simple neutral evolutionary model for phenotypic diversification in biofilms. We explore its properties and show that the model produces patterns of diversity that are qualitatively similar to observed patterns of phenotypic diversity in biofilms. We suggest that models like our onion model, which explicitly invoke evolutionary process, are key to understanding biofilm resistance to bactericidal and bacteriostatic agents. Elevated phenotypic variance provides an insurance effect that increases the likelihood that some proportion of the population will be resistant to imposed selective agents and may thus enhance persistence of the biofilm. Accounting for evolutionary change in biofilms will improve our ability to understand and counter diseases that are caused by biofilm persistence.
In vitro inhibition of ETEC K88 adhesion by pea hulls and of LT enterotoxin binding by faba bean hulls
Authors: Becker P. M. , van der Meulen J. , Jansman A. J. M. , van Wikselaar P. G.
Published: September 2011

Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) expressing K88 (F4) adhesins are associated with post‐weaning diarrhoea in piglets. Different grain fractions from pea (Pisum sativum) and faba bean (Vicia faba) were tested in vitro for their capacity to counteract aetiological factors, which contribute to the development of diarrhoea. In detail, adhesion of E. coli O149:K91:K88ac (ETEC K88ac) to grain legume products, intended to impair the colonization of the host, was studied as well as interference with receptor binding of the pathogen’s heat‐labile enterotoxin LT, intended to reduce toxin‐inflicted gut cell damage. When comparing different pea and faba bean products tested for their binding capacity of ETEC K88ac, especially pea hulls, but also whole pea meal, starch‐enriched and protein‐enriched pea meal, and digestion‐resistant pea hull and meal fractions showed a higher binding of ETEC K88ac than faba bean products. In contrast to the ETEC K88ac adhesion results, bean hulls proved more effective than pea hulls in preventing GM1 receptor binding of LT. Previous small intestinal segment perfusion experiments we performed with ETEC K88ac‐challenged piglets indicated that both pea and bean hulls have the potential for successful application in diarrhoea prophylaxis and treatment, which is in agreement with and refined by our detection of their different modes of functioning.
Abundance, interannual variation and potential pest predator role of two co‐occurring earwig species in citrus canopies
Authors: Romeu‐Dalmau C. , Espadaler X. , Piñol J.
Published: September 2011

Earwigs are usually considered pest predators in orchards. Because of its worldwide distribution, most research on earwigs focuses on the European earwig Forficula auricularia Linnaeus (Insecta: Dermaptera: Forficulidae). However, very little is known of this species in Mediterranean citrus orchards. Earwigs and aphids were collected monthly during 5 years (2006–2010) from citrus canopies. Two species of earwigs were found: F. auricularia and Forficula pubescens Gené (=Guanchia pubescens), with the latter seldom cited in the literature. The goals of this study were (i) to document the abundance of these two earwig species in Mediterranean citrus canopies; (ii) to determine whether they are positively or negatively associated with each other, or randomly distributed; (iii) to measure the interannual variation of the abundance of both species during a 5‐year period and (iv) to evaluate the potential role of earwigs as pest predators in citrus canopies. As compared to colder regions, F. auricularia active period in citrus canopies in our study site lasted longer. Both species co‐occurred randomly in canopies. In 2006, both species showed approximately the same abundance, but in 2010, F. pubescens abundance in canopies was 28 times greater than that of F. auricularia. The potential role of earwigs as pest predators is higher in the Mediterranean than in other colder regions, because of the longer active period. F. auricularia is a sedentary generalist predator, already present in citrus canopies at the onset of most pest outbreaks, while F. pubescens arrived later to the canopies, but most likely was abundant enough to contribute in the control of citrus pests.
Cost of depression among adults in Japan in 2005
Authors: Sado Mitsuhiro , Yamauchi Keita , Kawakami Norito , Ono Yutaka , Furukawa Toshiaki A. , Tsuchiya Masao , Tajima Miyuki , Kashima Haruo ,   the WMH‐J2002‐2006 Survey Group
Published: September 2011

Aim: Major depression is expected to become the leading contributor to disease burden worldwide by 2020. Previous studies have shown that the societal cost of depression is not less than that of other major illnesses, such as cardiovascular diseases or AIDS. Nevertheless, the cost of depression in Japan has never been examined. The goal of the present study was to estimate the total cost of depression in Japan and to clarify the characteristics of this burden.

Methods: A prevalence‐based approach was adopted to measure the total cost of depression. The total cost of depression was regarded as being comprised of the direct cost, morbidity cost and mortality cost. Diagnoses included in this study were depressive episodes and recurrent depressive disorder according to the ICD‐10 or major depressive disorder according to the DSM‐IV. Data were collected from publicly available statistics and the World Mental Health Japan Survey database.

Results: The total cost of depression among adults in Japan in 2005 was estimated to be ¥2.0 trillion. The direct cost was ¥0.18 trillion. The morbidity cost was ¥0.92 trillion, while the mortality cost was ¥0.88 trillion.

Conclusion: The societal costs caused by depression in Japan are enormous, as in other developed countries. Low morbidity costs and extremely high mortality costs are characteristic in Japan. Effective interventions for preventing suicide could reduce the societal costs of depression.
Strategies and future attempts to reduce stigmatization and increase awareness of mental health problems among young people: A narrative review of educational interventions
Authors: Yamaguchi Sosei , Mino Yoshio , Uddin Shahir
Published: September 2011

There is a need to reduce stigma and increase awareness in order to prevent social exclusion of people with mental illness and to facilitate the use of mental health services in young people. The purpose of this review was to examine the effects of educational interventions to reduce stigmatization and improve awareness of mental health problems among young people. An electronic search using MEDLINE, PsycINFO and Academic Search Complete was carried out for studies that evaluated the effectiveness of educational interventions. Forty eligible studies were identified. There were three types of educational interventions (Educational condition, Video‐based Contact condition and Contact condition). Eighteen of 23 studies reported significant improvements in knowledge, 27 of 34 studies yielded significant changes in attitudes towards people with mental illness. Significant effects in social distance were found in 16 of 20 studies. Two of five studies significantly improved young people's awareness of mental illness. However, six studies reported difficulties in maintaining improved knowledge, attitudes and social distance in young people. Furthermore, the majority of studies did not measure the actual behavioral change. From the comparison of the three types of educational interventions, direct contact with people with mental illness (Contact condition) seems to be key in reducing stigmatization, while the components of Education and Video‐based contact conditions are still arguable. Despite the demonstration of the positive effects of each educational intervention, their long‐term effects are still unclear. Further research needs to involve measuring actual behavioral change and performing a long‐term follow up.
Coagulation activation and fibrinolysis impairment are reduced in patients with anxiety and depression when medicated with serotonergic antidepressants
Authors: Geiser Franziska , Conrad Rupert , Imbierowicz Katrin , Meier Christian , Liedtke Reinhard , Klingmüller Dietrich , Oldenburg Johannes , Harbrecht Ursula
Published: September 2011

Aims:  Anxiety disorders have been shown to be correlated with an activation of coagulation and impairment of fibrinolysis. The aim of the study was to assess whether medication with a serotonergic antidepressant, which has been associated with abnormal bleeding, may modify this effect.

Methods:  Thirty‐one anxiety patients, mostly with comorbid depression, and 31 healthy controls were included in the study. Group differences between anxiety patients medicated with a serotonergic antidepressant, patients without serotonergic antidepressant and controls were assessed for activated partial thromboplastin time, fibrinogen, factor VII, factor VIII, von Willebrand factor, von Willebrand ristocetin cofactor activity, prothrombin fragment 1 + 2, thrombin‐antithrombin complex, d‐dimer, α2‐antiplasmin, plasmin‐α2‐antiplasmin complex (PAP), tissue plasminogen activator and plasminogen activator inhibitor. Intervening variables, such as age, sex, body mass index and smoking, were accounted for.

Results:  We found lower coagulation measures for fibrinogen (P = 0.03) and plasminogen activator inhibitor (P = 0.01), and higher levels of PAP (P = 0.046) in patients with serotonergic antidepressant than in patients without serotonergic antidepressant. When controlling for smoking and body mass index, differences between the two groups were significant for PAP (P = 0.02), von Willebrand ristocetin cofactor activity (P = 0.02) and activated partial thromboplastin time (P = 0.046). Coagulation scores were similar in patients with serotonergic antidepressant to those of healthy controls.

Conclusions:  Serotonergic antidepressants may counteract a procoagulant effect of anxiety and/or depression in anxiety patients.
Obsessive–compulsive disorder with and without bipolar disorder
Authors: Mahasuar Rajnarayan , Janardhan Reddy Y. C. , Math Suresh Bada
Published: September 2011

Aim:  Bipolar disorder (BD) is often comorbid with obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD). In this study, we compared clinical profile and course of subjects with a primary diagnosis of OCD with and without BD.

Methods:  We compared 34 subjects with primary diagnosis of OCD with BD and 57 subjects with a diagnosis of OCD without BD. Structured interview schedules, clinical rating scales, and information from clinical charts were utilized to assess patients.

Results:  OCD with BD was characterized by: (i) an episodic course; (ii) a higher number of depressive episodes, greater suicidality and a higher rate of hospitalization; (iii) fewer pathological doubts and more miscellaneous compulsions; and (iv) poorer insight into obsessive–compulsive symptoms.

Conclusions:  Episodic course appears to be typical of OCD with BD. Bipolarity has a pathoplastic effect on OCD and it is possible that some forms of OCD and BD are pathophysiologically related. Bipolar OCD is associated with a higher rate of depressive episodes, higher suicidality and more frequent hospitalizations, suggesting greater morbidity. Long‐term prospective follow‐up studies and studies addressing pathophysiology and genetic basis are needed to understand the complexity of such comorbidity.
Field medicine: A new paradigm of geriatric medicine
Authors: Matsubayashi Kozo , Okumiya Kiyohito
Published: September 2011

It is only during the last half century that aging came to be truly thought of as a societal issue rather than simply a personal one, as well as a challenge to be tackled by science and medicine. Diseases used to be studied only in hospitals and laboratories, centering on patients treated there. However, caring for elderly people in hospitals provides only a small glimpse into their world. With an advancing aged population, the reality of old age and age‐related chronic illnesses takes place in homes and communities. To truly understand the health issues of the elderly, we ventured into communities and visited elderly persons in their homes and cultural environments in Kochi prefecture. The Department of Geriatric Medicine, Kochi Medical School, was the first in Japan to incorporate the Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment in preventive intervention and evaluation of the medical problems of elderly people in field settings, which could not be completely resolved in the hospital. Geriatric findings in field settings in Kochi before (1990–2000) and after (2000–2010) the introduction of the nationwide long‐term care insurance system throughout Japan were reviewed. Field medicine also enables us to explore the aging of people living not only in Japan but also in several Asian communities and, further, into those living in atypical environments such as the Himalayan highlands. Based on the geriatric findings of field medicine carried out in sites with different ecology and cultures, we reconsidered the optimal aging situation based on the activities of daily living and quality of life, as well as chronic diseases of elderly people throughout the world. In this review article, we would like to highlight the importance of field medicine as a new paradigm of geriatric medical research. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2012; 12: 5–15.
Comparing adult hippocampal neurogenesis in mammalian species and orders: influence of chronological age and life history stage
Authors: Amrein Irmgard , Isler Karin , Lipp Hans‐Peter
Published: September 2011

Adult hippocampal neurogenesis is a prominent event in rodents. In species with longer life expectancies, newly born cells in the adult dentate gyrus of the hippocampal formation are less abundant or can be completely absent. Several lines of evidence indicate that the regulatory mechanisms of adult neurogenesis differ between short‐ and long‐lived mammals. After a critical appraisal of the factors and problems associated with comparing different species, we provide a quantitative comparison derived from seven laboratory strains of mice (BALB, C57BL/6, CD1, outbred) and rats (F344, Sprague‐Dawley, Wistar), six other rodent species of which four are wild‐derived (wood mouse, vole, spiny mouse and guinea pig), three non‐human primate species (marmoset and two macaque species) and one carnivore (red fox). Normalizing the number of proliferating cells to total granule cell number, we observe an overall exponential decline in proliferation that is chronologically equal between species and orders and independent of early developmental processes and life span. Long‐ and short‐lived mammals differ with regard to major life history stages; at the time points of weaning, age at first reproduction and average life expectancy, long‐lived primates and foxes have significantly fewer proliferating cells than rodents. Although the database for neuronal differentiation is limited, we find indications that the extent of neuronal differentiation is subject to species‐specific selective adaptations. We conclude that absolute age is the critical factor regulating cell genesis in the adult hippocampus of mammals. Ontogenetic and ecological factors primarily influence the regulation of neuronal differentiation rather than the rate of cell proliferation.
Causes and consequences of expanded subventricular zones
Authors: Charvet Christine J. , Striedter Georg F.
Published: September 2011

Primates have evolved an expanded isocortex relative to many other mammals. Parrots and songbirds have evolved an expanded telencephalon relative to many other birds. Previous work suggests that the expansion of the telencephalon in parrots and songbirds as well as the isocortex in primates is achieved, at least in part, by selectively delaying neurogenesis, expanding the subventricular zone (SVZ) and delaying maturation. The finding that similar developmental alterations in the spatial and temporal pattern of neurogenesis evolved together in these two distant lineages suggests that a single change in developmental mechanism might account for the expansion of the isocortex or telencephalon. We here review how uniformly lengthening developmental schedules may result in delays of neurogenesis, the expansion of the SVZ and delayed maturation. We propose that delays in neurogenesis may cause ventricular zone (VZ) cells to proliferate faster than the VZ can expand, which may force many proliferating cells to leave the VZ and form an expanded SVZ. Prolonged proliferation in the VZ and SVZ causes delays in neuronal maturation, which in turn may promote learning from conspecifics. Thus, we suggest that a single heterochronic change in developmental timing may orchestrate a variety of changes in the spatial and temporal pattern of proliferation, which has important behavioral consequences in adulthood.
Regeneration in an evolutionarily primitive brain – the planarian Dugesia japonica model
Authors: Umesono Yoshihiko , Tasaki Junichi , Nishimura Kaneyasu , Inoue Takeshi , Agata Kiyokazu
Published: September 2011

A unique aspect of planarians is that they can regenerate a brain from somatic pluripotent stem cells called neoblasts, which have the ability to produce themselves (self‐renew) and to give rise to all missing cell types during regeneration. Recent molecular studies have revealed that the planarian brain is composed of many distinct neuronal populations, which are evolutionarily and functionally conserved ones, and acts as an information‐processing center to elicit distinct behavioral traits depending on a variety of signals arising from the external environment. How can planarians regenerate such a brain? On the basis of our recent findings, here we review the cellular and molecular mechanisms that regulate the stem cell dynamics involved in the brain regeneration of the planarian Dugesia japonica. Our findings suggest the possible value of in vivo planarian studies for guiding regenerative medicine to treat neurodegenerative diseases via interlinking stem cell biology and regeneration biology.
Conservation of endemic landlocked salmonids in regulated rivers: a case‐study from Lake Vänern, Sweden
Authors: Piccolo John J , Norrgård Johnny R , Greenberg Larry A , Schmitz Monika , Bergman Eva
Published: September 2011

Conservation of migratory salmonids requires understanding their ecology at multiple scales, combined with assessing anthropogenic impacts. We present a case‐study from over 100 years of data for the endemic landlocked Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar, Salmonidae) and brown trout (Salmo trutta, Salmonidae) in Lake Vänern, Sweden. We use this case‐study to develop life history‐based research and monitoring priorities for migratory salmonids. In Vänern, small wild populations of salmon and trout remain only in the heavily regulated Rivers Klar (Klarälven) and Gullspång (Gullspångsälven), and commercial and sport fisheries are maintained by hatchery stocking. These populations represent some of the last remaining large‐bodied (up to 20 kg) landlocked salmon stocks worldwide. We found that one of four stocks of wild fish has increased since 1996; the other three remain critically low. Hatchery return rates for three of four stocks appear stable at roughly 1% and annual fisheries catch is roughly 75 metric tons, with an estimated 7.5% of hatchery smolts being recruited to the fishery; this also appears relatively stable since 1990. Our analysis reveals much uncertainty in key data requirements, including both river return and fisheries catch rates, estimates of wild smolt production and survival, and hatchery breeding and genetics protocols. These uncertainties, coupled with a lack of information on their riverine and lacustrine ecology, preclude effective management of these unique populations. We conclude with a framework for a life history‐based approach to research and monitoring for Vänern salmon and trout, which should be applicable for all endemic, migratory salmonid populations.
The role of temperature in the capture and release of fish
Authors: Gale Marika Kirstin , Hinch Scott G , Donaldson Michael R
Published: September 2011

We searched major electronic databases to identify peer‐reviewed literature investigating the role of temperature on the stress response and mortality of captured and released fish. We identified 83 studies that fit these criteria, the majority of which were conducted in North America (81%) on freshwater fish (76%) in the orders Perciformes (52%) and Salmoniformes (28%). We found that hook‐and‐line fisheries (65% of all studies) were more commonly studied than all net fisheries combined (24%). Despite the wide recognition for many species that high water temperatures exacerbate the effects of capture on released fish, this review is the first to quantitatively investigate this problem, finding that warming contributed to both mortality and indices of stress in 70% of articles that measured each of those endpoints. However, more than half (58%) of the articles failed to place the experimental temperatures into a biological context, therefore limiting their broad applicability to management. Integration of survival and sublethal effects to investigate mechanisms of fish mortality was relatively rare (28%). Collectively, the results suggest that capture–release mortality increases at temperatures within, rather than above, species‐specific thermal preferenda. We illustrate how knowledge of ecologically relevant high temperatures in the capture and release of fish can be incorporated into management, which will become increasingly important as climate change exerts additional pressure on fish and fisheries.
THE APPEAL TO NATURE IMPLICIT IN CERTAIN RESTRICTIONS ON PUBLIC FUNDING FOR ASSISTED REPRODUCTIVE TECHNOLOGY
Authors: CARTER DREW , BRAUNACK‐MAYER ANNETTE
Published: September 2011

Certain restrictions on public funding for assisted reproductive technology (ART) are articulated and defended by recourse to a distinction between medical infertility and social infertility. We propose that underlying the prioritization of medical infertility is a vision of medicine whose proper role is to restore but not to improve upon nature. We go on to mark moral responses that speak of investments many continue to make in nature as properly an object of reverence and gratitude and therein (sometimes) a source of moral guidance. We draw on the work of Ludwig Wittgenstein in arguing for the plausibility of an appeal to nature in opposition to the charge that it must contain a logical fallacy. We also invite consideration of the moral plausibility of some appeal to nature. Finally, we examine what follows in the case of ART. Should medicine respect as natural limits that should not be overcome: the need for a man and a woman in reproduction; menopause; and even declining fertility with age? We must first ask ourselves to what degree we should defer to nature in the conduct of medicine, at least in the particular if not the general case. This will involve also asking ourselves what we think is natural and in what instances and spirit might we defy nature. Divergent opinions and policies concerning who should receive ART treatment and public funding are more easily understood in view of the centrality, complexity and fundamental nature of these questions.
Consciously identified attachment hierarchies: Cognitive accessibility of attachment figure names as a function of threat primes in a lexical decision task
Authors: CARR SAM , LANDAU SEAN
Published: September 2011

Carr, S. & Landau, S. (2012). Consciously identified attachment hierarchies: Cognitive accessibility of attachment figure names as a function of threat primes in a lexical decision task. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology 53, 17–25.

Studies have linked the subliminal priming of threat‐related words to heightened cognitive accessibility directed towards the names of identified attachment figures. The present study used a lexical decision task to examine the cognitive accessibility of names of individuals who formed part of participants’ self‐reported attachment hierarchies. We did not find support for heightened accessibility in relation to the names of (a) consciously identified attachment figures in general, (b) full‐blown attachment figures, or (c) primary attachment figures. However, our data revealed that participants showed increased accessibility to mothers’ names in response to threat primes. This effect was even identified in individuals who did not consider mothers to occupy a primary position in their attachment hierarchy. Results are discussed in the context of attachment system activation in early adulthood.
Health inequalities
Authors: Scambler Graham
Published: September 2011

The evidence bearing on the nature and extent of health inequalities documented globally and in the UK is addressed, twin foci within the UK being (a) associations between socioeconomic classification and health and longevity, and (b) the notion of a ‘social gradient’. A consideration of the various ‘models’ that have been developed by sociologists and their allies – most conspicuously social epidemiologists – to account for (a) and (b) is offered, drawing on government‐sponsored commissions and reviews as well as the peer‐reviewed literature. This is followed by a portrayal of specifically sociological theories of health inequalities, featuring those that hold social structures as well as cultural shifts in convention and behaviour to be causally efficacious for health inequalities. The summary and conclusions of the review incorporate an outline of pertinent questions the sociological community has so far been reluctant to address and an agenda for future research.
Expanded newborn screening: articulating the ontology of diseases with bridging work in the clinic
Authors: Timmermans Stefan , Buchbinder Mara
Published: September 2011

Population screening follows the logic of secondary prevention: a population is screened to detect disease early and to initiate treatment before symptoms emerge. However, not all population screening is justifiable under all circumstances. In this article, we unpack Wilson and Jungner’s requirement that knowledge about the natural history of a disease must be ‘adequate’ for screening to proceed. We argue that any prior understanding of disease is inevitably found to be insufficient once population screening is instituted. Drawing upon ethnographic observations of clinical consultations and staff meetings conducted in a California regional clinical centre for metabolic‐genetic disorders, we introduce the notion of bridging work to draw attention to the collective activities of the genetics team to revise the ontological nature of conditions unsettled by population‐based newborn screening. Bridging work refers to the many activities required to reconcile the promise of technologies with the realities of their implementation. We illustrate how clinicians bridge the gap between what was known about a disease prior to screening and anomalous screening results, leading to an ontological transformation of disease categories.
ARE BAD FIRMS BENEFICIAL TO GROWTH?*
Authors: CASERTA MAURIZIO , REITO FRANCESCO
Published: September 2011

In this paper we analyse a case of adverse selection in the credit market to show that, in the presence of a monopolistic bank, bad firms can be beneficial to accumulation and growth. Two main implications are drawn: first, even if classical diminishing returns on technology are ruled out, growth declines over time. Second, any attempt to make banks more capable of discriminating between bad and good firms will resolve itself into a restraint to growth.