bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The lizard assemblage from Seasonally Dry Tropical Forest enclaves in the Cerrado biome, Brazil, and its association with the Pleistocenic Arc
Authors: Werneck Fernanda P. , Colli Guarino R.
Published: July 2006

Aim To determine if the distributions of lizard species from Seasonally Dry Tropical Forest (SDTF) enclaves within the Cerrado biome in central Brazil are associated with the Tropical Seasonal Forests Region, a recently proposed phytogeographic unit of South America, corroborating the existence of a Pleistocenic Arc of SDTFs.

Location SDTF remnants in the Paranã River valley, municipality of São Domingos, Goiás, Brazil.

Methods Lizards were extensively sampled using haphazard sampling, funnel traps, and pitfall traps with drift fences during four expeditions. The composition of the SDTF lizard assemblage was compared with those from other South American phytogeographic regions (Caatinga, Cerrado, Chaco, Llanos, and the dry forests of Colombia and Bolivia), based on the literature and our own unpublished data.

Results The SDTF lizard assemblage contained 20 species, including 11 species with extensive distributions among the regions considered, seven species shared exclusively with Cerrado localities, a single species shared exclusively with other SDTFs, and one endemic species. The presence ofLygodactylusklugei(Smith, Martin & Swain, 1977), presumably endemic to the Pleistocenic Arc formed by the Tropical Seasonal Forests Region, considerably extends the known distribution of this species, suggesting historical connections between Caatinga and Cerrado SDTF enclaves.

Main conclusions The composition of the lizard assemblage in Cerrado SDTF enclaves seems to corroborate the recent proposal that the SDTF should be recognized as a phytogeographic unit (or dominium). The presence of disjunct populations and endemic species highlights the urgency of considering the uniqueness of the Paranã River valley SDTFs and the importance of its conservation.
Biological Flora of the British Isles: Sarcocornia perennis (Miller) A.J. Scott
Authors: DAVY A. J. , BISHOP G. F. , MOSSMAN H. , REDONDO‐GÓMEZ S. , CASTILLO J. M. , CASTELLANOS E. M. , LUQUE T. , FIGUEROA M. E.
Published: July 2006

This account reviews information on all aspects of the biology of Sarcocornia perennis that are relevant to understanding its ecological characteristics and behaviour. The main topics are presented within the standard framework of the Biological Flora of the British Isles: distribution, habitat, communities, responses to biotic factors, responses to environment, structure and physiology, phenology, floral and seed characters, herbivores and disease, history, and conservation.

Sarcocornia perennis (Miller) A.J. Scott (Salicornia perennis Miller; Salicornia radicans Sm.; Arthrocnemum [Arthrocnemon]perenne (Miller) Moss) of the European and African coasts is now considered also to include Salicornia virginica L., S. ambigua Michx. and S. gaudichaudiana Moq. of the Americas. Sarcocornia perennis is a spreading, jointed‐stemmed, halophyte that differs from the closely related Salicornia in being a shrubby perennial and in aspects of inflorescence structure. In Britain, it is found mainly on the coasts of south‐east England, on gravelly or sandy foreshores, and well‐drained sediments of tidal salt marshes.

Sarcocornia perennis occurs relatively low in the tidal frame but only in well‐drained situations, as seedling establishment and long‐term survival are intolerant of highly reducing surface sediments. It has a role in the early stages of salt‐marsh succession, sometimes as the primary colonist on sandy substrates. In southern Europe, its invasion may be facilitated by the raised clonal tussocks of Spartina maritima, a primary colonist; subsequently, S. perennis dominates the tussocks and supports their rapid radial and upward growth by trapping silt. Pollen flow from the high marsh species Sarcocornia fruticosa may allow invasion by hybrids between the two species.

Hybridization between the diploid S. perennis and octaploid S. fruticosa in south‐west Spain has been confirmed by analysis of random amplified DNA (RAPDs). This has also clarified the relationship between the two subspecies present there (the widely distributed ssp. perennis and the more upright, rigid Iberian endemic ssp. alpini (Lag.) Castroviejo).

Sarcocornia perennis maintains low water potentials and a positive carbon balance under highly saline conditions. Salinity treatment had no effect on the efficiency of Photosystem II (Fv/Fm). Total germination was also unaffected by salinity up to 2%, although above this it was progressively inhibited; the reduction in germination at seawater concentrations was mainly osmotically enforced dormancy, which would promote dispersal by tides and currents.
Deep genetic subdivision within a continuously distributed and highly vagile marine mammal, the Steller's sea lion (Eumetopias jubatus)
Authors: HOFFMAN J. I. , MATSON C. W. , AMOS W. , LOUGHLIN T. R. , BICKHAM J. W.
Published: July 2006

The Steller's sea lion Eumetopias jubatus is an endangered marine mammal that has experienced dramatic population declines over much of its range during the past five decades. Studies using mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) have shown that an apparently continuous population includes a strong division, yielding two discrete stocks, western and eastern. Based on a weaker split within the western stock, a third Asian stock has also been defined. While these findings indicate strong female philopatry, a recent study using nuclear microsatellite markers found little evidence of any genetic structure, implying extensive paternal gene flow. However, this result was at odds with mark–recapture data, and both sample sizes and genetic resolution were limited. To address these concerns, we increased analytical power by genotyping over 700 individuals from across the species’ range at 13 highly polymorphic microsatellite loci. We found a clear phylogenetic break between populations of the eastern stock and those of the western and Asian stocks. However, our data provide little support for the classification of a separate Asian stock. Our findings show that mtDNA structuring is not due simply to female philopatry, but instead reflects a genuine discontinuity within the range, with implications for both the phylogeography and conservation of this important marine mammal.
Phylogeographic analyses of a circumarctic coastal and a boreal lacustrine mysid crustacean, and evidence of fast postglacial mtDNA rates
Authors: AUDZIJONYTE ASTA , VÄINÖLÄ RISTO
Published: July 2006

Phylogeographic structures of two weakly dispersing Mysis sibling species, one with a circumarctic coastal, the other with a boreal lacustrine‐Baltic distribution, were studied from mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene sequences. Mysis segerstralei showed high overall diversity and little phylogeographic structure across the Arctic, indicating late‐glacial dispersal among coastal and lake populations from Alaska, Siberia and the north of Europe. A strongly divergent refugial lineage was however identified in Beringia. The boreal ‘glacial relict’Mysis salemaai in turn displayed clear structuring among postglacially isolated Scandinavian lake populations. The inferred pattern of intralake mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) monophyly in Scandinavia suggested relatively small population sizes and a remarkably fast postglacial mtDNA divergence rate (0.27% per 10 000 years). Nevertheless, the broader phylogeographic pattern did not support distinct eastern and western glacial refugia in Northern Europe, unlike in some other aquatic taxa. In all, the two species comprised three equidistant mitochondrial lineages (approximately 2% divergence), corresponding to M. salemaai, to the bulk of M. segerstralei, and to the Beringian M. segerstralei lineage. The lack of reciprocal monophyly of the two species in respect to their mitochondrial genealogy could indicate postspeciation mitochondrial introgression, also exemplified by an evidently more recent capture of M. segerstralei mitochondria in a Karelian population of M. salemaai. Overall, the data suggest that the continental boreal M. salemaai has a relatively recent ancestry in arctic coastal waters, whereas two other boreal ‘glacial relict’Mysis sibling species in Europe (Mysis relicta) and North America (Mysis diluviana) have colonized inland waters much earlier (approximately 8% COI divergence).
Size breeds success: multiple paternity, multivariate selection and male semelparity in a small marsupial, Antechinus stuartii
Authors: HOLLELEY C. E. , DICKMAN C. R. , CROWTHER M. S. , OLDROYD B. P.
Published: July 2006

Mating in the marsupial genus Antechinus is a synchronous annual event that is characterized by monoestry in females and abrupt postmating mortality in males. Male semelparity (multiple copulations during a single breeding season per lifetime) is often assumed to occur as a consequence of the intense mating effort expended by males in the rut, but the forces selecting for this remain elusive. Here, we investigate selection in male brown antechinus, Antechinus stuartii, and test two hypotheses for the evolution of semelparity: intermale competition and sperm competition. If intermale competition drives semelparity, we predicted that males would be under strong selection for large body size. If sperm competition is important, we predicted that selection would be strongest on scrotal size, a surrogate for testes volume. Using microsatellite markers, we found that 92% of females in free‐living conditions mated with multiple males, producing litters of eight that had up to four fathers. These observations confirm the potential for sperm competition. Using selection analysis, we then found paternity success in 119 males to be related most strongly to body mass and scrotal size, thus providing support for both hypotheses. Large males presumably experience increased paternity success by gaining more matings or prolonged copulations via mate guarding, while large testes may allow increased sperm investment per copulation. Increased levels of free corticosteroid hormones in males facilitate the extreme mating effort during the short period of rut, but lead to immune suppression and consequently to the phenomenon of postmating mortality.
Nuclear and mitochondrial markers reveal distinctiveness of a small population of bottlenose whales (Hyperoodon ampullatus) in the western North Atlantic
Authors: DALEBOUT MEREL L. , RUZZANTE DANIEL E. , WHITEHEAD HAL , ØIEN NILS I.
Published: July 2006

Small populations at the edge of a species’ distribution can represent evolutionary relics left behind after range contractions due to climate change or human exploitation. The distinctiveness and genetic diversity of a small population of bottlenose whales in the Gully, a submarine canyon off Nova Scotia, was quantified by comparison to other North Atlantic populations using 10 microsatellites and mitrochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region sequences (434 bp). Both markers confirmed the distinctiveness of the Gully (n = 34) from the next nearest population, off Labrador (n = 127; microsatellites –FST= 0.0243,P < 0.0001; mtDNA –ΦST = 0.0456,P < 0.05). Maximum likelihood microsatellite estimates suggest that less than two individuals per generation move between these areas, refuting the hypothesis of population links through seasonal migration. Both males and females appear to be philopatric, based on significant differentiation at both genomes and similar levels of structuring among the sexes for microsatellites. mtDNA diversity was very low in all populations (h = 0.51, π = 0.14%), a pattern which may be due to selective sweeps associated with this species’ extreme deep‐diving ecology. Whaling had a substantial impact on bottlenose whale abundance, with over 65 000 animals killed before the hunt ceased in the early 1970s. Genetic diversity was similar among all populations, however, and no signal for bottlenecks was detected, suggesting that the Gully is not a relic of a historically wider distribution. Instead, this unique ecosystem appears to have long provided a stable year‐round habitat for a distinct population of bottlenose whales.
Presumptive horizontal symbiont transmission in the fungus‐growing termite Macrotermes natalensis
Authors: DE FINE LICHT H. H. , BOOMSMA J. J. , AANEN D. K.
Published: July 2006

All colonies of the fungus‐growing termite Macrotermes natalensis studied so far are associated with a single genetically variable lineage of Termitomyces symbionts. Such limited genetic variation of symbionts and the absence of sexual fruiting bodies (mushrooms) on M. natalensis mounds would be compatible with clonal vertical transmission, as is known to occur in Macrotermes bellicosus. We investigated this hypothesis by analysing DNA sequence polymorphisms as codominant SNP markers of four single‐copy gene fragments of Termitomyces isolates from 31 colonies of M. natalensis. A signature of free recombination was found, indicative of frequent sexual horizontal transmission. First, all 31 strains had unique multilocus genotypes. Second, SNP markers (n = 55) were largely in Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium (90.9%) and almost all possible pairs of SNPs between genetically unlinked loci were in linkage equilibrium (96.7%). Finally, extensive intragenic recombination was found, especially in the EF1α fragment. Substantial genetic variation and a freely recombining population structure can only be explained by frequent horizontal and sexual transmission of Termitomyces. The apparent variation in symbiont transmission mode among Macrotermes species implies that vertical symbiont transmission can evolve rapidly. The unexpected finding of horizontal transmission makes the apparent absence of Termitomyces mushrooms on M. natalensis mounds puzzling. To our knowledge, this is the first detailed study of the genetic population structure of a single lineage of Termitomyces.
Molecular marker systems in insects: current trends and future avenues
Authors: BEHURA SUSANTA K.
Published: July 2006

Insects comprise the largest species composition in the entire animal kingdom and possess a vast undiscovered genetic diversity and gene pool that can be better explored using molecular marker techniques. Current trends of application of DNA marker techniques in diverse domains of insect ecological studies show that mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), microsatellites, random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD), expressed sequence tags (EST) and amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) markers have contributed significantly for progresses towards understanding genetic basis of insect diversity and for mapping medically and agriculturally important genes and quantitative trait loci in insect pests. Apart from these popular marker systems, other novel approaches including transposon display, sequence‐specific amplification polymorphism (S‐SAP), repeat‐associated polymerase chain reaction (PCR) markers have been identified as alternate marker systems in insect studies. Besides, whole genome microarray and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) assays are becoming more popular to screen genome‐wide polymorphisms in fast and cost effective manner. However, use of such methodologies has not gained widespread popularity in entomological studies. The current study highlights the recent trends of applications of molecular markers in insect studies and explores the technological advancements in molecular marker tools and modern high throughput genotyping methodologies that may be applied in entomological researches for better understanding of insect ecology at molecular level.
Detection of glycolate oxidase gene glcD diversity among cultured and environmental marine bacteria
Authors: Lau W. W. Y. , Armbrust E. V.
Published: July 2006

Of eight laboratory cultures of marine γ‐ and α‐Proteobacteria tested, growth on glycolate as a sole carbon source was detected for only three species: Pseudomonas stutzeri, Oceanimonas doudoroffii and Roseobacter sp. isolate Y3F. Degenerate polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primers were designed to amplify glcD, which encodes the D‐subunit of the enzyme glycolate oxidase; glcD could be amplified only from those cultures that grew on glycolate. The PCR primers were used to explore glcD diversity in four field samples collected from different ocean environments: an Atlantic Gulf Stream Ring, sampled above and below the thermocline and two Pacific coastal sites, Parks Bay and San Juan Channel, WA. Environmental glcD sequences belonged to six major bacterial phylogenetic groups, with most sequences forming novel clades with no close relatives. Different patterns of glcD diversity were observed within and between the two nutrient regimes. Comparison of glcD and 16S rDNA diversity and analyses of available bacterial genomes and a metgenomic library from the Sargasso Sea show that glycolate‐utilizing potential exists in only a subset of bacteria. Glycolate is produced in marine environments mainly by phytoplankton. Examination of glcD diversity will aid in understanding the influence of phytoplankton on bacterial community structure.
The effect ofPhotorhabdus luminescens(Enterobacteriaceae) on the survival, development, reproduction and behaviour ofCaenorhabditis elegans(Nematoda: Rhabditidae)
Authors: Sicard Mathieu , Hering Sebastian , Schulte Rebecca , Gaudriault Sophie , Schulenburg Hinrich
Published: July 2006

The free‐living soil nematodeCaenorhabditis elegansinteracts with diverse microorganisms in its natural habitat. These microorganisms may serve as a food source or represent a harmful threat. As such, they constitute one of the most important ecological factors of the worm’s natural environment. In this study, we examined the interaction between two natural isolates ofC. elegansand three natural isolates of the entomopathogenic bacteriumPhotorhabdus luminescens.Two of the testedP. luminescensstrains were clearly pathogenic. They consistently reduced the worm’s developmental, survival and reproductive rate, most likely through the production of nematicidal compounds. The third natural isolate tested did not decrease worm fitness. These differences could be associated with a deletion of one gene (tcdA4) (∼7kb) of the toxin complex D pathogenicity island, which was found in only the non‐pathogenic strain. Our study additionally highlights the importance of behaviour in defence.Caenorhabditis elegansshowed two distinct avoidance behaviours towards the pathogenic but not the non‐pathogenicP. luminescensstrains. In particular, nematodes physically escaped and also reduced the ingestion of pathogenic bacteria. Our results strongly suggest thatC. eleganspossesses the capacity to distinguish between and subsequently respond to harmful and non‐harmful strains of the same bacterial species. The underlying mechanisms of such interactions are currently unknown. Their dissection will represent a major challenge for future research and should enhance our knowledge of the ecology of this important model organism in biological research.
Phylogenetic identification and metabolism of marine dimethylsulfide‐consuming bacteria
Authors: Vila‐Costa Maria , Del Valle Daniela A. , González José M. , Slezak Doris , Kiene Ronald P. , Sánchez Olga , Simó Rafel
Published: July 2006

Microbial consumption is one of the main processes, along with photolysis and ventilation, that remove the biogenic trace gas dimethylsulfide (DMS) from the surface ocean. Although a few isolates of marine bacteria have been studied for their ability to utilize DMS, little is known about the characteristics or phylogenetic affiliation of DMS consumers in seawater. We enriched coastal and open‐ocean waters with different carbon sources to stimulate different bacterial communities (glucose‐consuming bacteria, methyl group‐consuming bacteria and DMS consumers) in order to test how this affected DMS consumption and to examine which organisms might be involved. Dimethylsulfide consumption was greatly stimulated in the DMS addition treatments whereas there was no stimulation in the other treatments. Analysis of microbial DNA by two different techniques (sequenced bands from DGGE gels and clone libraries) showed that bacteria grown specifically with the presence of DMS were closely related to the genus Methylophaga. We also followed the fate of consumed DMS in some of the enrichments. Dimethylsulfide was converted mostly to DMSO in glucose or methanol enrichments, whereas it was converted mostly to sulfate in DMS enrichments, the latter suggesting use of DMS as a carbon and energy source. Our results indicate that unlike the biochemical precursor of DMS, dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP), which is consumed by a broad spectrum of marine microorganisms, DMS seems to be utilized as a carbon and electron source by specialists. This is consistent with the usual observation that DMSP turns over at much higher rates than DMS.
Prevalence of obesity, central obesity and the associated factors in urban population aged 20–70 years, in the north of Iran: a population‐based study and regression approach
Authors: Hajian‐Tilaki K. O. , Heidari B.
Published: July 2006

Obesity is an undesirable outcome of changing of lifestyle and behaviours. It is also reversible predisposing factor for the development of several debilitating diseases. This study was aimed to determine the prevalence rate of obesity, overweight, central obesity and their associated factors in the north of Iran. We conducted a population‐based cross‐sectional study with a sample of 1800 women and 1800 men with respective mean ages of 37.5 ± 13.0 and 38.5 ± 14.2 years of urban population aged 20–70 years living in the north of Iran. The demographic and lifestyle data, in particular, age, gender, marital status, marriage age, family history of obesity, educational level, occupation, occupational and leisure time physical activity, duration of exercise per week, parity and the number of children were collected with a designed questionnaire. Diagnosis of obesity and central obesity were confirmed by the WHO standard recommended method by determining of body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC). Logistic regression model was used to estimate the adjusted odds ratio (OR) and its 95% confidence interval. Over half of the study subjects were at educational levels of high school or higher; 79.4% of population was married and 35.3% had a family history of parental obesity. The majority of subjects in particular women had none or low levels of physical activity. The overall prevalence rates of obesity and overweight were 18.8% and 34.8% respectively. The overall prevalence rate of central obesity was 28.3%. The rate of obesity in women was higher than men (P < 0.0001). In both genders, particularly in the women, the rate of obesity was raised by increasing age. There was an inverse relation between the risk of obesity and marriage age, the high level of education (OR = 0.19, P < 0.0001), severe occupational activity (OR = 0.44, P < 0.0001), the level of exercise (in subjects with 3–4 h exercise per week, OR = 0.58, P < 0.001) and leisure time activity. Marriage, history of parental obesity and parity ≥5 were associated with increased risk of obesity (OR = 2.2, P < 0.001 and OR = 2.43, P < 0.0001 and OR = 3.73, P < 0.0001 respectively). The results of this study indicate an increased rate of obesity and overweigh in the north population of Iran. With respect to these findings, low level of activity and education, parity, family history of obesity, marriage at earlier age and ageing are responsible for both obesity and central obesity in the north of Iran. Therefore, a community‐based multiple strategies are required to combat with increasing rate of obesity and its subsequent complications such as diabetes, coronary artery disease, hypertension and osteoarthritis.
An integrative review of Canadian childhood obesity prevention programmes
Authors: Conroy S. , Ellis R. , Murray C. , Chaw‐Kant J.
Published: July 2006

To examine successful Canadian nursing and health promotion intervention programmes for childhood obesity prevention during gestation and infancy, an integrative review was performed of the literature from 1980 to September 2005. The following databases were used: PubMed; Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews; Cochrane Controlled Trials Register; Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects; ACP Journal Club; MEDLINE; EMBASE; CINAHL; Web of Science; Scopus; Sociological Abstracts; Sport Discus; PsycInfo; ERIC and HealthStar. MeSH headings included: infancy (0–24 months), gestation, gestational diabetes, nutrition, prenatal care, pregnancy, health education, pregnancy outcome, dietary services with limits of Canadian, term birth. Of 2028 articles found, six Canadian childhood obesity prevention programmes implemented during gestation and/or infancy were found; three addressed gestational diabetes with five targeting low‐income Canadian urban and/or Aboriginal populations. No intervention programmes specifically aimed to prevent childhood obesity during gestation or infancy. This paucity suggests that such a programme would be innovative and much needed in an effort to stem the alarming increase in obesity in children and adults. Any attempts either to develop new approaches or to replicate interventions used with obese adults or even older children need careful evaluation and pilot testing prior to sustained use within the perinatal period.
Lymphoid pneumonitis as an immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome in a patient with CD4 cell recovery after HAART initiation
Authors: Ingiliz P , Appenrodt B , Gruenhage F , Vogel M , Tschampa H , Tasci S , Rockstroh JK
Published: July 2006

In the era of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (IRIS) has come to present a significant clinical challenge. Following the recovery of memory T cells, latent infections may lead to clinical and laboratory deterioration despite immunological and virological reconvalescence. However, many other forms of complications after induction of HAART, which are not entirely understood, must be included in the entity of IRIS. Here we report a case of a patient complaining of respiratory distress and fever 10 days after initiating HAART. Radiologically and clinically, his findings mimicked Pneumocystis jiroveci pneumonia. However, no infectious agent could be detected, and bronchoalveolary lavage showed a high cell count (90% lymphocytes and 4% eosinophils) consistent with interstitial pneumonitis. He improved dramatically after treatment with oral steroids.
Plasma lipid concentrations after 1.5 years of exposure to nevirapine or efavirenz together with stavudine and lamivudine
Authors: Van Leth F , Hall DB , Lange JMA , Reiss P
Published: July 2006

Objectives

To assess long‐term changes in lipids and lipoproteins concentrations associated with exposure to non‐nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors.

Methods

Long‐term analysis of plasma lipid concentrations was performed in patients starting first‐line antiretroviral therapy with stavudine (d4T) and lamivudine, and either nevirapine or efavirenz.

Results

Concentrations of total cholesterol, low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglycerides continued to increase, while high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol showed a slight decrease compared with earlier reported increases after 48 weeks.

Conclusions

Changes in body fat distribution expected to occur with continued exposure to d4T could offer a potential explanation for these findings.
The value of serum albumin in pretreatment assessment and monitoring of therapy in HIV/AIDS patients
Authors: Olawumi HO , Olatunji PO
Published: July 2006

Objectives

We sought to examine the utility of serum albumin measurement in staging AIDS and monitoring patients' response to therapy.

Methods

The possible importance of serum albumin measurement in assessing AIDS stage and in monitoring the response to highly active antiretroviral therapy using CD4 cell count and body weight as parameters was examined in 185 consecutive HIV‐infected, therapy‐naïve individuals who were recruited for antiretroviral therapy at the university of Ilorin Teaching Hospital. The regimen included lamivudine, stavudine and nevirapine. The diagnosis of AIDS was established through a combination of clinical features and HIV seropositivity using two different enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay techniques. Serum albumin level was determined by the Bromocresol green method, while the CD4 lymphocyte count was obtained using the Dynal T4 count method. Body weight was measured in kilograms with light clothes on.

Results

There were significant positive correlations between pretreatment albumin and both pretreatment CD4 cell count and pretreatment weight, and between post‐treatment albumin and both post‐treatment weight and post‐treatment CD4 cell count up to a count of 700 cells/μL. There were also significant positive correlations between increase in serum albumin and both increase in body weight and duration of treatment.

Conclusions

We conclude that, in developing countries where many patients may not be able to afford to pay for CD4 cell counts and viral load tests, which are the traditional markers for HIV disease, serum albumin would be a very useful surrogate test for predicting severity of HIV infection and for clinical monitoring of response to antiretroviral therapy.
Influence of a monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 mutated allele on the response to protease inhibitor‐based antiretroviral therapy
Authors: Coll B , Alonso‐Villaverde C , Parra S , Rabassa A , Martorell L , Joven J , Masana L
Published: July 2006

Background

Antiretroviral drug efficacy has been widely studied in relation to viral factors. Mutations in the HIV co‐receptors and their natural chemokines, however, may be critical in HIV infection and treatment response. We compared the efficacy of protease inhibitor (PI) treatment among PI‐naïve patients grouped according to whether they carried the chemokine CC motif receptor 2 (CCR‐2) 64I and monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP‐1)–2518G alleles.

Methods and results

HIV‐infected patients who were PI‐naive were selected for the study (n=164) but there was no restriction on lymphocyte CD4 count or plasma HIV viral load. Follow‐up was for the first 24 months of treatment. Clinical and laboratory data were obtained every 3 months. All the participants were genotyped for the MCP‐1–2518G, CCR‐2 64I, CCR‐5Δ32 and stromal derived factor 1 (SDF1) 3′A mutated alleles. The results indicated that patients carrying the mutated allele of MCP‐1 had a higher mean CD4 cell count throughout the follow‐up period than those with the common allele (P=0.01). Also, patients with the MCP‐1 and CCR‐2 mutated alleles were more likely to continue to have an undetectable viral load following treatment (P=0.05).

Conclusion

A better response to PI treatment appears to be conferred by mutations in the host MCP‐1 and CCR‐2 genes, and may be related to the cellular axis‐of‐entry used by the retrovirus.
Incidence and risk factors of rash associated with efavirenz in HIV‐infected patients with preceding nevirapine‐associated rash
Authors: Manosuthi W , Thongyen S , Chumpathat N , Muangchana K , Sungkanuparph S
Published: July 2006

Objective

To determine the incidence and risk factors of rash associated with efavirenz in HIV‐infected patients with preceding nevirapine‐associated rash.

Methods

A retrospective cohort study was conducted in HIV‐infected patients diagnosed with nevirapine‐associated rash who subsequently received efavirenz between July 2003 and January 2005. Patients were followed up for 3 months after receiving efavirenz. Possible risk factors, including demographics, previous opportunistic infections, CD4 cell count, viral load, severity of nevirapine‐associated rash and concurrent drugs, were studied and compared between those who had (group A) and did not have (group B) rash associated with efavirenz.

Results

A total of 122 patients (52.5% male) were included in the study, with a mean age of 38.2 years. Median (and interquartile range) CD4 cell count and viral load were 55 (20–167) cells/μL and 86 150 (35 321–700 750) HIV‐1 RNA copies/mL, respectively. Of the 122 patients, 10 (8.2%) developed rash associated with efavirenz and all required discontinuation of efavirenz. The baseline characteristics of group A (10 patients) and group B (112 patients) were similar. Median (and interquartile range) time from nevirapine discontinuation to efavirenz initiation was 12 (9–21) days in group A and 11 (7–21) days in group B (P=0.765). None of the risk factors investigated was associated with developing rash associated with efavirenz. The preceding development of severe nevirapine‐associated rash had a trend towards a higher rate in group A than in group B (20.0% vs 10.7%; odds ratio=2.08; 95% confidence interval 0.39–10.97; P=0.322).

Conclusions

The majority (>90%) of HIV‐infected patients with CD4 counts <200 cells/μL who had preceding nevirapine‐associated rash could tolerate efavirenz well. Efavirenz may be an option for subsequent use in these patients, particularly in those who had preceding nevirapine‐associated rash.
The Significance of Property Restitution to Sustainable Return in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Authors: Williams Rhodri C.
Published: July 2006

The restitution of property to refugees and displaced persons (RDPs) who fled their homes during the 1992 to 1995 conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina has been highly successful on its own terms. After getting off to a slow start in the immediate post‐war years, this process saw the return of more than 200,000 claimed properties to their pre‐war residents by mid‐2004. Although property restitution has facilitated durable solutions for RDPs who have benefited from it, these durable solutions have not exclusively taken the form of voluntary and permanent return. In many cases, RDPs have chosen instead to sell, exchange, or lease their restituted homes in order to finance voluntary internal resettlement in parts of the country other than their pre‐war places of residence. In all cases, however, property restitution has been crucial to the viability and sustainability of either return or resettlement, facilitating free and informed choices by RDPs regarding their future. Property restitution in Bosnia and Herzegovina has often been held up as a model for other post‐conflict settings characterized by mass‐displacement. However, the utility of Bosnia and Herzegovina as an example must be assessed in light of favourable domestic and international factors that are unlikely to be repeated in other contexts. This paper argues that these factors should not disqualify Bosnia and Herzegovina as an example, but should instead underscore the importance that lessons learned in Bosnia and Herzegovina be incorporated early in the planning of other peace missions and implemented consistently. One of the foremost of these lessons was the efficacy of shifting the focus from the highly politicized concept of return to a more impartial “rule of law” approach, connoting an emphasis on individuals' rights to their former homes. The unusual level of resources that allowed the international community to correct its own early mistakes would not have been enough to guarantee property restitution in the absence of this successful implementation strategy.
Housing and Property Restitution and IDP Return in Kosovo1
Authors: Smit Anneke Rachel
Published: July 2006

The establishment of the Housing and Property Directorate (HPD) and Claims Commission (HPCC) in Kosovo has reflected an increasing focus internationally on the post‐conflict restitution of housing and property rights. In approximately three years of full‐scale operation, the institutions have managed to make a property rights determination on almost all of the approximate 30,000 contested residential properties. As such, HPD and HPCC are being looked to by many in other post‐conflict areas as an example of how to proceed. While the efficiency of the organizations is commendable, one of the key original goals – the return of displaced persons to their homes of origin – has to a large degree been left aside. The paper focuses on two distinct failures of the international community with respect to the functioning of HPD/HPCC and its possible effect on returns: a failure of coordination between HPD/HPCC and other organizations working on returns, and the isolation of residential property rights determinations from other aspects of building a property rights‐respecting culture in Kosovo.
Homes in the Making: Property Restitution, Refugee Return, and Senses of Belonging in a Post‐war Bosnian Town
Authors: Stefansson Anders H.
Published: July 2006

The return of displaced populations is regarded by the international community as essential to peace processes in war‐torn societies, with housing and property restitution increasingly seen to constitute a pre‐condition for the success of such return movements. A decade after the end of war in Bosnia and Herzegovina the property restitution process is close to full implementation while the rate of return remains relatively low.

This paper explores the relationship between property restitution and patterns of return and relocation, as well as between house and the sense of home in the aftermath of the violent conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is based on research among three distinct groups of displaced Bosnians within and from the town of Banja Luka (repatriates, “transnational” refugees, and IDPs). The paper shows that although repossession of pre‐war housing was perceived by the displaced as important for reasons of morality, justice, and economic rehabilitation, sustainable return usually also demanded access to jobs and other sources of livelihood, often located in transnational space. This, however, meant that in many cases “return” was temporary rather than permanent, and that for other displaced Bosnians “sustainable relocation” had eventually come to be the desired goal.

Yet the option of permanent resettlement in new parts of the country has not received much backing from the international organizations operating in Bosnia because of the emphasis on ethnic minority return as the central objective of post‐war reconstruction. At the same time, the sustainability of return has to some extent been jeopardized by the international prioritization of “small home” politics, i.e. property restitution, at the expense of “big home” politics, that is, efforts to normalize the political and socio‐economic structures beyond the confines of private homes. The paper argues that displaced persons may (re)create livelihoods and a full sense of home only when a positive relationship starts to develop between housing and the surrounding local and national environment.
Microsphere embolism‐induced endothelial nitric oxide synthase expression mediates disruption of the blood–brain barrier in rat brain
Authors: Han Feng , Shirasaki Yasufumi , Fukunaga Kohji
Published: July 2006

Microsphere embolism (ME)‐induced up‐regulation of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) in endothelial cells of brain microvessels was observed 2–48 h after ischemia. eNOS induction preceded disruption of the blood–brain barrier (BBB) observed 6–72 h after ischemia. In vascular endothelial cells, ME‐induced eNOS expression was closely associated with protein tyrosine nitration, which is a marker of generation of peroxynitrite. Leakage of rabbit IgG from microvessels was also evident around protein tyrosine nitration‐immunoreactive microvessels. To determine whether eNOS expression and protein tyrosine nitration in vascular endothelial cells mediates BBB disruption in the ME brain, we tested the effect of a novel calmodulin‐dependent NOS inhibitor, 3‐[2‐[4‐(3‐chloro‐2‐methylphenyl)‐1‐piperazinyl]ethyl]‐5,6‐dimethoxy‐1‐(4‐imidazolylmethyl)‐1H‐indazole dihydrochloride 3.5 hydrate (DY‐9760e), which inhibits eNOS activity and, in turn, protein tyrosine nitration. Concomitant with inhibition of protein tyrosine nitration in vascular endothelial cells, DY‐9760e significantly inhibited BBB disruption as assessed by Evans blue (EB) excretion. DY‐9760e also inhibited cleavage of poly (ADP‐ribose) polymerase as a marker of the apoptotic pathway in vascular endothelial cells. Taken together with previous evidence in which DY‐9760e inhibited brain edema, ME‐induced eNOS expression in vascular endothelial cells likely mediates BBB disruption and, in turn, brain edema.
Sequential phosphorylation of tau protein by cAMP‐dependent protein kinase and SAPK4/p38δ or JNK2 in the presence of heparin generates the AT100 epitope
Authors: Yoshida Hirotaka , Goedert Michel
Published: July 2006

Microtubule‐associated protein tau in a hyperphosphorylated state is the major component of the filamentous lesions that define a number of neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease, progressive supranuclear palsy, corticobasal degeneration, Pick's disease, argyrophilic grain disease and frontotemporal dementia and parkinsonism linked to chromosome 17 (FTDP‐17). Previous work has established that the phosphorylation‐dependent anti‐tau antibody AT100 is a specific marker for filamentous tau in adult human brain. Here we have identified protein kinases that generate the AT100 epitopein vitroand have used them, in conjunction with site‐directed mutagenesis of tau, to map the epitope. We show that the sequential phosphorylation of recombinant tau by cAMP‐dependent protein kinase (PKA) and the stress‐activated protein kinases SAPK4/p38δ or JNK2 generated the AT100 epitope and that this required phosphorylation of T212, S214 and T217. Tau protein from newborn, but not adult, mouse brain was weakly labelled by AT100. Phosphorylation by PKA and SAPK4/p38δ abolished the ability of tau to promote microtubule assembly, but failed to influence significantly the heparin‐induced assembly of tau into filaments.
Differential effects of haloperidol and olanzapine on the expression of erythropoietin and its receptor in rat hippocampus and striatum
Authors: Pillai Anilkumar , Mahadik Sahebarao P.
Published: July 2006

Compared with first‐generation antipsychotics (FGAs), second‐generation antipsychotics (SGAs) seem to be neuroprotective and trigger neuroplasticity. Because neuroplasticity is regulated by a variety of neurotrophic factors we studied differential effects of haloperidol (HAL, a FGA) and olanzapine (OLZ, a SGA) on temporal expression of erythropoietin (EPO), a potent neuroprotective factor and its receptor (EPOr) in rat brain. Rats (8–10/group) were treated with HAL or OLZ for 14 days (HAL‐14 or OLZ‐14) or 45 days (HAL‐45 or OLZ‐45). Animals were killed by decapitation or by perfusion to collect brains for immunoblotting and immunohistochemical analysis respectively. In hippocampus, the levels of both EPO and EPOr were significantly increased in HAL‐14 (p < 0.001) and OLZ‐14 (p < 0.001) groups. Their levels decreased in HAL‐45 compared with levels in HAL‐14 (EPO, p < 0.001; EPOr, p < 0.05), whereas the levels were further increased (EPO, p < 0.05) in OLZ‐45 compared with OLZ‐14. In striatum, the levels of both EPO and EPOr were unchanged in HAL‐14 and EPO levels significantly decreased in HAL‐45 (p < 0.05), whereas their levels were significantly increased in OLZ‐14 and OLZ‐45 compared with the vehicle‐treated control (p < 0.001). Both EPO and EPOr were primarily expressed by neurons and endothelial cells. These data suggest that SGAs such as OLZ may have neuroprotective effects through expression of EPO that may be clinically relevant for long‐term safe and beneficial management of psychotic patients.
gmconvert: file conversion for genemapper output files
Authors: FAIRCLOTH BRANT C.
Published: July 2006

gmconvert is a platform‐independent program provided in GUI (for Apple OS X and Windows XP) and command‐line versions (for other platforms). gmconvert allows rapid reformatting of microsatellite data from output files produced by Applied Biosystems genemapper software (version 3.x). The program will re‐array data into three formats commonly used in downstream analysis: genepop, cervus, and gerud. gmconvert will greatly increase the speed of data preparation prior to analysis and aid in reducing transpositional errors associated with manual re‐arraying and reformatting steps. gmconvert is available from http://gallus.forestry.uga.edu/software/.
Isolation and characterization of microsatellite markers from Fangzheng silver crucian carp,Carassius auratus gibelio(Bloch), and cross‐amplification in the closely related species crucian carp,Carassius auratus auratus(Linnaeus)
Authors: JIA ZHI‐YING , SUN XIAO‐WEN , LIANG LI‐QUN , LU CUI‐YUN , LEI QING‐QUAN
Published: July 2006

We report the development of 20 microsatellite markers for Fangzheng silver crucian carp,Carassius auratus gibelio(Bloch). Nineteen out of 20 showed polymorphism with alleles ranging from two to 14. These loci were screened to amplify the closely related species crucian carp,Carassius auratus auratus(Linnaeus) and all of them can amplify DNA with the size similar to the former. The origin of silver crucian carp is in issue and the population genetic structure is still unclear. Microsatellite markers isolated from the silver crucian carp and their utility in the crucian carp will be useful for these researches.
Fire and Green‐Tree Retention in Conservation of Red‐Listed and Rare Deadwood‐Dependent Beetles in Finnish Boreal Forests
Authors: HYVÄRINEN ESKO , KOUKI JARI , MARTIKAINEN PETRI
Published: July 2006

Abstract:  Habitat loss, fragmentation, and declining habitat quality have created an extinction debt in boreal forests, which could be partly reversed by deliberately improving the habitat quality in managed areas outside reserves. We studied the effects of green‐tree retention and controlled burning on red‐listed and rare, deadwood‐dependent (saproxylic) beetles in a large‐scale field experiment in eastern Finland. Our factorial study design included 24 sites dominated by Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) and with three levels of green‐tree retention (0, 10, and 50 m3/ha) and uncut controls. Twelve of the 24 sites were burned in 2001. We sampled beetles with 10 flight‐intercept traps on each site during the years 2000–2002 (i.e., 1 pretreatment and 2 post‐treatment years). A total sample of 153,449 individuals representing 1,160 beetle species yielded 2,107 specimens of 84 red‐listed or rare saproxylic species. The richness of these species was higher on the burned than on the unburned sites, and higher levels of green‐tree retention promoted species richness, but there were clear differences between the years. The richness of red‐listed and rare saproxylic species increased in the first post‐treatment year, evidently due to the treatments, continued to increase on the burned sites in the second post‐treatment year, but decreased on the unburned sites. Our results showed that the living conditions of many red‐listed and rare saproxylic species could be improved significantly with rather simple alterations to forest management methods. Controlled burning with high levels of green‐tree retention creates resources for many saproxylic species, but increasing the levels of green‐tree retention in unburned areas can also be beneficial.