bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
LATE SPECTRAL-DOMAIN OPTICAL COHERENCE TOMOGRAPHY FINDINGS IN SUB-INTERNAL LIMITING MEMBRANE HEMORRHAGE
Authors: Rey Amanda , Adán Alfredo , Llorenç Victor , Pelegrín Laura , Mesquida Marina
Published: April 2013

Purpose:

To report spectral-domain optical coherence tomographic (OCT) findings during the natural history of a sub-internal limiting membrane (sub-ILM) hemorrhage.

Methods:

Observational case report of a 20-year-old man with myeloid acute leukemia who presented a spontaneous resolution of a premacular hemorrhage, which was demonstrated by OCT. During the 12-month follow-up, periodic ophthalmologic and OCT examinations were performed.

Results:

A premacular hemorrhage was revealed in fundus examination, and spectral-domain OCT demonstrated a highly hyperreflective band just above the premacular hemorrhage consistent with the ILM. At 6-month follow-up, the macula was free of blood. The OCT scans after spontaneous resolution of the hemorrhage showed a thickened hyperreflective membrane (ILM) and a prominent hyporeflective premacular cavity. Six months later, this premacular cavity had resolved.

Conclusion:

These late OCT findings in sub-ILM hemorrhage have not been described in spontaneous evolution and confirm the sub-ILM location of a premacular hemorrhage.
CONJUNCTIVAL PYOGENIC GRANULOMA ASSOCIATED WITH INTRAVITREAL BEVACIZUMAB INJECTION
Authors: Sagiv Oded , Piven Ilia , Rosner Mordechai
Published: April 2013

Purpose:

To report a case of conjunctival pyogenic granuloma after intravitreal injection of anti–vascular endothelial growth factor, bevacizumab.

Methods:

A 52-year-old patient after 3 intravitreal bevacizumab injections was found to have a vascular conjunctival nodule at the injection site. A pathologic analysis of the vascular conjunctival nodule was performed after surgical excision.

Results:

The pathologic analysis revealed a conjunctival pyogenic granuloma.

Conclusion:

Conjunctival pyogenic granuloma can complicate an otherwise uneventful intravitreal anti–vascular endothelial growth factor injection.
Developmental mode influences diversification in ascidians
Authors: Maliska Max E. , Pennell Matthew W. , Swalla Billie J.
Published: April 2013

Ascidian species (Tunicata: Ascidiacea) usually have tailed, hatching tadpole larvae. In several lineages, species have evolved larvae that completely lack any tail tissues and are unable to disperse actively. Some tailless species hatch, but some do not hatch before going through metamorphosis. We show here that ascidian species with the highest speciation rates are those with the largest range sizes and tailed hatching larval development. We use methods for examining diversification in binary characters across a posterior distribution of trees, and show that mode of larval development predicts geographical range sizes. Conversely, we find that species with the least dispersive larval development (tailless, non-hatching) have the lowest speciation rates and smallest geographical ranges. Our speciation rate results are contrary to findings from sea urchins and snails examined in the fossil record, and further work is necessary to reconcile these disparate results.
Characterization of the interface between adsorbed fibronectin and human embryonic stem cells
Authors: Kalaskar Deepak M. , Downes Joan E. , Murray Patricia , Edgar David H. , Williams Rachel L.
Published: April 2013

The cell–substrate interface plays a key role in the regulation of cell behaviour. Defining the properties of this interface is particularly important for human embryonic stem (hES) cell culture, because changes in this environment can regulate hES cell differentiation. It has been established that fibronectin-coated surfaces can promote the attachment, growth and maintenance of the undifferentiated phenotype of hES cells. We investigated the influence of the surface density of adsorbed fibronectin on hES cell behaviour in defined serum-free culture conditions and demonstrated that only 25 per cent surface saturation was required to maintain attachment, growth and maintenance of the undifferentiated phenotype. The influence of surface-adsorbed fibronectin fragments was compared with whole fibronectin, and it was demonstrated that the 120 kDa fragment central binding domain alone was able to sustain hES cells in an undifferentiated phenotype in a similar fashion to fibronectin. Furthermore, hES cell attachment to both fibronectin and the 120 kDa fragment was mediated by integrinα5β1. However, although a substrate-attached synthetic arginine–glycine–aspartic acid (RGD) peptide alone was able to promote the attachment and spreading of fibroblasts, it was inactive for hES cells, indicating that stem cells have different requirements in order to attach and spread on the central fibronectin RGD–cell-binding domain. This study provides further information on the characteristics of the cell–substrate interface required to control hES cell behaviour in clearly defined serum-free conditions, which are needed for the development of therapeutic applications of hES cells.
A model system for foam fractionation
Authors: Hutzler S. , Tobin S. T. , Meagher A. J. , Marguerite A. , Weaire D.
Published: April 2013

A model system for theory and experiment that is relevant to foam fractionation consists of a column of foam moving through an inverted U-tube between two pools of surfactant solution. The foam drainage equation and its variants are used for a theoretical analysis of this process. In the limit in which the lengths of the two legs is large

, exact analytic formulae may be derived for the key properties of the system. Numerical computations and experiments support these results.
Lévy information and the aggregation of risk aversion
Authors: Brody Dorje C. , Hughston Lane P.
Published: April 2013

When investors have heterogeneous attitudes towards risk, it is reasonable to assume that each investor has a pricing kernel, and that these individual pricing kernels are aggregated to form a market pricing kernel. The various investors are then buyers or sellers depending on how their individual pricing kernels compare with that of the market. In Brownian-based models, we can represent such heterogeneous attitudes by letting the market price of risk be a random variable, the distribution of which corresponds to the variability of attitude across the market. If the flow of market information is determined by the movements of prices, then neither the Brownian driver nor the market price of risk are directly visible: the filtration is generated by an ‘information process’ given by a combination of the two. We show that the market pricing kernel is then given by the harmonic mean of the individual pricing kernels associated with the various market participants. Remarkably, with an appropriate definition of Lévy information one draws the same conclusion in the case when asset prices can jump. As a consequence, we are led to a rather general scheme for the management of investments in heterogeneous markets subject to jump risk.
Photosynthetic circadian rhythmicity patterns of
Symbiodium
, the coral endosymbiotic algae
Authors: Sorek Michal , Yacobi Yosef Z. , Roopin Modi , Berman-Frank Ilana , Levy Oren
Published: April 2013

Biological clocks are self-sustained endogenous timers that enable organisms (from cyanobacteria to humans) to anticipate daily environmental rhythms, and adjust their physiology and behaviour accordingly. Symbiotic corals play a central role in the creation of biologically rich ecosystems based on mutualistic symbioses between the invertebrate coral and dinoflagellate protists from the genus
Symbiodinium
. In this study, we experimentally establish that
Symbiodinium
photosynthesis, both as a free-living unicellular algae and as part of the symbiotic association with the coral
Stylophora pistillata
, is ‘wired’ to the circadian clock mechanism with a ‘free-run’ cycle close to 24 h. Associated photosynthetic pigments also showed rhythmicity under light/dark conditions and under constant light conditions, while the expression of the oxygen-evolving enhancer 1 gene (within photosystem II) coincided with photosynthetically evolved oxygen in
Symbiodinium
cultures. Thus, circadian regulation of the
Symbiodinium
photosynthesis is, however, complicated as being linked to the coral/host that have probably profound physiochemical influence on the intracellular environment. The temporal patterns of photosynthesis demonstrated here highlight the physiological complexity and interdependence of the algae circadian clock associated in this symbiosis and the plasticity of algae regulatory mechanisms downstream of the circadian clock.
Ancient host shifts followed by host conservatism in a group of ant parasitoids
Authors: Murray Elizabeth A. , Carmichael Andrew E. , Heraty John M.
Published: April 2013

While ant colonies serve as host to a diverse array of myrmecophiles, few parasitoids are able to exploit this vast resource. A notable exception is the wasp family Eucharitidae, which is the only family of insects known to exclusively parasitize ants. Worldwide, approximately 700 Eucharitidae species attack five subfamilies across the ant phylogeny. Our goal is to uncover the pattern of eucharitid diversification, including timing of key evolutionary events, biogeographic patterns and potential cophylogeny with ant hosts. We present the most comprehensive molecular phylogeny of Eucharitidae to date, including 44 of the 53 genera and fossil-calibrated estimates of divergence dates. Eucharitidae arose approximately 50 Ma after their hosts, during the time when the major ant lineages were already established and diversifying. We incorporate host association data to test for congruence between eucharitid and ant phylogenies and find that their evolutionary histories are more similar than expected at random. After a series of initial host shifts, clades within Eucharitidae maintained their host affinity. Even after multiple dispersal events to the New World and extensive speciation within biogeographic regions, eucharitids remain parasitic on the same ant subfamilies as their Old World relatives, suggesting host conservatism despite access to a diverse novel ant fauna.
Matrix approach to discrete fractional calculus III: non-equidistant grids, variable step length and distributed orders
Authors: Podlubny Igor , Skovranek Tomas , Vinagre Jara Blas M. , Petras Ivo , Verbitsky Viktor , Chen YangQuan
Published: April 2013

In this paper, we further develop Podlubny’s matrix approach to discretization of integrals and derivatives of non-integer order. Numerical integration and differentiation on non-equidistant grids is introduced and illustrated by several examples of numerical solution of differential equations with fractional derivatives of constant orders and with distributed-order derivatives. In this paper, for the first time, we present a variable-step-length approach that we call ‘the method of large steps’, because it is applied in combination with the matrix approach for each ‘large step’. This new method is also illustrated by an easy-to-follow example. The presented approach allows fractional-order and distributed-order differentiation and integration of non-uniformly sampled signals, and opens the way to development of variable- and adaptive-step-length techniques for fractional- and distributed-order differential equations.
Chaos synchronization in fractional differential systems
Authors: Zhang Fengrong , Chen Guanrong , Li Changpin , Kurths Jürgen
Published: April 2013

This paper presents a brief overview of recent developments in chaos synchronization in coupled fractional differential systems, where the original viewpoints are retained. In addition to complete synchronization, several other extended concepts of synchronization, such as projective synchronization, hybrid projective synchronization, function projective synchronization, generalized synchronization and generalized projective synchronization in fractional differential systems, are reviewed.
Increased perinatal loss after intrauterine transfusion for alloimmune anaemia before 20 weeks of gestation
Authors: Lindenburg ITM ,  van Kamp IL ,  van Zwet EW , Middeldorp JM , Klumper FJCM , Oepkes D
Published: April 2013

Objectives

To evaluate and compare perinatal outcome after intrauterine transfusions (IUT) performed before and after 20 weeks of gestation. To analyse contributing factors.

Design

Retrospective analysis.

Setting

The Dutch referral centre for fetal therapy.

Population

IUTs for fetal alloimmune anaemia.

Methods

Fetuses were divided into two groups: fetuses requiring the first IUT before 20 weeks of gestation (Group 1) and those in which the IUTs started after 20 weeks (Group 2). The cause of perinatal loss was classified as procedure‐related (PR) or not procedure‐related (NPR). The cohort was divided into two periods to describe the change of perinatal loss over time.

Main outcome measures

Perinatal loss of fetuses requiring the first IUT before 20 weeks of gestation, compared with perinatal loss later in gestation.

Results

A total of 1422 IUTs were performed in 491 fetuses. Perinatal loss rate in Group 1 was higher (7/29 24% versus 35/462 8%, P = 0.002). Especially NPR was higher for IUTs performed before 20 weeks (4/37 11% versus 19/1385 1%, P < 0.001). Kell alloimmunisation was overrepresented in Group 1 (7/29 24% versus 52/462 11%, P = 0.04). In a multivariate regression analysis, only hydrops was independently associated with perinatal loss (P = 0.001). In recent years, a decline in total perinatal loss was found (36/224 16% versus 6/267 2%, P < 0.001), but perinatal loss in Group 1 did not decline (4/224 1.8% versus 3/267 1.1%, P = 0.5).

Conclusions

Perinatal loss after IUT performed before 20 weeks of gestation is increased compared with loss after IUT performed later in gestation. In addition, we confirmed earlier observations that hydrops is a major contributor to adverse outcome. Early and timely detection and treatment may prevent hydrops and improve outcome.
Impact of Processing Parameters on the Phenolic Profile of Wines Produced from Hybrid Red Grapes Maréchal Foch, Corot noir, and Marquette
Authors: Manns David C. , Coquard Lenerz Céline T. M. , Mansfield Anna Katharine
Published: April 2013

Phenolic extraction in hybrid and interspecific wine grape cultivars is poorly understood, especially in terms of the impact of fermentation and enological conditions on condensed tannins and anthocyanins. Following fractionation via solid‐phase extraction and high‐performance liquid chromatography, phenolic profiles of must and wine from red hybrid grape cultivars Maréchal Foch, Corot noir, and Marquette were examined to assess the impact of enzyme and tannin addition, cold soak, and hot press during vinification. Across cultivars, hot press treatments resulted in the greatest extraction of condensed tannin, anthocyanin, and other monomeric phenolic compounds in musts, and treatments that increased skin contact time or cellular degradation during fermentation produced higher concentrations of tannins, anthocyanins, and flavonols. However, these increases were transient, evincing incomplete carryover into finished wines. Depending on initial must extraction, diglucoside forms of anthocyanins were either selectively extracted or selectively retained throughout fermentation when compared to their monoglucoside counterparts. Typical of hybrid grapes, tannin concentrations across cultivars were low, even under hot press conditions. For condensed tannins and anthocyanins, a cultivar‐specific, stable‐state concentration and phenolic profile emerged regardless of fermentation conditions. Due to the high levels of diglucoside anthocyanins and low levels of condensed tannins, it is expected that the color development and profile in these wines produced from hybrid grape cultivars will be dictated by the monomeric anthocyanins and their potential role in copigmentation processes involving other monomeric phenolic species, as opposed to the formation of polymeric color pigments.
The Role of Epistasis in the Etiology of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome among Indian Women: SNP‐SNP and SNP‐Environment Interactions
Authors: Dasgupta Shilpi , Reddy B. Mohan
Published: April 2013

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrinopathy in women of reproductive age. It is a heterogeneous androgen excess disorder determined by the interaction of multiple genetic and environmental factors. Our earlier analysis on a panel of six candidate genes (Androgen receptor CAG repeats, Follistatin, Luteinizing hormone β subunit, Calpain10, Insulin receptor substrate‐1 and PPARγ) based on 250 PCOS cases and 299 controls revealed significant association patterns with PCOS among South‐Indian women. We report here for the first time, the SNP‐SNP and SNP‐environment interactions of these genes in the same cohort. Both multivariate logistic regression as well as epistasis analysis (using Multifactor dimensionality reduction software) yielded significant results (P < 0.05). All CAPN10 SNPs show association (either risk‐conferring or protective) in the obese group, highlighting the importance of this gene in the PCOS pathophysiology. LHP7(LHβ) and UCSNP44(CAPN10) emerged to be the prominent SNPs in the SNP‐SNP interaction analysis. The best SNP‐SNP interaction model was obtained between CAPN10 UCSNP‐44 and PPARγ His447His, implying a significant metabolic component in the PCOS pathology. Replicating our findings in BMI‐specific cohorts in different ethnic populations would be warranted in future to identify the physiological networks in PCOS.
Minimal important differences in the EORTC QLQ‐C15‐PAL to determine meaningful change in palliative advanced cancer patients
Authors: Bedard Gillian , Zeng Liang , Zhang Liying , Lauzon Natalie , Holden Lori , Tsao May , Danjoux Cyril , Barnes Elizabeth , Sahgal Arjun , Poon Michael , Hicks Katharine , Chow Edward
Published: April 2013

Aims

Quality of life (QOL) is important for advanced cancer patients. Brief questionnaires are advantageous to reduce patient burden. In large clinical trials, statistically significant small changes can be achieved; however, whether such change is clinically relevant is unknown. The purpose of this study was to determine the minimal important differences (MID) of the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer quality of life core 15 palliative questionnaire (EORTC QLQ‐C15‐PAL).

Methods

Patients undergoing palliative radiotherapy completed the EORTC QLQ‐C15‐PAL at baseline and 1 month later. Anchor and distribution‐based assessments were employed to determine the MID associated with this instrument. The anchor of overall QOL was used to determine meaningful change.

Results

In all, 276 patients were included in MID calculation. Mean age was 65 years and primary lung, breast or prostate cancers were most common. Statistically significant MID for improvement was seen in emotional functioning and pain (20.9 and 15.6, respectively). MID for deterioration required a 20.4, 24.5, 17.1 and 23.0 change in physical functioning, fatigue, pain and appetite loss, respectively, to constitute meaningful change. Distribution‐based estimates of MID were closest to the standard error of measurement. MID for brain and bone metastases patients yielded MID larger than previously determined in the incorporation of all patients.

Conclusion

Meaningful change in the EORTC QLQ‐C15‐PAL is important for clinicians to determine the impact of treatment on the QOL of patients and can aid in determining the sample size required for clinical trials. Future studies should investigate MID in subgroups using symptom‐specific modules.
Labour Control in the Tobacco Agro‐spaces: Migrant Agricultural Workers in South‐Western Ontario
Authors: Bridi Robert Michael
Published: April 2013

International labour migration programs provide a vulnerable workforce that services various sectors in developed economies. The agriculture sector is one arena in which the employment of migrant workers has become more pervasive. Annually, approximately 30,000 workers are employed in the Canadian agriculture sector through the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program (SAWP). In this paper, I focus on the SAWP workers in tobacco farming, and investigate the ways that labour control is achieved on two small‐scale farms. I draw upon original empirical evidence from interviews with three Mexican and nine Jamaican workers, two union representatives, and two farm owners in South‐Western Ontario, Canada. My findings show that various factors at multiple scales shape the labour control regime and significantly advantage farm owners over workers. Based on my findings, I argue that the labour control regime is conditioned exogenously by multi‐scalar factors and generated endogenously at the point of production.
National rates of Helicobacter pylori recurrence are significantly and inversely correlated with human development index
Authors: Yan T.‐L. , Hu Q.‐D. , Zhang Q. , Li Y.‐M. , Liang T.‐B.
Published: April 2013

Background

Helicobacter pylori infection is a worldwide threat to human health with recurrence rates that vary widely. The precise correlation between H. pylori recurrence and socioeconomic development has not been determined.

Aim

To determine H. pylori recurrence rates after successful eradication and their association with socioeconomic development metrics.

Methods

Bibliographical searches were performed in the MEDLINE database. We reviewed all results, filtered by inclusion criteria, extracted primary results to calculate H. pylori recurrence rates and calculated national Human Development Index (HDI) values for the periods during which the studies were conducted.

Results

One thousand two hundred and twenty six cases of H. pylori recurrence in 77 eligible studies were observed in 43 525.1 follow‐up patient‐years after successful eradication therapy, giving a recurrence rate of 2.82 ± 1.16% per patient‐year (weighted mean ± 95% confidence interval). H. pylori recurrence rate was inversely correlated with national HDI on linear (r = −0.633) and weighted least square (r = −0.546) regression analysis. Countries with very high HDI had a mean recurrence rate significantly lower than that of high, medium and low HDI countries (P < 0.01, 0.001, and 0.001, respectively).

Conclusions

Less‐developed areas, as measured by HDI, are more likely to have high H. pylori recurrence rates. A different approach to follow‐up after H. pylori eradication is needed in developing countries where reinfection is highly prevalent, paying special attention to sources of reinfection and high‐risk groups.
Patterns of care and outcomes of radiotherapy for lymph node positivity after radical prostatectomy
Authors: Kaplan Joshua R. , Kowalczyk Keith J. , Borza Tudor , Gu Xiangmei , Lipsitz Stuart R. , Nguyen Paul L. , Friedlander David F. , Trinh Quoc‐Dien , Hu Jim C.
Published: April 2013

Objective

To evaluate the use and outcomes of adjuvant radiation therapy (ART) for men with lymph node (LN)‐positive disease after radical prostatectomy (RP) using a population‐based approach.

Patients and Methods

Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER)‐Medicare linked data from 1995 to 2007 was used to identify 577 men with LN metastases discovered during RP and absence of distant metastases, of which 177 underwent ART ≤1 year of RP.

Propensity score models were used to compare overall mortality and prostate cancer‐specific mortality (PCSM) for men that did and those that did not receive ART.

Results

Men in both groups received adjuvant androgen‐deprivation therapy at similar rates after propensity weighting adjustments (33.6% vs 33.7%, P = 0.977).

ART was not associated with differences in overall (5.09 vs 3.77 events per 100 person‐years, P = 0.153) or PCSM (2.89 vs 1.31, P = 0.090) relative to men who did not receive ART.

Conclusions

ART after RP in men with LN‐positive prostate cancer was not associated with improved overall or disease‐specific survival, in contrast to previous single‐centre studies.

Prospective randomised studies are needed to assess the effectiveness of ART in this patient population.
Novel mouse model for Gardner syndrome generated by a large‐scale N‐ethyl‐N‐nitrosourea mutagenesis program
Authors: Toki Hideaki , Inoue Maki , Motegi Hiromi , Minowa Osamu , Kanda Hiroaki , Yamamoto Noriko , Ikeda Ami , Karashima Yuko , Matsui Junko , Kaneda Hideki , Miura Ikuo , Suzuki Tomohiro , Wakana Shigeharu , Masuya Hiroshi , Gondo Yoichi , Shiroishi Toshihiko , Akiyama Tetsu , Yao Ryoji , Noda Tetsuo
Published: April 2013

Mutant mouse models are indispensable tools for clarifying the functions of genes and elucidating the underlying pathogenic mechanisms of human diseases. We carried out large‐scale mutagenesis using the chemical mutagen N‐ethyl‐N‐nitrosourea. One specific aim of our mutagenesis project was to generate novel cancer models. We screened 7012 animals for dominant traits using a necropsy test and thereby established 17 mutant lines predisposed to cancer. Here, we report on a novel cancer model line that developed osteoma, trichogenic tumor, and breast cancer. Using fine mapping and genomic sequencing, we identified a point mutation in the adenomatous polyposis coli (Apc) gene. The Apc1576 mutants bear a nonsense mutation at codon 1576 in the Apc gene. Although most Apc mutant mice established thus far have multifocal intestinal tumors, mice that are heterozygous for the Apc1576 mutation do not develop intestinal tumors; instead, they develop multifocal breast cancers and trichogenic tumors. Notably, the osteomas that develop in the Apc1576 mutant mice recapitulate the lesion observed in Gardner syndrome, a clinical variant of familial adenomatous polyposis. Our Apc1576 mutant mice will be valuable not only for understanding the function of the Apc gene in detail but also as models of human Gardner syndrome.
Complications and adverse patient reactions associated with the surgical insertion and removal of palatal implants: a retrospective study
Authors: Fäh Reto , Schätzle Marc
Published: April 2013

Objectives

The purpose of this study was to assess the frequency and variety of surgical complications and adverse patient reactions associated with the implantation and explantation of palatal implants.

Materials and Methods

The implantations and explantations of palatal implants in 146 patients who had undergone orthodontic treatment using a palatal implant for anchorage in the time period 1999–2010 were evaluated retrospectively. All complications and adverse patient reactions associated with the surgical intervention of implantation and explantation of the implant were assessed.

Results

Of the 146 palatal implants reviewed, 104 implantations and 44 explantations met the inclusion criteria and their data could be extracted. Of the 104 implantations, 25 (24.0%) surgical complications and adverse patient reactions could be documented. They consisted of lack of primary stability: 7 (6.7%), prolonged pain: 7 (6.7%), secondary bleeding: 6 (5.8%), perforation of nasal floor: 2 (1.9%), necrotic mucosa anterior of the implant: 2 (1.9%) and sensory impairment of the anterior palate: 1 (1%). The respective incidents for the 44 explantations were: disturbed wound healing: 3 (6.8%), perforation of nasal floor: 1 (2.3%), secondary bleeding: 1 (2.3%) and fracture of the implant: 1 (2.3%).

Conclusions

A wide spectrum of surgical complications and adverse patient reactions after palatal implant insertion and removal was found. All complications were of minor severity and duration except after one implantation, where a prolonged hypoesthesia of the anterior palate was found. Although only a small risk of a permanent sensory impairment of the anterior palatal region remains, patients must be well informed accordingly.
Evaluating the Effects of Anthropogenic Stressors on Source‐Sink Dynamics in Pond‐Breeding Amphibians
Authors: WILLSON JOHN D. , HOPKINS WILLIAM A.
Published: April 2013

Although interwetland dispersal is thought to play an important role in regional persistence of pond‐breeding amphibians, few researchers have modeled amphibian metapopulation or source‐sink dynamics. Results of recent modeling studies suggest anthropogenic stressors, such as pollution, can negatively affect density and population viability of amphibians breeding in isolated wetlands. Presumably population declines also result in reduced dispersal to surrounding (often uncontaminated) habitats, potentially affecting dynamics of nearby populations. We used our data on the effects of mercury (Hg) on the American toad ( Bufo americanus) as a case study in modeling the effects of anthropogenic stressors on landscape‐scale amphibian dynamics. We created a structured metapopulation model to investigate regional dynamics of American toads and to evaluate the degree to which detrimental effects of Hg contamination on individual populations can disrupt interpopulation dynamics. Dispersal from typical American toad populations supported nearby populations that would otherwise have been extirpated over long time scales. Through support of such sink populations, dispersal between wetland‐associated subpopulations substantially increased overall productivity of wetland networks, but this effect declined with increasing interwetland distance and decreasing wetland size. Contamination with Hg substantially reduced productivity of wetland‐associated subpopulations and impaired the ability of populations to support nearby sinks within relevant spatial scales. Our results add to the understanding of regional dynamics of pond‐breeding amphibians, the wide‐reaching negative effects of environmental contaminants, and the potential for restoration or remediation of degraded habitats.

Evaluación de los Efectos de Estresantes Antropogénicos sobre la Dinámica Fuente‐Vertedero en Anfibios que se Reproducen en Charcas
Non‐invasive assessment of cardiac output at rest and during exercise by finger plethysmography
Authors: Critoph Christopher H. , Patel Vimal , Mist Bryan , Thomas Martin D. , Elliott Perry M.
Published: April 2013

Aims

We sought to determine the accuracy of finger plethysmography using pulse waveform analysis with brachial calibration for measurement of cardiac output during submaximal exercise by comparing it against an acetylene (C2H2) uptake technique.

Methods

The study included 24 healthy volunteers (12 males, age 35 ± 8 years). Testing was performed on an upright cycle ergometer using an incremental protocol. Cardiac output measurements were performed at rest and during sub‐maximal exercise using a single breath C2H2 uptake technique and continuously using finger plethysmography with brachial calibration.

Results

Valid results at rest and during sub‐maximal exercise were achieved in 20 of 24 participants. Cardiac output at rest was 5·3 ± 1·1 and 5·2 ± 1·2 l min−1 for finger plethysmography and C2H2, respectively, P = 0·712. Mean difference between techniques was −0·1 ± 0·5 l min−1. Cardiac output during submaximal exercise was 10·2 ± 2·3 and 10·3 ± 2·1 l min−1 for finger plethysmography and C2H2, respectively, P = 0·898. Mean difference between techniques was 0·1 ± 1·5 l min−1. The overall correlation between finger plethysmography and C2H2 data obtained during rest and exercise was r2 = 0·872, P<0·0001. Mean rise in cardiac output during exercise was 4·9 ± 1·5 (finger plethysmography) and 5·1 ± 1·5 l min−1 (C2H2), P = 0·64.

Conclusion

Finger plethysmography determined cardiac output values both at rest and during sub‐maximal exercise are comparable with those obtained using a single breath C2H2 uptake technique.
Study of living kidney donor–recipient relationships: variation with socioeconomic deprivation in the white population of England
Authors: Bailey Phillippa K , Tomson Charles RV , Ben‐Shlomo Yoav
Published: April 2013

Background

Socioeconomic deprivation is associated with higher renal replacement therapy acceptance rates in the UK but lower rates of living kidney transplantation. This study examines donor–recipient relationship patterns with socioeconomic deprivation in the white population of England.

Methods

Demographic characteristics of all white live renal transplant donors and recipients between 2001 and 2010 in England were analyzed. Patterns of donor–recipient relationship were analyzed to see whether they differed according to an ecological measure of socioeconomic status (Index of Multiple Deprivation). Group comparisons were performed using chi‐square tests and multivariable logistic regression.

Results

Sources of living kidney transplants differed with deprivation (p < 0.001). Recipients living in poorer areas were more likely to receive a kidney from a sibling, child, and “other relative” donor and less likely from spouses/partners. Logistic regression suggested differences seen with spouse/partner donations with deprivation were explained by differences in the age and gender of the recipients.

Conclusions

The source of living kidneys differs by level of area deprivation. Given the disparity in rates of living kidney transplants between the most and least socioeconomically deprived, there is a need to understand the reasons behind these observed relationship differences, with the aim of increasing transplantation rates in the most deprived.
Fine needle aspiration cytology of nodular thyroid lesions: a 2‐year experience of the Bethesda system for reporting thyroid cytopathology in a large regional and a university hospital, with histological correlation
Authors: Mastorakis E. , Meristoudis C. , Margari N. , Pouliakis A. , Leventakos K. , Chroniaris N. , Panayiotides I. , Karakitsos P.
Published: April 2013

Objective

Thyroid fine needle aspiration (FNA) contributes to the appropriate management of nodular thyroid lesions. The introduced categories in the Bethesda system for reporting thyroid cytopathology (TBSRTC) are associated with an implied cancer risk, providing a clinical management guideline. This study aims to evaluate the reproducibility of this implied risk and to compare the results from two different cytopathology departments.

Methods

Five hundred histologically confirmed FNAs, studied since the introduction of TBSRTC, were obtained from 4208 and 3587 FNAs performed in a large regional hospital in Herakleion, Crete (group A) and a university hospital in Athens (group B), respectively. Reports were issued according to TBSRTC. Aspirates were prepared with ThinPrep® and evaluated by two experienced cytopathologists. The reproducibility and accuracy were evaluated.

Results

The proportion test for suspicious for malignancy (SFM) and malignant (M) cytology reports (P < 0.0001), and the number of malignancies on histology (P < 0.0001), were significantly higher in group A than in group B, consistent with a higher incidence of thyroid carcinomas in southern Greece. Although the malignancy rates were higher in group A than in group B for all categories, except M (A, 99.3%; B, 100%), the difference was only significant for benign aspirates (P = 0.0303). Malignancy rates for all categories in group A were above the TBSRTC recommended range, but were consistent with an increased prevalence of malignancy in that centre, differences in reporting practice and the variable ranges reported in the literature. There was lower sensitivity (P = 0.019) and overall accuracy (P = 0.003) in group A relative to group B, but no difference in specificity.

Conclusions

TBSRTC provides valuable information for the appropriate management of nodular thyroid lesions, both in a university and a large regional hospital.
Assessing treatment response after induction Bacillus Calmette–Guerin for carcinoma in situ of the urinary bladder: can post‐induction random bladder biopsies be avoided?
Authors: Smith P. J. , Lotan Y. , Raj G. V. , Sagalowsky A. I. , Margulis V.
Published: April 2013

Objectives

Patients diagnosed with bladder carcinoma in situ (CIS) and treated with intravesical Bacillus Calmette–Guerin (BCG) often undergo post‐induction random bladder biopsies to assess treatment response. We sought to determine the correlation between post‐induction urinary cytology/cystoscopy and histopathological findings obtained by random bladder biopsies.

Methods

Patients who were treated with BCG between 2006 and 2010 for CIS, had surveillance cystoscopy and cytology, and subsequently underwent random bladder biopsies were selected for analysis. Patients with a history of or concomitant urothelial cell carcinoma (UCC) stage T1 or higher were excluded. Cystoscopic finings were characterized as follows: negative – no mucosal erythema, raised lesions or papillary tumours; suspicious – mucosal erythema, but no raised lesions or papillary tumours; and positive – sessile or papillary tumours. The accuracy of cytology in predicting the results of subsequent random bladder biopsies was analysed.

Results

Of 21 patients included, surveillance cystoscopy findings were characterized as negative in nine, suspicious in seven and positive in five. Of 16 patients with negative/suspicious cystoscopy, 13 had agreement between cytology and biopsy, nine of whom were negative and four positive. Three of 16 patients had positive cytology, but negative biopsies; on further investigation of these three, one had CIS and two subsequent UCC. In the positive cystoscopy group, four of five patients had agreement between cytology and biopsy, two of whom were negative and two positive. One of the five patients had negative cytology, but a positive biopsy.

Conclusion

Our data suggest foregoing random bladder biopsies in patients with negative urine cytology and no evidence of intravesical recurrence on cystoscopy following an induction course of BCG for CIS of the urinary bladder.
Comparison of effects of tacrolimus ointment and mometasone furoate cream on the epidermal barrier of patients with atopic dermatitis
Authors: Dähnhardt‐Pfeiffer Stephan , Dähnhardt Dorothee , Buchner Matthias , Walter Kersten , Proksch Ehrhardt , Fölster‐Holst Regina
Published: April 2013

Background

The skin barrier plays a crucial role in the pathophysiology of atopic dermatitis. The quality of the skin barrier can be assessed using a new semi‐quantitative method to measure intercellular lipid lamellae. This procedure was used to evaluate the influence of the topical application of the calcineurin inhibitor tacrolimus 0.1% ointment (Protopic®) versus mometasone furoate cream (Ecural®) on the quality of the skin barrier.

Patients and Methods

20 adult patients with active atopic dermatitis (SCORAD 10–63) were included in an open, non‐interventional study. Lesions on their forearms were treated twice daily over 10 days with either tacrolimus 0.1% ointment or mometasone furoate cream. At the beginning and the end of the treatment period, SCORAD, TEWL and skin hydration were determined and the intercellular lipids were measured using transmission electron microscopy.

Results

The SCORAD improved in both groups nearly to the same extent, whereas TEWL and skin hydration improved significantly only in the tacrolimus group. Using the semi‐quantitative analysis of intercellular lipid length per 1,000 nm2 intercellular space, a twofold increase for mometasone furoate cream and a fourfold increase for tacrolimus 0.1% ointment were determined.

Conclusions

In addition to its known antiinflammatory effect, tacrolimus 0.1% ointment leads also to a measurable increase of the lipids of the skin barrier in patients with atopic dermatitis, exceeding the effect of mometasone furoate cream.
Education as the Cultivation of Second Nature: Two Senses of the Given
Authors: Misawa Koichiro
Published: April 2013

In philosophy, it is almost a platitude to argue that fact and value intertwine. However, in empirically oriented educational research, it is not. Hence, there is some affinity between logical positivism, which is no longer tenable in philosophy, and empirically based contemporary educational research in terms of assumptions each makes about “the given.” In this essay, Koichiro Misawa casts light on how fact and value intertwine by invoking the notion of “second nature” that John McDowell has reanimated. This will in turn prompt us to see the relation between nature and nurture, as well as between mind and world, quite differently and to discern two senses of “the given”: one is illusory; the other educational. Misawa concludes that the philosophy of education should and can take the lead in forming rigorous interdisciplinary studies of the human future with a certain sensitivity to the tight and complex interweaving between the empirical and the conceptual, or between the factual and the normative.
Asymmetric dimethylarginine levels in children with sickle cell disease and its correlation to tricuspid regurgitant jet velocity
Authors: El‐Shanshory Mohamed , Badraia Ibrahim , Donia Amr , Abd El‐hameed Faten , Mabrouk Mokhtar
Published: April 2013

Background

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is an increasingly recognized life‐threatening complication in sickle cell disease (SCD), with associated high mortality in adults. The prevalence of PH in children with SCD is still unknown. The etiology and pathophysiologic mechanisms are still not well understood.

Aim of the study

To assess the plasma levels of asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) in children with SCD and its correlation with elevated tricuspid regurgitant jet velocity and other hemolytic markers.

Subjects & Methods

This study was carried out on a cohort of patients (30) with SCD and 30 healthy children as a control group. Certain investigations were carried out for all subjects: CBC, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), ferritin, reticulocytic count, bilirubin, AST, ALT, and plasma levels of ADMA. Doppler echocardiography was carried out for all subjects.

Results

The prevalence of high tricuspid regurgitant velocity (TRV) was 30% in SCD patients. ADMA mean plasma level was significantly higher in patients than in controls (0.79 ± 0.15 μmol/L and 0.46 ± 0.11 μmol/L, respectively, P < 0.001). ADMA was significantly higher in patients with high TRV than those with normal TRV (1.10 ± 0.11 μmol/L, 0.80 ± 0.06 μmol/L, respectively, P < 0.001). There was a significant positive correlation between ADMA plasma levels and TRV ≥2.5 m/s (r = 0.475).

Conclusion

High plasma ADMA levels may be implicated in the pathogenesis of increased tricuspid regurgitant jet velocity in children with SCD.
Small effective size limits performance in a novel environment
Authors: Oakley Christopher G.
Published: April 2013

Understanding what limits or facilitates species' responses to human‐induced habitat change can provide insight for the control of invasive species and the conservation of small populations, as well as an arena for studying adaptation to realistic novel environments. Small effective size of ancestral populations could limit the establishment in, or response to, a novel or altered habitat because of low genetic variation for ecologically important traits, and/or because small populations harbor fixed deleterious mutations. I estimated the fitness of individuals from populations of the endangered plant Hypericum cumulicola, of known census and effective size, transplanted into native scrub habitat and unpaved roadsides, which are a novel habitat for this species. I found a significant positive relationship between estimates of population size and mean fitness, but only in the novel roadside habitat. Fitness was more than 200% greater in the roadside habitat than the scrub, mostly due to increased fecundity. These results combined with previous estimates of heterosis in this species suggest that fixed deleterious mutations could contribute to lower fitness of field transplants from small populations in the novel environment.
Consultant‐Researchers in Public Sector Transformation: An Evolving Role
Authors: Arnaboldi Michela
Published: April 2013

This paper analyses the changing role of consultant‐researchers in the public sector, drawing empirically on a 12‐year interventionist project. The investigation focuses on the heterogeneity of participants’ contributions, and shows the researchers’ actions to be closely entangled with participants’ attitudes. Furthermore, the longitudinal study highlights the relevance of the changing reform and organisational setting in shaping these roles, such that the actors’ actions can be regarded as institutionally embedded. From this perspective, the roles are analysed across three dimensions – purposes, participation and learning – representing polar types on a broad spectrum.
Structure–function relationship and biogenesis regulation of the human telomerase holoenzyme
Authors: Hukezalie Kyle R. , Wong Judy M. Y.
Published: April 2013

Telomeres are nucleoprotein structures found at the ends of linear chromosomes. Telomeric DNA shortens with each cell division, effectively restricting the proliferative capacity of human cells. Telomerase, a specialized reverse transcriptase, is responsible for de novo synthesis of telomeric DNA, and is the major physiological means by which mammalian cells extend telomere length. Telomerase activity in human soma is developmentally regulated according to cell type. Failure to tightly regulate telomerase has dire consequences: dysregulated telomerase activity is observed in more than 90% of human cancers, while haplo‐insufficient expression of telomerase components underlies several inherited premature aging syndromes. Over the past decade, we have significantly improved our understanding of the structure–activity relationships between the two core telomerase components: telomerase reverse transcriptase and telomerase RNA. Genetic screening for telomerase deficiency syndromes has identified new partners in the biogenesis of telomerase and its catalytic functions. These data revealed a level of regulation complexity that is unexpected when compared with the other cellular polymerases. In this review, we summarize current knowledge on the structure–activity relationships of telomerase reverse transcriptase and telomerase RNA, and discuss how the biogenesis of telomerase provides additional regulation of its actions.
Damaged forests provide an opportunity to mitigate climate change
Authors: Lamers Patrick , Junginger Martin , Dymond Caren C. , Faaij André
Published: April 2013

British Columbia (BC) forests are estimated to have become a net carbon source in recent years due to tree death and decay caused primarily by mountain pine beetle (MPB) and related post‐harvest slash burning practices. BC forest biomass has also become a major source of wood pellets, exported primarily for bioenergy to Europe, although the sustainability and net carbon emissions of forest bioenergy in general are the subject of current debate. We simulated the temporal carbon balance of BC wood pellets against different reference scenarios for forests affected by MPB in the interior BC timber harvesting area using the Carbon Budget Model of the Canadian Forest Sector (CBM‐CFS3). We evaluated the carbon dynamics for different insect‐mortality levels, at the stand‐ and landscape level, taking into account carbon storage in the ecosystem, wood products and fossil fuel displacement. Our results indicate that current harvesting practices, in which slash is burnt and only sawdust used for pellet production, require between 20–25 years for beetle‐impacted pine and 37–39 years for spruce‐dominated systems to reach pre‐harvest carbon levels (i.e. break‐even) at the stand‐level. Using pellets made from logging slash to replace coal creates immediate net carbon benefits to the atmosphere of 17–21 tonnes C ha−1, shortening these break‐even times by 9–20 years and resulting in an instant carbon break‐even level on stands most severely impacted by the beetle. Harvesting pine dominated sites for timber while using slash for bioenergy was also found to be more carbon beneficial than a protection reference scenario on both stand‐ and landscape level. However, harvesting stands exclusively for bioenergy resulted in a net carbon source unless the system contained a high proportion of dead trees (>85%). Systems with higher proportions of living trees provide a greater climate change mitigation if used for long lived wood products.