bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
HETEROGENEOUS EXPRESSION OF TANDEM‐PORE K+ CHANNEL GENES IN ADULT AND EMBRYONIC RAT HEART QUANTIFIED BY REAL‐TIME POLYMERASE CHAIN REACTION
Authors: Liu W , Saint DA
Published: February 2004

1. Many members of the tandem‐pore K+ channel gene family have been reported to be present in cardiac cells. However, the pattern of gene expression of these channels in the heart is a matter of some dispute.

2. Here, we used reverse transcription and real‐time quantitative polymerase chain reaction to investigate the pattern of gene expression of nine members of the tandem‐pore K+ channel genes in adult and embryonic rat heart. The genes (TWIK‐1, TWIK‐2, TASK‐1, TASK‐2, TASK‐3, TREK‐1, TREK‐2, TRAAK and KCNK6) were quantified, relative to glyceraldehyde‐3‐phosphate dehydrogenase (GADPH), in all four chambers of adult rat hearts and in the ventricles of embryonic rat hearts.

3. All these genes were detected in at least one chamber of the heart, with a predominance of TWIK‐2, TASK‐1 and TREK‐1 expression. The expression of TWIK‐2 was higher in the right atrium than in other cardiac chambers, TASK‐1 was expressed more in atria than in ventricles and TREK‐1 was highly expressed in the right ventricle.

4. The expression levels of the three predominant genes in embryonic rat ventricle are much lower than their expression in adult rat ventricles.

5. The physiological implications of the differential gene expression of the tandem‐pore K+ channels is discussed.
DIFFERENTIAL EFFECTS OF PYRETHROIDS ON VOLUME‐SENSITIVE ANION AND ORGANIC OSMOLYTE PATHWAYS
Authors: Culliford Steve J , Borg John J , O'Brien Martin J , Kozlowski Roland Z
Published: February 2004

1. There are no effective ways of screening for potential modulators of volume‐regulated anion channels in their native cell type. Generally, cell lines are used for this purpose. Using HeLa and C6 glioma cells, we identified the pyrethroids as a novel class of compounds that inhibit taurine efflux through volume‐regulated anion transport pathways in these cells. Subsequently, we examined their effects on volume‐regulated anion channels in guinea‐pig ventricular myocytes to determine whether results obtained using cell lines could be extrapolated to other tissues.

2. Tetramethrin inhibited taurine efflux in both HeLa and C6 glioma cells with Ki values of approximately 26 and 16 µmol/L, respectively. Bioallethrin and fenpropathrin inhibited volume‐sensitive taurine efflux from C6 glioma cells, but not from HeLa cells. The Ki values for bioallethrin and fenpropathrin were 70 and 59 µmol/L, respectively.

3. Volume‐sensitive I– efflux was observed in HeLa cells but not in C6 glioma cells, suggesting that the taurine efflux pathway in C6 glioma cells may be different to that of the I– efflux pathway. Cyfluthrin, tetramethrin, fenpropathrin, tefluthrin and bioallethrin all significantly inhibited volume‐sensitive I– efflux from HeLa cells at 100 µmol/L.

4. Patch‐clamp experiments have shown inhibition of ICl,vol in guinea‐pig ventricular myocytes by fenpropathrin, but not tetramethrin or cypermethrin, at 100 µmol/L. This revealed that further differences exist between ICl,vol in guinea‐pig ventricular myocytes and the anion transport pathways in C6 glioma and HeLa cells.

5. In conclusion, we have shown that pyrethroids differentially inhibit volume‐regulated anion and taurine efflux in a number of cell types. Because these compounds have different effects in different cells, it is likely that: (i) more than one pathway is involved in the volume‐sensitive transport of anions and organic osmolytes; and (ii) the molecular identities of the channels underlying anion transport are different. Finally, for the reasons given above, care should be taken when extrapolating data from one cell type to another. However, in the absence of an existing high‐throughput screen, taurine efflux still represents a viable route for the identification of potential modulators of volume‐regulated ion channels.
NEW INSIGHT INTO THE SIGNALLING PATHWAYS OF HEAT STRESS‐INDUCED MYOCARDIAL PRECONDITIONING: PROTEIN KINASE Cε TRANSLOCATION AND HEAT SHOCK PROTEIN 27 PHOSPHORYLATION
Authors: Arnaud Claire , Joyeux‐Faure Marie , Bottari Serge , Godin‐Ribuot Diane , Ribuot Christophe
Published: February 2004

1. Heat stress (HS) is known to induce delayed preconditioning against myocardial infarction 24 h later, but the exact signalling pathway of this response remains to be elucidated. In previous studies, we have shown evidence for the implication of protein kinase C (PKC) and p38 mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MAPK) in the HS‐induced reduction in infarct size. Furthermore, in their phosphorylated state, small heat shock proteins (Hsp27) seem to confer cytoskeletal protection. In the present study, we sought to determine the effect of HS on the subcellular distribution of PKC isoforms and on Hsp27 phosphorylation.

2. Rats were subjected to either HS (42°C for 15 min; HS group) or sham anaesthesia (sham group) before their hearts were excised. Myocardial tissue extracts obtained 20 min or 24 h after HS were processed for western blot analysis.

3. In the HS group, PKCε translocated from the cytosolic to the particulate fraction (4426 ± 128 vs 6258 ± 316 arbitrary units; P = 0.002). Chelerythrine (5 mg/kg, i.p.), a PKC inhibitor, abolished this translocation. Western blot analysis of Hsp27 24 h after HS showed a marked increase in protein expression and phosphorylation in the particulate fraction.

4. In the present study, we have shown that HS induces the translocation of PKCε from the cytosolic to the particulate fraction. Along with our previous observation that PKC is a trigger of HS‐induced myocardial preconditioning, the results of the present study suggest an important role of the ε isoform of PKC in this cardioprotective mechanism. Furthermore, we have also demonstrated that the cytoprotective protein Hsp27 is phosphorylated following HS. Therefore, we can conclude that PKC and MAPK/Hsp27 are involved in the signalling pathway of HS‐induced cardioprotection.
NITRIC OXIDE RELEASE IN THE NUCLEUS TRACTUS SOLITARIUS DURING AND AFTER BILATERAL COMMON CAROTID ARTERY OCCLUSION
Authors: Wu Wun‐Chin , Chai Chok‐Yung
Published: February 2004

1. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of bilateral common carotid artery occlusion (BCCAO) on cardiovascular responses and nitric oxide (NO) formation in the nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS).

2. Twenty‐three adult cats were anaesthetized intraperitoneally with urethane (400 mg/kg) and α‐chloralose (40 mg/kg). The femoral artery was cannulated to allow monitoring of systemic arterial pressure (SAP) and heart rate (HR). The femoral vein was cannulated for intravenous drug administration.

3. Extracellular NO levels in the NTS were measured by in vivo voltammetry using an NO microsensor combined with a microcomputer‐controlled apparatus.

4. Microinjection of l‐arginine (30 nmol) into the NTS produced hypotension and NO release. This effect of l‐arginine was not changed by 2 min of BCCAO.

5. Bilateral common carotid artery occlusion produced increases in SAP and NO levels. These effects were more apparent in vagotomized than in intact animals.

6. The onset latency of BCCAO‐induced changes in SAP levels (8.4 ± 2.5 s) was longer than that for changes in NO (4.7 ± 1.7 s).

7. Bilateral common carotid artery occlusion induced hypertension and NO release in the NTS of intact and vagotomized animals. These cardiovascular and NO responses to BCCAO were significantly attenuated by NG‐nitro‐l‐arginine methyl ester (10 mg/kg, i.v.) and MK‐801 (2.5 mg/kg, i.v.). These data suggest that NO synthase and activation of N‐methyl‐d‐aspartate receptors are involved in the cardiovascular and NO responses to BCCAO.
EFFECT OF PROPOFOL ON VASOCONSTRICTION AND CALCIUM MOBILIZATION INDUCED BY ANGIOTENSIN II DIFFERS IN AORTAS FROM NORMOTENSIVE AND HYPERTENSIVE RATS
Authors: Samain Emmanuel , Pili‐Floury Sébastien , Bouillier Hélène , Clichet Adeline , Safar Michel , Dagher Georges , Marty Jean , Renaud Jean‐François
Published: February 2004

1. Angiotensin (Ang) II is a potent vasopressor agent, involved in the short‐term control of arterial blood pressure during anaesthesia. The aim of the present study was to test the hypothesis that propofol, a widely used intravenous anaesthetic agent, could alter the arterial response to AngII and to evaluate its effect in genetic hypertension.

2. We studied the effect of increasing concentrations of propofol (5.6 × 10−7 to 5.6 × 10−4 mol/L) on aortic ring maximal isometric tension elicited by AngII and on AngII‐induced Ca2+ mobilization in aortic smooth muscle cells from Wistar‐Kyoto (WKY) rats and spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR).

3. Maximal tension developed by aortic rings from WKY rats was greater than that developed by rings from SHR. In both WKY rats and SHR, propofol at concentrations from 5.6 × 10−6 mol/L decreased maximal tension induced by AngII in a concentration‐dependent manner. The magnitude of inhibition was higher in SHR than in WKY rats, whereas pD2 values were not different. In addition, Ca2+ mobilization induced by AngII was inhibited by propofol in a concentration‐dependent manner, with the same magnitude and pD2 values.

4. These results suggest that the arterial response to AngII may be altered during propofol anaesthesia, particularly in hypertension.
MODIFICATION OF TRANSMITTER RELEASE FROM PERIARTERIAL NERVE TERMINALS BY DIPYRIDAMOLE IN CANINE ISOLATED SPLENIC ARTERY
Authors: Naito Makoto , Yang Xiao‐Ping , Chiba Shigetoshi
Published: February 2004

1. The aim of the present study was to determine the modulatory effects of dipyridamole on purinergic and adrenergic transmission in the canine isolated, perfused splenic artery.

2. Periarterial nerve electrical stimulation readily induced a double‐peaked vasoconstriction consisting of an initial transient, predominantly P2X receptor‐mediated constriction followed by a prolonged, mainly α1‐adrenoceptor‐mediated response.

3. Exposure of tissues to dipyridamole (0.1–1 µmol/L) dose‐dependently inhibited both the first and second peaks of the vasoconstrictor response at a low frequency of stimulation (1 Hz), whereas at an intermediate frequency of stimulation (4 Hz), the first peak of the response was depressed without any significant effect being observed on the second peak of constriction.

4. At a higher dose (1 µmol/L) dipyridamole potentiated vasoconstrictor responses to noradrenaline (0.03–1 nmol). At any doses used, dipyridamole had no effect on the vasoconstrictor responses to ATP (0.03–1 µmol).

5. Tyramine (0.01–0.3 µmol) induced vasoconstriction in a dose‐dependent manner. The dose–response curves for tyramine were shifted to the right following treatment with dipyridamole (0.1–1 µmol/L).

6. The present results indicate that dipyridamole may inhibit purinergic and adrenergic transmission presynaptically, whereas postsynaptically dipyridamole may potentiate the adrenergic vascular constriction by inhibition of transmitter uptake.
REDUCED HIGH SERUM HEPATOCYTE GROWTH FACTOR LEVELS AFTER SUCCESSFUL CARDIOVERSION IN PATIENTS WITH ATRIAL FIBRILLATION
Authors: Katoh Harumi , Shimada Toshio , Inoue Shin‐ichi , Takahashi Nobuyuki , Shimizu Hiromi , Ohta Yoko , Nakamura Ko , Murakami Yo , Ishibashi Yutaka , Matsumori Akira
Published: February 2004

1. Serum hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) is considered to be a potent marker of vascular endothelial injury. The present study was designed to examine serum HGF levels in atrial fibrillation and after successful direct current (DC) cardioversion.

2. We measured serum HGF levels before and 7 days and 1 month after DC cardioversion in 39 patients with atrial fibrillation in whom sinus rhythm was maintained for at least 7 days after DC cardioversion and in 30 age‐ and sex‐matched normal control subjects with sinus rhythm. We also measured acetylcholine‐induced changes in forearm blood flow (FBF) using venous occlusive plethysmography in 10 patients.

3. Serum HGF levels were significantly higher in the atrial fibrillation patients (both lone atrial fibrillation and with underlying heart disease) than in the controls (0.16 ± 0.07 vs 0.10 ± 0.04 ng/mL; P < 0.001). Seven days after successful DC cardioversion, the patients' serum HGF levels had decreased significantly (0.16 ± 0.07 vs 0.12 ± 0.06 ng/mL; P < 0.05) and in the 24 patients maintaining sinus rhythm 1 month after DC cardioversion, serum HGF levels decreased to control values (0.10 ± 0.08 ng/mL at 1 month). Serum HGF levels of the 15 patients who had relapsed into atrial fibrillation 1 month after DC cardioversion tended to decrease 7 days after DC cardioversion, but increased again 1 month after DC cardioversion. Percentage changes in FBF between baseline and the highest dose of acetylcholine before and after DC cardioversion were 180 ± 98 and 323 ± 196%, respectively (P = 0.0051). The rate of increase in FBF at the highest dose of acetylcholine between before and after DC cardioversion correlated negatively with the rate of decrease in serum HGF levels between before and after DC cardioversion (r = −0.837; P = 0.0025).

4. This study is the first to demonstrate that serum HGF levels increase in atrial fibrillation and decrease after successful DC cardioversion. This may reflect the fact that atrial fibrillation induces vascular endothelial injury.
DOPAMINERGIC RECEPTORS IN RAT DURA MATER: PHARMACOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS
Authors: Cavallotti C , Frati A , Cavallotti D , Tranquilli Leali FM
Published: February 2004

1. The location and distribution of dopaminergic receptors in rat dura mater was studied by examining several dural zones (vascular, perivascular, intervascular) in different cranial and spinal regions.

2. The pharmacological characteristics and anatomical distribution of dopamine D1‐ and D2‐like receptors sites were investigated using combined pharmacological techniques and immunofluorescent microscopy.

3. Samples of rat dura mater were obtained from 10 adult Wistar rats. On frozen slices, dopaminergic D1 and D2 receptors were stained immunohistochemically using monoclonal antibodies.

4. Inhibition studies were performed using fluorescent and non‐fluorescent agonists or antagonists to define the pharmacological specificity of the immunostaining.

5. The greater sensitivity to displacement by amisulpride, bromocryptine, domperidone, haloperidol, raclopride and l‐sulpiride than to displacement by N‐propyl‐nor‐apomorphine, quinpirole and clozapine suggests that the immunofluorescent sites observed in these experiments are likely to belong to the dopamine D2 receptor subtype.

6. Our observations provide evidence of the presence of D1 and D2 receptors in the wall of meningeal vessels. The dopaminergic receptors are located in the adventitia, media and intima of dural arteries. Furthermore, the density of receptors is higher in close proximity to arteries and decreases passing from the vascular to the perivascular and intervascular zones.

7. In the rat dura mater, dopamine regulates the meningeal blood vessels and, through this action, dopamine and its receptors can play an important role in the pathogenesis of cephalalgia.
ROLE OF LYSOPHOSPHATIDYLCHOLINE IN EOSINOPHIL INFILTRATION AND RESISTANCE IN AIRWAYS
Authors: Nishiyama Osamu , Kume Hiroaki , Kondo Masashi , Ito Yasushi ,   Masafumi Ito and Kenichi Yamaki
Published: February 2004

1. Lysophosphatidylcholine (Lyso‐PC), which is synthesized by phospholipase A2, is generally considered to induce adhesion molecules. However, little is known about the involvement of Lyso‐PC in the pathogenesis of bronchial asthma. The present study was designed to examine whether pre‐exposure to Lyso‐PC causes eosinophil recruitment and an increase in resistance in airways.

2. Eosinophils in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and the airway walls were enumerated after inhalation of 0.5 mg/mL Lyso‐PC to guinea‐pigs for 10 min. Respiratory resistance (Rrs) was recorded continuously over 6 h after inhalation of an equi‐dose of Lyso‐PC for an equivalent period.

3. The proportion of eosinophils was increased from 10.7 ± 3.3 to 27.5 ± 3.1% (P < 0.0001) in BALF 6 h after inhalation of Lyso‐PC, whereas the proportion of neutrophils and lymphocytes was not increased. Histological examination also showed uniform distribution of eosinophils in the airway wall of bronchi and bronchioles 6 h after inhalation of Lyso‐PC. The number of eosinophils (/10 h.p.f.) in the bronchi and bronchioles was increased from 43.5 ± 16.8 to 154.8 ± 21.7 (P < 0.0001) and from 34.8 ± 0.7 to 106.0 ± 26.6 (P < 0.01), respectively. This eosinophil infiltration was similarly observed 24 h later.

4. Next, we examined the effects of eosinophil infiltration induced by Lyso‐PC on Rrs. Inhalation of Lyso‐PC caused a slow increase in Rrs and the percentage increase in Rrs was 19.8 ± 1.9% (P < 0.0001) 6 h later. Eosinophil infiltration and an increase in Rrs did not occur after inhalation of physiological saline. These phenomena induced by Lyso‐PC were diminished by pretreatment with dexamethasone (6 µg/kg per day for 3 days).

5. Lysophosphatidylcholine causes eosinophil infiltration and a subsequent increase in resistance in airways. Our results indicate that Lyso‐PC may be involved in the pathophysiology of bronchial asthma.
MICRONIZATION ENHANCES THE PROTECTIVE EFFECT OF PURIFIED FLAVONOID FRACTION AGAINST POSTISCHAEMIC MICROVASCULAR INJURY IN THE HAMSTER CHEEK POUCH
Authors: Cyrino Fátima ZGA , Bottino Daniel A , Lerond Laurence , Bouskela Eliete
Published: February 2004

1. The present study was designed to evaluate the effect of micronization on the protective effect of the purified flavonoid fraction (MPFF) on increases in macromolecular permeability induced by ischaemia–reperfusion in the hamster cheek pouch microcirculation.

2. Male hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus) were treated orally, twice a day, with vehicle (lactose), MPFF and non‐micronized purified flavonoid fraction (PFF) at 5, 20, 80 and 320 mg/kg per day for 10 consecutive days. On the 11th day, cheek pouches of anaesthetized animals were prepared for intravital microscopy.

3. Local ischaemia was obtained by clamping the neck of the everted pouch and the increase in microvascular permeability was quantified as leakage (leaks) of intravenously injected fluorescein isothiocyanate‐labelled dextran (FITC–dextran 150; MW = 150 000).

4. Reperfusion, after 30 min ischaemia, resulted in an immediate but reversible increase in post‐capillary leakage. The MPFF induced a significant dose‐related reduction in the increased permeability, with 83.4% inhibition compared with control at 320 mg/kg per day (19.2 ± 1.9 vs 115.7 ± 4.1 leaks/cm2; P < 0.0001). Non‐micronized PFF was significantly less effective: only 47.9% inhibition compared with control was observed at 320 mg/kg per day (60.3 ± 1.0 vs 115.7 ± 4.1 leaks/cm2; P < 0.0001) and there was no dose–effect relationship.

5. In conclusion, micronization significantly enhances the protective effects of the purified flavonoid fraction on reperfusion injury in the hamster cheek pouch. This improvement is likely to be related to the better absorption of the micronized formulation, which could explain the superior clinical efficacy shown in previous studies.
PROTEINS OF THE BCL‐2 FAMILY IN APOPTOSIS SIGNALLING: FROM MECHANISTIC INSIGHTS TO THERAPEUTIC OPPORTUNITIES
Authors: Chan Shing‐Leng , Yu Victor C
Published: February 2004

1. Proteins of the Bcl‐2 family are central regulators of apoptosis and are thought to act primarily on the mitochondria.

2. Members of the Bcl‐2 family possess either anti‐apoptotic or pro‐apoptotic function. They are characterized by the presence of conserved sequence motifs, known as Bcl‐2 homology (BH) domains. Anti‐apoptotic members share all four BH domains, designated as BH1‐4; the multidomain pro‐apoptotic members contain BH1‐3 domains, whereas another subgroup of pro‐apoptotic members only have a BH3 domain.

3. The BH3‐only proteins act as sensors for distinct apoptosis pathways, whereas multidomain pro‐apoptotic Bax and Bak are executioners of death orders relayed by the BH3‐only proteins.

4. Anti‐apoptotic Bcl‐2 family members appear to function, at least in part, by interacting with and antagonizing pro‐apoptotic family members. The BH1‐3 domains of BclXL form an elongated hydrophobic groove, which is the docking site for the BH3 domains of pro‐apoptotic binding partners.

5. The deregulation of the various Bcl‐2 proteins has been implicated in many pathological conditions.

6. Knowledge derived from the understanding of the function and regulation of the Bcl‐2 family of proteins has allowed us to contemplate new therapeutic strategies for diseases where apoptosis signalling mechanisms can potentially be manipulated.

7. The anti‐apoptotic Bcl‐2 members have been targeted successfully using an antisense approach, BH3‐peptides and small molecular weight chemicals that are inhibitors of their anti‐apoptotic function.
The place of the unconscious in mental health nursing
Authors: Crowe Marie
Published: February 2004

ABSTRACT:  This paper acknowledges the concept of the unconscious in psychiatric discourse and explores the importance of this for mental health nursing practice. Mental health nursing practice has always been strongly influenced by psychiatric discourse because of its dominance in the clinical setting. The most recent edition of the American Psychiatry Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual has signalled that the concept of the unconscious is re‐emerging in psychiatric discourse. This re‐emergence provides the opportunity for mental health nurses to re‐affirm or develop their psychotherapeutic skills in the nurse−patient relationship. The psychotherapeutic relationship could focus on ways for the patient to find meaning in their lives that recognize and value difference and multiple ways of being.
Clients’ perceptions of client−nurse relationships in local authority psychiatric services: A qualitative study
Authors: Hörberg Ulrica , Brunt David , Axelsson Åsa
Published: February 2004

ABSTRACT:  The Mental Health Care reform in Sweden aimed, among other things, to improve the possibilities for persons with mental illnesses to experience companionship and participation in society. The aim of the study was to describe how persons suffering from mental illness perceive their relationships with nursing staff in local authority psychiatric services. Data were collected through semi‐structured recorded interviews with 17 strategically chosen clients. A qualitative approach inspired by phenomenography was used to analyse the data. The analysis resulted in four main categories and 13 subcategories. The main categories were: security, companionship, confirmation and development.
Psychotropic PRN: A model for best practice management of acute psychotic behavioural disturbance in inpatient psychiatric settings
Authors: Usher Kim , Luck Lauretta
Published: February 2004

ABSTRACT:  PRN, or ‘as needed’, medications are administered frequently by mental health nurses in psychiatric inpatient settings to manage difficult and disturbed behaviour when other strategies fail. Research indicates that approximately 50% of psychiatric inpatients receive a PRN medication at some stage of their treatment. Although evidence indicates that traditional antipsychotics and benzodiazepines are equally effective in managing acute agitation and other psychotic symptoms, it has been recommended that benzodiazepines should be the first‐line of action because they do not cause the serious side‐effects that are common with the traditional antipsychotics. Unfortunately, research indicates that doctors and nurses are not taking advantage of the latest evidence to guide their practice. This paper reviews the limited research available in the area and makes recommen­dations for evidence‐based practice.
Different voices: Reviewing and revising the politics of working with consumers in mental health
Authors: McAllister Margaret , Walsh Kenneth
Published: February 2004

ABSTRACT: 
Working with consumers is now a common expectation in contemporary mental health services. Yet health professionals may not entirely understand the difference between patient and consumer roles. Alternatively, they may feel they do not have the skills or resources to deal with people in roles other than patient or carer. Nor may they be able to separate out their personal experiences with particular consumers from the ideals and goals for effective consumer partnerships. This paper reviews a concept known as the politics of difference as well as the rise of the consumer movement in order to explore areas of difference between consumers and providers, to reexamine how power and marginalization practices occur. It reminds professionals that generalizing from one failed experience relating with a consumer is just as invalid as idealizing the current policy of consumer inclusion. Inviting, allowing, amplifying and improving the effectiveness of the consumer voice in mental health services today requires active commitment, educative processes and novel strategies to move beyond superficial relationships so that consumers and professionals work together to make enduring change.
Training case managers to deliver focused psychological strategies
Authors: Donoghue Adrian , Hodgins Gene , Judd Fiona , Scopelliti Joe , Grigg Margaret , Komiti Angela , Murray Greg
Published: February 2004

ABSTRACT:  Anxiety and mood disorders are prevalent in the Australian community and can be functionally disabling. Access to treatment for these disorders can be difficult, particularly in rural areas where there is limited availability of specialist mental health practitioners such as psychiatrists and clinical psychologists. One way to address this problem is to improve the skills of local mental health practitioners in recognizing and providing treatment for these disorders. This paper describes a program that aimed to enhance access to psychological treatment for depression and anxiety by improving the skills of rural mental health case managers through training and education and support by psychiatrists and clinical psychologists. Thirty‐two case managers participated in the program which delivered 10 training modules using a cognitive behavioural therapy framework. Case managers consisted primarily of psychiatric nurses, with others having social work or psychology backgrounds. Participants were assessed pre‐ and post‐training using quantitative and qualitative measures. The effect of the training was noted in several areas including attitudinal changes, improved knowledge of psychological therapies, and changes to stated practice. However, there was concern expressed by participants about their competence and confidence to translate skills learned into practice. While the results of such a program are promising, they highlight some of the complexities of delivering such programs in rural settings.
The realities of mental health nursing in acute inpatient environments
Authors: Cleary Michelle
Published: February 2004

ABSTRACT:  The purpose of this ethnographic study was to understand how nurses construct their practice in an acute inpatient psychiatric unit in light of the current challenges, demands and influences brought about by service reform. During a 5‐month period, fieldwork observations, interviews and discussion groups occurred in a 22‐bed acute inpatient mental health facility in New South Wales, Australia. The findings demonstrate how the current role of acute care has resulted in nurses working in increasingly complex environments characterized by competing priorities and new demands. Nurses struggled to fit the changed service philosophy with traditional models of practice within this fluid and changing environment. The findings are relevant within the context of current debates and can be used to enhance the understanding of contemporary acute mental health nursing practice and inform the continued development of mental health nursing in these settings.
University and service sector collaboration for undergraduate psychiatric nursing education
Authors: Arnold Sue‐Anne , Deans Cecil , Munday Jo
Published: February 2004

ABSTRACT:  Collaboration between the education and service providers assists with the development of enhanced clinical and educational experiences for students. This paper describes an innovative collaborative program developed by the School of Nursing, University of Ballarat and Grampians Psychiatric Services, Ballarat Health Services. Mental health clinical nursing staff are the student off‐campus clinical supervisors and on‐campus lecturers, supported by two jointly appointed co‐ordinators. Program evaluation reveals that this collaborative approach assists in the provision of a supportive learning environment, increases enthusiasm about psychiatric nursing and draws on relevant mental health nursing skills in the university and service sectors.
The parent experience of eating disorders: Interactions with health professionals
Authors: McMaster Rose , Beale Barbara , Hillege Sharon , Nagy Sue
Published: February 2004

ABSTRACT:  The experiences of parents with a child with anorexia nervosa and/or bulimia nervosa were explored and this article aims to present one component of that study: parents’ interactions with health professionals. The research was initiated after anecdotal stories from parents led the authors to undertake a literature review, which revealed a paucity of published research on this topic. Twenty‐two interviews were conducted with volunteer parents from New South Wales, Australia. A descriptive qualitative design was used and themes were identified through in‐depth analysis. Six themes were identified: finding help, feeling shut out, engagement, images portrayed, being resourceful and parents not prepared to give up. The implications for health professionals include that they acknowledge parental involvement in recovery. We urge the nursing profession, particularly mental health nurses, to work towards establishing collaborative partnerships between families & health professionals in order to achieve a better health outcome for all.
What limits the spread of fire‐dependent vegetation? Evidence from geographic variation of serotiny in a New Zealand shrub
Authors: Bond William J. , Dickinson Katharine J. M. , Mark Alan F.
Published: February 2004

Aim  To determine the geographical variation in serotiny in a common New Zealand shrub as a contemporary indicator of past fire regimes. The distribution of serotiny could then be used to explore factors limiting the spread of fire‐dependent vegetation.

Location  South Island, New Zealand.

Methods  Serotiny was assessed as the proportion of closed capsules on a shoot of standard stem diameter for 5–35 plants in 45 widely scattered populations of Leptospermum scoparium. Site characteristics, including locality, altitude, rainfall, habitat type and minimum burnable area were recorded at sampling sites.

Results  Serotiny was distributed bimodally within and among populations with capsules either mostly closed or mostly open. There was considerable geographical variation in capsule behaviour, most of which we attribute to variation in fire history. In wetlands and other sites unsuitable for forest growth, populations were all serotinous above a minimum area of 30 km2 and nonserotinous below this threshold. In grassy habitats in the drier eastern areas, most populations were serotinous. The nonserotinous exceptions occurred in areas thought to have been cleared of forests by Polynesian settlers before the arrival of Europeans or in areas with numerous barriers to fire in the form of large rivers, floodplains, glaciers and barren mountain tops.

Conclusions  We suggest that serotiny in L. scoparium is a reflection of a long history of fire in the South Island. As such, it provides a contemporary signature of a past fire regime. Landscape barriers to the spread of fire were major obstacles limiting the spread of serotiny and associated fire‐dependent vegetation. Rivers, lakes, glaciers, and sparsely vegetated floodplains prevented the spread of fire in high rainfall regions more than the lack of dry weather. People, by igniting fires in small open areas seldom struck by lightning, could radically increase the importance of fire on islands.
Variation in litterfall‐climate relationships between coniferous and broadleaf forests in Eurasia
Authors: Liu Chunjiang , Westman Carl J. , Berg Björn , Kutsch Werner , Wang Gary Z. , Man Rongzhou , Ilvesniemi Hannu
Published: February 2004

Aim  The objectives of this study were to determine the relationships between climatic factors and litterfall in coniferous and broadleaf forests in Eurasia and to explore the difference in litterfall between coniferous and broadleaf forests as related to climate at a continental scale.

Location  We have used data from across Eurasia.

Methods  The relationships between litterfall and climatic factors were examined using linear regression analysis of a compilation of published data from coniferous and broadleaf forests in Eurasia.

Results  The relationships between litterfall and climatic factors show that in the temperate, subtropical, and tropical areas, broadleaf forests had higher litterfall than coniferous ones, whilst the opposite was found for boreal forests. Combining all climatic zones, a multiple regression analysis using annual mean temperature (T) and annual precipitation (P) as independent variables gave an adjusted R2 () of 0.272 for total litterfall in coniferous forests (n = 199, P < 0.001), 0.498 for broadleaf litterfall (n = 240, P < 0.001), and 0.535 for combined coniferous and broadleaf litterfall (n = 439, P < 0.001). The linear models for broadleaf stands have significantly higher coefficients for T and P than those for coniferous ones but the intercepts were similar. Thus, litterfall in broadleaf forests increased faster with T and P than that in coniferous forests. Further, a transformation of temperature and precipitation to relative units showed that a relative‐unit change in T had a larger impact than P on total litterfall in broadleaf forests. The results indicate that at a continental scale, climatic controls over litterfall differ between coniferous and broadleaf forests.

Conclusions  A relative unit change in annual mean temperature has a greater effect on litterfall compared to the same change in annual precipitation across the Eurasian forests. Further, the higher response to T for broadleaf forests indicates a difference in climate control between coniferous and broadleaf forests at a continental scale, and consequently different litterfall responses to climate change.
An evaluation of the Lost World and Vertical Displacement hypotheses in the Chimantá Massif, Venezuelan Guayana
Authors: Rull Valentí
Published: February 2004

Aim To document the occurrence of vertical displacements of vegetation in the high plateaus of the Venezuelan Guayana (tepuis) over the last c. 6000 years, and to discuss their significance for the origin of their flora, especially the endemism patterns observed in their flat summits. Two hypotheses have been proposed for the origin of the summit flora. One (the Lost World hypothesis) proposes a long history of evolution in isolation from the surrounding plains, while the other (the Vertical Displacement hypothesis) suggests that vertical movements of vegetation during the Pleistocene glacial‐interglacial cycles would have resulted in floristic mixing within the lowlands, and genetic interchange among plateau summits.

Location This work has been conducted on the flat summit of the Churí‐tepui, in the Chimantá massif, at 5°15′ Lat. N and 62°01′ Long. W, around 2250 m altitude.

Methods Pollen analysis and radiocarbon dating of two peat outcrops, using modern analogue technique and numerical methods for palaeoecological interpretation were used.

Results The replacement of a high‐altitude plant community (a paramoid Chimantaea shrubland) by a lower elevation (< 2300 m) Stegolepis meadow, occurred about 2500 years before present (yr bp). This vegetation change is inferred to have resulted from a regional climatic shift to higher temperature and moisture. A subsequent decrease in temperature and moisture led to the establishment of present conditions after about 1450 yr bp.

Main conclusions The highland vegetation of the tepuis responded to climate shifts with vertical displacements, supporting the hypothesis of vertical mixing. However, a physiographical analysis shows that around half of the tepuis would never have been connected by lowlands. Therefore, both hypotheses are needed to explain the origins of the summit flora in the tepuis.
Changes in rain forest butterfly diversity following major ENSO‐induced fires in Borneo
Authors: Cleary Daniel F. R. , Genner Martin J.
Published: February 2004

Aims  Throughout South‐East Asia, droughts associated with ENSO (El Niño Southern Oscillation) events have resulted in large‐scale fires affecting millions of hectares of rain forest. However, the long‐term impacts of these fires on the rain forest faunas are only poorly understood. Our aim was to study the recovery of rain forest butterfly assemblages following the 1997–98 ENSO event, which resulted in the largest‐scale fires in the recorded history of the region.

Location  A 420‐km2 area in the Balikpapan‐Samarinda region of East Kalimantan, Indonesian Borneo.

Methods  Four landscapes were assessed after the 1997–98 ENSO event, including one landscape that was assessed prior to the event. Comparisons of species richness, species composition and guild abundance were made among landscapes and years. The relative importance of environment, geographical distance between sampling sites, and time between sampling years was quantified during the succession phase using a variance partitioning technique.

Results  The fires dramatically altered the butterfly community and resulted in a major decline in observed species richness within the landscape surveyed prior to the ENSO event. Following fires in 1998, butterfly assemblages in all landscapes were dominated by large‐winged generalist species. During 1999 and 2000, assemblages became increasingly dominated by smaller specialist species. Species endemic to Borneo that were present before fires were absent in 2000, despite intensive sampling over enhanced spatial and environmental scales. Community similarity was significantly dependent upon local environmental variables, geographical distance between sampling sites, and time between sampling years. Together, these explained over 52% of the observed variation in samples.

Conclusions  The importance of geographical distance between sampling sites indicates that recovery was dependent upon colonization from proximate habitats. Despite an apparent trend of return to pre‐ENSO community structure, low species richness throughout the survey area indicates that full recovery had not taken place by 2000.
The implications of Tertiary and Quaternary sea level rise events for avian distribution patterns in the lowlands of northern South America
Authors: Nores Manuel
Published: February 2004

Aim  To assess the correspondence between current avian distributions in the lowlands of northern South America with respect to the hypothesized importance of sea level rise and other events over the past 15 million years on speciation.

Location  Tropical lowlands of north‐western South America.

Methods  To establish which bird taxa may have originated in each area of endemism, I examined the ranges of all bird species occurring in the Pacific and the Caribbean lowlands. To determine land and sea distribution during a sea level rise of 100 m in north‐western South America and eastern Central America, I traced the 100 m contour line from the Geoatlas of Georama and the Global 30‐Arc‐Second Elevation Data (GTOPO30) produced by the US Geological Survey.

Results  During a sea level rise of ∼100 m, marine incursions would have occurred from the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean. Several areas of tropical forest and dry/arid vegetation would have been isolated, currently known as the Darién, Chocó, Nechí, Catatumbo, Tumbesian and Guajiran areas of animal and plant endemism.

Main conclusions  A large part of the high diversity of forest and nonforest birds and other animals and plants in the Pacific rain forest and the Caribbean woodland likely arose as the result of sea level rises, dispersal and other geological and climatic events.
Scale and trends in species richness: considerations for monitoring biological diversity for political purposes
Authors: Weber Darius , Hintermann Urs , Zangger Adrian
Published: February 2004

Switzerland's governmental ‘Biodiversity Monitoring’ program is designed to produce factual information on the dynamics of biodiversity within the country for governmental agencies, politicians, and the general public. Monitoring a complex issue like biodiversity in order to give relevant and accurate messages to the general public and politicians within a politically relevant timescale and at moderate cost means focusing on few elements. Because relevant human impacts on biodiversity operate differently at different spatial scales, we need at least three different indicators to observe changes over time in local (‘within‐habitat’), landscape (‘habitat‐mosaic’), and macro‐scale (‘regional’) diversity. To keep things as simple as possible, we use species richness as an indicator for all three levels of diversity, just defining three different spatial scales (10 m2, 1 km2, regions, respectively). Each indicator is based on a number of taxonomic groups which have been selected mainly on the basis of costs and the availability of appropriate methods.
Terrestrial bird community patterns on the coralline islands of the Dahlak Archipelago, Red Sea, Eritrea
Authors: Azeria Ermias T.
Published: February 2004

Aim  This study aims to explain the patterns of species richness and nestedness of a terrestrial bird community in a poorly studied region.

Location  Twenty‐six islands in the Dahlak Archipelago, Southern Red Sea, Eritrea.

Methods  The islands and five mainland areas were censused in summer 1999 and winter 2001. To study the importance of island size, isolation from the mainland and inter‐island distance, I used constrained null models for the nestedness temperature calculator and a cluster analysis.

Results  Species richness depended on island area and isolation from the mainland. Nestedness was detected, even when passive sampling was accounted for. The nested rank of islands was correlated with area and species richness, but not with isolation. Idiosyncrasies appeared among species‐poor and species‐rich islands, and among common and rare species. Cluster analysis showed differences among species‐rich islands, close similarity among species‐poor and idiosyncratic islands, and that the compositional similarity among islands decreased with increasing inter‐island distance. Thus, faunas of species‐poor, smaller islands were more likely to be subsets of faunas of species‐rich, larger islands if the distance between the islands was short.

Main conclusions  Species richness and nestedness were related to island area, and nestedness also to inter‐island distances but not to isolation from the mainland. Thus, nestedness and species richness are not affected in the same way by area and distance. Moreover, idiosyncrasies may have been the outcome of species distributions among islands being influenced also by non‐nested distributions of habitats, inter–specific interactions, and differences in species distributions across the mainland. Idiosyncrasies in nested patterns may be as important as the nested pattern itself for conservation – and conservation strategies based on nestedness and strong area effects (e.g. protection of only larger islands) may fail to preserve idiosyncratic species/habitats.
Body size structure in north‐western Mediterranean Plio‐Pleistocene mammalian faunas
Authors: Rodríguez Jesús , Alberdi María T. , Azanza Beatriz , Prado José L.
Published: February 2004

Aim  We investigated the patterns of body‐size changes of the north‐western Mediterranean Plio‐Pleistocene large mammal faunas (excluding rodents, bats, lagomorphs and insectivores) in order to identify the tempo and mode of the major shifts in body size distribution, and to put them in the context of Plio‐Pleistocene environmental changes and the development of the Mediterranean climate.

Location  We analysed fossil faunas of Spain, France and Italy. A set of recent regional faunas from several macroclimatic regions was selected to serve as elements for comparison of the size distribution of past faunas, consisting of: Spain, France and Italy together, Florida, California, Central Chile, Indochina, India, Korea‐Manchuria, Malawi, The Cape, North Africa, Turkey and Australia.

Methods  Mammal species were grouped into five body size categories for carnivores and four categories for noncarnivore species. The number of species in each size category was computed and the resulting matrix of body weight classes × regions and time intervals was used as an input matrix in a Correspondence Analysis.

Results  Recent and fossil faunas strongly differ in body size structure. The distribution of recent faunas within the CA seems to reflect both ecological and historic factors, intertwined in a complex fashion. No clear relationship has been observed between body size structure and environmental factors. During the late Pliocene to early Pleistocene there were only minor changes in the pattern of size distribution, although plant communities were in a transition process from subtropical forests to Mediterranean woodlands and steppes. The major change in body size structure of the north‐western Mediterranean fauna occurred at the Galerian, around 1 Ma ago. This marked the beginning of the modern fauna, and a general trend towards a larger body size, reduction in the number of medium sized herbivores, and an increase of large herbivores and megaherbivores.

Main conclusions  The Plio‐Pleistocene faunas lack modern analogues. The body size structure of mammalian regional faunas appears to be strongly dependent on historical factors. The only major shift in body size distribution occurred during the Plio‐Pleistocene, in the late Villafranchian‐Galerian transition, coincident with the onset of the Pleistocene high intensity glacial cycles.
Resource boom and bust, 1885–1920: regional wealth evidence from probate records
Authors: Di Matteo Livio
Published: February 2004

Wealth micro‐data from records probated by the Thunder Bay District Surrogate Court for 1885–1920 are examined. These data span the Canadian wheat boom era and find a break in wealth accumulation over the period 1900–1914. A bust follows the boom and real wealth during 1915–1920 is approximately 75% lower than 1910–1914. Regression results show the key determinants of wealth in the region to be time period variables, gender, literacy, occupation, marital status, and number of children. The boom had no long‐term impact on individual wealth levels in the Thunder Bay District.
Quantifying and interpreting world development: macromeasurement before and after Colin Clark
Authors: Maddison Angus
Published: February 2004

This article is an appraisal of the contributions of Colin Clark to the art of macroeconomic measurement. It traces his place in the historical tradition in this field, provides biographical background and analyses his contributions to national income measurement, international comparisons, agricultural development and the impact of population growth.
Linking, de‐linking and re‐linking: Southeast Asia in the global economy in the twentieth century
Authors: Booth Anne
Published: February 2004

This paper examines how links between the economies of Southeast Asia and the world economy have changed over the twentieth century, paying particular attention to growth in commodity exports, investment flows and international migration. Most parts of Southeast Asia expanded their links with the global economy in the latter part of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, but the years from 1940 to 1965 saw a decline in Southeast Asia's share of tropical exports, and of direct foreign investment. Migration flows also slowed. Over the last four decades of the twentieth century, international links expanded again, but there have been marked variations between countries.