bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Monitoring Electrical Skin Conductance
Authors: Hullett Bruce , Chambers Neil , Preuss James , Zamudio Italo , Lange Jonas , Pascoe Elaine , Ledowski Thomas
Published: August 2009

Background

Monitoring changes in electrical skin conductance has been described as a potentially useful tool for the detection of acute pain in adults. The aim of this study was to test the method in pediatric patients.

Methods

A total of 180 postoperative pediatric patients aged 1-16 yr were included in this prospective, blinded observational study. After arrival in the recovery unit, pain was assessed by standard clinical pain assessment tools (1-3 yr: Face Legs Activity Cry Consolability Scale, 4-7 yr: Revised Faces Scale, 8-16 yr: Visual Analogue Scale) at various time points during their stay in the recovery room. The number of fluctuations in skin conductance per second (NFSC) was recorded simultaneously.

Results

Data from 165 children were used for statistical analysis, and 15 patients were excluded. The area under the Receiver Operating Characteristic curve for predicting moderate to severe pain from NFSC was 0.82 (95% confidence interval 0.79-0.85). Over all age groups, an NFSC cutoff value of 0.13 was found to distinguish between no or mild versus moderate or severe pain with a sensitivity of 90% and a specificity of 64% (positive predictive value 35%, negative predictive value 97%).

Conclusions

NFSC accurately predicted the absence of moderate to severe pain in postoperative pediatric patients. The measurement of NFSC may therefore provide an additional tool for pain assessment in this group of patients. However, more research is needed to prospectively investigate the observations made in this study and to determine the clinical applicability of the method.
Adjunct Nitrous Oxide Normalizes Vascular Reactivity Changes after Hemorrhagic Shock in Mice under Isoflurane Anesthesia
Authors: Samarska Iryna V. , van Meurs Matijs , Buikema Hendrik , Houwertjes Martin C. , Wulfert Francis M. , Molema Grietje , Epema Anne H. , Henning Robert H.
Published: August 2009

Background

Hemorrhagic shock is associated with changes in vascular responsiveness that may lead to organ dysfunction and, ultimately, multiple organ dysfunction syndrome. Volatile anesthetics interfere with vasoresponsiveness, which may contribute to organ hypoperfusion. In this study, the authors examined the influence of adjunct nitrous oxide on the vascular responsiveness after short-term hemorrhagic shock under isoflurane anesthesia.

Methods

Spontaneously breathing mice (n = 31, 27.6 +/- 0.31 g) were anesthetized with isoflurane (1.4%) or with isoflurane (1.4%) and adjunct nitrous oxide (66%). Both groups were divided into Sham, Shock, and Resuscitated groups. Vascular reactivity to phenylephrine and acetylcholine and expression of cyclooxygenases were studied in the aorta.

Results

In the isoflurane-anesthetized groups, the contractile response to phenylephrine was increased in the Shock as compared with the Sham and Resuscitated groups (Emax = 3.2 +/- 0.4, 1.2 +/- 0.4, and 2.5 +/- 0.5 mN, respectively). Adjunct nitrous oxide increased phenylephrine contraction to a similar level in all three groups. In the Sham isoflurane group, acetylcholine caused a biphasic response: An initial relaxation followed by a contractile response sensitive to cyclooxygenases inhibition by indomethacine. The contractile response was abrogated in the isoflurane-anesthetized groups that underwent shock. In all groups, adjunct nitrous oxide preserved the contractile phase. Shock induced a down-regulation of cyclooxygenases-1, which was normalized by adjunct nitrous oxide.

Conclusion

Adjunct nitrous oxide attenuates shock-induced changes in vascular reactivity and cyclooxygenases expression of mice under isoflurane anesthesia. This implies that vascular reactive properties during anesthesia in hemorrhagic shock conditions may be influenced by the choice of anesthetics.
Genetic trade-off between abilities to avoid attack and to mate: a cost of tonic immobility
Authors: Nakayama Satoshi , Miyatake Takahisa
Published: August 2009

Consistent individual differences in correlated behaviours across contexts or situations, that is, behavioural syndromes, have recently been identified as an important factor shaping the evolution of behavioural traits, because of their potential for explaining trade-offs in behavioural responses. We examined a genetic link between abilities to mate and to avoid predation from the viewpoint of two genetically correlated behavioural traits; tonic immobility (TI), which is considered to be an antipredator behaviour, and activity levels in the red flour beetle,
Tribolium castaneum
. Males derived from two strains artificially selected for divergent durations of TI were used in the present study: the L strain (with longer duration and higher frequency of TI) and the S strain (shorter duration and lower frequency of TI). We found that males of the L strain had higher survival rates in predatory environments than those of the S strain, and lower mating success even in predator-free environments. To our knowledge, this is the first empirical study showing a genetic trade-off between abilities to mate and to avoid predation in relation to behavioural syndromes, using individuals exhibiting different behavioural strategies.
Testosterone is associated with harem maintenance ability in free-ranging grey-headed flying-foxes,
Pteropus poliocephalus
Authors: Klose Stefan M. , Welbergen Justin A. , Kalko Elisabeth K. V.
Published: August 2009

Males of many vertebrate species aggressively defend their reproductive interests by monopolizing females, and the ‘challenge hypothesis’ predicts that testosterone levels in reproductive contexts rise to facilitate males' competitive behaviours necessary for meeting social challenges. The hypothesis is successful in explaining patterns of testosterone secretion in many avian species, but remains comparatively unexplored in mammals. ‘Circulating plasma testosterone levels (T)’ were studied in relation to harem maintenance in grey-headed flying-foxes,
Pteropus poliocephalus
. In this species, harems provide mating opportunities and so a male's ability to maintain a harem is likely to correlate with his fitness. We hypothesized that if T reflect a male's ability to withstand challenges from competitors, then T should be linked to successful harem maintenance. To test this, we temporarily removed males from their territories prior to and during the short mating period, recording their harem sizes both before removal and after reintroduction. Most males successfully reclaimed their territory and a harem, but during the mating period, males with higher T had harems closer to their original size, and males with lower T suffered reduction in harem size. Our findings highlight the role of T in harem maintenance in a major mammalian taxon with complex forms of social organization.
Olgierd (Olek) Cecil Zienkiewicz CBE. 18 May 1921 — 2 January 2009
Authors: Owen D. Roger J.
Published: August 2009

Olek Zienkiewicz is internationally recognized as having been one of the leading developers of the Finite Element Method, a computer-based technique that has, since the 1960s, revolutionized design and analysis procedures in civil, mechanical, aerospace and other branches of engineering. Initially the formulation of the method followed a traditional structural engineering approach, but as the underlying mathematical basis became understood its application to other disciplines became possible. The methodology remains a flourishing research topic and its application has considerable potential in new scientific areas, including biomedical engineering and the life sciences.
Edward George Sydney Paige. 18 July 1930 — 20 February 2004
Authors: Ash Eric A. , Raynes E. Peter
Published: August 2009

Professor E. G. S. Paige was an applied physicist who spent the first half of his career at the Radar Research Establishment, Malvern, where he made major contributions to the understanding of transport properties in semiconductors. He is, however, particularly celebrated for his work there on acoustic surface waves and their use in electronic systems. In a later period while at Oxford he developed an innovative class of optical systems based on the use of programmable phase plates.
Joseph Murdoch Ritchie. 10 June 1925 — 9 July 2008
Authors: Rang H. P.
Published: August 2009

Murdoch Ritchie was a neuroscientist whose initial training in mathematics and physics led him first into the field of biophysics and later into physiology and pharmacology. From 1968 until he retired in 2003 he was Eugene Higgins Professor of Pharmacology at Yale University. His shift from physics to biology was encouraged by his distinguished mentor, Professor A. V. Hill FRS, who had himself made the same sidestep early in his career and had been awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1922 for his work on muscle.
Phospholipase Dα1 and Phosphatidic Acid Regulate NADPH Oxidase Activity and Production of Reactive Oxygen Species in ABA-Mediated Stomatal Closure inArabidopsis
Authors: Zhang Yanyan , Zhu Huiying , Zhang Qun , Li Maoyin , Yan Min , Wang Rong , Wang Liling , Welti Ruth , Zhang Wenhua , Wang Xuemin
Published: August 2009

We determined the role of Phospholipase Dα1 (PLDα1) and its lipid product phosphatidic acid (PA) in abscisic acid (ABA)-induced production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in Arabidopsis thaliana guard cells. The pldα1 mutant failed to produce ROS in guard cells in response to ABA. ABA stimulated NADPH oxidase activity in wild-type guard cells but not in pldα1 cells, whereas PA stimulated NADPH oxidase activity in both genotypes. PA bound to recombinant Arabidopsis NADPH oxidase RbohD (respiratory burst oxidase homolog D) and RbohF. The PA binding motifs were identified, and mutation of the Arg residues 149, 150, 156, and 157 in RbohD resulted in the loss of PA binding and the loss of PA activation of RbohD. The rbohD mutant expressing non-PA-binding RbohD was compromised in ABA-mediated ROS production and stomatal closure. Furthermore, ABA-induced production of nitric oxide (NO) was impaired in pldα1 guard cells. Disruption of PA binding to ABI1 protein phosphatase 2C did not affect ABA-induced production of ROS or NO, but the PA–ABI1 interaction was required for stomatal closure induced by ABA, H2O2, or NO. Thus, PA is as a central lipid signaling molecule that links different components in the ABA signaling network in guard cells.
Maintenance of HCT116 colon cancer cell line conforms to a stochastic model but not a cancer stem cell model
Authors: Kai Kazuharu , Nagano Osamu , Sugihara Eiji , Arima Yoshimi , Sampetrean Oltea , Ishimoto Takatsugu , Nakanishi Masaya , Ueno Naoto T. , Iwase Hirotaka , Saya Hideyuki
Published: August 2009

The cancer stem cell (CSC) model, in which a small population of cells within a tumor possesses the ability to self‐renew and reconstitute the phenotype of primary tumor, has gained wide acceptance based on evidence over the past decade. It has also been reported that cancer cell lines contain a CSC subpopulation. However, phenotypic differences between CSCs and non‐CSCs in cancer cell lines are not better defined than in primary tumors. Furthermore, some cell lines do not have a CSC population, revealed as a side population and expression of CD133. Thus, the identification of CSCs in cancer cell lines remains elusive. Here, we investigated the CSC hierarchy within HCT116 colon cancer cells, which do not have a CD133‐positive subpopulation. We examined the expression of alternative CSC markers epithelial specific antigen (ESA) and CD44 in floating‐sphere‐derived cells, which are known to be the cells of enriching CSCs. Sphere‐derived HCT116 cells exhibited heterogeneous expression of ESA and CD44. The two major subpopulations of HCT116 sphere cells (ESAlowCD44−/low and ESAhighCD44high) exhibited a biological/proliferative hierarchy of sphere‐forming and soft agar colony‐forming activity. However, there was no difference between the two subpopulations in the incidence of xenograft tumors. When ESAlowCD44−/low cells were allowed to aggregate and re‐form floating‐spheres, the biological/proliferative hierarchy of parental HCT116 spheres was reconstituted, in terms of ESA and CD44 expression. Thus, HCT116 cells have plasticity when they are set in floating‐spheres, suggesting that maintenance of the HCT116 cell line conforms to a stochastic model, not a CSC model. (Cancer Sci 2009; 100: 2275–2282)
Extranodal NK / T‐cell lymphoma, nasal type: New staging system and treatment strategies
Authors: Kim Tae Min , Heo Dae Seog
Published: August 2009

Extranodal NK/T‐cell lymphoma (NTCL) is characterized by clinical heterogeneity based on clinical prognostic factors and survival outcome. NTCL subsets are classified as upper aerodigestive tract (UAT) NTCL or non‐UAT NTCL; non‐UAT has pathologic similarity to UAT‐NTCL but is a clinically distinct subtype. Due to the clinical heterogeneity of NTCL, optimal treatment modalities and prognostic factors have been difficult to determine. Ann Arbor staging for lymphomas and the International Prognostic Index (IPI) have been used to predict prognosis for UAT‐NTCL; however, local tumor invasiveness (bony invasion or perforation or invasion of the overlying skin) is the most significant factor for poor outcomes in localized UAT‐NTCL. Thus, a new staging system is proposed: limited disease (stage I/II UAT‐NTCL without local tumor invasiveness) and extensive disease (stage I/II with local invasiveness or stage III/IV disease of UAT NTCL, and non‐UAT NTCL) based on treatment outcomes. NTCL is resistant to anthracycline‐based chemotherapy, whereas non‐anthracycline combination chemotherapy (such as ifosfamide, methotrexate, etoposide, and prednisolone) has an activity against NTCL as either a front‐line or as a second‐line treatment. The effectiveness of radiotherapy is evident in limited disease, but questionable in extensive disease. (Cancer Sci 2009; 100: 2242–2248)
Refractoriness to random donor platelet transfusions in patients with aplastic anaemia: a multivariate analysis of data from 264 cases
Authors: Klingemann Hans‐G. , Self Steven , Banaji Meera , Deeg H. Joachim , Doney Kristine , Slichter Sherrill J. , Thomas E. Donnall , Storb Rainer
Published: August 2009

Frequent platelet support is an essential part of the management of patients with severe aplastic anaemia and platelet transfusions from random donors are usually given as initial therapy. To evaluate those parameters that might correlate with the development of refractoriness to platelets from random donors, we performed a retrospective multivariate analysis in 264 patients with severe aplastic anaemia who presented for allogeneic bone marrow transplantation. Two hundred and ten (79.5%) of these patients had received multiple platelet and red cell transfusions, and 71 (34%) were refractory to random donor platelets. The strongest factor correlating with refractoriness was the presence of lymphocytotoxic antibodies, followed by the number of platelet units previously transfused. However, the latter variable attained significance only when the number of platelet units transfused exceeded 40. When given HLA‐compatible platelet transfusions, only five (7%) of the refractory patients did not show a reasonable post‐transfusion platelet increment. Measures which would delay or prevent platelet alloimmunization might include a policy of therapeutic rather than prophylactic platelet transfusions, and referring patients early in the course of their disease for marrow grafting if a suitable donor is available.
Prospective evaluation of haemoglobin oxygen saturation at rest and after exercise in paediatric sickle cell disease patients
Authors: Campbell Andrew , Minniti Caterina P. , Nouraie Mehdi , Arteta Manuel , Rana Sohail , Onyekwere Onyinye , Sable Craig , Ensing Gregory , Dham Niti , Luchtman‐Jones Lori , Kato Gregory J. , Gladwin Mark T. , Castro Oswaldo L. , Gordeuk Victor R.
Published: August 2009

Low steady state haemoglobin oxygen saturation in patients with sickle cell anaemia has been associated with the degree of anaemia and haemolysis. How much pulmonary dysfunction contributes to low saturation is not clear. In a prospective study of children and adolescents with sickle cell disease aged 3–20 years at steady state and matched controls, 52% of 391 patients versus 24% of 63 controls had steady state oxygen saturation <99% (P < 0·0001), 9% of patients versus no controls had saturation <95% (P = 0·008) and 8% of patients versus no controls had exercise‐induced reduction in saturation ≥3%. Decreasing haemoglobin concentration (P ≤ 0·001) and increasing haemolysis (P ≤ 0·003) but not pulmonary function tests were independent predictors of both lower steady‐state saturation and exercise‐induced reduction in saturation. Neither history of stroke nor history of acute chest syndrome was significantly associated with lower steady‐state oxygen saturation or exercise‐induced reduction in saturation. Tricuspid regurgitation velocity was higher in patients with lower steady state haemoglobin oxygen saturation (P = 0·003) and with greater decline in oxygen saturation during the six‐minute walk (P = 0·022). In conclusion, lower haemoglobin oxygen saturation is independently associated with increasing degrees of anaemia and haemolysis but not pulmonary function abnormalities among children and adolescents with sickle cell disease.
Usual sleep duration and cognitive function in older adults in Spain
Authors: FAUBEL RAQUEL , LÓPEZ‐GARCÍA ESTHER , GUALLAR‐CASTILLÓN PILAR , GRACIANI AUXILIADORA , BANEGAS JOSÉ R. , RODRÍGUEZ‐ARTALEJO FERNANDO
Published: August 2009

The few studies that have examined the association between usual sleep duration and cognitive function have shown conflicting results. This cross‐sectional study examined the association between sleep duration and cognitive function among 3212 people, representative of the non‐institutionalized population aged 60 years and over in Spain. Sleep duration was self‐reported, and cognitive function was measured with the Mini‐Examen Cognoscitivo (MEC), a version of the Mini‐Mental State Examination that has been validated in Spain. Linear regression, with adjustment for the main confounders, was used to obtain mean differences in the MEC between the categories of sleep duration (≤5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, ≥11 h day−1). The MEC score decreased progressively (became worse) across sleep categories from 7 to ≥11 h (P for linear trend <0.001). People who slept for ≥11 h had a significantly lower MEC score than those who slept for 7 h (mean difference −1.48; 95% confidence interval −2.12 to −0.85). This difference in the MEC was similar to that observed for a 10‐year increase in age. The results did not vary significantly by sex (P for interaction >0.05). No association was observed between short sleep duration (<7 h) and cognitive function. We conclude that long sleep duration is associated with poorer cognitive function in older adults from the general population.
Effects of thermal acclimation on water loss rate and tolerance in the collembolanPogonognathellus flavescens
Authors: LEINAAS HANS PETTER , SLABBER SARETTE , CHOWN STEVEN L.
Published: August 2009

A few days of thermal acclimation (to 5 °C versus 15 °C) may strongly affect tolerance to drought stress in Collembola. To better understand this phenomenon, the effect of acclimation on water loss rate and its consequence for survival in the speciesPogonognathellus flavescensTullberg (Tomoceridae) is investigated. Acclimation does not affect the water content of hydrated animals but animals exposed to 15 °C and 76% relative humidity lose water much faster after having been acclimated to 5 °C rather than 15 °C. Tolerance to water loss is not affected; in both treatment groups, animals survive up to 40% loss of the water content recorded when fully hydrated. The percentage water content of hydrated animals decreases with size, which may explain why the proportion of initial water lost appears to be a better predictor for survival than the amount of remaining water. The proportion of initial water lost per unit time is little influenced by size in animals acclimated to 15 °C but increases with decreasing size in the group at 5 °C, indicating that acclimation affects a physiological protection against water loss.
Are hospitals prepared to support newborn survival? – an evaluation of eight first‐referral level hospitals in Kenya*
Authors: Opondo Charles , Ntoburi Stephen , Wagai John , Wafula Jackline , Wasunna Aggrey , Were Fred , Wamae Annah , Migiro Santau , Irimu Grace , English Mike
Published: August 2009

Objective  To assess the availability of resources that support the provision of basic neonatal care in eight first‐referral level (district) hospitals in Kenya.

Methods  We selected two hospitals each from four of Kenya’s eight provinces with the aim of representing the diversity of this part of the health system in Kenya. We created a checklist of 53 indicator items necessary for providing essential basic care to newborns and assessed their availability at each of the eight hospitals by direct observation, and then compared our observations with the opinions of health workers providing care to newborns on recent availability for some items, using a self‐administered structured questionnaire.

Results  The hospitals surveyed were often unable to maintain a safe hygienic environment for patients and health care workers; staffing was insufficient and sometimes poorly organised to support the provision of care; some key equipment, laboratory tests, drugs and consumables were not available while patient management guidelines were missing in all sites.

Conclusion  Hospitals appear relatively poorly prepared to fill their proposed role in ensuring newborn survival. More effective interventions are needed to improve them to meet the special needs of this at‐risk group.
Exploring kidney patients’ experiences of receiving individual peer support
Authors: Hughes Jane , Wood Eleri , Smith Gaynor
Published: August 2009

Background  Peer support schemes of various types are commonly offered to patients as an adjunct to health and social care services provided by professionals. For patients with chronic illness, peer support interventions have recently become associated with more directive attempts to increase self management and improve healthcare outcomes. There is little qualitative research on patients’ experiences of one‐to‐one peer support.

Purpose  To explore kidney patients’ experiences of receiving individual peer support.

Setting  Two large teaching hospital renal units in South London, with peer support services for patients on the pre‐dialysis care pathway.

Methods  Qualitative telephone interviews with a purposive, maximum variation sample of 20 people who had received peer support.

Results  The majority of respondents were overwhelmingly positive about their experience of peer support and its benefits. They valued peer support because it had given them access to practical information about kidney disease, based on lived experience, which helped them reach decisions about treatment. Peer supporters offered patients empathy and understanding; confirmation that they were not alone in suffering; positive role models of coping with treatment for kidney disease; and hope for the future. Peer support helped patients adapt to chronic illness by normalizing adherence to demanding treatment regimes and increasing patients’ sense of empowerment and agency.

Conclusions  A brief meeting with a peer supporter delivered similar perceived benefits to those described by participants in support groups. Possible explanations for this include selection and training of peer supporters; careful matching of patients with peer supporters; and responsiveness to individual user‐defined needs for information and psychosocial support.
What is involvement in research and what does it achieve? Reflections on a pilot study of the personal costs of stroke
Authors: McKevitt Christopher , Fudge Nina , Wolfe Charles
Published: August 2009

Background  Health researchers are encouraged to involve service users as partners in their research. There is a need to increase the evidence base of involvement, including an accumulation of empirical accounts of involvement practices, demonstrating how involvement influences research and refinement of the concept itself.

Aims  To report the development of a pilot study by academic researchers and stroke service users belonging to a user research group to investigate costs of stroke to individuals and families; to reflect on what this example of user involvement achieved and implications for what involvement means.

Methods  We conducted a 2‐year ethnographic study that included participant observation, formal and informal interviews with professionals and user group members and documentary analysis. Data were systematically recorded to permit description of processes and reflexive analysis.

Results and conclusions  We report on five stages of the research process from service user identification of a research question to interpretation of pilot study findings. Professional researchers led the research process and developed a novel method to involve stroke service users in the development of a questionnaire. Some academic colleagues questioned the value of the proposed investigation as it did not appear to conform to implicit criteria of quality research. We argue that the moral status that user involvement has acquired means that academics’ concerns about quality did not prevent the pilot study from being conducted. We suggest that much of what was undertaken might be considered standard good practice in developing new research studies but also identify additional benefits of user involvement. Implications for conceptual development and evaluation are discussed.
Repeat renal allografts treated with sirolimus, cyclosporine, anti‐thymocyte globulin induction and continuous steroids achieve similar immunosuppressive efficacy as primary transplants
Authors: Petero Jr Virgilio G. , Kaposztas Zsolt , Kahan Barry D.
Published: August 2009

Petero VG Jr, Kaposztas Z, Kahan BD. Repeat renal allografts treated with sirolimus, cyclosporine, anti‐thymocyte globulin induction and continuous steroids achieve similar immunosuppressive efficacy as primary transplants. Clin Transplant 2009 DOI: 10.1111/j.1399‐0012.2009.01055.x  © 2009 John Wiley & Sons A/S.

Abstract:  Objective:  We sought to examine repeat versus primary renal transplantations using sirolimus‐based regimens.

Methods:  We compared 98 repeat versus 200 matched primary recipients treated de novo with sirolimus plus cyclosporine. Every repeat case received polyclonal antibody induction and continuous steroids. Outcomes were evaluated over a mean five‐year follow‐up by univariate and multivariate techniques. Kaplan‐Meier plots were analyzed with using log‐rank statistics with significance at P ≤ 0.05.

Results:  Significant differences in demographic features included greater panel reactive antibody (PRA), younger age, fewer HLA‐mismatches and more pre‐emptive repeat versus primary grafts. Neither graft and patient survivals, nor incidences of biopsy‐proven acute rejection (BPAR), chronic vasculopathy or tubular atrophy/interstitial fibrosis among biopsies performed for cause were significantly different at 1 and 5 years. Younger recipients, better HLA matches and absence of diabetes promoted repeat graft survival; whereas older age, longer cold ischemia time and BPAR reduced primary transplant outcomes. Renal function was similar at 1, 3, 12, 24, 48 and 60 months.

Conclusion:  At 5 years this sirolimus regimen achieved similar efficacy for repeat versus primary transplantations.
Evolution towards self‐compatibility when mates are limited
Authors: WILLI Y.
Published: August 2009

Theory of plant mating system evolution predicts the spread of self‐compatibility (SC) in a predominantly self‐incompatible population when inbreeding depression (ID; the decline in fitness because of selfing) is small and when compatible mates are limited. I tested these two predictions by measuring the occurrence of SC in 13 natural populations of Ranunculus reptans L. that varied in ID and frequency of cross‐incompatible mates. Enforced selfing experiments were conducted in 2 years. In the first year, self‐pollination was applied at two flower ages to investigate the occurrence of delayed SC. I found that SC was not uncommon across all populations, but self‐compatible plants usually produced few seeds. There was no evidence for delayed SC. The occurrence of SC was not associated with population‐level ID, but populations with more limited availability of compatible mates had a significantly higher frequency of plants that were at least partially self‐compatible. The results indicate that, in R. reptans, a shortage of available mates in small populations may cause the evolution of partial SC and mixed mating.
Heritability of and strong single gene (Pgi) effects on life‐history traits in the Glanville fritillary butterfly
Authors: KLEMME I. , HANSKI I.
Published: August 2009

We estimated broad‐sense heritabilities (H2) of 13 female and seven male life‐history traits of the Glanville fritillary butterfly (Melitaea cinxia) under semi‐natural conditions in a large outdoor population cage. The analysis was based on full‐sib families collected as young larvae in the field and reared under common garden conditions. We found significant genetic variance in female lifespan, fecundity, number of matings and host‐plant preference as well as in male body mass and mobility. Apart from host‐plant preference, female traits that were more strongly correlated with lifetime reproductive success (LRS; measured as total number of eggs laid) had higherH2. LRS itself exhibited significant heritability. Host‐plant preference had very highH2, consistent with a previously reported genetically determined geographical cline in host‐plant preference in the study area. Lifespan and egg hatching rate were significantly associated with a SNP in the coding region of thePgigene, for which there is previous evidence for balancing selection. Selection onPgi, which furthermore shows spatial and temporal variation, may maintain genetic variance in fitness‐related life‐history traits. In contrast, we found no strong evidence for life‐history trade‐offs.
Evolutionary transitions among dioecy, androdioecy and hermaphroditism in limnadiid clam shrimp (Branchiopoda: Spinicaudata)
Authors: WEEKS S. C. , CHAPMAN E. G. , ROGERS D. C. , SENYO D. M. , HOEH W. R.
Published: August 2009

Examinations of breeding system transitions have primarily concentrated on the transition from hermaphroditism to dioecy, likely because of the preponderance of this transition within flowering plants. Fewer studies have considered the reverse transition: dioecy to hermaphroditism. A fruitful approach to studying this latter transition can be sought by studying clades in which transitions between dioecy and hermaphroditism have occurred multiple times. Freshwater crustaceans in the family Limnadiidae comprise dioecious, hermaphroditic and androdioecious (males + hermaphrodites) species, and thus this family represents an excellent model system for the assessment of the evolutionary transitions between these related breeding systems. Herein we report a phylogenetic assessment of breeding system transitions within the family using a total evidence comparative approach. We find that dioecy is the ancestral breeding system for the Limnadiidae and that a minimum of two independent transitions from dioecy to hermaphroditism occurred within this family, leading to (1) a Holarctic, all‐hermaphrodite species, Limnadia lenticularis and (2) mixtures of hermaphrodites and males in the genus Eulimnadia. Both hermaphroditic derivatives are essentially females with only a small amount of energy allocated to male function. Within Eulimnadia, we find several all‐hermaphrodite populations/species that have been independently derived at least twice from androdioecious progenitors within this genus. We discuss two adaptive (based on the notion of ‘reproductive assurance’) and one nonadaptive explanations for the derivation of all‐hermaphroditism from androdioecy. We propose that L. lenticularis likely represents an all‐hermaphrodite species that was derived from an androdioecious ancestor, much like the all‐hermaphrodite populations derived from androdioecy currently observed within the Eulimnadia. Finally, we note that the proposed hypotheses for the dioecy to hermaphroditism transition are unable to explain the derivation of a fully functional, outcrossing hermaphroditic species from a dioecious progenitor.
Nitrogen balance in forest soils: nutritional limitation of plants under climate change stresses
Authors: Rennenberg H. , Dannenmann M. , Gessler A. , Kreuzwieser J. , Simon J. , Papen H.
Published: August 2009

Forest ecosystems with low soil nitrogen (N) availability are characterized by direct competition for this growth‐limiting resource between several players,i.e.various components of vegetation, such as old‐growth trees, natural regeneration and understorey species, mycorrhizal fungi, free‐living fungi and bacteria. With the increase in frequency and intensity of extreme climate events predicted in current climate change scenarios, also competition for N between plants and/or soil microorganisms will be affected. In this review, we summarize the present understanding of ecosystem N cycling in N‐limited forests and its interaction with extreme climate events, such as heat, drought and flooding. More specifically, the impacts of environmental stresses on microbial release and consumption of bioavailable N, N uptake and competition between plants, as well as plant and microbial uptake are presented. Furthermore, the consequences of drying–wetting cycles on N cycling are discussed. Additionally, we highlight the current methodological difficulties that limit present understanding of N cycling in forest ecosystems and the need for interdisciplinary studies.
From Charles Darwin’s botanical country‐house studies to modern plant biology
Authors: Kutschera U. , Briggs W. R.
Published: August 2009

As a student of theology at Cambridge University, Charles Darwin (1809–1882) attended the lectures of the botanist John S. Henslow (1796–1861). This instruction provided the basis for his life‐long interest in plants as well as the species question. This was a major reason why in his book On the Origin of Species, which was published 150 years ago, Darwin explained his metaphorical phrase ‘struggle for life’ with respect to animals and plants. In this article, we review Darwin’s botanical work with reference to the following topics: the struggle for existence in the vegetable kingdom with respect to the phytochrome‐mediated shade avoidance response; the biology of flowers and Darwin’s plant–insect co‐evolution hypothesis; climbing plants and the discovery of action potentials; the power of movement in plants and Darwin’s conflict with the German plant physiologist Julius Sachs; and light perception by growing grass coleoptiles with reference to the phototropins. Finally, we describe the establishment of the scientific discipline of Plant Biology that took place in the USA 80 years ago, and define this area of research with respect to Darwin’s work on botany and the physiology of higher plants.
Effect of temperature on the biology of Creontiades dilutus (Stål) (Heteroptera: Miridae)
Authors: Khan Moazzem , Gregg Peter , Mensah Robert
Published: August 2009

The egg and nymphal development, fecundity and survival of the green mirid, Creontiades dilutus were examined at a range of temperatures and a modified day‐degree model fitted to the data. Day degree (DD) requirements for egg and nymphal development, and threshold temperatures were calculated from the fitted lines. Female fecundity and longevity, egg and nymphal development, and survival of C. dilutus were significantly influenced by temperature. Eggs and nymphs failed to complete development at temperatures below 17 and at 38°C. Females also failed to produce any eggs at 11 and 38°C. The optimum temperature range for female fecundity was found to be 26–32°C. The optimum temperature for the development of eggs was calculated from the model as 30.5°C and for nymphs as 31.5°C. The threshold temperature for development was 15.8°C for egg and 15.1°C for nymph; 69.4 and 156.7 DD were required for completing the egg and the nymphal development, respectively. At the optimum temperature, it was estimated that development from egg to adult took 15 days. Survival was highest at 26°C for eggs and at 30–32°C for nymphs.
The Apionidae (Coleoptera: Curculionoidea) of New Caledonia, genus Caledonapion Wanat
Authors: Wanat Marek
Published: August 2009

The New Caledonian endemic weevil genus Caledonapion is revised, with one new species, C. assimile, described. Diagnoses, a key and distribution maps are provided for both species of the genus. An association of Caledonapion with the plant genus Hedycarya (Monimiaceae) is suggested from field observations.
Fungal mycelia allow chemotactic dispersal of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon‐degrading bacteria in water‐unsaturated systems
Authors: Furuno Shoko , Päzolt Katrin , Rabe Cornelia , Neu Thomas R. , Harms Hauke , Wick Lukas Y.
Published: August 2009

Contaminant biodegradation in soil is frequently limited by hindered physical access of bacteria to the contaminants. In the frame of the development of novel bioremediation approaches based on ecological principles, we tested the hypothesis that fungal networks facilitate the movement of bacteria by providing continuous liquid films in which gradients of chemoattractants can form and chemotactic swimming can take place. Unlike bacteria, filamentous fungi spread with ease in water‐unsaturated soil. In a simple laboratory model of a water‐unsaturated environment, we studied the movement of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon‐degrading Pseudomonas putida PpG7 (NAH7) along a mycelium of Pythium ultimum. Some undirected dispersal was observed in the absence of a chemoattractant or when the non‐chemotactic derivative strain P. putida G7.C1 (pHG100) was used. The bacterial movement became fourfold more effective and clearly directed when the chemotactic wild type was used and salicylate was present as a chemoattractant. No dispersal of bacteria was found in the absence of the fungus. These findings point at a role of mycelia for the translocation of chemicals and microorganisms. The results suggest that fungi improve the accessibility of contaminants in water‐unsaturated environments.
Antagonistic interactions among coral‐associated bacteria
Authors: Rypien Krystal L. , Ward Jessica R. , Azam Farooq
Published: August 2009

Reef‐building corals are comprised of close associations between the coral animal, symbiotic zooxanthellae, and a diversity of associated microbes (including Bacteria, Archaea and Fungi). Together, these comprise the coral holobiont – a paradigm that emphasizes the potential contributions of each component to the overall function and health of the coral. Little is known about the ecology of the coral‐associated microbial community and its hypothesized role in coral health. We explored bacteria–bacteria antagonism among 67 bacterial isolates from the scleractinian coral Montastrea annularis at two temperatures using Burkholder agar diffusion assays. A majority of isolates exhibited inhibitory activity (69.6% of isolates at 25°C, 52.2% at 31°C), with members of the γ‐proteobacteria (Vibrionales and Alteromonadales) being especially antagonistic. Elevated temperatures generally reduced levels of antagonism, although the effects were complex. Several potential pathogens were observed in the microbial community of apparently healthy corals, and 11.6% of isolates were able to inhibit the growth of the coral pathogen Vibrio shiloi at 25°C. Overall, this study demonstrates that antagonism could be a structuring force in coral‐associated microbial communities and may contribute to pathogenesis as well as disease resistance.
Cyclic di‐GMP signalling controls virulence properties of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium at the mucosal lining
Authors: Lamprokostopoulou Agaristi , Monteiro Claudia , Rhen Mikael , Römling Ute
Published: August 2009

Cyclic di‐GMP (c‐di‐GMP), a novel secondary signalling molecule present in most bacteria, controls transition between motility and sessility. In Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. typhimurium) high c‐di‐GMP concentrations favour the expression of a biofilm state through expression of the master regulator CsgD. In this work, we investigate the effect of c‐di‐GMP signalling on virulence phenotypes of S. typhimurium. After saturation of the cell with c‐di‐GMP by overexpression of a di‐guanylate cyclase, we studied invasion and induction of a pro‐inflammatory cytokine in epithelial cells, basic phenotypes that are major determinants of S. typhimurium virulence. Elevated c‐di‐GMP had a profound effect on invasion into and IL‐8 production by the gastrointestinal epithelial cell line HT‐29. Invasion was mainly inhibited through CsgD and the extracellular matrix component cellulose, while inhibition of the pro‐inflammatory response occurred through CsgD, which inhibited the secretion of monomeric flagellin. Our results suggest that transition between biofilm formation and virulence in S. typhimurium at the epithelial cell lining is mediated by c‐di‐GMP signalling through CsgD and cellulose expression.
Oxygen and the light–dark cycle of nitrogenase activity in two unicellular cyanobacteria
Authors: Compaoré Justine , Stal Lucas J.
Published: August 2009

Cyanobacteria capable of fixing dinitrogen exhibit various strategies to protect nitrogenase from inactivation by oxygen. The marine Crocosphaera watsonii WH8501 and the terrestrial Gloeothece sp. PCC6909 are unicellular diazotrophic cyanobacteria that are capable of aerobic nitrogen fixation. These cyanobacteria separate the incompatible processes of oxygenic photosynthesis and nitrogen fixation temporally, confining the latter to the dark. Although these cyanobacteria thrive in fully aerobic environments and can be cultivated diazotrophically under aerobic conditions, the effect of oxygen is not precisely known due to methodological limitations. Here we report the characteristics of nitrogenase activity with respect to well‐defined levels of oxygen to which the organisms are exposed, using an online and near real‐time acetylene reduction assay combined with sensitive laser‐based photoacoustic ethylene detection. The cultures were grown under an alternating 12–12 h light–dark cycle and acetylene reduction was recorded continuously. Acetylene reduction was assayed at 20%, 15%, 10%, 7.5%, 5% and 0% oxygen and at photon flux densities of 30 and 76 μmol m−2 s−1 provided at the same light–dark cycle as during cultivation. Nitrogenase activity was predominantly but not exclusively confined to the dark. At 0% oxygen nitrogenase activity in Gloeothece sp. was not detected during the dark and was shifted completely to the light period, while C. watsonii did not exhibit nitrogenase activity at all. Oxygen concentrations of 15% and higher did not support nitrogenase activity in either of the two cyanobacteria. The highest nitrogenase activities were at 5–7.5% oxygen. The highest nitrogenase activities in C. watsonii and Gloeothece sp. were observed at 29°C. At 31°C and above, nitrogenase activity was not detected in C. watsonii while the same was the case at 41°C and above in Gloeothece sp. The differences in the behaviour of nitrogenase activity in these cyanobacteria are discussed with respect to their presumed physiological strategies to protect nitrogenase from oxygen inactivation and to the environment in which they thrive.
Recombination and microdiversity in coastal marine cyanophages
Authors: Marston Marcia F. , Amrich Christopher G.
Published: August 2009

Genetic exchange is an important process in bacteriophage evolution. Here, we examine the role of homologous recombination in the divergence of closely related cyanophage isolates from natural marine populations. Four core‐viral genes (coliphage T4 homologues g20, g23, g43 and a putative tail fibre gene) and four viral‐encoded bacterial‐derived genes (psbA, psbD, cobS and phoH) were analysed for 60 cyanophage isolates belonging to five Rhode Island Myovirus (RIM) strains. Phylogenetic analysis of the 60 concatenated sequences revealed well‐resolved sequence clusters corresponding to the RIM strain designations. Viral isolates within a strain shared an average nucleotide identity of 99.3–99.8%. Nevertheless, extensive microdiversity was observed within each cyanophage strain; only three of the 60 isolates shared the same nucleotide haplotype. Microdiversity was generated by point mutations, homologous recombination within a strain, and intragenic recombination between RIM strains. Intragenic recombination events between distinct RIM strains were detected most often in host‐derived photosystem II psbA and psbD genes, but were also identified in some major capsid protein g23 genes. Within a strain, more variability was observed at the psbA locus than at any of the other seven loci. Although most of the microdiversity within a strain was neutral, some amino acid substitutions were identified, and thus microdiversity within strains has the potential to influence the population dynamics of viral–host interactions.
Protective effect of edaravone, a free‐radical scavenger, on ischaemia‐reperfusion injury in the rat testis
Authors: Tamamura Mayuko , Saito Motoaki , Kinoshita Yukako , Shimizu Shogo , Satoh Itaru , Shomori Kohei , Dimitriadis Fotios , Satoh Keisuke
Published: August 2009

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the effect of edaravone, a radical scavenger, on ischaemia‐reperfusion (I‐R) injury in the testes.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Eight‐week‐old male Sprague‐Dawley rats were allocated to one of four groups: a no‐drug group subjected to induction of 30‐min of ischaemia and 60‐min reperfusion; two drug groups administered edaravone at 1 or 10 mg/kg intraperitoneal and then subjected to 30‐min ischaemia and 60‐min reperfusion; and a sham‐operated control group administered edaravone at 10 mg/kg intraperitoneal. To induce testicular I‐R, the right testis was exposed outside of the body and the testicular artery was clamped with a small clip for 30 min. Blood flow and nitric oxide (NO) release were monitored in real time simultaneously with a laser Doppler flowmeter and an NO‐selective electrode, respectively. After death the tissue levels of NO2‐NO3 (a marker of NO production), malondialdehyde (a marker of lipid peroxidation), 8‐hydroxydeoxyguanosine (a marker of oxidative DNA damage), myeloperoxidase (a marker of neutrophil infiltration), and heat‐shock protein 70 (HSP 70) and its mRNA were measured. The testicular tissue was also analysed histologically.

RESULTS

Clamping the testicular artery resulted in a decrease of blood flow to 0–5% of the basal level measured before clamping. NO release was increased during clamping and gradually recovered to the basal level on removing the clip. Interestingly, the peak of NO release in rats of the no‐drug group occurred at the start of reperfusion, while that in the high‐dose drug group occurred several minutes later. The levels of NO2‐NO3, malondialdehyde, 8‐hydroxydeoxyguanosine, myeloperoxidase and HSP 70 and its mRNA, and histological variables, were significantly greater in the no‐drug I‐R group than in the control, and these variables were ameliorated by treatment with edaravone.

CONCLUSION

These results indicate that edaravone reduces the oxidative stress and prevents the testicular damage induced by I‐R.