bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Identification and analysis of evolutionarily cohesive functional modules in protein networks
Authors: Campillos Mónica , von Mering Christian , Jensen Lars Juhl , Bork Peer
Published: February 2006

The increasing number of sequenced genomes makes it possible to infer the evolutionary history of functional modules, i.e., groups of proteins that contribute jointly to the same cellular function in a given species. Here we identify and analyze those prokaryotic functional modules, whose composition remains largely unchanged during evolution, and study their properties. Such “cohesive” modules have a large number of internal functional connections, encode genes that tend to be in close proximity in prokaryotic genomes, and correspond to physical complexes or complex functional systems like the flagellar apparatus. Cohesive modules are enriched in processes such as energy and amino acid metabolism, cell motility, and intracellular trafficking, or secretion. By grouping genes into modules we achieve a more precise estimate of their age and find that the young modules are often horizontally transferred between species and are enriched in functions involved in interactions with the environment, implying that they play an important role in the adaptation of species to new environments.
High-throughput DNA methylation profiling using universal bead arrays
Authors: Bibikova Marina , Lin Zhenwu , Zhou Lixin , Chudin Eugene , Garcia Eliza Wickham , Wu Bonnie , Doucet Dennis , Thomas Neal J. , Wang Yunhua , Vollmer Ekkehard , Goldmann Torsten , Seifart Carola , Jiang Wei , Barker David L. , Chee Mark S. , Floros Joanna , Fan Jian-Bing
Published: February 2006

We have developed a high-throughput method for analyzing the methylation status of hundreds of preselected genes simultaneously and have applied it to the discovery of methylation signatures that distinguish normal from cancer tissue samples. Through an adaptation of the GoldenGate genotyping assay implemented on a BeadArray platform, the methylation state of 1536 specific CpG sites in 371 genes (one to nine CpG sites per gene) was measured in a single reaction by multiplexed genotyping of 200 ng of bisulfite-treated genomic DNA. The assay was used to obtain a quantitative measure of the methylation level at each CpG site. After validating the assay in cell lines and normal tissues, we analyzed a panel of lung cancer biopsy samples (N = 22) and identified a panel of methylation markers that distinguished lung adenocarcinomas from normal lung tissues with high specificity. These markers were validated in a second sample set (N = 24). These results demonstrate the effectiveness of the method for reliably profiling many CpG sites in parallel for the discovery of informative methylation markers. The technology should prove useful for DNA methylation analyses in large populations, with potential application to the classification and diagnosis of a broad range of cancers and other diseases.
5-HT1a receptor antagonists block perforant path-dentate LTP induced in novel, but not familiar, environments
Authors: Sanberg Cyndy Davis , Jones Floretta L. , Do Viet H. , Dieguez Dario , Derrick Brian E.
Published: February 2006

Numerous studies suggest roles for monoamines in modulating long-term potentiation (LTP). Previously, we reported that both induction and maintenance of perforant path-dentate gyrus LTP is enhanced when induced while animals explore novel environments. Here we investigate the contribution of serotonin and 5-HT1a receptors to the novelty-mediated enhancement of LTP. In freely moving animals, systemic administration of the selective 5-HT1a antagonist WAY-100635 (WAY) attenuated LTP in a dose-dependent manner when LTP was induced while animals explored novel cages. In contrast, LTP was completely unaffected by WAY when induced in familiar environments. LTP was also blocked in anesthetized animals by direct application of WAY to the dentate gyrus, but not to the median raphe nucleus (MRN), suggesting the effect of systemic WAY is mediated by a block of dentate 5-HT1a receptors. Paradoxically, systemic administration of the 5-HT1a agonist 8-OH-DPAT also attenuated LTP. This attenuation was mimicked in anesthetized animals following application of 8-OH-DPAT to the MRN, but not the dentate gyrus. In addition, application of a 5-HT1a agonist to the dentate gyrus reduced somatic GABAergic inhibition. Because serotonergic projections from the MRN terminate on dentate inhibitory interneurons, these data suggest 5-HT1a receptors contribute to LTP induction via inhibition of GABAergic interneurons. Moreover, activation of raphe 5-HT1a autoreceptors, which inhibits serotonin release, attenuated LTP induction even in familiar environments. This suggests that serotonin normally contributes to dentate LTP induction in a variety of behavioral states. Together, these data suggest that serotonin and dentate 5-HT1a receptors play a permissive role in dentate LTP induction, particularly in novel conditions, and presumably, during the encoding of novel, hippocampus-relevant information.
Critical role of nitric oxide-cGMP cascade in the formation of cAMP-dependent long-term memory
Authors: Matsumoto Yukihisa , Unoki Sae , Aonuma Hitoshi , Mizunami Makoto
Published: February 2006

Cyclic AMP pathway plays an essential role in formation of long-term memory
(LTM). In some species, the nitric oxide (NO)-cyclic GMP pathway has been
found to act in parallel and complementary to the cAMP pathway for LTM
formation. Here we describe a new role of the NO-cGMP pathway, namely,
stimulation of the cAMP pathway to induce LTM. We have studied the signaling
cascade underlying LTM formation by systematically coinjecting various
“LTM-inducing” and “LTM-blocking” drugs in crickets.
Multiple-trial olfactory conditioning led to LTM that lasted for several days,
while memory induced by single-trial conditioning decayed away within several
hours. Injection of inhibitors of the enzyme forming NO, cGMP, or cAMP into
the hemolymph prior to multiple-trial conditioning blocked LTM, whereas
injection of an NO donor, cGMP analog, or cAMP analog prior to single-trial
conditioning induced LTM. Induction of LTM by injection of an NO donor or cGMP
analog paired with single-trial conditioning was blocked by inhibitors of the
cAMP pathway, but induction of LTM by a cAMP analog was unaffected by
inhibitors of the NO-cGMP pathway. Inhibitors of cyclic nucleotide-gated
channel (CNG channel) or calmodulin-blocked induction of LTM by cGMP analog
paired with single-trial conditioning, but they did not affect induction of
LTM by cAMP analog. Our findings suggest that the cAMP pathway is a downstream
target of the NO-cGMP pathway for the formation of LTM, and that the CNG
channel and calcium-calmodulin intervene between the NO-cGMP pathway and the
cAMP pathway.
β1-Adrenoceptor or α1-adrenoceptor activation initiates early odor preference learning in rat pups: Support for the mitral cell/cAMP model of odor preference learning
Authors: Harley Carolyn W. , Darby-King Andrea , McCann Jennifer , McLean John H.
Published: February 2006

We proposed that mitral cell β1-adrenoceptor activation mediates rat pup odor preference learning. Here we evaluate β1-, β2-, α1-, and α2-adrenoceptor agonists in such learning. The β1-adrenoceptor agonist, dobutamine, and the α1-adrenoceptor agonist, phenylephrine, induced learning, and both exhibited an inverted U-curve dose-response relationship to odor preference learning. Phenylephrine-induced learning occurred in the presence of propranolol to prevent indirect activation of β-adrenoceptors. α1-Adrenoceptor mediation may represent a novel mechanism inducing learning or may increase cAMP in mitral cells via indirect activation of GABABreceptors. Neither the β2-adrenoceptor agonist, salbutamol, nor the α2-adrenoceptor agonist, clonidine, induced learning.
Reduced extinction of hippocampal-dependent memories in CPEB knockout mice
Authors: Berger-Sweeney Joanne , Zearfoss N. Ruth , Richter Joel D.
Published: February 2006

CPEB is a sequence-specific RNA binding protein that regulates translation
at synapses. In neurons of CPEB knockout mice, synaptic efficacy is reduced.
Here, we have performed a battery of behavioral tests and find that relative
to wild-type animals, CPEB knockout mice, although similar on many baseline
behaviors, have reduced extinction of memories on two hippocampal-dependent
tasks. A corresponding microarray analysis reveals that about 0.14% of
hippocampal genes have an altered expression in the CPEB knockout mouse. These
data suggest that CPEB-dependent local protein synthesis may be an important
cellular mechanism underlying extinction of hippocampal-dependent
memories.
Anisomycin infused into the hippocampus fails to block “reconsolidation” but impairs extinction: The role of re-exposure duration
Authors: Power Ann E. , Berlau Daniel J. , McGaugh James L. , Steward Oswald
Published: February 2006

Recent studies have reported new evidence consistent with the hypothesis that reactivating a memory by re-exposure to a training context destabilizes the memory and induces “reconsolidation.” In the present experiments, rats' memory for inhibitory avoidance (IA) training was tested 6 h (Test 1), 2 d (Test 2), and 6 d (Test 3) after training. On Test 1 the rats were either removed from the shock compartment immediately after entry or retained in the shock context for 200 sec, and intrahippocampal infusions of the protein synthesis inhibitor anisomycin (75 μg/side) were administered immediately after the test. Anisomycin infusions administered after Test 1 impaired IA performance on Test 2 in animals given the brief re-exposure, but impaired extinction in animals exposed to the context for 200 sec. Rats with anisomycin-induced retention impairment on Test 2 demonstrated spontaneous recovery of retention performance on Test 3, whereas rats showing extinction on Test 2 showed further extinction on Test 3. The findings indicate that post-retrieval administration of anisomycin impairs subsequent retention performance only in the absence of extinction and that this impairment is temporary.
Towards the feeling of emergence
Authors: Cambray Joe
Published: February 2006

Abstract:  Emergence is a multi‐dimensional notion; the meanings it has acquired span the mythopoetic to the scientific, especially as found in complex systems. Examples of emergence in Navaho and Egyptian imagery underscore its diverse cultural origins and applications as well as suggesting an underlying archetypal quality to the core concept. A brief overview of the use of this term in science starting in the 17th century helps to locate the roots of modern emergent views in the philosophy of Leibniz. Jung's own use of early systems approaches was a part of his formulations of a ‘third’ position associated with the transcendent function.

As this paper was delivered at the 50th anniversary conference of the Journal of Analytical Psychology,1 aspects of the emergence of the Journal within the contents of the first issue are explored. Attention is drawn to several articles, especially a case of brief child therapy done by Robert Moody. His approach to working his case is strikingly modern and vividly demonstrates principles of emergence within the clinical setting.

Following this there is a discussion of some neuroscientific research on neural body maps, pointing to the experience of feelings as an emergent process. It is suggested that feelings derive from phase transitions in the brain's body mapping states. A reconsideration of a seeming impasse in the case described by Moody leads instead to a view of the initial phase of treatment as a pre‐critical period. Research findings on mirror neurons are presented in terms of the feeling of empathy. Subjective feelings are then shown to be associated with moments of emergence, especially surprise and curiosity, exemplified by a case from the author's practice.
The dreaming mind‐brain: a Jungian perspective
Authors: Wilkinson Margaret
Published: February 2006

Abstract: In this paper I discuss the nature and role of dream and the dreaming process in Jungian clinical practice in the light of neuroscience. Insights from contemporary neuroscience support rather than contest Jung's view that emotional truth, not censorship or disguise, underpins the dreaming process. I use clinical material to illustrate how work with dreams within the total interactive experience of the analytic dyad enables the development of the emotional scaffolding necessary for the development of ‘mind’.

Large scale evidence‐based research reveals that dreaming is caused by brain activity during sleep that is both biochemically and regionally different from that of waking states. Recent imaging studies confirm that dreams are the mind's vehicle for the processing of emotional states of being, particularly the fear, anxiety, anger or elation that often figure prominently. Dream sleep is understood as also being the guardian of memory, playing a part in forgetting, encoding and affective organization of memory.

In the clinical section of the paper I let a series of dreams speak for themselves, revealing the emotionally salient concerns of the dreamer, weaving past and present, transference and reality together in a way that demonstrates the healthy attempt of the brain‐mind to come to terms with difficult emotional experience from the past. The dreams become dreamable as part of the meaning‐making process of analysis.
A Spinozan lens onto the confusions of borderline relations
Authors: Clark Giles
Published: February 2006

Abstract:  In this paper the author describes how, in his analytic work with difficult personality disorders, he uses a neo‐Spinozan position or attitude of alpha‐thinking and functioning to understand, clarify, and so to manage confused and confusing psychosomatic ‘body‐mind’ and emotional relations, both internally and inter‐personally. Two case examples are given, followed by reflections on technique and on the limits of mourning, transformation and irony. The author suggests that a private, ideational double‐aspect, mind‐body position may be helpful in working with these analysands. This analytic mode may create a radically different understanding by incorporating a relational system of containment, self‐containment, observation and memory.

In addition, the author gives his own version of the aetiology and dynamics of borderline states and relations, and weaves the two cases he reports on into reflections on his countertransferential responses, reactions, inter‐actions and ‘reverie’ through the lens of a neo‐Spinozan conceptual system.
Panel: The complementary roles of the IAAP and the JAP in developing Jungian clinical practice
Authors: Stein Murray , Casement A. , Kirsch T. B. , Wharton B.
Published: February 2006

The relationship between the IAAP (International Association for Analytical Psychology) and the JAP ( Journal of Analytical Psychology) in the course of their 50‐year old existence is explored from historical, theoretical, institutional, personal and clinical perspectives. This relationship is seen to have been contentious as well as complementary in promoting an interdisciplinary approach to Jungian clinical practice. The complementary aspects are evidenced in the training programmes of IAAP constituent Societies and in papers presented at the Cambridge Congress of 2001 and the Barcelona Congress of 2004. The role of the Journal in holding together different, sometimes divergent, views relating to Jung's concepts and theories, and in subjecting these views to discussion, debate and assessment as to their clinical relevance and effectiveness, is explored.
The influence of root canal shape on the sealing ability of two root canal sealers
Authors: Juhász A. , Verdes E. , Tőkés L. , Kóbor A. , Dobó‐Nagy C.
Published: February 2006

Aim To evaluate the influence of root canal form on the sealing ability of two root canal sealers.

Methodology Twenty radiographically confirmed straight and 20 curved root canals were prepared with a stepback hand filing technique. Root canal aberrations created during preparation were determined by the use of double exposure radiographic technique. The prepared canals were filled with lateral condensation of gutta‐percha and one or other of two root canal sealers (Pulp Canal Sealer and Sealapex). Leakage along the apical 10 mm of roots was measured with a fluid transport model at 1, 3, 6, 9 and 12‐month intervals.

Results There were no statistically significant differences between straight and curved root canals (P > 0.05) for prevalence of root canal transportation. The prevalence of apical transportation was 80% in the straight and 85% in the curved root canals. A complete seal was more frequently observed in straight canals compared with curved canals. Utilizing theπ* index, analysis showed the filling with Sealapex allowed more leakage than Pulp Canal Sealer at 1 year.

Conclusion Under the conditions of the study, root canal form influenced short‐term sealing ability. In the long‐term the seal was affected by the sealer rather than root canal form.
Distribution‐wide effects of climate on population densities of a declining migratory landbird
Authors: ANDERS ANGELA D. , POST ERIC
Published: February 2006

Increases in global temperatures have created concern about effects of climatic variability on populations, and climate has been shown to affect population dynamics in an increasing number of species. Testing for effects of climate on population densities across a species’ distribution allows for elucidation of effects of climate that would not be apparent at smaller spatial scales.

 Using autoregressive population models, we tested for effects of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) on annual population densities of a North American migratory landbird, the yellow‐billed cuckoo Coccyzus americanus, across the species’ breeding distribution over a 37‐year period (1966–2002).

 Our results indicate that both the NAO and ENSO have affected population densities of C. americanus across much of the species’ breeding range, with the strongest effects of climate in regions in which these climate systems have the strongest effects on local temperatures. Analyses also indicate that the strength of the effect of local temperatures on C. americanus populations was predictive of long‐term population decline, with populations that were more negatively affected by warm temperatures experiencing steeper declines.

 Results of this study highlight the importance of distribution‐wide analyses of climatic effects and demonstrate that increases in global temperatures have the potential to lead to additional population declines.
Recruitment to a seabird population depends on environmental factors and on population size
Authors: CRESPIN LAURENT , HARRIS MICHAEL P. , LEBRETON JEAN‐DOMINIQUE , FREDERIKSEN MORTEN , WANLESS SARAH
Published: February 2006

A novel capture–mark–recapture (CMR) method was used to build a multistate model of recruitment by young birds to a breeding population of common guillemotsUria aalgeon the Isle of May, Scotland. Recruitment of a total of 2757 individually marked guillemots over 17 years was modelled as a process where individuals had to move from an unobservable state at sea, through a nonbreeding state present in the colony, to the breeding state. The probabilities of individuals returning to the colony in a given year, at age 2 and 3–4 years, were positively correlated with an environmental covariate, the winter North Atlantic Oscillation index (WNAO) in the previous years.

 For 2 year olds, there was a negative relationship with breeding population size, suggesting that density dependence operated in this colony through limitation of food or some other resource.

 Survival over the first 2 years of life varied with cohort, but was unrelated to the WNAO. Mean survival over this 2‐year period was high at 0·576 (95% CI: 0·444; 0·708).

 This high survival, combined with a low ‘local’ survival after age 5 years of 0·695 (0·654; 0·733) and observations of Isle of May chicks at other colonies, suggests that most surviving chicks return to the natal colony before deciding whether to recruit there or move elsewhere.
Understanding ecosystem dynamics for conservation of biota
Authors: SINCLAIR A. R. E. , BYROM ANDREA E.
Published: February 2006

Ecosystems have higher‐order emerging properties that can affect the conservation of species. We identify some of these properties in order to facilitate a better understanding of them.

 Nonlinear, indirect effects of food web interactions among species can produce counterintuitive changes in populations.

 Species differ in their roles and linkages with other species in the system. These roles are a property of the system. Such differences in roles influence how we conserve individual species.

 Ecosystems operate at a multitude of interacting spatial and temporal scales, which together structure the system and affect the dynamics of individual populations.

 Disturbance also structures an ecosystem, producing both long‐term slow changes and sudden shifts in ecosystem dynamics.

 Ecosystems therefore can have multiple states, determined both by disturbance regimes and biotic interactions. Conservation should recognize a possible multiplicity of natural states while avoiding aberrant (human‐induced) states.

 Ecosystem processes are influenced by the composition of the biota they contain. Disturbances to the biota can distort processes and functions, which in turn can endanger individual species.

 The goal of ecosystem conservation is the long‐term persistence of the biota in the system. There are two paradigms: community‐based conservation (CBC) and protected area conservation. Both have their advantages but neither is sufficient to protect the biota on its own.

 CBC is required to conserve the majority of the world's biota not included in protected areas. However, current CBC methods favour a few idiosyncratic species, distort the species complex, and ignore the majority. More comprehensive methods are required for this approach to meet the goal of ecosystem conservation.

 Protected areas are essential to conserve species unable to coexist with humans. They also function as ecological baselines to monitor the effects of humans on their own ecosystems.

 However, protected areas suffer from loss of habitat through attrition of critical areas. Thus, renewal (addition) of habitat is required in order to achieve the long‐term persistence of biota in functioning ecosystems. Identification of minimum habitat areas and restoration of ecosystems become two major priorities for future research.
Effects of predation and dispersal on Mastomys natalensis population dynamics in Tanzanian maize fields
Authors: VIBE‐PETERSEN SOLVEIG , LEIRS HERWIG , BRUYN LUC DE
Published: February 2006

We investigate the effects of different levels of predation pressure and rodent dispersal on the population dynamics of the African pest rodent Mastomys natalensis in maize fields in Tanzania.

 Three levels of predation risk were used in an experimental set‐up: natural level (control), excluding predators by nets and attracting avian predators by nest boxes and perch poles. Because dispersal of the rodents could mask the predation pressure treatment effects, control and predator exclusion treatments were repeated with enclosed rodent populations.

 Population growth during the annual population rise period was faster in the absence of predators and peak population size was higher, but otherwise dynamics patterns were similar for populations where predators had access or were attracted, indicating that compensatory mechanisms operate when rodents are exposed to high levels of predation risk. Reducing dispersal of rodents removed the effect of predation on population growth and peak size, suggesting that local predators may play a role in driving rodent dispersal, but have otherwise little direct effect on population dynamics.
Species loss and secondary extinctions in simple and complex model communities
Authors: EKLÖF ANNA , EBENMAN BO
Published: February 2006

The loss of a species from an ecological community can trigger a cascade of secondary extinctions. Here we investigate how the complexity (connectance) of model communities affects their response to species loss. Using dynamic analysis based on a global criterion of persistence (permanence) and topological analysis we investigate the extent of secondary extinctions following the loss of different kinds of species.

 We show that complex communities are, on average, more resistant to species loss than simple communities: the number of secondary extinctions decreases with increasing connectance. However, complex communities are more vulnerable to loss of top predators than simple communities.

 The loss of highly connected species (species with many links to other species) and species at low trophic levels triggers, on average, the largest number of secondary extinctions. The effect of the connectivity of a species is strongest in webs with low connectance.

 Most secondary extinctions are due to direct bottom‐up effects: consumers go extinct when their resources are lost. Secondary extinctions due to trophic cascades and disruption of predator‐mediated coexistence also occur. Secondary extinctions due to disruption of predator‐mediated coexistence are more common in complex communities than in simple communities, while bottom‐up and top‐down extinction cascades are more common in simple communities.

 Topological analysis of the response of communities to species loss always predicts a lower number of secondary extinctions than dynamic analysis, especially in food webs with high connectance.
Spatial aggregation and association in different resource‐patch distributions: experimental analysis withDrosophila
Authors: TAKAHASHI KAZUO H.
Published: February 2006

Laboratory experiments using homogeneous resources were conducted to examine intra‐ and interspecific spatial egg distribution ofD. simulans,D. aurariaandD. immigransin three different resource‐patch distribution patterns: patchy, even and clustered.

 Individuals of each species were introduced separately or simultaneously into the cage, into which artificial substrates were placed and allowed to oviposit for 24 h. Spatial analyses were performed with indices of intraspecific aggregation (J), interspecific association (C) andL‐function based on Ripley'sK‐function.

 Eggs were always spatially aggregated irrespective of species and the resource‐patch distribution patterns. Spatial egg aggregation was influenced significantly by the resource‐patch distribution pattern and tended to be weaker in the clustered resource‐patch distribution than in the patchy or even resource‐patch distribution.

 Spatial extent of egg aggregation was always beyond the single resource patch scale, indicating aggregation of ovipositing females.

 Interspecific association of egg distribution was absent or very weak. Thus, these results present experimental evidence of independent egg aggregation among drosophilids.
Animal movement rates as behavioural bouts
Authors: NAMS VILIS O.
Published: February 2006

Johnson et al. (Journal of Animal Ecology, 2002, 71, 225–235) have proposed a new technique for identifying scales of movement in animals. Animals are located at certain time intervals, and movement rates between successive animal relocations are calculated. The null model of a nonscalar response predicts a decreasing linear relationship between log(frequency) vs. movement rate, while a scalar response predicts a monotonically decreasing curve with an inflection point at the separation between the processes. I tested this technique using three types of simulated movement paths: correlated random walks, directed walks, and movements in patchy habitat. None of the simulations showed the results expected by the technique. This occurs because the technique assumes that movement rates are exponentially distributed, which is highly unlikely. Thus before this technique can be applied to animal movement data we need to understand how spatial and temporal scale, as well as sampling interval, affect the frequency histogram of animal movement rates.
Vesicular Glutamate Transporter Expression in Supraoptic Neurones Suggests a Glutamatergic Phenotype
Authors: Ponzio T. A. , Ni Y. , Montana V. , Parpura V. , Hatton G. I.
Published: February 2006

Magnocellular neuroendocrine cells of the supraoptic nucleus (SON) release the peptides oxytocin (OT) and vasopressin (VP) from their dendrites and terminals. In addition to peptide‐containing large dense‐core vesicles, axon terminals from these cells contain clear microvesicles that have been shown to contain glutamate. Using multilabelling confocal microscopy, we investigated the presence of vesicular glutamate transporters (VGLUTs) in astrocytes as well as VP and OT neurones of the SON. Simultaneous probing of the SON with antibodies against VGLUT isoforms 1–3, OT, VP and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) revealed the presence of VGLUT‐2 in somata and dendrites of SON neurones. Immunoreactivity (‐ir) for VGLUT‐3 was also detected in both OT and VP neurones as well as in GFAP‐ir astrocytes and other cells of the ventral glial lamina. Colocalisation of VGLUT‐2 and VGLUT‐3 in individual SON neurones was also examined and VGLUT‐ir with both antibodies could be detected in both types of SON neurones. Although VGLUT‐1‐ir was strong lateral to the SON, only sparse labelling was apparent within the nucleus, and no colocalisation with either SON neurones or astrocytes was observed. The SON or the SON plus its surrounding perinuclear zone was probed using the reverse transcriptase‐polymerase chain reaction and the presence of mRNA for all three VGLUT isoforms was detected. These results suggest that similar arrangements of transmitters exist in SON neuronal dendrites and their neurohypophysial terminals and that magnocellular neuroendocrine somata and dendrites may be capable of glutamatergic transmission.
Site of ATP and Phenylephrine Synergistic Stimulation of Vasopressin Release from the Hypothalamo‐Neurohypophyseal System
Authors: Song Z. , Sladek C. D.
Published: February 2006

ATP and norepinephrine are neurotransmitters carrying cardiovascular information to vasopressin (AVP) neurones. As shown previously, exposure of hypothalamo‐neurohypophyseal system explants to ATP and phenylephrine (PE) (α1‐adrenergic agonist) causes a significantly larger increase in AVP release than with either agent alone and converts the response from a transient to a sustained stimulation of AVP release. Potential mechanisms for this synergism include presynaptic stimulation of excitatory afferent input (i.e. glutamate release), postsynaptic activation of receptors on AVP neurones, modulation of stimulus‐secretion coupling in the neural lobe and/or involvement of glial/neuronal interactions. The response to ATP + PE (100 µM each) was not altered in the presence of either a cocktail of ionotropic glutamate receptor antagonists (CNQX + AP5) or a nonselective metabotropic glutamate receptor antagonist [(RS)‐α‐methyl‐4‐carboxyphenylglycine]. Thus, it is not dependent on activation of glutamate receptors. Treatment with tetrodotoxin (3 µM) eliminated the response to ATP + PE. Because this could reflect blockade of action potentials propagated from the AVP perikarya to the nerve terminals in the neural lobe or action potentials generated in the neural lobe directly, synergism in the neural lobe was addressed by perifusing isolated neural lobes with ATP and PE alone or together. Synergistic stimulation of AVP release by ATP + PE was not observed in isolated, perifused neural lobes. Thus, the synergistic effect persists in the absence of glutamate transmission, is not due to synergistic actions of P2 and α1‐adrenergic receptors occurring at the level of the neural lobe and requires action potentials in either the hypothalamus or neural lobe.
The effect of nitric oxide donors on nitric oxide synthase‐expressing myenteric neurones in culture1
Authors: Zandecki M. , Raeymaekers P. , Janssens J. , Tack J. , Berghe P. Vanden
Published: February 2006

Abstract  Previously, we demonstrated that intestinal inflammation leads to a postinflammatory loss of nitric oxide synthase (NOS)‐expressing myenteric neurones and motility disturbances. Here, we investigated whether high NO concentrations could be responsible for the decrease in NOS neurones. Myenteric neurone cultures, prepared from guinea‐pig small intestine, were incubated with NO donors [sodium nitroprusside (SNP) and 3‐morpholinosydnonimine (SIN‐1)]. After fixation, NOS neurones were identified by NADPH diaphorase staining and neurone‐specific enolase (NSE)‐positive neuronal content was assessed with an enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)‐based method. Twenty‐four hours incubation with SIN‐1 (10−3 mol L−1) or SNP (10−4 mol L−1 or higher) reduced the number of NADPH diaphorase‐positive neurones. SNP incubation did not affect the NSE‐positive neuronal content. Shorter incubations (SNP: 4 and 12 h) had no significant effect. The SNP‐induced reduction was reversed by glutathione (GSH), but not by NO‐ or O‐scavengers, whereas GSH depletion enhanced the decrease. The NO‐dependent guanylate cyclase‐blocker 1H‐[1,2,4]oxadiazolo[4,3‐a]quinoxalin‐1‐one (ODQ) did not affect the SNP effect. This reduction can be explained by either specific apoptosis of NOS neurones or downregulation of NOS activity. However, TdT‐mediated X‐dUTP nick end labelling (TUNEL®) stainings argue in favour of the latter. In conclusion, the NO donor SNP decreases the number of NOS‐expressing myenteric neurones time and concentration dependently, without affecting the amount of neuronal material. Glutathione plays an important protective role.
Editorial: Global elimination of lymphatic filariasis: fact or fantasy?
Authors: Gyapong John O. , Twum‐Danso Nana A.Y.
Published: February 2006

In 1997, the World Health Assembly resolved to eliminate lymphatic filariasis as a public health problem by the year 2020. By the end of 2004, almost half of the 83 endemic countries had initiated national programmes, providing mass drug administration to an at risk population of approximately 435 million. This remarkable achievement is the result of an enormous amount of technical, financial and political support from public and private sectors at the community, national, regional and global level. As the global programme to eliminate lymphatic filariasis enters its second quarter of operations, there are substantial opportunities to be taken and critical challenges to be addressed. These are the focus of this editorial.
Drug‐resistance of Trypanosoma b. rhodesiense isolates from Tanzania
Authors: Kibona S. N. , Matemba L. , Kaboya J. S , Lubega G. W.
Published: February 2006

Objective  To determine the drug resistance of Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense strains isolated from sleeping sickness patients in Tanzania.

Method  We first screened 35 T. b. rhodesiense strains in the mouse model, for sensitivity to melarsoprol (1.8, 3.6 and 7.2 mg/kg), diminazene aceturate (3.5, 7 and 14 mg/kg), suramin (5, 10 and 20 mg/kg) and isometamidium (0.1, 1.0 and 2 mg/kg). A 13 isolates suspected to be resistant were selected for further testing in vitro and in vivo. From the in vitro testing, IC50 values were determined by short‐term viability assay, and MIC values were calculated by long‐term viability assay. For in vivo testing, doses higher than those in the initial screening test were used.

Results  Two T. b rhodesiense stocks expressed resistance in vivo to melarsoprol at 5 mg/kg and at 10 mg/kg. These strains had high IC50 and MIC values consistent with those of the melarsoprol‐resistant reference strain. Another isolate relapsed after treatment with 5 mg/kg of melarsoprol although it did not appear resistant in vitro. One isolate was resistant to diminazene at 14 mg/kg and another was resistant at both 14 and 28 mg/kg of diminazene. These two isolates had high IC50 values consistent with the diminazene‐resistant reference strain. Two isolates relapsed at a dose of 5 mg/kg of suramin, although no isolate appeared resistant in the in vitro tests. Two isolates were resistant to isometamidium at 1.0 mg/kg and had higher IC50 values. Two isolates were cross‐resistant to melarsoprol and diminazene and one isolate was cross‐resistant to suramin and isometamidium.

Conclusion  The reduced susceptibility of T. b. rhodesiense isolates to these drugs strongly indicates that drug resistance may be emerging in north–western Tanzania.
Financial implications of skilled attendance at delivery in Nepal
Authors: Borghi Josephine , Ensor Tim , Neupane Basu Dev , Tiwari Suresh
Published: February 2006

Objective  To measure costs and willingness‐to‐pay for delivery care services in 8 districts of Nepal.

Method  Household costs were used to estimate total resource requirements to finance: (1) the current pattern of service use; (2) all women to deliver in a health facility; (3) skilled attendance at home deliveries with timely referral of complicated cases to a facility offering comprehensive obstetric services.

Results  The average cost to a household of a home delivery ranged from 410 RS ($5.43) (with a friend or relative attending) to 879 RS ($11.63) (with a health worker). At a facility the average fee for a normal delivery was 678 RS ($8.97). When additional charges, opportunity and transport costs were added, the total amount paid exceeded 5300 RS ($70). For a caesarean section the total household cost was more than 11 400 RS ($150). Based on these figures, the cost of financing current practice is 45 RS ($0.60) per capita. A policy of universal institutional delivery would cost 238 RS ($3.15) per capita while a policy of skilled attendance at home with early referral of cases from remote areas would cost around 117 RS ($1.55) per capita. These are significant sums in the context of a health budget of about 400 RS ($5) per capita.

Conclusions  The financial cost of developing a skilled attendance strategy in Nepal is substantial. The mechanisms to direct funding to women in need must to be improved, pricing needs to be more transparent, and payment exemptions in public facilities must be better financed if we are to overcome both supply and demand‐side barriers to care seeking.
Determinants of skilled birth attendance in rural Cambodia
Authors: Yanagisawa Satoko , Oum Sophal , Wakai Susumu
Published: February 2006

Objective  To identify the determinants of skilled and unskilled birth attendance.

Method  Population‐based survey in a rural area in Cambodia, of women aged 15–49 years who had delivered during the previous 3‐month period. An analytical framework based on Andersen's behavioural model served to identify determinants according to delivery place (facility vs. non‐facility), birth attendant at home births (skilled vs. unskilled), and change of birth attendant during delivery (changed vs. unchanged). We used logistic regression to analyse the data.

Results  Of 980 women included in the analyses, 19.8% had skilled attendants present during delivery. The determinants of facility delivery were different from those for having skilled attendants assisting in home births. In case of facility deliveries, previous contact with a skilled attendant through antenatal care was a significant determinant. In case of home births, the type of birth attendant (i.e. skilled or unskilled) at the preceding delivery was a significant determinant.

Conclusion  Community‐based programmes need to reach primiparas, because once a woman has delivered with the aid of an unskilled attendant, she is five to seven times less likely to seek skilled help than a primipara.
Condom use after voluntary counselling and testing in Central Mozambique
Authors: Mola O. D. , Mercer M. A. , Asghar R. J. , Gimbel‐Sherr K. H. , Gimbel‐Sherr S. , Micek M. A. , Gloyd S. S.
Published: February 2006

Objective To evaluate the efficacy of voluntary counselling and testing (VCT) for HIV/AIDS in changing risky sexual behaviour in central Mozambique.

Method  Longitudinal cohort study of men and women aged at least 18 years from October 2002 to June 2003. We interviewed 622 participants in VCT groups and 598 in non‐VCT groups. The interviews occurred before counselling and 4 and 6 months afterwards.

Results  Reported use of condoms while having sex with a friends/prostitute increased over each time period in the VCT group and between baseline and first visit in the non‐VCT group. Both men and women in the VCT group increased their condom use over time, but the women in the non‐VCT group did not. Reported always/sometimes use of condoms for both literate and illiterate subjects was higher and rose over time in the VCT group.

Conclusion  People who undergo voluntary counselling and testing fro HIV/AIDS change their behaviour, presumably as a result of their counselling.
L'impact de la guerre sur l'evolution de la THA dans le centre‐ouest de la cote d'ivoire
Authors: Kaba D. , Dje N. N. , Courtin F. , Oke E. , Koffi M. , Garcia A. , Jamonneau V. , Solano P.
Published: February 2006

Objectif  Evaluer la situation de la maladie du sommeil dans le centre‐ouest de la Côte d'Ivoire de 2000 à 2003, en tenant compte des évènements survenus depuis en septembre 2002.

Méthodes  Enquête active réalisée par des équipes médicales et détection passive des cas.

Résultats  Entre 2000 et 2003, 250 patients ont été diagnostiqués pour la maladie du sommeil. De prime abord la prévalence de la maladie du sommeil semblait avoir baissé depuis le début de la guerre. Mais cette baisse apparente était due à une faible couverture de la population. La participation dans l'enquête médicale était différente selon le groupe ethnique, reflétant les conflits entre les différentes communautés pour les terres. De tels conflits sont courants dans la zone mais ont été exacerbés par la guerre.

Conclusion  L’évaluation de l'importance de la maladie du sommeil durant la guerre par enquête médicale seule est très difficile. Mais la détection de la maladie du sommeil par surveillance passive a augmenté.
Accessibility of diagnostic and treatment centres for visceral leishmaniasis in Gedaref State, northern Sudan
Authors: Gerstl S. , Amsalu R. , Ritmeijer K.
Published: February 2006

Objective  To evaluate the accessibility of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) treatment.

Method  Community‐based study using in‐depth qualitative interviews and focus group discussions with key informants, as well as quantitative questionnaires with 448 randomly selected heads of households in nine representative villages in three geographical sub‐regions.

Results  Despite the high incidence of the disease, most people in Gedaref State know little about VL, and help at a treatment centre is usually sought only after traditional remedies and basic allopathic drugs have failed. Factors barring access to treatment are: lack of money for treatment and transport, impassability of roads, work priorities, severe cultural restrictions of women's decision‐making power and distance to the next health center.

Conclusions  To provide more VL patients with access to treatment in this highly endemic area, diagnostic and treatment services should be decentralized. Health education would be a useful tool to rationalise people's health‐seeking behaviour.
Urban malaria in the Sahel: prevalence and seasonality of presumptive malaria and parasitaemia at primary care level in Chad
Authors: Othnigué Nadjitolnan , Wyss Kaspar , Tanner Marcel , Genton Blaise
Published: February 2006

Objective To assess malaria prevalence rates and seasonal patterns among clinically diagnosed malaria cases at the level of primary care facilities in an urban Sahelian setting.

Method Screening all patients consulting two private and two governmental providers on a randomly selected weekday over a period of 9 months. Patients with presumptive malaria underwent a blood test.

Results Of 1658 patients included in the survey, 47% were clinically diagnosed and treated as malaria cases. Malaria was more often diagnosed by private providers. There were no clear seasonal patterns in presumptive malaria. A 30% of clinically diagnosed cases were positive for Plasmodium (all falciparum) by thick film examination. Thus, false positive cases constituted more than 70% of the clinically diagnosed malaria cases. The highest positive prevalence rates were found at the end and shortly after the rainy season (44%–47%) and the lowest during the dry season (2%).

Conclusions Clinical diagnosis of malaria has a very low positive predicted value in this low endemicity urban setting, and its low specificity leads to inappropriate care for a large proportion of patients. This has a major impact on economic costs for health services and households. In the Sahel, systematic use of microscopy‐based diagnosis and/or rapid diagnostic tests should be considered to appropriately manage malaria and non‐malaria cases.
Clinical value of anti‐live Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis immunoglobulin G subclasses, detected by flow cytometry, for diagnosing active localized cutaneous leishmaniasis
Authors: Rocha R. D. R. , Gontijo C. M. F. , Elói‐Santos S. M. , Teixeira‐Carvalho A. , Corrêa‐Oliveira R. , Ferrari T. C. A. , Marques M. J. , Mayrink W. , Martins‐Filho O. A.
Published: February 2006

objective To evaluate the clinical value of flow cytometry anti‐live promastigate antibody (FC‐ALPA), for diagnosing active cutaneous leishmaniasis.

method Serum samples from 145 individuals living in endemic areas for localized cutaneous leishmaniasis (population 1) were classified as having the disease or not and then tested for their IgG reactivity by indirect immunofluorescence assay and FC‐ALPA‐IgG. The results of FC‐ALPA‐IgG were expressed as percentage of positive fluorescent parasite. Both tests were also evaluated in serum samples of people with visceral leishmaniasis and Chagas disease (population 1A).

results In population 1, FC‐ALPA‐IgG performed better than the immunofluorescence assay regarding sensitivity, specificity and predictive values. Analysis of the results according to the likelihood ratios indicated that a percentage of positive fluorescent parasite ≤60 practically excludes the diagnosis of localized cutaneous leishmaniasis (likelihood ratio = 0.07), whereas at >60% it reinforces diagnosis of the disease (likelihood ratio = 7.0). Immunofluorescent assay is of little value (likelihood ratio = 2.04). In population 1A, both tests performed worse, but FC‐ALPA‐IgG achieved better statistical indexes than immunofluorescent assay.

conclusion The FC‐ALPA‐IgG is a valuable method for serological diagnosis of localized cutaneous leishmaniasis. FC‐ALPA‐IgG1/ALPA‐IgG2 combined analysis is an additional serological tool for discriminating localized visceral leishmaniasis, Chagas disease and visceral leishmaniasis in areas where these infections co‐exist.