bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An enema formulation of alicaforsen, an antisense inhibitor of intercellular adhesion molecule‐1, in the treatment of chronic, unremitting pouchitis
Authors: Miner P. , Wedel M. , Bane B. , Bradley J.
Published: January 2004

Background : Pouchitis is the major long‐term complication of ileal pouch‐anal anastomosis for ulcerative colitis. The incidence of pouchitis is as high as 50% several years after surgery. Two‐thirds of pouchitis patients suffer recurrence. Of those who recur, one‐quarter suffer from chronic, unremitting pouchitis. Current treatments for this disorder are disappointing.

Aim : To determine whether a topically administered enema formulation of ISIS 2302 (alicaforsen), an antisense inhibitor of intercellular adhesion molecule‐1, can improve the clinical symptoms, endoscopic mucosal appearance and mucosal histology in patients with chronic, unremitting pouchitis, a disorder in which this molecule is over‐expressed.

Methods : In an open‐label, uncontrolled study, 12 patients with chronic, unremitting pouchitis were treated with 240 mg alicaforsen antisense enema nightly for 6 weeks. Clinical evaluation and endoscopy were performed at baseline and at weeks 3, 6 and 10. Pouchoscopy with biopsy was carried out at baseline and at weeks 6 and 10. The primary end‐point was the reduction from baseline of the Pouchitis Disease Activity Index (PDAI) at week 6. Secondary end‐points included the PDAI at week 10. Safety was evaluated by analysing the adverse events, vital signs and laboratory parameters.

Results : After 6 weeks of nightly alicaforsen enema, a statistically significant (n = 12, P = 0.001) reduction in the PDAI from baseline (11.42) to week 6 (6.83) was observed. Mean reductions in the endoscopy sub‐score from baseline (5.25) to week 3 (3.08) and week 6 (2.58) were statistically significant (P = 0.0039 and P = 0.0005, respectively). The mean reductions in clinical symptom sub‐score from baseline (3.75) to week 3 (2.33) and week 6 (2.25) were also statistically significant (P = 0.0156 and P = 0.0117, respectively). Ten of the 12 patients achieved a mucosal appearance score of 0 or 1 at endoscopy. Five of the 12 patients (42%) had a non‐statistically significant decrease in the histology component of their PDAI from baseline to week 6. By week 6, seven of the 12 patients (58%) were in remission, as defined by PDAI < 7, with a mean decrease from baseline in PDAI score of six points. The alicaforsen enemas were well tolerated and no serious side‐effects were noted.

Conclusions : Antisense enema to intercellular adhesion molecule‐1 is safe and well tolerated. In an open‐label trial, it appeared to improve the PDAI score, clinical symptoms and endoscopic mucosal appearance. It may also improve the histology. In the light of the responses observed in this trial, a randomized, placebo‐controlled trial is warranted.
Systematic review: incidence of abdominal/pelvic surgery amongst patients using tegaserod in randomized controlled trials
Authors: Schoenfeld P.
Published: January 2004

Background : In the USA, tegaserod is contraindicated in patients with a history of bowel obstruction, abdominal adhesions or symptomatic gall‐bladder disease due to a non‐significant difference in abdominal surgery between tegaserod‐using and placebo‐using patients in Phase III trials.

Aim : To calculate the incidence of abdominal and pelvic surgery in tegaserod‐using and placebo‐using patients in randomized controlled trials and to assess the possible association between medication and surgery, using pre‐specified criteria in a blind adjudication procedure.

Methods : Primary study selection criteria included: (i) randomized controlled trial; (ii) comparison of tegaserod vs. placebo; and (iii) results reporting the incidence of abdominal and pelvic surgery. A panel of experts in epidemiology and functional bowel disorders reviewed the history of each patient who underwent surgery. Experts were blind with regard to whether patients used tegaserod or placebo. Using pre‐specified criteria, experts rated the likelihood of an association between medication use and surgery.

Results : Thirteen randomized controlled trials (n =9857 patients) met the primary study selection criteria. No significant difference in the incidence of abdominal/pelvic surgery was identified between tegaserod‐using and placebo‐using patients: pelvic surgery, 0.16% vs. 0.19% (P = 0.80); abdominal surgery (non‐cholecystectomy), 0.15% vs. 0.19% (P = 0.61); cholecystectomy, 0.13% vs. 0.03% (P = 0.17); total abdominal/pelvic surgery, 0.44% vs. 0.41% (P = 1.00). Post‐adjudication, there was no significant difference in the incidence of abdominal/pelvic surgery between tegaserod‐using and placebo‐using patients.

Conclusion : Data from randomized controlled trials demonstrate a similar incidence of abdominal/pelvic surgery in tegaserod‐using and placebo‐using patients.
Protein tyrosine phosphatases in Chaetopterus egg activation
Authors: Hinton Shantá D. , Yang Dazhi , Eckberg William R.
Published: January 2004

Changes in protein tyrosine phosphorylation are an essential aspect of egg activation after fertilization. Such changes result from the net contributions of both tyrosine kinases and phosphatases (PTP). This study was conducted to determine what role(s) PTP may have in egg activation. We identified four novel PTP in Chaetopterus pergamentaceus oocytes, cpPTPNT6, cpPTPNT7, cpPTPR2B, and cpPTPR2A, that have significant homology to, respectively, human PTPσ, ‐ρ, ‐D2 and ‐BAS. The first two are cytosolic and the latter two are transmembrane. Several PTP inhibitors were tested to see if they would affect Chaetopterus pergamentaceus fertilization. Eggs treated with β‐bromo‐4‐hydroxyacetophenone (PTP inhibitor 1) exhibited microvillar elongation, which is a sign of cortical changes resulting from activation. Those treated with Na3VO4 underwent full parthenogenetic activation, including polar body formation and pseudocleavage and did so independently of extracellular Ca2+, which is required for the Ca2+ oscillations that initiate development after fertilization. Fluorescence microscopy identified phosphotyrosine‐containing proteins in the cortex and around the nucleus of vanadate‐activated eggs, whereas in fertilized eggs they were concentrated only in the cortex. Immunoblots of vanadate‐activated and fertilized eggs showed tyrosine hyperphosphorylation of approximately140 kDa protein. These results suggest that PTP most likely maintain the egg in an inactive state by dephosphorylation of proteins independent of the Ca2+ oscillations in the activation process.
Further studies on thermal treatment of two‐cell stage embryos to produce complete embryonic stem‐cell‐derived mice by cell‐aggregation methods
Authors: Iwasaki Shizue , Kimura Hiromitsu
Published: January 2004

Employing aggregation techniques with two embryonic sources, one from two‐cell stage embryos treated by thermal stimulation and the other from mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells that had been obtained from a feeder layer, simple and most effective methods of producing a complete generation of mice from ES cells were explored. Although thermal treatment affected embryos at various developmental stages, the embryos at the two‐cell stage of development were selected because of the remarkably reduced number of cells present in the inner cell mass (ICM) at blastocyst stage after thermal conditioning. Under these conditions, a combination of thermally treated host embryos and an aggregated ES cell‐clump was found to produce a high rate of live newborns by natural delivery. That the newborns were completely derived from ES cells was checked by two criteria: microsatellite analysis and coat color analysis. Importantly, all of these mice were healthy and fertile. The aggregation techniques reported here might well be applied to other animal species whose ES cells form stable colonies on a feeder layer.
Defective smooth muscle development in qkI‐deficient mice
Authors: Li Zhenghua , Takakura Nobuyuki , Oike Yuichi , Imanaka Takanobu , Araki Kimi , Suda Toshio , Kaname Tadashi , Kondo Tatsuya , Abe Kuniya , Yamamura Ken‐ichi
Published: January 2004

The qkI gene encodes an RNA binding protein which was identified as a candidate for the classical neurologic mutation, qkv. Although qkI is involved in glial cell differentiation in mice, qkI homologues in other species play important roles in various developmental processes. Here, we show a novel function of qkI in smooth muscle cell differentiation during embryonic blood vessel formation. qkI null embryos died between embryonic day 9.5 and 10.5. Embryonic day 9.5 qkI null embryos showed a lack of large vitelline vessels in the yolk sacs, kinky neural tubes, pericardial effusion, open neural tubes and incomplete embryonic turning. Using X‐gal and immunohistochemical staining, qkI is first shown to be expressed in endothelial cells and smooth muscle cells. Analyses of qkI null embryos in vivo and in vitro revealed that the vitelline artery was too thin to connect properly to the yolk sac, thereby preventing remodeling of the yolk sac vasculature, and that the vitelline vessel was deficient in smooth muscle cells. Addition of QKI and platelet‐endothelial cell adhesion molecule‐1 positive cells to an in vitro para‐aortic splanchnopleural culture of qkI null embryos rescued the vascular remodeling deficit. These data suggest that QKI protein has a critical regulatory role in smooth muscle cell development, and that smooth muscle cells play an important role in inducing vascular remodeling.
In vitro induction and transplantation of eye during early Xenopus development
Authors: Sedohara Ayako , Komazaki Shinji , Asashima Makoto
Published: January 2004

A vertebrate eye was induced via a series of coordinated inductive interactions. Here, we describe a novel in vitro system to induce eye formation at high frequency using Xenopus early gastrulae. The eye formed in vitro is morphologically similar to the normal eye. When the in vitro eye was transplanted into a stage‐33 tadpole, the optic nerve was seen extending from the grafted eye to the tectum of the host brain and the in vitro eye graft was retained after metamorphosis. In addition, we transplanted the eye formed in vitro into a tadpole with both eyes removed. The resultant juvenile frogs could perceive brightness using the grafted eye and thereby control their skin color, suggesting that the eye formed in vitro could function normally.
Behavior and differentiation process of pigment cells in a tropical sea urchin Echinometra mathaei
Authors: Takata Hiromi , Kominami Tetsuya
Published: January 2004

The behavior and differentiation processes of pigment cells were studied in embryos of a tropical sea urchin Echinometra mathaei, whose egg volume was one half of those of well‐known sea urchin species. Owing to earlier accumulation of pigments, pigment cells could be detected in the vegetal plate even before the onset of gastrulation, distributed dorsally in a hemi‐circle near the center of the vegetal plate. Although some pigment cells left the archenteron during gastrulation, most of them remained at the archenteron tip. At the end of gastrulation, pigment cells left the archenteron and migrated into the blastocoele. Unlike pigment cells in typical sea urchins, however, they did not enter the ectoderm, and stayed in the blastocoele even at the pluteus stage. It is of interest that the majority of pigment cells were distributed in the vicinity of the larval skeleton. Aphidicolin treatment revealed that eight blastomeres were specific to pigment cell lineage after the eighth cleavage, one cell cycle earlier than that in well‐known sea urchins. The pigment founder cells divided twice, and the number of pigment cells was around 32 at the pluteus stage. It was also found that the differentiation of pigment cells was blocked with Ni2+, whereas the treatment was effective only during the first division cycle of the founder cells.
Sex determination in fish: Lessons from the sex‐determining gene of the teleost medaka, Oryzias latipes
Authors: Matsuda Masaru
Published: January 2004

Although sex determination systems in animals are diverse, sex‐determining genes have been identified only in mammals and some invertebrates. Recently, DMY (DM domain gene on the Y chromosome) has been found in the sex‐determining region on the Y chromosome of the teleost medaka fish, Oryzias latipes. Functional and expression analyses of DMY show it to be the leading candidate for the male‐determining master gene of the medaka. Although some work is required to define DMY as the master sex‐determining gene, medaka is expected to be a good experimental animal for investigating the precise mechanisms involved in primary sex determination in non‐mammalian vertebrates. In this article, the process of identification of DMY and is summarized and the origins of DMY and sexual development of the medaka's gonads are reviewed. In addition, putative functions of DMY are discussed.
Long‐term culture ofXenopuspresumptive ectoderm in a nutrient‐supplemented culture medium
Authors: Fukui Yasuto , Furue Miho , Myoishi Yasufumi , Sato J. Denry , Okamoto Tetsuji , Asashima Makoto
Published: January 2004

Animal cap assay is a useful experimental model for investigating the activity of inducers in amphibian development. This assay has revealed that activin A is a potent mesoderm‐inducing factor. However, it has been very difficult to induce highly differentiated tissues such as cartilage in a 3–4 day culture period. It was recently reported that jaw cartilage was inducedin vitroin an animal cap that had been cultured for 14 days in Steinberg's solution using the sandwich culture method and activin A. Under these conditions, necrosis was occasionally observed in the explants. In this study, we have achieved long‐term animal cap cultures in a nutrient‐supplemented culture medium designated RDX. This medium was made by modifying the saline concentration of the RD medium previously developed as a basal medium for the serum‐free culture of various kinds of mammalian cells. The explants cultured in RDX grew more vigorously compared with those in Steinberg's solution. RDX medium promoted a wider variety of tissue induction and gene expression in the animal caps than Steinberg's solution, and also increased the frequency of cartilage induction. Therefore, the supplemental nutrients may support and promote the differentiation of cartilage. This long‐term culture method using RDX medium is useful for studying the differentiation of tissues or organs such as cartilagein vitro.
Identification and characterization of novel calcium‐binding proteins of Dictyostelium and their spatial expression patterns during development
Authors: Sakamoto Haruyo , Nishio Keiko , Tomisako Mariko , Kuwayama Hidekazu , Tanaka Yoshimasa , Suetake Isao , Tajima Shouji , Ogihara Satoshi , Coukell Barrie , Maeda Mineko
Published: January 2004

Five putative Ca2+‐binding proteins, CBP5, 6, 7, 8 and 9, all having EF‐hand motifs, were found by searching the Dictyostelium cDNA database (http://www.csm.biol.tsukuba.ac.jp/cDNAproject.html). 45Ca2+‐overlay experiments revealed that four of these (excluding CBP9) are real Ca2+‐binding proteins. Northern blot analysis revealed that the genes encoding CBP5, 6, 7 and 8 are all developmentally regulated. In situ hybridization analyses revealed that spatial expression of these genes was regulated in several different ways. CBP1, 2, 3, 5, 6 and 7 are expressed in prespore cells in the slug stage. Transcripts of the genes for CBP1 and 5 are enriched in prestalk subtype PstO cells. In contrast, CBP4 is expressed predominantly in PstO cells. CBP8 is evenly expressed at a very low level throughout the whole slug. Such distinct spatial expression patterns suggest that the CBP might be involved in morphogenesis and might have their own roles either in prespore or in prestalk cell differentiation of Dictyostelium.
Influence of climate factors on emergency visits for childhood asthma attack
Authors: Hashimoto Mitsuo , Fukuda Taiki , Shimizu Tetsuya , Watanabe Shou , Watanuki Satoshi , Eto Yoshikatsu , Urashima Mitsuyoshi
Published: January 2004

Abstract
Background
: Asthma attack shows strong seasonality. The purpose of the present study was to quantify the contribution of climate variables and other seasonal factors on the incidence of emergency visits for childhood asthma in Tokyo, Japan.

Methods
: The number of children who visited emergency rooms at Jikei university hospitals in Tokyo during 1998−2002 (5559 visits) was retrieved retrospectively from files from the Department of Pediatrics, and compared with 45 climate parameters from the Meteorological Agency using multiple regression models with a stepwise backward elimination approach.

Results
: The number of visits (3.7 ± 3.1) per night increased significantly when climate conditions showed a rapid decrease from higher barometric pressure, from higher air temperature and from higher humidity, as well as lower wind speed. The best‐fit model demonstrated that a 22% variation in the number of visits was explained by a linear relationship with 12 climate variables, which increased to 36% after adjusting for calendar month and day of the week. Moreover, when the number of asthma visits was cut off at nine per night, the area under the receiver operator characteristics curve was 0.91 (95% CI: 0.89−0.94) in the multiple logistic regression model using the same variables.

Conclusions
: These results suggest that these models might quantify contributions of specific climate conditions and other seasonal factors on the number of emergency visits per night for childhood asthma attack in Tokyo, Japan.
Neonatal urinary tract infections: Analysis of the patients and recurrences
Authors: Biyikli Nese Karaaslan , Alpay Harika , Ozek Eren , Akman Ipek , Bilgen Hulya
Published: January 2004

Abstract
Background
: Early diagnosis and proper treatment, including long‐term follow up, are very important for neonatal urinary tract infections (UTI).

Methods
: The present study reports the analysis and long‐term follow‐up results of 71 newborns treated for UTI.

Results
: Forty‐one per cent of patients were preterm babies. Suspected sepsis and hyperbilirubinemia were the main presenting features. Community‐acquired and nasocomial UTI accounted for 63% and 37% of cases, respectively. The leading causative agents were Escherichia coli for community‐acquired UTI and Klebsiella pneumoniae for nasocomial UTI. The urosepsis rate was 5%. Abnormal ultrasonography findings were present in 23% and vesicoureteral reflux was present in 15% of babies. A total of 23% of patients showed renal photopenic areas on dimercaptosuccinic acid scan. The recurrence rate was 28% occurring between 1.5 and 12 months, in particular in the first 6 months. Most of the recurrences developed in patients with no predisposing abnormalities.

Conclusion
: Pediatric nephrologic follow‐up of babies experiencing UTI in the neonatal period is very important to identify the predisposing congenital abnormalities and scarred kidneys, to diagnose and to treat the recurrences earlier.
Management of thyroglossal duct cysts in children
Authors: TürkyiLmaz Zafer , Sönmez Kaan , Karabulut Ramazan , DemirĞoullari Billur , Sezer Cem , BaŞaklar A. Can , Kale Nuri
Published: January 2004

Abstract
Background
: The recurrence rate of thyroglossal duct cysts removed by Sistrunk or other procedures is 4% and 50%, respectively. The aim of the present study was to explain the reasons for recurrence and misdiagnosis.

Methods
: Twenty‐seven children underwent surgery for thyroglossal cysts and fistulas during 1989−2000. Age, sex, length of history, presentation, preoperative investigations, operative findings, histopathology of the lesion and length of excised hyoid bone, postoperative complications and length of follow‐up were recorded. Statistical analysis was performed using Fisher's exact test with a significance level of P < 0.05.

Results
: Twenty‐three patients were primary referrals and four were secondary referrals having had previous surgery with misdiagnosis. The recurrence rate after a Sistrunk procedure was similar to the rate indicated in the literature (3.7%); however, no related special features could be identified such as inflammation (n = 12), perforation at surgery (n = 7), presentation with fistula (n = 4) or previous drainage of abscess (n = 5) (P > 0.05).

Conclusion
: Misdiagnosis is the most common cause of inadequate and inappropriate surgery, leading to recurrence of the lesion. The authors recommend a Sistrunk procedure for all cases of suspected thyroglossal duct cysts.
Febrile convulsion during the acute phase of Kawasaki disease
Authors: Yoshikawa Hideto , Abe Tokinari
Published: January 2004

Abstract
Background
: Although seizures occur in association with meningitis or encephalitis in Kawasaki disease, febrile convulsions in Kawasaki disease are considered to be extremely rare. The aim of the present study is to elucidate the incidence of febrile convulsion in the acute phase of Kawasaki disease, in Niigata City General Hospital, Niigata, Japan.

Methods
: The study included 177 patients with Kawasaki disease. Patients ranged in age from 2 months to 10 years (mean age 26.89 ± 22.44 months). The study included 105 males and 72 females. The clinical records of Kawasaki disease patients were examined retrospectively.

Results
: Febrile convulsions were not recognized in these 177 patients throughout the course of the disease, despite the presence of a high grade fever and their young age. However, eight of the 177 patients had experienced simple febrile convulsions during other febrile illness except for those with Kawasaki disease. In the acute phase of Kawasaki disease, only two patients showed generalized convulsion associated with prolonged consciousness disturbance and pleocytosis in the cerebrospinal fluid.

Conclusion
: The incidence of febrile convulsions in the acute phase of Kawasaki disease might be extremely low, confirming the results of previous reports. Kawasaki disease is characterized by systemic vasculitis and is sometimes complicated by intracranial vasculitis. The incidence of electroencephalographic abnormalities and pleocytosis in the cerebrospinal fluid is higher in patients with Kawasaki disease. However, the reason why febrile convulsions did not occur in the acute phase of Kawasaki disease remains unknown, despite the presence of central nervous system involvement.
Monitoring ecological indicators of rangeland functional integrity and their relation to biodiversity at local to regional scales
Authors: LUDWIG JOHN A. , TONGWAY DAVID J. , BASTIN GARY N. , JAMES CRAIG D.
Published: January 2004

Abstract  Functional integrity is the intactness of soil and native vegetation patterns and the processes that maintain these patterns. In Australia's rangelands, the integrity of these patterns and processes have been modified by clearing, grazing and fire. Intuitively, biodiversity should be strongly related to functional integrity; that is, landscapes with high functional integrity should maintain biodiversity, and altered, less functional landscapes may lose some biodiversity, defined here as the variety and abundance of the plants, animals and microorganisms of concern. Simple indicators of biodiversity and functional integrity are needed that can be monitored at a range of scales, from fine to coarse. In the present paper, we use examples, primarily from published work on Australia's rangeland, to document that at finer patch and hillslope scales several indicators of landscape functional integrity have been identified. These indicators, based on the quantity and quality of vegetation patches and interpatch zones, are related to biodiversity. For example, a decrease in the cover and width (quantity) and condition (quality) of vegetation patches, and an increase in bare soil (quantity of interpatch) near cattle watering points in a paddock are significantly related to declines in plant and grasshopper diversity. These vegetation patch‐cover and bare‐soil indicators have been monitored traditionally by field‐based methods, but new high‐resolution, remote‐sensing imagery can be used in specific rangeland areas for this fine‐scale monitoring. At intermediate paddock and small watershed scales, indicators that can be derived from medium‐resolution remote‐sensing are also needed for efficient monitoring of rangeland condition (i.e. functional integrity) and biodiversity. For example, 30–100‐m‐pixel Landsat imagery has been used to assess the condition of rangelands along grazing gradients extending from watering‐points. The variety and abundance of key taxa have been related to these gradients (the Biograze project). At still larger region and catchment scales, indicators of rangeland functional integrity can also be monitored by coarse‐resolution remote‐sensing and related to biodiversity. For example, the extent and greenness (condition) of different regional landscapes have been monitored with 1‐km‐pixel satellite imagery. This regional information becomes more valuable when it indicates differences as a result of land management. Finally, we discuss potential future developments that could improve proposed indicators of landscape functional integrity and biodiversity, thereby improving our ability to monitor rangelands effectively.
Making the biodiversity monitoring system sustainable: Design issues for large‐scale monitoring systems
Authors: WATSON IAN , NOVELLY PAUL
Published: January 2004

Abstract  There is strong demand for information about the status of, and trends in, Australia's biodiversity. Almost inevitably, this demand for information has led to demand for a broad‐scale monitoring system. However, the decision to embark on a monitoring system should only be made once it has been established that a monitoring system is the optimal way to inform management. We stress the need to invest resources in assessing whether a monitoring system is necessary before committing resources to the design and implementation of the system. Current debate associated with the design of a biodiversity monitoring system has similarities to the debate within the range management profession in the early 1970s. The experience with range monitoring shows that large‐scale monitoring systems such as those being proposed will require considerable resources, recurrently expended into the distant future, but with only a limited ability to adapt to new demands. Those involved in any biodiversity monitoring system will need to understand the implications of investing in a long‐term monitoring programme. Monitoring sustainability will only be possible if the monitoring system is itself sustainable. We discuss a number of issues that need to be addressed before the system is at all sustainable. These attributes are a mix of biophysical, social and institutional attributes and highlight the view that monitoring systems of the type being suggested comprise an unusual mixture of attributes not found in typical scientific activity. The present paper is not a technical manual, but rather considers some of the design issues associated with designing and implementing large‐scale monitoring systems.
Avian biodiversity monitoring in Australian rangelands
Authors: MAC NALLY RALPH , ELLIS MURRAY , BARRETT GEOFF
Published: January 2004

Abstract  Birds have been widely regarded as a key element in monitoring biodiversity both in Australia and elsewhere. We believe that, although birds are unlikely to be an umbrella or indicator taxon for other biota (other vertebrates, invertebrates, plants, microorganisms), they do represent a taxon that can be monitored more easily and with less effort per datum than other biotic components. It has been shown by the great participation rate of lay observers (whom we call monitors) in several schemes (notably the Birds Australia Atlas programs) that there is a capacity to mobilize the public to undertake bird surveying. Although there are many limitations to acquiring high‐quality information (scale, dynamism, mobility, irruptiveness, paucity of monitors over much of the rangelands), we think that these can be dealt with to allow the use of birds as a key component of biodiversity monitoring. We outline some of the possible options for statistically characterizing monitoring data for rangeland birds.
Recent developments in analysis of spatial and temporal data for landscape qualities and monitoring
Authors: WALLACE J. F. , CACCETTA P. A. , KIIVERI H. T.
Published: January 2004

Abstract  Monitoring biodiversity presents the challenge of informing complex aspects of biological systems with consistent, repeatable, data‐based indicators. The present paper does not address directly the selection of indicators for rangeland biodiversity, but rather presents essential aspects and examples of monitoring systems that address natural resource questions at comparable scales. In general, concepts of landscape quality, such as range condition, conservation value, health and biodiversity, are descriptive rather than quantitative and are either ill‐defined or multiply defined. Assessment of the status of such indicators involves value systems, as well as process understanding at a range of scales for which data are often unavailable. Effective monitoring systems, in contrast, require repeated quantitative data at suitable temporal density and spatial scale, as well as appropriate methods and a conceptual framework to simplify and interpret these data. In recent years, broad‐scale operational monitoring systems for land and vegetation have been developed in Australia based on sequences of satellite data, digital elevation models, ground information and appropriate statistical methods. These same datasets have been used to inform landscape qualities over broad areas; examples are given of the production of salinity risk maps and conservation management zones based on fragmentation patterns. These results have been achieved as a partnership between ecologists, resource scientists and statisticians and illustrate how surrogates for integrated concepts such as biodiversity can be derived from available data.
Monitoring rangeland biodiversity: Plants as indicators
Authors: LANDSBERG JILL , CROWLEY GABRIEL
Published: January 2004

Abstract  As well as being important components of biodiversity in their own right, plants reflect the physical environment, are the primary target of many of the pressures acting on rangelands, and are relatively amenable to measurement. Hence, measurements based on plants have considerable potential to be efficient indicators of the response of rangeland biodiversity to land use. A recent report commissioned by the National Land and Water Resources Audit recommended a core set of 11 indicators, six of which relied on measurements of plants. These were trends in (i) the extent of clearing; (ii) the cover of native perennial ground‐layer vegetation; (iii) the distribution and abundance of exotic plant species; (iv) the distribution and abundance of fire‐sensitive species; (v) the distribution and abundance of grazing‐sensitive species; and (vi) the distribution and abundance of listed threatened entities. Most indicated responses of plants to pressures acting on them. Only two (clearing and exotic plants) related to pressures. We recommend that the set be expanded to include two additional pressure indicators, one for grazing and another for fire, in recognition of their extent and potential influence on rangeland biodiversity. We also recommend that benchmark sites be included in all ground‐based monitoring programmes to provide reference standards for those biotic indicators about which little is known. Assessments of the current state of knowledge about these indicators for two case‐study regions, the Gascoyne–Murchison strategy area and Cape York Peninsula, have shown that it would be possible to monitor most of them directly at regional scales, but that current monitoring programmes fall short of achieving this.
Introduced mammals in Australian rangelands: Future threats and the role of monitoring programmes in management strategies
Authors: EDWARDS G. P. , POPLE A. R. , SAALFELD K. , CALEY P.
Published: January 2004

Abstract  In the present paper, we have provided an initial assessment of the current and future threats to biodiversity posed by introduced mammals (predators and herbivores) inhabiting the Australian rangelands, exploring trends in populations and options for management. Notably, rabbits have declined in recent years in the wake of rabbit haemorrhagic disease, populations of feral camels have increased dramatically and foxes appear to have moved northwards, thereby threatening native fauna within an expanded range. Following on, we developed a framework for monitoring the impacts of introduced mammals in the Australian rangelands. In doing so, we considered the key issues that needed to be considered in designing a monitoring programme for this purpose and critically evaluated the role of monitoring in pest animal management. Finally we have provided a brief inventory of current best‐practice methods of estimating the abundance of introduced mammal populations in the Australian rangelands with some comments on new approaches and their potential applications.
Use of terrestrial invertebrates for biodiversity monitoring in Australian rangelands, with particular reference to ants
Authors: ANDERSEN ALAN N. , FISHER ALARIC , HOFFMANN BEN D. , READ JOHN L. , RICHARDS ROB
Published: January 2004

Abstract  Taken literally, the aim of biodiversity monitoring is to track changes in the biological integrity of ecosystems. Given the overwhelmingly dominant contribution of invertebrates to biodiversity, no biodiversity monitoring programme can be considered credible if invertebrates are not addressed effectively. Here we review the use of terrestrial invertebrates, with a particular focus on ants, as bioindicators in Australia in the context of monitoring biodiversity in Australia's rangelands. Ant monitoring systems in Australia were initially developed for assessing restoration success following mining, and have since been applied to a wide range of other land‐use situations, including grazing impacts in rangelands. The use of ants as bioindicators in Australia is supported by an extensive portfolio of studies of the responses of ant communities to disturbance, as well as by a global model of ant community dynamics based on functional groups in relation to environmental stress and disturbance. Available data from mining studies suggest that ants reflect changes in other invertebrate groups, but this remains largely undocumented in rangelands. The feasibility of using ants as indicators in land management remains a key issue, given the large numbers of taxonomically challenging specimens in samples, and a lack of invertebrate expertise within most land‐management agencies. However, recent work has shown that major efficiencies can be achieved by simplifying the ant sorting process, and such efficiencies can actually enhance rather than compromise indicator performance.
Predicting the distribution of livestock grazing pressure in rangelands
Authors: PRINGLE HUGH J. R. , LANDSBERG JILL
Published: January 2004

Abstract  Because grazing by livestock is one of the primary threats to rangeland biodiversity, but is unevenly distributed in space, rangeland monitoring programmes need to take account of the distribution of grazing pressure in order to distinguish between grazing‐induced change, seasonal fluctuations and changes that are a result of other threats. Livestock watering places are one of the major influences that give spatial expression to gradations in grazing activity. Using research results from the goldfields of Western Australia, we show how distance from water can be incorporated in spatial models to predict cumulative grazing pressure at different sites within paddocks. Two surrogates of grazing activity are illustrated: one relying on a commercially available model, and one developed from measures of track density. Factors other than distance from water can also have profound effects on the distribution of grazing pressure and its impacts at landscape and regional scales, and we review some of these briefly. Finally, we outline key spatial implications for the design of rangeland monitoring programmes.
Striatal contributions to working memory: a functional magnetic resonance imaging study in humans
Authors: Lewis Simon J. G. , Dove Anja , Robbins Trevor W. , Barker Roger A. , Owen Adrian M.
Published: January 2004

Although the role of the frontal cortex in executive performance has been widely accepted, issues regarding the contribution of subcortical structures to these functions remain unresolved. In this study, the neural circuitry underlying selective subcomponents of working memory was investigated using event‐related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Ten healthy volunteers performed a verbal memory task, which allowed different aspects of working memory function such as maintenance, retrieval and manipulation to be tested within the same general paradigm. During performance of this task as a whole, fMRI revealed increases in signal intensity throughout the frontostriatal network. However, when signal intensity during the manipulation of information within working memory was compared to that during periods requiring only simple maintenance and retrieval, significant changes were observed only in the caudate nuclei, bilaterally. These results suggest an essential and specific role for the caudate nucleus in executive function, which may underlie the cognitive disturbances observed in frontostriatal neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson's disease.
Absence of hematopoiesis from transplanted olfactory bulb neural stem cells
Authors: Yusta‐Boyo María J. , González Manuel A. , Pavón Nancy , Martín Ana B. , De La Fuente Ricardo , García‐Castro Javier , De Pablo Flora , Moratalla Rosario , Bernad Antonio , Vicario‐Abejón Carlos
Published: January 2004

Neural stem cells giving rise to neurons and glia cells have been isolated from the embryonic and adult central nervous system. The extent to which they are able to differentiate into cells of non‐neural lineages, such as the hematopoietic lineage, is nonetheless unclear. We previously reported the isolation of stem cells from the mouse olfactory bulb neuroepithelium. In the present study, we analysed whether olfactory bulb stem cells (OBSC) can generate cells with hematopoietic features. Cells were prepared from the olfactory bulbs of transgenic mice expressing enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP). In culture, transgenic cells proliferated with the same kinetics as wild‐type cells. Following mitogen removal, both cell types gave rise to similar numbers of neurons, astrocytes and oligodendrocytes, indicating that EGFP overexpression does not alter OBSC proliferation and differentiation patterns. When these cells were injected into the tail vein of irradiated mice, no hematopoietic cells derived from the OBSC could be recovered in their peripheral blood, spleen or bone marrow. By contrast, when OBSC were transplanted into the adult brain, EGFP‐positive cells were found in the striatum and corpus callosum; differentiated cells expressed antigenic markers of neurons and astrocytes. These results suggest that embryonic olfactory bulb stem cells are not endowed with the potential to produce hematopoiesis.
Sensory‐interference in rat primary somatosensory cortical neurons
Authors: Alenda Andrea , Nuñez Angel
Published: January 2004

To study sensory interaction in the primary somatosensory cortex (SI), we registered 221 neurons in the SI of pentobarbital‐anaesthetized Wistar rats. Tactile stimulation was applied in the receptive field of the SI neuron with an electronically controlled probe (20 ms duration). Tactile stimulation elicited 2.33 ± 0.13 spikes per stimulus in SI neurons. Simultaneous application of paintbrush tickles of the contralateral limb usually decreased tactile responses (1.59 ± 0.11 spikes per stimulus). This effect was considered a ‘sensory‐interference’. Light flashes applied at random did not modify tactile response. Applying atropine (1 mm), a muscarinic receptor antagonist, and bicuculline (1 mm), a GABAA receptor antagonist, to the SI cortex blocked the sensory‐interference effect, while application of mecamylamine (10 mm), a nicotinic cholinergic receptor antagonist, did not affect sensory‐interference. Results reveal sensory interactions in SI cortex that control tactile responses, and suggest the participation of the basal forebrain in the sensory‐interference effect.
GABA selectively controls the secretory activity of oxytocin neurons in the rat supraoptic nucleus
Authors: Engelmann Mario , Bull Philip M. , Brown Colin H. , Landgraf Rainer , Horn Thomas F. W. , Singewald Nicolas , Ludwig Mike , Wotjak Carsten T.
Published: January 2004

Recently we reported that a single social defeat experience triggers the release of oxytocin (OXT) from somata and dendrites, but not axon terminals, of neurons of the hypothalamic–neurohypophysial system. To further investigate the regulatory mechanisms underlying this dissociated release, we exposed male Wistar rats to a 30‐min social defeat and monitored release of the inhibitory amino acids gamma amino butyric acid (GABA) and taurine within the hypothalamic supraoptic nucleus (SON) using microdialysis. Social defeat caused a significant increase in the release of both GABA and taurine within the SON (up to 480%; P < 0.01 vs. prestress release). To reveal the physiological significance of centrally released GABA, the specific GABAA‐receptor antagonist bicuculline (0.02 mm) was administered into the SON via retrodialysis. This approach caused a significant increase in the release of OXT both within the SON and into the blood under basal conditions and during stress (up to 300 and 200%, respectively; P < 0.05 vs. basal values), without affecting plasma vasopressin. Electrophysiological studies confirmed the selective action of bicuculline on the firing activity of OXT neurons in the SON. Taken together, our data demonstrate that GABA is released within the SON during emotional stress to act as a selective inhibitor of both central and peripheral OXT secretion.
Electrophysiological characterization of synaptic connections between layer VI cortical cells and neurons of the nucleus reticularis thalami in juvenile rats
Authors: Gentet Luc J. , Ulrich Daniel
Published: January 2004

Corticothalamic (CT) feedback projections to the thalamus outnumber sensory inputs from the periphery by orders of magnitude. However, their functional role remains elusive. CT projections may directly excite thalamic relay cells or indirectly inhibit them via excitation of the nucleus reticularis thalami (nRT), a nuclear formation composed entirely of γ‐aminobutyric acidergic neurons. The relative strengths of these two pathways will ultimately control the effects of CT projections on the output of thalamic relay cells. However, corticoreticular synapses have not yet been fully physiologically characterized. Here, local stimulation of layer VI cells by focal application of K+ or AMPA elicited excitatory postsynaptic potentials in nRT neurons with a mean peak amplitude of 2.4 ± 0.1 mV (n = 75, mean ± SEM), a mean rise time (10–90%) of 0.74 ± 0.03 ms and a weighted decay time constant of 11 ± 0.3 ms. A pharmacological profile of responses was drawn in both current‐clamp and voltage‐clamp modes, showing the presence of a small N‐methyl‐d‐aspartate receptor‐dependent component at depolarized potentials. In two pairs of synaptically coupled layer VI cell–nRT neuron, moderate rates of transmission failures were observed while the latencies were above 5 ms in both cases. Our results indicate that the corticoreticular pathway fulfills the criteria for ‘modulatory’ inputs and is temporally restricted. We suggest that it may be involved in coincidence detection of convergent corticoreticular signals.
Integrin signaling in inflammatory and neuropathic pain in the rat
Authors: Dina Olayinka A. , Parada Carlos A. , Yeh Jenny , Chen Xiaojie , McCarter Gordon C. , Levine Jon D.
Published: January 2004

Many painful conditions are associated with alterations in the extracellular matrix (ECM) of affected tissues. While several integrins, the receptors for ECM proteins, are present on sensory neurons that mediate pain, the possible role of these cell adhesion molecules in inflammatory or neuropathic pain has not been explored. We found that the intradermal injection of peptide fragments of domains of laminin and fibronectin important for adhesive signaling selectively inhibited the hyperalgesia caused by prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and epinephrine (EPI), respectively. The block of EPI hyperalgesia was mimicked by other peptides containing the RGD integrin‐binding sequence. Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against the α1 or α3 integrin subunits, which participate in laminin binding, selectively blocked PGE2 hyperalgesia, while a mAb against the α5 subunit, which participates in fibronectin binding, blocked only EPI‐induced hyperalgesia. A mAb against the β1 integrin subunit, common to receptors for both laminin and fibronectin, inhibited hyperalgesia caused by both agents, as did the knockdown of β1 integrin expression by intrathecal injection of antisense oligodeoxynucleotides. The laminin peptide, but not the fibronectin peptides, also reversibly abolished the longer lasting inflammatory hyperalgesia induced by carrageenan. Finally, the neuropathic hyperalgesia caused by systemic administration of the cancer chemotherapy agent taxol was reversibly inhibited by antisense knockdown of β1 integrin. These results strongly implicate specific integrins in the maintenance of inflammatory and neuropathic hyperalgesia.
Sensory neuropeptide mRNA up‐regulation is bilateral in periodontitis in the rat: a possible neurogenic component to symmetrical periodontal disease
Authors: Abd El‐Aleem Seham A. , Morales‐Aza Begonia M. , Donaldson Lucy F.
Published: January 2004

Periodontal disease is a common multifactorial chronic inflammatory disease in humans. In inflammatory conditions that are known to be associated with changes in nociception, such as arthritis, the neuronal expression of the proinflammatory neuropeptides, substance P and calcitonin gene‐related peptide is altered. In this study the expression of these neuropeptides' mRNAs has been studied in an inflammatory model that shows no behavioural evidence of altered nociception. Periodontitis was induced in male rats by intragingival injection of lipopolysaccharide adjacent to the second right mandibular molar. The animals were killed at various times after lipopolysaccharide injection and right and left trigeminal ganglia and brain were processed for in situ hybridization for β‐preprotachykinin and α‐calcitonin gene‐related peptide mRNAs. Expression of both neuropeptide mRNAs was significantly increased only in small neurons in the mandibular division of the trigeminal ganglion ipsilateral to the LPS injection from 3 to 10 days postinjection. Neuropeptide mRNA expression was also significantly increased in the contralateral trigeminal ganglion at day 10. No significant changes in neuropeptide mRNA levels were seen in the maxillary and ophthalmic divisions of the trigeminal ganglia or in the trigeminal mesencephalic nucleus. The up‐regulation of substance P and CGRP mRNAs in periodontal disease suggests that this is associated with the inflammatory process rather than nociception, as this disease does not appear to result in altered nociception in either rats or humans. The contralateral alteration in neuropeptide mRNA expression suggests a role for neurogenic mechanisms in the development of periodontal disease.
The Reinvention or Degradation of Religious Studies? Tales from the Tuscaloosa Woods
Authors: Wiebe Donald
Published: January 2004

Book reviewed in this article:

Russell T. McCutcheon, The Discipline of Religion: Structure, Meaning, Rhetoric
Preventive Wars?
Authors: Raack R. C.
Published: January 2004

Pietrow‐Ennker, Bianka, ed. Präventivkrieg? Der deutsche Angriff auf die Sowjetunion. 3d ed. Frankfurt‐am‐Main: Fischer Taschenbuch Verlag, 2000. ISBN 3‐596‐14497‐3.

Mel'tiukhov, Mikhail. Upushchennyi shans Stalina: Sovetskii Soiuz i bor'ba za Evropu 1939–1941. Moscow: Veche, 2000. ISBN 5‐7838‐1196‐3.

Magenheimer, Heinz. Entscheidungskampf 1941: Sowjetische Kriegsvor‐bereitungen. Aufmarsch. Zusammenstoss. Bielefeld: Osning Verlag, 2000. ISBN 3‐9806286‐1‐4.