bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Influence of diet and rennet on the composition of goats’ milk and cheese
Authors: Baquero María Fresno , Álvarez Ríos Sergio , Rodríguez Elena Rodríguez , Romero Carlos Díaz , Martín Jacinto Darias
Published: April 2011

Dry matter, protein, fat, pH, mineral (Na, K, Ca and Mg) and trace elements (Fe, Cu, Zn and Se) concentrations were determined in samples of goats’ milk and in fresh, semi-hard and hard cheeses to study the effect of the goats’ diet and the type of rennet used for the cheese processing of the Palmero Protected Designation of Origin cheeses. Two groups of 20 Palmero goats were fed 2 different diets: a Palmero diet (PD supplied by native forages adapted to subhumid areas, which had a high ratio of long fibre to concentrates (65:35), and an actual diet (AD), the most commonly used by goat farmers, with a low ratio of long fibre to concentrates (35:65). In general, the cheese samples from goats fed with PD had higher mean Ca, Zn, Cu and Se concentrations than the samples obtained from AD fed goats. The diet exhibited a greater influence on the chemical composition of the cheeses than the rennet used in their production. Applying a stepwise linear discriminant analysis a complete percentage of correct classifications of the three types of cheeses according to the diet of the goats was observed.
Assessing host–parasite specificity through coprological analysis: a case study with species of Corynosoma (Acanthocephala: Polymorphidae) from marine mammals
Authors: Aznar F.J. , Hernández-Orts J. , Suárez A.A. , García-Varela M. , Raga J.A. , Cappozzo H.L.
Published: April 2011

In this paper we report an investigation of the utility of coprological analysis as an alternative technique to study parasite specificity whenever host sampling is problematic; acanthocephalans from marine mammals were used as a model. A total of 252 scats from the South American sea lion, Otaria flavescens, and rectal faeces from 43 franciscanas, Pontoporia blainvillei, from Buenos Aires Province, were examined for acanthocephalans. Specimens of two species, i.e. Corynosoma australe and C. cetaceum, were collected from both host species. In sea lions, 78 out of 145 (37.9%) females of C. australe were gravid and the sex ratio was strongly female-biased. However, none of the 168 females of C. cetaceum collected was gravid and the sex ratio was not female-biased. Conversely, in franciscanas, 14 out of 17 (82.4%) females of C. cetaceum were gravid, but none of 139 females of C. australe was, and the sex ratio of C. cetaceum, but not that of C. australe, was female-biased. In putative non-hosts, the size of worms was similar to that from specimens collected from prey. Results suggest that both acanthocephalans contact sea lions and franciscanas regularly. However, C. australe and C. cetaceum cannot apparently reproduce, nor even grow, in franciscanas and sea lions, respectively. Coprological analysis may represent a useful supplementary method to investigate parasite specificity, particularly when host carcasses are difficult to obtain.
How much homophony is normal?
Authors: KAPLAN ABBY
Published: April 2011

This paper argues that neutralizing phonological alternations are sensitive to how much homophony they create among distinct lexical items: neutralizing rules create fewer homophones than expected. Building on a case study of Korean by Silverman (2010), I compare the neutralizing rules of Korean to a large number of hypothetical alternatives generated by Monte Carlo simulations. The simulations reveal that the actual rules of Korean frequently create far fewer homophones than similar (but unattested) rules, even when the rules that are compared are controlled for the number of phonemic contrasts they eliminate. These results suggest that phonological patterns are sensitive not only to high-level contrasts among phonemes but also to contrasts among individual lexical items. The effect is most pronounced when homophones are not weighted by frequency, a result that adds to evidence in the literature that the relevant measure of lexical frequency for many lexicon-sensitive phonological patterns is type frequency, not token frequency.
A novel neutralization sensitive and subdominant RAP-1-related antigen (RRA) is expressed byBabesia bovismerozoites
Authors: SUAREZ CARLOS E. , LAUGHERY JACOB M. , BASTOS REGINALDO G. , JOHNSON WENDELL C. , NORIMINE JUNZO , ASENZO GUSTAVO , BROWN WENDY C. , FLORIN-CHRISTENSEN MONICA , GOFF WILL L.
Published: April 2011

Objective.TheBabesia bovisgenome encodes arap-1related gene denominated RAP-1 related antigen (RRA). In this study, we analysed the pattern of expression, immunogenicity and functional relevance of RRA.Methods.Phylogenetic analysis was performed using the program Phylip. Expression ofrrawas analysed by Northern blots, RT-PCR, immunoprecipitation, Western blots and immunofluorescence. RRA antigenicity was tested by T-cell proliferation and Western blot analysis, and functional relevance was determined in anin vitroneutralization assay.Results.RRA is more closely related to RAP-1b ofBabesia bigeminathan toB. bovisRAP-1, and it is highly conserved among distinct strains. Transcriptional analysis suggests lower numbers ofrratranscripts compared torap-1.Immunoprecipitation of metabolically labelledB. bovisproteins with antibodies against synthetic peptides representing predicted antigenic regions of RRA confirmed the expression of a ∼43 kDa RRA in cultured merozoites. Antibodies present inB. bovishyperimmune sera, but not in field-infected cattle sera, reacted weakly with recombinant RRA, and no significant stimulation was obtained using recombinant RRA as antigen in T-cell proliferation assays, indicating that RRA is a subdominant antigen. Antibodies against RRA synthetic peptides reacted with merozoites using immunofluorescence, and were able to significantly inhibit erythrocyte invasion inin vitroneutralization tests, suggesting functional relevance for parasite survival.Conclusion.B. bovisexpress a novel subdominant RAP-1-like molecule that may contribute to erythrocyte invasion and/or egression by the parasite.
Intensity-dependent host mortality: what can it tell us about larval growth strategies in complex life cycle helminths?
Authors: BENESH D. P.
Published: April 2011

Complex life cycle helminths use their intermediate hosts as both a source of nutrients and as transportation. There is an assumed trade-off between these functions in that parasite growth may reduce host survival and thus transmission. The virulence of larval helminths can be assessed by experimentally increasing infection intensities and recording how parasite biomass and host mortality scale with intensity. I summarize the literature on these relationships in larval helminths and I provide an empirical example using the nematodeCamallanus lacustrisin its copepod first host. In all species studied thus far, includingC. lacustris, overall parasite volume increases with intensity. Although a few studies observed host survival to decrease predictably with intensity, several studies found no intensity-dependent mortality or elevated mortality only at extreme intensities. For instance, no intensity-dependent mortality was observed in male copepods infected withC. lacustris, whereas female survival was reduced only at high intensities (>3) and only after worms were fully developed. These observations suggest that at low, natural intensity levels parasites do not exploit intermediate hosts as much as they presumably could and that increased growth would not obviously entail survival costs.
Trypanosomatids are common and diverse parasites ofDrosophila
Authors: WILFERT L. , LONGDON B. , FERREIRA A. G. A. , BAYER F. , JIGGINS F. M.
Published: April 2011

Drosophila melanogasteris an important model system of immunity and parasite resistance, yet most studies use parasites that do not naturally infect this organism. We have studied trypanosomatids in natural populations to assess the prevalence and diversity of these gut parasites. We collected several species ofDrosophilafrom Europe and surveyed them for trypanosomatids using conserved primers for two genes. We have used the conserved GAPDH sequence to construct a phylogenetic tree and the highly variable spliced leader RNA to assay genetic diversity. All 5 of the species that we examined were infected, and the average prevalence ranged from 1 to 6%. There are several different groups of trypanosomatids, related to other monoxenous Trypanosomatidae. These may represent new trypanosomatid species and were found in different species of EuropeanDrosophilafrom different geographical locations. The detection of a little studied natural pathogen inD. melanogasterand related species provides new opportunities for research into both theDrosophilaimmune response and the evolution of hosts and parasites.
Characterization of acid phosphatases from marine scuticociliate parasites and their activation by host's factors
Authors: SALINAS I. , MAAS E. W. , MUÑOZ P.
Published: April 2011

Scuticociliates are histophagous marine parasites that cause mortality in fish. Acid phosphatases (AcPs) are considered virulence factors and they are used by different parasites to dephosphorylate host molecules. The aim of this work was to characterize the AcPs from 3 scuticociliate species,Uronema marinum, Miamiensis avidusandParauronema virginianum, which parasitize marine finfish species. We identified AcP activity (pH 5·2) with differential cellular distribution in the 3 parasite species. Native gel electrophoresis of ciliate lysates revealed the presence of 1 high molecular weight AcP activity band inM. avidus(tartrate-sensitive), several low molecular weight AcPs inU. marinumand 1 low molecular weight band only inP. virginianum(tartrate-resistant). Scuticociliate AcP was inhibited by specific inhibitors of tyrosine protein phosphatases. AcP decreased upon starvation but rapid reactivation occurred following exposure to skin mucus. Groper (Polyprion oxygeneios) peripheral blood leucocytes (PBLs) and, to a lesser extent, red blood cells, also increased AcP activity. Protein tyrosine phosphatase PTP1b was primarily detected in the plasma membrane ofM. avidusand ingestion of groper PBLs upregulated its expression.M. avidusrecovered from experimentally infected groper had greater levels of PTP1b expression than the injected suspension. The present results highlight the importance of PTPs in histophagous parasites and their interaction with fish host's factors.
Cannabis use and psychosis: re-visiting the role of childhood trauma
Authors: Houston J. E. , Murphy J. , Shevlin M. , Adamson G.
Published: April 2011

Background

Cannabis consumption continues to be identified as a causal agent in the onset and development of psychosis. However, recent findings have shown that the effect of cannabis on psychosis may be moderated by childhood traumatic experiences.

Method

Using hierarchical multivariate logistic analyses the current study examined both the independent effect of cannabis consumption on psychosis diagnosis and the combined effect of cannabis consumption and childhood sexual abuse on psychosis diagnosis using data from the Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey 2007 (n=7403).

Results

Findings suggested that cannabis consumption was predictive of psychosis diagnosis in a bivariate model; however, when estimated within a multivariate model that included childhood sexual abuse, the effect of cannabis use was attenuated and was not statistically significant. The multivariate analysis revealed that those who had experienced non-consensual sex in childhood were over six times [odds ratio (OR) 6.10] more likely to have had a diagnosis of psychosis compared with those who had not experienced this trauma. There was also a significant interaction. Individuals with a history of non-consensual sexual experience and cannabis consumption were over seven times more likely (OR 7.84) to have been diagnosed with psychosis compared with those without these experiences; however, this finding must be interpreted with caution as it emerged within an overall analytical step which was non-significant.

Conclusions

Future studies examining the effect of cannabis consumption on psychosis should adjust analyses for childhood trauma. Childhood trauma may advance existing gene–environment conceptualisations of the cannabis–psychosis link.
Abnormalities of object visual processing in body dysmorphic disorder
Authors: Feusner J. D. , Hembacher E. , Moller H. , Moody T. D.
Published: April 2011

Background

Individuals with body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) may have perceptual distortions for their appearance. Previous studies suggest imbalances in detailed relative to configural/holistic visual processing when viewing faces. No study has investigated the neural correlates of processing non-symptom-related stimuli. The objective of this study was to determine whether individuals with BDD have abnormal patterns of brain activation when viewing non-face/non-body object stimuli.

Method

Fourteen medication-free participants with DSM-IV BDD and 14 healthy controls participated. We performed functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) while participants matched photographs of houses that were unaltered, contained only high spatial frequency (HSF, high detail) information or only low spatial frequency (LSF, low detail) information. The primary outcome was group differences in blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) signal changes.

Results

The BDD group showed lower activity in the parahippocampal gyrus, lingual gyrus and precuneus for LSF images. There were greater activations in medial prefrontal regions for HSF images, although no significant differences when compared to a low-level baseline. Greater symptom severity was associated with lower activity in the dorsal occipital cortex and ventrolateral prefrontal cortex for normal spatial frequency (NSF) and HSF images.

Conclusions

Individuals with BDD have abnormal brain activation patterns when viewing objects. Hypoactivity in visual association areas for configural and holistic (low detail) elements and abnormal allocation of prefrontal systems for details are consistent with a model of imbalances in global versus local processing. This may occur not only for appearance but also for general stimuli unrelated to their symptoms.
A Campanian Vessel Foot from Silchester
Authors: Crummy Nina
Published: April 2011

In 2009 a leaded bronze vessel foot topped by a figure of Harpocrates was found in a Neronian or early Flavian levelling deposit on the University of Reading's excavations in Insula IX at Silchester. Comparanda point to the foot originally having been fitted to a vessel for cooking or for heating liquids that was made in Campania in the Tiberian or early Claudian period. Its recovery is further evidence that a high-status early Roman building was located close to Insula IX.
Romano-British Reuse of Prehistoric Ritual Sites
Authors: Hutton Ronald
Published: April 2011

Much interest has been taken recently in the reuse of prehistoric ceremonial sites during later prehistory and early history, but only limited attention has been paid to this phenomenon during the Romano-British period. This article seeks to build on existing work by making a detailed study of such activity in three specific cases: the limestone caves of the Bristol Channel region, the Neolithic chambered tombs of the Cotswold-Severn area and the Peak District, and the three most spectacular prehistoric monuments of the Wessex chalklands: Stonehenge, the Avebury complex and the Uffington White Horse.
Epidemiology of Falls in Older Age
Authors: Peel Nancye May
Published: April 2011

Les chutes chez les personnes agées sont une préoccupation de la santé publiquedans le monde entier en raison de leur fréquence et les conséquences néfastes en terms de morbidité, mortalité et de la qualité de vie, ainsi que leur impact sur les services et les coûts du système de santé. Cette étude épidémiologique décrit la charge de la santé publique de chutes et de blessures liées aux chutes et l’impact sur les chutes du vieillissement de la population. L’ampleur du problème est décrit en termes du classement des chutes et la mesure des résultats, y compris l’incidence des chutes et des blessures liées dans tous les milieux, les déterminants socio-démographiques, les tendance internationales, et le coût des chutes et des blessures liées aux chutes. Enfin, des approches de santé publique afin de minimiser les risques de chutes et la demande conséquente sur les ressources de soins de santé sont récommandés.
State Building Through Partnership: Delegation, Public-Private Partnerships, and the Political Development of American Imperialism, 1898–1916
Authors: Moore Colin D.
Published: April 2011

In the first decades of the twentieth century, the United States transformed itself from a commercial republic into a major international actor and acquired its first overseas colonies and dependencies. This article investigates the role of public-private partnerships between American state officials and American financiers in the management and expansion of American empire. Confronted with tepid support from Congress for further imperial expansion and development, colonial bureaucrats looked to investment bankers to accomplish goals for which they lacked the financial capacity and political support to achieve independently. These partnerships were soon formalized as “Dollar Diplomacy,” an arrangement that would govern America's imperial strategy in the Caribbean. This article highlights two theoretical processes: (1) the downstream effects of congressional delegation decisions and their role in motivating institutional adaptations, and (2) the formation of public-private partnerships as an alternative means of state development, and the unique pitfalls of this approach. To illustrate these mechanisms, this article presents historical narratives, based largely on archival research, on the emergence of this Dollar Diplomacy partnership in the formal American colonies, the spread of this system of imperialism to the Caribbean, and its partial collapse during the early Wilson administration.
Costs of illness due to endemic cholera
Authors: POULOS C. , RIEWPAIBOON A. , STEWART J. F. , CLEMENS J. , GUH S. , AGTINI M. , SUR D. , ISLAM Z. , LUCAS M. , WHITTINGTON D. ,   the DOMI Cholera COI Study Group
Published: April 2011

Economic analyses of cholera immunization programmes require estimates of the costs of cholera. The Diseases of the Most Impoverished programme measured the public, provider, and patient costs of culture-confirmed cholera in four study sites with endemic cholera using a combination of hospital- and community-based studies. Families with culture-proven cases were surveyed at home 7 and 14 days after confirmation of illness. Public costs were measured at local health facilities using a micro-costing methodology. Hospital-based studies found that the costs of severe cholera were US$32 and US$47 in Matlab and Beira. Community-based studies in North Jakarta and Kolkata found that cholera cases cost between US$28 and US$206, depending on hospitalization. Patients' cost of illness as a percentage of average monthly income were 21% and 65% for hospitalized cases in Kolkata and North Jakarta, respectively. This burden on families is not captured by studies that adopt a provider perspective.
A systematic review/meta-analysis of primary research investigating swine, pork or pork products as a source of zoonotic hepatitis E virus
Authors: WILHELM B. J. , RAJIĆ A. , GREIG J. , WADDELL L. , TROTTIER G. , HOUDE A. , HARRIS J. , BORDEN L. N. , PRICE C.
Published: April 2011

The objectives of our study were to identify and categorize primary research investigating swine/pork as a source of zoonotic hepatitis E virus (HEV) using the relatively new technique of scoping study, and to investigate the potential association between human exposure to swine/pork and HEV infection quantitatively using systematic review/meta-analysis methodology. From 1890 initially identified abstracts, 327 were considered for the review. Five study design types (cross-sectional, prevalence, genotyping, case-report and experimental transmission studies) were identified. A significant association between occupational exposure to swine and human HEV IgG seropositivity was reported in 10/13 cross-sectional studies. The association reported between pork consumption and HEV IgG seropositivity was inconsistent. The quantification of viral load in swine and retail pork, viral load required for infection in primates, cohort and case-control studies in humans, and formal risk assessment are recommended before specific public-health policy actions are taken.
Carbapenem-resistantAcinetobacter baumannii: diversity of resistant mechanisms and risk factors for infection
Authors: KIM Y. J. , KIM S. I. , KIM Y. R. , HONG K. W. , WIE S. H. , PARK Y. J. , JEONG H. , KANG M. W.
Published: April 2011

Carbapenem-resistantAcinetobacter baumannii(CRAB) are an increasing infectious threat in hospitals. We investigated the clinical epidemiology of CRAB infectionsvs. colonization in patients, and examined the mechanisms of resistance associated with elevated minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) for carbapenems. From January to June 2009, 75 CRAB strains were collected. CRAB infection was significantly associated with malignancy and a high APACHE II score. The most dominant resistance mechanism was ISAba1preceding OXA-51, producing strains with overexpression of efflux pump. Strains carryingblaOXA-23-like enzymes had higher carbapenem MICs than those carryingblaOXA-51-like enzymes; however, the presence of multiple mechanisms did not result in increased resistance to carbapenems. There was no difference in the resistance mechanisms in strains from infected and colonized patients. The majority of strains were genetically diverse by DNA macrorestriction although there was evidence of clonal spread of four clusters of strains in patients.
Perceived discrimination, serotonin transporter linked polymorphic region status, and the development of conduct problems
Authors: Brody Gene H. , Beach Steven R. H. , Chen Yi-Fu , Obasi Ezemenari , Philibert Robert A. , Kogan Steven M. , Simons Ronald L.
Published: April 2011

This study examined the prospective relations of adolescents' perceptions of discrimination and their genetic status with increases in conduct problems. Participants were 461 African American youths residing in rural Georgia (Wave 1 mean age = 15.5 years) who provided three waves of data and a saliva sample from which a polymorphism in the SCL6A4 (serotonin transporter [5-HTT]) gene polymorphism known as the 5-HTT linked promoter region (5-HTTLPR) was genotyped. Data analyses using growth curve modeling indicated that perceived discrimination was significantly related to the slope of conduct problems. As hypothesized, interactions between perceived discrimination and genetic status emerged for male but not female youths. Compared with those carrying two copies of the long allele variant of 5-HTTLPR, male youths carrying one or two copies of its short allele variant evinced higher rates of conduct problems over time when they perceived high levels of racial discrimination. These findings are consistent with resilience and differential susceptibility propositions stating that genes can both foster sensitivity to adverse events and confer protection from those events.
Effortful control as predictor of adolescents' psychological and physiological responses to a social stress test: The Tracking Adolescents' Individual Lives Survey
Authors: Oldehinkel Albertine J. , Hartman Catharina A. , Nederhof Esther , Riese Harriëtte , Ormel Johan
Published: April 2011

Effortful control is thought to foster adaptive action in defensive contexts and may thereby protect individuals against anxious inhibition and focus on their own distress. We examined if effortful control predicted adolescents' perceived arousal, unpleasantness, and control as well as autonomic (heart rate [HR]) and hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis (cortisol) responses during social stress. The data came from a focus sample of the Tracking Adolescents' Individual Lives Survey, a prospective population study of Dutch adolescents (N = 715, 50.9% girls; mean age = 16.11, SD = 0.59), who participated in a laboratory session including a social stress task (public speaking and mental arithmetic). Perceived and physiological stress measures were assessed before, during, and after the social stress task. Effortful control was measured using various questionnaires and informants, as well as by means of a reaction time (RT) task assessing response inhibition. Overall, adolescents with high questionnaire-based effortful control tended to feel more relaxed, pleasant, and in control during the laboratory session than adolescents with lower levels of control and had stronger HR responses to the stress test. Adolescent girls with high inhibitory control as measured by the RT task also had strong HR responses, but inhibitory control was associated with high rather than low perceived arousal. Our results suggest that both questionnaire and RT measures of effortful control predict strong HR responses to challenging situations, but associational patterns diverge with regard to perceived stress measures.
Foundations of posttraumatic stress disorder: Does early life trauma lead to adult posttraumatic stress disorder?
Authors: Pratchett Laura C. , Yehuda Rachel
Published: April 2011

The effects of childhood abuse are diverse, and although pathology is not the only outcome, psychiatric illness, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), can develop. However, adult PTSD is less common among those who experienced single-event traumas as children than it is among those who experienced childhood abuse. In addition, PTSD is more common among adults than children who experienced childhood abuse. Such evidence raises doubt about the direct, causal link between childhood trauma and adult PTSD. The experience of childhood trauma, and in particular abuse, has been identified as a risk factor for subsequent development of PTSD following exposure to adult trauma, and a substantial literature identifies revictimization as a factor that plays a pivotal role in this trajectory. The literature on the developmental effects of childhood abuse and pathways to revictimization, when considered in tandem with the biological effects of early stress in animal models, may provide some explanations for this. Specifically, it seems possible that permanent sensitization of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis and behavioral outcomes are a consequence of childhood abuse, and these combine with the impact of retraumatization to sustain, perpetuate, and amplify symptomatology of those exposed to maltreatment in childhood.
Interparental aggression, attention skills, and early childhood behavior problems
Authors: Towe-Goodman Nissa R. , Stifter Cynthia A. , Coccia Michael A. , Cox Martha J. ,   The Family Life Project Key Investigators
Published: April 2011

The current study explored longitudinal associations between interparental aggression, the development of child attention skills, and early childhood behavior problems in a diverse sample of 636 families living in predominately low-income, nonmetropolitan communities. The results of latent-variable, cross-lagged longitudinal models revealed that maternal-reported interparental aggression in infancy predicted reduced observed attention skills in toddlerhood; no association was observed, however, between attention in infancy and interparental aggression during the toddler years. Further, reduced toddler attention and high interparental aggression were both associated with increased risk for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms and conduct problems at 3 years of age. Processes largely operated in similar ways regardless of child gender or low-income status, although a few differences were observed. Overall, the results suggest that interparental aggression undermines attention development, putting children's early behavioral adjustment at risk.
Joint trajectories for social and physical aggression as predictors of adolescent maladjustment: Internalizing symptoms, rule-breaking behaviors, and borderline and narcissistic personality features
Authors: Underwood Marion K. , Beron Kurt J. , Rosen Lisa H.
Published: April 2011

This investigation examined the relation between developmental trajectories jointly estimated for social and physical aggression and adjustment problems at age 14. Teachers provided ratings of children's social and physical aggression in Grades 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 for a sample of 255 children (131 girls, 21% African American, 52% European American, 21% Mexican American). Participants, parents, and teachers completed measures of the adolescent's adjustment to assess internalizing symptoms, rule-breaking behaviors, and borderline and narcissistic personality features. Results showed that membership in a high and rising trajectory group predicted rule-breaking behaviors and borderline personality features. Membership in a high desister group predicted internalizing symptoms, rule-breaking behaviors, and borderline and narcissistic personality features. The findings suggest that although low levels of social and physical aggression may not bode poorly for adjustment, individuals engaging in high levels of social and physical aggression in middle childhood may be at greatest risk for adolescent psychopathology, whether they increase or desist in their aggression through early adolescence.
Prenatal stress and risk of behavioral morbidity from age 2 to 14 years: The influence of the number, type, and timing of stressful life events
Authors: Robinson Monique , Mattes Eugen , Oddy Wendy H. , Pennell Craig E. , van Eekelen Anke , McLean Neil J. , Jacoby Peter , Li Jianghong , De Klerk Nicholas H. , Zubrick Stephen R. , Stanley Fiona J. , Newnham John P.
Published: April 2011

The maternal experience of stressful events during pregnancy has been associated with a number of adverse consequences for behavioral development in offspring, but the measurement and interpretation of prenatal stress varies among reported studies. The Raine Study recruited 2900 pregnancies and recorded life stress events experienced by 18 and 34 weeks' gestation along with numerous sociodemographic data. The mother's exposure to life stress events was further documented when the children were followed-up in conjunction with behavioral assessments at ages 2, 5, 8, 10, and 14 years using the Child Behavior Checklist. The maternal experience of multiple stressful events during pregnancy was associated with subsequent behavioral problems for offspring. Independent (e.g., death of a relative, job loss) and dependent stress events (e.g., financial problems, marital problems) were both significantly associated with a greater incidence of mental health morbidity between age 2 and 14 years. Exposure to stressful events in the first 18 weeks of pregnancy showed similar associations with subsequent total and externalizing morbidity to events reported at 34 weeks of gestation. These results were independent of postnatal stress exposure. Improved support for women with chronic stress exposure during pregnancy may improve the mental health of their offspring in later life.
A DYNAMIC ANALYSIS OF THE MICROSTRUCTURE OF MOVING AVERAGE RULES IN A DOUBLE AUCTION MARKET
Authors: Chiarella Carl , He Xue-Zhong , Pellizzari Paolo
Published: April 2011

Inspired by the theoretically oriented dynamic analysis of moving average rules in the model of Chiarella, He, and Hommes (CHH) [Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control30 (2006), 1729—1753], this paper conducts a dynamic analysis of a more realistic microstructure model of continuous double auctions in which the probability of heterogeneous agents trading is determined by the rules of either fundamentalists mean-reverting to the fundamental or chartists choosing moving average rules based on their relative performance. With such a realistic market microstructure, the model is able not only to obtain the results of the CHH model but also to characterize most of the stylized facts including volatility clustering, insignificant autocorrelations (ACs) of returns, and significant slowly decaying ACs of the absolute returns. The results seem to suggest that a comprehensive explanation of several statistical properties of returns is possible in a framework where bothbehavioraltraits andrealistic microstructurehave a role.
AFLP-based molecular characterization and population structure analysis ofSilybum marianumL.
Authors: Abolghasem Mohammadi Seyed , Shokrpour Majid , Moghaddam Mohammad , Javanshir Aziz
Published: April 2011

Amplified fragment length polymorphism analysis was employed to investigate the population structure of 32 IranianSilybum marianumpopulations along with two commercial varieties. A total of 415 polymorphic marker loci were produced by 27 primer combinations with an average of 15.37 markers per combination. Polymorphic information content ranged from 0.24 to 0.44 with an average of 0.35 per primer combination, and marker index was in the range of 2.56–9.50 with an average of 5.37. The average Nei's genetic diversity (HE) and Shannon's diversity index (I) were 0.201 and 0.296, respectively. The coefficient of differentiation among populations (GST) was 0.44, indicating that 44% of the total molecular diversity resulted from differences between populations. We identified three major groups based on cluster analysis and principal coordinate analysis, which were mostly in concordance with the geographical grouping of the populations. The molecular diversity estimate could be useful for selecting appropriate populations to improveS. marianumthrough conventional and molecular breeding.
Vasculitides of large vessels
Authors: Caspary
Published: April 2011

Vasculitides are inflammatory diseases affecting large, medium or small sized vessels, caused by various immunological processes and possibly triggered by infectious agents. Vascular medicine is particularly concerned with vasculitides affecting large vessels: Takayasu arteritis (TA) and giant cell arteritis (GCA, temporal arteritis), which are determined by a similar special immunopathology, further aortitis and Behçet disease (BD). Recent progress in vascular imaging allows the detection of vessel alterations at an earlier stage and a better control of the course of disease. While cranial symptoms prevail in most elder GCA patients, involvement of larger vessels is increasingly perceived. This especially concerns a subgroup called large vessel GCA in which inflammatory obstructions mainly affect the proximal arm arteries or aorta, predominantly in women of the 6th and 7th decade. Initial therapy is based on corticosteroids. Of other immunosuppressive drugs only methotrexate might be considered in GCA. Disease activity has to be monitored both by laboratory parameters and vascular imaging. Aortitis due to GCA may result in late aneurysms even in patients with good response to medical treatment. Aneurysm development may also be the result of isolated necrotizing aortitis. In Behçet disease, vessel involvement is seen in about 20 % of patients. Regarding arteries, aneurysm formation is more frequent than obstruction. Venous thrombosis is often extended and of central location but rarely leads to pulmonary embolism. Although a specific therapy is not established, immunosuppression seems to be of greatest importance and anticoagulation may be withheld.
Management of chronic atherosclerotic mesenteric ischemia
Authors: Zeller  , Macharzina
Published: April 2011

Chronic mesenteric ischemia (CMI) is most likely caused by atherosclerosis and less frequently by external compression, fibromuscular dysplasia and vasculitis. Symptomatic CMI is an uncommon, potentially under-diagnosed condition caused by fixed stenoses or occlusion of in most conditions at least two visceral arteries. If only one of the three major bowel providing arteries - the celiac trunk, the superior and inferior mesenteric arteries - is affected, the patient is usually asymptomatic due to a tight collateral network. Symptoms and clinical signs of CMI may vary from the classical triad of postprandial pain, weight loss and upper abdominal bruit to nonspecific symptoms thus frequently resulting in delayed diagnosis. Established non-invasive diagnostic means are duplex ultrasound or CT- and MR-angiography offering excellent three dimensional reconstruction of the vessel pathology facilitating the decision for the appropriate revascularisation strategy. During the last decade, despite higher restenosis rates endovascular revascularization has replaced surgical revascularization as therapy of choice in most centers. If untreated CMI of atherosclerotic origin is associated with a high morbidity and mortality. This manuscript reviews the most relevant clinical aspects of the disease and the current practice of diagnosis and treatment of CMI.
PI-3K/AKT signal pathway modulates vascular smooth muscle cells migration under cyclic mechanical strain
Authors: Zhang  , Zhou  , Li  , Xu
Published: April 2011

Background: The migration of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs), exposed to altered mechanical strain, contributes to vascular remodeling which is the key event underlying the pathogenesis of vascular diseases such as atherosclerosis and restenosis. Signal transduction pathways in VSMCs activated by mechanical strain that influence cell migration remain unclear. Herein, we provide evidence that higher mechanical strain enhances VSMCs migration, which is mediated, at least in part, through Akt/protein kinase B (PKB) included pathway. Material and methods: VSMCs were exposed to mechanical strain at 15 % elongation and 5 % elongation, 60 cycles/min using FX-4000T system from at least three independent experiments. VSMCs were incubated with 100nmol/L wortmannin, 10 uM Akti, 10 uM PD98059 and 10 uM SB202190 prior to strain for inhibitor studies, respectively. VSMCs migration,the activation of Akt/PKB, the inhibition of STI-571 and immunofluorescence for actin fibers were detected, respectively. Activation of the Akt pathway and inhibition of STI-571 were assessed with the Western blot technique. Results: (1) Our study demonstrated that VSMCs migration under 15 % strain was facilitated compared with 5 % strain (15 % strain vs. 5 % strain, P < 0.01); and the activation of P-Akt was enhanced compared to the control (15 % strain and 5 % strain vs. static control, P < 0.01, respectively); whereas wortmannin could markedly inhibit serine/threonine kinase Akt/PKB phosphorylation, reduced VSMCs migration following higher mechanical strain stimulation (15 % strain + wortmannin vs. 15 % strain, P < 0.01). Immunofluorescence revealed actin rearrangement, which could also be inhibited by wortmannin in VSMCs induced by cyclic strain. (2) Akti significantly inhibited VSMCs migration (15 % strain + Akti and 5 % strain + Akti vs. static control, P < 0.05,respectively), neither PD98059 nor SB202190 inhibited VSMCs migration (5 % strain + PD98059 or +SB202190 vs. static control, P < 0.01; 15 % strain + PD98059 or +SB202190 vs. static control P < 0.01,respectively). (3) Higher mechanical strain inhibits STI-571 activity in VSMCs (5 % strain vs. static control, P < 0.05; 15 % strain vs. static control, P < 0.01). Conclusions: Our data shows that higher mechanical strain activated-Akt/PKB is required for VSMC migration and probably functions through its effects on actin rearrangement.
Quality of life and satisfaction of patients with leg ulcers - results of a community-based study
Authors: Herberger  , Rustenbach  , Haartje  , Blome  , Franzke  , Schäfer  , Radtke  , Augustin
Published: April 2011

Background: Leg ulcers have a major socio-economic impact because of their frequency and societal costs. Patients with leg ulcers experience major Health related Quality of Life (HrQoL) impairments. The aim of the present study was to assess the disease-specific HrQoL and the influence of care on HrQoL with leg ulcer. Patients and methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in the metropolitan area of Hamburg to assess the quality of care as well as HrQoL in an unrestricted sample of patients with leg ulcers by questionnaires and subsequent clinical examinations. Results: A total of 530 patients were consecutively recruited across all wound care provider sections in the metropolitan area of Hamburg. 53 % of the patients were highly or very satisfied with the health services provided. Significant correlations were found between the disease-specific HrQoL, patient satisfaction and satisfaction with wound treatment. Furthermore, significant predictors of HrQoL were: inadequate pain therapy, insurance status, wound size, time required for dressing changes and wound etiology. Most relevant predictors for satisfaction with health services were: HrQoL, duration of wound, health insurance status and treatment by office-based physicians. In contrast, no statistically significant association with HrQoL and satisfaction was found for gender, living district, education, number of dressing changes per week and the number of comorbidities. Conclusions: The results show that chronic leg ulceration has a major impact on patients HrQoL. Clinical and treatment characteristics, but not socio-demographic data, were predictors of HrQoL and satisfaction with health services. The systematic assessment of HrQoL in patients with leg ulcers across all sectors of health-care is a novum and provides important insights into the reality and quality of care.
Secondary aorto-enteric fistula - still a devastating complication of major vascular surgery
Authors: Lukasiewicz  , Molski
Published: April 2011

Background: Despite advances in vascular surgery and intensive care, secondary aorto-enteric fistulas (AEF) remain a serious threat of major vascular interventions. This report summarizes our experience in the treatment of this condition. Patients and methods: Nineteen patients with secondary AEF admitted between Jan 2004 and Dec 2008 were prospectively enrolled into this cohort observational study. Nine of them presented with massive gastrointestinal bleeding and hemorrhagic shock. Results: None of the patients died preoperatively. Graft in situ replacement was performed in eight patients (42 %), extraanatomic repair in five (26 %), proximal anastomotic reconstruction in five (26 %) and aortic stump closure in one (5 %). One patient died during the operation. Twelve other patients died during hospitalization (days 1 - 100 postop). Complications occurred in 83 % of patients surviving the operation. During follow-up two further patients died suddenly, both probably due to recurrence of fistula. Overall mortality was 79 %. Four remaining patients are alive and without signs of graft infection at a mean follow-up of 45 months (34 - 57). Conclusions: AEF treatment still carries a significant mortality and morbidity. It seems that extraanatomic reconstruction is the best possible therapeutic modality provided the patients condition allows for a prolonged operation. We advise cautious use of the silver-coated polyester prostheses for in situ reconstructions in cases with AEF.
Endovascular repair of aortic rupture due to Brucella aortitis
Authors: Benedetto  , Lentini  , Passari  , Stilo  , De Caridi  , Cascio  , Spinelli
Published: April 2011

Brucellosis is a zoonosis, caused by bacteria belonging to the genus Brucella. Aortic involvement is a rare complication, often following embolization from infective endocarditis. However, contiguous propagation from vertebral involvement may occur. We report the case of an 81 year old patient abruptly presenting with aortic rupture due to Brucella melitensis infection. The diagnosis of aortic rupture was made by CT. The patient underwent urgent endovascular treatment using endoprosthesis deployment in the abdominal aorta and iliac arteries. Long term antibiotic treatment was given. Resolution of the acute event was obtained without further surgical treatment. 18 months after endovascular treatment, the patient remains in good health.
Perforation of inferior vena cava during filter placement
Authors: Piecuch  , Wiewiora  , Nowowiejska-Wiewiora  , Szkodzinski  , Polonski
Published: April 2011

The placement of an inferior vena cava (IVC) filter is a therapeutic method for selected patients with deep venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism. However, insertion and placement of the filter may be associated with certain complications. For instance, retroperitoneal hematoma resulting from perforation of the wall by the filter is such a very rare but serious complication. We report the case of a 64-year-old woman with perforation of the IVC wall and consecutive hematoma caused by the filter who was treated surgically.
Multiresponse multilayer vadose zone model calibration using Markov chain Monte Carlo simulation and field water retention data
Authors: Wöhling Thomas , Vrugt Jasper A.
Published: April 2011

In the past two decades significant progress has been made toward the application of inverse modeling to estimate the water retention and hydraulic conductivity functions of the vadose zone at different spatial scales. Many of these contributions have focused on estimating only a few soil hydraulic parameters, without recourse to appropriately capturing and addressing spatial variability. The assumption of a homogeneous medium significantly simplifies the complexity of the resulting inverse problem, allowing the use of classical parameter estimation algorithms. Here we present an inverse modeling study with a high degree of vertical complexity that involves calibration of a 25 parameter Richards'‐based HYDRUS‐1D model using in situ measurements of volumetric water content and pressure head from multiple depths in a heterogeneous vadose zone in New Zealand. We first determine the trade‐off in the fitting of both data types using the AMALGAM multiple objective evolutionary search algorithm. Then we adopt a Bayesian framework and derive posterior probability density functions of parameter and model predictive uncertainty using the recently developed differential evolution adaptive metropolis, DREAMZS adaptive Markov chain Monte Carlo scheme. We use four different formulations of the likelihood function each differing in their underlying assumption about the statistical properties of the error residual and data used for calibration. We show that AMALGAM and DREAMZS can solve for the 25 hydraulic parameters describing the water retention and hydraulic conductivity functions of the multilayer heterogeneous vadose zone. Our study clearly highlights that multiple data types are simultaneously required in the likelihood function to result in an accurate soil hydraulic characterization of the vadose zone of interest. Remaining error residuals are most likely caused by model deficiencies that are not encapsulated by the multilayer model and can not be accessed by the statistics and likelihood function used. The utilization of an explicit autoregressive error model of the remaining error residuals does not work well for the water content data with HYDRUS‐1D prediction uncertainty bounds that become unrealistically large.