bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Some highlights of research on aging with invertebrates, 2009
Authors: Partridge Linda
Published: June 2009

This annual review focuses on invertebrate model organisms, which shed light on new mechanisms in aging and provide excellent systems for both genome‐wide and in‐depth analysis. This year, protein interaction networks have been used in a new bioinformatic approach to identify novel genes that extend replicative lifespan in yeast. In an extended approach, using a new, human protein interaction network, information from the invertebrates was used to identify new, candidate genes for lifespan extension and their orthologues were validated in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Chemosensation of diffusible substances from bacteria has been shown to limit lifespan in C. elegans, while a systematic study of the different methods used to implement dietary restriction in the worm has shown that they involve mechanisms that are partially distinct and partially overlapping, providing important clarification for addressing whether or not they are conserved in other organisms. A new theoretical model for the evolution of rejuvenating cell division has shown that asymmetrical division for either cell size or for damaged cell constituents results in increased fitness for most realistic levels of cellular protein damage. Work on aging‐related disease has both refined our understanding of the mechanisms underlying one route to the development of Parkinson’s disease and has revealed that in worms, as in mice, dietary restriction is protective against cellular proteotoxicity. Two systematic studies genetically manipulating the superoxide dismutases of C. elegans support the idea that damage from superoxide plays little or no role in aging in this organism, and have prompted discussion of other kinds of damage and other kinds of mechanisms for producing aging‐related decline in function.
Autocrine amplification loop in statin‐induced apoptosis of human melanoma cells
Authors: Minichsdorfer C , Hohenegger M
Published: June 2009

Background and purpose:  Beside their cholesterol lowering effect, statins exert pleiotropic effects, which include anti‐inflammatory, immunosuppressive and anti‐proliferative actions. In higher concentrations, statins trigger apoptosis in primary cells and tumour cells. In particular, melanoma cells have been found to be susceptible to statin‐induced apoptosis, although only after longer incubation times. The molecular mechanisms behind this delayed drug‐induced apoptosis are still unclear.

Experimental approach:  The human melanoma A375 and 518A2 cell lines were exposed to various statins in a time‐dependent and dose‐dependent manner, and indicators of apoptosis, caspase activity and individual apoptotic pathways were analysed for 3‐hydroxy‐3‐methylglutaryl‐coenzyme A reductase dependent and independent effects.

Key results:  Kinetic analysis of statin‐induced apoptosis revealed an apoptotic burst for exposure times longer than 24 h. While the extrinsic pathway was not activated within 24 h, longer incubation times corroborated amplification of the mitochondrial pathway with significant activation of caspase 8. Continuous refreshing of the simvastatin‐containing medium abrogated the mitochondrial amplification loop via caspase 8. Moreover, conditional medium, supplemented with mevalonic acid in order to nullify a possible contamination by statins, significantly triggered caspase 8 activity. Fas ligand was excluded as a possible candidate to account for the statin‐induced autocrine amplification loop.

Conclusions and implications:  Simvastatin and atorvastatin are capable of triggering an ‘autocrine’ suicide factor, which amplifies apoptosis via the extrinsic pathway in human melanoma cells. This pro‐apoptotic stimulus implies possible therapeutic potential and may guide feasibility for more potent statins in anti‐cancer strategies.
A new class of organic nitrates: investigations on bioactivation, tolerance and cross‐tolerance phenomena
Authors: Schuhmacher S , Schulz E , Oelze M , König A , Roegler C , Lange K , Sydow L , Kawamoto T , Wenzel P , Münzel T , Lehmann J , Daiber A
Published: June 2009

Background and purpose:  The chronic use of organic nitrates is limited by serious side effects including oxidative stress, nitrate tolerance and/or endothelial dysfunction. The side effects and potency of nitroglycerine depend on mitochondrial aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH‐2). We sought to determine whether this concept can be extended to a new class of organic nitrates with amino moieties (aminoalkyl nitrates).

Experimental approach:  Vasodilator potency of the organic nitrates, in vitro tolerance and in vivo tolerance (after continuous infusion for 3 days) were assessed in wild‐type and ALDH‐2 knockout mice by isometric tension studies. Mitochondrial oxidative stress was analysed by L‐012‐dependent chemiluminescence and protein tyrosine nitration.

Key results:  Aminoethyl nitrate (AEN) showed an almost similar potency to glyceryl trinitrate (GTN), even though it is only a mononitrate. AEN‐dependent vasodilatation was mediated by cGMP and nitric oxide. In contrast to triethanolamine trinitrate (TEAN) and GTN, AEN bioactivation did not depend on ALDH‐2 and caused no in vitro tolerance. In vivo treatment with TEAN and GTN, but not with AEN, induced cross‐tolerance to acetylcholine (ACh)‐dependent and GTN‐dependent relaxation. Although all nitrates tested induced tolerance to themselves, only TEAN and GTN significantly increased mitochondrial oxidative stress in vitro and in vivo.

Conclusions and implications:  The present results demonstrate that not all high potency nitrates are bioactivated by ALDH‐2 and that high potency of a given nitrate is not necessarily associated with induction of oxidative stress or nitrate tolerance. Obviously, there are distinct pathways for bioactivation of organic nitrates, which for AEN may involve xanthine oxidoreductase rather than P450 enzymes.
Osteoblasts play key roles in the mechanisms of action of strontium ranelate
Authors: Brennan TC , Rybchyn MS , Green W , Atwa S , Conigrave AD , Mason RS
Published: June 2009

Background and purpose:  Strontium ranelate reduces fracture risk in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis. Evidence from non‐clinical studies and analyses of bone markers in phase III trials indicate that this is due to an increase in osteoblast formation and a decrease of osteoclastic resorption. The aim of this work was to investigate, in human cells, the mechanisms by which strontium ranelate is able to influence the activities of osteoblasts and osteoclasts.

Experimental approach:  Human primary osteoblasts were used to examine effects of strontium ranelate on replication (thymidine incorporation), differentiation (Runx2 and alkaline phosphatase) and cell survival (cell counts and caspase activity). Osteoprotegerin (OPG) was measured by quantitative reverse transcription PCR (qRT‐PCR) and elisa and receptor activator of NFκB ligand (RANKL) by qRT‐PCR and Western blot. As strontium ranelate has been proposed as an agonist of the calcium‐sensing receptor (CaSR), the involvement of CaSR in the effects of strontium ranelate on OPG and RANKL expression, and cell replication was examined using siRNA.

Key results:  Strontium ranelate increased mRNA and protein levels of OPG and suppressed those of RANKL. Strontium ranelate also stimulated osteoblast replication and differentiation and increased cell survival under stress. Knocking down CaSR suppressed strontium ranelate‐induced stimulation of OPG mRNA, reduction of RANKL mRNA, and increase in replication, indicating the involvement of CaSR in these responses.

Conclusions and implications:  Our results demonstrate that osteoblasts play a key role in the mechanism of action of the anti‐fracture agent, strontium ranelate by mediating both its anabolic and anti‐resorptive actions, at least in part, via activation of CaSR.
Working Wetland Potential: An index to guide the sustainable development of African wetlands
Authors: McCartney Matthew P. , Houghton‐Carr Helen A.
Published: June 2009

Past experience shows that inappropriate agricultural development in wetlands can undermine sustainability and may have profound social and economic repercussions for people dependent on the range of ecosystem services provided by those wetlands. Nonetheless, there is escalating pressure to expand agriculture within wetlands due to increasing population, in conjunction with efforts to increase food security. This paper describes the development of a semi‐analytical framework for identifying, organizing and analyzing the complex factors that link people, agriculture and wetland ecosystems — an index of Working Wetland Potential (WWP). The method is based on a form of multi‐criteria analysis that integrates biophysical and socio‐economic aspects of wetland utilization. The WWP index emerges from the aggregation of two values: the first arising from an appraisal of both the biophysical and socio‐economic suitability of using the wetland for agriculture; and the second resulting from an assessment of the possible hazards, in relation to both social welfare and the ecological character of the wetland. Hence, the approach provides a way to explicitly integrate biophysical and social aspects of wetland utilization in a single index to enable an initial assessment of the suitability of using a wetland for agriculture. Results from three contrasting wetlands in sub‐Saharan Africa are presented.
Agricultural policies and the emergence of cotton as the dominant crop in northern Côte d’Ivoire: Historical overview and current outlook
Authors: Ajayi Oluyede Clifford , Akinnifesi Festus K. , Sileshi Gudeta , Ajayi Adeola O.
Published: June 2009

In most of sub‐Saharan Africa, where the agricultural sector experiences dismal performance and is characterized by a gloomy picture, the cotton sub‐sector in Côte d’Ivoire is often mentioned as a “success story” given the spectacular rise in the quantity of cotton production and the profile of the crop within the farming system. What are the historical and political antecedents of the development of cotton and the factors responsible for the feat accomplished in the midst of general failures in the same continent? To what extent can cotton be regarded as a “success story” and, what lessons can be drawn for agricultural development strategies based on the Ivorian case study? This paper traces the historical and socio‐political background of cotton development in Côte d’Ivoire and identifies key policy and institutional interventions that have influenced the rise of cotton production and its emergence as the dominant crop in the farming systems of the country. Four stages in Ivorian cotton development are identified: planning, take off, crisis and the renaissance phases. The study demonstrates how a combination of good planning, technological advancement and appropriate policy and institutional conditions have contributed significantly to the rise of cotton production and its influence on the agricultural economy of northern Côte d’Ivoire. The study also highlights how the sustainability of agricultural development has been impacted by domestic and international policies and political events over which smallholder farm families have little control, and can at best only respond to. Important questions about cotton development in Côte d'Ivoire are raised that need to be answered before the program can be categorized conclusively as a success story. The study shows that there are no quick fixes to agricultural development in the sub‐region. Rather, good planning and putting the necessary building blocks in place are important prerequisites. It is recommended that agricultural development efforts in the continent take cognizance of the complexity of the sector and address the inter‐relationships that exist among the technical, policy, market and institutional factors that combine individually and collectively to influence African agriculture.
Property rights and governance of Africa's rangelands: A policy overview
Authors: Mwangi Esther
Published: June 2009

Recent efforts at securing property rights in dryland Africa have generally involved several interrelated processes such as legal and policy reforms that recognize and strengthen customary rights or the seasonal rights of pastoralists, and the decentralization of land allocation and administration to lower governance levels. These solutions are in turn beset by new problems, key among them are establishing norms for local participation in decision making, preventing manipulation and capture by elites, lack of accountability of local level institutions and authorities, and the onset of a new generation of resource user conflicts. Increasing avenues through which dialogue and communication can occur among policy actors (including local communities) in order to mobilize multiple experiences, information, and to manage power relationships — a collaborative approach to policy governance — is one way of approaching the complexity paradox. This is anticipated to provide opportunity for learning, innovation and adaptability.
The History of Dialysis: The Wonderful Apparatus of John Jacob Abel Called the “Artificial Kidney”
Authors: Eknoyan Garabed
Published: June 2009

Hemodialysis, which now provides life‐saving therapy to millions of individuals, began as an exploratory attempt to sustain the lives of selected patients in the 1950s. That was a century after the formulation of the concept and determination of the laws governing dialysis. The first step in the translation of the laboratory principles of dialysis to living animals was the “vividiffusion” apparatus developed by John Jacob Abel (1859–1938), dubbed the “artificial kidney” in the August 11, 1913 issue ofThe Timesof London reporting the demonstration of vividiffusion by Abel at University College. The detailed article in the January 18, 1914 of theNew York Times, reproduced here, is based on the subsequent medical reports published by Abel et al. Tentative attempts of human dialysis in the decade that followed based on the vividiffusion apparatus of Abel and his materials (collodion, hirudin, and glass) met with failure and had to be abandoned. Practical dialysis became possible in the 1940s and thereafter after cellophane, heparin, and teflon became available. Abel worked in an age of great progress and experimental work in the basic sciences that laid the foundations of science‐driven medicine. It was a “Heroic Age of Medicine,” when medical discoveries and communicating them to the public were assuming increasing importance. This article provides the cultural, social, scientific, and medical background in which Abel worked, developed and reported his wonderful apparatus called the “artificial kidney.”
Beyond The Current Paradigm: Recent Advances in The Understanding of Sodium Handling – Guest Editors: Stanley Shaldon and Joerg Vienken: Salt, the Neglected Silent Killer
Authors: Shaldon Stanley , Vienken Joerg
Published: June 2009

A diet high in salt (sodium chloride) is considered to promote a series of pathological sequaelae. Despite increasing scientific evidence, which supports the notion that reducing salt intake has positive long‐term effects, citizens from the Western Hemisphere consume more, not less salt. Changes in lifestyle of modern societies associated with an increased consumption of “fast food” contribute to this development leading to the “disease of the good life” which involves hypertension, cardiovascular events, and even inflammatory effects. By contrast, consuming diets with reduced salt content are associated with a smaller shift of body fluids from the interstitial into the intravascular space, less antihypertensive medication, a reduced asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) production and, after the generation TGFβ‐mRNA, to a lower mitogen‐activated protein kinases (MAPK) activation. Therefore, the recommendation of the clinical practice guidelines for dialysis [Depner et al. (14)] (as well as numerous other guidelines) to reduce salt intake is not a surprise.
ASDIN: Antibiotic Prophylaxis: Is it Needed for Dialysis Access Procedures?
Authors: Salman Loay , Asif Arif
Published: June 2009

Antibiotic prophylaxis has been employed to reduce the risk of infection. Many reports have documented the role of prophylactic antibiotics on the subsequent development of infection in patients undergoing surgical as well as a variety of percutaneous interventions including cardiac, vascular, biliary, genitourinary, and drainage of fluid collections. While prophylactic antibiotics can be critically important for certain procedures, their use can be associated with allergic reactions (including anaphylaxis), development of bacterial resistance, and increased costs of medical care. In this analysis, we report the incidence of clinical infection following minimally invasive interventions for dialysis access procedures. Hemodialysis (HD) and peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients undergoing consecutive percutaneous interventions (n = 3162) for HD and PD access were included in this study. Procedure‐related clinical infection was defined as the presence of fever/chills, tenderness, erythema, swelling within 72 hours postprocedure. The procedures included percutaneous balloon angioplasty (arterial and venous) [n = 2078 (AVF = 1310; AVG = 768)], venography for vascular mapping (n = 110), endovascular stent insertion (n = 26), intravascular coil placement (n = 31), thrombectomy for an arteriovenous fistula (n = 106), thrombectomy for an arteriovenous graft (n = 110), tunneled hemodialysis catheter (TDC) insertion and exchange (n = 283), TDC removal (n = 160), and insertion of accidentally extruded TDC through the same exit site (n = 9). There were 260 peritoneal dialysis catheter insertions and 15 repositioning procedures. Only patients undergoing TDC insertion for accidentally extruded catheter and PD catheter placement received antibiotic prophylaxis within 1–2 hours before the procedure. Extruded TDC received 1 g of cefazolin while PD catheter insertion had 1 g of intravenous vancomycin. Povidone iodine was used for skin antisepsis in all cases. One patient (0.04%) postangioplasty and one patient (0.3%) after tunneled catheter placement developed clinical infection manifested by fever, chills, and malaise within 24 hours of the procedure. Both required hospitalization. Patient with angioplasty was a diabetic with an arteriovenous graft while TDC insertion was performed in a patient with advanced HIV. Percutaneous dialysis access procedure infections are generally low and might not warrant routine administration of antibiotic prophylaxis for all cases except for PD catheters and accidentally extruded TDC.
Red Blood Cell Damage from Extracorporeal Circulation in Hemodialysis
Authors: Polaschegg Hans‐Dietrich
Published: June 2009

Blood damage is an unavoidable side effect of extracorporeal circulation. The effects of blood damage on patients’ hematocrit and erythropoietin requirement as well as other potential side effects have not been studied for uneventful treatments. Comparing long nocturnal dialysis with regular 4‐hour, three times per week dialysis allows for the conclusion that the influence of blood damage caused by extracorporeal circulation is small compared with biochemical effects. Acute hemolysis is one of the few remaining mechanical problems of dialysis. Acute hemolysis is caused by obstructions within the extracorporeal circuit caused by manufacturing errors, kinking of blood tubing or user errors, or by a combination of excessive flow and improper cannula or catheter dimensions. The risk of acute hemolysis can be further reduced by industrial quality control, better design of dialysis equipment, and hemodialysis machine control. Adverse effects caused by chronic mechanical hemolysis need to be studied.
Modeling Corn Ethanol and Climate
Authors: Plevin Richard J.
Published: June 2009

New fuel regulations based on life cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have focused renewed attention on life cycle models of biofuels. The BESS model estimates 25% lower life cycle GHG emissions for corn ethanol than does the well‐known GREET model, which raises questions about which model is more accurate. I develop a life cycle metamodel to compare the GREET and BESS models in detail and to explain why the results from these models diverge. I find two main reasons for the divergence: (1) BESS models a more efficient biorefinery than is modeled in the cases to which its results have been compared, and (2) in several instances BESS fails to properly count upstream emissions. Adjustments to BESS to account for these differences raise the estimated global warming intensity (not including land use change) of the corn ethanol pathway considered in that model from 45 to 61 g CO2e MJ−1. Adjusting GREET to use BESS's biorefinery performance and coproduct credit assumptions reduces the GREET estimate from 64 to 61 g CO2e MJ−1. Although this analysis explains the gap between the two models, both models would be improved with better data on corn production practices and by better treatment of agricultural inputs.
Disease‐Specific, Versus Standard, Nutritional Support for the Treatment of Pressure Ulcers in Institutionalized Older Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Cereda Emanuele , Gini Anna , Pedrolli Carlo , Vanotti Alfredo
Published: June 2009

OBJECTIVES: To investigate whether a disease‐specific nutritional approach is more beneficial than a standard dietary approach to the healing of pressure ulcers (PUs) in institutionalized elderly patients.

DESIGN: Twelve‐week follow‐up randomized controlled trial (RCT).

SETTING: Four long‐term care facilities in the province of Como, Italy.

PARTICIPANTS: Twenty‐eight elderly subjects with Stage II, III, and IV PUs of recent onset (<1‐month history).

INTERVENTION: All 28 patients received 30 kcal/kg per day nutritional support; of these, 15 received standard nutrition (hospital diet or standard enteral formula; 16% calories from protein), whereas 13 were administered a disease‐specific nutrition treatment consisting of the standard diet plus a 400‐mL oral supplement or specific enteral formula enriched with protein (20% of the total calories), arginine, zinc, and vitamin C (P<.001 for all nutrients vs control).

MEASUREMENTS: Ulcer healing was evaluated using the Pressure Ulcer Scale for Healing (PUSH; 0=complete healing, 17=greatest severity) tool and area measurement (mm2 and %).

RESULTS: The sampled groups were well matched for age, sex, nutritional status, oral intake, type of feeding, and ulcer severity. After 12 weeks, both groups showed significant improvement (P<.001). The treatment produced a higher rate of healing, the PUSH score revealing a significant difference at Week 12 (−6.1±2.7 vs −3.3±2.4; P<.05) and the reduction in ulcer surface area significantly higher in the treated patients already by Week 8 (−1,140.9±669.2 mm2 vs −571.7±391.3 mm2; P<.05 and ∼57% vs ∼33%; P<.02).

CONCLUSION: The rate of PU healing appears to accelerate when a nutrition formula enriched with protein, arginine, zinc, and vitamin C is administered, making such a formula preferable to a standardized one, but the present data require further confirmation by high‐quality RCTs conducted on a larger scale.
Disparities in Oral Health Status Between Older Adults in a Multiethnic Rural Community: The Rural Nutrition and Oral Health Study
Authors: Quandt Sara A. , Chen Haiying , Bell Ronny A. , Anderson Andrea M. , Savoca Margaret R. , Kohrman Teresa , Gilbert Gregg H. , Arcury Thomas A.
Published: June 2009

OBJECTIVES: To compare oral health status according to ethnicity and socioeconomic status in African‐American, American‐Indian, and white dentate and edentulous community‐dwelling older adults.

DESIGN: Cross‐sectional study; data from self‐reports and oral examinations.

PARTICIPANTS: A multistage cluster sampling design was used to recruit 635 participants aged 60 and older from rural North Carolina counties with substantial African‐American and American‐Indian populations.

MEASUREMENTS: Participants completed in‐home interviews and oral examinations. Self‐reported data included sociodemographic indicators; self‐rated oral health status; presence or absence of periodontal disease, bleeding gums, oral pain, dry mouth; and fit of prostheses. Oral examination data included number of teeth and numbers of anterior and posterior functional occlusal units.

RESULTS: African Americans and American Indians had significantly lower incomes and educational attainment than whites. Self‐rated oral health was significantly better in whites than in African Americans and American Indians. Prevalence of self‐reported periodontal disease and bleeding gums was lower in whites. Of dentate participants, African Americans were significantly more likely than whites to have 11 to 20 teeth and one or two posterior occlusal contacts. Oral health deficits remained associated with ethnicity when adjusted for socioeconomic variables.

CONCLUSION: Oral health disparities in older adults in a multiethnic rural area were largely associated with ethnicity and not socioeconomic status. Clinicians should be aware of these health disparities in oral health status and their possible role in disparities in chronic disease. Further research is necessary to understand whether these oral health disparities reflect current or lifetime access to care, diet, or attitudes toward oral health care.
A Molecular Perspective on Ecological Differentiation and Biogeography of Cyclotrichiid Ciliates
Authors: BASS DAVID , BROWN NICK , MACKENZIE‐DODDS JACKIE , DYAL PATRICIA , NIERZWICKI‐BAUER SANDRA A. , VEPRITSKIY ALEXEY A. , RICHARDS THOMAS A.
Published: June 2009

ABSTRACT. Cyclotrichiids are of ecological and evolutionary interest by virtue of their importance in red tide formation, their highly divergent small subunit (SSU) ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes, kleptoplastidy, and utility as indicators of eutrophication. However, only seven strains have had their SSU rRNA genes sequenced and their environmental diversity and distribution are largely unknown. We probed 67 globally dispersed freshwater column/sediment and soil DNA samples (eDNAs) and constructed 24 environmental gene libraries using polymerase chain reaction primers specific to an uncharacterised cyclotrichiid subgroup. We reveal a novel, globally ubiquitous freshwater clade comprising 25 genetically distinct SSU ribosomal DNA (rDNA) sequences (SSU‐types). Some identical SSU‐types were detected at globally widely distributed sites. The SSU‐types form four distinct phylogenetic clusters according to marine or non‐marine provenance, suggesting at least one major marine–freshwater evolutionary transition within the cyclotrichiids. We used the same primers to sample intensively 18 sampling points in 13 closely situated lakes, each characterised by 14 environmental variables, and showed that molecular detection or non‐detection of cyclotrichiids was most significantly influenced by levels of total phosphorus, dissolved organic carbon, and chlorophyll a. Within the subset of lakes in which cyclotrichiids were detected, closely related SSU‐types differed in their ecological preferences to pH, total phosphorus, and sample depth.
Travailler plus pour gagner plus? Les avis partagés des Européens
Authors: DAVOINE Lucie , MÉDA Dominique
Published: June 2009

Les Européens souhaitent‐ils travailler moins ou plus? Quelle place le travail devrait‐il occuper, à leurs yeux, dans la société? Les enquêtes montrent qu'ils accordent une grande importance au travail, mais qu'une partie d'entre eux souhaite voir celui‐ci occuper une moindre place dans leur vie. Comment expliquer ce paradoxe? Trois hypothèses sont explorées en exploitant les principaux résultats des enquêtes internationales: l'étiolement des attentes à l'égard du travail, le fossé entre ces attentes et une réalité qui n'est pas satisfaisante, et enfin la volonté de dédier plus de temps à d'autres activités. Les auteures concluent par des suggestions politiques.
Progrès technique et répartition des revenus en Europe
Authors: PERUGINI Cristiano , POMPEI Fabrizio
Published: June 2009

Les auteurs apportent des éléments empiriques montrant le lien entre progrès technique et inégalités de revenu dans quatorze pays d'Europe. Ils testent l'hypothèse du changement technique favorisant les qualifications dans des secteurs ayant différentes densités en technologie et montrent la complémentarité entre progrès technique et qualifications. Ils en viennent ensuite à rechercher si l'évolution de la demande de travail qualifié est un déterminant des inégalités et observent dans cinq secteurs sur huit une relation non linéaire, suivant une courbe en U inversé, pouvant s'expliquer par le comblement dans le temps du décalage entre demande et offre de main‐d'œuvre qualifiée.
La Cour suprême de justice de la Nation et le régime syndical argentin
Authors: Goldin Adrián
Published: June 2009

Le monopole syndical établi par la loi argentine vient d'être remis en cause par un arrêt de la Cour suprême, selon lequel le syndicat désigné comme «le plus représentatif» jouit, par rapport aux autres, de facultés et privilèges excessifs. Cela est contraire au principe «d'organisation libre et démocratique des syndicats» inscrit dans la Constitution du pays et à la doctrine des organes de contrôle de l'OIT. Ainsi, la cour reconnaît le rang constitutionnel de la convention (n° 87) sur la liberté syndicale et rejette une unité syndicale imposée par la loi et non librement décidée par les travailleurs.
Statistiques du travail: frontières et diversité du travail
Authors: Bollé Patrick
Published: June 2009

La 18e Conférence internationale des statisticiens du travail s'est réunie fin 2008. Elle avait à son ordre du jour les questions de mesure dans les domaines suivants: temps de travail, travail des enfants, travail décent, sous‐utilisation de la main‐d'œuvre, travail bénévole, etc. L'auteur examine ici les innovations en matière de concepts et de définitions, notamment à propos des frontières de la notion de travail. Parmi elles, la prise en compte du travail domestique et bénévole au sein des ménages est particulièrement utile à la mesure du temps de travail et du travail des enfants.
Antipsychotic prescribing trends: a review of pharmaco‐epidemiological studies
Authors: Verdoux H. , Tournier M. , Bégaud B.
Published: June 2009

Objective:  To review findings from pharmaco‐epidemiological studies exploring antipsychotic (AP) drugs prescribing trends.

Method:  We retrieved original studies that explored AP prescribing trends in general population samples since 2000. For each study, we extracted information on sampling method, period, assessment of AP use and corresponding estimates (incidence rates, prevalence rates, pharmacy sales, prescription data) and diagnostic assessment.

Results:  Nearly all studies meeting the inclusion criteria (n = 17) showed an increase in AP prescriptions, mainly because of a dramatic rise in second‐generation antipsychotics (SGAP) prescriptions. APs are often prescribed for non‐psychotic disorders in adults as well as in children and adolescents.

Conclusion:  Considering the growing number of persons from the general population exposed to APs, population studies assessing the risk/benefit ratio of SGAP use in disorders other than psychosis are necessary, particularly in children and adolescents.
The impact of ecological differentiation and dispersal limitation on species turnover and phylogenetic structure of inselberg's plant communities
Authors: Parmentier Ingrid , Hardy Olivier J.
Published: June 2009

Phylogenetic structure analysis is a novel way to address the relative importance of stochastic and deterministic processes governing species assemblages. Here we investigate the phylogenetic structure of the vegetation of inselbergs located in the African rain forest. Inselbergs combine strong ecological gradients at the local scale due to soil depth variation and insular properties at the regional scale. They are therefore ideal models to assess the influence of ecological sorting and dispersal limitation on the phylogenetic structure of plant communities. On 21 inselbergs separated by up to 200 km where five microhabitat‐types were recognized, 311 vegetation plots were inventoried. We found that floristic similarity between plots depended on both microhabitat differentiation and spatial distance, while phylogenetic clustering (i.e. excess of phylogenetic similarity between species from a same plot) only appeared between plots from differentiated microhabitats and increased with ecological distance. Within a microhabitat‐type, the absence of phylogenetic structure between inselbergs indicates that species turnover is probably due to dispersal limitation rather than to regional‐scale variations in environmental factors. Hence, phylogenetic structure analysis can help disentangle the effects of ecological sorting and dispersal limitation on species assemblages. To estimate the time‐scale of the processes generating the phylogenetic structure, we investigated how lineage similarity changes with increasing age in the phylogenetic tree. High lineage similarity levels between ecologically very differentiated plots were only reached at the proximity of the root of the phylogenetic tree. This was observed even when considering only plots sharing no species and indicates that phylogenetic niche conservatism has been important for generating the observed phylogenetic structure. Hence, ancient diversification exerts an impact on the assembly of current plant communities.
Contrasting age‐specific recruitment and survival at different spatial scales: a case study with the European storm petrel
Authors: Sanz‐Aguilar Ana , Massa Bruno , Lo Valvo Fabio , Oro Daniel , Minguez Eduardo , Tavecchia Giacomo
Published: June 2009

Evolutionary studies on optimal decisions or conservation guidelines are often derived by generalising patterns from a single population, while inter‐population variability in life‐history traits is seldom considered. We investigated here how survival and recruitment probabilities changed with age at different geographical scales using the encounter histories of 5523 European storm petrels from three Mediterranean colonies, and also how our estimates of these parameters might be expected to affect population growth rates using population matrix models. We recorded similar patterns among colonies, but also important biological differences. Local survival, recruitment and breeding success increased with age at all colonies; the most distant of three colonies (Marettimo Is.) showed the largest differences. Strikingly, differences in recruitment were also found between two adjacent colonies (two caves from Benidorm Is.). Birds marked as adults from Marettimo and Benidorm colonies had a different survival, whereas we found no differences within Benidorm. Differences in survival were no longer apparent between the two islands at the end of the study following a reduction in predation by specialist gulls at Benidorm. Since birds marked as fledglings mostly recruited near the end of the study, their overall survival was high and in turn similar among colonies. Results from our population matrix models suggested that different age‐dependent patterns of demographic parameters can lead to similar population growth rates. Variability appeared to be greater for recruitment and the most sensitive parameter was adult survival. Thus conservation actions targeting this vulnerable species should focus on factors influencing adult survival. Differences in survival and recruitment among colonies could reflect the spatial heterogeneity in mortality due to predation and colony‐specific density dependent processes. Results highlight the importance of taking into account the potential spatio‐temporal heterogeneity among populations in vital rates, even in those traits that life‐history theory considers less important in driving population dynamics.
Resilience of fishes and invertebrates to prolonged drought in two California streams
Authors: Bêche Leah A. , Connors Peter G. , Resh Vincent H. , Merenlender Adina M.
Published: June 2009

Long‐term data are needed to assess spatial and temporal variability of communities and their resilience to natural and anthropogenic disturbances, particularly in climatic regions marked by high interannual variability (e.g. mediterranean‐climate). A long‐term study at four sites on two streams in mediterranean‐climate California (annual sampling over 20 yr) allowed us to quantify the influence of a 5‐yr prolonged drought on stream invertebrate and fish communities. Invertebrate community composition did not show recovery following drought. The primary environmental factors influencing community composition, identified through principle components and multiple correspondence analyses were precipitation and flow permanence. Invertebrate taxon richness and abundance exhibited few responses (some site specific) and recovered quickly. Native fish abundance was lowest during the drought period and highest during the wet years that occurred at the end of the study period. Importantly, the prolonged drought facilitated the establishment and success of the invasive green sunfish (Centrarchidae: Lepomis cyanellus) that was then resilient to subsequent large flow events. There was high spatial synchrony in the temporal changes among all four sites, and three distinct periods were identified: early drought, late drought, and post‐drought years. However, we still found differences among sites along the flow permanence gradient from temporary to perennial in the response to drought of both invertebrate and fish assemblages likely as a result of changes in substrate, vegetation, and other habitat characteristics. The observed lack of resilience and negative impacts to biodiversity due to prolonged drought associated with long‐term habitat changes is important because hydroclimatic extremes are predicted to increase in frequency and magnitude with global climate change.
Environmental and historical effects on richness and endemism patterns of carabid beetles in the western Palaearctic
Authors: Schuldt Andreas , Assmann Thorsten
Published: June 2009

Identifying determinants of spatial diversity gradients is in the focus of biodiversity‐related research and has gained considerable importance regarding global change and conservation strategies. Despite their overwhelming diversity and the crucial role of invertebrates in ecosystem functioning, our understanding of factors driving broad‐scale invertebrate diversity is limited. Tackling this issue, our study analyzes macroecological patterns of a highly diverse insect taxon across large parts of the western Palaearctic. We used regression modelling to assess the influence of environmental factors on overall, widespread and restricted‐range (endemic) carabid beetle diversity. Single‐term regressions and variation partitioning among climatic, topographic and spatial variables showed that total carabid diversity as well as richness patterns of widespread species were most strongly correlated with spatially structured variables related to current climate (measures of ambient energy and, to a lesser degree, precipitation and AET). In contrast, restricted‐range (endemic) species were most notably related to range in elevation. We discuss the possible role of this factor as a surrogate measure of historical processes and the impact of history on contemporary diversity distributions. Our results indicate that while overall diversity patterns of carabids strongly reflect current climate conditions, this primarily reflects the more widespread species, whereas the spatial distribution of restricted‐range species is still significantly affected by historical processes. Thus, for a general understanding of determinants and mechanisms of broad‐scale diversity, taking into account dispersal abilities and range sizes of species is essential, especially as large parts of global biodiversity are represented by invertebrates with low dispersal powers.
Health‐related quality of life assessment in randomised controlled trials in multiple myeloma: a critical review of methodology and impact on treatment recommendations
Authors: Kvam Ann Kristin , Fayers Peter , Hjermstad Marianne , Gulbrandsen Nina , Wisloff Finn
Published: June 2009

Objectives:  Patients with multiple myeloma (MM) often have pronounced symptoms and substantially reduced quality of life. The aims of treatment are to control disease, maximise quality of life and prolong survival. Hence, health‐related quality of life (HRQOL) should be an important end‐point in randomised controlled trials (RCTs) in addition to traditional endpoints. We wanted to evaluate whether trials reporting HRQOL outcomes have influenced clinical decision making and whether HRQOL was assessed robustly according to predefined criteria.

Methods:  A systematic review identified RCTs in MM with HRQOL assessment as a study end‐point. The methodological quality of these studies was assessed according to a checklist developed for evaluating HRQOL outcomes in clinical trials. The impact of the HRQOL results on clinical decision making was assessed, using published clinical guidelines as a reference.

Results:  Fifteen publications presenting RCTs with HRQOL as a study end‐point were identified. In 13 trials, the author stated that HRQOL results should influence clinical decision making. We found, however, that the HRQOL data only had a limited impact on published treatment guidelines for bisphosphonates, high‐dose treatment, interferon, erythropoiesis‐stimulating agents and novel agents.

Conclusion:  The present review indicates that the there are still few RCTs in MM including HRQOL as a study end‐point. Systematic incorporation of HRQOL measures into clinical trials allows for a comparison of treatment arms that includes the patients’ perspective. Before the full impact on clinical decisions can be realised, the quality and methodology of collecting HRQOL data must be further improved and the results rendered more comprehensible to clinicians.
Two independent gene signatures in pediatric t(4;11) acute lymphoblastic leukemia patients
Authors: Trentin Luca , Giordan Marco , Dingermann Theo , Basso Giuseppe , Te Kronnie Geertruy , Marschalek Rolf
Published: June 2009

Objective:  Gene expression profiles become increasingly more important for diagnostic procedures, allowing clinical predictions including treatment response and outcome. However, the establishment of specific and robust gene signatures from microarray data sets requires the analysis of large numbers of patients and the application of complex biostatistical algorithms. Especially in case of rare diseases and due to these constrains, diagnostic centers with limited access to patients or bioinformatic resources are excluded from implementing these new technologies.

Method:  In our study we sought to overcome these limitations and for proof of principle, we analyzed the rare t(4;11) leukemia disease entity. First, gene expression data of each t(4;11) leukemia patient were normalized by pairwise subtraction against normal bone marrow (n = 3) to identify significantly deregulated gene sets for each patient.

Result:  A ‘core signature’ of 186 commonly deregulated genes present in each investigated t(4;11) leukemia patient was defined. Linking the obtained gene sets to four biological discriminators (HOXA gene expression, age at diagnosis, fusion gene transcripts and chromosomal breakpoints) divided patients into two distinct subgroups: the first one comprised infant patients with low HOXA genes expression and the MLL breakpoints within introns 11/12. The second one comprised non‐infant patients with high HOXA expression and MLL breakpoints within introns 9/10.

Conclusion:  A yet homogeneous leukemia entity was further subdivided, based on distinct genetic properties. This approach provided a simplified way to obtain robust and disease‐specific gene signatures even in smaller cohorts.
Primary cutaneous diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma, leg type, with features simulating POEMS syndrome
Authors: Nakayama Shoko , Yokote Taiji , Kobayashi Kichinosuke , Hirata Yuji , Akioka Toshikazu , Miyoshi Takuji , Oka Satoko , Hiraoka Nobuya , Iwaki Kazuki , Takayama Ayami , Takubo Takayuki , Tsuji Motomu , Hanafusa Toshiaki
Published: June 2009

A 91‐year‐old woman presented with a rapidly proliferative cutaneous lesion on the left lower limb, which was identified as a primary cutaneous diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma (PCLBCL), leg type, on biopsy. The patient also showed complications of hepatomegaly, endocrinopathy, edema, skin change, and polyneuropathy without monoclonal plasma cell proliferative disorder, and was therefore diagnosed with POEMS‐like syndrome owing to the lack of monoclonal plasma cell proliferative disorder. Levels of serum vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and interleukin‐6 (IL‐6) were high with the lymphoma cells immunostained positively for VEGF and IL‐6. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case report of PCLBCL, leg type, with POEMS‐like syndrome. The findings in this case suggest that the symptoms of POEMS‐like syndrome might be caused by the cytokines produced by the lymphoma cells. Furthermore, a wider range of diagnostic criteria associated with the result of abnormal secretion of cytokine may have to be considered for the diagnosis and evaluation of patients with possible POEMS syndrome, as against the present criteria specifying monoclonal plasma cell proliferative disorder as the essential criterion.
A digital tongue imaging system for tongue coating evaluation in patients with oral malodour
Authors: Kim J , Jung Y , Park K , Park J‐W
Published: June 2009

Objective:  Several simple visual methods have been developed for assessing tongue coating, but it is difficult to eliminate biases associated with these. The digital tongue imaging system (DTIS) was designed to acquire tongue surface images using a digital camera under controlled conditions, and to calculate tongue coating area. The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential of DTIS for clinical use by comparing it with the Winkel tongue coating index (WTCI).

Materials and Methods:  Forty participants with oral malodour were rated on WTCI by two independent examiners, and photographs of their tongues were assessed using the DTIS. The photographs were also rated by the examiners (blinded to in vivo WTCI and DTIS statuses).

Results:  Agreements between in vivo WTCI ratings and DTIS assessments were relatively high at r = 0.561 for one examiner and r = 0.736 for the other (P < 0.01), while agreements between the in vivo WTCI ratings and tongue photograph‐based ratings were also high at r = 0.645 for one examiner and r = 0.742 (P < 0.01) for the other.

Conclusions:  Digital tongue imaging system was found to be highly reliable and as having potential clinical applications. However, the algorithm for determining in vivo tongue coating status requires improvement.
No evidence of intrauterine transmission of hepatitis A virus from a mother to a premature infant
Authors: Selander Bo , Bläckberg Jonas , Widell Anders , Johansson PJ Hugo
Published: June 2009

Aim:  To determine whether or not an intrauterine transmission of hepatitis A virus (HAV) occurred from an infected mother to her premature infant delivered by caesarean section.

Methods:  The mother and her child were tested for HAV by serology and reverse transcription PCR.

Results:  An outbreak of HAV infection was seen among children and a 33‐year‐old day‐care teacher, pregnant in third trimester, at a day‐care centre in southern Sweden. Due to premature labour and diminished foetal movements a caesarean section was performed and a premature girl in gestational weeks 33 + 1 was born. During the 3‐week postnatal hospitalization period the child presented no clinical symptoms of HAV infection and anti‐HAV IgM antibodies remained undetectable at day 14 and 109 after birth. Furthermore HAV RNA remained undetectable by reverse transcription PCR in the child’s blood at birth and in throat and faeces for the first 3 and 4 weeks of life respectively. HAV RNA in the mother’s blood was detected at 6 days prior to and at 17 days after delivery. HAV RNA was undetectable in breast milk when tested on day 3 after delivery.

Conclusion:  There was no evidence of intrauterine transmission of hepatitis A virus from a viraemic mother to her premature child delivered at gestational week 33 + 1 by caesarean section.