bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Off‐label use of recombinant factor VIIa in two tertiary hospitals in Queensland
Authors: Donovan Peter J. , Iedema Joel , McLeod Donald S. , Kubler Paul , Pillans Peter
Published: November 2012

Background

Recombinant factor VIIa (rFVIIa) is used for many off‐label indications without high quality evidence to support its efficacy. The aim of this study was to determine indications for use of off‐label rFVIIa, efficacy and safety, and adherence to institutional guidelines.

Methods

We performed a retrospective review of off‐label rFVIIa at two tertiary hospitals from 2007 to 2010.

Results

One hundred forty‐five administrations were identified and analysed. Haemorrhage associated with cardiac surgery made up one‐third of all rFVIIa usage, with trauma (20%) and other surgery (11%) the next most frequent indications. Compared with all others, cardiac surgery patients were older (60.0 years versus 47.4 years, P < 0.001) and had lower pre‐rFVIIa transfusion requirements, a higher subjective response rate (88% versus 46%, P < 0.001) and lower mortality rates (6.1% versus 33%, P < 0.001), but higher rates of arterial thrombormbolic events (16.7% versus 2.1%, P = 0.002). Most patients received only one or two doses (n = 137; 95%), with no subject receiving a third or subsequent dose having an appreciable reduction in bleeding. Only a small number of patients (n = 15; 10.3%) had rFVIIa administered in accordance with our institutions' guidelines.

Conclusion

Patients administered rFVIIa for haemorrhage not associated with cardiac surgery were severely unwell. Despite lack of evidence, administration of rFVIIa may be justified by the high mortality rate, but more than two doses are unlikely to provide further benefit. The high rate of arterial thromboembolism in cardiac surgical patients raises risk–benefit considerations. Adherence to our institutions' guidelines was poor.
Fatty acid transporters involved in the palmitate and oleate induced insulin resistance in primary rat hepatocytes
Authors: Chabowski A. , Żendzian‐Piotrowska M. , Konstantynowicz K. , Pankiewicz W. , Mikłosz A. , Łukaszuk B. , Górski J.
Published: November 2012

Aims

To determine the presence and possible involvement of FAT/CD36, FABPpm and FATP‐2, transporters in (i) fatty acids movement across plasma membrane and (ii) an induction of insulin resistance by palmitic (PA) and oleic (OA) fatty acids in primary hepatocytes.

Methods

Primary hepatocytes were treated with either PA and OA or combination of activators (AICAR, Insulin) or inhibitors (SSO, phloretin) of FA transport. Expression of FA and glucose transporters as well as insulin signalling proteins was determined using Western blot analyses. Palmitate and glucose transport was measured using radioactive isotopes. Intracellular lipid content [ceramide, diacylglycerols (DG) and triacylglycerols] and FA composition were estimated by GLC.

Results

In primary hepatocytes, adding phloretin diminished insulin, and AICAR stimulated palmitate transport. Both PA and OA fatty acids induced the protein expression of FAT/CD36 and FATP‐2 with concomitant: (i) reduction in GLUT‐2 protein content, (ii) inhibition of insulin‐stimulated glucose uptake, (iii) reduction in insulin‐stimulated activation of AKT and GSK, (iv) accumulation of either DG (PA and OA) or ceramide (only PA).

Conclusions

FA transport into hepatocytes is, at least in part, protein‐mediated process, and both PA and OA induce the protein expression of FAT/CD36 and FATP‐2. Both saturated (PA) and unsaturated (OA) fatty acids induce insulin resistance in primary hepatocytes, associated with the accumulation of DG and/or ceramide.
Informed Consent in Direct‐to‐Consumer Personal Genome Testing: The Outline of A Model between Specific and Generic Consent
Authors: Bunnik Eline M. , Janssens A. Cecile J.W. , Schermer Maartje H.N.
Published: November 2012

Broad genome‐wide testing is increasingly finding its way to the public through the online direct‐to‐consumer marketing of so‐called personal genome tests. Personal genome tests estimate genetic susceptibilities to multiple diseases and other phenotypic traits simultaneously. Providers commonly make use of Terms of Service agreements rather than informed consent procedures. However, to protect consumers from the potential physical, psychological and social harms associated with personal genome testing and to promote autonomous decision‐making with regard to the testing offer, we argue that current practices of information provision are insufficient and that there is a place – and a need – for informed consent in personal genome testing, also when it is offered commercially. The increasing quantity, complexity and diversity of most testing offers, however, pose challenges for information provision and informed consent. Both specific and generic models for informed consent fail to meet its moral aims when applied to personal genome testing. Consumers should be enabled to know the limitations, risks and implications of personal genome testing and should be given control over the genetic information they do or do not wish to obtain. We present the outline of a new model for informed consent which can meet both the norm of providing sufficient information and the norm of providing understandable information. The model can be used for personal genome testing, but will also be applicable to other, future forms of broad genetic testing or screening in commercial and clinical settings.
Fluoxetine Induces Hepatic Lipid Accumulation Via Both Promotion of the SREBP1c‐Related Lipogenesis and Reduction of Lipolysis in Primary Mouse Hepatocytes
Authors: Feng Xue‐Min , Xiong Jing , Qin Hao , Liu Wei , Chen Rui‐Ni , Shang Wei , Ning Rui , Hu Gang , Yang Jian
Published: November 2012

Aims

In this study, we investigated the peripheral mechanisms underlying the metabolic side effects of fluoxetine (FLX) by focusing on hepatic lipid metabolism.

Methods

Primary mouse hepatocytes were prepared from male mice by the two‐step perfusion method. The lipid accumulation in primary mouse hepatocytes was analyzed via neutral oil staining. And the lipid metabolism enzymes were determined with RT‐PCR and Western blot.

Results

Fluoxetine significantly induced the lipid accumulation in primary mouse hepatocytes. Moreover, FLX increased the acetyl‐CoA carboxylase 1 (ACC1) and fatty acid synthase (FAS) expression, which are important enzymes in lipogenesis. Oppositely, Fluoxetine significantly decreased the carboxylesterase 3 (CES3) and carboxylesterase 1 (CES1) expression, which are related to lipolysis. Further study demonstrated FLX‐activated SREBP1c, which is one of the most important transcription factors conducting coordinated transcriptional regulation of lipogenesis gene such as ACC1 and FAS. And the increase of lipogenesis gene (ACC1) was abolished by SB203580 but not by pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (PDTC), suggesting through p38‐MAPK pathway.

Conclusion

Fluoxetine induces hepatic lipid accumulation via both promotion of the SREBP1c‐related lipogenesis and reduction of lipolysis in primary mouse hepatocytes.
Revisiting the indicator problem: can three epigean arthropod taxa inform about each other's biodiversity?
Authors: Beck Jan , Pfiffner Lukas , Ballesteros‐Mejia Liliana , Blick Theo , Luka Henryk
Published: November 2012

Aim

Conservation studies often investigate the biodiversity of one taxonomic group with the expectation that it reflects biodiversity of other taxa as well. However, previous studies have found that biodiversity patterns are often only weakly correlated across ecologically very different taxa. Using three arthropod taxa that share the same habitat, utilize similar resources and are sampled with identical technique, we investigate the applicability of two levels of biodiversity indication: (1) prediction of biodiversity patterns, and (2) inference of environment–biodiversity relationships. The second aspect is of high relevance to applied conservation management yet mostly neglected, at least in terrestrial systems, when discussing the indicator concept.

Location

Northern Switzerland

Methods

We used a very large data set of pitfall trap samples from different habitats for three taxonomic groups (Carabidae, Staphylinidae and Araneae). We quantified biodiversity by different metrics of local diversity (species richness, effective number of species) and of pairwise faunal dissimilarities (Sørensen, Bray–Curtis). We investigated the congruence of (1) biodiversity patterns by cross‐taxa regressions, and (2) environmental models of biodiversity by comparing fitted coefficients, and resulting extrapolations across the research region.

Results

We found positive yet not very strong correlations in biodiversity patterns, while environmental models differed considerably between taxa as well as between diversity metrics.

Main conclusions

Inferences of environment–biodiversity relationships can differ between taxonomic groups even if biodiversity patterns alone show significant correlation. This may be either because species indeed respond differently to environmental variation or because of misspecifications inherent in ecological modelling. Both possibilities suggest a need for caution in selecting and applying biodiversity indicators. Furthermore, the choice of diversity metric can strongly affect results, and therefore, decisions about which metric to use in any given situation need to be made carefully.
Impaired response to hypoxia in the respiratory center is a major cause of neonatal death of the PACAP‐knockout mouse
Authors: Arata Satoru , Nakamachi Tomoya , Onimaru Hiroshi , Hashimoto Hitoshi , Shioda Seiji
Published: November 2012

Pituitary adenylate cyclase‐activating polypeptide (PACAP) is a neuropeptide expressed widely in nervous tissues. PACAP‐knockout (−/−) mice display a sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)‐like phenotype, although the underlying physiological mechanism to explain this remains unclear. Here, we report on the presence of abnormal respiratory activity in PACAP−/− mice under hypoxic conditions, which provides a basis for the SIDS‐like phenotype. PACAP−/− mice display a lowered baseline respiratory activity compared with wild‐type animals, and an abnormal response to hypoxia. More specifically, PACAP−/− mice at postnatal day 7 showed respiratory arrest in response to hypoxia. In contrast, their response to hypercapnic conditions was the same as that of wild‐type mice. Histological and real‐time PCR analyses indicated that the catecholaminergic system in the medulla oblongata was impaired in PACAP−/− mice, suggesting that endogenous PACAP affects respiratory centers in the medulla oblongata via its action on the catecholaminergic system. We propose that disruption of this system is involved in the SIDS‐like phenotype of PACAP−/− mice. Thus, disorders of the catecholaminergic system involved with O2 sensing could be implicated in underlying neuronal mechanisms responsible for SIDS.
Quantifying the roles of ecology and geography in spatial genetic divergence
Authors: Wang Ian J. , Glor Richard E. , Losos Jonathan B.
Published: November 2012

Investigating the properties of ecological landscapes that influence gene flow among populations can provide key insights into the earliest stages of biological divergence. Both ecological and geographical factors can reduce gene flow, which can lead to population divergence, but we know little of the relative strengths of these phenomena in nature. Here, we use a novel application of structural equation modelling to quantify the contributions of ecological and geographical isolation to spatial genetic divergence in 17 species of Anolis lizards. Our comparative analysis shows that although both processes contributed significantly, geographical isolation explained substantially more genetic divergence than ecological isolation (36.3 vs. 17.9% of variance respectively), suggesting that despite the proposed ubiquity of ecological divergence, non‐ecological factors play the dominant role in the evolution of spatial genetic divergence.
Unrelated facultative endosymbionts protect aphids against a fungal pathogen
Authors: Łukasik Piotr , van Asch Margriet , Guo Huifang , Ferrari Julia , Charles J. Godfray H.
Published: November 2012

The importance of microbial facultative endosymbionts to insects is increasingly being recognized, but our understanding of how the fitness effects of infection are distributed across symbiont taxa is limited. In the pea aphid, some of the seven known species of facultative symbionts influence their host's resistance to natural enemies, including parasitoid wasps and a pathogenic fungus. Here we show that protection against this entomopathogen, Pandora neoaphidis, can be conferred by strains of four distantly related symbionts (in the genera Regiella, Rickettsia, Rickettsiella and Spiroplasma). They reduce mortality and also decrease fungal sporulation on dead aphids which may help protect nearby genetically identical insects. Pea aphids thus obtain protection from natural enemies through association with a wider range of microbial associates than has previously been thought. Providing resistance against natural enemies appears to be a particularly common way for facultative endosymbionts to increase in frequency within host populations.
How securely is the testicular artery occluded in the spermatic cord by using a ligature?
Authors: Rijkenhuizen A. B. M. , Sommerauer S. , Fasching M. , Velde K. , Peham C.
Published: November 2012

Reasons for performing study

There are no studies on the ideal ligature technique for the spermatic cord.

Objectives

To compare the maximal resistance pressure in the testicular artery and the maximal tensile forces to produce failure of 2 different ligature techniques used for ligation of the equine spermatic cord.

Methods

The capabilities of 2 types of ligatures, single knot loop and double knot loop, were assessed using a pressure‐resistance test in testicular arteries and with an in vitro mechanical evaluation of the tensile strength by single cycle‐to‐failure testing.

Results

In the pressure‐resistance test, the mean ± s.d. peak force at failure of the single knot loop was 354.4 ± 91.7 mmHg and for the double knot loop 303.2 ± 62.0 mmHg. There was no significant difference between the maximal load to failure of the single knot loop and double knot loop technique. The pressure needed for rupture was significantly higher (P = 0.001) than for leakage. The maximal tensile force at failure of the single knot loop was significantly higher than the double knot loop (P = 0.028). There was no significant difference in load elongation properties to failure between the single knot loop and double knot loop.

Conclusions

Although no significant differences were obtained in the pressure‐resistance test, the single knot loop sustained significantly greater load to failure than the double knot loop in single cycle‐to‐failure testing. Based on these findings, it would appear that the performance of the single knot loop should be superior to the double knot loop.

Potential relevance

Both ligature techniques are able to withstand the normal physiological intravascular pressure. The single knot loop has the greater breaking strength of the 2 ligatures tested and is less time consuming to perform and may therefore have advantages during equine castration.
Potential effects of the invasive ‘killer shrimp’ (Dikerogammarus villosus) on macroinvertebrate assemblages and biomonitoring indices
Authors: MACNEIL CALUM , BOETS PIETER , LOCK KOEN , GOETHALS PETER L. M.
Published: November 2012

1. Water quality monitoring data from 10 watercourses and laboratory mesocosm studies were used to assess the potential impacts of the crustacean amphipod invader Dikerogammarus villosus on resident macroinvertebrate assemblage structure in Central European fresh waters.

2. The presence of D. villosus was associated with a decline in the prevalence of many native species, pollution sensitive as well as pollution tolerant, and changes in biotic indices, despite the trends of improved water quality coinciding with the invasion period. A general increase in the prevalence of other invaders was also noted. The potential impacts of D. villosus were substratum dependent, differing between stone, concrete and sand‐dominated sites.

3. Mean Multimetric Macroinvertebrate Index Flanders (MMIF) values were marginally lower when D. villosus was present (P < 0.06), as opposed to when other amphipod species or no amphipods were present, despite the improved water quality. Mesocosm studies showed that several macroinvertebrate taxa were completely eliminated in treatments with D. villosus, oligochaete worms, Caenidae mayfly, chironomids and tipulids being particularly vulnerable to D. villosus predation. Biological Monitoring Working Party (BMWP) scores were lower in mesocosms with D. villosus as opposed to the native Gammarus pulex or no amphipods at all.

4. We predict that resident macroinvertebrate assemblages in both Central Europe and Britain will come under increasing pressure as D. villosus invasions progress. Consequently, macroinvertebrate biotic indices, such as the MMIF or BMWP, may need to be revised to account for changes in taxa sensitivities to water quality as well as increased predation and competition.
Impact of clinical pharmacy services on stress ulcer prophylaxis prescribing and related cost in patients with renal insufficiency
Authors: Mousavi Maryam , Dashti-Khavidaki Simin , Khalili Hossein , Farshchi Amir , Gatmiri Mansoor
Published: November 2012

Objectives

Compared to the general population, chronic kidney disease patients are more vulnerable to gastrointestinal haemorrhage and its morbidity and mortality. Due to the fear of gastrointestinal bleeding consequences in these patients on the one hand, and the perception of general safety of acid suppressive medications on the other hand, inappropriate stress ulcer prophylaxis (SUP) seems to be encountered in nephrology wards. The objectives of this study were to evaluate appropriateness of acid suppression therapy in kidney disease patients and to assess the role of clinical pharmacists to decrease inappropriate SUP prescribing and related costs for these patients.

Methods

All inpatients at nephrology wards of a teaching hospital were assessed regarding appropriate SUP prescribing during a 6-month pre-intervention phase of the study without any clinical pharmacists' involvement in patients' management. Thereafter, during a 6-month post-intervention phase clinical pharmacists provided local SUP protocol and educational classes for physicians regarding appropriate SUP prescribing and participated actively in the patient-care team.

Main findings

The results showed significant relative reduction in inappropriate SUP prescribing and related cost in patients with renal insufficiency by about 44% and 67% respectively.

Conclusion

This study showed that implementing institutional guidelines, and active involvement of clinical pharmacists in the nephrology healthcare team, could reduce inappropriate SUP prescribing and related costs for these patients.
Assessing electric fishing sampling effort to estimate stream fish assemblage attributes
Authors: Vehanen T. , Sutela T. , Jounela P. , Huusko A. , Mäki‐Petäys A.
Published: November 2012

TheEU WaterFrameworkDirective (WFD) obligates authorities to assess the ecological status of rivers. The sampling of the fish assemblage must be based on a reliable and cost‐effective monitoring programme, and it should be optimised to measure the ecological quality cost‐effectively. The efficiency of single‐pass versus three‐pass backpack electric fishing was measured to assess ecological status. The data included 295 electric fishing samplings from 137 rivers inFinland and a 5‐year data series from six small forest streams in mid‐easternFinland. Compared with three‐pass electric fishing, single‐pass electric fishing in the same area increased the risk of missing rare fish species and species with low catchability. The concordance of the calculated fish metrics (e.g. proportion of tolerant and intolerant species) between one‐ and three‐pass measurements was, however, high, suggesting that single‐pass electric fishing was a suitable sampling procedure to evaluate ecological status. Increasing the area sampled by single‐pass removals stabilised the variances in the fish metrics and similarity indexes. It was concluded that in small streams electric fishing an area 24–27 times the stream width and in general a minimum of 300 m2, but preferably more than 450 m2, was adequate to estimate fish assemblage attributes reliably in boreal streams.
Arctic ground squirrels Urocitellus parryii as drivers and indicators of change in northern ecosystems
Authors: Wheeler Helen C. , Hik David S.
Published: November 2012

Global warming and increasing human activity are altering northern ecosystems. In these strongly seasonal environments, small herbivorous mammals may have a significant role in determining the trajectory of ecosystem transitions from one state to another.

Arctic ground squirrels Urocitellus parryii are a key component of northern terrestrial food webs and are considered ecosystem engineers, exerting a large impact on their habitat through bioturbation.

We review and synthesize diverse information about current and past distribution and density of arctic ground squirrels, their physiology and ecological interactions with other species.

Factors that appear to affect the distribution and abundance of arctic ground squirrels include increasing temperatures, changes in flooding probability, permafrost thaw, shifting phenology, habitat change, new predators and invasive diseases. Increases in the distribution and density of arctic ground squirrels in northern latitudes and high altitudes could accelerate ecosystem change through facilitation of disturbance‐tolerant species, while decreases in southern and milder climates could remove an important agent of disturbance and prey item.

Despite their pervasive ecological influence throughout most of their range, arctic ground squirrels are underrepresented in ecological research, based on a comparison of the number of publications about arctic ground squirrels with the number about other species of the same genus, and about other arctic herbivores.

The widespread distribution of arctic ground squirrels, along with their potential to exacerbate and alter trajectories of ecosystem change under global warming, makes them a valuable indicator of ecosystem change and therefore a candidate for increased monitoring.
Dermatophagoides farinae house dust mite allergen challenges reduce stratum corneum ceramides in an experimental dog model of acute atopic dermatitis
Authors: Stahl Jessica , Paps Judy , Bäumer Wolfgang , Olivry Thierry
Published: November 2012

Background –  Ceramides are essential stratum corneum (SC) lipids and they play a pivotal role in maintaining effective cutaneous barrier function.

Objectives –  The present study aimed at determining the effect of a Dermatophagoides farinae house dust mite (Df‐HDM) allergen challenge on SC ceramides of atopic dogs experimentally sensitized to these allergens.

Animals –  Six Df‐HDM‐sensitized atopic Maltese–beagle dogs were used.

Methods –  Prechallenge SC was obtained by cyanoacrylate stripping. One week later, the dogs were challenged topically with Df‐HDM allergens, which resulted in mild to moderate inflammation 24 h later. Two weeks after challenge, SC of lesional and nonlesional skin was obtained. Finally, SC was collected from challenge sites 2 months after lesion resolution. The different SC lipids were quantified blindly by thin‐layer chromatography.

Results –  Significantly lower amounts of ceramides [AH], [AP], [AS], [NP], [EOP], [NS] and [EOS] were observed in lesional SC compared with prechallenge samples, while no significant effect was found on the amount of other lipids, including cholesterol and free fatty acids. The ceramide profile of nonlesional skin generally showed the same postchallenge reduction pattern. Ceramide amounts returned to normal within 2 months after lesion remission.

Conclusion and clinical importance –  These findings suggest that the allergic reactions caused by Df‐HDM allergens lead to a selective reduction of SC ceramides, not only at sites of inflammation but also at sites away from those of allergen application. There is normalization of ceramide amounts after inflammation subsides. These observations suggest that the deficiency of ceramides observed in canine atopic skin occurs, at least in part, secondary to inflammation.
A case of apparent canine erysipeloid associated with Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae bacteraemia
Authors: Foster Jonathan D. , Hartmann Faye A. , Moriello Karen A.
Published: November 2012

Background –  Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae is a Gram‐positive facultative anaerobe found worldwide and is most commonly associated with skin disease in swine, while anecdotal reports of cases in dogs have been associated with endocarditis.

Hypothesis/Objectives –  Clinicians should consider systemic infectious diseases as a potential cause of erythematous skin lesions.

Animals –  A 5‐year‐old female spayed Labrador retriever presented with lethargy, anorexia and erythematous skin lesions while receiving immunosuppressive therapy for immune‐mediated haemolytic anaemia. Four days prior to presentation, the dog had chewed on a raw turkey carcase.

Methods –  Complete blood count, serum chemistry profile, urinalysis and blood cultures.

Results –  Blood cultures yielded a pure growth of E. rhusiopathiae serotype 1b. Amoxicillin 22 mg/kg orally twice daily for 2 weeks and discontinuation of azathioprine resulted in remission of fever and skin lesions.

Conclusions and clinical importance –  This report is the first documentation, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, of Erysipelothrix infection, a known zoonosis, in an immunosuppressed dog, highlighting the need for infectious disease monitoring in patients receiving such therapy. This information may also help educate veterinarians to include Erysipelothrix infection as a differential diagnosis in dogs with fever and skin lesions, as well as the role of blood cultures in diagnosing this disease.
Characterization of the inflammatory infiltrate and cytokine expression in the skin of horses with recurrent urticaria
Authors: Hinden Sandro , Klukowska‐Rötzler Jolanta , Janda Jozef , Marti Eliane I. , Gerber Vinzenz , Roosje Petra J.
Published: November 2012

Background –  Recurrent urticaria (RU) is a common skin disease of horses, but little is known about its pathogenesis.

Hypothesis/Objective –  The aim of this study was to characterize the inflammatory cell infiltrate and cytokine expression pattern in the skin of horses with RU.

Animals –  Biopsies of lesional and nonlesional skin of horses with RU (n = 8) and of skin from healthy control horses (n = 8) were evaluated.

Methods –  The inflammatory cell infiltrate was analysed by routine histology. Immunohistochemistry was used to identify T cells (CD3), B cells (CD79), macrophages (MAC387) and mast cells (tryptase). Expression of T‐helper 2 cytokines (interleukins IL‐4, IL‐5 and IL‐13), a T‐helper 1 cytokine (interferon‐γ), IL‐4 receptor α and thymic stromal lymphopoietin was assessed by quantitative RT‐PCR.

Results –  In subepidermal lesional skin of RU‐affected horses, increased numbers of eosinophils (P ≤ 0.01), CD79‐positive (P ≤ 0.01), MAC387‐positive (P ≤ 0.01) and tryptase‐positive cells (P ≤ 0.05) were found compared with healthy horses. Subepidermal lesional skin of RU‐affected horses contained more eosinophils (P ≤ 0.05) and tryptase‐positive cells (P ≤ 0.05) compared with nonlesional skin. There was no significant difference in infiltrating cells between nonlesional skin and skin of healthy horses. Expression of IL‐4 (P ≤ 0.01), IL‐13 (P ≤ 0.05), thymic stromal lymphopoietin (P ≤ 0.05) and IL‐4 receptor α (P ≤ 0.05) was increased in lesional skin of RU‐affected horses compared with control horses. Expression of IL‐4 was higher (P ≤ 0.05) in lesional compared with nonlesional RU skin.

Conclusions and clinical importance –  Analysis of cytokine expression and inflammatory infiltrate suggests that T‐helper 2 cytokines, eosinophils, mast cells and presumptive macrophages play a role in the pathogenesis of equine RU.
Case clusters of leproid granulomas in foxhounds in New Zealand and Australia
Authors: Smits Bronwyn , Willis Richard , Malik Richard , Studdert Virginia , Collins Desmond M. , Kawakami Pamela , Graham Duncan , Fyfe Janet A.
Published: November 2012

Background –  Canine leproid granuloma (CLG) characteristically presents as single to multiple circumscribed dermal to subcutaneous nodules in haired skin. An unidentified mycobacterium is considered be the aetiological agent of this entity.

Animals –  Several cases of canine leproid granulomas occurred in dogs in New Zealand during 2010 and 2011. Cases appeared in clusters, affecting multiple closely related foxhounds domiciled in the same kennels. All affected hounds recovered after topical and/or systemic antimicrobial therapy. Two similar outbreaks that occurred in foxhounds near Melbourne, Australia are also reported.

Methods –  Cases were investigated using cytological, histological, microbiological and several molecular techniques. An environmental epidemiological study was also performed.

Results –  A diagnosis of CLG was established in 11 dogs. Molecular identification of the causative agent confirmed that it was a mycobacterial species with 100% sequence homology within the amplified regions of the 16S rRNA gene and internal transcribed spacer (ITS1) with that found in association with similar infections from the USA, Brazil and Australia.

Conclusion and clinical importance –  This report details the first occurrence of multiple cases of CLG occurring in in‐contact dogs and the first proven case of CLG in dogs in New Zealand.
Ciclosporin therapy is associated with minimal changes in calcium metabolism in dogs with atopic dermatitis
Authors: Kovalik Marcel , Mellanby Richard J. , Evans Helen , Berry Jacqueline , van den Broek Adri H. M. , Thoday Keith L.
Published: November 2012

Background –  Ciclosporin is widely used in the management of canine atopic dermatitis. In humans, ciclosporin therapy has been linked to disturbances in calcium metabolism and resultant skeletal disorders.

Objectives –  The objective of this study was to assess calcium homeostasis in dogs before and after a 6 week course of once daily oral ciclosporin at the licensed dose (5 mg/kg).

Animals –  Sixteen client‐owned dogs with spontaneous atopic dermatitis.

Methods –  Serum concentrations of calcium, phosphate, creatinine, 25‐hydroxyvitamin D, 1,25‐dihyroxyvitamin D and plasma concentrations of ionized calcium and parathyroid hormone (PTH) were measured, together with the urinary fractional excretion of calcium and phosphate. The extent of skin lesions was scored using the Canine Atopic Dermatitis Extent and Severity Index (CADESI)‐03 and the degree of pruritus by the Edinburgh Pruritus Scale prior to and at the end of the study.

Results –  The CADESI‐03 and the Edinburgh Pruritus Scale scores decreased satisfactorily in all dogs by the end of the study. Plasma PTH concentrations were significantly increased (P = 0.02) following ciclosporin treatment, whereas all other biochemical parameters were not significantly different from their starting values. The increase in PTH was mild in most cases and the proportion of dogs that had a PTH concentration above the reference range was not significantly different following treatment.

Conclusions and clinical importance –  This study indicates that ciclosporin has minimal impact on calcium metabolism in dogs with atopic dermatitis when used at the licensed and clinically effective dosage for 6 weeks.
Descriptive anatomic study of the great vessels of the heart in the capuchin monkey Cebus apella (Linnaeus, 1758)
Authors: Rosa L. , Silva Z. , Pereira M. , Santos L. , Mitri F. , Carvalho‐Barros R. , Silva D.
Published: November 2012

The aim of this study was to describe the anatomy of the great vessels of the heart in capuchin monkey (Cebus apella) and to compare with those of other primates, including humans. The hearts were prepared through fixation in 10% formalin and subsequently dissected using standard techniques and instruments. The arterial and venous systems were perfused with colored latex solution via the femoral vessels. An ascending cylindrical branch with relatively great caliber was identified in the aorta artery, in addition to an aortic arch, from which three great arteries were originated, the brachiocephalic trunk, the left common carotid artery and the left subclavian artery. After a course of variable extension, the pulmonary trunk divided into right and left pulmonary arteries. The caudal vena cava was morphologically similar to that of humans, except for its association with the cardiac lobe of the right lung, whereas the cranial vena cava was formed by the two braquiocephalic veins and received the azygos vein close to right atrium. The pulmonary veins, in number of six, ended at the posterior face of the left atrium, differently from both humans and other primates. In conclusion, the morphology of the great vessels of the heart in Cebus apella was similar to that of humans and other primates, although some differences are evidenced with regards to topography and number of anatomic structures, particularly the relationship of the caudal vena cava with the cardiac lobe of the right lung and the presence of six pulmonary veins in Cebus apella.
A Smooth Ride? From Industrial to Creative Urbanism in Oshawa, Ontario
Authors: Siemiatycki Elliot
Published: November 2012

In mainstream media, policy circles and academic scholarship, economic discourses have highlighted the importance of knowledge, creativity and innovation for generating economic growth. This has been translated into an urban planning and policy agenda which favours the establishment of research parks, innovation clusters, and especially universities along with amenities to attract creative‐class workers. In much of this literature universities are invested with an almost magical power to spur economic growth, and the benign language of ‘transition’ is used suggesting a rather seamless progression from one urban economic engine to another. Through analysis of policy documents and key informant interviews related to the establishment of a new university in Oshawa, Ontario, this case study seeks to challenge the straightforward relationship that is assumed to exist between universities and local economic development. Like other lagging regions across the OECD attempting to repair their economies through creative and knowledge urbanism, Oshawa's recent achievements are tempered by growing concerns about poverty, homelessness and inequality. Planners and policymakers that mistake the complexities of economic restructuring for a smooth ‘urban transition’ put their cities and citizens at risk of creating new problems out of efforts to improve local conditions.
The Current Account Sustainability of European Transition Economies
Authors: Cuestas Juan Carlos
Published: November 2012

This article presents an analysis of the sustainability of the current accounts of a group of central and eastern European countries. Given the link between national savings (public and private) and investment, the current account may yield instabilities in fundamental macroeconomic variables. Hence, this analysis is of paramount importance given the 2008–11 debt crises faced by many European economies, and the addition of new countries to the economic and monetary union. By means of unit root tests and fractional integration it is shown that, in general, the ratio of the current account to gross domestic product is a stationary and mean reverting process. However, in some cases, shocks tend to have long‐lasting effects, implying that there is no evidence of a potential debt default in this group of countries.
The European Commission and the Configuration of Internal European Union Borders: Direct and Indirect Contribution
Authors: Kostadinova Valentina
Published: November 2012

This article examines the European Commission's contribution to the configuration of internal European Union borders. The focus is on several policy areas related to free movement of people. It engages with the literature examining the tools used by the Commission in influencing the EU decision‐making process. It also looks into the studies summarizing the developments in EU migration that show the restrained manoeuvring space the Commission has in the policy areas. Building on these, the discursive techniques that are likely to be used in Commission articulations are conceptualized. The analysis of Commission documents shows that in the common visa policy and the common European asylum system (CEAS), the Commission has configured borders indirectly. In distinction, in the fields of intra‐Community border controls and movement for work purposes of highly skilled third country nationals (TCNs), the Commission has managed to play a leadership role and to significantly and directly challenge the underlying logic upon which these policies are based.
Introduction to adapting water management to climate change: putting our science into practice
Authors: Wilby R L , Wood P J
Published: November 2012

There is growing international recognition of the need for practical guidance on evaluating risks and adapting freshwaters to climate change, drawing on both field and model evidence. This special section of Area demonstrates the varied ways in which geographers, environmental and social scientists, engineers and resource managers are beginning to address these urgent needs. This editorial considers the long history of field experimentation and measurement that has informed professional practice in catchment and water quality management. We assert that comparable levels of investment and commitment are now needed to guide adaptations to climate change. The research within the special section reflects two contrasting perspectives: (i) top‐down, macro‐scale, climatic and non‐climatic risk assessments for freshwaters and (ii) bottom‐up, micro‐scale experimentation, involving adaptation measures at the river reach and habitat level. We emphasise that greater efforts are required to integrate the results of research at these contrasting scales to deliver benefits that are robust to the large uncertainty associated with climate projections.
Graduate Student's Guide to Necessary Skills for Nonacademic Conservation Careers
Authors: BLICKLEY JESSICA L. , DEINER KRISTY , GARBACH KELLY , LACHER IARA , MEEK MARIAH H. , PORENSKY LAUREN M. , WILKERSON MARIT L. , WINFORD ERIC M. , SCHWARTZ MARK W.
Published: November 2012

Graduate education programs in conservation science generally focus on disciplinary training and discipline‐specific research skills. However, nonacademic conservation professionals often require an additional suite of skills. This discrepancy between academic training and professional needs can make it difficult for graduate students to identify the skills and experiences that will best prepare them for the conservation job market. We analyzed job advertisements for conservation‐science positions and interviewed conservation professionals with experience hiring early‐career conservation scientists to determine what skills employers of conservation professionals seek; whether the relative importance of skills varies by job sector (government, nonprofit, and private); and how graduate students interested in careers in conservation science might signal competency in key skills to potential employers. In job advertisements, disciplinary, interpersonal, and project‐management skills were in the top 5 skills mentioned across all job sectors. Employers’ needs for additional skills, like program leadership, conflict resolution and negotiation, and technical and information technology skills, varied across sectors. Our interview results demonstrated that some skills are best signaled to employers via experiences obtained outside thesis or dissertation work. Our findings suggest that graduate students who wish to be competitive in the conservation job market can benefit by gaining skills identified as important to the job sector in which they hope to work and should not necessarily expect to be competent in these skills simply by completing their chosen degree path.

Guía para el Estudiante de Grado de las Habilidades Necesarias para Carreras de Conservación Académicas
Trust and Estate Planning: The Emergence of a Profession and Its Contribution to Socioeconomic Inequality1
Authors: Harrington Brooke
Published: November 2012

This article offers a new perspective on the connection between socioeconomic inequality and occupations by examining the impact of trust and estate planners on global wealth stratification. While many studies treat the professions as mirrors of inequalities in their environments, this article looks at the ways professionals participate in the creation of stratification regimes. Trust and estate planners do this by sheltering their clients' assets from taxation, thereby preserving private wealth for future generations. Using tools such as trusts, offshore banks, and shell corporations, these professionals keep a significant portion of the world’s private wealth beyond the reach of the state. Trust and estate planning thus contributes to creating and maintaining socioeconomic inequality on a global scale. The significance of the profession has grown as wealth itself has become more fungible, spurring innovation in legal, organizational, and financial strategies, and thwarting a myriad of laws and policies designed to limit enduring inequality in modern, democratic societies.
Penny for Your Thoughts: Beggars and the Exercise of Morality in Daily Life1
Authors: Dromi Shai M.
Published: November 2012

Urban sociology has tended to study interactions between passersby and “street persons” with an emphasis on the ways street persons become bothersome, harassing, or dangerous. This article moves away from the focus on the ways interactions in public go awry and focuses on how individuals account for the mundane, everyday exchanges they have with strangers who seek their help. Based on interview data (N = 31) and qualitative analysis of data from an Internet survey (N = 110), this article suggests that the presence of beggars does not inherently symbolize urban decay to passersby and does not necessarily elicit anxiety, but instead provides a valuable texture of urban life. Further, the article argues that individuals, when justifying their responses to requests for help from needy persons (beggars) in urban spaces, use a variety of cultural strategies to maintain their perception of themselves as moral persons, both when they choose to help and when they refuse. Drawing from these findings, the article suggests that urban sociology and the sociology of risk would benefit from sensitizing their studies of public interactions to the diverse meanings individuals assign to them, rather than presupposing annoyance, anxiety, or fear as their predominant characteristic.
A Civil Religion for World Society: The Direct and Diffuse Effects of Human Rights Treaties, 1981–20071
Authors: Cole Wade M.
Published: November 2012

Much research has concluded that human rights treaties have a null or negative effect on governments’ human rights practices. This article reexamines the influence of human rights treaties, with a focus on two kinds of treaty effects: direct—the effect of treaties on the countries that ratified them; and diffuse—the effect of treaties on countries regardless of ratification. My analysis of two prominent human rights treaties finds that they often reduce levels of repression and abuse over time and independently of ratification. Some of these effects are nonlinear, reversing direction as time elapses or as more countries become party to the treaties. These findings are interpreted with reference to world polity institutionalism in sociology, and especially the “Durkheimian” strains of this approach. Human rights norms as embodied in treaties operate as a kind of civil religion for world society. These norms not only have long‐term direct effects among countries that ritualistically ratify human rights treaties, but they also diffusely impact countries irrespective of formal endorsement.
Transplantation of BMSCs expressing hVEGF165/hBD3 promotes wound healing in rats with combined radiation‐wound injury
Authors: Xia Zhangquan , Zhang Congji , Zeng Yi , Wang Tao , Ai Guoping
Published: November 2012

The combined radiation‐wound injury is a refractory wound with decreased number or dysfunction of repairing cells and growth factors. This remains a challenge in clinical practice. The object of this study is to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of a combination of human vascular endothelial growth factor 165 (hVEGF165) and human beta‐defensin 3 (hBD3) in the treatment of such wounds. A plasmid‐carrying hVEGF165 gene and hBD3 gene was used to transfect rat bone‐marrow‐derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs). The supernatant from the modified BMSCs significantly promoted the proliferation and cell migration of human endothelial cells and it also inhibited the growth of bacteria and fungus, demonstrating the successful expression of the transfected genes. The hVEGF165/hBD3‐modified BMSCs were then injected into the sites of combined radiation‐wound injury on rats. It demonstrated that wound‐healing time was shortened significantly in the treated rats. The granulation tissue formation/maturation, skin appendage regeneration and collagen deposition were also improved significantly. Strong expression of hVEGF165 and hBD3 was detected in the wound surface at early stage of the healing. The results indicate that topical transplantation of hVEGF165/hBD3‐modified BMSCs promoted wound healing, and this gene therapy strategy presents a promising approach in the treatment of refractory wounds such as the combined radiation‐wound injury.
Water resources management in theJordanRiverBasin
Authors: Comair Georges F. , Gupta Prabhas , Ingenloff Chris , Shin Gihye , McKinney Daene C.
Published: November 2012

TheJordanRiverBasin is under great hydric stress. Increases in population and agricultural demand are contributing to the closure of the basin. This paper analyses the results of integrated water resources planning model (WEAP) by studying the vulnerability of water resources in the lowerJordanRiver under a changing climate pattern and growing water demands. Water balance models show that all aquifers supplying the city ofAmman will be depleted within the next few decades. Mitigation measures should include the introduction of additional water into the basin through theRedSea–DeadSea canal, in addition to demand management measures such as water conservation and increase in irrigation efficiency. The findings of this study would provide a useful guide to the co‐riparians for policy formulation, decision making and dispute resolution. Cooperation among the five riparian countries may be improved by building a Geographic Information System (GIS) database that provides access to accurate data for hydrological analysis.