bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Predicting small‐mammal responses to climatic warming: autecology, geographic range, and the Holocene fossil record
Authors: TERRY REBECCA C. , LI CHENG (LILY) , HADLY ELIZABETH A.
Published: April 2011

Forecasting how species will respond to climatic change requires knowledge of past community dynamics. Here we use time‐series data from the small‐mammal fossil records of two caves in the Great Basin of the American West to evaluate how contrasting and variable local paleoclimates have shaped small‐mammal abundance dynamics over the last ∼7500 years of climatic change. We then predict how species and communities will respond to future scenarios of increased warming and aridity coupled with continued spread of an invasive annual grass (Bromus tectorum). We find that most community‐level responses to climatic change occur in the mammalian abundance structure at both sites; the dominance of the community by individuals from species with a southern geographic affinity increases with climatic warming. This suggests that responses occurredin siturather than by the immigration of new taxa over this time interval. Despite predictability at the community‐scale, species‐level relationships between abundance and climate are variable and are not necessarily explained by a species' geographic affinity. Species present at both sites, however, exhibit remarkably similar responses to climate at each site, indicating that species autecology (specifically dietary functional group) is important in determining response to climatic warming. Regression‐tree analyses show remarkable concordance between the two cave faunas and highlight the importance of a granivorous dietary strategy in this desert ecosystem. Under projections of increased temperature and decreased precipitation over the next 50 years, our results indicate that granivores should thrive as communities become more dominated by individuals with a southern geographic affinity. Granivores, however, are negatively impacted by the invasion of cheatgrass. The last century of anthropogenic impacts has thus placed granivores at a greater risk of extinction than predicted under climate‐only scenarios.
TRANSPARENT TESTA1 interacts with R2R3‐MYB factors and affects early and late steps of flavonoid biosynthesis in the endothelium of Arabidopsis thaliana seeds
Authors: Appelhagen Ingo , Lu Gui‐Hua , Huep Gunnar , Schmelzer Elmon , Weisshaar Bernd , Sagasser Martin
Published: April 2011

Wild type seed coats of Arabidopsis thaliana are brown due to the accumulation of proanthocyanidin pigments (PAs). The pigmentation requires activation of phenylpropanoid biosynthesis genes and mutations in some of these genes cause a yellow appearance of seeds, termed transparent testa (tt) phenotype. The TT1 gene encodes a WIP‐type zinc finger protein and is expressed in the seed coat endothelium where most of the PAs accumulate in wild type plants. In this study we show that TT1 is not only required for correct expression of PA‐specific genes in the seed coat, but also affects CHS, encoding the first enzyme of flavonoid biosynthesis. Many steps of this pathway are controlled by complexes of MYB and BHLH proteins with the WD40 factor TTG1. We demonstrate that TT1 can interact with the R2R3 MYB protein TT2 and that ectopic expression of TT2 can partially restore the lack in PA production in tt1. Reduced seed coat pigmentation was obtained using a TT1 variant lacking nuclear localisation signals. Based on our results we propose that the TT2/TT8/TTG1 regulon may also comprise early genes like CHS and discuss steps to further unravel the regulatory network controlling flavonoid accumulation in endothelium cells during A. thaliana seed development.
Invasive bacterial and fungal infections among hospitalized HIV‐infected and HIV‐uninfected children and infants in northern Tanzania
Authors: Crump John A. , Ramadhani Habib O. , Morrissey Anne B. , Msuya Levina J. , Yang Lan‐Yan , Chow Shein‐Chung , Morpeth Susan C. , Reyburn Hugh , Njau Boniface N. , Shaw Andrea V. , Diefenthal Helmut C. , Bartlett John A. , Shao John F. , Schimana Werner , Cunningham Coleen K. , Kinabo Grace D.
Published: April 2011

Objective  To describe the contribution of paediatric HIV and of HIV co‐infections to admissions to a hospital in Moshi, Tanzania, using contemporary laboratory methods.

Methods  During 1 year, we enrolled consecutively admitted patients aged ≥2 months and <13 years with current or recent fever. All patients underwent standardized clinical history taking, a physical examination and HIV antibody testing; standard aerobic blood cultures and malaria film were also done, and hospital outcome was recorded. Early infant HIV diagnosis by HIV‐1 RNA PCR was performed on those aged <18 months. HIV‐infected patients also received serum cryptococcal antigen testing and had their CD4‐positive T‐lymphocyte count and percent determined.

Results  A total of 467 patients were enrolled whose median age was 2 years (range 2 months–13 years); Of those patients, 57.2% were female and 12.2% were HIV‐infected. Admission clinical diagnosis of HIV disease was made in 10.7% and of malaria in 60.4%. Of blood cultures, 5.8% grew pathogens; of these 25.9% were Salmonella enterica (including 6 Salmonella Typhi) and 22.2%Streptococcus pneumoniae. Plasmodium falciparum was identified on blood film of 1.3%. HIV infection was associated with S. pneumoniae (odds ratio 25.7, 95% CI 2.8, 234.0) bloodstream infection (BSI), but there was no evidence of an association with Escherichia coli or P. falciparum; Salmonella Typhi BSI occurred only among HIV‐uninfected participants. The sensitivity and specificity of an admission clinical diagnosis of malaria were 100% and 40.3%; and for an admission diagnosis of bloodstream infection, they were 9.1% and 86.4%, respectively.

Conclusion  Streptococcus pneumoniae is a leading cause of bloodstream infection among paediatric admissions in Tanzania and is closely associated with HIV infection. Malaria was over‐diagnosed clinically, whereas invasive bacterial disease was underestimated. HIV and HIV co‐infections contribute to a substantial proportion of paediatric febrile admissions, underscoring the value of routine HIV testing.
Causes of stillbirth, neonatal death and early childhood death in rural Zambia by verbal autopsy assessments
Authors: Turnbull Eleanor , Lembalemba Mwila K. , Brad Guffey M. , Bolton‐Moore Carolyn , Mubiana‐Mbewe Mwangelwa , Chintu Namwinga , Giganti Mark J. , Nalubamba‐Phiri Mutinta , Stringer Elizabeth M. , Stringer Jeffrey S. A. , Chi Benjamin H.
Published: April 2011

Objectives  To describe specific causes of the high rates of stillbirth, neonatal death and early child childhood death in Zambia.

Methods  We conducted a household‐based survey in rural Zambia. Socio‐demographic and delivery characteristics were recorded, alongside a maternal HIV test. Verbal autopsy questionnaires were administered to elicit mortality‐related information and independently reviewed by three experienced paediatricians who assigned a cause and contributing factor to death. For this secondary analysis, deaths were categorized into: stillbirths (foetal death ≥28 weeks of gestation), neonatal deaths (≤28 days) and early childhood deaths (>28 days to <2 years).

Results  Among 1679 households, information was collected on 148 deaths: 34% stillbirths, 26% neonatal and 40% early childhood deaths. Leading identifiable causes of stillbirth were intrauterine infection (26%) and birth asphyxia (18%). Of 32 neonatal deaths, 38 (84%) occurred within the first week of life, primarily because of infections (37%) and prematurity (34%). The majority of early childhood deaths were caused by suspected bacterial infections (82%). HIV prevalence was significantly higher in mothers who reported an early childhood death (44%) than mothers who did not (17%; P < 0.01). Factors significantly associated with mortality were lower socio‐economic status (P < 0.01), inadequate water or sanitation facilities (P < 0.01), home delivery (P = 0.04) and absence of a trained delivery attendant (P < 0.01).

Conclusion  We provide community‐level data about the causes of death among children under 2 years of age. Infectious etiologies for mortality ranked highest. At a public health level, such information may have an important role in guiding prevention and treatment strategies to address perinatal and early childhood mortality.
Fragile X‐associated tremor/ataxia phenotype in a male carrier of unmethylated full mutation in the FMR1 gene
Authors: Loesch D Z , Sherwell S , Kinsella G , Tassone F , Taylor A , Amor D , Sung S , Evans A
Published: April 2011

Loesch DZ, Sherwell S, Kinsella G, Tassone F, Taylor A, Amor D, Sung S, Evans A. Fragile X‐associated tremor/ataxia phenotype in a male carrier of unmethylated full mutation in the FMR1 gene.

The Fragile X syndrome is caused by a CGG repeat expansion >200 in the promoter of the Fragile X mental retardation 1 (FMR1) gene termed full mutation (FM). These alleles are silenced through methylation of the FMR1 promoter, leading to deficit of the FMR1 protein (FMRP), and neurodevelopmental changes. However, occasional FM individuals have a complete lack of methylation, and those typically have only minor deficit of FMRP levels compared with normal controls and their intelligence may be in the normal range. FM alleles are generated through expansion of the CGG repeat from the premutation (PM) range of 55–200 repeats, linked to the late onset Fragile X‐associated tremor/ataxia syndrome (FXTAS). This disorder has been attributed to a ‘toxicity’ of the FMR1 mRNA, which is significantly elevated in male carriers of PM alleles and of unmethylated FM alleles. This is the first report of a 65‐year‐old male with an unmethylated FM allele and history of alcohol abuse, who developed symptoms of FXTAS. We postulate that, although the elevation of FMR1 transcripts associated with unmethylated FM alleles have a potential to cause FXTAS, in some cases this disorder may occur through an additional effect of exposure to neurotoxicants including alcohol.
Improvement of gastrointestinal symptoms after conversion from mycophenolate mofetil to enteric‐coated mycophenolate sodium in liver transplant patients
Authors: Toledo Alexander H. , Hendrix Laura , Buchholz Valorie , Fisher Erin , Newton Kimberly , Smith Courtney , Gerber David A.
Published: April 2011

Toledo AH, Hendrix L, Buchholz V, Fisher E, Newton K, Smith C, Gerber DA. Improvement of gastrointestinal symptoms after conversion from mycophenolate mofetil to enteric‐coated mycophenolate sodium in liver transplant patients.  Clin Transplant 2012: 26: 156–163.  © 2011 John Wiley & Sons A/S.

Abstract:  As many as 50% of liver transplant patients suffer gastrointestinal (GI) disturbances post‐transplant. Conversion from mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) to mycophenolate sodium (EC‐MPS) alleviates GI symptom burden in renal transplant recipients. We employed a validated patient and physician‐reported assessment to evaluate the impact of conversion to EC‐MPS in liver transplant patients. This is a prospective, longitudinal, single‐center, open‐label pilot study. Thirty‐one MMF‐treated liver transplant patients with GI symptoms were converted to equimolar EC‐MPS. Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale (GSRS), GI Quality of Life, SF‐12v2 and physician‐reported assessments were used to evaluate GI symptom burden and severity. A significant improvement in overall GSRS score was noted from baseline (2.57; 95% CI 2.12–3.10) to one month (1.90; 1.68–2.12; p = 0.0007) and three months (1.82; 1.60–2.04; p = 0.0002) post‐conversion with significant reductions in all subgroups except Reflux. The overall Gastrointestinal Quality of Life Index (GIQLI) score also showed significant increase in health‐related quality of life between one month (90.89; 84.04–97.75) and three months (100.04; 94.57–105.51; p = 0.0009), with all subgroups except social functioning (p = 0.0861) and medical treatment (p = 0.3156) demonstrating significant improvements. This pilot study demonstrates improvement in GI symptom burden when converting from equimolar doses of MMF to EC‐MPS. This benefit persisted for three months without evidence of rejection.
Child and adolescent injury report card: New Zealand 2009
Authors: Bland Victoria , Shepherd Mike , Ameratunga Shanthi , Carter Wayne , Chambers Julie , Hassall Ian , Kool Bridget , Richards Gay , Sapolu‐Reweti Pepe , Dalziel Stuart
Published: April 2011

Aim:  Injury is the leading cause of death of children and adolescents. Among the Organisation for Economic Co‐operation and Development nations, New Zealand has the highest rate of child and adolescent injury death. This study aimed to evaluate the status of New Zealand's child and adolescent unintentional injury prevention.

Methods:  The methodology of the European Child Safety Alliance Child Safety Report Card (completed for 24 countries in Europe, generating a standardised assessment of child and adolescent injury prevention) was applied to New Zealand's injury prevention position. New Zealand's position with regard to 102 questions (spanning 12 injury topics) was investigated. This information was systematically presented to a panel of child and adolescent injury experts, and agreed scores for each item were derived.

Results:  New Zealand's overall score was 33/60. Deficiencies were identified across many injury prevention topics including passenger and driver safety, pedestrian safety, water safety, falls, poisoning, burns/scalds and choking/strangulation. New Zealand lacks a robust home visiting programme and injury prevention strategies with specific child and adolescent targets.

Conclusions:  New Zealand has not implemented a number of evidence‐based injury prevention policies. The information from this study should be interpreted in conjunction with the epidemiology of child and adolescent injury in New Zealand. The Child Safety Report Card provides a useful methodology to guide a country's child and adolescent injury prevention policy direction.
Self‐reported mental health of mothers with a school‐aged child with a disability in Victoria: A mixed method study
Authors: Bourke‐Taylor Helen , Howie Linsey , Law Mary , Pallant Julie F
Published: April 2011

Aim:  This research investigated the mental health of mothers of school‐aged children with disabilities in Victoria, Australia.

Methods:  A mixed method triangulation design model was used to investigate the mental health of mothers (n= 152) of school‐aged children with developmental disabilities. Self‐reported medical history and completion of the Short Form Health Survey Version 2 were used to collect data via mail‐out survey and follow‐up phone interview.

Results:  Mothers reported subjective mental health two standard deviations below other Australians and higher rates of depression and anxiety that other Australian women and the adult population in general. Half of participants reported that their health affected their ability to provide the care that their child needed, and half experienced frequent interrupted sleep secondary to the care of their child with a disability. Significantly poorer mental health was reported by mothers with a pre‐school‐aged child as well as a child with a disability (P < 0.001), mothers with more than one child with a disability (P= 0.038), mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) (P= 0.026), and mothers who recognised that their health affected care giving (P < 0.001).

Conclusions:  The reported mental health of participants in this study indicates that further attention is needed to action health strategies to support mothers of children with disabilities. Health programs and policy that will identify mothers in need of assistance, as well as management strategies that will adequately support mental wellness in mothers is required in Australia.
Developmental progress in urban Aboriginal infants: A cohort study
Authors: McDonald Jenny L , Comino Elizabeth , Knight Jennifer , Webster Vana
Published: April 2011

Aim:  To measure, describe and investigate potential predictors of early developmental progress in urban Aboriginal infants.

Methods:  The Gudaga study is a longitudinal birth cohort study of urban Aboriginal infants. At 12 months 134 infants were assessed using the Griffiths Mental Development Scales (GMDS). The infants' developmental progress was compared with standardised norms.

Results:  Total scores for the Aboriginal infants for the GMDS were significantly lower than the standards (mean difference (MD) =−4.7, P < 0.001; 95% confidence interval (CI): −6.37, −2.96). The difference was small and not clinically significant. Infant performance on the locomotor scale was equivalent to the standards; however, their performance was significantly lower on all other subscales. Reported problem alcohol use at home was the only factor found to be negatively correlated with developmental progress (MD =−7.8, P= 0.01; 95% CI: −13.9, −1.8). The presence of three or more risk factors was also found to be associated with lower developmental scores (MD =−5.4, P= 0.01; 95% CI: −9.6, −1.3).

Conclusion:  This study shows that urban Aboriginal infants are mostly developing within the normal range at 12 months. The lower scores overall compared with standards indicate that differences in development appear early in Aboriginal children and this supports the case for early intervention. The association with exposure to problem drinking and the effect of cumulative family stress may be useful in designing screening tools and interventions.
Measurement properties of the 6‐min walk test in individuals with exercise‐induced pulmonary arterial hypertension
Authors: Fowler R. M. , Jenkins S. C. , Maiorana A. J. , Gain K. R. , O'Driscoll G. , Gabbay E.
Published: April 2011

Background:  Exercise‐induced pulmonary arterial hypertension (EIPAH) is associated with reduced peak exercise cardiac output (CO) and aerobic capacity (peak ). We investigated the validity of the encouraged 6‐min walk test (6MWT) to identify exercise limitation and estimate aerobic capacity in subjects with EIPAH.

Methods:  Seventeen subjects with EIPAH (56 ± 14 years, 15 women) and 20 healthy controls (57 ± 13 years, 19 women) underwent two encouraged 6MWTs and a symptom‐limited cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET). To measure central haemodynamics, subjects with EIPAH performed the CPET with a pulmonary artery catheter in situ.

Results:  Compared with controls, subjects with EIPAH had reduced peak (1.2 ± 0.4 vs 1.7 ± 0.5, L/min, P < 0.01), 6‐min walk distance (6MWD) (575 ± 86 vs 669 ± 76 m, P < 0.001) and 6‐min walk work (6MWW) (39 ± 11 vs 45 ± 7 km.kg, P < 0.01). In subjects with EIPAH, there was a moderate correlation between 6MWD and peak (r= 0.72, P < 0.01) and a strong correlation between 6MWW and peak (r= 0.86, P < 0.001). There were significant correlations between 6MWD and peak CO (r= 0.59, P < 0.05), and between peak and peak CO (r= 0.55, P < 0.05). Peak heart rate was similar in the CPET and 6MWT in subjects with EIPAH (133 ± 15 vs 133 ± 19 beats/min, P= 0.8).

Conclusions:  The encouraged 6MWT identifies reduced exercise capacity and provides a valid estimate of aerobic capacity in EIPAH.
Why There is Basically Only One Form of Political Trust
Authors: Hooghe Marc
Published: April 2011

Fisher et al. have argued in this journal that various forms of political trust should be distinguished. In this note I critically review this assertion. A replication study of the British Election Study demonstrates clearly that political trust is a one-dimensional attitude, as citizens apparently do not distinguish between the functioning of various political institutions. An explanation for this pattern could be that political trust judgements reflect the prevailing political culture within a political system. It can rightly be assumed that political culture is a system characteristic that will guide the behaviour of most political actors and institutions.
Pollen transport differs among bees and flies in a human‐modified landscape
Authors: Rader Romina , Edwards Will , Westcott David A. , Cunningham Saul A. , Howlett Bradley G.
Published: April 2011

Aim  Dispersal distances of insect pollinators are critical in defining their contribution to landscape‐wide pollen movement and ultimately gene flow in natural and agricultural systems. We ask whether bee and fly pollinator taxa differ in their dispersal distances and transport of viable pollen in a human‐modified system.

Location  Canterbury and Otago region, South Island, New Zealand.

Methods  We captured pollen‐carrying insects travelling outside of a model mass‐flowering agricultural crop, Brassica rapa, using insect flight intercept traps at five distances (0, 100, 200, 300 and 400 m) from the pollen source. We examined pollen loads and pollen viability to determine whether pollen transport distance and viability differ among pollinator taxa.

Results  A total of 5453 insects were collected of which 717 individuals from 26 insect taxa were positively identified as dispersing pollen up to 400 m from the source. These taxa consisted of four species from two bee families (Hymenoptera: Apidae and Halictidae), and eight species from four fly families (Diptera: Bibiondae, Stratiomyidae, Syrphidae and Tachinidae). Apidae generally carried higher pollen loads and more viable pollen than most fly taxa. Taxa in the fly families Stratiomyidae and Syrphidae, however, carried pollen to 400 m, which is further than both bee families.

Main conclusions  A diverse array of wild and managed flower visitors can transport viable pollen from a pollen source to at least 400 m. Knowledge of the differences in transport distances among generalist pollinators in human‐modified environments is crucial to understand the potential extent to which (1) pollen transport can facilitate gene flow and (2) unwanted hybridization may occur between crops and related weeds.
The role of perceptual, cognitive, and motor abilities in street‐crossing decisions of young and older pedestrians
Authors: Dommes Aurélie , Cavallo Viola
Published: April 2011

Citation information: Dommes A & Cavallo V. The role of perceptual, cognitive, and motor abilities in street‐crossing decisions of young and older pedestrians. Ophthalmic Physiol Opt 2011, 31, 292–301 doi: 10.1111/j.1475‐1313.2011.00835.x

Purpose:  The present experiment investigated the role of perceptual, cognitive, and motor abilities in street‐crossing behaviour with ageing. Previous research has shown that older pedestrians make many unsafe crossing decisions when cars are approaching at high speeds, and miss many crossing opportunities when car speeds are low. The older subjects seem to ignore information about the speed of the approaching cars and to preferentially use simplifying heuristics based on vehicle distance. The objective of the present study was to better understand the underlying age‐related changes that lead to these behaviours, with a specific focus on perceptual factors.

Method:  Twenty young (age 20–30), 21 younger‐old (age 61–71), and 19 older‐old (age 72–83) participants took part in the experiment. All participants individually carried out a simulated street‐crossing task and took a battery of functional tests assessing perceptual, cognitive, and motor abilities.

Results:  In line with earlier findings, the seniors made a greater number of incorrect crossing decisions, with many risky decisions when the vehicle was approaching at a high speed and many missed opportunities at a low speed. Correlation and regression analyses pointed out several functional performance measures as predictors of the way the pedestrians took or did not take information about vehicle speed into account in their decisions. Processing speed and visual attention abilities were shown to play the most important role in explaining the variance in incorrect decisions: these abilities allowed participants to focus their attention on the relevant speed information and to make timely, correct decisions. Time‐to‐arrival estimates, which informed the pedestrians about the time available for crossing, were found to be the second most predictive factor. Walking speed, by way of which the pedestrians adapted their crossing pace to the perceived available time, also came into play. Inhibition abilities ended up as the last functional predictor; they allowed the pedestrians to ignore irrelevant information and inhibit automatic but unsuitable responses.

Conclusions:  The present study provided a multidimensional explanation of increased gap‐selection difficulties with ageing, including a combination of perceptual, cognitive, as well as physical performance declines with increasing age. The findings have implications for improving older pedestrians’ safety in terms of speed limits, road design, and training.
The effect of the visual characteristics of obstacles on risk of tripping and gait parameters during locomotion
Authors: Rietdyk Shirley , Rhea Christopher K
Published: April 2011

Citation information: Rietdyk S & Rhea CK. The effect of the visual characteristics of obstacles on risk of tripping and gait parameters during locomotion. Ophthalmic Physiol Opt 2011, 31, 302–310 doi: 10.1111/j.1475‐1313.2011.00837.x

Purpose:  Injuries from falls are a serious health issue. Approaches to preventing falls should consider increasing relevant visual information of an obstacle. Obstacle parameters, such as position and height, may be specified by the visible structure of an obstacle. The present study examined the relationship between visible structure of an obstacle and locomotor behaviour. This relationship may be modified as a function of experience with navigating obstacles. Since workers at construction sites must navigate through cluttered environments with varied obstacles, these workers may have superior skills at avoiding obstacles. Therefore, the effect of work experience was also examined.

Methods:  Nine construction workers and 10 age‐ and gender‐matched control subjects participated. Subjects stepped over obstacles in an 8 m walkway. Three different obstacles were examined, arranged according to a hierarchy ranging from most to least visible structure: a solid obstacle, a three‐edge outline obstacle and a top‐edge obstacle. The obstacles were 10, 20 or 30 cm high. In addition, visual information was decreased with goggles which obstructed the lower visual field, removing information of the obstacle and foot‐relative‐to‐obstacle in the two steps before the obstacle. All conditions were presented randomly.

Results:  Higher risk of contact and higher lead and trail toe clearance variability were observed for the top‐edge obstacle. Higher risk of contact was observed when the lower visual field was obstructed and for the 30 cm obstacle. Work experience did not influence risk of contact. Construction workers had lower trail toe clearances and lower trail toe clearance variability for the 10 cm obstacle, but were not different from controls for the 30 cm obstacle.

Conclusions:  Decreased visible structure of an obstacle resulted in increased gait variability and increased risk of contact. The changes are consistent with decreased accuracy of the sensory‐to‐motor transformation used to control the lead and trail limb during obstacle crossing when only the top‐edge was visible. There is some evidence that construction workers were better able to transform the visual information to motor actions, as reflected by decreased gait variability, but these findings were not supported by decreased risk of obstacle contact.
All‐cause mortality in people with cirrhosis compared with the general population: a population‐based cohort study
Authors: Fleming Kate M. , Aithal Guruprasad P. , Card Tim R. , West Joe
Published: April 2011

Background: Mortality due to cirrhosis has tripled over the last 30 years in the UK. However, we lack adequate, contemporary, population‐based estimates of the excess mortality patients who are at risk compared with the general population.

Aim: To determine the overall survival in patients with cirrhosis compared with the general population taking into account the effects of severity and aetiology of disease and comorbidity.

Methods: In a cohort study, we identified 4537 people with cirrhosis and a control cohort of 44 403 patients, matched by age, sex and general practice from the UK General Practice Research Database between June 1987 and April 2002.

Results: Patients with compensated cirrhosis had a nearly five‐fold [hazard ratio (HR) 4.7, 95% confidence interval (CI) 4.4–5.0] increased risk of death, while those with decompensated cirrhosis had a near 10‐fold (HR 9.7, 95% CI 8.9–10.6) increased risk compared with the general population. Alcoholic cirrhosis conferred a worse prognosis than non‐alcohol‐related cirrhosis both in the first year following diagnosis and subsequently.

Conclusion: Having a diagnosis of cirrhosis confers a substantial increased mortality risk compared with the general population, even for those with compensated disease, with 5‐year survival between that seen for breast and colorectal cancer.
Nurse Practitioner Certification and Practice Settings: Implications for Education and Practice
Authors: Keough Vicki A. , Stevenson Autumn , Martinovich Zoran , Young Robert , Tanabe Paula
Published: April 2011

Purpose: Nurse Practitioners (NPs) are certified within a population‐focused specialty area, practice in a variety of settings, and treat a wide range of patients. Little is known about what agreement exists between certification obtained and actual site of practice. The purpose of this study was to examine NP practice sites as compared with their certification and examine additional education they received after employment.

Design: Adult (ANP), family (FNP), and acute care nurse practitioners (ACNPs) certified by the American Nurses Credentialing Center were surveyed regarding certification, demographic information, practice setting, routine responsibilities, and additional training they may have obtained.

Methods: An expert panel defined categories of traditional practice settings consistent with NP credentialing examinations and scopes of practice. Equal numbers of randomly chosen ANPs, ACNPs, and FNPs (N = 2,000) were mailed surveys. Responses were coded and analyzed.

Findings: The overall survey response was 69.8% (n= 1216). Of the FNP, ANP, and ACNP respondents, 5%, 7%, and 42%, respectively, reported practicing in a nontraditional practice setting. Of nurses practicing in a nontraditional setting, 74% (135 of 182) were ACNPs, with 90% practicing in a nontraditional, ambulatory care setting. Sixty‐five percent (13 of 20) of the FNPs practicing in a nontraditional setting were practicing in a high‐acuity emergency department, and 56% (15 of 27) of the ANPs practicing in a nontraditional setting were practicing in a high‐acuity intensive care unit. The top responses of additional education received were pharmacology, laboratory interpretation, and ordering diagnostic tests.

Conclusions: While greater than 90% of ANPs and FNPs practice in settings consistent with their certification, a proportion of NPs practice in nontraditional settings and may benefit from additional education (formal, on‐the‐job, and continuing education) and mentoring.
Evolution of Local Structure in Geopolymer Gels: An In Situ Neutron Pair Distribution Function Analysis
Authors: White Claire E. , Provis John L. , Llobet Anna , Proffen Thomas , van Deventer Jannie S. J.
Published: April 2011

Geopolymer cement is fast becoming a technologically important alternative to ceramics and traditional cement. However, the amorphous nature of the phases which participate in the molecular processes occurring during evolution of geopolymer gel has made nanoscale research challenging. Here, for the first time, the local structural correlations of metakaolin‐based geopolymer gel have been elucidated using in situ neutron pair distribution function analysis, following the structural changes occurring due to dissolution and repolymerization molecular processes. Over the initial 17 h of reaction, the subtle structural changes observed predominantly relate to dissolution of the initial metakaolin precursor before formation of the gel. After 90 days the gel has formed and has transitioned from the initially formed geopolymer structure (gel 1) to a more stable and more ordered state (gel 2), via an increase in cross‐linking within the geopolymer gel. Through analysis of precursor dissolution behavior in different activator solutions, the impact of morphology on the rate of dissolution has been postulated, with layered precursors (metakaolin) shown to behave differently than spherical precursors (fly ash) depending on the type of activator solution used. Hence, this investigation reveals the important structural changes occurring during synthesis of this new class of low‐temperature ceramics.
Chlamydia trachomatis Infection Causes Mitotic Spindle Pole Defects Independently from its Effects on Centrosome Amplification
Authors: Knowlton Andrea E. , Brown Heather M. , Richards Theresa S. , Andreolas Lauren A. , Patel Rahul K. , Grieshaber Scott S.
Published: April 2011

Chlamydiae are Gram negative, obligate intracellular bacteria, and Chlamydia trachomatis is the etiologic agent of the most commonly reported sexually transmitted disease in the United States. Chlamydiae undergo a biphasic life cycle that takes place inside a parasitophorous vacuole termed an inclusion. Chlamydial infections have been epidemiologically linked to cervical cancer in patients previously infected by human papillomavirus (HPV). The inclusion associates very closely with host cell centrosomes, and this association is dependent upon the host motor protein dynein. We have previously reported that this interaction induces supernumerary centrosomes in infected cells, leading to multipolar mitotic spindles and inhibiting accurate chromosome segregation. Our findings demonstrate that chlamydial infection causes mitotic spindle defects independently of its effects on centrosome amplification. We show that chlamydial infection increases centrosome spread and inhibits the spindle assembly checkpoint delay to disrupt centrosome clustering. These data suggest that chlamydial infection exacerbates the consequences of centrosome amplification by inhibiting the cells' ability to suppress the effects of these defects on mitotic spindle organization. We hypothesize that these combined effects on mitotic spindle architecture identifies a possible mechanism for Chlamydia as a cofactor in cervical cancer formation.
Vegetation databases as a tool to analyse factors affecting the range expansion of the forest understory herb Ceratocapnos claviculata
Authors: Voss Nicole , Simmering Dietmar , Peppler‐Lisbach Cord , Durka Walter , Eckstein R. Lutz
Published: April 2011

Question: The eu‐atlantic forest herb Ceratocapnos claviculata showed a recent increase in frequency within its native range and an eastward and northward range expansion in Central Europe. To gain deeper understanding of factors affecting the range expansion of the species, we analyzed vegetation relevés at three different scales and asked the following questions: As the species occurs in a wide range of vegetation types, is variation in community composition across the entire range related to climatic environmental zones and tree cover? Are there differences in species composition and habitat characteristics between the native range and the two invaded regions (S Sweden and NE Germany)? Did community composition and habitat characteristics within the native range (The Netherlands) change between ‘before 1970’ and ‘1990 to 2006’?

Location: W, C and N Europe.

Methods: We analysed vegetation‐plot data with C. claviculata from various databases and own surveys using partial CCA, partial DCA, Indicator Species Analysis, MANCOVA and multiple regression.

Results: Using vegetation plots from the entire distribution range, climatic environmental zones explained 68.9% of the total canonical Eigenvalue. Differences in floristic composition and habitat characteristics between the two invaded regions were as large as between native and invaded range sites. However, relevés from the invaded range were generally characterized by anthropogenic disturbance. Accordingly, abundance of C. claviculata was positively linked to silvicultural intensity. New relevés from 1990 to 2006 were characterized by higher Ellenberg nutrient indicator values, lower species diversity, higher proportions of neophytic and hemerobic species and showed a lower cover of the study species than old relevés from before 1970.

Conclusions: Across the range of C. claviculata, climatic environmental zones determine vegetation composition. Accordingly, the species is characterized by a broad macroclimatic amplitude. Vegetation composition and structure differ significantly between the two regions of the new range. Thus, the species has successfully established under various biotic and abiotic environmental conditions. Beyond potential positive effects of soil eutrophication and mild winters, anthropogenic impact may directly facilitate seed dispersal and provide sites and resource conditions suitable for germination and establishment of C. claviculata, whereas a decrease of forest management may constrain the species.
Natriuretic peptide system: an overview of studies using genetically engineered animal models
Authors: Kishimoto Ichiro , Tokudome Takeshi , Nakao Kazuwa , Kangawa Kenji
Published: April 2011

The mammalian natriuretic peptide system, consisting of at least three ligands and three receptors, plays critical roles in health and disease. Examination of genetically engineered animal models has suggested the significance of the natriuretic peptide system in cardiovascular, renal and skeletal homeostasis. The present review focuses on the in vivo roles of the natriuretic peptide system as demonstrated in transgenic and knockout animal models.
Platelet‐rich plasma versus platelet‐poor plasma in the management of chronic diabetic foot ulcers: a comparative study
Authors: Saad Setta Hany , Elshahat Ahmed , Elsherbiny Khalid , Massoud Karim , Safe Ikram
Published: April 2011

Non healing diabetic foot ulcers and the resulting potential amputations present significant costs to the health care system and reduce patient quality of life. The goal of diabetic foot ulcer treatment is to obtain wound closure as expeditiously as possible. The use of platelet‐rich plasma (PRP) to enhance wound healing has increased dramatically over the last decade. However, controversies exist in the literature regarding the added benefit of this procedure. The aim of this study is to investigate the efficiency of platelet releasate on the healing of chronic diabetic ulcers in comparison with platelet‐poor plasma (PPP). This study included 24 patients with chronic diabetic ulcers. They were systematically randomised into two groups: PRP group (n = 12) and PPP group (n = 12). The results showed that healing in PRP group was significantly faster (P < 0·005). PRP enhances healing of chronic diabetic foot ulcers.
Review article: Intravenous lipid emulsion as antidote: A summary of published human experience
Authors: Cave Grant , Harvey Martyn , Graudins Andis
Published: April 2011

Intravenous lipid emulsion (ILE) has been demonstrated to be effective in amelioration of cardiovascular and central nervous system sequelae of local‐anaesthetic and non‐local‐anaesthetic drug toxicity in animal models. Sequestration of lipophilic toxins to an expanded plasma lipid phase is credited as the predominant beneficial mechanism of action of ILE. Systematic review of published human experience is however lacking. We determined to report a comprehensive literature search of all human reports of ILE application in drug poisoning. Forty‐two cases of ILE use (19 local‐anaesthetic, 23 non‐local‐anaesthetic) were identified, with anecdotal reports of successful resuscitation from cardiovascular collapse and central nervous system depression associated with ILE administration in lipophilic toxin overdose. Although significant heterogeneity was observed in both agents of intoxication, and reported outcomes; case report data suggest a possible benefit of ILE in potentially life‐threatening cardio‐toxicity from bupivacaine, mepivacaine, ropivacaine, haloperidol, tricyclic antidepressants, lipophilic beta blockers and calcium channel blockers. Further controlled study and systematic evaluation of human cases is required to define the clinical role of ILE in acute poisonings.
Female Urinary Incontinence at Orgasm: A Possible Marker of a More Severe Form of Detrusor Overactivity. Can Ultrasound Measurement of Bladder Wall Thickness Explain It?
Authors: Serati Maurizio , Salvatore Stefano , Cattoni Elena , Siesto Gabriele , Soligo Marco , Braga Andrea , Sorice Paola , Cromi Antonella , Ghezzi Fabio , Cardozo Linda , Bolis Pierfrancesco
Published: April 2011

Introduction

Coital incontinence (CI) during orgasm is a form of urinary incontinence possibly because of detrusor overactivity (DO), as the underlying pathophysiological condition. Women with this symptom usually show a pharmacological lower cure rate than those with DO alone. The ultrasound measurement of the bladder wall thickness (BWT) allows an indirect evaluation of detrusor muscle thickness, giving a potential index of detrusor activity.

Aim

We wanted to understand if CI at orgasm could be a marker of severity of DO by comparing BWT in women with both DO and CI at orgasm vs. women with DO alone. In addition we aimed to confirm if CI during orgasm is related to antimuscarinics treatment failure.

Methods

This is a prospective cohort study performed in two tertiary urogynecological referral departments, recruiting consecutive patients seeking treatment for symptomatic DO.

Main Outcome Measures

All patients were thoroughly assessed including physical examination, urodynamic evaluation, and BWT measurement according to the International Continence Society/International Urogynecological Association and ICI recommendations. Solifenacine 5 mg once daily was then prescribed and follow-up was scheduled to evaluate treatment. Multiple logistic regression (MLR) was performed to identify risk factors for treatment failure.

Results

Between September 2007 and March 2010, 31 (22.6%) and 106 (77.4%) women with DO with and without CI at orgasm were enrolled. Women complaining of CI at orgasm had significantly higher BWT than the control group (5.8 ± 0.6 mm vs. 5.2 ± 1.2 mm [P =0.007]). In patients with CI at orgasm, the nonresponder rate to antimuscarinics was significantly higher than controls (P =0.01). After MLR, CI at orgasm was the only independent predictor decreasing antimuscarinics efficacy (odds ratio [OR] 3.16 [95% CI 1.22–8.18], P =0.02).

Conclusions

Women with DO and CI at orgasm showed a significantly higher BWT values and worse cure rates than women with DO alone. CI at orgasm could be a marker of a more severe form of DO.
Making sense of place through multiple memory systems1
Authors: Simandan Dragos
Published: April 2011

The first part of the paper develops the argument that geographers should learn to decompose human memory into its constituent parts because then and then alone will we become attuned to the full range of ways in which we incorporate places into our beings. The second part of the paper articulates Stephen Hill's comments on episodic memory with my recent work on wisdom.
The domestic divide: Access to the Internet in New Zealand
Authors: Greenbrook‐Held Jeremy , Morrison Philip S.
Published: April 2011

We use unit records of the 2006 census to show that access to the Internet in the home varies geographically in New Zealand primarily as a result of demographic and socio‐economic differences among individuals. Of particular significance is the much lower rates of domestic access experienced by Māori and Pacific Island individuals even after controlling for differences in their age, gender, education, income, occupation and settlement type. While differences in Internet access by ethnicity has been noted before, it is the magnitude and persistence of this difference in New Zealand after controlling for correlated factors that renders this study unique. Our results have important implications in an education environment increasingly reliant on Web access, but they also raise questions about the extent of access to the Internet outside the home.
Putting together the pieces of the puzzle: Traces of New Zealand in international school geography textbooks
Authors: Bagoly‐Simó Péter
Published: April 2011

How does a fairly remote space (the islands of New Zealand) contribute to the development of geographical literacy in the geography textbooks of post‐socialist (Romania), Western (Germany) and post‐colonial (Mexico) countries? A four‐step analysis of three textbooks of international selection revealed different regionalisation cultures combined with traditional and recently implemented educational paradigms of geography education and led to a similar result. Despite the many ways in which New Zealand's geographical distinctiveness could be used to enhance geographical literacy, there are few operationalisations of educational targets that might contribute to sustainable long‐term learning. Further, these results also offer a possible explanation for the absence of the ‘southern lands’ on students' cognitive maps of the world.
Integrating In Silico and In vitro Approaches to Dissect the Stereoselectivity of Bacillus subtilis Lipase A toward Ketoprofen Vinyl Ester
Authors: Ni Zhong , Zhou Peng , Jin Xin , Lin Xian‐Fu
Published: April 2011

The asymmetric catalysis, as the character of enzyme, attracts increasing attention from the scientific and industrial communities. In this study, the Bacillus subtilis lipase A, as a model enzyme, is studied systematically to dissect its stereoselectivity toward (rac)‐ketoprofen vinyl ester using a combination scheme of molecular docking and quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical (QM/MM) analysis. In this procedure, the rational orientation of the two enantiomers of ketoprofen vinyl ester is obtained with the AutoDock performing, and then, the steric contacts between the enzyme and substrate in the docking outputs are examined visually at the atomic level with a small‐probe technique. Subsequently, the binding energies of the enzyme–substrate complexes are calculated using an ONIOM (Our own N‐layered Integrated Molecular Orbital + Molecular mechanics)‐based QM/MM protocol. The results obtained from the theoretical studies show that the B. subtilis lipase A prefer to hydrolyze the (R )‐ketoprofen vinyl ester when compared to its (S )‐enantiomer, with a relatively high E (stereoselectivity) value of 31.28 charactering its enantioselectivity. Furthermore, to verify the conclusions from the computational analysis, the B. subtilis lipase A gene is cloned to overexpress the recombinant B. subtilis lipase A, and its stereoselectivity was determined. Satisfactorily, the experimental results are in well agreement with the theoretical predictions because the (R )‐ketoprofen vinyl ester is found as the preferring enantiomer of the B. subtilis lipase A, with experimentally measured E value of 36.7. We therefore expect that this in silico–in vitro hybrid approach can provide a new and effective avenue to predict the catalytic activity of and to investigate the molecular mechanism of enzyme‐mediated asymmetric catalysis and help in understanding the enzymatic process and in rational enzyme design.