bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effects of drying regime on microbial colonization and shredder preference in seasonal woodland wetlands
Authors: INKLEY MARTYN D. , WISSINGER SCOTT A. , BAROS BRANDI L.
Published: November 2007

1. Energy budgets of wetlands in temperate deciduous forests are dominated by terrestrially derived leaf litter that decays under different drying conditions depending on autumn precipitation. We compared decay rates and microbial colonization of maple leaves under different inundation schedules in a field experiment, and then conducted a laboratory study on shredder preference. In the field, litter bags either remained submerged (permanent), were moved to a dried part of the basin once and then returned (semi‐permanent), or were alternated between wet and dry conditions for 8 weeks (temporary).

2. There was no difference in decay rates among treatments, but leaves incubated under permanent and semi‐permanent conditions had higher fungal and bacterial biomass, and lower C : N ratios than those incubated under alternating drying and wetting conditions.

3. To determine the effects of these differences in litter nutritional quality on shredder preference, we conducted a laboratory preference test with larvae of leaf‐shredding caddisflies that inhabit the wetland. Caddisflies spent twice as much time foraging on permanent and semi‐permanent litter than on litter incubated under temporary conditions.

4. There is considerable variation among previous studies in how basin drying affects litter breakdown in wetlands, and no previous information on shredder preference. We found that frequent drying in a shallow wetland reduces the nutritional quality of leaf litter (lower microbial biomass and nitrogen content), and therefore preference by invertebrate shredders. These results suggest that inter‐annual shifts in drying regime should alter detritus processing rates, and hence the mobilization of the energy and nutrients in leaf litter to the wetland food web.
Evolution and biogeography of New Zealand's longjaw galaxiids (Osmeriformes: Galaxiidae): the genetic effects of glaciation and mountain building
Authors: WATERS JONATHAN M. , CRAW D.
Published: November 2007

1. The biological impact of glaciation in Southern Hemisphere freshwaters is poorly understood. Several large rivers of eastern South Island, New Zealand, represent a mosaic of glaciated and non‐glaciated regions, and are thus well‐suited for studies of post‐glacial recolonization.

2. We conducted mtDNA analyses of South Island's endemic non‐migratory longjaw galaxiids Galaxias prognathus and G. cobitinis (Osmeriformes: Galaxiidae) to test hypotheses of post‐glacial recolonization, and to assess the vicariant effects of Pleistocene mountain building.

3. We analysed the phylogeography of longjaw cytochrome b sequences from 38 sites in central South Island (n = 83). On the basis of our sampling it seems that G. prognathus and G. cobitinis have a parapatric distribution in the Waitaki River system, their disjunction broadly coinciding with three large post‐glacial lakes. Waitaki clades of both species are deeply divergent relative to conspecific taxa in drainages to the north and south.

4. Tests for recent population growth – predicted under post‐glacial expansion of G. prognathus– do not refute recent recolonization of streams above glaciated lakes in the Waitaki River drainage. The apparent absence of potential ‘source’ populations from non‐glaciated regions suggests a post‐glacial population decline for G. prognathus below the Waitaki lakes.

5. Molecular clock calibrations based on several freshwater vicariant events elsewhere in New Zealand supported the geologically‐derived hypothesis of Waitaki–Canterbury drainage isolation approximately 300 ka.
Linearized seismic waveform inversion using a multiple re‐weighted least‐squares method with QR preconditioning
Authors: Porsani Milton J. , Pomponet Oliveira Saulo
Published: November 2007

Linearized inversion methods such as Gauss‐Newton and multiple re‐weighted least‐squares are iterative processes in which an update in the current model is computed as a function of data misfit and the gradient of data with respect to model parameters. The main advantage of those methods is their ability to refine the model parameters although they have a high computational cost for seismic inversion. In the Gauss‐Newton method a system of equations, corresponding to the sensitivity matrix, is solved in the least‐squares sense at each iteration, while in the multiple re‐weighted least‐squares method many systems are solved using the same sensitivity matrix. The sensitivity matrix arising from these methods is usually not sparse, thus limiting the use of standard preconditioners in the solution of the linearized systems. For reduction of the computational cost of the linearized inversion methods, we propose the use of preconditioners based on a partial orthogonalization of the columns of the sensitivity matrix. The new approach collapses a band of co‐diagonals of the normal equations matrix into the main diagonal, being equivalent to computing the least‐squares solution starting from a partial solution of the linear system. The preconditioning is driven by a bandwidth L which can be interpreted as the distance for which the correlation between model parameters is relevant. To illustrate the benefit of the proposed approach to the reduction of the computational cost of the inversion we apply the multiple re‐weighted least‐squares method to the 2D acoustic seismic waveform inversion problem. We verify the reduction in the number of iterations in the conjugate'gradient algorithm as the bandwidth of the preconditioners increases. This effect reduces the total computational cost of inversion as well.
Interleukin (IL)‐4 promotes T helper type 2‐biased natural killer T (NKT) cell expansion, which is regulated by NKT cell‐derived interferon‐γ and IL‐4
Authors: Iizuka Akira , Ikarashi Yoshinori , Yoshida Mitsuzi , Heike Yuji , Takeda Kazuyoshi , Quinn Gary , Wakasugi Hiro , Kitagawa Masanobu , Takaue Yoichi
Published: November 2007

CD1d‐restricted natural killer T (NKT) cells can rapidly produce T helper type 1 (Th1) and Th2 cytokines and also play regulatory or pathological roles in immune responses. NKT cells are able to expand when cultured with α‐galactosylceramide (α‐GalCer) and interleukin (IL)‐2 in a CD1d‐restricted manner. However, the expansion ratio of human NKT cells is variable from sample to sample. In this study, we sought to determine what factor or factors are responsible for efficient in vitro expansion of NKT cells from various inbred mouse strains. Although the proportion of NKT cells in the spleen was nearly identical in each mouse strain, the growth rates of NKT cells cultured in vitro with α‐GalCer and IL‐2 were highly variable. NKT cells from the B6C3F1 and BDF1 mouse strains expanded more than 20‐fold after 4 days in culture. In contrast, NKT cells from the strain C3H/HeN did not proliferate at all. We found that cell expansion efficiency correlated with the level of IL‐4 detectable in the supernatant after culture. Furthermore, we found that exogenous IL‐4 augmented NKT cell proliferation early in the culture period, whereas interferon (IFN)‐γ tended to inhibit NKT cell proliferation. Thus, the ratio of production of IL‐4 and IFN‐γ was important for NKT cell expansion but the absolute levels of these cytokines did not affect expansion. This finding suggests that effective expansion of NKT cells requires Th2‐biased culture conditions.
Localization of substance P‐induced upregulated interleukin‐8 expression in human dental pulp explants
Authors: Huang G. T.‐J. , Lee H. W. , Lee H. S. , Lee G. H. , Huh S. Y. , Choi G. W. , Park S. H.
Published: November 2007

Aim  To localize ex vivo expression of interleukin‐8 (IL‐8) induced by substance P (SP) in human dental pulps.

Methodology  Intact caries‐free, freshly extracted third molars (n = 20) were collected from patients (15–25 years old). The teeth were split and pulpal tissue was obtained and stored in Dulbecco’s modified Eagle medium. Human dental pulp tissue explants were stimulated with SP. Expression of IL‐8 in pulp explants was detected and localized by immunohistochemistry.

Results  Moderated IL‐8 immunoreactivities were detected mainly in the cell‐rich zone in pulp tissues 12 h after tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF‐α) stimulation (positive controls), whereas only weak IL‐8 expression was observed in tissues stimulated with SP at the same time interval. These data did not differ from those in negative controls. Increased IL‐8 expression in pulp explants after 24 h of SP stimulation was noted compared with negative controls and located in fibroblast‐like cells, blood vessel‐associated cells and extracellular matrix in the central zone and cell‐rich zone of pulp explants. Tissues stimulated with TNF‐α for 24 h (positive controls) revealed weak IL‐8 immunoreactivities with altered cell morphology.

Conclusions  Substance P induces IL‐8 expression and was located in fibroblast‐like pulp cells, blood vessel‐associated cells and extracellular matrix of human dental explants. These data support the hypothesis that neuropeptide (SP) coordinates the modulation of pulpal inflammation via up‐regulating chemokine IL‐8.
Comparative gene expression profile analysis between native human odontoblasts and pulp tissue
Authors: Pääkkönen V. , Vuoristo J. T. , Salo T. , Tjäderhane L.
Published: November 2007

Aim  To undertake a large‐scale analysis of the expression profiles of native human pulp tissue and odontoblasts, and search for genes expressed only in odontoblasts.

Methodology  Microarray was performed to pooled pulp and odontoblasts of native human third molars and to pooled +/− TGF‐β1 cultured pulps and odontoblasts (137 teeth). The repeatability of microarray analysis was estimated by comparing the experimental pulp samples with expression profiles of two pulp samples downloaded from the GEO database. The genes expressed only in the experimental pulp samples or in odontoblasts were divided into categories, and the expression of selected odontoblast‐specific genes of extracellular matrix (ECM) organization and biogenesis category was confirmed with RT‐PCR and Western blot.

Results  A 85.3% repeatability was observed between pulp microarrays, demonstrating the high reliability of the technique. Overall 1595 probe sets were positive only in pulp and 904 only in odontoblasts. Sixteen expressed sequence tags (ESTs), which represent transcribed sequences encoding possibly unknown genes, were detected only in odontoblasts; two consistently expressed in all odontoblast samples. Matrilin 4 (MATN4) was the only ECM biogenesis and organization related gene detected in odontoblasts but not in pulp by microarray and RT‐PCR. MATN4 protein expression only in odontoblasts was confirmed by Western blot.

Conclusions  Pulp tissue and odontoblast gene expression profiling provides basic data for further, more detailed protein analysis. In addition, MATN4 and the two ESTs could serve as an odontoblast differentiation marker, e.g. in odontoblast stem cell research.
Facial expression of affect in children with Cornelia de Lange syndrome
Authors: Collis L. , Moss J. , Jutley J. , Cornish K. , Oliver C.
Published: November 2007

Background  Individuals with Cornelia de Lange syndrome (CdLS) have been reported to show comparatively high levels of flat and negative affect but there have been no empirical evaluations. In this study, we use an objective measure of facial expression to compare affect in CdLS with that seen in Cri du Chat syndrome (CDC) and a group of individuals with a mixed aetiology of intellectual disabilities (ID).

Method  Observations of three groups of 14 children with CdLS, CDC and mixed aetiology of ID were undertaken when a one‐to‐one interaction was ongoing.

Results  There was no significant difference between the groups in the duration of positive, negative or flat affect. However, the CdLS group displayed a significantly lower ratio of positive to negative affect than children in the other groups.

Discussion  This difference partially confirms anecdotal observations and could be due to the expression of pain caused by health problems associated with CdLS or neurological expression of the CdLS gene in facial muscles related to expression of positive affect. However, further research is needed to directly test these possible associations.
Travel and venous thrombosis: a systematic review
Authors: Kuipers S. , Schreijer A. J. M. , Cannegieter S. C. , Büller H. R. , Rosendaal F. R. , Middeldorp S.
Published: November 2007

Abstract.  Kuipers S, Schreijer AJM, Cannegieter SC, Büller HR, Rosendaal FR, Middeldorp S (Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden; and Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam; and Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands). Travel and venous thrombosis: a systematic review (Review). J Intern Med 2007; 262: 615–634.

In the past decade, numerous publications on the association between venous thrombosis (VT) and travel have been published. Relative and absolute risks of VT after travel, and particularly after travel by air, have been studied in case–control and observational follow‐up studies, whereas the effect of prophylaxis has been studied through intervention trials of asymptomatic clots. The mechanism responsible for the association between travel and VT was addressed in pathophysiologic studies. Here, we systematically reviewed the epidemiologic and pathophysiologic studies about the association between travel and VT.

We conclude that long‐distance travel increases the risk of VT approximately two to fourfold. The absolute risk of a symptomatic event within 4 weeks of flights longer than 4 h is 1/4600 flights. The risk of severe pulmonary embolism (PE) occurring immediately after air travel increases with duration of travel, up to 4.8 per million in flights longer than 12 h. The mechanism responsible for the increased risk of VT after (air) travel has insufficiently been studied to draw solid conclusions, but one controlled‐study showed evidence for an additional mechanism to immobilization that could lead to coagulation activation after air travel.
Testing the role of genetic factors across multiple independent invasions of the shrub Scotch broom (Cytisus scoparius)
Authors: KANG MING , BUCKLEY YVONNE M. , LOWE ANDREW J.
Published: November 2007

Knowledge of the introduction history of invasive plants informs on theories of invasiveness and assists in the invasives management. For the highly successful invasive shrub Scotch broom, Cytisus scoparius, we analysed a combination of nuclear and chloroplast microsatellites for eight native source regions and eight independent invasion events in four countries across three continents. We found that two exotic Australian populations came from different sources, one of which was derived from multiple native populations, as was an invasive sample from California. An invasive population from New Zealand appeared to be predominantly sourced from a single population, either from the native or exotic ranges. Four invasive populations from Chile were genetically differentiated from the native range samples analysed here and so their source of introduction could not be confirmed, but high levels of differentiation between the Chilean populations suggested a combination of different sources. This extensive global data set of replicated introductions also enabled tests of key theories of invasiveness in relation to genetic diversity. We conclude that invasive populations have similar levels of high genetic diversity to native ranges; levels of admixture may vary across invasive populations so admixture does not appear to have been an essential requirement for invasion; invasive and native populations exhibit similar level of genetic structure indicating similar gene flow dynamics for both types of populations. High levels of diversity and multiple source populations for invasive populations observed here discount founder effects or drift as likely explanations for previously observed seed size differences between ranges. The high levels of genetic diversity, differential and source admixture identified for most exotic populations are likely to limit the ability to source biocontrol agents from the native region of origin of invasive populations.
Sensory signalling effects of tegaserod in patients with irritable bowel syndrome with constipation1
Authors: Sabaté J.‐m. , Bouhassira D. , Poupardin C. , Wagner A. , Loria Y. , Coffin B.
Published: November 2007

Abstract  Tegaserod relieves overall and multiple individual constipation‐predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS‐C) symptoms. However, mechanisms for the relief of abdominal pain/discomfort are not well understood. The effects of tegaserod on rectal sensitivity to distension were measured by the nociceptive flexion RIII reflex, as evidenced by spinal hyperexcitability (i.e. increase or facilitation of the RIII reflex), in IBS‐C patients. A randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled, parallel study was performed in 30 women with IBS‐C. The effects of slow ramp rectal distension on the RIII reflex, recorded from the lower limb, were measured before [first experimental day (D1)] and after 7 days [day 8 (D8)] of placebo (n = 15) or 6 mg tegaserod bid (n = 15). Pressure–volume and sensation–volume relationships were measured during distension, and patients reported their IBS symptoms daily. On D1, rectal distension facilitated the RIII reflex in both treatment groups. On D8 vs D1 these facilitatory effects were significantly lower (P < 0.001, analysis of variance) after tegaserod (mean reduction: −30.3 ± 11.9%) than placebo (mean reduction: −10.1 ± 12.9%). No significant changes in the volume–sensation relationship or differences in compliance were observed with tegaserod or placebo. In conclusion, tegaserod reduces the facilitatory effects of rectal distension on the RIII reflex in women with IBS‐C.
Oesophageal heat transfer properties indication of segmental blood flow changes during distension
Authors: Liao D. , Frøkjær J. B. , Brock C. , Andersen S. D. , Drewes A. M. , Gregersen H.
Published: November 2007

Abstract  The pain perception to distension of the oesophagus can be explained by activation of receptors responding to mechanical deformation or to distension‐induced ischaemia. The aim of this study was to develop a new method for detection of changes in segmental blood flow during distension based on measurement of heat transfer. A bag was distended in the distal oesophagus of six healthy subjects followed by cooling or heating of the bag fluid to 5 or 60 °C. After equilibrium, the temperature was allowed to change back to body temperature. The temperature was recorded together with intraluminal ultrasound imaging, allowing assessment of the heat transfer properties at different bag volumes. The heat transfer constants were higher after heating the bag than after cooling the bag (Tukey, P < 0.05). The heat transfer constants after heating the bag decreased as function of bag volumes whereas the heat transfer during cooling was not affected by the bag volume (F = 0.9, P = 0.4). The findings indicate that segmental blood flow can be assessed indirectly by calculating the heat transfer properties. Distension induced a drop in regional blood flow. Hence, ischaemia may contribute to distension‐induced pain. Furthermore, heat increased segmental blood flow and cold decreased segmental blood flow. This method may in the future be used to explore the mechanisms behind oesophageal pain.
Chronic intestinal pseudo‐obstruction caused by an intestinal inflammatory myopathy: case report and review of the literature
Authors: Dewit S. , De Hertogh G. , Geboes K. , Tack J.
Published: November 2007

Abstract  Chronic intestinal pseudo‐obstruction (CIP) is an uncommon disorder that may be of primary or secondary origin. We report a case of a 37‐year‐old woman with CIP due to inflammatory disorder of unknown origin involving the skin (eosinophilic fasciitis), the lungs (decreased diffusion capacity) and the gastrointestinal tract. History, clinical examination, plain abdominal film, barium X‐ray and colonoscopy established a diagnosis of recurrent pseudo‐obstruction. A full‐thickness biopsy was performed during explorative laparotomy, and histological examination revealed findings compatible with an inflammatory myopathy due to a dense lymphoid infiltrate and extensive loss of the muscularis propriae layers. Immunosuppressive therapy with cyclosporin was initiated, with significant clinical improvement. This case illustrates another form of CIP, characterized by an inflammatory myopathy, which is histologically distinct from other known visceral myopathies and neuropathies.
Dobzhansky–Muller model of hybrid dysfunction supported by poor burst‐speed performance in hybrid tiger salamanders
Authors: FITZPATRICK B. M.
Published: November 2007

Speciation may result from ‘complementary’ genetic differences that cause dysfunction when brought together in hybrids despite having no deleterious effects within pure species genomes. The theory of complementary genes, independently proposed by Dobzhansky and Muller, yields specific predictions about the genetics of hybrid fitness. Here, I show how alternative models of hybrid dysfunction can be compared using a simple multivariate analysis of hybrid indices calculated from molecular markers. I use the approach to fit models of hybrid dysfunction to swimming performance in hybrid tiger salamander larvae. Poor burst‐speed performance is a dysfunction suggesting low vigour and could translate directly into low survival. My analyses show that the Dobzhansky–Muller model fits these data better than heterozygote disadvantage. The approach demonstrated here can be applied to a broad array of nonmodel species, potentially leading to important generalizations about the genetics of hybrid dysfunction.
The influence of developmental environment on the evolution of olfactory foraging behaviour in procellariiform seabirds
Authors: VAN BUSKIRK R. W. , NEVITT G. A.
Published: November 2007

The evolutionary origins of foraging behaviour by procellariiform seabirds (petrels, albatrosses and shearwaters) are poorly understood. Moreover, proximate factors affecting foraging ecology, such as the influence of environment on the development of sensory systems, have yet to be addressed. Here, we apply comparative methods based on current procellariiform phylogenies to identify associations between sensory modalities and the developmental environment that may underlie the evolution of complex foraging behaviour. We postulate that, for burrow‐nesting species, smell is likely to dominate the sensory world of the developing chick. Alternatively, for ground‐nesting species, chicks receive exposure to a range of visual, auditory and olfactory cues. We employ maximum likelihood to test models of correlated trait evolution between nesting habit and olfactory foraging style and to reconstruct the ancestral states of these characters when coded as binary states. Our results suggest that nesting behaviour has evolved in conjunction with foraging style. Based on this analysis, we propose that nesting on the surface was a life‐history innovation that opened up a new developmental environment with profound effects on the foraging ecology of procellariiform seabirds.
Multicentric evaluation of the DiaMed enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay malaria antibody test for screening of blood donors for malaria
Authors: Elghouzzi M.‐H. , Senegas A. , Steinmetz T. , Guntz P. , Barlet V. , Assal A. , Gallian P. , Volle P. , Chuteau C. , Beolet M. , Berrebi S. , Filisetti D. , Doderer C. , Abdelrahman T. , Candolfi E.
Published: November 2007

Background  The risk of malaria transmission by blood transfusion is critical due to extensive travel from endemic areas to non‐endemic areas. An enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) malaria antibody test has been developed that is claimed to perform better than the immunofluorescence assay test (IFAT). The assay contains antigens to both Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax. A multicentre study was performed to evaluate the appropriateness of replacing the IFAT by the new ELISA test.

Material and Methods  Nine French blood banks participated in this multicentre study. Two panels of samples were evaluated. The first included 4163 samples from healthy donors and was used to calculate clinical specificity of the assay. The second involved 10 995 samples, either collected retrospectively or prospectively from malaria‐risk donors , was used to assess the comparative performance of the ELISA and IFAT. Discordant samples were further tested using an in‐house IFAT and also tested for presence of Plasmodium DNA by polymerase chain reaction.

Results  The ELISA showed a clinical specificity of 99·02%. In the malaria‐risk blood donors groups, the retrospective group showed a concordance rate of 92·6% (k = 0·90), while the prospective group showed a concordance rate of 97% (k = 0·46). After confirming the discordant sample results by an in‐house IFAT, the k index increased to 0·81. None of the discordant samples was shown to contain Plasmodium DNA.

Conclusion  The performance of the ELISA test in this study has confirmed its potential as a new screening test for use in blood banks, as an alternative to the IFAT in prevention of transfusion‐transmitted malaria in non‐endemic countries.
The Right Coronary Artery is Absent in the Chinchilla (Chinchilla lanigera)
Authors: Ozdemİr V. , ÇEvik‐Demİrkan A. , Turkmenoglu I.
Published: November 2007

A total of 10 adult, healthy, male chinchillas (Chinchilla lanigera) were used to investigate the origin, course, and termination of the coronary arteries. Coloured latex was injected into the carotid arteries following conventional anatomical applications. In all the chinchillas examined, the left coronary artery was the single coronary artery. The right coronary artery was missing. Additionally, a small vessel originating from the cranial border of the aorta was observed in one chinchilla. The left coronary artery divided into the paraconal, interventricular and left circumflex rami. The left marginis ventricular ramus arose from the paraconal interventricular ramus in eight chinchillas, and from the left circumflex ramus in two. The ventricular and septal branches of the left coronary artery ran subepicardially at the beginning mostly parallel to the muscle fibres, also surrounded by a thin adipose tissue. It was concluded that the only left coroner artery supplied blood to the heart in the chinchilla.
Validation of the Visual Recognition Slide Test with stroke: A component of the New South Wales occupational therapy off‐road driver rehabilitation program
Authors: George Stacey , Clark Michael , Crotty Maria
Published: November 2007

Aim:  This aim of this study was to determine the construct and predictive validity of the New South Wales Visual Recognition Slide Test (VRST) — a component of the occupational therapy off‐road driving rehabilitation program designed to assess the abilities of speed of information processing and visual scanning.

Methods and results:  Twenty‐six people with stroke were used to test construct validity, and 24 people with stroke were used to test predictive validity. Performance on the VRST was compared to scores on the Visual Scanning Analyser (VSA) and Response Time Measures (RTM) to determine construct validity. Predictive validity was examined by comparing VRST scores to the result on an on‐road driving assessment.

Results/conclusions:  Results on the VRST was associated with on‐road result, with it predicting those people recommended to pass or require lessons from their on‐road evaluation. Scores from the VRST were associated with an inspection time component of the RTM, but not with the VSA, suggesting the VRST is an assessment of the identification phase of information processing but not of scanning or peripheral vision. The VSA, in particular the scanning task of field 5, was significantly related to the on‐road result. These results indicate that the VRST is potentially a valid measure to use in the off‐road driver rehabilitation program for people with stroke; however, validation is required on a larger population. The VSA should be further evaluated for consideration of inclusion in the driver rehabilitation program.
The meanings of craft to an occupational therapist
Authors: Harris Emma
Published: November 2007

Aim:  Craft was the first therapeutic occupation of occupational therapy. Since the early days of the profession, the value of craft in practice is a topic that has been discussed with fluctuating interest. Recent discussions by occupational therapists have reinforced that although craft is relevant to occupational therapy, there are uncertainties about its place in contemporary practice. Presently, scholars have identified that occupation is both the center of human experience and the core of our profession. Therefore, this study aimed to begin to clarify the meaning of craft to practice today by gaining a deep understanding of the meanings that one occupational therapist attributes to craft.

Methods:  Using narrative inquiry, data were gathered through a conversation held between the research participant and myself. A reflexive journal was also kept to support this data gathering process. Narrative analysis enabled intimate engagement with the data and the emergence of themes and sub‐themes.

Results:  The findings, in the form of an interpretive story, suggest first, that craft‐making has therapeutic value; second, that reasoning about the therapeutic use of craft is similar to reasoning about other therapeutic activities; and third, that personal experience with craft‐making can influence the selection of craft as therapeutic media.

Conclusions:  From this study, further research into the impact personal and professional experiences can have on choice of therapeutic media and an analysis of the sociopolitical context of the meanings that occupational therapists attribute to craft‐making is suggested.
Nurses' attitudes to and perceptions of knowledge and skills regarding evidence‐based practice
Authors: Sherriff Karen L , Wallis Marianne , Chaboyer Wendy
Published: November 2007

The study evaluated the effect of an evidence‐based practice (EBP) educational programme on attitudes and perceptions of knowledge and skills, of registered nurses, towards EBP. The study was conducted using a quasiexperimental interrupted time series design. Participants were clinical nurses in educational and leadership roles within a Health Service District in south‐east Queensland. The data were collected using a self‐administered questionnaire at three points. Nurses' belief in the value of EBP for practice was high prior to the programme and did not change subsequently. There was an improvement following the intervention in nurses' attitudes to organizational support for EBP and their perceptions of their knowledge and skills in locating and evaluating research reports. Providing educational courses in a clinical setting is useful in improving clinicians' attitudes to and perceptions of knowledge and skills related to EBP.
Psychiatric disorders and family functioning in children and adolescents with functional abdominal pain syndrome
Authors: Ghanizadeh Ahmad , Moaiedy Farah , Imanieh Mohammad Hadi , Askani Hamid , Haghighat Mahmood , Dehbozorgi Gholamreza , Dehghani Seyed Mohsen
Published: November 2007

Background and Aim:  Functional abdominal pain syndrome (FAPS) is a functional gastrointestinal disorder. There is a heightened risk when conducting potentially dangerous and unnecessary medical investigations and procedures in children with FAPS. The aim of this study was to survey the rate of the psychiatric disorders and family functioning in children and adolescents with FAPS.

Methods:  The subjects were a consecutive new sample of 45 children and adolescents with FAPS, 45 with an organic abdominal pain, and 45 pain‐free comparison subjects aged 5–18 years that were interviewed using the Farsi version of K‐SADS. Family functioning and the severity of pain were also studied.

Results:  About 51.1% of patients with FAPS suffered from at least one psychiatric disorder. Psychiatric disorders in the FAPS patients studied included general anxiety disorder (8.9%), obsessive‐compulsive disorder (11.1%), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (15.6%), separation anxiety disorder (24.4%), and major depressive disorder (15.6%). Except for generalized anxiety disorder and tic disorder, the other disorders were significantly more common in the FAPS group than in the two other control groups. Family functioning scores were not significantly different between groups.

Discussion:  There is a high rate of psychiatric disorders in children and adolescents with FAPS in Iran, but our study found fewer incidences of disorders than previous reports have indicated. Family dysfunction difficulties in FAPS children are not more common than those in the control groups.
‘Angels in nursing’: images of nursing sisters in a Lutheran context in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries
Authors: Malchau Susanne
Published: November 2007

This article examines Catholic nursing orders in Denmark. In 1849, 300 years after the Reformation, freedom of worship was introduced in Lutheran Denmark. In 1856 the first Catholic nursing order in modern times settled in the country. Others followed, and in 1940 the nursing orders owned 17 general hospitals and had a share of 10% of the hospital beds in Denmark. The purpose of this article is to identify images in the public media text of these Catholic nursing orders in Denmark from 1856 to the present, and to deconstruct the existing angel image the nuns and sisters in nursing have obtained. The assumption is that the public image is an important indicator of how a profession is valued in society. Six images — three positive and three negative — are identified, and it is demonstrated that these images were closely connected to the nursing sisters’ professional activities and confessional affiliation. Until the 1950s the image of nursing sisters as representing a counterculture in Lutheran Denmark persisted. This image was succeeded by one of professional nurses of high standards. The shift was caused by increased secularisation and the renewal of religious life, as a result of the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s.
Genetic distinctness and phylogenetic relationships among Undaria species (Laminariales, Phaeophyceae) based on mitochondrial cox3 gene sequences
Authors: Uwai Shinya , Arai Shogo , Morita Teruwo , Kawai Hiroshi
Published: November 2007

Genetic relationships among Undaria species and among populations of each species were studied based on DNA sequences of the mitochondrial cox3 gene. Although three Undaria species, U. peterseniana (Kjellman) Okamura, U. pinnatifida (Harvey) Suringar and U. undarioides (Yendo) Okamura, have been described based mostly on blade morphology, plants with intermediate morphologies have also been found. Multiple plants from several populations in Japan were collected. Morphological characters could identify most of the samples unambiguously. A few samples with intermediate morphologies were also collected. Mitochondrial haplotypes found in each population were different for each identified species, and each species had multiple haplotypes. In the cox3 haplotype network analysis, the numbers of steps between haplotypes within and between species were similar, and haplotypes of each species did not group together. The close genetic relationships among species strongly suggest that these species are conspecific. Alternatively, recent speciation could be possible with maintenance of ancestral polymorphisms within the species (i.e. incomplete lineage sorting). Haplotypes of samples with intermediate morphologies were different for each sample and the same as ones found in the local population, suggesting interspecific hybridizations among species.
Pharmacological effects of propiverine and its active metabolite, M‐1, on isolated human urinary bladder smooth muscle, and on bladder contraction in rats
Authors: Sugiyama Yutaka , Yoshida Masaki , Masunaga Koichi , Satoji You , Maeda Yoshihiro , Nagata Takashi , Inadome Akito , Ueda Shoichi
Published: November 2007

Objective:  To investigate the effects of M‐1, a major active metabolite of propiverine on the bladder.

Methods:  We have evaluated the effects of M‐1 on the contractions induced by carbachol, KCl, CaCl2, and electrical field stimulation (EFS) in human detrusor smooth muscles, and pelvic nerve stimulation‐induced bladder contractions in rats. The effects of M‐1 were also compared with the effects of propiverine and tolterodine.

Results:  Pretreatment with propiverine and tolterodine caused parallel shifts to the right of the concentration‐response curves to carbachol. M‐1 caused concentration‐dependent reduction in the maximum contractile responses induced by carbachol. Although tolterodine did not inhibit the KCl‐ and CaCl2‐induced contractions, M‐1 and propiverine significantly inhibited these contractions. In the presence of atropine, M‐1 and propiverine significantly inhibited the atropine resistant part of the contraction induced by EFS. On the other hand, tolterodine did not have significant inhibitory effects on atropine resistant contractions. Pelvic nerve stimulation induced bimodal phasic and tonic contractions in the rat bladder. M‐1 mainly inhibited the phasic contraction. Tolterodine caused a significant inhibition in the tonic contraction, and propiverine had inhibitory effects on both contractions.

Conclusions:  The present results suggest that M‐1 has inhibitory effects on the bladder smooth muscles through calcium antagonistic action. It is possible that the clinical effects of propiverine on the human bladder are based not only on the action of propiverine itself but also on one of its active metabolites, M‐1.
Assessment of sensorimotor cortical representation asymmetries and motor skills in violin players
Authors: Schwenkreis Peter , El Tom Susan , Ragert Patrick , Pleger Burkhard , Tegenthoff Martin , Dinse Hubert R.
Published: November 2007

As a model for use‐dependent plasticity, the brains of professional musicians have been extensively studied to examine structural and functional adaptation to unique requirements of skilled performance. Here we provide a combination of data on motor performance and hand representation in the primary motor and somatosensory cortex of professional violin players, with the aim of assessing possible behavioural consequences of sensorimotor cortical asymmetries. We studied 15 healthy right‐handed professional violin players and 35 healthy nonmusician controls. Motor and somatosensory cortex asymmetry was assessed by recording the motor output map after transcranial magnetic stimulation from a small hand muscle, and by dipole source localization of somatosensory evoked potentials after electrical stimulation of the median and ulnar nerves. Motor performance was examined using a series of standardized motor tasks covering different aspects of hand function. Violin players showed a significant right‐larger‐than‐left asymmetry of the motor and somatosensory cortex, whereas nonmusician controls showed no significant interhemispheric difference. The amount of asymmetry in the motor and somatosensory cortices of musicians was significantly correlated. At the behavioural level, motor performance did not significantly differ between musicians and nonmusicians. The results support a use‐dependent enlargement of the left hand representation in the sensorimotor cortex of violin players. However, these cortical asymmetries were not paralleled by accompanying altered asymmetries at a behavioural level, suggesting that the reorganisation might be task‐specific and does not lead to improved motor abilities in general.
Using local anaesthetics to block neuronal activity and map specific learning tasks to the mushroom bodies of an insect brain
Authors: Devaud Jean‐Marc , Blunk Aline , Podufall Jasmin , Giurfa Martin , Grünewald Bernd
Published: November 2007

The formation of a stable olfactory memory requires activity within several brain regions. The honeybee provides a valuable model to map complex olfactory learning tasks onto certain brain areas. To this end, we used injections of the local anaesthetic procaine to reversibly block spike activity in a specific brain region, the mushroom body (MB). We first investigated the physiological effects of procaine on cultured MB neurons from adult honeybee brains. Using the whole‐cell configuration of the patch‐clamp technique, we show that procaine blocks voltage‐gated Na+ and K+ currents in a dose‐dependent manner between 0.1 and 10 mm. The effects are reversible within a few minutes of wash. Lidocaine acts similarly, but is less effective at the tested concentrations. We then studied the role of the MBs during reversal learning by blocking the neural activity within these structures by injecting procaine. During reversal learning bees learn to revert their responses to two odorants, one rewarded (A+) and one unrewarded (B–), if their contingencies are changed (A– vs B+). Injecting procaine into the MBs impaired reversal learning. Procaine treatment during acquisition left the later retention of the initial learning (A+ vs B–) intact. Similarly, a differential conditioning task involving novel odorants (C+ vs D–) was intact under procaine treatment. Our experiments show that local injections of procaine can be used to map learning tasks onto specific regions of the insect brain. We conclude that intact MB activity is required for the acquisition of reversal learning, but not for simple differential learning tasks.
Expression of D1 but not D2 dopamine receptors in striatal neurons producing neurokinin B in rats
Authors: Sonomura Takahiro , Nakamura Kouichi , Furuta Takahiro , Hioki Hiroyuki , Nishi Akinori , Yamanaka Atsushi , Uemura Masanori , Kaneko Takeshi
Published: November 2007

Neostriatal projection neurons are known to be largely divided into two groups, striatoentopeduncular/striatonigral and striatopallidal neurons, which mainly express D1 and D2 dopamine receptors, respectively. Recently, a small population of neostriatal neurons have been reported to produce neurokinin B (NKB), and send their axons mainly to the basal forebrain regions. To reveal which type of dopamine receptors were expressed by these NKB‐producing neurons, we examined rat striatal neurons by combining immunofluorescence labeling for preprotachykinin B (PPTB), the precursor of NKB, and fluorescence in situ hybridization labeling for dopamine receptors. Fluorescent signals for D1 receptor mRNA were detected in 85–89% of PPTB‐immunopositive neurons in the neostriatum, accumbens nucleus and lateral stripe of the striatum, whereas almost no signal for D2 receptor was observed in PPTB‐positive striatal neurons. To further reveal intracellular signaling downstream of D1 receptor in PPTB‐producing neurons, we used a double immunofluorescence labeling method to study the localization of some substrates for protein kinase A (PKA), which was known to be activated by D1 receptor. Although only 3–7% of PPTB‐immunopositive striatal neurons displayed immunoreactivity for dopamine‐ and cAMP‐regulated phosphoprotein of 32 kDa, a well‐known PKA substrate expressed in the two major groups of neostriatal projection neurons, 60–64% of PPTB‐positive striatal neurons exhibited immunoreactivity for striatal‐enriched tyrosine phosphatase. These results suggest that NKB‐producing neostriatal neurons are similar to striatoentopeduncular/striatonigral neurons in the usage of dopamine receptor subtypes, but different from the two major groups of neostriatal projection neurons in terms of the downstream signaling of dopamine receptors.
Retina expresses a novel variant of the ryanodine receptor
Authors: Shoshan‐Barmatz Varda , Zakar Miri , Shmuelivich Fania , Nahon Edna , Vardi Noga
Published: November 2007

Calcium released from intracellular stores via the ryanodine receptor (RyR) mediates a variety of signalling processes. We previously showed that retina expresses the three known types of RyR, but retinal membrane preparations exhibit unique characteristics such as Ca2+‐independent [3H]ryanodine‐binding and inhibition by caffeine. We have heretofore suggested that the major retinal RyR isoform is novel. The present study aimed to identify this receptor isoform and to localize RyR in mammalian retina. Immunoblotting with specific and pan‐antibodies showed that the major retinal RyR has a mobility similar to that of RyR2 or RyR3. Real‐time PCR revealed that the major type is RyR2, and RT‐PCR followed by sequencing showed a transcript that encodes a protein with ~ 99% identity to RyR2, yet lacking two regions of seven and 12 amino acids and including an additional insertion of eight amino acids. An antibody against RyR2 localized this type to somas and primary dendrites of most retinal neurons. An antibody against RyR1 localized RyR to most somas but also revealed staining in photoreceptor outer segments, concentrated on the disk membranes at their rim. The ryanodine‐binding properties and the electrophoretic mobility of RyR from the outer segments were similar to those of the whole retinal preparation. The results thus identify a novel variant of RyR2 which can contribute to regulating photoreceptor Ca2+ concentrations. The restricted localization of the outer segment RyR to the disk rim suggests that its activation mechanism involves a coupling between retinal RyR and the cGMP‐gated channel.
Farnesyl transferase inhibitors induce neuroprotection by inhibiting Ha‐Ras signalling pathway
Authors: Ruocco Antonio , Santillo Mariarosaria , Cicale Maria , Serù Rosalba , Cuda Giovanni , Anrather Josef , Iadecola Costantino , Postiglione Alfredo , Avvedimento Enrico V. , Paternò Roberto
Published: November 2007

In previous studies we found that the GTPase p21 Harvey‐Ras (Ha‐Ras) stimulates the production of reactive oxygen species and induces apoptosis by oxidative stress; this effect was reversed by farnesyl transferase inhibitors (FTIs). In this study we investigated whether FTIs reduce rat brain damage induced by an excitotoxic stimulus, and the signalling pathway(s) underlying the neuroprotection by FTIs. In brain tissue, protein levels of Ha‐Ras and farnesylation inhibition were assayed by Western blot, and superoxide production was measured by hydroethidine. The excitotoxic lesion was induced by intrastriatal injection of N‐methyl‐d‐aspartate (NMDA). The survival of mouse neuronal cortical cells was assessed by 3‐(4,5 dimethylthialzol‐2‐yl)‐2,5‐diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT). In brain tissue, NMDA increased the protein levels of Ha‐Ras, FTIs caused the accumulation of non‐prenylated inactive Ras in the cytosolic fraction, and significantly reduced superoxide production and necrotic volume after excitotoxicity. FTIs increased the viability of mouse neuronal cortical cells following oxidative stress. In conclusion, FTIs inhibited Ha‐Ras, decreased oxidative stress and reduced necrotic volume by partly acting on neuronal cells. Thus, Ha‐Ras inhibition plays a role in the pathology of neuroprotection, suggesting a potential role of FTIs in the treatment of cerebrovascular diseases.