bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The influence of selection on reaction to stress in mice. III. Influence of fasting, immobilization and exposure to cold on lactate dehydrogenase and aldolase activity in the liver and kidney
Authors: Kolataj A. , Rysińska J. , Flak P.
Published: March 2011

The experiment was conducted on 6‐week‐old mice selected for a high rate of body‐weight gain. Model stressors were used: fasting for 24 and 48 h, immobilization for 12 and 48 h, and cooling, i.e. reducing outside temperature to +5°C, over 12 h. Measurements were made of the level of glucose in blood, the aldolase activity and the LDH activity in the liver and kidney, and the level of total protein. After 48 h of fasting, the weight of the body, liver and spleen decreased. Fasting and immobilization caused a decrease in the level of blood glucose and in the activity of aldolase and LDH, which was more marked in selected mice. The cold exposure increased the blood‐serum glucose level. The results presented suggest that mice selected for a high rate of body weight gain seem to be less resistant to unfavorable environmental factors — fasting, immobilization and cooling — than the unselected animals.

Einflußder Selektion auf Stressreaktion bei Mäusen

Nach 48‐stündigen Hungern kommt es bei Mäusen zu einer Abnahme des Körpergewichtes sowie des Leber‐und Milz gewichtes. Nach 48 Studen Hunger sowie bei Immobilisierung wurde einen Abfall des Blutglukosespiegels, weiter auch eine Abnahme der LDH‐und Aldolaseaktivität in Leber und Niere, insbesonderes bei den selektierten Tieren, beobachtet. Nach 12 stündige Kühlung bei +5°C kommt es zu einem Anstieg der Blutglukosespiegel. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, daßselektierte Tiere empfindlicher als Kontrolltiere gegen Belastungen sind.
Die soziale Rangordnung in einigen Gruppen Afrikanischer Strauße (Struthio camelus) in Namibia
Authors: Sambraus H. H.
Published: March 2011

Social ranks in some groups of African ostriches (Struthio camelus) in Namibia

Three groups of ostriches containing 9, 10, and 10 birds, respectively, were observed on a farm in Namibia. In each group, males occupied the alpha‐and beta ranks but other cocks were much lower in the ranking. One absolute alpha and one absolute omega animal was present in each of the groups, however, the ranking in between was not linear. Aggression was only observed among cocks while the agonistic interactions of female birds were restricted to threats.

Auf einer Farm in Namibia wurde in drei Straußengruppen mit neun bzw. 10 Tieren die soziale Rangordnung bestimmt. In jeder Gruppe nahmen männliche Tiere die Alpha‐und die Beta‐Position ein; weitere Hähne nahmen allerdings z.T. sehr tiefe Rangpositionen ein. In allen drei Gruppen gab es ein absolutes Alpha‐und ein absolutes Omega‐Tier; ansonsten waren die Rangordnungen nicht linear. Aggressionen fanden nur zwischen Hähnen statt; die agonistischen sozialen Interaktionen der weiblichen Tiere beschränkten sich auf Drohen.
Effect and treatment of misclassified samples in linkage analysis*
Authors: Simianer H. , Wild V.
Published: March 2011

When field data are used for genome analyses in farm animals, misclassification can occur. This can be caused either by errors in the pedigree files, or by non‐intentional exchanges of milk or blood samples when collecting and processing material for genotyping. A statistical model is suggested, which takes the probability of misclassification Δ into account when estimating the recombination rate θ between two markers. These two parameters can be estimated jointly using a maximum‐likelihood approach. This approach is used to estimate the recombination rate between the two polymorphic milk‐protein systems κ‐casein and β‐casein, from genotype data of Austrian Simmental (SI) and Austrian Braunvieh (BV). If the possibility of misclassification is disregarded, the recombination rate between the two loci is estimated to be 0.18 and 0.06, respectively. However this contradicts the well‐known fact that these two loci are in very close linkage. With the full model, the estimated recombination rate was 0.054 in SI and 0.0 in BV, with both estimates not significantly different from zero. The corresponding estimated misclassification rates were 0.12 and 0.14, respectively, and were highly significant, if the possibility of misclassification in genetic studies is ignored, the recombination rate will be systematically overestimated and misleading conclusions may result.

Auswirkungen von Fehlzuordnungen in der Kopplungsanalyse und deren korrekte Behandlung

Wenn eine Genomanalyse auf Felddaten beruht muß mit der Möglichkeit von fehlerhaften Zuordnungen gerechnet werden. Fehlzuordnungen können sich aus Fehlern in den Abstammungsdateien oder aus unbeabsichtigten Vertauschungen von Milchoder Blutproben im Verlauf der Probennahme und Genotypisierung ergeben. Ein statistisches Modell wird vorgeschlagen, in dem die Wahrscheinlichkeit von Fehlzuordnungen Δ bei der Schätzung der Rekombinationsrate θ zwischen zwei Loci berücksichtigt wird. Beide Parameter können simultan mittels Maximum Likelihood geschätzt werden. Der Ansatz wurde verwendet, um aus Daten des Österreichischen Fleckviehs (FV) und des Österreichischen Braunviehs (BV) die Rekombinationsrate zwischen den beiden polymorphen Milchproteinsystemen κ‐Kasein und β‐Kasein zu schätzen. Ohne Berücksichtigung von Fehlzuordnung ergeben sich aus dem vorhandenen Material Rekombinationsraten von 0.18 bzw. 0.06. Dies widerspricht der bekannten Tatsache, daß die beiden Loci sehr eng gekoppelt sind. Mit dem vollen Modell war die geschätzte Rekombinationsrate 0.054 bei FV und 0.0 bei BV, in beiden Fällen waren die Werte nicht signifikant von Null verschieden. Die entsprechenden Fehlzuordnungsraten waren 0.12 und 0.14 und in beiden Fällen höchstsignifikant. Es wird gezeigt, daß die Vernachlässigung der Möglichkeit einer fehlerhaften Zuordnung zu einer systematischen überschätzung der Rekombinationsrate führt und sich dadurch vollkommen irreführende Schluß folgerungen ergeben können.
Untersuchungen zur genetischen Struktur der wichtigsten Schafrassen Griechenlands1
Authors: Rogdakis Von E. , Kutsuli P. , Surdis I. , Panopulu E.
Published: March 2011

Untersuchung zur genetischen Struktur der wichtigsten Schafrassen Griechenlands

Anhand von 20 Gensystemen wurde die genetische Struktur von neun griechischen Schafrassen untersucht. Die wichtigsten Ergebnisse der Untersuchungen sind folgende: 1. Von den 20 Gensystemen erwiesen sich neun als polymorph; 2. Zwischen den Rassen bestehen in den meisten Loci statistisch signifikante Unterschiede hinsichtlich der Genfrequenzen; 3. Die bei manchen Loci festgestellten Abweichungen vom genetischen Gleichgewicht sind auf Zufallsprozesse zurückzuführen; 4. Der mittlere Heterozygotiegrad für die einzelnen Rassen schwankt zwischen 12 und 18%; 5. Die genetischen Distanzen zwischen den verschiedenen Rassen liegen zwischen 0,229 und 0,342; 6. Das aufgestellte Dendrogramm für die phylogenetischen Beziehungen der untersuchten Rassen steht in guter übereinstimmung mit ihrer geographischen Verbreitung im griechischen Raum sowie mit ihrer Entstehungsgeschichte; und 7. Beziehungen zwischen den verschiedenen Gensystemen und der Milchleistung wurden nur in einzelnen Fällen nachgewiesen.

Genetic structure of Greek sheep breeds

The genetic structure of nine Greek sheep breeds was studied on the basis of 20 gene systems. The main results obtained can be summarized as follows: 1. Nine of the 20 loci were found to be polymorphic; 2. The gene frequencies were significantly different between breeds at most of the loci investigated; 3. The deviation from genetic equilibrium observed at some loci could be attributed to genetic drift; 4. The average heterozygosity for the loci studied ranged between 12 and 18%; 5. The genetic distance between breeds ranged from 0.229 to 0.342; 6. The dendrogram for the phylogenetic relationships between the breeds is in good agreement with the breeds’ geographic distribution in Greece and their historical origin; and 7. Effects of the gene systems on milk yield were found only for some loci and breeds.
Assignment of individuals to populations using microsatellites
Authors: Götz K.‐U. , Thaller G.
Published: March 2011

The article presents two methods for the assignment of an anonymous DNA‐sample to populations with known allele frequencies at a number of marker loci. The first method calculates the conditional probability for the sample to belong to one of the two possible populations given the complete marker genotype at several loci. The second method is a simple test for the sample to belong to a known population and is based on the distribution of complete marker genotype probabilities. Simulation studies were performed for the first method in order to estimate the expected probability for two populations with random allele frequency differences. The results indicate that six loci with four to five alleles each are sufficient to obtain an expected probability of more than 0.05 in 98.1 and 99.8% of all possible situations. The simulation studies for the second method were used to estimate the power of the test for three different scenarios. The results show that with six loci with five alleles per locus a power between 0.90 and 0.98 can be achieved. However, this is only true if the distribution of allele frequencies in the known population is not extremely skewed.

Zussammenfassung

Der Artikel stellt zwei Methoden, mit denen eine DNA‐Probe unbekannter Abstammung einer Population mit bekannten Allelfrequenzen für eine Anzahl bekannter Markerloci zugeordnet werden kann vor. Die erste Methode berechnet die bedingte Wahrscheinlichkeit, daß die Probe bei dem beobachteten Markergenotyp zu einter von zwei möglichen Populationen gehört. Die zweite Methode besteht aus einem einfachen Test, der auf der Verteilung aller möglichen Markergenotypen basiert. Mit Hilfe von Simulationsstudien wurde für die erste Methode die erwartete Wahrscheinlichkeit, daß die Probe zu einer von zwei Populationen mit zufälligen Genfrequenzen an allen Markerloci gehört berechnet. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, daß bei 6 Loci mit jeweils vier bis fünf Allelen eine erwartete Wahrscheinlichkeit von 98.1 bzw. 99.8 Prozent für zwei beliebige Populationen erreicht werden kann. Die Simulationen für die zweite Methode hatten zum Ziel, die Mächtigkeit des Tests bei 3 verschiedenen Szenarien zu ermitteln. Es zeigte sich, daß bei sechs Loci mit jeweils fünf Allelen eine Mächtigkeit zwischen 90 und 98 Prozent in Abhängigkeit von der Allelfrequenzverteilung in der bekannten Population erzielt werden kann. Bei einer sehr schiefen Verteilung der Allelfrequenzen führte die Methode allerdings nicht zu befriedigenden Ergebnissen.
Genetic polymorphism of milk proteins in Polish Red Cattle: a new genetic variant of β‐lactoglobulin
Authors: Erhardt G. , Juszczak J. , Panicke L. , Krick‐Saleck H.
Published: March 2011

Genetic variants of αS1‐, αS2‐, β‐ and κ‐casein and of the whey proteins α‐lactalbumin and β‐lactoglobulin were studied by isoelectric focusing with carrier ampholytes in milk samples of Polish and German Red Cattle. Genotypic frequencies and allelic frequencies were estimated. A new β‐lactoglobulin variant (β‐LG I) with a frequency of 0.014 was demonstrated in Polish Red Cattle by isoelectric focusing and discontinuous gel electrophoresis. For Polish Red Cattle significant differences in the allele frequencies from the results of 1982 and 1969 were found for αS1‐ and κ‐casein and β‐lactoglobulin which are mainly the result of using German Red Cattle and Red Danish Dairy Cattle during the past to improve milk production.

Genetisch bedingte Varianten im αS1‐, αS2‐ β‐ und κ‐Kasein und der Molkenproteine α‐Laktalbumin und β‐Laktoglobulin wurden durch isoelektrische Fokussierung unter Verwendung von Trägerampholyten in Milchproben von Polnischem Rotvieh und Deutschem Rotvieh dargestellt und die Genotyp‐ und Allelfrequenzen geschätzt. In Milchproben von Polnischem Rotvieh konnte eine neue β‐Laktoglobulinvariante (β‐LG I) mit einer Frequenz von qI = 0.014 durch isoelektrische Fokussierung und diskontinuierliche Gelelektrophorese dargestellt werden. Beim Vergleich mit den Allelfrequenzen von 1969 und 1982 konnten beim Polnischen Rotvieh signifikante Unterschiede im αS1‐ und κ‐Kasein sowie β‐Laktoglobulin aufgezeigt werden, die auf die Einkreuzung von Deutschem Rotvieh und Rotem Dänischem Milchrind in der Vergangenheit zur Steigerung der Milchproduktion zurückgeführt werden können.
A note on the characterization of a small Celtic pony breed
Authors: Checa M. L. , Dunner S. , Martin J. P. , Vega J. L. , Canón J.
Published: March 2011

Eleven microsatellites are used as representative neutral markers to screen a small Celtic pony breed (Asturcon). Allelic frequencies are calculated from a random sample (n = 50) to estimate some population genetic parameters, allowing the description of the population. The allelic frequencies are compared with published data from other populations with the same markers, leading to genetic distances which indicate the Asturcon position respective to such divergent populations asEquus przewalskiand the Australian thoroughbred.

Zusammfassung

Characterisierung einer kleinen keltischen Ponyrasse. Kurzmitteilung.

Elf Mikrosatelliten wurden als neutrale Marker zur genetischen Charakterisierung der Asturcon, einer kleinen keltischen Ponyrasse verwendet. Allelfrequenzen wurden aus einer Stichprobe (n = 50) geschätzt und einige genetische Parameter zur Beschreibung der Population abgeleitet. Ein Vergleich der Allelfrequenzen mit publizierten anderer Rassen führte zu genetischen Distanzen, die die Stellung der Asturcon in bezug auf solch unterschiedliche Populationen wie E. przewalski oder autralischer Vollblüter deutlich macht.
Effect of porcine stress syndrome genotype on the maternal performance of a composite line of stress‐susceptible swine
Authors: Stalder K. J. , Christian L. L. , Rothschild M. F. , Lin E.‐C.
Published: March 2011

Reproductive data was collected on 61 porcine stress syndrome (PSS) normal (NN), 140 PSS carrier (Nn), and 132 PSS positive (nn) composite line females farrowing 145, 358, and 362 litters, respectively. Data were adjusted for parity, number after transfer (pigs cross‐fostered 1 to 3 days after farrowing) and age of litters not weighed exactly at 21 days of age by using established adjustment factors and analysed using a mixed‐model, derivative‐free REML and best linear unbiased prediction or best linear unbiased estimation procedures fitting the sows' PSS genotype as a fixed effect in the model. PSS‐carrier (Nn) females farrowed more pigs per litter (p < 0.05) than either normal (NN) or positive (nn) females. PSS‐NN females had more pigs (p < 0.05) at 21 days than nn females. Litters from PSS‐NN females were heavier (p < 0.05) at 21 days than litters from Nn or nn females. Additionally, PSS‐Nn females had heavier litters (p < 0.05) at 21 days than nn females. PSS‐NN females raised a higher proportion (p < 0.05) of pigs from transfer to 21 days than either Nn or nn females and NN females had more pigs, heavier litters and raised a higher proportion of their pigs to 42 days than did nn females (p < 0.05). PSS‐Nn females produced heavier litter weights (p < 0.05) and a higher proportion of pigs raised to 42 days (p < 0.05) than nn females. The results of this study indicate that the detrimental effects of the PSSnallele preclude its use in commercial production‐maternal lines.

Porciner Stress Syndrome Genotyp und Mutterleistung einer gemischten Linie stress‐empfindlicher Schweine

Reproductive Daten Stammen von 61 stress syndrom (Pss) normalen (NN), 140 Pss Traegern (Nn) und 132 Pss positiven (nn) Sauen mit 195, 358 und 362 Wuerfen. Die Daten wurden fuer Wurffolge, Zahl nach Transfer und Wiegealter korrigiert und mit gemischt modell, derivativ freinem REML analysiert, mit Pss der Sau als fixe Groesse. BLUP und BLUE wurden geschaetzt. Nn Sauen hatten groessere Wuerfe als NN und nn Tiere (p < 0.05), NN‐Sauen bei 21 Tagen mehr als nn und ihre Wuerfe waren schwerer (p < 0.05) als die der anderen. Pss‐Nn Sauen uebertrafen in 21‐Tage Wurfgewicht nn Sauen. Bei Pss‐NN Tieren ueberlebten mehr Transfer Ferkel bis 21 Tagen als bei der andern Genotypen, sie hatten mehr Ferkel, schwerere Wuerfe und hoehere Ueberlebensraten bis 42 Tagen als nn Sauen. Nn Sauen uebertrafen diese in 42‐Tagen Wurfgewicht und Ueberlebensrate (p < 0.05). Die unguenstigen Wirkungen des Pssnalleles sprechen gegen seine verwendung in maternalen Linien.
Long‐term selection for antagonistic traits
Authors: Mohamed S. A. , Rottmann O. , Pirchner F.
Published: March 2011

Within family selection for 3–5 week gain (G3‐5) and against 8‐week weight (BW8) was practiced for 54 generations in a mouse line of eight full‐sib families per generation. The genetic correlation was 0.56 between the two traits, and rate of selection was intended to be 25%. The selection index derived from the realized parameters of the first generations of the experiment was −0.63 × BW8 ± 1.0 × G3‐5. Selection was successful insofar as it changed the traits in the desired directions, but this was achieved at considerable costs, i.e. gains were 10 to 15% of gains of direct, unimpeded selection.

Langfristige antagonistische Selektion in einer Mauslinie

Die Selektion fuer Zuwachs zwischen 3 und 5 Wochen (G3‐5) und gegen 8 Wochengewicht (BW8) wurde innerhalb Vollgeschwisterfamilien praktiziert. Die Linie wurde durch 54 Generationen in 8 Vollgeschwisterfamilien bei 25% Remontierung fortgefuehrt. Der aus realisierten Parametern der Generationen 6 bis 12 erstellte Selektionsindex war −0.63 × BW8+1.0 × G3‐5. Selektion war erfolgreich soweit es die Richtung der Veraenderungen betrifft. Dies wurde aber mit geringen Fortschritten erkauft, d.h. diese waren nur 10 bis 15% von Fortschritten, die Selektion auf ein Einzelmerkmal erwarten haette lassen.
Pathological spectrum of neuronal/glioneuronal tumors from a tertiary referral neurological Institute
Authors: Chandrashekhar Thotadamane Nagaraja , Mahadevan Anita , Vani Santosh , Yasha Thagadur Chickabasaviah , Sampath Somanna , Chandramouli Bangalore Anantaraman , Devi Bhagavatula Indira , Arvinda Hanumantapura Ramalingaiah , Shankar Susarla Krishna
Published: March 2011

Neuronal/glioneuronal tumors are uncommon neoplasms of the CNS with frequent association with refractory epilepsy. Reports documenting the entire spectrum of neuronal/glioneuronal tumors are scarce in the literature. Zulchet al. from Germany in a large series reported that neuronal/glioneuronal tumors accounted for 0.4% (38/9000 cases) of all brain tumors, with similar incidence reported from Japan (0.4%), with higher incidence from Korea (2.1%). However, data from the Indian subcontinent are lacking. We reviewed 244 cases of neuronal/glioneuronal tumors of the CNS diagnosed over the last decade at our Institute and they constituted 0.86% of all CNS tumors (244/28061) received in that period. Mean age at presentation was 25.06 years (range: 1–75 years) with male preponderance (M : F = 1.54 : 1). The majority occurred in third decade (76 cases, 31.4%), with only few cases occurring beyond fifth decade (13 cases, 5.3%). Ganglioglioma/gangliocytoma (94 cases, 38.52%) was the most frequent followed by central neurocytoma (86 cases, 35.24%), paraganglioma (32 cases, 13.52%), dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumors (DNET) (21 cases, 8.6%), desmoplastic infantile astrocytoma/desmoplastic infantile ganglioglioma (DIA/DIG) (6 cases, 2.45%), papillary glioneuronal tumor (PGNT) (3 cases, 1.22%) and rosette‐forming glioneuronal tumor (RGNT) (1 case, 0.4%). Association with seizures was noted in 40.95% of cases. Glioneuronal tumors are an expanding group of tumors with varying spectra of morphologic patterns and biological behavior. An improved understanding has direct clinical implications for optimizing current treatments and developing novel therapeutic approaches. Although most glioneuronal tumors carry a favorable prognosis, other factors such as inaccessibility to surgical resection and rarely, malignant transformation, make it difficult to accurately predict the biological behavior based on histopathology alone. Reliable prognostic markers remain to be defined.
Single‐port access laparoscopic assisted vaginal hysterectomy in a case of uterine ventrofixation using a new reusable device
Authors: Angioni Stefano , Maricosu Giovanni , Mereu Liliana , Mencaglia Luca , Melis Gian Benedetto
Published: March 2011

Vaginal hysterectomy may at times prove difficult and require laparoscopic assistance to ensure safety of operations. This article reports a case in which single port laparoscopic assistance enabled vaginal hysterectomy in a patient with severe uterine ventrofixation. The use of an innovative device and tips to be applied are described.
A case of tumor lysis syndrome following chemotherapy for a uterine epithelioid leiomyosarcoma with focal rhabdomyosarcomatous differentiation
Authors: Hiraizumi Yoshie , Kamoi Seiryu , Inde Yusuke , Kurose Keisuke , Ohaki Yoshiharu , Takeshita Toshiyuki
Published: March 2011

Tumor lysis syndrome (TLS) is a potential complication characterized by hyperuricemia, hyperphosphatemia, hyperkalemia and hypocalcemia due to massive necrosis of malignant cells after cytotoxic therapy. This fatal complication occurs frequently in tumors with hematological malignancies, such as acute lymphoblastic leukemia and Burkitt's lymphoma, and in other tumors with high proliferative rates and tumor burdens. TLS is rarely associated with the treatment of solid tumors. Herein, we report a case of TLS following the initial administration of effective chemotherapy for an epithelioid leiomyosarcoma with focal rhabdomyosarcomatous differentiation of the uterus.
Pilot randomized trial for treatment of bacterial vaginosis using in situ forming metronidazole vaginal gel
Authors: Shaaban Omar M. , Fetih Gihan N. , Abdellah Noura H. , Ismail Saeyd , Ibrahim Maggie A. , Ibrahim El‐sayed A.
Published: March 2011

Aim:  To compare the efficacy of a novel vaginal delivery system for metronidazole (0.8% MTZ in situ gel) versus a conventional MTZ vaginal gel product in the treatment of bacterial vaginosis (BV).

Material and Methods:  All consecutive patients who presented to a tertiary care hospital with symptoms suggestive of BV were approached to participate in the study. Forty‐two eligible participants were randomly assigned to either MTZ in situ gel or a conventional vaginal gel product twice daily for 5 days. All participants were re‐examined after one and 4 weeks of the beginning of treatment to ensure cure of infection and any side‐effects.

Results:  Demographic criteria of the participants were comparable in the two treatment groups. The cure rate after one week from the treatment was 85% in the in situ gel group and 71.4% in the conventional vaginal gel group (P = 0.294), while after 4 weeks, the cure rate showed significant difference in the in situ gel group as compared to the conventional vaginal gel group (16/20 [80%]) and (9/19 [47.4%]), respectively (P = 0.034).

Conclusion:  Pilot testing showed that in situ MTZ vaginal gel is more effective than the conventional vaginal gel for long‐term cure of BV. These findings suggest a novel and efficient long‐term treatment of BV.
Pulmonary staging in colorectal cancer: a review
Authors: Parnaby C. N. , Bailey W. , Balasingam A. , Beckert L. , Eglinton T. , Fife J. , Frizelle F. A. , Jeffery M. , Watson A. J. M.
Published: March 2011

Aim  Assessment of the chest in colorectal cancer (CRC) staging is variable. The aim of this review was to look at different chest staging strategies and determine which has the greatest efficacy.

Method  A review of studies assessing chest staging modalities for patients with CRC was performed. Modalities included chest X‐ray (CXR), CT and positron emission tomography (PET).

Results  The majority of data consisted of case series. Two studies identified a low pick‐up rate for CXR as a staging tool. Five studies showed increased detection rates of pulmonary metastases for chest CT vs CXR and abdominal CT. The clinical benefit of the increased detection rates was not clear. The incidence of indeterminate lung lesions (ILL) on staging chest CT varied from 4 to 42%. The majority (≥ 70%) of ILLs did not have any clinical significance. On CT scans, the incidence of pulmonary metastases in patients with rectal cancer ranged from 10 to 18% and in patients with colon cancer the incidence of pulmonary metastases ranged from 5–6%. The incidence of synchronous liver and pulmonary metastases compared with the overall incidence of pulmonary metastases ranged from 45 to 70%. There was no evidence reporting the superiority of PET/CT vs CT for the detection of pulmonary metastases or characterization of ILL.

Conclusion  Studies show that chest CT scanning increases the detection rates for ILL and pulmonary metastases. The clinical benefit of the increased detection rates is not clear. There is a paucity of data assessing the optimal chest staging strategy for patients presenting with CRC.
Laparoscopic peritoneal lavage for perforated sigmoid diverticulitis
Authors: Afshar S. , Kurer M. A.
Published: March 2011

Aim  Currently in the UK the standard surgical practice for the management of perforated sigmoid diverticulitis is a Hartmann’s procedure. There have been a number of recent publications on the use of laparoscopic peritoneal lavage for perforated sigmoid diverticulitis, as an alternative to the emergency Hartmann’s procedure, with its associated morbidity and mortality. We aim to review the current literature on this topic.

Method  A search was made on the electronic database MEDLINE from PubMed, EMBASE and the Cochrane library. The keywords ‘diverticulitis’, ‘perforated’ and ‘laparoscopy’ were searched for in the titles and abstracts without language restrictions. Further studies were identified from searches on Google Scholar, as well as manual searches through reference lists of the relevant studies found. All included studies were quality assessed.

Results  Twelve relevant studies were included. A total of 301 patients were reported, with a mean age of 57 years. All were non‐randomized studies. The majority of patients were of Hinchey classification III. All were treated with intravenous antibiotics followed by laparoscopic lavage and insertion of intra‐abdominal/pelvic drains. The mean conversion rate was 4.9% and mean length of hospital stay was 9.3 days. The mean complication rate was 18.9% and the overall mortality rate was 0.25%. Subsequent elective resections with primary anastamosis were performed in 51% of patients and the majority were completed laparoscopically.

Conclusion  Laparoscopic peritoneal lavage for perforated sigmoid diverticulitis appears to be a potentially effective and more conservative alternative to a Hartmann’s procedure. Randomized control trials are needed to better evaluate its role.
How informative is the print media coverage of colorectal cancer?
Authors: Jones I. H. , Williamson J. M. L. , Hocken D. B.
Published: March 2011

Aim  To date there has been no assessment of the educational content of colorectal newspaper articles. We aimed to analyse articles in the print media concerning colorectal cancer for their public health content.

Method  Articles mentioning colorectal cancer in the top 10 UK newspapers were analysed over a 1‐year period for their educational content. The number of articles mentioning ‘red flag’ symptoms, celebrity connections or specific cancer charities was recorded.

Results  Of the 349 articles identified, 146 were not relevant. Of the remaining 203 articles, 62 (30%) were concerned with celebrities with colon cancer, 13 (6.4%) made reference to red flag symptoms and 14 (6.9%) mentioned cancer charities by name.

Conclusion  About 13% of newspaper articles have any educational content. If this increased, the general public might benefit.
Mild colonic diverticulitis can be treated without antibiotics. a case–control study
Authors: de Korte N. , Kuyvenhoven J. Ph. , van der Peet D. L. , Felt‐Bersma R. J. , Cuesta M. A. , Stockmann H. B. A. C.
Published: March 2011

Aim  Conservative treatment of mild colonic diverticulitis usually consists of observation, restriction of oral intake, intravenous fluids and antibiotics. The beneficiary effect of antibiotics remains unclear. The aim of this study is to evaluate the need for antibiotics in mild colonic diverticulitis.

Method  A retrospective case–control study was performed in 272 patients with mild colonic diverticulitis admitted to two hospitals with distinctly different treatment regimes concerning antibiotic use.

Results  A total of 191 patients were treated without antibiotics and 81 with antibiotics. Groups were comparable at baseline with respect to age, sex, comorbidity, and use of nonsteroid anti‐inflammatory drugs, steroids and aspirin. All patients had imaging‐confirmed diverticulitis. C reactive protein and white blood count levels did not differ significantly. In the antibiotics group there were significantly more patients with a temperature of 38.5°C or higher on admission. (8 vs 19%; P = 0.014). Treatment failure did not differ between groups (4 vs 6%; P = 0.350). The risk of recurrence was higher in the antibiotics group on logistic regression analysis but did not reach statistical significance (odds ratio, 2.04; confidence interval, 0.88–4.75; P = 0.880). The only factor that increased the risk of recurrence was nonsteroid anti‐inflammatory drug use (odds ratio, 7.25; confidence interval, 1.22–46.88; P = 0.037).

Conclusion  Antibiotics can be omitted in selected patients with mild colonic diverticulitis and should be given on indication only.
Recurrence of colonic diverticular bleeding and associated risk factors
Authors: Niikura R. , Nagata N. , Yamada A. , Akiyama J. , Shimbo T. , Uemura N.
Published: March 2011

Aim  Colonic diverticular bleeding often recurs, but the risk factors remain unclear. Our aim was to identify risk factors for recurrence in patients with diverticular bleeding.

Method  Seventy‐two hospitalized patients who were diagnosed with diverticular bleeding between 2004 and 2008 were analyzed. Rebleeding was considered as the main outcome measure, with the duration until recurrence identified from medical records. Potential risk factors for rebleeding, such as underlying pathologies, medication and smoking and drinking habits, were investigated from the medical records on initial admission.

Results  Of the 72 patients, 19 had a diverticular disease on the right, 16 on the left side and 37 on both sides of the colon. Recurrence was identified in 27 (38%) patients at a median interval of 1535 days. The cumulative incidence of rebleeding at 6, 12 and 24 months was 15%, 20% and 33%. Multivariate analysis revealed nonsteroid anti‐inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) (hazard ratio (HR), 2.57; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.89–7.46; P = 0.08), antiplatelet drugs (HR, 2.39; 95% CI, 1.01–5.67; P = 0.05) and hypertension (HR, 4.16; 95% CI, 1.22–14.2; P = 0.02) to be risk factors for rebleeding.

Conclusion  Patients with colonic diverticular bleeding show high recurrence rates within a short period. Risk factors for recurrence have been identified as the use of NSAIDs or antiplatelet drugs and hypertension.
The relationship between management safety commitment and patient safety culture
Authors: Feng X.Q. , Acord L. , Cheng Y.J. , Zeng J.H. , Song J.P.
Published: March 2011

FENG X.Q., ACORD L., CHENG Y.J., ZENG J.H. & SONG J.P. (2011) The relationship between management safety commitment and patient safety culture. International Nursing Review58, 249–254

Aim:  The study aims to explore the relationship between management safety commitment and patient safety culture using data from a Chinese hospital.

Background:  Developing a positive patient safety culture has been suggested as an important strategy to improve the quality of health services and patient safety. Management safety commitment has been identified as key to establishing a culture of safety. However, little empirical evidence could be found in the literature to substantiate the relationship between management safety commitment and patient safety culture. Even less is known about the relationship in a Chinese hospital setting.

Methods:  The study used a correlational research methodology with a cross‐sectional survey design. A total of 248 registered nurses, including 20 nurse managers and 228 staff nurses, were surveyed using self‐administered questionnaires. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used to explore the relationship between management safety commitment and patient safety culture.

Findings:  The mean score of safety commitment was 8.38 on a 0–10 visual analogue scale. The mean score of patient safety culture was 148.66. Staff nurses scored patient safety culture significantly lower than those of nurse managers (F = 18.88, P < 0.01). In addition, management safety commitment was significantly related to patient safety culture (r = 0.46, P < 0.01) and was an important predictor of patient safety culture (F = 65.29, P < 0.01).

Conclusions:  The findings provide significant empirical evidence that management safety commitment is associated with the culture of patient safety. Thus, to build a positive safety culture, managers need to visibly commit to patient safety and be a role model to ensure patient safety.
Intermittent versus daily calorie restriction: which diet regimen is more effective for weight loss?
Authors: Varady K. A.
Published: March 2011

Dietary restriction is an effective strategy for weight loss in obese individuals. The most common form of dietary restriction implemented is daily calorie restriction (CR), which involves reducing energy by 15–60% of usual caloric intake every day. Another form of dietary restriction employed is intermittent CR, which involves 24 h of ad libitum food consumption alternated with 24 h of complete or partial food restriction. Although both diets are effective for weight loss, it remains unknown whether one of these interventions produces superior changes in body weight and body composition when compared to the other. Accordingly, this review examines the effects of daily CR versus intermittent CR on weight loss, fat mass loss and lean mass retention in overweight and obese adults. Results reveal similar weight loss and fat mass loss with 3 to 12 weeks' intermittent CR (4–8%, 11–16%, respectively) and daily CR (5–8%, 10–20%, respectively). In contrast, less fat free mass was lost in response to intermittent CR versus daily CR. These findings suggest that these diets are equally as effective in decreasing body weight and fat mass, although intermittent CR may be more effective for the retention of lean mass.
An Exercise in Police Co‐operation? The Origins of the Conference of Australian Police Commissioners
Authors: Finnane Mark , Myrtle John
Published: March 2011

Research on police co‐operation has focused on international co‐operation and the challenges encountered on the path to a common Europe. Much less attention has been paid to historical challenges of police co‐operation within the boundaries of nation‐states with multiple police agencies. In this article we examine the origins of an institutional approach to the problems of policing within a federation. In Australia police commissioners of the various jurisdictions have been convening in a national forum for more than a century. This practice has its origins in late‐nineteenth century developments in criminal identification technologies such as Bertillonage and fingerprinting. The inaugural meeting of state police commissioners occurred in 1903 and after 1921 it became an annual event. In sum, we argue that the historical evidence from Australia suggests that the emergence of police co‐operation within national boundaries is likely to replicate the patterns observed in the development of international police co‐operation across the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
Who was Responsible for the Dardanelles Naval Fiasco?*
Authors: Curran Tom
Published: March 2011

In 1916 the Dardanelles Royal Commission was convened to investigate the circumstances surrounding the Dardanelles naval fiasco of the previous year. Lords Fisher and Kitchener, former heads of the Royal Navy and British Army respectively, were ultimately found to have been culpable, in having failed to adequately warn the Cabinet War Council of the dangers implicit within the naval operation. Winston Churchill, the political head of the Royal Navy was also admonished, though to a lesser degree. It is the contention of this paper that the findings of the Dardanelles Commission were seriously flawed and that Fisher and Kitchener were unjustly castigated, as convenient scapegoats. This proposition will be tested against all of the relevant evidence available, including hitherto‐neglected primary sources, in order to determine who in fact was responsible for that disaster.
Difficult Partners: Indo‐Australian Relations at the Height of the Cold War, 1949–1964
Authors: Benvenuti Andrea
Published: March 2011

This article aims to make a long overdue re‐examination of Indo‐Australian relations in the early Cold War years. By drawing on available secondary sources, it reassesses the existing literature on Australian engagement with Asia. In so doing, it seeks to understand the reasons why the Menzies government found it so difficult to forge a close partnership with India. Canberra's rather frosty relations with New Delhi during the Menzies‐Nehru years had little to do with Menzies' alleged condescension towards the Asians or his personal antipathy towards Nehru. Rather, it had to do with the two leaders' different readings of Cold War politics as well as their responses to the structural changes taking place at the international level following the end of the Second World War.
Where Did Labour's Votes Go? Valence Politics and Campaign Effects at the 2010 British General Election
Authors: Johnston Ron , Pattie Charles
Published: March 2011

After its landslide victory at the 1997 UK general election, Labour lost some 4 million votes over the next two elections, and a further million between 2005 and 2010. Commentators disagree somewhat on the pattern of this latter loss. The relative importance of arguments based on sociological and valence politics perspectives on voting behaviour is evaluated here, alongside contextual arguments. Using data from the 2010 British Election Study Internet campaign panel survey, this article looks at the flow of the vote away from Labour from 2005 until the start of the 2010 campaign in April of that year, as well as changes to and from Labour during the campaign itself. Valence politics account for much of the variation, but local context is also important.
THE NEW ORTHODOXY: THE DIFFERENTIATED POLITY MODEL
Authors: MARSH DAVID
Published: March 2011

Anthony King (1989, p. 97) argued some time ago that: ‘most of Britain's best political scientists (…) are for some reason journalists'. This is a claim which could only be made by someone who thinks that understanding, or explaining, politics merely revolves around knowing what happens at the centre of power. It neglects the point that facts do not speak for themselves; rather, they have to be interpreted within a conceptual or theoretical framework. Such theoretical frameworks are, for the most part, conspicuous by their absence in work on British politics. This point is amply illustrated by the most recent survey of work on British politics, Flinders et al. (2009), The Oxford Handbook of British Politics, which almost totally neglects broader ways of conceptualizing British politics that would allow us to situate some of the individual chapters against a wider background. There are nine references to the, once ubiquitous, Westminster model, but these are all in two chapters, Dennis Kavanagh's chapter ‘Antecedents’ and Oliver James' chapter ‘Central State’. Only James discusses recent alternatives to the Westminster model and, although he deals with interpretivist critiques, there is no reference to the ‘differentiated polity model’ in the book's index, let alone to the asymmetric power model, two of the positions considered here. Rod Rhodes' work provides a very important exception to that omission, which has stimulated a great deal of interest and encouraged younger scholars to move away from description and fairly mindless empiricism.
WAS LOCAL GOVERNANCE SUCH A GOOD IDEA? A GLOBAL COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVE
Authors: STOKER GERRY
Published: March 2011

The idea of local governance has gained much prominence but can elected local government be sustained in a role as network coordinator alone? To investigate this question this article focuses attention on four societal roles that local government systems undertake. They can support political identity, underwrite economic development, facilitate social welfare provision or act as a lifestyle co‐ordinator through the practice of community governance. Tying our investigation to the embedded societal roles of local government in different systems opens up the opportunity for a global comparative perspective. It also supports an argument that a sustainable system of local government is likely to be one that is able to combine societal roles to a substantial degree and those systems left with community governance as their key societal function are particularly likely to find themselves pushed to the sidelines of governing arrangements.
NOT ODIOUS BUT ONEROUS: COMPARATIVE PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
Authors: POLLITT CHRISTOPHER
Published: March 2011

This paper asks, first, how have comparative publications (academic ‘outputs’) developed during the past three decades; second, what theories have been in play, and, third, how can we best explain the picture of comparative PA that is thus revealed? The trajectories of themes and theories are set within a wider story of the development of networks and academic communities. Changes in practitioner concerns and networks have had significant impacts on the evolution of the academic sub‐field. Changes in ICTs – particularly the coming of the Internet and the growth of cheap air travel – have also had a pervasive influence. While there seems little prospect of convergence on any single theory or methodological approach, the vitality of comparative PA is nevertheless considerable. The volume, range and sophistication of publications have grown markedly since the late 1980s. Yet even if comparative studies are now mainstream, they remain hard to do well.
GOVERNMENT: A SUITABLE CASE FOR TREATMENT?
Authors: WILSON OF DINTON BARON
Published: March 2011

Government – its institutions, its working, its constitutional controls – is hugely important, not just as a subject of gossip or history in the making but as a discipline. Rod Rhodes' achievement in pioneering new ways of mapping and analysing developments inside government from the inside, and in coordinating so many different academic studies, was a remarkable model of the sort of research into government that can be, and needs to be, done by universities, not least as a basis for training future practitioners. The Whitehall Programme showed what can be done.
Historical Sociolinguistics in Nineteenth‐Century Schleswig‐Holstein1
Authors: Langer Nils
Published: March 2011

Schleswig‐Holstein has always been famous as a multilingual region where up to five different languages peacefully co‐exist in the same community. However, during the nineteenth century, language became a political means to suppress particular groups of people and promote others. In particular, intellectual struggle and military warfare were often followed by political reforms aimed at bringing about a change in the official and private use of language in Schleswig‐Holstein. This article provides evidence from school and church inspection reports in the nineteenth century which shows how the German‐speaking authorities were determined to permit only High German to be used in official domains. The use of other languages would not be allowed even though, as the inspection reports testify, both pupils and teachers frequently struggled with their competence in High German. This article thus provides a new and direct view of the multilingual situation at the lowest level of education and hence contributes to our understanding of the effectiveness of language planning measures from ‘above’.

Schleswig‐Holstein war schon immer berühmt als eine mehrsprachige Region, in der sich in manchen Gemeinden bis zu fünf Sprachen friedlich trafen. Im neunzehnten Jahrhundert jedoch wurde Sprache zu einem politischen Mittel, mit dem man ungewünschte Sprechergruppen unterdrücken, genehme Gruppen aber fördern konnte. Insbesondere sehen wir im Schleswig‐Holstein des 19. Jahrhunderts, dass intellektuelle Auseinandersetzungen und militärische Kampagnen zu politischen Reformen führten, deren Ziel es war, den privaten und öffentlichen Sprach(en)gebrauch zu verändern. In diesem Aufsatz werden Ergebnisse einer Untersuchung von Schul‐ und Kirchenvisitationsberichten veröffentlicht, die zeigen, dass die deutschsprachigen Behörden in offiziellen Domänen nur das Hochdeutsche zuließen. Der Gebrauch anderer Sprachen war nicht zugestattet, auch wenn – wie die hier referierten Berichte zeigen – sowohl Schüler wie Lehrer zum Teil große Schwierigkeiten mit der Schriftsprache hatten. Dieser Aufsatz erlaubt uns somit einen neuen und direkten Zugang zu den Bildungsverhältnissen auf niedrigster Stufe und hilft uns hierdurch, die Effektivität von Sprachplanungsmaßnahmen von ‘oben’ zu messen.
‘Sagt, wie soll man Stalin danken?’ Kurt Maetzig's Ehe im Schatten (1947), Roman einer Jungen Ehe (1952) and the Cultural Politics of Post‐War Germany
Authors: Allan Seán
Published: March 2011

In Ehe im Schatten and Roman einer jungen Ehe Kurt Maetzig analyses the role of the artist and the changing conceptualisation of aesthetics at two contrasting moments of political crisis. Set during the Third Reich, Ehe im Schatten criticises any attempt to separate art and politics, and exposes the limitations of bourgeois classical drama as a form of political resistance. But despite its radical subject‐matter, the film's melodramatic format highlights the difficulties post‐war directors working for DEFA faced in breaking with the traditions of cinematography established by Ufa during the 1940s. Five years later, and in a very different political context, Maetzig revisits these issues in Roman einer jungen Ehe. Although the later film mobilises concepts of socialist realism in order to redefine aesthetic agendas in the early 1950s, it too relies on moments of exaggerated pathos to achieve its aims. While the film's idealisation of working‐class life in the GDR of the early 1950s was soon undermined by the political events of 1953 and 1956, its presentation of works by, among others, Lessing, Seghers, Zuckmayer, Simonov and Sartre offers a detailed and distinctive perspective on the changing dynamics of cultural politics during the immediate post‐war period.

In Ehe im Schatten und Roman einer jungen Ehe analysiert Kurt Maetzig den sich wandelnden Ästhetikbegriff bzw. die Rolle des Künstlers in zwei kontrastierenden Momenten politischer Krise. Im Film Ehe im Schatten, der zur Zeit des Dritten Reiches spielt, wird der Versuch kritisiert, Kunst und Politik voneinander zu trennen, wobei gleichzeitig die Unzulänglichkeiten des klassischen bürgerlichen Dramas als Form politischen Widerstandes aufgezeigt werden. Trotz eines radikalen Themas verdeutlicht das melodramatische Format des Films die Schwierigkeiten für DEFA‐Regisseure der Nachkriegszeit, mit den Traditionen des Ufa‐Kinos der 40er Jahre zu brechen. Fünf Jahre später und in einem politisch völlig unterschiedlichen Klima widmet sich Maetzig erneut diesen Problemen in Roman einer jungen Ehe. Obwohl der Film auf Elemente des Sozialistischen Realismus zurückgreift, um ästhetische Prämissen der frühen 50er Jahre zu revidieren, findet sich auch hier ein übertriebener Pathos, was die erstrebte Wirkung des Films betrifft. Obwohl die Idealisierung des Daseins der DDR‐Arbeiterklasse in den frühen 50er Jahren bald durch die politischen Ereignisse von 1953 und 1956 unterminiert wurde, bietet der Film eine detaillierte und spezifische Perspektive in der sich verändernden Dynamik der Kulturpolitik der unmittelbaren Nachkriegszeit, indem er u. a. Referenzen zu Werken von Lessing, Seghers, Zuckmayer, Simonov und Sartre herstellt.