bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Prostacyclin-Like Activity in Umbilical Arteries Is Dose-Dependently Reduced by Maternal Smoking and Related to Nicotine Levels
Authors: Ahlsten G. , Ewald U. , Tuvemo T.
Published: September 2009

The influence of maternal smoking on the formation of prostacyclin-like activity in human umbilical arteries was studied in 84 unselected term deliveries. In arteries from infants of nonsmoking mothers the prostacyclin-like activity measured by a bioassay technique amounted to 81 ± 37 ng/g (mean ± SD), and in those from smokers to 67 ± 35 ng/g (p < 0.05). When smokers were divided into those smoking 10 cigarettes daily or more and those smoking 1–9 cigarettes per day, only arteries of infants of the heavier smokers showed a significantly reduced prostacyclin-like activity (56 ± 27 ng/g; p < 0.02). Nicotine and cotinine levels were weakly inversely correlated to prostacyclin-like activity (p < 0.05). Reduced prostacyclin production in umbilical arteries implies reduced capacity for vasodilation and lowered defence against fetal hypoxia in heavy smokers.
Respiratory Response to Adenosine in Newborn Lambs Is Modified by Hypoxemia and by Heat Stress
Authors: Norsted T. , Jonzon A. , Sedin G.
Published: September 2009

A study was made to determine whether adenosine is involved in the regulation of breathing and whether the respiratory response to injections of adenosine and its analogue L-PIA (phenylisopropyl adenosine) is modified by moderate hypoxemia or by heat stress. Unanesthetized lambs with chronically implanted catheters were used for the investigation. Intravenous injections of adenosine caused an increase in the rate of breathing lasting for 5–30 s, except during heat stress, when the rate of breathing decreased. Injection of L-PIA also increased the rate of breathing, but the effects lasted longer than after injection of adenosine. During heat stress the response to injection of L-PIA varied. Both the arterial blood pressure and heart rate decreased transiently after intravenous injection of adenosine or L-PIA, while the central venous pressure increased. Adenosine might thus be part of a positive feedback system that stimulates breathing under normal environmental conditions with or without moderate hypoxemia. The respiratory responses to injection of adenosine during heat stress are different, which might indicate that under this condition the effects of adenosine on breathing are modified by its influence on temperature control.
Mitochondrial Defects of Brain and Muscle
Authors: De Vivo Darryl C. , DiMauro Salvatore
Published: September 2009

The brain and muscle are particularly vulnerable to mitochondrial defects as are the heart, kidney and liver. This hierarchy of organ involvement is reflected in the clinical signs and symptoms associated with these diverse encephalomyopathic syndromes. The biochemical correlates involve pyruvate metabolism, the citric acid cycle and the respiratory chain. Lactic acidosis is the metabolic signature in these diseases although not present in all syndromes, witness Leber hereditary optic neuropathy. Ragged-red fibers are equally distinctive in biopsied skeletal muscle but are present only with biochemical defects involving the respiratory chain. Defects of pyruvate metabolism and the citric acid cycle are inherited as autosomal or x-linked Mendelian traits. Respiratory chain defects may be inherited as Men-delian or maternal (non-Mendelian) traits. All mitochondria of the progeny are inherited from the mother; and all 13 polypeptides encoded by the mitochondrial genome are located in the respiratory chain (complexes I, III, IV and V). These biological principles are helpful in understanding the clinical syndromes and patterns of inheritance associated with the mitochondrial myopathies and encephalomyopathies.
Detection of Growth-Stimulating Activity in the Proximal Small Intestine during Weaning in the Suckling Rat
Authors: Grey V.L. , Seidman E.G. , Pham T.N. , Poullain M.G. , Morin C.L.
Published: September 2009

Adaptive changes in enzyme expression and cell proliferation occur in the small intestine of the suckling rat at the beginning of the 3rd postnatal week. This physiological adaptation can be modulated by factors including diet or glucocorticoids. We have previously described an intestinal growth-stimulating fraction derived from the remnant small bowel after resection and found that enteral nutrition is critical for its detection. In view of the similarity between the changes in cell proliferation that occur between 15 and 22 days postnatally and those immediately after resection, we sought to determine whether the small intestinal mucosa of the neonatal rat also contains a similar growth-stimulating fraction. Our results show that extracts of the proximal intestine prepared from 15-day-old rats do contain the growth-stimulating fraction. The activity was not detectable in maternal milk nor in the intestinal extract from 8-day-old rats. When the suckling rats were deprived of solid food, the activity was not detectable in the 15-day-old group. Gel filtration of the acidic extract on a G-25 Sephadex column revealed that the active component is made up of two molecular weight species (approximately 4,500 and 1,500 daltons) similar to that described in the proximal intestine of the postresectional model. These findings suggest that dietary factors may play a role in modulating the proliferative changes that occur at the time of weaning by way of the growth-stimulating fraction.
Plasma Biotin Levels in Neonates
Authors: Livaniou E. , Mantagos S. , Kakabakos S. , Pavlou V. , Evangelatos G. , Ithakissios D.S.
Published: September 2009

Plasma biotin levels were measured by a new, very sensitive radioligand assay, in 47 normal full-term infants, receiving breast milk and/or different formulas, during the first 3 weeks of life. Exclusively breast fed infants and infants fed with a formula containing 11 μg/l biotin had plasma biotin levels of 538 ± 78 and 502 ± 117 ng/l, respectivley, during the 1st week of life, and 321 ± 48 and 503 ± 153 ng/l, respectively, during the 3rd week of life. Infants fed with a formula very high in biotin (300 μg/l) had extremely high plasma biotin levels during the 1st week of life (13,741 ± 659 ng/l) while during the 2nd week of life they showed a tendency towards decreasing plasma biotin levels. These changes of plasma biotin levels during the first weeks of life indicate that the in vivo kinetics of biotin is changing during this period.
Lymphocyte Subpopulations in Preterm Infants: High Percentage of Cells Expressing P55 Chain of Interleukin-2 Receptor
Authors: Moretta A. , Valtorta A. , Chirico G. , Chiara A. , Bozzola M. , De Amici M. , Maccario R.
Published: September 2009

Surface phenotype of peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) from preterm infants was evaluated using monoclonal antibodies which define T cell membrane antigens associated with processes of maturation and activation of these cells. In the majority of preterm infants born during the 25th and 26th week of gestation, PBL included higher percentages of cells bearing an immature/activated surface phenotype characterized by the presence of CD1, CD38, and CD71 surface antigens than in term newborns. In these gestational age groups, PBL included, in particular, very high percentages of lymphocytes (range: 22–60) expressing the p55 chain of interleukin-2 receptor (IL-2R). After the 26th week of gestation, PBL of some preterm neonates included, as well, high percentages of lymphocytes bearing immature/activated phenotype; their median values, however, were not significantly different from those observed in term newborns. Our data suggest that the presence of the p55 chain of IL-2R on the surface of neonatal lymphocytes could be correlated with the immaturity of these cells.
Body Composition and Cold Resistance of the Neonatal Pig from European (Large White) and Chinese (Meishan) Breeds
Authors: Le Dividich J. , Mormède P. , Catheline M. , Caritez J.C.
Published: September 2009

Body composition, plasma parameters and cold resistance were compared in neonatal pigs from Chinese (Meishan, Ms) and European (Large White, Lw) breeds. Newborn Ms pigs weighed less but had a higher (p < 0.05) percentage of body dry matter and protein than the Lw pigs, whereas both breeds had similar levels of body fat and liver and muscle glycogen. Plasma concentrations of fructose and α-fetoprotein were lower (p < 0.05) in the newborn Ms pigs. Cold resistance test performed in a 6–7 °C environment on the same piglets when aged 2 and 24 h, showed that in both breeds, cold resistance was closely dependent upon body weight and significantly improved (p < 0.01) with age. Despite their 16 % lower body weight, Ms piglets were, at both ages studied, as resistant to cold as the Lw ones. Breed had no effect on pretest concentration of plasma glucose and noradrenaline, but pretest concentrations of plasma free fatty acids (FFA) were higher (p < 0.01) in the Ms than in Lw piglets and those of adrenaline were lower (p < 0.01) in the Ms piglets. Breed had no significant effect on the response of plasma glucose, FFA and catecholamines during exposure to cold. At both ages of exposure, plasma concentrations of glucose and catecholamines were significantly increased. Plasma concentrations of FFA were increased (p < 0.01) at 2 h, but at 24 h a decrease (p < 0.01) was observed during cold exposure. Colostrum from Ms sows had greater concentration of lipids than that from Lw sows. It is suggested that the similar resistance to cold of the Ms and Lw piglets despite the lower body weight of the former is due, in part, to a greater availability of FFA as an energy source.
Neonatal Gastrointestinal Growth and Function: Are They Regulated by Composition of Feeds?
Authors: Weaver Lawrence T. , Landymore-Lim Lisa , Lucas Alan
Published: September 2009

The effects of natural suckling versus a cow’s milk formula on gastrointestinal growth and mucosal function were measured in newborn guinea pigs during the first 8 days of postnatal life. Comparable growth was achieved between the two groups. Both feeds appeared to be a stimulus for the growth of the gastrointestinal tract and expression of disaccharidases, but not for mucosal growth. Formula feeding was associated with a diminished rate of lactase expression and an enhanced rate of maltase and sucrase expression suggesting that the effect of natural suckling is regulatory, acting to delay expression of an inherent ontogenic programme uncovered by formula feeding. These findings in the precocial guinea pig contrast with those in the altricial rat, and have implications for our understanding of the regulation of gastrointestinal development and effects of formula feeds, in other species, including man.
Postnatal Changes in Proximal and Distal Tubular Sodium Reabsorption in Healthy Very-Low-Birth-Weight Infants
Authors: Leslie Garth I. , Arnold John D. , Gyory Akos Z.
Published: September 2009

We studied 7 healthy very-low-birth-weight male infants with a mean birth weight of 1,195 g and a gestational age of 29.0 weeks, from birth to 6 weeks. The filtered Na load increased fivefold but urine Na excretion decreased from 3.4 to 0.1% of the filtered Na load. The efficiency of Na reabsorption increased 8% in the proximal tubule compared with 66% in the distal tubule. Because > 90% of Na reabsorption always occurred proximally, the smaller percentage increase in efficiency of the proximal tubule contributed as much as the larger percentage increase in efficiency of the distal tubule to the postnatal improvement in renal Na conservation.
Interaction between Caffeine and Zinc on Brain in Newborn Rats
Authors: Nakamoto Tetsuo , Joseph, Jr. Fred
Published: September 2009

The purpose of this study was to determine whether adding zinc to the caffeine-supplemented diet of dams during gestation and lactation would affect brain development in newborn rats. On day 9 of gestation, dams of group 1 were fed a 20% protein diet as a control. Dams of group 2 were fed a 20% protein diet supplemented with caffeine. Dams of group 3 were fed a 20% protein diet supplemented with caffeine and zinc. The amount of caffeine added to the maternal diet was 2 mg/100 g of body weight. The amount of zinc chloride added to diet was 0.6 g/kg of diet. At birth, 8 randomly selected pups from each group were assigned to each dam of the respective group and were continuously fed the same diet. On day 15, the pups were killed and brains were removed. Zinc, protein, DNA, alkaline phosphatase activity and cholesterol contents were measured. Milk and maternal and neonatal blood were collected to determine caffeine levels. There was a significant correlation between the milk caffeine and brain caffeine concentrations in group 3. A significant correlation between the neonatal plasma caffeine and brain caffeine concentrations was observed in groups 2 and 3. There was no correlation between neonatal brain weight and zinc content per brain in each group. The correlation between neonatal brain weight and alkaline phosphatase activity was significant in groups 1 and 3. The neonatal zinc content and concentration of group 2 was less than that of group 1. The DNA content and concentration of group 3 was greater than that of either groups 1 or 2. Supplementation of zinc to the caffeine-added diet could restore the brain zinc levels observed in brains of newborn rats.
Severity of Growth Retardation and Physical Condition at Birth in Small for Gestational Age Infants
Authors: de Grauw Ton J. , Hopkins Brian
Published: September 2009

Ponderal index divides small for gestational age (SGA) infants into two categories, based upon proportional and disproportional growth retardation. The latter group supposedly suffered from unfavorable intrauterine conditions. The aim of the study was investigation of the value of the ponderal index in the discrimination of underlying fetal disorders and its dependency upon the severity of the intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR). In a cohort of 142 SGA infants we found 12 newborns with congenital anomalies; most of the newborns were disproportionally small. Fourteen newborns expired in the Neonatal Intensive-Care Unit for various reasons, in general not directly related with the IUGR. All of them were disproportionally small. The newborns were divided into two groups according to the severity of IUGR. Proportionality was independent of this severity, indicating that most SGA fetuses remain disproportionally small during long-standing IUGR. It is likely, however, that the proportionally small ones adjust better to the poor intrauterine conditions, since they all survived.
Liver Uptake of Trypsin-Inhibitor Complexes; Differences between Suckling and Adult Rats
Authors: Levine Jeremiah J. , Pettei Michael J.
Published: September 2009

Previous studies have demonstrated increased intestinal trypsin uptake in newborn rats compared to adults. The mechanisms that protect tissues against proteolytic damage by trypsin include trypsin-inhibitor binding and subsequent liver uptake. In order to examine these mechanisms, bovine trypsin (1.25 mg/100 g body weight) plus trace 125I-trypsin were injected into the portal vein of 2-week-old and adult rats. Liver, kidney and plasma 125I activity were assessed at 1, 5 or 15 min following infusion and the different trypsin inhibitor fractions were separated and examined for 125I activity. Newborn rats had significantly increased plasma levels of 125I-trypsin and significantly decreased liver 125I levels 1 min after infusion compared to adults. In addition, the slow decline in liver 125I activity seen in the adult rats did not occur in the newborns. The pattern of trypsin-inhibitor binding was not significantly different at 1 5 and 15 min and there were no differences at these time intervals between newborns and adults. We suggest that the newborn liver is less effective in clearing infused trypsin leading to increased plasma levels, and this increased plasma trypsin concentration subsequently leads to increased liver levels of 125I-trypsin. The increased trypsin levels in the liver may predispose newborns to protease-induced liver damage.
Age-Dependent Differences in Active and Inactive Renin in the Lamb Fetus
Authors: Rawashdeh Nayel M. , Rose James C. , Kerr DeWana Ray
Published: September 2009

Most studies examining the developmental aspects of renin secretion in fetal lambs have focused on measurements of active renin. Data from these studies demonstrated age-dependent differences in renin release in vivo and in vitro. However, little information is available concerning gestational changes in total (active and inactive) renin. Therefore, we have measured the renin concentration in plasma, amniotic fluid and various tissues before and after trypsin treatment (for total renin) using 7 fetuses at 0.61–0.79 gestation (immature) and 7 fetuses at 0.88–0.97 gestation (mature). We found that active and total renin levels in plasma and kidney tissues were significantly lower in immature than in mature fetuses, while inactive renin levels were not different. We also found that the amniotic fluid, the adrenal gland, the placenta and membranes all contained low levels of active and total renin that were not different between groups. These results suggest that, over the last third of gestation, maturation influences the regulation of active renin in the kidney and plasma. The data also indicate that the renin concentration in the amniotic fluid, the adrenals, the placenta and membranes is regulated differently than that in the plasma and the kidney.
Ductal Shunting and Effective Systemic Blood Flow Following Single Dose Surfactant Treatment in the Premature Baboon with Hyaline Membrane Disease
Authors: Kinsella John P. , Gerstmann Dale R. , Gong Alice K. , Taylor Florentina , deLemos Robert A.
Published: September 2009

We studied the hemodynamic effects of using natural surfactant in premature baboons with hyaline membrane disease (HMD). Study animals (n = 5) received a single dose of surfactant immediately after delivery and control animals (n = 8) did not. Using microspheres at 3, 8, and 23 h we found no significant differences in left ventricular output, effective systemic flow, systemic-to-pulmonary patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) shunting, or in cerebral or renal organ blood flow. However, both groups had large PDA shunts (fraction of LVO to lungs > 0.40–0.55 at 3 and 8 h) resulting in low systemic perfusion (< 80 ml/min/kg). Single dose surfactant did not improve the myocardial dysfunction and low cerebral and renal blood flow which occur during treatment for HMD.
Autoradiographic Localization and Effects of Exogenous Radioactively Labelled Surfactant in the Lung of the Prematurely Delivered Fetal Rabbit
Authors: Winter I. , Scott J.E. , Oullon M.R. , Stinson D. , Allen A.
Published: September 2009

Adult rabbit lung surfactant was radioactively labelled with [3H]palmitate and isolated by centrifugation. This material was instilled into the trachea of fetal rabbits prematurely delivered on the 27th gestational day. A similar preparation of unlabelled surfactant was used to measure the effects on pressure-volume characteristics in lungs of 27th day fetuses. Tissue sections were prepared from the lungs of all animals and morphometric and autoradiographic determinations made. Surfactant instillation improved pressure-volume relationships in fetal rabbit lungs. Histologically, although only the middle right lobe seemed to show significant qualitative improvement in expansion after surfactant treatment, quantitative assessment indicated that the surfactant preparation had significantly increased the mean alveolar cross-sectional areas in all three lobes of right lungs. In addition, distribution of autoradiographic grains indicated that 8–25% were located over the alveolar spaces while approximately half this percentage was present over tissue at the level of the alveolus. These results indicate that intratracheal instillation of surfactant supplements the endogenous surfactant at the level of the alveolus.
Human Neonatal Monocyte-Derived Macrophages and Neutrophils Exhibit Normal Nonopsonic and Opsonic Receptor-Mediated Phagocytosis and Superoxide Anion Production
Authors: Conly Maureen E. , Speert David P.
Published: September 2009

Human neonates are at risk for invasive infections with fungi and gram-negative bacteria, microorganisms which are often susceptible to phagocytosis in either the presence or the absence of opsonins. Although opsonic phagocytosis has been investigated, to date there have been no systematic studies of nonopsonic phagocytosis in neonates. We investigated receptor-mediated phagocytosis by neonatal neutrophils and monocyte-derived macrophages in order to determine if a functional defect exists in any of the classes of nonopsonic or opsonic receptors. Ingestion or binding by mannosyl/fucosyl, Fc and complement receptors and the receptor(s) for unopsonized Pseudomonas aeruginosa were normal in neutrophils and macrophages from the cord blood of 26 healthy full-term neonates as compared to simultaneous normal adult controls. Superoxide anion production by neonatal neutrophils in response to both soluble and particulate stimuli was also normal. We conclude that neonatal nonopsonic and opsonic receptor-mediated phagocytosis are normal.
Chromosome Analysis of Postimplantation Stage Embryos for Studying Possible Causes of Developmental Abnormalities in Nonobese Diabetic Mice
Authors: Tatewaki Reiko , Otani Hiroki , Ando Seiichi , Hashimoto Ryuju , Naora Hiroyuku , Tanaka Osamu
Published: September 2009

The chromosomes of postimplantation stage embryos of nonobese diabetic (NOD) mice were analyzed to investigate the causal mechanism of congenital anomalies in diabetic pregnancies. Postimplantation stage embryos (day 12 of gestation) in diabetic (NOD-DM) and nondiabetic (NOD-N) NOD mice had either a high or low incidence of chromosomal abnormalities. A large majority of externally normal embryos from NOD-DM and NOD-N mice had low incidences. A high incidence of chromosomal abnormalities was found in externally abnormal embryos of NOD-DM and NOD-N mice, and in a smaller number of externally normal NOD-N and NOD-DM embryos. No control ICR embryo manifested a high incidence of chromosomal abnormalities. In the NOD-DM embryos, the chromosomes appeared to be influenced by long-term maternal diabetic conditions, while high incidences of chromosomal abnormalities in the NOD-N embryos suggested a probable cause by other factor(s) (e.g. a genetic predisposition) or by a very mild diabetic condition because the NOD-N mice were prediabetic.
Multiscale Observations of Hurricane Dennis (2005): The Effects of Hot Towers on Rapid Intensification
Authors: Guimond Stephen R. , Heymsfield Gerald M. , Turk F. Joseph
Published: September 2009

A synthesis of remote sensing and in situ observations throughout the life cycle of Hurricane Dennis (2005) during the NASA Tropical Cloud Systems and Processes (TCSP) experiment is presented. Measurements from the ER-2 Doppler radar (EDOP), the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit (AMSU), airborne radiometer, and flight-level instruments are used to provide a multiscale examination of the storm. The main focus is an episode of deep convective bursts (“hot towers”) occurring during a mature stage of the storm and preceding a period of rapid intensification (11-hPa pressure drop in 1 h 35 min). The vigorous hot towers penetrated to 16-km height, had maximum updrafts of 20 m s−1 at 12–14-km height, and possessed a strong transverse circulation through the core of the convection. Significant downdrafts (maximum of 10–12 m s−1) on the flanks of the updrafts were observed, with their cumulative effects hypothesized to result in the observed increases in the warm core. In one ER-2 overpass, subsidence was transported toward the eye by 15–20 m s−1 inflow occurring over a deep layer (0.5–10 km) coincident with a hot tower.

Fourier analysis of the AMSU satellite measurements revealed a large shift in the storm’s warm core structure, from asymmetric to axisymmetric, ∼12 h after the convective bursts began. In addition, flight-level wind calculations of the axisymmetric tangential velocity and inertial stability showed a contraction of the maximum winds and an increase in the stiffness of the vortex, respectively, after the EDOP observations.

The multiscale observations presented here reveal unique, ultra-high-resolution details of hot towers and their coupling to the parent vortex, the balanced dynamics of which can be generally explained by the axisymmetrization and efficiency theories.
The Continuum of North Pacific Sea Level Pressure Patterns: Intraseasonal, Interannual, and Interdecadal Variability
Authors: Johnson Nathaniel C. , Feldstein Steven B.
Published: September 2009

This study combines k-means cluster analysis with linear unidimensional scaling to illustrate the spatial and temporal variability of the wintertime North Pacific sea level pressure (SLP) field. Daily wintertime SLP data derived from the NCEP–NCAR reanalysis are used to produce 16 SLP anomaly patterns that represent a discretized approximation of the continuum of North Pacific SLP patterns. This study adopts the continuum perspective for teleconnection patterns, which provides a much simpler framework for understanding North Pacific variability than the more commonly used discrete modal approach.

The primary focus of this research is to show that variability in the North Pacific—on intraseasonal, interannual, and interdecadal time scales—can be understood in terms of changes in the frequency distribution of the cluster patterns that compose the continuum, each of which has a time scale of about 10 days. This analysis reveals 5–6 Pacific–North American–like (PNA-like) patterns for each phase, as well as dipoles and wave trains. A self-organizing map (SOM) analysis of coupled SLP and outgoing longwave radiation data shows that many of these patterns are associated with convection in the tropical Indo-Pacific region. On intraseasonal time scales, the frequency distribution of these patterns, in particular the PNA-like patterns, is strongly influenced by the Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO). On interannual time scales, the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) impacts the North Pacific continuum, with warm ENSO episodes resulting in the increased frequency of easterly displaced Aleutian low pressure anomaly patterns and cold ENSO episodes resulting in the increased frequency of southerly displaced Aleutian high pressure anomaly patterns. In addition, the results of this analysis suggest that the interdecadal variability of the North Pacific SLP field, including the well-known “regime shift” of 1976/77, also results from changes in the frequency distribution within the continuum of SLP patterns.
Analysis of African Easterly Wave Structures and Their Role in Influencing Tropical Cyclogenesis
Authors: Hopsch Susanna B. , Thorncroft Chris D. , Tyle Kevin R.
Published: September 2009

Composite structures of African easterly waves (AEWs) that develop into named tropical cyclones in the Atlantic are compared and contrasted with nondeveloping AEWs using the 40-yr ECMWF Re-Analysis (ERA-40) data and satellite brightness temperature between 1979 and 2001. Developing AEWs are characterized by a more distinctive cold-core structure two days before reaching the West African coast. As they move westward, the convective activity increases further in the vicinity of the Guinea Highlands region. At the same time the AEW trough increases its vorticity at low levels consistent with a transformation toward a more warm-core structure before it reaches the ocean. As the AEW moves over the ocean convection is maintained in the trough, consistent with the observed tropical cyclogenesis. The nondeveloping AEW has a similar evolution before reaching the coast except that the amplitudes are weaker and there is less convective activity in the Guinea Highlands region. The nondeveloping AEW composite has a more prominent dry signal just ahead of the AEW trough at mid- to upper levels. It is argued that the weaker west coast development (i.e., reduced convective activity and reduced spinup at low levels) combined with the closer proximity of the trough to mid- to upper-level dry air aloft are consistent with the nondevelopment. The most intense nondeveloping AEWs were characterized by more intense convection and stronger mid- and low-level synoptic circulations at the West African coast than the developing AEWs. The analysis strongly suggests that the lack of development was due to the presence of dry mid- to upper-level air just ahead of the AEW trough that may have been enhanced because of equatorward advection of dry air by the AEW itself.
Perceptions of physical activity by older adults: A qualitative study
Authors: Jancey Jonine M , Clarke Ann , Howat Peter , Maycock Bruce , Lee Andy H
Published: September 2009

Objective To identify issues and perceptions concerning physical activity in older adults.

Design Qualitative study.

Setting Perth, Western Australia.

Methods Sixteen adults aged 65 to 74 years were interviewed in their own homes using a semi-structured interview schedule. Data were analysed using a descriptive qualitative methodology.

Results Participants believed that physical activity provided health benefits and reflected positively on physical activity experiences when they were younger, with many expressing a desire to engage in less age-appropriate activities. The major barrier to physical activity was pain. Participants described both positive and negative examples related to society’s support of physical activity.

Conclusions A number of issues were raised. These included: the need for more specific information on the benefits of physical activity; the role of pain management in physical activity; the concept that involvement in physical activity in younger years leads to involvement when older; and the expressed desire of older people to engage in less age-appropriate physical activities.
Older adults’ perspectives on home exercise after falls rehabilitation: Understanding the importance of promoting healthy, active ageing
Authors: Hawley Helen
Published: September 2009

Objective To explore what might encourage older people to exercise at home after falls rehabilitation.

Design Qualitative research methods were used based on a grounded theory approach, to provide insights into older adults’ experiences following a fall, of both rehabilitation and home exercise.

Setting Community dwellings.

Method Nine participants who had been through falls rehabilitation and who were over 60 years old were recruited through health professionals. Participants had attended one of three different rehabilitation centres, or were under the care of the Specialist Case Manager for Elderly, Frail and Falls who sees clients with more complex needs.

Results Thekeyfactorcausingolderpeopletocarryouttheirhomeexercise programme is a determination to regain independence following illness and a fall. However, social interaction has a key role to play in this strive for independence through supporting the continuation of home exercise. Interview data reveal that relationships with professionals, families and friends (the existence of social networks) during and after the rehabilitation process can impact on uptake and continuation of exercise.

Conclusion A grounded theory approach to research with older people can be a useful tool for informing health promotion workers and other health professionals in practice. This study helps us to acknowledge that from an older adult’s perspective, independence is highly valued, and encourages us to consider how we can then adopt this as a motivator for participation in healthy, active ageing. When working with older people, professionals need to adopt a holistic approach to their health, using a person-centred approach to promote positive, active ageing.
Tanning behaviour among young frequent tanners is related to attitudes and not lack of knowledge about the dangers
Authors: Dennis Leslie K , Lowe John B , Snetselaar Linda G
Published: September 2009

Objective To examine the importance of tanning among students in relation to attitudes and knowledge regarding skin cancer prevention.

Design A cross-sectional survey.

Setting College students at a major Midwestern university.

Methods Students were recruited to complete a self-administered questionnaire that included information on sun-sensitivity, knowledge and tanning attitudes and behaviours. Survey sampling statistical techniques that account for clustering among the 163 students recruited were used.

Results We found a high level of skin cancer prevention knowledge; however, knowledge was not related to a reduction in the importance of tanning. In many cases, higher levels of knowledge corresponded to a greater emphasis on the importance of tanning. Sunscreen use was low among this population. Those who placed an importance on tanning more often indicated that they believed that ‘sunless tanning creams are safer than the sun’.

Conclusions This population’s belief that they look healthier and feel better with a tan strongly influences the desire to tan. Therefore, future cancer information campaigns or other prevention efforts should directly address the desire to tan by encouraging the use of sunless tanning products as an alternative method of tanning.
Promoting the use of outcome measures by an educational programme for physiotherapists in stroke rehabilitation: a pilot randomized controlled trial
Authors: Van Peppen RPS , Schuurmans MJ , Stutterheim EC , Lindeman E. , Van Meeteren NLU
Published: September 2009

Objective: To determine the influence of tutor expertise on the uptake of a physiotherapists’ educational programme intended to promote the use of outcome measures in the management of patients with stroke.

Design: Pilot randomized controlled trial.

Methods: Thirty physiotherapists involved in stroke management were randomized into two groups and participated in five tutor-guided educational sessions (the Physiotherapists’ Educational Programme on Clinimetrics in Stroke, PEPCiS). Groups differed from each other with respect to tutors: one experienced and one inexperienced in stroke care. Primary outcome was ‘actual use’ (the frequencies of data of seven recommended outcome measures in the patient records of the participating physiotherapists).

Results: The actual use of instruments shifted from a median of 3 to 6 in the expert tutor group and from 3 to 4 in the non-expert tutor group (P = 0.07). Physiotherapists educated by the expert tutor used a broader variety of instruments and appreciated the educational programme, their own knowledge gain and all three scales of tutor style aspects significantly more than their colleagues of the non-expert tutor group (all P<0.05). Univariate analysis on the entire set of data revealed eight factors, including tutors’ performance, that were associated with a change score of the use of two or more outcome measures by individual physiotherapists after the educational programme.

Conclusion: In this pilot trial it was not proven that tutor expertise in stroke care influences the actual use of outcome measures, but it warrants a future study with sufficient power to investigate the influence of the tutor.
Filling up the hours: how do stroke patients on a rehabilitation nursing home spend the day?
Authors: Huijben-Schoenmakers Marleen , Gamel Claudia , Hafsteinsdóttir Thóra B
Published: September 2009

Objective: To describe the time use of stroke patients on rehabilitation units of a nursing home focusing on the time spent on therapeutic activities, non-therapeutic activities, interactions and the location wherein these took place.

Design: A descriptive study.

Setting: Rehabilitation units of a nursing home.

Subjects: Seventeen chronic stroke patients, including 9 men, 8 women, with a mean age of 77 years (SD ± 7.6 years).

Main measures: Daily activities of patients were measured using Behavioural Mapping, including therapeutic activities, non-therapeutic activities, interactions and their location. Functional status was measured with the Barthel Index.

Results. Of the patients 15 (88%) were partly/fully paralysed, with a mean Barthel Index score of 9.4 (SD ± 4.3). The patients spent 20% of the day on therapeutic activities, whereas 80% of the day was spent on non-therapeutic activities; 9% on therapeutic activities with the nurse. For 60% of the day patients were alone and not interacting with others.

Conclusions. Stroke patients spend only short periods of time during the day on therapeutic activities. For the largest part of the day, the patient is alone and passive. A challenge for nurses is how to activate patients and engage them in purposeful task-oriented training in daily activities.
Sports Injuries During the Summer Olympic Games 2008
Authors: Junge Astrid , Engebretsen Lars , Mountjoy Margo L. , Alonso Juan Manuel , Renström Per A. F. H. , Aubry Mark John , Dvorak Jiri
Published: September 2009

Background

Standardized assessment of sports injuries provides important epidemiological information and also directions for injury prevention.

Purpose

To analyze the frequency, characteristics, and causes of injuries incurred during the Summer Olympic Games 2008.

Study Design

Descriptive epidemiology study.

Methods

The chief physicians and/or chief medical officers of the national teams were asked to report daily all injuries newly incurred during the Olympic Games on a standardized injury report form. In addition, injuries were reported daily by the physicians at the medical stations at the different Olympic venues and at the polyclinic in the Olympic Village.

Results

Physicians and/or therapists of 92 national teams covering 88% of the 10 977 registered athletes took part in the study. In total, 1055 injuries were reported, resulting in an incidence of 96.1 injuries per 1000 registered athletes. Half of the injuries (49.6%) were expected to prevent the athlete from participating in competition or training. The most prevalent diagnoses were ankle sprains and thigh strains. The majority (72.5%) of injuries were incurred in competition. One third of the injuries were caused by contact with another athlete, followed by overuse (22%) and noncontact incidences (20%). Injuries were reported from all sports, but their incidence and characteristics varied substantially. In relation to the number of registered athletes, the risk of incurring an injury was highest in soccer, taekwondo, hockey, handball, weightlifting, and boxing (all ≥15% of the athletes) and lowest for sailing, canoeing/kayaking, rowing, synchronized swimming, diving, fencing, and swimming.

Conclusion

The data indicate that the injury surveillance system covered almost all of the participating athletes, and the results highlight areas of high risk for sport injury such as the in-competition period, the ankle and thigh, and specific sports. The identification of these factors should stimulate future research and subsequent policy change to prevent injury in elite athletes.
Towards sustainable residential communities; the Beddington Zero Energy Development (BedZED) and beyond
Authors: Chance Tom
Published: September 2009

This paper describes the design, construction and management of the Beddington Zero Energy Development (BedZED), a high density residential development that accommodates a mix of income groups and combines homes and workspaces. It dramatically reduces carbon dioxide emissions per person from the homes and encourages and supports other aspects of a sustainable lifestyle — including reduced water use and reduced private automobile use. The paper also describes and discusses the limits to what residential developments such as these can achieve by themselves in relation to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and ecological footprints, especially those related to household choices (for instance, residents’ choice to fly) and to the policies and infrastructure for the district and city where BedZED is located (for instance, the quality of public transport). The paper outlines a residential development in Brighton that drew on the experience with BedZED and describes work with the local government in the borough where BedZED is located to address these larger-scale sustainable lifestyle issues.
The Urban Poor Development Fund in Cambodia: supporting local and citywide development
Authors: Phonphakdee Somsak , Visal Sok , Sauter Gabriela
Published: September 2009

Following the Pol Pot era in Cambodia, the high levels of poverty, rapid urban growth and low level of community organization were exacerbated by an absence of government support for the poor. The Urban Poor Development Fund (UPDF) was established in 1998 to provide support to a growing number of community-based savings groups. It provides loans and grants for land acquisition, upgrading, house building, income generation and food production, but also gives community savings groups the chance to improve their knowledge, their confidence and their capacity; most critically, it supports them to develop better relations with government agencies. By April 2008, 122 communities in Phnom Penh and 44 communities in 11 other cities had received support — more than 22,000 households in total.
The dynamics of land use in Lahore inner city: the case of Mochi Gate
Authors: Ezdi Rabia
Published: September 2009

This paper discusses the dynamics of land use in the inner city of Lahore, based on a study of the Mochi Gate locality in particular. This includes a description of the evolution and transformation of the area over time and its development into a successful centre for wholesale, small-scale manufacturing and support services, much of which is based in informal enterprises. Principles of land use organization that lead to the successful commercial functioning of the area include strategic location, close physical proximity between “firms”, and a clustering of similar trades. Paradoxically, while the area is an important pillar in the city economy, it also suffers from symptoms typical of inner-city decay such as acute traffic congestion, dilapidated infrastructure, out-migration and a general deterioration of the built fabric. To date, attempts to address causes of decay have been fragmented and have failed to understand and incorporate key local actors, systems and processes. In so doing, this has also risked disrupting a major economic node in the city that provides livelihoods for a large low-income population. The paper argues that any attempt towards a successful upgrading of the area must be rooted in an understanding of these existing local “systems” of operation and organization.
The implications of population growth and urbanization for climate change
Authors: Satterthwaite David
Published: September 2009

This paper considers the implications of population growth and urbanization for climate change. It emphasizes that it is not the growth in (urban or rural) populations that drives the growth in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions but rather, the growth in consumers and in their levels of consumption. A significant proportion of the world’s urban (and rural) populations have consumption levels that are so low that they contribute little or nothing to such emissions. If the lifetime contribution to GHG emissions of a person added to the world’s population varies by a factor of more than 1,000 depending on the circumstances into which they are born and their life choices, it is misleading to see population growth as the driver of climate change. A review of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions levels for nations, and how they changed between 1980 and 2005 (and also between 1950 and 1980), shows little association between nations with rapid population growth and nations with high GHG emissions and rapid GHG emissions growth; indeed, it is mostly nations with very low emissions per person (and often only slowly growing emissions) that have had the highest population growth rates. The paper also discusses how in the much-needed planning for global emissions reduction, provision must be made to allow low-income, low-consumption households with GHG emissions per person below the global “fair share” level to increase their consumption.
The limits of land titling and home ownership
Authors: Payne Geoffrey , Durand-Lasserve Alain , Rakodi Carole
Published: September 2009

This paper reviews whether land titling programmes have achieved the benefits claimed by their proponents. It finds that they have generally failed to do so. Investment in land and housing, access to formal credit, and municipal revenues have not increased noticeably more than under other tenure regimes, including those that allow many unauthorized settlements, and there is no significant evidence of poverty levels being reduced. Titling does provide increased tenure security — but many alternative forms of tenure, including those in many informal settlements, also provide high levels of security. In addition, in many nations, land titles do not necessarily protect people from eviction and expropriation of their land. Land titling often fails to increase access to credit, and low-income households who obtain titles are often as reluctant to take loans as banks are to lend to them. Titling also does not necessarily improve infrastructure and services provision, while many settlements have obtained improved provision without titles.
Analysis of an Agricultural Transformation Prototype (ATP) for Raising Rural Area's Superiority in Taiwan
Authors: Chang Pei-Chi , Wen I-Jyh , Lai Chi-ming
Published: September 2009

Under globalized capitalism, prospering industry and commerce and continuously expanding cities, the importance of agriculture has been gradually diminishing with the relatively backward rural development. This has been the common phenomenon all over the world. Therefore, thinking deeply on how to make a modulation on the rural industrial structure and how to start, economically, the re-development of the rural area have globally become the most important issue to maintain the sound rural development.

An ATP, at the Huashan area in mid-Taiwan, was selected as our illustration in this study. First, discussion and analysis on the whole environment of Taiwan's rural area and the ATP were carried out via information collection, case study and Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analysis. Strategies toward the local sustainability development were also proposed.
Teaching Porn
Authors: McNair Brian
Published: September 2009

This article gives an account of my experiences as a student and teacher of pornography in the UK university context. From my time as a student at Glasgow University in the late 1970s, to my classes on sexual transgression at Strathclyde in the 2000s, I trace changing attitudes to the pornographic, against the background of changing political and technological environments. The article considers the pedagogy of porn against the backdrop of pro- and anti-porn feminism, the rise of gay rights, and the impact of the internet. Under these influences, and over a period of three decades, pornography was destigmatized and redefined in a variety of contexts, from the irony of lad culture to the postmodern humour of the Graham Norton Show and the pro-porn feminism of the post-Madonna era.