bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The distribution of Hyalomma spp. ticks from domestic ruminants in Iran
Authors: NABIAN S. , RAHBARI S. , CHANGIZI A. , SHAYAN P.
Published: August 2009

The distribution of Hyalomma species on domestic animals was studied in four zoogeoghraphical zones. Nine hundred and ninety‐two Hyalomma ticks were collected from sheep, goats, cattle and camels. A total of seven tick species consisting of: Hyalomma anatolicum Koch, 1844 (28.93%), H. excavatum Koch, 1844 (12.5%), H. asiaticum Schulze & Schlottke, 1930 (13.5%), H. marginatum Koch, 1844 (27.01%), H. detritum Schulze, 1919 (9.67%), H. schulzei Olenev, 1931 (4.03%) and H. dromedary Koch, 1844 (4.33%) were recorded. The results indicated that H. anatolicum, H. asiaticum, H. marginatum and H. detritum were present in all zones whereas H. excavatum was absent in Zone I. The result also showed that H. dromedari was presented in Zones III and IV whereas H. schulzei was present in Zones II and III. During this study, the tick species collected are candidates for investigation as vectors of pathogenic organisms in Iran.
Sand flea (Tunga spp.) infections in humans and domestic animals: state of the art
Authors: PAMPIGLIONE S. , FIORAVANTI M.L. , GUSTINELLI A. , ONORE G. , MANTOVANI B. , LUCHETTI A. , TRENTINI M.
Published: August 2009

Tungiasis is a parasitic disease of humans and animals caused by fleas (Siphonaptera) belonging to the genus Tunga. Two species, Tunga penetrans (L.) and Tunga trimamillata, out of 10 described to date, are known to affect man or domestic animals; the other eight are exclusive to a few species of wild mammals. Tunga penetrans and T. trimamillata originated from Latin America, although the first species is also found in sub‐Saharan Africa (between 20° N and 25° S). Hundreds of millions of people are at risk of infection in more than 70 nations, mostly in developing countries. The second species has been reported only in Ecuador and Peru. Males and non‐fertilized females of Tunga are haematophagous ectoparasites; pregnant females penetrate the skin where, following dilatation of the abdomen, they increase enormously in size (neosomy) and cause inflammatory and ulcerative processes of varying severity. The importance of Tunga infection in humans concerns its frequent localization in the foot, which sometimes causes very serious difficulty in walking, thereby reducing the subject's ability to work and necessitating medical and surgical intervention. Tungiasis in domestic animals can be responsible for economic losses resulting from flea‐induced lesions and secondary infections. Because tungiasis represents a serious problem for tropical public health and because of the recent description of a new species (Tunga trimamillata), it seems appropriate to review current knowledge of the morphology, molecular taxonomy, epidemiology, pathology, treatment and control of sand fleas of the genus Tunga.
A long‐lasting topical deltamethrin treatment to protect dogs against visceral leishmaniasis
Authors: COURTENAY O. , KOVACIC V. , GOMES P. A. F. , GARCEZ L. M. , QUINNELL R. J.
Published: August 2009

To develop long‐lasting, topical pour‐on insecticides for dogs to control zoonotic visceral leishmaniasis, two deltamethrin‐based formulations (emulsifiable concentrate [EC] and suspension concentrate [SC]) were tested for their efficacy against the phlebotomine sandfly Lutzomyia longipalpis Lutz & Neiva (Diptera: Psychodidae), vector of Leishmania infantum Nicolle (Kinetoplastida: Trypanosomatidae). The entomological outcomes tested were anti‐feeding effect (proportion of female sandflies unfed), lethal effect (24‐h female sandfly mortality) and these two effects combined, and the insecticide persistence time at 50% (residual activity, RA50) and 80% (RA80) efficacy. On initial application, the proportions of female flies that demonstrated anti‐feeding activity or were killed were similar for both formulations, at 0.93 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.856–0.977) vs. 0.81 (95% CI 0.763–0.858) (anti‐feeding) and 0.86 (95% CI 0.787–0.920) vs. 0.76 (95% CI 0.698–0.817) (24‐h mortality) for EC and SC, respectively. The RA50 rates for anti‐feeding and mortality caused by the EC formulation were 4.7 months (95% CI 4.18–5.84) and 2.5 months (95% CI 2.25–2.90), respectively, compared with 1.1 months (95% CI 0.96–1.15) and 0.6 months (95% CI 0.50–0.61), respectively, for the SC formulation. The RA50 for the combined anti‐feeding and mortality effects of EC was 5.2 months (95% CI 4.73–5.96), compared with only 0.9 months (95% CI 0.85–1.00) for the SC formulation. The four‐ to six‐fold superior residual activity of the EC formulation was attributed to the addition of a solvent‐soluble resin in the formulation which improved fur adhesion and acted as a reservoir for the slow release of the active ingredient. These results identify the potential of such a low‐cost formulation to reduce the inter‐intervention interval to 5–6 months, similar to that recommended for deltamethrin‐impregnated dog collars or for re‐impregnation of conventional bednets, both of which are currently used to combat Leishmania transmission. Finally, a novel bioassay was developed in which sandflies were exposed to fur from treated dogs, revealing no detectable tolerance (24‐h mortality) in wild‐caught sandflies to the insecticide formulations up to 8 months after the initiation of communitywide application of the insecticides to dogs.
Life cycle differences among Brazilian sandflies of the Lutzomyia longipalpis sibling species complex
Authors: SOUZA N. A. , ANDRADE‐COELHO C. A. , SILVA V. C. , WARD R. D. , PEIXOTO A. A.
Published: August 2009

The developmental cycles of five Brazilian populations of the Lutzomyia longipalpis Lutz & Neiva species complex (Diptera: Psychodidae) were compared under laboratory conditions. Three of the populations were derived from insects collected in allopatric sites at Natal (Rio Grande do Norte State), Jacobina (Bahia State) and Lapinha Cave (Minas Gerais State). The other two originated from Sobral (Ceará State), where the males of two sympatric species can be distinguished by the presence of one (1S) or two (2S) pairs of abdominal spots. The results of the present study clearly show that all three populations whose males produce C16 pheromones and use pulse‐type copulation songs (Jacobina, Lapinha Cave and Sobral 1S) are more easily adapted to the colonization conditions used in our laboratory, producing larger egg batches, with higher survival and an overall faster developmental cycle. This contrasts with populations producing C20 male pheromones and using burst‐type copulation songs (Natal and Sobral 2S) that produce smaller egg batches, have higher oviposition mortality and a slower rate of development under identical laboratory conditions. In conclusion, these phenological differences are a further indication of the differentiation of the siblings within the Lu. longipalpis species complex.
Data quality in thermal summation development models for forensically important blowflies
Authors: RICHARDS C. S. , VILLET M. H.
Published: August 2009

To highlight some issues regarding data quality that are significant in estimating post‐mortem intervals (PMI) from maggots, the developmental constants of thermal summation models for development of Chrysomya megacephala Fabricius (Diptera: Calliphoridae) were calculated from incidental data gathered from 12 published studies, and from data generated specifically for the purpose in a single experiment. The focused experiment involved measuring the timing of five developmental landmarks at nine constant temperatures with a sampling resolution of 6–12 h, which is characteristic of other published studies. Combining data from different studies produced inconsistent results because of statistical noise introduced by (at least) disparities in temporal precision, descriptive statistics, geographical location and rearing diets. A robust experimental design to estimate a developmental model should involve at least six constant temperatures, starting at about 7°C above the relevant developmental zero (D0) and going almost to the upper critical temperature, and a temporal sampling interval with a relative precision of about 10%, which requires sampling about every 2 h until hatching, about every 3 h until first ecdysis and about every 6 h until second ecdysis.
Disentangling niche and neutral influences on community assembly: assessing the performance of community phylogenetic structure tests
Authors: Kembel Steven W.
Published: August 2009

Patterns of phylogenetic relatedness within communities have been widely used to infer the importance of different ecological and evolutionary processes during community assembly, but little is known about the relative ability of community phylogenetics methods and null models to detect the signature of processes such as dispersal, competition and filtering under different models of trait evolution. Using a metacommunity simulation incorporating quantitative models of trait evolution and community assembly, I assessed the performance of different tests that have been used to measure community phylogenetic structure. All tests were sensitive to the relative phylogenetic signal in species metacommunity abundances and traits; methods that were most sensitive to the effects of niche‐based processes on community structure were also more likely to find non‐random patterns of community phylogenetic structure under dispersal assembly. When used with a null model that maintained species occurrence frequency in random communities, several metrics could detect niche‐based assembly when there was strong phylogenetic signal in species traits, when multiple traits were involved in community assembly, and in the presence of environmental heterogeneity. Interpretations of the causes of community phylogenetic structure should be modified to account for the influence of dispersal.
Earthquake mortality in Pakistan
Authors: Sullivan Kevin M. , Hossain S.M. Moazzem
Published: August 2009

A strong earthquake, measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale, hit northern Pakistan on 8 October 2005, causing massive destruction, including an official death toll of 73,276. Four cross‐sectional surveys were performed in late 2005 to assess mortality before the event, on the day, and subsequently. Two surveys were community‐based and two were situated in camps for internally displaced persons. Crude mortality rates were low in the 3.5 months preceding the earthquake (less than 0.1 deaths per 10,000 per day) and slightly higher in the six‐to‐eight weeks after the earthquake (ranging from 0.10–0.43 per 10,000 per day). On 8 October 2005, approximately two per cent of the population in one community survey died and around five per cent in the other three surveys. Children less than five years and adults more than or equal to 50 years tended to have a higher risk of mortality on the day of the disaster. These results corroborate the high mortality caused by the earthquake.
Teaching Innovation through Interdisciplinary Courses and Programmes in Product Design and Development: An Analysis at 16 US Schools
Authors: Fixson Sebastian K.
Published: August 2009

If innovation is understood as a process of inventing and commercializing new products and services, as a process that incorporates activities from multiple disciplines, and as a process that follows more heuristic than algorithmic rules, then perhaps this process can be taught in an interdisciplinary setting with a strong experiential emphasis, such as product design and development. In this paper, I compare and contrast 14 courses and three programmes in interdisciplinary product development at 16 leading US schools. The overall finding is that while the courses appear similar on a high level, there exists substantial variation in the details. In particular, the way in which multiple disciplines are involved in these courses and programmes varies substantially. Similarly, while a team‐based term project tends to be the common element across the courses and programmes, the degree of fidelity to which the products and services are developed varies considerably. Overall, although these courses and programmes tend to be very labour and co‐ordination intensive, their success has established the legitimacy of interdisciplinary, experiential product design and development education at leading schools in the US.
Embedding a Threshold Concept in Teaching and Learning of Product Development Management
Authors: Coughlan Paul , Graham Anne
Published: August 2009

This paper uses insights from the literature on threshold concepts to develop a structure for understanding teaching and learning in the area of managing product development. The paper defines the threshold concept, outlines pedagogic principles and describes learning activities that seek to enact these principles. The paper is based upon experience of an established final‐year university undergraduate course.
Uppsala Creativity Day, 2 March 2009
Authors: Moger Susan , Rickards Tudor
Published: August 2009

The University and the City of Uppsala joined forces on 2 March 2009 to explore the nature of creativity and of the creative city. Swedish participants were joined by international contributors from Europe and America. Discussions ranged from science policy to neurological aspects of idea generation, from creative leadership of teams to the creative city.
Innovation in the Absence of Principled Knowledge: The Case of the Wright Brothers
Authors: Bereiter Carl
Published: August 2009

Although the Wright Brothers are most famous for achieving the first successful manned powered flight, their innovation that had a revolutionary effect on airplane design was a plane capable of making banked turns. Yet this appears to have been an unintended by‐product of their effort to maximize control, in contrast to the efforts of competitors to maximize stability. The success of the Wright Brothers in this effort can be attributed to their taking an approach that was on one hand well adapted to the low state of aeronautical knowledge existing at the time but that on the other hand was committed to the construction and pursuit of principled knowledge. This involved the use of analogies, not as a source of problem solutions but as an aid in developing theory‐like principles. It also involved sequences of increasingly realistic experiments. Their approach contrasts with that of J.P. Langley, who took what has become a traditional R&D or ‘theory‐into‐practice’ approach, dependent on a high level of principled knowledge. This history yields several suggestions, not radical in themselves, about how radical advances may be made in knowledge‐poor fields, which are still common today, especially in the human sciences.
Structured Methods of New Product Development and Creativity Management: A Teaching Experience
Authors: Fernandes António Augusto , Da Silva Vieira Sónia , Medeiros Albertina P. , Natal Jorge Renato M.
Published: August 2009

Using structured methods for managing business innovation can be an effective way to improve the ideation process. Teaching structured methods is a potent way to enhance the innovative capabilities of companies and to develop creative products for the marketplace. In this paper, structured models of innovation and product development are reviewed and an approach to them is presented, based on several MSc student projects. The implications for managers, such as the need to train employees in structured methods, and the implications for those who teach innovation management are discussed in detail.
Successful Patterns of Internal SME Characteristics Leading to High Overall Innovation Performance
Authors: Pullen Annemien , De Weerd‐Nederhof Petra , Groen Aard , Song Michael , Fisscher Olaf
Published: August 2009

Small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) struggle with the paradox of developing new products and technologies on the one hand and minimizing costs on the other. These SMEs must be innovative to survive and grow. However, compared to large firms, SMEs have several problems in their innovation process, which negatively influence their overall innovation performance. This research explores successful patterns of internal SME characteristics that lead to high overall innovation performance. Cluster analyses were conducted to find patterns in the internal characteristics of SMEs with high overall innovation performance. We find that companies that focus on incremental innovation and that achieve high overall innovation performance indeed share a pattern in their internal organization, when controlling for innovation type. The paper adds to the current body of knowledge by comparing high‐ and low‐performing companies based on competence differences. Because real‐life organizations consist of multiple organizational characteristics, we also contribute to management practice by simultaneously addressing multiple organizational characteristics for the successful organization of innovation.
Motions of the Hand Expose the Partial and Parallel Activation of Stereotypes
Authors: Freeman Jonathan B. , Ambady Nalini
Published: August 2009

Perceivers spontaneously sort other people's faces into social categories and activate the stereotype knowledge associated with those categories. In the work described here, participants, presented with sex-typical and sex-atypical faces (i.e., faces containing a mixture of male and female features), identified which of two gender stereotypes (one masculine and one feminine) was appropriate for the face. Meanwhile, their hand movements were measured by recording the streaming x, y coordinates of the computer mouse. As participants stereotyped sex-atypical faces, real-time motor responses exhibited a continuous spatial attraction toward the opposite-gender stereotype. These data provide evidence for the partial and parallel activation of stereotypes belonging to alternate social categories. Thus, perceptual cues of the face can trigger a graded mixture of simultaneously active stereotype knowledge tied to alternate social categories, and this mixture settles over time onto ultimate judgments.
Weight as an Embodiment of Importance
Authors: Jostmann Nils B. , Lakens Daniël , Schubert Thomas W.
Published: August 2009

Four studies show that the abstract concept of importance is grounded in bodily experiences of weight. Participants provided judgments of importance while they held either a heavy or a light clipboard. Holding a heavy clipboard increased judgments of monetary value (Study 1) and made participants consider fair decision-making procedures to be more important (Study 2). It also caused more elaborate thinking, as indicated by higher consistency between related judgments (Study 3) and by greater polarization of agreement ratings for strong versus weak arguments (Study 4). In line with an embodied perspective on cognition, these findings suggest that, much as weight makes people invest more physical effort in dealing with concrete objects, it also makes people invest more cognitive effort in dealing with abstract issues.
5. Exploiting Spatial Dependence to Improve Measurement of Neighborhood Social Processes
Authors: Savitz Natalya Verbitsky , Raudenbush Stephen W.
Published: August 2009

A number of recent studies have used surveys of neighborhood informants and direct observation of city streets to assess aspects of community life such as collective efficacy, the density of kin networks, and social disorder. Raudenbush and Sampson (1999a) have coined the term “ecometrics” to denote the study of the reliability and validity of such assessments. Random errors of measurement will attenuate the associations between these assessments and key outcomes. To address this problem, some studies have used empirical Bayes methods to reduce such biases, while assuming that neighborhood random effects are statistically independent. In this paper we show that the precision and validity of ecometric measures can be considerably improved by exploiting the spatial dependence of neighborhood social processes within the framework of empirical Bayes shrinkage. We compare three estimators of a neighborhood social process: the ordinary least squares estimator (OLS), an empirical Bayes estimator based on the independence assumption (EBE), and an empirical Bayes estimator that exploits spatial dependence (EBS). Under our model assumptions, EBS performs better than EBE and OLS in terms of expected mean squared error loss. The benefits of EBS relative to EBE and OLS depend on the magnitude of spatial dependence, the degree of neighborhood heterogeneity, as well as neighborhood's sample size. A cross-validation study using the original 1995 data from the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods and a replication of that survey in 2002 show that the empirical benefits of EBS approximate those expected under our model assumptions; EBS is more internally consistent and temporally stable and demonstrates higher concurrent and predictive validity. A fully Bayes approach has the same properties as does the empirical Bayes approach, but it is preferable when the number of neighborhoods is small.
T cells reactive with the NC16A domain of BP180 are present in vulval lichen sclerosus and lichen planus
Authors: Baldo M , Bailey A , Bhogal B , Groves RW , Ogg G , Wojnarowska F
Published: August 2009

Background  Lichen sclerosus (LS) is a chronic inflammatory skin condition. The recent demonstration of circulating autoantibodies to extracellular matrix protein 1 and to basement membrane zone (BMZ) components, chiefly BP180, suggests that autoimmunity to these components might contribute to pathogenesis. However, there is no binding of autoantibodies in vivo and as LS is characterized by a lymphocytic infiltrate, it seems likely that LS is mediated, in part, by antigen‐specific lymphocytes. Similar mechanisms may apply to vulval lichen planus (LP), an interface dermatitis, with clinical and immunological overlap with LS.

Objectives  This study aims to test the hypothesis that T cells reactive with the NC16A domain of BP180 are present in the peripheral blood of patients with vulval LS and LP.

Methods  Isolated peripheral blood mononuclear cells from 14 patients with vulval LS, 5 with vulval LP and 4 healthy controls were grown in vitro. We examined for immunogenicity of overlapping peptides spanning the NC16A domain of BP180 using interferon‐γ enzyme‐linked immunospot assay (ELIspot) on the cultured T‐cell lines. BMZ antibodies were assayed, HLA type determined and clinical parameters noted.

Results  Significant interferon‐γ production was observed in response to the NC16A peptides in 6 of the 14 vulval LS and 2 of the 5 LP patients, but not in the control subjects. There was an associated autoantibody response to BP180 in 3 LS and 1 LP patient with T‐cell responses. These data suggest that in some vulval LS and LP patients, NC16A domain‐specific T cells circulate at sufficiently high frequency to be detectable in vitro and show rapid effector function. There was no association with HLA type or clinical parameters.

Conclusion  We have demonstrated that in > 40% of our vulval LS and LP patients, the NC16A domain of BP180 is a target for circulating T cells, and in vulval LS and LP there are associated autoantibodies to BP180.
A prospective, randomized clinical trial comparing topical aloe vera with 0.1% triamcinolone acetonide in mild to moderate plaque psoriasis
Authors: Choonhakarn C , Busaracome P , Sripanidkulchai B , Sarakarn P
Published: August 2009

Background  Topical aloe vera (AV) has been used to treat various skin conditions, including psoriasis, with good results.

Objectives  This study aims to compare the efficacy of AV and 0.1% triamcinolone acetonide (TA) in mild to moderate plaque psoriasis.

Methods  A randomized, comparative, double‐blind, 8‐week study was designed. Eighty patients randomly received AV or 0.1% TA cream and their clinical response were evaluated using the Psoriasis Area Severity Index (PASI) and the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI).

Results  After 8 weeks of treatment, the mean PASI score decreased from 11.6 to 3.9 (–7.7) in the AV group and from 10.9 to 4.3 (–6.6) in the TA group. Between‐group difference was 1.1 (95% confidence interval –2.13, –0.16, P = 0.0237). The mean DLQI score decreased from 8.6 to 2.5 (–6.1) in the AV group and from 8.1 to 2.3 (–5.8) in the TA group. Between‐group difference was 0.3 (95% confidence interval –1.18, –0.64, P = 0.5497). There was no follow‐up period after the 8‐week treatment.

Conclusions  AV cream may be more effective than 0.1% TA cream in reducing the clinical symptoms of psoriasis; however, both treatments have similar efficacy in improving the quality of life of patients with mild to moderate psoriasis.
Trends in pemphigus research over 15 years
Authors: Leshem YA , Pavlovsky L , Mimouni FB , David M , Mimouni D
Published: August 2009

Background  Although pemphigus is a rare autoimmune blistering disease, it attracts the attention of physicians of many disciplines.

Objective  This study aims to assess the number of articles on pemphigus that have been published over 15 years in dermatology vs. non‐dermatology medical journals, and to evaluate the quality of available evidence.

Methods  PubMed was searched for articles on pemphigus published between 1 January 1993 to 31 December 2007 using the search word pemphigus. Articles were characterized by publication type and journal type per year. Regression analysis was used to determine the effect of year of publication on number of publications of each type.

Results  The search yielded 2032 publications on pemphigus during the evaluation period. Sixty‐one per cent were published in dermatology journals. Overall, the number of publications increased linearly with time. Most of this increase was accounted for by publications in non‐dermatology journals. There was an increase in clinical trials over the course of the study period. The number of certain publications with lower quality of evidence, mainly case reports and letters to the editor, increased significantly in the last few years. There was no increase in publications with high quality of evidence.

Conclusions  The increase on data from non‐dermatology disciplines is a welcome contribution. Nevertheless, high‐quality evidence on pemphigus is still lacking. We trust that the current trend towards evidence‐based dermatology will impact future research on this severe disease.
Accessible article: involving people with learning disabilities in research
Authors: Garbutt Ruth , Tattersall John , Dunn Jo , Boycott‐Garnett Rachel
Published: August 2009

Accessible summary

 This is an article that talks about our research about sex and relationships for people with learning disabilities.

 It talks about how people with learning disabilities have been fully involved in the research.

This is an article that talks about our research about sex and relationships for people with learning disabilities.
Association between antidepressant drug use during pregnancy and child healthcare utilisation
Authors: Ververs TF , van Wensen K , Freund MW , van der Heide M , Visser GHA , Schobben AFAM , de Jong‐van den Berg LTW , Egberts ACG
Published: August 2009

Objective  To evaluate healthcare utilisation by children who were exposed to antidepressant drug use during pregnancy and those whose mothers stopped using antidepressants before pregnancy compared with a control group.

Design  Cohort study.

Setting  Health insurance records in the Netherlands.

Population  A total of 38 602 children born between 2000 and 2005.

Methods  Survey of child healthcare utilisation in relation to gestational antidepressant use.

Main outcome measure  Healthcare utilisation rates during the first year of life, with special emphasis to medical care related to cardiac disease.

Results  Children of mothers who used antidepressants during pregnancy showed increased healthcare use during the first year of life, independent of the mother’s healthcare use. The relative risk of more than two visits to general practitioners was 1.5 (95% confidence interval, CI: 1.3–1.8) in the continuous antidepressant users group and 1.3 (95% CI: 1.2–1.5) in the group of children whose mothers stopped taking medication. In both study groups there was a trend towards more drug use for infections and inflammation compared with the control group. Children continuously exposed to antidepressants had an increased risk of cardiac interventions such as cardiovascular surgery or heart catheterisation, relative risk of 5.6 (95% CI: 1.8–17.4). The risk of physiotherapy was twice as high in the antidepressant group compared with the control group (relative risk 2.0; 95% CI: 1.5–2.6).

Conclusion  Antidepressant use during pregnancy is associated with increased child healthcare utilisation and increased risk of major cardiac interventions in early childhood.
Comparison of pregnancy outcomes in women with repaired versus unrepaired atrial septal defect
Authors: Yap S‐C , Drenthen W , Meijboom FJ , Moons P , Mulder BJM , Vliegen HW , van Dijk APJ , Jaddoe VWV , Steegers EAP , Roos‐Hesselink JW , Pieper PG ,   on behalf of the ZAHARA investigators
Published: August 2009

Objective  To compare the risks of complications during pregnancy in women with repaired and unrepaired atrial septal defects (ASDs) without associated complex cardiac lesions.

Design  A retrospective multicentre study.

Setting  Tertiary centres in the Netherlands and Belgium.

Population  Women with ASD without associated complex cardiac lesions.

Methods  Women were identified using two congenital heart disease registries. One hundred women were identified who had 243 pregnancies, including 49 miscarriages and six terminations of pregnancy. Detailed information on each completed pregnancy (n = 188; unrepaired ASD, n = 133; repaired ASD, n = 55) was obtained using medical records and telephone interviews. In addition, data from the Generation R database (a prospective cohort study; n = 9667) were used to determine the background risk (control group).

Main outcome measures  Adjusted odds ratios (AORs) for cardiac, obstetric and neonatal events controlled for multiple pregnancies per woman using general estimating equation analysis.

Results  Women with an unrepaired ASD had a higher risk of neonatal events (AOR = 2.99, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.14–7.89, P = 0.027) than women with a repaired ASD. The risk of cardiac and obstetric complications was comparable between women with unrepaired and repaired ASDs. Compared with the general population, women with an unrepaired ASD had higher risks of pre‐eclampsia (AOR = 3.54, 95% CI 1.26–9.98, P = 0.017), small‐for‐gestational‐age births (AOR = 1.95, 95% CI 1.15–3.30, P = 0.013) and fetal mortality (AOR = 5.55, 95% CI 1.77–17.4, P = 0.003). By contrast, no differences were observed when comparing women with a repaired ASD versus controls.

Conclusions  Women with an unrepaired ASD are at increased risk of neonatal events in comparison with women with a repaired ASD. Compared with the general population, women with an unrepaired ASD are at increased risk of pre‐eclampsia, small‐for‐gestational‐age births and fetal mortality.
Association of interferon‐γ +874A polymorphism with the risk of developing cervical cancer in north‐Indian population
Authors: Gangwar R , Pandey S , Mittal RD
Published: August 2009

Objective  Interferon gamma (IFN‐γ) is a pro‐inflammatory cytokine playing a pivotal role in both innate and adaptive immune responses. A single nucleotide polymorphism located in the first intron of the human IFN‐γ gene can influence the secretion of cytokine. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the association of IFN‐γ T/A gene polymorphism with the risk of cervical cancer.

Design  Case–control study.

Setting  Uttar Pradesh State in India.

Sample  Two hundred cases with histologically proven cancer of the cervix and healthy controls (n = 230), age and ethnicity matched were recruited in this study.

Methods  Genotyping was performed for bi‐allelic +874 (T/A) polymorphism of IFN‐γ by amplification refractory mutation system method.

Main outcome measures  Low producer IFN‐γ +874 AA genotype was associated with high risk for cervical cancer, which further modulated the increased risk in tobacco users.

Results  IFN‐γ AA genotype which is low producer of IFN‐γ was associated with increased risk of cervical cancer (OR = 2.43, P = 0.003). Allele A was at 1.54‐fold increased risk of cervical cancer (OR=1.54, P = 0.002). The AA genotype showed statistically significant risk with high stage (III + IV) of cervical cancer (OR = 4.99, P = 0.001). In tobacco users, AA genotype showed significantly increased susceptibility to cervical cancer (OR = 5.08, P = 0.010).

Conclusion  Variation in IFN‐γ +874 AA genotype because of ethnicity in north‐Indian population may represent an important susceptibility biomarker for cervical cancer risk as well as other diseases and should be explored further.
Effect of chronic pre‐treatment with angiotensin converting enzyme inhibition on skeletal muscle mitochondrial recovery after ischemia/reperfusion
Authors: Thaveau Fabien , Zoll Joffrey , Bouitbir Jamal , N’Guessan Benoît , Plobner Philippe , Chakfe Nabil , Kretz Jean‐Georges , Richard Ruddy , Piquard François , Geny Bernard
Published: August 2009

Impaired skeletal muscle energetic participates in peripheral arterial disease (PAD) patient’s morbidity and mortality. Angiotensin converting enzyme inhibition (ACEi), cornerstone for pharmacologic risk factor management in PAD patients, might also be interesting by protecting skeletal muscle energetic. We therefore determined whether chronic ACEi might reduce ischemia‐induced mitochondrial respiratory chain dysfunction in the frequent setting of hindlimb ischemia–reperfusion. Ischemic legs of rats submitted to 5 h ischemia induced by a rubber band tourniquet applied on the root of the hindlimb followed by reperfusion without (IR, n = 11) or after ACEi (n = 14; captopril 40 mg/kg per day during 28 days before surgery) were studied and compared to that of sham‐operated animals (n = 11). The effect of ACEi on the non‐ischemic contralateral leg was also determined in the ACEi group. Maximal oxidative capacities (Vmax) and complexes I, II and IV activities of the mitochondrial respiratory chain of the gastrocnemius muscle were determined using glutamate–malate, succinate and TMPD–ascorbate substrates. Arterial blood pressure was significantly decreased after ACEi (124 ± 2.8 vs. 108 ± 4.19 mmHg; P = 0.01). Ischemia–reperfusion reduced Vmax (4.4 ± 0.4 vs. 8.7 ± 0.5 μmol O2/min/g dry weight, −49%, P < 0.001), affecting mitochondrial complexes I, II and IV activities. ACEi failed to modulate ischemia‐induced dysfunction (Vmax 5.1 ± 0.7 μmol O2/min/g dry weight) or the non‐ischemic contralateral muscle respiratory rate. Ischemia–reperfusion significantly impaired the mitochondrial respiratory chain I, II and IV complexes of skeletal muscle. Pharmacologic pre‐treatment with ACEi did not prevent or increase such alterations. Further studies might be useful to improve the pharmacologic conditioning of PAD patients needing arterial revascularization.
Combined therapy in the treatment of dyslipidemia
Authors: Reiner Željko
Published: August 2009

This systematic review analyses the efficacy, tolerability and safety of combinations of different medicines used to treat dyslipidemias in clinical practice. A PubMed search up to January 2009, was conducted to identify relevant studies. Criteria used to identify studies included (1) English language, (2) published studies with original data or meta‐analyses in peer‐reviewed journals. Although statin treatment is a mainstay of dyslipidemia management today, complementary effects of other lipid‐lowering and/or HDL‐cholesterol‐raising therapies might substantially increase the clinical benefits not only in the small minority of patients with severe dyslipidemias but in others as well. These therapies include combinations with bile acid sequestrants (cholestyramine, colestipol, colesevelam), ezetimibe, niacin, plant sterols, fibrates (fenofibrate, bezafibrate, gemfibrozil), and prescription omega‐3 fatty acids. Therapeutic approaches which incorporate the use of multiple drugs combinations for dyslipidemia treatment should be more widely adopted since combination therapy might offer a means to increase the number of patients able to meet their lipoprotein goals according to the guidelines. However, it has to be stated that for most of these combination therapies data on cardiovascular outcomes are still lacking.
Lasting reduction of postsurgical hyperalgesia after single injection of botulinum toxin type A in rat
Authors: Filipović Boris , Bach‐Rojecky Lidija , Lacković Zdravko
Published: August 2009

A single injection of low doses of botulinum toxin type A (3.5 U/kg) completely abolished secondary mechanical hyperalgesia throughout its duration in a model of post surgical pain after gastrocnemius incision in rat.
Reintoxication: the release of fat‐stored Δ9‐tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) into blood is enhanced by food deprivation or ACTH exposure
Authors: Gunasekaran N , Long LE , Dawson BL , Hansen GH , Richardson DP , Li KM , Arnold JC , McGregor IS
Published: August 2009

Background and purpose:  Δ9‐tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main psychoactive constituent of cannabis, accumulates in adipose tissue where it is stored for long periods of time. Here we investigated whether conditions that promote lipolysis can liberate THC from adipocytes to yield increased blood levels of THC.

Experimental approach:  In vitro studies involved freshly isolated rat adipocytes that were incubated with THC before exposure to the lipolytic agent adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH). A complementary in vivo approach examined the effects of both food deprivation and ACTH on blood levels of THC in rats that had been repeatedly injected with THC (10 mg·kg−1) for 10 consecutive days. Lipolysis promoted by ACTH or food deprivation was indexed by measurement of glycerol levels.

Key results:  ACTH increased THC levels in the medium of THC‐pretreated adipocytes in vitro. ACTH also enhanced THC release from adipocytes in vitro when taken from rats repeatedly pretreated with THC in vivo. Finally, in vivo ACTH exposure and 24 h food deprivation both enhanced the levels of THC and its metabolite, (‐)‐11‐nor‐9‐carboxy‐Δ9‐tetrahydrocannabinol (THC‐COOH) in the blood of rats that had been pre‐exposed to repeated THC injections.

Conclusions and implications:  The present study shows that lipolysis enhances the release of THC from fat stores back into blood. This suggests the likelihood of ‘reintoxication’ whereby food deprivation or stress may raise blood THC levels in animals chronically exposed to the drug. Further research will need to confirm whether this can lead to functional effects, such as impaired cognitive function or ‘flashbacks’.
Porcine endogenous retrovirus released by a bioartificial liver infects primary human cells
Authors: Frühauf Jan‐Henning , Mertsching Heike , Giri Shibashish , Frühauf Nils Roman , Bader Augustinus
Published: August 2009

Background: Porcine endogenous retrovirus (PERV) remains a safety risk in pig‐to‐human xenotransplantation. There is no evidence of in vivo productive infection in humans because PERV is inactivated by human serum. However, PERV can infect human cell lines and human primary cells in vitro and inhibit human immune functions.

Aims: We investigated the potential of primary porcine liver cells to transmit PERV to primary human cells in a bioreactor‐based bioartificial liver (BAL).

Methods: Primary human hepatocytes, endothelial cells and the human cell line HEK 293 were exposed to supernatants from BAL or from the porcine cell line PK‐15. PERV polymerase‐specific reverse‐transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR) and PCR were used to investigate PERV transmission to human cells. An assay of RT activity was used to detect the presence of retrovirus in the supernatants of BAL, primary human hepatocytes and endothelial cells.

Results: Primary human hepatocytes (hHep), endothelial cells and HEK 293 cells were reproducibly infected by PERV, originating from primary porcine liver cells within the BAL and from PK‐15 cells. Infected cells were positive for PERV‐specific DNA and RNA after 8–10 days on an average, and RT activity was detectable in the supernatants of infected hHep and HEK 293 cells.

Conclusion: A risk of PERV infection in human cells is documented in this study, indicating that short‐term contact of primary porcine liver cell supernatants with primary human cells could result in PERV transmission.
Night‐time sleep disturbance does not correlate with neuropsychiatric impairment in patients with cirrhosis
Authors: Montagnese Sara , Middleton Benita , Skene Debra J. , Morgan Marsha Y.
Published: August 2009

Background: Sleep–wake disturbances are common in patients with cirrhosis and are generally attributed to the presence of hepatic encephalopathy.

Aim: To determine the relationship between sleep and neuropsychiatric disturbances in patients with cirrhosis.

Methods: The study population comprised 87 patients, classified as neuropsychiatrically unimpaired or as having minimal/overt hepatic encephalopathy. Nineteen healthy volunteers served as controls. Validated questionnaires were used to assess sleep quality [Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI)], day‐time sleepiness [Epworth sleepiness scale (ESS)] and diurnal preference. Health‐related quality of life (H‐RQoL) was assessed using the 36‐item short form health profile (SF‐36v1) and the chronic liver disease questionnaire.

Results: Patients slept significantly less well than the healthy volunteers (PSQI score: 8.4 ± 4.9 vs. 4.6 ± 2.5, P<0.01) and had more pronounced day‐time sleepiness (abnormal ESS: 21 vs. 0%; χ2=3.8, P=0.05). No significant relationships were observed between sleep indices and the presence/degree of hepatic encephalopathy. H‐RQoL was significantly impaired in the patients (SF‐36v1 physical score: 36 ± 15 vs. 50 ± 10, P<0.001; SF‐36v1 mental score: 46 ± 11 vs. 50 ± 10, P<0.01); night‐time sleep disturbance was an independent predictor of poor H‐RQoL (P<0.01).

Conclusions: Sleep–wake abnormalities are common in patients with cirrhosis; they significantly affect H‐RQoL but are not related to the presence of hepatic encephalopathy.
Alanine aminotransferase, γ‐glutamyltransferase (GGT) and all‐cause mortality: results from a population‐based Danish twins study alanine aminotransferase, GGT and mortality in elderly twins
Authors: Fraser Abigail , Thinggaard Mikael , Christensen Kaare , Lawlor Debbie A.
Published: August 2009

Background/Aims: Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and γ‐glutamyltransferase (GGT) are widely used markers of liver disease. Several population‐based cohort studies have found associations of these liver enzymes with all‐cause mortality. None of these studies controlled for genetic variation as well as fetal and early life exposure, whether environmental or genetic.

Methods: We studied the associations of ALT and GGT with all‐cause mortality using data for 686 twins (73–94 years old) included in the Longitudinal Study of Aging Danish Twins.

Results: An increase in 1 logged U/L of GGT was associated with a 15% increase in the hazard ratio (HR) for mortality [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.99, 1.32] but there was no strong evidence of an association of ALT with all‐cause mortality (HR=1.07, 95% CI 0.82, 1.40) when controlling for potential confounders. In this analysis, the study population was treated as individuals, with similarities between twins accounted for by using robust standard errors. However, an intrapair analysis in which the proportion of twin pairs in which the twin with the higher level of ALT or GGT died first was compared with 50% (expected under the null hypothesis), found no strong evidence that higher ALT or GGT was associated with earlier death within twin pairs; the results were consistent in both monozygotic and dizygotic twins.

Conclusions: γ‐glutamyltransferase but not ALT predicts mortality among older Danish twins when using traditional methods for controlling for potential confounders and existing diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Environmental developmental origins may explain the association, but larger twin studies are required to replicate our findings.
40Ar/39Ar Constraints on the tectonic history and architecture of the ultrahigh‐pressure Sulu orogen
Authors: HACKER B. R. , WALLIS S. R. , MCWILLIAMS M. O. , GANS P. B.
Published: August 2009

New40Ar/39Ar ages are presented from the giant Sulu ultrahigh‐pressure (UHP) terrane and surrounding areas. Combined with U‐Pb ages, Sm‐Nd ages, Rb‐Sr ages, inclusion relationships, and geological relationships, they help define the orogenic events before, during and after the Triassic collision between the Sino–Korean and Yangtze Cratons. In the Qinling microcontinent, tectonism occurred between 2.0 and 1.4 Ga. The UHP metamorphism occurred in the Yangtze Craton between 240 and 222 Ma; its thermal effect on the Qinling microcontinent was limited to partial resetting of K‐feldspar40Ar/39Ar ages. Subsequent unroofing at rates of 5–25 km Myr−1brought the UHP terrane to crustal levels where it underwent a relatively short amphibolite facies metamorphism. The end of that metamorphism is marked by40Ar/39Ar ages in the 219–210 Ma range, implying cooling at crustal depths at rates of 50–200 °C Myr−1. Ages in the 210–170 Ma range may reflect protracted cooling or partial resetting by Jurassic or Cretaceous magmatism. Jurassic 166–149 Ma plutonism was followed by cooling at rates ofc.15 °C Myr−1, suggesting relatively deep crustal conditions, whereas Cretaceous 129–118 Ma plutonism was succeeded by cooling at rates ofc.50 C Myr−1, suggesting relatively shallow crustal depths.
Small‐scaled geographical variation in life‐history traits of the blowfly Calliphora vicina between rural and urban populations
Authors: Hwang C. C. , Turner B. D.
Published: August 2009

The impact of the urban heat‐island effect, the warming‐up of an urban area caused by human activity, on the blowfly Calliphora vicina Robineau‐Desvoidy (Diptera: Calliphoridae) was examined at two British sites, 30 km apart. Waterloo in Central London is a highly urbanised built‐up area, whereas Box Hill in the county of Surrey is a rural pasture and woodland location. The phenotypic plasticity of 12 C. vicina cultures, originated from single females from each of the two sites, was measured using three developmental characters: adult body size (represented as the length of the cross vein dm‐cu of the right wing), development time as accumulated degree‐days (ADD), and growth rate (length of dm‐cu/ADD), along a constant temperature series of 16, 20, 24, and 28 °C in the laboratory. The blowflies from Box Hill had the same ADD as those from Waterloo, but showed a significantly larger adult size and growth rate at lower temperatures, suggesting the existence of local adaptations that may be caused by the differing levels of urbanisation between the two studied sites. Not surprisingly, a trade‐off between adult size and development time was found. Females showed longer development times than males at all four temperatures, indicating they may need to ingest more food as larvae to furnish ovarioles and increase fecundity. However, females had larger adult size than males at 16 and 20 °C but a reverse at 28 °C, suggesting that females may be more cold‐adapted than males.
Moroccan national study on prevalence of mental disorders: a community‐based epidemiological study
Authors: Kadri N. , Agoub M. , Assouab F. , Tazi M. A. , Didouh A. , Stewart R. , Moussaoui D.
Published: August 2009

Objective:  The main objective of this study was to assess the prevalence of common mental disorders in the Moroccan general population.

Method:  On a systematic representative randomized sample, the Moroccan Arabic version of the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) was used to assess the prevalence of mood, anxiety, substance, and alcohol abuse disorders.

Results:  Among 5498 subjects interviewed, 40.1% had at least one current mental disorder. Current major depressive disorder was the most common (26.5%), and at least one anxiety disorder was found in 37% of the sample. Mental disorders were more frequent among female, urban, divorced, and unemployed subjects.

Conclusion:  Mental disorders are common in the Moroccan general population, particularly mood and anxiety disorders.